I was ready when she came this time. I had been sitting down with my knees pulled up to my chest when she appeared before me. In truth, I had sensed more than seen her. Glancing up at her, I remained emotionless as our eyes met. She looked like some kind of fallen angel, beautiful yet dangerous. Her eyes were kind but now I could see a sort of ice behind them.
"Hello, Cara," she greeted softly. I nodded silently at the familiar stranger unsurprised at the fact that she knew my name. "You seem to be waiting for someone." Once more, I remained silent and continued to watch her, my face an expressionless mask.
The woman seemed to realize that I wasn't going to respond. She sighed and turned away so that I could only see her profile. I remained silent as she gazed out into the distance as if there were something to see other than the dark nothing.
"He's not coming, you know."
At this, I perked up. She didn't need to explain who 'he' was; I knew exactly what she meant, and she knew that I knew. The dark-haired woman smirked, obviously pleased that she had finally gotten a reaction.
"You don't know him like I do," I replied harshly. She could say all she liked about me, but Alucard was off limits. "He'll come, and when he does, you and all your friends will regret ever messing with Hellsing."
To my surprise, she laughed. "Oh really?" she said with a patronizing smile. "My dear Cara, I'm afraid you are mistaken. You see, he will never lay so much as a finger on me, no matter how much he may want to. Though you are right about one thing," she added, looking down at me. "I don't know him like you do." She stepped forward and bent down so our faces were mere inches from each other. "In truth, I know him far better than you ever will."
I stared at her in horror. "Just who the hell are you?"
The woman's smirk sent chills down my spine. "You're a smart girl, Cara," she replied evasively. "I'll give you one guess."
"Do I get any hints?" I asked sarcastically, my annoyance surfacing for a moment; I had neither the interest nor the patience for mind games, especially now.
She seemed to consider this for a moment. "Very well," the woman answered. "I suppose that's only fair. How about this?" I raised an eyebrow, curious now. "I will allow you to see your precious vampire on one condition." The woman raised one finger to emphasize her point. "You must allow me to take control of your body."
"No way." The response was instantaneous.
The familiar stranger raised an answer, surprised at my lack of hesitation. "Not even to see him?"
"You're with Millennium," I replied simply. "Why the hell would I trust you? Besides, how do I know you won't just use me to get close to my friends and take Hellsing down?"
"You make a fair point," she said. "However, if I wanted to harm your friends, I wouldn't need your body to do it, I can assure you of that. Not to mention I can give you the one thing you've been craving since you arrived in Hellsing."
I looked at her skeptically. "And that would be...?"
"Information." My expression instantly turned attentive. "You want to know more about his past, do you not? And you wish to know who I am? Consider this, what's the expression?" She paused for a moment as she searched for the phrase. "Ah, yes. Killing two birds with one stone." Her blue eyes were filled with a cold mischief and I knew that agreeing would probably mean more trouble than it was worth.
But I needed to know.
Sighing in defeat, I agreed. "Fine. Just tell me what to do."
The woman grinned victoriously. "Just sit back and watch." Suddenly, I was back in Buckingham palace. Nothing had changed.
Well, nothing aside from the mercenary cursing in French, the British woman speaking into her phone frantically, and the group of men panicking at the table.
"Where the hell is she?!" demanded Pip. "She was right here a second ago. Cara! Cara!" He looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Bring her back, you damn bastards!"
"I need every CCTV in the bloody United Kingdom looking for her, do you understand me?" Sir Integra was barking orders into her phone, her expression panicked. "I don't care how difficult it is, make it happen!" With that, she hung up and immediately began dialing another number.
Guys, I tried to speak. Guys, I'm right here.
"Don't bother." Schrodinger's voice surprised me, but instead of jumping like I usually would, I turned calmly to the vampire. "Even if you could talk, they couldn't hear you."
"Hello, Schrodinger," I greeted with a kind smile; well, I didn't greet him but my mouth was moving and my voice could be heard.
"Good evening, miss," replied Schrodinger with a small bow. "I see you've managed to take control." I felt myself nod and turn to Alucard, who was watching the whole scene quietly from his place in the shadows. Suddenly, he was in front of the captain, who was still shouting at the ceiling.
"That's enough, Captain," Alucard said. His voice was low and I could tell he was fighting the urge to rip out someone's throat beneath his calm exterior. "Yelling at thin air won't help Cara."
Suddenly, Alucard was being pushed against the wall roughly by a furious Pip who had fisted Alucard's collar in both hands. I watched in horror; even if I could have moved, I would have been too shocked to do anything. The stunned silence in the room echoed the others' surprise as well. Even Alucard was surprised, though I suppose if he had been expecting the attack, Pip might not have been quite so successful.
"Don't you dare say her name!" snarled the captain. "You talk a lot of shit, you know that? Always going on about how she's yours and how you're going to protect her even if she hates you for it." Alucard's crimson eyes hardened with anger, but he remained still. I remembered something he'd said to Pip when I had been injured. 'I'm quite certain she would be extremely cross with me if she awoke to your entrails surrounding her bedside.' I prayed that Alucard would remember those words as well.
Not seeming to notice – or care about – the danger he had just put himself in, Captain Bernadotte continued with his verbal onslaught. "All you do is talk about protecting her, but what did all that talk come to? Not a god damn thing. She was taken from right under your nose and you're telling me to calm down?" Pip scoffed bitterly. "So, this is who the big, bad vampire Alucard really is. You're nothing but a coward. I've never cared about what you are or what you think of me because Cara loved you and you made her happy. But you swore to protect her no matter what. You lied to her, and now Cara is in the hands of Millennium going through god knows what right now. So tell me, Mr. Alucard," Pip finished, his voice mocking. "Who are you to tell me to calm down?"
Alucard looked down at the shorter man, his expression unreadable. "I'm the man who will bring Cara home." In that moment, I knew that no matter where I was or what I looked like, Alucard would always find me and he would always bring me home.
"You had better," Pip said grimly, releasing Alucard. He looked up the vampire, his brown eyes filled with deadly sincerity. "Because if you don't and something happens to her, I don't care who or what you are, I will kill you."
Before anyone could respond to the captain's threat, an unexpected voice echoed throughout the room. "Well, now that that's settled," said the queen with surprising calmness. "Sir Hellsing. Alucard. Destroy them. That's an order." I watched a bitter smile spread across the features of both women.
Alucard chuckled and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"We keep killing them and they just keep coming back," Walter said in an irritated tone. After witnessing Pip and Alucard's heated exchange, Schrodinger had dropped me off in Alucard's room at the Hellsing mansion. He had promised to return as soon as I called. Of course, I wasn't actually the one he'd said all of this to, but - considering it was my body – I felt more comfortable pretending he was addressing me.
The others had arrived back at the manor shortly after Schrodinger and I in order to recover from recent events. When Alucard and Walter entered the room, I didn't even bother to protest as the familiar stranger forced me to hide in the shadows; any form of resistance would have been futile and I did promise to let her drive. "You have to at least give them credit for their persistence," conceded Walter wryly, drawing my attention once more.
Alucard's dark expression did not change. "However many times they come back, we'll just keep killing them. It's as simple as that," he stated plainly. Taking a sip from his wineglass, the vampire continued, "At least it's not just the two of us anymore. Nice to have a new piece on the board."
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about that," Walter began.
"Yes?" prompted Alucard, his tone curious.
Walter paused for a moment, considering his words. "Why did you turn Seras into a vampire?" he finally asked. "It just seems so out of character. You understand my concern," added the old butler as if reassuring the vampire.
Alucard seemed to ponder this for a moment before answering. "It wasn't my decision; it was hers," he replied after a while. "Have you met her family yet?"
"No. She's orphaned."
The black-haired vampire seemed amused by this. "Of course she is," he chuckled. "Beneath that girlish exterior lies a fascinating and complicated creature. Abandoned to a town of death, her coworkers transformed into hungry visages of evil, a sadistic vampire hunting her down with the intention to rape and kill her." Alucard placed his wineglass down on the table beside his chair and smirked at Walter. "It was as close to hell as any mortal could imagine. And what does she do? What fate did she choose?" Suddenly, his smirk disappeared, revealing a dark grimness. "Giving up is what kills people. Those who refuse to give up are entitled their time to trample upon the weak."
"Now all she needs to do is drink blood, right?" Walter asked, almost disapprovingly.
"All in good time." Alucard nodded. "She'll drink. Eventually, she'll drink."
"And yet she's not the one you're concerned about here, is she?"
I became more attentive as Alucard stiffened at the butler's words. "She's not the one currently in the clutches of Millennium," he growled in a low voice. I could tell that Walter had struck a nerve and for a moment it seemed like the butler was pleased to have hit a sore spot. "I meant what I said to the captain. I will find Cara, no matter what it takes." A small sense of pleasure surged within me. At the same time, however, I felt anger and jealousy. I could tell it was coming from the familiar stranger, though I didn't understand how I knew.
"Who is she, Alucard?" Walter echoed Sir Integra's question from back in Rio. "Why is Millennium so interested in her? Why are you so interested in her?"
Alucard looked down at his hands, his dark hair falling into his face so that I couldn't see his expression. "Mina Cara Harker," he said in a near whisper. When he looked back up at Walter, his expression was grim. "You've read the stories. Don't tell me you haven't guessed it already."
Walter sighed. "So, it really is true, then." The butler ran a hand through his dark wispy hair. "I had thought, or rather hoped that..."
"It doesn't matter." Alucard's voice had taken on a hard tone. "They are very different people. Cara is not her."
"I don't care," replied Walter, his tone angry now. "If you're using that girl to try to fix the past –"
Suddenly, Alucard was in front Walter, his expression dangerous. "When," he began, his voice low, "have you ever known me to dwell in the past?" Walter was too stunned at the vampire's reaction to respond. I, too, was shocked by Alucard's outburst. I had seen him lose his temper around almost everyone, but Walter was the sole exception. I was suddenly all too aware of the thick tension in the air.
Walter and I watched tensely as Alucard turned and sat down on his throne slowly. "Cara may be her descendant, but they are completely different people. She is in the past and I have no problem leaving her there."
The old butler sighed in acquiescence. "Very well," he said. "Just remember, Cara may only have been here for a short while, but she has become dear to all of us. Anyone who hurts her will suffer the wrath of Hellsing as well as the Wild Geese." Alucard nodded but did not respond to the implied threat. With that, Walter walked out.
As soon as the door slammed shut, Alucard was on his feet once more. This time, however, he made his way to a small chest beside his coffin. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a small object. When he sat back down, I realized it was an old black-and-white photograph. I could tell it was of two people, but they were indiscernible.
An eternity seemed to pass as I watched Alucard study the picture, his expression strange. After a while, he sighed and stood. Placing the photograph face up on the table beside the throne, Alucard made his way out of the room.
"Well?" I jumped in surprise. Alucard and Walter's strange conversation had caused me to almost completely forget about my current situation. The woman sounded annoyed yet amused. "Have you figured it out yet?"
I paused for a moment to consider her words. Could she be the one Alucard and Walter had been talking about? If so, I had a very good idea of exactly who this woman was, and it made my stomach turn.
"I think so," I replied carefully, making sure not to let my anxiety show. "But first, show me that photograph." I could feel the smugness radiating from the other woman as my body moved forward and picked up the picture. My heart lodged itself in my throat.
The photograph was of a man and a woman. Both were dressed in fine Victorian clothing. The woman had dark hair and was sitting in a chair, smiling at the camera with cold eyes. The man stood behind her with one hand placed gently on her shoulder. His long black hair reached past his shoulders and he had a small beard and mustache, but that somehow made him easier to recognize. I could picture the exact shade of his crimson eyes as he looked down at the woman beside him lovingly.
I felt myself move to a full-length mirror on the other side of the room. As I studied myself, I pictured myself in very different clothing than the dark pants, shirt, and combat boots I was currently wearing. "Now do you understand?" asked my reflection. I nodded, and this time my body moved. "You know who I am then?"
When I spoke, my mouth opened and my own voice came out as well. "You said it yourself, didn't you?" I laughed bitterly. "You are me." I watched as my mouth spread into a wry grin. "Hello, Mina."
Before she could respond, the door flew open. My body turned calmly despite the sudden intruder and I felt myself smirk as Mina recognized the newcomer. "Hello, Alucard."
