You know what I really hated about the timestamps on this chapter? Calculating and Converting the time zones and flight times and shit. Moving swiftly on to AV…

Well, you see, I kind of ended up forgetting stuff... and... had a lot of stuff to do... and... *insert more excuses here*.

Remove the bit about forgetting stuff and this perfectly describes why this FF is taking so much longer than it used to. Also the fact the uploading thing fucked up, which delayed it another day.

*'Okay… I wish I knew how to break my covalent bond with Kallet right now.'*

Well, for that you need to either heat at high temperatures, or you can use a good nucleophilic reagent, such as sodium hydroxide to push out a leaving group. Only to be used if you're sure either of you is a better leaving group than hydroxide.

Or just use a fission reaction to alter one of the atoms involved and split the molecule. I personally would love to push Kallet into a nuclear reactor.

"Is this person an idiot?"

No, he/she obviously isn't. At this point it should be clear that this person is just acting stupid.

If Luci was smart enough to realize stuff like that, Team Kira would probably be wiped out already.

*'I… I won't back down! I will overcome this, using every pawn I can! To change the world into something we want! …Perhaps this is what I was always longing for.'

'Remember, Luci, you shouldn't take anything for granted. After all, in an isolated system, entropy can only increase.'*

So, basically, shit's going to get real...

Correct.

(Luci's POV, 09:51, July 16)

Stepping into the hidden facility I'm instantly hit with a blast of cool air contrasting the desert heat outside. Following my father to the conference room I locate some familiar faces: The Rothschilds, the Bushes, Nathan Warburg, George Soros, Paul Volcker, Larry Summers, Lloyd Blankfein, Ben Shalom, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu… and a rather unexpected addition…

'Hillary?'

'Hey! You're still alive? You probably deserve an award just for that.'

'Yeah, heh… so, I read your book. Some great propaganda in there.'

'You liked it?'

'Yeah. You know, if I were a famous author I would publish a book with ten different endings which all went to print with varying degrees of rarity, but keep it secret from my fans so I could watch their confusion as they disagreed on how the story ended. Then when they figured it out I would "come clean", telling them that I has released eleven alternate endings, and I'd watch them panic again as they all try to find the last one… oh, here comes your little rival.'

'Dammit…'

As subtly as possible she disappears into the crowd as the aforementioned man approaches.

'So, I hear you're the one they call "L"?'

'That's correct.'

'I've heard a lot about you. Listen, if you feel stuck at any point, just remember what I always tell myself: Total victory is scoring an easy win by doing what you always do.'

'That barely even makes sense.'

'Well it got me in the White House. Although I guess your situation isn't exactly the same. I mean, if you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don't fight for victory, you can't win! Over the last fifty years I have made fourteen million trillion thousand billion dollars in business-making deals, so I think I know what I'm talking about.'

'Okay, Donald, let me repeat to you what I'm sure you've already been told multiple times. You don't talk to us as your inferiors, or even as your equals. You've been with us all for less than a year, I was born into it. So shut your mouth and find a seat!'

'You don't have to be so rude.' I suddenly hear behind me. Turning around I see the youngest face in the conference room staring into mine.

'M, don't sneak up on me like that.'

'You have to admit, the cheeto had a point. If you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, keep moving forward.'

'…Why are you trying to sound helpful?'

'Probably because you're the only other person here who isn't old enough to have ridden fuckin' dinosaurs as a kid. I honestly feel disgusted just talking to some of those men. Like, Rupert Murdoch still thinks all Muslims should apologize for terrorism.'

'Well, on behalf of all white people I apologize for Rupert Murdoch. By the way, I think you look rather pretty in that dress.'

'I don't want to look "pretty", I want to look otherworldly and vaguely threatening.'

Through the corner of my eye I see Yossi Cohen, the director of Mossad, enter the room and arrive at the podium. I silently take my seat next to M.

'So, let me begin. First, a brief background on how exactly we have produced our latest breakthrough in the so-called "Kira Case". The trouble with most people is that they don't believe something could happen until it already has. It's not stupidity or weakness, it's just human nature. In the '30s, Jews refused to believe they could be sent to concentration camps. In '72, we refused to be massacred in the Olympics. In the month before October 1973 we saw Arab troop movements, and we unanimously agreed that they didn't pose a threat. A month later, the Arabs almost drove us into the sea. So, we decided to make a change. "The tenth man." If nine of us with the same information arrived at the exact same conclusion, it's the duty of the tenth man to disagree. No matter how improbable it may seem, the tenth man has to start thinking with the assumption that the other nine were wrong.'

'And you were that tenth man?!' Someone from the front row shouts.

'Precisely. Now by now I'm sure you're all aware of the now-infamous Japanese story "Death Note", which stars a protagonist which appears virtually identical to our target, even going so far as to take his "superhero name", Kira. Since everyone assumed that this story was merely the inspiration for our target's journey to become what he or she is now, I began my investigation, and what I found next, what we at Mossad found next, changes everything.'

(One explanation exactly like what Tom showed Indy in chapter 23 later)

'The wormhole is 400 meters in diameter and at its core is hovering 40 kilometers above sea level. Before opening and after closing it does not appear to leave any indication of its existence, and where it will open up next is currently impossible to predict. But wait, there's more! It turns out these two gravitational anomalies, signaling the rise of the first and second Kiras, aren't the only ones that have occurred in recent times. By going through the archives of our gravitational satellites' measurements, we have identified a third event located above the Kanto region of Japan, all the way back in 2006. Back then we dismissed it as an error in the software or instrumentation of the satellites themselves, but now that we knew what to look for...'

At this point only about two-thirds of the audience is paying attention anymore, none more carefully than M and I.

(Several hours later)

So, my worst-case predictions turned out to be accurate. After Yossi's presentation, M and I each made our own speeches. In mine I described all the progress I've made on the Kira Case so far, or at least that's what everyone thinks. I had to basically make up half the shit I said so no-one there finds Kira before me and takes his power before I can. M's presentation was more about potential militaristic strategies to go on the offensive against Kira, including that "Operation Sunset" idea for a massive false-flag assassination. She also presented evidence that Kira is using physical payloads carried by missiles to communicate with other nations, which I really hope doesn't turn out to be true. Finally, just as my father said, my operations have been dropped way down the priority list. Granted, a few million dollars a month is still enough to keep my case going as it has been, but I feel terrible about it. Stepping onto the aircraft, I faintly remember something I heard in a book or film a couple years ago:

'Some day, everything's gonna go south on you, everything's gonna go south and you're gonna say "This is it, this is how I end." Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work.'

That's right. I was mistaken! I was wrong to depend on sympathy! Cold… heartless… I won't forgive them! They can't be forgiven! Before creation there must be destruction. If my soul stands in the way, then I'll toss it aside. Yes, I have no choice but to move forward.

…and I just got a text from Q.

(One flight later)

I walk into our newly-official headquarters, which Q purchased and began refurbishing while I was gone, and immediately after jumping onto the empty couch I ask, 'So, there's another message form the second Kira?'

'Yes, that is the very thing we just finished explaining. It does appear we've received a new message, but I'm having trouble plugging it into the USB port.'

'Well that's because it's a piece of paper.'

'No, I'm pretty sure it's just a USB that happens to be made out of paper.'

'Yeah, but doesn't that make it a letter?'

'…Noooo it's a USB.'

'Maybe a note?'

'No, it's not a note…'

'How about a memo?'

Silently reading the page over my shoulder, Pearl is the first to interrupt.

'The, umm, whatever that is that Q handed you mentions several different days on which the second Kira would like to meet the first.'

'That's why I told you to hurry, Luci. You know I don't like reading. I generally just watch the movie versions.'

Typical Q. So, what does this thing say?

Thursday 20 July: -33.700481 151.112829

Friday 21 July: -33.704073 151.100587

Saturday 22 July: -33.710064 151.104412

Sunday 23 July: -33.724318 151.120235

Monday 24 July: -33.548189 151.208144

Tuesday 25 July: -33.859594 151.204775

Wednesday 26 July: -33.858117 151.214874

Thursday 27 July: -33.664721 151.080348

'…A day and a number, no doubt the latter of which is a coordinate. No indication of which time and location is the "correct" one, and based on the variations in the coordinate numbers they're probably scattered all over the city… For now, all I can say is that this person is stupid.'

'Exactly,' Nigel says. 'Wanting us to broadcast this message for Kira would obviously mean that they're aware of what would happen to the targeted locations…'

'It'd be a total panic. The media would be screaming that going to those places would get you killed by a Kira, or some bullshit like-'

'Shut up Okada! Frankly, it does seem idiotic, but that also makes it difficult to react to. If we broadcast the message, then we'll also have to announce that the areas listed will be closed off to all non-essential personnel and fortified. If we don't, then the second Kira might not do anything, or worse, they could get angry and do something really stupid. I say we go ahead with the broadcast, and immediately begin covering all the schedule's meeting points with every kind of surveillance device known to man. We'll also begin closing down the streets surrounding each point and conducting a further investigation there.'

'You're not thinking they'd come after it's announced that there will be police presence around each location?'

'Police? I was thinking more along the lines of an extremely high-tech and well-trained elite military force, and also police. And no, I don't think the first Kira will come, but I'm not sure about the second. I don't know how stupid he or she is. Or perhaps they aren't stupid at all, and there's another hidden message in here. If there's some kind of code that only those with Kiran abilities would understand, it's unlikely I'd be able to find it. So we'll have to just do what we can. We'll start by installing as many hidden cameras as possible in all eight targets, and filling the streets in all areas with as many plain-clothed police officers as we can.'

'But if one of the Kiras shows up and notices people trying to capture them, won't they do something in response? It's dangerous.'

Fuckin' Idiots. When will they realize? That they are being used, that they are all nothing more than pawns! But I guess I have to play along for now…

'We're already announcing that we will be fortifying the locations, so I don't think they'll be surprised if we have people questioning people, or even taking fingerprints and DNA scans. In any case, I doubt either of them will be killing regular people. Our officers will be dressed casually and simply be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. And in case our cameras and cops aren't enough to ensure nothing remains unseen, I'll also arrange for several surveillance drones and spy satellites to keep an eye on the situation from above. As for who within the eight of us will go, we can't pick someone like Nigel, whose appearance screams out that they're a cop.'

'I'll go. I'll fit right in.' Mungalo suggests, and I know what Okada is thinking, so I'll say it first.

'You can go too.'

'Eh, I might as well tag along,' Pearl adds, 'I mean, it's not like it'll be that dangerous for us. After all, the only thing the second Kira is interested in is Kira, and vice versa.'

The first Kira's main goal is inevitably going to be to reach the second before anyone else, so would he want to go to a place where he could possibly be seen by him or her? We know that this "additional ability" bypasses the requirement for the second Kira to know a target's name beforehand, but does it work the way the Shinigami eyes do in Death Note? Or does it work completely differently? Say Kira's device is like a sniper rifle that only "fires" when the target's name is typed into something, and the "additional ability" removes that requirement? Of course, that can't be the case either, and thinking about things I have yet to understand will get me nowhere. The more time goes by, the higher the chance the two Kiras could make contact, that much is certain. I'll just have to put into motion the plans I have…

'We'll broadcast the timetable tomorrow. Nigel, we'll have to get cooperation from the police before tomorrow night's news.'

'Right, I'll do my best.'

'Also, and this is very important, while it's true that this gives us a chance to catch one or both Kiras, at this point we must also think about the two of them joining forces. I want to strengthen our security even more.'

'What do you-'

'Shut up Okada! So from now on, and this applies to all of you except Pearl, Q and I, don't reveal to anyone that you're working on this case, avoid going outside as cops as much as possible, and I want you to destroy all photos of yourselves but the ones on your person. I've left no photos of myself anywhere, not even at Forbes High School where I'm registered. Even all the security cameras in this building should be made to deactivate whenever we enter or leave, and should be made even more impenetrable to any hacking attempts.'

(Tom's POV, 15:15, July 16)

You're a bit late for that, bitch.

(Luci's POV, 15:15, July 16)

'I want you all to gather up your files at the Police Headquaters, all your photos at home, and ones you've given away, and dispose of them. If the Kiras join forces and want to wipe us out, all they'd need is our pictures to kill us all, in theory at least. Oh, and one more thing. Some of us not going to the locations specified should be following our three main suspects at the stated times. If any of them show up at one of the second Kira's meetup points, even if it seems they're only doing it out of curiosity, your orders are to shoot to kill.'

'What the hell!? Isn't that a bit overkill?!'

'Well, Mungalo, you know what they say: there's no kill like overkill.'

'What?! Who says that?!'

'Probably the guys who say "When in doubt, shoot all your problems away". So, in the meantime, I've put together a list of places we could look for a possible Kiran base of operations,' I continue, pulling out another sheet of paper for everyone to read over as Q shows up with coffee.

Not Sydney

Kira's house

The month between I, Kira chapters

Flavortown

University classroom

Forbes High School rooftop

Atlantis

'Now, these are theoretical and highly confidential, so I think the best option is to split these places among us. Mungalo, I think you and Okada should check out Flavortown. I think I'd be best suited to investigate the high school, because I'm the only one of us currently enrolled there. Aivenawa, you get Not Sydney. Chief, you get Kira's house and Atlantis. Good luck with those. Now, Pearl, when we're out searching the specified locations, I want you to keep a close eye on our suspects. Also, I don't want you to keep a close eye on them, okay?'

'Luci, may quickly I speak to you in private?' Q requests, and I follow him out of the room.

'…What is it?'

'I've watched a recording of your presentation in Israel. Luci, have you ever uttered a single completely true thing since you were born?'

'Shut Up! I did what I had to do. People lie to survive, no-one is blameless!'

'…Good answer. Of course, giving up on the case then wouldn't have gotten you assassinated, probably. But now… you know, that speech has earned you over twenty new nicknames, few of which are positive. I'm not going to lie, unless you turn up results soon, the Kiras will be the least of your problems. And if you can't do that, there's only one way you can avoid assassination.'

'Let me guess. The thing I'd have to do is "die" before getting killed, right?'

'Indeed. You'll only survive if you "die".'