For Disclaimer read chapter one to eleven please… thank you…
Alright no more drifting around. Time to get into the real story. Things are going to get a little heavy and dark in next chapters, so bear with me please! There's not going to be so much fun moments anymore as I think it's time to get into the plot development but we had our moments didn't we? Stay tuned please!
"Two days!" Kazuhiko muttered under his breath as he adjusted his gloves, eyes bright in the night. "We're never going to find them in time… London is vast!"
"Your optimism startles me." Gingetsu commented.
"Sorry, ran out of it…" his friend replied dryly. "Seriously, I'm worried."
"I know." the blonde Lt. Colonel raised his eyes from his notebook to look at him thoughtfully. "But right now I need you sharp and alert, so don't panic."
"I'm not panicking." Kazuhiko said calmly. "Just trying to be realistic. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"I know." Gingetsu repeated, this time softer.
"Thinking about it?" Alucard interceded grinning like a mad man. "You're the one that most likely is going to die, Captain."
"Well thank you so much for that encouragement…" Kazuhiko said under his breath. "Not everyone has the luck of already being dead…"
"Oh, I'm just trying to be realistic…" Alucard said, mockingly. "You're the one that has no particular special powers to protect yourself. You are simply, a man."
"I remind you I am in the same position." Walter said stepping in the van.
"Yes Walter but, you are already almost dead, even when not injured." Alucard replied smirking wickedly. Walter rolled his eyes. "But, he is young and not as experienced."
"Stop it already." Kazuhiko snapped.
"I'm simply pointing out a fact. If you don't like reality that is not my fault." Alucard said imitating an innocent tone.
"Bite me," the man barked.
"Gladly." The vampire grinned manically.
"Damn…" Kazuhiko rolled his eyes in irritation and sat down next to Walter.
Other soldiers got in the van and closed the doors. Kazuhiko shook his head, annoyed. Walter smiled dimly.
The butler looked at Gingetsu. He frowned a little. The Lt. was, apparently looking at Kazuhiko, very seriously. He seemed to be thinking deeply.
The van started and they left the Hellsing grounds into the city. Almost every soldier that Hellsing could spare in its grounds and patrolling was being used to track down places big enough to contain the circle of Necromancers.
They now knew what ritual was. They knew how it would go, what it needed and most importantly, the time it began.
The point of tonight's mission was to find where the necromancers were being held, take them out at all costs and make the way for Niko and Seras to help them. Alucard would stay as Integra's last bastion in case everything else failed and the demon got to the point of needing her.
With a little luck they would stop the ritual before he ever got to that.
They knew that the ritual would be held in some big, sheltered and clean place, where there weren't many people whose souls could intervene. But the necromancers they were using to keep the vampires out of sight were held in some other place at distance, where their chants and souls wouldn't be a problem.
That's what they were trying to find.
break+
It was about four o'clock in the morning. Still deep night, Kazuhiko was starting to seriously have problems keeping his eyes open. Seven places they had entered not finding anything. A responsible part of him thought that time was running out and it was urgent for them to find the necromancers. But a big part of himself kept wishing someone would say they should call it a night!
Gingetsu snapped his head up. "Team 8 found them." He said shortly. Kazuhiko automatically was plenty awake.
"Stay until we get there." Gingetsu commanded to the 8th Captain. "Head for their position." He told the driver.
The man nodded and pushed the engine to maximum speed driving skilfully across the streets of London.
Less than five minutes later they were in front of an old department building. Kazuhiko looked at it sceptically.
Gingetsu summoned his sword looking at the Japanese team. Twenty Secret Colour Battalion soldiers formed it. They had brought it with themselves from Japan. All of them had active modems and had a direct order of eliminating any person they could suspect a necromancer.
It was a search-and-destroy mission and Gingetsu never left anything in the air. No necromancer would live. Except one. The leader, to be interrogated.
Walter had only seen Gingetsu ask some free questions but that had been unofficial… he didn't want to know how he was in an official interrogation.
The first assault team broke into the building. They had there with them two hundred Hellsing soldiers with their respective Captains, plus the Japanese crew. The first team entering was Hellsing, followed by Gingetsu and Kazuhiko with their men. Walter was with the second Hellsing team. The others followed securing the building.
Security was expected. But not quite like what they found. The teams got separated. Walter and his took refuge in a hallway where boxes and old furniture were pilled up. Walter feared a trap, but it was quickly obvious that they didn't plan on taking a surprise attack.
He frowned when he saw that the necromancer's soldiers were bodies. All sort of bodies, human and animals. Walter used his strings to behead many of them. His soldiers acted perfectly disciplined and correct. However they had seven casualties. They had to shoot them in order to not have new corpses attacking them.
Using the furniture as shelter Walter and his team fought their way across the corridors in a deep struggle.
Meanwhile Gingetsu and his team quickly moved forward opening way for the Hellsing crew. The greatly advanced weapons the Japanese soldiers had made it easy for them to get rid of the corpses. They had only one casualty by a werewolf that Kazuhiko rapidly disposed of. Their heavy armour protected them well, far better than the Hellsing soldiers and that made them the perfect team to move the line.
For long minutes they went around the building securing the rooms and eliminating everything that moved that didn't have a uniform.
They flowed into a big common living room with a huge fireplace in the middle. Across them another door opened, a dark mouth in the wall. Without flinching Gingetsu lead towards that door.
He didn't see it coming. An invisible force shoved him across the room to the right, against the wall. Reacting faster than thought Gingetsu turned so his back hit the wall and not his sword arm. Just a little stunned he screamed orders to take cover.
Kazuhiko, who had followed him into the room, went to the floor and hid behind the fireplace. Gingetsu quickly joined him there scanned the place with his visor.
"Lt.?" his earplug.
"Walter." He answered.
"I think we found something you should see."
"So did we. Where are you?"
"In some kind of living room. There are monsters hiding here."
"It's similar to what we have here." Gingetsu said. "Our enemies are invisible. Be careful. Remember out priority is to find the necromancers. Open your way but don't get diverted."
"Of course." Came the reply.
Gingetsu looked around. The large oak doors they had just come in through sheltered his men.
"Kazuhiko?" he said. His friend looked at him seriously. "How resistant is the shield from your modem?"
"Quite…" he answered. "What do you have in mind?"
"Can it get us to that door?"
"Depends on what we are dealing with… I think that I can guard us from a few hits of what took you but I can't be sure."
"It'll take seconds for me to reach the door ad clean it."
"Gingetsu you don't even know what hit you, how can you say that?" he asked, frowning.
"If I get killed at least you'll get the way open."
"That's not funny and I don't want you joking on it." Kazuhiko growled. "I'd like it if you tried not to get killed."
"Could you cover me?"
Kazuhiko glared. They both got up at the same time. Kazuhiko formed a big shield with his modem and stepped in front of Gingetsu, protecting him. The soldiers, catching up quite fast immediately were on their backs, making cover with his shields as well.
Gingetsu and Kazuhiko lunged for the door. Kazuhiko's shield found an important resistance to it, but Gingetsu was quick to advance. Kazuhiko frowned. He didn't see anything ahead of him, nothing that would be stopping his shield, though something obviously was.
Gingetsu ran with an asset. His visor counted with infrared heat detector, and he could see some humanoid forms attacking them. He immediately ordered his men to use his infrared glasses as well. Kazuhiko, obeying, saw the forms himself and frowned.
Although now he could see the human-like figures that were guarding the door, he still couldn't see the strength that was keeping him away.
Something else was bothering him. If they were with the Necromancers they were probably dead, so… what's with the heat?
Gingetsu surely had noticed the same thing, but he wasn't the kind that asked questions first. Sensing danger in his surroundings, he wasn't actually much of a thinker… but acted more like instinctively to it.
Kazuhiko saw, eyes wide, how he lunged for the figures, getting himself hurt in various parts of his body as some kind of tendrils flew around him. Kazuhiko could only see the light reflected in them from time to time.
Gingetsu got himself to the door and kicked the demon nearest to him, which seemed to be the leader, making him go backwards. Clearly he was using all his strength in this. Kazuhiko felt the force against his shield vanish, and immediately transformed it into a sword, lunging to back up Gingetsu. His men followed suit.
Gingetsu fought the thing with fists and feet for a second. Then, having him shoved to the wall he kicked his knees making him fall and tried to trespass his heart with the sword. The thing, faster than expected, shifted to protect itself. The sword however went through his shoulder, all the way to the handle and pinned him to the wall, with no chance of taking it off without outside help.
Gingetsu was anything but merciful in battle…
Having his sword stuck in the thing and the wall he chose to simply leave it there, and summoned another one. Standing in front of the thing, one leg at each side of his, he prepared to kill him with the new blade.
But as he looked into what should have been the thing's face his heart skipped a beat.
That thing, that black bullring, on the left side of its face, over his eye…
"No…" Gingetsu went down on one knee and studied the thing with his visor's scans. Slowly, the visor's advanced net formed an approximation to a face. Gingetsu felt himself paling. "Walter." He whispered.
That was enough to break the spell on him. Taking off his visor, as blood bumped faster through his veins he saw Walter pinned to the wall by his own sword. The gesture of his face, a terrible mix between pure hatred and deep pain, made him realise he didn't see him.
Pulling up his sleeve he prayed to whoever was listening that he could see the tattoo. He put it right in front of his eyes.
Slowly, as he understood, Walter's eyes widened.
"Lieutenant…" it was a whisper. "I… I didn't see you. You were like monsters…"
"It was a spell." Gingetsu muttered. Next he stood.
"STOP! CEASE ACTION! FALL BACK RIGHT NOW!" as his men didn't react, Gingetsu shouted it again in Japanese. His men started listening and obeying, only because it was Gingetsu screaming to them and because it was their language. They backed up back into the living room.
Walter himself was giving commanding orders to the Hellsing soldiers.
Slowly, the clouds of magic over their eyes fell, and everyone could see what they were up against. Gingetsu and Kazuhiko kneeled at either sides of Walter's body.
"Walter, be very still." Gingetsu commanded shortly. He said some words to a Japanese soldier that immediately started looking in his belt.
Gingetsu focused on the sword and it slowly dissolved into thin air. Walter gasped in awe. Kazuhiko immediately applied bandages to the deep wound, trying to stop the river of blood coming from it.
The soldier finally found what he was looking for and handed it to his commander officer. Gingetsu took away Kazuhiko's hands and without a word injected something to Walter's shoulder, almost on the wound's gaping lips. Walter tried to resist, but he was too stunned from the blood loss.
"What is that?" he asked in a gasp.
"A coagulant." Was the short answer as Gingetsu quickly disposed of Walter's waistcoat, shirt and undershirt to bandage tightly the shoulder and part of the chest, to keep the bandage in place. "It has side effects." He said to Walter. "You will feel sleepy, weak and dizzy."
"Oh…" yes, it did have those effects…
Gingetsu made sure the bandage was appropriately secured and stood. Walter, though not in his full sharpness, could understand him perfectly.
"Three units will stay here with him. I don't want him moved yet."
"It's dangerous." Kazuhiko discussed. "They will be sitting ducks! We have to take him with us."
"He's too weak. It's far more dangerous to move him right now than to leave him here well guarded. And he would be an obstacle. Stay if you want, but I need to move."
"You're not going anywhere without me…"
"Then listen to my orders."
"Leave some of the Battalion soldiers here with them too."
"No, we need them more."
"Gingetsu, I don't like leaving them alone here, at least let some of our men."
"They won't make the difference if the time comes…"
"They're not only better trained, but also they are better armed and protected and they can contact us directly. Please."
There was a silence for a second. Gingetsu seemed to be thinking about it. "Fine." He said finally. "Leave five of our men. The rest, let's move."
"Kinomoto, Nakamura, Tsukihime, Akito and Daidouji will stay here with three of the Hellsing units." Kazuhiko immediately ordered. Five men separated from the Japanese crew. Kazuhiko kneeled besides Walter grabbing his good shoulder. "Try not to die, Walter. I really want you safe."
He didn't wait for a reply before getting up and following Gingetsu and the rest.
break+
Walter opened his blurry eyes to see the inside of an ambulance. He tried to rise to his elbows to see the surroundings a little better, and he groaned when waves of pain flew through his body, coming from his left shoulder. The ambulance doors seemed to be open, as a soft cold wind made him shiver.
Kazuhiko's head appeared on the door. He smiled kindly at Walter. He entered the ambulance and sat himself on the ambulance bench close to Walter.
"How's that shoulder doing?" he asked.
"I will be alright." Walter answered. "What happened after I fainted?"
"Mmm… many things. To make a long story short we found the Necromancers not too far from where you were injured. Gingetsu burst into the circle, bleeding and so furious you could see the light in his eyes even with the visor. So furious he lost the grip on his powers and before we could react he had literally massacred each and every one of the Necromancers save for one. It was the leader. He was absolutely merciless in the interrogation as he made the questions and got his answers, and when he was done with him he cold blooded killed him. That's about it." The monotonous tone of voice Kazuhiko was using alarmed Walter. Obviously, Kazuhiko was not well.
"Oh…" Walter stared to the ambulance roof, swallowing the information.
"Yes… you should have seen how infuriated he was about what he did to you…" Kazuhiko said, in a low voice. Walter turned to him.
"It wasn't his fault… I hurt him too. We didn't know."
"Gingetsu doesn't care about that." He answered moving his head, worried. "All he knows is he hurt you badly and he could have killed you, had he not seen your monocle. All he cares about is the fact that he made a mistake that could have cost a life more that the ones it already cost…"
"How many casualties?" Walter asked low.
"Twenty Hellsing soldiers dead, eleven injured including you, five Japanese soldiers dead, seven injured." Kazuhiko ran a hand through his hair. "None of the Necromancers lived. There were fifty."
"How many did the Lt. kill?"
"All of them." Was the absent reply. "With the flick of a hand." Kazuhiko shook his head slowly, still trying to understand. "Within seconds. I didn't even see him moving. I think he… went berserk there for a second… I don't imagine he was thinking. He was covered in his blood and yours… he scared me." he said simply. "I, of all people never feared him, but tonight… I was terrified of him." There was a long silence as both of them understood what he had just said. "He practically fainted in the van. I think he used most of his powers. Oh, and… I doubt those are the powers of a Two Leaf." He added in a whisper so only Walter could hear.
"Very well gentlemen," a feminine voice as the doctor came in the ambulance. "Time to go home, Mr.Dolneaz. I will be giving you a sedative, and you will wake in the manor. Coming with us, Captain?"
Kazuhiko nodded.
"Did you have that wound of yours checked out already?"
Kazuhiko shook his head totally absently.
"Ok, take off your coat and shirt and let me see your chest."
Kazuhiko obeyed like a machine.
In a van, behind them, the Secret Colours Battalion soldiers had made sure no one outside their circle rode with them, as their commanding officer slept deeply in a corner.
Ok, that was the first step into the battle. Sorry if it was tedious, but I'm moving slowly here so you don't miss anything. I hate it when I read something and questions stay without an answer. So, hoping I didn't bore you too much, I'll tell you in next chapter the sky will fall on our heads.
Namariel out!