Adult-FanFiction.org : Movies

Between the Lines: Sequel to Somewhere Between	By : AceMaxwell Category: G through L > Hellboy Views: 6046 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Hellboy or the characters within, and I don't make money off Hellboy or this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains.~Lamentations 3:7

- HB

I leave the communications office in about the same way I came in: pissed off and worried. Eon will start going through Andrews's stuff, but she might not find anything useful for hours, or even days. Andrews was a meticulous note taker, so that means she's got a hell of a lot of crap to go through.

In the meantime, I'm thinking I should spend some time with 'Scout and try and talk him down off his mental ledge. The kid is just too worked up. He probably got out and killed somebody's cat and got it in his head that it was something a lot worse. Then again, I could just be in denial.

I think back to the agent from yesterday, the one John was about ready to kill when he called 'Scout my bitch. I don't think I've ever seen him so pissed before. If someone had messed with him while he was a wolf, it might have been enough to push him over the edge. It would have taken some serious prodding, but it is a possibility, a fuckin' scary possibility.

Eventually, we're going to have to bring Leonitus into this and I don't know what he'll do with John. He's not Manning, far from it, but 'Scout taking somebody's life isn't something he can ignore.

I can't say that I'll just stay on the sidelines while he passes judgment on my partner though. I'll probably have to stand between him and John… No matter what, I can't leave John on his own. But, if I'm against Leonitus, I'm against the bureau. Not the first time I've found myself in that position, but at least everybody else hated Manning too, that's not the case with the general.

If I have to, I'll take 'Scout and we'll leave. I don't know where the fuck we'll go, but I'm not going to let them put him down like some kind of dog. We'll find someplace. Maybe there's a group that takes in stray freaks… like The Society…

I stop as I round the corner. The door to our room is open and I KNOW I closed it. Subconsciously, my hand drops to the handle of the Samaritan. If that asshole agent is in there giving 'Scout trouble, I'm just going to shoot him and call it self-defense. Nobody will buy it, but it's better than John going off on him. John's already got enough trouble circling his head.

"'Scout?" I call as I enter the room. I don't get an answer. Nothing looks out of place, except for the fact that John's nowhere in sight. "Crap…"

I turn on my heel, heading back towards communications. I catch Abe halfway to the library, "Abe, John's gone."

Abe frowns slightly and offers, "Perhaps he's gone to get something from the kitchens."

I stare at him blankly. After all the panic, and the whole 'John could have killed someone' crisis, how is the kitchen the first thing that Blue thinks of?

"Because he could be hungry. He does eat like you do," Abe clarifies.

"Yeah, but he also doesn't eat much when something's bothering him." But there is that faint possibility that he's right. "Alright, I'm going to look around base. You check my room-"

"And see if I can find out where he's going. Yes, yes, I follow you," Abe finishes for me as he disappears down the hallway.

I do check the kitchen, but get little satisfaction from the fact that Abe is wrong. I would be smug, but I'm a little concerned that John is ripping somebody's guts out while I'm wandering around by the meat lockers.

I stop everyone I pass, asking if they've seen 'Scout in either form, but nobody has. By the time I'm walking back to my room, I'm cussing profusely under my breath. Abe looks up from a pair of jeans that are too big for 'Scout, but sure as hell aren't mine.

I wear leather or sweatpants and pretty much spend the rest of the time in the buff.

"He took them from a house in west New Jersey, felt badly about it, walked seven miles to get home."

He continues to dictate the memories attached to the pants and I have to cut in, "Skip forward a little, where'd he go ten minutes ago?"

"Well, clearly he didn't take these jeans with him, so…" Abe shrugs in response.

I kick a box across the floor, sending cats scattering in all directions, and shout, "Shit!"

"But he did take his tracker."

"You could have said that FIRST, Abe!" I gripe over my shoulder as I rush out the door.

I barely catch his reply of, "I was too busy trying to sort through all the memories of copulating this room has…"

- John

Alexia pulls the car over in front of a massive stone building that looks like it was built in the 1800's. I'm not an expert on appropriate business locales, but this looks nothing like a dog training facility.

The deeper I'm getting into this 'adventure', the less I trust it. But, the bureau never hires anyone without extensive background checks and I don't have any reason not to trust Alexia…

I sit in the car a minute, fighting between instinct and human nature, but Alexia waves at me from the building's steps. I reluctantly follow.

"So, this guy's rent must be sky-high in a building like this. What does he do again?" I ask, testing the waters for sharks.

Alexia doesn't turn when she answers, taking the stairs two at a time, "What's it matter as long as he can fix you?"

Alarms go off and I stop in my tracks, "What happened to 'he's a dog trainer'?"

Adrenaline pumps into my system, my impulse in this situation screaming for me to turn tail and run, but my curiosity keeps me rooted in place. She worked up quite an elaborate lie to get me out here and I want to know why.

Alexia opens the front door, sighing, "He's not a dog trainer, I just had to tell you something safe while we were at the bureau. He's an off-the-books paranormal expert who prefers to keep the government out of his business."

I come up a few of the steps, still far from convinced, "Why hide from them?"

Alexia disappears into the building and I find myself following just to hear the answer.

"If the bureau found out about him, they would try and integrate him into their circle of experts and his work would be limited to what they dictated."

Alexia's heels click loudly in the tiled entryway. The sound starts to distance itself from me while I stop to admire the elaborate art nouveau decorations. The polished pieces of glass and metal inlaid in the walls depict angels and demons locked in on oddly serene battle. I pause at what is clearly the centerpiece of the scene, four riders atop massive horses.

Alexia pulls me away and down a side hall, "You can look at all that later. He's not a very patient man."

"He's not patient and he doesn't want the government involved in his business – he's not sounding like a great guy," I state bluntly, HB's personality surfacing, like it usually does when I'm anxious or upset.

We come out of the narrow hallway in a room with high ceilings and a massive painting showing another battle, much like the one in the entryway. The room is heavily furnished with Victorian-style pieces, including an ornate fireplace big enough for a Catholic family to take a portrait in.

"I think I know why he doesn't want the government involved, he must make a ton of money off of…" I trail off when I notice Alexia's change in behavior. She's standing perfectly still with a vacant look you would see on a doll. It makes me very uneasy.

"Alexia?" I call, waving my hand in front of her face. I get nothing. She doesn't even blink.

A voice rings out across the room. It echoes and fills the space to the point that I can't determine its source, "Welcome John Thaddeus Myers, I was wondering when I might see you in my house."

I back towards the hallway we came through, fully intent on bolting, but I turn to find a very big man in my path. He grins at me, a smile riddled with yellow teeth and bad intentions. I realize a second later that his teeth are filed to sharp points. The effect is chilling.

"Who are you?" I all but stammer the words, shying away from the leering hulk of muscle. He doesn't smell human, which makes me more nervous than his teeth do.

I hear the voice again, but the man blocking my path doesn't speak, "He is Veldex, my right hand in most things. Pay him no mind."

I spin, searching the room for the speaker. Alexia still hasn't moved, so I pass her by. I finally spot a small man in an expensive suit standing by the fireplace. He doesn't look very imposing, barely an inch taller than me, but my wolf shrinks to the farthest reaches of my mind as though terrified. I've never felt it do anything like that before. The clarity it leaves behind is astounding.

I try again, "Who are you?"

The man turns towards me, his slick black hair shining in the light from the fire. His eyes emit a strange green glow and I don't need my sense of smell to know that he's not a man. He could be a demon of some kind, extremely high level to maintain such a perfect human form.

Before he answers me, he glances at Alexia, "You can go."

She walks out stiffly, like a marionette with a bad puppeteer. It makes me doubt that she was involved in this willingly, or even consciously.

"A wonderful woman, superb contacts and résumé as well. Your bureau didn't hesitate to bring her into its fold," the man in the suit comments.

As I watch her leave, my eyes catch on Veldex and he smiles again. I shudder and look away, "What do you want?"

"To meet you, John. You are a creature of the Abyss, and a fine specimen at that," he states, pausing to open a cabinet on the wall. "Would you like some brandy?"

"No, thank you," I shake my head. I can't process what he's telling me. "What's the Abyss?"

He eludes the questions and pours himself a glass of liquor, "I've been watching your activities for several days now. You're quite an animal." He adds the last sentence after he takes a long drink. I don't hear any sarcasm in it, but I feel like he's mocking me.

"Watching me? I live in a secret, underground government facility, how the hell are you…" He seems amused by my tirade, so I stop and circle around to my first question, "Who are you?"

The glow in his eyes flashes slightly and he sets his drink on a table held up by intricately carved wings. "I am known by many names, to be restricted to just one is a very human concept," he spits the word 'human' like it tastes foul in his mouth. "But you may know me as Demegov."

"You!" I can't stop the exclamation, it bursts out of me. "It was your capri that left the mark on my shoulder! All of this started when I first heard your name. What the hell did you do to me?" My anger quickly boils into rage. I can feel my teeth beginning to lengthen in tandem with my claws, my skin tingling with sprouting fur.

Demegov doesn't seem at all concerned by my outburst, far from it in fact. He calmly holds a hand out towards me (one that I seriously consider tearing off) and states, "That's quite enough of that."

Agony shreds the muscle in my shoulder, slamming my wolf down in the same way that the capri's bite did. I grip the searing flesh and hold back a scream. Just when I think I'll go mad from the pain, it dissipates.

I pant for a moment and look warily at Demegov. Clearly, his power over me is a lot stronger than I anticipated.

I've run into a lot of unique spells and hexes in this line of work, but nothing like what he's using. I should've taken Red's advice a long time ago to start carrying around wards. He's got so many different protection trinkets that his pockets jingle when he runs.

"I didn't do anything to you, my boy. The mark is simply a way for me to keep track of you and your exploits."

"And cripple me with pain," I bite out, backing away. I immediately run into something warm. The man by the door, I forgot about him. Thinking about that smile makes me leap away from him like his skin had burned me.

"Veldex, go back to the door. You're making him nervous."

I almost laugh at that statement, because EVERYTHING about this situation is making me nervous. Even from the entrance, I can see the horrid intentions in that thing's eyes.

I can only turn away when Demegov continues our discussion, "The pain is just an unpleasant side-effect, I'm afraid. One I haven't worked out just yet."

That's bullshit if I've ever heard it. The pain was WAY too convenient for him for it to be a simple side-effect. I keep my mouth shut though, in case he decides to use it again.

"Aren't you the least bit curious about what you were up to last night?" he asks the question as though he were asking about my coffee preference or what movie I'd like to see rather than my moon amnesia and the atrocities I've committed.

My head comes up instantly. "What do you know about it?"

He doesn't answer, this weird smirk playing at his lips. Instead, he snaps his fingers and people start filing into the room. "Take a look at your handiwork."

There are men and women alike, all with huge, ugly claw marks and bite marks on their faces, their arms, their torsos. They're wolves; the smell of Lycanthrope is heavy in the air.

"No, no, no, NO!" I scream.

It's not possible! I can't have attacked that many people. I'd be so far beyond madness, I'd be a monstrosity. I didn't even eat any of them, it wasn't hunting for the sake of a meal, I just attacked them!

I curl up with my back pressed against a wall, staring at the proof of my violence.

Demegov crouches to my level and whispers in my ear, "They need an alpha, John. You made them, you can control them."

I jerk away from him, not wanting believe any of this. But, if I was in such a craze, why didn't I kill anyone at the bureau? I look up at my supposed changelings, expecting to see fear or anger in their eyes, but there's nothing. They all have the same blank expression that Alexia had.

Slowly, I get to my feet, my mind racing. Demegov is still talking about taking control of the pack, but I ignore him. In one night, there's no way I could have attacked so many people without drawing some major attention.

There would've been a hunt going on for me. Every animal control unit in New Jersey should've been on my ass, but I woke up in the park undisturbed. Even if I'd gotten away from them that area should've been crawling with police and animal control.

I move towards the changelings, trying to seem like Demegov's words are having an impact. I go as far as agreeing with a few of his statements to help keep him talking. As I get close, I immediately spot Demegov's symbol peering out from under a changeling's shirt. If I took the time to check all of them, I suspect I'd find it somewhere.

My relief is overwhelming.

I barely touch the collar of the shirt to get a better look. The emblem is much larger than my marking, covering most of the man's chest. I let his shirt go, my thoughts passing from panic to escape. I turn, my mouth open to tell Demegov that I'll lead his pack, but he's right there, his nose almost touching mine. I yelp and step back into the changeling I'd been examining.

Demegov's eyes are glowing so brightly that I want to look away, but I can't. He seems to tower over me, like he's getting taller every second. All I can do is cower.

"There's no need to lie, John. I know you plan on running out the door the first chance you get."

I find my voice, but it's barely a whisper, "But you were lying to me. I didn't change these people, you did…"

Anything else I was going to say dies on my tongue as fire flares in my shoulder. The pain isn't like the first time, it's not a warning. It burns through my body like I was tinder in a furnace. It lances up my neck, across my back, down my sides, consuming me. I howl in agony until blissful darkness swarms my vision. The last thing I feel is my head connecting with the floor.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I can't move. It feels like someone stuffed cotton in all my senses and poured a gallon of acid in my muscles. Everything aches. I slowly regain control over my limbs, wiggling my fingers and toes experimentally.

A little belatedly, I realize that my neck hurts. I start reaching for it, but my hand jerks to a stop with a loud clang of metal.

What the hell?

I blink a few times to clear my vision. I'm lying on my back on a soft surface, staring up at an ornate ceiling with raised plaster details. I must still be in Demegov's house.

I twist my hands and feel the cold bite of metal on both wrists. That's when the panic sets in. My heartbeat jumps from a trot to a gallop in a flash. I yank at the restraints, trying every possible hand position to see if I can squeeze out of them. I pull until my skin is raw and there's a thin stream of blood running down my left wrist.

It's not the pain that stops me (I was actually thinking that the blood could give me enough lubrication to wiggle my hand free), it's the voices I hear outside the door. I don't quite catch the beginning of the conversation, the first voice was too low and too far away for me to discern, but I hear the answer just fine.

"No, it doesn't matter, play with him if you like," the second voice belongs to Demegov. "Just make sure he stays alive. I need his blood in Eden."

I'm still puzzling over what he meant when the door swings open. Framed in the light from the hall is Veldex, wearing the same creepy grin. Some of Demegov's words start sinking in, "play with him if you like". My stomach knots up sharply.

"Don't bother shifting, little wolf, the silver collar around your neck will kill you before you finish," he says slowly, deliberately, as he peels his shirt over his head.

I scramble to the top of the bed, as far away from him as I can get and as far as my restraints will allow. I jerk at the left one hard, twisting my wrist desperately to spread the blood around.

My hand doesn't budge.

"Don't touch me," I growl at him.

He laughs, "I don't think there's much you can do to stop me," and starts undoing his pants.

My eyes flick around the room. I don't know what I'm looking for. Anything, anything I can use to get out or hurt him. Anything at all. What I spot is my tracker, sticking out from between the sheets. It must have fallen off my belt.

Hellboy has to be looking for me by now. If he's within the range f the communications function, I could…

Veldex crawls onto the bed, completely shattering my train of thought. I aim a kick at his head, lashing out as hard as I can, but he catches my foot. He uses it to pull me down the bed towards him. My body comes off the sheets as my hands catch in the shackles, but he keeps pulling. I don't have enough time to worry about the damage that's been done, because he's over me, leaning down.

This close, his breath rolls across my face in sticky, foul waves. I can smell rotten meat and bone marrow. God only knows what, or who, he's been eating.

With my legs pinned beneath his and my hands above me head, the only thing I can think to do is bite him, but his rows of filed teeth make me wary of the idea. He can give as good as he gets.

He hooks his fingers into the top button of my shirt, tearing it open in one swift move. His nails leave bloody trails down my chest. They cross the faded marks on my abdomen from the wolf so many years ago, the blood pooling in the scar tissue before it spills down my side.

Veldex licks an opposing path the other direction. The contact is revolting. No one but HB has touched me like this since we mated, and I don't want anyone's hands on me but his.

I thrash and growl, but his hand whips around my neck faster than I can blink. He squeezes until I can't breath, pressing the silver collar into my skin. I don't have enough air to scream, to smell my burning flesh, but I can feel the silver doing its work. Just as I'm beginning to fall off the edge of consciousness, he releases me. He starts undoing my jeans while I gasp desperately.

I try for a brave face, not wanting to give him the chance to revel in my fear, but the attempt fails miserably when I start trembling. I spit out the only thing that will come to mind, not even sure if I can speak, "My mate's going to kill you." The words are airy, barely intelligible, but the threat is real.

Veldex's pointed grin gets a bit wider and he sits back on his heels. There's a soft crunch and a sound like tearing cloth. He rolls his shoulders and wings darker than the shadows unfurl from his back. Rips and holes spot the thin leather in so many places that I doubt he can fly, but his species is suddenly very clear to me.

Veldex leans down, surrounding us with his wings, "I look forward to a battle with the infamous – what's he call himself here on earth? Hellboy?"

- HB

"If John's not in trouble, I'm going to kick his furry ass."

I think I'd be more okay with him being outside 'cause he's going nuts than with him leaving with Miss Big Tits, in his right mind no less.

We're following John's tracking signal into New York; me, Abe, and the four guys Leonitus insisted we take with us. He's a little paranoid about us going out in broad daylight, so he tried to talk me into letting the agents actually fetch 'Scout while I wait in the truck.

That's not happening, but I agreed to it so he'd let me go.

"I should have left out the part with Alexia," Abe says, fiddling with his breathing tank. "You are unnecessarily concerned about them being together."

"I think pissed would be a better word for it."

"The point is that he cannot physically cheat on you. Intimacy with anyone else would be excruciating."

I cross my arms over my chest, my tail whipping back and forth, "You know, not everything in your books is true."

Abe blinks at me, in his weird way (since he doesn't have any eyelids) and turns a dial on his breathing thing in silence. He's probably trying to pick up on what I'm thinking.

"I don't need to try, Red, you broadcast loud and clear."

I roll my eyes.

"You need to have more faith in John. He has more reason to doubt your faithfu-"

I cut in, ticked off that he'd suggest something like that, "You know I've never cheated!"

He holds up his hands in surrender, "I never said that. What I was trying to say was that he has more reason to doubt than you, because you CAN have a relation with someone." When I stop glaring, he lowers his hands and adds, "I'll have you know that it is a fact that wolves cannot cheat. Copulating with someone besides their mate can be mentally scarring. It could even go as far as killing them, depending on the situation."

"Alright, I get it," I sigh and check the rounds in the Samaritan. It's about the third time I've double-checked them, but I'm getting real anxious to figure out what's going on. "I just never thought anybody would stick with me this long."

The minute it's out of my mouth, I want to take it back. It's cheesy and not something I want to talk about with Blue. At least the other agents are in a separate car.

"You can be difficult at times."

That was not the answer I wanted.

I glare at him and he adds, "But not enough so that John would leave you."

The speaker clicks on and an agent informs us, "We've circled the block, Green's signal is coming from inside this building."

I hit the button to answer, "Alright, stop the truck and let us out."

There's a really long pause. The two guys up front are probably trying to figure out if they were allowed to do that, and then the agent I talked to a second ago comes back on, "Red, I think you're supposed to stay in the truck."

"Stop the fucking truck and let us out," I say it slowly and firmly, making sure to get the point across that I will not take 'no' for an answer.

Abe brings something up, but I'm sure he knew what I was going to say before he opened his mouth, "Leonitus isn't going to be happy with you."

"Whoopde-fuckin'-do," I grump, slamming the Samaritan back into its holster. "I need a cigar."

"I thought John asked you to quit."

"He did, but I still need one."

The truck hasn't stopped and I'm assuming that the silence from the front means that they don't want to talk about it anymore. I punch the speaker button again and give them their last warning, "If you don't let me out now, I'm gonna' tear the door off and you're going to have a much bigger mess to clean up. Think about it."

It only takes them a second to decide. The truck stops and, shortly after, the door cranks open. The agent at the controls, I think his name is Jefferson, gives me a nervous expression.

"Red, we've already sent agents in. The General gave us orders that you and Blue were supposed to stay out of sight."

I jab a finger against his chest, "I'm going in after John. If you want to do your job and sweep the building for civilians, then so be it, but do it fast."

He nods and turns away to talk into his radio. While he's confirming things with the other agents, I turn to find Abe giving me a disapproving look. He doesn't even have to say anything.

"Alright mom, I'll stop bullying the other agents."

"I'm sure it would be appreciated on both sides."

I mutter under my breath, "Wouldn't get as much done."

Keeves, one of our primary agents, comes out of the building and gives us a thumbs-up. Jefferson nods, but I'm already moving past him before he gives us the 'ok'. He has to jog to keep up with me.

"They've cleared the lobby and the first room, but there's no sign of Green yet," Jefferson talks fast, he always does. It's part of the reason why I like him as an agent: it doesn't take long to get the info I need.

We pass by Keeves and I motion for him to follow us. The guy almost always has a cigar on him, calls them his 'fat lady' victory cigars. I usually only see him smoking one after we've kicked some serious ass, or if we're in deep shit.

I put an arm around his shoulder so I can lower my voice, "Keeves, you got a cigar?"

He arches an eyebrow at me, "Didn't Green ask you to quit?"

"Jeez, does everybody know about that?"

He shrugs, and then nods. "Pretty much."

"You're not going to give me one, are you?"

"No. Green will trace it back to me and I don't want to be on his shit list right now."

I grunt in response, annoyed and craving tobacco. This is about the sixth time the squirt's asked me to quit. He goes back and forth more than I do. I'll be off of them for a while and then he'll miss the smell and I'll start smoking again, and then he'll get sick of it. I kinda' wish he'd make up his mind.

We pass through the lobby and into what I thought was a waiting room. Looking around, I realize that it's more like a den or a living room.

"Is this somebody's house?" I ask, not sure what to make of it.

Abe ghosts his hand over the back of a chair, "Yes and no. The occupants are inhuman, celestial, maybe demons."

"Great," I layer on the sarcasm, dropping it when I glance back at Abe. "Get your books; see if you can't figure out what we're dealing with."

I settle into my usual position as group leader, pointing at Jefferson, "Stay with Abe, help him if he needs it. The rest of you, come with me."

There's a dark, wood door at the far side of the room, I head that direction. I'm about to explain the search plan when I open the door and Big Tits herself comes stumbling out.

"Where's John, you blond bimb-"

She looks at me, screams, and runs off.

"Okay."

Keeves jogs after her, "I'll get her." He shifts into a sprint and catches her just as she starts around a corner. I can't hear what he saying as he maneuvers her so she's sitting on the floor. Whatever he asks her, she shakes her head furiously in response. Alexia starts looking real confused, gesturing wildly at Keeves. It could be an act, but it doesn't seem like one.

Keeves finally comes back and says, "I don't know what it means, but she doesn't remember getting hired by the bureau. She doesn't even know why she's in America. Last thing she remembers is a research project in Sweden."

I glance back at her. She's staring at me like I'm going to walk over and rip out her soul. "Take her back to Abe; see if he can figure something out."

"What do you think it means?"

"Somebody went to a hell of a lot of trouble to infiltrate the bureau and now they've got John."

"But why? Why take Green, there are hundreds of wolf packs in the northeast that have got to be easier to get into than the bureau," Keeves asks as he maneuvers Alexia around me. She flattens herself against the wall, like she's trying to keep as much space as possible between me and her.

I'm tempted to scare the shit out of her, but we have better things to do. "I don't know why they'd want John, but I'm going to find out. Meet back up with us once you've left her with Abe, got it Keeves?"

He nods, hauling her off.

I turn to the remaining agents. One of them is a newbie from the sewer run (the one that doesn't have an attitude problem), and the other is a part-time paperwork guy. Why the hell did he get sent out with us? He looks nervous; it's probably only the second or third time he's been out on the field and I'd bet good money that Leonitus thought an easy case like bringing 'Scout back onto base would be excellent experience for him.

"Rookies," I grumble under my breath. "Come on. We're going to sweep this corridor. Make sure your guns are out."

The desk job kid asks hesitantly, "Do you think there'll be trouble, Red?"

I rest my fingers against the Samaritan's handle. It's probably best not to scare the newbies, so I go with a, "Nah, probably not," but I'm thinking, 'There's always trouble'.

TBC
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Between the Lines: Sequel to Somewhere Between