Ch 5: Off to Work We Go
"Intelligence has reported a FREAK attack in a small village south of here." Walter said as he regarded the screen of the laptop computer. "Most of the population has been turned into ghouls. Those who are still human are reported to be hiding in the basement of a church, but it is only a matter of time before they are found and killed."
Integra sighed as she removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose to relieve the pressure that was building in her head. It was her duty as the head of the Hellsing house to rid the country of these monsters, but there were times that she wished that it were not her men being sent to battle these demons at the potential cost of their own lives. However, it could not be helped.
"Send the first platoon to silence the FREAKS" Integra said. "Put Captain Bernadotte in charge and send Lt. Victoria along."
"Very well, mum." Walter bowed and left the office to deliver the orders.
"Mission complete. Targets have been silenced. The survivors are being looked after at a local hospital" Pip reported into the microphone of the radio. "We have some injuries, but no casualties."
"Well done" Integra reported back from headquarters "Return to headquarters at once."
Pip acknowledged Sir Integra's orders and replaced the microphone. He turned and grinned as he saw Ceras Victoria walking toward the transport with her Halconnen on her shoulder and a somewhat embarrassed look on her face.
"Hey Victoria" Pip called, unable to resist an opportunity to give her a hard time. "You were supposed to hit the ghouls, not the house next to them." The house in question had been reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble by an explosive charge from Ceras' cannon.
"With all due respect, sir, you try hitting a group of ghouls at 700 meters." She replied as her eyes narrowed. Ceras thought that putting up with her master's wisecracks would almost be preferable to this. "And besides, I seem to remember taking the whole group out with the second shot."
"Well, I thought that you vampires were supposed to have better eyesight than the rest of us. I bet I could have hit that target if I were you." His smile grew wider as he saw the anger cross Ceras' face.
"That could be arranged." Ceras growled under her breath as Pip came up and slapped her rather hard on the shoulder.
"Relax, sweetheart," he said. "Just having a laugh." With that he stepped into the transport after her. The engine of the truck sprang to life and rumbled back toward the Hellsing manor.
On the return trip, Pip turned his attention to the few men who had been wounded. None of the wounds were terribly serious, but were definitely enough to case the men in question to grimace and curse in response to the pain. One soldier had his hand clamped over a deep cut in his arm.
"I think it would be worth getting hurt just to have that pretty new doctor working on me" Pip quipped in an effort to make the wounded man feel better. His statement was greeted with a chorus of agreement from the other soldiers who had met the doctor that morning. They all agreed that she was something special. Men, thought Ceras in disgust as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of the transport's engine as it carried them home.
Not too bad for a first day, Constance thought as she settled into the chair in her room. She stretched as she recalled the relatively uneventful day. Some of the soldiers had come back from their mission needing stitches, but that was nothing to a doctor who had worked gunshot wounds on a daily basis. When she had reported to the infirmary this morning, she had been given a friendly, if reserved, greeting from the doctors and nurses already there. After familiarizing herself with the layout of the infirmary and the location of the various supplies that she would need, she had found her desk and reviewed the charts that had been turned over to her. As she made rounds, some of her coworkers had inquired about her previous job. More than a few of them were also curious about her habit of carrying candy in her coat pocket and giving it to the patients who were able to eat it.
"I always carried it for the kids who had to visit the emergency room and found out after a while that the adults appreciated it just as much." Constance smiled as she recalled how some of the adults had chuckled at the gesture back home. "Small things like that can sometimes do more good than all the medical technology there is." After that, and offering a piece of candy to the person asking, she found the staff a little less reserved. Even Integra chuckled when she heard about it from Walter, who had come to tell her how the new doctor was settling in.
"Intelligence has reported a FREAK attack in a small village south of here." Walter said as he regarded the screen of the laptop computer. "Most of the population has been turned into ghouls. Those who are still human are reported to be hiding in the basement of a church, but it is only a matter of time before they are found and killed."
Integra sighed as she removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose to relieve the pressure that was building in her head. It was her duty as the head of the Hellsing house to rid the country of these monsters, but there were times that she wished that it were not her men being sent to battle these demons at the potential cost of their own lives. However, it could not be helped.
"Send the first platoon to silence the FREAKS" Integra said. "Put Captain Bernadotte in charge and send Lt. Victoria along."
"Very well, mum." Walter bowed and left the office to deliver the orders.
"Mission complete. Targets have been silenced. The survivors are being looked after at a local hospital" Pip reported into the microphone of the radio. "We have some injuries, but no casualties."
"Well done" Integra reported back from headquarters "Return to headquarters at once."
Pip acknowledged Sir Integra's orders and replaced the microphone. He turned and grinned as he saw Ceras Victoria walking toward the transport with her Halconnen on her shoulder and a somewhat embarrassed look on her face.
"Hey Victoria" Pip called, unable to resist an opportunity to give her a hard time. "You were supposed to hit the ghouls, not the house next to them." The house in question had been reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble by an explosive charge from Ceras' cannon.
"With all due respect, sir, you try hitting a group of ghouls at 700 meters." She replied as her eyes narrowed. Ceras thought that putting up with her master's wisecracks would almost be preferable to this. "And besides, I seem to remember taking the whole group out with the second shot."
"Well, I thought that you vampires were supposed to have better eyesight than the rest of us. I bet I could have hit that target if I were you." His smile grew wider as he saw the anger cross Ceras' face.
"That could be arranged." Ceras growled under her breath as Pip came up and slapped her rather hard on the shoulder.
"Relax, sweetheart," he said. "Just having a laugh." With that he stepped into the transport after her. The engine of the truck sprang to life and rumbled back toward the Hellsing manor.
On the return trip, Pip turned his attention to the few men who had been wounded. None of the wounds were terribly serious, but were definitely enough to case the men in question to grimace and curse in response to the pain. One soldier had his hand clamped over a deep cut in his arm.
"I think it would be worth getting hurt just to have that pretty new doctor working on me" Pip quipped in an effort to make the wounded man feel better. His statement was greeted with a chorus of agreement from the other soldiers who had met the doctor that morning. They all agreed that she was something special. Men, thought Ceras in disgust as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of the transport's engine as it carried them home.
Not too bad for a first day, Constance thought as she settled into the chair in her room. She stretched as she recalled the relatively uneventful day. Some of the soldiers had come back from their mission needing stitches, but that was nothing to a doctor who had worked gunshot wounds on a daily basis. When she had reported to the infirmary this morning, she had been given a friendly, if reserved, greeting from the doctors and nurses already there. After familiarizing herself with the layout of the infirmary and the location of the various supplies that she would need, she had found her desk and reviewed the charts that had been turned over to her. As she made rounds, some of her coworkers had inquired about her previous job. More than a few of them were also curious about her habit of carrying candy in her coat pocket and giving it to the patients who were able to eat it.
"I always carried it for the kids who had to visit the emergency room and found out after a while that the adults appreciated it just as much." Constance smiled as she recalled how some of the adults had chuckled at the gesture back home. "Small things like that can sometimes do more good than all the medical technology there is." After that, and offering a piece of candy to the person asking, she found the staff a little less reserved. Even Integra chuckled when she heard about it from Walter, who had come to tell her how the new doctor was settling in.