OKAY, next chapter!
Argh, school is almost here! To everyone who's reading this right now:
Since my classes start on June 14th, 2005, I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to write more DSQ fics for a while…School comes first, after all. But anyway, if I DO have time, I'll write. Just don't expect me to post as quickly or as often…
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE SCHOOL Q.
Chapter 10: Labyrinthine Headquarters
Kinta flexed his muscles and grinned at the pile of knocked out Pluto members before him.
"Told you I'd handle it," said Kinta with a tone of superiority.
"Sure, but you ran like a baby before you could 'handle' it," said Kazuma, scoffing.
"What was that!" said Kinta, raising his fist at Kazuma.
Kazuma rolled his eyes. "Where do we go now?"
"You're the one with the computer, find us a way to wherever we're supposed to place these things," said Kinta, holding up a batch of the miniature bombs that Mr. Nanami had handed them.
"All right, all right, I'll handle it," said the boy genius.
"You'd better hurry it up, more of them are coming," said Kinta, seeing more Pluto members at the end of the corridor.
"Just keep them away from me for a minute, I'm busy," said Kazuma, sitting down to concentrate on his laptop.
Kinta began fighting Pluto members in the background while Kazuma typed into his computer at incredible speed.
One of the thugs got Kinta around the neck and began trying to suffocate him. Kinta's face went purple and his tongue stuck out. "K-Kazuma…Hurry it up," he choked out.
"Hold on a minute, Kinta," said Kazuma, completely oblivious to the fact that Kinta was practically being strangled and trying to get at the Pluto members. While he struggled using his arms to pry himself from the Pluto member's grip, he used his legs at the same time to deliver well-placed kicks into the ruffians' faces.
Finally, by stepping on the strangler's foot, Kinta managed to get free and punched the Pluto member, knocking him into the wall.
"I've got it!" said Kazuma triumphantly. He stood up proudly. "Let's go, Kinta!"
He saw the newly added knocked-out thugs. "Did something happen while I was typing?" he asked with a curious expression on his face.
Kinta, who was panting heavily like a dog, shook his head. "No, nothing happened at all," he said sarcastically.
"How do we get through this maze?" asked Kyu.
"This can help," said Meg, spotting something on the wall. "I think it's a plan of this maze. And…" She suddenly gasped.
"What is it, Meg?" asked Kyu.
She turned to him, pink orbs wide. "This maze was designed by 'The Nine-Headed Dragon'!"
"This maze was what?"
Shizuko looked at Ryuu in amazement. "Your ancestor designed this maze? And he was called what?"
"He was called 'The Nine-Headed Dragon'," explained Ryuu patiently. "And I only found out recently that he was my ancestor…and he was involved with Pluto as well. He designed The Class Q's school building."
"We're having our lessons in a place built by a Pluto member? Kind of ironic, don't you think?"
"Yes, and aside from that, Kyu and Meg got trapped in a secret room he created in the building."
"How'd you find out he was your ancestor? And his involvement with Pluto?"
"There's this old photograph of him that we found. He looks like my grandfather. And aside from that…"
Ryuu held up his wrist. "He has the Pluto symbol tattooed on his wrist. Kazuma enlarged the photo and we saw it."
"Do all Pluto members have similar tattoos?"
"Yes," Ryuu admitted.
"Where's yours?"
Ryuu suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"Never mind," said Shizuko, sensing his reluctance.
She turned to the maze. "Do you know how to get through it?"
Ryuu looked thoughtful. "Maybe."
"Do you have the maze memorized?" asked Kyu.
"Of course, Kyu. And I'm sure I can find the way out of here," Meg answered.
"Then let's go!" said Kyu excitedly.
Grabbing Meg's hand, he traipsed into the maze.
They walked down the path, squinting to see in the hazy light.
Reaching one intersection, Kyu turned to Meg. "Which way?"
Meg closed her eyes, envisioning the maze plan. "Right, then after the second turn, left."
"All right," said Kyu. They began walking, stopping once in a while so that Meg could think.
All of a sudden they reached what seemed to be a dead end.
"I thought you said to turn left at that last fork," said Kyu.
"That's not supposed to be a dead end," said Meg nervously.
They moved forward and sighed in relief. There was a turn.
"This light isn't too good," said Kyu.
"This way," said Meg.
Kyu was only too happy to follow.
Shizuko and Ryuu were getting more than just a little frustrated.
"Are you sure it's this way?" asked Shizuko. She had laid off on the sarcasm and was now just focusing on getting out of this maze.
"No," admitted Ryuu.
Shizuko sighed. "I wish that there had been a plan of some sort at the entrance."
"There wasn't, unfortunately," said Ryuu, taking another wrong turn and leading them to a dead end.
"I wonder how deep we are in this maze," said Shizuko, looking over her shoulder.
"This light makes it even harder to navigate," said Ryuu with a sigh.
"This is serious," Shizuko said quietly. "If we don't get out of here—"
"We'll be stuck here forever," finished Ryuu, looking a bit worried.
"And we're not even sure how to get back to the beginning," said Shizuko.
Ryuu sighed. "This is getting tiresome."
"I wish we could see over the top of these walls," said Shizuko. "Then we'd know which way to go and how deep we are."
The walls were higher than Ryuu's head, and he was an inch or two taller than she was.
She sighed.
Ryuu seemed to have been struck with an idea. "Maybe you can," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.
He looked her up and down, then measured the wall's height mentally.
She looked at him with a confused expression. He continued to look at the wall, then at her, then back at the wall.
He remained silent for a time.
Then, suddenly…
"Climb on my shoulders."
"What?"
"Climb on my shoulders," Ryuu repeated.
Shizuko's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."
"I am."
"No way."
"Just do it," said Ryuu. "You don't want to be stuck here forever either."
"Fine," Shizuko said. "Don't drop me," she warned.
"I won't," Ryuu said. Interlacing his fingers, he created a brace for Shizuko to step on, and she climbed onto his shoulders.
She sat on his shoulders for a few moments, trying to reach the top of the wall. "I need to go higher," she said.
"Stand on my shoulders, then."
"Are you sure? You okay down there?"
"I'm perfectly fine. Go."
She brought her feet under her, and one fluid motion, she stood on his shoulders. She felt dizzy at this height already, and nearly swayed.
Swallowing, she looked out over the walls of the maze. What she saw stunned her.
The walls interlocking with each other created an amazing number of twists, turns, and dead ends. A labyrinth that was a geometrical revolution.
"We're almost there," she told Ryuu. "Just a few more turns, I think."
She carefully climbed off his shoulders. "Thanks."
Ryuu brushed himself off, nodded, then motioned for her to continue on their way.
Kyu and Meg had escaped the maze quite easily.
"We made it," said Kyu. "Your photographic memory is amazing, Meg!"
"It's nothing," said Meg, flushing with embarrassment.
"So what is this place?" asked Kyu.
They had reached another cluster of hallways. However, it was a contrast to the hallways in the house they had come from. Everything down here was…rigid, precise. The walls seemed to have been chrome plated. The floor was made of marble, smooth and having an almost glassy shine.
"This place looks like some kind of lab," said Kyu.
"It probably is, since Pluto has all sorts of technology. And so well hidden," remarked Meg.
"I wonder how many people have died trying to infiltrate this place," Kyu mused.
"You don't think we're going to die here, too, do you?" said Meg, worried.
"No, of course not," said Kyu, with a forced laugh.
When Meg still looked upset, Kyu put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on Meg, you don't have to worry, we'll get out of this alive. I promise that."
Despite her anxiety, Meg smiled. "Thanks, Kyu."
Rants: Gaaaah, I have to stop here again. I'll try to get to the action scenes in the next chapters.
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