Chapter 9: Corruption

"Walter, I want to be notified the second he walks in if he doesn't come to my office in the first place."

"Of course, Miss Integra," the butler replied dutifully.

Integra had been summoning Alucard the whole day and he had yet to respond. She was angry at him but there was a slight uneasy feeling that lay in the pit of her stomach. She was worried that her powers over the No-Life King weren't as strong and ultimate as she had thought. Or perhaps he was only battling her summons and maybe if she kept on insisting, he wouldn't be able to stay away. Then again, she wasn't being really forceful on him because of the… situation.

The last Hellsing reached for a cigar and winced imperceptibly. Since she had been shoved out harm's way, the shoulder she had landed on ached terribly whenever she moved and so she rolled her right shoulder to ease the soreness. Sighing silently in annoyance, she used her other arm to take and light up her cigar.

"Master," came a deep baritone voice, "You called?"

Integra looked up to see him grin mockingly, "Yes, about twenty-four hours ago. May I remind you that I allowed you a week to search for Agent Victoria?"

His smirk disappeared.

"A week," he began in a slightly angry voice, "is barely enough."

"Well, that's all you're going to get because if you couldn't find her then no one can."

"That's exactly why I'm asking for more time, my Master. I'm the only who can find her. She is merely being hidden from me."

"Are you sure she's not dead? For all we know, they wanted to get me and Seras is no use to them except a good laugh," Integra scoffed.

A heavy silence ensued as Integra realized exactly what she had implied. She had not only insulted Seras but Alucard too.

Alucard had seen something in Seras, something powerful which attracted him to her. He had great expectations for his fledgling and he knew she would become all powerful someday. Perhaps she was a little slow with all of her foolish human concepts but she would grow. She will grow and she will be the prettiest tainted flower he ever created…

"She is not dead," he stated with barely contained anger, "I can still feel her through our broken link."

Integra tried to not let it get out of hand, "Alucard, listen to me and listen well. Fine, she is alive and that's good. But, I can't have you roaming around when I need your help to take care of important missions. I'm not saying let's abandon her. Not at all! In fact, we'll keep on looking for any traces of her passage through towns with our intelligence. But I need you to be reachable anytime, anywhere. Understand?"

Alucard turned his back to her and growled before he dissipated into thin air.

"I'll take that as a yes."

XXXXXXXX

"Unh…" groaned the fledgling.

Seras woke up once more in her dark prison feeling sore and dirty. She laid on her stomach, her limbs sprawled awkwardly. She was aching in that particular position but she was too demoralized and weak to actually move a finger. Her eyes were heavy lidded and you could see dark circles underneath. She kept waking up every hour or so and it was wearing her down. The hunger was becoming unbearable and it somehow triggered a migraine that refused to go away, her whole body felt like it belonged to an old woman who had arthritis and those three combined together prevented her from falling asleep and staying asleep.

But she was so tired!

She wished someone would knock her out so she could escape all this pain in the limbs of unconsciousness.

Or if they could feed her more diligently this week!

She had given up feeling surprised each time she had thought like this. The hunger was unbearable and she had never gone so long without nourishment, even though it had been forced on her back at Hellsing… Now she understood whenever Master told her that not drinking her blood would make her weak. Every muscle in her frail body felt like they had atrophied.

Seras barely whimpered at the wave of another painful headache.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her by the back of her collar and she was dragged outside of her cell. The first sign of movement in days and she was already hoping that it had never come and if it would be over soon. She paid no attention to the twists and turns and literally let herself be the rag doll that she currently was. She was lifted from the ground and dumped on a wooden chair. Her slack body refused to hold itself upright and as her captor saw this, he simply tied her up with belts that were attached to the chair.

"Hello, my lovely princess. How have you been?"

The battered vampire could barely see in the dark but she recognized the voice rather easily. She could only let out a tired moan in response.

"A little famished, are we?" Blake cooed gleefully, "Perhaps you need some motivation to feel a little more… alive!"

Seras heard him close the door and she suddenly realized she was in an enclosed space that was small enough to contain one person. She showed no reaction but her mind rose with panic. For the first few minutes, nothing happened. Then, she heard them.

The screams.

They were awful and terrifying, absolutely revolting. There was probably ten or fifteen of them. All were pleading for life and pity, swearing they had never done anything bad to anybody and they were innocent. Some were crying and others' screams were cut off with a gurgle in a last effort to be heard. Humans being massacred… The very vocation she had sworn to honor back at Hellsing was to protect them, not let them die!

Seras tried in vain to loosen the belted shackles but even with the boost of adrenaline… she was too weak. And vertigo kept settling in and making her sick. She was weak. A weakling, that's what she'll always be! She couldn't stand it and tears rose to her eyes as she also screamed back at all those helpless humans. It was raw and anguish-filled. When she stopped, all the others were also silent.

They're all dead because of me…

"Why are you doing this?!" she yelled sadly.

The only response she got was some nearby clicking and a draft of freshly spilled blood filling her nose. She heard some liquid trickling down and she shifted nervously in her chair. Then, her legs swished in a thick and warm substance.

Blood.

"Enjoying yourself yet? Don't be shy, princess. Drink up, it's freshly spilled and still warm…" came Blake's echoing voice.

The red stream became a red waterfall and the closed up cabin was rapidly being filled. The trapped vampire fought the urge of drinking once more with no results. As it reached her waist, she was hyperventilating both in anticipation and resistance. There was a mad gleam in her eyes and a twisted smile marred her innocent features.

She tried to resist but when the level of blood reached her neckline, she couldn't stop herself and she dipped her tongue in the vitae, her empty stomach rumbling angrily for blood. After a few laps, Seras could easily drink with huge mouthfuls and instantaneously a burst of strength rippled through her muscles and regenerated her organism. The crazed blonde broke free from the restraints and eagerly dove deeper in the sweet and burgundy wine of life. Seras drank and drank all she could until she felt she was going to explode in euphoria. When she had her fill, she splashed around happily, spreading blood on her face, and laughed insanely. The level of the blood had diminished greatly; it reached Seras' knees.

Suddenly, there was a dull noise and the remains of Seras' supper drained away leaving her in soaked clothes that dripped blood. Her forgotten eyepatch had fallen to reveal a vibrant red eye, her eyesight in the darkness returned to normal, her complexion became a rosy tint, her wounds had all sealed off with a puff of smoke, and the hunger had finally vanished. Seras felt refreshed and undead again.

When Blake came back to get her, she was still high on bloodlust and followed him willingly with a content smile. He led her to her cell and left her there but not before giving Seras a generous lick on her bloodstained cheek. He came back moments later with two buckets of water and threw its content on her to wash away most of the blood.

Blake kneeled beside her, "Tell me, princess… how do you feel?"

Seras could only stare ahead, "I feel… good."

"Anything else?"

"The hunger's gone."

Blake started circling her but Seras showed no reaction. When he saw her shiver once, he tenderly but firmly held her from behind. The action could have seemed gentle but it actually described possession more than affection.

"Did you like it?" he persisted in his interrogation.

His breath tickled her ear and she thought about moving but his hold on her tightened almost painfully and suggested her otherwise, "I… it was… different…"

"How so?"

"The taste… it was different. It was more pure, fresh, and delicate. It was… preservative-free. It was warm. It was comforting almost. It was… delicious," she finished with a pant.

Blake smiled wickedly behind her and his finger started drawing circles on her arm, "And the screams? Weren't they delightful?"

Agitation lit up in Seras' eyes and she started struggling against him, "The screams… the screams they were…" Finally, Seras woke up from her bliss and was clearly debating herself, "You monster! You killed all those innocent humans!"

One of her arm slipped free and she managed to elbow his stomach. He merely wheezed but still held onto her. Not giving up so quickly, Seras continued to struggle and shoved him into the wall with her back. Free from his grasp, the enraged woman used every means possible to hurt him: punches, kicks, fingernails… When she was about to land a particularly vicious hit on him, he suddenly caught her wrist and dodged the second fist only to grab it. Surprised, Seras backed up as much as she could and noticed his expression.

Rage was engraved on his pale features and his eyes spoke very loudly of danger.

Alarms went off in Seras' head but before she could react accordingly, a kick was delivered to her face. She fell hard and she tried getting up but the hit to her head had left her disoriented. Helpless, Blake had all the time in the world to beat the crap out of her. When he felt bones give way under the pressure of his boots on her ribcage and her yells, he stopped. The anger in his expression had lessened and he watched Seras choke on her blood with great satisfaction. All the blood she had spilled made Blake's mouth water and he couldn't resist a taste. He lifted Seras' upper body which helped her evacuate the blood in her oesophagus and Blake devoured her mouth, sucking the red liquid coming up. Seras was hurting too much to actually care about the fact that he was kissing her.

When her regenerative power finally kicked in, Blake shoved her away and left as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Seras to recover slowly.

As Blake closed the door behind him, he told his servant waiting outside, "I want her to hear human screams for a week non-stop and let her reflect on her future for another week without nourishment."

"Yes, dearest Master."

XXXXXXXX

Anger, guilt and sadness petrified Seras' mind.

As she rocked herself back and forth in her filth, she battled herself to forget the pain, the horror and the haunting screams. Even when she forced her mind to think of something else, there was always something reminding her of her uselessness. How can she escape her own mind? How could she live with herself now?

Cradling her head, she dug her nails deep in her scalp.

Seras is a kitten. A kitten that sucks blood. This little kitty has huge teeth. What kind of kitty is this? It's a monster. Yes, if the kitten is a monster then Seras is a monster. Haha, the folly…

Her rocking intensified.

"…Mas…ter…..Mas…ter…" she chanted in a shrill and panicked tone.

All of a sudden, the door to her cell opened quite noisily and painfully assaulted her ears.

Jack emerged from the darkness, quickly threw Seras over his shoulder and marched determinately forward without so much as a grunt. Fear gripped at her heart, apprehending what was coming. After a few twists and turns, they emerged in a large room with many passageways.

"Aaah, Seras! I've been waiting for you," echoed Blake's voice.

Jack dropped his light burden onto the hard floor. Seras remained in her heap as she silently scanned the area. Grabbing her pale chin, Blake perused her quickly.

"Hmmm, a bit unstable, are we? No matter!" he dismissed casually, "I am so happy to announce I have a gift, as unreasonable as it may seem. Indeed, we've just met and here I am, offering flamboyant presents to a lady of your caliber."

Blake turned his back on her and continued his monologue while Jack was searching through his pockets to retrieve his pack of smoke. Seras saw her chance and quickly made a dash towards one of the many rocky holes.

There! A gust of fresh air was coming from there!

As Seras disappeared in the darkness, Blake glared at Jack who paused in the midst of lighting his smoke.

"You idiot. Get her," he ordered with barely contained anger.

Throwing his cigarette to the ground, Jack hastily complied and sprinted after Seras.

Ignoring the protest of her tired body, Seras pressed on further when she heard the steps of her pursuer. Following nothing but her nose and instincts, she made her way through the maze of stony corridors. But as the pursuit went on, her legs became sluggish and she was rapidly losing her sudden burst of energy. Just as she was losing hope, a slither of moonlight shone in front of her. Willing herself to keep on going, she felt Jack on her heels.

Seras emerged in a lush forest that she did not recognise and collapsed to her knees, out of energy.

"Master!" she screamed hoarsely.

XXXXXXXX

Alucard's head snapped up.

He had felt Seras through their broken link. It was faint but he had felt her. It was the first sign of her in weeks. He growled deeply and stood from his chair. He quickly merged in the shadows to stand before Integra.

"Master," he said urgently.

Integra noticed the unusual tone in his voice, and without needing any explanation, "Go."

XXXXXXXX

Seras was already being dragged back in the caverns by Jack. Her throat tightly constricted by one hand. Just as they had reached the main room, he forced her on her knees before Blake.

Her oppressive captor was none too pleased.

"So," he started, "you still think he will come to you? Save you?"

He laughed in her face as he observed his nails. "Perhaps I haven't made myself clear enough. You accepted to serve me and so, you are mine to play with. Do you not remember me marking you, hm?" He was being unusually serious for the first time.

Seras thought back to her arrival. She had been so abused that she had forgotten the moment he bit her. Something unnatural, something she could not find words for had happened.

Blake removed Jack's hold on her throat and tenderly caressed her fresh bites, strikingly red compared to her old ones. "He was a fool for not compelling you to drink his blood. He may have turned you into a vampire, but he left you incomplete. An easy prey for me to take."

"He will... find me," she tried to convince herself.

"No, he will not. You don't understand, do you?" he lowered himself to her level. "A new marking will override the previous one. Whatever you had, it's gone now."

Seras felt like her last hope was crushed. She suddenly realized why Alucard hadn't answered her calls no matter how many times she had tried. He would not come. Her body went limp from defeat, she no longer had the will to fight. When she saved Integra, she had sealed her fate.

"Now that you understand, I don't think you've earned the gift I promised you. After all, you tried to escape..." he eyed her intensely.

She resigned herself to her fate, knowing there was no way out.

"How shall I punish you, my princess?"

XXXXXXXX

Alucard materialized on top of a high tree, peering far in the distance.

Even though Seras had reached out to him faintly, he had not been able to find her location. She still felt so far away from him. He knew she was being hidden from him but at least now he had a general idea in which direction they had taken her.

"North," he scowled to himself.

He could not proceed any further as he knew nothing else to her whereabouts. His thoughts were racing back to how distressed her call was. Feeling what she felt at that precise moment caused him to remember all those human feelings he had discarded long ago. Never had he wanted his precious ward to be in this situation, truly alone. He did not let her stray far from him. All those times he had let her get hurt were intentional. Her survival and growth depended on it. But he could always soothe her afterwards.

Now that she had been taken, her captors would break her and use her for the heritage he bestowed upon her. Depending on their objectives, they should cross paths with Hellsing anyway. After all, the powers Seras refused to acknowledge when she was in his care would be brought out of her, willingly or not. And that, could not go unnoticed.