A/N: This fic is mildly AU, in that I've mixed events around so that they take place in a different order. I'll give you more details on that later. I've also stirred up a couple of different backstories, because as we all know, poor Conan doesn't have enough on his plate already. (Oh, these poor characters. Hee-hee!)
The 'T' rating is going to be for angst and descriptions of violence.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
The boy stood silent in the center of the room, still and straight as he stared at the horrifying scene playing out on the TV in front of him. To his left, a tall, dark-skinned teenager looked on grimly. To his right, a small, brown-haired girl sat on a couch, her eyes fixed piercingly on the screen.
There were a handful of other occupants in the room, as well, but although they each wore matching, stunned expressions, there was something different about the boy, the girl, and the teenager. Their eyes were shadowed, their gazes intense, their mouths set in lines of bleak determination. They weren't merely surprised at the news they saw—they knew something about it that everyone else did not.
Danger was in the air.
The female reporter continued her speech, the words falling into the silent, anxious room like stones. "This massive attack on American agents from both the FBI and CIA would seem to point toward a frighteningbreach of foreign protocol. Where the fault lies, however, is anyone's guess, as neither the American nor the Japanese governments have yet released any statements."
"That's… awful," said a seventeen-year-old girl on the left side of the room. Her dark hair was worn in a ponytail, and a darker frown was worn on her face. "Ran, didn't cha you know some guys from the FBI?"
Ran, who was standing just behind the two boys in the room's center, nodded her head miserably. "I used to have an English teacher who was an agent, but… She said that she wasn't here on duty. I thought she was just… teaching."
"The report said that Jodie-sensi wasn't killed," the smaller of the two boys whispered, speaking up for the first time. Then, to himself, he added, "…I don't think we'll be seeing her around, though."
The second boy and the girl on the couch exchanged a dark look.
"…question is in the air of how the attack will affect relations between our two nations," the reporter continued in a grave tone. "We take you now to Toshio Kato-san, who is standing in front of the American embassy…"
"I'm going to go make some tea for everyone," said a voice from the back of the room. A plump, balding man shook his head as he turned toward the door that led out of his living room, his face a deathly shade of white. Like the two boys and the little girl, he seemed to be more deeply shaken than the others, but his eyes didn't hold the same grim darkness that theirs did. "Twenty-six agents dead," he murmured as he disappeared from view. "Twenty-six agents…"
"Reports are now coming in that the massacre may have been led by an unnamed American convict who fled to Japan after his escape from a top-security prison. If this is true, then it is good news for both sides of the conflict—especially for Japan, seeing as how it would mean that no Japanese citizens were involved in the attack. As for the United States, however, even if the agents were simply chasing an American target, the current extradition treaty states that…"
"I'm going to help Agasa-hakase," Ran said after a moment. "I can't listen to this."
"I'm comin', too," the girl with the ponytail said. "They're just sayin' the same things over an' over. Heiji, let us know if anything new happens, 'kay?"
The dark-skinned boy nodded once, his eyes still glued to the screen.
The girls and the man took their time in the kitchen. It was just as well. Neither Heiji nor the two children so much as twitched a muscle as they watched, eyes probing, absorbing every detail of the report.
"I find it ironic," said the girl at last. Her voice, though little more than a quiet hum, held far more grave importance than could be expected from a seven-year-old. "The entire nation is in distress because they believe that relations between our two countries are falling apart, but that particular side of the issue has nearly no meaning at all."
"There's gonna be some meaning to it, Haibara-san," Heiji argued back without turning his head. "Wars have started over less than this."
Haibara disagreed. "Japan is concerned because Americans were attacked on their soil, while America is concerned because they were discovered in the midst of an illegal investigation. Relations were exemplary until the incident. The Americans, at least, know for certain that neither side meant any harm, and will be desperate to patch things over quickly. Both parties have much to lose from breaking ties with the other, and each country is strong enough that a war would be catastrophic. I would be highly surprised if the event was not smoothed over within a week."
There was another moment of silence before Heiji spoke again. "You think it's the government or the Organization that's started spreadin' the 'unnamed convict' story?" he asked in a low voice.
"It doesn't matter," said a third voice. Both Heiji and Haibara turned to look as Conan Edogawa, the small boy in the room's center, grimly voiced his opinion. "The effect is the same, either way."
"You know what this means, don't you?" Heiji asked, his bright green eyes staring into the keen blue ones of his companion.
Conan's fists clenched. "Of course I do."
The words, spoken softly, signaled the beginning of another long silence, and this time, it went unbroken. Until now, Conan and the others had been able to count on their allies from the FBI to back them up, to be their partners in investigation, and to help them out of tight situations. Now, with the horrible news of the attack, there was no way that the small, undercover stream of agents would be able—or allowed—to continue their work on foreign soil.
The small group of friends was utterly, entirely alone.