The day passed excruciatingly slowly. The masked woman had told Olivia that she would be contacted in the early evening, but didn't give her a specific time. The Hellsing leader had been warned that she should expect to be moving within five minutes of being contacted. The paintings had been crated and were ready to be transported as soon as it was known where the exchange would be taking place.
Alucard would be shadowing his Master through the entire exchange. Anderson would be her driver, as Alucard had never learned how. Hellsing troops were ready to follow her car and they had made every arrangement they could, including putting tracking devices in the frames of both paintings as well as in the car and on Olivia's person. They were taking no chances with the leader of Hellsing.
•••
Bishop Traversera returned to his office after a long afternoon's budget haggling. He was tired of justifying Section XIII's expenditures to glorified accountants in priest's vestments. It took money to arm and prepare God's Judas assassins. Why did they expect him to justify every Euro spent when some of their expenses simply could not be documented?
This morning's audience with His Holiness had left him in a mood that did not make suffering the accountants any easier. Ever since Iscariot's raid on London under the apostate Maxwell, each papal administration had kept close tabs on Section XIII. He did not usually chafe at the oversight, but the pontiff had expressed his clear displeasure that Section XIII had lost a legendary alumnus to Satan's clutches. He wanted action to cleanse their disgrace.
Traversera couldn't argue the problem of Anderson's blasphemous existence, but he had the good sense to know that he couldn't start an all out war with Hellsing over Alexander Anderson. Nobody could forget the lesson learned about Hellsing's ultimate weapon, Alucard could turn a city into a true representation of Hell on earth. Iscariot could not be responsible for another event of the magnitude of the London disaster.
In this cheerful frame of mind, Angelo Traversera sat at his desk to sort through the mountain of paperwork and correspondence that had accumulated during his brief absence. Hell will be filled with requisition forms and Euro-crazed accountants. At the top of the stack was a vellum envelope with "Bishop Angelo Traversera" written across it in an antique script. There was no indication of its sender. Father Fielding had not been at his desk when Traversera returned to his office, so there was no way to determine its origin beyond opening it. He slit the envelope and removed a heavy sheet of paper. The bishop read silently before grabbing his phone and making several urgent calls.
•••
The call came soon after dusk. The same masked figure appeared on the vidphone and directed Olivia to immediately go to Madame Tussaud's wax museum and take herself and the paintings to the Dracula exhibit. She would be given further instructions there.
Olivia rolled her eyes at the dramatic stage setting. First it's the old chestnut of kidnapping my mother and now the Dracula exhibit at Madame Tussaud's. Are they planning to kill me with cliches? What next? The obligatory car chase, complete with gratuitous explosions?
Anderson escorted her to the car, carrying the boxed paintings. Alucard assured his Master that he would be near at all times, but neither he nor Anderson would act until she ordered.
The drive into London was tense. Olivia was not a woman to whom waiting came easily, and sitting in a car with nothing else to do was nerve-wracking. She called up a display of the location of the troops sent to shadow her movements. It was a small force in order to avoid detection and to leave the bulk of her people to guard the mansion. There was a chance that this was a diversion to leave the organization's headquarters vulnerable. She had the equivalent of an army in her vampires anyway.
Anderson parked the car illegally in front of Madame Tussaud's and retrieved the paintings as Olivia got out. He followed after her as she strode into the museum.
The ticket taker waved her on through and pointed further inward.
"Sir Olivia, that person was no human."
"No doubt, Anderson. Keep silent and follow my lead in all things." Alucard?
I am with you, Master. There are more of these vermin waiting for you up ahead.
And my mother?
She is not here.
Olivia pushed onward. The Dracula exhibit was easy enough to find. She and Anderson drew up to the wax figure and looked it over. "That looks nothing like Alucard. Perhaps he should contact the sculptor and arrange a sitting."
"Alucard is more likely to eat the sculptor than sit still for him." Anderson observed.
I heard that, Judas Priest.
Good.
"Sir Olivia, we are ready for you." The woman turned at the voice behind her. The young man from the surveillance video stepped out of the shadows. It wasn't as impressive as one of Alucard's entrances, but he had style nonetheless.
"If you would come this way?" he gestured to a hallway behind him.
"I'm not going alone."
"By all means bring Mr. Anderson, my Lady." He stood aside and allowed them to precede him down the hall. They passed through a door into the back areas of the museum. Apparently this was where the costumes were made and fitted. A petite female vampire was waiting for them, holding an armful of clothing.
"Mr. Anderson, please open the box. I must verify that you have brought the paintings."
Alex glanced at Sir Olivia. She nodded to him to comply. He set the box on the floor and, by main strength, pulled the nailed-on lid away. The vampire examined the paintings and then shocked them both by producing a switchblade from his pocket, which he used to swiftly extract the paintings from their frames. He rolled them up and slid them into a waiting tube, which he then returned to Anderson.
The other vampire stepped forward and their escort nodded to her, "Miss Evans will escort you to the changing room, Sir Olivia. You will remove all articles of clothing you have worn here and wear what we have provided. Mr. Anderson will stay with me and do the same."
Olivia made a quieting gesture at Anderson as he opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not going out of his sight."
"I understand. We made the offer out of consideration for your modesty, but if you're not concerned about that, neither are we. Please remove all of your clothing and your shoes and take what Miss Evans has for you. You too, Mr. Anderson." The vampire leaned back against a wall, seemingly ready to watch with great interest.
Oh, you lucky devil, Judas Priest.
Get out of my head. I don't know if I can do this. I've haven't been naked in front of a woman since I was in nappies.
You'll do it and you'll keep your eyes to yourself or I'll be eating them for dinner.
So speaks my Master. Why do I think you've already seen the view? Anderson took the clothes from the small woman and turned his back to Olivia.
Olivia leaned close to Anderson and spoke quietly, "Alexander, I know this isn't easy for you, but I'd really prefer you kept me in your sight. I can't afford for them to use your modesty as an opportunity to harm me."
The male vampire laughed at that. "We have no intention of harming you here, Sir Olivia. Why would we bother with the change of attire if we merely meant to have you for dinner?"
Do you want to tell your Master what you told me about my eyes? They're such a pain to regenerate.
No, priest, do as she says, but I'll be watching you.
Olivia turned her body slightly away from Anderson and began to disrobe. He kept his eyes firmly on her feet, and quickly shucked his clothes and changed into the shirt and trousers they had provided. He wondered at their preparation. Clothes to fit someone of his stature were not something you got off the rack. How had they known that he would be accompanying Sir Olivia?
Miss Evans handed him a pair of socks and shoes and passed over a pair of pumps to Olivia. When they were both clothed, they looked like a couple prepared for a night on the town. Olivia was clearly not pleased with the dress and shoes, but voiced no complaint.
"Excellent. We're ready to move on. Please follow Miss Evans." The smaller vampire turned and led them out through an exit on the opposite side of the room from where they had entered. Their escort brought up the rear. Alex regretted having to leave his blades behind.
There was a third vampire waiting for them at the end of the hallway. Alex eyed the tall, brutish figure. These three vampires were an odd trio. The big man opened the door for them and watched them pass him and out into an alley where a small shuttle bus awaited. The woman led them onto the bus and asked them to take seats. The other two vampires joined them, with the thug taking the driver's seat.
Olivia was not pleased. These vampires had anticipated their actions easily, negating the tracking devices in the car, paintings and on her person. Were it not for Alucard, she and Anderson could easily disappear without a trace. Alucard?
Yes, Master, I'm still here. They can't get rid of me that easily. This is child's play.
Just don't play a game that will get my mother killed. Do you understand?
But of course, Master.
They sat in silence as the bus wound its way in a southerly direction through the streets of London. They were nearing the river. Olivia watched as the bus pulled onto a street that ran along the river. She realized their intent when it drew to a stop. It had gotten very dark, but it was clear that there was some sort of watercraft waiting for them.
Anderson stayed close to her as they left the bus and were escorted to the boat. It was a sturdy craft and was manned by another trio of vampires. Who ever heard of seafaring vampires?
Master, this is a problem. I can't cross the water without a plane or boat of my own.
Damn! These vampires were countering her every move. This last was diabolically clever, shearing her of her most potent ally and threat. Find a bloody boat or steal a damned airplane, but get your undead arse moving. I expect you to be there when this boat arrives at its destination.
Reluctantly, the Hellsing leader and her sole bodyguard boarded the boat. They were escorted to a comfortable lounge belowdecks and left alone. Anderson watched his Master's Master uncomfortably, unsure what to do. He wasn't much good at the waiting game, being more a man of action.
Olivia was relieved when Alucard informed her that he had persuaded the captain of a fishing boat that it was more profitable to live to see another day than to go out fishing that night. He was running at least half an hour behind her, but would be able to follow the boat wherever it was taking her and Anderson.
About two hours after leaving London, they could feel the speed of the boat decreasing. Shortly thereafter, their original escort joined them again. "We will be arriving in about five minutes. You will accompany me to the helijet and from there, we will take you to your mother."
Reason told Olivia that they were in France, having just crossed the Channel. She had no idea where the heli would take them. Alucard was fast, but he was still on the water in a slower vessel and would have to travel to wherever they were flown. This group was cunning. She looked at Anderson where he sat next to her and said a quick prayer that he was as formidable as his reputation implied.
The flight was slightly longer than their boat ride. Alucard's boat wallowed its way to shore nearly an hour and a half after theirs. When they landed, Alucard was half a continent and an hour behind them.
As they stepped out into the field where the helijet had landed, Anderson spoke for the first time since their flight had begun, "We're in Italy."
The Hellsing leader didn't bother to ask how he knew. Either it was some special vampiric intuition, or it was just that Father Anderson had lived in Italy in Vatican City for more years than she'd been alive. What it meant to Olivia was that Alucard was not going to be able to get to them as quickly as she needed.
The man who had accompanied them from their first meeting with him in the museum led them to a waiting limousine. The big vampire that seemed to be part of their escort's trio took over the driver's seat and the smaller man and Miss Evans joined them in the back. "You'll see your mother very soon, Sir Hellsing."
The last leg of their trip was brief. Less than ten minutes later, the vehicle pulled up in front of a large villa. Olivia was surprised to see humans for the first time since this trip had begun. A very human butler took over the escort duties from the three who had been with them since London. "Please follow me, Sir Olivia and Mr. Anderson."
They followed him through the villa, seeing several more human servants, and outside to a lovely garden. "If you will wait here, you will be joined shortly."
"I haven't seen a vampire since we got here," Alex commented, eying their surroundings.
"Neither have I, but the place reeks of them. I'm sure they'll be along soon enough."
A voice intruded on them, "This place does reek of vampires. It is the unholy stench of a fallen servant of God, who has given himself into the hands of Satan." The speaker who stepped onto the patio was a brick of a man – short, wide and with a florid bulldog face that implied a stubbornness that would not end this side of the grave. What was incongruous, when Alex and Olivia had both expected a meeting with the masked vampire, was the priest's collar the man wore and the silver sword in his hand.
"Iscariot," Anderson hissed as he placed himself between the priest and his leader. "You kidnapped Sir Hellsing's mother?"
"I am not a kidnapper, abomination, I am here at the direction of Bishop Traversera and it is his will and that of His Holiness that you be cleansed from the face of the earth."