Four days later, Rip Van was on the Atlantic, and the camera was set for action. Dok brought a long, scarlet stained shirt for me to wear on that day. I questioned its dirtiness.
"It is for the dramatic effect," he explained, indicating his own cloak. "The blood has a connotation of pain and torment, which is just what we want Hellsing to believe."
The smell of plasma emanated from the cloth and I took it in my hands, trying hard not to let myself lick it. I was left alone again, and I changed into the shirt. It was down to my knees and I got the sudden image of myself, chewing on the hem of it to taste the blood.
Shrödinger entered my chamber a while later and led me to a room I hadn't been in or seen since I arrived there. He had walked next to me, allowing me to swing my hands freely at my sides. I believed they were beginning to trust me. Were they really that dumb? I wasn't going to work for them-- I was deceiving them and making them think that I was turning my back on Hellsing.
The new room was normal-sized (smaller than the main room, but larger than my cell), and one wall was lined with television screens. There were shackles and chains attached to the opposite wall.
Shrödinger led me over to them and stuck me in the manacles. I saw a tripod in front of me, supporting a camera. It was a rather cheap-looking camera, compared to the rest of the equipment I saw in the building.
The Major, the high-collared man, and Dok strolled into the room, and conversed quietly behind the camera.
I sat staring at the ground, uncomfortable in my current position. Dok strode over to me, towering high above me due to the fact that I was sitting (and the fact that he was already monstrously tall). I looked up at him. His head perfectly blocked the fluorescent light above us.
"No matter what happens," he began. "do not become afraid. Nothing is going to hurt you. We are going to make things appear that you are in agony and peril, but really it is all theatrics."
"Okay…but what if they think I'm gone for good and don't even bother to attack?" I asked, sure that Alucard would come for me either way.
"In any case, we will have an advantage," Dok replied. "Integra will have one less vampire to attack us with."
Or so you think… I said to myself, mentally smirking.
I nodded and he turned away from me, walking back to the camera. The Major stood in front of me, and I was sure that he blocked me entirely from the camera's view no matter how far away from it he was standing.
"Shrödinger," he called the boy. "Go now to the Hellsing base."
The cat-boy saluted the Major and disappeared out of thin air. I noticed that he had been holding a monitor of some sort. We waited in silence, and then I saw the screens in front of us light up, revealing the Hellsing meeting room.
From behind the Major, I saw Integra sitting at the end of the long table, appearing furious. Alucard wasn't in sight, but I saw a few unrecognizable people sitting along the edges of the screen.
The Major began speaking to Integra. He told her about Rip Van and the other soldiers heading for the U.S. and that she couldn't stop them. He taunted her and told her that he had something very valuable to her.
He stepped to the side so that I could see the camera, and it could see me. Integra's face loosened with surprise. She called for Alucard. After hearing that, I leaned forward, waiting impatiently to see his face again.
It took quite a long while for him to appear on the screen. When he saw me, his face contorted with rage. The Major laughed maniacally.
"You'll want to save her, no?" he asked Alucard. "but you'll also want to be saving the United States, won't you? What a difficult decision!"
Alucard smirked. "You ignorant man. This is such a low blow coming from someone like yourself. We'll recover from this curve ball you've thrown at us and soon enough, you'll be the one cowering and at our mercy."
The Major nearly giggled with excitement and snapped his fingers. From nowhere in specific, a mass of ghouls charged at me. They seemed to morph right out of the walls. I screamed, and they came closer. They grabbed at my legs and face. Some of them had small containers of red liquid hidden from the camera and everyone watching at Hellsing. They tossed it at me, some of it splattering on the wall.
I continued to scream and writhe, kicking some of the mindless zombies off of me. Between them, I saw Alucard come closer to the screen, and I heard Integra order him to shoot. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him, cursing under the blasts of his gun.
I allowed the ghouls to continue acting out their attack. I ceased my screaming, and tears began silently streaming down my cheeks. The screens buzzed and clicked, turning black.
All of the ghouls backed away from me, leaving me in artificial blood and genuine tears. Dok and the Major stepped over to me, unchaining me and helping me stand.
"Excellent touch with the screaming. Did you like the blood?" the Major said. I didn't answer. "Why are you crying?"
"Uhh…it's nothing," I lied, wiping the salty, stinging tears off of my face.. Seeing Alucard so livid like that scared me. I wondered what decision Integra would make… "I just got frightened by the ghouls."
"I apologize," he said. "I didn't want you to know beforehand so that you could have a more authentic reaction. You may go and rest if you like."
I nodded, and Dok led me back to my room. He left the door open before he deserted me. That was a sure sign of their trust.
I lost track of how long I lay on the bed, ignoring those who tried to talk to me. They eventually gave up and left me alone. All I could do was lay there and think, picturing Alucard's enraged face and replaying his actions in my head.