Chapter 5
Break Case 1
One week later
Hell
'This place...' Johnny felt sands slipping out of his fingers. Warm, sharp wind caressed his skin and it made him feel irritated. He opened his eyes and stared right at a blood red sky, his eyes quickly recognizing where he was.
"I know you're awake." The same deep voice of the Ghost Rider said. He quickly pulled himself up and cast an uneasy look.
'I must be dreaming,' Johnny remembered that he had been previously sleeping on his futon inside his apartment. And yet right now, he was standing in hell, right in front of his throne. 'I can feel the sands and the air. Astral Projection?'
"Correct, I called your spirit to come here." Johnny knew that already. He crossed his arms over his white shirt and glowered in annoyance.
"You said you'd put me in a world where Ghost Riders didn't exist." He began, his tone aggravating per words. "Can you explain why I encountered a demon, and not just any demon – a Devil Count named Halphas?" The Ghost Rider, not falling for his dissatisfied voice, stood straight on the left of the throne. He tilted his head slightly to the left, pondering his words.
"I am not mistaken, this 'earth' doesn't have a Ghost Rider." He paused as his orange-red ember eyes stared straight at Johnny. "I didn't say, however, that there were no demons or devils living in it."
Johnny tightened his fist and scowled at the new Ghost Rider. "So, you tricked me-!"
"I didn't. You just didn't ask me." Anger shot up inside Johnny. He had definitely been tricked by this new Ghost Rider, this new King of Hell, and it infuriated him. He gnashed his teeth as he walked towards him.
"You sly bitch…" he stood and towered a bit against the new Ghost Rider, his mouth curved into an vengeful frown. "The next time I come back here. I'll kill you." His words were rasped and cruel, but the new Ghost Rider only let out a small amused chuckle.
"You're welcome to try." Then Johnny found himself yanked and pulled by chains. He let out a yelp as the chains hoisted him up. "You're a Ghost Rider. You shouldn't complain. If you ever see a Demon or devil, you should know what to do."
"Damn you!" 'I'll kill you, you unknown Ghost Rider. I'll make sure Hell will have another short-lived king like me!' Johnny trashed around in mid air, but the new Ghost Rider was unfazed. His threat to him was empty and more useless than air.
"Damn it!" Johnny shouted as he shot up from his futon. Beads of sweat ran down his ashen face. His hair was messy and pointing everywhere. His chest heaved vehemently as he let out several short, sharp breaths. 'I Astral Projected…' He was now back in his dirty apartment. His eyes then wandered to his table where a half-eaten, cold, instant ramen stood and right beside it was a black phone.
"Halphas's." The event one week ago flooded his memory. Halphas's dying and smiling face floated around him and he clicked his tongue. "There's no way that I could bring salvation to demons." He said in a bitter tone and glanced down to his golden medallion. "There's no way that…Devils would live peacefully with humans, let alone live like one." But why was his soul innocent then? How could he say those words with pure honesty? Questions after questions sprout out.
"Aghh!" He groaned in troublesome. His mind was completely muddled and in disarray.
'Good Morning, Johnny. Your Psycho-Pass today is: 50! Your Hue color is still: Heavenly White. Have a good day today!' The silence was broken by the device on his left wrist. Johnny looked at it and pressed its button.
"Taro, open the T.V. please."
The holo-T.V. pop out on the wall. News reports blew around his room as the man walked to his kitchen and opened the fridge. "We're now live in front of the MWPSB building, where Chief Inspector, Mika Shimotsuki, will give her statement regarding the mysterious vigilante that appeared and caused havoc in Shibuya Crossing one week ago."
Johnny pulled out some milk and started pouring it into a glass. "For now, we have an official 'alias' name for this mysterious vigilante," The man paused and his eyes glared at the T.V. "His official 'alias' name is 'Ghost Rider' and he's MWPSB's public menace no.1"
'Thanks, I get that a lot.' Johnny wasn't bothered with what he heard. He had been named and labeled a lot by authorities. 'But this is the first time that I became a Public Menace no.1.' He smirked at the new title.
"Oh Johnny. You have a job meeting at nine o'clock today. Taro-chan wishes you good luck." Taro, Johnny's personal A.I. hologram said after popping out from his device once again.
"Eh?! It's 8:30 already!" He gasped and made a dashed to the bathroom to change his clothes.
MWPSB – Conference Hall no. 3
'Shit!' Shimotsuki cursed tensely under her breath. Her predicament right now was grave. The incident one week ago had almost thrown the whole country into chaos. Sybil Internet, e-newspapers, and even News Television had captured the Ghost Rider and the mysterious creature that he had battled in the Shibuya Crossing.
"No way out." She blew hot air in a turbulent way and tried to relaxed herself. "Why can't the Bureau Chief do this press conference?" she asked, agitated to the absence of the Bureau Chief.
"That's because, Chief, the Bureau Chief was summoned to the National Diet." A familiar, calm voice, came out of her device. 'Akane-senpai.' Shimotsuki grumbled anxiously. Somehow, her the former inspector's voice relaxed her down a bit.
"I know that, senpai-" She suddenly stopped and blushed. She remembered that Akane was already an enforcer while she was the Chief Inspector. Her position was higher than her.
She could feel Akane's smile from the other end. "Chief, just remember to calm yourself and stick to the script given by the Bureau Chief."
'I know that.' The Chief Inspector had already reviewed the whole script many times before this press conference. But still, unforeseeable questions could throw her overboard, and it would ruin the MWPSB's reputation. She had to get her act intact. "Right, thank you Senpai — I mean, Enforcer Akane."
"No problem." Shimotsuki turned off her device and breathed air once again before she walked towards the podium on the stage.
"Chief Inspector, where's the Bureau Chief-?"
"Can you give some comments-"
"Is Sybil still working, Chief Inspec-"
As soon as Chief Shimotsuki emerged, relentless waves of questions, coming from news reporters, hit her immediately. Flashes of light, coming from the droid news cameras barraged her completely, but her serious, stoic face didn't move. She stood in the podium, took a short glance around the jam packed conference hall, and then tapped the microphone on the dais. A loud feed back echoed, silencing the whole room immediately.
"Good morning. All of the questions will be answered after this press conference." She said in a stern tone and motioned everyone with her left hand to sit down.
"As far as we know, the MWPSB doesn't have any information regarding the identity of the Ghost Rider." The huge screen behind her displayed a video of the Ghost Rider, rising from a crater in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing. "However, after conducting several investigations, we have only found out that the Ghost Rider could be an immigrant." The whole room then erupted into short burst of awe as some reporters began to throw questions at her, but then she raised her left hand, motioning them to keep quiet. "It's only a possibility, but still the MWPSB will make sure that no stones will be left unturned."
The video played, and the image of Ghost Rider and the strange creature appeared. The video however was heavily modified, for the creature was blurred, making it unrecognizable.
"Some of you may have seen this video on the internet. Sybil system has eradicated all of it, and only the MWPSB has the original file. We will make sure that we catch this…things and stop them from threatening this country."
One of the reporters suddenly stood and asked. "Chief Inspector, even if Sybil had deleted all of the videos, the fact remains that everyone saw the two strange creatures. Are they perhaps aliens?"
'Again. Aliens, huh?' Shimotsuki's right brow almost twitched in irate. One of the topics that were circulating in the net was that Ghost Rider and the creature were both aliens from outer-space.
"I assure you we are looking at many possibilities on what this creature could be, and no, they aren't biological weapons made by the government that have gone rogue." Shimotsuki said sternly and asked, in a peaceful manner, for the whole room to keep quiet.
"One thing's for sure," she spoke again. The bombardment of questions quickly died down. "The MWPSB has determined that the Ghost Rider is a threat and we will enforce him immediately the moment that we find him. So, I ask, on behalf of the MWPSB, that the public to cooperate with us in capturing him and establish order once again to this city."
North Pier
'Whoa, Chief's totally different today.' Arata was absorbed to the press conference playing on his device. He was very much startled to see the Chief displaying a different look today.
"It's a good thing that Chief is holding on." Kei commented with a slight of satisfaction. The Inspector turned off the device as the press conference ended and then shifted his attention to the wall in front of him.
"Ok…so this is where Halphas died."
"Yes, with a single gunshot to the chest. From a shotgun, apparently." Kei said as the Inspector kneeled. The wall was covered by Halphas's blood. Kei's eyes became sharp and scanned the ground for clues. Scorch marks on the wall. Discharge from the shotgun? But there's no bullet shrapnel. His mind began to work. His hands swept across the bloodied wall.
"Shrapnel are missing, hmm."
"Which is strange. Halphas died of a shot gun wound. His entire heart was blown up. Shotguns should leave shrapnel." Kogami said and stood beside Kei, who casted a bothered look.
"Yes." 'Great this guy is with us again.' Kei was upset at the sight of Kogami ever since he encountered him on the Bifrost case, one year ago. He was wild and determined to capture the culprit, and because of that, he didn't like him at all.
And fate was cruel today. Since The Ghost Rider killed Halphas, which was one of MOFA's target, the bureau chief had suggested to put a collaboration between the two departments. The Bureau Chief was determined to throw two stones against a single wild bird, and the bird was the Ghost Rider.
"And again, shrapnel disappeared."
"They don't just disappear." Kei thought for a moment before asked. "Perhaps they melted?"
"No." Arata answered bluntly. He stood up and cast a deep face to the two. "Kogami-san, Kei, please try to imagine that there's magic in this world." Kei and Kogami looked at each other, confused and lost to what he said.
"Ok, so what if there is." Kogami crossed his arms on his chest. The inspector then took several steps and then stopped. He stood on the spot where he saw the Ghost Rider kneeling and in a daze. He then tilted his head in a puzzled manner before he walked back again and stood near the final resting place of Halphas.
"Weird. Shotguns usually leave many gunshot marks. And yet the Ghost Rider stood on this spot put the shot gun closely to his chest." He glanced back at the two. "If Ghost Rider is crazy…He should've fired immediately, making a mess with his body."
"What are you saying, Arata?" Kei looked down and then realized something. "There were foot prints back then. The shotgun wound was clean. The heart was completely obliterated…Did they have a discussion first? I can see the Ghost Rider walking around before he killed him."
"Which is contradicting to Ghost Rider's personality, isn't it?" Kogami butted in as Arata smiled. The man was catching up to them.
"And there's no Phone with him, which is odd. The victim conducts all of his transaction in there." Kogami added as moved closer to the wall. "Shotgun marks, and again shrapnel-"
"That's because it disappeared…magically." Kei winced slightly to Arata's words, but the inspector didn't notice. "We live in a physical world bound by logic and reasoning. This shotgun that killed Halphas…was nothing out of this world." The inspector reasoned with them. The calm, warm wind of the ocean suddenly blew and swept by. The sound that it created was eerie and foreboding against the pier. Kei felt it, but he shrugged it off.
"Are you making the Ghost Rider's motorcycle an example?"
The inspector nodded and glanced at Kogami. He too had understood the reasoning of the inspector and he felt slightly disturbed. 'Why do I get the feeling that he is correct?' He thought gravely and cast a grievous frown.
"And we all saw the video…who would've thought that Halphas could transform like that? And did you see how he crashed on the road?" Arata paused as the two nodded at his words. "He was shoved by the Ghost Rider's motorcycle…that came out from the sky."
"And if, just if, things like that exist due to Ghost Riders's magic, then why not a magical shotgun, right?" Kei finally said while saying the word magic with a strong doubtful tone.
"If that is so then we are dealing with an out-of-this-world vigilante." The three of them stopped and looked to the source of the new voice. A new person – a woman – stood a couple of meters away from them. She was wearing an MWPSB jacket over a black suit. Her hair and eyes were brown and was showing a curious look at the three.
"Yes, you're correct. Who are you anyway?" Arata asked as he titled his head, only to be elbowed softly by Kei.
"Arata, she's Akane Tsunemori. The one who recommended us to MWPSB." Kei said bluntly and salute dthe former Inspector, who only beamed a soft smile. The inspector blinked for moment then his face shot up in red.
"A-Ah, I'm so sorry, Senpai. Uh-! Well-" He stuttered and it made Akane let out a small, delightful chuckle. Kogami smirked at his reaction.
"It's ok. You can relax you two." Akane assured the two and then smiled at Kogami. "I'm glad you haven't done anything to them."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kogami ignored her words and shrugged, ignorantly.
Arata went back to his investigation and looked down on the spot of Ghost Rider again. 'It looks like I need to go back again in there.' "Say Kei-"
"I know. You want to Mental trace, right?" Kei said with a simple tone. He knew that the inspector would suggest that technique again and it made him cast a worried look at Akane.
"I know how your mental trace works. I can help Kei in pulling you out." She said and beamed at the inspector.
Arata calmly sat down on the wall and positioned himself the same as Halphas was in his last moment. He shifted his eyes on the group and grinned. "Well then, I'll be going." Kei and the rest nodded and the inspector was transported again to the familiar and crazy grey world.
It was raining…so hard. Arata opened his eyes, the sky above him became grey and colorless, the air still and sickly. Brimstone, sulfur. He recognized the scent and it almost made him gag, but then he stopped reacting after he noticed another being standing closely in front of him.
"…You really wanna die. Eh, Inspector Goofy?" The Ghost Rider looked down on him, shooting out embers from his eye socket.
Arata didn't answer him first. Another emotion, from Halphas, quickly entered him. He gasped for breath as he felt a heavy feeling of happiness, tranquility and most of all…peace. "This feeling…it's Halphas's-"
"I know. Isn't it annoying?" The Ghost Rider said with balked tone. He pointed his left hand at him, summoning a shotgun. The Inspector stared down at the barrel with hardened eyes, but then a new emotion suddenly surged within him.
"He's not scared of you. I don't understand it. He knows who you are and what you do…and yet he begged to be ended by you?" Confusion muddled in him and it made him frown. His last moments didn't make any sense. The Ghost Rider only nodded, knowing that the inspector had reached the same realization as him.
"This one, I will give it to you. Why do you think, that a Devil like Halphas, would be gladdened to be killed by me, a Ghost Rider?" Devil? Halphas was really a monster? The Inspector couldn't believe what he had just heard.
'So Halphas was the creature then. What on earth?!' The shock seemed to put him out of focus as he suddenly felt himself being pulled back, and then the grey world disappeared after a loud clap snapped in his right ear. The inspector's vision changed and, in a flash, he was back to reality. His mind was still foggy from all the information he had gained while his chest soared in pain from the emotions that he had encountered.
"Arata, you seemed to have discovered something." Kei said as he pulled his friend from the ground. The inspector took a deep breath, calming and reorganizing his nerves and thoughts, before he spoke. "There were black feathers found in the Shibuya Crossing, right?"
His partner nodded. Not only feathers, but also traces of skin, muscles and blood were left behind on the ground back on Shibuya Crossing. "I need to ask Shion to compare DNA of those feathers with Halphas's remains…and also, I need to go to the National Library and Museum."
National Library? "What will you do in there? Search for something regarding the Ghost rider?" Kei asked in a questioning manner and the Inspector beamed an understanding grin.
"I think I know who Halphas really is and what the Ghost Rider could be."
Kogami stared with a questioning look, an anticipating feeling building inside him and it made him smile. 'Something tells me he got it right.' "Aren't those two wonderful bunch?" He whispered discreetly to Akane, who only made a nod of approval.
"Yes, I am not mistaken," 'I know Arata can solve this.' She made a soft smile and continued watching the two.
National Public Library and Museum
After a two hours of boring interviews and meetings, Johnny walked along a bridge deck that connected the two buildings. The National Library and Museum was a large building standing in the heart of the city. Just like its namesake, the library housed all of Japan's educational books and documents. There were lots of people walking past him and most of them were students from different schools or universities. The library was also functioning as a museum.
"Saturdays and Sundays are the museum's usual busy times." Johnny paid attention to the old lady that he was trailing. She had interviewed him and now she was explaining to him about the job that he was applying for, which was 'Librarian's Assistant.' He followed her in silence, answering her whenever she said something to him.
"I was surprise when you first appeared. I never thought that you would be so tall." She said in a jocular manner.
"A lot of people keep telling that to me." Johnny answered as he fixed his wide glasses over his eyes. He was wearing a grey jacket suit over his white, turtle neck shirt, and black slacks. His grey shoes peddle up after they entered on the next building.
Study hall
Johnny's job, as a librarian assistant, was simple. Cataloguing books and research papers within the library. It was a desk job, but it was good for him. If he were to live in this world then, other than hunting demons, he must also have a stable job. Lucky for him, the Sybil system had suggested him jobs that could provide him stable income. And one of them was this job. 'The work requires a low profile. Good thing I fit in to the Sybil's criteria.' He sighed in a relaxed manner while his fingers typed tirelessly.
"Oh Johnny-san," the old woman from earlier called him.
"Miranda-san," Ms. Miranda Suzuki, age 60 and the Librarian. She was innocent, though she had an obsession with cats…Johnny, even without forming, had read her soul through his hellfire-enchanted made glasses. The glasses on his face acted like a scanner and detector for sins and demons. 'Truly this invention of mine is handy.' He smirked and bowed to his superior.
"Mira is fine, Johnny, since were both gaijins!" The old woman smirked mischievously, making the man chuckle. "I'll be leaving early. If you have some questions just call me, ok?" He nodded. The old Librarian said her good bye and left.
"Ok, time to work like normal humans do." Johnny smirked as he began typing again.
MWPSB – Bureau Chief's office.
The afternoon sunlight entered the window, basking the Bureau chief's office with a warm orange glow. The Bureau Chief was sitting in front of his table, watching Inspector Arata and Kei from his computer screen. The two inspectors bowed politely at Shion and left the analyst alone. As the coast became clear, his stern eyes closed and pressed his device.
"Shion, are the two inspectors leaving already?"
"Yes Chief. Inspector Arata said that he has some research to do in the national library."
'Searching, hmm…' The Chief was silent for a second before a smile formed on his face. "I'll go down there. I need to check something."
Shion bowed and he ended the call. He stood up and sighed in a dissatisfied way. "Time to play my role."
MWPSB – Analyst Lab 1
The Bureau Chief entered the lab and Shion immediately greeted him. He then walked towards the glass table and stood. His icy eyes, gazing through the glass, stared unmovingly at the feather and a test tube filled with blood. 'So, this is what remains of Halphas. Not what I was expecting.' He thought as the Analyst Shion stood beside him.
"Inspector Arata had asked me to analyzed the remains. And the result was puzzling."
"What's puzzling about it?" the Bureau Chief asked as Shion pressed the glass, summoning several holo-screens displaying the cellular structure of blood and the feather.
"The feather and the blood…are both Halphas's. They match with MOFA's DNA database." Shion began stroking her chin with her left hand, her expression in a frown as she thought.
"The other monster on the video is really Halphas."
The Bureau Chief stood silent for a moment, letting the ambient sound play around the room. "So, we really do have a monster, huh…" He crossed his arms over his chest and made a low groan, inaudible to the Analyst. "Now then how will Sybil react to this?" The Analyst's face turned into a questioning one and the Bureau Chief noticed it. He quickly made a smile and turn to her.
"Continue with helping Arata, Shion. He needs more manpower in this investigation." Shion nodded with seriousness at him and the Bureau Chief walked away, but after he passed the doorway, just before the door closes, he muttered under his breath. "Otherworldly-manpower, that's what I mean."
National Library and Museum – Study Hall
"That's the last one." Johnny stepped down from the stool and stretched his back. It was already afternoon. The study hall was almost silent and empty. He had been working for how many hours already and his back felt heavy. He made a relaxed sigh as he pulled his cart towards his desk.
'After this, I'll have to investigate Halphas's phone. Maybe there's dirt in there.' Halphas's Phone was in his apartment. He hadn't opened it yet, but he was sure it must contain something dangerous – probably the location of the other counts. He sat down at his desk and looked at his computer. "I guess I'll put all-nighter tonight."
"Excuse me, could you help me look for a book."
"Sure, what title are you-?" Johnny turned to face whoever called him and then he froze. The startled face of the goofy inspector loomed over him, and it slowly turned into a recognizing one.
"Oh, Johnathon-san, you work here?"
"…Ah! You're Inspector goo- Arata, right?" Johnny remembered the inspector form before. The Inspector laughed a little.
"I'm glad that you remembered my name. It's a good thing you found a job."
'Shit! What the fucking hell-' Johnathon's brain panicked, but he immediately calmed down and played along. "Yeah, all thanks to the Sybil. So, uh, how can I help you?" Johnny asked and maintained his innocent smile at the aloof inspector. His heart, however, was beating fast, more than his hell-cycle's piston engine.
Arata hummed in deep thought and glanced around the empty study hall. "I'm looking for the occult section – not the Sybil standardized one."
'Oh, he means the restricted section.' Johnny's eyes sharpened a bit in suspicion, but he maintained his composure.
"We've only one section like that and it's in the restricted section. Be warned though: it might increase your Psycho-Pass a bit." He said in a professional tone. It was part of his job to warn others of potential mental health risk that a person could get from reading those kinds of books. The restricted section of the library was dedicated to books that were labeled dangerous to mental health by Sybil, but important still for cultural and research purpose.
"That's ok," Arata only nodded in agreement.
'Of course, since you're criminally asymptomatic.' Johnny thought as he stood up from his desk and began to walk.
"Hey Kei, are you coming?" Inspector Kei glanced from his device and shrugged.
"Unlike you, my Psycho-Pass is a bit sensitive."
'And yet your sin is heavy as hell, Detective Nancy Drew.' Johnny noticed the other inspector and his eyes darkened for a second, but he shook his head and fixed his glasses.
"Well then, Arata-san, if you could follow me please." Arata waved his hand at his partner and moved with Johnny towards the restricted section.
National Library and Museum – Restricted section
'I…can't understand much.' Arata glared menacingly at the thick, dusty, large, brown book with the title, Demonica Goetia, lying on the table in front of him. He had spent an hour already and yet he was nowhere near to what he was looking for. He glanced to his right and painfully stared at the tower of occult books that he hadn't checked yet.
"Occult is pretty heavy." He muttered, dejectedly, and slumped in his seat.
"Uhm…Arata-san." The inspector looked to his left and grinned at Johnny.
"Oh Johnathon-san, Arata is fine." He said and went back to his book. Johnny had been watching the glowering inspector and he couldn't help but smirk. He was like that when he was new to the occult and he was seeing himself right now on the Inspector.
"Say, may I suggest this book. According to the net, this one is for beginners in the world of the occult." Johnny suggested and put the book down on the table. The inspector glanced at it, the tittle 'The Lesser Keys of Solomon' was written on its front.
"Solomon. King Solomon?" 'Hmm, I heard that he was famous for something.' Arata wasn't much into history, but at least he knew the person. He opened the book and slowly turn each page. "Hmm I hope there's something in here that looks like a stork- Huh?" His eyes caught something and it widened in recognition. 'Found it!'
"Hello there, the real Halphas." He muttered under his breath as he gazed through the picture of the Devil Count called Halphas, a stork with black feathers. He didn't, however, noticed Johnny, who was staring at him hard, eyes cold and almost lifeless.
'Hmph, you owe me on this one, Inspector Goofy.'
"Say Arata, why are you looking for the occult anyway?" he asked in a polite tone.
"Well…its for a case."
'Liar, you need to work on your lying skills.' Johnathon silently scrutinized the inspector, who then looked up to him and smile.
"Thanks Johnathon-san."
"It's Johnny. People call me that," Johnny said and cast a smile at the inspector who resumed skimming through the book.
National Library and Museum – The History of Religion Hall
'He's gonna take a while.' Kei thought and patiently waited for his partner. He wandered aimlessly around the hall. The museum was almost empty and it was near closing time.
"I wonder how Arata is doing-" He paused, however, after he felt someone was watching him. He looked to his left and was startled to see a large holo-portrait. It was a man in large Mitre hat, and dressed in all white clothes. His right hand was outstretched and grasping a glowing golden cross. He was standing in a hall while he pointed his cross at the doorway where a large ugly devil on fire was standing and sneering at the pope.
'POPE ST. PETER AND THE BANISHING OF SINNERS' Kei read the title and gloomed at the holo-portrait again. "Tch, how grotesque." He murmured and then turned around, only for him to stop after his eyes caught the sight of Kogami, standing a few meters away from him.
'Great, he really has to come with us.' He didn't want him to be gone, but he wished that Enforcer Akane had come with them. But the enforcer was called by their Chief Inspector on an urgent meeting and now he was standing with former Unit-1 enforcer in a wide hallway, and surrounded by creepy-looking portraits.
Kogami stared a large holo-portrait of an angel. The angel was in hell, several demons and devils were holding him down. Their sharp talons and claws dug in to his skin and they seemed to be shredding him. The angel's face was stuck in an agonizing pained expression, his right hand up in the air, brandishing a broken weighing scale to the sky.
"The rape of the Angel of Justice," Kogami muttered, making Kei glanced at him.
"That's the title." He added and pointed the name plaque on the bottom of the holo-portrait.
"I can read." Kei reminded in a stern manner, but the former enforcer ignored it. An awkward silence filled the gap between the two.
"I know you're still angry with me because of the Bifrost case." Kogami began, breaking the silence, and it made Kei grunt. It was true that he didn't like him one bit because of that case, but somehow, that anger seemed to die down.
"Yeah, but I would like to ignore what happened during that time so that our team can work together on future cases." Kogami shifted his eyes at him and smirked.
'What's with that smirk!?' Kei stared daggers at him, but he just sighed and looked back at the portrait.
"Pitiful, isn't he? The angel. He went down to hell to give that place an order or law and he had suffered greatly because of it."
"That's rude, can't you see he's working his ass off?" Kei was startled at Kogami's interpretation and then looked back at the portrait. The angel's face was twisted in agony and yet his eyes were enduring and filled with determination. "Hoh, you're right. I never thought you were into paintings Kogami-san."
"No, I am not. And Kogami is fine." He glanced at him and smiled. "We're in equal terms now, as far as I know." Kei couldn't help but freeze at his words. He wasn't expecting the former enforcer to say something like that to him.
"How equal if I may ask?"
Kogami glanced down to the floor. "I have a feeling that MOFA and MWPSB will work together soon. The Ghost Rider, you see, had also hurt my friends." The former enforcer clenched his right fist, anger engulfing his aura and Kei felt it.
'Oh…that's what he meant.' "Well then, when me and Arata catch the Ghost Rider," He paused as he popped his knuckles, "I'll have you threw the first punch." The two men agreed with each other and continued looking at the portrait.
Commufield – Darknet
"Halphas, No.5, is dead." No.1 said in a deep, grave, saddened voice. The rest of the group glanced down at the empty chair where Halphas had once sat and chatted with them.
"This…is so sad." No. 3 said, his tone filled with worry and sadness. His hands were on his chest, grasping it tightly, trying to bury the painful feeling of losing No.5, but he failed. A small tear drop escaped his mask.
"Calm yourself, No. 3. Halphas may be dead, but as he'll continue living inside our hearts." No.2 said, trying to calm everyone, but he failed for his tone was empty and lifeless.
"Heh, I knew it would happen." Everyone turned their attention to No.4. If they could show their faces, No. 4's face would be displaying an uncaring grin.
"How could you say that!? Halphas helped us escaped hell!" No. 3 shouted in anger, but No. 4 only tilted his head in mocking way.
"Oh please, we helped each other that time. He's dumb. That is what killed him and he deserves it. The problem right now is that the Ghost Rider certainly knows that we exist in this world!" No. 4 thundered hard around the room. With the defeat of Halphas, the four remaining counts were now in a dangerous position.
"We should leave Japan right now! We should've stayed in SEAUn. At least there we could live—"
"Live like animals, again, No.4?" No. 1 said, his voice filled with vengeful fury. "Do you remember why we needed to come to this country?" he asked again, but No. 4 didn't answer him. "We aimed to live in peace! We escaped hell, only to land in this hellish world! But this country was the only peaceful one on this earth, and so we came here…and we will stay here!" No. 1 finished his furious rant and shifted in his seat.
No one talked for a moment, the unnerving ambient sound of the virtual network filling their ears. It was a cruel silence, as if it forced everyone to reflect on their goals.
"Halphas and I…fell in love in this world." No. 3 began, but his tone was becoming light and hopeful. "I…I think we should remain vigilant from now on. We must look after each other's backs, I mean…" He paused and looked at everyone. "That's what families are for, right?" The other three virtual avatars didn't answer him, but they all made a nod of agreement. "I think…we should also contact our fixer." No.3 continued, but No. 1 raised his right hand.
"I already did that. He said that he'll make sure to keep a close eye on the Ghost Rider using his own force."
No. 3 made a sigh of relief. "It is good that man was the one who discovered and help us to get into this country."
"Yeah…Indeed." No. 4 added with a hint sarcasm, causing everyone to frown at him.
Hell
The new Ghost Rider stood beside the empty throne, looking over at the great boiling lake of fire. His head was hung low and the flames around his skull was similarly small. "It's been one week since the first encounter." He moved his head and his ember eyes moved as he turned around.
"I hope that you will continue your stance on not interfering in this trial." He looked down at the man, standing on the foot of the raised throne. The man was shrouded in white cloak with a hood over his head. He may look normal to others, as long they ignored the bright yellow, halo, floating behind his head.
The man's halo moved with his head as he looked up. "Yes. I am a fair person. I will never interfere with your project." He said in a plain tone, but it made the new Ghost Rider's flame rose up a bit. If only he could show his face right now – it would have formed into a fierce frown.
"It's not a project…this is a trial run." He said with a sullen tone and began to walk down from the throne. He reached the other's level and leaned towards him. "So please, do cooperate on this." He snarled with an appealing voice. The man turned slightly and looked through his eyes, exposing the lower half of his face.
"I will, just as long as he won't cause too much ruckus." He replied softly to him and cast an angelic, pleased smile at the new Ghost Rider.
Woo-Hoo new chapter! Thank you for those who leave reviews and like my fanfic! So guys, what do you think will happen now? What's with all the deals and scheming happening in this fanfic? The four counts, how do you think they will live in this world after one of their kin was killed? And the bond between kei and kogami...do you think it will stand a chance against the Ghost Rider? Stay tuned for more!
Special thanks to Pure Red Crane for beta-reading.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pscyho-Pass and Ghost Rider marvel comics.
Please leave some reviews and likes again!