Psycho Pass: Way of the Wolf

Day 10

 Kogami locked his jaw muscles and gnashed his teeth, desperately trying not to think of the cold. That was difficult to do. It was 10:00, and the night air was possessed with a potent winter chill and an insidious humidity that permeated every pore. To make matters worse, he was sitting in 50-degree water up to his waist.

There was no reprieve from the Pacific's waves, which crashed by him, on to the beach, and then retreated back toward the dark horizon. The recruits were engaged in night meditation, Tarkinson's concept for quieting the mind through punishment of the body. It was an exercise in extreme endurance, meant to test the resolve of the officers.

After 36 hours of constant drilling, combat simulations, and the o-course, not to mention less than 6 hours of sleep, the remaining 32 law enforcement officials were all tired and working on fumes, but this was not unusual for cops, and the recruits were functional, well above the norm. This only incited Tarkinson and their handlers to push them harder.

Staring into the night, Kogami grit his teeth harder to prevent them from chattering in the darkness. His jawbone cracked under the strain. Akane was sitting in front of him just to the left. She could not see him without turning around, but he could see her and could tell that she was in trouble.

Lack of sleep had never been an issue for her, having worked investigative cases well passed her endurance in pursuits of evidence. But she was not a swimmer, not a fan of the water, and this exercise was taking a different toll on her. What little food she had eaten through the day had floated away with the tide to feed the fishes. She was trembling uncontrollably from the cold. When she was not shivering, her head bobbed and nodded as her consciousness waned in and out.

Kogami was actually enjoying the challenge and the chance to push himself. But falling alseep had consequences—a ruthless prescription of EMI in the pit. In her current state, Kogami was not certain if Akane could endure it. Physically she was quite fit and athletic. Mentally, she was even more prepared, her idealism circumventing any abuse their handlers might dish out.

It was the sadistic nature of the SEALs that worried him. Being a woman, the only woman, he was certain they would come at her in a far crueler way than the men. They might even taunt her to ring the bell. He could not let that happen.

"Hey!" He reached out and slapped her arm. "You awake?"

"Barely," she replied.

"Don't turn around," he reminded her. "You'll put us both in the pit."

"This is torture, Mr. Kogami. I'm sorry I ever talked you into this."

"You're good, and so am I. I'm glad to be here." With you, he thought.

She sat up abruptly in surprise . "You are?"

"Don't turn around."

Akane bowed her head, nodding off again.

"Akane, stay awake."

"Not sure, I can—"

"Don't say it. Don't even think it."

Kogami scooted up behind Akane, pulling her backward into his embrace. He wrapped his long legs about her and held on as the ocean crashed into them. She didn't protest and melted against him, finding the little warmth he had to offer.

"Isn't this against the rules?" She cautiously glanced up and down the beach at the remaining recruits who sat watching them in envy and horror.

"Tarkinson never said it was. The order was to mediate while sitting in the water." Hearing footsteps splashing toward them, he whispered in her ear, "So mediate."

"Crab Tsunemori. Crab Kogami," Chief Tarkinson said. "This isn't a Japanese bathhouse."

"No, sir, it isn't," Kogami replied with a hint of venom. "They're generally a whole lot warmer than this."

"Are you looking for a little more time in the pit?"

"If it will warm me up, sure. Why not?" Kogami grunted as Akane jabbed him in the rib with her elbow.

Tarkinson laughed. "You two are dismissed to the showers and the chow line. I reserve the hot water for my thinkers and team players. Get moving."

Kogami struggled to his feet and helped Akane stagger to hers. She collapsed as an ocean wave knocked her off balance. Holding her close to him, he helped her maneuver through the surf. Together, they walked back to the barracks, shivering in each other's arms.

Some time after dinner, Akane was in her bunk long before Kogami could get out of the shower. Drying his hair with a rumpled towel, he paused in the doorway and watched her. She tossed and turned fitfully on the thin mattress. Her tiny, pale hands clung tightly to the blankets as she fought for warmth and comfort in her dreams.

He wondered if, in the dream, she was still sitting on the beach, up to her waist in freezing ocean water. His own extremities were just beginning to get sensation back in them after sitting in the ocean's chilly waters.

After getting dressed in a few extra layers of clothing, he threw the towel over the back of his head and neck for added warmth. Taking a thermos from the dresser, he pulled a chair over to the side of Akane's bed and sat down. Her agitation was growing worse. With the back of his hand, he touched her forehead. She was feverish and clammy, but on contact, seemed to settle quietly. In another moment, she opened her eyes.

"Mr. Kogami?"

"You were restless," he said. "I think you have a fever."

"I'm not surprised. The evening's meditation was a terrible experience."

"I won't disagree." He opened the thermos and poured some hot chocolate into the cup. "Drink this."

She gratefully clasped her hands around the hot cup, absorbing the warmth as she sat up against the bedframe. Kogami pulled his blanket from the top rack and tucked it around her. "Where did you get this? They don't serve hot chocolate in the mess hall."

"Swiped it from the kitchen when our SEAL handlers weren't watching."

"You're going to end up in the pit again."

"Worth the price. Besides you didn't eat much at dinner tonight. We have a long day tomorrow." Kogami rubbed a hand over his face to revive the feeling in his cheeks and chin.

"I wasn't exactly myself when Chief Tarkinson read the agenda at dinner. What have they devised for us tomorrow?"

"Some sort of scavenger hunt. He didn't say anything beyond that." Kogami poured her another cup of hot chocolate and encouraged her to drink it.

"They do enjoy their games," Akane said. Her eyes were partially closed as she fought to stay awake. "Some couple's therapy, huh?"

"Just glad you're here and not Ginoza. I can see him incorporating some of these tactics into our team building exercises."

"Seriously?"

"I do, and then I really would have to push him down the stairs." He took the cup back from her and drank the rest of the hot chocolate that she hadn't finished. "Get some sleep." Kogami climbed into the top bunk and laid back into his pillow.

"Don't you want your blanket back? You'll get cold."

"Keep it," he said. "I'll be fine. Now get some sleep."