The setting was a rather more intimate than Anderson would ever have liked.
A small table against the west wall of the little restaurant dimly lit
with one of those candles that come in the red frosted glass holders.
Alucard lounged in one chair with his cigarette hanging from his lips;
garnet hued eyes focused intensely on the man across from him. Anderson
sat stiffly, ignoring the vampire as much as was possible as he bent over
his plate and focused his attention on the glazed salmon. Alucard leaned
forward on his elbows.
"Something troubling you, Father? I hope I'm not.distressing your digestion." He grinned as curl of smoke floated up from the burning end of his cigarette and haloed itself about the priest's unkempt golden hair. Anderson looked up and growled, fanning away the gray white cloud with a gesture of his gloved hand.
"This is ridiculous. What do you want, Alucard? I'm sick of your games."
"Oh, is that why you came all the way from Rome without the protection of your little organization? To tell me you were done with me?" the creature smirked and Anderson glowered.
"How do you-of course." The monster had overheard Father Maxwell when he'd called in the alleyway. Anderson had been ordered to come back to Rome immediately. Seemed there was an issue concerning the last few files he'd returned-or rather didn't-to the Vatican archives. Stealing property of the Holy Church was a serious offense, and this was Anderson's third infraction on that count.
"Well, Father? Will you jump at your master's orders?" The vampire stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray at the center of the table and leaned back in his chair, resting a booted foot on the tabletop.
"Unlike you, monster," he spat the word "I don't answer to a human master. I serve God and the Church only." He jabbed viciously at the salmon with his fork and stuffed the morsel into his mouth. "And I have no intention of leaving here until I finish what I came to do." Alucard's mouth split and a harsh, humorless laugh hissed out passed rows of shark-like teeth.
"You're going to be here for some time then, Catholic. You should know that I can only be destroyed by a man true in faith." Anderson slammed his fist down on the table, eliciting startled glances from the other patrons in the restaurant.
"You doubt my faith, heathen?" he leaned over the table and grabbed the vampire's coat front, twisting it in his fist. Alucard looked quite shocked for a moment, and then settled into his usual self-assured smirk.
"Of course not, Father. I can see your devotion is unyielding." He laughed "But you are no mere man."
Anderson's jaw flexed, and he released his grip on the vampire, falling heavily back into his chair. Alucard had stumbled upon something that had been troubling the priest for years, but of which he hadn't thought for some time. He sat silent, lost in his thoughts for only a short while before Alucard's dark velvet chuckle drifted to his ears.
"Paladin. Champion of the Order. God's Devine Hand.. Vagrant knight." Alucard grinned at Anderson's reaction to the last "Yes, vagrant. You call that twelve-by-twelve windowless room a home, Father Anderson? You've never felt at home in the Vatican anyway, have you. Wandering over the world, dispatching whom or whatever you're told to. You're nothing more than zealous hired killer. A drifter who murders in the name of the Church. In word, Alexander. Catholic." The monster grinned and stood from the table. "Of course, you could always come home with me." He laughed as he walked away, tossing his glasses over his shoulder and landing them on the table in front of the priest. Anderson watched him go, then gritted his teeth and crushed the spectacles in his fist.
He sat on the bed in his hotel room, lent over, arms resting on his knees, eyes staring focused somewhere at the space between himself and the floor. He could go to Hellsing Manor, root out the demon in its own home.Yes, and get rid of Sir Integra at the same time.restore his Order's faith in him. The looks he'd gotten after having faced Alucard three times and failing to destroy him. Section XIII's most capable agent, never before had a target escaped his Devine Fury; now he could not even destroy a single vampire. An arrogant, sneering, sarcastic, self righteous monster! It disgusted Anderson that Alucard took such pride in what he was. It was a perversion, a slap in the face of God. He would give anything to cut out that beast's sharp tongue and take it back to Rome to present to Father Maxwell in a small silver chest. It would earn him a curt nod of approval. Anything-anything-to relieve the disappointment, the threatening tone that he'd received after his second encounter with that vampire, when he'd come back to Rome missing both his arms and a good bit of his sanity. Enrico hadn't even bothered to look up at him, but the utter disgust he felt was quite apparent in his voice and his veiled threats.
"Father Anderson, the Vatican cannot afford to.keep you employed if you continue to incur such dire losses. You are here for the very specific purpose of handling these exact problems and, well, the costs of keeping you in operable condition are quite inflated of late. If you cannot prove yourself against this single agent of Satan, your.expenditures will be terminated. We expect more satisfactory results from you in the future." The message was clear-Get the job done or face destruction.
He was an expensive tool, and a dangerous one; if he could not perform his functions, he would be summarily destroyed to prevent his rather unique gifts from falling into the wrong hands, and to stifle any possible retaliation on his own part. Anderson never fooled himself about that. This is why the Vatican wanted him to return immediately. They were afraid! Worried he might decide to stay in London, or worse, join the Hellsing Organization. As though he would even consider such a ludicrous notion! No, he would kill Alucard and piss on his ashes, then return home with his reputation restored. So he sat, in his hotel room, lost in his obsessions.
"Something troubling you, Father? I hope I'm not.distressing your digestion." He grinned as curl of smoke floated up from the burning end of his cigarette and haloed itself about the priest's unkempt golden hair. Anderson looked up and growled, fanning away the gray white cloud with a gesture of his gloved hand.
"This is ridiculous. What do you want, Alucard? I'm sick of your games."
"Oh, is that why you came all the way from Rome without the protection of your little organization? To tell me you were done with me?" the creature smirked and Anderson glowered.
"How do you-of course." The monster had overheard Father Maxwell when he'd called in the alleyway. Anderson had been ordered to come back to Rome immediately. Seemed there was an issue concerning the last few files he'd returned-or rather didn't-to the Vatican archives. Stealing property of the Holy Church was a serious offense, and this was Anderson's third infraction on that count.
"Well, Father? Will you jump at your master's orders?" The vampire stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray at the center of the table and leaned back in his chair, resting a booted foot on the tabletop.
"Unlike you, monster," he spat the word "I don't answer to a human master. I serve God and the Church only." He jabbed viciously at the salmon with his fork and stuffed the morsel into his mouth. "And I have no intention of leaving here until I finish what I came to do." Alucard's mouth split and a harsh, humorless laugh hissed out passed rows of shark-like teeth.
"You're going to be here for some time then, Catholic. You should know that I can only be destroyed by a man true in faith." Anderson slammed his fist down on the table, eliciting startled glances from the other patrons in the restaurant.
"You doubt my faith, heathen?" he leaned over the table and grabbed the vampire's coat front, twisting it in his fist. Alucard looked quite shocked for a moment, and then settled into his usual self-assured smirk.
"Of course not, Father. I can see your devotion is unyielding." He laughed "But you are no mere man."
Anderson's jaw flexed, and he released his grip on the vampire, falling heavily back into his chair. Alucard had stumbled upon something that had been troubling the priest for years, but of which he hadn't thought for some time. He sat silent, lost in his thoughts for only a short while before Alucard's dark velvet chuckle drifted to his ears.
"Paladin. Champion of the Order. God's Devine Hand.. Vagrant knight." Alucard grinned at Anderson's reaction to the last "Yes, vagrant. You call that twelve-by-twelve windowless room a home, Father Anderson? You've never felt at home in the Vatican anyway, have you. Wandering over the world, dispatching whom or whatever you're told to. You're nothing more than zealous hired killer. A drifter who murders in the name of the Church. In word, Alexander. Catholic." The monster grinned and stood from the table. "Of course, you could always come home with me." He laughed as he walked away, tossing his glasses over his shoulder and landing them on the table in front of the priest. Anderson watched him go, then gritted his teeth and crushed the spectacles in his fist.
He sat on the bed in his hotel room, lent over, arms resting on his knees, eyes staring focused somewhere at the space between himself and the floor. He could go to Hellsing Manor, root out the demon in its own home.Yes, and get rid of Sir Integra at the same time.restore his Order's faith in him. The looks he'd gotten after having faced Alucard three times and failing to destroy him. Section XIII's most capable agent, never before had a target escaped his Devine Fury; now he could not even destroy a single vampire. An arrogant, sneering, sarcastic, self righteous monster! It disgusted Anderson that Alucard took such pride in what he was. It was a perversion, a slap in the face of God. He would give anything to cut out that beast's sharp tongue and take it back to Rome to present to Father Maxwell in a small silver chest. It would earn him a curt nod of approval. Anything-anything-to relieve the disappointment, the threatening tone that he'd received after his second encounter with that vampire, when he'd come back to Rome missing both his arms and a good bit of his sanity. Enrico hadn't even bothered to look up at him, but the utter disgust he felt was quite apparent in his voice and his veiled threats.
"Father Anderson, the Vatican cannot afford to.keep you employed if you continue to incur such dire losses. You are here for the very specific purpose of handling these exact problems and, well, the costs of keeping you in operable condition are quite inflated of late. If you cannot prove yourself against this single agent of Satan, your.expenditures will be terminated. We expect more satisfactory results from you in the future." The message was clear-Get the job done or face destruction.
He was an expensive tool, and a dangerous one; if he could not perform his functions, he would be summarily destroyed to prevent his rather unique gifts from falling into the wrong hands, and to stifle any possible retaliation on his own part. Anderson never fooled himself about that. This is why the Vatican wanted him to return immediately. They were afraid! Worried he might decide to stay in London, or worse, join the Hellsing Organization. As though he would even consider such a ludicrous notion! No, he would kill Alucard and piss on his ashes, then return home with his reputation restored. So he sat, in his hotel room, lost in his obsessions.