Somewhere in L.A., hell had erupted.
The maximum security prison was alive with roars, demented screams and some other strange sound… almost like cheering. The convicts writhed as police officers rushed about in frenzied panic. Not many of them knew what was going on; the utter chaos meant that it was something pretty big, though.
The chief officer was screeching at his subordinates.
"What on earth is going on?"
The same name had been floating from mouth to mouth, a rumour spreading like wildfire, or some kind of highly infectious disease. That night would be the night, that everyone within the vicinity would learn the name: "Beyond Birthday".
~~~
"A break out in L.A.?" Matsuda piped up, his head buried in the morning paper.
Light Yagami looked up from his seat in front of the computer, at the Japanese task force headquarters.
"Yeah… pretty huge event." Aizawa grumbled.
"Woah!" Matsuda exclaimed, zealously enthusiastic as usual, as his eyes scanned over the paper without really reading it.
"Matsuda, please focus your attention."
A clear cut voice caused Matsuda to blush uncomfortably.
"Oh, umm… yes. Sorry Ryuzaki."
L swiveled around in his chair to meet Matsuda's eyes, a plate of sponge cake in his hands.
"Our primary objective is to catch Kira. Or have you forgotten that?" he asked, his owlish eyes boring into Matsuda and making the meek man shiver.
"I'm sorry…" he apologised again, folding up the paper and discarding it on the table, like it were unclean.
"Leave him alone, Ryuzaki." Light said, not sounding particularly caring; he got up and made his way over to where Matsuda was sat, and picked up the newspaper, "You said yourself we can't pass up any possible information while working on this case."
Matsuda's eyes lit up; he was relieved to at least have Light on his side.
"Hmm." The chief, Soichiro Yagami, nodded solemnly, "Let's face it, we have no huge leads at the moment… and an event this huge is bound to attract Kira's attention."
"I know that…" L said calmly, after scooping a spoonful of cake into his mouth.
Light glanced over at him, narrowing his eyes in annoyance, but saying nothing. Ryuzaki glanced at him momentarily, but then continued to enjoy his cake.
Matsuda was scanning over the news story again.
"Wow…" he mused, "So… why is this break-out so huge anyway? I mean, there have been prison breaks before, right?"
"It was L.A.'s top maximum security prison." Aizawa was plain, "Attempting escape from THAT place has always ended in failure…"
"Until now." Chief Yagami murmured gravely.
"Oh…" Matsuda fell quiet; L rolled his eyes a little, and Light caught it. They seemed to both be thinking the same thing though: how could someone like Matsuda have ever become a police officer?