Unity Creed Sibyl

Author's notes: Hello all, this is the sequel to the last chapter in the crossover, I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves and having a great life thus far…so far I wish you guys the best in what you do.

As for your good ol' author I am currently taking a break now before the final stretch of exams, study and obsessive compulsive desire to be trapped in your room for weeks on end. Yeah, but who cares about that when you have some time to have silence and enjoy the tranquility of the outside world even if just for a day or even a few hours? I know I would.

Another thing I have to say before we begin, I want to thank NeoNazo356 specifically for the past month or so, and because of story reasons I cannot afford to spoil it so badly to all you readers, I want to just say thank you for the small project that we worked on and that I hope you can continue to give some input on the fiction work as time goes on.

Well without further ado, let's go onto the show.

Unity's Creed Sibyl

Men are ready to rise to low morals and commit the atrocities we ask for. In fact, all it takes is the right conditions to set them off into a chain reaction.

-excerpt from a conversation with a Templar

For control, money. For power, connection. For freedom, chains.

-The Creed of the Seven

Colors make symbols. Sibyl takes minds

-Anti Sibyl slogan post Sibyl implementation

Saturday

"Ugh…" The rising sunlight poured through the lights of the apartment, bringing the brief sleepiness of Akane to stir from her warm bed the girl lazily opening her eyes just as a flash of light appeared in her blurry vision stirring her into action.

"Rise and shine! Today is Saturday, 8th of November! Akane-chan's Hue color is a perfect blue, keep it up and have a great day!" The floating pink jellyfish avatar pinged to life as Akane arose from the bed her mind still in a haze as she checked the clock behind her, her left gown sleeve slipping off her shoulder while her hair was still in a bit of a mess. Dragging herself out with barely any conscious thought the young junior inspector went to her wardrobe to grab a set of new clothes, lay it out and enter the bathroom without them tossing her nightgown to a basket which laid next to the entrance of the bathroom filled with a small bundle of clothing leaving the upper half of her body exposed as she stripped off the panties she had worn and tossed them in the basket entering the shower box. As the hot water poured down on her, filling her eyes which began to sting slightly from the intensity of the heat her senses began to awaken Akane closing her eyes to prevent the shampoo foam sliding into her eyes.

"…" She mentally kept track of the list of things she had to do today, one particular event coming to her mind as her hand laid on the top of the body wash dispenser. "…That's right, I have time to meet up with Yuki and Kaori later in the afternoon break time," Akane suddenly recalled as she continued her shower the girl finding her alertness rising while she wiped her face drenched in water with a sweep of her slick palm the girl enjoying her brief escape from reality. After a few minutes Akane turned off the shower wiping herself down with a towel and went to the bedroom putting on a pair of stripped panties though choosing to forgo the bra as she stepped into her living room making her way over to a small computer which sat in a corner of the room.

"Welcome, user…Akane. I hope you're doing well today, your Hue color is satisfactory, please continue to keep up with your health and remember to watch out for possible infection." The computer spoke in a female tone, Akane pushing herself into her seat while she opened up a browser bringing up a large window. Within it was a small photo of a young man with spiky black hair and a monotone face bought her attention, Akane scrolling down to read some of the lines.

*Thump thump*

"?" Akane looked up from her seat, the inspector immediately going to her room to change into something much more appropriate. Meanwhile, her floating jellyfish avatar was looking at the door. "There's someone at the door."

"Hai, tell them to wait."

A minute earlier

"Hmm, I should be checking up on her while I am at it, I suppose," one Clemente was standing at the door of Akane Tsunemori's apartment his hand clenching and unclenching as he looked down at his hand which carried a small plate of smoking pancakes complete with tasty honey wafting into the air all the while Clemente looked at his surroundings to see no one around at this time in the morning, the man feeling insecure with the lack of presence as he knocked on the door with sharp raps Clemente looking down at his attire which was completely casual complete with a yellow hoodie and grey baggy pants. "And went to get some proper clothes while I was at it too, this looks too private to be considered clothing."

"This will be the last time I let that girl Rina pick out my wardrobe," Clemente thought with annoyance at the bubbly girl's attitude and her little shopping spree some time back when she dragged him along to the nearby mall buying him some clothing to fit into the urban area, the Templar shivering at the 'colorful' selection she had tastefully provided for him. Formal attire, which was the only other thing Rai gave him from his personal wardrobe, was simply a suit and tie with pants which allowed him to blend in the crowds of business working classes however he wasn't really a fan of formality even when he addressed his Templar compatriots. Understandably he was not given the option to reject, as individuality or designer clothing would segregate him from the norm in some way, courtesy of Sibyl's tracking system. If there was one thing that he didn't expect though was how Rina blended into the crowd, it had been a while since he seen an Assassin at work since the joint training, but that explained how she had survived this long. Being with the Assassins was a freedom that Clemente wasn't used to and treasured, the Master Templar recalling his basic training which took a while to get acclimatized.

"Hello, who's there?" A robotic voice replied to his knocks, the man looking at the peephole.

"Your neighbor, Clemente," Clemente replied as he heard feet patter off somewhere inside the house while he was talking, leaving him to stand in the hallway for a good minute.

"Please wait for a moment, Akane-san is going to get dressed." Clemente heard the computerized voice report through the door as he gave a nod, fighting the uncomfortable tension in his shoulders. He still hadn't really gotten last night out of his mind, and he was standing in front of Akane's room. As an Assassin had taught him, being next to a mark was to be the most dangerous placement of all, and he was beginning to feel that pressure. His wait ended just as quickly when the door opened revealing Akane though his momentary smile of greeting was replaced by a sudden horror his hand going to his eyes as he looked down. Akane however didn't seem to notice his reaction as she was holding onto her knees, the woman panting before she lifted her head to greet him with a tired smile.

"Clemente-san, good morning!"

Remember, she didn't know you were there. Watch what you say, or she'll begin to connect some dots when she's more awake.

"Uh, uhm, good morning to you too…" Clemente murmured as he continued to shield his eyes, Akane noticing his reaction tilted her head a little confused at his strange posture signaling avoidance. "Eh, Clemente-san why are you-?"

"About that, before we go further, you may want to pick up your towel. And get a shirt to cover yourself." Clemente suggested calmly as he gestured to the floor, Akane glancing down as she registered the towel before Clemente cleared his throat turning around while Akane gave a short gasp closing the door, letting out a small squeak. "Sorry!"

After the small interruption, both young adults found themselves sitting in Akane's living room at the table, the smell of bacon and oil filled the air in small puffs of smoke. At the table Akane was biting into a salad while Clemente was standing at the stove cooking up the bacon breaking an egg onto the pan watching it sizzle while he stirred the white cornering it towards the edge of the pan. Silence was all that accompanied the two in their own thoughts, one regarding her current case and the health of her Enforcer while the other was more focused on what he was going to do next.

"So," Clemente broke the uncomfortable stuffy silence as the oil spilt onto his left hand, the Templar shaking his hand to rid himself of the small burn before he resumed cooking. "I was going to ask you how your first day at the workplace was, but you left in such a hurry I couldn't ask if you were serious about taking me around."

"It was…fine."

"So in short it wasn't really that great." He answered her with an inquisitive tone, the inspector sighing as she picked at the salad bowl almost bringing her forehead to the table surface. "You could say that. There were complications during the case, and I…shot someone." Clemente recalled the look on that man Kogami's face when he was shot with the Dominator, almost wanting to break into a smile but the urge was pushed down even though he knew Kogami deserved it. Just as quickly as the image of Kogami's shocked look disappeared, he was treated to the terrified expression on Akane's face that same moment, taking away the momentary joy. Clemente did not need to look back to know she was probably beating herself up over it somewhat, and that aspect of Akane was refreshing to the Templar.

"So what happened there?" He asked, playing along while he scooped the egg and bacon onto the plate. "I mean, if you don't want to talk about it at all, I respect your privacy…" He offered as he continued to cook, a few minutes of quiet seeped back in as Akane hesitated fiddling with her cutlery, but soon after replied in a meek deflated voice.

"An Enforcer under my command, he was threatening the victim with death since she became emotionally scarred by having the murderer die in front of her, and her Coefficient went up to a latent criminal. He was going to bring her back to the institution, but she refused and accidentally tumbled over an oil barrel placing her Coefficient to termination status. I had to put him down with the Dominator before he could engage in lethal force and calmed her down." Clemente said nothing for a while as he dumped the pan and the spatula into the sink. "…Sounds to me like you were doing the right thing having to stop that man from killing an innocent, isn't that enough for your good conscious?"

Akane genuinely smiled at Clemente's straightforwardness, the inspector then frowned upon recalling Ginoza's face when he witnessed what she had done to Kogami, the woman feeling intimidated by his stare the whole way back from the crime scene. While she had felt like she did the right thing, seeing that she hurt her colleague in the process was another thing plaguing her thoughts, and Clemente noticed her doubtful musing. "You did the right thing, someone who was traumatized like that facing a spike in stress levels would be naturally hysterical, your colleague was wrong to assume judgement on a victim of the crime just on a bunch of numerals."

"But it felt strange," Akane replied as she ate a tomato slice wincing at the squishiness. "He was so determined to kill her, like she wasn't seen as a person anymore the moment she was labeled as a Latent Criminal. I couldn't stop him if I ran so I hit him with the Dominator, even if I knew it might kill him. And the faces made at me when we walked out of the crime scene, it was like…I was in the wrong." Akane said almost guiltily, Clemente feeling a little stumped by her self-ridden guilt, that thinking was naïve, childlike. Still, it was refreshing for him to see someone who was more humane, the Templar almost feeling sad for the woman who was brought in instead of being killed, from what Kai had briefed him on the system was not so forgiving towards people like her despite circumstances of trauma from witnessing death.

"I feel happy that I saved her, but what happens to her after…" Akane trailed off as Clemente kept silent waiting for her to continue. "She would be placed in that institution, as a latent criminal even though she didn't do anything wrong." Clemente flipped the egg sending oil and water which had dripped from his hand flying into the air a droplet landing on his hand as the Templar hissed.

"And to you, it seems very unfair and strange that such a system can run that number simply because it has the power to," Clemente suggested as he scooped the egg and placed it on the plate turning off the stove, Akane blinked in surprise before she nodded, frowning. "She was just a victim who was being pushed and had her Hue colored, but yet she'll be placed in lockup because of her Coefficient being in the 200s just for being there."

"Could I ask you something then? Will she be able to recover and even go back to society in the future, in your opinion?"

"…I don't know. I want to believe she can, but I don't know."

Clemente let out an 'hmm' as he kept his thoughts to himself, though what he had heard from Akane wasn't reassuring at all. The woman was a civilian, an innocent and she was going to be sent to a looney bin for therapy and being treated as if she was sick with some genetic problem, all because of a number. Clemente shook his head, the Templars were wrong to leave Japan under the hand of Sibyl and let the system run continuously, it was this type of organizational thinking that led to this faulty governance in place and Hunting's demise was the springboard to change. The conversation stuck with him even after he left her doorstep, reassuring her and returning to his room locking the apartment as he took a breath, the man heading to grab himself a glass of water heading out to the balcony. As he looked down at the metropolis which outstretched itself to the world, he felt like he was looking at a mirror rather than a city itself and the towering Public Security Bureau headquarters made him clench the glass harder.

The system's existence should all the more be erased. If this wasn't about some justice or ripping down control, it was to re-humanize the country, to turn their apathy into something greater. Not everyone can do it, it is accepted that there will be stragglers struggling with the amount of acclimatization that has occurred and will continue to occur, even an uncertainty when the system is no longer an ever present feeling to guide their hand. The Master Assassin and his branch came to his mind, they were mutual allies in this war and despite how his more antagonistic colleagues would curse him for saying this, they were necessary. After spending much time with Hunting, experiencing true cooperation in every sense of the word in bringing some measure of peace from their strengths, his thoughts on the war between the two orders were beginning to become one of doubt. Control and freedom were two opposite ends of the scale, to have one triumph over the other would only work for a time before order is demanded.

Chaos tore down old orders, for freedom and justice while order was demanded in times of chaos to limit the freedom and instill justice so no man would fight his own war for his own reason. The debate was forever combated, and even with such a realization Clemente doubted that he would be accepted by both sides once Sibyl falls. It was through this chaos that the Assassins' work will end and the Templar goal of steering humanity back into their lives will begin again, stirring up the cycle. Clemente drank his water, placing the glass on the table as he pondered over such a paradox, his eyes watching the shining buildings reaching into the sky. Japan had isolated itself from the world to escape the Assassin's clutches, only to ensnare themselves into a web created by their own creation.

It was time to shut down the beast, and when the cycle of chaos and order, freedom and control returns…he will be there to temper it. He only hoped the Assassins will see things his way when it happens.

Meanwhile, at the Public Bureau offices

Ginoza's scowl continued to deepen as he read the report, each word and sentence irked him more as he descended down the end of the paragraph, tossing the folder on the table. Rubbing his temple, Ginoza was distracted long enough for a light rap of metal clinking against glass the inspector lifting his eyes to identify his guest.

"Inspector, good afternoon…you don't look so well."

"Masaoka…" Ginoza blinked in surprise as the old man settled into the leather seat opposite him, the older of the two groaning at Ginoza before he brought up a bottle of beer. "Oh don't give me that, isn't dad fine than using my name?"

"Sorry, but I was focused on more things…dad." Ginoza quickly apologized to the old Enforcer, prompting a sigh before a weary smile from the old man was all it took for the tension to disappear. "Heh, now calling me dad didn't curse you did it, son?" Ginoza folded his arms into a bridge at his mouth level, the inspector removing his glasses grabbing the left leg of the glasses. "No it didn't, but still we're at work…"

"For goodness sake, relax a little! This is a high stakes job, and a high stakes job means that you can die any time. So start enjoying some small portions of life, make it your own…you don't know what will happen." The old Enforcer replied as he downed a portion of his beer, bringing it to rest on the table and rapped his hands on the surface watching his son staring at a familiar face in an open folder. "Is that the new inspector's profile you're digging up?"

"Yes, I just read her report on the situation," Ginoza replied steadily as he lifted the sheet of paper which was printed in fine Times New Roman font, reading the paragraphs with little interest. "It is rather serious when an inspector is forced to put down an Enforcer on duty, and it is grave when the inspector has no reason to back up their logic to the decision. And from reading this, I can say that Inspector Akane is an unpredictable woman."

"Ho, not remarkable enough for you, Inspector?" Masaoka grinned, a twinkle in his eye at Ginoza who gave him a snort. "Not in that way."

"Whatever you say that makes you happy, Inspector."

Ginoza glared at the lighthearted attitude of Masaoka, tapping the paper hard with his index. "No, in fact I find that her empathy is going to be a liability in future cases when the criminals start to get rougher and aren't going to listen to a woman preaching to them to stop than taking them down if things get worse," he explained seeing his father roll his eyes his fingers going to his brow as he creased his forehead, the Enforcer choosing not to say anything more on the subject. "So what do you plan to do then? She's still an inspector before anything else she's still going to be your fellow partner for the coming years in the force. Plus, having a healthy work and off field relationship would be beneficial to you in times of strain."

"We'll be taking her out on patrol runs for a while, get her settled into our line of work while I handle the other serious cases in the meantime. You are assigned to her team in the meantime to give her some advice of your own," Ginoza stated as he closed her folder after slipping the report above her profile, the inspector rising from his seat preparing to leave the office. "I'm going to be meeting up with Kogami-san, to check up on him and his recovery so let Inspector Akane know that when she comes in to report for work. Make sure she leaves for the patrol the moment she comes in."

Masaoka sheepishly raised his beer bottle and gave a half-hearted salute as Ginoza left, the man sighing once he saw that his son was out of sight stirring the beer in his bottle. "Geez, what a son you fathered Masaoka. He doesn't even want to have fun anymore."

Public Security Bureau Computer Room

Ginoza reached the door of the computer room, the inspector about to make one last stop before he would go to the hospital to find out about the current case he was working on, the Inspector reviewing some of the evidence left at the crime scene. As he neared the door panel, the entrance hissed open as the bespectacled man noticed someone step out of the room dressed in a set of blue overalls and brown oil stained work boots step out into the dull silver hallway, Ginoza recognizing the outfit as belonging to the maintenance staff. Ginoza had a quick glance at the face, locking glances with the employee at a set of dark blue eyes, with a face filled with multiple feminine features wearing a cap over dark brown hair tied into a ponytail sticking out neatly at the back.

"…"

"?" The employee at the entrance suddenly adjusted the cap slightly downwards, looking downwards at their right hand for two seconds, slender long fingers hooking to the wrist and tugging the cuff before the employee stepped back into the archive room leaving the door wide open behind them, ignoring the presence of the inspector who narrowed his eyes into a squint. The inspector felt his head throb as he thought of the only resident who was currently occupying the space at this point in time, Ginoza following the worker through. Though what Ginoza saw next when he shut the door behind him wasn't what he was expecting, or wanting to see for the rest of his life.

At the couch facing the sets of white screens filled with information was a blonde woman with disheveled hair poking her head out from the couch, tugging the sleeves of a lab coat over her body which from the back Ginoza could clearly see was bare, save for the black strap of a bra covering her breasts. The woman stood up as she tugged her black skirt upward and into place, the woman neatly patting her hair for a moment before her hands fell to her sides. As he glanced over to his right, he noticed the worker picking up a few scattered wrenches and bolts placing the pieces securely into a large blue toolbox, the woman buttoning her coat to the neck while the inspector cleared his throat.

"Shion."

"Inspector, what a surprise to have you arrive this early. I was in the middle of my break," the woman casually threw her hand out as she stretched, Ginoza giving her a look of subtle disgust. "I came here to access the crime database for a few archived files relating to a case I was looking over, but I see you were busy with your break." He noted sourly, the man noticing the worker giving a tip of the baseball cap as the employee fastwalked toward the entrance, the blonde archivist looking over at the retreating back of the employee.

"Oh, Kamille-san," the analyst walked towards the employee digging into her pocket, taking out a small piece of candy. The employee looked at Ginoza who shrugged, taking the gift though not before Shion gave a wink at the individual. While Ginoza turned his attention to walking towards the computers, he could hear the employee's shoes squeak into movement shutting the door to the hallway behind them. Once alone, Ginoza turned to see Shion whose back was facing him staring longingly at the entrance. "Shion, I need your help."

"Of course forgive my distracted thoughts, inspector. Now, about that case you wanted me to look into?" Shion gestured for him to follow her, the inspector doing his best to not look at the discarded stockings and red shirt which hung inconspicuously on the central couch along with a small box of what Ginoza suspected were condoms which was then unceremoniously kicked aside. Shifting his eyes to the center, he could see Shion giving him a slight smirk as she settled into the chair Ginoza handing her the large brown folder while she opened it to view the content typing in a search for the related files, a short period of silence over them.

"What was that about? With the technician," Ginoza asked not long after into the silence, not wanting to leave the elephant in the room hanging any longer between them as his apprehension was widening. Shion gazed over at the inspector, her focused look turning to a teasing smile while she entered a few search terms into the database. "Oh, could it be that…? Inspector, I didn't know you were holding such interest in such a thing."

"That isn't-"

"So you're into those office relationships then, no wonder you're a stiff…well, normal blue are not enough for some people, and it's understandable."

"Shion…" Ginoza rubbed his forehead, the man feeling a vein almost ready to pop before Shion's teasing expression fell into an overdramatic sigh, the tech specialist wearily staring at the ceiling. "*sigh*, just someone new to the force for almost three years now, joined the engineering division for our building maintenance. The maintenance division wanted to have someone come to the analysis office to perform a routine check on the electrical inputs that was them." The archivist explained while she brought up a few pictures to the forefront of the screen, the inspector raising a brow though he did not desire to ask her for elaboration.

"…I see. So the technician was there to just look over some wires, nothing else?"

"Yes that is exactly what I am saying. You know if you were so desperate for some fun, you could have just asked me directly than beat around the bush." Shion teased with a chuckle as Ginoza stared at her with a look of doubt folding his arms before Shion waved his doubt away. "Well, I didn't think of you to be the nosy type playing private inspector on my life Ginoza-san," Shion replied hearing the inspector grunt as she looked over the case folder before bringing a few testimonies to the main screen. "Anyways if you're here, you're looking at that particular case again isn't it?"

"I want to make sure all the bases were covered and the witnesses re-examined before I visit Kogami." Ginoza stated firmly as he watched the familiar gallery of photos bombard the screen his perceptive eyes reading every detail, even as the victims' photos came into view. Shion was skeptic towards Ginoza's answer, the analyst glancing up at the inspector. "Well there you are, but I can't be confident that this would dig up anything useful."

"I want to find anything we may have missed, I want to cover everything from witness reports to the photos of the victims, I need to know about any time gaps between the murders and discoveries." Ginoza said as his eyes scrolled briefly over the reports, Shion sighing as she tapped her fingers against the table eyeing the screens, glancing at the detective. "Ginoza…it's the same request you have been inputting for the last month, there's nothing conclusive there that we can note than the last reports."

Ginoza swept her concerns aside, the detective eyeing the screen as he brought up another screen filled with missing persons, Ginoza screening some profiles as he identified them and transferred the compiled photos around the multi-screens. Shion, noting the pictures with interest, looked at Ginoza who gave her a cursory glance. "These people were the new batch of missing persons over last month, notice anything similar between them?"

"They are scattered around the schools…you narrowed it down to the areas where there were consistent victims, haven't you?" Shion said having caught up to speed with Ginoza's line of thought, the detective nodding as he brought up the areas that were highlighted in red. Shion frowned as she looked over the vast majority of red circles, the analyst and archivist feeling the small breakthrough become a raging headache, massaging her temple. "Which still doesn't narrow it down to a very specific location, there are multiple open and shut cases or simply cold ones to fill that amount, and considering many of them have conflicting M.O.s you will have to spend a few months sorting through the files." Shion commented while Ginoza groaned the detective pushing his hands off the table in response, the man eyeing the circles with intense focus, each red circle presenting an opportunity in his opinion…a chance for a breakthrough. He couldn't stop now when he had just thought of a way to narrow it down, the thought of having a killer lurking their society killing out of sight was unacceptable, especially this case in particular.

"Well, it's a start. I want to ask you to separate the files accordingly so we can get a clear read on where exactly would the most likely spot be. And also isolate female victims in schools with the adult cases," Ginoza added stoically repressing whatever emotion he felt a few seconds ago as he turned around to leave, the man pausing as if he had forgotten something, turning his head to eye the analyst who had reluctantly gone to her post typing away at the keyboard while drinking her cup of coffee.

"Shion…"

"*sigh* What is it now Inspector, do you want me to give you that employee's number, ask me on a date or what?" The blonde replied moodily as she brought up a case file, her sarcasm ignored by Ginoza who shook his head feeling a tick mark in his head. "What? I wasn't going to ask-look, that isn't my concern right now I wanted to ask about Kogami! Did the medical report from the hospital come by?"

"Yes, they dropped it in the same place they keep all the casualty records. He's fine though, will recover in less than a week with the way things are going. And stop your gushing, you can join your boyfriend soon enough." She commented causing the inspector to sputter as he narrowed his eyes. "Kogami and I are not in that kind of relationship!"

"Well what a surprise, that means more lonely nights for me and my fantasies," Shion sighed in mock sadness as she kicked back from the computers as she closed one eye looking up at the ceiling. "Though that new detective yesterday is quite a spitfire, taking down Kogami like that on the job no less for a person declared as Latent Criminal, if I wasn't with Kunizuka at all I would have jumped on that feisty-"

"She's being a liability to our work if anything else." Ginoza cut her off as he scowled, the analyst rolling her eyes to the right. "Tsk, stop being such a drag Ginoza, she was keeping a woman from being harmed by an Enforcer. Truth be told, that was a rather brave thing for her to do in those circumstances…the life of an Enforcer for the life of an innocent bystander who is a Latent Criminal, sounds like a fairy tale in this messed up world."

"Is that your opinion, or the mindset of a Latent Criminal?" Ginoza asked a hint of curiosity in her view only to receive a glare from Shion who spun around in her office chair, the woman clearly unamused by his comment. "I may have the numbers attached to my government profile, Ginoza, however if you are suggesting that I am a person without heart I am rather insulted you would think that way of Latent Criminals." Ginoza didn't look back as the exited the analysis office, the door hissing shut behind him before Ginoza walked further down the hallway pushing the case contents out of his mind for now. As he arrived at the elevator lobby at the far end of the hallway, he noticed the sight of the technician he had seen earlier at one of the consoles which was smoking near the elevators, the technician was biting their lip in focus while bringing a plier to the box, Ginoza noticing that the elevators' digital screens were shut down.

"Damnit…" The technician swore at the console stumbling back from a couple of sparks which flew into the air, the technician backing away stuffing the pliers into the toolbox, locking up the box while Ginoza approached frowning at the small inconvenience.

"Is there a problem with the elevator?" Ginoza asked as he approached within the technician's hearing range, the technician suddenly letting out a squeak from the sudden interruption turning around to face Ginoza with a surprised face.

"W-Wuagrhh! Don't sneak up on me like that!" The technician yelled in surprise with a slight squeak in tone, the employee rubbing an elbow uncomfortably while the ponytail behind the cap swayed in the airconditioned breeze, Ginoza calmly waited patiently for the employee to calm down before the technician thumbed at the sputtering fuse box. "Yes, the fuse box is busted. At this rate I have to close the elevators for now," the technician scratched the hair underneath the baseball cap wiping some sweat coating the finger.

"I see, well then I'll take the stairs."

"Don't worry about the elevator, I'll get it up and running before tonight!" The technician called out after the inspector as an afterthought before turning back to the fuse box resuming their work, Ginoza entering the stairs as he shook his head talking the long alternative route down. Technology was a burdensome pain indeed.

Hospital

Kogami stared at the ceiling, his eyes blankly drawing lines into the gaps between the square tiled plaster surface the soft beat of the heart monitor by his bedside being the only sound that 'entertained' him while he had a thought about what happened the night before. He remembered it was going to be a simple job of rescue the hostage, their suspect was absolutely crazed by the time they got there, hysterically raving about how he wasn't restrained by the laws since it branded him a criminal. Masaoka and Akane the rookie inspector were threatened with the victim's death, he had taken up position ready to fire when the suspect suddenly choked, dying from an auto-injected syringe. The next, he had the victim scanned and promptly readied to take the victim into custody, though she became difficult with the change in plan.

Then, Akane happened. She shot him with the paralyzer without a second thought, in fact when he looked at her he was doubtful such a fearful looking girl could ever be an inspector, pulled the trigger on him so easily. Given credit, she was trembling when she did it however her convicted stare before he was sent into the world of black told him that much. Here he was, lying in the hospital bed which seemed to look like the room he had at HQ, and last night's events were a constant cycle of events and jumbled words that he couldn't keep out of his head. What he did was according to the system, the right thing to do, yet even he knew he didn't believe the system so completely like the others. Hell Ginoza was colder than he was, not even showing a lack of hesitance in his actions when he did judgement like he did. Yet that rookie, that woman shot him as if to say he had no right doing Sibyl's business, as if the conviction mixed in with the fear meant …

Kogami snorted to himself amused by the train of musing he crafted, he must be too focused on those second thoughts to know such a thought was pointless. He was reading into it too much, there wasn't anything to it than some idealism regarding the system's ways. Although whatever reason that woman shot him for, he knew that that reason would be so flawed even he didn't want to know why he was endangered. He was an Enforcer, and that was the extent of his human worth, no more and no less than what he was lessened to.

Click

The hospital door to his room opened, Kogami sighing as he looked at the clock opposite looming on the wall with its main hands making its way to 12. Kogami closed his eyes, figuring it to be a nurse or maybe even Ginoza at the very least would bother visiting him to make sure he was alright, he did take a paralyzer shock to the chest after all but he wasn't surprised if that woman didn't show up, considering what he is. However as the footsteps drew nearer Kogami's curiosity made him crack open an eye, the Enforcer expecting the face of a nurse was instead surprised again. Standing over his bedside, with a small plastic bag of groceries in hand while wearing similar black formal clothing and office skirt was the welcoming warm glance of one Akane Tsunemori.

"Hello, Kogami-san."

"…You?" Kogami asked surprised at his visitor's identity, Akane laying the plastic bag on the hospital table beside the bed, her hands digging into the plastic to retrieve a red apple with a peeler. "I wasn't sure what a patient would want, so I got the safe option of apple. If you want something else, I have milk tea and some other snacks." She spoke sheepishly peeling the apple onto a nearby plate, all the while Kogami silently watched the ceiling without a word, Akane slicing the apple into pieces the fruit's juices sliding down the skin and flesh of the apple onto the porcelain surface.

"What are you doing here?" Kogami asked hiding his curiosity at her presence, his voice causing Akane to snap her head up to face him. "Hm?"

"I was wondering why you would visit, after all you can't have forgotten what put me here in the first place right?" He asked rhetorically, Akane having a look of shame as she looked at her lap, the look of shock on Kogami's face coming back to her along with Ginoza's look of disapproval when he dismissed her from the crime scene. "Sorry about shooting you with the Dominator."

"Forget it, you were acting on your gut and went through with it. Besides, I've taken worse punishments than something as minor as a lousy shock," Kogami brushed it aside while he grabbed a slice of fruit and ate it himself. "See? Didn't lose anything important like an arm or leg, so stop making those kind of pitiful expressions at me, I hate that."

"But I-"

"Don't give me that bullshit. I'm an Enforcer not some child, this is what the job description says on the tin and I'm ready to just accept it for what it is. You should too, being an inspector is hard work that taxes you and you shouldn't be making friends with disposables like me, it'll hurt you in the long run." Kogami calmly retorted as he glared at Akane, seeing her relax her tense frown Kogami slipped the apple slice into his mouth chewing on the fruit.

"That's not true."

"What?"

"You're human, and being an Enforcer means that you're my workmate. That means your safety is my concern." Akane reasoned seeing Kogami smirk as he let out a chuckle. "My status as an Enforcer doesn't…" He started to say before Akane gave him a serious look. "I don't care about that, so long as you're working under me I will be looking out for you and the others." Akane insisted as Kogami sighed, shaking his head sinking into the pillow. "You're going to regret that," he whispered before he felt his vision go black, Akane looking over at him in concern when she saw the heartbeat monitor's numbers drop upon him sleeping.

"Kogami?"

Click

"Excuse us! Sorry Miss Tsunemori," the inspector raised her head to see a doctor and nurse team walk into the room as the door was left open behind them, the doctor noticing Akane's concern as he gave her a reassuring look. "Don't be alarmed, Miss. The effects of the paralyzer shock are still affecting his body internally, so he tends to shut down every so often so his natural recovery can take place. We have to run daily checks on him to make sure his nerves or cells aren't damaged." The doctor explained as Akane nodded in understanding turning to Kogami's still figure in the hospital bed, his eyebrows furrowing as he squinted showing signs of discomfort even when dreaming. Akane felt another pang of guilt inside of her as she swallowed it down, the woman deciding to say her farewells to the unconscious Enforcer.

"Get well soon, Kogami-san." Giving a nod towards both the doctor and the nurse, the inspector made her way out of the room, her ears barely catching the hushed whispers coming from the pair particularly from the nurse.

"What kind of person visits a Latent Criminal?"

"Mind your words, nurse." The doctor chided as Akane walked out of the hallway, giving a final glance at Kogami's room before she resumed walking.

Unknown location

"Have you managed to find him yet?"

"No, to be honest we don't know how he is able to hide in this city for so long. Even the movement of the Assassin Order on yesterday's case has not lured him out of hiding," Kaisei sat at her chair as she reported to the male figure on the screen of her office, the woman looking over a particular brown folder which was left open on her metallic desk her eyes staring at the apathetic expression from the photo which glared at her.

"Hmph, he's one of a kind. The first of our steps to true control, to spare many of our agents from the wrath that Sibyl might have unleashed," the man shook his head as he lowered his hands to rest on the table the sound of squeaking leather, Kaisei narrowing her eyes while she closed the folder. "This man will be literally unrecognizable as a threat by our scanners, what makes you think he would join us?"

The man shifted in his chair, his expression unrecognizable due to the shadow over his head, though Kaisei could sense excitement from the man himself. "There is always something driving the man to such extreme lengths to prove something. Whatever he's trying to do, we can only predict has something to do with us."

"Understood, however will we be able to catch him?"

"Don't worry about that, have some faith in your team. And with Akane Tsunemori, the first known person to ace the national and Hue exams with excellence, perhaps her intelligence will prove she is useful to us." The man advised Kaisei, the latter could feel a slight smile stretching upwards to his face in amusement as the chief frowned dissatisfied with his answer. Noticing this, the man paused. "Now don't give me that look Kaisei, it was by the miraculous power of fate and the divine that made this strange occurrence possible. Even I, a man who used to move nations, cannot predict such an event would arise."

"And just how is this fortuitous though I can see the benefits?"

"Are you truly so shallow, even for what you truly are, to comprehend? She is everything we ever hoped for. A believer, a person who thinks that the system is workable, innocent and blind to what we truly represent and are, most of all a woman who wants to do good to society. An idealist to top it all off, when the time finally comes should she prove herself to us, you will reveal yourself to her."

Kaisei stared almost in disbelief. "Her?"

"Trust me, she will think of you as a human at first, ready to change. She will protect those close to her and isolate those who wish to tear down our system for notions of freedom, the old democracies which our branch had worked so hard to destroy! Without your order, wouldn't the authority that you once held be in question? Do you seriously want to…relinquish control?" The man asked sending Kaisei into silence as she quietly took in this information, her eyes merely giving a reflective gaze from her glasses, the male leaning back with a confident pose.

"And if she decides to reject us? To refuse us upon learning of the truth, such a probability is high to consider her an asset and a threat to our security, no matter how idealistic an individual can be." Kaisei wondered curiously, intrigued by the proposal that Akane would even impress her.

"Then you'll pull the trigger when the time comes, won't you?" The man stated plainly before the screen turned black, the insignia of the Public Safety Bureau coming online as Kaisei folded her arms. Could this man be even sane to consider how vast her intellect is, only to compare her with a woman who found freedom within the system which desired control over life?

"It matters not." Her…friend knew how to frustrate her so. Yet despite it, there was no room for hesitation. If needed, Kaisei would do her best to serve mostly her interest, however this planned game might amuse her for once. Not remotely smiling at that thought, Kaisei opened the folder again, glancing at the youthful face with long white hair.

"I wonder too, how will you deal with this new threat to your obscurity, Makishima Shougo?"

End

Author's notes: Welcome back to Unity's Creed Sibyl! This is the latest chapter in a long time since my assignments have kept me busy, but it is done!

I thank you guys for sticking through this story, and having to wait so long for this eventual release of the new chapter.

So, there's not much to say apart from having this chapter as the break which will introduce the lovable maniac asymptomatic criminal Makishima Shougo and his posse. Until then, stay tuned for more Unity's Creed Sibyl.