Snippet #2734398

"It seems to be Officer De Silva you're not quite aware of what D.U.S.K. is. Indeed, I will assume none of you do," Dikshil responded as the pads were signed across the table. The woman rose tall, a commanding face of stone over the six in the room. She snapped her fingers and suddenly shaders moved down across the glass walls of the office, engulfing them in black and cutting off the prying eyes of the others occupying the fortieth floor.

Dikshil reached forward, pressing down on the table, where a warm orange light began to glow, illuminating the faces of those present. "I've lived in Neo-Seoul all my life. It's a marvel that out of such ruin... such majesty can be birthed. And it's all due to systems. Systems regulating everything, including us. Including the N.S.P.A. Crime is low where it needs to be, our detectives at desk and out patrol officers doing their job, SILO and GHST filling in when they don't."

Dikshil leaned in, the orange hue illuminating her face from below.. "All of you have worked with the underside of this city to some extent, so you realize that, in general, criminals are not very smart. Passion, poor planning, instability, overconfidence all lead to their misguided actions- and by and large our system is so perfected we see them all, every single pick-pocketing to stabbing in this city, and decide which are and which are not worth perusing." An orange glint on her brown eyes Dikshil paused. The faces lining the table still listening intently. "But what happens when we have a real mystery on our hands? A crime the system cannot solve, yet is too big to be ignored?"

Suddenly an orange hologram raised from the table, a-middle aged man, slightly puffy face, unassuming but sinister looking. "Neuk Dae," Dikshil said, introducing the floating 3D head to the assembled team. "The Wolfman of Guri. Would kill his victims, eat their livers, and leave them disfigured for the police to find. Never any witnesses. Never any sight of him on camera." Dikshil swallowed. "He was like a ghost... nothing about him existed until a new body was found. He avoided everything, every system in place. That is why D.U.S.K. was created. To work outside the system, to do what the machine could not."

"That was one hell of a case," Jong frowned, remembering the headlines. The Wolfman of Guri had terrorized the city for weeks. It seemed every other day a new corpse had been found. Fifteen, twenty years ago maybe.

"That is how they began, capturing the wolfman when all others failed, by going around the systems we had in place," Dikshil swallowed. "And also how they met their end. D.U.S.K. was small, had the resources of the N.S.P.A., but did not adhere to any of the systems in place. To any of the rules the N.S.P.A. abides by. They became more and more daring, more and more self-regulating... until they got themselves killed."

As Neuk Dae's holographic image disappeared the light in the room began to return, the window shaders raising again. "That is why I, Police Commissioner DIkshil, have handpicked you all... for a new D.U.S.K., a responsible D.U.S.K., a regulated D.U.S.K. G.H.S.T. Captain Kardos will be here to both aid and regulate you if you cannot regulate yourselves," She added, putting a hand toward Laszlo who sat beside her, arms folded. Dikshil turned her gaze back towards the assembled group. "I have been watching you all very carefully... over the past few months. I believe you can succeed where the old D.U.S.K. failed. I believe you can fix the cracks in the system without breaking the system entirely."

Dikshil gave a stern smile. "I want you to be my D.U.S.K. Inspectors. You can refuse if you'd like, go back to your lives, knowing that the information in this room stays in this room." She paused. "Or you can accept."