The Hellboy Chronicles: The Elemental Equation

Chapter 3: The Nightmare and a Promise

Chapter 3
The Nightmare and a Promise

Flashback: New Horizons Research Facility

"Strap her down. Make sure she can't move" Voice 1 says.

Roxy finds herself laid upon a metal table. It's uncomfortable and unforgiven. She attempts to move but discovers she is restrained. Many thick, leather straps meld her to the table from her chest down to her ankles. All around her are people in scrubs and wearing masks obscuring most of their faces. She lost count of how many there are. They all move around too much and they all look the same. She catches a glimpse of a rolling tray full of medical instruments she doesn't recognize. Are they even medical instruments or are they are going to be used for something more sinister. She continues to attempt to break free but the restraints have no give.

"Get her head." Another voice calls.

One member of the green scrubs team pushes her head down and closes a strap across her forehead. She is completely helpless now. Above her the bright lights nearly blind her. She squints to ease the pain in her eyes. She will not have an episode. She knows that what they want. Tears begin to roll down her cheeks. Why are they doing this? She doesn't know why she has this monstrous ability. She didn't ask for it. No amount of experimentation is going to figure it out either. It just is. Not a single person regards her with any empathy. They continue to hustle around preparing for whatever it is they plan on doing to her now. Someone approaches her and stands over her. She can tell this is the lead of this project. He holds a syringe in one hand.
"This may sting a bit." He says as he brings the syringe down towards her.

Roxy startles awake. She is back in her room. She brings her hand to her forehead and pulls away covered in sweat. She throws the blanket off her. She is drenched in sweat. Her heart is racing. She is hyperventilating. She sits up and attempts to count slowly. She's learned that when she does this after a nightmare, it calms her body back down. Why did they do this to her? You can't create a super human. She didn't even think of herself as super human. There were many times she wishes she was never born with the ability. If she could only know who her parents are, where her abilities came from, then and maybe only then could she accept her status. She is too frightened to attempt to fall back asleep. She sits awake for some time but then remembers Hellboy's odd suggestion. She doesn't know what time it is or if Hellboy is even asleep. Do demons sleep? She thinks to herself. After several minutes of contemplating, she stands from her bed and walks to her door.

She comes to the end of the hallway and sees a massive, round door. A guard is standing outside.

"Yes, ma'am?" The guard questions her.

"Is this Hellboy's room?"

"It is."

This guard is a pleasant conversationalist. "Can I see him.....please."

He regards her and after a minute opens the rotund door. "Suit yourself."

She enters the room. The odor isn't pleasant but it's not hard to ignore. It is not organized in any fashion. There are several TVs lined against a wall or tuned to something different. Paper litters the floor. Several candy wrappers circle the trash can as if someone attempted to throw them from a distance but missed. There are several cats freely roaming around. A bench and several dumbbells litter one corner of the room. A bed in the shape of a race car is along the far wall. It's the most out of place item in the whole room. Hellboy is sitting up in the bed surprised at his unsuspecting guest.

"Roxy? Are you alright?"

"I had a nightmare. I don't want to be alone."

Hellboy motions to his bed. "I'm just watching Frankenstein."

She walks over the left side of his bed and sits down. Wasn't she told something before about being in bed with a boy? Was Hellboy even considered a boy? She glances over at Hellboy. His feet are propped up on the bed's footrest and he seems engrossed in the movie on the TV screen. After a minute, she relaxes and lays down on the left side of the bed. She can't follow the movie but as minutes tick by, she relaxes more and sleep seems to want to visit her again. She looks over at Hellboy still engrossed in the movie.

"How long have you been here?" She asks.

"I've been with the BPRD since I was a infant. The story is rather long." Hellboy says.

"I'd like to hear it."

Hellboy tells her of his origins, about his father and mother, about the night he was summoned and found, about how the Professor found him and adopted him, how he became an agent deciding to fight for the greater good of humanity instead of fulfilling his supposed destiny. It's the most Hellboy has spoken in a single sitting, but he didn't seem to mind telling his story to this girl.

"Do you think I have a destiny?" She asks him.

"Destiny is overrated."

"I wish I know as much about myself. I have no idea who my parents are. I have no idea how this happened." She lights up one hand, but then quickly ceases clutching into a fist. "I sometimes wish I didn't have it. It's never been of any positive use to me."

"You've never been in a place that accepted it." Hellboy softly tells her.

"What good can come of it?"

"That would be for you to find out."

"I never meant to kill everybody at the lab. I only wanted to hurt them. Just a bit to let them know how it felt. But I can't change what I did. Now the I look back, I don't feel any regret. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Look. I'm no good at the philosophical stuff. My father would know what to tell you." Hellboy responds.

Roxy sighs. If she could get some answers maybe then she'd feel more confident about her ability.

"Roxy," Hellboy begins. "What you have is a gift. It's not a curse. Own it."

"How do you cope?"

"Safety of mankind. That's all I care about."

Roxy stares at Hellboy. He may look odd, but he wears his heart on his sleeve. He's really easy to read. Roxy moves closer and places her head on his chest. She curls into him. Hellboy looks down at her unsure of this motion.

"I can't sleep. I'd feel safer here....if you don't mind." Roxy says sensing his confusion.

"Sure."

Soon she is in a deep sleep. Hellboy glances down at her again curling his left arm around her. This guardian task isn't so bad, he thinks. He soon finds himself asleep.

The next morning Hellboy wakes Roxy.

"I think you should head back to your room." He says to her.

"Yea, that would probably be best." She gets out of his bed and heads toward his door.

"Hey, Roxy, wait."

She turns. Hellboy walks over to her. He grabs someone out of his pocket. "I want to give you something." He hands her a amulet. It's a vial with an uncommon object floating in it attached to a leather chain. "It's a finger bone from a demon I vanquished awhile ago. It's contained with holy water and myrrh. It'll protect you from any evil elements."

She takes the amulet. "Thank you. I will treasure it." She ties it around her neck and it sits calmly right below her collar bone. "I'll never take it off."

"I want to protect you. Just like in your dreams." Hellboy laments.

"I could use all the feeling of security right now." She takes a step closer to Hellboy. She quickly gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Go talk to the professor. I think he can help you find your way.

She nods and turns away and leaves his room.

Hellboy stands still and watches her leave. A moment later he turns around and heads back towards his bed. He picks up on of his cats and cradles it for a moment. He hopes this girl can find her confident. He prefer working solo, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone who could help get him out of a tight situation which he seems to find himself in more often than not.