Survival on the Street of Insincerity is set a few weeks after the anime ended, ignoring the very last scene. That scene will come into it at some later stage, but for now please just ignore it. The characters/setting etc will be taken from the anime only as I have yet to find reliable access to the manga, much to my disgust. Spoilers for the anime will be rife and it is rated for language, themes and the general fact this is Hellsing.
Notation:
' will be used to indicate speech from the past
- will be used to indicate Alucard's telepathic speech
The spirit of Seras's Halconnen Cannon is the random guy that appears between episodes.
This chapter is dedicated to all those affected by the bombings in London on 7th July. Any offence caused by references to those places in this is deeply regretted and apologised for in advance. This was written before those events.
…Chapter One – Undead Consequences…
The steady drizzle had slowly turned to a light but penetrating rain. Silver grey spears blew from the leaden sky only to bury themselves in the newly-turned earth. From the north a wind blew in gusts, causing the solitary woman's dark veiled hat to stream every so often.
Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing stood once again in front of the many new graves, her failure. The sounds of grief and the last rights haunted the space around her. The gravestones, the tears, the rain; all that ever changed were the names.
Again she had failed as a leader; so many good Hellsing soldiers had died in the Tower. It was her fault. Always her fault. She was the leader. A leader must lead. And always accept the blame. It was her fault and she blamed herself. Unbidden, her father's dying face appeared before her eyes, 'Be glorious…' His dying wish. And she had failed. As always she vowed to herself, solemn and unwavering, "I shall not fail so again."
---
Seras was looking for her master, descending further into the underground maze of tunnels and rooms that the Hellsing manor resided upon. She came upon him suddenly; Alucard was sitting, back propped in a corner, legs up with arms resting on the tops of his knees. His gloved hands were folded and upon them his chin rested, hair falling in odd angles around his face, he never wore his hat inside. Eyes and thought were in a place Seras knew even she would be unable to reach.
It took the female vampire a few moments to get over the initial shock of coming across him so abruptly, especially in one of the tunnels rather than his quarters. It suddenly dawned on her that it was completely dark, and it was only thanks to her vampire-heightened night vision that she was able to see at all.
"Ummm, Master?" she tried tentatively.
No response.
"Master, isn't it unhealthy to sit in the dark like this?"
"The dark is our natural habitat, Police Girl. Besides, both of us are dead. Health should no longer worry you."
A sharp step sounded on the stone floor behind Seras and the girl whirled. A lantern approached, and with it Walter. He had only returned from hospital a few days ago although it had been a month since his crash near the Tower of London. He still had a discernable limp with bandages around one leg and arm and had sustained several broken ribs. But the retainer had been determined to return as soon as the doctors would let him. Probably sooner if he had got his way. Integra had also had to spend time in the hospital, much to her distaste, but had returned to the Hellsing manor after only a few days.
"Walter!" the former policewoman exclaimed, "Don't scare me like that!"
"My apologies, Miss Victoria," came his calm, even tone.
"How is Integra doing?" Alucard's drawl startled them both.
"Er, Miss Hellsing is upstairs," Walter took a few seconds to regain his composure, "She is still weakened by her wound and then the stress of the Tower incident, however much she hates to admit it. And I'm afraid the funeral yesterday did her no good at all."
"Still blaming herself?"
"I'm afraid so. She has yet to learn she can not control all events, however much she may wish to."
"She is right to blame herself."
Seras and Walter looked at Alucard in shock. His stare was still fixed in another dimension.
"The ultimate blame must always rest with the leader. It is their duty to take responsibility. However it does not mean she is at fault. That is the difference she must learn to make."
"True," Walter paused "I need to go over your Jackal, Alucard, and your Halconnen Cannon please, Miss Victoria. Just to make sure everything is in good working order."
"Sure!" Seras exclaimed brightly, anything to dispel the brooding atmosphere that emanated from Alucard. She ran off to fetch it, glad to be out of there.
Walter watched her go, then turned to Alucard. The vampire reached into his cloak and pulled out his Jackal, flipping it so the handle was facing the retainer and handing it over. With a sharp ringing sound it fell to the floor, bounced once and came to rest beside the still-sitting Alucard. He picked it up slowly, rising to his feet as he did so.
"Oh dear! I am sorry, it must have slipped," Walter hid his badly shaking hands behind his back. Alucard was silent, but his glasses slid forward and he fixed the man with a blood-red stare. Expressionless.
"I'll take it to the armoury for you," the vampire stated, already moving through the wall. When halfway through he called back, "I'll tell the Police Girl to take hers there too."
"Thankyou," Walter replied, but Alucard was gone. The retainer sank down beside his lantern; the shaking would be over soon.
---
Integra was in her large, stone office. Behind her the sun was setting, casting glowing red rectangular patterns on the stone floor. Hitting the edges of her hair it formed almost a ruby-coloured halo. Impatiently the woman flicked through reports detailing the events of the month before at the tower. While initial reports had come in before, these more detailed ones were of the most use. Integra was still far from happy though, every one of her men killed, damnit! All except three who had been away sick. And those were amateurs, new recruits from the time the Valentine brothers had decimated her forces.
With a gentle tap, Walter entered with her afternoon tea.
"Today's blend is from Southern Kyuushu, in Japan," he explained, "And quite aromatic."
Integra didn't even seem to notice him, a line of the report before her had caught her eye.
"What!" her hand slammed the desk with a loud crack, boredom flaring into a temper, "The SAS won't advertise in their ranks for any more troops to join our forces? Why ever not!"
"They say we go through their men too quickly," Walter was calm in the face of Integra's boiling temper, "They also report they have no spare men to transfer to us. But there is a bigger problem than that, after the bad press we received during and after the Tower incident, it is very unlikely we will get many recruits from our secondary sources either." This time both of Integra's hands slammed the desk. "This is too much! First we were distanced" here she sneered, "From the crown, then we discovered a Judas in the Round-Table Knights, the force of my organisation has been decimated even before it was properly trained and now I can't even re-build it!" As she ranted, the irate Integra shoved her chair back violently and stormed over to her central, crucifix-shaped window.
"And the fact the Queen has not contacted you once since to send her condolences as she usually does," Walter replied softly, speaking what was really on his master's mind, but that she had shied away from saying. By the window Integra's face tightened, her frown growing deeper. Why hadn't the Queen thought to contact her once?
---
Two days passed before Seras Victoria was awakened by a loud and authoritative knock on her chamber door. Fumbling with the control to the lift the lid of her four-poster coffin, Seras managed to push the wrong button and found herself upside down in a strange position. Muffled curses could be heard outside as the girl tried to right herself and then emerge from her sleeping place. Yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she reached for the door. Wait a second; did vampires get such mundane things as sleep in their eyes? She wondered, Alucard never seemed to get sleep in his eyes, but if she had managed it, shouldn't that mean he did get it? Poor Seras' early-evening brain just wasn't up to the challenge. Finally opening the door, albeit still in her fuchsia nightdress, the newly-woken vampire admitted the dark glower her master's master was directing at her. Integra hated to be kept waiting.
"Er, sorry, Sir Integra," she apologised, "Just trying to work out whether vampires get sleep in their eyes or not," a small, nervous laugh followed this, her arm behind her head in the typical little-girl pose. Integra didn't laugh, her scowl only grew deeper. Seras' laugh petered out.
"Obviously they do, as you still seem to have some," was her only reply.
Seras desperately tried to wipe her eyes, determined to preserve some dignity.
"You are to go to King's Cross," Integra continued, "Apparently there is a FREAK residing there and the problem needs to be cleaned up NOW!"
"Yes, sir," Seras stuttered, saluting shakily. Integra turned abruptly and strode off, revealing Walter, who had been standing behind his master. On seeing him Seras blushed a deep pink, if it wasn't enough that Integra had just admonished her, but Walter had to witness it. Did everyone around here know about all the embarrassing things she did and said? A low Alucard chuckle sounded in her mind. A sweat drop appeared on Seras' hair.
-But it is always so entertaining, - came Alucard's low voice in her mind.
"Yeah? Well how would you like it if I was always spying you?"
-Ah, but you can't yet, Police Girl.-
"I'll learn," she muttered to herself. Alucard just laughed again.
Walter regarded Seras curiously, having not been able to hear the other side if the conversation.
"Er," Seras blushed again.
"Alucard, I take it?" Walter inquired, a small smile playing around his lips.
"Yes," Seras replied, "Why must everything like that always happen to me?"
"It is just in Alucard's nature to be so. And Miss Hellsing, I hate to admit, has not been herself lately." A sigh accompanied that last comment. Seras didn't know how to reply.
"But you shall be needing your Halconnen Cannon if you are to go out FREAK hunting, would you like to go to the armoury to fetch it? It has had a complete service."
"Oh yes!" Seras was keen to get her weapon back, and ran straight out the door and up the stone steps before realising something, "Oh God! I'm still in my nightdress!"
"Why don't you change and meet me up there?" Walter suggested, "After all, it wouldn't look good for you to be seen in my office dressed so. And I'm not sure a nightdress is the most appropriate of combat gear." A small smile played around his lips while his voice held an almost mocking tone. Seras blushed for what must have been the umpteenth time in five minutes, and dashed back to her room. Everyone was always having fun at her expense!
-Maybe if you ceased doing such stupid things people wouldn't laugh so often- came Alucard's disembodied voice. Seras just shook her fist at the wall opposite her coffin.
-Wrong wall- came his chuckle. Seras growled.
"Can you at least leave before I start getting changed?"
Alucard laughed again.
-Let it never be said that vampires have no dignity- His presence withdrew.
---
Seras was in a bad mood. Nothing that day; no night, she was a vampire now, had gone right. It seemed that everyone was laughing at her even more than they usually did. And that hadn't happened for a while now, not since the Tower incident, as it was being called. It had happened a lot more before that, when she was new and learning the ropes. But that was only to be expected. She sighed, today was really not her day.
The train slid to a halt at the station, blinding lights after the darkness. Neon yellow lit everything, giving it an almost unreal glow. Everything down here always stayed the same. Night, day, morning, evening, apocalypse. Stepping out into the time-bubble, Seras found herself in another bubble, this one of her own making. That's right, she grumbled to herself, never go anywhere near a vampire. Especially is they are carrying a suspicious box on their back. The suspicious box in fact contained her Halconnen Cannon. Seras was actually more irritated than angry about her 'bubble'; it was a further reminder of her new status as non-human. Though she was sure the people didn't sense that, only the fact a girl such as herself should in no way be able to carry a box that large, so were keeping away in case anything more dangerous turned up.
The stairs to the top were dimly lit, the walls leaking smell and the floor an indiscriminate muck colour. Trudging up the number, the vampire found herself subjected to yet another burst of painfully bright light. She had arrived in London's famous, er, entertainment district. As offensive scenes and suggestions filled the girl's eyes, ears and nose, she decided that this was really not her night.
---
Half an hour later found her in quite different circumstances. Overhead the yellow streetlight cast its wan circle of nicotine-coloured light, only serving to give the spaces it illuminated a sickly glow and deepen the shadows encompassing the rest. Seras looked down at the barely readable scrap of paper clutched in her right hand. It surely must be possible to make out; she could see in the dark, damn it! Deciding the light wasn't helping, she stepped out of its tainted glow into a shadowy alley. Now she could see it!
68 Jamison Road
King's Cross
Looking up at the tall townhouse-like building on her left, Seras realised with a sickening twist of her stomach that she was in the right place after all. She gulped; it had been futile to actually hope she wasn't. Having left the gaudy, neon signed strip clubs and bars behind; she was now in the dirtier, shadier and definitely poorer areas. The sort of areas that catered for…any appetite. Only a few prostitutes were left walking the streets, all of them filthy and garish looking with too much eye makeup. Seras shuddered, and forced herself to continue by walking up the steps and pushing open the door. This wasn't hard; one of the hinges had come off.
The air inside was stale, an achievement with the door broken so. Silence exuded from the dust-covered walls and floor. Abandoned cobwebs sat in corners, too dusty to be spooky and only the slightest light penetrated the hallway to make disjointed patterns on the dust. Seras wondered where all the furniture was, it was not a good sign. Trying to be as silent as possible, the blonde vampire levered the special case off her back and unpacked her Halconnen Cannon. Finishing that task, she hefted its weight easily and came to the more difficult decision, what she was going to do next. Every time before she had had Ferguson behind her and other Hellsing soldiers. Even when she had been a policewoman there had been others in supporting roles, backup, intelligence, others in the ranks. Now there wasn't anyone. No leader to bark up-to-date orders, no team members to offer assistance or be loyal to. No Alucard. Not even his presence, which had retreated when she got dressed and had not reappeared since. Not even the smallest snide comment or echo of laughter at her expense. It hit her, she was all alone.
Falling back on her training, Hellsing's younger vampire decided to check the lower rooms of this, well, she supposed she would have to call it a house. Creeping to hide behind the wall and look into the first room, Seras found it completely unfurnished with curtains hanging in mouldy, moth-eaten strips over the grimy window. Sliding in, Seras looked at the window thoughtfully, "You wouldn't need curtains here to keep out the sunlight." She kept going.
The second room could once have been a kitchen, "How long ago, though?" the girl asked herself. None of the original colour of the tiles was left, rather they were covered with dead slime and many had been pushed up to form buckles and holes in the sloping floor. A well-situated hole proved her downfall and the vampire found herself sprawled in a most embarrassing position. Trying to recover herself and her gun, she grabbed onto the dull grey sink. Peering into its uncertain depths, Seras found the bottom was covered with some sort of half-dead black organic matter. Unsure whether it was alive or not, she feverishly hoped it was not. Unfortunately it looked as if it was in the toxic in-between stages, just alive enough to extend a putrid tentacle around an unsuspecting finger and not let go. The tap above it would have dripped, but an accumulation of lime stopped this so only the smallest amount of water was able to seep out occasionally. "Someone really doesn't believe in housecleaning."
A sudden crash upstairs jolted Seras out of her horrified stupor and mission orders came flooding back to her. Along with what Ferguson would have said had he caught her. Remembering him caused sudden tears, unfallen from before they welled-up. But she was determined that she could, and would do this properly.
Racing upstairs, all kitchen growths forgotten, she stopped at the top of the stairs to check if there was anyone behind her. The fact she had not checked the other rooms downstairs played on her mind, but Integra had mentioned only one FREAK and the sound had definitely come from up here. The window at her back shone moonlight on the dilapidated interior. Most of it looked as if it had been eaten my termites, or at least chewed by rats. Advancing step-by-step to the one closed door, the only room that was lit, Seras tried to avoid falling through the wooden floor. Unfortunately she couldn't avoid all the creaky floorboards, and one emitted an onerous groan just as she was about to reach the door. Silently cursing herself, the girl froze. Seconds ticked by. Nothing seemed to have moved, or even stirred. Cautiously the vampire tried again, and this time the other foot found the same floorboard. Ranting under her breath she cursed her feet, her legs, her memory and Alucard. While Alucard actually had nothing to do with the situation, cursing him felt good anyway. Deciding that whatever element of surprise she may have had was lost, Seras decided to storm the room.
One assault with her gun used as a battering ram was all that was needed to break the door down. Light from a single, uncovered lamp flooded through the broken splinters. Seras peered in, and almost threw up. It was a carnal house in every way. What she could guess were hired prostitutes, dressed in the skimpiest, most untasteful and degrading outfits she had ever seen were collapsed on the floor. But the FREAK had obviously not been satisfied with that, for they lay scattered around the room collapsed in their own blood. Twin holes in each neck. The Hellsing Officer could almost taste their screaming. She could see the scratches around the door, and the torn and bloodied fingernails on the girl nearest to her. The bastard had left the light on so they could watch as he ravished and killed them, one by one. The bastard in question lay sprawled, drunk from the blood and sexual activity, on a low wire bed. Under him the bare, lumpy mattress was splattered with gouts of red, red blood. Still steaming, the vampire in Seras told her.
Shaking badly the Hellsing soldier stepped over some of the bodies to reach the unconscious FREAK.
"In the name of God"
In her mind Seras saw the crowd around the Hellsing tank at the Tower, and felt the panic: she knew it was a trap.
"Impure souls of the living dead"
Alucard as he revelled in his massacre, one which Seras was loath to share.
"Shall be banished"
The FREAK SAS forces hunting down and devouring those of the Hellsing organisation.
"Into eternal damnation"
Ferguson standing calmly and telling the other forces to stand down.
"Amen."
The fateful shot. Ferguson falling. Seras too far away to reach him. She would never forget what had happened at the Tower of London on that Maundy day. Never forgive those that caused it. Never forget those that had died for it.
"Go to hell, you sick bastard!" she added, and fired. A gold capsule entered the FREAK's chest, eyes opening as he looked up to see Seras once before it exploded. Nothing but an additional blood splatter and pile of grave dust was left to show where he once was.
---
It was raining outside when Seras left. A straight, heavy rain with no accompanying wind. The street was empty even of the prostitutes of before. Seras half expected to hear Alucard's voice. But there was nothing. All alone at the end, too. Remembering the mess upstairs, the girl shuddered, and ran to the train station to try and rid herself of the memory.
---
The spirit of Seras's Halconnen Cannon appears, "It seems the next episode will be interesting then."
Seras: Next chapter, this is a fanfiction. Besides, what are you doing here? I though you only did the between bits for the episodes.
Spirit: But I'm bored. Besides, anything to annoy you.
Seras: sweatdrop You are so annoying…
Spirit: Why do you think I was invented?