Rhythmically, Inspector Roninn swayed to the harsh, brassy noise of a huntsman's horn. Smiling with a sardonic pleasure at the severe cacophony of notes, he permitted the music to play from his wristcom and echo for drift down into the confines of the underground service tunnels beneath the Toshiba HVAC Building. "O the yelping of the hounds, the skelping. Along the cover and out at the back! Now they've lost him and now they're finding him, now he's winding 'em round by the stack!"

Flipping the long hair from his forehead to the back his head, Roninn took a deep breath and exhaled. "Oh, I do enjoy an old hunting ditty. Hunting the Hare is a personal favorite." He curtly snapped his fingers and pointed to the space at the bottom of the wagon ramp in front of him. "Gather round. Come, come, quickly now. You should be rested and refreshed."

Kogami aggressively shoved his hands into his pockets. Digging his finger nails into his palms, he struggled to contain his rage.  The Inspector's flagrant arrogance stifled him, and the Enforcer found it difficult to breathe.  He stopped in the center of the ramp. Kumi and Yemen held hands as they went to stand to his left, while Barabbas went right.

Roninn activated his wristcom to bring up a digital blueprint of the subterranean complex. He transmitted the data to all of them. "Our quarry has gone to ground here," he said, highlighting a section of the map. "And he has been lying low in this condemned section of the city to avoid detection."

"Not too difficult a feat in an abolitionist block," Kumi said.

"No scanners, no functional security measures," her brother added. "Meaning no drones."

"Which is why I've arranged for drones to be stationed at every possible entry or exit from this facility. While they cannot come in, our prey cannot get out. He's trapped."

"Who's the target?" Kogami asked.

"Okihiro Shinoda, multiple murderer. Killed a family of four in their sleep. The father, the mother, and two children, aged 10 and 4."

"How'd he manage that?" Yemen asked with a frown.

"He deactivated the safety protocols on their home heating system, allowing a dangerous build up of carbon monoxide in the residence. They suffocated in their sleep."

"Killing kids?" Barabbas asked. "Why'd he do it?"

"Revenge for not getting a promotion." Roninn bowed his tall frame, putting an arm behind his back. "Kumi?"

"Sir?" She stepped the rest of the way down the ramp to him.

The Inspector took her hand and kissed it, dragging his lips across her fragrant skin.

Kogami saw the shudder of revulsion go through her as she slowly withdrew her arm.

Roninn grinned impishly, showing two even rows of remarkably white teeth. "My delicate beauty, I need that lovely nose of yours to find this hare. You and your brother will go into the complex through the auxiliary maintenance corridors and flush him out. If you run across him, do not engage. Run him back along the main access tunnel."

"Right!" the twins said in unison.

"This has been a week of intense investigation."  Roninn massaged his brow irritably.  "It ends here before the dawn."

Waving in the utility drone, Roninn stepped back as the lid slid open to reveal the Dominators inside of it. Each twin retrieved a weapon and then, taking opposite sides, they moved down into the corridor with the stealth of hunting cats in synchronous step.

"And us?" Kogami asked. "What are we waiting for?" He went over to the drone to retrieve his Dominator.

"Barabbas and you are my heavyweights, Mr. Kogami. No need wearing you out in the chase, when I need you for the most important part."

"And that is?"

"Why the kill, of course."Roninn  reached into his coat pocket and retrieved  two silver-handled switchblades.  With a wicked grin, he extended his hand and the weapons to his Enforcers.

"What the hell is this?" Kogami glared at Roninn through narrowed eyes.

"The tools of Justice, Enforcer Kogami," Roninn replied. "The man we hunt is a multiple murderer, a child murderer. Too often, our Mistress Sibyl is not just blind, but mute. It is up to the few with the resolve to take action to do what must be done. Shinoda doesn't deserve the mercy of rehabilitation. Justice has come for this man, and we shall be certain Justice prevails."

"Don't be ignorant, Ko," Barabbas said. He retrieved one of the knives and put it in his pocket. "Take the blade."

"Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have," Kogami said, quoting the civil rights leader, James Baldwin.  "I'm not the ignorant one here."   He took a step back from Roninn, refusing to pick up the knife.

"Hound 1 to Shepherd 1," Kumi said over the comm.

"Report, Kumi," Roninn said.

"We've made contact. Shinoda is on the run in your direction. Sending you the coordinates now."

Ronin scanned the map on his wristcom, noting the location of his pursing Enforcers and their prey. "Nicely done. You've flushed him into the central ventilation corridor. Must be where he's been hiding all this time."

"Only two ways to access the outside world," Yemen said breathlessly. "He's headed north. We'll keep him penned in from the southern end."

Ronin pulled a Dominator from the drone and turned to his Enforcers. "The trumpet sounds." He turned his head to Kogami with a sneer. "Go fetch."

With a sense that he had a target squarely painted on his back, Kogami cast a fleeting glance back at Roninn before joining Barabbas in the access tunnel.  On opposite walls, they walked in awkward silence for nearly a 100 yards. More than once, he caught Barabbas staring at him from the shadows.

"You've got the wrong impression, Ko."

"Oh, what makes you think that?"

"That look on your face says it all. Judging the man before he's had the chance to show you what he's about? You've got it all wrong."

"Tell me, Barabbas, what's Roninn all about, except being a power-hungry despot?"

"Roninn's just doing what the Sibyl System can't."

"That's not for any Inspector or any Enforcer to decide.  That's why we have the Sibyl System."

The sound of hurried footsteps caught Kogami's attention. Deftly, he slipped out of sight into a narrow recess in the wall, signaling Barabbas to fade back into the shadows. The footsteps came closer, rapidly falling in sequence until they faltered and slowed. Dominator at the ready, Kogami leaped from his position. "Freeze! MWPSB!"

"Wait, please!" A slight, unassuming man cringed in terror beneath the shadow of the Dominator.  Shinoda's sweaty face was smeared with dirt and grease from his time spent in the tunnels living like a sewer rat.  He wore mechanic's overalls that were equally soiled. "Please, listen to me," he pleaded in a pathetic voice.

Kogami leveled the Dominator, allowing the sky blue light to help him see in the dimness. Where human eyes failed, the weapon picked up the fugitive's psycho pass and read out the judgement. "Crime Coefficient 112. Enforcement action required. The trigger safety is now released. Aim calmly and subdue the target."

"Crime coefficient 112?" Kogami whispered. This guy's a murderer?

"I-I didn't mean to k-kill them! It was a mistake," Shinoda stammered. "I only wanted to make Ushida sick. To cause him to have an absence, then the promotion would have been mine." He fell to his knees, clasping his hands. "Please, I—I'll go quietly. I'll—"

Without warning, Barabbas rushed from the other side of the tunnel. Despite the dimness, Kogami caught a flash of light reflected off steel as the Enforcer threw himself at the surrendering figure. The concussion of fists against flesh reverberated in the corridor as Barabbas drove the switchblade into the right side of Shinoda's rib cage, switched hands, and then buried the blade twice more into the left side.

Caught off guard, Kogami leveled the Dominator at Barabbas. "What the hell are you doing! I had him!"

The dying engineer weakly grasped at the Enforcer's leg. Gasping for air, he collapsed to the damp floor and expired as Barabbas stood over him with a crazed look in his eyes. The latter tilted his head to the side flippantly and gave Kogami a feigned expression of deep sorrow. "I tried to save my fellow Enforcer from a dangerous perp with a knife. Sadly, I was too late. Shinya Kogami died in the access corridor before help could arrive."

Knife held in an underhanded grip, Barabbas lunged at Kogami with a savage kick that knocked the Dominator out of his hand. To avoid being stabbed in the neck, Kogami was forced to cross his arms in a defensive block. The maneuver gave Barabbas an advantage, allowing him to knock Kogami down to the floor with a powerful leg sweep that momentarily made him airborne.

"It's amazing what you can learn about a man from sparring him," Barabbas said. His breathing was labored, not from effort, but a bloodlust that brought a sinister zeal to his eyes. Knocking Kogami's arms to the side, he brought the switchblade down with all of his great strength, aiming for the center of his chest.

Kogami bucked beneath the heavier man's weight. The blade missed his chest, but was buried deep in his left shoulder, only a few inches above his heart. Barabbas' eyes went wide at the miss. "That's the problem with sparring a colleague versus a friend," Kogami said. "You have a tendency to hold back; so that you don't hurt them." He grit his teeth against the pain, and with another wild buck freed his legs, which he wrapped around his rival's neck. "Didn't show you all of my moves, Barabbas." With a twist, he used his weight as leverage and sent the rogue Enforcer flying backwards into the darkness.

Scrambling for his Dominator, Kogami brought the weapon down on Barabbas before the man could draw his own. "Crime coefficient over 400. Enforcement action required. Target is a registered Enforcer. Status: Enforce at will. Lethal eliminator. Trigger safety is now released. Aim carefully and eliminate the target."

Winded by the throw and the subsequent fall on the concrete, Barabbas slowly rose to his feet. "Wasn't it Hamilton who said: The first duty of society is justice?"

"Yeah, but it was Aesop who said: The injuries we do and those we suffer are seldom weighed in the same scales." He pulled the trigger, firing the Dominator.

The grotesque noise of the implosion was redoubled in the close confinement of the tunnel. As minute fragments of flesh and bone slid from the walls and ceiling, Kogami heard laughter and the sound of applause from behind him. Recognizing the sardonic laughter of Inspector Roninn, he bowed his head in resignation and dropped his hand to his side.

"And so spoke the Lord Famine before he was felled by the Light of Justice."

Kogami shook his head, knowing a Dominator was already pointed at his back. "The last Enforcer to die on your watch? He wasn't killed in the line of duty, was he? You killed him. Or rather, you had Barabbas do it."

"Had to make room for my latest acquisition. A hellhound—barely contained on the leash. I thought for certain that I could manage you."  Roninn snorted pompously.  "So rarely am I ever wrong."

"Happy to disappoint you."

"Ginoza was right about you, Enforcer Kogami."

Kogami resisted the urge to cast a cursory glance over his shoulder. "Oh, and what bad press did Ginoza have to give?"

"He said you were a hard man with an even harder head, but that he'd met no one finer, not as Inspector or Enforcer."

The sentiment struck Kogami with more emotion than he anticipated. "Ginoza said that?"

"Imagine his disappointment when he hears the news that you killed a perp, superseding the Sibyl System, then killed a fellow Enforcer, and then attempted the murder of an MWPSB Inspector?"

Exploding into action, Kogami dropped to a knee, withdrew the switchblade protruding from his shoulder, and threw it. Still coated with his blood, the weapon spun in the air and connected with its target, disarming the man with a Dominator at his back. Embedded in Roninn's hand, the edge cut through flesh and minor bones, slicing tendons as easily as ligaments. Unable to sustain his grip, the Dominator fell from Roninn's hand.

Blood dripping from the deep puncture and between his fingers, Roninn threw his head back and laughed loudly. His voice, expressing no pain, reverberated against the tunnel ceiling. "You've accomplished nothing, Hellhound, except to prove to all that you are a bad, a very bad, dog."

"Think so?"

"Who will believe you? A latent criminal over a decorated Inspector."

"We'll see about that." Kogami held up the Dominator and pointed it at Roninn.

"Crime Coefficient over 140. Enforcement action required. Target is a registered Inspector. Status: Enforce at will. The trigger safety is now released. Aim calmly and subdue the target."

Kogami could hardly believe his ears. "There's no such thing as a bad dog, Roninn, just bad owners." He pulled the trigger.

Roninn extended his bloodied hands defensively as if attempting to catch the projectile. The bullet, unhindered, struck him squarely in the chest. With a gasp of surprise and alarm, he fell backwards and collapsed to the floor.

Lightheaded, Kogami staggered a step back and leaned against the nearest wall. "This is Hound 4. Enforcement complete. Enforcer Barabbas is dead. Inspector Roninn is down. Send back up to our location immediately."

Back at MWPSB headquarters, a belligerent Kogami emerged from the paddy wagon in the parking hub. He did not wait for the ramp to fully lower or extend before he made his way out of the rear compartment. Refusing to answer questions or follow the directives of any Inspector, he barreled into the building, leaving a trail of blood and confusion in his wake. Barely tolerating the presence of Masaoka or Kagari, who met him in the corridor, he refused even their requests to go to the medical bay for emergency treatment. If he was going to be cornered and brought to heel, Kogami wanted it done on his terms. So, he retreated to his dormitory, leaving Masaoka and Kagari to keep vigil at his door.

Slipping the knot from his tie, Kogami yanked it free and threw it on the floor. Angrily, he ran a hand through his hair and over his furrowed forehead.  He desperately sought to quiet the whirlwind of rage within him. The Enforcer could only imagine the color of his hue at that moment and wondered about the state of his crime coefficient. He wanted nothing more than to storm down to the medical bay and kill Roninn with his bare hands!

Kogami sat back on the couch and sighed wearily. Peace might have come through controlled breathing exercises, but breathing too deeply hurt. Barabbas could throw a solid punch, just in sparring. Unchecked, his blows were devastating. Swellings rose from where Kogami had been fortunate enough to block him. Bruised muscles clenched in knots of protest in other areas of his body where subsequent blows had connected. And he was still bleeding.

He grit his teeth in preparation of aggravating the knife injury. Taking a towel from the back of his couch, he pressed it against the wound to staunch the moderate bleeding. While on the surface, the knife wound appeared small, it was some inches deep. There was no help for it right then, not without going to the medical bay. All he could hope to do was to be still and control the bleeding.

The door sensor chimed, indicating that someone had requested entrance. Lacking the energy to entertain company, he ignored it.  Minutes later, overridden by an access code, the door slid open.

"Mr. Kogami?" Akane whispered. "You are here. When you didn't answer, I feared—  I was worried. Shion said you were in pretty bad shape." She took one faltering step forward into the room and then stopped. "I see she was right."

"What are you doing here, Inspector?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She held up a red duffel bag with the words Medical Supply written across it. "Shion said you refused to go to the infirmary. You wouldn't even let her have a look at you."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."  Akane timidly crossed the space between them and knelt down on the floor in front of him. She pushed aside his shirt and looked beneath the towel, wincing at the wound underneath it. "You really should get down to the medical bay right away."  She chuckled anxiously.  "My first aid has improved, thanks to you, but I'm not that good."

"I'm not going anywhere near medical. Not while Roninn's down there," he growled, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I might do if I see him."

Opening the medical kit, Akane withdrew some gauze and antiseptic gel. Gently, the Inspector dabbed at his nose, cleaning dried blood from the bridge, the tip, and from beneath his nostrils. She put aside the bloody gauze for a fresh pad and cleaned the cut in the corner of his mouth. The wound was painful, and he recoiled abruptly from the sting.

"I'm sorry." Her hand trembled as she drew back from him.

The pained, betrayed expression in her eyes broke him. Despite his appalling behavior toward her, she had forgiven him. That's why she was here with him. Exhaustion taking its toll, Kogami leaned forward and took her hand, gently kissing the knuckle. "No, I'm so sorry, Akane." He laid his head on her shoulder. Overwhelmed by fatigue, emotion and weak from blood loss, he was on the verge of confessing his soul, but he did not have the energy to speak. All he wanted was to be there, in that moment, in her arms, if she would have him.

She leaned her face against his and held him close to her. "Kogami," she whispered, crying softly, "what have you done?"

With no indication of an intrusion, the door to his dorm opened again, admitting Ginoza. Gray-faced and grim, his former friend and partner stepped into the room. "Time and time again, I have tried to warn you. But you just couldn't resist pushing the envelope, could you?" He held a Dominator in his right hand. The sky blue lights from the weapon projected an eerie eclipse of color across the fabric of his pants.

"Ginoza?" Akane whispered. "Please."

"Enough! No more excuses, Inspector Tsunemori!  Kogami's crossed the line. There's nothing left to do except put him down." He came within six feet of Kogami and raised the Dominator to fire.

"Stand down, Ginoza!"

"Inspector Ikuko," Ginoza said warily. "By whose authority—"

"Chief Kasei's authority, that's who. Do you mind dropping that Dominator? Right now, the Enforcer you're threatening belongs to me."

"What?"

"Enforcer Kogami has been on special assignment ever since he transferred out of Division 1 some 20 hours ago." She tapped a button on her wristcom to transmit the official documents to him. "While it appeared that Enforcer Kogami was working in Division 5 with former Inspector Roninn, he was actually under my supervision."

"Special assignment?"

Dressed in an elegant black pantsuit, Ikuko managed to put herself between Ginoza and Kogami, forcing the former to lower his arm and the Dominator. "That's right. Division 3 has long suspected that Roninn had gone rogue. We just couldn't prove it until Kogami cracked the case wide open."

"But Kogami fired on an Inspector. Killed another Enforcer."

"Yes, he did.  All under the auspices of the Sibyl System, Ginoza. Honestly, with the way you treat your Enforcers, I'm surprised one hasn't turned on you. All that attitude. How do you keep your own crime coefficient within the regs?"

"What exactly did Inspector Roninn do?"Akane asked.

"Oh,where to start?" she shrugged, throwing up her hands. "Over time, Enforcers working the job may find their crime coefficients increasing. It's a serious hazard, but actually encouraging those crime coefficients to rise is a serious crime. Roninn wrote the book on it. And that's just the start of a long list of offenses." She crossed her arms over her chest and grinned at Ginoza. "Roninn had no intention of bringing in perps for due process, let alone therapy. He used the MWPSB as his private hunting ground and kept the Enforcers at his disposal to kill on command, regardless of a citizen's psycho pass."

"How horrible." Akane stared into Kogami's eyes. "You agreed to this?"

"It was the only way to stop him."

"Roninn has had a hard-on for Kogami for years now. When Ginoza flippantly mentioned transferring him, Roninn was all over it. Even had Barabbas take out one of their own to make room for the infamous Hellhound of Division 1." She walked over to Kogami and extended her hand. "I never figured Roninn would show his dirty side so soon, Ko."

"Desperate times, desperate measures," he replied, taking her hand firmly in his and shaking it.

"Well, congratulations for a job well done." Ikuko smiled down at Akane and winked. "As a reward, you get to go home. Where you belong."

"What happens to the remaining Enforcers under Roninn?" Kogami asked.

"Well, Barabbas is no longer an issue thanks to you. You shouldn't feel badly about that one. His last psycho pass registered his crime coefficient as 450. Even if he had survived this case, Sibyl would have judged him fit for execution. He was Roninn's lapdog in conspiracy to commit murder."

"Roninn seemed to keep the the twins at a distance," Kogami said. "I'm not sure he didn't force himself on Kumi by the way he acted with her. Were they in on it?"

"No, they weren't. But their crime coefficients are well over 350, aggressive even for Enforcers."

"But it's not their fault," Kogami protested. "Roninn promoted their brutality, mostly through Barabbas."

"True, which is why, because of your recommendations, they will be going to a facility to detox for a few months. If their crime coefficients can be reduced, they will return to the job."

"Under whom? They only know Roninn and his heavy hand."

"Not to worry, Ko. If they come back, they'll fall under my supervision. I've made the proper requests."

"And if their crime coefficients don't recover?" Akane asked.

"You already know the answer to that," Ginoza sneered. "Don't be so naive." Eyes narrowed in spite, he turned to Ikuko to demand further answers. "How was Roninn able to do it? He was the mastermind of this debacle. How was he able to keep his psycho pass from being flagged?"

"His crime coefficient was no worse than yours," Ikuko fired back. "While Roninn was the mastermind, he never got his hands dirty. He had his Enforcers for that, Barabbas in particular. It wasn't until Kogami refused to go along with his plans that things changed and prompted his  crime coefficient to go above the regulation value. Then Ko shot him, dead to rights!" She slapped her hands together abruptly and winked at Kogami with a smile.

"So this was planned the whole time," Akane whispered.

Kogami bowed his head in guilt. "I'm sorry."

"Well, I have a ton of paper work to do. Helluva a hunting hound you have there, Tsunemori. If you ever grow tired of him, give me a call." Ikuko closed the medical bag and threw it over her shoulder. "I'll return this to Shion. Roninn's been transported to more secure facility. The medical bay is clear. Get your boy checked out. By the looks of him, he needs it." She headed back to the doorway with a quick wave of her hand. "I'll be seeing you."

Momentarily an alert sounded in the corridor, bringing up simultaneous messages on their wristcoms. "Elevated area stress-level warning. A psycho pass above the regulation value has been detected in the Inner Harbor district. All on-duty Inspectors and available Enforcers are immediately required for intervention at the scene."

"Never a dull moment," Kogami whispered under his breath.

"I'll handle this with Kunizaka and Masaoka," Ginoza said, deactivating the alert. "You're in no condition to be in the field. You're not even fit for desk duty." He turned and handed his Dominator to Akane. "Inspector Tsunemori, escort Enforcer Kogami to the infirmary. If he refuses to go, shoot him with the Dominator."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Akane said, smiling. She holstered the Dominator and helped Kogami to his feet, supporting his weight against her shoulder and wrapping at arm about his waist.

"Kagari, give Inspector Tsunemori a hand."

"My pleasure!" Kagari tucked himself under Kogami's other arm. "Welcome back, Ko," he whispered for Kogami alone to hear. "You had us all worried."

"Yeah, sorry about that, and thanks." Kogami took a faltering step forward, appreciating their support. Inclining his head toward Akane, he whispered, "It's good to be back...where I belong."