Tanjelavi

Trinat

After yet another week of patience he didn't know anymore where to get from, Trinat was carried away like a balloon that a careless child let go—was carried away by the helium inside of him, could barely stand on the ground, as if magnetized or even electrified to the ceiling that was neither metal nor fabric or fur...

Like this, he flew to his crew that was having a late night cup of energy before going on a patrol and blew up with his helium reaching others, infecting them with his lightness so that everyone started rushing around, getting ready for a long, long trip they had no idea what to take with for—so that in a mere minute, the whole bunker was agog, excited to finally let the damn routine aside and get out of the however beautiful and beloved, but learnt-by-heart Capital, and only elderly AIs who had already travelled a lot in their lives before joining the police forces were tch-tching at the youngsters and did indeed mind going anywhere because we get everything we need here, too

.i ku'i ro do na kansa mi1
                                               said Trinat, as if lulled by the unhurried and sluggish voices of the
                                               elders

.i doi lo jatna ku mo ba kansa do2
                                                               asked the junior part of the audience that wasn't even in
                                                               the room with the elder one, tossing to and fro and right
                                                               and left and round and spiral-like, as balls in pingpong

Trinat was struck by the sudden realization he hadn't got past the first few sentences which went like, "Good evening, Mister Trinat... We write to inform you... The court has approved your initiative..."—and without any explanation, ran to desk where there was his computer he hadn't even turned off and went on impatiently reading, "But we must also warn you... The following limitations are implied..."

And there was a whole list of a dozen items attached right at the end of the letter

"Of course!" screamed he to himself, "How could I be so naive...!"

Trinat felt embarrassed and ashamed of such a naiveness from his side, but  nonetheless looked through all the items, reading to himself aloud the ones whose meaning he didn't quite get at first, and then stood up and went about the room, summarizing and realizing what he'd just read

First, the maximum number of the crew that could follow him was ten police officers: they all had to be from different districts and no recent ex-criminals except for Fugue were allowed to go. The ex-criminals had to have been serving the police loyally for at least a year

Second, they had to keep their police officer licenses always at hand

Third, none could go until they filled the permissions for each officer who was going to accompany him and sent all of the documents back to dedigitalize them; it would take another week

"Another week!" thought Trinat to himself still going round the room, "we're not going to catch any criminal like this! Let alone—my seeing Goe..."

He desperately tried to cry, but of course, he couldn't, still taking steps to and fro, left and right, round and spiral-like to at least find peace in walking or rather, putting his feet above and on the ground because neither he could cry nor he could smoke nor he could drown himself in alcohol nor take drugs nor the art was his stronger side—art made by AI wasn't considered art even by law anyway

And the worst thing was, he could confide his trouble to absolutely no one: otherwise, he would frame Goe he so helped to be considered dead in here—even if he made a big mistake leaving the bits of the sand in his car, thinking those were the bits of the weapons—but Goe was dead to all the rest, so it didn't matter now anyway

"As if he was a criminal! He was just a victim of circumstances..." assured Trinat himself, trying to convince his own conscience and prove it wrong to just give some peace of mind to his heart, whereas his brain couldn't give it, for it knew there was something wrong, off, missing... just missing

And he didn't want to know what

1. But you all aren't going with me
2. And who's going then, sir?