>>5883037>>5883060>I’ll go in alone and attempt an arrest. Be ready to call for backup if I don’t make it"But sir, it's too dangerous! You could get seriously injured, or worse!"
"You had a point earlier, Chen I don't think I could live with myself if I killed that girl like this."
"I can go-"
"Impossible. You're too valuable to send alone, and the situation could completely devolve if we both die. Cover my back."
"...Yes, sir."
You approach the girl, making sure your pistol is hidden and holstered, but loaded just in case. You come up on her from behind, but somehow you sense she knows you're coming. Now that you're closer, and looking with your own eyes, it dawns on you just how young she is. 16 at the oldest. She's on her knees, crying. She looks more like a lost child than a murderous demigod now.
"Here to arrest me?" she asks you. Her voice seems hollow. You estimate that she's completely given up on life.
"Not necessarily," you reply, "That depends on you. You seem like a decent person. Why go on a rampage like this?"
"Rampage..?" she seems dazed, as if she just woke up from a dream. She looks around, taking stock of her surroundings: the crumbling buildings, the cracked streets, and the casualties, thankfully all living, but many just barely. "O-oh god. I wouldn't- I didn't mean to-:
"I get it, kid. Tell me what happened."
Her eyes flash with rage for a moment, but those emotions quickly peter out.
"He, no, that THING killed my mother. His drugs, I don't even know what they were, but they killed her. She was everything to me, especially after dad died, and, and"
"You couldn't let the guy who destroyed your world go."
She gives a weak nod.
You sigh, reaching once again for a cigarette you know isn't there.
"Honestly, kid, things aren't great for you right now. Whether you meant it or not, the government isn't gonna let what happened here today go. Not only that, but people have seen your face. They might find you, even if I let you go here."
"I don't care," she replies, ":I've got nothing left to go back to, anyway."
"Well, you do still have options." You pause, waiting for a reply. She doesn't speak, but you feel as if she's waiting for you to continue.
"My partner and I are a part of- basically the entirety of- a task force designed to take out people like the man who took your mother. It'll be dangerous, difficult, and it'll probably force you to make a lot of hard choices but it'll at least get the feds off of your back."
"I'll join" she says, without an ounce of hesitation.
"Or," you continue, "I know a guy who can make you a new life. You might not get to be a kid anymore, but you can at least live out the rest of your days as a person, instead of as the government's hunting dog."
"I'll join."
"Look, I'm telling you that I can-"
"Please sir. It's all I have left."
This is gonna be hard to explain to Chen.
"Fine. I'll take you back to our office. Let me know if you change your mind."
