“Don't you walk out that door!“ The police chief's voice thundered so loudly that it sent a sudden hush over the entire office. I stopped. I glanced back at him over my shoulder, my eyes locked onto the challenge in his gaze like a heat-seeking missile.

“If you walk out that door, you can kiss your badge goodbye.“ He hissed the words through grit teeth. I scoffed silently to myself before spinning back around in response. I spoke my next words slowly so that he could understand. Every syllable was laced with venom. I wanted him to know that I meant it.

“Missing cases continue flooding into our office the last two months and they all point to this place.“ But he wasn't listening, he never did! By now? I was done with talking. I was going to have to act with or without his help. I needed to do this on my own.

“Listen to me Yoru. The Underbelly. Doesn’t. Exist. Give it up!” The chief was a cliché in every since of the word. I rolled my eyes. My arms crossed before I rested my hands on my hips. The dark strands of my hair fell briefly over my face before I turned to face him full on. I glared silently at him, all the while a scowl made prominent on my face.

“I’ve already called him in. He’s been there for the past thirty minutes and we’ve set up a sting operation. We're going to break the place down.“ I countered. The chief’s expression changed. He looked shocked, it wasn’t a surprise to me though.

“You mean you… you actually found it?“ He said, his jaw continued to drop slowly as he watched my scowl curl up into a full-blown, shit eating grin.

“I’ll see you in a bit chief,” I said with a careful smirk on my lips. I rushed out the room, tilting my head upwards as I stormed out of the office.

“AOIMI!!!!!” His voice shook the foundations of the building. It almost sounded like my name carried an echo. If I hadn’t been getting ready to make the biggest bust of the year, I probably would have been laughing. He was so dramatic! But no, now was not the time for fun and games. I kept my eyes forward. I didn’t really give a damn about anything else he had to say. He hadn’t even noticed the transmitter bug on his desk. I was careful enough to place it under the picture of him and his family. It was the one he always kept face down so his secretary didn't get discouraged when it was time for their regularly scheduled 3 o'clock blowjob.

Once I made it outside, I tapped my ear. My holophone sprung into view as it was summoned on command. The holographic headset encompassed my head as the sound from the chief's office flooded into my ears. He hadn't noticed the bug I'd planted. Good. I could hear the chief loud and clear. I scared the shit out of him, just as I predicted. Now? I just needed him to react accordingly.

“Heads up. Aoimi's found The Underbelly… and she called HIM to help her. Yes, him!… I don’t know who gave the clearance. I told the entire Kasaihana Council that we didn’t need any more District three Operatives. Yet, somehow she managed to slip one in!... No, she isn’t bullshitting, she doesn’t play games you, idiot! Listen… Get word back to Zetsubou and Stradus. The Deals off. Talk to the chief in District two. Maybe he’ll play ball with you guys, but I’m bowing out. I'm done!“ The chief's voice came through clear as day.

I heard every word that he had to say. I shook my head. The file was already in the process of downloading as he spoke. Every syllable, every crack in his voice was completely audible and concise. I chuckled to myself, I knew he was crooked. Played like a fiddle.

“Bloodhound, are you in position?“ I spoke into the mouthpiece, as the driver's side door of my hover car glided open with ease. Pulling the door down behind me, I dropped down into the vinyl seat while situating my palms around the steering wheel. My AI would respond to me accordingly.

“Greetings, Aoimi Yoru. Would you like for me to place us in route to the Sting Operation?" My AI's name was Ann. It was the name given... to my late younger sister. It's what she went by before she passed. I even gave her a younger girl’s voice box. It’s a little creepy, I know, but it’s all I really have left of her. It gave me peace, at least, in its own way.

“That’s right, Ann. Commence auto-pilot mode.” I replied as I adjusted my clothes. I opened the hidden hatch sectioned off beneath my steering wheel. I glanced down at the couple set of classic pistols lying soundly within. My eyes lit up at the sight. Each gun had a designated spot where I equipped them to my person. One of my holsters were on the left side of my chest, and the other was placed on my right hip.

I kissed the Buddhist prayer beads that were laced around my wrist and spun a silent prayer before my hands met the steering wheel again. The car began to float, the bright white neon afterglow shown effervescently on the car's underside.

“Bloodhound is in position. Hey man, do we really gotta use these codenames? I thought I was done with all that after I got transferred to this division.“ I heard the voice say, an image of the man whom been talking to me would have appeared on a hologram screen in front of me.

He had bright red hair, it matched him well enough. His body held a pretty decent build on him. I guess the district 3 guys worked out a lot because he was jacked. I never really gave a shit about stuff like that. It was all about the job for me. Nothing more nothing less.

“Yes, we have to use codenames. I’m on my way. Are the men in position?“ I said as I zipped through the district one air traffic.

“Don’t you worry about the men. There in position already. I got them ready to storm the entrance, and I got two of our heavy hitters waiting around back. You have a two-man team waiting for you. So everyone’s all set. Also, I have my sights on the guy who’s running this. Some of the guys on the inside say his name is Purple. It’s the… guy you’ve been looking for.“ Bloodhound said to me, I scoffed. My lips curled into a sinister smirk, just like a mischevious child.

Purple’s in with the Cartel branch of the Syndicate. The Cartel aren’t like the traditional yakuza or the Destructive Tribe. They're deadlier. They're venomous snakes, waiting to sink there fangs in anyone close enough. They only have one family within The Cartel. And they are lead by a devilish duo. Known around most of the criminal underworlds across the globe as The Santiago twins. The Santiago family came after World War III, during the early days of Kasaihana's construction. I heard that’s when they settled and made themselves the forbearers for all narcotics in the city. Purple is the little cousin of the Santiago twins, on their father’s side. They call him Purple for his reputation to kill or beat his prostitutes black and purple all over. I’ve been tracking this guy down for some time.

“What do you mean? You saying you have him in your sights?“ I said back to him my car diving into a hard right.

“That’s right, I got 'em in my scopes. In all honesty? I could end this right now. You know… one bullet to his head. He has enough on his rap sheet. I’m looking at it all through my holophone right now.“ Bloodhound coaxed, with an ill-boding tone. I could almost hear him smiling through the damn phone. Guy’s name is the bloodhound for a reason.

“That’s a negative, Bloodhound. We need to take him in ALIVE. Besides… he’s mine...” My tone lowered, punching the accelerator as I increased my speed turning my alert lights on. Bright lights of red, blue and white flashes over the neon and metallic hover cars. The colors of justice. My justice…

“Ann, take us on the fastest route possible.” On command, she’d direct the car into a barreling spiral of hell or so it felt like. We twisted and turned through the night air before we’d finally make it to the location where The Underbelly was hidden in plain sight. I hopped out of my car first, guns in hand.

“Bloodhound, I’m here.“ I turned around just in time to see the men he said would be following me. “You guys? You guys from the Tiger Unit?“ They nodded. “Typical swat units. You can talk, you know. It won’t jeopardize the entire fucking mission if you say two words.“ I said sparking a cigarette and letting it sit on the tip of my lips. They were geared down in a tactical gear, all black with orange stripes along the sides of their face, and their helmet visors. They looked sleek and stealthy. I heard they assassinated one of the Syndicate head chairmen a few years ago. But… it’s kind of a myth.

“Were locked and loaded,“ Bloodhound said back to me.

“Let’s move,” I said loading my pistol. Nodding my head, I signaled one of the Tiger Units to boot down the door. The first one to go in was me. I fired my weapon twice!

“Police! Everyone get down.“ I fired a warning shot. Civilians would drop, most of them scurrying out of the building and right out of the door behind us. My Nano-machines would pick up the sounds of gun-shots being fired below. The heavy hitters were going in guns a blazing.

“This place is bigger than expected, we need a bigger unit. This isn’t how our Intel described this to be layered.“ I looked down, walking towards the middle of the room to see what appeared to be a hatch of some kind. I pressed a button, allowing the doors to open on the large metal hatch, upon doing so it opened to show floors upon floors. I counted about 35 in all. The active floors were green. Which appeared to be the first five. While the others were red. Meaning they were inactive. The bright neon lights giving off an ominous glow.

“Bloodhound, you didn’t tell me that this place had hidden floors,“ I said through my holophone.

“Well don't you think that's the fucking point of hidden floors? Nevermind that! Purple’s on the move. I think he’s trying to get out of here. I’m gonna circle back, see if I can stop 'em.“ I heard Bloodhound scrambling on the receiving end of the holocall.

“Wait! Bloodhound, don’t engage him without backup!“ I shouted back at him through the holophone.

“Relax. I’m the District Three Operative here. Don’t get it twisted, you’re a beat cop where I’m from detective. No disrespect? Don’t tell me how to do my job.“ He barked back at me. I stopped in my tracks, my eyes blinking rapidly before I shook my head trying to comprehend how he'd spoken to me. Sure, I went through the boot camps and all that good stuff. Drill Sargents that made you feel less than dog shit, you know the works. I've had instructors call me everything but a child of God. But still, I was dumbfounded, no one had spoken to me like that before. And it kind of pissed me off.

"You arrogant! Piece! Of! Shit! I told you! Purple is mine!" I said shouting at him from the top of my lungs. I'm sure I nearly blew out his eardrums. The other Tiger unit soldiers seemed taken back by my outburst. I didn't care.

On the other side of the room, I saw the double doors blasting open. Cartel men and some yakuza goons came through with ski-masks, guns in hand firing round after round at me and my unit.

“Find cover! “ I said rushing towards a stone pillar. It did its job for the most part! Chunks of the stone were blasted off as I kept my ground. I stared ahead, pulling both of my pistols to my face. A smile… creeping across my visage.

“Ahhhh!” I pulled around the corner, firing a few rounds at some of the Cartel members. Their bodies fell to the ground like eggs cracking on pavement. SPLAT. Their inner fluids coated the ground in pools of red. I rolled forward. I hopped on to a table, spinning over its surface on my knee's like a windmill, firing some more. Two more dead… this was my favorite part of the job. The part where I can just… run free. Almost be me… In Kasaihana city. When someone shoots at you? You shoot back. No matter what. Who they are, where they're from. When someone shoots at you? You shoot. Back. That means thugs, cops, hell… even civilians. Because this world, this place is filled with crooked individuals. Sinister people who wish for your harm. I refuse to be a victim. To be a byproduct of this cities turmoil. No… I’ll fight against it. And I’ll do it smiling. Shouting, at the top of my lungs.

“Shoot every last one of them!”