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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
HB's not terribly snarky in this chapter… but I guess you can't blame him.

In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.~Genesis 2:9

- HB

"John! Damn it, John!" I scream as I see him give up. I don't know whether he won't fight it, or if he can't, but I see his eyes turn yellow as he begins the change. He shifts slowly, blood pouring down his shoulder and arm. Demegov's emblem is burning a hole through his shirt.

I try to make it to John before I lose sight of him, throwing wolves out of my way. The more I move through them, the harder they make it. One furry fucker has the balls to stand directly in front of me, growling a challenge. I slam his face into the concrete.

"John!" I call. He's vanished in the pile of fur. I could recognize which one he is if I could see him, but it's like they're hiding him.

Yvette's energy lays waste to the group directly in front of me, giving me a chance to scan the masses. I finally spot Boyscout at the edge of the Society's property. I know it's him because he's got a strip of fur running down his spine that's darker than the rest of him.

He's too far away. I'll never get to him before Demegov does. Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! I snag a wolf's scruff just before his teeth close on my face and throw him into the others. It only gets me a few feet of running room before they close in again.

There's more howling, but it's coming from a different direction and Zach throws back his head to answer. The howl comes again and five big-ass Siberians barrel into the fight. It's gotta' be his kids.

I don't really give a shit who they are because they give me the chance I need to break out. There's not as many wolves away from the building, so it's a hell of a lot easier to knock them out of the way. Blood's gushing down my back and my leg burns, but I can't stop. I can't even see John anymore. If I lose track of him now, I doubt I'll get him back.

Suddenly, all the wolves fall back. They just sit nearby, panting and growling. I stop in the middle of the street, trying to figure out who flipped the switch. I finger the handle of my gun. I've got two bullets left 'cause I was saving them, but I'm thinking I might need 'em now.

They're all looking up. What the hell are they… I crane my neck to see what so fucking interesting in the middle of a fight. There's a guy in a business suit standing on the roof. 'Scout's perched next to him.

I don't need introductions to know who this asshole is, "Demegov."

His smile is so arrogant it makes me want to shove his face into a brick wall. "Hellboy, is it not?"

"Listen you bastard, you've got three seconds to fix whatever you've done to 'Scout and let him go," I give him his only warning, holding up my flesh hand to count off the seconds.

"Or you'll what? Shoot me with that oversized behemoth you call a gun? You shed my blood and you'll kill this country with every disease mankind has ever known."

Fuck, is that just to keep me from shooting his ass, or could that be true? He is a plague demon…

"You're bluffing," I test to see what kind of response I get. Call somebody out and sometimes they'll react, sometimes they won't. I'm betting I don't get much outta' this guy.

"Why don't you shoot and find out? I doubt even these werewolves could survive what would follow." He holds his arms wide, daring me.

I pull my gun out of the holster and take aim. He doesn't falter. In fact, I think his smile gets just a little wider. He's not bluffing.

I look at John and silently beg him to snap out of it, but it's like the lights are on but nobody's home. If I shoot this asshole and what he says is true, 'Scout will be at ground zero.

I cuss under my breath, trying to keep my cool. Switching tactics seems like a better option than risking all of England, so I drop my gun to my side and ask, "What's a plague demon want with wolf anyway?"

Demegov laughs and pets behind 'Scout's ears. I grit my teeth. It takes all that I have to keep from climbing up the side of the building to knock his ass into next week.

"I know better than to show you my hand now, Hellboy," he says as he plays with the fur under John's chin. "He is so trusting, isn't he? Fool enough to think that Alexia could fix his problems and that you would save him. Naïve, isn't it?"

Son of a BITCH! My gun comes up before I can think to stop, my finger tightening on the trigger. Pain rips across my arm as one of the wolves grabs my wrist and drags me down. The shot goes wild, ricocheting off the bricks. I crush the wolf's snout with my stone hand, but when I look back up, Demegov and John are gone.

"No! John!"

The second I move towards the building, I'm covered in the furry fuckers again. They're everywhere, clawing me, biting me. I'm losing a hell of a lot of blood and things are getting kind of dark. I'm not going to last long like this.

I lose my footing and land hard on the cement, barely managing to deflect a set of teeth from getting to my throat. I've got to get out; I've got to save John.

A yell rips from my throat as one of them makes ribbons out of my shoulder. I return the favor by turning his head into road kill. It's going to take Abe a while to patch me up this time. Shit, I hope they're doing better than I am.

The ground starts rumbling and all of the wolves freeze. I didn't think they could get earthquakes in England, but that's sure as hell what if feels like. It goes from a low vibration to a full-blown quake. The earth shoots up in jagged formations around me, scaring the wolves into turning tail. The road splits open like paper. Sounds like it too.

I roll to my feet, but barely manage to stay upright. It's not because the ground is shaking. Wolves are scattering everywhere, leaving the pack of Siberians panting and bleeding and a Rhino man I've never been so happy to see before.

Torque slams his foot down and rows of jagged rock shoot out of the ground in snaking lines. Don't know where he learned that trick, but its pretty kick ass. Whatever he's been doing in Africa, he's learned a hell of a lot… and gained a huge gut, but you can't fault a guy.

I accept his distraction for what it is and limp in what I hope is the direction John and Demegov went. I have to lean on the wall to stay up. Darkness is swimming in the back of my head. I'm fighting it hard, but I'm not so sure I can keep it at bay.

I can't screw up again! John needs my help… John… needs… fuck, I'm not going to make it. I slide down the wall as my legs give out. The last thing I register is somebody's runnin' towards me. There's nothing after that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"John!"

I sit up abruptly and immediately regret it. Everything hurts, my ribs, my back, my head. I feel like I got run over by a dump truck. After he ran me down, he had to have backed up and repeated the process a couple times. I haven't been in this bad of shape since… hell, I don't know.

Somebody bandaged me up and dragged me back into the bakery. What's left of my jacket is slung over a chair nearby. It's got more holes than a hobo's socks and there's still blood dripping off of it onto the floor. The puddle underneath it is pretty big.

Doesn't matter. I try to shake off my aches and get up. I only make it a few steps before I hit the floor.

Shit!

I push up onto my elbows and wince. My muscles are like mush, fucking useless. It can't have been long since the fight 'cause I haven't recovered much. I can't wait days or weeks to go after 'Scout, he doesn't have that long.

"I didn't expect you to be awake for hours. You're a tough bastard," somebody says in a heavy English accent. It's a big, burly guy with blonde hair. He's gotta' be one of Zach's kids. I didn't realize he and Eon had any until the pack of Siberians showed up, but I'm not dense enough to write that off as a coincidence.

He grabs my arm and drags me to my feet, helping me onto the bed. I rub the back of my neck and my hand comes away with blood on it. I'm not surprised.

"I've never seen so many wolves in one place," he starts chatting at me. "Dad's in bad shape, but after he eats a cow or two, he'll be fine. You, on the other hand, you took a beating."

I don't need him to tell me that, I can feel it well enough.

"I need to go help John," I grunt and try to swing my legs off the edge of the bed.

Zach's kid swats me, "No way. You've got to recover before you can do anything. You think you'll be any good to him like this?"

"You going to stop me?" I growl at him. I'm seriously considering decking him if he touches me again.

"I don't want to, but I bet I could take you on right now."

Smart-ass.

He's gotta' be at least a hundred pounds shy of me, but he's all muscle. I'm not going to admit it to him, but he probably could kick my ass right now. I doubt I could take on Eon in this state.

"Alright," I break, giving in to the fact that I need to rest. "But I've gotta' talk to Abe. I need to know we're at least on the right track… We need to find Eden."

Even as the words leave my mouth, I realize what an impossible task that is. Eden has been lost since the beginning of time. Supposedly, God erased the way to Eden from the minds of men and set the flaming sword to guard the entrance just in case some idiot stumbled on it by chance.

I'm not worried about the flaming sword for obvious reasons, but finding the place is going to be a bitch and a half. Abe had better have some bright ideas.

I hesitate for a second before holding out a hand to him. He helps me up, but doesn't say anything. It's a wise idea. Any more smart cracks right now and I'll give him a black eye.

He has to haul me down to Eon's library like a sack of fuckin' potatoes. If that wasn't enough to put me in a bad mood, the scene we fall into definitely is. Nobody's got a fucking clue. Abe's theories are completely different from Eon's and it looks like they're arguing over it. I'm only getting Abe's side of the argument, but it's clear enough.

They're just squabbling…

Standing off to the side are Eon's kids and husband. The only female in the group is clutching the children that wanted to play 'jungle gym' on me earlier. They must be hers. Zach's watching the argument intensely, his elbows braced on his knees. There are fresh, pink scars on his face and arms, but they're fading.

On the opposite wall, Lazarus seems lost in thought and Yvette is shredding a cigarette (I'm assuming out of frustration that she can't smoke it). Torque is next to them, leaning on a giant hammer-thing and eating a cantaloupe. All in all, no one seems willing to get the brains back on track.

I slam my flesh hand onto the nearest table, rattling everything out of place. Eon and Abe shut up long enough to give me looks of annoyance.

"Did everybody forget what the hell just happened out there?" I shout at them, my temper flaring. Screaming hurts my ribs, but I need to get my point across. "John is gone! He's gone and he'll die if we can't get our shit together!"

"His death is not a certainty," Abe starts to argue.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Bullshit! That demon said he wanted John's blood, which usually means a hell spawn ritual and a slit throat."

Eon motions at Abe, who translates to me, "She reminds you that even an educated guess could leave us circling an area for days. We might not even recognize it if we do find it."

I know she's trying to control her frustration with me, but I think I've got a little more at risk here.

"Red, everyone cares for John. We're doing everything that we can," Abe chides my thoughts.

Something snaps. "He's MY lover! I know you're concerned for your friend, but I have nothing without him! I let them get away! God… I let him take John…"

I can't scream anymore, can't even stand. I collapse onto the floor and squeeze my eyes shut to block out the room, the world. Everything is falling apart in my hands and it seems like the tighter I try to hold on, the more it crumbles.

It's my fault he's gone. It's just like Dad, like Liz… I wasn't there to protect them either…

A hand touches my shoulder, so lightly that I barely feel it. My first thought is that it's Abe, but I open my eyes to Eon. There's concern hiding in her stern expression. It kinda' makes me feel like the little kid that got hurt doing something she just told me not to do. She makes her signs at Abe and he nods.

"I agree with Eon's assessment. You need to rest, Hellboy. We will need you in peak condition when we fight this demon." He pauses, curling and uncurling his hands, finally adding, "We will find John."

I'm too tired to be pissed off by his hollow words. There's no way I'm going to sit on my ass, twiddling my thumbs while Demegov gets away. Tired or not.

"He could still be in England, if we head to-"

Yvette cuts into my argument. Another country heard from… "It's extremely unlikely he would be near enough for us to catch him. Demons can move through shadows like doors."

"Look, no offense, but since when-"

"It is the truth, whether or not you're ready for it."

I set my jaw to stop myself from saying something stupid. Yvette can knock me cold when I'm in good shape, so I don't want to give her a reason to do it now. Plus, she's got that whole 'pregnant PMS' thing going on right now. Without cigarettes and with her hormones going fucking nuts, it doesn't take much to send her over the edge.

Finally coming back from whatever mental road he was lost on, Lazarus puts his hand on Yvette's arm, "Wait, hang on."

Maybe he's still lost. His brow is furrowed deeply, like he's solving a puzzle. He raises his eyes and meets my gaze, "I think I've been there."

"Been where? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Eden."

The whole room goes silent. Even the kids have shut up, sensing the tension. Abe and Eon trade looks, but its Yvette who breaks the quiet.

"I thought no one had been there since Adam and Eve. Besides, you drank half your brain away in the Middle Ages, how would you even know?"

I want to go over and shake him until it jogs something, but I know it's not going to help.

He gets up and starts pacing, rubbing his temples while he talks, "I was there after all that… I think."

"Good, because if you were hiding another wife somewhere, I was going to have to kill her and you."

Lazarus doesn't even acknowledge Yvette's comment, just goes right on trying to put his memories together, "I remember a pair of trees, one with white bark, and the other so dark brown that it was almost black."

"That would have to be the trees of life and knowledge. They were supposed to be set in the middle of the garden," Abe supplies. "Go on."

Lazarus throws his hands into the air. "That's it! The rest of it is just shadows, like the rest of my memory. You might as well ask a ninety-year-old what present he got on his first birthday!"

"That's it?" I growl. I can't stop my anger, even if it's irrational. "Think damn it! There's gotta' be more than that!"

Even as he's defending himself, something dawns on me. I look over at Abe and he catches my thought, his eyes going even wider than they normally are.

"No, I believe that is extremely unwise," he bites out, taking several steps away from me and Lazarus.

"Abe, he won't remember anything in time. John will die before he can drag that up."

Lazarus has trailed off and is staring at us, probably trying to figure out what the hell we're arguing about.

"Abe, please." I don't resort to begging unless I've got no choice. I'd much rather take the most difficult route than beg to make things easier, but there aren't any other routes right now. "If he knows where to find it, then you're the only one that can help."

"It would be immensely dangerous for us both. Lazarus has so many memories that I would have to push through. There's only so much stress a mind can take," he explains to me in an annoyingly rational voice. The tiny display of fear he had at the idea is long gone. He's back to being his stony-faced self.

I struggle to my feet through a wave of agony and have to lean on a desk to stay upright. How am I going to argue Abe into something he doesn't want to do? When he decides something, he's got an infinite amount of thought behind it. What's wrong with his decision is that it lacks any emotion. All he's got backing him up is facts.

Lazarus makes an argument I couldn't, "Don't worry 'bout causing me any stress. If I can come back from being the walking dead, I'm pretty sure I can come back from whatever you could do to me."

"You were a zombie?" Is the first thing I can say. I should thank him for putting himself out on a limb for John, but I think he knows.

He gives me a shit-eating grin, "Yeah. Got dismembered by Torque and stayed down for over a month."

Torque nods at the statement, confirming it.

"Putting all that aside," Abe cuts off our interlude, "The damage I could do to your mind is not a physical damage. Your ability to recover might not even apply here."

I'm silently hoping that Lazarus can't be cowed by Abe's straightforward, danger bullshit. Behind their conversation, I spot the wheels in Eon's head turning.

Before Lazarus and Abe can get too heated over what Lazarus can or can't heal from, she makes signs at her husband and crosses her arms over her chest when she's done. Zachary translates loudly, his voice full of authority, "Eon can make a device to get in his head, if you can't do it."

Abe takes the bait instantly, his eyes narrowing sharply at the challenge. He wraps his long fingers around Lazarus's skull, and I see the first flicker of uncertainty in Lazarus's face. It's gone real quick, replaced by his eyes rolling around like mad while Abe digs around in his thoughts.

Normally, Abe can glean information off people and objects without touching them, but he can genuinely flex his ability once he's made contact. Maybe it's why he doesn't like to touch things. He's never done anything in my head but scrape the thoughts off the top, whatever's current. I have absolutely no idea what kind of effect that could have on a regular person. Probably put them in a coma, or make them vegetables…

It takes so much longer than I expected. Lazarus starts shaking, but Zach comes over to hold him up. Within a minute, he's carrying all of Lazarus's weight. Yvette paces, but when Torque tries to comfort her, she quickly covers her concern with a leg cramp.

Finally, Abe rips his hands away like Lazarus had burned him, and Lazarus is out. We all wait anxiously for what he's going to say. I doubt anyone's holding their breath but me.

Abe collapses in a chair and rubs his palms into his eyes in a very human gesture. "There was so much… it's no wonder that he chooses to forget most of it."

He looks down at Lazarus with a kind of respect he reserves for heroic acts. When one of the agents literally threw himself in front of Liz to protect her, this was the look Abe gave him. The guy couldn't really appreciate though, since he was in a coma for a month.

"Eden was at the beginning of his memory, a very, very long time ago. The problem we face is that the Earth itself has changed since then. When he was there, it was on a plain with vast rivers coursing through it, but the trees were still young. It wouldn't have been more than fifty years after the garden was created. If you follow science and religion, only God knows where the garden is now."

He can't be serious. After all that fighting, we didn't get anything out of it? "You've got to have something we can use! Come on, Blue, think!"

He goes back to pressing his hands to his eyes and I'm beginning to think he's not going to answer me at all when he finally speaks, "If we know the names of those rivers, we might be able to get a solid idea of where to start looking. I doubt the course of the rivers is remotely similar anymore, but their source seemed to be the garden itself."

Why does this seem like it should be simpler than we're making it? The rivers that well from Eden are known, aren't they?

"Why don't we check the Bible? It could be there, da?"

Abe and Eon are clearly stunned by the absurdly simple answer. I, on the other hand, could kiss Yvette. I won't, because it would be weird and she'd probably kill me, but I'm tempted.

"Yvette, you're a genius!" I crow at her while Eon goes to her shelves.

She shrugs. "Sometimes smart people think too hard about something that's not hard."

Eon throws a heavy, leather bound copy of the King James Version on her desk, along with a massive atlas. With Abe leaning over her shoulder, it's only seconds before they have their answer.

"The Tigris and Euphrates come closest to one another in Turkey. We'll start there."

The whole 'wandering in circles because we're working off a vague idea' thing does cross my mind. "Why is that the best bet?"

Abe turns the atlas around, his finger resting on a mountain range in Turkey, "Because this is the source of the Tigris and very close to what is considered the cradle of life. Once Adam and Eve were thrust out of the garden, it is possible that they made their way into the fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates. It's extremely logical."

I don't doubt Abe's logic, but, "I thought the cradle of life was in Africa."

"Different gods, different people," Abe offers, gently motioning at Torque.

I study the rhino for a second. His face is covered in tribal tattoos and he radiates a power he didn't have when he was younger. He's clearly not an angel or demon, but Lazarus said an African witch conjured him up. Maybe there's more than just one creation story. When this is all said and done, I'm going to have to ask Torque what he's learned wandering Africa.

"Alright, we'll have to get Leonitus to clear our airspace and okay a landing strip in…" I take another look at the atlas. "In Malatya."

"I called while you were unconscious. He's just waiting for the word."

"Then give it to him."

With a destination and a plan, I feel slightly more at ease, but it's the kind of ease a criminal gets once he's had his last rights. Sure, something's been done about his soul, but he's still got to make the long walk to the execution chamber. I won't be able to relax until John is home and safe… if he could ever be safe in this line of work.

Shit, Lazarus still isn't up. Yvette is crouched next to him, touching his face lightly, but the rest of us were too wrapped up in Eden's location to notice he hasn't recovered.

"Is he going to be alright?" It's a dumb question, since nobody knows, but asking it seems better than ignoring the fact that he's unconscious.

Abe hesitates, but kneels next to Yvette, his hands hovering over Lazarus's forehead, "He is making his way back, and should be conscious again in a matter of minutes."

It doesn't take minutes. Before Blue can pull his hands away, Lazarus's eyes are open. For a man who doesn't seem to let anything get to him, he looks fucking depressed. Abe poking around in his head probably woke up a shitload of memories that he'd buried for a reason.

"I need a drink," he mutters.

Can't blame him there. In fact, I could use a keg…

Yvette slaps him upside the head, growling, "No you don't. You need to get your ass up so we can go."

She puts her hand on her knee so she can get up, but Lazarus grabs her wrist.

"I don't want you to go to Eden," he pleads softly.

I know this argument, having had it more than a few times myself. You want your partner/lover/spouse to be safe, but when your other half is as stubborn as Yvette, or John, there's not a damn thing you can do to stop them. The only way I'm going to keep John out of harm's way is if I quit the bureau… and I don't know what I could do with myself if I did. I'm not any good at anything but this.

But he would be safe…

With the help of Zach's blonde kid (the one who helped me earlier), I make my way out of the library. However their argument ends, it's not my business. I vaguely catch Lazarus making a point about Yvette's power hurting the baby and everybody hears her scream that it wouldn't matter, that her body would kill it anyway.

I don't envy them. The fact that John and I can't have kids makes things so much simpler. Inhuman power has a tendency to fuck everything up when it comes to passing on your genes. I mean, what do I have to offer the next generation? A skin tone that'll keep them hiding from the world? Horns and a tail that will forever define them as monsters? No fucking thanks. Those things are bad enough for me; I wouldn't wish them on my kids.

Family is the only plus to having brats. I know some people look at it as 'defining their place in history' and all that bullshit, but it's really so you won't be alone when you get older. Except I guess that's not much of an issue if you don't seem to age.

John is the only family I have left and I have to get him back.

"You know, I would hope that you count me as family," Abe's calm, level voice perks up behind me.

I have to smile at his words, but it doesn't stop me from tossing something snide back at him, "You're more like the estranged brother nobody talks about."

"Estranged is a very big word for you, I'm impressed."

"Yeah well, I'm betting I picked it up from you. You should stop wearing off on me or people'll think I've got a brain under all this awesome attitude."

Zach's boy gets me settled in one of our trucks and goes back for my gear… at least I hope he's going back for my gear. He could just be going to take a piss, hell if I know.

My tail curls as Blue pulls back one of my bandages to take a look. "Ow," I gripe at him, stretching the word out so it's more obvious that I'm irritated.

"You are very banged up."

I drop my head back so I don't have to watch him poking at my open wounds. A gash is a gash, but I'm not as fascinated by them as Abe is. "No more than after the squid-god-thing Rasputin tried to unleash. That thing ate me and I still got laid afterwards."

"Yes, well… I thought your first encounter with John was in Venice," he asks offhandedly while smearing something that smells god-awful in a bite on my arm.

It was Venice, and it was fast and messy and fucking amazing. My guts twist sharply at the thought that all of that could be gone. John could just be a memory, like Liz, like Dad.

"You need to stop comparing the living with the dead."

I curl my stone hand into a fist. I'm beginning to understand why Lazarus drinks. He's probably seen countless people come in and out of his life. He's always making new friends, new lovers, knowing that his time with them is fleeting. He'll eventually have to watch them die because they'll never last as long as he will.

What if I am immortal? What if I save John now only to lose him to time later? I'll be just like him.

"Hellboy, enough!" Blue snaps.

I rub my flesh hand across my face, drowning in the possibilities. Abe is scolding me for what's in my head, but I just can't give a shit. "Wake me up when we get to Turkey," I say sharply, letting him know that it'll be the final word.

He doesn't say anything else.

I don't sleep… but I guess that's expected by now.

TBC…

I'm beginning to think that this will be a bit shorter than the first one, but it's quickly becoming a stepping stone to a third.

Hope ya'll enjoyed.
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Between the Lines: Sequel to Somewhere Between