Neon Lights

04

The paper in his hand made a sound when his grip tightened on it a little too much. Rave's eyes dropped to the table when he heard it, staring for a second as if he could see through the opaque surface. Crumpling the thing even further, Callisto forced his right hand to place the paper on the surface.

What use could this symbol be now?

If there was no way anyone would help him find his sister, all because she had a different political alignment than majority of people here, what could he even do with what little clue he found?

Swallowing past his dry throat, he was about to tell Rave to forget what happened when pale fingers grasped the paper and brought it close to his eyes. There was a brief moment of silence before his friend flicked his gaze at him, searching his face. Furrowing his eyebrows, Callisto leaned away a little, his heart skipping a beat when Rave went back to examine the symbol.

"Where did you see this?" the detective asked, his voice lowered as he placed the paper on the table and attempted to flatten it with his fingers.

"On Luna's coffee table," Callisto said, frowning. "Is... the symbol—"

"This isn't something a normal civilian should know." Rave's volume was barely above a whisper but the intensity of his words pierced through his mind. With wide eyes and confusion bubbling in him, he opened his mouth to speak when the android beat him to it. "This," he said, pointing a finger downwards but he didn't continue with his sentence.

"This?"

"This," Rave said before he grew quiet again. This what? What was it that was making the detective stop in his tracks each time he opened his mouth? A flash of neon green eyes had Callisto blinking a few times, dread pooling at the pit of his stomach. "It's not something I can tell you about here. Are you sure you found this on your sister's table?"

"Yes." Callisto wasn't blind. That had been there on the coffee table, blatantly there without anything on top of it. "Are you not going to tell me what this could mean?"

"Not here." The detective stood up, pulling out a few circular, metal pieces and tossed them on the table without hesitation. There was nothing in front of them to tell that Rave had bought anything in this diner to warrant a pay but he didn't question it. He then gestured at Callisto with a tilt of his head, all the while shoving the piece of paper into his hoodie pockets. "Let's go to my office."

His office was probably at the precinct and not his place. The police station was located at the heart of the city but not in plain sight. It was an odd location if he thought about it properly. Past a bar and a garage where cars and bikes were brought in for service and adjustments, just a few steps ahead was a greying building with blue lights colouring the doors and the sign. If Callisto didn't see the name, he would have walked past it thinking it was another pub with how shadowed it was.

The only indication this place ran as a place of justice was the people in navy uniform walking in and out of the doors. Rave looked like he didn't fit in especially with his attire, but he didn't make a comment. Every step Callisto took into the police station was with a sense of dread that increased with intensity the closer he got to cubicles and desks littered on the floor. His friend's words were still burned in his mind — people here apparently wouldn't help him find his sister just because of differences in political alignment.

If that wasn't a kick to the teeth, he didn't know what was.

Passing by the tables and chairs that were closer to the entrance, Rave made his way to a particular cubicle located closer to the windows. There was nobody in the space next to his seat, but it was well occupied judging by the papers scattered everywhere along with files and following that were holograms of information floating on multiple windows. The presence here with murmurs and squeaks of shoes on the floor had Callisto hunching his shoulders closer to his chest in an attempt to make himself look smaller.