A Place to Call Home

[The Reaper]

People heard the stories from 1998 where Spencer Mansion was the start of it all. The Mansion was a front for what was beneath. Yet nothing deterred Elias Helsing from what he was planning next. He dropped a bag of money basically on the desk of the Mayor, was told no, then dropped a duffel bag of hundreds, there was a ballpark of around ten million going into purchasing the dilapidated mansion, since neglected by its destruction, rebuilding and abandonment again once Hija left the city completely.

No benefactors would touch the place in the coming years, the place was bad luck, and worse than that people feared it was just another front for Umbrella, which in reality it definitely was. Elias however didn't fear things like bad luck and Umbrella, should the place be filled with zombies and bio weapons his men would kill them, should there be secret passage ways and an underground lab, his men would find them, should the place have a self destruction feature like it once did they would disable it. The work began the day he bought it.

"Walter, have the place combed for devices and secrets," Elias said as they entered the front doors. Walter bowed, "oh and wake up Seras, she can find some of the finer details by passing through the foundations. If there are tunnels and secrets I wish to know about them so we can refine them into our tunnels and secrets. Also if there are any creeps hiding in the basement I wish for them to be handled."

"At once sir," Walter said and bowed again.

Elias commanded his men with respect but he was also assertive about his orders, the thing that separated him from Integra was his willingness to place himself on the front line along with his men, he of course did have a will written up so that should he die the Helsing organization would always remain and his fortune would pass on to the next in command.

The build teams took to the great hall, they were warned in advance that a lot of the building was trapped and they would have to figure out certain insane puzzles to access certain halls. Elias of course asked for those things to be demolished to make the mansion easy to access.

"Oh and there is a sitting room near the dining room, we can wall that off and make it a bathroom... And probably add a bathroom to most areas that don't have one. It would be pretty fucking annoying to have to run across the entire mansion to use the only bathroom," Elias said.

"Oh the last tenant added more bathrooms, you've just got old blue prints," said the project manager who motioned for Elias to check out his updated ones.

"Perfect, I see the library was repurposed into a study for the last tenant," Elias said, "I'm going to go check that out."

"Want one of us to accompany you," asked Pip motioning to the guard unit.

"No, I have company, secure the rooms and work with Seras and Walter to secure hidden passage ways," Elias ordered.

It was a hefty walk, this place was truly large but the Library, or study now, was perfectly cozy for what he wanted to use it for. He blew dust off the rows of books and then moved to the desk pushing aside scattered papers, "quite impressive, isn't it?"

[Sparda]

When Seras wasn't awake, Robert served as Elias' shadow in her head. He had never much minded the duty; protection detail trained a slightly different skillset as an operator than open fighting, it was ideal for sharpening the perception. That went double in this of all places, with its reputation as a deathtrap to all but the man who first built it. To his credit, Elias wasn't the least bit worried, and nor should be be.

"Extravagant is the word that comes to mind." Having entered the room a couple paces behind Elias, Robert stood across from him on the other side of the desk, and looked around the room with a quizzical eye. "I mean - puzzles? Really? It's like the architect got stoned and took all his inspiration from Castlevania. At least it won't be an issue any longer, and when you look past all that, it really is a beautiful building."

[The Reaper]

"Shame to just break what some one created," Elias said with a short shrug, "but could you honestly imagine how many Wild Geese we would have to recover should they mix up a key or pull open the wrong door? At the end of the day I'd like to keep this place as simple as possible and monument the things we remove in some sort of eccentric museum of sorts... Call it the fools guide to locked doors."

He dusted the leather chair off behind the desk with his hand then wiped it on his pants and sat down and began going through the drawers, "like Cousin Hellsing, I would like this place to be a beacon and reminder to everyone that Helsing isn't afraid of being public nor will it back down from its enemies."

He pulled out a bottle of aged scotch and sat it on the desk, "unlike her, I'd like to keep my head on my shoulders. So I'm going to want this place secured rather quickly and a detailed map of it posted in the barracks so our guys can study it over and not get lost trying to get around. So that's next step for Walter."

Elias twisted the cork out of the scotch and sniffed it, he made a sour face before waving his hand over the top of the bottle and then picked it up and took a drink from it setting it down and pushed it forward on the desk if Robert would like a drink from it, "Any idea on the state of affairs in the city?"

[Sparda]

Robert watched with folded arms as Elias set about searching the desk while he waxed strategic on his plans for the manor. He'd always had a flair for the dramatic - it was part of what made fighting beside him so damned fun. He stepped forward to pick up the bottle when it was offered. He lifted it to his nose, sniffed gingerly, pursed his lips. With a shrug of 'what could go wrong,' he took a quick slug, and winced as it burned its way down.

"Phew, that's a kick in the liver. Alright then - ground zero for the first outbreak has become ground zero for a continuation of Sears' anti-BOW politics, since DC got flattened and Harker came into the Presidency. The TYRANT organisation is emerging as a very loud voice against Harker, especially following the killing of none other than Adam Kurgan. Tensions are building, won't be long before they boil over. Then there's the matter of the mystery vampire who called us out in the first place..."

[The Reaper]

"That vampire, is of little concern, to be honest," Elias said taking a second drink from the bottle, he sat it back down, it was rough and aged to kick you in the dick if you didn't treat it kindly, "I'm curious about this TYRANT group. Not that I really intend to take sides but it would be a good idea to contact them so we don't step on their toes if we start plugging bullets into bio-altered people who are starting riots. Plus, the government knows we're in town so should Harker given his little welcoming party."

"I guess the first step is to enjoy the decor," he said twisting the chair around and stood up looking at a painting of Hija Himura hanging behind the desk, "we'll start by burning this piece of shit on the front lawn."

[Sparda]

"True - I just don't like not knowing who she is," came Rob's answer. "Soon as we find out, I'm happy to go bring you her ashes all nicely boxed up.

"For their part, TYRANT seem... well-intentioned. They just have all this more or less explicit discrimination and hate crime to deal with. This spokesman of theirs, masked man who calls himself Legatus? I watched recordings of his hacked broadcasts, he has a real gift for oratory. Won't be surprised to see their numbers swelling soon as a direct result of his speeches. I'm in agreement that it'd be wise to get them on side."

When attention turned to the painting of Himura, Rob flipped it the bird.

[The Reaper]

"At the end of the day," Elias said rolling the chair to the fireplace so he could stand on it and grab a corner of the rather large painting to lift up on it enough to unhinge it then jumped down letting it fall to the floor where the frame broke and crumpled the canvas, "our main goal is to make sure if innocent people start getting slaughtered we step in, regardless if it's the government or TYRANT. I need everyone ready to go to war should they piss on their own feet."

An odd expression, but he was a hundred percent serious, "Plus, if Red's old demons are getting brought back into the picture now that he's out of the picture, I'd like to end some chapters with swift justice and a few heavy bullets. Lest them not forget who tamed the Red Devil, by Helsings hand we let him live, by Helsings hand we can kill him as well."

"Keep an eye out for Stonewall's agents as well, I imagine since they were called out they'll be entering the city soon enough."

[Sparda]

Robert watched the painting fall and crumple, and snorted in satisfaction. A bit petty and vicarious of them, maybe, but they could hardly leave Himura's smug face up there. He marked the gravity in Elias' tone, and knew that his own marching orders would soon follow.

"Things are about to seriously heat up, I can feel it." He reached for the bottle to take another swig. "I wouldn't anticipate more zombies, nothing quite like the original outbreak, but the Tyrant arms race has never really stopped. I'll be surprised if I don't have an occasion to put the Genesis to work before we're done here."

[The Reaper]

"Enjoy the day," Elias said sitting back down in the chair and put his feet up on the desk, he took his e-pen out of his pocket and took a hit off it, "I think of anyone, you deserve a little break before the incoming storm. When you're feeling ready for it I trust you'll see fit in investigating the vampire girl who 'called us out' and possibly start looking into who sent that T-103 into the city."

He offered his e-pen over to Robert, "I'm going to have to ask Walter to scour the city as well, there has to be a dispensary around here somewhere."

[Sparda]

"Thank you sir." That was an expression of sympathy; Elias knew that this was Robert's hometown. It was definitely a strange feeling to be back here after everything that had happened, stranger still for Raccoon to be at the epicentre of it all again.

Rob reached out for the e-pen and took a quick drag. "I'll see about lending Walter a hand for a couple hours before I check out for the day," he decided, and handed the e-pen back. "Tomorrow, I'll head into the city and begin my search for the vampire. She'll get what she asked for, and then some."

[The Reaper]

"I have faith Bobby, don't stress on it too much," Elias said, he took his feet from the desk, no longer wishing to disrespect it more than he already had and took to rolling up the painting of Hija Himura, "and I will set out about this mansion looking for this fuckers face so I can start a nice fire for the boys tonight. We'll have a nice little soiree of sorts for our homecoming."

The darkness lingered a bit too long around Elias, it almost looked animated, if one stared into it too long they'd find it staring back. He lifted the large canvas onto his shoulder, "did it get a little chilly in here? That was odd, think I'm a bit too high."

[Sparda]

Rob did indeed find himself staring into the darkness, and he raised an eyebrow. He knew full well what he was looking at, and he knew it was looking at him too.

"I think Seras is awake," he answered Elias. "No doubt badmouthing Walter for disturbing her. I'll go say hello, and leave you to your, ah... shall we call it a noble quest to remove the enemy's face from our halls?"

He turned to make for the door, stopped within view, and turned back to cross his right arm over his chest in a sort of salute. "Gott mit uns." Then he was gone, to find his way to wherever Seras' coffin had been put so he could check on her.

[The Reaper]

Elias waved his hand, "better throw the enemy in a fire than let him gain notoriety further on my walls... I think that's something Hitler said, perhaps I should mind my quotations better."

With Robert out of the room he began work, the darkness lingered there again and eye opened in it and he glanced over at it, "glad to see you still persist. Perhaps it's time you and I have a one on one discussion."

The shadow slid across the ground and dissipated like vapor and the shelves in the room shook as something landed on top of one of them, it was looking down at him, a distorted mass of shadows wrapping around itself, eyes opening and closing, almost popping like bubbles.

"You are not Integra."

"And you are not Alucard, yet here we are," Elias said with a smirk on his face, "have you come to try and kill me?"

"No... I am looking for Integra."

"She is dead."

"Did you kill her?"

Elias smiled, "I did not."

"Who did?"

"He's gone."

"Did you kill him?"

"Let's cut the linear questions, you are some sort of abstract anomaly and I'd like you to take a solid form or return to the darkness with which you came," Elias said.

"Or what?"

Elias's eyes didn't change, he got a broad grin on his face, "I will simply kill you."

It was only a moment but the shadow launched off the shelf and Elias twisted around jumping to his right but it looked like it was too late. The shadow fell in half however, its arm also rolled to the floor and it began to evaporate like vapor. Elias landed on his feet, a sword had materialized in his hand as he turned away from the shadow. 

"Am I high enough that the darkness is attacking me now?"