We Are the Men in Black

by Velgamidragon

AU inspired by DragonlordRynn's "Black". The Organization is secretly the Japanese branch of the Men in Black and APTX-4869 was intentionally made to shrink its victim. Kudo was shrunk for his own protection, and Sherry shrunk to protect Dr. Agasa and go into hiding. Vermouth was behaving suspiciously as of late, and Gin was determined to find out and expose her secret agenda.

26. Pandora's Gift

Author's Note: Alright, so it took me another six months to finish a new chapter, but in my defense, I was at least still writing the whole time even if working on other projects. So, good news and bad news. The good news is: the story's almost over! The bad news is: the story's almost over. And by almost over, I mean there's only one chapter left. I'm both amazed and saddened by this revelation because I've been working on this story for approaching nearly four years. Now, that being said, there were some things that I wanted to wrap up for characters that would extend uncomfortably far past the climax, so I decided that I'll wrap up several things with the next chapter and leave it at a good stopping point, but then create a small sequel story that will focus on those character interactions to give them more closure.

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Pandora's Gift

What was happening? Vermouth had taken several shortcuts in her natural form that were inaccessible to humanoid figures in order to reach her intended destination, but she was back in human form now and positioned exactly where she wanted to be. Yet, she was worried because she couldn't feel either Rum or Vodka connected to her anymore. It felt just like when Curaçao broke free from her mind control, but how? Her drug was perfect now, and there was no way her victims should be able to break free of it. Were they dead? That seemed unlikely.

Then Sherry's voice sounded over the intercom revealing what she had done and hot fury simmered deep in Vermouth's core. Sherry. That girl was interfering again. Amidst her hatred, Vermouth experienced a niggling of worry. Her victims shouldn't be able to break free of the mind control drug on their own, but if Sherry had created an antidote… Vermouth didn't see how she could have without having the serum to work with, but… She smirked, and it was a look that made Russian winters look warm. She would have to deal with the girl after she finished dealing with Gin now that she could resume the original plan she concocted for him nine years ago. Perhaps she could even use Gin to deal with his favorite plaything.

()()()()()

"The only way we'll be able to deactivate the missiles now is to go to the missile launch room where a mind-controlled Mr. Karasuma is waiting for us," Bourbon groaned.

"Is that a problem?" Kazami asked. "If it's only one person, then-"

"Mr. Karasuma is rumored to be a formidable opponent despite his advanced age," Haibara interrupted with a grimace. "I've heard tell that only Rum has ever beaten him, and rarely at that."

Kazami's face was significantly paler as he glanced over at the unconscious Rum. "So… what can we do?"

"The only thing we can do. We still need to stop the missiles from being launched and administer the serum antidote to the boss, regardless of how difficult that will be," Bourbon said grimly.

"If we need to send someone with an antidote, then that would be either you, Kir, or Gin," Sherry said. "Let's take a look at the security cameras and determine where everyone is in relation to the missile room."

They all migrated over to the huge wall of TVs and searched for their comrades. Bourbon was the first to find any.

"There are the FBI agents Starling and Camel with what looks like the Professor," he said.

"What?" Haibara said distracted.

He pointed and, sure enough, it was Dr. Agasa, but what- how did he get here and why?

Bourbon seemed to guess her thoughts for he said, "Perhaps Vermouth captured him as a hostage against Conan before he reached the safety of the Mouris."

That had to be it. Haibara resumed searching her own section of the wall when Kazami said, "Hey, there's that Akai fellow."

"Alone?" Bourbon inquired and went over to take a look.

"Seems so. There's no one else on the screen," he said.

He'd been separated from Gin and Kudo, and Haibara felt a thrill of apprehension. Together, they were formidable, but alone, especially with Gin in his current emotional state… She searched frantically for the smallest flicker of silver, scanning certain screens on a hunch. She heard Bourbon announce he'd found Vodka near Akai's location, though he was lying prostrate on the ground, but she was too focused to spare more than quick relief that it probably meant he'd received the antidote too.

She finally found him, his strides long and purposeful as he stalked down the hallway, glaring death at the world, and when she shifted her gaze to what must be his intended destination, she gasped. Karasuma's office wasn't empty. The man himself was sitting in the high-backed chair behind the long desk, but that wasn't possible unless…

"Bourbon, Mr. Kazami, help me find the screen for the missile launch room! Quickly!" she yelled.

They didn't question her directive and searched avidly until Bourbon let out an exclamation. "Here!"

Just as they'd suspected, Karasuma was also there.

"One of them is Vermouth," she said. At their startled looks, she pointed at the office screen. "Unless there's a looped image on the screen, then Mr. Karasuma's both in his office and the missile launch room, and only one of them can be real. It could even be that Vermouth obtained the relevant data from Mr. Karasuma so she could manage the launch herself if something were to happen here at the CCS."

Bourbon swore softly. "So we need to send someone with an antidote to the missile room and Mr. Karasuma's office?"

"Gin's already on his way to the latter," she said, pointing him out to the others.

"Well, that's something at least," he muttered. "Where's Kir? I'll go down to the missile room myself if I have to, but if she's closer, it'll be faster to send her."

"Is she the woman with the long ponytail, squiggly bangs, and sharp blue eyes?" Kazami asked.

"Yes, that's her," said Haibara.

"Ah, then is that her here?"

She and Bourbon looked, and Haibara started. "It is, and she's in the R&D labs!"

"Fantastic, she's already close by!" Bourbon said then his eyes lit up further. "And Conan doesn't look to be too far from there either."

He was right. Kudo was alone and obviously had no idea where he was going, but his wanderings had taken him to the part of the building almost entirely dedicated to various scientific endeavors ranging from biology and chemistry to engineering and programming.

"We could have him and Kir meet up and go to the launch room together," Haibara said. "If that person is really Vermouth, then she'll be handicapped being unable to hurt him, and even if it's not Vermouth, Edogawa is very resourceful and would be helpful to Kir."

"I agree; that boy is ridiculously clever," Bourbon said. "If you wouldn't mind contacting him to inform him of the new plan and help direct him to Kir, I'll do the same for her."

"Um, what should I do?" Kazami asked.

"Keep an eye on Gin, Vodka, Akai, and the two Karasumas," said Haibara.

Kazami glanced at his boss, but Bourbon didn't countermand her directive, so Kazami nodded and fixed his attention on the relevant screens. Since they had control of the CCS and didn't have to worry about their communications being overheard, Haibara wasted no time in using her earpiece to contact Kudo.

"Hello, Kudo, I see you're still alive," she said by way of greeting.

"Ah, Haibara. Yeah, I've managed, but I got separated from Gin and Mr. Akai. Vermouth had kidnapped the Professor and was trying to use him as a bargaining chip to force me to leave, but he's safe now with Ms. Jodie and Mr. Camel," he said.

"I know, I saw that on the security camera, but I'm not just calling to check up on you. We have both good news and bad news. The good news is that we know Vermouth's plan and where she and the boss are located. The bad news is that she intends to blow up all other existing MiB locations starting with the one in America, and the missile launch can only be deactivated from the room itself where either Vermouth or Mr. Karasuma is guarding it."

"Of course they are…" Conan groaned. "… but what do you mean 'or'? Can't you see them?"

"We see two Mr. Karasumas in different places and can't tell them apart," she explained. "You're one of the people closest to the missile launch room, can you make it there?"

"As long as you tell me how, I will," he said.

"That won't be a problem, just give me a moment to pull up the schematics for that area, and I'll direct you," she said as she started walking back to the main console to pull up the relevant information.

()()()()()

Someone was talking. Vodka couldn't tell who. They sounded… blurred? Like trying to listen to someone talk underwater, but he wasn't wet. Probably? The voice vaguely sounded like it might be masculine. He suddenly realized his eyes were closed. That explained the darkness. His lids felt heavy. He struggled to open them. A fuzzy figure was above him, but his clothes were black with a black hat and green eyes.

"A-Aniki?" his voice came out like a croak.

"Not quite, sorry," the man said, and Vodka snapped to new alertness.

"Akai!" he exclaimed, sitting up and then wincing when pain lanced through his head in protest.

"Take it easy, I already know everything. Gin recruited the FBI, the PSB, and Kudo to help infiltrate the Organization and stop Vermouth," Akai explained while the pain in Vodka's head receded.

"You know- Oh… Okay…" Vodka murmured, slowly processing the news.

Akai was kneeling next to him with a ray beam rifle laying across his lap like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. Vodka looked around and observed they were the only two people in the large room.

"You're alone?" Vodka asked.

Akai tilted his head in a gesture that might have stood for a nod and said, "I was with Gin and Conan on the way to your boss's office before Vermouth forced us to separate by dangling you and Dr. Agasa as bait to lure them away and isolate me. Fortunately, this rifle had sufficient firepower to- Hey, are you okay?"

Akai's words had sprung a temporary lock in Vodka's brain and his most recent memories flooded to the forefront. Everything that had happened while he was mind-controlled he now consciously remembered. The things he'd said to Gin and the fact he'd been a literal muscle twitch away from killing him! What Vermouth had made him do and what she had done to him- he recoiled in horror, hugging himself. He felt violated both inside and out.

"Oi, Vodka, snap out of it!"

Vodka startled and found Akai shaking his shoulders, staring at him with a furrowed brow and intense eyes. Concern?

"I'm okay…" he said slowly, but he didn't feel it.

Akai looked skeptical, but he let go of his shoulders and didn't press it. "I presume Gin found you and administered the antidote to Vermouth's mind control drug?"

"Y-Yeah, he did, but how-?"

"I understand Dr. Agasa created it based on an older variation Sherry encountered this summer," Akai said. "Now, do you know where Vermouth is or even what she's planning? That was the original reason we were heading to the boss's office, but if you already know, it will save us some trouble," Akai said.

Vodka frowned. "I don't… With Rum, 'that person' and I under her control, she didn't need to explain why, just what, but I think…"

He trailed off, struggling to recall anything relevant Vermouth might have said in his hearing. There was a strange sense of detachment to the memories, like when thinking back on childhood memories as an adult, but eventually, he parsed out something useful.

"She sent me here to… meet Aniki, Rum to the Central Communication Station, and 'that person' to…" he gasped. "The missile launch room! She plans to blow up all the other MiB locations on the planet and she… she also…?"

He struggled to remember, ignoring Akai's questions and screwing his eyes shut. There was something… something important he was forgetting. It was something important about Gin that she would do if he failed to kill his best friend but trying to reclaim the memory was like trying to hold water in his hands. He had to though! Then... faintly… he caught a fragment and clung to it with tenacity. If he failed to kill Gin, then Vermouth was… going to…

His eyes snapped open and were full of unspoken horror. "We have to save Aniki!"

()()()()()

"You said I turn right here?" Conan clarified with Haibara over the earpiece at a T-junction.

"Yes, and at the next one, you should go left," she said.

Conan followed her directions but kept a wary eye on his surroundings. He had lost Vermouth's track somehow and had not seen anyone else since leaving Dr. Agasa with Jodie and Camel. It was eerie how silent and empty the halls were.

"Bourbon tells me Kir is near you," Haibara said after a bit.

He didn't hear footsteps yet, but he gave her his thanks anyway and thought of what he and Kir were asked to do. They had to manually stop the missiles from being launched which shouldn't be a problem except for the man guarding that room.

Karasuma… Renya Karasuma… He was still alive forty-one years after his supposed death after Senba's father, along with all the other detectives hired to find the treasure of the Sunset Villa, had been killed by him one after the other. In light of what he now knew of the Organization, learning the identity of its leader baffled him. Senba's father was dead, and the villa had been covered with blood. Gin had been very thorough in debunking all of the preconceptions he and Akai had about the Organization, but he hadn't mentioned anything about the Sunset Villa. Gin probably wasn't aware he'd visited the place, and there would have been no need for the Organization to fabricate anything on his behalf which meant the state of the villa was genuine. Had somebody else been responsible or did Gin's boss have a black skeleton in his closet he didn't want anyone else to know?

Conan was so absorbed in his thoughts, it was a shock when he turned a corner and nearly ran straight into another person's legs.

"Oh! Conan, there you are," Kir said, smiling at him. She seemed a little surprised herself.

Conan smiled apologetically. "Hey Kir. I'm sorry for the hassle I caused you during the Organization scenario you were a part of."

Her brow furrowed briefly then eased as her eyes lit up with remembrance. "Oh, no, that's alright, don't worry about it. Everything turned out alright in the end, so there's nothing to apologize for."

Conan nodded reluctantly, but then paused and frowned slightly. "Did you enjoy the wine last night?"

For a moment, Kir looked thrown by the question, but then gave him an understanding smile and answered, "No, it tasted like sour grapes."

A weight lifted from his shoulders and he smiled back. It hadn't been likely, but now they both knew for certain that neither of them was Vermouth.

"Haibara, can you direct Kir and I to the missile room?" Conan asked.

"I can, er- hold on a bit," she said while Kir looked surprised, glancing out of the corner of her eye at her own earpiece.

When Haibara spoke again, her words were in unison with Kir's, "Bourbon's saying he's coming to meet us/you down at the missile room."

()()()()()

Boubon's unprompted declaration to Kir had surprised Haibara, but she relayed it to Kudo nonetheless. He dryly commented that he and Kir were in stereo, but she was distracted by Bourbon's approach and his pointing to her dart gun.

"Can I take that along with me? We might have a chance of actually hitting 'that person' from a distance rather than trying to get up close," he said.

Haibara removed the dart gun from her person and gave it to him without hesitation. With Rum taken care of, she would have no further need of it here in the CCS.

"Thank you," he said with a grateful nod. He checked it over with his eyes and retrieved the syringe of antidote from his pocket then turned to his subordinate. "Kazami, you stay here and guard this girl."

"Yes, sir," Kazami said.

Bourbon nodded and turned back to her. "Once I'm gone, I want you to reseal the CCS. Lock the doors and change the passcode from the inside if you can so that nobody else can enter unless you allow it."

His reasoning was sound, and she agreed to it. Their enemy was a crafty shapeshifting alien, and Vermouth probably hadn't forgotten her desire to kill her despite being in the middle of her MiB overthrow plans. No need to make it easier for her to break in.

With his advice and orders given, Bourbon exited the room. Kazami shut the sliding metal door behind his boss and took up watch by it while Haibara retreated to the consoles to figure out how to lock them and change the code. It took some time, but she eventually managed it. With that done, silence fell over them like a thick blanket, and Haibara twiddled her thumbs. She disliked having nothing to do and was hesitant to watch whatever may happen on the screens. She wouldn't be able to do anything from here and it would make her feel even more useless than just sitting in the CCS like a princess locked in a tower.

She forced herself to stop fidgeting, but the action only changed to tapping on the console. For lack of activity, she checked on Rum, but he was still unconscious. She hoped he didn't remember anything from his interlude of mind control when he woke up; she could only imagine how terrible it would be to remember being unable to resist being forced to activate the missiles aimed at the other MiB locations.

It struck her like lightning then. The other MiB locations! If Kir, Kudo, and Bourbon failed to stop Karasuma in time, then those locations were still in danger. She darted back to the consoles to search for a phone directory with one hand while the other pulled out her cell and started dialing her former guardian's number. She could still do something.

Haibara managed to find the directory right when the ringing stopped and a male voice answered, "Yeah, Kay here."

Her breath hitched in her throat. It'd been six years since she'd last heard his voice, and it still made her feel like a child.

"Kay, it's me, Shiho," she said.

"Shiho? Well, this is a surprise. It's been, what, four or five years since I heard from you?" he said.

"About that, yes. Where are you right now? HQ?" Haibara asked.

"I am, why?"

"You need to tell Chief Zedd that he needs to order an evacuation of the building premises. I'd have called him directly, but I couldn't remember his number off the top of my head. We're currently in a crisis over here; a shapeshifting alien has taken possession of the Chief and Vice Chief with a mind control drug that forced them to prepare the missiles and launch them at the other MiB locations on the planet. We're already taking action over here to stop it, but in case we're unsuccessful, everyone needs to be out of the building," she said.

"Understood, I'll pass on the word to Zedd, and he can contact all the other branches to have them evacuate as well," Kay said.

"I can help-"

"I know, kiddo, but it'll be quicker if Zedd does it. As the Chief of Prime, he can get in contact with the other Chiefs in an emergency meeting without having to go through bureaucratic bullshit just to reach them," he explained. "Thanks for the warning, kid, I'll let him know. You probably need to get back to dealing with your own situation, so I won't waste more of your time."

He sounded like he was closing the conversation, preparing to hang up, and panic seized her. "Wait, Kay, don't go yet!"

"What? What's wrong? Is there more?"

Haibara bit her lip and swallowed. Why was this so hard? "Kay, I… I know raising me was just an assignment, and probably not an enjoyable one. I'm a stubborn, stoic, sarcastic spitfire at the best of times. I was a nightmare to deal with as a kid, and it was probably even worse for you who'd never had an affinity for kids, but even so… Even so, I…" She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves then blurted out, "You're the only parent I've ever had, Kay!"

The words had left her in a rush, and the silence that followed was deafening.

Eventually, Kay spoke again. "A parent? I thought you hated me."

Haibara startled. "No, I never hated you, why would you think that?"

"You said it yourself. I have no affinity for kids, yet you were sent halfway around the world away from your sister to be raised by a grumpy old codger who can't even retire properly. I've never been good at expressing my emotions, and I often treated you like a mini adult, expecting more from you than was feasible and being unfairly hard on you. I didn't think you'd want anything to do with me after you were finally sent back to your birth country," he explained.

"I never felt that way," Haibara said, her voice coming out small and soft. "You were strict, but I needed that discipline; I was too smart for my own good. Yes, you did expect a lot from me, and I hated you for it sometimes when I was frustrated, but when I succeeded, you always celebrated my wins and encouraged me. Your praise was never lightly given, but it wasn't unattainable either."

It didn't matter whether it was her grades, chores, or an activity she was working at, he complimented her where it was warranted, and she still treasured those memories along with the warm feelings they invoked. Now that she'd started speaking though, the floodgates opened up, and she clenched her free hand into a fist.

"Yet whenever someone made a comment about us being parent and child when we were out in public, you would immediately correct them that you weren't my father, just my guardian. You cared about me, but it also felt like you were reminding me that you wouldn't even be raising me if it weren't an assignment. I haven't tried contacting you since I arrived in Japan because I didn't want to be a burden to you anymore," Haibara finished.

"Shiho… I'm sorry, I had no idea you felt that way," Kay said, and he sounded dumbfounded. "I always corrected people because I didn't want you to think I was trying to replace your parents. I didn't try to contact you once you moved because I thought you would feel I was intruding into your new life. I didn't think you would want or need me anymore."

Haibara's lips quirked into a wan smile and her eyes stung. Kay did love her like a daughter. All those years they'd lost out on just because they were afraid the other didn't want them around.

"Kay, when this is all over, I want you to come visit me here in Japan," she said.

"Sure kid, though you'll have to forgive my Japanese. I'm a little rusty."

"We can manage," she said with a small laugh. "Take care, Kay, and be careful."

"You too, Shiho, and don't worry. We'll get everyone evacuated," he said.

They both hung up and Haibara released a pent-up sigh. She felt so warm and light, like a balloon made of happiness. Kay had missed her just as much as she missed him, and neither of them had said anything about it for six years. She was her father's daughter alright.

()()()()()

Stealth wasn't Gin's strong suit, but there was also no need for it at this point. Even if stealth was still required, it would be useless for entering Karasuma's office if anyone was inside. Gin was torn on whether he wanted someone inside or not. The fight with Vodka only served to add more fuel to the fire that was his hatred for Vermouth. He clenched his fists to stop them from twitching and scowled at the wood-painted metal door with a single black sign in silver letters that read 'Chief'. It did not include 'that person's' name because not everyone in the Organization knew the boss's identity for security reasons.

Gin grabbed the handle and turned the knob. Someone was already inside. Karasuma sat at his wide wooden desk with his fingers steepled and his eyes penetrating. Gin could read no expression from him.

"I've been expecting you, Gin," he said.

"I figured you might," Gin said tightly, his hands slipping into his coat. "It would be either you or Vermouth if anyone was here."

"I presume that means you dealt with Vodka?"

"It does."

"And now you're here to figure out Vermouth's plans or, barring that, somehow convince me to reveal her location?" Karasuma said while he stood up.

Gin tensed and slid his feet into a sturdier stance. "That's right."

Karasuma grasped his cane below the round pommel and smiled, dark eyes glinting. "Best of luck."

He pulled and the length of the cane extended as he raised his arm, revealing a green interior shaft. When the interior body separated completely from the internal one, Gin realized it wasn't a cane at all. It was a sword.

Karasuma pointed it at him and said, "Can you stop me, Gin? You can't hold back if you wish to best me because I won't hold back on trying to eliminate such a callous and destructive agent who'd go so far as to murder his own sister."

Gin gritted his teeth. Karasuma was literally brainwashed. Gin knew that, but it still hurt worse than any poison to hear such words from the mouth of the man who rescued him and his sister years ago. And how could he deny them when his own guilty conscience whispered the same damning words?

With a vigorous shake of his head, he shut down that part of his mind. He would deal with it later, but not when he needed to act quickly and decisively. Hesitation would mean death, and he couldn't afford that.

Gin was abruptly startled out of his thoughts when Karasuma jumped from the desk and lunged at him. Eleven years of the active MiB field agent lifestyle found Gin's muscles moving before his thoughts did. He threw himself sideways just in time and ducked a side swipe aimed at his neck. Gin struck the extended arm and pushed it further away from him to try and increase the distance and get his bearings, but Karasuma wasn't letting up. Gin's thrust to his forearm barely inconvenienced Karasuma who used the rotating momentum to reorient himself towards Gin. He had never seen his boss fight, but the rumors that he was fast were not exaggerated. Karasuma pressed his attack with sword swipes intended to kill or critically injure, each stroke flowing seamlessly into another, and it was all Gin could do to prevent himself from being skewered.

When the back of his legs collided with something solid – the desk! – Gin grabbed at the side and caught sight of the wicked gleam in Karasuma's eyes. Karasuma thrust straight and Gin flattened himself against the wood. The green blade cleaved the air where Gin's chest had been seconds before, and Gin clasped his hands around Karasuma's wrist. He tugged him forward and kicked his knee up into the man's gut, using Karasuma's own momentum to send him flying over.

As soon as Karasuma's feet cleared his head, Gin sat up and spun around, hoping he hadn't hurt his boss too badly. Rather than being sprawled on the ground, Gin witnessed him rolling out of a somersault and standing up. He was sturdy for such a frail-looking old man, and Gin worried about what that meant for himself. If throwing Karasuma over a desk didn't make him lose his footing long enough for Gin to take advantage of it, then-

"What's the matter, Gin? One old man too much for you?" Karasuma jeered, interrupting his thoughts. "Dodging and running like a coward doesn't suit you."

"Tell me something I don't know," Gin said through clenched teeth.

He was not good at fighting defensively as a long-term strategy, but he wasn't getting anywhere like this either. He had to get within arm's reach of Karasuma to inject him with the antidote, but that required bypassing the sword's reach and restraining him without getting sliced in the process. His eyes flicked from Karasuma to the sword. Could he disarm him? Perhaps. If he could get in close, then it would be more difficult for Karasuma to use the sword adequately against him, and if he struck it from his hands, he'd have a better chance of restraining him. He just needed to slip past the sword's reach…
Gin walked sideways slowly, keeping the desk between them. Karasuma held his sword to the side and tracked him with his eyes. They remained locked on each other even as the high-backed desk chair blocked most of their view of the other.

Gin moved suddenly. He planted his hands on the desk and pulled his legs up then thrust out. The chair careened towards Karasuma and Gin let himself fly forward off the desk. He landed in a brief crouch and darted to his opponent. Karasuma threw himself out of the way in time, but he was off balance and Gin fought to close the distance. Karasuma saw his approach and his eyes widened. He swung his sword in a wide arc, a defensive strike meant to keep Gin away rather than intentionally trying to hit him. Gin stopped before the blade connected with his chest but pressed forward once the sword had passed and Karasuma still hadn't recovered his stance.

Karasuma swung again, and again, Gin avoided being sliced but the boss's actions left him baffled. Earlier, Karasuma's movements had been fluid and deadly, but now they were erratic and entirely defensive. It was like the man wasn't actively trying to kill him anymore. A small hope flared in Gin's chest. Vodka had fought against the mind control; perhaps Karasuma was doing the same now?

"Don't worry, sir, I'll free you," Gin said with renewed vigor.

"You and what army, boy?" Karasuma sneered, but his defensive attack style didn't change.

'My secret weapon,' Gin thought to himself, mind momentarily drawn to the antidote in his pocket waiting to be used.

Gin feinted one direction and Karasuma fell for it. There was no time for him to correct his error before Gin was in his space and jabbed the inner wrist of the hand holding the sword. Karasuma let out a pained grunt, but the sword didn't fall. It didn't even waver in his hands. Gin stared dumbfounded. He knew how hard he'd struck the wrist, yet Karasuma barely reacted to it.

He stayed still for too long. Gin barely registered the sword spinning in his opponent's hands before searing pain lanced through his thigh and Gin screamed. The green sword was now embedded in his right leg. He couldn't tell if the femoral artery had been hit, but he could see blood oozing out of the wound and staining his clothes an even darker black. He gritted his teeth and wrapped one arm around Karasuma's neck in a chokehold. He plunged his other hand into his coat pocket and jabbed the small syringe into Karasuma's neck.

His boss let out a wordless shout and elbowed him right below the ribs. Air whooshed out of his lungs and Karsuma easily broke his weakened hold. He tore away and Gin gasped at the new pain that came from the sword being pulled out. He collapsed to his knee and automatically pressed his coat against both openings. Blood was flowing more freely than before but still not gushing like he would have expected from a major artery. Lucky. He'd have preferred no injury, but if this was what it cost him to be able to deliver the antidote to free his boss from Vermouth's mind control, it was worth it.

Gin looked over to where Karasuma had staggered away from him, and his jaw dropped. He was doubled over and his skin- no, his whole body was breaking out into pink boils bursting and reforming rapidly. Even the sword was bubbling, and Gin watched the withered figure of his boss melt into a pink gelatinous humanoid figure with hypnotic swirls and lines in a darker shade. It turned an eyeless face upon him, and the voice that came from it was painfully familiar.

"An antidote?! That little bitch has already created an antidote!" Vermouth shrieked.

()()()()()

"I hope Bourbon meets us quickly," Kir commented with a long, steadying exhale. "I'm not looking forward to fighting against 'that person'."

"He's over a hundred years old though; surely, he can't be that formidable," Conan said.

Kir shook her head, her expression grim. "He hasn't remained Chief of the MiB for forty-one years just because of his money and founder status," she said. Then she blinked and stared down at him puzzled. "You know of Renya Karasuma?"

"I was invited to his villa earlier in the year along with Mr. Mouri and Ran for a gathering of detectives to locate the manor's treasure," Conan explained. "Do you know anything about the Sunset Villa?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't, why?"

"Nothing important," he said with a shrug.

It wasn't important for the moment at any rate, though it was looking like he would have to ask the man directly for the answers he sought.

"Alright… but back to your earlier statement that Mr. Karasuma shouldn't be a formidable opponent, I have never personally seen him fight, but I understand he's a beast, much faster and stronger than he looks," Kir said.

"And how does he look?" Conan pressed.

"Like any normal old man: hunched, wrinkled, balding, deep set eyes, and a bit of a belly, but otherwise reedy," she answered.

Conan was going to ask her another question, but she stopped, and he saw why. They had arrived at their destination. He and Kir looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement then stepped forward. Kir grabbed the door handle, took another deep breath, and pulled it open.

Conan was struck by the shear vastness of the open room beyond. The ceiling stretched several stories high and was made of several consecutive domes. Underneath each of these domes was a single, cylindrical torpedo resting on a wide, circular disk while pointing skyward. A small computer station was situated next to each one along with an array of cylinders, hosing, and protective garments. Against the right wall, there were pallets stacked with boxes, no doubt containing extra supplies for repairs and the tools to perform the maintenance.

On the floor, there were yellow-and-black-striped arrows leading to the left past all of the missiles and stopping at a door with a sign marked 'Control Room'. To the right of that door and one level up was a glass window through which Conan saw three horizontal rows of computer monitors. It definitely looked like a control room, and there, standing in the center of that room, was an old, balding man with white hair on the sides long enough to be pushed behind his shoulders. He was dressed all in black except for the white scarf around his neck, and his hands were overlaid on top of the pommel of a cane. He looked completely relaxed.

"Ah, so the CIA liaison and the famous high school detective of the east are the first wave sent to stop me. How's your shoulder, Kir?" Karasuma said.

His voice echoed from loudspeakers set high into the walls. The rhythm of his words was measured, even, and clear, despite the reverb from the speakers. To Conan, Karasuma seemed like a man perfectly in control of himself and not the least bit surprised by their arrival.

"It's well, sir," Kir answered just as evenly.

Karasuma shook his head and tutted. "Come now, Kir, even from here, I can see you're favoring that left arm. You're really in no condition to fight me."

"If you surrender peacefully and let us come up there to stop the missiles, then I won't have to," she retorted.

"Ah, but that would be going against Vermouth's wishes, and I can't very well do that," Karasuma said then his eyes focused on Conan. "And how are you feeling, Shinichi Kudo? I'm sure you've dreamed of this moment where you found the Organization's headquarters and confronted me for months now. I applaud you for making it this far – Sherry's faith in your abilities was well-placed, but I'm afraid the journey ends here."

"It's definitely taken me directions I didn't expect it to, but from where I'm standing, my work's not done until that countdown is stopped," Conan said.

Karasuma sighed and shook his head. "I really must insist that you two step down or I may be forced to take lethal action."

Conan tensed and crouched down, his right hand hanging at his side with fingers ready to turn the dials on the heels of his sneakers. Would Karasuma really try to kill them?

"Vermouth is fond of me. She wouldn't be happy with you killing me," Conan said.

It was a gamble, but if Karasuma had to refrain from using lethal maneuvers against him, then he could get in close to keep the man's focus away from Kir while she shut down the launch. He could even take one of her syringes to try and administer the antidote to break him free from the mind control.

"True, she wouldn't," Karasuma said with an amiable nod. "But unfortunately for the both of us, the only orders she gave me were to 'prevent the countdown from being stopped at any cost', without exceptions."

"Great," Kir muttered through gritted teeth, and in one fluid motion, she'd drawn a pistol and shot it straight at her boss.

Conan panicked, but there was a muted bap not long after, and Karasuma was still standing, unharmed and unruffled.

"That was quite a good shot, Kir, especially with your injury. It surely would have hampered the mobility of my right arm if it didn't hit the glass first, but, of course, this window is bullet proof," Karasuma said.

Conan frowned and started reaching for both the inflation button on his belt and the knob on his shoes to take a turn at the glass with his soccer ball, but he saw Karasuma start waving at him and shaking his head.

"No, no, there's no need for you to waste more resources trying to break this window to get to me. I'm already coming down there to meet you, just give me a minute."

He retreated from the front of the control room and, very slowly by Conan's reckoning, disappeared from view then reappeared at the bottom of the stairs behind the doors labeled 'Control Room'. The glass doors parted down the middle and slid sideways with their master's approach. The old man's every other step was accompanied by a clack from his cane, yet Conan noticed he wasn't putting weight on it. It was just a prop – Conan's eyes narrowed – or a weapon.

Karasuma stepped in the center of the walkway halfway between them and the control room and slammed his cane down directly in front of him. The sound echoed all around the room like they were in a cave, and Karasuma smirked.

"One creaky old bird against a young, lively CIA agent and the shrunken modern-day Sherlock Holmes. It's almost enough to be a challenge, let's widen those odds," he said.

Karasuma gripped the cane's shaft and started pulling his hands apart. A glimmer of green peeked out from beneath the shaft and steadily widened until the two pieces separated completely. Karasuma tossed the dull black sheath aside and brought the glowing green sword, pulsing with inner light, to bear on Conan and Kir.

"You should be honored, children. It's not often that I bring Löwengiftzahn out to play, and he's thirsty for blood," he said in a playful tone with a sinister smile curling his lips.

"Conan, I'll hold his attention while you head to the control room and see if you can stop the missiles," Kir said softly as she holstered the pistol and retrieve a different gun that looked exactly like the one Haibara had given him.

"You sure?" he said, eying the wicked blade in the old man's hand.

"Do we have a choice?" she countered.

"Fifteen minutes remaining until launch," a female robotic voice said from the loudspeaker, and Conan glanced at the countdown timer on the wall near the control room window with a grimace.

"Okay, but be careful," Conan said as he crouched to run.

"You too," she said and raised her weapon at her boss. "On my mark."

Karasuma slid his right leg behind him and turned his body so his left shoulder thrust forward. He looked like he was preparing to swing a baseball bat. Conan decided to run past his left side which would put him at his back.

"Go!" Kir shouted, and her gun went off.

A strange blue-white beam shot out of the muzzle, and Conan dashed forward at an angle, planning to put the missiles between himself and Karasuma, but Karasuma didn't even glance at him. His deep black eyes were locked on Kir as the blue-white beam zoomed straight for his heart. It struck, and Conan skidded to a stop watching a wave of dark blue light ripple across his entire body, including his clothes.

"A ray shield!" Kir exclaimed.

"Naturally," said Karasuma. "It's hardly a fair fight if you can shoot me in the back and instantly immobilize me without even trying."

Kir gritted her teeth and once again switched guns. She fired again, and Karasuma sidestepped her first disabling shot with ease. Conan resumed running and heard her shoot twice more in rapid succession. He didn't hear anything with the first one, but he heard a metallic clink after the second and glanced over.

Karasuma was smirking at Kir's stunned expression while his sword was held straight up, and he said, while still ignoring Conan, "Yes, Löwengiftzahn is a truly remarkable blade, a present from the Tvorans even. Not only does it have a mind and will of its own, but it can reflect lasers, including those for stun rays, and anything it touches becomes corroded the longer it maintains contact, and I do mean anything. Rocks, metal, diamonds, flesh, and even plasma."

It was mid-stride that Conan caught a glint of metal near his feet. He paused and stooped down to pick it up. It was warm, and his eyes widened when he realized what it was. It was half a bullet, and the sheared side already had small flecks of rust. Oh no.

Karasuma rushed at Kir with the speed of a much younger man. She didn't even try to shoot him that time but turned and ran. Conan swore and changed direction. He'd been halfway to the control room, but Kir couldn't handle Karasuma on her own, especially not with that sword and ray shield. They had to beat him first before they could stop the missiles. Kir was running to the racks of scrap metal at the far end of the room, but Karasuma was closing in fast. She wouldn't make it, and Conan was too small to reach him without his skateboard.

Conan gritted his teeth and stopped running. He pushed the button on his belt buckle and a soccer ball popped out. He dropped to his knees and turned the dial on his sneakers. He heard the familiar buzz and felt the vibrations in his foot then kicked the soccer ball straight at Karasuma's head. It blasted through the air on a direct course with his target. It looked like it would connect!

Then Karasuma suddenly glanced over his shoulder and spun to a stop with sword raised to eye level and blade pointed straight but sideways so its flat sides were facing up and down. The sword might degrade the ball on contact, but the ball was too big to be stopped by the sword. The force of it would still hit Karasuma.

Just as the ball was about to, Karasuma ducked down and slid forward. What happened next was so fast, Conan nearly missed it. The ball connected with Karasuma's sword at a slight angle and rolled up the length until it was past the midpoint. With an upward flick, the ball was sent back into the air and embedded in the wall with full force.

"Nice try, Mr. Kudo, but I'm well aware of the damage you can do with a soccer ball," said Karasuma.

"And I've got plenty more where those came from," Conan said, but his hands clenched into fists. Karasuma had been facing away from him and was still quick enough to deflect his attack.

Scraping, clanging metal echoed ahead of him, and the sound drew their eyes over to Kir who'd grabbed a metal rod with a jagged, forked tip. She was running straight at Karasuma but was holding the rod at her side like a runner's baton in a relay.

"Holding a weapon in an improper offensive or defensive form will do very little for you, Kir. You'd have more luck trying to use your stun ray," Karasuma sighed, but turned to meet her attack, sword held out in front of him in a standard position.

Once Kir was in range, she thrust forward and Karasuma parried it to the left. No, something was off. Karasuma's sword went left, and Kir's rod started going that way too, but it retracted too quickly. Kir had feinted that first thrust and slipped the rod out from the sword's direction of movement. It was so fluid, Conan wondered if Kir had experience with swords before. She finished bringing the rod up vertically, forked end pointed down, and stabbed down at the sword.

It was caught! The hold wouldn't last long, they had to-! Kir's left hand came away from the rod while still clenching something in her fist – the antidote! – and she lunged straight for Karasuma's neck. Karasuma slapped her arm away before she reached it. The antidote went flying, and his hand came back around and punched her in the stomach.

"Kir!" Conan yelled as Kir gasped and stumbled back doubled over.

His eyes darted everywhere looking for anything he could use when he spotted the sheath Karasuma had discarded not far off. The sheath! He ran and scooped it up then started running to Kir. The jagged end of her rod had been eaten away, and Karasuma was raining vicious blows down on her head. She blocked every one of them, but was losing ground, and every hit the rod took from the corrosive green sword caused it to weaken further. In fact, he could see the silver metal steadily growing redder. Come on, legs, move faster!

The rod finally broke with a snap and Kir staggered. Karasuma swung wide and she leaped backward, narrowly avoiding being sliced, but she overbalanced. She fell backward, and Karasuma raised his sword. Conan's heart pounded in his ears. He wouldn't make it!

"Kir, catch!" he shouted, set the sheath on the floor, and shoved it as hard as he could.

The hollow cylinder slid straight between Karasuma's legs and stopped at Kir's. She grabbed it. The sword came down. Bong! The sword had collided with its own sheath hovering directly in front of Kir's face, and the sheath showed no sign of corrosion.

Conan let out a relieved sigh. His hunch had been right, but Kir wasn't out of the woods yet. She was still on the ground, and Karasuma was pressing all his weight down on her. The blade was slowly drawing nearer and pulsed a vivid, poisonous green with every centimeter gained. Conan needed a distraction, but his soccer ball was as likely to hit Karasuma as it was to cause trouble for Kir, and he had none of the antidote himself. All he had on him was his stun watch, but it hadn't worked on Gin, so it probably wouldn't work on Karasuma either.

Or would it?

Gin hadn't fallen asleep on the Haido City Hotel rooftop, but he had been brought to his knees. Without a second thought, Conan flipped open the targeting reticle on his watch and aimed. He tried for the neck but couldn't get a good angle with the scarf in the way. He clicked his tongue and instead settled for the arm.

Conan fired, and the dart struck. He saw the old man twitch and then pull back while grabbing his arm. Kir scrambled to her feet and backed away, holding the sheath out like a protective charm. Karasuma turned slowly, and Conan's heart stopped. Those black eyes were fixed on him and glittering with malice.

"Clever boy," he breathed. "Using my sword's own scabbard as a weapon and one of your sleep darts to try and take me out of the picture, but that's as far as you'll get. This body has been pumped full of alien drugs for the past forty odd years to keep me alive, and no mediocre sedative is about to stop me now."

That was his only warning before he turned completely away from Kir and lunged toward Conan.

()()()()()

"Shit," Gin swore, tensing immediately.

He slipped out the knife strapped to his lower calf and kept one eye on Vermouth while he cut a swath of his trench coat to use as a bandage, but she seemed distracted for the moment. The boils had stopped, but angry dark red lines continued to pulse across Vermouth's true form starting where Gin had stabbed her in the neck with the syringe.

Gin quickly wrapped the cut fabric around his right thigh and heard Sherry's voice in the back of his mind scolding him for not using sterile materials. It wasn't like he had many options on that score; he just needed something quick and practical while he still had time.

He had just finished using the coat sash around his waist to tie the bandage in place when Vermouth collapsed to her knees. She was breathing heavily, but there were no more boils or pulses through her body.

"How the hell… did that stupid little girl… create an antidote for my drug so fast?" Vermouth gasped.

Gin had never heard Vermouth speak so crassly before. The poker face hiding her true self had broken too. He rose to his feet, ignoring the pain shooting from his thigh.

"Pandora," he growled.

"Ha, so you do know my real name."

"Where's Karasuma?"

"You answer my question first," she snapped.

Gin narrowed his eyes. "It was synthesized from the serum found in the Rainbow Dazzleflies you tried to use to abduct Sherry."

Pandora clicked her tongue. "Then Renya is down in the missile room making sure nothing interferes with their launch toward all the other MiB locations on this planet," she said.

Gin gasped. "All the other- why? The only reason you even know about this planet and live on it is because of the MiB. You were even one of the earliest agents here in Japan."

Pandora laughed. It wasn't a chuckle, but a full, body-shaking guffaw. "Oh, child, you're so adorably naïve. I chanced upon this planet and made my home on it out of necessity a thousand years ago when Volley's Comet passed by. I was here long before 'official' first contact was made in 1961 which in turn brought along all the laws, regulations, and excessive number of refugee immigrants. I was here before you puny humans had even figured out your planet was round, so as the single oldest sentient lifeform on this planet, I think it's only right that I should be the one to decide this planet's fate, and not you planet-bound natives who haven't even figured out how to send people into space further than your own moon. Since the MiB already exists and is well-known as the Earth's extraplanetary governing body, I might as well make use of it and just get rid of all but the base I like best. I only need one after all, and the NOCs were very helpful in that regard since they often worked with the HQs in their own countries once they were codenamed."

While Pandora had been talking, Gin slowly slid his hands into his coat pockets, his habitual stance, and removed the safety lock on his gun. He was shocked; her words might even be true since he couldn't imagine how a lie like that would benefit her, but… she would not be telling him all of this if she thought he would be able to leave here alive.

"You ready now, Gin?"

Gin startled, but only the quick blinking of his eyes revealed his surprise.

Pandora smirked and spread her arms wide. "You're so good at killing things, Jynnan Tonnyx, that I'll even give you a free shot without dodging."

Gin frowned and watched her closely as he started to pull his left hand out of his pocket. This was a trick. She was too confident that he wouldn't be able to kill her. He leveled the Beretta at her face and still, she smiled. He'd seen Vermouth bleed before, and she'd had broken bones too. Her shapeshifting was not skin deep, but complete down to the cellular level if Rikumichi Kusuda's words months ago were indeed true. Apart from that, what powers did Vermouth have in her true form, as Pandora, that allowed her to be so brazen? Wait, she said she'd arrived on Earth one thousand years ago. If that was true, did that mean her species simply had a very long lifespan or – he narrowed his eyes – was she immortal? If the latter…

He examined her body closely. He could see objects on the other side through her body, though not clearly. There wasn't a single sharp edge to her glistening figure and staring at the patterns on her body too long was making him drowsy.

Gin shook his head to snap himself to alertness and blinked his eyes multiple times. Her very body was hypnotic, and not figuratively in this instance. He had to be careful of that and refocused on his observations. Complex organisms on Earth had lots of specialized organs to facilitate various life processes to survive, but one thing even many simple organisms had was a designated head region with at least a rudimentary brain and eyes. Not only did Pandora not seem to have a whole body's worth of organs, she didn't even appear to have a brain in her skull. All he could see were those dark blood vessel-like lines that seemed to lead straight to the center of her chest where a heart would be on a human. He narrowed his eyes and raised his gun.

"You swear you won't dodge?" he asked.

She smirked. "Is the sky blue?"

"No, sometimes it's gray, red, orange, black, or purple," Gin retorted.

Pandora wiggled her head in a motion that would have resembled an eye roll if she actually had eyes in this form. "Fine, I swear on Renya's centurion status that I won't dodge. Satisfied?"

It was good enough. If Pandora was lying, then he was no worse off as long as he didn't let his guard down. If she kept her word, then perhaps he could learn something useful about her physiology because he was under no illusions that this shot would actually kill her.

He fired, and the bullet hit her square in the chest. Pandora stumbled back a step with a grunt, and Gin enjoyed the flash of surprise across her face. Unfortunately, he was right about the shot not killing her. He could see the bullet embedded in the protective gelatin layer well before the dark, center mass he'd been aiming for. Regular bullets wouldn't cut it.

"Well, color me impressed. I was certain you'd go for the head as usual," Pandora said grudgingly.

Gin snorted. "It's obvious shooting you in the head would accomplish nothing."

"And would you know, I'm still alive despite being shot by Jynnan Tonnyx!" Pandora said with a dramatic gasp and clapped her hands to her face. "It looks like shooting me in the chest was just as useless!"

Gin smirked. "Hardly," he muttered.

He ejected the full cartridge from the Beretta at the same time his right hand shot out of his pocket and jammed a fluorescent red one into the opening. The outline of the Beretta lit up with the same color as the plasma converter took effect on the weapon, and Pandora swore. Gin fired again, but instead of a normal bullet, a yellowish white-hot ball shot out of the muzzle at the shapeshifter. She was caught off guard, and it should have hit, but at the last second, she managed to stretch her body upward and split her empty middle section in half.

The plasma bullet passed straight through without even grazing her heart. Gin aimed for it again, but he'd lost the element of surprise. She slid sideways well before the plasma reached her and stretched her arms all the way up to the ceiling. There was nothing to hold onto, but that didn't seem to stop her. Pandora's digitless hands stuck to the flat ceiling like a tree frog, and she swung around like an acrobat, skillfully evading Gin's steady barrage of plasma. He gritted his teeth when he felt his gun start to warm. Plasma weapons weren't meant to be fired quickly like this without a chance to cool down, and that went double for plasma-converted weapons, but regular bullets were ineffective against Pandora. Her dodging the plasma shots at least meant those could harm her.

Gin noticed Pandora was midswing, and he fired where her heart would be a little further along her trajectory. She saw the bullet coming and her mouth fell open. She couldn't avoid it. Suddenly, a fifth limb shot sideways out of her stomach launching at one of the office walls and pulled her off her original path. The plasma passed by her without so much as a grazing burn.

"Too bad, Gin! That one almost hit me!" Pandora mocked.

Gin growled and continued trying to aim for Pandora's heart, but she was a fast, mobile target, and even when he got close, she just used one of her existing extra limbs or created a new one to quickly alter her trajectory. He wasn't hitting her, but his offense was so formidable, she couldn't get an opening to change tack and go on the offensive herself.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be tiring from her exertions, and the Beretta was now uncomfortably hot in his hands. He could even see it glowing in his periphery and he knew he'd have to stop soon to let it cool down or risk burning his hands and melting the weapon. He was equally certain that was the moment Pandora was waiting for to attack him, and he didn't favor his odds with his leg injury. Even standing still, the pain throbbed fiercely. Shear will power kept him from collapsing to the floor.

Pandora laughed. "You can't keep this up forever, Gin, and you know it!"

Gin growled again, and the nerves in his hands screamed at the pain. It was like he was holding a burning potato. He couldn't let go, but he couldn't get a hit on her either! He couldn't-!

He yelled and aimed a desperate shot at the ceiling. It struck, and pieces of it started collapsing. Pandora swore and dodged some of the falling fragments, but others hit her without doing apparent damage. She was too distracted to focus on him, and Gin released the burning weapon with a gasp. It had started glowing red hot all over and left black scorch marks on the floor where it clattered, though the color was fading quickly.

Gin looked down at his hands and saw they were blistered red. They stung even without touching anything and it even hurt just looking at them, let alone trying to move his fingers. He watched the Beretta cool back to its normal coloration and mentally braced himself to retrieve it.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Gin's head snapped up and he gasped. Pandora had regained her stability, and two tentacles that had transformed into large metal drill tips were bearing down on him. He swiped his gun, nearly yelping from the pain of his blisters as he did so, and retreated right before the drill tips impaled the ground where he'd been standing.

He barely had time to regain his footing when another tentacle, this one shaped like a barbed spearhead, thrust toward him. He ducked under that one and found a fishhook being flung at his side. He danced away from each of the new weaponized tentacles with frenzied agility.

Pandora had finally shifted to offense, and he couldn't bring the Beretta up long enough to force her to defend. Now that he was moving, he was quickly losing ground. His whole right thigh felt wet with blood and his movements were becoming sluggish. He could see the way Pandora was directing her weaponized limbs was to force him to use his right leg, but he was in no position to stop her.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a force slapped around his right wrist and tugged him sideways. Gin let out a wordless shout and reacted instinctively. He brought up the Beretta and shot at the pink tentacle right at the base where it had grabbed him. Pandora yelled as the tentacle exploded into a gelatinous splatter, and Gin yelped when he caught himself on his right leg. The pain shooting up his torso nearly made him collapse to the floor. As it was, He was trembling, and a cold sweat was breaking out across his skin. This wasn't good; he couldn't fight Pandora like this. He tried to reorient on her main body, but his vision suddenly swam out of focus, and he felt light-headed. No… he'd lost too much blood, but he couldn't stop. If he lost here, then-

His thoughts halted when he noticed Pandora's destroyed tentacle regenerating. It didn't collect the blobs that had separated completely, but the pink mass was definitely filling back up to its original fullness. The plasma could hurt her, but she could regenerate from it.

One of the other tentacles grabbed his left wrist this time and squeezed tight. He tried to grab at the tentacle with his other hand to pull it off, but his hand got stuck and he couldn't free either of them. Pandora squeezed his wrist until the Beretta fell from his fingers then started dragging him forward. His right leg finally gave way and he fell to his knees, but Pandora reeled him in like a fish. She even hauled him up once he was close enough for her liking, and he hung in the air by the wrists feeling weak, dizzy, and out of breath. Defeated. She had him right where she wanted him, and he was powerless to stop her.

"Aww, look at the feared Jynnan Tonnyx now," Pandora cooed as she climbed down from the ceiling.

Her figure resumed a more human shape again except for the two extra limbs she was using to hold him up. He considered kicking her in the face with his left foot, but it would probably become just as stuck as his hand had been. Pandora's face morphed into Vermouth's familiar visage as she smirked and reached up to caress his cheek.

"You put up a good fight, Gin, but this is as far as you go. So sorry, but all your struggling was for naught," she said.

"Bitch," he snarled.

Her smirk widened and she patted his cheek. "Now, now, be a good sport in your failure. I still have a use for you yet."

"I'll die before I let you mind control me," Gin spat.

"Ah, a good idea, but no, that's not what I need you for," Vermouth said with a musing tone. "Tell me, have you ever wondered why I hate the Miyanos so much, Gin?"

"It's not because I'm dating Sherry?" he asked while straining against Vermouth's grip on his wrists.

Vermouth let out a bitter laugh. "Hardly, though that certainly doesn't help her case. I hated her parents long before she started interfering with me personally."

"You killed Elena and Atsushi," he said.

It wasn't a question, but Vermouth nodded. "I did. They had figured out through their testing that I wasn't human and used one of their experimental drugs to try and nullify my powers. Do you know what happens when you give a youthening drug to an immortal shapeshifting body?"

Gin didn't know, but he didn't need to ask.

"I was frozen," she said without prompting. "I lost all ability to transform into any other human or even adjust the age of the face I had at the time I was drugged. My default human form is stuck as Sharon Vineyard at around thirty years old."

So that was the secret behind her lack of aging, yet Gin's brow furrowed. "But when I came in here, you had shapeshifted into Karasuma's form," he pointed out.

"Ah, yes! I had, hadn't I?" she said lightly. "You see, something I discovered over the next twenty years was that I could shapeshift into other people, but only those of men I had sex with as my body used the DNA from the sperm as a blueprint for my transformations. In fact…"

Her face shifted smoothly before his eyes like a seamless transition between frames for a movie. Her jaw jutted out and became squarer, and her bottom lip protruded slightly. Her skin darkened to a medium tan color, and the color of her eyes became a darker royal blue while the shape rounded perfectly. The wavy blond hair shrank into her scalp, instead becoming short black bristles, and finally, the new face smirked at Gin.

"How do you like my newest conquest, Aniki?" Vermouth said in perfect imitation of Vodka's voice.

Gin was speechless with fury. He could almost forget the pain of his palms and leg in response to the implications of Vermouth's words while wearing his partner's face.

"How dare you?!" he snarled, and this time, he did lash out and kick her in the face.

Vermouth's head snapped sideways, and she let out an annoyed hiss before producing two more tendrils from her body that wrapped around both ankles – apparently her skin lacked the stickiness when her flesh was human – and pulled them straight down. It kept him effectively immobilized.

"That hurt, you know," Vermouth said as she shifted back to her regular face with a scowl.

"You deserve that and more," Gin retorted, and he couldn't tell if the current tremors he was feeling were from rage or blood loss.

"And it's soon going to be a non-issue besides…" Vermouth said with a dismissive flick of her newly-formed fingers then grabbed his chin. "… because you're going to help me reclaim my powers."

"Like hell I will," Gin hissed, glaring daggers into her turquoise eyes.

Vermouth gave him a feral smile. "That's the best part; I don't even need you to be willing to participate."

Her hand clamped down on his jaw like a vice, and her digits extended up his cheeks past his temples to connect on top of his head. Gin couldn't move his head at all but found himself momentarily distracted from his predicament by movement at the center of Vermouth's chest. Her outer pink layer seemed to be unfolding and pulling away from the darker pink central mass he'd taken to be her heart.

While he watched, she talked. "The reason I was able to so completely pass as human down to the cellular level was because of a neat little defensive power my people possessed – that you would call phagocytosis – that allows us to completely consume a living organism to obtain its form and then easily shapeshift into any variations of that form as we desired. Unfortunately, the more sentient the target form, the more similar our minds have to be for phagocytosis to be effective. You were so close to being ready for me. I could see it in your eyes when you first arrived that we were cut from the same cloth, and it wouldn't take much to prepare you, but then Akemi Miyano interfered, and Sherry ruined you further. I'd actually given up on using you for my reset, but happily, several things have changed that make you suitable again."

By that point, the gelatin had finished pulling away and exposed that center mass to the open air. It was dark red and pulsed like a heart with several blood vessels still connected to it all over, but it looked more like a brain with two lobes, deep wiggly lines all over, and in a symmetrical squashed oval shape. The brain heart thing split vertically and nestled in the center was a bright red suction cup as big around as his hand.

"We're strong, we're vicious, we both despise each other savagely, we both have only two living loved ones, a male and female each, and we'd do literally anything to protect those two loved ones, no matter how amoral and unethical it may be. Actually, the reason I ordered Vodka to kill you earlier was to make you hate me even more since I knew he was too weak to actually succeed . I look forward to my rebirth with your body, and I humbly receive your offering," Vermouth said with two hands clapped together in prayer and an ironical smile on her purple-painted lips.

The brain heart with the sucker mouth drew close and Gin strained away from it, but it was no use. Even if Vermouth wasn't so much stronger than him, he was too weakened to fight back. He'd lost and with that admittance, the despair he'd been fighting non-stop since he left his apartment finally washed over him. He'd failed to avenge those who'd suffered Vermouth's wrath, and he was powerless to protect those he loved who still lived. She didn't need to gloat about what she'd do after she consumed him. He already knew she'd approach Vodka and Sherry with his form and torture them first before eventually killing them, her revenge against him and the Miyanos finally satisfied.

The sucker mouth was about to touch him and cover his whole face when he heard a sizzling hiss, and Vermouth jerked and screeched. She thrashed like she was in pain, and Gin unexpectedly found himself thrown backwards. He collided with one of the office walls and crumpled to the ground with a groan.

"Aniki!"

Dazed and confused, Gin looked up and saw the familiar bulky figure of his friend rushing over and falling to his knees in front of him.

"Oh god, Aniki, I'm so sorry we didn't get here sooner to help, but we came as fast as we could!" Vodka said frantically.

"We?" Gin repeated.

Vodka gestured behind him, and Gin peered around. Akai was there standing between them and Vermouth and accurately shooting every stray limb that came towards them with his plasma rifle.

"Nobody told me she could regenerate," Akai said, sounding uncharacteristically annoyed for once.

Sure enough, every single tentacle limb was regenerating, but to Gin, it seemed more sluggish than before. Where had Akai's first shot landed? Vermouth screamed and flailed with another successful blow – she wasn't as fast this time either – and Gin finally noticed the new patchy discoloration on her chest just to the left of the brain heart which, he noticed with a jolt, hadn't been fully brought back into her body. She was vulnerable.

"Akai, shoot her heart! If she gets it back inside her body, we might never be rid of her!" Gin shouted.

Not for nothing was Shuichi Akai known as the best sniper rifle marksman among the US military, the FBI, and the MiB. Even Gin had to concede that when Akai was in top form, he was better than him in that particular skill. Vermouth didn't stand a chance.

Akai used two shots: one to force her into a better position and one to deal the killing blow. The brain heart shattered like glass rather than splattering, but Vermouth's body dropped with a wet smack and lost form, becoming a pink liquid puddle of goo on the floor.

"I think she's definitely dead," Vodka commented after staring for a bit.

"Maybe you should shoot her again just in case," Gin suggested half-jokingly as he tried to sit up only to hiss at the spike of pain from his thigh.

Vodka turned sharply and gasped when he finally noticed the state of Gin's leg. "Aniki, you're bleeding!"

"Quite a lot too," Akai agreed with a furrowed brow now that he'd joined them and knelt beside Vodka to examine the wound himself.

Vodka looked up from Gin's leg to his face, and the sunglasses did nothing to hide how transparent Vodka's worry was. "Aniki, you look really pale."

He didn't wait for a reply before grabbing his wrist and laying two fingers against the pulse vein while examining his fingertips. Gin already knew what Vodka would find before he swore. His breathing was labored, and his heart rate was fast, but his pulse didn't match. He'd lost a lot of blood. Too much. The fight hadn't helped and now that the adrenaline was gone, it was hard to stay awake. He felt like his mind was being wrapped up in a dense fog, but he heard Akai talking to himself. He paid even that much attention because he heard Sherry's name mentioned.

"Shiho, this is Akai. We've vanquished Vermouth, but Gin's critically injured. He's lost a lot of blood and needs a blood transfusion immediately. What's his blood type and is there anywhere we can take him or have someone meet us here in Karasuma's office to see to it?"

Ah. A blood transfusion. They were lucky. He was AB, the universal receiver. He wanted to tell them that, but at that point, the darkness of unconsciousness finally dragged him under.

()()()()()

"Kir, look, he's wearing a weird blue belt, is that it?" Conan asked.

She flung aside the coat fabric she'd just managed to tear off and groaned. "It is, that's the source of the ray shield."

Even though they now knew where it was, they were no closer to getting it off him. During the entire fight so far, Conan and Kir had worked desperately to keep Karasuma's attacks from overwhelming either of them with the aim of Kir finding and somehow removing the ray shield generator so that Conan could hit him with his own stun ray. It would keep him still long enough for one to administer the antidote while the other stopped the launch, but they had been locked in a stalemate with their adversary. They'd only just now discerned the generator's location and-

"Six minutes remaining until launch," the robot voice announced automatically through the speakers.

-And they were running out of time.

"Kudo, haven't you stopped the launch yet?!" Haibara's voice suddenly exclaimed in his ear through the earpiece.

"No, we haven't! Karasuma isn't giving any quarter and he's got a ray shield, so we can't stun him either," Conan snapped.

"A ray shield!" she gasped.

"Yeah, and where's Mr. Amuro? Didn't you say he was coming?" Conan asked then swore when he saw Karasuma swipe low at Kir's legs and her just barely dodging in time. She knew her way around a blade, but Karasuma hadn't let up since the start of the fight and was in another class from her altogether.

"He is, he should be there soon," Haibara said, and she sounded worried. "Hurry, Kudo!"

"Like I haven't been trying," he groused and tuned her out.

Karasuma was a whirl of constant movement like a strong current cutting at the riverbank as it passed by. Kir couldn't withstand that kind of relentless onslaught. They'd tried playing it safe, but at this point, they were out of time and couldn't afford it.

Conan drew his stun ray gun from the holster and charged straight at the pair. Sparks flew where the sword clashed against its own sheath. Kir was braced against the assault, but Karasuma was still pushing her back. The old man hadn't noticed him yet. Good. Karasuma had deflected all of his soccer ball attacks so far, but without the needle in his wristwatch, maybe Karasuma didn't see his physical body as much of a threat. That suited him just fine, he just had to get a little closer. A little more. Almost…

Conan leapt into the air and his free hand grabbed onto the back of Karasuma's jacket at his shoulder. Karasuma lurched backward from the sudden extra weight, and Conan pulled himself up, bracing his knees against Karasuma's shoulder blades. He leaned back raising the stun ray to smash it against Karasuma's skull and knock him out.

Karasuma's whole upper body reversed its backward motion so fast and sudden that Conan felt whiplash and heard Kir let out a short scream just before the sheath collided with his head. He saw stars and his grip slackened, but he couldn't make his fingers retighten. He fell sideways and hit the ground hard. It knocked the wind out of him and left him momentarily paralyzed. Kir yelped, and Conan saw her hit the floor too. Then he noticed she wasn't holding the sheath anymore, but Karasuma was. He'd somehow stolen it back from her. Panic surged through Conan, but Karasuma didn't close in on the downed CIA agent. Instead, he turned around, and Conan could only watch with disoriented eyes as Karasuma stopped in front of him.

"Giving Kir the sheath was an excellent ploy, but your fruitless struggling ends here," Karasuma said.

He raised the sword whose green light was now flickering rapidly – from alarm or anticipation? – and aimed the point at his chest.

"Farewell, Shinichi Kudo," he said and thrust down.

Right before it struck, a shadow obscured Conan's view and seconds later, Kir's voice screamed above him. She had thrown herself between him and the fatal strike.

"No, Kir!" Conan yelled, fighting to clear the rest of the fuzziness from his brain and slide out from under her.

"Stupid girl," Karasuma scoffed. "You're both going to die, it doesn't matter to me what order you choose to- agh!"

Kir kicked Karasuma's ankle, and his leg slipped out from under him, making him fall to one knee. Conan got to his feet and could finally see where the sword had struck. It was embedded in her back right at her shoulder blade. The wound was already growing from the initial entry point as though it were literally eating away at her flesh. He quickly pulled it out and Kir let out a sharp hiss, the only pained sound she made even though her brow was furrowed and tears beaded at the corners of her eyes.

"Kir, hang on!" Conan begged and laid the sword down next to her, then retrieved his stun ray.

She grabbed the hilt so tight her knuckles whitened, and Conan glared at Karasuma who'd also risen to his feet. How much time did they have left? No time to think about that. Without the sword shield, Conan tried another soccer ball at Karasuma, but he merely dodged it. Conan hadn't expected to hit him, and that was why he'd started running as soon as he sent the ball flying. Conan made a tennis shoe-enhanced jump and flew at the man with arms outstretched to the ray shield generator belt. After clearing the soccer ball, Karasuma's eyes widened upon noticing him.

Conan didn't think he could react so fast. Karasuma sidestepped, and as Conan passed him through the air, he felt a yank on the back of his jacket and was spun around in a tight circle. He lost all sense of direction, everything was a blur, and then he was hurtling through the air back toward the front entrance. Conan hit the ground and tumbled some more until he came to a stop and groaned. He ached all over, and he belatedly noticed he'd lost the stun ray somewhere during his roll.

"Four minutes remaining until launch," the speakers blared.

Four minutes?! Conan forced his head up and his heart sank. He was nearly back at the entrance on the complete opposite end of the room, and Karasuma was advancing on Kir who looked like she'd barely moved from where she'd fallen. They wouldn't make it. Karasuma was too formidable for just the two of them. Where the hell was Amuro?!

A pair of doors banged open behind Conan, and he whipped his head around over his shoulder. "Mr. Amuro!" Conan exclaimed.

"Conan!" Amuro said, sparing him a brief glance, then brought up Haibara's tranquilizer gun and fired.

Conan snapped back to Karasuma and Kir biting his lip and praying the shot hit. Like with every one of Conan's soccer balls though, Karasuma seemed to have a sixth sense for small, fast incoming projectiles and dodged the antidote dart. It clinked uselessly to the floor some distance away.

Amuro swore and ran up beside him. "Do you have any syringes? That was my only one."

"Kir has only one left and the missiles will launch in less than four minutes," Conan said while standing up.

Amuro nodded and placed the tranquilizer gun in his hands. "Alright, get it and shoot at your best opportunity. I'll engage in close physical combat to try and keep him from being able to dodge and escape."

Amuro didn't wait for Conan's affirmative before dashing at Karasuma. Conan hurried after him veering off towards Kir when Amuro leapt towards Karasuma with a yell.

"Kir, Mr. Amuro's here and brought the tranquilizer gun, where's the second syringe?" Conan asked, avoiding looking at her gruesome injury for the moment. She'd gotten it protecting him, but they didn't have time to give her first aid right now.

"It's… hngh… here…" Kir said with a wince as she brought the last antidote syringe out of her jacket pocket.

"Thank you, Kir. Hang in there," Conan pleaded even as he accepted the gift and loaded it into the tranquilizer gun.

Once everything was closed up, he brought it to bear and sighted Karasuma. He wasn't far; Amuro had managed to prevent him from putting too much distance between himself and Kir, and Amuro seemed to be holding his own fairly well. Karasuma didn't have his sword and Amuro looked comfortable with hand-to-hand combat. His attacks were aggressive and sharp, and in response, Karasuma locked down and remained solid like an immovable boulder. Conan waited. He felt the rhythm of the battle, but though Karasuma was mostly stationary now, Conan had seen how fast the man could move when he wanted to way too many times to risk their last chance to hit him with the antidote. He had to wait for Amuro.

Two minutes were announced over the loudspeaker, and Conan gritted his teeth. 'Come on, Amuro…' he thought.

Amuro suddenly lunged at Karasuma and grappled with him. Amuro hooked Karasuma's arms and then threw himself backwards, pulling Karasuma with him. He landed hard if the strangled grunt Conan heard was any indication, and Karasuma was being held on top of him. Such a position would be bad for most fights, but for Conan's purposes, it was perfect. Conan didn't trust himself with a tranquilizer gun aimed at someone's neck, so he chose a different target, the upper arm again, and squeezed the trigger. The feathered dart burst from the gun… and hit Karasuma squarely in the arm.

"Yes!" Conan exclaimed, sagging with relief.

Amuro held the centurion for a little longer while his struggles slowed and eventually ceased. Even when Amuro carefully released his arms, Karasuma didn't turn around and try to strangle him. He had genuinely fallen unconscious from the antidote.

"Mr. Amuro, the missiles!" Conan remembered.

"On it!" Amuro said. He threw Karasuma off him and ran for the control room stairs.

Conan was about to follow but glanced back at Kir and swallowed. He didn't know if he'd be able to help Amuro, but he could definitely help her. He instead ran to the emergency shower and eyewash station where he saw a first aid kit. He grabbed the whole thing and hurried back over to Kir.

"Kir, I've got the first aid kit," he told her as he fell to his knees next to her.

"Karasuma?" she asked. Her face looked pale.

"We finally got him. It seems to have knocked him unconscious."

"Probably for a mental reset since his brain was being controlled by another's will," Kir said weakly. "What about-?"

"Mr. Amuro ran to take care of the missiles," Conan said preemptively. "I'm going to cut away your clothes around the wound, okay?"

"Sure. I hope Amuro is able to stop the missiles in time," she said, voicing aloud Conan's own worried thoughts.

"One minute remaining until launch."

Something huge clanked and steam hissed somewhere, then Conan watched with alarm as the domes started splitting apart and retracting to the walls. They revealed the clear blue sky above and lights started flickering on for all the missiles' consoles. They were preparing to launch.

Conan forced himself to turn back to Kir's shoulder injury and trust that Amuro would succeed. He cut away the bloody cloth with a pair of scissors from the first aid kit, and what he saw nearly made him vomit. The amount of skin missing was as wide as two adult hands next to each other and closer to the sword's entry point, he could literally see the different layers of muscle all the way down to the scapula that also had a large chunk missing out of it. He couldn't do anything to fix that, but blood loss and sepsis would be the biggest threats to Kir's life.

Conan stuffed the wound with clean gauze and placed a large gauze pad over top. He heard the announcement of thirty seconds until launch even as he wrapped the elastic bandages around her chest to keep the gauze in place.

He just finished tying off the end and checking the tightness of the wrap when the loudspeaker said, "Ten seconds until Missile A launch."

"What?!" Conan gasped, whirling toward the control room window.

Amuro was visible in front of one of the computers. His teeth were bared, and his eyes were burning. Sweat was pouring down his face, but he didn't spare any time to wipe it away. He'd heard the announcement too, but he was having trouble. He wouldn't make it.

"Seven."

Conan cast around looking for something he could use.

"Six."

Could he use his soccer ball? No, his kicks only simulated an adult's kick power and didn't give him super strength.

"Five."

The sword! It could corrode metal with even the slightest touch; could he use that somehow?

"Four."

But which missile was A? Was only one launching or would they be launching in sequence?

"Three."

That one! All of the consoles had blinking yellow lights, but the farthest one was solid green!

"Two."

Conan started running. He wouldn't get there before it started rising into the air, but if he got close enough, maybe he could throw it?

"One."

He'd wasted too much time; this would have to be enough! Conan wound his arm back and threw the sword like a spear as hard as he could.

"Zero."

Fire lit at the base of the missile and it started to rise. Conan watched the sword with bated breath, praying his strength was enough and that the missile wouldn't accelerate too quickly. The sword started losing height and the missile was moving faster, but-

The sword passed just below one of the stabilizing fins. The sound of the sword clattering back to the ground was drowned out by the roar of the missile shooting off into the air and arcing out of sight.

()()()()()

Haibara was running as fast as her short legs would go with a bag of blood in her hands. She hadn't left the CCS immediately after receiving the news from Akai that Gin was badly injured because Rum had finally come to and she wanted to quickly check on him. As best as she could determine, the antidote had been effective, though Rum claimed his movements felt sluggish. At the very least, he hadn't tried to kill her on sight which was a very good sign that he wasn't faking it. She'd had to pick up the blood bag from the medical wing as a side stop too before making her way to the small nurse's station closest to Karasuma's office. She didn't know if that station already had blood bags, but she wasn't taking any chances.

She had nearly reached the station when her watch started beeping. Her breath hitched and she looked down. She had activated the timer function and synchronized it to the missile countdown in the CCS before she left.

It now read zero.

"No!" she shrieked, staring in disbelief at those blinking zeroes. It didn't matter what she did or didn't do though because every other MiB location on the planet, including the one she'd grown up in, were all going to be destroyed. Kudo hadn't been able to stop them.

Haibara set her jaw and breathed deeply. There was nothing she could do about that now. She'd done what she could, and she could only hope Kay and Zedd were able to warn and evacuate everyone in time. At the moment, someone else needed her more directly. She forced all thoughts of the missiles to the back of her mind and finished running to the nursing center. The smell of blood and disinfectant assaulted her nose upon entering the sterile white room, and her eyes immediately zeroed in on Gin lying still on the patient table.

"Sherry, you're here, thank god!" Vodka breathed with relief. "Akai and I doctored Aniki's leg and hands as best we could, but he's already lost a lot of blood."

"I found tubing and needles," Akai said, holding up the equipment.

"Good, put this blood in that blood warmer over there and can you attach the bag to all of that after it's done warming? Make sure the needle is 14 G; Gin needs it," she ordered more than asked.

Haibara tossed him the bag and Akai caught it deftly then moved to carry out her directive.

She then pointed to a clipboard and said, "Vodka, can you record the data I'm about to relay to you? I'm going to need you to be my assistant for a bit."

"Of course, anything," Vodka said immediately.

He snatched up the clipboard and then started looking for a piece of paper and a pen or pencil he could write with. That left Haibara to approach Gin. She pulled on her own pair of gloves before she did so and pulled a stool over so she could actually reach him and the equipment on the counter.

She could tell just from looking at Gin that he was in hypovolemic shock. Disregarding his unconscious state, his skin was unusually pale and cold, his lips were blue, and his breathing was rapid and shallow. She took his temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, and had Vodka write them down then make another row below labeled '15 minutes'.

By the time she was done, Akai had finished warming the blood and brought over the bag with everything attached as she'd asked. He hung it up for her on the IV stand, and Haibara injected the large-bore cannula needle into Gin's right arm vein. She set the blood flow high, more than 50 mL/kg/hr, and then sat back to watch for any adverse effects while Vodka recorded the information on the blood bag on her behalf.

That was when her earpiece went off again. "Haibara, you there?" It was Kudo and he sounded exhausted.

"Yes, I'm here; what happened?" she asked.

"We managed to administer the antidote to Karasuma and finally got the missile launch stopped, but we weren't able to stop it before the first one took off. Is there anything we can do to intercept it?" he said.

"Unless something was developed since I've been gone, there isn't, but are you telling me all of them didn't blast off at once?" she said.

"No, Mr. Amuro managed to adjust the launch sequence to a sequential arrangement about ten seconds before launch to buy more time, but damn it! An entire building full of people is going to die and there's nothing we can do," Kudo said bitterly.

"Maybe not," Haibara said. "A building will be destroyed, but I called the primary MiB in America to let them know of the threat, and they said they would get in contact with all the other locations to inform them of the situation and evacuate."

"Oh! That's good then," Kudo said, sounding happier. "Anyway, I have another reason for calling: Kir's injured. I administered first aid to stop the bleeding and keep the wound closed to prevent infection, but she needs surgery."

Haibara nodded. "I can send Vodka and Akai right now to help you and Bourbon transport Kir to the medical ward, and I'll call someone down there to warn them."

"Alright, thanks Haibara."

"No problem, Kudo," she said, and the transmission ended.

"Are you sure you want both of us to go, Sherry?" Vodka asked, looking anxiously at Gin's still unconscious form.

Haibara shrugged. "Akai doesn't know where anything is and now that the transfusion has actually started, I don't really need an assistant. It's not like Gin will be going anywhere except maybe the surgery suite for the next 3-4 hours."

Vodka nodded slowly. "I'll bring medical staff with me to come get Aniki to take care of his leg once we get Kir situated."

Haibara smiled. "Don't worry, Vodka. I'll let them know about Gin when I call about Kir, now go on."

Vodka took one last fretful glance at Gin, then made his way out of the room with Akai following alongside him. After they left, Haibara called the medical ward's front office to brief them on the two patients in need of surgery and smiled a little when the nurse groaned upon hearing Gin was one of them. His drug immunity regimen meant even anesthesia and analgesics were practically useless on him. Haibara took his vitals fifteen minutes after she started the transfusion and was relieved he wasn't exhibiting any adverse effects. She wouldn't need to record anything again for another forty-five minutes if all went well which meant she was alone with nothing to do to distract her from her thoughts, her worries.

Gin and Kir were both injured badly enough they needed surgery. Would they be okay? Vodka and Rum both seemed alright, but she didn't have the chance to evaluate the antidote's effectiveness. Despite her best efforts, a missile had still launched, and she suspected it was heading towards Prime. She hoped everyone got out safely before the missile hit.

Those were her most pressing worries, but she had other more nebulous ones as well. Vermouth or Pandora was dead. The immediate threat to her life keeping her from returning to the MiB was now gone, and she'd also nearly completed the true APTX antidote. These were all very good things except… once she was Shiho, she could never go back to being Ai Haibara, and Shiho Miyano wasn't friends with the Junior Detective League. They didn't even know her; they only saw her true face one time when she took the antidote to save them all from burning to death in a locked cabin.

She clenched her jaw and shook her head vigorously. She shouldn't think about that right now, there were more important things to do. Haibara refocused on Gin, who she was pleased to see looked less pale, and his breathing had slowed and deepened. His lips and fingertips weren't bluish anymore and his skin felt warmer too. He was definitely improving.

"Sh-Sherry…"

Haibara tensed and stared at his lips. Had he actually spoken, or had she imagined it? He didn't speak again, but his eyelids fluttered and Haibara's lips spread into a wide grin.

"Gin!" she exclaimed and seized his bandaged hand with both of hers.

Her heart fluttered when she felt him squeeze back a little and murmur her name again. His green eyes cracked open, and they seemed unfocused at first, even when he turned his head toward her. He squinted then suddenly his brow smoothed out and he gave her a faint smile.

"Where does the silver moon lie?" he said.

Haibara frowned at the gibberish spewing from his mouth, but then a minute later, her eyes widened with remembrance. It was that passphrase they'd both come up with together to make sure the other was who they claimed to be and not Pandora. Pandora was dead, Gin himself had seen to that, yet he was still being overly cautious.

She sighed fondly, leaned in close, and whispered back, "High in the red sun's sky."

()()()()()

The missile struck MiB Prime, and Rum closed his eyes with a grimace. Sherry had told him before she left that she had called Agent K at MiB Prime to warn him about the missiles, and he had taken on the responsibility of passing the word to Chief Zedd. He didn't doubt Sherry's word or Kay's, but even if there were no casualties, that wasn't the reason why he flinched.

He'd contributed to this. He remembered everything that happened while he was mind controlled as if he were having an out-of-body experience and was only a passenger in his own body. Rum swallowed hard and attempted to call Zedd directly.

The phone rang, a good sign, and after a few rings, the call was answered, "Hello?"

Rum leaned forward on the command console with a heavy sigh of relief. "Hello Chief Zedd, this is Vice Chief Rum from MiB Japan. Our computers just indicated that the missile launched towards your headquarters made contact; can you verify that?"

Zedd released a weary sigh of his own. "Yeah, it hit alright. Blew the entire building to smithereens. Fortunately, no casualties since Shiho gave us enough forewarning, but we won't be back to normal operations any time soon. Let Karasuma know when you get the chance that I'm designating the MiBJ as the new Prime until we can rebuild and get back on our feet."

"Yes, sir, I will convey the message," Rum said with an automatic head bow despite Zedd not being able to see him.

"Oh and tell Shiho I said 'hi'. We all miss that kid," Zedd added.

"Do you really?" Rum asked in amusement.

Zedd just laughed and then ended the call. Rum's brief moment of levity drained out of him, and he sighed again. He expected Lord Karasuma would be making a lot of changes in response to this unexpected promotion. For now, and for better or worse, the MiBJ was the temporary MiB Prime substitute.

---

For any wondering, yes, the idea of the Pandora gem from the Magic Kaito stuff was what initially inspired the creation of Pandora as a character. I had to look up when the supposed Volley Comet was supposed to have first passed Earth and the legends of the immortal Pandora gem started, but they said 10,000 years ago in the episode I watched. Humans first domesticated livestock 10,000 years ago, so I have a really hard time believing they'd notice a comet and create stories of a gem inside a Big Jewel that could grant immortality when they were still working on developing agriculture! That's why I changed the year from 10,000 to 1,000 because at least that's more reasonable.