Midian Evolution

A.N Now that I've had a chance to cool off, I'm posting again. I'm leaving "chapter 12" up for two reasons. The first is to remind myself not to throw a tantrum. The second is to remind others how an author feels when receiving little feedback. High-handed of me, maybe, but I'm not a developed enough personality to resist. So, thank you to the ones who tried to get me out of the clock tower by reviewing and voting. I do appreciate the effort, truly.
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“Decent burial indeed,” Alucard laughed. He clapped his hands and the body disintegrated into ash. “There’s a reason I’m called Hellsing’s trash-man.” He sauntered to his chair, dropped into it, and favored me with a maniacal grin. “Come here, police girl.”

I went to him. He pulled me into his lap. I straddled hard muscle and bone, squirming to get comfortable. “Master, you’re like sitting on skin-covered concrete,” I complained.

“I always was a hard man.” He grabbed my arms, pulling me flush to his chest. “Put your head on my shoulder, Seras.”

I did exactly that, secretly enjoying getting so close to his neck. A lot of his scent came from here. I pulled some of his hair out from under him and covered myself with it.

There is no safer feeling in the world than lying atop one’s blood-sire, I felt convinced of that. It was a treasured, protected place, and he honored me by offering this contact. He didn’t have to nurture me at all. Honestly, knowing what he was capable of, even the smallest gesture of kindness meant volumes.

“You like this.” He stroked my hair gently. “Tell me why.”

“I guess because I want your approval,” I admitted. “Being this close means I haven’t angered you.”

“You haven’t angered me in a long time. I’m proud of you, little draculina. You’re finding yourself and showing your predatory nature.”

Very content, I just pushed my face closer to his neck.

“You’ve come a long way from Cheddar Village,” he went on. “Still, that place pushed your first step toward your current existence. How do you feel about that time?”

“It seems like it’s so far away,” I murmured, thinking. “I was dead until you killed me. Isn’t that strange?”

“No, it isn’t strange at all.” He tucked me more firmly against him. “I gave you a second life, filled with sensation and potential. And, you have even more potential than you realize.”

He fell silent, and so did I. I wondered why we were just sitting down here. Usually, my master had an agenda.

He felt warmer than usual. I wanted to hear his heart, but currently it didn’t beat. A sort of sly impudence crept into me, then. Could I force his heart? Would he punish me for the attempt? It might be worth it…

No, that would violate something between us.

I put my hand over the place his heart should be, spread my fingers out and waited. Perhaps I’d feel it, if patient.

“Even when you don’t squirm around, you move,” master observed. “After a few hundred years you’ll learn the stillness of a vampire.”

I loved listening to him speak while I had my head on him. He boasted a lovely voice, all deep and rich and resonant.

“I enjoy feeling your heat, Seras.”

Ah, so that was it. We sat here like this so he could soak up my warmth. Such an inexpensive gift for my master. I rolled to cover more of him, attempting to make my much smaller body bigger. Of course, it didn’t work. All I accomplished was mashing my breasts against his chest.

That felt good, too.

He chuckled. “You’re like a cat. Writhe upon me a bit more and see what happens, girl.”

Dark pleasure shot through me. “Is that an order, master?” I asked.

He paused. “No, Seras.”

God help me, I wanted an order of some kind. Any display of emotion from him stimulated me.

“Integra returns,” he said suddenly. “I thought she might.”

Yes, I heard her now, and she’d gotten close before we noticed.

Alucard let a low laugh escape him. “Your shields are down again, police girl.”

Damn it. Why couldn’t I focus?

“Perhaps because you’re more attuned to what I’m doing?” he guessed. “Don’t feel bad. She slipped up on me, first. I can usually sense Integra anywhere on the grounds.”

The lady herself entered the room. Her blue eyes wandered over us and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Though what I did felt right, it probably didn’t look at all decent. Alucard wore me like a blanket.

“Are you pleased with yourselves?” she asked, sounding only slightly stern. She’d changed since her time imprisoned in the Tower. Before, she might have screamed at Alucard for an offense. Now, she seemed content to keep her temper in check.

“Are you pleased, master?” Alucard asked in return. “I thought you might find Walter, not come down here to us. Still, Seras and I are more than willing to provide a service.”

If I had still possessed the habit of regular breathing, my lungs might have seized up.

Master, you just propositioned the both of us! I scolded.

No, I offered you and I to Sir Integra. Don’t you want to please her?

“Alucard, you are so inventive,” Integra sighed. She leaned ever so slightly in the threshold of the door, her eyes as humored as strict. “I believe this is the first time you’ve tormented a Round Table official with involuntary bodily functions.”

“Not so. I tormented a Sir Pembrooke during your grandfather’s time. He, too, didn’t admit he liked men.”

“Do you like men, servant?” Integra lit a cigar. “One would think you did, by that display. But, I come down here and find your fledgling wrapped all over you, so I have to wonder.”

“I like power, my master,” Alucard answered, rising with me. I clamped my legs around his middle to keep from falling. “Power is the sweetest aphrodisiac,” he went on, walking toward the Lady of Hellsing. “Still, what does it matter to me? I can take any form I choose. Just ask your soon-to-be husband.”

Calmly, Integra blew a smoke ring. “We’ve discussed you often.”

“I’m sure.”

“And, we’ve concluded you’re a mystery that wants unwrapping, but only a layer at a time. It’s fortunate you allow a layer’s removal with every generation of Hellsing.”

“No fortune, master. Deliberate, as you well know.” Alucard grabbed his sunglasses. I leaned backward and snatched his hat off the table. “I let your bloodline peel a level, and then you put one right back on me.”

Realization dawned in my slow-witted head.

I’d wondered why Alucard stayed with the Hellsing family. I’d never doubted he would stay, but I’d attempted to figure out his motives. He’d wanted Sir Integra to have an heir, been really pushy about it. And, now I knew.

The Hellsings used him as their giant, undead experiment. They made him powerful. They fed all manner of life and unlife into him. He wanted that stimulation, that blood and glory and magic. He stayed because they kept making him into something more and more deadly, evolving him.

But, he also stayed because he genuinely liked Integra Hellsing.

She looked at me. “You’ve never been accused of being too British, have you, Seras?”

She meant, ‘it’s undignified to have your legs wrapped around him’.

I knew that.

I just didn’t care.

Poor Helena had pointed out to me that vampires are free of country, creed, and religion. If I wanted to wrap my legs around my master, and he allowed it, I would.

“No, Sir Integra,” I answered. “No one’s ever accused me of stoicism.” I put my master’s hat on his head. “But, unless master gives you the Second Life, you can’t understand.”

“I’m sure.” Integra smiled. She slowly and deliberately turned her back on us. “Report to Captain Pierce. We have a mission. He’ll brief you.”

Alucard stood motionless a moment, then looked down at me with a large smile. “Action, at last,” he said. “Let’s hope Walter has your armaments ready. If not, you’ll have to take the portable cannon he’s so proud of.”

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“Where are we going?” I ran to catch up with my master, who surprised me by tugging me toward the interior of the manor, not the exterior.

“Right now, to the weapons room,” he answered. “Then, we’ll go to your room. I have to help you assemble a suitable costume for our mission.” He looked about to say more, but he caught sight of someone standing in a knot of Wild Geese.

I followed his gaze to the red-haired man who’d winked at me several days ago.

He was smiling at me. No, leering seemed a better word. I felt him trying to see me without clothes. He paid no attention to his companions, just stared and showed me his rude appreciation.

A little nervous, I cast a glance at my master. His eyes held intense displeasure; the same sort of displeasure he displayed when someone killed themselves rather than be taken by him. More than disappointment. More like…disgust.

But, he just walked on, me close at his heels. He meant to guide us past the unmannerly letch without confrontation.

It did not happen.

The red haired man shifted his body, breaking from his friends. As if in slow motion, I saw his hand come out toward me. “What’s your rush, sweet-.”

Alucard seized him in less time than it takes to blink. Even quicker, he ripped the man’s hand off at the wrist.

The screaming didn’t affect me as much as the sheer amount of blood.

In seconds the man’s friends had him wrestled down, hurriedly attempting to staunch the geyser of red. Alucard batted them from his path, stood over his victim, and dropped the hand on his chest. “Never touch her,” he said. “Speak all you like, but don’t presume to touch.”

Abruptly, Alucard had me by my shoulder, guiding me down the hall once more. “Men never change,” he muttered in a dangerous voice. “Like wolves, they challenge the Alpha constantly.”

My master was the ultimate Alpha.

Well, he’d done it now. The men would never come near me again, lest they share the fate of the foolish redhead. I tried but failed in summoning up concern. No one had treated me as an equal while on the force, and everyone here treated me like a dangerous carnival act.

Except for my master.

He never treated me like that, not even during his worst, most neglectful times.

This regard stood as part of the reason I had so much respect for him. He’d given me value. I’d thoughtlessly rejected it at first, but he’d continued his dark, seductive demands until I could take no more. No, I hadn’t wanted my worth dependant upon being a vampire. Yes, I’d gotten over myself.

I am a vampire, and born of the vampire king, no less. Increasingly, I found great pride in that fact alone.

Master, do you have any other Midian children? I asked.

No. I haven’t made a Midian since before Helsing imprisoned me.

Lucy and Mina?

Yes, police girl. He sounded as if he might be getting impatient with my questions. What of it?

Only curiosity. Am I forbidden to speak of this?

No, but now is not a good time. I desperately wish to go back and finish the attack, to kill.

I quickly decided to drop it. Without the security of the Hellsing shields, all that governed my master was his own self-control. That illusion that someone held his leash would have helped give confidence. Still, I believed in him.

It helped that I had no reason to feel fear.

Wow. Master had ripped off a man’s hand rather than let him touch me. As gestures of ownership went, that really stood out.

He took me into a room full of glass display cases, armor, and swords. “We won’t be able to use guns on this mission,” he explained, sounding irritated. “You don’t have sword training, by any chance?”

“No, master.” I felt drawn toward a particular sword. Stopping in front of the case, I peered at it.

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Ghouls usually don’t, either. In these times hardly anyone does.” Alucard took a big, two-handed blade from a suit of armor and hefted it. In his hands I knew it weighed as much as a toothpick.

“Are we allowed to take any of these?” I asked, opening the case.

“Yes. They are all blessed and free for our use. Notice the bright coating? They’ve been dipped in silver from a melted-down cross. Make sure you don’t admire the edge with your bare skin.” He put his first choice down and chose another, one with a curved blade.

“Master,” I said, gaining his attention. “Which would you choose for me?”

He grinned. “The one in front of you, my intuitive little draculina.” He gave his newest choice an experimental swing, making it whistle as it cut the air. “It’s ideal for beheading, which is what we’ll have to do, mostly. Separating head from shoulders is quicker than stabbing and withdrawing.”

I picked it up, admiring. “It’s curved, like yours.”

“With our strength, and the strength of the steel, it works.” Alucard slid his blade into a scabbard. “You don’t have the height for a larger blade, and I prefer the speed of a saber.”

“Looks like something I’d see in a pirate movie.” I held it up. “Really, it’s more of a chopping weapon.”

“That’s why it’s perfect.” Alucard took my sword, put it in a scabbard, and tugged me out the door. “We’ll be pirates tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yes. We’re going to Alton Towers.”

“The theme park?”

“Yes. You’re aware of the holiday coming up, Seras?” He led me down the hall and toward the access stairs. Suddenly, he just stopped and phased us to my room. “No sense wasting time.”

“Holiday?” I asked, watching him open my closet and start tossing garments to the floor. “Hey, master, those are clean!”

He grunted and continued throwing.

Miffed, I started gathering them up and putting them on my bed. “What are you looking for?”

“Pirate clothes, of course.” He winged a blousy shirt at me. “Change.”

“Master,” I protested. Still, I began to undress. My shirt fought me. I ripped it off and put on the other, blushing even though he wasn’t looking at me. “What holiday?”

“All Hallows Eve, of course.” He chose a pair of brown trousers and threw those toward me. “Alton Towers staff dress for the occasion, thrilling their patrons. They have Halloween themes. The freaks we’re looking for will blend in, so we have to blend in, too.”

“Why are freaks bothering with a theme park?” I struggled to put on the pants. My foot got caught inside and I fell into an undignified heap in the floor.

Alucard turned and looked at me, his eyes luminous with humor. “Police girl, you’re the only clumsy vampire I’ve ever known.” He helped me up. I almost instantly began to topple again, because my stupid foot wouldn’t go through the leg of the pants. “Stand still,” he scolded, kneeling before me. “If anyone needs to learn how to form clothing, it’s you.” He shoved my foot on through, laughing at me all the while.

Now blushing furiously, I tried not to think about how close he had his head to my crotch. Then, I tried not to think about how he could probably smell me.

“Pirates, even female pirates, didn’t wear a bra.” He hooked his finger in the front of the garment, right between my breasts. With a quick jerk, he ripped it. “Hand it over.”

Now I felt quite aggravated. “Master, that was a new bra!” I stuck my arms through my sleeves and finished removing it without exposing myself. He snatched it. With a quick movement, it turned into a black scarf.

I stood still while he tied it over my hair. “I can’t walk around with my breasts flopping,” I complained. “I’m too big to go without support.”

“Tuck your shirt in,” he commanded. “And, unlace it. Pirate women have no modesty.” He went back to my closet, finding the knee-high boots I’d bought during my trip with Sir Integra. “Perfect.” These he changed into the typical, fold-down boots I’d seen in a pirate movie. “I don’t what you’re worried about, police girl. You have lovely breasts.”

Groaning, I covered my face with both hands. “Don’t talk like that, please.”

Chuckling, Alucard held out my boots. “Put these on. Where is your jewelry?”

“In the box on my nightstand.” I found a fresh pair of socks. “Are socks allowed? Did pirate women wear socks?” I asked, unable to keep the snap from my tone.

“Who knows?” Alucard dumped my jewelry on the table and began pawing through it. “Hurry up, police girl. The containment team waits on us.”

Sometimes, he really made me mad.

I finished dressing, tucked my shirt in, and unlaced it. “I look like a streetwalker,” I swore.

“Prostitutes show more leg,” he argued, holding out a set of gold hoop earrings. “Put these in.”

“My ears aren’t pierced.”

“Then why do you have these?” Looking confused, he pried the studs from the latch.

“Sir Integra insisted I have them.”

“Then, wear them for her.” He grabbed my left ear lobe and shoved the stud through.

“Ow!”

“Stop whining.” He treated my other ear to the same. “I could have used my teeth.”

“At least your teeth would have felt good!” I stamped my foot.

Again I got treated to that smile. The smile of bemusement, mirth, and disbelief. “You are the strangest little female,” he said. As he spoke, his clothing transformed into a startlingly realistic swashbuckler ensemble.

His leggings were nothing short of obscene. I looked away from him quickly. “Master, Alton Towers is a family place. Wear a dance belt or something.”

“Pirates didn’t have dance belts.”

“Utter realism isn’t the point,” I said firmly. “We’d stand out if we looked perfect. Besides, you’ve made us look like extras in a porn movie.”

He threw his head back to laugh. Twenty seconds later, he wiped a bloody tear from his eyes and smiled at me. “You’ve never even seen a pornographic film, you little dramaticist. Would it make you feel better if I temporarily got rid of the offending anatomy?”

“You can do that?” It made me wince to even imagine.

“I can do whatever I want with it. I don’t particularly enjoy the idea of being a neuter, but you seem very upset. You won’t even look in my direction.”

“You’re enjoying embarrassing me!”

“Of course I am. I love the duality of a vicious killer who fears catching a glimpse of her master’s-.”

“Happy?” I looked him in the eyes. “I don’t like hearing slang terms for it, or for mine, either. Put some pants on, master.”

To my complete surprise, he obeyed my little demand. In a second he had a pair of side-lacing leather trousers instead of leggings. They fit him very well.

Very.

Well.

“Have you no shame?” I asked. “Are you advertizing, what?”

“I know, pirates probably didn’t wear leather, but you said realism wasn’t the point.” He made us two coats and handed mine over with a smirk. “And you know, there’s no better slang term for a penis than cock.”

“Augh!” I put the coat on and started to strap the scabbard and belt to my waist.

“Other way. You’re right handed, so it hangs on your left side.”

Now why hadn’t I noticed that over the years? I fixed it. “Are we ready?”

Alucard tied his hair back, allowing it to shrink into the wildly messy mop I’d first seen on him. I watched in fascination as he grew a short moustache and goatee. They looked good on him. I could believe he was a prince. Or a demonic Peter Pan.

Actually, he looked closer to Hook, now.

“We’re ready.” He grabbed me. “Let’s go. I’m going to enjoy hacking into freaks. It isn’t as satisfyingly explosive as a gun, or as visceral as using my bare hands, but it will be fun anyway.”