The night was dark as Scarlet sat at the bus stop waiting for the car to pick her up. Snow kissed her tawny brown cheeks, the wind tussled her chestnut tresses, as she tugged her long black coat around her lithely frame. She couldn't wait to get on the plane, and go home. She'd been studying abroad for almost a year, and now would be the first time in that time, that she'd gotten off long enough to visit her family. She missed her older brothers, her father and mother too, though they were always very busy with their work.
The wind picked up and Scarlet blew her on hands, rubbing them together to keep them from freezing. Japan was nice, but she much rather go be back home in London.

She waited, one maybe two hours before she decided, it was much too cold to be standing outside. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her brother.
[It's cold, Pup and the car isn't here yet.]

She looked up and down the busy Tokyo streets, neither of the cars stopped.

[Really, it should have been there already?]

Scarlet groaned but smiled at her brother's response.

[It's not]

[I'll make some calls, you get somewhere warm]

[Okay, Love you, See you Soon <3]

Scarlet looked up the down the street one more time before moving to find a cafe or something where she could get warmed up.

She didn't know how long she walked, but soon she found herself lost and someplace dark.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

[Pup, I'm scared, I think I'm lost.]

The reply came immediately.

[Lost? How the hell? Go back the way you came ,and get someone where there's alot of people.]

Scarlet could tell that in his text her brother began to worry. She could almost feel it.

[Call me?]

Her phone rang instantly after that, she slid her thumb across the screen and sighed.

"Pup, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, There was an accident or something so the car got delayed, just get back to where you were." Her brother said and she sighed. "Okay, just stay on with me?"
"Of course. what do you want to talk about?" He asked and she looked around once. "Um, I wrote a song, in class, you remember when I was little, and I used to sit on the middle stair?"

"Yes, I nearly stepped on you too many times." He said and she swallowed nervously, she could feel eyes on her, seemingly from everywhere.

"Well, I wrote a song about it."

"Let me hear it?"

"Halfway down the stairs, is a stair where I sit." She sang softly, her voice cracking a bit. Singing always calmed her down, her brother knew it. They were always very close, he practically raised her, seeing as their parents weren't home often. She would have horribly nightmares, and he'd come into her room, sit with her, talking her down, and helped her by making her sing. It always worked.

"Keep going, Scar." he urged and she sniffed and looking around. "There isn't any other stair quite like it." She sang, and heard footsteps behind her. They were coming closer, so she picked up her pace, trying to find some place with alot of people, like he said.

"I think someone's there, Pup." Scarlet whispered. "Try not to think about, just keep walking and keep singing." He urged her as best he could. She wanted to go home, right now.

"I'm not at the bottom, I'm not at the top. So this is the stair where I always--"

"Hey pretty girl." Scarlet yelped as she found herself standing in front of a large man, with too long teeth.

"John?" She peeped,but the man snatched the phone from her.

"Scarlet!" she heard him cry just before the man crushed the phone in his palm.

She screamed and tried to run but he grabbed her, much more quickly then she thought possible. "No, Let me go!" She cried out, and fought but to no avail. " You're perfect, they like the ones that fight." He said before his hand came down, and a sharp pain bloomed from behind her head. The last thing she heard was the engine of a car.

Adaezal Kize sat contemplatively on a pew in the empty Cathedral, its grand silence matching its architecture, its endless echoes and penitent unease was enough to make anyone feel the weight of guilt on their shoulders.
Anyone except Adaezal.
God didn't watch the human race as a man doesn't watch the comings and goings of the insects in his yard. God long abandoned men to their fates, and it was only men now that had the power to change anything. Adaezal cared not for his peers remarks or opinions of him. He didn't have to be friends with them, only work alongside them, and even then that was a rare occurrence.
Inquisitors tended to work alone.
From the outset Inquisitors looked little different from regular people, some seemed a little more monastic than others, but most passed off as simply religious civilians. Underneath this however, each one was a Warrior Priest of the Ordos Inquisitores, The Vaticans Paranormal Investigation and Purification unit. They were small in number but each one trained to the extremes of human capabilities. Most fought using holy weapons and firearms, only a few dabbling in magic and sorcery to enhance their abilities. Most of the Inquisitors, and indeed the Vatican itself, Frowned upon such dabblings, viewing their use as unnecessary at best and heretical at worst. No surprise then, that Azaezal was the most proficient magic user in the Ordos Inquisitores, and even that wasn't saying much. He was mediocre at best at using the runic magic he enhanced his body and weapons with.
Footsteps brought him out of his reverie, their click-clacking along the stone floor echoing in the grand cathedral and shattering the holy silence.
"Brother Kize," A voice said, its deep tenor and authoritative tone marking him as only one man, for few knew Kizes name, let alone his position, "Cardinal Jeremiah has requested your presence in his study."
"You say it as if I have the option of refusing, Brother Lukas." Kize said without turning, not needing to see the short portly father looking disapprovingly at him to know his disrespect was well heard.
"You know Kize, you are a terrible priest." Lukas said, his jowls wiggling.
"And you are a terrible Secretary Lukas," Kize said, rising from his pew and walking past Lukas towards the side door that would lead him down the winding passageway, through the secret door, and into the hidden underground base of the Inquisitors, "But at least I'm good at my job."
Lukas said nothing as Kize made his way down the isle.

"You called for me Cardinal?" Kize said as he entered the subterranean office. It was quite unlike any other building in the cathedral, and was certainly not one that was expected to be commanded by a Cardinal. Screens dotted the stone walls, displaying various readouts and events around the globe, the desk in the centre of it all was covered in high piles of paperwork and office detritus. Behind the desk sat a small bespectacled man in a cardinals robes, his thinning grey hair covered by a zuchetto that sat just slightly off centre on his head.
He didn't even look up from his paperwork as Kize entered, "I see you haven't gotten any better at knocking, my son."
"Perish the thought Father," He said unsmiling, "I simply thought the matter was one of urgency, otherwise you wouldn't have sent Brother Lukas to come and fetch me."
"Manners my son, defy all urgency," Cardinal Jeremiah said looking up from his work for the first time, his sunken, tired eyes sparkling with a fierce intelligence, "Now, why I called you here." He swivelled in his chair and pressed a button on a remote, The large screen behind him lighting up to a picture of a young woman with dark brown hair and pretty eyes, the picture one of her walking down a city street, taken from a distance. "This is Scarlet Van Hellsing, youngest daughter of the Van Hellsing Family, approximately eighteen hours ago she was kidnapped as she returned from her studies in Japan."
"Forgive me father, but isn't this a job better suited for the Hellsing Family to deal with personally?" Kize, said, not liking where this mission briefing was going.
"I have been instructed by my superiors that we are to 'rescue' Miss Hellsing and protect her untill such a time that she can be collected by her parents." Jeremiah removed his spectacles, cleaning them on a silk cloth, a nervous tick Kize had noticed over the years.
"So we are kidnapping her back from her kidnappers?" Kize said, clearly unimpressed.
"I don't like this any more than you do Kize, but we serve the Church in all things, even this. Now, here is your mission briefing," He said, pushing forward a file with the inquisitorial seal pressed upon it, "An olive branch from The Spiders, They thought it would be better if we handled this uncomfortable situation."
"More like they just don't want to earn the ire of the Van Hellsing family." Kize retorted.
"Yes well the spider doesn't trifle with the sparrow," Jeremiah said returning to his paperwork, "He leaves that to the Hawk."
Kize picked up the file and bowed to the Cardinal.
"God speed my son." Jeremiah said as he shuffled through his notes.
"God has abandoned us father," Kize said, turning to leave, "The only speed we have now is that we build ourselves."

Scarlet groaned as she blinked awake, her head hurt, and she felt so very weak. She found herself in a cage, nothing but a cot, and a bowl, presumably for relieving herself should the need arise. She sat up slowly, her head pounding. That's when she remembered, the man with the large teeth, he took her. She didn't know where but she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She looked around and found there were many other cages, and many other girls inside, much like a dog kennel. Some were laying there, others were standing, most were crying.

Scarlet crawled to the one on her left, where a girl with blonde hair was sitting up against the cage wall with her arms around her knees and her head down, sobbing lightly.

"Hey," Scarlet whispered. The girl didn't budged. "Hey, Miss," She tapped the cage and the girl looked up, her eyes were puffy, but she was pretty. She noticed then that despite the tears, all of the girls were very pretty. "Where are we?" Scarlet asked and the girl shrugged. "We're not supposed to talk." This girl was Russian by her accent.

Scarlet sighed looking around. "I don't think it matters much, Lass." Scarlet said, softly. "They are taking us, some girls they take for themselves and bring back. Others...they don't come back." the girl said and Scarlet took a shuddered breath. She knew she had to remain calm.

"What's your name? My name is Scarlet."

The girl looked at her oddly.

"Svetlana."

"That's a pretty name," Scarlet smiled and Svetlana smiled too but it faded quickly as her gaze found a man that approached the cage.

Scarlet backed up, her body stiffening, preparing to run should she found an opening to do so. The man looked at her, then Svetlana.

He moved toward her cage and opened it up. Svetlana screamed. "No Leave her alone!" Scarlet screamed grabbing on to the bars, but the man took a nightstick and whipped her fingers.

Her fingers burned, shaking from the pain as she stumbled back against cage, she watched as he dragged Svetlana off kicking and screaming.

All Scarlet could do was watch her disappear, holding her bruised fingers, one of them were broken.

Then the sound of a horn could be heard throughout. It was loud and she could have sworn she heard a bird's. Seagulls.

They were near the water. They weren't moving so she knew she wasn't on a ship, that was good. She figured.

Scarlet got the thinking quickly and began to looked about herself. She still had on her clothes, so she gingerly checked her pockets. She had nothing to write with, or to use as a weapon. She needed to leave a clue, John would send someone, she knew he would, so she had to leave something behind to say that she was here. But what?


Then it struck her.

She looked down at her coat. It was fur lined, with metal buttons, Robert, her eldest brother bought it for her for her birthday, she'd seen in it the shops and fell in love with it. He hadn't want to buy her something ready made and offered her something tailor made but she insisted, she simply loved the buttons.

Using her good hand, she moved the top button to her lips and began fraying the thread. It wasn't long before the button was freed.

She used it to carve into floor, it was small enough that it wasn't easy to see but clear enough that if you were looking you could read it clearly.

She carved 'S' 'V' 'H' before shoving the button in her pocket, just as a man came for her.
He didn't unlock her cage, he just stared at her for a really long time before shouting something in a language she didn't understand, which was odd because she spoke 5, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Germany and Gaelic. Latin too if it counted.

Soon, a machine came up, a forklift by the looks of it and grabbed her cage, it drove her off into the outside and into a freight. She saw the skyline before they closed the door.
She was still in Japan but she knew she wouldn't be for long.

Adaezal didn't need to be told what the girls were here for to make an educated guess. People trafficking was still ripe in the East and parts of Europe, girls with no money, no family, no home, and others that were simply taken, kidnapped and sold into slavery of the worst kind. He didn't bother trying to call the police, no doubt if this place was as well set up as it appeared, the cops were either paid off or intimidated into inaction, either way it didn't matter. These girls were gone. They had nowhere else to go, no other way to live and stay alive, simply freeing them would do little good.
"God has abandoned us, and left the world to its sin." He muttered under his breath s he walked down the warehouse past the cages that lined every wall. There had been few guards, not really needed when the product was caged and unlikely to be stolen by another gang. No doubt someone would come by every couple days and replace their food, water and latrines, but aside from that, the girls were little cared for.
He wished he could do more for them.
The few guards he had passed were dead, no signs of the supernatural among them, but he was sure he would run into them somewhere, a Hellsing girl kidnapped by average thugs? Unlikely. Vampires were prolific amongst this trade, eager for the easy cheap meat that would not be missed by family or friends, and money was also abundant in the business.
He came across another guard, the man didn't have time to raise his gun before a silenced pistol shot dropped him to the floor with a soft thump. The girls in the cages nearby said nothing, some not even registering his presence so deeply were they traumatised, they didn't think he was rescuing them, they knew he wasn't, he was simply another gang, another mafia, just trafficking them somewhere else. Trying to convince them otherwise would be pointless and time wasting, he had a job to do.
He arrived at what appeared to be an office, its small square structure standing above the hight of the cages on tall steel stilts, looking out over the warehouse through small dirty windows.
The simple fact an alarm hadn't been raised meant they hadn't spotted him yet. Good. This would be easier without the constant interference of gang members.
He silently ascended the stairs, his pistol up and raised, the door to the small office was ajar, soft Japanese music wafting out alongside the overwhelming smell of fish, sushi, he guessed. He peered through the gap, a man sat in a swivel chair at a desk that looked through the window over the cages beyond. He was fat, his sweaty rolls dampening his too tight shirt despite the small desk fan that blew across his receding hairline, he sat in silence, sheaving through papers and jotting things down by pen. The silenced pistol shot to the back of the skull dropped him instantly, blood splattering across the far window, he eased the door open and entered the office. It was messy, and dirty, various file cabinets dotting the walls. To his left, a girl hung chained to a wall, her head was bowed, cascading her dirty, blonde hair down in a golden cascade. Her wrists were bruised where the handcuffs had pressed against her, there was blood on the floor beneath her and on her naked legs. Adaezal approached her, crouching before her and lifting her chin so he could see her face. It was battered and bloody, both eyes blackened, the left one so much that it had swollen shut, her lips were split and bruised, her nose broken and bleeding. Now her long hair was out of the way, Adaezal could see her chest and abdomen. Both were severely bruised, he guessed she had several broken ribs and judging by the firmness of her stomach, massive internal bleeding. He doubted she would last an hour.
She whined softly in his grasp, and her better eye opened a fraction to see him.
"Who... are you?" The girl mumbled, barely holding on to conciousness.
"My name is Brother Adaezal, I am a priest." He replied softly, supporting her head so she didn't have to.
"My name is Sveltana..." She said softly, her accent clearly Russian, "Adaezal... Am I dying?" She asked dimly, her eye fluttering shut as she focussed on trying to stay awake.
"Yes Sveltana, I am sorry." He replied quietly.
"I am going to... to hell father..." She moaned weakly, " I have... Done so many bad things..."
Adaezal paused, who was he to deny this poor soul peace.
"God loves all his children Sveltana," He said, pulling his cross out of his shirt, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I bless you my child, and absolve you of your sins in the eyes of god."
She said nothing in response to this, tears welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks in small rivers.
"Thank you..." She whispered.
"Go with the grace of god." Adaezal said, before standing and shooting her in the head.
She slumped with a undignified thud, blood trickling down to the floor.
"Forgive me." He whispered to the silence, before walking over to the desk and rummaging through the papers. It didnt take him long to find what he needed. Shipment plans and 'stock' reports, he scanned the documents, looking for the correct date. He found it finally and with a final look at Sveltana, he left the office making his way down the stairs, heading off to where the ltest shipment of girls had been placed in the warehouse. He arrived and was gravely disappointed, the cage that was meant to have held the Hellsing girl, was not just empty, but gone.
"Dammit." He said, lifting the papers again and scanning the shipping manifests, there, on the latest manifest, dated the day before, she had been placed on the cargo ship Rosuto Josei. The ship had left harbour today.
"Dammit!" he cursed again, sprinting off towards the exit, catching the girl on the mainland would have been easy, getting onto that ship, would be a whole other matter.

Scarlet woke up, several times over the course of what seemed like days. She didn't know for sure but this day, she could hear something people moving about. Calling out orders, Russian this time. Was she in Russia now? Scarlet swallowed. Of all the languages she knew, she hated Russian, it wasn't a pretty language, it was hard and rough, much like the people. There was a distinct chill in the air now as well, much colder than what she was used to.

The door to her crate was opened, light blinded her. She rose an arm over eyes, only for it to be used as a handle to yank her forward. Big strong arms carried her, she struggled but in vain. She looked around and herself in a port, crowded by shady looking individuals. She screamed for them to help but they didn't even bat an eye. She wanted to cry as snow fell down around her, kissing her face. She wanted John, she wanted Robert, she wanted to go home.

She was dragged into what looked like a harbormaster's office and chained to a desk. She struggled as the men closed the blinds tight and left her alone.

Scarlet looked around. Everything about this place seemed normal, which made all of it just wrong. She was scared, shaking so much that the chains rattled against the desk.

It was then that a blonde woman entered the room, all business in her grey pinstriped pantsuit. Scarlet sniffed.
"Gde ye?" She asked in shaking Russian.

The woman looked surprised.

"Rossiya" The woman replied as she took a seat. Scarlet swallowed. "Pochemu?" she asked and the woman looked at her for a long time, before smiling.

"You will fetch a high price, my darling. It is not every day that my clients can get their hands on a Van Hellsing..." She said, her grin was long, too long, her teeth seemed to glimmer even in the dark. Scarlet shrank back.

"You're going to sell me?"

"For the right price, of course." She said and the woman came around the table, sitting in front of Scarlet, she leaned in close, touching her face, Scarlet turned her head. Her hands were cold, so cold it hurt.

"You are beautiful, Milaya devochka"She said and Scarlet felt her pulse quicken. "I didn't know, they had a daughter, I would have come for you sooner." She told her. "They?" Scarlet asked. The woman laughed and Scarlet whimpered. " You don't know who you are do you?"

Scarlet was confused. Her family was wealthy, beyond wealthy but she thought that it was just some business thing she never cared for. Her parents didn't groom her for it the way that had her brothers, and she had been grateful. Now she wasn't so sure.

"You know, I think I'll leave it like that. It'll make your show that much more interesting." She said and then looked Scarlet up and down.

"Tell me, Milaya devochka, Are you pure?"

Scarlet looked horrified. She wanted to scream but she couldn't find the strength. "Well are you?" the woman urged. Scarlet looked away. The woman clicked her teeth then grabbed Scarlet's broken hand, squeezing the bone. Scarlet bit down hard, a muffled scream behind her lips. "Answer me." She asked and Scarlet nodded manically, unable to trust her voice.

"Even better."

The woman then called out in a language Scarlet didn't understand and two men came in, unchained her. She tried to make a break for it but she was caught and struck in the back of the head.

Cleverly, she'd grabbed the button from her pocket and let it hit the floor before she lost consciousness. She knew whenever she woke up, she wouldn't be here again.

"

"Gde ona?" Adeazal asked the man tied to the chair, more forcefully now that he had put a bullet in the man's leg, "GDE ONA?!"
The man groaned and let out a serious of curses in Russian, but otherwise did nothing aside from stare defiantly at Adeazal.
"Gde ty poslal devushke Hellsing?" He said again, pointing his gun at the man's other knee.
"You shall never find her." The man said in a thick Russian accent.
"Ah, you speak English then?" Adeazal said with a slight smile.
The gun cracked off another shot into the mans other knee, eliciting a wet crack and a scream of pain.
He waited a minute for the man's cries of pain to subside, Before continuing the interrogation, "Now I ask you again, where is the Hellsing girl?"
The man continued to moan quietly before speaking, "You don't know what they are, you don't know what they will do to me..."
Adeazal grabbed his head and yanked it back, revealing the genuine terror in the man's eyes, "On the contrary, I know exactly what they are," He leaned in to the mans face, his voice lowering, "And you have no Idea what ill do to you if you don't tell me what I want to know. Now..." He raised his gun up to the man's eye, "Where is she?"
"I... I dont know..." The man stuttered, before crying out as Adeazal pressed his gun into the man's face, "NO NO NO! WAIT, WAIT PLEASE!! I... I dont know where they took her but I can tell you where you can find out!"
Adeazal pulled back his gun off the man's cheek and glared at him, "I'm listening..."
The man swallowed and began to speak, "I don't know where they sent her but there is an island off the coast of Korea, all of our ships go through there and someone there will know where she went! Please I'm telling the truth please! The Island is called Song-Gosni you can find it on a map! Just please, please don't kill me!"
"Of course not, you been so helpful." Adeazal said, smiling.
The third gunshot in five minutes signalled the end of the interrogation.
He pulled out a mobile and pressed the speed dial, it was picked up before the first ring finished, he began speaking without bothering to ask who was there.
"Song-Gosni, its an island off Korea, I need satellite coverage of all ships entering and leaving, whatever you can give me." He stopped and looked down as his foot kicked something small and metallic across the ground. He bent over and picked up the small button that had rolled across the ground, "She was here, but they have moved her again, they may know we are on their trail, keep me updated on The Hellsing families movements."
He hang up and raised the button to the light, "This is turning out to be harder than I expected."

Scarlet woke up with an aching in her head. It was dark where she was, and it smelled foul, like sweat. She looked around and noticed she was surrounded by bodies, girls. She almost panicked until the one nearest her moved and she noticed a lot of them where breathing.. The girl slowly rose and looked around, jumping a little when she saw her. The girl was of Asian decent. The two looked at one another for a moment, "Hello." Scarlet said and the girl frowned a bit. " Hello." She said, her accent was strong, but Scarlet couldn't figure out where it was from. "Do you know where we are?" She asked tentatively.
The girl shook her head. "Where were you last?" Scarlet pressed and the girl frowned. "Seoul."
"Korea?" The girl nodded. Scarlet sighed. She was likely in Korea now, and she realized she was being trafficked. "What's your name?"
"Ae-Jin The girl said and Scarlet gave her a meek smile. "Scarlet."

"What is happening, Scarlet?" The girl and Scarlet frowned. "I think...I think we're being trafficked." She told her, there was no point in lying now anyway. The girl started to sob just as a door opened and light flooded in. Scarlet clapped a hand over Ae-Jin's mouth, and the girl clung to her, they ducked down, pretending to be unconscious, though Ae-Jin was shaking hard. Two large men entered the room. They looked around, and spotted the two of them. Scarlet stiffened, she wasn't going to let Ae-Jin go. They approached them and Scarlet stood, her head swimming some, as she stood protectively over Ae-Jin the girl clung to Scarlet's leg.

They looked at Ae-Jin for a moment, and Scarlet's mind went to Svetlana, and Scarlet nearly growled.

They're eyes turned on her and she realized then that she was their target. She grabbed her, smacking Ae-Jin when she wouldn't let go, Scarlet fought as well, but slyly took another button from her coat and tossing it near Ae-Jin's unconscious body. One of them grabbed her by the neck and squeezed hard, she choked as her vision blurred, Ae-Jin was waking up, their eyes met and Scarlet's eyes went to the button beside her, Ae-Jin seemed to understand and took the button slyly before Scarlet dropped unconscious.

The Island was little impressive, a steep water depth meant that large container ships could port not far from the shore, its only interesting feature, which allowed medium sized shuttle boats could carry containers to and fro from the port. Short bristly trees lined the top of the island, two of its three sides ending in sharp vertical cliffs of brown stone, with the port taking up the final edge. Of course, Kize only knew this from the photos and satellite images he had been provided with, He could see almost nothing under the cover of darkness in which he approached. It was approximately two AM and He had been driving his small single man boat for almost three hours, The journey was so long in fact, that he had had to bring extra fuel on board to make the return journey.
Assuming there was one.
He could see the Island looming up ahead of him, a dark blob in the overcast night, only vaguely visible in the murk. He had hoped to catch the station unaware while most of the human crew were asleep.
It was the other crew he was worried about. If his interrogation had affirmed anything for him, it was that the Hellsing girl had not been taken by any regular people smugglers.
He moored his boat in a small pool sheltered from the sea by some of the larger rocks, and continued around the edge of the island on foot.
He rounded the corner and saw lights ahead, large floodlights illuminating the docks in a strong yellow glow. There were two bots moored at the dock, small carrier ships, enough room in the back for two storage containers and little else. There was a large crane attached to the dock for moving the containers bus it was still in the yellow glow, production had ceased for the night. Two men patrolled the dock, assault rifles pressed to worn winter coats. Above them sat a watch tower from which no doubt more guards watched lazily. Kize weighed up his options, these were the only guards he could see but there were no doubt more, the main building continued into the hillside and underground making it impossible to determine exactly how many people he would have to face once the alarm was sounded. He could try and sneak in but it was only a few hours till people would begin waking and moving about the facility.
This wasnt going to be particularly easy either way.
"If this drags on much longer ill kill the damn girl myself." Kize said under his breath before making a decision and slipping down into the frigid water and making his slow advance towards the end of the pier.
The water was icy and murky, tightening his muscles and stinging his eyes, but he made steady progress, stopping occasionally to peer above the water, take another breath and adjust his heading, being careful to make as little noise or disturbance as possible. He finally reached the end of the pier and made his way towards the shore beneath it, stopping twice to place a small circular object on the hulls of the two ships. He finally reached the shore beneath the large concrete pillars of the dock and dragged himself out of the water. He stripped off his sodden clothes silently and crouched naked and shivering in the cold air. He checked his pistol and silencer in their water proof holster and case. He expertly screwed the silencer to the end of the pistol and moved towards a steel ladder that led up to the docks above. He looked up the ladder and absent-mindedly kicked a stone into the quiet water making a very audible splash, before disappearing behind a pillar. There was shouting above in Russian and the thudding of thick boots as one of the watchmen made their way towards the ladder. There was a grunt and the clambering of rungs as the guard made his way below the dock. Kize listened behind the pillar as the guards boots crunched against the stone, there was a pause, before he heard the guard turn and begin to make his way back to the ladder.
Now.
Kize appeared like a ghost from behind the pillar. The guard was securing his assault rifle to his body so that he could climb the ladder, his back still to Kize. One hand around the man's mouth and his other pulling the trigger on his silenced pistol. The man slumped in is arms and Kize lowered him slowly to the ground and began stripping the man's clothes. Now he had to be fast.

It wasn't long till a man wearing the clothes of the guard ascended the ladder, and waved all clear to the other guard, "Vse chisto," He called, before moving off towards the entrance, "Mne nuzhno srat' kryshku dlya menya."
He made his way inside and once he lost sight of the other guard and the watchtower, broke into a sprint down the narrow hallway and deeper into the dock complex, it was now or never to find the Hellsing girl, and he was going to be damned if he ruined his favourite shoes for nothing.

When Scarlet woke, she found herself in a dark room, darker then she'd ever seen, there were not a ounce of light anywhere, she could tell that the room was large, so she figured there had to be a door or some sort of entrance where the light would shine through. She looked up, thinking maybe she was in a hole, a large hole but a hole, but no, this seemed, or more correctly felt like a room, despite the lack of light, she could feel air moving freely around her, in no direction in particular, so it must have been a room, so where was the light?

It was then she heard it, breathing, low and hungry. It sounded like a mix of animal and human.

"Whose there?" Scarlet called and the breathing turned into a chuckle. "No one ever looks up." said the voice, it was male, low but old, haggard sounding. "Of all the ones I bring into this room, they look around, feel around, and wonder where the light it, they look every direction but up." the voice said chuckling. "I suppose I would expect as much from a Hellsing?"

Scarlet drew herself up, trying to follow the voice, but it seemed everywhere at once. "There is no exit girl." he said and Scarlet clicked her teeth. "That can't be true, you can't have an entrance without it too being the exit." She said and the man chuckled again. "Clever girl, but you are right, unfortunately for you, there is no exit, as in, you are not leaving this room."

"What do you want?" Scarlet asked, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat.

"At the risk of sounding, cliche, I want your blood my dear." Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her back, whipping her head to the side, exposing her neck. Scarlet screamed and fought as best she could but the man only laughed. "Please, fight more, I love it when you fight." He said and so, she stopped. She closed her eyes and allow her body to go completely limp, as if she'd just dropped dead. When she was smaller, and her brothers would try to make her do something or go someplace she didn't want to, she'd go completely limp, they would fumble around with her as her limps would flail and her body would grow extra heavy, after awhile they didn't bother anymore. It seemed this man had a similar problem as he tried to carry her dead weight. He fumbled with her for a moment but he found his footing enough to hold her still, closing his legs around hers from behind, one hand grasping her tiny wrists and his free hand holding back her head. "Clever girl..." He said, right before hot breath brushed her skin.

Finding the holding cells wasn't difficult, it wasn't like they needed to hide them in a place like this, and the obvious signs of mass movement and heavy lifting machinery made the route to the pens obvious. He had her picture in his pocket, not that he needed it, he had already memorised her features, the picture was so if he ran into an interrogation, speaking Korean would not be necessary. He rounded a corner at a sprint and was confronted by two guards outside a set of large steel doors, they raised their guns and shouted something Kize didn't understand but failed to take a shot as his silenced pistol flashed with twin muted cracks. The guards collapsed against the door and Kize continued to it and listened, ear to the metal, waiting for the sound of movement and the click of cocked weapons. His pistol was quiet but could be heard through a door, and the cries let out by the guards and the twin clangs of their bodies hitting the steel would have alerted anyone in the near vicinity to trouble. He heard quiet shuffling and hushed, mutterings, but they for the most part sounded female, probably the 'shipment'. He cranked open the deadlock and opened the sliding door, causing on of the two corpses to collapse back into the room. It was dark inside, and it stank, of sweat, urine, faeces and fear. The girls shrank back at the light, crying out and whimpering at what they could only hope at this point to be merciful death. He raised a flash-light he had pilfered from the dead watchman and scanned the faces in the holding cell. They were of asian descent mostly, grubby, pale, malnourished and terrified. A few faces stuck out, a couple of dark skinned girls and some girls who were either eastern European or Russian, but not one of them was the girl her was looking for.
They hadn't moved her again, surely not, they couldn't have moved her so quickly it wasn't possible.
One of the girls near the front of the terrified huddle clutched something to her chest. The girls would not be allowed to own possessions while being trafficked, it must have been something she picked up while she was here.
"It wouldnt be the first time she left something behind." Kize pondered, and moved towards the girl, she cried out along with all those near her and frantically tried to push back into the crowd that could not be pushed any further back in the crowded cell.
"Hey, easy, easy!" He tried to say over the din, but they either didn't understand what he was saying or didn't care, and he was losing his window of opportunity. He decided to resort to a more basic form of communication.
"Shhhh! Shhhhhh!" he stage whispered, finger to his mouth in the universal sign of quiet, the girls seemed to quieten at this point, but seemed no more interested in co-operating.
He holstered his pistol, deciding it was not helping matters, and this action seemed to do nothing but utterly confuse the girls, who looked at him with equal measures of suspicion and confusion. He pulled the picture of the Hellsing girl from his pocket and held it out, shining his torch onto the slightly crinkled photo. He scanned the picture around the crowd before pointing at the girls, then to his eyes, and finally to the picture, then repeated it, trying to convey who he was looking for without speaking.
He looked directly at the girl holding the hidden item to her chest, and nodded to her.
She hesitantly stepped forward, eyes glancing to the dead guard in the hallway, then to the picture and back to him. He placed the picture and the torch in one hand and held out the other in an open palm. She tentatively reached out and placed a small item in his hand, its surface warm from the girls tight palm. He brought back the item to the torchlight and examined it. It was the same button he hand found at the storage hanger in Japan. She was here.
He looked back up at the girl who had given him the button and pointed frantically to the watch on his hand, she looked confused for a few moments before realising what he was asking, she thouhgt for a second before raising an open hand with five fingers held up. If it was minutes, he could make it, if it was hours, she could be anywhere by now.
He held out the hand with the watch and presicely pointed to the hours and minutes hands, praying she understood, he held out his palm in the same way she had and then pointed to the two hands and shrugged.
She reached out and pointed to the minute hand.
He nodded to her and returned to the door, picked up the two assault rifles and the batons at their waists and returned to the girls, passing one of the guns to the girl who had helped him and placed the rest on the floor. he drew his gun and used the butt to scrape a rudimently picture of a boat onto the floor, he looked at them to make sure thye understood and then crossed it out, shaking his head. He pointed back to the boats and then put his hands together, expanding them while making a stereotypical sound of an explosion. He retrieved his cell phone, still functional thanks to waterproofing and brought up a number and passing it to her, indicating that she should call. He then turned and walked out, leaving the girls to decide their fate, he had helped them as much as he could. Now he had to find the Hellsing girl and get out before it was too late. He printed back along the corridor and turned deeper into the facility, He hadnt seen anyone on the way in so she could only be in here.
He hoped he wouldn't find what he did but when he saw it was the only place she could be. A set of large, sealed double doors, made of wood, not metal, were set into the stone of the wall. The doors were little used, probably only employed by a select few who understood, or at least suspected, what manner of creature it was that lurked within. He approached the door warily, his quarry was impossibly quick and powerful, even trained as he was, fighting a Vampire on its own territory was a almost suicidal task, one he would probably only be able to succeed at with the element of surprise.
He then lost that element.
A shout went up in Korean from a steel walkway above and within moments Kize had to dive behind cover as bullets peppered the area with a deafeningly loud braka-braka-braka-braka.
Kize could hear cries as men were alerted by the sound so gunfire and began mobilising and searching for the source of the noise.
He had to get the girl now, he couldnt fight an army of henchmen and their master.
Kize ducked out of cover a a trio of shots from his pistol brought the gunman on the walkway down, toppling him over the guardrail and hitting the concrete ground with a wet thump.
Kize hurriedly moved to the door, counted to three, and then pushed them in. The light from the station flooded into the dark chamber illuminating the creature within. Its appearance was vaguely human, but a number of discrepancies that to a informed man, easily identified what it really was. Its skin seemed dry, like parchment, pale and sickly in appearance, it had not fed likely in days, and had resulted in its withered appearance. Despite its thin and frail physique, it could easily overpower a dozen men and had speed that defied physics. It was hunched over the limp Hellsing girl and it turned to the door as it opened, snarling at the fact it had been interrupted just before its meal.
Kize didn't give it the time to complain.
The remaining three bullets in his clip discharged without hesitation, each one slamming into the creatures back, unleashing a howl of pain and rage as he beast fell back into the cavern, flung by the force of the shots. Normal bullets did little but annoy a full blood vampire but Kize had a secret weapon on his side. Runes.
first employed (incorrectly) by the Vikings and Slavic nations to ward against evil spirits and imbue certain items with attributes, in the modern era, their technique had been expanded upon and perfected by secret organisations. small runes of light and force carved into the bullets allowed them to cause serious harm and damage to vampires. However, he would need more than three bullets to kill it, and he was out of them. the ones he had fired would not keep the beast distracted for long.
He grabbed the girl by the arm and pulled her to her feet, saying only one word before dragging he rout the door.
"Run!"

Scarlet could honestly say she had no idea what was happening. At first, she'd been laying there, about to be eaten, unable to move, or cry out, not that it would have mattered, but then the next moment, gunfire rang out, and light flooded it. She couldn't see for a moment, her eyes unable to adjust to the blinding light, and before she knew what happened. She was grabbed, yanked to her feet, and dragged out the door.

"Run!" the man ordered, and Scarlet didn't need to be told twice. She ran as hard as she could, her eyes finally adjusted, There was carnage everywhere, blood and bullet shells, bodies and bullet holes. As Scarlet ran, she noticed, a few of the bodies were girls, a few of them had been holding guns. Her head spun. Thankfully, none of them were the girl that she'd met, Ae-Jin. She hoped and prayed that the girl got out safely. Running still, She turned her head, looking for the man that helped her and she assumed the girls as well. Who was he? Where'd he come from and why was he helping her?

Did John or Robert send him? Did her parents? Who were they really? So many questions ran through her mind, but they all stopped when she heard a gunshot and felt a sharp sting in her side. She froze and looked down. Her coat felt wet all of a sudden, she touched her side and through to her back and pain bloomed from within. She looked up, seeing a man with a gun before her, but his eyes were behind her, before he went down. She turned her head, the man who'd saved her held a gun, she didn't have time to understand what just happened, as her legs gave out and she dropped, her eyes dazed and barely able to focus.

She didn't want to die now, she was almost free. Almost.

No.
No, no no no NO!
Not now, he was so close, they were so close.
He grabbed the Hellsing girl by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. He would tend to her wound once they were safe, till then, they had worse than a bullet wound to worry about. A horrendous howl echoed out throughout the complex, inhuman and harrowing in its visceral rage.
"Shit." Kize said, turning and sprinting as fast as he could towards the exit. The Hellsing girls friend had gotten up.
Vampires had exceptional sense of smell and could track a human many miles away from scent alone, but Kize hoped the overbearing stench of blood and gunpowder from the surrounding battle between the freed girls and their outnumbered captors would mask their tracks.
He was disappointed.
Encumbered as he was with the wounded Hellsing girl, he could only travel so fast, and the vampire easily caught up to them. He tore up the corridor behind them on all fours, with a snarling growl emanating form between two sets of all too sharp teeth. Any chance they had at outrunning it was gone. He dropped the girl as he spun, the assault rifle he had picked up raised and on full auto.
BRAAAAAAKKKK!
Bullets streamed down the corridor, smashing into concrete, steel, and a few even hit the vampire as it zig-zagged trying to dodge, but they didn't slow it down. The gun clicked dry as the creature barrelled into him, sending him flying down the corridor and into the concrete wall with a meaty crack.
"Gahh!" He cried as his all too human body connected with the solid construct and he heard at least three ribs crack. He groaned as he pushed himself back up the wall, struggling to his feet as the vampire stalked towards the prone body of the girl.
"Hey!" Kize yelled at the creature, causing it to pause, "Yeah you ugly, hope you haven't forget about me."
"You will be her first meal, once I change her myself." The creature growled in response, before continuing on towards the girl.
"I'm afraid... *Cough cough*... I cant let you do that," Kize said as he began to hobble back towards the girl and the creature that loomed over her, "You see, that girl is very important to certain groups. My associates are one such group. I am afraid, I cannot let you turn her."
"Oh?" The creature said, turning to face him, "And what exactly are you going to do to stop me?"
"This." Kize said, and with a swift fling a small crystalline object flew from his hand and hit the creature square in the face. With the sound of breaking glass pure holy water cascaded down the things face with a sickening sizzle. It released a howl or pain and clutched at its burning face, its skin sloughing off like hot wax.
Kizes well timed kick to the face did more than the creature flying, with bits of its face splattering the nearby walls. Kize grabbed the girl and continued running, hopefully the creature would be delayed for long enough to get them outside and onto the docks. Dawn was approaching and it wouldn't risk being caught out in daylight, all they had to do was get outside and get far enough away that the creature wouldnt risk going after them. He pitied the girls he had released, even if they overpowered the guards, they would all die here, victims of the beasts rage.

The sea air was like tasting life itself. As he ran out onto the docks, blood and bodies lay everywhere, the faint glow of the near rising illuminating the battle before them. Bodies littered the concrete and the faint sounds of gunfire could be heard nearby. He had now time to waste though, and continued on running across the rocks to where he had stashed his boat earlier. A inhuman scream followed them and Kize doubled his pace, so close, so close.

Pain. It consumed her, her entire body hummed with it. Like a steady rhythm, it pulsed throughout her body, making every breath hurt. Laying on the ground, her vision blurred after the man dropped her, she couldn't move, her head lolling to the side as she lay there, limp, and bleeding. She could feel her life draining slowly.

She didn't want to die.

Suddenly, a wicked creature appeared over her, sneering as he looked at her. He was saying something but she could barely hear it over the sound of her own heartbeat.

She heard the man that saved her speaking, he sounded as if he were underwater. "....I am afraid, I cannot let you turn her."
He said and after a slow blink, she managed to turn her head enough to see him.
I don't want to die... she wanted to say, but she couldn't, her mind was slowing, her body felt heavy, all she wanted then was to sleep but she knew she shouldn't.

Suddenly, the man grabbed her again, carrying in his arms before running off. Scarlet felt cold, but found that he was warm. She leaned into him, trying to keep her eyes open, but it was a losing fight.

"I--I don't want to d-die." She managed before her eyes forced themselves shut.