Chapter X

Integra waited for the man on the other end to reply, furious. He chuckled, and continued.

"We wish to test your skills. There is a crypt that holds a vampire. Make your family proud and slay him on your own. Do this, and we will release you're little darling unharmed."

Integra stopped. Why would a vampire recruit someone to kill another vampire? Behind her, Alucard drifted into the room, his face a cold mask. She assumed Walter had filled him in.

"Come on then, Miss Hellsing." The man drawled. "We haven't got all day. Well, perhaps we do, but I cannot guarantee that Miss Harker does."

Integra had about three seconds to decide. A thought came to her.

"Alright." She said. "Where are is the little monster?"

A chuckle.

"Very good. Here's the address."

He rattled off some information, which she dutifully wrote down. After telling her to be there in an hour, and warning her not to be late, or she might miss her chance. She, too, hung up the phone, then rounded on Alucard.

"Can you find them?" she asked. "I'm sure you can. I want you to retrieve Elizabeth."

He bowed, but seemed a little disappointed. He turned to go, when she called out a final command.

"Kill them when you find them. I want you to retrieve any useful information as well."

He looked back over his shoulder, and smiled gleefully.

"Yes, my Master."

Alucard glided through the streets, his cold blood turning hot with anger. The little pissants who did this would pay. The condition in which Elizabeth was in would determine how swift that payment would be.

He found them easily enough. Of course they were freaks. And clever, too. There had been two of them, but one had recently left, perhaps to attempt to dispatch his master, who was on her way to their pre-described destination. He noted with amusement that they weren't the usual half-baked vampires that had been plaguing them of late. They smelled of old blood. Not as old as his, but something not far removed.

"Well then." He chuckled, making his way down the stairs to where they hid. "We'll just see how refined they really are."

--

Integra walked out to the directed address, which was indeed a crypt. Night had fallen in the hour t had taken her to get there, and she was tense with anxiety. Armed with her silver saber, a cross, and a small-caliber firearm loaded with armor-piercing silver rounds. Walter was standing by outside the crypt should she need assistance. She would never admit it to anyone, but the kidnapper's comment on her family pride had hit a nerve. Because of that, even if she should need assistance, she wouldn't call for it. She was going to bring the little bastard sleeping in his grave down.

The crypt itself was below ground, the entrance made out to appear as though it were a mausoleum. Inside was an immediate set of stone stairs leading into the tomb.

Grabbing a lit torch, she sighed and descended down the stairs, ending up in a small room with a stone coffin in its center.

"This is too easy." She thought to herself, setting the torch up to illuminate the room. Because of the weight of the lid, it took her a few tries to get it open, but finally it fell over the other side with a crash and a cloud of dust, allowing her to look inside, gun drawn and pointed.

--

Elizabeth sat, looking coldly at Twitch as he sat cross-legged on the ground, starring at her with unveiled hunger. The shackles were still making her wrists bleed, but a presence made her ignore them and look around with her peripheral vision. Twitch sensed it to, and stood, facing the door.

Alucard appeared, gliding through the wall adjacent to the door. Twitch whirled to face him, a grin crossing his face, his whole body bending into a half crouch.

"My my." He chuckled. "Isn't this my lucky night. I get a bitch to feed on, and a vampire to kill."

"And what do you think you are, freak?" Alucard inquired, stopping a few feet away. He didn't seem to take notice of Elizabeth, but she watched him closely. "You certainly aren't human, being as old as you are. I know that stench."

Twitch threw his head back and laughed outright.

"Yes, that's right." He growled at last. "We're more like you than humans, my brother and I. All the better to kill you, you lowlife dumbshit."

"And just why are you after me?" Alucard asked in mock surprise. "And where is this darling brother of yours?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's busy feasting on Miss Hellsing as we speak." Twitch replied, the wicked smile still playing across his face. "As for why, I'm going to rip you to pieces for the death of my mother, Lucy Westenra."

This time Alucard laughed.

"That little flower was your mother?" he laughed. "Yes, I remember her. Tasty little thing she was. I'm sorry you never got to see her. Did your father put you up to this?"

"My brother and I took it upon ourselves to avenge her death!" Twitch snarled. Then he rushed Alucard, sinking his hand into his chest.

"Alucard!" Elizabeth screamed. How? How could he be taken down so easily? To her delight, Alucard began to laugh again.

"Is that all you have, little man? You'll never avenge your mother like that." He laughed, and threw Twitch back to the wall on the other side of the room, bones breaking with an audible crunch.

Twitch crumpled to the floor for a moment before recovering. Then he rushed Alucard again. This time, instead of using hand to hand tactics, he pulled out a knife from under his shirt and went for Alucard's neck. Alucard, still amused, but becoming bored, didn't bother dodging his attack, but let it hit him.

Elizabeth watched him the whole time. She couldn't tell why she did it so intently, perhaps it was the loss of blood, or his overwhelming presence, or maybe it was her great-grandmother's blood in her veins. Fear curled in her belly at the thought of him being hurt, but pride soon burnt that out because she knew it wouldn't happen.

"Finish him!" she yelled in anger as Alucard forced Twitch back again. Alucard stopped and turned, a grin on his face.

"In a moment, my Lady." He whispered to her, the power in his voice traveling across the distance so she could hear it in perfect clarity. "I want him to know exactly who he has been bested by."

He turned back to Twitch.

"You will die tonight for what you have done." Alucard said simply, looking down on Twitch, who was still slumped on the ground from the last bone-breaking impact. "But I want you to know exactly what I am, and who I command."

A darker power began to resonate from him then. It was much colder, and the ground began to shake beneath her. Or perhaps it was just her. around him, shadows began to take form, became transparent people, some dressed in modern clothing, more dressed in a much older style.

"These are the ones you killed in the past hundred years." Alucard explained. The numbers kept increasing, more and more shades appeared, until Elizabeth began to feel very claustrophobic. "They want to thank you for cutting their lives short. But not yet."

They vanished, and one beautiful ginger-haired woman appeared, wearing a snow-colored dress. Twitched eyes widened.

"No…." He whispered. "You have to be tricking me. You're lying!" his voice began to rise to a frantic pitch. "We didn't kill you! He did! He did! He did!"

The woman smiled in time with Alucard.

"I did, didn't I." Alucard mused. "But only her body. Everyone I kill is always still alive in spirit, to be called to my hand whenever needed. Your mother never died, little man. She's been here the whole time."

He turned to the woman, who looked at him sadly, shaking her head in dismay.

"Give him a mother's love, and send him into darkness." Alucard told her. "If you don't, you know how long it will take for me to kill him."

She nodded, and glided over to Twitch, who seemed to have forgotten he was a vampire, and was feebly trying to crawl away, whimpering under his breath. She crouched beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. He stopped, looking up at her with fearful eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whimpered. "We tried…I'm sorry."

She smiled at him, and kissed his forehead. She hugged him, too, then set him back against the wall, and reached her hand into his chest. Her hand went right through, and he went stiff for a moment. Then he looked up into her face with tears in his eyes.

"Brother…." He whispered, moving up to touch her face. "I've seen our mother's face…I've felt her touch…"

Then he slumped, the light gone from his eyes.