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(9)
Silver
Because those three people who knew what was actually happening with Shinichi were either mad scientists, evil chemists with a penchant for pranking (or possibly evil pranksters with a penchant for chemistry), or a combination of the previous two with 'magician thief' tagged on for good measure; the bands that Agasa made to mimic the Power Shoes were not only etched with Nordic runes that literally translated to the Norse word for 'restrain' that glowed a very faint blue on one side and a non-glowing set of runes that translated to 'release' on the other, they were also thinly plated with a silver-and-white-gold alloy that Shinichi wasn't going to question the origins of too closely.
(Kaito matter-of-factly explained that if they'd used a pure silver plate, it would tarnish too easily with how many really randomly acidic things Shinichi came in contact with. Shinichi deliberately didn't point out that the reasoning still didn't explain where the metals had come from.)
He didn't groan in his exasperation, but it was a close thing. "Why Norse?" he asked after a moment, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.
"At first I thought 'Russian', but it didn't seem obscure enough," Kaito rolled his shoulders, "This can be translated with enough effort, and the fact that it's so unused these days—even in Europe—makes it more believable. Especially since the vampire myths are from northern Europe originally; there's no real documented date or location, so they could conceivably be semi-Nordic in origin and it's old enough that people won't be able to find anything concrete no matter how hard they look."
"Anyway, Shinichi," Agasa broke in, holding up one of the bracelets, "The 'restrain' symbols will be lit up whenever the Seals are inactive."
Shinichi had to raise an eyebrow, "'Seals'?" It wasn't Agasa's usual style of naming.
"If we want them to have that association, Kudo-kun," Haibara pointed out dryly, "it is easiest to refer to them as such, regardless of their actual purpose."
Shinichi acknowledged the point, but was still reasonably sure that either Haibara or Kaito had named them.
Agasa coughed, "Right. Well, the 'release' has a two-point activation. Depress the first and last runes to activate the bracelet, then the circle covering the clasp is the power gauge—it works the same way as the shoes. The ankle cuffs are a little bigger, and work exactly the same way as the shoes, without the buttons."
Shinichi nodded, understanding the reasoning. It was a lot easier to accidentally catch a rotating part with a wrist than an ankle, considering how people relied on hands. "Will movement be a problem?"
"Not when they're finished," Agasa held up a thick cloth padding, "I want you to try them on so we can adjust the hinge joint. The generators are small enough that there's plenty of space for adjustment as needed, and the padding will keep them from shifting as well as keep them from chafing."
Forty minutes later, Shinichi had bands of rune-etched silver on his wrists and ankles. He examined them closely, "Will water be a problem?"
"The generators and wiring are completely waterproofed," Agasa assured, "However, the electricity that passes through to you will be disrupted by water, so it's unlikely they will actually work if you're in water, though just wet should be fine."
"We should probably test that," Kaito murmured. "Rain is one thing—pure or near-pure water doesn't actually conduct well, if at all—but salt water or water with a high mineral content definitely does. It would be good to learn for sure how they'll react in a controlled situation."
"Good point," Shinichi frowned down at the bands, "What is this cloth made of, anyway?"
"Cotton and a conductive synthetic Ai-kun made so it won't keep the bands from working."
"Thanks," the detective eyed the metal a moment longer, "All of you."
Kaito grinned and Haibara gave a vague acknowledgement as she left the room. Five minutes later, Shinichi and Agasa were into full testing-mode, with Kaito essentially cheering from the proverbial sidelines.
xxxx
"I hate you, Haibara," Kudo informed two days later, examining what the chemist had done to his top canines.
"Of course you do," she replied patronizingly, ignoring how Kuroba had popped up behind the counter at the detective's declaration. She hadn't realized he was in the Kudo manor already, and it was even odds on whether Kudo had known. She'd noticed the magician's habit of letting himself in.
Really, though, she thought she'd done quite well. The modifications were made of a calcium phosphate compound that was almost identical to actual tooth enamel, and they were very subtle. Kudo wasn't even lisping.
After all, she fully intended to draw out the development of his 'fangs' over the next two months, and she didn't want them to interfere with Kudo's abilities to chew or speak. He'd protested the idea—vehemently—but between her and Kuroba, he had eventually given in.
"Besides," she dismissed, "You can barely see a difference."
Kudo scowled at her, "I can feel a difference."
"You'll get used to it. Now, don't you have packing to do?" She expected he did, considering the Osakan detective's invitation to visit shortly after his little 'missing for two days' stint and Kudo's propensity to put off packing until the last minute. (Hattori hadn't been told what had happened, and the idiot was equal parts overprotective friend and additional cause of trouble. Haibara was a little sorry she was going to miss the show.)
"We're both packed already, Ojou-san," Kuroba informed cheerily.
Clearly that was entirely Kuroba's own doing. "Oh? You're going, too?"
"Someone needs to make sure he takes care of himself," Kuroba pointed out reasonably. "Thinking of which, I do, in fact, value my blood, so if you could provide enough of the supplement for three days…?"
Haibara paused to evaluate the magician more thoughtfully. It seemed she had a genuine partner in seeing to Kudo's health with the magician-thief around. She ignored Kudo's half-hearted protest that he could look after himself and nodded to Kuroba, "Of course, Kuroba-san. I actually made a powder base, as the liquid goes bad fairly quickly, even refrigerated," she passed over two thick packets, "This is enough for a week and a half of normal life, and the instructions are on the backs. He has a tendency to get into more trouble than usual if that Osakan is near him, so I want you to have extra on hand in case he gets hurt."
"I don't get into that much trouble," Kudo grumped. (Haibara wondered if he'd had his luck his whole life. It might have warped his perspective.)
"Please, Meitantei," Kuroba huffed, "You get into more trouble than I do. And I've had a mad scientist try to replace me with a violent robotic clone."
That sounded like an interesting story. Too bad there wasn't enough time to hear it. "You'll have to tell me about that when you get back," Haibara decided aloud. "Meanwhile… you two had best get going. Kuroba-san, take care of Kudo-kun. Kudo-kun, do try not to let that hotheaded Osakan drag you into anything ridiculous," she paused for a brief moment to nod to Kuroba's 'Yes, ma'am'. "Now, then, you two have a train to catch."
Kudo nodded to her as she split off from them to go back to check up on the Hakase, "Thanks for all this, Haibara."
She couldn't help but smile back, because she knew what he meant and because this was what she'd wanted, when she'd been held and forced to work on deadly poisons for her sister's life. More than anything, then, she'd wanted to be able to help instead of harm.
Now she was, and she was getting to help prank a good portion of the Japanese law enforcement, too.
xxxx
"You know," Kaito observed quietly, eying how Shinichi was leaning back with his eyes closed, "You're a lot calmer than I expected you to be for this trip, considering the train."
It took a moment for the implication to click. "I've been party to several incidents on trains," Shinichi allowed, "but, comparatively speaking, not many."
"I've looked at your police files," Kaito informed. "At least three of the trains you've been involved with somehow have exploded, and that's only a fraction of the issues you've had with transportation."
"That's true," Shinichi agreed. "But that's really less than one in twenty of the cases I stumble over, and not even a very high percentage of the bombs."
"Your life is a crime drama," Kaito told him.
Shinichi only gave a half-hearted grunt of acknowledgement. "Wake me if there's some kind of emergency. Otherwise, goodnight."
Kaito pouted for a moment, considered the encroaching boredom against his current company, and decided a nap wasn't a bad idea. He wasn't going to be the one to interrupt Shinichi's sleep with anything loud or annoying. A sleep-deprived Shinichi somehow contrived to be scarier than a mop-wielding Aoko.
He could wait until Osaka for his entertainment. Convincing the Osakan police department and Tantei-han that Shinichi was a vampire promised to be at least as much fun as trolling the Taskforce.
xxxx
