Chapter 2
Shinichi's POV
*Not much happening on Conan's side. At least, not yet.*
"Shinichi." A voice broke through the black sea of nothingness. "Shinichi, wake up." I sat up to find myself staring into Ran's bright blue eyes, filled with worry.
"Ran, why are you here?" The only thing I remembered after getting into my house, was collapsing onto my bed. How did I get out of that place again? Right, it was Conan-otouto. Conan-otouto who had taken my place in the hands of that Black Organization.
"I was trying to find Conan-kun. He's been disappearing a lot, trying to find you and all. I thought he might have come to your house, so I came here and found you. How did you get out anyways?" Her face was confused, relieved, and worried at the same time.
"Conan-otouto came to save me." My voice cracked as I thought about what they might be doing to him at this very second. I'd been beaten, tortured, starved, during my imprisonment. Surely they wouldn't do that to an elementary school student, right? But, those men were as cruel as the devil. There was probably no difference between a grown teenager and a little kid to them. "He found the house that they kept me in. He broke me out, but they captured him, Ran. They captured him."
"Shinichi," she said, wary and frightened. "Is he really…" Her voice broke off. She was pretty close to Conan-otouto as well. Like his older sister in a way.
"We were running towards the back door, because two men were chasing us. Then he must have tripped, but I didn't hear him fall. I ran out the door, and managed to escape. Why was I the one who managed to get out? Shouldn't it have been him? The one who was brave enough to come and rescue me?" I was so angry at myself. My little brother should have come first. Except I had been selfish enough to leave him behind.
"It wasn't your fault, Shinichi." Ran could hear the silent guilt behind my voice. "Conan-kun… Conan-kun knew what he was doing. He wanted to get you out of there. It's been the only thing he's worked on in the past few weeks. He even ditched school to search for clues."
So he'd really worked that hard. Shinichi-niichan! I've missed you so much, Shinichi-niichan! His voice echoed in my head. The joy of finding me. "I'm going back to that house. I'm going to get him back." I got off of my bed, and started for the door.
"Don't, Shinichi." Ran grabbed my arm, restraining me from moving forward. "You already knew where that house was. Do you really think they'd chance keeping him there? They're probably setting trap for you right now."
"I don't care. I can find clues. I can bring a police officer with me." I pushed her off, and headed downstairs.
"Wait, Shinichi!" Her voice echoed off the walls. Wait, wait, wait…
I passed the television, and realized that the computer next to it seemed to be blinking on and off. That's strange, I thought.
Then a head appeared on the screen. It was one of the men who had captured me. Gin, I mouthed.
"Hello, Kudo Shinichi." He smiled evilly. "You should know by now that we have your little brother in our possession. If you want him back, you'll have to agree to a few things."
I quickly checked the video type. It was running live with a webcam. Microphone, microphone! I found it lying next to the computer mouse and quickly put it on. I could hear Ran's footsteps approaching, but that was of secondary importance. "What are they, Gin?" My voice came out emotionless and hard.
"First off, you can't tell the police about this or I'll put a bullet in his head." I clenched my fist. "Secondly, if we find you searching for him by yourself, I'll put a bullet in his head. And if I find anyone I find suspicious searching for him, well, you know what." He sneered, and pulled out a gun to prove his point.
"What do you want? Money, information, safety?" I offered. Anything that might save Conan-otouto.
"The only way to release him is to exchange yourself for him. You still haven't solved that code for us. You have a month to turn yourself in."
"How do I turn myself in if I don't know where you are?" I asked, challenging him. I felt Ran's hand on my shoulder.
"Shinichi, what's going on?"
"Shhh, nothing, Ran." I soothed her.
"Is there somebody with you?" Gin's tone instantly became aggressive. Should I lie, or tell the truth. Conan-otouto's life might depend on it. "The truth would help you here." He suggested, but I still heard the malice in his voice.
"I have a friend with me. She's not with the police or anything." The truth would help.
"We'll give you an email address for you to send an advance notice once you decide to turn yourself in. It'll be in Tropical Land again." I remembered that moment well. I'd gotten a letter saying someone needed my help, and to meet them in a secluded alley right near Tropical Land. When I'd gotten there, I was knocked out with an iron pipe. Not the greatest memories. "Oh, we'll keep you in touch with your brother." My ears perked up. "He's keeping a diary with him. We'll type it up and send it to you. Just remember, any suspicious activity and he's dead."
"Where is he now?" I asked, wanting to know what was happening to him.
"In a dog crate. No food or water. But we'll feed him something soon. No need for his 'Shinichi-niichan' to worry." Laughter, and then the screen went black.
"Shinichi." Ran tapped my shoulder. "What was that about?"
"In order to get Conan-otouto back, I'll have to turn myself in. I have a month."
Ran's face lit up with fear. "Shinichi, you won't, right?"
I sighed and put my face in my hands. "I don't know, Ran. I just don't know."