Location: 244 Peach Street

Time: Sengoku-48 year (2108), Jan. 4 (Wed) 14:37

“You killed yours? Good.”

Oliver came up to me from behind. He caught me off guard because I was still staring at Jabberwock. After I canceled my possessions I couldn’t help feeling sick to my stomach.

“I did.”

I couldn’t seem to feel as accomplished as Oliver looked. All I managed to do was something everyone should know was wrong.

“Did you kill them both?”

I noticed Oliver was dragging Mock’s body across the room by her shirt collar.

“Nope, she’s still alive. I figured the mind reader wasn’t much of a threat on her own.”

Oliver dropped Mock on the ground. She remained still on the ground, quietly crying.

“I can’t deal with her anymore. You interrogate her or something, then we’ll figure out what to do with her. I’m going to get Olivia.”

Oliver walked off without saying anything else.

“Hey, can you stop crying? We just want to talk.”

“I resent that remark, I’m, I’m not crying.”

“You’re clearly crying.”

“Am not.”

“Why are you even lying about it? You can read my thoughts, you know I don’t believe you.”

“Even if I am crying, which I’m not admitting to, I have good reason to cry. I’ve lived a horrible life without ever getting the happiness that other people have all the time. And now I’m going to die.”

“That’s not true, you don’t have to die here.” Why was I trying to console this woman?

“It’s probably true. She’ll almost certainly get labeled as a dangerous augmented, then, it’s lights out.” Oliver delivered his input from the other room. Apparently he was still using his augmentation to listen in.

“You see? It’s over. No matter what I say, I’m dead.”

“He doesn’t mean that. He’s just trying to scare you.”

“He definitely means it. I can read his thoughts, remember? In his head I’m as good as dead.”

By the end she gave up on hiding it and transitioned into sobbing openly. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t help that woman.

She must have been reading my mind because her sobbing got louder.

Unsure what to do, I decided to wait for Oliver to get back. He had a high school aged girl whose hair was blonde with pink streaks. Her eyes stood out as an inverse to his. One green and one blue. Those siblings couldn’t look more alike if they tried.

Oliver didn’t look as excited to see her as I thought he’d be. He must have been playing it cool while I was around. He’d be too embarrassed to fawn over her while I was there.

Mock sat up.

“If only you knew the half of it.”

“Stop reading my thoughts, Mock.”

Mock lied back down with her face flat on the ground.

“Okay.”

“You get any kind of information from her?”

Was he expecting me to? And besides, he could definitely hear everything we talked about.

“No, I can’t deal with her anymore.” I gave an honest appraisal.

“I know right? I really don’t know what to do about this one.”

“Oliver, you have to protect her!” Oliver’s sister became Mock’s unlucky savior.

“Huh? Why?”

“Because this sad woman saved my idol career! If it wasn’t for her the other people would have killed me as soon as they realized I wasn’t Oakley. She convinced them to keep me alive.”

Idol? It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Olivia seemed to be quite the character herself.

“What do you mean? Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know why, but an idol will always repay her fans’ kindness. I can’t let anything bad happen to her.”

Oliver nudged Mock with his foot until she rolled over.

“Is she telling the truth? Why’d you keep her alive?”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

Oliver lightly stepped on her fingers.

“Ah, ah, ouch, okay, okay. I’ll talk. I thought I could handle a few days of torture, but you’re better than I thought.”

“Just answer my question.”

“Why I left her alive? Of course. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. There were three main reasons, actually. The first I told you earlier: I wanted to see if anyone would come and save her. Our BAA contact, the one you splattered across the wall upstairs, said that she was worthless as a hostage, that no one would care what happened to her. But in her head she was so confident you would bring the ARA to save her. I wanted to know what would happen.”

“And the second reason?”

“Because she used to be like me, but now she’s like everyone else. I figured maybe I could learn how to be like everyone else from her. My life hasn’t been great up to this point. Can you imagine how depressing it is to be able to hear everyone’s thoughts? Why can’t I be like them?”

At first she wouldn’t talk, then she wouldn’t stop giving out unnecessary details.

“Ah, sorry. I’ll be quiet now.”

“See, my career didn’t end thanks to her!”

Was her career more important than her life?

“She’s got a point you know.” Mock continued to talk from the ground.

“I thought you were going to be quiet? Just give us the third reason already.”

“Well, you’re probably not going to like this one, but one of my coworkers requires his template to stay alive while using his augmentation.”

“I figured. Once we entered this neighborhood I heard the one voice I won’t allow to be mimicked. I’ll deal with him later.”

Oliver shifted his attention from Mock back to me.

“What do you think? There’s no way I could kill someone this pathetic, but it’s not like we can just let her go.”

“I resent that remark. I’m not pathetic.”

Mock started to sit up, but Oliver poked her on the forehead.

“You’re most definitely pathetic. I’m sure everyone else here is thinking the same thing.”

It looked like Mock wanted to say something, but the words didn’t come. She silently got back down with her face to the floor.

“So, what do you think, Kanon?”

“Couldn’t we just arrest her? That way we could even claim we captured her to gain intelligence on the people targeting the Prime Minister.”

“Arrest her? We’re not police officers. That’s not really our thing. Not to mention, I bet it involves paperwork, and I’m not doing any extra paperwork. Eventually Nora will end up having to do it because no one else will. Do you really want to push that burden onto her? Besides, isn’t it a risk to bring someone that can read minds back to Mid’s headquarters?”

“Oliver, just do it. I’ll make a special song just for you once I debut! I’ve always been a good sister, right?”

Mock sat back up and started grabbing at Oliver’s ankles.

“Yeah, please Oliver. I’ll become the world’s greatest little sister too!”

“You’re no sister of mine. And why did you stick with younger?”

“I resent that remark. I’m not old. I’m only 26. That’s still young, right? There’s still hope for me, right?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s old or not, I’m only 23. So even if, no, never mind. I can’t keep up with this. Let’s just take her in. Let her become Karen’s problem.”

Olivia and Mock’s faces showed their excitement upon hearing the news, but Mock’s face quickly returned to normal.

“I just realized. If you don’t kill me, I’ll have to keep living. Based on how my life has always gone, that’ll probably be worse. I’ve changed my mind. You should definitely kill me. I’m not to be trusted.”

“I’m done with you. Kanon, I’m going to go over something with Olivia in the other room. Earlier I mentioned a second person being held here, remember?”

Oliver tossed me a slightly bloody key ring. I could imagine who, or should I say whose body, he got it from.

“He’s on the second floor. Can you release him? Let him know you came here with me, and he’ll handle the rest on his own. Don’t try to stop him, he’s a good guy who’s had a rough go of things. And Mock, I probably don’t have to say this, but don’t try to run.”

I wasn’t sure what Oliver was getting at, but I had no reason to leave an innocent person locked up. I made my way to the second floor and quickly found the locked room Oliver was referring to.

Inside there was a young man, his one hand was cuffed to the wall.

“It was getting pretty loud out there, I figured something must be happening. A quick question if you don’t mind though, were you here for them, or for me? I’m not sure if I should be relieved or panicking.”

“Neither. I came here to rescue a girl that was taken hostage.” I spoke while unlocking the cuff on this hand.

“Was she alright?”

“Unharmed. The mission was a success.”

“And the people keeping me locked up?”

“Mostly dead. One survivor that we’ll take in to be arrested.”

“Only one? Unfortunately I’m not the kind of person to be happy with a result just because it’s not the worst case.”

“You wanted them alive?”

“Is it so strange that I want everyone alive?”

“No, it’s. . .” I wasn’t sure what to say. On the most basic level I agreed with him, but I lacked the ability to actually follow through. I’d already decided to do whatever it took, even if it meant crossing lines no human should be comfortable crossing.

“You know, if I learned anything, or maybe if I was a little smarter, I would be grabbing your wrist while you're busy with my handcuffs.”

“Would that accomplish anything?”

He gently brushed his hand across my arm.

For a moment the room lost its color.

Cold. Empty. Nothing.

For the first time in over a decade I felt alone. I forgot how to breathe as the walls collapsed inward.

It probably only lasted a few seconds, but I had already lost any sense of time.

The color came back as my connection to the information dimension was reestablished. As the cuff came off his wrist I took a quick step back.

“A nullifier?”

“Correct. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on trying anything. I’m not the kind of person that would start an incident for no reason. Actually, I’m the kind that wouldn’t start an incident even with a reason.”

My face must have been showing off too much of my disgust and fear regarding his, disposition. A person that can cancel out augmentations. I hadn’t realized the Free Cities let such things room free.

“No, it’s not, it’s fine. Oliver told me you were a good person. I was just surprised.”

A lie, but there was no need for the two of us to discuss my feelings on nullifiers.

“Oliver? Oldridge? From the ARA?”

“Yes. Special Agent Oldridge. We’re working together.”

“Eh? It didn’t take long to replace me, did it? I’ll admit, I was wrong about him though. That guy had the forethought to send a pretty woman to set me free rather than show off his annoying face.”

“That so?” I had no idea what he was going on about.

“Did he tell you what to do with me?”

“No, just that I shouldn’t stop you.”

“Oh, man, that guy keeps on giving. I figured he’d bust through the door any minute to finish me off.”

“Finish you off?” Weren’t we rescuing him? “What exactly is your relationship with Special Agent Oldridge?”

“Recent old acquaintances? Something like that. Either way, I don’t plan on sticking around long enough to have a reunion. I’m willing to bet him not showing his face was more than just common courtesy. If we were to meet he’d have to make an official report of it. But I’m assuming he never gave you my name, so there’s nothing to report. As far as the MID is concerned I’m just a random captive. Unlike me he’s not dumb enough to antagonize Vier.”

I couldn’t follow his reasoning, but I could at least tell there was some kind of history between him and the ARA. If he had been a normal person I’d have suggested coming with us. He was clearly in need of more medical treatment.

The problem was, he wasn’t normal. I had no desire to travel with a nullifier.

“Can you give Vier a message for me? Tell him he’s wrong. Justice is justice. It’s never wrong, it’s never right, it’s never taboo, it’s always justice. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I gave the door a wide berth as the man left the room. I was curious as to where he was going, but I decided to follow Oliver’s advice.

Once I was sure the nullifier had left the premises I went to report back to Oliver. I found Mock alone in the main room we were talking in before. It seemed like she wasn’t interested in trying to escape. Oliver and his sister must have still been in one of the other rooms. I noticed one of the doors was slightly ajar, so I went to take a look.

“I wouldn’t recommend going in there.”

I ignored Mock’s advice and checked if they were inside.

They were. And they were. . . Why were they. . . I mean. . . They were siblings, right? Then why were they? Was I seeing things right? I definitely was, but they shouldn’t have been. It didn’t make sense.

Oliver’s attention must have been elsewhere, as he didn’t notice me enter, or notice me leave.

“I know, right? I guess everyone has their kinks. They’re just lucky they both have the same one. And just let me say, I did warn you.”

Thanks Mock.

“Don’t mention it.”

I didn’t mention it, I didn’t mention anything for that matter, and I had no plans to do so. It was never my position to lecture the people of this city on how they live. I’m sure they’d have a lot to say about how my family lives back home. That’s why I’d keep it to myself, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. From the beginning, even with this unwelcome interruption on love, this was actually nothing more than an observation on the taboo.