Promptly at 8 pm, Diane reported for duty. The uniform fit perfectly, much to the delight of the troops stationed at the manor. Her collar and cuffs shone in the searchlights, looking eerily like slave bindings. Diane faced them in parade rest, staring into space. Sir Elizabeth stood beside her.
"This is Diane Richter, a convict. She has been sent to us to serve her sentence as she has experience with vampires. Diane?"
"In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be sent to eternal damnation. Amen." Diane snapped out. Elizabeth frowned and pointed to the obstacle course.
"Begin."
"Sir!" Diane turned and sprinted to the entrance. The sergeant handed her a rifle and without breaking stride she grabbed it. Seras had spent the entire shopping trip explaining the ins and outs of the course. Diane suspected the vampire felt sorry for her. A grim smile formed on her lips as she ran the course. It was trapped with live ghouls, no doubt on purpose. Did Sir Elizabeth honestly think she had learned nothing in the last six months, not to mention the years spent fighting turf battles? Diane laughed as she blew up two ghouls in rapid succession and moved to the next junction. Let the knight try to humiliate her, parade her around in this stupid uniform. She would soon learn exactly what Arucard had captured. She killed the last ghoul and exited the course, breathing heavily. Shouldering the rifle, she turned and looked up. Sir Elizabeth, Michael, Bernard and Captain Stuart were staring at her from a large platform built above the course. Captain Stuart glanced down, pushed a button.
"Nine minutes, twenty-five seconds. All hostiles eliminated." His voice sounded slightly tinny in the sound system. Diane saluted and walked back to the entrance. The sergeant looked her over.
"One of the best times for a recruit." He said. Diane shrugged slightly.
"Where to now?"
"Firing range." Seras said, appearing. Diane nodded and followed the vampire to the range. She was tested on a variety of firearms and distances, well aware of the audience behind her. When the targets were brought in for inspection, she turned and faced the crowd. Captain Stuart was impressed. Sir Elizabeth was scowling. Michael and Bernard had blank expressions. Diane forced herself not to smirk.
"Well done, Agent Richter." Stuart said, glancing at the neat holes marking head and heart shots.
"Thank you, sir."
"This is the last test." Sir Elizabeth handed Diane a semi-automatic. Diane discharged the clip and looked inside.
"Chalk rounds." She looked at Elizabeth, who smirked.
"You will be hunting Captain Seras. She is in the woods behind the course. You have one hour."
"Yes sir." Diane reloaded the gun.
"She will be using live ammunition. You will be observed constantly."
"Understood."
"Dismissed." Diane turned and ran out of the room. Captain Stuart waited until Elizabeth nodded before leaving. The knight grinned smugly. Michael sighed and shook his head.
"Is this wise, Elizabeth?"
"We have to know the full range of her skills, Michael."
"Live rounds?"
"Seras will not kill her. They are becoming friends. However, accidents do happen."
"If you wanted her dead, you should have let Arucard kill her."
"You said it yourself, Michael. He wants her. I want to know why." Elizabeth stormed out of the room. Michael and Bernard exchanged long-suffering looks and followed. The trio joined Captain Stuart on the catwalk. Diane was inside the course, kneeling and rubbing her arms.
"What is she doing?"
"Impromptu camouflage, sir. She's using mud and ghoul dust." Stuart answered. Elizabeth grabbed a set of binoculars and focused on Diane. She dumped a handful of gray dirt on her head and spread it out, covering her hair. Her face, collar and cuffs were daubed with grayish mud, then she sat and took off her boots, rolling the stockings down to her ankles. Elizabeth lowered the binoculars.
"Clever." Michael and Bernard nodded behind the knight. Stuart allowed himself a small smile as he continued to observe.
"She's covered her legs. Now she's putting her boots on. She's heading for the woods, sir."
"May God go with her." Bernard whispered.
Diane entered the woods cautiously. Checking behind a large oak, she leaned against it and removed her boots and stockings. She wrapped her feet in the stockings and tied them tightly.
'Should have grabbed my new shoes. Oh well, too late now.' She thought, pushing away from the oak.
'Fact, Seras has 60 years of experience, better senses and knowledge of the territory. Fact, she's packing heat.' Diane moved slowly, her near-bare feet testing the ground, carefully avoiding anything that would give her away. Her eyes swept the area, ears pricked for any sound.
'Fact, I'm at the disadvantage. Could waste a lot of time looking for her.' Diane swept every tree in her immediate vicinity, processing her options. A snippet of shopping conversation popped up, something Seras had admitted when they were buying music. Seras loved music and enjoyed singing, but wasn't good at it.
'Make her come to me.' Diane spotted a clearing several meters away and moved toward it, not dropping her guard. She could feel two undead presences, one stronger, and knew who the observer was. Focusing on the lesser presence, she entered the clearing. Seras was to her left and some distance away.
"Time to put those ears to use." Diane said softly in German. Moving to the center of the clearing, she struck a pose and began singing Elizabeth and Michael's dance song. It didn't sound nearly as good a cappella, but it had the desired effect. Diane danced a little, turning away from Seras. She took her finger off the trigger and used the muzzle for a microphone. Jumping in place, she turned around, beckoned to a different area. She moved her feet in a basic dance step, slowly turning. Seras was about ten meters away. Diane dropped to one knee, glancing up. No clear shot. She jumped up and started another song, the same one she had used while cleaning. Seras moved closer, peeking out behind a tree. Diane purposely looked away, still using the gun for a microphone. Launching into the chorus, she pointed at the trees, bouncing slightly. Seras walked to the edge of the clearing. Diane began jumping around, singing at the top of her lungs. She stopped suddenly, gun pointed right at Seras.
"Life is unfair." She sang, firing. Seras gasped, raised her own gun and fired. The bullets flew past each other; one tearing through Diane's left arm, the other hitting Seras right in the middle of the forehead. Both women dropped. Diane clutched her arm, blood trickling through her fingers. Seras sat up sporting a large blue chalk mark.
"Mission complete. Target has been silenced. Time, eighteen minutes, forty-five seconds." Arucard's voice echoed through the clearing. The combatants looked over as he appeared.
"Stupid. Should have shot...her thirty seconds…sooner." Diane ground out between her teeth.
"No, you did well." Seras said, coming over. Diane looked up. The blue chalk had smeared, looking like badly applied woad.
"If this had been for real, I would be dust and you're only wounded." Seras knelt beside Diane and gently peeled her fingers away from the wound. Shaking her head, she ripped Diane's sleeve and slid it off. Diane watched as Seras tore off her own sleeve.
"Hermes has smiled." Arucard said. Diane turned her head up towards him.
"Know your enemy." She held her bloody fingers up. Arucard smiled, letting his tongue loll out. He crouched, grabbed her wrist and slowly licked her skin.
"Arucard!" Seras protested, tying the bandage tight. Diane looked away from Arucard rolling his tongue around her finger and focused on Seras.
"Did you want some?" She asked, moving her wounded arm towards Seras. The vampire's eyes went dark, then she shot to her feet.
"I don't drink from humans." She said primly.
"You should." Arucard said, pulling Diane to her feet. Tucking her good arm through his, he led her out of the forest.
"What is going on?" Seras wondered aloud. Following her former Master, she stopped to grab Diane's boots. Sir Elizabeth, Captain Stuart, Michael and Bernard met them near the course.
"Take her to medical. Captain Seras, report to my office." Elizabeth turned and stormed away. Michael winked at the trio and followed. Stuart and Bernard moved to Diane.
"That was very well done, Agent Richter."
"Thank you…Captain."
"I'd best be going. I'll bring your boots later." Seras ran after the couple. Diane stared after her.
"Is…she…in…" Diane trailed off and slumped against Arucard. He swept her up into his arms.
"Such a beautiful night." Arcuard said, disappearing. Stuart glanced at Bernard.
"He ever been like this before?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Right." Stuart radioed the medics.