Freedom Chapter 18

By J.L. Pitard

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

-------------------------------------

The ambulance raced through the darkened streets without its sirens or lights. It was in front of Waltham and kept making the same turns he did. He didn't want anyone thinking he was following them, so he kept a bit of distance between them.

When the lights and colors cut through to Waltham, the ambulance had already parked and disgorged its contents. He parked as far as he could away from the lights.

Edging along the buildings, he saw Alucard alight on the ambulance and smile directly at him, yellow glasses glinting in the streetlights. Then he was off.

-----------------------

This time when Integra awoke, she kept her eyes closed. She sniffed the air and detected dirt, salt and moistness. Not a hospital this time, she thought. There was movement around her and she felt that she was in a larger room than before as well. Her head still ached, probably from the medication. With her eyes still shut, she tried to determine what was going on with her body. Grogginess limited her senses, but she seemed to be on a mild incline, with her head up on a small pillow. Still restrained, but now by ropes. She could feel the scratchiness against her wrists and ankles. No blankets now, but she was covered by some kind of fabric. Chilly though. She peeked with one eye and saw a somewhat fuzzy grouping of people around a small table with statues and bowls on it. She closed that eye, turned her head slightly and looked out the other. Colorful stripes? A tent? That was her best guess. She snuck another peek, this time at her body; she saw a white gown, maybe a nightgown? Still, at least she was dressed.

She closed her eyes and hoped that she could try to soak in what was going on. They had kept her alive for some reason. What was Alucard's role in this? How long had she been kept asleep? A person walked near her. She could smell insence and expensive perfume, but under it all, death.

"You may stop pretending, Sir Integral Wingate Hellsing." The voice was rich, accented and very feminine.

"Princess Katerina, I presume." Integra found her voice was raspy, but still able to convey disgust. She opened her eyes. Without her glasses, things were a bit fuzzy, but she saw the back of the vampire's hand clearly as it headed for her face. She braced herself for the strike, but it didn't come.

"Tsk, tsk, Kiska." Alucard's voice was a welcome sound. At least, she hoped so.

"Ah, our other honored guest!" Katerina shook his hand off of her arm. "Whatever took you so long, my sweet?"

Alucard smiled.

"Traffic." He grinned and looked casually about. There were no other levels for snipers to hide in, but there were rooms within the tent that he couldn't see into. Several vampires stood by a table of mystic objects, candles and insence. Still no sign of her servant, or of the ghouls she'd kept before.

Alucard's smile widened as he realized that he truly missed Seras. Her ability to clue him into the numbers of undead would keep them from getting ambushed. Imagine, missing Seras... and her cannon.

Then he looked at Integra, or rather through her. His look became serious. She hoped he was on her side, but with his freedom on the scales, which way would he tip? His eyes clouded and their color deepened slightly, but he remained silent.

Katerina took one of his hands. He watched the petite vampire as she traced the pattern of the seal with one of her dainty fingers.

"We're waiting on one other, then we will begin, my pet." Katerina placed her hand on Alucard's elbow and tried to walk him to a chair near the table. He shook his head and stood by Integra.

"I'll stay here."

"She will not be your master much longer."

"Why haven't you killed me?" Integra couldn't stand being spoken about like she didn't matter.

Katerina shrugged and turned back to the table. Integra was nothing to her. Alucard answered for her.

"They intend to keep you alive until they can bind me again."

Katerina spun about. "You know! How could you?"

Integra also looked unbelievingly at him. She laughed. "So, all this is for nothing! You are such an idiot, Alucard!"

Alucard turned and looked down at her, eyebrow raised. "Don't be so sure of yourself, my Master."

Katerina looked at each of them in turn. She was angry with both of them, but she looked most intently at Integra.

"I've heard that you were the last of the Hellsings. A tough family, to be sure. You accept the betrayal of your slave and yet you laugh."

Integra felt the ache in her head throb and grow. She strained against the ropes to put her hands to her temples, but they wouldn't budge. Alucard noticed her distress and looked to Katerina.

"Stop it. Now."

Katerina shrugged. "For you, my Prince." Integra's head rocked forward and she moaned softly.

"You are also too sure of yourself." He said it as a simple fact. Katerina looked at him and smiled.

"If it were just between you and I, maybe, but I have powerful allies on my side." She nodded to a short, dark haired vamp and he quickly went through one of the back doorways.

-----------------------

Waltham waited outside the big tent. He'd seen a flash of Alucard's coat as he entered the tent, but soon after, a contingent of ghouls and one vampire had exited and taken up positions. The ghouls stood about shuffling. The vampire periodically wandered in, out and leapt up to the top of the wooden entryway. Waltham did a mental inventory of his weapons. Flame thrower, hand gun and ammo, some knives. The flame thrower was intended for the undead, but Waltham wished he'd brought his regular semi-auto ghoul gun instead. He didn't want to risk burning Integra Hellsing to death trying to get rid of Alucard's ghouls. That was assuming she was still alive. He hoped she was. Good leadership was hard to find.

A black limo pulled up in front of the tent. The ghouls made horrific sounds, but the vampire hopped down and opened the door. He stuck his head inside and then stepped back. An older, dignified face was visible in the garish lights from the tent. The gentleman allowed the vampire to escort him through the ghouls and disappeared into the tent. Waltham would know that man anywhere. Slowly, the ghouls shuffled into a knot at the door. Damn, he thought, looks like they're staying there. He began to move along the side of the tent.

-----------------------

Seras remained quiet alongside Walter. She didn't really like flying in the helicopter and swore to herself that she would try harder to listen to Alucard so she could travel properly. She hoped that she hadn't imagined his message to her. Trust him. She wanted to. He wasn't trying to kill Integra was he?

She looked at Walter, piloting the copter. Storm clouds had pulled in making this a bumpy and nerve wracking flight. He looked so old and angry. She just couldn't take it. She longed for the companionable quiet of listening to music and cleaning guns. The three of them, just like friends. They were carrying a small arsenal in the back. Mainly to take out Master. She would have to figure out which side she was on when they got there.

-----------------------

A young, blonde vampire trotted in from a back room. She slid next to Katerina, whispered and left out the front doorway. Katerina nodded and smiled. Good, Alucard thought, now things are happening. Aside from squeezing Integra's bound hand, he couldn't think of a way to communicate with her without Katerina immediately knowing. He considered passing his Casull to her, but she couldn't hide it and the kick would throw it out of her hand with one shot. Even with both hands, her shooting glasses and a weaver stance, Integra couldn't handle his guns with any accuracy.

An older human male entered soon after. He was one of the Knights, although Alucard couldn't remember his name. He didn't particularly care. He'd kill him happily if given the chance.

"What role are you playing in this charade?" Integra asked as the older man hugged Katerina.

"Ah, Integra." He bowed toward her platform. "How lovely to see you again."

She snorted at him. God, I want a cigar, she thought. He was as fuzzy as the rest, but she would know his presence anywhere. All of the knights were exceedingly conceited, herself included, but he had an air that surpassed them all. He had access to information from all over England and had finagled himself into some sort of top role at MI-5. No wonder they'd volunteered some men to Hellsing.

"Alucard," the man turned to shake hands with the vampire. "How nice to see you again." The vampire grinned at him, but his arms remained crossed. "I have gone to some trouble to arrange this for you. You could show some courtesy, vampire."

Alucard looked down at Katerina standing next to the man. She shrugged and looked at the ritual table. He looked back at Integra.

"Do you want me to kill him, Master?" She was caught off guard, but stopped to think. The man looked a tad afraid, as if he only now realized that he was in a room full of vampires.

"Depends." She looked directly at the man. "Lord Smythe, release me."

"Of course not, Integra. I can't do that. You don't understand." He looked at Katerina. "Could we speed this up, please?"

Integra looked back to Alucard. He had both guns out now, held loosely in his hands. Looking relaxed, even pleased he said, "My sentiments exactly." In his mind he called out to Seras.

-----------------------

Seras had started to zone out in the swooping helicopter. Walter was on the radio with various municipal agencies.

I miss police work, she thought. I miss my friends in the unit. She closed her eyes as the image of all of them turning into ghouls and attacking her came. I was 'Kitten' to them. Now I've become a creature who can do that to other people, she mourned. I can't let myself succumb to that level. Her mind began to tingle.

Police girl. Come now. Quickly.

He sent her as much information as he could about the fairgrounds, including the best place for them to land without being heard. He added that a Hellsing agent was on the ground somewhere.

Do you have the cannon?

"Of course, Master. Are you all right? Is Integra?"

She got no answer and no longer felt a connection.

"Walter, master Alucard says to come quickly." She said into the headphone mic.

He regarded her for a second. When he felt in control of himself again he asked, "What do you think we're doing?"

Seras nodded and passed along the information as best she could with the air navigation map.

"He must still be good," Seras interjected into the silence that fell.

"Or perhaps he can't kill Integra because of the magic and wants your help?" Walter was not prepared to give. "Alucard has been many things in his many years, but 'good' isn't one of them."

"Loyal is, though," she was not just defending him, but also herself.

"His loyalty is only due to the seal. Erase that and he is just an evil creature." Walter replied icily. He could kick himself for almost forgetting that over the past ten years. Now Integra was in danger.

"Would you?" He challenged her as he landed.

"I... what?"

"Kill her for him. If your- master," he spat the word out, "asked you to?"

Seras thought on that as the propellers began to slow. Would Master? She didn't think he could since that would be like using a weapon against his own master. Would she? No, impossible. She had disobeyed him when it came to drinking blood, she could disobey him on this as well.

"No." She answered as firmly as she could. Suddenly she was surrounded by stinging cords. She was bound tightly to the seat. Walter had the threads tightening around her body. It felt right to him, with this much anger in him, he was almost the killer of old.

"Too slow, Draculina."

"No, Walter! Walter, it's me." She looked at his face. The glass exaggerated a muderous eye. Cables sizzled where they met bare flesh. Silver imbued wires, thin as silk, but strong as steel. She was starting to panic now. These threads had gone through ghouls like a hot knife cutting through butter. "Walter. Stop hurting me. Can we please go rescue Integra?"

"Would you?" He repeated, almost losing himself to the need to pull hard and quick. She wasn't human after all; what's one more vampire kill? The muscles have memory and his screamed to be used.

"NO!" She stopped resisting her bonds and tried to relax. Since they were silver, she thought there was no way she could escape, but it was worth a try. Walter sighed, closed his eyes and released her before she could find out.

"Come along, Miss Victoria," he said taking off his headset as if nothing had happened. He moved behind the seats to get to the cases in the body of the helicopter. Seras realized that she had seen the Angel of Death in a way that few alive had. She pushed herself up out of the seat and followed him.

-----------------------

Waltham entered the tent through the performer's entryway in the back. He was being as stealthy as he could with a cumbersome flamethrower on his back. He'd been in worse situations against humans. Vampires had some increased senses, so he wasn't sure if stealth would do him any good. The answer came just a few seconds after the thought.

"Stop!"

Shit, he thought. A lanky male vamp stepped into the dark prop room.

"Are you the guy?"

That wasn't what Waltham expected. Handgun out, he was ready to try and take the vamp out before getting his throat torn.

"Name, human. Quick, before I eat you." A loopy, fanged grin illuminated in the hanging light.

"Waltham, Peter."

The vamp cocked his head, listening to something. "Yeah, we heard you were coming. Boss needs you."

Waltham was caught off guard, but his body acted right away and followed the vamp into the brightly lit tent. What he saw there made even less sense.

Integra. White gown. Tied to a sloping table in the center of the room. Alucard. Standing. Two guns trained on Lord Smythe and some dark haired lady. They were leaning against a table with candles, statues and bowls. Waltham made a quick mental calculation and moved for his flamethrower.

Smythe turned when he came in. He seemed relieved, as if one more human made him safer. Three vamps came in behind Waltham and trained their guns on Alucard and Integra.

"You may survive, Alucard, but will your master?" Smythe taunted. "I will have you either way."

Katerina turned to Smythe. "Mine, you mean. We work for you, but that was the deal." Smythe nodded, still not taking his eyes off of Alucard's guns.

"Think about it, you piece of trash," Alucard taunted. "If you kill the Hellsing girl, I am free. Can you bind me faster than I can kill you? What about you, stupid cow, do you expect him to bind undead together? We are impure souls. He will bind us both to himself."

Integra wished she had her glasses. She really wanted to see their faces. There were four new figures with guns gathered on her left and then the two almost straight across from them. She'd be hit in the crossfire if anyone got trigger happy. She knew that Alucard was still bound, but was he trying to get her killed? No, he could have put her in danger any number of times when she was a girl, why wait until now? For this princess he called a cow?

"I will gladly die to keep him from you, Smythe," she shouted.

Waltham wavered and lowered the nozzle on the flamethrower. What was going on here?

Katerina moved slowly away from Smythe. Alucard did not waver in his aim on the man. She began to move around the table, slowly, facing them as best she could. She looked over the table and began to move some of the items.

"Don't try that, Little Katt," Alucard said. "You need a human to cast those spells."

She looked at him and he felt a mental attack from her. He repelled her easily using his own mental defenses. No one else in the room noticed it. She hissed softly at him. Several of the vamps turned at the sound, then looked back at him.

"It looks like a Mexican standoff then," Smythe said in a strangely cheerful voice. "Perhaps we can negotiate."

Alucard tired of holding his guns. They wanted to be used and he wanted to kill. Preferably this silly human. He just couldn't risk getting Integra shot up.

"Negotiate with me, then," Integra said in her commanding voice.

"Ah, but your real job here is to die at just the right time, Integra dear," Smythe explained politely.