Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

Midnight White

36: Open Fire

"Are you sure about this?"

The thief's white grin flashed in the darkness of the night. "Nope, but my gut says we should give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm a pretty good judge of character, if I do say so myself, and I believe she was telling the truth when she said she meant us no harm."

"You're probably right," Shinichi mused, shaking his head. "So we're just going to leave it here?"

"With a message, yes. The note did say we could pick any open roof. You might want to stand back."

The detective did as he was told, retreating to the door leading back into the building Kaito had chosen for the task. He watched as the magician produced a large paint roller from somewhere and began drawing on the roof around the unmarked containers piled in the middle. A few minutes later Kaito stood back with a satisfied grin to admire the giant KID doodle that now grinned up at the night sky.

"Is that it then?"

The thief nodded. "That's it. Let's head back before the others notice we're missing."

X

It had taken three days but their combined efforts had finally born fruit. It was a good thing too. Everyone was restless and the tension in the building had been all but suffocating lately. Tempers had been running high and Shinichi had been afraid they would end up having some real fights on their hands if something didn't happen soon.

"This area here exhibits the greatest amount of activity," Hakuba explained to the silent gathering in the alley café's dining area. He had tacked several large sheets of paper onto the wall and drawn a map of the city on them. The whole thing was to scale and it looked like it had been printed (Aoko thought it was cute how much effort he put into making such things accurate. Kaito told Shinichi it just went to show how desperately in need of a life the blonde really was). "There are four major hotels there as well as a shopping center."

"That's where they were getting their supplies," Kimura explained. It had been incredibly bizarre seeing all those people mechanically going about the business of surviving (it wasn't living—nothing that automated could be called living). To be honest the whole scene had given him goose bumps. Having KID breathing down his neck hadn't helped. Although he had to admit the thief hadn't actually done anything while they were on their scouting trips. The strange thing was that the officer might have felt less on edge if he had. It was just too weird not being mercilessly pranked by the man. It made him wonder about his own mental state. Surely it wasn't normal to be more comfortable being pranked than being left alone.

"There also appear to be people being held here and here," the blonde continued, pointing to two other red circles on the map. "I believe, however, that Imazaki is here." He pointed to a different area which had been circled twice.

"Wait a moment, that's the science museum!" Yamada exclaimed.

Hakuba nodded. "It is. People from each of the other locations regularly make there way here—often with supplies. The other facilities have, as far as I was able to gather, no direct, physical contact with each other."

He had documented the specific individuals spotted at each location as described to him by KID's spy doves (they really were spy doves in every sense of the word). Unsurprisingly, many of the original kidnapped recruits including the Yamaki siblings appeared to have been stationed at the largest of the holding areas—the plaza of hotels. The other regions appeared mostly to be guarded by police.

"It maybe riskier, but I believe it would be to our best interest to seize the hotel plaza first. Its location makes it both the closest to the museum and not far from the other facilities. It being large and heavily defended, we will have to combine all our efforts, but once we have captured it we can split into smaller teams and go after Imazaki as well as the other holding facilities while giving them minimal amounts of time to realize what we are up to."

"I agree with Hakuba-san," Shinichi put in. "The faster we move, the less time they will have to prepare for us. However, that means we will have to know exactly what we're doing. I would recommend that each of us choose at least one other person to partner up with. Preferably we will all be able to work together, but if we get separated it would be better if no one is alone."

The idea was to incapacitate everyone who had been ordered to act as guards. The rest were unlikely to cause them any trouble in their hypnotized states. From what Kaito and Kimura had seen they spent most of their time just sitting around and staring blankly at nothing. If worse came to worse, Kaito had volunteered the use of part of his supply of sleeping gas (though since his supplies were limited, it was to be a last resort).

And that was how they had ended up here, hiding just beyond sight of the plaza's various guards, bracing themselves for what they all knew was going to be a battle.

X

Brand new and massive, the Blue Sea Hotel had been aptly decorated to reflect its name. The entrance hall housed an enormous fountain whose centerpiece was a statue of a mermaid pouring water into the basin from out of a conch shell. Kaito carefully avoided looking at the mermaid as he shadowed his detective. Shinichi could hear him muttering something about dreadful, slimy, scaly extremities ruining a perfectly good piece of art but he tuned it out. Kaito was, after all, the one who'd insisted on coming in with him even though he knew the hotel's mascot was a mermaid. Fortunately, the place had gone for waves, shells, and seascapes rather than underwater critters for their interior designs. It was the presence of the fountains, big and small, that had led the two of them to be assigned to the building.

"Do you think maybe we were wrong?" Shinichi whispered, frowning as he looked around the intersection of halls they had halted in. Beside him a small, rectangular fountain bubbled happily. They had expected to be attacked when they'd broken in, but so far they had seen no one at all. Of course the rooms were all upstairs, but there were supposed to be guards.

"Perhaps we should have come in the front door instead of the back after all," Kaito mused, alert eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.

"We would have attracted too much attention too fast," the detective sighed. "Maybe we should start shouting or something."

Kaito stiffened suddenly, indigo eyes narrowing. "I believe that will not be necessary."

Tensing at the magician's tone, Shinichi turned around quickly to see that the fountain was no longer bubbling the way it had been built to. Now it looked more like it was boiling as the water frothed madly, splashing out of the basin and beginning to send spouts higher and higher into the air. Then the shimmering liquid burst upward like a geyser, twisting together like a living creature before it lunged.

It smashed into an invisible wall and streams went blasting off to the sides in foaming white streaks. It sloughed over the ground like waves breaking on a shore. Shinichi had shut his eyes instinctively but he opened them again quickly, turning his head to search the ajoining hall mouths and the shadows behind the decorative, seashell adorned pillars.

"Damn, I don't see him," he muttered, anxiety making his pulse quicken. Outside of Kaito's force field the water level was rising as the fountain continued to spew frothing little waves that were once again rising.

The thief's reply was calm though Shinichi could sense the tightly controlled urge to act in the gloved hand resting on his forearm, ready to pull them away at any moment. "If we wait much longer we won't be leaving."

"I can't see clearly through all this spray," Shinichi replied. Ordering himself to remain calm, he took a deep breath. "I'm going to try to stop it. You find him."

Kaito nodded, bracing himself for what he knew was coming. The temperature dropped sharply a moment later and their next breaths came out in foggy puffs before their faces. Outside the air filled with the crackling sound of water freezing. Waves halted in mid swirl, frost glittering along their graceful curves as the spray that had filled the air fell in a shower of equally white snow. Water continued to overflow from the frost rimmed fountain however. It splashed over the ice and turned the snow to slush. Still, it gave Kaito the opportunity to find the humanoid shadow behind a far pillar.

Drawing his card gun in one swift motion, he dropped his barrier and fired. The figure leapt away from the two of hearts as the card lodged itself in the pillar. A thin snake of water rose and lashed out towards the thief but it splattered against another barrier. A second card forced the man responsible to duck.

"Let's go!" The magician snagged Shinichi's hand with his free one and bolted.

Making the quick decision that he'd rather get wet than risk the both of them breaking their necks on the water-slicked ice, Shinichi let go of his hold on the cold. An instant later the frozen waves came alive again, crumbling into streams and eddies before gathering towards the man just picking himself up off the floor. Then they were surging forward and both detective and thief picked up their pace, the latter's white cape flapping behind them just steps ahead of roaring, white crests.

Overhead, the soft hiss they had been expecting since stepping into the hotel began as the sprinklers sputtered to life.

X

"Man there is no way we're going to be able to afford it if the owners want us to pay for this damage when this is all over," Hattori muttered as he threw up his arm to shield himself from a shower of plaster bits and chips of wall.

"If the owners are around when this is all over to complain, they should be thanking us," Kazuha replied. "Duck!"

Hattori ducked. An instant later a powerful, concentrated gust of wind caught the golf ball that had just soared over his head and hurled it into another wall. It exploded upon impact with a brilliant flash of yellow light and another spray of debris. The second ball shot straight back at the young man who had thrown it who cursed and twisted out of the way.

Through the plaster dust and sparks, he shot them a venomous glare. There was real hatred in that glare, the Osakan detective thought, and a small part of him wondered once again at how this whole stupid mess had made what might otherwise have been perfectly normal people into these—well, he wasn't sure what the word was exactly, but it seemed as though once the weirdness had started everyone had started taking up sides and whatnot. There was Kazuha, who would never have wanted to be here before (she'd always said these things should be left to the police), only now she was protecting them from golf ball bombs because she could blow them away without touching them. And then there was the lunatic over there chucking the damned things who had probably been nothing more threatening than your everyday juvenile delinquent.

Or rather the lunatic who had been over there a moment ago but who wasn't there anymore.

Pure instinct made him wrap an arm around Kazuha and throw them both into the mouth of an adjoining hall. Even so he was barely in time as another explosion took out the carpet where they had been standing and a piece of the floor with it.

"Kazuha, you all right?"

"Yeah," she replied, sounding slightly out of breath but otherwise unharmed.

"Good. That was way too close for comfort."

"Really? I thought it was sadly off the mark."

The Osakan duo froze halfway through pulling themselves to their feet and looked up. There were two pairs of feet standing directly in front of them. One led up to the smirking face of the boy who'd been trying to blow them up. The second belonged to a blank-faced girl standing just behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder and her eyes staring straight ahead.

Bingo, Heiji thought. He had to admit Hakuba had done a good job pinpointing the exact locations of each of their adversaries. They would have been in trouble if he hadn't. Not that they weren't in trouble anyway, he amended, but at least they had planned for this. Well, here went nothing.

In a sudden burst of motion, he propelled himself forward and into the legs of their adversaries. Chu let out a yell and made a grab for him, hands shimmering a faint yellow, but Hattori twisted out of the way and leapt back to his feet, backing away several steps before turning. His eyes met Kazuha's for a split second before they set off at a run.

X

Mia's cell phone had barely started to ring when she answered it. "Hello?"

"We're on our way," Shinichi's voice blurted over the line, his words almost inaudible over the sound of rushing water.

"We're ready," she replied.

"Good."

The line went dead and she turned to the small gathering behind her. "All right guys, let's get started. Remember, we just want to draw them out. We don't want to hurt anyone, but we don't want to get hurt either."

X

Sonoko let out a yelp of indignant surprise as she felt hands latch around her upper arms in a grip that obviously wasn't meant to be friendly. She and Ran had just located the shopping center's security surveillance room. They had spotted someone inside, but before either of them could register who it was the person was gone and now this.

The petit girl reacted more out of instinct than any conscious thought. An instant later her assailant found himself tugging ineffectually on the arm of a person who made the floor beneath her creak with strain.

Ran turned, her eyes narrowing. She recognized Mitsuki-san and she knew she wouldn't have much time to act. Taking advantage of the man's momentary confusion, she struck out, landing a powerful kick that laid him out flat on the floor, groaning.

Sonoko rubbed at her arms, adjusting her weight back to normal as she gazed down upon the unconscious novelist. "That'll teach him not to try that again," she sniffed, prodding him with the toe of her shoe. "We should probably tie him up though just in case he wakes up."

X

He was never going to play tag again. Ever. Nor was he ever going to be able to live in this hotel without feeling paranoid. Then again, with the wreck in which they were leaving the lowest levels of the building, the owners would probably pay to have them stay away. He would have laughed at the thought if it wasn't for the small, glowing vase that almost clipped him on the ear. Time to pick a new direction—again.

At this rate they were never going to make it to where they needed to go.

And the plan had sounded so simple when the Oguro siblings had outlined it too.

The problem, of course, was that every time they turned a corner, there stood Chu with the Uchimura girl right behind him.

"I—I'm going to try something," Kazuha panted as they started down another hall. "Get down."

He didn't argue. He could already hear the footsteps closing in on them. Throwing himself flat on the ground, he turned his head to the side so he could see Kazuha standing beside him. She had one hand back like she was about to try and throw something, then she swept it forward in a sharp, jerking motion.

Heiji had heard wind whistle before. He had also heard it howl, but this was the first time he'd ever heard it roar—really roar like an enraged beast charging at a hated foe. He could feel it tear over him, making the back of his jacket ripple madly. He couldn't hear anything else over the din.

Then Kazuha was pulling on his sleeve, telling him to get up. "Hurry!"

Scrambling to his feet, the Osakan detective spared a glance down the hall behind them. Their pursuers, formerly hot on their heels, were now sprawled all the way at the far end. They were already getting up, but judging from their unsteady motions they had gained themselves some breathing space.

"Kazuha, that was amazing!"

"Thanks, now let's run!"

A few minutes later they skidded into one of the rooms the hotel offered for rent as meeting and party rooms. A second later their pursuers too crashed in only to find the place deserted.

"Damnit, where'd they go?" Chu snarled, eyes scanning the room. His gaze landed on the open balcony door. "Uchimura, get us out—"

He never got to finish as it was at that moment that Kimura leapt out of the wall and dealt a sharp blow to the back of his companion's head before driving a boot into his stomach. He doubled over and fell victim to the same move that had dropped his helper.

X

"Uh oh."

It really was the only phrase that came to mind, Shinichi reflected as his eyes landed on the wall that had risen up before them where no wall should be. It occupied the entire front of the hotel entrance hall. He could see right through it to the front doors since it was made of water, but that just meant he could see that it was at least a yard thick. To get through it they would have to be fully submerged for at least a few moments and then they might never get out again.

Kaito swore under his breath. "Of all the times for them to start using some strategy."

"We have to find another way."

"Too late for that."

Standing behind them in front of the mermaid fountain was Yamaki Ryo, stationary waves almost ten feet high rising and falling in place like anxious hounds just waiting for the huntsman's signal to pounce.

They were surrounded.

Funny how they could be surrounded by water and not drowning—yet.

And it was still sprinkling.

Shinichi's mind raced. "You know," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, never mind that their adversary probably wasn't doing much active listening behind that emotionless stare. "I noticed earlier that it takes him a moment to regain control of the water after it unfreezes."

"Sounds risky," the thief replied. He didn't have to ask what Shinichi was getting at. "But worth a try." He blocked another spout of water that reached from the shimmering walls and tried to grab them. That was when he noticed that his clothes seemed to be getting wetter despite the force field he'd set up over their heads. It was almost as though the moisture in the air itself was gravitating towards them. "And you better hurry before he tries something I can't stop."

Being cold on top of being wet wasn't all that much to cheer about, but the walls of frosted ice were much more appealing than their liquid predecessors. The two teens backed quickly towards the icy sheet before the main doors. If they'd had time, Kaito would have liked to hang around and just watch for a while. The way the tiny water droplets crystallized upon leaving the sprinklers to fall as fluffy, white flakes was, well, like magic, to be honest.

This kind of thing was supposed to happen in the upper atmosphere, not down here where people could see.

But they had a job to do. Maybe another time. Noticing that he had suddenly lost a lot of leverage, the elder Yamaki began to pull fresh streams out of the fountain behind him. They collapsed however when Kaito fired off two more shots, making him jump back. The man's foot slipped on the ice encrusted floor and he fell backward. At the same moment, almost as though they were following the man's example, the frozen walls too fell. With a roar they collapsed and water sprayed in every direction. For the thief and the detective in their midst it felt like running through a waterfall. They had to fight against the water crashing down on them as it tried to force them off their feet. Then the main doors lost the battle to the pressure and banged open, letting the pent up water gush out into the plaza with three little humans in tow.

The sudden flood caught the riot of people outside completely (or not so completely in some cases, in other words those who'd known it should be coming) by surprise. Several of them were swept off their feet by the current as all the water swirled around the plaza before seeping away into the drains. It left behind it an entire plaza of large puddles and sopping wet people.

"Mia!" Shinichi shouted across the plaza, spotting that familiar mane of frizzled curls.

"I got it," she called back as the air crackled. A moment later they couldn't hear anything because Kaito had raised force fields around himself and Shinichi as well as their other visible allies. Not a moment too soon too as lightning blazed through the air like blue fire.

The combination of wet policemen and crackling electricity left the plaza in a mess of collapsed and groaning bodies. Shinichi hoped fervently that Mia hadn't overdone it. At least everyone looked alive.

"I must say," the linguistics student remarked, pushing her now wet hair out of her face. "That went remarkably well."

TBC

A.N: I have a terrible headache today… Anyhow, thanks for reading and see you next time. ^.^