I saw movie trailer. I'm not sure I'm gonna like the way it'll end. So here is my take on what Sibyl's demise should be like (cause this system irritates me to no end). Post-season 2 certainly, might be post-movie AU (cause they like the plot bunnies and killing characters as much as I do).

Okay, welcome to my vision of Sibyl's cage.


On The Nature of Daylight

Five months ago.

Standing in front of an abandoned apartment building on the outskirts of Tokyo Akane wondered. How much time did they spend in the backstreets and dark alleyways chasing down shadows of utopia? Throughout abandoned and trashed spaces kept out of sight, with only tenants being rats and latent (or not so much) criminals. That couldn't leave the likes of her and her "charges" unaffected.

Almost tangible alert sending electricity through her body, robbing her lungs of oxygen every other evening has now become a constant in her life. Cornering a suspect with coordinated moves of "hounds" and "shepherds" has turned into routine. The ever present need to analyze and calculate the culprit's next move turned all of them into Sibyl's hunting dogs – not only Enforcers, but Inspectors as well. The only difference in the end was in the length of the leash. This kind of thoughts sent a shiver down Akane's spine and made her frown every time they entered her mind. Realization was painful. Being "an ideal citizen" in the world, controlled by Sibyl proved to be the most appalling fate she could have chosen. Though deep inside Akane has already realized that as soon as Sibyl lost interest in her, she would be eliminated as an unreasonable risk. In the end every hunter under System's command will become prey. That was another unwanted idea. She never viewed Enforcers as something disposable. To her, every human life was sacred. That's why she did her best to keep everyone who wound up in her missions alive. Yet if someone didn't make it she couldn't even have the luxury of removing a mask of a collected and reserved Inspector. To do that, she had to keep up her charade to try and change the way the System operated. She had to keep going. Her hue won't get clouded no matter what. That reminded her of Shogo Makishima. Not a train of thought she would like to follow right before she had to go down to some abandoned basement. Her nightmares, though few and far between nowadays and never lacking in variety, still sometimes brought her deep under the city to the vast room with catwalks, calm voice reading out a death sentence, bright white "0" sneering at her and then painful red everywhere leaving her to drown in her total worthlessness. But this time there was no one beside her to keep her from falling apart.

Inspector Tsunemori puffed out a cloud of warm air against cold breeze of early spring and hugged her black coat a little tighter around herself. The more time she spent alone these days, the further her mind wondered into forbidden territories. Regret was something she just could not afford. She knew she had to snap out of it, but instead she just sank deeper. Fortunately, the only indication was the increasing amount of burnt out cigarettes in her ashtray and a pack and lighter in her pocket. She still didn't smoke though. Akane chuckled at the memory of Ginoza's grimaces and scowls at her habit.

An old paper rustled past her feet and Akane checked her surroundings again. The block she was in right now has been silently crumbling away since the beginning of the Sibyl's reign. No cameras or scanners around. Pieces of concrete and old junk covered every horizontal surface. The buildings looked like they were about to collapse at any second. The glimmering of the city's inhabited blocks reflected in the water covering the further end of the street. A dark outline of a half sank tanker loomed mere feet away from where the pier used to be. A lump formed in Akane's throat at the thought that the basement they had to inspect might be flooded as well.

To her relief the sepulchral silence of the street was finally broken by a soft hum of car engines. A service vehicle and a paddy wagon stopped, illuminating with their headlights a small female figure of the Inspector leaning against her car. Mika Shimotsuki got out of the driver's seat while the doors of the wagon released the rest of Division 1.

Everyone got ready in complete silence - any sound would alert the culprit about their presence. As soon as the preparations were over, all the lights died out leaving the group in semi-dusk. There were only five of them – two "shepherds", three "hounds". Akane couldn't bring herself to take anyone new in anymore. Those who stayed have earned her trust and that was enough for her. With her free hand she indicated for them to split into two groups – Yayoi and Ginoza came with her to the front, Hinakawa went with Inspector Shimotsuki around to the back of the building. The girl frowned, but said nothing and nodded.

Without a word the Division moved towards the building.

The basement was once an underground parking with two exits to the adjacent streets. All of the lower levels were now fully underwater. One could even hear the whisper of the water just below their feet. Akane had to swallow hard before stepping into the dump darkness. The flashlights shone over rifts in the floor, colonnades going through the whole premise, the rim surrounding a huge circular opening right in the middle where the descent to the lower storeys used to be. Water splashed close enough to the edge to touch. And that's where two blurry silhouettes stood with their backs to the entrance. Without having to be asked Enforces simultaneously turned their lights off. In the strange bluish glow coming from the basin they now could make out the figures of a woman and a child reaching for something in the water. A stifled gasp of her companions echoed Akane's dark suspicion. If she was right, they had to act immediately. She glanced back at Kunizuka and Ginoza and nodded. It was the exact moment their target decided to make her move. She came from behind to the boy kneeling at the edge and shoved him in the back. A startled cry rang out under the ceiling, but was cut short by a loud splash. Two seconds later a Dominator was pointed at the woman's face by Yayoi barely containing herself from shooting the lunatic right away. Something akin to defeat showed itself on woman's face and she simply stood there watching her captors rush to the water.

Ginoza was desperately reaching for the drowning boy. But he was in the middle of the gap now with hands helplessly trying and failing to keep him on the surface. So without letting herself to think about all the depth underneath them Akane shook off her shoes and rushed herself into the water beside the Enforcer. Grabbing onto his arm Inspector reached out to catch the boy's flying hands.

"Come on! Grab my hand!"

His wet fingers slipped off hers once, twice until he finally managed to grasp her jacket's sleeve. Pulling the boy towards her proved to be too much to ask of Akane, though. For a couple of horrifying seconds her head went under the surface before she was dragged back up. Yayoi was already pulling the boy out of the water while Ginoza struggled to get shaken Akane out as well. In the background Hinakawa and Shimotsuki were pointing their Dominators at the mother who was now muttering something inaudibly, vacant expression on her face. Mika was talking away into her intercom calling for medics and drones, her eyes never leaving the woman in front of her.

The boy was shaking in security of Yayoi's hands with his eyes wide with shock. Noting that, Inspector Shimotsuki took a step towards him. Her Dominator was already half way up when Akane's dazed mind had finally caught up with what was about to happen. No! On sole stubbornness she leaped to stop her colleague, but was a mere second late. Akane's heart fell at the sight of blue light smearing the brown eyes of younger Inspector. The trigger didn't get locked. Tsunemori's feet suddenly buckled and she had to lean onto a barrier beside her to support her weight.

"Crime Coefficient: 215,7…" Mika's voice echoed in eerie silence.

The girl looked around and only then did notice that everyone was not looking at her but at Inspector Tsunemoi instead, who was intently staring at her own feet, refusing to look anyone in the eye. After a minute she straightened her back and finally met Mika's gaze with her own unreadable stare. Then she simply turned away and started walking the way they came in. A couple of meters away she stopped and quietly said over her shoulder:

"Ms Kunizuka, please, take care of the boy until I get back."

"Sure".

With a nod Akane started walking again. Her coat was left in the car, so it would still be warm and dry. There was a change of clothes and a blanket in the trunk. Her mind absently registered the upcoming police sirens, the biting cold air, the need to change and bring a blanket for the boy, yet most of her being was caught up in a distant memory of a man with jagged smile telling her about what it was like to be labeled a latent criminal since the age of five. Back then he frightened her with his ruthlessness towards her life philosophy. All she saw now were the flashes of red hair and happily laughing face without any trace of cruelty. A minute ago Inspector Mika Shimotsuki has unintentionally created another Shusei Kagari. Angry tears blurred her vision and with frustration that she managed to suppress in the basement Akane punched her car. Hard. Over and over again in silence broken only by her quiet sobs. Hard enough to leave her hands bruised and sore. Yet it didn't dull the guilt tearing her apart for even a fraction. So they are Sibyl's hunting dogs. Catching criminals and their victims alike and bringing them to the feet of their Prophetess. Never questioning her judgment. Happy with their bright blue collars and the image of peace they've seemingly restored. Akane grit her teeth to regain control over her emotions. Self-loathing and anger won't change anything. And they certainly won't help the boy she failed to protect from her colleague's stupidity. He was now doomed to be isolated until his recovery, which considering the leap his crime coefficient took in such a short time most certainly would never come. Miracles rarely happen. That's in their definition. She got lucky once, on her first day. There might never be another time.

It took her a minute to find blanket and change into dry clothes, but getting out of the car and facing the child she's wronged took all her remaining strength. In the safety of the darkness of her car Akane sat biting her lip to keep her sobs at bay. No tears fell.

When she slowly walked into the building again, the flashes of blue and red light were already illuminating the room's ceiling and faces of her coworkers. Without looking at anyone Akane went straight to Yayoi and now much calmer boy. Both women draped a blanket around him and Akane left him again to Yayoi's care – in the presence of female Enforcer the boy was quickly recovering. Maybe he still had a chance. Yayoi led the boy out of the parking to the medics. Ignored by everyone Inspector Shimotsuki led the mother away to take her to the Bureau. Drones went with the service car leaving the area drained of sounds and irritating light. To Akane's racing mind this sudden void was bliss.

With the Dominators now safely locked away in the paddy wagon and Enforcers getting ready to leave as well Tsunemori slowly walked into the parking again and over to the water. She took an intercom off her hand and into her pocket. Now she could think without the feeling of Sibyl's eye staring at the back of her head. Soft blue phosphorescence shone at her face. Looking into the depths that were close to killing her today Akane still relaxed and smiled. There, in the darkness, hundreds of jellyfish floated glowing blue. What a cruel irony. She's always associated this color with her work: Dominators, Sibyl - everything that took her life away piece by piece. It symbolized the system she obeyed. She hated the color. Yet in these little creatures it was soothing.

To her right Akane felt another person's presence and knew immediately who it was. They silently stood watching the luminescent animals below.

"Did you ever think how many people we've ruined or turned into something like ourselves?" She asked quietly.

"Ever since my demotion" Ginoza replied after some consideration.

"How can we sleep at night, knowing what fate we've brought upon this child and possibly many others?"

After a pause she continued "We create the inequity with our own hands. Is this justice? How come we don't see that we undo the very thing we should be fighting for?"

"It's how the System has always been operating. We see it as a natural way of things. Well, most of us."

"Making humans forget what it means to be human..? That only means that the System is…" she started saying harshly, but stopped herself. Even though there were no cameras or active Dominators around to catch her red-handed, Akane was still paranoid. Too late, though, because ex-Inspector understood exactly how she intended to finish her phrase.

"…faulty. Be careful whom you are telling things like that, Tsunemori. Anyone else might call it a betrayal of the society's foundation and Sibyl personally." Yet his tone wasn't scolding or judgmental. Only thoughtful. That reminded of the way Masaoka used to talk to her. The only thing off was the absence of "missy" at the end of the sentence. Another pang in her chest left Akane out of breath. She failed him too. She failed every single person she held respect for and cared about by choosing to obey the System that has brought them all down. Even the fact that instantaneous fall of Sibyl will do more damage than good couldn't change this.

Ginoza interpreted her silence in his own way. "I'm not the one to judge you, Akane. After everything we've been through doubt is understandable. I'm actually surprised you're still an Inspector with psycho-pass as clear as on day one. I've never been that resistant."

"Thanks… I guess."

"Guess you're lucky Sibyl has yet to learn how to read minds" Ginoza said half-jokingly. Met with thoughtful silence he sighed and started walking towards paddy wagon waiting outside.

"I wish I could make you understand the origin of my resistance…" Tsunemori thought bitterly, reaching into her pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

"How can I tell anyone the truth without automatically signing their death-warrant?"

In the darkness of abandoned underground parking Akane stood over the water and remembered the person she didn't want to think about most of the time. Shogo Makishima had single-handedly devised a plan that almost brought Sibyl to her knees. Now she often wished they've just let him carry his plan out. Untouched pack fell back inside her pocket.

Painfully familiar voice in her head answered her question: "To do that you have to become a shadow – visible, yet transparent and untouchable, like he was".

Like a luminous jellyfish. Akane smiled softly again at the twisted irony. Looking at the life that came to the surface from the very bottom of abyss her eyes glowed with soft blue light. Yet her mind was for once clear and undisturbed by Sibyl's voice. An idea that's been lurking in her mind since the Kamui ordeal was finally taking form.

Akane breathed in the dump air for the last time and left the basement. She had to keep up appearances if she wanted to see the sunrise of another day (and maybe, just maybe, of another era).


Well, hello again. This file's been lying around for a couple of days now. Just forgot 'bout it. Wasn't sure if I should continue. I've made up my mind, though. So no matter how erratic my posting's gonna be, I'm certain I'll finish this.

Thanks for reading!