The 747 pulled up to the terminal, Matthew looking across the airport into late-afternoon London. For once, he didn't wear sunglasses. Just before he got on the plane, his family had given him a gift: contact lenses. Not for correction; the vampire enhancements had fixed his need for glasses long before. These were colored lenses, giving him back his original eye color. He'd put them in before boarding the plane, happy to be freed of the sunglasses.
He felt refreshed, reenergized. He was ready to get back to the fight. He grabbed his bag and started for the door as the passengers stood to leave. It took several minutes, but Matthew soon climbed the ramp into the terminal. A fast scan of the crowd located Seras. With a smile, he walked up to her. The two started away, Matthew setting an arm on Seras's shoulder. "Hey there," he finally said.
"Well, someone's in a good mood. How was the trip? Nice eyes, by the way."
"Thank my folks. Their idea, and I like it. All-in-all, a great visit."
"Good to hear. From what Walter, Fargason, and the DPSD got, we'll need everyone in top form."
They met a car outside the airport and were driven back to Hellsing. Matthew took out the contacts and put them back in their case in the bag. No need for them now. During the trip, he told Seras a lot about his stay with his family, and the breakup with Akira. She smiled and consoled when needed. Matthew had figured that they'd have plenty of time to talk about his last mission later. The car came to a stop in front of the Hellsing mansion. The two hopped out and immediately went to Integra's office. Integra was already there, as were Fargason and Harrison. Alucard stood nearby. Seras and Matthew took their usual places.
"First," Sir Integra said, "Jemeth, tell us of the events in the United States."
Matthew spent the next while explaining all the events of his combating the Global Fangs as the sides of DPSD's troops, including the encounter with Anderson. He left out the dark power tap. It was an isolated incident, he was sure. Not worth mentioning.
Once he was finished, and with a nod from Integra, Fargason started. "The Global Fangs are in Australia. We're not sure, but we believe they're somewhere in the Outback."
"Australia?" Seras asked, beating Matthew to the punch by less than a second.
"Yes. Historically, they've had little vampire activity. Most vampires don't want to limit themselves to that size a landmass. So, there aren't much in the way of anti-vampire forces there."
"If we give them too long," Integra said, "they could turn many of the aboriginal tribes of the Outback. They could gather forces we would be hard pressed to combat." She looked at the vampires she commanded. "You three go in first. Locate the Global Fangs. Then contact us and call in additional forces."
"Understood," Alucard replied.
"Sir Integra," Matthew said, "the DPSD has offered their assistance in combating the Global Fangs as well. I'd recommend we take the offer. More help is always a good thing."
"Very well," she replied. "Contact them as well. Leave as soon as possible. Dismissed."
Matthew's gear had been brought back to base, but since they would be leaving immediately it wouldn't be taken to his room. His weapons had gone to Walter for a quick check. So, he joined Seras in walking to the armory. Alucard simply teleported there. Walter waited for everyone to arrive, and started with the elder master. "I have a new pistol for you, Alucard." Walter grabbed a gun case, set it on the counter, and opened it. Inside was a huge handgun.
"Nice," Alucard complemented. He lifted the gun. It was larger than Jackal with a black receiver and grip and nickel-plated slide.
"The Titan," Walter said. "A semi-automatic anti-freak weapon. Fifteen-millimeter bullets, standard anti-vampire rounds. Six round magazines."
Alucard most definitely approved. The pistol vanished into thin air, soon replaced by another; Joshua. "Then I won't be needing this anymore." He held it to his side, directly at Seras. "Here, Police Girl. It will serve you well."
She was startled, but took the weapon. "Thank you," she replied.
Walter turned to Seras, a pair of cases now on the table. "Your new pistols are ready as well."
"New pistols?" Matthew asked.
"Yes," Seras replied. "Needed something that shoots a bit faster."
Matthew tilted his head. "Why not just carry a rifle?"
She smiled. "And look as weighed down as you?"
As Matthew chuckled, Walter pulled out a pair of pistols and several long magazines. "Wow," Matthew noted, "lots of ammo."
"They need it," Walter replied. "They're fully automatic." Seras smiled in approval, holding the pistols to test their weight. "Nine-millimeter, standard anti-vampire. Twenty round magazines."
Finally, he turned to Matthew. "I could not rebuild Valkyrie as it was before, so I salvaged what I could and build Valkyrie mark 2." He slid a case across the table and opened it. Matthew's eyebrows shot up.
Inside was the new Valkyrie. It looked like a World War II Thompson sub-machine gun on steroids. Two handgrips, shoulder stock, big barrel. There was a cutout in the receiver. Walter handed him a disk shaped magazine holding six shells. Matthew hefted the cannon and snapped its magazine into the cutout. "Your backpack can hold two magazines on an external clip. I'd recommend against keeping a third loaded. The cannon in bulky enough as it is."
"Twelve shots will be fine. Thanks, Walter. I'm sure the firepower will come in handy." He pulled the magazine out and set both down on the table. "The auto-mag worked out well, by the way."
"Good to hear, Mr. Jemeth. Unfortunately, there will be no time for you to test your weapons before leaving. However, I've heard combat can be the best time to test. The best of luck to you all."
Finding some time, Matthew swung by his room. 'Geeze,' he thought, 'I didn't even get time to unpack…' Although, he'd never been to Australia. That, at least, should be interesting. Pretty sure he wouldn't need a jacket while walking across the Outback, Matthew took off his Hellsing jacket and slung it on a chair. He reached into the closet to grab one of the few shirts remaining. It was a dark green t-shirt with the Hellsing coat of arms at left shoulder and left breast pocket. He rarely used it, simply throwing the jacket over whatever he was wearing. He grabbed a few more shirts, most the same color, and tossed them in another bag. On a whim, he changed his mind and packed the jacket as well. Slinging the bag onto his back, he jogged out the door.
He met the others outside by a waiting car. This time, Alucard would actually go with them rather than go ahead. Kinda uncharacteristic of him, but Matthew said nothing. They drove out to the airport, crossing the tarmac to a waiting jet. They'd have to make several stops on the way, but it was less conspicuous than stuffing the three of them onto an airliner. As Matthew walked up the stairs into the jet, he looked back to see the London skyline. 'Why do I feel like I won't see this again as I am now…?' He tried to dismiss the thought, but only partially succeeded. He shook his head and slipped into the jet, finding a seat and getting comfortable. It would be a long flight.
Just shy of a day later, spent mainly in mental preparations for the upcoming mission, their jet landed at Sydney Airport, staying on the far side of the tarmac away from the terminal. As they exited, Matthew saw there was no one waiting for them. "Who's the contact?"
"There is none," Alucard said. "Integra contacted the Australian government and informed them of our plans. She also asked that they not get involved. Apparently, they'd already had suspicions and were preparing to contact help."
"So what's the plan?"
"The 'Global Fangs'", he said in a very condescending manner, "undoubtedly have vampires in Sydney, if not every city in the country, watching for any forces that might oppose them. We're going to find them." Alucard led the trio away, saying their gear was already in a nearby safe house.
Matthew asked his next question. "We going for stealth?"
Alucard shook his head. "No. The Global Fangs already know we're here. Silencing their spies now will get us nowhere. They don't know our exact location, so they'll still be searching. By finding them, we'll learn where their fellows are. They are our first objective."
The safe house was a short walk from the airport, on the side furthest from the terminal. It was a room on the first floor of a nondescript apartment building. No one noticed their arrival. They unpacked, laying out their gear for the missions to come. Matthew took a quick assessment of the apartment. The front room was turning into a local HQ, communication and mission equipment taking up most table and floor space. There were two bedrooms, two bathrooms. One room had a bed. The other, a pair of coffins. They were the new experimental portable ones. A quick check at the mirror told Matthew his continued intake of blood had kept his skin its correct color.
While Seras contacted Walter to inform Hellsing of their arrival, Aluard turned to Matthew. "Jemeth, you will make the first sweep."
'That's the first time he hasn't called me 'Young' Jemeth…' "You sure about that?" he replied. "You'd probably be better."
"True, but while stealth from the Global Fangs doesn't matter stealth from the local population is important. You have an advantage Seras, and even I, lack." Matthew simply raised an eyebrow. Alucard raised a hand. From an open pouch in Matthew's bag a case emerged and floated over. It was Matthew's contacts.
"Ah," Matthew replied, taking the case. "I'll get changed. Shorts and a different t-shirt. Blend in better."
He grabbed some clothes and a bag of blood, starting for one of the bathrooms. For some reason, he had to suppress a thirst when he went for the blood this time. He hadn't felt a thirst for blood since soon after he'd been turned. He'd gotten good to suppressing it. 'Must've been that power tap…' He checked his brain over, got his suppression back in place, and drank down the blood. He changed into a different dark shirt and jean shorts.
Matthew emerged ready to go. Seras rejoined them, Alucard giving her a quick update. "Jemeth," Alucard said, "inform us of what you find as soon as you are able. I'll decide if we strike now or wait for the night."
'For such a rogue, he makes a good leader,' Matthew thought. "Will do. I won't get in over my head. All I've got are my fists."
"Start at the terminal's entrance. You should be able to hide yourself well enough and sense a vampire's presence while in shade."
"Any other tips?"
Alucard smirked. "Don't get thirsty."
Soon after, Matthew started off. Through the headache, he managed to set up a sort of limited stealth around him while he prepped one piece of their gear; a folding bicycle. He carefully made his way around the perimeter of the airport, eventually reaching the terminal's entrance. He locked up the bike and walked into the shade, trying not to visibly show his relief at being out of the sun. 'One of these days, I've gotta find a better painkiller.' He found a place to sit and let his vampiric sense scan over the crowd.
No one seemed to take notice of him. He leaned back and let his mind do the scanning rather than let his eyes show they were being watched. One security guard walked up to him, asking what he was doing. Matthew's eyes opened and he smiled at the guard, lips closed of course. Matthew told the guard he was waiting for someone whose plane would be arriving before too long. He was waiting there before heading in to search the terminal. Satisfied, the guard went back inside, radioing in the report.
Sure enough, Matthew walked inside a few minutes later. He started a patrol around, staying in the central terminal. Everyone passed through here, so it was a good place for a spy to observe from. Setting his senses to 'passive mode', he walked around and waiting for the spy to search his area.
The airport was laid out as most were: a central terminal connected to other buildings which held boarding gates. A simple tram system ran between them. Matthew bought a soda and started a second slow loop.
Then, he felt it. A light pressure crossed his mind, easily reflected by Matthew. 'They sent a newbie?' he thought. Matthew quickly located the spy. He had to give the guy credit, he did blend in. Visually, that is. T-shirt, shorts, sunglasses. Matthew could sense some impatience in him. The spy had been waiting a while with no sign of the targets. Matthew kept tabs on him, again finding a place to sit and wait.
Ten minutes later the spy left. Matthew stayed a distance back, watching as the spy entered the sunlight. He didn't flinch, but Matthew could tell all his abilities had been cut. Reinforcing his stealth, Matthew started after him on the sidewalk.
The spy ducked onto a bus. Not wanting to be quite that close, Matthew quickly flagged a taxi, thanking his luck that one was nearby. They made a short trip to a residential area, the spy ducking into a small house. Matthew could sense his relief at being inside. "Take me to the airport," he told the driver. The driver stayed silent, having already figured out that Matthew wouldn't answer questions about what he was doing. When they returned to the airport, he paid the driver well.
Matthew rode back to the apartment. "Found him," he said while entering. No one answered. "Hello?" Slowly, he entered the apartment, half expecting things to be in shambles. Turned out he was being paranoid. A quick search told him the two had decided to lie down. The two coffins were closed. He sighed, then figured that three could play at that game. He walked to the other bedroom, took out his contacts, and collapsed onto the bed.
He arose some time after, having heard movement in the back. He walked to the living room, Seras joining him soon after. Alucard soon followed, now wearing his trademark smirk. "Found him," Matthew said. He packaged up all his surveillance and sent it to Seras and Alucard, letting them see for themselves.
A moment later, Alucard nodded. He looked to the window. It was dark. "We attack tonight. We'll be walking there, so conceal your weapons."
Luckily, Matthew had brought a jacket with him. While it was too warm most of the time, he'd need it. He slipped into the side bedroom and changed, pulling on the jacket and a pair of jeans, along with his auto-mag holster. While he preferred using smaller weapons, the auto-mag was the only weapon that had an under jacket holster. He returned to the living room, grabbing the auto-mag and four extra magazines. He left it uncycled, figuring there'd be time to cock the weapon before the battle. He left his contacts at the apartment, deciding the stealth they could provide didn't cover the risk in damaging them.
The plan was for a fast strike mission. If there were few enough vampires there, and they hit fast enough, they might not even have to shoot. That would be a good thing; it was in fact a residential area.
Alucard led the way out of the building, walking down the nearby sidewalk like nothing was different. Seras and Matthew took flanking positions, their eyes scanning the area for any possible targets. The trio drew pairs of eyes every now and then, but no one bothered them. It was as if they knew they wanted no part on the business of the three strange people walking through nighttime Sydney.
Within an hour, they'd made the trip to the house. It was a small place, probably a full house version of their apartment safe house. 'I've got the back,' Matthew thought to Alucard and Seras.
'I'll take the side entrance,' Seras replied.
'Then I'll take the front.' Alucard gave them a mental version of his trademark smirk. 'I'll wait three minutes then enter. Move.'
Matthew ducked into the bushes running along one size of the small property. Seras sprinted to the far side and did the same. Moments later, he entered the small, dark, backyard. The house was dark, though he could sense the vampire's presence. Strange… he could only sense one vampire there… 'What were they thinking?'
'Impossible to know,' Alucard's voice said, 'until we capture this weakling. Are you two in position?'
'Yes, Alucard,' Seras replied.
'Ready to roll, Alucard,' Matthew said.
'Go.'
Matthew silently opened a sliding glass door and slipped into the house, closing the door behind him. His eyes quickly shifted to a night-vision mode. The house was spartan. It was moments before Alucard and Seras entered the main room, where Matthew stood. They started searching side-rooms and bedrooms. Matthew was about to open a closet in the furthest room when he heard a gunshot. He stopped what he was doing and ran through the house to where Alucard stood, smoke rising from Jackal's barrel. Before him was a wounded vampire, his left leg no longer attached to his body. Seras joined them moments after.
"Where are your masters? Tell me what I want to know, and I promise to be quick," Alucard told the vampire.
The vampire was young. Matthew guessed he'd been about 20 when he was turned, not much older than he'd been. But this one had been turned all of two months. His fear was palpable, and Matthew could sense an anger in him. Certainly some of it was directed at the three of them, but there was more… He was angry at those that had turned him. He felt abandoned. He spoke. "I don't know where they are, but I can give you one thing." He gestured with his head at a nearby desk. Seras walked over and lifted a piece of paper, reading what was scrawled on it. "That's where I was supposed to go when I found you, to let them know you were here. The bastards put me here to die. They can go to Hell for all I care."
"We'll be sure they join you." Alucard waited long enough for Seras to tell him the location was good, then pulled the trigger. One of Jackal's 13 mm bullets tore through the vampire's skull. The vampire fell in a pile of ash.
Matthew looked at the others. "Am I the only one who sees this as a bad thing? Purposely putting a newbie here to be killed and give us a trail to follow?"
Alucard smirked and chuckled. "Oh, I'm certain we'll be walking into a trap."
"But what if they know you know?"
Seras piped in. "You'd better stop right there, Matthew. This argument will get circular fast."
Matthew paused a moment, then nodded. "Sorry. Probably getting worried earlier than I have to."
"More like 'undoubtedly', I would say," Alucard quipped.
Matthew ignored the comment. "So, Alucard, what next?"
"Return to the safe house, load up for heavy combat, and be ready for whatever they might throw at us."
Matthew couldn't help but smile back at Alucard's smirk. "You know what? That idea doesn't sound half bad."