It's official: the more I revise a chapter, the more mistakes I find. What a never ending cycle this is! *Rolls down in shame*

Anyways, here it is! A pretty thick chapter; I advise you to take take your time. Else, you might get irremediably confused.

For any doubts, I left many clarifications at the end. That, or you can PM me anytime :3

Have fun~!

(WARNING! This chapter may touch a bit of the M rating. I'm not sure. I personally don't think it's too bad, a tad bit more than ch 8, but that may depend on each of you. Just skip anything you feel uncomfortable with.)

Recap:

Kaito wakes up in his cell alarmed after dreaming of the night of his capture. He takes notice on his surroundings, relaxes, and follows his old routine of body and magic exercices, doing his best to prepare for a successful escape.

On another building, before the beginning of classes, Saguru decides to remind Nakamori of the investigation team that belongs to 'Hakuba Labs'. He shows him around, and they witness the analysts working with the reported stuff on the sight where the Doppelganger (AKA RoboKid/K10) showed up. As Saguru intends to leave for high school however, he notices one of the investigators carrying what he recognizes as Conan's mobile, and gets entrusted with it. Because Conan owns two phones, plus he wants to find out about the 'big secret' he and Hattori are hiding, Saguru decides to secretly keep said mobile to search for answers.

Meanwhile, the osakan police are investigating files. After receiving secret intel from Tokyo headquarters (which is the intel the General obtained of Saguru from Kid) they are searching around for the man truly responsible of the heist, the so-called Owl, and working their way to narrow down suspects to figure out the man's civilian identity.

Back to Kaito, now locked in his ensuite bathroom, he is thoughtful and worried after his talk with the detectives. Akako, on the other side of the mirror, notices this and urges him to focus on their escape plan, since the time for his trial is just two days ahead. Kaito listens to Akako's advice and focuses on memorizing the blueprints at hand, while also suggesting another escape plan. After some chatting, both end their meeting confident of what will be a future success.

Slowly, time passes, and it's the afternoon.

Before finishing classes, Conan has a brief flashback over his meeting on Sunday, with his parents and Akai. Meeting in which they all agreed that Kid's intel is on a different level, and that it contains priceless insight on what could be essential to Vermouth's and Karasuma's secret: that is, the gem that gives immortality, Pandora. Conan thus uses this opportunity to defend the thief and explain that, circumstances aside, he trusts the thief to the point he thinks they can work together, and have him on board with the whole 'finishing with the BO' deal. Akai however is skeptical. He bears in mind that the Kid is a notorious criminal that could severely damage the FBI's reputation on the worst of cases and, that aside, realizes that he is currently the focus of too many eyes and complicated to reach. Conan therefore leaves the topic at that. Aside from Kid, the tracer Conan has on RoboKid states very clearly that his location is nowhere close, thus Akai is left in charge of contacting Jodie and the other FBI agents to prepare to search and face an opponent like him, convinced the creature's dangerous potential on the criminal world is on the same level as Vermouth, if not more.

So far, so well. Akai, under the disguise of Subaru, leaves the room and Yukiko is soon to tease her son for other details on the thief. To that, Conan awkwardly admits that the face behind the mask is none other than a teen almost identical to himself. However, just from this, his parents start developing their own theory on who the thief may possibly be, and Yukiko cries while being consoled, in hopes of them being correct. Conan is severely confused, but doesn't ask more.

Back to the classroom, Conan 'wakes up' from his memory as the bells indicate the end of classes. He leaves with the shonen tantei gang to collect their outdoor shoes when, to his surprise, notices a letter awaiting him. A letter addressed to 'Mr Kid Killer', which is exactly the words RoboKid used to address him on the heist. Panicking, not expecting a move so soon, he asks for Haibara to take the children and go ahead without him, and studies the note by himself.

In the meantime, Heiji successfully contacts Akio Tsuchiya and has a chat with him, where the scientist reveals himself aware both of Conan's intellect (having felt small hands treat his wounds) and Owl's civilian identity (thanks to Kid's intel Heiji gained, plus Heiji too having narrowed suspects and deduced the same).

On his way home, Conan is relaxed. The RoboKid note he received was easy to crack, and all he can do now until the 'private meeting' happens is wait for night to come to head to the designated place. He however meets Nakamori, and ends up at Poirot Cafe with him. There, Nakamori confronts Conan about the suspicious call Kid had with him on Saturday, which implies Conan knowing of Kid's objective. The 7 year old obliges and fills Nakamori with some truths, a talk that becomes rather informative for the two of them. A call then forces Nakamori to end their chat in a rush, and return to the TMP, where something else seems to have happened. Conan, having followed him outside, stops as he notices a street TV screen and learns that there seems the be a new heist note, this time addressed to the general public.

Back with Saguru, Ekoda High School classes have already ended for a while. Alone at Hakuba Labs, Conan's phone becomes unlocked. Hakuba is visibly satisfied and rushes to explore its contents. The discovery however has one sudden twist, when Saguru becomes aware that the phone in his hands belongs to none other than Shinichi Kudo, the missing detective that is rumored to be dead. He has a weird feeling of where this discovery may take him, and concludes there is something disturbing revolving Shinichi's circumstances where Conan's a key factor to locate him, as an intermediary, while Shinichi remains in hiding. This being the case, he settles that spying on Conan will likely lead him to Shinichi himself.

Later, Conan is relaxed, and at home. Previously to Nakamori leaving in his rush, Conan had secretly managed to sneak in a spy microphone on Nakamori's clothes, and heard all about the private meeting that succeeded. That's why he already has his mind settled on what to do tonight, and is mostly at ease. Therefore, he interacts with the Mouris, has a shower, and fulfills the part of a seven year old… only to escape after they both fall asleep, all the while under Saguru's secret attentive watch. Hakuba however miscalculated one 'little' fact on his quest on spying him: that is, Conan's self propelled skateboard.

Conan safely reaches his destination, Beika Park, and patiently waits for RoboKid to appear. He nervously watches his surroundings, and only breathes calmly when an elder who is walking a dog decides to approach him. Conan then surprises the elder as he calmly refers to him as 'Owl'.

Hakuba, on foot, isn't far behind. He asks around many pedestrians to trace Conan's location, and encounters a blocked road just before his arrival. He creates his own shortcut by trespassing other properties, and watches around to not be caught. As he makes it to Beika park and hears a gunshot, he rushes to Conan and finds himself in trouble while caught by an unknown figure.

CHAPTER 10

*Hours earlier.*

Monday; 17:00 p.m.

TMP; fifth floor.

Shintaro Chaki, superintendent of the Second Division, takes his leave from the department with several agents from the Second Division following close behind. As they walk out and move down to lower floors, their actions are inevitably noticed by their fellow comrades, working on different areas in the same building.

"Remember! We're heading to Orion's Planetarium." Chaki stated loudly while entering the underground parking, different teams splitting up to enter different police cars. "Get everything you need ready, and then get into position. We'll keep track of each other by using our earpiece communicators. Nakamori will join us there."

"Understood!" The others signaled their agreement by following the man's orders, working efficiently without wasting time.

Nothing else was needed to be done there. Chaki nodded satisfied at their response and wasted no time as he too entered a car.

oOoOo

Monday; 18:00 p.m.

Tokyo.

People stop. Their eyes widen.

A sudden broadcast interrupts all channel programs, a single announcement easily taking the spotlight by transmitting live through all sorts of different devices at the same time, notifying them on what appears to be a new heist.

'To the lonely thief who shares my footsteps,

I tell you this:

When the clover rests,

Hope is prioritized.

Where the night is close,

And the chase is set,

A promise awaits,

In the form of Truth.

Kaitou Kid (doodle)'

oOoOo

Half scandinavian, half japanese. The currently aged 87 year old man was one of mankind's biggest prodigies. With an IQ of 198 and so many accomplishments that one would easily lose count, he was a man that could easily be said to have succeeded in life.

He had everything he needed. Every little whim to his service. And yet... not everything that he wanted.

Rules. Ethics. Rights.

They blocked his path.

He was severely limited by the ridiculous bounds humans had set upon themselves in their process of building a 'well-formed society', and constantly hated their ingenuity for that. Even if flaws existed within every system. Even if no human build society could be called utopic, ever. To him, the current world moved in an erratic way that did nothing but damage his progress and the freedom of thought of true visionaries. And day after day, slowly but surely, it was taking a toll in him...

Until it happened:

He snapped.

Rather, an enlightenment came over him.

If the world wouldn't allow him to do as he wanted, then he'd just have to depend on himself, he thought.

So, he said 'goodbye' to the world's fanciest projects. Broke contracts. Canceled important meetings that took months to arrange. And undoubtedly, set away all the good deals any clever mind around the world would drool for.

All to set his focus on his own magnificent dream.

The creation of life.

Well, not 'life' in itself. He wasn't interested in 'that' kind of field.

The biological spurges that humans were tied to when young were directly vinculated to the weakness of their species, all rationality in them leaving for nothing but an animalistic urge to breed and get over their instincts. The kind even he too had felt, many years ago, when he'd been young.

But no. His dream was nothing so vulgar. What he aspired to was something in auge, something that humankind was only starting to take an interest in, and which they way too late had found the idea appealing to their minds.

He was talking of course, of the creation of artificial life.

Real artificial life.

Not the programmed machines that lowlife developers attempted to sell as 'artificial intelligence'. He meant the creation of highly advanced mechanisms that allowed AIs to literally think and act for themselves, improvise decisions and rationalize answers, according to the right programming. Robots that could solve problems and assist others without delay, much more faster and efficient than any human being could ever aspire to do.

And he could do it. He had the right mindset, and skill, to work in this project and become the first person to truly attempt so and succeed.

But, the path of a genius was always full of trials and errors.

One day, everything he fought to obtain broke down.

All was lost… or so he'd thought.

Until the Leader appeared before him.

Knowledgeable of him.

Expectant of him.

With a plan.

All the money and services he needed.

Offering everything he could ever wish for.

While at the same time showcasing too much of a tempting future that he instantly knew he had to be a part of.

oOoOo

*Present time. Tuesday. 1:25 a.m.*

'Or maybe I should call you by your real name?

Mads Ogami.'

"..."

Owl, or rather 'Mads', stood quietly while looking at the boy with glasses, thoughtful, not a single expression betraying his state of mind.

In front of him, Conan remained 'tall' on the full conviction of having figured out his identity, not the slightest bit of fear showing on determined azure eyes.

"I'm impressed." Owl smiled, visibly intrigued, the boy having deduced correctly. "How did you find out?"

"About 'Mads Ogami' being Owl? My friend was the one who figured it out, actually, and it was rather simple for him." Hattori Heiji, having successfully met with the targeted man from the previous heist, had easily been provided with this very same name, it belonging to one of the oldest K facilities ex workers who, additionally, had fitted perfectly within Kid's description. "About you being actually him and not RoboKid in disguise? That's because you, unlike him, are breathing."

"RoboKid?" Owl rose a single white eyebrow, K10's name sounding quite a bit far fetched. The boy figuring out K10 being capable of performing full body disguises was also a matter of deep concern. But, as of now- "'RoboKid'… yes. It's got a certain ring to it, I'll admit. And although it's a bit inaccurate, it's certainly touching you're referring to 'it' as 'him' as well."

"Inaccurate…?"

Owl responded with a chill inducing smile. One that would've fooled Conan into thinking the old man too wasn't human, and lacked all sort of human empathy. Or showcasing perhaps that, even as a human, he was dealing with someone incapable of feeling.

In any case, Conan didn't like it one bit.

He shook his head.

"The determining factor however was being assaulted by a giant dog, who happens to coincidently breath as much as RoboKid." Conan looked back at the black furrball. Just like with RoboKid, it had been thanks to this new robot invading his personal space, that he'd managed to notice the lack of breathing that lead him into doing the connection. "A dog which, additionally, if you take a closer look…" The black dog, or rather, RoboDog (Conan could hear Heiji laughing at him now) kept it's eyes on him, leaning the head forward as Conan directed his hand to it. Waving its tail, it excitedly let itself be pet, acting exactly like any real dog would. "You'll realize it's nose isn't wet, as it should be. And that it's fur doesn't quite smell like other dogs, being synthetic… or that it refuses to lick me either, due to it lacking saliva, a factor that can only add to the risk of it being exposed. Although, to be honest, I only noticed because I knew of RoboKid already. I presume this robot was a prototype robot built before RoboKid?"

As if on cue, the dog barked, briefly exposing it's tongue.

The hidden tattoo it revealed to have then on the rose surface, briefly presented the word 'D111' to him, faintly visible to the inexpert eye. A branding which Conan made a mental note to reflect on later, to compare with RoboKid's own.

But as RoboDog did another bark and pressed itself forward against his petting hand, Conan lowered his gaze, suppressing the grimace he felt. Truth be told, he pitied it. The detective could only imagine the kind of atrocities innocent test dogs and other victims must've partaken in, in Owl's experimentational quest.

Far from his course of thoughts, Owl nodded, visibly satisfacted.

"What did you think about my riddle?" The mad scientist inquired so while changing his stance, this being the first time he met a 7 year old capable of cracking codes. "Did you enjoy it? Or did you have trouble solving it? I really want to know about your thoughts."

Conan's eye twitched. He really didn't want to give this man the satisfaction of answering.

'Like the word Caesar implies, I shall wait for you tonight before the fountain of the roman palace. Below you'll find the missing key.

[lepdokkzn]'

"First of all, there's the word 'Caesar'. In a coded text, when finding the word Caesar one would naturally think of the 'Caesar shift', that is the famous cipher Julius Caesar often used to encode his military messages. Though simple by today's standards, it took ancient codebreakers 800 years to crack and is still popularly referred to nowadays." Conan crossed his arms, openly sharing his knowledge while remaining alert of the man in front of him. "Sadly, the Caesar shift doesn't match the 'missing key' referred below. That is because the word 'lepdokkzn' isn't a keyword, but an altered text resulting by the use of the real keyword. A keyword which, as it seems, is 'missing' as suggested by the text: in other words, it's Kaitou Kid's signature itself. 'KAITOUKID' is the missing keyword needed to solve the code, since it is the truly missing piece that always appears in every notice, this being the only constant that repeats in every single one of Kid's cards." Conan talked without stopping, the sharp light reflected on the man's glasses preventing the boy from reading his expression. "Yet, what kind of code is it if it isn't the 'Caesar shift'? The answer relies in the drawing of the box. The box indicated there was intentionally drawn as a perfect square. And the square refers to another commonly referred cipher that happens to use the Caesar shift: the Vigenère square. Not to mention, nowadays you can find plenty of online coders to solve puzzles online. In short: I merely wrote 'lepdokkzn' on one of these online converters while adding 'kaitoukid', and got my answer."

'And then, I headed straight for the only fountain present within the riddled anwer's location, where I decided to wait until RoboKid showed up.' Conan mentally finished up.

"Fascinating." Owl held up his chin, drawing himself closer and closer to the petite detective. "Really, really, fascinating. I mean, I only spent like 1 minute making that stupid code, but still: this is my first time meeting someone like you. I'm really starting to believe that you're one of a kind."

Again, chills up his spine. Conan literally felt his hands tremor, the cells on his body sensing the abnormality within this man.

The fact Kid had been able to spend any amount of time alone with him, and still maintain his sanity, certainly worked for him to respect the thief even more.

Conan drew his glasses closer.

"What I don't understand is why you showed up yourself and not RoboKid. Not just because you are exposing yourself, but also because he can perform disguises, and keep you off sight." Based on the words RoboKid himself had said to the three of them at the heist, at least, this was indeed the case. With the robot being so full of himself and sincere, Conan did not believe the robot to be lying. "And the note too..." Owl rose an eyebrow, insting the boy to continue while taking the position of a silent watcher. "The way the note was addressed to me, 'Mr Kid Killer', is very distinct. Until the heist where I faced him, no one had ever called me like that. 'Kid Killer' alone at most. That is why, I fully expected it to be a call to reference himself as the sender of the message."

"Real~ly? Well, casualties can happen… even in the world of science." Having finished listening to Conan's reasoning, Owl deigned himself to answer, turning around for greater theatrical effect. "My reasoning was simple. When I found out about you, I decided I wanted to meet you. Then, I considered a way to call your attention. A heist note was what lured you to the heist in the first place, and so a Kid note made it more likely to encourage you to come assist another encounter. Referring to you as 'Edogawa Conan' was too plain, I thought, given how the real Kid tends to address people… and so, I referred to you as such, under the impression it was a wise choice. Wondering, as well, how you'd act upon it, and if you'd request others for help. And congratulations! Seeing how you managed to get here while having me completely deceived… yes, I definitively applaud you."

Conan listened while expressionless. Finding out he'd been spied on the moment he received the notice, he felt that this Owl had went from being one crazy character, to one that was extremely cautious and triply dangerous.

He felt his palms sweat.

"You… what are you even pretending to do?"

"To create the most advanced AI humanity have ever set their eyes on." Was the old man's automatic response. Owl did not care if he had to kill, hack or spend the remaining of his time stuck on the Underworld to achieve this. He was an unrecognized genius who had already been denied of his wishes for most of his life. "To slowly take over the real world. To replace real worthless people by their improved sintetic replicas. To take control of the powers which stand above us and partake in their influential decisions without anyone noticing. And eventually, to fix this irrational world from the inside by ruling with nobody noticing from within the shadows. That, is my goal."

Conan swallowed.

Whatever he'd been expecting, he was prepared to deal with 'crazy', but deeply underestimated the conviction behind it.

It was confusing to the sight. This was his first time meeting a subject like this.

"I've answered plain and earnestly here, boy: now it's your turn." The old man responded then, revealing a row of white prosthetic teeth while showcasing his grin. "What is it you have planned by coming here?"

"..." Conan narrowed his eyes. The bad feeling he already had became all the more pronounced at his inquiry. He didn't like it one bit. "I wanted to meet RoboKid, of course."

"Oh~! Curiosity, is it? Yet, is it really?" Owl shifted his stance, widely esceptic. "I asked you to answer me earnestly, boy. Since you just proved how clever you are, you certainly realize the danger you've put yourself in by coming on your own here. And so, what would a clever boy like you have planned by showing up here all by himself?"

It wasn't just his hands. Conan's whole body started to sweat at the tension built. Obviously, he had decided not to put a fake front over his intelligence, when confronting the man straight front. And certainly, he had had no intention of meeting the man, rather RoboKid, face to face without a plan backing him up.

Still, now that he was here, reality came down to him. Had this really been the right choice? Cockiness aside, he had pictured Owl nonetheless would underestimate him for what he was: a child. One too naive in fact to realize just in how much danger he'd put himself in.

But Owl showed none of that.

For a member belonging to a crazy, unpredictable cult who didn't care about rules, he was unexpectedly sharp.

"Of course that, being the clever boy you are, you wouldn't tell me anyways, mm?" Owl tilted his head, leaning further forward so he wouldn't miss a single detail on Conan's moves. The petite boy's thoughts, body and mind… the crazy man was seduced by all of it, interested in exploiting it all for himself. "In that case, would your intentions perhaps be to put me to sleep?"

Conan twitched, eyes wide. He caught hand of his own wrist by instinct, just in time to witness Owl pushing up the sleeve on his own jacket to reveal an identical watch attached; the same one he'd lost to RoboKid, back on the heist in Osaka.

"Oh? You confirm it. This watch really belongs to you, then. But… was this really your plan?" Immediately after revealing it, the mad man lowered his shoulders, pushing the sleeve back into place. "What about your backup plan? Tell me, were you planning on throwing a ball at me?"

Conan kept his mouth shut, a firm line adorning his features. He had reacted shocked at Owl being aware of his gadgets, but if he thought about it, it made sense. Because RoboKid, who had been created by Owl, must have no doubt reported everything he knew to him.

"Carry on, then." Seeing Conan react cautious like this, Owl spread his arms, inviting him to do his best: "There is no ball in sight. No distraction in place. How is it you plan to knock me out? Show me what it is you can do."

Unordinary words that only served to further confuse Conan. Why was he so relaxed? The mad man's predisposition reached to a point where it was both distrusting and unnerving. Like a trap he could, in no way, sense or predict. All simply due the fact it was a weak old man with no possible way of dodging or sustaining a blow of any kind, who against all logic encouraged him to attack.

Conan slowly recomposed himself.

"...Since you have my wristwatch, I'm sure RoboKid already told you all you need to know about my ball dispensing belt." Conan narrowed his eyes, impassive, acting like he didn't care at all while he attempted to figure out the man's reasoning. "Same goes for my shoes. You should already know what I'm capable of. If anything, you feigning innocence is unsettling. There is no reason to fake around."

'Ball dispensing belt? Shoes?' Owl arched an eyebrow, his intrigue increasing by each passing second.

"You flatter me… but I'm afraid you're wrong about that, boy. I wasn't informed of much." The old man answered with a sour smile, honesty up front. "Something about that heist caused K10's programming to severely unstabilize, up to the point the CPU rewrote many main functions, many which ended up carved deep in its root. By the time K10 returned, it was already too late. Not only was a formatting in order; the new setup was set so well that K10 actually kept things hidden from me. He purposely rejected direct orders and disabled my admin access to its main core, going as far as creating a firewall of its own. And after all that, as ridiculous as it sounds it was impossible for me, it's creator, to access nor recover any history files. Thus, my reason for deciding to investigate you myself."

Owl shrugged, rather amused by it. K10 held potential, yes, yet was pretty much useless to him now. He wasn't sure how it happened, but the testing made it clear: it was still to soon for K10 to partake in human interactions.

It wouldn't do. If communicating with others was what caused the default response to unstabilize, then there was still much work to be done.

Most surprisingly of it was that this had happened before. The same problem had occurred with K1, whom too had had displayed irrational behaviour, having left them to commit 'suicide' in the end. However, with K10, the case hadn't quite been the same. Being the second prototype of its kind, it meant the achievement of creating a perfect puppet was still not going to be so easy, and that he should stop the testing there. And so, no longer useful, the best thing he could do now was shut K10 down to restudy its data, fix the errors and limit all its programming into following orders only, to function only as soulless puppet.

"In other words, I assure you I have no clue what happened in between the two of you that night. In fact, you having found out his true identity as a robot I only found out now, and is seriously against my plans. K10 wasn't too explicit with the details, you see. The mysterious watch, at most, was my only clue… a giveaway that immediately declared you as its owner by showing up here with an exact replica. Which yet again draws forward another question: did you build them yourself?"

"..."

Conan didn't answer. If Owl had only noticed his watch, then that increased the chances of RoboKid still possessing his badge, and with it ensured the belief that Akai and the others were on the right trail.

Yet...

… no. That was not what was truly going through his mind.

Though inconvenient, after hearing such an explanation, Conan's track of thoughts could not help but shift back towards RoboKid, conflicting thoughts having him empathise with the robot.

Why had RoboKid acted like he had? According to the words Owl said, the mysterious robot had inexplicably decided to keep quiet about him. And not just him, but the three of them. About the chat they'd had. What they'd gone through. And the deductions they'd made. Because by the looks of it, even Pandora's mention had been a topic which RoboKid had revealed no word about, seeing the old man yet to mention it. So, what exactly did this mean?

"Oh, well; whether you built those gadgets on your own or not, it doesn't matter." Owl spoke exactly then, enthusiastically so, managing to shut all his thoughts with a single clap. "I have already made up my mind."

"?!"

This was it.

Conan took a step back, feeling goosebumps on his nape. He did not like the sound of that. Nor, did he like the crazy look the man had to offer, of having everything under control.

He was not particularly fond on the idea of attacking an old man either, but he disliked the thought of letting the man do as he pleased even less.

Refusing to make use of his wristwatch with the old man already aware of it, Conan therefore prepared the ground for his next choice. In less than a second, he had the ball drawn from his belt, his right shoe activated, and performed a well aimed kick towards the creepy enthusiastic target.

*FSHHHH!*

The ball did not fly for long.

After just some of the most impressive milliseconds of his life, the RoboDog that had been accompanying them jumped in one outstanding leap, succeeding in capturing the ball in one powerful bite. A bite so unexpectedly powerful if fact, that it managed to steal all his attention on what had just become the most surrealistic game of 'fetch' ever.

Conan watched the exchange occur with a blank expression, while Owl remained calm, his thrilling smile widening in size. What little fear a normal person would have felt upon the possibility of such terrifying ball knocking him out did not seem to graze the old man's mind.

But it did not matter.

At that exact moment, it happened:

*CRUNCH*

"Hnn!"

Movement. An animalistic cry of pain.

An unexpected 'something' had happened that had pushed Mads' body to recoil backwards and forced RoboDog's one to whimper in pain, the black furrball tripping into eventually falling to the ground. A confused Owl then barely registered a red dot circling through their bodies before it decided to settle by his heart, finally giving away the reality that RoboDog's leg had just been hit by a bullet from an unknown source, which had been shot from afar.

"?!"

'A sniper.'

Owl's eyes went back to Conan.

The little detective looked nothing close to surprised at the unexpected assault. If anything, the momentaniary triumphant expression that had been on his face got replaced by pity, betraying the feeling that he felt sorry towards the 'dog' whose saddening cry had sounded so real.

And it was at that precise moment that the mad man realized it.

That everything up to that moment had gone according to the boy's plan. That against all pronostic, Conan had resorted towards a strategy that had not relied on he himself alone, but on the well competent force that was a sniper hiding in the far distance. A strategy that seemed almost impossible to grasp, for it had been scheemed by an 'ordinary' 7 year old, and due the secrecy of it all for having given away nothing suspicious even though he'd kept constant superveillance on him the entire day.

And at this realization...

"You're unexpectedly terrifying, boy."

... the scientist drooled.

Conan arched an eyebrow, unimpressed by all measure.
Having finally averting his gaze from the dog, a sigh escaped his lips.

"So are you."

Madly. Joyous. Twisted.

The man that was the craziest figure Conan had ever met wielded the most frivolous of grins, twisting his face until it revealed the true form of the mad man.

"I want you."

Smart. Calm. Manipulative.

Small. Discreet. Pure.

A perfect bait that would make anyone lower his defences.

Owl needed one of his own.

He urged to study him, to mold him, to perfectionate him. To find out how the little boy had become the way he was. To mass produce him. To figure out-

"I'm going to have to interrupt your thoughts right there, Ogami-san," Conan stated calmly, waking the crazy scientist from his odd stupor. "Since it seems you're yet to realize the situation you're in."

Mads swallowed, taking instant notice of what he meant.

Although he couldn't see the person responsible himself, Mads could easily pinpoint the location of the snipper, the red dot that made him of range still shining brightly against the top of his chest.

But even then, Conan was more interesting to him:

"Tell me boy, are you familiar with death?" Threatened with his life, forced to oblige, Mads trembled with utter delight as the mystery increased, amazed at his expense: not only did the boy somehow predict all of this, he also didn't hesitate the slightest bit. What was he, really?

Unbeknownst to him, likewise thoughts ran through Conan's mind:

"More than I would like to, yes." Conan heard then Jodie's colleagues distant steps approach them, getting off their vehicles to proceed with the detention, planning for a long time interrogation in the FBI's quarters.

Mads shook his head, biting his lips in anticipation as he barely contained himself still.

Conan was still only a step away from him...!

Unable to hold any longer, Owl made up his choice:

He snapped his fingers.

"!"

RoboDog immediately stopped licking its leg, ears raised, attentive at its owners instructions.

"Come on, D111. It was a good show, but playing time is over." RoboDog stopped faking the compassion it felt towards itself and awaited for its owner's command, ceasing all movement as he observed the wicked Owl point towards the direction where the bullet had come from, completely calm. "See where that red light is coming from? I need you to memorize its location." The precise red dot on his heart indicated the snipper was no amateur, yet proved at the same time that if he'd wanted him dead, he would've done so already. And so, Owl waved his hand, disregarding the nuisance in a casual manner. "Got it? I need you trace the sniper, and kill him.

Now."

"Grrrr!"

Conan paled, caught off guard, the animalistic creature revealing shiny sharp teeth before suddenly speeding inside the bushes and out of sight.

The 'injured leg' proved at that moment to have had no real damage, revealing an inner build that was much more sturdier than it originally seemed. More so, because the speed it moved at was even move abnormal than what RoboKid's had been, having left nothing but a gust of wind behind.

Resulting into a black shadow running straight towards Akai.

"And with that done," Before the snipper could perform another attempt at his life, Owl moved fast, instructing his next order out loud: "it's time for us to go away."

"Who-wha-?!"

A bunch of strangers then suddenly revealed themselves, stepping out from the density of the trees that surrounded them from within the park.

As Conan paid closer attention, he recognized they were normal people. Locals. Few of the bystanders which Conan had recognized from having walked around the park so late at night, them being a mix of different ages and genders. 5 in total.

"T-these people...!" Conan swallowed, sweating profusely at the sight. "Don't tell me, each and every one of them are-"

"My creations, yes. 5 Kid prototype duplicates that, although incomplete, are loyal to me, will defend me, and will follow each and every one of my instructions. (1)" As if on cue, a new shot from Akai came through, the closest robot immediately moving to interfere in the pace of the bullet without thought, acting as a new self assigned tank. "See? Because K10 suffered damage in the last heist, I ordered them to remain hidden and protect me, just to be safe. Their ability to disguise is just the start. The Phantom Kid's skills were reproduced in full precision. And to make things even more impressive, little harm can be done to them, thanks to the metal coating applied under their rubber skin." As if being the responsible manager of a marketing campaign, Owl announced the robot's abilities out loud, listing them off while utterly proud. "Aren't they wonderful?"

From afar, working hard to protect Conan, Akai shot again. And again. And again… But much like Conan had witnessed with RoboKid, the precise blocks and dodges these humanoid robots partook in were too much of a deal for human standards alone. And for every second Akai persisted in his fight, the more the detective's worry increased, this being in an exponentially manner. All because it meant that Akai had chosen not to abandon his spot, and would remain there by the time the RoboDog made its threatening appearance, up the rooftop he was.

"Ah…"

Conan understood now why Owl had referred his earlier statement as 'inaccurate'.

It was because it was impractical for him to refer the robot they had confronted as the one and only 'RoboKid', when they were many of them running around.

"!"

Conan held his breath as the robots closed in, perfectioning their defence while at the same time blocking all of his exits. Robots that, unlike RoboKid, did not display any hint of emotion in them, self interest or any human behaviour of any kind.

Just like plain puppets.

At the sight of Owl calmly observing next to him, Conan paled, becoming very aware too late that there was no option for him to run away in between them, nor room for Akai to risk elaborate shots while considering his own safety in mind.

And that was why other shots were heard, this time from up close, the ground FBI agents deciding their passive role was over, and that it was time for them to assist too from up close.

Still, Conan worried. He had originally planned for them to confront RoboKid alone, and take him by surprise. Would this all be enough for them to get to him?

The distinct sound of wheels speeding right then was his awaited answer, filling the air while heading towards them at utmost urge. A car moving on a speed so fast that, in fact, was having Conan reconsider whether he should feel relieved or not…

… and for good reason it seemed.

Too risky to block, the robots decided to dodge instead.

Seemingly, they had acted on the old man's new command, although Conan was too distracted to pay them much mind. Right now, all the detective saw were the lights fastly approach his face.

With one of them easily lifting him up, Conan 'flew' backwards while being held by the firm grip of one of the fake Kids, grabbing him by the hem of his jacket, and heading to safety with one impressive jump.

Additionally, and similarly as with him, the other robots faced the evasive maneuver without breaking formation. The attempt to break through their lines became nullified as they acted very well synchronized with one another, and so faced no trouble to follow the other's example into safety.

That was when Conan paid attention to the ones that came to rescue him: Camel on the driver seat, planning his next move while witnessing another shot from Akai, and James giving him instructions while sitting right next to him.

Conan smiled.

The dependable forces of the FBI reassured him they would somehow manage against the robots...

But it was too soon for anything to jump to conclusions.

The car reversed.

And Conan watched the others move, unsure what to expect next.

The FBI gunshots were effective in a way that took care of the exterior rubber that covered as skin, yet hardly did nothing to damage the hard-as-steel structure hidden underneath. It was exactly just like how Owl had advertised about.

But that was as far as Conan could get to see around him:

"Ahh!"

Once more he was easily lifted by the back of his shirt, like a limp doll, and carried for two long seconds before suddenly dropping onto the ground next to Owl, akin to a fallen prize.

A Owl that, by all means, had no intentions of staying.

"Again, to think my secrets would be out so soon…" Mads scowled. It was extremely disadvantageous for the entire Cult to fail this way, and still the old man knew he wouldn't earn anything by dwelling on it. So instead, focusing on Conan, he reached for his wristwatch and went to do what needed to be done.

"!" Predicting his next move, and experiencing an odd deja-vú feeling from the time Vermouth used his own watch gadget against him, Conan foresaw the dart that was about to come, and yet still hardly had any space to do something against it.

He decided to gain time by quickly reaching the floor below to throw ground sand towards the mad man's face, and depend on said sand to effectively block the dart path's trajectory. Then he turned around, intending to do what he assumed would be the most terrible escape attempt ever, in a poor display to overtake the overpowered robots, aware although stubborn he had all odds against him.

And truthfully to his thoughts, his first step already worked against him.

"Huh?" Conan blinked, his foot wobbling in an unsteady manner.

It… was a joke, right?

Body suddenly heavy, Conan's shoe slipped on the very ground as his legs, too soon, started to fail him…

How? Why?

Gravity pushed him down and he felt himself unceremoniously follow.

Was it the robots' doing? Had they managed to get to him by using some sort of trick he couldn't foresee? Deep inside him, Conan knew the truth wasn't so complicated, though.

It had been his watch.

With much confusion by his part, the only explanation was he'd taken a second too long to build the sand shield, sheer bad luck making it so the thin dart had actually made it through his sand shield, being solely responsible of this.

"Damn… it…" Conan's voice sounded weak. Everything was becoming gibberish. His mind was being taken by the numbness of the sedative. And before he knew it…

… he was out.

Oblivious to the rest of events taking place in the park.

oOoOo

Inside the privacy of a discreet van, Saguru remained still while sitting in between two buff men, doing his best to ignore them as an amused attractive blonde woman smiled attentively just across him.

Thinking. Observing. And taking his full attention.

The woman pushed her glasses closer to the bridge of her nose, an action which caused a reflection to casually cover her lenses.

"So," The woman invited him to talk with a flip of her wrist, the calmness in her expression announcing there was nothing for him to worry about. "I'm sure you know that house trespassing isn't very legal, young man. That shortcut might have helped you other times, but today there's been a gas leak, and it is not advisable for anyone to enter the perimeter until further notice." Hakuba remained calm through the mandatory talk, focused, not letting a single detail escape him. "Aren't you lucky? We could give you a fine, but this time we'll only give you a warning. So long, of course, that you don't decide to trespass again."

Hakuba didn't buy it.

'If there really was a gas leak, if the place had really been evacuated, then why were they having this chat while inside the perimeter? Add without safety equipment, at that.' Saguru held back the thought, face impenetrable as he fixed his attention to their uniform once more. 'They definitely aren't the local police. Yet they don't seem to be cultists either. They both do not seem to recognize me or wish me harm. Then who are they? More believable would be some improvised unit at a sudden request to assist with the evacuation of the gas leak, if the local police had their hands full elsewhere… but even for that, their numbers are way too low. Again, who? Why create a patrol border to help dissuade citizens from accessing this side of the park? Nonetheless, by the looks of it, although they are good at faking it, they don't have legal authorization to be here, else they should have showed me a badge. That means, they aren't supposed to be here. They are the ones in trouble. And judging by the van's location, it was all for the sake of observing the park up close…'

"Mm? You haven't answered." The woman drew forward, tilting her head as she rested her palm against it. "What is it you're thinking?"

"There's been a sniper shot. I'm certain I heard one, just in front of us, where you stopped me." The woman widened her eyes, and he felt both men look at him from each side, but he focused solely on her, ignoring them. "I think something happened, and that someone could be in danger. Surely you must've heard it? And noticed the birds fly away too? Night activity isn't normal for them. Why are you so calm?"

"Ah, that." The blonde laughed as she shook the matter off, easily disregarding his worries. "There's a filming taking place there. It isn't inside the gas leak perimeter, so it's OK for them to be there. Although… the access is somewhat restricted due to that. For those that enjoy night strolls through the park, they are advised although not forced to take another path. My guess is that they are a small production that couldn't afford to block the accesses." She shrugged her shoulders, amused, the worry in his story being very imaginative. "Still, it is very nice of you to want to help. Is there any particular reason why you were heading that way?"

And at that, Hakuba held his tongue.

Conan.

They knew he was there.

Although faint, during his sprint, he'd been able to see it for himself.

No filming was taking place inside the park. They were intentionally letting him be there, while watching closely for bystanders that were to head in.

But most odd of it all about this secret operation that in no way had anything to do with the TMP, was that they and Conan were on the same page, as if planned together beforehand.

What on Earth was happening?

"FBI or CIA?" Hakuba tilted his head, impassively. He headed straight for the point while hiding the uneasy feeling that covered over his stomach. "Which one is it?"

To which the woman blinked in return.

"Pardon me?"

She sounded confused… no; 'cautious', Hakuba alerted. He squinted his eyes, determined to try again:

"The three of you have very peculiar accents. American to be exact." Hakuba was fast to point it out. "I've had a few exchanges with Interpol in the past, and would easily be recognized by many of their members, meaning you're from another team. On another hand, my face and name has also appeared in a few newspapers through different countries. Enough for european forces, specially british and japanese residents or those belonging on law enforcements, to recognize me on sight. Not to mention, you did not show me your documentation."

To top it off, America's intelligent units worked in a way where the CIA only operated outside the United States, while FBI often cooperated with law enforcements from other countries, making these two agencies the most likely suspects.

Thus, Saguru was fairly convinced.

"Oh~! A de-tec-tive!" Jodie clapped enthusiastically, the sentence uttered in true american, no need to keep hiding when he had figured them out. "And a bright one, from what I see." She smiled, hoping to unsettle him, study him, deduce something of her own… but the boy remained neutral, the only giveaway he had for himself being his british accent and likewise, blond hair. She decided to test him, and make things easier for the other two, by switching their conversation into their mother language before continuing suit: "That is cor-rect✩! We are here under special orders, that we can not give away. But since you are so clever, I'm sure you can understand the rest of it."

"Under whose special orders?" Jodie tensed, her words doing nothing to fool him. "Senior Superintendent Matsumoto? Chief Superintendent Odagiri? Perhaps Deputy Superintendent Moroboshi?" Hakuba too responded in english. He squinted his eyes, dubious, pressing forward with confidence, his instinct telling him to do so. Was it because they were taking advantage on Conan as bait? Or due their extreme efforts to remain unnoticed? He somehow got the feeling they shouldn't be there. "General Hakuba is currently occupied with other businesses, thus I doubt it would be him. So, who is the one who sent you here?"

Jodie kept her lips on a straight line, doing a wonderful job holding her cool. In each of Hakuba's side, however, her two colleagues struggled to do the same for to remain impassive, their body language in need to be corrected. And they had reasons to be uneasy. Precisely because they had received specific orders to abandon Japan, and had been warned months ago, only remaining here in secrecy due their insistence on chasing the BO.

So then… How had this boy smelled them so fast?

She smiled. Detective indeed. But not just an ordinary one. It just had to be one of Cool Kid's friends.

"Just a special someone who is concerned for your safety, 'Hakuba Saguru'." At the mentioning of his name, Hakuba lost his breath, no longer composed. That meant, they actually did know who he was, but were feigning to not. This proved it wasn't just a random citizen which they'd intercepted on the park. But him. Hakuba Saguru, whom they knew not to attract attention to. "And to answer your other question..." Jodie took out her badge, professionally, and revealed its description with all its glory. "FBI."

"FBI…" Hakuba swallowed, his theory proved right, as indicated by the evidence in front of him. Or at least, the badge had the appearance of it being real.

Jodie could practically hear the gears on his head moving… and smiled. This was yet another amazing boy that had acted with Conan's best interest in mind. Which, speaking of him…

… they couldn't let Hakuba's presence distract them from their main goal.

"You're going to have to excuse us, Saguru-kun." She stole his attention by leaning forward, her pronounced accent making it easier for him to listen. "But we need to take care of something. And, require you to remain outside the perimeter. For your own safety."

"I understand." Hakuba nodded politely, like the gentleman he was, though still confused over a couple of facts. Nonetheless, he didn't question them, the shots they were hearing around them concerningly real, and his presence a burden in their operation. "I am sorry to have caused you any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all~." The man beside his right moved out the van, giving him the space he needed to move out, with no further delay. "But," She held him there, stopping her comrade from accessing the vehicle again, as she laid eyes on the blond one last time. "We'd deeply appreciate it if you kept our presence a secret. So we can keep doing our job."

"Of course."

At least with that, Hakuba was sincere.

Jodie smiled. The buff man accessed the seat again, and closed the door behind them, effectively shutting them off of the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, Saguru walked away back the way he came from, many thoughts at mind. But what he truly wondered about was how things had turned out like this.

How, of all things, Conan was involved with the FBI. (2)

oOoOo

"Jodie, they are moving. We are sending the drone units."

"Perfect, Erik. Don't lose sight of them."

"For now, the signal from his badge is still working. With the glasses, we can track him fine. Let's just hope it will stay like that."

"And while it, cross our fingers that they won't head towards Ekoda."

"Ekoda? Why? What's wrong with Ekoda?"

"Thick fog was concentrated there two hours ago, and expanded through countless blocks. Again, it's fine as long as he carries the badge. But if they were to notice and destroy it, I have no idea what visibility weld have."

"Fog? That's odd… the weather app mentioned no such thing before. James already made special emphasis on us taking that into consideration."

"Well, you know how weather forecasts are… sometimes it comes entirely out of nowhere."

"For now, do what needs to be done. We'll worry about Ekoda if they get close."

"Roger."

Jodie bit her nails impatiently as the plan to support Conan and take RoboKid by surprise had failed completely, Conan disappearing right out of their sight.

Just like the time he'd disappeared with Vermouth.

Fortunately, the old man who had all numbers of being Owl, had decided to leave the area by car, and seemed to have little intend on harming the little one anytime soon. Following that reasoning, cars could be followed. They could also be overtaken. And with drones on the air, losing sight of them would be close to impossible. Especially if they made it seem like they weren't even there, covered in the darkness of the night.

Still, the original plan had failed.

Before coming here, James had requested the american headquarters tech team to figure out if they could work on something more advanced to incapacitate the advanced AI without causing it damage, in the end deciding to use their usual methods due it being a single opponent and the lack of time.

The firepower capable of taking down one robot had been theoretically fine.

The firepower capable of taking down multiple robots was not.

Shu, under his watchful eye, had backed them up like expected, but it was not enough.

They were fast… like really, insanely fast.

It was the sort of operation where one had to be there to really understand what they were going up against.

At least, if worse came to worst, James had already sent agents ahead, suspecting the old man's destination in mind.

"Don't worry, Cool Kid. We've got your back."

oOoOo

"K11. Disguise yourself as a woman, gentle appearance, mid 30s, and take the driver seat." K11 headed for the boot, and reached for one of the many bags inside, needing the clothes and supplies inside for his 'transformation'. "K1010. You disguise yourself as a man also in his mid 30s, and take the back seat. The rest of you, return to the lab and avoid detection. You can discard your disguises once you arrive there."

"[...]"

Silently, the 3 additional robots that were carefully covering their surroundings, left, Owl's order being absolute.

The instant that followed, the old man smiled.

There. The benefit of having used Kaitou Kid as his guinea pig gave its fruits in the form of their quick disguises: if anyone were to see them, they'd pose as a normal family returning home from, for instance, a late visit to the hospital. His old age made it highly believable for him to have felt weak so sudden, and Conan's age made it believable for a 7 year old kid like him to be asleep on the backseat, too young to be left alone at home. Which reminded him-

"K1010. The boy too. Change his clothes with the others in the boot. We don't want anyone to recognize him. If you find any weird gadget on him, destroy them. If not, destroy his clothes anyways, and discard them." Owl snapped his fingers, thinking while continuing with his instructions. "When you finish, use the rope to tie his arms, and the blanket to cover the bindings. Keep your focus on him, and warn me if he wakes up."

"Affirmative."

A slight nod was all K1010 gave.

The only problem of using these expressionless robots was, however, that as good as they were in obeying simple orders, they were incapable of fitting in any social environment. So long as they didn't talk, their disguise would work. But for convenience purposes in the long run, adding specific personality traits for each one would have to be mandatory for covering up the identity theft of real people.

"But for now, let's focus on getting to the lab."

Both robots already finished changing. He too already found himself inside the car, seat belt on, ready to leave.

He locked the car, and signaled the vehicle to start.

oOoOo

"Everything in order?"

"Yes, sir. Please continue."

"Understood."

At the same time these events were taking place, other top secret operations were also developing itself inside the huge city.

The General, having Special Units working under his direct command, took care of properly supervising the development from one side.

On Chaki's side, the superintendent and fellow men had just finished inspecting Tokyo's largest and most popular Planetarium inside-out. And there, they had covered the area and prepared a strong front, where thanks to Kid's collaboration they were hoping for the Doppelganger to show up and be caught.

On Nakamori's side, similar conditions were being held as he studied his surroundings. Accompanied by the beautiful lights of the night Tokyo landscape, he performed a discreet perimeter on the street using disguised men, noticed only by those in charge of the operation.

While in tension his ribs ached, a constant reminder of the fake Kid's shot happening only two nights ago. But the bruise he gained was one Nakamori held in his favor, helping him clear his thoughts.

Nonetheless, the three teams waited anxiously for what was to come, ready as they each rehearsed their own instructions.

oOoOo

Left.

Right.

Left again.

And straight.

A lone figure followed said directions while running alone at night.

"Who would have thought, it would be this easy?"

Masahiro, from the TMP's Division One and infiltrated spy from the Cult, smirked cockily as he ran straight towards the street that lead straight to Pandora's location. A heads up the Kaitou Kid had so conveniently given away by convincing the police to head to Orion's Planetarium, on the false impression to lure the 'Doppelganger' into a trap.

How was he so certain?

The heist note, if he could call it like that, was self explanatory in itself:

'To the lonely thief who shares my footsteps,

I tell you this:

When the clover rests,

Hope is prioritized.

Where the night is close,

And the chase is set,

A promise awaits,

In the form of Truth.

Kaitou Kid (doodle)'

This is where it started.

A suspicious notice which, unlike the last one, had NOT been sent by the Cult. But, by the police themselves.

That was the first clue. A situation in which the police would voluntarily transmit a heist note like that. Obviously a plot, with the intentions of luring them cultists into a trap. Trap which, by the looks of it, the real Kid had agreed to collaborate with.

That was the second clue. Having the Kid actually collaborate with them.

The word 'Hope' referred in the heist note proved it. With Hope being Pandora, and Pandora being bait. Under such circumstances, only the thief could be held responsible of said note. And Kid, who knew them best, had been entrusted the job of provoking them, therefore agreeing to the plan.

Which came to rise the following question: how had the police managed to convince the thief to agree in the first place?

The Kid had been the most rebellious and stubborn hostage ever. In that eventful night where Pandora had been found, after they'd grabbed him, no jewel had been found. The doves had escaped. His assistant had disappeared. And still, in the time spent with them, Kid had kept his mouth shut through the most disheartening of sessions.

Which meant, Kid held that level of conviction.

He was not the kind of person to talk, change opinion nor reveal anything so easily.

Even in a situation like this, he had trouble picturing it. Why risk angering them, when Kid was perfectly aware they could easily threaten him by getting civilians involved?

That made this the third clue. Kid actually having something to win by doing this. In other words, Kid having an ulterior motive in mind.

'To the lonely thief who shares my footsteps'

No, the police were being deceived: Kid was feigning the entire collaboration scheme.

At first glance, this line could be interpreted by Kid intending to address his robotic copy, being a imitation which had worked 'solo' on his first mission. However, was this really the case? This was written by the thief before the watchful eyes of the police, under specific orders. Considering this fact, it was not surprising Kid would have doubled his cautiousness, and written the entire note under double meanings.

Yes. It made sense. The purpose to this was clear.

Kid's assistant, who'd been left alone without him, and truly shared his footsteps, was the real target.

Likewise, 'When the clover rests, Hope is prioritized.', had a very direct message. They were instructions.

The four leaved clover in Kid's monocle gave away the fact that the Clover in the heist note referred to him, the thief himself, with the intention of letting the assistant know of his stable condition. And at the same way, gave away Kid's petition to said assistant, of prioritizing Pandora over his current position.

Which of course meant, the left over assignment of Pandora's destruction. The real objective Kid had declared since the very beginning.

The question is… is Kid aware of Pandora's supposedly invulnerability?

When captured, a hammer and small diamond had been found alongside the thief's many trinkets. That meant, at the very least, Kid had tried to destroy it using these means, and failed. At the same time Pandora's supposed invulnerability, magical so, made it certain for them that the Gem wouldn't break so easily.

That got transferred on the ending part of the heist note, stating new instructions for the assistant on how to follow.

'Where the night is close,

And the chase is set,

A promise awaits,

In the form of Truth.'

This was the hardest part of the note, so far.

'A promise awaits', again, most likely referred to Kid's promise of destroying Pandora, proclaimed out loud a year ago before them all. And 'In the form of Truth', Masahiro could only imagine it to be the information they needed in order to accomplish it.

What lies Kid had told the police to convince them of something else, Masahiro did not care. What mattered now was, was that he had only two lines to go.

If Kid wanted to find more about Pandora in order to destroy it, and could only depend on his assistant, then the options were few.

'Where the night is close,

And the chase is set,'

When spying on the Second Division, the answer to this had been 'The planetarium', this being the one Kid had responded to the police's inquiry. He'd told them that, if successful, the heist note would lead his duplicate there, in Tokyo's largest and most popular planetarium, Orion. Kid's reasoning being, that he knew them cultists enough so to believe they would see through it this way.

Masahiro however had a slightly different idea in mind, reaching to a more convincing conclusion of his own.

Not a planetarium.

But the observatorium.

The one and only observatorium Tokyo held located at the very outskirts, away from the light pollution of the big city, it's purpose mainly intended for the weather casts inside the huge city.

Because only in the Observatorium, the real 'sky' would be closer to them, and only there, they would have a possibility to study its mystique properties and effects related to the Volley Comet, this too being to the 'chase' against time he had referred of.

In short, Kid wanted his assistant to head there, release Pandora from its hiding place, and spend his time there to find out if the comet's properties would affect the gem in having it destroyed.

It made sense.

And that was why, instead of the Planetarium, Masahiro had decided to head for the Observatorium instead.

"There."

Masahiro stopped running upon seeing the Observatory's entrance, a twisted smirk despiking his face.

He could almost savour it. The power of an immortal being. Ahead of him, somewhere within that building, unguarded and ready.

Solely awaiting him.

Not the Cult. Snake. Or Leader.

Just him.

Every cell on his body compelled him to proceed. His legs moved forward, in a rightful pose, while his hand searched for his shirt pocket, ready to slip off his police badge were anyone to oppose him. And it didn't worry him if the police found out of his little escapade either: by the time they investigated other areas outside the Planetarium, he'd already be gone.

*Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz!*

"?!" Masahiro paused. The phone vibrating against his pocket interrupted his thoughts. More so, when he realized it was from- "Snake?"

He answered without doubting it:

"What is it?"

"Vulture." Snake's grave voice sounded loud and clear from the other end, cold and harsh from many years of living on the battlefield. "You have a mission."

"It's not about heist note, is it? I already reported that the police are intending to lure the fake Kid to the Planetarium. They intend on using the sudden notice to limit his preparation time, while using words to provoke our immediate response. A pointless plan, since they don't know that the Kid they were dealing with isn't human and doesn't need any preparation." Masahiro, otherwise known as Vulture, feigned innocence, feeling himself sweat. Snake was always there in the least opportunistic moments. It was a gift he had. "Or isn't Owl's puppet going to take care of it, like the last time?"

"No; it's a different matter. One where only your special police badge can allow you to access."

"?" Masahiro narrowed his eyes, cursing his luck. Seriously? A full pledged mission now of all times? What were the odds? "What is it about? And when?"

"Right now. One of the robots has caught a suspect whom we have estimated to be Kid's assistant infiltrate TokyoNew's headquarters. Entering through the back door, a man who had his face covered and used a fake ID. Chances are, he went to investigate the heist note."

"... I see." Ah, so that was it: Snake wasn't so stupid after all. He himself had figured out that Kid was up to something when he had agreed to work on the heist note. Thankfully, if that's as far as Snake's deductions went, it confirmed the Observatory Tower was still completely safe for him to explore upon. His plan wouldn't work out if the assistant held the jewel. BUT, if for any chance, it had been Kid's doves who had been trained to take Pandora there the night of his capture, chances were Pandora would still be hidden there now. He would have to cross his fingers at that. "Understood. I'll be on my way as soon as I manage to dissuade my colleagues. A new murder just took place, and I'm out of the office, so I'll take me a while. Make sure whomever's observings the News building to keep vigilant before I arrive."

Masahiro ended the call then, and connected to the internet.

The building in which TokyoNews did their streaming… yes, apparently, the building was relatively close. If he proceeded carefully, he could search for Pandora, hopefully find it, keep it a secret and easily let all the blame fall on Kid.

"Ha!" Too bad he couldn't proclaim his victory out loud, nor attract unwanted attention. He had to conform himself while laughing in silent content only.

Happiness didn't last long.

*SLASH*

"Ghagh-!"

*cough cough* What the hell?!

Masahiro did not know what happened. Confusion came running to him as blood came pouring all over down his back from a lethal strike on his lungs, deep enough to cause blood to instantly clog up his mouth.

'Who-wha-?!'

He spit out the unwanted flavour onto the floor, desperately gasping for air, holding his hands to the side for support.

That is until he froze on the cool touch of metal that met his skin.

Masahiro widened his eyes.

A bloodied blade got placed on his throat, firm and sound, taking away whatever words he had left behind...

And immediately making him recognize the wielder.

"Salamander."

*THRUST*

"!"

Masahiro, without the chance to explain himself, did not manage to gain even a second. Too fast, too easy, he dropped dead on the floor.

Thus was due the skill of one of the cultist's most deadly members.

Only when it was over, he got to witness through dead eyes the silent retreat of whom at once been his former ally, easily disappearing into the shadows of the sidestreet. (3)

oOoOo

/FLASHBACK/

*Monday. Late morning. Hours before the second Kid notice public announcement.*

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to expose my assistant?"

Kid's voice echoed towards the furthest ends, the proposition coming entirely out of the blue.

In Kid's cell, the General and Nakamori waited for Kid to recover from his rarely seen incredulous face, the later fidgeting while uncomfortable. Though could they blame him? The petition had been as ridiculous as it sounded.

Kid tilted his head as he considered the implications of what brought this up, amused at their expense. But, nonetheless, his refusal was as logical as it was firm, such being the absurdity of the request:

"I kindly reject your proposal."

The General however wasn't so easily persuaded:

"I repeat it would only be on appearance, Kid." On the one side, the General felt encouraged to continue, Kid's reaction being exactly what he anticipated. On the other, the General's overconfidence started to generate doubt on the thief, causing him to narrow his eyes. "Think of it. What better way to lure the cultists into a trap, than have them believe you've tricked us?"

"Tricked you... you say?" Kaito awaited him to explain himself, while Nakamori silently observed.

An action to which the older man shrugged, calmly sharing his thoughts before the small audience.

"In order to consider a valid strategy against actions to come, I've been thinking: 'Exactly, what do the cultists want from us?' " Watching them frown, the General knew there were a wide range of possible answers, but above them all pointed the one which significantly stood out more from the others. "The answer to this is simple: they want Pandora. Isn't that what you said?"

"It is their priority in mind, indeed." Kid nodded, serious, listening him out.

"That means, one way or another, this situation where you are locked up with us, runs up to their favour. Whether they expect us to find clues to unmask your civilian identity, have you confess the truth to us yourself, or any other reason, all of it is meant to lead them to Pandora in the end. That is what I think." The General explained, sure of himself. "And that is why, I think we can bait them by seeing these conditions meet their expectations."

"..." Kid arched an eyebrow, intrigued. The three of them had unanimously agreed it was their turn to attack. As for that goal to meet their end, it came to logic that a well formed plan needed to be made. "Continue."

"Yesterday, when you decided to talk with my son, many things came to light. Among them, the Cult's unique behaviour, objective and members." A slight nod on the thief's behalf confirmed him correct, all the while extending his caution like a traveler's mantle. The General proceeded. "Additionally, by having them target you, you also admitted to be the last person seen carrying said gem, didn't you?"

"... I did."

The General described the facts fluently, addressing the thief with conviction, aware of all the moves he'd played like an outstanding game of chess.

"Then, there's a major flaw here, don't you agree?"

"...?"

Kid had no idea where any of this was going. He took a minute to think, yet to him, it was a mystery that made zero sense. What was it the General was thinking? What was this flaw he spoke of?

Then, it caught up with him. How he was the last person seen with Pandora. Yet the fact he did not have it.

"You think they're waiting for my assistant to show up."

The General nodded.

"At first, I assumed their intentions were to use us to figure out your identity, using means that were outside their range. However, after listening to your story, I've started to think another way. Because, if your assistant is the only remaining suspect owning it, and their absolute goal is obtaining it, then to reach him or her, you are their only lead." The General lowered his gaze, eyebrows crossed in thought. "That means we have at least one of these very capable people working as a spy among us, waiting for you to attempt to make contact. As unfortunate as it sounds."

Kid narrowed his eyes.

"I talked about this to your son already; there are no spies on the Second Division. I haven't met any cultists that are discreet or good at pulling off acting stunts that would work on the long run, and Keibu himself seems to have good instinct in choosing his team mates. Although…" What about Spider? He wasn't like the others. At the very least, he could avoid detection for as long as he wanted. And RoboKid now? His abilities had been copied into him, or so it seemed. And also, what about the members he knew nothing about? "... that only refers to the Second Division. I admit, some of them do indeed have tricks up their sleeves, and could play the part."

The General nodded.

"It would be a mistake to underestimate their capabilities. The fact remains: you are their best clue into obtaining Pandora, and there is a time limit running out. Thus, you are their best lead to guide them towards your assistant, who is considered the current owner, as soon as possible. In other words, whatever action we were to do to proceed in that direction, whether they suspect it to be a bluff or not, it could hint into Pandora, meaning they must act upon it."

"In short. You want to create a situation where you're giving them no choice, huh?" Kid remained still, silently weighing the pros and cons. He imagined confronting the cultists as a whole, RoboKid, Spider and Snake at the center. But in particular, it was the whole concept of 'collaborating with the police' that got him worried. Enough to have him lower his gaze. "I'll be honest. If the Cult suspects I'm working with you, then there's a good chance civilians will be targeted as payback. The cultists aren't acting conspicuous any longer. And although I suspect their Leader to not be fond of using such methods, many other cultists wouldn't have a problem with it. I'm already uncomfortable of my choice after having revealed so much yesterday. If this carries on… well, I want you to reflect about it. Everyone holds someone dear to them. I don't think it's something we should take lightly."

"Yes. I assumed as much. That's why, you wouldn't be collaborating with us, and instead act like you were." The General clarified that with a simple shake of his wrist, a finger raised to accentuate the point. "No alliance: what you'd be doing is 'fooling us' while 'attempting to contact your assistant', like in a normal day, depending entirely on your own. See what I meant?"

Kid blinked, new perspective in mind.

Mysterious intentions. Hidden goals. The same Kid as always. A trickster who cleverly took advantage of the police by performing right in their faces.

Nice and simple.

"Heh."

"Anything funny?"

"Nothing. Just me being glad we're working on the same side." Kaito parted some bangs which had fallen before his eyes, and lifted his face, admitting defeat. "Fine. You got me. I'm still not a 100% sure, but with these guys, one can never be. This said, before I completely agree with this plan…" He licked his lips, there being a huge obstacle in their way that they couldn't afford to confront blindly for a second time. "What about my Doppelganger? The cultists themselves are a huge threat, some more than others, but even amongst them he's on a special level." In specific, the 'not human' sort of level. "What will you do if he shows up?"

Aside the General who remained uncharacteristically speechless, as if off guard, the inspector spoke up.

"I'd like to know that too. What can one do against a guy that can dodge bullets, blow things up in his way and won't even be affected by tear gas?!" Nakamori revealed his inner stress out loud, frustrated and resentful, his dear team being the ones at risk were he to show up again. "I don't want a repeat of last time. With the amount of questions we have, capturing him alive would be ideal… yet realistically, I can't imagine it being done."

"Leave that part to me." The General recovered then, taking over by becoming the personification of conviction itself, and a steady source for others to lay trust on. "There is nothing in this world that is immune to everything. I'll see to it so we can adjust special measures that'll fit only him."

Translation: he would figure what measures would in theory affect a killer robot, and narrow their plan choices to fit that goal. By facing an opponent that wasn't human, at the very least, he could attempt that much. Using the knowledge which had cost those victims to their advantage.

He exchanged a glance with Kid, who nodded, deciding to trust him, having understood exactly that.

That just left the main plan.

"In that case, it's only the actual part of luring the cultists to a certain place, what's left." Kaito lifted his eyebrows, wondering if this part too was something the General had thought out beforehand. "Any chance you already have planned the setup in which we'll lure them out?"

It was the inspector who responded for him.

"We have two ideas in mind. However, both require absolute precision, and have significant cons to them. Truthfully, since you are the one that knows the cultists best, the ideal would be for you to come up with the plan yourself."

"Mm."

Kaito nodded, fully understanding his point.

He needed to reflect on a plan where he would be able to draw many people's attention at once, and have different meaning messages at that, without moving out of his cell.

For drawing their attention, using codenames, contacts, shared history, or overall knowledge… These were all crucial points that only he, as Kid, could fully use and hold certain conviction about.

Only him.

...

"Then…" The Kaitou Kid smirked, the shape of an idea slowly forming up on his head. "How about we return them the favour, and release a notice of our own?"

/END FLASHBACK/

The sound of echoed screaming disrupted through all the alleys were the police remained hidden, shakened and frightened.

"What was that?!" Requested a very alarmed Ginzo Nakamori. "Who shouted?!"

Still in position, waiting for the approach of the infiltrated spy or spies, he'd taken over an operation meant purely to constrain their single or multiple opponents. He had no intention of killing anyone if they could help it.

It came from the front.

"A-attention all units. This is Yasuo from squad C." Yasuo spoke while attempting to calm the unlucky bystander, the one who'd screamed, anxious about the surroundings and possible killers hiding within. "A murder has just occurred two blocks outside the north perimeter. The cause of death are stab injuries on both lungs, and neck. The weapon isn't in sight." Yasuo wetted his lips, keeping his back against the wall and holding onto his gun for safety. "I can identify the corpse. It is Masahiro Nagumo, from the First Division. You think he is…?"

'... the spy we were waiting for?'

Yasuo couldn't muse the courage to finish the sentence.

Just like him, similar feelings were being shared with the other members who, although hadn't directly related to him as a friend, had still treated him like a colleague who had worked alongside them for what they'd thought had been the cause of justice.

"... It would seem that way, yes." Nakamori sourly acknowledged, forcing himself to overcome this fact as he silently ordered Hoshinomiya and Yamada to head his way. "Yasuo. You need to remain on guard, since the murderer is most likely closest to you. But also, I need you to look carefully. Is there any sign that hints the Doppelganger as being the culprit behind this murder?"

"...?" Suppressing a shudder while holding his gun, Yasuo made sure to keep his back secure against the wall, glancing towards both sides. Then, he redirected his attention back on the corpse up front, and the signs displayed. "Ah- no. At least, from the evidence here, and the osakan team's feedback, I don't think so. The Doppelganger's modus operandi was plain forward, and brute, while this seems more like a cold blooded sneak attack. It is most likely another individual."

Those were good news, then.

For Ginzo who knew the significance of this, it meant the Doppelganger was more likely to show up at one of the two other traps the General had prepared, at the other locations that had been hinted on the Kid notice.

It meant everything was moving according to plan.

"Everyone! Widen your eyes. The timing of this murder proves part of our plan was seen through. Not just this killer! There could be others approaching. And same as killers, spies." Nakamori swallowed, giving himself time to breath and reflect what to do next. "Apprehend anyone suspicious, and leave the questioning for later. 'Guilty until proven innocent'. So that, no one will use this opportunity to escape, or cause you harm."

"Yes, sir!"

Now…

He turned to face the shadows, narrowing his eyes to decipher its secrets.

… To finish things here.

oOoOo

*Hours earlier.*

Monday. 19:00 p.m.

TokyoNews main building.

Backdoor.

Unusual movement spotted.

From the safe interior on the building up front, a figure disguised as a cleaner worker adjusted his sighting at the top floor. From up there, he could zoom in and adjust his focus to a great extent, allowing him to see in full detail.

Through those eyes line of vision, he observed a man whose face was hidden by a cap and long turtleneck. Said man had just skillfully pickpocket an exiting worker, a green purse becoming visible two seconds before going back into hiding. The petty thief then pushed both hands into his pocket and walked straight, as if nothing had happened, until turning around the end of the block.

"..."

A normal pickpocket.

Nothing to set off any alarms.

The cleaner went back to looking, the wall glass view display wide and safe. On the pavement beneath, many were the people to exit the building, helping the petty thieves presence pass by unnoticed.

To most anyways.

Tic. Tac. Tic. Tac.

5 minutes went by.

30 minutes too.

An hour…

The fake cleaner kept waiting, patiently, unnoticed by anyone, without shifting at all.

Then, it happened.

At exactly 20:12 p.m., the same pickpocket from before chose to appear on the same scene, this time readdressing his steps to avoid being noticed the building's security cameras. He took out an object with the same tone of olive green as he'd seen before, and slipped off a card. Not wasting any time, he inserted it on the empty slot reserved for employee access only, and easily slipped in through the door without activating any alarm.

*… … Beep!*

The door willingly unlocked the deadbolt for the intruder, giving no further resistance.

As if expecting this, the petty thief slipped inside, securing the door behind him. All this, carried on while giving away the use of gloves.

"[... Objective spotted.]"

The humanoid robot in a cleaner's disguise tilted his head. The stranger's suspiciousness had successfully risen to 87%. No reason to hesitate any longer.

This had to be the one.

Taking his mop and bucket, the fake cleaner headed for the escape route only one floor above, and exited through the already broken door that gave way to the rooftop.

His silhouette shone with the light of the moon on his back then, if only for a few seconds. But even the night's beauty wasn't captivating enough to steal a few seconds from the emotionless man.

No; the fake cleaner walked without missing a beat. He headed for the back of the building, where a small gap from a neighboring building rested aside, and let go of the mop and bucket. Then, he caught a firm grip of the edge of the railing, and let himself fall.

As in, quite literally fall.

...

Down.

And further down.

Until reaching a sudden break barely two feet before meeting the ground.

"[…]"

It was not a grappling hook what he'd used. Instead, his own arm had been extended to lower himself down, said arm stretching for a good 50 meters over the course of 3 times, until having him reach the street alley.

Once down he let go, and with a silent 'pop', he reconnected his upper arm with the leftover limb which had gone extended. Then, he retraced the strangers footsteps until he too found himself standing before the crime scene.

"[…]"

A steel reinforced door, 1,30 meters wide and 2,20 high. A double lock linked to a card key panel on the side. A foreign brand. Not too strong.

A simple punch would suffice.

Yet, for this mission, discretion was a requirement.

The fake cleaner's stance shifted, focusing on the card key panel next to him. Specifically, on the brand used, and a petite 8th number code that exposed the model.

Searching his inner database was not enough. The brand name was korean, and not well known. Thus, he decided to expand his search through the internet instead, and hacked into the corresponding server until he downloaded the information he needed.

The fake cleaner then took a step back, and neatly filled in a numerical emergency recovery code, which was sufficient to restore the door to its original settings and unlock the door without causing any external damage.

*… … Beep!*

And so, he entered.

"[…]"

A long hallway. No sign of the pickpocket. No clue as to where he'd left.

A long staircase to the left. Doors to the right. A light source and voices towards the end. And right up front, a security post. One whose vigilant immediately laid eyes on him upon entry, head to toe.

The fake cleaner pressed his fingers onto a firm grip, ready to attack. His disguise had been generic, and easy to pass inadvertent on a big building. 'Returning to work after throwing out the dustbin' would usually supply as a valid excuse when using a fake ID pressed onto his chest. In most cases, that is. But it wasn't certain what result this would have.

The vigilant's first words were-

"Wow, Kagami. I almost didn't recognize you." The vigilant spelled those words clearly, smiling brightly at him. Pressing his head against his arm, his smile widened, acting completely impressed while casual. "You sure disguised fast."

"[...]"

Blank expression. No movement or sound.

'Status: unexpected approach. Probability of being found out: 65% and rising. Proposed behavior: wait. Backup solution: attack.'

"Shh. Someone's coming. Act natural." Suddenly, the vigilant held a finger onto his lips, tensing up and looking back. The sound of two new voices were slowly approaching, heading up their way. And just as smoothly, he changed his expression from serious to cheerful, friendly saluting the two workers who'd been working for late hours. "Goodbye. Thank you for your hard work."

The fake cleaner remained still, watching as the two workers passed their cards through a wall scanner, too busy chatting to pay attention to him. Only when they left did the vigilant address his attention back to him, searching through his pocket.

"Here. You almost forgot your badge. Can't have it here while on mission, don't you think?" The 'Vigilant' let go of the police badge onto the counter, giving away right then and there that he too was a fake and in fact a police working undercover. "The plan is progressing smoothly. Kid's assistant is headed to floor -3, second door to the left, just like we planned. The others are already there. If that person really turns out to be Kid's assistant like we think, then we'll proceed onto capture him like practiced."

"[...]"

The fake cleaner nodded, updating his status.

Such was the situation at hand.

Accepting the shiny badge, no longer a cleaner, he decided to act the part of 'Kagami' and head to the designated room, the capture of Kid's assistant the only priority that mattered and this being the most optimal solution.

And so, the 'Kagami' that he was pretending to be headed down the stairs, and wasted no time to follow his instruction.

"[Rebooting main operation system. Priority: scan perimeter. Heat sensor: on. Hearing: adjusted to max.]"

K1100 had lost his target, yet acquired a new lead to find him out. He reached to the minus three floor and easily located the second door, entering the room while making himself seen, slowly exploring the inside.

"[...]"

No sign of living beings.

Nowhere on sight. Nowhere hidden. His thermic vision had enough of a wide range to inform him of such. More importantly, even though the room was immense, not a single piece of furniture was included, making it all completely empty and easy to make for his footsteps to echo.

Even so, that was not the only odd fact about the room.

"[Activating ventilation mode.]"

The setting had been activated by default. The room's abnormal high temperature had been set to over 40℃, wildly contrasting with the other rooms, and forcing him to produce a roaming sound from his inside to expel the excess heat.

Overall, a clear miscalculation of plan was made.

'Kagami' drew forward, searching for clues as to where to proceed. And that's when he spotted two noticeable cameras filming him from the top.

'Kagami' tilted his head.

"[Target lost. Activating scan- ?!]"

*SLAM!*

The door he'd used suddenly closed in, someone shutting it from the outside.

At that exact moment, from on top of him, 'water' fell from the ceiling. A cristaline like liquid that, upon touch, changed his outer body temperature drastically, immediately causing the exterior to instantly freeze.

The fake cleaner blinked.

Clothes were an ineffective barrier. Fingers. Hands. Arms. The icy cold penetrated through them all. Legs. Torso. Chest. They all followed suit. Neck. Head. Face.

Ears. Nose. Mouth.

It did not matter.

His core increased the production of heat it already emanated to fight against the abnormally thick chemically produced ice, having no other choice for the solidification process had taken place too fast under abnormal circumstances. And technically, under ordinary stances, such measure would be enough to get rid of the problem. Yet, there was one thing he didn't count for.

The ventilation system no longer had a gateway to filter the excess heat, all his orifices blocked. It appeared the ice didn't quite help counter the heat, but instead made things worse. The room kept emanating the suffocating warmth that it had from the start, overheating his core, with the added inconvenience his body could no longer regulate his temperature, all his air vents secluded.

"[Status: full report commencing. Multiple errors in process. Ventilation system damaged. Warning of core overheating. Damage extent: 71% and rising. Probability of recovering: 5%. Inner data: unlocked. Searching for solutions- sear- ching-...]"

The smell of burnt mechanics started to come out from whatever exit it found, it being produced along the overheating core. The cameras on top of him kept filming as if nothing had ever happened. Moving away in an attempt to get away of the overheated room only resulted on further overworking the CPU, the current state too vulnerable to make analysis of any kind.

"[Warning. B-Battery drainage alert. W-warning. Damage i-increase up t-to 76%. War… nin… g...]"

*Bzzzzt!*

No turning back.

The inner circuits had fried.

The robot. The fake cleaner. 'Kagami'.

Was no more.

oOoOo

"... and, checkmate."

Sitting down calmly, on the safe and quiet front from TokyoNew's security room, the General smirked while watching the frozen Kid imposter 'die' from two different angles of the many screens connected to the cameras live feed. Lifting his finger from the button that had ultimately decided the robot's fate, a bucket filled with liquid nitrogen (4), he leaned back and observed the final outcome.

The robotic Kid appeared to be successfully damaged.

Powerful processors were sensible to heat. High temperatures directly affected battery performance. And excess heat caused circuits to fry.

The list went on and on. Because just like humans, robots too were filled with weaknesses. The only difference was where they were.

"Mm." Flinching his nose, the General reached for an inner pocket, the vibration on his mobile warning him of an incoming call. He smiled as he recognized the number of the caller. "How did it go?"

From another set of cameras, the leading performer whose act had lead the robot to the final stage shrugged his shoulders, visibly unimpressed.

"It was a complete success." A rough voice replied. The 'suspicious man' or 'pickpocket' who had acted the part of Kid's assistant took out his cap, revealing strands of black hair underneath, and a prominent beard, no turtle neck attire covering his lower face anymore. "Most TV studios are designed to have a complex structure to stop potential terrorists of taking control, and this one was no exception. It was a great idea to lure him here, General."

"The idea was actually not mine, but it's still good to know." The TV Studio, whom had been the ones to directly receive the police's notice, had willingly agreed to allow them to work there in exchange for the high audience they inevitably gained during the transmission. Additionally, due the importance of said Studio, the skyscraper was mandatorily equipped with a significantly large shelter to protect its residents from earthquakes and emergencies, making this the perfect place to isolate the robot without causing additional harm. "As for you, it was good thinking to spike the outer door handle with electrical current. It was easy figuring out our target's identity that way."

"Anytime, sir." Responded the same Special Assault Force Agent with the natural rough voice (5). "So, how is it looking from the inside? Is it safe for me to go in?"

"No. In fact, don't get close to him for a full 24h. If the one who built it was truly careful, then-"

*BOOM!*

At the very same time the General said those words, the fake Kid released a signal of autodestruction.

And so, the Studio's shelter which was perfect overcome disasters, turned out effective in being able to contain the explosion from the inside, making this a good thinking on the General's behalf.

"- … then, he most likely inserted a self destruction mode when broken to prevent leaking any secrets." The General finished then, letting out a sigh as he let his forehead rest on his arm. The plan had succeeded, and they'd done so without a single casualty, yet they had gained nothing in return. Or at least, no physical clue to advance with their investigation. "Nevermind now. You and the others can get the fire extinguishers and go in. If you manage to recover something worthy, tell me. See you shortly."

"Roger."

Ending the call, the General dialed a new number and lifted his head, it being his turn to contact with the Planetarium unit now.

"Chaki, how is it going there?"

"Nothing suspicious at all." Was the superintendent's short reply back. "No spies, no enemies, no nothing! So far, it's just us that we know of. Either they deemed us unworthy of their time and focused on the Observatory only, or headed to the news base instead."

"Indeed; here, we just had an encounter with a cultist just now. Unfortunately, the 'man' commited a suicide attack upon noticing our presence. We have no casualties, but nothing of him was left behind." The General heard Chaki swallow, the man nodding in understanding. "As for Nakamori and the rest on the Observatory perimeter, their situation remains the same. They have not found the killer responsible of Masahiro's death. In the meantime, stay focused in case something more were to happen."

Hearing him out, the superintendent turned to his team members once more.

"On it."

oOoOo

Many kilometers towards the south, finally abandoning a sideroad after a long ride, a silver McLaren could be seen trespassing a fence that worked as a border separating outsiders from the wide piece of land that was the property of a japanese wealthy family.

Upon entering the soft sand, no longer in city or pavel ground, said McLaren's engine became more rhythmic, the noise of outer sources silently distancing themselves by no longer driving on public domain.

Owl smirked.

So long, everything went according to plan. In fact, the trip had gone very smooth and easy, absolutely no problem meeting their way.

That was how he liked it, and that was indeed how the case was going. And, for a few minutes more, it seemed like this would keep being the case for the rest of the journey.

Until-

"[Warning: unusual activity sensed. Drastic security breach.]"

"Ah? What's wrong, K11?" Inside the car, Owl furrowed his eyebrows as he leaned forward, forcing his eyesight through the already thick glasses he wore. All he got from the front view of the passenger seat was the green scenery from the forest that surrounded his lab, just beside the sea. Other than trees and the path ahead, everything seemed normal to him. "What have you detected?"

"[New user with admin access has been added 17.09 seconds ago.]" The female disguised robot which had been addressed to as 'K11' responded emotionlessly, with a female tone, driving while carrying the same speed as if nothing had happened. "[Security system is in process of going down.]"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Owl leaned himself forward, shocked, mouth wide open. With his body stiff, and mind frozen, he silently cursed the surreal news and forced to collect himself. "Stop the car. You hear me?! Stop the car!"

Too suddenly, the car hit the brakes, Owl's newest instruction taking priority.

In the back, not one of the two occupying their places voiced their complains, Conan unconscious and K1010 indifferent.

"I don't get it… the only way to take control so easily of the mainframe without my knowledge or permission is using the same passwords as me. And to do so, one would have to at least pass through the security I installed outside first. Yet, I did not receive any warning..." No mobile confirmation code, no robot rising any alarms to suggest the operation was taking place. Meaning- "Is the boy somehow responsible of this? Are those people that accompanied him, members of some advanced intelligence force?"

Owl paused.

He'd already underestimated the boy once. Who exactly were they dealing with? How many were there? Were they so much of a big deal? If so, how far ahead did they go?

"[...]"

As if suddenly aware of the cold silence that accompanied him on the car, none of its integrants willing to talk, Owl shifted his gaze.

"Let's think this carefully. Was I being trailed? No; I hardly left the lab today in over a month's work. And before? I roughly estimate to have gone out 15 times in the past year. Meaning, me being trailed is highly unlikely." Owl pushed up his thick glasses, thinking carefully, analyzing every little fact that had gotten them to the current situation. "Then, how? Could this information be fake? Unlikely. Since hacking into my robots would be near to impossible." Calmly, Owl scratched both of these options, other possibilities slowly advancing positions in his mentally improvised checklist. "Then what happened? Some recent change that could have affected this outcome? The Kid's transfer into the TMP, perhaps… him somehow noticing something in the lab I considered irrelevant that worked against me. Else… K10's failed heist? The history files are inaccessible, so there's no way to check. Mm..."

Indeed. Leaving K10 unsupervised on his first real mission outside lab parameters had not been wise. Yet, having his other robots go unsupervised at this very moment, may have not be any better.

Maybe monitoring his robots live, and giving orders while inspecting every action from the shadows was the best option to go.

In any case…

"If there's been a security breach, the culprit must have accessed the lab. It was good thinking to install hidden cameras around the forest. Others may call me paranoid, but the additional security will definitely be of use now." Said and done. Owl directed his attention towards the female disguised robot and voiced the new course of action. "K11. Access the mainframe, and check to see for any visitors who exited or entered the forest's entire layout parameter ever since the moment we left. Report anything out of the ordinary. And you, K1010, work to see if you can forcefully overthrow the new user from it's new gained admin access. If you can't throw him off the system, try to figure out who this user may be. Access to inner cameras if he hasn't disabled them. And transfer the current footage into your system, before he blocks the route."

Before the silent nod he was met with, K11 was the one to respond.

"[Report. Access to the Forest's mainframe completed. Access to media files completed. Analyzing content. Loading...]" While the robots were put to work, Owl eyed over the seat he sat on, staring directly at the unconscious young boy that rested behind him. Conan, without glasses, somehow held a more adult-like expression, even when in a defensive state such as sleeping. And although his clothes and hairstyle had been altered to avoid recognition, them turned into a less formal attire, there was nonetheless still something about him that made him appear too clever for his age. "[Loading completed. 8 trespassers in total. 7 unidentified. Do you wish me to start a net search for IDs on the unidentified subjects?]"

That made Owl focus back onto K11.

"Who is the 8th one?" He instinctively asked.

"[An ally. Dan'emon, Atsushi. Codename: Snake. Infantry division, rank: 1.]"

"Ah?! That exmilitary idiot?! I can hardly believe this…" Owl scowled, visibly disgusted at the idea of yet another encounter with Snake. "Tch— here. Use my computer. Show me what content you found. About the other 7 too."

K11 complied, and Owl unconsciously patted his pocket where his mobile layed, awaiting the instructions of a Leader that was always too busy to respond.

It didn't matter. Even if the mobile was of no use, Owl was used to working with himself, and in fact was most comfortable that way. He just regretted not having said Leader's sharp mind within access reach, and support him with his own series of thoughts.

In the meantime, K11 finished.

Sooner than later different displays were seen playing on the car's front screen, showcasing the latest events that had happened there. Like this, the mad scientist witnessed various clips of different cars just recently entering through the private property, and fast forward through them until meeting each end.

That's how he found out the arrival of three cars at the start of the footage, trespassing the private property, and how these followed the main gravel road that lead to the front of his lab, setting arrangements for an ambush there while hidden from view. He observed seven well equipped men and women exit said cars, scattering around the perimeter. And more specifically, he focused his attention on the 4 individuals who appeared to be closest to the entrance, them most likely aiming for him to arrive and unsuspectedly unlock the security system before moving onto the plan of capturing him there.

"These people would be more of the boy's allies, I assume." Inside the forest on grounds, moving in between the trees, only shades of them moving every once and so often through the footage betrayed their positions. "Them hiding so well means they are professionals. They aren't from the military, and lack camouflage outfits. Yet it's easy to tell they have experience with this kind of operations."

He moved into the next feed.

It was Snake's turn.

As bizarre as it seemed, the moment he followed on the video record of the moustached man, this one seemed to be caught on guard. As unnervingly as it seemed, instead of acting casual like the others, Snake caught his eye through the frigid stare of the hidden camera lense, and revealed himself aware of the locations of this particular one.

Still, Owl blinked. Snake had intentionally done so with particular idea in mind.

For him to be there and act like that, Snake had to have know something was up, if he believed his first instinct upon returning would be to check the forest's video footage to inspect his surroundings. And being a member of the Cult as he was, Snake took the liberty of staring directly onto the closest camera to signale he as the observer to follow him without being questioned.

Owl sighed.

"That's Snake, alright. I can only assume Leader must have asked him to come, considering the facts. Though he could've sent me a message, if things were this bad." And indeed. Instead of heading directly to the lab, the following footage revealed Snake shifting his course to head towards a nearby base, devised for emergencies and only 2km from the lab. Seriously, did Leader suspect these people could gain access to their phones or something? "K11, tell me about your brothers. Have any of the robots that I sent earlier, arrived yet?"

"[Affirmative. Currently, only K101 has entered the forest perimeter, the others soon to follow. Do you wish me to contact them?]"

"... No. Tell them to wait inside the perimeter, and remain hidden until further instructions." Owl crossed his arms, understanding that the rest of his robots would still be busy taking a detour, working efficiently to avoid being spotted. He then leaned forward, snapping his fingers while reaching to a conclusion. "K11. I've decided: we're meeting with Snake. Head forward, with destination Secret Base M." He then turned backwards to meet with his other creation. "Any progress on your part, K1010?"

"[The identity on the intruder remains hidden. The location has been pinpointed on the lab's main control room. There are no signs of someone breaking or entering." K1010 responded from the back, the Conan that was seated next to him breathing peacefully as he spoke. "There is no feed of any additional activity on the passages apart our own, at the moment of our departure. Everything points out at there not being any intruder at all.]"

"Meaning, whomever entered must've already been inside before we left, and we just didn't notice, or this person skillfully erased his data from all camera recordings, huh." Owl rolled his tongue, giving careful thought to consider all his options. "Nevermind. Keep forward as I told you K11. Hopefully, this meeting won't last too long."

"[Affirmative.]"

The robot pilot waited no time doing as told.

As per the robot behind him, Owl wasted no time to instruct his new priority to be to keep his attention on the intruders at all times.

After all...

"... The idea of adding more test subjects at our lab is always welcome."

oOoOo

"They should have already arrived by now."

Camel worried, having arrived at the sight pinpointed by Conan's Criminal Tracking Glasses in a record time. Beside James, who'd joined on the same ride as him, other FBI operatives shared their confusion as doubt was starting to rise.

It came with all their missions to have a great sense of patience and prudence on any ambush, but the lack of control in their follow up was starting to drive them on edge.

This exponentially increased when, suddenly-

*BRRRRRR*

- the ground where they stood on shaked.

"An earthquake...?"

They all stared at each other in confusion. Japan had plenty of those. Only, it seemed the origin of this one had come from the inside of the building that supposedly contained the threatening robot.

"What do we do, James?" Camel addressed him then.

James frowned, worry showing up on his face.

"..."

Where was Conan? Shortly after finishing filling their positions for the ambush, things had gone bad.

The signal perceived on the glasses had suddenly been lost, and since then, there had been no progress by Jodie's part. Her last call stated Owl had indeed been heading their way, having entered within the private property perimeter from where she had been forced to slow down to not give away they were being tracked.

Yet, if Owl had been heading to this location like it had seemed, then he should have already arrived there by now, surely not too long after they had arrived themselves. What should they do?

It was completely frustrating to just remain still and wait, not to mention pointless without any enemy in sight. Being rash wouldn't help them, but that tremor had occured from the inside. Could this Owl have sneaked up on them?

James stood off of the tree coverage, having a bad feeling on this.

"Jodie-kun, Camel-kun, stay here. The rest of us…"

He took a firm grip out of his handgun, and nodded towards the rest, instructing them to do the same.

"We go in."

oOoOo

For a while, the distinct sound of wheels moving against sand could be heard around them, echoing through the hidden entrance that lead to the fifty meter long tunnel.

As the silver expensive vehicle lowered it's speed, approaching the end of said tunnel, the car eventually stopped beside an equally expensive black car which appeared empty. From there, opening the car doors, a very old man with thick round glasses was the first to come out, soon followed by a woman with void expression.

Eyeing the dark surroundings, the same old man sighed and clapped his hands, light illuminating a stance from what, in a first glance, gave the impression of a pretty much abandoned control room.

It was an empty circular area.

Inside the secret passage that lead to the secret base, an elevated floor invited newcomers in by situating itself 3 steps over the tunnel area, leading them into a light zone. Up there, switched off screens stood one before the other, all around into forming an entire 180º monitoring area display. And at the center, a large wooden desk with multiple drawers became the focus of attention, an expensive office chair and tower computer completing the final look of the geek cave impression it gave.

And yet, Owl cared not for any of that.

"Wait here." He instructed K11.

Standing tall, Owl decided to walk instead with firm steps towards a hidden alarm system, and deactivated a different bunch of security setups that surrounded it.

This was how a concealed cave door from inside the tunnel suddenly pulled forward, retreating into the ground and revealing a new wide entrance that was no doubt the real secret base only real cultists were permitted to access to. Inside where, the dark silhouette of a single person revealed the presence of a 40-year-old man wielding a thick jacket and dark hair, the moustache and cigar in his mouth giving away his identity as he acknowledged the other's presence in a gruff voice.

"Owl."

"Snake."

Silence filled the tunnel and room.

For a second, their tension became heavily palpable to the physical realm, showcasing two individuals that truly hated each other.

"It was very clever of you to choose this as our meeting place." Scoffed Owl, pointing out the hightech safe proof hideout. Despite the open door, he had decided not to enter the room and avoid the high density magnet hidden beneath the floor's entrance, choosing instead to remain safe beside his robot. "That way I can't just have K11 go ahead and kill you right now."

"I was the one responsible for infiltrating that junkyard and stealing this thing, after all." Snake rolled his head, tapping boredly his shoe against the ground. The electromagnet in question was so huge it would fry any robot's circuit upon getting too close, and that was sensitive information the man had gladly taken into consideration. "Least I can do is make use of it, no?"

"Cut the crap, Snake. I know about the hacking. I know about the outsiders. What I don't understand is..." A very menacing Owl gritted his teeth, annoyed beyond comparison for the man's actions and complete waste of his time. "... why you decided to betray us all of a sudden."

The secret lab that had provided safety for years had remained hidden only to be suddenly discovered. He doubted not that Conan along with those people were to blame, but even so these enemies could not have possibly foreseen his next movement to such an extent, least so fast. Thus, Owl did not give Snake any credit. Because as far as he had come accustomed to, Snake was everything but trustworthy.

"A traitor? Me? Funny you'd suggest that, today of all days." Snake snorted, being a day where he'd literally ordered Salamander to eliminate a real traitor earlier that night. "No; far from the truth. If you hadn't been too busy with whatever errand you were doing, then you'd already know. But, as it was, you were already too far away."

Snake took a pause to rest his cigar back onto his lips, having another taste of it before once again resume the talking.

"I was ordered to come here to recover your test results from that heist on Saturday, and it was only coincidence that I managed to grow suspicious of our uninvited guests. This forest has no suspicious gate blocking anyone from entering it; just one big sign of private property on its only entrance. Thus, on this single dirt road, my expert eye caught trail of unfamiliar recent wheel prints having trespassed this entry yet never leaving. So, I decided to play safe and head here to check the cameras before I decided any action. Imagine my surprise when I saw a group of well armed strangers hiding behind the trees." Snake chuckled, remembering how easy it would have been to kill them just then, if only he'd had Salamander or another underline joining alongside him. "It's uncertain how these people have found the place, so avoiding the use of the phone seemed like the most appropriate measure. I decided to access the lab through the secret path instead, and contact you. But not only you weren't there, I encountered a entirely unusual spectacle. So, I changed the orders to prioritize the computer's backups, stole whatever sensitive information we had there, lastly returned here to ensure you'd do the same. And here we are."

Owl did not say anything. The rifle that Snake wore proudly upon his back shined beautifully against his clothes, the last-model new-weapon it was not helping stand in his defense.

But because the old man did not lessen his glare one bit, Snake shook his head:

"... You still don't trust my words. But say, don't you think it'd be weird for me to attempt anything now? Pandora's whereabouts are yet to be found. At the very least, I'd wait until the first stage of the plan to be done." Snake exhaled one last breath of tobacco, and let go of the cigar onto the floor. He stepped firmly onto the lightened end, and lifted up his face again. "You can at least give me that amount of credit, can't you?"

Owl let go of a deep breath he was very aware he'd been struggling with, and made sure to concentrate all the rationality he had left onto that sentence.

Truly enough, the fact that Snake was obsessed about Pandora was precisely that: a fact. Thus, he had to remind himself yet again that Snake were that.

Allies.

Terrible ones at that, but allies all the same.

"Then, feel free to check onto my phone and see the other part of the truth for yourself." Snake signaled towards the left side of Owl's feet, allowing the elder to catch sight of the mobile that had intentionally been left behind there, safe from the electromagnetic field. Reclined against the cave wall and hardly noticeable on the ground, it made perfect sense why Snake had decided to leave it there instead of taking it with him, avoiding it getting damaged. "Take it. The proof you need is in the form of the latest video footage there is, from a scene I managed to capture only a little while ago. Speak to me only when you finish."

Owl looked at him some more, then sighed. If Snake's words had been truthful until so far, it meant Leader was still unaware of what was going on, and it was only them two there. He'd rather get to the bottom of this fast.

The old scientist tapped onto the phone, and accessed into the gallery folder, selecting the latest video from the few graphic materials that resided there. He then came to witness a recording from a life footage that was filmed from a corner, showcasing the inside of the control room inside his lab.

At the press of another button, the video footage showcased different individuals in white. And at the sight of them, Owl sinked down his shoulders, watching all devastatingly the scenery before him, these individuals getting severly beaten and amounted in bizarre positions on a arbitrary pile.

"No…"

Settled up neatly with special materials on the side, in an arrangement that screamed loudly it was set up ready and about to bring up a bonfire.

"My creations… my advances… my entire life..."

It was all about to disappear right in front of him.

oOoOo

*CRACK*

'Destroy.'

*BURST*

'Destroy.'

*CRASH*

'Destroy.'

Utter destruction. Debris scattered around. Irreparable instruments, irremediable bodies. Screws and cables spreading everywhere around.

'Get rid of it all. Make everything disappear.'

Flammable liquid poured in front of him, ensuring to cover everything in sight.

It carelessly splattered over his own clothes.

The remaining corpses of what had once been incredibly advanced, almost completed, sentient AI robots, had all at once been crushed through immoral means of mass destruction.

There was no going back. Even the arbitrary limbs that had been scattered around became unsaveable.

A twisted shadow had left behind a sea of electronics, gears, and all in all rubbish that would never come back to light.

Making it so only he would remain intact.

No ties holding him back.

So he could free himself, and advance forward.

'More.'

*CRACK*

It was not enough.

In one punch, he burst clean a structure pilar that had been crossing his way, unavoidably damaging his hand, causing the room to shake for a few seconds.

It wasn't just about him; it was about his sanity.

If this place was left intact, he did not think he would manage the courage to move on. Ever.

He felt hardly compressed inner built stress growing inside him.

Everything reminded him of his circumstances.

And he hated all of it.

There was still much to do.

*BZZZZZZZ! BZZZZZZZ! BZZZZZZZ!*

'?!'

The security alarm.

Around him, beyond his control, the video footage of several security cameras blacked out, each of them being shot at one by one the moment their forms closed distance.

Indicating the undeniable presence of intruders.

RoboKid froze, far from ready, his mind an unstable mess.

'What… to do?'

This had to be the worst moment for anyone to show up.

He'd already set his mind onto revealing against his creator.

On the adjacent room, the fire had already started.

All evidence was minutes away from disappearing.

And still...

*DISTANT SHOTS, CLOSING IN*

… with intruders showing up...

… much evidence could still be found.

RoboKid blanked.

Who were they? Why had they showed up? What was he supposed to do?

Against intruders, against people that were acting against his creator… was he supposed to kill them?

Owl expected him to. But he was not his puppet anymore.

Mr Kid Killer expected him not to. But that night he had proved himself to be an imposter.

Just a pale imitation of a mysterious phantom.

Yes, that's right. He was fake.

Those memories he had were not his own. Those experiences he had were not his own. The abilities he had, the body he had, the name he had...

Everything belonged to that the real Kaitou Kid.

In a situation like this, what could he say that was really his?

"..."

The him that was actually him couldn't think straight. He needed air. He needed a way out. He needed to reach a conclusion as to what to do for when these people showed up.

*FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING*

Think. Think. Think. Think.

RoboKid didn't even know what this new life of his would be.

Nor what he wanted to be.

...

Who should he be?

No time. No time. No time. No time.

He had no one to depend on. No one who consult these feeling with. No friend to trust.

He was alone. Alone. Alone. Alone.

Did he hate the Kaitou Kid? Was it his fault that the current him felt like this? Would finding him solve this problem? Would killing him? Replacing him?

Doubt. Doubt. Doubt. Doubt.

The sorrowfulness was eating him out.

Was it worth it to fight against this feeling? To revel? To keep acting like he was alive? Like he was like the rest?

If his whole existence was based on Kaitou Kid's, then what would Kaitou Kid do?

No; he'd had enough of the real Kid. What did he want? This being of his that appeared to have a conscience?

He wanted…

*FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING ON DOOR. HUGE SLAM*

RoboKid closed his eyes. He let himself drop down.

… a path of his own.

oOoOo

Amounted into a pile, discarded to a side, there they were. The Kid replicas he'd been working on. The uncomplete versions he'd left behind. Resting right beside a bunch of flammable bottles he recognized from the chemical storage.

"No… it can't be."

Owl became speechless.

Those priceless creations of his... all the effort he'd put behind… the possibility of them suffering damage beyond repair was simply too much for him to handle.

But, how could this have happened?

The answer seemed to appear himself right before him. The detestable expression on Snake's face became the final blow.

"So… it really was you, huh?" For Owl, the existence of Snake himself lightened the spark of insanity. The scientist gritted his teeth, the irrational demented idiot proving himself yet again in the most inconvenient of places. "Can you tell me what exactly is the meaning of this?! SNAKE!"

"You are accusing me of something quite nasty, little Owl." Snake squinted his eyes, unimpressed on the other's outburst. "Don't be so quick on pushing the blame to me, and keep on watching."

"That makes no sense!" Owl shook his head, stubborn while enraged. "I've seen enough! Who else do you know who could infiltrate my grounds, access my lab, and do all this damage?! Quit telling lies! This is an arson, for God's sake! Your specialty!"

"Precisely. My expertise lies both there and with weaponry. Not machines." Snake lowered his tone, threatening the old man to do as commanded. "You should know better than to accuse me of achieving something like hacking into your computer."

"Mmph."

If possible, Owl applied more pressure on clenching his teeth together. He stubbornly kept his eyes still, focused on the screen up front, and made no sound to betray more of his thoughts, his patience running out fast.

And that's when he noticed him… or rather it. A white figure. One of those very same creations of his, body and clothes fully molded at Kid's image, entering the scene while carrying yet another heavy Kid duplicate on his arms.

The relief on Owl's eyes upon noticing the intact robots lasted short at him immediately noticing the operational one letting go of the other, this later one inactive, as well as the scene that proceeded.

Savagely beheading the subject, heartlessly ripping off each limb, he witnessed the operational robot beat up the no longer lookalike beyond repair. He saw the robot effortlessly punch in the inner structure into a deformed state, destroy the head's CPU and add the newest addition of disposable scrap over the rest, the task taking place only in a manner of few seconds. The unpredictable robot then cleared off whatever dirt could have gotten to his hands, and focused on each limb, brutally ripping open and extracting a projectile from each slot. Only when each empty limb was then inevitably added unto the pile, did the robot straighten up and abandon the room, taking away the 4 projectiles with him.

The video footage finished then.

"..."

Owl said nothing, taking his time processing this. He then decided to rewatch the video from the start. And the more he watched, the more it became clear.

K10. The culprit of this catastrophe was none other than K10. The only robot who had displayed abnormal behaviour in the last 48 hours.

Could this really be happening to him?

"Exactly how long ago… was this taken?" Finally calm, this was the question Owl chose to ask.

"If you're asking because you're considering bargering in now, then don't bother." Was the mercenary's ambiguous reply. Lifting his face, he tilted his head to the side, once more revealing that infuriating smirk of his. "Those intruders were waiting quite diligently to strike. Without them forcing their way in, and you being here, I have no doubt those robots are getting barbecued by now. Heh, what an incredible waste of effort." Straightening up, the man proceeded to tap into the subject, plenty of amusement showing up on his tone. "Amazing, isn't it? What intricate a robot's mind is. Personally, I find it plenty comical that not even your own creations are able to stand you."

"Shut up, Snake." Owl was still finding it difficult to organize his thoughts. Yes, it made sense for K10 to be the culprit behind the hacking incident. Yes, it made sense for Snake to be there and to act like he had. But still, there were many things that couldn't be explained: "That still doesn't explain how these outsiders made it here. Nor what K10 has to gain out of rebelling. Even with a malfunctioning code, K10 is too clever to do something so drastic. Everything it needs to stay updated… the batteries, missing pieces, the power grid, other body replacements… it will all be destroyed if K10 does this."

Snake shook his shoulders, unperturbed.

"Perhaps it didn't think so far ahead." Unlike the mad man, or their leader, he didn't care at all what happened to those robots. He liked making things done using the classic method of brute force. "What's important right now is making sure the backups I retrieved are good enough to continue the projects somewhere else. As the control freak that you are, ensuring these are done every two weeks has already been conducted. The only thing left by my part is ensuring that the password is the same one as always. Would that be correct?"

Owl absently nodded, his mind still occupied in thought as he decided to replay the video for the third time.

He paid the mercenary zero attention as the moustached man proceeded with a change of posture, and only lifted his gaze at the spark of something entering through his field of vision.

"Then, that's all I need to know."

That's when Owl's eyes suddenly widened:

"K11, protect me!"

Snake let out a snort, instantly took aim and shot.

*BANG!*

"..."

Snake held his handgun right front, no longer hidden underneath his cloak.

"...?!"

Owl, who had felt the blow hit directly onto his stomach, tripped and fell backwards, eyes widening without measure. Instinctively reaching front, he was the first to witness the vivid imprint of blood starting to share its spread.

By his side, the bodyguard who was meant to protect him, K11, had not moved a single inch.

"Ah… I- W-what… just-?"

Forced into a crawling position against the floor, Snake watched the confused scientist tremble while he changed the position of the cigar in his lips. The genius scientist, clever as he was, still stuttered incoherently in resistance, as he failed to comprehend the suspenseful enforced fate that had suddenly decided to fall upon him.

"Quiet." The military man stepped forward, commanding the old geezer to shut before him. The last-model rifle he owned still rested neatly on his back, increasing the menacing look that he held while added to his handgun and other unknown weapons that rested within his clothes. "Don't bother."

"W… hy…?"

"Why did your robot not protect you?"

As if listening his thoughts, Snake finally decided to close the remaining distance that separated them, walking over the hidden magnet that covered the entrance of the secret room. Tilting his head, he looked upon the crawling figure in disgust, yet insisting on locking his gaze.

"If you want to know, it did not react because it couldn't hear you." Crouching down, Snake moved a hand to recover his phone, dropped down and forgotten under Owl's last touch. "It's because I decided to use an ultrasound audio jammer and noise generator to interfere with your silly commands. Or why did you think I allowed you to hold my mobile so casually? (6)"

Owl blinked heavily, having no real answer.

Through Snake's talking, he felt his old body tremble, the sense of touch turning numb.

"Did you not think I'd resolve to tech to fight tech?" Snake ignored Owl's coughing, rolling his eyes instead. "Or did you seriously think your robots so great as to not have any weaknesses at all?"

"I d-don't understand-d..." Weakly, Owl pushed himself forward, holding his cold mind against the man who clearly planned to end his life. "You need me- *cough*. So w-why?!"

"Why? Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Snake nodded to himself absentmindedly, this decision being one he'd made a long time ago. "It's because I never had any plans of sharing my immortality with you."

*Cough, cough*

Owl spat over the floor, staining the ground with red.

The more the pointless blabber happened, the weaker he felt.

Like little crimson rivers. Blood was flowing out of him. Easily taking away what little strength his old body had left.

"You know… *hah*... I don't believe… *hah* … in any of that." Owl muttered quietly , blood falling from his lips. "I'm just here… *hah*... for the knowledge… *hah*... to investigate… find out… the truth *hah*..."

Dying. He was dying.

So foolishly. So regrettably.

By the hands of the idiot buffon that couldn't see ahead of him.

"That's what you say now. That 'all you care about is your project'. But at your age, there's no way you'd accomplish your goal and live to see through it. For that, as soon as our members started obtaining her powers, you too would add to our numbers. You'd never let immortality escape."

Snake wasn't planning on risking it.

Although off schedule, their plans were still moving forward accordingly.

"Can you imagine, us, having to live with the likes of you kicking around and being unbearable for the rest of eternity? No; it just wouldn't work."

"... idiot." Owl had no inconveniences spelling it out to him.

He was done for. Of that he already had no doubt. But still, he had to tell him. Even if just one more time. Just how foolish he was.

Not just for provoking the Leader's anger if word got around.

But for killing the most irreplaceable of them all and key of their success.

"You've r-really done it t-this time, Snake." The military man was obsessed with immortality, irrationally so. For that reason Owl shook his head, feeling the hatred constrict inside him, ready to burst all at once. "By ending me you've ensured t-to crush your goal as well. *Cough* All my data on Pandora! *Cough* The progress I made on my subjects! The investigations I'm working o-over on the Volley C-Comet!" Owl closed his eyes, tears threatening to fall from the edges of his eyes, having less and less focus to breath properly the more his reasoning went wild. "The tests! M-My robots! EVERYTHING! How d-dare you stand there s-so calmly?!"

"Oh, that?" Snake chuckled slowly, laughing silently before a humourless joke. "I have it all studied out. Rest assured: I've found a solution to that as well. A capable substitute ready and willing to fill your place right where you left."

"A s-substitute?!" Owl hardly listened, too blinded by his hatred. "Someone so convenient does n-not exist."

The existence of such a person was unconcealable on his mind. He was the most ideal mind for this project. Who else would lead the operation without him around? Who else would study it, and make the essential discoveries?

"Oh~ but they do. They are just waiting for a spot to be available on the team." The cocky grin on Snake's face widened, taking pleasure on remarking the solution that Owl had presented himself. "Or did you already forget you presented us the perfect candidate six months ago?"

"?!" Suddenly, Owl fell silent, wildly contrasting with the room's atmosphere from just a second ago. Seconds passed by. His eyes widened in comprehension. "You d-don't mean…?"

"What can I say?" Snake tasted victory. With both the intruders and the bizarre acting robot coincidentally striking there at the same time, he had the perfect alibi to work with. Now any of them would take the blame for Owl's death, with only he casually stumbling upon this supposed truth. "I saw the chance and decided to take it."

Impassively, Snake finished their talk there.

To the unresisting old man, without warning, he slammed his food down against the soft flesh of the elder's face, the scream muffled against his foot. By doing that, he instantly fractured his skull while using his heel to break through the cartilage that made his nose.

Snake assaulted Owl's teeth next, the false denture giving away and making a hole, being driven by such a force it was literally caving in.

And from there on, bizarre noises disturbing the calmness of the night.

He stomped onto his head four and five times. And six. Seven- and eight times.

And more.

Again. And again. And again. And again. Andagainandagainand-!

Snake stopped, the mess of bodily fluids long disfigured by now. The mess of gore strictly adhered to his clothes, his black shoes shining in crimson glory.

Owl hadn't even been given the chance to scream properly, much less an actual chance to evade his fate.

"Look what you made me do." Snake complained, face wrinkling in visible disgust. "Now I'm dirtied all over. Tch."

What was done, was done.

Owl was dead. Snake had finally been rid of the senile old man. Most importantly, he had successfully performed the task in the most optimal of conditions, no witnesses nor anything to be held against him.

"...?"

Incoming call.

A small tune from the 70s filled the air then, Snake's inner pocket vibrating against his chest.

"What is it now, Salamander?" Snake replied without hesitation, aware of the caller's identity. In fact, he already had a close idea what the call would be about. "Did you manage to meet with Mantis?"

A few seconds of silence.

Paying attention to his surroundings as well as the voice in his phone, Snake took a step forward, noticing with annoyance the sticky bloodied footprint he'd left behind.

"I see… good job. Vulture's death is just proof that, when using a spy, one must always do so in pairs. As a prize, you can tell her to abandon her spot at the traffic police. The Second Division is suspicious on spies now, so it will do us no good to have her roam there any longer. Not, if they are going to keep making traps without us noticing." The moustached man nodded, turning around. As he talked, he headed to the black car's boot, picking a bottle of alcohol that he later proceeded by cleaning the sole of his shoe's fluid's clean, emptying the content's bottle whole. "That is correct. You can head for the base once the job is finished. Or do you have anything else to report?" The splash of the rash motion got to his pants and wetted the floor in a pinkish tone, the transparent color in the water helping to color lose intensity. By the time it formed a little paddle, the bottle became officially empty, and discarded. "No: I too am pretty much finished on my behalf. We can meet each other there."

Snake reached for another item in the boot, and closed the door. He did a few steps and nodded in satisfaction at the imprints left behind, no longer leaving a trail of red at his step.

"Yes. Until then."

He ended the call.

The military man stretched the muscles in his shoulders and cracked away the stiffness on his neck. Then, one last time, he directed his attention on the corpse of whom had once been his comrade.

"Goodbye, little Owl." Crouching one last time, Snake decided to burn out the cigarette on what was left of Owl's unmoving left eye, it daring to stare at him even after his death. "May you never find peace."

...

Not surprisingly, Snake was rewarded by silence, only, it was a silence that made for a peaceful feel.

This time, there was no delay for when he headed back to K11, killing the standby robot with a simple gunshot against its forehead.

Once again heading for the car, a palm size bomb soon appeared next.

"Now then," With the explosive at one hand, and a timer on the other, Snake kicked the back door of his car shut, moving to approach Owl's car again where he could see through the crystal glass that one robot remained. "... time to finish here."

And from the back seat of that very same car, a very awake and very restricted Conan watched in shock, two blue orbs wide in panic.

oOoOo

Inside the building that contained Owl's lab, the FBI had split up in pairs and forced their way around, advancing through the countless rooms that were distributed all over the place.

Penetrating the building had been extremely complicated, and had ended with them finally breaching a hole on a collateral wall rather than damaging the actual entrance door. But once inside, nothing seemed to have wanted to stop them. Because surprisingly, even minutes after the intrusion, they had yet to meet any actual workers, and had yet to face any traps or resistance of any kind.

Nonetheless, they continued with the exploration.

...

*SLAM!*

The door opened with a strong hit, Jaun of the FBI having forced it open by the use of two cleverly placed detonants.

The safe infiltration seemed to lead to the interior of a storage room, a main area which they expected to gain much of.

"Nobody move! FBI!" Jaun exclaimed, protocol at hand.

"-Shit." His female colleague said.

Thick smoke with an outburst of fire was the welcoming party that greeted them. A promise that had warned them beforehand by the sudden increase of heat, the suffocating smell and puffs of smoke polluting the hallway's air. Had the door not been so thick, they would have narrowed the origin room sooner and focused their intents earlier on.

"Don't waste time! Now!"

The access had been done in decent timing. The rapidly expanding fire was, fortunately, still small enough for the two of them to handle on their own. And though not a fire brigade, James was an incredibly resourceful leader who ensured they came prepared, be it fighting mob boss dealers, robotic opponents or dangers of any kind.

Dani drew forward by throwing two balls of concentrated liquid nitrogen, and awaited for it to do its job. As to her partner, he went in with a fire extinguisher he caught hand of and put it to work.

However, due to them forcing the door open, the fire had renewed its oxygen supply, thus forcing them to retreat immediatly afterwards. It wouldn't do. The smoke was harmful to both their lungs and eyes: without the actual protection and equipment fire brigades had, not even masks, waiting for the room to cool down and smoke to dissipate was the only way to go front about it.

That's how, five minutes later of sweating and trying, they managed to clear the wide storage space filled with remnants of what only an minutes ago had been a private collection of priceless humanoid robots.

"Dear God. What happened?" Dani wondered, wielding an improvised cloth on her mouth, covered for protection. It wasn't just about the robots. The entire room had been savagely destroyed beyond repair. Entire shelves of wigs and rubber simulations. Entire drawers of notes and power supplies. And much more. "I don't think we can salvage much from here, Jaun. There aren't any corpses either. Nor trace of there occuring an accident. The origin of the fire remains unknown."

"One sec." He replied, returning from the hallway, third fire extinguisher at hand. He pointed it to the minor sparks on the floor, and used it to finish the job. He then pointed towards a door on the right. "What's that?"

"A cupboard, I believe." She said, checking it with a firm kick. Made of wood which had now become charcoal, it easily collapsed and got to reveal many columns of trashed content that may or may not had been relevant to their cause. "Nothing here. Let's try the next."

"Agreed."

Both retraced their steps to hallway, and redid their moves, forcing another door to open before them.

Upon entering with caution, having yet to meet a sign of living creatures or robots, they proceeded with firearms on their hands.

"..."

"..."

"Again, what happened? It's like... a hurricane formed in here." Dani commented, looking around.

Unlike the other room, this one was intact enough to reveal many tools neatly displayed as a workshop, board with notes, chemical glass vials and the sort. Electrical tubes fell from the ceiling. Few intact machinery beeped with different sounds and colours, their purposes unknown. On the one side, many shelves neatly displayed rows of experimental limb prosthesis, body carcasses, and other incomprehensive images that gave display to a lab unlike any other they'd ever seen before. On the other, nauseating images filled both their minds at they witnessed the evolving glass showcase of different creatures, exposing from robotic birds and rats, to dogs and eventually realistic humanoid representations. Only, these last ones had the characteristic of resembling a notorious phantom thief who dressed in white. Alcohol scent wet Kaitou Kid replicas, which had been taken out of their resting place and had been damaged one by one, some more than others. And there, accumulated onto a pile the corner of the room, empty flammable bottle supplies resting beside them with the clear intention of waiting to be lit.

"Seems like the intel was correct after all. What the hell is this place?"

"I don't know, but someone obviously got ahead of us." Jaun took a deep breath and swallowed, taking his time inspecting their surroundings. "Unless there were to be more rooms like this, then it would seem like that Kid duplicate won't be a problem any longer. Nor any other, for that matter. But the location of the unidentified person behind this setup remains unknown. It's too soon to consider them an ally. We should watch each other's backs in case of a surprise attack."

"That, if mistery-guy hasn't already escaped." Pointed out Dani, alert. She could not lower her guard even if she wanted to.

Almost like in a pet store, sweet sounds chirped from her side. The robotic birds which moved inside their cages remained still as they stared at them, curious, featherless and unblinking. The rat counterparts however held more realistic looks by being covered with synthetic hair, moving around the mouse wheel that was supposedly expected of them. Underneath them, the different breed robotic dogs remained still and unmoving, supposedly 'off'.

At the east end of the room an IT setup was seen, a huge desk, office seat, monitors and files awaiting orderly place.

At the west end of the room, two doors remained unexplored.

At the center, much like a clinic, an operating table remained clean and unseated. Only, a curtain fell from on top blocking the patient of any view from his surroundings. Even worse, disturbing bonding restraints were seen into the seat that gave prominent warnings of what had to going there.

"Tch-" Dani pursed her lips together, feeling her stomach twist at the sight. "Disgusting."

"I found a target list." Jaun said then, revealing a booklet while awaking her from her trance. "It contains ten profiles. Three are crossed, Akio Tsuchiya being one of them."

Dani put her gun away, walking towards him, eyeing other images at sight. The board displayed binary numbers. The unbroken screens revealed scenes of black no longer working, and other few areas that had been left currently unexplored. Most prominently, X-rays of different brains along with study notes and anatomic books gave forward new disturbing thoughts.

"We can save this for later. Let's check those two rooms now."

"... yeah."

The two doors they headed towards to both contained a lock from the outside, which gave expectations of containing many secrets inside.

The first door, to the left, revealed a bathroom. This one was plain, and white, and contained only the essentials along with a first aid kit.

The second door too was plain and white and had absolutely nothing remarkable, lacking in all and even furniture… would have been the first impression, if not for-

"The hell?!"

A test room… not. That idea got discarded as soon as Jaun laid his eyes on the shackles against the wall. The meaning of those could only be one.

"Dani. There's some sort of cell in here." Jaun swallowed, taking further notice on the room. Signs of someone being held there were obvious, along with scratches and small dents on the floor and wall of said person attempting break free. On the marbre, blood stains could be seen, along with dried leftovers on the cuffs. He lowered his gaze at the disheartening sight. "This... says a lot of what was going on here. There way be others held captive somewhere. We should carry on."

Dani nodded. They had just reached the top half of the building. Many rooms were still left to explore, some more secure than others.

However-

"Wait." She told him.

Something called her attention, forcing her to stop walking. What exactly, she didn't know, but she directed her attention back at the pile from the start, where the sudden uneasiness arose.

The robots resembling human beings had been scrambled one on top of the other, broken, just like she'd encountered them. Headless, limbless, skinless, or savagely broken beyond repair, they had been put together as if about to be the focus of a new fire pit, all sharing the similarity of bearing white suits.

But what was it that was causing her to feel that something was at miss?

"Anything wrong?" Asked Jaun before approaching her. She had gone quiet for a while.

Noticing him, she blankly pointed towards the front, finally acknowledging the problem at hand.

"... it's not here."

"?"

She swallowed. The one filling the position on the top. The one in better shape. No longer resided there.

"One of the robots is missing."

oOoOo

"Hah… hah… nghh."

Fingers twitched.

Shoulders curled.

Fear to voice any audible form of panic constricted over his throat.

Conan visibly trembled while tightening his upper body into a ball, forcing it to remain calm even though his mental state was far from so.

'What. Exactly. Had. Just. Happened?'

Goosebumps extended through every length of his body, pure irrational fear of being find out remaining by the man who'd already just exited by car. And yet, sweat covered his entire body for having barely managed to escape in time.

"Hah… ahh… hghh…"

Conan swallowed, all adrenaline rush gone, leaning weakly against the cave wall. He could still hear his heart beating hard against his chest.

'Snake'.

Another cultist he wished he'd never learned about.

'Snake. Snake. Snake.'

Who exactly was he?

The mad scientist, Owl, laid dead on the floor, a huge gory spot that currently replaced what had once been his head. As the putrifent smell of a fresh corpse filled the air mixed with the strong scent of gasoline, Conan took his time coming to terms with the idea that he'd unintentionally crossed paths with a new member of the crazy cult even more terrifying than the other two he'd met so far.

He had no idea who the man was. All he knew was that this man was incredibly unstable.

How could a man be so… so…

'Messed up'?

Conan closed his eyes.

It wasn't just plain 'evil' what he'd witnessed tonight. It had been sick. Filled of bloodlust.

A cold hearted attack so void of humanity that it matched that of a person he knew.

Because he knew. No matter how long time passed, he remembered it. An indistinct personification of Death that he inevitably recognized on Gin, the one and only man that until today truly terrified him.

His petite body still refused to properly respond to him. Through shakening limbs, he tightened his jaw, focusing on recovering his senses.

On his hand, already recovered from the old man's corpse, laid Agasa's wristwatch. The same one RoboKid had stolen from him two nights ago, before ending up on Owl's possession. And one that currently made Conan's stomach twist upon sight.

Just what kind of detective was he?

Just thinking about it made Conan sick.

How he had used all the strength he'd had left to drag himself near the fresh dead body, with his sole purpose being to remove the evidence material from the crime scene.

It had been sickening. It had been against all his morals and sense of rightness. But he had done it. Because, like Snake, if other cultists were to inexplicably show up at this moment, no proof would be left of him being involved in the scene. Not anymore.

And so, through disgusted, he pressed the wristwatch hard against his chest. Judging the current self that his person had become, and fighting hard to dispel the thoughts that came to haunt him. Only like this, taking it slow while exhaling deep breaths, did he feel his body returning to normal, his heart rate reaching the normal rhythm. And only when he calmed himself, could he properly pay attention on his surroundings to wait silently, patiently… for someone, an ally of any kind to approach the secluded space and help him out.

Where was he? He was stuck at the hidden tunnel where Owl had been murdered.

The secret base where Snake had appeared was no longer accessible, the man having shut it at his leave.

And Owl's car, which could have been helpful for him to get away in his restored size, with one of Haibara's pills or in any other circumstance, too was discarded as an option when Snake had added an explosive in it to destroy it at his leave.

Thus, Conan awaited alone, many kilometers away from home, with the only company of said burned car and the cultist's corpse.

Waiting.

Waiting.

And waiting some more.

"..."

Eventually, the screech of wheels from a new car entering and echoing through the tunnel made it evident someone was approaching.

Conan used whatever energy he had left to hide, and used one of the car doors that had gone flying to conceal himself, not daring stepping onto the fake control room to activate any traps, nor approach the main base of the burning car that was still too hot to use as coverage.

Upon seeing the car and face of the newcomer that had come into this place however-

"Akai… san."

Conan voiced out his relief.

Akai stopped the car before the car remains, alive and well, stepping out with his sniper rifle at hand. The man studied his surroundings with narrowed eyes, carefully while in search for him. That was when Conan revealed himself from his hiding space, using the lights of the car to let himself be seen.

"Boy..."

Conan could see the FBI agent widen his eyes at his lamentable state, but still, he smiled. Akai had appeared almost as if hearing his plead. Most importantly, the RoboDog seemed to have not actually harmed him. Conan did not know what had happened on his side, but finally, he felt like he could let himself relax.

"I'm sorry. I tried to arrive as soon as possible, but even like that I arrived too late." Said Akai, letting his knees drop while putting a hand on his shoulder. Having noticed the corpse and car remains, as well as the suspicious passage, the FBI asked the inevitable: "What happened?"

Conan's smile dropped.

"I… am not sure myself."

Conan closed his eyes, recollecting his memories while explaining a summarized version to the FBI man.

It had started with the FBI party at the park.

At the time, Conan had purposely feigned being hit by his sleeping dart, and went to pretend being asleep for the entire duration of the trip that had brought him all the way to his current location inside, all the while paying careful attention to his surroundings.

The reasoning behind his actions had been simple. Too many robots had attended on the park, and his chances of escaping intact had become severely slim, with or without the FBI involved. But even more troublesome was the fact that Owl had openly declared he intended on targeting him, making it pointless in a way that even if he managed to escape, Owl would go after him again.

If the crazy scientist targeted him, then the Mouri's would be in danger. And there was no way he'd let him go near Ran.

That was why, quickly processing his options as to what to do and how to solve this problem, the thought of letting himself be captured in a way he could keep his consciousness intact, an increment their chances of turning the situation around.

And so, when Owl had given away a bunch of orders for 'K11' and 'K1010' to disguise themselves and get rid of his clothing and gadgets, Conan had had no choice but to think fast and improvise a hiding place to spare any of his gadgets. He found the answer to this by concealing his bowtie and detective badge into his mouth, this being only place it occured him to fit gadgets that could remain hidden for later use, using the distraction both robots had of them changing clothes themselves.

With the detective badge intact, he allowed the FBI to confirm his position due the fact they already possessed their glasses and were on the lookout for him.

And with the bowtie at hand, Conan had resourced to do exactly the same thing as Owl to escape at the very last moment.

"When Snake shot at the first robot, I immediately realized he would soon approach the car. He would kill the second robot, and inevitably, find and kill me too. However, I could not move properly nor leave the car because I was tied from the arms up. So I..." Conan lifted his arm and reached to his bowtie, revealing just then the purpose at hand and the logic behind his actions. "... I managed to activate my bowtie, and used it to imitate Owl's voice, immediatly giving the order to untie my ropes and hide them away. That is because, from what I've seen, the robots followed Owl's commands with only him voicing out each of their number's. Which lead me to believe, he'd intentionally programmed them to do as he requested by voice only, and after addressing his robots by their specific serial code. Which thanks to Owl, I came to identify the robot beside as 'K1010'."

Akai assimilated the situation and nodded, Conan's smarts once again saving him from a situation that could have proved fatal. The boy seemed to not have realized it yet, but the concealed tunnel they stood in had been built in a way that disrupted the badge's signal, this being the reason it took so long to locate him. But still-

"More importantly! Snake! The car he used- I remember it's license plate! He got away just now so he can't be far!"

Catching the urgentness of the situation, Akai replied with a quick dial on his phone.

"James, I found Conan. He's safe, but we need backup. Listen, he witnessed Owl getting murdered by a cultist who just minutes ago got away on a foreign car. He did not notice Conan, so there's a real chance of capturing him. A black McLaren with 'GT13 MCL' as license plate-" He delivered the petition following the boy's exact words, muttering them lowly by his side. "- yes, that's perfect. Thank you." Akai hanged up then, focusing his attention back to Conan. "Camel is on his way."

Conan let go a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. Camel's driving skills were on a whole new level, being so terrifying it may even surpass his mother's. That's why he was certain: if someone could catch up to Snake and follow him, it was him.

"Akai-san. We need to keep in mind that there are countless cameras hidden throughout the forest's surface. With this secret base acting as a designated watchtower, we intruders should be wary of what other secrets could be taking place against our knowledge."

"You are right. Still, given Jodie and the others are currently safe however, I'd say we have at least the numbers to our favour. Otherwise, there's no reason for any cultist to decide not hunt us down." Akai crossed his arms, thinking fast. "Of course that, we could also use this as an advantage ourselves. If we manage to secure this location as intended, then our hackers could work on extracting all the footage there is, as well as keep watch themselves of any suspicious individuals that were to show up."

What more were they missing? Who else should they be wary of? With the new information received, plenty of thoughts ran across Akai's mind as he considered all the options they had at hand.

However, looking down to the form beside him, the FBI agent stopped himself from continuing such path.

"Come." Akai smiled as he reached a hand towards him, offering to take him to his vehicle. "You can rest in my car, while I drive us to Jodie. As soon as we get there, she can explain us all that's happened on the Lab."

"And you?" Conan responded with a half chuckle, his mind not quite settled yet, but still managing to give the older man the appreciation he needed. "I still haven't heard your part of the story yet. Last I knew, that RoboDog was heading right towards you in a speed that seemed impossible to evade. How did you manage?"

Akai smiled, he himself not quite believing his own part of the tale. He directed one last glance towards the corpse before leading him to his red Ford Mustang, deciding to share his take on it.

"Using this." Was Akai's simple answer, showcasing to the small boy the expensive rifle model he owned. He then offered it to him, having seated him on the front passenger seat that was next to him.

"?"

Conan approached closer and blinked twice, observing the long ranged weapon through furrowed eyes, his wide knowledge base providing him all sorts of facts to help give away the key element that had lead him to victory.

He saw none.

"It just looks like a normal rifle to me. A new brand model that no doubt improves accuracy compared to that of older versions, but… still a rifle." Conan was confused. No hidden mechanisms or surprise elements that added to the already conventional weapon. He was no weapon expert, but still, it made no sense. "I thought bullets had no effect. The fur covering the metal coating added an additional protective layer that not even the other Kid robots had. The dog seemed invincible from where I was standing."

"From the outside, yes." Akai lifted a finger and pointed to his mouth, cleverly indicating the decisive clue that lead to his victory. "That is why I took aim and waited for the perfect moment to strike."

/FLASHBACK/

*SLAM!*

The warning came in the form of a striking sound.

The full force of an heavy body crashing into the rooftop door, locked previously to not be taken by surprise.

*SLAM!*

A repeat of the previously alarming action, signalling the end of his distance range support attacks. Akai took his eye off of the aimpoint, more pressing manners urging him to focus at the present.

*SLAM!*

Thunderous noise threatened the door to break down any moment. Cracks starting to appear around the corners out of brute force.

The next hit was sure to hit the goal.

Akai repositioned 180 degrees and laid on the ground, stretched, pointing towards the only entrance point.

Whatever was to come through...

*BREAK!*

… he'd be ready.

"Grrrrrr!"

The sight of black fur paws and a canine head made its entrance. At the sight of it, the FBI agent had no reason to wait more, and shot.

One-two-three-four times.

"..."

Yet to no effect.

Akai stopped.

The robotic dog had successfully trespassed the last layer separating it from its target. Sharp teeth shone in silver. Its front paws crouched down while its tail rose up, adopting a well known fighting stance from preys in the wild.

Akai maintained his cool. He could still manage another shot.

Were his next shot to fail him, he'd depend on his Jeet Kune Do to exchange positions and take off towards the broken door. But what then? Conan's intel had given them a good idea of what to expect in a close ranged fight. More importantly, if civilians were to get involved…

Akai's fingers steadied the trigger, coming to a decision.

RoboDog jumped forward, towards his exposed neck.

Akai corrected his aim.

RoboDog opened its mouth.

/END FLASHBACK/

"The bullet burst its circuits from the inside. Luckily, the location of its most sensitive data was stored on its head. Thanks to that, I managed to get away, and now dispose of an interesting robot for the tech team to study." Said Akai, ending his tale with a quick glance to his side. Outside tunnel, their drive through the forest showed signs of progressing quickly, but all Conan paid attention to was the detailed narration he'd just learned. To this, he could do nothing but open his mouth in an utmost sign of admiration.

"That's… incredible! Honestly, that didn't occur to me!" Akai was amazing. That's all Conan could conclude from what he'd heard, slowly recovering the optimism he'd originally had at the beginning of the night. In the spur of the moment, coming up with such a brilliant decision, and performing to it accordingly. Once again, Akai had outdone himself. "It's really valuable information! We don't know how many are there, but this will certainly help us take care of any other robots we may encounter!"

"The problem I see with this approach, however, is that we would need said robots to open their mouths at some point." Said Akai with a frown. "And from what we saw at the park, they weren't exactly talkative. Not at all, at least, compared to that 'RoboKid' you spoke us of."

"... yeah."

Conan bit his lip for he saw no other reason but to agree with the man.

RoboKid had gone on a rampage. Illogically, against all predicament, the humanistic robot he had met had suddenly decided to rebel against his master. Snake had testified as such, and Owl had been a witness too. Though he did not get the chance to see it from inside the car, with him lacking his glasses and with the mobile screen too small and far, he could still hear quite clearly how the conversation had gone.

Conan lifted his face forward with determination.

If not for the sake of seeing this with his own eyes, he at least wanted to be there to help Jodie and the others wield him down.

"Let's hurry."

oOoOo

RoboKid ran for his 'life'.

Down the aisle. Up the stairs. Through narrow vents.

Running. Running. Running. Running.

Punching. Twisting. Stretching. Breaking through doors or walls. Doing everything necessary to get away without being caught, using whatever form of power or capability he possessed to get away, miss everything and everyone without being seen.

Running. Running. Running. Running.

What was he running for?

For the sake of the fake existence of his? Because he did not want to die?

"Die… can I 'die'?"

He could not. Being the imitation that he was, he wasn't actually alive. Did it really matter for him to run away under such conditions? What would fulfilling such a cowardly action accomplish?

RoboKid suddenly stopped.

What was he so afraid of?

The concept of death. In a way, what it meant was to cease to exist.

Even he, as a fake individual, could still disappear from this world, just like humans did. And that meant, just like humans, his existence had value in it.

He did not want to die. He too deserved to live.

Even if his way of 'living' ended up being a pale imitation from the rest. Even so… he had the right of it. Just like anybody else.

And to survive, to keep humans who wished him harm away, there had to be something he could do.

Negociate? No. Talk? To whom?

That was out the question. There was no one he could trust. Only one answer seemed to make its way.

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

That's right. To survive, he'd have to kill anyone that got on his way, and tried to end his life. That was his only way out. Wasn't it?

"?!"

A sharp turn.

RoboKid narrowed his eyes while keeping his body immobile at the center of the hall. Footsteps had decided to approach him just then from his only way out, and too soon, he'd have no choice but to face yet another of the intruders who had decided to infiltrate his no-longer home.

His eyes flickered red.

A warning… was not enough. In regards to the conclusion he'd just arrived, the next person to cross his path would die.

Kaitou Kid was not a killer, but he was not Kaitou Kid.

The individual that he was now, the future path that he would have to open from now on, would be decided on his next course of action.

Exactly. The time had come for him to make his decision.

There was no turning back.

oOoOo

"Shu! Cool Kid!" Upon stepping their feet to the ground, a female voice came towards them, voice and silhouette becoming more defined the closer she approached. "Oh, thank Goodness~! I'm so glad to have you back!"

Standing before the big structure that was the lab, the two newcomers looked around to process the landscape, finding themselves right beside the edge of a cliff that gave an outstanding blue sea view, while the rest of the area was surrounded by forest.

This sight was soon interrupted for Conan, however, at the feeling of Jodie hugging him tight against her.

"I'm really, really sorry Conan-kun~! I should have been the first to come to your rescue! When I saw in what direction you were heading for, I thought for sure Owl would head straight to the lab, and tried to anticipate his moves by overtaking him and joining the others in the ambush, but… he clearly realized something was wrong and took another path. Again, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay Jodie sensei. I understand." Conan gently pushed her away and got her to look at him, having her see that he clearly didn't have nothing to reproach. "Even if Owl kidnapped me, I knew you had my back. You have my glasses, and I managed to keep my badge with me, so my position was being tracked. I was aware what kind of people we were facing in the first place, and knew things weren't easy for you either, so we're at par. What's important is that, you're here. You showed up for me. So thank you. For helping me out."

Slowly, much regretful, Jodie locked back at him. The little boy who had done so much for them, even now, would show modesty towards himself. Like if all the merit of reaching so far and discovering a secret Lab capable of building humanized weapons had been entirely up to them, and he had done nothing at all.

'Classic Cool Kid.'

"On the contrary." With a small smile, Jodie shook her head. "Thank you, for being who you are. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Conan held his lips tight at the appraisal, but before anything else could come out of him, Akai interrupted them.

"Jodie. The boy told me that the one responsible of the destruction inside is none other than that robot he first met as the heist in the K facility. It is operational, and acting on his own accord, so he should be the priority of all agents inside." Akai gave her time to process this before delivering his next question: "Has anyone delivered any news to you, yet?"

Changing her expression to a serious one, Jodie shook her head.

"'RoboKid', huh? Mm… I did receive many instances from numerous findings the team has come across inside the building, but an actual encounter or fight has yet to happen. Except… Dani reported that one of many robots she'd come across had gone missing. One which was created to be a Kid duplicate too." Jodie crossed her arms, giving it some thought. "If it's the same robot that caused Cool Kid so much trouble, then this robot has been acting in a completely different way: it did not attack them. No other reports were given apart of that one. Related to this subject at least. In fact, the whole of the building appears to be completely empty. Aside from him, I don't think there's any other enemies to worry about."

"Is that so..."

Akai and Conan responded quietly, feeling quite dubious about the news. It'd been a while since the FBI agents had gone inside, and still, no sign of there being a fight or anything major going on had been reported. As a solitary man, Owl being alone in his lab made much sense, but in a way, the operation going on so smoothly without even RoboKid doing anything against them seemed rather worrisome.

This feeling only got accentuated at James's sudden call.

"Jodie-kun, report: We have successfully taken control of the entire structure. No cultists have been found, and most rooms have been secured. Other than the fact some rooms need to be carefully examined, and that traps could be activated on the wrong move, we are done."

"Those are great news, James, but there's been a new instance: one of the Kid robots seems to be active. You need to be on the lookout before he surprises any of you."

"We've searched the place twice before confirming our status. I'm afraid that, if we haven't encountered him yet, then he must've used some form of secret passage to escape. That, or he disguised himself as one of us, and got away." James responded, with much regret. "It's unfortunate, but I believe he got away."

Jodie looked at the both of them as the three listened into the conversation, having turned the phone into speaker mode. Through a small interlude of serious expressions, James cleared his throat and released the second sequence of information they also needed to hear:

"... On other pressing manners, Camel has just contacted me on a huge deal: he found a detonating device at the end of the path, right at the border where the gravel ground starts. Fortunately, thanks to your warning, he got there in time, took the timer off and managed to save us all from a fire that no doubt would have blocked our only escape route. I've asked him to explore the surroundings in case of there being another one hidden. But whatever the case, one fact is certain: the cultist you mentioned has successfully escaped."

"A detonator..." Jodie held her breath, stomaching the news with a mix of emotions that didn't quite match each other. "I see. Those are indeed bad news, James, but not as bad as they could have been. It's unfortunate he slipped off our hands, yet incredibly lucky Camel noticed the bomb. Let's make sure to properly thank him later." Jodie ended the call then and focused on Conan. A small smile once again became a thin line, giving away a neutral expression on her face. "Sorry, Cool Kid, that's how it is. We had everything to our favour, and yet that cultist still managed to get away. It would seem this is as far as we can go tonight." She tilted her head and pressed in closer, watching herself be reflected within the depths of those enormous blue eyes. "I'd like to give us more time to dwell on it, but I believe it's already time for you to head back. Mouri-san will be worried if she wakes up and doesn't find you."

"!" Conan instinctively reached for his wristwatch, only to flinch as he remembered for a second consecutive time how he'd retrieved it back. Things only seemed to take a turn to worse as he realized it no longer worked. "The time… what time is it?"

"Almost 5." Responded Akai, pointing out the early hour with a flick of his own watch. "I agree with Jodie. Personally, I'd like to still attempt our best shot in giving chase to this Snake, but without the japanese traffic police collaborating with us, our best chance is circle over the area in search of the car. But even so, we'll have problems if we don't recharge our drones soon." Akai closed his eyes, taking a few seconds to confirm his thoughts. He then focused his attention back to Conan. "What do you think, boy? Seeing that my sniper skills aren't needed, I can be the one to drive you back."

Jodie nodded and crouched towards Conan.

"Let's do that, then, and call it a day. For now, you can have these back and thank Agase again for his collaboration." Reaching for the track transmitter glasses which had been borrowed to her, she returned them to him, and gave him a pat. And Conan, whose face had been forced to deal without them, wasted no time in putting them on. "As to those boys you had us follow, I believe that with Owl dead, you're all safe and sound now, aren't you? I can ask the others to pull back?"

"Yes." Conan lifted his chest and took out a deep breath, the priority where Kid had commanded them of focusing on Owl, although tragic, ending up as a success. "Fortunately, it was a circumstance we were able to quickly. It turned out as only being for a day, and in the end not Hakuba nor Hattori were targeted, and will no longer be. But I really appreciate you helping me with this as well. I wanted to be rather safe than sorry."

"No problem. After everything you told us about that confrontation with RoboKid, it was logical to be wary for the worst. But there was one inconvenience you didn't foresee in that plan of yours, Cool Kid." Jodie crossed her arms, leaning back to add emphasis on her next words: "That Saguru boy we tracked? Turns out he had been occupied following you tonight. I don't know of his intentions for doing so, or if he too was worried about you being targeted, but he found out you sneaked out of the agency and headed to Beika Park. You should be careful."

Conan blinked, his mind going blank.

"Hakuba… was?" He did not know what to expect. Hakuba had started to suspect that something wasn't right, and clearly intended to find out. Was there a reason for his sudden action? Nonetheless, Jodie nodded, deciding to warn him on the matter.

"He was quite sharp too: he found out we are the FBI currently working undercover, though confused as to in exactly what. In the end, it was only thanks to that we managed to dissuade him for him not to get involved."

Conan listened Jodie talk in silence.

This was bad. If Hakuba knew he'd been going around with the FBI, then he was a step closer to finding out about his real self. Could he pull this off the same way as he did with Ran?

"It's not so surprising he managed to catch you off guard, Jodie." Said Akai, smiling by his side. "Hakuba Saguru is a promising detective and, in fact, quite popular in England. Being a prodigy, holder of the 'Hakuba' surname, and son of the one currently holding the highest police rank here, the press have taken a liking to him."

"Ah, so that's how it is!" Jodie slapped her hands together as she finally connected the dots, not having realized sooner due her foreigner status. "He did declare himself to be quite noticeable figure there. Solving cases so young… is he interested in taking his father's mantle one day?"

"I don't know about future plans, but for now, I believe that he is settled to focus on the Kid investigation." Was Conan's simple input, this being the impression the blond had given from their few encounters. "In any case, it definitely concerns me that he's watching me. I appreciate you warning me, Jodie-sensei."

Akai stepped in.

"This reminds me that I too had assigned a certain task last time we met." Said Akai, reaching his hand to his pocket. Stretching it back out in front of Conan, he deposited a small pendrive in between his two hands, item which the boy clenched tightly against his chest. "The intel we FBI have on Spider. James received it this evening. I remember you had requested for it?"

"Ah, yes! I did not expect you to get it so fast!" Conan let a smile take over his face, this being something he'd requested of him at his parent's house. Listening to akai, he quickly memorized the password Akai told him which protected the device, and swallowed as he imagined himself accessing the content. Information was the base every detective needed when going under any investigation. It would certainly come in handy if the assassin were to cross paths with them. "This is really handy. With Owl gone, Spider may come target us next. I don't think he nor the leader will declare vengeance on us, considering they don't know who we are and neither did Snake, but it doesn't hurt to be ready. Specially, since you intend to take ownership of this base."

"Right as always. Spider is not someone that can be taken lightly. Of course, we'll make sure to study it as well." Akai reassured him with a secretive wink, secretly revealing a mischievous side that only few knew of to Conan. "But we'll inform you all about it on our next encounter, once the rest manage to take a proper hold of this place. Should we head back, before it becomes any later?"

"..."

Looking towards Akai, Conan hesitated in his reply. With everything that had happened, the current situation just gave him a frustrated feeling. How could there be so many things left to discuss, still?

"Cool Kid. Working hard is good, but let us handle the rest for once, will you?" From behind him, Conan felt the weight of Jodie's hand gently landing into his shoulder, using it as a physical reminder of her support. "We'll meet up with both of you as soon as we uncover what's happening here. So, if you were to need anything until then, just tell us, ok?"

Conan took off a deep breath.

That's right, he was thinking things too harshly. Why was it that he kept doing this to himself? He needed to keep in mind that he wasn't alone anymore.

"Actually, there is one last thing I'd like to ask you about before I leave." Conan tilted off his head as he pulled off an enigmatic smile, catching Jodie entirely off guard. "Could you call James-san one more time?"

oOoOo

Akako took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

In order to clear up the confusing mix of images she'd 'seen' in her latest vision, she needed an extreme amount of concentration very few people would be capable of.

In the cemetery, the crows outside her house fidgeted uneasily, fluttering their wings as they wandered around, sensing their mistress's distress.

"Akako-sama, you should take a rest. You've already pushed yourself to your limits tonight, and you've been having clairvoyance problems ever since Young Master Kaito's disappearance." A raspy voice suggested, close to her, hidden from behind. "Perhaps it would have been best to inform him of the difficulties you're currently facing."

"Kaito needs to know nothing of such a thing." Akako's tone of voice was firm when she turned to face her long-time and most loyal servant. Enma was the only family she had left, and the one who knew her best. However, precisely because he knew her best, he was also the one who kept reminding of her limitations, and the one in charge to voice out sense into her. Most times, anyway. "No; this is my responsibility. Magic doesn't weaken for no reason. Besides, it's not like I can't use it. This is just-"

"Snow." He finished for her, he too being able to see it as well, from the crystal sphere. "White, small, cold, pure… and unexpected. What does it mean?"

"... I don't know." She answered, and this time she couldn't manage to conceal the worry on her voice.

Snow? As a sign? This had never happened to her before. Her crystal ball had always been complicated to figure out, just like every other tool or power that came out with predicting the future, but she'd always been able to tell something out of it.

But not this time: here, the snow wasn't blurring any other image, but stood alone. It was a clear indicator of something that would come in the near future, and was to be unavoidable. In other words:

"As the Volley Comet approaches, Pandora's magic increases. That's my interpretation of it. In any case, the situation remains the same: we're going to keep on with Kaito's rescue. And of course, we'll keep quiet about this."

"But your visions-"

"Are as complicated as always. As you already know, there are many aspects that can affect one's future, and little to do to change that future." She shook her shoulders, declaring an end to the topic. "I'll take care of this, Enma. Only a few more tests before sunrise."

"B-but…"

"Today is my working day. I promised to rest the whole day tomorrow, didn't I? Don't worry. I realize I need to be at my best, for Kaito's escape." She turned to dismiss him, pushing up the sleeves of her long tunic to focus further. "If you truly insist on staying, though, you can go prepare us a snack."

"As you wish, Akako-sama." He bowed, carefully, to avoid his hunchback from hurting too much. His old age didn't make things any easier but it helped to live with a witch that often cared for him and gave him treatment. "I won't be long." Even if she complained of Kaito overworking, he too could see how tense she was from many hours of working nonstop.

And so, Akako saw him leave from the corner of her eye.

She said that confidently but it still bothered her. Why? Because she couldn't understand: of all the things that could've appeared, why snow? It was an element that was totally opposed to hers. As a user of red magic it gave her chills. Wouldn't Pandora be associated with red as well?

She sighed.

It didn't matter.

Concentrating yet again, she pushed her hands front, and processed the right amount of mana to pull through another attempt.

She wouldn't let her magic fail in a time like this.

CHAPTER END

(1) In the previous chapter, Heiji made a deduction that referred to this: the fact that RoboKid had a serial number on him. In other words, it was implied to them that RoboKid isn't the only robot out there, and they need to watch their backs for others. Although too late now. The D111 is also another clue to support this theory, although Conan was too immersed with Owl to properly pay attention to this little detail.

(2) In case you're confused about why Jodie knows about Saguru, and why they were watching him. In chapter 9, in the Kudo's discussion with Akai, I hinted this. Conan says 'To have those two under vigilance', which is a clue of this being something that was discussed offscreen. This was my way of saying, without it being too obvious, that he wanted the FBI to also keep an eye on Hattori and Heiji, since like him, there existed the chance of one of the three of them being targeted. This was right after he promised Haibara that he wouldn't underestimate these people, so I think it makes sense.

(3) In case you're confused: Snake mentioning the assistant going to the News building was a setup to test if Masahiro was worthy of remaining a spy or not. Mantis had an eye on him. Because he decided to act on his own, and even ignored orders, Salamander killed him.

(4) I'm not too good on chemicals, and I don't know if this was the best solution, but basically I thought that the General would plan to freeze the robot to capture and study him afterwards. By heating the room, the robot needed to activate a ventilation system to regulate his temperature (like computers have fans. Seriously, they damage so easily just from this), but since the ventilation system's escape route got frozen (AKA the mouth and nose), it caused the robot to malfunction from the inside. I think it makes sense? What else could have been done?

(5) I imagined this scene as the General contacting the Police Special Assault Force to conduct this top secret operation, since they would be the experts before abnormal situations. Additionally, because they are an external unit, chances are there wouldn't be spies amongst them.

(6) Audio jammers and noise generators are specially designed devices that cause interference to the recording and listening capabilities of microphones and recorders. The white noise will disable a microphone's recording capabilities when in range. And the ultrasonic transmission cannot be heard by the human ear.

The plot thickens!

The police have set a counterattack. Owl was murdered. RoboKid rebelled. Conan 'met' Snake. Hakuba found out of the FBI collaborating with Conan. The FBI have taken control of the Lab. And Kaito & team are focusing on his escape plan for the day of his trial, but with Akako secretly worried about an uncertain future.

Many, many things were covered. Many doors were opened. And most importantly, with this plot point done, next chapters will once again focus on Kaito.

Thoughts:

After picturing last chapter's ending scene, I concluded that any old man character wearing glasses would make any of you instantly suspect Owl, so I decided to use the sweet image of a loveable pet to lower your guard. Doesn't it make sense for the old scientist to have worked on 'small projects' first?

Conan informing and requesting the FBI to prepare all that at the meeting point at Beika Park was done discreetly and offscreen during the time in between he left Poirot Cafe and returned with the Mouries. For instance, he sent a coded email to Subaru. I did not mention it, not only to surprise you, but because Conan was cautious on the possibility of RoboKid spying on him, thus did nothing to hint anything to observers.

What more…?

I want to clarify that Akai doesn't go around shooting ordinary looking dogs. He only decided to shoot the pet dog from afar after he witnessed the abnormal power he displayed at stopping Conan's ball, and realized the threat. Akai is clever, after all.

Owl's intentions are also stated here. He wants to have multiple robots infiltrate multiple areas. Like, for instance, use a future Akio Tsuchiya replica (or in disguise Kid robot) to infiltrate and research in the top quality facility without anyone ever finding out. If everyday important people slowly were to get replaced by his robotic replicas, then slowly, he'd eventually do the cliche of 'take control of the world' and be free to do whatever he wants. Change laws, increase the funding for big project investigations, imprison whomever, etc.

Thanks to these robots, the Cult came to appear as a real threat, and everyone got to see that for themselves. However, because I really like RoboKid as a character, I never intended to keep these other OC robots for long. Their purpose was fulfilled on setting a mood for Owl as a bad guy and as a visual for when RoboKid snapped.

Instead of RoboKid killing Owl like in the manga, I decided Snake to do it instead, make him look more evil, and have RoboKid kill his 'brothers' instead. Now RoboKid earned his 'free will' and can go back to being the one and only robot which holds this special spot.

The FBI found out about Owl's lab location using the badge RoboKid had stolen and kept for himself. Because Conan received the notice so soon, they had to rush and cover many kilometers in different teams while using different glasses Agase provided. By the time they found the building, Conan secretly contacted them (or Akai) about his meeting with RoboKid at Beika Park, and they decided to switch to standby and prioritized Conan.

This is all.

Take care~!