Alucard had been lightly dozing while waiting for the mist to clear, but the sudden lose of the weight against his back has his attention sharpened once again. Before he can ask what had disturbed his old comrade he spots the liferaft drifting toward them with several smug faces looking back at him

"I hate mercenaries."

"You only hate them because you aren't suppose to kill them." Walter replies, his voice still a bit gruff from an uneasy sleep.

"That too. You doing alright?"

"Starving, but otherwise fine."

"Looks like you boys could use a lift!" One of the older mercenaries calls out. Both vampire and butler roll their eyes. Either one of them is easily older than the man.

"No, we don't. If you know where the survivors are holed up at I suggest you head that way." Alucard grumbles.

"Uh...a general idea. What the hell are you two going to do?"

The grin that stretches across Alucard's face Walter knew all too well. He drops his face into his hand with a groan. Whatever the vampire was planning it was going to be messy, "It doesn't matter, just go." He waits till the raft full of mercenaries is well out of hearing distance before turning to glare at Alucard, "What the bloody hell are you planning?"

The grin had faded leaving a look of grim determination on the vampire's face. That was almost worse. Walter leans back and braces his hands against the cold metal as their makeshift boat lurches forward.

"None of those that attacked us at the farm house were vampires so there's still humans walking among the freaks. That means food for both of us and a chance to gather information."

"That's going to blow our cover."

The grin returns full force, "Only if we leave a witness alive."

Walter sighs, "We can't kill everyone. Some of those people may be innocent and you know how much that would piss off Integra and Seras. I don't know about you but I would like to get laid again sometime this year!"

Alucard snickers, "And if sweet little Seras heard you talking like that."

Walter scoffs, "You clearly don't know what she's like behind closed doors." He narrows his eyes at Alucard when he grins, then shoves a foot against the vampire's hip, scooting him dangerously close to toppling off the sheet of metal, "That's not an offer to find out!"

Alucard laughs and shakes his head slightly, "So easy to rile. Honestly, though, if they don't have some idea we're here they truly are daft. They failed their first attempt to kill us so naturally we're going to come after them, because anyone who's ever met Integra knows how much something like that is going to piss her off."

"Fair point."

The sheet of metal veers away from the raft and heads toward the docks. The mercenaries were most likely sneaking in through the sewers. Not a bad plan really and likely what they should have been doing, but Walter can't deny that causing a bit of trouble with the vampire is rather appealing. It had been a while.

Walter pulls himself up on the dock when the metal bumps into the supports then turns back to watch Alucard haul his coffin out of the water, "What are you going to do with that. Can't haul it through the streets."

Alucard shrugs slightly and with a last hard tug the water logged box surfaces.

Walter braces his feet against the wet boards of the dock and uses the wires still wrapped around the coffin to pull it up onto the dock, "For now you'll just have to carry it. Did you have an idea on where to go?"

Alucard's shadows wrap around the coffin as Walter's wires retract and he pulls it up to his back like some sort of gaudy backpack, "Not really. You know humans better than I do, where would they be the most likely to hang out?"

Walter chuckles quietly and starts down the street away from the dock, "That one is easy!"

Night settles over the city with a cold embrace. The streets stink of death and the air fills with the moans of countless ghouls as they shamble out of their holes. Alucard was right, there are still humans among the denizens of London, but what he sees doesn't leave him feeling very comforted. Any human he sees is in the company of a freak. They were pets, toys...or worse. The sobbing pleas of a young woman reach his ears. Glancing over at his companion he sees the muscles in the vampire's jaw tighten and reaches out to grab his wrist. For all Alucard's monstrous ways he did have his limits.

Walter whispers as he tightens his grip on the vampire's wrist, "I don't like this anymore than you do, but if you attack it could cause more trouble than we can handle. You've got a pregnant mate to think about."

"Just get us to where we're going." Alucard growls.

Walter nods slightly and turns down a side street. This quarter was suppose to be a historical sight, but really it was just a cess pool for the drunks, thieves and any other lowlifes. It was always his favorite haunt in his younger days. He stops outside one the buildings and tilts his head toward the door, "Local pub. Stash your coffin somewhere, we're going inside."

Alucard doesn't look the least bit pleased and that brings a grin to Walter's face. Stuck up vampire. Still, Alucard tucks his coffin somewhere between the pub and the adjacent building then follows Walter inside. There's nothing pretty about the place. The table tops are scuffed from years of glasses and bottles sliding over them. Several of the chairs have a folded piece of paper or chip of wood under a leg to keep the chair balanced and the walls are covered with old movie posters and even some clippings from adult magazines. He was pretty sure a few of those clippings he had stuck up there himself. Ah, stupid teenagers. The usual smell of stale cigarette smoke and beer is joined with the new scent of fresh blood. There's another smell that makes his stomach growl, greasy fries and charbroiled beef!

Alucard chuckles quietly and nudges him toward the bar, "Go on, you've behaved well enough to enjoy a treat."

He really wanted to punch Alucard in that moment, but he knew what he was doing and he'd play the part of the loyal dog for now. Besides, he's too hungry to care at the moment. Taking a seat at the bar he flashes a grateful smile at the bartender when he promptly sets a mug of beer and a plate of greasy food in front of him. For a moment he misses the crazy one-eyed old man that used to run the pub. Always had a good story that one.

"Don't see many warm bloods in here without being leashed or one of those Hellsing thugs." The bartender says quietly, "Your master must really favor you."

Walter frowns as he takes a sip of his beer, "Hellsing thugs?"

The bartender nods toward a corner of the room where a group of men are huddled around a table, "They like to bully the people like me who still serve the warm bloods. In the vampires pockets I tell ya. I thought those people used to kill vampires."

"They did until their leader was badly injured. Her peers voted to have the organization taken from her so she let her vampire servant turn her and they fled the country. Then all this shit happens."

The bartender gnaws on the stub of cigar hanging from his lips then sighs, "Wasn't left with much of a choice was she? And how you know this?"

"Not really. I was the butler for the family."

The bartender eyes him for a moment then gapes and braces his hands against the counter as he leans closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, "You're the Angel of Death?! And that," The man glances toward Alucard, "is that beast that wiped the floor with those Nazi bastards?"

Walter nods slightly, "Yeah, and you're not going to make me kill you are you?"

The bartender grins widely, "You back to deal with this trash?"

"That's the plan."

"What can I do to help?"

Walter smiles faintly, "Any information you pick up from your patrons we can use. I'll send someone out here regularly to relay that information back to us." Who he'd send he has no clue, but he can figure that out later. He turns to look for Alucard then groans when he sees the vampire slipping out the backdoor with a lady on each arm. Integra was going to kill him! Dropping a few bills on the counter he hurries after the vampire. He steps out into the alley to find Alucard with both women pinned against the wall. His fangs buried in the neck of one while he keeps a firm grip on the other's throat, just tight enough to keep her from screaming while she struggles.

Alucard raises his head and eases the girl to the ground, she'd be fine in a few hours. He closes his eyes with a sigh as the wound in his chest begins to heal, muscle and bone knitting back together till his skin is left without a mark. Opening his eyes he turns his attention to the chipped vampire clawing uselessly at his arm and grins.

"I spared your pet, but you won't be so fortunate." With that he tears into the tender flesh of her throat. Freak blood is bitter compared to human, but for a starving vampire it's still pure heaven.

"Better hurry up before someone notices us." Walter's voice chimes in through the blood induced haze in his mind.

Alucard grunts and steps back to let the body drop to the pavement before it crumbles to ash, "The soldiers are already coming around the building now...just like I wanted them too."

Walter sighs, he should have know there was a reason Alucard had been so obvious with leading the women out the door. The damn vampire just wasn't going to leave this alone until he had his revenge.

Sure enough, five men turn the corner with guns raised.

"The bullets are silver so just be a nice little vampire and come along quietly."

Alucard laughs as his shadows engulf the alley, sealing them off from the rest of the world, "You pathetic fools!" His voice drops to a growl, "None of you are walking out of here alive."

Before the first shot can be fired the ancient vampire is upon them. Their screams are lost in the void of his shadows as frail human bodies are torn apart and far too quickly to sate the monster. More, he needs more! Blazing ruby eyes lock on the lone male with a unconscious girl in his arms. One still breathes!

He makes a grab for the man but his hands close on empty air. He blinks, then grins. This one is fast, more fun. Quickly turning toward the sound of shoes scuffing against pavement clawed fingertips barely graze the man's cheek, leaving two bloody gashes on the pale skin. To his delight the man drops the girl and lashes out, surprisingly catching his jaw with his fist hard enough to cause the vampire to stumble back a bit. With a growl he lunges for the man again, this time closing his hands around the man's throat as he pins him back against the wall. His moment of victory is brief. Something flickers in the space around him then a searing pain erupts in both arms as they're severed at the elbows.

"Damn it, Alucard! Snap out of it!"

Alucard blinks as he watches his arms reform. That human...knew his name. A look of horror settles on his face as he turns to look at Walter, the continuously moving wires flickering in the dim light of the alley. The cuts on his cheek had already healed, "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Walter lets out a relieved sigh and retracts the wires as he lets his body relax, "No, I'm fine. Clean up this mess then get your coffin and lets go. The faster we get you back to Integra the better."

Alucard nods slightly as his shadows slither across the pavement, soaking up the blood till not a single stain remains.

"On the bright side, you're healing properly again. Guess you just needed to bleed out to purge your body of whatever toxin that mutant left behind."

Alucard remains silent as he drags his coffin out from behind a dumpster, gaining a sigh from Walter.

"I'm not that fragile, you know."

"It's...not been that bad in years." Alucard replies quietly.

Walter shrugs slightly and walks back over to pick up the young woman. He wasn't going to leave her there for someone else to abuse, "You're no longer leashed by magic either and Integra isn't here. Amazing how she can keep you under control without needing any hocus pocus. How is that? Just a respect for her?"

Alucard shakes his head slightly as he follows after Walter, "Not something I can even begin to put words to."

"Whatever it is I hope it never disappears. You're a real asshole."

Alucard chuckles quietly, "Says the Angel of Death."

x*x

Integra groans and reaches up to hold the sides of her head. It feels like her brain is about to explode! She peeks an eye open then frowns as she stares at the top of the subway car.

"Where the hell am I...?" She mutters, then quickly sits up when she hears someone shuffling about.

A pair of ruby eyes stare back at her from an unfamiliar face and she grabs for her gun still strapped to her thigh.