WHO: Alucard and Stephen Strange WHAT: A visit to the doctor to discuss cat ghost removal. WHEN: Backdated to before the cruise. Apologies! This took us a little while with RL and all. WHERE: Sanctum Sanctorum in Tumbleweed WARNINGS: Brief discussion of Hellsing's Nazi bad guys.
Though his association with Stephen Strange had been anchored largely by the man’s unfortunate transformation into a spirit from an American short story, Alucard found himself pleased with the outcome. The fight itself had been invigorating. Strange, when his rightful self, was no less entertaining. He might also prove to be useful. Alucard did not speak of it in full to anyone, but he disliked the weakened state he’d found been forced to accept to defeat Schrodinger’s influence. Centuries of power, carefully built and maintained, sacrificed to regain control of himself back from a single Millenium creation. It rankled him.
How, Alucard wondered often often enough to make himself ill, were he mortal, was he to fully protect Integra when he could hardly muster a tenth of his prior might?
The vampire arrived promptly at Strange’s home, and knocked on the door more out of courtesy than out of any real need to be invited in. The man had offered to help. Alucard could at least do him the favor of announcing his presence.
The door of the Sanctum opened, seemingly on its own, and a voice from inside said, “Come in, Alucard.” Stephen was standing a few feet away at the foot of the grand staircase. He remembered reading that vampires could not enter a home unless they were invited, and though Stephen wasn’t sure if that applied to his guest, he figured it was at least a polite gesture. “Is this your first time to the Sanctum Sanctorum?” he asked. He’d been told he’d been in Tumbleweed before, but couldn’t remember it.
“Doctor.” Alucard inclined his head in a simple acknowledgement of the courtesy. Invitations did not bind him, but they were still good manners. He could appreciate adherence to the behaviors expected of a good host.
“This is my first visit,” he replied, stepping across the threshold and allowing his red greatcoat to melt into nothingness, leaving him clad in his habitual black suit and blood red cravat, his white collared shirt only a few shades lighter than his own skin. Round spectacles with red-tinted lenses still concealed his eyes, until he removed them and tucked them into a pocket. He wore the white gloves that bore Hellsing’s seals in vivid crimson on their backs, though he was no longer bound by such magic.
“I must thank you for your discretion and your hospitality.”
“Of course,” Stephen said in a professional tone of voice. “I still consider myself a doctor, even though I don’t strictly practice anymore, and I understand the need for patient confidentiality.” His hands also wore gloves of yellow silk, to hide the heavy scarring of his hands that he’d received after his accident, and with a gesture he asked, “Shall we retire to the parlor?”
In a blink of an eye, the were no longer in the foyer, but seated opposite one another between a small, circular table set for tea. Stephen already held a pot of fine chinaware and was pouring for himself, in a cup. “I wasn’t sure if you took tea, or if you strictly drank blood,” he said, conversationally.
Alucard chuckled in his amusement, the sound brief but genuine. “It is not often the world provides me with anything novel,” he noted, pleased at how easily Strange had accomplished the transition. The vampire leaned back in his chair, long legs crossed at the knee and hands folded in his lap.
“Enjoy your tea,” he invited, “and do not concern yourself with my dietary needs. I’ve already dined tonight. I thought it pertinent to be at strength, given the matter we are here to discuss.”
Stephen responded with a wry smile. It wasn’t that he was showing off or being pretentious with the use of his magic - he usually moved around the Sanctum in this way, finding it a time saver. He was glad that Alucard wasn’t disturbed. The tea was a strong blend from Tibet, po cha, with a salty aftertaste, not sweet. He lifted the cup to his lips and blew gingerly upon its surface before sipping. The way Alucard spoke about his problem let Stephen know it was serious. Pleasantries had their time and place, but the nature of Alucard’s visit meant they ought to get straight to the point.
“I’ll help you to the best of my ability. What is the matter? And please, be as detailed as possible.” He wasn’t sure what sort of malady a vampire suffered from, so Alucard had Stephen’s full attention.
Though he did not often enjoy the taste of anything save blood, Alucard could savor the smell of certain mortal delicacies - tea, for instance. The subtle nuances of each blend stood out to his senses, and he’d become rather adept at brewing numerous types over the years, given how often the mortals in his life whom he valued drew comfort from the drink. He’d begun the habit with Abraham, in the later days of their relationship, continued it for Walter, and refined it to its current state for Integra. He spared a moment to file away Strange’s preference, not out of altruism, but because tea could say a great many things about a person.
“You will likely have questions,” Alucard began. “I do not promise to answer all of them. Some secrets are mine to keep, or to hold until such time as their revelation is absolutely necessary. But let us begin with the nature of what I am.
“Weaker vampires draw their power from blood in much the same way an automobile draws its power from gasoline. They burn the resources they have most recently consumed, and fill their tank, to continue the metaphor, when its contents become low. They might be able to gorge themselves and enjoy a temporary surplus of power, but their strength is impermanent.
“I, on the other hand, can draw upon life itself when I so choose. There was a time when my reserves were limitless. I could take in any life, and make it my own, to serve my ends, and ultimately the ends of my master, once my fate was tied to Hellsing’s.”
There were several books on vampire lore in Stephen’s library, and he’d read several of them, so the information Alucard didn’t necessarily surprise or disgust him. He listened carefully, keeping a straight face just like he would when he was a doctor, listening to a patient describe their condition. When Alucard was finished, Stephen set aside his tea cup, threaded his fingers together to rest them in his lap, and said, “Do go on,” because clearly there was more to the story - the vampire hadn’t gotten to the problem that brought him to the Sanctum to seek his help.
“An enemy found vulnerability in that strength.” Alucard delivered the information with only a hint of his loathing for Millenium coloring his voice. “They created an entity that they knew I would see as a small threat. They manipulated circumstances so that I would consume that entity. He exists everywhere and nowhere, and when I hold any soul within me other than his own, I become vulnerable to the most inconvenient of those states. I cease to exist, and yet, do not. You are, I expect, familiar with Schrodinger’s thought experiment involving the cat and the box. This entity has made that thought experiment manifest. It is vital that I expunge him from my being if I am to continue to serve Integra as I must.”
As Stephen listened, his eyebrows rose high. It was actually a very clever tactic against an enemy, but he wasn’t going to tell the victim of that tactic what he thought. Stephen thought to ask Alucard what that inconvenient state was, but he had a feeling that would be one of those questions that he wouldn’t answer - revealing the full nature of one’s weakness didn’t sound like something that Alucard would do. Maybe if he phrased it the right way?
Looking over the vampire in a new light, Stephen said, “You’re serving her now. Is this entity preventing you from serving her to your full capacity?” A pause. “There’s a possibility I could expel this entity from your body, but it would take research, and I’d need more information.”
“I serve her in everything that I do, always,” Alucard replied, fingers steepled before him. “Even in the nothingness, I served her, tearing myself apart to return from the void to her side. You might compare my current situation to having sawed off one’s own leg to escape a bear trap. I remain functional, but not what I was. To use another analogy, it would be like asking you to perform a great work of magic, when your power has been stripped from you and all you can truly conjure is a candle flame. That single flame might be enough in some situations. In others, it is laughable.”
Stephen picked up his tea and sipped while listening to Alucard, a curious expression upon his face. “Hrm,” he finally said, thoughtfully. “Here’s a question that just popped in my mind. Have you asked your master for her permission to do this?” Part of it was not wanting to get into trouble with Integra, but also because he’d fought against Alucard in October, when he’d been transformed into the Headless Horseman - he still remembered the experience. If Alucard was only at a fraction of power then, what was he like at full power? The thought was a bit disturbing,even though Stephen considered Alucard an ally- it didn’t sit well with him, particularly the part of imbibing other people’s essences, assumably ripped from them against their will..
Alucard smiled, slow and amused. “Of course. She understands better than anyone the consequences of my current state. After all, it forced me from her side for thirty years, in my time. In her own, she was still waiting for my return.” He sighed, as much for dramatic effect as a genuine tie to the human behavior, however, unnecessary it was in his current body.
“I am more constrained now than you may believe. Neither Integra, nor myself, knows when Millennium’s trap may be sprung again. If, this time, I might not have the strength to combat it.”
The corner of Stephen’s mouth quirked, and he made a mental note about asking Integra, personally. But for now, he asked, “Can you tell me something more about Millennium? I assume that’s the name of the enemy that did this to you? Or about the entity you consumed? It will give me a better idea of what sort of magic I’m dealing with. Once the entity is released from you, will it disperse, or be set loose upon the world?”
“I’ve no idea.” Alucard waved a gloved hand in the air. “I certainly cannot kill the damned beast. It would be better to destroy him in the process of removal, if that lies within your power. Among other things, he seemed attracted to my fledgling, and I cannot have that.” Not that Seras couldn't handle herself, if she arrived in this world, but Alucard was not keen to have a Nazi catboy after his child.
“Millennium is the product of Adolf Hitler's fascination with the occult, taken to greater depths by an even more disgusting brand of madmen. They created bastardized monsters through the application of magic and science. I enjoyed the challenge of the fight, but despise their methods and their so-called principles. I am a true monster, certainly, but they were trash.”
As horrible as bastardized monsters sounded, Stephen also thought it was very interesting, and he wished there was a way to learn more about what had been done. Not because he was thrilled by the idea of fighting them, but it would help him understand what he was dealing with. I’ve no idea wasn’t the sort of answer that gave him confidence, and neither did the fact that somebody as powerful as Alucard couldn’t kill it. Besides, Stephen was always curious when told about new and different sorts of magic, even if they were created by Nazis.
Stephen furrowed his brow in deep thought. “I’d like to know more information, before potentially unleashing it. You understand, the responsible thing to do would be to warn everybody about the danger, just before we made the attempt. I wonder if there is a way to come into contact with it while it’s still inside of you, or if Integra has some information to share?”
“Begin with Integra,” Alucard advised. “I’ve no wish to call Schrodinger forth if it can be avoided. I do not know what the consequences of such an action might be.” He rose, then, and bowed to Stephen as one might when exiting court. “You have my thanks for considering my proposal. Call upon Integra. She will tell you all that she feels she should, I am certain. Good night, Doctor.”
Alucard’s abruptness was a cause of uncertainty for Stephen, taking it that the vampire was himself disturbed by the nature of the entity which inhabited him. If Alucard was disturbed, how much more should Stephen be? Stephen respectfully stood the moment his guest did, and returned the courtesy with a smaller bow of his head. “I shall take your advice, thank you. Let me show you to the door.”
In a blink of an eye, they were again in the foyer, and Stephen stood, opening the main door of the Sanctum for Alucard. “I trust we’ll keep in touch. I’ll contact Integra immediately, and also do some research on my own.”