Author's Note –
It appears that I am officially changing the update day to Fridays. I hope that's okay with everybody. Also, I've been thinking about making a comic of one scene from this story. If anyone has any recommendations, I would love to hear them. Finally, I would like to thank my Beta, Alhazardous, for always being terrific. Enjoy, guys!
Souji's cell rang as the second year students cleared out their desks and packed their bags for the day. Curious, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and felt unease settle over him as he read the caller ID.
"Well, this can't be good," he said to himself, staring at the screen.
"Who's calling?" Yosuke asked.
"It's just Dojima, but he never calls during the day. Give me a second," Souji said, walking to a secluded corner of the room to take the call. Dojima's message was brief, but it did not reassure Souji. After slipping his phone back in his pocket, Souji returned to the center of the classroom, frowning.
"Is something wrong? Are you in trouble?" Chie asked, frowning slightly.
"Um, yeah. I think something might be wrong," Souji said, rubbing the bridge of his nose distractedly. "He asked me to come down to the station."
"That's weird," Yosuke said, pulling a face. "Your uncle never does that. You don't think something's wrong with Nanako, do you?"
"I don't know," Souji said, softly. "Look, guys, I have to run."
"Yes, of course. Please let us know what's going on when you know," Yukiko said.
"Will do," Souji replied before heading for the door, his pace rather quicker than normal. He assumed that Nanako was fine. Dojima would have told him if something were wrong with her, regardless of the situation, but that meant that, whatever Dojima wanted, it was probably case related. Souji's eyes hardened, trying to think of what might have set his uncle off, but the longer he thought, the more he realized that there was very little that wouldn't have set Dojima off. Souji had evidence of his involvement in the case lying around everywhere, and he knew his uncle at least had his suspicions.
The more he thought, the worse Souji's fears became, and long walk to the station was excruciating. Doubts surfaced and rehashed themselves, building and mutating, and damn it, what was he supposed to do? Souji shook himself and took a steadying breath. He could not panic, he realized. There was too much at stake and little room for error. If talking with Dojima and taking the fall meant saving his friends some trouble, he would do it in a heartbeat, but there was more to it than that. If the team's investigation was called to a close, there was a good chance that the killer would never be caught. The other world would continue to be used as a weapon, and Souji could not let that happen.
His chest hurt as he neared the station, dodging unconsciously around a slowly moving car and pushing through the building's main entrance so that he emerged in the waiting area for civilians. He stood awkwardly near the doorway, shifting from foot to foot and he stared around the room. It was a friendly space, all windows and light colors, but Souji was twitchy with nerves, and even well thought-out design was not enough to soothe him. Just as he was pulling his phone out to call his uncle, Adachi came around the corner, eyes brightening when he saw Souji.
Adachi ambled over, his face forcefully serious. "Hey, there you are. Dojima's been waiting. I can take you to the back if you'd like," he said.
"Yeah, thanks," Souji said, trying not to stare Adachi down as the cop turned, leading back into the grey walled sprawl of the police station's inner rooms. "Do you have any idea why he asked me to come by?"
"Dojima's been worried about you for a while," Adachi said, his eyes sympathetic. "He's trying to be a good father figure but not trying to impose himself. Problem is, you and your friends keep getting into trouble, so I guess he's decided to switch tactics. I've no clue what triggered him today, though. It's a bit of a mystery."
"My friends and I have done nothing wrong," Souji said, quietly.
"I actually believe you, kid, but you're going to have to suck it up and face Dojima like a man on this one. Listen and let him rant, and you should be fine. I get chewed out by Dojima daily," Adachi said with a sweet smile. Souji's gut clenched.
Adachi walked down the oppressively colorless hallway slowly, no hurry in his strides, and Souji was forced to match his leisurely pace as nerves ate him up inside. Adachi's absolute calm was, for some reason, doubling his anxiety, and a suspicious part of Souji's mind wondered if the rumpled cop was doing it on purpose.
Adachi stopped beside an inconspicuous door on the right hand side of the hallway, and he rapped on it twice. "Sir," he called, and Souji let out a breath he had not realized he'd been holding. He sagged wearily when Dojima opened the door, relieved despite the lecture he knew was coming.
"What's going on?" Souji asked, staring at his uncle. Dojima gave him a hard look, his eyes cold and strangely sad, before he moved out of the doorway.
"Adachi, go fetch Sanada and bring him to the interrogation room," Dojima said firmly. Souji tried to keep his face straight, but he was unable to hide the way his eyes darted and widened. Luckily, he was not the only one who appeared to be startled.
"Sanada? What does this have to do with him?" Adachi asked, his words shaky.
"Just do it, Adachi," Dojima growled, and Adachi sprung into action, jumping back a few steps before he turned back down the hall.
"Yes, sir," Adachi called over his shoulder. Dojima watched Adachi retreat for a ways before turning to look at Souji.
"Come on," Dojima said, moving in the opposite direction. Souji jogged to catch up, falling into step by his uncle's side.
"Dojima, what's going on?" he asked with forced calm.
"We'll talk in the other room," Dojima replied.
"I don't understand-"
Dojima pulled open a door. "In," he said, jerking his head towards the entrance.
Souji set his shoulders and nodded, walking through the door. The room was even gloomier than the hallways that led to it. Grey walls, grey table, grey chairs…Souji swallowed, scanning the room until his gaze rested on a television set on the other side of the table. That meant…he must be in the room where Konishi was killed. Souji felt something in him harden, and a shocking sense of calm settled over him. He walked to the near side of the main table, pulling out a chair and settling into it. He looked up at Dojima expectantly.
Dojima sighed, and he no longer looked frightening, only sad and tired. Souji tried to flash his uncle a small, reassuring smile, but Dojima only shook his head.
"I need coffee," Dojima said, looking at Souji. "Do you want some?"
"Sure," Souji said, leaning over the table.
"When Adachi gets here, tell him not to leave," Dojima said, moving back into the hallway.
"Sure," Souji repeated, and sat very still until the door closed. At the click of the lock, he pushed his chair away from the table and stood, moving around the room until he stood in front of the TV. It wasn't a huge set, barely wider than the width of his shoulders, but it was more than big enough to fit somebody through assuming they put up little fight. He stared at his reflection in the shiny, black screen. Adachi…he could have really done it.
Holy hell. Souji was not sure what he felt as he stared at the TV that had been used to kill Konishi. There was anger, sure, and it was balanced with a healthy dose of disgust, but more than anything, he felt dismal, bitter disappointment that ate his insides until he felt hollow. If it really was Adachi…if he had truly been that blind…
An idea hit him with so much force that Souji almost laughed with it. He let out a thick breath of air, his reflected face twisting back at him.
God, it could go so wrong, but…maybe. Souji watched his mirrored mouth smile grimly and straightened, moving back to his side of the table and sitting in his rolling chair. All he needed was for Akihiko to play along.
Souji pulled out his phone and quickly typed a message, praying that Adachi would not check Akihiko's texts.
Nov 12, 2011 16:23 PM – Souji
'You willing to follow my lead?'
Souji twiddled his phone, waiting.
Nov 12, 2011 16:24 PM – Supercop
'Always.'
Souji smiled tightly, pocketing his phone. When Adachi opened the door a minute later, he and Akihiko found Souji leaning back in his chair, his head lolling over the backrest. Souji sat up, pivoting to face the two cops as they entered.
Adachi dragged the chair from the other side of the table and stuck it next to Souji's, gesturing for Akihiko to sit. Akihiko scowled, jaw popping from where he was grinding his teeth, but he sat, glaring around the room.
"Why am I here?" He asked, looking at Adachi.
"I honestly don't know," Adachi said, looking distinctly unhappy. "Did you do something? Did both of you do something?"
Souji shook his head, and Akihiko shrugged, hunching down in his chair.
Dojima entered the room, two mugs of coffee in hand, and he passed one to Souji, keeping the other for himself. Souji was strangely reassured by the fact that Dojima had prepared his coffee the way his uncle knew he liked it, and he took a sip, hoping that it would show trust.
"Why are we here?" Akihiko asked, his arms crossed.
Dojima moved to the other side of the room and stood to Adachi's left, leaning back against the wall.
"My daughter told me something interesting this morning," Dojima said, staring down into his cup of coffee. "I asked her if her Big Bro's friends were nice to her at their get together last night, and she was very excited because she had gotten to meet two of her cousin's new friends. I didn't like the fact that you had let strangers into my house without letting me know first," Dojima said, looking up at Souji sternly, "and I asked Nanako who the two new people were. She told me there was a pretty woman named Mitsuru and a white haired young man named Akihiko. I asked what the man's family name was, and she said it was Sanada."
Dojima's gaze switched to lock on Akihiko, and his sternness transformed into real anger. "I've had doubts about you since you first arrived here, rookie. What were you doing at my house?" Dojima asked, his voice pitched low and dangerous.
"You two know each other," Adachi said, looking between Souji and Akihiko in alarm.
"Apparently," Dojima growled.
Souji waited for Akihiko to speak. "I'm sorry. I met Souji the other day after Adachi pointed him out to me, and since I didn't know anybody in town and I knew he was your nephew-"
"Stop it, Akihiko. You're a terrible liar," Souji said flatly, not looking in Akihiko's direction.
"What?" Akihiko asked, his voice pitched low.
"I don't want to lie," Souji said, looking at Dojima sincerely, "And I certainly don't want you to lie to cover for me."
Dojima's eyes widened, and Akihiko growled, "What do you think you're doing, Souji?"
Souji ignored Akihiko. "You know," Souji said, eyes locked with his uncle's.
"What do I know?" Dojima asked softly. Souji said nothing but gave his uncle a look that made the man clench his eyes shut. "I want to hear you say it to my face," Dojima said, opening his eyes and staring Souji down. "You've been hiding something from me for as long as you've lived as part of my family, and I need you to tell me what it is, now. I've let you worm your way out of talking about this too many times, but not anymore."
"Okay," Souji said, "But if I'm going to do this, I want you to promise to listen to me."
Dojima grunted, taking a sip of his coffee.
Souji sighed, leaning forward over his hands. "There's a reason," Souji said, throwing caution to the wind, "why you haven't caught the murderer to that big case that you're investigating."
Souji heard Akihiko jerk beside him, but he was too busy looking at Dojima to offer reassurance. Dojima's face fell at Souji's words until he looked miserable rather than angry.
"So you are involved," Dojima said, his voice startlingly quiet.
"Yes," Souji said. "Not in the way you think, but I know enough about the murders to know that you will never catch the responsible parties, not with your current tactics."
"What the hell makes you say that?" Dojima said. "What have you gotten yourself involved in?"
"I'll explain," Souji said, holding his hands up, "but you have to let me talk, okay. I got involved not long after I moved here. Ms Yamano and Ms Konishi had been killed, and nobody could figure out the weapon. There wasn't any apparent cause of death, right? That's…I had just moved to a new town, and I didn't know anybody or have anything to do, so I looked into the cases, because it was interesting."
"What did you think you were doing, getting involved in police business?" Dojima asked.
"I didn't say it was smart," Souji said, adopting a self-deprecating smile. "I said it was interesting. Regardless, I did investigate, and I have continued to follow this case since with the help of many of the victims."
"You mean the kids who have disappeared over the course of the year," Adachi said.
Souji paused. "Yes, that is what I meant. We pursued routes that the police were unaware of or uninterested in, and we've unearthed a great deal of data."
"Like why we can't catch the killer," Dojima said, his eyes hardening. "Souji, if you are lying to me-"
"Let me finish, and you can decide for yourself," Souji responded forcefully, catching his uncle off guard. He met Dojima's glare and held it.
"Fine," Dojima said, settling against the wall. "What do you think you know?"
"We know the method of murder, and we have a suspect," Souji said softly.
"What?" Adachi startled away from the wall.
"We have a method and a suspect," Souji repeated, staring at his interrogators with steely confidence.
"Really," Dojima drawled. "Kid, this isn't a game, and this isn't funny. I had hoped that you had grown to trust me, but even if you-"
"There were no marks on the body and no toxins in the victims' blood streams, right? Besides the fact that they were dead and hung from antennas, there was no evidence of distress on either of the bodies, was there?"
Dojima took a deep breath. "No," he said.
"That's because the method of murder in this case is top secret," Souji said. "Very few know about it, and it is practically untraceable. That's where Akihiko comes in," Souji said, facing Akihiko at last, catching his eye. Akihiko nodded, and Souji could almost sense the adrenaline pumping through his friend. "I've known Akihiko for some time. He belongs to a task force that was established after a major corporation accidentally created the killing method that was used in the murders."
"And what company would that be?" Adachi asked, a crooked smile on his face. "Sir, you aren't actually listening to this, are you?"
"I'm not at liberty to say," Akihiko said, sitting up. "The best I can tell you is that I've been dealing with cases like these for most of my life. Did either of you two follow the string of deaths that hit Tatsumi Port Island a couple of years back?"
That caught Dojima's attention. "You mean that case where all the people wasted away for no reason? What did they call it? Advanced lethargy? Indifference Syndrome?"
"Apathy Syndrome," Akihiko said clinically, "and, yes, that is what I mean. The victims of Apathy Syndrome were placed in a very particular psychological state where their brain attacks itself."
"One part," Souji said, quickly diving in to take the reins, "let's call it the shadow, attacks the different centers of the brain, knocking them down one by one. First a person loses their planning skills, eventually losing all motivation to eat and sleep. The worst cases died of asphyxiation simply because they could not be concerned enough to breathe."
"You're trying to tell me that the deaths in Port Island weren't due to disease, they were murders?"
"Of a sort," Akihiko said, his voice a little high. "The first few were accidental, but Apathy Syndrome was eventually harnessed as a weapon by a terrorist group. Though it was never reported in the media, the organization responsible for those deaths was brought to justice. The problem is, the technology existed and was out there for anyone to use. Souji called me in so that I could confirm that it was Apathy Syndrome that killed those women."
"And was it?" Adachi asked, leaning forward.
"Yes, but you must understand. People cannot just die due to Apathy Syndrome. They have to be…pushed into it," said Akihiko, and Souji saw his eyes flash. "Someone forced their minds to fracture. Yes, Yamano and Konishi's deaths were due to Apathy Syndrome, but someone did that to them, knowing full well that they would be killed. Their deaths were murder, pure and simple."
"So, they were poisoned," Dojima said, his words deeply uncertain.
"Sort of, but in an untraceable way. The damage is mental, not physical," Souji said. "Akihiko confirmed. Anyway, once we knew how they were killed, we set about trying to figure out who the murder was."
"You said you had a suspect," Dojima said.
"We do," replied Souji. "The first thing we looked at was where the two women went missing. According to Yukiko Amagi, Yamano disappeared from inside the Amagi inn, despite the presence of a police officer."
"That was never confirmed," Dojima said, "and there's no way of knowing when or where Konishi disappeared."
"Oh, I think there is," Akihiko said, and Souji gave him major props for the quality of his smirk. "Konishi went missing from inside this building."
"This room, actually," Souji said, looking around. "Which, I'm not going to lie, is a bit disturbing."
"What the hell gave you that idea?" Adachi said, laughing lightly.
"Video footage," Akihiko said smugly.
"There's no footage of that Konishi girl ever being in the station," Adachi said, the whites of his eyes bright around his dark irises.
"Yes there is, Adachi," Dojima said, frowning. "I was there when you brought her in to be interviewed."
"Were you there every time Saki Konishi was interviewed?" Souji asked.
Dojima's brow furrowed. "Every time?"
"I'm friends with her brother, and he informed me that Konishi was called upon by the police on multiple occasions," said Souji.
"I can't think of a reason for that," Dojima said, but he looked more contemplative than annoyed. "She had nothing useful to offer us, so we sent her home."
"We can give you the names of witnesses that can confirm," Souji said.
"Wait, but," Akihiko said, "Tohru, why did you think Ms. Konishi wouldn't be on the security feed? I know that she was called upon on the thirteenth of April and interviewed in this room. Why wouldn't she show up?"
Adachi's reaction was not what Souji expected. Instead of looking caught out, Adachi grinned smugly. "The thirteenth, huh? That's awfully specific," he said, and everyone looked at him. "See, it's funny. I know Konishi's not on the security feed, but it's not because she wasn't brought into the station. See, sir, the footage has been altered."
"Altered?" Dojima asked.
"I thought the same thing you did when I met Akihiko," Adachi said, eyes wide and innocent. "I thought he was a mole, but the more time I spent with him, the more I realized that he was something else entirely. Unfortunately, I didn't follow up on my instinct until it was too late. I let him into the booth to review footage, sir."
"You let somebody in the booth when they weren't authorized?" Dojima bit out.
"It was dumb, sir. I'm sorry. I didn't think anything of it, but after Sanada and I went to dinner, I was suspicious. Sanada had gone on and on about how upset he was about his transfer and his breakup with his ex, and I thought…he just seemed fake. Like he was here for a different reason. I finally get what it was. Sanada was called in to try to pin the murders on somebody in the office by planting fake, altered footage. That way, while we were all chasing our tails and covering our asses, he could hide the real killer from our view."
"Are you seriously trying to say that Souji hired me to hide the fact that he's the killer? That's bullshit. Besides, I didn't look at the footage," Akihiko said.
Adachi started. "Yes, you did. Obviously, you did."
"No, I didn't. I assumed that something must be hidden in them and bluffed. Thank god you're so damn gullible," Akihiko said, grinning. "You were the policeman posted at the inn when Yamano was pushed in, weren't you? Oh, this is too good."
"If we bring up the access log, I can guarantee your name will be on there," Adachi said, the hair around his temples beaded with sweat. "You altered the feed."
"And I can guarantee I won't be. Besides, that's not the point," Akihiko said, grinning.
"You were the policeman on duty," Dojima said, staring at Adachi with wide eyes. "I remember the schedule."
"This-this is ridiculous! Dojima, do you even hear what these kids are saying?"
"What organization are you with?" Dojima asked, his eyes not leaving Adachi. Adachi backed up a few steps.
"SEES," Akihiko said. "I can get my boss on the phone, if you'd like. I'm sure that she would be glad to explain the situation to you."
"Do that," Dojima said, looking over at Akihiko. He moved a step forward, and the moment Dojima's eyes slipped off of him, Adachi bolted. He turned towards the television set, and Souji swore under his breath, vaulting over the table towards the cop, knocking his coffee cup flying. Shit, Adachi had been scooting towards the TV during the whole discussion and he hadn't even noticed. The guy was too close; there was no way he was going to get there…
The television screen lit up as Adachi pulled himself through, arms and head first before he tucked one leg up, pushing himself off of the floor with the other. Dojima had been too stunned to move, but Akihiko hadn't been. Akihiko moved faster than Souji, diving after Adachi and scrambling to grab his leg before it disappeared to the other side. He caught Adachi's ankle in one hand and then the other, the force pulling his arms and torso through the screen. He stood there, trying to haul Adachi back through before Souji got to his side.
"Akihiko, let go," Souji shouted, grabbing Akihiko's arms.
"I've got him," Akihiko said, snarling with effort.
"I said let go," Souji said, shouldering all of his weight into Akihiko's side. Akihiko stumbled, loosing his grip and the white-haired cop roared as he stumbled back out of the TV, empty handed.
"What the hell gives? I had him."
"Yosuke and I once went in with a rope tied around our waists," Souji said, his voice loud and cold. "Chie held it on this side while we took it to the other. You know what happened to the rope?"
"What," Akihiko said, trembling through an adrenaline high.
"The rope was severed, burned through with something so hot it left perfect, barely singed edges. I don't know what happens to people who straddle the divide for too long, but I'm assuming your shoulder wouldn't like being sliced off."
Akihiko panted, grimacing. "So, let's go after him."
"No."
"Why not?" Akihiko said, voice rough.
"Because I don't know where that TV set leads!" Souji said, his chest rattling with the effort. "We're unarmed, unprepared, and if we go through here we could be set down right in the middle of hell for all I know, and I'm not going to risk that, Akihiko. Every TV leads somewhere different, and the only one that I know of with an exit is the one in Junes. That's why we only use that one, and that's why you are going to calm down and listen to me."
Akihiko ground his teeth, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide how much they were shaking. "Okay, what do we do?"
"What the..." Dojima said from behind them, reminding Souji that his uncle was still in the room with them. Souji briefly considered comforting the shell-shocked man, but realized that he couldn't be bothered yet.
"He could go through the TV," Souji said, half to Akihiko and half to himself. "How could he go through the TV?"
"What do you mean," Akihiko said, voice hoarse but sounding mostly calm again.
"Unless you are a shadow, you have to have a Persona to go through, unless you already know someone with a Persona who can open the path for you."
"So he's either a shadow, or he was let through by someone else?"
"Or, he has the potential," Souji said, quietly. "I don't know. Look, I need you to get your evoker to Rise. Damn it, I should have done this ages ago. Ask her to scan the town for Persona users. She should scan once an hour, so that we can make sure Adachi doesn't come back to this side without us knowing. Call Kanji and Yukiko and post them outside of the TV in Junes. Kanji will keep people away and Yukiko will stop people from feeling distressed about the fact that they've been kept away. Ask Ted to go to the other side and try to locate Adachi there. Chie and Yosuke can go with him."
"What about you?"
Souji looked over at Dojima who was looking at the two of them blankly. "I'm going to try to explain things here and do some damage control." He looked calmly at Akihiko. "This was not a bad thing. I should have noticed that he was so close to the television, but at least now we know it was him. We just…damn it, we still need to find his accomplice. I guess…let's deal with Adachi first and then we'll go from there."
"Accomplice?" Dojima asked, coming back to the conversation.
"Yeah, Adachi couldn't have kidnapped all of the victims. He was accounted for some of the time. He has an accomplice. In fact," Souji said, turning back to Akihiko, "ask Rise if Kanzeon picks up any other persona users. If the accomplice was pushing people into TVs-"
"Then he must have a Persona. Understood," Akihiko said. "What if Adachi doesn't try to come out?"
Souji met Akihiko's eyes and allowed a slight smirk to crawl onto his face. "Then we go in and drag him out," he said firmly.
Akihiko smirked back.
