Justice at Delphi - The Fall of Sibyl

Chapter 26

And as every spy knows, common enemies are how allies always begin.

-Ally Carter

Try as she might, Mika could not ignore Yayoi's censure. It weighed heavy on her heart. It was easier to blame Tsunemori for her current plight...for everything really, than it was to admit the truth. The blame lay with Sibyl. Surveilling private citizens, abusing the MWPSB for it's own gain, and ordering murders.  It was a hard truth to swallow, one she was not comfortable considering. From the moment she'd been shown the true nature of Sibyl, Mika had ignored the long term ramifications and focused only on the present. At the time, that had been the only option. If she wanted to survive, she had to make a choice. Choose she did.

But now, she wasn't so sure that choice had been the right one.

Their job was to protect people from latent criminals. Aoi Tsunemori's death was a direct violation of that directive. How many other innocent people had died to keep Sibyl's secret? How much blood had to be paid to maintain the public order? While Aoi Tsunemori's death could hang squarely on that monster Togane's shoulders, Mika's hands were not without blood.

How long would it be before Sibyl decided she was no longer useful? Would she too be a casualty?

She'd yet to turn up anything about Tsunemori that they didn't already know. Was Sibyl going to fabricate a reason to get rid of her? It wasn't as if there was no precedent for it. They'd once tried the same with Tsunemori. How safe was she really?

Mika jumped when Yayoi began her report. She focused on the screen as Yayoi gave them a rundown of the data they'd collected from the crime scene, Nana's apartment, and their interviews. 

"There were trace amounts of a sedative in her blood. The lab estimated it was ingested at 8-10 hours to time of death." Yayoi finished summarizing the lab's results. "So far, no one has indicated she had any problems at work or in her personal life. The only potential lead we have now is the man she'd recently started dating."

"How long until we get approval to access Nana's dating match results?" Akane asked.

Yayoi shrugged. "Not sure. A couple of hours, maybe."

Akane nodded. "Keep me posted. I'll be back soon." Turning her heel, Akane left the office and headed for the elevator.

Mika watched her go, reluctant to follow. What was the point? Akane was surprisingly good at covering her tracks and she'd yet to catch her doing anything suspicious. Her eyes strayed to the report on her monitor. There were criminals who needed to be apprehended and instead Sibyl wanted her to waste time spying on her senior inspector.  Sighing, she rose and ignored the curious looks from the enforcers. Her legs felt like lead as she started down the hall after Tsunemori.

The crowded hall delayed her. She cursed inwardly as the doors to the elevator closed before she could get to them. She watched the digital readout above the elevator. It looked like Tsunemori was headed for the ground floor. Impatience sent her to the stairs.

***

Ren Ishida kept his distance, pretending to window shop as he tailed Inspector Shimotsuki. She was desperately trying to keep up with Inspector Tsunemori in the crowded streets. He smirked as he watched Shimotsuki snap at a pedestrian who had bumped into her. By the time she looked up, she had lost Tsunemori.

He smirked.

Shimotsuki was in over her head in more ways than one. It seemed Inspector Tsunemori had experience losing a tail in a crowd. While he was still able to pick her out, it was clear Shimotsuki had lost her. Tsunemori was full of surprises. He hadn't been able to dig up much on her. Ren wasn't an expert hacker, but his skills were nothing to turn one's nose up at. What little he was able to find indicated that she had recently deleted a large portion of files from her home computer. That in itself wasn't suspicious. However, pair it with her sudden leave of absence and her trips into the abolition block, made it incredibly suspicious.

It was no wonder Shimotsuki had yet to deliver results to Sibyl. There wasn't much to find. He shook his head. Had Lady Sibyl taken him for a fool? Did they really think he would not figure out their little game? They tried to use one inspector against another. When that hadn't yielded immediate results they had resorted to Plan B. Him.

He crossed the street and trailed after Shimotsuki. The kid had a long way to go in terms of spy craft. Seeming to give up, she took a seat at an outdoor cafe table and ordered coffee. Moving on impulse, Ren casually dropped into the chair opposite Shimotsuki. She jumped in shock, her face contorting into outrage.

"Wha--"

"What am I doing? I think that should be obvious." He waved to the waitress to order. "Coffee. Black."

"Who are you!?" Shimotsuki hissed.

Ren smiled contemptuously. "This is how they teach you inspectors to interview people? That's hardly going to make me want to tell the truth."

"You've got five seconds to tell me who you are before I--"

Ren snorted. "Before you what?" He leaned forward, his tone biting.  "I think you'll find my crime coefficient within regulation value...and the last time I checked there's no crime in sitting at a cafe table."

Mika let out a frustrated breath. She didn't know who this guy was and she had a feeling she didn't want to. "Look, I'm not in the mood to play games. Who are you and what do you want?"

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm nobody. Just an interested party."

Glowering, Mika replied acidly. "Alright, nobody. Interested in what?"

He laughed. "I'm interested in what our omnipotent protector is really up to. Aren't you? Or are you content being a puppet for Sibyl?" The young inspector's face paled, all the blood draining out of it. Her dark eyes wide with fear. He'd definitely struck a nerve. Perhaps she'd been having second thoughts about her loyalty? 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She stammered, her mouth going dry. Who was this guy?

"Let's not insult each other's intelligence. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Ren scolded, playfully. He grinned when the waitress arrived with their coffee. Mika could barely manage a polite nod. Her tongue felt as if it were glued to the roof of her mouth. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"Since you're a bit outclassed, I'll give you a little advice. Sibyl has a bad habit of discarding old toys." Ren took a sip of his coffee. "Best to have insurance." He raised his cup to her in salute and rose, vanishing into the crowd.

Mika stared after him, bile rising in her throat and her heart hammering in her chest. She felt dizzy. Who was he and how did he know so much? More importantly why was Sibyl having her followed too? Were they getting tired of waiting? Her hands started to shake. A chill ran down her spine. Was she being watched?

Her gaze rose to the scanners mounted on the buildings and street lights. A bitter laugh rumbled in her chest and stuck in the back of her throat. She was being watched. Everyone was being watched, every second of the day. Watched and guided by the invisible hand of Sibyl: their omnipotent god of Justice.