It was another busy day at H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. headquarters with operatives walking in and out to go on missions, whether they be combat or intelligence gathering in nature. The HR and SR were busily going through paperwork, tech was maintaining the facility's computer systems, but today, it was the department that handled mail that made the most remarkable discovery. It was a letter that was simply addressed to the H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. Intellegence Department.
The standard procedure of checking the letter for poisons was completed and a person from the mail room came down to the Intel Department and waited for someone to got inside so they could hand them the letter. Only Intel agents and a few high-ranking officers had the code to access this wing of the building, so this was a typical way around this particular flaw in the system. From there, the message made its way to the office of the chief of the department, Lieutenant Suyin Chu.
Chu was at her desk when the agent knocked on her door. All they had to say in order to grasp her attention was that there was mail for the department. It was rare that messages were sent directly to her office and not via e-mail or in her personal mailbox, and they were usually of importance. She accepted the message and shooed the underling away.
She trusted that it had been thoroughly checked before it reached her desk, but just in case, she gave it a light shake and listened for the sound of powder rustling inside. Swiftly, she opened the letter and glanced over its contents, only to be slightly surprised. Her brows furrowed as she read it over several times in order to make sure she wasn't just imagining what the hand-written message said.
The author stated that they were a member of the Scarlet Order. It also said, however, that they were dissatisfied with what it has become, stating: "The Order is no longer about the rebellion of supernaturals against humans, and is now about building an empire. We have ventured all across Scandinavia, building allyship with the various supernatural beings here. Remote village after village have become Scarlet Order 'territories', and myself and my allies have had enough. Unfortunately, we cannot simply leave. Thus, we are willing to offer a deal: If you offer myself and my crew amnesty, we will supply you with information on the order."
Enclosed were a list of named ships underneath the Scarlet Order and which ones were important. From this, Lieutenant Chu learned that their main ship is called "The Brahmastra", and it is not the same ship that the Order fled Britain in. The author also listed known scouting parties and estimations on how many members there were in each, along with explanations as to what these parties even do. They are simply groups that travel the countryside on foot in search of supernaturals who are willing to join the order or be allies. Immediately, Chu took notes.
The letter had no return address or information that could be traced on it. There was handwriting, but they would have to take handwriting samples of every current and previous Gehennan citizen and analyse them to get a guess, but even that wasn't certain. Regardless, they had something, and Suyin alerted Integra right away to her findings.
"So you're saying that there are turncoat Scarlet Order members?" the Hellsing woman said, going over the letter herself.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm not sure if it's credible or not, but it's something." Suyin replied, still standing with perfect military posture.
"They ask for amnesty… I'm not sure if that can be granted." Integra sighed. "I can bring it up at the next council meeting, but are they aware that even if their wish is granted, they might not ever be allowed home? If some of the supernaturals in Gehenna got a hold of them, they would be torn to shreds..."
"Should we investigate this lead, ma'am?"
"Absolutely. Don't leave a single stone unturned. Even if their demands are silly, a lead is a lead, regardless if any promise can be made good upon."
"Should I take the letter to Forensic?"
"Yes. Have them make a copy for Intel." Integra instructed, handing the letter back to the other woman. "Dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am." After taking the document, the lieutenant turned on her heel and did as instructed.
Once she obtained a copy of the letter, she left the Forensics Department in order to put everything into action. She came into her department's area on a mission. She startled a few workers as she spoke loudly.
"Attention! I want everyone currently working on the Scarlet Order investigation to pay attention." she bellowed, capturing the attention of almost everyone in the room. Some were startled by the volume of her voice, but understood that when Lieutenant Chu spoke this way, it was something important. "We have found a possible lead. Who's in charge?"
There was a brief pause before a woman raised her hand. "That would be me, Lieutenant." The rather petite woman said.
"Darzi, come with me."
"Yes ma'am." the woman said, standing up as the other turned to walk away. As she followed, she made sure her headscarf was secure and her uniform was in order. It wasn't often that she was called into the boss' office, after all. She had to look competent, especially since she was in charge of such an important task.
Once they were both in the office, she stood at attention as the other sat down at her desk. Chu had walked quickly in her haste, and it affected her, although she tried not to show it. Placing the copy of the letter on the desk, she nudged it to Darzi before folding her hands.
"This is the latest lead." the lieutenant stated. "I want you to set aside a few members of the team responsible for the investigation to verify this information and to utilize whatever turns up to be true to your advantage."
Bending down while maintaining a certain degree of distance from her commanding officer's desk, Darzi took the sheet of paper and looked it over. She wasn't sure if it was legitimate or not, but it was her job to find out. With a nod, she said: "This looks feasible. I will have confirmation to you as soon as possible."
"Good." Suyin replied. "That will be all..."
"I'll see to this immediately." Darzi replied confidently before turning away. She put her hand on the doorknob and started to turn it, but she hesitated. Looking back to the Lieutenant, she asked: "But… I do have a question, ma'am. Baines is still asking to look at our findings so far..."
"It's not his mission, so it's not his business." the other stated while adjusting her glasses so that they sat on her nose better. "I understand that he was friends with Omid, but he's going to have to accept that there are rules. Do not show him the files until permission is granted."
"Yes, ma'am." answered Darzi with a small nod. With that, she was out the door and heading back to her team in order to relay the information. Once she was gone, a heavy sigh escaped the lieutenant.
Chu opened a drawer in her desk and groped around inside for a moment before pulling out a stress ball. The woman squeezed it while peering over her notes on the letter. It made sense, but they needed complete accuracy. Hunches could not be afforded. Tiredly, the lieutenant tried to think of where to start on her own, only to realise that her mind was no longer cooperating with her.
"I don't want to retire yet, but you're killing me..." she thought to herself, closing her eyes. "I should start going to bed sooner..."
A/N: Oh...
What I find most interesting about this character is not that it revealled a major plot point, but the fact that it worked okay even though it focused primarily on a super minor character that has only shown up like twice. There are main characters who don't even get that. What the fuck.
But it was funny, huh?
I don't have much else to say other than I feel Lieutenant Chu's tiredness. I should be asleep, but I am not. I am a bad noodle.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
CHARACTER SHET
Question: "Ciel, how often did you make contracts in the past, if you made any at all?" by Melajay
Ciel: "Not often. It was only about two or three times. Each of those times, I was very picky. Always very quick. I was never a fan of contracts because I never liked being tied to a random stranger for God knows how long while I grant whatever wish they had. Even though I was bored, I'm not becoming a butler. It's just not happening."
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Question: "How often do demons need to eat souls on average?" by Honeycloud of RiverClan
Sebastian: "Oh, I would say about every seventy-five to eighty-five years or so. A hundred years would be a maximum. It depends on the demon and how much they are willing to endure, I suppose."
