In the B.P.R.D. Medical Bay in Section 42, Abe unconsciously floats in a special tank. LED strips read water temperature, pH level, etc. He's encased in a bio-cast: a cybernetic healing unit wrapped around his thorax and right arm. A web of tubes and hoses keeps him in place. Hellboy, shirtless and bandaged, stands and studies him as if in a trance. Marie stands beside Hellboy as she watches Abe. Marie had found him unconscious and barely alive. Not far from him were Moss and Quarry or what was left of them.
"He'll make it," Manning said. "But not everyone was so lucky. Two agents died today. Clay probably won't survive the night. You're reckless."
Hellboy and Marie turn away from Abe to face Manning. The Director had a cigar and exuded smugness.
"I knew those men better than you did," Hellboy told Manning.
"Ah, I see. That makes it all alright then."
"No, it doesn't make it right," Hellboy responded.
"Give Hellboy a break, Manning. He stopped the creature. And so did I," Marie said, coming to Hellboy's defense.
"Yes, but you also led half the NYPD on a high-speed chase before riding off the Brooklyn Bridge. You nearly exposed us," Manning told Marie before saying to her and Hellboy, "As for you two stopping the creatures. That's what you do. That's why we need you. You have an insight. You know monsters."
"What are you trying to say?" Hellboy asked.
"This whole thing is a farce because in the end, after you've killed, after you've captured every freak out there - there are still two left: you and Agent Darkh," He answered before leaving.
Hellboy felt angry when Manning insulted Marie by calling her a freak. He could deal with Manning insulting him, but the latter crossed a line by insulting Marie. The half-demon man decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Hey, uh, Manning?" Hellboy called, causing Manning to turn to him. "I wish I could be more gracious, but -"
Hellboy ripes a stainless steel cylinder from its place beside Abe and raises it above his head. Manning cowers, realizing that Hellboy's rage is a dangerous thing. And Marie did nothing to stop Hellboy. Manning briefly looks at Marie, hoping she will come to his rescue. Instead, the Director saw the angry agent become a flaming skeleton. Manning's fear grew ten times.
Hellboy throws the stainless steel cylinder at Manning but misses. The cylinder smashes through the glass partition before landing in the middle of the hall, surrounded by shattered glass. The agents in the halls quickly draw their guns as Professor Broom watches. Manning then stumbled out of the Medical Bay, looking scared shitless.
"I want those things locked up, starting now. Right now!" Manning said in a gasping voice. "Do you...?"
Manning hears glass crunching. He fearfully glances at the Medical Bay to see Hellboy and Marie walking toward him.
"Now, you hear me? Locked up!" Manning demanded as he walked away.
Hellboy and Marie watch Manning walk away, obviously scared of what they might do to him. The two turned around and were met with Professor Broom's disappointing gaze. Marie looked down, wanting to avoid Broom's gaze, as she returned to human. The woman walks away to be alone. She could feel tears prickling her eyes before trying to stop them from falling.
The agents put their guns back in the holsters before continuing their business. Broom disappointingly looks at his son before walking away. Hellboy stands alone in the hall, oblivious that he did something wrong.
Marie enters the women's bathroom and one of the stalls before locking it. She sits on the toilet seat before taking a deep, shaky breath as she shakes her head. Marie rests her head in her hands and elbows on her knees as tears slowly drop from her eyes. Her anger almost got the better of her. She had nearly lost control.
Marie thought she could get some peace in the one place no man would dare enter. She starts massaging her temples. Suddenly, someone's fist pounds on the locked stall door.
"Ocupado," Marie said. Her voice filled with annoyance before the fist pounds on the stall door again.
"What part of me taking a shit, don't you understand?!" She snapped.
Marie wipes away her tears before standing atop the seat. When the woman peers over the stall door, she sees Hellboy standing before the door.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Marie questioned. "Don't you know this is the ladies' bathroom, or are you that stupid?"
"Look, I just wanted to thank you for standing up to Manning for me," Hellboy said. "You didn't have to, but thanks."
Marie steps off the seat and slams open the stall door. She looks at Hellboy as if she is about to punch him.
"Red, can you please just leave me alone. We've both had a really shit couple of days. And I might be in danger of losing a job I haven't had for a week!" She exclaimed before walking out of the bathroom.
Hellboy follows after Marie and walks beside her, "Marie, if you're worried about Manning, don't. He's not gonna fire you. Pop won't let him. Besides, Manning's probably too scared to do it."
Marie suddenly stops and asks Hellboy, "Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden? I thought you said you didn't need me?"
"I know I've already said this. But I wanted to, uh, say thank you. I appreciate what you did back there. Standing up to Manning and defending me."
Marie became a little less tense after hearing Hellboy. He wasn't acting like the ass she met before.
"Red, Manning had no right to blame you or me for what happened. He was being an ass. He deserved to get the living daylights scared out of him. And I think that wasn't the only thing we scared out of him," Marie said with a smile. Her little joke earned her a little chuckle from Hellboy.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Hellboy agreed.
"I got to go get your food. So, go to your room, and I'll be there soon with your food. See you then, Red."
Marie walks away from Hellboy, heading to pick up his dining cart of food from the cafeteria.
The half-demon watches the woman walk until she disappears around the corner. Hellboy was still confused by how his feelings for Marie changed in a day. When he first met Marie, he wanted nothing to do with her, and now the half-demon man couldn't figure out a way to tell her how he really felt.
After retrieving the dining cart, Marie walks through the halls to Hellboy's room. The long walk gave her time to contemplate. She was contemplating recent events. One event, in particular, was Hellboy being nice to her.
Marie began thinking something was off about Hellboy. He hated and wanted nothing to do with her when they first met, but now he stood up for and worried about her. Marie began to wonder if Hellboy had feelings for her. The kind of feelings that Marie thought would never happen.
Marie never had much of a dating life. She would spend most of her time with her friends or family, studying for classes, putting her degrees to use, etc. After her powers surfaced, Marie gave up any chance of finding that special someone. After all, what kind of man would want to be with a woman possessed by the Spirit of Vengence, giving her immortality and the ability to turn into a flaming skeleton. Even if they did, Marie thought it wrong to subject them to the life they would have to lead. Possibly always on the move so no one would grow suspicious of Marie's youthful appearance. Or she would have to pretend to be her husband's daughter or granddaughter in public when he reaches a certain age.
The woman quickly shied away from the idea that Hellboy could be in love with her. Marie made peace long ago with the idea of spending the rest of her long life as a spinster.
Marie was pulled away from her thoughts when she saw Professor Broom walking toward her with a friendly face and a warm smile.
"Hello, Marie," Broom greeted her.
"Hi, Professor," Marie returned with a smile. "What can I do for you?"
"I want you to go out and have fun," He replied.
Marie was shocked and confused by her friend's words. She thought he would be disappointed in her and Hellboy's scaring Manning earlier. But, instead of reprimanding her, Broom tells her to go out and have fun.
"W-What? I'm, uh, b-but what about what happened with M-Manning?" Marie questioned, stumbling with her words in confusion.
Broom chuckled light-heartedly, thinking he could still surprise his friend after so many years. The Professor will admit that he was disappointed in his friend and son's behavior and actions toward Manning. It was something it came to expect Hellboy would do, but not Marie. After some thinking, Broom understood the two. The last few days had been troublesome, especially for Marie. But last night proved difficult for Hellboy, and Manning blamed his son for the loss of the two agents and Clay's fatal injuries.
"I believe Manning had, as you would say, poked the bear one too many times," Broom told Marie, earning a small soft smile from her in her state of shock and confusion. "Now, leave this building, have fun, and return in a few hours."
"But I have to give Hellboy his food. And this is just the first course," Marie said, gesturing to the large bowls of chili on the dining cart.
"Oh, I don't think my son will need that because he will join you tonight."
Marie stands before Professor Broom, gobsmacked by his words. The woman thought Broom would have grounded his son after she and Hellboy scared Manning. But she guessed that tonight was full of strange surprises.
"You're letting Hellboy out after what he and I did earlier?" Marie questioned. Marie began worrying for Broom, thinking his illness was affecting his mental state. "Are you alright, Broom? I think you shou-"
"I'm fine, Marie," Broom interrupted. "After what has transpired the last few days, I believe you and my son deserve to get some fresh air and not worry about work."
Marie stares at Broom, confused for a few seconds before the confusion ends. The man was right. The last couple of days were not the best. And last night was the worst. A night of fun could be the morale booster Marie and Hellboy need.
"You're right, Broom," Marie agreed. "The last couple of days have been kinda shit. Thank you."
"You're welcome, my dear," Broom smiled. "I'll take my son's food back to the kitchen. Have fun."
Marie smiles at Professor Broom before walking away and leaving the dining cart with him. Broom watches Marie walk away, noticing how her happy mood changed her walk, almost like a spring in her step.
Hellboy lays on his bed with a pen and notepad. Several crumpled paper balls are scattered throughout his room. Hellboy, unsatisfied with what he just wrote, rips the paper from the notepad before crumpling it into a ball and throwing it away.
After watching Marie walk away, a realization dawned on Hellboy: he never apologized to Marie for their fight. It gave him the idea of writing a letter. The half-demon man also came up with the idea of killing two birds with one stone: he would apologize to Marie and tell her he loved her.
Marie opens the door and walks into Hellboy's room without the dining cart, which goes unnoticed by Hellboy. The woman stands near him, by his feet.
"Hey, Marie. You're a woman," Hellboy said.
"Last time I checked," Marie remarked.
"What's a good word - a solid word for "need"?" He asked.
"'Need' sounds pretty good and solid," She answered.
"Nah, sounds too 'needy'."
"Well, how about want, require, demand, or desire?" Marie suggested, moving toward Hellboy.
Hellboy looks away from the paper and at Marie. And he was captivated by her. The half-demon man looked at the woman as if she were an angel, something he knew to be true.
"So there is a change of plans for tonight," Marie told Hellboy. "I'm going out."
"Out? 'Out' out?" Hellboy asked.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go and have some fun," Marie replied, smiling. The woman's eyes fell on Hellboy's notepad before seeing her name written on the paper. "Is there something you wanted me to hear?"
Hellboy quickly stops writing as he gets off his bed. The half-demon man stands, moving a few crumbled papers away with his foot.
"N-No. It's nothing. Just a list. It's not finished," Hellboy responded, stuttering with his words.
"There's also another change for tonight: your food," Marie mentioned. It was then Hellboy noticed his chili was nowhere in sight. "You are joining me for a night on the town."
Hellboy was unsure how to process what Marie told him. The half-demon man looked at the woman before him like she had two heads. He knew Marie was new to the job, but she knew he couldn't go outside for a casual stroll.
"I appreciate the offer, Marie," Hellboy said. "But there's a couple of flaws in your plan. How are we getting out of here? And I can't exactly blend in out there."
"I got us covered. We'll keep to the rooftops. As for getting out, I gave the security guy watching the cameras fifty bucks to look the other way. So, we can walk right to my bike and ride out of the garage undetected," Marie told Hellboy, explaining her plan. "When we leave the building, I got a temporary glamor to cover your ass before we reach our destination. I also told the kitchen you weren't hungry and to put a hold on your meals until breakfast. And the fifty bucks will cover our reentrance."
As Hellboy listened to Marie's plan, the half-demon man thought that Marie had covered all her bases. They can sneak in and out of the B.P.R.D., and no one would know.
Marie spots Hellboy's coat in the corner of her eye. She approaches and grabs it before tossing it to Hellboy, catching it with his stone hand.
Marie grins before saying, "C'mon, Red. Let's go."
Hellboy puts on his jacket while following Marie out of his room. The woman locks the door before she and the half-demon man walk down the hall.
They carefully sneaked through the halls, checking if anyone was coming before moving. Marie and Hellboy looked like a couple of teenagers sneaking out in the middle of the night, trying not to get caught.
When Hellboy and Marie reached the garage, the two hopped on the latter's bike. It was a little cramped with the two sharing a seat, especially with the size of Hellboy's body. The half-demon man had to wrap his arm around Marie's waist. He was careful not to crush her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Please hold on to your butts and prepare for take-off," Marie told Hellboy before starting the engine and revving it. But before they moved, Marie spoke a spell in Latin, "Hanc creaturam cela. Fac illum non ut nunc est."
The two ride out of the garage at a high speed. But Hellboy didn't relax until he and Marie passed the gates. And he let out a sigh of relief. Marie's plan was working. This will be the first time in Hellboy's life that he has broken out of the B.P.R.D. And a search party won't be out looking for him. The half-demon man wished that his father had hired Marie years ago.
The night got better for Hellboy when he and Marie rode past civilians. Because no one saw him. It meant the B.P.R.D. wasn't being alerted that he was gone. Marie's glamor was working. Hellboy's gratefulness toward Marie grew. The half-demon man smiles.