Chapter 9

Pickman had just finished going through drills with his unit. He caught up to Fergason. "Commander, what happened last night? I was going through a few drills with the unit and the next thing I know we're all asleep. I don't even remember much of what happened last night other than soldiers running through this place like mice being chased by a cat."

"The target vampires that have been so much trouble for Alucard to hunt down found their way here and kidnapped Captain Victoria's friend, Zoey. They put all of us in a sleep in order to lure her away. These are powerful creatures indeed to be able to accomplish such a feat." Fergason answered.

"Zoey was kidnapped? Was she found? Is she all right?" Pickman asked becoming concerned.

"I don't know how, but Alucard and Seras found her. The vampires had dissapeared by then. Zoey...the poor girl endured horrible tortures before she was found. She was near death when Alucard and Seras found her." Fergason said.

"How is she now? Is she all right?"

"The last I heard her condition was serious but stable. I heard she was able to talk to Seras for a few minutes before going back under the sedation." Fergason replied.

"I just got through with my unit. What room is she being kept in?" Pickman asked.

"I can take you to the location but you'll have to get approval from Doctor Trivallion first. I don't know if he'll allow anyone but Seras to visit her right now." Fergason answered.

"I'll handle that when I get to it." Pickman replied.

"Very well. But don't get too relaxed. I have a feeling Sir Integra will be putting us to work as soon as the vampires are found." Fergason said.

He took Pickman to the hospital area. "Dr. Travallion. Captain Pickman has requested to look in on Zoey for Seras. Would it be possible for him to have a few minutes?"

"I don't know that she will be awake. The young lady is still heavily sedated to give her body a chance to recover from her injuries." The doctor answered.

"I'm a friend of Captain Seras Victoria. I think she would appreciate it if someone were there to check on her since she can't be up during the day." Pickman interjected.

"Very well. Please make this as brief as possible. The nurse will be coming within the hour to change the i.v. bags." Trivallion replied.

"Thank you."

The doctor escorted Pickman to Zoey's recovery room. He opened the door and allowed the captain in. Pickman looked at Zoey. He stood at her bedside watching her sleep. Her eyes were closed and her body was motionless.

"Poor girl. She did nothing to deserve this." He muttered to himself.

"I know you probably can't hear me. Probably better than you don't. The lot of words that would come out of my mouth shouldn't be uttered in the presense of a young lady. Alucard and Seras will find the fiends that did this to you." He said.

Pickman paused for a moment looking at the healing lacerations. The scars would take a long time to heal. But he knew that the emotional scars would take perhaps the rest of her life to recover from.

"No woman deserves to be treated like this. I hope Alucard and Seras give the beasts who did this nothing but pure hell. And knowing Alucard, that's just what they'll get." The captain growled.

He heard the nurse coming toward Zoey's room. "I've got to go now. I can't promise I can come see you every day, but I'll do my best to be around while Seras has to sleep. You just do what the doctors tell you to do and recover. I can't imagine what you've been through, but as long as you're here you won't be alone." Pickman said as he left Zoey's room.

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After the sun set Seras awoke from her vampire sleep. She kept her coffin closed until she heard Walter enter her room and deposit her blood pack in its pail. After he was gone she opened her coffin and got up. Once she changed into her uniform and drank her dinner she made her way to Alucard's chamber. She found him finishing off his own meal.

"We must speak with Integra. It is important she know what I learned from Zoey before she went back under. We must ensure our master is protected before we leave. As I said last night there is someone I know who may be able to help us." Alucard said.

"Alucard, can you report to Sir Integra by yourself? I need a little time with Zoey before we go. I want to know that she's all right." Seras replied.

"I will come for you after I have spoken with Integra." Alucard answered before he vanished from his chamber.

Seras hurried to Zoey's recovery room. The nurses who tended to Zoey said nothing as Seras walked into Zoey's room. She said nothing as she stood by her friend's bedside. No words were said. Seras just stood by in quiet vigil while her friend continued to sleep.

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Alucard materialized in front of Integra as she sat behind her desk. For a moment they did not look at each other. There was an uneasy silence between master and servant. Integra looked down at her desk. Alucard looked toward a portrait of Arthur, Integra's father.

"I have news that I believe you will deem valuable to this assignment." Alucard said breaking the silence.

"Speak." Integra replied still not looking at her vampiric servant.

"The girl Zoey learned of things about the targets we..." He stopped for a moment. "I have had a problem hunting."

"What did she learn?" Integra questioned.

"The club owners are indeed the vampires we are tracking. They put the entire mansion under a spell and lured the girl away. While she was their prisoner they spoke of bringing a being named Lilith into the world of the living." He answered.

Integra's eyes widened and she finally looked up at Alucard who was still looking toward the wall. "Lilith?"

"Yes. You've heard of her. She is said to be the first vampire to inhabit the world of man. And our targets plan on bringing her back into the world of the living. It is through her power they have masked their conditions from me. That is why I have not been able to sense what they truly were. Though Seras and I both had our suspicions, I had to rely upon a human girl to learn what they truly were." Alucard replied looking down at the floor.

"Alucard I...I was wrong. I was wrong to doubt your powers. I was wrong to doubt you Alucard." Integra said in a low tone.

She expected a barrage of smartalic, sarcastic comments to pour from Alucard's mouth. But he was quiet. Not a sound escaped him.

"I was wrong to provoke your anger. I had no excuse for my behavior." She said.

"You are not the first master to have berated me in such a manner. I am sure you will not be the last. You are after all a human. Humans expect the impossible. I know. I was human once myself." Was Alucard's only responce.

Integra breathed a deep sigh. She reached for a cigarillo and lit it. "Is there anything else you learned from Captain Victoria's friend?" She asked.

"To bring Lilith back into the living world, the blood of a virgin is required. But our enemies seek a virgin of noble birth. And they have set their sites upon you master. All precaution must be taken in order to keep you safe." Alucard answered.

"I'll need you and Seras to be ready." Integra said.

"Seras and I will have to be away from the mansion for a short time." Alucard replied.

"Are you crazy? Two vampires put an entire mansion under their spell. I can't have you leaving if I'm the intended target." Integra protested.

"We won't be gone very long. There is someone I know who may be able to help us." Alucard said.

"And who might that be?" Integra asked skeptically.

"Someone who owes me a favor. And seeing as the situation has become quite dire, it's time for me to cash that favor in." Alucard answered.

"Alucard..."

"There is no time to debate this master. Seras Victoria and I must do this before our enemies get any ideas. I have already informed Walter of the situation. He will be bringing a priest to perform the ceremony in order to keep you safe from the ones who seek to harm you." Alucard said and vanished from Integra's office before she had a chance to protest further.

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Seras was still with Zoey when Alucard came for her. She turned sensing his presence as he entered the room. "Let's go Seras." He said.

Seras turned but looked over her shoulder at Zoey one more time before walking to Alucard's side. He looked down at her. "She will survive. Her wounds will heal slowly, but she will live. She is strong. If she were not she would have given up by now. The fact that she is still alive shows she is strong." He said.

"I know. I just can't stand to see her like this. She didn't ask for any of this." Seras said.

"Regret will not change what happened Seras. What has been done has been done. But I will promise you one thing. They will pay for their crimes."

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Demir and Aiesha returned to their secret worshipping place. The club was no longer safe for them to reside in. Hellsing agents had discovered their coffins in a secret room and made them unusable to the two vampires. Aiesha frowned as she watched the filth and grime of the Earth melt away from her skin.

"This is a disgrace. Lying in the Earth like common corpses." She protested.

"It is only temporary. Soon we will have new coffins to replace the ones ruined by the humans. Tonight we have an urgent matter to attend to. We must find out if the woman named Integra is the one who's blood will bring Lilith back into this world." Demir said.

"How will we capture her?" Aiesha asked.

"Patience. We must wait until she is at her most vunerable. We must lure Vlad away from her so that he cannot protect her." Demir answered.

"But how will we lure him away? By now he knows what we are Demir. Even if our conditions are masked, he will surely have found out by reading the memories of the girl we kidnapped. We should have killed her when we had the chance." Aiesha replied.

"It is of no consequence Aiesha. It no longer matters that Vlad knows what we are. Once our dark mother enters this world she will destroy him once and for all." Demir refuted confidently.

"We will not attempt to capture her for now. We must feed to replenish our strength. Then we must gather forces to aid us against our enemies." He finished.

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Alucard and Seras traveled to Birmingham. By flight the journey was quick for them. They came to a small stone house on the outskirts of the town. There place was dark as the two vampires approached. Alucard stopped three feet away from the building. Seras was confused for a moment as to what they were doing in such a secluded place.

"Who is she?" Seras asked.

"Her name is Shivana. We're fortunate to have caught her while she's still here. She wonders from place to place and usually never stays in one town for too long. She's probably been here for ten years. Our paths crossed briefly after Integra released me from my prison." Alucard answered.

"She's a vampire?"

"Yes. I did not make her. She became one of the children of the night before I did. We met briefly in Manchester after I was released by Integra. She was not the target I was hunting, but had Hellsing found out about her she most likely would have become the next target. I hid her existance from Hellsing. She was not a threat to humans the way many vampires are. She indebted herself to me in exchange for my protection. Now it's time for her to repay her debt." Alucard said.

"Shivana," He called to her mentally.

For a moment there was silence. Alucard and Seras waited for a responce. The door to the house slowly creaked open. "Enter, son of Dracul." A voice said.

Alucard motioned for Seras to follow him into the darkened dwelling. They slowly entered the dimly lit living room. Candles were the only source of light along with a table lamp that gave off a soft glow.

"Still one of the old world I see." Alucard said looking at the surroundings.

"I've no use for many of man's inventions. I use only what is needed, nothing more." Answered the voice of a woman. A feminine figure stepped out of the shadows. She was of average height with a curvy but not overly weighty build. Her garnet colored hair flowed to her waist. Her bronzed skin and deep brown eyes gave no hint to her true age. She looked to be no more than thirty five years old, but Alucard knew she was much older.

"We are in need of your help Shivana." The elder vampire began.

"I know."

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Demir stood outside the worshipping place waiting to lure a victim. He saw a rather scantilly clad woman walking toward him. He smiled hungrily as his prey got closer. "Looking for a little company tonight love?" She asked seductively.

Demir said nothing as he stared intently into her eyes. Her expression became blank as he opened the door. She silently walked in where Aiesha waited. She watched as Demir led the woman into the dimly lit room. They did not feed upon her that moment. She was put under a deep spell that kept her entranced and unable to escape.

"Your turn Aiesha." Demir said.

With that Aiesha stepped outside the lair and walked several feet away to lure another victim. This time she saw a handsome young man adjusting his tie as he stepped out of a pub. He caught site of Aiesha standing under a street lamp. Her beautiful body was hard for him to resist. As if his will was no longer his own he found himself walking toward her. She reached out her hand beckoning him to come closer. His expression, like the first victim became blank. Since his back was turned no one saw nor figured out what was really happening to him. Aiesha led him to where Demir was waiting.

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"So, there are creatures of the darkness who seek to ressurect the dark mother." Shivana said.

"Yes. Two vampires named Demir and Aiesha." Alucard began.

"Aiesha?" Shivana asked. Her eyes narrowed into a stern glare.

"You know this vampire, Shivana?" Alucard asked.

"Yes. I know her very well." Shivana answered. "She is the one who made me what I am. She took everything I held dear and destroyed it. She and her lover kidnapped me and tortured me for days. Her lover had his way with me every single night they held me captive." Shivana explained.

She paused taking a sip from a goblet and then continued speaking. "After they had their fun with me, Aiesha drained me and forced me to drink her blood. Then for two days they starved me until I was so hungry I would kill the first living thing that crossed my path. I was weak from the torture and my turning. They put a sac over my head and took me away from where they'd kept me prisoner."

Shivana felt her eyes began to moisten. A quiver in her voice gave hint of the pain she felt in her ancient heart. "I did not know where I was but only that I could hear a multitude of beating human hearts. Their blood screamed in my ears. Then Aiesha herself broke into the dwelling and left me there. I was so hungry, so famished because it was my first hunger. I found my victims and tore into them like a rabid animal. At first I could not distinguish their screams of agony as I tore into their throats. All I knew was my body craved their blood. I had to have it. A man, a woman, two young boys and a baby girl...they were all my victims."

"That must have been horrible." Seras said.

"Not half as horrible as the feeling I had after I regained my senses. When I'd satiated my hunger, I took a momen to look over my victims. That night I realized I'd died and been sent to hell for all eternity. The man was my husband. The woman was his sister. The two boys and the baby girl, were my own children." Shivana answered as a tear of red dropped from her left eye.

"I had killed my own family. Aiesha was outside our home just laughing at me as I bent wailing over my now dead family."

"Why would she do something so hideous?" Seras asked.

"Revenge. Aiesha and I had been rivals for the man who ended up my husband. He loved me and wanted to make me his wife. Aiesha lusted after him because he was one of the wealthier men in our village and also the most handsome. When she saw that the man chose me to be his wife instead of her, she cursed us both and fled from the village. Many years later she returned, but she was no longer human. Whispers from villagers said she practiced very dark magic and perhaps had made a covenent with a demonic entity. In exchange for her soul, she would be given physical immortality and great power. This would give her the ability to exact her revenge against myself and my family. But what she wanted came with a price. More than just her soul, she gave up the light of the sun and would become a creature of the night who victimized all she came across for their blood."

"She has wronged my bride as well. A human friend from her past ran into us while we were staking out the club Aiesha and Demir owned. The young woman was lured to them and like you, tortured and raped. We got to her before they would no doubt have killed her or turned her. They have been using dark magic given them through Lilith to mask their conditions from us." Alucard replied.

"Yes. It is said those who serve the dark mother have protection through her power. She will be a force to be reckoned with if she is brought back into the world of the living." Shivana said.

"How do we stop her? If she is truly such a powerful force how can she be destroyed?" Seras questioned.

"The spirit of Lilith can never be destroyed young one. Her essence is as timeless and immortal as we are. In reality, she is a part of us all, living or undead." Shivana replied.

"I don't quite understand." Seras said.

"Lilith is just one part of who we are my dear. Within all of us there is the spirit of both Lilith and Eve. Lilith was seen as strong, rebellious and fiercely independent. She is the fierce hunter and predator within us all. While Eve is the more docile and nurturing spirit. She submits to her mate's dominance and is unquestionably devoted and faithful to that mate. Eve is every mother who loves and cares for her children and husband unconditionally. In time this is something you will come to understand Seras Victoria." Shivana explained.

"Seras brings up a good point Shivana. How will we deal with such a powerful force?" Alucard asked.

"Aiesha practiced the dark arts in my village. But she was not the only woman in our village who practiced magic. I too am skilled in the arts of what most would call witchcraft. Unlike Aiesha, I used my power to heal and benifit the village. Even though I am a creature of the night, I still use the gifts I was given as a human. There are ways to deal with a dangerous entity like Lilith. I will do everything in my power to help you against this threat." Shivana answered.

"When the time comes, Seras and I will come for you." Alucard replied.

"I will be waiting."

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