Typecast
The waters of Lake Okanagan are stirring, forcing the BPRD to investigate.

Notes – This fic is based off the Animated Universe. The idea grew from the mission mentioned in Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron, although I know it was first mentioned in Hellboy: Box Full of Evil. I wanted to write a story centered around Liz and Abe, as well as a full mission – rather than just a snippet fic. Ergo, things may start slow. I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors. No matter how many times I read it over, some will get through. Thank you to those who reviewed my last story.

Disclaimer – All characters are ultimately copyrighted Mike Mignola, and are the property of Darkhorse Comics.

Rating – Rated T, just to be safe. It shouldn't get above language, violence, and death.

--

His hand gripped his walking stick as his limp leg swelled from the cold. He did not bother to reach down and sooth. The rocking current of his little boat was enough; he felt at home on the current, surrounded by water. It called for him to row out and become one, but he could not. His body was too frail to swim. He would drown without the use of his leg. How upsetting, because its calls never ceased.

It wanted to feed.

His eyes twitched. The rustling on the opposite end of the boat caused him to shift thoughts. She was moving, beginning to gain conscious. Soon she would realize that sneaking out of her parents' room passed curfew was the worst decision of her short life. It didn't matter to him so much, for she could never break herself free. It didn't mind, either. It seemed to enjoy hunting for a moving target. What a beautiful night for dining with it, too. The mood had long since disappeared, leaving a black cloud over an overly dense sky.

He could taste the air, and it was thick on his tongue.

He bit back on his tongue and hummed a little melody he had picked up from children wading in a pool. He knew patience. He could wait as long as was required of him, because it controlled the time. He allowed it to, because his love for it could not churn as easily as the waves below. He hummed and hummed as the girl's cries began to stir – it was nothing more than an extra beat to his night music.

Heartbeats quickened.

The sea began to churn ever so silently, though no ripples broke through the water. He reached over, grabbing hold her thick sweatshirt. He looked over once in the dark depths, and smiled sweetly down at it. "Only for you, my Naitaka."

There wasn't even a splash.

--

"It's too early for this." Liz Sherman mumbled incoherently to herself as she took a sip of coffee. She loved the drink too much because she always seemed to have a mug of it with her whenever Director Manning called for a meeting. She did not care. She was not too happy, and to have a call-in when she was unhappy just made her attitude worse. Other agents took heed and cast only a few glimpses at the tired woman as she sat herself down on one of the coaches.

Abe Sapien could see the dark edges around Liz's eyelids, the scruffiness that usually meant she just threw on her clothes that morning, rather than taking the time to properly dress. Her hair had knots from failure to brush, and she looked overall like a walking nightmare. "I'm assuming last night's mission did not go well?"

Liz cast the agent a dark look under dulled amber eyes. "Yeah." There was another sip of her coffee and Abe remained silent as Liz took a moment to reflect. "God, it took two hours to scrub it all off." That was all she said of the previous night, and her amphibious comrade let it rest at that. When Liz did not want to talk, it was best learned not to push her into an unwanted conversation.

Three other agents were in the room. Liz only recognized two, but she didn't even know their names. The BPRD could be like that. It seemed she spotted someone new everyday, or someone left every week. The Bureau was not famous for keeping agents long term.

Liz sipped her coffee again when a black blur caught her attention. She looked up in time to see their director step amidst the group, carrying two folders in his hands. Thomas Manning was dressed particularly well that day, and Liz could only second-guess that either he had a meeting with some budget provider, or he was going to attend a press conference. Either way, he seemed in a rush to hand out assignments and leave.

"Thank you all for making it," he said in his own version of an introduction.

"Where's Hellboy?" asked one of the agents. Liz didn't know how the agent knew her friend, but the thought was crossing through her own mind anyway. She could see the confusion in Abe's eyes, too.

Director Manning flipped one of the folders open and did not look at his teams. "Hellboy and Dr. Corrigan were called in for an emergency yesterday. They'll not be attending."

"Why did Dr. Corrigan go?" asked the second agent, familiar with the Director of Field Operations. Director Manning only answered by saying she was urgently needed. No one asked any questions afterward. If they needed Kate, Hellboy and Dr. Corrigan probably had their hands full with folklore.

Kate was responsible for preparing the selected agents for the work at hand, but it was unusual for the Field Director to attend the missions herself. "Hellboy must have talked her into it," Abe thought.

"That brings me to the first matter at hand." Manning handed the first folder with strong authority to the three agents Liz could not name. "Mr. Marshall, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Allie. With Hellboy gone, we decided the three of you should handle this mission. You'll be going to…." Liz was too tired to listen in, and the only words she could make out were "mummified pigs" before her head nodded down. Her cheek rested against her shoulder uncomfortably and she lost sense of time.

"Miss Sherman. Miss Sherman!" Liz jolted awake at the sound of Manning's voice. Rather than a look of frustration, the Director looked disappointed. "Now that you've joined us, you and Mr. Sapien will be going to British Columbia."

Abe's eyes lowered before he even put his hands on the folder. "The Ogopogo?"

Director Manning gave a swift nod. "I'm sure I don't have to remind either of you. At first, it was only attacking houseboats. Now there are bodies floating up, and the Canadians think the Ogopogo's to blame. They've already closed off Lake Okanagan from the public, but there is always one or two who like to chance it."

Liz listened on as Manning painted the picture of what was going to happen, and shuddered a little. Liz had faced enough monsters in her lifetime that she was not afraid of the Ogopogo. Why they wanted to send the fire starter to a lake was beyond her thoughts. "I hate water," she muttered to herself before sipping her coffee.

--

The Ace of Spades. It was a good card, but he really needed a Jack of Hearts so he could move a row leading with the Ten of Clubs over. Not his luck. With that disappointment, the only want that filled his mind was that of wishing he had brought another book. He knew the flight would take a while but had assumed it would have been short enough to finish his newest paperback. He had assumed wrong, and now he would wait through the boredom.

He blinked once, and drew up another card. The Deuce of Diamonds.

With a sigh, Abe pressed the fast-forward button on his cd player as he shuffled the headphones around for better comfort. The song was too slow moving for his taste and the music was starting to bore him. He had forgotten to change the disc from the last plane ride. "Not on top of things today," he said to himself. With a glance to his side, he looked to see if the person next to him had bothered to wake up.

Somehow, Liz had managed to find a comfortable position against the seat and slept through the flight. Abe had not realized how tired his friend had been, and chose not to wake her up for conversation. Instead, he turned up another card. The Four of Hearts. No cigar.

With a sudden jerk, Abe's cards flew into the air in mass panic, guided by a pull all over the ground as the agent instinctively grabbed hold to the hand rests of his seat. The motion took only a moment of time, and soon everything was steady again. As Abe cast a disappointed look down at his game, the intercom crackled in an apologetic tone. "Sorry about that, guys. We just got news that there's a storm looming over British Columbia. We're going to try and steer clear of it until we can take her down."

"Just our luck." Agent Sapien didn't look up as he gathered his cards, recognizing the pessimistic tone as a sign of Liz's forced awakening. Liz Sherman sat up in her seat and gave an exaggerated yawn and stretch of her arms. Cracking open one eye, she watched as Abe finished shuffling the cards back into their box. "I thought you brought a book."

"I finished it." His answer was to the point. "Did you sleep well?"

Liz almost cracked a smile. "As 'well' as I could. How much longer?"

Abe threw the card deck into his bag and pulled down his headphones. "I don't imagine too much longer. Half an hour." Liz watched as Abe turned off his cd player and stuffed the contents inside his carry-on. She threw her hands around her arms, rubbing them against her jacket sleeves. Abe caught this motion and realized the temperature was dropping. It made sense. It was not bothering him much at the moment, but he knew even he would have to don a coat once they stepped off the plane.

Liz watched her partner for a couple of minutes as he sat still in his seat. She knew he was respecting the fact that she was tired and didn't feel like holding a conversation, but she didn't care too much for prolonged silence between them. "So, how is this going to happen?" Abe responded with perplexed blue eyes. "You know, the Ogopogo. We going to fish for it?" The amphibian recognized her dry humor. "So we're playing bait for a sea serpent?"

"I hope not." Abe retrieved the mission folder. He hoped it was simple because he certainly did not know how to stop a giant snake. Indeed, he suspected that was why Manning insisted on sending Liz; she had prolonged a demi-god. A sea serpent should be a step down from something like that.

Liz warmed up her arms, again.

Abe noticed how cold it was suddenly becoming. "Hopefully no one else will be there." Liz's eyes sharply fell on her friend before realizing what he had meant. With any luck, the inhabitants were smarter now that there were dead bodies involved. If there were people still there, then that was a road to fix when crossed. As Manning said, there would always be a couple stupid enough to linger behind when a giant monster lurked beneath.

Despite her poor mood, the previous night's mission left Liz wanting some company. Abe always could lend an ear.

Knowing there was still a half-hour left, Liz felt herself growing tired. She looked up at Abe once, but he was busy running over the file folder again. By the time he turned around, Liz had leaned her head awkwardly away, somehow managing to find sleep, again. Noticing her wrapped arms, Abe unhooked his seatbelt to reach up for the overhead storage. Their coats were lying beside their overnight luggage, and Abe knew they would need them. He removed a smaller one, laying it over Liz's body for the warmth he knew she would need. Growing cold himself, he reached for his before quietly closing the door. Zipping up the BPRD-logo jacket, Abe hooked the belt back up.

After hearing a reassurance from the pilots that they would be landing in half an hour, Abraham pulled the headphones back over his ears and turned up the volume.

The Bureau's plane landed later at the Kelowna Airport, forcing Liz Sherman to accept the chilly wind that gusted outside. Any lingering thoughts of fatigue blew away. Her haired whipped across her face and a sudden wave of general disgust donned her expression. "God," she muttered, pushing the hood of her jacket up in an effort to produce any sort of protection. It didn't help. Rain was brushing against anything in its path, and even she was not immune to it.

"It's just a little rain." Abe Sapien smiled the best he could, knowing his partner was going to be in a bad mood. When Liz didn't return the smile, he shrugged, allowing the water to refresh his gills. It wasn't enough to breathe in, of course, but it was soothing, nonetheless. He enjoyed it, despite the burning wind, but that was just Abe. Somehow, he could find some positive aspect.

Elizabeth was not satisfied until they stepped inside the airport, out of the weather. Too instant for their taste, a little gentlemen threw himself in front of their line of vision. He had a fake smile too friendly for someone who knew what was happening. Those kind of people always rubbed Liz the wrong way. "Agent Sapien, Agent Sherman!" He took their hands in a firm shake, and that was when Liz noticed his wedding ring. "Welcome to Okanagan. I am Mr. Parker. Director Manning said you two are among his top agents, so I cannot thank you enough for coming out here to settle this little problem."

"I'm uncertain if the Ogopogo qualifies as a…little problem." Abe didn't like the man anymore than his friend, but he could understand why their superior contacted him. "The last report mentioned a body being found yesterday morning. Have there been any since then?"

Mr. Parker's grin faded a little, and he motioned his hands in a quick little spasm. His moustache even twitched, a puzzling and slightly disturbing sight to see. "Please, please, Agent Sapien." His eyes shifted as fast as his hands.

Liz crossed her arms in front of her in a matter-of-fact manner. "I though everyone knew about the Ogopogo."

"We were told the beaches of Okanagan are closed off to civilians," added Abe.

"It is." The man calmed down, clearing his throat. "But we still have to conduct ourselves in a professional manner. To go talking about dead bodies like it was an everyday event would just chaos, would it not?" He waited for an answer. Liz and Abe glanced once at each other, before both gave a little nod, mostly just hoping to get on with the conversation. "We closed off Lake Okanagan as best we could, but we thought it wiser to not release the reason. The enforcement realizes why you are here, but as far as the general public is concerned, the lake is undergoing chemical inspections." He leaned in a bit, tilting his glasses up. "I'd rather it remain that way."

Since neither Abe Sapien nor Liz Sherman could come up with a smart comeback, as they knew Hellboy could dice, both agreed to Mr. Parker's rules of regulations. He clapped his hands, packing back his unusually large smile before waving an arm passed his back. "Good. If you'll follow me, there's a taxi waiting to escort the both of you to the Kelowna Lakeshore Inn."

Abe Sapien picked up his travel bag, hoisting it over his shoulder as Liz followed suit. "We're going to need the see the bodies," he directed at Mr. Parker, lowering his voice in an effort to not provoke the estranged man.

The Canadian smiled again. "All in good time. For now, just enjoy yourselves."

--

"This doesn't look too bad."

Liz lifted her cheap umbrella over her eyebrows to catch a glance at what caught Abe's eyes. She didn't disagree, the Bureau sprung for a nice little place for he and she to spend their nights. Even in the fog of the storm, her vision could make out a well-structured Inn. She inhaled, but choked back as rain assaulted her sinuses. Bad idea. Maybe the lake air would make itself known in the morning. Her eyes rolled off Abe's questioning stare, but she didn't bother explaining herself.

Sapien blinked twice, holding the door for Liz as both stepped inside. "I'll get the keys," he announced, stepping up to the receptionist's desk to allow time for Liz to shake off her wet umbrella and jacket. She did so, shivering as the wet coat exposed her damp skin to the air-conditioned resort.

Rubbing her hands up her arms for friction, she noticed the woman at the desk did not seem to mind that she was serving a fish man two keys to the Inn. She liked that, not having people stare at Abe like a sideshow spectacle. She knew he liked that, too, even though he rarely complained when it happened otherwise. That was just the way Abe was.

Agent Sherman almost considered sitting down, and already dismissed her luggage by her legs. Without weather and worrying greeters, she had forgotten how tired she was. Jetlag pushed down on her shoulders, straining the already cramped muscles. She didn't have long enough to carry out considerations, as Abraham flashed a room key. Not even registering in mind, her hand took it.

"Rooms with a view." While not a site to look at with wind and rain, Abe felt satisfied that he was going to be able to open his window and see Lake Okanagan in the morning. Being amphibious, his body was itching to dive into the waters after getting a taste of the rain. He knew eventually he would have to tread with the possibility of swimming with the Ogopogo; the danger aside, he'd heard wonderful stories about the beauty and pureness of Okanagan.

He was much more amused than Liz, although she herself could appreciate scenery. Her mammalian body, equipped with a fire burning inside, could only take so much water at one time. "Might take advantage of the pool, though," Liz mumbled. She rubbed her eyes, catching a yawn.

Liz somehow managed to make it to her room with her increasingly heavy baggage. She tossed it on the floor and immediate took comfort on the queen-sized bed. Good, she thought, feeling the comforter beneath her arms. A nice, big bed sounded too beautiful to be true. She almost considered giving Director Manning a hug when she returned to the Bureau.

Key grasped in his gloved hand, Abe stepped into the room. He laughed for a second when he saw how comfortable his comrade looked. When Liz looked up, she almost looked too pathetic. "We need to go over the mission report, again," she said too quickly, like a race to see who could spurt it out faster. "I know."

Abe reached into his bag and removed the said item, only to discover the folder had taken a beaten against the various other objects claiming space. "Mr. Parker's going to meet us for breakfast and take us to the morgue."

Nothing like a full stomach before visiting dead bodies. "That's always fun." She was too tired to even try and hide her sarcasm.

"The rotting skeletons of Nevada?"

"Yeah." Suddenly the recoil of that bad taste made itself remembered in her mouth. Collecting herself in a professional manner, she pulled her hair back, ready to discuss the important matter at hand. "So how do we fight this thing?" Elizabeth Sherman knew damn well it was going to involve treading the lake of British Columbia. That much was common sense, but she was afraid of hearing what was bound to come next.

Abe's head markings flushed. He was concerned. "No one has successfully even caught a good, visual glimpse at the Ogopogo. Any sort of photographic evidence is too blurry to use, so we don't know how large of a creature this can be. We can only assume anywhere around 25 meters." Neither liked the sound of that, but it could not be any worse than the dragon they had faced on that island.

He understood that was on the mentality of his superiors when they decided to send him and Liz to Canada. "I'm hoping we'll know more once we see the victims."

"All that's going to probably suggest is that it likes food." Liz's bluntness wasn't without a point. She knew the Bureau sent Abe because he could swim in the same territory as the monster itself. He could lure it to the shore. He was the worm on the line, and she did not appreciate the BPRD's willingness to make that type of casting when deciding how a mission was going to deliver.

Abe blinked. "That's usually the case, yes. I'm more concerned as to why we're finding bodies to begin with. Something of this magnitude should be able to consume more than that amount of weight."

"You're thinking…what?"

"I'm thinking it may not be about food."

"Yeah." Liz's eyebrow arched in attitude. "Nessie's cousin is being framed." Sometimes she failed to notice just how dark her humor could be.

The humor was not lost, though. Abe continued. "I meant to imply that it could be hunting for pleasure." Liz chose to remain quiet. "Liz, you know how we might have to end up stopping this." He understood her disdain of his suggestion, but he knew it wasn't above her abilities. She had tackled worse in their time at the government agency.

She flipped one of the pillows over with her hand. "Burn it. I got it, Abe." Her tone had dropped, and she was uncertain if her partner had even heard her comeback. Suddenly, she was tired again. Liz didn't have the courage to ask for continuing in the morning, but thankfully she didn't have to. When she bothered to look up, Abe was already heading towards the door, key conveniently ready between his first two fingers.

"We'll know more tomorrow." He smiled. "Good night, Liz."

"Night, Abe."

Five minutes had not passed by before Liz Sherman was asleep.

--

To be continued.