Seras's glare hardened as she strained to keep power flowing where she wanted it. A couple meters before her, a large, heavy book floated seemingly effortlessly at about her eye level. After a couple days of training, she'd figured out how to get the book there. Problem was getting it to stay. Suddenly, Alucard walked over and plucked the book from the air. Seras relaxed quickly and rubbed her eyes. "What?" she asked. "Was I doing it wrong?"

"No," he replied. "You were supporting the book well. I just didn't want you to drain yourself quite so soon." He set the book down on a nearby table and moved over to a chair. That day, they'd relocated to the Hellsing library for Seras's training. High shelves filled with books, an ornate fireplace, and a number of chairs, tables, and desks decorated the room. Orange light from flames in the fireplace gave the room a flickering glow. It was night, and still in the colder months of the year. Alucard gestured to another chair. "Sit. Take a break for a moment."

Seras moved over to the proffered chair and sat. "No arguments here… What next?"

"A short lesson," Alucard replied. Seras leaned forward, interested. She'd always been curious about her master's past, but anything he wanted to talk about was fine with her. And as her training had progressed, her interest had only grown. "You might have noticed the skill level of most vampires Hellsing encounters."

"Yes," Seras replied. During these various lessons, she'd been encouraged to speak her mind. Even if she was wrong in her guess, it showed she was paying attention. "Mostly weaker, more violent vampires. They seem to think they'll gain strength through combat or by drinking blood."

Alucard nodded. "Precisely. Not all vampire bloodlines are the same. Different bloodlines usually have different abilities, or greater strength than another in a certain ability. Older vampires call this a distinction between 'weak' and 'strong' blood vampires." Seras simply nodded. She didn't have anything to blurt out right then. "Weak blood vampires tend to have more basic abilities. They're more prone to violence, even if there are ways to get what they need without killing. Strong blood vampires are usually more interested in finding somewhere to rest. They'll form deals with local human governments, which allow them to live in peace and still get the blood they need. All they want is to be left alone, but when they are forces to fight they are a terror beyond with most humans have ever seen."

"Where did the Valentine brothers fall on that list?" Seras asked.

"Weak. Strong for their type, certainly, but still weak blood. Shalrik and Breka are examples of strong blood vampires who like causing chaos." He smirked. "Without my binds, I'm the strongest."

Her expression was somewhere between smiling and shaky. "Of that I'm sure…"

Alucard's eyes closed, his head turning a bit in concentration. He smirked again. "Well, looks like the poor Vatican whipping boy has decided to make his presence known again. When will you learn "Father", when will you learn?"

A slight tremor of shock ran thought her. "Paladin Anderson?" Her neck started to hurt again where his blade had pierced her long before.

"Yes," he replied. "He's in England again. Sir Integra has just been informed." Alucard looked at Seras. "I believe we should make our presence known. I will meet you in her study." With a final smirk, he walked into one of the room's shadows and vanished.

Hadn't even given her time to squeak… She should've expected that. Seras started for the door, curious… and nervous… about what Alucard might be planning.

///

The shadows parted for Alucard, allowing him into Sir Integra's study, what Jemeth had always called her 'office'. In the room was Sir Integra, of course, Walter, and Fargason. Seemed they'd been having some sort of briefing when he stopped by. Alucard walked to his usual place near her desk. She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. "The Police Girl is on her way up," he simply said. Sure enough, the door opened and Seras entered the room. She walked over to her usual position and waited to hear what was going on.

Sir Integra spoke. "We've made two discoveries. First, a vampire group has moved into Restormel Castle. The castle is currently closed to visitors, so there is less danger to the public. Normally I would want to order a normal operation to silence them, but the second discovery cancels that." Alucard knew that she knew that they knew what was going on. Still, he kept quiet. This time, he didn't feel like stealing her thunder. "Paladin Anderson has been spotted in the area."

Now, Alucard spoke. "You want to send me and Seras to deal with the wayward priest, correct?"

"Yes," Integra replied. "Depart as soon as you are ready. We have fast transportation standing by for you, Victoria."

"Actually, Sir Integra," Alucard said, "there's something I would like to try."

Sir Integra paused, looking at him for a moment. "Very well. Make your arrangements as you will. You two are dismissed."

Alucard turned and started for the door, Seras lingering a moment before following. Alucard decided to, for once, leave through the door and walk with Seras down to the armory. They would grab their gear, then he would run his little experiment.

///

Something was happening. Where there had been calm a few minutes before, people were now moving around with a lot more energy. It was night, pretty late at that. Akira Nasori looked around, but stayed in the chair she'd been offered. Roland said he'd find her. If nothing happened, he'd take her to somewhere to sleep. If something happened, well, it would be the moment they'd been waiting for.

Sure enough, the black man appeared in the crowd and came over to her. "We found him. He's been spotted in a mall not too far from here. We're not sure why he's there, but we're not going to miss this chance. You still up for this?"

Akira stood. "Yes, I am. I just hope I'm actually a help."

Roland nodded. "I hope so too… Come on."

It seemed the troops had already gotten a briefing. Akira joined a small number of soldiers moving through the underground portion of this base. She knew they were heading for the hangers. Over the last couple days she'd been there, she had heard jets taking off and landing from inside the base. She was actually kinda curious what they were, so she was looking forward to getting into the hanger.

When they entered, she wasn't exactly disappointed. More like confused. What sat before her was no jet. It was a V-22 Osprey. It had been in active use by the Marines for a year or so. It had a straight wing with oversized propellers in rotating nacelles at its tips, and an elevator with twin rudders at the back. It was still an advanced aircraft… but it wasn't the jet she'd heard. She turned to Roland. "I thought you used…" she trailed off, suddenly unsure if she should be talking about what she'd heard.

It seemed that it wasn't as sensitive a topic as she feared. "Jets? Yes, we do. But we're heading into a public area, so we'll use one of the Ospreys. Actually, the jets should be getting to the military within the next few years. They're pretty much the decedents of the Osprey." Roland led Akira and the troops into the Osprey. The pilots were already in the cockpit, and were in their pre-flight checklist. Roland joined them, offering a seat nearby to Akira. As she sat, he spoke to them. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, sir," the pilot answered. Roland wasn't wearing the same uniform as they were. He'd told Akira he wasn't military. But the troops called him 'sir' out of respect. "We'll be ready to lift in a minute or so."

"Good. Take off when ready." He came back to the open seat and strapped in. As the pre-flight was finished, the remaining troops loaded up and strapped in. "This won't be a long flight," Roland told Akira. She nodded, settling back. She was getting nervous… but she reminded herself that Matt would do it for her. She would do this for him.

Soon enough, the back hatch was closed, the engines were started, and the aircraft lifted from the floor. Heading straight up out of the hanger, the pilot moved the nacelle controls and started the Osprey forward. True to Roland's word, they landed not fifteen minutes later. The back hatch dropped, and the troops quickly exited. They formed up, waiting Roland's instructions.

The mall was mostly dark. It was after closing. Save for security, no one would be present. Actually, the group of people standing a short distance away was probably the security guards. What had brought Matthew there was unclear, but he was still in the building.

Roland walked to a position six paces in front of the DPSD troops' formation. "Makenzi, Folen, you're with Ms. Nasori. First squad, use the main entrance and cover one side of Jemeth. Second and third squad, use the closest side entrance. Keep silence for now. Move out!"

The troops split up, save for Roland and the two that jogged over to Akira. "Ma'am," one said in greeting. Roland gave her a final nod of encouragement and started off after first squad.

Akira looked to her escorts. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." They nodded to her. The trio ran after second and third squad, entering the mall close behind them. A few interior lights were on, mostly in the hallways. All the storefronts were dark and barred. They rounded a corner, entering a brightly lit part of the mall. First squad was standing in a semi-circle, weapons drawn. Second and third squad did the same.

In the center of the circle stood Matthew Jemeth.

He was a lot different from when Akira had last seen him. He was wearing all black. His sword was in hand. And he didn't look at any of the soldiers, instead staring toward the floor ten feet ahead and to the side of him. Akira walked to the side of the formation. Makenzi and Folen stayed beside her. Their weapons were held to the side, but were ready to snap up at a moment's notice. They'd done some guiding, moving her towards a heavy planter which would provide some cover if need be.

Akira knew what she was there for. The soldiers between her and Jemeth parted, allowing her to see him. He was facing away from her, but she still had to try. "Matt?" she called to him. "Matt? It's Akira. What ever has happened, it's all right. We can help. Just, please, put down your sword and come with us, ok?"

Matthew stirred. For a moment, Akira thought she might be getting through to him. But when he turned and locked his eyes with hers… She knew her words had meant nothing to him. He smirked at her. "Just so you know, your ex heard you loud and clear. I'll be sure to replay your words for him now and then… along with rewatching your death." He reached out his free hand… and one of the soldiers yelped as his M4 was yanked from his hands.

Roland reacted instantly. "Fire!"

The soldiers of the DPSD were well trained. They'd made a formation where no one would be shooting towards another. But Matthew was already on the move. He leapt from the circle and returned fire. One soldier fell, his leg pierced by several of the 223 caliber bullets. Makenzi dropped his rifle as a bloody hole appeared on his arm. Folen's leg took a hit and he fell. Akira grabbed Makenzi and hauled him behind the planter. Then, she grabbed Folen's outstretched arm and pulled him to safety.

Beside her rested one of the dropped M4s. Acting on instinct, she grabbed the rifle. She checked it was loaded, charged, and off safety, then leaned to the side of the planter. Matt was aiming for her. She ducked back as several bullets passed by the corner. She popped up, pulling the rifle to her shoulder and firing. By luck, her aim was true.

Matthew dropped his now destroyed rifle. Scowling at the group, he leapt from sight… and vanished.

Roland barked out, "Report!"

All soldiers were accounted for. Many had minor gunshot wounds, and none had life threatening injuries. They counted themselves as lucky as the wounded were carried from the mall to waiting Medivacs. Akira, shaky, handed the rifle she held to someone else. His troops cared for, Roland came over to her. "You all right, Ms. Nasori?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was just… really scary."

He nodded knowingly. "I'm sorry about that. We didn't know he'd developed that much power that quickly… But you should be proud of yourself. You reacted perfectly to the situation. Makenzi and Folen wanted me to thank you for pulling them back."

"Tell them they're welcome. But it just felt like the right thing to do."

"Come on," he said. "Let's head back to base. I think we all need to get some rest after that one…"

Akira nodded, not wanting to speak again. Matt had just tried to kill her… No. It wasn't Matt. It was something else… Something evil… Her Matt wouldn't ever do something like that.

She prayed there was something of her Matt left…

///

It was the strangest sensation Seras had ever experienced. One moment, she and Alucard were standing in the Hellsing armory, having gathered their weapons for the coming battle. The next, they were standing in the woods near Restormel Castle. It was still some time before dawn, with only starlight above them.

Alucard had done his usual teleportation, but that time he had pulled her along. Well, more accurately, tapped into her energies and used them to teleport her along with him. Seras quickly checked that her Glocks and Joshua had made the trip with them. Then, determining which was Restormel Castle was, she looked at Alucard. "Well, I'm ready. Shall we go?"

He smirked. "Actually, I thought you might give it a try this time."

"What?" Thankfully she managed to keep quiet. "Me? Fight Anderson? Alone?"

"You won't be totally alone. I'll be nearby if you need help." His expression changed, becoming one more like a mentor. "You need to get past your fear, Seras. You cannot let it rule you forever. So long as you do, Anderson will have power over you."

She paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. Like it or not, he was right. She had to fight Anderson. "All right," she said. "I'll do it."

"Good luck." He didn't smirk, didn't vanish, didn't do anything. He just stood there as Seras turned around and started toward Restormel Castle.

Restormel Castle wasn't a whole lot to talk about. It was old, certainly. That in itself made it somewhat impressive. But it mainly consisted of a circular structure enclosing a courtyard. There was some internal structure, but not much in the way of twists and turns. She approached, loading and cycling her weapons. She kept her Glocks drawn. She still needed both hands to handle Joshua, and she usually kept it for when she really needed the extra power. Around the perimeter, she saw signs of struggle. Pieces of ghouls, piles of ash. She saw a few scraps of holy writings, along with the signature blade of Paladin Alexander Anderson. Steeling her nerves, she walked through the entranceway. Somehow, the holy magic wasn't working at 100. The usual headache wasn't nearly as strong, and she could still feel Alucard outside the castle.

There were a few lights on within the castle; electric lights installed over the years. They cast a pale orange light over the grass courtyard. From the other side of the castle, she saw a vampire leap out. It was trying to unjam a weapon of some kind. But before he could, a single blade shot through the air and pierced his heart. It pinned him against a wall of the castle until he finally dissolved into ash. Seras jumped back a bit with a gasp.

Slowly, Paladin Anderson walked from the shadows into the courtyard. And he saw Seras quickly. He had a sword in one hand, his other reaching under his cloak for a second. "Well," he said, "if it isn't my lucky day. One little vampire away from her master."

Seras didn't reply. She'd frozen solid. 'I can't do this… Master, I need help! I can't do this alone!' she screamed in her thoughts.

Alucard's calm, steady voice entered her mind. 'Yes you can, Seras. And you must. If you truly wish to save Matthew, you must conquer this fear and move on to the next one. This priest has had a hold over you for too long.'

Seras found herself able to move again. She started by dodging the blade Anderson had thrown. It sliced past her shoulder as she brought up her fully automatic Glocks. Moving to the nearest available cover, she fired shorts bursts of nine millimeter rounds. Several struck Anderson, but if they had actually caused damage he didn't show it. He simply replied with another volley of blades. Seras ducked behind a ruined stone column, several blades bouncing aside. She leaned out, sending another few bursts of fire. Again, any hits were shrugged off. She needed more power. Holstering her Glocks, she drew Joshua. It had fought the Paladin before. It had enough punch back then to put Anderson down for a little while. Time to see if it still had the same kick in it.

She ducked down low, knowing Anderson would be waiting for her. Rather than lean, she rolled out from cover. The blades meant for her skull passed through air. She stopped in a crouch, aimed, and fired. The powerful 454 Casull round leapt from Joshua, streaking across the courtyard and connecting with Anderson's forearm. It blew in half, his hand and one sword falling to the grass. He looked up and growled at her.

Seras knew what he was thinking. She couldn't hear his thoughts, but she still knew. 'How could she hit me? She's not supposed to be able to hit me!' He wouldn't hold back any longer. He threw another sword, Seras rolling aside to dodge. As she stopped, she realized he'd thrown a second sword at where she'd rolled to. She rolled again, but the sword sliced across her left leg. She gave a yelp.

It was in the perfect wrong place. She couldn't run until it healed, and couldn't roll nearly as quickly to the right, the direction of nearest cover. Seras needed help. There was no way she'd get to safety in time.

And it seemed that someone had been watching, and knew of her predicament. Suddenly, Alucard burst through the main entrance, Jackal and Titan drawn and spitting fire. They first shattered the next sword Anderson had flung at Seras. Next, they broke the swords in his hands. Finally, they passed through his knees, driving him to the ground. Alucard held his fire, smirking. "My, my, you must be getting rusty, Paladin, for me to be able to sneak up like that. That, or I'm stronger than I realized. Either way, this has turned into a very good night for me." He moved his aim to Anderson's head. "Should I put you out of your misery, perhaps? Hard to imagine you living this down at the Vatican."

"I won't give you the pleasure, vampire," Anderson spat back. He nearly shot venom from his green eyes as he used his remaining arm to cast his teleportation spell. He vanished in a flurry of holy papers.

Alucard's pistols disappeared into his trench coat as he quickly walked over to Seras. It had taken her a moment, but she'd stood up to the Paladin Regenerator. He was actually a little impressed. Her leg had already healed itself, and she was getting to her feet. Alucard threw her another of his trademark smirks. "Nicely done, Police Girl."

Seras had somewhat gotten used to the comment, especially since he'd started actually use her proper name from time to time. She gave a small smile back. "I didn't beat him."

"True, but you did something. One thing I've always looked for in my opponents is if they actually do something, or if they get locked in fear after my first move. You're making good progress." His smirk became more a smile that a mentor gives a student. "That's enough for one night. I'll take us back to Hellsing Manor."

Seras walked over next to her master, preparing herself for the next teleport. Yes, she'd earned her rest that night. Maybe next time she'd be the one to drive Anderson away.

The scar on her neck wasn't hurting anymore.

///

Walter quickly got to the business in hand. "United States DPSD forces have engaged Mr. Jemeth. They experienced minor injuries and no losses. Apparently, they attempted to use Mr. Jemeth's former girlfriend to bring him in peacefully. The attempt failed. They have lost track of him, but are attempting to relocate him before he leaves the country."

Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing listened to his report, taking another drag from her cigar. "Has the DPSD contacted us yet?"

"They have. While they haven't asked for our assistance, they suggested we 'drop by for a chat'."

Integra only needed a moment to think before nodding. "I believe we will. Start assembling our forces. We'll take Alucard, Victoria, and our more elite squads with us. I want us ready to leave tomorrow afternoon." Their forces were somewhat spread. It would take some time to gather their forces. She preferred them moving as one unit, rather than meet at their final destination.

Walter bowed his head. "Yes, Sir Integra." He started out. While the timetable she'd set wasn't unreasonable, it was still a rather fast one. He would need to start right away to have everything in place in time.

///

A condemned, abandoned school in the middle of nowhere… That was all the Global Fangs had to work with? They'd had a good couple months with no one looking hard for them, and this was all they could work up? Matthew sighed. 'Maybe they'll have something a little more impressive inside.'

His side trip to the mall some distance away had been for a simple reason. The Global Fangs had left hidden clues on how they could be located. He'd first returned to the states to find them. If they had survived, he'd have something to work with. Amenthyl was still drawn, but held to his side. He might need to do a little convincing to get in the door. He probably wasn't the most popular vampire around there those days.

It was a moonless night, but his vampire enhanced vision cut through with no trouble. There were no visible lights coming from the structure, but Matthew could sense movement inside. He approached the cracked exterior of the building, heading for one of the old school's double doors. He pulled, mildly surprised to find it wasn't locked. As he entered, he saw that he'd been anticipated. In the darkened hallway a young vampire stood before him, pistol drawn and aimed square at his chest. "Listen," he said with a slight western accent, "we don't want a fight. You just turn around and go back the way you came, ok?" The young man… barely above the stage of 'boy'… tried to keep a tough image. But Matthew could see him nearly trembling with fear.

Matthew sighed. He wasn't in the mood to put up with this shit. This 'boy' could be scared on his own time. Matthew stepped forward and brought Amenthyl up in a slash.

The front half of the vampire's pistol's barrel fell off.

Matthew brought the sword's tip up to point at the vampire's right eye. "That could easily have been you, so you listen to me. I'm not here to cause you any further 'distress'. Take me to see the guy in charge. Now."

It was almost comical. The 'boy' looked like he was about to piss his pants. That he kept himself from it is what impressed Matthew the most. The 'boy' turned and started down the hall, numbly dropping the remains of his pistol. Matthew let Amenthyl return to his side, checked his jacket was still in place, and followed. He was led what was probably the school's old library. Candles and torches gave the room light. A number of other vampires armed with various weapons, mostly pistols and assault rifles, stood around the room. Their weapons were drawn, but not aimed.

A single vampire stood at the center of the group. He had short light brown hair, a long face, and wore a black trench coat. Underneath the coat Matthew saw blue jeans and a purple t-shirt. He said only one word. "Speak."

Matthew's reply was simple. "I'm here to join."

He drew a few quiet chuckles. The one before him spoke again. "Because of you, we're nearly wiped out. Driven us to this shit hole of a base. Why shouldn't we just silence you where you stand?"

"Because with me around you stand a chance against the DPSD and Hellsing." He paused a moment. "What? Did you actually think they were going to leave you alone forever? The moment you so much as twitch a finger, they'll be all over you." That was something of a lie. He had no doubt Hellsing and the DPSD would strike them down if they got too frisky, but they probably didn't have plans for their immediate destruction. At least not until they learned he was among them.

This guy didn't know that, though. But he did have a good sense of paranoia. "And you just happen to have a change of heart that brings you to our side? Right. Like I'm buying that."

Matthew fixed him in a cool stare. "What would it take to prove it to you?"

He turned to one of the others and nodded. That guard ducked into a side room and returned with another. A human. Woman, maybe in her early twenties. She was in a red t-shirt and jean shorts, and she was frightened. She was struggling against her captor, but she could break from the grasp of the guard. The leader turned to Matthew again. "Word has it only Alucard's the only Hellsing vampire that'll drink living blood. Always been a debate on who was more against it, you or the girl. Time to find out." He gestured, and the guard shoved the young woman at Matthew.

He grabbed her arm, keeping her from running. "That's it?" He scoffed. "No wonder you bring in so many dregs. The requirements for joining are far too simple." Matthew didn't waste time with any hypnosis, apology, or anything of the kind. He simply sank his fangs into the woman's neck. She gasped from the pain as he drank what he felt was enough, then withdrew and shoved her back to the guard. "Finish her. I don't want some ghoul following me around." He wiped his mouth clear and looked back at the leader. "Satisfied?"

"Not really," he replied honestly, "but it'll do for now." He paused for a moment to gesture to the guard again, who took the young woman away. Turning back to Mathew, he continued. "So, if you're really so far above us, what would you suggest we do?"

"Leave," Matthew said. "Get out of the states. South America would be a pretty good choice. We find ourselves a nice pocket of chaos and feed from it. That, and I think the DPSD and Hellsing would have trouble locating us in the rainforest."

One of the others spoke up, as if seeing his chance to get another supporting viewpoint. "We've still got some stores of Shalrik's serum. Might give us something of an edge if we use it right."

"And how is that, pray tell? How others… including yourselves… used it before?" Matthew shook his head. "No. That's a damned bad idea. Everyone who's used that shit has been silenced for it. It's the last thing we want to be dabbling in right now." He looked up to the leader. "If I'm gonna be with you people, I'm gonna need something with a bit longer range than this." He gestured to the sword.

"Call me Alex," he said, "and I think we've got something that'll do. Come with me."