Psycho Pass: All Alone With You

Drift! Chapter 11

 Luda's Dodge Challenger was a responsive beast of mechanical engineering. Heavy in the front end and a bit too light for Kogami's tastes in the rear where it counted. With so many eager horses beneath its hood, the car made it a feat of concentration to keep it on the narrow, winding driveway leading to the remodeled auto shop that was the Iazzetti family home. Kogami abruptly hit the brakes and brought the car to a skidding stop at the end of the driveway.

"Phoenix!" Akane screamed.

"Akane, wait!" Kogami shouted.

Ignoring him, she leaped from the car and ran for the front door, vanishing into the interior darkness.

"Shit!" Kogami swore. She was so impulsive! He grabbed the 9mm from the small of his back and, holding the weapon in front of him in an offensive position, he followed her into the house.

Kogami took shelter behind an exterior wall and listened before he darted to the opposite side to get a different perspective. There were no signs of forced entry at the door, so he made entry through the partially opened door and positioned himself inside a recessed wall for cover. Clearing the right side, he stepped into the living room and scanned for any movement in the adjoining kitchen beyond it.

"Akane?" There was no answer. "Phoenix?"

The lower level of the remodeled house left little to chance, being spacious and open. Before the renovation, it had been the waiting room for customers whose vehicles were being serviced in the garage bay. Sweeping the rest of the living room, Kogami moved to the breakfast nook and hunched down beside it. A wooden blind that separated the kitchen when it was not in use had been pulled down. Kogami threw himself from the nook wall to the opposite side, clearing the kitchen and the bottom of the staircase.

Checking his blindspots, he made his way up the stairs and into the corridor. McNeill was waiting for him. "Hello, Ko. Or should I say, Enforcer Shinya Kogami?"

Before Kogami could react, Julius charged him from the shadows and smashed a tire iron against the side of his skull. Inertia sent him falling backwards down the stairs. His head, neck, and back took the brunt of the fall. Eyelids fluttering in shock, Kogami hit the kitchen floor and laid sprawled on his back, stunned and unable to move.

"Get his gun," McNeill said. Pointing a .45 at Phoenix's head, McNeill herded Akane and the child down the stairs and into the kitchen by the sink. "Not so fast," he ordered. "Let the man catch his breath." The tech mogul wrapped his powerful hand around her neck and gently squeezed to prevent Akane from running to Kogami's side

Retrieving Kogami's Beretta, Julius grinned into the Enforcer's face. But there was something different about him. Kogami fought to regain his senses, but the blow from the tire iron and the subsequent fall left him all but senseless. "Can I kill him?" Julius said. There was a pronounced lisp to the man's speech. Kogami came to his senses long enough to see that he had no teeth left. Was that the price for failure?

Kogami coughed, tasting blood in the back of his throat.

"Save your breath, maggot," Julius said. The mechanic struck Kogami in the face with the tire iron.

"That's enough, Julius," McNeill said. "Not everyone can share your good looks. Watch the girls." He stooped down and grinned sardonically at Kogami. "Still looking for good help, Ko, but I'm guessing you're not up for my line of work. A latent criminal? Imagine that. Man of your skills should really be looking for a change of venue." McNeill laughed softly. "Came here to take care of a loose end." He glanced back at Phoenix, who cowered against Akane for safety. "Imagine my surprise when the little brat starts piping about how her new friend from Japan would kick my ass." McNeill stood up, staring down at the helpless Enforcer. "You don't look like you could kick anyone's ass from down there."