Just as the bluenette predicted, Alois passed out just a little bit into having his shoulders and back rubbed, leaving Ciel to prepare for bed on his own. The Watchdog didn't mind, however. What he was upset by was having to wake up the next morning to go back down into the bunker. He had a lot of difficulty that morning and trailed behind the menace in getting ready by quite a bit. He was still brushing his teeth in his sleep clothes while Alois was partially dressed. Playfully, the blonde gave the other demon a pat on his rear and laughed while Ciel couldn't talk back, earning only a small grunt in protest.
"You're wearing the suit from yesterday?" questioned the menace while his husband finally did get around to getting dressed. "It's all bloody."
"Why bloody up two suits when I can just bloody up one?" Ciel answered with an inquiry of his own. "It's good to look smart and be posh and all that, but when one is in the business of killing, it's hard to say any of that matters."
"Fair enough." Alois shrugged. "You still look good, anyway."
"I still won't ever stopped being amazed that you still find me attractive with blood on me."
"Neither will I. You think the same thing about me."
"Fair enough."
Ciel was right in that it didn't matter that he already had blood on him. In fact, it was somewhat impressive to the soldiers that they were going down into the facility with in addition to their previous crew. This time, they were going down with better equipment and more people in hopes of being better prepared. Even Sebastian had a handgun on him somewhere, despite his sulking and obvious displeasure at being forced to carry such an "unsightly" weapon. The only response he received to that was from Alois, who said simply: "You can't worry about pretty if you're dead." He hinted that the Phantomhives would be sad if something happened to him without actually saying it.
As they neared the site, their trained and inhuman eyes could spot the HELLSING operatives guarding the area. Unfortunately, they also spotted more promenently a few people getting yelled at by the guards while sitting on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. Some of them clashed with the scenery, making them easy to see. From what it sounds like, they were told to come here, prompting a long, drawn out sigh from the demons.
"More of these fucking nerds?" Alois rolled his eyes. "How many does Belmont have?"
"There's no shortage of kids who want to make their hero fantasies real." his husband replied. "But we can only assume what they're here for. I bet they're here for those computers."
"Too bad for them. They're ours, now." the menace chuckled alongside his beau as they approached. As soon as they were noticed, the soldiers stopped yelling and stood at attention.
"Sir Phantomhive! Mister Phantomhive!" greeted the soldier who had just been shouting while offering a salute.
"That's 'agent Phantomhive' or 'the honourable'." Corrected the blonde, continuing before the man could grovel. "So, what's the story. Belmont sent these kids to go in there?"
"Yes, your honourableness." the alteration to the title almost made Alois snicker. What wasn't very funny was the fact that these were all people in their early twenties and late teens dressed to the hilt in homemade armour and "zombie hunting" gear. Their weapons and protective headgear and masks were all thrown into a pile while the Belmont "agents" looked up in confusion and horror at what they could obviously see as "the higher ups" arriving.
"Call somebody to pick them up and undergo the standard procedure." instructed the menace. "Then go back to your current duties. Our team will go down into the facility."
"You don't know what you're up against." scoffed one of the teens, and at that point, Alois could no longer hold back a laugh. He cackled before looking over at the weapons pile and then back to the lad again, picking up a baseball bat with nails in it.
"Looks like you don't either, then." snickered Alois. "Ciel, look at this? We had guns and bullets and we still took hits, and these kids wanna go in with fuckin' bats? Do you have some kind of death wish?"
To that, the teen fell silent again, looking down. Then, the bluenette took the bat from his partner and examined it. "This thing is going to fall apart once you start hitting things." Ciel noted. "The spikes go all the way through, compromising the structural integrity of the weapon. They're going to come out of place and the bat itself will splinter. Furthermore, getting anywhere near what's down there is just a bad idea in general. Unfortunately, you only have close-quarters and blunt weapons. You'll be wiped out in minutes."
The teens were completely quiet, now, unable to argue and not sure how they would even try. They were in a very scary situation with people with guns pointing at them. Then, this group of even scarier people had shown up and started chuckling about how little they know about hunting monsters. Truly, they were outmatched and had to concede.
"Just cooperate and this will be over before you know it, m'kay?" the menace instructed while gesturing for the group to started heading toward the door. Two other men gripped the handle and strained to lift it in order to let them all through.
"Right! Remember the objective. Don't damage any tech, just anything that tries to kill you." ordered the Watchdog, earning a loud "yes sir!"
The Belmont agents looked on in wonder as the group began their descent. As soon as the last head was clear of the door, it was shut, leaving them to only speculate as to what was going on down there. As soon as they were on the steps, guns were drawn and as they progressed, the troops moved into formation. The plan was to mow down anything and everything possible and then haul the computers off in a large wagon that they somehow managed to get downstairs. Getting it back up again would be impossible, but it would make hauling everything around a lot easier in the meantime.
Ciel, Alois, Seras, and Sebastian were the first line of defense, as they knew when something was coming before it got there. Everyone walked without making a sound, expertly ignoring the horrific imagery that littered the halls. There were many bodies from the day before, adding to the stench of death that polluted the air. The fallen had the sympathy of HELLSING's supernaturals. Although distorted, they still very much looked like people. They were corrupted and lost. Yet somehow, they seemed much more peaceful this way. Most of their souls had yet to be collected, however, leading the demons to suspect that the reapers were waiting until the place was safer before they made their rounds. The supernaturals who died here were still trapped, but at least they weren't actively suffering anymore.
"Wait." Alois said, holding up a hand. "Up ahead. Left side. That hallway right there. Something is there."
He received a very hushed response from the others as they carried on, changing the shape of the group in order to fit the situation. They all didn't turn to face that hallway, as leaving their backs open was unwise, so they had half watching their back and half with their sights on the target. There were four supernaturals down that hallway and then there weren't anymore. None of the humans hesitated. It was somewhat concerning to Alois. None of them were particularly familiar with the Manchester branch, but the sight of a bunch of humans mowing down supernaturals without even batting an eyelash made him extremely uneasy.
"Ahead. Both sides. Get ready!" he informed, regardless, and the shape of the group changed again. The sounds of gunfire rang out as the group paused to wipe everything out before advancing. It was cold. They could do nothing but try to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"Sebastian, Seras, can you force this door open?" Ciel questioned once they arrived at the massive doors that were keeping the survivors safe before. Without power, there was no way to get through but with force.
Rubbing his chin, the butler examined the door. "Most likely. It might take me a moment."
"Go ahead, then." the bluenette stated. "Everyone else, get ready. It's supposed to be empty, but it's best to be on the safe side."
With a firm stance, Sebastian planted his feet on the ground and cocked his arm back. His fingers were outstretched as it was his plan to stab through metal with them. When he shot his hand out, it worked to an extent, but he didn't get all of the way through. Thus, he got ready again, only to have his concentration broken by a tapping on his shoulder.
"Can I have a go?" questioned Seras, alerting the man's attention. While the butler didn't seem too confident that she could, he stepped aside and gestured for her to take a crack at open the door. He stood with a bit of a smug expression, but the woman simply ignored him.
Her left arm lost its shape and formed the odd mass of shadows that protruded from the stump that was what was left of her arm. It looked like her arm was on fire, but instead of producing light, it swallowed it. She acted like she was going to punch the wall with it, but instead, it shot out, smashing against the barrier before seeping through the gap where the door opened. From there, the mass grew, forcing the heavy metal doors apart. She couldn't get them open all the way, but it was wide enough that several people could step through at once.
"Nice!" approvingly observed the menace, prompting the woman to smile. "I didn't know you could do that?"
"It's nothing, much. I'm just a bloody good soldier." Seras replied, pointing her index finger at the young man like a gun. Sebastian, however, was not amused with her horrendous pun.
"We should go inside." the butler said, earning him a look from Miss Victoria as he walked right past her. She stuck out her tongue very briefly before following him, followed by the rest of the group right after. Her talents did not go unnoticed, however, as she could see on the face of the blonde Phantomhive that he was rather impressed and excited. Yet, they had a mission to complete, so he would have to save his praises for later.
"Unplug everything carefully and set it in the wagon. Just the towers and external hard drives. The monitors are a waste of space." Ciel instructed as the group came into the freshly darkened open area that was previously full of survivors just yesterday. He said this while even he and the other supernatural agents began working on taking the computers. "Don't rip out any cables, and check to make sure that we didn't miss any offices."
They crawled underneath desks and moved furniture in order to get at the devices while a previously designated group for standing guard performed their own duty. Very carefully, they stacked towers and other data-storing devices into the wagon, strapping them down with cables.
"Sir! The wagon's full but we've got a few more to go!" informed one of the soldiers.
"How many exactly?" questioned the bluenette, only to learn that it was in fact three computer towers left to go. "Right. Jim, Sebastian, and I will carry the remaining three. Seras will provide supernatural support to the rest of us while everyone else has their guns ready. Protect the computers! Don't even think about dropping them!"
While they were getting ready to head out, the three demons did as they were supposed to and rounded up the last of the computers. Seeking them out led the Watchdog to a small office that seemed to belong to somebody important, given how there was only one desk as opposed to the many grouped together in the other offices. Yet, a sigh had to escape him as he sensed a human presence underneath the desk. He doubted that one of the Belmont operatives from outside could have gotten this far, but he wasn't sure how on earth a human could have been down there, otherwise. Drawing his gun, he made sure that he was heard arming it before issuing another order.
"No use hiding. I know you're there. Come out." he said, but there was hesitance from the other person. Sure enough, however, a man finally stood up. He was short, skinny, and mostly nude, unfortunately for both of them. In his hand, he held a scalpel.
"Do-do-don't shoot!" the man warned. "You want these computers, right? We-we-well, if y-you don't back off, I'll break it!"
"If I even suspect that you're going to make a move toward that device, I won't hesitate to shoot you." informed the Watchdog. He was believed immediately, judging by how the man visibly shrank before him. "Who are you and how did you get here?"
"I-I was hired to look after the specimens." the man said. "Nothing more! Everything escaped, though, and everybody died! The supernaturals locked me up when they found me, but I escaped through the vent!"
"Fantastic." Ciel replied. "You're coming with us, then."
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Interrogate you for what you know." the bluenette informed, electing to leave out the part where he will probably be executed afterward. "Put down the scalpel and come outside. That is, unless you're very keen on living down here until the people you experimented on get you."
Putting the medical instrument on the table, the man raised both of his hands in surrender before being directed outside of the office at gunpoint. Once he was being watched by other agents, Ciel returned to pick up the computer. He was quick in doing so, given how the man's presence revealed a massive hazard.
"We need to go now. We have what we need. Watch our backs as we leave the room." the Watchdog instructed. "If he can get through the vents, so can anything else in this building."
A collection of swears came out of the soldiers, but nevertheless, they all got in formation and they began the trek back toward the exit. Boots stomped on the concrete floor while towing and guarding the wagon. The demons sense a few supernaturals nearby, but once they got close, they started running in the opposite direction. While corrupted and unable to function as normal people any longer, it was very apparent that these beings were still able to rationalise the benefits of running as opposed to attacking. They were still people somewhere in there. It begged the question of whether or not they could be rehabilitated, yet at the same time, it is difficult to go back to leading a normal life after canabalising others who were trapped down there with them.
Since they weren't being bothered very much, the group made it safely to the stairs and radioed those above to open the door and start helping them with the computers. Since there was no way that they could wheel the wagon up like this, the towers had to be gently passed between agents until they could be set down with equal care in another trailer, where they would then be loaded up into another vehicle and carried back to HELLSING headquarters in London.
Unfortunately, the humans needed to be swapped out every so often, since they got tired a lot faster than the supernaturals did. Before long, they managed to get everything unloaded, but the mission was not done there. Yes, they achieved their primary objective of retrieving the computers, but they wanted to do another sweep of the place to make sure they got everything. They would also be exterminating dangerous beings in the process for future excavators.
Ciel was trying his best not to be careless, but the desire to go home was increasing by the minute. He swiped all the paper files he could find, even going as far to carry out a filing cabinet without really thinking about how they were going to get it back in the wagon. He was a bit irritable, but it was manageable. Immediately, he felt better after stepping outside again on the second trip back. Thank goodness the area was declared safe enough for normal troops to travel in afterwards, meaning that his wish would be granted.
As the sun was getting lower, however, everyone was quick to clear out. They took everything they had rounded up and took off, putting locks on the heavy door before leaving. A few new gaurds were swapped out with the old ones watching the door and everyone else was on their merry way. The Watchdog couldn't help but utter a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong?" his husband questioned, looping his arm around Ciel's. "Tired?"
"Yeah." nodded along the bluenette. "I guess I just really don't like being underground."
"It's fine. Our job's done. This time, I can rub your shoulders!" offered the menace, playfully patting his beau on the back, inadvertently earning another sigh.
"That would be really nice..." Ciel replied as both men were oblivious to the other supernaturals. Slowly, Sebastian followed behind, confused as to what to do next.
"Does this mean that my mission is over?" he questioned, but alas, no one could hear him.
A/N: I'm still alive! I was just really struggling with this chapter for some reason. It's still not too great. I rushed it because I realised that I wasn't going to be able to keep at it much longer. It's one of those things where I need to move onto the next thing or else risk getting stuck like in MIAAU.
FF is still not acting right, so I don't even really expect this A/N to save, really.
Thanks for your feedback from the last chapter, though! It was really helpful!
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
