Yeah, I would imagine that Sir Integra wouldn't be too pleased. Still, while she might be livid when it's first reported to her, she'd return to her cool demeanor quickly. (In other words, doesn't happen on camera. I'm not big on showing her loosing her cool.)
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When communications were cut with Hellsing, the driver of Seras and Matt's transport was again pressed to drive faster. Matt expected to see smoke and fire, and hat Matilda tightly gripped when they swung around the corner and headquarters came into view. Matt blinked hard, as if expecting the view to change by his action. Nope. It was the same. Hellsing headquarters was just sitting there, quiet and calm as always. He relaxed, some. Just because trouble wasn't obvious didn't mean there wasn't something wrong.
The driver brought the transport to the back of the facility. Seras and Matt both passed their thanks to him for his superb driving, exited the transport, and ran for the building. As they approached the door, it swung open. Walter stood there, looking far more grim than usual. "Ms. Victoria, Mr. Jemeth. I trust you are both well."
"We're fine, Walter," Seras replied. "What happened?"
"Come with me," he said. "I have a preliminary report for Sir Integra. I think it's best you hear it as well." With that, he swung back into the building. Seras followed close behind, with Matt pausing only long enough to close the door and drop his weapons on a nearby table beside Seras's. Walter did not run, but his long stride meant the two vampires had to jog to stay with him.
They walked quickly through headquarters, jogging up the stairs to Sir Integra's office. Walter finally stopped, but only long enough to knock on Sir Integra's door and wait for her to call "Enter!" He entered, Seras and Matt in tow.
They had to stop short to keep from running into him as he halted once again to take a formal bow. Matt ended up rocking onto his toes and wildly waving his arms about to catch his balance after the sudden stop. Seras simply stepped to the side and stared at Matt. "Sir Integra," Walter said, "I have some preliminary reports on the attack." He stood and walked over, Seras and Matt walking over to their usual side. Matt was a tad more careful in his steps than usual.
Sir Integra simply gestured for him to continue. "Hellsing has come under a computer based attack. We are uncertain where it originated from, but we do know what was targeted, and what damage has been done. All primary computer systems are off-line. Precluding a full systems check and a sweep for any viruses or other sorts of sabotage, we will be on back-up computing systems and operating at, what the techs called, 'Maximum Paranoia Mode'". Matt smiled inwardly. He'd coined that term, at least in those parts. "Most computers will have limited access to the outside network, and those will full access will not be connected to the main servers."
"So what were they after?" Sir Integra asked.
"It would appear the focus of their attack was on any and all information about Shalrik's freak-enhancing formula."
That killed Matt's inward smile. His eyelids tightened ever so slightly. 'If that bastard wasn't already dead, I'd kill him with my bare hands.' He felt Seras's hand on his shoulder, and looked over at her slightly. He killed the line of thinking and focused on the situation at hand. 'Sorry, Seras. Thanks,' he thought through their link. She removed the hand.
Sir Integra, however, seemed to share some of Matt's feelings. She was silent for several moments. "Just how much information did they get?"
"Easily enough. There was information in storage about the formula itself, along with our analysis of what was in it and how it worked. It may take time, but it is likely the formula could be recreated."
Sir Integra tented her index fingers, bringing them to her lips. "I'm certain I don't have to explain the gravity of this situation, to any of you." Their answer was silent agreement. "Walter, continue your investigation. Find the ones who did this. Make that your top priority."
"Yes, Sir Integra." He bowed, turned, and left the office.
"As for you two," Sir Integra continued to the vampires visibly present, "keep ready. When Walter finds something, you and Alucard will be sent out after them."
"We'll be ready, Sir Integra," Seras replied, giving a bow similar to Walter's. Matt nodded and copied her bow. He followed her from the room.
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After making sure his weapons were properly stowed back in the armory, Matt had decided to find something at least semi-useful to do. With communications still down, he found the best thing he could do was be a runner. He couldn't teleport anywhere, but he was pretty damn quick and could keep it up for a long time.
While charging through the corridors of the main floor, he rounded a corner and found Seras… the hard way… Matt hauled himself back to his feet quickly, then helped Seras up, who gave him a confused look. "Where's the fire?" she asked.
"Sorry, Seras. Got a little caught up passing messages." He gave his shirt a tug, clearing out a few wrinkles. "What's the word?"
"Briefing time," she replied, and started off down the corridor behind him. He quickly caught up and followed her back to Sir Integra's office.
The usual crowd was gathered there, all ready for the briefing. Sir Integra took a drag from her cigar, then held it aside and nodded to Walter. "We found this lead unusually quickly, so it is likely a fake. However, as it is all we have to go on, I feel we should investigate it further none the less." He nodded to Fargason, who set a map of Europe on a nearby chart stand. "Running a back check on server use, I found a number of hits originating from here," he tapped a place in northeast France, near the German border, with a long metal pointer.
Fargason picked it up from there. "I feel this is most likely a trap. Given that likelihood, I would recommend a small strike team, with extraction kept as close as is safe. Preferably, the team would consist of Alucard, Victoria, and Jemeth."
Sir Integra looked over to Seras and Matt. Seras spoke first. "We're ready, Sir Integra." Matt nodded in agreement.
Sir Integra considered it for a moment, but everyone knew what her answer would be. "Very well. God and Her Majesty go with you."
A short time later, Matt returned to the armory. Most of his weapons went in their usual places. This time, however, a different frame went on his back. Matilda went on one side. On the other was a new rifle, an FS2000; an FN design based on the F2000 assault rifle. A bullpup setup, meaning the magazine was loaded behind the trigger group, it had originally been built as semi-auto only. FN made sure one couldn't take parts from the assault rifle and put it into the civilian spec. However, while Matt liked the overall look of the civvie version, he still wanted full-auto when needed. So, Matt asked Walter if he was up for a little challenge.
Which meant Matt had the only FS2000, to his knowledge, with a fire mode selector switch.
As he'd bought the rifle with his own money, and no one could order him to do otherwise, he'd attached a small scope to its upper rails. That, plus his enhanced vision, gave the rifle an incredible effective range.
Also built into this frame was a pair of scabbards. From the wall, he grabbed a pair of slender short swords and slid them home. They were similar to the swords he'd used in the 'mindscape'. While he couldn't bring himself to use Amenthyl in battle anymore, one of these days they would engage Anderson again. Bromyn and Talyn would be ready for that fight. Made of similar alloys and plated with silver, they were nearly indestructible and perfect for anti-vampire work.
He gave his pack a couple test bounces. Matt was actually kinda thankful he was a vampire. It probably would've ripped his arms off were he still human. He turned to Seras, who was already loaded up. "Shall we?"
A half hour later, the pair were bouncing along in one of Hellsing's transports heading to the outskirts of London. As they were heading to the far side of France, they would need something a bit faster than a truck or a helicopter. However, thanks to their work with the DPSD over the previous years, they had access to something much better suited to the trip. In an underground hanger built in an old industrial park were a trio of Vulture transport aircraft. They were equipped with the swiveling engines of a quiet jet technology of their breed, but these Vultures were special. DPSD had developed a method of dampening sonic booms and incorporated it into all their Vultures. With quiet, super sonic capable aircraft, they could make the trip to France in no time and be dropped in very close to their target.
It was a tad more spacious than usual; Vultures were designed to carry a couple fully loaded squads and only Seras and Matt were on board. The Vulture lifted off, streaking into the night.
A mere hour later, the pilot slowed the aircraft, swinging its engines down to their lifting configuration. The Vulture dropped to a scant few feet off the ground, and its right side door slid back. Matt dropped to the ground, Matilda in hand. Seras landed next to him, scanning the area with her Glocks. They moved off, the Vulture lifting off and heading for a safer place to wait the end of their mission.
They didn't go far before finding Alucard. He was leaning against a tree, wide brimmed hat down over his eyes. He lifted its side with a finger, fixed an eye on them, and said, "You two can relax. There's no one out here."
"Better to be safe than sorry," Matt replied while swinging Matilda over his shoulder and back onto its rails. "But as you're all knowing, where do we go next?"
"That way," he said, pointing at a building now visible through the thin tree line.
Matt sighed. "Ok, I walked right into that one. Let's go." He swung the FS2000 into his hands, gave the building a sweep through the scope, and joined Alucard and Seras in the walk across a small field to the lone building.
Now that he was on the ground, and had more them a small side window's view, Matt was able to get a good feel on where they were. The building they approached seemed to be mostly underground. Good chance it was an old part of the Maginot Line. Likely it had been demolished somewhat, then restored by forces unknown. Matt could think of no other reason why it wouldn't have been taken over as a tourist attraction or something. There was no way to tell how much was left underground.
They approached an old, rusty door leading underground. It was open, with very dim light emanating from below. From what Matt could see, whoever had rebuilt this place had made it a maze. He turned to the others, but Alucard beat him to it. "We should split up to cover the most ground." Seras and Matt agreed. Descending the stairs together, they each chose a direction and started off into the darkness.
Matt switched over to Matilda, loading his shot magazine. The rest of this maze was similar to its entrance. Varying sized rooms connected by narrow passageways. Lights positioned to give high levels of contrast, leaving many corners dark and making one blind to the room when in a spotlight. He checked every corner he passed, but his senses were telling him nothing. If this was a trap, it wasn't a very good one. 'Wait…' he thought. 'That's not right. I'm getting complacent. If this is a trap, it IS really a good one.' He kept his paranoia up as he continued ahead.
Matt swept the next room as he entered. Now he felt something in the back of his mind; a presence both familiar and odd. But the familiar part was enough to give him his next move. He swung Matilda back to its mount and grabbed the frame's straps. The X shaped scabbards and their shoulder straps remained on his back as the gun frame came away and was gently set on the floor. Matt grabbed the swords and drew them, holding them loosely at his sides. "Come on out, Paladin. No sense hiding."
"So," same an unfamiliar voice from the shadows, "you did sense me." A figure emerged, entering the light. He wore the robes of Isariot, but it wasn't Anderson. He was shorter, had brown hair, and blue eyes. Looked to be in his early thirties. And, he didn't look as… insane as Anderson. He had a British accent, his voice a deep tenor.
Matt kept the swords by his sides, for the moment. "You thought I wouldn't?"
"I was curious." He came to a stop just inside the range of the light. "Paladin Anderson doesn't think too highly of you, or so I gathered from his briefing." He started to sidestep around Matt.
Matt did the same, observing how he moved. He wasn't sure how many clues he would get about how this Iscariot agent fought, but he'd take what he could get. "Seems you already know a bit about me. Mind telling me your name?"
"Not at all. I'm Brian," he said. "Brian Malcolm." He reached behind his back, and drew a twin-blade sword. Like a quarterstaff, but with a blade at each end. It remained at his side, but Matt had no doubt he could bring it in line quickly. "Mind if I ask why you're here?"
"Only if I can ask you back."
"Of course." He brought his sword staff out before him, his eyes closing as he muttered something briefly in Latin. Slowly, a white glow encased the staff's blades, looking very much akin to a white twin-blade lightsaber. His eyes reopened, and he continued his circular sidestepping.
Matt smirked, bringing his twin short swords before him. "Investigation. Someone decided to have a playful romp through our mainframe. The electronic finger pointed here, so here we are." He gave a light chuckle. "Figured it was probably a trap, but what's new about that? And you?"
Brian stepped forward, swinging one blade in an overhead arc. Matt caught it with his swords, then moved his guard to parry the low swung follow-up arc. He gave a slice of his own, but Brian had already stepped back. Matt didn't pursue. Brian spoke. "Much the same, believe it or not. Though there were a few who immediately pointed fingers at Hellsing. Cooler heads prevailed, and we were sent out here."
"We? Hmm… Should've known you wouldn't come alone. That's Anderson's breed of crazy." Now Matt made a small attack, bringing in his swords on side arcs easily deflected by the Paladin. Matt did not advance further. "You know, our bosses would probably say we're being pretty pathetic."
Brian's turn, a parried straight stab with a blocked follow up side arc. "The way I see it, the fact that we're both here suggests we have something of a common enemy. Not silencing you yet makes sense. And as you're not actively trying to kill me, I figured I'd return the favor."
Matt chuckled. "Kinda what my train of thought was." He stabbed forward with both blades, Brian knocking them out of line. "Well, it's been fun, but I think I hear my friends calling for me. So, if you don't mind…"
"Not at all." Be brought one blade up in salute. "Not the most fierce of battles, but for a light skirmish well done. Until the next time, Jemeth." Brian backed away into the shadows, ducking out a nearby door.
Matt let him go. Suddenly, he wasn't sure who was stranger: Anderson, or Brian. He shook his head, then turned to jog back the way he'd come. Seras had indeed queried him. She and Alucard were done. He rejoined them shortly thereafter. Alucard had fought Anderson again, the Paladin leaving a few limbs short of a full set. Seras had fought some other Iscariot underling, but this one hadn't known when to back off, forcing Seras to kill him. However, it was obvious Iscariot had had nothing to do with the computer attack and there was no information around giving any hints. So, they returned to the surface and radioed for extraction.
Or rather, Seras and Matt made the call. Alucard just walked into a shadow and vanished.
The ride back to London was as quiet as the ride down. No questions had been answered, and new questions had been discovered. Whoever had made the attack, what could they have gained from Iscariot? Matt hadn't wanted to ask about Shalrik. He didn't know if Iscariot knew they'd had information on the serum of his in their database. Still… part of him wished he'd asked.
He wondered if that was why he had a strange nagging feeling in his chest…
When they returned to Hellsing, Matt put himself on autopilot to follow Seras around the building. He kept thinking about the feeling in his chest, trying to put a finger on what exactly was causing it. As his thinking grew more intense, his body stopped receiving instructions. He slowed to a stop.
Seras turned to look at him. "Something wrong?"
It was a moment before Matt responded. "I'm not sure… I think there's something I've gotta go check on."
"Can it wait until after the debriefing?"
Another pause. "I think so, though I'm not sure how focused I'll be."
Seras gave a small smile. "Don't worry. I'll get you through it."
And sure enough she did. On the way there he felt her poking around his mind a bit, pulling out the bits and pieces of his side of the mission and laying them out in a usable form, like she was running a defragmentation of his brain. During the debriefing itself, she prodded him whenever Sir Integra asked him a question, pointed a mental finger at the right answer, and let him do the rest. There wasn't a lot of information to be had, but Matt passed what he'd learned from Brian.
Seras intercepted him quickly after the briefing, as Matt had started making a beeline for the basement. "Where are you off to?"
"Heading into the city for a bit. Whatever's got me worked up, staying here is only making it worse. I'm gonna drive around, see if I'm led anywhere."
Seras nodded. "All right. Want some backup?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Probably won't be out too long, anyway."
"All right. Be careful."
"I will." Matt watched Seras head back up the stairs and away. He turned and continued to the basement. He'd swing by the armory, then head back to the motor pool. With all hope, his mind would be more cooperative once he was on the move.
