Order 19: Deadly Secrets of the Past
Author's Note: This chapter of the story is going to answer a few questions, but hopefully leave everyone with more than before. It starts from where the last chapter began, but other than that I don't know how it's going to end yet.
Alucard walked towards Jerry's Café. It was midnight, just the way he liked it. He hoped that this next traitor had not decided that he didn't want to risk the last one's fate and chicken out of the deal he had made with his master. His thoughts lingered slightly on his master. He had always felt strangely about her. He didn't know what to think. He vaguely remembered the outburst he had had at Incognito. It had been too big of a slip to cover up. Incognito had attempted to capitalize on that by destroying her. For over two-hundred years, Alucard had done nothing but hate the Hellsings for the way that that foolish man, Van Hellsing, had bound him. Van Hellsing had been knighted as a reward for the service he had given to Britain. Alucard had gone by another name then. What that name was he could not remember. For that matter he could not remember much at all of what his life had been before he woke up bound in a strait jacket in a cold dark cellar. What his previous master, Alistair, had done to him made his hate even larger. But Integra. She was like a daughter to him. Well, maybe not quite like a daughter, but he had made her what she was as much as anyone else. No, more than anyone else. Walter came close, but not even he could match Alucard.
Thinking of Integra as a daughter made think of his real daughter. He had seen the police girl, lying on that hospital bed, having to have blood pumped into her. The wounds refused to heal, however. Worst of all was the pentagram on her left cheek. It had been carved as challenge to the Hellsing Organization. No, it was a challenge to him. The letter H had been meant to say that he was their pet. He felt these thoughts intruding upon him like a hurricane. He had learned to suppress his emotions over the years. Some would have called him a sociopath.
He cleared his thoughts. As he reached the café he prepared himself to meet the defector. The only person sitting at the outside however was not who he expected. It was the vampire who had decapitated Anderson.
Alucard went to the table where the vampire was sitting and sat down. "Well I certainly didn't expect to find you here." Alucard said mockingly.
"I was almost ready to leave. It seemed as though you and your masters had lost your spines."
"Why would you think that?"
"Few humans like the sight of carnage Alucard. And many vampires feel sickened by atrocities. I thought you might be ready to give in to those who had invaded your country."
"Britain never surrenders, fool. Not to Napoleon. Not to Hitler. Not even to Incognito. Why would they start now?"
"Because they face an enemy that they cannot see, Alucard. Incognito doesn't count. He was just a pawn. A worthless pawn at that."
"Give me the information you promised my master."
The vampire smirked. "Don't you want to know my name first?"
"What is your name?"
"My name is Havoc. Here is the information you wanted." He took out a small brown folder. "I should warn that they have sent an operative here. He is the one who attacked Seres. If you fight him, it will make your fight with Incognito feel like a scuffle. His name is Sivaren. And he is very deeply disturbed. If you face him now it will probably be your undoing."
"Why?"
"Because Shivaren is very skilled and knows you. You don't know anything about him."
"But you do?"
"I never said that I was going to help you personally. I'm just leveling the playing field. I have my own plans. See you next time, Alucard." A small laugh filled the air as he seemed to evaporate.
Alucard picked up the folder and went on his way to deliver it to Integra. As he left the café he saw a man in a trench coat walk towards him. "So you're Alucard. Can I ask you something?"
Alucard nodded. This was obviously another fool vampire trying to make a name for himself. "Did you like that little piece of art I sent you? It was very skillfully done, don't you think?"
Alucard recognized the laugh that came after as that of a lunatic. "You would dare to put that mark on her cheek just to challenge me?"
"No, it doesn't just do that. It prevents her wounds from healing. The only way she'll ever heal is if I will it, Alucard. So if you want her to heal you'd better do as I say."
"You really think that I'd do that just to save her?"
"Yes I do. You see, a creature's child is its most important possession. If you don't do as I say I will make that mark kill her."
"What do you want?" Alucard asked, resigned.
"That vampire you just talked to, Havoc. I want you to kill him."
"Why should I?"
"Because I said to, and, more importantly, how do you think Havoc got that information? Let's just say he knows more than he's telling you."
"All right."
"Now there's a good boy."
After that Shivaren disappeared. Alucard was shaking with anger. We'll see who's a dog Shivaren, he thought. We'll see after I gut out your entrails.
Alucard laughed quietly.
Devarious, still heavily wounded, lied in a hospital bed. He tossed and turned as he dreamed:
He was running. From what he couldn't discern, but he was terrified. He felt his entire body ache from the pain of over-exertion. He was in his wolf form. Nothing scared his wolf form. Nothing! He ran with all his might. It was dark. He felt blood running down his back. He was flat on his face the next instant. He felt a pair of horrifically strong hands grasp him by the neck and-
Devarious woke up in an ice cold sweat. He was panting heavily. It had been so real. Over the past few days he had had several similar dreams. What the point of them was, he did not know.
David, he heard a voice call into his head. It was not similar to any he had ever heard before.
My name is not David, he thought, its Devarious.
Ah, but your name is David, or was for a long period of time.
Who are you?
A friend who knows what you are going through. Would you like to meet?
No!!!
I will ask you again, when you are ready.
Devarious found that he couldn't sleep after that.
Integra sat at her desk. She reached under it and took out a small box. She had sworn to herself that if she got out of that hellhole of a cell she would stop smoking. Unfortunately, the stress was too much. She took out one of her small cigars. The smoke rolled through lungs shrouding them with poison.
She felt her head lay back. She had nearly forgotten how good it felt to smoke. Alucard would be laughing hysterically if he saw her now. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in Walter."
"Sir Integra through an immense investigation we have determined that there is no bugging equipment on this premises."
Integra felt a hand grip her stomach. That meant that there was an insider. Fairmount was out of the question. He hadn't learned where Bloom was hiding until right before the retrieval mission. So who had the skills to find out.
Author's Note: This chapter of the story is going to answer a few questions, but hopefully leave everyone with more than before. It starts from where the last chapter began, but other than that I don't know how it's going to end yet.
Alucard walked towards Jerry's Café. It was midnight, just the way he liked it. He hoped that this next traitor had not decided that he didn't want to risk the last one's fate and chicken out of the deal he had made with his master. His thoughts lingered slightly on his master. He had always felt strangely about her. He didn't know what to think. He vaguely remembered the outburst he had had at Incognito. It had been too big of a slip to cover up. Incognito had attempted to capitalize on that by destroying her. For over two-hundred years, Alucard had done nothing but hate the Hellsings for the way that that foolish man, Van Hellsing, had bound him. Van Hellsing had been knighted as a reward for the service he had given to Britain. Alucard had gone by another name then. What that name was he could not remember. For that matter he could not remember much at all of what his life had been before he woke up bound in a strait jacket in a cold dark cellar. What his previous master, Alistair, had done to him made his hate even larger. But Integra. She was like a daughter to him. Well, maybe not quite like a daughter, but he had made her what she was as much as anyone else. No, more than anyone else. Walter came close, but not even he could match Alucard.
Thinking of Integra as a daughter made think of his real daughter. He had seen the police girl, lying on that hospital bed, having to have blood pumped into her. The wounds refused to heal, however. Worst of all was the pentagram on her left cheek. It had been carved as challenge to the Hellsing Organization. No, it was a challenge to him. The letter H had been meant to say that he was their pet. He felt these thoughts intruding upon him like a hurricane. He had learned to suppress his emotions over the years. Some would have called him a sociopath.
He cleared his thoughts. As he reached the café he prepared himself to meet the defector. The only person sitting at the outside however was not who he expected. It was the vampire who had decapitated Anderson.
Alucard went to the table where the vampire was sitting and sat down. "Well I certainly didn't expect to find you here." Alucard said mockingly.
"I was almost ready to leave. It seemed as though you and your masters had lost your spines."
"Why would you think that?"
"Few humans like the sight of carnage Alucard. And many vampires feel sickened by atrocities. I thought you might be ready to give in to those who had invaded your country."
"Britain never surrenders, fool. Not to Napoleon. Not to Hitler. Not even to Incognito. Why would they start now?"
"Because they face an enemy that they cannot see, Alucard. Incognito doesn't count. He was just a pawn. A worthless pawn at that."
"Give me the information you promised my master."
The vampire smirked. "Don't you want to know my name first?"
"What is your name?"
"My name is Havoc. Here is the information you wanted." He took out a small brown folder. "I should warn that they have sent an operative here. He is the one who attacked Seres. If you fight him, it will make your fight with Incognito feel like a scuffle. His name is Sivaren. And he is very deeply disturbed. If you face him now it will probably be your undoing."
"Why?"
"Because Shivaren is very skilled and knows you. You don't know anything about him."
"But you do?"
"I never said that I was going to help you personally. I'm just leveling the playing field. I have my own plans. See you next time, Alucard." A small laugh filled the air as he seemed to evaporate.
Alucard picked up the folder and went on his way to deliver it to Integra. As he left the café he saw a man in a trench coat walk towards him. "So you're Alucard. Can I ask you something?"
Alucard nodded. This was obviously another fool vampire trying to make a name for himself. "Did you like that little piece of art I sent you? It was very skillfully done, don't you think?"
Alucard recognized the laugh that came after as that of a lunatic. "You would dare to put that mark on her cheek just to challenge me?"
"No, it doesn't just do that. It prevents her wounds from healing. The only way she'll ever heal is if I will it, Alucard. So if you want her to heal you'd better do as I say."
"You really think that I'd do that just to save her?"
"Yes I do. You see, a creature's child is its most important possession. If you don't do as I say I will make that mark kill her."
"What do you want?" Alucard asked, resigned.
"That vampire you just talked to, Havoc. I want you to kill him."
"Why should I?"
"Because I said to, and, more importantly, how do you think Havoc got that information? Let's just say he knows more than he's telling you."
"All right."
"Now there's a good boy."
After that Shivaren disappeared. Alucard was shaking with anger. We'll see who's a dog Shivaren, he thought. We'll see after I gut out your entrails.
Alucard laughed quietly.
Devarious, still heavily wounded, lied in a hospital bed. He tossed and turned as he dreamed:
He was running. From what he couldn't discern, but he was terrified. He felt his entire body ache from the pain of over-exertion. He was in his wolf form. Nothing scared his wolf form. Nothing! He ran with all his might. It was dark. He felt blood running down his back. He was flat on his face the next instant. He felt a pair of horrifically strong hands grasp him by the neck and-
Devarious woke up in an ice cold sweat. He was panting heavily. It had been so real. Over the past few days he had had several similar dreams. What the point of them was, he did not know.
David, he heard a voice call into his head. It was not similar to any he had ever heard before.
My name is not David, he thought, its Devarious.
Ah, but your name is David, or was for a long period of time.
Who are you?
A friend who knows what you are going through. Would you like to meet?
No!!!
I will ask you again, when you are ready.
Devarious found that he couldn't sleep after that.
Integra sat at her desk. She reached under it and took out a small box. She had sworn to herself that if she got out of that hellhole of a cell she would stop smoking. Unfortunately, the stress was too much. She took out one of her small cigars. The smoke rolled through lungs shrouding them with poison.
She felt her head lay back. She had nearly forgotten how good it felt to smoke. Alucard would be laughing hysterically if he saw her now. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in Walter."
"Sir Integra through an immense investigation we have determined that there is no bugging equipment on this premises."
Integra felt a hand grip her stomach. That meant that there was an insider. Fairmount was out of the question. He hadn't learned where Bloom was hiding until right before the retrieval mission. So who had the skills to find out.