Psycho-Pass: Coping Mechanisms

Part 36: Folie à deux

PART 36 – Folie à deux

"Kagari, stop him!" Shizuka yelled, but the Enforcer didn't have to be told. He was already chasing the fugitive, tailing him closely. Kogami gave up on chasing him at the same route. He took the separate alley, choosing to block him on the exit. Shizuka cursed under her breath, following both Hounds.

"Shepherd One to the Bureau, we need drones to block off the traffic," Ginoza made the request, giving the address to the HQ. Then, he pulled out his Dominator out, and joined the chase.

Not long after the members of Division One were out of sight, a man exited the building, taking a slow stroll with a paper book in his hands.

Surely, Makishima knew about the hack that happened in the 'Lucid Dream'. The VR Company expressed regret over the loss of their employee, Kanesaki Yori... but there were no details about the person who committed the hack, or the fact that Yori's death was in fact a murder. Meaning... even with police officers at the scene, this case will most certainly be withheld from the public. Oh well.

If anything... Makishima had time. He also had patience. He will find another hacker, preferably someone more capable, and not personally affected by the plan as this man was. It wasn't like Shogo didn't know his associate would break... he just estimated he wasn't capable enough to get out of this. That's exactly why their communication was solely through audio channels. Makishima took all the precautions. His risks were carefully calculated.

Still... he will need another hacker. And he will need them soon.

Short-termed associations like these won't make much of a change to the system. If he wanted to make a real change... he will need someone with a better capacity to adapt to his plans.

Kozaburo Toma couldn't stay in the game. The thrill of the kill was too exciting to him to hold back. The same was with Matsuda Ichiro. He preferred indulging his dark impulses rather than thinking and studying the nature of the system. Why couldn't either of them just be... more patient?

Makishima didn't expect this second-grade hacked to be much better in that regard. In fact, he was worse... just like Shogo predicted. But, at least... he could rattle the cage a bit.
After all, Rousseau said: "To live is not merely to breathe; it is to act." And, if Makishima Shogo liked anything, it was to act against the Sibyl system. Whenever, and with whoever would share his ideology... and even if it lasted just a little while. Any action and any individual who was ready to act against this regime was worthy of his time.

-------------not long before-----------

"It was a malfunction. An unfortunate one, and with a tragic outcome. Poor Kanesaki-san was debugging the VR simulator when the electrocution happened. He was our chief of maintenance, so we were quite shocked that something like this... occurred to him."

"Shocked to the core, one could say," Kagari casually said, observing the office.

"He was usually very careful with the equipment. This is... beyond tragic," Furoshi Ren stated to the rest of CID members who were present at his VR company, 'Lucid Dream'. This executive director was in his thirties, quite young, captivating... and also successful, since the 'Lucid Dream' was at the very top of VR industry.

Furoshi Ren managed to develop various VR routes and make 'Lucid Dream' highly demanded for several reasons. He made the company stand out on the market. He had a very strong, commanding presence and a fairly calm demeanor. If he wasn't an executive already, he could as well be a celebrity, Shizuka remarked. He was handsome, very charismatic. People who worked for him seemed to like him in general, as if they were immediately drawn to his persona. Which always gave people like him more power than they probably should have over the others, she also noticed.