Ch 21: Final Battle
Integra sat behind a huge pile of paperwork. With all the happenings of the last six months, she had neglected it. She reached for the first pile of pages with a heavy sigh. It was going to be a long night. Some time later, her work was interrupted by Dr Williams who had been shown in by Walter.
"The injury reports from the last mission." Constance said as she added another sheaf of papers to the already enormous pile. "Nothing serious. Cuts, bruises and a couple of concussions. These men should be able to return to duty soon."
"That's good news, doctor, thank you." Integra replied. As the conversation about the status of the patients in the infirmary continued, Integra regarded the doctor. She was looking much better, not as tired as before. Walter had told her that he had overheard Constance and Alucard discussing some the experiences that had left their marks, both mentally and physically, on each of them. It made Integra a little nervous that Alucard seemed to have taken such an interest in the doctor, but she was willing to let things be if it would help one or both of them.
Constance could tell that Integra was busy, so turned to leave after finishing her report. As her hand reached for the doorknob, the sound of breaking glass caused both women to jump. Constance turned to see smoke billowing from somewhere behind Integra's desk and Integra struggling for breath. As the doctor rushed to help her, she was able to smell the distinctive odor of tear gas. Draping Integra's arm around her shoulder, she helped Integra out into the hall and down the stairs. As the reached the main floor, they were greeted by more tear gas canisters pouring poison into the foyer. Constance held one hand over Integra's nose and mouth and supported her with the other arm as they joined the throng of people attempting to escape through the front door.
Alucard was rudely awakened from his slumber by the sound of multiple explosions, followed by the tumult caused by Hellsing personnel who were frantically trying to escape. He heard the police-girl at his door, calling for him. He was immediately by his apprentices' side.
"We're under attack, master!" Ceras shouted over the noise as she hastily loaded ammunition into her Halconnen cannon. Her experience as a police officer in her former life had allowed her to recognize the faint whiff of tear gas that had made its way into the basement. Alucard grinned as he pulled the guns from his inner coat pocket and checked the clips.
"Time to get to work then, police-girl," he said as he replaced the guns in his pockets.
The scene outside the Hellsing manor was bedlam. Most of the servants had run to a shelter that had been set up for them. Walter, who was coughing a little himself, had taken Integra from the doctor and taken her to a secret hiding place that had been prepared for just such an occurrence. Integra protested, but Walter ignored her. Protecting the only living member of the Hellsing family was more important than Integra's wounded pride. He helped her into the underground room and left orders with the guards that they were to protect her at all costs. He then ran to join the soldiers that were gathering to face the army that had gathered at the front gate.
Time crawled to a stop as Constance stood outside the front door, looking at the army who had gathered to take out the Hellsing organization. The leader of the army was someone she knew. Someone she had seen in countless nightmares. Rage and fear had congealed into a frozen mass in Constance's chest as she saw Father Enrico Maxwell standing to the front and side of a group of soldiers. Beside him was a man as tall as Alucard, with short blond hair, glasses and a glaring scar that marred one side of his face.
Constance was soon joined by Alucard, Ceras, Pip, Walter and the entire army of the Hellsing organization. As the two armies faced each other, Alucard spoke to Constance.
"Get away from here, doctor. Things are going to get a little rough."
"The hell I will. That bastard is the one who tortured me and he's going to pay for it." As she spoke, she saw the smile on Alucard's face falter for a moment before returning. The intense anger in the doctor's eyes told him that there would be no way to talk her out of it.
"You'll probably want this then." Alucard reached into his coat and drew a sword with a short blade from a sheath attached to his belt. Constance recognized it as the sword she had used when she first met Alucard in the library. Gripping it firmly, she started toward Maxwell as Anderson raised his hand and gave the order to attack.
The air was shattered by the sound of battle. Alucard shot one round after another from his two handguns while explosions from Ceras' cannons blew into the positions on the army's flank. Walter was making good use of the razor sharp garrote wires attached to his gloves. Skirmishes had broken out all along the front perimeter of the Hellsing estate. Captain Bernadotte was shouting orders to groups that had become disorganized as he fired his machine gun with deadly accuracy. But it seemed that no matter how many of the Vatican's army went down, there were always more to take the place of the fallen.
Meanwhile, Constance was fighting her own battle with Maxwell who had brought a sword of his own. Driven by wrath, she handled her weapon as if she had been fighting all her life. She blocked another strike by Maxwell before stepping to his side and tearing a deep cut in the arm that held his sword. With a grimace that more resembled a grin, he switched the sword to his other hand and came at the doctor with an attack that she was barely able to dodge, even as fast as she was.
Something's wrong, Ceras thought. The battle had raged on and the Catholic's army seemed to be getting no smaller. Even stranger, she did not see any enemy bodies lying on the ground that was becoming littered with dead and wounded Hellsing soldiers. She paused for a moment and looked at an enemy soldier whose arm had been severed by one of Walter's wires. As she watched, she saw another arm grow from the place the old one had been. Looking around at other enemy soldiers, she saw wounds being healed by themselves as if by magic.
"Master!" she shouted in her head. "They're all regenerators, like Anderson!" The Vatican must have found a way to duplicate the technology that had been used on Anderson to make him practically indestructible. Alucard, who had been rather enjoying a one-on-one battle with his long- time foe, fired six shots into Anderson's chest. That took him down, but Alucard knew he would not stay down for long. He rushed to the police- girl's side as she pointed out various enemies whose wounds were healing of their own accord.
Integra sat behind a huge pile of paperwork. With all the happenings of the last six months, she had neglected it. She reached for the first pile of pages with a heavy sigh. It was going to be a long night. Some time later, her work was interrupted by Dr Williams who had been shown in by Walter.
"The injury reports from the last mission." Constance said as she added another sheaf of papers to the already enormous pile. "Nothing serious. Cuts, bruises and a couple of concussions. These men should be able to return to duty soon."
"That's good news, doctor, thank you." Integra replied. As the conversation about the status of the patients in the infirmary continued, Integra regarded the doctor. She was looking much better, not as tired as before. Walter had told her that he had overheard Constance and Alucard discussing some the experiences that had left their marks, both mentally and physically, on each of them. It made Integra a little nervous that Alucard seemed to have taken such an interest in the doctor, but she was willing to let things be if it would help one or both of them.
Constance could tell that Integra was busy, so turned to leave after finishing her report. As her hand reached for the doorknob, the sound of breaking glass caused both women to jump. Constance turned to see smoke billowing from somewhere behind Integra's desk and Integra struggling for breath. As the doctor rushed to help her, she was able to smell the distinctive odor of tear gas. Draping Integra's arm around her shoulder, she helped Integra out into the hall and down the stairs. As the reached the main floor, they were greeted by more tear gas canisters pouring poison into the foyer. Constance held one hand over Integra's nose and mouth and supported her with the other arm as they joined the throng of people attempting to escape through the front door.
Alucard was rudely awakened from his slumber by the sound of multiple explosions, followed by the tumult caused by Hellsing personnel who were frantically trying to escape. He heard the police-girl at his door, calling for him. He was immediately by his apprentices' side.
"We're under attack, master!" Ceras shouted over the noise as she hastily loaded ammunition into her Halconnen cannon. Her experience as a police officer in her former life had allowed her to recognize the faint whiff of tear gas that had made its way into the basement. Alucard grinned as he pulled the guns from his inner coat pocket and checked the clips.
"Time to get to work then, police-girl," he said as he replaced the guns in his pockets.
The scene outside the Hellsing manor was bedlam. Most of the servants had run to a shelter that had been set up for them. Walter, who was coughing a little himself, had taken Integra from the doctor and taken her to a secret hiding place that had been prepared for just such an occurrence. Integra protested, but Walter ignored her. Protecting the only living member of the Hellsing family was more important than Integra's wounded pride. He helped her into the underground room and left orders with the guards that they were to protect her at all costs. He then ran to join the soldiers that were gathering to face the army that had gathered at the front gate.
Time crawled to a stop as Constance stood outside the front door, looking at the army who had gathered to take out the Hellsing organization. The leader of the army was someone she knew. Someone she had seen in countless nightmares. Rage and fear had congealed into a frozen mass in Constance's chest as she saw Father Enrico Maxwell standing to the front and side of a group of soldiers. Beside him was a man as tall as Alucard, with short blond hair, glasses and a glaring scar that marred one side of his face.
Constance was soon joined by Alucard, Ceras, Pip, Walter and the entire army of the Hellsing organization. As the two armies faced each other, Alucard spoke to Constance.
"Get away from here, doctor. Things are going to get a little rough."
"The hell I will. That bastard is the one who tortured me and he's going to pay for it." As she spoke, she saw the smile on Alucard's face falter for a moment before returning. The intense anger in the doctor's eyes told him that there would be no way to talk her out of it.
"You'll probably want this then." Alucard reached into his coat and drew a sword with a short blade from a sheath attached to his belt. Constance recognized it as the sword she had used when she first met Alucard in the library. Gripping it firmly, she started toward Maxwell as Anderson raised his hand and gave the order to attack.
The air was shattered by the sound of battle. Alucard shot one round after another from his two handguns while explosions from Ceras' cannons blew into the positions on the army's flank. Walter was making good use of the razor sharp garrote wires attached to his gloves. Skirmishes had broken out all along the front perimeter of the Hellsing estate. Captain Bernadotte was shouting orders to groups that had become disorganized as he fired his machine gun with deadly accuracy. But it seemed that no matter how many of the Vatican's army went down, there were always more to take the place of the fallen.
Meanwhile, Constance was fighting her own battle with Maxwell who had brought a sword of his own. Driven by wrath, she handled her weapon as if she had been fighting all her life. She blocked another strike by Maxwell before stepping to his side and tearing a deep cut in the arm that held his sword. With a grimace that more resembled a grin, he switched the sword to his other hand and came at the doctor with an attack that she was barely able to dodge, even as fast as she was.
Something's wrong, Ceras thought. The battle had raged on and the Catholic's army seemed to be getting no smaller. Even stranger, she did not see any enemy bodies lying on the ground that was becoming littered with dead and wounded Hellsing soldiers. She paused for a moment and looked at an enemy soldier whose arm had been severed by one of Walter's wires. As she watched, she saw another arm grow from the place the old one had been. Looking around at other enemy soldiers, she saw wounds being healed by themselves as if by magic.
"Master!" she shouted in her head. "They're all regenerators, like Anderson!" The Vatican must have found a way to duplicate the technology that had been used on Anderson to make him practically indestructible. Alucard, who had been rather enjoying a one-on-one battle with his long- time foe, fired six shots into Anderson's chest. That took him down, but Alucard knew he would not stay down for long. He rushed to the police- girl's side as she pointed out various enemies whose wounds were healing of their own accord.