I am thinking of writing a fanfic on the movie Hellboy (2008) with Nuada as the love interest. I have written the prologue so here it is! Tell me what you think of it.
It has been years since I escaped them, decades even, but I could never forget what they did. Each morning, as I wake up, I am reminded by my appearance that I could never go back to my past life. I knew that very well, I was no longer human and there was nothing I could do about it.
It had been a quiet night as I was getting home from school. Two men grabbed me on the dark streets and knocked me out. When I woke up, it was in a dark cell with a throbbing headache. I soon learned that I was in an illegal genetic facility. They took children and teenagers from the streets to experiment on them.
The researchers injected me with so many different animal genetics that I didn't know if I was more animal than human anymore. My body began to change and grew limbs and features I did not have before. The process was painful and almost drove me mad. I heard my bones cracking and twisting as my appearance changed, I heard my skin ripping as new bones and muscles were created, I heard my screams as the scientist studied and laughed at me like I was a lab rat.
As months passed, I grew wings… Large powerful barn owl wings. I also began to feel my nails getting tougher and longer, my teeth getting sharper and my eyes adjusted better to the dark. I grew a tail, a mix between fur and feathers covered it and the end split in feathered tail fins. I watched my body change without knowing what would grow next. A russian roulette of new features…
Years had passed and I began to accept my new body, finding that some features were actually not that bad. Night vision is a big plus when you are constantly in the dark. I had become used to the lack of sleep and the constant visit of my captors, but nothing could have prepared me for that.
They came to my cell and they took me to a new room, a cleaner one. It sent chills down my spine. I fought against their hold on me but they still managed to strap me to the medical table at the center of the room, not without casualties though… Three men fell at my claws and one got his breath knocked out by my wing.
I was feral, struggling against the restraint with violent shakes and tugs. I snarled and for the first time in this facility, I did not mind the animal sound that came out of me.
The researchers were moving around me in silence as they ignored my growls and snarls. Suddenly one approached me with a syringe full of gold liquid and my eyes widened in fear. I tried to snap my teeth at him but nothing I did permitted me to reach him. The man injected me with the substance and instantly I felt a burning pain starting from my neck and spreading to all of my body.
I had never experienced such pain before, it was much stronger than anything they had done before. I screamed as all my limbs felt like they were on fire. The only thing that kept me from fainting was my resolve to stay awake when someone was near. I had soon learned that sleep was one of my biggest enemies here. It left you vulnerable, completely at their mercy.
Minutes passed and the pain went away gradually. As soon as my cries and screams died down, they threw me back in my cell. I had no strength left and simply fell on the floor. My eyes closed and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
⭒◃○▹✩◃○▹⭒
I woke up to an explosion. That was a new sound and my lips quirked in something that looked like a grimace but was a smile. I could only imagine that it meant that one of their machines had blown up in their face and it brought great joy to me, even in my weakened state.
My short-lived joy was renewed when I heard screams and gunshots. The researchers never used guns on us, we were too precious to them for that. It meant that someone else had entered the facility. I got to my feet in a struggle and clutched the bars of my cell as I watched the chaos unfold before me. My captors were running away from men in military gear.
The guards of the facility were taken by surprise and didn’t have time to react and fight back as they were shot and killed. I grinned as I watched the downfall of my persecutors. The carnage was finished in half an hour and all of the sane prisoners, including me, stayed silent as we watched the men that killed our previous captors.
We didn’t know if we had to feel relieved or scared. Suddenly, a man with round glasses and curly brown hair stepped before my cell. I watched with a curious but guarded gaze as he looked over me. His eyes widened and he clutched his book and rosary tightly. “What happened to you? All of you?” he asked me softly as he gestured to all of the cells.
I stared at him for a bit and straightened my back as I spread my wings. “God left this place a long time ago.” I replied as I watched him with wary eyes. “We are not his creations anymore, but theirs.” I finished as I gestured to the dead men.
“How old are you, my child?” he asked with a softer tone. My heart leapt in my throat and I clenched my teeth. “What year is it?” I asked in a whisper. His eyes widened slightly and softened in realization. “Today is the 9th of october 1967.” I stayed silent for a moment and my eyes watered slightly. Its been two years, two fucking years of torture. I wanted to scream, let all my rage and pain out, but all I managed to croak out was: “I will be nineteen in december.”
The man’s eyes softened even more and he glanced at the armed men behind him. He shooed them with his hand and they left with reluctant steps. He turned back to me and smiled in reassurance. “I am professor Trevor Bruttenolm, or as many call me, professor Broom. What is your name, little angel.” he said as he introduced himself. The nickname went straight to my heart and a tear fell down my cheek. I scoffed and sniffled as I wiped my cheek. I had not allowed a single tear to fall in the presence of my captors, I would not give them this pleasure, but now, those words and his tone made me crack. “Frederika, Frederika Walsh.” I replied with a small smile. “And I am no angel, professor.”
He smiled and waved his hand dismissively. “When I see a young and beautiful girl with wings like yourself, I can’t help but see an angel.” He replied with a sincere tone. I sniffled once more and looked at him with grateful eyes. “I am from the B.P.R.D., it stands for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. There, you could be welcomed and safe,” he continued with a small hopeful smile. “All of you could.”
My gaze became harder and I stepped back. “But at what cost?” I asked as I heard the others agree and pace in their cell. The professor saw my change in demeanor and frowned in disappointment at the fact that he was unable to earn my trust. “Freedom. Freedom is the cost.”
I clenched my teeth and glared at him. “There is a facility in Antarctica ready to welcome all of you, but if you go there, it will be forever,” he continued with a sad smile. I heard some sighs and defeated sounds from the others as I watched the professor with a neutral gaze. “There is another option,” he added quickly.
I raised an eyebrow at him and waited for him to continue. “Work for us and you could roam the world.” I inhaled sharply and clutched the bars of my cell. “I want in,” I said immediately. The professor smiled and looked around the cells. All the others shook their heads no and chose Antarctica. He nodded and asked for each of us to be released but kept under watch.
He personally opened my cell and I stepped out quickly. I looked back at the awful cell and watched as all the others got out. We were only five sane prisoners, all the others were either dead or turned into mindless beasts. I took a deep breath and gave a small nod accompanied by a smile to the professor. He smiled and gestured for us to follow him. “Let’s go home.”
Home. A word I had forgotten. A word that I would soon use frequently.