Disclaimer: I do not own Psycho-Pass or the characters.
Rated M
Summary: A series of death in the city raises suspicion. Deaths that seem natural at first glance or is there something more to them? Rated M for coarse language, violence, gore, death and all that shit...
Each chapter will be named after the character's POV.
Ginoza
The job of an inspector is not only to observe the work of the enforcers when a stress level suddenly rises in an area of the city during a case, it's also our job to observe and investigate when something doesn't seem right. As division one's lead inspector it's my job to find anything that seems out of the ordinary that may be going on in the city that the Sibyl system can't detect due to certain factors just like what happened in the drone factory about a month ago. Chances are if I had never looked into those so called accidental deaths, Yuji Kanehara would probably still be committing murders by passing them as an accidental death.
Thanks to Kougami's wild tactics we were able to prove that the dismemberings were no accidents and the plant manager Kuraudo Goda had some serious explaining to do as to why he allowed his workers to physically torment a colleague in the first place knowing full well that such treatments would cloud someone's hue and in result caused the man to commit murder. Needless to say, future changes are expected to be made to ensure the mental health of the workers in the factory remain healthy by changing the way they treat the work personnel and make it against company policy to have any of their worker's hues be out into the open for everyone to see, that is just unacceptable.
When you stop to think about the amount of crimes that still happens on almost a daily basis, it's almost unbelievable. With the Sibyl system, people are now experiencing more enjoyable lives than ever before along with the technology that we now have, we actually live in great comfort even if you just happen to make average income and yet the crime rates have never really gotten down, you learn that quick enough when you become an inspector.
The Sibyl system gives everyone the state of mind that it is safe to walk on the street in peace because you know that the people around you aren't going to hurt you. That alone should be enough to discourage any individuals from even thinking about committing any forms of crime. Bullying others fall almost in the same category, in time anyone who bullies will eventually find that their hue starts getting cloudy and most of the time these people are the ones who run when they get flagged by a street scanner. They will then blame the system for judging them unfairly when it was their own fault to begin with but if you look at how society used to be and how it is now, the people haven't changed.
Since the introduction of the Sibyl system I believe that things have changed for the better in certain aspects as to what kind of job you are most qualified for. In the past people would spend their whole lives trying to figure out what was best for them and most never found it but on the social level, humans haven't changed at all and maybe most have become even more ignorant. No matter how much society evolves and how you can now be judged there will always be people that want to hurt others for their own selfish gains. In the end these people either end up being judged by the system to be unfit to continue living in this world or judged to be beyond the help of therapy and are then forced to live the rest of their lives in isolation, completely isolated from the outside world.
I hear the office door open followed by calm footsteps coming closer but I continue working none the less, my eyes fixated on my screen trying to make sense of what's going on here. I know something definitely is wrong here, well to me it just doesn't feel right but no matter how much I look at it, I can't find the answers that I'm looking for. I just can't find anything solid to actually go on…
"Nobuchika you've been glued to that computer all week, care to elaborate on what's caught your attention?"
I take my eyes off the screen to look at my dad as he comes closer to my desk and I still can't believe that he has the decency to call me by my first name at work, it's unprofessional. He gives me that same old smile he always does as if to say oops my bad but it doesn't really seem to bother him much but his curiosity isn't wrong as something has caught my attention and since no one is here, I guess I can let it slide this once.
"I'm not sure yet." I answer back, returning my attention to my screen as I rest my chin on my closed fist, hitting a few keys on my keyboard with my right hand.
A month ago a sudden rise in heart attack deaths in the elderlies caught my attention. True that such death is not uncommon but it was the number of individuals that started dying from heart failure that I found odd. In this day and age people dying from heart attacks and strokes are not something you'd hear on a regular basis due to the technologies we now have.
Things got stranger about a week ago when younger individuals started dying from the same cause, sudden heart attacks. No matter how you look at it, it just doesn't make any sense for so many people dropping like flies like that; something very wrong is going on in this city. The last person that died from a heart attack was yesterday, a woman in her late twenties had a sudden heart attack while she was out eating with friends. From the report I found on the matter, it says that she just dropped to the ground with absolutely no prior warnings or symptoms that something was wrong. Her friends all said that she appeared to be fine and yet her heart failed her but why?
"You are not the type to waste your time looking at nothing." I guess he's come to know me too well on how I work but the way he can always pin point the smallest of things on a crime scene it's not very surprising that he can figure me out like he does. Since he's here I guess it wouldn't hurt to get his opinion on this, like they say nothing beats a hunting dog's sense of smell.
"Fine then… A month ago a sudden rise in heart attacks began to occur in elders throughout the city. I'll admit it's not uncommon for old people to die from such causes but it's the number of deaths in a short period of time that bothers me. A week ago a red flag hit me when younger people starting dying from heart failure also. It just doesn't feel right, no matter how you look at it, it just doesn't make any sense." I tell him as I show him my findings. Since my grandfather past away due to heart failure, I didn't stop to think much about it at first when heart failure in elderly rose but when younger citizens began dying of the same cause, now that just can't be right.
"Stress was a large factor for heart failure in the past but the Sibyl system changed that. People are now living more stress free lives than ever before. I thought that maybe these people might have been stressed because of their hues getting cloudy but all of them had perfect mental health and most of them had their hues checked the same day that they died. None of them had prior health problems until their deaths either…" I add as I close the files, waiting for his opinion on the matter.
"You're not wrong for looking into it." He tells me as he pulls a chair and sits down.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions but…" I've never been the type to jump to a conclusion without having the hard evidence to back my statement up but a week ago the thought that someone is literately causing people to have heart attacks as a way to commit murder didn't sound too farfetched but there's also the chance that it might be something even more serious too.
"Murder? Could be or something causing healthy people to become ill with a sudden death, either way it's not something you can just ignore." He quickly replies with my two possible conclusions that I've been debating with all week.
If it is someone that is committing murder by causing heart failure on his victims then how do I approach this investigation? How can you induce a heart attack without causing any slight of panic in the victims in the first place? All the people that died so suddenly had pretty much the same statement from people that witness their deaths. They were with friends having a good time or were doing some outdoor activity in the park, none of them from the report even was aware that something was wrong but if it's not someone committing murder then there is obviously something wrong going on in the city. Something is making people sick, whatever it is it could become epidemic but somehow it just doesn't fit. The numbers of elderlies dying of heart attacks have dropped since younger people have started dying from heart failure, if it was some sort of bacteria or parasite then the numbers wouldn't have dropped, instead it would be in a full scale rise but it isn't.
"I know… I just don't know how to approach something like this. What should be my move without causing a mass panic?" The moment that I make a move, I won't be able to hide it from the media. If I tell them that I suspect foul play in the recent deaths then the public will fear for their safety and stress levels can rise for they won't know how the murderer is killing his victims to induce a heart attack and there's nothing I can tell them to verify anything to ease their minds. If I choose to go with the approach that something is making people sick then again I will meet similar problems, the public's stress level will rise and what will make it worse is that I won't be able to say what exactly is making them sick and therefore I wouldn't be able to provide any information on how to prevent further deaths. It doesn't matter how I look at it, I'm met with a double edge sword…
"If you ask me, your best bet is to approach this as if you are certain that it is murder and go from there." He tells me as he stretches his right arm as he stands up.
"If I go by that it won't be any different than chasing a ghost. I don't have any evidence to support my claim, what I currently have is not substantial evidence." I remarked. All I have is technological data; it's not going to be majorly acceptable evidence unless I can find something that can prove me right.
"Nobuchika then you find the evidence that you need to pursue this case. It's pointless starring at that screen when you know something is going on. It won't solve the problem, the only thing that it will do is more people are going to die. Just follow your instincts son, if you smell that foul play is at work here then go by that. You're a detective after all, trust your instincts son." Trust my instinct he tells me… I hate it when Kougami and dad just go with their gut feelings but I can't deny that they've never been wrong before but I have to do this with the system or else we'll lose the public's trust.
I know dad's expression from the years of working with him; he smells murder it's without a doubt. There's no mistaken his sense of smell, that the least gives me confidence to make my move. If there is something, I know either Kougami or dad will find it; the question is how long is it going to take for us to find it that's the million dollar question here…
"Alright then… It won't hurt to investigate the matter thoroughly. That's what we'll do first thing in the morning and go from there." I answer back. I quickly check my database and from what I can find out, the woman that died yesterday her funeral is not set for another three days. No autopsy has been made on the body, having died from a heart attack I don't see any reason why the family would even suggest getting one done and I'm hoping that her body hasn't been embalmed already. If it hasn't then I can get an autopsy done on her body and cross my fingers that we get something.
"Good, now go home." He insists as he hands me my jacket eagerly. Yeah it's already ten o'clock and I'm still not home. I'll have to take Dime out for a night walk and then shower before I can go to sleep, not to mention that I have to get up early tomorrow morning. At this rate, tomorrow is going to be a long day…
I shut down my computer, get up and take my jacket putting it on as we walk out of the office. Dad goes towards the enforcer's quarters as I head the other way. At this hour the building is quiet and empty, only my footsteps can be heard as I pass a few drones here and there until I finally exit the building as the cool breeze of the wind hits my face. It feels much cooler than what was forecast, if the temperature continues to drop it will snow. Honestly I'm not looking forward to that, I hate the cold weather especially when we have to investigate outside it never makes our job easy.
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The temperature has definitely dropped a few degrees since I left the bureau or it's simply colder in the park next to my complex, either way it's freezing. Dime is overly energetic tonight, I can't throw him his ball fast enough and he doesn't seem to be tiring out. It's either that I'm freezing or that I'm tired and just want to take my shower so I can go to bed or it could be a bit of both.
"Good boy." I tell him as I pat his head gently taking the ball in my hand, throwing it as far as I can and off he goes into a sprint after the ball.
Dime comes running back with the ball in his mouth, his tail wagging with joy as he drops the ball into my hand again. "Alright boy, last time. Go get it!" I order as I throw the ball as far as I can and off he goes again and like before it doesn't take long for him to find it and come running back dropping the ball into my hand, not exhausted what so ever.
I put the ball inside my jacket pocket and take out his leash from my other pocket as he sits allowing me to hook the leash onto his collar and we jog back to the complex building. If it wasn't for all the people around being so picky I wouldn't even have to put Dime on a leash. He wouldn't run off, he's well behaved but people see a medium or large dog and instantly think that they are wild beasts. The old lady at the end of the hall on my floor is the only one I really have to watch out for, she complains at every little thing she can. She once placed a complaint that Dime had been off the leash for just a second in the hall; I wasn't even a feet away from my apartment door. The landlord walked up to me when I was at the park and told me about the complaint he had just gotten, not bothering to hide his laughter about it and that I shouldn't take it too seriously but to prevent the woman from complaining again that I should put Dime on his leash inside the apartment before leaving.
I'd love to be able to buy a home in a more rural area one day; I wouldn't have to deal with annoying neighbours that can't mind their own business. I would be able to leave Dime outside when I'm at work, he would actually be much happier than being stuck inside the apartment all day. He could bark to his heart's content and I wouldn't have to worry about getting a notice of eviction due to the noise.
I enter the elevator and Dimes sits like I thought him to as I press the button to go up to my floor. The ding the elevator makes when the door closes always startles him but never the less he remains seated which is a great improvement since before he would jump and would try to find where the noise came from but it is to be expected. Dime is getting older; he no longer has the mind of a young puppy but that of a full grown adult now. Soon he'll be five years old, he's finally in his prime and the hardest work has been done and I'll have his best for the next three years and sadly after, his health will start to decline. The facts of life I guess.
The elevator dings again and the doors opens to reveal the nag of the floor. If dad would hear me calling her the nag he'd definitely call me out on it for thinking so disrespectfully towards her but it's true, she's always complaining. I can't believe that she's still up at this hour and of course as we get off the elevator we catch her attention… Damn…
"That animal has no place in a city." She reported in her usual snarky tone, not like I expected anything less from her.
"I'll keep that in mind madam Kitagawa." I acknowledge hoping to avoid an argument, I've learned with the elderly it is just best to agree with whatever they say but right now with the look she's giving me, I doubt it that she'll let me off that easily. Just my luck.
"One of these days that dog will turn on you child mark my words." I look at Dime after she said that and he just looks at me tilting his head a bit sideways as if he's wondering the same thing as I am. Dime turn on me? I find that rather unlikely and almost laughable that he'd ever attack me.
"Madam Kitagawa my dog doesn't have any malice or aggressivity. I assure you he's completely harmless." I try to assure her as I pat Dime's head gently. He presses his head onto my leg as I continue patting his head, he's just a big teddy bear he wouldn't hurt a fly but again from her facial expression she's not too convinced.
"My poor child how this system as made the youth careless and ignorant. That dog is not a native Japanese canine, it was imported long ago here but that animal is direct descended of the wild wolves that run wild in the cold Russian tundras and Canadian arctic." She states.
Before adopting Dime, I did in fact do my research on the breed first to know exactly what I was getting myself into and I was alright with it. Actually from what I managed to find about the breed I was surprised at how easy Dime was to train. Everything I found about Siberian Huskies was that they were energetic and very stubborn but Dime was never very stubborn to begin with. I'm confident that I trained him well.
"I'm aware of that but I can handle Dime, I have properly trained him since he was a puppy Madam Kitagawa." I answer back as I crouch down to rub Dime's chest.
"I don't doubt your skills as a handler child but you can never take the wild out of a wolf, it's who they are. That beautiful wild instinct will always be inside him, you can see it in its eyes." I couldn't help but look at the old woman in slight confusion. Ever since I moved here, she has shown nothing but distain towards Dime and just now calls his ancestors' wild nature beautiful and what's with her calling me a child? I'm twenty-eight now; clearly I don't look anything like a child but who knows with her.
"Beautiful? You gave me the impression Madam Kitagawa that you hated dogs." I tell her. She gives me a smile for the first time I've known her since I moved here as I got back to my feet.
"Ah! Hate dogs, no but there is a place for everything in the world child. That dog belongs in the wild where it can run to its heart's content." Can't argue with that. In the past dogs like Dime were once use to pull sleighs and could run for miles and miles but in order to compensate that I make sure he gets enough exercise twice a day for about an hour and so far all is good with him but I guess nothing beats the real thing.
I look at the time quickly, argh damn already almost midnight… At this rate I won't be getting much sleep… "I'd love to talk more Madam Kitagawa but I have work tomorrow and I have to be up early." I tell her, trying my best not to sound rude but I really just want to go.
"What is your work again child?" She asks and I just want to go crawl into a mouse hole. What is with her tonight?
"I'm a senior inspector for the Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau in the Criminal Investigation Department." I briefly answer and hoping that it will end with that but to my luck she isn't letting me off…
"A very demanding and dangerous job, I'm certain it has its moments. I take it work as gotten busy lately?" She asks and somehow it doesn't seem to surprise me that she put one plus one together and that something came up at work since for the last week I've been coming home much later than usual.
"I can't really talk about my work Madam Kitagawa, it's confidential." I answer back and it was the truth. I can't talk about any of the cases; doing so could cost me my job.
"I understand child." She replies as she opens her door and finally I'm off the hook. Does she have some terminal illness or something and she's going to die soon or what? Since I've lived here not once did she ever tried to talk to me and what was surprising other than her normal nag on Dime, she didn't complain about anything else. Never the less, I can't waste any more time tonight… I've already lost enough sleeping time as it is and I foresee a speech from dad if I'm too tired tomorrow.
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