Ch 17: The Enemy Moves
He had been watching her for months and could more or less predict her every move. He knew when she came on duty and when she left, he knew when she ate and slept. He knew that she was friendly with people at the top of the organization as well as with those at the bottom. He could find her when she left the grounds, having been able to place a tracking device on the blue and silver motorcycle that she rode. He knew that she had an affinity for the food served by an elderly Japanese couple at a small restaurant in the nearby town. He knew almost everything about her. After all, the Vatican only sent their best spies to gather information about the organization that had been a thorn in their sides for countless decades.
Father Enrico Maxwell had decided that it was time to move. The plan was to take their quarry as far from the Hellsing manor as possible. The information provided by his spy would be quite useful. He picked up the phone and outlined the plan to his most capable agents.
"Understood, Father." Alexander Anderson placed the phone in the receiver, already grinning at the anticipation of facing his implacable enemy once again.
Constance thanked the old man as he placed a bowl of soup in front of her. She was thankful that this place existed. Good Japanese food, while abundant in a big city like Detroit, was almost nowhere to be found in Britain. After inquiring about her well-being, the man returned to the kitchen to place the rest of her order.
"You called, Master?" Alucard purred as he materialized directly behind Integra. He liked to keep her on her toes by never entering the room from the same place twice.
"Stop messing around, Alucard." Integra snapped. "I have just received word of a small group of FREAKS in an underground car park in a city 20 miles from here. I want you and Ceras to take care of it."
"Just us, Master?" Alucard asked. "You don't want any troops to go along and make sure we behave ourselves?"
Integra fought the urge to shoot that idiotic grin off of his face. "It's a small group and our new troops are not up to strength yet. You and Lt Victoria should be more than enough to silence them. Follow your orders. I will not repeat myself."
"Very well, master."
While Alucard and Ceras were on their way to take care of the FREAKS, Constance exited the restaurant, waving a goodbye to the couple standing at the door. Just as she was about to straddle her cycle to head back to headquarters, she was knocked to her a kneeling position by something that felt like a potato hitting her in the back at tremendous speed. The impact was followed by a web of thin ropes being cast over her, making movement nearly impossible. As Constance struggled against the ropes, she saw what appeared to be the legs and feet of two men. She felt the slight sting of a hypodermic followed by the feeling that her arms and legs were somehow too heavy to move. Her struggle to escape slowed to a stop as the powerful tranquilizer she had been given took effect. The men picked up their quarry and lifted it into the back of a waiting van. The van sped off, leaving a cloud of choking dust in its wake.
Huddled inside the restaurant, the couple looked on as the abduction that had taken less than a minute was committed. The old man was frustrated at his inability to help her. If he were younger, he might have been able to stop them or at least slow them down. Instead, he could only watch as the young woman that he and his wife liked so well was kidnapped. He looked to Constance's abandoned bike. Perhaps she had identification or something that would help the police find her. He pulled an identification card out of one of the saddlebags. His eyes widened as he saw the insignia of the Hellsing organization. He only knew of the organization that supposedly had it's own private army by rumor, but had always suspected that they were housed in the large mansion several miles down the road. Instructing his wife to keep the door locked until he returned, he jumped into his old pickup truck and sped to the mansion where there were people he hoped could help.
Ceras cautiously entered the underground parking lot, looking around for any signs of the FREAKS that they were supposed to silence. Alucard was not with her, opting to use his ability to walk through walls to take the enemy by surprise.
This level appears to be clear, Master. Ceras spoke to her master in her head, not wanting to give away their position.
Let's try the bottom level, police-girl, Alucard replied as he seemed to melt through the ceiling.
When Ceras reached the bottom level, she stopped and listened to the faint sound of footsteps. Her extra sensitive hearing told her that the person or creature making the footsteps was headed to her position. Then, without warning, a silver blade came whizzing right at her. Diving to the left, she managed to avoid the killing silver. She brought her cannon to firing level and fired a shot in the general direction that the blade had come from. The explosion from the charge hitting the wall illuminated the room enough that she could see the form of a man as tall as Alucard, with short spiked hair and a long robe. The light from the explosion made the cross he was wearing glow brightly for an instant before the light burned itself out.
That bastard again, Ceras seethed to herself. The light had allowed her to see his position and she fired another round, this one also missing its target. She sensed the priest running at her, most likely with a blade in his hand. She concentrated on the shadowy form coming at her. Ceras knew she was risking getting stabbed, but she wanted to let him get as close as possible so she could get off a good shot. Time seemed to slow down as the figure continued to get closer. At the last possible second, Ceras raised her cannon and fired. She heard a blade hit the floor as the priest's hand was blown off. Ceras approached the spot where he might have fallen but saw nothing.
Some light would be helpful here, Ceras thought. As if on her command, the fluorescent lights above her flickered for a moment before filling the room with welcome light. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she saw her master by the main switch. Alucard was looking at the man who had attacked Ceras in the darkness. Alexander Anderson was wearing a smile as crazy as Alucard's as he faced the vampires who were his sworn enemies.
"You again, priest? Very persistent of you." Alucard sneered as he drew his black gun from his coat pocket. Ceras had her cannon aimed directly at Anderson's head.
"I assume that you took care of the FREAKS already?" Alucard asked. The priest had the same mission as those in the Hellsing organization, yet the Iscariot organization had waged what could only be described as a turf war with their Protestant counterparts.
"You'll have to forgive the deception," Anderson answered in his distinctive Scottish accent. "There are no undead here other than you two pieces of filth."
"You lured us here to try and kill us then," Alucard stated, his grin becoming even wider. "How flattering. Let us begin then, priest."
"Not today, vampire. As much as I regret it, you will not die
tonight. We're more interested in your ministering angel than you or the Hellsing bitch." Anderson replied, flexing the hand that had reappeared as if by magic.
The smile disappeared from Alucard's face as he realized the meaning of the priest's words. The doctor. They're after Constance.
"That's a move you'll live to regret." Alucard promised Anderson. With that Alucard disappeared with Ceras running after him.
Please don't let us be too late, Ceras prayed to a God that she was hoping had not abandoned her for what she had become as she ran to the small jeep that she had been provided. She did not yet possess her master's ability to defy gravity and therefore had to rely on man made machines to get places as quickly as he did. She put the machine into gear and sped off. As she sped toward the Hellsing house, she made a silent vow to Anderson. I'll make sure we get you if it's the last thing I do, you bastard.
While the two undead of Hellsing were battling the priest, the restaurant owner had stopped his pickup in front of the gate of the Hellsing house. He frantically explained the abduction that he had seen and showed the guard the identification card he had taken from Constance's bike. The guard was immediately on the phone and what seemed like seconds later, the old man was ushered through the gate and into the parlor of the huge house where Integra was waiting.
Alucard entered the main hall of the house as the restaurant owner was explaining what had happened to Integra and Walter. He had seen two men in dressed in black stun the doctor by firing a beanbag at her. They had then thrown a net over her and he assumed that they had drugged her since her protests and struggling stopped almost instantly.
"I'm sorry I was not able to do anything more than this," the man said as he looked at Integra and cast his eyes to the floor.
"Not at all. You've done us a great service. Perhaps they have not gotten too far." Integra answered. "We must also ask another service of you. It is imperative that you do not mention this incident to anyone else. We have the means to take care of the situation and we will."
The old man nodded and rose to leave. He believed the woman with the icy blue eyes when she said that they could take care of the situation. He did not want to tarry too long as he was also concerned about his wife if the kidnappers decided to return and get rid of the witnesses. He bowed slightly to Alucard and Ceras, who had arrived minutes after her master, as Walter showed him to the door.
As soon as the front door closed, Alucard all but shouted, "Those filth from the Iscariot organization are behind this! They made up a story about FREAKS to lure us away. They must have also known the doctor's habits since they were clever enough to take her while she was away from headquarters."
Fury flashed in Integra's eyes and she almost bit her cigar in half as she absorbed this information.
"Bastards, how dare they abduct one of my people! They'll pay for this, I swear." Integra growled as she pulled the ruined cigar from her mouth and threw it to the floor.
"But why would they take the doctor? We are the only ones who know about what she is." Ceras thought another minute and then spoke again as an idea came to her. "Do you think the Vatican sent a spy into Hellsing?"
"Security is very tight, but I suppose that it is not impossible," Walter said as he stepped to Integra's side again. Integra nodded as Walter promised to begin an investigation immediately
"The question is, what do we do now? The man said that they left in a vehicle, so they could be anywhere by now." Alucard said.
"Send a patrol in the direction that the restaurant owner said that the van was headed in." Integra ordered. She then turned to Alucard and Ceras. "I have a special assignment for you two and Captain Bernadotte. I have a feeling that you three will be traveling to Italy soon."
He had been watching her for months and could more or less predict her every move. He knew when she came on duty and when she left, he knew when she ate and slept. He knew that she was friendly with people at the top of the organization as well as with those at the bottom. He could find her when she left the grounds, having been able to place a tracking device on the blue and silver motorcycle that she rode. He knew that she had an affinity for the food served by an elderly Japanese couple at a small restaurant in the nearby town. He knew almost everything about her. After all, the Vatican only sent their best spies to gather information about the organization that had been a thorn in their sides for countless decades.
Father Enrico Maxwell had decided that it was time to move. The plan was to take their quarry as far from the Hellsing manor as possible. The information provided by his spy would be quite useful. He picked up the phone and outlined the plan to his most capable agents.
"Understood, Father." Alexander Anderson placed the phone in the receiver, already grinning at the anticipation of facing his implacable enemy once again.
Constance thanked the old man as he placed a bowl of soup in front of her. She was thankful that this place existed. Good Japanese food, while abundant in a big city like Detroit, was almost nowhere to be found in Britain. After inquiring about her well-being, the man returned to the kitchen to place the rest of her order.
"You called, Master?" Alucard purred as he materialized directly behind Integra. He liked to keep her on her toes by never entering the room from the same place twice.
"Stop messing around, Alucard." Integra snapped. "I have just received word of a small group of FREAKS in an underground car park in a city 20 miles from here. I want you and Ceras to take care of it."
"Just us, Master?" Alucard asked. "You don't want any troops to go along and make sure we behave ourselves?"
Integra fought the urge to shoot that idiotic grin off of his face. "It's a small group and our new troops are not up to strength yet. You and Lt Victoria should be more than enough to silence them. Follow your orders. I will not repeat myself."
"Very well, master."
While Alucard and Ceras were on their way to take care of the FREAKS, Constance exited the restaurant, waving a goodbye to the couple standing at the door. Just as she was about to straddle her cycle to head back to headquarters, she was knocked to her a kneeling position by something that felt like a potato hitting her in the back at tremendous speed. The impact was followed by a web of thin ropes being cast over her, making movement nearly impossible. As Constance struggled against the ropes, she saw what appeared to be the legs and feet of two men. She felt the slight sting of a hypodermic followed by the feeling that her arms and legs were somehow too heavy to move. Her struggle to escape slowed to a stop as the powerful tranquilizer she had been given took effect. The men picked up their quarry and lifted it into the back of a waiting van. The van sped off, leaving a cloud of choking dust in its wake.
Huddled inside the restaurant, the couple looked on as the abduction that had taken less than a minute was committed. The old man was frustrated at his inability to help her. If he were younger, he might have been able to stop them or at least slow them down. Instead, he could only watch as the young woman that he and his wife liked so well was kidnapped. He looked to Constance's abandoned bike. Perhaps she had identification or something that would help the police find her. He pulled an identification card out of one of the saddlebags. His eyes widened as he saw the insignia of the Hellsing organization. He only knew of the organization that supposedly had it's own private army by rumor, but had always suspected that they were housed in the large mansion several miles down the road. Instructing his wife to keep the door locked until he returned, he jumped into his old pickup truck and sped to the mansion where there were people he hoped could help.
Ceras cautiously entered the underground parking lot, looking around for any signs of the FREAKS that they were supposed to silence. Alucard was not with her, opting to use his ability to walk through walls to take the enemy by surprise.
This level appears to be clear, Master. Ceras spoke to her master in her head, not wanting to give away their position.
Let's try the bottom level, police-girl, Alucard replied as he seemed to melt through the ceiling.
When Ceras reached the bottom level, she stopped and listened to the faint sound of footsteps. Her extra sensitive hearing told her that the person or creature making the footsteps was headed to her position. Then, without warning, a silver blade came whizzing right at her. Diving to the left, she managed to avoid the killing silver. She brought her cannon to firing level and fired a shot in the general direction that the blade had come from. The explosion from the charge hitting the wall illuminated the room enough that she could see the form of a man as tall as Alucard, with short spiked hair and a long robe. The light from the explosion made the cross he was wearing glow brightly for an instant before the light burned itself out.
That bastard again, Ceras seethed to herself. The light had allowed her to see his position and she fired another round, this one also missing its target. She sensed the priest running at her, most likely with a blade in his hand. She concentrated on the shadowy form coming at her. Ceras knew she was risking getting stabbed, but she wanted to let him get as close as possible so she could get off a good shot. Time seemed to slow down as the figure continued to get closer. At the last possible second, Ceras raised her cannon and fired. She heard a blade hit the floor as the priest's hand was blown off. Ceras approached the spot where he might have fallen but saw nothing.
Some light would be helpful here, Ceras thought. As if on her command, the fluorescent lights above her flickered for a moment before filling the room with welcome light. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she saw her master by the main switch. Alucard was looking at the man who had attacked Ceras in the darkness. Alexander Anderson was wearing a smile as crazy as Alucard's as he faced the vampires who were his sworn enemies.
"You again, priest? Very persistent of you." Alucard sneered as he drew his black gun from his coat pocket. Ceras had her cannon aimed directly at Anderson's head.
"I assume that you took care of the FREAKS already?" Alucard asked. The priest had the same mission as those in the Hellsing organization, yet the Iscariot organization had waged what could only be described as a turf war with their Protestant counterparts.
"You'll have to forgive the deception," Anderson answered in his distinctive Scottish accent. "There are no undead here other than you two pieces of filth."
"You lured us here to try and kill us then," Alucard stated, his grin becoming even wider. "How flattering. Let us begin then, priest."
"Not today, vampire. As much as I regret it, you will not die
tonight. We're more interested in your ministering angel than you or the Hellsing bitch." Anderson replied, flexing the hand that had reappeared as if by magic.
The smile disappeared from Alucard's face as he realized the meaning of the priest's words. The doctor. They're after Constance.
"That's a move you'll live to regret." Alucard promised Anderson. With that Alucard disappeared with Ceras running after him.
Please don't let us be too late, Ceras prayed to a God that she was hoping had not abandoned her for what she had become as she ran to the small jeep that she had been provided. She did not yet possess her master's ability to defy gravity and therefore had to rely on man made machines to get places as quickly as he did. She put the machine into gear and sped off. As she sped toward the Hellsing house, she made a silent vow to Anderson. I'll make sure we get you if it's the last thing I do, you bastard.
While the two undead of Hellsing were battling the priest, the restaurant owner had stopped his pickup in front of the gate of the Hellsing house. He frantically explained the abduction that he had seen and showed the guard the identification card he had taken from Constance's bike. The guard was immediately on the phone and what seemed like seconds later, the old man was ushered through the gate and into the parlor of the huge house where Integra was waiting.
Alucard entered the main hall of the house as the restaurant owner was explaining what had happened to Integra and Walter. He had seen two men in dressed in black stun the doctor by firing a beanbag at her. They had then thrown a net over her and he assumed that they had drugged her since her protests and struggling stopped almost instantly.
"I'm sorry I was not able to do anything more than this," the man said as he looked at Integra and cast his eyes to the floor.
"Not at all. You've done us a great service. Perhaps they have not gotten too far." Integra answered. "We must also ask another service of you. It is imperative that you do not mention this incident to anyone else. We have the means to take care of the situation and we will."
The old man nodded and rose to leave. He believed the woman with the icy blue eyes when she said that they could take care of the situation. He did not want to tarry too long as he was also concerned about his wife if the kidnappers decided to return and get rid of the witnesses. He bowed slightly to Alucard and Ceras, who had arrived minutes after her master, as Walter showed him to the door.
As soon as the front door closed, Alucard all but shouted, "Those filth from the Iscariot organization are behind this! They made up a story about FREAKS to lure us away. They must have also known the doctor's habits since they were clever enough to take her while she was away from headquarters."
Fury flashed in Integra's eyes and she almost bit her cigar in half as she absorbed this information.
"Bastards, how dare they abduct one of my people! They'll pay for this, I swear." Integra growled as she pulled the ruined cigar from her mouth and threw it to the floor.
"But why would they take the doctor? We are the only ones who know about what she is." Ceras thought another minute and then spoke again as an idea came to her. "Do you think the Vatican sent a spy into Hellsing?"
"Security is very tight, but I suppose that it is not impossible," Walter said as he stepped to Integra's side again. Integra nodded as Walter promised to begin an investigation immediately
"The question is, what do we do now? The man said that they left in a vehicle, so they could be anywhere by now." Alucard said.
"Send a patrol in the direction that the restaurant owner said that the van was headed in." Integra ordered. She then turned to Alucard and Ceras. "I have a special assignment for you two and Captain Bernadotte. I have a feeling that you three will be traveling to Italy soon."