Chapter XII: Truth
.
Sol was walking across the lobby when he caught sight of a young woman gazing upon one of the paintings. Curious, he neared her with great stealth and studied her.
She was as tall as Celes and had almost the same frame. Her long blond hair was tied into a ponytail. Looking at her, Sol imagined what Celes would look like having tresses like that.
"Hello," Sol said making the woman jump. When she turned to face him, he noticed that she had gray eyes.
"You surprised me," she said as she clutched her heart. And he could tell that he did. Her heart rate was way above normal.
"I am sorry," he smiled. "What brings you here?"
"My sister, remember?" she sighed. "You told me to check out the Royal Protestant Knights Hellsing Agency and here I am."
"Does she know about you?" Sol asked worriedly. "Does she know that you are a day walker?" the woman blinked in surprise and shook her head.
"All she knows that my mother died giving birth to me," she said sullenly.
"She doesn't know, huh?" Sol smirked. "She'd go nuts."
"She'll go mental," the woman laughed. "Will she?" she added doubtfully.
"She will," Sol sighed. "Why don't I go with you to see her?"
"I'd like that," the woman smiled at him. "So... are you two an item?"
Sol froze as he heard her. He decided to lie to her but instead he opted for the truth.
"Not yet," he sighed. "I'm working at it though."
"Good," she nodded.
"May I help you, Walter?" Sol turned around to see Walter walking towards them.
"Master Hellsing requests your presence," he said formally.
"Just me?" he asked.
"You and Miss Celes," he said.
"Okay. Thank you. Could you do me a favor and show Andrea to the gardens? We will be with her after the meeting."
"Of course sir," Walter bowed and gestured Andrea to follow him. Smiling, she bowed and followed him.
"See you later," Andrea called out as she walked away. Sighing, Sol started towards Hellsing's office.
**
"Do you think it's a trap?" Celes asked Alucard as she heard the news. The Iscariot institute wished to meet Sir Integral Hellsing to discuss matters of importance.
"I wouldn't trust those hypocrites even for the time of day," Hellsing spat. "But I'm curious of what they're going to say."
"Probably demanding an apology from what HE did to that priest," Alucard chuckled. Rarely did Celes see her master without his glasses and hat. And he looked calm despite his sinister aura.
Hellsing only sighed at that comment.
"He's more than he seems," Hellsing said with a smirk. A knock on the door paused their conversation.
"You needed me, Master Hellsing?" Sol asked as he entered the office. Removing his hat, he placed it beside Alucard's. He stood beside the vampire who was looking at him appraisingly. Celes couldn't help but notice the similarities on their features.
"Yes," Hellsing said curtly but Alucard could sense that it was all a show. "Walter, Alucard and I will meet the Iscariots but I'm convinced that this is a trap."
"Then don't go," Sol said before he could stop himself.
"Hellsing will not give in," Hellsing said firmly.
"Then expect the unexpected," Sol said.
"We will," Alucard laughed. "Dogs will not destroy me."
"That cockiness almost spelled your doom before, Count," Sol smirked.
"Is there something we are not aware of?" Celes asked worriedly. Sol took the letter from Iscariot that was lying on the table and sniffed it. He then licked the signature at the bottom of the paper and looked at his employer.
"This didn't come from the Iscariot Institute," Sol said much to the surprise of the women and the amusement of Alucard.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
"The paper doesn't have the smell of incense nor was it blessed," Sol explained. "They pay meticulous attention to the blessing of all their possessions. And this, although it may seem like Maxwell's signature, is a perfect forgery."
"How did you determine that?" Hellsing asked.
"Maxwell only uses ink imported from India," Sol tossed the paper on the table and sighed. "He doesn't use any other ink. If he doesn't have that ink, he's not signing anything. The ink on the paper is mass produced here in London and could be bought in any school supply store."
"All that with a sniff and a lick?" Celes look at his disbelieving. "Anything else?"
"The paper is recycled and the words are burned into it, not written," Sol looked sullen. "A demon wrote this letter." Before, Hellsing would think of him crazy. But events led her to believe that he was telling the truth.
"You and Celes will remain here in case anything goes wrong," Hellsing said and stood. "You two will hold the fort and if what you said is true, and I believe it is, you will be on standby until called for. Understood?"
"Yes Ma'am," Sol and Celes saluted.
"Dismissed," Hellsing said. As they were about to leave... "One more thing Helios. How did you know so much about Maxwell?"
"Because not too long ago I was assigned to assassinate him," Sol said in a cold voice. "Unfortunately, the order never came to finally kill him."
"Thank you. That is all," Hellsing said nonchalantly. Sol bowed and left the room with Celes on tow. Hellsing looked at Alucard with a frown of confusion.
"Was he telling the truth?" she asked.
The vampire only laughed in mirth.
End of 12
.
Sol was walking across the lobby when he caught sight of a young woman gazing upon one of the paintings. Curious, he neared her with great stealth and studied her.
She was as tall as Celes and had almost the same frame. Her long blond hair was tied into a ponytail. Looking at her, Sol imagined what Celes would look like having tresses like that.
"Hello," Sol said making the woman jump. When she turned to face him, he noticed that she had gray eyes.
"You surprised me," she said as she clutched her heart. And he could tell that he did. Her heart rate was way above normal.
"I am sorry," he smiled. "What brings you here?"
"My sister, remember?" she sighed. "You told me to check out the Royal Protestant Knights Hellsing Agency and here I am."
"Does she know about you?" Sol asked worriedly. "Does she know that you are a day walker?" the woman blinked in surprise and shook her head.
"All she knows that my mother died giving birth to me," she said sullenly.
"She doesn't know, huh?" Sol smirked. "She'd go nuts."
"She'll go mental," the woman laughed. "Will she?" she added doubtfully.
"She will," Sol sighed. "Why don't I go with you to see her?"
"I'd like that," the woman smiled at him. "So... are you two an item?"
Sol froze as he heard her. He decided to lie to her but instead he opted for the truth.
"Not yet," he sighed. "I'm working at it though."
"Good," she nodded.
"May I help you, Walter?" Sol turned around to see Walter walking towards them.
"Master Hellsing requests your presence," he said formally.
"Just me?" he asked.
"You and Miss Celes," he said.
"Okay. Thank you. Could you do me a favor and show Andrea to the gardens? We will be with her after the meeting."
"Of course sir," Walter bowed and gestured Andrea to follow him. Smiling, she bowed and followed him.
"See you later," Andrea called out as she walked away. Sighing, Sol started towards Hellsing's office.
**
"Do you think it's a trap?" Celes asked Alucard as she heard the news. The Iscariot institute wished to meet Sir Integral Hellsing to discuss matters of importance.
"I wouldn't trust those hypocrites even for the time of day," Hellsing spat. "But I'm curious of what they're going to say."
"Probably demanding an apology from what HE did to that priest," Alucard chuckled. Rarely did Celes see her master without his glasses and hat. And he looked calm despite his sinister aura.
Hellsing only sighed at that comment.
"He's more than he seems," Hellsing said with a smirk. A knock on the door paused their conversation.
"You needed me, Master Hellsing?" Sol asked as he entered the office. Removing his hat, he placed it beside Alucard's. He stood beside the vampire who was looking at him appraisingly. Celes couldn't help but notice the similarities on their features.
"Yes," Hellsing said curtly but Alucard could sense that it was all a show. "Walter, Alucard and I will meet the Iscariots but I'm convinced that this is a trap."
"Then don't go," Sol said before he could stop himself.
"Hellsing will not give in," Hellsing said firmly.
"Then expect the unexpected," Sol said.
"We will," Alucard laughed. "Dogs will not destroy me."
"That cockiness almost spelled your doom before, Count," Sol smirked.
"Is there something we are not aware of?" Celes asked worriedly. Sol took the letter from Iscariot that was lying on the table and sniffed it. He then licked the signature at the bottom of the paper and looked at his employer.
"This didn't come from the Iscariot Institute," Sol said much to the surprise of the women and the amusement of Alucard.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
"The paper doesn't have the smell of incense nor was it blessed," Sol explained. "They pay meticulous attention to the blessing of all their possessions. And this, although it may seem like Maxwell's signature, is a perfect forgery."
"How did you determine that?" Hellsing asked.
"Maxwell only uses ink imported from India," Sol tossed the paper on the table and sighed. "He doesn't use any other ink. If he doesn't have that ink, he's not signing anything. The ink on the paper is mass produced here in London and could be bought in any school supply store."
"All that with a sniff and a lick?" Celes look at his disbelieving. "Anything else?"
"The paper is recycled and the words are burned into it, not written," Sol looked sullen. "A demon wrote this letter." Before, Hellsing would think of him crazy. But events led her to believe that he was telling the truth.
"You and Celes will remain here in case anything goes wrong," Hellsing said and stood. "You two will hold the fort and if what you said is true, and I believe it is, you will be on standby until called for. Understood?"
"Yes Ma'am," Sol and Celes saluted.
"Dismissed," Hellsing said. As they were about to leave... "One more thing Helios. How did you know so much about Maxwell?"
"Because not too long ago I was assigned to assassinate him," Sol said in a cold voice. "Unfortunately, the order never came to finally kill him."
"Thank you. That is all," Hellsing said nonchalantly. Sol bowed and left the room with Celes on tow. Hellsing looked at Alucard with a frown of confusion.
"Was he telling the truth?" she asked.
The vampire only laughed in mirth.
End of 12