Fresh Eyes

Koba Chemical Supply Distribution Facility  //  Yodogawa Industrial District, Osaka

Mika's patrol car pulls up to the crime scene with its lights and sirens blaring. The morning sun hangs in a hazy sky, but its light barely reaches the warehouse. The squat building lies in the perpetual shadow of towering manufacturing facilities that surround it. The warehouse’s corrugated steel dully reflects the emergency lights from the gathered Enforcement vehicles. It’s bay doors is marred by a giant hole—the tell-tale sign of forced entry.

Two nearby Enforcement officers mutter among themselves as she exits her vehicle.

“Hey, it's the star officer.”

“What is she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be on patrol?”

“She probably pulled a 'favor' with the Corporal. Trying to get ahead of everyone.”

“Seriously?”

“I heard those two are...”

“Officer Shinkawa, reporting in.” Mika approaches the two gossiping officers, cutting their conversation short. She ignores their comments but gives them with a hard glare to make sure they know she heard their little conversation. “Who's in command here?”

“Sarge is over there.” One of them points vaguely at a tall, intimidating woman with short hair. Mika gives a curt nod and moves to greet the commanding officer.

“Sergeant Nambu.” Mika cranes her neck and salutes her superior.

Sergeant Eiko Nambu waves off the two officers she was talking to earlier. She has a tall, muscular figure that she meticulously maintains. She could snap any one of the cadets in half just by staring at them the right way.

“Ah, Touma's star officer,” she says, her voice carrying a deep tone, “At ease. What brings you here?”

“I'm escorting esteemed guests of the Council.”

“Moving up in the world, huh?”

“Not fast enough, ma'am. Permission to investigate the area.”

“And why would you need to do that?”

Bradshaw and Ray follow up behind Mika.

“Because Interpol requests it,” Bradshaw says firmly.

“Twelve Eyes,” Nambu says with subtle distain. “Now I get it. Is this why you got half my department out here? What's this all about?”

“That's on a need-to-know basis, ma'am.”

“You guys stick your nose in when it's convenient, yet don't tell us shit.”

“Only when it involves the whole world.”

“Permission to enter, ma'am,” Mika interjects.

“Only the globetrotters. You stay back.”

“I can't escort these two if I stay outside.”

Nambu glares at the two Interpol agents.

“We need her,” Ray states simply.

Sergeant Nambu huffs and pushes open the metal gate surrounding the compound. “You got 15 minutes. I'm trying to wrap it up here.”

Mika salutes her superior and leads the two men inside the crime scene.

They enter the cordoned-off Distribution Warehouse. Inside, servos whirring echo in the cavernous space as bipedal robots methodically move and rearrange boxes that were toppled over, replacing them neatly on the rows of metal shelving.

White outlines of several bodies mark the floor in the corner of the warehouse, starkly indicating the number of lives lost. Ray pulls out handheld device that scans areas of interest.

“Officer Shinkawa. What do we got?” Mika says as she approaches Investigator Tanaka, who's reviewing images on his tablet. Despite being in his mid-thirties, his forensics coat and scanning visor give him the rigid bearing of an old-school bureaucrat.

Tanaka glances at Mika with barely concealed distain. “Osaka's patrol dog? What are you doing here?”

Mika sighs, clearly tired of the shit she’s been getting. “If you don't like me barking, then you sure won't like my bite.” She flicks her katana partially out of its sheath with her thumb.

The investigator winces, then notices Ray and his Interpol jacket approaching from behind Mika.

“What do you got?” Ray’s tone is curt.

Tanaka relents and points his tablet edge at one of the outlines on the ground. The tablet projects 3D recreations of the crime scene in all its bloody detail.

“Industrial robbery. Happened at five past three in the morning. Loading bay was cut open. Thieves didn't bother with the highly secured employee access doors. Entire pallets of chemicals were stolen. Any potential witness was killed.”

“What did they take?”

“Nitric acid. Cerium oxide.”

This perks up Ray's attention. He bites his thumb in thought.

“Supplier was running out of stock of these two chemicals, so not much was stolen. We assume they loaded it in a truck, but security footage was corrupted for the majority of the robbery.”

“How convenient,” Ray mutters.

“You’d think this was done by professionals,” the investigator continues. “But their execution seems messy. Armed security guards were killed, seemingly strangled to death by some sort of wire.”

“Strangled them from behind? Cowards.” Mika remarks.

“Well, that's the thing. Their swords were unsheathed. They were fighting when they were strangled.”

The hologram zooms in.

“Look at the deep impressions on the neck. And cuts along the jawline. Also, this.”

Tanaka shows an image of an enlarged sewing needle stuck into one of the murdered security guard's eyes like a pincushion.

“Jesus,” Bradshaw blurts out.

Ray kneels down beside the projected outline, scanning the magnified image of the needle. “That's too big to be any kind of needle,” he ponders. “Likely custom-machined. Precision weapon.”

Mika glances at the 3D recreation again. “So amateur or professional?”

“A psycho,” Ray replies grimly.

“Would you like to share who?” Tanaka asks as he shuts off the projected hologram.

“A person of interest,” Bradshaw says carefully.

Tanaka scoffs. “So you don’t actually know. What does the Council have you for?”

“These murders match a pattern,” Bradshaw adds, his voice carrying weight. “That's all you need to know.”

Tanaka straightens. “With all due respect, if there's a serial killer in my jurisdiction—”

“There isn't.” Bradshaw's tone cuts through any further protest. He reaches into his coat and produces a card. “Send us all evidence you have.”

“Including the security footage.” Mika adds.

The investigator scoffs in annoyance. “Already went through it. Nothing useful after the corruption, but sure.” He tosses Bradshaw a holotape.

“You all done here?” Sergeant Nambu steps in, “I’ve got a lot of paperwork to go through.”

“We’re just leaving.” Bradshaw says.

“Thank you for your time.” Ray holsters his scanning device.

Mika salutes the Enforcement officers as she escorts the two Interpol agents back through the perimeter.

As they walk back out towards their cruiser, Ray breaks the silence. “I don’t trust they went through everything.”

“Me neither,” Mika agrees. “There might still be something in the footage.”

“You think so? Then you can take a look at it.”

Mika stops, turning to him. “Are you saying…”

Bradshaw’s weathered face cracks a smile as he hands the holotape to Mika. “Welcome to the investigation, Officer Shinkawa.”