In a way, Jii's attack on Conan was a weird indirect compliment about how much faith the old man had in Kaito's abilities. Perhaps he should be flattered. But at the moment, Kaito couldn't help but wonder if he could meet such expectations. Realistically, how much could they hope to accomplish?
The very premise of fighting crime by becoming an internationally wanted criminal was… somewhat ambitious to begin with. Actually, the only reason to do so was the lack of literally any other choice. Kaito had been alone, unable to trust either the police or private investigators. So he generated his own publicity through flashy stunts and entertaining heists, hoping to eventually shed enough light on Snake's organization to finally force the police into action.
The fact that Tantei-kun had begun investigating them was game-changing. With the influence the Detective of the East had over the police, Kaito was sure that his little detective would be able to eradicate the syndicate as soon as he had enough evidence against them. So, to maximize his potential impact, Kaito determined to gather as much information as possible for the investigation.
With his and Jii's identities revealed, they no longer needed to be as cautious in their approach. In fact, they couldn't afford to be. Even living under disguises, in the digital age, it wouldn't be long until they were found and arrested. So if they were to accomplish anything, it had to be tonight.
Given the time constraints, Kaito decided his best bet would be to use Pandora as bait to draw them out, then get any evidence he could on video. If he could get any confessions of crimes or any information about the higher-ups of the organization, that could be enough. If he could possibly get a few of them arrested, that would be even better. If things went well and he had more time after that, he could try to continue his previous strategy. If not, then at least he could be satisfied knowing that Tantei-kun would never give up the fight. The risk of arrest might prevent him from cooperating with the detective, but at least it also meant Kaito could count on the guy to arrest the other criminals too.
Kaito's plan began with two advance notices. The first he wrote plainly, explaining when and where the showdown would occur, and requesting the police to come discreetly and be prepared to arrest a potentially large number of armed men. Kaito donned a police disguise and delivered a copy to Nakamori-keibu and to the heads of the other divisions as well. He did plant a few bugs, but he knew from experience that the station would be thoroughly swept for bugs whenever a Kid notice 'magically' appeared from within the building.
The second notice was trickier. He had no means of contacting Snake except publicly, but he didn't want a crowd at this event due to the high possibility of violence, and he had to avoid a riddle that Shinichi's enemies might be able to decipher. There was also the issue of making sure it would be broadcast with enough attention that the organization would see it and respond to it before the evening.
For anyone who possessed even the tiniest drop of self-preservation instinct, this part of the plan might've been prohibitively difficult. For Kaito, it was incredibly fun.
Infiltrating the Nichiuri TV studio building was a piece of cake. He found the recording studio where the news channel was currently filming a live broadcast, then hid in the rafters to wait for the perfect dramatic entry.
—
"…and authorities have yet to determine the source of the leaks," the newscaster was announcing in a standard, professional, and entirely boring tone. "And now—"
"—for something completely different!" The voice, though exactly the same, had clearly not come from the shocked reporter, who frantically spun his head around, trying in vain to find the source of his own disembodied voice.
The answer came an instant later with a puff of smoke that erupted in the center of the studio and dissipated to reveal Kid, in his iconic white suit, perched on the desk and grinning like a madman.
"I apologize for the interruption," Kid stood on the desk and greeted the stunned film crew with a polite bow. He was pleased to note that all the cameras panned to keep him in frame, and he gave them his best trademark smirk as thanks. "I only need a moment of your time. I'm here to deliver my next notice."
"Your— your next notice?" The newscaster, probably realizing that this could be a golden opportunity to propel himself to fame, quickly regained his composure and launched into full reporter mode, even holding up a microphone to Kid that one of the staff had hurriedly passed to him. "Kaitou Kid, everyone has assumed your next heist would be to reschedule your previous one. Is that so?"
"There's been a change of plans. That jewel is no longer interesting to me, since I already have the one I want." With that, Kid flicked his wrist to reveal Pandora between his fingers for just an instant, a single flash of light shining for the cameras.
"Kid, according to public records, you've returned every jewel you've stolen. Where did you get this one?"
"Who's to say that I haven't had it all along~?" he answered, grinning slightly too wide.
"If that's the case, then why hold so many heists to steal jewels you didn't want?" the reporter pressed.
"Does a gentleman thief really need a reason to entertain his adoring fans?"
"Then why become a criminal rather than an honest performer?"
"Well," he replied, subtly tugging the brim of his hat just a little lower, "…let's just say that there is more than one audience I perform for."
Over his earpiece, he heard running from down the hall where he'd planted some bugs on his way in. Before the reporter could ask his next question, Kid straightened and announced firmly, "It seems I will not be welcome much longer. So then, my notice: 'At the serpent's failure, when the red light is full, the undying secret, shall not cry alone.'"
"Another riddle? What—" the newscaster began, but was cut off by the shouts of the security personnel from the door, and the cloud of smoke where there was no longer a thief.
Kaito, now safely hidden in the rafters again as he made his escape, breathed a quiet shuddering sigh of relief. The adrenaline from the interview still buzzed through his veins like a sugar rush, which would've been pleasant under other circumstances. Ah, to think that he'd ended up only a few life decisions away from a career in show business where he might've been able to sit down for a proper interview someday! A rueful half-smile tugged at his lips. He didn't regret anything.
Now for the hard part.
—
Jii understood why they had chosen this site. The old abandoned theater where Toichi had died had never been repaired and was located on the outskirts of the city in a sparsely populated area, so there were unlikely to be civilians in the way. The large vaulted ceilings and rafters were designed to host any tricks or props that a performer might need. And because of its shared history with both Kid and Snake, it was easy to subtly reference the location. So Jii understood the reasons. He just didn't enjoy being here.
After stopping by the storage unit for the supplies they'd prepared for this day, he came here and began to set up. Kaito joined him once he'd delivered the notices, and they worked together in silence.
Snake should easily understand the location in the riddle, given his 'failure' to kill Kid here, though Jii still winced in pain at that misconception. The 'red light' of course referred to Pandora's supposed glow, while 'full' gave the time by referencing the full moon, which would occur in several hours. By 'undying secret,' they hoped to imply that Toichi had survived because he'd used Pandora. The final part was partly a threat to destroy the legendary jewel with its 'tears' of immortality tonight, and partly a bribe hinting at a possible trade, which should be enough to lure at least some of the organization's members.
They should've had more time to prepare. They should've tried to verify if the gem was authentic. They should've had a means of ensuring the police would arrive. But ultimately, there was a limit to how much one old man and one lonely teenager could do on their own.
Jii looked up from the floor panel he was fitting back into place to cast a concerned glance at Kaito. A deep sadness settled in his heart to see the boy appear so serious, so grim. Kaito had been burdened with far more than anyone should be. Though Jii did everything he could for Kaito, he knew it was no substitute for the sorts of relationships he needed. He wished that Kaito could've had a true friend and partner, even if it apparently just 'had to be' Kudou Shinichi.
In reality, Jii had nothing against the detective. Yes, Kudou was on the side of law enforcement and therefore an 'enemy.' He was also their most troublesome and dangerous pursuer due to his intelligence, gadgets, and skill (and murderous intent) with a soccer ball. But all of that was fine. Respectable, even.
No, the only thing that truly scared him about Kudou Shinichi was the fact that Kaito was head over heels for him. It hadn't even taken very long – within just a few meetings, the detective was all that Kaito would ever talk about. The first time that Kaito had suggested potentially asking Kudou for help, Jii nearly threw a fit. He'd told Chikage about Kaito's crush immediately after that discussion, and between the two of them, they had managed to get a promise from Kaito not to get too close to the detective or reveal anything to him.
Jii hated to see how much the promise had hurt Kaito, or, rather, how hard Kaito had worked at pretending it didn't hurt. But unfortunately, Kaito was reckless and impulsive under the best of circumstances — who knew what might happen if he were to be reckless and impulsive around a brilliant detective he couldn't think rationally about? So, tragic as it was, it was necessary. Jii would rather Kaito be heartbroken than imprisoned.
And then the Great Detective had to go and turn everything upside down when he came into the bar earlier that day already knowing everything. Claiming to have no concrete evidence was a nice courtesy on Conan's part, but it meant nothing in reality. Kaito may be blissfully unaware of the source of his gadgets, but Jii knew all too well that they came from the Kudou's family friend. Concrete evidence was not even a phone call away.
Conan had acted innocent, as if he really were a harmless friendly ally. Kaito was buying it. Jii was not. To Jii, it seemed obvious that Pandora was just a way to manipulate the pure-hearted teen who trusted people more than he should. He knew that Kaito would've agreed to whatever brilliant-sounding plan the boy suggested. Neither he nor Kaito would've been able to identify any flaws or double-crosses in the detective's plan, one for inability, the other for unwillingness. Jii refused to let it get to that point, so Conan had to be knocked out before he could start talking. Even if that left them alone, in the dark, and on the run.
As daunting as the future may be, there was no point regretting any of it now.
—
Jii finished setting the next trick and stood with a soft sigh.
"Jii-chan," Kaito said suddenly, finally breaking the melancholy silence that had filled the past few hours. "I need you to promise something."
"Young Master?"
"If anything goes wrong tonight, run."
"Bu–"
"You have to!" Kaito declared with authority, fire in his eyes. "The point of tonight is to collect evidence. It will all be wasted if neither of us can get that evidence to someone who can do something about it."
The words made sense. He understood the plan. But the horror of the idea prevented him from speaking. So Kaito plastered on an over-confident grin and added in a lighthearted tone, "If it makes you feel any better, I also promise to do the same."
It did not make him feel any better. Kaito would be in the theater interacting with the murderers, while Jii would be in his car a block away to monitor the cameras and operate the electronics. They both knew exactly what Kaito was asking.
Jii shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them to look into Kaito's determined face. And maybe it was the echo of Toichi that he saw in that expression, but Jii found himself nodding weakly.
Kaito's smile softened with relief and affection. "Good," he said quietly. "Everything will be ok. I promise."
Jii simply nodded again, refusing to think of the possibilities. It would not come to that.
—
Darkness settled over the desolate theater. The lights remained off, save for a single spotlight focused on a vintage red armchair in the center of the main stage. Kaitou Kid lounged in the chair, legs crossed leisurely, arms spread out over the back, with a confident easy grin, looking for all the world as if he'd never had a problem once in his life.
Kid did not move a single muscle when the shadows along the edges of the room began to shift. Over the earpiece, Jii quietly informed him that there were already a dozen men in the building. They began to distribute themselves in a semicircle around him, keeping just out of sight. Still, he showed nothing but the Poker Face.
They all opened fire at once, and for a moment, the amphitheater resounded with the echoes of silenced gunshots and shattered glass. Where the armchair had once supposedly been, there was now only the jagged remains of the elaborate mirror trick. Jii then snapped the lights on, illuminating the ground floor where all the stunned criminals were now in full view of the multiple hidden cameras they thankfully didn't notice. Kid smirked from where he was hidden in the dark vaulted ceiling above the stage.
"My, how rude~!" Kid sang out in a teasing lilt. His voice filled the theater from the multiple speakers placed throughout it, making it impossible to pinpoint his location. "And sloppy, too! You wouldn't have hit a single vital point in that attack. Honestly, haven't you ever fired a gun before?"
"You know I'm perfectly capable of killing you anytime I want!" Snake snarled at the stage, after giving up trying to find Kid in the dark.
"Again? Haven't you already tried that?" Kid taunted, hoping he would take the bait.
"I didn't try, I succeeded! I killed Toichi, right there!" he shouted, pointing to where the stage was still blackened from fire damage.
Kid paused. Since this footage would go to Tantei-kun, who already knew his identity, and the police, who would know it soon enough, he had already decided it would be easier to simply agree or even accuse Snake of Toichi's murder. The fact that Snake was somehow already certain of it was both surprising and disconcerting. How long had he known? But regardless, Kid needed the confession.
"That's true. You murdered Kuroba Toichi. As well as many others along the way, I'm sure."
"Too many to count!" the man agreed viciously. "So you should know by now to take me seriously! Hand over Pandora, or we'll murder you and everyone you care about!"
"Now, why would I agree to that? You'd just kill everyone anyway after you got what you wanted. If I'm going to get murdered either way, I should at least destroy Pandora first, don't you think~?"
Snake fumed, cursing, then paused for an eerie silence before asking in a cold, low, measured tone, "Why did you bring us here, Kid? What do you want?"
This was it – time to set up the lie they'd planned out. "I have Pandora. It glows red in the moonlight, but I don't know how to activate the tears of immortality. Tell me how to use it, and after I'm done with it, I'll hand it over to you."
"Never! How could we possibly trust you to hold up your end of that deal?"
"Luckily for you, that's not your problem!" Kid answered cheerfully. "I wouldn't trust a low-level grunt like you to know anything useful anyway. I will only speak to your boss about this. Put me in touch with him."
Snake spat on the ground. "Go to hell! For all I know, you could be lying about having Pandora in the first place!"
"Hmm, what a pity, it seems we can't come to an agreement. In that case–" Kid began shifting in the rafters to prepare his escape. The demands had always been a stretch, and he'd already achieved more tonight than he had since becoming Kid, and the rational thing to do now was to escape with the evidence. Maybe he could try again later.
"Wait!"
Kid froze mid-motion at the unexpected cry from Snake. There was an uncomfortable thirty-second pause, then Snake growled angrily and spoke again, "If… if you show yourself and prove that you have Pandora by holding it up to the moon… then I'll tell you how to contact my boss."
It felt like being plunged into ice water. Kid took a few short breaths. Could he really achieve such a thing tonight? It felt almost too good to be true. Either way, he had to take the chance.
So he regained his composure and responded smoothly, "Only if you all drop your weapons. Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt~"
Snake let loose a few more curses, then, to Kid's absolute and utter astonishment, he shut his mouth and nodded at his subordinates. Kid watched in stunned disbelief as they all discarded their weapons on the stage and stepped several meters back.
"Step further back," Kid ordered, mostly just to see if they would obey. They did.
"Now your turn, Kid!" Snake yelled, looking very much as if he would like to murder him, but with his hands held up to show that he was currently incapable of doing so.
Kid flipped his microphone off and whispered, "Jii-chan?"
"I don't see anyone else outside, and from what I can see on the infrared cameras it appears they really have dropped their weapons," Jii answered him over the earpiece, sounding just as uncertain as he felt. That was as much confirmation as they could get. All sorts of alarm bells were going off in Kid's mind. But he had to try.
One tiny problem was that he didn't actually have Pandora – he'd discreetly slipped it into Jii's pocket earlier. Kaito knew that Jii had the better chance of escaping tonight, and he refused to let the gem fall into Snake's hands. But all he really needed right now was something that would appear to glow red. After a brief consideration, he removed his monocle, broke off the charm, wrapped the glass in cloth, then struck it to silently splinter the glass. From his sleeve, he produced a tiny color-changing LED, set it to red, and stuck it behind the cracked glass.
Well, he doubted it would grant immortality, but it could probably fool some idiots from a distance in the dark.
Though the room originally had no windows, the fire had left the roof in bad repair and several holes had opened up in the deteriorated wood over the years. So Kid, balanced elegantly on a rafter, made his way slowly over to one of those natural skylights, letting his white suit catch the scattered beams of moonlight to let Snake see him. Kid moved extremely slowly, never taking his eyes off the entire group of murderers, but none of them made a single move. All just glared at him silently, empty hands raised harmlessly in the air.
When Kid reached the gap in the roof, he held up his right hand to let Fauxdora catch the moonlight. He was relieved to find that the glow looked somewhat believable.
The relief didn't last long. In that last instant before disaster, he saw Snake's vicious smirk, and he finally understood. All those odd silences. The uncharacteristic behavior. Someone else had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes, ordering Snake around through his own earpiece. Kid had thought he was luring Snake using Pandora, when in reality, someone else had been luring him using Snake.
Realization hit him the same instant as the bullet: a shot from outside ripped through his raised forearm, throwing him forward.
—
Jii watched the video feed in abject horror. Kaito had spun rapidly to just barely avoid falling, and was currently dangling precariously from the rafter with his wounded arm, the blood dripping down into his face. Jii watched Snake and his men snatch up their weapons and knew what was going to happen next. Jii's hand hovered over the button that would activate the sleeping gas capsules in the room, but it was hopeless. Kaito couldn't reach his own gas mask from his position and would fall to his death if knocked out right now.
At least the gang seemed intent on taking him alive, as several of them were now holding up a thick blanket under him to break his inevitable fall. So maybe Jii could release the sleeping gas after Kaito fell. One of the men was raising a rifle toward Kaito and— but then Snake stopped the man, paused in a strange silence, and Jii's eyes flickered to the other video feed showing that Kaito had gotten both arms on the beam and was now beginning to haul himself up. They could still make it, they just had to—
Snake and his men all put on gas masks, then the one with a rifle fired a bullet that grazed Kaito's left thigh. With the cold metal bars now slick with blood, the momentum from the shot easily dislodged the boy.
Kaito landed with a dull thud in the blanket, which they swiftly wrapped around him like a net and hauled out. Jii watched helplessly, unable to believe this was really happening, as the black-clad men all piled into a nearby van and sped away.
It didn't feel real. This couldn't be real. So the tears welling up in his eyes weren't real either.
Jii sniffled and wiped his eyes. Without conscious thought, he numbly began the process of stopping the camera feeds to download and save all the data. Now… now he'd promised to escape. The syndicate was surely looking for Kid's assistant at the moment. That thought gave him the jolt he needed to get into motion, and he hurriedly drove away.
How could this have happened? Kaito had held the gem up to the roof of a three-story tall room. Someone would've had to be on a fifth floor or higher to get the angle for a shot like that, but there were no suitable buildings within five hundred yards of the theater. This shouldn't be real.
After a while, it occurred to Jii that he didn't know where to go. The police, maybe? But they'd completely ignored Kid's notice and hadn't sent a single officer tonight. Whether they were corrupt or incompetent, Jii couldn't even find it in himself to care at the moment. They were useless either way. He could call Chikage? But she was currently in Italy and probably hadn't even been told about this situation in the first place.
That only left one person.
Jii really really really did not want to see the detective right now. How would the boy respond when his kidnapper came on bended knees to beg him for help saving the criminal who'd just drugged, kidnapped, and robbed him? But he was out of options. So he found himself turning down the road toward Ekoda.
—
He really should've expected this, Jii thought despondently. When he'd entered Kaito's bedroom and saw the poster door still intact, he'd accidentally gotten his hopes up. The only two ways to open the door were to break it down or to unlock the recently installed security systems from the outside. The locks shouldn't have been easy to crack, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Yet the room was empty. An empty cup and a plate of untouched sweets sat beside a futon and a pile of scattered pillows and blankets. All other traces of the room's occupant had completely vanished.
It really shouldn't surprise him, Jii reminded himself. After all, the boy's genius and skill for handling difficult situations was precisely why his help would've been so valuable right now. But it seemed that was no longer an option.
He hadn't really wanted to consider this worst-case scenario, so hadn't thought to ask for the boy's phone number. Searching for him at the Mouri detective agency had its own risks. In fact, Jii realized with a sickening twist in his gut, by this time the child would most likely be at the police station to report the kidnapping and mugging to the authorities, who would surely be arriving here any moment. Jii had to leave immediately. But to go where?
Kaito should still have some trackers on him, but what could Jii do? Walk up to the organization's headquarters and take everyone out by himself? Of course not. He needed help. But who could he possibly turn to?
In a flash of inspiration, he darted his hand into his pocket for his phone. It took a few tries to remember which pocket it was in, then he fumbled getting it out and struggled to get his trembling hands to select the right number from his contacts.
The call went through almost immediately, and Jii didn't wait for a greeting before begging, in a near shout, "Agasa, something terrible has happened! I need your help right away, please!"
"Is he alive?!" The reply was instant, urgent, desperate. It was also not Agasa, but Edogawa Conan. All coherent thought suddenly drained from him, along with the color in his face.
"Is he alive?!" Conan demanded frantically.
"Ye-I think so! At least, he was, when, um..."
"Kidnapped?" he asked, still firm but less panicked now.
"Y-Yes."
"Do you have some way to track him?"
"Uh, yes, yes, trackers. With— from my laptop. Yes, I do."
"Where are you right now?"
"The room. That room where we, um… at his house."
"Bring the laptop and wait for us in front. We'll be there to pick you up in about two minutes."
"I-I—…ok."
So Jii snatched his computer and abandoned the house, without even pausing long enough to question this bizarre turn of events or the fact that he'd just agreed to be picked up by a detective he'd recently chloroformed.
Author's Notes:
You know, I really have to wonder how the rest of that news broadcast went. Where do you even go from there? Like, "Wow can't believe Kid just suddenly showed up, that was wild, wonder what the riddle means. So anyway for tomorrow's weather…" Props to that news guy for just going with the flow though, he seems like a pretty cool dude.
Next Up: Back to Conan's perspective to see Plan B, which quickly turns to Plan C, then gets snagged on some unexpected circumstances that nobody had planned for.