AUTHOR'S NOTE - This is the first in hopefully a series a fictions based on my previous series "Through the Years". If you have any suggestions on other ideas, please let me know. I already had one that I'm stewing over, but I like to have more. XXX Okay, it's been over a month now since I arrived here and already I feel like if I don't do something, I'll go nuts! The workload and training is almost overwhelming at times, which leaves little time to do things like this. But I feel that, if for some unforeseen reason I'm... how can I say this... killed again, I want to leave something behind to explain who I really am, not to mention a memory to those I leave behind. Well... let's start from the beginning: My name is Irene Vincent, but I go by the name 'Rally', don't ask me why, I just like the name... and until over a month ago, I used to be the owner of a gunshop in Chicago, Illinois named 'Gunsmith Cats'. But my real money was being a bounty hunter, bringing in bail jumpers for a portion of the bond posted. I lived in a house outside downtown which I shared with May Hopkins, or 'Minnie' May as she is known, a girl who used to be one of the highest-paid hookers in Chicago's Chinatown - until her boyfriend Kenny took her out of that life and made her one hell of an explosives expert. A dangerous life, but the money was good. But that changed over a month ago. At that time, an old friend from my childhood, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, came to visit from England. And because of her visit, my eyes were opened to another world that existed... a world where creatures walk in the cold of the darkness (heh... listen to me, I'm writing like some cheap melodrama author). I'm talking about vampires. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about the whole thing... until on that night that crazy priest Alexander Anderson made his 'warning' (really a threat) about staying away from Integra, and her explanation that they existed. Then I met Alucard, possibly one of the most powerful vampires there is. And then I met... her, the person I would later call 'Master'... Seras Victoria. During the time Integra assigned her to watch over us, I have to admit I was utterly fascinated by this woman. I mean, for all I knew at the time, she could have been at least half as old as Alucard (I found out that he's over 500). It wasn't until later I found out she was only a vampire for about three years. But God... she was so beautiful. I felt like I was falling in love with her... or at least her figure, which she has one that wouldn't quit! But I also found out how brave she was... by the way she shoved me out-of-the-way of Anderson's blessed bayonets and took them herself! Afterwhich, I thought I would be generous and gave her some of my blood... which I ended up bound to her. Too bad that bond didn't solve the problem of that damn bitch Goldie kidnapping May, which she lured me into her god-damned trap. Roy was always saying if I didn't think things through first, it would be the death of me. And I guess he was right in a way. Turned out when Alfie (who at first helped Goldie but later had a change of heart) was trying to disarm the bomb she set to knock me silly, he set of a booby-trap, which in the end caused me to be buried under about a half a ton of concrete roof. I was about to die from the injuries I suffered from the attack, but because I wanted to free May from Goldie's grubby hands, I made a choice which changed me forever... my master Seras, with my permission, made me a vampire. Not exactly ideal, but it sure beats being on a slab in the morgue... I think. Anyway, to put it in a nutshell, Goldie ended up as my meal, I got into another fight with that bastard Anderson (I think I won it), and you would think 'happily ever after'. Well... not exactly. Because I was a vampire now, instead of staying in Chicago, where I was a danger to my friends and the rest of the town, I made the choice of traveling to London, where I now live in the basements of the Hellsing mansion with Alucard and Master, as well as keeping England safe from other vampires. Okay, I've caught you up so far. Now how I've adjusted so far... When I arrived at the Hellsing mansion, it looked as if it hadn't changed the last time I was there... which was ten years ago. Oddly, my new eyes had found something that wasn't there the last time... namely the remnants of bullets and an oh-so-faint odor of cordite. Found out from Master that a couple years back, a bunch of shitheads known as the Valentine Brothers had made a raid on the place, which more-or-less cleaned out the army Integra had. There were some other incidents that happened after that, but Integra, Alucard and Master won't explain much about it. Anyway, Integra needed another army and Walter (like that guy, by the way) had the idea of hiring a bunch of mercenaries named the Wild Geese, which watched the place while Integra was in Chicago. The leader of this group, a one-eyed French pervert named Pip Bernadotte, is always hitting on Master, even though she told him she was a lesbian and was not interested in him (got to admit, though, the guy doesn't give up). As for Pip, if he didn't act like a real jerk, he actually a really nice guy, and a good soldier to boot. I think he tried to pick me up once when Master stood him up again, but I gave him this look and he sorta backed away. Now whenever I see him, he makes it a habit to talk to me at a distance of... oh, about ten feet. As for my training, which kept me busy for most of the month, it was murder. Both Master and Alucard teach me, but I rather study with Master. Alucard is a bit intense for my taste, but he means well. So far, I've got the knack of controlling my strength without breaking some human's hand when I shake it (nearly did that with Pip). As for transformations... that's a different story. The first time I tried to take on a bat form, I ended up going for a day with bat wings for arms before I was able to control the change. I've yet to try changing into mist or a wolf; I'm right now concentrating on the bat form. As for a rat... it still unnerves me. I can't stand rodents in any form, and the first time Alucard transformed into a rat in front of me, I nearly broke through a foot-thick stone wall backing away screaming. It took me a little longer to get used to sleeping in a coffin. I had to travel to England locked in a padded crate (with Master that is). But my first night at the mansion, I had to face sleeping in a box smaller than that. Thankfully, Walter was there when I got in before sunrise. However, when the lid was closed, I had a small panic attack. Let's face it, you normally get into a coffin after you've died and couldn't do anything about it. Of course, I'm dead, but I'm still kicking, and I nearly wrecked that box when the lid was shut. I don't know if I pleaded with Walter to let me out; panic seems to bring about a bit of memory loss. But when the sun rose, I suddenly felt so tired, I just dropped off without any fuss. After that, I didn't mind it so much anymore. I think the hardest part about being a vampire is controlling my bloodthirst. The taste of bagged blood doesn't seem to do it for me (must be the anticoagulants or the fact that the stuff was a week away from being thrown-out). But going for fresh blood is out of the question, unless it happens to be someone Integra wants quietly... dealt with. I never did like killing, except as a last resort, although Goldie wasn't so tough. But there were times, though, that I would get so hungry that I would wish I could just take some fresh. Then an unpleasant thought would come over me, like Integra forcing herself to destroy me because I lost control. I would just imagine what she would be thinking and grab another bag. The bags are safer. I don't know, I could go on forever about what's going on while we were sitting on our butts doing nothing but training. I'm just glad Master was able to convince Integra not to make me wear the same uniform Master wears (although I have to admit I do look good in a miniskirt). Strangely, Integra was able to get together an outfit similar to what I wore when I killed Goldie. Walter, I think, gave me the best compliment, saying that it fit me. Alucard made mention that I can be able to recreate my clothes when I get stronger. Pip even said I looked good... before the little perv tried to pinch my butt! He must've hid in the woods near the mansion for the remainder of the night after that. Well, a lot of the other stuff I'm going through is rather harmless and really not worth mentioning. My mind is still trying to digest the events from the last few days. Maybe by writing about what had happened, I can make some sense of it... not the ending, I don't really mind that... but how it started. It began like this... There was a disturbance at a village near Bath, in the east of the country. From what the intelligence was able to gather, a FREAK... an artificial vampire... was wreaking havoc and had to be dealt with. For those who don't know, these FREAKs have got this microchip implanted in him/her. All I can say is that they are like vampires, but not true undead. They don't create other vampires from those they bite, just a bunch of butt-ugly ghouls who do nothing but eat other humans or rip them to shreds. Anyway, Integra dispatched us - me, Master and Alucard, to that village to deal with the problem. We arrived there sometime after sunset. While Alucard dealt with the FREAK responsible for the trouble, me and Master cleaned up his leftovers - the ghouls the FREAK created. The last time I had to deal with ghouls, it was at Goldie's house. It was easy, though... I created those two ghouls in the first place and all I had to do was to tell them to drop dead. No such luck this time. Master went in ahead of me. She had that damn big gun of hers, the Harkonnen (Walter made it for her, he must like reading 'Dune' to give it that name). The first shell she fired, an explosive shell, cleaned out about ten to fifteen of those walking compost piles. As for myself, I had a Barrett sniper rifle with me, with my trusty CZ-75 as backup. Walter was able to modify it for me, gave it a tighter trigger and recoil spring, not to mention a barrel plated with titanium nitrate... to handle the big-ass ammo he crafted for me. Let me tell you how to handle ghouls that are not your own. The big problem is that no matter how much you shoot, they still come back up, even with a conventional 9mm. Thank goodness I had the Barrett or I would've been in real trouble. I don't know how long into the battle before it hit me... how can I describe this without horrifying everyone... but during the battle, I seemed to slip into some sort of insanity. I became a complete animal during the battle, actually enjoying laying waste all those ghouls. Even after the first wave was done, I was looking forward to killing more of them. Then the second wave hit, but these guys were armed. One of their shots took out the Barrett, so I decided to wade in that group with the CZ-75. Alucard would later tell me that I was laughing like some sort of homicidal maniac. Thinking back, I think I was laughing. I guess I was really out of it, hacking, whacking and ripping apart ghouls as I went. By the time the second wave was over, I was covered in blood and various parts of the ghouls that I put out of their misery. But I was on a killer's high, wanting more and not caring who it was. My hypersensitive hearing caught a scuffling behind me. I must have been grinning like some demented psychopath as I turned around, ready to send another ghoul to the great beyond. It was a good thing the scream brought me back to clarity. It was a little girl standing behind me. Somehow in all that chaos, she managed to hide out while her family was being killed by or hiding from that FREAK. Seeing me, covered in blood and gore, with a crazy smile on my face, terrified... and saved... her. But seeing that cute face scared out of her wits was a little too much for me. I froze right then and there... just as another ghoul was sneaking up on me. Thank goodness Alucard had finished with that FREAK and blew it away with his Jackal. The rest of the Wild Geese were called in to help clean up the mess afterward. Everyone gave their reports on what had transpired that night. Problem was... I was too messed-up in the head to get a clear report, that little girl's scared face still fresh in my mind. Integra could see what's wrong and gave me the next few nights off. But ever since that night, I had trouble sleeping. I kept having these nightmares, all of them ended with me killing that little girl. It was driving me so crazy, I was actually contemplating standing outside at daybreak until the sun burned me to a crisp. I wanted to talk to somebody, but talking to Alucard was out-of-the-question. I was certain he wouldn't understand. And I wasn't so sure about Integra or Walter. It was getting to the point that I was beginning to doubt my sanity when I considered talking to Pip... when Master noticed what was wrong and asked me to her room after training. It took a bit of cajoling on Master's part, but after a while, I finally let loose with my story, along with my suicidal fantasies. And believe it or not... I ACTUALLY broke down and started crying. Good thing Master had plenty of tissues or else my clothes would've been stained by my tears (I wonder why vampires cry blood instead of real tears). She let me cry for a while, stroking my head as I did. And then it happened... she drew me into a gentle hug and kissed me. I mean, I've kissed Master before... but this kiss was different. It was the deepest most passionate kiss I ever had with her. I would like to go into detail about what happened next... but I think anyone reading this in the future would die from embarrassment... or at the very least give that French pervert Pip a fatal hard-on. To say the least, it was the first time I ever made love to anyone... least of all a woman. Master was kind, tender... very understanding. From that one night, I learned that I was loved even more than before. Personally, I don't care what others think about me. I may be a vampire, a child of the night... but I like to think I have human feelings, no matter what Alucard thinks. I've moved into Master's quarters afterwards, a bit larger that my small room. She even has something resembling a real bed! Of course, it's closer to a king-sized coffin, but it's larger, which means I get to snuggle next to Master whenever I want. Walter is always complaining we're both making out like weasels before and after sunrise, but that's him. I'm not sure if Pip knows what me and Master are doing... but I'm certain he would like to get in on the action! But... I wonder what happened to that girl? XXX "Rally, are you done over there?" Seras Victoria asked, dressed in a bathrobe and leaving the shower area of their quarters. Rally was already dressed, having showered long ago. "Oh... Master," she blundered, almost closing the laptop she was working on. "Just about... I was adding a few lines." Seras leaned over and draped her arms around Rally's shoulders. "Still working on that journal of yours, aren't you?" she purred, kissing Rally's cheek. "What else, Master?" answered Rally. She maneuvered the laptop to Seras, who viewed the contents. "Tell me, how am I doing with this?" The Draculina looked over what Rally had written. "I see you're still bothered with that girl," she said. Rally's face took upon a gloomy cast. "I just can't get over the fact that I may have badly traumatized her, Master," she said. "I mean... here I was, covered in blood and pieces of ghoul, possibly with a crazy look on my face... and I end up face-to-face with this kid! I wouldn't be too surprised if she has nightmares for the rest of her life because of it." "I think being surrounded by ghouls looking to eat her is enough to cause those nightmares," Seras replied, trying to comfort Rally. She was about to say more when a tapping came at their door. Making sure her robe was tightly tied - in case it was Pip at the door - Seras opened it to find Walter C. Dolnez standing there, a tray with two blood packets on ice in his hands. "Oh, I did not know you were not dressed yet," the butler said. "I'll just wait outside then." "No, it's alright, Walter. I'm a bit hungry right now," Seras apologized. "Yeah," Rally added, taking one of the blood packets, "thanks a lot." "My pleasure," Walter said. "Oh by the way, Sir Integra recently this letter in the post this afternoon." He then produced a letter from underneath his vest. "I am not certain, but I believe it is from that girl you rescued that night near Bath." Rally's insides clenched upon the mention of the girl. "How... how is she?" she meekly asked. "I cannot say... I haven't read it yet." Walter handed the letter to Rally. "But Sir Integra did take a look at it and suggested that I give this to you." Rally took a few breaths to steady herself... not necessary for her existence, but it did calm her down a it. "Okay Walter, let me have it." She held out her hand to except the letter. For a few seconds, she hesitated, then she opened up the letter and viewed its contents. First, Rally seemed to be struggling to understand the letter, then a look of surprise came over her face, followed by a smile and a single bloody tear. After Seras had given her a tissue to blot her face off, she asked, "I take it that it's good news?" "That... and more, Master," Rally answered, still smiling. She strained to make-out the poorly-written words, obviously made by a young girl. "She wrote, 'I just wanted to let you know that..." she sniffled, "'thank you for saving me. I was scared when you looked at me, but I know you had to be scary to save me. Anyway, Mummy and Daddy had been saved by the man in red and were happy to see me. Again, thank you.'" He wiped a few bloody tears from her eyes. "Thank you, Walter... for bringing me that letter. But how did...?" "The letter was given by the parents to a government official, then the Queen," Walter explained. "When she realized the meaning of the letter, she forwarded it to Sir Integra, which she then told me to give it to you." "Well... if you possibly can, find some way of thanking that girl for me, could you, Walter?" the dusky-skinned vampire asked. Walter nodded his approval. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get things prepared for this evening. Sir Integra expects both of you to be ready in case we are needed," the butler said. "Will do, Walter," Seras replied, closing the door as the butler exited. Walking over to a nearby wardrobe, she gathered a clean uniform for herself, then looked at Rally as she saved what she written and logged-off. "Look, I wouldn't worry about it too much, Rally. Controlling your mood as you use your powers is just something me and Master have to teach you. That's why we're concentrating on eliminating ghouls for now. Only until you have a better handle on your emotions, then we'll go on to fighting vampires." "Especially those chipped vampires that keep cropping up," Rally added. She then drew Seras into her arms and added, "But at least I wouldn't have to worry about that little problem anymore. But I wonder... how are we going to explain our existence of a little girl?" "I think we'll let the Knights of the Round Table handle that problem. Don't want to give you too much on your mind," Seras giggled. "You make things SO simple, Master," Rally added as the two kissed. XXX Walter made his way down the dark corridors of the mansion's sub-basement levels and up the stairs. As he got to the landing, he found Alucard, Sir Integra and Pip standing to greet them. "So she got the letter, Walter?" the Hellsing leader asked. "Indeed Miss Vincent has, Sir Integra," answered Walter. "Imagine, to think that it was the granddaughter of Sir Kensington, one of the Round Table, that Miss Vincent had ran into. But I'm still a little troubled that we couldn't tell her the complete story." "Well... Sir Kensington is not exactly trusting of vampires," Sir Integra mused. "He still is a little suspicious of Rally from the time she met him." "Not to mention her use of... shall I say, her rather 'colorful' remarks to that pompous human's character did not impress him at all," Alucard added, grinning evilly. "Thank you for reminding me of that, Alucard," Sir Integra replied sourly. "I was hoping I could forget that little incident." "Well, at least we are here to make sure you won't forget, zat's for sure," Pip added, only to see the others looking at him hostilely. "Uh... maybe I should make sure ze Wild Geese are at the training grounds, non?" "Yes," Sir Integra said coldly, "it would be a good idea." Pip soon made his exit, somewhat faster than needed. Alucard watched the one-eyed Frenchman make his hurried exit, then added, "I wonder if that fool's still trying to woo Seras, despite the fact she has a girlfriend." "At least he doesn't give up, that's for certain," Walter added, going off to do his chores.
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