-FIRSTS-
Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.
Warning: KaiShin relationship.
A/N: Urg...I can't write action sequences...Also, I proof read this sporadically so I might have missed some mistakes. If you found any, leave a message.
First Investigation
Kaito crouched low behind a concrete wall, the singular obstruction between him and the target location. With moon thankfully hidden tonight, cladded fully in black and hidden in the shadows, it would be difficult to spot Kaito.
"Kaito?" The earpiece softly whispered. "I've captured a radio signal. I'll be turning off the external cameras in three minutes. The blackout time should be around five minutes. Make your way across as quick as you can and hide inside the building. I don't want to risk suspicion."
"It's not as though they'll suspect anything, what with all the electric grids and telecommunication grids going haywire at the moment." Kaito murmured. "They're just receiving a dose of their own medicine." Both had agreed that while Shinichi is staying inside the vehicle, he could make himself useful by hacking into the shortwave radio signals that would most likely be used by the kidnappers. Neither had believed the kidnappers would be dumb enough to leave their security to the more traditional, low-tech, means of using patrol. Out of the pair, Shinichi seemed to be a little bit more well versed in computers and hacking, and also wreaking havoc on technology, a strange trait for a detective but Kaito could admit it was handy at times. "Were you able to get a look of the inside of the factory?"
"There's patrol near the front entrance." There were a few rapid staccato clicks before more information came through. "I counted half a dozen so far so I'm guessing there's around six to eight people inside at the moment. No more than twelve."
"That's a manageable number." Kaito swapped some of his inventory items around to have sleeping pallets in a more reachable location on his person. On his other hand, he held tight onto the modified card gun that is currently sporting a grappling hook, ready to be launched up into the air.
"From these camera angles, I managed to draw a crude map. I've sent a copy to your phone, with notes on possible camera locations and its angles."
Kaito took out his phone, set on the lowest brightness setting just in case, and looked at the new message. There was a photo of a hand-drawn map with annotations just barely visible. Several large 'x' marked locations of camera with their cone of visibility. There were also dotted lines that likely indicated the patrol route of the people inside. Kaito found one particular area had the least cameras but most foot traffic. It was likely where their little scientist was kept.
For a moment, Kaito could not help but smile and be in awe of his detective's intelligence and skills. "Say Love, do you want to host a heist with me?" He asked as he scrutinized the map and commit it to memory. He was quite confident that this map was as accurate as the architectural drawings, only without the hidden utility lines. His detective had also somehow managed to draw everything to scale.
"Stop joking around. I'm cutting the connection to the cameras now. Countdown five seconds. Indoor cameras would be cut for a minute at random intervals to make this more natural. Stay safe Kaito." Only the click and clack of keyboard could be heard from the earpiece as Kaito counted down the five seconds. It felt extremely long but Kaito was ready to spring into action the moment he saw the small red light on the camera dimmed and snuffed out.
Immediately, Kaito aimed at a particular spot above the wall and fired, the grappling hook soared through the air up into the sky before gravity took hold where it dropped. The hook then attached itself on the spiky bits at the top of the wall. Pulling onto the wire, Kaito tested for strength and stability before scaling the wall. He had to be extra careful when vaulting over the top to avoid injuring himself on the sharp spikes. Once on the top, Kaito reached for the wire and flipped it to the other side to help his descent. Before disappearing once more into the shadows, he unhooked his line and stowed it away on his person. It would not do to leave evidence behind.
Strangely enough, the sudden cut of the cameras had not caused any commotion. Likely because the inside lights were also flickering as though in response to the limited electricity supply. Kaito was sure this was also the doing of his detective, though how the detective managed to disrupt the supply, especially since there was likely to be a backup generator in this place, was a mystery that Kaito vowed to reach the bottom of. This was a useful skill and he could not pass up the chance to learn it. The patrols were sparse enough for Kaito to flit from corner to corner without being seen. Even without the flickering lights, the position of lighting elements inside the factory was easy enough for Kaito to sneak in even without the help from his detective. Though Kaito had to double back a few times when several patrols decided to take a break or use the restroom at the most inappropriate time.
'They have no sense of urgency.' Kaito hid in the shadows as he watched a man hurried past his location, not paying attention to the surroundings at all. 'And they seem to also be blind as well...really, I guess it should have been expected from hired-hands instead of dedicated men.' Kaito could not help but compare these people to the officers of the KID Task Force. Those were a professional bunch, these people were just miserable at their jobs.
Kaito contemplated whether to leave the man at a humiliating state as he gassed the man unconscious. It would teach them a lesson to stay vigilant. But then, it may also cause complications in the future. 'Wouldn't want them to be too intelligent now would we.' He tied the man up in the stall, double checking on the knot and the gag to ensure the man would not be leaving or making a sound should he suddenly wake up from his enforced nap. Under any other circumstances, he would have either left a special gift behind or just leave the man untied but the fewer able bodied man there are, the easier it would be for them to escape afterwards. Leaving behind a gift would have been feasible but it would cut into the time he had right now. Sighing, and lamenting the fact that he could not satisfy his pranking needs, he retreated out of the bathroom and into a shadow in the hallway. The indoor cameras were all functional by now, Shinichi would be intermittently cutting off the video feeds of different cameras to mock a faulty equipment scenario, most likely following Kaito's route. All Kaito had to do was pay close attention to each of the cameras to look for the signs. Even so, Kaito made sure to avoid being within the camera's view.
Coming up to the suspicious room he identified earlier, Kaito listened for sounds of movement. He held his breath as he placed his ear to the door. There were no cameras here he had to be cautious of and so far, there had not be any signs of other forms of sensors. With the patrol having dwindled to a handful strolling around the building, it gave Kaito the time to stop and catch his breath as he listened intently through the door. Kaito frowned when there were no sounds coming from the other side of the door. But still, he had to check as it was the most likely location to hold someone hostage. If this room turns out to be wrong, Kaito would scour through the building going through every room just to make sure.
Easing the door open a sliver, Kaito was surprised that there were no squeaking from the hinges within the rundown factory. The well oiled door opened further without Kaito's prompting, which cause Kaito to jump back in alarm as his hand reached for the card gun just in case.
"Welcome." A familiar voice came from further in the room. "Though you're certainly not who I was expecting Kuroba-kun." The lights came on automatically to reveal Rum seated on a rather cushiony seat with his back towards the far wall. There was another stout man in the room, standing just behind Rum. For a moment, Kaito wondered whether it might be Vermouth in disguise. But the body structure and height was all wrong.
"You don't think we'll fall for this so easily would you?" Kaito kept his pose relaxed as he pulled the bill of his cap further down to actually hide his facial features. Darkness and shadows were always Kaito's friend and with what he had in planned, he needed to keep his eyes adjusted to the darkness.
"No I wouldn't but then again, the pair of you have often surprised me." The casual shrug of the shoulders only served to cause more tension in Kaito. The man behind seemed to have picked up on Kaito's unease as he reached for his inner jacket pocket. Only Rum's outstretched hand stopped the action and the man carefully lowers his hands back to resting position. Kaito have been ready to run back out the doors to use it as cover but stilled his feet.
"Where is she?" Kaito demanded as he made observations about the room. It was sparsely furnished with fluorescent light fixtures on the high ceiling. It seemed the chair was specially brought onto the premise as the rest of the furniture were the generic office furniture kind, a bland chipboard table overturned and a chair missing a caster and a leg. There was a wilted plant by the corner and an opened filing cabinet nearby. Rum's chair was at odds with the surrounding with its luscious red padding and gilded legs.
"You mean the little girl? She's safe. At least for now." The sinister way Rum smirked and delivered the line had Kaito narrowing his eyes. "As long as I receive what I want then she can be released." Rum rising from his seat has Kaito tensing once more, fully aware of each action taken by the man. But he forced himself to relax, even slightly, so that he could correctly react to the situation instead of overstressing.
"We don't negotiate with terrorists." Kaito carefully eyed the ceiling, mind busy figuring out the mechanics of overpowering both men in front of him.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong Kuroba-kun. We're not terrorists, merely opportunists I'd say." Rum smirked, turning to pace around to the side with the window. "We've seen how the pair of you paid special attention to this particular girl and knows how important she is to you. Hence we asked her nicely to accompany us."
"Ask? You expected me to believe that?" Kaito scoffed. It was a pain having to split his attention between the two men at two different location. Instincts tell him the stout man was the more dangerous of the two and Kaito was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
"Not really." Rum sounded amused as he let his back face Kaito to face out the window, not once minding Kaito to take some sort of action against him. Kaito was tempted but at the vigilant eyes of the stout man had Kaito reconsider. "But I expect you to at least take my words on face value alone that I'm not about to harm that special princess. She is rather feisty and resourceful. Gave my men a rather humiliating time." Rum chuckled before adding, "and a rather sharp tongue as well."
Kaito was at least relieved to hear the little scientist had retaliated with everything at her disposal, even if it was only words.
"Don't worry though, she's not harmed in any way just yet. I've instructed my men not to do anything to her. She is, after all, a child. And none of my men are that sadistic to lay their hands on her. Perhaps if she was older, more mature, she would have been a beauty that no one could resist." Rum turned back with a rather insane glitter in his eyes as he licked his lips in anticipation. "I wouldn't even mind that sharp tongue, actually it would be thrilling to break someone like her."
Kaito's blood boiled. The man in front of him was not above treating human like toys. He should have known from how he treated his previous apprentice, willingly sacrificing her to settle a debt. Though he was at least relieved that Rum has yet to figure out her true identity. If Rum knew, Kaito was sure the little scientist would never be found, alive.
"Again, I ask, where is she?"
"All in due time. Now, I'm sure Kudo-tantei is listening in to our conversation. Would you be kind enough to patch us through the usual means?" Rum paced around the room back to his seat.
"Sorry, can't do that at the moment. He's out of town. Maybe I can take the message?" Kaito tries to act as nonchalantly as possible. He was quite certain the little scientist was somewhere in this building, the video his dove brought back had not shown any other locations. He needed to shrug the two men off to begin his search.
"Don't lie to me Kuroba-kun." Rum growled, "otherwise he wouldn't have known about this incident and sent you to me."
Kaito kept silent. His detective have often commented that silence is sometimes a better motivator for people to reveal information rather than an all-out interrogation. This time, Kaito's gamble paid off as Rum seems to be the type who liked to brag.
"You alone is not resourceful enough to find out about this particular location. I know for a fact that your stomping grounds are the Ekoda district and is only acquainted with Beika through Kudo-tantei. Please don't mock my intelligence." He presented his so-called logic in much the same way his detective would. "However, do you have the leisure to question me right now? After all, the clock is ticking and your little princess doesn't have that much time."
"What do you mean! What have you done?" Fear coursed through Kaito, the worst case scenario his mind managed to conjure up involved an elaborate trap where the little scientist is trapped with a guillotine hanging above her head swing ever so gently to non-existent wind, and fraying ropes that could snap any minute. Chained to the ground, with keys just beyond the reach of her small hands, Kaito could picture her defiant eyes as she accepted her own death. It was no mystery that the girl, or woman in the mind, had no fear of death. Rather, she wished for it as it would release her from her guilt. But neither his detective or himself wish that fate onto the now-young scientist when she is given this second chance at childhood.
"Like I said nothing for now." This time, it was Rum who kept silent. He seems to be waiting for Kaito to respond. Unfortunately for Rum, Kaito was not the type to fall for such ploys so easily. "Very well then, have it your way." Rum shrugged with a chuckle. "Have Kudo-tantei deliver the Key to me within three days time. Otherwise I cannot guarantee your little princess will come out of this unscathed, or even alive for the matter."
"You're not leaving." There was no way Kaito was just letting Rum leave. He took aim with his card gun at Rum's torso. Headshots were never the most effective means to threaten a person as the head is such a small target. The torso, even if it was just a small wound, can still be painful enough of a motivator. Especially so since Kaito only intended to slice Rum up with the sharp cards from his gun. "You know I'm not afraid of shooting you. You've made me do it once before and this time, I'm not going to hesitate to pull the trigger."
Faintly, Kaito heard his detective hissing at him from his earpiece but he paid no mind.
Rum laughed even as the stout men behind him took up his own firearm and aimed at Kaito's head. "I know you won't hesitate but what can your little toy do?" Rum pulled out his own gun and aimed at Kaito. "There's two of us and one of you. Unless Kudo-tantei suddenly decides to join us, then we're at an advantage." Rum's aim loosen slightly as emotions flitted across the man's face. "Ah, this gives me a wonderful idea. How about you give yourself to me and I'll release your little princess? After all, you're worth more to Kudo-tantei than the princess. I'll even be nice and tell you her location now if you'll submit yourself to me." The evil glint in his eyes suggested Rum wanted to do something to Kaito once he was within grasp and Kaito had no wish to become captured prey. As much as it pains him to leave the little scientist where she is, Kaito knew the best way for everyone to come out of this unscathed would be to keep to the status quo.
"Nice try, but I don't think you'll uphold your end of the bargain even if I do agree to the deal." Taking a careful step back, he steadied his aim towards Rum. In his ear, he heard the rapid staccato of the keyboard and soft swearing from his detective. Kaito bit back the grin forming on his lips. It was not often his detective would curse and it proves how stressful their current situation is. It must be painful for his detective to be away from the action, monitoring everything remotely through sound alone as cameras were non-existent in the current room.
"Oh? So you'll sacrifice the little princess for the sake of staying alive then? I thought you're motto was no-one-gets-hurt?" There was a show of teeth within the smile, glinting under the white fluorescent light for a brief second before the room was plunged into pure darkness.
Kaito had been ready for the darkness, even though it was not he who instigated it. It had been his plan all along but his detective must have figured it out and lent him a helping hand. The moment the room became dark came two flashes of light, from the muzzles of the two guns pointed at him. But by then, Kaito had already ducked and crouched, crawling his way to the wall and launched his grappling hook up onto the ceiling. To mask the sound, Kaito purposefully dropped several smoke bombs and threw a juggling ball towards the window so there were other forms of noises. Once he was sure his rope will hold, he began free climbing up towards the ceiling beams as fast as he possibly can. The human eye can easily adjust to the dark and Kaito could not lose those precious seconds where his opponent is still blinded by the change in lighting.
The moment he heaved himself up the beam, he quickly retracted the rope and found the nearest shadowed corner to hide in. Thankfully, the light came on a short while after he settled in his little corner, with his dark clothes easily camouflaging him to the background. Rum shouted, calling for Kaito to come out of hiding lest he quicken the death of the little scientist but Kaito did not respond. He knew, if Rum were able to do so, he would have ended the little scientist's life the moment Kaito refused to pass on the message to his detective. The way Rum had insisted the little scientist has three days meant he hid the little scientist in a location where it would not normally be accessible or visible. It could also mean that it takes time for Rum to actually send people to the location, extract the little scientist and put an end to her. This was good news as it meant there was still hope.
Not receiving any form of reply, Rum cursed loudly before firing several rounds into the already damaged wall. His frustration was clear to Kaito.
"Find him!" Rum demanded of his stout underling. "Bring him to me in any shape or form!"
It looks to Kaito that Rum was quite adamant in using him to blackmail his detective. Not that Kaito would give him the chance to do so.
"Dead or alive, I want him at my feet. Even his corpse is useful to get Kudo-tantei on my side!"
Kaito waited as the stout man left the room in a hurry, Rum walking angrily behind with stomping footsteps. Minutes dragged on even as the sound faded into the background but Kaito had to be certain neither men would be returning to the room before he dropped down from his hiding spot. Before he secured his rope of escape, however, he noted the strange, dim, light emitted from the base of one of the surrounding walls furthest from the door and closest to the overly large and obnoxious chair. Carefully, he lowered himself down to examine the particularity, fully aware that Rum and his underling could return at any time.
"Love, I think I might have hit jackpot." Kaito said softly into his small transceiver, hands feeling up and down the wall for a latch or something to reveal what was behind.
"What?" The incredulous voice stopped the tic-and-tac of the keyboard.
Finally, Kaito managed to catch his fingers on a small rectangular hole, well camouflaged by the nearby crack in the wall. His senses were on high alert, just in case there were alarms set. He chanced a glance back to the closed door leading to the corridors, ears straining to hear some sort of noise. Not hearing anything suspicious, he turned his attention back to opening the hidden door. The wall paneling slid across the floor smoothly, signalling regular use. The lack of dust along the rails also hinted thus.
There was a small set of steps, barely lit except with the spilling light from someplace down below. The steps twisted on itself, guiding Kaito in a U-turn fashion. He had to duck his head low to avoid the low ceiling. His soft footsteps were silent even on the metallic staircase. Coming up to the bright opening on the other end of the stairs, Kaito tries to stay as close to the shadows as possible. He quickly peered out to check for security, thankfully finding none observable from his location. Kaito was taking extreme caution as he stepped out from the shadows, with his card gun on one hand and smoke pellets on another. Fortunately, or unfortunately, his caution was not needed as the large sterile room revealed no one to be present. Large metallic tables were set at certain intervals, underneath the bright fluorescent lighting elements. Along the side walls were benches with strange scientific equipment, some he had seen the little scientist were in possession of, others he saw in TV crime shows. There were stools and chairs, many fallen over probably in the haste of retreat, and the odd slip of paper. Carefully, he stepped up to the nearest workstation setup. Spying a clipboard, he prayed for luck that it held some important information. Unfortunately, it was a table of numeric figures and chemical elements that Kaito could barely make heads or tails of.
"Kaito?" The concerned voice reminded Kaito to respond.
"I'm fine. But this place, I think it's a lab of some sort." He took the piece of paper but returned the clipboard to its original position. "I think they cleared out everything though…"
"It doesn't matter for now. Do you see Haibara?" Kaito walked the full length along the wall, opening cupboards just in case Rum was sadistic enough to stash the little scientist here.
"Not inside here." Kaito grabbed what he could in terms of documentation. Once they escaped with the little scientist, she could help make sense out of these figures and tables. "There are several doorways leading away from this lab, I think...she could be held in one of them…?" Even Kaito could not be certain. The way Rum insisted on how the little scientist only had three days to live suggested confined space with enough oxygen but lack of water or food. Something akin to solitary confinement only with higher security. It did not bode well for their rescue. "Say Love? Think you can manage to get your hands on the architectural drawings?"
"What do you think I've been trying to do?" A growl came through with another frustrated mash of keyboard.
"Following me with cameras?" Kaito answered playfully, hoping to ease some of his detective's stress. "I've seen how you always managed to turn off the cameras on my route."
"..." His detective's silence said more than words could to convey his worry for Kaito's safety. All of a sudden, Kaito felt warmth bubbling in the center of his heart.
"Well? Any luck on the plans then?" Prompting his detective to respond, Kaito ventured towards the closest doorway. The door was locked, electronically and physically with key. Kaito quickly short-circuited the electronic number pad on the side before attacking the small keyhole with ease.
"I managed to access the public plans, you know those submitted at the time of the factory's construction. Can you give me a bit more detail about the room you're in? I don't seem to be able to find it on here…" There as a hint of confusion along with slow clicks of the computer.
Kaito tries to describe in as much detail as he could about the room and how he arrived at the room. All the while working on the lock. Just as the lock clicked open, his detective replied with grim news.
"Unfortunately, it seems they made illegal modifications to the structure of the building. The plans I have right now does not correctly reflect the interior. The exterior dimensions and everything else matches, only interior modifications."
"So this location was one of their hideouts all along, not some hastily put together lab for short term use…" Kaito glanced around the lab before opening the doorway. His hands froze on top of the knob as he came to a realisation, one mirrored by the cursing from the other end of his earpiece. Both swore at the same time.
"It's a trap."
"We've expected it from the very beginning Love, it's not that much of a surprise." But still, it did not sit well with Kaito as he eased the doorway open to reveal another dark corridor.
"No, it means we're compromise." There were hurried sounds of packing, "you said the lab was well lit. It's not possible with the limited secondary generators I managed to hack into. Plus the fact that I can gain access so easily, it means they too were expecting our infiltration."
"Hence Rum waiting for me." Kaito's footsteps actually made some sound on the floor, causing him to frown. His skills were better than this. Kaito took a moment to bring out a pen light to shine onto the floor, revealing the whole floor to be layered with a fine layer of glass that crunched upon each step. A strange but efficient form of warning.
"Kaito, do you have the Conan glasses? We can try to track Haibara that way." It as an abrupt change in topic but given that their object was to find the missing little scientist, Kaito let it slide.
"Yea, I'll see what I can capture." Putting on the oversized glasses, Kaito turned the arm to reveal the tracking lens. After a full minute of not catching a signal, Kaito replied "Nothing, not even a single blip."
"Nothing?" Shinichi sounded incredulous. "Are you sure?"
"Of course Love, I know how to work your glasses. You showed me remember? Before we left the apartment." Sighing, Kaito turned the arms of the glasses to zoom out, just in case it was a matter of display resolution.
"I'm not doubting your ability to recall how to work the glasses. But are you absolutely, positively sure you see nothing?"
"Yes, nothing. But it was worth a try right?" Kaito sounded hopeful as he continued on down the corridor, which seems unnaturally long. The silence in Kaito's ear made the hairs on his arm rise. "Shinichi? Is everything alright?"
"..." The silence then the sudden thud signaled to Kaito that Shinichi had left the confines of the vehicle.
"Shinichi! Where do you think you're going!" Kaito stopped in his own advance across the corridor in response to his detective leaving the safety of the vehicle.
"You not catching any signal is bad news."
"How? I mean unless…" There really was no need to voice out his own suspicions as Shinichi filled in the details for him.
"I had a transmitter with me this whole time. The glasses should have picked it up. It was a backup plan for you to track me, just in case we become separated…" There were rustling in the background, telling Kaito that Shinichi was busy packing up. "I'm guessing they have the factory shielded against certain types of signals, like periodic transmission. As our current communication is based on telephony and mobile technology, a type of transmission which would cause more harm than good when blocked, that's why we can still talk through our transmitters...But even that I can't be sure."
Kaito's next words were as colourful as the ones heard during KID's heist.
"I'm dumping this transmitter just in case. They're most likely to be backtracing the signal so it'll be best if I left. I'll be at our secondary escape, probably takes me fifteen minutes to get there. I'll wait for another fifteen before driving away with the secondary."
"Wait, what do you mean backtracing the signal? You mean they're monitoring us all along?!" Kaito glanced left and right for signs of ambush. He thankfully found none.
"Possibly. They have the generators, outside of my control, to power the lab. Everyone seems to have evacuated the place and I'm hoping it was not for something too drastic." Kaito had to wince at the implication. The Organisation has a history of leaving no evidence behind, meaning they were more happy to take out the building just to physically remove the evidence. "Kaito...just...I don't want to lose you to help me find Haibara. As much as it pains me to say, sometimes...sacrifices need to be made and...I...don't want you to be the sacrifice for my mistake." The last sentence was said so softly that Kaito barely caught it. Just when Kaito was about to respond, there was a final click and a continuous ring in his ear.
Left to darkness, there were two courses of actions Kaito could take. The first, he could abandon their mission and leave the little scientist to her predicament. This did not sit well on Kaito conscience. The second was to take the risk and continue his search, which would mean risking his own life but it was something he was prepared to do from the very beginning. It was the preferred course of action and even if failure would bring on more pain for his beloved detective, not being able to save the little scientist now would likely break Shinichi as well.
"Sorry Love. You've trusted me enough to do this, let me also end this with a happy ending." Kaito whispered into his own transmitter before throwing it onto the ground and smashing his heel onto the piece of plastic. He had a time limit, no backup, and an unknown amount of space to search for a single small scientist. "Well, this is just like a heist then, only higher stakes and higher risks."
Silently, or as silently as he possibly could, Kaito continued on his walk hoping to come up with another door or a lead.
