Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"Yakedo! Why did you hit that boy?" asked a worried and distressed woman. Her voice was smooth, warm, and tired, but she tried not to show that.

"He started it!" replied the upset child emotionally. "He laughed at the color of my hair… and at the fact that we live alone…"

"…I told you those weren’t reasons to hit anyone." Her voice shifted hearing her son's words. She tried to nullify her anger and own emotions to focus on her child. "Remember, to me, you're perfect. Do you really care what some brats think? To me, you'll always be beautiful, sweet little boy, and that won't change. But it can't happen again, okay? Violence is not the answer, Yakedo … Yakedo …"

"Yakedo?" the voice he had heard before slowly changed. Previously, it had been feminine and familiar, pleasant to the ear and evoking nostalgia, and afterwards, it slowly transformed into a hoarse, low, masculine one. The previous one had had a hint of fatigue to it, whereas the current one was filled to the brim with it.

Yakedo became aware of his surroundings and the situation. He was sitting in the police car. In his hands, there was a pistol, which he had been staring at for an unknown amount of time, as if in a trance. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, further motivating him to regain full awareness. Drops slowly fell onto the metal of the weapon, forming a river flowing down the barrel and into the fabric of his pants.

"Yakedo! Are you even listening to me, kiddo, or has the stress eaten away your brain?"

"What? Yes... Yes, I'm listening..."

"Bullshit. Focus." Dan concluded, sitting behind the wheel of a patrol car. His eyes were focused on the road. He easily passed other cars, driving with his siren on and red and blue lights blaring. He was not completely calm, but his focus definitely outweighed stress, which was probably the result of years of experience. "Get ready. Check your equipment. However, given how much you've been staring at that gun, you should know the dimensions of its every tiny component by heart."

"Everything has been checked and works properly." Yakedo replied nervously.

"Okay. One rule: Do as I say and you'll survive, okay? We're almost there."

They had just arrived. After finishing his statement, Dan was already starting to park amidst several more police cars and an ambulance, forming a barricade blocking the way for anyone entering or exiting. The streets and building walls were tinged with blue and red hues, illuminated by the vehicles' rotating lights. There were also onlookers nearby, though far fewer than during typical police operations, likely due to the high level of danger in the area and a mentally unwell man with a gun being just on the other side of the police barricade.

People involuntarily gathered in small groups, creating tiny crowded areas, while at the same time still keeping a safe distance. Various people were standing there. One could see employees from nearby factories, or those working in the currently closed area. There were random strollers, people going shopping, as well as students returning from or heading to school. Sometimes, there was a man in a suit, sometimes an elderly woman with a cane, sometimes - judging by long black hair peeking out from under a dark hood - a slim, short girl. All of them were simply trying to see what was happening behind the police barricade.

It was unclear if anyone had made it to the other side of the barrier. Only silence awaited there. The entire area was just an ordinary, small-town street typical for that part of the capital. It was not a wealthy metropolis, filled with lights and shops the size of apartment buildings, teeming with pedestrians walking the streets from dawn to dusk. It rather resembled one of poor suburban streets, crowded with isolated houses where people rarely passed and where everyone knew everyone else. The now-closed street was somewhere between the two. It was a route used by those from the city center to visit someone and by those from the suburbs - when they had to shop at specific stores that were not present in their area. In addition to smaller residential buildings, workplaces, and gas stations, there were also shops and hotels. The closed area encompassed a short, straight road, with only the wall of a building on the left, the entrance to which was likely on the other side.

On the right side of the street, four buildings were situated right next to each other. The first one, being the closest to the side from which Yakedo and Dan had arrived, was a local grocery store, probably of the size of a single aisle of a large mall store. Next, there was a jewelry store, which had suffered the most visible damages over time, with broken windows and a completely destroyed entrance door. Right next to it, one could spot a butcher's shop, with only minor bullet holes visible. Finally, at the far end of the barricade, there was a watchmaker's shop, which showed no signs of damage. Between each of these buildings, there were narrow alleys leading behind the shops to a single, larger alley, from which there was no other exit, as on the other side of the buildings was a concrete wall several meters high, beyond which was only a singular access to an overpass where cars were traveling at high speeds.

Just after parking the patrol car, which Dan had positioned to join the barricade, Yakedo was already getting ready to leave. He put his gun back in its holster and unbuckled his seatbelt, but before he could pull the door handle, Dan stopped him.

"Wait. Don't come out yet. Now, I have to get ready." After pulling the keys out of the ignition, Dan reached into the back pocket of his pants. He pulled out a small plastic bag containing red powder of there.

"What is this?" Yakedo asked as Dan placed the bag on the dashboard and crushed its content into even smaller pieces with his fist.

"What do you think? Candies for adults." he replied, pouring some of the powder next to the steering wheel. "Want some?"

"What?!"

"Your loss." Dan ignored Yakedo's outrage and bent down, facing the red powder. He plugged one nostril with his finger while inhaling the entire spilled drug with the other. As the substance entered his system, his entire body shuddered, causing him to slam his head against the top of his seat. His eyes squeezed shut as if they would never open again, his forehead creased, and his fists clenched to the point where the veins in his arms were visible. He remained in such a state for several seconds before letting go. "Oh fuck! It's a bit much for one time, but it doesn’t matter now."

"...Dan, what the fuck!?" Yakedo backed away in disgust.

"What?" Dan replied, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"We're about to go and risk our lives and you're getting high?!"

"Who's going to stop me? Believe me, if there was any other way to stay sane in this job, I wouldn't be doing that. If it weren't for that..." he said, talking about the half-full bag he put back into his pocket. "I would have ended up like that blond, schizophrenic paranoid girl a long time ago."

"Who?" Yakedo did not yet know that it was about Annie, whom he had only seen for a few minutes at the police station.

"She had to kill a kid, not a big deal. She's acting like some kind of victim, like it's the end of the world. I'm so fucking sick of her. Okay! Enough! Let's go!" Saying that, Dan got out of the patrol car, straightening his uniform as much as he could.

"How am I supposed to listen to him now, or even trust him?" Despite the thoughts constantly warring in his head, Yakedo also got out and followed the older policeman.

Two officers from the CD unit walked toward a barricade of patrol cars, where two other, inexperienced and young officers were standing, likely from the traffic police or other units whose specializations did not involve situations like that one, as it could be easily deduced from frightened and stressed expressions on their faces. Despite that, Dan ignored everything else and approached them with an outstretched hand and a visibly tired face. Yakedo, on the other hand, was more focused on the unseen threat on the closed street and merely listened to the conversation.

"What is the situation?" Dan began with professional confidence.

"We were ordered to block all possible escape routes and wait until the CD unit arrives." the junior policeman replied in a hurry.

"Victims?"

"Two civilians injured plus a security guard."

"Have you at least moved your asses from here?"

"What…?" the policeman stuttered, thinking that he had just misheard the sentence said to him.

"Do you know anything else?" Dan continued without pausing.

"...I think he's hiding at the jeweler's. At least that's what happened when we got here."

"Any hostages?"

"We don't know."

x"Fucking hell…" he muttered under his breath. He had enough, which was evident in his gaze and the hand running through his hair. "How do we know he won’t run away down the alley?"

"There is no chance. There's a wall on the other side. It’s too high and too flat for anyone to climb." replied the younger officer, growing increasingly frightened. At that point, he was more afraid of Dan than anyone on the other side of the barricade.

"How long has this been going on? Five, ten minutes? The longer we wait here, the more time we give him to come up with an escape plan. Again, does he have any hostages?"

"We don't know... I guess not."

Dan looked at both policemen as if questioning their intelligence, not to mention their competences. However, he decided not to waste time on unnecessary comments and with a sigh turned to Yakedo, nodding towards the closed street. "Yakedo, let's go!"

"Wait a minute! We were supposed to wait for the Controllers!" one of the policemen said.

Without turning to them, Dan simply waved goodbye, walking across the street with Yakedo. "At your fucking service."

The police officers deftly weaved between cars onto a small and disturbingly empty street. Aside from the signs of damage done to buildings, abandoned belongings and bags on the street, as well as headlights, nothing out of the ordinary was visible. There were no people, no danger. Dan, slightly hunched over and with his pistol drawn, hurriedly crept toward the entrance to the nearest alley. Behind him, Yakedo did the same, though less deftly, with less experience. Even though it was only just after noon, the moment they entered the narrow alley, it became as dark as during late evening.

"What about them?" Yakedo asked in a whisper. "Wouldn't it be better to go together, four, or at least three of us? After all, we don't know where the threat is or what he might do."

"Those idiots would only get in our way. They are youngsters your age, they have probably been just recruited. I'm already risking enough by trusting you. I was thinking about going alone, but you might be able to be of some use to me."

All the way down the alley, Dan aimed his gun at the other end. His eyes were focused intently, his gaze not leaving the crosshairs for even a second. Every step he took was confident and decisive. The alley was filthy and littered with trash. Stains of vomit and feces covered every wall, together with empty bottles and cans of various alcoholic beverages, some being still full, but most being already broken. Occasionally, a rat scurried underfoot, but even that could not shake the officers' concentration. As they approached the other end of the alley, they hugged their backs to the left wall as a makeshift cover, Dan first and then Yakedo.

The back yard of the grocery store they entered was strangely empty and undeveloped. Only garbage cans or full bags were placed beside them. Just opposite the alleyway exit, there was the wall mentioned earlier. It was about five meters high and had no dents or bulges, just some colorful graffiti on its various sections. The back of the store they were in and the back of the jewelry store were separated only by a simple wire fence, about two meters high, which they could easily climb over. On the other side of the fence, the jewelry store stood eerily quiet. It was supposedly where danger lurked.

Still whispering, Dan ordered Yakedo to cover him as he crossed the fence. He tried to make every move as quietly and quickly as possible, but the fence did not make it easy for him. Meanwhile, Yakedo carefully examined every nook and cranny of the road on the other side of the fence, every door, every window, every trash can, and every roof. The factory building they were entering resembled a two-floor apartment building with small windows, which posed the greatest threat. In less than a minute, both officers were on the other side, ready to jump into action.

The back window of the establishment, which from the inside offered a view onto the area behind the building, was broken. Only then did Yakedo realize that he had been hearing a burglar alarm blaring from inside for some time.

"You stay here." Dan ordered whispering.

"What? Why?"

"Because there's only two of us. I'll go inside and try to subdue him. I doubt it'll work just like that, because he's been there a long time, so he's probably bunkered down somehow or has an escape plan in mind. He only has two options. Either he runs out the front, where the police officers are constantly watching the area, or, more likely, he runs out the back. He'll probably jump out of there." He pointed to the window, one floor above them. "But he won't expect you waiting for him here. Stay here, keep an eye on the area, and when you get the chance, stop him. If you can't, you have permission to shoot. Forget about warning shots. It's best to shoot in the legs, but realistically, anyone would forget about that, so shoot in the torso, as long as you survive. Okay, I'm going."

"Wait!" Yakedo stopped him with visible hesitation. "What if I do something to him? If I shoot or… kill him?"

"If so, then what?"

★

"And that’s how I came up with my brilliant idea to create this Neon Baton!" Metal proudly concluded.

Many hours had passed since the three new recruits had been separated and assigned temporary partners. Both Yakedo and Mirai had long since departed for the field with their partners, but Same, who had been assigned to Metal, hadn't even left his room in all those hours. For all that time, the long-haired man had been continuing his endless monologue, ignoring the blond man, to whom he was – at least in a sense - speaking. For a long time, Same had been unable to bring himself to listen to him due to the constantly changing topics only Metal could understand and the deafening music blaring from every corner of the room. All that time, he had merely nodded innocently, to the point where nodding his head hurt his neck.

"My head hurts so much I can't stand it. How can he sit here all day? I've been sitting here for hours and I already feel like I'm going crazy due to that loud music. I thought he'd realize I practically couldn't hear his story over the noise. Maybe if I hadn't nodded so stupidly the whole time, he would have realized. Wait a minute..."

Despite the constant brainstorm the blonde man engaged in within his head, silencing both the music and the man sitting in front him in his own mind, for a very brief moment, Same's attention was grabbed by one large, yet in fact rather small, detail. For a moment, when Metal, lost in his endless story, turned his head toward the blond man, his hair was pulled back by the sudden movement and fell behind his ears. It left the mechanic's ears exposed. What surprised Same were not the piercings that circled his ears. Nor were they the disturbing markings and symbols on the piercings and the tattoo that ran from the side of his face to his neck. What surprised the blonde man the most was very small, pushed deep into his earholes.

"No... Not a chance. Are those...? Does he wear EARPLUGS?!"

Same did not have enough time to process that revelation properly as a loud bang erupted from behind him. For a change, that time it wasn't music or another automatic machine. It was the door, opened by commander Gara Hebi in his classic style. However, his face was missing the smile he had made a part of his appearance. Gara-Gara's expression surprised both Same and Metal, who had known the commander for years. Gara merely nodded to the young man pointing to the door and then left. As ordered, Same left and closed the massive door behind him.

"Has something happened?"

The commander did not respond. He slowly walked to the nearest window, as if ignoring the young cadet. The colorful sweater with the "Chief #1" words on it that he had been wearing all day and the comical beard that stuck out like a horn did not match the gravity of the situation. He took off his sunglasses and placed them on the windowsill. It took him a long time to find the right words. By that time, he had already frowned and rubbed his forehead several times. Finally, without turning away from the window, he spoke to Same.

"Get ready. You're about to go on a field mission."

"What? Why?" Same asked, surprised. "I mean… not that I’m protesting, I’m just curious - why the sudden change?"

Same had not expected the answer Gara-Gara provided. His pupils dilated and a cold shiver spread deep beneath his skin. Three words. That was all it took to bring him to that state.

"But… How so?" he stuttered.

"I don't know. The second duo is on their way. You should be there too. Aiden will drive you."

"Aiden …?" Same repeated spontaneously, still in shock.

A new man approached the two interlocutors. He was tall and slim, but characterized by a relatively muscular appearance. Aside from his police uniform, the same one almost everyone else wore, he also wore the hood of a sweatshirt tucked underneath. Dark, unkempt hair peeked out from under the hood and spread out in all directions, obscuring parts of his face. His green eyes, almost glowing and contrasting with the shadows of the hood and hair, were easily visible through the gaps between his hair. His eyelids were naturally squinted. One could also notice dark circles under his eyes. His face was clean-shaven and wrinkle-free, most likely because he rarely showed emotion. He had long arms, ending with hands tucked into his pockets. He appeared young, only a few years older than Same, although his unkempt appearance added a few years to his appearance and hindered his considerable natural good looks.

"Aiden, take him to the location." Gara-Gara ordered. "And you, Same, take care of this."

"Yes, sir…" Same replied quietly, then turned to the new policeman. "Thank you."

In response Aiden just rose his hand in greeting, with his face as neutral as a rock.

★

Some time had passed since Annie set off on her incredible journey to find cigarettes at the local supermarket, leaving Mirai in the police car. Mirai waited in a lonely, small parking lot in the middle of the peaceful city. She was incredibly bored. It was definitely not how she imagined her first day on the job. A whole day spent either sitting at the police station or in a police car. However, when she thought about it, she did not even know what she had expected. So far, her greatest entertainment was watching people walk by, cars pass by, or birds fly by. People came and go from the store. Time passed slowly and peacefully.

Mirai was already preparing for Annie's return, but she still hadn't come back. From her limited experience, Mirai already knew that Annie had the tendency to procrastinate, whether it was while showering or during any other activity. Even so, the young woman began to wonder if something had happened. Perhaps she should go out and make sure everything was alright. Only then did the new officer notice that people had stopped coming out of the mall for several minutes.

Suddenly, a hooded, slender, and feminine figure burst out from behind the door, closely followed by Annie. Even though she usually looked and acted quiet and slow no matter what, she started running, full of strength and energy. Professional and focused, like a predator stalking its prey. Before Mirai could do anything, the woman, with the policewoman behind her, ran into the nearest alleyway between the houses. They both disappeared from view. Still sitting in the police car, Mirai was surprised and unable to move.

"What the hell!?"

Only then did she unbuckle her seatbelt and gave chase. With a wave of her hand, she closed the door behind her. The young cadet ran through a small parking lot, between parked cars and passing people, until she finally reached the alley, but there was no trace of the women they had just passed by.

"Mirai! Wake up!" Annie’s voice could be heard through Mirai’s walkie-talkie strapped to her chest.

"I'm here! Where to go?" Mirai replied as quickly as she could.

"Right off the street! The suspect is running along Rose Street."

"Rose …" the girl repeated. "Right… "

She quickly ran along the building and onto the street that crossed her path. Glancing to her left, Mirai could briefly see Annie running into another alley, to the right that time. However, it was several dozen meters along the street from where the girl was standing. Before she could reach that spot, the pursuit would have long since moved elsewhere. Mirai briefly tried to work out a solution, a path, or something that would help catch the criminal.

Finally, she spotted a ladder leading to the roof of one of the houses. Fueled by adrenaline, Mirai decided to follow that path, hoping to somehow reach the other side. After all, the set of apartment buildings Annie was now running along stretched in every direction, offering escape in all directions, with the slight difficulty being jumping over fences separating the buildings from one another. Mirai made her way through the streets, finally leaping onto the ladder.

"Annie! I have an idea!"

"I hear you."

"Tell me exactly which way you're going and warn me before every turn! Trust me!"

"Okay. So far we’re going straight."

"Straight..."

Fortunately, Mirai had an innate knack for navigation and orientation, as well as a remarkable memory. Hearing a given direction once was enough, and even in a new, unfamiliar location, she could mentally plot the fastest route to her destination. It was how, upon reaching the flat roof, she could deduce where the other two were running. Deducing that Annie was running straight ahead, even though it was to the right relative to Mirai's position, she set off in that direction.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself rhetorically.

"Left after the second house!" Annie informed over the walkie-talkie.

"Remind me, why can't you just use a taser?"

"I left it in the car…" she replied awkwardly.

"Uh-huh… Any reinforcements? Another police car?"

"Out of the question. Our department is already disliked, so I'd rather not make things worse by calling for help for something as simple as catching a supermarket thief."

"I guess it's better than her running away. And judging by how things are going, it's very likely."

"That's why we can't let it happen. A few fences and she'll be back on the street! Think fast, kiddo!" Annie ended the conversation to focus on the chase.

That's when the real adrenaline kicked in. Without much thought, Mirai took a running start and leapt onto the roof in front of her. The gap was not large, so jumping over it was not a problem and the potential fall was not serious enough to be life-threatening, but the risk was still there. Only after a moment did Mirai realize what she had done and how careless and reckless it had been. After another second, she remembered she had to do that again, that time - on the roof to her left. The upcoming attempt, however, would not be so easy. The previous two roofs had flat surfaces, whereas the next one was steep and uneven, made of ceramic tiles rather than flat blocks.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the female criminal running through the courtyard, alongside the building the roof of which Mirai intended to jump onto. Meanwhile, Annie tried to run through all the obstacles thrown at her, but she could not catch up. Mirai had to act before the criminal ran out into the street again, where she could disappear from sight or escape by car. No matter what, in such a situation, Mirai would be stuck on the roof. Before she could get down, it would be over, while Annie would have to continue through the courtyards, which were full of obstacles made of ordinary objects. In any case, it had to end there and then.

Mirai jumped again, but that time through the slippery surface and uneven, steep terrain, sliding down the roof. She fell hard on her left side and back onto the roof tiles, which caused her to lose her breath. She tried to grab onto something, but to no avail. She could not move the aching arm she landed on and her right arm alone was powerless. All she could do was to slide down toward her inevitable fall. At the same time, Annie had just entered the same yard as the escapee, who was already starting to climb the fence. She had already started to cross over, was at the top of the fence, and everything indicated that she was about to escape the row of buildings. Just above them, Mirai fell from the roof, but fortunately, she landed on a flimsy metal balcony. One of the supporting rails broke and fell under the weight of the impact. The only thing that saved Mirai from meeting the ground below was a simple barrier made of metal bars, with gaps underneath and in between.

As Mirai fell, her foot hit a bucket full of rainwater and knocked it through the gap between the ground and the railing. Cold water spilled onto part of the yard, including the fence where the fugitive was still standing. It soaked her hands, which were clinging to the fence, her legs, which were already dangling on the other side, and a large part of her hood. Her entire body was now on the street side and all she had to do was to let go and have a chance to escape. Suddenly, all the spilled water froze and turned to ice. Her hands and pants, which had come into contact with the wet fence, clung to the surface and froze in place. An entire icy trail followed the fence all the way to the source of the event. On the other side of the path, Annie's foot, standing still with a calm, confident gaze, came into contact with the water.

"Thanks, Mirai. Mission accomplished."

Halfway over the railing, Mirai just looked on in astonishment. "How…?"

"Ice control. Nothing difficult. Okay, you take care of getting down from there and I'll take care of our friend."

Some time later, after dealing with the shoplifter and sending her off to jail in another police car, it was becoming notably late. The two women were sitting in their own police car, the one they had arrived in that morning, still parked outside the earlier supermarket.

"So… How’s your arm?" Annie said in her classic, awkward style.

"I don't even feel anything anymore." Mirai replied, touching her left shoulder. "Such an unusual first day of work. I wonder how those two are doing."

"You known them long?"

"We actually met recently, at the end of the academy, when Gara-Gara called us because we had the best results of the year."

"Hmm… You seem very attached for someone who has only known them for a few days."

"Huh?! It's not like that!" Mirai said with embarrassment.

At that moment, Annie had to stop her due to a message coming from her walkie-talkie.

"Annie? Something happened…" Korinai informed in a worried voice.

★

A moment earlier.

"What a fucked up wierdo."

"Yeah." Just a few minutes earlier, Yakedo and Dan had entered the alley, and so far, not a sound could be heard from there. Only the young policemen, chatting among themselves while smoking, broke the ubiquitous silence. "Wait, didn't that old guy call the other one Yakedo?"

"I guess. So what?"

"Haven't you heard about some new guy who supposedly broke all the academy records? One hundred percent or something. What was his name? Yakedo … something."

"Yeah, yeah… There was someone like that. Mugen, maybe?"

"Yes! Yakedo Mugen. But if someone like him went there, it means there will be no more work for us. Let those two handle it."

"Yeah, you’re right! Wait…" the policeman, remembering Yakedo's name, recalled another fact through association. "And that Mugen… Yes! He was a Controller!"

"Really? Actually, that old guy said something weird at the end, like they were Controllers. It means they're the Control squad that was supposed to arrive. If so, then fuck them!"

"Exactly! Even if they die, it won't be a loss!" The euphoria among the two policemen was as intense as if they were discussing their favorite sports team's victory, not the death of another person. If they had had mugs of beer with them, they probably would have made a toast to that.

"Great!"

★

In the deserted jewelry store, Dan tried to move as quietly as possible. He knew he was alone, with Yakedo waiting outside. He was acting on his own. He crept along, accompanied by the burglar alarm and surrounded by glass and abandoned items. Despite the shattered windows, the expensive jewelry laid there untouched, within reach, in open cases, which surprised Dan. It pointed to the fact that the gunman's goal was not robbery. So why had he started shooting at passersby? Dan's theory of trying to scare people in the area to facilitate the robbery had just been ruled out. So why? Hundreds of thoughts and theories raced through the policeman's mind, but he deftly dismissed them, focusing solely on what was in front of him.

Walking through the main room of the jewelry store, Dan found a wooden door against one wall and behind it - a staircase leading to the upper floor. Due to the fact that the entire lower floor was an open-plan shop with no hiding space, it was easy to guess that the man was hiding upstairs. Dan slowly climbed the stairs, treading lightly and quietly, holding his pistol at the ready. When he reached the upper floor, he found a corridor with four doors, two on each side. Various cabinets, other furniture, paintings, and photos were also lined next to the walls. An old red rug was spread on the floor. At the very end of the corridor, he saw the window he had noticed when he and Yakedo had been still standing in the alley behind the building. The lights were off, so the only light entering that part of the building came through that window. Each wooden door appeared locked, or at least closed, though his intuition told him to be careful with the last one on the right. It was from behind that door that he had heard a faint rustling and mumbling. That was exactly why Dan was sure that his target was waiting behind this door.

The carpet effectively muffled the footsteps of the officer, who was approaching the source of the sounds with his gun constantly aimed at the door. However, even though he was certain of the criminal's location, Dan continued to look around, keeping his eyes fixed on each door, just in case he was mistaken. Unfortunately, he stepped onto a creaking floorboard that let out a loud squeak. Dan could only utter a quiet "Fuck!" before the door he was heading for burst open, falling off its hinges and slamming against the wall next to the window. The officer tried to quickly retreat to the stairs, but it was too late. He only managed to run through the first door on the left. From where the door had been just seconds ago, appeared a man in tattered clothes, bald or rather with his hair torn out, revealing a head full of bruises, hematomas, cuts, and dirt. His eyes were bloodshot, intoxicated, unaware. He just shouted: "DIE, YOU FUCKING DOG!" At the same time, he fired several bullets at the policeman, but luckily none of them hit the target. None of them even reached the door next to which Dan was hiding.

"Surrender, you piece of shit, and maybe you'll get a lighter sentence! Although I doubt you'll get anything less than life in prison!" Dan shouted from behind the cover of the other room.

"Fuck off!"

"Think about it, if you're even capable of doing something this hard! Even if you kill me, what's next? There's probably three more police cars on their way. Do you think you can handle them too? Five cops will barge in at once and you're done for. Are you in such a hurry to get to your grave?" His voice kept rising, growing louder, putting even more pressure on the enemy. "That's all if you manage to kill me, which I sincerely doubt. I'll tell you a secret. I'm not like other cops. I don't give a fuck about all these regulations. I only volunteer for this kind of work for one thing. You know why? So I can kill scum like you with impunity!" At this point, the criminal had long since stopped shooting and was now just trembling in the middle of the corridor. "Another secret. I'm high as fuck and you pissed me off. I can't control myself, so I advise you to FUCK OFF!" At the end of the whole speech, to drive his point home, Dan kicked the blank wall behind him with all his might, causing even more noise throughout the building.

The man was now even more terrified. He looked around the corridor, searching for something. Finally, he found a window behind him. He did not know where it led, much less that it was a trap prepared for him. Without much thought, he turned and, with a running start, jumped out, not thinking about the height or the glass in front of him.

"Everything goes according to plan! Now everything is in Yakedo's hands!"

Meanwhile, further down the alley, following Dan's orders, Yakedo lied in wait, tense, against one of the walls. No matter how much he had prepared, he would never be fully prepared for what was unfolding before his eyes. After hearing the gunshots and screams, Yakedo shifted into complete concentration, but he was still surprised when the terrifying-looking man actually jumped out the window. He fell to the ground and slammed into the concrete wall in front of him, making a loud, hollow sound. Yakedo drew his gun, but in an instant, all his courage vanished. "Halt! Police!" was all he could shout, though the cry ultimately sounded much weaker than Yakedo had anticipated. The man ignored him, quickly got up, picking up a glass bottle lying nearby and throwing it at the officer. Yakedo covered himself with his hands, and the bottle shattered against them. A sharp shard of glass pierced his wrist, causing him to howl in pain. Seizing the opportunity, the criminal decided to flee down an alleyway until he finally broke down the door to a butcher shop. Dan arrived shortly after. Seeing Yakedo’s wound, he could only utter "We don't have time for this! Follow me!" Left with no other choice, Yakedo ignored his wound and followed Dan.

After a moment, they both entered the open, freezing space of the cold storage room. Everywhere they looked, they were surrounded by huge carcasses of dead animals and pieces of meat hanging on hooks. The foul stench, along with the cold, hit the policemen, stopping them in their tracks for a moment. They knew they had to tread carefully amidst the maze of bloody flesh. Dan set out first. He slowly walked among the hanging meat, carefully observing each piece individually, but there were so many of them that it was practically impossible to notice everything. Yakedo followed, keeping a short distance due to his wound. They both searched for possible danger around them. In a place where sound was muffled, every step and every breath had to be cautious. They heard him. They knew he was in the room with them, but they did not know where. The sound of the footsteps of all three of them was lost among the hanging meat.

Suddenly, a piece of meat hanging in front of Yakedo was violently pushed aside and slammed into his side, leaving a trail of blood on his dark blue coat, knocking him to the ground. Dan turned towards him in an instant and immediately spotted his enemy. Years of experience had made the policeman's reaction faster than that of a normal person, allowing him to quickly pounce on his attacker before he could launch another attack. Dan grabbed him by the shirt and threw him against the wall with all his might. The enemy, however, quickly rose and shoved the hanging meat at Dan, knocking him to the ground. As he fell, Dan also dropped his pistol, which scraped against the damp tiles. Before he could reach it, he felt brutal kicks targeted at his stomach. A man stood over him. He stared at the policeman in blind rage, with bloodshot eyes and a maniacal gaze complementing his nearly toothless face. His entire clothing, torn, tattered, and soaked in dirt, gave off an almost blinding stench. With all the bruises, rashes, and wrinkles, it was impossible to accurately determine the man's age. He could be twenty, as well as sixty. He aimed his own gun at Dan's head.

Then…

A gunshot. Blood covered cold walls and floor. The flesh hanging around them was also stained with fresh blood. The loud bang of the gun disoriented Dan, but when he opened his eyes again, he saw the criminal's limp body slumped beside him. A small bullet hole pierced both sides of the man's skull. Dan turned toward the direction of the shot. There was Yakedo. He was shocked and terrified, with the gun still pointed straight ahead and smoke still billowing from the barrel.

"Oh fuck…" he said, almost in a whisper. "Oh fuck!" With each repetition, he was speaking louder and louder. He started screaming, overcame with terror. "Oh fuck! I… I killed him!" The gun he had been holding fell to the ground. It slipped from his shaking hands.

Dan assessed the situation. He slowly rose from the ground, picked up his weapon, and checked the man's pulse. There was none. Then he walked toward Yakedo. He almost missed him, but when he was at his side, he said dryly "Well done, you killed a man. Now get a grip and get your ass moving. Our job here isn't over yet."

He continued walking in the direction they had come from, but stopped at the door when he heard the sound of vomiting. He turned to Yakedo once more, looking at him without much emotion, but deep inside, he felt a mixture of regret and understanding.

"Go to the ambulance and get them to fix you up. You're off work today."

★

"Yakedo killed a man." Those three words still lingered in Same's mind, even after hearing them from chief Gara. He was riding in a police car with Aiden, whom he still did not know. The man had not said a single word since they started driving. After a dozen or so minutes, they arrived at the scene. The blue and red lights of police cars and ambulances greeted them with hostility, illuminating the area. Aiden and Same parked nearby. Behind them, they noticed another police car pulling up, from which Mirai and Annie got out a moment later. Same quickly approached the only person he knew. They both opened their mouths to say something, but ultimately, there was only silence. Their eyes met and they understood each other without words, knowing they had to find Yakedo somewhere and help him through his undeniable suffering. Approaching the crowd of vehicles, they noticed him standing by the open back of an ambulance. It was already evening outside.

"Remember, violence is never the solution."

"I know... I fucking know. But... I still did it. I killed him. I killed a man. Now I'm just like HIM! HE was trying to... But I did it to save Dan. ...But does that justify me in any way? Was that the only solution?" At that moment, Yakedo, lost in his thoughts, noticed Mirai and Same walking towards him. "What are they doing here? They can't see me like this! I was supposed to be their leader, damn it! They can't see me all shaken up and in tears! Get a grip, you idiot!" He wiped his face with his bandaged hand, smearing the tears and dirt. "I have to become stronger! I have to be tough, not just pretend to be! I have to become a real leader!"

"Yakedo, how are you holding?" Same asked worriedly.

"Fine…" he began, his voice breaking, but quickly corrected himself. "Fine. I’m alive."

"Is it true that…"

"Yes… I don't know why you came here, but I'm fine." Yakedo replied firmly. He pretended as if nothing was wrong. He hid his emotions and tried to focus on small, achievable tasks. "I don't know about you, but I'm going home." He quickly passed his crew and then their drivers. No matter how blatantly he lied, he could not hide his terrified eyes. Mirai wanted to say something, or at least follow him, but Annie grabbed her hand and nodded.

"Kid!" Dan cut in, coming from the opposite direction. "Get in that police car on the left!"

Yakedo got in obediently, too shocked to object. Perhaps he even unconsciously obeyed the order. Dan soon caught up with Annie and Aiden.

"I'll take him to the station and then home." suggested Annie.

"Aiden, take him to the station." Dan asked, ignoring the girl’s words.

"I said I would do it." the policewoman insisted.

"No!" Dan refused firmly and furiously. "You talk too much! The kid needs silence right now and Aiden, who barely talks, is better suited for that."

Aiden agreed silently and, at Dan's signal, left the policemen, heading towards the police car where Yakedo was already waiting.

★

For the next few days, Yakedo did not show up at the police station. Two officers, Same and Mirai, were beginning to suspect he might have even resigned, but Gara-Gara constantly denied that theory. Their few last days on the job had consisted of quiet patrols or handling paperwork at the station. Finally, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Three days after the incident involving the gunman Yakedo had been forced to kill, Mirai, just after finishing her shift, approached Same, who was just emerging from the locker room, already dressed in civilian clothes. She knew they both had the day off, which allowed her to put her plan into action.

"Same, come here for a moment."

"Is something wrong?" he asked, surprised after fulfilling the request.

"Are you free tomorrow too?" It was more of a statement of fact than a question.

"Yes…?" he replied uncertainly, not knowing what exactly she meant.

"I was thinking that since we both have the day off tomorrow, maybe we should visit Yakedo to see how he's doing."

"Oh… That's actually a good idea. But do you know where he lives?"

"...No. I didn't think about that." Mirai admitted embarrassed.

They did not know it yet, but their conversation was being overheard by receptionist Korinai, who suddenly joined them by jumping out from behind her desk. "Do you want to go to the handsome one?"

"To Yakedo." Mirai corrected her embarrassedly.

"Okay, I won't pretend I didn't hear your entire conversation. I can give you his address, but on one condition. I'm coming with you." she announced, smiling wickedly.

"Huh?!" the girl said, shocked, raising one eyebrow in surprise.

"Sure, no problem!" Same decided to deescalate the situation.

"Ha!" The secretary jumped up and down proudly, as if she had won a game show. She looked more like a child than a policewoman in her late twenties. "Okay, I'll check his address right away, you two go home. I'll meet you at the police station tomorrow at ten!"