A/N: As promised, an early chapter. And so...long o.0 I can't believe I wrote that much. Anyway, hope everyone likes it! And only one more chapter to go...
Belief in the one's you love
Is belief in yourself.
"Seras..." a voice echoed in her mind.
Seras' head jerked up, her eyes shooting open. With confusion clouding her brain for a moment, she barely comprehended that she was in an unfamiliar room. Shaking the sleep from her mind and looking around, she saw only four metallic walls and a large door. Trying to stand, she found both her legs and arms shackled to the wall, restraining her. Then the memories surfaced, of her fight with the vampire and her capture by the mysterious person.
She had to get out of here. Attempting to push through the shackles, Seras realized her dark powers weren't working. Panic nearly overtook her, as the fledgling could think of no other way to free herself. But she knew that course of action would help her little, so calming herself down with several comforting breaths, she inspected the cuffs. They appeared to be ordinary shackles, made of some type of metal. So why couldn't she escape them?
Then Seras remembered the warehouse, where her vampiric powers had also been restrained. Something within her grew angry at the thought of being blocked from her powers and shackled to the wall like some wild animal. The fledgling recognized the feeling of bloodlust, but her vampiric nature seemed to be existing beside her, rather than taking over. And at this moment, she desperately needed the power the beast held. Maybe if I concentrated... Seras thought, closing her eyes.
Entering her own mind, the young vampire found herself standing on a wide plain, with a single tree standing within the center. Walking toward the large wood, Seras saw that the tree was dead, with no leaves gracing its branches. Reaching the massive trunk, as round as she was tall, Seras looked around. Then she noticed a small figure laying in the shadow of the tree, its back against the tree, watching her with blood red eyes. Cautiously approaching the person, she held out her hand, confusion lighting her face as the figure drew back.
"I'm not going to hurt you" Seras said, giving a comforting smile. But her smile quickly changed into one of shock when the figure literally crawled out of the shadows.
The figure was she. An exact replica of herself stood before Seras, but she noticed a drastic difference. The beast's appearance was darker than her own. The hair was long and pure black in color, like Alucard's, and blood coated every part of its skin. The creature's fangs were elongated from bloodlust, and the eyes flashed with curiosity at the young fledgling.
Seras realized this must be herself, but only when the vampire's nature consumed her. Swallowing, she took a careful step toward the beast, but jumped back in surprise when the creature growled at her. Suddenly the fledgling narrowed her eyes, liking little how her troublesome counterpart was treating her. Scowling, Seras stomped toward the creature and seated herself before it, surprising both herself and her mirror image.
"Listen, I need your help" Seras said, putting as much authority into her voice as she could. "If we don't get out of this room, we may die. Both of us." The creature stared at her closely, showing the first signs of intelligence Seras had noticed. "Please, I don't want to fight you anymore, and I know you don't want to be trapped here any longer."
Seras held out her hand once more, looking into the creature's eyes. The beast silently stared at her for a few moments, then gave the fledgling a toothy grin. A blood soaked hand slid into the pale, innocent palm, and Seras was thrown out of her mind, waking once more to the desolate cell.
Staring blankly around the room for a moment, the fledgling suddenly realized something was different. The push of the barriers was still felt, but she could sense her awakened vampiric power pushing against them, blocking their intent. She'd finally gained control over her vampire side, and was able to use her powers without the threat of going into bloodlust. Grinning with glee, she concentrated on freeing herself from the shackles which held her to the wall.
Seras suddenly let out a shriek of pain, and pulled her hands and feet back into the shackles. Through pained eyes, she gave the cuffs a closer examination, noticing a ring of grey within the center of each. Silver. The cuffs held silver between two pieces of steel, which had made her body burn with the contact. Growling lowly and clenching her teeth, Seras pushed through again. A hiss escaped her lips as she felt the silver metal scold her skin, her arteries, her bone. Then she was free, and the fledgling collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Ribbons of welts were left on her wrists and ankles, but they were quickly healing before her eyes.
Slowly rising to her feet, Seras stumbled over to the metallic door. The fledgling could see neither a handle, nor any sign of a gap between the wall and door. Swinging her arm, she imbedded her hand into the metal. With a quick pull toward herself, the door collapsed within itself, allowing a space to open on the right side.
Sliding through the gap, Seras stepped into a long hall with several other metal doors lining both sides. Peering down both ends and seeing no one she was about to move to her left when a blast of energy hit her. Stumbling back, clutching her head, the young vampire looked around for signs of the attacker. Deciding the direction she'd chosen was not a good idea, she turned to her right, proceeding down the hall.
Seras followed the corridor for what seemed like several blocks, never seeing a sign of any other person. Every door she found was made of the exact same metal, and were locked. There were no identifiable markers to distinguish the walls from one another. Turning a corner, she was once more met with another hall, this one as long as the last. She could easily lose her way if not careful.
Suddenly Seras heard a scratching noise come from behind the door to her right. Approaching the metal slab cautiously, she was painfully aware of her vulnerability. She wasn't sure she could depend on her now controlled vampire powers, she had no idea where her harkonnen was, nor did she know what dangers lay in wait for her. As she stood before the door, the noises on the other side abruptly stopped. Taking in a little needed breath, she slowly opened door. The sight before her made Seras gasp in horror.
Bodies lay everywhere, many of them mangled beyond recognition. Blood covered the walls and floor, puddling under what remained of the people. Rats scurried over their bodies, intent on finding a suitable dinner. Seras' rage boiled up at the sight of so many bodies, all so ruthlessly murdered. Even vampires killed with a purpose, but this was just slaughter.
Backing out of the room, holding a hand over her mouth, Seras raced down the hall, away from the gruesome sight she'd beheld. What monster did that! she yelled to herself. Then she abruptly stopped her forward progression, finding herself at a crossroads. Before her were two sets of stairs, one leading above and the other below. So I must be in a basement she thought. Thinking the best course of action would be to leave the building, she started toward the steps leading up. But another blast of mental energy hit her, and she rubbed her head in annoyance. Someone was certainly enjoying their torment of her.
But getting the hint, Seras took the stairway leading down, eyes scanning forward as the way grew darker. Reaching the bottom, she was once more greeted with a hallway, though the fledgling was able to pierce the darkness and see the end of the corridor. A single door stood at the end, and she was keenly reminded of her capture, where there had also been but one door from which to enter.
Figuring she had no other choice, Seras boldly strode down the corridor and stood in front of the door. Concentrating her senses, she picked up two entities in the room, but one of them had an unusual aura surrounding them. Finding the door had a handle, she quietly turned the knob and crept into the room.
Peering around, Seras noticed with disgust that the room was some sort of testing lab. Several former subjects still lay on many tables, while tools were strewn around the area.
Turning her head, she found one of the occupants she'd sensed, male by the figure, with his back turned to her. Then anger flashed in her eyes, as she recognized the person as being her capture. A low growl escaped her lips, making the man turn at her noise.
Maxwell's eyes widened in surprise for a moment as he recognized Alucard's fledgling, then humor entered their depths. "So you escaped the chains. You surely are his child. Did you enjoy the show on your way here?" he asked, knowing well that she would have passed the mutilation room.
Seras glared at man before her, feeling her fingers lengthen into claws. She was ready to kill this man who had injured her pride, and maybe make him suffer for her indignation. But first, she had a question to ask him.
"Bastard! You're the one who murdered all those people! Why? Why did you kill them!"
Maxwell chuckled, amused by her anger over such a trifle. "I had no further use for such trash" he replied. Then his grin widened. "I believe he would agree with me" the Iscariot said, gesturing to her right. Seras turned her attention to where he pointed.
What she saw nearly stopped her already still heart. There, hanging from the wall, was Alucard. Seras noticed with horror that his body was horribly mutilated. There were several dozen needles attached to his body, extracting his blood into beakers and jars. He appeared to be asleep, or had lost consciousness by the draining of blood.
"What have you done to him?" Seras screamed, turning toward the monster standing before her. He must have come for me she thought with some guilt, looking at Alucard out of the corner of her eyes.
"You wished to see your precious master again, did you not? Well, here he is. Though I'm afraid he's unable to speak to you at the moment." A small chuckle escaped his lips as he watched Seras' face change from one of shock to rage.
"I'll make you pay for this, you filth!" Seras yelled, crouching down in a battle stance.
"Are you sure? I can tell you much about your beloved 'master'. Has he told you his real name, who he was?"
"What are you talking about?" Seras asked slowly, not sure if he was toying with her. She remained in her position, but the fierceness in her eyes wavered.
"I'm sure you've heard of the book Dracula, fledgling" Maxwell spoke, grinning. He knew he had her undivided attention. "The monster in the story was horrible, a beast within a man's body. Torturing his victims and feasting on human blood. That monster hangs upon that wall."
The fledgling's eyes widened, remembering when she'd read the book in high school. The monster's name was Dracula, a former prince who had been damned by his own actions. Seras shook her head, stumbling back in disbelief. He had to be lying, there was no way Alucard could be such a bloodthirsty beast. But she realized with growing horror that Maxwell was speaking the truth. The castle in Romania, the name inscribed on the coffin...
"Did you actually believe Vlad the Impaler thought of you as a friend? You're nothing more than a servant, a slave to him" His words slithered out, emphasizing their point. Maxwell circled Seras, taunting and confusing her. "But I know a way to solve all your problems, to be free of your enslavement to a monster. The only way for you to become free is to kill him. Survival of the fittest is the law in the world of vampires. Now you have your chance."
Was he speaking the truth, or was he trying to make her kill her master? If what he said was true, then was her freedom worth such a price? Save herself, or save Alucard, the monster she'd come to love?
Memories came flooding into her, flashing through her vision. Their first meeting, strolling through the woods outside the castle, her turning, their joining with Hellsing, and finally, the last time she had seen Alucard. When he had told her to be strong because she had her own strength, and his.
"Whatever his name was, whoever he used to be, he's not that any more." Seras straightened herself up to her full height, staring Maxwell in the eye. "His name is Alucard, and he is my master."
A frown creased the Iscariot's face for a moment, before the smirk reappeared. "Well then, I see you won't kill him. That is quite all right. I have someone who is more than willing." He snapped his fingers.
From behind Maxwell emerged the vampire Seras had fought in the warehouse, cold eyes gleaming at her. A wild grin covered his face at the prospect of killing.
"I will release what remains of the magic barriers for this fight, to make it more interesting. But I must warn you, Gabriel" he said, gesturing toward the vampire "is a pure blood like yourself. My own fledgling. We'll see if Alucard's blood is as strong as mine."
So said, Gabriel launched himself at Seras, snarling in glee. The fight was one-sided from the beginning, a mirror image of their first fight, where he'd had the advantage of surprise. This time Seras had the disadvantage of her hunger, while Maxwell's child was obviously well fed. Gabriel was also well versed in his vampiric powers, while she had only just gained control of her own.
And Maxwell's fledgling took advantage of her weakness, making several deep lacerations across her stomach and face. He took hold of her arm and snapped the bone, while his other hand traced a deep cut along her collar bone. Gabriel then lifted her body above his head, throwing her into one of the operating tables.
But the previous battle had been different, and the change quickly grew apparent as Seras' injuries quickly healed. Now she wasn't just fighting for herself, but her master was in danger. Survival was one thing, but fighting for one's mate was a whole other instinct.
The pain from her nearly healed wounds didn't phase her at all, as Seras launched her body into Gabriel's. Her head collided with his stomach, and they both flew backward with the force of the blow. The male vampire knocked into a far wall, while Seras landed on the floor a few yards away. She quickly rose to her feet, but Maxwell's fledgling remained still against the wall, his head bent in unconsciousness.
Feeling the vampire within her laughing in glee, Seras joined in the feeling. She could sense her powers building, for what reason she didn't know. Then an image came to her mind, and the young vampire's grin widened. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the picture, imagining its form clearly in her mind's eye.
The room suddenly darkened, light becoming shadow and shadow becoming light. Seras could feel her body melting, stretching itself into an endless form of darkness. A sudden rush of dark magic exploded into her, making her shudder in glee with the power it brought.
Maxwell's mouth fell open, as he realized what she was doing. The young fledgling was calling forth her familiars, a last show to his doomed child. Gabriel awakened then, confused by the darkness surrounding the room.
Suddenly hell hounds escaped from her formless body, rushing toward Maxwell's apprentice at a blinding speed. Several connected with his arms, while others trapped his legs in their mouths. The young vampire emerged from her darkened form, though the hounds remained out of her body. Walking toward him, Seras raised her hand, enjoying the slight fear in the other fledgling's face as he watched her claws extend out several inches.
With a grin resembling her sire's, Seras viscously plunged her hand into his chest. Pulling the appendage out, Maxwell's fledgling saw with horror that she held his heart in her hand, blood spilling from the organ. With a last, echoing wail, Gabriel turned to dust, as Maxwell screamed in the background. Seras collapsed to the ground, exhausted of her power, and the hell hounds retreated back into her body.
"You filthy fledgling!" the Iscariot yelled at Seras, eyes blazing with anger. "I'll destroy you for the destruction of my fledgling, and then your master will suffer the same fate." So said, he stalked toward her, a murderous intent in his eyes. And Seras was helpless to defend herself.
Suddenly a mocking laughter filled the room, one very familiar to Seras. Maxwell stopped his approach, looking around the room in confusion. Then awareness flashed in his eyes, as his head quickly turned toward Alucard's body.
The no-longer-prone figure of the master vampire raised his head, eyes glinting and mouth grinning. Alucard easily tore through the bonds holding him, smoothly landing on the ground. Suddenly tubes and beakers alike exploded, as the blood rushed back to its master, but did not enter his body.
"Did you actually think such pathetic machines could hold me?" he asked Maxwell, a mocking tone filling his words. Then he turned to his still panting child, a real smile lighting his face. "And Police Girl, you took far too long to come here."
Seras' eyes widened in understanding, realizing who had awoken her and led her to this room. A grin slowly crept to her face, as the fledgling also comprehended the situation. She had once more passed one of her master's tests, and the elder vampire was indeed proud of her. "Sorry Master" she replied, shakily standing to her feet. The young vampire backed against the wall, knowing full well the force of the battle that was to come.
"Now Maxwell, I'll show you how true vampires do battle."
But the former Iscariot leader didn't hear the elder vampire's words toward him, mesmerized as the blood surrounding Alucard changed his appearance. The liquid seeped into his form, as darkness enveloped the area around him. The familiar strait jacket suit appeared, as the master vampire's hair lengthened.
Maxwell shook himself out of his daze, then proceeded to call forth his own powers. The dark auras coming from the two appeared to be the same, and Alucard rejoiced in that fact. He would indeed enjoy this challenge, the worthy opponent so similar to himself. Revenge, concerning the destruction of Iscariot and Seras' capture, merely fueled the oncoming battle.
Darkness once more turned to light, and light became shadow, as the two master vampires called forth their familiars. Alucard's familiar hell hounds burst from the darkness surrounding him, nipping and biting the air.
Maxwell's familiars were different. Large eagles, their sizes matching Alucard's hounds, soared from the shadows. Their eyes blazed a deep green and their feathers were a dark gold. They flew over their master, their beaks snapping at the challenge of the hounds.
Suddenly the two pushed forward, launching their bodies at each other even as their familiars attacked. The force of their powers connecting sent Seras slamming into the wall, while any object within the room was either blown apart or shoved out of the way.
Seras saw Alucard draw the Cassul and fire several times into Maxwell's body. The Iscariot appeared to be unaffected by the silver cartridges, pulling his own large handgun. He shot a round into the master vampire, who staggered back in shock and amusement. The fledgling wondered at her master's behavior, until a smell wafted to her nose. Holy water. Maxwell had filled his bullets full of holy water.
But neither stood still for long, as each pushed the bullets from their bodies and slammed into one another. At the close range they were in, the vampire's raised their guns and commenced to slam the butts of the weapons into the other's face. Maxwell was the first to lose his weapon, with one of Alucard's familiars sliding up and ripping his arm off. The appendage regenerated, but without the handgun. The Iscariot was able to grab Alucard's wrist with his still intact hand, and wrenched the Cassul from his grasp with his teeth. Now unarmed, the combatants used their fists, breaking bones and slicing into tendon with their bare hands.
Seras felt so useless right now. The young vampire had barely enough strength to stand, and in her weakened state she couldn't call forth her own familiars. She could only look on as Alucard and Maxwell battled, as the clash of black and gold mingled in a writhing sea of blood and flesh. Neither vampire appeared to be gaining ground. Maxwell's eagles had the advantage of flight, while Alucard's had the advantage of low ground attacks.
The eagles suddenly screeched, the scratching sound echoing off the confined area. Seras covered her ears in pain, as the sound blasted her sensitive organ. She could see her master's hounds howl, but not in pain. They appeared to be enjoying the feeling, as they fell into the battle more gleefully than before.
Suddenly one of Alucard's familiars was able to catch an eagle off guard, sending the bird crashing to the ground. The hound was on the eagle in a second, tearing its stomach open and spreading the flesh across the floor. Maxwell yelled in pain, as he felt the bird's body rip apart. Alucard saw his weakness, and caught another eagle in the air, his hound ripping the bird's head off with its powerful jaws.
Now Seras could see a clear advantage for her master, as his hounds began picking off Maxwell's eagles one by one. The Iscariot's physical body, on the other hand, was still proving to be a problem. Both vampires had managed to retrieve their weapons, and Maxwell was making great use of his gun. The silver bullets were still having no effect on him, and his own blessed rounds were quite a nuisance for Alucard.
But the master vampire had a trick up his sleeve, as he revealed the Jackal from within the darkness surrounding him. Maxwell didn't have a chance to dodge the powerful weapon, as Alucard shot the full round into his chest. The close range shot kicked the Iscariot back several yards, slamming him into a far wall. The eagles retreated with their master, surrounding his body while he rose to his feet.
"Come on, Vatican" Alucard taunted with glee, his eyes glowing with excitement. "Is that all you have?"
Maxwell shakily stood on his feet, the eagles around him wavering. He was losing control of his powers, and was having trouble maintaining the energy sapping familiars. Anger flashed across his face, and with a loud yell he was running toward Alucard. The master vampire merely had his familiars attack the oncoming Iscariot, ripping off his legs and destroying the last of the eagles.
Maxwell collapsed to the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream. But seeing Alucard approach him, he clenched his teeth and sat as high as his position allowed him.
"Why can't I destroy you, monster!"
Alucard stopped before the fallen Iscariot, amusement still on his face. Bending down on one knee, he came face to face with Maxwell.
"Because my blood was not kept in your lab, Iscariot" he answered, his grin widening as understanding came to Maxwell's face. "Even with all the vampire blood in the world in your body, you would still not be able to defeat me."
Standing, Alucard drew out of the darkness a long blade, one which Maxwell recognized immediately. Anderson's. "I think your little pet project would have been honored to have freed your soul, Maxwell." With a swipe, Alucard removed the Iscariot's arms, then his head. Calling his familiars, he had them devour the body, which he could see was trying to regenerate itself.
Calling back his hounds, his normal attire reappeared and the room returned to it's original lighting.
"Master!" Seras yelled, rushing to Alucard. She slid her hands around his waist, hugging him tight. "You did it!" she exclaimed, tears of joy running down her face.
Petting her hair, Alucard looked down at the bloody spot where Maxwell had sat. "Quite a battle, eh Police Girl?" Receiving no response, he looked down and a grin slowly spread across his face.
The young vampire stood unconscious against his chest, arms still tightly wrapped around him. The sun was rising, and the vampiric sleep had overtaken his exhausted child. Chuckling to himself, Alucard took Seras in his arms and disappeared into the night.