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i see this going around on plurk

The K I D N A P P E D Meme

You've just been spirited away against your will and oh no! What will happen next?

THE SCENARIOS

Friendly Kidnapping: It might just be for a talk over coffee. Maybe someone wants to go out for a wild night on the town and needs someone to go with them. Whatever the case may be, they want you to come with them and they aren't taking no for an answer.
Romantic Kidnapping: Perhaps it's similar to the friendly kidnapping and you're now on a surprise date. Or it could be something more dramatic. You're about to be married against your will to the Baron Einzbern and your true love is here to rescue you! (Or maybe your kidnapper is trying to get all Stockholm on you. This could be creepy romantic kidnapping.)
Tough Love Kidnapping: You're slacking off on your training and the dread dragon is going to attack in a month. Or you're ignoring your deadlines. Deadlines? What deadlines? Either way, your kidnapper's going to make sure you get your stuff done one way or another.
Serious Kidnapping: You have a murdergame you need to get participants for and...no one's going to volunteer so you need to take matters into your own hands. Or it's for ransom. Or something else. Hostages? Your friend isn't taking the threat on their lives seriously so you need to intervene?
Some Other Kidnapping Motivation: Maybe you're just really bored.

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[ He's not sure what this man is getting at-yes, he did happen to be around a lot of cases-many of them high profile and locked rooms but so were the people whose voices he frequently used to solve those cases. Although admittedly, there were some cases that Agasa "solved" that Kogoro wasn't around for and vice versa. ]

[ ...maybe it wasn't that hard to find the common denominator. ]

[ Beyond his years. Again, the wording choice has carefully concealed anxiety coursing through him.
He can't focus on that or else his cover would be blown. He should focus instead on the identity of his captor. ]

[ The fact that he's said he has contacts in the police as well as the FBI is telling enough-As is the fact that the FBI would willingly tell him information that isn't officially on record. So this is someone that both police and FBI trust implicitly. Obviously, the man was a detective based on the mention of 'his case' but what detective, other than himself, would have clout with the FBI and the Japanese Police? ]

[ A detective that has ties to both and has access to the most confidential information. ]

L.

[ He says simply. ]

You're L.

[Honestly to start with, L had been trying to provoke a reaction with calling attention to Conan's age, wondering if being thought of as a child would rankle someone of his intellect and capabilities. But it's yielded more fruit than that. The careful, practiced non-reaction is enough for L to latch on to. The absence of a thing, when something is too perfect is as much something to note as its opposite.

Well. It means that he's found a spot to poke at.

In the meantime he pauses as he's reaching for another pastry, turning to look at Conan, dark eyes fixed on him for a moment.]

Yes. That's right.

[And back to grabbing up another profiterole.]

[ Huh. The tension that had lined his shoulders relaxed a little as Conan looked him over again-this time armed with the knowledge that this was the famous L. He wasn't exactly what Shinichi would have thought-but knowing that L was probably the most reclusive detective on the planet maybe he should have-it didn't look like he'd slept a day in his life. ]

[ Since L's identity has been established, Conan finally moves over to the coffee table and takes a seat on the other side but still doesn't move to partake in any of the sweets. ]

So, is it that case that you mentioned?

Edited (html fail) 2017-12-31 04:38 (UTC)

[So Conan is sharp enough to keep his wits about him even when he'd been ushered with no warning into a strange car, no sight cues allowed, clever enough to figure out where he is. And then to also put together L's identity so quickly -- and it is no blind guess. L knows there were enough pieces to put it together, and he'd watched a child who should barely be learning long division piece it into the full picture in a matter of moments.

This boy could hold his own against any of the children in Wammy's House, for certain, even the two at the top of L's list for his successors. But that is beside the point. For the time being.

His first answer to the question is a nod, as his mouth is quite full, but he speaks a moment later,]

The Kira case, yes. The killer who can kill even when he's not present, with nothing more than a name and a face. So you can understand a bit the tactics to bring you here. I'd hate to have anyone associated with me caught as collateral damage, though that likelihood is low. Very few are aware of my identity here, and of those few I trust almost all of them entirely.

[Except the one he's pretty sure is Kira. Minor detail.]

But just in case, it would be best if your real name remains secret. [This is a statement he's only about 75% sure of -- that Edogawa Conan is an alias, a clever one, but nevertheless.]

[ Was this really something that he wanted to get mixed up in? As fascinating as he found the Kira case to be it was also way out of his comfort zone and he was currently working on taking out a much more dangerous enemy. ]

[ He freezes at the words 'your real name.' It's probably not a bad thing if L knows he isn't using his real name but no one else could know that Edogawa Conan was only an alias.]

That won't be a problem. However, I need to know that my involvement will be kept secret from everyone-including your team.

[No argument about the alias then? L will consider it confirmed. More and more interesting. The young detective across from him presents his own mystery, one that L is far too interested in. He has enough on his mind already, with the Kira investigation.

And yet, he's already trying to run through what he's learned about Conan, in his research and here today.]

No, no one at all should know -- though Watari is aware of your presence here, as he was kind enough to collect you. In any case, your involvement should be kept to the absolute minimum. Nothing leaves this room save what you can keep in your memory. No notes, no writings of any kind.

[He sets aside his once-more empty plate and leans forward.] It's probably selfish and reckless to involve you, but I'll admit I would appreciate a fresh set of eyes -- without the same inherent biases that the police carry with them.

[In particular in regards to the fact that L's prime suspect is the chief's teenage son.] That and I'm interested to see if you're as good as I believe you are.

[ Conan scoffs slightly at the idea of him needing to take notes. He does happen to have a note pad to write the occasional note in but for the most part he's perfectly capable of remembering important details all on his own. ]

[ 'With out the same inherent biases...' he stores the words to later analyze to his heart's content. Though it sounds like L and the police aren't seeing eye to eye on something. ]

It is a risk. [ He admits. ] But, I don't know that I could live with myself if I thought there was a way I could help and didn't.

[L is silent for a moment. There is something about this boy... Yes. He does need to figure it out. He doesn't get the sense in any of this conversation that he's talking to a child, certainly not one so young. Conan is clearly extraordinarily bright, but even that doesn't account for the maturity he's seeing in him.

Curious. Very, very curious.

For now he tucks those thoughts away and reaches over to beside the table, drawing out a few folders. He sets them on the table in the portion not occupied by snacks.]

It is a risk, and one that I would not blame you or anyone from turning away from. But your resolve is admirable. [His hand rests on the folders still, keeping them closed.] I will keep the risk as minimal as possible -- no one will know about this conversation, this meeting, save for Watari. If anyone somehow catches wind that it happened, the explanation is simple: an acquaintance in the FBI mentioned a bright young Japanese boy with impressive detective skills. I was curious to meet such a child.

[He removes his hand then, leaving the files to Conan to peruse. It's all the basic information that they've collected: the reports on the victims (criminals broadcast on the news whose names and faces had been shown, with the caveat that criminals names who had been misstated or misspelled had not been targeted, that criminals whose faces were not known had not been targeted), the circumstances of the FBI agents and their deaths, in particular the movements of Raye Penber, profiles of the various suspects within the police department and their families, everything up to this point (though distilled) -- the second Kira has not yet appeared, or else L wouldn't take the risk of exposing a child, no matter how clever, if he knew that people could be killed based on sight alone.]

Take a look. And please, take your time.

[ Conan just offers a small nod. It's not a secret among the police station that he's acquainted with people in the FBI. Agents Jodie and Camel had even helped the police with a few cases so the explanation likely wouldn't be questioned. ]

[ There's a feeling of excitement growing as he reads through the files-the burning feeling when he doesn't understand something that ignites his curiosity. ]

[ He reads through everything available in order by the date-careful to pay close attention to details-anything and everything that might shed some light on things. ]

[ He's particularly interested in the details behind the deaths of the FBI agents. It wasn't public knowledge that the FBI was even in Japan-and the fact that the agents he was most familiar with weren't killed as well stands out to him-it meant that Kira didn't know about their being stationed in Japan so Kira couldn't have had access to the full FBI database. The only way he could have possibly known the FBI was even in Japan was if he'd seen a badge. ]

Which one of the FBI agents was stupid enough to show Kira their badge?

[ Callous? Yes. However, the fact of the matter was that it was a stupid move and Shinichi had little patience or pity for stupid. ]

[L, for his part, is silent, watching Conan as he goes through the various notes and details in the case file. He isn't surprised that the other detective's interest has been piqued. Objectively, the Kira case is unlike any other that L (and likely the world) has ever seen, given how the killer can reach his victims from seemingly anywhere.

When Conan does speak up, L's lips curve up ever so slightly. It is callous, of course, but it's the blunt and indelicate sort of question that he would ask. It doesn't earn friends, but it does get to the heart of the matter.

He shifts in his seat so he can lean forward, sliding a few pages closer to Conan.]

Raye Penber, I believe. His behavior on the day of his death was out of the ordinary. And then there's the disappearing envelope... [Long fingers tap at the pictures, Penber going through the turnstile with the envelope beneath his arm, Penber dying with no envelope to be seen.]

I believe Kira made contact with Penber that day -- perhaps through a proxy, perhaps in person, though that does seem unlikely -- and used him to acquire the names of the FBI agents assigned to this case. And yes, sometime prior to this, Penber must have been put in a situation where his hand was forced into presenting his identification. No one knew the FBI was involved, so Kira must have found out somehow.

From the beginning, it's nearly certain that Kira had access to the records and files of the Japanese police, so even they did not know that the FBI had sent agents. Well. Given that the agents were here to investigate them, I suppose it would've been counterproductive if they were informed.

[ Conan takes his time reviewing the files and finds the evidence supports L'z theory pretty solidly. The problem, of course, is that it's all conjecture. It does mean though, that it was highly likely that Kira had noticed an FBI tail and forced the agents hand. The FBI really should have made each agent a different badge with a different name on it. ]

[ No use worrying about that now. Now he needed to figure out what would cause an FBI agent to show their badge to someone. The first thing Kira would have to do would be to remove control from the agent and force him to act out of desperation. Therefore, there must have been some form of desperate situation. ]

Do you have or can you get a record of all the major crimes that happened from the day before Penber's death and the time the FBI originally started investigating their suspects?

[ Just because there was no record of Penber having been witness to some crime didn't mean that he hadn't. People skipped out on police statements all the time and police didn't always take statements that same day. ]

[Those precautions are ones that L has taken, but the FBI, well, they weren't supposed to be here officially. In retrospect, redundant safeguards would have been useful. L should have insisted on it, but he'd only made the request for the agents; they'd run themselves.

As Conan speaks up again, L can't help a spark of excitement -- though it's barely visible in his expression, which is measured as it always is -- at the question he's asked. Good. This kid's instincts are spot on.]

I do, yes. [He will find that particular file now, sliding it across the table.] The other point to notice is that around this time, Kira started experimenting. It's not public knowledge, but Kira is able to control the actions -- at least to some extent -- of his victims in the time before their deaths.

[L leans back in his chair.] The problem is, Penber didn't disclose any particular incidents. If he'd been forced to show his badge, it should have been in his notes. But I agree it's the clearest explanation of how Kira could have found him out.

[L doesn't like it; it's a sloppy oversight by the agent, at best. And, well... it's also left them at a dead end.]

Edited 2018-01-01 02:41 (UTC)

[ If Penber had made it to agent status with the FBI and was chosen to investigate potential Kira suspects then Conan would like to assume he wasn't a complete moron. However, his opinion of the guy is lessening by the second. ]

So, he either never got the chance to report it, or didn't feel the need because Kira gained his trust.

[ He starts on the file containing the list of crimes committed in the short amount of time between the agent death and the start of his investigation. The three Kid heists can be ruled out as well as the two-three that he solved, and of course no domestic disputes would even be considered. That left only two incidents-A failed bank robbery and a bus jacking. Both involved hostages and both involved the same robber. The difference being that the robber died during the bus jacking incident. More than that though, his actions were way off kilter. ]

This one.

[ He says decidedly. ]

This is the incident he'd shown his badge during. None of Osereda's motivations make sense. He didn't have an exit strategy based on the fact he showed his face immediately upon entering the bus. Usually, when a criminal shows you their face they don't intend on letting you live-and there weren't enough bullets in the gun for each passenger.

Not only that, but it doesn't make sense that he'd ask for Spaceland's financial records-that'd be like alerting the park he wanted to rob it-which again calls attention to the fact he didn't have an exit strategy.

[One of those two things, yes. Though L thinks that Penber likely mentioned some greater detail to his fiancee. Misora Naomi. L's experience with her, he's certain her disappearance means something, and nothing good at all. For now that hasn't yet made it into the file. It's hard to condense it down to writing, after all, without getting into his past dealings with the former FBI agent in the BB killings.

L leaned forward. The bus-jacking. He considered one moment before reaching for the schedule that he'd also included on the file. For the time being he held it delicately between his fingers, listening as Conan laid out his theory and his deduction.]

You believe that Kira was controlling him. You've taken note of his cause of death. If this crime was somehow Kira's doing, that would mean that Kira can kill in a manner other than a heart attack.

[Which opens the floodgate of possibilities, but also is a fascinating new detail.] The bus-jacking falls in the span of days that we'd identified before as the window for when Penber would have had to first come in contact with Kira.

Aa.. he must have. [ As much as Shinichi doesn't like the idea of something potentially supernatural in nature that much was pretty much proven the moment Kira killed Lind L. Taylor on Localized Television. ]

It's already been proven that he can control a victims actions before their time of death so there's really nothing to bar the possibility that he couldn't kill them in other ways. He's only using heart attacks on the inmates so that he has a clear M.O. It's misdirection in a way.

So the question becomes 'who was Penber investigating at the time of the bus jacking?

[The deduction is sound. They have no proof that Kira can or can't kill in other ways, but it's a solid theory. And if they follow it out, L nods to himself. It plays, it holds together. And the bus jacker, if L's memory serves correctly, he'd committed a crime that had been broadcast on television the day before. That holds together as well.

Then that question. The schedule held so delicately in his fingers. He set it down on the table, tapping a finger against it. The names have been redacted and instead labeled with letters.]

A member of my taskforce, and his family. In particular though... [He nudged forward the profile of Yagami Light -- though again the name and identifying information had been redacted. Mostly this was to be certain that Conan didn't get himself in trouble googling. He wouldn't forgive himself if he allowed someone else to put themselves on Kira's radar, and the internet was too helpful in that regard.]

[ Conan is definitely smart enough to work everything out on his own, even with the missing pieces of information. The problem is really that he wouldn't bother to google the information but go right to the source. It's pretty obvious that Kira would have had to have had access to the police database which would suggest someone in or close to the police. ]

[ Unfortunately, Occhan was never called in to consult on the Kira case and no matter how hard he'd tried no one in first division would tell him who was even on the case other than it had been handed over to violent crimes. ]

[ He shakes his head to get the thought out. He can't risk his identity in this. ]

If you want my help you're going to have to fill me in on the missing information. I could probably work it out on my own but I'd rather not. It isn't just my life that's at stake if I do.

It's your life that concerns me. If I provide you this information, can I be certain you'll resist looking into these individuals further on your own? Even if you are a child, I doubt Kira would do more than hesitate to kill you, if he perceived you as a threat. There's a consistent ruthlessness in him, driven by his twisted views of "justice."

[L sighs and sits back (as much as he ever sits back, more a shift of his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels, regarding the boy across from him. No, he's wrong about that. Even letting him see this much, there's something in Conan that won't stop, and the other detective is clever enough to fill in the blanks on his own, given enough time and effort -- effort that may place him closer to harm's way than just giving him the information to begin with.]

...I see. [He adds a moment later, unfolding himself to rise to his feet,] I've already brought you to that point, haven't I? Will you at least assure me that you won't approach the suspect? And of course, I'll need your promise that no one else can be given any of this information. Their lives may well depend on your ability to keep a secret as well.

[He's already moving to retrieve (from a case Watari was kind enough to leave for him earlier) un-redacted versions of the files.]

[ Part of him, of course, wants to poke the bear. To see if he could stop it before more lives are lost but if all he ends up doing is losing his cover-which was highly possible when gambling with his identity-then all he would have managed would be to get everyone killed. It wouldn't be worth it. ]

[ Even knowing that, the desire to investigate anyway is still strong. More than that though,
part of him is needling him about the Organisation. What do They think of all this and how closely were They watching the case? Sooner or later Kira was bound to kill someone involved with Them and when that happened he didn't really want to think about how the organization might react. ]

[ As much as Shinichi didn't want to drag another person into this war with the Organisation he really should at least alert L that They could lurking somewhere nearby, possibly even among the task force already. His gaze shifts down to the kettle of tea and he takes a few small breaths, trying to think about best to explain that situation was likely much worse than either L or Kira was aware of. ]

...I'm not in a position where I can even use my real name.

[ He finally admits, voice much quieter. ]

[L is making his way back across the room with the additional files, leafing through them to find the pages he wants when Conan speaks. It's quiet enough that he almost misses it.

Ah. Well. He's established that the name the boy is using is an alias. But to hear it admitted so plainly, does this mean that Conan is in a sharing mood? L should probably be sensitive, let the boy come to whatever he's building to in his own time. But L is not good at sensitive; it's only of his less pleasant characteristics, really.

He continues over, setting the files down, standing beside where Conan is sitting. No hesitation before he lets another theory fly, though it's an incomplete one at best,]

Or act your real age?

[The child is far too self-contained, possessed of more restraint and maturity for a boy his age -- even a remarkably intelligent one. Emotional intelligence was a different animal altogether, after all. And the carefully restrained reactions when L prodded at his youth. Well, it's as good a theory as he has -- though the how of it is still a mystery. Some genetic cause, maybe even congenital? Or a cause that was introduced later, to either slow or reverse the aging cycle -- perhaps also genetic, an alteration of DNA?],/small>

[ For the first time, he allows a moment of alarm to show on his face. It doesn't last more than a few seconds though and he just offers a small nod. ]

...seventeen.

[ He admits, trying not to think too hard about how much about how uncomfortable he is talking about this. It would be fine-he had several allies that knew the truth. ]

My real name is Kudou Shinichi. I'm only telling you this because the people that tried to kill me are probably going to try and go after Kira too. Only it isn't justice that they want.

[Kudou Shinichi. A faint furrowing of his eyebrows, as L considers, before recognition. Yes. He does know that name. Maybe it's his vanity in a way, but he keeps track of any up and coming detectives of note -- he has some vested interest in knowing who is considered the world's best detectives, or at least a couple of his aliases do.]

I know that name. You had quite a reputation as a brilliant, somewhat less-young detective...

[A moment before he adds,] While I appreciate knowing, it's better if it isn't mentioned between us again. Too much rides on names these days. And it sounds as though that may be doubly true for you.

[If people tried to kill him... They likely believe they succeeded? Or at least did at the time, and at the very least, they haven't yet connected Kudou Shinichi to Edogawa Conan. Better that they didn't. And better that Kira never could.]

And who are those people?

I don't know. It's an organisation-and it's global. It's the reason James Black-san and his team are in Japan.

[ He isn't sure just how much James would have told L about the case that he'd been consulting on. Although, organised crime likely wasn't L's usual forte. ]

The PSB are also involved and the MI6, CSIS, and German Federal Intelligence service all recently lost their undercover agents when They got a hold of all the non-official covers. Adding to that, I'm fairly certain they have their own members mixed in with the police.

[ Based on a number of cases that have been swept under the rug-particularly the details of the case involving Haibara's sister's murder. ]

[Organized crime is not usually where L's interests bring him, though with what Conan has to say, it sounds slightly more complex and complicated than bloodlines of old yakuza or mafia families and competitions over territory and market share.

And if so many are involved in the investigation.]

I see. And as a criminal organization, even secret, it's likely at some point they may attract Kira's attention. The fact that they haven't yet speaks to their talent for secrecy.

[Kira has gone through a few particularly ruthless stretches with murdering criminals recently.] Police contacts probably help with that, but eventually something may make the news even if it's only tangentially related.

[ Shinichi isn't sure if he'd consider it a 'talent' per-say. Then again, despite his generally abrasive personality he is rather soft-hearted. ]

They're... thorough [ He decides is the best way to describe it. If They weren't so efficient then he wouldn't be so afraid of Them now. Given that he's been hiding from them for the better part of a year now he's learned exactly why he should fear them. ]

They'll take out anything even vaguely suspicious. Most of their crimes get written off as accidents, or terrorist attack depending on the scale-They were behind the attacks on Tokyo Tower and Beika City's Aquarium.

If any of their members are exposed they... dispose of them quickly so they're difficult to track.

[ But all of this, while important to note, at the moment just feels like rambling. ]

For obvious reasons, I don't want the Organisation getting to Kira. However, on the opposite side of the scale I don't want Kira discovering anything about the Organisation because... I think they're after immortality.

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