He was again lying on his bed when a knock came from the door. He sat up,
swinging his legs over the side. "Come in." Seras entered. "Ah, hey
Seras. Come on in. Sit down."
She entered, trying to judge his mood as she sat. "You seem happier. I'd thought shooting the pistol had only made things worse; reminding you that you've changed."
Matt nodded. "Yeah, it did. Shooting the rifle helped, though. Something that big should hurt to shoot, at least until I've finally adjusted to what's happened." He paused for a moment. "Though it does make me miss my dad. And everyone else back in the states."
Seras pulled back a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you feel worse. You're going through a hard enough time as it is."
Matt looked directly into her eyes. "Seras, you're being more of a help then you know." He paused, then smiled. "You know, you still owe me an explanation of the whole 'master' thing."
Seras blushed slightly. "Well... all right. I'm still learning it myself, so please forgive me if it takes a while to say. When a person is made into a vampire, the vampire that turned them becomes their master, and the new vampire is their fledgling."
Matthew nodded to show he was keeping up. "Ah." Then, his eyes widened. "Oooh..."
"Hold on. Let me finish. When the new vampire either drinks their master's blood or takes a fledgling of their own they are no longer a fledgling. Hey, that was easier then I thought it would be."
"So that means you're my master." Matt's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't really like the idea, but if he had to call her that then he would.
However, she held up a hand. "Please don't call me that. You know my name. Seras Victoria. Call me that."
"All right. Seras it is, then." He tried to think of what to ask her about, when an alarm klaxon interrupted his train of thought. "What's that?"
Before Seras could speak, an announcement sounded from a hidden speaker in the ceiling. "We are at code 2. Code 1 in fifteen minutes."
Seras stood. At Matthew's look of questioning, she spoke, "We've got a mission. We leave in fifteen minutes. I need to grab my things. I would suggest you drink the blood then meet me at the assembly area."
Matthew also stood and nodded. "I'll find a way. I'll be there." Seras, suddenly a lot more professional, nodded and left. Matthew turned to the bucket of ice holding a bag of medical blood. He didn't have time to think, time to tell himself why he must and why he's no less human for drinking it. He grabbed the bag and bit off the end of the drain tube, then started drinking it like a pouch drink. After a few gulps, he started feeling a strange... thirst... He stopped drinking, analyzed the feeling, and promptly slapped himself. "I may have to drink it, but I'm damn well not going to like it." Thoughtlessly, he finished the bag. Physically, he felt better then he had in the past few days. Mentally, he wasn't sure. He went to the nearby sink, drank some water to clean his mouth, grabbed his jacket, and ran out the door.
::Five Minutes Later::
Matthew waited at the edge of the growing group for Seras's arrival. Master by name or not, she still knew more about what was going on. He was going to stick with her as long as he could. While Matthew was staring at nothing, someone walked up. He was an older man, with a bald head and a gray mustache. What appeared to be a scar ran from the corner of his left eye down along the front of his left cheek. He carried himself like a leader, tall and strong. "You must be the new vampire," he stated.
Matt was snapped out of his blank stare. He stiffened into an attention stature. "Yes, sir. I am."
"This will be your first mission, correct?" Matt answered affirmatively. When the man continued speaking, his voice seemed to loose a bit of its edge. Not much, but enough for Matthew to know he wasn't being dressed down. "I understand you're new to this organization, and that you may be uncomfortable with that you'll be told to do. You will still be required to do your job and eliminate the enemy."
"I understand, sir. I'll try to not let you down." The man seemed to size Matthew up for a moment, then turned and attended to other people. Matthew relaxed with a sigh. 'What the hell have I gotten myself into...' he thought.
"You alright?"
Matt turned to the voice. It was Seras, and she was carrying the largest rifle Matthew had ever seen. "Umm, yeah," he replied. Just got a bit of a 'pep talk' from one of the commanders around here." He pointed to the man inspecting a line of soldiers.
"Ah, that's Fargason. He gave me the same treatment when I first joined. He's a good man."
Matt nodded slightly. "Seems to be. Still, I'll take your word for it. Now, what in the hell is that thing?" He pointed to the rifle.
Seras smiled. "My gun. A Harkonnen 30 millimeter cannon firing depleted uranium or incendiary explosive shells. Walter gave it to me."
"Walter? Yeah, I think I know him. He's the guy who spoke to me after leaving Sir Integra's office. I'll probably get to know him better later. Let's get this over with." The two vampires joined the crowd entering the vehicles heading into the field. "What about Alucard? Is he going to join us?"
"Maybe. Hard to know when he'll show up. Though if he does, he wouldn't go in any vehicle. He's got his own ways of getting around."
"Ok..." Matt shrugged and settled into one of the seats.
::A Half Hour Later::
Fargason listened to his headset. "Two targets approaching running side-by- side. Victoria, take the one of the left. Jemeth, take the one on the right."
"Understood," each vampire replied, almost in unison. Matt would have looked over at Seras, but he had to concentrate on the task at hand. He and Seras lay on a hill overlooking a back road, each with a sniper rifle in hand. Two vampires would be cresting the hill any moment now. These two had been killing indiscriminately, proving a threat to anyone in their path. They hadn't even fed off of some that they had killed. Apparently, it was something that happened now and then, and the Hellsing organization had gotten very good at dealing with it. Apparently, it was a good mission type to train newcomers, human and vampire alike.
"Range is 500 meters. In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen. Fire when ready."
"500 meters?" Matt's mind fought the concept. "How could I possibly see that far?"
Seras replied before Fargason could. "You can see that far. Trust me. Just relax your eyes, and you'll see your target. Just like on the shooting range."
Hearing her words helped calm him. "Ok." He did as she instructed. 'Eh, maybe this whole master thing won't be so bad after all... I listen to her anyway. Now I have more reason.' Suddenly, he saw them: two men running down the road far faster then humanly possible. Focusing on the guy on the right, Matt took aim at his head. He saw the man's red eyes, dried blood on his cheeks. There was no question this man was a vampire. "Target in sight. Permission to fire?"
Fargason's deep voice replied. "Granted. Take him out."
Matthew fired, and a fraction of a second later his target fell in a pile of ash. His comrade dropped in a similar fashion moments after.
Fargason spoke into his headset, "Targets have been silenced. Victoria silenced target A, and Jemeth silenced target B." He turned to Matthew. "Congratulations, Jemeth. You are now a member of the Hellsing organization."
Later that night, Matthew and Seras walked through the facility heading for Matt's room. Matthew was still in a state of semi-shock over what he just did. His father had taught him gun safety from an early age, and he'd just violated every one of those lessons without a thought against it. Seras spoke first. "You know, that was the very hill I fired from on my second mission. Well, it was the first one I actually completed successfully."
"Really. Weird." At her questioning look, he sighed. "Sorry. Long story. I'll tell you later. I just need to get some rest. Later?"
"Sure. Until later." Seras started off down a different corridor, possibly to her room. Matthew continued towards his, hoping he would actually get some rest tonight.
The next few days were along the same routine. Matthew would stay in his room and think on what had happened. Now and then he would get on his computer and listen to some music. He no longer went on-line, as he'd only authorized a couple e-mails. He would wait until after one more mission before talking to Sir Integra about more time on the internet. Seras stopped by a couple times, trying to keep his spirits up. What Matt figured was that she felt sorry for him and what had happened to him. She would understand well how difficult the transition could be, and would try to give him the help that she herself had needed to get through it. He appreciated the effort. Though he was hoping he didn't come across as needy. He kinda hoped he could make up to her all the help she'd given him.
One major change happened overnight. He woke up one way and went to the mirror to ensure everything was still in one piece, and realized his arm looked a little more muscular then before. He checked around his body, seeing that all his muscles had been enhanced. 'Perk of being a vampire...' He sighed, seeing this as yet another change taking him further from what he used to be. He returned to his routine, starting to wonder how much of his humanity he was going to loose.
She entered, trying to judge his mood as she sat. "You seem happier. I'd thought shooting the pistol had only made things worse; reminding you that you've changed."
Matt nodded. "Yeah, it did. Shooting the rifle helped, though. Something that big should hurt to shoot, at least until I've finally adjusted to what's happened." He paused for a moment. "Though it does make me miss my dad. And everyone else back in the states."
Seras pulled back a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you feel worse. You're going through a hard enough time as it is."
Matt looked directly into her eyes. "Seras, you're being more of a help then you know." He paused, then smiled. "You know, you still owe me an explanation of the whole 'master' thing."
Seras blushed slightly. "Well... all right. I'm still learning it myself, so please forgive me if it takes a while to say. When a person is made into a vampire, the vampire that turned them becomes their master, and the new vampire is their fledgling."
Matthew nodded to show he was keeping up. "Ah." Then, his eyes widened. "Oooh..."
"Hold on. Let me finish. When the new vampire either drinks their master's blood or takes a fledgling of their own they are no longer a fledgling. Hey, that was easier then I thought it would be."
"So that means you're my master." Matt's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't really like the idea, but if he had to call her that then he would.
However, she held up a hand. "Please don't call me that. You know my name. Seras Victoria. Call me that."
"All right. Seras it is, then." He tried to think of what to ask her about, when an alarm klaxon interrupted his train of thought. "What's that?"
Before Seras could speak, an announcement sounded from a hidden speaker in the ceiling. "We are at code 2. Code 1 in fifteen minutes."
Seras stood. At Matthew's look of questioning, she spoke, "We've got a mission. We leave in fifteen minutes. I need to grab my things. I would suggest you drink the blood then meet me at the assembly area."
Matthew also stood and nodded. "I'll find a way. I'll be there." Seras, suddenly a lot more professional, nodded and left. Matthew turned to the bucket of ice holding a bag of medical blood. He didn't have time to think, time to tell himself why he must and why he's no less human for drinking it. He grabbed the bag and bit off the end of the drain tube, then started drinking it like a pouch drink. After a few gulps, he started feeling a strange... thirst... He stopped drinking, analyzed the feeling, and promptly slapped himself. "I may have to drink it, but I'm damn well not going to like it." Thoughtlessly, he finished the bag. Physically, he felt better then he had in the past few days. Mentally, he wasn't sure. He went to the nearby sink, drank some water to clean his mouth, grabbed his jacket, and ran out the door.
::Five Minutes Later::
Matthew waited at the edge of the growing group for Seras's arrival. Master by name or not, she still knew more about what was going on. He was going to stick with her as long as he could. While Matthew was staring at nothing, someone walked up. He was an older man, with a bald head and a gray mustache. What appeared to be a scar ran from the corner of his left eye down along the front of his left cheek. He carried himself like a leader, tall and strong. "You must be the new vampire," he stated.
Matt was snapped out of his blank stare. He stiffened into an attention stature. "Yes, sir. I am."
"This will be your first mission, correct?" Matt answered affirmatively. When the man continued speaking, his voice seemed to loose a bit of its edge. Not much, but enough for Matthew to know he wasn't being dressed down. "I understand you're new to this organization, and that you may be uncomfortable with that you'll be told to do. You will still be required to do your job and eliminate the enemy."
"I understand, sir. I'll try to not let you down." The man seemed to size Matthew up for a moment, then turned and attended to other people. Matthew relaxed with a sigh. 'What the hell have I gotten myself into...' he thought.
"You alright?"
Matt turned to the voice. It was Seras, and she was carrying the largest rifle Matthew had ever seen. "Umm, yeah," he replied. Just got a bit of a 'pep talk' from one of the commanders around here." He pointed to the man inspecting a line of soldiers.
"Ah, that's Fargason. He gave me the same treatment when I first joined. He's a good man."
Matt nodded slightly. "Seems to be. Still, I'll take your word for it. Now, what in the hell is that thing?" He pointed to the rifle.
Seras smiled. "My gun. A Harkonnen 30 millimeter cannon firing depleted uranium or incendiary explosive shells. Walter gave it to me."
"Walter? Yeah, I think I know him. He's the guy who spoke to me after leaving Sir Integra's office. I'll probably get to know him better later. Let's get this over with." The two vampires joined the crowd entering the vehicles heading into the field. "What about Alucard? Is he going to join us?"
"Maybe. Hard to know when he'll show up. Though if he does, he wouldn't go in any vehicle. He's got his own ways of getting around."
"Ok..." Matt shrugged and settled into one of the seats.
::A Half Hour Later::
Fargason listened to his headset. "Two targets approaching running side-by- side. Victoria, take the one of the left. Jemeth, take the one on the right."
"Understood," each vampire replied, almost in unison. Matt would have looked over at Seras, but he had to concentrate on the task at hand. He and Seras lay on a hill overlooking a back road, each with a sniper rifle in hand. Two vampires would be cresting the hill any moment now. These two had been killing indiscriminately, proving a threat to anyone in their path. They hadn't even fed off of some that they had killed. Apparently, it was something that happened now and then, and the Hellsing organization had gotten very good at dealing with it. Apparently, it was a good mission type to train newcomers, human and vampire alike.
"Range is 500 meters. In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen. Fire when ready."
"500 meters?" Matt's mind fought the concept. "How could I possibly see that far?"
Seras replied before Fargason could. "You can see that far. Trust me. Just relax your eyes, and you'll see your target. Just like on the shooting range."
Hearing her words helped calm him. "Ok." He did as she instructed. 'Eh, maybe this whole master thing won't be so bad after all... I listen to her anyway. Now I have more reason.' Suddenly, he saw them: two men running down the road far faster then humanly possible. Focusing on the guy on the right, Matt took aim at his head. He saw the man's red eyes, dried blood on his cheeks. There was no question this man was a vampire. "Target in sight. Permission to fire?"
Fargason's deep voice replied. "Granted. Take him out."
Matthew fired, and a fraction of a second later his target fell in a pile of ash. His comrade dropped in a similar fashion moments after.
Fargason spoke into his headset, "Targets have been silenced. Victoria silenced target A, and Jemeth silenced target B." He turned to Matthew. "Congratulations, Jemeth. You are now a member of the Hellsing organization."
Later that night, Matthew and Seras walked through the facility heading for Matt's room. Matthew was still in a state of semi-shock over what he just did. His father had taught him gun safety from an early age, and he'd just violated every one of those lessons without a thought against it. Seras spoke first. "You know, that was the very hill I fired from on my second mission. Well, it was the first one I actually completed successfully."
"Really. Weird." At her questioning look, he sighed. "Sorry. Long story. I'll tell you later. I just need to get some rest. Later?"
"Sure. Until later." Seras started off down a different corridor, possibly to her room. Matthew continued towards his, hoping he would actually get some rest tonight.
The next few days were along the same routine. Matthew would stay in his room and think on what had happened. Now and then he would get on his computer and listen to some music. He no longer went on-line, as he'd only authorized a couple e-mails. He would wait until after one more mission before talking to Sir Integra about more time on the internet. Seras stopped by a couple times, trying to keep his spirits up. What Matt figured was that she felt sorry for him and what had happened to him. She would understand well how difficult the transition could be, and would try to give him the help that she herself had needed to get through it. He appreciated the effort. Though he was hoping he didn't come across as needy. He kinda hoped he could make up to her all the help she'd given him.
One major change happened overnight. He woke up one way and went to the mirror to ensure everything was still in one piece, and realized his arm looked a little more muscular then before. He checked around his body, seeing that all his muscles had been enhanced. 'Perk of being a vampire...' He sighed, seeing this as yet another change taking him further from what he used to be. He returned to his routine, starting to wonder how much of his humanity he was going to loose.
