Chapter Text
The air travel was over.
You were unceremoniously herded off the zeppelin onto solid ground. It was night, the only source of light an ethereal stream filtering through a gaping hole overhead. From the gentle sound of water lapping against a shore and the briny air, you deduced the passengers were being unloaded in a massive cave, which fed into a deeper subterranean system.
The silence was broken by clicking boots, sniffling captives who staggered and fell, and snickering Nazis. You were marched for what felt like hours in this stale darkness, greatly inconvenienced by the inability to watch your footing. The Captain didn’t warn you either. You hurried after the werewolf, tripping over the unexpected change in elevation as you arrived at the first uneven steps to a set of stairs.
Your legs burnt from exertion by the time you reached the top. Every step was like urging the dead weight of tree trunks to move. Worn to a nub, you let out a ragged breath of relief at the brief respite during another stop. Suddenly the air was different and there was wind in your face.
The breeze tasted like damp earth. Snapping to attention with a quiet gasp, the monochromic outlines of the troops ahead became visible. The moon loomed large to watch the procession solemnly from above. A vast black canvas shimmered like oil in a pan, and far into the distance, the light of civilization glimmered like fireflies in flight.
You were on an island in the ocean.
As soon as the revelation hit, you were taken indoors again.
The Doctor wasn’t finished with you despite the daily visits to his lab.
Ugly bruises littered your arms in tracks. The needle breaching your skin no longer stung; neither did you resist upon watching your blood vacuum into multiple vials for the umpteenth time. They were taking several more than usual tonight.
A probe smeared cold jelly across your skin for another pelvic ultrasound. The frigid temperature of the lab in combination with the gel turned your nipples to peaks. These men had already seen everything of you, both inside and out. You closed your eyes against the violation – decency was a thing that had long abandoned you.
The Doc seemed obsessed and stared at you transfixed with wonder frequently, although no one would tell you exactly why. He turned away from the microscope where he examined a stack of glass slides stained with your blood.
“What an unexpected surprise,” he muttered to himself. “Not a Midian, yet fascinating all the same. Her blood mixes well with our vampires’ and does not lyse.” The excitement buzzing in his tone was palpable. “Tell me. Did the vampire Alucard ever give you his blood?”
A flare of irritation hissed under your skin at the question. How many bouts of interrogation have you endured by now? You were familiar with the redundancy in his observations, where he’d probe at the same topic from multiple angles to ensure consistency in your responses. You thought you’d be insensate from the mad scientist’s thoroughness.
His eyes pinned you like an insect. The memory of Alucard unwinding your soul and carefully holding its many facets together in his hands as he had you strung up and helpless crossed your mind. You shoved it away, unwilling to divulge your secrets. Your lips thinned to a line before you sneered, hate seething through your blood as you swallowed back the snark lest you were injected with another cocktail.
“Speak. Tell me everything and do not lie. Do you have any of the vampire’s abilities? Stop hedging, girl,” he ordered as he got in your face.
“Stop nagging me with the same questions.” You rolled your eyes. “I already told you everything between us.”
“I see this is how it will be.” The Doctor straightened out with a dramatic sigh and nodded, spectacles gleaming ominously, as if he had been waiting for this moment. “I warned you to cooperate. I do not have the time to entertain your misbehaviour… neither do we need all of you intact.”
Your body went rigid.
He plucked a set of pliers from the rack.
You swallowed your howl of pain. Another small rounded piece of keratin dropped into a solution-filled tube.
History had proven repeatedly that humans would commit the most heinous crimes against each other if given the opportunity without fear of reprisal. The avarice for new knowledge had led many scientists to partake in similar veins of turpitude.
It shamed you to acquiesce to your tormentor’s demands, but you were never mentally equipped to handle torture. You simpered and grit your teeth through the searing pulses through your fingertips. You had nothing they were hoping for though – no eldritch powers or unusual abilities of note. All you had was a powerful vampire boyfriend who wasn’t here. They were wasting their time with you.
Though the Doctor finally wrangled the truth out of you – that you had consumed Alucard’s blood by accident on multiple occasions during his missions – along with the full extent of your intimate activities. The werewolf had nothing to say. The woman whistled with each piece of information that was forced from your lips.
A pen raced across a notebook to capture this priceless knowledge.
“It is too bad the Demon didn't turn you. The possibilities now that we have you, a living sample. Surely the results you produce should be superior to ‘She.’ It seems you are destined to become more than a forgotten footnote in history.” His glee didn't sound like it boded well for you. “Ahh, we will need more time for my studies. I hope Miss Van Winkle will be able to buy it for us.”
The overzealous Professor dug through his cabinets while rattling off a stream of consciousness. “The timeline is too tight to ensure the control condition’s baseline. I need years to reveal the secrets she holds,” he complained, finally producing a blister pack of numbered pills. Birth control? “Ensure she ingests one around the same time daily,” he instructed the wolf.
“Captain, please ensure none of our men touch our prized guest.” The pallor of exhaustion hung from your face and the Doctor looked at you with his mouth curled in revulsion. As he finished bandaging four bleeding fingertips and cleaning the fresh, shallow cuts down your bicep and torso, he added, “And see that she eats better. It will not do for my unique test subject to fall ill. You're dismissed.”
Your thoughts were scrambled through the pain. Why the fuck was he prescribing birth control, especially if his grunts weren’t permitted sexual access? Eager to escape and not actually wanting the answer, you kept your musings to yourself.
Given the number of prisoners in their possession, they certainly had dungeons, but the Captain kept you with him in the furnished cage of his private quarters. This arrangement nearly made you cry with gratitude because his silence was reliable. Neither did you desire the opportunity to get to know another monster who would hurt you.
You locked yourself in the shower immediately upon your return to the shared suite to scrub yourself vigorously until you went raw, uncaring of the water scalding the missing squares of skin on your body.
There was already a ruckus underway the next time you were summoned. The meeting room was lined with stoked troops, jeering and salivating at something that for once wasn’t you. You took in the details as you were led inside.
The Major stood before his flag with his signature smugness plastered across his face, soaking in the army’s adulation with his gaze fixed on the spectacle on the far side of the room. You reeled at the pile of corpses torn to bits within the clearing and at his feet. Vampires surrounded a group of squealing Nazi officers, who had been beaten down, tied, and gagged. A camera was set up in front of the Major.
“Warrant Officer Schrodinger, the screen is completely blank,” the Major stated with too much alacrity.
The bound men and his remaining followers howled for help.
The screen fizzed and a figure in red came into focus. Your eyes widened in recognition, heart pounding as they greeted each other, but for the first time in forever, your lover’s voice did nothing to quell your battered nerves. The Major made a show of displaying the butchered remains of his former underlings to your allies. Screaming became the background soundtrack to the video.
“I'm extremely pleased to see you, it’s been a long time,” the Major said to Alucard.
The head of Hellsing interjected. “Enough of this nonsense. What do you want?” She snapped.
“Oh? It’s the head of the Royal Order of Religious Knights, Sir Integra Hellsing. A pleasure to meet you.” The Nazi boss loved to screw around. His amazement at her presence was almost sincere when he tilted his head in respect.
Nevermind the important players’ posturing! Sir Integra and Alucard were so close, right there through the screen! She demanded a purpose to the Major’s actions, who chuckled in reply, “A stupid question, Fraulein. To put it simply, we have no purpose.”
You couldn’t stop staring at the image of Alucard, even when the camera on this end panned to the panicking ‘traitors.’ The Major snapped his fingers and Millennium’s vampires closed in.
“You should know there are those in the world who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. That is, any means to reach our end is acceptable. We are the irredeemable villains of this world.” He lifted his arm to salute. “The Colonel.”
The cameraman zoomed in on the dying officers as a man clad in a more ornate uniform cowered, his eyes wider than saucers as he foresaw his imminent death. You got a closeup of starving vampires feeding, the wet sound of gargling and ripping flesh as the last man was eaten alive imprinted in your nightmares. Worrying at chapped lips, you looked away, too perturbed by the wanton violence to keep viewing tonight’s feature entertainment.
“Do not stop until they are completely gone. We don’t need them turning into ghouls,” the Doctor instructed.
“Your lot is insane,” the Queen of England muttered from the throne.
“Insane? Us?” The Major cackled. “What about your country? Or your offspring? We are the Third Reich’s SS. Do you not know of the things we’ve done? How many people we have slaughtered? Yet even we have the honesty to confess our crimes. As if your attestations are anything new.”
You heard gasps from other members of the meeting at the Major’s flagrant accusations.
The Major pushed forward. "If I must name a purpose, then the purpose of all this is war, a glorious war. Anything goes to justify our ends. We will never give up. Try to stop me, so-called forces of good.”
“We have a special guest.” The camera spun to put you on screen as proof of hostage. Your heart leapt into your throat. You froze like a deer in headlights, having learned long ago that receiving Nazi attention was bad news.
The Major jabbed a finger at the screen at the red figure. “Our enemy is Hellsing, specifically that man standing there, their vampire, Alucard. No other opponent is more worthy. We would like to extend an invitation for him to join our arena as soon as he is able. As you can see, the human is in good health, though there is no guarantee of how long this state will last. Come find her, Alucard.” His grin grew uncomfortably wide.
You were confused. Didn’t the Doctor mention he needed more time with you for his experiments? Not that you wanted to spend years with him. He was gnawing on his fingers until they bled. They were going to kill you soon? Your blood congealed. What were they planning? Clutching your hands in front of you to conceal their trembling, you swallowed. You didn’t want to be one of the Nazis’ vampires!
The corpulent Major beckoned in your direction. “Captain," he called. The wolf didn't move.
"Captain," he repeated. Your gaze flickered to him. Still, the giant didn't move, but despite his inscrutable facade, you noticed his entire frame was wrought with tension that was normally absent.
Finally the werewolf took your hand. You were tiny in his grasp.
Crack.
“AHHH!” You jerked uselessly in the vice grip as a nailless little finger snapped like a twig.
The room was silent. The Captain was blank. There was no order for him to stop.
Crack.
You hunched over and gasped breathlessly, peering at your lover through slitted, watery eyes to capture his image in your memories forever, even if being seen this way wasn’t how you wanted it to end. Would it be the last time you saw him? You despaired at the thought.
At first, Alucard did not show any reaction as Integra put an end to the virtual meeting.
“Seras, Alucard. Shoot,” she ordered.
His expression became savage. He was livid, evident even separated as you were. Gunfire echoed until his clip emptied. Wrath lapped at the periphery of your pain as Alucard broke into maniacal laughter. “A splendid declaration of war. Fine, I’ll crush you into dust again if that is what you desire,” the vampire king announced.
“Shooting the messenger isn't honorable,” the Major sassed.
Alucard was doing it again. His outward moods were a swinging pendulum whenever he grew emotionally unstable, his smirk promising incredible violence to come. His thirst scared you as much as the same diabolical hunger you discovered in yourself. “You speak of honour? How laughable. I'll annihilate you as many times as I have to.”
The Major sighed. "I believe our dear friend Alucard has seen enough. Goodbye, Fraulein."
Pain and panic exploded and intertwined in his head in intermittent bursts.
No one else understood how attuned he was to your emotions and thoughts. You were in pain, and not only from your broken fingers moments ago. You were ailing from the constant drub of horrors and dulled aches for over a week. Your suffering might as well have been his own. Alucard never let it show.
This will be his one act of defiance against his master. He would retrieve you. His human would not last much longer under the conditions his enemies were keeping her. If Integra wished to stop him, it would require invoking the full spectrum of his magical bonds to do so, which would incapacitate him and leave Hellsing without their trump card.
“Master! Master!!! It's a trap! You can’t simply walk into the Nazis’ base!” His fledgling hopped around him, having sensed his intentions as she tried to dissuade him from the inevitable.
“Indeed. Servant, she will not be on the cruise ship. Recall the video background. They have already moved her. It is senseless to charge blindly into the enemy’s lair without a plan.” Integra lit a fresh cigar.
Sensing his Master behind him, he turned and dropped to his knee. You were only a single human. But for a single human, his human, he would endure any hardship. He would journey through Hell, fight millions of battles, kill millions, and level cities if that was what it took to take you back. Alucard kept his head down obediently, anticipating Integra’s order to stay put in London while contemplating the words of his reply to defy her.
He caught wind of his Master’s cirrus thoughts before she voiced her decision:
You were worth fighting for. You were a civilian and Innocent as a Human bystander. It would be wrong to let you waste away in the enemies’ hands because of your association with Hellsing. Her honour would not allow it.
“There is war to be waged.” Integra sighed and pushed up her glasses, already planned for this and fully intending to back him up. Her gaze hardened. “They killed my men and turned them into ghouls. We never repaid Millennium for their transgressions against our organization.” Electric blue met his own bloodthirsty irises.
Oh? His Master’s heartfelt support for you gentled the monster in him, if only minutely.
One voice rose above the others, and the attendees quieted to hear her speak. “Vampire. Sir Hellsing,” The Queen of England spoke. His carmine gaze trailed fondly to the side towards the spirited young girl who never lost her spark despite the passage of decades. “Destroy Millennium and protect England. Those are your orders.”
His eyes flashed, echoing his Master and Queen’s desire to eviscerate their enemies. Alucard growled too low for anyone to hear. A rabid beast stretched inside and clawed at its cage, foaming at the mouth for the chance to join the fray at last.
"We will purge the world of the last of the Nazis!" Integra declared to her monarch, a rare outburst of emotion for the Hellsing. Walter and Seras bowed as they followed her out.
You wouldn’t be on the cruise, but the HMS Eagle was Hellsing’s only lead as to your whereabouts. It had been hijacked by someone on the ship shooting everything out of the sky. It appeared nothing could approach the vessel, not even fighter pilots of the British military. A vampire of Millennium was on the ship sniping at them.
Alucard disintegrated at the conclusion of the summit without Integra’s dismissal.
The following nights, Walter and Integra arranged access to the SR-71 Blackbird through the Round Table Council. Once it was obtained, he was to fly the fastest jet on the planet alone to intercept the Eagle. The aircraft was on special loan from the War Museum and could reach speeds approaching Mach III. He was steps closer to reaching you, and yet it was still much too slow.
Days ago, you had shot the Captain out of sheer terror when he revealed himself as a werewolf. The silver ripped through the wolfman’s thigh, yet he didn’t even flinch. Before the next heartbeat, he was in front of you and already had you disarmed. One moment a gun was in your shaky hands, the next it wasn’t. The monster wasn’t upset as his flesh mended in a sizzling misty light after the bullet passed through. Curiously, the biped wolf inspected the weapon before giving it back and returning to his place by the door.
Finding yourself literally trapped in a wolf's den and baffled by the turn of events, you hoped he wouldn't eat you – or worse. You had eyed him with suspicion, knowing this particular individual wasn't entirely against you, though he clearly wasn't a friend either.
Right now, you felt disgusting. Besides bathing properly, you wanted many other things, including brushing your teeth and real clothes that weren’t going to be shucked off at the next outing. Luxuries that you once took for granted.
Curled up in the Captain’s single occupancy bed while clutching your aching fingers, you tossed about while reminiscing about simpler times, such as Alucard’s earthy scent surrounding you as you crawled into his chambers and nestled safely in his arms. You thought of the manor, of the winding path leading to the dungeon which you could navigate with your eyes closed. You recalled how Seras would stutter around Pip; Integra’s smiling eyes when she saw you with her servant (even if the rest of her expression was neutral as she puffed away on that cigar); Walter’s welcoming greeting whenever you returned to the estate.
You started. Hot streaks crisscrossed your face in messy trails. It was a wonder you managed to fall asleep. Reaching up to blot the fluid buildup away, you only managed to agitate your arm, a stark reminder of where you really were.
It must be daytime, the only time when things quieted on base and when you were not expected anywhere. You dropped your head back onto the pillow with a dull thud and closed your eyes.
Just one more time, you longed to bury your face in that alabaster neckline and listen to the vampire’s sweet utterances in your ears. To be pressed up against him as you fell asleep together and woke with him when twilight arrived. You wouldn't complain about the coolness of his touch anymore or even when he invaded your dreams on occasion to copulate. You chuckled without humour.
You fussed under the sheets to get comfortable on the stiff mattress with a debilitated hand, your face clenched with anxiety and the burden of the future. The meandering brooding led to an uncomfortable reflection of who you were and what your life stood for.
The annals of history were recorded in battles fought and the victors’ retelling of events. Those were things that became famously known as ‘facts.’ But history was also influenced by countless moments where beliefs and values form during unknown interactions between people, where relationships get tested and strengthened and new bonds created.
You would know. As a civilian, you were small and unimportant, a passenger to whatever your jailers had in store for you. Nowhere would your association with Alucard be officially recorded (except in the Professor’s illegal notes), yet your impact on his character was undeniable. Somewhere along the way during these years, he changed. He was still that harsh and ruthless vampire, his civility balanced precariously on a knife's edge, ready to inflict terrible violence at the drop of a hat when the situation demanded it. But wherever you were concerned, you always became a priority above himself. Because of your relationship, he would come for you, never to cease his search until you were retrieved, dead or alive. You knew this to be true. Countless times had he already protected you, leaving nothing but chaos behind his storm. You wondered what would become of this island and its people and what sort of record would be made of Alucard's actions here.
How long had it been since your capture? How many days? Weeks? Were you supposed to be in the Balkans with Alucard already?
Your vision blurred as the jumble of dreary thoughts skipped around.
You missed everyone sorely. You recalled the way Alucard would command the space around him. He was capable of such strength, but was measured in his use of it when it came to you. A myriad of fun memories seeped to the forefront. Alucard chased you through the mansion wearing the form of the Baskerville hound while Pip scurried behind, trying to catch the dog under Seras’ frantic orders. The Frenchman couldn't even convincingly pretend to save you, mumbling that this game of tag he was forced into was idiotic since you were laughing and didn't need saving from the vampire.
Walter was the quintessential Englishman. Even the soft-spoken butler indulged you! His infamous brew packed a punch, helping keep you up through many nights as you were getting used to your new life at the Hellsing organization.
“There's no shame in running from danger, especially if that is the smart thing to do,” Walter once told you with the kind of enigmatic smile only an old man could make while he polished some drinking glasses. “It takes a special kind of crazy to do what we do.”
…You weren’t afraid of death itself anymore. Ever since Millennium caught you, you’d already accepted that it was a very likely ending for you, not that you wanted to dwell on such a somber idea at the time. What you were most afraid of was the full extent of what they would do to you first and how they would use you against Alucard. If only you’d be granted the mercy of a quick death, though you knew that would never transpire.
Your fingers brushed over the engravings of your pistol under the pillow, the gift from your love which the wolf chose not to confiscate, remembering the vow to save a bullet for yourself. You’d end it before they turned you into one of theirs.
Stop it! You nipped the ideation at the bud, reminding yourself of the need to stay strong to hold out for Alucard. It was only a matter of time. A niggling voice at the back of your mind told you otherwise, but you swatted away those misgivings. It was not time to break down yet. Survival. That was what you had to focus on.
…Alucard…I’m scared…Please come get me…
Your eyelids drooped like they were attached to lead. You nestled further into yourself with weariness that had settled into your bones.
Your breathing evened out. As you hovered over the diaphanous edge between dream and consciousness, your closed eyes flickered before you fell right into the downy clutches of repose.
The sensation of being cradled steadied you. From the ether, an unexplained feeling of hope suffused your being, the feathery softness a tangible thing to get lost in. Within the haze of sleep, you reached through the bond to try touching it, but though you willed your arm to stretch out, you stayed frozen. Neither could you call out to that presence.
MOVE! You commanded your limbs to obey. Even your fingertips were immobile. You couldn’t flip around or wiggle your toes either. Unable to overcome the paralysis or bestir yourself into wakefulness, you could only spasm.
All that was left was to breathe and experience whatever this was. You found yourself eager to explore this phenomenon. Fear had no place here, so you relinquished reason and plunged headfirst into darkness. The space constricted around you in the abyss, swaddled by phantom arms that you somehow knew.
Purring. A vibrating cage surrounded you. Despite the claustrophobic state, the tension of days past ebbed and finally you could relax in the solid embrace, like being wrapped in a weighted blanket inside the cramped nest of a coffin after a trying night. Claws ghosted over the nodules on your spine as words like smoke whispered into your soul.
The velvet wings of a bat sheltered you. A bat? A dragon? You must be losing your mind, but as long as your dragon kept you safe under his wings, you would gladly stay there forever.
The creature drowned you in a sea of purrs. Fuzzy and delirious, you twitched and keened and basked in his glory, assured you were cherished and missed.
Everything was going to be okay. You knew this as though it was gospel.
Time was strange, but under the trance of the rolling purrs and the promises for tomorrow that thawed the frightful frost from inside out, you found peace, fully surrendering to the world of dream and fantasy.
He turned away. The dragon's mirage was starting to fade to translucency, slipping away with the likeness of water through stone. You scrambled after his silhouette which was growing less and less substantial by the moment. You would give anything to have another minute, another fraction of a second with him.
“Don't go! Alucard, please!” You chased the vampire to the edge of the plane before passing through him.
He looked back at you. Warm burning cinders scorched your soul.
Wait for me, my little human. His buttery voice echoed.
“Don’t go!” Screeching desperately into the void, you begged him to stay as you clung to the lingering tendrils of dream. But trying to keep him there was a futile exercise, like attempting to catch mist that was passing through the threads of gossamer webs.
Your curdled screams were fruitless. Your brows knit together in a frown as you tried to sink deeper into unconsciousness to stay with him. You wanted to sleep forever. Because you knew instinctively that to sleep was to see your love’s face and waking would be to lose him again.
You snapped awake with a choke as if you were drowning and now only taking your first breath. In the umbra, you honed in easily on the twin vermillion spots casting their eerie lights high on the walls. The red eyes observed as you surfaced from sleep. Never had you been so happy to see red.
There he was.
“Alucard!” You wailed. Mobility had returned to jerky, awkward extremities. Shaking off the fog, you stumbled towards him with your arms out in disbelief, tears already running from the bottom of your jaws. The torment of separation was over at last. He was really here!
The vampire was aloof and motionless.
As you approached that lustrous glow, it became apparent that everything was wrong. Alucard was not greeting you as expected by scooping you up and spiriting you away from this nightmare. Where was the purr? That eye shape was wrong as well.
It was Hans.
The sickening sputter of your heart getting crushed should have been audible.
The werewolf produced a first aid kit from his trench coat. After sitting you back in bed, he redressed your nail beds and splinted the broken fingers. You barely registered the discomfort of having the swollen digits manipulated when a portion of the cruor was rinsed off. He moved onto your abdomen while you accepted his help, disappointment churning your stomach until you felt ill.
Unable to look at the wolf while he treated the injuries, you continued to commiserate with yourself. Devastated, you had no desire to face the reality of your waking life after the taste of having Alucard again. Your chest twisted like an unseen entity took your heart to wring out and leave dry.
It was apparent that the Captain was careful with his strength, though it still hurt. You suspected your hand would be in far worse shape if it had been anyone else who answered to the Major at the video call. If stone could be tender, it would be him.
The bed was as damp and cold as you felt inside. The bags of ice you were given earlier had opened and melted. Tears and sweat mingled in the mixture of fluids soaking the linens as well.
Even in your pitiful state, you vaguely acknowledged the Captain’s expert touch in mending your injuries as he finished patching you up. He was a soldier with a professional healer’s knowledge in field medicine. What injuries did he survive to have acquired such skill? His wounds healed automatically though as a result of his nature. What kind of life did this man lead?
Alucard wanted to die, you recalled painfully.
You ended up watching the werewolf distantly as he worked. A Midian, one your lover would laud as a proper monster. You realized the truth of why he was different from the other Nazis, besides the obvious of not being undead. He was a prisoner like you. Then you considered his muteness and the Doctor's aberrant hobbies.
You pitiful creature…
The strings of your sanity frayed at the edges. The dream had been so real. Your attention veered towards remembering the cushiony comfort before those vestiges disappeared as well. The floodgates opened once more at the reminder of what you lost. The limpid lacrimation pooled as you stared at the floor.
You didn’t want to die. But you didn’t want your love to die either because he was coming for you.
You bawled your broken heart out while a werewolf listened wordlessly.
~To be Continued~
Ch. 25 - Hope on a String
