Youth and Innocence
Chapter 14
Standard disclaimer: All characters belong to Kohta Hirano and his publishers and more power to them. I have no stake in Hellsing or Dawn.
14.
Given a choice between the two monsters, Walter would've chosen Alucard. He and Leung rode in near silence. Even in a brotherhood of killers, there were some things too dark, too dirty to share. He wished he hadn't pushed the man, pushed him into a confession that Walter didn't want to hear, didn't want to make hard decisions about. His priority was to keep Integra safe. Dammit! He'd always liked Pat.
"She's on the move again. East." The man Walter had thought he'd known told him in a soft voice.
Walter turned the car, following the signal despite their inability to get visual confirmation. It was hard to see this as anything except a trap, a set up. He wished he still smoked. Double damn. "Pat, could you radio back to Pettrus and see if Reynolds has checked in? We could use help if they're on their way back." He saw Leung look to him briefly, but neither man wanted eye contact.
They used government repeaters, but still coded all messages to ensure security. Leung preferred the newer communications systems, but as clumsy as this was, he was able to get through whenever he needed to. Packet systems, cellular and satellite transmissions all held promise, but Hellsing was at the mercy of the Queen when it came to updating large systems. "Negative," he reported and went back to scouting. The chill from Walter was to be expected. He never thought the other men could understand, never tried to communicate or reach out to anyone. Well, Arthur of course, he'd understood. Sent the agent off for help where Leung learned the tools he needed to get by. Meditation was key, but there were other ways to channel his needs. Healthy ways, like visualizing his enemies as girls just on the cusp of womanhood. Dear God, he prayed, let there be a lot of impure souls tonight, Amen! The uncomfortable silence settled back down between them until the next directional change. Finally Leung whispered handing over the night vision binoculars, "Visual. There she is," pointing to three shapes still a ways off along the sidewalk. The city was still active, but on a Sunday night most businesses were long since closed and many streets were dark.
Walter gripped the wheel, face blank. They passed the trio and pulled into a space once he felt they were out of range. He thought she looked frightened. Her own selfishness had gotten her into this trouble. If her life could be spared, fine. But he reminded himself, that wasn't the objective. He wanted to take down the vampires in charge. Alucard had rattled them, that much was clear. Walter's mood shifted, what was he going to do about that bastard vampire? Punishment needed to be swift and certain or he would have the run of the mansion, but she was too upset to think clearly about it. Alucard hadn't admitted guilt and was angered when Walter told him not to hunt tonight. He needed Integra to be strong, dammit. "What's your take, Pat?"
"The silver haired one's definitely vamp, the dark one looks human, but could just be young, hard to tell. Bird's one stop from screaming," he swallowed, mouth dry. This was the worst part of a mission, he thought, when you have visual, but can't attack. To get the best chance at the top members of the ring, they had to let the trap set.
"Not sure what we've got here, Pat," Walter's voice broke the unease of the moment. "But if it turns out to be major... Well, you're a hell of a fighter."
"Ah, shut up Old Man," he replied fondly, "you're making me blush. I'll keep the ghouls off your arse." At least Walter was able to look at him again, he thought.
"Right then, let's take out the trash." Both men grinned wickedly before falling silent, watching the three figures go into a building. After an exterior search, they followed.
Integra winced in sympathy as Reynolds was dragged down the staircase without dignity. He wasn't a small man, but looked like a rag doll the way she swung him as the vampire swayed toward Draper. "So this is the child?" the vampire asked as she blew him a kiss.
Integra tried to imagine the scene from Agent Leung's perspective. Draper was armed with two weapons, a rifle and pistol. The rifle was a long range threat and required two hands, so her real worry was his revolver. The vampire was an all around worry.
He jerked her shoulder, pushing Integra toward the vampire, then letting her go. "Yeah, no trouble, though."
Integra swung around, her knee connecting with his groin. Her handgun went a bit wild, but she managed to pistol whip the tall man's chin as he doubled over. Without staying to see the effect, she ran back the way they'd come. Her useless pistol clattered along the marble floor. Laughter followed her and she found herself stopped by the female vampire's hand on her neck.
"Nice move lambkin," she cooed at Integra. Integra was shaken lightly by the neck as the vampire raised her off the floor to pull her around and look into her eyes. "You're just a bundle of trouble, aren't you?"
"Let me go! I order you! Put me down!" Her protestations earned her more laughter. Vampires must believe all that self help crap about the healing power of laughter, she thought. Her kicks had almost no force as her feet were still off the ground. Draper was now visible, approaching them with a look that removed any good feelings she'd ever had about him. He looked more like a character actor, the sort with the drooping nose or bulging eyes, never the lead male but always kept busy playing henchmen. It didn't seem like he was playing now. His Browning .22 looked a lot bigger as it was pointed at her head.
"He wants her dead, Cherry." Integra heard the safety release.
"Back off Stephan, she's my kill," the vampire turned her head and smiled a crooked grin at the agent. He hesitated, but didn't lower the gun. Integra still dangled, the hands on her throat hadn't tightened but she felt the power that surged through the vampire and knew she could be easily crushed. She stopped swinging her legs and let her own hands rest on the vampire's forearms, easing the pain and saving her strength.
"Who?" she squeaked, "Walter?"
Her enemies looked at each other for a second and apparently came to some understanding as Draper lowered his gun and crossed his arms as he backed up saying, "Don't make me laugh, girl. Walter will be floating in the River Cam by morning."
"She has spunk, Stephan. If she weren't so young, I'd take her," the female looked at Integra's eyes meeting an icy gaze that she wouldn't have expected from a thirteen year old. She finally set her down, cool hands still clamped around the girl's throat. "You'll find, though, that we're not the weak sort of vampires you can control." She brought her face closer to Integra's, sniffing the blood that was beginning to calm down, her heart rate losing the panicked pace it had kept up.
"Perhaps it's time to test that," Integra said with all the calm she could muster. She felt a sensation like she'd felt when Alucard's voice was in her mind, but there was no sound. Was it him? Why wouldn't he help her?
The vampire, Cherry he'd called her, glanced quickly at Draper. "He's back at your place, right?"
"That's right, before we left,Walter said it was staying in tonight." He smiled at Integra, "Your pet is across London right about now."
Integra felt panic building, Alucard had told her to call him, had teased her about singing, but hadn't explained anything else. What should she do? A fist to her sternum took that worry away from Integra as she flew across the floor and landed with a crack against the wood paneled wall. When her breath finally returned, she looked up to see the vampire walking toward her with a feral grin.
"I want more fear from you, child," she raised Integra up by her shoulders, shaking her violently and eliciting a soft cry that became a scream.
The scream grew as the vampire laughed. It began to take on shaped sounds, almost like vowels and consonants until, as it grew, it sounded like a name, "Alucard!" She began to scream it over and over though the shaking had stopped. Cherry was watching instead of hurting her now, confused as the room began to fill with red mist.
Alucard felt joyous as he pulled on his powers, "Releasing control art restriction level three, level two." He formed behind the young vampire. She'd been an undead for as long as he'd been imprisoned, yet she was a pale imitation of a true vampire. She used her eyes to look for him in the inky shadows he created. Pity. Alucard's gloved hands appeared, pulling her face to where his body emerged from the darkness. "Are you so low that you hit this child?" He felt the agent behind him pull up his rifle and take aim close to Alucard's head. Why not? He let the holy silver imbued projectile hit full force. The pain, such as it was, delighted him, but not nearly as much as the cries it drew from Integra to see her protector fall.
Draper walked over to the body, kicking it with one Hellsing issued boot. "You just can't get good help, Integra," he gloated, shifting so his handgun was aimed at her again. "Truth be told I was getting worried what with this dragging on and all, but it's more fun this way little girl." He walked away from the body, oblivious to the essences coiling about the floor. "Don't you want to play with her any more, darling?" he turned to Cherry stunned by her lack of humor.
She was staring at Alucard's body, an expression of fear on her face. "He's... no, impossible," she shook her head, the humans in the room were nothing to her, even her accomplice was worth sacrificing. She'd taken him after a raid on a nest she'd been resting at a year ago. He was ripe with self esteem issues, and she seduced him with a gun to her chest. The promise of joining her as a vampire kept him in the fold, but she was just playing him; he was such a fool. She'd become a part of the cult conspiracy at the time, and he fed them theological arguments and practical information about the Convention of Twelve and Hellsing. Cherry had laughed with him at the notion of Hellsing hiding a cheap vampire. Now she saw the evidence right in front of her and was smart enough to understand. This creature must be holding the girl in thrall, not the other way around. He resumed his form as she grabbed at Integra. "Don't! Take them, but don't touch me," she shouted at his mocking visage.
"What the Hell? Hey Cherry can you do that thing too?" Draper was clearly impressed even as he reloaded his rifle.
"Master, your orders?" Alucard stared directly into Integra's eyes, ignoring the lesser creatures for the time being.
"Help me!" She thought he looked almost disappointed, so she added, "kill her." The hold on her tightened; there seemed to be fear in this vampire, fear of Alucard, fear of his power.
"If you come one step closer, I'll tear her throat out," Cherry moved Integra, bringing her closer to the fangs.
Draper aimed his rifle at Alucard again. "Can you do that thing again, demon?"
Alucard kept his eyes on Integra, "Naturally I will kill her, my Master, but what of the one who is under my protection? Your agent?" His white gloved hand gestured with a twist and the rifle flew from Draper's hand, clattering across the marble floor. "Don't you recall your grand speech?"
"She'll be infected and become my slave. Stop! Don't come any closer unless you want her dead!" Cherry's voice had become more and more desperate, despite the fact that Alucard hadn't moved. She wrenched one of Integra's arms hard behind her back. "Maybe she'll become a ghoul, if you've been a naughty boy."
Integra fought back a whimper and kept her eyes locked to Alucard's. She saw a ghost of a smile on his lips. "No, the order is changed. Servant, kill them both. He is no longer Hellsing's," she tried to keep the cry of pain from her voice as her arm was again twisted, a crunching sound precipitated blinding pain, "Quickly, dammit!" The small smile she thought she'd seen grew as her vision went dark.
"No!" Cherry knew the end was coming, but instead of running she decided to take the girl down with her. She lifted her, intending to snap the child's spine across her knee and sink her teeth into the soft neck. Faster than she could execute her idea, black tendrils were twisting around her captive and her own body. This she could understand, this was something she could fight. Cherry let her powers collect about her and pulled up a gray fog. She heard a hissing laugh and Alucard's hand reached inside the gray shadow cloud pulling her head out. "Stop!" she screamed, "Why are you doing this? We can work together. Kill them, but let me go and my master will reward you. If you're bound to this child, I'll kill her for you, but let's-," a strangled cry ended her offer as rows of shark like teeth took off her face, tearing through her head with angry snaps.
Stunned by the sight, Draper almost lowered his .22, but thrust grief from his mind as the monster turned to look at him, mouth dripping with dark blood, cartilage and brain matter. Integra was still entwined in the black tendrils that trailed from the creature, but she was rousing and fought at the silky caresses. Draper changed his aim, taking a bead on her. As he pulled the trigger, an axe burst through his head, splitting his body down to the collar bone. Reynolds stood on shaking legs before falling forward onto the carcass of his fellow agent, the man he'd once thought of as a friend. Alucard shielded Integra from the shot, but the blackened flesh sizzled and retracted into the mass of shadows. He freed her from his protection and watched with some interest as his flesh fought the holy silver until it formed a cover, becoming a minor leg wound. To heal faster he'd need fresh blood, and there was plenty of that on the cool floor. He moved to the agents' bodies which lay in a spreading pool and bent his head down, large tongue lolling out to lap up the healing fluid.
"NO!"
Alucard hesitated, moving one eye to look at the child through a curtain of living hair. She stood now, arms akimbo, looking like a stern school teacher with an errant pupil. He could delve into her mind he supposed, but she was full of surprises today and his existence was generally lacking in that commodity, so he waited for her to speak.
"I have decided on your punishment," she tried to keep her voice level, her tone firm and her legs from failing her. "You shall only drink blood that Hellsing provides you." She watched eyes widen and nostrils flare on a face that spoke of carnage.
A dangerous moment passed before he spoke, "This is my reward for saving you?"
"You need no reward for saving me Alucard. That is your job is it not?" She put her hurt hand behind her and the other held onto a shelf for dear life as she went on, "What you need is to learn your place. A boy died tonight. He didn't deserve that! His only crime-"
Alucard tried hard to bite back his anger. "An unfortunate accident, as I heard.," He interrupted her, standing at his full height and staring her down.
She looked into his wild crimson eyes, not flinching. "That is how we will speak of it, but you shan't step out of line again. Do you understand me?"
He bowed to her, listening to the sound of her heart pumping strong, sweet blood, "My Master." He watched her fight the light headed feeling resulting from so much adrenaline in her blood. Adrenaline was one of a number of spices that he loved to taste, fresh from a young vein. He moved his hands behind his back to conceal the red glow of the symbols there.
"Reynolds!" She moved to the entwined bodies, rolling the large man to his back despite the pain she felt. She looked up at Alucard who shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes, but barely." he answered the question in her mind. "He will die soon as well," he wondered at her concern, at the tears that welled in her eyes.
"What should I do?" She couldn't drive yet, although it looked easy enough really.
"Contact Walter and call for an ambulance, I'd expect," his voice showed his lack of interest in the topic, but her face lit up and his eyes were drawn quickly back to hers.
"Walter. Draper said something about Walter." She had a very good memory, but the evening's events had blurred together after Reynolds went upstairs, "He's in a trap! Somewhere along the River Cam. Can you find him?"
There were few he had ever considered to be friends, in any part of his existence. In his time with Hellsing, only Walter had seen him as he truly was, the full monster that he was inside and out. Yet it was Walter who gave him friendship. "Yes, my Master. If that is your order?" Another thought occurred to him, "Or I could save this agent's life? Carry him to a hospital? I can't do both." He could of course, but it would be far more interesting to see what she would do. He kept his face grave, as if he were concerned.
Integra needed no time to think, "Save Walter, Alucard. I'll see to Reynolds as best I can, but please, save Walter." With a grin worthy of the Cheshire cat, he was gone.