REALIZATIONS
She stared at impassively at the stonewalls that made up her present home. She realized with mild amusement she was literally more than six feet underground. The lack of sun was disorientating her. But for Alucard’s visits, she would have been unable to tell whether it was day or night in this prison.
“So much so for the famed Tower of London, I would have thought that the least I would get around here is a newspaper,” she mused. “At this rate, I will have a pallor to rival that silly vampire.”
The noise of her door being unlocked broke her thoughts momentarily. The door opened and two smartly dressed beefeaters walked in. One of them, the older of the two, held a tray on which her dinner was placed.
“Sir Hellsing,” the elder man glanced at her almost untouched lunch, “I see you have not eaten much again.”
“Afraid so Mister Mitchell. I don’t seem to have much of an appetite of late.”
The elder beefeater sighed as his colleague exited the cell with the hardly eaten lunch. “Integra …”
“Please don’t worry about me Uncle Bernard.”
“Your father and I were old friends and you are his only daughter.”
Integra did not reply.
Bernard looked worriedly at his old friend’s child. “Oh Sir Hellsing, the kitchen bids me to ask that you not break the evening wine glasses again? They are running low on stock and we will have to use plastic cups if this continues.”
She merely smiled as the elderly beefeater turned to leave. The culprit, Alucard had been turning up without fail every evening, snapping her glassware while reiterating the same question.
“Orders, master? It’s your choice …”
And without fail, she would turn him down with the same answer. “How about some peace and quiet Alucard?” It gave her some pleasure to see the slightly disconcerted look on the vampire’s face as he promised to return the next evening. Bearing in mind Bernard’s request, Integra made a mental note to ask her errant vampire to stop ruining the delicate glassware. Her “ex” vampire, she corrected herself. With the final seal on Alucard lifted to allow him to defeat the lethal combination of Incognito and Seth, he was no longer under the command of the Hellsings.
A sudden chill in the air alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone.
“Back again Alucard? To save you the trouble, my answer is no and do stop breaking the glasses, you are causing Uncle Bernard quite a headache.”
“Ah I guess there goes my ambition to form the next Bonnie and Clyde duo.”
“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I am not a sixteen year old junkie, and neither are you a similarly aged punk. Secondly, I do not plan to end up as a pile of dust at Father Alexander’s feet.”
“I take it that you would accept my offer if we avoided that blasted Vatican priest?” asked Alucard teasingly.
“GET OUT OF HERE!” screeched Integra, as Alucard caught a pillow aimed at his head.
Alucard merely smiled as he tossed the pillow back to her. “Now now master, there is no need to get so excited.”
She glared at him.
“I will see you in a couple of nights master,” were his last words before fading into the shadows in the cell.
Integra shook her head as she buried it in her lap. Even if being kept in this cell did not drive her crazy soon, Alucard’s nightly visits would.
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Bored, Integra poked at her steak. She never thought she would say this, but the last few nights without Alucard’s taunting was extremely unnerving.
“I see you missed me?” announced the vampire as he stepped into her view.
“Very funny Alucard, and the answer is still no but if you could ask Walter to send me some more cigars … they don’t have good stock here.”
“Well, are you sure about that? What I offer could solve your cigar problems …”
“What do you mean? Ahh …” Integra nearly dropped her cigar in surprise as Alucard promptly heaved a dead body onto the floor in front of her.
“Alucard what is the meaning of …”
“Don’t you think that with sufficient mutilation, it could pass off as you? Although it did take me a while to find a suitable candidate for the task ...”
“That is not funny Alucard.” Integra stared at the body with horrid fascination. Its build was almost similar to hers. The hair looked like it had just been bleached blond but what really amazed her was the fact that their skin tones were almost identical.
“I had to dye the hair. But other than that, it is perfect body double is it not?”
“Alucard, THAT is a MAN!”
“So I notice. But how easy is it to find a woman of your build?” Alucard smirked as he caught the annoyed expression on Integra’s face. “No worries master, as I said, with sufficient mutilation, it could pass off as you. Your foolish pride to preserve the Hellsing name from shame would not allow you to just agree to escape. But surely you do not plan to rot in this cell your whole life?”
Integra looked guiltily at the body. While Alucard’s find would grant her freedom and not bring the Hellsing name to shame, it was distasteful it came at the price of another’s life.
“He was a drug trafficker, you need not feel bad about it.”
“I …”
“Now take off your clothes master.”
“What?”
“Quickly, master … you don’t plan to stay here longer than you have to I assume?”
Integra’s cheeks flushed. “Why?”
“They are not going to be convinced if he is not dressed as you.”
“…” Integra was about to burst an artery when she realized that Alucard was probably right, “I don’t suppose I have a choice … would you please leave the room?”
“Why?” asked Alucard turning her question back onto her. “If you are wondering, I’m not going to do anything to you. Besides, appariting in and out of here with a human load will not be easy. As it is, getting in here with the body was tiring and I do not need to further deplete my powers.”
Integra shed her clothes reluctantly. Handing her suit, blouse and scarf to Alucard, she grimaced as he pointed at her intimates. “What?”
“You don’t want them to suspect anything do you?”
“But I’ll be stark naked. Why did you bring his body without clothes?”
“As I said, appariting with a human body, dead or alive is draining on me. I do not need to make life difficult for myself do I?”
“Bastard. I think you’re doing this on purpose. Turn around.”
“Hurry up, we haven’t got all night, master.”
Integra blushed furiously as she removed her intimates. Even with her back to him, she sensed him laughing at her. The fact that she felt so vulnerable being naked before him did not improve her fury.
“If he dares to even so much as think of anything funny, I’ll tear him from limb by limb myself, immortal or not,” she thought as she cursed silently.
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Integra shivered. She was cold and the long time Alucard was taking to dress the corpse in HER clothes was not helping her mood.
“Alucard! Are you done yet?”
“Soon.”
“You said that … one hour ago.”
“It’s barely been five minutes, stop exaggerating,” he frowned, pointing at his pocket-watch.
“I’m cold and I don’t like standing here without my clothes.”
“Uh huh …”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I had known of this, I would have requested an extra change of clothes from the wardens.”
“But that would have given the game away. Anyhow the frailty of you humans never ceases to amuse me.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re the one with a coat.”
“Hush, that’s it. Alright …” Alucard stood back, surveying his handiwork before casting a very amused glance at Integra who was huddled in a corner of her cell’s bed, glaring at him.
“Stop ogling you pervert.”
“But master, you do appreciate that I am not sufficiently appraised of the female body. You must excuse my curiosity.”
“No you are not, you are a pervert who derives pleasure from watching me freeze my buns off.” Integra went even redder as the words left her mouth.
Alucard merely smirked as he walked over to the shivering Integra and covered her with his coat. “And who is the one throwing the sexual innuendos tonight my master?”
Integra said nothing. If she had a weapon then, the vampire might not be as immortal as he thought.
Still chuckling, Alucard walked over languidly to the corpse before sinking his teeth into its neck. Spitting out the blood, he began mutilating its face. This was followed up by the tearing out of the heart, lungs and the lower part of the torso.
“Now everyone will think Hellsing’s pet vampire has returned to avenge himself on their last descendent … the teeth marks will leave no doubt as to the identity of the attacker.”
Integra said nothing as she pulled Alucard’s coat tighter around herself. “Why did you spit the blood out, didn’t you drink it earlier?”
“No, I could not risk it. The wardens would have brought you your dinner and a body that had obviously been drained before then would have been a dead giveaway. Remember this though my master, never drink from the dead. The blood will weaken you.”
“Thank you for that rather interesting insight Alucard. But I do not intend to or ever be even in a position where I could consider drinking blood, from the dead or the living.”
“Do you think I should send Sir Percival a note along the lines of ‘you’re next’?”
“He was always dreadfully afraid I would send you after him … maybe you should. The old geezer needs a little excitement in his life. Can we go now?”
Satisfied with the decoy created, Alucard walked over and wrapped his arms around her. Chanting an incantation that enveloped them in white flames, he whispered playfully into her ear, “And now we do our impression of Houdini.”
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Pandemonium broke out in the tower the morning after, following the grisly find of the mutilated body of “Sir Hellsing” by two recently appointed beefeaters.
--- end of part one ---