CHAPTER 2
"CHIBA! YOUR LATE!" A voice bellowed at him just as he got off the elevator. His boss was standing just outside his office door arms crossed over his chest. Darien stopped by his own oddly clean desk and dropped off the backpack before facing his boss. Kenji tapped his foot impatiently as Mamoru entered his office and took a seat in front of the desk.
"We have a new case for you Chiba, someone else has been assigned the one you were working on, and they've already taken the paperwork. On this assignment there will be no paperwork, and you will only report to me." Kenji told him in a low voice. The thought of no paperwork was to good to be true for Mamoru, but at the same time it meant something covert.
"What's the assignment?" He asked simply in the same low voice his boss had used. He leaned forward so he could hear better.
"There have been quite a few reports of odd occurrences around Jubaan lately ones that don't quite seem normal." Kenji spoke like he didn't realize what he was saying or he didn't want to. Mamoru thought back to the unearthly woman who had run into him the night before and wondered if that had anything to do with it.
"Odd in what way?" It was the obvious question.
"People suddenly becoming weak and blacking out is the most common one."
"What's so odd about that? It happens all the time in this heat." Mamoru sat back in his chair watching Kenji look over his reports stalling for time.
"It's odd because it will happen to everyone in the radius of three blocks or more. Also there are burglaries that will occur but nothing is stolen. One of them was on the 12th floor of a skyscraper where the only access was a window facing a 200 foot drop. No normal human can do such a thing." He looked at Mamoru who's eyes had widened and was now sitting bolt upright in his chair.
"That is odd. And there are no leads whatsoever?" He already knew the answer. If there had been any leads, he wouldn't be here, but he wasn't sure how he could help any or even get started.
"No. That's why I've called in the psychic. She'll help you as much as she can, although I don't know how much that will be. Ah.. This must be her now." He stood up as a shadow crossed the door pausing by it's side. Mamoru stood up too and leaned against the desk while Kenji went to open it. The woman outside seemed oddly familiar.
She was a tall strong woman with waist-length black hair and red-black eyes. She wore a simple black dress suit that accentuated her lean body. There was a fierceness in her eyes that triggered Mamoru's memory, and he remembered her fighting with someone...
"Mamoru Chiba this is Rei-" He drew a blank on the last name.
"I just go by Rei Mr. Fugimia. And Mr. Chiba and I have already met." She reached out to shake Kenji's hand then Mamoru's. That's when he remembered.
"Oh yeah. You were odango atama's friend when you guys where in middle school. I remember you two always fighting. It sure has been a while." He shook her hand but didn't say much more even though they had supposedly once dated. He had just thought of them as friends having fun, and she hadn't.
"Yes. It has been a while. Well, I've already been filled in on the case, so should we get started? My car is in the parking-lot downstairs. We need to visit the scenes." Rei took charge and Mamoru just nodded. At this rate I won't even get to do anything. Charge ho here will do it all. The thought wasn't very nice, but then he didn't think Rei was all that nice either. Sure she looked great, but there was something about her that warned him. It was like she was ready to explode or spontaneously combust or something.
"Good. You two get started, and Chiba, I want updates whenever you find something out." Kenji ordered sounding his bossiest.
"Sure chief. And say hi to Makato too. I'm sure that wife of yours needs a friendly hello every once in a while." Mamoru told him. Rei stiffened at the mention of the name. Good one Chiba. He remembered to late that Makato had been Rei's friend once upon a time too. There had been five of them in all, but something had happened and they had split up or something. I guess growing up does that to people.
Rei drove and Mamoru played the dutiful cop answering questions and taking samples. He even pulled out a little camera and took photos of a few things. All in all he wasn't all that interested in this case other than curiosity which was bad, he knew, but maybe it was because he kept seeing the beautiful woman who had come crashing into his life. He didn't even know who she was, or even her name but it didn't matter. After eight or so hours of driving around Rei dropped him back off at the police station. He grabbed his keys, and the backpack and headed toward the parking lot.
"Hey Chiba! Isn't that a little big girly for you pal?" A cop from homicide called out to him. Mamoru recognized him a bit but not enough to remember his name.
"I thought maybe it would help me get a girlfriend. Chicks dig these things." He joked back hoisting the bag onto his shoulder.
"I hate to break it to you, Chiba, but it's gonna take a bit more than a backpack to get you a girl." He shook his head at the little backpack and grinned.
"How's your wife doing?" Mamoru remembered that much.
"Ami's doing great. Talk to you later Chiba." He walked off and Mamoru pushed the button on the elevator. Ami... that sounds familiar. Another one of Usako's friends? He didn't even realize he had used his private nickname for her. He hadn't even thought of it for years and it had been how long since he had run into her? Almost a year now? They always fought like they had just seen each other the day before, but it had been a long while.
"CHIBA! YOUR LATE!" A voice bellowed at him just as he got off the elevator. His boss was standing just outside his office door arms crossed over his chest. Darien stopped by his own oddly clean desk and dropped off the backpack before facing his boss. Kenji tapped his foot impatiently as Mamoru entered his office and took a seat in front of the desk.
"We have a new case for you Chiba, someone else has been assigned the one you were working on, and they've already taken the paperwork. On this assignment there will be no paperwork, and you will only report to me." Kenji told him in a low voice. The thought of no paperwork was to good to be true for Mamoru, but at the same time it meant something covert.
"What's the assignment?" He asked simply in the same low voice his boss had used. He leaned forward so he could hear better.
"There have been quite a few reports of odd occurrences around Jubaan lately ones that don't quite seem normal." Kenji spoke like he didn't realize what he was saying or he didn't want to. Mamoru thought back to the unearthly woman who had run into him the night before and wondered if that had anything to do with it.
"Odd in what way?" It was the obvious question.
"People suddenly becoming weak and blacking out is the most common one."
"What's so odd about that? It happens all the time in this heat." Mamoru sat back in his chair watching Kenji look over his reports stalling for time.
"It's odd because it will happen to everyone in the radius of three blocks or more. Also there are burglaries that will occur but nothing is stolen. One of them was on the 12th floor of a skyscraper where the only access was a window facing a 200 foot drop. No normal human can do such a thing." He looked at Mamoru who's eyes had widened and was now sitting bolt upright in his chair.
"That is odd. And there are no leads whatsoever?" He already knew the answer. If there had been any leads, he wouldn't be here, but he wasn't sure how he could help any or even get started.
"No. That's why I've called in the psychic. She'll help you as much as she can, although I don't know how much that will be. Ah.. This must be her now." He stood up as a shadow crossed the door pausing by it's side. Mamoru stood up too and leaned against the desk while Kenji went to open it. The woman outside seemed oddly familiar.
She was a tall strong woman with waist-length black hair and red-black eyes. She wore a simple black dress suit that accentuated her lean body. There was a fierceness in her eyes that triggered Mamoru's memory, and he remembered her fighting with someone...
"Mamoru Chiba this is Rei-" He drew a blank on the last name.
"I just go by Rei Mr. Fugimia. And Mr. Chiba and I have already met." She reached out to shake Kenji's hand then Mamoru's. That's when he remembered.
"Oh yeah. You were odango atama's friend when you guys where in middle school. I remember you two always fighting. It sure has been a while." He shook her hand but didn't say much more even though they had supposedly once dated. He had just thought of them as friends having fun, and she hadn't.
"Yes. It has been a while. Well, I've already been filled in on the case, so should we get started? My car is in the parking-lot downstairs. We need to visit the scenes." Rei took charge and Mamoru just nodded. At this rate I won't even get to do anything. Charge ho here will do it all. The thought wasn't very nice, but then he didn't think Rei was all that nice either. Sure she looked great, but there was something about her that warned him. It was like she was ready to explode or spontaneously combust or something.
"Good. You two get started, and Chiba, I want updates whenever you find something out." Kenji ordered sounding his bossiest.
"Sure chief. And say hi to Makato too. I'm sure that wife of yours needs a friendly hello every once in a while." Mamoru told him. Rei stiffened at the mention of the name. Good one Chiba. He remembered to late that Makato had been Rei's friend once upon a time too. There had been five of them in all, but something had happened and they had split up or something. I guess growing up does that to people.
Rei drove and Mamoru played the dutiful cop answering questions and taking samples. He even pulled out a little camera and took photos of a few things. All in all he wasn't all that interested in this case other than curiosity which was bad, he knew, but maybe it was because he kept seeing the beautiful woman who had come crashing into his life. He didn't even know who she was, or even her name but it didn't matter. After eight or so hours of driving around Rei dropped him back off at the police station. He grabbed his keys, and the backpack and headed toward the parking lot.
"Hey Chiba! Isn't that a little big girly for you pal?" A cop from homicide called out to him. Mamoru recognized him a bit but not enough to remember his name.
"I thought maybe it would help me get a girlfriend. Chicks dig these things." He joked back hoisting the bag onto his shoulder.
"I hate to break it to you, Chiba, but it's gonna take a bit more than a backpack to get you a girl." He shook his head at the little backpack and grinned.
"How's your wife doing?" Mamoru remembered that much.
"Ami's doing great. Talk to you later Chiba." He walked off and Mamoru pushed the button on the elevator. Ami... that sounds familiar. Another one of Usako's friends? He didn't even realize he had used his private nickname for her. He hadn't even thought of it for years and it had been how long since he had run into her? Almost a year now? They always fought like they had just seen each other the day before, but it had been a long while.