Disclaimer: I do not own Psycho-Pass.
Muted
By TCNL
Chapter 1: Breath
I feel so empty.
Floating through the abyss, I couldn't see anything.
I know I'm in pain, but I barely feel it.
Even in death, I am/we are alone.
I bolted upright, breathing in harsh gasps. Feeling pain coming from my palms, I looked down to see rocks and dirt sticking to them.
"What the hell?" I groaned as I moved.
Inspecting myself, I saw that I was wearing the same clothes. My signature black shirt, denim shorts, knee-high leather boots, and my dark green winter coat. My wavy dark brown hair pooled around my butt. Same clothes from where? My head throbbed as I tried to remember what was I doing before I fell asleep.
THUMP.
"Gah," I gasped as I clutched at my chest.
It hurts. It hurts.
I realized I was wheezing when the ground came to meet up my face. The pain from my nose made me lie down on my side. My jaw clenched in irritation. Why am I so powerless? What's going on?
I have to remember.
I need to remember.
Eyes closed in concentration, I tried to recall what I was doing. The pain returned and I whimpered as tears dampened the ground below me. Images flashed, but most of them were just glimpses. Glimpses of what?
"Make it stop," I pleaded. Someone. Anyone.
My eyes widened.
"I'll get you coffee on the way home. I'll even lend you a dress for the party!"
"What are you–"
"Where am I?"
"I apologize in advance. Thank you, you will contribute greatly to our country's progress."
"Their ideology is deviating from the original purpose of this project!"
"The first five members were supposed to be psychologically sound. This was not a part of the planned procedure!"
"You shall be our last defense."
CRASH!
I looked up to see where the noise came from. That could only mean one thing. I'm not alone here. I struggled to get to my feet. I gasped at the sight before me.
I was at a higher ground. The setting sun bled on the sky and over the vast field. There were several weird-looking towers scattered in the area. And they were spinning slowly. So… they're using these towers to water the field. That's brilliant, but wouldn't farmers be jobless?
Faintly hearing a scream, I shivered. It sounded purely of despair and desperation. Silence followed.
What the hell is going on? And how did I even get here?
The eerie silence was broken by ragged breathing.
"Everyone is alone. Everyone is empty. People have no longer any need of other. You can always find a substitute for any talent. Any relationship can be replaced. That's the world I grew tired of."
I moved myself towards the voice, but for some reason, I froze.
"Greetings. Welcome to Project S."
Lights filled my vision as panels seemed to appear in front of me. I touched my ears and eyes to see if something was attached. There was none. How am I hearing that robotic voice and seeing this interface?
"Senri, status: activated. Vital signs: stable. Audio processed. Commencing mission startup. Target has a 97.81% chance of candidacy for Sibyl System's recruitment. Imminent threat present. Intercept and secure target in a safe location. Please proceed with caution."
"What do you mean by 'secure target'?" I mumbled under my breath. My eyes widened as I received a response.
"Target must be taken to a safe place. If fleeing is not possible, please neutralize the threat."
My expression darkened. "Then that means failure is not an option."
"Affirmative." What the hell. Since I have no idea what's going on, so I'll go along with it.
I leapt from my position and roughly landed on my knees. Thankfully, I was wearing my boots. In front of me were two men. One was sitting on his heels, the resigned expression on his face morphing into interest as he looked my way. The second one was pointing a revolver to the other, the trigger almost being pulled.
"Threat recognized. Your current status is unarmed. Proceed with extreme caution."
"Please stop," I said as I slowly approached them. The man holding the gun turned to me, his eyes narrowing. Damn. I have to somehow take the gun from him. From the look on his face, he's definitely going to kill the other one.
"Who are you?" I didn't answer as I instantly rushed at him.
"Adrenaline boost activated. Repercussions will take effect in approximately 20 minutes." Holy! What!
I barely had time to think as I sharply turned my body, swinging my leg up his wrist, and effectively launching the revolver into the air. He reacted quickly and aimed a kick to my torso. I flipped myself back and hurled myself in the air to take the gun.
Shit, that was too high! I fucking flew from the ground!
I'll worry about how am I doing these things later. I have to save this poor guy.
Landing in a crouch on my feet, I pointed the revolver straight at him. His eyes narrowed in irritation. I can almost see animalistic bloodlust in his eyes as he glared at me.
"Did I stutter? I asked you to stop." I put my digit by the trigger.
"That man needs immediate medical attention. If you get in my way, I have no qualms in killing you if you will not desist," I said as I tilted my head in the injured man's direction.
"Who the hell are you?!" He snarled.
"Senri. I can't let you harm this man," I said, stepping closer to the injured guy.
"He's a terrorist! He'll keep killing people if I don't end him now," he said as he took a step forward. A police then? Why else would he be chasing him? And man, this guy. You can almost see hatred radiating from him.
"That is just a part of your purpose. Let's be honest here. I can tell that you're quite the intelligent man. However, your potential is not maximized because… you're hindered by hatred. He killed someone important to you, didn't he? So it's more about revenge in the end."
He glared harder and he started to tense, signaling that he was about to move. I was right, huh.
I pocketed the gun and flung both my legs upward. I went up to the air and towards him.
"Status updated. Eliminate threat with equipment." My eyes narrowed at that.
"No. What are the other options?"
"Incapacitation. Lock the threat down and commence memory disruption." I could do that, I think.
From my position in mid-air, I took ahold of his arm and my legs to thrust him down to the ground. He struggled as I help back his left arm. I pulled harder and pushed my foot against his shoulder blade. I heard him grunt in pain.
It suggested that I disrupt his memories. So it wants me to conceal who I am then.
"The temporal lobes have the hippocampi, right?" I asked it.
"Affirmative. Specified area is involved in memory storage." Good.
He shook as he tried his hardest to break free. Sorry, mister. I bent his arm to his back in a lock and sat on him. Restraining him with my weight and my right arm, I pulled my left hand back. I slammed it onto his temple with as much force as I could.
A loud crack echoed through the air as I hit him.
His struggles stopped as he lost consciousness. I grimaced as my hand slightly throbbed. Getting off the unconscious guy, I dusted myself off and went over to the injured guy.
"Status update: Threat has been neutralized. Please secure target to a safe location. Repercussions of the adrenaline boost will take effect in approximately 14 minutes."
I observed the person in front of me. He was breathing shallowly, as he put effort on keeping himself upright. Beads of sweat were on his neck, a sign that he has been moving for quite a while. His pale silver hair hung limply on his head as his amber eyes bore onto me.
"I'm Senri. Let's go, before I collapse myself," I said and extended my hand to him. His gaze didn't waver as he moved to take it, but he winced when he stood up. Crap. That wound is still bleeding.
"Take off your shirt," I instructed. He complied silently. A gruesome cut greeted my eyes as he handed me his bloodied shirt. I folded the torso of his shirt into a make-shift bandage. I carefully lifted his left arm to wrap the shirt around and tightened it around the wound.
"There must be a mode of transportation nearby," I mumbled as I took his right arm and put it around my shoulder. He looked down at me with a strange expression.
"Why?" His voice resonated.
I looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "Why not?" I could tell he was surprised, but he didn't say anything else. I tugged him with me uphill and onto a road. I saw a yellow-orange bike not far from where we were.
We made our way to it and I grinned when I saw the keys. I let him lean against a tree while I put the bike up. Moving it to him on a reachable distance, I got on it and looked at him. He slowly got on and I revved the engine. It purred as it came to life.
Flicking the stand back, I released the brakes and turned the bike around. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from blushing when he put his arms around me, and his chin on my shoulder. I took off with moderate speed.
"Safe location detected. Residence of Saiga Joji, less than 10 kilometers east of current location." I nodded my head at the information. A relative? I didn't know I had a relative that still lived here. I thought they all migrated to Europe or something. Oh well. Whatever this is, it's incredibly helpful.
Remembering my passenger, I turned to him. "Don't fall asleep," I warned.
"Makishima Shogo."
"Huh?"
"My name. It seemed just to give it to you," he responded. Oh, right. I kind of forgot that I don't know his name.
"Sho-san it is. I'd rather not have anyone recognize you when I say your name. Hold tight, we'll be at our destination in a few minutes," I informed him as we took a right turn. He hummed in response. We sped in comfortable silence and I would occasionally look back to see if he was awake. I would meet his eyes every time.
"Destination is to the right." I slowed down and stopped. What is it talking about? I moved forward a little further and saw that there is a narrow trail leading up to somewhere. I was going to start up the bike again and turned the keys.
Chk chk chk.
Are you serious? I clicked my tongue in annoyance. The indicator glared as it pointed to the letter E. I sighed. It's a good thing that it didn't die on us when we were halfway. Careful not tip the bike over, I flicked the stand with my foot. My passenger leaned back from me.
"The destination is up there. We'll have to make it on foot," I told Makishima-san as I got off the bike. He staggeringly did the same. I glanced at his former seat and hummed in approval.
"Give me a moment," I said as he leaned on a nearby tree. I led the bike into the canopy of trees and left it there. I checked it over for a trace of blood and found none. I checked under the seat. I opened the latch and a little red box sat in the small compartment. Perfect. I took it and began walking back.
Makishima-san's heavy-lidded eyes greeted me. This is bad.
"Repercussions will take effect in approximately 3 minutes."
Crap. I immediately took his right arm around me and began trekking through the trail. I could tell that he was trying not to put as much weight as possible on me. Who knew that a terrorist could be such a gentleman? I chuckled.
I could hear the sound of streaming water as we approached the house. The symbols of Saiga carved neatly on a marble plaque. Bringing Makishima-san with me, I knocked on the solid wooden door. I gasped in surprise as it opened even before I landed my knuckles on the surface. A middle-aged man with slicked back dark brown hair and glasses greeted us. He looks familiar.
"Repercussions are now in effect. Please rest until energy is replenished."
"U-Um, I was hoping if you could help us?" I stammered, feeling my strength draining from me. His sharp eyes went over our forms.
"Hayato?" Slipped passed my lips before I could stop it. He sighed and turned his back on us.
"Come in before your friend bleeds to death."
I nodded and went in. He instructed me to set Makishima-san on the couch, which I did. His head lolled a bit to the side. I put my hands on his face. He looked up at me, his eyes halfway closed.
"Sho-san. Don't fall asleep." He nodded and stared at the ceiling. I began removing the make-shift bandage. The wound already began clotting, but I could see that some parts are still producing beads of blood. I opened the small first aid kit that I had with me and began working.
"You called me 'Hayato'." I turned to see Saiga Joji, with a cup of coffee in his hand. I fought to keep my eyes open.
"You resemble my cousin. His name is Saiga Hayato." Joji-san's eyes widened, but the expression didn't stay long on his face. I could also tell that Makishima-san is listening in closely.
"I know you're not lying. But the person you're talking about has died a long time ago. He's my grandfather."
THUMP.
My chest constricted as I nearly dropped the needle in my hand. All the exhaustion I was feeling went away at his words.
"G-Grandfather? That can't be. He's my age. How could he have a full-grown man for a grandchild when he's my age?" I asked incredulously. I felt Makishima-san twitch a little when I started sewing up his wound.
"Who are you?" I frowned at Joji-san's question. I cut off the excess thread poking out from Makishima-san's skin. I started cleaning and bandaging a cut on his forehead.
"I'm Saiga Senri." His eyes narrowed at my answer.
"Saiga Senri is dead. If I recall correctly, she's been missing and pronounced dead for almost a century now. The family was not very open on the matter." The word century echoed in my mind. Flashes of blue and sea green flittered in my vision.
My hands clenched as I looked down on my lap. "What the fuck. I can't be dead. I'm here right now. If you're telling the truth, then… I was asleep? No, all those visions that would flash before my eyes, they're memories. Tell me, what year is it?"
"2112."
My jaw clenched. "Tch. What's going on? Oh and, what is the Sibyl System?" I asked, my voice darkening at the end.
"I'll explain once you fill your stomach. Your friend needs a lot of protein." He replied and went to the kitchen. I looked at Makishima-san, my face bearing sadness and bewilderment. I faintly remember the feeling of desperation to be with someone and the loneliness that came with solitude.
There was so much blue. And coldness.
"How intriguing. A soul lost in time?" Makishima-san said as he stretched out, careful not to agitate his wounds. Am I lost in time? Even back then… I was lost. Hah, that was deep. I inclined my head to the side.
"I do wonder that too. I already have a theory on what happened, but of course, the humane part of me cannot easily accept what is happening. I have a purpose I can't disclose yet and I have a feeling that things are just going to get more dangerous from here on. It's almost like a sequel to an unfinished novel." I leaned back, enjoying the cold and soft feel of cushion on my back.
I lightly heard a soft thud. At the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of boots land on the carpet. Weight was being shifted as Makishima-san fully laid down on his back. Huh, it kind of slipped my mind he's shirtless. I felt weight on my lap and stared down. He somehow managed to prop up his feet. I gave him a half-hearted glare and I chuckled. I was too tired.
My head lolled back further on the backrest as I welcomed sleep willingly.
A/N: Plot bunnies wouldn't stop. Thanks for reading!