When I came to, we were outside the hotel. I looked around to see a group of people standing over me. I seemed to be sitting on the ground against a large pole. Surrounding me was a large, pot-bellied man with blond hair and glasses, a woman with dark hair in a purple suit, a catlike boy who reminded me a bit of Seras, and the man who had taken me.
I tried to stand, but it seemed my wrists were handcuffed to the pole. The fat man laughed as I struggled. "Don't bother struggling, fraulein, " he told me in a thick German accent. "Not even you are strong enough to break through those." I attempted to deliver a biting retort, but my mouth was gagged, leaving the words as nothing more than muffled sounds. "Oh, right," said the man. "How are you supposed to tell me what I want to know when you can't even speak?" He laughed and turned to Alhambra. "Ungag her."
Alhambra nodded and moved to remove the cloth from my mouth. As soon as I could talk, I spit at the group. "You damn bastard!" I screamed. "You'll pay for this!" Immediately, I was silenced by a slap to the face.
My head snapped to the side from the force of the impact, causing my dark hair to fall in my face. I looked up at the catlike boy, who had slapped me and was now glaring at me. "How dare you speak to the Major in such a way?!" snarled the boy. "After everything he's done for you, awakening you after all those years –" He was cut off by the older man – the Major, I assumed – raising an arm to stop him.
"Now, now, Schrödinger," said the Major calmly. "You must remember that our dear Mina has no idea of the kindness we have done her." He looked down at me with a smile that was kind and yet cruel all at once. "But she will soon remember."
At the sound of my first name, I immediately stopped struggling. "How do you know my name?" I asked softly. My body was frozen in fear. I hadn't told anyone other than Pip that name until I came to Hellsing. The Major merely smiled even wider at my question. "How the hell do you know?" I screamed.
The Major bent down so that his face was inches from mine. "If you really want to know, then you'll have to give a few answers yourself. Why don't we start with your precious Alucard?" I stared at him, horrified.
"Shove it up your ass," I snarled at the Major. "I would die before betraying my friends."
He stepped away for a moment, his amusement. "Is that so?" His accent grated on my ears. Before he could speak, we were interrupted by the sound of screaming. The Major cocked his head and closed his eyes in pleasure. "Ah, yes," he sighed happily. "The show has begun."
He nodded to Alhambra, who slipped away out of sight, and turned to back to me. "You wish to die, fraulein?" Suddenly, Schrodinger appeared behind me, unlocking the cuffs. Almost immediately, the woman in purple grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me up. I struggled as she dragged me along, but the Major pretended not to notice. We stopped abruptly and I was jerked forward. "Then perhaps you should do so watching your precious Alucard die."
I fought back the urge to vomit at the sight below. With a sickening feeling in my stomach, I recognized the landscape of our hotel below. We weren't just outside the hotel; we were above it. The pole I had been handcuffed to was actually the antenna and the screaming which had interrupted us before were those of the SWAT team members whose bodies were now impaled on the flagpoles outside the hotel. Walking down the hotel steps was Alucard. I tried to scream his name, but my mouth immediately gagged once more.
"Now, now, Mina," cooed the Major. "We wouldn't want to interrupt the show, now would we?" I stared at him in horror and fear but Alhambra's words brought my attention back to the scene below.
"Oh my," commented Alhambra. Even though we were several stories up, I could somehow hear him perfectly. Then again, he wasn't exactly being quiet about it. "You really shouldn't play with your food. You certainly do live up to your reputation." Alhambra bowed as Alucard stopped a few feet away. "My name is Tubalcain Alhambra, Mr. Alucard, but some people have taken to calling me the Dandyman."
"Fascinating," replied Alucard in a bored tone. "Did these poor souls belong to you?" He gestured up to the impaled bodies above them. I remembered one of the many names he claimed to have gone by. 'Vlad the Impaler.' Now I understood why.
"Oh, you're speaking of those unfortunate men up there." Alhambra shrugged. "Their superiors were fools, and so they allowed their men to end up in such a state," explained Alhambra. He grinned wickedly at Alucard as though they shared some sort of secret. "Truly amazing what some people will do on the promise of immortality."
Alucard chuckled. "Taking advantage of idiots," he commented. "We both know there's no such thing as immortality."
The Dandyman laughed at his words. "No need to be cruel," he said. "They still served their purpose. After all, how many of your holy ammunition rounds do you have left now, Mr. Alucard?" My eyes widened. No.
Alucard glared at the man. "You're starting to bore me," evaded Alucard. "Let's cut to the chase. What are you here for?"
Alhambra grinned and spread his arms wide. "I'm here to take your unlife, Mr. Alucard," declared the man loudly. "Millennium has given me the task of bringing you in. Well, at least a sample of you in." His wicked grin seemed to split his face in half.
"I get it," Alucard said after a moment. "There's absolutely no reasoning with you people. Which leaves me with no choice but to keep killing until there are none of you left standing. Didn't your masters learn anything from the first time I decimated them?"
Alhambra laughed at him. "Oh yes, they did Mr. Alucard," he replied with a chuckle. "They learned that even vampires have weak points." Alucard looked unimpressed, so Alhambra continued, "Like your dear master, or your whore of a servant. Or even," he added with a scandalized look. "Your little human girlfriend, Cara. Or would you prefer I call her Mina?" Alucard stood frozen. His back was to us, obscuring my view of his face. "Have I struck a chord, Mr. Alucard?" teased Alhambra. He laughed. "The resemblance is truly uncanny, no?"
"What have you done with her?" growled the vampire. "If you have laid so much as a finger on her -"
"Oh, no," the Dandyman cut him off. "Your precious Mina is safe. For now, at least." He laughed once more. "I cannot wait to see what the Major does to her, though. Perhaps he'll let me play with her once he's done."
That was the final straw for Alucard. With a roar, dark-haired vampire charged at Alhambra, who waited with a calm smile. Suddenly, Alhambra smirked and released a large deck of cards. The cards flew at Alucard, slicing him. "Alucard the vampire, you are so disappointing!" declared Alhambra. Alucard roared and fled to the side of the building.
I screamed and struggled against the woman. Her grip on my arm only tightened and I had to force myself not to flinch in pain. The Major raised a finger to his lips and pointed down to the fight continuing below us. Alucard was taking a serious beating, but he was holding his own against Alhambra.
Suddenly, the door to the roof burst open, causing to us all to turn. Seras stood in the doorway, panting heavily. "Sorry I'm late Cara," she breathed, smiling at me. Her gaze turned furious as she turned to the Major and his lackies, raising her gun at them. "Step away from her. Right now." Her blue eyes were tinted red and I felt a flash of fear course through me. I was suddenly very thankful that Seras was on my side.
Schrodinger stepped forward to attack Seras, but the Major stopped him once more. "Schrodinger," he cautioned. "Perhaps it would be best to let the girl go for now. After all," he added with a twisted grin at me. "Even the most prodigal children return home eventually."
"What the hell does that mean?!" Seras demanded. The Major merely laughed and leaned down so that his lips were directly beside my ear. "Für was nützt es einem Menschen, wenn er gewinne der Welt und verliert seine Seele?" The language was foreign, but I understood them perfectly. My mind raced as I tried to find the familiar phrase.
Before I could respond, I felt a sharp pain in my side. Suddenly, my head collided with the roof. When did I get on the ground? I wondered. I could see Seras beside me looking panicked. She was saying something to me in a rushed voice, but her voice was muffled and distant. I placed a hand to my side, where the sharp pain continued to bother me. It felt wet and sticky. With some effort, I lifted my hand to face; it was covered in blood. My blood.
I looked up at Seras in surprise, but her blue eyes were no longer on me. Instead she was looking up at someone. Her expression was a mixture of fear and panic. I soon understood why.
Even in my wounded state, I could sense him. My head felt heavy, but I was able to turn it and meet Alucard's furious crimson eyes. He wasn't looking at me though; his gaze was on Seras and I could tell he was about to scold her, but I didn't understand why.
"You're bleeding," I noted as I looked the vampire over. Alucard looked down at me and his expression immediately softened. I could read the concern on his face plainly, a strange thing for Alucard, who usually hid his emotions so well.
The black-haired vampire chuckled despite his worry. You should take a look at yourself, love. I heard his voice clearly, but his lips never moved. I tried to speak once more, but instead I began to cough violently. Alucard took me in his arms and held me until I calmed down. You shouldn't try to move, he told me in my mind. You're badly injured.
Are you in my head? I asked. He nodded solemnly. Get out. Alucard's laugh reverberated in my mind, and I could feel it rumble deep in his chest and throughout my body. It was a nice feeling. Despite that, my expression remained serious. I mean it, I told him firmly. I don't want you poking around in there.
Is there something you don't want me seeing? He teased playfully. Now I'm really curious. Our playful banter was interrupted by Seras' voice. Alucard looked up at her harshly but was soon calmed by whatever he said. He turned around worriedly before speaking to me once more. I have to go, he said. My battle with Alhambra is not over.
My blue eyes widened with worry. Alucard, be careful. I don't want you getting hurt.
He looked down at me, his blood red eyes filled with pure rage. I will ensure that he and his precious Major suffer dearly for this. Alucard closed his eyes momentarily allowing himself to calm down. When he looked at me again, his anger was still present, but it was under control, for the moment. First, you must drink some of my blood.
What? I looked at him in confusion. Alucard, you're hurt. That's crazy. I'll be fine, I just need to get to a hospital.
Before Alucard could argue, he turned as if hearing something unpleasant. Instead of arguing, he lifted a hand to his lips before bending down and kissing me roughly. I leaned into the kiss despite my current position. Suddenly, thick metallic liquid flooded into my mouthed you, vampire. Alucard chuckled. Even so, I felt better despite my protests. My body felt lighter and I could hear noises directly beside me.
It's just enough to stop the bleeding, Alucard told me. We'll get you to a hospital soon. I glared at him, but the vampire merely looked up at Seras, his expression harsh. "Get her safe," he ordered aloud. "Once this is over we'll get her to medical attention." Seras nodded and lifted me up bridal style. I turned to see Alucard's flowing black hair and blood red coat moving away from me.
Stay safe, was my last thought before I gave in to the exhaustion and blacked out.
