“Not that you need me to tell you this, but you just violated that man’s civil rights to a criminal level.”~Solar said as the duo were headed towards the address.

“He’s a criminal, he isn’t getting any sympathy from me”~Moonbyul said while driving

“He’s still a human being, detective. Show at least some restraint”~Solar said clasping her hands in her lap

“Fantastic, I get the synth with excessive pity. Look, I don’t care what you’re programmed to do. You report what happened earlier and you’ll find yourself bouncing into a waste bin”~Moonbyul threatened as they arrived at their destination

“Detective, if I’m going to report anything, it is because I decided it needed to be reported myself. I have no protocols as you assume I have”~Solar.

They walked towards the old apartment structure, with caution and swiftness. Against the midnight blue sky the building looked just like any other in the district, grey brick with a peaked roof of slate. In the daylight its state was more apparent. The bricks were of another era, not solid red like the others but swirled with other hues giving the two storey dwelling a mottled look.  The entire Seowon district looked as old and dilapidated as this. It was the oldest part of New Seoul and it showed. The apartment’s window frames were not the ubiquitous plastic or metal like many buildings, but wooden with large flakes of white paint lying like dandruff. Moonbyul walked a little closer, finding the lack of reflection in the windows peculiar. She almost laughed. There was no glass, of course, why would there be? She knew the place was old, but she wondered when it was abandoned and why. As Byul tried stepping forward, Solar placed her arm in her path blocking Byul from walking forth.

“There’s a tripwire at the door frame”~Solar said kneeling down.

“What is it, a bomb, a trap?”~Moonbyul

“No detective, it’s not a bomb. The tripwire goes somewhere, I’ll lead”~Solar said as her pupils dilated and turned red. They walk through the abandoned house checking room after room as Solar followed the wire. Which lead them to a locked metal door. 

“Stand back detective”~Solar said as she stepped back a bit before charging forth and kicking the door off its hinges. As they rushed in they saw JooE, bound to a chair, inside a glass box. There was some sort of gaseous canister inside the box with her. As they began looking for a way to open it up a voice echoed through an intercom in the box.

“Hello Byul, you may be wondering what we have planned for Officer JooE”~The metallic monotone voice said as Solar and Moonbyul tried desperately to open the glass container.

“And the answer is simple..... death”~The voice said as the canisters in the box began to hum.

“JooE!!!!”~Moonbyul screamed hitting the glass with a nearby pipe to no avail

“Please! Help!”~JooE screamed struggling in her binds

“Stay calm.”~Solar said as she tried punching the glass

“Please!!!!! Please Moonbyul!!!!! I don’t want to die!!!!”~JooE cried, getting more panicked by the second.

“ IT!!!”~Moonbyul yelled as she started opening fire onto glass. Nothing happened when she emptied all of her sidearm though.

“Bulletproof glass. It’s welded shut.”~Solar stated to a worried Moonbyul. Byul threw her gun to the floor. The canister then emitted a purple gas that began to envelope the entire container

“No No NOOO!!!”~Moonbyul shouted as she began punching the glass.

“Solar break the glass now!!!”~Moonbyul called out now violently.

“The glass is too strong to break, detective”~Solar said as she stared at JooE.

“Moonbyul!.......... The........The..... evid....”~JooE tried saying as she in a sharp deep breath, that seemed to be caught in choking her from the inside as her nose began to bleed. The gas now circulated through her system. Already the she couldn’t draw in her usual lung-full of air, as if concrete had been poured into her airways.  She tried shutting after only thirty seconds more she lost control again, her legs tired from struggling. Now her ears began to bleed as her vision blurred. Her own hand lay limp by her side, JooE’s skin no longer full of colour but grey, fingers sticky with congealing blood. And with one final gasp JooE shut her eyes for the last time. She drooped head down in the seat becoming still, motionless. Moonbyul screamed and took one final punch with her right arm cracking the glass, surprising even Solar. Byul pulled her hand away showing shredded skin but underneath wasn’t any arteries or blood.

“Detective? We..... should leave......”~Solar muttered as she rushed Moonbyul outside. After a few hours it was almost midnight and the Seoul Police Department showed up, quarantining the area. Hwasa and many officers had begun investigating the building for clues.

“Why did they target JooE? She was only a rookie...... She didn’t deserve this.”~Moonbyul questioned opening and closing her right hand slowly.

“Scan every case JooE was on. Any connection to biotech, science, medicine, DNA— I want to see it.”~Moonbyul commanded, Solar’s eyes went blue in response 

“Detective I don’t know if this is anything, but one of her files is missing—case file 89. It’s gone. From all internal records.”~Solar said as Hwasa walked on over

“Did you say case file 89? Wait a minute, Officer JooE told me yesterday morning that she couldn’t get access to her terminal. Maybe whoever did this deleted the file.”~Hwasa said as all three of them began to think to themselves

“They got into the whole system.”~Moonbyul said making Hwasa looked shocked while Solar looked confused

“Who is they?”~Solar

“See if anyone downstairs can get that file back. I’m counting on you Hwasa”~Moonbyul stated as Hwasa nodded

“On my way.”~Hwasa said, hurrying off.

“The way you said that—you’re thinking someone specific is behind this. Who?”~Solar inquired to an irritated Moonbyul.

“When I want your help, I’ll ask for it.”~Moonbyul snapped back making Solar progressively more angry

“You know what your problem is detective?”~Solar

“Always my favorite part of the day: a synthetic telling me what my problem is.”~Moonbyul said splaying her arms out sarcastically

“There’s that word again. Your problem is, you don’t know yourself. You don’t trust anyone.”~Solar stated as Moonbyul stared at her

“Is that my problem?”~Moonbyul said walking closer

“I don’t blame you detective. After all you’ve been through, if I were like you, I wouldn’t know myself either.”~Solar said as something finally snapped inside Moonbyul, her eyes quelled anger.

“Ok lets get one thing straight synth, you’re not like me.”~Moonbyul said getting into Solar’s face

“I’m not like them. Synth units are logic-based and rule-oriented. They have no true free will and they are designed to feel nothing. Now, I can’t say that I was born, I can’t say I grew in a womb or had a childhood, but I was made to feel and I do as much as you. And I can tell that you dislike using that bio-tech arm.”~Solar said while Moonbyul clutched her right arm in outrage

“Okay, you know what? You’re obviously malfunctioning right now. Why don’t you just take a second to reboot yourself?”~Moonbyul said angering Solar again.

“Stop! Do not talk to me that way. If anyone is malfunctioning, it is you, Detective!”~Solar yelled, shoving Moonbyul away from her

“You know what I’m gonna stop doing? I’m gonna stop arguing with a piece a god damn piece of carbon fiber.”~Moonbyul said as she walked away and got back into her police cruiser, driving off leaving Solar.