Freedom Chapter 16

By J.L. Pitard

Standard disclaimer: All characters belong to Kohta Hirano and his publishers. I have no stake in them...

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Integra awoke, which she thought was probably a good sign. Then the headache kicked in and she wasn't so sure. She was restrained on a hard bed. Hands by her side. Okay, she thought, not too bad, yet. She tried to move her head from side to side. Her entire body protested this and she thought she would wretch. With the bile in her throat threatening to rise, she clamped her eyes shut and screamed for Alucard. He did not come. Very slowly, she turned her head to one side. A large window showed that the sun was shining. She guessed it to be about noon. Not surprising, then.

Integra forced herself to look about the room she was in. Her vision was bad, and she'd apparently lost her glasses. It smelled medicinal and the decor bore that out. Opposite the window was a heavy door with a little window on it. Integra watched the door as she tested her straps. Her ankles and torso were also strapped down and, as she strained, she determined that these were heavy-duty restraints. She looked down her body. There was no way she was still in her suit. She thought she saw a piece of a hospital gown peeking out of the flimsy blankets.

The room was quiet, but there were muffled sounds of movement outside. Integra screamed for help.

After a while, a female face looked in the little window at her. Human at least, Integra thought. She called for help again and the woman smiled, nodded and left. When she returned, Integra heard the sound of keys in the lock and a bolt being thrown. Then the woman entered. She wore a white nurse's uniform and a kind smile.

"Could you get me out of here, please, there's been some mistake," Integra lied. The woman patted Integra's leg, moving aside the blanket, as she walked up to her.

"Of course, ducks," the nurse said as she pulled out a syringe. Integra grit her teeth. A short sting later, she let go of consciousness.

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Seras wasn't surprised that no one had provided any blood for her today. Walter'd been uncharacteristically short with her when she returned from recon. Plus, there was the trying to save Integra without a full staff thing. Seras thought it was positive that they'd just taken her. They could've killed her on the spot, after all. Walter hadn't taken that observation very well.

Was there a reason for Katerina to keep her alive? Seras hadn't told Walter about the dream, but the more she thought about the message, the more it jived with how the thing had happened. She hadn't said Master would be free last night, but 'soon.' Seras continued to think about it as she cleaned up for another night of searching.

"Master?" She felt no reaction from him. She tried to relax and move through the wall into her bedroom, but a bump on the nose was as far as she got. Seras sighed and went to the door. She felt an unsettled and empty feeling lingering in the pit of her stomach.

Her cannon and gun, at least, felt good and normal to her.

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Never really liked this area, Waltham thought. Guess I never will. He was driving along the A28 towards the seaside towns. What he did like, though, was searching for Lady Hellsing. It beat guard duty and monster stomping. He was also a bit glad that it was her own beast that slipped her up. Not glad for her, mind, he liked her. But it was nice that his paranoia had been validated.

His cell phone chirped, surprising him. He pulled over into a nearby way station.

"Yes?" He had taken to leaving it on since Walter had mobilized several of them. Not as much danger of being spotted out here, he thought.

"On holiday are we?" It was the chipper voice of the MI-5 mission coordinator.

"Yeah. I love it here in the Peaks."

"Liar." Ah, he thought, can they track me with this little phone?

"Just playing," he kept his voice light.

"Well, we at the office were hoping you'd drop by tonight. It's time for you to grow up and leave home."

"Really?" He was tired of the charades, but this was the profession he'd chosen. He just hadn't expected to be playing with clowns at this level.

"Yes, let's cut the old apron strings, you know?"

"No, I'm not sure I do."

"Then drop in tonight and we'll explain it to you." The voice was a bit less chipper, but still professionally pleasant.

"Break off my holiday, you mean?"

"Yes."

Waltham was silent.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, but it's a bit of a drive and I'm in a pal's car. I don't want him to think I nicked it."

"True. There are some blokes out your way, in fact. Maybe you could meet up with them tonight instead?"

"Anyone I know?"

"Yeah, meet up with them around the fairgrounds in... Ah, in Margate."

"See you soon, then."

"Cheer-" He flipped off the phone and grabbed his map. To the fairgrounds, then, he thought.