Chapter 6: Disaster often strikes at the worst possible moment
After his meeting with Shiho, Conan had managed to fool the Black Organization into thinking that Kudo Shinichi was really dead. Dropping in to check on his place again was a risk he knew they couldn't afford to take. And now he had an excuse as well; he had managed to convince one of their members that he was his own cousin. Which meant, he could finally move back into his real house soon.
Living with Agasa had been exciting. With each day presenting a challenge; either assisting him on one of his inventions which often failed disastrously, or helping him come up with some simple quizzes for the other kids in their "detective group". But he had been living there for a couple of months.
And his own place was his home. He owed a tremendous debt of gratitude towards the professor, and couldn't impede on his hospitality any further.
...
As he carried in the last of his belongings from his temporary residence, a surge of excitement coursed through Conan. He couldn't contain his joy, bouncing around his house, savoring the freedom his childlike body granted him.
I missed you...my bed!
My television set!
My snacks!
My home!
He raised his hands in victory, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.
Putting one of the aforementioned snacks in his mouth…he spat them out right away. "Blech! Right, it's been a couple of months. These are probably expired." His enthusiasm had gotten the better of him.
He rested on his favorite armchair. The same one he would always sit on to ponder over the really difficult cases.
...
He vividly remembered the answer he received from his father concerning the picture of Moroboshi Dai he had sent. It had taken Yusaku more than a week to provide a response.
"The FBI?! Are you certain about that?" Conan asked his father about the validity of that information.
"That's what my contacts in the FBI told me. Though it's supposed to be a secret. So I can't tell you anything more, Good luck!" With that, Yusaku ended the call, leaving his son with even more questions than he had started with.
"Wait, Damn it!"
...
"Then was this Akai Shuichi working undercover in the organization? or was Moroboshi Dai a mole in the FBI?" Conan mulled over the different possibilites.
"Well, whichever it is, the FBI should be able to take care of it themselves. I need to get ready."
He decided to leave it aside for now. Tomorrow was Monday–a school day. He needed to head to bed early. He let off a yawn, feeling the fatigue from carrying all of his stuff. Moving next doors wasn't actually easy! You wouldn't even think of using a car!
These days school passed by in a flash. He had mastered the art of impersonating a child, easily deceiving most adults around him.
By this point he had also introduced his neighbor Agasa-Hakase to the other kids as well. He presented the professor as a gracious relative who had been looking after him while his parents were away on their work-related trips.
The professor would often bring the Shounen tanteidan along on camping trips. The kids' parents were relieved as well, having someone take care of their children (for free!). From their perspective, Agasa-Hakase was a kind hearted elderly man who had been kind enough to introduce himself and teach their children many useful life lessons. And having a good role model was a good experience for them. Fortunately, the children never came across any harrowing cases, even with Conan tagging along to their trips. The most perilous situation they had faced was the swift current of a river, which nearly swept them away. But nothing too crazy, relatively speaking.
But that was about to change.
"Are we really allowed to play the game before anyone else?" Genta asked the professor, all excited to play.
Come on Genta-kun! Be glad we were even allowed to enter the convention! Mitsuhiko chastised the other boy.
Agasa-Hakase had been invited as a special guest for a new exhibition showcasing an upcoming game. Knowing how enthusiastic the kids were about detective work, he had brought them along, realizing they'd be more thrilled to play the game than he would be.
"Yes, I was invited for the opening celebration, but you kids can play it in my stead."
"Hurray!" The 3 kids exclaimed in unison, bubbling with anticipation.
"I'm the one who's been solving all the cases. Where's my thanks?" Meanwhile; the fourth kid was sulking in the corner. After all, Conan had been the one solving the cases using the professor's voice.
"Now, now, Shinichi." The professor tried console him.
...
As the children excitedly discussed their expectations for the game, another voice called out in their general direction, surprising the group.
"Ah, Agasa-san! It's good to see you!" The newcomer greeted the inventor, extending a friendly hand.
"Thank you for sending us the invitation!" Agasa replied, as he introduced the newcomer to the children as Hideaki Nakajima, the person who had developed the game.
"Oh, are these kids yours?" Nakajima inquired, casting a curious gaze at the four children accompanying the inventor.
"No, no! I'm acquainted with their parents. But these kids want to be detectives in the future, so I've been showing them the ropes!" The professor chuckled with a hint of pride.
"What a wonderful man you are! Teaching our future generation! I wish more people would learn from you!" He complimented the professor.
We've all heard the stories! Not only are you an amazing inventor, but you've also worked alongside Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Shinichi as a detective."
Conan had come up with this backstory.
"Oh, no! The Kudo's would really only turn to me if the case had anything to do with technology. But working with them I learnt the basics of solving cases as well," he said, insisting that his role was mostly tech-related.
"You're being too humble!" The game developer was undeterred, praising the inventor for his recent assistance to the police on several high-profile cases. He lauded the professor's greatness, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to feature him as the main character in their game.
"In the past few months, you've helped the police multiple times with some really high-profile cases!" He praised the inventor. "How could we not build a game with someone as incredible as you as our main character?"
"But you shouldn't be waiting in this line! Since you're our special guest, you should go up front! Let me carry your belongings for you." Nakajima added, as he carried his own suitcase to the front.
They reached the start of the line, to place their bags in the cloakroom. This is where they met up with Hironobu Takeshita and Koji Ueda. The other game developers who had worked on the detective game.
"Hey, all 3 of you have the same bags! Why is that?" Conan asked with his childlike curiosity.
"That's because all employees have the same bags with the company logo on it. It's meant to show our unity, though only the boss carries the bag anywhere he goes."
"Then is he from the game company too?" Conan pointed towards a strange man wearing all black.
"Ca...Can't say I've seen him before." Nakajima answered, though Conan did notice the small changes in his body language as he answered the question.
"I see!" He let it go for now.
"Hmm, I'll just go take a walk around the floor." Conan said before leaving to meander through the building since he wasn't really interested in the game, leaving the professor to deal with the 3 kids.
"Wait don't leave me alone, Shinichi!" Agasa-Hakase cried in his head as he was surrounded by news reporters eager to take his photos and the children eager to play quick.
Having finished with his round, Conan went to the lobby to grab a drink. He noticed the same man from before.
"Heh, what are the chances that this guy works for them?" Conan thought glancing at the man's all black attire, before ignoring his intuition and focusing on the vending machine to find a juice to quench his thirst.
"Yes, it's me, Tequila." The man had just called someone and identified himself with an alcoholic name.
"The transaction's complete. Don't worry Vodka, no slip ups."
"Let Gin know I'll be joining you this evening." He told Vodka on the other side of the call.
A sound of metal hitting the floor reverberated in the lobby causing Tequila to be momentarily distracted.
"Did he just say Vodka and Gin?!" Conan's focus shifted sharply towards the man. He was now certain that this man was another agent of the organization.
Tequila looked towards the kid picking up a few coins off the floor.
"What's the matter?" Vodka asked him.
"Nothing. A brat just dropped some coins on the floor." Tequila answered as he decided to end the call there.
"I'll call you back once I get there."
"I'm sorry mister! Could you please move your leg?" Conan asked the man as he tried to pick up a coin that had wedged beneath Tequila's feet.
"Beat it, kid!" Tequila gruffly ordered, pushing Conan out of his way.
...
"Nice! I don't think anyone will notice the bug underneath their shoe!" Praising his good fortune, he decided to track down where the meeting was taking place. Ensuring that he won't be found, he put enough distance between the man and himself. "Soon," he thought. Soon, he would reach Gin and Vodka.
However, just as Conan was closing in on the truth, a deafening explosion shattered the convention's atmosphere, .
...
The blast radius was low, and the only one who died was Tequila. But the noise was heard by everyone across the floor.
The children's voices trembled with fear. Panic washed over Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko as their concern grew. "Didn't Conan-kun go towards the lobby?" they anxiously wondered aloud.
The bomb had detonated in the room just beyond the lobby, the very area Conan had entered moments ago. The air was thick with tension and suspense as the bewildered children tried to make sense of the harrowing situation, their young minds racing with fear and uncertainty. If someone had set up explosives on the floor, everywhere could be dangerous.
As the confusion reigned and panic ensued among the other attendees, Conan entered the room where the bomb had gone off. He looked for any clues that would help him solve the case. He wasn't sure if this was the work of someone else from the organization, or someone else. Going through the room, something struck him – the emblem on the bag had been bent outward from the suitcase. If the explosion had come from elsewhere, the emblem should have warped inward. This suggested the bomb was inside the suitcase itself.
Which meant that the culprit was most likely the person Tequila had met up with before and exchanged his suitcase with him.
Conan's thoughts raced. The culprit had to be one of the three employees he had encountered earlier, but which one?
...
He went back to the main area, and located the professor, letting him know everything he had found out. The other 3 kids were crying scared for him and from the bomber, but seeing Conan alive, stopped.
"Conan-kun!" They called out his name, happy that he was safe.
By this point, the 3 employees he had met with before were at the cloakroom, gathering their bags. He noticed that Nakajima had the number 124, even though their own numbers after him were lower. This was the proof that Nakajima was the one who had changed his bags with Tequila.
Conan quickly realized what had actually happened. This was an unexpected murder. The person who was supposed to die in this explosion was one of the 3 employees he met up with earlier and the person who had planted the bomb was also one of the 3. Tequila wasn't the intended recipient.
Inspector Megure and the other cops soon arrived.
They suspected it was the act of an indiscriminate bomber and wanted to evacuate everyone in case there were other bombs.
"Wait Inspector Megure," he called out, using Agasa-Hakase's voice.
"Don't let the guests leave yet." As the professor tried to match his tone.
Megure told him that if there were other bombs people might be in danger. But Conan stated that there weren't any bombs planted in the hotel. The culprit was after one individual, his fellow game developer.
He asked the cops to open the bags of the 3 employees to check their briefcase as he knew this would reveal the true culprit. As soon as Nakajima opened it, Takeshita screamed in horror. After all, he had planted the bomb in that briefcase. He had no idea that Nakajima had exchanged his claim tag with Tequila.
He solved the case and asked Nakajima for the details about the transaction he had made earlier with Tequila.
He confessed that they would usually meet in the Daikou bar but he didn't know anything else. Conan, following the lead, quickly rushed out using his skateboard, leaving the professor to deal with the aftermath.
As soon as he arrived at the building, he saw the bar explode. Even as he ran towards it, he knew things weren't looking good.
The entire Daikou building was on fire. Sounds of sirens were drowning out the cries of the victims.
"I was too late…" He whispered.
The intensity of the explosives was too much. The bar had been obliterated without a trace. The police who arrived later couldn't even figure out if there were any people inside while the people in the surrounding areas were wounded.
He could only watch as the emergency vehicles arrived and left.
Soon, the professor arrived at the scene of the crime as well, having dropped off the other kids at their homes.
"It wasn't your fault, Shinichi." He offered Conan words of comfort reassuring him that the catastrophe wasn't his fault.
"No, Hakase…it was." But Conan couldn't help but blame himself. He felt responsible for failing to stop the attack, knowing that he still had much to learn about the enigmatic organization behind it all.
"I wasn't able to stop their attack. There's too much I don't know about them or their organization. If there were just a few, I could have tracked them down, but to plan out such an operation would require way more individuals and explosives than any normal group can get their hands on."
"Whatever their goals are, I need to figure it out."
He decided, "And If taking them down means I need to work with others, I will."
...
Looks like the next step is, in fact, approaching that man.
Moroboshi Dai…Are you a friend? or a foe? Let's find out!
A/N:
Well, after his interaction with Shiho, I didn't want it to end up feeling like the BO was that "easy". So using what happened in ch114-116 (Anime 54) was the way to proceed. But this was the hardest chapter to write so far, considering so many things happen in a short amount of time and the changes I've made are minor. So, if you have any suggestions to enhance this part, please let me know and I'll gladly incorporate them in this.
Next chapter will be, in a way, Conan vs the FBI in a battle of the wits, lol since he needs to find allies fast.
