Relevance and The Third Wheel

"Inspector Scott!" a SOPO colleague calls to me just as I am settling into my office, "You need to come to HQ's entrance now. Something serious is going down."

I nod tiredly and get up from my chair. From the battle at Charlie Mountain to the infirmary and now back to work at the office. It really never ends. A sick feeling slowly curdles in my stomach, as I keep my eyes looking forward. Concentrate on work. Don't let anyone see you cry. You're better than that.

Everyday, I wake up in my just recently paid off apartment, drive to SOPO HQ in my new car, check into my office to review my duties for the day then go to meet Tensei and Rose to prepare them for their contest against St Clair and Nicholas. On some days, just to shake things up, I check in with the Senior Inspector to report on my progress.

Meaningless days spent doing meaningless things. My life passing through an endless grey fog.

Its strange, I live in one of the most crowded cities in the world. I spend my day interacting with people I both like and dislike. I work long hours and hardly have any time to myself. But it always ends the same way. When the night falls and the terror begins. The terror of shutting off the lights of my bedroom and knowing that in the darkness, I am completely alone. That if I died in my sleep no one would know or care.

The only person who would bother about my demise would be Hartley, filing in a report saying that Irene Scott had passed away and a vacant slot for the rank of Inspector had opened up. Then my file would be closed and the name of Irene Scott will vanish into history, unremembered. The end.

Then I wake up in the morning, prepare for work and the cycle starts all over again. But one day the cycle broke, when Hartley called me into his office and told me I was going undercover at Unity Academy.

When planning my undercover identity at the Academy, Hartley had the bright idea of identifying me as a divorcee despite the fact I had never married. He claimed that it would explain why I was still single despite my age. I went along with it at the time, but at the back of my mind I just wanted to scream at Hartley, "Yes, I am a Christmas Cake. Deal with it."

Then I realized that the only person who had to deal with my status as a Christmas Cake was myself. I was sore about the whole thing because of my own hang ups. My friends were all getting married or had gotten married already. They had kept moving onward in their lives, while I was perpetually stuck, running on the spot.

The only consolation was that I had gotten very good at running on the spot. My career was in a far better position compared to where my friends were. And from the size of my apartment and its location, I was confident that my paycheck was larger than theirs as well. My reputation as one of the most powerful SOPO officers was secure. I might have been left behind by my friends, but so what? I was arguably in a better place than they were. I basically persuaded myself to stop caring about this issue.

But just running on the spot was no longer good enough. I had thought that I was strong, but recent events have shown me that I was nothing before true powerhouses. At the von Amsterg mansion, Yvonne St Clair could have easily defeated me if she was not so preoccupied with Nicholas's safety. Master Chance is several times more powerful than I am. And at the building site, Gallant played with me as if I was nothing.

My hard work over the years meant nothing before them. Power is power. They had it. And I didn't.

But all that didn't matter, because I had finally found someone who could keep the darkness at bay. Someone who would keep me company at night.

I put these stray thoughts out of my mind and head towards the entrance where I hear commotion building up. Several officers stand by the barred doors of the entrance, weapons at the ready. I look out of the windows and see a large group of ORPO nuisances standing outside our HQ jeering at us and openly carrying their weapons in breach of the Council's ruling.

"What's going on?" I ask one of the guards on duty.

"Archmage Naiberg managed to capture Gallant and brought him here." the guard tells me, "ORPO found out and they have been gathering at the entrance ever since."

"How come I didn't know about this?" I demand. I had a score to settle with Gallant and was looking forward to questioning him about his various connections throughout The City.

The guard replies, "The Archmage brought Gallant in by helicopter and he has been detained in the lockup ever since. It looks like the Senior Inspector wanted to keep this quiet as well."

I frown. There is no reason to keep quiet about the capture of a criminal as notorious as Gallant. Just as ORPO has no justification for showing up at our doorstep because of Gallant. Unless he was telling the truth when claiming that the P5 was protecting him. Then it made sense. ORPO was here to cause trouble using Gallant's arrest as an excuse. Archmage Naiberg had unknowingly opened a can of worms when he brought Gallant here.

My mood immediately sours at the thought of Naiberg, and by extension his daughter. The prodigy. The youngest officer to ever wear gold braid. Who everybody is saying will be the strongest SOPO officer ever. My apprentice in magic.

My rival in love.

Sera should be here with me, facing off against ORPO. But no, she abandoned me, saying that she had to stand guard over Tensei at the Hospital after he collapsed in the pit once Gallant had escaped. I am not a fool. Neither am I blind. Tensei has gotten himself involved with Sera as well. My own apprentice, betraying me with my lover. The very thought of it sends suppressed fury travelling up my spine. I had finally found someone to hold, and my own apprentice wants to steal him away.

But all that pales before the humiliation I felt when Tensei openly dismissed the beating I received from Gallant in favor of his concern over Rose. After I had saved his life and given myself to him.

A sudden crashing noise snaps me out of my thoughts and I see a pair of ORPO mech suits smashing the front door down with their axes. The guards quickly back up and assume defensive positions. With the entrance clear, the ORPO thugs march into the reception area and at their head is the world's worst excuse for a police officer.

"Commander Hernandez." I address the rat standing before me, "I hope you have a good explanation for this."

Hernandez casts a superfluous glance at me while puffing on his vile cigar. "You're not the Senior Inspector." he says, "I'm not interested in talking with you."

I grit my teeth at this insult and reply as politely as I can, "I am the most senior officer here. And you and your men are trespassing. Explain yourselves."

Hernandez sneers, "Looks like SOPO hands out gold braid to anybody these days. Anyway, we're here to investigate a kidnapping."

"What kidnapping?" I ask, keeping my face and tone neutral.

"Daffyd Gallant." Hernandez smiles, "A little bird told me that he had been kidnapped by you guys. Bad mistake. ORPO is always watching Inspector."

My mouth tightens into a line and I curse inwardly. Its about Gallant alright, and he was telling the truth about SOPO not being allowed to detain him.

Hernandez makes an extravagant gesture at his men and declares, "Search this dump. I want no stone left unturned."

I summon my spirit sword and the rest of the SOPO officers assemble in battle formation beside me. We blaze our spirit cores in unison in a show of strength against Hernandez's mob. The lot of them are just mundanes, no match for any of us.

Several ORPO mech suits push their way forward and interpose themselves between us and Hernandez. The ORPO Commander laughs harshly and his men follow suit. The laugh spreads from the reception area, to outside the HQ and to the entire block around the building. A wave of jeering laughter sweeps forward from all around us. I glance out of the window again and to my shock see several antiquated tanks rolling up towards the HQ as Hernandez's henchmen close in from all sides.

"Like them?" Hernandez asks smugly, "Surplus kit courtesy of the P5."

"You want to kill us." I hiss, "This is not about Gallant at all."

"You shouldn't have tried to get rid of ORPO." Hernandez says flatly, this time deadly serious, "You shouldn't have helped the Host to take over our turf. Now its time to pay the price."

"Where's Hartley?" I whisper urgently to the officer beside me.

"I think he's in the detention wing with the Archmage." comes the answer.

Damn it. There is no one here to lead us or summon help from RAU. Letting Hernandez's thugs in is also out of the question. Not only would it irreparably damage SOPO's credibility, once Hernandez finds Gallant in the lockup, he would have the excuse to detain all of us with the backing of the P5.

"Coward!" I taunt Hernandez, hoping to rally the spirits of my colleagues, "Where were you when we were fighting the Alpha One?"

Hernandez's smug voice responds, "Getting the tanks out of storage. Would be a shame to send them back there without actually doing anything with them." Another nasty laugh comes from the ORPO side at this jab.

Tensei, Rose and Sera are safe in the hospital while I am here about to get into a fight for my life. My own Commander is absent. We barely have any officers left after the Alpha One slaughtered us at Charlie Mountain. Its so unfair. Why can't anyone be by my side? Why do I have to face everything alone?

Why can't someone just be kind to me?

"Are you letting us in or not?" Hernandez demands.

"No." I say.

No. I will not let Hernandez in.

No. I will not surrender.

No. I will not die here.

No. I will never give up Tensei.

"Attack!" Hernandez shouts and the mech suits charge forward.

What's mine is mine. My pride as a member of SOPO. My devotion to justice and the law. Most importantly of all, the boy that I have claimed. Those are things that will never change. That I will never give up on.

Until my final breath.