Four points of the same star

DISCLAIMER:I do not own Detective Conan .

FOUR POINTS OF THE SAME STAR

Chapter 9

Working with the enemy

"Ok, I think this part might interest you most since.. well.. nobody ever heard about it."

Lunch was over and everybody was in the living room again. Ryu was sitting on one of the armchairs, facing Rei, Conan and Ai that were on the couch. Agase was on the other armchair.

Ryu took a deep breath and resumed to speak.

"After my meeting with Miyano-san, I began to plan what to do with Matt. We had just entered FBI and nearly nobody knew that. So we had a head start. I knew that I couldn't do everything alone but I also knew that we couldn't involve many people. Miyano-san had warned me that many.. important people had been corrupted and were double-dealers so I had to be careful in my choices. At the beginning, I only asked Matt and his father to help me.

Matt, being a lawyer could rummage through judicial archives, see what cases had been closed for lack of proof or find anything strange while his father, being inspector could check the police archives and also contact us if anything queer happened since he was the first to be informed down at the headquarters.

At the beginning, I only worked to find a clue or something that could be related to the Organisation. I started from the cases that we had checked when I was looking for any similarities with my parents' death. Then I started to gather information contacting a few trusty informers that I had in town."

"Hey, wait a minute. Didn't you say that you had just entered FBI?" Conan asked, "How did you have informers already?"

"Mr. Xanders always let Matt and me help him when he had a case to solve." he replied, smiling slightly, "We usually went around asking questions and got more information than a group of police officers. Who would think that two teenagers were FBI agents?"

"So you fooled them, right?" Conan said, grinning.

"Exactly." the other boy replied, "We managed to put together a good deal of information and adding this to what we already knew, we were able to find some more details about the Organisation. We found out that the Organisation probably had two headquarters. One in Japan and one in America, probably in New York. But after tis initial head start, we came to a dead end. We couldn't find anything else, nothing more than less important issues. That's why we decided to carry out the crucial and... most dangerous point of the plan."

"Infiltrate you inside." Rei remarked and Ryu nodded.

"Matt was totally against it." he stated, "He said that I was practically walking to death, giving myself to the enemy but after a bit of talking, he realised that it was the only thing to do."

"How did you manage to get inside the Organisation?" Ai asked, "They don't trust anybody else than the ones they have trained."

"Well, that was the first problem. How to get in? I discussed about it with Matt and his father and we found a way at the end. We decided to use the informers."

"How?" Agase asked.

"They had to spread a rumour. Rumour that a scientist with good skills was in town looking for a job. They also had to subtly add that he had a certain.. background. Let's say that I had to wait and see if the Organisation could be interested on me. In the meanwhile, I moved to an apartment, so that no one could think I had any connections with the Xanders, consequently with FBI. I acquired a new identity and Ryo Yamazaki became my alias. I erased all traces of my previous life, every single detail of it and create a fake past for my new self and began to start living as a scientist interested in criminal activities. My efforts were rewarded a couple of weeks later when a man contacted me. Weeks later, I was a member of the Black Organisation."

The others looked at him with surprise.

"Kazama?" Conan asked.

"Yes?" he said, looking at him.

"Did they really take you for a criminal? You don't look like one."

Ryu laughed slightly,

"I know how to act." he replied and turned to Ai, "Did you suspect anything when we met?"

"No, nothing." she replied with a sarcastic smile, "You were like the others who were there. Skilled, cold and emotionless."

"What did you actually do in the Organisation?" Rei asked, "You never really told us in detail. You just used to show up with some material and information and then disappear again."

"I couldn't sit down and talk, could I?" he remarked, "Especially with you or Matt. Anyway, I worked with the other scientists to the security of their computer system. That was enough for me. Thanks god, I didn't go any further."

"Why not?"

"Those who held high positions were usually the ones that were used for very.. important missions by the Organisation." Ai answered and the others turned to her.

"Very important?" Agase asked.

"Yes, the high members were all perfect shots, emotionless, and the best of assassins." she replied simply. (1)

"Exactly." Ryu added, "The ones who weren't.. -er, just as perfect were either immediately trained to be so or used for different purposes such as scientific research. But even those who were not specially trained had to be able to use a gun properly."

"Well, that shouldn't have been a problem for you." Rei remarked, "You were one of the best as for shooting and fighting skills during the training courses."

"That helped but I think that they really needed me for my scientific skills." Ryu said thoughtfully, "I noticed that there were many scientists around, especially computer programmers."

At this statement, Conan looked up.

"Computer programmers?" he asked.

"Yes, I think that they're working on some kind of project. It must be something really big because nearly all the people I met when I was in there were involved." Ryu said, "Too bad I couldn't find out what it was. They didn't let me in."

"They probably didn't want strangers involved." Rei remarked.

Ryu nodded.

"Yes, I was the "new-one" after all."

"Do you how the Organisation is structured?" Agase asked him. The others turned around in surprise and he reddened slightly. "Well.. I.. I was just... curious to know how it was inside. Ai-kun never told us anything about it."

Ryu smiled.

"It's not a problem, Agase." he replied, "I'll tell you all I know.

Well, the Organisation is formed as a hierarchic system.

At the top, we have the leaders, the minds and senders of all the criminal activities. I don't even know if there is someone that actually knows their identities because they act in the shadows and never in first person.

Next, we have the high members. They're the élite, the most important among the operatives, those who carry out the important orders. They are the ones that.." Ryu stopped abruptly. He was going to -the ones that kill... but he didn't want to hurt Ai or Rei so he rephrased the sentence. "They are the ones involved in murders.

Third in rank, we have the scientists. They are divided in two groups: the scientific research group, that takes ahead all the chemical, medic-poison projects and the computer technology and programming group that, besides working on that big project I mentioned before, also works on the security and the protection of the Organisation's computer system. They have to prevent any intrusion that could allow a loss of information.

And, at the end, there are the agents, the field operatives. They do all the minor criminal activities: thefts, black-mail, corruption.. They are the largest group but also the less qualified and less important. They only obey to the orders of their superiors." Ryu looked at the others. "This is a general idea of the Organisation. I haven't mistaken anything, have I ?" He looked at Ai and she shook her head.

"Where did you work?" Conan asked, "In the scientific group?"

"Martini was in the computers' group." Ai answered, "While I was in the medic-poison one."

"How did you manage to steal information from their computers?" Rei asked, turning to Ryu. "Those scientists must be really good. I've been working on the files that you've given me for months and they're still indecipherable. The codes that they have used are very complex and I've got only a few hints for their full translation. Certainly, the security system that they have used for the files are nothing in comparison to the ones they must have prepared for their main system."

Ryu nodded in agreement.

"It's true. The computers' protections are inviolable from outside. You tried once, remember?" he said, turning to Rei and she nodded. "And also from inside, it's quite impossible to penetrate. The whole system is controlled by the main computer and that's used only by the most trustworthy scientists. No one, except them, can use that."

"What do you mean with controlled?" Conan asked.

"Every scientist had a computer and every time one was in function, the main computer knew exactly what you were doing." Ai answered, "If someone tried to send an e-mail or tried to download something regarding the Organisation, it would show it immediately."

"It's a very sophisticate software." Ryu added, "The main computer knew exactly what happened in every other computer. Even what keys on the keyboard had been pressed. If you tried to reach data that was reserved, they would know. And you would have been killed in that very moment."

"Then, how did you manage to bring out the information?"

"It took me a while to figure out how to fool them and their system. You see, they didn't trust me completely since I was the new member. I think they did a few researches on me but couldn't find anything compromising. Matt and I had created a perfect and anonymous past for Martini but they still didn't trust me enough to let me work alone so they set me to work as an assistant with another scientist, Scotch. During the first weeks, I never managed to even touch a computer because they always called Scotch for any technical problem. Then, at last, I got to work, too. One of the computer scientists had created a new diagnostic program that was better than the previous ones, so we engineers had to add a new hard disk to all the computers of the Organisation and set up the knew program. Scotch and I were sent here in Japan to change the hardware of the computers and that's when I took advantage of an opportunity. The only one that had been presented to me." Ryu stopped and smiled slyly at Ai." I have to thank Sherry. She helped me."

"What?" Conan and Rei exclaimed and they both turned to Ai, who looked just as surprised.

"I helped you?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, you helped me. Unintentionally, but your help made me take out all the information from the Organisation's system."

The others looked at him blankly.

"Don't look at me like that! I just managed to fool everyone with a small trick." Ryu turned to Ai. "Do you remember how we met?"

Ai nodded.

-:-

It was late at night, nearly one o'clock in the morning but the young scientist was still hard at work in the lab.

Going in there was like going in another dimension.

It was all dark, only lighted by a dim source, the computer screen. Sherry always worked in this condition. It well explained the world she was living in. So dark and gloomy without a ray of light.

Her only hope and light was her sister. They were both working in the Organisation and they hardly saw each other.

But now everything could change.

She had to finish her work: the creation of the APTX-4869, the perfect poison. She had been working on this project for more than a year, ever since she graduated in sciences and chemistry. Even though she was so young, she was talented and they had assigned her the task that her parents had been working on before their car accident.

The drug was still experimental but it had been used a few times and the victims' death had been confirmed. Sherry felt a shiver run down her spine. She was creating something to kill and that already killed.. but it was the only way she had to live with her sister.

'As soon as I finish the APTX, I'll be free to leave them.' she thought, 'And we will live together, 'Nee-chan. Happily together, at last.'

The sound of approaching footsteps made her snap out of her thoughts.

Sherry resumed to work, fingers held stiffly on the keyboard and waited patiently to see who was coming there at that time. The transparent door slid opened slowly, squeaking a little when it disappeared into the walls. Two figures walked in, one hands in pockets, the other carrying a briefcase, an uncomfortable black covering that mysterious bodies, hiding their dark personalities.

The first one led the other inside the room and turned the lights on and faced the girl.

"What are you doing here?" he asked harshly.

"I am working, Vodka." she replied in her usual emotionless tone, without taking her eyes of the screen and her work.

"Well, you'll have to stop. He's here to check out your computer." he said, jerking a thumb to the other one.

She sighed and saved her work before turning the computer off and getting up.

"Come on, get to work and don't make mistakes, Martini, or you'll be sorry." Vodka said to the other but the new one didn't even flinch and just headed to the computer. Sherry glanced at him carelessly. Young, hardly twenty, probably her age.

'A new member.' she thought, 'Vodka's testing his powers on him.'

Martini put his briefcase on the table and carefully unplugged all the cables connected to the central process unit before lifting it up and placing it on the table. He quickly glanced at the unit's side to see which model it was and then opened the briefcase. Inside were some screwdrivers, cutters, wires, some small screws, some floppy disks and, wrapped in a plastic covering, was a computer's hard disk.

Sherry raised an eyebrow noticing the last object and turned to Vodka.

"I thought you said that he just had to check the computer, not change the hard disk." she remarked coldly. "I risk to loose all my work."

Vodka, who didn't know anything about computers, looked at her blankly not knowing what to say. The boy answered in his place.

"There will not be any changes." he remarked in a colourless tone, "I just have to add the hard disk to the system and expand the memory. Then I have to install the new program against intruders." He turned around to the girl and their eyes met. Light blue with light blue, but neither spoke. Both noticed that the other had a familiar glint of sorrow in the eyes.

"Hey, you're not here to talk!" Vodka remarked harshly, making the two look back at him. "Go back to work. And do it quickly."

Martini frowned slightly.

"Quickly? Why don't you do it then since you're an expert?" he asked sarcastically, "I have to work carefully or the whole system could get damaged."

He resumed work, not noticing the smirk on Sherry's face and the scowl on Vodka's one.

-:-

"I didn't help you in any way. Vodka was there the whole time and we couldn't even look at each other without him to notice." Ai said looking at Ryu but the boy smiled, shaking his head.

"I said that you helped me unintentionally." he remarked, "I'll explain myself better. While I was dismantling the computer unit and fitting the new hard disk, I also installed a small processor inside, connected to the old disk. Then, while I was setting up the new diagnostic program, I managed to finish my work, installing a program for downloads that I wrote."

Ryu looked up. Only Rei and Agase seemed to have understood what he had done. The others still had a blank look.

"In short, every time Sherry turned on her computer, I could have a connection to the Organisation's system without being tracked down by the main computer. In this way, I could download all the information I needed on my laptop and then save them in disks."

"How could you do that?" Conan asked, "You went back to America and, from what Rei has said, you continued to steal information. How could you know when her computer was on since she was here?"

"That's easy. The processor inside her computer sent a signal to my laptop every time it was turned on or in use. Whenever I said so, it automatically downloaded the files with information, thanks to the program I had installed."

"And nobody noticed it?" Ai asked.

"No, no one noticed. The processor is well hidden inside that computer. So, unless they dismantle it into pieces, no one will find it. The same for the connection."

"Ryu, where did you find that processor?" Rei asked.

"Don't forget that I'm an electronic engineer. I modified a simple processor for my use. Anway, going on, I found a way to bring information out of there but I didn't imagine that the files would have been written in code language. Matt didn't understand anything about computers and I had some knowledge of them but it was not enough to decipher all the files. That's why we decided to involve Rei in the investigation. She was already well known in our headquarter for her skills and for having tracked down many hackers and we knew that she was trustworthy since we were friends from university. She was the last member of our.. team."

"What happened later?" Agase asked and Ryu became serious.

"Well, things were improving steadily. I've been infiltrated in the Organisation for nearly a year and nobody seemed to have suspects on me; Rei was working on the information I brought her and had discovered many things about their activities; Matt was keeping an eye on the all the other cases with his father's help and also managed to cover up my absence. I was never there and Rei was always busy, so he used to say that we were working on other cases together. We were reaching our goal. Another few months at least and we could have found the final evidence that would have brought them down. But, it would have been too good to be true... They were not so incompetent. We underestimated them and that was our mistake." Ryu stopped and the others didn't say anything. At last, they would know what had really happened and how a plan that seemed perfect just failed miserably.

"Four months ago, I was down at the Organisation's American headquarter, when I heard a few agents talking about a traitor." Ryu glanced at Ai. "It was you, Sherry. They said that you just disappeared from the room where you were locked in and that agents were looking for you all around Japan to.. to kill you."

At this, Ai shivered slightly and Conan looked at her with concern.

"They decided to search for some clues in your computer, so they asked Scotch to come and check it out. At that point, I started to think that I couldn't stay there for long."

"Why not?" Agase asked.

Ryu turned to him.

"If there was someone in the Organisation that I had to fear on finding the truth about me that was Scotch, both for his scientific skills and for his ability as an agent. He always treated me with suspicion and I sure that if he checked out Sherry's computer and found the processor, it would take him less than half a second to put the pieces together and understand who I was and what I was doing. I decided to take my chances and wait and see what was going to happen. If I got a hint that something was going wrong, I would have come back to FBI. What I didn't know was that they already knew everything about me."

"What do you mean?" Conan asked.

"It seems that they had suspects on my real identity from the beginning. They had infiltrated their agents in all the police departments, including FBI headquarters, months before Sherry's flight.

In other words, they played with me. They pretended to believe me so that I could carry on my plan. In this way, I led them straight to MYSTERY and the agents that were hidden in FBI finished the work telling them who was working with me." He looked at Rei, "I was worried for you, Rei. They knew that we worked together in MYSTERY and that you were the one that deciphered the files. I managed to send a message to inform you before leaving. Did you get it?"

The girl nodded.

"Yes, I received it a few weeks after you stopped contacting Matt." she replied, "It took us totally unprepared. We never imagined that there would have been double-crossers on our side."

"I never thought about it either. When I found out, it took me off guard too." Ryu remarked, "But, you know, we should have expected it.. that was another of our mistakes."

"Ryu, why weren't you killed?" Ai asked quietly, "You know a lot about them. They could have silenced you immediately."

Conan looked up.

'Good question.' he thought.

Ryu sighed softly.

"I mentioned my father's project about the micro-devices, didn't I?" he asked and the others nodded, "I never told this to anyone but I was carrying out his work. Unknown to most, Father had sent a copy of the project to Mr. Xanders a few days before his death. I didn't know anything about it till Mr Xanders told me. It happened while I was still in university. When I finally graduated, I decided to finish my father's task.

But.. I don't know how but the Organisation knew that my father's project had not gone burnt in the fire that destroyed my house. They probably wanted to corrupt me and take me on their side or just kill me after having the project but I disappeared before they could have a chance to get me. I thought of going back to FBI but they had foreseen my moves. Since they couldn't have what they wanted, I couldn't get what I wanted either.."

"The letter.." Ai said.

"..and the photos." Conan completed.

"Exactly. They managed to make me seem a traitor and everybody believed them." Ryu said bitterly, "Their plan worked perfectly."

"Ryu, Matt and I couldn't.." Rei started to say but he stopped her.

"Don't worry, Rei. I know that you two couldn't do or say anything. It would have compromised all our work." he said, reassuring her with a slight smile, "I understand."

"What did you do afterwards?" Agase asked, "How come you're here?"

"I was in an unpleasant situation. Both the Organisation and FBI considered me a traitor. I knew that I couldn't stay in America anymore, so I started to work on an escape plan. I didn't want to give up and let the blacks win. I thought that I could gather some other information in Japan and then I could have contacted Matt or Rei to tell them that I was still alive. I managed to enter different airline's systems and put my name on three different flights. I thought that this could have sidetracked anyone on my tracks. Then I came here in Tokyo and have been living here for more than a month."

"You've been here for a month?" Conan said, "Where did you live?"

"Near the Beika hotel." he replied, "I work as a waiter in a bar near there since the owners have rented me a room."

"What?" Rei exclaimed, turning to him in surprise, "Have you gone mad? You've been living in the centre of the city and, moreover, you've been working in a bar, showing yourself to everyone. It's a miracle that they hadn't already found you."

"They would have never found me, Rei." he said, "Because they would have never thought that I would be there."

He smirked, seeing the puzzled expression on his friend's face and not only on hers. Ai and Agase were confused too. Conan was the only one that had understood what Ryu meant and was trying to hide a smile.

"Since I was hiding, it would have been obvious for me to go and stay.. -er.. I don't know.. in a small hotel in the suburbs, never leaving my room unless it was necessary, for example. But that is the first place the men of the Organisation would have looked for me. Instead, they would never look for me in a crowded bar. They probably think that I have chosen a lonely place as a refuge, avoiding people but that would have been too suspicious. Anyone would notice me in that way. Only a inexpert would do like this…." Ryu stopped his explanation, noticing the red lines on Rei's face. Realisation hit him. "Hey, don't tell me that you..." He failed to hide a smile.

The girl nodded embarrassedly.

"Yes." she replied with a hint of annoyance, "When I came here, I stayed for three weeks in a room I rented in a small hotel in the suburbs."

Ryu didn't know whether to laugh or apologize. He caught a glimpse of Conan who was stifling a laughter. Their eyes met and they couldn't stand it any longer: the two boys started to laugh.

Ai looked at the two with a slightly amused look, while Agase looked at them with confusion.

"Listen, Rei, I'm sorry.." Ryu said, through gasps, "I didn't want to tease you."

"Oh really, I didn't think so." she replied with the same annoyed tone. "By the way, how did you get that idea of hiding in the crowd?"

Ryu grinned.

"Generally speaking, the more something is strange, the less mysterious it turns out to be." Ryu quoted.

"The common, anonymous crimes are the one most difficult to solve." Conan continued.

"Exactly like an anonymous face is the most difficult to identify." they finished together. (2)

Rei raised an eyebrow.

"I knew that you two were alike but not so much." she said, smiling slightly and then turned to Ai, "It will be hard to deal with these two."

The other girl smiled.

"Hey, I've told you everything I knew. Now, it's your turn." Ryu said, looking at Conan, Ai and Rei. "If we put all the things we know together we can outline the general situation."

The other three looked at each and nodded.

Rei was the first to speak.

She quickly explained Ryu about the plan she and Matt had made to find him and how they had been forced to change it after she received the Organisation's threatening e-mail. How they had decided to feign her death and how she had waited till everything was official. She also told him of the problems she had met in deciphering of the files he had given her.

Ryu didn't say anything but just nodded at her and then turned to listen to the others. Rei listened carefully, too.

Conan and Ai spoke in turns since they had met the Organisation many times together.

Conan told them about his first encounter with Gin and Vodka and how they left before the pill effected completely. Fortunately for him, they didn't know about the shrinking effect of the pill. He explained how he came to Agase's place and how he found himself going and stay at the Mouri's agency so that he could investigate or find clues about the men of the Org. He spoke about Akemi that mentioned -the men dressed in black, before dieing. Then his second encounter with Gin and Vodka on the Shinkansen to Kyoto where he found out their code names and foiled the bomb they had set up before leaving the train. His encounter with Tequila who he overheard talking to Vodka and that was later killed by a bomb. He afterward learned that the man Tequila was meeting with was planning to sell a list of genius computer programmers to the Black Organization.

Ai joined in the conversation now. She told them of her betrayal and how she revealed her identity to Conan, explaining how she had managed to escape from the Black Org. She told how APTX 4869 had killed others and that a team, with her at lead, had gone to Shinichi Kudo's house because his death had not been confirmed. She confessed how she had changed the records to show Shinichi's death as confirmed and that there were no more investigations on him (that she knew of). After her betrayal, the Black Org destroyed her lab with all her research work in it. Despite an attempt on their part to retrieve some information related to the APTX that was casually in possess of her sister's old professor, they gathered nothing but the computer virus Night Baron. She then decided to stay at Agase's house and work on the antidote from the scratch.

Ai explained how a month a so later from her arrival, she had spotted Gin's car and how Conan put a bug in it, hoping to follow them and discover their plans. Unfortunately, Gin found the bug and a strand of her hair in the car and he figure that she was following him.

Conan explained that they had gone to the memorial of a famous filmmaker to try and stop Gin and Vodka from committing a murder but also because they suspected that the operative at the memorial (Pisco) may have the Apotoxin. Ai told how she got caught by Pisco who knew her as a child and, nearly got killed by Gin. However, she managed to escape with Conan's help.

They later found out that Pisco had been killed by Gin for failing to be discreet in his assassination.

Shortly after, they met another one of them in disguise:Vermouth. It happend during a bus-jack.

Ai explained how she could sense the Organisation's members and that she had felt Vermouth presence during the memorial. She realised that there wouldn't have been any possibility for her to get away from the woman, so she had decided to get killed in the bus' explosion rather than let all the people she knew die for her fault but Conan blocked her and saved her before it was too late.

Conan told them that Kogoroh's case files had been stolen and then were returned. He suspected that the Black Org. was behind it and that it could be a ploy to draw out Shinichi Kudo. He also mentioned his suspicions that the actress Chris Vineyard could be Vermouth. He explained how his suspects had been first directed to another person. Jodie Santemillion, Teitan High School's English teacher. Her attitude and her habit of calling Cool Kid/Guy when he was Conan or Shinichi had made him behave cautiously around her.

They both then told Ryu and Rei of the masked party event where they had really risked to loose their lives. Kogoroh and Conan (Shinichi actually) had been invited to it. The detective knew that it had to be a trap: the invitation's envelope was addressed to Shinichi Kudo but the card invited Conan Edogawa. Nevertheless, he had decided to go. Ai actually glared at him (much to Rei and Ryu's amusement) and said how she had tried to dissuade him from doing anything but had been rewarded by being put to sleep and shut in the lab. Conan, on the other hand, retorted on how she ruined his plan and that she could have been killed hadn't it been for Ran's presence.

"Why don't you go on?" Rei asked mildly, knowing that an argument was going to start.

Conan nodded and said that he later discovered that he had been wrong about Jodie. She was an FBI agent working in a department in Los Angeles and was after Vermouth for she had killed her father and was trying to capture her. Unfortunately she had failed and was silenced by the Organisation before she could revenge herself.

He then stated that he had come to the conclusion that the Black Org's major source of income is assassination, but they also dealt with the development of new poisons/drugs and were gathering together talented computer programmers for some unknown purpose. He thought this because during a case, he found a computer disk belonging to a murdered computer programmer that had diary entries relating to the Black Org. When he had read the disk, he had discovered that the programmer was forced to work for the organisation -Tequila was his first contact and later his contact was a woman with whom he spoke on the phone-probably, Vermouth. Whenever the programmer asked the woman about the purpose of the program he was developing she repeated a rather ambiguous statement.

"We can be both God and the devil since we're trying to raise the dead against the stream of time."

He then mentioned Akai Shuichi. He had seen him during many cases but never paid attention to him until Ran told him that she had met him while they had been in New York together. She said that Akai was a FBI agent and he thought it as unbelievable. He believed that Akai was an ex-agent now working for the Organisation.

When they finished, there was a strange silence in the room. A rather tensed silence.

Rei turned to Conan and Ai.

"You two have had your troubles." she remarked slowly, "I think that nobody has ever escaped them so many times."

Ryu hadn't say a word. He had been listening carefully to the other's stories and now, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Conan, Ai and Rei turned to him. He hadn't stopped them even once; instead, he had listened to everything calmly.. but they did noticed that he had flinched when Vermouth had been mentioned. At last, Ryu looked up at them. He took a deep breath.

"This is our situation at the moment. The four of us are in the Organisation's Wanted list and each for a different reason.

Shinichi Kudo, young detective that witnessed the Organisation's activities: presumed dead but still not confirmed. Shiho Miyano, young scientist that betrayed the Organisation and that must be silenced because knows too much of them. Still on the run.

Reila Ikeda, FBI agent specialized in computer science that worked on the secret investigation called MYSTERY, the one that had to decode all the information brought out from the Organisation's system. Presumed dead as a suicide in her car and death officially confirmed by FBI.

And, me, FBI agent specialized in electronic and mechanical engineering that worked on the secret investigation called MYSTERY, infiltrator in the Organisation that brought out as much information he could. Cover fallen after a year and now considered a traitor both from the Org, that wants him dead and from FBI that wants him in jail. Still on the run." Ryu paused. "We are in a really difficult situation. Two presumed dead and two wanted."

The uncomfortable silence fell in the room again.

"What are we going to do?" Conan asked and the others looked at him with surprise. He just shrugged. "Surely, we're not going to wait for them to find us, right? Let's find a way to act without being seen and without endangering ourselves or anyone else."

Rei couldn't help but smile at this. After all these years, Shinichi was still his old self: cocky and self-confident. Ai seemed to have thought the same because she shook her head disapprovingly.

'How can he be so simple-minded?' she thought, 'Doesn't he know what he's up against or hasn't he still realized the extent the Organisation was capable of?'

Ryu looked up with a slight smile on his face. He faced Conan.

"I thought the same, Kudo." he said, "But before planning anything there are a few things that we have to figure out. And solve."

The others looked at him with confusion. Ryu turned to Rei.

"If I understood well, you said that you had a few problems decoding the files, right?" he said.

"Yes." she replied, "Many of them are written in a strange code. I tried to work it out but all my attempts have finished in dead ends. There's something missing. I don't know.. maybe a.."

"Maybe a key." Ryu finished.

"Yes, a key." she agreed absently. She then looked at him in astonishment, "How do you know that?"

"I'll explain in a minute..." he said and turned to Ai," Listen, you left the Organisation about six months ago, right?"

"Yes, nearly six months ago." she replied, "Why..?"

"When did you stop working on the APTX-4869?" he asked, not letting her finish the question.

"A few days before my flight." she replied. Ai understood that it was useless to ask something since he didn't answer.

"Did you save all the data about the poison on your computer?"

"Yes, all the files regarding the APTX were saved on my computer." Ai replied and frowned slightly, "Where are you getting at? The lab where I was working was destroyed after my escape. All the data are lost."

"What if they weren't?" Ryu asked challengingly.

Conan and Ai looked at him in surprise. What did he mean?

"The processor I put inside your computer." the boy pointed out, "It downloaded files every time I connected to the Organisation's system and I continued to this work till the day I disappeared and came here. But... I just remembered that the first day I checked it out, the processor had somehow downloaded the whole content of your hard disk on my laptop. I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it was a small setting mistake I had done and merely reset everything in place so that it wouldn't happen again. As for the data that I had, I didn't bother to it since was just some scientific project you were working on, so I just saved everything on a few cd-Roms."

Conan got up.

"Y.. you mean that you have all the data?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly and a faint of a smile on his face.

A smile spread on Ryu's face.

"Yes, I have all the data regarding the should be enough for you to make the antidote, right?" he asked, turning to Ai.

"Yes, that will be useful." she replied, "Very useful."

"All right, so that resolves our first problem. Now..."

"First problem?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Ryu said, "Kudo's right. We're not going to wait for them to find us. Let's find a way to work without being seen and without endangering ourselves or anyone else. I agree with him. We can't only hide and wait. We are all determined to bring the Organisation down, right?"

Conan, Ai and Rei nodded firmly. They all had a good reason to want it brought down and see its members in jail.

"Good. But before making a plan or anything we have to prepare ourselves well." Ryu stated, "MYSTERY failed because we underestimated them. We can't make the same mistake again."

"What should we do then?" Rei asked, "What are the problems you were mentioning at?"

"The first step is get you two back to your original states." Ryu glanced at Conan and Ai.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ai retorted, "If we turn back to our original form, they will spot us easily."

"I know that but I think that you two would be more in danger if you stay like this." he said, "And.. no offence meant but.. you wouldn't be very helpful in this form either."

"What do you mean?" Conan asked. There was a trace of annoyance in his voice that Ryu noticed.

"Don't misunderstand my words, Kudo. You and Ai have the knowledge and experience of a scientist and a detective but your bodies are those of two seven-year old children." Ryu stated, "Would you two be able to defend yourselves if we faced one of them?"

"We managed to escape them until now." Conan retorted, "And Agase has given me some useful devices to help me despite this body."

"Huh? What kind of devices?" Ryu asked.

Conan showed him the stun-gun wristwatch, the voice changing bow-tie, the speaker for the bow tie, his earring phone, his high-powered shoes, the radar and transceiver in his glasses and the chewing-gum bug device. He also mentioned his solar-powered skateboard and the flashlight watch.

"You see, I'm not unprepared." he said with a faint hint of pride in his voice, "These can help me deal with them if we ever met again."

Ryu didn't say anything. He just looked curiously and thoughtfully at the strange devices Conan had shown him. He turned around to the old scientist.

"Agase, these things are really brilliant." he said with a smile and the old man swelled with pride. Ryu then turned to Rei.

"Rei, where's my jacket?" he asked.

"It's in the other room." she replied, "Why?"

"Nothing. I just have to take a.. thing." he answered vaguely and got up and went to the other room. Rei looked at him with a slightly puzzled face.

'He's got something in his mind..' she thought.

Ryu came back shortly after, carrying his black leather jacket. He went to the centre of the room and turned to the others.

"Kudo, do you mind coming here?" he asked Conan, "And put on your stun-gun wristwatch, please."

The boy got up. He was a bit confused but he did what the other had said. Rei, Ai and Agase looked at them with confusion too.

"What should I do, Kazama?" Conan asked.

"We will do an experiment." Ryu replied, putting his jacket on, "Think that I'm a member of the Organisation and show me how you'd behave."

Conan looked at him with disbelief. He would have thought that it was a joke if Ryu's face hadn't been so serious.

'All right, I'll show him what I'm able to do.' he thought. 'Now, let's see if I'm not useful.' He looked around and saw his soccer ball nearby. 'Ok...'

Ryu stayed still, hands in his pockets and seemed to wait the other's move.

"Rei-kun, what does Kazama-kun want to do?" Agase asked, a tad worried.

"I think that he only wants to warn Shinichi." she replied. Her gaze fixed on the taller boy, "Ryu knows very well what the Organisation's capable of."

"And Kudo's too self-confident." Ai added, "He needs to realize what he's going against."

Agase looked at the two girls. They seemed to understand what Ryu had in his mind. They also seemed to trust him. He was still a bit confused and he hoped that no one would get hurt.

Suddenly, Conan jumped to his left and kicked his soccer ball at Ryu. He had aimed at his face. While the ball was still flying, he opened his stun-gun wristwatch and pointed it to his target.

'As soon as he gets hit..' Conan thought, 'I'll knock him down with this.'

But he didn't know that Ryu had foreseen all his moves.

As he aimed the stun-gun, he gasped in surprise. The ball had hit the wall and Ryu was not in front of him any more.

"Where th...?" he started to say but then he froze.

Something cold and steely was pointed to the back of his head.

It was a gun.

Then, he heard a metallic "click".

"BANG! Shinichi Kudo's dead. Mission accomplished."

Conan turned around and saw Ryu holding a gun and Rei at his side.

"Do you understand what I meant, Kudo?" he asked and Conan nodded numbly.

"How did you do that?" he managed to ask. "I didn't even see you. You just.. disappeared."

"I avoided the ball and while you were aiming your stun-gun, I slipped behind you, took out the gun and pointed it to you." he said simply, "Don't worry, my gun's unloaded. I didn't want to hurt anyone. It was only a demonstration."

Rei who was right next to him, raised an eyebrow.

"You could have said that before." she remarked with annoyance, "I dashed here to block you when I saw the gun."

"Come on, Rei. I'm not so stupid." he said, "I always keep the charger in a pocket and the gun in the another."

Conan looked at the girl with astonishment.

"Rei, you saw him?" he asked, "And how did you manage to reach us so fast?"

"I have been trained to do these kind of actions fast, 'Ni-chan." she replied, "We both have."

"I see." Conan replied. He felt a hot wave of shame go through him. He had been too self-confident.

"Listen, Kudo, I didn't do this experiment to laugh at you or to exalt my abilities. It was just a demonstration. What I did now was nothing compared to what they can do." Ryu explained, "As I said, we must not underestimate them. It could be our worst and most fatal mistake."

"Yes, I understand." Conan replied. There was a new glint in his eyes: firmness. "I.. we must be prepared."

Ryu nodded and smiled.

"So, no grudges?" he said, hodling out a hand.

Conan shook his hand.

"No grudges." he replied.

Rei smiled and went back to her seat, followed by the boys. Ai and Agase had seen the whole scene and were waiting for them. Ai glanced at Conan as he sat down next to her.

'He has finally realized what dangers he's going to fight.' she thought, 'And as soon as I'll make the antidote, he'll be more determined than ever to bring the Organisation down.'

She felt a slight pain thinking of the antidote.

'As soon as I'll make it, he'll go back to his life.. to Mouri. Our bond will be over.'

She shook her head. It was obvious that everything would end in that way.

She had created the poison that ruined his perfect life.

She had to make the antidote and make him live again. That was it.

"So, the first thing is to get you two back to your normal states." Ryu said, "Next, we must find all the information regarding the Organisation and find out what they're really up to. This means decoding all the files we have brought away from them."

"Good point." Rei remarked, "The problem is how? We need a key to decode them. I don't have it and I'm far from finding it."

Ryu looked at her thoughtfully.

"Well..." he said, "Maybe..."

Rei couldn't believe her ears.

"You have it?" she asked in surprise.

"Maybe.. I'm not sure. I've saved a few files that are.. ehm.. strange."

"Strange?"

"Yes, there are all a series of numbers. I think it's a code but I'm not sure."

"I have to see them immediately."

"Ok."

"Rei's right, Kazama." Conan stated, "When are you going to move here?"

"What?" Ryu exclaimed.

"Well, you have to bring all these files to Haibara and Rei, right?"

"Yes, and you have to help us too." Rei added, "Ai and I will never manage to do everything alone."

"Rei's right." Ai remarked, "There's a lot of work to do and the more qualified help we have the better it will be."

"Yes, and I can help too." Conan said, "If you tell me what to do."

Ryu looked at the three with a puzzled face.

"Wait a minute." he said slowly, "Ok, it's obvious that I'll help you. You don't even have to ask but I didn't understand the rest. What do you mean with when am I moving?"

"Yes, Kazama. When are you going to move here?" Conan asked again.

"You mean live here?" Ryu said. He looked at them with bewilderment. "Have you gone mad?"

The others looked at him with surprise.

"Why?" Rei asked, "What's wrong with that, Ryu?"

He turned to her with a disbelieved expression.

"Listen, I think you misunderstood. I said that we had to work not live together." he said, "We are all targets. It would be deadly dangerous for us to be all together in the same place."

"Then, what do you want to do?" Ai asked.

"Well, from what I've understood, Rei and Ai live here with Agase while Kudo lives with a friend in a detective's agency, right? I think that I should stay in the room I have next to the Beika hotel and continue my job in the bar."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Rei said, "You can't stay alone."

"Come on, I know how to take care of myself and we can meet anytime." he remarked, "If you need me, I can come here with my motorcycle." He looked at her. "I won't disappear again."

Rei blushed and Ai couldn't help but smile. Conan, on the other hand, looked at the two girls with a question mark on his head. He didn't understand what was going on.

"Kazama-kun, I think it's better if you come and stay here, too." Agase stated.

"Agase, I appreciate your help but I don't want to.." Ryu started to say but the scientist stopped him.

"Listen to me, please. You know, I don't think it's a coincidence if you four are here."

The four youngsters turned around to him.

"What do you mean, Professor?" Conan asked with a mocking tone, "We have met each other because of fate or something?"

"Well, why not, Shinichi-kun?" he replied, "You came here to ask for help when you shrunk. Ai-kun came here when she escaped from the Organisation. Rei-kun came here to ask for help when she came from the USA and Kazama-kun... well, he casually met you and came here. Do you really think that it's a coincidence if you four, all involved with the same criminal group, are now here together?"

Conan, Ai, Rei and Ryu looked at each other.

Agase had a point. It seemed that they were destined to meet each other. Four different lives that were entwined by a common fate.

Ryu looked at Agase.

"All right, Professor." he said, "I have to admit that you have a point but there's a problem. I've got a lot of things and I can't stock them up in your house."

"Well, my house has many empty rooms." he said, "You can put all your stuff next door."

Ryu saw that he couldn't refuse anymore. He didn't have any other excuses either.

"Ok, you've convinced me." he said with a smile, "I'll come and stay here."

"All right, Kazama-kun." Agase said.

"Call, me Ryu, Professor. Ryu is enough. I'm not used to be called Kazama."

"All right, Ryu-kun. When are you going to move?"

"Let's see.. what about tomorrow? Yes, tomorrow evening. It will give me time to pack up and inform the bar owners' that I'm leaving the job and the room. Ok?"

"It's all right with me." Agase replied, "Ai-kun, Rei-kun, what about you?"

The girls nodded.

"It's not a problem, Agase." they said.

"Ok, since we've planned everything for the moment, I think I can go." Ryu said, getting up, "It's nearly six o'clock."

Conan jumped when he heard this.

"WHAT? It's already six o'clock?" he said, "Oh God, Ran told me to come home for dinner. She's going to kill me!"

"Don't worry, Kudo. I can drop you there in a few minutes." Ryu said. "We just have to find a helmet for you."

Ai got up and left the room. She returned with a small helmet and handed it to Conan.

"Take this, Kudo. I don't think you'd be very helpful if you crack your head falling from the bike." she said sarcastically.

Conan took the helmet, rolling his eyes.

"Very funny, Haibara." he said with annoyance and both Rei and Ai smirked.

"Rei, where are my clothes?" Ryu asked, "The ones that got soaked yesterday?"

"Wait a minute.." she replied and left the room. She came back with a small bag where the clothes were neatly folded inside.

"Thanks." he said, flashing a smile that made Rei melt. She only managed to nod back.

Conan noticed this and turned to Ai.

"Haibara?" he asked, "What's going on with Rei?"

"Kudo, you are really clueless, you know?" she remarked.

"Well if you could explain for once maybe I can understand."

Ai stared at him. Conan felt his cheeks turn red.

"I don't think that you'd be able to understand women's feelings." she said with a small smile making him turn redder.

"Hey, Kudo are you ready?" Ryu called and Conan headed to the door, feeling more confused than ever.

'Why the hell do I blush every time I talk to Haibara?' he thought furiously.

"Goodbye, see you tomorrow." the two boys said as they left.

"Bye."

-:-

Ryu and Conan were at the Mouri's agency a few minutes later.

"Here you are, Kudo." Ryu said, "Well, see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Kazama." Conan replied.

"Hey, call me Ryu. We'll be working together, right? So, no more formalities."

"Ok, then you must do the same. Call me Conan or.. Shinichi. By the way, we're not only working together. We are also friends."

"All right, Conan." Ryu replied with a smile. "I hope we will be good friends. Bye, then."

"Bye, Ryu."

Conan waited till the motorcycle disappeared from view.

'I hope we will be good friends too, Ryu.' he thought with a smile, 'You're a good guy and we have many things in common.'

It was strange to hear the word friend.

After his shrinking he had always tried not to involve anybody in his life because it would have been dangerous. He had only trusted Agase and, afterwards Hattori.

'Well, Hattori had discovered my true identity on his own.' he thought, 'And I had to tell him the truth.'

But now, it was different.

There were Haibara, Rei and now Ryu.

They knew exactly how he felt. That peculiar feeling: the fear of not trusting anyone because it could be dangerous for yourself.. but also for the others.

'Agase is right. It can't be a coincidence if we met.' he thought, 'As a detective, I don't believe in this sort of stuff but, somehow this time it feels different. I can consider them.. friends.. real friends.'

He smiled again and went inside the house.

"I'm back Ran-neechan!" he called and closed the front door behind him.


Corrections made!

1 From Pyrokid's "Never let you go"

2 Quote from "The adventures of S. Holmes.