AUTHOR'S NOTES - Okay, so we now know that Rally had found out about the Hellsing Organization, and with Seras Victoria had another run-in with Anderson. Now it's time to take this story in a new direction. I cannot tell you what will happen next, only that when the series is all over... Rally's life will be changed forever! For this to happen, I'm taking as an inspiration a Hellsing fanfiction story that had appeared in FanFiction.net titled "Can You Hear the Darkness" (somehow, the story got deleted, don't ask me how). That should explain some of the liberties I'm taking with the Hellsing OVA canon (I know the canon correctly... but it's MY story, so I can change a few of the facts if I want to). With that said... on with the story. XXX A DARK ROAD NEAR JOLIET STATE PRISON, LATE NIGHT... Alfie sat in the police escort van as it drove down the dark road to his destination. Originally, he had been charged with a variety of offenses, one was failure to appear in court. During his last appearance on the dock, it was decided to revoke his bail rights and have him remanded at the state prison's segregation unit until it was time to appear. But it didn't help his sour mood any, as he was still angrily thinking about the individual who put him in his current situation - Rally Vincent. "Hey Ralph?" one of the police officers asked the other, "How much time do you think our guest is going to have once his trial is over?" "If you ask me, Vinnie... not enough!" Ralph growled. "I heard this guy stole and sold military weapons and explosives while he served oversees! My brother lost a leg in Kandahar because of this, and for that I think he should be shot!" "Crybabies," Alfie growled under his breath. Vinnie looked back; Ralph was driving. "What was that, buddy?" he asked. "Nevermind," Alfie snapped back, then whispered, "Assholes." The trip when on without further incident, the two officers continued to talk amongst themselves while Alfie stewed, thinking of several ways to kill Rally if he ever saw her again. But quite suddenly, a car that, for the last five miles had followed the van, suddenly passed them, then spun out-of-control before ending up in the ditch on the side of the road. Ralph quickly pulled the van to the side and radioed in, while Vinnie got out and raced to the driver's side. Inside the car, a young girl seemed to be dazed from her experience. Vinnie looked her over quickly and yelled out, "SHE SEEMS ALRIGHT, BUT YOU BETTER CALL PARAMEDICS JUST IN CASE!" He returned his attention to the girl and asked, "Are you alright, Miss?" "I am," she answered... but then looked at Vinnie, smiled and added... while pointing a gun at his head, "Too bad you're not." Vinnie didn't have time to react, as the bullet fired hit him square in the forehead, killing him instantly. Ralph, who was out of the van by this time, saw what happened and drew down on the girl. But before he could issue any commands, two shots struck his arm from the side. Turning, he saw another girl, smiling and armed as well. Before he could reach for his reserve gun and attack this new girl, the first girl finished him off with a single shot to the head. In a panic, Alfie looked around franticly but saw no escape. The girls then boarded the van, turned to the crook, and the first one said, "Hey don't worry... you'll be alright." "Yeah," the second one added while buckling in. "The mistress wanted to free you so that you can do a favor for her." "Uh... mistress?" Alfie blundered. "Just what are...?" "Oh don't worry," the first girl said as her partner cut the wires from the G.P.S. antenna on the van, "you'll meet her in two days. She had to go out of town for a while." Once her partner was situated, the first girl started up the van and drove off, leaving behind the bodies of Vinnie and Ralph on the road. A HOUSE OUTSIDE AURORA, ILLINOIS, AT THE SAME TIME... There were two individuals that had greeted the Cobra driving up to the safehouse jointly operated by the United States government and the Chicago Police Department. One of them was definitely Detective Roy Coleman of the Chicago P.D.. The other was another man, his long blonde hair tied in back in a ponytail. He also wore a dingy-tan trenchcoat, and had some facial stubble. Coleman approached the Cobra as Rally Vincent, "Minnie" May Hopkins and Seras Victoria exited. "Rally, what the hell happened that you had to call this dirtbag?" he asked rather brusquely, pointing a thumb at the other man. "I'll tell you in a second, Roy," Rally said, at least grateful that her friend was worried. "Hey Bill," she called to the other, "Thanks for the help." "Anytime, Pussycat," the other man - A.T.F. agent Bill Collins - said, giving the dusky-skinned bounty hunter a wave. "But I still like to know if you can get Becky to help me out?" "Hey put a sock in it!" growled Rally. "I told you that I'll call Becky! Right now I've got to let Roy in on what had happened tonight!" "Okay Rally, just pull in your claws already," Collins replied, holding up his hands. He then noticed Seras walking behind Rally while May went to the trunk. "Hey, good looking," he began, smiling suavely, "you free later on?" "Not... interested!" snapped back Seras, who shot Collins a poisonous glare. Collins decided to pull back, not knowing what was worse, Seras' reply... or her red eyes, which seemed to burrow into the A.T.F. agent's very soul. May, in the meantime, had got out what appeared to be a huge metal toolkit. Both she and Seras advanced to the entrance of the house, but the young Draculina hesitated. The petite blonde noticed this, thinking to herself, 'I guess she can't enter a human dwelling without being invited first.' Smiling, May looked at Seras and said, "It's okay, you can come inside with us, Seras." Sighing heavily, Seras replied with, "Thanks. I was wondering if you and Rally were going to invite me in." The two then disappeared inside. "Look... if you're not going to be needing me," Collins meekly called out, relieved that Seras was inside, "I'm going back to Chicago to find out more about that security breach. Now remember your promise, Rally... okay?" "Yessss, Bill," Rally snarled, feeling a similar feeling of relief now that Collins was leaving. As soon as the A.T.F. agent's car was in the distance, she turned her attention to Coleman. "Sorry to get you out here, Roy. Myself, May and our guest got jumped by a rather annoying priest while headed back home from dinner with Integra." "It must be that priest Anderson that had filled-in for the one that was murdered earlier this week," Coleman answered. "Don't worry Rally, I'll personally see to it that he won't cause you any harm." He then turned to his car. "NO-NO ROY, DON'T GO NEAR HIM!!!" Rally yelled, startling Coleman. "Roy, I don't know how or why... but this guy's been altered in a way that he can heal any wound he gets. I've shot a full clip into him, including a head shot, and Seras also fired what she got, and he was hardly scratched. It finally took two of May's grenades to knock him out, for how long we don't know, because we didn't stick around long enough to find out. Not to mention he's pretty handy with knives. I don't want to find out you got killed by this guy." Coleman thought for a while. "Okay... how about I have several patrolmen keep an eye on your house and see if he shows up and what he's up to? Will that help?" Rally nodded in the affirmative. "Good," he said. "By the way, who the heck's that new girl... the one you called Seras? She got a uniform, albeit a bit skimpy, but she doesn't seem to be the military type." Rally hesitated for a bit. "Ask me later... alright, Roy? I'm still digesting all what's happening and... it's a little complicated." "If you say so," Coleman said, entering the car. As he started up, he opened his window and added, "Oh... I took the time to get you and May a few groceries before you got here. I figured you might be here for a while, and I wouldn't want you two to get hungry." "Thanks, Roy. You're a big help." Coleman then drove off, with Rally adding quietly, "But I really don't think they'll help Seras much." When Coleman's car disappeared, she entered the safehouse herself. XXX Once inside, Rally found that May had already clamped a portable vise that was inside the toolkit to a fairly sturdy table. Also removed from the steel box was a powder scale, several cans of gunpowder, funnels, trays and the like. May had already placed one of her grenades in the vise and was using a pair of pliers with cushioned jaws to remove the fuse from the top. "Rally," she began, "I'm going to have to readjust the powder charge on a couple of these grenades to make them more powerful. If we have to face that Anderson guy again, I want to make sure we've got the tools to at least put him out of action for a while." "Good idea, May. You get to it, I'll check on our accommodations," answered back Rally, who went into where the surveillance gear was stowed... just to make sure Collins didn't leave behind anything that can record what they saw. Once she was satisfied that the room was empty and they weren't being observed, she went into the living room, where Seras had broken down and was examining her submachine gun. "Look, I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this, Seras. Believe me, this wasn't what I had in mind." Seras looked Rally over, was satisfied and replied, "That's alright. I was half-expecting Paladin Anderson to attack... just not so soon." Rally silently nodded, then added uncomfortably, "Look... I know this might be a little sensitive for you... but how long can you go without... uh... you know..." "Without feeding, is that what you mean?" inquired Seras. Rally nodded in agreement. "A couple of days, I guess... maybe longer. Although that interval might be shorter; I've been feeding more often." She then added, "Don't worry... I won't harm you and May. I would rather die than taking blood unwillingly from a human. As for apologies, I think I should offer mine as well." "Huh? What have you done to apologize for?" asked Rally. "For being jealous of you," Seras answered meekly. "I... thought you and Sir Integra might be having a relationship... and I felt a little uncomfortable because of it." "Now wait a minute... you mean you thought me and Integra...?" inquired Rally, catching on. "You mean you're a lesbian?" Seras nodded, then was surprised by a smiling Rally. "Look... you don't have to worry about me and May being judgmental about you. In my opinion, people are free to be whoever they are, vampire or not. As for May... well... I wouldn't surprised if she had a few female customers during her streetwalking days." That comment surprised Seras. "May... a former prostitute?" she gasped, looking at May at work on the table. "She looks so young." "Believe me, May's much older than she looks," added Rally. "Right now, I better get a hold of Integra and tell her we're here." She then found the landline phone on the table and dialed the number Sir Integra had given her earlier in the evening. XXX RALLY AND MAY'S HOME, CHICAGO... "Wonder why we're checking this empty house out?" a Chicago policewoman said to her partner, making another round near the house Rally and May shared. "From what Detective Coleman told me," her senior partner said, "all we had to do is watch for suspicious activity and if we see it, report but take no action." He looked closely around. "Nope... all clear. Let's go. We'll come back here in a few hours and check again." The cruiser the two officers then accelerated away... afterwhich Paladin Alexander Anderson made his way from his place of concealment. "Hmm... seems 'alf the constabulary of this city is makin' th' rounds 'ere," the priest said to himself. "Guess it would be wise t' keep clear of this place for a few days. Ah've got other places t' watch, though." He then walked off, looking for a new place to make his surveillance. THE EXTENSION COMPOUND OF THE UNITED KINGDOM... "It is hardly a coincidence that Iscariot had attacked you so soon," Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing said, talking to Rally from her phone. The leader of the Hellsing Organization had dressed for bed when the phone call came. Dressed in her pajamas, she sat at the bed's edge listening to her friend. "Tell me about it, Integra," Rally replied. "Look, you've got the phone number I gave you, so could you look into that favor I asked? I've got a feeling that whoever broke into the A.T.F.'s database was the same ones that tipped-off Iscariot." "Indeed I shall, Rally. Thank you." Sir Integra then hung up the phone, then pondered what her friend had told her. Then quite suddenly, she felt a presence in her room. Turning to her right, she was witness to Alucard emerging from the shadows. "Interesting," the No-Life King mused, "the fact that Paladin Anderson would attack them as soon as he did. Even more interesting is the way they settled that battle." He chuckled evilly, "I bet he'll be spitting-up shrapnel for about a week." "True, but they are far from home, and Seras will need proper provisions if she is to do her job effectively. Unfortunately," Sir Integra added, "in the rush to get the information about Iscariot, I had failed to obtain the address of where they are at right now." "Oh I wouldn't worry about that," Alucard said, "I believe that I can accomplish that task." But unexpectedly, he knelt down to Sir Integra. "You're worried about the Police Girl. So she finally confessed her love for you," he began, his voice showing a tenderness unusual for him. "And mine for her, as well," answered Sir Integra. Looking at her servant, she added, "Alucard... was I wrong to tell her to engage in a polyamorous relationship with another lover as well as I? I could see she was not expecting such an answer." "You had to tell her that. I know you love her, but I also know you cannot join the Police Girl into darkness because of your obligations to the British crown," Alucard answered, looking firmly at his master. "At least she knows of your love for her, but also of her options." "I know... but it sounds like I care little for Seras," Sir Integra added, getting into bed and pulling the covers over her. "What option DOES she have, anyway?" "Who knows? The future holds many surprises," said Alucard. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day." "Perhaps in more ways than one," Sir Integra yawned, Alucard turning off the lights. MORNING, AURORA... When Rally and May went to bed, Seras had volunteered to stay-up and guard the house. Now it was morning, and Rally roused herself, the sun shining brightly through the shades. Almost irrationally, she made a quick check of her neck and found it unharmed. Then she was surprised to hear a small moan underneath the bed. Looking under it, she found Seras, lying corpselike in a deep sleep. Rally silently chuckled, watching the young Draculina sleep. 'You know,' she thought to herself, 'she's almost cute sleeping like that. Wait a minute,' she mentally added, surprised by her own thoughts, 'did I say cute? I guess so, although I don't know why. Kinda like her figure, though... wish my bustline was like hers.' Dismissing her thoughts, Rally gathered herself, showered, got dressed and joined May in the kitchen. The aforementioned explosive expert was busy setting down a breakfast on the same table she still had her grenade vise when Rally walked in. "Oh good morning," she chirped. "I was wondering how pancakes sound this morning... microwave, of course." "Sounds great to me," Rally answered back as May set down a cup of coffee next to her breakfast. The two then settled down and began to eat when May started up. "What in the world are we going to do, Rally? We can't live here forever. And there's still the shop to worry about." "Agreed. It's a good thing it's the weekend and the shop's closed around this time." Rally took a bite of her pancakes before continuing. "Hopefully Integra will get ahold of Becky and find out about both the A.T.F. break-in, not to mention why Iscariot is after us." "And what about Seras?" added May. "She's going to need blood to drink, and I'm a little scared she might look to us as a source." "Tell me about it. The first thing I did was check my neck to see if she had a little midnight snack," muttered Rally. "I feel a bit ashamed of not trusting her, but I guess that's the human in me." "I agree. Did the same myself," said May, laughing humorlessly. The two women then ate their breakfast, not saying anything more. Just as May was cleaning up afterwards, a firm knocking was heard at the door. Both of them then dropped what they were doing and took up positions near the door, Rally in front, gun drawn while May stood behind, grenade in hand in case it was Anderson. Slowly, the dark-haired bounty hunter crept to the door and slowly looked through the peephole viewer... afterwhich her eyes went wide. "No way!" she gasped, quickly going to the locks and swinging open the door. Standing there... in the morning sun... was Alucard, grinning his usual wicked grin and carrying a pouch at his side. "I was wondering if you would invite me inside," the No-Life King began, smiling. "I really like to get out of this damnable sunlight." "Uhhh... okay," muttered Rally, stepping aside to let Alucard in. May also drew back, equally surprised. As soon as he was inside, Rally walked up to him and said, "I knew Integra said you were powerful... but this blew me away!" "So I take it you're impressed? It is rare for me to hear a human give me such praise." Alucard then handed Rally the pouch. "I would suggest you place these in a freezer. I have two pouches already thawed so I would suggest you place one in the refrigerator." Rally looked inside. Several frozen blood packets were inside. "Thank goodness. I was getting worried that we wouldn't have anything to feed Seras." "As you should. She can be a bit unruly when she doesn't feed regularly," Alucard replied, taking one of the thawed packets for himself. Quickly, Rally took the frozen blood and placed it in the freezer, placing the one thawed packet in the refrigerator. May just watched as Alucard sat himself down, then pull the plug from the silicone tubing and consume the blood like a juice box. She then returned to cleaning up from breakfast. "I take it that the Police Girl is asleep," Alucard began, finishing his blood. "If you mean Seras, she is. She's under my bed right now," answered Rally. "I see," Alucard mused. "If you would, I'd like to have a private conversation with you, Miss Vincent." "Okay," Rally nervously replied. As they moved to another part of the house, she added, "By the way, how in the world were you able to find us? I didn't tell Integra where we are." Alucard grinned as he answered, "The Police Girl is still my fledgling. All I had to do is to probe her mind, a relatively easy task." "Sorry I asked," grumbled Rally, not liking how he found out. They soon made their way to the surveillance room, empty with equipment. Then Alucard's tone changed. "Miss Vincent," he began, "there is a question I would like to ask you... and please don't feel offended when I ask." "Ask me what?" offered the dusky-skinned girl. "You wouldn't happen to be a virgin, would you?" the red-clad vampire asked. Rally could feel the blush forming on her cheeks. "Well... yes... but I'm not sure..." "I will explain," interrupted Alucard. "I asked that because, if you and Seras happen to find yourselves in a grave situation, and she needs blood, then you can safely offer some of yours to help her." "Really?" quipped Rally. "But why me? Couldn't May do the same?" "I'm afraid not. Only a virgin can survive a vampire's bite without being turned into a ghoul," the No-Life King answered. "If you're worried about being turned into a vampire yourself, I can assure you that the only way you can is if you happen to die from the bite. The Police Girl is well-trained in taking blood without killing. But there is something else I should warn you about. If you do offer blood to her, and she has to bite you to obtain it, you might find yourself... strangely attracted to her... and you would become the Police Girl's chosen prey. The sensation can be quite powerful, I can assure you." Rally digested this for a bit. "Well... at least we have an option if we don't happen to have one of those blood packs with us. As for the aftereffects... I guess I can handle myself." Alucard looked Rally over carefully. "One might hope," he added. "Well... if you'll excuse me, I believe I'll use this room to rest until nightfall. There is... something I need to talk to the Police Girl about when she wakes." "If you say so," Rally said, heading out the door and turning off the switch, leaving Alucard alone. XXX THE EXTENSION COMPOUND OF THE UNITED KINGDOM... If the truth were to be told, Becky "the Nose" Farrah felt a little intimidated sitting in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce as it entered the compound. When she got the call this morning, she was a little surprised that Rally had ran into a little trouble, but had recommended her in a little task... whatever it was. After exiting, she was led by Walter C. Dolnez, the Hellsing family's butler... and former trashman, to Sir Integra's office, where she was going over some paperwork. "Ah good, you're here at last, Miss Farrah," she said, looking up. "Likewise," Becky answered. "To be honest, I was a little nervous coming here. So what is it you need, Sir Integra?" "Very well," the pale blonde woman began, "I will get to the point... it seems that Rally had ran into a little trouble last night. Do not worry, she is unharmed, but is currently in hiding. What I would like to do is to contract your services in a little investigation. Walter is a good computer expert, but I was told by Rally that you have a better knack at accessing restricted information." "I see Rally was being modest as usual," Becky answered. "Okay, I'll take the job... but I must warn you, I don't work cheap." "Yes, Rally did say that you would command a sizeable fee for your services," Sir Integra said as she scribbled a figure on a slip of paper, which she handed to Becky. "I hope the amount is to your liking." Eyeing Sir Integra suspiciously, Becky glanced at the paper... and nearly fainted as she read it. "This... this..." she managed to stammer. Raising an eyebrow enquiringly, Sir Integra added, "If the amount is not enough, I can offer more. It will be wired from my bank in London in U.S. funds to your account directly." "What?" Becky gasped, her eyes wide. "No-no, this is fine, thank you." Once again eyeing the amount, she thought to herself, 'Oh my! With this amount, I can be able to finally get all the equipment I need to upgrade and still have a little on the side for incidentals... not to mention living comfortably for at least a few months!' Finally regaining her senses, she looked at Sir Integra and asked meekly, "So... when shall I start?" "Well... I would think that... now would be a good time," Sir Integra answered back, smiling. "Okay, that's fine by me," replied Becky, still feeling the butterflies in her stomach. "Gotta give you your money's worth after all." XXX It was a few hours later that the sun began its final decent into night. Rally paced incessantly waiting for Seras to wake up. She had already made the plan but wasn't going to execute it unless she had someone else with a gun for back-up. But that didn't make May feel any better. "Are you certain about this, Rally?" she asked. "What choice do we have?" countered Rally. "I don't want to spend another day in these clothes, so I'm going to have to risk going to the house to get our emergency suitcases, not to mention getting some more potent ammunition and additional firepower in case we run into that psycho Anderson again." "Fine, then I'm going with you," said May. "No, May! You stay here until me and Seras get back." "But Rally..." "No buts, May," snapped Rally. "I don't want to have to worry about you as well if we run into trouble, so I want you to wait here until we get back." "That is IF you get back," May mumbled, feeling a little discouraged. In Rally's bedroom in the meantime, Seras had roused herself just as the sun had set. She had gotten herself out from under the bed when she saw Alucard standing in front of her. "Oh Master," she blundered, surprised at his appearance, "is... there something you need?" "Just a small ceremony, Police Girl, that is all," the No-Life King answered, pulling up his sleeve. He then produced a small scalpel, cut his right forearm, and produced the bleeding appendage to a surprised Seras. "Master... are you sure..." gasped Seras, realizing the significance of what Alucard was doing. The red-clad vampire's face lost all pretenses of arrogance and stared at the young Draculina with a warmth she had rarely seen. "I'm very serious. When I first offered this to you, you were still struggling to make sense of your turning. I know I had ridiculed you for your decision to refuse but I knew you felt that you still had much to learn. Since then, you have learned much... you've shed much of your annoying humanity... but not too much as to be a danger to others and learned to rule the darkness without being ruled by it. I can teach you no further. Now... drink my blood... and become an equal of myself, free of my control and walk the darkness as a free nosferatu... Seras Victoria." Seras could only stare at Alucard for a few seconds before taking his arm in her hands. "You will always be 'Master' to me... Alucard," she said before placing her mouth on the wound and began drinking her master's blood. For a few seconds, Seras quietly drank from Alucard's arm before he quietly removed it. Suddenly, Seras felt an intense burning within her veins and collapsed to her knees, but soon felt her former master's arms around her until her involuntary quaking stopped. "There, Seras," the red-clad vampire said, "that wasn't so bad, wasn't it?" "N-no Master," Seras answered, "although it was a bit sudden." "Indeed," grinned Alucard, realizing her 'master' reference was now a sign of loyalty rather than servitude. "I think you'll find very soon that you'll have greater mastery over your abilities, as well as more control over your bloodthirst... not to mention you'll now be able to walk in the sun for a short period of time. That may come in handy sometime." He then stood his former fledgling up and added, "I think it is time we got ourselves downstairs and greeted our hosts. I believe Miss Vincent may be needing your aid soon." Seras nodded in agreement, afterwhich the two vampires descended down the stairs, as not to unduly alarm Rally and May. Rally then explained the plan, which was to proceed into Chicago to obtain the evacuation suitcases, not to mention more armament. Having understood the plan, both Rally and Seras made their way to the Cobra. Just before Rally entered, May exited the house with a few articles in her hands. "Listen Rally," she began, "if you're not going to be taking me, at least take these grenades with you. I've already made the adjustments with these, which should come in handy if you run into Anderson." "Thanks, May," replied Rally. "You're welcome," smiled May, who then turned her attention to Seras. "And you," she handed the Draculina the thawed blood pack, "you better take this for on the way." "I appreciate it, May. Thank you," Seras said. Rally then entered the driver's side of the Cobra, then started it up and drove off, with May and Alucard looking on. After the car was out of sight, the No-Life King turned to the explosives expert and said, "I suggest you better get yourself inside and lock the door. I say this out of experience, do not attempt to leave until you have heard from either Miss Vincent or Sir Integra. Understood?" May sighed heavily. "I guess. But what about you?" Alucard just smiled fiendishly and replied, "I've got something to do right now. Don't worry about your friend... I'm certain she'll survive." He then faded into the darkness, leaving a nervous May to return to the safehouse. TO BE CONTINUED...
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