Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: T

Collection Summary: In an infinite number of universes, they still always manage to find each other. A KaiShin sci-fi collection. (This is the science fiction counterpart to the Different Suns collection)

Chapter Summary: They were created to be weapons and tools without pasts or futures of their own. But it's time for that to change. Together, they're going to grasp their freedom.

Skyline

[Experiment Verse]

Part 4

Kaito wasn't back yet.

Shinichi sat alone at the dining table in their cozy, underground base with a mug of now lukewarm tea in his hands. Heiji and Saguru were fast asleep on two of the bunk beds. Neither had had any trouble dropping off, partly because the day had been long and partly because they knew they needed the rest if they were going to be at their best when they were needed. Shinichi knew that he should be sleeping too, but his nerves were stretched too tight for sleep at the moment.

The only sound in the little cabin was that of Shiho's fingers tapping away at the keyboard as she completed the last of the computer work she had to do to get them established in their new identities.

New identities…

Shinichi shook his head, rolling the idea over and over in his mind as he tried to come to terms with it.

"Kudo Shinichi." He mouthed the name then whispered it under his breath to get a feel for it. It sounded…right somehow. And the sound of it sent an unfamiliar thrill up his spine.

It was strange what a difference a thing as simple as a name could make, he thought. Just that morning, he had been Shinichi, just Shinichi, the Organization's creation. Their pawn. Nothing but a tool to be kept and used however they saw fit. But now he was Kudo Shinichi, a young man fresh out of college and looking to begin building a real life and career for himself.

None of it felt real. Not yet.

But he was here now. They all were. And maybe, just maybe, this would work.

Still, part of him couldn't help but be afraid that this was some kind of dream or possibly even a trick.

"I can practically hear you worrying," Shiho's quiet voice said, cutting through the stillness and making Shinichi jump. He looked up to see that she had swiveled around in her chair to watch him. The computer screen behind her showed the live feed from one of the cameras they had mounted outside. He studied the image, searching for signs of movement but finding nothing. No sign of pursuit, but no sign of Kaito either.

Shiho followed his gaze. "He'll be fine, you know. He was made for this sort of work."

"I know," Shinichi said just as softly, not wishing to disturb their sleeping companions. "I just… It's hard not to worry," he admitted finally.

The girl nodded slowly. "It's not just Kaito you're worried about though, is it?"

His breath left him in a reluctant sigh, and he looked down into his mug as he tried to sort his thoughts into words. It helped that he had always found Shiho to be relatively easy to talk to. Like Kaito, she had always felt like family to him, perhaps because he knew that she had never looked at him or any of the others as anything other than human. She saw them for who they were, and that was a gift that every one of them knew was to be treasured.

"I guess it just seems like it was—is—too easy," he said finally. "This morning…and then now, it's all just different. It's too sudden, and it feels like there should be so much more we should have to go through." He grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not making much sense."

"Not really," Shiho agreed, a small, amused quirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "But I think I understand. You're tense and worried that none of this is going to work out because it feels to you like all we've done is run away. And we all know that the Organization put a lot of thought into how to stop prized resources like yourself from running away."

Shinichi flinched at the bluntness of the assessment but nodded. "You're right. It's rash, isn't it? Just removing the chips and running. They must have considered we'd try that someday."

"Maybe, maybe not. Recall that, without an authorized assistant to perform the surgery, removing those chips would have resulted in a shock to your system designed specifically to render you immobile and alerted someone to retrieve you. They may not have anticipated you could find the necessary help. But really, it mostly seems easy and rash to you because you only became aware of the plan as we were putting the last of it into motion. Believe me, we've been working on the groundwork for a very, very long time. My…my sister." Shiho had to pause to clear her throat as she gazed around at the warmly lit walls and clean, wooden furniture. "It began with her. And my grandfather. There have always been a few of us who work in the labs who realized something wasn't right. And that something might have to be done. We thought about it, and we prepared. And we knew you four would be coming, so we waited."

She sighed, turning back to the computer and flipping to a different live feed from a different camera to check the other side of the cabin. "We are running now, but we are not running alone. There are those who saw this coming and will cover for us as long as they can. And there are those who have already begun to try and dig deeper into the darkness to find a way to destroy the chains that bind this awful organization together. They might even call on us one day, but, for now, they know that we have chosen freedom. That we are able to choose freedom. And that sends a message too to the men in the shadows."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Shinichi said, frowning. "Are you saying that someone in the organization helped you help us escape?"

Shiho only shook her head. "I can't answer that. Not now. Just know that this is an opportunity for us. All of us. To life how we want to. We shouldn't waste it. And we shouldn't let fear of discovery hold us back either because the more we live, the more we become a true part of the lives of the communities we wish to embrace, the less anyone will be able to claim that any of you are mere experiments."

"And as for the rashness, you know none of us would be here if we didn't believe we had a chance. We'd laid our own traps and groundwork to make sure this goes smoothly. We couldn't tell you about them before, but they're there. You just have to trust us. Do you think you can do that?"

Shinichi took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "I do trust you," he said, and he meant it. "It's just a lot to take in."

Shiho snorted. "I'm sure it is. But keep in mind, this is only the beginning. Now, if you're planning on waiting for Kaito, I'd appreciate it if you could take over watching the security feeds. I could use some sleep."

"Of course."

-0-

The creature could, Kaito supposed, be called a dog if you were very loose about your definition of a dog. It was roughly dog shaped in body, head, and feet, but its paws were more like those of a cat with long, wickedly sharp claws that could be extended or retracted. Its tail, however, was long and whip-like and had a thin, curved blade of a spike near the end of it. The animal's body was also coated in an unnatural, mottled green and gray fur that made it blend into the landscape. All except for its bright yellow eyes.

If he hadn't known exactly what he was looking for, Kaito might have missed it as it slithered through the forest underbrush below the tree in which he was perched. But he did know what he was looking for.

He had seen the animal before with its brethren. It had been only once several years ago, and it had not been a pleasant experience. It hadn't been meant to be. Their handlers had wanted him and Shinichi to know what monsters lay in the shadows waiting for them if they misbehaved. They'd been forced to watch the beasts maul a terrified monkey and literally rip it to bloody shreds.

Those memories danced through the back of Kaito's mind as he lifted the small, silenced gun Shiho had provided him and aimed.

His shot took it through the eye.

He'd always had flawless aim.

Then he dropped to the ground and approached the body with care, making sure he was cloaked all the way.

It didn't take long for him to check that the animal was dead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to it before rising. He had no love for the creatures, but, looking at it now, he found he had some fellow feeling. It too had been created to serve someone else's purpose. And unlike them, it hadn't even been given the luxury of intelligence and companionship that he and Shinichi had had. They had been made to be mindless, vicious animals and nothing more.

Anyone who missed the animal would do so not because of who it had been but only because of the resources lost.

Shinichi would have called it tragic. And Kaito found that he thought the same.

Shaking his head, he turned and set off through the forest. He had only one more beast to take care of. That was good. But it worried him that all of them had made it this far—this close. He would need to discuss that with the others.

-0-

The computer beeped and an alert popped up, informing Shinichi that there had and still was shifting of weight on the cabin floorboards. He quickly switched the security screen to the one showing the inside of the cabin. He saw nothing, but the sensors condintued to indicate increased weight on the floor.

And because he couldn't see anything in any spectrum, he knew it had to be Kaito. Kaito could hide himself from all kinds of sensors, but he couldn't levitate.

The false lid covering the secret key panel opened apparently on its own, confirming Shinichi's assumption that Kaito was back. Even so, the knot of tension in his stomach didn't ease until Kaito blinked into view seemingly out of nowhere at the foot of the entry ladder. He studied Kaito carefuly, searching for signs of injury.

"I'm not hurt," Kaito said before he could ask, flashing him a quick, bright smile. ""They never even knew I was there. But," he continued, smile dropping. "We do need to go back over our plans. They got closer in the time they had than we expected."

Shinichi winced, eyes going back to the computer screen.

"It could have been coincidence though," Kaito added, padding silently up behind Shinichi's chair and carefuly placing his hands on the smaller boy's shoulders. "And I got them all, so we have time."

Shinichi nodded slowly. He was still worried, he couldn't help it, but after his talk with Shiho, well… He did trust his friends. And he didn't want to waste this opportunity worrying. It wouldn't be fair to any of them. But he would also make sure they were careful.

"Do you think we should have changed our names completely like Shiho did though?" he wondered aloud.

"We thought about it," Kaito replied. "But none of our names are unusual. Better to stick with names we won't hesitate to respond to. Shiho did change some of the kanji though just to be safe."

Shinichi nodded again and had to smile. Like Shiho had said, his friends knew what they were doing. He had to trust that—and them.

There was a rustling and Heiji's voice commented, "You're back. How'd it go?"

"Well, obviously," Kaito said with a dismissive wave. "Piece of cake."

Heiji laughed good-naturedly as he got up and stretched. "I can take a turn on watch then. You two get some sleep. Just give me a moment." That said, he disappeared into the bathroom.

Kaito offered Shinichi his hand and smiled when the smaller boy took it. He pulled Shinichi to his feet then lifted his gloved hand to his lips, brushing a light kiss across the back of Shinichi's knuckles. He felt a thrill when Shinichi didn't pull away. Instead, the boy blushed and gave his hand a squeeze in return.

The future was uncertain, and they still had a lot of work to do. But tonight, for now, they could afford to take a moment to appreciate the fact that they were here, and they were free.

-End For Now-