Arcadia Zero

Chapter Three: Pisces and Aquarius

Chapter Three: Pisces and Aquarius

The next morning, I busily worked at my computer, my fingers tapping away on the keyboard as I typed up emails and filled out police reports. The memory of last night's skirmish with Isaiah Akane was still fresh and burning in my mind. I sipped my coffee, trying to distract myself from it. Isaiah got away, and now God only knew where he was. Who was he? Why was he doing all this? Was he really tied to Arcadia? I didn't know, and I had spent most of the night wracking my brain to try to figure it out. No luck.

As per usual, I yawned loudly, dark bags hanging beneath my eyes. I hung my head, seconds away from dozing off at my desk. Then, my drifting was shattered by a familiar, bellowing shout.

And no, for once, it wasn't Rintarou. Detective Jarvis's voice echoed down the hall. "CHIIIZUUURRUUUU!"

Of course, his roaring sent me running to his office as fast as I could. I ran inside and jumped into the chair in front of his desk. I stared at him and gulped. He looked like he was about to go postal. "Uhh...what can I do for you, Sir?" I chuckled, scratching the back of my neck. Jarvis's irate expression remained. "What in the name of God where you doing with Officer Natsuki last night?"

Oh crap, I thought. I'm in trouble. "Well...you see...Rintarou and I decided to investigate that suicide yesterday. When I examined the victim's body, I noticed she had traces of an Esper's aura. I checked out the Blue Whale forum she visited before she died, and through my genius deductive reasoning skills, I was able to figure out that she was in fact murdered by an Esper named Isaiah Akane, whose ability is the power of brainwashing and hypnotism. I confronted him because I wanted to take him into custody, but...it didn't quite turn out that way."

Jarvis still looked mental. "And who gave you the authority to do that, Officer Mashiro?! Because as far as I know, I never gave you that task, and you are certainly not qualified enough to be taking on a dangerous job like that!" I crossed my arms. "Then who is, Detective? Seriously, who? These Arcadia murders have been going on for what, a year now? And not a single one of them has been solved. We haven't even figured anything out about Arcadia itself. I think this Isaiah Akane has something to do with it. He talked like he was involved with it somehow. He's dangerous, he had to be caught before he killed anyone else."

"But you didn't catch him, did you?" Jarvis asked. "You almost got yourself killed in the process too. Look, just...stop being so reckless. This is way out of your league. I made a promise to Charlie that I'd watch over you until you were capable enough to handle yourself on your own. I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm just not seeing that right now. You're a patrol officer, not an undercover cop or a homicide detective. You're not qualified to handle that position yet."

"Then when will I be?!" I snapped, my eyes gleaming red. I couldn't control my outburst. "I became a police officer to enforce justice, protect the innocent, and punish the guilty, not to write traffic tickets all day to raise money for the city! With my power, I know I can do so much more! Why can't you see that, Detective?" Jarvis sighed. "I can see that. I can see it very well. That's what worries me. You remind me of myself when I was your age. You've got strong ideals, Chizuru. You also have incredible power. I don't think you understand what you're getting into. Last night should have been a dose of reality. The world is a dangerous place, and I'm afraid you're not going to realize that until something horrible happens. By the way...where is Natsuki? Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on him?"

As those words left his lips, a gigantic crash echoed from outside. I slumped back in my chair, rolling my eyes. "Oh no, not again." I rushed out into the parking lot of the station, running straight into a war zone. The first thing I witnessed once I left the doors was Rintarou gripping a portly, punkish young man by his collar. Blood dripped down his face. "How dare you insult an officer of the law?!" Rintarou bellowed. "Do I look like a butler to you!? You've got some nerve, you piece of trash!"