Requiem: Chapter 2 (Part 1)

Stephen March nodded affirmatively. When the man pulled off the white cloth with a tip to identify the corpse, his face turned pale. He swallowed a few times to calm his protesting stomach. His sister Suzy was almost unrecognizably mutilated all over the body, but the small tattoo on her neck, the red round sickle around the green bulb of mistletoe in the right bottom of the neck would be recognized everywhere..

He was mechanically looking for something else and found the little scar on her cut off left hand. The jagged white scar tissue on her ring finger was less obvious than when she was alive and the blood was still flowing through her limbs.. But with both of these landmarks, he was able to officially confirm to the coroner's clerk that these were unmistakably the remains of Suzy Chang. Strange that the memory of the scar Stephen at this time, there in the vicinity of her lifeless body, shot through the head. The scar was the result of a small accident with a broken glass. Trying to save what was already lost! Was this the inscription he should have etched on her grave?

His half-sister lay naked, in pieces together, like a macabre puzzle on the metal sliding flap of one of the refrigerated storage cabinets of the urban morgue of Sanctuary , Tokyo's new sister city and capital of the New World. He didn't remember what to say, could barely control himself at that time. His eyes were shooting full and he swallowed hard to nip the cry that sought out of his inner way out. He put his hand mechanically in response over his mouth and stood for a while in the same position. A nervously silent voice ripped him out of his ossification.

          ‘ Sumimases ! Sorry, Mr. March. I realize it must be difficult moments for you. Forgive us that we have to show your family member to you. However, we were not allowed to degrade the remains because the judicial pathologist has not yet been able to close the forensic investigation. The Security Service has so far not authorised this because of the ongoing investigation into the cause of death of the victim.’