ENFIELD, LONDON, EVENING... Rain was pouring down heavily this evening as a couple made their way to their car. "That was some party, Harold," the woman said, holding her coat over her head. "Yes, Elysse," Harold replied, "but I afraid if we don't get into the car, we'll be done in like a couple of carps." "Well, it's your fault for parking too far from our host's house, so don't blame me if we end-up with a cold," Elysse chuckled. Suddenly, the sound of a little girl sobbing was heard over the sound of the rain. "Harold... wait!" she said, noticing the sound. "Elysse, we don't have time. We're getting soaked here," her husband pleaded, but threw up his arms when Harold saw Elysse head off to the sound, a nearby alley. It was a short distance before she came to the source. A young girl was curled up in a reasonably-sheltered alcove, trembling. Slowly, Elysse crept over to the girl and placed her hand on her head, causing the little child to jump. "Take it easy. What's wrong, dear?" she asked. "Where's your parents?" The girl didn't turn to face her, instead saying, "M-Mummy and Daddy... some monsters came and... ate them..." She then curled tighter against herself, her sobbing increasing. "What the devil was that all about?" Harold queried, then noticed a strange scuffling near them. "Elysse, grab the girl and let's get out of here! Something coming this way and I don't think we should stick around!" Elysse didn't have to question her husband further; she too noticed the scuffling and taken the girl into her arms. The girl, for her part, began to scream in terror. "Hush, little one. You don't want the monsters to get us," she said, patting her head as they made their way to the car. "Oh Harold, the poor girl is chilled!" "I would imagine hiding in the rain from... whatever was out there would do that," Harold gruffly said as he got into the car, followed by Elysse. Quickly, he started the engine and roared down the road. As soon as they were underway, Harold quickly tapped a number on his cellphone. "I'm going to ring-up the police, have them check on that strange sound." Elysse just nodded, still clutching the trembling girl in her arms. NEW SCOTLAND YARD, AT THE SAME TIME... "Thank you very much," the receptionist said. "The Chief Inspector will be waiting for you in the twelfth floor, ma'am." "That is all I needed to know. Thank you," Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, said, signing the registration sheet. Standing nearby in the lobby, Irene "Rally" Vincent, wearing sunglasses, waited patiently, having signed-in ahead of her friend. As soon as Sir Integra was finished, the two of them made their way to the elevator. While they were doing this, the receptionist happened to notice the surveillance monitor - and her eyes went wide as she made comparisons with the image she saw and the two women headed for the elevator. Clearly, she could see Rally and Sir Integra standing near the door, but the monitor only showed the leader of the Hellsing Organization boarding. Frantically, she grabbed the phone and punched several buttons. "Yes, get me the detective's office," she crisply said. Onboard the elevator car, both women stood as they made their accent. "So Rally," Sir Integra began, "what do you know about this... Carl Riggins we are going to see?" Rally snorted. "Not much, Integra," the dusky-skinned vampire began, "a little higher than small potatoes but not big enough to be considered 'big-time'. Carl's specialty happens to be loan sharking, and made a good amount of money on it. I ran into him a couple of times when he skipped bail and had to haul his ass to court." "Any wonder why he has not seen jail time," Sir Integra speculated. "Well, Carl may be small-time, but he's smart. He knows how to use the system and how to mess with the police's heads," Rally added. "With all the money he's got, he was able to hire some of the smartest, meanest... and greediest lawyers in the Chicago area, mostly the greediest." "And now he has somehow involved himself in the distribution of the FREAK chip," the Hellsing leader sighed. "It is a wonder what depths some people will be willing to stoop in order to earn just a few pounds." Rally nodded, then leaned over to Sir Integra. "You know, we were being taped down at the desk." "I am aware of it," Sir Integra said. "Why did you bring it up?" Rally's face broke out in an unexpected smile as she said, "Well, if these yardies down here are on the ball, I anticipate we'll be seeing the results from that surveillance just about..." The elevator's doorbell rang, "... now." The doors parted, revealing several deputy chief inspectors, all armed and drawn down at the two women. "FREEZE, THE BOTH OF YOU!!!" one of them said. Rally leaned over to Sir Integra, still smiling. "See? What did I tell you?" she smirked. Sir Integra, however, did not find any humor in the situation. "What exactly is the meaning of this?" she demanded, barging forward. "I SAID FREEZE!!!" the D.C.I. bellowed, aiming at Sir Integra. "What the devil's going on?" a new voice angrily called-out from behind the D.C.I.'s. Presently, a middle-aged man with brown hair made his way through, looked over the situation and turned to the others. "Put those guns down, lads. There's no need for any more trouble here." "But Chief Inspector..." the lead D.C.I. protested. "Look, just drop it, alright," the Chief Inspector said. "I'm well-aware what the floor said, and I'd ignore it for your own good." The D.C.I. was incredulous. "But sir..." he continued to say, but all he got was a stern look from the Chief Inspector. "I said... drop it!" he admonished. The Chief Inspector then glanced over at Rally and added, "Besides, even if you managed to discharge your weapons, the only thing you would do to this young woman is anger her... and she, for one, is not someone to anger." "Sir?" the D.C.I. asked. The Chief Inspector made a gesture, which would indicate 'quiet'. "Nice that you lads are on your feet, though," he said, starting to chuckle. "Now get back to your desks, alright?" Still looking confused, the D.C.I.'s returned to their paperwork. Once he was satisfied with the results, the Chief Inspector approached Sir Integra. "I'm really sorry about all this, Integra," he began. "When the desk made a report about this young lady here not showing up on the monitors," pointing to Rally, "I figured I better get here before things here got a little wicked. Guess I should have been downstairs to begin with. Maybe we could have avoided this unpleasentness." "There is no need to apologize, Sir Townstead," the Hellsing leader said. "I am just glad the situation was resolved in such a quick manner." During this exchange, Rally look between the two with a confused look on her face. "Uh... excuse me, Integra... but... who exactly...?" she asked. "Oh... I should have introduced you two," Sir Integra said, noticing. "Rally, this is Sir Reginald Townstead, Chief Inspector of New Scotland Yard, and the newest member of the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Townstead, this is Rally Vincent, one of my agents." "And the newest vampire to work for Hellsing," Sir Townstead added. Shaking Rally's gloved hand, he further said, "Well young lady, don't feel offended when I say I hope you're well-behaved. Met that Alucard character some time ago and he still leaves me cold." "Understandable," Rally chuckled. "Even if I live over ten thousand years, I think I'll be still leery of him. And if you're thinking I'm Alucard's newest fledgling, then I have to correct you about that." "Oh I'm well-aware of the circumstances of your transformation... and your relationship with your master, Seras Victoria, Miss Vincent," the knight said, smiling. Then changing the subject, Sir Townstead turned to Sir Integra and added, "Unfortunately, there's been a... complication involving the dubious Mr. Riggins." "What sort of complication are we talking about?" Sir Integra added. "So far, all we can hold him on is on a counterfeit visa," Sir Townstead sighed as the three made for the interrogation room. "The Chicago police in the United States are asking for his return, but he's fighting extradition." "Let me guess... he lawyered-up?" Rally put in. "You could say that, Miss Vincent," Sir Townstead added. "Not long after Mr. Riggins' capture, he retained a barrister, and is now refusing to answer any questions about the chip without him present." "And something like that could bring our little problem to the public record," Sir Integra said. "That is something we cannot allow." Sir Townstead nodded. "And that's why you two are here - to convince him somehow to tell us who was giving him the chips he sold last week." "Which caused that one FREAK attack on the West End that me and Master had to clean-up," said Rally, then she looked at Sir Integra. "I still wonder why you ordered me and Master not to use our weapons against those copies? We had to drain their bodies in order to kill them." Sir Integra balked on that one. "I have my reasons, Rally, which I will tell you in good time," was all she answered, which caused the dark-haired vampire to frown. Ignoring her friend, she turned back to Sir Townstead and said, "What I was amazed about is how you were able to apprehend Mr. Riggins so quickly." "We did have the description of his unusual features, Integra," the Chief Inspector said, then read from a report, "'Suspect is missing thumb from right hand'." "Really?" Sir Integra breathed, then looked at Rally. "Hey," she said, "he took a shot at me when I went to nab him. What was I supposed to do... let him kill me?" Sir Integra smiled. "I would not worry, Rally," she said. "At least you made it easy to identify him." Her smile then faded as she added, "Obviously, Mr. Riggins is unaware of your transformation. We might play that to our advantage... but I would treasure the look on his face when he finds out." "Well, we might find out soon, now will be?" Sir Townstead replied as they arrived. Looking through the window in the door, the three saw a somewhat-young man with his feet propped-up on the table. Seated next to him was another young man, tastefully dressed. Rally also looked into the room, noticing the one-way window. "I don't supposed we'll be having witnesses to this little party, are we?" she asked. "Oh don't worry, no other police are there," Sir Townstead assured. "Just Sir Islands, Sir Penwood and Sir Kensington is there." "Sir Kensington?" growled Rally. "Terrific... I still have bad memories of that guy from the last time we met." "Now let us not let ourselves get distracted from the task at hand," Sir Integra interrupted. "Just ignore the window and perform our parts." Rally just sighed as the three made their way inside. Carl Riggins, the prisoner in question, straightened himself out and was seated properly as the others entered. Sir Integra and Sir Townstead sat themselves down, while Rally, still wearing her glasses, positioned herself in a corner, making sure she was not in line with the reflecting glass. "Hey Rally," Riggins began, noticing her, "how's tricks, bitch?" The dark-haired vampire just ignored the insult. A little miffed about not getting a reaction from her, the felon then held up his thumbless right hand. "I still got the little memento you gave me a couple of years back." "It's an improvement, Carl," Rally just muttered. Sir Townstead just shook his head and began, "Well, now that we've gotten reacquainted, there are a few things we like to address here." "Before we begin," the barrister interrupted, "there is still the matter of arranging the deal with my client." "What are you talking about?" the Chief Inspector asked, puzzled. "My client wishes political asylum and protection from extradition before anything is discussed," the barrister said, "nothing more." "Political asylum? For a known felon?" Sir Integra gasped. "You must be crazed? By what justification are you requesting this... asylum." "My client has many enemies with the Chicago Police Department, and is afraid that his life would be in danger upon his return." "Let's just say that," Riggins arrogantly added, "me and the Chicago police have a few differences that need to be solved." Sir Integra shook her head in disbelief. "You ARE crazed," she growled. "Your client has a long and established criminal record by loaning innocent citizens in Chicago money, then demanding repayment at exorbitant interest rates, with failure to do so resulting in physical violence to their persons. He is not a political refugee, nor a terrorist, just a common thug! Do you expect that we submit to such a ridiculous proposal brought forth by a second-rate solicitor like you?" indicating the barrister. "There will be NO deals; your client WILL answer our questions and be returned to the United States to face justice!" she roared. Sighing, the barrister put away the files he had on the table. "Then we have nothing more to say," he said, getting up. "This interview is over. Let me know when you are more accommodating, then we'll continue. Mr. Riggins, let's go." Displaying a nonchalant attitude, Riggins got up from the chair. "Later dude, dudettes," he said, flipping a jaunting salute and following his counsel to the door... where they were blocked by Rally. "Just a minute," she said. "There's still the matter of the information Sir Integra wants, and Carl is going to give it!" "I said we're leaving!" the barrister repeated in a louder voice. "Now move out of the way, young lady, before..." "Hey... you look a little stressed," Rally added, her voice suddenly becoming calm. At the same time, she pointed at the barrister's eyes. For a second, the barrister hesitated, before saying in a low voice, "You know... I do... feel a little stressed." Rally then smiled fiendishly. "Huh? What?" Riggins gasped. XXX In the other room, darkened inside, Sir Hugh Islands looked with interest. "Fascinating," he finally said. "Miss Vincent is using her hypnotic powers to persuade the barrister to leave." Also looking with interest, Vice Admiral Sir Shelby Penwood, wearing his Royal Navy uniform, also watched. "We might get to the bottom of this yet, eh Hugh?" he said. "Possibly, Shelby," Sir Islands said, "possibly." However, Sir Cedric Kensington just looked upon the scene, silently taking in the tableau, nodding approvingly. XXX "Come to think of it," Rally continued, smiling, "I think you can use a break. Why don't you step outside, go to the breakroom and have a nice... long... cup of hot tea?" "Uh... yes," the barrister continued, "a cup of tea would sound nice." "Hey! Just what are you doing? You're supposed to be representing me!" Riggins protested, getting out of his seat. "Tell him to sit down and shut up," Rally commanded, her voice almost a whisper. "Mr. Riggins, I suggest you keep quiet and remain in your seat," the barrister said, looking as if he was in a daze. The felon's jaw dropped. "That's it," Rally said, "now go outside, get that cup of tea, and compose yourself. I'll let you know when to come back." Then she concentrated and telepathically told the barrister, 'When you return to this room, you will forget that either myself or Sir Integra were ever here. You will co-operate fully with what your client wants when you do.' "Er... I'll just do that," the barrister mumbled as Rally opened the door for him. Walking as if sleepwalking, the barrister then left, with Rally closing and locking the door behind him. Turning around to face Riggins, Rally's expression changed as she snarled, "Okay Carl, it's time you answered a few questions." "I'm not answering shit, you bitch!" Riggins shot back. "Now get my lawyer back before I get..." But he never finished his sentence - on account of Rally grabbing him by the throat and hoisting him into the air. "I would watch my language if I were you, Carl," Rally said in a somewhat evil, yet sweet tone. "But before you do, I suggest that you take a look at the mirror and tell me what you see." Riggins somehow managed to crane his head around and looked at the one-way window - and his eyes went wide when he only saw himself apparently floating in mid-air; Rally's reflection nowhere in sight. Returning his sight to the dark-haired girl, he screamed in terror to see that Rally had removed her glasses, revealing eyes of deep blood-red. She also grinned, displaying her fangs to him. "Impressed, I see," Rally smirked, lowering Riggins but not relaxing her grasp. "You see, since the last time we met, I've had a few... changes. I'm now what people would call a vampire, a true undead - not those phonies you helped to create by selling those chips." "N-n-n-no," Riggins whimpered, shaking his head, "that can't be true! Vampires don't exist!" "Then explain why my reflection doesn't show-up on the mirror, not to mention how I dealt with your mouthpiece, Carl," the dusky-skinned vampire further smirked. "Oh vampires do exist, and right now you're under my control." Rally secretly felt satisfied seeing Riggins quaking in fear before continuing. "You may have thought you were hot stuff back in Chicago," she bent closer to Riggins' face, "but to me... you're just another human for me to feed upon." "Y-you can't kill me," Riggins stammered. "All I have t-to do is scream and..." "Go ahead," Rally purred, "but I doubt it'll help you. I'll be gone by the time help comes... but I'll just wait until they leave and place you back in your cell... then I'll come back.! No one will see me, I can become a wisp of mist or walk in the shadows. I can take you and be gone." Her tone became more dangerous as she added, "You'll become my little ghoul slave, and I'll send you first on the next raid we'll go. Provided you survive, I might find you handy. If not... all I have to do is say the word and you'll crumble into dust." Riggins began to cry, seeing Rally's evil smile as she said what she said. "Rally, that is enough," Sir Integra said, "back away." Rally looked a little disappointed, but complied; she released Riggins, who hurriedly ran back into his chair. "Now Mr. Riggins," the Hellsing leader continued, "unless you want me to order her to dispose of you, then I suggest you give us the information we require." Riggins glanced over to Rally. She was still standing but glaring at him as if to say, 'Lie to her and you die'. Taking a nervous breath, he complied. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. When I came here, I wanted to find something to do that wouldn't catch the cops attention. I was at my wits' end when some guy came to me with these chips, asking if I can sell them for extra money. He didn't even ask for his cut, saying I can keep all the money from the sales. I thought, 'hey, why not, it sounds like a sweet deal' and did it. Made good cash out of it too. But..." "But what?" Sir Integra growled. "But then I began to wonder what those chips were for, so I tailed one of my sales to find out." Riggins began to tremble again. "It was horrible! He was transformed into this... this thing," he pointed to Rally, "just like her!" "Don't ever compare me to those FREAKS, Carl," Rally snorted. "Well I'm sorry, Rally but that's the best comparison I can make!" Riggins pleaded. "I took the remainder of those chips and threw them into the first working incinerator I can find and promised to stay with loan sharking - it's safer!" "Well thank heaven for small wonders," Sir Integra sighed. "You are sure you destroyed the remainder of your chips?" "Positive!" Riggins asserted. Rally nodded to Sir Integra in confirmation. "And do you know who it was that gave you the chips in the first place?" she further demanded. Riggins gulped heavily, withering under the harsh glare of both Sir Integra and Rally. "He didn't say! Honest! I tried to get some info but he wouldn't give!" he pleaded. Straightening her suit out, the dusky-skinned blonde got up from her seat. "Well, I am satisfied. You may proceed, Rally," she nonchalantly said. "WHAAAT!?!?" Riggins screamed as Rally grabbed him by his shirt. "NO, NO, I'M BEGGING YOU, DON'T KILL ME, RALLY! DON'T KILL ME!!!!" "Oh pipe down, Carl," Rally sighed, "I'm not going to kill you. I just have to do something before we leave." Her eyes then glowed a bright red as she said, "Now listen to me... you've never seen me, you've never seen Sir Integra, and you will not remember this interview at all. You're going to take a little nap, and when you wake up, you're going to tell your lawyer that you've changed your mind and will not fight extradition. You're going to go back to Chicago, appear before the Cook County Superior Court and take your punishment like a man." Then as an afterthought, she added, "Oh... and if you happen to run into Roy Coleman while in court, tell him Rally said 'hi'. Okay." Riggins nodded dully. "Good. Now take a nap." She gently set Riggins back down on his chair, where he fell asleep, the glow in her eyes fading. Turning to face her companions, Rally said, "As soon as we leave this floor, I'll send a telepathic message to his lawyer that he can come back." The three then headed for the door, the vampire adding as they exited, "I wish we can find more about whoever's distributing those chips, but I couldn't find anything in his mind about the identity of the guy." "I would not concern yourself with that problem right now, Miss Vincent," Sir Islands' voice said. Turning around, Rally, Sir Integra and Sir Townstead found the other knights standing near him. "All and all, though, you have done a good job." "Although," Sir Penwood added, "you did concern us a bit about the manner you had executed that job. If I did not know better, I could have sworn that you had every intention of making Mr. Riggins a victim." "I wouldn't blame you, Admiral," Rally said. "But I had to make it look like I was going to lunch on Carl so that we could scare the truth out of him. Besides," she added, "I wouldn't even kill another human without a direct order from Sir Integra. Now if you three will excuse me, I'm going down to the parking garage to see if Sir Integra's ride is ready." Rally then started for the door. "Miss Vincent?" Sir Kensington called out, "mind if I accompany you down?" Rally winced, then sighed, "Okay, go ahead. However, don't expect anything friendly coming out of me while we're at it." While the two left together, Sir Integra turned to Sir Townstead and asked, "So, what do you think of Rally, Reginald?" The Chief Inspector thought for a moment. "I think she can be trusted, no offense intended," he finally said. "Granted, she did frighten me a bit by the manner she questioned that cad, but I was surprised about her self-control." "Indeed, Reginald," Sir Penwood added. "Integra, what is your input?" "The transition for her was at first difficult," Sir Integra began, "but she had adapted better to becoming a vampire than her master did. I feel that she can take the next step." "I certainly hope so," Sir Islands put in. "I speak for the rest of the Round Table when I say that, with the danger the FREAK chip may pose to these islands, we need all the weapons we can use at this time. Sir Integra," he continued, "I charge you with the next step in your friend's development." Sir Integra nodded grimly. "I just hope that Rally has the courage to undergo that next step." XXX Both Rally and Sir Kensington stood together as the two descended onboard the elevator to the parking garages. Inwardly, the dusky-skinned vampire's innards seemed to twist as the gentleman next to her seemed to be scrutinizing her carefully. Her relief was great when she heard the bell ring and the doors parting. She couldn't wait to check on the limousine, with Walter C. Dolnez, the Hellsing family butler waiting. "Miss Vincent," Sir Kensington began, "there is something I would like to discuss with you." Rally groaned. No such luck avoiding a confrontation. "Listen," she grumbled, turning around, "I have no time for your insults! All I want to do is..." "I am sorry about my conduct when we first met," the knight interrupted. "Say what?" Rally said, confused. "My conduct upon our meeting was something unbecoming a person of my stature," Sir Kensington continued. "I have read the reports about your work with Sir Integra, and I am satisfied with your work." He extended his hand out and added, "Even though you are a vampire and technically an enemy to the Church and Crown, your conduct and character has given me cause to trust you otherwise. Can you except my apologies, Rally Vincent?" Rally thought for a moment, then excepted his handshake. "Of course. Apology excepted," she replied, but then asked, "But... why the sudden turnaround?" Sir Kensington paused for a bit before answering, "You had saved my granddaughter during the Bath incident." Rally gasped, remembering the raid... and the terrified young girl she thought she had frightened needlessly. "If it were not for you, your master and Alucard... I may have been present at her funeral, like the others that were killed. You have my eternal gratitude." "Y-yeah," Rally breathed, still in shock from the revelation as she saw Sir Kensington walk back to the elevator, which opened to unload Sir Integra. The Hellsing leader greeted the older man, excepted his words, then watched as the knight boarded the elevator. "Well Rally," Sir Integra said, "shall we be headed back home?" Rally nodded, then accompanied her friend and employer in the back of the limo. Walter then entered the driver's side, then drove the vehicle out of the garage. For the next few minutes, Rally and Sir Integra rode in silence. The Hellsing leader, apparently uncomfortable with the lack of communication, turned around to face her friend... and was alarmed to see Rally looking almost pensive, as if she were fighting something within. "Rally?" she asked, "Is there something wrong?" There was a few seconds pause before Rally answered back, "I'm... I'm hungry, Integra..." She could feel her fangs lengthening, a sign she recognized as a feeding trait. "I anticipated something like this," Walter called out. "Sir Integra, in the cooler near your seat should be several units of blood. I suggest you give Miss Vincent one." "Yes. Thank you, Walter," Sir Integra replied, immedietly opening the door and extracting a bag. Handing it to her friend, the pale blonde woman turned around, not wishing to see Rally consume the blood. For Rally's part, she pulled the silicone plug from the bag, placed the end of the hose in her mouth and consumed the entire unit in a matter of seconds, never spilling a drop. When she was finished, Rally folding up the empty bag and placed it within the folds of her leather coat, concentrating briefly to deposit it within the darkness. "Thanks," she finally said, "sorry about drinking that in front of you. Guess that shows me not to leave without consuming a unit, then use my powers." "There is nothing that you have done that offended me, Rally," Sir Integra said. "Good," Rally said, then added, "You knew about Sir Kensington, didn't you?" Sir Integra nodded. "I figured that he would offer his apologies eventually. I hope you are not angry with me." "Nope," Rally said. "To tell the truth, knowing what happened and who I saved seemed to make the Bath incident a little easier to think about. I just wish I didn't have to go on this trip, though. I would prefer going out with Master and Alucard one that one call tonight." "I believe you really wish to be with Seras, am I right, Rally?" Sir Integra teased. Nodding bashfully, the vampire replied with, "What can I say? Being with Master makes me feel... what's the word... happy, I think that's the best one. I'm happy being around her." Rally then looked to Sir Integra and added, "And speaking of Master, when are you and her going to take the next step?" "Not you, too?" Sir Integra sighed exasperatedly. "I had gotten that same speech from Alucard, and I will tell you what I had told him... my personal feelings between myself and Seras are none of your concern." "Like hell it isn't," Rally countered. "Integra, I can see it in your face... you're miserable without Master. Look, don't take this personally, but I'm concerned about you. You may think you're preserving some propriety by denying yourself, but you're really unhappy! Really Integra... I don't mind if you spent at least one night with Master. You and her had been in love with each other before I came on the scene." "I appreciate your concern, Rally," Sir Integra added, "but I wonder what your master would think of you flirting with one of the maids at the mansion." "Oh Master already knows about that," added Rally, almost smugly. Sir Integra looked surprised. "Seras already knows... and she approves of it?" she asked. Rally shrugged and said, "Master and Alucard said that, since vampires weren't bound by human morals, that it would be okay if I did. And I guess that Master was feeling guilty that she was still in love with you while having a relationship with me. I wouldn't worry about it too much, Integra." "Intriguing," Sir Integra mused. All of a sudden, her face exhibited a look of alarm, which was mirrored in Rally's face. "Alucard is in battle in Enfield," she breathed. "And Master's with him... and from the looks of it, it's pretty big," Rally added. Quickly, Sir Integra leaned forward. "Walter," she barked out, "alter our route to Enfield and notify Captain Bernadotte to send out a unit of his men! I'll get the address from Alucard!" "Understood, Sir Integra," the old butler called out, already turning the limo hard to the borough of Enfield. ENFIELD, LONDON... Joshua and the Jackal in his hands, Alucard was busy blasting at a large grouping of ghouls that had shown up. At the same time, his former fledgling Seras Victoria, with her machine gun, was also battling the ghouls, some of them were constables that had stumbled onto the ghouls. "They seem to be everywhere!" the Draculina called out to her former master. "Good... I've been a little bored of late, Police Girl," the nosferatu answered, an evil smile on his lips as he blew the head off one ghoul while blasting another into pieces. Suddenly, from behind Seras, a ghoul had gotten past and grabbed her from behind. Dropping her gun, she fought to wrest the zombie-like being off of her, while the ghoul started biting her, hoping for a meal. For a few seconds, it was a losing battle... until the ghoul is torn away and thrown to the ground. It tries to get up, but is blown to pieces from what appears to be a shotgun blast. Turning, Seras is amazed to see Rally, her shotgun Purgatory in hand and smoking, staring hard at where the ghoul once stood. "No one - but NO ONE - lays a hand on my master and lives to talk about it!" she snarled. Turning around, she faced the Draculina and asked, "Are you alright?" "Fine. Thanks but how did you get here so soon," the Draculina asked, still amazed that her fledgling had arrived as rapidly as she did. "I asked Integra to drop me off at the nearest corner, Master," Rally replied, loading a shell into Purgatory, "afterwhich I jumped rooftops and teleported until I found you two... and it was a good thing too, from the looks of it. Integra and Walter should be here soon." "Well, I appreciate the warm welcome, Rally Vincent," the No-Life King huffed, "but right now, we still have these ghouls to deal with." Sure enough, more of them had appeared down the rain-soaked streets. "Hmm... looks like it," Rally said, seeing the ghouls. "Well, I say let's get this party started!" She then raced headlong into the throng of walking undead, either shooting them, crushing their bodies against the walls, or ripping them limb-from-limb, smiling as she did. After a few seconds to this mayhem, Rally paused for a bit, eyes wide and glowing, with a maniacal grin on her face. So caught up in her bloodlust was she that Rally didn't notice a ghoul shambling behind her - until it was cut down by Seras' machine gun. "Next time, Rally," the Draculina gently admonished, "you better pay more attention to your surroundings, otherwise you won't be as lucky." "Point taken, Master," the vampire replied, her grin never fading. "Right now, I'm feeling pretty feisty and am looking forward to taking some of the edge off." Rally took her place besides Seras and continued with, "So how about it... care for a little ghoul bashing?", all the while reloading Purgatory. Smiling, Seras nodded, slamming a new clip into her machine gun. "I thought you'd never ask," she said, opening fire alongside her fledgling/lover. Behind the two women, Alucard paused and smiled. In a way, the feeling he had was that of some parent watching his daughter and granddaughter doing the job they love. 'Excellent,' he thought to himself, 'I never thought I would see this day - my Police Girl and her offspring performing a grim ballet before my eyes.' His attention was particularly directed at Rally, 'Especially her - such malice, such power in her actions! Clearly, she is ready to take her place as a princess of the undead.' While he was musing, Rally and Seras managed to clear-out the group of ghouls they were fighting, only to face more of them. "It gets better and better, Rally," Seras said, her yellow uniform bloody and covered with pieces of ghoul." "I know I'm getting low of shells," Rally added, "but frankly I don't care! So I say to hell with guns and let's tear these ghouls to pieces!" Seras nodded as she cast aside her gun, cracked her knuckles and prepared alongside the dusky vampire as they crouched down for another assault... ... When all of a sudden, a flurry of fine filaments danced between the ghouls, followed by said ghouls falling into bloody pieces. "Really," Walter's voice said, "you young people have no sense of expediency." Turning in the direction of the voice, all three vampires witnessed the old butler - and former Hellsing trashman - walking calmly towards them through the rain while carrying an umbrella. "I happen to be too old to be doing this, I will have you know." "WALTER!?!?" Rally whined, disappointed about losing the chance of tearing apart more ghouls. "You know," Seras added in a huff, "that wasn't necessary, you know." "I am certain Walter meant no ill will in aiding you," Sir Integra's voice added, walking to the group and also carrying an umbrella. "Right now, I am not sure that you all realize that there is something extremely wrong about this scene." "What do you mean, Integra?" Rally asked, a little mystified. "Look around you, fledgling," the No-Life King added. "You and the Police Girl have taken care of the ghouls, that's for certain - but there is something missing." Seras was the first to realize the truth. "The vampire that created them! He's nowhere to be found!" she gasped. "Indeed," Sir Integra put in. "It is very unusual for their creator not to be around to either gloat or curse us. But it is also unusual that the vampire would not be present to give the ghouls orders. This is most puzzling." "I think I may have a clue about that mystery over here, Sir Integra," Walter said, looking out on the street. "I have found what appears to be skid marks on the roadway, most possibly a vehicle that left at what appears to be a high rate of speed." Leaving the alleyway, Rally took a closer look at the marks. Getting on all fours, she sniffed at them. "The rain's washed away some of the rubber," she began, "but from what I can smell, these tracks couldn't be more than two hours old." "Could it be a FREAK then?" Seras asked. "More than likely," Alucard said, "but why would some imitation scum would bother to use an automobile." "One of those ghouls could've been the owners," Rally offer. Sir Integra shrugged. "Perhaps... but it is all so disturbing." Soon, the four noticed a troop carrier drive up. "Ah... right on time, I see. I will direct Captain Bernadotte to seal-off this roadway and secure the area. In the meantime, I will try to contact Sir Townstead about the situation here. Perhaps he may have something to offer." "Whatever," Rally said. "Right now, I feel like I can use a bath." She took notice of her bloodied outfit, "Man... I hope you won't be too upset about cleaning this, Walter." "Oh I would not worry about that, Miss Vincent," the butler replied. "I have seen far worse in my day." Rally and Seras just chuckled. XXX ANOTHER PART OF GREATER LONDON... Elysse and Harold's flat, located in a high-rise tower, may have been small, but they had room enough for company, not to mention for a future addition of their family. Right now, the young woman could only watch as she saw the little girl they had picked-up soundly sleeping in their spare bed. "So tragic," she said, watching her. "To think that her parents may have been killed by... God knows who was in that alley." "I know, 'Lysse," Harold said, embracing his wife from behind. "She can stay here for a few days, but you know we're going to notify the authorities about her." "Yes, I know," Elysse said. "You know... if possible, do you think we may try to adopt her?" Harold kissed her from behind. "Who knows?" she said, smiling. Breaking the embrace, they closed the door, with Harold saying, "She is an angel, you know." "Yes," Elysse added, "a sweet, little angel."
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