"It will take some time to work up an exact plan of action. Right now
intel is trying to determine exactly how many vampires are at the
residence. Alucard has mentioned needing to talk with Sir Integra about
the situation, but we haven't heard back yet. When we know more, we'll
tell you. For now, I'd recommend you get some rest. It's been a long day,
and it'll be a long night. That is all." Fargason ended his debriefing
and dismissed them.
Matthew and Seras walked through the corridors of the Hellsing facility. "Well, that was fun," Matthew said, followed almost immediately with a yawn. "Wow... I am tired..."
Seras smiled. "Go get some sleep. We'll probably need it for tonight."
Matt nodded. "Yeah. Later."
Matthew entered his room, hung his jacket from a chair, and flopped onto the bed. He was asleep within moments...
Matthew ran as fast as he could, hoping that only some of the fear he felt showed on his blue-green eyes. He ran through a dark hallway, lit by overhead spotlights. He stole a glance behind him. A creature with red eyes wearing his face ran behind him, long canine teeth showing from behind its upper lip. It hissed at him, slowly gaining on him. Suddenly, a pair of guns appeared in Matthew's hands. He twisted around, now running backwards. With a combat yell, he fired until both guns were empty. The creature kept coming, not even phased. Matthew threw the guns at the creature and turned to run forward again, but his vision turned to white...
He found himself strapped to a table, nearly blinded by a spotlight directly overhead. A figure slowly circled the table: the vampire form of himself. Matthew struggled against his bonds. "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!" The light became less severe. He could see his captor. The vampire merely smirked and continued circling. Matthew threw all his strength into one bond, but it wasn't enough. The vampire suddenly closed the distance, holding his head right above Matthew's.
"You're loosing, Matthew."
He grabbed Matthew's head, snapped it to the side, and sank his fangs into Matthew's neck. Matthew yelled in pain and terror...
And awoke. He sat up quickly, filled with an intense thirst. He looked over to the table on which was a bucket of ice holding a bag of blood. Every fiber of his being wanted him to leap upon it and drink it down. 'No!' he yelled in his mind. He raised up his left hand and slapped his cheek. It had no effect; the thirst was still there and gaining more control over him. He slapped himself again, two times in rapid succession. Still no effect. Matthew was left with no choice. He brought his right arm up to his mouth and bit down hard.
He yelled at the sharp pain of his teeth piercing his flesh, though that yell was muffled by his arm. Red oozed out from around his mouth, but he didn't drink any of it. That would only justify the thirst. He focused on the pain, latched onto the pain, and used it to clear his mind of the influence of the 'vampire instinct'. Within a minute, his mind was his again. He stood and walked to a nearby sink, washing out his mouth and rinsing off his arm. He looked at the damage he'd wroth; a pair of holes in his arm. He waited for the wounds to close before rinsing off his arm again and drying it.
Matthew started pacing across the room, slowly at first, but gradually increasing to a fast walk. He'd just come within inches of looking his self-control. His self-control was important to him. He wasn't a control freak, but he wanted... needed... to be in control of himself at all times. Especially now that he had the vampire instincts to keep at bay. His near loss of control, therefore, frightened him tremendously. He needed to figure out just what the hell had happened. Who better to talk to? "Matthew," he said to himself, "what the hell was that? Was it what I think it was?"
After a few moments, he stopped pacing. "Yes... I'm loosing control... The vampire instinct is taking over..."
He started pacing again. "I fought to get my brain back under control after my parents split up, and I'm damn well not going to loose it to these damned instincts. What have I done so far..."
"I've tried locking down my thoughts, keeping focused on what I need to be thinking about. That's what kept me sane during the split... What else can I do? This is too far from the realm of my experience!"
Suddenly, a British-accented voice entered his mind. 'I have an idea, if you don't mind.'
Matthew stopped again. "Seras? What are you doing in my mind?"
Seras's voice replied. 'Well, I could tell you were feeling... pretty bad.' Matt was thankful she didn't go into each feeling. 'I wanted to help, but figured you'd rather be alone for the moment. So, I chose this way.'
"Ok... But I thought you felt reading minds was a violation of privacy."
'Yes, but I'm not exactly reading your mind. I'm listening to what you say, then projecting my thoughts into your mind.'
Matthew walked over to the bed and sat down. "Well, that works. So, you said you had an idea?"
'Yes,' Seras replied, her tone sobering a little. 'Drink the blood.'
Matthew's tone sobered too. "You knew that I haven't been."
'Yes, not since the second time. It's been a good several days at least.'
Matt sighed and collapsed onto the bed. "If I do, it'll only justify the instinct. Give it more influence over me."
'And if you don't, it will grow stronger and all that you are trying to do will fail.'
He closed his eyes. "It's hard. It goes against what I've felt was right for... well... all my life. I could only convince myself it was ok those two times, then I just couldn't bring myself to drink it."
'I know. I still have trouble myself. But you need to drink the blood, Matthew. Things will only get worse if you don't.'
He was silent for a long moment, letting everything work through his mind. After a long moment, he finally replied. "I'll find a way. I don't know how, but I'll find a way."
'Good,' Seras said, sounding a little relieved. 'I'm heading to Sir Integra's office to listen to the mission plans. Meet me there?'
"Sure. See you in a few." He opened his eyes and could feel it as Seras left his mind. He almost wished she would do that more often. With Akira over a thousand miles away, Seras's presence was soothing. 'Though I pray I get to see Akira again, soon.' Matthew got up and walked over to the bag of blood. 'I've got to drink it... I hate it, but I must.' Blanking his mind, he grabbed the bag, bit the tip if its drain tube off, and drank it down quickly. Suppressing a shudder, he threw the bag back into the bucket, rinsed out his mouth, and headed out.
Matthew and Seras walked through the corridors of the Hellsing facility. "Well, that was fun," Matthew said, followed almost immediately with a yawn. "Wow... I am tired..."
Seras smiled. "Go get some sleep. We'll probably need it for tonight."
Matt nodded. "Yeah. Later."
Matthew entered his room, hung his jacket from a chair, and flopped onto the bed. He was asleep within moments...
Matthew ran as fast as he could, hoping that only some of the fear he felt showed on his blue-green eyes. He ran through a dark hallway, lit by overhead spotlights. He stole a glance behind him. A creature with red eyes wearing his face ran behind him, long canine teeth showing from behind its upper lip. It hissed at him, slowly gaining on him. Suddenly, a pair of guns appeared in Matthew's hands. He twisted around, now running backwards. With a combat yell, he fired until both guns were empty. The creature kept coming, not even phased. Matthew threw the guns at the creature and turned to run forward again, but his vision turned to white...
He found himself strapped to a table, nearly blinded by a spotlight directly overhead. A figure slowly circled the table: the vampire form of himself. Matthew struggled against his bonds. "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!" The light became less severe. He could see his captor. The vampire merely smirked and continued circling. Matthew threw all his strength into one bond, but it wasn't enough. The vampire suddenly closed the distance, holding his head right above Matthew's.
"You're loosing, Matthew."
He grabbed Matthew's head, snapped it to the side, and sank his fangs into Matthew's neck. Matthew yelled in pain and terror...
And awoke. He sat up quickly, filled with an intense thirst. He looked over to the table on which was a bucket of ice holding a bag of blood. Every fiber of his being wanted him to leap upon it and drink it down. 'No!' he yelled in his mind. He raised up his left hand and slapped his cheek. It had no effect; the thirst was still there and gaining more control over him. He slapped himself again, two times in rapid succession. Still no effect. Matthew was left with no choice. He brought his right arm up to his mouth and bit down hard.
He yelled at the sharp pain of his teeth piercing his flesh, though that yell was muffled by his arm. Red oozed out from around his mouth, but he didn't drink any of it. That would only justify the thirst. He focused on the pain, latched onto the pain, and used it to clear his mind of the influence of the 'vampire instinct'. Within a minute, his mind was his again. He stood and walked to a nearby sink, washing out his mouth and rinsing off his arm. He looked at the damage he'd wroth; a pair of holes in his arm. He waited for the wounds to close before rinsing off his arm again and drying it.
Matthew started pacing across the room, slowly at first, but gradually increasing to a fast walk. He'd just come within inches of looking his self-control. His self-control was important to him. He wasn't a control freak, but he wanted... needed... to be in control of himself at all times. Especially now that he had the vampire instincts to keep at bay. His near loss of control, therefore, frightened him tremendously. He needed to figure out just what the hell had happened. Who better to talk to? "Matthew," he said to himself, "what the hell was that? Was it what I think it was?"
After a few moments, he stopped pacing. "Yes... I'm loosing control... The vampire instinct is taking over..."
He started pacing again. "I fought to get my brain back under control after my parents split up, and I'm damn well not going to loose it to these damned instincts. What have I done so far..."
"I've tried locking down my thoughts, keeping focused on what I need to be thinking about. That's what kept me sane during the split... What else can I do? This is too far from the realm of my experience!"
Suddenly, a British-accented voice entered his mind. 'I have an idea, if you don't mind.'
Matthew stopped again. "Seras? What are you doing in my mind?"
Seras's voice replied. 'Well, I could tell you were feeling... pretty bad.' Matt was thankful she didn't go into each feeling. 'I wanted to help, but figured you'd rather be alone for the moment. So, I chose this way.'
"Ok... But I thought you felt reading minds was a violation of privacy."
'Yes, but I'm not exactly reading your mind. I'm listening to what you say, then projecting my thoughts into your mind.'
Matthew walked over to the bed and sat down. "Well, that works. So, you said you had an idea?"
'Yes,' Seras replied, her tone sobering a little. 'Drink the blood.'
Matthew's tone sobered too. "You knew that I haven't been."
'Yes, not since the second time. It's been a good several days at least.'
Matt sighed and collapsed onto the bed. "If I do, it'll only justify the instinct. Give it more influence over me."
'And if you don't, it will grow stronger and all that you are trying to do will fail.'
He closed his eyes. "It's hard. It goes against what I've felt was right for... well... all my life. I could only convince myself it was ok those two times, then I just couldn't bring myself to drink it."
'I know. I still have trouble myself. But you need to drink the blood, Matthew. Things will only get worse if you don't.'
He was silent for a long moment, letting everything work through his mind. After a long moment, he finally replied. "I'll find a way. I don't know how, but I'll find a way."
'Good,' Seras said, sounding a little relieved. 'I'm heading to Sir Integra's office to listen to the mission plans. Meet me there?'
"Sure. See you in a few." He opened his eyes and could feel it as Seras left his mind. He almost wished she would do that more often. With Akira over a thousand miles away, Seras's presence was soothing. 'Though I pray I get to see Akira again, soon.' Matthew got up and walked over to the bag of blood. 'I've got to drink it... I hate it, but I must.' Blanking his mind, he grabbed the bag, bit the tip if its drain tube off, and drank it down quickly. Suppressing a shudder, he threw the bag back into the bucket, rinsed out his mouth, and headed out.
