To Drive the Master Mad

AN: Alright, nice long chapter for you guys this time. Hope you enjoy. ;)

The first orange-reddish rays of sunrise were just starting to streak the horizon as Seras reached the outskirts of downtown London. From the fledgling's left wrist a small, shadow like 'leash' emerged. It then passed through her hand and out into the neck of a great, dark furred and red eyed beast. Upon the great beast's back a small orange tabby was taking a little 'catnap', its body covered in a blanket of shadowy fur that served to both make it more comfortable and keep it from slipping off the monstrous canine's back.

The terrible beast, itself, almost appeared like a normal, if in-ordinarily large, dog. It had closed its extra sets of eyes and was keeping its head down, in an attempt to appear as normal as possible, as the fledgling led it through the London streets and back to the Hellsing Mansion.

But Baskerville did, eventually, raise his head. A sleazy looking man had taken to following them down the dark, nearly abandoned, night street. The great beast turned and locked eyes with the man, and to the man it seemed as if the creature's ember like eyes were burning through his body and staring directly into his dark soul. The beast growled a disapproving warning, and the man quickly turned around and doubled back, quite forgetting all the perverted things he'd wanted to do to the buxom woman.

As the man fled, Seras stopped. She squatted down so that she was eye-level with the beast. "You shouldn't have done that. We're getting close to the mansion, and we need to keep a low profile. If the rest of the round table find out that it was you who started that little canine revolution, Sir Integra will get into trouble. Besides, I knew the man was following me. Even as a bobby, I would've picked up on that. I could've handled him myself... in a way that wouldn't have attracted any attention."

Baskerville cast his eyes downward at the reprimand and let out a small, canine wine. Seras's stern face broke into a smile. She giggled and rubbed the top of the dog's head. "It's okay, um... Master."

Baskerville responded by wagging his tail and slurping Seras's hand, causing the fledgling to emit another little giggle before she stood back up. Seras lightly tugged on the leash. "Come on, Master, we're almost there."

In another part of the world, a man, with about three days worth of unshaved facial hair, sat at a bar. He sipped from his whiskey glass and stared intently at an old and wrinkled photo in his wallet, lightly tracing the smiling face of an elegant looking woman. To the other bar patrons, the man looked like any other man attempting to drown his problems in a sea of alcohol. Or at least he would've looked that way if any of them had cared enough to pay attention to him. However, none did, for they were all to preoccupied with their own problems to give a damn.

The man took another sip as his gaze shifted from the woman in the picture to the small, perhaps ten year old, girl by her side. The little girl was also smiling happily, completely oblivious of the fate that laid in store for her family.

The day after the picture had been taken, her father had shipped out on his latest deployment. Three days after that, a freakish man had wandered into the town, and after another week passed, the little girl and her mother were both turned into ghouls.

When the father came back from his deployment, he'd discovered that his home had become a ghost town. In a panicked frenzy he'd ran through the seemingly deserted town, trying to find someone who could tell him what had happened. But there seemed to be no one left.

As night fell, the streets began to fill again, and the father found that the towns residents hadn't really gone anywhere. They were only hiding, or perhaps sleeping, until sundown.

The man stared in awestruck disbelief as the streets swelled with walking corpses. They moaned as they staggered towards him, and as soon as the man's initial shock wore off, his training took over. That night had been an almost literal living hell for the man.

He still couldn't remember everything that had happened to him that night. All he remembered were flashes that seemed more like a terrible dream than an actual event in his life, flashes of scrambling to the cover of the local gun shop and making his stand within, of shooting down his friends and eventually his family, his own wife and daughter. He remembered the expression on his little girl's face as he put a bullet through her head, the vacant eyes, the lost, hopeless stare. That expression he remembered well, for he'd seen the same expression an another little girl's face earlier that day.

The man had eventually killed the vampire freak responsible for what had happened to his family; and with that death, the man had found a new calling in life. He never returned to his life in the Marines. Instead he traveled the globe hunting monsters that most people believed to be mere legends, eventually joining up with an ancient order of vampire hunters.

Never before had he thought twice about what he was doing. They were monsters, horrible, abominable creatures that deserved nothing more than death... and perhaps the peace it would bring to their tortured souls. But then, never before had he seen one so young. Never before had one looked up at him with the same expression his daughter held in her last moments of (un)life. Maybe he'd been wrong? Maybe there was something more to vampires than he'd believed?

No... He'd been right in his convictions. They were monsters. They deserved death. In fact, the man supposed, freeing them from their cursed life was the kindest thing anyone could do for them. The man rested his wallet on the bar and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

Yes, they deserved death... But then, that wasn't what his superiors were doing. They weren't killing that vampire. In fact, they'd prevented him from killing her. No, they were studying her... torturing her. And that... The man cast another look at his little girl's smiling face. That, she didn't deserve.

He stood up and placed the money for his drinks on the bar, tucking the bills under his empty glass. Then he folded up his wallet and, placing it in his back pocket, headed for the door. That little girl deserved the peace of death just as much as his own had, and he was going to insure she got it.

When Seras entered the mansion, she almost immediately bumped into Walter. "Oh, Miss Victoria, I'm glad to see you made it back safely. I was just about to go out, looking for yo-" Walter stopped mid-word as he noticed the great, dark beast 'leashed' to Seras's wrist. "Baskerville?" The butler asked.

The 'dog' wagged its tale and moved its head underneath the butler's hand, indicating that it wanted him to pet it. Walter complied as he turned his head back to Seras. "So... I take it this is the 'demon dog' that was terrorizing downtown London?"

Seras nodded. "Ahuh... but it's not really a demon dog. It's..."

"Your master in another form. Yes, I know. I've been around here for quite awhile, you know. Strange though," The butler continued as he ran his hand down the creature's back. "Alucard lost this form when he wa-" The butler's hand passed over a lump on the hound's back, a lump which began to move. "Dear me, and what do we have here?"

The little tabby had been woken up by the butler and was now wiggling around in an attempt to free itself from the make-shift pouch of fur that the hell-hound had formed around it. Baskerville shifted slightly as the panicking creature on its back accidentally dug its sharp claws into the hound's flesh. But the great beast did not seem terribly putout by the action. Still, it realized that the small tabby wanted its freedom and granted that wish, the hell hound's shadow fur swirling and pulling apart from around the small kitten.

"Bringing home stray kitten's again, are we?" The butler asked the hell hound.

But the beast did not reply; it seemed preoccupied with something else. It sniffed the air, curiously, having caught the trace of another familiar scent. The creature turned its head slightly and sniffed again. And then it seemed to become very hyper.

Baskerville barked, wagged his tail and jumped around as if mad. Seras did her best to calm the creature, but it was no good. He just started pulling her down the hallway. The fledgling firmly planted her feet. "No. Stay. Calm down." She attempted to order the dog that was her master.

But it did little good; and with a final leap, the shadow leash snapped. With a little grunt, Seras fell back, landing on her bottom, as the leash retracted back into her left arm and her master tore down the hallway.

Seras stood up and was just about to take off after the hell hound when the tabby let out a little meow. Quickly turning back, Seras scooped up the little kitty and deposited it into Walter's arms. "Take care of Fluffy until I get back, will you?"

"B-but, Miss Victoria, I-I-"

"Thanks, Walter. You're a dear." The fledgling said and kissed the butler lightly on his cheek before taking off after Baskerville. "Maaaaaster!!!"

Walter sneezed and then grabbed the little cat by the scruff of its neck. He held it as far away from his face as he could, but his eyes still started to water. He bent down and deposited the kitten on the floor, sneezing again before standing up. The butler sighed and shook his head. Next time he saw Seras, he'd have to tell her that he was allergic to cats.

"Oh... so now you want to renew your contract?" Integra was not pleased with the request. True, Michael Belmont was a talented and even decorated ex-employee. But he was also the only one in over fifty years to have quit Hellsing. Technically he had fulfilled his contract, but that was only a matter of semantics as far as the knight was concerned.

The few others who lasted long enough to fulfill their first contract always signed up again. If they fulfilled another contract they just renewed it again, and so on and so forth. Nobody left the Hellsing Organization... ever. Even in their golden years, they each found someway to contribute to the cause.

They knew what they were fighting for, and they devoted themselves to it, sacrificed themselves to the cause. But not Michael Belmont. No, he saw what was going on and, despite the fact that he could've been an even greater benefit than most of her employees, despite the fact that he had a better chance of survival, he ran away at the first opportunity. And because of that, Integra didn't really want him back.

"Look..." Michael started out with a slightly raised voice, but he instantly quieted down as Alucard emitted a low growl. "Sir,..." The sniper continued in a more respectful tone. "If I tell you what you want to know, they'll put a price on my head so fast that I'll have a dozen bounty hunters on my trail before I even leave this room." He exaggerated, but not by much.

"And so you want my organization to protect you?" The knight asked. "Witness protection is not a part of our job description. Our government has other branches to handle..."

"I am not some sniveling, slimy informant." The sniper cut in with a passion that was not quite far enough over the line to warrant another growl from Alucard. "Three years ago, I was one of your top agents... human agents anyway. I'm not asking for 'witness protection'. I'm asking for you to renew my contract. I can still be an asset to this organization." Michael paused for a moment; and when Integra failed to respond, he added, "Even more so than I was before. I've... learned some things on the outside."

"Indeed? And if you're so talented, such an 'asset', then why do you need my protection?"

"Because I haven't grown eyes in the back of my head..." The sniper paused and looked over at Alucard. "unlike some people." He stated before turning back to Integra. "Nor can I stay awake twenty-four/seven."

The knight didn't reply at first. Instead, she looked thoughtful for a moment, but then she relented. "Fine, I'll renew your contract." Michael breathed out a little sigh of relief before Integra continued in a sterner tone. "But you are not here as a protected informant. You are here as a soldier of the Hellsing Organization, and as such you are expected to contribute to England's protection the same way the rest of my men do. You'll not be lounging around the barracks while others sweat and bleed to keep you safe. You'll be standing beside them. Is that clear?" Integra asked, though it hardly sounded like a question.

"Yes, Sir." Michael replied and saluted, for once showing the appropriate amount of respect. And then he ruined it by adding, "All except for the barracks part. I'll not stay in the barracks."

"A common soldier's bed not good enough for you?" Integra asked, her words laced with venom.

"No. I don't care about the bed. It's the company I'd like to avoid." As the sniper saw the glare the knight was giving him, he was quick to add, "The Order will put a very large bounty on my head, and some of your men may be tempted to collect."

Integra's face failed to soften. If anything, she looked angrier. "You doubt the loyalty of my men?"

Michael took a deep, calming breath and replied softly, "Even Christ had his Judas."

Integra eyed the sniper for a moment. "I suspect I've already had mine." She replied before pausing to rub her temples. "Fine... If you will not sleep in the barracks with my men, then you will lie in the basement with my monsters."

Michael cast a quick look over at Alucard, the wheels in the sniper's head turning. Once again, he was attempting to determine the course of action least likely to put him in a body bag. "Monsters?" The sniper questioned the use of the plural.

"My master refers to my fledgling and I." Alucard explained.

"You have a fledgling now?" Micheal asked. "Does she understand the rule about not 'feeding' off Sir Integra's employees?"

The vampire chuckled. "Oh, you have nothing to fear from her. I can't get her to even drink the blood of our enemies. A very strange vampire, that one is. It took months before she'd even use the blood packets."

Michael still looked unsure. He didn't have a habit of trusting new people. It was one of the things that had helped him survive as a freelancer. Still, he knew of certain things that could be done to help insulate his room against vampires. Those tricks would not work against humans, especially since he wouldn't even get his own room if he lodged in the barracks. Finally he turned back to Integra. "Better the devil you know. Fine, I'll stay in the basement."

Alucard cut in. "Good. Now that you two have that settled, about the organization that put a hit out on that broker?"

Michael opened his mouth. But before he had a chance to answer, the office door was thrown open, and a large, black beast jumped atop Integra's desk. Before the knight could protest it began licking her all over the face. She reached out, grabbing the hound's head and attempted to push it away, but her efforts did little good.

The knight started sputtering in protest as she turned her head to keep the dog's tongue from accidentally entering her mouth. "S-s-to... G-get o-o...f."

Michael was too shocked to do anything to help the knight and Alucard, unable to control himself, had burst out into a fit of laughter. Luckily, Seras was not far behind her doggy-master. She quickly ran into the room and helped pull Baskerville back from Integra. Between the two of them, they managed to get the hound just far enough away from Integra's face for the knight to issue a order. "Stop!" She yelled with authority; and the beast instantly complied.

No longer did Baskerville try to lick his master. Instead he just stood there, on-top of her desk. Integra stared at the creature for a moment; and then, recognizing it as one of her 'pet's' other forms, the knight commanded, "Down, boy."

Baskerville leapt off the table, but continued to stare at his master, just waiting for another order. Integra turned to Alucard, who had finally managed to contain his laughter. "Mind explaining this, Vampire?"

"In truth, Master, I have no explanation."

"What do you mean you have no explanation? This is Baskerville, is it not?" The knight growled at Alucard as she pointed a finger at the hell hound. The latter just cocked its head to the side for a moment, as if studying the digit. Then, not knowing what else to do, it rolled out its tongue and licked its master's finger. Integra grimaced and pulled the finger back, wiping it on her suit.

"It would seem to be." Alucard answered as he began to move towards the beast. "However, I lost this form after that blasted archer attacked me. Though, now that 'Baskerville' has returned..." The vampire continued as he extended a shadowy hand towards the hound. "It's time to put it back where it belon-"

Alucard stopped talking as a growling hell hound jumped up and bit the still fleshy part of his arm. For a moment, the vampire just stood there, staring strangely at the beast who had its teeth sunk into his flesh. But then, the hound let go of the arm, deciding to tackle Alucard's body instead.

And as the two rolled around the office floor, biting and growling at each other in a display that was every bit as gory as it was utterly ridiculous, Integra rubbed her temples again. "And they were such nice, simple missions too, kill a demon and bring back an informant. Why do things always have to become such a bloody mess?" The knight asked no one in particular as she briefly wondered why she couldn't just be the head of some normal government agency, like MI-6? Why did she have to deal with all the insanity? Finally, as the tumbling pair bumped into Arthur's old liquor cabinet and knocked several bottles of expensive burgundy to the floor, Integra exclaimed, "Alucard, stop fighting with yourself!"

The pair instantly ceased their struggle, and they both stared at their master. Integra sighed and removed one of her most expensive cigars from the case on her desk. No one else moved or spoke. All of the knight's employees knew that when she was stressed enough to brake out one of her green labeled, hand rolled, Cuban cigars, no one had better do anything that could possibly push her any further. In fact even Michael, who still required air to survive, literally held his breath, while he waited for Integra to light up and take her first drag.

(Well, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it. Please drop me a review and let me now. Thanks.

Have a good day, and God bless.

Metropolis Kid.)

To maroongrad: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you've been having fun with my fics and think they stay amusing even after more multiple reads. :) But, you know, I actually think this might be my slowest moving story. :P Either this one or Maternal Instinct. But I'm still trying to keep it entertaining, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far. Hope you continue to. ;)