Hidden Be Thy Heart

Part 1

Integra sat in her office nervously drumming her pen against the desk. "We should have heard from her by now. It's not like Seras to keep us waiting like this." She said with a tone of worry.

"I'm sure we'll hear from her anytime now. Miss Victoria would not worry us like this intentionally." Walter said trying to reassure his friend.

"Still, even Alucard has not been able to sense her. He has the bond with her. It isn't like him to not be able to sense her whereabouts." Integra replied.

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Alucard sat in his chamber. On his face was an expression of frustration. "Why can't I sense her? Surely she cannot be hiding from me. Where are you police girl? Why are you hidden from my sight?" He asked himself. He heard footsteps. The door opened and there stood Integra.

"Have you heard anything from her?" She asked.

"No. I don't understand it. I should be able to sense her easily." Alucard answered.

"Something is wrong. We haven't heard anything from Seras in days now. This isn't like her. It's been four days now since she was sent on assignment to Paris. She should have been back by now, or at least given us a progress report." Integra replied.

"I wouldn't have let her go without you but she insisted upon it. She wanted to prove she could handle an assignment on her own. But I think that perhaps she has over estimated what she can handle. Alucard, I want you to track her down. I'm afraid something may have happened to her." Integra said.

"If something had happened to her I would have known it. I would have felt it by now. She is still connected to me because she is not free yet." Alucard replied.

"You should have insisted she take her freedom when you offered it to her. Alucard, there may be a reason why you can't sense her. She may be..." Integra began.

"She isn't. She can't be." Alucard replied abruptly.

"Go to Paris. Find her and bring her back. Something tells me she may have ran into trouble." Integra ordered. Alucard nodded and disappeared.

"Why can he not sense her? What's going on?" Integra asked herself standing alone in Alucard's chamber.

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Seras sat weakened and shivering in her cell. Blood had been drained from her body to keep her weak and unable to fight back. So weak in fact she could not send a telepathic message to Alucard. A small group had taken her that first night in Paris. There were three older gentlemen, a nurse, and a host of armed guards. At first she thought perhaps Iscariate was up to this, but they knew what Alucard was capable of. They would not have had her kidnapped and so brazenly risked Alucard's wrath. Then she heard them talking before they drained a great deal of her blood from her. They were men with an interest in the freak chip used to make artificial vampires. There was a great deal of money to be made in a chip that could give immortality, even if it meant becoming a vampire. And if those men could control the market for it, they would be rich beyond their wildest dreams.

"Are you sure you've taken enough blood from her?" An elderly gentleman asked.

"Yes. She's barely able to keep her eyes open and her head up. She's been rendered quite harmless now. Guards, go bring the vampire from her cell. Perhaps now that she's on the verge of starvation she'll be more willing to answer our questions." Answered Charles Sarlis.

"Nurse, bring in the medical blood." He ordered.

Two guards went to Seras's cell. They opened the door and approached her. She was too weak to protest as they forced her to her feet and dragged her to her captors. They sat her down in a chair and tied her hands to the arms.

"Now that you're on the verge of starvation, perhaps you will be more inclined to tell us what we want to know." Sarlis said.

Seras looked up at her kidnappers. "I don't know anything about the chip. That's the truth." She answered wearily.

"You might not know anything about the chip, but I believe your comrades of Hellsing do. Tell us where they are." Sarlis replied firmly.

"Never. I will not betray my friends." Seras answered defiantly.

"You're very low on blood aren't you? You've been drained to the point of mortal weakness. I know you must be very hungry." He chided.

"I'll starve then. You're not getting the location of Hellsing out of me. I will not betray their trust." Seras replied.

"Nurse, bring the blood." Sarlis commanded. The nurse placed the bag of medical blood in Sarlis's hand.

"You may think you can resist my will, but I know you can't resist your hunger. If you drink now you could send out a warning to your friends. They could attempt a rescue if they know where you are." He said holding the bag in front of Seras's face. She could feel her body shaking. She wasn't hungry. She was starving.

"You could become powerful again. You can end this torment. You're so weak and sick. Tell me where Hellsing is and you can have all the blood in this bag, every drop of it. I know you want it. I know you need it. Tell me where Hellsing is." Sarlis said holding the bag practically against Seras's face.

"You want to rip from your bonds and snatch this bag out of my waiting hands don't you? If you had blood you could rip me limb from limb couldn't you? You could probably kill every last one of us. Then your precious Hellsing group wouldn't be in any danger. What harm would there be in telling me where they are? Tell me." Sarlis insisted.

"No." Seras replied becoming hungrier and hungrier.

"Tell me you little bitch!" Sarlis shouted.

"Go to hell." Seras growled.

Enraged that Seras would not tell him what he wanted to know, he threw down the medical blood bag causing it to splatter on the wall. Then he raised his hand and struck Seras violently on her face. A small trickle of crimson began to flow from her mouth.

"You are going to tell me! I need one of those chips! And I know Hellsing has it!" He barked.

"I will never tell you." Seras answered wearily.

Sarlis struck Seras across the face again. "You can spare yourself a long and painful end by telling us where your employers are. Where is the Hellsing compound?" Sarlis asked.

"I'm not telling you. Do whatever you want, but I'm not talking." Seras replied wearily. Sarlis struck her again. Every time she refused to talk Sarlis would strike her.

"Beating you with my fists isn't going to make you talk. Well, I'll just have to find a more effective means of persuasion. Bring me the whip. Tie her to the wall. Remove her shirt." He ordered.

"You can do this all you want, but I'm not talking." She gasped.

"We'll see." Sarlis said with an evil glare. He raised the whip and brought it down across Seras's back. She gritted her teeth trying not to scream.

"Still think you can hold out?" He asked sarcastically.

"Go to hell." Seras hissed. Her answer brought the whip down upon her back again. Several times the tip hit her back making whelks on her flesh and drawing out even more blood. She didn't have that much left to spare. She couldn't believe how agonizing this was. Even the shot she took from Alucard's gun after he had to shoot her didn't hurt this bad. But she wasn't about to tell these men where Hellsing's compound was. She wasn't about to betray those who put their trust in her.

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