For the most of two hours, Rally Vincent and Seras Victoria had an uneventful drive back to Rally's house. To defuse the tension of possibly facing Paladin Alexander Anderson, the two girls engaged in telling stories from their various experiences. In all, a pleasant drive. As they came close to the house, the talk then came to how Seras had became a vampire in the first place. "You're kidding?" Rally gasped, looking around the streets to see any sign of Iscariot's trashman, "You mean to tell me that Alucard had to shoot through you to get that vampire?" "I'm not," the Draculina replied, also looking around. "Master had to shoot through my right lung in order to get to his heart. Then after he finished him off, he apologized for shooting me and offered to turn me in order to save my life." "Hmm... I'm not really certain if I can be brave enough to make that choice," said Rally, turning a corner. "I bet you had a lot of trouble adjusting." Seras nodded silently, looking at Rally. "It was a struggle. For the longest time, I was afraid of drinking the blood that was offered to me? mostly because I was still thinking of myself as human. Then one day, Master forced the issue upon me, and finally I had to except the fact that..." she hesitated for a second, "that I could not go back to what I was. The first time I drank blood... I felt like I was mourning the loss of something dear to me." "I could imagine," Rally added, discreetly glancing at Seras' figure. 'Now wait a minute!' she yelled mentally at herself, coming to her senses, 'Why in the hell am I leering at Seras like this? I know she's a lesbian... and has told me how she expressed her love for Integra... but why am I checking her out? Am I attracted to her as well?' "Is there something wrong?" asked Seras. "You look a bit distracted." "Er... no, nothing's wrong," Rally abruptly sputtered, feeling the blush on her cheeks. 'Did she notice? I am so in trouble!' She then noticed a car's headlights blinking at her, even though she had her low beams on. Looking at the car, she recognized it and said, "It's Roy." Quietly, Rally paused near the car and opened her window. Roy Coleman did the same. "What are you out here, Rally?" he asked, looking concerned. "That priest might still be around." "Nice to know. Me and Seras are going to get me and May's emergency supplies," answered Rally, "not to mention to see if I can get something with a little punch in case that psycho priest shows up again." Coleman nodded. "Nice to know... but as long as you're here, I might as well tell you what happened yesterday." He sighed heavily as he continued, "Alfie was being taken to more secure quarters when the transport he was in was hijacked. When we heard about an accident they witnessed and the officers failed to report back, we went to where they were stopped... and found them dead." "You're kidding? What about Alfie?" "We found the van a few miles away from the site but Alfie was gone. The only fingerprints we found were of Alfie and the dead policemen. The dashboard cam tape was also taken, so there's no way to know who it is. We're having the van reprocessed, but I doubt anything else of substance will be found," Coleman added. "How odd," Rally mused. "Well, if you find them, let me know about it, okay?" "Will do. And you be careful, Rally, Seras," Coleman cautioned. "We will," Seras answered as Rally started back to the house, which was around the corner. As they were about to enter the garage, though, Seras began to panic. "WAIT-WAIT!!! STOP!!!" she cried out. Rally jammed on the brakes, stopping the Cobra just short of the opening garage door. "What?" she asked, expecting Anderson to spring out of the bushes. "I... I can't go in there," the Draculina managed to say. "What do you mean 'you can't go in there'? I need your help to load the stuff in the car," Rally griped. Seras hung her head down. "I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you I cannot enter a human dwelling without being invited first," she said in a low voice. "Somehow May caught on it and let me in to the safehouse... but this is a new place for me." "Oh? Is that it?" Rally smirked, catching on. Thinking quickly, she turned to Seras and added, "Okay... get out of the car and wait outside. Don't worry... this won't take long." Looking curiously at Rally, the young vampire complied, standing outside the garage door as Rally drove the Cobra in. Then getting out, the dusky-skinned bounty hunter looked at Seras and asked, "Seras, would you like to come inside?" Smiling hugely, Seras replied exuberantly, "I'll be glad to, Rally!" Quickly, she made her way inside, then Rally closed the door and barred the channel. "There... that should give that priest a hard time getting inside if he shows up." Rally then opened the door and ushered Seras inside. After turning on the lights, Rally opened up a hall closet and produced two suitcases. "May and I packed these just in case we had make a rush to get out of town for a few days. Having to contend with Goldie was the reason for this." Moving the cases to Seras, she added, "Here, get these to the car. Never mind opening up the trunk," she said, "just throw them in the back seat. After you do that, join me in the basement." Seras nodded, picking up the two cases and headed for the garage. Rally, in the meantime, headed downstairs to her personal armory, and after unlocking the door and turning on the light, began to think about which gun to take along. As she was thinking, she was startled by the sight of Seras floating down through the ceiling of the armory. "Sorry about that," she began. "I got the cases in the car and thought this would be a faster way." "Uh... no, it's alright," Rally managed to say after she recovered. 'Got to admit, the way she came down, it was almost like... she was an angel... if Heaven would allow vampires, that is.' "Are you alright, Rally?" asked Seras. "You look a bit flushed." "ACK!! NO-NO, I'M FINE!" Rally cried out, embarrassed to find that Seras noticed her blush. After she recovered, she began to assess what she needed. "Hmm... the P90 would be alright... it's compact, easy to fire... and the 50-round clip is nice... but I think I'll need a little more stopping power." She then picked up an AK-47 from the wall and got out the appropriate ammunition... semi-jacketed hollow-point rounds pre-loaded in their clips. While Rally was doing this, Seras was scanning the wall, obviously impressed with the number of firearms Rally had. "Gol... there are firearms here I've only read about in magazines and textbooks." Her attention turned to a rather large handgun on the wall near Rally. "Wow... a Russian Sketchen APS... with the wooden holster that doubles as a shoulder stock. I never thought I would see one of those!" "Nice, isn't it?" smiled Rally. "If I had the ammo, I would be bringing that along instead of the AK. I don't suppose you need some extra ammo for your gun." She pointed to the ammunition locker. "I suppose," Seras said, going to the locker and getting her ammo. "I wish I was able to bring my Harkonnen. That would really be a help, but the boot in your car was a little small." Rally looked surprised. "Really? What kind of ammo does it take?" "30mm shells, either D.U. or explosive." "You're kidding?" Rally gasped. "That has to be one big gun to fire 30mm!" Seras giggled and added, "About a half-meter taller than me. I think we've got enough." "Right. Let's go." The two girls then raced outside, unbarred the garage door, and satisfied that Anderson was not waiting for them, started the car and raced back to the safehouse. Deciding to vary her route, Rally chose another way out of the city, through a largely-empty part of the city waterfront. She had decided to concentrate on her driving, not to mention watching for any hostile activity around them. But that plan got thrown out the window when Seras asked, "Excuse me Rally, but is there anything wrong with you? You've been acting very odd tonight. Have you got something on your mind?" 'Oh crap,' Rally thought to herself, a queasy feeling starting in her stomach, 'she DID notice! What in the world am I going to say to her... that I was ogling her discreetly while we were headed to the house?' Taking a deep breath, she relaxed herself, then addressed Seras. "I... guess I am a bit distracted tonight. Seras... I'm not sure how to say this, but..." Then a loud bang was heard, followed by the left-front side of the Cobra suddenly going down. "SHIT!!!" yelled Rally, fighting the steering wheel to get control. "I JUST BOUGHT NEW TIRES FOR THIS THING LAST WEEK!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?!?" Somehow, she was able to bring the car to a stop near a deserted section of the waterfront. Having her suspicions, Rally grabbed the AK and clips and exited the car, along with Seras on the other side. Sure enough, one of Anderson's bayonets was sticking out of the side of the left front tire. "Oh crap, we're in for it now!" "Indeed yer are, ye heathens," Anderson's voice called out. "Ah must admit, ye gave me quite a beatin' th' last time we met," the priest said, stepping out of the shadows with two bayonets in hand and crossing them, sparks flying, "but this time, Ah've made sure there"d be no escape this time!" "OH YEAH!?!" Rally snarled, opening fire on Anderson, with Seras rushing beside her and doing the same. Under the amount of fire he was taking, Anderson was knocked backward twenty feet before they stopped. Rally advanced from the cover of the car to get a better view of Anderson's body. "I hope that did it," she said. "Same here," Seras added. "But he took an entire clip of Master's Joshua gun and still managed to get up." Rally was about to say more when she heard Anderson laugh. The priest stood up, the various rounds he had taken dropping to the ground and the wounds he suffered healing rapidly. "Oh my," Anderson laughed, "that was even more pathetic then what that Alucard tried to do t' me!" Smirking fiendishly, he quickly threw four bayonets in Rally's direction. For an instant, Rally stood transfixed, terrified to see death headed straight for her... until she felt something knock her down... and a scream. Regaining her senses, she was horrified to see Seras on the ground, all four bayonets in her back. The young vampire looked as if she was in great pain as well. Then horror gave way to anger as she glared at Anderson and snarled, "You bastard!" "Well..." talk about th' right target at the wrong place," Anderson smirked as he charged at the two. Thinking quickly, Rally reached into her coat pocket, grabbed the two grenades May gave her, quickly pulled the pins and threw them at the Judas priest. Anderson came to an abrupt stop, seeing the two grenades at his feet. "Oh not again?" he muttered before they blew up. Seeing that the priest was on the ground, Rally made her way to Seras and managed to haul her up on her feet. "Can you still walk?" Rally said tursly. "I... I think so. You shouldn't... be risking yourself..." Seras managed to say. "Save it! Right now, we better get into one of those building and hide out until help arrives... if it does." "If?" Seras replied weakly. "The police hardly patrol this area at night. It'd be a miracle if someone managed to hear the explosions and called them," the dark-haired girl said. "There's a few buildings we can use for a while. We better get to them before he wakes up!" Somehow, Rally led the wounded Seras to a group of decrepit warehouses standing near the waterfront. THE EXTENTION COMPOUND OF THE UNITED KINGDOM EMBASSY, AT THE SAME TIME... Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing carefully studied the printout that Becky 'the Nose' Farrah had given her, the results of her online search. "Are you quite certain that this is accurate?" she asked her. "Oh don't worry, I've double-checked and triple-checked my findings before presenting this to you... not to mention made a comparative search as well," Becky answered as she made her briefing. "When you're paying me the kind of money you're offering, I make it my business to make sure the client - you - is given the most accurate report I can get." Sir Integra gave the information specialist an appraising glance before returning her attention to the printout. "Well... I am convinced." She then gave Becky a small slip of paper. "Here," she added, a small smile on her face, "make sure a copy of this gets emailed to this address. I would treasure the look on Archbishop Maxwell's when he sees this. I will make sure the appropriate funds are transferred to your account in the morrow. You may contact your bank to confirm transfer." "Why thank you. I'll get both done," Becky smiled, taking the slip of paper from Sir Integra's hand and proceeded to send the results. Once satisfied, Sir Integra then went to the phone and dialed the number of the safehouse she got from Rally. After a few rings, she heard May's voice call out, "Hello?" "Hello May," the blonde woman began, "could you please put Rally on? I want to check and see how she and Seras are doing." An uncomfortable silence followed, then May replied, "Uh... she and Seras went back to the house to get a few clothes. Is something wrong?" Sir Integra's tanned skin blanched, 'Oh no... Rally wouldn't... but if Anderson is waiting...' then crisply said, "Listen, I want you to stay in the house until you hear otherwise. Understand?" "Why... yes," May answered. "Do you think something happened to Rally and Seras?" "God hopes not," mumbled the Hellsing leader. "I will contact you later, God willing with news that Rally is alright. Goodbye." Sir Integra then set down the receiver and turned to Walter. "Have my gun and sword ready! I suspect Anderson may be trying to attack Rally and Seras as we speak!" "Indeed I shall," Walter answered, bowing before leaving. Now Becky had overheard what had transpired. "Oh my... you think Rally's in danger?" "Yes and we do not have much time! What's worse is that we do not know where they are!" "I think I may be able to help on that part," Becky said, opening her laptop. "I was able to persuade Rally some time back to have a G.P.S. tracer installed in her car, just in case she was ever ambushed by Goldie or some other dirtbag." She then began typing inputs. "With any luck, it will be still functioning and we can get an idea where they are!" Soon, a map of the Chicagoland area was displayed... as well as a blinking cursor near Lake Michigan. "There!" Becky exclaimed, "Now I'll get a close-up on where they are!" The maps soon changed. "Oh dear, they would be near the waterfront... and in a deserted section of it as well. They don't seem to be moving, that we know." "All the more reason to find them as soon as possible!" Sir Integra said. "I am getting changed, Miss Farrah! Please accompany Walter to the car! I will join you shortly!" Becky quickly closed her laptop, then followed the butler outside. 'I hope we'll be able to get to them in time,' she thought ruefully. IN FRONT OF A WATERFRONT WAREHOUSE IN CHICAGO... It took a full five minutes for Anderson to recover from the explosion of the grenades Rally threw. "Uhhh... damned if they used that cheap trick again," he grumbled, setting himself up. "Ah'll make sure they'll suffer greatly because of this!" As his eyes adjusted again to the darkness, Anderson noticed that there was a trail blood droplets that led to one of the old warehouses. "Well now," he smirked, "it looks like they've made my job easier. Ah'll guess Ah'd better get t' work." The priest then started to get up, only to flinch in pain. "Okay... another five minutes to recover, Ah guess. It's not like they're going to be leaving anytime soon." Inside the warehouse, Rally was still leading a wounded Seras, searching for a decent hiding place. The initial fear the bounty hunter had earlier was now replaced with a growing anger towards Anderson. 'That damn priest,' she thought to herself, 'How dare he hurt Seras! She was only doing her job in protecting me and now wants to kill her as well!' She made a quick check on her cellphone, only to discover they were out of the coverage area. 'Great! Now I can't get ahold of Integra and tell her what has happened! What am I going to do?' She then turned her attention back to Seras... and was immedietly concerned. The young vampire looked as if she was weaker than a few minutes earlier. "Hey, you going to be alright?" she asked. For an uncomfortable amount of time, Seras was quiet before saying, "I... guess. This wasn't the... first time Paladin? Anderson got me..." she indicated to the bayonets still in her back, "Just... that I haven't got those out of me yet. Not exactly used to being a pincushion." "I'm surprised you still have a sense of humor," added Rally, smiling. Seras then flinched violently as a new spasm of pain gripped her. Panting, she managed to say, "I... wasn't... trying to be funny, Rally. I've... got to get these things out... before they kill me." She caught her breath before continuing. "They're... blessed. Just having them in me... is like fire burning... in my innards." "What?" Rally then looked at the bayonets with a new sense of horror within her. "You mean to say these can kill you just by having them inside you?" She then maneuvered Seras to some old crates and had her lean against them. "Don't worry, I'll pull these out before they do any more damage." She then gripped the first bayonet by the handle, "Okay, this might hurt a bit!" She then yanked the bayonet out, causing Seras to cry out in pain. Taking a little more care with the others, Rally managed to remove the others, dropping them to the ground. Finally feeling relief, Seras managed to slump to the ground, her back against the crate. "Thank you," she managed to say, "I think... I'll be alright now." "That's good," added Rally. "Can you get up? We still have to find a hiding place here." Seras just shook her head. "Too weak to get up." Looked up, she said further, "It's a shame I drank up that blood May gave me on the way up here. Just a little could perk me up." Rally simply leaned on top of the crate, wondering for a few seconds what to do next. She could carry Seras, but it would slow them down... in which case Anderson could catch them. Then an idea came to her, but she was a little reluctant to even try... but it had a greater chance to succeed. "Here... let's find a little more concealment," she managed to say, slinging Seras' left arm over her shoulder and moving her behind more crates, then ducking down herself. "Rally... what's going on?" the Draculina asked, seeing Rally unbutton the top two buttons of her blouse. "Look... you need blood, right?" Rally asked. Seras nodded. "Okay, I'll let you get it from me." Seras looked shocked. "But... I've never taken warm blood from another human yet! I know Master taught me how to hunt without killing... but it was with a simulated target, not an actual human! Are you sure..." "Seras, if you don't feed, then we might not survive. Look... Alucard told me I can give you blood without getting turned into a ghoul... whatever those are. Don't worry... I trust you. You don't look to me like the murdering type." "You mean... you're a virgin?" Seras asked, looking surprised. "Yeah," the dusky-skinned woman said, blushing. "Most of the men I've met were either married or jerks like Bill. May often complained that I prefer guns and cars than sex." She then leaned back, allowing Seras to hover over her. "I don't know if that priest may be up yet... and we both will be in big trouble if he is and you're still out of it. So Seras... please... take some of my blood." Seras agonized over this for a few seconds. She so didn't want to hurt Rally and didn't want to accept her blood, but she knew that she was right: Seras was still in pain and was too weak to fight. "Alright," she replied in a low voice. She then lowered her head to the place she knew where Rally's jungular vein was, closed her eyes... and gently sank her fangs into Rally's neck. For Rally, the pain from the bite was brief, much like one would experience when receiving a vaccination. But when Seras began to draw blood from her, a new sensation came over her... a feeling of almost sexual ecstatic pleasure which was so powerful, she found herself tightly embracing Seras as the vampire fed on her, moaning sensually as she did. Satisfied that she had taken all that she needed, Seras drew back, a trail of blood dribbling from the right corner of her lips. "Rally," she asked, "are you okay?", a little mystified at Rally's reaction. "Umm... yeah... I'm okay," Rally mumbled, finally coming down. For a few seconds, however, she found herself staring at Seras' red eyes... and smiled as she did. She then leaned up to the young vampire's face, closed her blue eyes... and began to kiss Seras deeply. To her credit, Seras was more than a little surprised at this, but decided to relax and enjoy it. For the next two minutes, both human and vampire were in a passionate embrace, both Seras and Rally were groping and fondling each other's bodies while their tongues danced within their mouths, Rally being careful not to catch hers on Seras' fangs. Then a loud crash sounding nearby, forcing both girls to stop. "Oh shit, that's got to be Anderson!" Rally whispered, still a little sweaty from her previous actions. Turning to Seras, she asked, "Are you feeling alright?" Still a little uncomfortable from the previous, Seras answered, "Uh... yes, I'm fine now." Looking at Rally, she added nervously, "Uhh... maybe later on... we better have a little talk about..." "Same here," Rally said, gathering her gun and racing crouched over to a door that was open, Seras following. Inside was apparently the office of the warehouse, which had an open window. Also inside was another door, which led to the other offices. "Okay, we"ll get out using that window, then head out down the alley to another warehouse... or at least until I find an area with cellular coverage." Getting on her feet, Rally stood up..." and found the room spinning around her. "Whoa," she groaned, stumbling backward, only to be caught by Seras. "What happened?" the young vampire asked. Rally shook her head and replied, "Got a little dizzy there." "Must have been blood loss from earlier," Seras said. "Haven't they told you whenever you give blood not to make any sudden moves for a few minutes?" "Not really," Rally shrugged. "Up until a few minutes ago, I never gave blood." "Figures," Seras replied, grinning. "Just follow me and don't end up on the floor." She then took the lead, with Rally reluctantly following. But as the vampire reached for the window, a brilliant flash of light caught the girls off-guard... and Seras shaking her hand as if she had touched an ungrounded switch. As the light faded, Rally managed to get a look at the walls of the office, where she saw a number of parchments written in Latin nailed to them. "What the hell..." she gasped. Seras also saw the parchments, much to her horror. "A spiritual barrier!" she called out. "Paladin Anderson must have prepared this ahead of time! I can't get through it!" "Indeed ye can't," Anderson announced. "Ah figured ye might be thinkin' of somethin' like this, so Ah took th' proper precautions." He then noticed the bite wounds on Rally's neck. "An' looks like Ah'm in time, too. Don't worry, lass," he said, producing two bayonets, "Ah'll make sure th' little monster is dealt with, an' you'll be freed of 'er influence." "I gave my blood to Seras freely," Rally shot back, "so she wouldn't be killed by those damned knives of yours!" "Ye don't understand... she's already dead!" the priest shot back. "She's placed her unholy taint in ye an' now you're under 'er power! Now stand back an' let me sent 'er to th' pit she was spawned in! And if ye don't... well..." his voice then had a tone of regret, "then Ah'm afraid Ah'm gonna have t' kill ye as well." Still holding her AK-47, Rally managed to heft the weapon at Anderson. "Then it looks like you're going to have to do that, you bastard! I'm not going to abandon my friend so that you can get your jollies off by destroying her!" Seras looked surprised, then leveled her own gun at the Iscariot priest. "Go ahead, you bloody bastard! After all, you're going to have to answer for this in the end, eventually." "So be it then," Anderson breathed... then threw the two bayonets at the girls. Seras and Rally both stood unflinching as the two knives came racing towards them... and were surprised to see them cut to pieces by what appeared to be shining threads interweaving them. "What?" the priest gasped, equally surprised. Then the sound of footsteps came from one of the adjoining offices near the room. "Hmm... I must admit that was a close one," Walter's voice began as the old butler walked out. Turning to Seras and Rally, he added, "I trust you two are alright." "We are now. Thank you, Walter," a relieved Seras said. "Amazing," Rally added to no one in particular. Anderson, however, was in a worse mood than before. "Well whoever ye are... don't interfere with the work o God!" he snarled, throwing another bayonet at Walter, who simply held up his hand, causing a number of ultra-fine wires to cut it to pieces. Again seeing his weapon reduced to nothing more than scrap, Anderson again looked at Walter, this time with a look of appreciation. "Well what do ye know... Ah've 'eard of this individual... th' legendary trashman of th' Hellsing Organization referred to as 'th' Angel o' Death'. Well, Ah'm certainly impressed... but what makes ye think ye can tangle with th' likes o' me, Old Man?" "Granted, Paladin Anderson," Walter began as he stalked the priest, "my age may have slowed my reflexes down considerably , but I can assure you that I can be more than a match for you. Now I suggest you cease and desist with accosting the young ladies here," he then held up his gloved hands in an attack posture, causing the wires emanating from the fingertips to glint has he did, "otherwise, I may be forced to have you test those vaunted regeneration abilities that the Vatican has granted you like they have never been. I would like to see if you're able to grow back a limb or two, although I seriously doubt you can regrow a head." Seeing that the old butler may be a greater threat than Seras, Anderson took a few cautious steps back... only to find that Alucard was behind him, his Jackal gun firmly pressed against the back of his head. "You were careless, Judas Priest," the No-Life King snarled. "You should've placed your barrier around this entire warehouse rather than a few offices." Anderson snarled, hearing his greatest foe behind him. Quickly, he produced a bayonet and prepared to attack the vampire. "Alright, Paladin Anderson, that's enough!" Sir Integra's voice called out. Seras and Rally, surprised by the Hellsing leader's appearance, managed to look out the office's window, which had a view of the warehouse's interior. Sir Integra was standing behind Alucard, wearing her battle gear, with an obviously frightened Becky behind her. Also with them was Roy Coleman, his gun drawn at the priest. "If we are to fight, Paladin, then let it be for the right reasons... and I would advise you to think rather than press this useless battle." "Useless battle?" Anderson snorted. "And just what do you mean by that, Sir Hellsing? None o' the battles Ah fight against the forces o' darkness are ever useless!" "You might want to reconsider that statement, Paladin," Sir Integra motioned Becky forward, for which the latter was holding a folder. "I had contracted this young lady to conduct a little investigation for me..." and what she has discovered may cause a scandal within the walls of the Vatican... if this should leak out." Now Anderson's attention was piqued. Turning to the rather terrified Becky, he said in a low voice, "Go ahead, lass... I'm listenin'." The information specialist gulped visibly, but braced herself as she produced a series of papers and handed them to Anderson. "Well," she began, a slight trembling in her voice, "I suppose you've heard of the phrase 'follow the money', did you?" The priest nodded silently. "I figured that, part of the reason of your presence here might be because of that. Therefore," showing a little more confidence, "I discreetly made a couple of inquiries on some of the banks in Switzerland. Basically, I concentrated on the daily transaction logs, which was all I can do without being discovered... and I found something unusual." Nervously, she pointed to a figure on one of the sheets she gave Anderson, "Over there was a rather large sum of money was withdrawn electronically from a recently-opened account at this particular bank." "So what's unusual about that?" Anderson snorted. "There are lots o' transactions like that in Swiss banks." "Well... yes," Becky added, wiping a nervous sweat from her brow. "However, notice the name on this account - Angelina Profectia." Anderson frowned, as if not impressed. "I'm well familiar with that name... it's one of the known aliases of Goldie Muso, a well-known drug lord around these parts." She then produced another sheet, "And here, that same amount from that same person is later deposited in the account of a company called '13 Social Services, Limited'." "A company, I might add," Sir Integra added, "which Hellsing is aware is actually a front for Iscariot's fundraising activities. Your organization has excepted blood money from a known drug lord... and a particularly vile one, in fact!" "So what does this have anythin' t' do with what's goin' on here?" Anderson scowled. "The Catholic Church receives a lot o' money from other equally unsavory drug lords! Granted we don't approve of 'ow th' money was made, but we make sure it goes t' helpin' th' victims of their profits free themselves of their habits in the form of drug treatment centers!" "This particular drug lord, Goldie Muso, just happens to manufacture a compound known as Kerasine," Sir Integra said, "for which one of the side-effects is rendering the victims wills numb, making them susceptible to outside manipulation." "I was contacted by Agent Lewis of Homeland Security about Sir Integra's involvement of an incident involving artificial vampires some time ago in Joliet," Coleman added, then glanced at Sir Integra and grumbled, "Although I wish the Chicago police was told about this from the beginning, Sir Integra." "Just taking precautions, Detective Coleman," Sir Integra answered. "If was fortunate that Agent Lewis was able to confirm your trustworthness and allowed you to be brought into the loop." Turning back to Anderson, Coleman added, "Anyway, after the incident was over with, Hellsing fount that there was evidence in the form of the microchip responsible for the artificial vampires... as well as a vial of Kerasine!" "What?" Anderson gasped, clearly shocked by the revelation. Sir Integra waited a little while, letting the news sink in before answering with a smile, "Iscariot received money from a drug lord that manufactures a compound that would make it easier for some unknown party to create more of these FREAKs. I wonder what His Holiness would say if this if the news were to get out? Do not worry... I have made sure a copy of what we have given you is forwarded to Archbishop Maxwell, in the hopes Iscariot can contain the problem before it gets too big. In the meantime," she added, "I would suggest that you leave Rally Vincent and her friends alone while we investigate this matter further." It was a while before Anderson replied. "Granted. I will not press the issue any further. Miss Vincent and her friends will not attacked any more." Suddenly, the parchments that had lined the walls of the office undid themselves and swirled around the priest. "However, our quarrel still remains! I'll be back!" The parchments swirled tighter and tighter around Anderson, until they... and the priest... faded altogether. "I hate to admit it," Rally said, "but that guy sure knows how to make an exit." Then a fresh bout of dizziness hit her and she was forced to find a chair to sit in. "Rally! Are you alright?" Coleman shouted as he headed to her side - then he noticed the wounds on her neck. "What are these?" he asked. Rally glanced over at Seras. "So you know about Hellsing, do you Roy?" Coleman nodded, then the bounty hunter addressed both him and Sir Integra, "Look, don't get on Seras' case because of this. That priest stuck her with those knives of his, she needed a little blood to heal and I gave it to her. Look, Alucard told me she wouldn't turn me if she didn't kill me, so don't worry." "I am not worried, Rally," Sir Integra said, "and I am thankful for your charity in this matter." However, she thought to herself, 'But... I am a little worried about the effects of what you did... on you AND Seras.' "That's good," Coleman said, standing beside Rally as she stood up. "In the meantime, Rally, we'll get you home, get some soup down you... and afterwards, I'll head over to the safehouse and fetch May." Rally gave her thanks and was gently led out of the safehouse. Seras, in the meantime, nervously walked besides Sir Integra. "Sir... there's... something that I must confess to you..." but was gently shushed by the Hellsing leader. "Do not concern yourself, dear Seras," Sir Integra gently told her, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I believe I know what is troubling you. If you wish, we can discuss this later." "Thank you," Seras sighed, feeling relieved. "If you don't mind, I'll accompany Rally back. Whoever originally sent Anderson might try something else and..." "You have my permission, Seras," answered Sir Integra. The young vampire then saluted and raced back with Rally and Coleman. The pale blonde woman then walked beside Alucard and added, "So... I wonder if Rally would accept Seras... as well as... I shudder to think what else?" "I am as in the dark as you are, my master," the No-Life King grinned, "although I wouldn't be too surprised if Miss Vincent did." Sir Integra just shook her head as she reached for a fresh cigar. She didn't want to think about that part. XXX "WHAT DO YE MEAN YE DIDN'T KNOW!?!?" Anderson shouted over his satellite phone as he watched the group depart. "YE DID RECEIVE THE RECORDS, DID YE?" "DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME, ANDERSON!!!" Archbishop Enrico Maxwell shouted on the other end. After a bit, he added in a calmer voice, "Yes, I did receive that email, but frankly I'm a little suspicious of the whole thing. You know you can't trust a heathen like Sir Integra." "Well Ah happen t' trust her a lot more than ye, Maxwell," Anderson countered. "Do ye have any inklin' what that news would do t' th' church if it gets out?" He hung up, then said under his breath, "Ah thought Ah had raised ye better than that, Enrico." XXX Back in his office in Vatican City, Archbishop Enrico Maxwell slammed the receiver back in its cradle and leaned against the desk, his right eye twitching uncontrollably as it usually does. 'How dare that Anderson say he trusts that Protestant sow better than me,' he thought angrily. 'We are the instrument of God's divine punishment on earth, not the whipping boys of some Anglican whore! Of course we shouldn't trust Sir Integra!' However, a new and uncomfortable thought suddenly came over Maxwell. 'But... if she IS right, then this places the church in a very compromising position, making us look like we were in league with an agent of the Devil himself! The fact we excepted money from that Muso woman is evidence enough!' He looked at the receipt on his desk, showing a sizable donation to Iscariot, an appeal from Goldie, asking the organization's aid in protecting Rally Vincent from the Hellsing Organization's influence, as well as the copied information from the D.E.A.'s database regarding Rally and May. 'Just what on earth is that woman's concern about Miss Vincent, anyway? Oh my dear lord... don't tell me that she's...' He shuttered, trying to banish the various images that suddenly came up in his head. After a sufficient amount of time to recover, Maxwell decided to act. 'Well... if that's the case... I think we'll make it hard for this Miss Muso to profit from this little exercise.' After pressing a button, a young boy in acolyte's clothing entered the office. "Yes, Your Grace?" he asked. "Ah good," Maxwell began, his voice pleasent. "Please contact Heinkel and Yumiko as soon as possible and have them travel to Geneva immedietly. I'll fill them in on the details once they arrive." AN UNKNOWN LOCATION IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS... Alfie didn't like his situation at all. Granted, his current surroundings was considerably better than sitting in a prison cell in Joliet, but it didn't make him feel any better. For the last two days, his hosts, which were all teenaged girls, had gone out of their way to make him feel comfortable. He had a soft bed to lie in, was given clean clothes, he bathed regularly, and got three gourmet meals a day. Still, he wanted to know who was going through all this trouble just for him. He then heard a knock on the door. Getting up from the bed, Alfie walked up to the door and opened it. One of the girls was standing in front of it. "Sir," she began, smiling, "the mistress has returned and would like to see you now." "Hmm..." about time," mused Alfie. "Okay, let's go." The two then proceeded down the corridor, which was immaculately decorated and well-cared for. Alfie couldn't help but notice the rather expensive paintings that hung on the walls. Obviously, his new client was well-to-do... which meant money in his pockets, if he played his cards right. The two then proceeded to a set of double doors, where the young girl said as she opened them up, "Right this way," she said, moving out of his way. The girl then stayed back as Alfie entered what appeared to be a well-lit office, and closed the door behind him. He then walked up to the desk, where its occupant was seated and looking out the window. "Excuse me," Alfie began, a sudden feeling of dread coming over him, "but..." you wanted me for something?" Something had came over him... somehow, he heard of a female crimelord that often had used young girls for committing crimes, but for some reason couldn't place the name. When the chair turned around, that name instantly came to him. Seated in the chair was a beautiful young woman, with strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes. "So you are Alfie," she began. "I have read of your unique qualifications and I require them for a little... task I need done." Alfie knew the woman... which wasn't good at all! It was Goldie Muso - "Iron Goldie" - the lesbian crimelord and creator of Kerasine, which had caused much of his problems. He was never more scared in his life.
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