Chapter 14 "Tag Out"

It was done. The targets in the compound had been taken care of. My blade was hilt deep in the last vampire of the residence, a man who'd taken in and adopted several of the vampire children as his own. He seemed to be a nice person, but he had to die…right? These people lived peacefully but how did they maintain such happiness? They fed on the lives of others, but still…I can't help but think that humans do the same and to each other. I don't agree with Hellsing, just because a person was too weak to accept death doesn't make them worthy of killing. I won't hide behind a warped version of their faith and claim that the act of killing others is justified. Not for this reason, I fought for my country, for my family so they won't have their lives decided by others. I didn't want my family's very existence to be controlled by people so afraid of failure that they'd make their own monsters and trust another person with the entire world. I killed these vampires, no, these people just because they were another species than me, there is nothing heroic about that.

I held the dying monst-man in my arms and slowly lowered him to the pavement. I had run him through the chest with a kunai. Given the fact he was still solid I assumed that I had missed the heart. "Why?" He asked, begging for reason. He wanted to know why his new family, their perfect and peaceful life, had been destroyed by a pair of teens. "You are a vampire and kill humans to survive. That's all." I answered coldly, but after several seconds of silence I quickly added, "I'm sorry. I know it's in your nature." He just stared blankly as the rage built up inside him before leaning towards me. He was no doubt trying to rip out my throat with his teeth, avenge his family as a good father would. My face tightened as I grabbed the kunai handle jutting out of his stomach and pulled it up hard with a loud snap, the sound of bone cracking and his heart tissues tearing. He immediately fell silent before turning into burning ash. I slumped my head before I retrieved the knife and motioning Katsuye over to my side. She walked over with our shotgun slung over her shoulder and the curved knife I got from Walter in her right hand. "Keep your eyes closed until I say so," I muttered before I touched her shoulder and activating the seal I carved into Integra's doorframe.

Katsuye and I reappeared in the air, a couple of inches off the ground, in the main hallway of the Hellsing Estate. I knocked on the door as we plopped on the floor and entered after getting the okay. "It is done," I said upon entering only to see that all the notable figures in the compound were here. Pip, Seras and Alucard were seated in front of Integra's desk, which she occupied, while Walter was posted by the door. I froze and motioned for Katsuye to do the same, my Sharingan was active and I could clearly see where all of Walter's razor sharp wires were aligned along the doorway. "Expecting someone?" I asked as Walter retracted the wires with a couple of strange arrangements of his fingers. "My apologies Kirisuto, a lot has happened yesterday." He explained as he withdrew the last of the wires. I nodded, in complete understanding, as I blinked and my Sharingan was disabled. Kat and I walked to opposite ends of the seated soldiers and stood, waiting for instructions. Integra began to speak, "Alright a short while ago a warship named the SS Eagle was hijacked by Millennium forces, we have reason to believe they had one of their own or a turncoat aboard the freighter. No humans remain on the ship and we must take it out. The problem is that we don't know how many troops on onboard and if they reach land we could have an all out invasion on our hands. Any thoughts of how to deal with this?" She explained surprising me."Why'd they make such a big event out of it? Seems like a trap or something." I said causing Pip to nod. "I agree. The Somali pirates on my last job would always cause a fire or set off a car bomb to draw our attention on one front before sneaking up on us from another." He asserted. "I could take the fastest plane available and land on this ship. Kill the crew and disable the ship." Alucard suggested. "But you don't know how many…there…are…" Seras started before Alucard gave her a dark grin of challenge. "I can handle any of the rats that infest that ship." He boasted before looking at Integra with a feral look. "Just use me, my Master. You are the one at the reigns and I am merely the steed, I don't care about those I trample, I only exist to take you to your destination as quickly as possible." He said excitedly, I could tell Seras, Pip and even Kat were put off by his presence, even though the serpentine woman couldn't understand his words. "We are going to see if we can get that fool Penwood to listen. This situation is way out of his field of…understanding." She ordered, trying to find words for how out of place the knight's tactics for fighting soldiers would be against Millennium. I bowed as Alucard kneeled, surprising Seras and Pip. Pip made his way towards the barracks to organize his men for an elevated level of security, "I guess he's staying here." Seras said, voicing my thoughts. I nodded in response as I followed the blond women.

The vampires, Walter, Integra and I walked to the roof and discovered a weird machine was on top of the manor, it had large blades fixated at the top of the thing and they turned quickly. I poked Seras in the shoulder to ask what it was, "Oh, that's a helicopter, they can fly." She answered softly, somewhat off. "I can tell she's not afraid or nervous…there is a special feeling for when you feel you are about to meet people who want to kill you." I thought quietly. As we entered the cabin of the helicopter I de-summoned Katsuye and sat next to Seras. "So tell me about your mission you had while I was gone, the one in Brazil." I said, trying to ease her mind. Her expression darkened as she began to speak, "The police chiefs were paid by Millennium to kill us, when that didn't work another vampire appeared who could use explosive playing cards. He could use magic playing cards, he was like you in a way." I snorted in disbelief. "Did he win with this magic? Were these cards as effective as my Jutsu?" I asked. "No, Master killed him and his cards weren't even powerful enough to destroy the building's cement roof. But the problem isn't that he was weak…" She started before looking down at the floor before Integra's hand came into view making a shooing motion. "I've decided that you two will stay and defend the estate, defend it with your lives, I have a feeling this boat isn't the Major's only plan of attack. That monster has had decades to wait for blood to moisten his palate, he won't be so restrained as to attack in waves. He will rush like a hog to the feed and we must be waiting, ensuring that the babes don't succumb to the creature's greedy, lustful hunger as well." I nodded. "I'll ready my blade to ensure this beast won't breed anymore like it. I was bred to be a sheep dog and I'll do what I was born to do: cull the herd." I responded before asking integra to hold out her hand, to take a handkerchief with an ornate inscription on it I pulled out of my pocket. "What is this? A gift?" She asked puzzled, I flashed a small smile in response. "I guess, this seal allows me to appear by your side at a moment's notice, press the center and will for me to be there and I'll come." I said, she looked doubtful but agreed nonetheless, placing the handkerchief in the inner pocket of her jacket. As Seras and I backed up to allow the helicopter to leave Integra tapped sword's sheath against the bulkhead and nodded to the negative. "On second thought, you stick with me, Kirisuto. Give Ms. Victoria your little tribute and help Walter guard me." She said before handing me the piece of cloth. My expression grew surprised and confused, but I followed the order nonetheless. "Why'd you change your mind?" I asked as I gave Seras the handkerchief. "Does it matter?" She answered before falling silent. I summoned my shotgun and pulled out one of the shells it uses, which were still in production in this world and easily obtainable as I learned from Walter. "Take this, Seras. The ammo for it is in the locker, shells are pretty distinct so you won't have a problem finding them. I think you and Pip can manage without me don't you?" I said jokingly before placing the firearm in her hands. She smiled before accepting the weapon. "Sure. I'll see you all later. Master, Sir Integra, Walter and Ki— Whiskers." I pulsed the nine tails' chakra and caused my namesake markings to appear on my face along with the fox's eyes. "Police Girl," I said as the helicopter took off.

I gripped the shotgun a bit tighter before slinging it across my shoulders and finish watching the helicopter fly away with squinting eyes, the midday sun assaulting my vision. "Well, time to get to work." I adjusted my neck strap before walking back inside, ready for battle.

An Hour After Sunset

I was posted in the corner of a dining room, complete with a chandelier and candles mounted on the walls, peering out the window. I was waiting, anxious but not reckless, for the enemy to show itself. Communications with Sir Integra and the British Forces was cut off around thirty minutes ago so Mr. Pip ordered for all soldiers to get ready for combat in case Millennium attempted a siege. Pip was currently going over how to properly kill a vampire or ghoul with his men, pointing his revolver at his head followed by his heart. "That may be the least responsible thing I've ever seen." I said with a dark monotone voice, taken back by the level of stupidity I was bearing witness to. He rolled his eyes before dismissing his men, most of them walked out the door to go to their designated stations while others stayed and posted up around the room. Pip suddenly stopped acting carefree and a menacing glare shone in his visible eye. I followed his gaze and my breath caught in my throat, there was a giant airship soaring in the air…towards us. Pip put his hand on my shoulder and said, "They are here and you are going to greet them for us, Seras. Move on up to the roof, you'll get the best angle from there." He suggested causing me to smile. He then ordered for me to shut my eyes, confused, I did so before the smell of cheap liquor and unwashed hair assaulted my nostrils. I opened my eyes to see Pip's lips were inches from my own, I panicked and darted backwards, not wanting to hurt him with a punch. My face contorted in embarrassed anger and he looked deflated, I heard his men making kissing noises in the background and scowled. "Keep your shit together down here, Okay!? I don't want to have to come save your sorry asses." I responded before walking out causing the mercenaries, including Pip, to laugh. I bolted to the armory with a red face thinking one word, "Assholes."

As the airship got with a few hundred yards from the estate I readied my weapons, a pair of belt-fed, 30mm auto cannons named the Harkonnen 2. My fingers twitched over the triggers as the face of the zeppelin penetrated the clouds. It fired a barrage off missiles as it exited its natural cover. I grimaced and focused on the explosives with my "third eye" that Alucard described, I felt a tug on my consciousness then felt where and when to fire at them. I shot upwards at a steep incline, seemingly nowhere close to where the missiles would ever go but just as the bullets lost velocity the missiles arched upwards from where they were pointing. It seemed these were made to strike the target vertically and had secondary thrusters to direct them once they were ejected. The 30mm rounds met the missiles and they exploded. Now defenseless for a few seconds, I targeted the airship and unloaded my large drums of ammunition into the helium filled vessel. It combusted and was lit after a few seconds of continuous fire. It sharply fell, as if the ship was suicidal and wanted to kill us with a kamikaze attack. I furiously yelled at it and used another technique that Kiri helped me create, "Hands of the Fallen." Darkness erupted from the ground itself, but they originated from nowhere in the tangible universe, the hands of the 133,316,666 demons of Hell gripped the ship in their talons and pulled down, throwing it and tearing it to shreds. Though, I didn't see any dead soldiers or crew members, I heard Pip's voice over my throat mic, "They abandoned ship just before it hit the ground. Make your way down here to help us kill these cowardly rats, Seras." My eyes adjusted to be able to see silhouettes standing stationary in mass in front of the fires caused by ignited helium and hydrogen. I then noticed a good amount of Nazi soldiers had indeed survived. I grit my teeth and ditched the Harkonnen 2 in favor of its older counterpart, this was going to be my first time fighting multiple vampires alone and I was ready to fight.

Chapter End