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When do the rights of criminals begin to outweigh the rights of the individuals to which they do harm? Is it when the societies in which they choose to inhabit turn a blind eye to the injustices committed by one person against another? Or is it when a system meant to dispense justice becomes so bogged down by the chaos and corruption afflicting our lives that it becomes unable to defend those innocents it chooses to champion?

To combat this growing problem, I say we take steps to ensure the safety and security of our nations and our lives. Personality alteration is a safe, humane, and financially viable alternative to physical incarceration. It will rehabilitate chronic offenders, prevent repeat offenses from occuring, and act as a true social deterrent to the negative and unwanted behaviors that serve to create criminals in the first place.

~~ Errari Humanitas Est:

A cure for crime in the twenty-forth century.

Chapter Three : Deaf to all but the song.

Passing through an arch that led him into a fantastic world made of marble terraces and gaudy statues of dragons doing unnatural things, Kato took stock of everyone's position in the room in at a glance.

Surrounded by a circle of his close personal friends, Johnathan sat seated in the center of the room with Lily in his lap. Having finished bringing them their order mere moments ago, Her struggle to break free from the hand clamped down on her shoulder was drawing bouts of polite laughter from everyone else in the room.

The sheer terror on her face as Johnathan lifted his drink to his lips was all Kato needed.

Pinching the nerves on the hand that held her in place with his claws, Kato covered the mouth of the glass with his other hand. Leaning in close so that only Johnathan would be able to hear him he whispered the word, “Don't.” Into his ear.

Johnathan's breath was an indrawn hiss as he rose to his feet. His prize all but forgotten he pushed poor Lily away and turned his full attention on Kato.

The look of fury in his eyes at being denied disappeared beneath the weight of an easy smile as, striking Kato full across the face with all his strength he made sure everyone in the room could hear him when he said. “You would do well to remember your place.”

Kato merely blinked in surprise. The blow had caught him off guard, and while it had it had barely hurt, being attacked for doing his job had been the last thing he had expected to happen. Granted, he should have phrased the order as a polite request, in fact, there was a whole number of things he could have done differently, but there was a time for protocols and a time to act! And then taste of blood began to fill his mouth from where his teeth had cut across the inside of his cheek.

With his mind still dealing with the aftermath of the unprovoked attack, he dipped the tip of a clawed finger into the glass that Johnathan held, and flicked a single drop of the deep blue liquid onto the floor; where it proceeded to explode upon impact.

Silence gripped the room as the two of them sought to stare the other down. The look on Johnathan's face was a chilling mixture of smug superiority and self satisfaction that was daring Kato to strike him back. The fact that his life had just been saved mattered little to him. He had been denied his prize, and that was unforgivable.

His eye's narrowing to razor thin slits, Kato's arm started to tremble as the temptation to wipe the smile from Johnathan's face forever warred with his own self control. And while he knew the collar that he wore would stop him before he could even lift his hand, a part of him still wanted to try anyway, knowing that it would be very satisfying to do so.

Ignoring the testosterone that was flying around the room as two equally dominant males decided to try and have a face off, it was Mina who pointed to the glass of unknown liquid that Johnathan still held and said. “Are you going to drink that, or are you just planning to hold on to it until it actually explodes?”

The moment lost forever as he was forced to admit defeat, Johnathan just said. “Neither.” Thrusting the drink into Mina's outstretched hand he rounded on Kato and said. “Next time try and think about who may be watching,” He pointed to Lily who was cowering behind a nearby table. “Before you go and decide to make a point.”

Nodding his head, Kato paused for longer than was necessary before he said. “Yes, sir.”

“You were the one who mixed those drinks.” Said Kato, slamming Sam up against a wall. Suddenly feeling the need to vent some of his newfound frustrations, he shouted. “Tell me who sent you and why!”

With his arm bent behind him in a hammerlock, and his face pressed up against the wall, Sam just shook his head and chuckled. “Wouldn't you like to know.”

Baring his fangs, Kato let a low growl escape from his throat as he twisted Sam's arm to the point just short of making it break. “Don't make me ask you again.”

Gritting his teeth as the pain turned into pleasure Sam started to laugh. “You know, your really not very good at this. Maybe you should try breaking a few of my fingers first. That might get me to talk.”

Both Kato and Mina shared a confused look.

“Ah!” Sam cried out as his entire shoulder suddenly popped out of place. “That feels so good! Just move it a little more to the right, if you would.”

“Kato,” Mina just shook her head as she realized exactly what the problem was. “Its no use. Someone's given him enough Bliss to make anything you do to him feel good. You could snap his arm like a twig and he'd still be in ecstasy.”

Feeling a wave of revulsion wash over him as he released his grip, Kato stepped back and hissed. Bliss freaks were notorious for their willingness to do anything in order to get high. And to make matters worse, there was no way of knowing whether someone was an addict or not. But once the drug started to kick in . . .

Cradling his now useless arm, Sam let out a satisfied sigh every time he managed to pull it further out of place.

Moving as far away as he could from the pain addicted psychopath while still being close enough to react in time should he try anything, Kato said. “Then what are we supposed to do with him? He just tried to take out an entire room full of people. Most of whom are the heirs to their families positions within the three companies.”

“We let the police handle him.” Said Mina, placing her hand on Kato's arm she gave him a reassuring squeeze. “And justice will take its course.”

If there was one thing in SynCity that could be said to arrive at the scene of a crime faster then the police, it was the press, and while Johnathan was playing up the spectacle for all it was worth, Kato stood off to the side, secretly hoping that one of the cameras that hovered around his head would explode, forever scarring his beautiful face.

Would he seek to file charges? Yes. Had he been scared? No. Was he going to reward the servant who had saved his life? Absolutely.

Disgusted by the display of false bravado, Kato had to struggle to keep his feelings from showing on his own face until after the police were done taking statements from everyone involved. Though once they were done, Mina's silent stare reminded him that he still had a job to do.

Leaning against the patrol car where Sam was being kept under heavy observation, Kato said. “Tell me, before they decide to mind wipe you, who was it that sent you?”

Having been given a sedative to counteract the effects of the bliss he had taken, Sam said. “You really want to know?”

Kato nodded that he did.

“Go ask him.” Pointing to Johnathan, Sam said. “I bet he can give you an entire laundry list of people who want him dead.”

Even through the haze of drugs, Kato could tell that what Sam was saying was the truth. Which only meant one thing. “You don't even know yourself do you?”

“My handler is the one who decides which jobs we take. I just accept payment in bliss.”

Kato's ears twitched. Still no change in either his heart rate, or his body temperature. He was telling the truth.

The motion not going unnoticed, Sam had to ask while he was still lucid enough to speak. “Now then kitty cat, as a courtesy to a dead man, answer me this. What makes you care so much that you would bother saving someone like him.”

Closing his eyes, Kato said. “Sometimes, I ask myself the very same question.”

“And?”

“I don't know exactly why, its just . . .” Kato trailed off as he tried to turn his feelings into words. Why can't I say it? He asked himself. Why is it that I can't admit that such a feeling can exist? Even if its only to myself. I still can't . . . But deep inside he knew the answer he was afraid to give.

Putting myself in danger makes me feel alive! Kato wanted to shout it so that everyone could hear. When there's nothing left to lose, and only everything to gain, only then do I feel as if I truly exist. But he knew there was so much more to it than that. So much more about himself he didn't yet know, that he often wondered if he would even be able to live long enough just to understand it all. There was even a part of him that wanted to do it all again, simply so he could experience the thrill that came with throwing himself into harm's way, along the rush of power that was so intoxicating in its intensity that everything else in comparison seemed dull and gray.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there was even a part of him that was willing to go looking for it if necessary. And that was what frightened him the most. That if given enough time, he would develop a taste for danger, an insatiable hunger that would continue to grow until it consumed everything else.

Turning away from the very truth he sought to uncover, Kato gave the only answer that he knew how to give. “It's what they trained me to do.”

Watching as their only link to whoever wanted them dead was taken away by the police, Kato decided to wait until the patrol car had disappeared from sight before revealing his unease. “Do we at least know what it was that he put in the drinks?”

“Penitriptiphin. It didn't set off any of the alarms because it remains inert until it reaches room temperature.” Checking the readings from her scanner she said. “Apparently, there was enough of it in that glass to take out the entire room. With us along with it.” And while she didn't like the thought of letting their only lead go any more then he did, her first priority was to see the safety of her charge, not to go chasing after shadows.

Punching a wall with his fist, Kato started to swear. “Damn, that means it could've been meant for any one of us.”

“Or all of us.” Said Mina. “Either way it would've left behind one hell of a mess.”

Taking a deep breath, Kato focused on the pain in his hand. Now that the initial rush of adrenaline had started to wear off, reality had begun reasserting itself with a vengeance.

Letting himself relax, he imagined the tension he felt flowing out of him along with the breath he had taken. Sighing in spite of himself Kato said. “Just another day in the life of a professional bodyguard eh Mina?” Shaking his head he said. “I bet this is the part where you tell me not to think about things too deeply, and to just let the cops figure things out.”

Giving Kato a hug while she scratched him behind the ears, Mina took advantage of his one and only weakness and said. “Congratulations Kato. You're learning.”

Unable to keep himself from purring, Kato leaned into her touch. “Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it, now do I?”