Notes:
IMPORTANT: So far we've had specific character POVs where you can see what's actually happening and what that character is thinking. No longer! For the takedown chapters, unless otherwise stated, it will be from an "External POV," which doesn't follow any character's perspective. This allows me to blatantly lie to you all about what is happening. But only sometimes. Basically, you can't trust anything that you read with your own two eyes anymore.
As a hypothetical example, in previous chapters I might've said something like "Shinichi, wearing the KID outfit, feinted to the right and hoped they wouldn't notice him reaching for his card gun." But now I would say "KID lunged to the right and suddenly fired his card gun."
‼️‼️💥IMPORTANT💥‼️‼️: This arc accidentally turned out a lot more violent and graphic than I intended. The tags are all accurate and everything will turn out ok, but the next few chapters might be too intense for some people. As a compromise, I've surrounded the most graphic scenes with and symbols before and after the scene, to make it easy to skip. If you do choose to skip it, I will leave a brief summary of what happened in the end notes.
Conan POV
It was as if the world froze when the call came. Everyone, even those involved in complicated training exercises, cut off their actions mid-motion and turned to stare at Shinichi's phone, which had been set in a place of honor as if the folding table were a pedestal.
They all gathered around at a respectful distance as Agasa flipped a few switches on the monitoring software then gave the thumbs up. Kaito, seemingly perfectly composed, stepped forward, picked up the phone, and answered in Shinichi's voice, "Moshi moshi."
"Cool guy," Vermouth drawled in her typical aloof tone, audible to the others only because of their intense silence. "It's been a while."
"So it has, Vermouth," Kaito replied smoothly. "I take it you got my message?"
"About my 'mother's heirloom jewel'?" she said, condescending and distasteful. "How very kind of you to want to return it to me after it was lost all those years ago."
"What can I say? I'm a generous person."
"But how ever can I repay you?" she continued with feigned sweetness. The conversation was all politics and calculated moves, hidden beneath a veneer of polite friendliness that neither believed.
"Information," Kaito answered, in the same expertly crafted manner.
"Such a pity," Vermouth sighed dramatically. "If only I had any to offer you."
"Not yours, of course. I only need to know the location of certain evidence. I can handle the acquisition myself once I know where to look."
"Oh? But didn't you tell that pretty young lady from Nichiuri TV that you would have all the evidence you needed by Thursday?"
"I did."
"So it was a bluff after all?" Vermouth purred smugly. "Tsk tsk. Didn't your mother ever teach you that lying is wrong?"
"It's not a bluff if I can pull it off," Kaito replied confidently. "Do we have a deal?"
"Hmm." She pretended to think it over for a moment, then asked coyly, "And if I say no?"
"Then next Thursday's interview will involve a surprise fireworks show featuring a certain glowing gem as the centerpiece, as well as a few choice words about my 'friend' who refused to meet with me."
"You're such a sweet talker," Vermouth sighed with an air of put-upon disappointment. "How could I resist such a charming offer? Very well. I will meet you Thursday morning at 9 a.m. in the Souko District of Tokyo. Come alone, unarmed. We can discuss the details then."
"That's an inconvenient time for me. I'll expect you to have the information I need already prepared, and I'll be bringing backup."
"You'll come alone, and I will not have any physical files for you."
"I'll bring three friends, and I need at least some digital data," Kaito insisted firmly.
"You may bring one of your detective friends, but no officers. I can give you a USB drive."
"A USB drive is acceptable. I'm coming with two police officers."
"Tsk. You know how I feel about your police friends. No officers," she replied with a touch of irritation.
"We can work around that," Kaito told her, his tone somehow both reassuring and intimidating. "If you do this for us and then… disappear… it might not be worth our time to search for you."
"My, how generous," Vermouth answered dryly.
"It is," Kaito insisted firmly, almost coldly. "Far more than you know. And this will be the only time we offer."
"Hmm." She let the silence settle for an uncomfortably long time, a classic intimidation technique that noticeably affected many of the others in the room but not Kaito, who stood resolute with a determined expression, simply waiting her out. Finally, she broke the silence as if it had never existed at all. "Which two officers?"
"Satou-keiji and Shiratori-keibu," he replied without missing a beat.
"You really trust me so little?" Vermouth whined, then switched to a harsh tone, "No deal."
"Takagi-keiji and Shiratori-keibu," Kaito offered.
"Takagi-keiji and Chiba-keiji. And one of them must stay in the car."
Then it was Kaito's turn to wait. The subtle tapping of his finger against his leg counted out twenty measured, deliberate seconds before he spoke. "Fine. But let's move the meeting to 8 a.m. on Thursday."
"You drive a hard bargain. Thursday at 8 a.m. it is."
"And where exactly?" he asked naturally.
"Nice try. I'll send you the address the morning of."
"But it would be rude of me to arrive late simply because I wasn't able to properly plan for the travel time," he explained smoothly.
"I'll forgive you this once, since you're being so generous to me, after all," she said with counterfeit sweetness and an implied rebuke. The negotiations were over.
"So be it. See you then."
"See you then, cool guy~" Vermouth answered with a sing-song lilt in her tone, then there was a click, and the call was over.
Kaito exhaled deeply, set the phone down, then turned to face the rest of the group who were watching him with bated breath. "Ladies and gentlemen," Kaito announced with a broad grin, "we officially have ourselves a trap! It's showtime!"
Someone laughed to break the tension, then Sera started clapping, which sparked a full round of applause. Several people walked up to Kaito to clap him on the shoulder and congratulate him on his impeccable performance.
Conan let out a deep breath, simultaneously relieved that the plan was officially underway and anxious about the inexorable chain of events they had just set off. He shoved his fists into his pockets and walked over to stand by the computers and review the transcript of the call alongside Agasa.
When an all-too-familiar presence appeared behind him, Conan reluctantly looked up over his shoulder to see Kaito watching him expectantly, even hopefully. Conan offered him a weak smile, all he could manage at the moment. "Good job," he said politely, and meant it. Kaito truly was impressive in everything he did.
"Thank you," Kaito answered softly. His tone seemed wistful and almost sad, and it was more than Conan could bear. He hastily excused himself from the room, hoping nobody would notice his absence.
—
Three days before Takedown Thursday, around dinner time, the team all received an urgent coded message from Haibara that simply said 'Airport.' Kaito and the others designated for this stage of the plan all put on their disguises and raced to the airport. Meanwhile, Conan and most of the rest of the team immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed to the Kudou Manor to gather around the monitors set up in Yuusaku's study and breathlessly watch the feed from the airport security cameras.
Barely recognizable through the grainy quality of the cameras, Chianti and Korn stood impatiently by the baggage claim.
The team had learned from cellphone location data that the BO snipers were on an assignment out of the country, and they'd hoped that the two would be called back to Japan before KID's deadline. The timing was crucial here: the BO were uncannily good at avoiding surveillance and did not often appear in public locations. Even at the airport, the snipers would be picked up in an official BO vehicle rather than a taxi or a parked car. This brief window of time at the baggage claim was their only opportunity to approach them.
The group watching the feed held their breaths as a suspicious punk-looking teenager brushed against Chianti then hurried away, conspicuously looking over his shoulder every once in a while to ensure he wasn't being followed. Chianti looked down as she frantically patted her pockets, and when she raised her head, her features had contorted into an ugly fury. She said something to Korn and set off after the teen. The teen appeared to panic and ducked into a door marked 'Employees only,' followed a second later by Chianti.
After several minutes, Chianti reemerged. She went up to Korn, who was waiting with both of their bags, and, after a brief discussion, he followed her into the room where she'd confronted the teen. Another minute later, the two left the room then calmly walked out of the airport to the sleek black car waiting for them outside. Haibara received a single message from Kaito that simply said 'success.'
The team let out a collective sigh of relief, but Conan went to the sitting room by the front door to wait for Kaito.
When Kaito arrived, alone, some time later, he smiled at Conan, who immediately went to greet him.
"Good job," Conan told him.
"Thank you," Kaito answered quietly, sounding very tired.
"How are you holding up?" Conan asked cautiously.
"I'm fi…" Kaito cut himself off, hesitated, then sighed deeply and slowly. "I'm worried. It's a good plan, and I know it'll be fine, but…"
Conan just nodded. There weren't any words to fix this. 'Worried' was the right answer, especially in Kaito's position right now. So, even though he knew what a bad idea it was for his own heart, Conan stepped forward and held his arms up slightly to offer a hug. Kaito's Poker Face immediately crumbled, and he knelt down and pulled Conan close, holding him impossibly tight.
Neither said anything, and they stayed like that for a long time.
—
7:00 AM
External POV
It took forever, but Thursday finally arrived in the blink of an eye.
On that morning, Conan ate breakfast with the Mouris as usual, waved goodbye to Ran as usual, then left for school a little earlier than usual. Except, unlike every other day, he switched directions as soon as he was out of sight of the detective agency and went instead to the Professor's house. He entered the house and quickly disappeared into the basement.
A short while later, Shinichi emerged from the house in a simple disguise of a hoodie, baseball cap, sunglasses, and face mask. He was dressed in plain dark clothes that wouldn't attract attention and was carrying a backpack slung casually over one shoulder. After a few cautious glances up and down the street, he was apparently satisfied that no one was watching him and set off at a fast pace down the sidewalk. A pair of binoculars in the distance tracked his progress, and the one holding the binoculars grinned malevolently.
The Detective Boys glanced at Shinichi curiously as they passed him on their way to Agasa's house, but they didn't stop to talk to him. Once at the house, they enthusiastically rang the doorbell multiple times until Haibara came to the door. Though she might have seemed skittish and more reserved than usual, she allowed Ayumi to take her by the hand and talk her ear off as they all started for school together.
Further down the road, Ran, Sera, and Sonoko chatted happily on their walk together and seemed to not even notice as Shinichi passed them going in the opposite direction.
Shinichi arrived at the police station without fanfare. He simply entered the building as any other civilian would, finally removed his makeshift disguise, then went to the Division One department to politely greet Megure and meet up with Takagi and Chiba. The three stopped by the restrooms on their way to the parking garage, then they all loaded into Satou's beautiful sports car that Takagi was only allowed to drive by virtue of being Satou's fiancé.
—
7:50 AM
No one spoke during the drive, as if the tense atmosphere within the car was stifling them. Shinichi held his phone with the navigation app open, but Takagi already knew the route, and they arrived at the large, empty warehouse without a word. They drove around to the back of the warehouse as instructed, then waited while the old rusty garage door slowly creaked open for them. Takagi pulled into the vast, echoey, dimly-lit room and parked next to an expensive foreign sports car, the only other vehicle in the area.
For a moment, they sat there in tense anticipation, each scanning the empty room and finding nothing unexpected. Shinichi stared with a grim expression at the lone door in the far wall which would lead to the larger portion of the warehouse where he was supposed to meet Vermouth. A single dying bulb above the door flickered ominously, shedding just enough light to illuminate the rust stains and fading paint on the wall. The sight would not have been out of place in a horror film, but what awaited them inside would likely be far worse than any movie.
Shinichi swallowed and set his features into a determined expression meant to inspire confidence in his teammates. "Alright," he said in a steady voice. "It's time. Let's do this."
The others nodded solemnly, Chiba stepping out of the car with Shinichi while Takagi tightened his grip on the steering wheel and stared resolutely ahead. Shinichi retrieved his backpack from where he'd stashed it in the trunk, then the two of them approached the old, rusty door together.
Shinichi placed a hand on the doorknob and looked over to Chiba, who had his own hand resting on the grip of his gun in his belt holster. They held each other's gaze for a moment, neither daring to voice their thoughts, then nodded once more. Shinichi took in a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. Both winced at the loud creaking as it moved, then they cautiously stepped into the room beyond.
Dark shadows loomed over them in eerie twisting patterns. Broken equipment and discarded bits of machinery littered the floor, obscuring the true breadth of the room. The ceiling also disappeared into darkness, out of reach of the small row of lightbulbs above the door that were the sole source of light for the room. A thick layer of dust covered most of the area, swirling in clouds around them with every hesitant step and causing Chiba to cough.
No windows. Thick concrete walls in every direction. The one door behind them swung closed, and the only other exit was lost somewhere behind all the debris on the far side of the building. It was the perfect setup for an ambush. Shinichi's fingers twitched toward his watch, and he kept himself positioned directly in front of Chiba.
With a loud click, Shinichi and Chiba were suddenly caught in the blinding beam of a searchlight. Chiba exclaimed in pain and shielded his eyes, but Shinichi, even while squinting against the brightness, instantly maneuvered them both so that Chiba was backed up against an old forklift and Shinichi was pressed against him facing outward.
"Smart move," a male voice echoed from the shadows, calm and mildly entertained. Somebody then rotated the light to shine down at the floor, letting it reflect to form a small circle of visibility around Shinichi, Chiba, and the two people in black who stepped forward.
"Rum," Shinichi said coldly, not moving from his spot.
"Kudou Shinichi," Rum answered with a touch of amusement. "Or should I say, 'Kaitou KID'?" Shinichi glowered at him but said nothing, so Rum gestured to his companion, a stern looking woman with sleek shoulder-length black hair. "And I don't believe you've met my colleague Sangria?"
Shinichi's eyes darted to the woman briefly then went immediately back to Rum. "Where's Vermouth?" he demanded.
Rum's expression flipped from amicable to aggravated. "Don't tell me you actually expected her to come? You deduced enough to expect an ambush and to guard your friend, knowing that you're too valuable a research subject for us to kill you outright. Surely you knew that everything said on that call was a pack of lies?"
"I expected her to take precautions," Shinichi replied fiercely through gritted teeth, "But I didn't expect her to be stupid enough to refuse the one opportunity for a deal. Especially after all the other times she's helped me."
"You're not seriously that naive, are you?" Rum scoffed. "Did you even bring that Pandora thing with you too?!"
"We never specified that I was to bring it in person," he answered defensively. "It's in a secure location that I intended to pass to Vermouth during the exchange."
Rum's frown deepened, considering, and Shinichi stared back defiantly. For a long, long time, Rum just studied him, searching for any trace of a lie in his expression, until he finally scoffed derisively. "What a waste of time! You're seriously the same person who took out Vodka and Gin? Give me a break! After all that build-up, I'd hoped we'd get at least a halfway decent fight out of you, but this is just pathetic," he spat out, then gestured for Sangria. "We're done here. Kill the cop and grab the boy."
Without moving out from behind Shinichi, Chiba raised his gun with one arm and aimed it at Sangria. Rum immediately drew his own pistol and pointed it at the two of them, while Sangria narrowed her eyes in anger but didn't stop her steady advance toward them. The standoff lasted until Sangria was within a few meters of Shinichi and she paused to take careful aim at Chiba.
From there, everything happened in an instant. Shinichi lunged forward and threw himself over Sangria's gun, attempting to wrest it from her hands. Chiba swung his gun around to target Rum and shoot at his pistol, which was hit and sent clattering onto the floor between them. Shinichi was bent over Sangria's gun, holding it against his stomach and trying to pry it away from her, which left him vulnerable to attack. She brought her elbow down sharply onto his head, causing him to jerk back, then she ripped her gun out of his grip and slammed it into his cheek hard enough to draw blood and send him reeling to the ground. Chiba whipped his gun around to face the renewed threat of Sangria. Shinichi rolled over and snatched up Rum's pistol. Sangria pulled the trigger first.
Even silenced, the gunshot echoed painfully loudly in the room, as did the sickening sound of the bullet hitting its mark. There was a harsh clang of Chiba's gun falling to the concrete. Shinichi gaped open-mouthed and statue-still, staring at the nightmarish sight of Chiba sliding slowly to the floor, his limp body stained with deep red across his chest.
Shinichi flinched violently as Sangria shot Chiba several more times in the heart, blood splattering from each impact. He was so numb with shock that he didn't react to Rum approaching him until a swift kick to his ribs sent him tumbling to the ground with a loud pained gasp.
Rum bent down to retrieve his gun, kicked Shinichi again to force him to lie on his stomach, then knelt over him, driving his knee into Shinichi's back while wrenching both his hands behind him. The difference in their size and strength left Shinichi completely helpless, unable to even turn his head, forcing him to watch in horrified silence as Sangria moved to stand over Chiba and emptied the rest of the magazine into his head.
Shinichi gasped and squeezed his eyes shut to try to block out the disgusting sight, while Rum chuckled darkly above him. "Pathetic," he muttered disdainfully. Shinichi took a deep shaky breath that was broken by a stifled sob.
Rum stood, ripping away Shinichi's backpack in the process and tossing it into a distant pile of rubbish. He landed another sharp kick in Shinichi's ribs to get him to roll over, then placed a heavy boot on his neck with enough pressure that he could barely breathe.
"Search him," Rum ordered curtly.
"Right," Sangria answered, obediently pulling out a scanner that she waved over Shinichi to identify and remove anything metal or electronic from him, including all his gadgets and multitudes of trackers hidden in his pockets, shoes, and even hair.
As they were searching him, the rusty door creaked open again, and Bourbon backed into the room dragging a body that left a thick streak of dark blood in its wake.
"What the hell is that?" Rum demanded, gesturing wildly without lessening the pressure on Shinichi's throat.
"You ordered me to slit his throat as soon as the others left him alone," Bourbon answered coolly as he deposited Takagi's lifeless body facedown next to Chiba.
"Slit his throat, yes," Rum agreed impatiently, "But could you have possibly been any messier about it? It's all over you! Filthy!"
"I had no choice," Bourbon replied harshly. "That room doesn't have enough sound-proofing to use a gun."
"Which is why I suggested that you sneak up on him," Rum explained in a patronizing tone.
"It wasn't an option," he snapped. "The second they left, he got out and started doing something to your car."
"To my car? What did he do?" Rum snapped, eyes sharp and alert.
"I don't know. I ran up to him as soon as I saw it, which is how he noticed me. There was a struggle before I managed to kill him, then I dragged him over here. I haven't had a chance to check the car yet."
"What a waste of breath you are," he muttered. Then he pulled out his pistol and fired several rounds into the back of Takagi's head. The body twitched with each impact, painting the ground with flecks of red.
"Sangria, check the wiring on the bombs," Rum ordered sharply. She nodded and promptly strode off to the edge of the room. Rum finally shifted his weight, and Shinichi gasped and began hyperventilating. Before he could regain his breath, Rum used the opportunity to bind his arms firmly behind his back with gratuitous amounts of duct tape.
The angry creaking of the door echoed throughout the room once again as another figure entered and approached them at a leisurely pace. Shinichi glanced up at her with mournful, tear-filled eyes, silently communicating the pain of betrayal, and she laughed a poisonously sweet laugh at him.
"What's wrong, cool guy?" Vermouth purred. "Having a bad day?" She laughed again, delighting in his misery, then stepped over to prod Takagi's body with her foot in order to peek at his face. She was dressed from the neck down in the same standard suit that Takagi always wore, and she made a few quick adjustments to the mask in her hands before pulling it on to complete the disguise.
"How do I look?" she asked in a perfect imitation of Takagi's voice.
"You need to add some burn marks if you're supposed to have escaped the fire here," Rum answered curtly, then he turned to the others and jerked his thumb to point toward the garage. "Get him to the car."
Sangria marched over and grabbed a fistful of Shinichi's hair to yank him to his feet and shove him forward. He stumbled but was unable to complain or resist, only casting one last despairing look toward his fallen friends as he was roughly escorted away.
In the garage, Rum first approached his own car to look at the exposed engine with a dark expression. He picked up a few pieces of sliced wires and let them fall loosely from his hand while his subordinates watched in silence, seemingly afraid to upset him. But, rather than an outburst of rage, Rum scoffed lightly and glanced at Shinichi.
"You had a few good ideas, I'll grant you that," Rum told him through a twisted half-smile. "It was too little, too late, but at least you tried."
"Should I call for another car?" Sangria asked warily.
"No," Rum answered dismissively. "We're spread thin enough as it is today. We'll just take theirs."
"But—" she objected.
"Of course we'll remove the bugs first," Rum snapped impatiently. "So get moving!"
She nodded curtly, shoved Shinichi down on his knees so that Rum could subdue him with a gun to the head, then both she and Bourbon hurried to search Satou's car.
Rum turned toward Vermouth, who was watching the proceedings with an aloof air. "We need leverage against the brat," he told her, gesturing at Shinichi.
"Of course," she answered smoothly in her own voice, then pulled out her phone and dialed a number. She cast Shinichi a sly, conspiratorial look, as if she expected him to take the opportunity to scream for help during the call. Rum must've had the same thought, because he quickly looped an arm around Shinichi's throat and squeezed, once again leaving him helpless and gasping. Vermouth smirked at his pain, then the call connected and it was as if a switch had flipped: her entire presence was now innocent and girly.
"Mouri-san!" she exclaimed energetically. "This is Okino Yoko! … Yes, same to you! … I'm actually calling to ask for your help on a case. It's really scary! Could you please help me? … Oh, thank you! The case happened at one of my vacation homes in the mountains. It's such a far drive, so why don't you bring your whole family? I'd love to see them! You can all stay with me there over the weekend, and we can go to the onsen together. … Yes, please come right away, it's very urgent! … Thank you soooo so much, Mouri-san, you're the best! I owe you big time, really! I'll send you the address. … Ok, I'll see you soon, bye-bye~!"
Rum grunted his approval as he released Shinichi, letting him drop to the ground.
Shinichi struggled to recover for a moment, his breathing deep and ragged, until he gathered enough strength to protest. "Please," he begged, still gasping for air. "Leave them out of this! They're innocent!"
He was only met with mocking laughter all around, plus another kick to his side.
"At least leave Conan behind!" he tried desperately. "Why would you even want him?! I barely know him!"
"It's just simpler this way," Rum answered, disinterested. "Think of him as… collateral damage."
"He's only six!"
"Then maybe you'll decide to tell us what we want to know before we have to cut him up, eh?" Rum replied mockingly. "Somebody gag him already — his voice is annoying me."
Bourbon dropped what he was doing and came over with the duct tape to gag Shinichi and bind his legs while Rum began gathering his belongings from his sabotaged car.
Sangria and Bourbon ended up removing close to two dozen tracking devices and other hidden gadgets from Satou's car, which they accumulated in a small pile on the ground. There were barely any personal items in the car, but they threw out any they found. The trunk contained only a small first aid kit, a radio, and a few other miscellaneous emergency items, all of which they tossed into the pile to be thrown into the warehouse and destroyed along with the rest of the evidence.
Sangria found the edge of the floor panel in the trunk and lifted it to reveal the compartment housing the spare tire. A small adult with impressive contortionist skills might've been able to fit in the compartment if it were empty, but even that was currently impossible, as the space was occupied by the tire. Sangria waved the scanner over the tire and around the sides of the compartment but found no bugs. So, after swapping out the license plates on the car, she finally stepped back and declared it safe to steal.
Vermouth, who had by now added enough scorch marks and rips in her outfit to truly make it seem that she'd just escaped an explosion, gave them a cheeky wave as she left to wait a safe distance away from the warehouse. Bourbon threw the rest of the evidence into the main room then closed and locked the door. Rum unceremoniously seized Shinichi by the neck and shoved him into the trunk, which he then slammed and locked.
The three wordlessly piled into the car, waited for the rusty garage door to slowly rumble open, then left. Once they were far enough away from the site, Rum caught Bourbon's eye through the rearview mirror.
"Bourbon, tell me our 'demolition permit' for today was approved," he said, more a threat than a question.
"With so many of our men in the government, how could it not be?" Bourbon answered smoothly.
"Good," was all he said before pressing a button on his phone. But from that distance, all they could see was a few faint trails of black smoke rising from the pile of broken concrete and rubble where the building used to be.
8:15 AM
Notes: If you skipped the extra violent scenes, all you missed was Chiba and Takagi being shot and left for dead.