Inside a dilapidated maze of clustered buildings, a place which stood as an insult to the architectural integrity which the rest of the district possessed, and where those outcasted from the greater society came to call their home, an incident was unfolding.

On the second floor of a building made of rusted steel alloy and rigid wood, one which was surrounded on all sides by single level structures forged of even worse materials than the building in question, a gruesome crime scene could be found.

Within the apartment complex’s seventh room, three corpses laid upon its floor. The first was that of a middle aged man, he was situated on the ground face first with the rear of his neck entirely mutilated. His blood had seeped forth through the night’s expanse, tainting his back and the area around his corpse crimson.

The second body was that of a woman, much like her partner, she had also been mutilated. Between her eyes laid the murder weapon still, a simple knife deeply lodged into her skull. Its steel surface was bathed by dry blood along with the woman’s face.

The last body found was that of a young boy. It appeared he had suffered the simplest fate, perhaps even the most merciful one. All which his corpse carried was the scar of a broken neck.

Situated just beyond the room’s door were two figures. The first of the two was the most striking, he was a tall man who possessed a pair of green eyes with light golden hair. Decorating his chin was a neatly trimmed goatee which matched the color of his hair.

The man had a white cigarette etched between his lips. He wore a simple linen button shirt with dark brown trousers and black laceless shoes. There was also a small silver badge attached to his belt, one which had a small steel star etched onto it, along with carved words on all of its sides which read:

‘District 11’

‘Police Department’

The man’s posture was straight, his right hand elevating a small electronic notepad up to his chest, while his left hand’s thumb clicked his retractable digital pen in a chaotic tempo.

That man was just a meter away from the second figure, a shorter man dressed in an aged business suit. In contrast to the first’s calm demeanor, the second man appeared far more nervous.

“Are you certain this occurred around 1PM?”

The first man asked, his voice raspy.

“Yes detective. I-I had told my wife that I heard some screaming but she thought I must have dreamt it. It was late so we were both already in bed for some time. I almost believed her if not for the violent noises that followed. We got worried and called the housing company’s emergency network immediately.”

The blond detective nodded, then scribbled some words on his notepad.

“I see. When did you actually find the bodies then?”

“As dawn came. I got up and knocked on the door. When no one answered I… I was worried so I climbed from the window to peek inside. That was when I saw it.”

The detective took a puff of his whites then continued to his next question.

“So that was when you called the housing company a second time, correct?”

The nervous man nodded.

“Good. Did anyone else realize what happened? Are they home right now?”

The man thought for a moment then shook his head.

“I’m sorry detective I don't know. Many of them were probably still at work, some are heavy sleepers because of how hard their jobs are, and well, by now I’m sure that those who were here have already gone out to work again.”

The detective nodded, shut down his notepad and tucked it on the single pocket of his linen shirt. His green eyes then examined the man before him for a moment. The man wore old clothing however his skin was clean and his hair neatly combed.

Somewhat curious, he asked;

“What about you Richard, how come you do not have to work as hard as them?”

The man, Richard, seemed startled by the questions switching topics at first. He then placed a hand at the back of his head and answered timidly.

“Well my life has actually been turning for the better as of late. My company did a mass firing not too long back and now I have been promoted. If I’m lucky I might be able to move back into the outskirts within a month or two… That… That’s why this makes me so unsettled. The damn rats are getting too bold.”

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Yeah if your definition of luck means working like a slave all day for a cheap box in some gang infested place somewhere in the outskirts.

Whilst mocking him inwardly, the detective shared a subtle smile then spoke in a reassuring voice.

“I see, good luck to you then. Anyways, those were all my questions. You can go now, we will deal with everything from here rest assured.”

Richard smiled at hearing those words, he then bid his farewell and began walking away. The blond detective, Al Davis, watched Richard’s fleeting back until he turned towards the stairway, falling out of view.

Only then did Al discard his false smile and sighed in annoyance.

What a pain. Seriously, what does the captain have against me? Assigning jobs inside this shithole is way below my pay grade!

Al did not linger at the scene of the crime, instead he took the stairs down to the first floor himself before arriving just outside the building.

Almost instantaneously, the scent of trash and shit assaulted his nostrils, along with the sight of many frail half naked figures. Each appeared sickly with ribs protruding from their chests. Furthermore, they appeared devoid of passion or purpose.

Many were merely situated upon an empty corner, their heavy tired eyes portraying a lost mind. Al felt certain that even if he were to rush forth and attack them suddenly, the rats would fail to notice it until the moment of impact had already passed.

Perhaps even then they would fail to feel anything…

He thought scornfully.

His green eyes continued to observe them for many more minutes, with each passing one further fueling his disdain.

Disgusting trash…

He took one final puff then flicked what remained of his white away with his index finger. He did not do so aimlessly however, ensuring that it landed on the disheveled white beard of a frail old man which had been staring at him.

“Mind your stare rat!”

He cursed, however a subtle sound caught his attention and his head twisted upwards.

In the distance a soft humming reverberated. That sound intensified little by little until finally it transformed into the domineering roars of two twin engines. Soon after a large figure flashed into view, immediately catching the attention of everyone present on the ground below.

Upon seeing it, the slum rat’s expressions became riddled by fear, with perhaps only Al finding it a welcoming one.

Hovering above them was an airborne carrier jet. One which was large and heavy, being at least four times the size of a personal land vehicle. Its front was narrow with its body wide and bulky, betraying its purpose for carrying cargo even further.

Its body was forged of thick alloy which was coated under black paint. Supporting its massive frame were two short protruding wings that hosted a pair of propulsion engines which emitted a powerful stream of searing white plasma as they released a fierce roar no beast could ever hope to match.

On its sides were words painted in white which read:

‘District Police’

Furthermore, just above its glass windshields, blue and red lights flickered. In this moment, it was as though authority itself took an incarnation and stepped forth into the slums.

“Sure took your damn time huh…”

Al’s complaint was completely drowned out by the might of the carrier’s engines. His clothes and hair both danced vigorously as the alloy beast hovered directly past him. Since its entrance, he had been the only one which remained calm with the frightened slum rats fleeing the scene.

Al found such a reaction comical.

By then the carrier had already positioned itself above the apartment complex, it opened its loading ramp which allowed a group of five men to jump down.

They all wore pure black suits made of smooth cloth which hid the thick Kevlar underneath. Beyond that they wore a full head helmet with pure black glass visors covering their entire faces. On their right chest side a dim blue light displayed the words:

‘DPF’

Hoisted on their arms were dual purpose model seventeen’s (or DPM-17’s for short), they were bulky assault rifles with the capability of either the continuous firing of a 1,000 rounds or that of 10 consecutive charge blasts.

The small squad team first secured the rooftop before a sixth figure jumped down from the carrier. Like his men, the man wore the same pure black uniform, however unlike his men, the man had neither a weapon with him nor a helmet shielding his face.

His deep black eyes examined the ugly scenery of architectural chaos for a moment before signaling his men to stand down.

“No need for so much caution, there are just rats around after all.”

The man, who possessed a cut jawline, deep black eyes, and short black hair, appeared stern but relaxed. He ordered his men to wait as the steel beast hovered away. The man then walked to the edge of the roof where he spotted the figure of Al below.

He smirked, then casually jumped down the two story tall building. He felt his body cut through the wind as he soared down before slamming into the dirt below with a heavy stomp. His lean muscular build tensed for a moment upon impact but quickly recovered and he emerged from the scattering dirt unscathed.

Laying witness to this scene in its entirety, Al scoffed.

“You sure like to be a showoff don’t you Lieutenant Anderson.”

He mocked with an irritated smile. The person in question, Anderson Shaw, merely shrugged at Al’s words, seemingly more occupied with wiping off the dirt which landed on his uniform.

“It was the simplest way down…”

Al sighed.

“I still don’t understand how your legs don’t shatter every time you pull a stunt like that… Hah if I wasn’t so smart I would genuinely start betting credits on the rumors that you are actually a super soldier.”

Anderson’s lips curled into a ridiculing smile.

“Not a super soldier per say, It would be more accurate to classify me as a monster instead.”

Hearing such, Al rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I hope your legs actually shatter one of these days as retribution for your lies… Anyways, let's get to work, I don’t like coming to this wretched place, it's so damn filthy.”

Al turned his back to Anderson then began walking inside the apartment complex.

“Follow me, I’ll show you the crime scene.”

Anderson lingered for a moment, his mocking smile still present.

“Lies huh…”

He murmured to himself before chuckling slightly and following behind the eager detective.