Thank you to my reviewers: KuroNeko513, NightlyRowenTree, xMiss Shizaya Michaelisx, Zerolife117, misaki, and DarknessMakesMeSmile! Thank you to those who put this story on an alert/favorite list! And, last but not least, thank you to all of you who still find this fic vaguely interesting enough to read at the expense of five to ten minutes of your lives that you'll never get back.
Please read, review, and enjoy! : )
I do not own Hellsing.
As soon as Amelia was back in her room she sank down onto the bed, her limbs feeling heavy.
"You're still feeling physically tired? No light-headedness or nausea?" Asked Doc, and she shook her head. The question had come up three times since she and the Captain reunited with the doctor, as if he expected her to feel different every two minutes after he last wondered. She leaned over and pulled another t-shirt out of the dresser.
"I'll have some food brought to you," Doc said as he capped his pen, leaving the room without another word.
Amelia didn't bother to close the door behind him; the privacy it provided was only an illusion.
I should have asked if I could go outside again, Amelia thought as she quickly slipped off the torn shirt and replaced it with the new one. Tossing the ruined garment on the floor, she lay back in the bed, staring at the lights in the ceiling.
Right, left, left up the stairs… Take the third right and that leads to the hangar. It was a start. At least she knew of one way to get outside.
Next time I'll cross the water when I see it. If there is a 'next time.' But I need a plan if there are more soldiers beyond the stream. Her stomach gave a sick lurch at the thought of the scarred man and the rough way he handled her. I'll defend myself. That was the natural response, but how many people could she fight at once? Maybe three on a good day – but as of late, she wasn't having many of those.
Doc said he'd know if I went too far, too. The Captain saved me from getting shot, but I can't be sure that he was following me. Her hope of escape was looking bleaker the more she thought about it.
A knock sounded on the doorframe and she swiftly sat up, wincing as a sharp pain ran from her knees down to her ankles.
After a moment, the Captain came in holding a tray of food. Amelia loathed admitting it, but the meals Millennium served her tasted better than anything at home – and were probably twice as expensive.
Speaking of money… What happened to my things? Since being kidnapped the priority had been preserving her well-being, but now she realized more than a week had passed since the house was attended to. The bills would come in a few days, if they hadn't arrived already. She left her dirty dishes in the sink from breakfast. What about her pet fish? Did Mr. Richards fire her for not showing up at work?
The Captain set the tray on the bedside dresser, but Amelia hardly noticed.
There was the other man – Mr. Richards' son, and the organization he represented. He was going to take me to London, I think, but he didn't – he didn't return. Amelia pursed her lips and swallowed heavily, the man's death weighing on her conscience again. But even as she grieved over Clive Richards, she thought of something that lifted her mood.
Clive Richards' employer sent him to fetch me. When he didn't bring me back, his organization… She sat silently, staring intently at her knees and ignoring the food.
In front of her the Captain pointed at the tray, telling her that she should eat.
Hellsing, she remembered. He said the Hellsing Organization would protect me. Why would I be so important to them? The reason Millennium kidnapped me was because they think I'm some sort of, some sort of thing, or related to a vampire. I mean, there's no way that Clive Richards or his employer… would think something like that…
Nodding more to herself than to the Captain, she finally brought her attention to the food. They would have found Mr. Richards dead and me missing. If my safety is that important, then is it conceited to think that…?
Scooting over to the dresser, she picked up a fork of mashed potatoes and stuffed it in her mouth, successfully ridding her face of an excited grin before the Captain could see it. Everyone working for the Hellsing Organization is looking for me?
"This morning's tests went well." Doc commented over his shoulder as he filed a small portfolio, the room's tall ceiling producing a small echo of his words. "However, there was an unintended event during the second test." The Major would eventually hear about Amelia's encounter with the two men, so there was no point in trying to keep it a secret.
"A couple of soldiers found Miss Harker after I sent her off into the forest, and mistook her for one of the residents of the nearby town. They were returning with this week's post, and both denied receiving the instructions to stay away from the East road." He shoved the file cabinet closed and locked it.
"They haven't been reading the weekly reports of late, either," he couldn't help but mention. When he faced the Major again he adjusted his spectacles, trying to find the real emotion behind the plump man's smiling countenance.
"One of the men sustained an arm injury when Miss Harker resisted questioning. His elbow was smashed in. I say 'smashed' because the damage looks worse than one would expect from a girl of her build. You'd think the joint was hit with a baseball bat," the doctor added, and he could have sworn the Major's grin widened. The war monger did love the grisly details.
"Moving on to the point, Miss Harker did run as I'd hoped. I saved a file of her movements on the monitor, if you'd like to have a look later. She definitely has enhanced reflexes, and I believe it is safe to acknowledge an increase in her physical strength. However, I have not yet compared her abilities with She's or determined if there is a limit to them."
"Taking your careful time with her, aren't you, Doctor?" interrupted the Major with a chuckle, his tone teasing but eyes cold.
"I-I apologize, Major. Miss Harker is all I have to work with right now, and I have reason to suspect she does not possess all of the qualities of a vampire. It has only been a few days since I gave her She's blood, but it appears that sunlight does not have the same effect on her as it had on She…"
"You are suggesting then, that Miss Harker has less potential than She to suit Millennium's needs?"
"No, I wouldn't say that." Doc hurriedly answered, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "Miss Harker hasn't been fully tested in all the relevant areas. While I can already guarantee that she will never be as strong as Alucard, she does have powers that are far greater than a ghoul's. I have to consider the possibility that every strength is accompanied by a new weakness. Being able to expend a lot of energy in sunlight could give her an advantage over the common vampire, but perhaps her eyesight in the dark is not as sharp." He paused and sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on.
"My concern is Miss Harker's mortality. A bullet to the heart, having her head cut off – she will not regenerate. It was by sheer luck that she did not die from the wound Zorin inflicted, even after the injection of She's blood. Right now, her healing process is too slow. If she dies during an experiment…"
The Major shook his head, lifting a hand to silence him. "Perhaps the little Frӓulein can die so easily, as you say. In the end, it does not matter if she is mortal or immortal, as long as she is able to produce the results we are looking for." His golden eyes narrowed, the lenses of his glasses glinting in the fluorescent lighting as he turned and made his way to the storage room's exit.
Doc needed only three long strides to catch up and fall into step beside his superior. He lowered his voice as they stepped out of the room, the automatic door giving a hiss as it slid shut behind them. "I understand. But it will not be easy to push Miss Harker to her limits and keep her alive."
"Of course it will be difficult. That is why you are here." The Major came to an abrupt stop at a glass panel in the wall, observing several men on the other side carry long black and red rolls of fabric to an unseen destination.
Doc leaned around him to watch. "They've already begun work on the last dirigible?" He wondered, looking down at the smaller man in surprise.
"There are still some parts that have not arrived, but we have all that is needed to get started on it."
"It is… sooner than I expected," acknowledged the doctor, pressing his lips into a straight line. The Major would insist they leave for England once construction was completed. At this rate I won't finish working with Miss Harker in time for our departure. It will put a lot of stress on her, but with a shortened time frame I'll have to increase the number of daily tests.
"Yes, I decided to move ahead of schedule; I just couldn't help it! War looms on the horizon, so close now that I can barely stand to wait another day." He looked at Doc. "How long has it been since Miss Harker returned to her room?"
"About an hour and a half?" the blood-stained scientist estimated as he pushed his hands into his coat pockets, glancing at a clock on the other side of the glass.
"Plenty of time for the little Frӓulein to finish replenishing her energy, wouldn't you say?"
Doc wasn't going to argue with the unspoken order. "Very well, then. If you'll excuse me, Major, there is much to be done." Giving a stiff nod, he left the fat man by the panel, saving his sigh for until he had rounded the corner, out of earshot.
"And not enough time," he finished. "Now I have to reschedule everything." His grumbling continued as he went back to the laboratory. "I should really have her build up endurance first, but… I'll do it now, and we can work on that later… She'll never want to cooperate after this… Those brothers should probably be notified, if they haven't already…"
Upon entering the laboratory he made eye contact with the Captain and waved emphatically at the green curtain. The Captain's eyes narrowed at the livid action, but he moved to Amelia's room.
Meanwhile, Doc stopped in front of the blue curtain hanging about a coach's length from Amelia's door, squeezing a handful of the cloth as hard as he could before letting his muscles relax with another sigh. The Major won't change his decision just because of its inconvenience for me, he reminded himself.
Moving the drapery out of his way, he looked through the door's peephole for a few seconds. Then, typing a password onto keypad, he manually hauled the door open to gain access to the restricted area.
"Miss Harker," he beckoned to the young woman as she emerged from her room, "it's time I took you behind the blue curtain."