"Sir Integra, Master is gone!"
Intgera peered up from her breakfast, watching Seras rush into the room. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that he's not here!" she cried in a shrill tone, and bloody tears poured down her cheeks. "I've searched everywhere for him, and I can't find him. I don't think he came home from Lindow!"
"Victoria, calm down."
Getting up from her seat, Integra began with the places where Alucard could usually be found, leaving her half-eaten meal to grow cold on the table, forgotten. She checked his dungeon, the library, the lounge with the TV, the shooting range. She resorted to combing the vast hallways and through the courtyard, ignoring the confused stares from soldiers and maids alike. Seras followed close behind her, her breaths heavy and choppy while they moved.
"I told you, he's not here!" she sobbed hysterically when they had returned to the dining room. "Something is wrong, Integra, I can feel it! He's alive, I know it, but I can't talk to him. Something happened to him!"
"Is he hurt?"
"I don't know—!"
"Seras." Integra held the police girl's shoulders. "We'll find him. I promise," she said, chewing on her lip.
"Shut your mouth, you bloody tosser!"
The last thing she had said…
"Get out of my office!"
Integra chewed harder.
"We will," Seras replied. "I will."
"And don't forget it," she replied, her voice all of a sudden quiet.
"Milady?" Walter asked, and he approached the pair, greying brows knitting in apparent concern.
"Walter, did Alucard come home from the mission I sent him on?"
"I haven't seen him," he replied. "I thought he came to you after."
Setting her jaw, Integra turned back to Seras. "Victoria, gather the Geese and wait for my orders!"
The young fledgling departed down the hall and Integra strode back to her office with her fists clenched, Walter close behind. The pair passed the trip in a tense silence only relieved by the clocks; the young dame spoke only once they had reached the top of the grand staircase.
"Is Seras right? Could those freaks really have hurt him?" she asked. "Did they take him somewhere?"
"Well, I doubt that he's left Britain," Walter replied.
"We can only hope not," Integra agreed, approaching the doors.
She sat herself in her chair, and Walter lit a cigar. "Sir Integra, what are you going to do? Surely we can't fight Millennium without Alucard."
Her last words to him kept on replaying in Integra's mind, looping and repeating to her over and over again like a broken record.
"Get out of my office!"
Digging her teeth into the leaves, she glanced to Walter from the corner of her eye. "Do you think it was them, Walter? Them and that mad Major?"
Her words gave pause to the butler, and he slowly withdrew with the lighter. "Major may have had a hand in it," he acquiesced.
Integra balled her fist again. She had been the one to tell Alucard to go to that damned church; she had all but given him to those damned freaks. Why did she have to send Alucard? If she had dispatched enough troops, maybe they could have handled it themselves. Or you could have had yet more blood on your hands.
What if she'd not sent anyone at all? What if she had simply rejected the case as soon as it passed across her desk?
Integra thumped her shaking fist against her desk. "Tell Seras and the Wild Geese to start at the church and expand from there. Leave no stone unturned!"
"Of course, Madam." Walter said, and he checked the clock while slipping out of the room.
-.-.-
"Sir Integra is suspicious of the Major," Walter said, talking into his cell phone and sitting on the edge of his bed. "But she's focused on trying to find Alucard for now. Other than that, she doesn't suspect a thing."
"Aha, perfect, perfect. Exactly as I vanted." the voice of Avondale Napyeer replied. "I must say, ze security footage of ze fight more zan met my expectations! As I thought, Howell made ausgezeichnet use of his illusions. But of course he vould. I knew he vould. He's far more intelligent zan Lieutenant Blitz."
Walter leaned back with a quiet sigh. "You'll stand by our agreement then?" he asked, interrupting the mad doctor before he digressed too much, and he could hear Avondale huff on the other side of the receiver.
"Of course, Dornez. Once your side gets vord of ze attack, expect one of my Major's men to retrieve you for your revard."
"Has Alucard been giving you trouble?"
"Oh, I haven't had a chance to visit him yet, but ze men haff been told to guard him und not to engage until I can come down as vell." he replied with an audible smirk.
Walter looked at a framed photograph propped on his nightstand. One of the first pictures that had been taken of Integra after she had been born, in fact. A younger Arthur Hellsing held the newborn babe in his arms, looking so proud, so vibrant, with Integra cradled against his chest in her puffy white coverall and booties. It reminded Walter of happier days, tending to his Madam in her nursery. She had been such an easy baby.
"Doctor Napyeer, are you sure that he won't be able to escape?" he asked. "If this plan fails—"
"As long as zey listen to mein orders, he vill stay right vhere he is. Und zey had better. If ze subject escapes…" Avondale's voice became muffled, and it sounded like he was biting down on something. "Or Gott forbid if Major finds out…"
"It could all fall flat." Walter finished for him.
"Ja…"
"You know that I'll call if anything happens."
"Gut. I hope to see you in my laboratory soon."
With a beep, the call disconnected.
Avondale reclined in his seat, turning the cellphone in his gloved hand, and he eyed the bite marks impressed on the latex enclosing his fingers.
He removed the phone's plastic backing and popped the battery from the receptacle, then shifted his weight to lean back toward the worktable he had been sitting at. Opening a drawer revealed the keyhole on the back panel, hardly apparent at a first glance; those few who had been allowed inside of the lab — much less to search through the doctor's things — rarely ever noticed its presence. It unlocked with a series of clicks, and the drawer opened just a bit wider, revealing a tiny hidden compartment. Avondale tucked the pieces of the phone away, slamming the drawer shut, and it locked with another click.
Avondale stood and paced around the lab for a moment, once again biting down on his fingers. This only served to exacerbate the pain that already stung shallow wounds, but if he felt it, he did not acknowledge it. Oh, Walter did have a point. If his Major found out about what he had been doing, he would not be pleased at all with him, oh no. Why, he'd surely…
He bit down harder, and his teeth came dangerously close to puncturing the rubber.
Avondale had gone too far to stop now however. He had secured the test subject (truly such a fine specimen too), all that remained would be to go to him and begin his research with a new slate, a better slate. One from which a new generation of vampires and weapons would spring forth from. So much to be learned and observed from a single extraordinary sample.
Soon, he would be turning his back on something blossomed for over fifty years.
Perhaps Avondale could convince Major to come with him, after the battle. Perhaps he would understand after all…
"All who stand in ze vay of my conquest vill die!"
Skin broke under the pressure, and blood trickled down his glove.
He had to stop, he told himself. Those who allowed such sentiments to stand between them and their mission would never reach the greatness they reached out so desperately for.
Avondale finally withdrew his fingers from his mouth and paced out of the lab; he passed the remnants of a shelving unit on his way, along with one of his gurneys. The stretcher's cushion and frame had been removed, leaving behind only the legs and casters.
-.-.-
"Christ, how long were we out? It's been dark for a while."
"Beats me. I'm goin' to bed."
The Geese had at long last returned from their search, empty-handed as unfortunate as it may be. Their tired chatter filled the halls along with the clunking of their boots, and most of them looked forward to finally being able to retire to the barracks. Their commander along with Seras lingered behind the bevy, and despite the Frenchman's attempts at small talk (and the occasional crude joke), the girl remained silent, dolefully pensive.
Pip looked at her. "Mon cher, are you alright?"
"We couldn't find him…" was all she said.
He stopped and turned to fully face her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know, but today was only ze first day. We could—"
"You don't understand, Pip!" Seras exclaimed, and she started to break down. "Back when I was a police officer, I helped investigate abductions all the time. Three quarters of them are killed within the first three hours, and if the victim isn't found within a day, more likely than not, they're already dead!"
Pip pulled her in for a hug, and Seras clutched onto his jacket, smearing the fabric with her tears as she continued to sob. "Ma chérie, Alucard's not like most people, not even most vampires. 'e's taken a zousand bullets and gotten right back up like it was nothing. I'm sure 'e'll be able to 'old out for you."
"It's all my fault, Pip! I shouldn't have agreed to go to Manchester, I should have stayed and gone with him. I should have been there to protect my Master!"
Hearing this, Pip tightened his grip around her. "Or zey could 'ave taken you too. S'il vous plaît, don't blame yourself, chérie."
Despite the Frenchman's efforts to alleviate her grief, Seras just kept on crying into his chest.
"You've said zat you can still sense 'im, 'aven't you? Even if you can't trace 'im?" Pip asked her, and the police girl responded in the affirmative. "So, as long as you 'ave zat, you'll know zat 'e's still alive."
"We'll find him, mon cher." he said, rubbing her back.
Seras pulled her face away from Pip's chest, and she sniffled. "Do you promise?"
"Oui, I promise."
Translations
German
Ausgezeichnet: Excellent
Gott: God
Gut: Good
French
Mon cher: My dear
Ma chérie: My darling
S'il vous plaît: Please
Chérie: Sweetie
A/N: If you guys think that the accents are a bit much, let me know. I like giving the characters unique "voices", and accents tend to be one of my methods, but I would be fine with dialing it back or stopping altogether if it turns out to be obnoxious to read.