The Dragon Pool: The Dragon Pool Read Online Free Page A
Author: Christopher Golden
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Media Tie-In
complex, and the door closed behind him, he exhaled. It had been nice to come home, but now he could truly relax, maybe make up a batch of nachos with all the fixings, guacamole and all.
He passed Abe's door. As usual, he could hear music from within. Abe would be curled up with a book, or sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of books like Burgess Meredith in that classic Twilight Zone episode. But, always, there was the music. Today it was The Notting Hillbillies, a quirky little album if ever there was one. Not Hellboy's thing, but Abe had forced him to listen one day while they were playing Scrabble.
When he unlocked the door to his own room and pushed it open, the first thing he saw was the manila envelope that lay on the floor just inside. Someone had slid it under the door. Interoffice mail. But this one had a red CONFIDENTIAL stamp on it, so it wasn't a memo about Bureau staffers wasting too many paper clips or budget cuts forcing them to take the free coffee out of the break rooms.
"This can't be anything good," Hellboy said.
He closed the door behind him and dumped the duffel bag to one side. As he went into his apartment, listening to the comforting hum of the refrigerator and gazing lovingly at the huge sofa that sprawled in front of the television, he tried to ignore the manila envelope. He went to the fridge and stood in the open door, drinking a quart of orange juice right from the carton. When he closed the refrigerator, he glanced at the envelope, as though it might have done him the favor of vanishing.
Lamenting the nachos he'd promised himself, Hellboy grumbled as he crossed the room and snatched the envelope off the floor. He tore it open, ignoring the PLEASE RECYCLE message printed on the front, and slipped out the memo.
TO: Prof. T. Bruttenholm, Abraham Sapien, Hellboy
FR: Dr. Thomas Manning, Dir. Field Ops
RE: Dragon Pool
Gentlemen, please convene in my office at 3 pm today to discuss Dragon Pool investigation. Due to the urgent nature of this case, the team will depart BPRD HQ for air transport at 9:20 pm.
Hellboy glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter after two already. He crumpled the memo in his fist and went back out into the corridor, leaving his door open. Still grumbling, he went down and knocked on Abe's door, his massive right fist shaking the wood in its frame. Normally he showed more courtesy, but he wasn't in a courteous mood.
The music paused, and a moment later, the door swung inward. Abe stood just inside, a kind of dim golden light filling his living room. His vision was extraordinary, and he favored gloom over brightness, even when reading. All that time underwater, Hellboy figured.
"Welcome home," Abe said, but his words had an inquisitive tone. There was very little that looked human about the amphibious man's appearance. His mottled, greenish skin had dark markings that only increased his resemblance to many forms of ocean life, not to mention the gills and finlike ridges. But his mannerisms were almost entirely human.
Hellboy held the crumpled memo out to him. "Yeah. Some welcome. I was going to make nachos. You know anything about this?"
Abe cocked his head to one side. "If that's the note from Dr. Manning about our three o'clock briefing, then, yes."
Hellboy waited, but Abe did not continue.
"Okay," he prodded. "Are you going to make me play twenty questions?"
"Of course not. I'd been thinking about charades, though," Abe said straight-faced.
Hellboy shook his head, unable to keep up the intensity of his annoyance with Manning when Abe was cracking wise.
"Are you trying to be funny?"
"Succeeding, actually," Abe replied.
"Says who?"
"Well, I can't expect you to be an unbiased judge. You'd have to have a sense of humor."
Hellboy glared. "I've got a great sense of humor."
Abe pointed at him. "See how I just did that again? I've been practicing."
Unable to help himself, Hellboy laughed softly. He reached up to fiddle with the little knot of hair
He passed Abe's door. As usual, he could hear music from within. Abe would be curled up with a book, or sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of books like Burgess Meredith in that classic Twilight Zone episode. But, always, there was the music. Today it was The Notting Hillbillies, a quirky little album if ever there was one. Not Hellboy's thing, but Abe had forced him to listen one day while they were playing Scrabble.
When he unlocked the door to his own room and pushed it open, the first thing he saw was the manila envelope that lay on the floor just inside. Someone had slid it under the door. Interoffice mail. But this one had a red CONFIDENTIAL stamp on it, so it wasn't a memo about Bureau staffers wasting too many paper clips or budget cuts forcing them to take the free coffee out of the break rooms.
"This can't be anything good," Hellboy said.
He closed the door behind him and dumped the duffel bag to one side. As he went into his apartment, listening to the comforting hum of the refrigerator and gazing lovingly at the huge sofa that sprawled in front of the television, he tried to ignore the manila envelope. He went to the fridge and stood in the open door, drinking a quart of orange juice right from the carton. When he closed the refrigerator, he glanced at the envelope, as though it might have done him the favor of vanishing.
Lamenting the nachos he'd promised himself, Hellboy grumbled as he crossed the room and snatched the envelope off the floor. He tore it open, ignoring the PLEASE RECYCLE message printed on the front, and slipped out the memo.
TO: Prof. T. Bruttenholm, Abraham Sapien, Hellboy
FR: Dr. Thomas Manning, Dir. Field Ops
RE: Dragon Pool
Gentlemen, please convene in my office at 3 pm today to discuss Dragon Pool investigation. Due to the urgent nature of this case, the team will depart BPRD HQ for air transport at 9:20 pm.
Hellboy glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter after two already. He crumpled the memo in his fist and went back out into the corridor, leaving his door open. Still grumbling, he went down and knocked on Abe's door, his massive right fist shaking the wood in its frame. Normally he showed more courtesy, but he wasn't in a courteous mood.
The music paused, and a moment later, the door swung inward. Abe stood just inside, a kind of dim golden light filling his living room. His vision was extraordinary, and he favored gloom over brightness, even when reading. All that time underwater, Hellboy figured.
"Welcome home," Abe said, but his words had an inquisitive tone. There was very little that looked human about the amphibious man's appearance. His mottled, greenish skin had dark markings that only increased his resemblance to many forms of ocean life, not to mention the gills and finlike ridges. But his mannerisms were almost entirely human.
Hellboy held the crumpled memo out to him. "Yeah. Some welcome. I was going to make nachos. You know anything about this?"
Abe cocked his head to one side. "If that's the note from Dr. Manning about our three o'clock briefing, then, yes."
Hellboy waited, but Abe did not continue.
"Okay," he prodded. "Are you going to make me play twenty questions?"
"Of course not. I'd been thinking about charades, though," Abe said straight-faced.
Hellboy shook his head, unable to keep up the intensity of his annoyance with Manning when Abe was cracking wise.
"Are you trying to be funny?"
"Succeeding, actually," Abe replied.
"Says who?"
"Well, I can't expect you to be an unbiased judge. You'd have to have a sense of humor."
Hellboy glared. "I've got a great sense of humor."
Abe pointed at him. "See how I just did that again? I've been practicing."
Unable to help himself, Hellboy laughed softly. He reached up to fiddle with the little knot of hair
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