Disclaimer: All of Hellsing and its characters are copyright to Kouta Hirano. Any original characters belong to the author of this fanfiction.

HELLSING

EREBUS

Here standeth the Bird of Hermes,

Eating my own wings to make me tame...

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ghosts

Friday Afternoon, November 21, 2031, Hellsing Estate...

"A Round Table Conference?" Alex repeated, staring at Integra.

The Head of Hellsing and Alexandra stood in the former's office, Integra standing near her windows to stare out. The old woman had a cigar clenched between her teeth after having explained to the young woman that members of a committee would be arriving shortly for said conference. After her apparent mistake at failing to inform Alex of M'Quve's purposeful visit, she thought it best that the rookie should know at least beforehand. Chances were good that they would request to meet her anyway.

"Yes," she affirmed. "It is made up of twelve high-standing members who serve under Her Majesty. Every now and then, these meetings come up where we give details on recent and crucial occurrences. In this case, I will be speaking to them about you."

The girl wasn't the least bit surprised, getting used to people talking about her like she was the latest celebrity. "What will they say?"

"Who knows?" Integra said on a sigh. "They'll be shocked to learn why these vampires are after you. During the conference, they may wish to speak to you directly."

"Is there anything I shouldn't say to them?"

A pause, and then the director turned around to face the brunette. "No. You're free to tell them anything." Alex nodded as Integra continued, "They'll be here within the hour. Mr. Drake has been working diligently on the research alongside Dr. Dacie. When the meeting begins, you'll be required to wait outside the conference room." The cigar was inhaled, smoke expelling afterwards. "That is all. Seras will escort you when it's time."

Dismissed, Alex left without a word, sighing to herself after closing the door. Now things have gotten real serious, haven't they? At least at Hellsing, she was safe. Hopefully. There hasn't been another attempt at securing her, so maybe they gave up. No, she decided. A vampire's train of thought ran differently than a human's. Those undead creatures didn't have reason to simply give up. They were tenacious and strong, making it easy for them to overpower humans.

Speaking of vampires, maybe she could visit Alucard. There friendship, if you can even call it that, was odd at best. He didn't seem bothered by her company, and Alex supposed that he was interesting enough that she had kept coming to see him. Maybe it was the fact he was—is—the real Dracula. It wasn't everyday you met someone who was supposedly fictional. Wait, that wasn't right, was it? In a way, Dracula was based off of Vlad the Impaler. Did that mean he is Vlad the Impaler? The man was still famous after all these centuries after all the atrocities he had committed.

"Maybe I can ask him," she thought out loud.

The young woman headed straight for Alucard's basement, getting used to venturing down the steps. As she walked towards the door, she slowed down, realizing that he might be asleep still. He had no reason to join the conference. Integra had mentioned that the committee didn't take kindly to the presence of vampires, so the head usually kept them out. Stopping short of the door, Alex stared at it, debating whether to disturb the Count or not. Deciding, screw it, the door was pulled open. The scraping set her teeth on edge and she sighed with relief once it was over.

As she half-expected, Alucard wasn't to be seen. Possibly asleep in his coffin, at least for a couple more hours. Alex never really paid attention back at the hotel, especially when it came to him going to bed. Instead, she only found him asleep when she woke up from her own sleep, but he was always awake after she went to bed. Hell, Alex was a night owl and she stayed up quite a bit til about noon. Yes, he could walk around during the day, but wasn't that exhausting for a vampire? There had to be some truth to the theories about vampires. For a moment, Alex stared over at Alucard's coffin. She had the insane urge to listen through the cover again.

"You may listen to it whenever you wish, my dear Alexandra."

Heat rose to her cheeks, recalling the vague memory. All she could remember after that was waking up in her bed the next morning. Upon awakening, she had wondered if it had all been a dream. She didn't recall coming to her room that night, so did it really happen? Whenever it came to Alucard, everything seemed so surreal. It was especially true whenever she had indulged in his heartbeat. After a few minutes, Alex had forgotten what the dark figure in her visions had called her, but it nagged at the back of her mind constantly.

Rather than indulge in her guilty little pleasure, she stared at his throne-like seat and sat in it instead. It still wasn't any more comfortable than the last time, but it didn't bother her too much. Frankly, she was more concerned with the fact that she felt so damn small in it. Alucard, having such an intimidating frame, fit so well with the chair, that Alex doubted anyone could compare. Brown orbs turned to the table. She blinked, finding the radio there. How odd. The first time she visited his lair, the radio wasn't even here.

Turning towards it in the chair, she reached over, turning it down next to nothing so as not to disturb the vampire when she flipped it on. The station was filled with that static background noise and she pursed her lips, puzzled. The tuner was turned clockwise and opposite. Every now and then, she thought she heard something. What was wrong with this thing? It had worked a few nights ago! Frowning, she moved to turn it off but stopped short when music came through very clearly all of sudden.

While Alex listened, she found herself closing her eyes, not recognizing the artist. However, she could appreciate the woman's voice as it seemed to evoke a strange and pleasant emotion in her. What was this all of a sudden? As the song poured through her soul, she felt herself transporting to that distant land again. There stood the castle, and she was in the throne room with that man again. His visage, concealed, as always. Why did she always see this figure in her small dreams, but never his face? Again, she could only see his eyes; a familiar blue.

"Katarina," he said in that strange accent. Where had she heard it before? "Katarina, my love. Come to me."

Alex stared at him, watching as he outstretched a hand, armoured with a black gauntlet that matched his armour. His hair was black, and his eyes were blue. The cape that draped over him was as black as the rest of him, the lining a deep red, as scarlet as blood. When the man stood, he was tall. And despite the fact that he stood in an orange beam of sunlight, she still could not see his face. Once again, he reached out for her, offering her to take his hand. Those eyes remained fixed upon her, unblinking, and with an emotion that was equally soft and intense. He just stared at her, hand reaching for her. After a moment, she found herself reaching slowly for it. The further she reached, the closer she seemed to him, as if space was bringing them closer, defying physics. Was the gap between them slowly shrinking without either of their notice? Or was it his doing?

"Katarina," he breathed.

The hand that reached back halted. Who was Katarina? What did Alex have to do with this woman whom this man had obviously mistaken her for? However, regardless of his intense scrutiny of Alex before him, he seemed quite convinced that she was his Katarina. But, she couldn't be! The hand dropped, and his eyes seemed to show sadness in that second, like he was about to cry. Alex stared, astonished, when he did cry. It wasn't the usual bodily fluid she expected, as blood seemed to contrast brightly against the shadows of his face.

A startling change of scenery began to dissolve the room she was in, like ash floating away into a blaze of flames. Even this black soldier seemed to disappear, replaced by another instance of him, battling against an opposing army. In one hand, a sword, the other, a long spear. With a swing of his sword, he struck down his enemies, spilling gallons upon gallons of blood. No body could hold that much, but it continued to flow as if coming from a waterfall. It surrounded her, but did not touch her. It gushed past her like a tidal wave, and in the distance, he stood amongst the blood, taking in the substance, a red and black aura consuming him.

Alex stood behind him, the soldier bent over something, his form shaking. Then she heard it; the weeping. At the first sound, she felt her heart literally crack, then break. It was painful, too painful! She cried out, falling to her knees, gripping at her chest. Tears streamed down her face, unable to breathe. Why did it hurt so much? The girl looked up, seeing a mass of brown waves falling out of the knight's arms. Urging herself to move, she managed to shift closer. Peering around him, she gasped in shock, seeing herself. This woman looked as if asleep. Was she dead?

Alex reached out shakily, only to have herself blackout and open her eyes to the stoney chamber that belonged to Alucard. Her hand was extended outwards, trembling, her mouth ajar, eyes wide and awake. The pain in her heart still lingered as a terrible memory and she grasped her chest, slapping her other hand over her mouth as a sob escaped. That was the most vivid vision yet. Why did her imagination suddenly get so out of control? The last couple of times were so tame compared to this. It was such a dramatic escalation, that it had overwhelmed her.

Shakily, she turned off the radio, gnashing her teeth, willing for her tears to stop, hand still on her mouth. Her efforts to stop were useless, and her silent weeping continued relentlessly. Standing abruptly, she intended to run back to her room. Feet carried her swiftly, slamming the door behind her, down the corridor and up the stairs. The running never stopped, and Alucard could still hear them echoing through the mansion. Sitting up, cover flipping over, he ground his teeth, gripping the edges of the coffin, threatening to splinter it.

Friday Evening, November 21, 2031, Hellsing Estate...

It had been awhile since Integra Hellsing had to call a meeting like this. The room was simple and elegant, wooden wall panels, hidden behind them being thirteen inches of steel. In the centre, a large elongated oval table. Around it was twelve high-backed chairs, her own included at one end closest to the double doors. Seated in these chairs were herself, and eleven others, with young Sir Irons at the other end of the table, young Sir Penwood sitting at his right, and an old lieutenant-general that went by the name of Rob Walsh sitting at his left. He, along with with the Sir Irons Integra had known thirty years ago, were the only ones, aside from herself, out of the Convention of Twelve, that survived the Zeppelin Affair.

Standing to her right was Van Drake. Though he normally dressed in black attire of dress shirts, slacks, boots, and a leather duster, this evening, he had gone for a more formal appearance, attired in an entirely black suit. The fact that he wore almost nothing but black just seemed to make him more pale, his face a stark contrast against the darkness of his form. After the meeting with M'Quve, he seemed considerably calmer for some unfathomable reason. Had he and Alexandra talked? Integra was well aware of his despise for the Vatican, and the reasons behind it. It was a relief to see that Van was not in a mood whenever the topic of the Vatican came up.

"Sir Integra," the young Irons spoke up, looking straight at Hellsing's head. "You called upon this meeting to discuss evidence recently discovered during your investigation on a current case. Firstly, I believe it essential that you explain the details of said investigation."

"Yes," Integra agreed. A gloved hand reached into her olive green blazer, pulling out an advanced memory stick of sorts and sliding it into a reader on the table, where a holographic representation of Alex was rotating above the centre of the table. "This is Alexandra Rows. It came to my organization's attention that patterned killings were being made in Canada. All women were in their twenties, brunettes, and they were all deflowered."

There was a murmuring amongst the members, with the exception of the three at the end opposite of her. Young Penwood leaned forward slightly as he spoke up timidly, "Not one was a virgin? Did they turn into ghouls?"

"Fortunately, no," she replied as crime scene photos appeared in the air. "For a reason we didn't know at the time, these women were drained of their blood, and then beheaded, thus disallowing the transformation. In the end, it was discovered that they were looking for someone specific, not with the intention to kill her, but use her."

"For what purpose?" Irons asked.

"I'm getting to that. Nearly a month ago, I sent our top agent to intercept these vampires, and find who they were looking for before they did. Alexandra Rows was then established as their true target. My agent, with the help of Mr. Van Drake, then brought back the woman in question, with only a single clue to their motives. Her blood." Another murmur. Integra stared at them while other images popped up, revealing Van's research. "Naturally, to delve into the matter, we had some tests done. Mr. Drake?"

He nodded once, taking one step forward, ignoring the small flinches from the convention members. "As vampires, we can see things in blood that humans cannot. We have the ability of distinction, whether it be through taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing. In this case, I was able to observe that Miss Rows' blood is different. After conducting a few experiments, it is apparent that her blood is the key to unlocking something in a vampire's physiology."

"What do you mean?" Penwood enquired.

Van smiled wryly. "I mean to say, is that traditionally, true vampires can only be produced from virgins bitten by a vampire of the opposite gender. Traditionally," he repeated, causing a panicked look in some of the members. He knew very well of the artificial vampires created by Millennium decades ago. "This is different from the research of the Last Battalion," he reassured, some of the looks disappearing into curiosity. "It's much worse than that, I'm afraid."

"W-Worse?" Penwood stammered.

Van closed his eyes. "Chastity is no longer a prerequisite. Gender also no longer factors into the reproduction." Shocked gasps echoed around the room, though he and Integra remained impassive. "At least, that is what will happen if Miss Rows ever falls into their hands." He looked up, allowing them to watch the video to show the results of his experiments. "Her blood is the key to this new generation of vampires. For example, if a vampire drank a sufficient amount of her blood, their physiology would change, granting them the ability to transform any human into a vampire. Ghouls would no longer be a threat. However," he said quietly, a deep frown on his face, "they could potentially create more vampires, creatures that are far more fearsome than ghouls. Ghouls are feeble shells of the people they once were, and in natural cases, killing the host vampire would by extension destroy the ghouls it created."

The Lt. General's eyes narrowed. "Why would they want to create more vampires? Vampires as they are now just means more food for them."

"Lieutenant-General," Integra called out. "Normally, I would agree with you. However, it's becoming apparent that vampires are becoming less and less each day. Virginity is a rarity these days, and I'm beginning to think that these damned creatures are beginning to fear their end. There is strength in numbers, and their numbers are low. They're probably becoming desperate, and it's natural instinct to wish for survival, however the means."

Rob Walsh frowned. "Regardless of that fact, you never really intended to exterminate all vampires, did you, Sir Integra?"

"No," she admitted, fingers clasped together in front of her face, elbows on the table's surface. "Some vampires do try to lead normal, quiet lives, or in...other ways that benefit humanity." Van's mouth twitched at that. "Some didn't have a choice in the matter, and they still wish to live peacefully. We are not Iscariot, whom would kill them without question."

Irons sighed, looking weary just by listening to this. "So, vampires would be able to reproduce more freely. And...Ms. Rows is currently residing here, correct?"

"Yes. I have her standing outside, with the idea in mind that some of you wished to discuss with her yourselves. But let me assure you, gentleman, that she is a target. This young woman had been living a normal life before any of this had occurred. She won't be able to tell you anything, except what you have already been informed of this moment."

"You've kept her well informed of her part in all of this?" Irons asked.

The director nodded. "Yes. She has every right to know. In fact, she's been going through extensive training so that she will be able to defend herself in the future."

"You're training her?" Penwood repeated, flabbergasted. "A civilian?"

"Please bring her inside," Irons requested.

Integra considered her fellow members for a moment, turning her gaze to Van. The vampire nodded once, going to the door, speaking softly outside the door. Not long after, Alex followed Van into the room. Since Alexandra was aware that she may be presented personally to the council, she had dressed somewhat formally for the occasion. The girl had decided on simple black dress pants, a white blouse, and a black button up tailored vest. The feeling of eyes on her, scrutinizing her every detail, proved to be quite uncomfortable. She didn't like attention. Integra went to stand to allow Alex her seat for the time being, but the woman caught sight of Alex's shaking head, content to just stand beside her, Van standing on Integra's left.

"Ms. Rows," Irons began. "Do you know why you are here?"

Alex hesitated, not sure of the right answer. Remembering what Integra had told her a few nights ago, she said, "For the protection of the human race."

Irons seemed to be pleased with that response. "You are training to become a vampire hunter, correct?"

"Yes."

"Why did you choose to hunt vampires? Is it a desire for revenge?"

The question threw her off. "Revenge?"

"For attacking you, turning you into a victim in this whole thing," he clarified.

Victim. The word left a bad taste in her mouth. It was like he was calling her weak and useless, the very terms she abhorred when it came to herself. As he waited for her response, Alex frowned, thinking over how to answer in the most polite way possible. Not bothering to hide her displeasure, she replied, " With all due respect, I don't appreciate what you're implying. If I was a victim, I'd be dead already, or tortured right at this moment."

Irons looked shocked at her response, as did everybody else, except for Integra, Van, and Sir Walsh. Instead, those three seemed to smile with subtle respect. Sir Irons cleared his throat. "Yes, but..."

She scoffed then. "I may have been rescued, but otherwise, I came out of it relatively unharmed. Don't call me a victim. The ones that died because they didn't have what those vampires are looking for...they're the victims. I feel insulted, not just for myself, but for those other people you seem to be forgetting about. I don't care who you people are, or what you do. I'm not doing this out of revenge. I'm doing this because I want to do something rather than sit and wait. But tell me, what the hell are you guys doing? I haven't seen what you can do, just Hellsing, so I'm hoping you don't expect any respect out of me just on your word. So don't sit there acting like you know me."

There was a cold silence about the room. After a moment, the young Sir Irons sighed, giving her an apologetic smile. "I have greatly offended you. I give my most humblest apologies, Ms. Rows."

Alex had a hardened expression, looking considering. "I suppose I can forgive you."

"It won't happen again," he promised. She nodded in acceptance at that, her expression softening. "Why have you chosen to train?" he repeated with a little more respect.

"I just told you, didn't I? I want to fight back. I'm not letting them take me away without a fight," she declared firmly, her face hard again.

There was a sudden presence in the room, the temperature dropping slightly. Everyone, with the exception of Van, shivered as a dark presence entered the room. However, the vampire did seem distracted by something, and it wasn't because of Alucard phasing into the room like a shadow. Alex looked over at the Count, surprised to see him here. There was a smirk on his devilish face, but he wasn't paying attention to any of the surprised stares directed at him. A moment later, Seras had run through the doors, armed with her Vladimir rifles, stance battle-ready.

Integra regarded the vampires with a sense of dread. Did they sense something? "What is it?" she asked them.

Alucard turned his gaze to his master, smirk widening. "It comes..."

"Master, what is this feeling?" Seras asked.

Van stood close between Integra and Alex, eyes darting around, as if trying to pinpoint the source of an atmospheric disturbance. The committee members just stared at the vampires, perplexed by their behaviour. Suddenly, the lights flickered, becoming more erratic for a few moments before shutting off completely, the power in the room going out completely. Alex's breathing quickened, swallowing hard as she tried desperately to peer through the dark. There was a panicked muttering amongst the committee members as some of the less seasoned members rose out of their seats, demanding to know what was going on.

"Everyone!" Integra called out. "Please just remain calm! It's probably just a power failure. We have back up generators for this reason. Just take your seats. Everything will be fine momentarily."

Though her tone had gotten the desired effect, everyone calming down, Alex was sure that Integra wasn't convinced by her own claim. There was a nagging feeling of fear, threatening to eat her up from inside with the suspense. The lights never came back on, and the convention members became more impatient than frightened as time dragged on. Alex's feet stopped listening to her, moving her backwards. Why was this happening? As she backed up, she found herself pressed against something firm.

The girl nearly screamed in surprise, but a gloved hand covered her mouth as she felt that something lean towards her ear, speaking with Alucard's voice, "Do not fear, my dear Alexandra. I will not allow harm to come your way."

Alex turned her head without thinking, half-hoping to be able to see him. There was strange brushing sensation on her lips, and she could see his eyes in the dark. No fear or embarrassment factored into her thoughts. Alucard was all that she could see, and he was staring right back at her. He had pulled away just after she felt something light on her lips. Had they just nearly...? The realization began to sink in, and then something at the corner of her eye caught her attention.

There were gasps of surprise and the sounds of chairs being tipped over. Above the table was a pair of bright blue dots glowing brightly in the air. Those lights expanded like water, something strange being formed. Alucard hissed, a large manic grin on his face as this light turned into a white ghostly figure, misting around its edges. Everyone in the room just stared at this strange phenomena as it solidified its image. When it finished, all that could be seen was the blare of two bright dots for eyes, a large grin on its face, and the fact that it had its arms extended out, as if to embrace its audience with a dark intention.

"Integra! What on earth is that thing?! What is going on?!" one of the members demanded.

The director gritted her teeth, unable to answer. Like she would know. She had never seen anything like this. It was similar to how Alucard looked at times, only this was the opposite. Instead of a blazing shadow, it was a misty light. What was this? Integra looked over at her servant, who stood tall behind Alex, grinning with that excitement he could never hide, or never bothered to.

"Alucard," she began softly, "what's going on? What is this?"

Alucard didn't even look at her, chuckling darkly. "I believe our enemy is sending us a message." As if to confirm this, the smile on the glowing apparition grew wider.

A/N: Woo! I actually like how this chapter turned out. Sorry, meant to work on this a couple days ago, but I woke up with a cold. My nose was running like water and I was sneezing so much. I'm still stuffed up but the cold isn't as bad as it usually gets with me this time. So, I'm recovering and I managed to get this in today. I was going to add more to this chapter, but I think the cliffhanger is a good place to stop. Now, Alex's visions are becoming more elaborate, as you can see. First time it happened, it only lasted a couple sentences. Her visions are GROWING. Also, I'll give you guys a hint as to what she was hearing on Alucard's radio. Actually, I'll give you a few hints. One, it's by Florence and The Machine. Two, it's on their Lungs album. Three, as far as I know, nobody has made a Hellsing AMV with it. I'll tell you next chapter what it is, but feel free to guess what it is (I guarantee you'll get it wrong too XD). I just learned about the song today, and I thought it was actually very fitting to the story in general, and not just the scene.

Anyway, not going to get another chapter up tonight, but I will hopefully get it up tomorrow. MASSIVE PLOT POINT CHAPTER. You'll get your first real taste of the enemy! I'll try to work on as much as I can tonight. So, please leave a review, your thoughts, any questions, and of course, your guesses on the mystery song. Thanks for reading!