Tokyo: 9:10
Panay: 8:10
'Who the-' Eri questioned internally as her started to ring. Ran made no movement to show that she noticed the ringing. After reaching into her pocket and fishing out her phone she flipped it open
"Moshi?"
"Eri" Kogoro's gruff came through the earpiece of Eri's phone and sent a shiver down her spine
"Kogoro! Where are you? What's going on? Are you alright?" she ranted, resulting in a loss of breath
"A woman your age shouldn't be under that much stress, you could have a heart attack" a large vein protruded from her forehead as genuine concern for her husband quickly morphed into fury
"A woman my age? When I get my hands on you I'll-" she stopped her raving when she noticed Kogoro was not huffing back at her like he usually did. She took a deep breath and smiled, allowing the gentleness in her voice to return "I'm glad to hear you're alright" Kogoro smiled internally
"How's Ran?" Eri turned her head to look at her daughter only to discover that she had fallen asleep. It was understandable considering how stressful the last few days had been
"She's fine" Kogoro breathed a sigh of relief and then a small sound coming from the receiver of his phone caused his ear to prick up
"Eri I can hear the car running where are you going?" he asked, causing a droplet of sweat to glide down Eri's temple 'Why did he have to pick now to be perceptive?'
"Well you see dear we were just heading over to the local Ramen shop, we were both hungry too tired to cook" she explained, manufacturing an incredibly artificial laugh. Kogoro grunted, seemingly annoyed by his wife's sad attempt at a fib
"First of all there are only two times when you call me 'dear', and that's when you're angry or when you're lying. Secondly I know we have plenty of microwave meals at the agency, so convenience isn't a viable excuse for eating out" 'Why can't he be this intelligent on cases?' she thought, irritation quickly setting in as her husband rapidly picked apart her story
"Okay Ran and I were on our way to the…airport" a shot of rage and fear shot through Kogoro's body
"Eri, I want you to go back to the agency right now" he demanded using a much more stern tone than usual
"We both agreed that we can't just sit around and wait anymore. We want to help" Kogoro began to fume at the thought of his two precious women in danger
"This isn't something you can help with now go back home! I don't want either of you here!" the harshness of his tone and the volume of his words sent Eri into a tizzy
"It's not your decision, if we want to go then we're going!"
"Woman!"
"We're going and that's final!"
"Woman if you come out here and get yourself hurt I'll never forgive myself!" the sincerity of his words caught Eri off guard and her angry quickly dissipated. She sat there for a moment, try hard not to lose track of where she was on the road. It was a rare occurrence when her husband genuinely beat her in a verbal spar, and yet she could not think of a single word to respond with
"I…"
"No, I want you to go home and take Ran with you. I should be home by tomorrow" and with that Kogoro hung up, leaving Eri to mull over his words. As the significance of what he had said began to sink in she noticed a large flood of lights in the oncoming distance 'There's the airport…'
"Shinichi…" Ran mumbled into neverending blackness, attempting to call out for the one she longed for more than any. After she received no response she repeated his name, this time at the top of her lungs with traces of desperation. Then, slowly an image began to materialize before her. She strode forward, knowing full well who it was. After a few long steps she reached the tall teenager and wrapped her arms around him
"Ran…" he whispered sweetly into her ear, as if nothing else could have made him happier
"Shinichi I was so worried about you, thank goodness you're okay" she cried, tightening her hold on his torso. He smiled down on her with softened eyes that he reserved just for her
"Ran, you need to go home" he stated with unfaltering conviction. She pulled her head out from his chest and looked up at him
"What are you…" before she could finish her question the reality of everything around crashed down. This was a dream, he wasn't real but what he said was. As if to confirm her suspicions he smiled again at her, warming her heart even despite the unreality of the interaction. Before she could respond her make believe Shinichi began to disappear before her eyes. She reached out desperately, trying to preserve that which she knew had to go away. As the last specks of his form vanished she lurched up in her seat, shaking her head as reality came back into focus
"Ran are you okay?" Eri asked, concerned with the abruptness of her daughter's arousal
"I'm fine, but kasan'…" she started, feeling almost guilty for what she had to say "I think we should go home" Eri seemed surprised at first but then smiled warmly at the suggestion
"Me too Ran"
"Kudo!" Heiji yelled in Shinichi's ear after watching him stare off into nothing for a few seconds
"Why are you yelling do you want to get caught?" Heiji was fuming but by some miracle he was able to keep himself from punching his fellow detective
"Look" Heiji grunted, trying to hold in the slew of obscenities he wanted to unleash. Shinichi looked in the direction Heiji was indicating
"Vodka? Wait where's Gin?" Heiji chuckled slightly to himself then replied
"Let's just say we have an ally among us" Shinichi turned to Heiji with a confused expression. He opened his mouth to inquire further but was cut off by the sound of Vodka hitting the floor. Heiji and Shinichi's eyes widened as the Moonlight Magician himself appeared behind the fallen assassin
"Kaito KID!" Shinichi exclaimed, causing Heiji to wince at the volume
"What'd you just say about yelling Aho?" Shinichi realized his hypocrisy and brought his emotions under control. In unison the two detectives walked through the door they had been hidden behind and made their way toward the thief
"Gentleman" KID started, using his elegant language as he usually did
"Save it KID, what are you doing here?" Shinichi asked brusquely. KID shrugged his shoulders and flipped his hands in the air
"You think you're the only person who's involved with these people" Heiji and Shinichi now shared a mutual theory about the man before them as his words were processed in their analytical minds
"So all along you were working for them, I should have put that together. Although I must admit you didn't strike me as the sort of criminal to respect authority" KID grinned at the presumptuous nature of the detectives
"Given your usually infallible logic I am surprised to see you make such a claim" Shinichi's expression did not falter even despite the surge of new questions that swirled around in his head
"Wait Kudo" Heiji started, as if to signal it was his turn to deduce. When he was satisfied the floor was his he pulled at the bill of his cap and slacked his shoulders "It's possible KID is here for the same reason we are" Shinichi quirked a quizzical brow at him "If I'm correct you're no older than eighteen, am I right?' he asked, turning his gaze to KID. KID shuddered a little at the inquiry
"What would make you th-"
"Not only am I certain of this, but I'm also almost positive I know your real identity" although they didn't express it, both KID and Shinichi were astonished
"So Mouri-kun, how's Eri-kun doing?" Kogoro shook his head and grunted tiredly
"That woman is going to drive both of us into the ground" he stated, no evidence of humor in his voice. Megure took this to mean the conversation hadn't gone too well.
"Well Mouri-kun I think I'll call Midori now" Kogoro nodded and with that Megure walked off. A few minutes passed and Kogoro became so immersed in his thoughts and the target he was currently observing that he took no note of the presence behind him
"So far so good" Hidemi said with an air of cheerfulness and relief as the team of officers crossed into their third room. Despite their success Sato still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Their new leader's words were still replaying in her head
"Ready Camel-san?" Camel nodded and entered the next room ahead of them. This room was different than the other three in that it contained no equipment on objects of any kind. Aside from a door and few creases on the floor the room was completely barren. In addition the door to enter the room was a sliding door, as opposed to the knobbed doors they had seen before
"You two next" Hidemi said, indicating Shiratori and Chiba. They nodded in compliance and want on ahead, leaving just Hidemi, Sato and Takagi. After a few seconds Hidemi received the go ahead from Camel "Now you" she said, pointing to Takagi. He nodded and started to walk ahead. When Sato moved Hidemi held her arm out to stop her
"What's this about?" Sato asked with a sharp edge on her tone
"We'll go after" she stated concisely. Sato huffed but made no physical effort to progress forward. While she did comply, Sato couldn't help but feel an ache in her chest as her fiancé went on without her. She wanted to be by his side, no matter where he went. Her thoughts were cut off when she noticed a small light on Hidemi's wrist light up. 'Has she been wearing that watch the whole time?'
"What's th-" she was cut off by Hidemi's straightened hand making brute contact with her neck. Before she could evaluate her situation her vision went fuzzy and she fell to the floor with a thud. Hearing this Takagi swung his head around just in time to see the door slam shut
"Well if you are certain, please enlighten me. I can't see those two causing us any trouble" Heiji's smirk at that moment matched KID's perfectly, except his wasn't a bluff
"Well after the last heist I witnessed on television I observed something. Your face." KID and Shinichi both seemed confused by the lead in "There's almost no evidence of facial hair growth around your chin or your cheeks. Normally even if someone shaves often there is still stubble or at least a shadow" Shinichi nodded to himself as he took Heiji's points into consideration
"A close shave is out of the question then?" KID asked coyly, failing to phase the ever-determined Heiji
"That's not all. I found it strange that a renowned thief like you would take such a long hiatus, so I did some research and found that the Kaito KID from ten years had a few key differences from you" at this point a bead of sweat ran down KID's chin 'There was only one difference, and I explained that at the first heist. What could he possibly know?'
"Oh great tantei please continue" KID said obnoxiously, masking his legitimate anxiety
"Despite your previous explanation for your reasoning I still took into consideration the fact that you return the treasures you steal while the first KID did not. In addition I found that your movement while using your hang glider is significantly less efficient than it was ten years ago. At first I thought it may have been due to the time you had gone without using it, but in light of this new information I suspect it's simply because you weren't as good as your father, Kuroba-san"
"Sato-san!" Takagi roared vehemently at the closed door, banging his fists against it. Against his better judgment Shiratori did not intervene. Instead he took to conversing with Camel and figuring out what had happened
"Camel-san, what's going on?" he asked curtly, choosing to bypass pleasantries given their predicament
"I have a few ideas. It could be that we simply fell into a trap set by them" Shiratori shook his head doubtfully
"If that were true, why would Hondou-san insist on going in toward the end? Especially since she'd gone in close to the front every time before this" Camel gave a nod of acknowledgment
"I thought that too. As much as I'd like to think otherwise there have been instances where undercover operatives have been compromised by their surroundings due to increased exposure. Even Akai-san nearly lost himself when he began seeing that Miyano Akemi"
"If you're right then this has been a set up from the beginning" Camel sighed and ran his hands through his hair
"There is another option" he started, causing Shiratori's eyes to light up with the faintest glint of hope
"What is it?"
"Well, if this mission goes beyond my rank in the FBI then it's possible that she's simply keeping her cover by capturing us. If that's the case then our detention is part of a much larger scheme" Shiratori rubbed his chin a few times then nodded and decided to walk over tend to his emotionally crippled comrade
"There it is" Vermouth as Jodie said, jerking her head up to point at the door to their immediate right. Jodie as Vermouth took a breathe and, in a stroke of faith, revealed the key to Vermouth's handcuffs and released her. Vermouth rose from her hunched over position and quickly began massaging her wrists
"This is it" Jodie whispered to herself as she loaded her sidearm
"That's it, that's your plan? You're going to run in and take him by force?" Vermouth asked, almost giggling. Jodie's eyebrow twitched as images of Vermouth bloody on the ground ran rampant in her mind's eye
"Do you have a better one?" she asked, earning a grin from Vermouth
"Of course I do silly Jodie-kun. You go in as me, then I surprise you and pull a gun out. You scamper over to him and point your gun at me. He won't even see it coming when you blow his head off" Vermouth seemed completely elated about her plan, but Jodie's face was stern and serious
"We can't do that, it's my job to arrest this man. If he dies here then all of his crimes go unatoned for" Vermouth seemed moderately annoyed by the naiveté of such a distinguished officer
"You think you can just handcuff him and walk him out the door? This is the head of a multi million dollar crime syndicate, not some drug lord. If you don't kill him he'll get away and that will be more bodies on your hands" Jodie meditated on Vermouth's point momentarily but was snapped back into reality when the sound of Vermouth loading her clip into her 9" echoed through the corridor
"What are you doing?" Jodie snapped, unnerved by the idea of her enemy in life holding a loaded weapon so close to her
"Allow me to make this simple" she thrust her head forward, bring her sultry lips within centimeters of Jodie's ear "Either you kill him, or I'll kill you"
"Father?" Shinichi exclaimed, shocked by the seemingly outrageous claim
"You caught me, my father was a famous hang glider" KID responded sarcastically, vigilantly keep up his façade
"No, your father was a magician just like you. In my research I found that the last KID heist ten years ago happened just two days before the tragic death of the legendary magician Kuroba Toichi. He had a son, Kaito, who in recent years has been noted for his ability to do magic. I put two and two together, but I do have one question to ask you" Heiji paused to lock eyes with KID, noticing the youthful blue in them "Your father's death, it wasn't an accident was it?" Upon hearing these words Kaito felt his muscles go weak 'Damn these detectives, how the hell could he have figured all that out, he's never even talked to me and I know he hasn't seen me as myself'
"The pause only serves to verify Hattori's theory" Shinichi added as the magician racked his brain for a witty excuse or comeback. After a extensive silence between them he finally said
"I suppose letting you in on the secret isn't too big of a deal since I'm retiring after tonight"
Kogoro's concentration had been on the complex in front of him until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He immediately realized it was far to thin and boney to be Megure's. Not knowing what to do, he put his hands over his head and tied to control his increasingly constricted breathing 'This is it? This is how the great Mouri Kogoro's life comes to an end?' As he tried to cope with his untimely passing, the hand let up and a small chuckle came from behind him. He quickly swung around to see what the joke
"Oi who the hell do think you are?" he roared in aggravation
"I'm James Black of the FBI, and this is Akai Shuuichi"
