Disclaimer: Seriously?

Author's note: Here we are again patient readers. I have shameless borrowed dialogue from episode 10 of the Hellsing animated series (not Ultimate) and I hope that I have done it justice.

Chapter 22

Alucard and Seras emerged into the Hellsing mansion's staging area from a patch of writhing darkness and nearly got run down by a squad of ground troops running over to one of the APC's. Looking around, Seras saw that although it looked like chaos, it was organised and soldiers with different skill sets were gathering at designated points. It wasn't a few moments later when they were blasted by the gravelly tones of Major Ferguson.

"It's about time the two of you showed up. Alucard, Sir Integra is waiting in her office for you. Seras, I want you and that rifle over there with all the other snipers."

The vampires separated into two different directions. Distaining to walk the distance to the mansion, Alucard faded from sight, remerging in the corridor approaching Sir Integra's office. He could hear her issuing orders via the telephone, apparently to some or other police division.

"I don't care that you'll have to tell lies, you will let my troops in there and you will keep every other person away from the site."

She listened to the babbling on the other end of the receiver and then answered:

"Tell them there's a gas leak that you're back-tracking, and that they're being evacuated for their own safety. My men will provide extra man-power and incentive. It's going to be the cover story when the building goes anyway. Now get on with it!"

She slammed the phone down and for a moment considered throwing it out the window – and not necessarily opening it first. The urge passed and she leaned back in her chair and noticed the red clad giant leaning against the doorway to her office.

"Get in here Alucard; we've got a really nasty situation on our hands."

"In other words, it's going to be a fun night." He smirked.

She offered a withering look in reply and gestured to maps and floor plans that were spread all over her desk. He leafed through them as his master lit up the inevitable cigar and he waited for the punch line.

"It seems that our Angel of Mercy has shown up again. But not how we were expecting."

"It's holed up in this hospital?"

"As far as we can tell, it broke in – made more of its own kind and then they all went on a rampage through the building. To the best of our information, there isn't a human being left alive in that place, but there were a large number of patients and staff there at the time. We can safely assume that they are now ghouls."

"Do we know how many vampires?" he asked, his interest piqued.

"No. The cyber intelligence unit went hacking into the records and they've managed to approximate that there were at least six hundred patients in there, not to mention the staff."

"No wonder you've mustered everything that can move." Amusement tinged his tone. "When did we last have a battle of this magnitude?"

"That nest along the west coast that came over from the states." Replied his master absently.

"Your orders?" His tone had turned into the deadly quiet that she knew so well.

Meeting his eyes, she said firmly:

"You will go with the troops and seek out every vampire in the building and obliterate them. You don't need to worry about ghouls or anything else, only the vampires. Then I need to you to make sure that nothing got out – there can be no trace of them beyond the hospital grounds."

Sir Integra looked down at the schematics on her desk for a moment and then said quietly:

"Because of the sheer number of ghouls that we're going up against, there will be too much evidence to hide in the usual manner. I've already given Major Ferguson approval to raze that building to the ground."

"So that's what you meant when you said about evacuating the locals." He referred back to the phone call she had been on when he arrived.

"Yes, we're using a gas leak as cover. The official story will be that the leak wasn't found in time and tragically the hospital was destroyed – with no survivors. It'll ensure that all the remains are obliterated, along with all evidence of gunfire and everything else that comes with disposing of ghouls."

She looked up at him and he could see that she was determined to claim victory but there seemed to be a certain resignation in her expression and shadows in her eyes. He didn't need their link to know that there was something else on her mind.

"What else?" he asked, tempering his eagerness for battle and softening his baritone even deeper.

"No matter how many ways Major Ferguson, Walter and even myself have planned this – we expect casualties on our side. Bringing the building down will cover up their involvement as well. As you know – no one outside of official channels can know what we do, and so good men may die and empty coffins will be their reward."

Alucard watched his master, his expression unreadable. In all the time that he had been with her, since her childhood – she had never been so candid with him. His feelings on the matter were far removed – seven centuries had inured him to the losses of battle. He thought of all the things that he could say and then remembered his most important memory of his master.

"Those souls that suffer their righteousness shall know their eternal inheritance."

Integra stiffened, remembering the time that he had said that those words to her, deep in the dungeon where she had found him. She then also remembered what she had said about being a Hellsing. Before she could speak, he continued.

"You are the leader and pride of the Hellsing family. But those soldiers that come here and speak their oaths to you – do you think that their pride is any less? Do you think that they worry about empty wooden boxes as a reward?"

She looked up at him, impressed with his words. She sometimes forgot that before he had fallen to Hellsing, he had commanded troops himself, and had waded through blood to gain victory. She nodded slowly, grinding out her cigar in the ashtray and rising to her feet. Her chin lifted and she looked at her servant, her weapon and in some strange way – her friend.

"Servant!" her voice cracked with authority.

"Your orders?" came the silky reply.

"Go and fulfil your duties to the Hellsing family. Go and bring me victory."

"Yes, my master."

Alucard executed a deep bow and then strode from the room, feeling his master's eyes upon his back. He had always admired her, right from their first meeting and so he would go and bring her the victory that she sought.

No matter the cost.