Oh shoot! Sorry about the cliffhangers. Sorry writing Spider and Snake is hard considering they aren't in the animes too much and I don't have a lot of reference material, but I am trying. I predict more in the coming future so stay tuned. Anyone want to take a guess as to where Pandora is? Also real world, illusion, thoughts in illusion.
KID! Conan thought in relief as the assassins let loose different reactions and curses of shock. Now that he was here, he probably took care of the squad downstairs. Snake cursed loudly and Conan's fingers were instantly released as the assassin whirled to face the new threat. A few milliseconds later Conan heard the proximity of a pistol shooting blindly off into the smokescreen, the clunking sound of Snake clomping around the hallway, and the almost completely silent tiptoes of familiar dress shoes on the other end of the hall. Conan took his newfound freedom to bring his arm up and bring his elbow down at the crook of Spider's elbow, trying to dislodge his arm around his neck in the chaos.
There was a split second of freedom as Spider dropped him, and Conan took it, yelling.
"KID, take care of Snake."
The freedom was instantly cut short again as Spider's hand returned with a vengeance, snaking out of the smokescreen, slamming him against the wall, and completely cutting off his air supply this time. Conan began hitting the wrist with one hand and tried to wrestle off the cap of his wristwatch with the other. He refused to be the weak link to hinder KID. Somewhere in the hall he heard Snake grunt and something thunked against the floor, hopefully a pistol.
There, it flicked off. Conan pointed it as Spider's hand, pushing the button. Spider flinched, but his grip stayed strong. Conan went back to plan A, of trying to get him to release him using physical means. It looked like as an assassin, both Snake and Spider had built up some resistance to sedatives, which was unfortunate.
Spider's voice cut through the smoke like one of his needles.
"Kaitou KID, if you don't give up, I will kill this Boya."
For a split second there was silence. Then, KID's chuckle echoed throughout the hall, cool and confident.
"Ah, really now? Are you threatening me Spider?"
Spider laughed back, using his other hand to smack Conan's arm to the wall, earning a pained cry from the boy.
"It is a promise Kaitou KID. You know what we are capable of."
Conan gritted his teeth, straining against the fingers around his throat. He was quickly losing oxygen and his vision was starting to blur. He choked out weakly.
"No…KID. Don't do it."
Spider leered at him with a sardonic smile, tightening his grip on the already half-conscious boy.
"Boya, are you really not going to behave? Tap out if you don't want me to kill you."
Conan recognized the power move for what it was, but air and thoughts were quickly becoming sparse. His hands dropped loosely by sides, eyes flickering closed. Spider called out again.
"Better choose quickly Kaitou KID. This Boya isn't going to last much longer."
Further down the hall Kaito was busy dancing around Snake. He could see the larger man in the smoke plumes that were quickly dispersing, and he was running out of time. He heard Spider's warning and froze. Yeah, Conan would never give up, and he could not see how compromising Conan's position was, but if Spider had him, then he had no idea how he was going to take care of both of them plus a hostage. He glanced further down the hall to see Spider holding Conan against the wall, and he froze at the almost lifeless look on the Tantei's face.
He immediately filled with guilt. This was his fault. He got Conan involved. If only he…no. He refused to feel guilt for the boy. One it was unproductive, and two, Conan didn't want pity. Kaito gave him the choice and he chose to help. Nevertheless, he needed to get Conan out of this situation.
"There you are."
Kaito slightly flinched as a fist slammed into his cheek, forcing him to hit the ground as stars blinked in his vision. Kaito shook his head, trying to clear it. Really, now wasn't the time to be distracted. He somersaulted out of the way as Snake tried to kick him, landing on his feet, trying to prioritize. Take down Snake, or rescue Tantei-kun? Decisions decisions.
By now the smoke had almost completely dissipated, leaving the three men standing in the hallway. Kaito and Snake both noticed the pistol that Kaito had managed to kick out of Snake's hand on the floor between them. They both looked at each other and dove for it.
Snake was faster, but Kaito had his card gun out and ready. When Snake was within a foot of it, Kaito shot the card, embedding it in the floor right in front of Snake, causing him to skid to a halt. Kaito reached for the pistol, yanking it toward him.
BANG.
Kaito froze as a gun went off, but not the one he was holding. He turned to see Spider holding up a pistol, pointing it toward the ceiling where a smoking hole was. It was all the hesitation Snake needed and suddenly Kaito found himself on the ground with Snake sitting on his back and a pistol next to his head.
There were a few seconds of almost silence. Kaito looked up to see Spider still asphyxiating Conan.
"Look you have me now, all right? Let him breathe."
He refused to sound like he was begging. He needed Conan back in the picture so they could plan an escape. Spider smirked and let go of the detective, letting Conan drop almost lifelessly to the ground. Kaito bit his lip to keep his poker face and not let any of his concern for his friend's safety leak out; if he did, he couldn't condemn Conan to torture any quicker. Conan was deathly still for a moment before he let out a raspy gasp, coughing hoarsely as he curled up, rubbing his raw throat and panting to regain his air as he tried to protect himself. A second later his eyes opened and met Kaito's gaze.
For a second, it was just them. Kaito tried to convey his thoughts with his eyes, feelings of worry, regret, and gratefulness. Are you ok? Sorry couldn't save you. Glad you're not dead. What's next? Conan answered him with a small smirk as he pushed himself up to prop himself against the wall, and his cerulean eyes were still sharp with fearlessness as if he didn't just have a near death experience. I'm fine. It's all good. Thank you.
Kaito's eyes flashed, indigos swirling with an urge to escape. Conan noticed. He knew that escaping should be top priority, at least in most cases, but not now. His plan wouldn't come to fruition if they left now.
So while one hand cradled his neck, Conan simply opened his other hand and gently slid it down, in a motion that mimicked a mother shushing a child. Wait.
Kaito saw the minuscule motion, and almost raised an eyebrow. Conan was telling him to wait? Did he have a plan? The phantom thief was wracked with indecision, before he relaxed; he had involved Conan for this very reason, his strategic mind. He was going to trust him for now, and only if things got particularly dangerous would he disregard it.
The moment was interrupted when Snack slammed his pistol butt against Kaito's temple, almost knocking the pristine white hat off the thief.
"You have caused us too much trouble Kaitou KID."
Kaito jerked, attempting to free his hands from where Snake was pinning them to his sides with his knees to protect himself. He felt the pistol muzzle dig into the back of his neck and stiffened.
"I say we get rid of him, huh Spider?"
Kaito was about to interrupt politely and remind the assassin that he was the one who had Pandora, and killing him would not be in his best interests, when Spider had the same idea.
"Now Snake, let's not be hasty. Our thief here knows where Pandora is. This Boya on the other hand…"
Kaito's eyes widened slightly. They were going to kill Conan! He opened his mouth to protest when Conan chuckled darkly.
"Oh really? Is that the best idea?"
Kaito watched in confusion. What was going on? Was this his plan? Oh, he saw what he was doing. He smirked.
"Ah yes, is it? Would you like to play a game esteemed gentlemen?"
Snake and Spider both glanced at each other. Snake growled in irritation.
"What are you talking about?"
Conan caught Kaito's eye, and Kaito winked at him, hiding it under his hat from the two assailants. Conan fought the urge to roll his eyes. As usual with KID, he had to make it a show. Kaito shrugged slightly.
"Well of course the fact that one of us knows where Pandora is, and the other doesn't."
Conan added from his place by the wall, spinning some of his extra saccharine childishness into his voice.
"Yes, exactly that. If you aren't careful and shoot the wrong one, then it will be infinitely more difficult to find it, right?"
In an instant Kaito let loose a grunt as Snake kneed his ribs, and Conan yelped in alarm as he found himself back in his previous position, Spider gripping his shirt up against the wall at eye level. Snake threatened lowly.
"We just have to beat the answer out of you right?"
Kaito hesitated for just a second. That was close. He had almost forgot; these weren't your everyday criminals. They were dangerous and at the drop of the hat they could turn murderous, and even if they couldn't kill them, they could make them wish they had. It was now the matter of keeping it a secret of who knew the exact location. If either one of them spilled, the other would be killed instantly. At the very least it could buy some time for them to think up an escape plan.
He wasn't worried about himself; he could take a bit of physical roughness if the situation called for it. No, Conan with a child's body, that even though he hated it, was much more fragile than he was. He didn't doubt his ability to keep his mouth shut because he knew firsthand how stubborn the boy could be, but he didn't want Spider and Snake to get carried away and accidentally kill the detective.
"Search them."
Spider's order was harsh and cold. Kaito felt the hands patting him down. He heard Conan chuckle.
"Really? You think we have Pandora here when we knew you guys would come after us? How stupid do you think we are?"
Kaito fervently wished that Snake would accidentally set off a number of his traps that he had on his person, but unfortunately, he did not. The assassin did find something interesting however.
"You don't have Pandora huh? What is this?"
Kaito blinked at the two gems thrust almost up his nose. Everyone in the room froze. Kaito smirked deciding to tell the truth to infuriate them even more; he loved pushing buttons.
"Fakes of course. I needed to make a few to throw you off the trail. Why, you want to keep them as a souvenir, something to remember me by?
Snake retorted angrily, shoving the counterfeit jewels back in Kaito's secret pocket.
"Why would we want worthless fakes?"
After another minute of frantic fruitless searching and Spider sighed.
"The boy doesn't have it. Does he?"
Snake took out some of his frustration on the thief beneath him, landing a few blows on his neck and back.
"Nope, he is clean."
Kaito released a heavy sigh.
"If you had just asked if we had it on us, we would have told you the truth."
Kaito tensed as he felt the cool metal of a gun next to his temple, with Snake's voice that chilled him to the bone hissing above him.
"Enough jokes KID. You are on thin ice as it is."
Sensing the line he would cross if he continued, Kaito decided to stay quiet and still. Spider leisurely tossed one of his needles in the air, letting it drop back down in his hand.
"Well then Snake, let's discuss the notion that one of them knows where it is. Which do you think it is?"
Snake's knife tickled Kaito's throat as he growled.
"No way would Kaitou KID trust the gem to the boy. He has to know it."
Kaito managed to shrug, materializing a few smoke bombs in his hand in the process, just in case.
"Well that is where you are wrong Snake. I don't know where it is."
Conan sputtered indignantly.
"Now hold on a second, I don't know where it is."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. Ah, now he understood why Conan wanted to know the location. They had automatically assumed that he had hid it somewhere and almost cost the sleuth his life. He could play along, because as long as they kept pointing fingers at each other, the assassins would have just enough doubt not to act. He argued back.
"Oh really now? You had Pandora last."
Conan's eyes lit up in excitement as he realized that Kaito understood his intentions. He fought back.
"What are you talking about? You knocked me out and took it off me when we escaped from the museum last night."
Although, if Conan was trying to keep himself alive, he was fighting hard to make them believe that he knew it. Kaito wanted a signal or something but Conan was refusing to give it. Why wasn't he trying to escape? Kaito continued to argue.
"No, that's my line, dear Conan-kun."
"Enough."
Ah so it was Snake that got impatient first. Not surprising. Spider hummed, asking nonchalantly.
"What are we going to do about this?"
"I say we just shoot the boy. No way Kaitou KID would hand it off to a boy."
"Well, he could be counting on you to think that way and gave it to him to hide."
Snake gritted out angrily.
"This is ridiculous. There is no way to know for sure."
Spider's mouth curled into an almost evil grin.
"No, there might be a way."
Both Kaito and Conan stiffened, feeling the predatory aura settling around them, thick like early morning fog, and twice as suffocating. Kaito bowed his head, and Conan turned away from the assassin, both refusing to make eye contact. Spider chuckled darkly.
"Oh now Kaitou KID, are you scared of me? How surprising."
Kaito shoved on his poker face, confident smirk in place as he shot back almost on reflex.
"Not at all, I just didn't want to look at your ugly face."
He heard a choking sound and glanced up to see Conan hiding a smile. The noise turned Spider's attention on the young detective.
"Let's see if I can get anything from this Boya first. If he doesn't yield anything, then we can turn to KID."
Kaito froze, struggling slightly against Snake's grip. No, was he going to force Conan in his illusions? He couldn't sit by idly and let the detective go through that. He remembered the confusion, the absolute irrational terror that had filled him the first time Spider had him in his clutches. Not to mention, he couldn't risk Conan accidentally spilling the location of Pandora. He interrupted, with just the barest hint of desperation.
"No Spider, I know where it is. Don't involve him."
He saw both blood red and cerulean blue snap to look at him. Spider grinned as he set Conan down on the ground, but still kept him pinned, turning to the thief.
"Is that so?"
"No that's not true. I know where Pandora is."
Conan interrupted, with just as much panic as KID. Kaito didn't give him a glance.
"Stay back Conan."
"No."
Kaito sighed. Now really wasn't a good time for Conan to play hero.
"Conan-kun, just let me—"
"No KID."
He looked and saw Conan giving him a mild glare, almost reprimanding. Oh? Did Conan want Spider's attention on him? Why?
Spider obliged, turning back to Conan.
"Boya, do you really?"
Conan nodded bravely, no fear in his eyes. Spider's smirk widened. Kaito could almost imagine the gigantic shadow of a Spider baring down on Conan. The mini sleuth seemed to feel the same pressure, because his eyes snapped close almost childishly, like thinking pulling the covers over your head as a kid could protect you from the monsters under your bed. Spider hummed, almost amused as he drew closer to the young detective.
"Ho, now this is interesting. Boya do you know of my abilities?"
Conan cocked his head slightly, thinking. Did that mean it was hypnosis and not drugs like he theorized? He answered truthfully.
"Maybe."
In his dark world he felt the hand leave his neck, leaving him completely free. He could run now, but without sight, he wouldn't get very far, and if he opened his eyes to escape Spider would catch him in his illusion. Both sounded terrible, so he decided that staying put would be the best for right now. Spider's voice cut through the darkness.
"Well there is more than one way to do things after all."
Spider glanced at Snake and mimed shooting a gun. Snake nodded, pulling out his pistol and shot it in the air, while punching Kaito in the back as hard as he could simultaneously. Conan just heard the shot, and then the grunt of pain from his companion. Instinctively his eyes flew open, fearing the worst, concern for the thief causing him to forget his previous mission of staying out of Spider's illusions.
"KID are you all—"
Spider was directly in front of him, hands coming out to cradle his face and keeping him still as his mask zoomed in closer, his eyes rotating almost mechanically. Conan stiffened, eyes widening as his vision blurred, almost as if he had vertigo, and he wriggled slightly, trying to get away. Spider cooed soothingly.
"Now now Boya, relax. Welcome to your red nightmare."
Conan continued to fight, but his eyes were transfixed on Spider, unable to break the eye contact, but after a few seconds stilled, and slowly fell lax. Kaito struggled as he saw the fire leave Conan's eyes, they lost their usual intelligence as the boy crumpled against the wall, like a broken marionette. He had to break Conan out of the illusion.
"Hey Conan! Wake up."
A hand slapped over his mouth, gagging him. Spider gave him a reproachful look.
"Now now Kaitou KID. Don't ruin the fun."
Kaito glowered at the assassin, promising to do every foul prank under the sun to him. Spider had the audacity to grin at him.
"Watch and learn."
He knelt next to Conan, who was sitting against the wall, head bowed slightly, and his eyes looked like the lights were on, but no one was home, lacking their usually spark of brilliance. Kaito continued to wriggle and squirm, trying to get close enough to at least tap on the detective's shoe to break him out of it, but Snake's hold on him was relentless. Kaito stopped struggling, sagging in defeat as he watched Spider lean closer to Conan. He could do nothing except watch, and trust in Tantei-kun.
Conan opened his eyes, he was in a field, a strange field that looked like it came out of anyone's worst nightmare. Blood red skies, the wind rustling through the waist high grass. Something about the field unsettled Conan. Something wasn't right.
Then he heard it, footsteps. He whirled around, unprecedented terror filling hid being. What was it? Who was it? His instincts to fight or flight were warring in his body as he shifted his weight, trying to decide. Another rustle of grass, another twig cracking, another bout of chilling fear trickling down his spine. The footsteps sounded like they were all around him, and he could not get a specific location. His eyes scanned the grass cautiously, looking for the hidden predator that was hiding in its depths.
What was happening? Why was he so scared? Sure, this was unsettling, but he had never felt this level of dread before, even when Ran was in danger or injured. It wasn't even his mind either, it was his body, because while he felt completely calm and rational about the situation, his body felt like it wasn't even his own. He was sweating profusely, heart pounding in his ears, his chest felt tight, elevated breathing, and nausea were distracting him as he heard something that sounded like disembodied voices whispering all around him, blending in with the tall grass, making it even more horrific.
The footsteps suddenly quickened, sprinting at him. Conan's decision was made for him as he fled, zig zagging through the grass in an attempt to throw off his pursuer. Why was it chasing him? What did it want?
Conan shot out of the grass and skidded to a stop, coming to a precipice. Now, to jump into what looked like a bottomless pit, or to face the monstrosity that was quickly drawing closer? Conan bit his lip and made his choice. He whirled around, trembling in fear, but standing his ground. He picked out a nice stone, setting his foot beside it, ready to shoot it at the attacker.
The footsteps flew out of the grass and Conan braced himself, drawing back his foot.
"Shinichi!"
Conan blinked and it was Ran standing there, no monster or beast. Just Ran, looking at him with her doe like lavender eyes innocently. Why did he have such an adverse reaction to Ran of all people? Wait a minute, did she say Shinichi? He looked down and was pleasantly surprised to see himself in his regular adult body. This was only getting stranger and stranger. Was he asleep? A dream perhaps?
"Oh Shinichi thank goodness you are here. Do you know?"
He asked slowly, confusion itching his mind.
"Know what Ran?"
Ran's eyes glistened with unshed tears. He hated that look. He hated her crying.
"Do you know where Pandora is?"
The words echoed, slightly distorted. Conan stepped back away from his girlfriend. No, something didn't feel right. This didn't feel like Ran. Why did she even know about Pandora? He answered truthfully.
"I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."
Not to mention, if he told her, it would just put a target on her back, and he would never put Ran in danger like that. Ran wrapped her arm around his bicep, blinking up at him, with a face that he felt like he couldn't refuse.
"Please Shinichi. Tell me where Pandora is."
Again that distortion. He shook his head slightly. Should he tell her? She seemed kind of insistent, and it was Ran. What could she possibly do with the information? No wait. He was forgetting something, wasn't he? Ah, that's right.
"No. I told KID I wouldn't tell."
Kaito watched intently as Spider leaned close to Conan, kneeling next to him and watching the detective intently. Conan's body was completely still except for the occasional jerk of movement, like he was a puppet and Spider the puppet master, yanking on only one string at a time.
Gosh did he hate this. He wanted to do anything to stop this. Conan should never look like that, so lifeless, and without a speck of his usual fire and spirit. He needed to get their attention off Conan. He growled softly, refusing to sound like he was worried, or begging.
"Spider, let him go."
Spider turned and for a split second Kaito was caught in the murderous glare of Spider, crimson eyes glinting in the light.
"Now now Kaitou KID, you are in no position to be making threats."
Kaito gritted his teeth at how right the assassin was; he hated it. Snake urged impatiently.
"Spider, get on with it."
Spider turned back to Conan, asking so soothingly, so convincingly.
"Do you know where Pandora is?"
Conan didn't move and after a second whispered hazily, like he was in a trance.
"I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."
Kaito stiffened. That was basically an admission of knowing where it was. Spider leaned closer, eagerly demanding.
"Tell me where Pandora is."
A hint of a frown crossed Conan's face, before he answered slowly.
"No. I told KID I wouldn't tell."
Kaito tried to shake Snake's hands off him. This had gone far enough.
"See, you won't get it out of him. Let him go. Ask me instead."
Spider crooned.
"Ah Kaitou KID, wait your turn. I will get to you in a minute."
Snake ground his knees into Kaito's side, keeping him still. He sneered.
"What now Spider? Your little trick didn't work."
Kaito froze at the absolutely evil grin on Spider's face.
"No, I am not quite done yet. You have to soften them up with honey first, before you give the vinegar."
Kaito writhed slightly, testing the hold on him. He hated feeling so helpless. He wanted nothing more than to drop the smoke bombs in his hand, grab Conan and sprint out of there. He could, even with Snake pinning him as he was now.
But Conan told him to wait.
Yes, that was the only thing keeping him there. Conan told him to wait, and so far, his actions have all felt purposeful. He did not know why Conan wanted any of this, but if he had a plan, he didn't want to disrupt it by doing the wrong thing. Yes, Conan was the best detective he knew and taking down criminals was his forte, not to mention his number one critic. If anyone could break out of Spider's illusion, it would be him.
So he sagged against the floor, watching as Spider leaned close to Conan, whispering in his ear, causing Conan to jerk and spasm, like a twisted version of a puppy dreaming. He was going to give Conan a few more minutes, placing his faith in him for that long. If he still did not break out, then screw Conan's plan but keeping him alive and intact was much more important.
Ran clutched tightly onto Shinichi's arm, and terror suddenly filled her face.
"Please tell me Shinichi. He will kill me."
Shinichi whirled around, trying to keep an eye on his surroundings for the thing that was causing Ran to be afraid. Who? Who was trying to kill Ran?
All of the sudden, Ran was wrenched from his grasp. He turned back to see the grinning face of Gin.
His body froze, watching as Gin raised the gun to Ran's temple.
"Kudo Shinichi. Where is Pandora?"
Ran sobbed, tears staining her cheeks.
"Please tell him Shinichi. Please."
Shinichi trembled. He wanted to sprint forward, dash the pistol out of Gin's hands. Why wasn't he moving? He has never frozen like this when Ran was in danger before. Again, it was like his body was the only thing that felt fear, his mind was going a hundred kilometers an hour in his panic, but his body was the one reacting the most, even if it was very uncharacteristic of him to just be standing still. Questions bombarded his mind. What was Gin even doing here? How did he find him? Why did he know about Pandora?
Gin shook the pistol, snapping impatiently.
"Pandora! Now!"
Shinichi flinched. Pandora was not the priority right now; he had to save Ran. He opened his mouth, ready to spill the secret.
Wait.
He paused. Something wasn't right. The wrongness settled in his stomach like an ache, unavoidable and impossible to ignore. It was there since the beginning, but it had only worsened as time went by, an itch that eh couldn't scratch. What was causing it? What was wrong?
You see, but you do not observe.
His blessed Holmes cut through the confusion like a knife of clarity. Right, what was he thinking? He was a detective; it was time he started to act like one. So he closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts and taking a calming breath. His eyes opened again, intent on finding the truth.
First, looking at the scene, Gin, Ran, and the pistol were all vivid with detail, the colors, textures all looked real, but without them, the setting was wrong. They weren't really anywhere, not a room, a house, a street that was familiar. Even the field was gone. They were just surrounded by a charcoal grey void, with mist spiraling around them. Then there were all the questions that he was asking to begin with. Why were they both here, and why did they know about Pandora? Now that he thought about it, how did he even get here? He was also Shinichi again without any antidote. Too many things were unexplained.
There were too many things that shouldn't logically be happening, which lead to something that was illogical. The only things he could possibly think of was a dream, or an illusion of some sort.
Thoughts of an illusion streamlined him to the next associative word: KID. Right, before he was here, he was with KID. Did KID do this? No, KID wouldn't do something like this just to find out Pandora's location. They were allies right now anyway. No wait, they were with another person. Who was it again?
The mist tendril curled around him, wafting in the nonexistent breeze, reminding him almost of a spider's web.
Spider! That's right, he was skilled in illusion. Lucidity hit him like one of his soccer balls. He scanned his surroundings, then looked down at his hand. The first thing he needed to do was see how much he could control in this illusion. Something simple, like getting his kid body back for example.
Turn back to Conan.
His hand didn't change. He didn't feel too discouraged. Instead he narrowed his eyes, willing even harder to change back into his younger persona, for once wanting to go back to the familiarity of being seven.
Go back to being Conan.
The hand still didn't change. Shinichi gritted his teeth, before letting out a small sigh. No, he couldn't get frustrated. He needed to stay logical here in this illogical place. He closed his eyes, and clenched his fist.
Go. Back. To. Conan.
He opened his eyes, and smirked at seeing his much smaller hands. Perfect. Now that he knew he could manipulate the illusion, he just needed to wake up.
He let out a deep breath, and imagined his body was connected to his real body, his hands and feet were connected. Now to bust out of this illusion.
Kaito was having a war in his mind. On one hand he really wanted to trust in Tantei-kun, and to help his plan, whatever it was, come to fruition. But on the other hand, when he watched Spider, whispering menacingly into Conan's ear, and the usually fiery boy looking so unresponsive, it was making his stomach turn. Every few seconds he would go back on his decision to listen to Conan, only to remake it again. Conan would pull through. He had to. He had enough faith in him. This was the same guy who broke down all of his magic tricks and illusions; this will be no different…he hoped.
Snake scoffed.
"It isn't working Spider."
The assassin hummed back, awfully nonchalant about performing mental torture on a child.
"Give it some time to work."
Conan's breathing picked up slightly, heaving in small choppy breaths. Spider grinned, saying in English.
"It's showtime."
Suddenly, the breathing stopped, as if Conan was holding his breath, and he wasn't the only one. Everyone else in the room seemed to be holding their breath as well, waiting for the shoe to drop.
"Where is Pandora?"
Conan jerked his head to the side, almost in a shake. Kaito smirked.
"You won't get it out of him."
Snake snapped.
"Pandora. Now!"
Spider glanced down at KID.
"Kaitou KID, don't make me kill you to shut you up."
Suddenly a movement shifted in Kaito's peripheral, and he wasn't the only one, as it also snapped Spider's attention.
Conan's foot twitched, and then slowly, erratically it started to lift off the floor, a few centimeters at a time, pausing for a second, before continuing its ascension. It was like it had a mind of its own. Kaito glanced into Conan's face, seeing no awareness at all. Was he doing this unconsciously? Snake asked cautiously.
"Is that supposed to happen?"
Spider observed curiously.
"No, this has never happened before."
The leg rose slightly higher until it was about a foot off the ground. Everyone was still, watching the foot with apprehension. Kaito couldn't help but feel that something incredible was about to happen.
Then, gravity took hold, and the leg dropped, thudding the heel against the floor, and everything broke into chaos.
Conan broke through the illusion with an explosion of movement, like a drowning man breaking the surface of water. He gasped, instinctively flailing with his arms, slamming his fist into Spider's nose, who fell back with a grunt. Conan's eyes blazed with panic as he scrambled away from the assassin, heaving deep breaths, his cerulean eyes darting around, trying to take stock of the situation.
For a moment nobody moved before Spider pounced, pulling Conan back into a loose embrace, wrapping him up like an anaconda with prey. Conan didn't fight it, trying to recover from his experience. His eyes met Kaito's and he inquired desperately.
"Did I tell anything? Did I say anything?"
Kaito shook his head.
"No, you just said you knew where it was."
Conan sighed, throwing his head back in relief.
"Thank goodness."
Spider questioned with unbridled interest and disbelief.
"How? How did you get out of my illusion on your own?"
Conan turned his head to give Spider an incredulous look, as if he was the child.
"You had me at first, but when I started really looking around there were a lot of discrepancies. Not enough details and it was kind of illogical. Too many questions didn't have answers to I figured out it was an illusion it was kind of easier than I thought to break out. I just felt like I needed a physical shake, like the same process of when you are dreaming of falling and waking yourself up. It was the same principle I suppose. "
Spider's face crumpled into a frown. It was silent for a moment, before Kaito burst out laughing. He couldn't tell if it was from relief that Conan was fine, more then fine, from being right to trust in him, or triumph that Conan managed to escape the illusion unharmed and without spilling the secret. Heck, it might have been all three. Conan had once again not only met his expectations, but far surpassed them. Snake hit his back a few times, but he didn't stop.
"Shut up KID."
Kaito continued to laugh.
"Oh Spider, you didn't even realize. I forgot to introduce you."
Conan cocked his head slightly, looking at KID as if he was insane, which he kind of was. Kaito gushed proudly.
"This here is Tantei-kun. He has a hobby of looking at magic tricks and illusions and pulling them apart. I can't tell you how often his infuriating ability has messed with one of my shows, even the most complicated tricks. His mind is annoyingly so logical, that illusions and tricks don't trick him for very long. "
Kaito smirked playfully.
"As you can see, he is your worst enemy."
Conan-kun grinned back at KID. He could tell that KID was proud of him, or at the very least was concerned about his well being, glad that he got out of the illusion. He had no idea what he did while his mind was compromised, but it sounded like he impressed KID by keeping his mouth shut. Spider's frown deepened. Snake huffed and Kaito abruptly stopped laughing as a pistol was shoved against the back of his neck.
"Well now that we know that the Boya knows the location, we can eradicate this pest, right?"
Kaito's indigo pupils widened as he once again looked at Conan, asking him if it was time to leave. His chaotic whirlwind of a personality felt very wrong just sitting here and taking the abuse and not getting out while they had the chance. Conan interrupted; tone hardened like steel.
"You kill him I guarantee I won't tell you the location."
Snake sneered back, chuckling darkly.
"Are you really suggesting you can stop us Boya?"
Conan gritted back.
"I am saying that if you kill him, might as well kill me too because I am not telling you anything."
Snake curled his fists in frustration, turning to Spider.
"Switch me. We have tried your method. Now let's try mine."
Kaito's eyes widened. No, even they wouldn't beat up a child.
"Haven't you done enough? Tantei-kun is stubborn."
Snake cracked his knuckles, causing terror to chill Kaito to his core. Still, his poker face refused to fall.
"Everybody is stubborn at first. They don't last too long; time is precious."
Conan took a deep breath, glancing from Snake to Spider. His plan was going all right so far, except for Snake's trigger happiness. He was so close; he just needed to give it a little nudge to get the ball rolling, to act as a catalyst for the next step, while keeping KID alive. No problem.
"You think I am no threat to you Snake, even though I have enough evidence of your organization to put you all behind bars?"
Instantly Spider's grip on him tightened. Snake barked angrily.
"What evidence? What do you mean? Where?"
Kaito's eyes widened fractionally. What was Conan thinking? He knew Tantei-kun was reckless, but this was worse than normal. Did he have a death wish? Conan continued, defiance gleaming in his eyes.
"If I don't show up at a certain place at a certain time today, my friend will take all those files to the police. I will make sure I don't show up if you kill him."
Ah, now Kaito could see. Conan was desperately trying to keep a bullet out of his skull. Thoughtful, but not when it endangered his own life. Snake and Spider exchanged glances. Pandora's location just moved a little lower on their priority list. Spider stood up, still holding on to Conan's arm.
"Here. I will stay here and try to get something out of KID. Do it properly."
Kaito's eyes widened a fraction. Now this was taking it too far. Screw Conan's plan. He wasn't going to let Snake harm him. Conan was standing there, arm in Spider's grip, squared shoulders, ready to take whatever Snake was about to dish out. Snake's face contorted into something sadistic as he leaned to get off of Kaito. Kaito clenched his fists and made his decision; between Pandora, which he could always retrieve later, or Conan's life, it was an easy choice to make.
"Kudo Manor."
Everyone whirled to look at him. Conan's face tightened as he gave the tiniest shake of his head, but no Kaito was done following what Conan wanted, at least for now. The criminals were holding all the cards, and anything was better than jeopardizing Conan's safety. Gosh Conan was right; in a hostage situation he was useless. He thought he could handle it but apparently not. Snake elbowed him, not hard enough to leave a bruise, but it was still painful.
"What did you say?"
Kaito didn't break eye contact with Conan. He was buying time at the very least. If they had Pandora they would kill them, but maybe Conan could work with this. Maybe he could work with this. It would take time to get to Kudo Manor. They could think up a plan on the way.
"Kudo Manor. It is where we stayed last night. He hid it there."
Snake murmured thoughtfully.
"Kudo. Where have I heard that name before?"
Conan pursed his lips into a thin line, chewing almost nervously.
"Kudo Shinichi, the high school detective. He was my distant relative. I have access to his house, and we needed a place to stay."
Spider grinned.
"Well then, it looks like we need to pay this Kudo Manor a visit."
Snake cocked the pistol.
"We don't need them now. Let's get rid of them."
Conan interrupted desperately.
"Wait!"
Snake raised an eyebrow at him. Conan bowed his head in defeat.
"All right, if you don't hurt either of us, I will come quietly and give you the exact location. It is better for you this way, right?"
Kaito bit his lip. Conan had never sounded that way before; he decided he didn't like it. Where was the detective that fought back against all odds? Surely there was still a scheme in place? Or did he ruin everything by spilling the location of Pandora? Spider yanked Conan toward him.
"Bring them both. We can kill them later, once we have the jewel. I don't want to waste precious time."
Snake grabbed Kaito by his arms, hauling him to his feet.
"Either one of you make a sound, I will pop a bullet in your skull."
Kaito kept his monocle and top hat on and slid the smoke bombs back into his sleeves, at least for now. He looked at Conan, trying to apologize with his eyes, when he paused.
There, for a split second, was a ghost of a smirk, followed by a very brazen wink.
Kaito kept his poker face, but inwardly he gaped, before grinning mischievously. Maybe he was wrong; maybe they hadn't lost the round yet.