I do not own Hellsing or its characters.

Story is set after the end of anime.

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''Would you please tell me your name, Alucard referred to you only as police girl.''

''Oh I'm Seras Victoria.''

''Eddie Mann, nice to meet you.''

''Can I ask you something?''

''Yeah sure.''

''Well when master told that we will be staying at ex-Hellsing operative I expected someone retired, with gray hair and all. But you are much too young to be retired so how come you are out of organization?''

''We'll come to that eventually, but not yet, we don't want you to have night, uh I mean daymares want we?''

''Oh one thing more. I couldn't help but to notice your CD collection and, well, I never met anyone who listens to Iron Maiden, I thought their fans perished alongside dinosaurs.''

Eddies face changed: Yes I know that younger generations are mesmerized by computerized crap they call rave and infestation of boy and girl bands. Musical history is subjected to same turns as general history. As the times of civilized prosperity are followed by the times of savagery, so are in music times of quality and originality rule followed, by rule of commercialized glamour. Say can you remember who were ... New kids on the block.''

''Eeeh. No?''

''And yet you know about Iron Maiden. It means that our time will come again and then the rivers SHALL RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF INFIDELS!!!''

I think I know now why is he out, this guy is 100 lunatic.

''Did I played it well?''

''Oh what?''

''I guess I did.''

''Are you crazy?''

''No just psyhotic.''

''Should I worry about that?''

''Not really. Now please go to bedroom because I would like to let some sunlight in here. If you can't sleep, help yourself to the bookshelves. It would be good for you if you started with some serious literature like Sun Tzu: Art of war or Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince. We are the army and we fight the war of the unseen.''

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Victoria reflected on her situation. Eddie had left to meet some journalist. Some hour ago he made himself lunch the sounds and scents took her back to the days long gone. Gone they were. Everybody that she felt for was gone. So will Walter and Integra as they are already in the hands of enemy. And Master...

''Don't wallow in self pity, leave the past behind you and live for this very moment. You won't become the phantom of the night by dwelling in the lost time.''

---------

For at least a while the meeting diverted Eddies thoughts from friends he lost, nevertheless he politely turned down the invitation to her apartment. As he neared his apartment house he pondered about his chances. Prospects were grim but hell, he denied the ripper of his prize up so far in spite of everything his fate threw at him.

He unlocked the door.

''Good evening''

''Hi. Slept well?

''I couldn't''

''Did you tried to read anything then?''

''No''

''Had your dinner already?''

''I had no apetite for days.''

''What?! You haven't drank in days?!

''Yes I can't stand th...''

''Listen to me! Start drinking now or I'll fucking kill you for safety reasons. I don't want to die because the vampire in my bedroom suddenly became hungry. Go to fridge and drink one blood pack or I'll send you to realm of eternal suffering right away Alucards fledgling or not. GO!''

Victoria went to kitchen, took blood pack and started sucking the blood plasma through straw. Such bastard, cold hearted asshole. She had more right to call herself a human than he did.

''Hey Victoria are you finished''

''If I say no will you shoot me?'' she replied sarcastically.

''Well what do you prefer FMJ, HP or silver.''

''What, no blanks?''

''Look if you don't come here now, I will pour down on you the bucket of boiling holy water that I'm saving for the Apocalypse.''

''I'm coming, I'm coming''

Eddie had already emptied his backpack on the table. Fragmental hand grenades, phosphorus hand grenades, Vz-61 scorpion with silencer, reserve mags...

''Hey isn't that police uniform?''

''Complete, with forged ID. In this war the main weapons are information and ruse although we shouldn't underestimate good old brute force. You are going to reconnoiter locations marked on this map. If you detect any interesting activity use the camera. Drop at this address at 4.AM, tell them you are my friend and that you came to pick up the data they gathered.''

''Wait a minute, how am I to explain my vampire like features?''

''Tell them that you are into Vampire the Masquerade, if they notice it at all, that is. Given the time this computer freaks will probably have blood red eyes themselves.

Two more things: money for expenses and mobile phone for communication. When talking, never use our real names and talk indirectly. Understood?''

''Sort of.''

''Will you take a weapon with you?''

''No, I'll avoid trouble.''

''Ok see you in the morning.''

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So the days went in painstaking gathering of seemingly trivial information. Eddie insisted that the big picture is not in one big file but divided into hundreds seemingly unconnected little pieces of information. And then the seed that was planted through that freelance journalist came to blossom. During live TV interview high ranking government official got literally torn apart on Tower topic. How careless of sir Penwood to let this go out live. Like a pack of hunting dogs that smelled blood descended journalists on this story. One newspaper article was especially on point.

''I hope she got a good price.''

''Your ''media'' contact.''

''Yes.''

''Isn't she in danger now.''

''I warned her but she wanted to do it. Sooner or later the MI5 or Special Branch will find the connection with so well go in hiding in few days.''

''The article, is it true?''

''For most parts it is.''

''And I thought the order started after the Dracula novel.''

''Truth is so precious that it must kept under constant guard of lies. And that is the main purpose of the novel, to turn the vampires and the Hellsing name a fairy tale. Honestly, when you were alive did you belive in vampires and secret organization called Hellsing?''

Victoria smiled:''Hell no.''

''And just a thought that queen would give some foreigner a title, his own order and the place at the round table is simply absurd. There would be second Glorious revolution within a day. And yet the Glorious revolution was the last chance in history that foreigner could achive that. If I'm not wrong that's the time that Round table as we know it was founded, out of key characters of Jakobs overthrow. The Round table was actually ruling the kingdom since Viliem and his successors were more interested in European politics than England. The Hellsing was sort of trojan horse, keeping an eye on the round table for the ever absent king. And there is also Order of Royal Protestant Knights. As you know Army is controlled by parliament so the Order is the only armed force under direct control of monarch. And the order is even older than Round table. I'm sure you heard about the templar knights. Well when the king of France and pope crushed them, surviving members of the inner circle fled to England. They offered their services and their knowledge to the king. Enemy of my enemy is my ally, so he accepted. They kept low profile, served the king and nurtured the knowledge. With time their armed component vanished and only safekeeping of the knowledge remained. Until the Revolution. When Jakob II. landed in Ireland, the parliament wouldn't let him use the English army, so he led regiments made of Dutch regulars, french Huguenots, Ulster protestants and various mercenaries. After war was won he created a new force approved by Round table: Order of Royal Protestant Knights or shortly just Order. He simply added a group of volunteers from his army in Ireland to what remained of templars. The task of order was to protect the king and the protestant faith wherever in the world. It was always a small force but could swell to monarchs own army if he wished so. Today the task of protecting the protestant faith has shrunk to Anglican and Presbyterian churches and even them the Order defends only from unnatural threats. Damn I need a glass of water.''

''How do you know all of this?''

''I have been piecing a little bits of historical information into bigger picture in my free time.''

Mobile phone beped. Eddie read the massage from the journalist. It read: Some wierd guys are shadowing me.

''This is getting bloody serious,'' Eddie smirked.

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FMJ – Full Metal Jacket,

HP – Hollow Point