Justice at Delphi - The Fall of Sibyl

Chapter 34

Human identity is the most fragile thing we have, and it's often only found in moments of truth.

-Alan Rudolph

"You're lucky, Inspector Tsunemori. The cut isn't too deep. He missed doing any serious damage." The MWPSB nurse remarked cheerfully as she dressed Akane's wounds.

Akane winced. Despite the local that the nurse injected her with, she could still feel a tightness and dull throb from the slash wound in her side. Never mind the pulsing throb in her sprained wrist. She suspected it was going to be excruciating when the anesthetic wore off. "That's good to know." She ground out.

"Remember, you can't do anything strenuous for a couple of weeks." The nurse reminded her for the second time. Akane wondered if she looked like the type to disobey medical advice. Kogami had certainly been infamous in that regard. A small smile curved her lips at memory of his stubbornness. He'd definitely been a handful for Masaoka. Blinking away a tear, she nodded under the intense scrutiny from the matronly nurse. She recognized that expression. Her mother had that same look when she'd come to a family dinner with a black eye.

"Yeah, Akane. That means no fun in bed." Shion interrupted, breezing through the doors, a sly smile on her lips. She gave the blushing inspector a knowing wink. The data analyst ignored the nurse's reproving gaze and settled into a chair in the corner of the treatment room. "Thought I would stop by to see how you're doing. If you don't mind giving us a minute." She gestured to the door.

When her nurse seemed about to protest, Akane patted her arm. "It's okay. I need to wrap up a few things before I leave." Her nurse huffed and left the room, darting a glare at Shion as she went. "Was that really necessary?" Akane asked, sliding off the examination table. She slipped behind the screen to change into fresh clothes. Her work clothes were torn and soaked in blood.

Shion snorted. "No, but I make a special effort for Nurse Ratched*. She's not exactly fond of latent criminals and doesn't hesitate to show it. It's petty, but I get a small measure of satisfaction from pushing her buttons."

Akane suppressed a smile as she slowly pulled up a pair of loose sweat pants. "I'm sure that's not the only reason you stopped by."

"No. I've pulled up some interesting information on Yuto Tachibana. It sheds a little light on what he was up to down there. The rest is conjecture since he's gotten close-lipped and lawyered up." Shion replied.

The inspector was too tired to worry about getting Yuto to talk tonight. Foregoing the bra, Akane gingerly tucked her arms into the matching jacket and zipped it up. "Thanks for that. It'll save me time when I write up the report for the chief." She came out from behind the screen.

"There's something else." Shion pulled out a palm-sized disc and set it on the examination table. She pressed a button in the center, generating a low hum.

"What's that?" Akane pointed.

Shion shrugged. "I borrowed it from evidence from a different case. Banned tech. Think of it as a cone of silence. No one beyond this room can hear what I'm about to say."

Akane's stomach twisted in knots. "So it worked after all?"

Shion nodded. "While we put on that elaborate charade of tracking his location, I was able to upload the virus. I've got a name for you. It took some digging, but I found it. Ren Ishida. His personal data has been sealed by the MWPSB. I can't crack the firewall without triggering all kinds of alarms. Whoever this guy is, he's dangerous." She paused, scrutinizing Akane. Though it had been years since Akane was a rookie, Shion couldn't help but see the innocent young woman who had joined their unit. She still felt a little protective of her.