Psycho-Pass: Halcyon Days

Chapter 1

~•••~

As day broke the rain had finally let up, and the sun burst through the clouds for the first time in days. News had quickly spread about the death of the CEO of a major corporation. The MWPSB arrived on the scene at Nobuyoshi Pharmaceuticals with Division 1 taking the lead on the investigation. Security drones had already established a perimeter around the building as several enforcers worked to scan the crime scene for evidence.

"Do we have a positive ID on the victim?" A woman spoke, sweeping the bangs from her deep red eyes.

"Ma'am, forensic drones have identified the victim as Ishiwari Nobuyoshi, Male, fourty-five years old, CEO of Nobuyoshi Pharm," Enforcer Yayoi Kunizuka promptly replied. "Cause of death – single shot to the head at close range. Splatter indicates the use of a high caliber round. No brass was recovered at the scene. A full overview will be included in the report." A tall, slender woman stood up from behind the desk where Nobuyoshi's body lie cold and motionless.

"Thank you, Enforcer Kunizuka. Any word yet from Inspector Tsunemori? She's usually pretty prompt with these types of cases." The Inspector's curiosity got the better of her tone.

"Inspector Tsunemori was en route to pick up the foreign transfer last I heard. They should be arriving any time." Kunizuka's reply came swiftly again.

"Oh, that's right. That's supposed to be happening today..." The Inspector's mood suddenly turned sour. "I still don't know why Chief Kasei permitted a foreign agent to partake in a joint op with the MWPSB," she exclaimed. "Sibyl is strict about foreign policy. Nobody in and nobody out." Her furrowed brow matched her now-astringent tone.

"Inspector Shimotsuki, it appears something has been stolen from the office." A frail-looking man poked his head out from behind the desk near where Kunizuka had been. His unruly red hair stood in stark contrast to the pitch-black desk.

"Something was stolen?" She said, visibly perplexed. "Hinakawa, you mean this wasn't just a textbook homicide?"

"It would appear that way, miss. Scans indicate that Nobuyoshi was holding onto something just before he was killed." Hinakawa motioned towards Nobuyoshi's hand. "There were traces of chlordiazepoxide and triazolam as well as other substances found beneath his fingernails. It seems whatever was taken was mostly likely some kind of drug. A sedative-hypnotic drug judging by the existing components we've found." Inspector Shimotsuki examined the large, black desk and then glanced over at Nobuyoshi's hand.

"Hinakawa, Nobuyoshi Pharmaceuticals was supposed to reveal a new, psycho-repressive serum today, wasn't it?" Inspector Shimotsuki's sudden inquiry caught the enforcer off guard.

"Y-yes, Nobuyoshi Pharm was scheduled to announce their revolutionary Cerebral Repressive Serum or 'C.R.S.' at noon today. It's supposed to be able to suppress spikes in mental status. It would be far more convenient than psycho-therapy and at a fraction of the cost." Hinakawa stared at Inspector Shimotsuki for a moment, her face clad in thought. "You don't think...?" He didn't finish asking the question.

"Call it in. I want every incident even remotely resembling sedative-hypnotic cases reported directly to me. If there's any chance that Nobuyoshi's C.R.S. has been stolen, we need to make sure we're adequately prepared to handle the situation." She began barking orders at the various personnel in the office and then turned to Hinakawa once more. "If C.R.S. was to get into the wrong hands, what sort of implications are we looking at? Worst case scenario," she added without pause.

"Hypothetically, if the formula could be altered, we could be dealing with a very dangerous situation." A familiar voice emanated from the device Hinakawa held in his hand.

"Karanomori, is that you?" The analyst's voice came as a surprise.

"Sho called and filled me in. C.R.S. is formulated to keep a person's Psycho-Pass within acceptable levels. In the wrong hands, people would have a means of bypassing cymatic scans and theoretically, they could get away with murder." A brief silence fell over the room. Hinakawa looked at Shimotsuki who was no less shocked than he was.

"You've got to be kidding..." The Inspector's voice failed her. "All of those people...If that were to happen, what could we do?"

"Pray." A deep, powerful voice carried through the room. The two enforcers and the Inspector turned towards the elevator to identify the unfamiliar voice. Much to their bewilderment, Inspector Tsunemori stepped out of the elevator onto the ornate rug and beside her a tall, imposing man entered the room.

"Inspector Shimotsuki, I'm sorry for being late," Tsunemori said apologetically. "Finalizing the transfer paperwork was a bit of a hassle and traffic was a nightmare. Care to fill us in?" There was another pause as all eyes seemed to be glued to the large, mysterious man standing next to Inspector Tsunemori.

"Allow me to introduce you to Special Inspector Logan Halcyon." Tsunemori gestured toward the man with a light smile. He was a towering man, and his snow-white hair popped against the tailored suit that complimented his heavily muscled physique. "Special Inspector Halcyon, this is Division 1. Well, a part of it anyway."

"A pleasure." Logan respectfully bowed slightly before his new associates, his voice reverberating throughout the room again. The other members of Division 1 were silent.

Enforcer Kunizuka approached the Special Inspector. She craned her neck as she looked up at him and offered her hand in greeting. "Enforcer Yayoi Kunizuka. I look forward to working with you, Special Inspector," she said calmly. As she reached for his hand, it suddenly disappeared within his grip.

"Likewise," he replied calmly. His sharp facial features amplified the stolid expression on his face. Logan peered straight over the head of Enforcer Kunizuka at Shimotsuki who had a rather irritated look on her face. "Excuse me," he said politely, walking passed Kunizuka. As he approached the disgruntled Inspector she stood up straight, correcting her posture. "It's an honor to be working with you, miss?...." Logan addressed her with an extended hand.

"Inspector Mika Shimotsuki, MWPSB, Division 1." she spoke as if reciting the information to a child. "Tell me, when did the MWPSB begin handing out nonexistent designations to foreign agents?" Inspector Shimotsuki ignored the Special Inspector's attempt at a cordial greeting.

"Special Agent Halcyon's rank is perfectly legitimate. As you are well aware, the circumstances of his admittance into the MWPSB are... unusual. As such, Chief Kasei decided it would be appropriate to accommodate him with the Special Inspector designation." Inspector Tsunemori paused momentarily as she reached into her jacket pocket. "He is to assume control of his own squad of hand-selected operatives and report for active duty, effective immediately." As she finished, Tsunemori held up an official-looking document towards Inspector Shimotsuki. At the bottom of the document was the signature of the Chief of the Public Safety Bureau, Joshu Kasei.

"It's times like these that I regret not being a field agent. Sign me up," Karanomori chimed flirtatiously. Inspector Shimotsuki rolled her eyes in disdain; and Hinakawa chuckled quietly to himself.

"So who are these hand-selected operatives?" Simotsuki's hands rested firmly on her hips.

All eyes fell on Inspector Tsunemori as silence pervaded the room.

~•••~