This is where the real story starts. I know the set up was long, but it would have been too hard to put that all in flashbacks. I really thank all of you that review because if you didn't I probable wouldn't still be writing this story.
Timeline: Eight years later on August 13, or the set after Order 3: Murder Club in volume one. Seras is now in the story.
Chapter One: The Midnight Council
At midnight Lina had come to a clearing in a forest, leaving her pets next to the car. She petted them and spoke softly.
"Don't run off guys, mommy doesn't have the energy to chase you tonight." With that she put her cape back on and fixed her hair. She walked off farther to another clearing, this one having a bonfire in the center with people in varying colors of capes. Since she was the only one in a black cape Lina knew she stood out like a sore thumb. As she joined the circle her clans head spoke, but she noticed the people next to her were farther then they needed to be.
"Brothers and sisters, as we all know, the number of vampire attacks in England has increased dramatically since the last year. None of us except one here will be able to answer the questions we shall present to her tonight." With this the old man motioned for her to stand next to him. Lina took a calming breath and came to stand at his side. Bowing her head in respect, she looked out and noticed that the clan was smaller then the last time it had been summoned. A man in a green cape spoke first.
"Sister Lina, I've noticed that after the new waves of vampires feed on their human victims, all of the attacked become ghouls, including virgin children. How can this be?"
"It might be a change in how said vampires are being turned Bother, I would need to examine a ghoul myself before I can give you a correct answer." There was a small murmur in the crowd before a woman in a powder blue cape spoke next.
"Sister Lina, I was confronted with ghouls not to long ago, and it seemed as if the ghouls were thinking of their own accord for each ghoul was doing a different task." Lina paused a moment before asking her own question.
"Sister, it is important for me to know how long the ghouls had been such, for that makes all the difference in my answer."
"I don't know how long they had been ghouls." Lina nodded.
"Then there is the possibility that the ghouls had lived long enough that they could break away from their vampire masters, not completely, but enough for them to wander." The members of the clan spoke about the new information, some agreeing and others worried that so little was being learned. The next question came from a man in a yellow cape.
"Sister Lina, as you know, the most effective spell against vampires that all of us can use targets the vampire, and will not work against a living human. I was attacked some weeks back and when I used this spell it only did half the damage it was supposed to. Does this mean that vampires are getting stronger?" Lina stared at the man with a look of shock and slight worry.
"I don't think so Brother, if the spell was ineffective that must mean that the vampire wasn't truly dead, it was half way between being human and vampire. I have no idea how such is possible, but I will stay in England till I have found you more information, at such time we will meet as the head directs." At this the clan spoke in scared tones, worrying about how this could happen. The elder man sighed and dismissed her from the clan meeting, after all none wanted the black sorceress to stay for longer then was needed. She was a dark magic user, and if not for the need of such a person to exist in their clan they would have gladly followed in their Christian ancestors in burning her at the stake. Lina returned to her car and hugged her pets tight to her chest; it had been a very long time since she had felt like she belonged anywhere. The last time she had was at Hellsing, with her friends Walter, Integra and Alucard. True it had been hard to adjust to life with them, but it had been harder to adjust without them. She put her pets back and drove off; trying to remember how to get to the cemetery her parents had been buried in, stopping only to get them some flowers.
(At Hellsing…………)
Integra was in her office, frustrated with the paper work.
"Too many, they're just too many. There shouldn't be this many vampire incidents. Yet they're only third or fourth rate nobodies." She walked to the window and gazed out, a frown on her face as she continued her train of thought.
"They just murder haphazardly again and again. Nothing but cheap random acts of stupidity…It's almost as if someone's running…a vampire production line." This made her even more aggravated, she needed a smoke. Walter came in, and waited for Sir. Hellsings' orders. Integra looked to him as he came in, eyeing the tea and Tylenol happily.
"Evening Sir. I was wondering if you needed anything done."
"No Walter, but thank you. You may do as you wish till I call for you." Walter bowed and left the room.
"Thank you Sir." And with that the door closed, but Integra was not alone.
"What is it Alucard, I'm busy and don't have time to baby sit you." Alucard stepped out of the shadows and bowed his head before lifting it to show his grin.
"I just wanted you to know that an old friend of ours it back in England, and is heading towards the cemetery." Integra gave him a befuddled look.
"What are you talking about?" He simply disappeared after he spoke, leaving Integra even more annoyed with him then before.
"I swear he's trying his luck with my patience, first that Seras girl, now this." With that Integra sat back at her desk, reviewing the files on the vampire attacks, thinking about calling Walter back in to help with the filing. At that thought it struck her who Alucard had been mentioning, she made a small smile and shook her head.
"Eight years and not even a call or letter, for shame Lina, for shame."
(In the underground 20 minutes later……..)
"I can't eat this blood Walter, it's not right." Walter sighed tiredly as she protested against eating, growing tired of her attitude.
"If you choose not to eat, then I'll take the blood back. No need to waste it. Goodnight Miss Victoria." Seras gave him a sorry smile as Walter left; after he had gone she sat on her coffin, wondering what to do. She felt her master out in the hall, and decided on seeing if he wanted to do anything, but as she got closer to the door she heard Walter and Alucard speaking in the hall, she listened in.
"She's back in England, and a lot stronger then last time."
"Really, wonderful, perhaps she will stop by and say hello. I wonder if she's alright, after all we never did find that other one."
"She's fine, I wonder when we'll see her again though, and she still owns me a favor."
"What was that blasted favor you made her agree to? You never told me."
"I don't plan to either, goodbye for now."
"Goodbye." At that she heard footsteps walking away from the underground, making her wonder where her master had gone.
"If you actually eat, you might not need to stand so close to over hear what people are saying." Seras jumped and turned around to see Alucard standing behind her, his hat, glasses, and smug grin in place. Seras laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
"Don't try to excuse yourself; just don't get caught next time Police Girl." She looked down ashamed of herself.
"Yes Master." She mulled over her next question.
"Who are you and Walter talking about?" Alucards' smirk widened at the question.
"We're talking about a friend of ours that had left us eight years ago, but now she's back."
"I got that part, but who is this friend?"
"It would be rude of me to introduce her without her being present." Seras sighed, knowing that he wouldn't answer her.
"Goodnight Master." Alucard just ignored her and walked out, making Seras even more depressed.
"Why doesn't Master respect me?" She asked aloud to herself, getting tired of the way he treated her. But she just continued to exit her room and walk towards where the troops were training, making a morbid joke in her head. Maybe they'll want a real vampire target to shoot at.
(The cemetery at 4:47 a.m. ………..)
Lina was relieved she had finally reached the cemetery; she had gotten lost in the London streets after she had found a flower shop. First she was caught in some weird traffic jam involving a round-a-bout, then almost got into a car crash with a drunk guy outside a bar, was pulled over by a constable for a 'random car search' at a check point, got a flat tire in the brothel district and was hit on by some guys before a pimp came over and tried to get her to work for him, and then finally got directions from a gas station attendant. She may love London's culture, history, and most of its people, but she hated it's streets with a burning passion. Thinking back on the way she had kicked the crap out of the guys back in the red light district, she may have gone a bit too far, but hey, they shouldn't have tried to touch her-for them it would a very hard learned lesson. She saw the sun light starting to touch the sky, making the dark blue into a dull morning grey. She pulled the cape tighter around herself and moved her snake to a warmer spot, trying to keep the two of them protected from the London chill. Her wolf was happy to finally have his muzzle and leash off, seeing as they were alone Lina didn't see the harm, but she was envious of his warm fur coat as he was running around, the cold not seeming to bother him.
"You have no idea how lucky you are right now Cerberus, Scylla and I are freezing." Her only answer was a howl before he set off in running in circles around them, she heard Scylla's hiss at this. As they came to her parents grave she saw that Cerberus was already sitting there, acting like the guard dog of the dead she had named him for. She smiled and rubbed his ears.
"You're such a smart wolf, you never met my parents and you already found them. They would have loved you." She felt Scylla's tightening on her and reached down to pet her too.
"They would have loved you to Scylla." She set to work on cleaning the graves off and making room for the flowers, speaking with her parents' gravestones, telling them all the things that had happened after she had left England for L.A. When she came to the end of her talk she cried, missing her family. Cerberus moved to lick at her face, and see pulled him close and hugged him tight to her, Scylla wrapping around her comfortingly. As the sun came up at six o'clock Lina picked herself up and walked out of the graveyard, deciding on a near by hotel for some much needed sleep.
As she checked in she felt an odd shiver run up her spine, the feeling of being watched. She looked around the hotel, seeing nothing but feeling the eyes of monsters on her. She walked to her room and left the door unlocked, and undid the spells on her pets. Cerberus grew two extra heads, while Scylla grew six more heads and doubled in size to twenty feet long. She felt her watchers move closer to her room and had Scylla hide above the door while Cerberus waited in a dark corner. She herself moved to lay on her bed; grabbing the gun that Walter had given her and loaded it with the silver bullets Alucard had slipped into her pockets at the airport eight years ago. Slipping into her other hand a small silver dagger and faked sleep on the far bed. Her pets waited for the signal to attack, and a wicked grin slipped onto her face. The thought that ran through her mind before the door knob turned, I hope you're ready to die.
(August 15th, outskirts of Badrick in Northern Ireland……)
Seras was feeling sick to her stomach and fell to her hands and knees. The fight with the priest Father Anderson had just ended, and she was worse for wear because of it. Integra put her weapons away and walked over to Alucard.
"How do you feel, Alucard?" He was working out a crick in his neck with a sadistic grin on his face.
"Been a long time since my head got plucked off. So that's Father Anderson." Integra sighed and pulled out a cigar, biting the end.
"A border skirmish in violation of treaty…An attack against agency members with casualties…This will end up a big demerit for the Vatican. But this is no time to be fighting with them, I think investigating the vampire here will prove me right…..but I've discovered something important." As Integra finished speaking they heard Seras letting go of the meager contents of her stomach. Integra shook her head, What a mess…
"How was she Alucard? Any more useful than before?" Alucard shrugged and walked with Integra out of the building, Seras following behind them.
"Oh, the Police girl? The usual." At this Seras fell face first into the floor anime style, jumping back to her feet she dashed in front of him.
"Master!" He gave her a questioning look. Seras face flushed red with indignation
"Please, enough with Police girl. I have a name, Seras Victoria…" He continued to walk but turned his head and gave her a chilling look.
"Pipe down you coward. Police girl is good enough." Seras stiffened in anger and stomped after them, the night sky lit by the full moon.
"You must be joking!" Alucard sighed and spoke in a condescending tone.
"What does a lug head like you need with a name?" Integra rolled her eyes and headed towards the helicopter.
"I have no clue what you two are on about…" As that sentence left Integra's lips there was a loud shriek of terror that came from their left, turning to look at each other they dashed to see what had been the cause of the commotion. As they came to the top of the hill they saw a black shape and a grey one running away from none other then Anderson. Growling in irritation Integra was about to order Alucard to get the fleeing person out of the way when suddenly the two shapes vanished. Blinking in confusion Seras and Integra searched for the shapes as Anderson disappeared again. A few minutes after the coast was clear the shapes flickered back into existence, one laughing like crazy. Alucard had a wide grin on his face and he started walking towards the shapes.
"I believe we should say hello to our friend, don't you Master?" Integra made a scoff and walked down with him.
"I can't believe it's been so long." Seras was tagging along behind them, wishing that someone would explain what the hell their were talking about. As the got closer to the shapes the one in black stood up and removed the cape from her shoulders, showing off black tight jeans and a purple sleeveless shirt that matched the purple and back running shoes on her feet. Her hair was done up in a bun and a large snake around her waist. Seras yelped as she saw the snake move and slither up the woman's back. The grey shape turned towards them and growled, at that the woman spoke and turned to look at them.
"Oh don't mind Cerberus, he's just not used to you. So, how are you Integra? Still smoking I see." Integra smiled and met the woman as she walked over to them. Integra offered her hand and was met with a hug, and surprising Seras Integra didn't pull out, immediately.
"I am well, apart from the very growing load of paper work and filing, and I see that you've lost weight and gotten taller. Not to mention your heathen magic is much stronger." The woman only smiled and walked back over with Integra to Alucard and Seras. while it glared at Seras hungrily The woman grabbed the wolfs collar and held it at her side. Seras backed up behind Alucard and as it followed her it made a whimpering when it saw him. The woman let go of her wolf and strutted up to Alucard, the snake quickly slithering off the woman's body. As the two stared each other down Seras was about to talk when the woman grabbed Alucards tie and pulled him into a deep kiss, if she was seeing right, a full open mouthed kiss plus tongue. Both Seras and Integra had eyes the size of dinner plates and as she pulled away from him Alucard had an amused look.
"I've been waiting eight years to do that again." He leaned down a little to look her in the eyes.
"You did that very well for a first timer, but I must say I'm disappointed that you didn't sense me." The woman shrugged and pulled a spike out of her arm, with a paper covered in some of her blood.
"The damn priest got me with this; it'll block my powers for the next couple of days. In fact the spell on my little pets here will probably wear off in a couple off hours, which means I got to get back to London ASAP." She threw the paper to the ground and started to walk off, the snake and wolf following. Integra snapped out of her shock, calling out to her.
"Wait Lina, perhaps we could give you a lift back to London, I'm sure Walter wouldn't mind making up a room for you back at Hellsing." Lina turned and thought it over before walking back over to them.
"I would love that, besides, I'm almost out of anti-vamp bullets, but I'll tell you all about that on the way, right now I need a bandage or something." Nodding her head, Integra, Alucard and Lina walked back towards the helicopter, Seras running to catch up with them. They sat down and took off back to Hellsing, Seras taking care of Linas' medical needs.
"Um…I don't mean to pry, but how do you know Sir. Hellsing, Walter, and Master?" Lina turned and looked at Seras as if seeing her for the first time.
"That's a long story, but a better question is who the hell are you?" Seras was about to answer but Alucard beat her.
"That's just Police girl, don't mind her to much weakling." Lina rolled her eyes and ignored his comment.
"So you're his fledgling, I couldn't tell because my powers are blocked. But you must be very new to being undead, let me guess. You've been one for a week?" Integra scoffed at that.
"She's been one since July 15th." At this Lina looked Seras over then made an annoyed face.
"I see, so you're not drinking blood. I'm surprised that Alucard would have turned someone so…I don't mean to be rude but so weak spirited into a vampire." Seras felt even worse, everyone wanted, no expected her to be some blood thirsty monster. Lina seemed to feel that she had struck a nerve.
"But hey, it's nice to meet a vampire that doesn't fit set standards, it makes my job necessary, heck if it wasn't for vampires like you changing your habits I would have been killed a couple of years ago. So what was your name before joining Hellsing?" Seras brightened up at that.
"My name is Seras Victoria. You are?" Lina offered the hand on the arm that wasn't bleeding for Seras to shake.
"I'm Christina Kayam, but I prefer Lina. So I'm guessing from your nick name that you were a police officer. Oh and I still haven't answered your question. I met the Hellsing eight years ago while being chased by a vampire…."
They pasted the ride back to Hellsing headquarters talking about the past and what had changed since then. As they arrived at Hellsing Walter met them on the roof greeting Lina as she jumped to get out of the helicopter.
"Lina, I would advise you not to do that again." She smiled and hugged Walter like she had hugged Integra.
"And I might take that advice, not to sure of it though. You're looking good Walter." He smiled and removed him self from her grasp.
"Thank you, I must say you look extremely well yourself." She pulled her cape out and as she did her luggage tumbled out, making her look to her pets with horror in her eyes. They had already begun to flicker and change shape, and everyone but Alucard and Lina moved to give the pet's ample space. Lina quickly threw her cape over them.
"Thanks Walter, I would love to chat but right now I need to get these guys out of sight, if they change out in the open I don't know how people would react, but I know it wouldn't be good." Integra and Walter nodded and had Alucard and Seras help Lina pull them into the underground and locked them up in a chamber. Lina collapsed against the wall and rubbed the spot on her arm that was bandaged.
"Damn it, with my powers on the fritz I can't control Cerberus and Scylla, so what ever you do I wouldn't open this door. Cerberus's favorite snack is vampire, and Scylla will eat anything that she gets in her grasp." They others just stared at her, they had seen the two pets without the spells and Seras had almost gotten her hand bitten off. Lina slowly stood up and brushed herself off.
"I swear next time I meet that Catholic priest I'll give him a hard, swift kick to the goods for this. Sorry about them, I hope none of you got hurt."
"No, we're all fine, but I must say those 'pets' of yours are quite a different matter. What the hell are they?" Integra was smoking a cigar, Walter was wiping the sweat off his forehead, and Seras was trying to keep as far from the door as possible. Alucard was looking through Linas' luggage and pulled out the gun and what was left of the bullets. Lina looked at him and sighed, that man has no sense of privacy.
"Cerberus is a three headed wolf, a descendant of the original one in Greek mythology. And I made Scylla a couple of years ago; she's my version of the Scylla from the Odyssey." Seras gaped at Lina.
"You made that thing! How could you have done that?" Lina shrugged and headed back up with the others to the main part of the house.
"I am under oath never to revel the secrets of being a dark sorceress to anyone that is not a member of my clan. But if you mean why can I make monsters that has to do with the type of magic I practice. If you ever want to know more about any type of monster, just ask me, after all, most of them were made by my predecessors." Integra groaned at that and turned with an annoyed look on her face towards Lina.
"And for that I must simply thank them. They made my job so much easier." Lina sweat dropped and held her hands up in a sorry gesture.
"Yeah, well your predecessors got us back for that remember. And we've been trying to help keep them under control so we're even." Seras looked confused at that.
"What do you mean they got your predecessors back, what did they do?" Lina turned and looked at Seras.
"You have heard of the witch burnings right?" Seras nodded her head, the little group walking towards Integra's office.
"Well that was how they got us back; they captured most of us and burned, drowned and beat us to death. The other sorceresses even helped, but after what few of us there was left swore to help get control of the horrible monsters they started to let us live under their protection, but if you go to the clan meetings you can still feel that hatred towards us dark magic users. In fact I'm only back in London. My clan wants me to figure out what's behind the unnatural number of vampires and why they've changed." Integra looked at her.
"Do you have any useful information?" Lina nodded and followed Integra into the office, Walter and Alucard after them. Just as Seras was about to come in Alucard turned to speak.
"You will go and get us some tea and two blood packets, after all you don't need to be in this conversation. Hurry back." Seras was left sputtering out in the hall before she stomped off to get what her master had ordered.
"So tell me what you know and I'm tell you what we've learned." Integra sat at her desk, Lina sat on the chair in front of the desk, feeling like the little girl she had been eight years ago. Alucard leaned against the window sill and Walter stood at Integra's left. Lina shifted in the chair before she spoke.
"Well I know that the way the vampires are being made has changed drastically, I just don't know what that way is, but it's having unusually effects on the vampires and the ghouls. Of course the vampires are nothing more then freaks as far as I'm concerned. But I do know that the people that are being turned aren't virgins and aren't fully dead. As to why all the victims are becoming ghouls I don't know, I haven't had the chance to study any of them yet." Integra had an unreadable look on her face.
"Their not fully dead? What proof do you have?"
"There's a spell that was developed to hurt vampires only, but someone in my clan-that I know for a fact is very effective with this spell-said it didn't do the full amount of damage. Which means that the vampires aren't being made the same way any more, hence why their only half undead. And their well organized, just the other night a group of these new vampires and a werewolf attacked me, so there's a boss somewhere pulling the strings." Alucard pulled out her gun and the bullets and rolled the bullets around in his hand.
"So that's why you need more of these. Well it was a good thing I taught you how to shoot like a vampire, other wise you would have run out." Lina shivered as he stared into her eyes, feeling light headed.
"Yeah, it was." Integra looked at the bullets.
"Is that where those extra clips of bullets went, you told me they had been stolen. I filed a report about it. You could have told me, I won't have minded you blooming idiot." Lina rolled her eyes as the two got into an argument. They heard a knocking at the door and Lina got it, taking the tray from Seras and closing the door again. She set it down away from the paper work and grabbed one of the blood bags and opened it, sipping.
"So Walter, have you made any new guns?" Walter sipped his tea before smiling.
"Yes I have, in fact their being made as we speak, they'll be here in a day or two. My best work so far if I may say so." Lina giggled.
"Knowing you their going to be great, I can't wait to see them." Walter nodded and sighed as the other two continued to argue.
"So this group that attacked you, did you notice anything strange about them?" Lina sipped some more of the blood and thought over the event in her mind, Integra and Alucard had stopped arguing and had returned to the conversation.
"There was a werewolf with them, it wouldn't normally be important, but there hasn't been a werewolf in England for the past thirty to forty years. The last few werewolves that I know of live in Canada, Russia, France, Austria, or oddly enough, in parts of Brazil." Alucard grabbed the other blood packet as Integra rolled this new information around in her head. Walter continued to ask questions.
"Do you have any idea where the one that attacked you was from?" Lina shook her head.
"No, I didn't get a chance to here him speak. But I think maybe from around Austria because the vampires had German accents. What have you guys found out so far?" Integra dug through some of the papers on her desk, pulled out a chip and held it out for her to see. Lina stared at it, a doubtful look on her face.
"A computer chip? What does that have to do with anything?"
"These chips are what we've been finding in these new freak vampires, they tell us all about the vampires' strength, aggression, and ferocity. These chips have been making the vampires and changing the ghouls, but we don't know who." Lina stiffened with anger as she listened, clenching her fists. She closed her eyes and took in deep calming breaths. Alucard looked at her with what was as close to sympathy as he could muster in his dark, dead, heart.
"That's the last straw! I won't stand for this insult!" Integra and Walter looked taken aback at her outburst. Integra was first to recover.
"What insult?" Lina stood up and pulled the top part of her shirt off her left shoulder, reveling a small crescent moon shaped scar.
"This mark shows that I'm a black magic user, and as such I will be sent to limbo if I die naturally. I give up my afterlife in order to have the power to create monsters like vampires and were-wolves. These chips make what took hundreds of years to perfect seem like a wasted effort, they mock my magic and the ones that created the original versions of the monsters. I'm hated by everyone that knows what I am, I suffer but obey the rules set out, and now these assholes make me and my pain seem worthless. They didn't sign away years of their lives; all they did was create fakes in a lab with test tubes and computer software." At that Lina fell back in her chair, drinking the blood vindictively. Integra and Walter gaped at this as Alucard handed her gun and bullets back, his hand resting on hers longer then was needed, no one noticed but Lina.
"You never told us you that part of your magic; you lose you life and afterlife to it? Then stop practicing it, change to a different one, something." Integra spoke waving her hand about, worried about her young friend. Lina shook her head, sighing.
"I can't, it's something I have to deal with, and there is a loophole to the limbo thing, I could die for unnatural reasons and get a chance at heaven or more then likely hell." Walter had composed himself again and spoke in his controlled neutral voice.
"Why did you choose this brand of magic if you knew the costs were so high?" Alucard was the one that answered this time.
"They didn't tell her till after it was too late for her to change; her clan basically singled her out to be destroyed for their own selfish needs. She told me about it after it had happened." The other two occupants of the room gave her their pity, and then Integra realized something about what Alucard had said.
"You two kept in contact with each other? Why didn't you inform Walter and myself to this as well?" Walter nodded his head in agreement. Lina finished with the blood and closed her eyes.
"Well he couldn't, in fact I'm not even supposed to be on British soil, I'm only allowed to right now because I'm on a mission. Once my mission is over I have a one day grace period to get the hell off of this island, if not they can take action against me. Any contacts I had with people here in England was to be stopped and I had the right to tell only one person what had become of me, and that person is not allowed to tell. It's a rule that the clan head came up with, and the secret head of British defense knows about it so if they tell him I'm free game I would be killed before I could even try to get out of London." Lina curled her legs up close to her, feeling more and more disgraced at how she had been treated. Integra had an angry scowl on.
"One of the members of the Knights has known about your clans' existence and hasn't told me any of this; I wonder what else they've been hiding from me. Walter, call the Knights and set a meeting for August 17th, we have to disclose all information we have on these vampire attacks. Also see to it that Lina is given a room to stay in, her choice. You're all dismissed for now." Yawning tiredly Lina strolled out the room with Walter and Alucard, leaning a bit on his arm. Watching the two with an amused look on his face, Walter started
This is the end of the first real chapter in my story, and I would like to thank every one that reviewers, it means so much to me. The next chapter will be more exciting, I hope. If you don't understand something about my story, tell me so I know to clarify it in the next chapter. Please leave reviews; otherwise my muse will go on a vacation.
Peace out,
BlackVenus.