heavenfang | Forty Fifth Star

And how is an arrest pointless?

Look at all they've caused and how easily they've caused it... Do you know a means of counteracting it? How do we protect ourselves? They have no care for who or what they destroy... all they want is to destroy.

You can't reason with a chaotic being like that. You can't just seal it away, not without causing more casualties.

What's two more deaths for however many more might die...

Or we can ask the scientists to put their chips in, once arrested. Once killed, they'll simply come back. In jail, we have more control of the situation.

And just how many people are you willing to send to their death to accomplish that end, Naoto?

That is an entirely different matter.

To kill those afflicted is... can be considered a mercy. These, however, are criminals... in this, at least, I would rather my job as it should be done.

Other officers? Volunteers? Don't skirt the issue here, Naoto, say it

How many people are you willing to have die in the cause of arresting them? How many more people are going to have to die?

For the record, I agreed with your idea. We can't have a "no one dies" situation here. Nobody comes out on top. But I'm also not going to sit here and pretend that those two can simply be apprehended.

How do you know they cannot be?

[...] Police procedure; standard in all cases. One confronts the suspect with the intention to arrest, to apprehend without harm. If that is impossible, force is used. If is becomes unavoidable, if the suspect fights back, the police are authorized to shoot to kill.

But it must be done in that order. I will not have you forming a lynch mob.

How many people, Naoto? You're not answering the goddamn question!

That procedure works, in theory. But you KNOW they're going to resist and you KNOW they are going to take as many of us down in the process as they can! So how many people, Naoto? How many people are you going to let die because of this?

This is hardly a lynch mob. That's just as bad. All I want is a small unit, maybe two or three, to help me do what clearly needs to be done, but no one else seems willing to accomplish. My hands are already stained... let me take the burden.

You mean that you are already a murderer.

This situation is bad enough already; there is no need to make it worse by forming, yes, a mob intending to kill the suspects. If they were to be killed in the process of an arrest, that would be different. But you are not suggesting that! And if that word gets out—if they speak on their return of your charging in to kill them, then you would need to be arrested again. And the police force's reputation would suffer the more.

I would not have you lecturing me about the protection of others and the prevention of their deaths. Not when you are proposing the same thing. If they fight, so shall I, but my goal is to reduce the deaths to the absolute minimum. Even the life of a murderer should be, if possible, protected.

Yes, Naoto. A murderer. A soldier. A leader. I've had to kill, send people to kill, and send people to BE killed.

Your talk of reducing death is contradictory. By not immediately using the necessary force to end this, you're already damning yourself and others to more of that death. Two lives versus a possible greater amount. That's not reducing death, that's a fight to stay on the side of morality.

They have not acted directly, as far as I can tell, since 'kissing' the victims, which seems to have started at roughly the same time—in one batch, as it were. They have not continued to inflict malice, not have they threatened to. They are less of a threat than their victims, at this moment.

Based on Mr. Garland's report, they're capable of more than that. They've been playing with kid gloves this entire time.

And unfortunately, in accordance to the law, until they escalate, we are bound not to.

You are a solider, back home. I am a detective. I have worked with law enforcement for years.

Then whose idea was it to round up the infected and "mercy" kill them?

Justifiable homicides will be treated as any other homicide, right?

We're already in the darkness, here...

In that instance, it is to prevent the victims from more pain than they have already inflicted—as well as the citizens on a whole. I take and plan to take full responsibility for my actions. I will not allow you to worsen things for yourself—and us all.

....

I want there to be a better way, but I don't want any more people to die. I don't know how else this will work. I want to believe that we can arrest them without casualties, but my experiences have taught me better...

It does not matter what you believe or doubt. You must follow the law.

...

I'm not going to let you walk to your death just trying to apprehend these people. Kazuki cares about you and... I can't just let you do something I know is going to get you killed.

Let someone who has already been damned in the eyes of the public take the fall for this. Let me end this and keep you alive.

[she has NO IDEA how to react to that. Give her a few minutes.

...Yeah.] I can take care of myself. You are the only to worry about.

...To be honest, I'm still not sure I could go through with it. I don't have any special powers to counteract them. All I have is Heaven Fang. But I had hoped that... well, SHOULD I succeed, then the police force could easily vilify me in the eyes of the public. They already look at me as a criminal, after all.

And if I hadn't succeeded... well, it would have proved you right, at least. And kept you safe. Naoto, I don't doubt your strength, but I also know Kazuki. I know how he gets around... someone he's close to. I don't want him to have to go through losing both of us. So... just one should do, and it should be me.

Quit the force. Resign. Immediately.

It is the same end, without the additional mess and failure. [...] You are far closer to Kazuki-san than I, and I won't argue something this pointless with you.

I guess what really matters, in the end, is Minato's decision. Elimination or arrest...

If things go south, I guess I really won't have a choice but to resign.

Considering how little regard you have for the force, you may as well not wait.

Why do you feel like I have little regard for the force? Is it really that, or are you just upset that our senses of justice differ so greatly?

At least I don't try to pretend I'm above killing.

Because you continue to show an utter lack of regard for law—

What?

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