Matthew ensured his sunglasses were in place as the Learjet started its final approach. His head still pounded, his tylenol experiment having failed. The headache had started the moment he stepped into the sunlight. Seras had explained, "It's because of your vampiric sense. As you rely on it more, you notice its absence more. Like the headache you had fighting Anderson. You also loose some regeneraterive powers, but you still have strength and speed."
So, ignoring the headache as best as possible, Matthew watched out the window at the passing countryside. Being home felt strange. He'd watched as familiar landmarks passed underneath feeling both elated and saddened. He'd seen each landmark before, either in person of from the air as he'd first headed for London. But this time… 'I'm dead…' He gave himself a mental slap. He had a job to do. He didn't have time to be morose.
He brought his thoughts back to the mission at hand. When the jet landed, he would meet a representative of the DPSD, Division of Paranormal and Supernatural Defense. He wasn't certain what they were a division of, his favorite choice was the NSA, but whoever they reported to the DPSD would be his team for the time being.
Word came from the pilot to prepare for landing. Matthew double checked his seatbelt and took another look out the window. They were in western Ohio, approaching a small city airport. It was August, not quite time for the leaves to change color but late enough in the year for the sun to drop a bit. It was still high in the sky, and for a moment Matthew understood why most vampires stuck to being active at night. The Learjet landed, taxiing to the side and coming to a stop. The pilot opened the hatch and motioned Matthew out. The vampire exited, ignoring the flare of pain from his head as the light hit him. Three men waited for him on the tarmac. Their uniforms told Matthew they were military. One was army, one navy, the last a marine. Matthew gave them a nod of greeting while trying to remember anything he'd learned about the United States rank structure.
The marine stepped forward and extended a hand. "Matthew Jemeth, I am Lieutenant Colonel Darrel Richard. Welcome home."
Matthew gave a slight smile, took Richard's hand, and shook it. "It's good to be back, sir. How's the war?" England was at least the second country the Global Fangs had hit. Matthew's opinion, it counted as a war.
"Progressing," he replied. "Armen. Marcus." The other two started for the jet, grabbing a nearby cart and unloading Matthew's gear. "We need to return to headquarters. If you'll follow me." Richard led Matthew to a waiting van, the others soon joining them and hefting everything into the back. The army sergeant drove while the navy lieutenant took passenger.
As they started moving, the lieutenant turned his seat around to face Matthew and Richard. He extended his hand to Matthew. "Lieutenant John Armen. Gotta say it's good to have an American vampire on our side for once."
Matthew shook Armen's hand. "Glad I can be of help. Anything you can tell me? About the situation, the DPSD?"
"Well," Armen said, "there's not much I can say on the sit-rep. We should have new intel when we get to base, last I heard. The DPSD I can tell you about. Back in the '80s, the NSA got in touch with all the vampire hunting groups in the US and banded them together. Over time, when folks got too old or injured to hunt, they started recruiting from all the military special forces groups: Navy SEALS, Rangers, you name it. They took the best of the best, then made them better. We've been a human only group until today. The Hellsing Organization said you were ok. They're always been on top of things, so we believe them."
"Good to know the last three years weren't completely wasted." He rubbed his temple, momentarily chasing away the headache. "What time is around here? My watch is still set to London time."
Armen checked his watch. "Approaching 1400." That meant 2:00 PM. "You tired?"
Matthew shook his head. "Nah. It's no big deal." 'Only six hours to sunset,' he thought. "Just one of the drawbacks of being a vampire. Sunlight equals headaches."
Richard spoke up. "There is some background I can give you about the situation. Over the past year, Global Fang activity has been on the rise. We started noticing it about six months ago. More vampires have joined their ranks and we've seen increasing numbers of ghouls. They seem to be drawing strength from the homeless population."
"At this point," Armen chimed in, "we doubt there are many vampires in the States that aren't in the Global Fangs.
"Their activity dropped off a bit a couple months ago, probably when transferring forces to England. We're guessing they'll lick their wounds a bit before they strike again, but we're still looking for them. We want that group taken out."
The rest of the drive was more relaxed. Matthew, Richard and Armen spoke of their backgrounds and battle tactics. The sergeant, Daniel Marcus, stayed silent and drove.
The DPSD headquarters was in Indiana. They stuck to two-lane highways, eventually turning off onto a road marked "Government Property – No Trespassing". The base itself was set back in a forest. After what felt like a mile of trees, they reached a clearing. Several buildings stood behind a high barbed wire fence. A central multi-story office building formed the core. It was flanked by a pair of barracks and a machine shop / garage. Marcus brought the van into the garage. The whole base was basic looking, just an outpost in the middle of nowhere. The garage contained various lifts, tools, and diagnostic equipment. Off to one side was a small armory. A few enlisted men walked around performing their duties, several servicing a partially disassembled Humvee.
Parking in what seemed like a random spot of the floor, Marcus leaned over and pressed a button on the van's dashboard. There was a rumble, a slight shudder from the van, and the floor lowered. They dropped below the thick concrete floor into an underground chamber. "Welcome to DPSD Headquarters, codename Diamond Base, Mr. Jemeth," Richard said.
This chamber was a garage. Several more lifts and a pair of ramps gave access to the surface. Vehicles of several types sat in various parking places. A tunnel led deeper into the facility. Marcus moved the van off the lift and into a parking slot. The four exited. A pair enlistedmen approached with a cart to start unloading Matthew's gear. He gave them a nod of appreciation.
Marcus left for other duties. Richard and Armen led Matthew through the base to a briefing room. While they waited for the reports to come in, the two officers oriented Matthew with the base's layout. The vampire committed it all to memory, his headache having vanished the moment they hit shade.
A private arrived with the reports. Richard scanned over them while Armen continued. "The base is commanded by General Oscar. He gives the final go-ahead for missions. Lieutenant Colonel Richard is one of our company commanders. I'm one of his platoon commanders. We have two platoons per company, and two companies per base. We have this HQ, five other bases, and a few separate companies in more remote areas."
"Lieutenant," Richard said crisply.
Armen snapped to attention. "Yes, sir," he replied.
"Bring our guest over here."
"Aye, sir." Armen and Matthew stepped over to Richard.
Another man joined them; a marine officer. "Mr. Jemeth," Richard said, "this is Captain Waltrin." The navy's ranks differed from the other services. A marine captain was equivalent to a navy lieutenant, and a navy captain was equivalent to a marine colonel. "He leads alpha company's second platoon. Take your seats." Richard was seated at a desk. Armen and Waltrin took seats on its opposite side. Matthew pulled a chair up behind them and sat. "Here's the latest report, along with our orders. Global Fang activity is light, probably in recovery from England. We believe they are building for another attack. No intel on possible movements or activity at monitored bases. Orders: stand-by, but be ready to mobilize." He set down the collection of papers. "That's it. So, we're sitting tight for the moment. Mr. Jemeth, go ahead and get settled in. Odd are this calm won't last for long. Lieutenant Armen, you'll be Mr. Jemeth's guide while he's here."
"Aye, sir," Armen replied.
"Dismissed."
The group left the room, Armen and Matthew walking off down a tunnel. "I was pretty sure I'd be your guide, so I learned where you quarters are. Follow me."
The two continued through the base, Armen pointing out anything important on their way. They soon arrived in a barracks wing. These were officer quarters, less people per room than enlisted. Armen opened a seemingly random door revealing a single-person room. 'No one would be comfortable with me as a roomie anyway,' Matthew thought. It was pretty standard, furniture wise, except for one thing.
A coffin in the corner.
When Matthew saw it, he froze in place. His voice grew dark. "What is that doing in here?"
Armen looked confused. "Well… you're a vampire. From what we're heard, your kind is more comfortable sleeping in coffins."
Matthew was silent a moment, his eyes closed. 'Your kind,' reverberated through his head a couple times. Finally, he opened them and turned to Armen. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be mad at you. Apparently Hellsing said nothing…" He heaved a sigh. "I'm not like most vampires. To this day, I've gotta fight myself to drink blood…" He walked to a refrigerator and opened it. Sure enough, it was filled with Hellsing issue blood transfusion bags. He grabbed one and held it up. "This is the only reason I can get it down. I don't have to kill to get it." He tossed the bag back in the fridge and closed it. "And, I don't sleep in a coffin. Never have. So, I'd appreciate it if you'd get me a bed. Take too long, I'll take that thing apart and build one."
Armen nodded. "I understand. I'll make sure you get a bed, Mr. Jemeth."
"Plesae, call me Matthew. Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I've lost my humanity. Wanna see the gear I brought from England?"
The fast subject change worked, and ten minutes later Matthew and Armen stood in the base's armory. Right next to it was a shooting range. Matthew pulled out each of his weapons, handing them to Armen for inspection. He was impressed by the auto-mag. "Actually, Lieutenant, I haven't shot it yet," he mentioned after Armen asked if it was difficult to shoot.
"Well, we can't have that. And I'm off duty. Call me John." Without waiting for a reply, John grabbed a box of lead 44-magnum ammunition and handed it to Matthew. "Give it a try, Matthew." He got the two of them buzzed through to the range. Others looked up and saw Matthew's red eyes. He could sense their fear. He guessed more than one wanted to shoot him on the spot. John simply gave them a hand signal and led Matthew to an unoccupied lane. One man, a civilian, left the room. Matthew tried to put it out of mind.
He opened the ammo box and released the auto-mag's magazine. After pushing seven of the large 44 magnum bullets in, he slid it back into the gun. He grabbed ear and eye protection out of habit, pulled back the gun's slide and took aim. He squeezed the trigger.
The gun gave a loud report and tried to jump from his hands. It wasn't as strong as Valkyrie, not that it should have been, but it would be more useful. He fired the remaining rounds, making a cluster around the target's heart the size of a half dollar. With a nod, he looked at John. "Care to try?"
"Nah, I'm good." John brandished a Colt 45 auto. He snapped up his aim and let fly seven 45-caliber bullets. Not as powerful as their 44 mag cousins, but well known for their stopping power. His bullets landed in a similar pattern in the target next to Matthew's.
Matthew chuckled. "Nice. You'd do well in Hellsing."
"I'll stick with the DPSD, thanks. Keep shooting. I'll be back in a bit."
Matthew continued to practice. He would hold the pistol, uncocked, by his side, then whip it up into line. After a few practice draws, he cocked the pistol as he aimed and fired. A hole appeared in the target's forehead. Matthew sighed and shook his head. 'Walter, you're turning me into an Alucard…'
John returned. "Good news, Matthew. I found you a bed. Though I've got to admit, it would've been funny to see you build one."
Matthew gave a slight smile. "Eh, I'll take the easy way out this time. It'll probably be the only easy thing in this mission…"