Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK
Midnight White
37: Back to the Beginning
Well or not, they didn't have time to celebrate. A small contingent led by Sonoko was left at the hotel plaza with the task of watching over the—for lack of a better term—captives. They were hoping that the electric shock would have cleared at least some of the minds of the police. The rest they would attempt to 'wake' a little at a time. As Sonoko had said, "It's not like they're going anywhere". Mia and Kimura had taken their own teams and headed off towards the other holding areas, leaving those remaining to turn their attention to the museum.
They (or rather Kaito, and surprisingly Kimura) had taken a few sets of spare keys off the unconscious police officers. No one was going to argue with the extra transportation though. Instead they divided into their respective teams and headed out.
Hakuba did give KID a strange look when he slid behind the wheel of their patrol car though. "You're driving?"
"Well, it's certainly not going to be any of you," was the cheerful reply. "Besides, I've always wanted to try driving a cop car."
"You have?" The blonde looked greatly disturbed by this revelation. "Why?" Obviously he was having second thoughts about getting in the car, but Hattori, who was standing behind him and getting impatient, shoved him into the backseat before climbing in himself, followed shortly by Kazuha. The blonde settled grudgingly onto his seat and clicked the seatbelt into its slot before turning to give the Osakan an irritated look.
Sensing another inane argument coming, Shinichi hit the switch that would block out the sound from the backseats. Now he could see their mouths moving through the dividing screen but he couldn't hear a thing.
"It's too bad you can't do that in everyday life," he thought aloud. "It would save me so many headaches…"
"I know the next best thing," Kaito offered with a sly grin as he started the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. "Helium. I've been thinking about doing something with it for a heist. Can you imagine old man Nakamori trying to yell the way he's always doing with a high, squeaky voice?"
Shinichi couldn't suppress a snort of laughter (because really he could imagine it—as well as the look that would probably be on the man's face). And then he imagined Hattori and Hakuba having one of their arguments in chipmunk tones. He had to admit there was a certain appeal to the idea. For one, he had a feeling any argument carried out under such a circumstance would be short lived. "If you let me know when, I can bring a voice recorder."
"And then we can broadcast it to the whole city!"
"Um, I think that might be going a bit too far. Aoko-san would probably kill you."
Kaito made a face then sighed. "If she doesn't decide to anyway when this is over you mean."
"I don't think she will," Shinichi said seriously. "I know I don't know her as well as you do, but from what I've seen of the way she's been acting since she found out… She still cares about you. She just needs time to get used to the idea."
"Yeah, I know," the magician admitted, eyes softening. "Although this may mean I'm going to have to crash at your place next time I send a notice. You know, just in case she changes her mind."
"You can stay at my place any time." The detective paused, then turned pink and stammered, "I—I mean it's not like I don't have lots of room."
He half expected the thief to make a joke, but he only smiled. "Thank you, that's good to know." He cast a glance back over his shoulder at the people still arguing silently in the backseat and snickered. "It kind of feels like I've arrested a bunch of detectives." Now wouldn't that be an awesome theme for a heist, he mused. He could rig the venue so it could be quickly converted into a makeshift jail—with the task force on the inside. He could dress them all in white and black stripes like they did in old cartoons. Hmm, maybe for Halloween.
X
There were almost thirty of them. Every one of them looked exactly the same. Each was tall, thin, and covered in skin like rough bark with long, angular limbs and round, black, button eyes. Whoever was controlling them, however, was nowhere in sight. Or maybe he or she was just somewhere inside that stick monster forest. At the moment they were standing perfectly still with their flat eyes staring ahead but there was the sense about them that this state of inaction could change very quickly very fast. They were also standing in such a way so that it would be impossible to get to the door without touching them or being seen.
"Maybe we should go around," Hakuba suggested, staring out into the bristling, animated wood. He could still remember what it felt like to have those things clawing at him. They weren't smart, but they were strong—much stronger than their fragile appearance suggested. Those long, pointed fingers were also terribly sharp.
"I think they go around too," Kazuha replied. Her eyes were closed and there was a gentle breeze sliding around them. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think there's another group on the other side."
"Well, at least it's pretty obvious which building we should look in," Hattori mused. "Kind of nice of them really considering how many wings there are."
The blond detective frowned. "Then perhaps this is a misdirection."
Shinichi shook his head. "No. This is the building with the equipment first used to generate that smoke. A lot of that equipment was specially designed for the professor's studies. If they really do want to recreate the substance, their best bet would be to do it here."
"I could make us a bridge up to one of the upper floors," Kaito offered, scanning the second floor windows.
"You want us to walk up there on an invisible bridge?" The Osakan shuddered. "No thanks."
"It doesn't have to be invisible, but it would rather defeat the purpose if it could be seen."
"I'd rather take my chances with the tree monsters then."
"But then, what, are we going to fight our way in?" Kazuha frowned. "That doesn't sound exactly…"
"Wise?" Hakuba filled in for her. "And don't forget, we do not know where their creator is. From what we've seen they become much more nimble in their creator's presence."
"In their sight," KID corrected.
"But it isn't possible for one person to watch both sides of the building at once," Shinichi said slowly, eyeing the surrounding buildings just to be sure. "But if these things were the only guards I had, I'd want to try. I'm sure there are security cameras throughout the museum. So if I were to use these things for guards, I'd hook up cameras to watch the outside too and put the monster manipulator in the control room."
Hattori shot him a dour look. "It sounds like what you're saying is there's no way we're getting in without being noticed. How is that helpful?"
"It means the fastest way is the best way," Kaito answered before Shinichi could. "As long as we can keep our heads cool, the element of surprise will give us an advantage even on their home turf."
"Cool heads, huh?" the Detective of the West muttered. "That gives me an idea. So what we want is to get in quickly right? And probably cause as much confusion as we can?"
The others all turned to look at him.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Kazuha.
"Just a way to get us through and make it hard for them to see exactly which of us are here right away," he declared. "If you're all ready, I only need a moment." Squaring his shoulders, he directed his gaze to Hakuba.
The blonde waited a few seconds before pointedly clearing his throat. "Why are you staring at me?"
"Shut up. I'm trying to remember everything you've ever said to me."
One blond eyebrow rose. "Oh? Have you finally decided to learn from my advice?"
"Hell no. But thanks, I just needed to be annoyed enough ta do this." The Osakan turned and raised a hand. Flames burst to life before him and he stepped out of their hiding place to stride towards the monsters.
He didn't have to go far.
The creatures reacted so quickly it was almost like they had known he was coming and were just lying in wait for him to make the first move. The closest five swarmed at him, covering the distance between them practically like it wasn't there at all.
The Osakan detective took an involuntary step back which probably saved his life. Then the flames caught hold of the creatures' long limbs and began to spread. The things had no voices, but they began to thrash, lashing out uncontrollably as the flames wrapped around their bodies. There was something terrible about the sight.
Yet the rest of the bark monsters kept coming, either oblivious to or just not caring about the danger they were putting themselves in. They still had numbers on their side.
Biting her lip, Kazuha stepped out into the open behind Heiji and raised her arms. The gentle breeze that had been circling them before suddenly grew stronger. It swept forward, catching the leaping flames and carrying them into the rest of the cluster of bark creatures. In moments the whole area was a mess of leaping flames, flailing limbs, and rising smoke.
Under the cover of the chaos, the five teens made their way to the doors.
X
"They've sure done a lot of redecorating in here," Kaito remarked, indigo eyes scanning their surroundings for signs of danger.
"More remodeling than redecorating," Shinichi replied absently, his own brows furrowed slightly. The place no longer bore any resemblance to the museum building it had once been. Instead it looked like the bizarre hybrid of a mad scientist's lab and a high tech warehouse out of a science fiction movie. Tanks, tubes, pipes, and strange, glowing, humming things that frankly none of them could make heads or tails out of were everywhere.
Shinichi paused by one of the large, cylindrical metal tanks and ran his fingers lightly over its surface. Then he examined the pipes connecting it to its neighbors. Everything hummed softly under his fingertips.
"Look at this, it's seamless—like it just formed this way," he murmured. "You'd need either extremely specialized machinery to make this, or in our case probably someone with specialized skills. It would be best if we keep a watch out for someone with abilities we haven't encountered yet."
"We should also keep in mind that the creature manipulator is probably still watching us," Hakuba added. "There are more of those creatures at the other entrance. They may decide to come in after us."
"Or just tell whoever else is here that they've got company," KID supplied. "Now that we have reestablished the knowledge that we have enemies, I suggest we hurry and find Imazaki."
X
In the interest of time and maneuverability, they split into two teams when the paths available to them split (hopefully, it would also serve to distract the person they knew probably saw them come in). Kaito and Shinichi had opted to head in the direction they remembered the original lab exhibit had been in. Although with how much the interior of the building had changed Shinichi wasn't holding out high hopes that it would be that easy.
Of course, his luck being what it was, that was precisely when they rounded the corner to see an all too familiar face blocking their way. With a gun—raised and ready.
"Satou-keiji."
The woman showed no reaction to the sound of her own name. Seeing the flat, expressionless look in her eyes sent a sudden burst of anger rushing through Shinichi. To think that Imazaki really believed he had the right to toy with people this way… It was so wrong it was sickening. Not only was he making people do things they would never otherwise have wanted to, he was stealing pieces of their lives—time they would never get back. He knew better than most what it felt like to have pieces of your life stolen just like that. Time once lost could never be taken back. And to be forced to spend that time like this… It was unforgivable.
The air cracked as Satou-keiji pulled the trigger.
Kaito blocked the shot on reflex, robbing it of all its momentum and leaving it to clatter and roll across the floor. The woman tried to shoot again but found herself unable to move. He took a step forward with a mind to take the gun from her but something struck him from behind right between the shoulder blades. He let out a hiss of pain as he staggered forward but he caught himself before he fell and spun to catch a glimpse of Takagi-keiji before the man faded completely from sight. Again. Because naturally he'd probably been there the whole time. Damn, even his skills wouldn't help them find someone who technically didn't exist until he decided to make a move like he had just now.
And as Kaito lost his concentration, his force fields dissolved. Shinichi threw himself sideways and into the magician, knocking them both to the ground as another shot split the air over their heads. Wrapping an arm around Shinichi to keep him close, the thief raised a barrier around them, shielding them from the next shot.
"We need to knock her out," Shinichi hissed, guilt twisting in his stomach at the thought but knowing they didn't have a choice.
"What about Mister Ghost? I can't tell where he is."
"He needs to be visible to actually do anything. You focus on Satou-keiji and I'll keep an eye out for him."
Two more shots ricocheted off of the force field protecting them.
"On three," Kaito muttered. "One, two—"
Another shot followed by an empty click.
"Three!"
He dropped his barrier and sprang to his feet as Shinichi rolled towards the wall. Zeroing in on the policewoman attempting to reload her gun, he leapt forward. She dropped the gun as she saw him coming in favor of her considerable skills in the martial arts. He dodged the kick she aimed at his stomach and whipped out a can of sleeping gas.
Shinichi had risen to his feet with his back to the wall. His position gave him a good view of the hall before him. He tried not to focus on any one spot in particular. Instead he waited for any sign of movement or color where there shouldn't be any with his hand hovering over the button on his belt that would provide him with a ball to use.
Satou-keiji had stepped back in an attempt to avoid the spurt of sleeping gas aimed at her face, but it was too late. Her steps faltered and she swayed before falling backward. Takagi reappeared just in time to catch her. It seemed even the hypnotist's trance couldn't make him forget that he cared about her.
And just in time to be on the receiving end of the soccer ball Shinichi had produced from his belt just for that moment. He gave the policeman a silent apology as the ball connected with the side of Takagi's head. The officer staggered and collapsed in a heap right beside the unmoving Satou.
"I'll just take these then," Kaito muttered as he knelt down beside them and relieved Satou of the remaining cartridges for her gun. That done, he and Shinichi shifted the two unconscious police officers into more comfortable positions leaning against the wall. If they were lucky, the two would be back to normal when they woke up. As Kaito pointed out, the soccer ball to the head at least had to be quite a shock. Either way they would have to come back for the two later. For now they had to keep going.
"That door," Kaito said a few minutes later, pointing to a nondescript door farther down the hall. "If they didn't move it, that should be the surveillance center. Why don't we go say hello."
Shinichi nodded and the two made their way to the door. To their surprise, it stood slightly ajar. Through the crack they could see the glow of television monitors. They could also just make out the form of a man sitting before the wall of monitors. He was slumped over the control panel before him and even from where they stood outside they could hear him snoring gently.
Frowning, Shinichi silently pushed open the door and walked inside for a better look. A half empty cup of tea sat abandoned beside the sleeping man. When Shinichi checked the cup was still warm, indicating that it hadn't been there for very long.
Blue eyes met indigo over the man's head, both coming to the same conclusion. The man had most likely been drugged. The question was, why? And by who? It must have happened within the last ten or fifteen minutes if the tea had been drunk from and was still faintly warm.
"He should sleep for an hour or so," a soft voice said from the door.
The two turned in unison in its direction. There, standing framed by the doorway, was a woman Kaito recognized. It was impossible to forget those eyes—so pale they were practically white.
"Sukino-san."
TBC