Justice at Delphi - The Fall of Sibyl

Chapter 30

There is no knife that cuts so sharply and with such poisoned blade as treachery.

-Ouida

Kogami faintly heard Koji's voice. It was just background noise in his ear. His attention was captured by the body in the trunk. It had taken him a few moments to realize it wasn't a "real" human body of flesh and blood. However, it was an incredible facsimile. Enough to throw him off balance. He'd seen enough true death to know the real thing when he saw it. This was a cyberized human body. It wasn't the first time he'd come across a cyberized human body. He'd gotten up close and personal. Unconsciously, his hand drifted to his side where he'd been shot by a double barrel shotgun. He still had the scars of that fateful encounter with Toyohisa Senguji.

This was on a whole other level. The quality was astounding. 

The body was in the image of a young man in his 20's - 30's with the lean muscular build of an athlete. He had a square jaw and prominent nose. His hair was dark and short. Almost a buzz cut. He was dressed in a dark jumpsuit with an insignia similar to the MWPSB on the chest. It was a modified seal. It looked more military than civil. Kogami felt the dread in his stomach return. The man's face was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Swiping his index finger along the floor, Kogami rubbed his fingers together. No dust. This room was still in use. What is this place? According to Koji, it had been completely shutdown. However, the lack of dust seemed to imply the otherwise. 

"Dammit!  You can't go radio silent on me at a time like this! Are you okay?" Koji's voice pierced through his maelstrom of thoughts. 

"Yeah. I'm fine." Relatively speaking.

There was an exasperated sigh in Kogami's ear. "He speaks! I'm too old for this shit. Just hurry up and get to the control room. I don't like being out in the open."

Kogami rose and gently closed the lid of the trunk. It was going to drive him nuts until he figured out who the man reminded him of. He had an awful inkling that it was important somehow. The kind of important that could bite him in the ass later if he didn't figure it out. He maneuvered around another stack of boxes and found the door. Cautiously, he opened the heavy door and peered out into the deserted corridor. "Okay. Which way?"

"Down the hall, first door to your right."

Kogami snorted. At least he didn't have far to go. He did not relish spending more time than he had to in this place. Sibyl was up to more than just controlling society. Making arms for inspectors was probably just the tip of the iceberg, if that body was any indication. How many more were stored away here? And for what purpose?  There was only one purpose he could think of and it gave him little comfort. Could Sibyl be building an army?

The control room was empty and looked to be made solely for drone operation. However, he spotted a small station for manual operation in the corner. Seating himself, Kogami quickly hacked the system and navigated to the security protocols. He grinned, silently thanking Rio for the crypto-device designed to hack high security programs. It was designed to erase its own footprints as it went. 

"Alright. Roof entry is open."

"About time." Koji groused.

***

Shimotsuki could barely contain her anxiety. Her hue had not clouded, but she felt sure it would eventually given the circumstances. Her gaze darted to the other enforcers in the office. Kunizuka and Hinakawa were engrossed analyzing the data on their screens. Hinakawa was combing through the personnel data past and present from the warehouse. The owner had been more than cooperative in allowing them to view his files. She suspected he just wanted the case wrapped up quickly before his clients found out about the homicide on the premises. Kunizuka was busy investigating the cafe/gallery Akane and Ginoza had found. She too had reports to file, but found she could not focus.