Disclaimer: All of Hellsing and its characters are copyright to Kouta Hirano. Any original characters belong to the author of this fanfiction.

HELLSING

EREBUS

Here standeth the Bird of Hermes,

Eating my own wings to make me tame...

CHAPTER TEN

Vampire Elixir

Friday Evening, November 14, 2031, Somewhere in England...

The violence threaded through air, making each breath a painful intake. Anger radiated from one vampire while the other emitted an aura of black merriment, both staring each other down with glimmering scarlet pools. A modern handgun was drawn, a bang ringing out in a flash that bolted towards the enemy's head, black hair flying forward as the head went backwards, a spray of blood spewing from the wound. The leather-bound body remained upright as one arm turned into a hound, jaws opening, an arm emerging from the throat, a silver gun in its hand, squeezing the trigger. Another bang, the other vampire's shoulder recoiling from the shot.

Steam rose from the wound, and a head came falling forward from its backwards position, long strands of black ink covering the face. A tongue slithered out, a taunting gesture to show that this vampire had not fallen yet. With a snarl, the other vampire rose his hand again, firing twice, hitting the opponent in their own shoulders, only to have the bullets be pushed out again. The darker vampire chuckled at these pitiful attempts to wound him.

They stared each other down again, then both disappeared. Guns became visible, flying through the air, gunshots ringing as the bullets clashed, causing little shockwaves with each collision, broken bullets clinking upon contact with the floor and bouncing inches off it. Both appeared, guns drawn, gliding through the air, and then disappearing once more, projectiles still colliding. On the last pair of bullets, they whizzed by one another, hitting their intended targets, blood splattering along the ground.

The older vampire laughed with delight. "Yes! Give me more! Show me that you can be a real vampire!"

The other panted, standing still, gripping his new wound. "Why do you attack vampires?! Who are you?!" He whispered to himself then, "Why do you have such power? I haven't seen anything like this except from..." He trailed off, noticing that his opponent seemed to be listening. "I won't tell you a damn thing! You monster! You're a god damn monster!" He screamed when his arm was suddenly shot off.

Alucard raised his gun, the empty magazine sliding to the floor with a clunk. "Yes, people keep telling me that. Then what does that make you?" The clip was secured into its slot with a firm slap, Alucard flipping off the safety. "What does that make you?" he repeated. "A man? A dog? A monster?"

Bateman's teeth gnashed together, a manic look in his eyes. "I'll kill you!"

"Then you better make it quick. I'm starting to get bored," came the taunt. "You dare call yourself a vampire, and yet you don't even understand what it means to be a true nosferatu."

And suddenly he was in front of the man, gripping him by the neck. With a choke, Bateman placed his barrel between the vampire's eyes, firing with a scream. Eventually, he released him but he only kept firing. Into his chest, his arms, his legs. He knew that if he stopped firing, he would die. Reaching for another clip, he gasped, finding nothing. He stared back at Alucard with expectant horror, finding the vampire just standing there, completely riddled. The darkness abated, returning them to the room, only covered in blood and ashes, and the furniture and everything else in general was destroyed. For a brief moment, Bateman thought he had won...until Alucard began to chortle, laughing at the fact he had given this pitiful creature a false sense of security.

"Is that all?" he asked, raising his gaze. "You're wounded, and can't even regenerate quickly enough to face me despite having already drank a virgin dry. You're out of bullets, yet you can't even defend yourself in hand-to-hand combat. You're only source of strength has already been used up when you killed that girl." Alucard stood straight then, a look of disappointment. "You're also a coward, expecting others to fight for you. You pathetic excuse for a vampire." He closed his eyes, the shadows shifting around his form before dissipating, now donning his usual outfit. "You bore me, and I have more important things to do."

"You...you're going to let me live?" he stammered, hopefulness in his tone.

"Let you live? Hardly."

It would be inaccurate to state that Alucard was walking towards the lesser Dracul. It was more like stalking. Bateman backed away, tripping over the leg of the girl, falling over. Alucard stood at his feet, that same grin on his face. The Count stretched out his hand, easily reaching the man's throat and lifting him up. The man's legs kicked as he choked and dangled, gripping Alucard's wrist, attempting to pry him off.

"Show me everything your blood has to offer," he said, bringing the trash closer, baring his jagged teeth and sinking them in with a sickening chomp.

Images flashed through his mind from Bateman's point of view. Alucard ignored his screams and struggles as he continued to sift through the memories. Everything became clear as he saw Alexandra's file on a screen, someone talking about how she was the one after a quick confirmation from a phone call from Lionel. So, in between the time Alucard was left to deal with the lesser vampires and having confronted Lionel, that man had let his employers know. The image shifted again, showing a dark silhouette, blue eyes glowing, matching in ferocity with Alucard's own red orbs. Beside him stood that woman, Laura, her eyes glowing an electric green.

"With the Royal Order of Protestant Knights hunting us and making our numbers dwindle, it is essential that you collect as many virgins as you can. Virgins are necessary. They are our insurance for our future."

"Yes, of course, sir," said Bateman.

The dark figure's shoulders shook, as if laughing without a sound. "It's rather ironic, how much she looks like her. Poor, poor Alucard. It's no wonder why he went after her first. It won't make a difference though. She will belong to me, and her blood...how I long to taste it for myself. Wouldn't you agree, Laura?"

"Yes, my master."

Alucard could see that perverse glint in her eyes again. Once he sifted through much more, he continued to drink until every last drop was gone, the body dropping and twitching upon the floor. Raising his pistol, the head was blown off, the rest of Bateman turning to ash. There was banging on one set of doors before they burst open, human men charging through, guns raised. More dogs, Alucard mused.

Aim fixed on him, hair went over his eyes but his smile was visible as he stalked forward, drawing out the Jackal as they watched him. Guns followed him, the only sound being his footsteps. One guard finally cracked under the pressure, letting fly his ammunition with a yell while others followed suit. Both guns rose, firing off their own rounds, the vampire easily crippling the numbers against him, still walking. He approached a man still firing at him only to have his head blown off. Alucard walked into the corridors, shooting over his shoulders, behind his head, putting them all down without so much as looking at them.

Many stood in his way, screaming out with their onslaught. Alucard disappeared then, now behind the human barricade, shooting them all down with a perverse love for the violence. A man came up behind him, trying to butt him over the head with the end of his rifle. Alucard just stood there for a moment then glanced over his shoulder, causing the man to recoil back with a gasp. He cried out just before Alucard swiped off his head. Another group then stood before him, and his eyes glimmered, eyeing each and every one of them.

Raising his guns once more, he began to fire, shooting them all down even as their human bullets penetrated his body. The massacre went on and on, and the humans kept coming as the vampire ventured through the corridors. Eventually, he walked into a lab that was sickeningly pristine and bright. His eyes wandered over to a large steel door. Walking over, he went to open it, but his hand was shot through and he looked at the wound more closely, unfazed but seemingly curious. Looking over to where the shot came from, he saw a couple of the armed men. He grinned, raising the Casull, shooting them both, dirtying the lab, giving it more colour.

Closing his eyes, his third sought out for anyone else in the building. Nothing. Nothing at all. How strange, he thought, walking out of the lab. The Count proceeded to the area where the children would have been, looking in each room, finding them all void. His eyes narrowed. No one was left in the building. There wasn't even a trace of blood or a hint of a child in the air's odour. He reloaded his weapons before putting them away and taking out his cellular, putting it to his ear as he waited for his master to pick up.

"Hellsing," she said.

"My master, I have completed my mission. I would suggest the largest sweeper team you can manage."

Saturday After-Midnight, November 15, 2031, Vampire Orphanage...

Integra stood at the entrance of a large house out in the middle of nowhere, glaring inside of its complicated structure. So many rooms, and thanks to Alucard, so much blood. She'd be lucky if none of the sweepers slipped and fell. Beside her stood her servant, having replaced his hat and glasses by now. She regarded him with some disdain. Could he be anymore less subtle? Sighing, she turned to all the vans parked out front. Alucard had already given his report. The fact that these vampires had kidnapped children with the intention of turning them into damned creatures disturbed her. Was there more of these houses, these...vampire orphanages, all over the country, maybe the world? She could only pray that this was the only one, but highly doubted it, especially with the children gone.

Van's request came to mind then. "Alucard..." He angled his head towards her, indicating she had his attention. "Mr. Drake has asked for a sample of your blood." The head saw him raise a brow. "Apparently, he has discovered something interesting about Miss Rows' blood. He requires different samples to test a theory of his before he can report his findings. You're to provide your blood, so see that you do."

"As you wish." He opened his mouth to say something else but apparently changed his mind, closing it and turning away. This action surprised her. He certainly was acting strange.

Saturday Morning, November 15, 2031, Hellsing Estate...

Another day, another training session. Her body still hurt all over from the last few days. Alex stared at her bowl of porridge, grimacing with bags under her eyes. She'd only been able to sleep for a couple of hours a night since Alucard had left, and it seemingly got worse last night. Van's news that he had indeed found something only caused her a sense of anxiety. Damn, how she badly wanted to know what was so special about her, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she could handle the truth.

Distractedly, she scooped at the oatmeal, tipping the spoon over each time, letting the oats fall back to their sloppy brethren. Alex was so tired. There had been no word of Alucard's status on his mission. Was he finished yet? Was he on his way back now? The chair was pushed away from the table before Alex stood up from the table, just leaving the food, aside from her playing with it. She had an hour to kill before Seras would begin the lesson, so maybe she could have a nap.

Lost in her thoughts, she subconsciously looked up just as she was about to pass that same mirror as before. The coldness was still there like the first time she found the mirror. Something seemed to pull her to it, and she placed a hand on the looking glass, she briefly wondered if she could fall through it like Alice. The hand dropped, thinking how very much she felt like Alice, having fallen into a dark wonderland. She sighed, walking away until she heard a strange creak from behind her. Turning back, the mirror had seemingly tilted forward like a door, a set of stone stairs leading into a dark basement.

Slowly, she fully faced the door, debating fiercely. On one hand, her curiosity might get her into trouble with Integra, on the other, Alex would go mad with the not-knowing. Deciding that she'd rather deal with scolding than insanity, she moved forward, opening the door further. With one cautious step, she descended into the bowels, wishing briefly that she had a flashlight or something. It was so dark, it amazed her that she didn't slip, fall, and possibly break her neck. A sudden stop to the stairs had faltered her smooth movement though, realizing she had reached the bottom. Brown eyes narrowed, peering through the dark, hardly able to make out a long corridor that only grew darker the further it went on.

This was stupid, she inwardly scolded. Not only was she half-blind, but this was foolish in general. What if they had super dangerous weapons in here, and she tripped over them, setting them off, by extension destroying the house. Shaking her head, she went to leave again, but squeaked in surprise when florescent lights flickered on, a slight humming heard as the electricity flowed through them. The corridor was long, nearly halfway under the house, and at the end, a steel door. Not even thinking about what had turned on the lights, she walked on for what seemed like forever when it only took her five minutes to reach the door. Hanging off the walls around the door were a bunch of worn down leather straps, having been torn on their ends. There were a couple of plaques on the walls as well, but she wasn't interested in reading them.

A hand reached out to pull down the handle, pulling out the door with a slight heave. The metallic scraping against stone hurt her ears. Wincing, she was forced to plug up one ear with a finger and press the other against her shoulder. Once that nightmarish sound had ceased, Alex peered inside, finding the same lights turned on, but they were not as bright, and the room was so large, that they wouldn't have effectively lit it up with sufficient light to be considered welcoming. And that was hardly a word for such a place. It was freezing in here, and was pretty empty except for a high backed wooden chair and a table beside it. On the table was a wine bottle, and two wine glasses turned onto their tops to prevent dust from settling inside them.

The footsteps she made echoed softly, the floor covered in a soft mist that only made the room creepier. What was this place? Why was it so...empty? There was a feeling of loneliness that felt oddly familiar to her, and she felt sad because of it. She walked up to the chair, staring at it. It was so large, like a throne of some sort. It was also very old, but otherwise in very good shape. Furniture that looked well-used had more character in her opinion, and this one appeared to have been used quite a bit. Alex looked around to see if anybody was within sight. Satisfied that she was alone, she turned back to the chair.

Drawing closer, she touched the arm rests, feeling the wood under her touch. She loved wood furniture, which was why she was so fond of her own bedroom set. Turning, she sat upon it slowly, half-expecting it to fall apart under her weight at any moment. Thankful that it was sturdy, she leaned back. It wasn't practical in terms of comfort, but it would have looked great in the collection of someone who appreciated antique furniture. Alex sat there for many moments, her exhaustion causing her to daydream a little.

"I, Queen Alexandra of the Rows family line," she began with a decent impression of an English accent, making dramatic gestures, "hereby declare that I be served steak every day, or there will be no more ice cream for anybody, myself exempted." There was a pause and then she gave a short laugh, dropping the accent, "Yeah, right. Me, a queen. Phffft!"

It wasn't til that moment that she spotted something at the corner of her eye. Taking a better look, she gasped, jumping out of the chair. It was Alucard's coffin! It only took her a second to piece together the fact that this was his room! No wonder the damn place felt cold! A vampire didn't exactly bring warmth to any atmosphere, except maybe Seras, because she was cheerful and nice. Memories of the time she had listened to Alucard's heartbeat through the cover surfaced, her expression softening, only to soften even more at the recollection of that moment in the library. Subconsciously, a hand went up to cover that spot on her neck. Though she had denied it to him, in a way, she did miss him. Maybe she had just grown used to his presence, regardless how scary and psychotic he was.

Feet gradually carried her over to stand beside the black box. Knees hitting the floor, her fingers rose to touch the cover, almost caressing the wood. After a moment of consideration, she leaned her head on the cover, not really expecting to hear anything this time as she knew Alucard was away. But there it was, his heartbeat, causing her own to speed up, eyes widening some, but then a small smile came to her lips. Alex would never admit it to him, but yes, she had missed the stupid bastard. When had he come back? At the moment, she didn't care. He was home.

Slowly, her eyes slid closed, letting the sound take her away to that place like before. However, it wasn't a battlefield this time. This time, it was the castle again, silhouetted by that same red sun, as if the castle was on fire in the most beautiful way. She walked her way through its familiar corridors, as if she knew it inside and out. The throne room was even more elegant, orange light shining through the stain glass windows. Ahead, she could see that same man from before. Alex frowned. His face was still covered in shadows. However, she could see his eyes, staring straight at her with the most interesting shade of blue. Why did it feel like she knew him somehow?

"Katarina..." he said, his voice thick with an accent she couldn't place. "Come to me, my love."

Alex's eyes shot open, waking from her small dream. Her heart hammered against her chest painfully as she raised her head. "Katarina?" she whispered. "Who's Katarina?"

Her eyes turned to the box, and when she gave a quick listen, pressing her ear, she was relieved to know that Alucard still slept. The woman groaned, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. She really needed to get some sleep, and now that Alucard was back, she might be able to catch up on it. Why did she suddenly feel dependant on his presence to keep from going insomniac? Never had she needed anyone to keep her at ease at night. Angry with herself, she left the room in a hurry, closing the door. A moment later, the coffin lid opened ever so slightly, red eyes peering through at the door, then was closed again.

Saturday Evening, November 15, 2031, Hellsing Estate...

"Damn!" Van cursed, teeth gnashing some as he stared into the microscope. "It's just as I feared. This is bad. Truly disastrous."

Van had spent hours tirelessly experimenting with the blood samples, only to end up with results he didn't want to be true. He'd tested it a good seven times, in case he had miscalculated somewhere, but it was perfect. He didn't want perfect. He wanted to be wrong! Scowling at his notes, he grabbed them, leaving his basement workshop and ignoring any soldiers patrolling the halls. Reaching Integra's door, he hesitated, not wanting to even utter the truth. However, in order to combat such motives, he had to repeat his findings to the Hellsing head.

The vampire knocked firmly, hearing a, "Come in," before opening the door.

The woman was sitting at her desk, looking over reports, a teacup in one hand, flipping pages with the other. "Sir Integra."

She looked up. "Mr. Drake," she acknowledged, then stopped short of further words upon seeing his distraught expression. "What's the matter?" He raised his tablet of notes with that grim expression. "You have your results."

"I do," he bit out. "You're not going to like them and wish I never told you once I finish."

"Hold on, Van. Rather than have to repeat yourself, I'm calling up Alucard, Seras, and Miss Rows."

"You really want to have Alex listen to this?"

"She has a right to know, whatever your findings."

Moments later, with Alucard being ordered to fetch the girls, they all stood in Integra's office. Alucard leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while Seras stood at attention beside the desk. Alex just stood there feeling anxious for a few reasons. One, she was about to discover the secrets of her plasma. And two, Alucard was only a few metres away, and for some reason, she felt really anxious around him all of a sudden. Van was setting up his presentation, plugging his tablet into a projector on the desk, a holographic screen appearing in midair, showing what looked like zoomed-in microscopic scans of blood cells.

"Van," Integra called out, "when you're ready."

"Right," he said softly, tablet in his hands. "What you all see before you is, as I'm sure you already know, blood cells. This is the blood of a vampire, in this case, your blood, Miss Victoria." Seras didn't even blink. "When I combined her blood with that of a deflowered male's blood, the cells instantly blacken, which results in what we call ghouls. I did the same with Alucard's blood with the deflowered female's blood, same result."

Alex watched the short animations with fascination, watching the blood die. Vampire blood was almost like poison, or a virus. "Is it like cancer?" Van blinked at her in surprise. "I read that cancer was the abnormal mutation of cells, so I'm wondering if vampirism is the same principle."

Van smiled wryly. "Yes, unfortunately. The only difference is that vampirism spreads more like a virus. Cancer isn't contagious, but yes, in principle, they are the same." Another scan popped up. "Now, we all know, by looking at these scans, what vampire blood looks like. Human blood cells are smoother and look healthier, but a vampire's blood breaks down after a certain amount of time, unless of course they drink blood, thus the appearance that they look like ground meat."

Integra stared, exhaling the smoke from her cigar. "That's all well and good, but what I want to know is, what does this all have to do with Miss Rows here?"

"I'm getting to that, director," he snapped, surprising the old lady.

Alex could see just from looking at him that he was putting it off. He was afraid. Frowning, she walked over, gripping his arm in a comforting gesture that surprised him. Staring at her for a moment, he seemed to relax. Alex released him then, giving him a small reassuring smile. Suddenly, she felt a chill down her back, and turned to look at the vampire leaning against the wall, staring right back at her. Did he just glower at her? Since he was wearing the shades, she couldn't tell. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to Van's report.

"I combined a tiny amount of Miss Rows' blood with Alucard and Seras' blood." Nothing happened to either images, except to renew the cells somewhat, as expected when a vampire drinks blood. "Then I used their blood again to treat the deflowered blood samples."

After a moment of watching, everyone in the room went utterly still. Integra's glasses slipped down a little, Seras covering her mouth in shock. Alucard just removed his own shades, as if they were obscuring the truth. Meanwhile, Alex stared, watching as the cells had slowly shifted into the vampire state instead of the blackened cells. What did this all mean? Van's expression turned even more grim and serious.

"You must be joking," Integra demanded. "This isn't possible."

"I assure you, Ms. Hellsing, that this is very real. I've experimented over half a dozen times, hoping I was wrong," he replied grimly.

"What does this mean, then?" Seras asked hesitantly.

"It means," Van started, turning to look directly at Alex, who reluctantly looked back at him with a bewildered expression, "that Miss Rows' blood is an elixir that will allow vampires to turn humans into vampires, regardless of sexual status or gender." Alex's brown eyes widened, her body shaking. "To these vampires, this New Age they preached about...you're the key to possibly increasing the vampire population. Virgins are too few and their numbers are slowly dwindling to nothing. With your blood, there's nothing to control the increase of vampires."

Alex just stared at him, everybody else staring at her. She felt consciousness slip away, her body no heavier than a feather. Numbness overcame her senses, except for the feeling of an arm around her waist, and then a strange warmth, as if wrapped up in...love? It didn't matter...she was so tired, and she simply wanted to escape reality. At least for a little while.

So warm...

A/N: Super-special-awesome big reveal...done! There you all have it, the big secret. I don't know about you guys, but the fact that even non-virgins can be turned into vampires would be a pretty big fucking problem. It's like taking away birth control in its entirety. HA! I found that funny for some reason. Anyway, hooray for Alucard coming back! Alex's been getting those FEELS for him lately and doesn't even know it yet. All she knows is that it's scaring her a little. I almost considered having her sing a little bit, but then decided against it because I'm not really big on song fics, and it just makes it distracting in my opinion.

And lookie at this, a whole ten chapters done! I usually don't write this many this fast. I feel bad now. Fans of my other (unfinished) long-term stories are probably thinking I stopped caring. I was ALMOST in the mood to write for Rhapsody of Chaos, but I lost it before I got it back. Dammit. Also, Arda Chronicles can be exhausting to write, considering I usually write about 6000 plus words each chapter.

But FINALLY, I managed to finish a chapter before my usual bedtime. I've been reaching close to the end of chapters and then having to finish them the next day because my brain can't take it. MAY or may not post tomorrow. I've got things to do, and the morning requires me to vigorously search the apartment for my missing wallet that's been missing a few days now. My camera went missing a few months ago too and I'm wondering if someone's breaking in to steal my shit. Anyway, please leave a review, your thoughts, and any questions! Thanks for reading.

Also, to my only reviewer so far, the woman you're thinking about is Elizabeth Bathory, just in case you haven't looked it up yet. I won't tell you if you're right though, because it'll spoil the story.