Integra had been tossing around this kind of idea for a while. Her arms were crossed behind her, wringing her hands in distress. She gazed at her reflection of her window for the longest time, careful to follow every worry line etched into her aging face with one remaining eye, the blue of her irises reflecting the light of the sun that had barely revealed itself on this cloudy afternoon.
All was quiet here. Even with his return. Mere days had passed. Everything was back to how it should be. Yet, everything has changed so much.
She was tired. And there will be a time where one day this family will crumble and traditions will fade. Times are forever shifting. Integra had contemplated to just allow the Hellsing name whither away into forgotten history. Monster Hunting had fallen into the hands of British Military, where conflicts were more public and acts of vigilante justice were taken upon by civilians, causing a massive uproar at least once a week. Fear has been stricken by the common people that have resulted in acts of violence, and now Hellsing's only job these days are the cleanup of the aftermath.
This was becoming a losing battle at this point. With more awareness, there was more danger. Caution was thrown into the wind. And Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing for once, started to feel hopeless for this once great country.
And she despised it.
There was a firm knock at the door, and behind it, Seras Victoria emerged. She simply poked her head through, her iridescent eyes concerned.
"You requested to see me, Sir?" she asked. The older woman turned, long blonde locks flowing around her body almost fluidly as she did so. Her posture never faltered, shoulders back and narrow chin held up with a sort of nobility and authority. Yet, her face had a gentleness to it, as she gazes at her. Like a mother fonding over her child. It always amazed Seras that, after all this time, the Master of the house still holds such power and grace. However now she has developed more of a strong maternal instinct as the two grew closer, which made her even more endearing and admirable.
With a nod, Integra held out an arm, gesturing at the leather chair across from her desk. "Indeed," she responded.
"Thank you for coming on short notice. I realize you have had your hands full with the new recruits."
Seras shook her head, waving her hands in front of her sheepishly, "It's no trouble at all! I am always at your beck and call." She smiled wide and seated herself in front of her superior, her hands clasped on her knees as her rear rested on the edge of her perch.
Integra couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. There was a girlish charm to Seras that even she had to admit was rather infectious. It was refreshing to see, especially with these bleak times.
"So..." Seras began. "Is there something the matter? It sounded urgent."
Her superior settled down herself, arms atop her desk and chin rested into her entwined fingers. She studied the vampiress in front of her in silence. Seras tilts her head, even more inquisitive.
"Sir?"
"Forgive me. My mind seems to be elsewhere at the moment. But, yes. There is something I must ask of you," Integra finally spoke.
With a furrowed eyebrow, Seras questions, "are you... Are you alright, Sir? You have been acting distant lately. What is it that's on your mind?"
Integra's lips curve into a small smile, "I'm sorry I have been worrying you. My, I must be losing my edge if I am becoming that obvious."
Before deliberating, she grabs for a case that had been in one of her drawers. It's silver polished with a fine finish and bordered with an intricate floral design. She opened it carefully, and within it's velvety interior were her best cigars. Integra plucked the Cuban out and stored the rest away from safe keeping. She then held it under her nose, inhaling the faint musk before reaching for a cigar cutter and removing the butt of it, discarding the piece into the trash.
Seras watched her carefully, studying her every movements. She chewed at her lower lip thoughtfully. The curiosity was starting to eat at her.
Integra fixed the cigar in between her teeth then lighting a match. After taking a long drag, she gazes at Seras.
"I have called you here, because I have been reached out to by a long time friend. It seems her daughter has developed- What is with that look?"
"Oh! Uhm, it's really nothing. It's just..." Seras paused. She shrunk back a little, pressing the tips of her index fingers together.
"It's just.. I didn't realize you had other friends outside myself and Master. And Walter of course, before he.. You know..."
She was met with a sharp swat to the head, letting out a loud squeal of surprise. Integra held a bundle of newspaper she had found laying around her desk, leaning forward as she struck the girl.
"Excuse me!?" she shouted.
"Has immortality robbed you of respect for your elders, girl? You're still English, have some damned manners!"
"I'm sorry, sir!" Seras begged.
Integra sat back with a soft grunt, pinching the Cuban in her fingers with one hand and rubbed at her eyes underneath her glasses with the other.
"As I was saying," she continued. "I have been contacted by a friend whom I have known for a long time. Carol Brightton. She was once a valued member of the Hellsing Organization until deciding to move to the States to settle down. She has had a daughter since then, Marion Brightton."
Seras listened intently with a doe like stare.
"It has come to my attention that she has been suffering behavioral problems and needs to be addressed. I took it upon myself to invite Marion here for rehabilitation. Whip her into shape."
The vampiress tilted her head, expression contorting into confusion. Integra met her gaze with a pointed glare, "What is it?"
"I'm sorry, Sir. I don't mean to sound rude, but... Why would that be your problem?"
Her superior let out a sigh, "I understand your skepticism. However, I trust this woman with my life, and she with hers, as well as her own daughter's. It would be amiss if I didn't take on this task when Carol has done so much for this family."
Seras wrinkled her nose a little, "Sure, but. I don't know if having just anybody here would be a wise choice, let alone someone from another part of the world. I'm worried she might see things she doesn't understand and lash out somehow and it backfires on us as a whole."
Integra nods, "I acknowledge voicing your concerns, Seras. But, I have already taken precautions that nothing goes awry. Which is why I have requested you to escort her back here safely."
Seras blinks once, twice, and then three times, before pointing at herself for confirmation, "wait... Me!?"
Integra leans back, folding her hands in front of her casually, "Correct."
"B-But why?"
"There has been heavy vampire activity lately, and I need this transition to go as smoothly as possible. Just your presence alone would be enough to deter these monsters away."
"I'm-I'm honored, Sir! But," Seras began. "Why my presence? Wouldn't something like this be better suited for Master Alu-"
Interrupted with a loud thud, Integra rises out of her seat, slamming her hands down onto the desk and causing Seras to jump with a shriek.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
There was a silence, the room heavy with tension. The woman reclines back into her chair, taking the cigar back into her lips and rubs at her temples, chewing irritably at the binder of the Cuban.
"I apologize for my outburst, Seras," Integra finally said.
"But, no. Absolutely not. I entrusted this task to you. After all these years of working together I would like to believe that your are more than capable enough to do this on your own, as you have before many other times as my Captain of the Guard."
She looks at Seras then, "I can trust you with this. Am I wrong in doing so?"
Seras flinched a little and stood upright, "of course, Sir. I won't let you down."
"Very good. I will have a car ready for you as soon as I have word of her plane landing. Your destination will be at Heathrow. The constant flow of tourists coming in and out should make things less conspicuous. It will draw less attention," Interga added.
With a nod, the girl salutes, "yes, Sir."
"I know you will not fail me, Seras. May God and the late Queen's spirit guide you."
Seras turns to leave then pauses, her hand remains on the bronze doorknob as she did so. Integra notices her hesitation. "What is it now," she demanded, her patience starting to wane.
"Sir. If I may. When I asked about Master Alucard in regards to this mission. You reacted in such a way that.."
She pivots her body a little so her eyes met with her superior's and continued on, "you were afraid something might happen if he were to go in my stead. Something so simple, yet, you made it sound as if he would jeopardize it in the whole grand scheme of things... Tell me... Why can't he do it?"
Integra stands abruptly, causing Seras to tense up, but was met with a sigh of relief when the woman ventures back toward the window.
"This is a very delicate situation, Police Girl," she says. "More delicate than you realize. And I would appreciate you keeping your questions to yourself for now. I will not permit Alucard near that girl, and you are not to mention any word to him. You might be his fledgling, but you are still my servant. I expect you to do a job and get it done effortlessly. There will be an explanation when the time comes. For now, there will be no more questions on the matter. Do I make myself clear, Captain Seras Victoria?"
Seras opens her mouth to make an objection. She considers it and bites back her words.
"Yes, Sir," she answers, quietly and then makes her exit.
Integra remained standing there, listening to the sounds of footsteps receding down the hallway. She turns her head to the oil painting mounted on her wall, looking into the eyes of the late Arthur Hellsing, for answers.
"Look at me," she said to herself. "And old grandma and yet here I stand, questioning whether or not I am making the right choices for this family. What would you do, father?"
She knew what she was about to put into motion would change the course of this organization's history. Would it be the right choice, though? Sure, she has a responsibility to uphold to ensure that this girl is well off. But, an even bigger obligation to keep this house afloat.
She closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I will train her to the best of my ability. Only time will tell if she will be able to stand on her own two feet," Integra told herself.
Integra found herself standing in front of the portrait now, placing a calloused hand almost gingerly onto the canvas. "This could make our foundation stronger," she told him. "Or completely break us."
She debated within herself for a while, until succumbing to her final verdict. With that judgement realized, there was only one thing to do.
"Wish me luck, father," Integra nodded, then swiftly made her way out of the room, where she would make her way through the labyrinth of hallways and down into the deepest parts of the mansion's basement.
It was almost nostalgic. Her fingers traced the cold walls of the house's dungeon. Memories flooded back to her as if it happened yesterday. Her father's death. Her uncle's betrayal. The way she felt when she was backed into the corner. The sound of a gunshot, the sting of the bullet grazing her arm, and the scent of her own blood. And finally, that fateful encounter with the monster in the darkness and his unyielding devotion to her as his true master.
She was such a young child back then. Even now, she couldn't help feel the eerie chill pass through her being.
"Get a hold of yourself," She scolded herself.
It was here that her life had made a drastic change. Her fingertips lightly touched the icy surface of the heavy iron hatch that kept the family's greatest secret prisoner. It had opened almost easily, as if her arrival was expected.
Of course it was.
"Odd of you to be the one visiting me," a low voice reverberated against the walls. Integra followed the sound, coming to a stop in front of a figure reclined at a tall wooden throne. His long legs were lazily crossed, gloved hands rested at his lap with fingers coiled together. He observed the woman before him, red eyes illuminating in the darkness.
"Lovely, as always."
"Cut the flattery, Alucard," Integra said sharply.
"You were always one to get straight to the point. You're no fun," he commented, the smile obvious in his tone. "What is it you need of me? I grow rather bored of just sitting here twiddling my thumbs."
"You speak as if you are condemned here. You had plenty of opportunity to assist in recent objectives," Integra interjected.
"Simple pest control that even the Police Girl can handle on her own. It would be a waste of my time," Alucard pointed out.
"This, however," he smirked. "Has piqued my interest."
Integra raised an eyebrow, "I know you have been listening through the walls. There's no need to dance around the situation. So it will be much simpler to tell you that you are to stay put and not be seen."
The man grasped at his heart, feigning anguish, "why Integra, I'm hurt. Are you implying that I am prohibited from welcoming the newest addition to our little family?" His eyes blazed with mischief.
"Especially when I'm dying to find out what makes her tick. I would love to know if the generation they've kept alive is as resilient as they were more than a century ago."
He leaned forward, focused sharply on his master. "Are you really denying me the pleasure of testing her? I simply want to see what she is made of. Tell me..."
Alucard tilted his head, baring his teeth in a grin, "Are you afraid that I will drive her away? Is this child really that weak willed that you would shield her away from what could be her fate? Why, I remember when you were just a child-"
"That's quite enough," Integra jabbed.
Laughter echoed through the chamber. "Have I hit a nerve?" Alucard mused. "You surprise me, my Master. All these years have made you soft."
"I am still head of this house. How dare you question my obligations and motives. You are to only do as you are told."
"Oh? And what if she comes to me, then?"
Integra narrowed her eye, "and by that, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Alucard relaxed back into his chair. "Curiosity can be a dangerous thing," he pointed out. "You are aware that she will have questions."
"And I will answer them."
"Even of her nightmares?"
There was silence. The air grew thick. Alucard continued on, "there are things that even you can't muster to swallow. I can see everything that she sees. Our thoughts are one in the same. Every memory of the past that continues to plague us both. We are even connected as she dreams. You and I both cannot change the course of what is to come. And she will either have the power to overcome it, or it will completely destroy her. Either way, I will be content with it."
Integra gritted her teeth, "I will not change the course of my actions because you seem to have some sort of complex. Do not mock my authority with these pretenses."
Alucard shrugs. "As you wish, My master," he replied. And then he stood, bowing at the waist, red fedora held to his chest.
"Just be prepared for the consequences."
Authors Note:
Greetings!
I've been previously posting this story as sort of a rough draft in a series of acts, of which I was not quite happy with. However, the material makes for a great foundation of painting a bigger picture of what I want to convey to the audience.
I am giving this another shot and writing this story out in a more appropriate novel format. Hopefully you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. And please, positive feedback is always welcome!
Happy reading!