Staring out the pane of glass at the troops training below, she wondered if these new recruits would match the same level as their predecessors. Those men had been battle hardened and experienced in the battles that would have to be fought for Queen and Country, having laid down their lives for the struggle that secured the defense of the people of England. Yet, even as she watched, she could see the little mistakes that they were making, and knew that she would have to depend on the instructors to make these soldiers into the combatants that she would need to follow her.
Reaching in under her jacket, she pulled out a small silver case, and opened it. With the familiarity of years of smoking, she plucked out a single cigar and closed the case to replace it in her jacket. She knew that it was a filthy habit to some, but she had too many things to worry about to be concerned about something this simple for long. Cutting the end of the cigar off, she chomped on the end and lit the other side, allowing the light to briefly illuminate her face.
As it did so, she wished that it could chase the shadows away, but wasn't enough of a fool to think that some pitiful light could do that much. However, the light of her organization was all that stood between the people of the United Kingdom and the monsters that slunk around in the night. They were the combatants that took on the burden of that responsibility, and knew that her people had to be at their best at all times.
What she was looking at wasn't even close to to that. They had to be the best, because nothing else would do. Even the toughest human could wind up as cannon fodder in this sort of fight, but they needed to be there. She would be damned to hell first before she let herself fail in her duty, and she wasn't about to allow some rookies doing the sort of lazy marches that raw recruits from the army did stay for any real length of time. Her men had to be the elite amongst the fighters, and they were going to become that, or they would die when the freaks fought back.
However, there was one sight that she did appreciate seeing walk along the edge of the training field. Not that she was the only one who saw the long legged stride, as several heads turned in the direction of the shapely blonde walking around the new recruits. Of course, they would have to be admonished for their inattention, but she couldn't blame them for their appreciation. That girl was certainly attractive, especially with the confidence that showed in her movements at that very moment, although the short skirt and tight uniform might have done much to help in the eyes of the men.
Amusement curled up one side of Integra's mouth as she considered how shocked they would be if they knew that Seras Victoria was a vampire. Oh, she wasn't one of those monsters that would rip the throat out of some unsuspecting man, but she was perfectly capable of picking up a large bore rifle and use it in a fight like she was practicing with a pistol at a firing range. All of her abilities were quite impressive, and she knew that the girl was tougher and more experienced than many of the men who were standing with them. When Alucard had turned the police girl, she hadn't thought that the act would result in much, but now she considered the younger woman to be an important part of the Hellsing Organization.
That was why she had taken Seras to that conference of the organizations that fought against the monsters in the dark. It hadn't been the most impressive experience in her life, but then she had not gone there expecting to make much in the way of a success of it. The Iscariot organization was still as arrogant as ever, several of the American delegation members came off as pompous, and she had to wonder what exactly the Chinese team was trying to get at. Then again, she wasn't exactly playing nice, considering the fact that she had a vampire girl as her bodyguard. She didn't have to say anything about it, but those at the Hong Kong meeting had understood that she wasn't playing games.
As it stood though, she had gotten a surprise when that had resulted in her subordinate winding up as a married woman. The boy in question wasn't British, but that wasn't exactly a problem. Not only was he not an agent of any government, he was a skilled fighter with abilities beyond those of most humans. Considering the fact that he wasn't someone who went for secret agendas or political manipulation, he was all the more astonishing.
To be perfectly honest, the marriage concerned her, as she wasn't sure how this would work out, as there was so much could go wrong. However, she did have hopes for the two of them, as so many bad things happened that a little happiness would be good. At the same time, the idea that she could have Ranma Saotome as one of her agents did have its own appeal, as he could do more in her service than a dozen of her troops. Having a Japanese boy in service to the Queen was an odd thing to contemplate, but she wasn't above taking help where she could get it.
"Sir Integra," called out an apologetic voice. "You have a call."
"It never does stop," she muttered to herself, taking a long drag on her cigar before turning to face her aide. It was disappointing to not have Walter there, but she wasn't about to demean the young woman in front of her with such idle recollections. Keeping a stiff upper lip was important, and she wasn't about to let her subordinates see her sweat, while:
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