Xterminating the Norm

Don't Deal with the Devil

The sound of a radio switching channels echoed in a room. Static noise until a message got through.

"All units, we have a 10-80 on Artistian Avenue! We need all hands-on deck!"

A sigh was let out as a zip of the police uniform was heard. A button got pressed on the radio, activating the mic.

"Understood, I'm on my way."

She cuts her radio mic off and put a hat on her head. She looked in a hand mirror and brushed a loc aside. 

"Alright, Lyra. Let's get this over with."

Lyra put the mirror down and looked at the state of the station. It was the middle, closer to the end, of her shift. No sight of Kenji has been seen in months. She had to put out missing person reports. The station and those who are handling business in it have been in shambles since the broadcast. No one could tell what it meant. Was it a threat? An expose? The question would be left in the air. The signal couldn't be tracked at all. The very thought made her want to pull her hair out from frustration. She wouldn't though. She wasn't going to just fuck up her hair over something as small as this. But was it really small? Her colleague and best friend had gone missing, she's pressured to do overtime without pay, everyone's expecting her to be the saving grace. Lyra scoffed. She shouldn't be questioning everything this hard. Or else, she'd end up with the same mental anguish as her friend had before leaving. She walks out, her faux locs being blown by the nights harsh wind. The location was Artistian Avenue. She could go on foot. And so, she did. Rushing into the night. Ready to pursue whatever poor soul got on her radar. She continued to run until she was met with the sight of 2 fellow officers running ahead. Speaking inaudible code words into their radios in a panic. Usually, they would be more levelheaded than this. What exactly was going on? She caught up to an officer.

"What the hell is happening here?!"

"We caught sight of the killer Zer0! Shes running up ahead into Saber!"

Lyra's eyes widen. She froze in the moment. Zer0. They were chasing after Zer0. The killer that has put their entire city's society into panic and chaos. The woman that drove her friend to the edge. An officer shouts at her.

"Damn it, woman! Will you snap out of it and hurry the fuck up?!"

Lyra stopped her thoughts from going any further down the rabbit hole that was her anxiety. She rushed to another block, to cover more ground. And to hopefully close her in. A few minutes go by. It was like they were chasing after something nonexistent. She couldn't give up. She's been chasing this woman for months. She needed to confront her. She needs to give her friend justice. More minutes went by. Still nothing. Soon, there was a crackle in the radio. A message came through.

"We lost sight of the suspect. Fall back. We will call in a helicopter to scope the scene out and put out an alert."

Lyra sighed and halted any further steps. What was this, cardio? She was frustrated. They were a small team. Of course they couldn't do prolonged chases. Though, Kenji probably could. He loved these kinds of chases. It gave him the kind of rush you'd see an actor have in an action movie. She wished it could be like that. Where everyone can just get together, defeat the big-bad, and have a laugh. A happy ending. Where her friend didn't run. An ending where she finally was acknowledged further than being called for overnight hours to finish what her superiors had started. She wished her friend was here right now beside her. She wished she could have a night of rest that wasn't filled with nightmares that reminded her of her paranoia. Even more than 2 hours of sleep would be an absolute blessing. All she wants is sleep, her friend, and maybe another coffee. But this wasn't a movie. The smart move was to lay low, take what's given to her, and move on. Until a sound rung in her ear. A giggle, echoing from farther away. It was familiar. Too familiar. Shes not crazy though. No one is going to run into the night following ominous sounds with no distinct source. Thats some tripping over air, crab crawling, horror film nonsense. And this is reality. The next giggle sounded more like a tease. As if it was making fun of her. Then she thought to herself.

"Hehe~"

...What if this was a movie? She looked at the gun strapped to her belt. And then, a sight of a poster on the wall caught her eye. For Zer0. It reminded her of what she needed to do. She needed to stick to her integrity. She needs to take this girl into custody. As nonviolent and efficient as possible.

"! WANTED BY THE FEDERAL BUERA OF INVESTIGATION! BRING IN CUSTODY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! REWARD WILL BE 10,000 DOLLARS!"