Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Prelude to Eternity ❯ An invitation ( Chapter 9 )

Integra glares at the reports on her desk. “Nothing, nothing and more nothing! Blast it all!” A cigar is smoldering in the crystal tray on her desk and her retainer places a delicate porcelain cup of earl-grey beside it. “Dammit Walter. All over England! How long has this been going on? They have been making a mockery of Hellsing!” The butler merely nods, long years of service lends him a flawless air. “We weren't to know Sir Integra.” Her hand drops to her face and she shakes her head. “No Walter. I was naive, I didn't think. How foolish to take the decrease in activity as something so natural. There is nothing natural about FREAKS!” Her voice rises as a figure slips out of the wall behind her. “You called Master.” She turns her frustration on the (ahem) innocent vampire. “You! Surely you knew it was going on? No vampire activity gets past you Alucard, or so you would have me believe.” A devilish trademark grin spills across his face. “Of course Master. No vampire activity.” Her scowl could most certainly turn a man to stone. “Don't toy with me vampire.” The low growl only widens his grin. “What in the hell is going on here?” He doesn't miss a beat and, smooth as silk, walks straight through her imposing desk to take a seat in front of it, propping up his boots on her paperwork. “They are collecting ghouls Master.” Walter takes a step away as his mistress' face discovers a new shade of rage. “I KNOW THAT DAMMIT!” He grins, tipping up his fedora to eyeball her. “So what else do you need to know?”

Her foot hits a shallow dent in the ground and the Halconnen threatens to overbalance her. “Blast.” She utters the expletive quietly, conscious of the secrecy of her mission. Then again, it hasn't worked the previous three nights, so why now?

She finds her watch point and settles in with a sigh. Inevitably, she finds herself brooding over the previous night. “For no one Master.” With a gentle sound she pushes her hair from her eyes. There will be no more guilt. Fixing her gaze on the warehouse before her, she feels that she may just find a future.

Crouching down beneath her mark, Seras peers through a musty window into the derelict structure. “Bloody stupid place to put a warehouse,” she grumbles, brushing leaves from her uniform, “Fancy building one of these in the countryside like this.” A low moan halts her words and she watches with detached interest as a ghoul stumbles past her line of sight. It is chewing on something unidentifiable. “Bloody hell.” A low chuckle sounds behind her and she pitches forward, rolling as she does, to complete her maneuver onto her back, Halconnen pointed at an amused figure. “Is that how you greet me Seras?” She lowers her weapon when she realises who it is. But only a little. His green eyes glint with amusement and Seras feels a blush rising to her cheeks at her own defensiveness. `Reason number 463 not to drink blood.' Her thoughts are grimly candid though, the memory of her Master's touch and the taste of blood still too fresh in her mind. Her hand rising to rub nervously at her neck, she is all too aware that she is bleeding once more. Csont's face darkens and she remembers yet again how loudly she thinks.

A sound draws her eyes back to the warehouse and she sees that a ghoul has managed to put his hand through the window. It stands there looking dumbly at the broken glass before swinging around and continuing back into the depths of the building, leaving rank strips of flesh to slide down the dusty glass. “Disgusting.”

Seras looks up at the sound of his deep voice, having forgotten that he was even there. It is the first time she has seen him in physical form, and she finds herself examining him. His black hair is tied back and rests along an obsidian coat that reaches his ankles, floating lightly in a non-existent breeze. His garb suggests that he is old, though not an ancient. `I wonder what he's doing here.' Her eyes rise to his face, `Hell, I don't even know why I'm still here. This will never work.' He does not meet her questioning gaze, only stares thoughtfully at the building. “It is an ambitious plan, but a flawed one.” She pales, `Was I thinking so loudly that I gave the mission away?' He glances down at her, obviously picking up on the thoughts. “No Seras, I have been watching Hellsing these past nights.” Her stomach constricts. But surely her Master would have sensed it? “Your leader's attempts to lure them out with ghouls are admirable, but she hasn't all of the information required to succeed.” Seras frowns. “What do you mean?” He glances down at her, watching her expression carefully, “You almost had it before Seras. It isn't just any ghoul…” Her eyes widen and she clicks, “No, not just any ghoul. Csont, they don't want civilian ghouls do they?” His smile warms her. “Correct.” She frowns, “But tonight, there are two in there from the local police for…” An explosion cuts her off and heat blasts along the right-hand side of her body, the light of the detonation blinding her for a moment. When she opens her eyes, she finds herself face to face with her companion. She thrusts herself backward, away from the unsettling solidity of his body. With a chuckle he stands and brushes himself off. “Now that's no way to treat someone who has saved your life twice now.” She blinks, looking around. The clump of bushes she previously hid behind, is now more like a smoldering heap; he shielded her from the blast. Her eyes grow wide as she turns them to his face. “I…” His gaze is drawn away from her. “Your colleagues need you Seras.” She gasps as she realises that there were soldiers hiding in the building. “Oh God.” Turning to leave, she glances at Csont and he nods, “Go. I will answer your questions later.” “But…” Her attention is pulled back to the warehouse by the scream of a man in pain and, when she turns back to him, she finds Csont gone.

His voice sounds clearly in her head. `Meet me tomorrow night Seras. Be at the northern gate.'

Getting out of the manor was easy. For no good reason, it was as if her Master couldn't even sense her.

Seras' breath comes in cold mushrooms of air and she shifts her feet nervously. The sign above her reads `Northern Gate.' Her fingertips travel over the wound on her neck. It has been two weeks now, two weeks and the wound won't heal. Not even with her fairly regular drinking. Touching it has become a habit, it makes her feel almost… human. “Seras.” Seras quells the urge to jump at his voice. “Good Evening.” She tries desperately not to think of all the reasons she shouldn't be at the gate. `Besides the fact that Master would kill me for this.' An inky shadow slips across her vision and from it step Csont. She finds herself staring at him, taking in the obsidian coat; almost a Victorian design. “Ahem.” The clearing of his throat is even more forced, considering that he is certainly not human. Seras' eyes meet his gaze and she hopes that he doesn't notice her blush. “You asked me to meet you…” His smile is small, self-satisfied. “I did.” His footsteps are slow and measured as he circles her. “How did the mission go today Seras? Did you catch them?” His tone is not mocking, but she feels a flood of confidence from him that tells her he knows the answer. She shivers at the unsettling thought of their strange bond, so like that of her Master but also… different. She fixes him with a steady gaze. “The mission failed. There were four soldiers inside the building at the time of the explosion.” “And the two killed on the outside.” Her eyes snap up to his. “You were there the whole time?” “Yes.” Seras feels a frown pull at her features. “If you know something Csont,” He holds up a slender, gloved hand to stop her. “That's why I asked you here Seras. This thing… I cannot explain it.” His gaze slips from hers into the darkness. “What they are doing, what we are doing, you have to see.”

Her breath, however unnecessary, catches and she feels the betrayal seep into her. “We?” she takes a step back, “You're… you're one of them?” Tears threaten and suddenly she realises how stupid she has been. She has let another in, she has been thinking of him as a friend, a teacher, a comrade. “Why…?” His eyes are locked on hers and he can see the tension in his jaw. “I have been watching you Seras, watching you and watching Hellsing.” His eyes lift to the manor behind them. “Hellsing is my assignment.” Seras' entire body is tensed, the only thing keeping her in place is his voice. Somewhere, something inside of her, has to know. Has to know why. “When I saw you Seras, I knew you were it. Our organization…” He pauses, “It is out of control. The things that we are doing, in the name of our Master, they are… unspeakable.” His ivy orbs flash with something frightening and Seras feels a shiver run down her spine. oh how she longs for the comforting presence of her Master, terrifying but constant. “I have waited as long as I dare Seras but tonight, you are as ready as I can make you in the time I have. Tonight you must see what you're up against.” His eyes grow pleading. “You must come with me.”

Okay, another cliff hanger, I am sorry but the chapter would have just been too long. We're back on track with the storyline now though, I think there will only be three or four more chapters, so thank you to everyone that is reading and if you have any suggestions or opinions, I would value your input. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: Hellsing is not mine. If it was, I'd be working on another anime series :)