The forced rehearsal was not unlike an execution from the days of the gallows: the prisoner, under guard, standing with an executioner, and the executor of the death warrant watching on. If he had the energy, Kogami might have laughed at himself for the morbid thought because his analogy was not far from wrong.

Director Nagano was a stern perfectionist and demanded the best possible performance from his players and tech crew. The slightest error was cause to scrap the scene and begin again from the top. What was promised to be an hour, stretched into an arduous 90 minutes. Throughout the grueling rehearsal, Kogami sat at the piano with Akane standing over him as he played the various numbers.

Watching on from the orchestra pit, Ginoza observed, occasionally stepping away to answer an alert on his wristcom. He was living up to the shepherd namesake given to MWPSB Inspectors, as he carefully organized the hounds and rallied them to their purpose. To keep the troupe safe from harm, Masaoka, Kagari, and Kunizaka patrolled backstage, the dressing rooms, and any adjoining area. The alerts came from them making quick, intermittent reports about the activity in their vicinity.

The music for Until Death...Do Us Part? had a complex foundation that required more concentration than Kogami had anticipated. Though he briefly studied the music beforehand, he initially found himself struggling to reach beyond the mechanics to the heart of the compositions. After playing the first few bars, those misgivings faded away, and he could not recall why he had hesitated. By the later bars, he wondered why he had any misgivings at all. Playing the music became second nature to him like slipping into a favorite pair of pajamas on a winter day.

The strangely familiar melodies comforted him. While he played, the misery of his cold was forgotten. Kazuya was a musical genius, as Nagano claimed, who had embedded his wit into the context of a story that was a scathing political rebuke on the surface, as well as powerful validation of a love fated to defy time and even death itself. As soon as he hit the final note, he experienced a profound regret and wanted nothing more than to hear the director's cue to go back to the beginning.

"Again, bravo, Mr. Kogami!" Director Nagano shouted. He stepped from behind the curtain and walked to the right side of the stage, which put him almost at eye level with the Enforcer. "Exceptional playing. I'm hiring a new piano player, if your interested. The Kurouma Theatre Company is in your debt." He bowed deeply to show his appreciation. "This is the first time that we have rehearsed and suffered no mishaps. Not even a light flickered." He smiled graciously. "Your coming was fortuitous. Perhaps your exceptional playing has broken the curse."

"Director Nagano," Ginoza said, glancing at his wristcom. "If your rehearsal is done, I would like for your company to begin leaving the building."

"As we agreed, Inspector." Nagano clapped his hands vigorously. "And that, people, is our cue! Be here tomorrow morning 8:00 sharp for a run-through!" Clasping his hands together, Nagano regarded Ginoza with a smile. "Fifteen minutes, Inspector, and the house and the entirety of this theater will be yours." He pointed to the MWPSB official. "And then you shall be the Director."

"Kunizaka," Ginoza said, "prep the surveillance equipment. Full scans. Masaoka and Kagari, sweep the backstage and dressing rooms again. Make certain everyone leaves the building."

Folding his hands in front of him, Director Nagano sank down on his haunches. "So, Mr. Kogami, what do you think of Kazuya's work?"

Kogami propped his weight on his elbows and leaned against the piano. Despite his usual inclination to be sullen, he smiled. "It was beautiful. If you were serious about needing a piano player, I'm sure Chief Kasei might oblige. Could be part of my ongoing stress therapy. At least until you find a replacement."

"Kogami," Akane whispered. She ran her hands across his shoulders. "What a great idea!"

"It would be my honor and my greatest pleasure to make the arrangements. You played perfectly for a cold rehearsal. It was as if you were Kurnan Kazuya himself." He paused when Kogami frowned. "I did not mean to offer any offense by comparing you with a dead man. I'm sorry."

"No, that's not it. It's the music," Kogami said. "It's as if...as if something...I can't figure it."

"Something's missing." Nagano chuckled softly, bowing his head before standing back up. "There have long been speculations that there was one last song that Kazuya was writing before his death at the hands of the Emperor's soldiers. But nothing has come of it. There's been no evidence to breathe life into the rumor or prove it to be true. I share your suspicions. Though the flow of the play and its acts are seamless, something is off."

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, Kogami bowed his head in misery. Without the pleasant distraction and concentration of the score to occupy him, he was left to the merciless symptoms of his head cold, which returned with vengeance. The violent and bone-jarring cough worsened the throbbing in his head, and a stabbing sensation thrummed at his temples in the rhythmic timing of his heartbeat.

Slipping the knot of his tie, Kogami closed his eyes. Desperate to find some relief, he rubbed his brow to alleviate the built-up sinus pressure along the sides of his nose. Chilled to the bone, the Enforcer struggled to breathe and shivered against a sudden cold that descended on him even as perspiration beaded on his forehead.

Alerted by a strange rattling noise, Kogami looked up in time to see five armed men advancing on him from the corridor annex beside the stage. They were dressed in the traditional Gosuko armor worn by the Emperor's soldiers. The distinctive helmets with black nape guards that flapped noisily as they ran gave away their position. Blood-red cuirasses and matching tassels gleamed in the stage lighting as they each took a knee and positioned their muskets to fire.

"Akane!" Kogami shouted. He stood up and reached out for her, but she was beyond arm's reach. "Get down!"

Instinctively putting himself between her and the riflemen, he reached for his Dominator, but it was too late. The five costumed assailants shot first. Deafened by the sharp report, Kogami grit his teeth as the gunfire vibrated painfully in his ears. All five bullets struck him in the chest and lower torso. Kogami counted them as the world slowed down to depict the madness in slow motion for his bewildered mind.

The violent impact lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backwards off the platform to the floor ten feet below. As he fell, Kogami stared into the ceiling above him. The stars and the speckled refraction of light from the chandelier danced before his eyes. Consciousness waning, he experienced weightlessness. His vision grew blurry, and the chandelier appeared to be a sun that grew smaller and smaller still, until there was nothing but the blackness.

"Where do you go when you close your eyes?"

"What?" Kogami asked. He was lying on his back, looking up into the worried faces of Masaoka and Kagari. "What happened?"

"Take it easy, Ko," Masaoka whispered. He put a hand on Kogami's shoulder to ensure that he remained lying down on the floor. "You took a bad spill from the piano platform. And you don't look so good."

"I fell?"

"Looked like you jumped, only backwards," Kagari said.

Masaoka nodded his head in agreement. "You stood up like you saw something. Something that really spooked you. Then launched yourself off the platform. Just like that other piano player did."

"Only you landed on the floor and not a bunch of lighting equipment."

"There were five of them!" Kogami shouted, abruptly remembering the incident. Shoving Masaoka's hands aside, he sat up and looked around him. "They had weapons! Rifles!"

"Rifles?" Kagari whispered. He exchanged a concerned glance with Masaoka. "There's nobody here but us, Ko."

"They were dressed in Gosuko armor!" Kogami insisted. "With muskets!" With no sign of armed intruders in the vicinity, he continued to look around the auditorium perplexed. He pressed his fingers into his chest and side, which burned as if he had been shot multiple times. The pain penetrated through the flesh into his back, which was re-injured in the sudden fall. With a groan, Kogami collapsed back to the theater's polished granite floor.

"He's not fit for duty in this condition!" Akane yelled. "You should never have signed him out of medical!"

"There's nothing in the policy manual against it," Ginoza said. "Kogami's an Enforcer. This is what they do. Serve at our beckon call."

"Is that Akane?" Kogami asked. He tried to roll to his side, but the pain in his back prevented it. "What's the yelling about?"

"About you," Kagari whispered with a grin. "You woke up just in time. This is starting to get good."

"This is all some vindictive, childish game, Inspector Ginoza! Kogami can barely stand up! I can't believe that Dr. Iseya would ever agree to it. So you must have forced him."

"Are you accusing me of strong arming MWPSB personnel?"

"There's no other way to explain how a sick, injured Enforcer under the influence of medication was ever permitted to leave headquarters."

As much as Kogami was enjoying the spectacle, he worried that the Senior Inspector would eventually gain the high ground. Before he could say something to distract them from their argument, he was overcome with a violent coughing fit, which left him gasping for air.

Hearing the coughing, Akane turned around to see him lying on the floor in need of assistance, but conscious. "Mr. Kagari and Mr. Masaoka, please take Kogami to Director Nagano's office. He knows the way. I'll be there shortly." She turned her attention back to Ginoza and resumed her protest. "He's not staying here."

"That's not your decision to make."

Kagari stooped down to get his head under one of Kogami's shoulders while Masaoka raised the fallen Enforcer to his feet. "Man, I do love it when Akane shows her teeth and claws," he said. "It's such a turn on."

Kogami leaned heavily on the younger man. He turned to Masaoka. "Stop her, pops," he gasped between coughs. "I'm not worth it."

"No one should have to remind Ginoza of his place. He's the senior Inspector on-site and, as usual, he's acting like an ass." Masaoka paused beside the array of MWPSB surveillance equipment. "Kunizaka, help Kagari get Ko to the director's office. Somebody needs to stay behind and keep the peace."

Yayoi glanced over her shoulder at the battle erupting between their superiors and shook her head. "Good luck with that."

# # #

By the time they reached Director Nagano's office, Kogami was perspiring so heavily that he could feel his shirt clinging uncomfortably to his skin. "Kagari, get back down there," he whispered, leaning on the doorframe.

"Masaoka is there," Kagari said. "Akane will listen to him."

"She's not the one I'm worried about, okay?"

Kagari's face brightened with understanding. "Right, you know Ginoza has really had it out for you ever since you came back from the States. I'm feeling left out. What the hell did you do over there? And more importantly, are there pictures?"

"Kagari!" Kogami and Yayoi shouted at once.

"I'm going. I'm going."

"Maybe you should lie down on the couch," Yayoi suggested.

Kogami staggered into the office and sat on the edge of Nagano's desk. Five steps from the door and he was out of breath and panting, struggling to breathe through his nose. He winced in pain, digging his fingers into his chest. "Feels like someone's putting out cigarettes on my skin."

"Take off your jacket."

Reluctantly, Kogami unzipped his gray coat. Yayoi helped him slip out of it while he shivered, teeth chattering against a sudden chill. Beneath his business jacket, his shirt was thoroughly soaked with sweat. Eyes closed in frustration, he concentrated on controlling the pain by massaging the burning sensation at his chest. Without the padding of the coat, it hurt much more, and he gasped, desperate to alleviate the pain.

"Kogami," Yayoi whispered, "is that blood?"

Kogami opened his eyes and examined the dull crimson spotting the front of his shirt. The fabric was soaked through with sweat, and what Yayoi was seeing was not blood, but a definite discoloration of the skin beneath it.

Hands shaking uncontrollably, he unbuttoned his shirt and stared incredulously at the raised welts on his skin. There were three prominent swellings on his chest and another two lower down on his torso. Disrupting the pronounced lines of his abdominal muscles, the welts were becoming less distinct as they continued to swell across a more general area. A purplish tinge was emerging as evidence of deep, internal bruising.

"Those look like..."

"Bullet wounds," he finished her statement.

"What's the last thing you remember before falling off the platform?"

Kogami ran a hand through his damp hair. He was exhausted and unable to think clearly. "I'm not sure you'd believe me, if I told you. Not sure I believe my own eyes."

"Try me."

"I saw soldiers, dressed in Gosuko armor, carrying muskets."

"The Emperor's soldiers? Like the ones in the foyer?"

"Yeah, I know how it sounds. There were five of them. I could even hear the sound of their armor as they ran." He rubbed the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead and tried to sniff through clogged nostrils. "I know what I saw."

"I don't doubt you, Kogami. But you aren't well," Yayoi said. "Maybe the combination of meds you were given in the infirmary are causing some kind of side effect, making you hallucinate. Given the nature of this theater's history, the relics on display, talk of the Kurouma Curse, and your condition, it's really no surprise."

"Careful, you sound like Ginoza, but in this case, take it as a compliment."

"Save it. While the argument is logical, none of that explains these injuries," Yayoi said. She held his shirt opened and closely examined the wounds and even pressed a finger against one. "Sorry," she said as Kogami flinched. "These bruises are definitely arranged like gunshots."

"Bruises?" Akane said from the doorway. "What bruises?"

"Kogami was injured in that fall from the platform," Yayoi said, "but I can't even begin to explain how."

"Kogami?" Akane said.

"Where do you go when you close your eyes?"

Her voice sounded so very far away. Irritated by the repetition, Kogami slurred, "Why do you keep asking me that question?" The world went abruptly sideways, and he obligingly went with it. He fainted and fell from the desk to the floor of the office. Akane and Yayoi grabbed him before he could bash his head.

"Kogami!" Akane shouted. "Help me get him to the sofa."

Too weak to assist the women, Kogami let them carry him to the director's leather couch. Though he shivered uncontrollably, his body felt as if it were on fire, especially beneath the swollen bruises on his chest and torso. Breathing was becoming more and more difficult. A fit of coughing only added to his misery. Hands balled into fists, he grit his teeth against the pain and fought to control the involuntary muscles spasms that wracked his body.

"It's alright, Kogami," Akane whispered to him. She pulled a blanket from the back of the sofa and covered him with it. "Yayoi, is there another blanket?"

"I've got one."

"Bring me his coat, too." Akane threw the second blanket over Kogami and tucked it around his shoulders and neck and then laid his jacket overtop of it. Adjusting the throw pillow, she brushed aside her bangs and laid her forehead against his. "He's burning up."

"I'll see if there's some water in Director Nagano's refrigerator."

"Don't be silly," he said deliriously. "I'm fine."

"Ssh, just lie still." Akane took the offered water and gently brought the bottle to his lips. "Here, drink this."

Kogami could not raise his head without her assistance. He was grateful for her strength and tried to swallow. Despite the cold temperature of the water, his throat was raw, burning, and irritated. Groaning, he turned his head away. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Akane asked.

"Being such a burden."

She sat back on her knees, lips pursed into a thin line of regret. "And I'm very sorry for not standing up for you when I should have, Kogami." Akane ran her fingers over his feverish face. "Ginoza was wrong to force you here." She looked up at Yayoi. "Whatever this is—the cold or flu—isn't getting any better. It's getting worse."

"I'll check the freezer for ice."

While Yayoi was distracted, Akane bent over and kissed Kogami's forehead. He smiled weakly, reveling in the feel of her cool lips on his skin. "You know, Inspector, if you're planning to take advantage of me in my weakened condition, I'm inclined to let that happen."

"You're impossible," she said. The words had been her mantra for the last three weeks.

Not impossible to love, hopefully, he thought.

"Here," Yayoi said, "I found these ice packs."

Akane pulled back the blankets and pushed aside Kogami's shirt. "What is going on here? This happened in the fall?" She put the ice packs on the worst of the bruising.

Kogami winced and tried to pull away, but there was nowhere for him to go. Eyes squeezed shut, he pressed his face into the back of the sofa. He was too weak to do much more and soon relented as his muscles gave out. "It's so cold. So cold."

Akane kissed his forehead. "I know. You just rest here. I'll be right back."

"Should I call medical?" Yayoi asked.

"No, I won't put that on you," Akane replied. "Ginoza knew better than to drag Kogami out of medical in this condition. This is awful and cruel, even for him. I'll take care of this myself." She glanced back at Kogami's face. "Keep an eye on him. If there's any change, call me immediately."

"Yes, ma'am."

# # #

Asura Rai gently dabbed at Kurnan's feverish forehead with a damp cloth. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stared down at his face and pulled the coverlets up to his neck. She was careful to avoid putting any pressure on the bloody bandage above his left hip. Though the bullet had been removed, the wound was seeping blood beneath it. With a worried smile, she kissed his forehead and brushed a lock of damp hair from his face.

"You're doing it again," she whispered. "You're humming that sad song."

"Am I?" he replied. "I thought I was just lying here sleeping. Watched over by an angel."

"Well, part of that is right, but I'm going to lose my wings and my patience if you don't get some rest."

"Are you angry with me?" He caressed her arm and hand.

"Kurnan, this highwayman business is dangerous, and getting ever more dangerous," she confessed. "The playhouse is doing fine right now. You needn't risk yourself. You suffered a flesh wound this time. Next time you might not be so lucky." She sank to her knees beside the bed and laid her head on his arm, kissing his skin. "Forgive me for being so selfish, but I don't think I could live without you."

"There's nothing to forgive, my love. I should be asking for your forgiveness." He ran his hand through her long black hair and played with the red ribbon that she had tied into an intricate love knot. "The Emperor's purse was particularly heavy last night. There's no need for me to venture on the road for a time." As she stood up sadly, he took her hand. "Going so soon?"

"I need to fetch more water from the well." Asura Rai hummed the melody that Kurnan had been humming, accurately emulating the tune. "I'll be right back."

Kurnan listened with a grin as her voice echoed in the corridor beyond their room and down the staircase. With all of the windows thrown open to capture the spring breeze, he could still dimly hear her as she made her way through the taproom. The melody grew louder outside of the playhouse beneath the opened window of their bedroom and ceased in the vicinity of the well in the front yard.

"Oh, hello, Gorou," Asura said. "What lovely flowers."

Propping himself on his elbows, Kurnan sat up in bed. He concentrated as the wind brought the voice of their conversation to his ears.

"As lovely as you, Miss Asura Rai," the blacksmith said. "Lovely day for a ride in the country. I was hoping you might go with me, if your father can spare you."

"Not today, Gorou," she replied. "There' s ever so much to do for a new stage production, costumes to mend, music to arrange, scripts to be read, endless rehearsals."

"That's what you said last week!" Gorou's voice grew insistent.

"And it is the answer I will always have for you. So take that temper of yours back to your forge because it's not at all welcomed here!"

Kurnan threw the coverlets back and tried to pull himself from the bed, but he was too weak from blood loss and soon felt faint. He hovered on the edge of the bed, knowing that if he rose from it, he would fall to the floor just as quickly.

"Get your hands off me, Gorou! Gorou, stop it!"

Leaning on the bedpost, Kurnan reached for his sword belt and drew the rapier from its leather scabbard. He took strength from the hilt of the blade and made his way into the corridor.

Startled from his troubled slumber by the urgency in the dream, Kogami sat up in alarm. "Akane?"

Across the room, he heard an insistent rattling and focused his blurry eyes on the security case housing Kurnan Kazuya's sword. The rapier shuddered restlessly and clattered against the glass with such force, Kogami wondered if it would shatter.

"Kogami, what's wrong?" Yayoi asked. "You look as if you've seen a ghost..." Transfixed by the quivering sword, she stopped in the office doorway. It was a sight that her eyes could not deny, but one that her mind was having great difficulty comprehending. Arms folded across her chest, she slowly lowered them and her guard as she watched from across the room. Her usually expressionless face was pale and lined with disbelief.

"Where's Akane?" Kogami tossed aside the blankets and struggled to get to his feet. Pitching from side to side unsteadily, he fought for balance.

"She's calling for a medical pick up," Yayoi replied. She was unable to take her eyes from the restless sword.

Faintly beyond the door, Kogami heard Akane's voice. "That's funny. I'm not getting a signal. I'll just step outside to get a better connection to—" Her voice was cut off by a hoarse, grating noise that shrieked through the auditorium. The entire theater quaked with the ear-splitting volume.

"Akane!"

Kogami was forced to stop in the doorway as Yayoi and he were buffeted by a stinging barrage of sweltering air that met them like a moving wall of hot steam. They were staggered by the intense wave of heat that stifled their breathing and scalded their skin.

"Get back!" Kogami pushed Yayoi back into the office and stood in front of her.

With nothing more than his shirt for protection, Kogami threw his arms up in front of his face and pushed through the seething heat. The auditorium lights flicked on and off like strobe lights at a rock concert. Above the polished granite floors, the chandelier swung precariously from side to side, slamming into the wall housing. Bits of quartz rained down from the fractured light and shattered over the last few rows of seats and floor space.

For the few seconds when the lights were on, the theater's house appeared normal, but in the dimness that followed, an ominous black cloud of brimstone swirled like a mad wind through the room. Molten sparks were thrown about as if sent billowing from an unseen forge.

It was difficult to breathe through the powerful stench of sulfur, but Kogami fought through it. He saw Akane standing near the main entrance, looking about in terror. The theater lights continued to flicker on and off at erratic intervals, and the temperature in the room rose sharply with the influx of super heated air.

"Kogami?"

An invisible force snatched her up from the floor and raised her ten feet into the air before then hurling her backwards into the chamber away from the doors. She flew 30 feet and collided with the metal backing of the last row of seats. Dazed by the force of the throw and the subsequent fall, Akane sat sprawled on the floor. Blinking back tears in the disorienting flash between light and darkness, she crawled to her hands and knees. Dazed and confused, she managed to get to her feet and attempted to move again to the exit.

Forty feet directly above her, a security gate rattled so violently that debris from the concrete niche housing it broke free and covered her in thick drywall dust. Like a medieval portcullis meant to keep storming enemies from invading the castle, the gate came flying down from its berth.

Kogami set his jaw and ran for her. He picked her up and pirouetted away from the crashing gate. It slammed against the floor and into its groove with such force that it slipped the track and smashed the granite floor beneath it to pieces. Kogami was certain that the weight of the gate would have cut them both in half.

A sharp piece of metal from the gate tore through Kogami's shirt and cut his arm. Blood made a splotchy line down the sleeve, but he barely flinched. Staring at the gate, he quickly maneuvered Akane away from the steel frame as tendrils of black smoke rolled off the metal. "What the hell is going on?"

Losing her footing on the shattered quartz and glass from the chandelier, Akane fell and nearly brought Kogami down with her. Her eyes widened with horror, and she pointed to the ceiling above them as the chandelier broke free from the rafters.

Kogami threw his body over her and wrapped his arms and legs around her. He rolled to escape being crushed beneath the heavy light fixture. Intent on shielding her from the explosion of shattered glass, he repositioned himself over top of her to block the flying glass that came flying at their faces. Nose to nose, they both turned to look at the near disaster as the chandelier came to its final rest in the center aisle.

"I don't understand any of this," Akane said. Duly frightened, she wrapped her hands in the open folds of his shirt and clung to him desperately. "Is the phantom of the Kurouma Theatre real?"

"Gotta admit, this Kurouma Curse is starting to make sense," Kogami replied. He got up and helped her to her feet. Rubbing her arms, she fidgeted anxiously in his embrace. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so."

"Stay close to me." Kogami took her hand and scanned the room. Hidden behind them in the rows of seats or beneath equipment tables, the rest of Division 1 emerged from the onslaught with pale, haggard faces of disbelief.

"What in the hell was that?" Kagari said. "And what in the hell is that smell?" Eyes tearing from the pungent scent of sulfur, he clasped both hands over his face to partially block it.

"Clearly this building isn't up to code," Ginoza replied. Wincing because of the stench, he held onto the back of the seat with one arm raised to protect his face from the heated air current moving about them.

"Have you seen the donor's list on the wall plaque outside?" Masaoka said. "This place is state of the art."

Yayoi hurried to her keyboard and frantically began inputting data into the surveillance equipment. "Something very strange is going on here."

Without warning, sparks flew from the keyboard beneath her fingers. Singeing her, they leaped from the tablet to the monitor, which went blank. Yayoi rubbed her tingling fingertips and took a cautious step back. The monitor shattered into minute pieces in an explosion of black smoke and flame. Glass shot out of the panel and into her face. Though she ducked in time to avoid most of the jagged glass, Yayoi suffered a few minor abrasions to her cheeks and chin.

"Take cover!" Ginoza cried. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down into a row of seats beside him.

The other monitors on the table flashed erratically and went blank before erupting in a chaotic spray of sparks and spewing black smoke. Hard drives seized audibly as power sources blew up and popped, leaving an acrid scent hanging in the tumultuous air. As if struck with ordnance, the remaining electronics exploded and, without warning, the theater's house lights went dark for the last time.

It would have been pitch black in the room except for the illumination of a single light on the stage and a few of the remnant sparks from their equipment. Like heated ash rising from a camp fire, the sparks flew around in erratic patterns from the fragged surveillance array. The caustic smell of fried circuits wafted through the room and mixed with the foul underpinning of sulfur.

A few agonizing seconds later, the emergency lighting came on and lit up the perimeter of the room. An atmosphere of cold air then descended on the room. Kogami saw his breath rising above his head as he hunkered down in a row of seats beside Akane. "What the hell?"

Akane wrapped her arms about her shoulders and shivered. "This is insane."

The temperature quickly normalized in the auditorium, but the lighting remained dim with power coming only from the emergency system. "Kunizaka?" Ginoza said. "What's the situation?"

"Difficult to tell," she replied. Cautiously, she left the protection of the theater seats and inspected the surveillance equipment. "It's like we were hit with an EMP."

"My wristcom is working, but I can't get an outside connection." Akane said, moving stiffly. Kogami helped her up to her feet.

"Are we being jammed?" Ginoza asked.

"If we were, the wristcoms would not function at all. We have internal coms, but we're cut off from any outside access." Brow furrowed in thought, she examined what was left of the surveillance equipment with disappointment. "These systems are ruined."

Kagari pulled his Dominator from the holster behind his back and pointed it at Kogami.

"Crime coefficient 235. Target is a registered Enforcer. Status: Enforce at will. Non-lethal paralyzer. Trigger safety is now released. Aim carefully and subdue the target."

"Well, the Dominators still work," Kagari said. "Did we trip some kind of crazy security system?" He glanced at Masaoka, who was intently staring at the stage. "What are you looking at?"

"That light on the stage. If the main power is out," Masaoka said, "it shouldn't be working. Even when the lights went out, it stayed on."

"And how's that important?" Ginoza asked.

"Old theater superstition," the veteran cop replied. "One light is always kept on in an empty theater to keep the ghosts entertained."

Ginoza rolled his eyes in disgust. "Is that your best assessment, Enforcer Masaoka? Ghosts? A poltergeist caused an electrical malfunction that destroyed our equipment? Don't be absurd."

"Something strange is happening," Akane said. Letting her business coat fall over her shoulder, she showed them the deep, purple bruising on her arm.

"You said you weren't hurt," Kogami said. He snatched a flashlight from a console and examined the injury in the light. "Your other arm?"

"These look like hand prints," Yayoi said.

"That explains it," Ginoza said. "Kogami caused those injures when he pushed Inspector Tsunemori away from that falling security gate."

"Ko, might have pushed her out of the way, but he was no where near her when something clearly picked her up off of her feet and threw her to the floor," Kagari said.

"Inspector Tsunemori," Yayoi said, "do you remember what happened?"

Shrugging back into her coat, Akane bowed her head and clasped her hands in front of her. "I saw a man dressed in a leather apron. He was carrying tools."

"What kind of tools?" Masaoka asked.

"A hammer and a rasp, I think."

"Blacksmith's tools." Masaoka shook his head in disbelief. "That would be Gorou then, I suspect. Explains the intense heat."

"Don't even suggest it!" Ginoza shouted. "There's no evidence to support any of this talk of ghosts."

"And yet, it cannot be discounted," Yayoi said.

"Not you, too," Ginoza pined.

"Kogami has similar bruises on his chest from when he fell off the piano platform," Yayoi said. "But the injuries do not correspond to a fall. They look more like gunshot wounds."

"Gunshot wounds?" Ginoza said.

"Mind if I have a look, Ko?" Masaoka took his flashlight and examined the wounds on Kogami's chest and abdomen. "Five bruises. All round and uniform." He cut off the light and looked up at Kogami. "When you came to after the fall, you mentioned five men with muskets. You claimed they had charged you and fired their weapons."

"You know, those injuries aren't unusual for someone who's been attacked by a ghost. Even if Ko had grabbed Akane hard enough to throw her like that, the bruises wouldn't show up that quickly."

"How can we be certain Kogami's injures were not sustained in the previous fall from our last case when Inspector Tsunemori landing on him?" Ginoza pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "She tends to be rather accident prone, and Kogami takes the brunt of it."

"For one, those are fresh, Inspector," Masaoka said.

"And two, the injuries do not fit the pattern of bruising sustained from a fall or even a pattern of someone falling on top of them, as you suggest." Yayoi crossed her arms over her chest in a quiet act of defiance.

"Then what, exactly, are you saying?"

"From the ponderous of the evidence, despite any skepticism we may hold, Kagari may be right. What we may have here is a ghost story, complete with a cast of ghosts. Kogami's unusual visions, as well as Inspector Tsunemori's sighting, unexplained injuries, electrical anomalies, extreme temperature variations, as well as other phenomena are all evidence to point to the improbable."

"Nonsense!"

"Then how do you explain it, Inspector?" Yayoi closed her eyes, knowing he had no answer. "You've done a lot of debunking the theories, but haven't provided any substantial theories of your own."

"Cold, hard facts Enforcer Kunizaka," Ginoza said. "Enforcer Masaoka, did you clear the work roster with everyone who left the theater?"

"Down to Director Nagano himself. The entire company left the building 15 minutes ago," Masaoka replied. "Nobody even gave a look back at this place."

"Someone is still here," Ginoza protested. "And they're trying to convince us that there's a phantom wandering the premises."

"Is that the same someone who's been trying to sabotage one particular production for the last 300 years?" Kagari scoffed. "Now that sounds like nonsense. I'm leaning towards a pissed off ghost."

"That's enough! Until this phantom taps me on the shoulder and introduces himself, I'm sticking to the facts." Ginoza checked his wristcom. "Seems Kunizaka is correct. Our wristcoms appear to be working, at least internally. There was a fuse box somewhere beneath the stage on a sub level. Enforcers Masaoka and Kagari, you're with me. We'll get the main power supply restored."

"What about us?" Yayoi said. "Considering the circumstances, we should stay together."

"Enforcer Kunizaka, salvage as much of this surveillance equipment as you can. Restore whatever functionality to the system that you can. Inspector Tsunemori, you stay here with Kogami. I'm not certain the two of you weren't exposed to some chemical agent on the last case, which is just now showing its effects through induced hallucinations."

"So the bruises on her arms are a hallucination?" Kogami growled. "The fact that they hurt is just a figment of her imagination?"

"I'm surprised at you, Kogami. You're generally level-headed when you're not being insubordinate. How do you explain what's happening here?"

"I can't," Kogami turned his back on Ginoza. Draping his business coat over Akane's shoulders, he shrugged into his gray jacket and zipped it closed. Hands shoved deeply into his pockets, he retreated to a back row of seats, where he sat down to brood.

"Then leave it to level minds to find the truth," Ginoza said. "Masaoka and Kagari, let's find that fuse box."