Justice at Delphi - The Fall of Sibyl

Chapter 19

Society bristles with enigmas which look hard to solve. It is a perfect maze of intrigue.

-Honore de Balzac

Akane stood outside the MWPSB, gazing up at the towering structure. Dark clouds, heavy with rain, hung low in the sky. Her feet felt like lead. All she wanted to do was see Kogami. Feel his arms around her. Bask in that warm expression in his eyes. She sighed. It was a selfish desire. One she couldn't afford. If she didn't go inside, nothing would change. That's what she wanted right? Change. It was too late to back out now anyway.

You're not alone anymore. She reminded herself.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her leaden feet and headed inside. The chill of the building's AC sent a shiver down her spine as she entered the CID floor. Everything was exactly as she left it. Administrators rushing to and fro. Phones ringing. The typical hum of activity...the same as the day she'd left. Everything was the same...except for her. Today would put in motion the events she'd been planning for over a year.

"Tsunemori!"

Akane almost jumped at the sound of Ginoza's voice. It had been years since he was her senior inspector, but the harsh tone in his voice took her back to the old days. It was startling and oddly reassuring. She turned to find him striding down the hall. There was a stormy expression on his face. That was definitely familiar. She sensed she was in for a lecture.

"Hello, Ginoza. How are--"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. He wrapped his hand around her arm and hustled her past the Division 1 office. "We need to talk." His voice was strained and cold.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she noticed he took care to block her from view as they passed. Had something happened? Had they already been found out? Had Kogami been caught? Panic bloomed.

"About what?" She answered, trying to sound casual. She could barely hear over the sound of her racing heart.

Ginoza narrowed his eyes at her as he ushered her into the elevator. He savagely punched the button for the roof level. "About what you've been up to lately."

Akane plastered a confused smile on her face. "Why would I be up to something? I just got back from vacation."

He arched a brow. "It's what you were doing on your vacation that concerns me." His eyes were cool. His stare reproving.

Akane knew him well enough now to know his hostility was a smoke screen. He was afraid.  Shoving away her instinctive fear for Kogami, she forced herself to focus on the present. If anyone knew about Kogami's presence in Japan and the role she'd played, she doubted she could have made it to the CID floor without being detained. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the elevator wall as it rose. "Something happened while I was gone." A statement rather than a question.

"You could say that."

The elevator pinged. They'd made it to the roof. He led the way to the courtyard. It was the most privacy one could get within the ministry walls. Growing impatient and worried, Akane snapped. "Will you stop being cryptic and just tell me what's going on?"

"Performance evaluations."

Akane snorted. "That's it? Ginoza that's hardly--"

"You don't understand! This is different. For starters, evals aren't due for inspectors for another six months."

She frowned. He was right. It was different. The ministry ran like clockwork. Deviations like this were rare.

"If that's not enough. The kind of questions they've been asking enforcers about their inspectors is...strange." He shook his head, staring out over the city. "It's like they're fishing for something specific. On top of that, they started evaluations right after you left."