The STN-J get a call about a double homicide in the Walled City, an area of closely-built rundown apartment buildings housing about 150,000 people. The victims were heavily damaged internally, but not externally. As a result the team suspects that the witch responsible can generate microwaves. Robin notices a bunch of burnt out light bulbs wrapped in paraffin in the area. Curious, she takes one from the scene and holds onto it, which Doujima is absolutely incredulous about BECAUSE IT'S A CRIME SCENE, ROBIN. They don't have any other leads aside from an almost-identical case 22 years ago, so they have to go check out the Walled City--which will be difficult, as it's basically a labyrinth of old buildings. As Robin is searching, she is approached by an old woman in a wheelchair, holding a wooden cane:
Old woman: Do that all you want, you won't find whoever it is you are looking for. Robin: You know what I'm trying to do? Old woman: When you get older, you learn to see a few things. Old woman: When you get older... Old woman: So much that it's amazing. Old woman: How amazing... Robin: What? Old woman: Nothing. Besides, you aren't from around here, are you? Robin: [nods] Old woman: Then you ought to hurry out of here as fast as you can go. Robin: I'm not in any danger. Old woman: That's true, you wouldn't be. Old woman: But I can't say the same for those around you. Robin: Those around me?
Robin gets a text, and apologizes to the old woman for having to stay around for a while longer. She leaves, while the old woman watches her, solemn and unblinking.
Robin joins up with the others, who are waiting at another crime scene. The body appears to have been, uh, taken away by the locals. Karasuma scries the area, but doesn't feel anything except a "huge psychic burst" from earlier. Robin notices the same kind of burnt-out light bulbs all over the area, but no one knows what they mean. This is all very odd and no one is quite sure what to make of it.
The next day, Robin and Doujima ask a Factory tech in the area to look at the light bulb. They surmise that the power of the witch's electricity caused the bulbs to burn out and charred the paraffin covering, and Amon says that it was probably unintentional: the witch's power is out of their control, causing collateral damage--much like Robin's did before she got her glasses. Robin's a little unsettled by that casual diss.
Michael tracks the witch's location using a map of power spikes in the area, and Robin and Sakaki ride on Sakaki's motorcycle to the witch. The witch attacks, but Sakaki's orbo and Robin's fire aren't enough to subdue him. Just as they start to panic, all of a sudden all the electricity in the area powers down--not abruptly, like a wire was cut, but more like it just started to fade and flicker away. That gives Sakaki and Robin just enough time to subdue the witch. As the Factory is taking the witch away, Robin notices the old woman in the wheelchair in the crowd.
That night, Robin goes to HQ and sees Amon there, working alone. He explains that he was reading up information on the witch they hunted today. Although he was distantly related to a witch (and thus on the STN database), he hadn't shown any sign of his power until recently. Robin thinks it's strange, for some reason, to show no sign of a craft that strong. Something is bothering her. She can’t stop thinking about the old woman...
7. The Soul Cages
Old woman: Do that all you want, you won't find whoever it is you are looking for.
Robin: You know what I'm trying to do?
Old woman: When you get older, you learn to see a few things.
Old woman: When you get older...
Old woman: So much that it's amazing.
Old woman: How amazing...
Robin: What?
Old woman: Nothing. Besides, you aren't from around here, are you?
Robin: [nods]
Old woman: Then you ought to hurry out of here as fast as you can go.
Robin: I'm not in any danger.
Old woman: That's true, you wouldn't be.
Old woman: But I can't say the same for those around you.
Robin: Those around me?
Robin gets a text, and apologizes to the old woman for having to stay around for a while longer. She leaves, while the old woman watches her, solemn and unblinking.
Robin joins up with the others, who are waiting at another crime scene. The body appears to have been, uh, taken away by the locals. Karasuma scries the area, but doesn't feel anything except a "huge psychic burst" from earlier. Robin notices the same kind of burnt-out light bulbs all over the area, but no one knows what they mean. This is all very odd and no one is quite sure what to make of it.
The next day, Robin and Doujima ask a Factory tech in the area to look at the light bulb. They surmise that the power of the witch's electricity caused the bulbs to burn out and charred the paraffin covering, and Amon says that it was probably unintentional: the witch's power is out of their control, causing collateral damage--much like Robin's did before she got her glasses. Robin's a little unsettled by that casual diss.
Michael tracks the witch's location using a map of power spikes in the area, and Robin and Sakaki ride on Sakaki's motorcycle to the witch. The witch attacks, but Sakaki's orbo and Robin's fire aren't enough to subdue him. Just as they start to panic, all of a sudden all the electricity in the area powers down--not abruptly, like a wire was cut, but more like it just started to fade and flicker away. That gives Sakaki and Robin just enough time to subdue the witch. As the Factory is taking the witch away, Robin notices the old woman in the wheelchair in the crowd.
That night, Robin goes to HQ and sees Amon there, working alone. He explains that he was reading up information on the witch they hunted today. Although he was distantly related to a witch (and thus on the STN database), he hadn't shown any sign of his power until recently. Robin thinks it's strange, for some reason, to show no sign of a craft that strong. Something is bothering her. She can’t stop thinking about the old woman...