"...and today we have a very special edition of ITN News. Live from the mysterious coast of Arendelle is our own reporter Emma Comstock. Emma, how's the weather up there?"
The screen split on the television, bringing another box up beside the reporter and showing a middle-aged woman in a winter coat, standing on the deck of a boat.
"Well Nigel, it certainly isn't as warm as England but it isn't too bad. I think we've had some worse winters down there."
"That's nice to hear. Now, what's going on there, Emma? What can you tell us?"
"Well, I'm currently standing near the old kingdom of Arendelle and for the first time in over 150 years that awful snowstorm has finally passed."
The newswoman moved to the side and gestured back.
"As you can see we can't even get a proper look at the shore, let alone get close to it. The joint efforts of the United States Navy and our own Royal Navy has ensured no one besides them will be setting foot on dry land today. I'd try and get us to circle around for a better look, but we've been ordered to stay back."
"You'd best stay back then. We can't have our broadcast equipment getting blown up."
"Oh you're so funny, Nigel. You should have been a comedian, not a news anchor."
The camera zoomed in, showing a more detailed look at the large naval vessels which prevented the far smaller boat from getting any closer. From a tiny gap between them, a bit of rocky shoreline could be seen beyond.
"Is that the HMS Ocean I see blocking our view?"
"I do believe it is, Nigel."
"Quite the impressive ship. Now, I understand you have Henry there with you?"
Emma smiled to the camera.
"Yes, yes we do."
A man, white hair thinning, age bordering on elderly, came into view from the side.
"Here we have Oxford's own Dr. Henry Sutcliffe on board with us. Mr. Sutcliffe, up to this point the kingdom of Arendelle has been one of the last few truly unexplored regions of the modern world. What do you make of this storm and the fact that the people seemed to disappear overnight?"
Emma pointed her microphone to the academic for his input.
"Well Emma, first you have to realize that I am first and foremost an historian, not a climatologist nor a meteorologist. The best answer I can give you for the disappearing inhabitants is that most simply froze to death and have been buried by natural processes. As for the storm itself, from an historical standpoint the only thing we know is that it has dominated this area for the better part of the last two centuries. And while we have no hard facts, there has been quite the debate in the scientific community about this exact question."
"And what is their consensus?"
"The most common, and in my educated opinion the most likely, explanation is that this was strictly a natural phenomenon."
"Really now? Please, tell us more."
"Essentially what we are dealing with is a sort of superstorm formed by irregular atmospheric circulation. Think of Jupiter's continuous extraterrestrial storm, which you might know as the 'Great Red Spot', and you will find a precedent for it."
"So you're saying that this is just like the storms on Jupiter, or maybe Neptune?"
"On a much smaller scale, yes."
"But why the sudden dispersal of the storm?"
The news camera captured footage of military helicopters circling in the sky and surveying the land below as it tilted up.
The camera tilted back down just in time to catch Henry's answer.
"Any number of factors could be at work. My, again, educated guess is that the worldwide buildup of CO2 emissions had something to do with it."
Emma gave a quizzical look to the network's guest. "That doesn't explain the military presence here."
"But that is the simplest question of them all," Henry told her. "Being largely unexplored and untamed up to this point, it's only natural for preliminary surveys to be carried out for potential research stations and army bases, to say nothing of who owns what land. Look no further than Antarctica for such an example."
"Well, it's been a pleasure speaking with you, professor. Thank you for your time with us."
Emma looked straight at the camera. "There you have it, England. Arendelle's 150-year winter storm: a mysterious phenomenon, but still perfectly natural. I'm Emma Comstock, for ITN News. Back to you, Nigel?"
"Thank you for that interesting report, Emma. We'll certainly have more on it as our story develops. In other news-"
Elsa sighed, shaking her head as she pushed the button on the TV remote. That was her kingdom.
"Enjoying the wonders of technology, I see," said a cultured voice from behind her.
The queen stood up from her bed and looked at the open door to see Walter Dornez, butler of the Hellsing family, holding a sizable metal briefcase in his hands.
"'Mystified' would be a more accurate word."
"I take it you're feeling...overwhelmed?"
"That's putting it mildly. I've been shut away from the world for over a century. 'Television', 'Internet', it's all new to me."
Walter smiled. "You had best get used to it, ma'am. I'm afraid it isn't the 1840s anymore."
He walked closer to Elsa, holding the briefcase out to her. "With Alucard and Miss Victoria sporting their own weapons, I felt it necessary to design one for you as well."
The briefcase was opened, revealing the black crossbow which lay inside. Elsa picked it up and surveyed it.
"I give you the Ichaival," said Walter proudly. "A custom magazine-fed, anti-freak, semi-automatic collapsible combat crossbow. Velocity 570 feet per second, draw weight 136 kilograms, 35 bolts per magazine."
Elsa had never seen a weapon like it before. She turned it around in her hands, noting the detailed craftsmanship in every component.
"Not every enemy you face will go down with an easy icicle to the chest, ma'am. Should you find yourself in such a predicament, the Ichaival will prove more than capable. I assure you, any undead creature shot with that weapon will not be getting back up."
"And the bolts?" asked Elsa with interest.
"Your choice of standard, explosive, incendiary, and electric. All tipped with silver and pre-blessed, of course."
A small smile played over Elsa's lips. "It's perfection, Walter."
Walter bowed. "Someone else always says that about his guns. And as I have said to him, I am pleased that you are pleased."
Elsa fiddled about with her new weapon, switching the safety on and off, adjusting the zoom on the scope, detaching and reattaching the magazine.
"I suggest you get acquainted to its various subtleties and features, ma'am. I daresay that weapon's first deployment may be following shortly."
The Snow Queen looked up at Walter. "What do you mean?"
"Sir Integra has been summoned to a Round Table conference. While I accompany her, you and Miss Victoria will remain here with the Wild Geese."
"The...Wild Geese?"
"Yes. With our ranks recently, erm...thinned out, we've had to resort to hiring mercenaries. It will be your task to assist them and Miss Victoria in fending off any attacks on the Hellsing manor, should there be any. Personally, I would go down to the firing range and familiarize myself with the Ichaival's inner workings. But ultimately the choice is yours. And with that..." Walter bowed, "I must take my leave."
The servant headed to the door, but stopped at the threshold. "One last thing..."
"...yes?"
"In the few days that have passed, that bed is as immaculate as the day I made it. Have you been awake this entire time?"
Elsa looked down at herself. "I haven't had to sleep in over a century, Walter. Or eat, or even breathe. I...I guess I'm frozen in time."
Walter gave another smile. "Mere curiosity on my part, nothing more. But I do sometimes wonder what it's like..."
"What?"
"...to stay forever young. To be more than human...please, do excuse me."
Walter left and shut the door behind him, leaving Elsa alone with her thoughts.
"Soldiers of the Last Battalion, achtung."
The assembled Nazis aboard the Deus Ex Machina stood at attention, each of them hanging onto the Major's every word.
"Gentlemen, night has fallen. Tonight, my invincible warriors of Millennium...tonight, all our promises bear fruit. Welcome to the eve of war!"
The soldiers of Millennium raised their weapons in the air, shouting, cheering with anticipation. The Major's higher-ranking officers stood by, smiling to themselves.
"All right everyone, it's time for us to open up our handbooks," said the Doctor. There were collective sounds of rummaging in pockets and rustling paper. "We'll start on page 3. Operation Sea Lion: British Invasion II. Please note the information under the bullet point, 'London Explodes!'."
Schrödinger's cat-like ears twitched as he ran his hands through the pockets in his shirt and pressed shorts.
"Oh...uh-oh..."
The Doctor looked over at the boy, noticing his odd behavior.
"Oh dear. What is the problem this time, herr Schrödinger?"
Schrödinger stiffened and anxiously looked over to him. "Doctor! I'm sorry. I seem to have misplaced my handbook."
Somewhat irritated, the Doctor sighed. "Such trouble...what to do with you? Go share with the Captain for now."
Relieved, Schrödinger smiled happily and stood over by the Captain, who lowered his book, enabling him to read over his shoulder.
"Zorin. Lieutenant Zorin Blitz."
Light glinted off the sharp edge of a scythe as Millennium's Obersturmführer came forward at the Major's command.
"Ready for orders."
"Our primary targets are the Hellsing Organization and the vampire Alucard," said the Major. The screens behind him zoomed in, displaying photographs cross-referenced with maps and their highlighted coordinates. "The men under your command will be the vanguard unit. Take your zeppelin and make your way to Hellsing headquarters."
"Yes, sir."
"Please avoid a direct assault for now. I will arrive with the main force posthaste."
"I don't know why you would even bother, sir. Without Alucard the Hellsing forces are as weak as children," Zorin said. But she and her fellow soldiers were unsure of their presumption when they saw the Major smile and shake his head.
"Do not take the Hellsing women lightly. Integra Hellsing, Seras Victoria and Queen Elsa are not to be trifled with," the Major warned. The light reflected off his glasses and gave them an almost inhuman glow to them. "Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, scion of the famed Doctor Van Helsing, and the head of the greatest family of vampire hunters in history. And, she is the only authority the vampire Alucard recognizes. Then, there is the policewoman, the vampire Seras Victoria. She is, perhaps, a miracle. Perhaps, you might think, something of a joke. I suspect that she herself may not fully understand her nature yet. It certainly makes it exciting though, don't you think?"
The Major chuckled to himself and continued.
"They are both inexperienced, imperfect and untested. But Hellsing's newest member...Queen Elsa of the dead kingdom Arendelle...she is a foe as unpredictable and dangerous as they come. I would therefore argue that, like Alucard, they are arch-enemies worthy of caution and scrutiny. And that is why you will hold without engaging. Do you understand your orders, Zorin?"
"They are crystal clear, battalion commander," replied the lieutenant.
"Perfect. Then everything is set. It is time for us to open the floodgates of war."
Behind the Major, additional targets and photographs appeared on the many screens.
"Our first target shall be the city of London. The west bank of the Thames. Big Ben. The Houses of Parliament. 10 Downing Street. The Ministry of Defence. Buckingham Palace. Scotland Yard. Westminster Abbey. Piccadilly Circus. Soho. The City. Southwark. Burn it to the ground. Burn St. Paul's. Burn the central government."
The Major spoke with an air of authority that no one else in Millennium could ever match as he listed off the names of every doomed English landmark. Each of his words was coated with a lust for battle.
"Major, what about the Cabinet War Rooms?" asked the Doctor.
"Blow them up. They're awful. Don't leave the slightest hint they ever existed."
"What shall we do about Trafalgar Square, Major?" a corporal questioned.
"Destroy it. Topple Nelson's Column. The Tower of London, the British Museum, the British Library, destroy them all. They're repulsive."
"And Tower Bridge?"
"Topple it. London Bridge as well, like the song!"
"And what about the Imperial War Museum?" a rifleman chimed in.
"Blow it up." The Major gestured upwards to his computerized displays. "Go forth and destroy everything that you see. Devour everyone you meet. Feast and imbibe to your heart's content. This mighty capital of 8 million souls are nothing but our supper."
He stood up from his seat as a tray with a champagne glass was brought forth.
"Come, gentlemen. It's time for us to kill and be killed. To give and receive death. Now..." he reached for the glass, "...let us toast the occasion. For tonight is a feast, the likes of which has never been seen before."
The citizens of London, hundreds of feet down on the streets, watched the doors of the zeppelin's launch hangars open. Some held their cameras out for photographs, some ducked inside buildings, but most of them just stood with mouths agape.
The Major raised his glass high.
"Prosit!"
His troops toasted the incoming bloodbath with their own champagne.
"PROSIT!"
The Major let the drink fall from his hand as the bombs from the Deus Ex Machina were launched onto the masses far below him.
Depending on the time of day, Hellsing's mansion had different atmospheres to it. During the morning, the sunrise's gentle rays reached through the windows, giving it an air of calm. In the afternoon, when the sky was bright, the building was lively and spirited. Around twilight, when the Sun settled down on the horizon, the luxurious estate felt sleepy, settled even. It was the same theme of autumn, an awareness of impending rest as temperatures grew colder and leaves changed colour.
But at night, as Queen Elsa walked the corridors, she knew that the Hellsing manor possessed a quality contrasting with the others. In the darkness, it felt like a crypt, a mausoleum devoid of life.
Elsa thought back to Arendelle, and her castle that, for countless years, was in the same state that the manor was in now: black, empty, lonely. She thought wistfully of what the world's governments were doing to her kingdom at that moment. The idea of it depressed her, even more than the gloomy Hellsing headquarters that, at any second, looked as though a phantom would turn a corner and glide silently down the hall.
Elsa saw something along those lines when she came near the open door of a dining room, and heard a hacking cough from within. She looked inside to see Seras Victoria, Alucard's fledgling, seated at a table by herself. A bowl of tomato soup sat in front of her.
Seras took her spoon, scooped a bit of her soup up, and put it to her lips. But when she tried to force it down her throat, she started coughing again, spitting most of it out. The vampire clutched her throat, wheezing.
"Are you all right?"
Seras flinched when she heard the Snow Queen's voice, instinctively raising her arms up in front of her.
"Please don't freeze me!" cried Seras.
Elsa stopped, realizing that the younger woman was still afraid of her after her little joke.
"It's fine, calm down. I won't hurt you," Elsa said, in an attempt to put her at ease. It seemed to work somewhat; Seras lowered her arms and relaxed her shoulders, but she retained a certain level of stress as she looked down at her soup, barely touched.
"Sorry," said Seras. "I haven't eaten properly in a while, any time I try it just tastes like ash and I spit it out. I can't...I can't eat like a normal human anymore. All I crave now is...is..."
They both knew it wasn't something that needed to be said. Elsa stared out the window at the darkened grounds outside.
"I know what that feels like...to not be human anymore. Food, water, rest...I haven't needed any of it in ages. Anything I've tried eating doesn't have a taste at all, and I can never swallow it. I never thought I'd find myself missing little things like that."
She glanced at Seras, who dropped her spoon dejectedly and pushed her bowl aside. "I just...don't feel like myself. I can't even enjoy a piece of chocolate."
"My sister enjoyed chocolate..." Elsa said, more to herself than to Seras.
"What happened to her?" Seras thought of the answer to her own question a second later, recognizing Elsa's advanced age that was belied by her youthful appearance.
"I'm sorry for asking..."
"It's fine," Elsa replied. "Just don't take your own family for granted. They aren't something to b-"
"My family's gone, too. Ever since I was a little girl."
Elsa sighed. "Then maybe...we're more alike than I thought..."
"Hey! Why are you two goofing around in here?"
The words of Pip Bernadotte broke up their solemn conversation. The captain of the Wild Geese was standing in the doorway, shining a flashlight from Elsa to Seras, and back again.
"And why are the lights off? You can barely see anything in this wing!"
"Why are you here, Mr. Bernadotte?" Seras asked. "I was having a pleasant talk with the queen here when you had to show up."
Pip smirked. "Sorry for breaking your little slumber party, mon chère." He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. His French accent grew more serious as he forced the smile off his face. "We've picked up something on radar, heading our way. And if it's what I think it is, I'll need you two up on the roof."
"The...roof?"
"That's right, mon chère. I've already got my men stationed upstairs. Your new equipment is already there, waiting. And as for you..." Pip looked straight at Elsa, "...you can join her. So hop to it. I'd rather you kept our beers cold, but unfortunately we don't have any right now."
Pip chuckled at his own joke as he headed back to his own post. In mid-step, one of his feet connected with the floor, which had mysteriously grown a patch of ice.
Elsa and Seras giggled when Pip slipped and fell on his rear end.
"Ouch! What was that for?!"
"I'm sorry, Captain Bernadotte, I have no idea what you're talking about," said Elsa, keeping as straight of a face as possible. "This place can get cold at night, maybe the ground froze over by itself."
"Ugh...just get up on the roof already, would you two?"
Pip got up and stumbled away, nursing his backside as Elsa and Seras shared a laugh.
The queen of Arendelle couldn't help but see a bit of her sister in Seras; the way she held her sides in amusement, the youthful energy and spirit as she got up from her chair and made her way out of the room.
But as she thought more about it, the memory of Anna made Elsa's smile fade. She thought back to their early days as children, so long ago that it was almost as though it had never happened at all. Elsa suddenly found herself wishing she was back in Arendelle, before any of this had occurred. A simpler time, a better time.
"Um...Elsa? Aren't you coming?"
Seras was staring back at her.
"Oh...yes, sorry."
"Is something wrong?"
"No...I was just lost in memories for a second...memories...that's all they are anymore..."
Elsa followed in Seras' wake, up to the roof, fists involuntarily clenched.
The assault had not even begun, and Zorin Blitz was already enjoying herself. A full crew of Luftwaffe, a division of Waffen-Schutzstaffel, the Graf Zeppelin II, vampiric abilities, it was all Zorin's to command.
Standing in the Graf Zeppelin II's spacious command bridge, the lieutenant was grinning from ear to ear. She was almost drunk with the power she was feeling. She felt more powerful than she ever had before, so powerful that she felt like she could storm Heaven itself.
"We are almost over Hellsing headquarters," reported an officer.
"Good. All hands to battle stations."
"The flagship is launching V-1s. It's support fire."
Graf Zeppelin II was overtaken by a fleet of missiles, each of them flying for a single target.
"The Deus Ex Machina is running interference for us, huh? Open wide, Hellsing, you're in for a treat!"
Bullets zipped through the air from afar, each of them aiming true. Not a single shot was wasted; each round found its mark in the bodies of the V-1s.
"Our rockets..." Zorin gasped. The bravado she was enjoying just seconds ago had all but vanished. "...what the hell?!"
Her frustration grew with every explosion. The V-1s were being halted in mid-flight, splintered into useless scrap metal.
"Status report!" Zorin demanded.
"We have sniper fire, straight out of the Hellsing compound!"
The lieutenant wasn't pleased. She already knew who was firing at her.
"That bitch..."
There were a few final explosions, and...
"All the V-1 missiles have been shot down!"
"Impossible...all 24 of them were fired at the same time!"
Zorin ignored the panicked remarks from her men, and turned back to look at the dozen, rock-like creatures which had been silently watching the entire time.
The lost tribe of the Arendelle fae, the trolls, stared up to their lieutenant with black eyes that had once been full of life. Dug up and transformed by Millennium, their natural affinity for magic had been enhanced, weaponized by the Doctor's hand.
"All right, midgets. We tried the conventional way, now let's try your way. Prove to me you aren't just another one of the Doctor's failed science projects."
She looked back at the Hellsing manor.
"Let's see that undead slut shoot down magic!"
The trolls bowed their heads, pooling their energy.
In place of the V-1s, a barrage of fire shot forth, down, down, all the way to their target. As expected, the gunfire from below failed to extinguish a single fireball. The bullets passed through them harmlessly.
Zorin watched the fire converge on its destination with morbid pleasure. Any second now, Hellsing headquarters would resemble nothing but cinders.
Spots of blue energy intercepted the volley of flames, extinguishing them one by one. The embers died out as ice magic collided with fire magic, and cold mixed with hot.
"This isn't working. They have her down there too..." huffed Zorin. The whole affair vexed her. She weighed what little options they had left.
"Searchlights now. I want it bright as day down there!"
"But sir, if we use the lights they'll fire upon us!" a colonel protested.
"Just do it! That vampire whore and ice bitch can already see us!" Zorin barked back.
The airship's lights clicked on, shining into the night. They swiveled here and there, scanning the fields and treetops, searching for the source of the mansion's defence.
In seconds, they found them: Seras Victoria, sporting two heavy cannons at her side with massive ammo boxes, and Queen Elsa, standing beside her, eyes glowing blue and winter flowing from her gloved hands.
"24 for 24, mon chère. Your new equipment is nothing to scoff at. The Harkonnen II 30-millimetre semi-automatic cannon. Maximum range, 4 kilometres. Gross weight, 345 kilos. We're pulling out all the stops against these krauts, aren't we, mon chère?"
Elsa could hear every word from Pip through her own earpiece, but she knew he was speaking to Seras; he reserved the silly nickname for her.
"Mr. Bernadotte, would you please stop calling me 'mon chère'? I have a name and it's Seras."
The two women could hear the captain's laughter on the other end. "Apologies, mon chère."
There was the click of a lighter and the puffing of a cigarette.
"Tell me...can you see London right now?"
Elsa and Seras looked past the approaching airship and its lights, to the dark clouds of smoke tinged with red that flowed from the burning city in the distance and covered the sky. It was Seras who answered.
"Of course."
"...Piccadilly Circus, Soho and Covent Garden are nothing but ashes. The London we knew is gone, replaced with this...Hell. I can't stand London, never could. It always seemed like such a stuffy town. We never saw eye-to-eye, old London and me. But the boys would always drag me out to this one cabaret..."
Pip went on, reflecting on his memories of the city. Memories of bars, of cold beer, of jokes, of cathouses, restaurants, waitresses and greasy fish 'n' chip dinners.
"...I'm not really going to miss this London. But the people who lived here...that bartender, and the whores, and the fish 'n' chips lady...this pissing match was never theirs to lose."
Elsa sensed the melancholy in his voice. She couldn't identify with his experiences, but she could identify with the sense of loss that came with losing so many things at once. The way London looked now reminded her of her own kingdom of Arendelle, and the similar fate it had suffered.
"That little Major, and Section XIII, the Last Battalion, even Hellsing itself meant nothing to them. But now, they're all dead. Corpses feasting on each other. And that is something I just cannot abide."
Seras tightened her grip on her guns, and along with Elsa, looked up to the Nazi airship, still approaching.
"Let's avenge them. You two and I. Seras, Elsa. Do it...blast them clean out of the sky."
"Yes, sir. For those who've died tonight, and for London."
Seras kicked a shell aside, planted her feet more firmly on the ground, and raised the cannons. In contrast to her teammate's heavy equipment, Elsa raised an empty hand.
"Now, you two! Target the enemy dreadnought! Fire upon my mark!"
The German dirigible drew closer.
"Fire!"
If the subsequent wave of attacks were a sentence, Seras' heavy machine gun bullets would serve as the words. The icicles which shot from Elsa's hand would be the spacing. The aircraft, its hull splintered and in flames, would be the subject, and the two big incendiary grenades Seras fired were the commas. But the period, the dot that marked the end of that sentence, was the colossal dagger of ice that sheared through the front of the zeppelin and brought it crashing down to the earth.
Around the fiery wreckage of the ship they had bailed out of, Zorin Blitz and her soldiers rose to their feet, finding their bearings.
"Those grenades weren't standard-issue. Only 42 of us survived the attack, lieutenant."
"We have lost more than half our fighting force already, and all of our heavy artillery, sir."
"But our spirits have never been higher."
"Your orders, Lieutenant Zorin Blitz?"
The grin that spread across Zorin's face was shared by her soldiers when she looked back at them.
"Go in there, and grind them down into a thin red paste. Kill them."
Zorin raised her scythe to the sky.
"Kill them all!"
The vampires' battle cries echoed across the field as they rushed forward, weapons ready. The mansion was still hundreds of yards away, but to the undead Nazis and their inhuman speed, it was practically a stroll. They were so close to the sweet crimson nectar they would drain from their victims, they could practically taste it.
An explosion erupted from under the ground and took out the soldier that was in the lead. In the time it took for the others to realize what had happened, a few more had already been taken out as well.
"Mines! They've got mines!"
The horde of vampires stopped dead in their tracks, held fast by the perimeter the Wild Geese had cleverly set up beforehand. They scanned the grass, trying to figure out a pattern to the mines' layout.
The Nazis were rocked by the next trap that had been set for them: more explosives, hidden amongst the field. 60 claymores were detonated all at once, sending blessed ball bearings into the whole front row of Millennium troops. The unlucky few that had been standing close were blown to pieces, while the flesh of those further away was torn and mangled by the small projectiles.
"Shit..." Zorin cursed. Through the black cloud of dirt the explosives had kicked up came a salvo of sharp ice that further tore into her dwindling squadron. Joining the Ice Goddess's wrath came a second bombardment from the Wild Geese' grenadiers and rifle squads.
"Fuck! All of you, fall back and find cover! That's an order!"
Zorin and the remaining SS members retreated 40 feet or so and ducked behind the hills, the only cover they could find from their enemies' relentless assault.
The lieutenant stared back to the trolls, which still remained near the crashed zeppelin.
"It's a good thing we brought you with us. Get across this bullshit they've set up, find that stupid Christmas bitch and tear her to pieces!"
The troll that had once been the proud elder Grand Pabbie flexed his bat-like wings and took flight. His vampirized brethren followed suit, unfurling their wings and soaring up into the air toward the Hellsing headquarters, in search of Queen Elsa of Arendelle.
"Captain!"
Pip diverted his attention from the screens to see one of his men come through the door.
"We've halted the enemy's advance. They're pinned down behind those hills. Fuckers aren't moving an inch."
"Oh, they'll come out eventually," Pip replied. "But for now this will do."
The captain lit another cigarette. "If we keep out of range, we win by default."
"There's still something else out there, captain. We aren't sure what they are, but they can fly. We counted twelve of them. They're too hard to hit from here and our mines obviously aren't doing diddly-shit."
"No problem," said Pip. He reached for his microphone. "Refrigerator lady, could you do us a favor?"
"Don't call me that," came Elsa's voice through the speaker.
"Sorry, refrigerator woman. Listen, we have some bogeys flying your way. Whatever they are, find out for us and take them out, will you? My men and I have the krauts handled, you focus on those things. Please and thank you."
"Fine. Never call me that again."
Pip placed the mic back down and snickered, then turned his attention to the screens in front of him.
"We play a very high-stakes game, but the rules are simple. If those musty old krauts get inside, it's over. We don't stand a chance in close combat."
Pip and his fellow soldier watched the screens and listen to the sounds of the battlefield: bursts of gunfire, bullet shells hitting the floor, grenade launchers pitching rounds and the resulting blasts gouging away piles of dirt.
"So you don't think they'll retreat?"
"One would expect...any other night I'd say without a doubt, they would run. But these things aren't afraid of death. They are death."
Even without her enhanced hearing, Elsa would have still been able to hear the dark chants of Zorin Blitz. The lieutenant's strange incantations were loud enough to even reach the ears of Seras and the Wild Geese, up in the Hellsing residence.
The Snow Queen was only able to catch a glimpse of the lieutenant placing her palm down on the ground, and certainly did not see the violet energy that surrounded Zorin or the purple letters that scattered off of her body and spread out from her. For at that moment, twelve little monsters swooped down from the sky and closed in for the kill, teeth bared and claws extended.
Elsa reacted instantly. The first creature was blasted back into two of its comrades, while four others were side-stepped.
Being given a moment to assess her situation, Elsa was startled when she got a proper look at her attackers. There, before her eyes, were the trolls from her homeland, resurrected and turned to the side of the living dead.
The trolls glared at Elsa with beady eyes, growling like animals. They moved aside to make way for their former patriarch, a large orange rock grasped in his tiny hands.
"...Pabbie?"
Were he capable of speech, the troll elder still would not have spoken to Elsa. Instead, he jammed the pointed end of the rock into the dirt.
An inferno encircled the trolls and the queen, cutting her off from everyone else and casting an orange glow over the immediate area.
Elsa realized, too late, that the fire crystal Pabbie had used did not mix well with her own powers.
"She can't use her powers, and I've got the Hellsing dogs distracted. Figure yourselves out and go!"
The Last Battalion were no longer under fire from Seras, the Wild Geese, or even Elsa. They clambered over the hills and made their way to where they had previously been held at bay by mines.
The Nazis took out their combat knives and threw them into the ground, close to themselves at first, but eventually sticking them further and further away, slowly forming a rough path that would allow them to safely navigate through the minefield. Each blade that stuck into the grass was one more step in the staircase to their dinner.
Elsa was beset on all sides with rabid vampire trolls. They gnashed at her with their teeth and slashed at her with their claws, and though she could dodge their attacks, any ice or snow she manifested to try and fend them off almost immediately melted in the hot energy field the fire crystal generated.
Elsa leapt about, dodging rocky fangs and razor-like nails. Unable to break out of the dome of fire and her ice powers rendered effectively useless, she was practically a sitting duck.
At least, until she remembered the crossbow she carried with her.
Elsa punched a troll away and drew out her weapon. With the push of a button, the Ichaival unfolded. Taking careful aim, Elsa wasted no time in unloading it into her assailants.
Though their stone-like skin was resistant to standard ammunition, it could do nothing to protect them from the wave of blessed silver bolts that cut them down. In seconds, their numbers had thinned out to only three.
Two trolls split up their attack, one of them leaping down at her and the other darting from the side.
Another shot from Elsa and the mad, jumping troll's un-life was ended. The queen smacked the second troll with the back of the Ichaival and planted the last bolt of the magazine in its head.
Only one enemy remained: Pabbie, still guarding the fire crystal with his life (or lack thereof). Elsa approached him, catching another glimpse of Zorin Blitz through the blazing barrier. The lieutenant had formed some kind of illusion which, while ineffective against Elsa, had been sufficient enough to make the Wild Geese and even Seras cease their defence.
Elsa did wonder why she didn't hear gunfire anymore. Pip and his soldiers were clearly going to need her help, but there was something else she had to get out of the way first.
"Move," she said to Pabbie.
The vampire troll did not budge.
"Pabbie...if there's still an ounce of your true self in there, move."
The troll elder quietly hissed, and, to her surprise, moved to the side.
"...thank you."
Elsa took a step and Pabbie launched himself at her, snarling. It was just a feint.
The queen of Arendelle sidestepped him, grabbed him as he passed by her, and threw him as far as she could. He flew nearly a hundred feet and smacked into a column of fire, rendered solid by magic.
Elsa swiftly wrenched the fire crystal out of the ground and crushed it in her hands, reducing it to powder mixed with little chunks. The stifling containment field of flames dissipated, as quickly as it had came.
Her winter powers freed, Elsa showered Pabbie with icicles. They struck him hard, frosty shards piercing his body multiple times. The natural reaction from a living thing would have been to fall over and die, but as Elsa, Seras, Pip, and Hellsing itself knew, nature had very little to do with what was occurring on this night.
Pabbie threw his head back and laughed at the cold projectiles sticking out of his body. Or at least, "laughter" would have been the best way Elsa could have described it. In reality, Pabbie's laughing only consisted of laboured hacks and irregular screeching.
The troll snapped his fingers. The icicles fell out of him, his wounds disappearing as they did so.
"Rrrrrgghhghhhh..."
It seemed he was capable of at least some speech after all.
Green light flashed around Pabbie as he started growing in size, muscles expanding, claws turning even longer, teeth turning even sharper, sickly red lines appearing over his rough skin.
Soon enough, Pabbie had grown to the approximate size of a small house. His cold, black eyes, bereft of any real conscience, locked with Elsa's.
The queen felt like she was staring into an abyss, a black void with no life, love, happiness, or warmth. Only death.
The monster snorted and charged towards Elsa with a loud roar.
"Oh God, she's huge! She's all I see!"
"My arm, it's gone! Where the fuck's my arm?!"
In the minds of the Wild Geese, most of them had been cut up by the scythe of a colossal Zorin Blitz.
In the mind of Seras Victoria, and in reality, a bunch of mercenaries were being fooled by an illusion, a constructed hallucination so powerful that it could simulate a destroyed building, missing limbs, and the pain and blood that accompanied it.
Luckily for Seras, her Third Eye allowed her to discern truth from lie, fact from fiction. She ran to different men, shaking them.
"Snap out of it! Please sir, this isn't real!" she pleaded.
"Why...can't I move?"
"I just need a goddamn medic!"
Seras tried to rouse another man from his delusions. "Listen to me! It's all in your mind!"
Nearby, Pip was staring at nothing, but in his head, he was witnessing a massacre.
"Wiped out...by a damn giant!" he said. "How is this happening?"
Seras grabbed him by the shoulders. "Because, captain, this isn't! This isn't happening! Wake up!"
Pip didn't respond.
Seras left him where he was; there were more important things to focus on. She snatched a discarded rifle up off the floor and aimed it out an open window. With her Third Eye, she peered beyond the barrel of her weapon, beyond the estate, beyond the hills, rocks, and trees, all the way out to where Zorin Blitz still stood, casting her dark sorcery.
Had Zorin not twitched her head aside in time, her head would have been blown clean off. As it was, the round grazed the side of her face, gouging away a piece of her flesh. But that was no problem to an enhanced vampire with a healing factor.
The main problem for Zorin was that her spell had been broken. The giant projection of herself, up at the Hellsing residence, groaned and faded away, back into the formation of purple letters it had originated as.
Zorin's influence over those inside the building had been taken from her.
"Clever girl..." Zorin muttered. She could have always tried the incantation again, but now it would have been pointless at that distance. Seras was onto her.
But it was just as well. Zorin's enchantment had fulfilled its purpose: confusing her enemies long enough for them to break through their defences and close the gap between them.
"You saw through my projection, eh? Very clever of you. Not that it matters. You'll still die screaming!"
She gripped her scythe and raced towards the Hellsing mansion, joining her men who were already almost at the front doors.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elsa, locked in battle with a beast-like Grand Pabbie.
"Then again...I think I can take a little detour. Let's see how she reacts. Heh heh heh..."
Zorin changed course, fixed her gaze on Elsa and sprinted for her.
"Captain, we got trouble. They figured out the landmines. We're gettin' hammered!"
The Wild Geese watched the vampiric Nazis bounce from foothold to foothold. Their jumps were calculated, nimble even. Their feet touched lightly on the handles of each of their strategically-placed knives, only skirting their surfaces for fractions of a second.
Without obstacles set by explosives or the magic of a Snow Queen, the militarized revenants crossed the field with ease. Mere assault rifles fired from windows were of no issue to them, especially when they were being handled by frail humans.
Without breaking stride, the Nazis leading the charge leveled their Panzerfausts at the Hellsing entrance.
The front doors were blown apart, reduced to burnt splinters by the rockets. With the way cleared, the vampires rushed into the building.
Two floors up, Pip did his best to remain calm. He spoke through the small microphone he wore.
"Let's gather the flock. Whoever's alive to hear this, fall back to my position. Keep shooting though. Make the krauts work for it. Bring all the grenades and plastique you can."
The captain switched channels.
"Elsa. They've breached the mansion. We could use your help in here."
There was no response.
"...Elsa? What's going on out there? Talk to me!"
The only reply was silence.
If Elsa not been distracted in the fight against the gigantic Pabbie, Zorin wouldn't have even been able to touch her. But to the Snow Queen's misfortune, she found herself spellbound, bewitched by the occult abilities of Zorin Blitz.
"That's right, little girl. Go to sleep..."
Elsa didn't know what was going on. In her eyes, all she could see was a haze of purple. Objectively, Zorin had clamped her hand onto Elsa's face, and was pushing magical energy into her mind.
"...and while you're there, you can enjoy writhing in pain and reliving all the delicious trauma of your past!"
Elsa screamed as she was attacked on the mental plane. She felt emotions, sensations, memories flooding back to her, all of them things she had not experienced in ages.
The Ice Goddess fell to the ground, curled up and started whimpering to herself.
Zorin looked down at her victim.
"Maybe now she'll stay the fuck out of our way. And you..."
The lieutenant leered at Pabbie.
"...you shouldn't have needed my help, you big stupid animal. Do your job already and tear her limb from limb. I've already taken care of her, so it should be something your peabrain can handle now."
Zorin looked back down at Elsa. She has shaking and shivering.
"Sweet nightmares, you fucking cunt."
The lieutenant spat at her as a goodbye, and ran for the manor's entrance.
"Now, be obedient, little sheep, and die already!"
"Catch me!"
Anna jumped as far as her small legs would allow, while her older sister Elsa generated soft piles of snow underneath her, created platforms just in time. The two children knew they were supposed to be in bed, but Elsa's magical gift proved too amusing for the both of them.
"Gotcha!" Elsa exclaimed.
For some reason, saying it felt strange to her, out of place even, like she had already said it before. But she had little time to think. Anna was hopping faster and faster.
"Again!" Anna happily shouted.
"Wait!" replied Elsa worriedly. She waved her arms more frantically, trying to keep pace with Anna. But her little sister was oblivious. She kept jumping about and giggling.
"Slow down!" Elsa . The slippery floor made her lose her footing. She fell to the ground as Anna cheered, making a leap off of the tallest snowbank yet.
"Anna!"
Elsa made a desperate attempt to catch her sister. She shot a beam of magic outward.
To her dismay, it struck Anna in the head. She fell onto a smaller pile of snow and rolled down to the ground.
Horrified, Elsa dashed to her unconscious sister and gently held her.
"Anna..."
A white streak appeared in Anna's hair, in the exact location she had been hit by her sibling's powers. Elsa gasped.
Frightened and alone, the child did the only thing she could.
"Mama! Papa!"
Ice spread out from under her feet, making the frosty room grow even colder. Olaf, the nearby snowman they had built together, collapsed.
Elsa held her sister tighter.
"You're okay Anna...I got you..."
The stiff, icy door was forced open by King Agdar and his wife, Queen Idunn.
"Elsa, what have you done?! This is getting out of hand!"
Agdar's panicked words unsettled Elsa. His voice was a mixture of sadness and anger. But it was the overwhelming sense of disappointment in it that truly disturbed her. Hearing such a tone, from her father of all people, made her feel utterly worthless, like he no longer cared about her.
Idunn gasped, covering her mouth with her hands when she saw what had happened to her youngest daughter. She and her husband ran to their children.
"It was an accident," Elsa pleaded to her parents. She was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry Anna..."
Elsa curtseyed before her parents, holding her skirt, extending one foot, and lowering herself. Just like her parents had taught her, just like all of Arendelle's previous generations of royal women had been taught.
Kai, the royal family's butler, was handling the luggage for his king and queen. He tried to keep to himself. He already knew what everyone else in the room was feeling at that moment.
"Do you have to go?" Elsa asked, gazing up at her parents sadly. It was more than just a question. It was a heartfelt entreaty for them to stay.
"You'll be fine, Elsa," her father reassured her. Beside him, Elsa's mother gave her the warmest smile she could.
By the time they realized how completely wrong they were, it would already be too late.
Anna sat with her back against her sister's door, in full mourning dress.
"Do you want to build a snowman?" she said tearfully.
Elsa was right on the other side, sitting in her bedroom of winter. Snowflakes floated in midair, blue light illuminated the room, and a crown princess shut her eyes, buried her face in her arms and cried.
The last remaining soldier of the Southern Isles' ill-fated military huddled in a corner, shaking with fear. Blood, bile and entrails surrounded him, staining the walls of the throne room.
The doors to Arendelle's throne room burst open, and the man literally disgraced his uniform when he saw Queen Elsa walk through them. Her hands swirled with magic, and her face was contorted with indescribable rage. Behind her, outside the castle, lay the decimated armies of Weselton and the Southern Isles. Their ships had been demolished, their guns destroyed, their swords broken, their soldiers butchered.
"There you are," she snarled. "I thought I had already cleared this room."
In a frenzied gesture the man clutched his sword and held it out in front of him.
His hands exploded, pieces of ice forming inside them and expanding from within his skin.
"AAAGHGHGHH!"
The final soldier collapsed, screaming in agony.
"Please, have mercy!" he sobbed. In his years of military service, he had seen battle, he had witnessed death firsthand. But the woman in front of him, the queen who had single-handedly obliterated two entire invading armies, was something far different. Something his mind just could not handle.
Elsa grabbed the man by the hair, looking straight into his eyes.
"Mercy? You want...mercy?"
Elsa could scarcely even think straight. The corners of her vision were blurry, blinded by white-hot fury.
"Did you show my people mercy? Did you spare them when they begged for their lives, without their queen there to defend them?"
Her eyes went even madder when she forced the man's head closer.
"Did you show my sister mercy? Did you afford her any pity when your men murdered her, and violated her?" she seethed at him through clenched teeth. "DID YOU?!"
"Oh my God!" the man wailed in terror.
Every one of Elsa's words were drenched with hatred.
"God? No...where you're going, you won't be seeing Him at all."
Elsa grabbed a flagpole and put its pointed end under the man's groin.
For almost a full five minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were the man's shrieks and blood splattering out of his body onto the fine marble floor. Eventually, his screeching died down to wet gurgles as the flagpole passed up through his convulsing body and into his chest, puncturing his lungs. By the time Elsa shoved it further upward and out his mouth, his lifeless body wasn't even twitching anymore.
She threw the skewered man across the room, hard. What remained of the man smacked against a wall and broke apart, further adding to the room's brutal, gory mess.
Arendelle had been avenged. But after all of the fighting, the disfigurement, amputation and dismemberment of her foes, Queen Elsa only felt emptiness. An ambient, all-encompassing emptiness within her.
She couldn't bring her kingdom back. She couldn't bring the livestock or crops back. She couldn't bring her subjects back. She couldn't bring the burnt, destroyed homes back. She couldn't bring her soldiers, servants, or maids back.
She couldn't bring her parents back.
She couldn't bring her sister back.
Mad with grief, Elsa screamed long, violently and furiously. She screamed at the past, she screamed at those who destroyed her kingdom, she screamed at her parents, and she screamed at God.
But most of all, she screamed at herself.
Elsa dropped to the ground, not even caring about standing up anymore. She lay there, hugging her knees, wanting to cry but having no tears left.
She imagined herself as a little girl again, being held by her mother and father. She imagined their warm embrace, their reassuring faces as they tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. All she wanted was to go back to that time. With her mama and papa, with her sister.
"Do you still blame yourself for their deaths?"
Slowly, Elsa turned her head. Seated on the throne, her throne, was the vampire Alucard.
"Why are you here? How are you here?"
Elsa's speech was weak and possessed little interest.
Alucard stood up and walked down to her. He knelt down next to her, and offered his hand.
Alucard's facial expression looked odd. If the queen didn't know better, she would have thought he appeared sympathetic.
She took his hand, and let the vampire help her to her feet.
"It's my fault..." she whispered, "...all my fault."
Alucard just looked on.
"Right now, I'm on a ship in the Atlantic. I'm not really here," he explained. "But in the realm of the mind, in the seat of consciousness, there are no boundaries for me."
"And what are you hear to tell me?" sighed Elsa.
"That none of this is occurring. You're just under the influence of that insane little Major and his sideshow freak."
Alucard smiled, appearing more like his usual self.
"I'm surprised that lieutenant's pathetic mind games worked on you at all. You're getting soft, Skadi. If it were me, I would have already plastered that field with their brains."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Quite simple, goddess. Become yourself again. Claim what is rightfully yours. The ability already lies within you. You resisted my illusions, you should have no difficulty with theirs."
Elsa stared thoughtfully at the roof of her throne room, one of the last few places untouched by blood. Painted on the ceiling was the symbol of Arendelle: a yellow crocus, surrounded by purple and green.
The crocus, a flower that bloomed when it was surrounded by the cold, harsh snow.
"You didn't have to do this, Alucard."
"I know. But our master will soon have need for both of us."
Alucard stepped back, and his likeness began vanishing.
"It's time to wake up, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Farewell...till next we meet..."
Pabbie slammed on Elsa's ice shield in frustration, bringing both of his massive fists to bear on it.
Zorin Blitz had vastly underestimated Elsa's ability.
In Elsa's unconscious state, her elemental powers still operated, acting on their own to form protective barriers around their host. And even if Pabbie had somehow broken through, the Snow Queen was beyond human. What would incapacitate or kill a mortal, and even a base vampire, was nothing to the cryomancer.
Pabbie raised his fists once more, but as he punched downwards, the shield vanished. Instead of being stopped by the frozen barricade, he was instead halted by Elsa's own hand.
Holding her opponent back with immense strength, Elsa pushed the giant fist away, vaulted into the air, and brought the heel of her boot smashing down against the enormous troll's face, shattering his jaw and sending shards of his teeth spewing out of his mouth.
When she saw Pabbie knocked over and dazed, Elsa saw her chance. She retrieved the Ichaival from within the folds of her cape, loaded a new magazine into it, and jumped onto Pabbie's chest.
35 explosive bolts were fired into Pabbie's gaping mouth. Their timers beeped; Elsa only had a few seconds. She flipped backwards, putting a good 50 yards between her and her adversary.
The crossbow bolts detonated, and Pabbie's body fractured into a thousand pieces. Resembling charcoal, bits of him rained down, scattering amongst the expansive estate.
"Beautiful craftsmanship, Walter," said Elsa, gazing at the Ichaival.
She thought back to her childhood memories of Pabbie. From what she could recall, he was a wise, kindly old troll who had treated her with the utmost respect.
This was never what she wanted.
"Rest easy, Pabbie. Rest...easy..."
Elsa looked to the Hellsing residence. It had grown quiet, too quiet. There wasn't even any noise coming from her earpiece, so she discarded it. It was useless now.
She looked where the front doors had once stood, now blown away by rocket launchers.
She didn't want to look inside, but she knew she had to.
Bullet holes and scorch marks adorned the windows, doors and walls, remnants of the intense firefights between the Wild Geese and the Millennium forces.
If the walls were a canvas, the blood splashed across them were the paint. A twisted work of art illustrated by an artist gone mad.
"Where's Seras?"
The two men, the only surviving members of the Wild Geese, saw Elsa coming down the hall towards them. The shorter one answered her question.
"She left. She's heading for London."
"And the others?"
The man swallowed and glanced at his friend.
"They're dead. The vampire freaks, and the rest of our team. Even...our captain."
Elsa moved past the incinerated remains of Zorin Blitz, and to the body of Captain Pip Bernadotte.
The queen barely knew him at all. But he was a person with his own memories, dreams, fears, family and loved ones. He didn't have any special powers, but he had still fought valiantly.
His wounds looked like he had had a painful death, but his expression was one of a man at peace.
A single ice rose floated from Elsa's hand and settled on Pip's chest.
"I'm going to London with Seras. You two should get as far away from here as you can."
"...but..."
"Please. There's nothing left for you here."
She headed for the opening in the wall that led to outside. But the taller man's voice stopped her.
"Elsa."
She looked back to see the two men saluting her. She stopped, then brought her own hand to her forehead, replying in kind.
Then, she raced for the outdoors, leapt into the air, and made her way to London, a blue light silhouetted against an early morning sky.
"Status report, herr Doctor."
"The final 3 experiments should be ready for deployment shortly, Major."
The Major beamed.
"Very good, Doctor. Your expertise has been invaluable to our cause."
"You know, I deserve credit too, Major," Schrödinger protested. "Digging up a grave isn't easy, and neither is swimming around trying to find two bodies in a freezing ocean. I've lost count of how many times I drowned looking for them."
"I give credit where it is due, warrant officer Schrödinger. Just as credit is due to you, so it is due to the Doctor."
The Major stood up from his chair.
"Gentlemen, we are on the cusp of our final struggle. We are all drawn together in this blitzkireg, this coming onslaught, this malicious bloodshed..."
The screens on the Deus Ex Machina displayed a shot of the horizon, where a small blue light was approaching.
"...the pieces are almost all in place, the cast of this danse macabre nearly assembled. Ourselves, the 9th Crusade, Vatican Section XIII, and, last but certainly not least, Hellsing. There is but one player which we anxiously await: Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Upon her arrival, this small ceasefire shall be lifted, and the dead will dance."
The Major lifted his arm in traditional Nazi salute.
"Sieg heil!"
"SIEG HEIL!" the Last Battalion shouted back.
The Major returned to his seat, and swiveled around to his screens. 3 of them switched their picture, displaying the Doctor's final 3 vampiric test subjects.
Interlacing his fingers, the Major dropped his voice.
"The family's all here...what a wonderful reunion it will be..."