Disclaimer: I don't know if anyone cares about these really as it's just someone stating the obvious for a few lines about how they don't own what they are writing about adding in a joke to make them slightly more interesting. Also Kouta Hirano owns Hellsing.

Anyways I'm back with the second chapter of Freeshot's Folly and I would like to thank everyone who read this as the little view counter for chapter one slowly increased, especially though I want to thank everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed it as you help fuel me to do my best on the next update.


Chapter Two - Battle For London

Mist spreads around the Thames as the ghostly Adler slowly sails down it, crashing through what is left of Tower Bridge like a knife through butter with the HMS Belfast passing by until London Bridge slows it to a halt as we crash into the stonework. "Come Lieutenant" Alucard says jumping onto the bridge below beginning a leisurely stroll to the north bank, jumping down after him quickly catching up to him as he reaches a bridge over an underpass. Alucard turns his head to me, "Remember where we parked Winkle" he jokes as his jovial grin disappears as he dives onto the road below.

By the time I reach him, he is already halfway down the street road as I follow him closely not wanting to get lost among these unfamiliar British street's.

As we walk I begin to look at the obviously abandoned cars that litter the street, their owners are likely among the bodies that are scattered equally around us with some being killed by shrapnel and gunshots while others were turned into ghouls only to be struck down again. Alucard's face shows well controlled anger as he views the damage silently, "Why?", Is all I can think to say in an attempt to take his mind of the carnage at least for a few minutes, "'why' what?" Alucard almost biting my head off.

"Why did you let me live?" my confidence gone as he scowls at me.

"Because you did not belong among them, in all your years with them did you not think that you didn't quite fit among them?"

"A little", the closest person to me was Zorin and I could barely stand her and her psychotic tendencies, my face probably showing how much of an understatement that last sentence was.

"There is your reason" he replies bluntly finishing our short conversation before it even got started and while he is obviously hiding something I don't want ask as his grim face scares me into staying silent with whatever he is hiding not worth questioning. Silence reigns as we exit onto Victoria Embankment, the trees that once lined the road are now just charred stumps with only a few having survive the flames that are consuming the rest of the park.

"Where are we going" I sound like a child but it is all I can think to ask him that will get a straight answer out of him.

"Trafalgar Square, it is where Lady Integra and Police Girl are and where we must be", looking around there some signs for our destination littered around us giving me but I'm unsure of it's location having only seen a few postcards of it from my childhood to base our relative locations.

"It's Just past the station", his arm pointing towards a large glass roofed building a few hundred metres ahead, the glass is cracked and missing in certain places revealling the victorian steel shell roof underneath that is mostly intact after being hit in multiple places by explosives.

We pass through the station, entering through a hole in the wall caused by a train crashing through the station's wall and landing on the road below creating a passage into the building, after making our way through the empty carriages and into the deserted concourse. The eerie silence that would be expected of a building like this isn't there as the sounds of people outside echo through the gaps in the building that open outside making me realise how close we are to the enemy, the large doors of Charing Cross being the final boundary between them and us.

Trafalgar Square is within throwing distance as we exit onto the Strand, though Nelson's Column is surrounded by the combined force of the last battalion in a mexican stand off with an army of people who look more like the Klu Klux Klan than soldiers on the opposite side of the square that are armed equally as much.

Our arrival does not go unnoticed, the standoff broken both sides agree to put their differences for the sole purpose to killing Alucard. As we approach the eye of the storm a priest comes from the other side, his bayonets glinting in the light as he grins at Alucard the existence of everyone else around him irrelevant, though as I stare at him the sound of something crashing to the ground behind us shocks me around, the knelt figure of the Captain emerging from the dust at the center of the fall.

I freeze still as he all but ignores me while walking past m, avoiding his glare is easy thankfully as he is more interested in the other two as he joins Alucard and the priest in their own personal standoff. "My lord and master Integra Hellsing, give me your orders?", Alucard shouts loudly to our master, "Alucard take heed, here are your orders, your silver gun will stain the white army crimson, your iron gun will stain the black army scarlet, I will know my foes by the stains of red you leave on their chests, now search and destroy, search and destroy, run them down, do not let any leave the island alive" is her cold response shouted from the roof of the National Gallery.

"My master it shall be done as you command", a wind blows past us as he gives a wide grin like a child on christmas morning.

"Release control restriction zero, announce your return, say the words and release your full power, now"

"Here standeth the bird of hermes eating my own wings", Alucard says as everyone stares at him in fear their gaze only interrupted by the priest attacking him, slicing Alucard's chest with his bayonets followed on as the Captain kicks him in the chest giving a signal to the last battalion and the crusaders to open fire at the now blood mist form of my master. After a few seconds of soaking up bullets tendrils shoot out and begin cutting apart his foes vampire and human alike, they shoot around me leaving me unharmed among a river of souls that starts to appear from the ground around him.

Alucard's form itself has changed dramatically from his crimson overcoat to a suit of plate armour, I manage to hear a catholic in a helicopter that is circling above mutter "Dracula" fear in his voice shows clearly over the sound system, his fear is justified as his crusader's are massacred in their hundreds. The only thing keeping me from fleeing this scene are my constant whispers in my head that I am his fledgling and he wouldn't harm his own fledgling, not after saving me on the Adler, though I feel my faith is justified as a company of knights that form out of thin air in front of me charge avoid me with a large berth as they run through the crusaders that stand in their way leaving behind an empty square with the dead impaled on spears like in the history books about Vlad the Impaler.

Standing among the forest of the dead are Integra & Seras, the last remnants of Hellsing, despite the damage that my former comrades have done they stand stubbornly against everything that has been thrown at them. "My Count, you have returned", Integra asks my master, he kneels down in front of her, his accent changed to suit his home, kneeling down in front of her he looks up at her in adoration, "at your pleasure, my lady", the girl Seras interrupts meekly, "hi.. it's really nice to have you back Master", I miss his reaction that causes her to hide behind Integra but I can't help but stifle a laugh as she sticks her head out like a cartoon character as she uses her hands to impersonate a moustache, "you seem to have grown a moustache?".

"Yes Seras, my Seras Victoria", I can't help but feel jealous as he compliments her, while I've only known them all for a few hours I want to be treated in the same way he treats her instead of the stranger that I can't help but be.

Though our meeting is cut short as that Iscariot priest screams from above, madly diving towards us, their swords cross as Alucard easily deflects him, their standoff from earlier is reborn, "nicely done my nemesis", Alucard complimenting him enjoying the challenge that he somehow poses to him.

"I am a servant of god, an agent of divine punishment on earth, I am called to cut away the flesh of infidels and remove from the earth all those who would defy god", he recites the creed of Iscariot before charging at him with full force, pages of the bible fly around him as a blue force emanates from his bayonets that clash against Alucard's sword setting the pages on fire.

"You have become a formidable opponent, I'm impressed".

"Ready for more?", this priest asks, I can't decide if he is brave or stupid though Alucard picks the former his normal mocking non-existent.

"Yes, bring me more, try to pierce my heart with your bayonets, five-hundred years ago, one-hundred years ago, now come back to challenge me again my nemesis", it is more than he needed to he hear as their fight begins anew, equally matched as they glide around each other, it is quite a beautiful sight and I would love to stay and watch them continue if I wasn't scared for mine and my master's safety as the fight goes on for a few more tense minutes as they each try to land blows on the other only to be blocked at every turn they try.

Alucard's figure returns to normal as the plate armour turns into his scarlet overcoat, "pure Macedonian silver processed mercury ammunition in M.N.A.9 cartridges, 39 cm long, weighing at 16 kg with 35 mm armor piercing rounds, the Jackal, this weapon is perfect Walter", Alucard continuing to taunt his opponent as the fight continues as the Jackal breaks through the catholic's defences. "Now what will you do? Your dragon stands before you catholic, you're going to defeat me is that right, what do you think your chances are, one in a hundred?, one in a thousand?, in ten-thousand?, a million?, a billion maybe?", familiars filling up the gap between them as the taunting continues.

"I am more than prepared to destroy you monster whatever the odds are against me".

"You are bruised and bleeding, your arm is hanging on by a few strands of meat, what will you do, die like a dog or on your feet like a man?", Alucard asks from his perch.

"What does it matter vampire..." the priest answers before mumbling something as he bites down on his arm a bayonet appears out of thin air, cutting his way through the familiars as if they were nothing only stopping as his bayonet gets stuck within the skull of a familiar twice his size. My master's cavalry use this as a cue to kill him down before he has a chance to properly fight them off yet as they charge they never reach him as the remnants of Iscariot gun them down under a hail of gunfire just in the nick of time almost as if they were waiting for

"Dammit, I said leave, you stupid meddling idiots", the priest biting the hand that saved him.

"And what did you expect us to do?", the hand bites back as a nun in a priest's garb scowls back her thick german accent is evident, a half-smoked cigarette falls onto the floor, "pack everything up and run back to the Vatican, what sad sort of thing would that make us, none of us would be soldiers of Iscariot anymore" her rant continuing on only to be interrupted as another nun joins her.

"By the cry amen and the slaughter of the unworthy the world slippeth back into place, those are the words you taught us aren't they, did you think we would just abandon our righteousness, you are the idiot", the other nun is strange though as her welsh accent contrasts with her Japanese exterior.

"You are such fools, I just wanted someone to survive and continue our work, too many have gone to limbo today, but since I am charging full speed into hell I might as well have some company", the combined forces of Iscariot line the streets in front of Alucard and his horde.

"You stand before me... i'm impressed Iscariot, show me more Alexander Anderson", the priest now has a name as he pulls a small wooden box from his overcoat pocket crushing it in one hand revealing the small nail contained within. "A nail, the Shroud of Turin, the Holy Grail, the Lance of Longinus, should I assume you are threatening me with the last of the holy artifacts of Rome?", Alucard asks unimpressed at his display, "It still smells of blood and miracle, the Nail of Helena".

"Prepare", Anderson shouts at no-one in particular. "Anderson, stop it", Alucard shouts at him panicked by the priest, his worry spreads to me as I finger the trigger on my rifle I staring at him from afar, if Alucard fears what will happen if he uses what hope do I have after witnessing what he has done almost offhandedly to the combined numbers of the papacy and the last battalion.

"Do you know what that thing will do to you, you'll become one of gods monsters, maintain your humanity, don't succumb to power, either side it amounts to the same deal, whether in the name of the divine or demonic, you're still a monster in the end, do you intend to use that scrap of miracle to become a scrap of miracle yourself, this duel between us would you really push it this far into the realms that lie beyond mortal life, a monster such as myself that could not bear the weight of my own humanity", his worry is genuine with that nail being the purest form of all he despises, "Don't do it human, don't become a monster, a monster like me".

"I want nothing more than to be a bayonet wielded by the hand of god, I would have been happy to have been born a storm or a divine threat, a mighty explosion or even a terrible hurricane, a divine force of nature without heart or pity and if this relic can transform me into such a thing then I am happy to abandon my humanity", Anderson's comments about his humanity worry as how much he would give up for a chance to defeat Hellsing's trump card, I feel like someone should just call him Ishmael in a hope that he realises what happens to him in his pursuit of Moby Dick yet I feel pressured into staying silent as I look to be right at Integra & Seras both standing silently shocked staring somewhat stupidly at the scene in front of them either too scared to interrupt or feeling that Alucard can deal with whatever the problem the papist can throw at him.

Thrusting the nail deep into his chest the priests falls the floor, "you fool" Alucard angrily shouts at him as he walks down from his perch, this small act of obsession causing more of a reaction from him than the few million dead in his nation's capital. "You bloody fool", insulting him again as he prepares to finish him only stopping as a short flash of blue similar to my bullets crosses Alucard that is followed by a spurt of blood and the loss of multiple limbs. Alucard fights back firing his pistols in return at him removing most of the priests head as his shots make contact though the two headless foes still stand as if they weren't missing one of the most important areas of the human body. "He is not human anymore, the only way either of us can return to dust is to have it gouged out of us, the sickness in our hearts", Alucard's voice coming out of the blackish crimson mist that has replaced his head. The members of Iscariot who still stand, are standing in shock and horror at just what their mentor has become, retreating away from the fight their safety being the highest priority in all their thoughts right now.

The two continue fighting each other regardless of others safety while the damage they do is minor it is random with chunks of building falling around them though the almost Kudzu thorns that make up Anderson's inhuman body trap Alucard, before he has time to resist flames sprout from what skin is showing and turn the pair into a bonfire that feels like it is burning my skin even from a hundred metres away.

"Master", Seras's voice brings me out of my stupor, by the time I realise what is going on she has already dived into the heart of the flames only to end up trapped like our master without doing anything useful to show for her sacrifice as she futilely continues screaming at him, Integra looks unworried all the while continue to smoke as if she was watching a football match and her team has decided to let the other team have a kick about for a few minutes before going back to crushing their chances of winning, her confidence fills me with hope as if she doubts his defeat at the hands of Anderson why should I deciding to leave my rifle alone until it is really needed despite the damage it can do in a single shot the time taken to reload makes me useless.

"You're too loud Police Girl, I can hear your voice just fine", Alucard yawns out similar to me after a good nights sleep with his prison of thorns being a small issue for him when he rips them from his face. Moving onto the bayonet lodged in his chest he yanks it out and breaks it in half with even less effort, "Anderson, if you'd bested me just now I would've been content, If you had taken my heart I would have been so very content but now that thought has passed and now there is no way you could possibly defeat me as those who are destined to defeat monster's are always human, to be bested by anything less than human is unacceptable", Alucard ending his speech as he destroys the remaining thorns that surround him, Anderson feeble attempts to hold him back in place all fail while this monster forces his way closer to him. Alucard reaches him within seconds and my heart lifts as he manages to pierce the priests chest and force it through the other side, ripping his still beating heart in the process like an Aztec sacrifice, the nail sticking from it while thorns try to reattach it's hosts heart.

The lifeless body of Anderson falls in front of him, crushing his heart in his hand, the blood popping from it like the juice in a raspberry. "You're the same as me, the same fate I befell, the same pathetic story as mine", Alucard screams, the pain in his voice evident as he falls to his knees by what is left of his holding his head in his hands and slowly begins to cry causing the only sound around us with none of us in Hellsing feeling the need to celebrate as while I only heard his name minutes before I could tell he was someone important and would probably be next to Alucard if I knew more instead of standing from a distance rudely gawping at him as he grieves. Among the silence though Anderson laughs still clinging to laugh as he is barely audible, "don't cry demon, what childish fear haunts you?", he asks my master in the fatherly tone he gave to the members of Iscariot, a far cry from earlier when he sounded horrified by the presence of him , "don't cry over it demon, didn't you become a demon so you didn't have to cry anymore, when a man's tears finally dry up he becomes a demon so let me hear that prideful arrogant laugh of yours", what is left of Anderson manages asks him, "I'll continue until the sins of my past finally catch up with me and are consumed by my future, see you in limbo, eventually... ", Anderson's severed arm crumbling in on it's own weight.

"I hear voices... ", Anderson says, his voice strained as he uses the last of his energy to speak, "the voices of children... they sound so playful... the children... I'm going now...", his remaining arm crumbles like the rest of him as he holds it out to someone who doesn't exist, his voice turns into a whisper too quiet for me to work out what he is saying with his face starting to crumble mid-sentence leaving a small pile of ash that was formerly him.

My heart goes out for the members of Iscariot, tears barely held in their eyes as they peak their heads out of what cover they managed to get too among the ruins with their leader's remains able to fit into a shoebox as it lie on the pavement. "Amen", Alucard finishes a prayer alongside, his face looks worse than all of Iscariot, Anderson's death hitting him harder than I could have ever thought, I want to do something to cheer him up but all my thoughts seem inappropriate for the situation as It already feels as if no-one wants me here and being rude would not endear me to anyone let alone some of the more anger-prone members of Iscariot, my eyes linger over the German Nun showing a facial expression which wasn't a scowl.

"Amen".

Out of nowhere a man in black appears and immediately decides to crush what remains of Anderson's skull under foot.

"W- walter... ", Integra stutters out as if she can't believe her eyes obviously knowing the man, I try to remember his face from the briefings I was given about Hellsing but nothing comes to mind as it only angers me further how little I know of the world around me especially so those I am meant to be fighting. "Is that you Walter?!", he lights a cigarette with high right hand before kicking Anderson's chest out of the way, looking at his feet he swipes away what ash cling to his shoes on his trouser leg, "rubbish, when you die you become rubbish and what reason is there to bother mourning rubbish, don't you agree Integra?" his casual tones continues while he slowly smokes from his cigarette.

Iscariot are barely holding back their rage as they stare at him with looks that if they could would kill him a thousand times over, "Walter sir, what the hell did they do to you?" Seras stands identical to Integra in almost catatonic shock.

"'What did they do?', clearly they've captured and vampirized me, they've also brainwashed me and are forcing me into fighting against my former compatriots, is that what you wanted to hear Seras? but no, I stand here not on the whim of anyone else, I stand before you to satisfy my own means, I stand here for Walter C. Dornez and after festering here within my own hateful malice, I feel it's time to sever your link to the coming dawn.", his arrogant tone reminding me of Alucard though you can hardly call it arrogance as these quiet streets can show, all he has is his bravado and little to show but glares of hatred from his enemies.

"Why Walter?!"

"Don't say my name anymore", he shouts back at Integra though their screaming match is interrupted by Yumie, Walter's arrogance and insults being too much for her as she decides to charge at him.

Looking at her as she sprints towards him I agree with her choice of actions, lifting my rifle up and hm it at him shouting out my good luck line before firing,"Tinker tailor soldier sailor, my bullet punishes all without distinction", my involvement catches him off guard as he looks at me as if he has only just realised just too late that I exist and am trying to kill him, I'll show them that I can do something and not just stand while the world crumbles around us.

He tries to block me using his metal wires but he isn't good enough to stop me as my bullet trails around it hitting him directly in the chest, the force of the impact sends him flying back almost causing him to lose balance as I hit him again, his hands are useless as he tries to use his special brand of dental floss to defend himself, the metal glints in what light there is showing that he has no control and is defenseless as Yumie reaches him, she is relentlessly brutal slicing his chest half a dozen times a second making the traitor unable to even as much as react under a near constant barrage of hits.

"Enough", Alucard cries as he dives inbetween Yumie & Walter sending them both flying as he hits them both, Yumie's katana landing by my feet blade first while it's owner lands next to Integra staying prone, too scared of whether Alucard is coming for him or her to consider running. While Walter on the other hand had managed to stay upright despite but his body shows the injuries he sustained, his black suit is in tatters and red where me and Yumie had managed to hit him.

"Was it all a lie Walter, all of your pride and stubbornness in refusing to take the easy way out means little to the abomination that stands before me, your old body was a trillion times more beautiful than what you are now", Alucard looks down on his old friend with disdain plastered on his face at his betrayal, "you truly see yourself as the 'Angel of Death', I see a child who wants what isn't his". I reload my jezail as quickly as I can scrambling for my bullets with my hands shaking uncontrolably as I do so, looking up I spot the Captain on the remains of a skyscraper spying on us from a distance though as he looks at me looking back at him he jumps to another perch vanishing behind another skyscraper.

"No more childish than you Alucard with two fledglings who should be dead if you hadn't decided to play god", Walter spits back either uncaring or unknowing about his loneliness in the Lion's den.

Alucard walks foreard shortening the distance between him & Walter, "Give me your orders master as I can kill, I can load the magazine pull back the slide and remove the safety but the you must pull the trigger, so what are your orders my master?". Integra coldly lights herself another cigar. "Say the words milady" Walter shouts at her ignored though as she takes a long drag from her cigar she, "search and destroy, my orders have not changed no matter the foe, you are now an enemy of Hellsing and Great Britain Walter, may god have mercy on your soul, now search and destroy Alucard leave not a trace of his betrayal", Integra orders, the pain on her voice is evident but what qualms or regret she may have about killing someone who was such a close ally for so long come second to her duty, the unflinching nature of Integra's stare asking everyone if they had any objections before she gets on with her cigar makes me wonder if Millenium ever had a chance against such a force of will.

"Yes... my master", Alucard says immediately punching the butler, his body goes flying a few metres before landing roughly on the ground within seconds of the order.

"Well said Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, I suppose calling you 'Amateur' is out of the question, that's in the past I shan't say it again, you've matured into what I can call a 'true enemy'!, you've gone from a minuscule enemy I'd have just cast aside, and evolved into the most powerful enemy of all", the Major's voice comes over the loudspeaker as the Deus Ex Machina descends rapidly towards us toppling Nelson's Column as it does so, the zeppelin slowing down as it lands a few metres away from us. "Let's shuffle the cards a bit then", the large mechanical doors opening up, a ramp extending itself out before lowering itself down to give us access, at the top stands Schrödinger, "The third reich cordially invites you to the airship Deus Ex Machina", his grin only annoying me more as I realise what Alucard meant when he said I didn't belong among them. It felt arrogant to say but I lacked arrogance, it was something everyone in Millenium shared that something only 60 years of self-gratification can do, though I had given up on this idea as the allies forced their way to Berlin from the brink of defeat leaving it and many other cities shells of what they once were all the while our organisation was forced to flee to South America just to survive.

"Go on, go and end this nightmare that that man has concocted, the dawn is fast approaching and I must deal with the man that stands before me". Integra ignores the ramp and the imbecilic cat-boy that stands at the top of it squatting down next to the Japanese-Welsh nun, "come on papist, you've been press ganged into Hellsing", grabbing the swordswoman's hand and pulling her to her feet before she has a chance to object, "You can bring Ms. Burn-Them-All and her friends with you", the rest seem annoyed by this twist of fate but resigned to it anyway.

Schrödinger moans at us to speed up go ignored as he waits impatiently not expecting to be ignored like this, his annoyance cheers me up a little as I watch his ears flutter and his legs tap the floor.

"Seras", Alucard asks for his fledgling before she leaves, "M- master?", "help our master end this madness and bring Lieutenant Winkle with you", she turns to me in surprise as if she was only just realising I was here eying me up like a strange animal, "you can trust her, now go and help your master".

"Walter sir", Seras cries out before she follows Integra into the lions den, "even though you say that you've changed thank you for everything you've done, it's been an honour", her words perturb him more than our attacks did, "same to you", is all he can say as he tries to regain his composure.

Taking Yumie's katana from It's landing spot I offer it back to her, it takes her a moment before she accepts it not quite trusting me yet. Though she has little to trust me on, as a vampire I'm everything she hates with the hunter in her wanting to just walk away and have nothing to do with me ,I wouldn't blame her if she did but part of her wouldn't want to let a demon be the better of the two when it came to turning the other cheek offering me her hand carefully.

"Yumiko Takagi".

"Uh... Rip Van Winkle".

"Like the book?", Seras asks gingerly behind us trying her best not to make this conversation any more awkward than it already is.

"Yes... my mother loved the story and named me after him when they thought I was going to be a boy and refused to change it when I ended up being a girl", I didn't really want to get this personal this quickly but they would have found out eventually and they are being far nicer than I expected them to be. I felt angry though as I heard her laugh at me, "I thought I had it bad with Seras", she and Yumie laugh more though reacting to something which was likely my embarrassment to thinking she was that shallow.

"Come on you lot", Integra shouts over to us already half way up the ramp with her sword and pistol drawn, Iscariot have decided to take up her request for assistance standing right behind her on the ramp. Catching her breath Seras looks at me seriously, "you ready?", "As I'll ever be".

"Welcome aboard La-", Schrödinger is killed mid-sentence again his body landing on the floor trampled as everyone marches onto the ship, looking down I try to feel sorry for him but it isn't there all I can think of doing is giving him a good kick as some sort of revenge before catching up with the rest of the group while they are still in sight.

As we made our way through the ship the last battalion is there to stop us, or at least try to each line of defense falls to our onslaught as I lead our group through all the shortcuts and side passages that they wouldn't know about unless they had someone who knew the ship intimately, it was going well and we were around halfway there when we saw him, the Captain standing at the end of the corridor silent as ever staring at us.

"Please go on ahead master", Seras says as she moves ahead slightly bracing herself for an impact, "go ahead and kill that major before he can do more damage", Integra sighs not wanting to argue with her, "don't you dare die, I won't forgive you if you do", putting what must be her last cigar to her mouth ready to light it the Captain puts his hand up to some a direction sign pointing towards the helm, willying letting us past we begin to leave Seras to fight him, while he may be the only one in Millenium I despise the least it is not enough to hope he wins.

"Good luck" I tell Seras before following everyone past the Captain.

"Thank you", Seras not losing an ounce of concentration as she stares at him.

Though as I walk past he grabs my shoulder, my heart skips a few dozen beats while I face him only lasting a few seconds before I decide that staring down at the floor was better than looking at him not wanting to look him in the eyes though my choice in the matter is an illusion as he lifts up my head up to face him. His small smile is worse than any amount of scowling he could do, it is one thing the stab your friends in the back and another to find out that they were happy you had done so.

He takes his hat off, removing the SS emblem attached to the front discarding it to the floor, placing it carefully on my head adjusting it in a motherly fashion that seems ill suited for him, "T-thank you", is all that I can think to utter as he adjust my uniforms neckline positioning himself behind me before pushing me towards the rest of the group getting me out of the way before he moves his attention onto Seras not even giving me a chance to say good bye before they start fighting.

Leaving them behind It doesn't take long to catch up with the rest of the group as they stand at a fork in the path, everyone turning to face me as I approach, "Where is the engine room Lieutenant?" Integra asks.

"Uh..." pointing at the right corridor, "third corridor on the left, you can't miss it".

"Thank you" turning to Iscariot she orders them, "you can be useful for once and blow up those engines, I don't want this ship moving anywhere and once you've done that you'll return to the Vatican and tell your superiors how well your invasion went", they don't seem too thrilled about the last part but they head off regardless, "Now which way to the helm?".

"Take the left and it is at the end", my response sounds more like a question as I wonder why she needs directions if I'm with her.

"Good, finally can you tell me where they keep all of their vampire research?".

"Yes, the Doktor has a large medical area with all the research", 60 years of his research were kept hidden in his laboratories which I had only seen once when I became a vampire and was glad it was the last time I had been, the rooms were strange especially his specimen that he enjoys showing off.

"Burn it all then meet me at the helm".

"Yes Master", I stand to attention at the orders my old habits dying hard before running down the same corridor Iscariot had gunfire from the engine room being clear before dying away as I take a different turning to them.

It takes me a few minutes to reach to reach the laboratory, the door slightly ajar with the sounds of rustling paper and curses in german coming from within.

Slipping inside the room my size letting me get in unnoticed, ahead of me by a large workstation in the corner of the room the Dokter is grabbing research papers at random and pushing them into an already overflowing doctor's bag obviously trying to save as much of his work as possible before fleeing the city. My position in dark of the room almost causes him to miss me as he rushes to another workstation but he looks like a cat caught in the headlights of car as he notices me staring at him, "R-rip, what are you doing here?", looking at me like he's seen a ghost not believing I'm still alive let alone in his office.

"Destroying Millennium's research" is all I can think of saying though it is unlikely that he could stop me, it doesn't stop him from searching his pockets.

"I should have known my greatest disappointment would disappoint me again", he scowls at me regaining his composure, "why else do you think you were sent after the Eagle, the distraction was all you were good for", his words would have hurt me if I hadn't lost any interest in what use I was to Millennium, "and while there you betray those who looked after you for 60 years, is your loyalty is really that cheap " muttering at me with an insult that most children would think poor.

"When I'm used as bait and when that fails you try to activate a bomb in my chest I start rethinking who I should be loyal too" .

"That's enough out of you Lieutenant, I won't fail a second time", pulling his arm out of pocket pointing a pistol at me determined to kill me.

As he races to shoot me my instincts take over and I dive onto him, the force of my dive sending him crashing against a wall with him managing to fire a few shots off before the pain of me placing his wrist in a position it shouldn't makes him dropping it to lessen the pain seem like a good choice, "Bitch", he screams at me his facial expressions showing the pain he is in though a sprained wrist is the least of his worries.

Picking up my rifle I put it up to his chest just like Alucard did to me, he begins begging me not to do what I plan despite how futile his begging is with nothing he can say able to affect my actions. I thrust it into his chest as hard as I can and after a few seconds of difficulty the musket makes its way going through him and out the back with his mouth opening in a wordless scream of pain followed by slower and smaller breaths, "hurt's doesn't it?!" I find myself screaming at him, "mercy...", his voice now is frail as he begs for his life not sharing the same death wish like the rest of Millenium.

"I'm going show you the same mercy you showed me earlier", twisting it roughly around in his chest his struggling breathes are overshadowed by my screams of anger as I continuing to punish his body.

"That is only the start", I continue to scream at him pulling the rifle out of him letting his body fall to the floor with it slumping unnaturally as he lands on the ground, by the time I realise it he is already growing cold as it takes a minute to catch up with reality, he's dead, though his death causes little to soothe the anger only to realise that it is far too late to turn back.

Wanting to beat him some more though as much as I hate him I cannot bring myself to unleash more of my fury on him, his quick and painful death along with the destruction of his life's work will have to be enough of a punishment.

Searching the shelves it doesn't take long to find what I need to torch the place, pouring varying flammable substances over the workstations and papers within the room, a single match setting the room ablaze with the combined mixture proving to be highly volatile only just escaping the room before the heat overpowers me, managing a quick glance back into the room as the flames and smoke start to cover the room leaving little trace of anything but mostly the visibility, with my job done I make my way through the maze of corridors towards the helm.

After a few minutes of running I reach the helm, inside the Major sits comfortably on his chair with the same grin and aura of calm around him as always despite his situation, Lady Integra stands opposite to him more angry than before with Seras standing next to her having survived fighting the Captain.

"It is nice of you to join us Lieutenant though I am sorely disappointed in your betrayal seeing you turn your back on us so easily" putting his hands to his chest in a mock gesture of how hurt he is, "but you will help defeat me as I have defeated Alucard" standing from his chair and sweeping his arms into the air, "come, your enemy is right here".

"Seras", Integra stares coldly at him as she points her arm at him, "search and destroy... search and destroy", she shouts her orders with Seras pulling up her rifle and pounding a glass wall inbetween us with shots causing little damage apart from some small marks where she hit, the rifle soon making a clicking sound as it runs of bullets to fire, throwing the gun angrily away as she uses the black tendrils that sprout out of where her left arm should be to pierces a hole into the floor beneath her pulling from the room below an 88mm cannon more suited for a submarine than as a personal defense weapon.

"An 88mm, I like it", The Major shouts for some reason overjoyed at Seras's choice of weapon, the loud boom from the cannon is followed by a larger explosion as the shell hits the wall of the zeppelin piercing the glass with ease, smoke fills up the room while sunlight comes through the hole that the explosion ripped open.

As visibility returns to the room the Major lies against what is left of his chair, "It's over Major" Integra tells him, "It looks like it but I'm not done yet" The Major replies determinately lifting himself up so he isn't slouched against the floor revealing the Major's metallic insides.

"That's really you...".

"Yes, this is me".

"Machine", Seras says to no-one in particular.

"How rude of you to say such a thing young lady, I am human through a-".

"Monster", Integra interrupts him, "You're a monster"

"You're wrong, I am human, only one thing makes a human, one thing, It's your own will. For them blood is the currency of the soul, if they don't take it from others they cannot live, like that pitiful monster Alucard, do not put me on the same level as him, as long as I have my will I am human. As when Alucard puts on the face of a young girl or a war veteran it shows I despise him, he is a monster that looks human and I am a human that looks like a monster, now I made my proclamation of war a long time ago now let's make war as I am not done yet!"

"Rip?", Integra asks for me ignoring the Major's rant.

"Yes?", I respond as she turns to face me.

"Search and destroy, that is an order", It takes me a second to get my head around the order but after seeing what Alucard and Seras do when the order is given I raise my rifle without hesitation and shoot at the Major, my shot flying true and hitting him in the head sending him sprawling to the ground before swinging around to hit him a few more times just to make sure he is truly dead, "thank you Lieutenant, you have shown yourself quite useful".

"T-thank you Master" Integra's surprising warmness to me catches me offguard.

Turning around she pulls another cigar from her pocket, "hmmm, my last one, Seras remind me to order some more when we get back home", lighting it as she walks past us with Seras looking gleeful at the command as if they have both forgotten about what has just happened, "of course master".

The sun was finally rising still above London as we exited from the Deus Ex Machina, at the bottom of the Zeppelin were the remnants of Iscariot who were a few priests short, "I thought I told you to leave this country papists", Integra teases them with no spite in her words.

"We would if it wasn't for that damn butler of yours, he killed four of our men and took one of Yumie's legs, she'll live but he didn't", Heinkel says bitterly as if his death wasn't quite enough and I know how that feels. "Then you can come with us when the army arrives, we have closer hospitals than you do and it is the least we can do for your co-operation", the offer of help shocks the nun who must have been expecting a different response entirely, "thank you Lady Integra, you are too kind" Heinkel's says awkwardly the formality unsuited to her though as she spots me properly her face lights up as she removes something from her pocket as if I can get her out of the niceties of dealing with Lady Integra, "Lieutenant, I have something for you", my mind is blank as I think of what it could be until she forces a letter into my hand, "we found this on the ground, it has your name on it so we didn't dare open it".

On the front of the letter my name is written out in ink in some impressive handwriting, "we think it belonged to Alucard but we don't know" Heinkel continues as Integra and Seras crowd around me. "that is his handwriting", Integra confirms her suspicions as she looks over my shoulder almost trying to take the letter off me but let me have the honour of holding it. Opening the letter reveals a small booklet with Der Freischutz written in big bold letters with 'Apollo Victoria' written in small words below, "A programme?" Seras calls out just as confused as me, what was he doing with a programme for Der Freischutz, "Apollo Victoria isn't doing Der Freischutz they never have".

"It's a fake, what was Alucard doing with a fake programme for Der Freischutz"

"Well there is only one way to find out", opening it to find the foreword was written by him.

Foreword

by Alucard

Integra, Seras and most importantly Rip, these are my thoughts behind my actions pre-prepared to give you and while I would tell you in person this paper will do to guide you, starting when I was sifting through The Dandy Man's memories I found that he had read something he shouldn't, a letter about the distraction they will use to lure away 'Hellsing's Trump Card' from London during their plan of attack, using an inexperienced soldier called Rip Van Winkle to do so, I did not care heavily about the Lieutenant but within the letter contained an excessively cruel amount of information about her love of a terrible opera called Der Freischutz, while it is a pointless and ridiculous reason their dislike despite how fair it may be angered me more than enough to decide to change their plans more to my liking. It was because during my time here I have traveled far and in the early 19th century my time was spent in Berlin, among my stay here Carl Maria von Weber came to my acquittance and from this came Der Freischutz, I have always had a fondness for this piece with the premier being an excellent show and while their cruel barbs are meaningless I feel that they deserved some form of retribution, the results of which should be evident.

The foreword ending quickly and inconclusively ending up leaving more questions than answers, "Alucard knew Carl Von Weber" I say slowly trying to understand the implications of this as well as the possibility that is all just a lie and he is further messing with us, "What else is there?", Seras asks me just as curious.

The contents page was next, containing the main characters but not who's playing them though as I looked through the list it reaches something strange as each of the seven bullets is put down as a character forcing me to fight against my curiosity to skip ahead and turn to the next page.

Max, assistant forester and the main character of Der Freischutz is on the next page with his short description looking like it should be the photograph of the actress playing him has my attention at this time, the freckled teen with pigtails I was when I first joined Millenium, I'm not the only one who's noticed as Seras's schoolgirl glee isn't making it any better along with Heinkel & Integra clearly reveling in this as well behind the stubborn professionalism. "It isn't that bad, I'm sure Heinkel looked worse at your age", Seras said loving all of this as she wraps an arm around me which doesn't really help as I still look like a peach, "I looked fine back then", Heinkel not really accepting the friendly mocking, "can we read on now?".

Gladly moving my hand over to get away from the embarrassment of the last one with Kaspar being next on the list, the forester who made a deal with the devil and tried to trick Max into extending the length of his deal as an unwitting sacrifice to the black huntsman Samiel, his page matches mine in similarity until I reach the image of the Major at the bottom, his smiling face looks at mine as his words echo through my mind again.

"First Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle, Do you know how Der Freischütz ends?, Kaspar having trifled with the black huntsman Samiel, is whisked away to hell for his sins", those words scared me once, "His body is thrown down a ravine to be eaten by wolves", in the end it wasn't me who he was after making Alucard's first words from the Adler take a new meaning within his opera, "Kaspar cannot escape the judgment of the huntsman by placing a sacrifice in his stead", as I was The Major's sacrifice to Alucard like Max was Kaspar's sacrifice to Samiel.

Skipping to the next page I find Alucard's picture with his massive grin smiling back at us seemingly knowing exactly how his plan ended up, on the next page were all the other characters in the opera matched with one of us, Cuno the father of Max's fiancéeAgathe matched up with Integra below is Agathe herself with a group of soldiers, in the middle is Seras, likely they were Hellsing's ground troops and Ännchen, Agathe's cousin, in her place is the priest from before along with what looks like Heinkel & Yumie when they were children so happy when compared with now as one of them died barely human and another missing a limb.

Behind more side characters and people I've never met I finally reach the page I wanted from the start with a full title page telling me I've arrived 'The Seven Bullets' written in handwriting similar to that on the cover, flipping the page over to an image of a bloody cross on a wall the details of what it had once been are barely there with only the name 'Leif' written in red marker along with a circled number one in the top right corner.

It was the same for the second body on the screen, a long haired brunette lying in the grass with a pool of blood around her originating from a hole in her chest the size of a fist, a two is written on the image like the first along with her name of Jessica underneath. Next was a headless priest with missing limbs and a bloody mess all around him worse than with Leif beforehand the name 'Badrick' and the number three with it.

Four and five were the brothers Valentine who were recruited and sent off to kill the round table while they were all together which ending in failure as both brothers died in the attempt along with the army of ghouls that went with them all that was left of them is a pile of ash that was once Jan, the crude and more annoying one of the pair, Luke not having anything but a blank image and his name. The Dandy Man was sixth and it all but confirmed what I had started to suspect, all of these were once agents of Millenium killed by Alucard over the past year, slowly and surely being picked off one by one until only the seventh remained, that was where I came in.

Sure enough my photo from earlier came to haunt me again on the last page, the seventh bullet was me and so it was Alucard's plan came to fruition the moment I killed The Major in the same way the seventh bullet and Max killed Kaspar.

"What was his plan, I do not understand?", Heinkel asks racking her brain over the issue.

Integra says in her calculated fashion staring intently at the programme in my hand, "In Der Freischutz Kaspar tries to trick the devil Samiel into taking the soul of Max to give him more time, he fails as the seventh magic bullet that was cast by Samiel kills him, Alucard's plan was to use the Lieutenant to kill the Millenium leadership in what to him was a highly ironic and humorous fashion", staring at Heinkel as if to ask if that was enough information for her.

"I think I get it", she says meekly when compared with earlier Integra's imposing presence probably having an affect on her.

Within three hours of the Deus Ex Machina going down a British strike force had entered the city and started searching for survivors, their engines were heard long before we saw them, a helicopter lands next to what is left of Nelson's Column, after a small stream of soldiers secures the area around the exit incase the large group of special forces sitting around the burnt out skeleton of the Deus Ex Machina had missed something. Once they were totally certain it was safe two old men walk out after them, the one on the right wearing a military uniform and a beret, the one on the left in a suit and glasses.

"Lady Integra", the suited gentleman shouts out hurrying towards us.

"Sir Irons", she replies familiarly obviously glad that he is here to meet us.

"It is glad to find you well, when we lost contact with command we feared the worst but we still had faith", he smiles at her not showing much emotion behind his tinted glasses.

"And that explosion was an excellent signal, the moment we had secured our defenses around London we rounded up what we could to relieve you in the city proper", the general says cheerfully patting his colleague on the back, Sir Irons acts like nothing had happened standing still like a statue, "Yes, and now that their main attack force is destroyed and they have only scattered remnants and traitors around we have decided to let the army handle this issue".

"I highly disagree Irons, they are still vampires and Hellsing's job to exterminate them" Integra's anger flaring up at being ignored when they made that decision.

"As much as Hellsing is appropriate for the task you have only two members... "

"Three", Integra interrupts with Irons continuing as if he hadn't even been interrupted at all.

"Three members left in your entire organisation, let the army deal with this one Integra".

"Yes sir", she is angry and as much as I can tell she doesn't want to back down so easily his logic is infallible, we aren't ready for such a threat.

"Excellent, you are needed in Edinburgh as we have enacted the Churchill Plan and we need someone with your experience at the top influencing the sheep at Holyrood before they start messing everything up as they tend to do", turning around returning into the helicopter, it's rotors beginning to spin again as he approaches.

"Good luck Integra", the general says as an aide drags him away their conversation moving onto troop movements and incoming TROJAN's, "Thank you Walsh", Integra following Irons towards the helicopter, "come on then miss burn-them-all unless you want to be stuck in London for the foreseeable future".

Heinkel begins the round up her survivors with only a few complaints at Integra's expense though always out of earshot of her not wanting to end up being left behind with a none too happy British Army. Filling up the helicopter with her wounded trapping those lucky enough to escape intact together like sardines in the middle, managing to end up by a window I watch as we fly away from London, the ruined city still burning on like Dresden while the roof of St. Pauls remains as untouched as it had during World War Two, it was a good symbol of Hellsing & Iscariot as a whole despite both organisations managing to fit together in a single helicopter, we were down but we are far from out.


And that is it for chapter two folks, while I am annoyed that a large part of the start is just Rip watching Alucard & Anderson fight I felt that it was too important a moment to miss out because it was in the orignal. I hope you enjoyed it regardless and if you want to review it please do as I want to hear what you feel of my writing, see you in the next update whenever that gets done.