Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ San Graal ❯ The Light ( Chapter 6 )

"You know, it's been two days and we've yet to even see anyone from Hellsing other than Argetni." Seras visibly sighed, hoping her associate would notice her displeasure as she looked over her shoulder at the priest sitting in the window of the hotel room staring at the city below. "Either we need to go find the new leader or we should go home. It's no fun waiting in a hotel and doing absolutely nothing."

Father Czani did not turn his head to acknowledge the comment, his gaze now fixed upon Big Ben. "Better here than dead."

"Oh for God's sake. . . ." Growling, the vampiress grabbed her jacket, slipping it on as she stomped toward the door. "You're a bloody regenerator and I'm already dead. We don't have to worry about being killed. I'll be back before sunrise."

With a crack, the hotel room door slammed behind Seras to emphasize her words, splitting down the centre from the superhuman collision with the frame.

She did not need Joe to complete her objectives for this mission; Seras was starting to regret asking him to join her on the trek across the ocean. It should be simple; one quick meeting with Aiden Hellsing and she would leave.

Scanning the London area for the familiar mind pattern of Argetni, Seras finally allowed herself to disappear in a fog as she exited the hotel, sensing that her rival for their master's attention was still inside Hellsing manor, blissfully unaware that her perceived threat could be slaughtering hundreds before realizing what was actually happening, if that were indeed Seras's style.

But the populace was safe from Seras Victoria, the vampire sworn to not drink more than medical blood unless some extreme circumstance arose, or as in her most recent fresh meal, that her feeding would help someone from a perilous situation.

Continuing toward the outskirts of the city as snow slowly began to drift from the sky, she could only look for similar mental energy patterns to the one she remembered as the mortal Integral.

There was nothing remotely close to her memories of Sir Integra; not a mortal possessed the correct discipline and obedience, perfected through the careful cultivation of the mind, and no doubt inherent in the genetic composition of these recent Hellsing generations.

Aiden should not be an exception to this rule. Devries had an aura nearly identical to her mother's, but there was nothing, not even the faintest hint of the former Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing remaining in the entire population of London and its surrounding areas.

Walking at a mortal's pace toward the western limits of the city, Seras stopped as she felt an all too familiar presence engulf her senses. Argetni. She was going to be furious; Seras needed to hurry back to the hotel.

Damn Joe for being correct.

She was about to blindly turn and in true cowardice run for the hotel or nearest safe haven when the scent belonging to the mental pattern registered in her nostrils.

Vampires are scentless- therefore the mind signature of Argetni could only possibly belong to one other person- Aiden Hellsing.

A wicked grin graced her lips as she started trotting toward the scent, dodging the few pedestrians that were scattered about the sidewalks.

This would be perfect- a late night meeting with the boy-leader of Hellsing away from the manor and his protector.

But what would the meeting prove? That there was a new leader of Hellsing? That another regenerator had been born of a vampire? That Argetni had finally embraced vampirism to its fullest and was beyond the petty mortal game of keeping up appearances?

Suddenly, the entire trip seemed a waste of time and energy. Seras had known the answer to all of those questions the moment she heard the rumors of Dame Devries relinquishing her rights as the leader of the Organization.

Shoving hands deep in to her coat pockets, Seras scanned the area where the scent was leading her- an ultra-modern home that looked virtually impenetrable, even from the few balconies that jutted from the upper floors. The boy Hellsing was inside, and there was another human with him; a middle aged male.

Perhaps this was one of the new Knights of the Round and the boy was on a social call. It would be quite impolite to intrude on their meeting, but Seras's curiosity was piqued when she watched two men- the dark haired one much taller than the red haired one- pass across one of the enclosed balconies in to another room.

So that was the child Hellsing; an olive skinned black haired specimen. Had Argetni chosen this child's father for a specific reason, or was the boy a byproduct of one of her cravings?

It was time to listen and wait for the perfect opportunity for the meeting.

-------

"I really fail to see how reviewing history is going to help me fulfill my obligation to you and your mission Charlie. My mother already gave me the talk about the Catholics and the tragedies they have allowed to happen throughout time; so believe me. I don't trust them."

Charles Radclyffe leaned against the nearest bookshelf watching the boy half-heartedly skim the pages of the text in front of him, remaining silent. He knew the boy well enough to know what Aiden would do when presented with an uncomfortable situation.

"Inquisitions are the way of Rome. I mean, Iscariot still is on their quest to rid the world of heathens, heretics, and hellish beasts. Over two millennia and they still have the same orders."

"And what are those orders, since you know so much of the Catholics, Sir Hellsing?" A slight smile softened the features of the elder man's face, his eyes twinkling with a mischievous light. "Enlighten me."

"To search and destroy all those that oppose God. . . ."

Moving from his position against the bookshelf; the mischievous smile still crossing his lips, Radclyffe leaned over the book, staring in to the boy's eyes. "So what makes Hellsing different from Iscariot? You're both religious fanatics driven to hate each other because some ancient king refused to be content with the circumstances of his life. I spit upon the throne of Saint Peter and the Anglican church."

The boy's eyes grew wide at the comment, shocked that someone so close to the royal family, someone that even claimed to be of royal blood, could speak such traitorous and heretical words. Radclyffe was a Royal Protestant Knight, and yet he seemed quite passionate of his distaste for religion.

"So. . .how. . . how did you become one of us then? Surely one of your family had to be Protestant to become involved with the Knights."

Radclyffe moved from the boy, sitting in a chair across the table from Aiden, hands folded on the wooden surface. "We were the ones responsible for the enlightenment of society, my dear boy, and yet it was through the works of our upper echelons that we became notorious for witch hunts and the control and banishment of demons. That is what gained Professor van Helsing's attention, as well as the kind eye of the Crown. We saved England from the threat of Vlad Tepes."

"Nonsense. It is common knowledge that Abraham van Helsing came to help the Harker family and Miss Westerna, and in time captured and trained Tepes."

Charles could only laugh at the boy's comment; apparently his mother had yet to inform him of the real truth, the one not blurred by pulp fiction.

"Read Abraham's journals and see if I am correct, Aiden. Abraham was a friend and student of The Light. Unfortunately, this was omitted from your family's book because the Order did not wish to be known, but in reality, it was through our leaders that van Helsing received the appropriate advice so that Tepes could be contained."

"You lie!"

"Do I? Go home and rest Aiden. You have school tomorrow."

Standing from the chair, Charles Radclyffe exited the library in silence. Aiden was still quite dumbstruck by the conversation to feel any emotion, but slowly, as he moved from the office, his anger began to rise.

His mother would not lie about such important matters, such as the rise to prominence of the Hellsing Organization or the capture of Alucard! Nor would she omit any information about the most famous Hellsing family member, even if he was affiliated with someone or something that openly supported the occult traditions. Every leader of the Organization dabbled in the mysteries of the past, for it was the only way to contain the resident vampire's powers. It made absolutely no sense to hide something that was considered common knowledge!

Arriving on the balcony, Aiden could not see his tutor anywhere on the floor with him- the mansion must have secret passages that even Madelen had not known of, for she liked to show him all of the places they could hide in case the need ever arose for any intimate encounters.

His only option was to return home and search the archives for the records Radclyffe had spoken of in order to find the supposed missing information of Abraham's life. He would need to have evidence to disprove Charlie's statements.

If Abraham had been affiliated with the Scottish Rite, though he now doubted that was the true name of Radclyffe's order, why would he have insisted to make the Hellsing Organization a separate entity if they had the same basic objectives? Surely, the two groups would have coincided if Charles spoke the truth, and still should be connected in some manner to the present day.

Yet his mother hated the Radclyffe family. She, who had been alive for over a century, never spoke a kind word of the living or former Sir Radclyffes, saying that they should not be knights, nor should they have the ancient titles bestowed upon them by Queen Victoria.

Something had happened between the families, and he needed to discover the truth as soon as possible in order to guide his decisions with the business dealings between Hellsing and the Rite.

The night air was chilling as he stepped from the elevator toward the snow-covered car waiting at the front entrance, and he had left his winter coat in the library. If not for wanting to leave immediately, Aiden would have returned to collect his belongings, but he could not stay at Radclyffe's manor home any longer this evening.

With a sigh, he pressed a button on the key ring, and the entire car was cleared of the wet snow almost instantly; steam now rising from the vehicle.

But he stopped as he was about to take his position in the driver's seat, staring at the strawberry haired vampire half asleep on the passenger side.

"Thought you were never coming out." She extended a hand, smiling sweetly as she glanced through her scarf at him. "My name's Seras Victoria; Hellsing special military forces, retired."

Instinctively, the boy pulled his gun, sending a silver bullet straight for her head, which the finely tuned reflexes of the vampire could easily catch in the fleshy part of her arm, eyes glowing from behind their protection.

"Is that how you treat all former employees? You try to shoot them in the head?" Seras snorted, patting the seat to invite him to sit, which Aiden did, more from the want to be warm than the want to be near this woman.

"How do I know you're not trying to kill me, vampire?"

"Simple." Smiling, Seras pulled her scarf from her mouth as the car slowly turned from the drive. "You're not dead yet. And Argetni would kill me if anything were to happen to you. She's far too old for the round table members to believe she conceived another child."

He purposely stared at the road for a few moments; the tension high between the two, but soon he decided that this little vampire was decent enough, and as the boy relaxed, the car moved quicker towards the destination. "Fair enough. What brings you to my country?"

"Rumors of a new leader of Hellsing brought me here."

Turning on to the highway, the car now accelerated to near two-hundred kliks, pushing only Aiden back in his seat. "So you've found the new leader of Hellsing. Your mission is accomplished."

"So it is."

Casting a sideways glance at her, Aiden turned from the highway on to a regular road, heading for the line of roundabouts that would eventually bring him home. "When did you serve Hellsing? Mum never mentioned anything about another female vampire besides Argetni in the service of the family."

"I served under two leaders- Sir Integra and Sir Harker. Upon the massacre of most of the family, I followed Lillith in order to protect her from Argetni."

The car slid easily through the first roundabout, jarring the passengers in the swift turns. "I fail to see why you would be omitted from historical records."

She knew he still doubted the authenticity of her claim, which if her transfer to Hellsing had never been documented by Sir Integra, she technically never did work for the Organization. "Have you ever seen the Harkonen Cannon?"

"Of course. It's one of the prize pieces of our armory's collection and one of the finest creations of the late Walter Ddollneazz. How do you know of it?"

"That was my weapon."

Aiden focused on the drive, turning the next two roundabouts in silence. If an undead employee was omitted from the archives, one that worked for at least twenty years as a Hellsing operative, perhaps what Radclyffe said about the family earlier that evening was true.

"Sorry to leave so suddenly, but I can't let Argetni find me on Hellsing property. If you wish to talk, call for me. I'll be listening."

Disappearing in a cloud of fog that permeated the passenger side window, all that remained of Seras Victoria in the car was a business card for some chimney sweep service with a number scribbled upon the backside.

-----

The antique stone walls lining the cellar room had grown dark with age, though now the newest tenant lined the dreary grey with tapestries and added plush chairs and a lovely canopy bed draped with airy pastel linens. Only the polished black coffin hinted toward the occupant's true nature.

Her hunger was not terrible this night; blood would be sufficient to quell the desire.

But she was agitated this evening, and for the first time in so many years, Argetni could not pinpoint the source of her problem. Aiden had gone out tonight to see the girl he had injured, at least that was the answer Stephen had given her. Was she worried for his safety? Not likely.

Yet if Sir Radclyffe had met the boy at the hospital, that could be causing her anxiety. No matter how stern her warnings about the dangers of becoming involved with a Radclyffe, Aiden was either too thick or naïve to listen and understand her words.

He would not remain at Radclyffe's home long, that much she was certain, as the only redeeming quality of the knight was the value he placed upon education. Aiden would at least go to the academy in a few hours if he was not sent home to sleep and prepare for the next day's classes.

Chuckling to herself as she opened a blood packet from the ice bucket upon the table, she could only imagine the fun she would have the next day.