The Hellsing Files:
Order 1: Fullmetal Potter.
Integra put down the phone after hearing what Walter had to say. From the sounds of it, there was a good old fashioned vampire attack occurring at a boat launch just south of Chichester. As usual, the police had gone in, gotten slaughtered, called in a SWAT team, and had gotten that slaughtered as well. "One of these days, they'll learn," Integra said irritably as she looked over personnel reports.
She frowned. According to the reports only two personnel were combat ready. All others were either out on missions or were recovering from completed ones. "Harry Potter and Edward Elric," Integra muttered. She did not want to send people so young into battle by themselves. Picking up the phone, she dialed rapidly. "Walter," she said upon hearing the butler's voice. "I've decided that you are to provide backup for Potter and Elric. Let them complete the mission, but if something goes wrong, step in."
From his end, Walter nodded. Realizing he was talking into a phone he quickly added. "Yes ma'am." Hanging up, he shook his head as he went to brief Potter and Elric on their mission. "As I recall, I was no older than either of them when I was off killing vampires and Nazis. I fear we coddle out youth too much these days," he said wistfully to himself as he approached the briefing room where he expected to find Potter and Elric.
The two boys were sitting alone in a room full of metal folding chairs placed in front of a projector. Walter took his place at the front of the room and regarded them with a grandfatherly amusement. "Your first mission as part of Hellsing; aren't you both exited?"
Ed nodded firmly while Harry turned a deeper shade of green. As Walter briefed them on what to expect upon entering the dockside town, Ed fidgeted in his chair, growing more exited by the second. By the time Walter finished, Harry had passed out on the floor.
"Hello Chief Malfas," Integra said to the bespectacled man wearing a suit. He was surrounded by police of various ranks who were all chattering away like hens. "There's a vampire down there, you're only feeding it, this is a job for Hellsing, we've got experts, blah, blah, blah," she said walking past him and sitting down in a chair reserved for people in command.
"S-sir Hellsing? I'm glad you came," Malfas said. "I'm afraid the situation is quite serious. Our spotters report two young teenagers are in the area. We haven't been able to reach them…I sent people after them but I'm afraid they'll have become casualties before we reach them in time."
"Relax Malfas, those boys are our newest experts," Integra said lighting up a cigar while Chief Malfas seemed to be developing an asthma attack.
Harry and Ed crouched low in the bushes as they watched the activity along the wharves. Two boats were on fire, in the light of the flames the boys could see a vision of hell. Over fifty people, police and civilians, had become ghouls. They were wandering about aimlessly, some stopping to chew the flesh off a fallen corpse. Harry vomited quietly behind a tree, and even Ed looked sickened. "Where's the vampire that created them?" Ed whispered to Harry when he returned.
Harry scanned the scene with his golden snitch spotting eyes. "I don't see it. Maybe it left?" The sound of a woman singing nixed that idea. Harry and Ed's attention shot to a large, beautiful sailboat. Harry squinted, by the light of the flames he could barely read the ships name in black letters on its white hull. "HMS Beagle," Harry said.
"Let's sneak in for a closer look," Ed said.
"Here, we'll use this." Harry pulled his invisibility cloak from his backpack and draped it over him and Ed. It was a cramped fit and they could barely walk, but they managed to sneak over to the Beagle, past the ghouls and the flames.
"Denn wir fahren. Gegen England! Auf nach England!" the voice sang.
"Say what?" Ed said listening to the lyrics and trying to see what was happening on the deck of the Beagle.
"I think it's German or something," Harry whispered.
"German? Those people with the zeppelin things? Why are they always bombing this country?" Ed said, sounding annoyed.
"Uh, I think a better question is why are they wrecking people's boats…and singing about it."
For an answer, Ed led Harry up the gangplank onto the deck of the Beagle. They stopped upon seeing what looked to be soldiers of some sort standing at attention near the bow. "Hey, soldiers. Maybe Sir Integra sent them to help us," Ed whispered.
Harry eyed the swastika on their armbands. "I don't think so," he said, feeling nervous.
"Denn wir wollen es nicht langer erleiden." The singer of the unfamiliar song could now be seen. She was a tall, thin woman with long black hair that extended far down her back. She was wearing a man's suit, as black as her hair, making her pale white skin look all the whiter. She turned to face the soldiers, still singing. The reflection of the flames in her glasses made her look like some sort of demon, fresh off the boat from hell.
"What's that she's got slung over her back?" Ed asked.
"Looks like a…musket?" Harry was puzzled to see such an ancient weapon in the hands of a modern soldier. At least he supposed she was some sort of solider, the way the others were saluting her.
"Wir lachen die…" she was interrupted by a nervous looking soldier who broke rank and coughed.
"Uh, Lieutenant," he said weakly in a German accent.
"What is it?" the woman snapped.
"I think there has been some sort of mistake…"
"Mistake? What sort of mistake? We were sent to capture this ship and we have captured it. Soon the Major's plan will…"
The soldier removed a piece of paper from his uniform pocket and looked at it nervously. "That's just it Lieutenant, I think we're on the wrong ship."
The woman stepped forward and snatched the paper from his hands. Leaning her musket against her side she held in front of her, gripping it with both hands. "Let's see here, proceed with detachment to harbor, check. Make contact with British defectors…" she looked up at the swarms of civilian ghouls, "check. Secure the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle…" she looked up at the seventy foot long sailboat. "Oh…" gritting her teeth she handed back the paper to the soldier.
"The Major is going to be pissed, isn't he?" the soldier said, tucking the paper away in his pocket.
"Not if he doesn't find out about it," the woman said. "I am the Huntress Rip van Winkle and what the Major doesn't know won't punish me." She looked around at her troops. "Prepare to sail! We'll use the Beagle to reach the Eagle and act like everything went according to plan!" she shouted.
Harry and Ed were forced to back up against the a wall to avoid the rush of soldiers as they moved to set sail. "Crap. This is bigger than we thought. What should we do?" Ed asked.
"Sink this boat and kill all of these vampires I guess," Harry said nervously.
Ed nodded. "Alright. Let's move somewhere where a sudden hole in the ships hull will sink it. I'll use my alchemy. If anything goes wrong, whip out your wand and do that voodoo that you do so nicely."
"I don't do voodoo, I do magic," Harry said defensively.
Back on shore Walter watched from his position behind the chimney of a small dockside office. He hadn't seen Elric and Potter since they donned the cloak but he had a feeling they were on the deck of the Beagle. He had also heard Lieutenant Rip's little conversation and it made him breathe a bit easier. "They're dumber than that Jan Valentine chap. I guess I'll leave this to the rookies after all."
Too be continued…