A/N: YA! Finally! An update! And I'm sure you were all thinking I'd never update, eh? Well, lucky for you, getting wisdom teeth out and having a cold (not at the same time, thank goodness), seem to be inspirational and, thus, I give you my sixth chapter! I don't feel like this is the best I've written, but considering how long it's been, I feel that if I DON'T post soon, I'll lose interest. In any case, thank you for reading and stickin' with me; hope ya'll enjoy my chapter six! (Also...not sure if I'll be attempting anything similar to my little chapter 5... Too much cheek blushing for not enough positive feedback.)

Forty-five minutes later Seras was roaming the streets, dressed in a pair of black pressed slacks, a maroon V-neck t-shirt, and a comfortable pair of black tennis shoes. She'd dredged up a baseball cap, black with a brim wide enough to block the majority of the sun from her eyes, and this she now pulled down low over her head, avoiding the occasional heated stares of the jealous and the lascivious twice-overs. With her hands shoved deep in her pockets, Seras hunched her shoulders against the grueling heat of the mid-afternoon sun, hidden now behind a thick veil of black clouds. And while this alone should have convinced the passerby to avoid the surly young woman, this was not the case. Rather the people gravitated towards her, avoiding her unwavering, flat gaze until it seemed as though they would run into her only to steer away at the last possible second, blanching as though surprised they had come so close to a stranger.

Shoving her hands even deeper in her pockets, ducking her head against the fascinated stares of strangers, Seras sped up and glanced down at the folded piece of paper in her hand, considering whether or not it would aide in her desire to be invisible. Though she wished she could avoid the obvious, Seras could no more deny the positive affect her Master's blood had had on her than she could deny the insufferable heat of the hot Texas afternoon. Her eyes flickered up as she considered the distance the clouds, only blips on the horizon an hour or so ago, had traveled in such a short length of time. Though she had never personally visited the sites she had memorized the map from the hotel to the first of the warehouses and this she followed automatically, glancing down to double-check herself with the roughly drawn map on the piece of paper. Knowing the path relatively well, her mind began to drift, returning to the obvious encounter she had just experienced with her Master.

Her cheeks flushed with blood, hot and warm and visible, as she attempted to overlook the obvious and instead focus on the differences she was now experiencing. She was stronger, that much was certain. And faster; faster than she had ever been when ingesting the chilled human blood. Her eyes seemed to catch everything; every twitch of every person and creature she passed, her own footsteps light enough without even an ounce of effort to be silent. All around her people stumbled out of her path, confusion crossing their features only momentarily before they moved on with their routes. Seras had seen herself in the mirror when she had attempted to clean herself up, and she knew now that she had very much attained an entirely new and unusual degree of attractiveness. Her Master's blood had made her skin quite literally glow; it had made her eyes bright and a shade different than their normal blue. And overall, his blood had given her that aura she had seen her Master use so effectively to sway human females… And it seemed that, perhaps due to her gender, she was not limited to any one gender. She felt…new. As though she were no longer Seras Victoria, somewhat resigned resident of Hellsing Manor, but a wholly new creation. A creature that she had wished never to be and had fought against for the majority of her undead life.

And it was this that frightened the Police Girl as she turned the last of the corners and came nearly face to face with the sight of the first murder. For the first time since she left the hotel she allowed her gaze to leave the scrap of paper. Taking a deep, shaking breath, Seras shoved all thoughts of tainted humanity and of a destroyed soul (never mind the lingering fears that she was becoming like the disgusting creatures who had killed her parents, oh goodness no) from her mind, putting all conscious thought to the task at hand. The possible implications drinking from her Master had upon her mind were eased onto the back burner of her thoughts as she strode across the street, ducking beneath the yellow caution tape to stand before the warehouse. Pausing before the enormous monolith of a building, Seras crossed her arms, a frown flitting across her features as she took in the site where Eric Jones had breathed his last breath. Taking in a deep breath she realized that, outside, after what had likely been a massive clean-up effort, she could still smell the boy's blood.

Shuddering with the feeling of something not wholly disgust, Seras opened her eyes and directed her gaze to the dirt ground as she made a slow, careful walk around of the entire building. As she expected, any sort of unique or singular tracks had been scuffed and marred by the police who had not only secured the perimeter, but who had searched for possible weapons around the outside of the building as was noted in the police report. Almost fifteen minutes of slow, careful walking around the warehouse and Seras was back where she started, staring with a mixture of curiosity and fury at not the door, but what evils lay beyond it. Flashes of death, those of the Jones boy and those of her family, seemed to merge seamlessly in her head, leaving her feeling raw and exposed as she slowly reached out towards the door.

Agonizingly slow she opened the sealed door, grimacing at the stereotypical creak of un-greased hinges and snapping the lock before she even realized there had been one. Darkness poured out of the building, causing the Police Girl to shudder and silently gag, turning from the seemingly overwhelming scent of death and blood as her hand involuntarily rose to cover her mouth. After a few nerve-wracking moments Seras straightened, a grimace now permanently etched into her features. As embarrassing as it was, she had to remind herself that she was not only a Hellsing Operative…she was the childe of Alucard, and she could not allow her pity to incapacitate her. It did not take long for her vision to adjust to the darkness and within moments it was as bright inside the warehouse as it was outside.

Something wet plopped unceremoniously onto Seras' forehead and, for one terrifying moment, she thought there had been another murder, that she was standing beneath that dead child right now, listening to their lifeless body swaying in the sudden breeze… But the first drop was followed by another, and another, prompting the Police Girl to raise her gaze to the clouded over sky. A bright light streaked across the sky, followed closely behind by an earsplitting crack of thunder as the sky opened above her, releasing what was the first wave of a torrential downpour. Gasping, she took the last few steps inside the warehouse, frowning as she wiped the rain from her bare arms. The humidity, which had been oppressive outside, became almost sickeningly overwhelming in the warehouse. Unable to restrain herself, she covered her mouth and nose with her left hand, squinting slightly to see through the thick dust of the warehouse. Her eyes searched the wall beside her and, after only a few seconds, she found a thick switch only a few inches from the door.

With barely a flick of her fingers, Seras hit the switch and was surprised when a dim bulb flickered to life some distance above her head, followed shortly by four others adjacent to the first one. Her keen ears caught each and every noise as though she were listening to a symphony; raindrops landing in a myriad of patterns on the distant roof, the popping and creaking of the building around her as the wind attacked it, and the somehow comforting hum of electricity as it flowed through the wires and powered the lights overhead. The vampress shuddered, wrapping her arms around her torso as she forced herself to move forward into the now empty warehouse, eyes wide and aware as she moved.

Though she was not a superstitious creature, neither by nature nor in lifestyle, she could not help but feel as though something were…off. As though there were something or someone still inhabiting the building, despite the fact that her senses stubbornly confirmed what her eyes were telling her; she was very much alone in the building. Her shoes were silent as she made her way towards the center back wall, the furthers one from the light. From her pocket she produced a flashlight; unnecessary, given the strength of her vision, but an act which she felt the boy deserved if she were to fully examine the place he died. All of this she did silently, making as much noise as a ghost as she strode from the synthetic lighting and into the darkness. It was only as she made her way towards a darker spot on the floor that she realized there were windows, raised high from the ground and so dirty even her sharp vision had not caught the light that they offered into the building. She narrowed her gaze momentarily, lips pursed as she reminded herself to take a closer look at the windows from the outside…

Clatter. So soft Seras wondered almost instantaneously if she had even heard it. Nevertheless she froze, flashlight out and on, centered on the faint remnants of the bloodstain that the boy's body had made. Gaze narrowing in the darkness, Seras swiveled her attention from one side of the warehouse to the other and, as expected, she saw…nothing.

Despite this, she could not help but stifle her sudden need to escape. Flashes of the nightmare she'd experienced on the plane replayed in her mind, filling her with the same arcane fear she'd had whilst asleep. After a few seconds had passed with nothing but the consistent sounds of the rain pattering atop the roof, Seras shook her head, attesting the strange noise to her already frayed nerves, and returned her attention to the roughly circular shape that represented the pool of blood which had gathered beneath Eric's body. She knelt, crouching at the edge of the circle, flashlight aimed at the edge she was peering at. Moving slowly, she stood and walked the length of the circle, noting with a vague sense of curiosity, that there was a small trail of blood leading away from the circle, drops varying in size and frequency. This suggested, to her at least, that the child had been injured before being brought to the place he was crucified. As she began to follow the drops, hoping to determine whether or not he had been injured within the warehouse, she heard that same noise, as though a piece of wood had been dropped to the cemented floor.

The vampress froze, teeth bared in a vulgar snarl, proverbial hackles raised in defense as she once again searched for the origin of the noise.

"Is someone there?" Rough, clipped and irritated, her voice only hinted at the fear and anxiety she was now experiencing within the poorly lit warehouse. Her sharp eyes combed the expansive building, narrowly slightly as she spotted nothing out of the ordinary on her initial sweep. With a shudder she returned to her examination, lowering herself to her haunches in order to get a better view of the now faded ring of blood. Absently she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, tilting her head in curiosity as she followed a minute trail of something that looked like blood…but was not. She was not completely sure what it was; the stain was long past dry, the color blending nearly perfectly with the bloodstain. Combined with the still pungent scent of blood, it was difficult to isolate the unique scent that surrounded that little tiny stain. She reached out, fingertips ungloved as she made to touch the stain-

'Seras.'

The Police Girl blanched, jolting violently back from the stain and landing somewhat unceremoniously on her ass. She froze then, eyes wide and confused. There had been no mistaking it; someone had spoken her name. Unfortunately, whoever had spoken her name had not spoken it aloud.

'I know you can hear me, Seras Victoria.'

Like satin the voice eased over her, enveloping her in a warm, soothing embrace. She shivered, unable to wrap her arms around herself as she used them to support her upper body. No, there was no mistaking it. Somebody was inside her head.

"Get out of my head." She said aloud, not wishing to give whoever had invaded her mind the satisfaction of speaking mentally. "I don't know who you are and, frankly, I don't give a damn. If you wish to speak to me…speak to me in person!" Her words ended with a heat she could not have dampened even if she had tried. There was silence for a moment, and after a few seconds she began to shift back to her haunches, moving to stand… and then she was falling, tugged backwards and down, through the now nonexistent floor as she left her physical body far behind, crumpled to a heap on the concrete floor. It felt as though a great, frozen meat hook had latched onto some part of her that was both physical and intangible, catching hold of her and dragging her with such force that there was no hope of fighting back. She watched as her body crumbled to the concrete floor, her eyes wide and unseeing, before she was beyond her body. Though she tried to mentally scream for her Master, she could not even hear her own thoughts as she was sucked down through a blackness she had never before experienced. It was suffocating, really, impossing with such a weight upon her mind that, for longer than a while, she could not remember who she was. She could not remember where she was, nor what she was doing, nor the importance of what was currently happening.

Her prior thoughts, ranging from the menial to the urgent, seemed to dissipate as her mind sank into this blackness with the same ease with which she had been torn from her body. Though some deeper aspect of her subconscious begged her to listen, and though that vampiric aspect of her mind screamed at her to fight against it… she could do no more than float down and away. Down and down and down, drifting towards whatever faceless creature had ripped her from her solid state of mind.

After some indeterminable amount of time had passed, she found that, through a dark veil, she could see light. And after a moment of thick, difficult thought, she realized that her eyelids were closed. Though she could not quite understand how she could have eyes, let alone eyelids, when she did not have a physical body, this thought too was carried away on a wave of ambivalence. With more strength than she thought was possible, she forced her eyes to open, only to be greeted with a blurry facsimile of the world around herself.

Quite suddenly, a face occupied her field of vision. Blurred and unfocused though it was, it was impossible not to recognize it as one; the atypical shape of a face, complete with two eyes, a nose and a mouth were enough for her mind to lock onto the shape as being a face. She was incapable of turning her head, nor could she better focus her gaze to look upon her would be mind thief.

"Is this better, Seras Victoria?" Though they spoke softly, it was clear that the speaker was male. She felt a pressure against her cheek and realized that he was touching her, stroking the skin there gently, as one might with a lover. Again, the concept of her body seemed a strange one; though she could feel him touching her, it was not the same as flesh touching flesh. Still she could not fully see him, nor could she speak or formulate any sort of coherent thought. The pressure left her face as did the shapeless features of the creature, for she could not truly be certain that it was anything human. A sharp grinding noise brought back the dim memory of movement and, shortly thereafter, the face reappeared in front hers, now some distance from her.

"I'm sure you're finding it difficult to do much in this state, hm…? No matter. I simply…wished to look upon you. It will not be long, my dear, before the wheels are truly, truly in motion and action will be taken." The words were words, of this Seras was certain, though as to their meaning and intent she could come nowhere near to grasping.

"Yes…not long at all. You will not remember this, Seras Victoria. No… At least, not until we are all ready." A soft noise, laughter of a sorts, escaped the male creature before her. Once again she felt that pressure on her face, except this time it was at her temples, equal pressure at either side. The face was closer now, and she could detect the slightest hint of movement which might have been the creature's eyes.

"I must apologize for what I am about to do. This will hurt; there is no way around it. But it is the only way. It must be done, Seras…My Seras." The pressure increased, breaking through the wall of numbed apathy to spark a hint of something. And still it continued until the sound of skin breaking, minute though it was, began to echo violently in her ears. And still it went on, and now the pain was something tangible, something she could feel entering not her body but her mind, red-hot and everlasting. She wanted to open her mouth, to shriek, to beg for mercy, to threaten, to do what she must to make the pain, oh the excruciating PAIN stop. It was as though every fiber of her being were each being burned and stabbed and sliced and cut-

"It must be done."

OoOoOoOoOoO

For several seconds Seras Victoria remained where she had fallen over, blinking up at the dark ceiling of the warehouse in light-heartened confusion. She remained where she was, uncomfortable though it became, because she could not quite remember what she was doing. Huffing in irritation, the Police Girl pulled herself up into the crouching position she had previously been in, blinking away the haze which had settled over her eyes. She frowned, looking down at the dried blood pool before her; not only did she now see nothing out of the norm with the stain, but she no longer remembered why it was she had hunkered down before it. In an attempt to recall her memories, she gazed over the spot intensely, eyes straining in the low-level lighting to catch even a glimpse of whatever had pulled her to the floor.

Nothing.

When it became certain that whatever it was had likely been a trick of her imagination she stood, running a hand through her hair in agitation. Her legs ached, as though she had been lying in that position for longer than a few seconds. She felt…on edge. As though she needed to be on guard against something. Thoughtfully she nibbled at her lower lip, worrying the skin almost to the breaking point; she was aware of something like a dull ache deep within her skull. Not quite a headache, but certainly working its' way towards one.

It was the first headache she could remember experiencing since she had been turned.

Feeling sick now, Seras turned and exited the warehouse and was delighted to find that the heavy downpour was now a light drizzle, dewing on her skin and in her hair. She glanced down at her watch and jolted in shock; she was now left with a little less than an hour to return to her hotel room, shower and clean up, and make it to meeting with the chief of police. Seras groaned, rolling her eyes heavenward as though asking why it had to be her, before heading back to the hotel at a light, steady jog.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It did not take long to make it back to her hotel room, though she was somewhat loathe to admit that it took several minutes of silent pep talks and curious looks from bystanders before she was able to fumble the key from her pocket and make her way silently, tentatively into the suite.

Luckily the suite was as empty as she had left it and, feeling far more relaxed, she hopped in the shower in an attempt to tame her unruly mane and dressed quickly. It had taken some agonizing time to decide on something which would not hinder the more thorough examination of the sites but that would not appear distasteful or too plain, as she had explicit unspoken instructions to…refrain from misrepresenting Sir Integra. So it was that she had chosen a knee-length black pencil skirt with a discreet slit up the leg to allow better stair access, and an off-white blouse with black stitching around the neck and sleeves. Over the blouse she wore a black coat that matched the pencil skirt; it came in sharply at her hips and flared out from there, ending just past her hips. A set of black panty-hose completed the entire ensemble and left her looking business casual. Absently she buttoned the overcoat over her sizeable bosom with only a hint of effort; inwardly she made a note to thank Walter for having her fitted for the suit. Overall it was a simple outfit, one she completed by pulling her hair back into a low ponytail to keep it from overtaking her vision as it had earlier. With a light swipe of mascara and just the barest hint of lipstick Seras was ready. Her right hand dipped automatically to check her inner thigh holster as her left reached back to check the holster hidden at her side…Only to find herself grasping at nothing.

A rueful, pained smile crossed her features; why hadn't she thought ahead and removed her luggage from the bedroom earlier? The thought of entering the room now was enough to leave her shaking with some unrecognizable feeling; the last thing she wanted, however was to analyze it. Rather than dwell on it, Seras crossed the distance from the bathroom to the bedroom in a few robotic strides, eyes wary as she moved. Silly though it may be, she could not help but hesitate at the door to the bedroom, hand hovering above the handle as she steeled her nerves before entering the room. Nevertheless several moments of hand clenching, teeth grinding, and foot fidgeting later she managed to enter the room, unable even as she sensed the emptiness of the suite to keep from jumping when the door slammed against the wall.

With little thought her weapons and holsters were obtained and she exited the room, moving faster than any human as she flew from the room, slamming the door behind her. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes as she leaned against the wooden door; she was trying desperately not to dwell on the heavy scent of her Master still lingering in the room. It would hopefully be several hours before she was forced back into that bloody room again…

She shuddered as she replayed the wording of her last mental statement. She wasn't quite sure whether or not it was out of fear or… something else. After allowing herself a few moments to gather her thoughts, she exited the suite and made her way to the room her fellow officers were occupying. Rapping twice, rapidly, on the door she took a wide step back and waited, teetering back and forth on the balls of her feet as she waited patiently for the grumbling, yawning men (she could hear them quite clearly from her vantage point in the hallway) to prepare themselves. They, too, were expected to sit through the meeting and it was Seras' job to ensure that they made it there. This particular responsibility fell on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone, because she had been the only one entrusted with the information. Though her Master had easy and complete access to her thoughts, and thus was likely already where they were supposed to meet the chief of police, it had made her feel…important in some curious way. A few more moments passed, and before long the three men were standing before her looking carefully dressed and relatively rested. They gave her an appreciative once-over and she did her best to ignore it; they were typically the most polite of the Hellsing Operatives and, really, it wasn't their fault that she was quite literally glowing this evening. Clearing her throat she forced their attention up from her bosom to her face, offering up an exaggerated eye roll in response to their goofy grins.

"Alright, boys. The chief of police has requested that we meet at a small café a few blocks from here before we visit the crime scenes; probably to be sure you all are plenty caffeinated." A crooked smile crossed her lips as she surveyed the still sleepy-eyed operatives. They murmured their affirmations and now seemingly escorted by three strapping young men, Seras made her way to the elevator.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ignoring the somewhat vitriolic glares of several young women, all of whom were ignored by the young men whose gaze seemed to slide past the night life stalkers without even a prolonged once-over. Overall, a bit of a self-esteem boost, but irritating in the sense that Seras did not typically enjoy having all of the attention.

Otherwise, the somewhat winding route to the café was far less than eventful and a somewhat longer walk than previously believed. By the time they arrived at the somewhat unoriginal Café, Seras was feeling quite a bit more relaxed than earlier in the afternoon. Jokes and laughter had passed amongst the quartet along the twenty minute languid walk, and it had eased the Police Girl into a sense of relaxation that she had not yet achieved on her own. Though they were a minute (exactly sixty seconds late on the dot), Seras could feel the icy waves of her Master's disapproval before they had even entered the dimly lit establishment. Saying nary a word, eyes rolling up in a silent prayer, Seras made her way towards those same waves of negativity, unsurprised to see her Master's bright red ensemble had been momentarily replaced with the same suit she had seen earlier.

Seras forced a smile to her lips, ignoring her Master's icy, suspicious glare as she approached the table, somewhat surprised to see that the Chief of Police had taken a seat with his back to the rest of the small restaurant; even as a regular militant she had always sat with her back against the wall. Already her mind was whipping through all of the smart ass things she could do to ensure that he would never keep his back to the crowd... And as they drew closer to the table, the Chief turned, an easy smile on a slightly worn face-

And Seras froze, eyes wide and shock overwhelming her ability to function. Her comrades bumped into her back, knocking her forward and towards the wide eyed man seated before her. For several moments they stared at each other; Seras' breath, though unnecessary, was caught in her throat. Jaw working, Seras finally managed to speak through numbed lips.

"…Alex?"

A/N: Thanks to those who have been following my story, and a GIANT bow of gratitude to those who have continued to review. It was actually a review that prodded me back into action this evenin'...er...morning. In any case, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcome. Thankee Big Big, Sai!