Order 29: Restless
12:30 A.M. Sunday. Skey's Dorm.
Skey was lying in bed, tossing and turning. Sh'ed gotten to sleep relatively easy but now dreams plagued her. She hadn't had dreams about her past for a while, but now they were starting to reoccur. There stood her foster father in the kithen, beating her across the bare buttocks with a belt. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks as she begged him to stop, pleading with him to leave her be. That bastard never relented but only struck harder with every rising laugh. Blood dripped from the harsh cuts he so generously granted her. Skey knew her own version of monsters in the world. the monsters she knew were the sick minded ones who got off by hitting women, raping them and treating them even lesser than the dirt beneath their feet. Vampires were monsters, but Skey feared them even less than she did a a human man with a temper and belt. She wished to visit those foster parents and show them her idea of exacted justice. After all, who knew if they adopted another child and if they did...Skey hated to imagine what they would do to that innocent child. Skey's lungs took a gasp of the surrounding air as she shot up in bed, fully awake. It couldn't be that early. No sunlight tried to break through her curtains yet. The nightstand light was turned on. The room stood empty as usual, and just a bit too cold. Skey got out of bed and into her small closet. there was an extra blanket in there to use for the night. Wait...something lurked in the darkness. Winter coats were ruffled just before Skey was closing the door. When Skey opened it back up something pounced out and tackled Skey. Skey was unarmed but strong enough to throw the person or monster off her. the swords were near the bed. She now drew one and took a fighting stance. Laughter? when Skey looked again with the help of the lamp, she saw a dress!
" Yumie? What the hell are you doing!"
Yumie laughed and tore off the rubber mask of a halloween goblin. Skey dropped the sword and started to laugh herself. Both the girls sat on the bed and talked about wha was going on. Yumie was disturbed by the report given to all the Iscariot agents and guards. To know that the vampires were staging a plan to infiltrate the Vatican was unsettling in mind and soul. Some, like Yumie, took the edge off by goofing off while others like Anderson, secluded themselves from everyone else and waited for the inevitable.
" I just hope we'll be good enough."
" Yumie, you doubt the organization? Me? Anderson? Heinkel? Look, we'll be just fine. We got the best vampire hunters around."
" Skey, Maxwell's calling Integra and that damned Alucard here. He reported to her what was going on."
" What! That's so unlike him! Oh God, Anderson is going to be pissed..."
Skey never got the information about Hellsing being called to the Vatican. And why was Maxwell acting all buddy-buddy with Hellsing now? Did he doubt his own organization's ability too? Yumie said good night and decided to leave for the night. She too needed her rest like the whole lot of them. The door clicked closed and once again, she was alone in her room but with a enquiring mind. This whole week, no this whole past month had been nothing but one hectic adventure after another. It was beginning to take its toll on Skey. She could handle being sent on hunts, Maxwell's bickering and Anderson's light teasing. Yet this was much more pressing. She was not herself physically anymore. And she would never be again.
Anderson was restless as usual. In his age and line of work, many a restless nights visited you. He walked outside in the gardens, the wind whipped at his short hair. The storm was becoming more profuse with every waking second. It was now to the point the moon was completely covered. No lights shone down on the garden. It was almost completely dark. He hadn't heard of Maxwell's decision yet to bring Hellsing back to the Vatican. Anderson was preparing himself mentally for the seige that was bound to come within the week. His mind couldn't get off that vampire confessing like it did. Maybe he was wrong in theory about vampires...all this time he thought them nothing more but heartless beasts who only killed for the blood, the life, of prey. Skey's father...he been turned a vampire by the ancient Malakai. It never stopped him from loving his daughter he had to give up. Even after all these years and being turned into a monster, he still loved her like a father would. In a way, Anderson felt jealous. He never had children of his own and Skey was the closest thing he had to a daughter or even a friend. And though it was mandatory for the Vatican to destroy vampires, he begged his own daughter to kill him. did he stop to think how it would effect her mentally? Not like the experiments and the training was hard enough on her.
" Ah need tae stop caring so much...She's can tak care O' hersel'...Aye...tha' she can...Ah hope. Nae! Ah trained her weel! She knows hae tae survive in ae fight! Ah dinna need tae worry so much!"
It was hard to make a decision. When time came for battle he wanted to protect her and be there for her. Yet he knew he would have to defend himself. There wouldn't be time to look after her and he felt he trusted her enough to handle things on her own. Anderson laid on the grass and stared up to the bleak sky. Soon, his eyes shut and the beautiful sleep overcame him...but with unsavory dreams.
A red sky, fire surrounding them all...again that same battle scene and now he knew who that vampire was. Malakai. Again, he shouted the same thing.
" You're responsible for taking her away from me! You...must die!"
This time Anderson didn't wake up. The battle pursued and it got harder to fight him. His strength was unlimited and he reprimanded over and over again, telling Anderson he stole her. And know Anderson was beginning to figure it out who he stole. Apparently, it had to be Skey...but he didn't steal Skey! She came willingly to the Vatican and was just as willing to be trained into a vampire hunter. Did he think that Anderson forced her into this kind of job? The dream continued it's haunting images of battle. Around him many of the Hellsing troops and Iscariot agents were being slaughtered mercilessly. Only a few were even holding their ground against the devious fiends. Some agents had their throats completely ripped out while others were simply mutilated beyond identification. Blood was the heaviest scent on the battlefield, screams rang clear with the sounds of gunfire and metal clashing. Helicopters roared overhead amidst the machine gun fire. The roars of the demon vampires bellowed against the clearer more profound screams of the human fighters. Landmines blew up when the vampires triggered them, clever traps used by one of Hellsing's troops. This party of hell danced around the battling Anderson and Malakai. Both were fighting to the death...teeth bared, swords clashing...whatever Anderson did, it only seemed hardly enough to keep up. Then his hand...that vampires clawed hand swiped in and clawed his chest. Anderson stumbled back, his shirt torn open and four, long slash marks across his chest. It didn't hurt him but only rose his blood to boiling point.
"Anderson...Father Anderson! Wake up!"
Startled from his dream, the priest sat up and bewilderingly glanced around. What welcomed him was the darkness of night, and the sound of swaying trees and flowers of the Vatican garden. Yumie was standing there with crossed arms. But she wasn't welcoming him with any kind of hostile intentions.
" Father Maxwell wants to see you."
" Ah dinna feel like gaun tae see him. Ah'm finally starting tae get sleepy for once. Tell him Ah'll see him in the morning."
" Um, it's rather important."
" (Glares) In the morning, Yumie. Ah need ma rest."
He didn't leave her any room to object again. He was off and heading for his dorm to get some more sleep. Though the dream may have been rather unpleasant, that little bit of sleep he got was enough to supply him energy to get to his room and collapse on his bed. It was a bit of a walk, but thankfully he encountered no other priests or sisters that were willing to talk at this given time in night.
Maxwell's Office. 1:00 A.M
It was a cool night and one of not many vampire reports. Slow nights didn't come often and the agents took advantage of this, deciding to get some rest after all the hell they'd been put through. Hellsing was informed a short while ago about the exclusive information they had recieved. Though both groups were arch enemies, both wanted to see this particular vampire, Malakai, dead. They would be provided for once they arrived later in the morning. The grandfather clock, hidden in the extreme right of the room gonged loudly. Half the time, Maxwell forgot that the clock even worked. The clock read one O'clock in the morning and apparently Anderson wasn't going to come for that meeting. It was ok. Maxwell had all morning to bother him tomorrow. Even now Maxwell was a bit peaked with tire. But with the way things were going he was going to sleep in his office. you never know when there would be a case of emergency. There was a pull out couch against the right wall near the grandfather clock. He pulled it out and situated it for him to sleep on. Wednesday. That day was sticking in his mind and it was the only day he dreaded. It was the day the Vatican's strength would be put to the full test. though they've been recorded to have taken down big game vampires away, this Malakai was by far one of their hardest tests. Maxwell didn't bother kicking off his shoes or taking off his vest. He sat on the bed, laid back against a pillow and closed his eyes. Sleepily, he murmured.
"God, help us all...we're going to need all the strength your Holyship...can grant us..."
