Chain of Command

Mika snaps to attention at the Interpol agents. Beside her, Tomomi hastily wipes cream from her mouth with her sleeve and scrambles to her feet, doing her best to appear formal despite her current haphazard attire.

“Inspector Bradshaw of Interpol.” His gruff voice carries the weight of authority as he gestures to his companion, who leans casually against the wall. “This is Agent Stoner. Corporal Hayashi mentioned you had confiscated something of interest.”

Mika glances briefly at Touma, sharing a knowing look. Touma quickly averts her gaze, frustrating Mika. She returns her attention to Bradshaw. “Yes. A storage chip—”

“Officer Shinkawa cornered the suspect to the top of New World Tower,” Touma interjects, “where he attempted to discard the storage chip. It was recovered by our Enforcement teams on the ground.”

“And the suspect?” Bradshaw asks.

“Dead.”

Bradshaw scratches his stubble thoughtfully as his gaze settles on Mika. “I see. What did you find?”

“It appears to be a partial algorithm for a chemical compound,” Touma continues. “The data is incomplete, suggesting there must be another part somewhere. My analyst here, Ms. Hikibi, will need to manually verify the contents we're able to uncover.”

On cue, Tomomi rolls her chair to the analysis station and rotates the holoscreen toward the men. Bradshaw leans in to study the display, while Ray, seemingly uninterested, wanders the room, inspecting the lab equipment out of boredom.

As Ray approaches Tomomi's makeshift living space, she leaps from her chair. “H-hey, d-don't go there!” She positions herself between him and her personal area, arms spread wide like an impenetrable barrier.

“Is that not the lab?” Ray asks, one eyebrow raised.

Ray raises an eyebrow but steps back, returning to his spot by the door. Tomomi exhales heavily and scurries back to her rolling chair, muttering under her breath.

Touma continues. “…We are only able to scan for individual words that are intact in the raw data available.”

“Anything of note?” Bradshaw queries.

“Nothing… substantial yet. Ms. Hikibi is still scanning the datastream. We've only found a reference to a… what was it? A certain compound.”

Mika chimes in. “Hexafluoroborate, or HFB. Usually used for electroplating. But given the algorithm's complexity, it seems it’s for a whole new application.”

“Ah. You know your chemicals.” Bradshaw remarks, impressed.

“Graduated with a materials science degree, sir.” She catches Touma's eye again. Got some thunder back.

“I see. If you find anything else, be sure to contact me.” Bradshaw steps forward, producing a metallic Interpol card bearing his details.

Mika turns the card over in her hands. “A business card? Haven’t seen one of these in years.”

Bradshaw chuckles. “I’m a little old-fashioned in some ways.” He nods at Touma. “Thanks for your time.”

Ray maintains his silence, but his gaze fixes on Mika with newfound interest.

Touma raises his hand in a crisp salute. “Of course. Let me walk you out.”

“Icarus.”

Tomomi's voice, barely louder than the ambient buzzing of the lab electronics, freezes everyone in their tracks.

She wilts under their collective stares, but she shakes it off and continues. “T-the data header. Has another full word: Icarus.”

“Icarus, you say?” Bradshaw's demeanor shifts at the word.

Ray suddenly advances on Mika with intensity in his eyes. “Officer Shinkawa. What did the suspect say to you?” His voice remains eerily calm despite his actions.

Mika’s eyes widen and she leans back slightly, caught off guard. “Something... about Pandora's Box being open. And a phrase. Vertus... Vertus...”

“Virtus Per Ignem?” Ray's tone carries an edge of concern that contrasts sharply with his usual deadpan delivery.

She nods.

Bradshaw lets out a hearty chuckle. “Never doubt The Madame's intuition, Ray.”

A slight frown crosses Ray's features as he steps back to Bradshaw's side.

Bradshaw turns to Touma. “The Twelve Eyes Organization is pleased with what your team has uncovered.”

“Thank you,” Touma bows deeply. “It's always a pleasure to work with the Council.”

“Wait, what?” Mika speaks up, confused.

“Interpol will be taking over,” Touma declares. “Be sure to hand over all data and the chip once you've completed the analysis.”

“Wait a minute, I wanted to investigate this,” Mika protests.

“The scope is now out of your jurisdiction,” Touma snaps back.

“Ma'am,” Bradshaw interjects smoothly, “this case concerns the World Council.”

“Corporal,” Mika pleads while her eyes turn to Touma.

But Touma pays it no mind. “Shinkawa is our best officer,” he explains to Bradshaw in his own words, “she was hoping for a promotion for potentially solving the case.”

“So why haven't you promoted her?” Bradshaw inquires. “She ran down a high-value suspect single-handedly. Any department could use an officer like her.” He turns to Mika. “I'll make sure you get commended for your efforts.”

Frustration evident, Mika snaps a quick salute before pushing past the men and out the door, deliberately bumping Touma's shoulder on her way out.

Ray's eyes follow her departure, tracking her until she disappears around the corner.

“Excuse me,” Ray says to the two men and leaves, following her path down the stairs to the first floor.

After a brief search through the department labyrinth of administrative offices and rows of desks with holoscreen monitors, he passes by the armory's open door and finds Mika inside.

She sits at one of the workbenches nestled between rows of weapon lockers, focused on maintaining her katana. The blade, forged from polished tamahagane steel, and the hilt, featuring white carbon-fiber ergonomic components seamlessly integrated into its traditional wrapping, glints under the bright blue-white lights of the room. She twists it slightly, inspecting her work in the mirror finish of the blade.

Mika catches Ray's reflection as he approaches from behind, his figure almost completely undistorted in the extremely polished steel.

“That’s a nice piece.” Ray examines the meticulous workmanship of the intricately carved hilt.

Mika spares him only a brief, cold glance before returning to her work.

“Considering how old the blade is, it actually should be retired in a museum.”

“I thought The Council banned private ownership of all offensive blades in East Asia.”

“Mine’s an heirloom. A relic from my grandfather. He said it’s been used to protect the Shinkawa family for generations. Since I joined Enforcement, I was able to transfer one of the few carry licenses for private swords from him to me.”

“And you use his relic on duty?”

“It's special. Feels better than all the standard-issue crap we’re given. They just don't make things like they used to.”

“I'm impressed that it's held up for so long.”

“If I take care of it like I was taught, he told me it should last another thousand years.”

Mika runs her fingers along the edge, testing its sharpness. Satisfied, she slides it back into its sheath and sets it neatly on the table, aligning it perfectly with her maintenance kit. But the satisfaction fades quickly from her expression, concern crossing her face.

“Still thinking about it?” Ray asks.

Mika leans back slightly, exhaling with a sigh. “Can’t stop. My brain’s full of questions. Partial, encrypted plans for… something. Something big.” She pauses with a tone of resignation in her voice. “But I guess I'll never know. It's fine. I'll just be stuck at the bottom, being the ace patrol officer.”

“Is this really just about a little promotion? Climb your way up into the United Army like everyone else?”

Mika looks dead at him in the eye. “You know what the worst part of patrol is? Watching the same patterns emerge, over and over. There’s only so much I can do in one neighborhood.”

Ray studies her with newfound interest.

“Ray.” A sharp tapping on the doorframe announces Bradshaw's presence.

“Yes, Inspector?”

“We got a call. A scene to investigate,” Bradshaw announces. “And Officer Shinkawa, Ms. Hikibi informed us she’ll keep the chip until her analysis is complete. When she’s done, give me a call with what you find.”

“Thank you, Inspector.”

“Ray, let's go.”

“Wait,” Ray's stops Bradshaw with his interjection. “I think we should have Enforcement escort us.” He turns to Mika. “Officer Shinkawa. Are you coming?”

Mika blinks in surprise. “What?”

“Can you escort us to the crime scene?”

Mika's eyes light up before she quickly resuming her determined, professional expression.

She quickly snaps in her chest rig and attaches her katana at her side. “This way, gentlemen.”

Mika leads Ray and Bradshaw out of the armory toward the front entrance. An Enforcement squad car pulls up and waits outside on the curb.

Suddenly, Touma bursts out the front of the building.

“Shinkawa! Where are you going?” he demands.

“Escorting our guests.”

“I have you on two patrol shifts already!”

“Then get someone else.”

“Under whose authority?”

“Mine,” Bradshaw interjects, “I prefer to be under the protection of your top officer.”

Touma stands speechless as Mika flashes him a wink and playfully sticks out her tongue before sliding into the driver's seat.

Inside, Mika places her wrist on the dashboard, which immediately illuminates with a soft blue glow.

“Scanning… Verified. Officer Mika Shinkawa,” the automated voice confirms.

The display comes to life, showing a detailed map marked with the locations of all Enforcement officers and vehicles in the Osaka prefecture. Mika taps in a dense cluster of activity in the industrial district.

The car chimes melodiously as it pulls out of its parking spot, merging smoothly into traffic. At the first red light, it comes to a perfect stop.

“This is taking too long,” Ray shifts restlessly in the passenger seat.

Hearing the low remark, Mika flicks the speed setting from “Standard” to “Emergency” on the dashboard. Traffic lights ahead flash green in sequence, creating a clear path through the congested streets.

The squad car blares its sirens as it suddenly surges forward, dodging traffic, rushing towards the crime scene.