The two started for the Hellsing motorpool to borrow another sedan. They
checked out a car and started for it. As they reached the car, Matthew
turned to Seras with a huge grin on his face. "Hey, Seras."
She looked a little wary at his sudden change. Matthew was almost bouncing, something she'd never seen him do. "Yes?"
He continued grinning. "Can I drive?"
"Can you drive?"
He nodded. "Very well. Haven't driven much since I've been in England, though, so I'm a little out of practice. I want to drive before I get too rusty."
She paused for a moment, as if considering the hell she'd get into if he crashed the car. "Well... All right." Chuckling in glee, Matthew jogged over to the driver's seat... or rather where the driver's seat would be on an American car. "Umm... Matthew? Over here."
He looked at the seat he stood before, then over at her side of the car. "Oh... Oops." He opened the door before him then ran around to her side. "Sorry. I remember that I've gotta drive on the left side of the road, though."
"Right..." She slowly walked to the other side of the car, as if wondering what terror she'd just unleashed onto the roads of London.
Matt took to the car very quickly, and they had no incidents as they drove. As they went, the dream came back to Matthew's mind. He launched into it. "I had another dream last night."
Seras looked over at him. "Really? What of?"
"That fateful night a month and a half ago."
Her lips pressed together in concern. "I see..."
"You know, after it happened I could never really remember it all. After this dream, though, I can. Even what I was thinking when it happened." He sighed. "I never really knew what I was getting myself into, did I?"
Seras shook her head. "There was no way you really could know."
After a pause, Matthew spoke again. "Have you ever regretted not being allowed to die? Well, I guess technically we are dead so we didn't dodge that one. But still, have you ever regretted your decision to become a vampire?"
"At times, but I've become a little more comfortable with my decision as time went on." She paused. "Are you?"
Matthew shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I've always told myself that when my time to die came I'd meet it head on, especially if dying meant protecting those I care about. A month and a half ago: was that my time? Was I meant to die then?" He sighed. "I suppose I'll never know. I'm here, and though the job description has been changed I know who I am, and I'm not going to loose myself to what I've become."
Matthew parked the car near the residence of the previous night's battle and the two started walking up the road. Strangely, there were very few people out that day. They made it to the residence without incident, but unfortunately found nothing helpful. It would be a short walk back to the car, but the coffee shop was on the way and Matthew wanted some chai. He turned to Seras, determined to talk her into drinking a cup as well, when he sensed something. There was little time to react.
"Move!" He threw himself against Seras, tackling her and moving them both under the cover of an overhanging roof. Behind them, a bullet hit the pavement. It spewed mercury as it hit. "Shit! Anti-V bullets!" He got up and hauled Seras to her feet. "We gotta move!"
"No! Wait." Seras rounded a corner into a nearby alley, then took position to watch where the bullet had come from. She drew her PPK. Matthew follow suit. Now and then, Seras peered around the corner. Suddenly, she aimed and fired three bullets. After a pause, she said, "All clear." The two stepped out of the alley. Matthew saw some ash settling on the ground coming from a window in a multi-story apartment building. "There was only one shooter. My first few looks confirmed that."
"Nice work," Matthew complemented. "And a good shot too."
She looked back, wearing the slight smile. "Thanks. I used to be a cop, you know."
Matthew nodded. "Let's get out of here, just in case whoever sent that guy realizes he's failed." Seras agreed, so the two headed back to headquarters.
::Thirty Minutes Later::
"We've traced the address where information would be sent from the vampires' residence. It's located here, in the industrial district." Back in Sir Integra's office, Fargason gave his briefing to Integra, Johnson, Seras, and Matthew. Alucard was undoubtedly waiting in the shadows to drop in a make a comment, but for the moment was content with listening. "This will be a data gathering mission. In what we got from the residence we know they are using flashcards for data storage, so we're sending several with the team." Flashcards were, as far as Matthew knew, a recent invention. It held a computer memory chip and was capable of easily holding large amounts of data for transfer. "Stealth is imperative. We cannot allow them to erase their data before we can download it. Therefore, a minimal number of soldiers should be used in this operation."
Johnson spoke up. "Are you suggesting that only vampires be used in this operation?" He sounded a little disdainful. "If our human troops are forced to sit and do nothing for too long, their morale will drop."
Alucard seemed to walk in through a nearby wall. "And if it is another ambush and they are turned to ghouls, I think they would loose much more then that."
'About time he showed up,' Matthew thought. He could see Alucard eye him from behind his glasses, that trademark smirk on his face again.
He turned his attention back to the briefing. "You wanted to hear what I know about our new enemy, Master. I am now ready to obey." He looked over to Seras and Matthew. "But first, I believe that the police girl and young Jemeth have a mission to prepare for."
Matthew was a little annoyed. He wanted to know what they were facing too. Unfortunately, his curiosity would not be appeased yet. Sir Integra nodded. "Yes. Victoria, Jemeth, go prepare. You will attack tonight. Johnson, inform your troops. Depending on the outcome of this mission, they may be going into battle. Dismissed." Matthew, Seras, and Johnson exited. After a quick stop by the armory for weapons and a wish of good luck from Walter, Seras and Matthew boarded a transport which would take them to London's industrial sector. In his pocket, Matthew carried several flashcards of varying size. He should be able to get anything their databases had. He didn't need to worry about decryption; Hellsing's people would cover that.
She looked a little wary at his sudden change. Matthew was almost bouncing, something she'd never seen him do. "Yes?"
He continued grinning. "Can I drive?"
"Can you drive?"
He nodded. "Very well. Haven't driven much since I've been in England, though, so I'm a little out of practice. I want to drive before I get too rusty."
She paused for a moment, as if considering the hell she'd get into if he crashed the car. "Well... All right." Chuckling in glee, Matthew jogged over to the driver's seat... or rather where the driver's seat would be on an American car. "Umm... Matthew? Over here."
He looked at the seat he stood before, then over at her side of the car. "Oh... Oops." He opened the door before him then ran around to her side. "Sorry. I remember that I've gotta drive on the left side of the road, though."
"Right..." She slowly walked to the other side of the car, as if wondering what terror she'd just unleashed onto the roads of London.
Matt took to the car very quickly, and they had no incidents as they drove. As they went, the dream came back to Matthew's mind. He launched into it. "I had another dream last night."
Seras looked over at him. "Really? What of?"
"That fateful night a month and a half ago."
Her lips pressed together in concern. "I see..."
"You know, after it happened I could never really remember it all. After this dream, though, I can. Even what I was thinking when it happened." He sighed. "I never really knew what I was getting myself into, did I?"
Seras shook her head. "There was no way you really could know."
After a pause, Matthew spoke again. "Have you ever regretted not being allowed to die? Well, I guess technically we are dead so we didn't dodge that one. But still, have you ever regretted your decision to become a vampire?"
"At times, but I've become a little more comfortable with my decision as time went on." She paused. "Are you?"
Matthew shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I've always told myself that when my time to die came I'd meet it head on, especially if dying meant protecting those I care about. A month and a half ago: was that my time? Was I meant to die then?" He sighed. "I suppose I'll never know. I'm here, and though the job description has been changed I know who I am, and I'm not going to loose myself to what I've become."
Matthew parked the car near the residence of the previous night's battle and the two started walking up the road. Strangely, there were very few people out that day. They made it to the residence without incident, but unfortunately found nothing helpful. It would be a short walk back to the car, but the coffee shop was on the way and Matthew wanted some chai. He turned to Seras, determined to talk her into drinking a cup as well, when he sensed something. There was little time to react.
"Move!" He threw himself against Seras, tackling her and moving them both under the cover of an overhanging roof. Behind them, a bullet hit the pavement. It spewed mercury as it hit. "Shit! Anti-V bullets!" He got up and hauled Seras to her feet. "We gotta move!"
"No! Wait." Seras rounded a corner into a nearby alley, then took position to watch where the bullet had come from. She drew her PPK. Matthew follow suit. Now and then, Seras peered around the corner. Suddenly, she aimed and fired three bullets. After a pause, she said, "All clear." The two stepped out of the alley. Matthew saw some ash settling on the ground coming from a window in a multi-story apartment building. "There was only one shooter. My first few looks confirmed that."
"Nice work," Matthew complemented. "And a good shot too."
She looked back, wearing the slight smile. "Thanks. I used to be a cop, you know."
Matthew nodded. "Let's get out of here, just in case whoever sent that guy realizes he's failed." Seras agreed, so the two headed back to headquarters.
::Thirty Minutes Later::
"We've traced the address where information would be sent from the vampires' residence. It's located here, in the industrial district." Back in Sir Integra's office, Fargason gave his briefing to Integra, Johnson, Seras, and Matthew. Alucard was undoubtedly waiting in the shadows to drop in a make a comment, but for the moment was content with listening. "This will be a data gathering mission. In what we got from the residence we know they are using flashcards for data storage, so we're sending several with the team." Flashcards were, as far as Matthew knew, a recent invention. It held a computer memory chip and was capable of easily holding large amounts of data for transfer. "Stealth is imperative. We cannot allow them to erase their data before we can download it. Therefore, a minimal number of soldiers should be used in this operation."
Johnson spoke up. "Are you suggesting that only vampires be used in this operation?" He sounded a little disdainful. "If our human troops are forced to sit and do nothing for too long, their morale will drop."
Alucard seemed to walk in through a nearby wall. "And if it is another ambush and they are turned to ghouls, I think they would loose much more then that."
'About time he showed up,' Matthew thought. He could see Alucard eye him from behind his glasses, that trademark smirk on his face again.
He turned his attention back to the briefing. "You wanted to hear what I know about our new enemy, Master. I am now ready to obey." He looked over to Seras and Matthew. "But first, I believe that the police girl and young Jemeth have a mission to prepare for."
Matthew was a little annoyed. He wanted to know what they were facing too. Unfortunately, his curiosity would not be appeased yet. Sir Integra nodded. "Yes. Victoria, Jemeth, go prepare. You will attack tonight. Johnson, inform your troops. Depending on the outcome of this mission, they may be going into battle. Dismissed." Matthew, Seras, and Johnson exited. After a quick stop by the armory for weapons and a wish of good luck from Walter, Seras and Matthew boarded a transport which would take them to London's industrial sector. In his pocket, Matthew carried several flashcards of varying size. He should be able to get anything their databases had. He didn't need to worry about decryption; Hellsing's people would cover that.
