Welcome to chapter 4!

It took twenty minutes to find out who Mr. Halls was. His full name was Makarov Halls, he moved to Japan when he was eighteen and he was a photographer. He was a normal man, for what you saw on the first layer anyway. He was wealthy and had a large house with many basements in his home for any occasion. Women. Men. And soon enough, children. Locked away in cages. Beaten and bruised. It seemed none had been used as of late, at least two years had passed since the last time a child had been abused. He had moved onto selling women instead.

It was apparent that women made more money than children.

It didn't change the fact that no one figured him out. No one had even suspected that Makarov Halls was a pedophile, pimp and murderer. He had a good psycho-pass, only slightly clouded. Not enough to arrest him, just enough to put him therapy for years. Even the therapist hadn't guessed that children and women in the basement where being subjected to sexual assault. The worst kind of assault that Tsunemori dared wish to ever see again.

Tsunemori didn't go to see the body in the house, she waited for Yayoi and Ginoza to pick it up and take it back to headquarters with drones. Shion examined him, and concluded there were no hidden clues within his body. After that, he was sent to the morgue, no questions asked.

In a way it was odd that were no clues. Although Akane was secretly pleased with that. She didn't know how much more she could take from today. It started as badly as it ended. Catastrophically.

It was also quickly made that Justin Halls would be buried as a criminal, not a public citizen. Head office did not want him tainting their sacred grounds, and for once, Tsunemori agreed to their terms entirely.

On the balcony of the M.W.P.S.B's offices, Tsunemori stood and watched the sun go down. Realising, that what felt like a two hours was actually a whole day. Today had been one big blur, that she wasn't sure of its contents. She knew it would probably be best to get home, have an early night of sleep and see the morning in a brighter set of eyes. Yet she couldn't, not yet. She was frozen by what she saw, what she had heard. Those poor children, killed when they got too old for what Halls had planned for them. What kind of person would do that? What causes someone to do that? What triggered it all? What formulated in that man's brain to cause such catastrophe?

Its like there are a bunch of Makishima running around and I can't seem to catch them in time. She thought sourly, and people killing them is just another… She stopped herself, rubbing the corners of her eyes and sighing deeply. No… Kogami wasn't a killer like that. Not really. He just knew that there was no other way of doing it. He saw no other way.

She clutched herself and stifled a sob. "Stop thinking…" She whispered, stop thinking about him. Not at work, that is a rule you have made…

"Tsunemori," Ginoza made her snap out of it abruptly. She shuddered and looked over her shoulder, she smiled as softly as she was able. Trying in all honesty, to not cry in front of anyone. He didn't seem to notice the red in her eyes as she looked towards the city again. "Turns out that Halls was a lot more loved than you would've thought. His wife who lives in a separate house several hours away has called in. Insisting that she should meet with the head of her husbands murder investigation. She wants to see you at her home tomorrow, midday."

"That murderer has a wife?" She asked, her voice stern. She was suddenly peeved.

"Yes, and she apparently knew nothing of his exploits. Not even his son knew." He had a kid too?

She stood straight and narrowed her eyes at the sunset. "If she wants to have a meeting, then it will have to be an official private interview here. I am not going several hours outside my district to just listen to lies." She clutched herself again, "I am going home, inform Ms Halls of my statement. I need to write a report to head office for tomorrow. Goodnight, Ginoza. Don't stay here too late." She said as she passed him, she returned to the office to gather some files.

It was sleeting as she got outside, she sniffled as the pieces of ice touched her cheeks. The floor was icy, she was careful where she walked. How fitting that the worst day ended in a black sky with an icy floor.

Rheya was standing outside, waiting for Tsunemori by her car whilst smoking a cigarette. She didn't stub it out in the car either, instead she lit one from the previous cigarette flicking the old one out the window and looked at her phone. "Thanks for the ride home," she said finally after a few minutes of silence.

"It's no problem." She replied, "Quite honestly, I am still in shock over how you worked today. You really are quite interesting."

She smiled whilst looking out the window, her eyes though were anything but. "I am just a smart person, that's all." She looked to Tsunemori briefly, "I should be thanking you, really. You're actually the reason why I am here, if it weren't for your past investigations, I would've never come out from my hole. You inspired me to help, in all honesty."

"Why?" Tsunemori mumbled, "I did nothing." Nor did she understand why.

"You know that people with high Psycho-Passes aren't always worth the execution setting on a Dominator. I've seen my fair share of those at the Institute for the past two years. People like you should be in power. You see light, even when everything is pitch black." Her eyes never strayed from the window as she spoke, she stared out to the blinding blinking lights of the city. Tsunemori couldn't tell fully, but it looked like she her expression was remorseful.

Tsunemori sighed deeply, "I wasn't always that way. When I first joined Division 1, I was a lot like Mika, who you'll meet soon by the way. She's on vacation. But as I was saying, I had a very narrow mind of how the Sibyl System worked. I believed that it was the only way the world could and would work, always. When I look back on myself, I get a sick feeling in my stomach."

Rheya nodded, still not looking at her. "Yeah, I get that." She sighed, sitting back in the chair. "Kogami, that was one of the old Enforcers on your team, right?"

"How- oh yeah, right. Hacking." Tsunemori rolled her eyes. "What about him?" She inquired, her heart skipping several beats.

Tastski crossed her legs in her seat, leaning backwards into the headrest. "He's alive. Or so you think, am I right?"

Tsunemori closed her eyes for a moment and bit the inside of her cheek. "Kogami is as good as dead to the system." Just not to me. Not in my world.

Rheya finally looked to her, "I don't think he's the kind to die like that. He's a survivor." She smiled, "Kinda like me and you."

Tsunemori wanted to ask what she had meant by that, but before she could the car stopped outside of Tastski's apartment building. It was only thirty minutes from Tsunemori's home.

"Again, thanks for the ride." She opened the door, grabbing her bag and leaving the car. "Have a good sleep, ma'am." She shut the door quietly, before she retreated inside of the apartment building.

The church was cold and almost deserted. It smelt old and decayed. Her arms prickled as her body begged for warmth. Though she did not allow herself that satisfaction. She had to atone for her sin today. She moved to the alter where she laid on the table where priests would pray to God. She closed her eyes peacefully.

"Begin." She said softly.

A man who stood in the corner of the room stood in front of her, and began beating her body with a metal rod. It wasn't bad enough that she would die, but enough to punish her. She could hear his held back moans of secret pleasure for beating her. She knew also he had arroused by this. He always was.

And she did not cry. Not once.

Once her body bruised enough for the man's liking, she was allowed off the table. She limped slightly to her chambers, where she bathed in cold water until she was clean. It was a final punishment when she chose to sleep naked, in the cold weather that the winter's night brought her. She shivered until she slept.

And she did not cry. Not once.

After eating a small meal to settle her stomach, Tsunemori found herself taking a second shower of the day. As if scrubbing the death from her very skin. She found herself sitting on the shower's floor, letting the strong stream of water wash over her. She leaned back against the wall, not jumping at the sudden cold spot on her back.

It didn't surprise her when he came to her mind.

Again and again, his face would come to her head at random points of the day. But she could always count on his image appearing at least once in the shower. Maybe it was because no one could see her in here. She was protected from wondering eyes.

Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift.

"What would you do?" She asked his image. "What do you think?"

He smiled to her, that smile that said that he had been thinking of it for a while now. That he had an answer before her. It still annoyed her even now, even when it was just her imagining it. "Before we can safely assume that the killer is the lone wolf we saw in the video, we have to look at how that person acted." He lit a cigarette, he would always do that. "Sphinx likes drama, yet the person in that video did everything to hide himself. Hide their true identity. It makes you question, if the Sphinx we saw in the video is the same Sphinx Rheya knows virtually."

"It did seem odd that the Sphinx in the video wouldn't leave a hint of sorts of their gender, or what they look like. If they are a person of puzzles and games, then surely they'd play that card when the opportunity came." She mumbled to herself. "And certainly, today's fiasco would've been the best of times?"

Kogami would've by now looked off in the distance in thought, tapping his cigarette ash into an ashtray or a can. "Or they're just waiting for something bigger." He said finally.

"I don't know how they would top today, if I am honest with you Kogami." She whispered. He was looking at her, that same look of protection that he gave her in her dreams. That same furrow of his brow, the same cold steel look that was based around his blue eyes. "If you were here, really here, we could solve this case a lot quicker. We were good at that; solving things together, that is." His eyes softened, for a moment, they looked full of remorse.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way." He said softly, looking away from her. She wanted to scream at him. Suddenly all that built up anger and emotion wanted to come leaping out. Instead though, she cried. Begging up between gulps of air to come back to her. She missed him. He glanced in her direction, "I wish that were possible." He looked into the air, closing his eyes out of exhaustion. "I am so sorry." He whispered, reaching for her cheek.

She heard her phone ring in the other room, snapping her back into reality. The water of the shower was now cold, goosebumps covering her arms. She stood slowly, wrapping a towel around her. She turned off the shower before wondering into her front room before picking up her mobile. Unknown Number. She didn't ring back.

She sniffed, wiping away the stray tear from her eye. She had been weak again. She had been so weak. He's never going to come back. You know it to be true.

She dried herself off, dressing in warmer sleepwear before sitting in front of her laptop. She sniffed lightly, his stare still in her memory.

She wrote her report on the day's events. Describing in detail what she thought of Sphinx's second reported murder. Concluding that she one hundred percent agreed with the fathomable idea that Sphinx was also a part of the first murder; the suspicious murder of Laius Knight. Asking the board therefore, to allow Division 1 to start treating this case as a double homicide, meaning Sphinx is now a serial killer.

Once she had spell checked and edited the document, she sent it off. Realising the time, she went to turn off the laptop.

Bleep. Her laptop startled her. She had mail. A throw away web address had been used. Untraceable. The subject was plain and simple: I know where he is.

She widened her eyes, her heart leaping from her chest and trying to come through her mouth. She bit on her thumb, seeing if she was dreaming. Whether the fact she had suddenly been thrown into the world of Hacking today was wearing off on her tired mind. But when she yelped in pain, and her thumb started to bleed, she realised that she wasn't dreaming.

Calm down, she told herself. It might be a hoax.

She opened the body of the email, reading the short message that came with it and bit the inside of her cheek. Half checking if the first test of her consciousness was a dud, half wondering what to do it if she was indeed awake, and this was the result.

He's looking good. He looks alive, don't you think?

Sphinx.

P.S… say nothing, or you'll be next.

She clicked on the file that Sphinx had given her. Sure enough, her deepest dread had come to life. It was also her deepest wish.

He was standing outside of a shabby old bar, the walls were still wooden and the door was rusty. Unlike the modern bars she knew of. The footage showed him smoking a cigarette peacefully, he wore a button up shirt and jeans. Unlike him entirely. What shocked her more, was that he was wearing an apron. He worked wherever this place was.

He was alive. He was alive. He was alive… He was working in a bar. She didn't know where he was, or who he was pretending to be. But seeing his face…

"You haven't changed much," she spoke quietly, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. Her throat was raw. She whimpered as she replayed the short footage. There was one moment, where she could see his face fully. His eyes, they were still that same steel like blue. His hair still messy and untamed. He was still Kogami…

And he was alive.

She silently cried in front of her laptop, watching the footage over and over again. She clutched her chest and sobbed into her arm. "Where are you, Kogami?" She asked the air around her, "I need to know where you are." She told him as if he was right beside her. But she was alone. She had to remind herself of that.

Bleep. Another email came through.

A different untraceable address. The subject was: Go find him.

Soon enough, people will know where he is. You haven't got long, Inspector.

Sphinx.

P.S It smells like pine and lives in the dark… Where is he?

Akane widened her eyes. Sphinx was playing a game with her. Just them and her. One on one. She felt her brain fizz and crackle as she thought about the little clue that the hacker had left her. It was a distant riddle. No real clue on what they were talking about, or where the answer would lead her. It seemed dead ended and far away.

Pine was a smell she had never been able to smell in her life. Pine forests were almost unheard of, extinct in most areas. Forests in general were receding as days went by. Maybe therefore they were not hinting towards an actual forest, rather what the town was mostly made of. A town that hadn't fully modernised into the place where she lived. It was half stuck in the old era and reaching for the new one.

Or maybe… it wasn't reaching at all.

There were several towns in Japan where they had the common technology, but they stuck to the older way of living. No drones to keep them tamed, and no little jellyfish like house monitors to do their bidding. They were small, secluded towns where they seemed off the charters when you first took a look at the maps. The Sibyl System didn't like those towns in particular, they deemed them to be unholy and dirty towns where people who lived there were surely going to against Sibyl law.

They were also perfect places to keep hidden. A lot of these towns forbade to watch the Sibyl authenticated news channels, rather, they watched the less budgeted ones that weren't authenticated to Sibyl, therefore they were unlikely to know if the new person coming to town was a murderer on the run or not. Since those particular news rooms only allowed themselves to reveal big news. A murderer on the run was hardly new, as it were, unlike a prime minister being arrested for manslaughter or rape for instance.

Those towns were the best there were for Kogami to possibly run away too. He wouldn't stay there forever, rather wait possibly for a few years before moving onto another similar town.

But from what Akane could remember from her grandmother's stories of these towns, there were at least twenty of them. Holding only several hundreds of people at once. Cosy almost.

Sibyl would know if she looked up anything to do with these towns. But she had a sneaking suspicion that Sphinx had found a way to send the mail so the footage wouldn't be detected. She was betting on that idea.

She would have to do it the old fashioned way, and look into the library. She would do that during her break tomorrow. They would surely have plenty of books on those particular towns. But would that be enough?

Akane knew Kogami well enough to call him her friend, yet did she really know him to know where he'd be? No, the answer would be no. But there was someone who did, after all, they spent years together as student and teacher.

She decided it to visit Joji Saiga tomorrow after work, after all, he was open to her at any time in the day. They never recorded her visits, there was never a need too. She smiled to herself, looking back to where she had paused the footage. His face was looking in the distance, as if looking for someone.

I wonder Kogami… am I the person you're waiting to come from the distance?

Sorry for a late and sort of short chapter! College is really busy at the moment, and I wanted this chapter to be shorter so I had time to make a longer chapter next time. But all in all I hope you all enjoyed it. Remember to review and tell me what you thought. What does Sphinx want with Akane? And will Joji help her, or will he stick by Kogami? You will have to find out next chapter. Hope you all have a wonderful few days. Bye. (And even though I am in the UK, to the people in the US! Happy Thanksgiving.)

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