Temptation
"No, we do not and no, we cannot." Integra watched the looks of shock and righteous indignation flash across their faces. Fools. They had no real idea what Hellsing was. They knew it was military, knew it was funded by the Crown, and had somehow found out that there was an absolute lack of women involved.
They likely hadn't even realized they were dealing with a woman. Idiots. She had to meet with them, at least briefly. Penwood had called ahead to warn her. They ranked just high enough that she could not ignore them and refuse to meet, but not high enough to know what Hellsing did. However, one thing was not going to change. Hellsing would not, could not, accept female soldiers. No matter how many bureaucratic morons pushed their paperwork office worker "military" rank at her.
If they went to the newspapers with the story, they'd find themselves blocked and the information mysteriously "lost". But she'd rather avoid the headache altogether, and thus...the meeting.
"Gentlemen, ladies. There is a very good reason that I am the only female in this entire household. And Hellsing will remain all-male for all of the foreseable future."
The fat dark-haired man did a not-too-well-concealed double-take at that statement. Integra did not look feminine; her only concession to beauty was her hair. Long and straight and with no styling, simply a part down the center, it did not look especially feminine despite the length. Her suits deliberately hid her form, from a high collar that prevented any hint of cleavage from being seen to a straight-cut side that camouflaged her curves.
She'd quit wearing skirts within two days of finding Alucard.
"Miss Integra,-"
"Sir." Arrogant fop. She'd earned that title far more than he'd earned his rank. And he WOULD use it.
"Sir Integra. While an all-male force was acceptable for Hellsing in the past, these are modern times. You have modern equipment, modern facilities, and you need to discard the notion that only men can serve as your soldiers. There are plenty of very talented women available, and your constant searching for new members-you've hired an additional ten in the last year alone-makes it imperative. Sir, you must move with the times."
Cliches, even. That fool. Rising to her full height, she glared evenly into his eyes. "Do you think I do not go into combat myself? I am more than a figurehead in this organization. And do you think I would not avail myself of every possible source of soldiers? We are always, always in need of soldiers for very specialized work. And every time I pass over a dossier for a soldier that is EXACTLY what I need for someone less qualified simply because of her sex, it infuriates me. But that does not change the situation."
"Sir, what possible reason could there be for you to not allow women to serve?" Angry, but controlled...the woman asking that question was giving her a fair chance to explain her actions.
"Because it would be lethal for them. We have not been able to employ a female in any capacity. Cooks, maids, mechanics, housekeepers, gardeners...All of the household staff is male. I've even had to restrict it to males that are purely heterosexual."
"Why?" The third member of her Inquisition finally spoke, demanding his answer.
"Because they die." Integra turned and paced, the anger that rose in her at the thought of those early slaughters burning the blood in her veins and propelling her into motion. "We have a member of our personnel that is entirely indispensable, and who is well aware of this situation. He is also highly attractive, and well aware of this. Despite punishments, when bored, he entertains himself by luring away, seducing, and ultimately killing any female available. Lacking a female, he'll lure any male not solidly heterosexual. I did try and engage the services of a woman that was not interested in men. She lasted slightly longer than the others did."
Integra spun to face them. "He is homicidal and selective. I keep potential victims out of his reach. Short of locking him up and only releasing him during missions," which her ancestors had tried, only to hemmorhage men at a faster rate than Alucard's predations had caused, "I cannot keep those soldiers safe."
They continued to protest. Ridiculous. Impossible. No one person was indispensable. Why hadn't he been tried for murder long ago? Her story was patently false and they raged at her for lying to them so.
"Fine." She blew a stream of smoke at them. "But you will not send any other soldier to their death here to prove a point. We are in need of soldiers good at the books as much as we are with weapons. If you want women to serve at Hellsing, you will change your minds soon. Hopefully before one of you dies." Cold and cool, her blue gaze chilled them. "You have been informed of the risk. The other military leaders you met with first gave you clear directions to avoid Hellsing. I have the definite impression you will use neither your brains nor your discretion at any time in the near future.
I'll let you decide whether to sign the non-disclosure agreement and join my men. Be aware that breaking that agreement is a fatal decision. Hellsing is a force of topmost secrecy. You will not be fighting with our soldiers. You'll be staying here at the base, performing inventory and balancing our books. Our last clerk died several months ago and we are woefully behind.
I expect your applications within the week. Ms. Willis, Mr. Crabtree and Higgins, you will see for yourself exactly why homosexuals (a nod towards the dark haired Crabtree) and women (a nod to Willis) cannot serve in Hellsing. Please make certain your wills are updated and filled out and inform your superiors of your new assignment."
"Sir Hellsing! You cannot simply go about reassigning personnel in other branches of our armed forces at a whim!"
"Clearly you do not understand what Hellsing is. Your superiors will be notified and have approved this within the next 24 hours. Report to the barracks when you arrive and you will be properly briefed."
She stalked out, leaving them confused and angered and a bit frightened. They had not introduced themselves, but she'd been forewarned and had their names and ranks long before they'd come to her gates. Pencil-pushers, the lot of them. Too much education to toss in with the troops, so through officer school they went. Not capable of real leadership, so sent to balance books instead. And now on a moral crusade to stamp out injustice in the armed forces.
She'd gotten permission from their higher-ups to transfer them to Hellsing before the meeting itself. This was not the first little brigade to grace her doorstep demanding that Hellsing comply with modern laws. The undoubtedly fatal ending for two of the three would stop such nuisances for several years.
Damn that Alucard. His attentions were fatal, and while she could order him about, she had little control of the other party. He was too attractive to begin with and the control he exerted over humans made them entirely helpless to resist. In the meantime, time to place a little wager with Walter on whether the attractive, but male, Crabtree would be the first victim or the plain but female Willis.
x x
It was less than two days later when her three new recruits showed up at the estate. The unheard-of speed of their transfers had left them shocked and off-balance, and the deaf ear that had been turned to their protests had them intimidated. Striding into the briefing room where they stood with two other recruits, both burly young males, she fought a smirk off her face.
"Welcome to Hellsing. You are all aware that we are a specialized and independent part of the armed forces, kept secretive and funded directly through the Crown. Before you enter into a contract with us, you'll need to have a better understanding." Integra nodded at the two young men. "However, as three of you are not entering under contract but are instead direct transfers from your division, this will simply be information for you. Leaving Hellsing would be seen as an act of desertion, though you may retire from the military once this term of your enlistment ends."
Clicking on the display, she pointed at the graph behind her. "This is a graph showing you just what you are getting into at Hellsing. As you can see, the percentage of deaths has been steadily decreasing, but very, very few people make it to retirement age. You will be doing very meaningful work, make no mistake that you are protecting people from a dreadful fate and death. But do understand the mortality rate for our soldiers. Pay is excellent, as are our benefits. We understand and compensate accordingly, and we do our best to keep you alive.
But what we do is dangerous. We do allow our members to leave, though very few do. This is not because of a fear that we will hunt them down and destroy them; every soldier that has left has been unmolested by Hellsing provided they honor the nondisclosure agreement.
In short, if you speak to anyone outside of Hellsing about what we do, you will be making a fatal mistake. Even after you have retired or resigned. Please read over the information presented to you. It details our benefits package, medical treatments, pensions, the amount of life insurance we provide for your designated recipient, and the basics of your agreement. It also includes a statement that you have been informed of the dangerous nature of our work, more dangerous than any other branch. You have four hours. At that time, you'll be expected to sign the nondisclosure agreement or leave Hellsing.
For those of you that are transfers. Your contract is not a contract, merely a detailing of your new duties. If you wish to leave Hellsing, I will not have your deaths on my hands and would consider that an appropriate response. Your persistence will cost you your positions and employment but you'll keep your lives. But if you continue to agitate and raise issues once you have left, it may be a fatal decision."
Not waiting for their responses, she left. The trainer handed out the labeled folders to each of the five recruits, and remained to handle questions. She sincerely hoped that the three new members would resign. Their bullheadedness would cost them a career, but having seen the very blunt chart showing their likely lifespans even if they were NOT targets of Alucard, she hoped they'd make that choice. Having met such pigheaded bureaucratic idiots before, she doubted it. Their careers were far too important to them and were how they defined themselves.
Hopefully they'd live long enough to make a decent dent in the pile of paperwork she'd accumulated.
x x
"At this point, your nondisclosure agreement is coming into effect." The crips, clear tones of the trainer carried down the hall to where Integra waited in the room that had been nicknamed "The Toilet." Far too many new recruits had soiled themselves here. The metal walls and polished floor, with a drain in the center, made the necessary cleanup easy but lent the room a utilitarian, authoritative, foreboding aspect. She sat comfortably on the only chair in the room. A bench waited against the wall across from her. Recruits were far too likely to fall out of a chair. Some, more aggressive and with a higher sense of self-preservation than others, had thrown their chairs at the threat as a distraction while they lunged for the exit. The bench was made of metal bars, equally easy to clean.
The recruits, all five, entered. The first two looked worried but determined. The last three were equally determined, and vaguely smug. Clearly, they thought they'd learn the Great Hellsing Secret. Idly, she wondered if they'd planned to blackmail her with it to force her to open her ranks to women.
She'd have loved to do so. It was difficult being the only woman on the entire estate. Even though Walter appeared unruffled by it, any personal needs had to be relayed through him or bought herself, and she didn't often have the time to run to the store. Even a single female assistant would have been a relief.
She'd made greater sacrifices as the leader of Hellsing. Female company was the least of her worries. The trainer directed them to the bench, then stood in a relaxed parade pose by her chair. Once they were seated, it was time.
As she called Alucard to her, feeling his amused anticipation in the back of her mind, she felt a last, faint pang of regret for what she'd be doing. But Alucard WAS the biggest of those other worries and the sole reason for her lack of interaction and female friends.
"Here at Hellsing we hunt monsters, mostly vampires. And we use a vampire to do so." Seeing the wall beside her darken and his foot stepping through, she ended the introduction.
"This is Alucard."
x x
Her vampire had made a point of appearing in her office, perverse grin stretched across his face. "It's not Christmas, Integra. Nor is it my birthday, whenever that might have been. I can think of no anniversary." He purred at her, stalking closer. "To what do I owe this lovely little pair of presents?"
"They are not food, Alucard. Or toys, or entertainment. Leave them alone." The same command as she'd given a dozen times before, the command he'd circumvent or break within the day. "They are assigned here from their own forces."
Alucard threw his head back, laughing merrily. "Assigned, you say? Oh, my. Who did they anger that badly?"
"Me."
x x
Delicious, they looked delicious. He'd captivated them both within moments of stepping through the wall, their terror quickly transmuting into lust and need. Seeking them out would be entirely unnecessary. He'd let them wait a day, let the need build, then begin his games in earnest.
It was the next evening, as the new recruits demonstrated their weapons proficiency, that he was thwarted. They were not there. Only two men trained, neither the one that he wanted. Hissing, he melted back into the shadows, unobserved, and into Integra's office.
He couldn't very well complain that he'd gone to seek them, though he knew that Integra knew he'd done just that. Pride demanded a different approach. Forcing the glower into amusement, he melted into the room and stalked to her desk.
She ignored him for nearly a minute, finishing her letter or note or whatever before her cold blue eyes met his glowing red. Damn her, he could tell she was amused, though she hid it.
"You're losing your touch, Integra. Three of your recruits didn't make it through their first day." He grinned wider. He had lost his toys, and he'd make his Master his entertainment for the night.
"Already?" He could see the edges of her mouth turn up slightly, invisible to a human but clear to him. "I thought they would be working at their desks, not fleeing."
"Desks?" The question escaped him before he could stop it, though he managed to make the inflection less interested and demanding.
"Desks. Not a one of them is suitable to do anything in the field but die. However, they are capable clerks, and I've had them assigned to do the paperwork for our soldiers. Two of our latest casualties included our bookkeeper AND his assistant." Blowing smoke at her silent and calculating beast, she fought off a smile. He was so predictable sometimes. "We can't have our soldiers running out of bullets or fighting in their underclothes, eh? A determination of our inventory is their first assignment."
That was all the information the vampire needed to find them. Not wanting Integra to see how eager he was, he took a moment to pause in front of her window, staring out at the night sky for a few heartbeats before turning and idly strolling out of the room. Grinning, Integra turned to her paperwork.
It would be nice if they came to their senses and left before Alucard killed them. He played much too rough with his toys and they didn't tend to survive.
x x
There was only one area for troop storage. It was divided into sections. Weapons; that room opened onto the training range. Food; that room with its racks of canned goods and jars and bags of potatoes opened into the mess hall. And supplies...a catch-all of everything from boot laces and bed sheets to body armor. That was the room with the pair of desks that Integra had let slip they were stationed at. Let slip...bah. She'd likely set him on them on purpose. Damn her and her manipulation...but he was too eager to find those two to be angry long.
Melting into the room, he was first aware of how bright it was. Hissing silently to himself, he left immediately, undetected. Within moments, the lights in the room were flickering and an entire bank went black. The room was still lit, but now stark shadows loomed behind the shelves, and he was unseen as he grinned at them from the corner.
Unnerved, they looked about, worried and spooked, and the scent of their fear came to him on the air. Lovely, so lovely...he took a deep and appreciative breath. One got up to flip the switch a few times though without much hope it would work. It was the young gentleman he'd practically caused to swoon with only a few moments in the, ah, "Toilet Room". One of them would leave to find the breaker box or to get assistance.
A short discussion later, and the two that remained were seated very close together. It was him own little man that was leaving to find help. The hallway was much more brightly lit, and he was clearly relieved to escape the suddenly-spooky storage room. Alucard grinned, materializing in front of the man as he glanced back at the room he'd so precipitously left.
At the collision, the man looked up, wide brown eyes losing themselves in glowing red ones. Alucard's grin grew wider as his prey's eyes dilated and the increased heartbeat was no longer from fear, but another emotion entirely. Purring, he cupped a hand around the man's chin, firming his hold on the mortal's mind. Not really his type, the man had a slight pot-belly, and his chin's roughness and color spoke of a perpetual five-o-clock shadow. Too short, too, no tone to those muscles. But beggars could not be choosers and for far too long Integra had made a beggar out of him. The man was pretty enough. He would do.
Errand forgotten, the man found himself stumbling down stairs to the deep and dark basement. How had he gotten here? The trip was a blur, he remembered leaving to find someone to fix the lights, and then...Yes. Smiling in anticipation, he hurried faster down the stairs. It wasn't how he got here that was important, it was what awaited him at the end.
He opened the door, how he knew which door, he didn't know...and red eyes met his. Alucard was waiting.
x x
It was hours later when Alucard looked down at the body with annoyance. He'd truly intended to have several day's with this one. But the man was just as weak as he'd feared. While the man had turned from utter bliss to mind-breaking terror to utter bliss, it had been a pleasant surprise to find the mind resilient enough to handle what Alucard was doing to him.
It was the body that gave out. Only a little blood loss, only a little damage, and the heart stopped. It had not been only a little pain, it had been immense pain, delivered with finesse, and alongside intense pleasure. The man had wept in fear, pain...and gratitude. But it was too much stimulation and Alucard growled in frustration at the body.
There was no outward sign of what he'd been doing, and only a little internal tearing and bleeding. He'd wanted his willing and terrified slave to seek him out again and again over the next few nights as he slowly broke the mortal in every possible way.
At least it wasn't a total loss. The body was still warm, he'd find pleasure, though reduced, one final time. Then, he'd have a good meal. He couldn't eat people, Integra forbid it. But she'd never mentioned corpses. Humming to himself, he forced down his disappointment; he'd already had more than he'd have expected only a week ago.
Within moments, he was arranging the corpse to a more suitable position. A short time later, he was happily consuming it. Normally he'd have to simply absorb a corpse in the interest of time. Now? he had the night to himself, and a chance to enjoy the snap of every bone, the rip of every muscle, and the texture of the flesh as he sucked and chewed and swallowed.
Blood running down his chin, he did just that, taking every last drop of plasma from the body. Sated and smiling, he pulled the remains into himself, then leaned back in his throne, content and replete. Integra would rage, but this had been so worth it. And there was no indication at all that the man had even come down here.
x x
"Gone. He left the room, alone, after the lights mysteriously went out, and vanished. How long did it take you to look for him?" Integra watched the two remaining ones, anger warring with the slightest bit of pleasure. They stammered out excuses, but it was patently clear that after their companion had left and no one had come back...they'd simply huddled together and waited. One of the soldiers had found them a few hours later, and escorted them to her.
Sighing, she pushed back her chair, fixing a gimlet gaze on them. "Working here has fatal consequences for men. Homosexual, bisexual...Hell, even the simply overly-curious have vanished before. He was gay. He was informed that would likely be fatal. I suspect it has been, but I'll go try to rescue what remains of him." She almost told them to wait here, planning to let them fret and worry for the next hour...but no. They'd rifle through her desk looking for incriminating papers.
She wasn't leaving them alone. Instead, she called Alucard to her, watching them blanch as he faded through the wall. Both frightened, good...but the woman was also mesmerized. Damn him. Alucard worked far too fast.
"Alucard."
"Yes, Master?" Grinning at her. The bastard, he knew exactly what was going on. "We are missing a soldier. One of the new ones, Crabtree. I take it you know what has happened to him?" Alucard's grin widened to an inhuman reach. "He is not living, correct."
Humming a bit in happiness, Alucard's response was just as insolent as she'd expected. "Hmmmmm...Yes. I know, and he is not living."
"Did you kill him?"
"Why, Master, no, of course not. You told me not to." And he hadn't killed the man, the pain and shock had killed him. The restrictions let this little misdirection slide right by and he watched Integra flush slightly with anger.
"I also told you to leave him alone."
"But, I did leave him alone, Master. I didn't talk to him at all." He hadn't needed to talk to control the man and imprint the directions to his room on Crabtree's mind.
"Is there a body?" Blunt and calm, but her eyes told him that he was in for a world of hurt soon. Purring in anticipation, he narrowed his eyes, putting all the disrespect he could into his smile.
"No."
He crawled into his coffin, aching in every possible way. She had been brutal to him in his punishment.
It had been amazing. And then she'd forbidden him to heal himself. Well, while he slept during the day, his body would do so anyways. For now, he reveled in the pain, the agony. It was so rare that something could actually hurt him...but the Hellsings had been very creative in finding out the ways that he COULD be hurt. It made being their servant so very entertaining.
x x
She hadn't been stationed in the barracks with the men initially, but she was much more frightened of the suddenness of Crabtree's disappearance than she was modest. Now, she sat in her bed, a curtained-off alcove from the rest of the soldiers, and considered events.
It was entirely possible Crabtree was alive and Integra Hellsing was attempting to scare them into leaving. But...everything the other soldiers had told her, and the pity that they clearly felt for her, told her gut that he was dead.
She'd been warned. Her commanding officer had done so, in person and in private. He wouldn't go on the record saying it, for that would have brought him under fire if she went to the press. But he'd told her to drop the Hellsing issue and forget it, that sometimes allowances had to be made.
She'd thought it was allowances for an important sexist pig. And that had rankled her.
But what if it wasn't? Should she wait out Sir Integra and find out the truth behind the sexism? Or would that be fatal? Was this a game of wits and determination so that Hellsing could have her little harem of men, or was it truly fatal? She'd signed that agreement with every intention of breaking it. All three of them had. But she couldn't shake the feeling that if she left and even whispered what she'd been told, she'd die.
She'd made a horrible mistake. It would cost her her career. But tomorrow, she was leaving. Higgins could stay and get to the bottom of things. She was going.
She slept, but in her dreams glowing red eyes beckoned and pulled at her.
x x
He stood in front of her, fuming silently, the rage and frustration clear on his face. He rarely showed such emotions to her, but it brought a ray of sunshine to her day to see him so upset. Her day had begun at dawn, only a few hours after she sought her bed, many hours before her usual rising time. Willis had informed the commanding officer of the troops, Ferguson, that she was leaving, immediately. Ferguson's relief must have been plain, for within minutes, he'd brought her up to the office to deliver the news to a just-awakened Integra.
It had been wonderful news. She'd tell Walter to put a watch on the woman's communications. Normally, she'd tell Alucard to implant a suggestion in the mind of anyone leaving that they should never, ever share what they knew. This time, she wasn't giving him the extra opportunity at the woman. Ferguson had called to the barracks to order them to gather her belongings and take them to the gates, immediately. Integra had called for a taxi, walked the terrified and relieved woman to the gate, and personally handed her into the taxi.
Anything less and Alucard may well have gotten to her after all. He hadn't had the chance, and had awoken to find her gone.
Now, he stood across from his Master, fuming and raging silently. After the tortures she'd put him through as punishment the night before, she'd hoped that he'd stay away from her. Useless hope.
She smiled at him. He was so angry he looked ready to BITE something. Well, he always looked ready to bite something, but normally he also looked happy about it.
"She's gone, permanently. As you knew not to interact with her, this is of no concern to you. You are dismissed." She looked down at her papers, fighting to keep the smile off her face until he left. The anger the vampire felt was a palpable force in the room, but it vanished as soon as he left.
Then, Integra indulged in the laugh she'd been holding in.
x x
"Major Willis, I have received a call from the Hellsing organization. Am I correct in my understanding that you are resigning your commission?" Her commanding officer...no. Former commanding officer's steel eyes bore into her own. She'd left the estate less than an hour ago, and the taxi had carried her directly to this meeting.
"Am I also correct in assuming that you no longer protest the composition of the Hellsing soldiers?"
"That is correct, sir." Two red eyes and the malicious humor behind them filled her mind, and she shuddered briefly.
"Is there anything at Hellsing that you would like to report to me before your decomissioning is official?"
"No, sir," She would die if she did. As it was, she'd go before a military court for her more-mannerly desertion. One did not walk away from their duties and quit whenever they felt the urge. She'd be punished, fined, possibly imprisoned. But she'd never let anyone know about Alucard or what Hellsing did. No one would believe her, and she'd die. She could face the disgrace of her failure, the loss of her career, the potential jail time waiting for her...she'd be alive to do so.
He waited for a full minute, watching her coldly, hoping that she might break and reveal something, or change her mind. There was no chance of either happening.
Instead, he gave a curt nod. "I see, Civilian. Hellsing has an excellent retirement package, and due to the nature of the work, your abandonment of your duty there is not seen as such. There is a small stipend associated with your brief tenure until such time as you find a new position or five years, whichever is sooner. Any psychiatric care required is covered in full for the next decade. There will be no charges brought against you by any branch of the military for your actions. You are now honorably discharged."
It took a few moments for the information to process. Stipend, yes, she'd read that in the document but had never thought it would apply to her. No time limit on length of employment had been mentioned. It was...yes. It was enough for her to live on, provided she lived frugally. She suspected that she'd need that psychiatric care, too...it would be difficult to sleep at night for a very long time.
"Sir, thank you, sir." He stood, and she followed suit. A handshake later, and she was standing outside the building. Her duffel was in one hand. Her discharge document was in the other. And in front of her was a street filled with vehicles...and cabs.
She went home.
x x
It had been the most disturbing week possible. First Crabtree had vanished, then Willis had suddenly left. It was impossibly spooky...but...he had been unmolested. Twice, Sir Hellsing herself had come by to check on him. He'd brought himself to question the fate of his two companions, and while she'd told him that Crabtree had died, she also told him that Willis was alive and living in her small apartment on the Hellsing stipend.
When his shift was over, he'd asked for, and received, permission to contact her. The place was paranoid, he'd no doubt the call was monitored, but there had been no delay. He'd asked to make a call to her, and there had been no hestitation. Calls were not restricted, but contacting her...he hadn't wanted to make trouble. Making trouble could be fatal here.
She'd been frightened that he'd called her, that Hellsing had contacted her, but she'd been alive. It was with a much lighter heart that he went back to his work. There had been no exaggeration on the amount that needed to be done, and he'd already placed orders to restock some desperately low supplies. It would have kept all three of them busy for month, and now there was only him.
The other soldiers might have treated him with disdain, but they didn't. He'd made the cut, hadn't left as soon as he'd met Alucard. He couldn't fire a gun, but he didn't lack in courage, and they couldn't do the bookwork that he could, either. Older coats were replaced with new, undamaged ones. Dented weapons that were being kept in service as backup weapons were replaced with reliable new ones. A handful of the older mattresses in the barracks were replaced with ones that lacked the uncomfortable springs that had begun to show through. A soap shortage in the shower was alleviated by a creative call to a grocery that made deliveries...and that carried soap in stock. All in all, they benefitted from his presence and he couldn't complain about his place.
Alucard...he'd seen Alucard only once. There had been a mission, and the monster had been waiting by Sir Hellsing as she briefed the troops. The gleaming glasses hid the red eyes he remembered, but they'd tilted and flashed as the vampire turned slightly to look directly at him. The gaze had lasted only a moment, but it had taken effort to remain in place and not run.
The others hadn't missed the look, and, combined with the loss of his two companions, it had garned a small amount of sympathy and earned a large amount of respect.
The vampire was a legitimate reason to hire male troops. He would never, ever question Sir Integra's decision on that matter, and he marveled at her ability to handle the beast. Gossip in the barracks and during meals had filled him in on the predatory and cruel antics the monster had indulged in before, but they were all firm that he left them alone, even accorded them a modicum of respect.
He wasn't interested in men, and so was of no interest to the vampire. He had a surprisingly fat paycheck, and regular days off to go spend it. His job was interesting, complex, and drew on his skills, challenging enough to truly enjoy.
x x
"Higgins is working out well." Walter's calm observation pulled Integra's attention from the computer's screen.
"How is he at his job?" Alucard hadn't chased him off, but if the man was dead weight, she'd send him out the door.
"Surprisingly good. He's already taken care of several problems and averted others. Nothing catastrophic, but still annoying and inconvenient. He's fitting in well with the soldiers, and Alucard isn't bothering him."
"Inform me if that should change. Thank you, Walter."
Integra sipped her tea thoughtfully. She'd been told that Willis was keeping quiet about her experiences, and when she'd requested a psychiatrist, Walter had seen to it that a Hellsing-approved one worked with her. They'd put a handful on their payroll long ago when a mission went terribly bad, leaving over a dozen of the men ghouled. While Integra respected the doctor-patient relationship, she'd been pleased when he'd reported that Willis did not appear to be a danger to their secrecy. Point of fact, she'd been so relieved to see the Hellsing crest on his coat and to have him tell her that she could speak about Alucard, he was certain she'd told no one else.
Crabtree had gone to feed the monster. It was regretable, but unavoidable. Every decade or so, throughout Hellsing history, some foolish government worker had come to them with a complaint. Often, that was a fatal choice, but they had always been clearly warned of the consequences. At least it kept Alucard quiet for most of a week, still gorged on his meal.
And Higgins was a pleasant surprise.
All in all, not a bad outcome from bureaucratic meddling. She'd be free of that for some time. If she could just find something to occupy Alucard's time, she'd be even more content. As the only female on the estate, he bothered her constantly. She was the sole target of a very sexual, very sensual monster and it grated on her to the point that she'd almost asked him if he had any female offspring left that they could capture and bring to Hellsing!
Common sense had asserted itself at that point. If he was this bad to her...any female he'd turned would go through the troops in a flash.
No. He'd be the only vampire at Hellsing, and she'd be the only female. It would take a miracle to change that.