The Detective Prince
Chapter 139
Stance Given
There was no light to be shed from the outside, almost as if they had awoken to nothing but darkness itself. The only thing providing light was that of a flickering torch a lengths away from where he lay. There was very little to feel within the body, tightening his fist to find an obvious numbness. This was no different with the rest of the body. There was a weakness to be felt with the first attempt made to ease up from the position he found himself in. He fell back with a light wail of pain to escape his lips.
It was after this occurrence that the staggering pain revealed itself, one which could be felt down at his left side. That's all it took for it all to come pouring in, rehashing bit by bit what had happened in the hours that had passed.
"The motel, the library… that's right," He thought with a realization. "That's when I was shot… but where am I now?"
This was the question of the hour. He didn't waste any time, reaching down to trace his finger over where the pain was at its peak to make an alarming discovery.
"My wound, it's bandaged up."
This only raised his curiosity further. Where was he, and who had taken the time to see to his injury? Was he now in a medical center of some kind? His eyes were gradually adjusting to the darkness, starting to make out small details in the surrounding area. There was nothing immediate on either side of the bed, also finding he had been relieved of all personal belongings.
He then focused to the distances ahead which brought a heightened clarity due to the flaming torch directly across yards from where he laid. It was within those first moments that the outline of bars were hinted, leaning forward with a sharpened look only confirmed this. Only then did the thought come to mind.
"Am I being held captive?"
And if so he knew there would not be any room for error with what was to come next, which would be devising a plan of escape. Between his injury and the unknown of his current location he knew this would be no simple task. What came next only pressed the matter, hearing a shocking sound that erupted throughout the walls with no warning to give.
"A scream… but who?"
It was clear he had no interest in learning what was going on. There was no doubt or second guess, it was now a race against time in his mind.
"I have to find a way out of here, and soon."
…
A fourth attempt was applied before taking a step back. The results were the same as they had been before, receiving no response from the other side. With a concern coming to the fold he reached forward with the turn of the knob, pulling the door off to the side to find the room empty.
"He's not here?"
This absence was almost surprising given that the time was only ten after seven. He had never come to the room at this time to find him unavailable.
"Where could he have possibly gone?"
There weren't too many ideas that came to mind, closing the door as he made his way down the long hall. It was a quiet morning, even able to hear his own breath with each exhale. It was almost as if he was the only one present in the house. With all rooms checked there was only one area that had yet to be checked, having a good feeling that's just where he might be.
He descended to the lower level, entering the room which would be considered the main entrance to the closet of secrets itself, grabbing holding of the pendulum with a tight pull to signal the open. This allowed him entry, walking in with the clock sliding back into place after doing so. There was a presence to be felt with the distance narrowing, only becoming more apparent with the echo of voices to be heard.
"I thought I might find you down here." Alfred said after sighting him aside the computer chair.
It wasn't hard for him to detect who the message was directed to. Knowing this he turned to face him with direct contact made.
"I take it you were looking for me?"
The last steps were taken down the staircase bringing him to ground level.
"That is correct," Alfred confirmed. "You received a call."
"A call," Shinichi asked becoming fully attentive. "From who?"
"That can wait," Bruce announced from his seat in front of the computer. "We have more important matters to deal with at the immediate time."
"What is it the two of you have been doing down here?" Alfred asked.
"Review." Bruce replied with his focus still on the computer.
"Review for what?"
"Everything," Bruce answered. "Stemming from Salomon Green's death, the Mount Zomoph incident, all the way to the unsolved murders that occurred months ago in Japan."
"I see, and have further tests been run our guests condition?"
"Yes," Bruce replied. "We'll have the results back in the next hour."
"So Shinichi," Alfred said looking his way. "How are you feeling?"
"No different than I have the past few days," Shinichi replied. "Which I'd depict as normal standards."
"There's another bit of news I've come with."
"What is it?" Bruce inquired.
"A call came in for you from Wayne Enterprises a few minutes ago."
"About?"
"Don't tell me you've already forgotten about the yearly Gotham funding event, for which you agreed you'd heavily be taking part in this year," Alfred reminded. "Only two days left."
"I haven't forgotten." Bruce assured glimpsing back at him for a brief moment.
"If I must say I believe bringing along a companion would be something to consider," Alfred advised. "Adding image to go along with the goal is never a bad idea."
"Something I'll consider."
"I thought that you might," Alfred said. "If you need me I'll be outside, there's work that needs to be done."
"I'll keep that in mind."
A nod was given in response, seeing himself off as he headed back for the stairs. This left just the two of them once again, both with the same thing on mind.. finding a means to an end for all the cases set before them.
"Before we continue there's some ground we need to cover." Bruce spoke sparking conversation once more.
"I'm listening."
"I'd first like to say that when I first heard you'd be coming to Gotham I wasn't planning for you to get involved in any of this, I'm still no fond of the idea," Bruce admitted. "So don't give me a reason to change the decision I'm about to make."
"Which is?"
"I'm releasing the leash so to speak, which will give you more flexibility going forward with the investigation," Bruce continued. "But if an order is given I expect that you'll follow it, and if you don't.. all tides are cut."
"I understand."
"Good," Bruce said standing up from the chair to lock eyes with him with a sheer look of focus to share. "Then our true mission begins, Detective Kudo."
…..
The screams had long since faded, almost as if death had overtaken with the loss of the cries. The belief from before couldn't be any clearer, he was in a locked up cell of some kind. His nerves had now peaked, only strengthening his urge to find the inner power to wield him out of the current predicament he found himself in. The torch continued burning strong in its flame, shadowing his figure as he dropped down to the coldness of the ground which brought a shrill of uncertainty within.
What was his next move going to be? There was no time to calculate or plan, there was no telling for when they would come. And with that thought coming to find a sound could be heard, one which didn't sound too far off from his position.
"A door… is someone coming?"
This left him frozen, but only for a moment. There could be no panic, and nor would he show it. A stomp of a foot called out, a sound which would suggest someone walking down from an upper level. There was no more denying it, someone was in fact coming. With nothing to work to his advantage and no knowledge of the cell he found himself in he knew an escape would come down to the first seconds once the door was unlocked.
The steps only increased in pace, finding the rhythm in each taken to be off beat. There was only one conclusion that could be determined from this.
"There's more than one person."
There was no doubt, he was sure of it. With a kick start in thought and a goal to reach a smile fell in place. All that remained was an execution that could be nothing short of perfection, a factor which could mean life or death.
To Be Continued