Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to Kohta Hirano.

Story set after end of manga with the following liberties taken: assuming all main protaganists live through,
original characters, death of Sir Islands, and ignoring unresolved Dark Walter plot.

Story intended to be manga based. Now I think its a bloody mess (manga + my misconceptions +
influence by fanfic misconceptions + probably character's anime personalities weaseling in) but I'm
releasing it into the wild. I hope you as the reader enjoy it.
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She shuffled the papers lying on her desk: reports on yesterday's operations, intelligence
reports, and another summons to a round table meeting. Once this evening's operations had ended
she would have a new set of reports to go over. They would have to wait for her attention till the
next day-- barring any serious incidents, she was planning on catching up on some badly needed
sleep.

She removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Humans were not meant to be
nocturnal, and she was no exception. As she slid her glasses back on and the room came back into
focus she caught glimpse of a partially obscured figure to her right.

One of her hands immediately felt for the gun hidden beneath her desk and she tried to peer into
the shadowy corner of the room with her peripherals. It was only Alucard watching her silently.
She released her grip on the weapon and wondered at her lingering unease. She must be more tired
than she had thought. Alucard's entering without her notice was proof of that.

"Alucard," she said quietly. "I will be reviewing this night's engagements in the morning.
Unless things did not pass as planned then it can wait."

He stayed silent. She was quite aware of the tension in her shoulders and the way she still sat,
muscles taut and ready to receive and fend off an attack. She rose from her seat at her desk,
stubbed out what remained of her cigar in the ash tray, and returned the last report she had been
reading to its stack before leaving.

"If there is nothing then I will be retiring," she said as she passed him. Her hand came to rest
on the door handle, but before she could pull it open she heard the distinct click of its locking.
She froze, listening as the hazy fog of sleep now evaporated from her mind. There was no one on
the other side of the door, but it didn't lock on its own. She stepped back from the door and
collided with the tall immovable form that had come up behind her.

Integra clenched her jaw in irritation, but made no other move as she waited. He would talk or
he wouldn't, but she didn't feel like playing games right now. A white gloved finger traced down
her jaw, across her neck, then slid down the hair lying down her back to tangle itself in the ends.

The vampire leaned in close to her so that his head rested just inches from her ear when he spoke.
"Something very interesting did happen tonight."

"Open the door Alucard," Integra snapped. And as he made no move she hissed out forcefully,
"That is an order."

Alucard paid no heed to the order, and instead whispered back, "You did say you would listen if
things went... not according to plan."

Integra felt anger rising up in her, but at the same time, and to her own surprise, fear. She
had given him an order and her red fedora'd knight should have obeyed. She turned to face him
directly, her hair tugging free from his hand as she did so and tilted her head up to look him
directly in the face. His wide grin was humorless, merely an expression for showing off his
canines, and his eyes remained hidden behind his glasses (though they likely would have told her
nothing).

"Make it quick."

We tracked down the vampire that had been travelling across country to just outside of Exeter.
It became aware of your troop's approach and hid itself in a barn. It appears that it had not fed
in some time. It didn't reach human habitation before our approach and decided to take refuge in a
stable. It seems to have tried to bring its strength levels back up by snacking on some farm
animals. Vermin trash like that have such poor nutritional habits and no refinement in their
tastes. It stayed hidden during the troop's search of the premises, but I followed the scent of
blood to the stable.
When I entered I was ambushed. I don't know whether it expected to live through our encounter,
or if it was aware of its status as a pitiful low level vampire. Nothing but trash that doesn't
understand being a creature of the night. I put a bullet in its heart, but something else went off
as well. I think it cast something, or its death was the trigger for a spell, an enchantment, or a
curse. I am as you see now.

Integra was leaning back in her desk chair. She had lit up another cigar and was considering
what to do as she watched the smoke drift upwards. The weapon under her desk and tucked in her
jacket didn't make for very high odds for putting down a vampire of Alucard's making. She made a
note to herself to have keep something a bit...stronger on hand. Clearly whatever had been cast
had lifted the seal binding Alucard to the Hellsing family. She wondered how that was possible.
There couldn't be many capable of doing such a thing.

Alucard stayed silent after recounting the night's events to her. After several minutes of
thought Integra stubbed out her cigar again. Alucard had not commenced snacking on the nearest
available humans after being freed. Perhaps he'd thought it best to come straight home without
spoiling his appetite for her own virgin Hellsing blood. That was hardly a reassuring thought, but
Integra smiled despite herself.

"This vampire you killed was a puppet. Bait." said Integra. "We need to find who was pulling
his strings. I would appreciate it if you could speak to the investigative team."

The vampire smiled, his sharp canines prominent and inhuman in his otherwise flawless marble
features. Integra continued to regard him impassively. He had not yet harmed any member of
Hellsing, so it was possible that he would comply with her request. And a request it was. She had
no doubt that with his new found freedom any further orders she made would simply be ignored at
best, and at worst... With her ability to command his obedience gone, she pondered if there was
any way to hold his allegiance, or if he would decide not to bother with games and directly take
whatever he wanted.

"I have nothing to say to them."

Integra pulled out a pad and sought around on her desk for the pen she had been using before his
entrance. "We'll look into this," she spoke to Alucard's fading back as he retreated for the day
to his coffin. The click of the door unlocking was all that met her words.