Gunsmith Cats Fan Fiction / Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Years ❯ Part One ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Through the Years, Pt. 1
Hellsing/Gunsmith Cats fanfiction
By Elwin Blaine Coldiron – bigkwell@netscape.com and bigkwell@hotmail.com

“Hellsing” and characters are created by Kohta Hirano, and is the property of Shounen Gahousha/Dark Horse Comics, Rondo Robe/Wild Geese/Satelight/Hellsing Production Committee, and Geneon Entertainment. “Gunsmith Cats” and characters are created by Kenichi Sonoda, and is the property of Kodansha/Dark Horse Comics, Vap/Tokyo Broadcasting, and ADV Films. I do not own both series, nor the characters. I just write the fiction.

AUTHOR’S NOTES – This will be a first for me. It will be the first time that I have stepped outside the world of Tenchi Muyo! fanfiction (my usual forte) to write a primarily Hellsing fanfiction, as well as making it a crossover with Gunsmith Cats.

The Hellsing element of this story will be a fusion of sorts. I’m adapting some elements of the Hellsing OVA in an alternate universe, with a little bit of the television series thrown in to keep it interesting… plus some changes in order to make some parts of the story fit. If I seem to be drifting away from the core elements of both stories, I would appreciate you letting me know so that I can keep it straight.

P.S. I’m seriously thinking about making this a three-way yuri/shoujo-ai relationship between Sir Integra, Seras and Rally. Let me know what you think.

PRELUDE - A COMMAND CENTER OUTSIDE JOLIET, ILLINOIS…

The scene was quite hectic at the hastily-constructed tent city near a farm, the morning sun gradually coming up on the horizon. A combination of HAZ-MAT workers along with armed soldiers raced between tents, receiving assignments, then dispersing to them. A lot of the activity centered around a larger tent, which was set in-between the assortment of decontamination showers.

Outside the encampment, a Rolls-Royce drove up to the gate. The guard approached the driver, then was shown identification papers, afterwhich he waved the car through. The Rolls then drove up to the main tent, whereas a well-dressed and distinguished gentleman exited the rear door and proceeded to the entrance.

“Excuse me,” an individual, obviously a National Guard general, called out at the gentleman, “but only authorized personnel are allowed in here.”

“That’s quite alright, General. I have the proper credentials right here.” The gentleman produced a series of documents to an aide, who then handed them to the general.

The general perused the documents, then satisfied that they were in order, addresses the gentleman. “So… Sir Hugh Islands, what can we do for you?”

Sir Islands assessed the situation inside the tent, then said, “I was contacted by my contacts within your Homeland Security department and was told that a situation was occurring here. Might I inquire as to what is going on?”

Feeling a little flustered that an outsider… an outsider that was a foreign national, knew about such a sensitive situation, the general address Sir Islands with, “Well, whatever you’ve been told, I can assure you that we have thing well taken care of. Now if you’ll kindly…”

“Well taken care of, is it?” Sir Islands interrupted, sounding offended. “Well, from what I’ve observed, it seems to be more of a combat situation rather than a chemical leak as the public was led on to believe. Now, could you kindly drop the pretenses and give me what REALLY is transpiring… or do I have to contact your President and go over your head to do it? Mind you, I have interrupted my holiday in your country when my contacts told me of what happened. I would appreciate a straight answer.”

Finally admitting defeat, the general sighed and said, “Very well. Twelve hours ago, several members of D.E.A. and the Illinois State Patrol approached the farmhouse we’re surrounding in order to serve a search warrant on suspicion that a meth-lab was being operated on the premises. As the warrant was being served, the officers and the D.E.A. officials were attacked and killed. As a result, several members of the I.S.P.’s Special Weapons and Tactics were dispatched and attacked as well… and were killed, strangely enough by the officers called to serve the warrant.”

Sir Islands took all this in, all the well nodding. When the general finished, he looked at him and said, “Well… this is just as we suspected. Very well, have your men pull back at least two kilometers from this spot.”

“NOW WAIT A MINUTE…” the general yelled.

“Afterwhich, the aid your State Department requested from the British government will deal with this matter right away.” Sensing the general’s growing hostility, Sir Islands changed the tone of his speech. “General, I sympathize with your situation, but the fact remains that your men are ill-equipped to handle what is transpiring in that house. If you charge into there with guns blazing, you will only compound what is happening by creating more of those creatures. Now the sun is coming up, so at least we have some time before they arrive. I suggest you have your men set up a perimeter around the farmhouse, mostly to keep innocent people out, but also as a fall-back position in case something goes wrong.” He then presented the general with additional papers. “These are authorizations by your superiors to allow representatives from my government to act on behalf and the benefit of the United States of America, the trusted allies of Her Majesty.”

Still fuming, the general took the papers and thumbed through them. Finally calming down, he looked at Sir Islands and replied, “Everything’s in order, so I guess that your government may proceed.” He still looked irritated as he continued, “This is so galling… to have the rug pulled-out from under you. We’ve could’ve handled it, you know.”

“If you knew what I knew… and do not worry, you will be briefed about it,” Sir Islands said, “then I believe you would reassess that claim.”

O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, CHICAGO, SIX HOURS LATER…

Captain Kevin Delany stood on the tarmac of the cargo terminal, waiting for the incoming flight to stop and offload… whatever he was called to observe. He hated these milk-runs and thought he had better things to do right now. However, the higher-ups in Chicago P.D. thought it would be a good idea to observe this international flight that had just came in from St. John’s.

“Kevin! How’s it going?” a voice called out from behind. Delany turned to see Lieutenant Roy Coleman walk up behind him.

“Roy. I thought you be off by now,” Delany said.

“I would be, but Lt. Francis got notified about a domestic dispute and I was called to fill in for him.” He then looked at the huge cargo jet coming to a full stop. “Excuse me… but is that an R.A.F. plane?” Coleman pointed out on the livery of the jet, which bore the markings of the British Royal Air Force.

“Yeah. They made a fueling stop-over in St. John’s in Newfoundland before coming here,” Delany answered as the rear door dropped on the jet. “I wonder what the hell the Brits are doing here?”

As Delany continued to muse, a flatbed carrier then exited the jet, carrying on its back two rather large crates, both of them had what appeared to be red-and-black shields on their sides. Delany leaned over to get a look at the writing on the shields, “‘Hellsing?’ ‘We’re on a mission from God’? What the heck is this, some international bible sales persons that dragged a military transport to do their work?” he rasped irritably. He waved over a guard, then asked him, “What the heck are in these things anyway?”

“Don’t know,” the soldier said. “I’m only here to guard the cargo.”

“Really?” Delany grumbled. “Well if you don’t mind, I would like to have a look at those? Is that allowable?”

“It is NOT,” another voice – a woman’s – called out from behind. Both men turn around to see what appeared to be a woman in a gray-green men’s business suit… and wearing an unusual tie with a silver crucifix in the center of it. She had pale blonde hair, blue eyes with glasses on them, ruddy skin, and had an unlit cigar in her mouth. “Gentlemen,” she began in a British-sounding voice, “those packages are top-secret… so I would thank you not to open them.”

Delany glowered at the woman. “Pardon me, but I don’t think that’s any of your business, Miss…”

“The name is Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, Detective. And yes, it is MY business… and none of yours.”

Coleman didn’t like the looks of what was happening. A seasoned veteran, he could recognize the growing rage within Delany. Coleman knew that Delany’s temper often resulted in brutality charges against the department, which kept Internal Affairs busy trying to investigate them. “Kevin,” he began, “you really shouldn’t be going at her. We’re still trying to clean up the last mess you…”

“NONE OF MY BUSINESS!?!?” Delany roared. “LISTEN TO ME, YOU LIMEY BITCH, THE SAFETY OF THIS CITY IS MY BUSINESS!! NOW LET ME GET A LOOK AT THOSE CRATES BEFORE…”

“I’m afraid you’ve been outvoted on that matter, Detective,” a new figure said, walking up and standing beside Sir Integra. He then flashed a badge at the two and said, “Harold Lewis, Homeland Security. The Federal Government has a crisis at hand. And since Sir Integra possesses the only means to stop it, the President asked the Queen herself to enlist her organization’s help. Now if you’ll excuse me, we’ll take possession from here.”

Delany glared at Sir Integra hostilely, for which the former had a smug look at the detective as she walked off. “Why you little…” he growled as he began to charge her, only to have Coleman hold him back from behind.

“KEVIN!! DON’T DO IT!!! YOU’LL ONLY HAVE INTERNAL AFFAIRS ALL OVER YOUR ASS AGAIN!!!” Coleman yelled as he struggled to reign Delany in.

“IT’LL BE WORTH IT, NOW LET ME GO, ROY!!!” Delany shot back, but Coleman, as well as other C.P.D. officers, continued to hold him back.

While this was going on, the Homeland Security official glanced over to Sir Integra and whispered, “I do apologize for that outburst. I assure you that he is NOT the norm of police in this country.”

“There is nothing to apologize for, Mr. Lewis,” Sir Integra. “I just did not want those crates opened prematurely, that is all.” They went on to where the crates were loaded onto an Army truck, which was supervised by what appeared to be an elderly black-haired gentleman. “Walter, have the crates been secured?”

The gentleman – Walter C. Dolnez – turned to Sir Integra and replied, “They have, Sir Integra. It will be a few minutes before we can depart.”

“Make sure everything is ready when we deploy near Joliet,” the pale-haired woman said. “You will accompany them to the departure site, then notify me when ready.”

“Indeed I shall,” Walter said, then directed the soldiers loading the crates to be cautious about a refrigerated cooler that went with the crates, as well as several large cases.

Lewis and Sir Integra then proceeded to a waiting car, where they got in to proceed out. Looking back at the two detectives, which Delany appeared to have calmed down, Sir Integra turned to Lewis and said, “Kevin was his name, wasn’t it?”

Lewis looked at a profile of Delany and nodded. “Miracle he’s still working for Chicago P.D., with all the brutality complaints on him. Whenever Delany gets his Irish up, it can only mean trouble.”

Sir Integra nodded silently as the car started up. However, her brow furrowed as she thought, ‘Irish… that usually means a Catholic, if I read the demographics of this area correctly. That could be trouble if word of our involvement got out.’

LATE AFTERNOON…

“You’re kidding, Roy?” Irene “Rally” Vincent said, sitting in the living room. “You actually had to rope in ‘Bruiser’ Delany?” She, along with ‘Minnie’ May Hopkins, blonde-haired explosives expert, sat on the couch in the house the two shared and chatted with Coleman. Also present was Becky ‘the Nose’ Farrah, information expert. The four of them sat near a coffee table, enjoying take-out pizza while discussing the events which delayed Coleman from visiting.

“No shit, Rally,” Coleman said, who leaned back on the chair offered. “He wanted to jump in and pound those two to a pulp. It took us a while to calm him down.”

“Well, that’s one way to prevent an international incident, isn’t it?” Becky said between bitefulls of pizza. “Do you think this has anything to do with that chemical spill near Joliet?”

“Now wait a minute,” May offered up, “since when does an agent from Homeland Security accompany a British expert on a simple chemical spill? We’ve got HAZ-MAT people who can handle it here.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it,” Rally said, scratching her chin, “it does seem odd that Homeland Security would get involved in a spill.” She looked at Coleman and said, “Roy, do you think that terrorists might be involved?”

“Possibly,” Coleman offered, “which would explain the chemical spill story… and the foreign help.”

“If it is,” Becky added, “it would explain why they would cover-up such a thing… mainly to avoid a panic.” She then looked at Rally and growled, “And speaking of cover-ups, are you still covering up the fact that you still owe me $300 for that last favor you wanted me to help you with?”

Rally sweatdropped as she look at Becky. “Oh… that,” she sputtered. “Well… I’m… still waiting for the money from the bondsman, that’s all.”

“I bet,” Becky grumbled, not sounding convinced.

“Becky, she’s telling the truth!” May said. “The bondsman’s going through the paperwork so that he can pay Rally.” Returning to Coleman, she added, “Did you ever get that British woman’s name, Roy?”

“Just a little, mostly her last name,” Coleman said. “For some reason, that name sounds familiar. I think it was… Hellsing.”

“Hellsing?” Rally gasped, a look of recognition on her face. She then leaned over to Coleman and asked, “Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, am I right, Roy?”

Coleman nodded, a little surprised at Rally’s reaction. “That’s right… but how did you know that?” Rally didn’t immedietly answer. Instead, she headed upstairs. “What was that all about?” Coleman asked.

“I’m just as in the dark as you are, Roy,” May answered.

Rally returned from upstairs, carrying what appeared to be a photo album. Running through the pages, she came up to one particular photograph. “There,” she finally said, showing the picture to Coleman. “Is she the one?”

The photograph was an old Polaroid, which showed a smiling 9 year-old Rally standing next to what appeared to be an equally-smiling older teenaged girl with pale blonde hair and wearing a white blouse and long pleated green skirt and wearing a silver crucifix. Coleman looked at the picture and said, “Yeah it is… only a little older.”

“You actually met that girl?” Becky said.

“You never told me that, Rally,” May added. “How did you meet her?”

Rally set down the album on the coffee table, leaned back in her chair and began with, “It was about ten years ago, right after Mum was murdered. Dad wanted to take her back to England for her funeral, so I went with him. Mind you, I was still upset at the time.”

“How can I blame you?” Becky said. The others nodded in agreement.

Rally smiled at her friends and continued, “All of a sudden, Dad announced that he had some business in London that he had to take care of. I suspect that it was to make arrangements for the funeral… or to find out more about Mum’s killer, so he dropped me off at an old friend of his. They were a wealthy family that lived on the outskirts of the city and were well-connected with the Royal Family… and their last name was Hellsing. I was a little intimidated by the whole thing and didn’t know what to expect…”

FLASHBACK…

The trip from Heathrow Airport to this mansion outside London was short, but for the little girl sitting in the back seat, it didn’t matter. Rally was all cried-out when she arrived at the Hellsing mansion, staring numbly… but not without curiosity… at the well-manicured lawns of the estate, which was built inside the ruins of an old keep. But as before, it didn’t matter. Her mother was gone and nothing could change that harsh fact.

Her father exited first, walking up to a gray-haired and bearded gentleman and immedietly struck-up a conversation. After a few minutes of talking, he walked up to Rally and said, “Irene, I’m going to going out for a few days, mostly to make arrangements for the funeral. I’ve kindly asked Sir Arthur here,” he nodded at the gentleman, “to take you in while I’m gone.”

“But Daddy,” Rally piped up, “why do you have to leave? I want to stay with you.”

“I know, Irene,” her father answered, “but there are some other things I need to take care of as well. And frankly… some of those places is where a little girl like you shouldn’t go to. Now I won’t be long, two days at the least, three of five at the most. In the meantime, I want you to enjoy yourself and pay attention to what Sir Arthur says.”

Rally sighed discouragily but said, “Yes, Daddy.”

“Very good, sweetheart.” Rally’s father then hugged her and planted a small kiss on her forehead as a black-haired elderly gentleman, obviously the family butler, removed Rally’s luggage and had it taken inside the mansion with help from the staff. Once that was done, he got inside the black Rolls-Royce and departed. Rally simply stood and waved goodbye and the car drove from the estate.

A few minutes later, Rally was escorted by Sir Arthur Hellsing inside the mansion, where the little girl looked in awe at the inside. “Wow,” was all she could say as her eyes took in the sight of the old house; the walnut walls, the various paintings that decorated them, not to mention the size of the place. It was bigger than their home in Chicago.

“You seem impressed, are you young lady?” Sir Arthur finally said, smiling.

“Y-yes sir,” Rally answered bashfully, looking at the elderly gentleman.

“No need to feel embarrassed,” Sir Arthur chuckled. “Now, I’m a very busy man and I want you to know that if you need anything, feel free to ask Walter here about it,” he pointed at the black-haired butler.

“Arthur,” another gentleman, entering the foyer of the mansion near the three, “there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“In a minute, Richard.” Sir Arthur then turned to Rally and explained, “You’ll have to excuse me. It seems my younger brother has something to tell me.” He then turned to Walter and said, “Could you show Miss Vincent to her room, Walter?”

“Indeed I shall, Sir Arthur,” Walter answered, bowing. “Come this way, Miss Vincent,” he said to Rally as he picked up her suitcase. Bashfully, the young girl complied and followed the butler.

They had only gone a short distance before Rally noticed a set of stairs that appeared to go down. Intrigued, the black-haired girl paused to peer into the gloom that seemed to envelop the landing below. “Excuse me, Miss Vincent,” Walter called out.

Snapping out of her trance, Rally swung her head around and saw the butler glowering at her firmly. “What?” she squeaked out.

“I’m afraid that way is off-limits to young girls like you,” Walter added.

“W-what?” Rally stammered, wondering if she did something wrong.

“Walter?” a new voice called out. Soon, a teenaged young woman in pale blonde hair swooped down and comforted Rally. “Now do not go scolding her, Old Friend. She just got here and is unfamiliar with the place.” Bending down, she looked at Rally and said, “You will have to forgive Walter here. He didn’t mean to go off on you like that. He was just worried about you. Beside, I am not allowed to go down there, either, so I would not let that trouble you.”

Rally felt relieved. “Oh,” she said. “Well… I wasn’t really worried… uh… Miss… uh…”

“Oh how rude of me, I have not introduced myself. My name is Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. I am the daughter of Sir Arthur Hellsing.”

“Well thank you,” Rally said. Looking to Walter, she nodded and added, “Thank you for telling me that. I’ll remember in the future.”

“Why thank you, Miss Vincent. I was glad we came to an understanding on this matter,” Walter said. “Miss Integra,” he added, turning to the teenager, “what about your studies with your father? You should be getting ready for that.”

“Oh that is alright, Walter. Me and Father had already taken care of that this morning,” Integra answered. “So, Miss Vincent,” she asked the girl, “shall I accompany you to your room?”

“Why sure!” Rally said, smiling. “But I was wonder Miss Hellsing… could you call me Rally?”

“Why certainly,” Integra said, “if you will call me Integra.”

“It’s a deal!” Rally said, gleefully accompanying the two upstairs.

INTERRUPTING FLASHBACK…

“And that was how I first met Integra,” Rally said, taking a break to relax.

“Wow… that was interesting, Rally,” May said, she, Becky and Coleman obviously impressed with the story. “Kinda makes the life I led a little boring.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Rally smirked.

Coleman scratched his bearded chin as he looked at his friend and said, “So how long you stayed at the Hellsing estate, Rally?”

“For about three days,” she answered, her blue eyes twinkling. “During that time, me and Integra were almost inseparable… except when she had to study with her father, that is. We went on a picnic together… along with Walter, got to know the countryside… even walked on an old Roman road near the estate.” Then the smile left Rally’s face as she continued with, “Then came Mum’s funeral, which meant we had to go home.”

RESUMING FLASHBACK…

“I wish we didn’t have to go so soon, Integra,” Rally said sadly. The funeral had ended two hours ago, and now Walter was preparing her for the trip home. Integra, along with Rally’s father, sat nearby as the young girl was being fussed over.

“I know, Rally,” Integra said. “To tell you the truth… I could use the company right now.” She paused a bit, looking a little sad. “Father’s been ill of late, and I am afraid that he will soon be leaving us.”

“Oh no,” Rally gasped. “You mean… he’s going to die?”

Integra nodded sadly, brushing a tear from her eye. “Do not worry about me, Rally. I still have Uncle Richard to lean upon. God willing, I will get through this, just like you got through the loss of your mother.”

“Uh… Irene,” Rally’s father said, “could you stay with Integra for a bit. I’d like to talk to Walter for a bit.” He nodded to Walter, who had finished with Rally and came aside him. “So what do you think, Walter?” he whispered.

“To put it frankly, Mr. Vincent,” Walter whispered back, “I do not trust Richard at all with Integra’s welfare. He was waiting for a long time for Sir Arthur to die and I dread to think what will happen if he finds out that Integra is to inherit the Hellsing leadership.”

Rally’s father nodded, adding, “All the same, it’s best you keep an eye on her for a while. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.” Walter nodded again as he returned to Rally, picking up a Polaroid camera. “Tell you what, Irene,” he said. “How about I give you and Integra here a memento of your stay here?”

Smiling, Rally agreed and soon the two girls posed together as her father snapped-off two pictures and handed the girls one each. As soon as the photos developed, both girls assessed their individual poses. Then saying their final goodbyes, Rally and her father left the Hellsing estate, with Rally waving goodbye to Integra, who was standing alongside Walter as the car drove off.

END FLASHBACK…

“And so I left England and returned home,” Rally concluded. “Later, I found out from Dad that Sir Arthur died not long after we left… and a week later her uncle Richard died as well.”

“Boy, that’s strange,” Becky said. “I would think someone like him would be around still.” She then paused and added, “By the way, if this Integra is in the United States, do you think you might look her up?”

“Doubtful,” Rally sighed. “I don’t even know if she’ll remember me, being it was a long time ago.”

“Well anyway,” Coleman added, getting up, “I for one would like to see her again and apologize for Kevin’s behavior. I gotta get home. Talk to you later.”

“And I’ve got to get home, myself,” Becky said, also getting up and following Coleman to the door. As she was making her way out the door, she piped up with, “Now remember Rally, you owe me $300.”

Fighting the urge to strangle Becky, Rally forced a smile and said, “Uh… yeah I’ll remember, Becky. Thanks a lot.” As soon as the door closed, the smile faded as she growled under her breath, “Fucking bloodsucker!”

“I agree,” May added, walking up to her friend. “Becky just has no patience.”

“I know, I know,” Rally added, “but lately it seems a lot of the crooks around here must’ve gotten smarter and are appearing in court. There isn’t as many bail jumpers these days.” She then turns to May and reluctantly said, “Do you think… you can ask Kenny if he can lend us a few hundred… at least until business picks up?”

“I wish I could,” May glumly said, “but I got a call from him today and he had to leave town all of a sudden. Something about… waiting until things cool off with that spill near Joliet. I guess he didn’t want to get blamed for anything if something blows up.”

“Great,” Rally groaned, her shoulders slumping.

JOLIET, NEAR SUNSET…

The car carrying Agent Lewis and Sir Integra finally made the stop at the reestablished command center, which was moved two kilometers further back as per Sir Islands’ request. Stepping inside, she walked up and greeted her old friend. “It is nice seeing you again, Sir Islands,” she began. “I trust your holiday was not ruined too much.”

“Not as bad as I feared, Sir Hellsing,” the gentleman answered, “although this American general is a little perturbed about having an outsider run his show.”

“Well it looks like we are going to ruin his day even further,” Sir Integra added, finally lighting up the cigar she had in her mouth. Finally deciding to address the general, she walked up and said, “So… shall we get started, General?”

“Well,” the general began, “you could begin by telling me what the hell is going on in that farmhouse and why my men are not going in.”

“Very well, I’ll get to the point,” Sir Integra began. “That farmhouse that your men tried to assault is the den of a vampire. The men of your Drug Enforcement Agency and Illinois State Patrol had been killed by this vampire and turned into ghouls, as well as the S.W.A.T. members later dispatched.”

“Yes, Sir Islands told me that and I still find it hard to believe,” the general said. “What I don’t know is how in the world are you going to solve that problem.”

“Have patience, General,” the blonde woman said, exhaling a puff of smoke. “As we speak, the solution is at this moment being deployed.” She then reached for a cellphone, press a number on the speed dial, and as soon as the connection was made and answered, she said, “Have you reached the deployment point, Walter?” she then activated the speaker.

“We have indeed, Sir Integra,” Walter’s voice came over the other end.

“Very well. Proceed with the operation.” She then hung up. “Well, gentlemen,” she added, “all we have to do now is sit back and wait for results.”

“Well… no disrespect or anything…” the general said, “but what exactly are you going to use against this… vampire and those ghouls?”

“If you want to know,” Sir Integra said, smiling, “then I will tell you… but you might be surprised about the answer.”

***

“Oh shit,” one of the soldiers hauling the crates at the deployment sight groaned, rubbing his sore arms, “just what IS this weapon we’re supposed to be deploying in the first place?”

“You’re telling me,” his fellow said, also rubbing his arms. “That last one was about as heavy as a load of bricks!”

“Provided you open these crates in the next few minutes,” Walter grumbled, handing the two a pry bar each, “you will be able to see for yourselves. Now I suggest you get busy, the sun’s almost down.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the first soldier said, working in the heaviest crate.

“You know, Pete,” the second soldier said as he worked the lid off, “from what ol’ Alfred said,” pointing his head at Walter, “you would think we’re setting free vampires.”

“Yeah, Al,” Pete said, starting on his crate, “or it could be a high-tech fly swatter for all it’s…”

“HOLYSONOFAWHATTHEFUCK!!!” Al screamed, rapidly stumbling away backwards from his crate. Sure enough, inside was what appeared to be a coffin constructed in oak, a wooden crucifix nailed to its lid. Working gingerly, Pete undid the second crate, which held another coffin. However, this coffin was black, trimmed in silver, and with strange writing on its lid.

“What the hell is this?” Pete whimpered as he saw the black coffin… then he screamed as the lid was opened on its own accord.

The figure that exited the coffin was tall… a male with a red trenchcoat, a charcoal-gray suit, shin-high riding boots and white gloves… and he stood up and looked at the trembling soldier, his red eyes appearing to drill holes into his soul. The figure looked around, surveying his surroundings, then picked up a broad-brimmed red hat and turned to Walter. “So,” he said in a rich baritone voice, “this is the United States. Not much to it, eh Walter?”

“It’s only a small portion of the country, Alucard,” the butler said, taking what appeared to be a blood packet from the refrigerated cooler he picked-up from the truck.

“Oh… is that right, Angel of Death?” the red-clad vampire said, taking the blood packet from Walter. He then pulled the top from the silicon hose and began drinking the blood as if it was a juice box. “If at all possible, I would like to see the rest of the country. Wouldn’t that be an adventure?”

“I am certain it would be that, Alucard,” Walter answered dryly.

Recovering slightly from his shock, Pete leaned over to Walter and whispered, “Excuse me… but is he what I believe he is?”

“Indeed he is,” the butler replied. “I must ask you and your friend here not to reveal what you’ve seen tonight.”

“Are you kidding?” Al said, joining the others. “If we told them what they are, we’re libel to be thrown into the looney bin!”

Walter nodded, then turned to Alucard and said, “I do believe we better wake up the other part of our team soon. I’ll get your weapons ready.”

Alucard grinned evilly as he disposed of the empty blood pack, then picked up another pack and walked over to the other coffin. “Police Girl,” he said, gently knocking on the lid, “it’s time to get up.”

“Alright, Master, alright. Just give me a moment, okay?” a female voice from inside the coffin said. The lid then opened up, and to the two soldiers’ surprise, out came what appeared to be a beautiful young woman with blonde hair, blazing red eyes and wearing what appeared to be a bright yellow miniskirt uniform which showed off her more-than-generous figure. “This is bloody inconvenient,” she griped, stretching herself. “There’s got to be a better way to fly overseas than to be stuck in a box on the trip.”

“Even a vampire like myself must sleep in a coffin when flying over water, Police Girl,” Alucard answered, smiling as he put on a pair of orange-yellow sunglasses. “By the way, I hope that you’re hungry.”

“More like famished, if appearances are correct, ” Walter said, peering inside the girl – Seras Victoria’s coffin. Inside was the spent remains of two blood packs, as well as the insulated bag they were kept in. As the butler bent down to clean up the leavings, he glanced at the lid and happened to see a picture of Sir Integra, sitting regally, taped to the inside. Not saying a word, Walter hastily closed the lid, then walked over to Alucard and said in a low voice, “She did it again… still fawning over Sir Integra.”

“A girl can dream, can she?” Alucard smiled back, then walked over and gave Seras the blood pack, for which she drained quickly. The red-clad vampire’s smile grew bigger. A short time ago, he had to virtually threaten Seras to drink her blood. Now she was willingly drinking it, which more than increased her strength. “So, Police Girl,” he finally said to her, “are you ready for a little mayhem tonight?”

“More than ready, Master,” Seras answered, almost eagerly.

“That’s the spirit,” Alucard agreed, then turned to the butler and said, “Walter, can you give us a brief description of the situation we’re going to be facing?”

Walter then proceeded to bring Alucard and Seras up-to-speed on the situation at the farmhouse. Afterwards, he motioned to the two soldiers to bring forth two cases from the truck. The smaller of the cases was brought before Alucard. “You already have your weapons, Alucard, so this case contains the necessary ammunition you need. Miss Victoria,” he turned to Seras, “we did bring your Harkonnen cannon along with us, but for this mission it was deemed that ‘rate of fire’ was more important than take-down ability.” The larger case was opened to reveal the machine gun she used when she joined the Hellsing Organization.

“It’s perfect, Walter,” Seras answered. “Thank you.” All of a sudden, she happened to see the two soldiers staring at her… only not in fear. “What are you two doing?” she asked in an annoyed voice.

“Oh,” Pete started, sounding like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, “nothing really.”

“Yeah-yeah,” Al added, “nothing at all!”

‘Why do I have the feeling I’ve run into a bloody bunch of perverts,’ Seras thought to herself, her left eyebrow twitching uncontrollably as she gave the two a doubtful look.

Alucard just chuckled and telepathically told his fledgling, ‘Just showing their appreciation for beauty, Police Girl. Don’t be too hard on them.’ Then just as quickly, he said aloud, “Well, shall we be going?” Seras nodded, more than eager to get away from the soldiers’ stares.

Walter then got on his cellphone and informed Sir Integra that the two has set out. “Yes, Sir Integra. We’ll do that soon.” After hanging up, he turned to the soldiers and said in a voice a tone louder than he normally used, “Gentlemen, I suggest we return the coffins into the vehicle and get ourselves to the British Embassy extension in Chicago. Now let us get to it.”

Reluctantly, the two stopped staring at Seras in order to comply. However, Pete told Al quietly, “I don’t care if she IS a vampire… I’d do that girl in an instant.”

“Yeah,” Al answered. “She’s a total babe.”

Walter simply shook his head and adjusted his monocle, wondering if they would feel the same if they really knew what Seras was.

***

The area around the farmhouse looked as if Hell had ascended from the depths and placed itself upon the earth. Among the wrecked vehicles and discarded weapons, there appeared to be rotting pieces of the I.S.P.’s S.W.A.T. team and the D.E.A. agents strewn around the grounds… and some of those pieces looked as if they were chewed upon. Seras looked around the horrifying sight, her face screwed in distaste. “Disgusting,” she whispered. “You would think that ghouls would have better table manners than this… but it’s all the same, Master, no matter how many times I see it.”

Alucard didn’t answer, instead continuing onward. Suddenly, he held out his gloved hand and stopped in his tracks. Seras quickly complied. In front of them, a group of ghouls… some of them wearing police uniforms… were shambling towards the two vampires, their eyes glowing as they stumbled onward. “Situation C,” Alucard atoned, “releasing control art restriction to level 3.” He then quickly drew from his coat his .454 Casull… ‘Joshua’ and took aim.

Seras also acted quickly, slamming a clip into her machine gun and making sure her machete, which was strapped to her belt, was handy. The two then struck, Alucard blasting away one ghoul at-a-time. His fledgling also attacked, the Draculina cutting down another group of ghouls to pieces. During this battle, Seras leapt upwards and overhead the ghouls, firing in mid-air. She didn’t bother aiming, yet she accurately cut-down the ghouls she shot.

Alucard grinned hugely as he saw Seras dispatch so many ghouls in that manner. ‘Yes, Police Girl,’ he thought to himself, ‘that’s the way to do it… feel the darkness, but RULE the darkness, do not let the darkness rule you!’ Seeing a few more ghouls, the red-clad vampire then switched guns… his ‘Jackal’ gun… and with a single shot destroyed those few remaining. Thus the way was clear as he strode inside the farmhouse.

The FREAK that had inhabited the farmhouse looked like your average meth-head… gaunt, pale, with long hair and teeth that were decaying, although the fangs he had were still intact. “So you got past those pigs I turned, you motherfucker!” he snarled. “Well looks like you’ve hit the motherfuckin’ jackpot… ‘cause I’m gonna rip your motherfuckin’ head and shit down your motherfuckin’ neck!” However, the FREAK never got the chance… on account of Alucard opening fire with the ‘Jackal’. The red-clad vampire had to admit that this FREAK was a strong one… he emptied an entire clip into him and all he was able to accomplish was disable him. Grinning, Alucard prepared to drive his hand into the pseudo-vampire’s heart.

“MASTER!!!” Seras’ voice called out. Distracted, Alucard turned to see his fledgling, who body was covered with blood and gore from her previous battles. Machete in hand, her red eyes glowing brightly and a psychotic look on her face, she snarled, “Let me kill him! Those men he turned in ghouls were fellow officers of mine! Their deaths have to be avenged! I beg of you, let me have him! His head is mine!”

Mildly surprised, Alucard noticed that the FREAK was slightly recovering from the shooting he gave him. But a bright grin came over his face as he said, “By all means, Police Girl… the kill is yours.”

The FREAK, surprised at being spared, just glared at Seras and smirked, “A god-damned skirt… killing me? Well go ahead, you fuckin’ little whore… I dare you!” He drew a switchblade and added, “Who knows? Maybe after I cut you to pieces, I’ll strip you down and fuck you where you stand!”

“SHUT UP!!!” Seras shrieked as she charged at the FREAK. The fake vampire dodged the first slash, but could not avoid the remaining slashes… which were at a speed that was not possible for the FREAK to copy. In the span of two seconds, his arms and one of his legs were cut to pieces.

Injured, bleeding and obviously angry, the FREAK precariously stood on his one remaining leg. Seras then dropped the machete she used and slowly crept up to him, her psychotic grin enhanced with a wild look in her glowing eyes. “You… fuckin’… little… freak…” the FREAK managed to sputter, rage in his eyes.

“For the last time, you damned bloody murderer…” Seras growled in a low voice, then drew back her right arm and thrust in into the FREAK’s chest as she yelled, “SHUT UP!!!” A look of surprised came over the FREAK’s face, seeing Seras’ arm sticking into his chest and exiting from his back. Then he exploded into a bloody cloud, pieces of his body dropping on the young vampire as she continued to grin. Then the grin fell from Seras’ face as she collapsed on her knees, panting in exhaustion. “Bloody jackass,” she managed to say.

Then Seras jumped as Alucard applauded behind her. “Bravo,” he said, a big smile on his face. “Police Girl, you have done me proud! I’ve never seen such malice from in all the time you’ve embraced the dark! In my eyes, you are truly a powerful vampire!”

“Oh please, Master, you’re embarrassing me,” Seras bashfully said, getting up. Looking at her soiled uniform, she added, “Oh bloody hell, I’ve made another mess of myself. I just know Walter is going to be unhappy about cleaning another of my uniforms.”

“Oh I don’t think Walter would mind cleaning up after you,” Alucard said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “And I think this little adventure will help you impress Sir Integra as well.”

“MASTER, DON’T SAY THAT!!!” Seras yelled, her pale face turning beet-red.

Alucard simply grinned. He already knew the truth about his little fledgling… she was in love with their master. If Seras had a heartbeat, the red-clad vampire knew that it would be beating a mile-a-minute whenever she saw Sir Integra, but was to bashful to proclaim her love for her. However, Alucard was in no mood to spoil whatever Seras felt for the master of the Hellsing Organization; he’ll simply let things progress in their natural manner.

However, before saying anything, Alucard bent over where the FREAK originally stood… and picked up a small rectangular piece from the floor. Then something else caught his eye… what appeared to be an injection vial that was on a table. “Come,” he said to Seras, “it’s time we made our way to the base camp.”

“Er… right,” Seras stammered, still feeling embarrassed by Alucard’s insinuation.

***

It was a half-hour since the soldiers guarding the command center reported hearing gunshots coming from the farmhouse. Now the watch reported two figures – one of them apparently armed – was walking down the road. Quickly, several soldiers made their way to the road and drew down upon the two.

Sir Integra, Sir Islands, Agent Lewis and the National Guard general exited the command tent, hearing the news. Using a night-vision scope, Sir Integra was able to identify Alucard and Seras – although they had no body heat, the infrared illuminator on the scope clearly showed them. Leaning to the general, she whispered her findings, which made him call out, “Hold your fire!”

The soldiers relaxed, allowing Alucard and Seras to pass. The two vampires then proceeded to the four. “The limited power release has been completed,” Alucard said to Sir Integra. “The target FREAK has been eliminated… and the ghouls he produced have been mercifully silenced.” Looking to Agent Lewis, he added, “I’m afraid that open casket funerals for the dead officers may not be possible, but I’m certain you can identify the remains.”

“I expected as much, if what Sir Integra told me was true, Alucard,” Lewis said. “My thanks for resolving this situation.”

“And mine as well,” Sir Integra added.

“I’ll have you to know,” Alucard continued, “that it was the Police Girl herself had eliminated the FREAK responsible for this mess.” He grinned evilly as he said, “She was wonderful, a most magnificent hunter I must add.”

Surprised, Sir Integra turned to the young vampire and said, “Captain Victoria… is this true?”

Blushing, Seras managed to say, “Uh… yes, Sir Integra… although I could use a shower and a change of uniform because of it.”

“Well rest assured,” Sir Integra added, smiling, “you will get both as soon as you and Alucard arrive at the Embassy extension in Chicago.”

“There is one more thing,” Alucard added, holding out his hand. “We had discovered these on the premises where that FREAK was hiding.” It was the rectangular object and the vial.

“Damn,” the Hellsing master said under her breath, “not another of those chips?” Then her attention turned to the vial. “Agent Lewis,” she said, handing the vial to the Homeland Security agent, “do you have any idea what this is?”

“Offhand… no,” he said. “I’ll have this analyzed at D.E.A. to find out what it is.”

“Please make sure I am informed of this, for I am afraid our stay in your country may have to be extended because of this matter.” She also handed the chip to Lewis and added, “I will provide your agency with we have got on this in exchange.”

“I’ll let you know what I find… and thank you, Sir Hellsing,” Lewis said before departing.

Finally turning to Sir Islands, Sir Integra said, “Well, I will take over this matter. I leave you to the rest of your holiday, my friend.”

“My thanks, Sir Integra,” Sir Islands replied, shaking her hand.

Departing the base camp, Sir Integra watched as Alucard and Seras were helped into a covered truck. Her car would escort the truck to the extension office of the British Embassy in Chicago, where hopefully Walter has gotten provisions ready for all of them. As she got into the back seat, she reached into her vest pocket… where she pulled out an old Polaroid picture of herself as a teenager and a young Rally Vincent. ‘Who knows?’ she thought to herself, ‘maybe tomorrow I will have a chance to visit an old friend.’

TO BE CONTINUED…

9/11/01
FDNY-NYPD-THE REAL HEROES