Schraubenförmig

-grabs a microphone and turns it to full blast- OH WHERE, OH WHERE HAS THE ASTERIKS GONE? OH WHY, OH WHY ARE THEY LEFT OUT?

Sheesh, honestly, if they allow rich text documents, why wasn't the infamous stars included? I like how that we can use the italics and bolds and alignments now, because when I first started out, those weren't permitted, but asterisk and the like were, along with multiple exclamation and question marks for one sentence. My old stories on my other account have them. Strange... oh well. I'm happy enough to actually get my story out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing, or some of the other stuffs that I'll be using later on in the story. I actually got some solids things to work on here but we'll get to that eventually (hopefully).

-l-

Chapter Three: das Marionettentheater

-l-

The ride through the sleeping town was a non-too-bodily-friendly one as Seras Victoria and a number of other soldiers hit their heads a little against the inside of the vehicle when it hit a large pot hole, making the dull green tank-like car rock on its suspension.

"Hey, you jackass! Watch where you're going! That hurt! Where the bloody hell did you learn how to drive?" One of the younger soldiers shouted at the driver through the little window between them.

He then blinked then twitched at the eyes uncontrollably, "What the-? You're reading? While DRIVING? Put the fricken book away, keep both hands on the wheel, and keep your damn eyes on the road!"

"Pipe down, Adrian. It's no use taking out your relationship frustrations on him." His comrade interjected with a cigarette in his mouth, arms crossed.

"But he was reading! He's gonna kill us before we get into some real action!"

Seras sighed loudly, turning her head away to roll her eyes upward. It's been like this for a while now, the men, who were obviously mostly inexperienced, had always had something to gripe about since they left the Hellsing manor, and there was a throbbing in her temple that she couldn't ignore anymore. Her patience was also wearing thin and it wasn't just because she hadn't eaten anything in three days.

'...that's right...' She thought as she glanced down at her stomach over the voluptuous size of her bust, '...I haven't eaten...'

'And your reasons for not doing so, Police girl?' Chiming in, Alucard still had his usual tone of superiority.

Seras blinked at the sudden interruption then made a scowl just as quick. Her master felt that inch into their connection and he laughed.

'What's this? Did I say something to upset my fledgling?'

'What do you want...' She thought flatly, plopping herself back against the wall of the vehicle, closing her eyes. Seras adjusted her powerful weapon, the Halconnen, beside her absentmindedly, tracing the lines with her gloved fingers on her right hand.

She could feel Alucard raise a brow at this and the smirk that he would have immediately disappear at not only her thought pitches, but that she left out the proper address of 'Master' at the end. The color of his voice changed to a dark warning shade, almost hissing, 'Don't step out of line, Police girl. I won't stand for it.'

'I have to work now. Please don't bother me, Master.' Seras got to a stand then as she felt the slow of the vehicle get to a stop and opened the door to let her, as well as the other men that were still grumbling with each other, out.

The female reached back inside and grabbed her weapon and the heavy box of ammo, gritting her teeth slightly. She felt guilty for being a bit plucky with Alucard, no doubt about that. Seras hadn't done it very much of it in the past, but tonight she wasn't going to put up with her master's behavior and his joys in light psychological torment for some reason. Well, no, she acted like she did because she was, in fact, angry that he had somewhat disappeared on her. She hardly saw him at all and he barely even played his regular games of taunting her.

'...that's about the only thing I'm good for, all fun and games and a toy, huh?' Seras paused for a moment then shook her head quickly, 'Knock it off, Seras. Pull yourself together. What's wrong with you? Thinking about Master like that! Idiot! You really are loosing your mind.'

"Captain Victoria." The soldier that was ranting at the driver earlier, Adrian, came up to her and saluted quickly but stiffly, "Whenever you're able, we're ready on your command."

She looked at him with puzzlement, taking a moment to register what he was talking about after being interrupted from her thoughts and to gather back on just what they were here for. Seras shook her head slightly and ignored wondering why the man in front of her looked so pumped for a mission that could be dangerous, if not fatal. Seras nodded finally, "Alright. Please tell uni-"

A sudden immense stab of pain pierced in her right temple and straight through the left, making her vision cloud over in many black dots and her legs stumble. Her hand flew to her head and she whimpered, wincing from the agony and not hearing the loud clatter of her Halconnen dropping to the ground or anything at all for that matter. There were brief images that flashed in her mind of a vast but bloody grassy plain and an equally bloody stone wall, a grinning smile, along with some other pictures but they passed by too fast and too much pain to allow any space for thought. It was like someone had taken an eighteen-wheeler truck and rammed it right into her brain.

Then, just as quick as it came, it was gone without a trace except for the lingering memory of the harsh experience.

"Captain Victoria! Captain! Are you alright?" Adrian shook her shoulders a little, trying to get her attention and for Seras to snap out of it, "Captain Seras Victoria!"

"You don't have to shout...I can hear you just fine." Her vampire ears had gone sensitive now in the aftermath of the pain and his noise of concern wasn't really helping. She then stood tall and fixed her uniform, "I'm fine. Just a slight headache, that's all."

The young man furrowed his brows a little at her, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, now stop asking." Seras sighed, bending down and hoisted her large weapon back into her grasp, dusting off the dirt and grass that had been smudged on it, "Let's just get on with our mission. That's more important. As I was saying, tell unit one to hold their position out here. I'll be leading unit two inside the asylum to scope out the entry way before we do anything else. Is that clear?"

Adrian blinked then straightened, "Ma'am, yes, ma'am! Right away!" With a hasty salute and a stern face-yet his eyes betrayed him and shown excitement-he bustled away to relay the orders.

The fledgling shook her head again, two fingers at her right temple still. Seras then contemplated on just what happened and what exactly brought on that pain she had not too long ago while she massaged absentmindedly in a circular motion of her finger tips. When she came up with nothing for the pause, she shrugged then and took up her ammo case.

Seras blinked as she realized something. Alucard hadn't said anything to her after she had the last word with him before she got out of the transportation vehicle, and she also didn't put up any defenses against their communicative connection.

"Hm..." She sounded in confusion, "Strange...guess he gave up...or more likely he's busy...with Sir Integra no doubt." Her voice had taken on a bit of sullenness and a spark of emotion was beginning to well up, but she quickly put a stop to it, shoved it aside, and hurried off to meet with the unit she would lead.

Her red eyes looked up then to the complex they had come to visit as she passed through the black but rusty bent gates, a small lump in her throat forming. The air had become immediately thick with the scent of blood, death, and decay to the point where even the soldiers can pick up on it.

The markings and all that was in the picture was visible. More visible than what she had wanted because it pricked at a section of her mind and also triggered the hunger to be set off in her stomach again. Up close, the incoherent phrases and words could be made out that held swearing, slangs, racial slurs both old and recent, suggestive and obscene, over lapping or by themselves. She also noticed why Integra would also take up this job and not allow anyone else was because it also held sayings that went against God, damned the church and the queen, several upside down crosses, and had sentences that were directly insulting the Hellsing Organization along with Integra.

Seras narrowed her eyes slightly and took a firmer grip on the Halconnen, feeling anger boil up. This might not be only an investigation mission. Whoever is doing this just may know that they were coming.

-l-

Alucard was watching from a distance in the surrounding woods, occupying a place under a knotted old tree. He was leaning against the bark with his arms tightly crossed; yellow glasses and hat donned upon leave of the manor, but his lips were pulled back in a silent snarl instead of a normal grin.

For the past several moments he had attempted to engage his fledgling in a discussion to seek his answers on just why she was disrespecting him again and again, but unfortunately came to a wall in her mind. He had slunk around it, observing and processing on just what it was. The Nosferatu had come across many walls, but none like this. It was vast, long, wide, and strange in a life-like manner. This wasn't the lone work of Seras, and knowing that didn't frustrate him much, but on the other hand the mystery was wearing his patience considerably thin.

Alucard had reached towards it in his mind, gathering his powers to break it but was suddenly met with an enormous amount of resistance in a strong ripple that had taken him off-guard. That not only almost forced him out, but also almost shorted the link between him and Seras. A lining of faint high pitched laughter was mingling in with the disturbance, and it clearly didn't belong to the draculina.

This added more fuel to the growing fire and now he could see it was starting to get a bit large for a just simple psychological transition and adaption.

There would be a wall for most cases, no doubt about that, but Alucard would be able to look over it and see what was going on behind them no matter the height and design. However, for the wall having something like a will of its own and for him to receive resistance was unusual. There was that other voice, too, that was present.

Alucard snorted quietly, his crimson eyes training on Seras' back as she went through the door of the asylum, "This might be harder than I thought...how ignorant you are, Police girl, to not know yourself. Pathetic..."

-l-

Seras had cleared the first set of doors easily, but kept her guard up at a very alert level, darting her gaze around quickly. Despite the darkness, being a vampire also had its positive points and her eyes enabled her to peer through and see without much light.

Everything looked normal for an abandoned building. The gruesome outer appearance was a sharp contrast with the inside as it was devoid of any blemishes aside from the obvious age and not being taken care of for many years. There were holes of various sizes and rubble littering the hallway while the floors had moss growing on its surface, signifying that the air inside was moist and musty.

The stench of fatality on the other hand was present and it taunted at her hunger and mind.

Seras was alone, exploring the third floor of the asylum. She had sent the group of Hellsing men she had come in with to check the floors above her and she herself would take the lower levels while unit one that was outside was left with the other smaller buildings beside this one.

For the most part, it was fairly quiet, but an eerie quiet that didn't calm her heightened anxiety. The sounds of her footsteps echoed against the dark crumbling hallway loudly, bouncing back and forth before dissipating elsewhere and she gulped.

Her eyes caught site of something ahead of her and blinked before quickly taking off into a brisk pace, putting down her weapon and ammo box beside her feet and put her hands on the small shoulders of a little girl and a younger boy that suddenly appeared.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Seras asked; taking in their appearances.

The girl had blonde hair put up in pigtails and vibrant blue eyes with a pink dress on her, and she held the hand of the boy beside her which judging by looks, seemed to be her brother, only in a large blue shirt and short hair. He had his thumb in his mouth while his older sister held a stuffed rabbit toy.

"Don't you know it's dangerous? How did you get in here?" Seras continued, glancing between the children.

The girl blinked up at the woman, clutching at her plush animal and spoke, "We were looking for our mommy and daddy."

"Yeah, mommy daddy. Look for mommy daddy." Her brother mimicked in telegraphic speech around his thumb.

"Your mother and father are in this place? Why?" The vampiress blinked then blinked again several times when both kids took a hold of each of her gloved hands.

The girl and boy both smiled at her then, the girl talking, "Pretty lady, help us find our mommy and daddy!"

"W-what?" Seras began, but then smiled back at them in return, enclosing her fingers over theirs, "Alright, alright. Let's go look for them then."

She glanced back at her Halconnen behind her, pondering on just what to do with it. Seras didn't have a radio with her since the new groups of soldiers she was currently working with also lacked the common sense to bring enough of it with them and so she couldn't exactly contact anyone to take care of the children for her.

"Pretty lady, you look kinda pale." The girl quipped up, tugging on her hand a bit as did her brother.

"You hungry?" The boy said, but something in his tone of voice or the fact that he said those certain words made the fledgling look back down at them.

"I'm sorry?" Seras asked, tilting her head a little as she thought, '...what's with these kids? And why does it seem so odd? They look to have just lost their way, so I don't see the problem...what's this feeling...?'

A giggle came from the little human female as she closed her blue eyes, "You know, pretty lady, you can't starve yourself. It's no good if you put yourself through that, and he won't like it."

Seras stared then with her mouth slightly open. Now she knew what it was. Her intuition had been screaming ever since these two new comers appeared that there was something wrong. The memory of her master, Alucard, telling her to listen to her instincts and rely heavily on it came back at her hard.

'...Master...'

She tried to let their hands go, but the children held tightly then with a little more than the strength of their age.

"Maybe you need a push in the right direction. A well-fed vampire is a very good and strong vampire. You know you want to, pretty lady! The edge is near, so take a leap! He wants you to do it! He'll be so happy that you will!" It was the brother's turn, and his slight lisp and mumble of a voice was now clear as a bell as he also smiled the same exact smile as his sister.

"No! What are you talking about! Who's 'he'? Let go of me!" Seras stumbled back on her feet, trying to wriggle her arms free as the siblings held onto her wrists, lifting themselves up to hold her down with their weight, "Let go!"

"A pushing! A pushing! You need a pushing!" Both girl and boy sang out loud happily in the tune of 'It's raining, it's pouring...' song, taking joy at the horror and fear that was setting into the older female's crimson eyes, holding on tight still, " 'S' and 'V' may stand for old, but how ironic that will be!"

"Stop it! Get off me! I said let go!"

Seras snapped her eyes open wide as she could see their little forms start to ripple and the skin move in various directions like something wanted to come out.

The brother and sister's playful, too innocent of a smile, was all that she saw before suddenly in a sound of a sickening pop, and where the dandelion haired vampire stood was now pouring down in a torrent of blood, mangled organs, and shattered bone.

Silence was being cruel as it refused to appear. The haunting resound of the children's song and laughter wouldn't stop echoing off the walls and wouldn't permit itself to be absorbed except scalding deeply into Seras' memory, along with the disturbing, horrid image of their bodies bursting right before her eyes.

No movement from her. No breathing.

Then a twitch. Then a tremble. The site of the bloody rabbit in her hands. The feel of the sickeningly warm, slick, and thick gore sliding down her body and altering the colored strands of her clothes.

Something was beyond just wrong now.

The doors of the rooms for patients and entry ways that were once dark and seemingly uninhabited had released an invisible barrier--or if there was one to begin with--and unleashed a crowd of people, both old, middle-aged, and young. They all were smiling happily as they ran towards the draculina; laughing and carefree. As soon as they got close, so did they add their six quarts of life sustaining fluids and whatever the body had left to offer to decorate the hallway in a new look of ghastly and gruesome décor.

One.

By.

One.

Seras gave a shaky whimper, her eyes impossibly wide in terror, clutching the rabbit in a vice and terrified grip, a blood tear slipping from the corner of her eye. She twitched all over with every rupturing body. The floor was a sea of sweet, sweet dark red.

Something snapped and Seras pulled her head back...and laughed.

-l-

Chapter Three: Puppet Play

-l-

To EliteVegito-san: ah, you mean the transformation. What happened in the manga is more on the physical level than the mental. I may get there soon enough. But since this is a fanfiction and I hadn't said much of what I will be doing in this fic, you'll have to wait to find out just what'll happen. -

And I doubt Alucard will ask me that, lol. He only questions pretty virgin girls XD

To SacredYoukai-san: I actually hadn't really decided on which of the versions to use as a setting for my story, and so I used the Japanese honorifics. I let out a notice in the first chapter to tell me if the readers want me to put everything in English, and you're the first. I'm not offended, mind you. Now that I've edited my chapters and tinkered anything else that needed tinkering, it looks better to me. Thanks a bunch!

To Demmie-san: I forgot to mention, thanks for the cookie! I like cookies.

My comments-

Hm... do you think things are taking a turn for the worst? Heh, maybe. You can use your imagination in the mean time until I can get another chapter out. Although I think I may have to change the rating of my fic since it could get a bit graphical from here on out, depending on just what I'll do.

Almost eight pages of story form. From what I'm guessing, I'll probably be doing these long chapters quite a bit, and I've come to realize something: I've never written so many pages for any of my stories in my life. O.o;...

I try to give myself a week's worth of time to type up the next chapter, but unfortunately this may be the last part for a while. I need to catch a plane and fly off to a specialist to get a second opinion on my health since it hasn't been too good lately. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but it's more than likely I won't be able to get to a computer during this time so sorry, dear readers! I also did a bit of a rush job on this chapter I think, so when I read back on it later, I may be doing a lot of edits --;

I think that's it...anyways, please review. Much appreciated! Later, ppls!