"I hate winter." The dry wit of Detective Takeshi was unable to hide his disdain. With a cold wind, and a slight chill, his coat was wrapped tightly around his frame. His head was down, and his pace brisk.
"Nearly there." Luca who had been sent on a coffee run with the detective said. "Do you think this is right?"
The RCU; with the recent revelation of the Reapers recent actions, including the murder of their own. Have been given the one thing that they truly wished for; more resources, greater support and even a task force designed purely for tracking down and capturing the reaper.
"It has to be. The new digs are smack bang in the heart of this fair ward."
"That's not what I mean. I mean those bodies aren't even in the ground yet. And we just take their house from them. What about all those people that were murdered?" Luca clearly had mixed feelings about this. Getting what they truly wished for, at the cost of so many people.
"Kid. Don't be too soft. Those guys had it coming. Committing those crimes behind the badge. If anything, getting rid of the scum may have brought us some good karma." Takeshi replied, taking a sip from the canned of coffee. The cold winter wind blowing past them.
"How can you say that?! They were our brothers and sisters-"
"Only by association." The detective snapped, the harshness in the words made Luca shudder.
"Remember this kid. We are all brothers and sisters until shit hits the fan. Then, they'll turn on you. Human beings the lot of em."
"..." Luca felt his words die in his throat, ever since immigrating from Italy, the young man had been struggling with his sense of duty. To be just is to serve the public. But, to turn blind eyes, wrangle through red tape, and to fight the system within the system. Truly his efforts have led into many a dead end.
"Hey. Don't sweat it kid. We'll get this guy." Takeshi knew that the young lad had been having issues with the justice system. Ones that he too shared.
Arriving at the HQ of their new base; the former station house of ward 4. Led by the former Captain Matsuo. A station with a corrupt core that rotted the whole tree. Hopefully, the RCU would be able to cleanse this department of the rotten flesh within.
---
"I still don't know sir." Aki was deep in conversation with Captain Shimada and Chief Inaba. It had only been a little over a week, and the building had been given over to the RCU.
"Akiko, if we want to catch this guy we are going to need all leftover equipment." Inaba replied, a soft tone in the former leader of the RCU.
"With all due respect sir. This stuff was paid for with the blood of innocents. I don't think we should be using it."
"Aki... I share your sentiments but if we are to have any chance of capturing this monster. Then we need to use what resources we can."
Aki was torn. On one hand she wanted to catch the killer who had caused so much death and destruction. On the other, her morals were pulling at her. She didn't want to use the tools of such vile people.
"Let me put it this way. If we do sell all this gear. The profits will be eaten up by all other departments. Leaving you with next to nothing. Furthermore, you would likely have to by all the same gear again, with your own money. And based on your passionate words from the other day, you would only be further behind." Chief Inaba made a compelling argument.
"Okay..." Ultimately it was a net win for both the RCU, the police and society. So why did it hurt her so much to take this stuff? Was it because of what was done to acquire it?
"Captain Shimada. I recommend that you begin hiring new staff, the heads want this place filled with officers. Old and new." Chief Inaba spoke, turning to the withering Captain.
"Understood. I'll begin interviewing immediately. However, I'm going to need at least a week to get things ready."
"Understood. Take all the time you need." With that the Chief turned to leave.
"Coffees are here." Takeshi arrived a few moments later. The detective and Luca carrying the drinks and some snacks.
The coffee were sweet, a little too much sugar. However, it was warm, and the perfect drink to combat the cold weather that was becoming a real issue.
The team of six offices all sat in a large meeting room. Nothing compared to their former office. They all shared a moment of silence. In their hearts they were mourning those who had been lost. It was a short, sweet, and sombre few seconds. Then, the mood changed. They had to move on from their past, and focus on the mission.
"I've prepared the dossier. You are all familiar with the target. The man behind the murders of countless individuals, and the most recent string of bodies that had been piling up." Aki stood by the screen; it's luminescent light casting shadows across the otherwise dimly lit room. On the screen was a picture of the reaper, in its white mask and black cloak.
"This will be our primary focus moving forwards. What we know so far..." Aki paused. For they knew next to nothing.
"What we do know is that he is a psychopath. With no remorse for killing, cops or anyone else. We also know that there is some links between this one and the Silvermane guild." Mori jumped in. Backing his partner up.
"How do we know that?" Mai asked.
"It is more than coincidence that a guild such as the Silverman's came back from the dead. Both seemed to have appeared from the shadows at similar times." Kenji stated,
"Detectives don't believe in coincidences." Takeshi added, speaking from the experience of years on the force.
"That's right... Furthermore, Eren Heart has shacked up with these people." Mori continued.
Eren was their main suspect. But all they had was a detective's gut feel. At best; a suspicion with no backing. At worst; pursing an innocent man. They needed something more concrete to prove the link, and prove that Eren was indeed the Reaper.
"Inaba did leave us with something." Shimada rose up from behind the table, walking over to the screen that Aki had pulled up.
"The students of Kaname Boys high. The chiefs said we should start there." He flicked through a few images. Each one was a boy of school age.
"Looking for a killer with a point to prove. Start with the young ones formerly under the command of the bandits. The ones with the most to gain, the least to lose." Takeshi spoke up, the coffee now warming the bones and lighting a spark in the brain.
"Agreed. This kid is likely a former victim of those bastards. Any one of them could be added to the suspect list." Mori replied.
"Perhaps. But have a guess who their new teacher is..."
"Fuck me." Takeshi muttered.
"That's too much to be a coincidence."
The rest of the room nodded in agreement. This couldn't just be a coincidence. Eren Heart, a man that came out of nowhere, now linked to a mysteriously resurrected guild, head teacher of a formerly corrupted school, and all-around unpleasant person to cops.
"Well, until we have more people in this place, we can't do much." Captain Shimada spoke, a hand massaging a weary face.
"Well... what do we do then?" Mai asked, her curiosity peaked. Her yellow eyes darting between those in attendance. An air of mischievousness that seemed to always accompany her.
"Go make friends. Go meet the residents of ward 4. I want you all on the streets, learning the layout. Getting a feel for the area." Captain Shimada replied.
"Good luck..." With that, the meeting was over. Everyone had a new mission; to begin their hunt for the elusive Reaper.
The Reaper was coming. But, so was the law. A clash between these two forces was inevitable. Who would come out on top? Well, that remains to be seen.