it was black ◎ psycho pass

~Chapter 42~

badabing badaboom

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A perfect head shot.

Silence stung. Even the other trainees had stopped to watch. 'Latent criminals can't do well!' I mimicked them in pleasurable shock.

Kagari exploded, scooping me up in a hug. I just floated along with a single thought in my mind:

How did that happen?

Kogami strode over and took the dominator from my limp hands, presumably worried that I might lash out and attack everyone. My attention was stuck on the cardboard cut out. Its head was blown clean off, ashes littering the floor like deathly fairy dust. My hand dropped by my side. That was probably a fluke.  There was this one time I did get my hands on a dominator, but I failed. The dominator didn't grant me access for a start, and then it called the drones so I dropped it and ran. That's pretty much the relationship we have. Or anyone has with latent criminals.

"Beginners luck!" I broke myself out of my thoughts, forcing a laugh. Kagari shrugged. As we walked out of the training area, I couldn't help but feeling slightly proud of myself. It was the first time I had ever been praised for something over than keeping my Crime Coefficient down. But now I was worried what they would do next.

~TIME SKIP~

"I think you're ready." Kogami spoke hollowly.

This was the ultimate test. It had only been invented a week ago- but it was meant to be a nearly impossible test that all of the MWPSB trainees had to take to graduate. I guess that meant I had to take it too, despite shorter training lengths and infrequent visits to the hospital.

A hand yanked me back. I threw a question behind my shoulder, focusing much more on the door in front of me.

"What?"

"Your watch." Kogami sighed. "It'll affect you while you're in there-it's rebooting now but it'll be operating by the time you've finished."

I felt slightly nervous without the safety blanket there. It was almost as if the watch was my mother, and I was some small foetus clinging onto it for dear life.

"Don't worry, you'll get it back. I'm not sure why you'd want it though..." Kagari monotonously spoke. He shoved a bottle of tablets into my chest, which I took gladly. If the test was even half as bad as people were saying it was I would need all the luck I could get.

I peeked inside and saw the shadow of my head around door. Can I say, I haven't had the opportunity to make decent shadow puppets for a while. So when the time comes around I can't resist the temptation. My hands made a rabbit shape, and I made the bunny hop across the doorway.

"Hop hop."

"Really?" Kogami placed his hand on my back. I murmured an apology. Why was his hand on my back anyway? In one swift movement, he had shoved me inside the room.

The shadows blanketed the room so that nothing could be seen inside and the only light that streaked in was from the door. I shuddered in anticipation. My conscience thought the same.

Hell yeah, I think the same! This is probably a zombie apocalypse or some weird messed up trial where somebody dissects babies or-

You know, you're not making this any easier.

good. let's leave- okay?

It's just a room! For all you know, it could be filled with puppies!

I'm allergic.

You can't be allergic, I'm not allergic and you're a conscience!

Be grateful I'm your conscience and not another personality, because I would've taken over by now.

Surprisingly I took my conscience up on that offer, and attempted to leave. Kogami was ready, though, and used his strength to slam the door shut. Now, it was dark. Very dark. It felt like the darkness was smothering me, and survival instincts kicked in.

Conscience Zara really sounded like she was going to pass out at this point; the heavy panting and hurried speech in my brain was starting to freak me out as well. The last time she passed out I lost my common sense and tried to run into a bus, which makes sense I suppose.

"It's okay," I said out loud. "Nobody can hurt you anyway."

I sucked my breath in. Hopefully nobody heard that.

Uhh, they can hurt you? You'll get the biggest shock of your life, and then go into black mode again- so I have to take care of you!

"'Black mode' happened a while ago, it won't happen again."

After  that, Conscience Zara  shut up. I blinked a few times and slowly walked forwards, trying to feel my way around the darkness. If she wasn't going to reply to me I better just carry on.

About 5 minutes in and about 3 weird squishy things walked into, I had given up. Conscience Zara wasn't throwing sarcastic comments at me as well, and that scared me the most. That meant either she had quietly passed out or she was annoyed at me for some reason. Both weren't that good-

My hands bumped into something cold. And hard, not squishy like... whatever that thing was. Was it a handle? Was it a way to salvation? Slowly, I grasped my hands around it and pushed downwards. As soon as I did light flooded the room and it was a handle, not a bomb or something. If it was a bomb, I would be the one to pass out.

Finally, you found it.

And you already did?

Yes, actually, you passed it five times. After the... squishy thing.

Before my eyes could adjust to the brightness (and before I could think of a comeback to my conscience), somebody had already pulled me through the door.

I was shoved onto the floor. As soon as I opened my eyes, I wished I kept them closed.

~END~