Chapter Three

The agents and researchers were pouring into the briefing room waiting for their meeting to start. Leaning against walls with their binders and notepads, only a few noticed the arrival of Abe and Kraus. A few waved; others who weren't used to seeing the aquatic being and ectoplasmic psychic blankly stared unsure whether to be friendly or troubled.
Their seats had been reserved for them; up close to the front where Abe could see everything. Kate was seated on the opposite side in front of him. She took her seat and glanced down at the conference table. Folders had been preplaced. Manning must mean business. Abe opened his folder to see it neatly organized with three distinct divisions. He pulled out a booklet from the middle one which had the usual 'Top Secret' stamp screaming at him in bright red. He flipped through catching a few black and white drawings which he dated by the distinguished skills of drawing he had seen from the Renaissance Era. He placed his folder down and looked about at the faces in the room.

A few seats down there were new faces that Abe had never seen before. The reason he had spotted them was because of their distinct dressing. They weren't Bureau agents. There were four of them, two each side with a fifth empty reserved seat on the left. They wore suits; very nice suits that Abe was sure had a designer name on the tag. There were three men and a woman; they looked Italian except for the woman. Her features were more Czech. They did not talk to anyone else in the room except their group, and from what Abe could catch they made sure their group was excluded from the rest by speaking in Italian. They had to be here with Malvec.

Just as Abe thought to question their presence, Manning and Malvec entered from another door looking grim.

Both were showing signs of tiredness; if they didn't take at least four hours of sleep today they'd start seeing things.

"Good afternoon everyone." Manning tried to say with some vigor but his voice was too tired and strained, "I have called this emergency briefing to discuss our next phase of action."
While Manning was talking, Malvec took his seat next to his Italian posse. The woman leaned over to whisper in his ear and he smirked, clasping his palms together and leaning back in his chair relaxed.

"It is very important and personal to me to let you all know I do understand that our teams on the Massys project are fatigued and experiencing a level of grief this bureau has not suffered from in a long time. We lost many good men three days ago and their legacies will live on in our hearts. We all know what a job like this calls for… brave, intelligent, fearless men who stare death in the face. It's a hard pill to swallow but it is reality." Manning spoke. A few agents who knew the men who had died bowed their heads in respect.

"At times like these, you realize those people were a big part in your life and you regret not saying something to them or doing something for them. Well let me tell you… grief can be selfish and harmful. I am not telling you to forget them but I am telling you this: There will be more causalities in the line of duty and they may be the men standing next to you or even you. We try our best to stop those killers and deaths but things happen…. Mistakes are made and timing is bad."

Abe felt the wind in his gills being knocked from him. Even though he knew Manning was not referring to Liz's accident, he couldn't help but take offense.
"Now as your director I must be bureaucratic and blunt as possible but know that I am hurting just like the rest of you. But, we must move forward. You will get the chance to avenge your comrades soon… as soon as we arrest Massys."
Abe couldn't help but roll his orb-like eyes. He knew how this would turn out if they did catch Massys. A psychotic-cult killer like Massys saw being captured as insult and fear. They'd rather commit suicide then be caught.

"Now that we are all on the same page I would like to update you all on the current events."
Impulsively every reached for their folders, ready to read along as Manning explained what phase of action they were to take but this time he told everyone to stop.
"These folders have nothing to do with Massys." Manning announced across the room a bit embarrassed, "We—we have lost the lead on Massys."
There were a few grunts and smacks of the lip made in the back of the room but that was expected. Men who had just lost their comrades in battle did not want to hear that the enemy was no where to be found.

They wanted blood.

Malvec raised his hand to speak; Abe parted his lips (his way of frowning) at him. This wasn't up for discussion.
"It sounds to me as if your team's a bit aggravated by the news that your research party does not know the whereabouts of Massys, Dr. Manning." Malvec drawled, "My team has an idea of where Massys may be and we are looking into it now."

Kate was the second to frown upon Malvec's interruption.

Yes, it was true Malvec and the International Investigation Squad were the third party in this investigation along with supporting branches from the British Bureaucracy but there was an agreement for all research parties and other teams to work in unison and share all information; it was unprofessional and egotistic of Malvec to decide to share this information outside of the research department with Kraus.

Abe peered to his right at Kraus to see the ectoplasmic man crossing his body suit arms. Even though he could make no facial expressions, Abe could read body language well.

"Well Malvec could you tell us where you believe he is. Dr. Kraus's team will help you anyway they can." Manning offered.

Malvec nodded pushing those stupid sunshades up his nose bridge, "We believe he has travelled to Croatia to hide for awhile."
Abe rolled his aquatic eyes and raised his hand to ask a question but Kraus had already beaten him to it.
"Why would Massys be in Croatia, Malvec? None of the theories we have on him would lead him to Croatia?"
"But that's the problem. We don't know what the hell he's doing." Kate interrupted shrugging her shoulders, "He could be in Croatia."

Abe placed his hands in his lap to think. Yes was true. They had no idea what Massys could be doing now. He was an unpredictable, mad scientist who had tried killing them all with failed attempts in the past. Now he was just on the run but he had to be up to something.

Their last theory before the explosion in Scotland was that he was running test on human beings attempting to create a large deity-monstrosity. Now, with the lab blown to bits and covered in soot, they couldn't tell squat about what he was doing.
Gomez shook his head rubbing the burned spot on his scalp, "I don't know it's all too confusing."
"Perhaps he is raising an army of the dead." Malvec suggested.

Abe, Kate and Kraus had seen their share of undeceased armies resurrected and how much trouble they were to get rid of.
"We doubt it." Kate and Abe said in unison.

Malvec shot Kate a look then turned to his team. The woman whispered to him quickly in Italian; she was a beautiful woman—the kind you read about in crummy romance novels Liz would curl up to when they were travelling half way across the world. Hellboy teased her about it once and since then, whenever she read one; she used the same book cover to hide the sappy cover which usually had the words 'Love' ,'Behind' and 'Forgotten'. Perhaps she didn't think Abe had noticed or didn't care if he had—as long as she was "expanding her mind" with literature, Abe was content.

Malvec turned back around in his chair and nodded, "My team says it's a possibility and we shouldn't rule it out just because it sounds improbable."
"He has a point." Kraus added, "Those who are involved in the paranormal often do the improbable."
Kate shook her head too but Abe wasn't willing to admit Malvec could be right. Malvec could kiss the bottom of his fishy foot.

"You can discuss this later with the rest of our research team. As of now… the Bureau has just been slapped with three individual cases that need or attention desperately." Manning said bringing the focus back on him.

The room lights dimmed as the projector turned on warming up.

Manning began to speak, "We're sending a couple of field agents up north towards the Arctic Circle. It appears some Norwegian angler have spotted a demonic beast flying overhead. Satellites have also picked up a fast moving object heading the same way from Greenland and their speeds are unremarkable."

Satellite maps popped up on the projector.

Manning led his finger from a purple dot to another, "This is the mileage covered in one minute. Six miles."
Kate raised her eyebrows impressed; Kraus would have done the same if he had any.

Gomez raised his hand, "Is this object the same as the identified one from the Norwegian's account?"
"Our guess is yes, they are the same."
"Any theory why they're heading to the Arctic Circle?"
"No we don't have one." Manning said, "But there is also another issue here as well. It seems there has been a great disturbance in the English Channel. A sea monster has been spotted."
Abe gave a wheezy sigh glancing over at Kate who wouldn't look up.
"The bastard's huge and I mean it. Its width and length stretch out far beyond a rough measure and well… this is something…"
"Hellboy would have handled." Abe asked quietly. Everyone in the room heard him even Manning. It seemed like everyone had sucked in the air in the room as they looked around unsure what to say but Manning chose to ignore the comment, "It's something that our researchers are working on. They believe its Leviathan."
Abe quickly shot up his hand ready to fire away.

"How do we know these things are paranormal and not just some fast military planes like SR-71 Blackbirds that have been mistaken for demonic creatures? Or that there's a connection between the two and why do you think it's Leviathan?"
"We can only expect the worse possible situation because that's what we always get. If it is Leviathan we have a solution."
"And if these demonic creatures are really demonic?" Abe asked.
Manning didn't answer but glanced at Kraus who was cracking the seal of a his mission statement. Abe peeked at Kraus's folder seeing he had been assigned the Leviathan case.
Abe opened his own folder searching for his mission statement. It fell out and he opened it to find he had the Levithan one.

"Of course." He sighed closing the folder and looking down.
"We'll be sending you all out in two hours. We want to get this done now and hurry back because of Massys."
"And what about the third one?" Kate asked.
Manning glanced Horatio's men and nodded, "This case, we've given to Mr. Malvec and his team. They will be handling a crisis in the South of France."
Abe and Kraus looked at each other. Why did Malvec's team get a whole case by themselves?

"As for now we are sending Agent Gomez and three others to the site. Agent Gomez you are team leader."
"Shazam!" Gomez shouted.

"Now if you all would turn to page 16 in your first section labeled 39569410-BG9-12, I would like to start with…"

"So they're casting you off to the sea." Liz softly uttered, toying with the charm bracelet on her wrist. Abe watched as the pinky and gold girlish charms slammed together making clinking noises in the silent metal room. One of the many was of a cupcake and a second one… a heart with an L & T intertwined.
"Yes." Abe said flatly.
"And Kate's going up north, to the Arttic Circle?"
"Yes."
"Do you remember what happened last time we went to the Arctic?"
"Yes I do."
"Hellboy was with us last time." Liz said. She was staring forward at the window where they knew the doctors where monitoring her. Even though it looked like a mirror Liz saw through the illusion. She hated being stared at.

"Yes he was."
"I miss him Abe."
"We all do."
"He would've told Malvec and his team to go and suck it." Liz commented.
She tried to smile at her joke but couldn't muster up enough joy. Her eyes were heavy with sleeping drugs.
"Perhaps I should let you rest."
"No. if I go to sleep I wont be awake for awhile" Liz said yawning.
"They give you those things to help you sleep."
"It doesn't mean the nightmares will stop." Liz replied, "They just make them worse."

Abe took Liz's hand and stroked lines in them. Abe did not have these lines in his palms and he enjoyed tracing them on people's hands, especially Liz's.
Liz leaned on her pillows placed on the railing next to her head.
"Tony says that he wants to cancel me meeting his parents next week." Liz said dryly, "He says I need to recover."
"Maybe he's right Liz."
"No." Liz replied, "I feel that he's wanted to cancel this for awhile—he just didn't know how to tell me."

Abe did not want Liz to feel any crappier. Maybe Liz was telling the truth that Tony didn't want her to meet his parents. That only meant more disappointing things were to come in the future for Liz and she did not need anymore disappointment.
"When the place blew up Abe—it knocked me silly." Liz admitted looking at him with her sad eyes, "I was tumbling in the air—I felt such a strong heat. The only thing I could think of was Tony and how—how he swept me off my feet like that except—there wasn't a murderous explosion."
"Liz it will be alright."
Liz turned her head again to stare at the mirror-window, "I want to go to Hewlett's funeral."
Abe nodded as Liz's eyelids grew heavy. She yawned, fighting back those sleeping pills but they were getting the best of her, "Give a eulogy—he was like a little brother to me—my own little brother… I never told you guys this but I remember him… a scrawny kid with a mess of brown hair… he liked to climb trees and eat bugs…"
Liz mumbled off into a deep sleep but Abe held on to her hand.

Was Liz's world falling apart like his? Yes… perhaps… maybe…
he toyed with the charm bracelet on her wrist. These charms were too girly for Liz. Cupcakes and hearts and stars and high heels.

What blasphemy!

But then he saw the one that was shaped like a house. It was yellow with a brown roof, a door, two windows and a flowerbed. On the window saw a small pie and a mat below the front door that was small but readable. It said 'Home Sweet Home".

And on the back of this charm was a small message that meant the world to Liz but the opposite to Abe.

"Whenever you are ready… Let's Buy a House & Get Married"

Author's Notes: So, its been a long while. After long nights of editing & thinking about where this story is going, i decided to take it in another direction and fix a few things. Chapter 4 & 5 are following soon.