Queenpins

Let's Tako 'Bout It

Prologue

The ceiling fan turns above the room, spinning on and on without a moment to pause. That fan and I aren't so different, come to think of it. It's just another cog in the machine that is City PD - doing what it's told without question.

A bird whose wings have been clipped.

And yet, a new bird comes barging into this cold uncaring department. A spring chicken Phoenix by the name of Kiara Takanashi. She talks, walks and acts like a ray of sunshine in a city of the night. Someone like her isn't gonna last long in this gritty city.

The old me didn't.

Even Ina, the genius darling of Forensics, isn't as happy as she once was either.

Look at us now - taking orders from a snake and a four-eyes with a Jap's sword.

Sitting here now, I wonder just how long that spring chicken's sunshine will last. How long before the cruel realities of...

...

"Hey senpai!" Kiara Takanashi's voice rang in Ame's ears. The Phoenix loomed over the jaded detective and asked, "Are you alright? You were talking to yourself."

Ame winced. She was yanked out of her inner thoughts and found herself in a small briefing room in City PD together with Kiara.

"Am I alright?" Ame shifted around in her chair and distanced herself from the loud mouth of her new 'partner', "What is alright, really?"

All of a sudden, a figure marched through the open door of the briefing room with a stack of case files and documents. Her long dark purple hair trailed behind her and contrasted the white lab coat she wore over her suit.

It was Ina!

"Don't answer that question, Takanashi." Ina cautioned, setting down the case files on the lecturer's podium, "You don't want to get into a philosophical discussion with Ame here."

"How else will she know about the truth of this cold, uncaring wor-" Ame rose up from her seat and tried to interject.

"Ame!" Ina snapped, "Sit down and stay quiet for a sec, will ya? I'm doing overtime for this little project of yours, okay?"

Ame frowned and obliged, "Yes ma'am."

The jaded detective sunk deeper into her seat and the cheerful rookie sat tall beside her, smiling brightly even in that ungodly hour. Ina took a piece of chalk and started writing on the board.

"My name is Ina'nis Ninomae, the head of the Forensics department. I'm gonna be the tactical advisor for this operation." She underlined her name on the board and turned back to the two detectives watching her, "Chief Enma asked me to brief the two of you about the situation and bring you up to speed."

Ina pulled down a map of the city over the chalkboard. It was a map that divided the city into three zones: North, South and Center. The forensics expert pointed to the map with a ruler.

"Detective Takanashi, since you're new to town, I want to show you the lay of the land." Ina explained, pointing to the North of the map "There are two major gangs fighting for dominance in this City. To the North, we have the Shrimps of Ocean Street. More than three thousand strong - bigger than City PD. They've got the docks and the canneries wrapped around their fishy fingers." She then lowered her ruler and continued, "To the South, we have the Deadbeats of Industrial Way. Two thousand folks, but that's nothing to sneeze at. They've got the metal foundries and the train station in their boney hands."