Disclaimer: I am not Kouta Hirano. I do not own Hellsing (Hellsing owns me).
A/N: So it's been a while. A few months/ years. This fic has certainly been in the making for a couple years now. Unfortunately, only the plot, characters, research and awful puns (re: title) have been in the making, not the actual writing process, so update lengths will no doubt fluctuate dramatically.
Also, the most exciting part of this chapter will probably be the alliteration title.
Look at it.
Chapter 1: Intrepid Integra Investigates International Intrigues
Integra jolted awake to the sound of her telephone, which to her sleep-addled brain sounded remarkably similar to the loud blaring of an ambulance siren, only, this one blared directly into her ear. Clearing her throat, she tried an experimental 'hello', only to find that her voice was horribly hoarse from sleep.
"Hello?" she addressed the air again, this time deciding her voice was satisfactory enough to actually answer the phone.
Snatching up the receiver on the fourth ring, she crisply said, "Hellsing Organization," noting with surprise as she did so that it was just past two a.m., and, less surprisingly, that she had once again fallen asleep doing paperwork. Admittedly, she'd been pushing her limits researching a peculiar surge of vampirism in Romania, but she hadn't thought she was that knackered. Perhaps she needed to take things down a notch.
"Hello," a voice crackled in reply from the other end. "My name is Nikolai Lukyanenko," it continued, revealing a trace of a Russian accent. "Am I speaking to Sir Integral Hellsing?"
"Speaking," Integra replied, intensely curious as to why one of the most qualified espionage directors in Europe was calling her up at two in the morning. Nikolai Lukyanenko's ruthless craftiness and extensive influence made him a man to be admired; yet he was so successful at his job that few people knew of his existence. "May I ask why you are calling?" she inquired mildly. Yes, she continued questioning silently, why is the Russian equivalent of Hellsing searching me out? Neither of us should know about each other. Not to mention that past—and recent—tension between their governments automatically put their relationship in a precarious position.
There was a pause. "I'm sorry," Lukyanenko backtracked, "I am getting ahead of myself. Is my name not familiar to you?"
Integra hesitated. "Should it be?" she asked warily. The cunning man she had researched out of professional curiosity and necessity sounded alarmingly meek for a person of his reputation.
She heard a tired chuckle from the other end of the line. "Oh no," Lukyanenko replied more assertively. "It is very good that you do not recognize my name. I represent one of Russia's best kept secrets…an intelligence agency outside the government and beyond the police."
Integra resisted a quiet smirk. Not so well kept a secret, after all. "That sounds familiar," she remarked wryly.
"Yes, we're essentially a Russian version of your Hellsing Organization," Lukyanenko agreed, before quieting to a more serious tone. "I would explain to you exactly why I am calling over the phone, but there's no time."
"No time?" Integra repeated, allowing herself to grow a bit worried. Perhaps it hadn't been good to toy with his perceptions.
"Very little time," he amended. "I'm sorry for the late hour of my call, but—first—I understand you've been researching an interesting phenomenon in Romania?"
Integra allowed herself to be shocked into silence, refraining from her instinct to ask him how he knew of her investigation. "…Yes," she replied awkwardly at last.
"Allow me to give you a brief overview of what I know about recent circumstances relating to your research—and of what's safe to say over the phone," Lukyanenko prefaced in a businesslike manner.
"All right," Integra said with trepidation.
"I had three agents stationed in Romania this last week," he told her briskly. "Routine investigation. Certain abnormal patterns we'd been monitoring were growing a little out of hand, to be sure, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. However, nine hours ago, my agents uncovered alarming information—information that I can't disclose over the phone—and shortly thereafter, they disappeared."
It always comes back to Romania, Integra thought wearily. Alucard's homeland seemed to be proving as unpredictably troublesome as he himself. "And?" she prompted, concerned for how the agents' disappearance in any way coincided with her pet project.
"They were investigating the spread of a new drug becoming popular right now in Romania when communications back to headquarters suddenly stopped," Lukyanenko continued. "We would normally dismiss it as a technological blip in our communications equipment, but the last word of their last transmission right before they were cut off was of great concern to us—and should be of particular interest to you, Sir Hellsing."
Integra frowned. "And what was that?" she prompted, her curiosity growing despite her lingering exhaustion.
Lukyanenko sighed. "'Nosfera—"'
"Two," a familiar, deep voice resounded unexpectedly next to Integra's other ear, nearly making her drop the phone. "Two in the morning, Integra, and I find you chatting on the phone. If I'd known you had such nocturnal tendencies—"
"I'm on the phone," Integra hissed at Alucard, covering the receiver with one hand.
"So I just stated," Alucard agreed. "Howev—"
"Quiet!" Integra snapped, reflecting on Lukyanenko's report. Nosferatu, he had said, before waiting patiently for her reaction.
"Mr. Lukyanenko," she finally said into the phone, "of course that word is of interest to me, it's practically my—our—trade. But how does this situation…involve me?"
There was a pause, as if Lukyanenko was struggling to think of a proper course of action. "Given the urgency of our situation, I think it would be best if I explained at a more secure location," he said cautiously.
Integra hesitated, taking a chance. "Hellsing Manor is quite secure," she offered.
She felt Alucard's alarmed gaze on her. "Integra," she heard him start to say.
"If you have capable facilities, I could jet in," Lukyanenko suggested.
"I do," Integra answered. " An air field should suffice, I hope."
"Integra…" Alucard began again, taking a step towards her.
"Most adequately," Lukyanenko assured her. 'I'll be there in six hours or so. We can meet on the plane."
"I look forward to it," Integra murmured.
"I suggest you come armed," Lukyanenko added, much to Integra's alarm, before the line went dead.
"Master," Alucard addressed her for the third time.
"I know what I'm doing," Integra assured him patiently, carefully dropping the phone receiver back into its cradle.
Alucard raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he inquired. "So—if I may be so bold—what are you doing?"
"Right now," Integra yawned, standing from her chair, "I am going to have some tea. Then I will review and prepare my notes from my research." She reached into the desk drawer to her right and closed her hand around the familiar weight of her Browning.
"Ah yes," Alucard murmured, "your—project. Investigating vampire demographics in foreign countries. Not my idea of fun, really."
"It may well have to be," Integra hinted enigmatically, straightening her glasses and slipping her gun into her holster. Clasping her hands behind her back, she maneuvered around her desk and headed towards the door.
"Hm?" Alucard prompted, opting to follow her out of the room.
Integra paused mid-stride and turned to regard him thoughtfully. "Alucard," she began slowly, "I know you've been snooping through my research." He didn't even bother to look guilty. "…What is your assessment?" she asked.
He tilted his head slightly in thought. If he was surprised at her request for his input, he didn't show it. "Obviously…something is inducing vampirism at an accelerated rate in highly populated areas of Romanian cities. The frequency of these occurrences in slums and other poverty stricken areas suggests a direct relationship to crime organizations, gangs, or…something else in that vein."
"Essentially my conclusions," Integra agreed, veering off the hallway into the library to collect her notes.
Alucard trailed silently behind her. "And the Russians?" he asked mildly.
Integra dropped her notes. "Russians?" she repeated innocently.
He looked at her reprovingly. "The man to whom you were speaking on the phone," he clarified. "I heard his accent quite clearly."
"I see," Integra said. "That's right. You can…hear," she surmised stupidly. "Better," she amended, seeing his amusement, "you can hear better."
"Tired, are we?" Alucard remarked snidely. "When did your Russian say he was coming?"
"In six hours," she said, yawning widely.
"Hm," he said unhelpfully. "Planning to go somewhere in the meantime?" he asked.
"What?" she asked in confusion.
"You took out your gun," he pointed out impatiently.
"Oh," Integra said blankly. "Lukyanenko told me to come armed."
Alucard narrowed his eyes. "In that case, I, too, will bring my guns."
"If you feel you must," she muttered. "I'm going to go make tea."
"I'm going to go drink bland refrigerated blood," her vampire told her. "Back in a bit."
Integra pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine," she sighed.
--
"When did he say he would be here?" Alucard asked, popping up behind Integra in the library as she was stirring her third cup of tea. Contrary to his hopes, she showed no surprise at his appearance, merely adding another spoonful of sugar to her cup.
"I told you," she said absently, flipping to the next page of the notes she was reviewing. She checked her watch. "In about half an hour or so, now," she updated.
"Or so," Alucard informed her. "He's preparing to land as we speak."
She blinked groggily, frowning. "But I can't hear any jet engine—"
"That's right," he cut in, "you…can't hear."
Integra pursed her lips. "Don't mock my exhaustion," she scolded.
"What can I expect," Alucard murmured with a shrug. "After all—"
"Alucard," Integra began warningly, eyes flashing.
"You're only—"
"Stop," she ordered through gritted teeth.
"…Human," he finished insolently, before vanishing through the wall in a satisfying coup de grâce.
Integra closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the wall, desperately seeking its solid coolness for comfort. Before long, however, she returned to the more preferable pastime of nodding off into her tea. If there was ever an occasion that called for tea, her impending meeting with a Russian supernatural intelligence agent certainly qualified. Her exhaustion alone merited liquid caffeine.
Her eyes flew open when she remembered something more pressing. "The jet," she gasped, abandoning her tea with notes in hand in favor of getting to the airfield. On her way out, she scribbled a quick note for Seras explaining where they were and left it on her door just in case they took longer than expected.
She reached the airfield only to encounter Alucard already waiting at the edge. "It'll be here in another minute or so," he greeted her coolly, all traces of his earlier impudence gone.
"Timely," Integra commented, checking her watch.
Alucard's head swiveled to the right in the direction of the jet coming into view, distinguished against the night sky by a single blinking light. "It's coming in too fast," he noted. "Your precious field will take a beating."
"He did say it was urgent," Integra sighed, but she flinched anyway when the jet hit the ground with a thunderous crunching sound.
The two watched as the jet eventually skidded to a halt. When it appeared more or less stable, they began cautiously making their way over to the aircraft as stairs from the side descended.
"Sir Hellsing!" Integra heard someone yell over the roar of the engines. A windswept figure came into view at the jet entrance. "Welcome aboard," he hailed. Integra took this as an invitation to ascend the stairs, Alucard reluctantly trailing after her.
"Mr. Lukyanenko," Integra greeted cordially, shaking his outstretched hand firmly. The hand's owner was a tall, lean, commanding man, sporting salt-and-pepper hair and clear grey eyes. He returned her looks in kind, taking in Alucard's formidable presence as well. Evidently he approved, for he stepped back and beckoned for them to enter the jet.
"I have so much to tell you and so little time," he began mournfully, agitatedly running long slender fingers through his hair while Integra and Alucard took their seats around a conference table that seemed rather incongruous in the jet's cozy interior.
"Perhaps you could begin by telling me how you knew I was researching the Romania enigma," Integra suggested peevishly.
Lukyanenko took his seat at the table across from Integra and Alucard. "Certainly," he agreed. "Actually, first, allow me to get you up to date with the intelligence I have," he changed his mind. Integra nodded her acquiescence. "Someone in Romania has developed a highly addictive drug capable of turning its users into vampires over the course of ten to twelve days," he informed her bluntly.
Integra and Alucard traded twin glances of alarm. "A drug," she repeated in disbelief, thinking of her and Alucard's earlier assessments. "That explains…so much," she murmured faintly.
Lukyanenko raised his eyebrows. "Does it?" he asked mildly, passing her a file of papers. "Here's what our conclusions are based on," he explained, opening the file and pointing out key data to her. "Symptoms and characteristics of the drug users—like 'increased craving for raw meat', 'heightening of all five senses'—as well as other observations." He sat back and watched Integra skim through the documents to confirm his statements.
She frowned as she read. "Exhilaration—that's the name of the drug?" she assumed, adjusting her glasses, which had slightly slipped down her nose.
"The slang term," Lukyanenko confirmed. "Users refer to it as 'Exhilaration' for its effects, but in the beginning they called it 'DNA' for some unknown reason—if there even was a valid reason." He punctuated his words with a shrug. "Unfortunately, all we know is in that small file. As I told you over the phone, I lost contact with my agents stationed in Romania. Given the vindictiveness of the person responsible for creating the drug, I am not optimistic about their survival."
Integra observed her Russian counterpart closely. His face was drawn with exhaustion, and the deaths of men for whom he felt responsible had undoubtedly cut him deeply. "I am sorry for the loss of your men," she said softly, seeing some tension ease away from his features at her words. "You seem to have some idea of who is behind this," she continued more pointedly.
"Just a projected profile," Lukyanenko downplayed with a shrug. "We've narrowed down his location to either Tirgoviste or Bucharest, based on the prevalence of the drug in those cities."
Integra saw Alucard's eyes flash with interest at the mention of Tirgoviste.
"Our man is someone with extensive scientific and medical knowledge, of course, as well as access to original vampire DNA," Lukyanenko continued. "Wealthy enough to develop the drug Exhilaration on a large scale without discovery, and established enough to spread it through the proper channels of vice."
Integra smiled grimly. "And clever enough to realize someone would track their movements, and malicious enough to act mercilessly on their suspicions."
Lukyanenko nodded wearily. "As for your initial question," he finally approached, "we were keeping close tabs on the information coming in and out of Romania, in case the perpetrator should be controlling the intelligence. Our own researchers kept coinciding with someone else—someone who had been there before them, reviewed the same history, population growth, news reports footage, you know…" he trailed off. "We were worried it was the supplier, mocking our attempts to track him down. Imagine our pleasant surprise when we traced it back to a potential ally."
"Indeed," Integra said, rather pleased that she'd gotten to the data first.
Lukyanenko fixed her with a piercing gaze. "And now I have a question for you," he said. "How did you discover the increased vampire activity in Romania?"
She blinked. "I try to keep tabs on most vampire patterns in Europe," she explained. "No easy task, of course—my organization is limited to gleaning information from unrewarding venues like hacking into police databases and a mediocre network of intelligence agents. Romania happened to be particularly obvious, and I felt it warranted further investigation on my part."
"A wise decision," Lukyanenko sighed, toying with a pen on the table. "And now we come to the foremost reason for our meeting," he murmured, looking at her intently.
Integra felt movement to her left and saw that Alucard had straightened and his eyes were glinting with renewed interest.
"My hands are tied," Lukyanenko informed her with regret. "I have lost all of my most valued agents in a matter of hours. Despite having jurisdiction over most of Eastern Europe, the Romanian government is forcing me out—they don't believe there is a threat. My own country is telling me to withdraw after the loss of my men." He paused to reign in his temper. "And yet, from my agents' observations, the drug is spreading rapidly through Romania's urban underworld," he continued. "There isn't much time before Romania will be rampant with undead. Unless there is a way of stopping our mysterious perpetrator and developing a vaccine to counter the drug's effects, this could very well spread over the continent."
Integra nodded her agreement.
"Which is where you come in," Lukyanenko addressed her abruptly. "I've read up on you," he told her. "My organization has an exceedingly large file on your exploits. I think you're capable of locating the drug manufacturer and stopping him."
Integra stared at him critically even as Alucard spoke up for the first time. "And what in particular makes you think that?" he asked smoothly, leaning forward and propping his chin up with one hand on the table edge.
Lukyanenko barely batted an eye. "Partly because of you, Trump Card," he replied mildly, before turning back to Integra. "I know it's been a while since you've done field work," he said quietly. "I expect you'll find this to be a tall order, but I honestly do think you can successfully infiltrate Romania and locate the person responsible. The infiltrator has to be someone with extensive experience, someone skilled enough to avoid being silenced by our drug-dealing friend, and someone with inherent knowledge of the vampire physique. You and Alucard combined qualify on all three accounts. In addition, the infiltrating group must be small enough to slip under the radar." He gave the two of them a meaningful nod.
"While I'm flattered by your confidence," Integra began, "blindly heading into Romania with the intent of single-handedly taking down a relentless drug lord and his drug-addled undead minions does not strike me as an ingenious plan."
Alucard's lip twitched. "I think we could handle it, if Lukyanenko ever gathered the courage to give us whatever's in that case over there," he said, with a nod in the direction of an inconspicuous black briefcase that had escaped Integra's notice. Her name was scrawled across a tag attached to the handle.
Lukyanenko jerked slightly in surprise, then nodded. "I'll take that as tentative acceptance," he said, reaching for the briefcase even as Integra began to protest. "In here are a few essentials—travel visas, maps of Romania, and," he paused, "a Macbook Pro, to name a few. The Macbook is directly connected to every major spy network if you need help or to report back. It has a few quirks added."
Integra stared at Lukyanenko, shocked at the mention of the laptop. It wasn't every day that one was confronted with the quintessence of computer technology…and Lukyanenko had mentioned quirks. She risked a glance at Alucard, weighing her misgivings and the plausibility of being able to stop the spread of the drug. She hated when Alucard tried to speak for her. The look he returned was a pure challenge, which did nothing to assuage her doubts. Turning her attention back to Lukyanenko revealed nothing, save his earnest determination—or desperation, perhaps—and his willingness to support her in any way he could.
What the hell, Integra caved inwardly, thinking longingly of that last cup of tea she'd never had a chance to finish. Tea that might have had a positive influence on her rational thinking, but it was a little late for that. "No nifty gadgets?" she asked, holding her hand out to take the briefcase.
Lukyanenko's lip twitched as he handed her the briefcase. "We're not exactly MI6," he informed her lightly. "I think you'll find that quick thinking and even faster reflexes will do you the most good in Romania."
"Then I think I'll find Romania refreshing," Integra smiled, silently questioning her sanity.
Lukyanenko checked his watch. "You'll also find it in the next six hours," he told her.
Integra blinked. "You're coming with us?" she asked in surprise.
"Oh no," Lukyanenko assured her, "I leave when we stop in Zurich to refuel."
"I see," she murmured, curling her hand around the brief case handle and standing.
"If you wish, there are refreshments in the back compartment," Lukyanenko said, nodding towards the doorway. "As well as more comfortable seats."
"Thanks," Integra said warmly, walking towards the back.
"No, Sir Integral," she heard Lukyanenko's voice trail after her, "thank you."
After using the bathroom, she slipped into a seat by the window and set the briefcase down by her feet. Leaning back, she closed her eyes, looking forward to a much-needed nap.
"If you plan on simply sleeping," Alucard said scornfully from next to her, "I'm sure you won't deny me the window seat." Hands scooping her up from her seat followed his words, and she was unceremoniously dropped into the middle seat next to him. Sitting up in indignation, she saw that Alucard was now sprawled carelessly in her former seat.
Having just begun nodding off when he took it upon himself to switch their positions, Integra shot him a dirty look. "You are a menace to my peace of mind," she muttered vehemently.
"If it's a piece of mind you want, let me give you mine," he murmured softly. "Have you considered how unbelievably risky this venture into Romania is?"
"I accepted solely for the happiness it would give you," Integra answered caustically, not needing a vampire's doubts to fuel her inner debate.
"You do realize you're leaving the Hellsing Organization without any stand-in director," Alucard pointed out practically.
"Seras Victoria can manage," Integra said flippantly. "I left her a note earlier, but I trust you informed her of our current situation?"
Alucard closed his eyes. "Mm, yes," he answered, "she has been notified of our exceedingly perilous venture into the unknown."
"It's risky, I know," Integra murmured with a sigh, "but that's never stopped us before." She yawned and glared at him. "Now leave me alone."
She turned away from him and rested her head against the back of the seat. Not the best of sleeping arrangements by any stretch of the imagination, but her exhaustion was enough to override the most uncomfortable of positions.
From beside her, Alucard grinned his approval.
--
Integra woke with the disconcerting feeling of not remembering where she was or what time it was. Compounding her confusion was the odd sensation of moving yet not moving, which delayed the return of her senses.
When her mind finally caught up with her consciousness, she realized that at some point during her nap, a blanket had been carefully tossed over her, and, much to her mortification, she had allocated Alucard's shoulder as a pillow.
Sitting up hastily, she caught the tail end of Alucard's look of amusement and adjusted her glasses. "Where's Lukyanenko?" she asked him sharply.
"He left when we landed in Zurich," Alucard replied dutifully.
"Zurich?" Integra repeated blankly. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Long enough for us to be passing over the Transylvanian Alps as we speak," Alucard murmured into the windowpane. "How pretty they are, all covered in snow."
Integra stood up and stalked over to the mini fridge, extracting a banana from a fruit bowl resting on the top. "I expect we'll…" she began, trailing off when she noticed Alucard stiffen. "What is it?" she asked, immediately wide awake.
Alucard responded by throwing himself at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her midsection, and kicking the emergency escape door open just as the front end of the jet shuddered with a jarring explosion and burst into flames.
"I suggest you close your eyes," Alucard murmured helpfully into a shocked Integra's ear, before tightening his grip on her frozen form and tipping them head first out of the burning jet into the icy high-altitude air of the Transylvanian Alps.
--
A/N!!: So as contexty information chapters go, how boring was it? Boring squared? I guess it had Russians, macbook pros, an explosion, and some puns. Those must count for something. This chapter cost me six cups of tea, two chocolate bars, seven hours of sleep, a math letter grade and three bowls of ben & jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
Also, a note about what canon this is: I couldn't tell you. I dislike writing in the animeverse, and I don't see how I could feasibly work this into the manga canon? For now I'll say this is tentatively set after the manga ends, so I guess the Hellsing Organization might be smaller and able to afford having its leader and trumpucard go on little vacations like Romania. This is one of those things I should figure out before posting. But it was really important to post today, because it's the second anniversary of when I posted Never Will I Rise!
That's not really that important at all. Hmm.