retrospec | Point of Order

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Point of Order

Hitori Togusa shared a photo.
5/11 near Recolle Police Station

So. A few things.
First. Dave! I want my membership card! Talking robot spider tank with a grenade launcher. Apologies to Koutarou for stealing some of his modeling clay to make my toy up there. I still remembered nothing about myself, though, so the betting pool is still open. Anyone who wants in on the 'What Is Togusa Repressing' pool, let me know. I think the odds on 'samurai' just got a lot longer, though.

The second thing is a little more important. A few of us made it into the subway, which is supposed to be shut down, the lines were damaged. The trains sure aren't running, but either it's shut down intentionally, or someone has taken advantage of it. Throughout the line connecting Enprise to Tisse, there are these QR codes all along the floor. They're those things you can scan with your phone to see a picture or other information. Scanning them didn't get any data, though.

The other area I went through, I don't even know how to explain what I saw. Try going to the middle of town. Next time, I ought to bring a camera with me.

I know that as soon as I post this up, Retrospec will probably try to lock it all down even tighter than they already have. But seeing as how I was assuming that's how they were getting things through the city without us noticing? If we can make them stop using it, I'll call that a victory.

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Togusa has to smile, and he briefly stands up when Cleo approaches, to offer a hand to shake. "Good afternoon." Her heterochromia does, indeed, stand out, but Togusa is polite enough not to stare.

They're in the middle of the bullpen, but nobody pays attention to what anyone else is up to, so it's good enough privacy. Togusa pulls out an ever-expanding black folder that is filled with papers. The side effect of preferring to work in hard copy.

"So far, we've experienced a few minor changes, but nothing so sweeping as- what happened last week." The shrinking. "Which makes me wonder if we were really physically changed, or if it was just a change in perspective. Like what was happening with the horses to birds, it's like they appeared, but we weren't able to see them before."

Cleo notes the size of the folder with some small amusement on her face. It was a comfort to see just how much work had been put into this already, and she was sure with this much effort, Retrospec's mysteries would be solved sooner rather than later.

But upon his explanation, she shakes her head. "I have to assume we were physically changed, sir. I was nearly killed by a skateboard, and I had to fight insects. I also had to climb up and down bedsheets every day. I cannot imagine any of that was simply a 'change in perspective'."

"And this is why it keeps getting troubling," Togusa sighs. "Otherwise, I don't know how to qualify this in the same way as the other changes we've seen. For the most part, the changes have been isolated to replacing something in the environment, but it's something that still fulfills the basic function of what was taken away, right?"

"But the worst part? I can only think of one reason they would have made that sort of shift intentionally. Why shrink us and then bring us back to normal size? The easy answer is that whatever else they're messing with? This was an unexepected side effect. And I really don't like the idea that was an accident. But I'm open to the possibility."

Cleo nods along with his words.

"It makes sense, but the other idea I had was perhaps more troubling." She takes a moment before continuing to compose her thoughts. "What if it was intentional, but merely the first step? Rather than an accident, more a proof of concept. To show that they can make such changes, in order to prepare for... even more severe changes later." She almost had said 'bigger changes', but felt it was probably better to avoid size puns for now.

There is no hiding it, Togusa's cheek twitches before he can hide it. There is a brief moment where he realizes he just gave away one hell of a tell, and sighs when he knows he has to explain. He pitches his voice lower anyway, even though he knows no one is paying attention to him. "I don't know how you get more severe than handing out injuries to people. And now I'm worried that we're going to find out."

"People have been reporting things that bad, scars from old injuries. One boy-" Togusa shakes his head. "I can't even describe what happened to his arm."

"But you think it was intentional, that it was the best way to send a message to us? Or that we're still just the test case, and they were proving it to someone else?"

Cleo notes his tell, but doesn't say anything. It's information she can file away for later.

"You speak of the boy whose arm became that... red thing, yes?" She shook her head. "I met him. I don't know what that was, but it seemed to function, at least."

As for her theory... "I think the photos are the message they sent to us." She pulled out her phone and brought up an image- Cleo, indoors, doing pushups. Of course, taken from behind.

"The photographs send the message that we aren't safe, anywhere. There's nowhere beyond their reach. They're watching our every action, everywhere. And then the shrinking... I can only think was the start of something bigger. It was a test event, to watch our reactions."

She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Combining these... The only thing I can think of is that the purpose is sick amusement. First, they let us know we are being watched at all times. Then, they change the world so dramatically we have to adapt. As though they're releasing lions towards gladiators while they watch from the emperor's seat."

Togusa nods in confirmation. He hasn't spoken to the boy, but he knows that Doctors Lucian and Sutcliffe were on it, so he is probably okay.

Togusa carefully looks at the image, and frowns sharply at it. "I will freely admit to being one of the possible impetuses for them doing this. Jim made a smart remark about people and secret meetings, that was aimed at me and a few others. Still, if they're watching us everywhere, that means I can make one of my contacts stop trying to drag me to St. Anthony's to meet."

"You're more likely right, and this is just boredom and amusement that they're doing this. I can think of," Togusa holds up one finger, "one other possible reason."

"Did you encounter these things- almost like cracks in space," Togusa's brow wrinkles heavily. "It's difficult to explain unless you saw one."

That gets Cleo's attention, and she nods. "I did." She had some odd experience with it, of course, but she didn't want to interrupt Officer Togusa, wherever he was going with that. She could add her own observations after.

"So what if those are still there? We wouldn't notice them, let alone have been able to interact with them, at our current size."

"Each time a change happens, Retrospec seems to do something to call our attention to it. You missed out on-" Togusa has to stop and almost laugh, because even though this is serious, it's a hilarious memory, "the worst declaration of love of all time. But the point of it was to show us that the fruits had all changed." It was so stupid.

"So the only reasonable answer I can think of is that they wanted to show us that those are happening. But why not just tell us what's going on?"

"A... declaration of love...?" Cleo almost regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. She was certain she did not want to know.

"Did you hear something when you saw those cracks, sir?"

Togusa slightly chuckles to himself again, and pulls out his phone. Cleo will get an inbox message with a link to a previous Retrospec post. "At your leisure," is all of the explanation he gives.

"I tried to help out a friend who fell into one," Togusa gets back on track of their discussion. "So, yeah. I did." Even the memory of it doesn't sit well with Togusa. "I heard myself. It was something that happened a while ago, but Retrospec keeps trotting it out for some reason." He sighs deeply and folds his arms. "Jim ever turns out to be real I get to ask him why they're so obsessed with the death of a fellow officer."

Cleo took one glance at the post, and then immediately decided she didn't want to know.

"... I see. I'm sorry." Cleo focused on his words instead. But staying on that topic... Would likely only cause him pain, right? She shouldn't do that. She should move the topic on.

"I heard a voice calling for help, but not one I recognized. But when I ventured further, I found myself waking up on the concrete back outside of it. It was... unpleasant." She had a gift for understatement as always.

It's a nice gesture, and really it's all that Togusa needs. He closes his eyes and nods once, but follows her shift in topic. "Similar. It was like it was trying to draw us in, presented some kind of urgency."

He looks Cleo over with a little concern. "Are you all right now? No lasting effects from being in there?"

She shakes her head, rolling her neck as if to demonstrate she's perfectly healthy.

"I'm fine. I was temporarily disoriented afterwards, but it was the same kind as though suddenly waking up from sleep. It was nothing to worry about."

Togusa nods, so long as she's all right. "But it wasn't anything that you recognized. So why would Retrospec be so focused on telling you that?"

Togusa shakes his head. "It still doesn't make any sense. But like I said earlier, I assume that Retrospec was trying to draw our attention to the fact that this was happening. That might be more important than the specific things that we heard in there."

He runs a hand down his face. "But I don't know if we can interact with them now."

Cleo had to take a moment to think, tapping a hand to her temple.

"... I have an idea, but perhaps it is... a bit reckless." She admitted. It was an obvious idea, of course, but she felt it had to be voiced.

Cue Togusa's complete lack of surprise. "How reckless are we talking? And please remember that it's our job to risk ourselves so that you don't have to." His look is sympathetic, though. It's always the kids who keep on trying to take on so much.

"Even so, I don't wish to run away from it. If I let others risk themselves so I don't have to, then I fear I will never be able to when it comes time that I do have to." Her words sounded noble, but to herself, they were a strange admission- She was afraid of becoming a coward.

"Simply put, if you remember where the crack you saw was that caused this... Find that crack again, and smash it open until we can enter at our size and see if it remains." She shakes her head, thinking. "And should that fail, a small camera on a wire, like those used in the medical field. There must be something."

Togusa's eyes go wide and he almost chokes. "Can I please vote against any plan that widens a crack in reality? Sure, get one of the cameras we have, surveillance cameras that we use for bugging, see what happens. That's a good plan. But please nothing to make the problem worse?"

The look on his face relaxes. "I know. You're shadowing with us because you want to make a difference, right? That's usually the motivation of people who get involved. The police training is just a way to make sure that when you can help, you do it right. But this whole thing with Retrospec is a new level of danger," he shakes his head. "It's nothing like what we've been trained for, but we keep having to fall back on our training and our sense of justice to determine what action to take. Keep doing that, and you'll act when you need to."

"I am unsure they would be widening the cracks, rather than simply exposing more of a crack in reality that is already there." Cleo's reply is calm, unworried by his response.

But she closes her eyes, letting out a brief breath at his words. "... You are right." She acknowledges. "I want to help people. And Retrospec... It is certainly the biggest threat to the people here, it seems."

"Of all people," Togusa holds up a hand, "the one to ask about that possibility would be a professor at Recolle University. Most of the time, I just leave handling him to Detective Wolf, but Professor Jack Dawes is the only person I know who knows a thing about theoretical physics." But, Togusa, himself, might take a pass on looping him in.

Togusa brings his hands together and bridges his fingers. "On that point, I'm starting to be less certain. Is Retrospec the biggest threat to people? Or are all of us the biggest threat? They're sending guns in the mail, giving people strange powers, somebody got a pet tiger. Retrospec is still the key to this. But our top priority needs to be undoing what they've done."

"Do you dislike him?" Her question is blunt and straightforward, but honest. It's very like her, in other words.

But that last remark caused a worried expression to flit across her face. "How could we be the biggest threat? Retrospec is causing this, so it is the bigger threat, isn't it?"

Togusa shakes his head and holds out a hand and waves that back-and-forth as well. "No, not at all. Oh, that's what it's got to sound like, doesn't it?" Togusa looks upwards while he tries to figure out how best to organize his thoughts. "Professor Dawes was the first to get a weapon from Retrospec. Specifically these very futuristic looking laser guns that I'm still sure we'd be able to regulate as destructive devices. But, he's one of Detective Wolf's best friends. So, rather than doing anything about it myself I left it up to Wolf. Who did nothing to rein in his friend."

Togusa's expression suddenly turns more serious. "But then Retrospec just put us all in situations where anyone who had gotten a weapon needed to use it. He'd likely be seriously hurt at best if he had never gotten those guns. So now it's all just- weird." Togusa lets his hand drop back down to the desk. "I don't know what to do about him or anybody that now has these unregistered weapons running around."

Cleo nods. She has to take a moment to consider things, brows furrowing as she tries to come up with a solution to this problem... And then smiles.

"That being the case, why don't we register them?" She sounds rather pleased with her idea. "There are many here in the police station who have Retrospec, aren't there? And those who don't have Retrospec are incapable of knowing about it. While it's frustrating, we can use that to our advantage this time."

She leans forward, clearly proud of herself. "If you create a new legal registry for Retrospec-granted weapons, we would have at least some information on them. Furthermore, if we labeled it as being Retrospec-related, anyone who doesn't know of it would be unable to remember any of the registry, even if they saw it, so there are no consequences should any unrelated people see it."

Togusa tilts his head to the side, as if he's just heard something completely baffling. "Can we just- do that?" He holds his hands out. "We can't make our own laws, but if there's a way we can register what the Retrospec population has been getting, just to try to understand what's happening?"

"What if they don't agree to it? I believe Professor Dawes words were something to the effect of 'if anyone tries to take this, I'll shoot them with it first.' He won't be the only one resistant to the idea."

But there's a hope that this might work. He isn't dismissing the idea, but trying to see how it would help keep people safe. There has to be a way.

Point of Order

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