Hellsing - Blood Heritage

I have decided that just about everyone in the town where I live is stupid. Some idiot around here was raising exotic animals illegally, and when he got tired of dealing with them, he just let them go. Which means that there are now 6 monitor lizards, 4 alligators, and 2 Burmese pythons running/slithering around loose obscenely close to my house. And all of these things are full grown too - so it's not like we're dealing with baby reptiles here.

So there's a pretty good chance that there are some small children who are going to be encountering a twelve foot python in their backyard in the near future. Last I heard, the fire department sighted one of the lizards climbing into a sewer drain about 5 blocks away. They tried to flush him out, but if it came out, no one saw it.

So that urban myth about alligators in the sewers? It's not so far fetched after all. It's actually happening here.

Oh, and on a side note: we've been cleaning out my grandfather's deep freezer, and I had meat from three really big deer shoved on me. The excuse was something along the lines of, "You like venison don't you? I'm never going to eat all of this, so you take it!" I still haven't figured out how he thinks his granddaughter can eat three deer faster than he can.... .

Anywho, I've been making bucket loads of jerky from the parts I can't get steaks or stew meat out of. So, my refrigerator looks like something out of a serial killers house right now. And all the bones and leftover bits become chew toys for my dog outside. So I imagine when the loose gators start getting hungry, they're going to head right for my house. 0.0

I should probably stop thinking about that now....

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Syn ran into Sir Integra at the breakfast table. The first thing the knight did was zero in on the new piece of jewelry.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked with a frown.

Syn shrugged. Integra noticed the gesture and arched a brow. "Should I be congratulating you or offering my condolences?" she questioned, sounding completely serious.

"I haven't decided yet." She sat down across from the woman and poured herself a cup of tea. "I was kind of..." she paused, looking for the right word. "Blindsided."

Integra narrowed her eyes, but didn't comment. Syn figured she had lived with the vampire long enough to know when something was a sore spot. She cleared her throat and took a sip from her teacup. "How goes training with the mercenaries?"

"As well as can be expected." she replied. "Seras and Walter have been giving them lectures on the creatures they'll be facing." she sat back in her chair with a resigned sigh. "I honestly don't think these lessons are going to sink in until they gain some first hand experience..."

"Perhaps the best way for them to learn is by throwing them into the fire." Syn commented thoughtfully.

The knight's lips curved into a small smirk. "Ah yes, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Considering how well you handled yourself during the attack on the house, how would you feel about doing some work in the field?"

Syn coughed and set down her tea. "With all due respect Sir Integra, I'm a gunsmith, not a soldier. I don't really think I'm cut out for the battlefield..."

"Is that so?" she asked, sounding unconvinced. "From what I understand, you were quite vicious."

"That was pure self-preservation, I can assure you." she replied.

"Well, it sounds to me that we could put those 'self-preservation' skills to good use." Integra responded with a knowing look. "There aren't many people who have the presence of mind to find alternate means of defense when they've run out of bullets. Especially a... what was it you tried to beat Alucard's head in with?"

Syn made a face. "It was a pipe wrench." she said blandly. "He told you about that?"

"Trust me Syn, when Alucard finds something interesting, I hear all about it eventually."

'Oh dear god.' she thought to herself. 'I wonder what else he's told her about me...'

Syn really didn't want to ask. Knowing Alucard, he had probably told his master all sorts of inappropriate things to get her riled up. She decided to focus instead on the knight's request. She didn't like the idea of going out on missions, but she couldn't very well argue with the boss. It might even be therapeutic, she considered. But if she was going to do it, she needed to make a few preparations first. One of which she would need a little help with.

"If you let me steal Edmund away from the defense project for a bit, I'd be willing to go out on a mission or two."

Integra studied her curiously. "Do you mind if I ask why?"

Syn smiled. "There's something I need to make a few modifications to that falls outside my area of expertise."

The knight considered her request. "Fine. As long as it doesn't detract from the other work he's doing here, I don't see why he couldn't help you." She clasped her hands in front of her, taking on a more businesslike air. "When you've finished talking to him about whatever it is you have planned, I would like for you to report to the firing range. The mercenaries are scheduled for target practice this afternoon, and I want you to give the men a formal run through of the new guns before they use them. The last thing we need is for someone to break them acting like an idiot..."

"Yes Sir." She moved to get up, then remembered something. "Sir?"

Integra looked at her expectantly.

"I got a call from my former boss the other day." she began, hoping Sir Integra would be nice enough to allow her time off. "There's a big event being held at The Green Faerie in October that he wants me to host. I completely understand if I can't do it, but I would really appreciate it if I could go back for a night..."

The knight pursed her lips. "When in October?"

"The 24th. It's a Halloween celebration. I've hosted it for the past three years in a row, and..."

Integra held up a hand for silence. Syn immediately closed her mouth, realizing that she had begun to ramble.

"You understand that your duties here are your main priority?" she asked, shooting a serious look over the tops of her glasses.

"Yes Sir."

"And you also understand that I need my best people on alert at all times in the event of a crisis?"

Syn deflated a bit, sensing where this was going. "Yes Sir."

"Good." Integra sat back and pulled a cigar out of her jacket pocket. "Then as long as your work is completed, and we have no immediate need of you here, you may go."

She blinked, then felt a rush of relief as she realized what the woman was saying. She jumped and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "Thank you Sir Integra!"

The knight froze in her grasp, then she heard a sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. When she spoke, her voice was tinted with amusement. "Syn, please remove yourself from my person."

"Oh, right." Syn pulled away with a sheepish look. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Just don't make it a habit."

"Yes Sir."

Integra sighed and shook her head, glancing at Syn's hand once more. "One of these days that bloody vampire is going to go too far, and I'm going to kill him." she muttered under her breath.

'Well shit.' Syn swore internally. The last thing she wanted was for Sir Integra to get pissed this early in the day. But since the subject was already out there, there was only one way to deal with it.

"Um, Sir Integra? If it ever comes to that, I'd be more than willing to hold him down while you punched."

The knight blinked at her serious tone, then her lips slowly curved into a smile. "You know, if I wasn't certain he would enjoy that, I'd take you up on it."

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After she finished her tea with Sir Integra, Syn set out to find her cousin. Since he had offered to help on the defense projects, he had his own little work area not far from her own office. He was talking with someone on the phone when she walked in. Seeing that he was busy, she grabbed a sheet of paper and sketched out a basic idea of what she wanted. The moment he hung up the phone, she shoved the paper into his face and gave a detailed description of what she needed.

"Dear God Syn, I knew you were a daredevil, but this is pushing the envelope a bit far." Edmund stated, looking up from the quick drawing she had made.

Syn planted her hands firmly on her hips. "What? Are you saying I can't handle it?"

"I didn't say that." he said quickly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "But there are limits to what a piece of machinery like this can do. An engine this size isn't capable of the speed you're talking about..."

She arched a brow in challenge. "Then we'll just have to make it bigger. Unless it's too much for you..."

Edmund scowled at her, then thrust out his hand. "Give me a pen."

They were arguing over her motorcycle. If Syn was going to go out vampire hunting, she was going to do it right. She didn't like the idea of tracking them down on foot. It would take too much time, and a vampire could easily outrun a human being - as well as most vehicles traveling at their maximum speed. Most of them had a top running speed of around 215 mph - which even her beloved Hayabusa couldn't keep up with. The only option, therefore, was to make her bike faster. And Ed, when he wasn't busy with the family business, liked tinkering with cars and motorcycles. A normal body shop or chopper wouldn't dare consider taking on the modifications she wanted, so he was the only one who was crazy enough to do it.

"...gonna have to rework the body to allow for the increased engine size... probably replace the entire cooling system to handle the amount of heat from the pistons... damn Syn, are you sure you'll be able to 'drive' this thing? The reaction time required at these speeds is..."

Syn cut him off with a look. "If you can build it, I can drive it."

Ed could hear the determination in her voice and knew better than to argue about it. "You're going to need some type of bracers for your legs." he said, changing the subject. "Turning this thing is going to put you at a hell of an angle." He made a few quick adjustments to the paper, then looked it over with an appraising eye. "I can do the body work, but the engine you want is out of my league. I have a friend in Glasgow who would shit himself over this. I'll call him up and see if he's interested."

"How long do think it'll take?" she asked. "I'm not sure when Sir Integra wants me on the field, but I want to be ready if a mission comes up."

Ed scratched the back of his head. "Hard to say. With the way the defense systems are going up, I could focus on this and have it done within a few days. But I can't do anything big until the engine is built."

"Well, could you call that friend of yours and get an estimate? I can do the bracers myself, but I've got to meet with the new guys soon..."

"Don't worry about it." he told her. "You go play with the mercenaries, and I'll make sure this gets done."

Satisfied that he would handle it, she walked toward the door, only to have Ed's playful voice call out behind her.

"Oh yeah, how was your birthday? I heard you went and got yourself locked up."

Syn fought the urge to turn around and slap the hell out him. Rather than doing anything rash, she simply ignored the comment and marched out.

Remembering Integra's orders, she headed down to the indoor firing range, meeting Walter along the way. Apparently he was going to get out all the equipment and make sure it was ready while Seras brought the men down. When they reached the range and found they were the only ones present at the moment, Syn offered to help him out with his tasks.

"I see you've been wrangled into helping with this as well." he commented.

"Yeah, Sir Integra requested I give a demonstration..." she frowned. "Have you guys been having problems with them?"

The butler cleared his throat. "Aside from a few... off-color comments directed toward Miss Victoria, they seem to paying attention to the lectures."

Syn paused. Off-color comments didn't sound very good. It certainly wouldn't be particularly healthy for the speaker when Alucard found out about it. 'Oh well, far be it from me to get in the middle of that.'

As long as none of them acted that way in front of her, there wouldn't be a problem.

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When the cute little blonde vampire informed them that they would be having target practice tonight, the first feeling the Geese felt was relief. Those lectures the boss, Sir Integra, forced them to sit through were the worst sort of torture. Not that learning everything there was to know about monsters wasn't interesting - it was. Not to mention the few that Seras oversaw gave them something nice to look at as well. But the Wild Geese were soldiers. They lived for the excitement of the battlefield. Being forced to sit in uncomfortable metal chairs and take notes like they were schoolboys was 'not' the most enjoyable thing in the world - no matter how hot the teacher was. They were all itching to get their hands on these 'special' guns they had heard about and blow some holes in things.

When they got down to the firing range however, they found that these crazy people expected the impossible.

Pip, who was beginning to think Hellsing was run entirely by women who had lost their damn minds, wondered if perhaps he had gotten his boys in over their heads. The pretty red head, who introduced herself as the resident munitions expert, Syn, was nice enough. Easy on the eyes too. But after she gave them a run down of the weapons they were expected to use, she pointed them to the targets.

They were so far down the field, it was difficult to see that they were there at all.

"Iz zhis a joke?" Bernadette questioned, looking at the woman like she was crazy. " 'ow are we supposed to 'it zhat? Zhose 'ave to be at least 3,000 meters away!"

"4500 meters actually." she replied, tossing her impossibly red ponytail over her shoulder. "And I can assure you that if you can aim that far, my guns will hit them."

The Geese whispered amongst themselves. Pip could hear what they were questioning whether this woman knew what she was asking or not. She was obviously good at her job, but there was a difference between building guns and actually firing one. One of the men, Andrews - who was probably the most opinionated of the bunch, elbowed the man next to him.

"What kind of idiot expects someone to hit a target that far away with small arms? She's probably never even 'seen' a vampire other than the ones here. Maybe someone should put her cute little ass on the field and see how well she does..."

It had been one whisper amongst many, but the woman heard it. She whipped around, her eyes flashing.

"You." she said suddenly, pointing a finger at the offender. "What's your name?"

She looked pissed as all hell. Andrews suddenly decided that he should have kept his mouth shut. "...Martin Andrews..."

Syn narrowed her eyes. "I may not be a soldier, but at this point in time I am your commanding officer and you will address me properly."

The man straightened his posture. "My name is Martin Andrews ma'am."

Her eyes wandered over him and she looked as though he found him less appealing than an insect. "Well Andrews, since you obviously think you're the most intelligent one here, you shouldn't have any trouble explaining how ghouls are created."

He blinked in surprise. "Ghouls? I..."

"It's a simple question with a simple answer!" she snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "If you spent more time paying attention to your lessons instead of oogling Officer Victoria like she's a piece of meat you would know this!"

Pip had enough of this badgering and wanted her to get to the point. "Ghouls are zhe result of a vampire attack on non-virgins." he supplied, shooting a dirty look at Andrews.

"Thank you Captain. At least someone was paying attention." Syn said with an irritated huff. "Vampires are extremely powerful creatures. They are both stronger and faster than us. The fate that awaits you should you be bitten is to become a mindless, lumbering eating machine. Hardly recognizable as what you once were, and the slave of the monster that bit you. Now, if you find that appealing, you go right ahead and let them get as close as you like. If you don't, then I suggest blowing the bastards to kingdom come as soon as you can see them."

She paused to take a breath, looking around at the expressions on their faces. "There will come a day, gentlemen, when you will be faced with hoards of the undead. And the only thought in their minds will be to drain you dry. When that day comes, you will have to make a choice. You can run away screaming in fear, or you can stand up to your enemies and fight until your last breath. I have 'seen' the carnage these things are capable of. I have 'watched' my co-workers and friends turned into zombies that have to be shot like animals because they no longer know who they are. I have 'lived' through things that you couldn't hope to imagine in your worst nightmares. I can assure you, I have more than enough experience with vampires to last a lifetime. Those of you who want a demonstration of what I am capable of can line up at the end of the field and we'll see just how many of you keep your head on your shoulders."

She waited for anyone foolish enough to take her up on it. Not surprisingly, none of them did. She snorted. "I didn't think so. Now, is there anyone else who would like to add their two cents?"

The men shuffled their feet and shook their heads.

"Then pick up your weapons and shoot the damn targets!" she snapped.

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After yelling at the insolent bunch, Syn stood back against the wall with Walter and Seras to watch their progress. She probably shouldn't have gone as far as she did, but her nerves were fried. The idiot's snide comment had been the last straw. When she calmed down and stepped back, Seras was gaping at her in awe, while Walter clapped his hand on her shoulder in approval.

"Bravo Miss Newsom!" he said, beaming with pride. "That was the most impressive speech I've heard in a long while..."

Syn blinked in surprise, not expecting the praise. "I probably went a bit overboard..."

"Nonsense." the butler scoffed. "They needed someone to set them straight. I certainly don't think they'll be giving you any more problems, don't you agree Miss Victoria?"

Seras bobbed her head. "That was... just... wow." she sputtered. "I wish Master could have seen that! You were absolutely 'terrifying'!"

"Really?" She felt a tiny bubble of pride at hearing a vampire say she was terrifying. Though, secretly, she was glad Alucard hadn't been there. There was no telling what he would have done...

'Oh don't worry, dearest. I've been watching.'

Syn made a face. 'Damn it, I knew it was too good to be true.' she thought to herself.

Alucard chuckled in her head. 'You don't honestly think I could stay away do you? You were absolutely breathtaking...'

Of course he would think that. He loved it when she got pissed. But still, she found that she was flattered by the comment. She shoved that thought to the side. She was still mad at him, and she didn't want him distracting her from that. She could almost see Alucard frown.

'You are still upset with me.'

'Of course I am.' she replied. 'I'm still getting used to this damn thing.'

'Ah.'

Syn felt him prod around in her head. Surprising herself as much as him, she didn't block him out. She briefly considered it, but she could sense nothing but curiosity coming from him. She was glad the connection allowed her to read that much at least.

'You are wearing the ring?' he asked finally, sounding both surprised and pleased at the revelation.

She sighed. 'Yes.'

'Then have you forgiven me?'

'I wasn't aware you wanted to be forgiven.' she replied, more than a little shocked by the question. Alucard didn't seem like the type to ask for forgiveness. But he sounded like he was sincere. Maybe... maybe he did feel sorry about it after all.

'You misread my intentions little goddess.' he said calmly. 'Do not think that I regret my actions. If I had it to do again, I would still bind you to me. My only regret is your perception of being used...'

Syn scowled. 'Aren't I? You do whatever the hell you want and I have no say in the matter. That certainly sounds like being used to me.'

She must have looked like she was disturbed, because Seras leaned over and whispered to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, examining her with worry. "You don't look so good..."

Syn shook her head, ignoring Alucard for the moment. She gave Seras a reassuring smile. "Fine. I'm just tired."

From the sound of his voice, she could tell the bastard was smirking. 'You are a terrible lier my dear.'

That was the last straw. She had enough of these stupid mind games. 'Oh? Well, I suppose I should take lessons from you then - since that seems to be the only thing you do.'

Alucard didn't have to say a word for her to know he was angry. She felt it bubble up inside of her like a wave. It was almost enough to scare her. Apparently Alucard's emotions were much stronger than her own. When he felt angry, it was a 'I need to rip something apart and bathe in it's entrails' angry. But at this point, Syn honestly didn't care if he hurt her. In fact, it might even make her feel better if he did. At least it would be an honest reaction instead of all this manipulative bullshit.

Then, almost as quickly as it began, he clamped down on the rage - swallowing it down until it was something more manageable.

'I will not argue with you this way.' he said finally. 'If you wish to continue this later, you know where to find me.'

He severed the connection without another word. Syn had apparently spaced out for a moment, because Seras was shaking her shoulders and Walter was examining her with concern.

"Miss Newsom?" he asked carefully, almost as if he had an inkling of what was going on. "Do you need to sit down?"

She blinked at them, then quickly regained her composure. She pulled herself out of the draculina's grip and shook her head.

Sir Integra asked her to work with the soldiers, and she was going to finish her job here. She would tear into the impetuous vampire king later.

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As a fun little aside: Apparently Vlad Tepes and Ulysses S Grant are distant in-laws! Yup, President Grant's granddaughter married a man who was a direct descendant of the impaler himself. If you think I'm lying, Google: "Ulysses S Grant - Vlad Dracula" and click on the first link that pops up.

History is so awesome. :)

Review please! ~puppy dog eyes~