Officer Sierra Sena was on a break after doing general patrol for the festivals.
She was helping direct traffic for the nighttime festivals and parades, making sure no one started a fight but it was a losing battle. People from all over the planet of Paradis came to its capital of Atlaan to celebrate the week when night occurred.
Atlaan was already divisive enough but with the short influx of guests who did not seem to care to abide by any rules, were drunk, naked, high, or all three.
The Week of Night was a police officer's week-long nightmare.
Atlaan accepted numerous refugees from war-torn planets to start their lives over to annoy the Empire, the aggressor of most of the wars. Atlaan was home to one of the Defense Program's bases, this one is closest to the eighth realm, constructed as a warning sign to anyone who tried to come close.
The government wasn't concerned with stopping crime but mitigating it that week, trying not to exceed their projected death toll.
Paradis was a port to other systems and the connecting realm, most of the ships passing through increased drug and sex trafficking, so Sierra had another worry: if she could spot someone in trouble passing by in a crowd of many.
After hours of stopping tourists from soliciting girls and making lengthy reports that would probably get lost, redirecting traffic, and arresting someone for starting a fight, Sierra finally ended her twelve-hour shift.
She ate a sandwich while listening to radio chatter inside her patrol car. It was the usual chatter, complaints, and updates. She liked listening to the police radio during her break because she hated the sound of silence.
Her partner wasn't with her today, as the police force of every precinct was spread thin for the sake of damage control all over the town, and the area she was in wasn't marked as a danger zone, but she was still wary of being alone.
Suddenly, an urgent update came on the police radio.
Nearby officers and emergency services, report to 27th Street near West Avenue. A large fire has occurred, amount of victims unknown.
Sierra went into action, checking her gun, adjusting her bulletproof vest, and clearing her mind. The sounds of the city faded when she sprung into action. Flipping her switch, the siren of her police cruiser cried as she drove, and was first on the scene.
A crowd of people was surrounding the building, and the moment Sierra got out of her car a woman ran over for help, screaming and pleading.
"Someone walked into that building when it was still on fire," she said. "You have to go see if he's alive! I think he's crazy!"
Sierra was careful to investigate the ruins of the building to not ruin the crime scene. She found it odd that the building's flames extinguished by the time she arrived, that the other buildings next to it were left untouched. The flames were visible on the way over, but now there was nothing but the smell of smoke.
Only the frame of Tony was left standing, and most of what she could see were crispy corpses. She didn't see anybody alive inside the rubble, except for heaps of ash and burnt furniture.
Without warning, someone burst from the pile of ash twenty feet from her.
It was a man.
A man that looked just like her ex-boyfriend.
"Ace, what are you doing here?"
Sierra saw his mirror image, naked, in the rubble, coughing up soot.
Nero rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get it out of his eyes and picked up the sword once he saw a cop coming at him in giant strides, with intense anger he had never seen in his life.
She is Not Dangerous, said Unas. Only Stupid.
"Stop talking around the cop you stupid sword! Don't you know not to talk to cops when they come around!"
You are naked, and weak said Unas. I don't care what you think.
Nero banged the sword against the floor and it cried out in pain.
"Ace, you need to put the sword down and come with me," Sierra said slowly. "I think you need help."
"I don't know who the fuck you are I don't care," replied Nero.
From the way he walked, his demeanor, he seemed like a different person, but his voice was the same. She realized he was shorter, his frame was smaller, and knew that this was not the same person.
He began to walk off, the sword muttering unintelligible noise, but Sierra grabbed him by the arm and tried to arrest him.
"You're not going anywhere. You're under arrest for arson, murd-"
"Shut the fuck up!"
By then more police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived on the scene.
The crowd had moved closer to see the commotion at the burned building, causing Sierra to become distracted by their sudden arrival, and she took her eyes off Nero for one second when she turned to look at the arriving patrol cars.
He took off.
"It's a naked man," yelled someone from the crowd.
Nero was too concerned about living and avoiding getting shot than whether or not he was naked and covered in soot. He ran, sword in his right hand, his other sword flopping in the dark, and the officers surrounded him, drew their guns, but paused, not sure if they were allowed to shoot with that many witnesses.
"Put your hands in the air and drop the weapon, sir," said Officer Che through the megaphone.
Yes please, drop me, said Unas. I have had much better masters than you.
"Shut the fuck up, you stupid sword," yelled Nero. "You are the least helpful person I have EVER WORKED WITH."
Officer Sierra Sena made an announcement on her walkie-talkie.
"Suspect is mentally ill. Handle with care and alert emergency medical services."
Nero wasn't happy with that and immediately the ground around him burst into flames. His long hair shifted into flames yet again, wrapping around his face and giving an otherworldly glow.
" Eat my ass, pigs. "
"This is your last warning," said Officer Che. "Cease using your ability or we will have no choice but to use deadly force."
Time to go, said Unas . I cannot protect you from bullets. You will die.
The flames around his body died down, and his hair returned to its normal state.
"Shit," Nero groaned." I should have left when I had the chance, Adonis was right."
He turned to look back to see Sierra running from behind and yelling, trying to sneak up on him from behind.
"Don't just point! Get him while he's not on fire," she yelled.
"Oh this is going to hurt so bad," Nero whispered. "I don't want to do this."
Nero focused all his energy on making a portal. He held onto his right arm, clutched his sword, and braced himself for the oncoming pain. His destination was farther, so Nero had to use more power. The watch would shock him with more pain, the more power he used.
The pain was even more excruciating from the few times before he had used his ability. The air around started to crackle, and the little rabbit watch exerted all its power to stop Nero from using his ability, to no avail. Each and every piece of clothing burnt off his body, but this watch still persisted, like a leech on his soul.
He let out a beastly, guttural scream as his eyes widened from the pain.
The crowd stared in horror as a naked man covered in ash, wearing nothing but a children's watch, holding a sword, a flaming sword, screamed.
He was a trapped animal and he was biting off his hand to save his life. Sierra stopped running and watched as Nero screamed so loud, you could hear him over the distant sounds of the city parades a few miles away.
The screaming stopped.
He had disappeared, without a trace. The only sign that Nero had been there was the smoldering building behind him.
The crowd was in an uproar.
Did he explode? Did he die? Would they die? Someone had to be arrested.
Justice had to be served!
Sierra ran over to where the other officers were congregating, confused, everyone in the crowd shouting their own opinion as to if he would return, and they were all angry, furious because their live show was over.
"That was insane, I thought he was going to start setting people on fire," Sierra said.
All the officers looked uncomfortable, and she didn't know what she said that was wrong.
"Officer Sena," said Officer Che. "You had a relationship with-"
"I know," she said. "But that is not Ace. He looks like him, but that's not him!"
"Isn't it strange that she was the first one to arrive on the scene," said Officer Redd.
"It's not strange at all," replied Officer Sena. "I was on break and was pretty close. Are you insinuating something? "
"We don't have to insinuate anything, since he somehow escaped, " Redd replied.
"I didn't let him get away! I have nothing to do with him!"
None of them believed her. They all started to judge her, right there, on the spot, using their past grudges or minor transgressions to find her to be guilty by association. Sierra was ready to leave when one of the officers from another precinct mentioned that Ace was suspended a few days ago: the motive was clear.
She didn't resist arrest and mentally made a list of places to find new employment while they arrested her, giving the crowd what they wanted.
Law and order was doled out.
Lady Justice was truly blind.