A/N: This story is growing longer than I thought it would. Hope no one gets bored with the plot. And as always, thanks to my readers and reviewers!
The enemy takes many forms,
Some less obvious than others.
The two vampires returned to their hotel room after the mission and slept until the following night. When Seras awoke, she immediately looked at her hair. She had hoped the effects of Alucard's blood had worn off, but was disappointed when she saw the black stripes among the blond.
"The effects won't wear off, Police Girl" Alucard said, materializing beside her bed.
"Master!" Seras yelped, nearly jumping off her bed in surprise. Then the fledgling remembered she'd removed her clothes before sleeping, having grown tired of waking up in a wrinkled outfit. She slipped the covers over her scantily clad body, blushing at the intrusion into her private quarters. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing!"
Her master merely chuckled and bent down so his eyes were level with hers. The blood red color of his eyes seemed to drown her reflection, leaving only the darkness beyond.
"You needn't be so shy around me, Police Girl. You are my child, after all" he said, inching his face closer to Seras'.
Seras, shocked by his actions, could only stare speechlessly at Alucard. When he began moving closer, she jerked out of her paralysis and quickly shoved herself back. Slamming into the headboard made her master stop his encroachment and pull back. As he straightened himself up Alucard gave Seras one of his grins, though she thought she saw a hint of regret in his eyes.
"Quickly dress. Integra will be expecting us soon." So said, he vanished as quickly as he had come.
After Seras had slipped into her uniform, Alucard and she flew to the Hellsing mansion. Retrieving a few blood packs from the kitchen, the two vampires were called to Integra's office. Entering the room, they were immediately bombarded with commands.
"Seras, Walter wishes to see you. Alucard, stay here. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Seras looked toward Alucard, wondering if she should go. He seemed to be studying a painting of an elderly gentleman hung on the wall, but responded to her doubtful thoughts.
"I'll inform you later, Police Girl."
Seras mentally acknowledged Alucard's decision, nodded her head to Integra and left the room quickly. Walking down the steps, she met Walter climbing up.
"I was just looking for you, Miss Victoria. Will you come with me, please?"
"What is it?" Seras asked, looking at him questioningly. Judging by Walter's eagerness, she guessed the surprise was going to be interesting.
"Something Alucard requested. This way" he said mysteriously, leading her down the stairs.
When the elder vampire could no longer hear his child's footsteps, he turned to Integra. An expression of slight interest was on his face, showing her that she had his attention.
"My men investigated the town where you had destroyed the Freak. She seems to have scrolled many messages over the entire area surrounding the village. One writing had especially caught our attention."
She threw a photo across the desk in his direction, watching his reaction. Alucard picked up the picture and appeared to absently inspect the contents. He gave away none of his emotions, though the photo gave him a shock.
The picture showed a city sign, the one which showed the name and population. Painted over the sign, in what appeared to be blood, were the words Alucard's Destruction Is Dawning.
"What's the meaning of this?" Integra asked Alucard, watching his face for any signs of understanding. The monster before her told little of what he knew, and she was determined to learn the information he kept from her.
"I have no idea. But if these pathetic fools wish for my destruction, they must try harder. Your father, I presume?" he asked suddenly, gesturing toward the portrait hanging on the wall.
Integra, taken back by the question, could only nod the affirmative. Though she had enough thought left to wonder why the vampire was interested in her father. He had also managed to turn the focus of conversation away from the mysterious message.
Suddenly Alucard's smile changed into a frown, and he turned in the direction Seras had left.
"You seem to have a traitor in your midst, Miss Hellsing."
Before Integra had a chance to ask him about his words, he vanished in a mass of darkness. Alucard also gave her no time to question him about his knowledge of her family.
Following Walter, Seras had been led down another flight of stairs and along several halls. Walking along, she observed that the underground portion of the mansion had stone walls and floors, similar to the catacombs in Alucard's castle. Each door along the halls was made of wood, and looked exactly like one another. She hadn't known the compound was so huge and was glad she had Walter to lead her back.
Finally, Walter stopped at one of the many portals and pushed open the wooden door. Turning to Seras, he motioned for her to enter first. Hesitating, she looked into the room, seeing only a single table with a large case situated in one of the corners.
Seeing nothing threatening, she strode into the space with the elderly retainer following behind. Walter walked over to the large box, while Seras edged her way to the table. She watched as the servant carefully unlocked the metal clamps and opened the container. Reaching his hands into the case, he slowly turned to Seras.
"This is your new weapon, Miss Victoria" Walter said proudly, lifting what appeared to be a large tank barrel out of the box. He stood the weapon on its end next to him, being easily dwarfed by its length.
"What is this!" Seras nearly yelled, confused by the size of the weapon. How the old retainer had managed to lift the apparent barrel was beyond her imagination.
"The harkonnen cannon" Walter said proudly. "The barrel is thirty millimeters long, with the ability to annihilate both ground and air forces. There are two types of casings, uranium shells and armor-piercing incendiary rounds."
Seras stared mutely at the cannon, horror written upon her face. The sheer size of the weapon compared to her small frame made her wonder if Walter had gone insane.
"How am I going to carry that thing?" she asked, with obvious confusion.
"Alucard told me you're quite capable of handling the size and weight."
Thank you, Master Seras thought with sarcasm. He seemed to enjoy giving her the most difficult challenges, all for the sake of 'training'.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a Hellsing soldier, who saluted Walter and then glanced uneasily from Seras to the butler. Seras didn't recognize the employee as having come from Pip's group or any of the other troops, though she admitted to herself that she had met very few people in the Hellsing organization.
"You don't seem familiar" Walter commented. Apparently, the old retainer also had doubts about the man's identity. "When did you join Hellsing?"
"Just last week" the man said, smiling sheepishly at the two. "I'm one of the new recruits from the SAS. Am I interrupting something?" he asked, indicating the large weapon Walter held.
"Nothing at all. What may I do for you?" Walter asked, placing the harkonnen down on the table.
"Well, I'm afraid there's some trouble at the firing range. The guns have all jammed and the commander told me to find you."
"What a bother" Walter said, hurriedly walking past the soldier and out the door.
As his footsteps disappeared down the hall, the new recruit turned to Seras. The look in his eyes reminded her of a hungry wolf. There was also cunning in the soldier's face, as he blocked the doorway with his body. He gave Seras' body a thorough inspection, then turned his attention to her suspicious face.
"Alucard has good tastes, though my master was not expecting two vampires. No matter, you'll be easily dealt with."
Seras stared dumbfounded at the man, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Then she slowly comprehended the situation. Somehow the enemy had infiltrated Hellsing, and now he stood before her.
Seras looked closely at the man before her, analyzing the threat he posed. She could tell he was human, since he did not have any discolorations in his eyes. His movements were also too slow to be the speed of a vampire. Seras was glad the man wasn't a Freak because now she wouldn't have to destroy him. He would also be able to give them information about the enemy, which they sorely needed.
Unfortunately, he was faster than most humans. Seras realized the soldier also knew some martial arts, as he did an aerial kick which connected with her stomach. The force knocked her against the wall opposite the door, Standing to her feet, she attempted to tackle him and was instead thrown over the man's shoulders.
While in midair, she caught a glimpse of the weapon on the table. Concentrating on her vampiric powers, she was able to land on her feet and use the floor as a springboard. Propelling past the man and to the table, she quickly grabbed the cannon. She was shocked by how light the heavy artillery was in her hands, but had no time to think further for the soldier had darted toward her.
Seras would have fired her new weapon but the harkonnen would have ripped a substantial hole in the human's body. Instead, she grabbed the cannon and swung the lengthy barrel in the man's direction. His stomach caught the full blow, sending him flying backwards into the wall. The soldier slumped against the stones in a state of complete unconsciousness.
"Left me no fun, Police Girl?" Alucard said as he materialized in the room.
"Master, what is going on?" Seras asked, indicating the prone figure on the floor.
"Simple, Police Girl. Hellsing had a traitor in their midst. Now we had best return to Integra's office, she appears to want an explanation for my sudden disappearance." He smiled, sensing his abrupt disappearance had caused her some annoyance.
"Are you reading her mind, Master?" Seras asked accusingly. Though their alliance with Hellsing was shaky, they could at least give each other some respect.
"Relax, Police Girl. She doesn't often let down her guard. I was only able to read her thoughts because she lost her concentration. I expect no one has ever infiltrated Hellsing, and she seems quite upset with that possibility."
He grabbed Seras' wrist before she could respond, transporting them to Integra's office.
"What was the meaning of leaving without my leave?" Integra growled, giving Seras and Alucard suspicious glares.
"You forget, Miss Hellsing, we are not your troops. You have no power to order us according to your whims."
"Very well" she said, settling down into her chair. Taking a cigarette out of a box on the desk she lit the end and inhaled deeply, letting the fumes sooth her mind. The frequency of the Freak attacks had increased, giving her more stress than she could handle. After this affair is done, I'm going to take a much needed vacation she thought. "What were you saying about there being an intruder? Hellsing has no traitors in its midst."
"You did, though Seras has taken care of your problem. He will be unconscious for quite a while, though he is still alive."
Integra settled back in her chair, calculating the new developments. Someone had been thorough with their infiltration, and now knew the operations of Hellsing. Well, she would have her 'interrogation' squad discover what the spy had told the enemy. Crushing the last of her cigar, she turned her attention back to the vampires.
"I have another assignment for you two. A lone operation, because frankly I don't want to lose any of my men."
Alucard smirked at her blunt reply but said nothing. He wanted a challenge, and the humans would only get in his way. Besides, Seras may try to make friends with some of the whelp, if given a chance. He had to teach her not to become involved with the mortals, or she would never let go of her human emotions.
"I want you two to investigate a suspected Freak factory on one of London's wharfs. Find out whatever you can and report back to me. Also, if possible, bring one of them back alive."