I live in a schizo society that pursues power at nearly all costs. While therapists and psychologists beg us to pursue stability. Which is funny. When you pursue being stable too hard, you get every stockpile of powers you have available in one bag. So it's actually not as good as you think when you're a cop like me. Stability is both a blessing and a curse in this world.
I feel stable today though, but it doesn't do as well for me. Except for Coward, which makes me invisible. Which is quite the blessing as a Cop or as a Criminal. Otherwise, I have some good things. But they're all for killing really. At least for Number One. They amplify my guns at the moment to where I can shoot through steel with a 9mm pistol. And Hero is just for dodging bullets with Wind Bursts and blocking bullets by smacking them out the air with wind.
I ride my horse across the city, anxious. I have to investigate a murder today. I've been on only three cases before this, and they all had partners. This time I'm on my own, which sucks. But I'll get through it. I have superpowers after all. The case is about two miles away from the police station, and I'm riding my horse there because of the civil war's effects on the planet. Some druid archmage cursed us, or blessed us as he claims, with massive evolution and overgrowth of the plants and the wild life. Which means cars don't work anymore for society. We went back to horses to traverse the landscape. And my city has fungal overgrowth mainly. Nu Cowan is so annoying for that. But ah well, life goes on.
It has some benefits. Like the Muhrom. A race of mushroom people who are quick growing, and super intelligent. But as a new intelligent species, they are innocent compared to us. So they get taken advantage of a lot. It annoys me and my brother Mario a lot. It's absurd. I help police it though when I can. I already did a case for them over a fight with a Muhrom. Which was sad to me. They made me drop the case cause they weren't real citizens of America. Which pissed me off greatly. I'm still upset by it, my eyes watering as I consider what happened with it. A innocent Muhrom takes a beating from a gang, and cause its considered more monster than sentient, we let it slide. This will create problems eventually. And I want the problems to be solved instead of turning them against us.
I can't do much for now besides bitch at politicans on the internet and yell at co-workers to be nice to them. It doesn't always work out...
"Scavo, who cares about the fucking mushrooms? I'd rather cook them and eat them with my spaghetti." Officer Stan Smith says angrily.
We glared at each other in the break room of the police station, as the others just laugh.
"They aren't even considered citizens yet. We didn't do birthright citizenship for them, remember? Just do your job right, Scavo. Quit playing woke liberal." Officer Smith says, amused and encouraged by the others so he's confident.
"They can just as easily be a threat as they are food. Remember, they learn languages too well. The average Muhrom knows both Spanish and English by one year old. They're super geniuses already." I argue angrily.
"You're such a damn fool, who cares? They're just kids with superpowers at worst. And I don't feel bad for stomping them out, they're like toads from Super Mario Bros." Officer Smith says angrily.
I get closer and he stands up to face me. It's annoying to admit we get separated by our Police Chief yelling at me to leave the room and talk to him. Which we'll skip, it's just a fucking lecture about remembering to be nicer to humans than monsters. I can't stand it, they're too smart. They'll be liabilities to fight against sooner than later. And I'm supposed to be peaceful, dammit.
I finally arrive to the crime scene. It's in an alleyway covered with graffiti on both walls. Some of it is racism towards blacks, mexicans, and even the Muhrom. I should be sensitive to all of it, but I'm numb to the first two due to just seeing it too much. And it isn't like before, cause here is cannibalism. Nobody says stuff like "Let's eat the black meat." But they say here to eat Muhrom with a picture of Bugs Bunny cooking a Muhrom over a spit and fire while smoking a blunt.
Ugh, enough being distracted by what's somehow superficial in this common scenario for myself. I'm standing at a murder scene, so unless racism is proven, these walls are irrelevant. I approach the scene where forensics is already doing work.
It looks like a magical disaster, as per usual with this world now. I am literally looking at a bloody mess, except for a half intact skull that doesn't even have a face. Whoever was here must've been a powerful, skilled mage. Cause only the corpse is destroyed, the alleyway is perfectly intact except for a few scorch marks.
"Any ideas on who we're looking at? Or for?" I ask calmly.
"No, but I'm researching it now. Results will be ready by this afternoon on his teeth at least." Forensics Field Agent Thomas Jones says calmly.
"I gotcha. I'm gonna ask the people living in these buildings on either side if they witnessed anything." I say calmly.
"Good idea. I knew you were smart." Jones says warmly.
I smile and walk off. I get on the streets and see to my left is an apartment building. And to my right is a business that is closed. I knock on the business first anyway cause they will be easier to finish off. I knock hard, and wait a minute. Nobody comes. I sigh, annoyed, and decide to revisit later. Probably tomorrow.
I head over to the apartment building, and get buzzed in after announcing I'm a cop to someone random. I just hit a apartment button. I decide to try walking around to see if there's a supervisor's office in this apartment. But no dice, it's purely a apathetic apartment building with no supervision besides us all being adults.
Since I'm on the top floor, the third, I decide to walk up and down the hallways, knocking on doors. On this floor, there are only two interactions worth noting.
Apartment 305. Inside was a nice old lady who admitted she witnessed the battle but couldn't give me names or faces due to the angle. Which makes sense, she stayed inside cause she's old. Only watched through her window, and softly. So no real view. But she did tell me what magic the killer used.
"He used water magic and blood magic to make them explode like a balloon! It was horrific!" she said, shocked and disgusted.
Apartment 301. They were just hostile, not worth reviewing. But he was such a dick, I wonder if they're the perp or an ally. I can't decide, he didn't smell like blood.
Second floor was useless.
First floor was fruitful. Apartment 102 gave me what I needed, so I skip 101.
"I know who the killer was. He's the owner of the business next door. And he was fighting with an employee about how he was cooking a Muhrom alive in his basement. I heard the owner say he was already dead." Young Woman says, sad and scared. "I like the Muhrom..."
"I'll do what I can, ma'am." I say, righteous anger creeping into my voice.