Disclaimer: Hellsing and its characters belong to Kouta Hirano. Only Duke Mildford and Arstan Keskin belong to me. I'm not making any money for publishing this.
(Re) Building An Empire
Two Decades -Beginning-
Seras and Integra were sharing some minutes before the Sir headed her chambers calling it a day. Finished that day's training, the Draculina was to take a seat on the brown velvet chaise lounge which had became of her propriety out of shreer continuated use, picked a bag of blood for having dinner, and turned on her tablet to watch her series. Integra signed papers, made phone calls, check the infamous mail inbox in the computer –which for some reason was always full of junk, and sent some messages. Both normally didn't speak each other, they just kept themselves company until sleeptime, wheter it was for the human Master or for the Draculina, it depended of the charge of work.
They had gotten so used to this routine that Seras had came directly to her place in the office's living room upon her arrival from Prussia, this time with one squad more to join their anti vampire cause, which was becoming less and less eventuful as mankind had evolved some interest in the rights of the undead.
Because of her illness, the announcement of Integra's candidacy to siege in the House of Commons was so delayed that the opportunity went missing. Granted she was already part of the Knights of the Round table, she would had simply wished to make a difference in a way her vampires could live however they please, even if she was no longer there. Instead, the Queen had given her a place in the House of Lords, where the surname Hellsing was working slowly to modify legislation about the hunting of super natural beings.
It had passed nineteen years, and the Empire had raise from the ashes. The city was no longer power it used to be, several memorials had been built to remember victims, the '99 had left an empty carcass of British population to be filled with expats and countrymen who had found an opportunity to live in the mangled capital. One of those was Arstan -not the best example good behavior in a foreing country, but a valuable asset to the organization nonetheless. Few were the true londonians who had survived to remember the massacre, thus the new London was young, too young to cringe in fear at the mention of the war. The economic crisis ended, followed by a new one, but Integra had managed to keep a good amount of her fortune and as they concerned, life was getting better. Everything seemed so distant, like it was the dream of someone else being played before opening the eyes in the twilight.
Aside from Integra's new functions, the job in the Organization had turned pretty iddle with the support of several counties. Seras on the other hand, had a work charge that deemed inhuman. She had to travel a lot as a trainer in programs about tactical close combat, on top of the not quite frequent missions, which made the couple of days they spent together precious for both of them.
"Integra?" Seras lifted her headphones to look at her Master.
"Yes Seras?"
"I saw you put flowers in Walter's grave, thank you. The flower shop in the airport was closed at the hour I arrived." It was the very day of commemoration of the Battle in London, but due to work they had broken the longrun tradition of watching the Queen's message to commemorate the victims of the war.
"I suppose I made it more out of custom." Integra adjusted her long sight glasses, every year her myopia was getting stronger. "That man has gone so long ago that in my memory he no longer has a face, he had become a plume of smoke, ethereal and intangible, just like my father."
Seras contemplated Integra during long minutes, powndering her words before letting them sink in.
"Sir, do you remember Master's face?"
"…Barely." Integra smiled with a somewhat sadness, Alucard was nothing but a fond memory, even the gruesome side of the No Life King had diffuminated so much that in the eye her Master the monster had committed hadn't commited a single sin. Human mind was such a weak tread.
The world had changed so much in the last decade that it gave the impression they were living in a different dimension. Technologies such as mobile phones and the internet were an essencial part of their lives. People communicated in seconds to the other side of the world, getting news just the moment they happened. She had come to terms understanding how awful had been for Alucard to see carriages turning into motor cars and plays into television shows. Ironically Seras struggled less than Integra for these sudden changes, despite she was still the same girl from her deathday, and most likely could survive (in the odd sense of the word) centuries after the end of mankind.
If it wasn't for the everlasting presence Seras had of Alucard, a presence that was turning stronger each year, the Draculina could have also forgotten. But on Integra's side, despite all her efforts, there was not a single image to cling.
"Would you want me to paint a picture of him? I've been getting better at drawing in the tablet."
Integra puffed a chuckle.
"You and I know your artistic style diverts a lot from the realism."
Seras was about to argue that if most of the drawings she posted in her blog were cartoonish, was because those attired more likes. She couldn't, because Duke slammed the doors wide open while beaming triumphant at his new family.
"We made it, we made it!" The odd vampire always forgot he could pass through the walls and prefered to burst in dramatically every time he made a discovery.
"Did you convince Penwood to buy us the ATMOS?" Integra didn't show a flicker of emotion as she stamped one last signature before looking up at her oldest vampire. Her subordinate crossed arms and huffed, a 'no'. It had became an inside joke between them when, upon debating the utility of owning a self-propelled howitzer, Duke bet he could convice Lory of getting one even thought the idea was stupid. Up to the day, the old vampire hasn't come with the Secretary of defense's approval.
"Italy, Integra!" Putting the thick magazine he was carrying under his armpit, he clapped to himself. "MarketOff has gotten an agreement with Italian Director of Cooperation for Development. They'll allow us building a chain of supermarkets in all the country. They have even offered us the grounds in exchange of creating at least five hundred jobs."
"Congratulations, Duke." Seras mentioned halfhearted, in a somewhat jealously towards her brother being in high spirits for such trifle event. She stood up to throw away the empty bag of blood, and picked another from the frigo bar on her way back to her chaise to hand it to Duke. The vampire confirmed it was one of his own flavored-brand before giving it a sip.
"Thanks you, Seras. We arranged a meeting by the next week. Some negotiation is needed, still. This way the contract will be signed by the end of the month."
"So I assume you will spend some time with Jack now that he's coming to Europe?" The seal made the old vampire property of Hellsing, but as long as it didn't involve crossing running water, Duke wouldn't mind pulling on the invisible leash for meeting his beloved one. The undead's face showed otherwise, Jake wouldn't be able to come since he had to attend his nephew's weeding.
"Why don't you hire another representative?"
"No one can substitute Jack." Duke pulled a face, utterly offended by the sole idea.
"Well, if there's no one else who can go in his place, then he'll have to postpone the meeting." Integra shrugged, it couldn't be helped.
"You are forgetting something," the vampire pointed at himself with the thumb "I'm the owner, there's no need of a representant."
"Are you implying that I would let an ancient vampire under my charge all by himself to a foreign country?" Integra raised the voice. Seras could go all around the world if she seemed fit but Duke Milford always needed someone to watch over him. It was fine when Jack volunteered, since the old gentleman was the only person besides Integra who could manage Duke's frail temper. Despite Duke acted all like a saint in his usual perky way, the vampire keept going as threatening menace, a self detonating bomb.
Duke pushed Seras' legs aside to sit next to her before glancing a bogus puppy face towards Integra, his red eyes unmasking the wolf behind the lamb's fur.
"We might get a yearly income of seven thousand millions, it's an opportunity we can't let slip by."
"Arstan will go with you." Without further ado, Integra had changed her mind.
"I don't mind asking him, but just so you know humans are less useful with a sliced throat." Duke reminded everyone in the room that the butler was a wanted man, but Integra was no fool.
"No one would hunt him down if he strolls around with a letal vampire."
"In fact… I was thinking my Sis could come with me?" Pulling Seras towards him in an unexpected hug he half smiled, yet his frown showed there was something involver aside from sheer caprice.
"Me? I have a mission in Beirut next week." The draculina was already used to those sings of affection, nevertheless the old vampire wasn't going to let go. He handed her the Oggi magazine he had carefully kept with him all day, and asked to look at page 104. Seras couldn't believe her eyes, some paparazzo had taken pictures of both vampires one nightouting they had had almost a month ago! The text was in Italian of course, but as far as she could discern the Italian media though they were a couple. She couldn't but snort at the implications.
Things were this way. The main reason Italian government didn't do business with Duke's company was, as retrograde it sounded in the blooming of XXI century, because his sexual orientation didn't appease some higher ups. Since the magazine caught the scoop of him having a girlfriend, it was the Italian government itself who contacted them for the arrangement. Jack wasn't pleased with the decision of hiding both were a couple, but he was willing to cooperate while shutting up if it meant a larger international presence for the company. Integra was sure a good percentage of the market stock would eventually belong to Hellsing, this had been the way finances had worked for them in the last eight years. Considering Lory's bureau was having a bigger shortage of budget every year, this was an opportunity they shouldn't ignore. As the CEO of MarketOff agreed with the President's decisions, she didn't have a word in the private company's business, but as said President was a vampire under her leash her decisions were the most important for any transaction.
"Seras, do you mind babysitting your brother during the trip?" Through the years, Integra had learnt to care for the opinion of subordinates when it came to a resolution that could put them in danger. In this case, what was at risk was the public opinion over Seras, who so far has made her a name among several countrie's armies.
"You aren't talking seriously?" Seras couldn't hide her attonishment.
Author's Note: After a long pause it's back again :D Thank you so much for the followers and favourites. I know it takes a million years to update but I'm not letting this story go until it's finished.