...

...

"The prison cannot fail to produce delinquents. It does so by the very type of existence that it imposes on its inmates: whether they are isolated in cells or whether they are given useless work, for which they will find no employment, it is, in any case, not 'to think of man in society; it is to create an unnatural, useless and dangerous existence'" (Foucault & Sheridan, 2012, pg. 266).

...

...

2. Illegalities and Delinquency

Tsunemori Akane had been taken by surprise multiple times a day since her first day at the Minster of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau. She'd been shocked by the existence of Enforcers and even more horrified by the brutal means they used to apprehend criminals. All of these things compounded into a deep state of anxiety that wrestled in her gut, for at the end of the day when they went home to their quarters - their prison cells - they seemed to be completely normal people.

She hated that Inspector Ginoza called them "hunting dogs," and yet the more she thought about it, the more accurate that name seemed.

Akane glanced up at the Enforcer beside her - the most troubling of them all - and thought to herself that he was most like a dog. No, she thought, he was more like a wolf.

"Don't let him out of your sight," Ginoza had hissed. A part of Akane didn't like the idea of looking down on her co-workers in such a way. Another part knew Kogami was someone who needed to be watched. She wished she knew if it were to be with awe or suspicion.

It was warm - almost too warm in her suit - as she walked from the black car to the large building before them. It was of heavy concrete - an old brutalist building from the pre-Sibyl days. She thought to herself that it must have been very expensive to adapt it for the technology that had developed for its new purposes.

As she stepped inside, she realized just how it had been adjusted - the interior was completely gutted and renovated. Clinical white tiles glinted in the clean light. The walls were also startlingly white. It appeared that the only remaining part of the original building was the facade.

"We'll have to check in at the desk," came a gruff voice from the other side of Kogami. Their older companion - silent up until now - guided them towards the welcome desk. He looked entirely unruffled, even with his sweater and scarf. She wondered how he could not be sweating with the heavy clothes.

Saiga Jouji was an elusive man and only became more mysterious as she interacted with him increasingly. From Kogami's old mentor to a recluse in the forest, she couldn't seem to get a clear understanding of him. He was grumpy and judgmental but clearly well educated and knowledgeable. He had Kogami's respect for sure, which was more surprising to Akane than anything else. She had no idea Kogami was capable of respecting anyone.

Now that the Specimen Case had been reopened, Saiga had returned for the day to Tokyo despite his obvious distaste for the city. In addition to his advice on how to analyze the new murders, he had arranged this visit to the MWPSB's research center for them. Though Akane didn't know exactly how this would help them catch the murderer, Kogami seemed confident in his former professor's decision, and Akane had a feeling in her gut that she should see it through.

"Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?" asked the receptionist pleasantly. The older man smiled stiffly.

"Yes, we're here to see Kuma-sensei in analytics. My name is Saiga Jouji. These two are Tsunemori Akane and Kogami Shinya, detectives at the MWPSB," said the man in a gruff voice. He adjusted his glasses in a way that gave him a very authoritative air.

The young woman nodded and scanned through the names on her computer screen. Nodding, she said, "Yes, I see you here. May I see your IDs?"

Saiga pulled out his license and Akane and Kogami flashed their badges. The woman nodded, eyes widening at Kogami's. Akane winced on the inside, as she knew his read, 'Enforcer.' The woman's lips tightened and she averted her gaze nervously, avoiding his eye.

"O-oh, yes. Um... Thank you. Please, the lab is down the hall, turn left, and the last door at the end," she explained quickly. She looked at Saiga and then Akane, before deciding the female officer was trustworthy. She smiled nervously again and bowed, gesturing for them to enter. Akane thanked the receptionist and they continued into the secure corridor.

As the door closed behind them, Akane glanced up at Kogami. Saiga led the way with the two of them close behind. He turned his head slightly with an almost bored expression.

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it," he said. She jumped with surprise at his realization but then frowned.

"Does that happen often?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Not many civilians know about Enforcers, so no, but people within the Public Safety Bureau generally know," he explained.

"Do most officials treat you that way?"

"Most. There are some who don't care."

Akane frowned deeply. Ginoza's face came to mind, scowling. He was certainly someone who did care. She thought back to her surprise at even discovering that Enforcers existed. She'd never interacted with latent criminals and had always assumed growing up that they were bad people. Now that she worked with them daily, she wasn't sure what to think. She thought of Kagari and Kunizuka and realized that if she had met them under different circumstances, she never would have thought they were criminals. She wondered if that were something by which to be troubled or comforted.

"This is it," said Saiga, breaking the silence. He knocked on the door sharply, and the sound of shuffling could be heard from the other side. There was then the zip of the door sliding open automatically, revealing a tall, broad man with a wide grin on his face.

"Saiga! How are you, old man?" he boomed.

"God, you're loud," growled Saiga, though Akane thought there was a bit of a smile on his face. They shook hands and Saiga turned towards Akane and Kogami. "These are Inspectors Tsunemori and Kogami. They're the ones interested in your ridiculous work."

Kuma laughed heartily.

"Yes, of course. Please come in, come in! Let me show you around."

Akane had been expecting a large room with researchers scuttling back and forth in lab coats, but it was a pretty average looking office with people in average looking clothes. A few people looked up mildly and then continued on with their work. Kuma guided them to the next room.

This one was a bit bigger with large computers, much like Karanomori's at their headquarters. She eyed them carefully, wondering just how much they could do and see. After all, Karanomori seemed all-knowing with her computer. Perhaps it was just her specific skill.

As she looked closer, she noted that most people in this room were young - no older than 35. She wondered if young people were favorable for this kind of research.

"Ah, there she is."

At the edge of the room towards the far wall was a young woman at another one of those mammoth systems. Like the rest of her colleagues in this room, she was young, around university age. Slender and wiry, she wore a palette of grays. The woman's hair was inky black and cut short to her chin, not dissimilar to Akane's. As they approached, she turned to show her eyes were nearly also gray.

Her face lit up at the sight of Saiga. Somehow, the sight of her smile surprised Akane. Turning away from her computer, she leapt to her feet.

"Saiga-sensei!" she greeted. "It's been too long! What are you doing here?"

"I have some colleagues here from Crime Investigation who are interested in whatever witchcraft you're working on here," he said with a crooked smile. "These are Inspectors Tsunemori and Kogami. Kogami was also a student of mine. Inspectors, this is Nosaka Hotaru, Kuma-sensei's research assistant. She was a student in the last class I taught at Nitto and almost as big of a pain in the ass as you, Kogami."

Kogami gave a "tch!" The young woman grinned.

"You're just so easy to harass, sensei," she said and then bowed, adding, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm always excited to meet other students of Saiga-sensei."

"Even though you went the exact opposite way of what I wanted for you," said the professor. She smiled sheepishly.

"I'm doing critical thinking here. Isn't that what you wanted?" she countered.

"Critical thinking for yourself, not the system," he said. She laughed.

"Thinking for the system is indirectly thinking for myself," she laughed. Saiga sighed.

"So what do you work on here?" asked Akane.

"I take crime coefficient analysis and direct it towards new technological tools for the MWPSB. Basically, I help give the police new ways to catch latent criminals or recondition those whose coefficients are rising," she explained.

"Nosaka-san is one of our rising stars here in the lab," said Kuma with a grin. Nosaka bowed humbly.

"Oh no, I'm just lucky to have been placed under such a brilliant supervisor," she said.

"Still a suck-up," said Saiga with a smirk.

"Maybe I've just been lucky to have had great mentors my entire life," she said with a coquettish smile. Kuma laughed.

"Why don't you show them the helmets?" he suggested.

"Helmets?" echoed Saiga.

"Yes, they're pretty exciting. Let me show you," said Nosaka with a grin, gesturing towards back towards the hall. They took a right out of the door and then another right at the end, which led to another long hallway.

As they walked, Akane watched Nosaka discreetly. Akane thought that Nosaka was perhaps pretty, but not beautiful. The word that came to mind was "clean," thought she spoke with Saiga and Kuma with an infectious sort of enthusiasm that lit up her eyes in a way that elevated her features.

Nosaka glanced back at Akane and Kogami with a soft smile that made Akane think she had somehow heard her thoughts. Her eyes seemed to scan her. Large and gray, she wanted to say that Nosaka's eyes were almost colorless.

"How long have you been at the MWPSB, Inspector Tsunemori?" asked Nosaka. The question surprised Akane.

"Oh, um, just a couple of months," she said sheepishly. Nosaka returned the expression.

"Me too," she said. "Where did you go to school?"

"Hongou."

"Oh, that's a good school,"noted Nosaka.

"Oh, no, not that good," said Akane humbly. "You went to Nitto? That's also very good."

"Not that good," echoed Nosaka with a knowing grin.

Akane smiled back, deciding that she liked the young researcher. They reached a cold door along the hallway, and Nosaka put her ID up to the sensor. It beeped and the door slid open. Akane nearly gasped as they stepped into the room.

It was the lab that she had been expecting. A couple of men in lab coats worked on a bundle of circuits in the corner with a strange assembly of what looked to be mechanical legs slumped beside them. Nosaka led them to a table in the center.

"One minute. I have to go grab it from the back," she said, running off. It gave Akane a moment to look around the room.

Throughout her entire life, Tsunemori Akane had rarely struggled. She had always had the best scores in her class and had placed higher in all of her test scores than her friends. She had been the only one from her class to score well in all of her subjects and the sole student to be recommended to the MWPSB. Her friends had often whined about the freedom allotted to her, but now as she stood in this lab of wonders, she couldn't help but feel very unaccomplished.

A part of her wanted to ask Nosaka how she had done in her subjects as a student. She knew it was rude, but not very many people went into research of this kind. Perhaps Akane could have done the same.

There was a yelp from the corner as the wires sparked beneath the men's hands. Smoke fizzled slightly.

"You okay over there?' called Kuma. One gave a thumbs up, and they continued on with their work, coughing slightly.

Akane grimaced inwardly. No - she definitely wasn't made for this kind of work.

"Sorry for the wait!"

Akane looked back to see Nosaka running back with a large, bulky mass of metal in her hands. Akane automatically started forward.

"Oh, let me help y-"

Nosaka laughed as she brushed away her concern, saying, "It's alright. It's actually very light. Here, take a look."

She handed it off to Akane, and the inspector yelped slightly as she caught it, expecting it to hit her with great force. To her surprise, it was as Nosaka said - surprisingly light.

"The shell is aluminum for wearability. It's really just a means to hold the mechanisms together. It's lighter than plastic," explained Nosaka with a smile.

"It's a helmet?" asked Akane.

"What does it do?" asked Kogami.

"They're basically scan blockers," said Nosaka. The three visitors all looked up with surprise. "Many organized crime groups have their own scan systems that can detect intruders, which has ironically turned our own system against us, particularly now that the department works with Enforcers. We're developing equipment that can essentially make an officer invisible to a scanner or reflect a fake Coefficient so that they can move undetected while undercover or on a mission."

"Wouldn't this be conspicuous?" asked Kogami. Nosaka nodded.

"Yes, but our hope is to continue developing the technology so that it can be reduced in size eventually to something that can just be carried in your pocket," she said.

"Can I try it?" asked Kogami.

"Please," said Nosaka with a slight nod.

The man took it gingerly, looking over the strange wires and lights. He then slipped it over his head, and settled it with care on his shoulders.

"Not bad," came his mumbled voice.

"Inspector Tsunemori, you carry a Dominator, right?" said Kuma. She nodded and felt for it at her side. It still felt bulky, even after the past couple of months. She didn't know if she would ever grow used to carrying such a dangerous weapon. "Why don't you test it to see what it says when you point at Kogami-san?"

Akane hesitated. The last time she had done such a thing, she had stunned the Enforcer. Her stomach clenched unpleasantly at the memory.

"It's okay," said Kogami, as if reading her thoughts.

Nodding, she reached for the Dominator with great care. In her mind, she heard the automated voice say, "Dominator Portable Psychological Diagnosis and Suppression System has been activated. User authentication: Inspector Tsunemori Akane. Affiliation: Public Safety Bureau, Criminal Investigation Department. Dominator usage approval confirmed. You are a valid user. The current enforcement mode is Non-Lethal Paralyzer. Aim calmly and disable the target."

She aimed the Dominator at Kogami. In the viewport, she saw the target focus on him. The numbers spun until they settled, and she gasped.

25.

"How?" she breathed. Nosaka pulled out a small remote and clicked a button.

"What about now?" she asked.

The coefficient changed to 15.

"How?" exclaimed Akane again.

"What does it say?' asked Saiga.

"It says Kogami-san's coefficient is 15!" said Akane with awe.

Kogami then took the helmet off, shaking his hair from the flatness of the helmet. Akane saw his coefficient shoot up to 265.8. She yelped and immediately dropped it down to her side, spinning away from Kogami. Frantically, she disengaged and shoved it into her pocket. Her hands and face burned as she turned around.

Thankfully, they seemed to understand and didn't make a point of asking her. Kogami, in fact, was completely absorbed in the helmet. He turned it over in his hands with that hard expression that he made when he saw a path open up in a case.

"How much for one?" he asked. Kuma laughed.

"They'll be free to use for Criminal Investigation once we work out a few kinks," he said, taking it from Kogami. The Enforcer obviously wanted to analyze it more but handed it over.

"What do you think, sensei?" asked Nosaka eagerly. Saiga had a dark expression on his face. The answer seemed obvious.

"I don't like it," he said bluntly. She frowned.

"Why not?"

"This is going to get into the wrong hands," he said.

"No, it's like the Dominators. Only registered people can activate them," said Kuma. Saiga shook his head gravely.

"It's only a matter of time before criminals can use those too," he warned in a gravelly voice.

Kuma frowned deeply at his colleague's response, but Nosaka tilted her head thoughtfully. She seemed to be scanning Kogami up and down.

"May I ask what case you're investigating that you'd be interested in this?" she asked.

"The Oso Academy disappearances," said Kogami.

To everyone's surprise, Nosaka's eyes widened with fear. Kogami seemed to tighten slightly.

"From five years ago?" she asked.

"There are some new ones - recent ones," said Akane shaking her head.

Nosaka's lips pulled wide, and Akane frowned. Kogami also gave her a thoughtful look.

"Did you know about them?" asked Akane carefully.

"I was at Oso Academy when they happened," said Nosaka.

Again, Akane was surprised as Kogami stepped forward sharply.

"You knew Touma Kozaburo?" he asked.

"I knew who he was, but I never had him as a teacher," said Nosaka.

"Do you remember what he was like? If he had any interests?" asked Kogami seamlessly.

"He was… I don't know, a little generic? He always just seemed very cheerful in an odd way. I just thought he was kind of bland, to be honest," said Nosaka. "I don't know much about what he did, though he taught history. I can contact some old classmates who had him, if you'd like."

"That would be great, thank you," said Akane.

"What year did you graduate from Oso?" asked Kogami. Akane eyed him with a quiet glance.

"2108," said Nosaka.

Again, Kogami glowered thoughtfully. Akane tried to imagine what links he was putting together but couldn't. She and Saiga watched him carefully.

"Contact those classmates of yours as soon as you can," he finally said. "Let me know when they respond. The helmets too - I'll be wanting one of those."

Nosaka nodded with that curious look on her face again. She didn't speak much after, even as they said their goodbyes. None of them missed Kogami eyeing the helmet one last time.

The afternoon was even warmer than before when they stepped out of the building. Akane pulled off her jacket as they returned to the car. When they got in and the doors shut, Saiga said to Kogami, "I'd be careful of that stuff." Kogami arched a brow.

"Weren't you the one who brought us here?" he countered.

"I didn't think that's what Kuma was talking about when I emailed him," said Saiga gravely.

"Nosaka was your student, right? You don't trust her?" asked Kogami.

To this, Saiga remained thoughtfully silent. Even as they drove out of the lot, he did not respond. When they dropped him off at his house in the woods outside of Tokyo, he went inside with barely a word.

...

...

The outskirts of Tokyo were warm. Tokyo must be sizzling, thought Makishima, for the city was always at least a few degrees warmer than the suburbs or countryside. The tall buildings produced an unnatural amount of heat and with them so packed together, the city became a hotbox in the summer. He thought to himself mildly that he would have to endure it the next time he went to Tokyo.

He imagined it would be soon.

Unlike Tokyo, the ground of Oso Academy were still pleasant. The trees had shed their flowers and taken on a kind shade of green. The campus somehow glowed a bit brighter without the students crowding the grounds. Exams were a nice reprieve in that way.

Another factor contributing to the quiet was the disappearance of two students. Since the beginning of the new term, two girls - childhood friends Kawarazaki Kagami and Okubo Yoshika - had disappeared within a week of each other. The mystery had left the campus in a tense state of anxiety since, the air thick and heavy.

Makishima loved it.

He looked over at Oryo Rikako, painting diligently again. The sketch across the canvas was still visible beneath the thin coat of paint beginning to splash across. Two faces were vaguely drawn.

"Have you displayed your last piece yet?" asked Makishima.

"I'm not done yet. I can't quite get it right," she said thoughtfully. Her hand paused, and she tilted her head to look at her painting. "Something is missing."

"Is that so? Should I prepare some more supplies for you?" he asked with a smile. She hummed thoughtfully.

"Yes, perhaps after exams," she said.

He looked over her again, wondering when he had grown so bored with her. She had been fascinating at the start - the orphaned daughter of a great artist, determined to continue her father's work with the bodies of her peers - but now that the excitement had disappeared, it all felt very contrived.

And the police were getting closer. Last week, the pair of officers from the MWPSB had returned to ask more questions in the light of the new disappearances. Though he knew they would not trace the murders to him, they were for once on his trail. He was not naive enough to think they wouldn't catch on eventually. He would probably have to move to the next pawn soon.

"What's your take on the recent investigations?" he asked. She hummed thoughtfully but continued painting.

"I don't know. They don't seem very important."

"Oh? You're not worried?" he asked with an arched brow.

"Not really," she said. "If they start getting too close, I'll just put the blame on someone else."

Makishima smiled narrowly. What a stupid plan. Perhaps it was the arrogance of youth, but even Oryo Rikako was not immune to the investigations of the police. When the time came - and it would - he knew she would be easily disposable.

"You know, something about you reminds me of another student I once taught here," he mused. Rikako smiled over her shoulder.

"Really?" she said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes."

"What about me?" she asked. Makishima hummed thoughtfully.

"Your nonchalance."

"That seems odd, coming from you, sensei," said Rikako with a smirk. "So this girl - was your relationship with her similar to ours?"

"In a way."

"But not our way," she said.

"No, I don't think she'd be capable of anything so grandiose," he said. He looked over Rikako's shoulder to see the painting beginning to form. "And she was never very interested in art."

"So what did you talk about?"

"Philosophy," he said. Rikako looked at him curiously.

"What kind?"

"I recall her being interested in Nietzsche and Foucault."

"A very high school-esque interest," smirked Rikako. "Every pseudo-intellectual, morose teenage boy I've ever met has cited at least one of those two."

"Yes, they do pull at the young and contrary," said Makishima with a smile. "Are you familiar with their work?"

"I think we read some of their writings in class."

"And?"

"I don't remember. I didn't really enjoy it," she said with a shrug.

"I know," said Makishima. He noted that she did not hear the unimpressed tone of his voice. He imagined her with short hair and wondered what exactly that former student of his was doing now. "Though I would say you would find their writings relevant to your own work, particularly Foucault."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Michel Foucault - a French philosopher and social theorist from the 20th century. He examines the historical role of punishment and imprisonment in western civilization and analyzes society's form of punishment and marginalized groups to identify the weaknesses of that said society," explained Makishima.

Rikako nodded thoughtfully as she continued to paint. Makishima watched as a subtle shade of pink was applied to a pair of lips.

"And what would Foucault say about our society?" asked Rikako.

"Foucault was interested in the history of the Soul," said Makishima. "He claims that the Soul of society is formed through modern methods of examination and structures. Without these, the Soul would not exist, for it Is only because we are advanced enough to see it. It is borne from the power and knowledge regimes that put their force upon our understandings of Self and Other, and by analyzing this Soul, we can then begin to understand the failings of our society.

"And so," said Makishima, "Can the Soul exist in a society in which the Sibyl System deems that self-examination is no longer necessary? What is the state of the Soul when 'improvement' is a prescription and destinies are determined by numbers? I think Foucault would be fascinated by what's happened here."

Makishima's eyes narrowed as he continued to watch Rikako paint. Though her interest had been piqued initially, his words seemed to be doing no more than washing over her like a gust of wind.

"And what is the state of the Soul if there is no prescription? What if society's citizens are given total agency and freedom to every outlet, even violence?" he asked quietly.

A breeze trickled in through the window, cool on the warm spring air. The trees outside were shedding their pink flowers, leaving a gray-pink trail of decaying petals. Makishima breathed deeply of the scent of coming summer.

Oryo Rikako continued to paint peacefully, as if Makishima had said nothing at all. If he were a more naive man, he would think she was contemplating it. He knew better than to do that.

It was barely May, but summer was surely on its way, and in the encroaching heat, his gut whispered of something coming.

"He flies into flame, the summer insect," he recited.

Rikako hummed a vague agreement. Makishima nearly sighed with disappointment. His fingers twitched as he looked at her back. She would not serve him much longer, regardless of what she thought. He needed to prepare appropriately for when the cogs began to turn again.


A/N:

Disclaimer: I own no rights to Psycho-Pass. This story is written as a piece of fanwork without profit or claims.

...

Japanese: I don't get into this much in this story, but I'm going to include this note just because it's interesting. Japanese has 3 different writing systems. Kanji is the old system of characters, adopted from the Chinese system. Most countries in East Asia have used this system in the past and then developed their own alphabets, using a combination of both in contemporary times. Korean is another good example of this.

Japanese and Korean [and of many other nations] children are usually given character translations of their names. The kanji for Nosaka's name [Nosaka Hotaru] in this case is 野坂 蛍, which can be crudely translated to "Firefly in the Wild Slopes," though there are several other ways one could spell it.

Kogami Shinya: 狡噛 慎也

Tsunemori Akane: 常守 朱

Makishima Shogo: 槙島 聖護

"He flies into flame...": An old Japanese proverb, describing a rash man who charges into battle and is killed for his lack of preparation.

School terms in Japan: Unlike in Western schools, Japanese school terms start in April. This runs until late July. Summer break lasts until early September.

...

Sources:

Foucault, M., & Sheridan, A. (2012). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. New York, NY: Vintage.

Takaha, A. (2013). Psycho-Pass Zero: Namae no Nai Kaibutsu. Retrieved from ?novel=psycho&page=1