(Author's Note: Thank you for reading this far into my work of fiction everyone! Some of the moths chewing in the curtains get bored and fly off in search of a place where their ears don't bleed whenever the scary man talks, Z sweat drops. Moving write along (ba-dump ching!), I will be leaving on July 3rd for my summer camp in Wisconsin, so I won't be able to write much then. Or review. Please forgive me for having a job. Please! I'll be gone for most of the summer, so I will try to binge write until then. Fun fun fun! Then the impossible happens: hot women walk into the audience cheering madly, wearing T-shirts with "We Love You!" on them, and asking Z to sign their chests. Z is dumbfounded. Fan girls: Oh my God! We all love you so much! Your writing is so beautiful, and your characters so original and sexy and I wanna have your babies and please sign my chest, and Oh my God! We love you! Z: …Huh? Fan girls: What? Don't you know who we are? We're your fan girls! We all want to make out with you! We would have gotten here sooner, but we got lost with your directions so… Z: I didn't give out directions… Fan girls: But aren't you the greatest fic writer of all time, sheiro2? Z face faults, Fan girls leave complaining about bad directions. I so could have taken advantage of that situation. Damn my honesty! I'll get you yet! And damn you Urashima (sheiro2)! By the way, the following chapter will probably have me officially banned from Catholicism. You'll understand.)
Order 9: And Even More Training
"If you come this way, Ms. Gloria, I'll show you to your room," said Walter with a bow, gallant as ever. Marcus had gone to bed after making sure that Gloria found Walter and hadn't said much while they were looking for him. Gloria didn't press the issue.
"Thank you Mr. Dornez," said Gloria as they descended the main staircase to the main hall. After seeing him fight in the warehouse, she was surprised to see that he was actually Sir Integra's butler. However, her vampiric instinct still saw him as one worthy of respect, so that was what she showed him. "Did you…did you hear what happened in Sir Integra's office?"
The old man sighed. "Yes, I did."
"Why was she like that to Marcus? I can understand her being upset at him, but she seemed to take it a bit hard, don't you think?" asked Gloria hesitantly. Walter stopped in front of her and hung his head.
"Sir Integra…has had a hard life. Her mother was killed when she was only a child, and her father died shortly after her thirteenth birthday, leaving her in charge of the entire Hellsing Organization. Ever since then, she has been completely…consumed by her work. She never takes a day off, she never vacations, she gets barely any sleep, and she has to run this entire organization with little help, though she could get it if she wanted it."
Walter turned to her. "Her entire life has been about one thing only: hunting and killing any vampire, ghost, ghoul or demon who threatens the Great Britain. Sir Integra has even gone out into the field at times, though she doesn't as much as she would like. She mostly has to sit in the sidelines and order her men off to die. She hates that more than anything. I'm sure you can see how she felt when she learned that Marcus had thrown himself in harms way Ms. Gloria, though no one blames you for it…"
When they had reached two large French doors, Walter said "I'm sure you won't mind taking a small shortcut," and opened the doors. Gloria gasped.
Inside was a large ballroom, at least the size of the infield of a baseball diamond. The usual Spartan décor of the rest of the mansion was thrown into sharp contrast with this room. Along the inner most wall was a small stage where that could fit a small orchestra with blue colored curtains with red trim. The dance floor was made of blue marble tile with scarlet tile running around the walls, and the walls themselves were decorated with a lovely mural of a rose garden set against a blue sky. Five glass doors led out to a tranquil patio with coffee tables and a small sculpture of a night on horseback. Above them, a gothic chandelier of gold hung, its light still coming from candles, though they were now put out.
"Oh my…Mr. Dornez it's beautiful! You didn't tell me that Sir Integra danced!" exclaimed Gloria.
"She doesn't. This room was made during the turn of the century, before the First World War. It hasn't been used since the 1950s, under Sir Reginald Hellsing, who was an avid swing dance. Your room is right through these doors here Ms…"he stopped. Gloria was "dancing" around the room with the invisible man, though he could tell she had only seen it in movies. "Ms. Gloria? Your room?"
"Oh right! Sorry Mr. Dornez, I got carried away…" she said while blood went to her pale cheeks. He just sighed and continued through a door to another hallway and into her room.
"I will give you a spare coffin at first, but I believe a real coffin should be ready in about-
"One week," said a deep voice from behind the door. A gloved hand closed the door to reveal Alucard, leaning against the wall. "I will make her a coffin within one week."
Gloria gasped and shrunk back behind Walter who looked at Alucard with confusion. The butler said "What do you mean? You don't know how to make a coffin…do you?"
"All vampires' coffins come from their master, in some way or form. When a vampire becomes a master of our race, they must have a new coffin made for them by another vampire, or else their powers dwindle. As I am sure you know, old friend, you have yet to let go of your humanity," Alucard chuckled. Looking at Gloria, he caught her eye and held it for several moments. He grinned. "I will have your coffin made for you within one week, Song bird."
Alucard turned to open the door and walked out. Turning into the ballroom, he was half way across when he heard a voice.
"Gloria."
Startled, he whipped around to see Gloria sitting on the stage edge, starring him in the eye.
"My name, is Gloria. I am no fledgling of yours, and I will never submit to your will, No Life King," she said with a tone of assertiveness that he was unaccustomed to.
"Really?" he said, an insane grin spreading his lips. "You are in my house, my dear. Though you are a master vampire, you are no fighter. You sit on a perch and sing your songs to-ting!
He looked in Gloria's hand to see a brass tuning fork in her hand, and an iron director's wand in the other. The sound of the fork rang in his ears, as she walked over to him. Sweating, he clasped his hands to his ears as the sound became so loud he could barely stand it.
"Don't grit your teeth or they'll shatter. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you are going to kill me," warned Gloria.
"Little girl…ahhh!...you have no idea who you are dealing with…" Alucard said in between pants for breath.
"I know who you are Alucard, and I know what you do here. Marcus told me not to worry about you and Sir Integra, but so far he's been half wrong. I need to know that you won't turn on me at the last second."
"I won't do anything to you unless my master orders me. I can't. Your masters should have at least told you that much…"
Gloria narrowed her eyes. "They did, but I don't trust any of them. It's their fault I'm a vampire in the first place. I don't serve them any more and all I'm trying to do is survive, so leave me alone."
She got up to walk away and the ringing in Alucard's ears stopped. Collecting himself, he stood up and turned to look at Gloria's retreating form.
"I suppose than that you'll have to do a lot of this sort of thing here. Here's my advice: avoid the men when you can. They know that you didn't want to become a vampire, but you almost hurt Marcus, so they'll be a little un-hospitable to you. And that's not just because you're one of us…" said Alucard. She continued walking as he spoke, and once she had left, he exited through the glass doors. Looking up past the statue, he saw a familiar figure on the balcony overhead.
Stepping through the shadows, he phased onto Marcus's balcony directly behind him.
"What do you want Alucard?" Marcus said.
"Feeling a little moody, are we Marcus? Understandable. Conflicts with my master never end well," chuckled Alucard, walking over to lean on the rail.
For a while, they just stood there, watching the little lights of the guards go about their rounds. The weather was getting cooler at night, and Marcus hugged his arms to his chest for warmth. Over the treetops, London's lights could still be seen, despite the lateness of the hour. Stars shone over head with no clouds to block their gaze upon the beings below.
"Did I make a mistake Alucard?"
The Midian paused. Removing his glasses, he turned to look Marcus in the eye. "Humans are some of the most easily influenced beings in existence. Your emotions, your friends, your families, your enemies, your dreams, your nightmare, all can change how a human will act in any given situation," he said, no humor in his voice. "However, these are all cast aside by the one thing that can decide who you are and what you do: your will. Of all God's creatures, the human being is the only one with a will of its own."
"You, Marcus, made the decision to listen to Gloria's voice. You made the decision to trick the Valentine brothers. And you made the decision to bring Gloria here. No one else, you. It will take some work, and she may get killed, but that is your responsibility. By bringing her here, you are vouching for her. Anything she does in err will be reflected upon you. It is your decision what to do with this situation."
Marcus frowned. "Can I at least get some advice from you?" he asked.
Alucard grinned and said "My master controls me through these," he said and held up his gloves. "The signs you see on these hands are what restrict and control my real power. They were drawn by Integra. She keeps the original drawing hidden from everyone. The original is the key to these locks. If I find it, I will find my freedom."
Marcus just sweatdropped. "I wonder what it's like to hear someone speak
English…"
Alucard's eyebrows lowered. "Find a way to bind Gloria to you, you little idiot! Can I be any more obvious! She may be weak, but I doubt she will follow a moron like you- what are you laughing about!"
Marcus just giggled. "That is the first time I've ever seen you philosophical. It's hilarious!" Wiping his eyes, Marcus said "Gloria is not like you. She won't need controls or restrictions because she won't go on a killing spree every five minutes. Gloria wouldn't hurt a fly. She's too kind, and gentle, and beautiful-what are you smiling about!"
Alucard grinned evilly. "That is the first time I've seen your softer side. It's…amusing to see you this way. Though if you go into to much detail, I think I might have to leave…"
"Oh be quiet you. If you can go around in a pimp suit, then I'm aloud to like a vampire. So there," said Marcus with a comic "hmph!" Alucard just chuckled darkly.
"By the way, Marcus," Alucard began. "If I were you, I would want to get a good rest tomorrow, seeing as its approaching dawn. You have a big day ahead of you."
Marcus looked at him quizzically. "Why is that?"
"I suspect your training is going to get quite harder over these next few weeks," said the vampire. Marcus looked at him for a moment, then slowly walked into his room and closed the doors behind him.
Alucard chuckled and leaned his back against the doors and folded his arms in front of him, keeping his nightly vigil until dawns first light.
Marcus slept for a good portion of the morning until he was shaken awake by Walter.
"You must wake up Mr. Banks. It's already ten o'clock in the morning." said Walter, briskly as ever.
Marcus groaned and shoved pulled the covers over his head. "Noooo Wawtah, I don' wanna get up."
With a sigh, Walter said "Mr. Banks, you're the lateness of the hour to which you stayed up does not get in the way of your training. Captain Bernadette was kind enough to let you sleep, but this has gone on far enough!" With that, Walter ripped the blankets off the bed, leaving Marcus curled up of the sheets.
"Fine, have it your way…" Marcus said and climbed out of bed.
"Your breakfast can be found in the mess hall, as usual." Walter said, and was about to walk out when Marcus called after him.
"Wait, Walter!"
"Yes, Mr. Banks?" asked Walter.
"Did you…uh, hear anything from Sir Integra? About Gloria?" Marcus asked with worry.
Walter smiled calmly. "I talked with Sir Integra last night about that. She has agreed to let her stay here in the mansion, for now at least. Sir Integra knows that resisting a vampire's spell is incredibly hard to do, so she has forgiven you." He paused, and said "However, she is not used to having to apologize to her subordinates, so I wouldn't expect one anytime soon…"
Marcus nodded and went to go get dressed as Walter exited the room.
After finishing off his sausage, Marcus was about to start his tea (which had been cooling) when Pip came in and sat down next to him, grinning like an idiot.
Marcus shrunk back, awaiting the reprimand from his mentor. When none came, he took a sip of his tea and asked "Can I help you?"
This was all the Frenchman needed.
With a shout, Pip started slapping Marcus on the back (causing him to spit out his tea), cheering wildly, and calling for pints. "Wooooooooooohoooooooooooooo! Yeah! Oh yeah! Bravo mon ami, bravo!"
"Pip, what the Hell are you going on about?" shouted Marcus, his shirt now stained with his tea.
"Damn, man! I know I trained you well, but I didn't know how well! You scored major lip action from a hot chick on your first try! This deserves a feast! A parade! A medal! A standing ovation! A nice chat with your teacher on how you did it!"
"Pip, will you shut the bloody Hell up! It wasn't like that. And besides, she only did it because she was ordered to…" Marcus said and paused. "Well, at first at least!"
After he finished his breakfast, the rest of the men, Pip, and Marcus all got ready for training.
"Anyway, today we need to work on your combat skills. To do that, I got a friend of mine to come here and teach you a thing or two," said Pip and they walked into the weight room. After getting a similar reaction to Pip's about his night with Gloria, he sighed and went to go warm up and stretch. One of the other soldiers put on an American rock mix, which had everyone going about their exercises at a steady pace.
When they had finished up, they put away their things and went to the gym to practice hand-to-hand combat. Pip, however, called Marcus over.
"Remember how I said I have a special teacher for you? Let's go get your weapons and meet her," he said and walked out of the weight room into the armory. After grabbing his Archangels, Marcus followed.
"Wait, her? The teacher is a girl?" he asked.
"Well yes, 'her' usually does imply a certain degree of feminism. Now come on, you especially don't want to make her wait…" said Pip. He led Marcus to through the halls, until Marcus realized where they were headed.
"Pip, are we going to the library?" Marcus asked. Pip nodded and stopped in front of the doors to the massive Hellsing archives. Straitening his hair and eye-patch, he opened the doors.
"Oh Ms. Chapman? Your new student is here," Pip said. Marcus gave him a shocked look, to which he answered. "What, surprised that Ms. Chapman would be giving you lessons? Sir Integra makes sure that all personnel are trained in basic combat, which is why she hired Ms. Chapman, who already is an excellent fighter, among other things…" he said with a grin. Marcus rolled his eyes.
Ms. Chap man walked out of a door to their right, wearing her usual suit (much to Pip's and Marcus's joy). Smiling, she said "Thank you Captain Bernadette for bringing Marcus here, I'm sure we will have a wonderful time." Pip muttered something about Marcus getting all the luck and walked out, leaving Marcus in the library with Ms. Chapman. Alone.
Ms. Chapman looked Marcus up and down, sizing him up, and said "Well Marcus, we may as well get started. Take off your clothes."
"W-What?"
"Take off your clothes. That uniform is to heavy for what we'll be doing, so…" she said and reached behind her desk. "We will be wearing these!"
She handed him what looked like a black diving suit, only it had pockets and extended to the fingers and toes. On the back was the Hellsing crest. With a sigh of relief, he took the outfit and went into the nearby restroom to change. It fit him like a glove and, he was happy to see, showed off his developing biceps quite nicely. He smiled and thought of what Gloria would think of it.
Stepping out of the restroom, Ms. Chapman called out to him from her office. "I'll just be a minute! I need to get into mine."
"You'll be wearing one too?" he asked.
"Yes. Its imperative to your training that we have as much flexibility as possible. You'll understand once we get started."
I can only imagine how flexible you are, he thought. Wait! No! I am not Pip! I am not Pip!
Ms. Chapman walked out in a body suit similar to his, only it was a bright green, like her eyes. The only other difference was that she had un-zipped it down a bit and she had her hair tied in a pony tail. Damn! was all he could think.
"Now, help me move all these tables out of the way. The only men that come in here besides Walter, bless him, are the ones that are trying watch me instead of read. Sir Integra comes in when she can, and so does Seras, but other than that, I haven't really had to help anyone until you showed up."
They both lifted up one of the tables and moved against the wall. Stacking the chairs on top of it, Marcus asked "Does Alucard ever come in here?"
"Alucard? Hmmm, yes he does come in occasionally. He says that he gets bored and needs something to read when he's not on an assignment. Not much of a conversationalist, but I need to find his tailor," she said with a grin.
"You and me both. Only I think I'll make a few modifications…" said Marcus.
"Oh really? Like what?"
"Like the kind that will make it fit someone other than a seven foot tall giant!"
Ms. Chapman laughed as they picked up the next table. Once they had all the enough tables out of the way, she told him to pick up his guns and walked over to her desk. Unlocking a drawer, she pulled out two Smith and Wesson 9 mm. revolvers. She Unloading them, she walked over to Marcus.
"The kind of combat that I specialize in uses conventional weapons in unconventional ways. Since your Archangels are unconventional variations on the standard pistol, you should be able to adapt to this quite easily." She paused. "I've never actually fought against someone who used Archangels, so this will be a learning experience for us both. Now, I want you to attack me as if I was a Freak."
She spread her legs apart and assumed a fighting position, holding both of her guns sideways in front of her as if she were aiming at Marcus.
"Are you sure?" Marcus asked. He didn't want to accidentally cut Ms. Chapman. He definitely didn't want to cut her the way he had cut the ice bitch.
Ms. Chapman grinned. "Don't worry Marcus, I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." With a blush, Marcus held up his Archangels and circled left.
She circled right, letting him lead. Without taking his eyes off hers, he squeezed the pistol grips and leaned back on his right, like a coiling spring. Twisting his torso to the right, he jumped at her with a spinning slash. As he spun, he saw her left arm swing out. It all happened so fast he could barely keep up after that. She did…something…and he was on the face down on the ground with a small bruise on his right calf.
Feeling the cold metal of a gun barrel on the back of his head, he heard Ms. Chapman say "Bang, your dead."
He turned over and got up. "Wha…how did you do that?" he asked, flabbergasted.
She smiled. "Well, first I brought my left arm up, like this, to block your blade with the barrel of my gun, and then I kicked your right leg out from under you. When you hit the ground, I put my gun to your head."
"I see…and how do you suggest I avoid that from happening again?"
"Well, Captain Bernadette does know what he's doing with you, so you have the basics of combat down. Your body is in good shape, and improving, you're fast, you know how to use your weapon, and you have the strength to back it up." Ms. Chapman said. "However, you are not using the most powerful organ you have at your disposal."
"What's that?" Marcus asked.
"Your brain. You attacked with little planning for what to do afterwards, you didn't even try to read my movements, and most importantly, you let yours show. In regular, day-to-day existence, the mind is supported by the body. The same applies in fights. All forms of combat are mind games, only with more physical exertion and pain. By learning to use your head instead of your muscles, there are few people you won't be able to beat…wait, did I just make a speech?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Oh God, what have I become," she said jokingly. "Now let's get started on attack patters."
They continued training for a good two hours after that. Marcus learned that by watching her eyes, legs, arms, and torso, he could figure out what she was going to do. This was also why they wore the body suits, because baggy clothes would get in the way. They went down to the shooting gallery and practiced judging the path of a bullet by the shooters body language. When they were done, Marcus changed back into his uniform and went to join Pip for lunch.
"Hey Marcus, how'd your training go?" Pip asked
"It was alright. We went over how I know absolutely nothing about fighting, and then moved on to how I happen to be a brainless idiot. Overall, it was ok."
"Good, because she is going to be handling your combat training from now on. She's a good teacher, so I expect you to learn a lot from her. Pass the ketchup." Pip said as he squirted the condiment on his hamburger. Marcus was eating a bowl of clam chowder. They were eating outside, trying to enjoy the warm weather while it lasted in one of the gardens. The birds were flitting about, collecting twigs as the constant hum of bees filled the air. For a while, they just sat and ate in silence.
"Oh, I was talking to Walter the other day, and it turns out that his uncle was the one who designed your Archangels. Apparently they had a lot in common and spent a lot of time together, when he was alive," Pip said in a quiet voice.
"How did he die?" Marcus asked.
"Vampire attack. Walter inherited his current position from his Uncle Basil, who actually took him in when Walter's parents died in a fire. Taught him everything he knows," he looked at Marcus meaningfully. "Any time you feel like you need to talk to anyone, just ask. I know how it must be hard for you, having to lose your parents and then being dragged into all of this…just know that we're all here for you."
Marcus set down his spoon and stared at his chowder. "I do miss them a lot. We got along well enough, we always did things together when we had the time…we were always there for each other…" he sniffed. "And I couldn't do anything…I couldn't stop them from dying. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye…"
Marcus pushed away his half eaten soup and rested his head in his arms. "Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing if they were still alive…whether we would have gone to the beach, or gone to a movie. I just wish they were still here…"
Pip sighed. "Well, at least you're not alone. You have Walter, Seras, Gloria, Sir Integra, and me. We'll all be here for you, so don't feel like you have no one to depend on. Oh, and Alucard. I suppose, he's there for you too."
Marcus looked at Pip with a small smile. "Thanks. I really appreciate you all for taking me in like you did. I just need to move on with my life. Now I have Gloria to look after, vampires to kill, training, and I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up!"
They both laughed and finished their meal. Marcus was on guard duty tonight with Seras, which meant he wouldn't be able to see Gloria until his shift was over. Sighing, he loaded his Archangels, stuck spare ammo in his belt, and went out to meet up with Seras. She didn't have her Harkonnen with her, but instead carried an AK-47 over her back.
"Good, you're here Marcus. How was your day?" Seras asked.
"It was alright, but I'm exhausted now. I really need to take a day off," he answered. They started walking through the gardens where he and Pip had had lunch.
Seras smiled. "Yeah, training will do that to you. When I was in the police academy, I got home with only enough energy to make ramen and go to bed. It'll do you good though," she said. "Oh, by the way, Gloria found me and wanted to tell you that she likes her new room. She has such a great fashion sense! Her hair was perfect and she was even able to hide her paleness. I need to get her to teach me how she does it."
"Did it ever occur to you that she uses her vampirism to do that?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, forgot about that. Well she also said that understands if you are too tired to do anything but go to bed tonight. She was headed for the library, so I think she'll be fine there for tonight."
"Thank God! I probably won't be able to even hold up a conversation like this. Tomorrow night I'll make it up to her though," he said and sighed. "God she is so great. I can't imagine where I'd be without her…"
"Probably in the hands of those guys who captured you. Gloria said that she was going to talk with Ms. Chapman about what happened so she can make record of those Valentine Brothers. Do you know why they captured you anyway?" she asked.
Marcus frowned. "Probably to just get at Hellsing. Gloria said they were Nazis, so I think there are probably more of them. They should have kidnapped someone more important though, like Pip, or Walter. Oh well. Sir Integra will know what to do."
They talked as they walked, each coming with crazy ideas as to what the Nazis were up to. Some included movie rights, history recognition, James Bond, and doomsday devices. By the end of their shift, Marcus was dead tired and bid Seras goodnight.
After he had brushed his taken a shower and brushed his teeth, Marcus changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He didn't fall asleep until about one o'clock.
He was awoken by a sudden bright light and opened his eyes. At first, all he could see was white and blue until he realized what he was laying on: a cloud.
"Aww crap, I must be dead. Hello! God! St. Peter? Is anyone there?" he called out.
"We can hear you honey," said a voice from behind him. Marcus turned around to see men dressed in white robes standing next to each other. Both had halos and large white wings. One had red hair that was combed to the side while the other had straw colored hair. Both seemed to have a semi-divine glow about them. No other explanation required.
"Crap. I knew I was dead."
"Actually, you're just dreaming," said the red-head. "My name is Gabriel, and this is my…partner Raphael. We are the spirits of the Archangels."
Marcus felt his left eye start to twitch.
"Don't worry, you're not crazy," said Raphael. "We came to give you a message. It comes from higher up, so I suggest you listen to it well."
Gabriel pulled out a paper from inside his robe and read "To Marcus Israphel Banks. Don't worry." The angel then put the paper back in his robe and Marcus sweatdropped.
"Is that it?" the teen asked.
"Yep. He likes to keep things to the point," said Raphael. "Now lets party!"
A disco ball lowered down from who knows where as Gabriel and Raphael tore off their robes to reveal matching fishnet shirts and pink hot pants. The song "It's Getting Hot In Here" started playing from all around and the two angels wrapped each other in their arms and started to grind very closely. Marcus started to back away from the…odd sight and was soon running away screaming. You can only be so open minded before you crossed the line.
He woke up screaming in a cold sweat. It was four o'clock in the morning and he could here Walter asking if he was alright.
"I'm okay. I just think I'll skip weapons practice tomorrow."
(Author's Note: Yeah…yaoi archangels…bet you never saw that one coming. If you do happen to be a homosexual, please forgive me if I offended you in anyway. It was not my intent. I've always wanted to do a Hellsing dream, so I decided to put it in now. Glances around suspiciously. No this is not an attempt to bring the fan girls back, why do you ask? By the way, God of Epyon put up NEV Psychiatric Ward again, so go and read it. It's awesomely funny. If said author happens to be reading this (not likely), please don't sue me for advertising without your permission. I just want to help!)