Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing, I am merely borrowing its characters for my own amusement; I am not making any money whatsoever on this particular piece of fiction.
There was a knock at my door; a knock, after so many months of nothing.
"It's open," I called out, chuckling at the irony of the statement.
There was the sound of a key entering the lock, and the ka-chink of the bolt sliding back. The door creaked on its hinges as if it hadn't been used in a long time. 'Which I suppose is the case, considering how long I've been down in this God forsaken little hole of theirs.' Again I chuckled, sniggered almost, holding my hand up to my mouth to stifle the noise as the man stepped into the room.
"Ah, Sir Roberts. To what do I owe this magnanimous honor?" The look on his face as he caught sight of my feral grin was absolutely priceless. He visibly gulped as he move the file folder he was carrying upward in a useless attempt to protect his frail body. I laughed low in my throat. "What's the matter, Sir? Aren't I being a proper host? Here, let me pull up a chair for you."
I moved over to the table in the center of my cell and pulled out a chair motioning for him to sit. He seemed to jump slightly at my hand movement, and then squeaked before clearing his throat in a pathetic effort to even out his quavering voice. "Ah..uh…yes, there will be no need for that Sir Integra. I mean…ah, I am here to issue a pardon from her majesty, whom in her infinite benevolence has seen fit to release you."
His voice calmed as he settled into what was obviously a prepared speech. "Her Majesty, the queen thanks you for your patience…" His nasal voice trailed off when I lifted my gaze upward to look him straight in the eye. Long before my imprisonment, my glare had truly been a frightening thing. Deep and piercing, it was as if I could see into a person's soul through their eyes, or so Alucard was fond of telling me. After one year away from the sun, my skin having taken on a shade of whitish blue, combined with my feral attitude was enough to make this small, puny bureaucrat piss himself in fear.
I began to laugh, starting low and gradually rising in pitch until full out maniacal chortling was reverberating off the stone walls of my cell. After a few seconds I cut my laughter abruptly and said quietly, "What new trouble has sprung up, that Her Majesty would consider giving me my freedom, minister? Have the FREAKs finally become too much for MI-5 to handle all alone? Has some new breed of vampire crept up that the SAS is no longer capable of handling?" 'As if they were ever capable of handling anything,' I thought to myself, eliciting yet another small snicker.
"Tell me minister, what does Her Majesty require of me this time?" I spread my arms out wide giving the man in front of me the idea, I'm sure, that the mad woman was complacent once more, and would be willing to follow orders for a time.
"Here," he said, holding out the folder. He straightened himself upward and attempted to act as though he hadn't been cringing a moment before. "All the information you need is contained within this file." I reached out my right hand and took the folder from him gently, smiling slightly when he pulled his hand rapidly away as if he'd just been burned.
"Right, then. You're free to go, Sir Integra." The minister began to back his way out of the room, seemingly wanting to be out of the area when I decided to emerge from my containment. I grinned evilly, as I looked at his retreating form. I called out, "I've always been free to go, Sir Roberts. I simply chose to wait until my release was sanctioned by Queen and Country."
Sir Roberts did not give a reply, instead he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
I smiled as I flipped open the file and perused the contents, the picture on top of the papers within catching my attention instantly. It was a picture of a FREAK chip, only this chip was different somehow, slightly longer, not quite symmetrical anymore.
"Alucard," I called out, waiting a few moments until he materialized behind me, probably sliding in through the cracks in the mortar of my cell's walls. "I assume Walter is outside waiting for me with the car." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Of course, master." I could hear the wicked smile in Alucard voice, thoughts of what he could do now that his master was finally free probably flitting through his mind. "Good. Now come Alucard, we have work to do."
Despite the pollution of centuries of industry, the smell of the London air was sweet to my deprived senses. I breathed deeply of it as I stepped out into the night, passing through a small side door of the complex in which I had been held onto a concourse that wove its way around the grounds before reaching a gate set into the high stone wall. Walking along in silence, Alucard at my side, I quietly reveled in my freedom.
"Happy to be rid of that place, master? Although I must say, that show you put on for the minister sent chills up even my cold spine. I doubt anyone will be comfortable in your presence ever again once the story get out." Alucard smirked in his usual sinuous fashion.
"As well they should, Alucard. I am utterly tired of dealing with them anyway."
We walked on in silence for a few more minutes, before Alucard spoke again. "I believe you are going to find much has changed during your months of absence."
"That's not surprising, Alucard. I'm not naive enough to think everything would be the same." I shot him a sideways glance. Alucard wasn't usually this hesitant in his wording; there was something he hiding from me, something very important.
"What is it you're not telling me Alucard, hmm? What has occurred that is so drastic you've seen fit not to tell me about it during the nights you've visited me in my cell this past year."
"There is something wrong with the FREAKs, master, amongst other things which I will leave Walter to speak of. After all it is he that recommended I not tell you anything until you were released. He was afraid you'd do something drastic, in order to escape and deal with the problem." Alucard paused as if waiting for something.
"Something drastic? Like drinking your blood and taking the curse of the vampire upon myself?" I pondered out loud.
"Perhaps." Alucard said quietly, continuing to walk silently next to me; silent in the way only a vampire can be.
We reached the gate in the wall without further conversation. The ever calm Walter greeted me with a bow and motioned me into the car with a small sweep of his hand. I slid into the back seat and Walter shut my door behind me. Alucard did not follow me into the car, preferring as always, his own form of transport through the night. Walter opened the driver's side door, and upon settling himself gracefully into the seat, started the car engine.
"Open all the windows, Walter."
"That would be most inappropriate Sir."
"Propriety be damned, Walter I've spent far too many days in an airless hole in the ground to care about what's proper or not. I need to feel the wind on my face. I need to feel alive again."
I could see the smile play across Walter's face in the rearview mirror. "Of course, Sir."
Driving along the streets of London with the wind on my face was as close to bliss as I have ever come, I think. I honestly couldn't wait for morning to come so I could enjoy the sunrise before falling asleep in my own bed.
"Tell me Walter, what is it that Alucard has kept secret from me upon order by you?"
Walter stayed silent for a long time before answering my question. "To put it frankly, Sir, by previous order of the queen, Hellsing Organisation was disbanded. While we have recently been granted approval to reestablish the standing troop divisions, we are still at a major loss for men. Hellsing has been broken."
"Damn it Walter, you should have had Alucard tell me!" I shouted, anger flashing through my body, surging up out of the considerable reserve I'd gathered during my incarceration.
"There was nothing you could do about it Sir. If you had been notified at the time, you would have most likely done something…," Walter paused, "highly detrimental to your honor."
I sighed, sitting back in my seat. "I suppose you are correct, Walter. Do me a favour, though."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Tell me there's some good news to be found amid the rubbish."
"I am afraid there really isn't any good news to be had, Sir." Walter smiled faintly. "Your organisation truly is in shambles, and I am afraid this new FREAK problem is going to cause nothing but headaches for all."
I groaned aloud as Walter made the final turn of the trip, pulling the car to a stop in front of the gates to Hellsing Manor. Reaching out of the window, he keyed the entry code on the numerical pad nearby, and I heard the click as the locks released and the gates slid open. Driving into the compound, the gates closing behind us, I couldn't help but feel relieved somewhat despite the unnecessary pressures placed upon me by my long absence.
"Stop here Walter, I wish to walk the rest of the way." The car slowed and once its momentum had ceased, I stepped out. "Also Walter, I will be in my office, I would like very much not to be disturbed if at all possible."
"Of course, Sir. Shall I at least send up tea?"
"Yes, Walter. Thank you."
I desperately wanted a shower, wanted nothing more than to finally wash the stench of that cell off my body. 'Ah, duty before pleasure, though,' I sighed to myself.
I reached my office to find nothing had changed in my absence; settling into the chair behind my desk and placing the folder before me. Flicking on the nearby lamp, I opened the file and began to read.
The information I found within that folder was disturbing to say the least, although honestly not entirely unexpected. According to the transcripts, MI-5 had managed to root out the rest of the FREAK factories and disable all of them a little over ten months ago. They were absolutely sure they'd gotten the last one until nine weeks ago when a FREAK enclave surfaced in the middle of downtown London.
Apparently MI-5 was sent in and after suffering grievous losses, opted to torch the building and all inside in order to contain losses.
'Damned sloppy if you ask me.' I snorted to myself.
Picking through the rubble of the gutted building after the fire had been extinguished produced the distorted, elongated FREAK chip in the picture I was now staring at. Sipping at the cup of tea, that Walter had brought to me minutes before, I set the picture down and continued to read the report.
Scientific analysis of the chip had produced no reliable results. However, it was determined that the vampire carrying the chip had been one of eight survivors found at the last FREAK factory to be routed.
The survivors, according to MI-5 were at the time, completely human; exhibiting no FREAK behavior whatsoever. The report I was reading, of course, contained no mention of whether or not these "survivors" were actually examined to see if they contained FREAK chips.
'It would figure they would be careless in their handling of the situation,' I thought as I turned to the last page in the file. On it was a description of the odd behavior of the ghoul servants that MI-5 had been fighting against.
Eyewitness accounts of the few surviving soldiers told of ghouls that were intelligent, almost humanly so, that fought like berserkers with coordinated movements, never stopping to feed on the dead. Also, it was found that those bitten by ghouls did not appear to become ghouls themselves, something thus far completely unheard of in vampire lore.
"I'll have to ask Alucard what he thinks about all this tonight," I yawned closing the folder, sliding it into one of my desk drawers locking it up tight. Swiveling my chair around to face the windows behind me, I could see the sun just beginning to peek over the tree-line outside as I rose from my seat. I have never before in my life seen a more beautiful sunrise then the one I was witnessing this morning. Tonight would bring untold troubles, but for now I was determined to merely enjoy the moment.
To be continued…
This work is dedicated to my sister. Without her help I would never have been able to sit down and write it in the first place.