Fear.

Have you ever felt fear? And I mean, Fear Fear, not Fear fear. Not the kind of fear you encountered when you had a standoff with a, most certainly, rabid dog, nor that kind of fear when your mother barged in while you were opening less that pleasant websites.

No, the kind of fear I'm talking is that kind of fear when you're sitting in a luxury car, next to a red coated Human Eldritch Abomination, who could, not only kill me, but also eat my soul and turn me into an eternal slave if he wanted to.

I fidgeted under my sit, scooting away from the grinning Vampire as far as I could. My mind whirled around in panic as I tried to make sense of the sudden turn of events. The question whether or not Millennium betrayed popped into mind, of which I quickly crushed. No. They're too no-no for betrayal, and even then, they still have a code.

Then I remembered what he had said. Blood bearer. A quick moment of realization dawned onto me, and I restrained the urge to bash my head to the window. I didn't know how it worked, but I was sure it revolved around him being an expert with blood, and extremely old.

I cursed under my breath, and I cursed the Doctor. I swore, the next time I see him; I'll strangle his neck, chop off his body into pieces of chunks, and feed it to the dogs.

In the positive light of the situation—however bleak it was— I wasn't going to get eaten anytime soon. Integra wanted to talk with me, and I had no doubt it was about a certain Nazi organization, or in the more unlikelihood, on how I acquired, and be compatible Alucard's blood.

And to be honest, I hadn't thought much about it, really; on how Alucard's blood was compatible with me. There was a reason, that's to be expected. Reasons of which I had no answer to. That's not counting the fact that this would throw a wrench over my gambit. I needed to improvise it.

Thankfully, it was easily improvised.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep calming breath, before opening it again as I cleared my throat, gaining Alucard's attention. "So... Mr. Alucard," I started, staring at the dark window of the Limo. "It's very nice to meet you?"

"So you seem to know my name?" he asked. There wasn't any tone of curious, or surprise in his voice. It was something he had expected.

I nodded awkwardly. "Yes. Your reputation exceeds you very greatly, and you're rather... feared in the community." There was a lull of uncomfortable silence as he smirked. "So, uh, where are we going again?"

"The Hellsing organization." he answered, and paused for a moment, his fedora tilting slightly as he tilted his head. "Tell me, Private. What are you? Are you a fake or not?"

I coughed suddenly, muscles tensing as I answered, "Unfortunately I'm the former, but I think you already know about it. Considering whose blood I had been turned with." I stiffly answered. He won't kill me, I knew. Not when his Master wanted me alive; keyword being Alive.

For all I knew, he could just eat me, turn me into his familiar, and materialize me when he wants me to talk with a certain blond Master.

If there was one thing that Alucard hates, or at least, dislike, it would be Fakes, or to be more precise Humans who shed their true skins for the sake of an artificial immortality, trying and failing to become a True Vampire, or at least, trying to become a mockery of it.

Memories of Jan Valentine's unsurprisingly death came to mind.

Alucard made a noise of both amusement, and well, amusement. "Ho? Aren't you quite the honest one?"

I shrugged; a helpless chuckle escaped my lips. I wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment. "Smart people tend to do that when they're sitting next to a literal Eldritch Abomination,"

"And what would stupid people do?" He asked me, and judging by his voice, he was rather amused by my answer.

They do say Emperors love flattery.

"Uh, lie?"

The car fell into silence as he didn't answer, and awkwardness surrounded me and without no doubt, the driver as well. Briefly, I pondered if the chance of escaping here would be worth it or not.

"Please do try."

I jumped at the bastard's voice, before closing my eyes. "Stop reading my mind." I said.

"I didn't," he said back, leaning comfortable on his seat. "I could, but my Master seems rather intrigued by your abnormal nature. And of course, by your affiliation," he added after a moment of pause.

I cursed myself for not the first time, leaning back to my seat, and just wait. I didn't know what was going to happen, but whatever it was, I really hoped my gambit will pay off, and Integra would be willing to not sic me the Blood Hound beside me.

()_()_()

We arrived to the field of the Hellsing Headquarters sooner that I would like, and as I stood there, staring at the large mansion, I'd to admit that it was quite the beauty. Large Victorian building and six stories tall, standing proudly in the surroundings of trees and greens. And hundreds of classical ornate windows staring at me like I was some ant soon to be crushed by a certain red coated dog.

I snapped out of my brief observation as Alucard moved past by me. "Follow me," he instructed, and more out of instinct than self-preservation, I did.

Onto his tail, we entered the headquarters, and not long, we were walking in relative silence in the hallway, plain tapestries plastered on the walls, and windows letting us to see the scenery; The Hellsing guards glancing warily at me, their blessed guns ready to shoot at me at a moment's notice, all the while ignoring the vampire leading me.

It was funny in a way. To see that the guards were more scared of their own weapon, rather than the enemies. Understandable, when you look at said weapon. Thankfully, Integra wasn't as crazy and psychopathic as Hannibal Lecter.

That would've been pretty ugly.

Soon enough, we stopped in front of a door. And being the rude Alucard was, he immediately opened the door instead of knocking it like a proper British Gentleman.

Inside, as we stepped into, was the most dangerous crowd ever to be gathered—excluding me, of course—. The ever so famous Integra sat behind the large desk, a cigar of high quality, tucked comfortable between her lips. Smokes trailing from it as she exhaled, staring at me with such intensity I was surprised I wasn't squashed under it.

Then again, that was probably the reason Alucard was there.

Standing beside her was the traitor of Hellsing, the Angel of Death, or the combat butler I recognize as Walter C. Dornez, staring at me seriously, with a strange smile on his face that I had no doubt was meant to be both intimidating, and placating.

How that worked together was an unknown.

I placed a strained smile on my face, giving Integra a bow. "Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. A pleasure to meet you, especially when you're the one who requested it,"

That was another rule about speaking with Integra. Always refer her as Sir. I don't know why she preferred to be referred as such. I mean, there got to be some problem in it, right? Then again, women aren't exactly treated fairly in this year, and probably will never be.

"Yes," she said, her hands folding under her chin. "A pleasure indeed meeting you, Private Jaime Copperfield." And a little dash of sarcasm. How nice. "How about you take a sit over there first?" She offered, nodding at the seat in front of her desk.

I nodded uneasily, heeding her 'offer' as my ass placed itself on the surprisingly comfortable chair.

"Do you know that you have acquired a few nicknames, hmm?" She asked. "The Hunter, the Gates' Vampire, the Nazi vampire," she snorted at that one. "And the Collector. Not only that, you also have the blood of Alucard in you. Care to explain that, Private?"

I felt a bead of sweat trickling from my pores as I stared at those sharp baby blue eyes. It was sooner that I would've liked, but it was here or never. I took a deep calming breath, giving her a real mad grin as I pulled my right leg over my left.

Her eyes widened, probably expecting me to attack her. Walter's hand moved, wires ready to cut my head off, and the smirking Alucard pulled his hand out off his coat, his gun aiming at my head, daring me to attack his Master.

It all happened only within two seconds.

I chuckled, staring at Integra's eyes with as much as desperation and madness I could muster. "It's the Nazi,"

They all halted, staring at me. Walter blinked—oh the great actor he was—, Integra blinked in befuddlement, and Alucard made a sound of amusement.

"Do not play—"

Click!

Aha. There it was; that burning sensation inside my chest. I took a random guess over where the chip was, feeling the agonizing burn inside of my body; my chest, or to be more precise, my right lung. A part of me wondered briefly why the Doctor put it inside my heart, but only briefly, as moments later, I found myself without a lung.

I coughed blood, dropping me to the ground as I found myself couldn't even breathe. There was still the burning pain in my chest region. My other lung was probably charcoaled by the blue fire, same with my heart, but it wasn't growing, not spreading inside of me.

A success.

Didn't mean it wasn't painful though, as my hand clutched my chest as thick red blood forcing its way out of my mouth and nose like my father after I locked him in the basement. Pain flared again as I coughed, and pain flared again as blood was vomited from my mouth.

I had no doubt that I had painted the floor red with my own blood. But even if the pain was nigh unbearable, I couldn't help but to grin wildly. How couldn't I be? I was fucking free!

I rolled to my back, staring at Integra's and Walter's surprised eyes with a grin I had never thought I could put up. "Well what are you waiting for?!" I shouted, ignoring the flaring pain as I did so. "Call the Medic!"

Immediately, Integra stood up from her seat, her eyes set serious as her head snapped to Alucard. "Carry him to the infirmary," she commanded with such tongue that it would put plenty of feminist, and misogynist to shame.

My vision blurred, but I could make out Alucard giving his Master a bow. "As your command, Master," he then walked to my body, lifting myself up to his shoulder and moved out of the room.

Blurrily, I could make out movement as I was lifted out. Fingers pointed, moved, body trailed, blood slide, and young Seras standing on the wooden floor, her eyes an endless black void, staring at me blankly as her mouth, another black void of infinite madness, flopping up and down. Her arms cradled the mini case of silver knives, trembling for such reason I wasn't aware of. Thick, black blood trailed over her cheeks, from her hollow eyes, burning into her cheeks like a hot branding rod.

"Walter, follow me. We have much to discuss with..."

For a moment, I blinked, and again once realization dawned to me. "Seras, dammit," I coughed blood once more, and Alucard shifted.

"Who?" He asked, curious. And more amused than he should, but then again this is Alucard. He can do the fuck he wants.

"Can you do me a favor, Alucard?" I asked, struggling not to cough another blood. "Or Dracula, whatever you prefer; you're not even trying to hide it,"

He lagged for a moment, caught in rare moment of surprise, before he moved again... with more spring in his feet. "You know my name." he remarked. Amusement, and humor dripping from his mouth. "Fine, tell me this little favor of yours, then."

I coughed, giving him a grateful nod as I told him Seras' apartment address, and her Department. "Please protect her," I told him, my chest wrecked in pain by my burned heart and still not regenerating lung. "And watch over her until I'm recovered."

He made a slight nod on his head as we entered the, what I thought, was the infirmary. A fancy, and empty one at that.

That made me slightly paranoid.

Not waiting for my complain, Alucard me into the comfortable bed, giving me a wild grin and a laugh before he turned away, passing through walls and hopefully he was to go to Seras, laughing all the way like a proper mad man.

I stared at the ceiling once I couldn't hear his laugh, two daggers immediately conjured themselves under my sleeves, ten swords on both my hands, and hundreds and thousands of various sharp and blunt objects of plenty sizes ready to shoot from my every part of my skin.

I strained a grin. "Have at me, cat boy."

()_()_()

He appeared a moment later, carrying some sort of a knife. He was later turned into a headless body as his head toppled to the floor, staining it with red as my sword passed through it. The body vanished, and soon another Schrodinger appeared smiling on the ceiling, a butterfly knife ready to be plunged to my heart.

Instead, it was his heart that was plunged with my sword, sending him straight and stuck to the ceiling. He gave me a grin, before he was gone once more, leaving my sword on the ceiling. It was a game to him, I figured.

And I was stalling. Waiting for someone, hopefully Integra and not Walter to come in, but then again, I doubted she was going to come soon. Expectedly, the cat boy appeared again, this time just right by the side of my cot, his knife once more ready to strike my neck.

I grunted, moved my head immediately, barely dodging my deathly fate. My right hand moved, swords piercing his chest, before I pulled it, leaving the grinning corpse of Schrodinger to fall on the ground, and soon the corpse itself was gone.

Not a second later, he stood over my torso, body leaning forward with knife once more ready to strike. A spear shot out of my chest, tearing apart my shirt, and piercing the cat boy once more, before I reabsorbed the spear.

His body was gone once more.

Not giving me any respite—not that I needed it— he showed up immediately once more by my side, a new weapon, a P38 aimed at my head, bullet spat from its muzzle, and I immediately shifted mine head, feeling the holy bullet grazing my cheek.

I snarled, throwing my left arm around his body, and cutting down him into two pieces. His face gave me a wide grin, before the torso fell to the floor, and vanished back to whichever he thought.

Immediately, he appeared once more, the P38 shot a bullet to my heart, and I quickly rolled to the floor, grunting in pain as I felt my chest pulsing. He jumped back easily, avoiding my body, but not quick enough to dodge the three swords thrown to his chest.

His body vanished once more, and this time he appeared standing over me, the gun aimed at my head, and spears sprouted from my torso, making my body into a literal spike trap. Unfortunately, my reaction was a tad too slow, and I had to pay the price by having my ear being cut off.

I gritted my teeth as I absorbed back my spears, and as quick as it was stored, the cat boy appeared standing over my previous cot. "Just die would you!" I growled out, riddling the cot with holes from my barrage of swords.

I cursed myself as he reappeared once more, his leg quickly slamming down onto my chest, a sword, my sword in his hand, ready to pierce my heart. I pushed my density over it, grunting in slight pain as it pierced my skin, even though it broke into pieces.

I brought my hands up, swords eviscerating him into dices of fleshes, before that too, vanished into gods know where.

From there on, it was a dance or repetitions, with me dodging, killing him, and not trying to injure my chest further, and with him trying to kill me, being killed, and trying to injure my weak self. He would appear near me, knife or gun ready to harm, and sometimes he would succeed, grazing my chest, my legs, my arms or my face.

Most times, he would get himself cut, eviscerated, diced, bisected, pierced, crushed, and mauled. That said, he was resilient, and I was stubborn. I wasn't going to die of exertion, and I cursed my slow regeneration. I cursed my addiction to collect things.

He appeared once more, and like a cat, pounced at me with two knives in both his hands, and a big fucking sword sprouted from my lower torso, slicing him vertically into two, before the body vanished. His forever grinning face and slightly crazed eludes me like a bad case of LSD.

I waited, my breath rugged, and I found myself slightly grateful that my lungs had regenerated to their normal selves, though not the heart, if the burning sensation was any sign. But I waited as I prepared swords, spears, and even daggers, ready to cut him down like the hundreds of times before.

But he didn't appear.

I waited, my heart beating faster in paranoid, and my eyes swiveling around in alertness.

But he didn't reappear.

I still waited, my head turning around like a loon as I ignored the wounds covering my face; caused by his lucky attack, holy bullets and the knife.

But he wasn't there yet.

I took a breath. Is it over? I questioned mentally. Why?

I didn't know, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not that I stored my weapons into mineself. Nope. I wasn't that naive.