“Have you handled any other cases like mine?”

“What do you mean?” Ringa asked. She halted the vehicle as they came across another intersection.

“Perhaps I should start off by asking another question,” Janus said hesitantly. "Do I seem like an Outskirter to you?”

Ringa shook her head. Her friendly smile soon shifted to a look of contemplation. “No, not really. You’re dressed like someone from Labrisson. Outskirters don’t wear typical clothing. Trust me, you’d know something was off about them the moment you see one. It’s like all of their clothes are hand-made.”

Janus nodded. “Makes sense. And back to my first question. Do you know of any other cases where someone didn’t have Implant but they most certainly weren’t an Outskirter?”

“Can’t say that I have. Certainly not since I’ve been alive. Maybe back when Implants became mandatory. But that was way before any of us had been before. Probably even before that old man you rescued, too.”

“Huh. Interesting.” Janus took another look out the window. Despite the vehicles travelling parallel to him through invisible lanes obscuring his view, he still found the scenery created by the glowing windows of the towers they were passing by to be captivating. The feeling of fear had left him, and he now found the glacial movement of the vehicle to be more comforting than anything.

“We’re not supposed to be mingling with detainees,” Brielle said in a low voice. “If he’s sent to trial, he can use what we say to—"

“Bri.” Ringa shot her partner a mean look.

“What?”

“Calm down, alright?” The detective turned her head back to Janus who was still gazing out of the passenger window. “She’s cool when she’s off the clock. Honesty.”

“She’s following the rules and regulations established by her employer. I understand and respect that.”

“How come the detainee is the only one that gets it?” Brielle muttered in a low tone.

“So Janus,” Ringa said as she turned her attention back to the floating traffic. “What made you ask that question?”

“Just something I was wondering.”

“Uh-huh. Is it alright if I ask you a few questions too?”

Janus’ heart stopped. He kept looking out the window but could no longer enjoy the scenic view. His eyes froze in place, instead looking at the glass itself rather than what was beyond it. Seconds of silence passed.

“Janus?” Ringa said, snapping him out of his confusion.

“Oh. Sure, sure. Ask away.” Regret immediately kicked in.

“What are you doing here in Labrisson?”

“I guess I moved here,” Janus mumbled.

“You guess?” Brielle said, poking her head from around the seat.

Janus opened his mouth, but no words came out. Brielle continued to stare at him with a cutting looking in her eyes.

“I’ll be honest with you. I have no idea how I got here. I woke up in the Refinery Sector. I met Itzel and Gurk. And I’ve told you everything that happened after that.”

“Huh. That is weird,” Ringa said without taking her eyes off where she was going. “You must have a serious case of amnesia then. I’m sure the LMC will be able to look at your head once they finish getting that Implant on you.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s my problem.” Janus rubbed his forehead with his hand. I remember everything about my life before Labrisson clearly. I most definitely don’t have traditional amnesia.

“He doesn’t even have an Implant, Ringa. How can he afford a brain analysis to confirm his condition?”

The detective took one hand off her vehicle to tap her cheek with her finger. “That’s a good point. Let’s just focus on getting that Implant for now, alright Janus?”

“That’s fine. Do you happen to know how much longer it will be until we arrive at the medical center?” Ringa looked at the holographic map on her dashboard. “In this traffic? It might be a while. Forty-five minutes at the earliest.”

“I must thank you for what you two are doing. I know your line of work must be very time-consuming. Taking out a good portion of your work schedule to help out a random person without an Implant must really set you back.”

“It does,” Brielle said bluntly. Ringa gave her ear a brief tug. “Ouch!” The officer rubbed the area where her ear had been pinched. “I’m tired of you always humiliating me whenever I try to do my job!”

“We are doing our job,” Ring replied.

“Yeah, but I’m trying to do it right!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes!” Brielle’s voice became louder when she saw Ringa’s unwavering and confident smile remain on her face. “We have rules and procedures put in place for a reason. They are meant to be followed and it’s our job to do so. We’re here to serve the city of Labrisson, not to make small talk with law breakers!”

“That’s such an enforcer mindset. Always taking everything at face-value. You know that’s why I get paid more, right?” Ringa pointed at herself with her thumb while her other hand maintained control of the carrier. “Because I’m the one that has to think outside of the box. Following the rules down to the letter might be fine when arresting small time delinquents. But when it comes to solving more serious cases,” Ringa turned to her passenger, tapping her forehead with her pointer finger while raising an eyebrow. “You need a detective’s mindset.”

“Oh no,” Brielle moaned. Janus could see the officer roll her eyes and cross her arms in the reflection from the front window. “Not this again. You always bring that point up whenever I’m right.”

Ringa didn’t reply. Her only response was a chuckle. After the detective’s laugh, a long silence ensued. Both Janus and Brielle stared out their respective windows as Ringa inched the vehicle along through the floating traffic lanes. The speed picked up once they passed the congested six-way intersection that held them up. Janus could feel the velocity as they sped through the city’s airspace. The vehicle made a steady and gentle hum, putting Janus into a drowsy state. He could feel his eyes start to close. And then, darkness.