A/N: Due to wanting to include more recent developments in the manga I have decided to rewrite the original Murder Broods.
Murder Broods: Revised
Chapter 1
Crows circled the sky above the alley, their coal wings blending with the night sky above; below the deep tapestry of sparse stars a street-lamp flickered at the edge of the alley. Smoke swirled from the lit end of a cigarette, the grayish tendrils twisting as they rose and dispersed in the chilly night air. Two sharp teal eyes followed the billows of smoke silently, averting from their subject only when the sound of footsteps drew them towards an approaching figure.
Gin glared at the alley's palpable shadows and breathed in slow and deliberate, the cigarette held between his lips.
"Aniki…." Vodka began, observing his partner from behind his sunglasses; his black suit snuggly covering his rotund form. He watched as Gin lowered his head slightly and his silver hair fell over his eyes. "This hacker wasn't the right one either."
"So it seems." Ashes fell from the tip of his cigarette as Gin spoke, his teeth clenched around the filter. The next second he pulled the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it on the asphalt, crushing it beneath his shoe. The caw of a crow above them echoed in the sudden stillness. The silence grew and bubbled, the frustration exuded from the silver haired man almost palpable in the narrow space.
"Aniki…."
"This fox is crafty…." Gin gave a wry laugh, tilting his head so his hair fell away from his face. A virulent glint appeared in his eyes beneath the lone streetlamp and sparse stars. "It requires a different approach."
0
Conan stood on one leg, kicking a soccer ball as he listened to Agasa tinkering in the next room. Things seemed to have stagnated since finding out that Amuro was Bourbon and pulling off a fake-death scenario with Kaito Kid's help that lowered the danger Haibara faced at recognition. Since Vermouth, who was the only Black Org member who knew Haibara was Sherry, didn't seem keen on telling the rest of the members the truth Conan was sure Haibara was safe - at least temporarily.
It was only a tentative security though, the moment Vermouth divulged the information or someone else found out, he and Haibara would both be in danger. And the embers of that danger would further burn those closest to them. Conan sighed and caught the soccer ball, the next moment staring absently at the steaming cup of tea resting on the table. The billows of steam disappeared as each floated up, and the sound of Agasa tinkering with his new invention relapsed into a brief silence before starting up anew.
'If I knew why Amuro is still working at Poirot's…..I have a suspicion, but….' He placed the soccer ball on the floor beside the couch and took out his cell phone; he stared at its locked screen and swallowed. 'If that suspicion is right, then things are getting more dangerous….There are still things about Sera that I need to find out as well. Though she doesn't seem like a threat….'
The sudden beep of his phone's ringtone startled him slightly and drew him from his thoughts, he glanced at the number on his display before answering. "Moshi-moshi."
"Hello, Cool Kid, you're doing well, ne?" Jodie greeted him, her tone upbeat though he knew she would only call if there was something important.
"Did you get the information….?" He began, only to be cut off by the blonde FBI agent.
"No, not yet. I have an idea of who to ask, but that isn't why I called." Jodie paused. "I received a call from Kir. It seems that someone tried to hack into the Black Organization's database. From the stir it's caused, I think the hacker managed to breach a good portion of their security."
"It's been hacked? But isn't that impossible?" Conan's eyes widened then narrowed, his heart thumping in his chest.
"Yes, I thought so too. Even the best FBI hackers couldn't penetrate beyond the primary defenses. I'd say it was a hoax, if not for the fact that three known hackers have disappeared since four days ago."
"This…this…." Conan gritted his teeth, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. "Whoever this hacker is, he's in danger…."
"The FBI is already on top of it, only we must do it discreetly….so far information about the hacker is only known to a select few members of the Organization. If we aren't careful they may discover there is a spy leaking information to the FBI, and if they do, Kir will probably be one of the first they suspect."
Conan swallowed, he understood the need for precaution but if the Organization was going after any hacker they suspected responsible for the breach….he couldn't endure doing nothing while the Organization killed innocent people on their hunt for the hacker. "Jodie, I….do you have any information about the hacker?"
"Actually…" He heard Jodie pause, and the slight ruffle of paper. "The way the hacker managed to breach the Organization's firewall was amazing….the hacker managed to use the Night Baron virus that protects the Organization's mainframe itself to slip through the firewall."
"But….isn't that computer virus one that no one knows how to control? I…." Conan paused, thinking back to the floppy disk that had contained info on the Organization members. That time the Night Baron virus had destroyed all the data. 'The Organization seems to know how to use the Night Baron as a trap at least, but I don't think anyone else….'
"That is why I think the Organization is keeping the breach a secret known by only a few members….it might have been instigated by someone with intimate knowledge of the Organization. Someone on the inside who knew how to use the Night Baron virus…." Jodie paused and ruffled through some more papers. "It has been kept a secret from the public, but there's suspicion in the FBI that the Night Baron computer virus was created by a member of the Black Organization. Which increases the likelihood that this breach was an inside job."
"That….if someone inside the Organization is responsible, then it's possible this person will work against them. If you find this person, then all the Organization's electronically stored data…." Conan sucked in a breath, the next second clenching his fist. If they found the hacker and if the hacker was willing to work against the Organization then the end would be closer than ever. However, as long as only a few inside the Organization knew about the breach, any action by the FBI to find the hacker would inadvertently reveal Kir as a spy. "It…Kir will…."
"Yes. It frustrates me too, but to risk Kir's safety for a gamble….this hacker might refuse to work with the FBI even if we found him. Also, the fact that three hackers have disappeared over the past four days and none had a connection to the Organization that we know of, worries me. If it was an inside job, why go after those hackers? To put the real hacker off guard?"
"….That is something that doesn't make sense. Someone on the inside would be able to see through something like that…." Lines creased Conan's forehead as he thought, his deductions hindered by lack of sufficient clues. He needed more data before he could figure out a plan.
"Oh, that's right!" Jodie exclaimed while Conan was in deep thought, her voice drawing the young detective from his ponderings. "Kir mentioned the hacker left a message behind after the breach. She managed to see it and told it to me. I'll send it to you in an email, perhaps you'll figure out what it means."
0
Hide Tame (96flock)4 Fortunato Rache
Her narrowed eyes behind shadow darkened hair traced each letter of the text, and her thin lips twisted into a frown as two strands of hair fell over her eyes. An impatient hand pushed the strands behind her ear. The moon hid behind a cloud as black gloved fingers closed out of the message, the cell snapped shut and placed in the right hand pocket.
The wind stilled, and in the silence the hundreds of unnoticed sounds came whizzing onto her eardrums. The street-lamp flickered above her, burning out and leaving just her silhouette visible to any passerby.
"Come on out my precious crows, come out and play..."
Chapter End
A/N: The end of chapter 1 of the Revised version of Murder Broods.
I plan on leaving the original version of the fic posted until I catch up to where I left off on the original (and maybe longer since I don't want to lose its reviews by deleting it). There is much that will be different than the original (namely including Sera and Amuro), and I'm not sure if I'll bring Kaito Kid into the story, but my OC's from the original version will be included.