She was in hot pursuit.

It wasn't often that she was assigned a job like this, but if it meant for the better of Inaba, Naoto Shirogane would never turn down a bit of detective work. After all, she was far better than the police force and it was a surprise that they even asked for her help in the first place. Stuff like this would always get her adrenaline pumping… that and perhaps being around the leader of the Investigation Team. Nobody else ever made her feel nervous or make her face hot, after all.

Until now.

"Stop right there! I'm warning you!"

She cried out verbal commands, but the group of people ceased to stop. She couldn't really make out who they were: a tall man wearing a cape of some sort, a person wearing a large heavy coat ('how do people even WEAR those huge things', she thought), and an ominous figure that made large clanks on the ground with every step. She didn't know who they were, but since they started running when she just wanted a few questions, she deduced that they were of some type of gang and proceeded to go after them.

This work was dangerous too. You never knew who you would run into, and alone as a young girl no less. It was just another reason why she liked impersonating a male because it was less likely that something would happen. Besides, she always worked best when she was alone. Nobody else bothering you, no one asking if the case was over yet, no person asking what anything meant; just her. And that's how she liked it best.

"I didn't want it to come down to this, but since you will not comply…!"

She was relieved she brought that damn thing; it was a net gun. Yeah, a net gun! Yu Narukami actually bought it for her for her birthday. To be honest, it was a bit clunky and sort of heavy, but he insisted that she try the gun on him and it worked amazingly. She was terrified at first for fear of hurting him, and after her shriek of the gun going off and the net strings flying around him, she heard him laughing up a storm. It was a great moment, and one she wouldn't forget. But now wasn't the time to be laughing at old memories; now was business.

She pointed the gun straight in front of her and shot; POW!

Out came the net and captured one of the ones running. Down they went with a grunt and a loud CLANG! It sounded like a metal pipe hitting the ground.

"Keep running! Do not stop, I will catch up later!" A voice came from the fallen being. 'Ah, perhaps a female,' Naoto thought, 'It at least sounded kind of feminine…'

"B-But Aigis…!" another voice cried. That was definitely a feminine cry.

"Just go!"

As Naoto finally caught up with the captured… girl? The other two members fled, much to her chagrin. She sighed in annoyance and looked down at what she had caught. She felt around in her jacket pocket for a mini flashlight and turned it on, shining down below where she stood.

It appeared to be a girl, but also something much more. Naoto was partly confused, "Who are you?"

"I am wondering that about you as well," she replied blankly, in almost a robotic tone.

Something about this intrigued Naoto. It was quite ambiguous for her to tell what exactly she was looking at and the mystery only made her more interested. She kneeled down to get a closer look, "Tell me… what exactly ARE you?"

"I am no human if that is what you are asking."

She was slightly stunned after that; perhaps it was the darkness of the late evening, or maybe it was the hypnotic tone of this robot's voice, but for whatever reason, she had this strange feeling clinging over her. She shook it off for a moment or two and went straight back to business, "I have a few questions to ask you. You'll have to come with me now. You can't escape,"

The girl stood but couldn't run, as she was cloaked in a tight net, "I have no intention of running away. Please take me where you must,"

Naoto cuffed the girl the best she could and held her arm, guiding her back the way from which they came. As she was grasping her arm, she noticed it was cold and metallic… was she really not human like she said she was? Naoto sighed. She was always incredulous to instant information given right on the spot; how could you trust someone's words so easily? It was almost like common sense.

Suddenly, the girl started to glow a calm shade of pale yellow that brightened the immediate area around them. Naoto was quite surprised and even shuddered away a little, always alert to tricks up a criminal's sleeve. This wouldn't be the first time someone tried to out-smart her.

"Do not be alarmed, for I am simply using my own light to guide our way. Your flashlight may be of use to you in the future,"

"… Alright then," Naoto regained her composure with a clearing of her throat and continued taking in the strange girl. Well, that was new. An android that just turned into a giant flashlight. It was a nice gesture for her not to want to waste Naoto's battery, but it only raised even more questions. By now, there was enough light to take a good glance at the girl; tall, blonde, and shiny metal that seemed to cover her body. She definitely looked lifelike so it was easy to mistake her for an actual human being. Something about her seemed… quite different. Perhaps it was the ambiguity or that her eyes were too bright of a shade of blue, or maybe it was because they were alone in the dark on the streets of Inaba.

Naoto gazed at the arm she was grasping; there appeared to be wide cylindrical mechanism on her forearm. Peeking a bit closer, there were numerous buttons and turrets and other fascinating gadgets that were blinking red in the night. She wondered what in the world those buttons did. After all, Naoto was quite a fan of robotics and science fiction, and the possibilities to do research on the girl herself would be quite astounding. She thought about it in her head… Naoto had almost forgotten that she was looking at her for too long until the girl broke the silence.

"I see you are admiring my physical weaponry,"

"!" Naoto was brought back to earth and sheepishly turned away, blushing at the embarrassment, "I must apologize. You have… nice machinery…"

Nice machinery…? What kind of words were those? She just blurted something out to give at least a fair explanation. Was she trying to give a compliment? Was she trying to play it off? Not even she knew. The girl didn't even sound like she was joking or anything; she just sounded blank and frank, as though it weren't an invitation to say anything more. She wanted to fade away and turn invisible.

"Nice… machinery…" the girl trailed off as if she were speaking to herself.

Needless to say, it would still be a bit of time before they reached the detective's office.