damned_institute | Nightshift 46: Entry Room

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Nightshift 46: Entry Room

[from here]

He wandered through as carefully as one could when in a rush to move. This was ridiculous. He was lingering too much on sentimental thoughts. If he wanted to get anything accomplished tonight, he needed to maintain his focus. A hospital this large with this many people... There must have been a surplus of information to find. And if this was what it looked like, it may be a good place to find it. It looked like a very standard hospital entry lobby. There had to be filing cabinets around here. Documents, evidence, something that could give him some kind of insight as to what was going on.

As he walked further into the room, Klavier slowed in his steps and found himself staring at the front door with a slight frown. ...No. It wasn't... It couldn't be. Right? He moved a bit warily toward the front door, though it wasn't due to fear or discomfort for once. There was certainly no possible way the front door would be left unlocked. He knew many people here tended to be stupid but no one was that stupid, now were they?

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Klavier reached out and... twisted the door knob. It WAS open! Inconceivable! Why of all things would the front door be open?! Mein Gott! People here were complete idiots.

However, he hesitated before pulling the door open. Yes, he was fully aware his opinion of people in general here was pretty negative, but the truth was people were not actually that dumb. He knew that. So it was impossible to imagine that, in the history of those imprisoned here (over a month or so at least), not a single person considered trying the front door. Someone had to have tried. Yet the hospital practices continued. That had to mean using the front door did not work for one reason or another. Either people were unable to find their way to a phone or... something else had happened.

He stared at the door before him for a few moments, took a deep breath, and cautiously opened the door.

He did not step out. All he did was simply look through the doorway into... pure blackness. It was a dark beyond anything he had ever seen, the kind that could only exist when one was far away from a city of any kind. Astonishing how one didn't notice the luxury of streetlights until they were gone. The dark seemed so deep, even his flashlight didn't penetrate more than a few feet ahead. Even then, the light only illuminated a thick fog.

Where... was this? How could a mental facility, even from an outsider's perspective, be built in such an isolated area? He couldn't even see a faint, distant glow that would indicate a city of any kind. Venturing out was like begging to get lost. Or worse.

As he continued to stare, he could hear... something. He couldn't quite identify it. It could have been movement. Or perhaps it was just the wind shuffling branches and leaves. No, wait. Yes, he was quite sure that was movement out there somewhere. There was also an unidentifiable set of sounds. Grumbling? Breathing? No, no, that was surely just his imagination. His paranoia playing tricks on him.

Even still, he had the distinct sensation of of being watched. Something looking out from that darkness, watching and waiting for him to dare step foot and close the door behind him. For him to voluntarily let the darkness engulf him.

He promptly shut the door.

Klavier took a few steps backward away from the door, dread still fresh in his chest. Okay. Let's... try something else, then.

He turned his back on the door and simply stood there, consciously breathing in and out and trying to rid himself of that sensation. Oh, that had not helped his paranoia at all. Traveling in the dark didn't sound like a terribly intelligent idea at the moment. In fact, he wasn't sure how he was going to muster the strength to move much of anywhere alone. Nor did he want to stay in that room anymore.

A few shaky breaths later he finally managed to start walking again. He couldn't think about this. If he did, he'd end up a distraught, trembling mess within the hour. Klavier needed distraction, a focus. Anything. Let's get back to the investigation, shall we? If one could really call it an investigation. Difficult when he barely knew what to look for anymore or where to find it. Too much to consider, too many factors beyond his control. It was grating.

In an attempt to keep himself from dwelling on the uselessness of the whole thing, he turned his attention to the reception desk closest to him. Opening the drawers yielded very little of interest: pens, rubber bands... random doodles on memo pads. Okay, if nothing else, the receptionist seemed normal enough and oblivious to the institute's antics. Thus the desk was a dead end.

The door behind the desk, however, seemed like it would be anything but. "File Room," it indicated. A part of him wondered why the room would be so blatantly labeled, but it might be best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying went. Besides, it seemed the find wasn't all that lucky seeing as the door was locked. ...Because evidently, locking the file room door was more important than locking the front door. Ach. Whatever.

So now what? Surely this was a problem he would run across again. They had to lock down anything that would hold something significant. Should he look around for keys? He had even less of an idea of where to find that than he did evidence. Did that mean he was just doomed to turn away every time he came across locked doors and desks? He frowned.

No. If he planned to get anywhere around here... he may have to take some drastic measures. Klavier gripped the pipe a bit more tightly. The lock didn't appear to be in the best of conditions. Maybe... It might be possible to simply break it. He wasn't fond of the idea; it made him feel like some kind of thief, but honestly, what were they going to do? Sue him for wrongful entry? Just let them try taking him to court.

Klavier held the flashlight at a higher angle, hoping to keep it out of the way. The last thing he needed was to bust his only source of light. He held the pipe close to one end, briefly braced his grip, and hit (more like chiseled at) the lock a few times. The sensation reverberated up his hand with each hit, surprisingly, making him feel each impact. Interesting. He'd never... really thought about it before, but he guessed that would make sense.

The lock itself didn't seem to be all that greatly affected by the efforts. He either needed to apply more sudden force or direct his aim better. So much for the "chiseling" idea. Looked like he'd have to upgrade to straight out bashing. Still holding the pipe shortly, he pulled his arm further away from the door, braced again, and slammed the end into the lock. The flashlight beam shook with the rest of him, making the lock hard to see with each hit. Irritating, but he kept at it, growing a bit more accustomed to the impacts with each strike.

A few turns of this and eventually the lock gave with an audible snap! and the tink of metal hitting the ground. Finally. His palm had been starting to get numb.

[to here]

[from here]

Sigh. He had already wasted so much time and accomplished absolutely nothing. Nothing! Was this how he was to spend his evenings? Running around in circles and fretting over every little dead end he came across? Oh, yes, he would be the laughing stock of his department should he come back and they found out how he'd behaved while in here. He was such an idiot. If he didn't produce some semblance of progress tonight, he would never forgive himself.

It didn't seem like he was going to find anything more in this room. All this place could do was remind him of his failure and wasted efforts.

[to here]

Edited 2010-01-15 03:52 (UTC)

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/779336.html?thread=64625480#t64625480).]

Kuroba was Kid.

Shinichi led the other two boys towards the file rooms, his head swimming with the implications. Kuroba Kaito was Kaitou Kid. It made sense. Too much sense. What surprised the detective the most was that he wasn't surprised. He'd suspected for a while, against his own better wishes. He hadn't wanted Kaito to be Kid. Shinichi honestly liked Kaito, and he had a healthy dose of respect for Kid. Kid was a true gentleman thief, a worthy opponent, but not someone to be friends with.

As they approached the entry room, Shinichi reached out and grabbed Kaito's shoulder, a relaxed, natural smile on his face.

"Hey, Hattori. I've got to talk to Kuroba really quick, but we'll be right behind you. I promise."

Heiji frowned lightly, eyebrows coming together. What the heck was Shinichi talking about? Split up? In this place? What if something attacked Shinichi and Kaito while he was in another room and something happened?

...well... it was just one room away. If he heard something, Heiji could come right out and help. Neither of them were armed, after all.

He flashed Kaito a confused look and an eyebrow raise, as if to say, 'I totally didn't say anything man, I don't know what he's on about either'.

"Yeah, sure..." he said, finally answering Shinichi. "I'll just get started opening those cabinets, then..."

(To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/793332.html?thread=64636660#t64636660)))

Kaito flashed Hattori a reassuring smile before the detective went into the room--'Don't worry about it; it'll be fine'--and then turned to face Kudou. If he was holding him back to talk here, it must have meant he'd caught the less-than-subtle clue Kaito had dropped for him and made all the necessary connections.

That didn't stop him from carrying on the charade a little longer, however. He was Kid now, not Kaito, and "Kaito" was just a pawn in Kid's game tonight. He'd act accordingly until Kudou called his bluff.

"Something wrong, Kudou?" he asked, looking curious.

Edited 2010-01-20 14:26 (UTC)

"You know," Shinichi started once Heiji was successfully out of earshot, "you could've saved me a panic attack and my dinner. You already know about the whole Conan thing, don't you?"

His hand still firmly gripped Kaito's shoulder to discourage the thief from getting away. But did he want to? Shinichi knew very well how skilled Kaitou Kid was from their various encounters. He could have easily escaped from the detectives long before now, had he wanted to.

"What do you want, Kuroba? You're only this sloppy when you want to be found out. So why now? What's there to be gained by revealing yourself to the guy who's trying to catch you? Not to mention Hattori. I could have called you out a while ago and torpedoed your friendship. Do you really want that?"

It was obvious that Kudou was addressing Kid now. That alone would have been good enough for him to shift gears if Kudou hadn't called him 'Kuroba'--if he was going to pull this off, he couldn't acknowledge that name in any way as Kid.

...But if he delayed the game too long, Hattori might think to check on them, and he didn't need that doubt planted in the detective's mind. He'd made it so obvious for Kudou to begin with, so perhaps he could just accept the use of the name as a little bit of mockery that was to be ignored.

Kid decided to take the risk; he'd practically been the one who had pulled Kudou aside to talk rather than the other way around, anyway. He pulled out of Kudou's grip, moving back a few steps just to put a safer distance between them, and drew himself up to stand straighter. A smirk slid into place on his lips, and his hands sought out his pockets.

"Jumping to conclusions aren't you, tantei-kun?" he said, modifying his voice to be Kid's—still so much like the one he and Kudou had in common, but with the smoother, more self-assured tone of an experienced showman. "And you say I'm being sloppy? Tsk…"

His smirk widened. "You really ought to be thanking me."

Edited 2010-01-20 22:20 (UTC)

It was really amazing, watching Kaito become Kid. He stood straighter, looked more confident; an 'average' teenager turned into a competent Phantom Thief. Even the voice was slightly different.

But only slightly.

Shinichi smirked. "Hardly. I've suspected it a while, and you could have practically thrown yourself a parade for all your subtlety just now." He watched Kid closely and marveled how strange it was to be able to look him in the eye like this. They were equals right now, in every sense of the word.

"Thanking you? How so?"

Kid laughed. "If you'd already suspected, you should have kept a stronger stomach, detective. Did you not realize until after?" He paused, as though a thought had just occurred to him. "Or do you mean you have a suspicion about who I really am…?"

He shrugged nonchalantly to brush off the notion as hardly concerning, but he was inwardly cursing himself. Kudou had already suspected a connection between "Kid" and "Kaito"? He'd always tried to be careful around the detective—in some ways, Kudou was far more dangerous to him than even Hakuba—but despite that… What had it been? The magic? Magic had been a part of his life long before Kid, and he couldn't sacrifice that for an added ounce of safety. He just couldn't.

"No matter. I've protected your little secret; if it weren't for me, Kuroba would have found out tonight," he stated.

Edited 2010-01-20 23:48 (UTC)

Shinichi arched an eyebrow. What was Kid playing at? Did he honestly expect Shinichi to believe that he was just disguised as Kuroba? Could he even disguise himself in this place? It wasn't like he could concoct theatrical-grade makeup out of white glue and macaroni.

"...Right. And you want me to believe that there just happens to be a third teenager who looks and sounds exactly like me out somewhere in the ether? It's a cute trick, Kid, but I'm not buying the act."

He straightened, staring Kuroba/Kid/Whoever directly in the eye. "And even if you're right--this'll be a shock to you, I'm sure, but I don't care right now. I don't care who you are. I'm not interested in catching you. It's not like I can just take you into custody here. It'll be a different story when we get back, but right now all I'm interested in doing is keeping what happened tonight contained and finally solving that goddamn case that Hattori and I have been working on. You don't fit into that equation. Maybe as Kuroba Kaito you do, but not as Kaitou Kid."

Edited 2010-01-21 00:03 (UTC)

"Think what you wish, but a pinch to the nose or pulling the cheeks isn't always a good test to remove a disguise," Kid said, looking entirely unperturbed by Kudou's disbelief. "I always thought you might have favored this voice, but if I was wrong... I can use another."

He changed his voice at the last word to one that would sound just as familiar to Kudou's ears: that of Mouri Ran. He continued in her voice, "I'll applaud you for your priorities, Shinichi. But even if you were interested in discovering me here, tantei-kun, I've been stealing since you were in diapers; I won't let you stop me, even after we break out of this prison."

He risked a single step closer. "As for tonight... I intend to help you, if you can stand the assistance of a criminal."

That voice. Shinichi tried to snort derisively, but he couldn't help looking disturbed. Kid knew exactly what to do to play at his emotions and shake him; it wasn't the first time he'd used Ran like this. The detective clenched his fists at his sides, trying to get himself back in control. Emotions were dangerous for an investigator. They clouded logic and judgement and could be the difference between catching a killer and letting one walk free.

He took a deep breath. "If you truly want to help us, I will gladly accept that help," he said slowly, ignoring everything else. "The moment you step out of line, however, our little truce will be history. Understand?"

Sighing, Shinichi added, "And what about Hattori? Are you going to parrot his friends back at him too, or am I just special like that?"

Edited 2010-01-21 00:40 (UTC)

"I'll be on my best behavior, tantei-kun," Kid answered, still using Ran's voice. "I trust you won't reveal me to Hattori tonight--there would have been no reason speaking in private if you'd intended that--so there'll be no need for me to use any voice but Kuroba's."

He grinned. "I hope you won't be too disappointed."

Maybe tonight would even work out in his favor. He knew now about Kudou's suspicions and guesses, and the idea that they might be able to stay on the same side until they were back home in Japan was almost comforting. He still needed to protect himself, to prevent them from becoming sure beyond any possible doubt of who he really was, but if Kudou was willing to put their rivalry aside even for a moment... There might be something worth doing with that.

He'd have to keep it in mind.

Edited 2010-01-21 01:16 (UTC)

"Good."

Shinichi ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't concentrate, not when Kid kept insisting on using that voice.

"We've worked together before, haven't we?" He managed finally, sounding tired. "The airplane, and then at the theme park. Because that was you, wasn't it? Pretending to be Hakuba?"

"On the short term, yes, when our goals have happened to coincide," Kid agreed with a curt nod.

He laughed again, the sound almost like a giggle in the feminine voice. "It's too late to ask me that now, great detective. I may reveal myself when confronted, but I won't answer old suspicions. Maybe I was Hakuba that day and maybe I wasn't, but you won't hear which from me. Exposure ruins any illusion, after all... But you should understand that already, since I talked to you about Thurston's principles once before."

Edited 2010-01-21 04:06 (UTC)

Shinichi was going to deck Kid if he kept using that voice. He really was. It was entirely too distracting...which was what the thief wanted, of course.

"Sure, a magician never performs the same trick twice," he replied, sounding bored. "Purple Nail Pair." Why Kid was bringing that up he had no idea, but he was going to go with it for now. "What, are you going to pull a rabbit out of your pocket or something? The way out of this hellhole, perhaps? If not, we should go join Hattori. He's got to have his hands full with all those files. Also..."

The detective looked up and stared Kid right in the eyes. "If you want to get back to Tokyo nearly as badly as I think you do, our goals 'coincide.' Don't forget that."

"Our goals may coincide, but I don't expect to work together like this again, tantei-kun. Tonight's truce is just for tonight," Kid said, flashing him one last cocky grin.

The smile faded into a friendlier one, one that was not part of Kid's usual repertoire. He took his hands from his pockets, and though he idly twirled a syringe in his fingers with more flair than Kaito usually did as a reminder of who he really was tonight, Kaito again stood where Kid had been mere seconds ago.

His voice was back in place, too. "C'mon, Hattori's probably having a hard time of it if anything in there's locked," he said casually. Kaito gestured towards the door. "After you."

"Fine, whatever," Shinichi snapped. He was losing patience with Kid. At least he'd stopped using Ran's voice, though. It really was interesting to see Kid revert back into Kaito, seeing his posture and mannerisms change in ways that were so subtle and yet so important. No wonder that the mysterious Phantom Thief was such a master of disguise. He had the body language down pat...assuming that Kid was, in fact, in disguise and not just going back to his main alter-ego. Shinichi wasn't at all convinced that Kid wasn't Kaito.

"Yeah, let's go."

[rejoining Heiji here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/793332.html?thread=64636660#t64636660).]

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Nightshift 46: Entry Room

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