File 10

"We're back!" Heiji called as he stepped back into the house, shaking the access water off his umbrella with one hand while dropping a bag of luggage on the floor. "The rain has lightened a bit. That's good news, eh?"

"Good news?" He winced as Kazuha's voice retorted behind him. She sauntered past Heiji haughtily. "Yeah, it's good news to you that I decided not to kill you for hiding from me."

"Kudo needed help, what am I suppose to do?" Heiji retorted.

"Tell me the truth, that's what!" Kazuha snapped. "You're such an idiot."

"How was I suppose to tell you the truth when you were going to kill me? You're the one who's an idiot!"

"Oi, oi…this isn't a place to fight," Shinichi said with a sweat drop, walking up to them with his hands in his pockets.

Kazuha saw him, and immediately turned red. "Oh! Er, konnichiwa, Kudo-kun," she said with a nervous laugh. "Where's Ran-chan? How is she?"

"Ran's in the kitchen, she's doing better now." Shinichi frowned. "I'm really not sure whether you should be here, Kazuha-chan. It's really dangerous, you know."

"Hey, wherever Ran has to deal with, I will deal with it too," Kazuha retorted.

"Kazuha-chan?" They all turned to see Ran staggering out of the kitchen, coughing slightly. She smiled wanly. "You're here!"

"Ran-chan!" Kazuha ran up to her and hugged her. "I heard you're sick! How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine, Kazuha, thanks. What are you doing here?"

"Keeping those two out of trouble, what else?"

"More like us keeping you two out of trouble," Shinichi said haughtily, but the girls did not hear him.

Heiji tugged Shinichi's sleeve. "Kudo," he hissed, pulling him nearer. "I have a feeling someone's watching us."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Heiji just nodded his head towards the window. Shinichi glanced out without turning his head. What he saw made his blood run cold. It was what he always feared of.

Parked across the street, was a black car. A very familiar black car. The windows were tinted, but Shinichi had a very good idea who was in it.

"Is it them?" Heiji whispered.

"Ah…it's definitely them," Shinichi whispered back, a very solemn look on his face. "I don't get it. How could they have found this place?" His eyes widened. "I didn't wear the cap and glasses on my way back---maybe they saw me and followed!" He hit his head with the heel of his hand. "How could I have been so careless?!"

"You aren't careless, you just didn't expect it," Heiji insisted. "Listen, maybe we can make a break of it before they crash it down on us…"

"What are you talking about?"

Both boys jumped when they heard Shiho's voice. They turned to see her looking at them in boredom. Shinichi and Heiji looked at each other with sweat drops, almost as if they were expecting answers on each other's face. "Um, we, er---"

"Fine, don't answer then," Shiho said, walking past them to the window.

"Ahh---NO!" they exclaimed together.

It was too late. Shiho saw what she should not have seen. Her eyes widened, her hand flew up to her mouth as she stumbled away from the window, almost tripping. Shinichi quickly caught her and dragged her away from the window while Heiji pulled the curtains. Shinichi held Shiho up, looking at her in her fearful eyes.

"T-they're here!" she croaked. "They found us! I knew we can't last long here!"

"Calm down, Haibara!" Shinichi hissed. "It's not over yet! If we hurry, we can still make it out of here!"

"B-but they'll find us again---"

"So what? We'll prepare for it! Don't run away from your fate, Haibara! DON'T---GIVE---UP!"

Shiho's eyes looked as if they were searching him. Finally, she nodded anxiously. Shinichi set his jaws. "Good! Now, Ran and Kazuha should come with us to---"

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Everyone froze. They stared at the phone as it rang on its hook, as if expecting it to jump out of them like a ghost. Ring, ring…ring, ring…

Heiji stumbled over all of the sudden, and picked up the receiver. "M-moshi moshi!" he croaked in a slightly different voice.

"I want to speak to Kudo Shinichi…"

The voice was so cold that Heiji shivered. He lowered the receiver, holding a hand over the mouthpiece. "I-I think it's them!" he hissed. "Somehow, they got this number!"

"What does he want?" Shinichi demanded.

"Well…to speak to you."

Heiji held out the receiver. Shinichi hesitated for a second before taking it. He put it to his ear. "It's---it's me. What do you want?" he demanded.

He heard a cold snicker at the other end, making him shiver. "Glad I can finally speak to you, tantei-san…I'm very sure you know what you've gotten yourself into."

Shinichi glanced out of the window. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I do," he said calmly. "You still want my life, don't you?"

"Very clever. Or---we could make a deal."

Shinichi hesitated. "W-what deal?" he finally asked.

"I want Sherry to come back and work for us, and you to shut your mouth about us. Do that, and we'll spare both of your lives."

Shinichi lowered the phone from his ear, putting his hand over the mouthpiece. "What did he say?" Heiji demanded.

"A deal…he said if we don't want to die, Haibara has to go back and work for them, and I shut my mouth."

"NO!" Shiho shrieked, grasping Shinichi's arm. "I'm not going back to them, NEVER! Don't make me! I would rather die than work for them! Please, Kudo-kun!"

Shinichi looked at her for a moment, his eyes soft. Of course, he understood how hard it would be to return to a place where he would never want to go near again. Setting his jaw, he slowly put the receiver back to his ear, but before he could speak, he heard the voice saying again, "No need to speak. I know you wouldn't accept it, that's why we prepared your death beforehand."

Shinichi turned rigid. "D-death?!"

"We planted a bomb somewhere in that rambled little house you're hiding in. Unexpected, isn't it? We do have a way of doing things during the unknown. I'm giving you ten minutes, starting from---now." There was a soft click. "Don't even try coming out of there either. We've made sure you won't. Hurry, or the house will explode with you in it." There was an evil laughter before the line went dead.

"What's wrong, Kudo?" Heiji asked as Shinichi slammed the receiver back on its hook.

"They planted a bomb somewhere here!" he shouted angrily. "We have to find it in ten minutes!"

"Nani?!" Ran exclaimed in horror. "But who are they?!"

"Questions later, search now!" Shinichi snapped, running up the stairs. "Find every possible place or item that could be the bomb! If you find it, holler, and don't do anything until I get there!"

The search began. They overturned everything, but made sure that they were careful. Shinichi kept glancing out of the window, where he could see the car still parked in its place. Kuso…we're running out of time! We can't lose to them, we can't!

"I FOUND IT!"

As soon as Shinichi heard Kazuha's voice, he practically raced down to her. She was in the basement, Heiji, Ran and Shiho already by her side, staring at the bomb on the floor below the window. Three minutes left on the clock.

"Okay, know how to disarm this, Haibara?" Shinichi asked quickly, bending down to inspect it.

Shiho shook her head nervously. "The bombs are always too complicated, it'll be a big risk to disarm it!"

"Well, we'll just have to take it. Ran, scissors! Hattori, help me!"

Ran immediately got a pair for him. Shinichi and Heiji bent over the bomb, slowly running through the wires. "This one first," Heiji said, pointing. Shinichi held his breath and cut it. Nothing happened.

"Then this…" Snip. "That one…" Snip. "That---no, the other…" Snip.

"Okay, blue or green?" Shinichi finally asked. One minute left.

"The green one runs here, and it should probably disarm it," Heiji said, "so I suggest you cut the green---"

"No, the blue one!"

They stared at Kazuha, who looked determined. "It's the same bomb that Otou-san disarmed once," she retorted. "Cut the blue one!"

"K-Kazuha, this is serious! We don't want to make any mistake!" Heiji told her angrily.

"Well, you just have to listen to me so we won't!"

"Shinichi!" Ran said desperately.

Shinichi bit his lip, watching the numbers blinking the countdown. Ten seconds. "We don't have anymore time, Hattori! I'll just follow Kazuha's words!" he said.

Heiji blinked. "What?"

Five. Shinichi had the blue wire between the scissors' blades. Four. He glanced at Ran and the others. Three. He took a deep breath. Two. He lifted the blades. One.

Snap.

It was quiet. Nothing happened. Shinichi gasped, his heart pounding. The bomb was disarmed.

"Yat---YATTA!" Ran exclaimed happily, hugging Kazuha. "Kazuha, you're a genius!"

"That was close," Heiji muttered, wiping his brows. "Now what?"

"Now this."

They all spun around when they heard the cold voice behind them. Shiho immediately backed into Shinichi, who grasped her and steadied her. Heiji stood in front of Ran and Kazuha, gritting his teeth.

Gin stood at the doorway with Vodka and another two men behind him, all pointing their guns at them.