For the first time in three, maybe four years, my muse has finally given me a prompt that seems to be worthy of sharing on FF. I humbly set before you, the readers and reviewers this Alternate Universe. I am stressed with how it will be received; however, I ask for only one thing. Honest critiquing and your true thoughts.
MelancholicMaiden
Disclaimer: I in no way own rights to any of the Detective Conan characters, they are a product of TMS Entertainment, Ltd.
Dark smoke flumed from the upper levels of the medium sized office building, every once and a while the orange of the flames would flash out of a window. Taking a deep breath of the smoke tainted air the young man brought a hand to his temple in an attempt to stave off the impending migraine. The organization certainly wouldn't have burned down this building without a fantastic reason. As far as he knew, they didn't have many legitimate building in their ownership, so burning down this one meant something big had gone down.
Absentmindedly tucking his cold digits into the deep pockets of his fall jacket, the young man continued to muse. As of right now his people were still trying to get in contact with Kir, their agent, to assure her safety. Three hours ago the Tokyo firefighters and police were called in to manage the fire. His people, of course had been there from the start, but with no way to help put out the fire, they had to creep back into the shadows and watch the goings on as bystanders.
Being a rather prominent figure in Japan, he was able to insert himself into the pending investigations without hesitation from the authorities on scene.
"Any ideas, Kudo-san?" a rounded police inspector questioned, a look of respect for the younger man.
Turning to his longtime ally, twenty-four year-old Kudo Shinichi gave Megure-keibu a small smirk. "Not as of yet, sir. I'm sure all that is hidden here will come to light, in some way or another." It was cryptic answer coming from a rather cryptic person; however, the older man had come to accept that the young man standing in front of his was different from the high school aspiring detective of the old days.
After a few minutes of silence the Inspector looked away from the scene of firefighters working against the flames and turned back to the young man who stood before him. "I wanted to let you know that I am returning to the Precinct. If there is anything you need, Takagi-san and Sato-san are overseeing the preliminary investigation." The graying gentleman waited just long enough for Kudo to nod in agreement before heading to the edge of the taped off perimeter.
Eyes still trained on the building alight with orange, Shinichi was glad he had kept appearances with the police by solving cases here or there.
A small buzz from his lapel pocket drew Shinichi from his thoughts. Not bothering with looking at the I.D., Shinichi brought the phone to his ear while simultaneously pressing accept. "The radar show anything useful?" Not bothering with an introduction, as it would waste his precious time.
A huff on the other end, and what sounded like the shuffling of papers before the person on the other end chose to answer. "Radar is no use, the heat from the fire is causing our information to be tainted. Satellite imagery from before the fire broke out shows that five people walked in, only three walked out." A familiar voice informed him, his wife, and co-worker on this particular task-force.
With a hint of a smile, he turned his gaze to the glass doors of the building entrance. "Who went in, and which ones didn't come out?" Trying to keep his tone as professional as possible.
"Gin, Vodka, Vermouth, Bourbon and Rye." Supplied a second female voice. "Only Gin, Vodka and Vermouth left though." Miyano Shiho's board and indifferent tone informed Agent Kudo.
Huffing a defeated sigh, he asked the question that he and numerous others working on bringing down the Black Organization wondered, "Are any of our other undercovers in danger?" It was an inquiry that came to the fore-front of every agent's mind when there was a killing within the upper ranks of the Organization. Every person on the case, no matter who they worked for would suddenly become religious zealots when it came to this portion of the job.
Kudo Ran, formerly Mouri took to answering the question, "All handlers are attempting to get in contact with their agents. Nearly every combination of the alphabet has been contacted and told to be on high alert." There was the slightest tinge of fear as she spoke, "Only the British and Canadians have been able to get in contact with their undercover agents. It's a waiting game for everyone else, including us."
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Shinichi sent a silent prayer to any deity to take care of each individual who was at risk due to their willingness to infiltrate the dangerous crime ring. "I'll wait here a while longer. The fire is under control, now they are trying to extinguish the last few burning patches."
It was at that moment that he noticed two shadows moving in the lobby of the building.
"I'll talk to you later." He told the two women, not giving them the chance to answer before ending the call.
Glancing around, he saw that none of the responders had noticed the movement from within the burning complex. The quick viewing showed that no one was paying attention to him either. Focusing back on the spot he had seen the shadows, he patiently waited.
Apparently patience wasn't greatly needed as within a minute, he caught a glimpse of two children hiding. One had a shock of blonde hair, the other was darker. But both moved slowly, trying not to be seen.
The first though that came to Shinichi's sharp mind was, why on earth were two children in there? The second was how they were able to hide from the perceptive members of the Organization. Children were unintentionally loud, and with people as paranoid as the Vermouth children didn't really stand a chance in hiding.
Shinichi watched as the two disappeared behind a dusty couch in what was meant to be a reception area.
If he wasn't mistaken, there was a service entrance to the east. He would be able to sneak the kids out and question them first. Glancing around the area, he took note of all the workers, each absorbed in their individual tasks.
Walking with a purpose Shinichi brought his phone to his ear once more, feigning that he was looking for a quiet place to speak on the device. Once he was certain no one could see him, he pulled out a small gray magnet box and let it set to work, looking for the proper frequency to open the button less key pad.
Not five second later, he was buzzed into the workers lounge and storage supply room. His black leather shoes lightly rapped on the floor as he walked around the sealed concrete. The slight swish of his grey dress pants rubbing together were hard to ignore, but Shinichi filtered them out. Opening his grey wool coat, he removed the Emperor Scorpion his agency had provided for him.
Keeping it low as he tactfully made his way down the hall, only bringing it to chest level when checking the few rooms that stood between him and the kids.
Finally reaching his destination he watched as the two boys hissed at each other, too far away to clearly understand what was being said. Based on their startled reaction to his clearing his throat, they hadn't noticed that he entered the area.
Both of them took on postures of defensiveness, shoulders tense and two sets of eyes glaring at the tried and true agent.
"My name is Kudo Shinichi, I work for a government agency. I want to get you two to safety." He informed, crouching down so he was closer to their heights, hoping the action would help them feel a little calmer in his presence.
The dark haired boy kept his eyes on Shinchi, trying to gauge the level of trust they could put in the older man. With wide eyes, the blond turned to his companion.
"What government?" Demanded the green eyed tyke.
"CIA," Shinichi calmly said, reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out leather wallet which held his Central Intelligence Agency emblazoned i.d. and held it up for the kids to see.
The blond seemed unsatisfied with seeing it from afar, "Slide it over." The statement was said with such a command, the dark haired agent couldn't stop the huff of laughter that escaped as he proceeded to do so.
The demanding kid reached out for the small folded wallet before it could bump into his feet. The kid was far less graceful than any human he had ever seen, and on top of that, Shinichi noticed for the first time the odd clothing the two were wearing. Oversized shirts that looked more like togas that actual cloths.
Maybe they were squatters, and their parents weren't around?
That explanation didn't sit well with well with the agent though. Ordinary homeless people wouldn't be able to get past the security system installed throughout the building. Most of the windows were shatterproof and the doors required key-card access like the service entrance. Add that to the fact that the CIA had been monitoring the building for months and hadn't noted odd people going in or out.
The boys studied his badge intensely, once again whispering to one another.
"I need to get you out of here." Shinichi told them, peaking around the wall that faced out towards the front where people were bustling about their jobs.
"Do…" Blondie started, but hesitating to ask his question.
The other boy rolled his eyes and spoke up, "Do you investigate, them?"
So, they weren't ordinary boys. With a raised eyebrow he nodded in affirmation, "Let's get you two out of here. When were are somewhere safe, then we can talk more."
Glancing around the couch, the blond was the first to make a dash for the well-dressed agent. Once he had reached Shinichi, the kid grabbed a fist full of the gray pants and beckoned for his comrade to follow. With a healthy dose of suspicion, the kid followed, but made a show of standing in front of Shinichi arms crossed as he took stock of the potential ally.
Turning from his small critic, the CIA agent placed a hand on the blonde's head. "Stay behind me." Was all he commanded as he stood up and started back the way he had come in.
He and the two kids were able to get out of the building and to his car without any major events. Although they kept quiet and drew as little attention to themselves as possible, they still seemed to struggle with the whole walking thing. They were like newborn fawns, tripping over their own legs, or in this case, the oversized shirts they were wearing.
Opening the back passenger door of his car, he motioned for the two to get in and they didn't take much prompting. With the boys finally in front of him, Shinichi was able to get a closer look at their profile's.
The blond was five, maybe six years old with wild hair that looked like it had never seen a comb. His eyes were a crystalline blue that held an edge that shouldn't be there. A cut on his cheek and a gap toothed smile, he should have been the poster child for childhood fun and games, but all that was tainted by an air of one too old for their time.
The second boy, who had scooted father into the car, behind the driver's seat met Shinichi's gaze with a calculating stare. The youth was close to seven and seemed to hold himself with haughtiness that in Shinichi's experience came from one of two places. A kid born from money fed with a golden spoon, or a man who had earned his place at the table. Clearly the kid didn't come from money, so the question was why he thought so highly of himself.
After a few minutes of staring the boy down, the kid reached behind his neck pulled a wave of black hair slightly tangled, but seemed to be well taken care of.
With his right hand laying haphazardly on the door while leaning against the body of the car, Shinichi peered down at the two. The doors were unlocked, so if at any point the two felt threatened, they would have the ability to run. He wasn't here to scare the kids, but by the looks of it, they might not need the escape route. "So what are your boys' names?"
The two boy's look at one another, clearly contemplating weather to give false names or not. With an internal eye roll Shinichi tugged at his dress slacks and crouched down on the pavement. "We have to be able to lie convincingly in the CIA and I am an expert at reading people. Don't bother lying to me, I'll know."
Neither looked surprised by the fact or the straightforwardness of his tone.
"My name is Akai Shuichi," the older boy told Shinichi, his voice serious, "this is Furuya Rei."
Rei squirmed in his seat, eyes averted as if he was too scared or too embarrassed to meet the CIA agent's disbelieving looks.
Shinichi had memorized the names of each agent from wherever that was actively infiltrating the Black Organization. The two names he had just been given quickly registered and the major doubts he had were beginning to dissipate the more he considered the information he already had bout his target.
Shiho, a former Black Organization member herself had said that she and some colleagues there had been working on sophisticated poisons meant to kill without a trace. One of her failed experiments had led to an age decrease in lab rats, understanding the implications of such a drug, she had burned her notes on the tests. Clearly one of her assistants had remembered some of the details attempted to modify the drug.
"Talk." Was all he could manage, a dull pounding in his head starting.
Clearly the more confident of the two, the green eye Akai Shuichi took the reins of the situation and delved into detail of how Gin had suspected the pair of boys were spies. The silver haired assassin had been set on killing the two, no matter how it was done. Vermouth being the level head of the trio had insisted on a clean death, prompting Vodka to shove the pills down their throats. Clearly the woman had some knowledge of what the pills did, since she had all but shoved them into the two other member's hands. Then as they had left Furuya and Shuichi to die, she had dropped a cigarette in puddle of oil that had been kicked over in their struggle.
Thus the fire, that had led to them evacuating to the basement which had then led them to the CIA Agent "rescuing" them.
The dull pain he had noticed early suddenly sharpened, to the point that he felt as though thousands of needles were stabbing into his eyes and brain. Bringing both hands to his temples, he applied slight pressure hoping that the pain would be forced to go away. No such luck. "As far as anyone knows, you two are dead. Vermouth, Gin and Vodka think you are dead and that is how it will stay." Reaching into his front pocket the dark haired man pulled out a pair of glasses and delicately set them on the bridge of his nose. Next he pulled his phone out and began dialing.
Standing carefully once more, he shut the passenger door and shoved his right hand into his pocket pressing the lock button on the key-fab. There was a dialing tone for two rings before the line came to life.
"What is it, Kudo?" A ruffled voice harshly questioned from the other end.
Closing his eyes and turning his back on the car, the young agent answered. "Got a bombshell of an off record report for you, boss." He waited for his superior, Mark Richards to grunt in reply before continuing. "The FBI and PSB won't be getting their agent's back."
The sound of the man sitting forward at his desk told his young underling that his interest was piqued. "Details, kid. I'm not in the business of playing games. I've got lead agents from every corner of the civilized world turning to me for answers. So say what you mean or get off my line."
Taking it in stride, Agent Kudo began to lay it all out for his superior. "I've got Agent Akai of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Officer Furuya of the Public Security Bureau with me now. They should, by all accounts be dead, but they aren't. They need deep cover and I think I can cater to their needs."
A huff of disbelief on the other line told the younger man that his boss wasn't sure about the whole situation. "You've got connections with WIT-SEC that I don't know about?" Agent Richards was a product of the golden age of policing. He believed in greasing the right elbows and being owed favors by the right people. Shinichi didn't get the opportunity to see just how well connected the man was very often, but when Mark needed something, he always had a number to call.
Despite how much he wished he could gloat about a contact, he had to be honest. "No sir, but in their current position, I may be looking at adopting two young boys."
"Not following." Mark growled tired of playing the guessing game.
"They've been turned into kids, sir." Agent Kudo pushed on, trying to make it as believable as possible, "Officer Furuya is about six years old and Agent Akai is, I would guess, seven or so."
There was an odd silence as the older agent tried to absorb what he was just told.
"I'll get Agent Shells to find us two John Doe's to crispen up, and our other Agent Kudo to set up birth certificates and foster records. Congratulations Agent Kudo, their two healthy boys." Lead Agent Richards was a smart man, he had seen the crazy things that Dr. Miyano had produced in her Chem. and Forensic Lab. When the young woman had been brought onto the task-force, she had given Richards a detailed list of what she had done for the Organization. Including the drugs that had caused age reversal in lab rats.
The sardonic tone wasn't lost on Shinichi, but with his head pounding as hard as it was, he had no will to come up with a smart-alec response. "I'll need the rest of the day so I can take them home and get them settled in."
"It's yours. But I will need either you or your wife here tomorrow. You preferably since you are our Field Investigator, but I'll take what I can get." The man seemed to resign to the fact that he was going to lose at least one of his better agents and he obviously wasn't pleased. All hands were needed when situations like this occur.
Slightly slumped, Shinichi walked around the front of the car and got behind the steering wheel. The rustling of clothing in the back pulled his attention away from the the unmoving road in front of him for a moment as he glanced back at the kids were pulling their shirts tightly around them.
Mentally berrating himself for leaving the nearly naked kids in the freezing car without any heat, he hurriedly started the engine and cranked the warm air as high as possible. Maneuvering his warm jacket from between himself and the seat, handing it back to the men-turned-kids.
The Kudo home was far from a modest place.
Shinichi had loved his childhood home, but more than that, he loved the neighborhood he had grown up in as it is a place steeped with memories. His parents still owned the Kudo Mansion on Beika Street, he owned a Kudo Manor seven houses down. When Ran and he had been first married four years ago and bought the house, they had both been excited to raise kids on the streets they had grown up on.
That dream had been on pause for some time. After graduation, Shinichi was approached by Agent Richards to recruit him into the Central Intelligence Agency. Being young and idealistic, he had jumped on the offer, leaving behind his fiancé for a year and a half to train and take his first assignment.
Being a smart woman, Ran had gone to college originally for cryptography, but decided to specialize in stenography. Being a woman whose best work was done when multitasking, she also became fabulous at handling the creation of background for agents. Seeing as the Black Organization is incredibly thorough in checking their member's history and she became a valuable asset to the mission.
With all that said, he and Ran had put off having children until they could properly take care of them and weren't up to their eyes in work or on-call in the middle of the night. This would be a large adjustment for the couple. To go from an energetic pair who could take spur of the moment trip, to mock parents of two boys in less than five hours. The whole thing seemed ludicrous if anyone were to ask him.
Obviously the two, children, in the backseat of his car wouldn't be as high maintenance as an infant or actual six year old. As previously state, Ran and Shinichi were used to the flexibility of being able to eat out if they had to work late. Run away for a weekend, or simply stay in bed all day. Life was about to be come incredibly complicated and Shinichi was the one who volunteered to make it so.
Entering the code for the gate to the Kudo Manor, Shinichi pulled into the detached garage and parked. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the two boys practically laying on top of each other in their unforeseen sleep. They looked innocent, but he knew better that to judge based on surface looks. Both were deadly forces. Each of the two had earned high esteem within their agencies and their cover characters were well regarded.
Akai Shuichi was a legend among the undercover world. This had been a long term operation for him, being on the FBI team set on shutting down the Organization for six year, three of those he had been in deep cover as Moroboshi Dai. Rye, his code-cover, had risen through the ranks of their target quickly, working closely with the highest ranked members. Still, Gin and Rye clashed constantly, possibly leading to this compromise.
Never mind that for now. They were here and it couldn't be helped. Getting out of the car, he opened the back door behind his and carefully pulled the young agent into his arms. Walking around to the other side, Shinichi precariously balanced the first kid on his hip while attempting to get a decent hold on the small officer.
Walking the path of the sheltered sidewalk he noticed his next obstacle, the locked door. Letting out a frustrated huff, he used the hand supporting the PSB officer's butt to dig in his pants pocket for the house keys. Carefully sifting through the dozen keys on the ring. Finally successful in finding the proper one, he angrily jammed it into the lock.
Toeing out of his polished black shoes, he jammed his feet into the waiting pair of house slippers and headed upstairs. Half way up the stairs he quickened his pace as the burdens he was holding began to get heavier with each passing second.
Ignoring the three guest rooms that lay just beyond his own, Shinichi headed straight for his and Ran's master suite. Not having visitors for some time, he knew the spare rooms would be dusty and unprepared for surprise occupants.
Carefully depositing each of his packages on the brown comforter, Shinichi readjusted them and pulled the soft green throw blanket from the end of the bed and tucked it around the pair. Watching their innocent forms for a moment, Shinichi started to become overwhelmed by the situation.
Reality had smacked him upside the head and with his lack of preparation, it had knocked his flat on his back.
Tamping down the ever-growing fears, he made his way back down the back staircase that led into the kitchen. Walking through the door he had left open earlier, he made his way to the garage. Looking around their fenced in and well groomed yard, he imagined two boys tussling in the grass.
Physically shaking the image from his mind he opened the front passenger door and pulled out the leather computer case.
With his wild thoughts causing chaos in his mind, Shinichi needed a few words of assurance that he wasn't getting to far over his head. While Ran was fairly calm about most things, he knew that she would have a thousand other things on her mind at the moment. So without much thought, he once more took out his cell and dialed his parent's number.
There wasn't even a single dial tone before the exuberant voice of his mother answered the phone, "Shin-chan!" The squealed question caused the young man to suddenly remember his migraine.
Pulling the device away from his ear, stared at his phone as the bubbly voice of his mother began questioning the unscheduled call from her only dear child. On days when he wasn't tired and frustrated with life, he could keep up with her rapid-fire pace; however, today was a different story.
Wandering up the path, back to the house the young man tried to figure out just what to tell his mother. Of course, the details bout the kids being agents wasn't an option since this wasn't an encrypted line, but he needed to say something.
There was a brief silence when Kudo Yukiko stopped to take a breath and finally noticed he hadn't said a word, "Is everything ok, Shinichi? You and Ran aren't in any danger, right?" They were softer spoken questions as she seemed truly worried for her children.
"Kasan. Some things happened today at work." He stopped, trying to find the best way to tell his mother of the situation. His pausing must have been too long as Yukiko audibly took a breath in, preparing for the worst news possible. "Ran and I are fine, so no need to worry there. Although, we are taking in two young boys in. I can't tell you any of the details over an unsecured line, but I wanted you to know that you are now an obaasan like you have been begging for the past few years."
The sound of laughter filtered over the line as the once upon a time actress felt an overwhelming sense of relief for her family. "Shin-chan, why do you make it sound like the scariest thing ever?" She questioned once she had regained her breath.
"Because it is."
She didn't have all the details, so she had no idea just how complicated the situation was, but he got the feeling she would have asked that same question even if she knew the nitty-gritties. "It will be fine, Shinichi, your father and I will come stay at home so we can help you adjust, neh, Yu-chan?"
A surprised 'what', echoed through the line from somewhere near his mother, turning the corner of his lips thinking of how clueless his father could be; especially when it came to his mother coming up with plans that seemed to be pulled out of thin air with no rhyme nor reason behind them
"Am I making a good choice, kasan?" His leisurely pace came to a halt as he watched to middle school children pass by the gate at the end of his driveway. Somewhere halfway around the world his mother hummed quietly, pondering a way to help her struggling son. "I-I'm not making a huge mistake, right?"
She seemed to process these fears for a few extra moments, searching for some sage saying to help guide her only son. Instead, she settled with, "You've never been one to make rash decisions, Shinichi. If you didn't honestly believe that bringing home two boys was the right thing, you would not have done it. And Ran, she would not allow you to take on a role she didn't think you both could fulfill."
The older woman trailed off, "You did talk this over with her, right?"
Dead silence filled the air as he came to the horrible realization that he had brought the issue up with his partner. Knowing all to well what Ran's wrath could be like he a small part of him cowered in fear, he whimpered out a pitiful, "no".
With as much compassion as she could muster and a fair amount of humor, Yukiko offered, "Oh Shinichi".
There would be hell to pay tonight. "I should call, her, shouldn't I." He stated with conviction, covertly asking for his parent's advise.
"That is up to you, but I should let you go, Shin-chan. I've got to get us flights, hire someone to air out the house, pack. So much to do, so little time." She began spewing her laundry list of things, but stopped for a moment, "Don't worry too much, your Tosan and I will be there soon. Say hi to Ran-chan for me?"
"Of course, kasan."
Stepping back into the house the owner nudging the door closed behind him with his foot. Computer bag in hand Shinichi quietly padding on the soft carpet to his office which connected to the bedroom. The glass doors were typically left open, but knowing that he had a rough call ahead, he thought it best that they be shut so as to lessen the likelihood that the sleepers weren't awakened by Ran's yelling.
Glancing over at the occupied bed as he pulled out his lap-top, that knot of anxiety from earlier seemed to wind itself even tighter in his gut. For now, he needed to focus on what he was able to control and speak with his wife. Maybe a few headache pills would be a good idea to go with the unpleasantness were in order.
