Well here we go, first story on a new site. Hpoin' its gonna be a good one. How you guys doing? Having a good day? I hope you are. Got a story to post up here, another in the long line of BA crossovers that've come out in like the last year. Not so sure mine holds up to the best of them, but when your neurons activate after playing like 3 playthroughs of RoboCop: Rogue City, and you've been reading up on BA out of curiosity, then you have no choice but to listen to em, right?
Now, as a disclaimer, I have never played Blue Archive, and I'm kinda iffy on getting into it, mostly for two reasons. The first reason being that I'm poor, and gacha games would suck away my spending money faster than I already spend it on Sig optics and TF2 keys. Second reason being that some of the stuff in the game kinda...suses me out. Still, the world and lore is interesting, as are the characters, so I decided to through my lot in and see if I could add to it. Hope I did well enough at that. And if I didn't, then like I said back on the SpaceBattles post, feel free to verbally ED-209 me like Mr. Kinney droppin' his sickass Deagle mixtape on the floor of the OCP Boardroom. Have a good one guys, enjoy, and if you didn't let me know why. See ya.
Also yeh, SB link: To Teach Justice (Blue Archive/RoboCop) | SpaceBattles
Chapter 1: Unforeseen Reassignment
Night had long since fallen over the city of Old Detroit, casting its wide sprawl into darkness, darkness broken only by the light of dim, flickering streetlamps and the glow of neon, illuminating the cracked pavement of the sidewalks and grime of the buildings. Hardly a single soul could be found walking the streets, certainly no innocent soul, as could be evidenced by the odd burst of gunfire that rang through the air.
No, the law-abiding people of the city would not be caught outside at such a time, and those who were moved with a purpose, wanting to finish whatever they needed to quickly enough to get home lest they become prey for the criminal element that had long since rooted itself into the city.
In one such home, a dark, worn apartment in Belmont, the rather heavyset occupant sat unconscious in his heavily-stained chair, snoring loudly as the empty bottle of beer in his right hand threatened to clatter to the delaminating hardwood below. He slept in spite of the bright illumination shining out from his television, a television that had just finished running a commercial break and was now resuming its regularly scheduled programming.
The all-too familiar jingle and opening of Channel 9's MediaBreak filled the apartment, static-y from the worn speakers, yet the voice that came through was still very legible.
"This is MediaBreak: you give us three minutes, and we give you the world!"
Where once there were square subdivisions upon the screen, each one filled with a different newsworthy sight such as war, fire, or a view from space, now the squares flipped over like cards on a grimy table in a backroom card game, revealing the faces of a man and a woman, slowly zooming out to show them smiling at their newsdesk.
"Good evening, I'm Casey Wong with Jess Perkins! Welcome back, Jess, it's been a while!"
The man, Casey Wong, turned briefly to his co-host, who had taken a vacation several weeks ago. His smile was clear on his face and matched by Perkins.
"It sure has, Casey. Tonight's first story comes to us from Washington DC. FBI Director Thompson O'Malley, previously under investigation for suspicions of embezzling funds, has been reinstated after the trial was thrown out due to missing evidence. He's expected to return to his duties this week. I hope they kept your seat warm, sir!"
As she spoke regarding the Director, a small square on her right showed footage of the man leaving the courthouse amid a horde of journalists and photographers, before climbing into a rather expensive-looking supercar parked on the curb. She turned to her co-host, who turned to the camera just as it switched to him.
"In local and international news, the buyout of Omni Consumer Products by Japanese corporation Kanemitsu was finalized three hours ago after a tour of the recently repaired Delta City construction site by that company's executive board. After several losses relating to its most prominent projects, the loss of its founder, its single day acting CEO Maximilian Becker, as well as the destruction of its headquarters, OCP's financial state has become dire, which only made it a more appealing target for the Japanese giant."
After he finished, he turned to face Jess Perkins, the camera cutting to her immediately.
"That's right, Casey. And to commemorate the buyout, Kanemitsu chairman and founder Mr. Kanemitsu himself, stated in his speech to the OCP Executive Board that Kanemitsu would support OCP in completing the Delta City project."
A window on the screen showing the chairman standing in the atrium of an unfinished building, the muffled sounds of construction echoing in the concrete chasm. In the background, cleaning crews wearing hazmat gear worked to scrub massive bloodstains from the walls and floors, while others went around clearing away small pieces of human flesh, the bodies they had been attached to long since removed
"Your company's founder had a grand vision: a shining city, a fertile ground from which a booming economy would flourish, and a safe and prosperous home to millions. It is a vision worth bringing to life, but to do so, the city that stands now must be made fit for its birth. It must be prepared. It must be rehabilitated."
During the entire segment, the man in the chair stayed sound asleep, even as the flashing lights from his television filled his apartment, drowning out the light from the streetlamp outside, and the light from a vehicle pulling up to the intersection: a Detroit Police squad car.
The light turned red ahead of it, the driver slowing to a halt just as the stop marker. In the darkness outside and with the lack of lighting inside the car, it would have been difficult for someone to make out the people inside, only that there were two occupants.
However, the silhouette of the driver was unmistakable: RoboCop.
Facing ahead, his focus was on the light, but his eyes and the scanners added to them would have identified any illegal activity committed in his vision, even peripheral. However, right now there was nothing to be seen, not even another vehicle. The street was utterly dead.
Despite the lack of traffic, the light still took its time, a slight tapping starting to sound out in the car as it wore on. Briefly glancing right with a whir of his neck servos, he saw his partner Anne Lewis tapping impatiently on the dashboard, her eyes roaming at anything to be seen. She was anxious. So, turning forward again, RoboCop decided to initiate conversation.
"Getting impatient, Lewis?"
She kept tapping even as she replied, a small sigh in her voice.
"A bit, yeah. It's been a slow night, huh?"
It certainly had been. They had been on patrol for several hours already, but aside from a couple of minor traffic infringements and reports from other officers, their beat had been quiet, far too quiet. It was certainly an odd night when nothing was happening in Old Detroit, especially at night. But odd as it was, RoboCop found it welcome.
"Yes. But a slow night is a good night, Lewis. A slow night means that the criminal element is staying out of trouble."
She nodded slowly, her face uncertain but her hand finally sitting still, coming to rest her head as she leaned against the passenger window.
"Or doing a better job of keeping it hidden. You're right though, it's just…boring I guess."
RoboCop nodded at that.
"I understand, Lewis. Still, quiet as it is, we must keep alert. It may be quiet now, but we cannot see if the future will be."
Even with her nod, Lewis still smirked in amusement.
"Ever the wise one, Murphy."
The smirk, even if robotically, was matched.
"I try."
With that, silence reigned in the patrol car once more, the only sound coming from the idling engine. Thankfully, it did not last long. The light turned green at long last, and with gentle pressure to the gas pedal, the car accelerated down the road.
However, in the darkness between streetlamps a hundred feet down the road, a pothole had been hidden, and with his eyes on the lookout for ne'er-do-wells and other vehicles, Murphy didn't notice until too late. He managed to brake in time to slow down enough to not damage the car, but it still rattled it good, especially the passengers, and especially Lewis.
She grunted as the car shuddered, the grunt turning into a pained yelp near the end. That got RoboCop's attention, his head whirling around to see Lewis putting pressure on her chest, her face contorted in pain but slowly recovering.
"Lewis?"
The concern in his voice brought her to her senses, her breathing evening out as she looked at him.
"I'm – I'm good, Murphy. Seatbelt caught the gunshot wound."
'Gunshot wound'. RoboCop immediately knew which one. It was her most recent, at the hands of Wendell Antonowsky – the 'New Guy in Town'. It wasn't his real name, just an identity that OCP had given him, but his real identity was irrelevant next to the chaos he had sown in the city. He had made deals with several of the major gangs to collect corpses for him, corpses with intact brains, so that OCP could experiment on them.
All for their so-called 'Afterlife' project, a project to keep the dead alive, a project that the Old Man himself had started to preserve himself after he had passed.
A project that had failed and brought down OCP's headquarters with it.
It was Wendell that had shot Lewis, after subduing her and forcing her to her knees, cuffing her afterwards. With his lighter, combined with the monitoring chip that OCP had installed into RoboCop under the pretense of running diagnostics to help him, he had caused him to seize up, during which he had shot his business partner in the Torch Heads – their leader, Soot – and then shot Lewis. She had been comatose for several days afterwards, and her disappearance had had a marked effect on morale in the Metro West precinct.
She had been cleared for duty now, but if her injury was reopening then he would need to get her medical attention. Thankfully, his concern passed as his scanners did not detected any such reopening, even through her vest. Still, he pressed the issue regardless.
"Are you certain, Lewis? Do you need medical assistance?"
Her breathing, which by now was slowing to a more stable pace, hitched when he mentioned medical attention. She looked briefly confused before she shook off the request.
"What? No, I'm fine. Just didn't expect to get hit there. I'm alright. Honest."
He did not reply immediately. Instead, he once more scanned her body, once more detecting no wound. He knew she was not lying; she genuinely was not hurt. But after his inaction led to that wound…he slowly turned back forward.
"Very well…"
Slowly, he stepped on the gas again, the crunching of loose stones beneath the tires filling the once-more silent cabin. Lewis, still keeping her hand to her chest to dull what was left of the flare of pain, cast him a soft look. She heard the guilt in his voice, and considering what brought it about, she knew well what it was about. Gently, she placed her left hand on his arm, her own voice calm.
"It wasn't your fault, Murphy. Wendell literally messed with your head. You couldn't have seen it coming.
Once more, her voice conveyed honesty, and the evidence agreed. It was, in fact, Wendell that had pulled the trigger. It was Wendell that had disabled him with his strange lighter, a lighter that triggered the chip, causing him to malfunction and shut down.
Yet still it haunted him.
"I know, Lewis. But that does not make it any less regrettable."
Lewis nodded slowly, knowing all too well how he felt, the memory of their discussion during his visit coming to mind. They talked about her own regret, about how she felt that she had gotten him killed. He reassured her that she did not; she did not pull the trigger.
But still, it haunted her. So, with a small smile and a gentle squeeze, she spoke again.
"I guess not. But even if it doesn't, just know that I don't blame you, Murphy."
He only offered a small smile, a rare sight given his ever-dutiful nature. But it was still a welcome one, a reminder of the man inside that machine. Her partner. Her friend.
"I know, Lewis. Thank you."
With a final pat on the arm, she brought hers back to her side.
"Any time, partner."
Once more, silence returned to the cruiser, though thankfully it was no longer an uncomfortable sort. It was tranquil really, relaxing. Still, they were on duty. They both knew they had no time to relax. They weren't looking out the windows to see the sights of Old Detroit.
That said, after a few minutes of this, Lewis started to feel another sort of pain – or discomfort, rather – and she silently hoped that they at least had time for a quick pause.
"Hey, you mind if we make a quick pit stop? I'm feeling like I need to use the ladies' room."
Still keeping his eyes on the road, RoboCop replied.
"Not at all, Lewis. There is a gas station ahead. We can stop there."
She looked ahead, seeing the place he was talking about – an old Shell station on the corner next to an apartment building, the 'S' on its neon sign flickering badly. It looked deserted, dirty. But in emergencies like this, you can't be picky.
"Perfect. Thanks Murphy."
He nodded in response as he turned on the cruiser's right blinker, turning it slowly onto the gas station's tarmac. Pulling into one of the parking spots at the station's grungy 24/7 convenience store, he put the cruiser in park and cut the engine, the music from the station's speakers bleeding into the car.
(ABBA – "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)")
"I will stay here to keep an eye on the car. You go ahead."
Almost as soon as he had stopped, she had kicked open her door and put her feet on the pavement, stopping only to give him her thanks once more.
"You're a lifesaver, Murphy. Thanks again."
He scarcely had time to return his welcome before the door slammed shut…
"You're very welcome, Lewis."
…but still she nodded as she moved away, hopping the curb onto the sidewalk and yanking open the glass door, disappearing inside. Now all alone, Murphy kept his head on a swivel, his servos whirring as he looked left to right for any potential threats. Thankfully, the quietness of the night appeared to have found this gas station as well, and a minute passed uneventfully.
The second minute however…that was when things changed.
Sweeping right again, he took in the sight of the empty diagonal alleyway next to the gas station, running between two tenement buildings. Seeing nothing, he swept left, taking in the sight of the roadway running perpendicular to their previous direction of travel, and the parking lot of a grocery store beyond it. Once more, there was nothing, a quick check of the mirrors confirming the same for their rear. He swept right again…
…and caught sight of a lone woman standing in the entrance to the alleyway, looking at the patrol car.
RoboCop paused at the sight, his eyes and scanners analyzing the strange woman in the distance. It was difficult to make out much due to the darkness – even stood under the light at the alley's entry, it was too dim to illuminate much detail – however he could immediately see that she was too dressed rather atypically for this neighborhood.
She wore a long white formal, almost uniform-like, dress, with golden buttons and pins adorning it and blue accenting in areas. Just as white were the rather high boots she wore, and though the distance made it hard to make out much more than that regarding her clothing, he could still tell that it was almost spotless.
What else was odd was her hair. Though it may have been the lighting, it appeared to be…blue. Light blue, almost white, cascading down to her knees with a small braid hanging over her left shoulder.
Hidden mostly in shadows, her eyes were impossible to discern the color of, but the shape appeared Asiatic. Japanese perhaps. A Kanemitsu executive, maybe? It would explain her strange manner of dress. But if she was from Kanemitsu, what reason could she have for being out this late in this part of the city? He did not know.
And, perhaps it was simply a trick of the light off, but it almost appeared as though there were a halo above her head.
It was certainly a strange sight to see at night, and as the seconds dragged on and she continued to stare unflinchingly at the squad car, Murphy decided to intervene.
With a clunk, the driver door opened, his foot left foot touching pavement soon after. Standing upright, he shut the door, storing the car's keys in his left thigh storage compartment before proceeding over to where the woman stood.
As he approached however, 'woman' appeared to be a less-appropriate descriptor.
Halfway to her location, RoboCop realized that she appeared rather young, in her late teens though he did not know exactly. He also took in the blue accents to her uniform, as well as the fact that her hair appeared to be pink on its underside.
More than that, he also came to realized that the 'halo' above her head was not a trick of the light.
It stayed the same as he continued to approach, the white ring with its blue star-like sparkle staying fixed behind her head. He saw no wires or posts connecting it to any headwear, nor did he see any headwear for it to attach to. Even more bizarrely, his scanners did not detect it – it was not solid, liquid, gaseous, it had no chemical makeup, by all accounts it did not appear to exist at all.
It was a strange thing, one that gave him pause for a brief moment, a flash of words entering and leaving his mind, a prayer from a time he could no longer remember.
Still, it was over as soon as it came, and by the time it was he about thirty feet from the strange girl. It was here that he decided to initiate verbal contact.
"Madam, are you well? You appear lost."
Adding to the strangeness of the situation, she did not respond. Instead, she merely looked him in the visor, a tender smile on her face as she did. He was just about to ask again when he noticed something else about her, something that he had not seen from the car or on the walk up.
She was wounded.
A trail of dark blood saturated her left side, the wound starting at her upper torso, almost in the armpit area. It appeared fresh as well. However, a quick scan of the assumed area of the wound proved inconclusive. For some reason his scanners were unable to detect the wound on the girl. In fact, they didn't seem to register the girl at all – it was like she wasn't even there. A quick diagnostic check of his systems did not detect any failure of his scanning systems; however it was still a possibility or perhaps was a glitch in his software.
He filed the failure away for later, something to report to his maintenance team when they got back to the precinct.
The mystery could wait for later. Right now, a wounded girl needed assistance. Unfortunately, while he had a great deal of tools and equipment on hand for catching criminals, providing medical attention was not within his skillset. He was designed for urban pacification, not triage duty, and as such he was not equipped to provide such assistance. But his partner was. He only hoped that she was done with her business. Without skipping a beat, he tuned his radio to their channel.
"Lewis, do you read?"
Her response was slightly delayed, and in the background, he heard the sound of liquid landing in liquid.
"Yeah, I read you, partner. What's up?"
He seemed to have caught her at an inopportune time. Still, he once more hoped she was near the end of it as he spoke again.
"I have a wounded civilian in the alleyway next to the gas station. She appears to have suffered a puncture wound to her upper torso and has lost a large amount of blood. I will need assistance as soon as you are able."
Another pause filled the channel, her voice clearly concerned when it ended.
"Shit. Alright, I can be out in a minute. Stay with her until then. Did you get her name or anything?"
RoboCop replied quickly.
"Negative. She is conscious and upright but verbally unresponsive, appears to be in shock. She will need an ambulance."
Lewis did as well, the liquid sound fading off as she spoke.
"Alright, you make that call, I'll be out to help soon."
By the time her transmission had ended, the sound of a toilet flushing had filled the background audio. He estimated that she would be out in two minutes maximum, likely faster.
"Roger that. Murphy out."
With their call ended, Murphy quickly tuned his radio back to the Detroit Police Department dispatch frequency.
"Dispatch, I have a wounded civilian at my location. Requesting ambulance assistance on the corner of – "
He never finished the call. Just as he was about to relay their location, the wounded girl finally spoke.
"It's remarkable, you know."
He paused, her soft voice still registering in his mind. He stayed silent as she continued to speak.
"You have seen so much suffering…felt so much pain…been shackled to people who do not see you for who you are…and yet despite it all, you stand strong, in defense of those who cannot protect themselves."
The voice of dispatch mixed in with the girls, asking him to say again, to clarify his location. But he did not respond. Instead, he had listened to the girl speak. The way she spoke was strange, like she was familiar with his past.
It set him on edge, but he dismissed the feeling. Given her condition, it was likely she was going into shock. She needed medical attention fast.
"Madam, you have suffered a severe puncture wound. You are likely suffering from blood loss. I advise that you apply pressure to – "
Once more, she interrupted him, this time approaching him slightly. As she moved, she showed no indication of injury. She did not move in any way that would suggest she was in pain. It was as though the wound was not even there.
"Even with your shackles gone, still you stood for them, even when the odds were against you. Because it was your duty, your responsibility."
She stopped only five feet from him, still meeting his eyes with her own. The voice of dispatch continued to sound in his helmet all the while.
"I thought I knew of responsibility once. I thought I knew what it meant to carry such burdens like yours. But I did not, not fully. And in my lack of understanding, my decisions, and what they caused…It was all my fault. But seeing you, after all that you have endured, still holding to your own, now…now I understand."
Her face fell as she continued to speak, a look of regret clear on it. Her eyes too dropped from his own, looking at the cracked pavement but clearly not seeing it. Still, she continued, perking back up as she did.
"Adulthood, obligations, responsibilities…and how ones own choices affect the world around them. It was your lesson that truly taught me what they all mean. And because of that…I'm afraid I must ask for your help…Murphy-Sensei."
'Murphy-Sensei'? How did she know his name? More than that, why did she call him a 'sensei'? He was not a teacher, certainly not in any typical sense. He got no answer, only a look of regret in her eyes.
But just as he was about to interrupt her to ask what she meant, she spoke again, in a heavy, purposeful tone.
"We thirst for the seven wailings."
A flash in his mind caused him to flinch as the words hit him. His head jerked to the side as a strange pain pounded against his head. It was a familiar pain, one that the New Guy had inflicted upon him with that damned lighter, and that damned chip. Every time it felt as though his brain was being ground up, and he felt much the same here.
And then it happened again.
"We bear the koan of Jericho."
He collapsed to the ground as another wave of pain came over him, barely managing to catch himself on his right hand. At the same time, two things happened: several warning appeared on his HUD.
WARNING: POWER FAILURE
SHUTDOWN IMMINENT_
And he heard a cry of alarm sound out from behind him.
"Murphy!"
The sound of sprinting boots hitting pavement echoed off the buildings as Lewis ran up behind him. Barely managing to turn to her, he saw a look of confused shock on her face as she took in the sight of her partner on his knees in pain in front of a strange girl in white. Even in that shock she didn't hesitate, instead she immediately darted to Murphy's side.
"Murphy, what the hell happened?!"
He didn't get a chance to answer, as the strange haloed girl continued on, sadness in her voice as she did.
"You may not remember this conversation, Sensei, but with your mind of steel…perhaps you will. And if you do…know that I am sorry. I did not want to do this, to take you from your home…to take you from her…"
Her voice snapped Lewis' attention from him, her eyes hardened in the brief look he saw of them before he turned back to the girl. When she had finished her last sentence, he heard the sound of a pistol drawing from a holster and turned to see Lewis pointing her service pistol at the girl.
"Step away from him! Now!"
His attempt to reach out to stop her went unnoticed, and for her part the girl looked unfazed at the demand, instead offering Lewis a regretful look before closing her eyes and turning her head down, turning back to Murphy.
"But I have no other choice. I ask only that you…that you take care of them. Watch over them. Protect them."
"What the hell are you talking about? Back away from him now, lady!"
Once more, the girl did not respond to Lewis' demand, not even offering a glance in her direction. Instead, she once more offered a look of regret to Murphy, a look punctuated by the tears forming in her eyes as she peered straight into his visor.
"And…if you do remember this…Rinny, I know you're probably…angry right now, angry that I left you and the others…but there was no other way. I don't have the time to explain, but just know that if I had any other way, I would never had done this. This…this is the only way, Rin. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"
He did not even have the energy left to ask who this 'Rinny' was and what she was talking about, nor did Lewis have the time to make any other demand. Instead, as the girl wept silently, and as Murphy's power finally started to fade, he couldn't help but notice that she was as well. The bricks of the apartment building behind her became visible through her thin frame, her body seeming to take on a static-like quality.
He heard Lewis gasp in shock at the sight, and as his head fell forward, he saw the pavement through his dark glove. And just before he finally shut down, her heard the fear in her voice.
"MURPHY!"
General Student Council Headquarters, Vice President's Office
Rin's head snapped from her desk with a loud gasp. Briefly, her startled eyes darted around in confusion, panting heavily to catch her breath. As she regained her bearings however, she let out a small sigh, both of relief and resignment. Relief, because she was no longer in a colorful, gelatin-like void, struggling in vain to reach out to the President as she slowly but surely drifted ever farther away, Rin's voice yelling out for her with all its might yet never going hoarse.
Resignment, because even if that nightmare was over, as the sporadic bursts of distant gunfire indicated, she had yet another to live.
Because the President was gone. The shining keystone of the GSC, her best friend, had disappeared. To where, no one knew. All that was known, was what she had said before she did, much of that privately to Rin. She remembered their conversations all too well, her heart heavy as her mind recalled them, her words even echoing in Rin's nightmare.
Her nightmare. She had been asleep.
With a small gasp, her eyes widened to take in the sight of her desk, her glasses sat atop the ammunition budget allocation documents her head had been resting upon, a stain of drool and sweat soaked into their lower half.
After letting out a groan through her palm-covered face, she snatched her reading glasses back and put them out, pushing them up the bridge of her nose, and brushed a loose strand of her long black hair back behind her ear. Then, she grabbed the now-ruined documents and stood up to leave the office. She would need to get a replacement if she were to complete her work. And perhaps a coffee. She certainly needed something to help her stay on task.
As she reached the door however, she could not help but glance to her right as a ping of reflected light caught her eye. On the end table between the two couched against her office's back wall, plugged into the flatscreen TV above, sat a strange piece of hardware. It was not a DVD player or any other sort of media player, at least not one she recognized. It was about the size of a computer terminal, a large one, and rather than a slot for a DVD, there was instead a circular hole covered by rubber guards.
She did not know what this strange thing was for, but the President did. She was the one who had them created after all, along with several other strange things, many of which she had had moved into an old building – the SCHALE Tower, she remembered it was called, after that strange memberless club she had ordered created – on the outskirts of the D.U. District weeks before she disappeared.
She looked at the thing sadly, remembering the first time she had seen it. It was on the President's desk, the night she had disappeared. That evening, she had called Rin into her office to talk, her voice soft and resigned through their conversation. She had told her that Kivotos was in danger, that a dark future awaited the city, a future of suffering and terror and destruction.
And she had said it was her fault.
Rin tried to ask what she meant, said that they could make it right as they had before. After all, the President had been the one to bring peace to the city, to unite the squabbling academies under her banner. Whatever was coming they could handle it, as they had before.
She had smiled when Rin said that, but still shook her head. It was different, she said, worse than even that. Much worse.
Yet, despite her odd warnings and her resigned demeanor, she had remained oddly hopeful, in the way she always was. And she was hopeful, she said, because help would come to them. A teacher, a Sensei, 'an adult of steely heart and will' she had described, would arrive in Kivotos to help them, to guide them to a better future, with the SCHALE club as their vehicle.
Rin's grip on the doorknob tightened and her eyes squeezed shut sadly as she remembered the conversation, tightening ever more when a distant explosion and a volley of gunfire echoed in the distance. It was yet another reminder, to add to the two weeks' worth she had, that her friend had been wrong, that the sliver of hope that Rin once had that she could have been right was wrong.
There was no Sensei, no savior coming to save them. They were on their own, left with the mess that she had left behind, a mess that they were utterly powerless to clean.
So, with a bitter, saddened look towards the device, she opened and slammed the door behind her, making her way through the halls of the GSC HQ to Aoi's office to get a second copy of the documents she needed, pausing only to wipe a tear from her eye.
Many, Many Floors Down…
LOAD BIOS
MEMORY SET
SYSTEM STATUS
OK_
With a jolt, Murphy sprang back to life, his HUD alive with status alerts that went uncared for as a single word was on his mind and lips.
"LEWIS!"
His head swiveled quickly from left to right, front and back, servos whirring loudly as he looked desperately for his partner. However, it was in vain as there was absolutely no sign of her in the dark room that he found himself in. Desperation turned to confusion briefly upon realizing this however, because he had no memory of entering such a room.
Activating his infrared night vision sensors, the once black room now looked to his eyes a bright green. Barren but smooth walls, shelves stacked with chemical bottles and boxes, brooms and mops leaned against them, power cleaning equipment and hoses, all that he saw made it obvious what kind of room he was in.
How he got there was another question he wanted answered.
Strangely however, his immediate, conscious memories from before his reboot felt hazy, difficult to sift through. The only thing that he clearly remembered was pulling into a gas station to allow Lewis to use the restroom, with him opting to remain in the cruiser. More than that, his GPS system seemed to be offline, and when he attempted to restore it, it was unable to lock onto any of the secure OCP satellites that provided him with locational date.
Clearly something rather catastrophic had happened, and if his conscious memory was not proving reliable, he would need to dig deeper.
Quickly, he accessed his memory databanks, initiating a playback of his last recorded memory. It all seemed familiar: pulling into the gas station, Lewis disembarking, him scanning their surroundings, all of it was as he remembered. Then, during one sweep, he caught sight of a…
A strange girl.
That strange, wounded, haloed girl who had somehow caused his systems to malfunction, who had faded into static right in front of him…along with…him. The last sight before his power had finally failed and forced him into shutdown was the sight of his glove becoming transparent against the pavement, and the sound of his partner's frightened cry for him.
He tensed briefly as those memories returned to his consciousness, his system briefly seizing in shock. More than that, his rational mind had difficulty believing what he remembered. The girl's strange halo, the words she spoke, the way she seemingly faded into the air near the end…none of that could have been real, not logically. It simply wasn't possible for someone to just…fade away like that. And yet he saw it. His sensors verified it. Lewis saw it and her reaction verified it.
Lewis. She had been so afraid when she saw what happened to him. And now, he had no idea where he was, where she was. Of course, she had not been the one knocked out and brought to…wherever he was now. She was still in Detroit, maybe still at that gas station, since she couldn't have been able to leave because he still had the…
The cruiser's keys.
Servos whirred and metal clanked as his left thigh opened, exposing the storage compartment inside. Designed to hold small pieces of duty equipment and pieces of evidence, his left thigh compartment was where he had stored the car's keys when he had gotten out to investigate. Reaching in, he pulled out those same keys, the DPD vehicle registration tag still attached to the key ring, matching the car they were driving. It was a solid piece of proof that what happened to him…happened.
And judging by the light clattering of plastic hitting concrete, he was about to find more.
Looking down at the floor, he saw what looked like a credit card lying next to his left foot. Bending down to pick it up, he noted that the card did not appear to have any markings or branding for any bank or other financial institution, instead simply having the words 'ADULT CARD' written upon it.
For a moment, he simply stared at it, wondering just what that could have meant. Was it some strange forgery, or a prop from something? A scan of its material revealed it to be made of the same type of polymer used in standard credit cards, and that the magnetic strip on its back was indeed real, so that was out. Still, why would it be called an 'adult card'? More than that, how did it get into his storage compartment? It had to have been placed there, but by whom?
The suspect was most likely that strange girl again, but if she was then he did not know why she would leave him this, or why she seemingly took him from Detroit.
However, he did know one thing: he would not get answers simply staying where he was. So, placing the card and the keys back into the compartment, he marched forward to the door of the janitorial room and closed his hand around the handle.
Light flooded into the room as he pushed the door open, forcing him to turn off his night vision, and once he did, he found himself inside what appeared to be a rather large parking garage, an underground one judging by the lack of windows and the slightly sloped ramp at the back left corner whose top was lit in sunlight. The walls and pillars were painted off-color white, with 'LEVEL 1' signs with blue text and mid-grey frames adorning them. Several vehicles of unknown make occupied the various spaces, including several white sedans parked side by side, with orange police-style light bars atop them and bull bars on their front grills, likely security or company vehicles for whatever building he was in.
On their hoods was an unfamiliar logo, painted in blue: that of a pointed-tipped tower standing above a city below. There was text beneath the logo, but the vehicles were too far away for it to be legible.
What text was legible was that upon the license plates on all of the vehicles he could see, which were not of a sort he was familiar with. They were most certainly not American plates, given that they did not use the standard barcode format, instead being plain green stamped metal number plates.
A brief walk down from where he was, the sidewalk opened up into a small rest area, with a pair of benches on either side of a glass double door, two garbage cans in the corners, and three colorful vending machines stocked with various drinks and snack foods. The machines themselves appeared to be standard, but the fact that the labeling was in both Japanese and English was what stood out.
It was the same with the logo above the rest area. It appeared to be the same one from the hood of the security cars, that of a tower standing above a city, only this time the text was readable, again in both English and Japanese.
GENERAL STUDENT COUNCIL
Once again, he was confused. Was he beneath a Japanese school or university? If so, then why was not clear in the name of their council? Even more than that, why would he have been brought to Japan in the first place? Had that girl really been from Kanemitsu, using some strange technology to shut him down and transport him here? Perhaps, it was certainly more logical than any other scenario he could think of, but it was at odds with several details, namely the fact that the girl and himself had literally faded away. Even if it were them, then why did he wake up in a janitor's closet in the car park of a student council building rather than in one of their own facilities?
Once again, he found himself moving forward in search of answers.
Pulling open the glass doors, painted with blue stripes to match the logo painted above them, he stepped inside a short white and blue hallway, the 'General Student Council' logo printed on the left wall. It went ignored as he made his way to the stairway at the end of the hall.
Ascending the stairs to the first floor of the strange building, he opened it with a hiss of the pneumatic door stop. On the other side was what appeared to be the lobby of the building, judging by the large receptionist's desk in the center of the room, with the General Student Council's logo watching over it. The door to the stairwell was in the back right corner of the room, giving him a clear view of the entire space. Several sofas, chairs, and tables stood in the room, along with potted plants and other such decorations, all lit by the sunlight shining in from the large windows along the left wall.
However, none of that drew his attention as much as the massive crowd clamoring around the desk, and the odd features that its members bore.
The haloes above their heads were what drew his attention immediately. Every single person in the crowd had one, much like the strange girl in the alley, with each one different from the next save for the language, which his translation software unsurprisingly reported was Japanese. What was even stranger still, was that they all appeared to be girls, teenaged girls, high school aged specifically, even the uniformly dressed security officers that kept watch over the crowd from beside the front desk, the walls, and the hallways beyond the desk.
And concerningly, everyone in that crowd was openly carrying firearms.
Rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, pistols, one girl even carried what appeared to be a light machine gun. Several of the weapons, just as well, appeared to be custom creations, judging by the odd decorations they wore. Just as much as the weapons, many of the girls also bore odd features. Many had strange-colored hair, some had pointed elf-like ears, others had…
Wings. Actual, lifelike wings attached to their backs. Particularly, a rather tall girl dress in an all-black dress with matching black hair and black wings. And, when she stood up, it looked as though the blonde receptionist girl also had wings, also black.
Wings, haloes…were these girls angels? Had that strange girl back in Old Detroit been an angel? Was this Heaven? These questions came from somewhere deep in his mind, he did not ponder them willingly.
He stood silently for a brief moment, a static flash in his mind causing him to twitch briefly, the room flashing to the inside of the church was silent as the preacher led the congregation in prayer, asking of God for His angels to watch over them in the turbulent times they were in before logic took the reins once more. Were he to have truly passed on, he would not stand in the body he was in, and scripture certainly did not state that the angels of the Lord were teenage girls with guns.
Heaven or not however, the sight certainly made ever clearer that he was not in Japan. But if he wasn't in Japan nor Heaven, then where on earth was he?
A rather loud demand caught his attention, snapping him out of his pondering. Its source was a violet-haired girl with short pigtails in a white jacket over a black dress suit, with two SMG's slung at her sides. Loudly and angrily, she slammed her hands upon the desk, causing the blonde angel girl behind it to shrink back fearfully.
He listened to her demands as he prepared to go and try to defuse the situation, planning for how he would prevent escalation into violence.
"Listen, I don't care if she's busy! We've been busy dealing with nothing but chaos for the past two weeks, and I'm sick of waiting for an answer! Get the Acting President down here, right now!"
The receptionist, timid but brave, spoke with as much authority as she could muster.
"I-I've already told you, Yuuka-san. Acting President Rin is not available to speak. Th-the GSC is hard at work trying to – "
'Yuuka' slammed her hand down on the desk in accusation, but RoboCop did not listen to what she said. He had paused upon hearing the second name, his memory flashing again to that message that strange girl had given.
"…Rinny. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"
Rinny. Rin. It seemed almost too coincidental, but if that girl truly knew this person, then perhaps that was why he was brought here? That was a speculation for later, right now he needed to speak to this 'Rinny', who given the behaviors of the suspect was likely a close associate of hers. If so, it was likely that 'Rinny' had some insight into the suspect's motives, and perhaps even knowledge of where she was.
So, with purpose in his step, he moved towards the desk.
He had been unnoticed since he stepped into the lobby, but as he closed in on the crowd, the angelic receptionist caught sight of him, her eyes widening in surprise. The look on her face detracted from 'Yuuka's' anger, which morphed into confusion as she turned to look at what she was looking at.
That started a domino effect, and within two seconds the lobby had fallen silent save for his pneumatic footsteps, all eyes having fallen upon him in confusion and surprise. The sea of bodies before him parted as he walked up to the desk, the silence breaking again as speculative whispers started up, his translation program allowing him to understand even the whispers that bled together.
"Who's that guy?"
"The heck kinda robot is that?"
"That doesn't look like any robot I've seen before."
"Is it even a robot? Look at its head, it's got a face."
"Is he an adult? Is that…power armor?"
"What's he even doing here?"
"He looks…kinda cool actually."
None of it was paid any attention by Murphy, who soon found himself at the foot of the desk next to the 'Yuuka' girl, who stood on his right looking at him in confusion. The receptionist likewise still looked at him wide-eyed, but she still had enough confidence to speak first after clearing her throat.
"Umm, m-may I help you…sir?"
Meeting her confused, fearful eyes, RoboCop responded in English, his translation software allowing him to understand Japanese, but not speak it, an oversight due to not expecting to speak it due to Detroit's low Japanese-speaking populace, and one slated to be corrected following Kanemitsu's acquisition of OCP.
"I need to speak with Acting President Rin."
His robotic voice sent some of the crowd into further murmuring, with some talking about him speaking 'Global' while his words only made the receptionist sigh slightly, stress and hints of fear clear on her face. It seemed that she did understand him, her reply confirming it.
"I am sorry sir, but like I told Ms. Yuuka, th-the Acting President is not available right now."
Next to him, the white-jacketed girl cast the receptionist a frustrated look. However, Murphy paid it no mind as he thought back to the suspect girl's last words, namely her message to 'Rinny', a short message of apology. That would be his key forward.
"I have a message for her. It is…from a friend."
Briefly, the receptionist looked confused at the new information. After hearing that it was from a friend, however, her face then flashed into shock, her mouth gaping slightly. After taking a second to compose herself, after which her face and voice seemed far more confident, she pointed behind the desk to the right.
"To your right and back, the elevators are on the back wall. She is in the Vice President's office, 55th floor, room 5501. I'll let her know you're coming."
His neck servos whirred as he looked to the right, the confused and angry sputtering of the violet-haired girl next to him very much audible over them. The rest of the crowd appeared shocked as well judging by the collective gasping and 'what's. Still, after taking a cursory glance in the direction she had indicated, he turned back to her, inclining his head slightly in thanks.
"Thank you for your assistance, madam."
With that, he turned away and walked to the right of the desk, spotting the elevators against the rear wall of the room beyond the security officers who cleared the way for him. As he went however, he could hear a commotion start up behind him, the voice of 'Yuuka' the loudest one.
"….What? WHAT?! How come the robot gets to see her and not us?! He just got here! Who even is he?!"
The rest of the crowd soon joined in; however it quieted slightly as the receptionist seemingly realized something and turned to ask him for his answer.
"Oh, uh, sir! I forgot to ask your name!"
Stopping in his tracks, he turned back to answer her, his voice still monotone.
"My name is Officer Murphy."
Hearing his answer, she nodded and went back to dealing with the crowd, who once more began to make demands of her harshly. Slowly, their voices faded to indistinct echoes as he approached the elevators, pressing the up button and getting an instant 'ding' in return. The rightmost elevator had evidently been sitting at the bottom waiting to be summoned, and now it had.
It creaked slightly as he stepped on board and turned around, the doors closing behind him as he pressed the button for the 55th floor.
GSC HQ, Vice President's Office
The door creaked open softly, Rin shutting it behind her with her heel. Dealing with Aoi was not the most pleasant thing, the Finance Office head not exactly the fondest of her, and she had made that clear several times during her visit. Still, she had gotten the replacement documents she needed in the end, along with a steaming cup of black coffee, filled with as much sweetener as she could add.
She hated bitter beverages, and plain coffee was no exception.
Plopping down at the cluttered yet somehow still organized desk, she took a good sip of the pipping hot beverage, before setting down the documents and clicking her pen to sign them. It was as she was doing so that she noticed things were…quiet. Quieter than was usual. The gunfire and explosions from earlier seemed to have stopped, leaving the city air calm.
It was odd enough that she paused in her work to contemplate it.
She knew it was likely only temporary, a brief lull in the chaos, but in that moment the silence was all too welcome. It allowed her to focus on her work, rather than constantly being reminded of the anarchy that had enveloped the city. And work she did, reading all the documents thoroughly and signing them for approval in only a few minutes.
With a short nod and a final click of her pen, she set her writing utensil to the side and took a sip of her coffee. But just as she set it down and prepared to move on to her other documents, her phone rang, startling her and almost causing her to knock her coffee over onto the documents that she had just signed.
Sighing in relief after she managed to grab hold of the cup without spilling the beverage, averting an embarrassing crisis, she picked up her phone, frustrated at the interruption but sympathy showing in her eyes as she looked at the name of the caller: Ayumu.
She felt bad for her secretary, having had to assign her to man the front desk to keep the horde of journalists and academy representatives at bay. Dealing with them was unpleasant business at the best of times, and right now when the city was on the verge of falling apart at the seams, they must have been like sharks after the scent of blood.
Silently, she vowed to give her tomorrow off for doing this for her, regardless of the consequences. She earned that much. Of course, Rin didn't like the idea of dealing with those representatives and newshounds herself, but fair's fair. Ayumu earned herself a break.
Still, time to see what she needed.
After taking a breath to steady herself, she hit the pickup button and lifted her phone to her ear.
"Yes, Ayumu-san? What do you need?"
The nervous voice of Ayumu came through the speaker not a second later, barely audible over the commotion of the lobby. Rin's resolve to give her a day off only increased hearing it.
"Hello, A-Acting President, um…just letting you know, someone is on their way up to see you right now."
A brow raised on Rin's face, a twitch in her lip as she responded civilly, suppressing a sigh.
"Ayumu-san, I thought I said that I cannot afford to be interrupted right now."
Her response sounded somewhat sheepish, such that Rin could hear Ayumu cringing over the phone.
"I know you did, Rin-senpai, but…he said that he had a message for you. From a friend."
Her brows shot up immediately once Ayumu finished, a soft gasp on lips. 'From a friend'. Rin did not have many friends, a fact owed to her dedication to her duties above all else. What friends she did have were those within the GSC, and still they were few. But her best friend, above what few others she had…was her.
The President.
There was no one else it could be. And…this strange person that was delivering the message…was a he? She had caught that part first, forgetting it once she realized just who the message was from, but now the messenger caught her interest.
"'He'?"
Her voice had been drier than intended, a result of her shock. Still, it got her confusion across well. Why would she have sent a man to deliver this message? It had to be an adult, too, she had little doubt about that.
"Yes, Rin-senpai. He said his name was Officer Murphy. He was…some sort of robot I think, I'm not really sure. He had a face, so I guess not, but the way he moved and spoke…I don't know."
Murphy. So that was his name. And he was an officer as well, but of what? A police officer, an officer of some far-off military, a post officer? And a robot? That seemed an odd choice, why would the President…
"…Sensei…"
Rin shook her head as the memory entered her mind. There was no Sensei, not now, not before, not in the future. Still, Sensei or not, this 'Officer Murphy' no doubt knew where the President was. He had to if he was delivering a message from her.
And if he knew where, he could tell her. They could bring her back, restore order to Kivotos, return to the way things used to be. There wouldn't even be a need for a Sensei like she said there would be.
She took a moment to steady herself again, taking a sip of her coffee, her hand shaking as she did. If Rin was to get any information out of this person or have any chance of finding out where the President may have gone, then she needed her mind calm. So, with another deep breath to calm her mind and cool her mouth from the still hot coffee, she bid farewell and thanks to her secretary.
"Thank you, Ayumu-san. I'll deal with this."
Ayumu returned it with a 'you're welcome' before Rin hung up, pocketing her phone quickly before clearing her throat, breathing steadily to calm her anxiety. It worked well enough that, by the time she heard the knock at the door, she felt no rush in her walk to the door.
Though she did feel a bit of surprise upon opening it and finding herself staring right at a silver-armored adult towering over her, black slitted helmet angled down upon her.
The sight of that face cast her back to Ayumu's remarks that this person was a robot, but why would a robot have an obviously human face upon its head? The face did not appear fake either, not rubber or synthetic. The texture clearly looked like actual skin, somewhat on the pale side but clearly real skin.
Before she could continue her observations however, a deep but monotone voice interrupted her, a voice that spoke in Global.
"Acting President Rin?"
Her eyes widened as she realized that she had spent several seconds staring at the face of the adult in front of her desperately trying to determine if said face was fake. Feeling rather embarrassed, she briefly averted her gaze and brushed a strand of hair away from her own face before turning back up to face him with a brief clearing of her throat, recalling her own fluency with the Global language before replying, briefly questioning his origins given his choice of language.
"I am her. I presume that you are Officer Murphy?"
He did not nod or otherwise emote when he responded. She did not make it known outwardly, but it did unnerve her slightly.
"Yes, I am. May I come in?"
She nodded and stood back from the door, gesturing with her arm.
"Yes, please. We have much to discuss."
The loud whirring of servos and hydraulics punctuated his every movement, movements that were unnerving for a being with a human face to make. Keeping his head facing her, his torso swiveled slightly to his left to avoid bumping into her as he entered, with his head only turning away once he began to walk, his boots hitting the floor with muffled pneumatic thunks.
Well, if he is not a robot, he's doing a very good impression of one, thought Rin to herself, slightly unnerved by his movements.
"Yes. We do."
With his somewhat ominous reply, she closed the door behind him, striding back towards her somewhat messy desk. As she did, she cast a sidelong glance at the strange man/robot, who himself was looking around the office, his neck whirring with every turn of his head. As she watched him, once more wondering just what he was, she noted the inscription on the side of his chrome helmet.
OCP POLICE – 001
So, he was a police officer then? For what department, she did not know, but it was certainly not the KSPD, or even SRT. Perhaps 'OCP' was the abbreviation for the department he worked for? It wasn't one that existed in Kivotos, that much she knew, as if it wasn't obvious enough by the lack of Local translation on the helmet. Still, it at least explained his title of 'Officer'.
Finally reaching her desk, she stacked the documents she had been working on together and set them aside, before sitting down and folding her hands. With one final deep breath to settle what few of her nerves still panged with anxiety, she finally spoke.
"So, Officer Murphy, my secretary informed me that you have a message to deliver, is that correct?"
Turning to face her – with Rin noticing that he had been looking rather curiously at the strange hardware port on the sofa end table – he spoke once more in that even, somewhat metallic tone.
"Yes madam. However, that is not the only reason that I am here."
A brow rose on her face, her reply neutral in spite of that.
"And for what other reasons are you here then?"
Once more, he answered evenly.
"I am here to investigate the reason for my abduction. An unknown amount of time ago, I was brought here against my will for unknown reasons by – or assisted by – an individual that I have reason to believe is an associate of yours, who is also the one who provided the message. I am hoping that you will be able to provide an explanation to her actions."
Her neutral façade broke as she furrowed her brow, utterly confused now. He was…kidnapped? That did not seem right. Why would the President kidnap, or even just coerce, this man…robot, whatever into doing this? The President had never been one to do anything even close to such a thing, certainly not without an exceedingly extreme reason.
A terrible future is coming, Rinny…
…a man of steely heart and unyielding will…
…a Sensei…
She restrained herself from shaking her head, instead forcing the unbidden memories down forcefully, a brief clench of her brow being the only outward sign of this. Still, it did not stay on her face for long, and once it had passed, she looked back up at 'Murphy' and spoke.
"I see…that is rather concerning. And from where were you taken?"
His response was prompt.
"The city of Old Detroit. I was on late patrol with my partner at the time and had stopped at a gas station to allow her to relieve herself when I had attempted to assist the suspect, who was wounded prior to my interactions with her. It was during this encounter that I was taken."
She was wounded?, thought Rin, as a ping of shock and worry went through her body, blood turning to ice and eyes going slightly wide. How? What happened to her? Rin's mind rushed to come up with an answer before she managed to get a grip on herself, resolving once more to focus.
If the President was in danger, then they needed to find her fast.
Unfortunately, Officer Murphy's answer did not help. Her brow furrowed as she thought back to the name of the city he gave. She was admittedly not the most well-versed in foreign politics and geography, but she considered herself competent enough, certainly enough to know that she had never heard of such a city as 'Old Detroit'.
"I'm…afraid I do not know where that is, Officer. Is there anything else you could tell me?
There was a long beat once her question ended, Officer Murphy tilting his head seemingly in confusion, as though he had not expected her to not know where 'Old Detroit' was. He seemed to think of something however, as he turned around to look again at the strange device by the couches. She raised her brow once more when he began to walk up to it, replying as he did.
"Perhaps be best to show you instead."
After finishing, the whirring of servos filled the room again as he turned away from her. Meanwhile, her previous confusion only grew? Show her? How was he going to do that? And how did it involve the device? Once he reached it, he looked up briefly at the flatscreen above the couches before looking back down at the odd device, holding up his right hand, half balled into a fist, with Rin having stood up and approached him, curious as to what he was doing.
"Um…how exactly are you going t –"
She was halted midsentence when his fist all of a sudden folded forward into his palm, his fingers separating from their base on hinges. A block of chrome metal popped up into the place where his fingers should have been, from which a massive spike shot out with a loud clunking sound. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight before he suddenly stuck the spike into the port on the device and twisted it clockwise.
After he did, she was once more surprised to see the TV suddenly turned on.
A flash of static filled the screen as it came to life, quickly giving way to darkness, darkness filtered through a slightly fuzzy camera. It took Rin a moment to understand what she was looking at: she was looking through Murphy's eyes. And what they saw…
A gas station, just as he had said, lit in flickering light in the dark of night, all seen from the dark interior of a car. It appeared to be in a rather destitute area, judging by not only the extremely seedy look of the gas station but the apartment buildings adjacent to it, seen when Murphy pivoted his head to the right, the movement more akin to a security camera than a human.
Once more, she found herself asking just where this was. It was clearly nowhere near Kivotos, judging by the Global-only signage and posters around the gas station – usually near the borders foreign towns would have Kivotos Local language signs to assist tourists.
The question faded to the back of her mind when the view panned again the right…and the sight of an all-too-familiar girl came into view.
Her eyes widened at the sight. It was the President, clear as day in the night of wherever this was. Even as far as she was, it was unmistakable. Her uniform, her hair, her halo, it was her. She had no doubt that it would have been, but seeing her now…why? Why was she here? Why had she gone to…wherever this was?
The sight of the distant President lingered for a good while, as Murphy's own gaze lingered on her. However, after what felt like an eternity, eventually he made to move. The sound of a car door opening echoed through the strange night as he made to leave the flat dark police car, Rin taking note of the strange emblem on the door. She had barely caught it as Murphy closed it, but what she saw was very odd: a light grey triangle with rounded sides, inside which sat a white circle containing an octagonal logo of some sort, below which the words 'DETROIT POLICE' were written clearly.
She watched with shaky breath as Murphy walked closer to her, the sounds of his footfalls counting down the steps. Yet her breath hitched hard when she saw something on her uniform.
Blood. Deep, red, blood. It soaked almost the entire left side of her uniform, from under her arm to her waist. Rin felt her hand cover her half open mouth in shock. He had said that she had been wounded earlier, but this was worse than she had thought. What happened to her?
After seeing this he spoke, contacting someone over the radio, the female voice expressing concern and taking charge as Officer Murphy relayed the situation, telling him to call for an ambulance.
It was a call that he never finished, the voice of the President cutting him off.
It was the first time she had heard her voice in weeks, her actual voice rather than in an old recording or in her nightmares. It was just as she remembered, soft, kind, welcoming. She spoke to Murphy as though she had known him personally, speaking of struggles that Rin had no reference to. Despite this, she couldn't help but listen carefully to each word she spoke.
But it only took one word to utterly shatter that attentiveness.
Sensei.
Her jaw dropped to the floor, stepping back in shock. She barely caught the rest of what happened, the rest of what was said, some of which was literally impossible to make out as the screen and audio became blurry and garbled briefly, during which it looked like Officer Murphy had collapsed. Only one word could be heard through that blur – koan – and even then, she didn't pay any mind to it.
Even the President's last words, the message that she gave to him for her, almost didn't register in her mind. When they did, however, her breath caught in her throat. It was just a simple apology, no grand speech, barely an explanation. Just…sorry. A tearful, regretful sorry that there was no other way.
Rin's heart clenched hearing it. It was as though the President knew it was pointless to excuse herself, that she knew of the chaos and damage her disappearance would cause. Yet all the same, that lack of excuse or reason only made Rin ask evermore: why?
She did not get an answer, as with a cry from another voice – the woman that ran up earlier Rin thinks, she barely noticed her presence – the screen went blank, plunging the room briefly into silence.
With a soft click, Officer Murphy retracted his arm spike from the console, a conversely loud thunk ringing out as it retracted into his arm. He turned back towards her and spoke.
"Following this, I awoke in a janitorial closet in the underground parking facilities of this building. I do not know how I was moved there, however that is irrelevant at the moment. Instead, my concern lies with why I was brought here, and it is that question that I believe you can answer, so that I may continue my investigation."
Rin was too shocked to answer, her eyes still fixed to the dark screen. Even now, she could scarcely believe it. She had written off the idea hardly more than a week ago. But now, hearing her words through the eyes and…ears of the one who she had chosen…she couldn't disbelieve any longer. She was only found her senses when Officer Murphy…Murphy-Sensei's voice came again, a touch of concern in it.
"Acting President?"
With that, her wide eyes snapped to him, to the dark, slitted visor, her voice slowly returning.
"…you. You are the Sensei."
His head tilted forward slightly, and his mouth moved to speak. Before he did however, the sounds of the chaos outside returned. A distant explosion rang out, the sounds of gunfire and crumbling concrete following it. Rin gave only a small gasp at the sounds, turning to the windows, whirring servos to her left telling her that Murphy-Sensei did the same.
Yet startled as she was, she felt her resolve grow. That chaos out there, the violence…that was why the President had brought him here. He was here to restore the city to order, to fill the gap left by her disappearance. Why she had disappeared at all, Rin still did not know, but right now it did not matter.
The solution she had spoken of had finally come. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself briefly, pushing her glasses back up to her eyes and interlacing her fingers as she turned back to face him.
"Indeed, I can answer your question, Sensei. To start, yes I am familiar with the girl you encountered. She is the President of the General Student Council, who went missing about two weeks ago. It was her that brought you here. And as for where 'here' is…"
She finished with a small gesture towards the window, beaconing him to follow her, the heavy thuds behind her telling Rin he was. She stopped at the window, gazing out upon the city wearily, but with a spark of hope in her eyes as she turned to him.
"Welcome to Kivotos, Murphy-Sensei."
He did not meet her gaze, too busy taking in the sights it seemed. The bursts of gunfire seemed to draw his attention the most, but he also cast his gaze across the skyline generally. His helmet made it difficult to gauge his reaction, but the fact that his mouth was ever so slightly agape told her enough.
And she was absolutely right.
Murphy could hardly believe what he saw outside the window. A shining city, far cleaner than even the richer districts of Old Detroit, circled overhead by great haloes in the sky, some from far above, other seeming to emanate from the tops of some of the tall skyscrapers, skyscrapers that paled in comparison to the height of one building in particular: a massive white tower, so bright and clean that it almost looked like a beacon of light, soaring into the sky for what looked like miles.
Once more, he found himself asking just where on earth he was, and more than that, if he even was on earth. Still, heedless of his reaction, Rin continued on.
"I understand that this situation must be very confusing for you. Truthfully, it is for me as well. There are many things regarding your being here and why you that I still do not understand. Nevertheless, your presence proves the President's judgement correct, judgement that I trust to be correct on why she chose you as well. If you have any questions about this, I will answer them to the best of my abilities."
Silence reigned for another beat as Murphy-Sensei kept his gaze on the skyline, before his head turned to her with a whir, his mouth now closed and his tone serious as he turned his body towards her, Rin feeling his piercing gaze from beneath his visor. If there was anything underneath it anyway.
"Very well. Why did your President see fit to bring me here?"
Rin tensed slightly as his words hit her ears, picking up the slightly accusatory tone in them. Still, she steadied herself and replied honestly.
"Because we need your help, Murphy-Sensei. When she disappeared, Kivotos fell into chaos. She was the keystone of this city, the one who kept things stable. Now, as you have no doubt heard, it is in chaos. Gangs have taken control of the streets in many parts of the city, infrastructure has collapsed, and without control of the Sanctum Tower the GSC is powerless to stop it."
His face did not change even as he asked his next question.
"The Sanctum Tower?"
Rin turned briefly back to the window, pointing to the white tower. He turned his head to look, Rin replying as he did.
"There, that tower in the distance. That is the Sanctum Tower. It is the heart of the city. Whoever controls it wields control over Kivotos. We lost control over the building only a few days after she disappeared. Originally the KSPD kept a garrison at the building to protect it, but as the chaos in the city escalated they were eventually forced to withdraw, and now things have deteriorated to the point that they can't even get close, and the various academies have been fighting to keep order in their own districts, so they have been unable to provide support."
Once more, his head turned back to her as he asked, a hint of genuine confusion in his voice.
"Academies?"
Once more, she gave a curt nod.
"Yes, Sensei. Kivotos is home to thousands of schools and academies, each in charge of their own districts and responsible teaching and educating millions of students on various subjects. We of the General Student Council are the main governing body of Kivotos, charged with keeping the peace between the academies and maintaining the city's infrastructure."
The confusion in his voice was more pronounced in his next question.
"Why are students in control of this city's governance? It does not seem sensible to have a city run entirely by schoolchildren."
Now it was Rin's turn to be confused. She felt rather affronted at being asked that question truthfully, as though they were incapable of looking after themselves. The echo of a distant explosion shook away her indignance…but only replaced it with confusion.
"Well, it…it has always been that way. I presume that it is not the case for your home as well?"
His answer came immediately.
"No, it is not."
Rin could only sigh in response, feeling rather foolish for asking. He wasn't from Kivotos after all, of course his home wouldn't be like hers. Nowhere else really was, in terms of governance.
"No, I suppose not…still, that question can wait for now I suppose. Right now, more urgent matters need tending to. So, now I must ask of you, Sensei, will you help us?"
The last part of her question came out slightly more desperate than she had intended, her eyes still glued to his visor, awaiting his answer. Murphy, however, did not know what to say. Outside the window before him was a city watched over by haloes in the sky, haloes that hung over the heads of its inhabitants, most of which at least were literal teenagers, even the city government.
This was no city he knew, that much he didn't even need his database to corroborate. His earlier assumption about this place being heaven seemed more and more likely by the minute. But once more, logic took the reins. If this was heaven, then why again were seemingly all its inhabitants armed-to-the-teeth teenaged girls?
And why did this President kidnap and bring him here? Was it truly only to help pacify the unrest? Surely there would have been other options. One police officer, even himself, could not hope to quell an entire city alone. And even if he could, how would he return to Detroit once it was done? How could he return if he didn't know how he left?
A sinking feeling registered in his mind as he once more thought back to that encounter at the gas station, and the look on Lewis' face as he seemingly faded away. What must she be thinking now, after seeing her partner be taken away like that? And what would happen to her now? What would happen to Metro West, to the city?
All because of the President of this city took him from them, had ambushed him with the intent to kidnap. And because of her, he was here, looking down a city fallen into chaos, its laws forgone and its innocent left to the mercy of criminals, mercy they did not possess as evidenced by the echoing of gunfire in the streets below. With determination in his voice, Murphy gave his answer, and Rin listened intently.
"I will not lie to you, Acting President. The actions of your Council's President were criminal, and were I able to return to Detroit, I would seek to pursue an investigation and arrest for the kidnapping of a law enforcement officer."
She felt her face go pale at his words. She supposed she could not fault his reasoning – 'kidnapping' she felt was a strong word given the intentions of the President, but she also couldn't deny that he was forced into it – but whether she did or not, she started to feel afraid. If he turned this down…then what would they do?
She tried to calm herself slightly by remembering the President's words, that a Sensei would help them. She had had no doubt that he would, and so Rin should not doubt that he would. Her past doubts long since banished, Murphy-Sensei's next words wiped away what little remained.
"However, given the unknown method by which I was brought here, I do not believe return to be possible at this time. In addition, regarding the circumstances surrounding your city – both what I can observe and your statements on its current status – leaving it to its fate would be a betrayal of my duty as a police officer. Thus, for the time being until the city is stable and is able to remain so, I will assist you however I can."
Just like that, her face lost its paleness, a deep sigh leaving her mouth, one that she had been holding for the past several seconds unknowingly. Reluctant as it was, they had his support. That was all Rin could have asked for. So, looking back up with a relieved smile, she gave him a small nod.
"Wonderful. Thank you, Murphy-Sensei."
He reciprocated the nod ever so slightly.
"Now, what is the plan?"
Her smile faded slightly as she got down to business, clearing her throat and turning back to the window, her eyes locking onto the distant Sanctum Tower. Her mind went back to the President's words before she vanished, about Sensei, the SCHALE club, everything. She had that strange console built for a reason, specifically for him. If she did that, then everything else she had done no doubt had been done as preparation as well. She had clearly planned ahead then, and right now the President's planning would save the city from chaos.
"Well, as I stated earlier, the Sanctum Tower is the key to the city. If order is to be restored, the GSC must regain control over the tower."
She gave Murphy-Sensei a sidelong glance as he replied, his own gaze still focused on her.
"You also stated that your police forces could not get close?"
Her head bobbed up and down in a slow nod, her mind still focused on the actions the President had taken in the day's prior.
"Unfortunately, yes. The tower itself and the surrounding areas are too dangerous as of now. Even if we were to get through, we wouldn't be able to get in; the Tower went into lockdown after we lost control, and though the security systems have kept it secure for now, they won't stay up forever, and attempting to enter while they are active would only cause them to act against you. However, there is another way."
Despite his voice being rather monotone, she could clearly sense curiosity in his tone.
"Another way?"
Turning to face him directly now, she took a deep breath and recalled said actions to him.
"Some time before she disappeared, the President had an old disused GSC office complex converted into a clubhouse and stocked with various pieces of equipment that she had procured in preparation for your…arrival. This included a certain artefact that she once possessed, a tablet that had control over the Sanctum Tower's systems. No one other than her could make use of it but given that she had it taken to the SCHALE Tower along with the other things, I presume that she believed that you could gain access to it. If you can make use of it, then the Sanctum Tower can be secured."
For a moment, Murphy stayed silent, contemplating what Rin had said, focusing on the implication that the President's actions towards him had been premeditated. She had prepared for his arrival in the city, meaning that she must have been watching him for some time. Had she prepared for him to show Rin the message she left as well, with the data port console behind him? Its appearance was incongruous with the rest of the technology that he had seen thus far, more in line with that typical of OCP rather than the more streamline aesthetics of this place.
He did not know and chose to file away that line if inquiry for later. Instead, he focused on the tower itself and what Rin claimed it held. If that artefact could secure the city, then reaching it was priority. But to do that, he needed to know where it was.
"And where is this Tower?"
Rin turned once more towards the window briefly, looking off to the right now, near to the edge of the city.
"About 30 kilometers from here, on the outskirts of the district. Given the state of the city, going there by road would be extremely dangerous, and after the Sanctum Tower was lost the city's public transportation systems went offline. The only safe option will be by air. Give me one moment, I'll arrange for a helicopter."
With that, she stepped away from the window, reaching into her pocket and taking out her phone as she did. RoboCop watched her as she did, analyzing the device in her hand. Liquid crystal display with touch sensors underneath, camera functionality, rechargeable battery of unknown output, GPS tracking, and cellular signal receivers and broadcasting.
There was a great deal of technology in the device, which at the moment was being used as a mobile phone, albeit a far smaller one than he was familiar with. Rin meanwhile waited impatiently for the dial tone to end, hoping it would do so abruptly. Of course, knowing the habits of the person she was calling, she knew well that it would not be prompt to end.
And it certainly wasn't.
Just before the call could go to voicemail, a different sound came through the receiver, that being the crunching of potato chips and the voice of a girl who really should have been chewing rather than talking.
"Heya, Vice Prez. Wha's up?"
Rin contained her annoyance at her colleague's antics. Ever the unprofessional one, she could always count on Momoka to slack off even as the city fell to ruin around them. Still, Rin hoped that she at least had enough motivation to help her now.
"Momoka-san, I need your assistance. I need a transport helicopter prepared immediately, it's urgent."
The sound of crunching potato chips punctuated the few seconds it took for Momoka to respond, her mouth still full of junk food and her voice somewhat curious, if only in a lazy conversational way.
"Goin' somewhere I take it. Where to?"
Rin, by contrast, responded immediately.
"The SCHALE Club Tower."
Momoka once more waited a brief moment before replying, but this time it was not for food-related reasons. Instead, the line went silent for a moment as though she had paused to consider what Rin had said, and when she replied her voice was free of food.
"Oof, no can-do chief. That area's a no-go right now, entire district's a warzone. Buncha thugs've been trying to break into the building, and they've got some heavy firepower – mortars, AA guns, even a tank from what I heard. Apparently, they're being led by an escaped convict too, that Fox of Calamity chick from what I heard. Probably best to stay away from there."
Rin's grip on her phone tightened as she took in what Momoka said. If the SCHALE Building was under such threat, then getting there soon would be critical, despite the danger. If the Chest was destroyed…
"That's not an option, Momoka-san. Danger or not, I need transport there now. The fate of the city depends on this."
Momoka's response this time was more prompt, but it was preceded by a small sigh before she spoke.
"Well sorry, Vice Prez, but that's still a nope from me. I'm not about to have the loss of the Acting President hanging over my head, not in all this crap. Now, sorry Rin but I've gotta run, my order just got here. See ya~!"
The sound of a chair moving punctuated Momoka's finally words, words the Rin spoke quickly to make sure that they weren't actually final.
"Momoka, don't – "
Unfortunately, she was too slow on the draw, a fact made almost mockingly clear by the sound of the call disconnect tone. Slowly she lowered the phone from her ear, her hand tightening again, this time in frustration as she took a deep breath in…and then out, then in again, and out again. So that was it then. Sensei finally showed, and now he couldn't even get to where he needed to go. No helicopter support, and the SCHALE Building being broken into even as she struggled to calm herself.
It took a moment to realize the pain in her jaw was because she was clenching so hard.
"Ms. Rin?"
Still stewing in her frustrations, Rin snapped at Murphy-Sensei's somewhat concerned question.
"I'm fine. I'm fine…unfortunately, it seems that helicopter transit is unavailable. It also seems as though the local gangs have rallied behind an escaped convict and are trying to break into the SCHALE Tower as we speak."
Seemingly unfazed by the setback, confidence that while welcome was concerning to Rin, Murphy-Sensei stepped forward.
"Then there is no time to waste. The Tower must be secured before the criminals take control of it."
Rin could only sigh in reply. It was a task that would be easier said than done, and getting there safely would be just the first hurdle.
"That will be far easier said than done I'm afraid. The streets are too dangerous to traverse, but it looks as though there's little alternative. Even then, the GSC doesn't have much it can spare, our resources are stretched thin as it - "
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Her eyes lit up briefly, hoping that maybe it was Momoka calling her back to recant her denial for helicopter transport, but that light faded when she saw Ayumu's name on the screen. She could only groan as she turned around briefly to Sensei to put their conversation on hold again.
"One moment, Sensei."
Not waiting for a reply from him, she hit the answer button and held the phone to her ear, and immediately she could tell that something was wrong as the worried voice of her secretary came through the speaker.
"Oh, thank goodness. Rin-senpai, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you again, but we might have a bit of a problem."
Rin tensed even more than she was at that, questioning her secretary with an unsure tone.
"What kind of problem? What's going on?"
It took Ayumu a moment to respond, a beat during which Rin heard a security officer barking orders to the crowd to remain calm. When she did, she was still just as worried.
"W-well, after Officer Murphy went up to see you, some of the academy representatives got rather angry, and well…some of them just forced their way past security. They're on their way up right now."
And that was another piece of news that Rin did not want to hear. A groan left her mouth through gritted teeth, her free hand pinching the bridge of her nose in unwanted anticipation for dealing with a bunch of rowdy, uncouth academy reps who couldn't look past their own problems to see the larger ones.
"Wonderful. How many?"
Ayumu dutifully continued, her tone slightly more confident as she relayed the details.
"Only 4, Rin-senpai. Two from Trinity – one of them from the Justice Task Force – one from Gehenna's Prefect Team, and one from Millenium's Seminar – Ms. Yuuka as I remember."
Another groan left Rin's mouth upon hearing that. Trinity and Gehenna in the same room was a safeties-off affair on a good day, and there hasn't been a single good day in Kivotos since the President disappeared. And that was to say nothing about the sheer high-and-mightiness of Millenium.
With a deep breath, she steeled herself for the nagging she was to face.
"I will handle it, Ayumu-san. Thank you for informing me."
The small voice of Ayumu came through the speaker one last time.
"You're welcome, Rin-senpai, and…sorry."
And with that, the line went dead, and Rin pocketed her phone and forced a neutral expression onto her face. However, her overall demeanor must still have stood out, as Murphy-Sensei immediately picked up on it.
"Is there a problem, Acting President?"
Turning back to face him, she responded in a voice that oozed false calm.
"Of sorts, yes. It seems some of the academy representatives have decided, against the wishes of security, to come up to speak with me."
Once more, servos whirred as Murphy-Sensei turned his head towards the door, his gaze unreadable but seemed to be very focused. And it certainly was, as Murphy prepared to deal with the lawbreakers.
"It seems that for all of their supposed education, no one has taught them the values of patience."
Rin couldn't help but let out a small, amused scoff at that, but she also couldn't help following it up with a resigned sigh as well. Fixing her glasses once more in preparation to meet the tide directly, she gave a brief response to Murphy-Sensei.
"Yes, well…given all that has happened, I suppose that it was inevitable. No point in delaying it further."
Her hand contacted the cold metal of the doorknob, and when she opened the door…
"P-AUGH!"
…she immediately caught a sideways knuckle hard on the nose. The world went black for a second as the shock registered and she stumbled away from the door, her hands pressed hard over her nose to soothe the pain. As the world came back into focus, the feeling of hands on her shoulders and arms registered to her, as did a concerned voice.
"Acting President, are you alright?"
Opening her eyes, she saw a bespectacled girl with bronze-blonde hair and a Gehenna armband on her bicep looking at her with a concerned expression on her face. Behind the girl, standing by the door, Murphy-Sensei had grabbed the shoulder of one of the representatives, who gripped at his hand to try to free herself fruitlessly while another girl stood next to her. Nodding to the Gehenna girl, Rin spoke, her voice somewhat nasally and short of breath.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine, merely…stunned."
The girl before her nodded slowly, releasing her grip as Rin found her balance and the pain slowly started to fade. As she stood, she felt a tap on her right shoulder, prompting her to turn and see a taller girl dressed in a long black, red accented dress marked with the emblem of Trinity's JTF, black wings jutting out from her lower back, and her hand holding out Rin's reading glasses, which Rin accepted with a grateful nod.
"Ah, thank you."
The ever so slight blur to the world vanished as she set her glasses back where they belonged. The Gehenna student before her sighed slightly, while the tall girl next to her gave her a small nod in welcome. Meanwhile, the girl being restrained by Murphy-Sensei – the Millenium Seminar representative, Yuuka if she recalled – continued to struggle against his grip, while the other Trinity student stood next to them, a judging look on her face.
"Errrgh! Let go of me, you metal freak! I was just trying to knock on the door, I didn't mean to punch her! It was an accident!"
Yet for all her struggle, she couldn't even get one finger of his to budge. His voice likewise was unyielding.
"Accident or not, your actions have caused injury to another person, injury that could have been avoided had you simply demonstrated patience."
Hearing that, the representative, Yuuka, looked up at Murphy-Sensei confused, even as the other Trinity girl stood glaring at her.
"Wha…What're you talking about, she's fine, look at her!"
With her free arm, she gestured to Rin, who watched as Murphy-Sensei turned his head to meet hers, his visored gaze focused on her face. Scanning her face, RoboCop was somewhat surprised to see no sign of injury. Her nose was not broken or bleeding, there was no bruising, her skin was hardly even reddened.
That confused him quite a bit. Replaying the footage briefly, he noted that the girl, 'Yuuka' as he recalled, had struck Ms. Rin right on her nose with considerable force. By his estimation, her nose should have at least been bleeding and bruised, likely broken, and yet she was unharmed. Stumped as this anomaly, he didn't get the chance to ask after it, as Yuuka once more piped up.
"And don't tell me to be patient! You got here like ten minutes ago and you get to talk with the Acting President, meanwhile I've been here for hours and got nothing!"
Meanwhile, Rin simply let out a small sigh and stepped forward slightly.
"Let her go, Murphy-Sensei. It was only an accident; no harm was intended."
For a brief moment, Robo stood stock still, pondering just how the Acting President was uninjured. In that moment, the Yuuka girl gestured with her hand as though her point was proven.
"See, she's completely fi – wait, 'Sensei'? What're yo – "
However, her moment of victory was ruined by realization and confusion, confusion that spread to the others in the room as they all looked between himself and Ms. Rin, confusion clear on their features. In that confusion, RoboCop finally acquiesced to Ms. Rin's request, releasing his hold on the Yuuka girl, who stumbled away slightly and held onto her arm where he had gripped her. She looked back at him once in confusion before turning back to continue questioning the Acting President.
"What'd you mean by Sensei? Who is this guy?"
Next to question her was the taller black-winged girl, who looked at him unsurely.
"I must ask the same, Acting President. Who is this…person?"
The shorter blonde girl looked at him curiously before turning back to Ms. Rin, while the white-haired girl next to him did not say anything.
"Yeah, what's going on here?"
Rin merely sighed briefly, before inhaling and composing herself.
"I'm afraid that it is a rather long story. However, in the interest of transparency, I'll tell you as much as I can. As you no doubt know, two weeks ago the President of this General Student Council vanished seemingly without a trace, and in her absence the city has fallen into chaos."
A loud scoff interrupted the Acting Presidents speech, drawing the eyes of everyone to the Yuuka girl who had crossed her arms and was looking at the Acting President with a good degree of hostility. For her part, Rin tried to ignore her and the frustration Yuuka's words brought, pacing slowly towards him.
"Yes, yes. However, prior to her disappearance she confided in me about a plan of sorts that she had concocted. She left much of said plan vague, but she did state that someone, a Sensei, would arrive in Kivotos to assist its students and restore order to the city."
She eventually came to stand left of him, where she turned around to face the assembled students, holding her hand out in front of him in presentation.
"This is him. Ladies, meet Murphy-Sensei."
The eyes of said students widened at this, some more than others. The Yuuka girl in particular seemed the most shocked out of all of them, her mouth slightly agape for a moment before she seemed to realize how she looked and clammed up, clearing her throat and speaking up.
"You…were sent here by the President?"
Murphy nodded slightly.
"It would seem so, madam, and as I have previously discussed with the Acting President I am here to assist until such time that the city is returned to stable, sustained order."
At this, her eyebrow only climbed ever higher, even as the blonde girl next to her looked almost awestruck. The winged girl offered a small smile and a small bow as she spoke.
"Then it seems our prayers have been answered. It is a pleasure to meet you, Murphy-Sensei. I am Hanekawa Hasumi of the Justice Task Force of Trinity General School."
The bespectacled girl with the red armband spoke next, pushing her glasses up before she did.
"And I am Hinomiya Chinatsu from Gehenna Academy's Prefect Team. It's nice to meet you."
Ms. Yuuka was next to introduce herself, her face still outwardly serious.
"Hayase Yuuka, treasurer of Millenium Science School's Seminar Club. You would do well to remember it."
Inwardly, Murphy felt some amusement towards her, given that she was the first that he had 'met'. The last girl, the white haired one, simply offered a small wave.
"Morizuki Suzumi, of the Trinity Vigilante Crew."
After she set her arm down, she looked to the side of his head. Murphy's scanners followed her eyes, which scrutinized the side of his helmet briefly before looking back into his visor.
"So, you're a police officer?"
He nodded.
"Yes, I am Officer Alex Murphy of the Detroit Metropolitan Police Department."
The mention of the city name casted looks of confusion over the faces of the girls, save for Rin who while still unsure of where this 'Detroit' was, still had at least heard its name before. Of the other four, Suzumi considered it for a second before shrugging apologetically.
"Detroit, hmm? I don't believe I've heard of it, sorry.
Before any further dialogue on the topic could be spoken, Ms. Yuuka gave a small cough and asked a question.
"So…how exactly was he supposed to help?"
Putting on as civil a smile as she could, Rin cleared her throat and clasped her hands together.
"Well, before your inconveniently timed – and rather rude – interruption stopped us, we were discussing the best way to resecure the Sanctum Tower."
A roll of the eyes matched the scoff that Yuuka gave, which once more drew the attention – and ire – of the Acting President, and the attention of everyone else.
"Good luck with that. The streets are crawling with delinquents. You'd be lucky to get halfway to the river without catching at least one bullet."
The twitch in Rin's eye went unnoticed by all save for Murphy, who noted that her heart rate and stress levels spiked slightly.
"We are well aware of that fact, Yuuka-san. My first choice in transport was to request a helicopter, however because of said delinquents, the skies are apparently too dangerous for such a thing. So now, I can see no other choice than to take to the streets..."
She trailed off slowly near the end, her strained smile fading as she took a look at the assembled representatives, representatives who belonged to rather powerful clubs within their respective academies, clubs that helped maintain order in the face of delinquency, who had interrupted her planning with Murphy-Sensei on how to reclaim the city from the delinquent gangs that had taken control…streets that he would have no choice now but to traverse to get to SCHALE.
A small smirk came over her face as an idea popped into her head, a smirk that did not go unnoticed, especially not by Yuuka, who took a step back in worry when the Acting President's eyes roamed over her.
"Um…why are you looking at us like that?"
Snapping out of her trance, Rin cleared her throat and stepped forward slightly.
"Because in the interest of mutual cooperation and ensuring the safety and restoration of order to the city, I believe it would be best that the trusted representatives of this city's great academies ought to accompany Murphy-Sensei in this mission."
At this, the assembled representatives looked amongst each other and at Murphy-Sensei, clearly confused as the Acting President's proposal. Murphy himself was also somewhat confused at the proposition. It was not something any of them had expected to hear, as evidenced by the deadpan response of Suzumi.
"Wait, what?"
Her fellow Trinity student Hasumi clarified her confusion with a more specific question.
"You want us to go with him to the Sanctum Tower, Acting President?"
Rin in response shook her head.
"Oh no, not to the Sanctum Tower. To the SCHALE Building. You see, prior to her disappearance, the President had this particular building renovated and stocked with various things in preparation for Murphy-Sensei's arrival, including something that could help reclaim the Sanctum Tower."
Once more, looks of confusion passed over the four reps, with Chinatsu choosing to ask the next question.
"SCHALE? What's that?"
It was a question that Rin dutifully answered.
"A special club established by the President prior to her disappearance, one which she intended to be headed up by Murphy-Sensei. From the documents I have read, it is an extrajudicial organization, acting above and outside of the jurisdiction of all other bodies of authority in Kivotos."
Many eyes went wide upon hearing this, some with jaws agape and others merely staring at Rin in total shock. Even Murphy appeared somewhat confused, though as he was unfamiliar with the politics of this city, his questioning was relegated to just how such an organization could be created seemingly without the consent of the authoritative bodies that it acted above. Was it held to any accountability by any other body, even the GSC whose President had founded it?
The representatives had very similar concerns, theirs far more grounded in the total picture, especially the Trinity representatives. What would a club with such power mean for the city, a club headed by an outsider no less? This Murphy-Sensei surely could not be familiar with the city's politics, coming from 'Detroit', wherever that was. Just what effect would this have over academy autonomy, especially with the Eden Treaty on the horizon?
At the same time, there was a slight sense of hope underlying that concern, tied mostly to the fact that this Sensei had been chosen by the President herself. She had been the one who had brought and kept peace in Kivotos for several years prior. Surely, she would not send a tyrant to them. Still, the notion of one club holding such power, even in well-intentioned hands, was unsettling to say the least.
It was a perspective that Rin understood, giving a somewhat sheepish look in response to the group's horrified ones. Well, all except for Suzumi, who looked more ready to get out there than anything.
"How she managed to create such a club with such power, I do not know. However, that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that its headquarters houses an item that Murphy-Sensei can use to access the Sanctum Tower."
Even through the shock of the revelation just spoken, Hasumi spoke to the point.
"And you want us to escort him there to ensure he can complete this task."
Rin nodded in response.
"Yes. Due to the unrest, he will need an armed escort to protect him from the criminal element. In addition, as he is not from the city, he will be unfamiliar with its layout. As such, he will need directions to the tower."
A brief moment of silence reigned once more over the group as they considered the Acting President's proposal. However, that silence was quickly broken by a voice of adamant dissent, coming from Yuuka.
"Hey, I didn't agree to this. I didn't come up here so I could be told to play bodyguard to a weird robot-man-looking thing who is literally about to become head of some weird, above-literally-everyone-else club!"
Once more, that smile rose back onto Rin's face, a somewhat dangerous look in her eyes behind her glasses, which reflected far more white light than there was in the room as Murphy's sensors indicated.
"No, you merely came here to complain, to irk your own issues upon us, ignorant of the fact that we very much have our own to sort out."
Yuuka's hands clenched in indignation at the Acting President's dismissive words. As though their problems were lesser than the GSC's, the organization that was supposed to be about solving problems in the city, a city that as of this moment was basically half rubble!
As she stewed in her indignation however, Murphy had been staying silent, contemplating the situation that Ms. Rin was attempting to negotiate for. It was clear, even from the knowledge that this General Student Council was the supreme authority in the city as opposed to a mayoral office, that the population of the city was likely largely made up of students of the various academies that she spoke of earlier, academies that she implied were more akin to city-states than simple schools.
While easily dismissible as another oddity of this strange place, the deeper implications were extremely concerning: it was likely those same students that were fighting in the streets now. Teenagers and children, all of whom were likely armed in a manner akin to that of the crowd in the lobby and the students in front of him now, shooting each other to death in the streets. And the Acting President was proposing assigning these academy representatives as security in order to traverse those same streets.
It was a logical decision, assigning security to defend a VIP in a high-risk area, but given who said security were in this scenario, Murphy considered it an unnecessary risk. He would not risk the lives of children to protect his own, even if it meant greater risk to himself to reach the Tower.
He would not allow another child to die on his watch.
"There is no need, I will go alone."
It was the only sensible way he could see. Risking the lives of the innocent to assist in such dangerous situations ran antithetical to his directives and his code of conduct, especially if said innocents were minors. Navigating the city would be more difficult, especially if he came across an ambush or other criminal activity, but at least he would be the only one at risk. Still, logical as it was, his declaration still caused looks of confusion to enter the faces of the teenagers once more, directed entirely at him.
All of them save for Ms. Yuuka however, who took a moment to register what he had said.
"SEE?! Even he doesn't want – wait, what? What're you talking…hey, where're you going!?"
Ignoring Ms. Yuuka's worried call, Murphy had turned away and begun to make his way to the door. However, before he got to it, another call sounded out, coming from Ms. Rin.
"Sensei, wait!"
His contact sensors then registered a hard grip on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Ms. Rin looking up at him with wide glaring eyes and gaping jaw.
"Are you insane?! You can't just go out there on your own, you'll get killed!"
Turning around to face her, and taking note of the gob smacked looks on the faces of the other students, he tried to settle the Acting President's concern.
"I am equipped to handle cases of extreme lawlessness, Ms. Rin. Given the situation in the city as relayed, I have determined against risking additional lives to end it."
However, rather than settle their concerns even slightly, he only got confused looks an murmurs in return. From what he heard from said murmurs, their point of confusion was his statement about 'risking lives', which confused him in turn. Why would they be confused about something as logical as fearing death or injury in urban unrest?
Clarification would come soon enough, as Ms. Chinatsu seemed to come to a realization after a brief second.
"Oh, that's right, you're not from Kivotos, you don't…well, there's no need to worry about us, Sensei. We'll be safe out there; our haloes will protect us."
Once more, Murphy felt his confusion rise. Turning his head up, he scanned the crosshair-shaped halo above Ms. Chinatsu's head. The results were unsurprising: the haloes were intangible, barely registered by his scanners at all, making their origins unknown, perhaps technological. The rest of their haloes proved the same, being intangible projections. Additionally, none of the girls wore armor – their clothing also did not have any armored fibers or weaves within them – so besides her assertion being false, she was also lying about them being safe if they went into the city.
The fact that the others agreed with her assertion, and that neither her voice nor her facial expressions and body language contained any signs of lying, were snuffed out by the physical/non-physical evidence.
"My scanners detect that your haloes are intangible, Ms. Chinatsu. I do not see how they could protect you."
At this, Ms. Chinatsu seemed somewhat flustered, taking a moment to compose herself as though she was thinking of what to say next. It did not take her long, her eyes once more locking onto his visor as she spoke, giving her glasses a small push up her nose as she started.
"Well, you see, as you can probably…well see, we all have haloes. Every student in Kivotos possesses one, and these haloes are sources of protection for us. They protect us from serious physical harm, like gunshots and other physical damage. The only way any of us could…die, would be if our haloes were to be shattered, but that would take an extreme amount of force. It takes a lot to even knock us out."
Even as Robo noted the satisfied looks and nods of the others around Ms. Chinatsu, he could only regard her silently, contemplating what she said and the sheer impossibility of it. The idea that these haloes they possessed could protect them was extremely unlikely, doubly so after the results of his previous scans. Double-checking the results with an additional scan, not only did he find the same results, but he also checked for any additional armor and found none again. He even scanned their skin on the off chance that there may have been some sort of subdermal armoring, and yet once more found nothing. By all accounts, if a bullet struck one of them, it would cause serious wounds.
Yet at the same time, Yuuka's fist should have caused serious damage to Ms. Rin's nose, and yet she came away from that with barely a red mark upon it. And once more, she had spoken earnestly. So something was going on, he just did not know what yet, and he had serious doubts about her explanation being the truth of it.
Ms Chinatsu evidently sensed his doubts, as her faced dropped somewhat at his silence.
"You…didn't believe a word of that, did you?"
It didn't take more than a word to convey the truth of that at least.
"No."
Letting out a small sigh, Ms. Chinatsu, let her head drop slightly. Behind her, the others looked almost exasperated towards his skepticism to greater or lesser degrees, with Ms. Yuuka being almost offended and Ms. Hasumi looking mostly understanding. All the while, Ms. Chinatsu cupped her chin with her hand, her other tapping a finger against her – rather large – medical bag in thought.
The existence of said medical bag certainly put another bit of doubt against her previous assertions as well. If there truly was no danger, such a large stash of medical supplies would be unnecessary. However, as the gunfire that continued to echo outside the building indicated, such supplies were, thus meaning that these children would be in danger if they left the premises.
"Ok…how to explain this…"
For a silent several seconds, Chinatsu continued to think, her finger tapping away trying in vain to accelerate said thinking towards an answer. Shifting on her feet in an attempt to help said tapping, her bag shifted slightly, her hand moving as it did. Now, the place she was tapping was no longer a soft spot, likely padded by bandages and disinfectant cream, but the feeling of hard wood and metal.
Turning down to the bag, she cracked it open slightly to see what she had already predicted she would see: the grip of her C96. Still, the sight of the pistol did at least give her an idea. A horrible, painful idea, but an idea nonetheless. It took her a brief moment to consider the risks versus the payoff. With Murphy-Sensei being so doubtful of her explanation, and his adamant concern about them risking their lives, he risked going into the city and getting himself destroyed. Even if he was more durable than the entire crop of Kaiser combat bots, he wouldn't last long against the sheer amount of delinquent gangs out there now.
And given that he was here to help bring the city to order in the face of those gangs, letting him be destroyed was unacceptable. So, if he wouldn't listen to them, he would have to see for himself.
"Well…this is gonna hurt, but if that's what it takes…"
And with that, she reached into the bag.
Murphy meanwhile watched her all the while. With her bag angled slightly away from him, he couldn't quite see what she was reaching for, but that only concerned him more on top of her statement. His concern proved correct when, with hesitant face, she drew a pistol from her bag, a Mauser-type C96 pistol painted in similar colors to the school uniform she wore.
His concern turned to shock when she turned the gun on herself, placing the muzzle against her right thigh. The others gasped at the sight, even as Murphy stepped forward in an effort to stop her.
The sharp report of a gunshot told him he was too late.
Ms. Chinatsu immediately collapsed, clenching her thigh and yelping in pain as she did. The others had closed around as she fell, with Ms. Hasumi helping her to a more comfortable position on one knee.
"AGH! Urgh, that…owwww ow owow that burns!"
Quickly and clumsily setting her pistol on the floor, Chinatsu fumbled with her stocking for a moment, pulling it down slightly and fishing against her leg to get the still-hot bullet out of it. It burned against her fingers, which only served to motivate her to toss it away, the lack of burning heat meaning she could focus more on the aching pain coming from the fact that she had just shot herself in the thigh at point-blank range.
RoboCop meanwhile was contemplating that too. Or rather, he was contemplating the fact that she had just done that, and had suffered basically no wounds for the trouble. With her red stocking pulled down, he had a good view of the impact sight, the skin there reddening rather quickly and likely painfully. A brief scan of the area revealed no other injuries: no internal trauma and no bone damage. The wound was only superficial.
Which was odd considering that she had just shot herself in the thigh at point-blank range.
It was that fact that caused his jaw to slightly drop open, doubly so when he turned his head down to look at the warped slug that she had tossed out of her stocking. It had clattered to the floor just in front of him, the copper jacket pancaked from impact, the lead inside matching it. However it was not flattened, instead having been warped into a concave shape from impact with something that likewise warped when the projectile hit it, but which held strong enough to resist it.
Something deformable…like flesh.
He was in utter awe. This girl just shot herself in the thigh with a pistol, a scenario that should have seen that bullet going right through her leg and into the floor, likely causing severe bone fragmentation and arterial lacerations, leading to high blood loss that would have necessitated immediate medical treatment and hospitalization.
And yet aside from a tiny bruise, she was completely and utterly fine.
This was not possible. As his previous scans established, none of their clothing had any sort of armor weaving, nor did their skin possess any subdermal armoring, none of which would have prevented injury totally anyway. Even the best Kevlar weaving would not prevent serious bruising or even bone breaks from a shot as close as she had made.
It spoke to an almost superhuman level of durability, almost…supernatural. Could those haloes actually be behind this? He did not want to believe it. After all, none of his scans indicated anything that could have caused this situation.
And yet, that deformed slug still sat at his feet.
It seemed that Ms. Chinatsu had noticed him staring at it, as she spoke once more, the murmurs around her going silent as her slightly pained voice came out. As she replied, Murphy took note of the fact that she had opened her bag and taken out a tube of pain-numbing cream, which she was applying to the impact site.
"See, Sensei? None of us…are in any danger. None of us are going to die. No one out there now is dying. The worst that's happening is…students being knocked out and property damage."
A distant explosion punctuated the end of her sentence, followed by the sound of crumbling concrete as the side of an office building across the river collapsed into a massive cloud of dust. The sight of it emphasized Ms. Chinatsu's point, and if said point was true – which her…demonstration certainly seemed to prove – then no lives were even threatened by that collapse.
Unless, of course, these haloes didn't protect against being crushed by hundreds of tons of steel and concrete. Or suffocation from being trapped beneath the rubble. Still, Ms. Rin spoke next.
"She's right, Sensei. For all of the troubles facing the city, none of them are a loss of life. But you…you're not protected like us. Going out there alone, you risk losing yours. You will need backup if you want to stand even a chance of getting to the SCHALE Tower."
For another few seconds, Murphy stood silent, considering the totality of the circumstances. If no other lives were at risk, then going alone was indeed a poor decision. Earlier he had considered it the best of the bad ones, one in which further lives would not be lost. But that was moot now. And as noted earlier, his unfamiliarity with the city would only slow him down alone, unless he got his hands of a map or some other geographical data to scan and download.
And while he certainly trusted that he could handle whatever delinquents this city could throw at him, invincible or not, having backup would certainly make getting through those scenarios faster, meaning order would be restored faster.
It was a no brainer. But that didn't mean that he wasn't hesitant, because resistant or not, these girls were still minors.
"And you are certain that none of you will suffer any harm?"
Every single one of them nod in response, Ms. Rin answering first.
"Completely."
Ms. Chinatsu spoke next, standing on shaky leg, picking up her pistol and pulling up her red stocking as she did, the bullet hole plainly visible on it.
"I will help to ensure that none does."
She patted her medical bag as she spoke, before tucking her pistol back into it. Her face, just like Ms. Hasumi's, was determined, though it was Suzumi who spoke first.
"Those scoundrels won't even touch us."
She finished her declaration by locking her determined gaze onto Murphy's visor, while her fellow Trinity student instead offered a small smile and made the sign of the cross with her hands, lowering her head solemnly.
"I swear our protection on my honor and the Sacred Trinity."
She rose slowly as she finished, the room going silent afterwards. Said silence drew the attention of everyone to the one girl who hadn't said anything for a while. Ms. Yuuka shrunk somewhat under the attention, her own expression reluctant to speak, but eventually she found her words.
"Well, if we're all going…I'll help however I can, I suppose."
With that, they all turned their attention back to Murphy-Sensei, all but Yuuka looking at him expectantly, with Suzumi putting forth the question they all wanted answered.
"So you're going to let us come then?"
Truthfully, he still didn't want to. He would have preferred still to go alone, risking only himself. That was a risk he was familiar with. Risking the health of children was not one to be taken lightly. Still, he had little other choice, given all the reasons he had already determined, so reluctantly, he said…
"Yes."
In response, the girls reactions varied from relieved to ecstatic, with Rin and Hasumi on the former end of the spectrum, and Suzumi being the sole one on the latter end. Yuuka meanwhile simple sighed slightly, wondering just what she had gotten herself into, agreeing to escort a weird robot soon-to-be pseudo-president to some weird building to get the city under control. Everyone was snapped out of their own emotions at Murphy-Sensei's next declaration however.
"However, despite your haloes seemingly providing you with a great deal of protection, it is clear that you are not immune to injury. As such, to minimize risk, I will take point should we encounter trouble."
That pretty much killed the mood, especially Rin's. The whole point of her proposal was to make sure that Murphy-Sensei wouldn't be hurt during the trip to the SCHALE Tower, and now he was saying he'd make that all pointless by taking the brunt of the fire? It was utterly baffling.
To Murphy however, it was once more a logical choice. Even if they claimed they could not be killed, it was clear from Ms. Chinatsu's impromptu demonstration that they could be hurt. He, however, could not be, certainly not without an extreme amount of firepower. So, by taking the brunt of said firepower, there would be less risk of injury to the others. It was a standard tactic back in Detroit: let Robo go first because he can take it, while the others hang back and provide cover.
But of course, this was not Detroit, and the students here seemed rather offended by his declaration, especially Suzumi who looked rather concerned, and chose to voice that concern.
"What? But Sensei, you just saw that we'll be fine! You'll be putting yourself in big danger if you go first against the gangs, especially without…"
Suzumi paused for a second as the realization hit her, her eyes darting over his form as though hoping she would be wrong. Unfortunately, she was indeed correct, because for all the weird stuff about him, the weirdest and most worrying right now, was the fact that he didn't have a gun. That sent her eyebrows skyward.
"Wait…do you…do you even have a gun? Were…were you seriously thinking that you could go down there, alone, without a g – "
Her rant certainly drew the attention of the others, who looked once more at Murphy-Sensei as though he had gone insane. Wanting to be the first into the fire without a gun in his hand? That was, in fact, insane.
However, before she could finish her condemnation, its premise was instantly proven false when through the whirring of servos and the hissing of hydraulics, his entire right thigh split into panels and opened up, out of which popped a polymer holder, in which a long black pistol sat.
Everyone watched in silence, wide-eyes as Murphy-Sensei grabbed the pistol out of its 'holster', which shot back into his leg, which then sealed up. Holding it high with barrel pointed diagonally upwards, everyone managed to get a good look at the pistol, Rin especially who got a side-on view.
It was a very long gun, larger in length than even her trusted Desert Eagle, and painted in all black with a series of cuts running along the underside of the barrel and three porting vents cut into the top. She thought she noticed some similarities to a 92F pistol near the back of the gun, specifically its slide and controls, but it was hard to tell. Still, it was no pistol she had ever seen before, and it was not one that any of the others had seen before either.
"No officer is fully prepared for patrol without his gun."
Confident that he had made his point, Murphy finished it off with a twirl of his Auto-9, an action that caused some of the girls to flinch, though none looked away. Reopening his thigh holster, he placed the gun back into its holder, which then retracted and was sealed away, to wait until it was called on again.
Once more a brief silence followed, as the assembled students processed what they had just seen. The only one who was not entirely surprised was Rin, who had witnessed Murphy-Sensei pop an entire spike out of his arm, from where his fingers normally were, not even five minutes ago, but even still she hadn't quite expected that.
The silence was only broken when Yuuka let out a small remark, barely louder than a whisper.
"Well…at least now we know he's a robot…"
For a brief moment, Murphy regarded her, something she noticed rather quickly and flinched at. However, he only gave her a brief reply, his voice rather solemn, which surprised and confused her.
"I am far more than that, Ms. Yuuka."
She never got the chance to inquire however, as he turned his black-slitted gaze over the rest of the group.
"Now, if there are no further questions or concerns, I do believe it is time to go."
Silence once more passed over the assembled students, each of them looking between each other to see if anyone had anything to ask or say. However, none of them did, each of them turning back to Murphy-Sensei and shaking their heads. In response, he nodded, and turned away to face Rin.
"Very well. Acting President Rin?"
She looked back up at him, hands clasped in front of her and expression determined. She was ready to offer whatever assistance she could and extended the question thusly.
"Yes, Murphy-Sensei?"
He, however, only needed one thing. Remembering where he had awoken, and what occupied the basement area, he had already had it in mind when he attempted to leave earlier. However, with Ms. Rin's permission, getting it would certainly be easier.
"I need a car."
GSC HQ, Lobby
It had taken her hardly a minute to arrange for it. A simple phone call back down to Ayumu, and she had made the request known. One GSC Security Cruiser to be allowed for use by Murphy-Sensei, with whatever questions Ayumu had about the 'Sensei' label to be answered later, preferably away from the press. That revelation could come later.
Right now, there was a city to be secured.
That purpose drove her forward, out of the elevator the second the doors cracked open, while the others took a moment to enjoy being out of the cramped space, which Murphy-Sensei had occupied most of. Still, it hardly took a second for Rin to rush ahead of him, reaching the desk before the swarm of journalists and angry representatives could swamp her.
There, Ayumu stood, her face bearing a great deal of stress. Rin empathized with her, once more promising to give her a good break for all she had done, but right now there were still things to be done, which she made clear with a single question.
"You have them, Ayumu-san?"
Bowing her head slightly, she nodded and reached for something under the desk.
"Yes, Rin-senpai. Here."
Holding her hand forward, she dropped the car keys into Rin's own, the soft fabric of the GSC tag clashing with the cold hard metal of the key as she closed her palm around it. With a nod and small smile of her own, she gave her thanks to her secretary.
"Thank you, Ayumu-san."
The smile was returned by the girl, albeit somewhat nervously as she turned to face the crowd once more, a crowd that still clamored to try to get a comment from the Acting President, some angrily, all loudly.
Rin found herself thanking Murphy-Sensei when his arrival caused the crowd to fall silent.
The academy representatives caught up by the time Rin reached the end of the desk, each of them ready to leave. Extending her hand forward, Rin gave Murphy-Sensei the means by which they could, dropping the car keys into his own palm.
"Thank you, Ms. Rin."
Turning away, he began to walk away, making for the door to the stairwell. Tucked away in the corner of the building, its presence noted with a small green sign above the door, his objective was clear. And as he went, he heard one final remark from Ms. Rin.
"You are welcome. Good luck, Murphy-Sensei."
He had paid the remark little mind, instead placing his focus on the journey ahead. Each step on said journey was one more towards his objective: the SCHALE Tower. In but a few minutes, they had reached the car that would take them there, the engine roaring to life hardly a second after the last door closed, the headlights automatically shining bright as it did.
With a clunk, Murphy shifted the car into drive, the tires squealing against the concrete floor as he pressed on the accelerator while keeping the brakes applied. In but a second more, he released them, the car shunting forward and right as he guided it towards the exit ramp and into the city.
The car hit the ramp with a good deal of speed, its undercarriage scraping it as it boarded, leaving a shower of sparks behind. Murphy paid it no mind, keeping the vehicle straight until it finally emerged into the sunlight, the haloed sky overhead far too peaceful for a city filled with chaos. But it was that peace they were going to restore.
So, with guidance from Yuuka, who occupied the left hand front seat, Murphy guided the car through the city, the SCHALE Tower growing closer with every mile…
