3.UNDERWORLD

A good old fashion crime thriller/ murder mystery with a Neo-Japanese twist! Meet a supporting character, Detective Koga as he finds himself trapped in the web of his own emotions and past dealings.

 

Tokyo nightlife is riotous. Beyond the twilight narcotic subterfuge reigns supreme. Hot doses of steaming erotica and crimson violence fills the night with ardent screams.

   Detective Koga stalks the slick street--umbrella in hand.

Smokey haze filters from nightclub entrances. Music-- the base pounds against his chest.

   It is nearly dawn and the neon of this underworld slowly dies--the aftermath exposed by daylight.

Broken bottles and cigarette butts clog the storm drains. Cars have smashed widows and fresh graffiti adorns the bar fronts. And those responsible, the creatures of the night, they slink back into the alley shadows. Some however, have lost themselves in the narcotic ecstasy. Their pierced and tattooed bodies lay wasted on the sidewalks along with any hopes of a future.

   His expression is hard.

   Disgusting…

   He wants to pity them, but cannot.

Koga focuses ahead, But he keeps his limbs close under the umbrella’s eve. Look, how he meticulously skirts the puddles of acid rain-- being careful not to wet his dress shoes.

   His brow glistens from the humidity. It is a warm night, heavy with precipitation, but he refuses to loosen his tie.

   A few tactless jeers are thrown at him.

   Koga ignores them.

Thoughtless words from guilt ridden people. Their time will come, he reminds himself. Maybe in two or three weeks. They all turn out the same. At least forty-percent of teens from low-income families become drug addicts and turn criminal overnight.

   His adrenalin rises--thinking of a major gang bust he headed last week. The excitement and sense of accomplishment still pulses through his veins.

He spent several days undercover, investigating the ruthless Tsume gang, suspected of kidnapping a large corporate heiress. They were soon convicted and of not only that, but also rape and illegal drug possession.

  The news media has yet to fully acknowledge his success.

Until recently, Koga has been suspended. He became somewhat of an enigma, refusing human contact of any kind. This is only his second case after being reinstated.

   Thoughtfully, he shoves his hands in his pockets and stops to look at his reflection in a puddle. The familiar man peers back, a frown, stern black eyes and a receding hairline. He is the perfect specimen of middle class life style. Dark circles under his eyes from the long nights, a thin frame--- enough for his frugal budget to sustain---and the unvarying gray suit.

  “Sir!” A voice echoes.

His partner motions him toward a glossy black wall at the streets end. It is a tinted containment unit proficiently veiling the crime scene from otherwise prying eyes.

Koga acknowledges with a wave.

 

          ***

It smells like smoke, but with an awful, more acrid edge to it.

  Plastic.

  Upholstery, perhaps?

His expert nose assesses the air inside the unit shell. He hears the gentle pat of rain on the roof top.

  Beside Koga stands his partner, brushing up against his sleeve. The detective glances sideways at the rookie. So far he seems a decent guy. An intellectual, overachiever-- fresh out of university. He’s tall and thin, good looking too. Koga wonders just what prompted his superior to assign him such a man.

  They are in a small room partitioned into two sections by a white screen, what is behind it, Koga knows from experience: the victim. Three sweaty police officers make busy with digitized charts and patch-in links.

  “Well?” Koga questions, in a deep, husky voice.

  “Vehicular incident.”

His smooth, mater-of-fact tone irritates Koga.

   “Very good,” he grimaces.

Before they can examine further, a man approaches from behind the screen.

  “Koga--sama!” he greets in a rasping tone.

  “Chief.“

Koga inclines his head, observing a sallow face and sunken eyes.

  Chief Norihiro Yagi of Shinjuku Ward Police, has in the past, been a great friend to the detective. But after issuing Koga’s suspension and falling ill, Yagi circumstantially became a stranger these past two years. It didn’t help either that the Detective refused contact with his long-time friend, ignoring countless courtesy calls and visitations.

  However, He cannot help their meeting now. The maddening familiarity of events makes his blood boil.

Seeing the contented expression and placid smile on Yagi’s face, in a perpetual attempt to lighten the mood, sickens him.

Koga‘s fists clench.

  “How are you taking to your new partner?” The chief inquires casually.

  “He’ll do,” Koga fakes a smile.

  “I figured you would make a good team, right Takashi?”

He gave smile and handshake to the statuary partner.

  “We will do our best, Sir,” Takashi responds coolly.

Without another word the threesome move behind the divider screen.

What meets their eyes is not unexpected.

The blackened remains of a mutilated car are smashed against the pavement. It’ reeks of oil and petroleum---a car incident indeed.

Four covered bodies lie cold on the ground. A forensic teem is hard at work on their partially charred remains.

  “So what happened?” Koga asks gruffly.

  “I’ll patch you in…it will be easier that way. “

The Chief’s smile vanishes.

He pulls a USB cord from the rotary built inside his neck and passes it to him. Koga activates his cybercom and connects with Takashi.

  “link up and record all visual data.”

  “Got it.”

Koga connects the cord to his port, located at the base of his neck. His eyes close.

Instantly, a visual is displayed to his cyber brain--- a silver vehicle streaming through traffic. There is nothing unusual for several minutes. Then suddenly, the vehicle surges out of lane and a strip of the cab top rips back of its own accord. However, this does not shock the detective.

But when a katana materializes on the cab’s top, his heart leaps. His eyes dilate.

Next, the vehicle lurches to the left and within seconds---crashes at high speed into an oncoming transit bus. Shocked, Koga watches as the car spirals radically downwards to hit the street bellow, engulfed in flames.

The video ends.

He slowly disconnects and opens his eyes.

“The feed was extracted from various traffic cameras along it’s path…there is no mistake in the video’s clarity and consistency.”

  “I see.”

Koga’s voice is cold as ice, confused anger burns in his chest, “--Just what are you playing at?”

  “You noticed then, the use of thermo optic camo?” The chief’s studies Koga’s pained expression. “After two years…I wasn’t sure.” He appears slightly downcast now.

  “I am sorry--” Takashi interrupts. “--are you refering to military band Thermo Optic Camoflouge? It’s use is exculsive to only Special Operatives, I doubt even a black market could get it’s hands on it.”

  “Right.” The Chief confirms. “ And I know, what your thinking, but it doesn’t narrow the field. Special Ops are clean. You weren’t around for this one so, I’ll upload the files to---”

  “--I am not taking this case!” Koga’s face is tense, his dark eyes piercing.

The chief is visibly irritated. He takes a deep breath.

  “Listen, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I don’t want to re-assign you, but consider this…you are the only man with the experience. The case is still fresh in your mind!”

  “Exactly!” Koga exclaims angrily. He throws up his arms. “I remember everything about that case --- I lived it. Do you really expect me to go through hell again?”

Koga tries to keep his voice down, this is embarrassing in front of his new partner. He starts to walk out, but the Chief stops him.

  “Think carefully, Detective-- could be your last chance to redeem yourself.”

Koga turned to him.

  “You think I need redeeming?” He scoffs.

Shaking his head, the Detective leaves the unit.

   “I’ll take the files…leave it to me, Sir.” Takashi’s calm tone sets the Chief at ease.

   “That’s fine. He’ll come around, just let his conscience do the convincing. That man’s got one heck of a guilt complex…”

Author's Note

Ugh, this chapter took me so long to write! This is my first attempt at a crime scene drama, so please be totally honest in your comments--constructive criticism is how I become a better writer. Any comments welcome!

P.S-- I would like to clarify that neither Detective Koga, the Chief, or Takashi are robots. Don't be confused by their cyber-tech capabilities. (This will be explained in greater detail in chapters to come)
God bless : )

Reviews

[-K]

Omg! Omg! Scary robot world in my head!....Must...Keep...Reading (says while hiding from all other eletronics in the house) lol.

I do agree with some others"more detail on the crime scene...blah blah blah" but very good work. I'll be reading on to see where your world takes me :)

[Alex P.]

I agree with T. Hawkins. You could have described the accident and crime scene a little better, especially since the last chapter left off with the car still being intact. This world is used to gory descriptions, we enjoy them thoroughly, so don't be scared to throw in some gore. I enjoyed your introduction of Koga-san, I want to learn more about his past, specifically his cold case, which I'm sure you'll get to. Overall a beautiful read once again, I am thoroughly looking forward to further updates. Blessings.

[Mary Evans]

It really shows you put a lot of work into your writing. The sentence flow is really good and descriptions are vivid. Nice introduction of the new characters. The only thing that might improve it more is a bit more details on the description of the incident. So overall really nice. Keep up the good work.

[Amelia Harris]

Wow! This was great, Pare! I could totally visualize the whole thing! It was awesome!! The only thing I have to say is there were a couple of grammatical and spelling errors. Message me if you want me to tell you where. Great job!!

[Kandy]

For your first crime scene, it was pretty good. It's very realistic (even though it's set in another time). Once again, you made good use of details. I didn't find anything wrong, so good job.

[John Stussy]

Ah, now you have revealed the character opposite the assassin, very nice. He seems like a capable enough cop to go for that killer, though what will transpire only you know. Great chapter is what I say, I found no flaws.