Special Thanks: Sensoo, my lovely beta reader.

Durga

Chapter Three

- The Fool

"Duck, Peter!"

Seras' warning almost came too late for her fledgling to dodge the sword-like fingernails of his attacker. The creature barely missed, cutting through the metal table beside him instead. Slicing it to shreds like it was made of paper instead of steel. The young vampire's pupils dilated, and he caught his breath at the last moment. Some annoyingly human habit. His Master always pointed out that it could be used against him one day. Now she appeared to be right.

Around him, his fellow soldiers were falling like flies. Very few of those vampires were taken down, most turned into flaming balls and flew around until they latched onto their faces, stealing air from their mouths, emptying their lungs, until they collapsed, dead.

Seras, on the other hand, tried to chase them, after failing to capture them with shadows and wasting her Harkonnen ammunition. Peter watched agape as his Master's arms became huge bat wings; she looked surprisingly frightening. Her flapping caused a strong wind that made it difficult for the mortals to move freely, easier targets to the unliving monsters. But he couldn't blame her, they had taken something from the pharmacy, and their main orders were to stop them from stealing whatever they sought.

In his unlife, Peter had seen his collection of beings. First the giant lizard thing, then flying heads, now the oriental-looking, white-haired vampires. And out of the places they attacked, this pharmacy took the cake.

One was charging his way, but he remained still, waiting for the impact. Nothing. The Chinese vampire passed Peter as if he wasn't there. "What?" he muttered, confused before he felt the vampire's brows binding him. He struggled, angry at himself for lowering his guard. If he wanted to gain his Master's respect, he wasn't doing a good job.

"Bernard!" MacLagan shouted, moving in his direction.

"Stay there, I can deal with this." Embarrassed, Peter mustered his strength to break the lasso of hair and punched the attacker into oblivion.

"Retreat!" Stuart MacLagan ordered aloud, they were clearly overrun by the enemy. "We'll try to contain them inside."

Peter rubbed the angry red zone of his neck. Why? Why did he ignore me the first time?

'Haven't you found out yet, Peter?' Seras' voice rang inside his head, chiding as a mother would do to a slow child. 'Think about it for a while…'

Peter pouted at the lecturing tone, furrowing his brow. Blind… they couldn't see me… Only when I talked… But many of the troops didn't talk and where located easily, Master!

'Then… there must be another factor… Not whether you talked or not, but what you required to do so.'

Breath! Many were the stealing air from their lungs! He looked around, Seras' batting of the wings had dazzled the Chinese vampires. Despite the strong wind, she hadn't put the troops in peril as he first assumed.

'Very good. Tell MacLagan to hold them until I return. And Peter… don't mess up.'

Peter turned to MacLagan, gaze absent as his mind formed a plan. "Master orders to hold them here until her return… I'll be right back. I have an idea."

"Bernard! Wait!" Stuart MacLagan tried to stop him, but to no avail. "Your ideas are always dangerous…"

Peter didn't comply with the order. He rushed outside and almost bumped intothe police who were sealing the area. Good thing he covered his eyes to avoid recognition. At the middle of that block, he found what he was looking for. A supermarket. If his memories of campy oriental films were good, the Chinese vampires had a terrible weakness: Rice.

Peter gained a few funny looks from the cashier when he went to pay for the six bags of rice. He knew he was wasting time, but his Master would be angry if he stole them and broke the law. She was that anal retentive with the rules.

Impatient, he dropped more money than he should have and ran towards the pharmacy. She could keep the change. The press was ready to block his way with questions , but he jumped them, literally. Taking an impulse from his legs, the young Nosferatu spun on the air and landed out of their reach. Vultures, no wonder Lady Elspeth hated them as much, they held no consideration for the common good, really. No ethical code to hold them back.

"Back!" Peter said, waving the bags of rice.

"It's about damned time, Bernard…" the lieutenant froze, "Rice? You left us to buy that?!"

Peter grinned, showing a single fang. "Watch their doom, Stuart." Having said that, he tore apart the bags, spilling the contents on the floor.

The Chinese vampire paused their attack, sniffing the air. The ones who had become balls of light returned to their human shapes. Soon they were over the rice, picking up the grains one by one with their bony fingers. Counting.

Peter blinked, baffled. That wasn't suppose to happen. They should have destroyed by now. Blasted inaccurate vampire flicks!

"That'll stop them," Stuart patted Peter's shoulder. "Good work. But it won't last forever and both, the silver bullets and the ultraviolet concentration rays are ineffective beyond superficial wounds for them."

Peter frowned, eyeing the weapon on MacLagan's back. "Is that a flamethrower? Fire, that could destroy almost everything." According to Lady Elspeth it was because fire purified. Corrupted parts could be born from the ashes anew. Stuart nodded, handing him the weapon. "You ought to be careful… This place is…"

"Thanks, mate!" Peter snagged the firearm cheerfully, turned aroundand pulled the trigger. A curtain of fire shot out at the oriental undead, who didn't pay attention to the flames dancing around them, because they were busy counting their little white treasure.

"Flammable," Stuart finished as Peter continued to bathe their foes on fire. In his quest to destroy them, the vampire accidentally hit the desk and the bottles on the stands, causing the fire to spread through the room.

"To the exit!" MacLagan commanded, squeezing Peter's shoulder in order to urge the vampire to follow him. "Drop that, c'mon, you dolt." He hadn't finished the last words before the fire made contact with chemicals, starting a small explosion that threatened to roast the building and the soldiers inside.

Peter felt the hot caress of the flames before all turned to darkness. It shielded them and contained the peril.

"What are you waiting for?!" Seras' voice came from behind; her wings had changed back into normal arms. "I can't hold it for much longer. Out!"

Peter dropped the flamethrower and picked up three fallen comrades. Then he ran, two on his shoulders and one in his arms. MacLagan gestured the rest to follow him and soon they burst out of the door and windows of the pharmacy. Captain Victoria was waiting for them.

"Everyone down!" Seras ordered to her soldiers, press, police and curious inquiring minds who were watching the scene. Without thinking twice, most threw themselves to the ground, others only did it when they felt the pressure of a shadow sheet over them.

Peter looked up, to see his Master released her hold on the explosion. Wind hurt their ears and faces, but the barrier Seras had woven protected them from the worst. When he lifted his lashes again, the building was but a flaming mass. Ooops.

"That's the best thing you have to say?" Seras asked, tapping her foot in front of him. His gaze fell on her face and knew at once that she wasn't proud for his achievement.

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Seras had spent over two hours inside Elspeth's office and she hadn't come back yet, Peter sipped nervously his blood bag, sensing it wasn't a very good sign. At all.

Peter knew his Master had second thoughts about turning him into one of her kind. Also he was aware that she didn't do it because he was smarter or more brilliant than the rest of the Hellsing rookies operatives. It happened years ago, on that fated mission, but he remembered like yesterday. He had lost his left eye and his braid was undone, spine severed and his abdomen had been viciously slashed. Seras had come to feed on the fallen when she saw him. She looked at his eye and hair with a misted expression of remembrance. She asked the question, he accepted, and during the transformation, she uttered the word 'Pip' under her cold breath.

He was never Peter Bernard but a failed replacement of Pip Bernadette. That angered him and saddened him at the same time. He didn't wish to be here just because he looked like someone from her past, he wanted to be part of Hellsing because he deserved it. He leaned on his chair and finished drinking the synthetic blood. He preferred the taste of the real thing, but apparently Seras thought it would be a suitable punishment for his actions. Like he was some kind of naughty little brat.

"Bernard," MacLagan smacked the back of Peter's head to attract his attention. He turned his head, glancing at Stuart over his shoulder. "Oh, now you decide to notice me." He smiled and sat on the opposite chair, putting his legs over the coffee table. "The Captain hasn't returned yet, has she?"

"Nope. I fear our boss is takin' it with her…"

"Well, she's the responsible for your actions, as superior and your personal nanny," he gave a shrug. "But personally I don't think Elspeth is shouting at her. The two of them seemed strangely close."

Peter snorted, "Don't tell me you believe in bloody rumors?"

"That they are fags? No, I meant friends. Seras is certainly not a dyke and Elspeth probably doesn't have time for any gender. A pity, she's not bad on the eyes."

"It's the hair," Peter agreed with a cheeky smirk. "Friends… Master has no problem dallying with us… Boss is lonely, I haven't seen her with a single friend inside or outside the court. But she's not sharing her private life, I think if we knew about it, she would kill us to keep it a secret. Stuart laughed. "The scary thing is, she would probably do that. But, think about it. They are the only female, high-ranking members of this organization . It's not a surprise that they are close."

"Speaking behind our backs now?" Seras asked, startling Peter. She was leaning on the threshold of the hall.

"Yo Captain," MacLagan gulped nervous, just realizing she had listened to their chat. Peter knew he was riled, the Lieutenant pulled out a cigarette. He always smoke when something was wrong.

"Hey Master," Peter waved his hand, smiling sheepishly as she walked closer.

"For your credit, you didn't start with perverted male fantasies," Seras grinned, almost goofily, as she bent down to snap the just lit cigarette out of Stuart's lips to bring it to hers. "For that," she inhaled the cigarillo, "I won't report this to the Boss."

Peter shifted on his seat, Seras did this from time to time. That grin wasn't like her cocky fanged one. Most took as part of her personality, but as her fledgling, he knew it wasn't. She wouldn't look at into adult content films like they did the other day. She would have probably lectured them for doing so.

"Peter," Seras exhaled the smoke from her lips. "She wants a word with you."

Peter swallowed the last remnants of his blood, stood, and strode towards the door. "Wish me luck…" In response, Stuart whistled a death march.

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Peter prepared himself to meet Elspeth, mentally trying to anticipate her words and attitude. Talking to her was like having a chat with God. If He could reply to you, anyway. When she looked at you it was like she pierced the secrets of your soul, all-knowing but at the same time oblivious and detached from most matters. Distant, but caring. The rookies had trouble with her at first, until they realized that her cold façade, the one she used to everyone outside Hellsing, didn't apply to the members of the organization, her chosen people.

Peter kicked himself mentally for the comparison. If the boss knew, she wouldn't be pleased by such blasphemous thoughts. He rubbed his forearms as the atmosphere became chilling. That usually happened when one neared her office. He figured it couldn't be the air central system but rather his nervous state. His knuckles didn't have a chance to knock. The door opened automatically, making him lose balance. Stumbling, he entered.

"Welcome, Bernard," Elspeth rose from her chair, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk before settling down once more. "Sit down."

"Greetings, Sir Hellsing," Peter saluted formally and hurriedly lounged on the chair, shrinking within himself in front of Elspeth. She intimidated him.

She chuckled at that, crushing her finished cigar in the ashtray. "Relax, Bernard. I'm not going to bite you." Despite her friendly words, he didn't feel much better. "Captain Victoria already gave you a long lecture about this business, correct?" She didn't wait for his reply, as usual she knew. "Thus I'll be short and concise. Your little fireworks display cost the organization not only money to reconstruct that building, but also popularity in the public opinion," her tone changed from kind to cold. "In the midst of the latter incidents this could be a mortal strike to Hellsing's reputation. The press is already gossiping that our undead 'pets' are misbehaving. If this continues, the Prime Minister and Her Highness may order me to destroy both, Seras and you."

Peter's eye widened at that, agitated by the news. "But Master is innocent of all that…"

"Calm down, Bernard. Rest assured that I have no intention of harming Seras or you, no matter how troublesome you are. Which is why I'll grant you one last chance. Don't cause problems again… Or your punishment would be much more severe than a year without days off…" she warned grimly.

"I didn't mean to be a burden, Sir," Peter said, casting his gaze to her desk. He was crestfallen and tired every time he tried to do things right, came out badly.

"I know you have good intentions, Bernard but… if the world merely worked on good intentions it would be better than the one we live in," her words warmed up a little bit. "I must say that if you hadn't acted so brash while using that flamethrower, I would be congratulating you instead of this."

Peter caught the hint at once, "I'll try to control my temper." He meant it, he should have been more careful, that would have prevented many things.

"I read the reports. The use of the rice captured my attention. I must confess I wasn't aware you read vampire lore and knew the chiang-shih weakness."

Peter swallowed a laugh. "I like horror films. When I was a kid I wanted to be a vampire hunter; that's why I applied to Hellsing."

"I see. Well… that's all, Bernard. Dismissed."

Peter hesitated to stand. "May I ask you something, Sir?"

"That depends," Elspeth placed her elbows on her desk to support her body. "What is it?"

"Regarding the missions… I noticed all the attacks were related to India. Embassy, museum exhibition, and now the biggest pharmacy in London owned by Hindu descendants. What are they searching for?"

Elspeth smiled, secretive and scheming. "I can't give up all details… Confidential. But I can tell you the Captain failed to capture the fugitive oriental monsters. They escaped with their quarry…"

"Master… came back to protect us… She's not…" He was silenced by a gesture of her hands, Peter couldn't allow Seras' failure to spot her profile. He was willing to take the blame.

"Quiet, Bernard, I haven't finished. They took something I believe is useless," Elspeth tossed him a tablet.

He caught it in the air and read aloud. "Carisoprodol. Skeletal Muscular Relaxant in base of Soma. Available only by medical prescription."

"Unless they had pain in their extremities and couldn't afford to buy the tablets," Elspeth started with her own brand of wry humor. "I say they took the wrong Soma."

"Soma…" Peter rubbed his chin, he had heard about that name before. "Isn't that a mushroom? A drug? It's popular in the black market."

Elspeth nodded, "Among other things, yes."

He didn't understand; why were they after a drug that was easily acquired by dealers on the streets? It was mind-boggling.

"Sir Hellsing!"

Peter turned around to gaze at the newcomer. The man looked to be in his fifties. He was dressed in tweed and had a bruise on his cheek. He recognized him at once; Alan Bond, Hellsing's retainer. He wondered how Alan had managed to get himself injured. "Yes, Alan? How was the mission? Are you hurt?"

Alan cast a spare glance to Peter before returning his attention towards Elspeth. "I'm well, Lady Elspeth. I did this carelessly in my escape," he answered politely. "I found out the terrorist group's name…"

Peter noted the pause, knowing that the other man did not continue because of his presence.

"Go on, the name isn't a secret from my men… They should be aware of what they are facing."

"As you like, milady," Alan sighed, "They called themselves the Asuras. Or that was what I could distinguish between their gibberish and hisses."

"Asuras…" Elspeth looked pensive. "More Hindu references… I'll have to contact the Ambassador in New Delhi."

"That's not all," Alan remarked curtly, "I also overheard this… Allow me to re-phrase it for you: 'The Red Dragon will come to assist us soon. London will become the City of the Impaled again.'"

What happened next stunned Peter. Elspeth's jaw clenched, her features twisted in fury as she slammed her fist to the table. Manythings fell. The usually collected woman had lost her temper. Red Dragon, he would had to ask Seras about this.

"So… he joined the enemy," Elspeth muttered to herself, long strands fell across her face, shielding her expression from Peter's view. As if she had read the young vampire's thoughts, the Hellsing added harshly. "Not a word about this 'Red Dragon' and the last conversation to anyone, Bernard. Especially Seras. I need to evaluate my course of action. Feel free to communicate the Asuras' name. Now go."

Peter nodded absently, heading towards the door quickly. Certainly it would be a mistake to upset Lady Hellsing in this state. But before their voices left his superior hearing range, the fledgling eavesdropped on the rest of the chat.

"Alan…" He heard Elspeth spoke.

"Orders, Sir?"

"Red code… Bring me my weapons… I'm going hunting…"

"Are you certain, milady?"

"Of course." Peter had more trouble distinguishing the sounds at that distance but at least he heard Elspeth's remark. "Isn't the job of the gallant knight to slay the evil Dragon?" He couldn't but feel sorry for this 'Dragon' bloke.