"The choice is yours," were the last words he had spoken, before letting Integra have the blood from his fingers. It tasted overpoweringly bitter, but she'd continued to crave it.

The day after that, Seras Victoria had run up to the same woman with tears in her eyes, clutching a transfusion bag. She was overall unintelligible, but Integra knew the way her face had flushed and the crossed-out name on the bag meant trouble. Atop a black X that had been put over the name Peter Sorenson was the word "Alucard," in ancient archaic.

Of course he would know she couldn't read it; he was her master, and he watched her day and night. And he knew how to contact her when she was done drinking.

Integra'd never been as nervous to go see Alucard as she was that night; she certainly couldn't walk around in daylight anymore. But there was reason behind her nervousness.

After making Integra Hellsing into what he was and is, a vampire honored by friend and foe alike; after more-or-less forcing Seras Victoria out of servitude to him. . .

Alucard had gone.

-

The Fine Line between Life and Death

Order 01: Prologue

-

"I don't suppose it ever occurred to you to put a tracking device on him, Sir Integra?" was the first scolding toward Integra in many years. Of course, no one would ever live through saying something like that to her except the man who did.

She sighed. "Walter, you know Alucard. He would have found it and taken this place to Hell with him when he went." Possibly before, the woman added silently, not wanting her information team to be spooked by the eternal vampire they had been ordered to try and track down.

Walter sniffed and nodded, ever the gentleman. "My apologies, Sir Integra. It is, simply, strange that Alucard would leave us so suddenly, especially Miss Victoria. Don't you agree?"

'So suddenly' was a bit of an exaggeration. It had been over two months since the incident at the London Tower, and his encounter with the monster Incognito. He'd gone back to being Alucard, of course. He was always up for scaring anyone turning a dark corner and then telling them to wise up or he would feed them to his dogs, before disappearing like a shallow mist.

Integra said, in an undertone, "I truly expected him to serve the Hellsing family until one of us ended it. This is, indeed, quite a change of behaviour for him. Smith?"

A veteran information officer, Stephen Smith, turned instantly in his chair. He'd been furiously typing away at a flatscreen monitor, trying to get a lock on anything overly vampiric in the castle; they'd decided he could still be in here, as unlikely as it would be. "Yes, Sir?"

"Take a break," his commander sighed. "You've been working on this case for over seven hours straight."

Smith bowed where he was. "I am here to serve the family, Sir, and if it's not out of line to say so, Alucard has been a dear friend of mine since I showed up. I'll work my fingers to stumps before I take a break."

"Amen," Walter said lowly, adjusting his monocle.

Integra knew there was no convincing them to stop looking for at least a little while, and excused herself to her private chambers for the night, or day as it may be. Inside, there was nothing but a table, two chairs, and a bed. She lay down in the last and closed her eyes, the sound of a lowering coffin lid strangely comforting.

Where did you go, Alucard. . .why did you leave us?

There was no answer but the snaps of the locks on the coffin.