The Paladin, Father Alexander Anderson

[PLAYER INFO]

NAME: James

AGE: 23

JOURNAL: truebluehorror

IM: Nathander2007

E-MAIL: jhr061000@utdallas.edu

[CHARACTER INFO]

CHARACTER NAME: Alexander Anderson

FANDOM: Hellsing

CHRONOLOGY: The day before the Battle of London

CLASS: Anti-Hero. While Anderson is effectively a good-aligned character, he’s adamant in his ideology to the point that he can’t decipher good in those he deems evil by nature.

SUPERHERO NAME: Angel Dust

ALTER EGO: Being a priest, Anderson will find work at any nearby Catholic Church he can. Due to how well he does with children, he'll also seek out employment/give help at an orphanage.

Background:

 Father Alexander Anderson comes from the year 1999 and from a world nearly identical to ours. The main difference is the existence of monsters, especially vampires and other forms of undead, and the organizations set up to wage war against such monsters. Anderson himself works for one such organization: Section XIII of the hidden Catholic sectors, or Iscariot Division.

Exceedingly little is known about Father Alexander Anderson’s life aside from his involvement during the events that led to the Battle of London in 1999. He’s known to be of Irish stock and to have been born somewhere in the first half of the 1900s, most likely the 1920-30s, and considering his eventual profession, it can be assumed he was most likely an orphan. This makes it likely he was raised in an orphanage called St. Ferdinand’s, a very well-furnished and Catholic run orphanage near Rome.

However, this seemingly innocent orphanage is believed to house what could be considered a dark secret on the Catholic Churches part. While never substantiated, many believe that orphans who are found to have a naturally aggressive streak are relocated from their previous orphanages and placed in St. Ferdinand’s in order to monitor them. As these children get older and if the aggression they display remains, they begin to receive combat training. The most talented of these would eventually become members of Section XIII of the Catholic Churches’ secret Crusader divisions, clergy and knights of the Catholic Church who were to remain prepared for the next time the Church might go on a Crusade. Section XIII, also known as the Iscariot Division, is traditionally the assassination and supernatural branch of the Crusader Divisions, its members specializing in covertly slaying the radicals of other religions and supernatural monsters.

While it can neither be confirmed that St. Ferdinand’s actual function is to find and train children who show the necessary perquisites to become members of Section XIII, or that Anderson himself was an orphan who had been cared for at St. Ferdinand’s, though evidence points to this being a likely possibility. What is known is that sometime around his early twenties, Alexander Anderson would become an ordained priest and a member of Iscariot Division, and would quickly become Iscariot Division’s most talented warrior, eventually leading to members of the Division approvingly referring to him as the Paladin. Because of his piety, loyalty, and high success rate in his missions, Father Alexander Anderson would be the first, and only, member of the Division to go through the Regenerator Project.

The Regenerator Project was a scientific project begun by one of the other Crusader Divisions in the Catholic Church a few years after the Second World War. Its purpose was to develop a technology that would increase the capabilities of the average human so they could compete with the inhuman strength and speed of supernatural creatures. While it’s unknown what the exact process is that turns a person into a regenerator, some believe that it’s a modified version of the vampire chips that were created by the Millennium Battalion near the end of the war, and that the Catholic Church had gotten a hold of the technology while helping the Nazis move their resources after Germany surrendered. There is, however, no object proof that this is the case. However, the supernatural strength, speed, and regeneration granted by it put the subject on equal ground with most supernatural creatures, if not giving a slight advantage.

It is unknown why the Regenerator Project was brought to a halt after Anderson was successfully converted with it. Anderson appeared to show no drawbacks from the process, and he would remain Iscariot Division’s most powerful and trusted crusader throughout his career. At some point, most likely in the late-70s/early 80s, Anderson would effectively retire from monster hunting (though he would come out of retirement occasionally when his services were needed) to help run St. Ferdinand’s Orphanage, where he’d show an incredible ability to work with and raise the children there. Of the children he worked with, three in particular would more or less become his main pupils: Yumi, Heinkel Wulf, and Enrico Maxwell. All three of these children would later become high-ranking members of Iscariot Division, with Maxwell in particular becoming the head of Iscariot Division and an Arch Bishop, a position he was supposedly groomed for by Anderson as a means of channeling the hatred Anderson saw in Maxwell into a productive force instead of allowing it to spill over and harm innocents.

In 1998-99, Anderson would officially come out of retirement when approached about a new vampiric threat that had begun to sweep the English and Irish country sides. His first mission upon being reinstated as a full member of Iscariot Division was to clear out an abandoned mansion on the English/Irish border that had become home to a vampire and his thralls. Anderson would accomplish this mission with ease, though he would show confusion at the fact that the vampires thralls’ remained alive despite having killed the head vampire, and would proceed to begin cleaning out the rest of the mansion. It was during this part of the mission that he would run afoul of the agents sent out by Iscariot’s Protestant rival, the Hellsing Organization. To make matters worse, the agents dispatched were the vampire lord Alucard and his new thrall, Seras Victoria.

After easily incapacitating Seras, Anderson would challenge Alucard to a duel, recognizing his rival as a powerful vampire. The initial bout would be brief and apparently come off with Anderson as the winner, the priest decapitating and apparently slaying Alucard. Turning to finish Seras off, he’d find that the thrall had been able to right herself and had fled. Impressed with the new vampires’ apparent strength, he proceeded to follow Seras, viciously taunting her in such ways as flinging Alucard’s decapitated head at her.

Anderson’s torment of the young vampire would be put to a stop when Sir Integra Hellsing, the head of the Hellsing Organization, would show up on the scene and demand Anderson leave as the mansion lay on English ground. Anderson snidely refused Integra’s request, referring to her as the Whore of Babylon, killing the two guards that had come with her, and proceeding to attempt to kill Integra in order to complete his mission. This would be brought to a halt as Alucard rejuvenated, clearly at full power and unhurt. Seeing that he had no chance of slaying Alucard at his current strength, Anderson chose to leave, though not before vowing to eventually slay Integra and her vampiric servants.

Anderson would next appear as Iscariot Division Head Enrico Maxwell’s bodyguard when Maxwell met with Integra to discuss the possibility of an alliance at the War Museum of England in London. When called upon, Anderson would fly into a near rage at seeing Integra and Alucard, with Maxwell telling Integra to flee when it became clear he wouldn’t be able to control Anderson’s rage. Integra wouldn’t get the chance to do so, as Alucard would gleefully pull his own weapons, clearly excited at getting to fight Anderson again. The rematch between Alucard and Anderson would be cut short, however, as a tourist group from Japan entered the area, Seras Victoria apparently acting at the group’s tour guide. With the aggressive mood broken, both Anderson and Alucard would admit that they couldn’t fight each other at the moment and would leave, leaving Integra and Maxwell to discuss their alliance.

The next time Anderson appears is watching a  news feed of the battle between Alucard and a Millennium Battalion Lieutenant, Tubalcain Alhambra, in Rio De Janiero. Anderson would later be sent to retrieve Alucard, Seras Victoria, and the leader of a mercenary group hired by Hellsing named Pip Bernadette from Rio De Janiero and ensuring they make it to London on a private plane provided by Iscariot Division to attend a conference between Iscariot Division, the Hellsing Organization, and the Round Table (a shadow authority in England) to decide how to handle the crisis with Millennium. This yet again ends poorly, with Alucard and Anderson quickly erupting into violence towards one another and Anderson preparing to kill everyone there. Thankfully, Anderson is able to compose himself before things get out of hand and tells the three Hellsing Organization agents to head to the plane while he can still contain his desire to kill all of them.

Anderson is next seen talking on the phone to Maxwell about how the meeting between the organizations went, Anderson himself having not been present as he’d proceeded to head to Germany to try and weed out information about Millennium and their supporters after delivering his message to Alucard. He’s told by Maxwell to begin making his way back to London in preparation for the coming battle. On his way to leave, Anderson would be attacked by a group of Millennium supporters who he easily put down before making his way back to London.

This Anderson, unfortunately, would never get to participate in the coming battle.

Personality:

Anderson’s personality is complex and somewhat contradictory. Out of battle, Anderson is shown to be capable of great compassion and understanding, especially in the presence of the children at St. Ferdinand’s. Because of this, the children their adore Anderson and grow to think of him as a father figure, an image that lasts throughout their careers in Iscariot Division as well. To at least some point, Anderson believes that compassion and love are necessary as he openly states (and teaches the children he raises) that Catholicism is a religion of love.

At the same time, Anderson states hatred for, and seemingly supports the slaying of, everything he considers heathens and monsters. While the term monster is fairly self-explanatory in the world of Hellsing (the undead, and specifically vampires), he apparently means anyone who doesn’t fall under the religious term of Catholic (and especially in this case Protestants) as heathens. However, while Anderson makes open statements of hatred against Protestants, it’s shown that he might not mean it anywhere near as much as he says. He clearly respects Sir Integra Hellsing to the point of being willing to help protect her and get her back to her base during the battle of London so she can command her remaining troops. Another example is that later in the battle when Enrico Maxwell arrives in London with his army of Crusaders and begins killing not just Millennium soldiers but the citizens of London as well in the belief that he’s God’s judgment against them, Anderson becomes disgusted and turns his back on Maxwell, later betraying and indirectly killing the man.

Going further into Anderson’s often contradictory personality, the priest seems to waver between incredible amounts of pride and a lack of self-worth. Anderson believes himself to be the greatest warrior of his Order (which, granted, is an honest boast), a sign of almost insufferable pride. His pride is one of the major factors, alongside his outspoken hatred of the undead, that led to him developing a rivalry with Alucard, in his desire to prove himself the greater of the two.

Alongside this apparent pride, however, lies a deflated sense of self-worth. He believes that he lacks compassion and love despite clearly displaying them to the children he raises. Instead, Anderson believes that the only actual traits he displays are those of a warrior, and that fighting and killing the undead and heathens are the only means he has by which to serve God, going so far as to say at one point that he wishes he hadn’t been born as a human, but as a dervish of steel. This belief has led to the formation of an odd sense of altruism, especially in regards to his children (referring to both the orphans at St. Ferdinand and the members under him within the Iscariot), as he believes himself to be expendable for their sakes. Despite teaching them the ways of war, he desperately doesn’t want for anyone else to have to fight. In many ways, this ideology seems to run rampant through the members of Iscariot as a whole, which could validate the belief that Anderson may have been an orphan raised at St. Ferdinand’s himself at one point. If that’s the case, Anderson could be as much a victim of being brainwashed into a vicious ideology as the children he’s brainwashed in the belief he was doing the right thing.

It is highly possible that the contradiction that lies between his pride and his sense of worthlessness may be the fact that he underwent a process that bestowed the power of regeneration upon him, as well as super human strength and speed that put him on even footing with the monsters he has to cut down. While others view and refer to him as human, with Alucard even going so far as to view him as a paragon of humanity equal to Abraham Van Hellsing and thus worthy of killing a monster like Alucard, it’s implied Anderson views his altered nature as making him a monster, and therefore himself an impurity according to his own moral code.

The contradictions that define Anderson extend even to his actions in combat, where he’d best be described as a controlled berserker. When he goes into battle, Anderson turns into a madman, attacking apparently uncontrollably and relentlessly against his opponent until his foe dies. However, he’s shown to be able to snap out of this fury at will, and can go from a mad berserker to an amiable priest in a matter of seconds. He also shows no concern in defending himself from oncoming attacks, and gleefully moves into them due to both his regeneration powers and his faith that he’s doing the work of the Lord and will therefore ultimately be protected. His ferocity and near insanity in battle have earned him several feared nick-names and monikers: Angel Dust Anderson, Sword Dancer Anderson, the Killing Judge, and the Paladin.

His contradictions extend even further to those he knows within Hellsing. He hates the vampire lord Alucard and seems him as an unspeakable evil that must be killed, and will attack him on sight. At the same time, both he and Alucard seem to have an overwhelming respect for one another, to the point that they seem glad to see one another despite trying to kill each other. Alucard is eventually shown to believe Anderson to be a perfect example of what a man should be and worthy of killing him and actively mourns Anderson’s death, leading Anderson to conclude Alucard was never really a demon if he could still feel sorrow.

 Alucard’s thrall, Seras Victoria, is another example of this. As a monster hunter, Anderson is honor bound to hunt and kill vampires, and during his first encounter with Seras he sees her as little more than a monster who he toys with and nearly slays. As time goes on, however, he seems to gain both sympathy and admiration for Seras, seeing her as someone trapped in the position they’ve gotten themselves in and partially still redeemable since she’s yet to become a full vampire. He seems to also admire the fact that she’d attempt to confront him despite being clearly frightened of him. This does not mean, however, that he likes her, as he would still gladly kill her in a heartbeat if there was clear evidence that she’d behave as any other vampire would. And in Anderson’s worldview, that could be any time.

 This seems to apply to the vampires’ master, Sir Integra Hellsing, as well. Anderson starts off simply hating Integra and viewing her as a harlot and blasphemer and would attempt to kill her on sight. After seeing her prepared to die on the field of battle against Millennium’s foot soldiers, however, he automatically gained respect for her and viewed her, if not as an equal, as a fellow warrior and willing to escort her back to Hellsing HQ so she could command her remaining troops.

The few people Anderson seems to have at least a constant sense of how he feels about them are the children at St. Ferdinand’s and the Iscariot Division members, who he loves and protects for the most part unconditionally. However, he’s shown that he’s willing to punish them in ways he views as appropriate if they offend the moral code he possess and that he’s taught them. This is observable when Anderson chooses to betray and help kill Enrico Maxwell when Maxwell begins his betrayal and assault on London. However, Anderson does show clear remorse after having killed someone he considered one of his children, and proceeds to tell the rest of Iscariot Division to withdraw and leave him to fight Alucard. The members of Iscariot, for their part, refuse to accept this command and choose to stay and help Anderson in his fight with Alucard, clearing a path through the swarm of undead Alucard summons so Anderson can kill him.

The most important thing about Anderson, however, is his piety. All that he does, he does because he sees it as a path ordained for him by the Lord. He is utterly unwavering in his faith, and never questions the morals he’s been brought up on due to his belief that they’re in accordance with the will of God. He views Roman Catholicism itself as the one true faith, inherently above all forms of Protestant Christianity, which he views as a form of heathenism as much as any separate religion. During missions, his priority is to protect fellows Catholics beyond anything else, with any others coming second. However, he places what he believes to be loyalty to God himself above loyalty to Catholicism, as shown by his disgust when the Crusaders led by Enrico Maxwell begin gunning down British civilians along with Millennium troops, due to the fact that Anderson can’t rationalize Maxwell’s actions as possibly being the will of God, and thus must be a sign of Maxwell’s corruption. Service to God, or how Anderson perceives God, always comes first, everything else second.

Powers:

While Anderson has several powers, the following three are the most important to his character and the ones coming along with him.

 
Regeneration: Early in his career as a member of Iscariot Division, Anderson underwent a process that gave him several super-human attributes. The most prominent of these is regeneration. Anderson is shown to be capable of rapidly regenerating from injuries, including those that would usually be fatal (gunshots to the head and other organs, taking several rounds of auto-fire, ect.) While powerful, however, Anderson’s regeneration isn’t perfect. Anderson can still be killed if enough damage is done to his heart or brain in rapid succession. On top of this, as Anderson is being taken from the manga canon, it is debatable if he’s capable of regenerating lost limbs. For my part, I would say he is, but it is nowhere near as quick as his regeneration from general wounds, and would take him most likely a few days to two, three weeks to regrow a lost appendage.

Hammer space: Another reason for Anderson’s infamy is his unique, if bizarre, means of combat. His chosen weapon is bayonets, using two that are nearly sword length for melee and others of normal length as thrown weapons. On top of this, Anderson appears to be able to produce an infinite supply of bayonets from his trench coat. As long as he’s wearing his trench coat, he has access to hammer space and an infinite supply of his bayonets.Additionally, Anderson has been shown to be able to rapidly pull out bible pages from Hammer space and, nailing them to the walls of a room, create a sanctified barrier that can lock in the undead and keep other undead out. However, this could theoretically count as a separate power and, if told to, will be cut.

Increased Physical Capabilities: Another benefit of whatever process Anderson underwent also gave him super-human characteristics in strength and speed as well. In terms of strength, Anderson is shown as being capable of competing with vampires in the world of Hellsing, and vampires are shown to possess the strength to fling playing cards through riot shield. Anderson’s speed is also far beyond most humans, and while <i>far</i> below the super speed of any speed-based superhero, he’s still far quicker than the great majority of humans. However, if only one of these boosts may be applied in order to keep it a three-power limit, Anderson chooses advanced strength.

First Person Sample:
[VOICE]

(The man's voice is gruff, and carried by a thick, but not impenetrable, Irish accent)

I do not understand why so many of you claim to be heroes, yet do exceedingly little to actually fix most of the problems here. You speak, occasionally jovially, with your enemies over this Network on a daily basis. 

Can none of you see the problem here? The Lord has delivered your enemies into your lap, has given you a possible means that, with enough work, you could track them down, and yet you do nothing. You squander the opportunity.

But that is your decision, and I cannot judge you for that. Only the Lord may judge the soul. I simply judge the flesh. And that I intend to do, if you do not do such with the filth spread about this city.

May the Lord bless you.

Third Person Sample:

He was used to the sin and degradation that followed mankind into the cities they built. In a way, he supposed it was unavoidable. With all the beauty man could create, with churches, and charities, and other forms of acceptable socialization and altruism, he supposed it would be unfair to expect mankind to be able to deny the darker side of itself. For every cathedral, a glaring porno theater somewhere downtown. For every case worker and officer and supposed hero, there was a gang banger, a thief, a villain.

For every human, a monster.

It was for that reason that Anderson tended to roam the night. Not because he particularly liked that time (though, truth be told, he'd grown fond of it out of necessity), but because that was when his prey so often came out. Few knew about them. Few needed to know about them, and it was best that most didn't. People were afraid of one another enough; how would they react to finding out that so many of what they ultimately came to accept as childish fears were real?

Better to leave that information to those who could deal with it. To people such as himself.

It was a difficult road, but Anderson had never questioned it. It was as the Lord commanded he should do, and who was he to deny such an order? He would go as he was called. It was the path he had always followed, and not once had he felt the Lord had steered him wrong, or betrayed him. The Lord could only show him the correct road for him to take.

After all, was God a man, that he should lie?

There was no prey to be found, not yet, but it was a new City. Anderson would find it soon enough. And he would be ready to wipe it from the face of the Earth the moment he saw it, as well. The priest smiled slightly as he continued to simply walk along with the conglomeration of people who littered the streets at night. He placed his hand inside the fold of his trenchcoat, and could feel the sharp blade cut across his thumb. It wouldn't matter if a ghoul, a vampire, appeared right here or now. Or five of them. Or a dozen. He had the means to wipe every single one of them out on his person before even a single civilian might be scratched.

He was a walking, talking armory dedicated to the Lord. A war machine of God made flesh, though not a single person on the streets knew it. They didn't need to know; it was a fact only he and God need share.

And so Anderson happily followed along with the crowd, silently watching and waiting for whatever monsters might appear. For any aid that need be given.

Like a guardian angel.