Bullet from Hell, Shield of Heaven

KITG: here we go, another chapter for you :)

Chapter 3: Hidden games,


There was a low murmur in the room as white beings walked to and fro from their workstations. The people wore complete white overalls and masks about their faces as the room had to remain sterile at all costs. They walked to the various desks that held all the components for the chips. Here and there robotic arms placed small bits on to chipboards then moved it further down the line. On and on these people worked, the clothes they wore hiding their forms so you couldn’t tell if they were male or female.

Outside this sterile room through the glass that let all behold what was going on, stood a man in a black suit. His hair was long and black; it had glints of shiny green looking akin snake scales dappled in his hair. He raised a white-gloved hand and motioned to one of the people walking past. The large jewelled ring sparkled in the harsh light, reflecting the sign of an inverted cross, surrounded by a snake.

“Report!” he barked out in a sure, serpentine voice.

“The new chip’s progress is advancing along with the set parameters. There are a still a few side effects. But they are minimal.” A female voice answered,

“Explain”

“The chip’s side effects cause the subject to mutate to a certain degree, after a time they start to degrade, this is counteracted by the new protocol we have installed.”

“And what of the new chip designs, how are they coming along?”

“These are not taking so well as the Vampire chips. These new experiments outcome make the victim nothing more than a simple beast, though they are better than ghouls. I suggest you use them as protection only.” The women finished with a smirk in her tone as her face was hidden behind the mask.

“Humm, I suppose they will make good watch dogs. Very well continue” the man dismissed her with a wave of his hand,

“As you wish Mr Serpentis.” He watched as the woman returned to her work before walking down the long, brightly lit hallway. The walls gave off the impression that the building was a hospital complex. Though you would never want to be admitted here.

As he continued on he passed various rooms like the first though the contents would change, from ghouls being trained at how to fire ballistic rounds, to newly chipped vampires. Then to something that looked like a chemical lab as scientists worked with various coloured concoctions. Then another room darker than the rest but with growls issuing from behind steel bars as those within were kept under tight control

He came to the end of the corridor to the lift, pressing the button he waited for the resounding “Ding” that announced the lifts arrival. As it opened he was not surprised to find it already occupied by Blackthorn, he had sensed the mans agitation from a mile off.

“Sir” Blackthorn spoke, bowing to him as he entered the lift.

“If your demeanour is anything to go by Blackthorn…I take it our little transaction did not go well,” Serpentis stated in a bored tone as if the matter was of little concern.

“I’m sorry to report sir, that the meeting was interrupted by an external force” Blackthorn tuned his gaze to anywhere but his master. His sunglasses hiding nothing of his fear as the self-assured stance to which he held himself in the warehouse slipped away like sand through a child’s fingers.

“Police?”

“No sir. The Hellsing Organization”

“I see. Then I want this organization eliminated”

“Sir?”

“You heard Blackthorn” Serpentis walked from the lift as it arrived on the floor he required. The hallway here was innately different from the one they had left in the lower levels. They now looked like a well-furnished manor.

Either side was laced with portraits or works of art of unimaginable wealth. The floors were rich obsidian marble and polished to an almost blinding sheen. Their footsteps sounded loudly as they walked towards large oak doors. Serpentis opened them with little effort before walking to the large oak desk with matching leather chair. Outside the winter sun streamed through the large windows, un-obscured by the black curtains that were tied back.

“But sir. We can’t just wipe them out, and the operatives they sent to us were…”he was interrupted by a short clipped tone.

“Operatives? You make it sound as if they only spent a small amount of manpower on dissolving my meeting. Please pray tell how many there were.” Serpentis eyes glinted in malice.

“There were two sir…a man and a woman” Blackthorn found himself surprisingly and swiftly slammed against a wall with an iron grip around this throat.

“Two? And a woman no less? You let two insignificant bags of meat take all my merchandise”

“B..but sir. They were not normal mortals”

“Chipped?”

“Not like ones I have ever seen” Blackthorn gasped as his neck was released, he fell to his knees coughing as his voice became scratched.

“Explain, and choose your next words with care” Serpentis’s eyes narrowed with anger and distain

“The male seemed to be able to change his shape, expanding like tendrils of smoke though he seemed solid. Eyes appeared all over his body and two great demon dogs sprouted from this inky blackness and devoured my men.”

“Name?”

“I don’t know sir, the girl called him Master only. Though he should not be hard to find out about. He was very tall and wore a blood red ankle length coat. With a large matching long brimmed boater hat.”

“And the girl?”

“Again I know not her name. The man called her “Police Girl”. She was a very large busted woman with short strawberry hair. She seemed well skilled though she also carried an air of innocence about her.”

“You don’t know much do you Blackthorn?” Serpentis began as he came close once again. “If this is a new chip which obviously surpasses my own. I want to know were and how it is made. Find all you can about the Hellsing Organization. I know it has links with the Queen. So I suggest you start there.”

Serpentis dismissed his man with a wave of his hand and he watched in slight amusement at Blackthorn almost ran from the room. Blackthorn for all his annoyances, was still useful. He had connections everywhere. Including the palace…

8888888888

Eclipse moved with an air of someone who had nothing to do. But everyone who had met the elusive Eclipse knew he was normally doing about ten things at once. Now was no exception. Right now he was keeping an eye and the royal children as they chased around the garden. They were children who all had link to the Queen in some way or another, as today was the queens birthday many had come to attend the party.

How he got lumbered looking after the children he was not rightly sure. No doubt the Queen thought it would be amusing. At the moment he caught the Queens eye as one child was tugging on his trouser leg for attention, as he picked the small one up the Queen gave an uncharacteristic smile..and he knew he had been right in his earlier assumption.

He rolled his eyes and walked with the child to the others whom by now were all clambering for his attention. One of the elder children was smiling while holding a Violin, now he knew it was a conspiracy. If the Queen had wanted him to play she only had to ask. He noticed another violin was hidden to one side and wondered whom that could be for but dismissed it from his mind.

“Eclipth pwese pway for us” a young child stumbled over the words with almost a lisp like tone..
“It’s Sir Eclipse Victoria” one of the elders tried to correct the child but Victoria just stuck out her tongue

“Don’t do that Victoria, that’s not how a lady should act!” a woman called over from the talking adults. Eclipse thought they should let them be children first before trying to make them act like a lady, Victoria was only about 4 years old.

“Sorry mother” the child now looked like she was about to cry, so Eclipse picked her up and set her on a his comfy seat before picking up the violin.

“Lets see..What should I play for such a beautiful princess? Oh I know” he tested the Violin to make sure it was tuned before he started to play such a sweet tune, that soon all the children gazing at him in awe.

The bow slid across the strings in a tempo that sung of the joy of life, the tune was gay and boisterous as it jumped here and there in play. This Romanian folk tune filled the room and the children stood up to dance and laugh. Out of the corner of his eye Eclipse saw a dash of blood red as an arm reached down to grasp the other violin. He looked up to see the smirking face of Alucard.

Alucard tested the instrument as Eclipse had done his, before looking over the top of his glasses in question. Eclipse knew what he was asking and nodded. Now another Violin joined the first as they fought and played together, each trying to beat the other. The children laugh in happiness as these two melodies curled and danced together in perfect harmony. They danced and skipped round the two men as they played their tune.

All too soon for the children the tune wound down as if a parting between friends before the finale notes drifted off into silence. Eclipse smiled at Alucard as he placed the Violin down. He noticed Alucard was without his hate, which was not all that surprising in the palace. It was very bad manners to wear a hat indoors. Sir Integra probably told him to leave it behind.

“Please play some more Sir Eclipse.” The children called out.

“No, that is enough for today. Dinner is ready so off with you” he shooed them away and they ran to their families all talking about the new man in red and the tune he and Eclipse had played. But soon they quietened down, dinner was being served and he knew little mouths loved to be fed.

“Enjoy yourself did you?” Eclipse asked of the man standing beside him.

“Humm, it’s been a while since I have played.” He replied his voice tinged with memory.

“From the shocked look on your master’s face, I don’t think she knew you could” Eclipse laughed before walking from the room to turn down the large palace hallways. He heard Alucard walking in step beside him.

“Something you need Alucard? Or are you using me as a distraction..and anyway what are you doing up at this hour?”

“Just trying to work something out, and Sir Integra dragged me out of my coffin” Alucard growled the last of the statement. She knew he had been out all night on a mission. Why did he have to come? he didn’t see his master waking up the police girl.

“And just what are you trying to work out?” Eclipse looked up at the end of the hallway, seeing someone walking towards them but he paid the man little mind as he waited for Alucard’s reply.

“You. I have the feeling I know you, but something is hidden” he removed his glasses and his red eyes bored into Eclipse’s golden ones.

Eclipse just smiled before walking on. “Perhaps you do. Perhaps someone does not want you to remember me. Or I could just look like someone you once knew”

Alucard soon came back into step with Eclipse, just as a servant walked past them, he saw Eclipse stop and look over his shoulder at the servant in a scrutinizing gaze as if something about the man had cause a warning in Eclipse. But he slowly continued to walk on, though the thoughtful look did not fall from his gaze. Alucard shot a look back at the servant as the man continued to walk down the hallway seeing none of what transpired. He looked like a normal servant and nothing about him made Alucard worry. So he wondered what could have cause such a reaction in the normally cool, composed, Sir Eclipse.

“What do you know of Serpentis? Seems the Queen has told my master you are the best one to ask”

“Follow me a moment” Eclipse led the way to a set of white doors; the edges were covered in gold leaf that highlighted the flowing design upon the white wood.

Eclipse opened the doors, which led into some kind of drawing room. There was a large wooden desk with matching chair, but also some Victorian couches were arranged for comfort though they looked hardly used. The rich red leather was attached to the oak wood with gold pins. The walls of the room were decorated much like the door, white wood panels with gold leaf on them.

“White room?” Alucard asked off hand as Eclipse sat on the couch with a large exhausted sigh.

“Good guess” he smiled before indicating Alucard should sit. Alucard took his glasses in his right hand as he reclined on the couch as if he owned the place. His pose was alluring yet relaxed causing Eclipse to smile. “So what do you wish to know?”

“We need a way to infiltrate his organisation somehow.” Alucard studied Eclipse while the man was thinking. He knew Eclipse, he was sure he did.

“Don’t bother Alucard, you won’t figure me out” Eclipse was now looking out the window,

“Then why don’t you tell me?”

“Sorry. It’s against their rules”

“Who’s?” Alucard watched as Eclipse gave a great sigh before locking eyes with him.

“Never mind. Besides we are here to talk about Serpentis not me. As to where to infultrate..the best move would be to place someone into his club. That is his blind spot, he arranges a lot of the meetings in there and goes there to relax. It’s his one weak spot.” Eclipse rose from the couch and walked to the desk, he picked up a red folder, which he handed to Alucard.

“That should have all your master needs. I hear you interrupted a deal? Who was in charge?”

“A chipped FREAK by the name of Blackthorn.” Alucard growled, his anger at the man being able to hide from him still at the forefront of his mind.

“Hum, this may make the infiltration a little more difficult, as he is never far from his master. You would have to place someone whom you could trust…but would fit in. I would suggest Seras. Though she will have to change her appearance somewhat if she was with you last night.”

“Why Seras?”

“He likes big busted women, so he fills the club with them” Eclipse gave a small smirk

Alucard put his head to one side as Integra summoned him, seems it was time to leave. He told Eclipse as much. So they both walked to the door, to be tackled by the children as they opened it.

“Whoa. Careful children. And just what do you lot want?” Eclipse asked.

“The Queen told us to get you and mister Alucard” With that one of the children grabbed Eclipse’s hand while the others grabbed Alucard’s coat and proceeded to drag the two down the corridor.

“You know..I could just suck these little ones into my self” Alucard stated in a bored tone as he replaced his glasses on his head.

“I’d rather you didn’t. I don’t want to have to explain it to the Queen..and besides imagine what Integra would do to you” Eclipse smirked at the images that played in his mind.

Alucard gave a great sigh “true”

They entered to find the party had dispersed somewhat; the children draged the two beings over to where the Queen was talking to Sir Integra. Both women smiled at the picture of two formidable men being dragged by children.

“We brought them your Majesty,” the children chorused before running off. Both Eclipse and Alucard bowed to the queen.

“Alucard. It has been too long. As always you never change” the Queen gave a small smile “I trust you have acquired all you need from Sir Eclipse.”

“I have”

“Then we had best return to the Manor.” Integra addressed them all. “Your Majesty, Sir Eclipse.” Integra bowed slightly then as the Queen gave them her leave, both walked from the room.

“Will they be successful Sir Eclipse?” The Queen asked.

“I have no doubt that they will be successful. I am just worried what the price will be for that success..

TBC..

KITG:ooh. Just who is Eclipse.? And who’s rules can he not break? And what will Seras think about going to a club? R&R.