A/N: Well hello there! I guess it's been...a lot longer than I prefer when writing something... But life has been rough and inspiration has been little these past few months. Still, I'm fond of this story and I'm not quite ready to give up on it. I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed my past chapter; thank you for the continuing support and know that this chapter was written for you, and because of you. Not my best chapter here, but I hope it's alright until I can create the next one.
"…Alex?"
Though the tiny café was far from empty, it felt as though the world had all but stopped around her. Not even her Master's steadily darkening gaze and that oh-so-familiar pressure inside her head could penetrate the thick film of shock which had officially arrested her mind.
"Seras…? Seras Victoria…?" It was his voice which seemed to fix time, shattering the curious illusion that the world had frozen. His voice…
Seras began to smile, features lighting up as the gesture stretched across her lips and face.
His voice was the same. It had roughened over the years, the still smoldering cigarette held between his fingers likely the culprit, yet it still held that velvety tone which had so captivated her when first they'd met. Age lines touched his face ever so gently just beneath his eyes, giving the appearance that he had gone far too long without a good night's sleep. His eyes, too, carried this weight. Heavy and darker than she remembered, they seemed to sit further back in his skull, as though his skin were drawn from worry or exhaustion. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Seras was aware that these were minute things, aspects of a human which often went unnoticed… But because her every sense had been heightened by the introduction of blood (not to mention the fact that it was her Master's), she could see every dip, every wrinkle, every…everything.
'You're being rude, Police Girl.' Seras flinched visibly, eyes closing briefly at the distinctly icy tone in her Master's warning, no more able to ignore his piercing glare than she could pass off the somewhat painful and constant pressure in her mind. It did not register to her that the voice she had heard had been…dimmed somewhat. As though she had been hearing him through a tunnel or as though he had been muffled with cotton. Nor did she notice her Master's gaze growing darker and his eyes narrowing. Her gaze flickered down, catching Alex's own for a split second before they met the floor. Her hands had tightened into fists without her realizing it and for several seconds she was unable to speak or move; knowing only that Seras had some prior existing relationship with the apparent chief of police, her Master was angry. At what, she couldn't even possibly comprehend; it was not as though she had known beforehand that this was the case. How could she have known? She'd heard through the grapevine after he'd left the academy that he was off to the states, and that Texas had been one of several possible locations he might settle in. But beyond that, she'd known nothing of where he'd gone.
Not only was her Master angry with her… But he had chosen to embarrass her before Alex, as though to add insult to injury.
Having finally reached this conclusion after only a few short seconds of deliberation her head snapped up, face calm and collected despite the fury present in her own gaze. The men behind her subconsciously took a step back as she locked her gaze briefly with Alucard; the tension was thick and it seemed strikingly apparent that violence would have to be the result of such animosity the two seemed to have for each other. However, Seras quickly dropped her gaze back to a somewhat surprised looking Alex, her look softening to one of happy familiarity as she dipped her head gently and took the seat to the left of him, her back placed firmly against the wall there.
"Alex Chechki… I must say that this is quite the surprise." She offered a small smile, now ignoring the irritated stare of her Master. "I knew you'd moved to the States, but I never thought YOU'D make Chief of Police; I didn't think you had the brains for that." Silence spread across the table; the three men she'd brought with her from the hotel had remained standing, shifting only slightly in what could only be nervousness at hearing Seras speak in such a manner to someone of such standing in the city. The silence, however, was quickly broken as Alex tossed his head back and laughed, the noise shocking some of the nearby patrons into spilling some of their drinks.
"Always with the mouth, Seras! I could say the same of you; I figured you'd have dropped out of the Academy once I left. You always were…so clumsy." His tone was reminiscent as he gave her a look she was so familiar with, one which further accented the teasing quality his tone had taken on. She snorted slightly, rolling her eyes as she sat further from the table, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well excuse me if I had a little bit of a clumsy streak… Though…as I recall… it's difficult to hold your footing when your 'partner' is constantly throwing things in your way…such as their own fat feet…" For a moment the two glared at each other, Seras puckering her lips in an angry glare… Before they both gave way to laughing, Seras leaning over and clutching at her stomach as she snickered as quietly as she could.
"My god, Alex! It's so good to see you again!"
"Ahhhhh I would certainly have to agree…. Though I certainly wish it was under better circumstances…" His voice had changed from joyous to contemplative to sorrow-filled before silence once again overtook the group.
"Indeed." Alucard's deep baritone interjected, drawling in such a way as to draw a soft sigh from Seras. Though she realized her Master was correct, to a certain extent, in his irritation it was impossible for Seras to say that she was not happy with this sudden turn of events. For the first time since her nightmares had begun, she felt as though there might be a way for her to…relax. To possibly open herself up to someone who would understand, who might actually give a damn about her sanity.
For the moment, however, there were more important things at hand.
As though he could read her thoughts, Alex's lax posture straightened and his eyes hardened; Seras likened the change to slipping into a suit. He became the Chief of Police they had flown all the way to work with. He nodded curtly and slipped a tiny smile Seras' way.
"Most assuredly; catching up can come later." Punctuated with that same heart-stopping smile, Seras could not help but feel…excited. He had all but stated that they would find time to talk and it was reassuring to the fraying nerves of the Police Girl. Not once did it occur to her that he may not be aware of her current…situation, so to speak. Having just fed, Seras looked no more unusual or different from any other human in the small café; she appeared to have forgotten the attained luster which had more than garnered her share of attention from the greater majority of Austin's populous.
The air turned somber around the small group, a heavy silence overcoming even the neighboring tables as the group finally got down to business.
"Before we could have made such a large trip, we needed to go through the files and the photos to first create our own opinion on what is currently occurring here." Seras began, straightening as she removed the now worn file folder she had been given and set it on the table in front of her. Alex's face drew up into something like a snarl before he calmed, wiping his hand down his face. Seras' eyes softened ever so slightly but she said nothing for a moment, simply allowing him to gather himself; she was well aware of how difficult this entire case had been on the city, and she was more than aware of just how much pressure was currently riding on the Chief.
"And, as is obvious by our appearance, we have deemed this threat to be of a less…human nature." Alex laughed roughly and crushed out his cigarette as Seras spoke. He steepled his fingers in front of his face, letting out a soft sigh before speaking.
"Let's just…drop any semblance of REALITY, okay? You two are here because our town is being besieged by what I have been told is likely a group of… of vampires or other such previously disproved supernatural creatures." He shook his head. "We've always imagined that there were things that lingered in the night, that sought out the weaker creatures of the world… I guess we've always just…inherently known, eh?" Seras winced internally, offering up her own tiny sigh and a nod.
"I suppose you're right; there isn't really any use to try and sugarcoat it." Her Master snorted, unfolding and refolding his long legs beneath the table.
"All of this talking is wasting time. The scenes have been sitting around for days and days now and every second we waste with…formalities-" Seras resisted the urge to offer up a retort; Alucard was clearly displeased with the current situation. It was not exactly his ideal of handling things. His words dripped with sarcasm and heavy irritation, an embarrassment which caused heat to rise to Seras' face. "Is another second that these pathetic creatures scheme to kill more of your civilians."
"Ma-…Alucard is correct, Alex. The sooner we get out to look at the sites, the better. Any sort of trail we might have picked up from the earlier ones are likely already degraded. We should start at the most recent of scenes." Alex nodded, pushing himself back from the table and making to stand.
"The most recent of the sites is only a few blocks from here… I suppose that was a part of the reason that I requested we meet here." Seras nodded and stood as well, sidling around the table and avoiding all possible contact with her Master as she did so.
'You cannot avoid me, Police Girl….' Her Master's voice growled through her mind, his gaze piercing through her back and causing her to pause mid-step, shivering and feeling as though she had just been doused in ice water. She turned, some sharp retort on the tip of her tongue, only to find that her Master was gone, likely off to beat them to the crime scene. Again Seras felt her hands involuntarily clench and the dull ache in the back of her head throbbed. A frown creased it's way through her features as she wound through the couples sitting at the surrounding tables. The pain in her head had faded just as quickly as it had occurred, though the dull ache remained. Though she thought it curious, she knew that she could not bring herself to discuss it with her Master… especially not with what had….occurred…
"Seras…?" Seras snapped back to the present, a light flush tinting her cheeks in a combination of embarrassment and something she wasn't willing to truly look into. Alex had stopped, her men standing just outside of the café, waiting patiently for them to emerge.
"Y-Yes! Sorry; guess I got caught up in my thoughts-" Before even her thought was finished, Alex had cleared the small distance between them and had wrapped his arms around her. Seras froze, shock and confusion mingling with happiness and a myriad of other emotions; he was so warm.
"It IS good to see you again, Victoria. I just wish it was under better circumstances." With that, he released her and exited the café, leaving Seras dazed and slightly stunned as she followed suit.
OoOoOoOoO
Within fifteen minutes the group had arrived at the most recent of the crime scenes; the mood was solemn and though conversation had been attempted when initially they had set forth it had fizzled out and died as they had left the warmth of the café. The scene they were visiting now was that of Sam, or Sammy as his friends and family affectionately called him, Elleneway. Much like Eric, Sam had been murdered in a horrific, gruesome and painful manner; the report had stated that they'd found intestinal lining a few blocks from where his actual body had been found. Though Sears could never go so far to consider Eric "lucky" in the way he had been killed, she could certainly say that at least he had not been used as a toy. The photos of Sammy showed his limbs severed, flung about what had at the time been an unoccupied office building, leaving only a foot in an easy to discover location. The blood had been bad…but finding his head in the back of a toilet and his heart impaled on a hat rack had gone beyond the horrific nature of the crime. It had been like playing some macabre version of hide-and-go-seek with offensive and vulgar comments written in his blood spattered along the way.
"Alright… just duck underneath the tape and I'll unlock the door." Came Alex's murmured comment from just ahead of her, snapping Seras' mind from the morbid thoughts she'd been holding on to. She nodded and ducked under the tape just beside him; the men had walked just behind her for the entire walk and even now they stood a few feet from her back. They had remained fairly quiet throughout the walk and Seras wondered if they were contemplating the same things she was…with a special emphasis on finding and destroying the bastards who could do such harm. She could only focus on the relief that they were not checking out the site of the girl's murder; truthfully, she wasn't sure if she could handle it in the right frame of mind.
"Once we're inside I can show you where the…body parts were found. We've studied each area carefully; pretty sure we've garnered all we can, though that's not to say we haven't missed something." Seras nodded, not exactly trusting herself to speak for such anger she was experiencing-
'Get a grip, Police Girl. It just gets worse from here.' Her Master's voice filled her head, and though his words were meant to be both encouraging and demeaning, even Seras could sense his own icy irritation. Though her Master was not necessarily…fond of humans, even he could not ignore the stupidity and uselessness of slaughtering children when one of their type was supposed to be beyond such frivolous, pointless activities. It created unwanted and unnecessary attention to a race that was not even supposed to exist.
Seras nodded, seemingly to nobody, before following Alex into the office complex, wondering almost absently if ever this particular company would ever be put back into operation.
The moment they entered the building all other thought was abolished. The scent of blood, amplified and intensified by the affect her Master's blood had had on her, coupled with the very strong and still very present scent of sex sent her reeling. Almost instantly she was presented with the image of these creatures slaughtering this boy, hiding his body and tearing him apart…amidst the even more gruesome and disgusting sight of some sort of orgy, each of the creatures drowning themselves in blood; some of it he boy's, some of it their own…
'Calm, Seras. Calm.'
Her Master's voice, usually so derisive and irritated, floated into her mind with a gentility that surprised her. It occurred to Seras then that Alucard was more than a little aware of the effect his blood was having on her usually empty body. Along with his words came a brief whiff of cinnamon and a sense of sheer calm which oozed its' way thoroughly through her body. Seras didn't even realize that he had used her name, so shocking had his actions been.
"Agent Victoria…? Seras? Seras are you-?"
"Yes… Yes, Alex, I'm fine. I can just…" She shook her head, unwilling to explain everything she had just experienced within the supposed sanctity of her own mind. She offered a grim smile, unable to do any more to reassure her old friend as he shared a look that was filled with worry. Slowly he nodded, glancing behind her to the trio who had just entered behind her. They, too, appeared slightly ill. Seras turned, eyes softening slightly as she glanced at them.
"Chris… Dean… Ben…" They trained their attention back towards her as she said each of their names in turn. "Spread out; one of your cover the outer perimeter, one of you take this floor, one of you take the second floor. You know what we're looking for." Their expressions hardened and they stood up straighter; they, like many of the men in the Hellsing Organization, handled these circumstances best when they had been issued their orders. She, too, felt a little stronger, a little more stable. They were there for a reason, a purpose. These…these creatures, for she could no more consider these murderers to be human, nor vampiric, in nature than she could pretend that these "sacrifices" were being done for a logical purpose, had to be stopped. Alex said nothing during this exchange and waited, patiently, for her to conclude before leading her to the stairs. She had assigned them to cover the base of the building and the second floor, but that still left the third floor and the roof. Having thoroughly read through the report, Seras was aware that it was on the third floor that they had…gotten creative. The third floor was where the boy's head had been found in the back of the toilet; his features had been manually contorted into a look of disturbing surprise, eyes wide open, mouth forced into an open-mouthed smile… and to make the entire matter worse, they had covered his face in face paint, turning him into a clown, complete with tears drawn near his eyes. They had, of course, covered the entire bathroom in various gang signs (having done nearly no research, each of the signs had been from random parts of the states, many of them warring factions) and threats to the police and city of Austin.
Clearly, a display for the frustrated and harrowed Captain. The roof had been an exaggerated display similar to that found in the bathroom, with the addition of shredded organs and seemingly buckets of blood. Seras had, when first reading the report, found her thoughts confirmed when the coroner found that some of the blood samples had come from animal sources. Again, severe exaggerations which suggested the sheer juvenile nature of the monsters who had done this. The other two floors, though disgusting, were not as likely to contain the bits and pieces of the puzzle that Seras was looking for. And as they climbed, it was the details she focused on. She'd read through each file so many times she had thought she'd grasped every aspect of the scenes… but she had not realized that the steps would creak as they walked up them. That the dust hung so thick in the air that sometimes she could barely see despite the dim lighting that filtered through the window. Even the solid cone of light coming from Alex's flashlight could not truly cut through the dim atmosphere the building had adopted over its' vacancy.
It was not until they reached the landing of the second floor that Seras realized she was light-headed. She froze momentarily, pretending to look at a speck on the floor as she fought against her panic. The light pounding she thought she'd imagined earlier had returned with a ferocity that frightened the young vampress. She had, without realizing it, placed up a mental block against her Master. She was dizzy; her head seemed to be filled with thick cotton and was that…? Yes, nausea had settled into her belly, deep and barely recognizable… But still there. Before enough time had passed for her actions to seem suspicious Seras stood, nodded as though she had reached some conclusion, and moved towards the stairs.
"May I…speak with you, Agent Victoria?" Seras froze, hairs standing on end as she realized her Master had seemingly materialized from the wall beside her. Alex stood on the stairs, blinking as though in slight surprise, before he half turned away from them, making to leave them for a moment of privacy.
"Perhaps later, Ma…. Sir. Daylight is fading, as is any evidence… We need to finish securing the site before nightfall." Seras' voice, though wavering slightly, was firm and she said nothing more as she turned from her Master's cold gaze and headed up the stairs staggered with Alex so that they would not overcrowd the somewhat cramped staircase. To a certain extent…what she had said was true. She wanted to secure the scene as quickly as possible so that any clues which could be gleaned or found would be before time had the opportunity to evaporate with time. However… More importantly… Seras was still feeling a wide variety of confliction over what had occurred a few hours prior. She needed a little time with her own mind before she could handle a one on one with her Master… Not to mention the fact that he could likely sense the issues she was currently having with her body. And considering that she had no idea what was causing her physical ailments, she was not entirely willing to discuss them. Not a word was spoken between Alex and herself, but the understanding between the two remained; they were both on a mission and, at the moment, there was no room for pleasantries. It did not stop him from sneaking an appreciative glance at the Police Girl when she appeared focused on the staircase.
Despite this, Seras could not help but feel the now icy presence of her Master in her mind. He was royally pissed, to say the least, and she was not looking forward to their later discussion.
OoOoOoOoO
The third floor was, if Seras was not mistaken, dimmer than the previous two. The light filtered weakly through a layer of dust in the air so thick that it seemed to inhibit their walking. Seras' nose wrinkled in disgust and her sleeved arm came up to cover her nose; though she'd tried to ignore the intense scent of blood littered throughout the building, it had increased at least tenfold when she'd stepped onto this floor. Though she'd just fed she was forced to admit to herself that, deep down, it excited her. Of course, she felt no need nor desire to tear into Alex or any other human nearby…but she could not help but be sickened as she reflected the creature she had become. From out of the corner of her eye she noticed Alex gazing at her, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension flickering in his gaze.
Seras sighed and, after a moment of inhaling the familiar scent of her laundry detergent still present in her coat, she removed her arm and gestured with a tiny smile for Alex to lead the way. He offered her a tiny smile of understanding before leading her the way down the hallway. The hallway twisted left, right, left again; doors lined the walls on either side. Some had name plates, others were embellished with only numbers and Seras glanced at each in turn with little care or desire to focus on them. She forced her mind to focus away from her steadily pounding headache as they approached the quarantined men's lavatories.
"You gonna be okay there, Seras?" Alex's voice was soft in the dim hallway; Seras could feel his eyes, his gaze on her, such was his intensity. He did not speak as the Chief of Police, a hardened man, should speak to another hardened officer of the law. Rather, he spoke with the gentle care of a long lost but never forgotten friendship. Seras smiled a tiny half smile and gave a nod, not willing to speak lest her Master use her words against her later. After a short moment Alex stepped forward and removed the CAUTION tape which had prevented any further entrance to the restrooms.
"I will warn you…after realizing the extent that it seemed these murderers were willing to go to… We did not touch much of this particular scene. We removed…the head, of course, but the majority of the blood and any other physical evidence still remains. We reached out to the Hellsing Organization shortly after…and they told us not to touch or remove anything." This made sense, of course. Considering who it was they would be sending into investigate. Again, Seras did nothing more than nod as they stepped into the restroom… and felt as though she had been hit with a ton of bricks. She staggered back a step or two, eyes rolling up to show the whites, as the scent of blood overwhelmed her. Not for months, since the last raid she had performed with her men at a notorious vampire den, had she smelt so much blood. Vaguely her eyes registered the crudely drawn gang signs scrawled on nearly every surface in the restroom, including even the sinks and the urinals. Dried blood seemed to have been sporadically spread here; flecks appeared on the ceiling, in the sinks, and in large splotches on the floor. Ridiculous threats against the citizens of Austin and against the police department could be made out, mixed within phrases of simple Latin and scribbles. These she managed to file away for later use, seeing nothing entirely unique or inventive in any of it.
She gagged, covering her face as she forced herself back down from the combination high and sickness she'd just experienced. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that this overwhelming sensation was occurring (as so many things seemed to be) because of her recent intake of her Master's blood; the heightened senses had initially been a godsend…but now she wasn't exactly feeling like a respectable member of the law. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she wondered how long she would be able to withstand the pressures of this particular slice of hell. Unlike the last time, her Master's presence was very much missing in a way which left her feeling cold and empty. She supposed that this was deserved, considering that he may have well wanted to discuss this new hurdle of hers… or he may have wanted to discuss her headache or, worse, her nausea. Acknowledging finally that she was one her own, Seras forced her gaze to focus and was attempting to reign in both her hunger and her disgust when she felt a warmth on her shoulder. It was then that she realized she had hunched herself over slightly, arms twitching against wrapping around her belly in a self-defense sort of stance. Her eyes flicked away, up from the filthy floor to meet Alex's worried gaze.
"Victoria? Hey, Seras are you alright?" His voice was soft, low, intense without being overbearing. She swayed for a moment, taking several seconds to swallow thickly (a vain attempt to remove some of the disgusting taste from within her mouth) before she could even begin to create a response.
"Y-Yes… I'll be fine I just… I need a moment." Her voice was soft; it was difficult for her to speak, to force her vocal chords into action. His hand remained at her shoulder, his eyes upon hers, as she stood there.
Her heart, nearly dead in her chest, ached to see such care and she had to force away the tears which threatened to fall. Walter was just like that, albeit in a more…refined sense. Not once did Alex's hand leave her shoulder, nor did his eyes leave her face, as she gathered herself back up. And after a few minutes, which felt more like a few hours, she was able to stand.
"Oi! Integera told us you were a little more on the sensitive side than your partner, but I didn't remember you being such a softie! Didn't they teach you how to be tough?" He chuckled and patted her back good-naturedly, attempting to lighten the mood despite the utterly dismal atmosphere they currently found themselves in. Seras' head jerked up, whipping back with enough force to send any regular human flying backwards, eyes wide and filled with a wide variety of emotions as she replayed what he'd just said. Partner. He'd called Alucard her partner. Not once in the years upon years that she had been with the Hellsing Organization had anyone referred to Alucard as her partner; that was simply not their relationship. Anyone who knew not only who they were but WHAT they were understood that their relationship was not so easily or acceptably defined.
"Speaking of which, that guy seems pretty eh… well, I don't mean to be offensive, but he's a little strange. Seems to be pretty sneaky, too; I didn't even notice him enter the building, let alone climb up all those stairs without us noticing…" His voice had taken on a musing sort of tone, as though he were pondering how he might have snuck past them; Seras had to stop herself as an insane sort of giggle attempted to bubble up from her depths. All at once she felt like crying and screaming and punching something in the face.
Quite suddenly she had realized something rather shocking: Integra had not told him what they were. For whatever insane, convoluted reasoning her superior might have used to withhold this information from the man with whom they would be working intimately, Seras could not fathom why she would not be told or warned about this. Perhaps this was what her Master had wanted to speak with her about…what he wanted to warn her of. A brief shake of her head brought her back to the moment; she could not assume anything, one way or the other. To do so could cause something horrific to happen. She needed to figure out what, exactly, Alex had been told by Sir Integra. During these brief moments of thought, Alex had made his way over to the stalls and was standing in the middle of the three, hesitating to remove the crime scene tape which held the door shut. Seras took in a deep, calming breath before approaching him.
"Alex… I need to ask you something, before I look at the scene." He turned to her, straightened and nodded in silence, awaiting whatever it was she needed to say.
"Alex, what did Sir Integra tell you about us? About the unit she would be sending here to assist in the investigation?" It was difficult to keep her voice level and even as she spoke, but somehow she managed to stay calm.
"Ehhh? She told us she'd be sending a specialized unit; one who dealt with these sorts of murders and investigations on a more regular basis." He pursed his lips slightly, bringing his and up to his chin in a look of concentration. "I guess she didn't really say anything more than that. She just assured us that the people she would be sending were trained specifically to handle what was happening here and that you were the best." He flashed a grin at her. "Imagine; little Seras Victoria the BEST at something, eh?"
All the while, Seras' face had fallen, the blood leaving her skin and causing her to appear as pale as a china doll. So it was as she thought; Sir Integra, likely assuming that the town and the police within said town were already on edge, had decided not to mention what they were. Alex had no idea that the disgusting filth who had done such horrendous things to the children of their city…were creatures similar to what Alucard was…to what she was. For several long moments she remained frozen in place. Indecision tore at her mind as she stood there. Should she come clean now? Before they got any further into this investigation? Before things got a hell of a lot worse than they were now? Or should she wait? Sir Integra, though difficult to understand in certain circumstances, rarely did things without thought. If she had not told Alex that they, too, were creatures of the night…should she really go against whatever thought process had been behind that?
'Say nothing, Police Girl. You may speak to Sir Integra later, to determine her reasoning if you so choose. But do not undermine her in this. And do not disobey me.' This last statement was filled with an icy anger that quite literally bound her to his word. If she were to tell Alex the truth, it would not be on this day. A short curt nod and a tight smile were the response to Alex's words.
"I may not have much confidence in many things, but in this Sir Integra is correct; we ARE the best." Alex laughed, a hearty sound in the dim confines of the bathroom.
"Let's hope so…" And with that, he removed the tape.
A/N: I would like, again, to thank my reviewers. Without you all, the story grows stale and I lose the initiative to write. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this one; constructive criticism is always welcome, so please read and review. Thank you.