Chapter 2
Kristine stared in shock from beside the building as Rayne held Celes high off the ground. Celes' blood dripped in a large pool beneath the two women. She heard Rayne say something to Celes, then raise her left blade to strike Celes.
Kristine wasn't about to let that happen.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Kristine shouted as she leaped into the street.
Rayne barely glanced at her.
"Go home." She said, "This won't be pretty."
"I said 'LET HER GO!'" Kristine raised her arms and sent forth a force bolt.
Rayne's eyes widened as the bolt slammed into her. She soared through the air, landing in a heap in a pile of trash. Celes, having lost the support from the blade, crumpled to the ground. Kristine slowly walked to where Celes lay when Rayne leaped back to her feet.
"I told you to go home." Rayne said, "Now you'll join her."
Rayne pulled out two pistols and began firing at Kristine. Kristine simply raised a shield over her and Celes. The shield flared blue as Rayne's shots were deflected away. Rayne ceased firing and glared at Kristine.
"What are you?"
Kristine just glared back at Rayne. Then Keima was standing beside his niece.
"I haven't a clue who you are." Keima said, "But I suggest you leave. Now."
Rayne whipped her blades back out and crouched low, staring intently at Keima and Kristine. Then Keima raised his hand and muttered something. A ball of light appeared in his hand, it gave off an intense light, almost as bright, if not brighter then the sun. Rayne covered her face and screamed. Smoke began to rise from her body. She quickly turned and ran off down a side street. Kristine started to follow, but Keima held her back.
"Let her go." He said, "We must tend to Celes now."
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Celes let out a groan. Her body hurt all over, but most especially in her stomach.
"Good." Came a male voice, "You're still alive."
"Ugh." Celes muttered, "I hope you're kidding about that."
"Fine." The voice came again, "You're still undead. That better?"
"Somewhat." Celes opened her eyes and found herself looking at Keima. "I suppose I should say thanks for saving me."
"You can tell that to Kristine." Keima replied, "First you're going to apologize for bringing the fight right outside the restaurant."
Celes covered her face and groaned.
"Damn. I didn't think we were that close."
"Well you were." Keima offered her a hand, which she took. He helped her to sit up. "Now there are a few people downstairs that want to know who and what that was."
"Great." Celes muttered.
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With Keima's help, Celes made it down the stairs and into the seating area of the restaurant. There waiting at a booth were Sentaro, Kristine, Keima's wife, Lime, and Lime's sisters, Cherry and Bloodberry. Keima helped Celes into the booth, then pulled a chair over from another table.
"Before you start," Sentaro said, "Here." He handed over the massive handgun. Celes took it and sat it on the table in front of her.
"Now." Kristine said, "Who was that and why was she attacking you?"
"She is a rather old and interesting creature." Celes said, "Her name is Rayne, and she's a Dhampir."
"A what?" Kristine and Sentaro asked at the same time.
"Dhampir's are a kind of Vampire." Keima said, "They have all the strength and ability of Vampires, but they aren't made in the usual way."
"What?" Kristine asked, "If they don't get bitten how are they made? Are they born vampire?"
"It's Dhampir and yes they are born that way." Celes said. "They are made when a Vampire has…….relations with a human."
"You can say sex. We're all mostly adults here."
"Anyway," Keima said, glaring slightly at Kristine, "While she looks human for the most part, she still has the Vampire fangs, as well as the vampire sensitivity to sunlight."
Kristine and Sentaro frowned.
"But Auntie Celes has been in the sun." Sentaro said.
"I'm not exactly a traditional vampire." Celes replied, "I'm a Nosferatu, a special kind."
"Celes' sire was also a Nosferatu." Keima said, "One that had been experimented on to make him stronger against his own kind."
"The stuff that would usually kill a vampire won't kill me." Celes said, "But it still hurts."
"So why is Rayne here?" Lime asked.
"Rayne worked, or rather works, for an organization called Brimstone." Celes explained, "They were a rival British vampire hunting organization to Hellsing, my organization. Brimstone was formed well before Hellsing, and unlike Hellsing and Section 13 of the Vatican, they use primarily full human hunters. Rayne is their only exception." Celes leaned back. "I originally met her back when I first became a vampire. It was my fifth mission."
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1999
London, England.
The troop carrier moved quickly through the fog filled streets. Celes Victoria glanced briefly at the human soldiers around her, before looking back down at the floor. One might think she was contemplating the upcoming mission.
That one would be wrong.
'Who the hell designed this bloody uniform anyway?' Celes thought, 'Why can't I wear fatigues like the others? I look like a bloody meter maid!'
With a screech of brakes, the troop carrier came to a stop. The rear door dropped down.
"Alright move out!" the unit leader called out.
The soldiers marched out and lined up along the side of the carrier. Celes grabbed the large case that had been stowed under the seats, then joined the rest of the unit. Waiting patiently for her to arrive was Commander Ferguson. As soon as she was at attention, he began.
"This building was reported to have at least 2 vampires." Ferguson began, "You can expect a score of ghouls, maybe more. Half the unit will infiltrate from the rear, the rest will perform a frontal assault."
"Sir!"
Ferguson glanced at the unit leader.
"Sir, will ….ah….who will……ah…" The unit leader glanced at Celes. Celes tried very hard not to show any emotions. This was her second team, the first being wiped out by Father Anderson. Now she had to gain the trust of a whole new group of men.
"Victoria will go in with the frontal assault." Ferguson replied. He then glanced at her. "You may stow the Harkonnen."
"Yes sir." Celes replied.
Ferguson nodded. "In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation."
"Amen." The unit replied before marching off.
"Celes." Ferguson called out as the vampire went past. She paused and turned slowly to face the Commander.
"Sir?"
"Remember what I said on your first mission." He said, before moving into the command vehicle.
Celes took a deep breath, then followed the unit in.
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Celes glanced around the entryway she stood in. A set of stairs was off to her right, a quick glance up showed that they went at least up to the eighth floor. A hallway led towards the apartments of the first floor. She reach up with her left hand and triggered her headset.
"Victoria here. I'm in the entryway."
"Team 2 here." Came a voice, "We have entered the rear of the building. No sign of targets."
"Team 1 here." Came another voice. "We have cleared the first floor, moving to the second."
"Proceed with caution." Came Ferguson's voice over the channel.
"Roger." Came the replies.
Celes pointed her rifle up the stairs and slowly began to climb. Every few moments she paused to look further up the stairwell, as well as look back down the way she came.
"Lewis?" she called out, "Where is Team 1?"
"Second floor." Came Lewis' reply.
"How did you get past me on the stairs?"
"We used the elevator."
"Wha?" Celes was stunned.
"Yeah, it still had power and…….." A loud crash could be heard throughout the building.
"What the hell!" came Lewis' voice, "Can you…….Oh my god……Target sighted in Elevator shaft. Quick! Shoot her!"
The halls echoed with the sounds of gunfire. Celes moved quickly up the stairs and headed in the direction of what she hoped was the elevator.
"Report!" came Ferguson's voice.
"I think we got her." Came Lewis' reply, "I don't see……"
"LOOK OUT!" came another voice over the channel.
"SHE'S GONNA CUT THE CABLE!"
"Everybody get…….."
Then there was screaming followed soon thereafter by a loud crash.
"Lewis! Someone tell me what's going on!" Ferguson called out.
Celes had finally reached the elevator doors. She grabbed the doors and slowly pried them open. When the opening was wide enough, she pointed her rifle into the shaft and slowly looked around and above her, then directed her gaze to the bottom. With her vampire eyes, she could make out the crashed elevator car, as well as the men groaning within it.
"Victoria here." She called into the headset, "The elevator carrying Team 1 is in the basement." She glanced up and spotted high above her the remains of the cable. She squinted slightly as her vision focused on the end of the cable. "The cable seems to have been cut."
"Team 2, move to the basement and assist Team 1." Ferguson said, "Celes maintain position for the moment."
"Sir, shouldn't I….." Celes began before movement caught her eye. Several floors above her, she caught the sight of a silver blade. She froze in position as she remembered just who was armed with such blades.
"Sir….." her voice was almost a whisper, "I think I've spotted Anderson."
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"WHAT!"
Walter remained silent as Sir Integra Hellsing let out a series of curses.
"The Vatican ordered him back!" Integra ranted, "He shouldn't be here!"
"He isn't." came a deep voice from somewhere in the room.
Integra looked up toward the ceiling.
"What was that Alucard?"
Alucard floated down from the ceiling and stood beside Walter.
"I said it isn't the Judas Priest." Alucard said again, "This is something different."
"Different how?" Integra asked.
"Different in that I will handle it." Alucard replied before sinking into the floor.
"Wait Alucard." Integra stood up and screamed at the floor. "ALUCARD!"
"Walter will explain." Alucard's voice again came from somewhere in the room. "He shall tell you the story of BloodRayne."
Walter's eyes went wide.
"My god……" he whispered, "Brimstone."
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Celes continued to glance around the hallway from her position by the elevator. She also looked back around the shaft, mostly to where she saw the blades appear.
"Victoria."
Celes raised her hand to the headset.
"Sir?"
"Have you had any more sightings of Anderson?"
Celes took another look in the shaft.
"No I haven't……" She paused as something dropped past her. She looked down and caught sight of the falling object. It was small and round.
"GRENADE!" Celes screamed.
The grenade went off with a huge blast. Fire hurtled its way up the shaft. Celes dove to the side as flames shot into the hallway from the open doors.
"Team 2 reporting." Came a voice over the headset, "The basement is in flames, we can't reach Team 1. What was that!"
"Victoria report!"
Celes crawled to the entrance to the shaft and with much reluctance, looked over. Just as quickly she looked away.
"They're dead." She said, "Anderson tossed a grenade of some kind."
When Ferguson spoke again, Celes could hear the anger in his voice.
"Move to the upper floors. Find and eliminated Anderson."
"Yes sir." Came Team 2's response.
Celes glanced at the shaft, then rubbed her neck where she'd been pierced by one of the priest's blades.
"On my way." She said.
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Team 2 moved silently up the back stairs. They paused at each floor and searched it carefully. They had met up with Celes at one point. They then decided that while she searched one floor, Team 2 would search the next.
Mitchell, the leader of Team 2, peered around the corner and looked down the hallway. It seemed clear. He waved his hand behind him and several of his soldiers moved past him and up the hall. He had just turned his head to say something to his remaining troops when he heard a shout, followed by a scream coming from the hallway.
Mitchell brought his weapon up and leaped into the hallway, the rest of the soldiers right behind him. The sight that met his eyes had to be one of the more gruesome sights he had seen since joining Hellsing.
His men where still there, or what was left of his men was. One seemed to have been sliced from head to groin in one clean cut. The other was missing both arms as well as his head.
"Oh my god." One of the soldiers said.
"Quiet." Mitchell said. He then touched his headset. "Contact. Fifth floor. Two men lost."
"Proceed with extreme caution." Ferguson replied, "Celes, join up with them."
"Yes sir." Came the Vampire's reply.
"Do we have to wait for the blood sucker?" one of the soldiers asked.
Mitchell shook his head. "We don't need her. It's only one man."
"One man?" came a female voice, "Now you've insulted me."
Mitchell turned around just in time to catch a fist to the face. He flew through the air, landing hard further up the hallway. He sat up and rubbed his head under his helmet. He glanced back to where the rest of his unit was.
A woman was standing there now. She wore a tight red and black leather outfit that barely covered her. She looked like a stripper, but this vision was marred by the two long blades attached to her wrist gauntlets. Mitchell started to wonder where his men had gone when he saw a head, still sitting in it's helmet, rolling about. Another man lay beneath the woman, the heel of her boot, a massive spike, driven through his head.
"I thought Hellsings fought better then this." She said, "This was…….pathetic."
Mitchell growled and pulled out his gun. He took aim and fired. The woman dodged his shots and moved towards him. He adjusted his aim and fire again. This time she jump at the wall, then leaped across the hall, bouncing off that one before hitting the floor running. Mitchell turned to aim again when the woman flung something at him. Mitchell grunted as something slammed painfully into his chest. He looked down to see what looked like a harpoon attached to a chain sticking out of his chest.
The woman pulled on the chain, forcing Mitchell off his feet and towards her. She reached down and pulled Mitchell to his feet. He was in too much pain from the harpoon wound to care by this point.
"Been awhile since I tasted English," she said with a smile, showing off a set of vampire fangs. "Last time it was a bit chalky. Wonder if it's improved any." She leaned forward.
Mitchell felt her teeth sink into his neck. He felt a brief bliss, then nothing.
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Celes ran to the fifth floor, cursing herself for being separated from the team, cursing Father Anderson, as well as cursing the fact she felt weak because she refused to drink the damn blood waiting in her room every night.
She reached the fifth floor and headed down the hallway that smelled of death. At the end, she could see the pile of bodies, their lifeblood oozing across the floor. She leaped over the corpses and found herself staring in shock at the sight before her.
A woman in red and black leather, blades attached to her wrists, sucking dry the Team 2 leader.
"You….." Celes began before decided to just raise her gun and fire.
The woman moved with blinding speed behind the Team Leader. Celes shots slammed into his bloodless body, shielding the woman from harm. The woman peered from behind the corpse.
"So it's true." She said, "Hellsing has another mosquito. Too bad it doesn't have much of a sting."
"Maybe not……" came a deep male voice, "But her Master does."
Behind the woman a figure in red moved out from the shadows. The woman smirked.
"If it isn't Alucard."
"Rayne." Alucard replied, "I thought you'd left England."
"Everyone always thinks that." Rayne replied, "But Brimstone has always been ahead of Hellsing hasn't it? Maybe it's because we don't have Government controls."
"Police Girl." Alucard said, "Leave."
Celes blinked, "But Master…….."
"Leave." Alucard repeated.
"Awww but Alucard," Rayne said with a pout, "I wanted a challenge."
Alucard responded by pulling out his massive hand gun and firing. Rayne ducked the shot. The bullet ripped through the air right beside Celes' head. Her eyes went wide as she realized just how close she came to dying…..again.
"LEAVE POLICE GIRL!" Alucard roared as he fired another shot at Rayne.
Celes decided to listen this time.