There we are. After the last more flashbacky chapter now were going into action again. Have fun! :)
Chapter 19: London calling
Ferdinant Luke's orphanage, near Rome, September 21st, 2016, 9:30 am
Vicky was stuffing away her clothes into a bag when her teacher entered. The girl had a single room because she somehow didn't really get along with the other kids her age. The boys were stupid and the girls boring, she never got tired of stating. She looked up and smiled.
Heinkel pretended she was only slightly curious. "Don't you have to be in school?"
Vicky shrugged her shoulders. "Miss Jenkins sent me home, because I fell asleep."
"Jetlag?"
Another shrug. "Doesn't matter. I'm fine." She looked at her teacher for a moment and added hastily: "I'll go to the afternoon lessons. I like literature class, you know?"
Heinkel smiled. She'd love to take care Vicky really would do so, but she would have to ask somebody else to check on the girl. She hadn't been that eager to go to some lessons either.
"You did a good job in Minneapolis. I'll take you on another mission when I'm back." If I'm still alive, she didn't say out loud.
Vicky beamed. "Awesome. Where are you going?"
For a moment she considered lying – just saying some mission again related to Millennium, but she would go with Yumie this time. But that would be stupid. Lying to friends and family never got you anywhere.
"The Ninth crusade." Vicky's jaw literally dropped.
"When do you go?"
"At noon. Iscariot will go into battle when Millennium starts their attack. Anderson is already on his way. We'll go to France and then to London, I suppose."
"What do you expect to find?"
Heinkel shrugged her shoulders. "An army of blood-thirsty vampires. And the British surely won't go down without a struggle either. Won't be a nice sight." Then realization hit her.
"You're aware you will not come with us, right?"
Vicky turned pink with anger. "But you said I did a good job!", she protested.
"And you did. But we're going to war. That's not for you!"
"I'm a paladin!", Vicky snapped.
"Not yet," Heinkel replied coldly. "The trainees stay here. We need somebody to guard the Vatican while so many of us are away."
Vicky snorted and made an angry step forward, then thought better than that and started pacing up and down. "If we're not good enough to go on this crusade, then how could we protect the Vatican from an attack?"
Heinkel had to admit that logic was flawless. In reality, there just was nobody else to do so. "That is not my plan and not my responsibility to decide. You will stay here."
Vicky shook her head and stopped. "I'm the best trainee in all of Iscariot! I heard you say that to Chief Maxwell." She let that statement hang for a moment. Heinkel cursed herself. She should have stuck to the concept of not giving out too much praise like she had all the time.
"Emphasis on the word trainee. It's too dangerous."
"How much more dangerous can it be than any mission?", Vicky hissed.
"We're facing an army of vampires. Some of us won't make it out alive, and I can't concentrate on fighting if I have to look out for you."
"You don't!", Vicky protested.
"And what about that vampire in Minneapolis? She almost got you. And I'm pretty sure she will be there too."
"Great," Vicky said with a smile that only showed how angry she was. "We still got something to work out. That bitch won't get away with what she did."
"Revenge is not the right way." Vicky raised an eyebrow at her teacher and Heinkel backed down. It might be true, but she was not qualified to claim this. Not her.
"You're not coming with us," she said. "And that's final. I'll set somebody to make sure you don't follow us."
Vicky gasped. "I don't need a babysitter! "Best paladin except the regenerator", my ass. You just don't want anyone to steal your show!"
Heinkel had tried hard not to lose her patience and shout at the girl, but the waiting and her stubbornness was getting on her nerves. Barely able to control herself, she growled: "This is not a contest. We're a team. We're a family."
"Oh really? Because I remember you have one in Germany. Pretty nice people. Would it upset them to know what you did when you were off all the time? Sure it would. They're just normal. Your parents don't know one hell of a lot about your work."
Heinkel clenched her teeth. So much for the idea of sending Vicky to Germany for a few days. "Keep them out of this. I'm just protecting them. This is a matter only concerning Iscariot. Civilians have nothing to do with it."
"Sure," Vicky said slowly. "I'm not a civilian. And I'm gonna be the best paladin ever. Better than you, for sure."
"Fine, I'll be happy to let you take my place when the time has come. But that's not now. You're not coming." She cut Vicky off. "That's my last word."
"You just admitted I'm good enough! What the hell is the problem?!"
And just like that, her patience had reached its limit. "I'm not taking a kid to war!", Heinkel snapped at her student. It was accompanied by a slapping sound.
Vicky stumbled back, surprise, something awfully similar to fear and anger fighting for the lead. She rubbed her cheek, which was already turning read. Heinkel stared at her, then at her tingling hand. Had she really just- ?
"Vicky, listen, I'm sorry," she started, but Vicky shook her head. She had tears in her eyes.
"Fine. If you don't trust me." She wanted to walk casually past her teacher, but couldn't. Vicky ran out of the room and down the corridor. "I HATE YOU!", she shrieked, then the door slammed shut between them.
Heinkel didn't even consider running after her. She was too stunned to move, and way too horrified. Had she really just slapped Victoria? That had never happened before, and not without a reason. It was old-fashioned, and stupid, and... I hate you.
What the hell had just happened? When she came in she had expected Vicky not to be happy about being left behind, but...
The door opened and the paladin flinched, but it was just Yumiko. She looked worried.
"Are you alright? Did you and Vicky have a fight?"
Heinkel absently shook her head. Vicky had grabbed the bag for some reason before she ran out. "I need to talk to Lara. Before Vicky does something stupid." It was not beyond the girl to run away. She had from the other orphanage she had been in before she came to Ferdinant Luke's. Funny that nobody had bothered to mention it to Heinkel before Vicky casually dropped it a few weeks ago.
"Where did she go?", Yumiko asked.
"On the roof, I guess. I'll go and talk to her when she's a bit calmer."
"She wasn't happy about being left behind." That was no question.
"Not really." Heinkel shrugged and brushed the hilts of her guns.
"Maybe... maybe you should take her. As a lesson." Yumiko lowered her eyes when she caught Heinkel's gaze.
"It's too dangerous. She's good, but I won't take a 16-year-old to war."
Yumiko nodded and accepted it. Her partner was right. This was going to be the most horrible thing since the Second World War. And they couldn't additionally watch out for an overzealous young girl in all of that. Besides, it was against the orders of their chief. He was already unhappy Lisa had insisted on accompanying him, they shouldn't push him.
"Will she be alright?"
Heinkel shrugged. "She'll get over it." Yumiko dropped the topic and they walked on in silence. She had a bad feeling about this. It was not the oncoming crusade. She was sure of their capabilities of course. Iscariot was the absolute elite. The knights might feel so superior, but they were no match to the legion of Judas. She just didn't like the way her friend was speaking. It sounded like she didn't believe it herself.
Cap Gris-Nez, France, September 21st, 7pm
"So... what about the crusaders?", Lisa asked. Something in her refused to take in the full range of this word. Crusade. Dear God, what had become of her family?
Enrico's eyes were fixed on his laptop, where a blinking spot told them where Millennium currently was. They had almost reached Britain by now.
"Do the Brits know they are coming?", Lisa asked. Finally Enrico seemed to listen to her.
"On a theoretical level. They don't know when exactly."
Lisa stared at the blinking dot that meant death to so many people. She didn't recognize her brother anymore. No matter how bad it had been in the past, this was new. He would try to leave her behind and she would have to stay with him until the end, if necessary.
"Family protects each other," she murmured. Enrico looked up, his green eyes looking just as innocent as she remembered.
"Huh? Did you you say something?"
"Uh... I... just wondered. The British are one of the biggest military powers. They have satellites and radar, right?"
Enrico entered something on the keyboard and closed the lid. "Not if the connection is broken."
"What about all the innocents?"
He raised one eyebrow. "They're heathens. There are no innocents." Lisa wanted to ask about all the Catholics, but then she realized they must have been informed. The Church took care of their children. Which made this even more sick.
"When will they arrive in London?", she asked as casually as she managed. She went over her possibilities once again, as if she hadn't done this a million times already. She needed to warn them. So far she had had no chance of slipping away without her brother leaving her behind – for her own protection, he was probably convinced.
"Probably around 10," he said absently, looking over the assembled forces of Iscariot. Some were in all major countries for helping out the Archbishops there if it should be needed, and the group didn't look all too big. But Lisa knew how powerful they actually were. In the background, Heinkel had stretched out on the grass, her headphones shutting out the rest of the world. Yumie was inspecting her sword, which was probably completely unnecessary. Every paladin had his or her own little methods of preparation. Not that there were one hell of a lot female paladins. Just the Chaos Girls. Lisa frowned. She thought she might have seen a familiar face on a much smaller figure, but couldn't be sure. Probably just her eyes playing tricks on her in her nervousness.
The bishop stood up and stretched. "Oh, man, ouch," he grumbled.
"Iscariot!", he called. Immediately, the paladins were on their feet, though Heinkel needed a not really gentle kick to start out of her music-induced daze. Lisa wondered what song she had been listening to, and then called herself an idiot to think about such things when lives were at stake.
"We were always cast out from the... 'official' work of our beloved God," Enrico said. "But tonight, Judas rises! We will conquer what is ours and finally get the recognition we deserve. The other sections have tried to interfere multiple times. They dismissed us, because our work is done in the shadows, but his Holiness puts his full trust in us. We will rid the world of the sickness that calls itself the Anglican Church, and of the remains of our predecessor's failure, resulting from their cowardice." He made a dramatic pause. "Millennium."
Nobody said a word. Everybody was just staring at the young bishop. He smiled at them. "This night, we will win. God is with you my friends. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti."
A choral of voices answered "Amen!". Most were smiling. And there was the boat, a private ferry of sorts, that would bring them over. Why they could not have taken a helicopter was a mystery to Lisa. Especially because the crusaders would have them. A lot of them.
They watched as the paladins boarded. Anderson was already in London, ready to lead the legion of Judas into battle once...
Once Millennium had done its part in Enrico's crusade plans.
"You're not coming with us?", asked Yumie. The Chaos Girls had taken a little detour to talk to their leader again. It took Lisa a few seconds until she realized they were talking to her. Enrico had gone off to somewhere. For a split second, she was panicking, thinking she lost him. But there he was, on his way to the house of the old retired bishop who more or less owned this whole area.
"Nah. I'll stay with Enrico," she said.
The Chaos Girls looked at each other. "Fine then," Heinkel said. "Come on, Yumie." She ran over to the boat. Lisa could have screamed. Why did nobody see? So many things were wrong here.
"You take care of him, right?", Yumie said. Lisa looked up, sure to have heard Yumiko's voice, but the paladin was already leaping over the edge of the boat, not bothering with a door. They waved at her and she waved back, though after a moment's hesitation.
Then she turned around and followed her brother.
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Heinkel jumped when she felt a boot in her side. Annoyed – she had almost finished the song! - she put away her headphones. They would stay behind, together with her phone. Both had been way too expensive to be brought into the middle of Hell's own legions. She got to her feet, brushing grass off her trousers, her hands automatically checking her weaponry.
Enrico stood in front of the Iscariots and held a little pep talk. He was good at that, no doubt about it. Once this crusade was over, Iscariot would be next to immune to the other section's subtle attacks. Heinkel blinked. She thought she might have seen a pale face framed by dark hair, but the taller men blocked her view.
She had wanted to check on Vicky before leaving, but the girl had not been at lunch, and not on the roof. That only left the possibility of the girl running to their training place in the woods. The weather was clear and relatively warm, so she would hopefully not catch a cold. Heinkel would have wanted to go look for her and talk this out, but they had to leave before she could do that. So she had asked one of the nuns in the orphanage to check on Vicky once she had vented, and deliver a message from her teacher. She was sorry for how this had turned out. She just wanted to protect her student. Although Heinkel had (of course) not written it, but her first thought had been daughter instead of student.
She was just getting paranoid. How would Vicky have managed to slip between the paladins unnoticed? She was just a teenager and would stand out like a sore thumb. The others would have sooner or later recognized her and told Heinkel about it. Besides, maybe somebody else had long hair? That was not exactly forbidden, also for men. Look at their own leader.
Enrico had obviously finished his speech. Heinkel called "Amen" with everybody else, just out of habit. Yumie nudged her and rolled her eyes.
"Where are you with your thoughts?", she asked. "Stop daydreaming. I need you to cover my ass."
"What, now?", Heinkel shot back. "Sure thing, the grass is very tall around here." That was not exactly up to her usual standards, but her mind was on something else. She stayed where she was while the paladins went over to the boat. Why a boat, anyway? They would have to drive to London after they had arrived. She would rather prefer to fly. That was more fitting to Iscariot's level of awesomeness and a lot more practical.
She studied all the paladins that poured onto the ship. The group was astoundingly small. But it would be enough to take on the British forces and Millennium. No black ponytail like Vicky preferred it. She knew all the paladins by name, except for one or two of the newbies. They had been on duty for less than a few weeks, and she normally didn't get paired up with them. Aside of that, she had her own trainee.
Yumie pulled her over to Lisa before they went to the ship. She was standing there alone. Enrico was on his way to the old archbishop's villa.
"You're not coming with us?", Yumie asked. Lisa looked at her blankly for several seconds until she realized Yumie was talking to her. She looked around for her brother and seemed worried, until she had spotted him already quite a bit away.
"Nah, I'll stay with Enrico," she said. That came as no surprise to anyone. Enrico and Lisa were the subject of a lot of jokes and gossip everywhere. At least inside Iscariot, none of it was of the malignant sort. In the other sections it might look quite different.
"Fine then," Heinkel said. "Come on, Yumie." She headed for the boat, scanning over the now more or less orderly and still heads. You're getting paranoid. Focus, we've got a crusade to lead.
She jumped over the wall of the boat and settled between a newbie called Giorgio and an old hand named Laurence. Yumie joined them soon after and sat on the opposite bench. She grinned at Heinkel, her katana lying over her legs.
Heinkel would have loved to have a bit of music to keep her busy during the transfer, but what she was left with was wondering what Vicky might be doing right now. She really had not wanted to slap the girl. That was not like her. Hopefully Vicky did not get in any adventures while her teacher was gone. The nuns were all very nice and considerate, but no match to the future paladin. She would just climb on the roof and make a dash for the woods if she wanted to be alone.
Somebody went through the rows and counted. Heinkel looked up and was surprised to see Renaldo. "Marco, what are you doing here?", Yumie asked before her partner could.
"Counting if everybody is there," he said with a smile. "Alexander asked me to accompany you after all. My last battle will be a big one, it seems." The girls exchanged a skeptical glance. Last...?
Marco laughed. "I'm getting too old for active duty. And the orphanage is not as boring as you might think."
Heinkel smiled and made a mental note. It would be all too tragic, and sadly all too typical, for an Iscariot's last mission to be his last deed in the world as well. Renaldo had been her teacher just like Anderson and what student would she be if she could not help him?
"Uhm, Marco, you don't happen to know what happened with Vicky after we left?"
"Lara told me she was on a walk," Renaldo said. Heinkel nodded.
"Thanks." See? No need to chicken out. She's fine.
She looked in the direction they were headed to. It was not dark yet and she could already see the coast of England. The Channel's water was very still today. There was the occasional chatter, but most were lost in thoughts, preparing for the battle. At the end of the boat was a smaller paladin with messy black hair, hunched over and the cross in his hands. He seemed to be praying. Heinkel couldn't make out who it was. Probably Chico. He always got a bit freaked out before a mission, but he was a very capable guy. His caution had saved quite a few lives, as far as gossip was concerned.
"Father Anderson will wait for us at Tower Bridge," Renaldo announced. "He will lead our attack. Orders are to capture Caitlyn Hellsing alive." What was that about Caitlyn Hellsing? There were some distinct rumors about her and the chief, but Heinkel had never really paid attention to it. Enrico was a bishop and one of the strictest believers she knew. Even if-
"His excellency, Archbishop Maxwell, and the rest of the crusaders will join us later."
Heinkel listened up. A murmur went through the rows. Archbishop?
Renaldo smiled. "Yes, his Holiness has decided to bestow this honor upon our director, which is more fitting for the leader of a crusade." No, Heinkel had not been wrong. Renaldo looked worried. Just like Anderson had the last weeks, and Lisa in particular. At least she was not alone in her judgment Enrico was unstable.
They had passed the cliffs of Dover. On the shore, there were cars waiting. Heinkel followed the others. She had no time for contemplating. The battle was about to begin. They would conquer Britain or die trying.
Lisa found Enrico stretched out on a recliner in the garden, reading a newspaper. He looked up and smiled briefly. Lisa saw the newspaper was from the day before yesterday.
"Didn't find anything better to read?", she asked and sat down on another recliner. They were pretty damn comfortable, she had to say. With the pension of a powerful archbishop you could do quite a lot, it seemed. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Damn, if they would be up the whole night she would need at least a bit of sleep now. But she couldn't fall asleep yet. First she had to call Caitlyn and warn her. Maybe the could evacuate parts of London until Millennium arrived. It was better than nothing.
"Everything else was in French," Enrico answered. "And I'm too tired to try what's left of my linguistic skills now."
"So... how will it go? We'll wait for... what?"
"Anderson and the paladins will capture Lady Hellsing. She'll be the foundation of the new Catholic Britain. You know, people work better with someone they already know. Sort of."
"You sure it's not because you like her?"
Enrico sighed and put down the news paper. "You know what? I'm tired of arguing. You're right, I like her. So what?"
Lisa blinked at him, surprised that he had actually given in. "Nothing. You just didn't want to admit it before."
He sighed again, this time with a smile. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'll read a bit more. The news is very... interesting." He gestured to the newspaper, then turned his attention to whatever he was reading right now. Lisa wondered if he could actually read that. He refused to wear his glasses most of the time anyway. She needed to call Caitlyn, yesterday. The sun was setting slowly on the horizon. She instinctively got into a more comfortable position. They had about three hours until Millennium reached London. Enrico was reading and she didn't want to make him suspicious. It was bad enough she betrayed him like that.
He's not himself anymore, she told herself. Family protects each other. By all means necessary.
City of London, September 22nd, 2016, 2 am
"The battle line was broken!" There were screams and panicked shooting. London was hell, just like she had seen it in her dream in Scotland. The legion of the vampire's undead was feasting on the crusaders, destroying the vampires and everything that stood in their way. Lisa was standing on a derelict building, just like in her dream, but it was not the same. She could see her brother in his protective glass case, dangling over the battle. She was connected to the radio he used and could hear everything he did. "Bishop, please, order to retreat!", the man on the radio begged. "Your Grace-"
Enrico cut him off. "Don't toy with me!", he snapped. His voice was shrill with panic. "I'm no bishop! I am an archbishop!" Then the helicopter his truck was hanging from exploded in a fireball. Suddenly without support, the vehicle tumbled down and hit the ground. Lisa only got out a terrified gasp. She wasn't sure when she had started to run or how long she took, but soon she was in front of the building. The undead familiars were surrounding him, blocking her way. She groped for her knives, but the monsters didn't even notice her. They were only interested in the human in front of them.
Enrico groaned and got up. Blood was running over his face from a gash in his hairline. There was an army of undead, familiars, spirits, that had only one goal: To make him one of them. He gasped and stumbled back, landing on his bottom, but the glass cage was protecting him. The fall had not broken it. His fear turned into triumph and he started laughing. It sounded gruesome. Lisa shivered and wondered where it all had gone wrong.
"The glass is reinforced with hardened tektite composite!", he exclaimed. "You cursed dead will not even scratch it!"
A bayonet pierced the glass, the tip stopping barely an inch from his face. Enrico stared at it for a second, before he scrambled back with a startled yelp. "Anderson?!"
Yes. Anderson. He was standing on a pile of rubble, behind the army of monsters, and looked down on the fallen bishop. Archbishop, Lisa corrected herself. Thank God, Anderson was there to save the day once again. But the paladin didn't make a move when the familiars closed in on Enrico, grabbing, tearing.
"Anderson!", he yelled. "Help me!"
Anderson slowly shook his head, not angry, just sad and regretful. "We are Section XIII, Iscariot, earthly agents o' divine punishment. Wi' yer arrogance ye have left the path o' God. Ye were nae fighting fae him, only fae yerself. Without ae single discrepancy, we will smash yer dream."
Enrico tried to free himself, but a wave of familiars engulfed him.
"Farewell, ma friend," Anderson said.
"Anderson! Save me! Alexander!" Stakes pierced his body, his chest, his leg. Enrico choked, his clothes getting soaked with his blood. There was a shrill noise in the background, like a rusty door being moved.
Is this it?, Enrico asked himself. Am I to die... here? NO! He wanted to say something, but didn't. I was born alone. I don't want to die alone!
"Jesus," he whispered. He tried to raise his hand to the sky.
"Lisa!" She looked around, tears blurring her sight. That was her brother's voice. Could she hear his thoughts, like before?
"LISA!"
Cape Gris-Nez, September 21st, 10pm
"LISA!" She couldn't breathe. Somebody shook her, she couldn't see who. "LISA!" She gasped. The rusty-door-sound broke off. Her face was wet and her throat hot and dry. She was shaking so badly she couldn't even wipe her face without almost punching herself. She wiped off the tears that had turned everything into a mess of colors.
Enrico was squatting next to the recliner she was lying on, very pale under his tan. "Thank God! What happened?", he asked. Lisa threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against it.
"Another nightmare?" She nodded. "What did you see?" Not: What was it about? Not: What did you dream? He treated it like it was something real and that made it even worse. Because she knew it was, if she didn't do anything.
"You died," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse. She must have been screaming for at least a minute until he managed to wake her. Enrico sighed and pulled them both on the edge of the recliner, so they didn't sit on the stones. He stroked her sweaty hair.
"Hey," he said softly. "I'm not planning to die, you know?"
She nudged him angrily. "That's not the point! You died in this battle. You-" Her voice broke. She couldn't describe it to him. Not all the details, his last thoughts, Anderson's treachery. She had trusted Anderson. Enrico trusted him, without a single doubt his whole life. But now Lisa would never be able look at him without having to think of this, no matter if she was right or not.
She could hear helicopters approaching. The crusaders were arriving. A truck with a glass cube was hanging on one of them. She cuddled into the embrace even more. Suddenly she was very cold, despite her black coat.
"Promise not to leave me behind," she whispered.
Enrico hesitated. "Lisa, it's too dangerous."
She stood up, freeing herself rather harshly. "I gotta clean myself up a bit. How can I attend a promotion ceremony like that?" His gaze told her he didn't have the slightest clue what the hell she was talking about. On her way to the house she almost bumped into four men. They were clothed like Iscariots, but Lisa knew they were not. One of them was the leader of Section IV, Andrew, the technology department. What was his name again? Bern-something? Bernard? So the others had to be from the other sections as well. How strange that she didn't even know what they looked like. Enrico had dropped the names from time to time, but she had no faces to match because she had never met them personally. She dodged them and made sure they hadn't seen her. She didn't need to give them even more gossip material.
The house was open and quiet. The old archbishop, Matthieu, seemed to have retreated to his bedroom. Wait, what?
Lisa checked the clock. 10 pm. Dear God, no! How could she have slept so long? How could she have slept at all?
She dug out her phone and made sure nobody was around. The living room, the kitchen, everything was dim and empty. She chose Caitlyn's number in her address book, only called CM, for Caitlyn Morris. "Forgive me brother," she whispered, before she tapped on dial.
Connecting took a few seconds in which Lisa could only hear her hammering heart. Then the call was taken. Caitlyn sounded tired. "Hello? Who are you?"
"Lady Hellsing, it's Lisa Hamilton. Maxwell. Whatever. Listen, Millennium is on its way to London. And... and the Vatican will attack too. I don't think you have much more time. Get the people out of there. Please. And don't tell anyone I called you." She felt like the traitor she was saying this.
There was a whisper at the other end, almost too quiet to be heard. "Thank you."
Lisa rang off and fell on the sofa, her shaking legs refusing to carry her. The cushions felt icy and were almost painful on her skin. She put the phone back into her pocket and wiped her face. She had done the right thing. Now she had to save her brother. In her dream, he had been alone. So all she had to do was to make sure that in reality he would not be. In theory, everything sounded so simple.
Lisa got up. She was a paladin, a servant of God, and a sister. There would be enough time to cry later. She had a job to do.
Enrico looked after Lisa until she vanished in the direction of the houses. They really had to do something about that. It hadn't been that bad since Lisa was adopted. The one or other nightmare was normal – he had them too. But first Scotland and now this. He almost got a heart attack and then fell off the recliner when Lisa woke him with her screaming.
You died in this battle. It had just been a dream. Lisa was worried about him and that was only natural. This crusade would be dangerous, not just because of Millennium's army. Vladimira was still on that ship, but she would not stay there forever. Until then, Anderson had to be ready to take her on. It was now or never, for all of them.
He brushed his hair and fixed his ponytail. It was quite a bit too early and he would have liked to have a bit more sleep, but after this, sleeping was out of the question. The knights were arriving and waited for him, but the battle hadn't even started yet. He yawned.
"Your Excellency." He jumped to his feet, more in a reflex. What the hell were they doing here?
Aidan Finch, leader of Section III, Matthew, the holy relic administration bureau.
Cesare Bernard, leader of Section IV.
Boris Dragovic, dubbed "the dragon", leader of Section V, Philip, responsible for all vehicles.
They were all clothed like Iscariots. Enrico managed not to display an emotion.
"Good evening," he said calmly. "What a... surprise to see you."
A younger man pushed to the front. He had been concealed by the dragon, who didn't get his name for no reason. He was almost as tall as Anderson and the young man, almost a boy, looked like a... little rat. Enrico didn't react, although he would have loved to punch the boy the moment he saw him.
"We needed to see your quite remarkable success and congratulate you," the boy said.
Enrico forced himself to a smile. "Hayate Makube. What are you doing here?" Cornelius' minion and basically personal servant. The little brat had never made a secret he wanted to succeed Enrico once Cornelius had pushed him off his so-called throne, and the old bastard had given his full support.
"Section VIII wants to express their full support and wish you the best of luck in this, for all our sake." He smiled his disgusting sly grin. Then he put on a regretful expression. "After the recent, most unfortunate demise of our leader, the honorable Bishop Cornelius, I as his appointed successor felt it appropriate to come by anyway. We are all on the same side after all."
"Of course," Enrico said and managed a quite convincing smile. "Thank you. It is... reassuring to know you have my back in this huge task." Funny. 'Thou shalt not bear any false witness against thy neighbor'. So far, Caitlyn has proven more true to this commandment than any of us.
"We are also here to ask you a few questions. As friends," Finch added. He was a bureaucrat, a historian, tall and bespectacled, who was not interested in politics. He would prove to be the biggest help, if Enrico took care what he said. And he had to, if he wanted to survive this politically. The dragon and Bernard were not such a big threat either. But Makube wanted him down by all means.
"Go ahead. I think we have enough time." The helicopters stood still, no sign of any crusaders. They had still one hell of a lot of time. First, Millennium would do their part, and Iscariot would capture Caitlyn.
"You gave the order to capture Lady Hellsing alive," Bernard said.
"Indeed. Do you disagree?"
"Not at all," Makube said immediately and cut off the dragon, who did not look pleased. An idea formed in the back of Enrico's mind. John was not exactly popular in any of the other sections, and Makube was an upstart, thanks to Cornelius, who liked his butt kissed by everyone.
"We were just wondering what you have in mind for her. She is the leader of our worst enemy, Hellsing."
"She's barely more than a child," Enrico said, pretending to be amused. He didn't like where this was going. "Once Anderson has disposed of the vampires, Hellsing is no threat anymore."
"Of course, of course," Makube agreed, this time interrupting Finch, who wanted to say something. He frowned. The man was normally good-humored and patient, but Makube had something to his person that caused instant dislike.
"But nevertheless, she could become a threat. Somebody able to control two powerful vampires is a force to be reckoned with, right? Of course," he added with a smile. "I have to rely on the judgment of Section XIII in this. We at John are not the experts."
"The vampires obey Caitlyn Hellsing because of a spell cast one hundred and thirty years ago. Not more. There is nothing all too remarkable about her."
"Then why leave her alive? As leverage?"
"We won't need leverage," Enrico said, but Makube interrupted him.
"This is an inquisition, and she is a leader of the heathens," the boy said to the other three. "We should burn her at the stake."
Finch raised an eyebrow, but the dragon nodded slowly. "The heathens should be shown immediately what happens to those who oppose our God," he said in his heavy Slavic accent, but perfect English. Enrico stared at them as the dragon and Makube discussed how this event should be staged, the process, and the actual death sentence, if she should get relief by being shot if she was cooperative. They were quite colorful in their descriptions and Enrico could not help the one or other image to emerge from the depth of his mind, forged by history lessons and movies. They made him shiver. Caitlyn at the stake?
"No."
The four men turned around and looked at him, displaying a variety of reactions from mild confusion to malignant satisfaction and anger.
"'No'?", Makube said pointedly confused. "You as an Iscariot should be pleased by that thought. Or..." His eyes lit up. This brat was one hell of a good actor, that much was certain. "Oh Father Maxwell, I never thought it was true."
Enrico felt his pulse throb. Careful now. He had walked right into a trap he could not have avoided, unless he wanted to see Caitlyn burn at the stake. And that thought scared him more than he wanted to admit. "Excuse me? I'm not sure if I understand what you mean."
Makube smiled even wider. "Rumor has it you two... Your Excellency and Lady Hellsing worked quite well together, both at the meeting in the Imperial War Museum and the conference just yesterday. Also, you seem to be somewhat similar. It is not difficult to assume there is a mutual affection in the range of possibilities."
Enrico blinked at him. Then he started laughing. The other bishops stared at him in utter confusion. It took Enrico a moment to get himself under control. "Excuse the outbreak. So that was what nobody wanted to tell me about," he said eventually. The laugh had only started off as a fake. It was actually pretty funny, and logical, to assume Makube would continue whatever plan Cornelius had prepared. "I suppose it should have crossed my mind. I just never assumed my reputation was so low that somebody might believe in such a ridiculous thing." Iscariot is supposed to hunt down monsters and heretics. How much of my job actually consists of acting and politics instead?
Enrico went ahead before Makube could prepare another attack, one he couldn't dodge that easily. "But it is good to see my plan worked. You have to know, I intended Lady Hellsing to like me. She thinks I'm her ally. The only one, even. I assumed that was clear to you, seeing that John and Iscariot worked so closely together the last weeks."
"Of course. I never believed that one instant," Makube said. The other three frowned and Enrico was almost stunned how brave or foolish the boy was to tell such a blatant lie. But nobody called him out.
"See, religion has no direct influence on Caitlyn Hellsing's behavior. She recognizes the Vatican as a hostile force, but only on a political level. She does not grasp the concept of being arch enemies because of their heresy." The dragon frowned. Bernard and Finch raised their eyebrows. Makube glared at him. Enrico shrugged his shoulders. "I was just as surprised as you are now. But that is only to our-" Makube interrupted him again.
"What about that incident at the Imperial War Museum?"
Enrico felt his eye twitch. The little prick was getting on his nerves, but he needed to stay calm. "As I already explained to his Holiness and the late Bishop Cornelius, that was an unfortunate misunderstanding." Alright, that sounded a bit more aggressive than it should. "She bears me no ill will."
"Why Lady Hellsing? A puppet ruler will do just fine," Makube criticized. Finch, who had said nothing at all yet, exchanged a glance with the dragon and Bernard. They seemed to decide to keep out of the conversation for now. Finch nodded at Enrico, which Makube didn't see.
Go ahead. Explain your plan, convince us.
"The British public will need a new leader they don't perceive as foreign," Enrico explained. "as I was about to say, Lady Hellsing might be the only person in the British nobility ready to support us."
"Or stab our back," Makube replied.
"She is not that type of person." Damn. What kind of statement was that? Makube had tricked him and he had fallen for it.
The brat raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what type of person, in your opinion, is she, if I may ask?"
"Desperate and gullible," Enrico said in a tone of voice similar to a dismissive gesture. "She has no real supporters in her country once the queen is gone. Whereas we, meaning her and me, worked quite well together."
"Indeed," Makube said slowly. "Excuse me if I seem rude, but are you sure you are not underestimating her? Her actions concerning the Eagle situation seemed quite well-organized and thought through."
"She had professionals at her side. Also, sending her strongest weapon into a prison does not strike me as "thought through". But maybe you have a different understanding of that phrase."
Makube opened his mouth to retort something, but the dragon laid a hand on his shoulder. Makube froze. The hand looked big enough to squish him to bits in less than a second.
"We appreciate your enthusiasm," Bernard said too warmly to be honest. Makube glared at nobody in particular, but didn't dare to protest. "Your Excellency, Archbishop Maxwell, you have to know Section VIII was tasked with checking if you were the right person to lead this crusade. It is nothing personal, I assure you."
"Of course not," Enrico waved it off. "I appreciate your thoroughness. ...Did you call me Archbishop?" He must have misheard while figuring out if the others really meant it well or if they just waited for his fall like most. That couldn't be. He would turn 28 in two weeks. He already had been the youngest bishop in centuries.
The others exchanged a glance. "Seems like I just spoilered you," Finch said. "Sorry."
Enrico managed a laugh that sounded relaxed and good-humored like it was fitting for an archbishop, but inside him joy and incredulity were roaring. "No problem at all. I'll pretend it didn't happen." That evoked smiles. Makube stared at him in envy he just couldn't conceal. He was just a simple priest. Yet, according to himself. Would Cornelius really make him his successor? That would contradict his behavior of the last three years. Makube was 25, not even one year older than Enrico had been. Then again, Cornelius needed loyal men, and had of course not planned on dying. Him as the chief of Section VIII might be a problem. But for now there were more important things to attend to. Where was Lisa, anyway? How long could it take her to get herself together? He knew he was being silly, it had just been a dream like in Scotland, but he wanted to know more about it. About his death.
"Your Excellency, I hope you don't mind the question," Makube said. The way he talked, calling Enrico Excellency had to hurt him almost physically. Just what he deserved. "Paladin Lisa Hamilton stayed here, right?"
"Yes indeed. Why?" He sighed and looked at Bernard, Finch and the dragon. "It is about these ridiculous rumors again, isn't it? Maybe you're right." Makube's jaw dropped. "It wouldn't be the first time I get to hear I'm overly protective of her. It's just a reflex, if you will. No matter what, I'll always be her older brother."
Something slightly scary happened: The dragon smiled. As far as Enrico knew that happened about once in a decade and then everybody ran because there surely would be a reason to do so. They just didn't want to find out which. "You are absolutely right," he said in his heavy Slavic accent. Enrico had already been cursing herself for showing himself to be so vulnerable. Makube, who had surely wanted to use it against him just this instant, broke off before saying anything.
"Family is important," the dragon stated and that meant Makube would keep his mouth shut. "You should take care of it."
Enrico turned this statement over for a moment. Dragovic had no political ambitions as far as he knew. No matter form what angle he looked at it, it was just a well-meant warning.
"Excuse me," Makube said, and stomped off. Enrico didn't like where this conversation had ended. He should check on Lisa, and soon.
"Maxwell," Dragovic said warmly. Enrico winced. The dragon's dark eyes in the roughly shaped face were full of... pain and worry? He was reading too much into this, Enrico decided. He was not like Caitlyn, who obviously could read people like an open book if she wanted to.
"In the end, family is all you have." Ha laid a hand on Enrico's shoulder, just for a moment. It was just as heavy and slightly scary as it had looked on Makube. But the dragon only meant it well, Enrico was sure for some reason. Maybe there was a reason the dragon, a strong and intelligent man, had never tried to get any further in the hierarchy. He was so unremarkable in the gears of politics that Enrico had never really checked on him.
He cleared his throat. "I didn't even thank you for your unlimited support yet. I'm sure there were... some discussions why Section XIII would get the honor to lead our reconquista. Without Section V this would not be possible."
"Not necessary," the dragon said curtly. He looked past Enrico just as Finch called: "Your Excellency!"
Bernard and Finch had walked about half the way to the top of the cliffs overlooking the British Channel. In the distance, bright lights were illuminating the horizon. The surveillance group had just sent a report to Enrico's invaluable phone where pretty much everything ended up eventually, but he didn't need to check. These lights could only mean one thing. They were beautiful.
Where was Lisa? She should see this. For that matter, where was Caitlyn? Still in the middle of the city, taking care of the HMS Eagle? Would she be alright until Anderson and the others found her?
Enrico slowly walked up to the edge of the cliff. The water seemed so still from the distance, but here, it was tearing at the rock under his feet. He could feel it roaring, a divine force of nature. Just like they would be.
He smiled. "The battle of London has begun."
For the part of Makube, I have to thank catsvsdogscatswin, because she gave me the idea of making him the guy he is now in the first place. There is this theory that Chief Makube from the epilogue is the young priest from Volume 6, but we both agreed that Enrico's successor is waaaaay too creepy to have been such a cute kid. So there you go: Slimy, creepy young Makube.
Heinkel is listening to "Carry on wayward son" by Kansas if you couldn't tell. I'm a Supernatural fan and I think that song fit her really well.