Roderick Cheever stood in horror as he witnessed the Royal Rockets - all transformed into ghouls - advanced towards him. "I'll tell y' a secret, Rod," Harold 'Heartbreak Hal' Baker smirked, standing behind the ghouls, while popping two white tablets he extracted from his jacket pocket. "A while back, a foreign bloke came t' me an' gave me somethin' good, these pills, which is th' best fuckin' thing since coke... an' a chip th't turns 'umans into vampires!" he pointed to his head in emphasis. "Gotta tell y' - I was blown gobsmack with th' results! Th' one drawback, though, is th't I can't have bangers an' champ anymore! Oh well... no big loss!" "Hal, please listen to reason!" Cheever pleaded, making sure to keep his distance from the ghouls. "I'm a married man... with a son! Please, I don't want to leave them alone in the world! Won't you consider that?" Baker paused. "Come t' think about it, Rod," he began, "I did think about 'em! In fact, they're 'ere right now!" With that, Baker once again snapped his fingers, the end result being two more figures exiting. Cheever was horrified! They were both ghouls, but one of them appeared to have been once a young woman - while the other was originally a seven year-old boy! "No... NOOO!!! SHARON!!! HAYWARD!!! XXX 'What the...? I though I heard someone screaming over the burn-outs,' Bean Bandit thought to himself as he was watching the burn-out contests. Curious, he decided to leave the area and investigate. Presently, he found himself near a garage, the name 'Royal Rockets' on the door. But as soon as he reached the partially-open door, Bean's nostrils twitched as he caught an unusual - and noxious - scent. 'That sure doesn't smell like gasoline or burning rubber!' he thought. 'More like... something rotten... or rotting, at least.' Giving in to his curiosity, he made his way to the door. XXX "Wot do y' think, Rod?" Baker crowed, seeing Cheever's look of anguish at the sight of his wife and son transformed into ghouls. "Perfect Rockets material, if y' ask me! I was thinkin' o' makin' y' one o' them," he then shuttered, "but I was afraid y'r blood might taste like old money! Don't want th't taste in m' mouth!" Baker then shrugged and added, "Oh well... gotta like this lot, at least!" Pointing at Cheever, he commanded the ghouls to advance. "Ev'ryone - dinner is served!" Horrified, Cheever took a few steps backwards until he ran into the wall. "Sharon, Hayward, for God's sake, please listen to me!" The ghoul woman and child failed to listen, instead advancing towards the young man along with the rest of the ghouls. "What's going on here?" Bean called out as he stepped inside the garage... but his jaw dropped seeing the tableau unfolding before his eyes. Then scanning the scene, he happened upon the sight of the ghoul boy... and was horrified! Then he set his sights on Baker - and saw red! "YOU BASTARD!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THAT KID!?!" Lunging forward, he covered the space of ten feet in a few seconds - and nailed Baker squarely in the jaw with his fist, sending the FREAK flying. Upon landing eight feet away from Bean, Baker took some time to check his jaw, making sure it wasn't broken. "Well, well... it looks like we've got ourselves an uninvited guest!" Getting the ghouls attention, he called-out, "Gents - forget about 'im, take care o' th's bloke!" Then noticing the woman and child ghouls, he added, "Y' two, same as usual." Now Bean braced himself, seeing the ghouls converge upon him. "Oh boy," he mumbled to himself, "it looks like I've stepped into a really-big pile of dog shit here!" Seeing a tire iron lying about, the courier grabbed and began swinging at the shambling group. For the first thirty seconds, Bean was having surprising results, as he managed to lay waste two of the ghouls advancing towards him. But as soon as he did, he began to have serious doubts about surviving the onslaught. He could call for help, but between the sound insulation of the garages and the burnouts outside, the area was unusually soundproofed. Steeling himself, Bean prepared to fight until the very end - until a barrage of very loud gunshots caught his attention, catching the ghouls unawares and turning them into piles of dust! Turning to the source of the sound, Bean was surprised to find Alucard standing next to him, Joshua and the Jackal smoldering in his hands. "I was wondering why I liked you, Bean Bandit," the red-clad nosferatu began while he reloaded, "and now I see the reason why! I was really surprised to find you actually laid your hands on that fratricidal mistake of a vampire, not to mention taking upon a horde of ghouls with nothing more than a tire iron!" "Fratricidal?" gasped Bean, still in a little shock from Alucard's appearance. "You... you mean... that bastard...?" "Yeah, Bean," came the grim reply of Irene 'Rally' Vincent, CZ-75 in hand. "We had gotten a call from Moria in London a few minutes ago. Seems that Baker bastard had killed his parents and made them into ghouls as well!" Taking aim, she and Alucard proceeded to send the changed Rockets to their final deaths, their bodies crumbling as they placed shots into heart or head. "Don't worry, Pip, Alfie and Moira's uncle Reggie took care of them!" By now, other members of the Hellsing Organization began entering as well. Seras Victoria and Berttle, both armed, escorted Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing and Walter C. Dolnez inside. "Watch yourselves, everyone!" the dusky blonde called out. "That FREAK could be still about!" Then she noticed Cheever, who was still under attack from his changed wife and child. Out of concern for the man, she walked besides the man, her Walther PPK drawn. "Sir Integra? What are you doing here?" asked the red-haired man. Sir Integra took aim on the ghouls, "Ending this nightmare," she said grimly. "W-wait a minute! That's my wife and son!" Cheever pleaded. "Isn't there anything you can do for them?" "You know from your father, who is a member of the Knights of the Round Table, that there is nothing we can do for Sharon and Hayward," Sir Integra sullenly said. "They are ghouls now, walking dead. The only thing we can do for them is to end their misery." And with that, she accurately placed one round each in the ghouls' heads, reducing their bodies to ashes. Cheever could only look down sullenly at the remains of what was his wife and son. "I guess you're right, Sir Integra." Kneeling down, he bowed his head in prayer, tears in his eyes. "Farewell Sharon, Hayward. I'm certain both of you are in a better place now." During this time, Rally had paused, looking with sorrow at Cheever. What she was unaware of, though, was that Baker was slowly creeping up on her from a shadowed portion of the garage, a switchblade in hand. However, Seras took note and called out, "RALLY... BEHIND YOU!!!" Bean also noticed. "RALLY, WATCH IT!!!" But it was too late - Baker had grabbed Rally's head, jerked it back, and used the knife to slash her throat! Startled, Rally tried to speak, but only a gurgling sound was heard as she fell to the floor. THE HELLSING MANSION, AT THE SAME TIME... "AHHHGGGHH!!!" Painfully, Moria Hedgley, who was still seated at her laptop, pitched forward, clutching her throat as well. "MORIA!!" Kenneth Hedgley called-out, seeing his daughter collapse. "Are you alright, Moria? Speak to me, is there anything wrong?" For a few seconds, Moria tries to speak, only to be unable to say anything. Finally, she manages to croak-out one word - "R-R-Rally..." SILVERSTONE, NORTHHAMPTONSHIRE... Baker let out a raucous laugh, stepping over Rally's face-down body as he did, a pool of blood spreading under her. "Boy, wot a dumb bitch!" he laughed, again popping a pill from his jacket. "Didn't notice I was sneakin' up on 'er!" Then he looked at Bean, who surprisingly was standing his ground despite the look of anger on his face. "Too bad m' mates didn't make a snack outta ye!" "Well I believe they'll have a tough time chewing through Canadian moose leather and titanium chain mail sandwiched between ballistic nylon and Kevlar, you bastard!" Bean snarled, indicating his coat. "From what I heard from Alucard, you killed your own parents!" "Serves 'em right, those ol' fogies!" Baker shot back. "Me ol' man made me use th' boodle I was savin' up for a nitrous kit to fix th' fuckin' delivery van I wrecked! Th' old fart even threatened t' chuck me outta th' flat if I didn't sell m' car!" What he didn't notice, however, was that the blood puddle under Rally had retreated back, and now dark energy was circulating around her as she slowly got up. Deciding to give Rally more time to recover, Sir Integra decided to engage the FREAK into conversation. "So you killed your own flesh-and-blood rather than sell that miserable car of yours! You are so conceded!" "'Ay, m' car is everything t' me!" Baker replied as he patted the hood of a converted Opel, still not noticing Rally getting up. "I've put me heart an' soul into th's baby here! I don't need me folks anymore - just her!" "Is that so?" Alucard smirked. "Well I believe I can change that, you filthy mistake of a vampire!" All of the sudden, he peppered the car with round-after-round from Joshua and Jackal. He didn't spare anything - from the windshields, to the engine block, to even the tires, he damaged the vehicle extensively - obviously to prevent escape, but also to get the FREAK's ego! As soon as he was finished, Alucard turned to Baker, whose jaw was almost to the floor, and crowed, "Well now - what do you think?" Baker was incredulous, seeing his precious car assaulted. "Y... Y... YOU BASTARD!!!" he shrieked, glaring at the No-Life King. "WOT DID Y' DO T' M' BABY!?!?" "You call that conveyance of yours 'your baby'? Don't make me laugh!" Alucard mocked. "All I see of it now is a miserable, worthless heap of scrap! I doubt would want to have anything to do with it now - except of melt it down for razor blades!" Holstering his weapons, he saw that Rally was recovered - and looking very angry. "Shooting you, in my opinion, would be a waste of my ammunition! Besides, you have better things to worry about right now!" "Like wot?" Baker snidely answered, only to get grabbed from behind - which afterward he screamed in terror! Rally was in her nightmare form, her normally short hair as long as she was tall, as well as her skin slate gray. She grinned, displaying her sharpened teeth at the FREAK - unaware that Berttle, Bean - and Sir Integra was watching, all with looks of horror! "Rally?" Sir Integra whispered. Walter did not say anything... although the look of caution he exhibited as he stepped in front of Sir Integra was dramatic. Recovering from his initial shock, Bean mumbled, "Okay... note to self - pissing Rally off in the future is libel to get you killed!" "Stone me!" Berttle breathed. Somehow, Rally had noticed the looks of shock of the four humans watching her. "Oh... crap!" she gasped, horrified. "Integra... please listen to me..." "Do not worry yourself, Rally," Sir Integra finally said after recovering. "I had expectations about your rise of power... but did not realize they were THIS dramatic!" "Uh... yeah, don't worry about it, Rally!" Bean added, still in a little bit of shock. Sir Integra nodded in agreement, adding, "Although this... altered appearance of yours is rather disturbing, but understandable." Turning her attention to Alucard, she then demanded, "Well... what are you waiting for? Destroy this beast!" "I've got a better idea, my master." Alucard then looked over the transformed Rally, obviously impressed. "Now that Rally Vincent has revealed her ultimate form, I am more than a little curious with what she does with it. With your permission, I would like to watch - while she destroys this fake!" He then looked Rally in the eye and added, "With no weapons, of course." To be sure, Rally was a little worried, realizing what Alucard was asking her to do. "Okay... but just so long as Integra and the others don't watch." "Do not worry yourself, Rally," Sir Integra said as she quickly, but in a dignified manner, made for the door. "You can have all the privacy you desire - while you rip this murderer to shreds!" Looking to the others, she added, "Everyone, if you will?" Pretty soon, the others accompanied the Hellsing leader outside. "Wait, Police Girl," Alucard called out, looking at Seras. "Aren't you going to stay and watch as well?" "M-me, Master?" the Draculina replied, her eyes wide. "Rally Vincent is, after all, your apprentice, and it would be remiss if you were not present to witness her new abilities," smirked the red-clad vampire. For a few seconds, Seras looked unsure of herself, finally saying, "Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt just to watch." Patiently, the two then moved to a secluded corner of the garage, with Rally still having Baker in her clutches. "Don't mind us, Rally," the blonde vampire said, "you go ahead and take care of that bloke." Rally paused for a bit, seeing the unease in Seras' bearing - before breaking out in a fiendish grin. "Yes, my master," she hissed, once again casting her gaze back to a quaking Baker. XXX Outside the garage, the five humans stood around, Sir Integra on her cell phone. "Yes, Rally is alright, Moria. What I need you to do is to contact Sir Townstead and have a portion of his squad come over to Silverstone as fast is possible to contain the garage in question. Very well." Switching off the phone, she returned her attention to Cheever, who was looking strangely introspective. "My condolences on the loss of your wife and child, Roderick," she said to him. "You do realize it was the only option that was open to us." "I do, Sir Integra," Cheever finally said, then taking a deep breath added, "You realize that my father was the one knight that lobbied to have Miss Vincent destroyed?" Sir Integra nodded. "I will tell him what had happened here - and how she aided in saving my life, even though the same couldn't be done for Sharon and Hayward. It may not be easy - but I'm certain he can be swayed to reverse his position." "I will look forward to the results, Roderick," Sir Integra answered, smiling. The garage door opened, startling the others. Alucard exited first, a great grin on his face. "Rally Vincent was magnificent, my master!" he finally announced. "She kept that FREAK alive just long enough so that he could feel every limb being ripped from his body, starting from the fingers and working upwards! Too bad his screams stopped short when she got to his second leg, though! It was getting to be fun until he passed out!" "You might call it 'fun', Master," Seras added, exiting behind Alucard, "but in my opinion I would call it horrifying! I mean, the way Rally was laughing while tearing that monster apart!" "Hey chill out, Master," Rally laughed as she exited, her form normal, though blood-splattered, "that bastard deserved it, killing that woman and kid!" She then looked at Sir Integra, reaching into her pocket. "Integra," she said, producing a small clear plastic bag with a number of white pills inside, "that guy had these on him. Any idea what they are?" Sir Integra then accepted the bag, inspecting the contents inside. "To be frank, Rally... I have no idea." Handing the pills to Walter, she told the butler, "Make sure the proper people receive this, Walter. I want to know exactly what these pills are!" "I will have the analysis of these pills expedited immedietly, Sir Integra," Walter replied. "Is there anything else?" "Uh... Walter..." Rally called out, getting his attention, "you... might want to contact someone to clean-up this garage here. I... kinda made a mess of it!" Curious, Bean decided to take a peek inside - and immedietly withdrew, his face screwed-up in distaste! "YEEESH!!" he finally said. "Rally, if you ask me they're gonna need more than just a mop and a bucket to clean up THAT MESS!! More like a dozen garbage bags, if you ask me!" Everyone just shook their heads and waited for the squad. None of the other humans wanted the image of what's inside wandering around their heads! HELLSING MANSION, THE NEXT NIGHT... "So Bean," Rally said as Bean began packing his belongings into the Buff, "I was meaning to ask you about seeing me when I use my powers to the fullest. You have to admit, I don't exactly look like anyone you'd want to meet in a dark alley." Closing the trunk, the courier gave his long-time friend an appraising look. "You did warn me about it, the night you killed that Vic guy... but I didn't expect it to be that dramatic. You're right about one thing, though - it was scary... but it's a beautiful scary!" Rally chuckled. "Thanks, Bean!" She then changed tack, "So, what are your plans?" "Well... my job is done here, so it looks like I'll be going back to Chicago, Rally." He then looked at his friend and added, "The problem is... what if Riff-Raff back home asks about you? What should I tell her?" "Try telling her I'm working to make England a better place, Bean," replied Rally with a smile, "just don't go into too much detail. And Bean...?" "Yes?" He was surprised that he gotten what amounted to a bear hug from Rally. "Thanks for everything. I suppose you did the same thing Roy, May, Becky and Misty did?" "Sure thing!" Bean briefly removed his coat, which showed the bandage where he had given a unit of his blood for Rally. "You didn't tell me if Kenny did the same." "He wanted to," Rally began, "but I thought that, because of his M.S., he needed his blood more that I did! It was a good gesture, though!" She then noticed that Sir Integra was walking towards them. "I think this is the part where I step aside." Taking note, Bean turned his attention to the Hellsing leader, who presented him with an envelope. "Here it is, your pay in United States funds," she began. "I have also made arrangements with the R.A.F. to have one of their transports take you and the Buff back to Chicago - non-stop, of course." "Of course," Bean agreed, shaking Sir Integra's hand. "Look... if there's anything you need, just let me know and I'll be back here as soon as possible." Sir Integra smiled. "Hopefully, that will not be necessary. But should the need for a fast courier driver arise, then your name will be the first that I will contact." "I'll be looking forward for that call," Bean replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving you." "Then I will not be delaying you further, Bean Bandit. Godspeed to you then!" Bean then climbed inside the Buff, saying in parting, "Just make sure you keep that Alucard on a short leash! He's a wild one!" Then gunning the engine, both courier and car sped their way out of the compound. Sir Integra and Rally just stood in silence for a few seconds as they watch Bean depart. "You once worked for him, Rally?" she finally said. "Yes," the dusky vampire replied. There was another beat of silence before, "Now I know why you drive the way you do!" Both women had a laugh as they returned to the mansion. XXX It was a day after the last night of the full moon that Rally and Seras was finally able to celebrate Moria's twentieth birthday. And like they promised, the three had celebrated at Arisugawa's Locket - and returning the next night afterward! Other than that, the routine around the mansion was the same before the M-5 incident. Sir Integra, in the meantime, had saw to it to arrange more permanent accommodations for Moria's father Kenneth, settling on a bungalow outside the mansion. However, on this night he was invited inside the mansion under mysterious circumstances. "Just what exactly am I doing here in the first place?" he asked as Rally escorted the over 400 year-old werewolf to a divan in the parlor. "Yes, Rally. This is all too mysterious," Sir Integra added, who was seated as well. Also present was Alucard, Pip Bernadotte and Walter. The butler was the first to call everyone's attention. "I believe I am to be the one to explain, Sir Integra," he began. "You see, Miss Victoria and Miss Vincent had approached me the night before the staking incident that Miss Vincent had endured. It seems that, they were at an impasse on the subject of what present to give Miss Hedgley for her birthday. Noting how she was dressed during her training on her werewolf abilities, I made a suggestion on what they should give her. After making a few calls around the city, I was able to come up with the solution." "And I suppose zat's why we are all here, non?" Pip inquired, making sure not to trip over his very long braid as he sat down. "You got that right, Pip!" answered Rally. Then clearing her thoughts, 'Okay Master, it's time!' 'Right with you, Rally!' came Seras' mental reply. A few minutes later, the Draculina made her way to the door, calling from behind it, "Okay, Moria... it's time to show everybody!" After a few seconds... "I'm not going out there!" came the rather embarrassed reply from Moria. "Come on, Moria! Don't be difficult!" Seras pleaded, who was apparently trying to pull the maid into view. "I look embarrassing in this getup!" Moria whined. "And I know I'm going to get a slew of lewd comments from Alucard and Pip!" Quickly, Rally shot the red-clad nosferatu and the mercenary warning looks. Alucard barely registered anything, while Pip withered from the glare. "D-don't worry, Mademoiselle Hedgley," he was finally able to say, "I... I won't say a thing!" It took a few seconds, but Moria was able to say, "Alright." Reluctantly, she stepped around the door. To say the least, everyone watching was impressed. Moria was dressed in what appeared to be a coal-black skin-tight bodysuit, with just enough of her cleavage showing from the open collar. Silk-screened above the right breast of the suit was a non-reflective representation of the Hellsing coat-of-arms. She also wore non-reflective shin-high black boots, as well as black gloves with the fingertips exposed. But she looked embarrassed, the way her curves were gratuitously displayed. "I... I look like some sort of tart in this suit," she managed to stammer. "Oh I don't think so, Moria dear," Kenneth finally said. "You look more like Emma Peel to me." "Emma Peel?" Moria eyed her father suspiciously. "Was she one of your old girlfriends before you met Mum?" she grumbled. "Oh nothing of the sort. A character in an old telly series, a little before your time," the elder Hedgley explained. "Not to mention one heck of a movie!" Rally added. "Me and Master have it in our DVD collection. You're welcome to look at if later on." Alucard looked upon the girl, a look of respect on his face. "It's a raiment fitting for a werewolf warrior like yourself, Moria Hedgley! You should feel proud to wear it!" "Indeed," Sir Integra added. "A very fitting present, to be sure!" Moria flushed - not from shame, but pride. "I... I don't know if these words are enough but... thank you all!" Seras then walked-up and embraced Moria from behind. "See... what did me and Rally tell you? And you thought they would laugh at you!" "I guess." Moria then looked around, seeing nothing but smiles from the others. "Well, now that we've got that done with, I think I'll be getting changed and..." Quite suddenly, though, the maid's expression suddenly went blank. "Moira? Are you alright?" Rally asked, suddenly concerned. Moira didn't answer, instead staring apparently into space - before collapsing face-first, Rally catching her. Alarmed, both Rally and Kenneth gently the maid down on the floor, both of them shocked by the glassy look in Moria's unblinking eyes. "MORIA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?! Rally yelled, gently shaking her shoulders. "MORIA, ANSWER US!!" Kenneth added. However, there was no reaction from the girl. Deciding to make an attempt, Rally cleared her mind and directed her thoughts into Moria. For the better part of two minutes, the dusky vampires probed her mind into the girl, all the while the others gathered around. Then abruptly, Rally drew back, a look of worry on her face. "Rally... what happened?" Sir Integra demanded. "Have you contacted Moria?" Rally just shook her head. "No," she finally said. "I don't understand it! I probed and probed for her but got nothing!" Gently caressing Moria's cheek, she concluded, "It's as if... as if her mind was no longer in her body!" ???... "Sir Integra? Father?" Moria was finding herself wandering about a grayish mist, all was silent. "Mr. Dolnez? Captain Bernadotte?" Nothing. "Rally? Seras?" Still nothing! "I must be bonkers to consider this... but... Alucard?" Again, no reply. "This is crazy. One minute I was talking to the others, the next I find myself be deposited here!" Moria stopped to scratch her head, "Wherever 'here' is, that's the question!" For the next few minutes, Moria continued to wander about her silent, misty prison, wondering if she would find anyone. However, just as she was beginning to entertain the horrifying notion that she was going to be stuck here forever, a voice was heard. "Gentlemen, there are some people that say I like var." Moria froze. That voice had a heavy German affliction in its language and voice. Fortunately, she knew German and could understand what was said... but there was something that voice in the dark that made her ill at ease. One could say... the voice terrified her! After a few seconds - "Vell gentlemen, I like var." Moria suddenly felt her heart go to her throat. Then, "Nien! Gentlemen... I love var!" Quite abruptly, the mist had dissipated, and a bright yellow light almost caused Moria to wince. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she was able to get some idea of her surroundings - and nearly screamed! She seemed to be in a great assembly area, dominated by a large map of Europe that made up the walls. Looking at the assembled throng, Moria again felt her insides twisting... they were all dressed in the garb of Nazi soldiers, all standing ramrod straight. But their appearance was odd - almost as if the entire army were made of FREAKs. It didn't help her feelings much to see the Nazi Eagle emblazoned on the floor she stood on. Moria quickly turned her attention to the figures on the dias the soldiers were facing. To the left of it stood a tall man dressed in a World War II-era greatcoat and cover, the collar of the greatcoat turned up around the shock of white hair the man had. His companion was a woman that had short blonde hair and was heavily muscled, the entire right side of her body covered in tattoos as she carried a huge scythe. To the right of the dias was a man who wore what appeared to be a blood-stained lab coat and a shirt that didn't cover his midriff. The multi-lensed glasses he wore reminded her of all the 'mad scientist' films she had seen in her lifetime. But the most unusual figure she saw appeared to be a young boy wearing a Hitler Youth uniform. He had reddish eyes and blonde hair cut in a pageboy style - which didn't disguised the large cat ears he had! Her attention then shifted to the center of attention on the dias - and Moria was shocked to see the image of the man that had been the center of her past visions of destruction - a pudgy, white-suited blonde man with a demented look on his face! "This can't be!" she whispered to herself, oblivious to the fact that none of these individuals, nor the army, was aware of her presence. The pudgy man continued with his speech. "I love blitzkriegs, I love holocausts! I love aggressive fronts and defensive lines! I love sieges, charges! I love mop-up operations and retreats!" He seemed to be in ecstasy, recounting all sorts of horrors. "In the moors, the hedgerows, on highways, in trenches, in plains, on tundra, in the desert, on the sea, in sky, in mud, in marshes... and eventually beyond the stars, I love every aspect of var that takes place on this earth or beyond!" Moria finally lost control, charging the speaker. "STOP THIS, YOU MADMAN!!" she shrieked as she went to strike - only to find her fist going through him! "No!" she gasped. Then looking around, she finally realized what was happening. "They don't even see me!" The speech continued. "I love blowing away the enemy to pieces with the thunderous roar of a line of guns going off all at once! When an enemy is shot to pieces by vell-placed sniper rounds after being thrown high in the air by the explosion of our shells, my heart dances with joy!" The speaker was gitty upon hearing his own words, while his audience just smiled. Even the attendants milling around were smiling. "I love crushing the enemy tanks with the 88mm guns on our tanks. When I mowed down the enemy who fled screaming from the burning tank, only to be cut-down with an MG, my heart leaps with unimagined joy!" "He's mad!" Moria whimpered, almost to the point of tears. "He's talking of war is if it was a football match - a mere spectator sport!" "I like it when my infantry plows through the enemy's lines with their bayonets all in line. I remembered being moved to tears when seeing fresh new recruits, their eyes filled with panic, stabbing into the bloated torsos of their already dead enemies again and again!" He paused, allowing his words to sink in, "Seeing traitorous deserters being strung from a lamp post with piano wire in the street is unendurably exciting, and seeing a P.O.W. be cut-down with a piercing shriek as my own hand falls was spectacular!" "What is his purpose?" Moira wondered, more in horror hearing the words. "Vhen a band of pitiful resistance fighters bravely came to face the enemy with their small firearms, only to be destroyed themselves, along with a good chunk of their city, by 4.8 tonne bombs from above, I vas at the height of ecstasy!" The tone of his speech changed, slightly more somber than before. "I like it when ve are destroyed by a Russian division with the morning dew. It is a sad thing when the town that one is supposed to protect is trampled, and the women and children raped and killed! I like being squashed and destroyed by England and America's amount of material resources! Being followed by those same forces and having to crawl around on the ground like filthy vermin is the ultimate disgrace!" Moria just shook her head in disbelief. "Even in the face of defeat, there was no end to this person's madness!" she muttered tears falling from her cheeks. The speaker paused for a bit, allowing his troops to digest what he had said. "Gentlemen," he continued, "all I desire is var... a var so grand that is to make heaven scream and hell tremble! Gentlemen, my companions-in-arms of this battalion... tell me vhat do you desire? Do you desire for var as well? Do you desire a var of no mercy? Do you desire a conflict that stretches the limits of iron, vind, lightning and fire to the limit, one that vill sweep-in like a great tempus... one that will kill all the ravens on this planet, leaving nothing for anyone to scavenge?" As one, the soldiers standing thrust their hands into the air, the index and middle fingers extended. "KRIEG!!!"they chanted"KRIEG!!!! KRIEG, KRIEG, KRIEG, KRIEG, KRIEG, KRIEG!!!!!" "No... no... NOOOO!!!" Moria was horrified! She knew the very meaning of the word - and was loathe to wonder what was the target! The blonde speaker grinned, seeing the enthusiasm of his troops. "Very well, gentlemen..." he said, "if 'krieg' is what you want... then 'krieg' is what you'll have!" He then eyed the throng carefully, delighting in the fanged smiles they had. "We will use all the strength in our bodies as a clenched fist, ready to smite all that will face us! But for us, who have waited and waited in the depths of this darkness for half a century... a mere war is not enough!" He then held-out his hand abruptly to emphasize his point. "It must be a MASSIVE war! A whole-hearted GREAT war, unlike any like before!" Moira was beyond horror. It seemed that the tears streaming from her eyes would never end as she continued to listen. "We are nothing more than a thousand remaining soldiers of a battalion representing the last of a once-mighty empire! But I believe you are all veterans, each of you worth a thousand of their sickly-soft men! In that case, including me, we are a million and one strong!" The madman then continued. "Gentlemen... let us drive away those who have forgotten us! Let us force awake those who have fallen in their sleep! Let us pull them up by their hair from their comfy beds and pry their eyes open and make them remember the true meaning of fear! Let us remind them of the sound of our jackboots pounding on their throats! Let us remind them that there are things between the earth and the sky and hell which they would not even dream to be possible!" The soldiers again broke out in chant. "DEATH TO ENGLAND!!! DEATH TO THEIR QUEEN!!! DEATH TO ENGLAND!!! DEATH TO THEIR QUEEN!!!" This chant broke Moria from her funk. The despair she once experience was now replaced with determination. "Destroy my country? Kill my queen?" she growled, drying her eyes. "I don't believe so!" She began to leave the amphitheatre, but not before hearing more from the mad speaker. "Our small group of one thousand vampires will reduce this pitiful world down to a clump of ashes! Yes... soon, the burning embers of Europe will alight the night skies!" He then smiled, "Gentlemen... I have returned you all like I have promised... back to our desired hunting grounds... BACK TO OUR SACRED WAR!!!" Again the chant, "DEATH TO ENGLAND!!! DEATH TO THEIR QUEEN!!! DEATH TO ENGLAND!!! DEATH TO THEIR QUEEN!!!" Moria didn't bother to listen as she made for the door. It didn't take long for Moria to find the way to the control gondola of, what she correctly guessed, the zeppelin they were riding. Immedietly, she made her way to the windows. It was dark, so dark she couldn't make-out any headlands or landmarks. However, she did see in the distance lights ahead, ones she guessed were of London. "Time to put a spanner into their damned plans!" she said, reaching for the fuel dump switch. But when she hit the button, she was alarmed that her hand went through the panel! "I don't get it!" she gasped. "I'm able to stand on the floor, yet I'm unable to affect this vehicle's movements!" "Vell vhat do you think, you silly girl?" a youthful voice smirked from behind her. "This is your vision, after all! You can no more affect this ship than vhat you can do in real life!" Startled, Moria spun around to the source of the voice - and found that it was the catboy she saw earlier. "How... how...?" she stammered, trying to comprehend. "Oh, how rude of me!" the catboy remarked, still retaining the smirk he had when Moria first cast eyes upon him. "I should have introduced myself!" Waving his hand at her, he added, "Guten tag, Frauline Hedgley! My name is Schrodinger!" Finally recovering her wits, Moria decided to confront the catboy. "I don't understand it!" she said in perfect German. "How are you able to communicate with me when everyone else is oblivious to my presence?" Schrodinger just smiled at her. "I am everyvhere, and novhere," he answered. "There is no place I cannot visit. The realms of dreams and visions are just as easy for me to traverse as vell as your everyday room." He then perked-up, "I hoped you've enjoyed da Major's speech! Very inspirational, if you ask me!" "Enjoyed it?" Moria shot back. "That speech was utter madness!" "Vhatever," replied Schrodinger, his smirk becoming more dangerous, "but there is something is vish to tell you - there is nothing that you, Hellsing... or your vampire girlfriends can do to stop da Major's var! It vill come!" "You're lying!" yelled Moria back. "England has stood strong before when Hitler thought he would break it using his fighters, his bombs - and his damned V-rockets! And will do the same to the likes of you!" "But that vas before," Schrodinger dangerously remarked. "Now ve have the might of over a thousand vampires - and vhen the night is over, all of England vill be burning! And there is nothing..." but before he could continue, he felt a hard blow against his cheeks, sending the catboy to the floor of the gondola. "What the...?" Moria was surprised upon finding she had struck him. "Well, my dear Schrodinger," she grinned, "it seems your intrusion upon my visions has unearthed a fatal flaw in your logic! I might not be able to interact with anything around here," she then transformed into her human/wolf form, "but I can certainly lay my hands upon you!" By this time, Schrodinger had recovered from getting hit, only to see Moria pouncing towards him. "ACH!!!" he gasped, rolling over to the side. Meanwhile, the young werewolf had continued on her path - only to discover flying through the gondola's bulkhead! Quickly, rage was replaced by utter terror as Moria found herself plummeting towards the ground. She didn't realize it, but she found herself screaming as she found herself racing towards the ground below. As she came to know that she was about to impact upon the ground, a single word escaped her at the top of her lungs: "RALLLLYYYYY!!!" XXX "AAAUUUGGHHH!!!" Abruptly, Moria bolted upright from the floor, surprising those that had gathered around her. "MORIA!!!" Rally called-out, gleeful to have her back. "Thank goodness you're alright!" Kenneth added, a smile on his face as well. Disoriented, Moria looked around. There was no Schrodinger to mock her, only those who cared for her. And as sudden as the whole thing started, Moria lunged forward and fiercely embraced Rally and Kenneth, tears welling from her eyes. "Uh... Moria... is there something wrong?" Rally asked. All she got were sobs. Kenneth patted his daughter's shoulder. "Moria... what's wrong?" he offered. It took quite a while for Moira to center herself. But she was still trembling as she held the two people she loved in the world tightly. "Rally... Father..." she finally said, "I... I believe... that I've witnessed the beginning of the apocalypse itself!"
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