…
1.03
02-20-1996
…
Shinichi choked on the disturbance that tore at his essence, the sudden surrealism that could not be described with words. He had felt the world stretch and then, an absurd screech and details had blown his mind overdrive. He found himself tossed to the floor in a dark corridor. He would have wondered where he was had that not been clear to him; in the new timeline that had been chosen in his final moment. He scrambled to his feet and fumbled within his coat, ah there—
He stared at the small screen that illuminated his face with an eerie touch. He checked the numbers on his screensaver that indicated the date in utter disbelief. He lulled to the wall with a wearisome exhale as a smirk curled to his face. He could control time. He could not believe that ridiculous statement, not even with the obvious evidence laid out in his vision. He had, as far as those in this timeline were concerned, arrived to the police headquarters hours before. He knew about the threats. He could save her. He could win. His entire self trembled from the excitement, as well as the remnants a world that had been banished into nonexistence had carved into his mind.
He heard noise from the room behind him. He went to check the room, which welcomed him with the warmest reassurance. Ran. Her face was nestled within her arms folded across each other on the table. He marvelled at her casual finesse and stifled his desire to collect her into his arms, to listen to her heartbeats and feel her breath tickle his neck. He wanted to break down and seek solace in her within the horrors that marred the future ahead—no. He could not use her in that selfish manner. He had been tainted with abhorrent, bloodied memories that tried to haunt him in that moment as well. He would not allow her to be tainted with those memories. He—
He flinched at the snort that scared him from behind. He turned around to see the old man toss around within loud snores. His face softened at the father that had been killed in the future-to-come as well. He had numerous friends to save besides her. He could look around the room to meet those friends.
He distanced himself from them with hardened determination and recounted his information. His on-the-road collected team had arrived to the police headquarters to be questioned about the murder in the shed back in the mountains. Morofushi had been revealed to have been blackmailed into collaboration with the woodpecker association, prefectural detectives in cahoots with the organisation. His circumstances set him aside from the others, which led them deduce that the one that had blackmailed him and the one behind the association in broad terms were not the same. Kansuke had been furious at the tactician, but the whole truth toned down the antimonious attitude.
Kansuke had no idea about the hatred and cautiousness harboured towards him and that the traitor detectives would take the first chance to remove him. He did not notice that the malice towards him nurtured further and at the same time, the chance to remove him would arise in the near future. He would be tried with murder to make sure that the information his enemies theorized him to have would never stir water. He knew that the mentioned murder would occur in the next six hours, the same murder and arrest that would lead them into the toils that would cost them their lives. However, this time the scheme was out. He would not fall for the same trick twice.
He walked down the corridor with confidence. He concluded that without that murder, their situation would become much easier. Kansuke would be still on their radar with or without the murder, that could not be resolved without further consideration. He would have to track down and convict the traitor detectives to reach that aim. He would have to take them down due to other reasons as well; he could not corner the organisation when their members had a haven to hide in or have their tracks covered. He would not make a mistake that could doom another future. It would be a tedious task to trace the connections to the head, but that was what would be done.
He would have them in his clutches this time. He would unearth their roots and shatter their foundation. He would find their connections and use those to reach their boss. He would not allow them scorn another innocent. He would not let his friends die. He would win, this time for certain.
And he knew where to start.
…
He had recounted the address that had been admitted to the case file as the victim's home, and the destination was set. He did not find means that could have made him reach the desired location faster than on feet, so the decision was made to brave the streets. He doubted that that would be an issue this far into the timeline. He had to be fast to be on time, nonetheless. He knew that the bombs had been installed into Michitaka's car the night before his death, which set the date to about now.
His call reached the professor's voicemail for the third time. He tried to warn him about the "visit" that would come, instruct him to throw the hard drive into the nearest river, collect the necessities and ditch the house. He did not think about the fact that the old man would be huddled under his thick blankets and be unable to answer his calls. He did not believe that it was too late. He had consulted with him about the trial in the last time around, which meant that old man would be alive tomorrow as well.
He was about to leave the matter to rest when a call came. It was expected.
"Hi, Haibara."
Her call was behind schedule a little; their conversation in the last timeline had occurred sooner, around the time his time travel had set him back at. His mind was too overwhelmed to consider that little inconsistent detail to hold relevance. Her next words reminded him not to rush over small details:
"Kudo, I think there is a deviance from the established time travel rules. I travelled back in time, from two weeks in the future. I fainted at a sudden and in the next moment, came around here." Her voice resonated with the uneasiness that welled in him. Haibara was back too. "I did not die. I could not have caused the time shift. I have no idea was the exact cause, but there had to be one that we do not know about. I am at a loss. I… I also wanted to call because—"
"Your newest orders. I know, I also came from two weeks in the future. Gin shot me in the head."
"What—?"
"You heard that. I tried to save someone that was intended to be convicted innocent and, in the meanwhile, earn evidence on the detectives in cahoots with them." He looked around to confirm that the street was as abandoned as looked. "I had to, have to, to deal with that case or it would bite me later. However, it distracted me from the threat that was behind me the whole time. Gin had been around to choose the best moment to kill me and those around me, and did that without hesitation."
"Damn him," Her voice hissed. "Are you safe in this moment, at least?"
"I think I am. I have not had contact with those detectives mentioned." He continued to the address in his mind. He divided his attention between their conversation and the streets that surrounded him. "I have not been here for more than a few hours. I doubt that even their assassins could locate me so fast."
"I will believe that," Her voice carried some doubt. He came to stand at the roadside and tried to sneak a better look at the street behind that one. He was unfamiliar with the streets but still confident that that residence had to be within two or three streets distance… "…so, does this mean that I travelled back in time because you did? It would not be unthinkable that time travellers' abilities are interconnected in such manner, as if the time travellers are inconsistent with normal humans about their information on the world, but are consistent with each other. I knew that there had to be a rule to outlaw the interference that more time travellers could cause."
"I… have no idea. It… sounds reasonable." He muttered an answer. His mind started to take in the newest addition to the time travel rules; if his abilities were interconnected to the other time travellers', then the true requirement to time travel was, in technical terms, not the individual's death. It was one time traveller's death, which would force the other time travellers into the chosen or coincidental timeline. It was a handcuff around their wrists that made them unable to move on their own between timelines. He fell silent in consideration. He remembered that. "I almost did not mention, I have found out who the third time traveller is."
…
Michitaka's residence hid within the causal houses' sea that contributed to the unmemorable townscape. He confirmed the address and came to think that without the exact address, there were no indications that the individual inside was more than an office worker. He smiled at that; those that worked the most were the ones that did not want to showcase that fact. He would have assumed that the inhabitant was not awake at that hour, but the thin illumination that rolled outside from behind the closed curtains on the second-floor window convinced him otherwise. He had not decided how to enter, but it turned out soon there was no need to.
"Kudo Shinichi. How—"
He turned towards the woman on the sidewalk. Her white hair waved in the cold breeze that caressed them. He would have been shocked to encounter a fellow time traveller without consultation had his death not forced her back in time as well, based on the newest discovered rule at least. In that sense, the fact that someone with her utilitarian mindset would be able to handle the sudden twist and come to his conclusion so fast was not a stretch.
"I caused it. It looks like our abilities work hand in hand."
Mary took in the new information, then turned towards the residence.
"Hm, we think alike more than we want to."
He banked on the fact that their encounter would allow him inside without much trouble and was correct in that assessment. Michitaka had been revealed to be her and her husband's informant, in which context the trust the news director shown towards them made sense. He walked the staircase and entered the room that the illumination marked on the outside. It had a small table in the middle, with two sofas on the sides. Michitaka himself sat on one of those, a troubled look etched into his face.
"You know when to make a visit." Michitaka admitted with a small, forced smile. He hinted at the table, on which several folders and dossiers laid stacked onto each other. "I found these chucked inside the letter slot. I have received nameless information before, from volunteer collaborators; I assumed that was the case this time too. I looked into the contents, and—it is serious news, which means decide the next elections on a national scale serious. I have run a news anchor for a decade and have never encountered such a massive case. I should have this run in the television, but—I feel that this is too much, that someone related to the case will take action."
Mary looked at him with a tense stare, then settled onto the free sofa. He followed her suit and wondered what that meant. He knew that the news director had to be informed about the threat to his life but was unsure about the how's. He did not know where to even start—
"Michitaka-san, what is about to be told has to remain between these walls. Is that clear?"
Michitaka nodded with the smallest hesitation.
"I will be blunt. You will die tomorrow, as the current situation stands that is."
"Excuse me—"
"Your car will have bombs, set to detonate when the doors are used the second time." He noted the correct deduction about the murder in the last timeline. "And the motive will be, as that would not come as a shock, the documents on the table. I have not been able to confirm the contents to be sure, but based on the circumstances, it must contain sensitive information that could have whoever comes into contact with it killed. I can, however, validate the assassination tomorrow."
He watched the news director whiten in a moment. He could not blame the man; no one could retain their calm with their murder's details shoved into their faces. He waited as the would-be victim tried to control the nausea that the revelation welled in his stomach and muster an answer.
"I… have no idea how to react to this."
"You do not have to. Let us deal with the details, but first," Her hands reached towards the documents. He sat on tenterhooks to learn about the exact information that had had the news director killed as well. His intentions were to warn the would-be victim about the assassination and obtain the information that had motivated the mentioned deed at the same time. His actions could, thus, both prevent the murder and earn him evidence. "I assume we can have a look."
Michitaka nodded, and the evidence was soon under their hands.
He had to admit that the news director knew to estimate the situation's seriousness. He closed the folder that included several influential businesses' double accountancies, connection between political figures and the organisation as well as evidence on the bribes certain ministries took in the stride to be silent about the odd numbers. He could see the motive behind tomorrow's assassination, but what baffled him the most were the documents themselves. He could tell that that did not leak at a random mistake, no, that was information collected and ordered to become the ideal evidence. He had had to count on luck to record one evidence-worth conversation in the last timeline and that involved a small, satellite association tied to those in black. His measle cassette did not come close to the levels this evidence touched. He wondered who could have been the informant.
He was convinced that the documents were not dummies made to deceive them. He could validate some names in the material, not to mention that the news director was assassinated in another timeline. It was true. He could not risk to lose the documents that contained information that could be obtained with about a million-to-one odds. However, the documents' existence and current location was known to their enemies too. He needed to store the information in a hidden location or even better—
"… reveal it." Mary finished his mental sentence. "You can bet that those behind the scenes would make sure that the actual authorities would never come across this material, much less allow us leave with this information under our thumbs. It would be a constant threat to have these documents with ourselves. However, we can conserve the contents in a form that not even the most influential members in their midst would be able do much about it."
Michitaka retorted in an instant.
"But that would risk innocent civilians' life! You said that this information can be a lethal threat to whoever holds it. I have decided to take these risks in order to uncover the truth, whatever that should be. However, to reveal information that can endanger thousands, no millions—"
He bit the sentence in a sudden realisation.
"Indeed. It does not take much effort to silence one man, but to silence millions is impossible."
He looked at his fellow time traveller. He wanted to react the same as the news director, but—no. He knew that not much could be done surrounded with unreliable local detectives. He knew that outside the town, those in black did not have the exact firm hold on the societal institutions as in the future. He would be in time to raise awareness and with countless others behind him, limit the movements his enemies could make. His mind resonated with a low voice that told him that this was his burden. He did not want to involve others but then, the case did not revolve around him alone. He could not save others and shelter them from the truth the same time, however—
He heard a buzz.
Mary silenced her phone in a second and rounded the sofa to switch off the lamps. His stare hardened as a sudden darkness descended at the room, in realisation that the mentioned individuals' men must have arrived to set the bombs. He sneaked closer to the door in tandem with her to make out some sounds.
"Uhm—"
"Be silent. We do not want them to realise that someone is awake." Mary stifled the words into the news director and continued in a lower voice. "However, the house would not be intruded further for now. You would be dead tomorrow, per their plans, and their detectives would be able to search the house at their heart's content."
Michitaka nodded, the disturbed vibe returned to his face.
He leaned an ear to the door, without avail. He decided that to listen on a conversation outside the house was futile and instead, turned his back to the door. He did not risk to make a sound or strike illumination; those about to set the bombs in that moment could have had a friend outside to watch the area. He waited with his breath held back as time crawled. He had the chance to think. He tried to involve the recovered documents in an idea that would both save his friends and throw a wrench in their enemies' ambitions. He considered his allies that could be an aid in the situation; talk about which, there was one more. Mary could not have known about the intruders without an outside observer. It must have been her husband, who had hidden himself somewhere around the house and informed her in the moment someone unknown came to the entrance.
"I cannot hear them. It looks like their work had been done." He moved his limbs stiffened in the wait that had lasted several hours. Her husband outside confirmed that the unknown silhouettes had left the house at last. Her loose breath allowed him to relax a bit too. "How much time do we have left?"
"The bombs are not timed." Mary rushed down the stairs. "It means that there is no time limit to dismantle them. However, the organisation expects the assassination to be successful in about two hours. It means that we have two hours until the organisation realises that their plans have been messed with and start a manhunt after us. It is those two hours we have to leave the prefecture and reveal the cassette in order to survive, and that time is not much. I doubt that we can deal with the bombs. I would take a taxi in this situation and leave his car behind. It would not could much trouble as the bombs cannot detonate unless the car doors are moved—"
"I will not leave active explosives to be found—" He hissed back at her. He rushed out the entrance inched behind her. He could not leave bombs behind to be discovered at clueless hands that could set them off. "I also have to return to the police headquarters to fetch the others."
"I said that there is no time for that! Two hours is a stretch even for the shortest route—"
"I will not leave the others and that is final." His stare convinced his fellow time traveller to listen to him. He could feel the details show him the direction towards the most desired resolution. He addressed the others next to him with confidence across his face. "Michitaka-san. Mary-san. You should flee this town. You have to leave as soon as this conversation is over. I have an idea that can resolve this situation with the least casualties. I need collaboration."
…
Agasa was scared awake at his own snore. He rubbed his face and looked outside the window, where the dawn's illumination coloured the horizon in red. He scrambled from his bed and headed towards his computer in his pyjamas. He reached to turn on the device, when the voicemail on the landlines came to his notice.
He was curious at first. However, cold dread took over that sentiment soon.
…
Shiho watched the dense clouds blanket the dawn outside, for the second time. A snowflake descended from the cream colours and touched the window, to melt into a water rivulet in an instant. Her tastebuds savoured the short drink ordered as a celebration that a new timeline had started. Brandish had insisted to use her achievements as a researcher as an excuse to babble about his twisted worldview in this one too. However, the nuanced differences started to steer the situation from the known resolution. Her chin rested on her hand in amusement as the so-called calculative mastermind tried to curtain his insecurities with a confident tone from the subordinate on the phone.
And then, his face turned sour.
"You mean to tell me that the director is not around?!" Brandish tried to maintain a levelled voice without success. Shiho could not think about another matter to be concerned about besides the case that intended to involve a local detective as a convict, so the conversation must have concerned that. "Your detailed orders were to make sure that the operation proceeds without a hitch! Your friends that set the bombs were not noticed. He should not have a reason to be cautious!"
Shiho listened in silence. Her information on the situation was scarce at best.
"No. I do not care, check his house."
His subordinate in the line could not have noticed the subtle wrath that sneaked into his features. Shiho had witnessed wrath in the barest, no, feral form directed at lesser members, who tended to vanish in the immediate aftermath. However, the intense pressure from the man made her shudder with the instinct to flee the room. Her senses honed to detect the organisation members' bloodlust went haywire. Her status as an invited visitor did not diminish a lot from the sensed threat.
"I do not care! I order to break down the door and search the house from basement to attic! You have to find the stolen files, with the director in tow! You have no idea how sensitive the information that damned news director obtained. You dumbasses have zero idea! If that information is leaked, we are all done! This cannot end like this! You lot better recover the files and kill the director before noon; otherwise, I swear to convince the codenamed to have your heads on a pike!"
Shiho had little doubt that whatever the issue was, a certain detective had a hand in it. It came across that the media had obtained sensitive information and thus, incurred attention from the worst side. It was unbelievable; while titbits had evaded the strict measures the organisation had taken to hide their secrets, the situations had never turned into a concern that could become a threat to the codenamed members. It should have been impossible, which inclined her to believe that the news director was used as a medium to communicate the information to the world. Shinichi would have a motive to do that, but the detective would hesitate to involve civilians—
A snort treaded on her inner deduction.
"Hah, excuse me? You could not have foreseen this?" His tone mocked his subordinate, then turned into shouts. "I do not care! I want results, the rest does not matter. You excuses do not matter. Your lives are in our hands! You small flies would be unable to live without us, not that there would be a reason to do that to start with. You used to dwell in abandoned warehouses in this backwater town, threaten small businesses and screw around with other small flies. You would have died in a skirmish over two streets without much doubt. You have never deceived yourselves that your lives worthed more than that before, why start now?"
Ah, there went the rather weak effort to hide his true nature. His tendencies would become obvious even to an outsider within an hour or so into a conversation with him. He faced the windows and look below the town, arms stretched out in a theatrical manner that befitted a comical villain.
"Your aims back then did not even scratch ours. We will not rule a district, no, we will rule the world! We will lead mankind. You have been proven to be powerless. You have been defeated and sorted under our command, elevated to further a much more ambitious aim. You cannon fodders have this chance to leave behind the futureless ostracized status and have a mentionable role in the whole scheme. You have the chance to stand on the winner's side in the race to rule the world, an opportunity that most would never have the choice to seize! If you understand that, then do not run your mouth and do what you cannon fodders can do!"
Shiho exhaled with bitterness at the words of a wannabe tyrant.
…
Gin listened to the rant from the doorframe. He had arrived around the world domination matter. He had never cared about such fantasies. He had sworn to eliminate the obstacles that stood in the path the boss has chosen, wherever that led. His creed alone banished doubt from his mind. He focused on his task, which revolved around the latest obstacle that forced him to seek assistance from the crow with a more based information network in the area. It was the trickiest obstacle so far, after all.
Kudo Shinichi, that is.
…
Shinichi marched into the room with little tact, which drew the collective attention to him. He had mentioned that a serious conversation about their future actions was due, however, the drowsiness in the room told him that no one wanted that conversation to occur in the moment. He could understand their needs, but there was not much time to work with. He needed his friends and allies on board with the newest development as soon as possible.
"There is a change in the situation." He tried to articulate the information so that those unaware about time travel would be able to believe his words as well. "Michitaka Yuuma, the local news director had come into contact with substantial evidence on the woodpecker's existence. I must assume that the woodpecker's boss also knows about that fact and seeks to eliminate the said news director before the information could be made public."
"Michitaka?" Kansuke cut in. "The media is involved, then."
"However, that is not all." Shinichi decided that the trial fiasco would not be relevant as the case would not occur to start with. He wanted the situation to remain clear and believable, His future's details would cause more confusion. Thus, he fast forwarded to the point. "I have encountered the would-be victim's allies, who were also aware that the fact that such sensitive information had fallen into their hands was not their secret. Michitaka's team have taken the evidence with them with the intention to reveal the contents once their lives are not under an immediate threat. I have dismantled the bombs installed in his car, intended to blow him into the air and came here."
"Wait a minute." Kansuke butted in with audible doubts. "How the hell are you this far ahead? You have found out about the media lead with us. You could not have scratched this information together in a night, not to mention taken countermeasures."
"You have been contacted by the prophet."
Morofushi said in a sudden. Shinichi did not think about that excuse at first, but the sentence reminded him that his persona was there to hide behind in case his information became too extensive to be written off as his detective work's results. He decided to nod and watch the reactions.
Shinichi could tell that the local trio swallowed the excuse, but the tiniest doubt remained in the smartest one. Morofushi started to sense the oddness that the constant lies created, that had been a lead to follow in countless cases for him as well. He could tell that without effort invested into a diversion, the tactician detective would be on the brick to realise his true colours in the near future. Akemi did not have a notable reaction, which contrasted the horror from the two next to her.
Ran was white as a sheet in a moment. Her father the same.
"Nevertheless the source, the information is information. You know about their exact members as well, I assume." Morofushi carried the conversation over the pothole his comment stranded it in. "You have seen the evidence, which must have included their identities if they would resort to murder."
Indeed, it did. He wrote the names listed in the files the news director had showed to him onto the whiteboard. He could feel the curious looks in his back turn concerned when the list extended to the bottom, then needed to be continued in a second column. He turned around.
"I have written the names that the recovered evidence mentioned to have connection with them in the area alone. There are listed contacts in the town council, the court and various healthcare institutions around the town. I advise to refer to individuals that work in a civilian trade but collaborate with the organisation as numbers. Numbers do not have a codename not based on an alcohol, but as their name shows, a number functions as their identifier and a fast method to refer to each other without names. You could call the woodpecker, the detectives that collaborate with the organisation numbers too; not invaluable, but have their worth based on their occupation."
"Wait, does that mean that those folks are all members?! In this area alone?!" Kansuke blurted out, incredulousness written on his face. "But that means several dozen, no, hundred members in their ranks! You said it was massive, but massive would be an understatement to this!"
"To our luck, our current enemies are the ones in the area." Shinichi tried to convince the others that the situation was solvable. "And with the aforementioned evidence revealed to the wide common, that is about covered. The material is with the director's allies, who will do that this afternoon. If it succeeds, then the names on the list would become names on a case file tomorrow. However, we need a reliable law enforcement for that. As such, we have to take down the woodpecker first."
"We are back to square one, then." Morofushi commented.
"Not necessarily."
…
Takeda knew the schedule. He had to have his subordinates oversee an assassination and clean the scene from evidence. It would have been a routine case had the target not been a media head honcho, which meant that a sudden death without a rounded cover would turn heads. He locked the car with a quick peep and headed towards the police headquarters on feet. There should not have been a lot around at this hour, besides those two that had not clocked out due to a case.
His intended routine was cut short thanks to a phone call.
He had never been contacted in a similar haste, reckless manner. He had never heard the boss sound so fearful either. He understood the situation that unfolded in the conversation in an instant; he could not have been a mole in the law enforcement without a fast mind. If the information the boss talked about included their names, then the circumstances were not in their favour. He would have demanded how could have that sensitive information leak to start with, but decided not to strain his boss' nerves. His boss was a time bomb filled with frustration to the brim in the moment. He did not want to be the misfortunate individual that received the accumulated wrath.
He heard shuffle. He frowned, that sound meant that there must have been someone else with the boss. He was correct in his assessment as a new voice asked him about someone. Kudo Shinichi. He had to believe the new voice that the name was behind the stolen information debacle, a renewed detective that had caused a headache in other areas. It sounded familiar, the detective's name that is. He did not know from where, which fact bothered him to no end. Then, it clicked.
He bolted down the corridors, then turned into a corner and leaned to the wall to hide. He heard the other voice order him, no, the available subordinates to retrieve the information from the mentioned detective that had been declared to be the mastermind. He smirked with confidence as at the same time, the realisation about where the name sounded familiar from cleared in his mind. He had heard the name mentioned correlated to an otherwise unrelated crime. He knew that the detectives that had not clocked out were on that case. He smelled a scheme in the air; low and behold, a trio walked in the corridor near him, without a clue about the extra ear that heard their conversation.
"…Kudo-kun will leave soon. He will make the moles believe that he has the information and follow him instead of us." Morofushi was in awe, which was not a reaction to be witnessed often. "It is quite a shrewd plan from a teen nonetheless, to make himself a distraction and trust us with the real task."
"I am concerned about him…" The woman commented.
"Ah, the kid will be fine." Yamato waved it off.
Takeda drank in the news. Kudo sounded to be the mastermind indeed. However, the detective deducted that the information in his hands would direct them towards him and used a clever twist to throw a wrench into the events. It made sense that someone considered a renewed detective would think on a more advanced level. However, the distraction would not be a distraction in case the side meant to be fooled learnt about the scheme beforehand. He waited a minute, then ran.
He called his subordinates, to sick them after the trio that believed to have outsmarted the woodpecker.
…
Gin ended the call and tossed the phone to the fellow member, who stood next to him frozen. Brandish had the skillset to have those around him dance in his accords with ease, which meant that the situation had never escalated to the extent that his weakness, field command, would be needed. Brandish invested time into his moves, considered who had to be eliminated with carefulness. He was hence unable to react fast, which was the reason the assassin intervened in the action.
It had been made clear to him that the kid was in the area, which and the leaked information debacle that had blown into a vital issue solidified his deduction. Kudo had meddled in their business and his tactics had an unusual taste. He stirred the situation with small actions that did not raise a brow in themselves, to let loose a sudden avalanche that could not be thwarted once in motion. He combined obscure meddle with shock value, which the current situation mirrored to the letter. Kudo was behind the scenes this time too, the assassin would have betted his life on that; not to mention that the kid tended to flex his access to sensitive information as a tool to hunt them down.
However, this time, the kid would be hunted down instead.
…
Morofushi had never felt a connection to a hunted animal, rather in reverse. He had chased down criminals in the seat that his backside warmed in that moment but had never been chased down himself. However, a short time on the other end convinced him that the thrill that adventurous individuals seeked in car chases was not meant for him. In fact, it made the hairs on his arm stand. His attention had to be focused on the mountain roads not to run down the cliff next to the roadside. His heartbeat drummed in his ears as a curve ahead threw a twist into the smooth road. However, the obstacle did not become their demise thanks to his skills behind the wheel.
Kansuke held onto the seatbelt that cut into his chest at a skid-ish turn, sounds akin to nails on chalkboard marred the road with black lines. He forced the vehicle under his control. His car slid a bit, then continued to race down the road towards the next turn; turns and turns, there was no end to this. He noticed his friend look back at the first available moment, to see the cars on their tail. He had checked on their number from the rearview mirror, which had increased since.
Kansuke whistled low.
"Kudo-kun warned us that the entire swarm would be on us, but this is insane." Morofushi could not unhear the amusement in the voice. He would never be able to understand how his friend could kick it off in these situations, more so with an almost lethal incident behind him. "Gas, Komei! Gas!"
"If you want to die in a traffic accident so much, then—"
His words died in his throat at the next turn. He could not force the sentence out his mouth as the world seemed to slow down and the sounds died out around him. He felt a sudden dread cut his breath. He could not describe the sensation that twisted the scene into a horrid déjà vu. He was certain to have been at that curve and that there had been an incident, a bad incident. He could not remember the details. He could not tell the reason the emotions connected to that unknown incident haunted him. He looked at metal rails between the road and the cliff and felt that there should have been skid marks on the road, a dent, no, a hole in the rail and… rain—
"—Komei!"
He took the turn in the last moment.
"This is not the time to space out, Komei! Lemme take the wheel—!"
"Sure. You can even fill the tank as that we have so much time."
"You two, watch out!"
Yui.
Her voice ended their bicker from the backseat, hand in hand with a sudden sound that cracked the windshield. He could hear the wind whizz in the small, telltale hole the bullet left behind. He did not waste time to sink into his seat and hide his head behind the headrest, which was their best available cover, not to mention the sole one. Kansuke took the memo and did the same, the amusement faded from his face at last. He still tried to check on the situation behind and muttered a "for real".
"Kudo-kun said that once we cross to Niigata, we will be saved." Morofushi breathed in shock as a second bullet cracked the windshield from behind. He was relieved to see the river that marked the prefectural border. "I have little idea what that refers to. I know that detectives must hand over the case at the prefectural border, even abandon a chase. However, our so-called coworkers are not detectives in this moment. Now, there is not much care about the law in them."
"Who knows. Kudo-kun must have accounted for that." Yui added.
"He better have!" Kansuke snorted.
…
Shinichi could feel the tension in the air. His closer friends wanted to demand him to share the truth with them, but held their mouths to let the case advance. He had instructed the old man to rent a car and within ten minutes, their team was headed outside the hellhole that had claimed their lives in the last timeline. He exhaled at the mountainside that flashed next to him behind the window. He would have felt better reassured that the other three detectives that had undertaken the worst task were safe, but doubted that there would be a second free time on their hands to call him. He would make sure to have them accommodated at a comfortable hotel later.
He decided to break the awkward silence at least, but the words did not come to his mouth. His tentative stare drew his childhood friend's attention, who in turn looked at him with immense sadness. Ran had realised that a new timeline had been created and what that meant. He tried to turn aside—
"Shinichi, what happened? How did it happen?"
He could not ditch the issue, then.
"I—we wanted to contact the media to warn them about the case, as there have been victims from their midst. Yamato-keibu, you and your father went there. However, before you three could have come to contact with the director, he was murdered with bombs installed in his car, as that has been mentioned. You father sustained minor wounds from the blast, however—Yamato-keibu was arrested for the murder. He was intended to be to framed as the murderer, someone to take the fall."
Kogoro almost drove into a ditch. "Yamato-keibu?! But why on earth?"
"There are several reasons. For one, the case had to be settled fast. It is near the election and an unresolved case that is violent and could concern the election to boot would haunt the citizens. For two, Yamato-keibu has been intended to become the woodpecker's member due to reasons that are a certain member's fixation rather that common sense. Yamato-keibu has refused numerous times to invitation. It is possible that the accident that forced him on a crane was an intentional incident. He was believed to have learnt the truth about the woodpecker and refused to communicate with them due to his different beliefs. He was, is, considered a threat."
"That means that the false arrest was like two birds with one stone." Kogoro connected the dots. "The woodpecker could sweep the case under the rug and eliminate the perceived threat to them. But wait a moment, Yamato-keibu was the blackmail material to be held over Morofushi-keibu—"
"His freedom was taken but his life was intact. The blackmail could have worked nonetheless." Shinichi clarified. "Morofushi does not know the woodpecker's members in person and that is mutual. His connection to the darker side was revealed as his friend was arrested. He made that move so that we could be informed about Yamato-keibu's condition and the inner situation. However, that decision has not been made. He is still unknown to the woodpecker for now."
"I see."
"I have tried in the next weeks to save Yamato-keibu. I wanted to find evidence to reveal the woodpecker in the court, which would have eliminated the moles in the law enforcement and trashed the trial the same time. I knew that there must have been a reason for Michitaka's murder, that he had discovered evidence on the woodpecker or even more, but could not find the material. It looked like his existence was erased. Hence, the evidence we have now was never recovered in the last timeline."
Akemi blinked in confusion. "You said timeline?"
"Yes. I am a time traveller."
Akemi stared at him, a whaaat written on her face.
"However, the entire case was a distraction. Gin had been in town from the start and waited to strike at our lowest moment. I have little solid information as to how the timeline ended in our deaths, but have a deduction. I think that a number at the courthouse noticed that the evidence submitted to the trial would have revealed them and shared that with their bosses. Yui and the lawyer we hired vanished at the courthouse and—well, we vanished one by one. Gin killed me."
Ran held a hand to her mouth.
"I returned in time and secured the evidence the media had, but let them handle it. It looks like that we have the evidence, which means that the woodpecker's attention is focused on us. I have said that we need a reliable law enforcement to take down the numbers we know about. I have made sure that that will be the case in hours." Shinichi looked outside, in the direction where the other three detectives were stranded in a stalemate. However, that would be soon over. "We will win, that is for certain."
His formula for victory was complete.
…
Morofushi was certain that his insurance would not cover the windshield riddled with bullet holes. He steered the car into the finish line without hesitation nevertheless, on the road that extended over the river that run in the dale between two mountains. However, the cars behind them did not make their lives easier. Kansuke entertained the idea to return the fire. However, that would have earned him a headshot in an instant, as one had to lean outside to aim. He tried to dismiss the shrill shards that showered on him and the wind that cut into their faces due to the shattered windshield. He flinched as a bullet cut nicked his forearm, but secured his hold on the wheel in a moment.
"Komei!" Kansuke shouted in obvious concern.
"I am fine!" He hunched a bit in his seat. He could feel the discomfort become harder to brush aside. He had taken three bullet nicks in two minutes, which the adrenaline dulled. "Kudo-kun should have a damned miracle ahead because at this rate, we will be done."
He noted the bitter undertone in his voice, which was not without reason. He cursed the diverse tactic to curtain his concern about his friends. Kansuke had earned himself a bullet nick in his usual recklessness, or so had been assumed. He became more certain with each minute that that had not been a nick. His friend sat sunken in his seat in his suit drenched in too much blood. His breaths sounded too wet. He had to stifle a hack the moment his shouted nickname left his mouth. He could not afford to check on him from the driver's seat, which tortured him with the unknown. His friend could have been shot at a critical area, but chosen to remain silent about it. And Yui—
He had to maintain a steel hold on the wheel to have the car under control. He did not know what—wait. He could hear the flat tires hit the road and make the car lose momentum; so, that was it. His shoulder turned numb in a sudden and blood coated the dashboard. He was shot too, then. He was about to surrender to their inevitable fate, when an unusual detail came to his attention. He could not control the clamour around him, which lead him crash the car into a massive whatever.
It… was not a crash. It felt like the car collided with a soft cushion. It did not even let loose the airbags. He realised that the massive whatever was in fact an inflatable collider used at evacuations, tied to a firetruck's side. He looked around and found that the firetruck was not the sole aid that arrived. He could see three ambulances, another firetruck and police cars swarm the road around them, oh, an additional truck from which an entire assault team rushed outside. It was surreal.
His friends! He turned around to witness the firemen cut the stuck doors from the car's frame and hand his unconscious friends over to the ambulance services. He strained his ear to overhear their conversations. Kansuke was indeed shot and needed the staff's undivided attention. Yui laid on a stretcher unconscious, with minor cuts. He stumbled outside. His senses cleared at the better overview and the mountain air that breezed over the road. He allowed relief wash over him. He would be forever thankful towards the men and women that came to their rescue. His friends survived the encounter and received immediate medical attention in that moment. It was a miracle.
However, the miraculous air was killed with the first shot. He traced the tire marks to the blockade on the road, which included several dozen cars and the manwall the assault team created with their shields. He was convinced that no bullets would reach him behind that defence. However, the same could not be said about those in the first lines. He betted that the woodpecker's members noticed the blockade and chose to hit the brakes and call shots. In that moment, their choices were narrowed down further as the road behind them was blockaded off as well. He listened to the inevitable shootout, which was destined to be futile resistance from the woodpecker.
In all seriousness. It should have not taken that much time to realise that their trio was not a diversion, but a bait. It made sense, as the entire swarm had been sent to hunt them down, to retrieve the information from them that had never been in their hands to start with.
It was ingenious.
"I am Watanabe from Niigata prefectural police." He saw a man with a knit hat show his badge. He could not remember the name from the numbers' list, which meant that the man was a friend. He did not have much doubt to start with. "I, and several other members from the prefectural police department have received an excessive material from an individual that the country calls prophet, which could be considered evidence on a fraction inside the Nagano police department nicknamed the woodpecker. We have been also informed that the mentioned fraction chased three detectives with the intent to kill, which we handled as the law dictated. In the end, there was a memo—"
He felt a sudden dizziness drown out the sounds. His knees almost buckled at the realisation that the case was settled. His mind insisted that there was a hole somewhere, that the prophet could not have included that evidence in his communication. He believed that that evidence was with the news director's allies, who could not have known about the chase. However, the one to call in reinforcements had to both have the evidence and know about the chase. It was all—
It felt too much at the moment.
He reached to his shoulder to and touched wetness. His hand was covered in blood, which the other detective noticed and called over the ambulance staff. He did not bother to listen to the worrisome conversation over him. He allowed himself to be laid onto a stretcher and rest at last.
"In the end, there was a memo. Two words. You were the addressed."
He looked towards the knit-hatted detective.
"It said, 'well done'."
…
Gin could not understand. There had never been a situation that could not be dealt with, a case that could not have been twisted to fit his aims. He had underestimated one opponent in his entire life and had sworn not to make the same mistake. He had, however, done that. He remembered his conversation with the second-in-command. He had not taken to the threat as another failure had not been visualisable to him, but the recent turn in the events started to convince him otherwise.
Brandish's subordinates had chased three detectives based on a confirmation that the stolen information was with them. However, the headless escape turned out to have been an act as those three detectives survived the encounter and moreover, led them into a trap. It was all a setup.
His movements could not have been foreseen. However, the coincidences were too extensive. Kudo had stolen sensitive information, which was then handed over to those three to draw the attention from himself, or so had been assumed. It had the moles in the law enforcement arrested in an ambush. Niigata detectives had received clear evidence about the situation—which meant, the information had been forwarded to them! He should not even mention the individual claimed to have done that. Kudo had to have shared the information with the prophet too over those detectives and the media, which had vanished into thin air to boot, for the situation to make sense.
Damn this. Kudo now had sensitive information and had used that to strike back in mere hours. He must have known their numbers in the area as well, either from his undiscoverable contacts or the stolen information, which made him involve another prefecture in the mess. It could not be worse.
He had no idea that a call from the lower under his command would thwart that conclusion.
"A—Aniki! The news!"
…
Michitaka News started the broadcast. It became a fire that made countless citizens abandon their duties and watch the revelation about the truth behind the scenes that enshrouded the last months. There were workers on the streets stuck on the news in the showcased televisions in electronic stores, with overcurious students crowded behind them. There were entire neighbourhoods on their televisions at home. There were detectives, both curious and concerned. It was a remarkable news that drew a country's undivided attention, which resulted in various reactions. There were some who called the whole debacle a hoax, a fearmongering created to earn more voters.
However, those that had followed the events around a certain individual with unknown intentions, the prophet, shredded their doubts in a second. It was a mass the countless cases solved in an unnatural manner had harnessed that believed that the prophet was a saviour sent, or come, to save their lives. His existence had sired theories about his true intentions from the start. His most committed fans tried to find connections between the minimal clues that reached them, uncover the truth and decide how to aid their saviour in his mission. Tsukikage-jima had been considered a concrete lead; it drew attention to a foe whose defeat could be the end aim.
And after almost two months in doubt, the reveal came.
There were no more secrets. There were no more comments on online forums to criticise the law enforcement's stance on the matter. There were no more discreet talks in the lunch break. There were no more so-called true stories on the unchecked column in the news. There were no more hushed theories that became more detailed from desk to desk in offices. There were no more doubts, no more denial. It was all real, which kindled another emotion in the viewers.
Fear.
…
Gunma had a small motel in the mountains, surrounded with wilderness save from the road that connected the establishment to civilisation. It should have been the ideal haven to release the stress from the urban environment. However, the landline television made sure that the staff and the visitors did not remain uninformed. There were two silhouettes in the corridor that observed the news and the reactions in the main hall; two silhouettes that had had a hand in the broadcast in the television.
Shinichi had known that the reveal would create mass fear. He would have been deluded to think that a normal citizen would be excited to learn that a massive crime organisation with influence over the direction the future was headed without a soul with the first clue about them. He would have been scared too in their shoes. He was still conflicted to witness the hostess clench her kimono in nervousness, fixated on the television broadcast. He looked at the other time traveller with intent.
"This begins now." Mary said. "You know what this means."
He did. It was a declaration of war.
…
"How is the situation?"
Mizunashi Rena knew about the mistrust the other members had towards her. Her cover could be blown at a careless move and her tasks never touched on the sensitive information her mission was to obtain. She could not blame them for their cautiousness, with the recent events taken into account. However, the fact that should have been a hindrance revealed a convenient other side. Her boss did not want her around and without sufficient evidence on her assumed treacherous nature, chose to shower her with small errands. At the same time, those errands left time on her hands to dive into their databases and assess reports behind their backs.
Brandish mistrusted her. He had instructed her to handle a small business in another town whenever the situation started to turn hot, to avoid malevolent intervention on her side. He had tried to collect subordinates alone, take action alone, reach his aims alone. He did not like to share his secrets with those that had not convinced him about their character. He did not even bother to check on her. It was that careless dismissive attitude that turned into his downfall.
"I have delivered the collected information. He reacted within our expectations." Her voice lowered on instinct when in a conversation with her connection. "It looks like this prophet person also called his shots. It all went according to the plan, no, even better."
Her mission started to reach the finish line at last. Her father would be proud.
…
Published: 10/07/2024