The Mechanical Era

Confined in the locker room with a bunch of other men in his age range, a man possessing ice-blue eyes, along with boring brown hair and a heart-shaped face, Ridge Myers dresses out of his black coat and hemp pants to puts on his newly tailored uniform.

It was a black shirt that comprised a white armband on the left sleeve. On the armband, was a symbol that represented the police, which was a 5 pointed star with small circles at the tips of each end. To go along with the shirt, he wore black pants along with the black socks handed to him. To keep the pants in place, he used a leather belt. Covering the sock was a pair of calfskin leather shoes, with laces on them.

After tying a double-bunny knot, he put on one extra item he had received, a black hat that kept his eyes from being flashed by the sun's rays. Once he dresses up in his attire, he heads out to see a man with black hair, holding his hands together while leaning on the wall.

His head was faced down on the plank wooden floor, while his brown eyes were covered by the hat he is wearing. Once Ridge closes the door, his head turns to meet him with his eyes placed on his diamond-shaped face.

"Took you long enough Ridge. You take too long to dress up. I am starting to wonder whether you are a man or not."

"Well, sorry about that Siphon. I wanted to see myself in the mirror back there," Ridge replied. Siphon simply smiled, understanding why.

"Oh is that so? Well then, I shall forgive you once." He jumps up into a straight standing position and walks up to Ridge.

"Come on. Let's go. We don't want to keep the boss waiting. I don't want to get yelled at for the seventh time this month."

"They called our names?"

"Apparently so. I am guessing that she will give us our patrol area or something. Don't quote me on that though."

"And what if you are right?"

"Then I will take all credit please!" he said with a smile. The two talked all the way till they reached the front door of her office, where they decided to zip their mouths. As soon as he was about to knock on the door, another pair went out of the room. From that brief opening, Kristina called out their names.

"Ridge Myers. Siphon Cohen. You may both come in." The two men walked inside. Kristina, who was wearing a long-sleeved uniform, along with her purple skirt, looked at the men with her emerald green eyes.

"I am very pleased with both of you. You two have shown immense discipline as well as the ability to learn quickly."

"Thank you, ma'am. We are honored," Ridge replied while Siphon stayed silent.

"Now, I have been making notes on everyone to make some pairings. You two seem to be perfect for each other. You both live relatively close by while being good friends. Therefore, I am assigning you both as partners. Is that alright with you two?"

"Yes, of course, ma'am," Siphon replied in a neutral tone.

"Very good." Kristina takes out a map and presents it to both of them. It was a map of Hoverdam, encompassing the downtown to lower Middletown. She then points out a part of middletown, on the lower part of it. In the area, was the school that Kant had commissioned to be built.

"Both of you will be patrolling this area. It features the school building that sire Kant himself required to be patrolled by 2 pairs at least. You two will guard the west of the area while the other patrol the east.

There, you will simply walk around and stop any criminal in the area. You will then hand them over to the knights, who we will take care of them. Any questions?" Ridge and Siphon both raised their hands. Kristina pointed to Ridge first.

"When do we get to meet the other pair? Won't it be useful that we learn their faces before we head out?"

"You will meet then in the caravan I prepared. It will give you some time to know each other." Kristina then pointed to Siphon.

"When do we get our equipment?"

"For that, you both must head to the armory. From there, you will both receive the equipment. Is that all?" The two men nodded.

"Good. You two may leave the office."

...

Ridge was walking along the streets of Middletown with his partner. When they were dropped off, a knight in a suit of armor, informed the citizens that these men were hired by the palace to keep them safe. Naturally, the message was to remind them that the police force existed now.

Tied around his belt was a piece of strong rope, intended to be used to tie a suspect's hands like a handcuff. Only that the palace didn't allow money to be spent on building them. Other than the rope, was a metal nightstick, held by a hoster. An officer and easily take it out and beat up anyone that causes trouble.

As they walked along the streets, many turned to look at them, while some decided to wave at them. Though, the waves were mostly for Siphon, who had lived in the area for most of his life.

"You from around here?" Siphon asked Ridge.

"No. I was born downtown."

"When did you come here then?"

"I just moved in a while back, pestering everyone for a job. Like I said when we first met, I needed some serious money." Siphon, who was completely disinterested in people's past, now started to get curious about what someone from downtown to get here.

"What did you do beforehand?"

"I was a merchant. I made some good money selling spices."

"I see. Did you run out of customers?"

"No. I did not. I was pretty successful till the end."

"Then why did you go broke?"

"You don't want to know." Siphon was annoyed at Ridge's answer. He wanted to investigate further, but the sounds of the screams of a young lady distracted them both. They ran eastward, in the direction of the sound.

The noses soon picked up the smell of baked goods, causing their eyes to turn to the bakery. There, they see a man try to run away from the bakery but seem to have slipped considering he bumps into the tables.

The officers both run up to the thief and yell "POLICE!" The thief seemed unfazed by their scream. He drops off the stolen goods and raises his fists, wanting to show everyone how powerful he is. Ridge simply takes out his nightstick and approaches the man.

"Police! Stand down or I will have to use force!" he said, as per in the training. The robber simply swings his fist at Ridge, who manages to dodge it. Considering he provoked an attack, Ridge and Siphon struck back.

The two, armed with their nightstick, struck the thief. The metal weapon hurt him badly, that he backed off. He then pulled out a knife from his right hand and pointed it at everyone. The people backed off, letting the police officers face them. The robber was fuming with anger, seeing them mess around with his food.

He charges them with the blade. He tried to stab in the chest, but he dodged it by moving to the left. At this moment, Siphon used the opportunity to strike him in the head hard. The third falls to the ground, letting go of his weapon.

With a great headache on his head, the thief dared not to move. Siphon came up to him and grabbed both his hands. Using the rope on his belt, he tied the man's hands on his back. Meanwhile, Ridge walked up to the knife and collected the weapon.

He kneels down and picks up the knife. Once he stands up again, he sees that everyone was looking at them, shocked. With a smile on his face, he reassured the people that they mean no harm.

"Please, ladies and gentlemen. Go along with your business. We are simply taking care of this thief," he said in a friendly tone. They all smiled at the officers, and went along with their day, gaining some trust in them.