Once again, I am late. Thanks to everyone for being so patient first of all. Sorry for the constant excuses and apologizing :S Just been super busy trying not to fail a couple classes, and lacking the effort to write.

Exam/assesment season is over for now, so more free time means more writing.

Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Integra tolerated the long winded speech the priest felt necessary to give her, she had learned to tune them out easily enough. Although, what she wasn't prepared for was the gun pressed against her skull as she was about to leave, "where do you think you're going?" Heinkel asked coldly,

"Back to my manor" Integra stated flatly. "I'm the commander, it's my duty to give orders to my soldiers".

"We've been instructed to take you into custody" Anderson supplied, "best you come along quietly",

Integra could hear the not so quiet of murmuring between Yumie and Heinkel, debating whether to shoot her or tie her up. "I can hear you, you know" Integra called to the scowling women, "whatever you are planning to do, get it over with... I'm going home".

Anderson turned to his companions and scolded them quietly, "We aren't going to overpower a woman with no protection, it makes us no better than rapists".

For once Integra was glad of the priest's intense morals, "Fine then, I suppose i'll be leaving now, do you think you could walk me home?"

"She's kidding right!?" Heinkel barked looking at her in disbelief,

"these days, it's not safe for a woman to walk alone at night" she stated slyly. Reluctantly, Anderson agreed, ordering his hoard of loyal companions to enact her will. With the disgruntled mutterings of his crew they shuffled behind as Integra as she made her way back to the manor.

XxX

The Geese along with Seras had begun their defensive measures against Hellsing manor, under Integra's direct order it was to be protected at all costs. The pair would rather be on the front lines fighting, but much to their dismay, the manor was the priority. From the roof of the manor, Seras watched as the Blimps split through the clouded sky, making their way towards the manor.

Pip noticed Seras had fallen quiet, unusually so, "Somezhing wrong?"

"I'm just nervous I guess" Seras muttered under her breath as she tightened the straps around her shoulder,

"don't be" Pip replied, helping her with the task. "It's just like target practize, except...bigger".

"That's not very helpful" she laughed pulling the large metal canisters of ammo onto her back and picking up a canon, examining the item in her hands, "not as heavy as I thought" she noted.

"Zhat's weird, I had to have 5 men bring it up here" he laughed, "you'll be alright".

"It's not me I'm worried about" she admitted, "it's everyone else, Victoria...Integra...You...even Master I suppose",

"we'll be fine!" Pip replied cheerfully, "the perimeter around zhis building is impenetrable!"

"I know, but I can't help but worry" she sighed looking into the sky, the blimps slowly edging closer and closer, they would be in firing range withing minutes.

Pip ruffled her hair playfully, "you worry too much..."

"Better to be cautious" she mumbled, "you better get back to control, the Geese will be waiting for commands". Pip nodded reluctantly, before departing Seras placed a kiss on his cheek much to his delight. She watched him bound off to the control room, dread filling her stomach.

"No time for that now" she whispered raising the cannons, eyeing the flying targets, "I've got a job to do".

XxX

"We are lost idiot!" Katja cursed looking around the streets, "we have passed this building many times!"

"They all look the same when they're on fire!" Victoria snapped, "i've hardly ever been around this area, I don't know where the bank is!"

Katja huffed in frustration before taking a seat on the monument steps beside her,

Victoria searched her mind for any mention of a bank being in the area, once again her poor memory failed her. "By the time we find him this war will be over!"

"I'd hardly call it a war" Katja scoffed, "more like an invasion, a bad one".

"Bad? I'd say that they are doing quite well" she replied bitterly, "this city is destroyed, it'll take years to repair...if it could be at all".

"It was unfair" Katja clarified, "they had better weapons, soldiers, commanders and bombs than us, not to mention the fact that they were desperate, nothing to lose or defend, I-", she snapped her mouth shut at hearing a person approach. Turning around they were met with the sight of an a young man in a familiar uniform,

"The butler? No, I recall much more age on you..."

"Ah Katja" He noted grimly, "lovely to see you again", Victoria noticed he did indeed look much younger. His face lacked the deep ridges of age, his eyes no longer tired but bright and alert, now tinted every so slightly violet.

"cannot say the same for you" Katja scowled, "I hope you have not been sent here to retrieve us".

He chuckled lowly, "no, nothing of that sort".

"Well..what do you want then? Why are you out here? Why aren't you with her?" Katja grew suspicious of his weirdly vague answers and behavior, Victoria more so.

"Hmmm very surprised The Major didn't tell you.. . now it appears we are on the same side,"

"We are on no one's team" she huffed repeating his response in her mind. "The Major...You..You are working with him? For how long!"

Walter frowned thoughtfully, "I'd prefer not to answer... however since you haven't lived up to their expectations, you've abandoned the cause, it appears they needed a new secret weapon".

Katja's mouth hung open in surprise, but she felt Victoria's anger building within, the vampire decided a temporary swap was in order, it wasn't something she particularly wanted to deal with anyway. Walter watched the physical change happen before his own eyes, something he hadn't observed before. He watched in fascination how the red receded to mere rings around her iris's and the accent dropped from her tone.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!? ARE YOU INSANE?!" Victoria howled angrily, "SHE TRUSTED YOU, YOU WERE APART OF HER FAMILY!"

"so were you" he replied calmly,

"NO I WAS A WEAPON TO BE USED IN THIS WAR!" she snarled, "ONLY THAT AND NOTHING MORE".

Walter's face remained stern, growing impatient with her dramatic behavior. "Victoria, I don't want to stay in this area too long, I have things to do, but I will say this, Integra saw you as a one of us... she was eventually reluctant to use you that way, considering how Katja would cause you harm" he explained.

Victoria felt a heavy pain in her chest, guilt and grief weighed heavily on her mind, now realizing she had no reason to run away, "you're lying!"

"I haven't lied to you, I don't have any reason to now, it's too late for me to return to her anyway, what do I have to lose?"

Victoria ignored his statement, "what on earth could cause you to betray her?! What is worth that!?" Victoria advanced towards him, a furious look in eyes,

"Are you going to kill me? I know you won't," he replied lowly,

"I just might!" she hissed, "you are a horrible person, but if I kill you now, she'll never have to know what you've done, I'd be doing the both of you a favor!"

"a nice thought, but I didn't go through what I did to be killed by you" the butler noted, "this transformation was rather impromptu, but I don't regret a thing, I've finally escaped my decaying human form".

"y-you're a vampire!" Victoria barked shrilly, her face screwed up in disgust, "you betrayed us to become a vampire!?"

"It took you awhile to realize Victoria, but yes I did, and I'd do it again" he stated coldly, "I don't feel anything towards Hellsing anymore".

Victoria only felt disgust, and pity for the man, someone she thought she could trust and trusted her, traded his loyalty for immortality. "You have gotten the short end of the stick in this deal, you'll forever be a slave to The Major, no family or loved ones, you'll be begging for death eventually."

"Katja certainly has influenced you hasn't she?" He stated flatly, unaffected by her cruel words. "The bank you are looking for is down Ferral street, although he was last spotted in the underground..."

Victoria scowled in confusion, "why the hell are you telling me that? Stop avoiding the topic!"

"I have somewhere to be, I've told you everything I'm willing to" he asked flatly, "as for Jake, he would have to be killed eventually, I'm sure it's something you wanted to do".

She scowled and avoided his stare awkwardly, "I would say thank you.."

"but you hate me too much" he supplied, "I have places to be, things to do, so i'll be getting out of you're hair now...happy hunting". With those words he departed. Victoria watched him casually stroll away, wondering if she should kill him now, hatred overwhelmed her, so much so she was sure she could do it.

"Why are you crying?" Katja barked,

"crying?" she muttered, realizing that tears spilled down her cheek,

"he betrayed Hellsing, that king of betrayal deserves no mercy" she stated coldly, "he made a stupid decision, he will pay eventually".

"If anyone should kill him, it should be Integra or Alucard...not me" Victoria replied, "I thought of him as a family member I suppose, he was tempted by a stupid deal, now he's given up that life and started a new one".

"a better one" Katja replied snidely, "he would be a good solider, a great killer i'm sure... speaking of killing, we should be heading to the underground".

XxX

The blimps fell from the sky in a rain of fire, smoke and rubber, landing in the fields not too far from the manor. Seras let out a sigh of relief and fell to her knees, the recoil from the cannons firing exhausted her arms and shoulders. However that relief was short lived, as she peered in the distance, much to her dismay, from the mass of fire emerged a small army of vampires, "they survived?!" she cursed jumping to her feet, fingers pulling at the triggers of the cannon's only to find she was completely out of ammo.

With a tug of the straps the weapons empty ammo boxes fell from her back and landed on the roof with a loud bang, she discarded the cannons shortly after. "what about the defenses!?" she panicked watching the small army advance. It was only once they were a few hundred meters from the manor the defenses Pip had mentioned finally made their appearance. Short sharp explosion consumed the rushing vampires,

'landmines?' she thought, 'didn't think that was Pip's style'.

She watched with satisfaction as the army thinned, the leader, Zorin, livid from what she could see. Seras allowed confidence to briefly return, that was until Zorin's form slowly grew, eventually becoming taller than the manor itself. With a toothy grin the Vampire bounded towards the manor, the fledgling with a worried squeak rushed downstairs as fast s her shaking legs would carry her.

XxX

The fragile boat ran through the bridge with ease, coming to a jolting stop in the land below. From the deck Alucard could see the damage that had been inflicted, "more than I hoped, but not expected" he noted. The whole city was either on fire or reduced to a wreckage, although some buildings on the outskirts remained relatively intact, he hoped the same for the manor.

Maxwell and his fleet of Vatican helicopters hovered above, after previously attacking the largest blimp that plagued England's airspace. The man looked down in horror to have seen the ship cut cleanly through the bridge. On the deck below, he could see the familiar crimson red coat and hat which belonged to their worst enemy. The vampire glanced up at Maxwell, the two briefly making eye contact before Alucard vanished before his eyes.

Maxwell jumped back from the glass window in shock, "he's here" he muttered in shock, his horrified face now a pallid color as panic set in, "he's here!"

XxX

Vampires stormed the manor, their numbers and power easily overpowering much of the Geese, by the time Seras had made it back to the heart of the manor the remainder of the forces had retreated to the upper floors. Furthermore, Zorin's illusion had fooled them well, Seras had burst into the hall to find many screaming in terror and pain, clutching at imaginary wounds.

The fledgling had realized soon enough that the whole thing was an illusion, Alucard had made sure she knew the signs of one, "It's not real!" she announced to the terrified soldiers, too busy screaming in terror and pain to notice. No matter how much she begged or pleaded they ignored her completely, many had already fainted from shock.

From the corner of her eye she could see Pip staring at her blankly, she had idea what he was seeing, but she didn't dare ask, the terrified expression on his face told her all she needed to know. Seeing him so helpless and scared ignited something within her, a anger and confidence she hadn't felt in some time. She ran to the window, Zorin in the distance still controlling the illusions, 'she'll scare them to death before the Vampires can get in here' she thought bitterly.

She swung Harkonnen off her shoulder, propping the barrel on the window still as she took aim.

XxX

Zorin anticipated the shots, she was able to doge several but the final caught her off guard, grazing her face. "Bitch!" she cursed, releasing the spell, "Nice try girl, but you're too late!" she called smugly.

"Too late?" Seras repeated, looking around she noticed the Geese coming too,

"It was just a trick?" Pip asked flatly, "damn it! I feel like zhe biggest idiot!"

"There was no way you could have known..." the blonde replied absently, something was bothering her, what was Zorin talking about? Why are they too late? Before she could question it further the door at the end of the hall was thrown off it's hinges, her small army storming inside.

"GRAB YOUR WEAPONS AND SHOOT" Pip barked over the panicked rabble, the soldiers woken from their stupor did as they were told, opening fire on the vampires.

"I'll hold them off!" Seras called, "retreat back!"

With a grateful nod Pip took the remainder of his men and sprinted to the furthest room in the manor, building a final defensive barricade against the inevitable wave of vampires that would come their way.

XxX

"We're done for!" a solider whimpered, "we can't stay here we'll die!"

"And we'll die if we go out there" another replied grimly. Pip had noticed a cloud of doom and depression hung over the Geese, the passion they had for the war now dwindled, his own included, not that he would show it.

"Listen up men, we are on defense, zhe very last resort. If we die, we die here, let this manor be our headstone. But, our death izn't set in stone, so man up and get working on zhat barricade!" he barked to the exhausted soldiers.

"There's no more silver ammo and half of us are wounded, Captain, will all due respect, I don't want to die for a cause so absurd, we should get out of here while we can" a solider complained.

"Shut up! You zhink zhat will stop us? We've been more outnumbered than zhis! Who's to say Seras hasn't killed zhe Bastards already anyway! We were paid to do a job, and we are going to finish it if it kills us!"

Pip looked around at the remaining men, and reluctantly agreed, many were bandaging wounds or scrambling for any sort of defensive weapon. Not to mention a crying man in the corner of the room, who had lost his eyes, begging to be killed. It was a pathetic sight and everyone knew it.

"Give me the rest of the ammo" he demanded, the vice captain reluctantly handed of the remaining two clips,

"Do you think she'll come back?" he asked.

"Seras? Of course she will, she's not the type of girl to leave us.."

XxX

Zorin strided through the bloodstained hall confidently, a wicked grin on her lips. "Burn it all down! Kill all those insignificant vermin!" she ordered to the vampire soldiers littering the building. "I want them dead! By the time we are done... Hellsing will be a name and nothing more!"

With a cheer the vampires rushed forward, their use of rockets quickly reduced the barricade to a heap of rubble, easily climbable.

The vampires had torn up the remaining Geese faster than Pip could shoot them down, his two clips of ammo barely killed ten vampires. He was injured from the blast of the rockets but thankfully remained unnoticed by the vampires, their focus on tearing apart the more lively men. Their defense had been reduced to nothing, the Geese's bodies littered the halls and floors. Pip remained alive, barely, he knew a concussion was preventing him from thinking clearly, although fear was just as likely. Too wounded to even stand, he sat against the wall, a single bullet left in his gun.

XxX

The tunnel was falling to pieces, chunks of concrete littered the floors, and it felt as if the whole structure could come down on top of her any minute. The trains had ceased to a halt on the tracks, deserted completely. Katja felt confident in her ability to survive such a event, but from within she could feel Victoria's nerves increasing,

"I've never been hurt that bad before..." Victoria muttered, "except for...that night I suppose".

"I could dig our way out of a mountain" Katja snorted, "the most harmful thing to us now is Alucard himself".

"I don't know.." Victoria sighed, "being buried alive, uh, undead, doesn't sound appealing",

"It isn't".

There was a drawn out silence as she navigated through the ruins, "what will you do after we kill Jake?" Victoria asked softly.

"Reclaim this vessel" Katja replied flatly, "as was our agreement",

"No I knew that, I mean after that, where will you go? What will you do?" The artist replied.

"You know, I had not thought about it, I was planning on returning to Romania, but, without Vlad, I am not so sure... Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I'm maybe hoping we could... I don't know..." Victoria sighed, "to be honest I don't know about this deal".

"You have already agreed, you agreed to face death once surely it won't be hard the second time",

Victoria sighed, reluctant to reply, "I know, but I've seen what happens when you make a bad choice. Do I seem as crazy to everyone as Walter did to me? What if we never find him than our agreement wouldn't be fulfilled".

"I will walk to the ends of this land in search of him if that's what it takes" Katja promised, "you've always been one to have too many second thoughts Victoria"

Suddenly a violent tremor cut their conversation short, as more collisions happened above ground the wreckage of the underground weakened further. The sound of helicopters and buildings falling could be heard above, whether Katja heard it, or chose to ignore it she didn't know. With each successive crash or bang above. the structures around them trembled, "Katja we have to get out before it collapses!" Victoria barked,

"No! I am close to hunting him down! I won't be tricked out of our deal, I will kill him!"

"You idiot! we have to go!" the artist begged, fragile columns fell around them as the ceiling begun to collapse, chunks barely missing the vampire, "get out!" Victoria barked.

"No!" Katja snapped back before powering forward, he's in here I can sense it!

Before either could react the ceiling above caved in, releasing tons of concrete and metal on the vampire, she collapsed instantly and felt her conscious begin to fade. Footsteps could be heard, but they were too far away, everything felt too distant, it wasn't long before consciousness faded completely.