“I’m not going anywhere!” Itzel said as she crossed her arms and turned her head away. “Me and Gurk didn’t do anything wrong. Unless killing Essencima and getting scammed is illegal now.”

“I don’t need your snark, Itzel.” Brielle held the handcuffs up and stared at her. Itzel kept her arms crossed and turned her head away from the officer.

“It’s protocol! I have to take you in!”

“I’m not going.”

“Do you want a refusal to cooperate charge tacked on as well?” The officer asked, keeping her weapon in her hand but still pointed upwards. Everyone inside the diner turned their heads towards the main entrance and watched as a team of three armored men and women in red and white uniforms entered through the remnants of the smashed window. They all took an immediate turn towards the downed man by the crushed carrier.

“Can’t you just let this slide?” Itzel pleaded. “It’s been a rough day already. Between losing the Ranked Match and dealing with that Ogre—”

Brielle took hold of one of Itzel’s arms and began to turn her around. She holstered her weapon back on her hip before unlatching one of the clips to the pair of cuffs. “By the power invested in me by the Labrisson Judiciary Committee, I hereby take you, Itzel de Vuera into custody for failure to cooperate with—Ouch!”

The cuffs dropped to the ground as Brielle’s entire body straightened out. The officer turned around, her cheeks turning red when she realized what had happened. Her partner was held onto her tail. She was much taller than her by roughly two thirds of a foot. The woman wore a tight white bodysuit with that covered everything save for her hands and face. On top of that was a sleek matching jacket that went unzipped and long belt that holstered two small pistols. The skin that was visible was a rich brown and her hair a dark brunette, and like her partner she had a pair of animal-like ears sticking out form them. For her, they were rabbit-like.

“You know you’re giving us a bad name, right?” she said with a smug grin before letting go of the officer’s tail. “This is why nobody likes talking to us.”

Brielle rubbed the spot on her tail where her partner had pinched. Still flushed with embarrassment, she looked at the other woman. “Why do you insist on humiliating me every chance you get?” she asked in a low tone.

“Maybe if you didn’t get humiliated so easily it wouldn’t be a problem,” she replied with a laugh.

“Are me and Gurk still in trouble?” Itzel blurted out while raising one hand.

“I don’t know. You two are always getting into trouble, so probably. But at this particular moment, no. At least I don’t think so. What was Bri getting on you for this time?”

“Enforcer Jallen,” the officer said. “I always refer to you as Detective Maulkin, don’t I? I never call you Ringa when we’re on duty.”

“Yeah, sure.” The detective turned towards Janus who was sitting with his back towards the wall, watching the conversation. “What did he do?”

“I caught him without an Implant.”

Ringa headed towards Janus and hoisted him to his feet by the arms. She brushed off the dirt on his jacket and gave him a soft smile. “Alright, let’s hear your part of the story.”

“Oh. Uh, what exactly do you want to know?” he asked with a tone of confusion.

“What happened here?”

“Ah, yes. That… Ogre thing managed to throw that vehicle through the entrance. Gurk tried to help this man here out of the wreckage. But I knew that his strength would be better suited to help take on that rampaging Essencima. I stayed behind to make sure he didn’t get crushed inside the vehicle.”

“Is this true?” Ringa asked the victim. The Rescue Crew had loaded him onto a stretcher and were getting ready to evacuate him from the scene.

“Oh, it’s true alright. I saw him keeping my carrier from falling on top of me. Once that crocodile fellow showed up, he was able to pull me out.”

“Good work.” Ringa gave Janus a few pats on the back. He cracked an awkward smile.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you!” The detective winked at him. “Not only did you save his life, you also saved me from filling out a Fatality Form. Do you know how time consuming those can be?”

“I can imagine.”

“Hey, Ringa,” Itzel said with her hands on her hips. “Are me and Gurk in trouble or what?”

“Yes. You’re still being detained for aiding and—" Before Brielle could finish naming the crime, she became silent after watching her partner remove the cuffs she had put on Janus. “What are you doing?” the officer asked, annoyed.

“We’re not going to detain you three,” Ringa said as she picked up the cuffs and handed them back to Brielle. “But we can’t just let your friend roam around without an Implant, either.”

“That’s going against protocol!” Brielle stomped a foot. “I had the situation under control until you decided to step in.”

“Did you forget that I outrank you?” the detective asked mockingly as she rubbed a hand through her partner’s hair as if she were a child. “It’s not like the other enforcers and detectives in the city are always play by the rules.”

“You’re always undermining my authority!” Brielle exclaimed.

“Only in front of other people.”

“I know. That’s the worst part.” Brielle rolled her eyes and stepped to the side to let Ringa handle the situation. The detective faced Janus, eyeing him from the bottom up as she tapped her foot.

“So, what’s the deal? Why don’t you have an Implant? You’re an Outskirter?” she asked.

“No, no. Well… technically I am. But I’m not from any particular section of the Outskirts that you might be familiar with.”

Ringa cracked a smile. “Try me. Where you from?”

“Oregon.”

“Or-e-what?” The detective blinked twice as she tried to pronounce the name.

“I said you wouldn’t be familiar with it.”

“Well, did you plan on going back to Oregon soon?”

Janus paused. He contemplated his reply. As he thought what to say next, he could feel all eyes in the area focus on him. With some hesitation, he came up with a response.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Art Spotlight: Ringa M. Maulkin