Chapter Two: New Suspects
The following morning, Robin walked into the STN-J's headquarters, adorned, as ever, in her long black dress. Michael was, predictably, stationed before his computer. Kosaka was yelling at Doujima in one corner of the office. Apparently she arrived late again.
Amon was resting against one wall, wearing his usual black trenchcoat. "You're here," he noted. "Michael, give her the brief."
Michael nodded and stood up from his computer, taking a moment to adjust his glasses. "Here," he handed Robin a document, before sitting down again, typing feverishly. "This is our latest..."
"Otogi Kamiya," Robin read, glancing at the picture before her- another man with scraggly black hair, this time with green eyes and what appeared to be gray attire. "What's his story?"
"He was apparently affiliated with the witch you hunted last night," Michael explained. "He's apparently been working with a number of witches these past few days..."
"Why?" Robin wondered, quickly skimming the document.
"No idea," Michael replied, typing madly. "We've had him under surveillance for a while now, ever since his powers manifested. He's been interacting with a number of known witches- more than fifty over the past week."
Robin inclined her head. "Could the Factory get anything out of the witch we hunted?"
"She refused to speak," Michael replied. "She didn't tell you anything, did she?"
"Actually, she did," Robin confirmed. "She said something about... 'the night of the devil's children'?"
Amon inclined his head. "Night of what?"
"The devil's children," Robin replied, glancing over at her supposed partner. "Why?"
Amon turned from her and to the hacker beside her. "Michael, run a search about that. 'The Night of the Devil's Children'."
Michael responded quickly, drawing up a search engine on the net, typing in the words, instantly drawing up a variety of sites, checking each one quickly. "Not much about it... apparently it's the name for Halloween in a variety of cultures."
"Halloween?" Robin wondered. "But that's not for months..."
Amon shrugged. "Are there any other definitions, Michael?"
"I'm checking," Michael muttered. "Talk to me again later in the evening."
Amon nodded. "Fine," He turned over to Robin. "The others are on another case. You and I will have to begin our investigation on our own."
"What about Doujima?" Robin asked.
Michael chuckled. "I already asked her. She's not interested."
"She's not going to do her job?" Robin asked, somewhat indignant.
"She's special, remember?" Amon asked in reply, almost cracking a smirk on his usually emotionless face. "Come on, Michael has already briefed me on Kamiya's location. We can take my car."
"Okay," Robin replied tenatively, surprised Amon was actually allowing her to accompany him somewhere. She waved to Michael and put on her jacket, following her partner from the office.
Doujima walked over at that point, glancing at Michael. "Where are those two going?"
"On the case you refused," Michael replied, resuming his constant typing.
"Really? Too bad for them," Doujima took a seat beside the hacker. "I guess that means you get to spend the day with me."
"Aren't I the lucky one..." Michael muttered.
Robin glanced over at Amon as he silently turned the steering wheel of his car, moving them in and out of various streets. She was trying desparately to find a conversation topic, so as to break the rather awkward silence, but Amon remained indifferent to her, as though he was alone.
He really doesn't talk much, Robin observed. But then, I'd imagine he has a lot on his mind. I wish he'd talk to me a bit more... I never quite know what he's thinking. She again tried to pursue a conversation but no words left her mouth.
"We're here," Amon said shortly, bringing the car to a halt.
Robin nodded briefly, stepping out her door and rising from her seat, taking in her surroundings. "The slums? Why here?"
"This is where Kamiya lives," Amon explained. "A number of witches have migrated to him here."
Robin nodded and reached a hand into her pocket, carefully fingering her glasses. "Where to, Amon?"
"Over here," Amon pointed, towards a building a little less than a block away. "Kamiya owns the whole second floor. Follow me."
Robin silently moved after her silent partner as he led her down the street and to the building. She idly turned her head about, looking at the various people moving about the sidewalks, and then up along the rooftops... when she spotted it.
Outlined against the late morning sunlight, standing atop one rooftop, was the long black cloak and scraggly hair inherent to Nasat. Robin tried desperately to focus on him, quickly placing her glasses on, examining the dark figure outlined in the sunlight.
Before her was the figure, but she could make out no distinguishing features, be it eyes or goatee or even skin color. All she could see was the black cloak and scraggly black hair. Robin turned to speak to Amon, but reconsidered, and returned her gaze to the rooftop- only to find the cloaked figure was gone.
"Robin, what are you doing?"
Robin turned to see Amon, several yards away from her. "It was...nothing, Amon," Robin stated. "Sorry...I spaced out."
Amon grimaced. "We don't have time for that now. C'mon, we have to find Kamiya."
Robin nodded, removing her glasses and placing them in her pocket. She walked over, rejoining Amon's side, and the two once again approached the building.
Amon turned to her. "I'll go in first. Wait for me here."
"Okay," Robin answered tenatively.
Amon drew his pistol, turning to her. "I'll let you know if I require your assistance. Remain alert."
Robin nodded as Amon silently entered, Orbo-laden pistol at the ready. She waited by the entrance, allowing the minutes to pass and her thoughts to wander.
Twice now she had seen cloaked individuals. The first she had mistaken for Amon, but the second was indistinguishable. She tried to look for possible coincindence, but the more she dwelled on the thoughts the more likely it seemed she had, in fact, encountered Nasat, if only once.
Who else would carry an Orbo-laden pistol other than a member of Solomon or the STN-J?
As she mused over the two encounters, she paced along the building's entrance, and heard a crash behind her. Robin turned to see Amon lying sprawled outside the now-broken doorway, glass shards around his fallen form.
"Amon!" Robin called, moving forward to help her partner. She looked down at him, concerned. "What happened?"
Amon groggily looked up at her, some blood seeping from his forehead. "Kamiya... has many followers."
"To put it lightly," came a deep voice from behind the two. Robin peered within the building, spotting the gray attire and bright green eyes of Kamiya. "Hello, hunters. You will not find me easy prey."
The following morning, Robin walked into the STN-J's headquarters, adorned, as ever, in her long black dress. Michael was, predictably, stationed before his computer. Kosaka was yelling at Doujima in one corner of the office. Apparently she arrived late again.
Amon was resting against one wall, wearing his usual black trenchcoat. "You're here," he noted. "Michael, give her the brief."
Michael nodded and stood up from his computer, taking a moment to adjust his glasses. "Here," he handed Robin a document, before sitting down again, typing feverishly. "This is our latest..."
"Otogi Kamiya," Robin read, glancing at the picture before her- another man with scraggly black hair, this time with green eyes and what appeared to be gray attire. "What's his story?"
"He was apparently affiliated with the witch you hunted last night," Michael explained. "He's apparently been working with a number of witches these past few days..."
"Why?" Robin wondered, quickly skimming the document.
"No idea," Michael replied, typing madly. "We've had him under surveillance for a while now, ever since his powers manifested. He's been interacting with a number of known witches- more than fifty over the past week."
Robin inclined her head. "Could the Factory get anything out of the witch we hunted?"
"She refused to speak," Michael replied. "She didn't tell you anything, did she?"
"Actually, she did," Robin confirmed. "She said something about... 'the night of the devil's children'?"
Amon inclined his head. "Night of what?"
"The devil's children," Robin replied, glancing over at her supposed partner. "Why?"
Amon turned from her and to the hacker beside her. "Michael, run a search about that. 'The Night of the Devil's Children'."
Michael responded quickly, drawing up a search engine on the net, typing in the words, instantly drawing up a variety of sites, checking each one quickly. "Not much about it... apparently it's the name for Halloween in a variety of cultures."
"Halloween?" Robin wondered. "But that's not for months..."
Amon shrugged. "Are there any other definitions, Michael?"
"I'm checking," Michael muttered. "Talk to me again later in the evening."
Amon nodded. "Fine," He turned over to Robin. "The others are on another case. You and I will have to begin our investigation on our own."
"What about Doujima?" Robin asked.
Michael chuckled. "I already asked her. She's not interested."
"She's not going to do her job?" Robin asked, somewhat indignant.
"She's special, remember?" Amon asked in reply, almost cracking a smirk on his usually emotionless face. "Come on, Michael has already briefed me on Kamiya's location. We can take my car."
"Okay," Robin replied tenatively, surprised Amon was actually allowing her to accompany him somewhere. She waved to Michael and put on her jacket, following her partner from the office.
Doujima walked over at that point, glancing at Michael. "Where are those two going?"
"On the case you refused," Michael replied, resuming his constant typing.
"Really? Too bad for them," Doujima took a seat beside the hacker. "I guess that means you get to spend the day with me."
"Aren't I the lucky one..." Michael muttered.
Robin glanced over at Amon as he silently turned the steering wheel of his car, moving them in and out of various streets. She was trying desparately to find a conversation topic, so as to break the rather awkward silence, but Amon remained indifferent to her, as though he was alone.
He really doesn't talk much, Robin observed. But then, I'd imagine he has a lot on his mind. I wish he'd talk to me a bit more... I never quite know what he's thinking. She again tried to pursue a conversation but no words left her mouth.
"We're here," Amon said shortly, bringing the car to a halt.
Robin nodded briefly, stepping out her door and rising from her seat, taking in her surroundings. "The slums? Why here?"
"This is where Kamiya lives," Amon explained. "A number of witches have migrated to him here."
Robin nodded and reached a hand into her pocket, carefully fingering her glasses. "Where to, Amon?"
"Over here," Amon pointed, towards a building a little less than a block away. "Kamiya owns the whole second floor. Follow me."
Robin silently moved after her silent partner as he led her down the street and to the building. She idly turned her head about, looking at the various people moving about the sidewalks, and then up along the rooftops... when she spotted it.
Outlined against the late morning sunlight, standing atop one rooftop, was the long black cloak and scraggly hair inherent to Nasat. Robin tried desperately to focus on him, quickly placing her glasses on, examining the dark figure outlined in the sunlight.
Before her was the figure, but she could make out no distinguishing features, be it eyes or goatee or even skin color. All she could see was the black cloak and scraggly black hair. Robin turned to speak to Amon, but reconsidered, and returned her gaze to the rooftop- only to find the cloaked figure was gone.
"Robin, what are you doing?"
Robin turned to see Amon, several yards away from her. "It was...nothing, Amon," Robin stated. "Sorry...I spaced out."
Amon grimaced. "We don't have time for that now. C'mon, we have to find Kamiya."
Robin nodded, removing her glasses and placing them in her pocket. She walked over, rejoining Amon's side, and the two once again approached the building.
Amon turned to her. "I'll go in first. Wait for me here."
"Okay," Robin answered tenatively.
Amon drew his pistol, turning to her. "I'll let you know if I require your assistance. Remain alert."
Robin nodded as Amon silently entered, Orbo-laden pistol at the ready. She waited by the entrance, allowing the minutes to pass and her thoughts to wander.
Twice now she had seen cloaked individuals. The first she had mistaken for Amon, but the second was indistinguishable. She tried to look for possible coincindence, but the more she dwelled on the thoughts the more likely it seemed she had, in fact, encountered Nasat, if only once.
Who else would carry an Orbo-laden pistol other than a member of Solomon or the STN-J?
As she mused over the two encounters, she paced along the building's entrance, and heard a crash behind her. Robin turned to see Amon lying sprawled outside the now-broken doorway, glass shards around his fallen form.
"Amon!" Robin called, moving forward to help her partner. She looked down at him, concerned. "What happened?"
Amon groggily looked up at her, some blood seeping from his forehead. "Kamiya... has many followers."
"To put it lightly," came a deep voice from behind the two. Robin peered within the building, spotting the gray attire and bright green eyes of Kamiya. "Hello, hunters. You will not find me easy prey."