A/N:Back to the plot as promised, LOL. Anyway, thanks to the readers and reviewers!
A trap well laid
Captures the intended prey.
Seras awoke somewhat groggily the next night, slowly sitting up in her bed. She looked down at herself idly, then jerked awake. She was wearing her normal outfit, not the dress she'd last remembered having on. Then the memories of the previous night flooded to her mind, making her eyes widen in shock.
She and Alucard had almost had sex, and in a graveyard of all places! Her cheeks reddened at the exotic memories and the young vampire felt a sense of warmth wash over her. She would have felt ashamed by her actions, but the experience had been so pleasurable.
But Seras' mouth turned down in a frown as she wondered at Alucard's actions, which had interrupted their heated tryst. Why had he stopped? Why had Alucard stopped their fun? Maybe he hadn't found her so pleasurable?
The object of her confusion suddenly materialized in her room, a very pleased grin on his face. He once more wore his usual outfit, with his eyes covered by those strange glasses. Her master circled the bed slowly, looking at her carefully. As if finally deciding something, he stopped his pacing, his smirk growing wider.
"Your vampiric side had taken over" Alucard said, replying to her thoughtful questions. "And your urge to feed upon me was overwhelming you. I stopped before you could do such a thing" he stated simply, as if the answer was obvious.
"But why? What would have happened if I'd bitten you?" she asked confusingly. Another bit of information her master wasn't telling her.
"We must hurry along now" he said, evading her question, and her eyes. "The Hellsing troops are waiting."
Seras nodded her head obediently and grabbed the harkonnen, shouldering the large weapon. She would pry the matter further after the mission and the next time, she wouldn't let him brush her off.
Traveling to the Hellsing mansion by way of their dark portals, the vampires quickly arrived in Integra's office. The Hellsing leader had apparently braced herself for such an entrance, as she showed no signs of surprise or annoyance.
"The transport vehicles are situated behind the mansion. You will take your orders from Commander Burns without question, understood?" Integra asked Seras.
"Yes, sir" the vampiress answered, nodding her head. Seras could tell Alucard wasn't happy about this arrangement, and hoped he wouldn't kill her new commander in anger.
"Good" the Hellsing leader said. "Now go, the team is waiting for you."
Commander Burns stood among his troops proudly, watching them assemble their equipment properly. When Seras and Alucard appeared out of thin air, he nearly yelled out but kept his composure. He didn't want to appear weak in front of his men, especially toward vampires. With Seras' arrival, all the troops for the evening were assembled.
"Alright people, we'll be leaving in ten minutes. Grab your gear and prepare to move out" the commander ordered. The troops began picking up their guns, heading toward the vehicles.
Alucard suddenly turned to Seras, the customary grin gone from his face. The fledgling's eyebrow raised in question, wondering why his demeanor had changed.
"Some advice, Police Girl" Alucard said, his eyes settling on hers. Still so innocent he thought. "Be careful."
"Why?" Seras asked, confused. Her master sounded generally concerned, and that idea frightened her.
"Remember this, though the blood in your veins is strong, the will commanding its strength must also be powerful. Otherwise, the vampire fledgling is destroyed." Alucard looked at Seras carefully, watching her expression change to one of confusion. "There was a reason for the training, other than the skills to be learned. You needed to realize your vampiric nature, knowing your limits and how to take advantage of the knowledge of your abilities."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because the enemy is moving. Can you feel the danger in the air? Like a storm brewing just beyond the horizon." He turned his attention to the blood red moon rising in the sky.
Seras gazed at her master for a moment, before her new commander ordered the remaining troops into the trucks. Turning, she gave Alucard one last look over her shoulder and headed toward the vehicles, slightly shaken by what the elder vampire had told her. She didn't speak to any of the troops in the truck with her, barely noticing the glares they gave her.
An hour later, the Hellsing squad and Seras arrived at their destination. The quarters under suspicion was an old manufacturing building, looking harmless enough with every window boarded up and all but two entrances sealed off. As according to the plan, the fledgling headed carefully toward the front entrance. She opened her senses, trying to feel for any signs of danger. Strangely, she could feel nothing emanating from the buildings, no hint of life at all. The assignment was also going too easy, with the Hellsing troops and Seras making their way to their positions without any trouble.
Reaching the main door with not a sign of any guards, Seras cautiously tried the handles. Finding they were locked, she opted for plan two. Pressing her hand against the wall near the entrance, she concentrated on walking through the solid barrier. But to her surprise, she wasn't able to conjure any of her dark powers. Maybe she needed more training?
No Seras thought. Alucard trained me. There must be something else wrong.
Sighing quietly, she pushed the thoughts aside and focused on her mission. There was still the problem of entering the building, and she could think of only one solution. Hopefully she wouldn't make too much noise doing so.
Leaning toward one of the locked doors, Seras grabbed one of the handles. With a quick, and thankfully quiet, twist, she snapped the bolt and opened the door. Peering around the corner, she saw nothing but a darkened hallway leading out of her vision. With a step of her feet, she slipped through the doorway and closed the slab shut behind her.
Squinting into the shadowed corridor, Seras was once more unpleasantly surprised. Her vampiric vision refused to penetrate the darkness, and she was left as blind as a human. Finding a nearby wall, she pressed her back to the surface and began to slowly creep down the hall.
Seras immediately noticed something strange. She felt no protrusions along her hand, meaning there were no other doors along the hallway she was in. Alucard's words floated to her mind as she tried to comprehend why someone would make a hallway leading to only one place.
Then Seras reached the end of the corridor, and the building opened up into a large complex area. And standing before her, situated in the lighted center of the large room, was a figure. She suddenly realized why the hall had been built with only one direction to go. It was a trap.
Seras couldn't see what the person was wearing, a cloak blocking her view. A hood also covered the figure's head, casting the face's features in shadow. She stepped closer, but halted as the person spoke.
"You can't win against us" the strange person before her said. "You're merely a fledgling, after all."
Seras completely froze, confused by what the person had said. A man by his voice she thought, trying to see under his hood. But what is he talking about?
Then the stranger pulled back his hood, revealing a male taller than herself. Seras also saw, to her surprise, that he looked no older than herself. But there were differences. There was a colder gleam to his eyes, like that of a hunter.
Then Seras looked again at his eyes in amazement. They were a glowing red, a color much like her own.
"What are you?" she asked, uncertain of what her mind was telling her.
"You know what I am, fledgling" the man responded, a grin appearing on his face. Then he suddenly threw the cloak off himself and at her.
Seras, distracted with the fabric the stranger had tossed, felt a kick connect with her chin and she heard her jaw break in several places. Her harkonnen was knocked out her grip, sliding across the floor. She skidded across the floor a few yards but quickly scrambled to her feet, facing her smirking opponent. Now she was weaponless, with only her vampiric abilities to depend upon.
And the stranger was unlike any vampire she'd fought before. The monster before her knew how to control his powers, and his strength was immense. Alucard really knew what he was talking about she thought, grinning. The prospect of a challenging battle was having an effect on her mind, sending her into a state of bloodlust.
They stood before each other, sizing each other for any weaknesses. Then the two vampires began to stalk each other, warily watching with their eyes for any sudden movements. Suddenly they launched themselves at one another, fangs bared. The fight was vicious, each slashing and clawing at their enemy, swinging blows while dodging others. Finally they broke apart, both of their clothing ripped to shreds and covered in one another's blood, and their own.
Seras grinned at her opponent, bringing up a bloodied hand and licking the delicious life-force off. She could feel her survival instincts rise as she once more attacked the vampire, the battle became faster and more deadly. Now instead of trying to disable each other, they were both going for vital areas. Seras lashed at his throat while her opponent attempted to stab through her heart. Their blows collided with each, sending both reeling backwards.
Quickly standing to her feet, Seras prepared to attack again. But suddenly, several lights were flipped on around her. The young vampire could see people standing in the shadows, having apparently fixed the show before and during her fight. She cursed under her breath, scolding herself for being caught unaware.
Suddenly a bright violet colored light was flashed on her, seizing her body in a state of paralysis. Then pain wracked her body, as she slowly dropped to her knees.
"Ultraviolet rays. Not powerful enough to kill a vampire, but quite capable of disabling a fledgling such as yourself" a voice suddenly spoke, as a darkened figure stepped beside one of the machines. Seras recognized the sound as being male, though she could not recall ever hearing the voice before.
"If you kill me, Alucard will destroy you" Seras whispered confidently. Her master would rip them all to shreds.
"We have other plans for you, Seras Victoria." Seras jerked at the sound of her name, but instantly the pain flared up. Her vision was becoming blurry and she was slowly slipping into unconsciousness.
Alucard . . . she thought, before losing consciousness.