New Beginning [Chapter XV]

[sebastian]

The moment he heard the sounds of the car, a rare sight around these parts, and the music; he knew their guest had arrived. He he was facing the large window behind Integra; he cast his disapproving eyes to crowds outside of the Hellsing gates and the car. The man who got out simply threw his keys; basically giving away his automobile... That suggested that he indeed had much more money than he knew what to do with. He watched until the man disappeared from view by leaving the window's line of sight, and his enhanced hearing could pick up the main mansion door opening and closing. About time the guy showed up...

There was a moment of silence, and then the knock came. But the door opened, without admission on Integra's part. The alarmed yells of the Wild Geese member immediately set him on the alert. A danger? Before the door had fully opened, Sebastian had three knives in his right hand; one knife hilt between each finger as he held them up, ready to hurl at the intruder. But no... It was indeed some idiot rich guy who strolled in uninvited. He saw Integra wave the Wild Geese member away out of the corner of his eye, and so he lowered his knives and returned them to the cart. Nevertheless, he was still half-expecting an assassination attempt or something. The man seated himself across from Integra, and the butler felt his disgust growing. What an arrogant bastard... Thinking he could just stroll on in of his own free will; ignoring all courtesies...

Sebastian sighed as Integra spoke up about the lunch, and turned to prepare a plate for the rude visitor. Once he'd placed a generous amount upon the plate, he leaned over to place it on the desk before Constatine Harker; and then started to pour some tea into a cup for him. "May I ask if you want anything in your tea, Mr. Harker? Sugar or milk? Any special seasoning?" Damn... It was times like these that he really despised the fact that he needed to be polite at all times, no matter what the situation, as was demanded of a proper butler.

[.:Amilia:.]

"Nah brah, I'm good," said Harker as he pulled his phone from out of his inside jacket pocket and began checking something on it for a moment. He didn't plan on touching the food either, it would just sit there until he left, he didn't even know what it was let alone think it looked appetizing. Harker was unsure if the cooks here took their job seriously or not, there's no way he'd of allowed this to be served to him at his residence. Then again, he always had people prepare food for him even though he ate at five star restaurant. It gave them something to do while he paid them at least. Now that he thought about it, he didn't get that strippers number from the other night at the Dragons Den.

Constantine looked up from his phone and nodded his head, "Right lets get down to business."

He stood up and tossed his phone to the floor. "Alright, Sally project Hallowton." The phone's light blinked once before it released a perfect grid and displayed a slide show. Constantine went to work instantly sliding his hand around and pulling an image directly from the screen, the phone tracked where he was bringing it before he literally set it on the desk. It was a replica of the area but rebuilt in perfect condition.

"What you see there is your goal for this section. What you lack are the funds and resources. However, you did get this mansion to pop up on the map in less than a day, so I believe the reputation of Hellsing is spreading pretty big right about now, you have a riot outside by the way. And I feel bad for the poor bastard who got away with my car keys and got in it... It's going to take a tank to get him out of that car now."

He clapped his hands together suddenly the buildings began to build things on top of them. From where he stood he made a perfect rectangle with his fingers and spread them outward increasing the image by three times making it large enough to cover her desk. The things on top of the buildings were turrets.

"Those are prototype drone turrets. Prototype because I've found nowhere to put them yet. Using this as an example of what I can do I'd like you to visualize for a moment. A section of town that has no defenders but is defenseless. It's a sexy fucking idea, I know," he brought his hands together again. Everything in the room disappeared.

Harker picked up his phone and opened his briefcase, "I know, I'm not done yet. Hold your applauds for later. What I have here is-" he began pulling something from the briefcase that was much too large for its container. How he fit a full rifle in his case was beyond many, but like he always said, "You just need to improvise."

"What we have here is the DRX twenty three. This rifle is capable of shoving enough of a shot through any target no matter how armored it is. Tanks? No problem. Buildings? Pft, tough luck keeping the building standing. Demons? Blood splatters. Wouldya like to see it in action?"

He winked at Integra.

[Stranger]

Integra finished her meal and set the plate aside while he began presenting his presentation to her. She sipped her tea and leaned back in her chair putting her feet back on her desk while he showed her the rebuilt zone and the turrets he wished to install on the buildings to protect the people from an incoming invasion. It seemed all too good considering how nothing ever went right around these parts. Integra set her empty cup down on her saucer when she sat back up and picked up her box of cigars taking one from it. She simply placed it between her lips and continued to watch.

And then he presented her the rifle going on about how glorious it was, "I do not care about your rifle. If it works, it works. I have done my research on you. You are a genius and use your artistic talents to create weapons of mass destruction out of the smallest object. You've been linked to several success stories, of them is the Novalith weapon in Isafaro, currently under the Vultures control. And the Lancer Chainsaw Assault Rifles, also under Isafaro's control. This of course, is not the point. If you can arm my troops with proper weapons and aid my cause then I can agree to allow you a seat on the board of directors. Your money would be put toward gearing the troops and protecting the area."

[sebastian]

Of course, the lack of interest in lunch did not escape Sebastian's notice. He wasn't offended really; guests didn't always chose to accept food laid before them. However, the butler was taking careful note of every action and word that was spoken. His dislike for the man grew with every minute that passed. He finished pouring the tea into the unused cup; and added in Integra's preferences before taking her empty cup and replacing it on the saucer with the newly filled one. Despite the fact that his immense self control was being tested, he managed to retain that sense of calm and grace with every movement he made. Then the phone was tossed down, and the butler tilted his head to the side slightly in confusion.

He hadn't seen such technology before, it was rather impressive; the giant projected map and everything. Then the man mentioned the mansion coming up in a night, and Sebastian hid his smirk by turning his attention to Integra's now-empty plate. He picked it up after she'd set it aside, and placed it on the second shelf of the cart; along with that empty cup. He said nothing during the entire speech that Harker made, and he ignored the untouched plate which was on the table before him. It was obvious their guest wasn't interested in eating; but it would be plain rude to just take the plate and put it away. The strange projected picture shifted; and he now saw those turrets stationed on the roofs of many buildings. Interesting...

This guy had some strange ideas; but logically, it sounded as if they could work out. Perhaps the changes would be worth the investment. But he also figured that this was quite a coincidence... A random guy, one with no sense of respect or manners, coming in with the very plans that Integra might have hoped for in the future. The timing was just too perfect, and everything that would go into the buildings... That would waste much time. With the two armies threatening Hollowton, there was no telling when war might break out. Perhaps it would be within the week; or maybe it would be decades. Either way... He didn't trust this businessman, or the plans he was laying out. One glance at Integra told him that she shared his train of thought.

Then the firearm was brought out, and the crimson gaze instantly flashed over to rest on it. It didn't look all that impressive, and he suspected that the man was all talk about the entire demon thing. Any firearm could shed a demon's blood; there was nothing impressive about the fact that the rifle could do so, if it could. But the fact that it took very special weapons to severely hurt or kill a demon made this gun seem little more than a toy. However... Harker's choice of words... Why had he chosen "Demon" as an example of what his precious little toy could do? Did he suspect that he was in the presence of one of those very creatures, or was it mere coincidence? In every way, Sebastian appeared and acted human; the red eyes could easily be passed off as contacts. This man was human, so he had no real way of sensing the demon... Unless there was indeed something special about the guy.

During that entire thought process, Sebastian gave no hint of what he was thinking. He retained that air of not being interested in the words being exchanged here, as any servant would have during such a meeting. These sort of plans didn't concern people at such a low level of servant, it was merely their duty to make sure the meeting was comfortable. So that was how he acted. Integra had picked up her cigar, and he was about to lean forward to light it with a match for her; but he remembered the Foret Noire. It wouldn't do to have the taste of the cake tampered with by the smoke of a cigar. So the butler turned back to the cart instead; and took the cover from the desert.

He cut a triangular piece from the cake with a large cake knife; revealing the layers of chocolate sponge cake. The piece he cut had one of the cherries stationed perfectly in the middle of the slice. He put the cake on a small, decorative plate; and laid it down on the tablecloth before Integra, along with a clean fork. She had mentioned that Harker would be put on the Board of Directors if he could indeed arm her troops, and he felt a stab of doubt in the back of his head. Putting this guy at such a high level didn't seem like a great idea to him; but he was just the butler. The opinion of a servant wasn't important, and it was Integra's choice anyway. Besides... If it helped his master achieve her goal, it would bring the day of his own feast closer.

[.:Amilia:.]

"Woah now, I did not just give them those weapons. I also made Vulture is a Homo t-shirts for the people of Hallowton to buy at the local shirt market, or what ever these people have..."

He set the rifle down and reached into his suitcase once more pulling out another rifle, this one an assault rifle, "This is the state of the art SAR 20 Assault Rifle. Comes with a .223 caseless rounds, the rounds you load into it are custom made for the job you need done. Silver rounds? No problem. Blessed with mystical powers, done. Need something that explodes? No rounds needed, 40mm CO2 powered grenade launcher attachment.

"There was a vampire showdown in Isafaro a week ago. This S class Vampire had a grenade launcher that she loaded with frag rounds, holy water rounds, and so on so forth. So I've come up with about thirty different shells to load into this bad boy. Ranging from Normal Frags, Napalm, Holy Water, to Garlic powder if you really wanted to season your food with fire power," he set the rifle down on top of her desk and ran his hand down the side of it kissing his finger tips once he was done, "But a weapon like this cannot go without armor? Right?"

Harker pulled his phone back out and set it in the middle of the desk, "Sally, armor showcase, go." At once the phone began showing a diagram of the armor.

"What we have here is impact armor. This shit can take bullets, swords, anything you throw at it. Fire proof and all that as well. It's perfect for special ops missions, wouldn't recommend wearing it everywhere as it's very militant. Shock padding on the inside to reduce fall damage the material the BDU is made of is fire retardant, the armor itself is impact resistant. You could shoot it in the chest with a .45 for ten minutes before you kill the person on the other side."

He took his phone back and shoved the rifle back in the suitcase along with the larger rail cannon. Once closed he set it to the side and sat in the chair leaning it back on two legs, "So, what do you think?"

[Stranger]

"What information do you have about the vampire's in Isafaro?"

Integra remained there with the cigar as a placeholder. It was something to keep her busy from yelling at this man to get out of her office for how he acted. Little did she know that this wasn't a show this was exactly who he was. It wasn't very impressive. Sebastian set the plate before her which she had completely forgotten about when she put the cigar in her mouth.

"Thank you Sebastian," Integra said looking it over and setting the cigar aside. She picked up her fork and continued to listen until he asked for her opinion, "As long as my men can fight against these freaks and defend the queen and her nation then I think we have a deal. However, I have my doubts about you, so long as you continue advancing their weapons and armor then we will continue working together Mr. Harker."

Integra wasn't finished though she took another bite and swallowed, "It's been over a hundred years since a member of the Helsing familiy and the Harker familiy have been in a partnership. Your name alone gives you weight in this meeting as well."

[sebastian]

Yet another gun? This man... He now had zero trace of respect from the demon. On the contrary; Sebastian was on the verge expelling the man from the mansion by force. Judging by the sense he was getting from Integra, she also was ready to kick the man out. He would be more than happy to oblige, should Integra ask him to do so. Also, from what he'd heard so far; Harker wasn't interested in saving these people at all. He wanted only the money, or social status, that he'd get for aiding in Hellsing's cause. He was a filthy rich, downright rude, arrogant human being. It was people like that who even disgusted Faustian Demons. As far as he knew, none of his kind had ever considered contracting with such humans. Mostly because those souls tasted filthy, were a right pain in the arse to serve, and did nothing to satisfy appetites.

The vampire showdown that was mentioned caught his attention however, and Integra's as well. Harker was still ranting about what his rifle could do, but that was unimportant next to news of conflict in Isafaro. Then the armor was brought up, and Sebastian nearly snorted in a mocking way. For the second time, he had referred to his phone as Sally again. Had he seriously named a pile of metal and wiring? At Integra's thanks, he merely bowed his head and returned to the cart to cover the cake again. The armor itself sounded quite interesting. It could prove to be rather difficult for even him to rip apart. But again, this man was only out for the money... This meeting was really getting on his nerves. Such an improper display before his master... For the slightest moment, the red eyes flickered to pink while he looked out of the window. They were back to red almost immediately though; as Integra mentioned a partnership. She seemed pretty set on allowing him to provide aid, despite his ghastly behavior.

[.:Amilia:.]

"Tell you about it? Nah. I'll show you. Sally, bring up the recording we have of the vampire showdown. That shits got like twenty thousand hits on Itube," the clip shown showed the two vampires going toe to toe. One armored the other appearing a very young girl. The clip went on from showing her fire at the armored vampire only for another being to emerge and begin ripping apart the area and devouring the armored vampire with his tendrils.

"Luckily the only casualties there was that vampire. Aside from what damage Isafaro did with my cannon and their troops to the rioters there's just another damaged sector done by that man there," he pointed at the one wearing the suit with the tendrils coming out of his back, "The resistance in Isafaro calls him the Spokesman of Insanity. He's a nightmare, witnesses from a certain motel state his name as Gabriel. He possesses something known as the Darkness. And the Darkness is something you don't want to fuck with if you get my drift."

Constantine left his phone lay on her desk just in case she wished to bring up other resources he had at his finger tips, "So, we have a deal then. A quarter of my daily profit goes to Hellsing, another quarter goes to rebuilding the city, and my factory in Kari will be sending weapons here for the Queen and Hellsing and begin setting up turrets. Sounds good to you? Sounds good to me."

Harker smiled though at her last comments, "Good you've caught on to why I was so fascinated with meeting you. You notice how Quincy Harker disappeared from history some years ago in your time period eh? He arrived here, met my mother birthed me out and went on and died to cancer some fifteen years later. However, he left many tales behind about Sir Abraham Helsing and my grand father John Harker. So, lets be a little less formal about this why don't we?

"Here's my only demands for what I'm going to be doing for you personally. A spot on the board is fine sure, but what I really want from you, is a freak of my own. If you can handle that, then we have a deal."

[Stranger]

She finished her dessert and set it aside. Integra took the moment to watch the clip and took note of the armored vampire that look remarkably like Alucard. She was snapped back to place at his words, "The Spokesman of Insanity. I can understand why he's called that. I'll inquire more information about the Darkness to be delivered to me in a file at a later time, this man intrigues me, as does the girl. The girl seems to have a carbon copy representation of the Class S Vampire that served under me, as does the knight. They both hold the power of Alucard."

"However, the one known as Gabriel... Is he an enemy?" Integra's last question was more directed to herself but it was loud enough that she expected an answer. They did have a deal, Integra didn't exactly like his attitude but he was very confident, that's one thing she liked about him that Sebastian seemed to despise.

"What do you need a freak for?"

[sebastian]

Sebastian took up her plate and stacked it on the other on the second shelf of the cart, slowly gaining control of his irritation. Integra was tolerating this guy, and so would he. He rested his eyes upon the desk rather than Harker, making a few quick calculations while the continued to speak. He waited until they were both engaged in conversation about the "Spokesman", before he took careful hold of the edge of the tablecloth. He'd done this before, it would be simple enough. A careful, but powerful pull brought the tablecloth clean off the table; while the few items on top remained immobile. A few small ripples appeared in Integra's tea, but that was it. Unless they had been staring at the cloth, neither would have noticed anything happening. That was his goal at least, to not let them see the fabric come off. He turned his back on them and folded the cloth neatly, before also placing it on the second shelf of the cart.

He was still listening intently to the words spoken by both, and found himself a bit surprised that the family names of Hellsing and Harker had worked together before. That explained why Integra was willing to accept this man's proposal... Then of course... There was that name again... Alucard... He still knew very little about Alucard; only that he had been a vampire who had once served the Hellsing family. From stories he'd heard, Alucard had been quite a vampire, and as a demon; he was quite fascinated by the man. Too bad he would probably never come face-to-face with Alucard; unless it was within the pits of Hell, where he had no plan of returning to for a long while. Hell was boring, everything was the same there; and nothing worth any interest. The human world was much more entertaining, and the place where quality souls could be provided for his picky eater habits.

He also wanted to know about this Gabriel; if Gabriel was someone he should watch out for and target, or someone who could be helpful to Hellsing. As for the man's request for a Freak... That was also intriguing. Why did Harker want one...? Lucky for him, Integra had already asked that. It seemed like he and his master had a very similar line of thoughts. That was always a good sign of a strong bond. Sebastian took a moment to shift the food to the second shelf while placing the used dining utilities on top; inside a rectangular bucket which had been on the bottom shelf of his cart. He retreated to a corner of the study, so that he could wash the dishes in the bucket of soap and water without disturbing the two; while still remaining available should his services be required. He removed only one glove though; the one of the right hand. Had Constantine not been present, he would have had no need to conceal his Faustian mark upon the left hand. But for now, he'd just hold the dishes in the gloved left hand while washing them with a sponge in his right.

[.:Amilia:.]

Constantine leaned the chair back again, "Sally, open up the resistance contact meeting." At once the next clip began rolling. It showed Gabe enter the area that he had been trashing from Isafaro's finest with the monstrous whips of darkness before gaining contact with a Turian agent for the resistance.

"I got eyes everywhere Miss Hellsing. Basically, we know he's had contact with the resistance and didn't kill them, in fact he actually saves them. Gets gunned down, resurrects, goes ape shit on the Isafaro troops.... They're using my fuckin' cannon again.... And they he disappears. I do know the section where Gabriel chills out in is in full riot after he liberated them and after the resistance base fell they have taken up refuge there," Constantine wiped the video feed away with his hand and continued to lean back in the chair rocking it back and forth slowly.

He smirked at her question, "Very simple. I have a task ahead of me. It's to create weapons to kill impure and unholy beings for the greater good. Now, your known for having your freaks, hell, your Butler for instance. For all I know dude could be one of the freaks you employ to kill his kind. No offense of course Jeeves. Either way, the best way to kill the damned is to own your own damned creature. This means training it to kill its own kind and being obedient. It also means giving it the weapons and tools it needs to blow a demon army away. If you get my drift."

[Stranger]

"Very well. I'll have something arranged for you with time," Integra responded to his need for a freak. Other then that she was curious about this Gabriel person. The feeds she saw he was literally a nightmare to anything around him. Someone she was interested in owning to be honest. However, she had her trump cards here at Hellsing and so far they had served her better than ever before.

Seras had grown so much in the last fifteen years, she was something Alucard would of been proud of. Sebastian was adept as a butler and with given time she was sure he would prove himself on the battlefield as well. They had recruited the Elf who by known fact was a very well endowed fighter. Heinkel itself had grown to be a very deadly asset. And her best Trump Card, Joann, was possibly the most deadly thing she had up her sleeve at the moment.

"If there is no other business Mr. Harker. I'd like to get on with my day."

[sebastian]

It took him no time at all to finish cleaning the dishes, and he managed to keep his glove dry as well. As he worked, he thought back to what Harker had said; about a resistance in Isafaro. He had mentioned it multiple times now, and something about that topic was tugging on his mind. It was when the Turian agent was mentioned that he stiffened; the memory falling into place. So that was what had been going on back in Isafaro. That underground base which had been attacked by Isafaro militia, they had been resistance. That massacre and release of undead soldiers had drawn him to the battlefield. He remembered the Turian; as well as Imai, 201, a man with a gas mask, and someone called Olivia who went by the name of Genius. Someone by the name of Kira had also been communicating as best he could through the controlled systems.

It had been an interesting detour on his part; traveling through the Faustian realm into the midst of the trapped underground resistance members. Of course, they had leveled their weapons on him; only to turn back to the real enemy once they learned he wasn't hostile. They had struggled relentlessly, before 201 finally asked him if he could help them escape. Impressed by their courage and determination, he had agreed to do so; and created an escape tunnel within two minutes which had led to the surface a good distance away from the main battle. Once they had all gotten out safely, he'd taken his leave. It was good to know those people were still alive; and taking refuge in the same area as this Gabrielle person. Isafaro had its own army which was set on destroying Hollowton, he knew that much. So saving those resistance people had been a step toward helping Hollowton... And that was before he'd made his contract with Integra. Fate was quite interesting... And it sounded as if there was a riot now in Isafaro, so he had unknowingly played a role in the dawn of the the Tyrannical Government's fall.

He relaxed his stiff stance as understanding hit, and that bemused smile had returned to his face. He said nothing though, to either Integra or Harker, about his own involvement there. Yes, he'd tell Integra about that fall of the Resistance Base; but not until Harker was gone, or he was otherwise asked if he knew anything about it. He took up the dishes he had washed and dried them with a clean white towel, then stacked them neatly on the second shelf of his cart. He returned to Integra's desk, pulling his glove back on, and handed her the cigar she had laid aside. He would light it for her with a match, before stepping back to take up his sentry-like pose behind and slightly to the left of her chair as the conversation continued.

Sebastian raised his eyebrows sceptically as Harker mentioned him. Did the man honestly think he was one of the said Freaks? The fact that he was even considered as a possible Freak by this man in itself was very near insulting Well, the man had no way of knowing otherwise; the butler could accept that. But all the same, he felt an urge to speak. The words "I assure you, I am no Freak. I'm merely the butler of this estate, it is not my duty to walk around killing off impure beings." were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back. The man hadn't been speaking to him, but about him. Therefore, he would retain his silence as was expected of him. It seemed as if Integra was about to end the meeting as well... Good. He'd had just about enough of this man making the office space vile with his very presence.

[.:Amilia:.]

"Yeah, I think we're done here. I'll send you a message or two in the coming day I'll visit from time to time," Harker picked up his phone and put it in his pocket and picked up his brief case, "Now then. I have a homeless man to wrestle out of my car. Good afternoon to you and to you Jeeves."

Constantine waved himself out opening and closing the door behind him. He wasn't escorted down the stairs like most guests of Hellsing, instead the guard glared at him for what he had done earlier. The regenerators did open the front door at least. He made his way through the gate where he took a wad of money from his pocket and tossed it in the opposite direction where the small riot followed the money giving him space. He walked to his car and took his phone out looking into the window at the guy inside the car.

"There better not be any hobo jizz on my seat. I let you sit in a million dollar car for about an hour, least you can do is get out calmly so I don't have to tazer you. Comprende?"

The man nodded and Harker pressed the call button on his phone quick calling the locks on his doors opening them. He opened the door and the homeless man came out swinging but got caught by the side of a briefcase before Constantine grabbed him by the leg and pulled him the rest of the way out then took his keys from the mans pocket, "Warned you." He got in his car and closed the door putting it in drive and turned the radio all the way up blasting his music as he drove away.

[Stranger]

Integra watched as he left and picked up her unlit cigar again and lit it with a match sitting in the ash tray. She placed it between her lips and crossed her fingers together. She inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh, "This is going to be a rocky relationship between he and I. I can understand the need for him and his money and I also understand he has a goal to protect these citizens and get revenge against Isafaro for using his weapons against him, but he's a self righteous ass."

She spoke the truth loud and clear before setting the cigar in the ash try and leaning back in her chair again putting her feet on the desk, "Sebastian, I would like to think you share the same mind frame, elaborate your thoughts please in a truthful way."