The Watchdog. The Watchdog! The Watchdog had returned to Gehenna. He had already captured two people, and no one knew just where he was hiding next. In reality, he was merely searching for more people who could possibly be involved with the bus explosion, but it wasn't exactly easy for him to move around, now. Everyone was looking for him, and no one wanted to be found. Ciel was not to be deterred, however. For now, he simply focused on training the police of Gehenna as "Victor Tunstell", despite the fact that he merely wanted to charge in and take the problem by the throat.
He ended up having to send Preston in his stead, but, Preston was Preston. He wasn't trained to be a detective, and his mind hadn't been completely "there" as of late. Consistently, there were no results. Perhaps the apprehension of the two original vandals was enough of a deterrent to prevent others from stepping up to take their place.
It had been a while, but things did start coming together, in a way. Kristopherson had completed the designs for the Gehenna Police uniforms, and they had been put into production. A blue shirt cut in the exact fashion as the supernatural forces uniform, but in blue instead of red or yellow. A short, black tie that was almost an ascot, and black pants to match; a white belt holding them up. The hats were almost the same as the ordinary police force found in London, with its checkered pattern, but had the Gehenna coat of arms on the front. On the left breast was their badge in the shape of an eight-point star. A blue circle with the head of a gold lion sat in the center, donning the words "Gehenna Police" on it, and a rectangle with the badge number sat beneath that. On the right breast was a patch with the owner's surname on it. On the left arm was a patch with the Gehenna coat of arms on it. Once the uniforms were done, they were issued to officers who completed training.
A bus rolled into town, turning heads and causing smiles to appear on faces. The people on it were relieved at the sight of home, and were excited to get back to their families and friends. Moreover, they would be starting work soon. Upon stepping out of the vehicle, they found themselves tightly held in arms and receiving congratulations at making it through the ordeal.
The H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. base was terrifying. Armed guards were everywhere, and menaced the supernaturals whenever they were spotted. The candidates for policework had to be escorted everywhere so that they wouldn't get harassed, and even that didn't stop the verbal harassment. The fact that most of them were women didn't help. Jeering and hollering followed them anywhere a group of soldiers was. Had Sir Hellsing caught her men, however, she would have clobbered them senseless as they should have been.
It was over, though. They were official members of staff. The day after arrival, they were taken to the new station and shown around. They were also introduced to their stations. None of them held any particularly high-ranking positions; not even Revy. Still, it was a start, and the possibility for promotion did in fact exist.
Days before the station was to officially open, however, the town was buzzing with more news. Talk of a bigshot from H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. coming into town in order to unveil the police force was spreading like the plague. No one knew just who exactly it was, but H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. presence in Gehenna almost tripled during the days leading up to the assembly. It made residents nervous. It felt as though something horrible was bound to happen, and from their past experiences with the militia, that was a reasonable conclusion to make.
No one saw a car. This so-called "bigshot" was hidden in one of the trucks that held H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. soldiers inside. They covered the church and swarmed the inside. Citizens were checked for weapons on their way inside, especially if they wore coven insignias and colours. Some Girasol agents anticipated this and simply opted to not wear them or to cover up their sunflower tattoos. All four of the Girasol Generals were in attendance, and were spotted easily despite their precautions, due to the fact that they walked in with the notorious "Baby Face" Baldassare.
"Good thing they didn't check our shoes." One said—a young-looking woman of Asian descent. Her hair was bleached blonde and she wore black lipstick. Despite her face, she wore rather plain clothing. A simple baggy red hoodie with a dark grey hood and sleeves.
"Shut the fuck up…" said another—the only other man in the group aside from Baldassare himself. He was far taller than the rest, with an angry face and a short crew cut. He had a sunflower tattoo on his neck that peeked out of the turtleneck he wore in order to conceal it. His more notable feature, however, was the fact that he had gaps in his teeth were his fangs should be. "You wanna attract attention over here?"
"Damn, sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." The woman said. "No need to get so butthurt."
"You expect me to show up empty-handed when the Watchdog could be making an appearance?" asked the man. "I ain't gonna pass up a chance to shank 'im good."
"Don't do it, Shaun." Spoke Baldassare, prompting the attention of the other two.
"But Boss—"
"I don't give a shit about your revenge now." The coven leader said. "This gig is way too important for you to fuck up. Wait until later."
Baring his teeth, the man known as "Shaun" furrowed his brow. A sound that could only be described as a growl escaped his throat at the instruction. He wasn't at all pleased with this order.
Shaun was known as "Fangless" Shaun around Gehenna since the Girasol coven was first established. The reason being was obviously his lack of fangs. The real reason why he was so well known is because he is one of the few people to spot the legendary Watchdog and live. In the early days of Girasol, the group was extremely unruly. They caused many killings, but was subdued by the Watchdog. The way he did it was not through storming any fortress or hideout—oh, no. He did it through fear.
The Watchdog came across an especially rowdy bunch of low-ranking Girasol members while patrolling the area. Naturally, his response to the violence was with more violence. He killed all but one of the hooligans, leaving the last one of a messenger. That "messenger" was Shaun. The vampire was held down and given very precise instructions. He was told that he was to return to Girasol with the news that if they continued their actions, the Watchdog would come and wipe them all out, just like he did to that particular group, there. Unsatisfied with the amount of fear instilled in his messenger, however, the Watchdog decided that additional action was needed. While keeping the much taller man in his grips, he smiled as he gripped the man's fangs one by one and tore them out.
Losing one's fangs was detrimental to a vampire. It riddled Shaun's undead life with difficulty. Each day, he grew angrier and angrier, developing quite the temper. That hatred for the Watchdog drove him to claw his way to becoming a general in the biggest vampire coven in London. That hatred caused him to vow that if he ever saw the Watchdog again, he'd exact his revenge.
"Your shitty temper's makin' ya stupid." Baldassare continued, taking a seat in one of the pews. "As if you're gonna put that mutt down with a puny-ass switchblade. It's not even blessed! Just sit down and shut up." Looking up, he turned his attention to the girl. "Kyung-Soon, when's this shit start?"
"I dunno." The woman said, shaking her head as she sat down as well. "It's not like they gave out a pamphlet or nothin'. 'Sides, you know better than anybody. What's this even about? They gonna show us the new cops? Who's this fucker showin' up that's so important that they need all of these rook gaurdin' 'em?"
"Can't tell ya." Baldassare said. "At least not with all these people around. They'd lose their shit."
"That important, huh?" asked Kyung-Soon, turning her attention to the front of the room.
A stage had been installed, and a podium had been put up. There were chairs toward the back of the stage and on either side of the podium. In the side seats, sat the Lion and some other members of H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G; and on the other sat some important members of the community. That said, there was an empty seat for Baldassare, whom refused to speak. Some of the police officers had begun to take their seats toward the back of the stage, all of them excited to be in uniform for the very first time. The audience had to admit, they certainly looked like the real deal, but that's not where Kyung-Soon's attention was.
"Holy shit, she's cute…" the vampiress said, leaning forward to get a slightly better view. She leaned on the back of the pew in front of her, standing up slightly. "I like her braid…"
"Don't check out the cops, you stupid fucking idiot!" chastised Shaun.
"You can't tell me how to live my life. Girls in uniform are hot."
"All dykes are hot… Well, not in those outfits, they ain't—GUH!" the man was cut off by Kyung-Soon lifting her leg and swiftly kicking him with the heel of her sneaker.
"Who the fuck said you can say 'dyke', huh?" the woman demanded, her face contorting into a grimace. "Only we can say that. If you're not a lesbian, you don't have the right to say that shit."
"I like girls, so ain't I one? GUH!"
"Do you want be to kick your ass?" Kyung-Soon asked, clenching her fist with fresh nosebleed on her knuckles. "Don't think I won't just 'cuz we're in church, shitstain."
"It's just a word, you fuck!" Shaun barked, clutching his face.
"Ding-dong, you are wrong! Keep saying it and I'll keep hittin' ya!"
"Shaun, quit bein' an ass. It's disrespectful." Baldassare intervened.
"But boss… Ain't you the one always goin' on about how the Watchdog's a fag?"
"Fags are fags. They're different." Answered the coven leader. "Anyways, don't crush on the pigs, Sue. It ain't good for ya."
"My gaydar is goin' off the chain right now, though!" the woman declared. "Then again, it could just be my 'I-hope-she's-gay-dar'…"
"Hah!" barked Fangless, leaning back in his seat. "Owned."
"I'll kick you in the face again…" Kyung-Soon growled. "I can hope, can't I?"
"Do it later. You sit down and shut up, too." Instructed their leader, crossing his arms. "Shit's starting."
Kyung-Soon turned her attention back to the stage and sat down, doing as instructed. Everyone else in the room turned their attention to the stage as well. Sister Dorothy had moved a stool so that she could stand up at the podium even with her short stature. The crowd applauded her politely, actually relieved that she was here to speak to them. Smiling at the crowd warmly, she addressed the audience.
"Welcome! I'm glad to see that so many of you came." She said into the microphone. "I know the prescence of H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. is frightening, but it fills me with hope to see so many of you here to support us this evening. As you can see, this is a very big change for all of us! Our community has continued to grow, and the quality of life here has improved. With this addition, the law shall be enforced by our peers, rather than soldiers, improving the quality of life even further! Please give a round of applause for the new Gehenna Police Department!"
Just like that, cheering and applause erupted from the crowd, causing police officers to grin and some to blush. Some waved, including Tegwen, taking the opportunity to shyly acknowledge the presence of the girl who had been staring at her before the event started. Sister Dorothy clapped as well with a genuinely happy expression on her face. Before long, however, she needed to speak up again. Thus, she turned back to the audience, causing them to quiet themselves again in order to give her their attention.
"We are all extremely excited to have you here, and are proud of you for coming forward in order to protect our home." She said in reference to the officers. "Now, there are going to be further changes. We are still in the process of writing a proper constitution for Gehenna, and going over the laws in order to reform them and make them fairer. Here to inform you all about this and to answer your questions; please welcome Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing!"
This time, the audience was hesitant to applaud. This time, it was only out of politeness and fear that they clapped their hands. They were baffled as two women made their way on stage. One of them was obviously a supernatural, with a red uniform and bizarre black mass formed into a substitution for an arm. She took a seat while the other woman continued to stand, politely waiting for Sister Dorothy to step down from her stool and for the Lion to help her move it out of the way so that the noble could speak.
For a human, Sir Hellsing looked frightening—not in any physical feature aside from her eyepatch, but in her presence and expression alone. She was the master of monsters, and everyone could tell that she had the willpower to be worthy of such a title. Even those without sixth sense noticed it. It was powerful, domineering, charismatic, and overall intimidating. Raising one hand, she gestured for the audience to be quiet. In a flash, the room went absolutely so. A morgue would have been livelier.
"Thank you for coming to hear what we have to say." Integra said, lowering her hand to lay flat on the podium's surface. "We have never seen eye-to-eye, so it is remarkable that you have all graciously attended. As Sister Dorothy has already said, we will be collaborating with key members of your community to create a constitution that is both agreeable and just toward the citizens of Gehenna. Over the course of this endeavor, we will also be rewriting existing laws, creating new ones, and revoking ones that are unfair or cruel."
"She also said that I will be answering questions. This is true, but please allow me to answer the most obvious one in advance." The Hellsing continued. "That is: The reason why we have seemingly decided to help reinvent this area in the first place so spontaneously."
Now, the room began to buzz. There was whispering amoung the crowd, as this was the question that was on all of their minds, but all of them were too frightened to ask. Once it appeared to die down a bit, the woman continued.
"This is a result of many factors." Explained Sir Integra. "Over the past four years, H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. has gathered many supernatural members of staff in a very short period of time. In fact, many of them worked on this project as well. This brought about an unexpected sense of understanding and leniency within the Convention of Twelve, as well as general members of H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. staff."
"However, this was not the only reason. During the previous incident with the magic amulet 'Jacks' brought about by the Cerberus group, it was asked of the community to help protect each other, and to flush out existing threats. During this time, the H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. Intelligence Department had noticed a peculiar phenomenon. Crime perpetrated by residents of the former Special Supernatural Zone outside of the border had plummeted, forcing the Council to ponder this trend and how to keep it up. As a result, the Convention of Twelve met with two supernatural agents employed by us who are also experts in business, sociology, and psychology to help us find out why this has occurred, as well as to come up with a plan of action. This subsequently led us to the conclusion the higher quality of living and greater financial and communal stability is what caused this trend."
Integra paused for a moment to allow the crowd to digest that information. "It was also calculated that this would be most beneficial on both sides long term." The woman stated. "We acknowledge that after the things that we have done, it is difficult for you to believe that we did this solely out of the goodness of our hearts. That is why we are presenting you with these facts. You deserve to know after bearing the brunt of humanity's fear for so long. No amount of apology will ever make up for that. Our actions will continue to speak for us, as actions cannot lie. That is why we will make a sincere effort to make Gehenna stable, safe, and prosperous."
"Now, are there any further questions?" she asked to conclude her address, inviting room for continuation. These people were serious, but few were brave. The room remained silent for the longest time, as no one wanted to speak.
That said, there was a slight stirring behind the woman. A metal chair slid back slightly, scraping against the floor of the stage. The officer stood up, holding the hat that sat in her lap at her side by the bill, and raising her other arm up in salute.
"Ma'am! I have a question!" the officer said, prompting the attention of the Hellsing woman. The surname on the patch sewn to the right breast of her shirt said "Sybil", and the long lock of braided hair on the left side of her head stood out. It was an ice-breaker question, really, but it was also a legitimate one.
"Yes?" Integra asked.
"How will the citizens be informed of the new laws once they're made?" Tegwen asked loudly enough so that the audience could also hear her. "It will be difficult to follow them if they aren't made visible."
"Very good." Integra stated, the corner of her mouth turning slightly upward. Truthfully, she was somewhat relieved that someone said something, despite the fact that it was one of those onstage. "They will be posted around the town as previous announcements have been, only they will also be posted at all exits and entrances to cross the border, as well be available in the Town Welfare Building, The Library, and The Police Station in small booklets that explain them in further detail. The constitution will also be posted in these places."
Nodding, Tegwen sat down again as she was satisfied with her answer. Observing this, Integra continued. "Next question."
"How will the police enforce laws?" asked a brave citizen from out in the crowd, standing up.
"Police will be armed with batons with tazing capabilities, as well as various supernatural charms." The Hellsing leader explained. "Guns will only be permitted in serious emergencies. Suspects will then be put on trial and judged by a jury made up of their peers. If found guilty, the judge with sentence them to a set amount of time in the H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. dungeon, at least until we have a more appropriate place to house convicted supernatural criminals. Execution may be a possibility for only the most heinous of crimes."
"What crimes are those?"
"Murder, false imprisonment, and torture, including rape, amoung other things." The woman answered. "However, the severity of the crime also comes into play. If one killed another person out of self-defense, then the death penalty wouldn't come into play."
People nodded as the woman spoke, finding these conditions fair. Murder was frowned upon; rape was especially frowned upon as it was so extremely rare in Gehenna. In some cases, the culprit would be dragged out into the street and brought to the nearest soldier for execution by an angry mob. Many members of the audience was old enough to remember seeing at least one instance of this happening. This merely made it easier for retribution to be brought onto those who deserved it.
After the first few brave individuals stood up without punishment, others followed. Questions came in and the woman answered them with ease. There was not a shred of deception in the way she spoke, causing more and more members of the audience to calm down. This continued for approximately an hour and a half. By this point, the mind of the blonde menace began to wander.
His eyes constantly flickered over to the door, appearing disappointed when he didn't see what he was looking for. No one seemed to notice this, however, as all eyes were on Integra. This soon changed, however, as his entire face lit up. The man sat up straight in his seat at full attention as someone walked through the door. There was a bit of confusion and surprise on his face at the appearance of the man, but there was also fear. Red was now blue.
A man with a stern expression on his face and black coat walked into the church, being sure to walk along the wall so that he wasn't directly in the aisle, gaining too much attention. The attention he did get was startled, silent fear at his appearance. An eyepatch and blue hair were undoubtedly bad news. He was calm, however, and quietly walked up on stage in order to take a seat next to the Lion.
"The Watchdog!" someone finally shouted, standing up and pointing. Another person screamed.
"Wait a minute! Look at his face!" another person loudly called. "It's Tunstell!" Soon, the whole crowd was in an uproar, shouting, screaming, and cursing, but the Watchdog seemed unfazed, and neither did Sir Hellsing. She just patiently waited for an opening to get everyone to calm down. When it never came, however, she had to improvise.
"SILENCE!" she bellowed, her order causing the crowd to go dead quiet. With that, she composed herself again.
"Yes, the Watchdog is here." She stated. "He is one of our 'specialists', after all. He is the one who set the blueprints for most of the reformation, as well as the one who helped persuade the council to allow it. The urban legend that you know as 'The Watchdog' is just that. An urban legend. The real thing is nothing like the stories that you've created. He's a real person, not a monster."
"Then why'd he lie to us!?" demanded someone in the crowd.
"Yeah, why'd he pretend to be someone else?!"
That, Integra could not answer. It was the first time that night that she was at a loss for what to say. Curiously, she looked over at the man, hoping that he had some kind of explanation. She watched as the bluenette stood up, indicating that he did. He walked over to the woman, who stepped out of the way of the podium in order to let him explain himself.
"A reasonable question." He stated, his voice causing Tegwen to shiver as it echoed throughout the room. It sounded exactly the same as the one she heard in the alleyway. She had no idea why she hadn't noticed before that they were the same. Perhaps she simply didn't want to think about it. What she did know was that it had a similar effect on those who were listening out in the audience.
"To be blunt, my reason for disguising myself are strictly selfish." He began, causing his coworkers to gawk at him and the crowd to become uneasy. "The entire purpose of it all was merely to get closer to the Lion."
Alois' face turned red as the audience went silent. What on earth was Ciel doing?! Had he gone mad?! No. He was calculating. He did all of this purposefully. He could have shown up as Tunstell, but that wouldn't suit his needs.
"I have known Alois from when we were both human." He explained. "We never saw eye-to-eye, but meeting again as demons in a new time and setting cleared up the bad blood between us, as our rivalry turned out to be nothing more than a result of misunderstanding gone extremely wrong. In the end, I've come to like him quite a bit. That's why I didn't want to watch after him from the shadows. I wanted to be right at his side as much as possible."
"Indeed, I am not a monster. I was merely following orders like any 'good soldier' should. I have no ill will toward Gehenna in the slightest. It has always been strictly business." Ciel continued. "I do have a heart, and that's why I don't want to hide away in the shadows or be a boogeyman anymore. I want to be at the Lion's side, not as Tunstell, but as myself, Ciel Phantomhive. This is because- and I want to make myself absolutely clear- I am in love with him."
Silence. The room was struck silent in absolute awe. Not only was Gehenna's biggest boogeyman right before them, he claimed to be in love. He was in love with their most beloved of legends, who gained such a status by rebuilding the town that they lived in. Many artworks made recently depicted them as mortal foes, when in fact, their collective consensus in how their relationship was entirely wrong. The Lion and Watchdog were not bitter enemies. They were star-crossed lovers. That was a lot to sink in.
Ciel's eye turned to the side of the stage, however, completely ignoring this. During the silence, a man had snuck along the side of the room just as he did, and managed to get on stage before any of the gaurds could notice. The Watchdog narrowed his eye as it lowered to the contents of the man's hand. A switchblade. Looking back up again, he observed that the man threatening him was a vampire with no fangs.
"Bullshit!" Shaun bellowed. "Bull-fucking-shit! Fucking monster! I'll slit your fucking throat! Everybody knows what you've done! Everybody knows that you're a fucking beast!"
"And what does that make you, who would hold a knife against said 'beast'?" asked the bluenette raising an eyebrow.
"It's me, 'Fangless' Shaun! You tore out my fucking fangs, you fucking cunt!" the man said, sweat collecting at his brow. He smiled. "Now you're gonna fucking pay!"
"Sorry, I don't recall." Ciel replied, causing his foe's smile to drop. "I'm a busy man, you know." Once those words escaped his lips, his brows furrowed at the pain that pierced his chest. The vampire had driven it all the way to the handle into his flesh, right between hid ribs,
