Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Private War ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Hellsing and all other associated copyrights owned by Kouta Hirano and others. Should any one of these parties wish it, I will remove this story at once.

It had been bad before, but not like this.

Blood stained the once bright floors of the placid entrance. Men rushed by, medics struggled with triage. Confusion and noise prevailed, men screamed and chaplains prayed over men the doctors could not save.

Integra watched it all unfold. Iscariot had been good enough to inform her that some members had gone rogue and planned an ambush. One minute before the ambush was sprung. Retribution would come, somehow, she would see to it. Now, she needed to see, to know how many men lost, crippled and maimed.

Away from the maelstrom one solitary place was kept from the chaos. One man was left alone, laid out on a bed, almost reverently. No doctor or chaplain had attended, nor even seemed to notice the wrecked and ruined body.

He had been burned so horribly that little flesh remained, only a blackened skeleton barely covered with chunks of flesh and the thin ashes of his uniform. Avoiding the pandemonium, Integral quietly slid over trying to recognize the brave, fallen soldier. She stood over him looking for dog-tags, a chart, anything. As she examined him, the head rolled over and the one eye not sealed shut opened.

It was Seras.

“Bishop Ingram Smith should have given better warning. Ensure his successors do”, Integral said, her shaking hand pushing the map over her desk to him. She wanted to order him to kill everyone, to just slaughter the whole church, but she couldn't, too many were against her on the Round Table, too many games being played.

A gloved hand slowly descended to the scrap of paper, resting momentarily as if savoring the moment . Alucard's eyes never left Integra's. He picked it up, and raised to his face. Dark glee and desire danced in his eyes. Alucard stared lovingly at the map, caressing the stark lines and gentle curves with each glance, memorizing every detail, mind already going through the exquisite details of tonight's horror.

“No one must know, Alucard”, Integra interjected, catching his line of thought.

He looked hurt for an instant. Then his sadistic half-smile returned; he would ensure that the murder would remain between the two of them.

“By your Order, Master”, and he was gone.

Integra let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She didn't want him to start baiting her over this. It would be too easy for Alucard to set her off and make her do something that she would regret.

Her hands were still shaking, from rage or fright she could not tell. She snatched a cigar and lit it, inhaling furiously, trying to get the images of pain and death from her mind.

The survivors had been looked over for wounds, anything not life threatening were bandaged and told to report to the courtyard. There was no calm reflection on their lives, no peaceful rest for the battered and bruised. Only a maelstrom of hate and fury.

“This is fooking bullshite!”

“Calm down, Malcolm”

“We lose more to them than the god-damn blood-suckers!”

“Jack, please, just sit down.”

Lieutenant Smith was a simple man and he looked the part; unremarkable features, and a bland personality. He was not a great thinker, he simply endured things, being shot at, the screams of battle, seeing his friends cut down, dealing with these were second nature.

“She won't do shite!”

Mutiny was not on that list.

“Just calm down, Sir Hellsing will do something.”

Jack wheeled around, his eyes burning with anger.

“She didn't do anything last time! Only fucking reason were still here is because Seras pulled us out and they almost killed her!”

The tone of the screaming around him was changing. From the simple ranting to something darker: Action.

“That's ENOUGH!”, he paused for a moment to ensure they had stopped talking,”She will retaliate and I”, he stopped, his anger leaving him with the realization of what he was about to say. “I will ask her exactly what we will do. Report to the barracks, I will return shortly.”

He turned on his heel and stiffly walked out. He avoided the nurses and medics, walking around the whole of the entrance hall, trying to keep from their paths, his mind focused on the meeting ahead. Integra had not wanted any further escalation, but now it might be different, with Seras almost dead she might, no, she would order them out, to clean those lunatic zealots from the country. He walked up the staircase, keeping to the side to avoid running orderlies.

He moved slowly, giving himself time to compose his request, and to delay the meeting as long as possible. Integra had looked like she was going to murder someone when she saw Seras. The door to her office was approaching faster than he would have liked. He reached to door, it was strangely quiet, all the sounds from below had cut off completely. He waited, hoping that the moment would give him the right words. He reached out, cautiously, and knocked on the door.

“Lieutenant Smith, sir”

“Enter.”

He opened the door slowly, fervently wishing that Alucard was not there. Integra was seated behind her desk, smoking. He walked around her desk, turned and saluted.

“Lieutenant Smith, I intended to summon you for a report on the situation, it seems more convenient to do it now”, she said.

“Uh yes, sir”, he paused not knowing whether to feel relieved or anxious over the delay. “Twenty-six casualties, Commander Thompson, Lieutenant Ignault, Sergent Hoyle, and all of Alpha squad”, he lowered his head and exhaled, “I think you've already seen Sergent Victoria.”

Integra did not directly answer.

“Thank you, I expect a full report tomorrow, you are dismissed.”

He turned to leave, almost forgetting why he was there.

“Sir, What is our response? What are we going to do?”

Integra waited, measuring her words. After several moments she spoke.

“There are many things at work. The problem will be dealt with. You are dismissed.”

The tone of her voice told him that there would be no further discussion on the point.

“Yes sir”, he saluted stiffly and left.

He walked back to the barracks, taking the longest, most convoluted route he could, buying himself time. He needed to tell the men that Iscariot would be taking care of, and he needed it to be truthful.

At last he gave up and headed to the barracks. He would tell them what Integra told him, hopefully it would be enough.

It wouldn't.