Chapter IX
Elizabeth watched through a cold mask as the kidnappers dragged her into a building.
"Not an abandoned warehouse." She noted to herself. "At least they didn't use that cliché."
They dragged her down a flight of stairs to a large stone-walled room. It was empty with the exception of a table and a few boxes.
"Now, little girl." Said one of them. It was hard to tell them apart. Both were tall and had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Both were leering at her. "You can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Sit in the corner and be quiet, or we'll make this painful for you."
This sparked Elizabeth's temper, prompting her into action.
"How dare you assume I will play the submissive damsel." She snapped, brandishing the knife she had concealed on her person. "Be you freaks or mortals, I don't care. But you took it on yourselves to kidnap one under Hellsing's guard, and that I cannot allow."
She rushed one of the kidnappers, hopping to one side when he swung at her, and plunged the knife into his side. He yelped, catching her with his other arm and sent her flying into a wall. The other, furious, followed her and pinned her there, slamming her arm into the wall, causing her to loose her knife. She tried to kick him, but he pushed her harder, immobilizing her.
"I see we want to do this the hard way, then." He snarled. "Fine. Twitch, grab the chains. I haven't had a drink in hours."
The other one, Twitch, riffled through a box and grabbed a set of shackles out of it. The one holding her dragged her along the wall to a hook jutting a few feet off the ground. He grinned viciously as he showed her the cuffs. Inside, there were several tiny pointed spikes. She began to struggle, realizing their intent, but each took hold of a wrist and clamped the shackles on her. She gasped in pain as the cold metal bit into her skin, her blood beginning to run down her arm in rivulets.
The twins laughed at her pain, and the one still holding her began to lick the blood from her arm.
"Don't worry my dear." He whispered against her arm. "The spikes also keep the blood from running out too fast. You won't die, darling. At least, not yet."
He moved the chains up to the hook, hoisting her arms above her head, digging the metal into her arms more. Twitch, the other one, came up and began licking her arms in place of the other, who went over to the table set up farther away.
Elizabeth glared at the leech licking her arm.
"What exactly do you intend to get out of this?" She asked coldly, ignoring the throbbing pain in her wrists. "Are you going to bleed me dry? That will accomplish very little."
"Of course not, you fool." Twitch snapped, drawing back. "Do you know who we are?"
"We are the sons of Lucy Westenra and Arthur Holmwood." The other brother chimed in.
Elizabeth was skeptical.
"Lucy didn't have any children. She died before she could." She said.
"Wrong!" the Twitch cried. "Switch and I were born of them before she died! We were born out of wedlock, so our father, Arthur, never confessed it. He made it out to seem like we were adopted. But we always knew."
"He always had a picture of her above the mantle. The only woman he ever loved." Twitch replied. "We swore to him we would avenge her death on those responsible."
Elizabeth's blood chilled.
"Just who is responsible?" she asked.
"Why, the Hellsing family, of course." Switch said, laughing. "If it hadn't been for that crooked old fool, our mother might not have died."
"Not to mention their newest pet vampire." Twitch agreed.
"What about Seras?" Elizabeth snapped, becoming irritated. These vampires were fools. How could any of this make sense, even to them?
"Not Seras Victoria, my dear." Switch sighed, moving closer. "Alucard. That is his preferred name nowadays, is it not? The King of Vampires. Or Count, if you'd prefer. And your great-great grandmother was the reason for all of this. Your father, too, the damned idiot."
Chilling realization sank in. It all made sense, her attachment to the vampire, her family history. The pieces were falling into place. Switch saw it, and his face stretched into a cold, cruel smile.
A phone rang behind them, breaking the silence. Switch straightened, and motioned for his brother to answer. Twitch, wearing a similarly cruel smile, answered the phone.
"Good day, Miss Hellsing." He said pleasantly. "Yes, we have her. She's safe and sound. Of course you can talk to her. But be brief my dear, we have work to attend to."
He held out the cordless phone to Elizabeth. She couldn't hold it, being bound as she was, so he began to yell at the receiver.
"Integra don't! It's a trap! Keep away!"
Switch slapped her, snapping her head back again. This time her head connected to the wall, flashing stars across her vision. Twitch brought the phone back to his ear.
"No, I'm sorry dear. I'm afraid she can't hear you. Let me put you on speaker."
A press of a button had a loud, angry torrent spewing from the phone.
"You buggering piece of shit! How dare you! If I find her any less than perfect, you are in for one hell of a bad day!" Integra was roaring on the other end.
Switch laughed, and took the phone from his brother.
"No no no, my dear." He said, the phone still on speaker. "I'm afraid that won't do at all. The only way you'll see little Miss Harker again is if you listen and play our game."
Silence on the other end for a minute.
"What damn game do you want to play."