Chapter Text
3…
2…
1…
“PUT YOUR HANDS UP, DO NOT MOVE!”
“Wha– What's going on!?”
Chaos erupts around Shinichi as agents barge into the exclusive club the graduates use. Shinichi bolts to the door to try and make a break for it, but someone grabs his shoulder with barely any care and forcefully drags him by the arm out of the room. Whilst still struggling himself, Shinichi can hear one of the men screaming; “WHAT ARE THE FEDS DOING HERE!? GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!! HEY! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING US!?”
Screams of protest were muffled the moment Shinichi was shoved roughly into the back of the FBI's vehicle, the heavily tinted windows obstructing anyone's view of him from the outside; he could scream and shout, and no one would hear.
…
And no one else can hear him groan as he straightens up and fixes his tie and glasses.
The car drives away from the chaotic scene of the FBI squad raiding the pretentious lounge Shinichi had infiltrated for 6 months, posing as a graduate working as a banker for a money laundering ring in its infancy. This is the longest he's been undercover, and it's nice to see such a familiar face.
Shinichi catches the cold bottle of water the driver of the car tossed at him, mumbling a small ‘thanks.’ Shinichi takes a few deep breaths before smiling, tired eyes cracking open so he can steal glances at the older man. “It's been a while, Akai-san… How long?”
“4 months, boya.”
“Ah… time flies, huh?” It didn’t, time didn’t fly at all, Shinichi felt every excruciating day he spent parading as a corrupt little banker looking for a quick buck and pretending to fit into this nest of similarly aged, budding criminals so that he could nip this money laundering ring in the bud.
Compared to his seniors, 4 months is barely anything, but then again, he's comparing himself with the likes of Akai-san and Jodie– Ah, no, Chief Starling, so. Ah… He really needs to stop calling them so casually at work. He does miss Jodie-sensei, he misses all his friends… not that there are that many to begin with, but he's glad that he managed to speed up the investigation enough that he can close this case in less than a year. (He heard rumours that whenever they need a low-risk mission done quickly, they'd send the young Agent Kudo into the field because his quick irritability means that he gets the job done in half the time. Shinichi isn't sure if that is a compliment or not.)
Shinichi, feeling the safest in literal months, feels his body start to melt in the back seat. It's a bad idea; the hours following a raid are the most sensitive time. He knows, after shadowing Akai-san for so long, that this time he should be quick and alert; he needs to record and give his statements and fresh information as swiftly as possible, but…
He yawns, he yawns again and again, and it feels like he's fighting a losing battle. Is it… really his fault though? He had to prepare all night to make sure the raid goes smoothly, he's been working tirelessly to find a strategy to keep his cover from being blown and to have the plan go smoothly at the same time. Countless sleepless nights and Akai-san's car is pretty fucking comfortable right now…
“Go to sleep.”
He doesn't want to.
“Go to sleep, Boya.”
He hates it, hates how Akai keeps calling him ‘boy’ even 4 years after Conan Edogawa is no more. But Shinichi hates the fact that his voice, always so low and slurred, is making it harder for him to stay awake. Snippets of memories of the days he fell asleep just like that, in his 7-year-old body, knocked out after a tireless investigation…
Now, as a 22-year-old, he feels himself reverting back to the memories of Japanese summer nights, of rolled-down windows and strong wind ruffling his hair as he falls asleep in the back of Akai-san's car. The sound of a random radio segment playing in the background alongside the never-ending chirping of the cicadas outside…
Of cool, Tokyo summer nights 5 years ago, even as he's driving up highways in America, the smell of Akai-san's car never changes, it's like time has stopped. And now, maybe, in this pocket of time, he can rest…
“Go to sleep, Shinichi.”
…
Okay.
=
“He’s not the psychopath that you’re looking for.” Shinichi, coffee in hand, walked into the meeting room where Jodie was talking with an agent from Organized Crime Unit.
“Agent Kudo.”
“Agent Crowl.” Shinichi nods, shaking the man’s hand with as much enthusiasm as one does doing the most uninteresting thing in the world. Shinichi wants to get more sleep, but duty calls.
“I don’t understand, according to the profile your unit gave us earlier, the man you captured in the raid filled the criteria of the serial killer we are looking for.”
“Yes, but during my time undercover, I realized that he didn’t murder Jane Doe with the same intention as the serial killer you’re looking for did; he killed her in self-defence. I’m sorry, but your serial killer and my case seem to be completely unrelated.”
“So, are you saying that we’re back to square one?”
“Not quite, this means…”
Shinichi continued his discussion of the case with Crowl until Akai came into the room and took over for him, Shinichi, now finally left alone, sank into his table to finish his unbelievably long report for his last week undercover, stacking up all the supplementary documents, sorting out all the hard copies of his evidence and scheduling in-person interviews for the rest of the week.
He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning in his swivel chair to see James Black. Huh, he hasn’t seen him in a while, but Shinichi quickly stands up in respect, “Yes, Sir?”
“A moment in my office, Kudo.”
Shinichi follows, he wonders what kind of sensitive information he needs to talk about that not even the rest of his unit can know. Despite his eagerness, he doesn’t think he can handle another 6 months away after returning for less than 48 hours.
=
Her ears are still ringing as she takes off her kevlar vest, watching as her fellow researcher, her former friend turned extremist, is dragged away, still kicking and screaming about how the end of the world is coming and that by arresting her, they’re all going to die!
Shiho can barely hear anything, the air filled with the mixed sounds of loud megaphones and riot police running in heavy gear, of cars and ambulance sirens in the air.
The two-hour standoff is finished, and she’s ready for some semblance of rest of any… kind…
“Agasa-san, are you okay?” A police officer, catches her before she could fall, steadying her on her feet before guiding her to the back of the police car, “I’ll drive you back to the lab.”
“You don’t… have to do that.”
“Oh no, it’s alright, you’ve been here for hours to help with the hostage negotiation, you must be drained, and the lab is not that far away.”
…
Shiho wonders who gave the order this time. Someone must’ve told one of the officers to make sure that she got back to the lab safely, and she has been in the NPA for far too long to think that they gave the order out of concern for her health. What did they expect her to do, hm? What possible reason is there for her to ‘escape’?
She knows arguing will lead to nowhere, so she reluctantly follows, leaving the Tokyo tower where her former friend was trying to release an airborne bioweapon and back to the NPA-owned research facility about half an hour away.
The lab is quiet, it usually already is, but because everyone was evacuated as soon as the threat came, she is the only one left. It’s the type of silence that echoes in your ear, she taps her ID card on the entrance of her lab and gets hit by an unpleasant feeling of deja vu. It’s been… what? 5 years since she escaped her life in the Organization? And 4 years after she got her old body back, and yet the memories of the lonely nights in that lab she was confined into still fresh in her mind.
Taking off her coat, she sat down and let out a sigh, there’s no reason for her to go home now… It’s not like anyone is waiting there anyway.
So there she was, already getting ready to continue working when she hears the automatic sliding door opening, putting her on edge because she’s supposed to be the only one with the clearance to her own damn lab. Her mood doesn’t improve when she realized who it is, though. Out of mere politeness, she stands up and bows slightly before facing the man again. “Superintendent Kuroda, is there something I can help you with?” What the hell are you doing in my lab and how can I get rid of you sooner? Is what she wants to say, but alas.
“I’m sorry to disturb your rest, Agasa-san.” She’s fighting tooth and nail not to roll her eyes. “But you need to come with me.”
…
At this point, she doesn’t even ask anymore. Who is she to decline, hm? What is he going to do if she declines? Leave her alone just like that? Please. And so she follows him out of her lab and down to the basement, getting into his car. Still, it would be nice to know where he’s dragging her to, and so she asks, not expecting an answer, she should’ve known things are going to get ugly when he casually asks her if she has been contacted by the PSB.