AN: Hello, the next chapter is finished! After so long! So many rewrites! But it's done! I don't even know what it was about this one that caused so many problems- I think it's just simply because there were so many ways from which I could approach this chapter, that it was hard to settle on what, exactly, I wanted. But it's finished now, so have it!

As always, thanks for reading, and it would be lovely if you could leave a review! Until next time!

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Chapter Eighteen

Tradeoff

Kawaguchi Souma.

He'd seen his name and his photograph before, but not even the barely comprehensible fragments of memory could fully prepare him for coming face to face with the man who had brought him into this world. It was an absurd to think, he realized, but for some reason, the only found himself thinking in that instant was that he hadn't expected him to look that much like him.

It would seem that age wasn't enough of a dividing force after all.

Drawing in as much of a breath as he could manage, Heiji watched as the man was lead into the room. It was more than just their shared face that made his skin crawl, and in the instant that his attention turned towards him, he had to bite back the urge to flinch.

Forget proving himself to be more than just a simple lab rat- he didn't think he could convince this guy that he was even human.

"As you can see," he faintly made out that woman, Chris Vineyard- no, Vermouth, speaking, "...what we promise, we deliver."

The man, who had been silent up until now, spoke, and in doing so, made a chill run down his spine. "So it would seem."

Even their voices were far too alike.

Honestly, it was like looking into his face from the future- provided that he would even get a chance to live that long. That was a somber thought, and one that he didn't feel was like him, but underneath that man's gaze, it was hard not to think that way.

But like hell it would be enough to make him give up. Biting his lip, Heiji forced himself to draw in a long breath, trying to steady his own thoughts. He'd already confronted the fact that he was a clone, and one made by and from someone that frankly, he didn't want to share anything with at all, much less his entire genetic sequence. It was only just that actually coming face to face with the man had brought everything home to him in a way that it hadn't yet.

But he could handle this. Really. It wasn't his style to go down without a fight, and as much of one as he could give, he would.

Even if it didn't amount to much.

"Of course, you're welcome to look him over yourself." He could feel goose bumps raise on the back of his neck at the mere implications of the actress' words. An examination? By this bastard? And in front of Kudo's enemies, at that? Count him out! "To ensure that we are not deceiving you."

"I fully intend to." Kawaguchi spoke again- hearing his voice didn't get any easier the second time around, Heiji found himself thinking. "Though if this were some kind of trick, I would have to say that you would likely have no need for my research in the first place. It looks entirely as I expected it to."

He heard the implications of his words loud and clear- that he could recognize his younger self in him. It was enough to make him want to vomit, not that he had that much in his stomach to begin with. The fact that he could acknowledge that much, and yet still look at him in that way...

...at the very least, he was confident that when it came to the battle of humanity, he'd already won. That he hadn't turned out like this... he had to wonder if that was part of the reason his old man had always worked so hard to ensure that he didn't get too full of himself.

He'd have to thank him later- but only after he got angry at him for keeping so much from him.

The snap of rubber gloves made him flinch, even as they snapped him back out of his thoughts. There was fear there, written into his reaction- a long buried reaction, a trauma, one might say. Watching as the man approached him, making sure his gloves were in place, he fought the urge to bury himself more in the corner, wishing that he wasn't handcuffed right now.

He was surprised that Amuro had even bothered, given how weak he was. But he guessed that after his little disappearing act, he wasn't about to give him any further chances. He could probably slip out of them if he tried, though the wrist that had been cuffed to the bed was still raw from the last time, stinging every time it rubbed up against his skin.

Still, that, and the chills he had gotten had woken him up. The most he could probably do was stall for time, in hopes that someone would come to save him, and even though that thought made him feel far too much like a damsel for his tastes, he wasn't about to pass up a chance to help save himself just because of something like that.

Besides, it would give him an excuse to mouth off at this bastard- and even if he couldn't convince him that he was worth something more than just being a research sample, he still had a load of things he wanted to say. He'd say them until he was sick of them- or until his voice ran out, whichever came first.

Drawing in a long, haggard breath, Heiji jerked his head upwards, forcing himself to make eye contact with the one he frankly, wanted to avoid it with. It gave the man pause, if only for a second- as if he hadn't expected that kind of intensity in his eyes.

Good. That was exactly what he wanted, that reaction. Maybe there was no meaning to anything, but then again, he'd always had a reputation for being stubborn.

"I don't know if ya heard, but I'm not an it." Heiji spoke up- and for a moment, he almost feared that his voice wasn't loud enough to hear. "I have a name, no thanks ta ya. It's Hattori Heiji. Ya'd best use it, asshole."

Pause, again- and the arch of a single brow. So he had heard him.

"I see." It was slight, but his tone had somewhat shifted from that irritating monotone he spoke with- how could a voice that sounded so much like his own speak without any passion? "So you learned how to speak."

"I learned a hell lot more than just that, ya rotten bastard." Heiji spat, narrowing his eyes, dragging up as much energy as he could- and fighting the still present urge to shrink back further in his corner, combating whatever long buried trauma was currently trying to surface. He couldn't exactly blame his child self for being terrified of this guy- in a strange way, it was almost comforting to think that he had been.

It made him feel more real.

"Mm." Taking a step forward, now all but hovering over him, Kawaguchi's expression barely shifted. When he spoke again, it was with the faintest hint of disdain in his voice. "As I thought, Makino-san's methods left far too much to be desired. Still, given that you've managed to last for this long, I suppose there's some merit to her work after all."

Makino-san? He recognized that name, if only a little. Makino Suzume... wasn't she the female researcher, the only body found at the scene of the fire that had been able to be identified right away? Something about being found in a separate room... and with that piece of information, as well as the disdain in Kawaguchi's voice, something clicked into place.

And strangely enough, he almost felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders.

What. So he hadn't just been a simple lab rat after all.

"I plan ta last a lot longer than this, old man." Heiji told him- oh, that earned a twitch, that last part. Well, that figured- from what he read, his motivation for creating clones in the first place was to escape the effects of aging and the eventual death it would lead to. He'd stick to calling him that, then.

"Doubtful." Kawaguchi observed. "By my calculations, your body shouldn't have lasted for longer than ten years on it's own. That it's managed five beyond that is something that I'm quite interested in, actually."

...well, that he didn't like the sound of. If he hated the idea of kicking the bucket at seventeen, then the idea of doing so at twelve...

Or at ten, he guessed. He'd come to accept the clone part, but he was frankly still trying to wrap his head around the part where he was actually two years younger than he'd previously thought. If Kazuha were to learn he was actually only around fifteen around this whole time, she would for sure never let him live it down.

...ah, crap. Thinking about Kazuha had been a mistake.

"I'm known fer bein' stubborn." Forcing his thoughts away from her, Heiji tilted his head back, making sure to look him square in the eye. "I don't have any intention ta just curl up an' die as yer damn lab rat."

"Mm." Merely arching a brow again, Kawaguchi turned on his heel, this time, his gaze falling on Amuro. "I don't suppose you have anything with which you can use to put it to sleep? I'm afraid I wasn't able to carry any such things with me on the flight over."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Amuro simply replied, that plastic smile of his spreading out across his face. "I would be more than happy to lend it to you, Kawaguchi-san."

"What, ya don't wanna chat with me?" Heiji asked, narrowing his eyes. "An' ta think this is our grand reunion, dad!"

Just calling him that made him both want to vomit and to apologize to his actual father- who come to think of it, he hadn't called dad in ages. Not to his face, at any rate.

"Thought ya would have been a bit more happy ta see yer child all grown up!" Heiji continued, even as he watched Amuro produce what was surely chloroform. He couldn't say that he hadn't entirely expected this result, but since it was coming his way, he was going to mouth off as much as possible in the remaining minute or so of consciousness he likely had.

It put him in a bad situation, to be sure- but he'd just have to hope that his faith in Kudo had been well placed. Not that he had even so much as a single doubt.

"Though, I guess it's less like a son, an' more like seein' yer own dang face." Heiji noted, forcing a grin onto his face. "Though if ya ask me, between the two of us, I'd definitely have ta say that I'm the better lookin'. Not ta mention what's up with that creepy standard Japanese? If ya worked in the Kansai area, ya should damn well talk like it, old man!"

"...you really don't know when to shut up, do you."

It was the only remark that Heiji got out of him before the chloroform drenched handkerchief was applied to his face. Even as he watched the man's visage dance in his eyes, feeling his consciousness leave him, he couldn't help but feel strangely victorious about it.

Ah, but he hadn't said everything he wanted to say just yet, and so, just before he completely gave into the blackness that was threatening to claim him-

"Go fuck yerself, geezer."

It looked like his instincts had been right on the mark after all.

Though it was faint, he could make out a hint of light from up ahead. Though he couldn't tell what the building in question had once been, he could tell that it was being used for something now- and that there were people in there. As indicated by the tire tracks, there were two cars out in front, including the one that they had followed. The other, he supposed, must have belonged to Amuro.

It looks like his hunch about them changing locations was spot on the money too. Switching off his wristwatch flashlight for the moment, Conan made a careful survey of the area, using the light of the windows to guide his way. From what he could tell, it didn't seem as if there was anyone watching the place, so...

He could move a little closer up.

Pausing for a moment in front of the cars, he carefully placed a transmitter on the undercarriage of each. If things didn't work out here, he didn't want to lose track of them. Based on what Jodie had said, it was likely that the other part of their deal was a new research facility- one that he doubted was in Osaka.

Once the exchange was settled, he imagined that Kawaguchi would like to go straight there. Transport was probably in order- and since the major roads leading out of the prefecture all had police roadblocks along them, it was unlikely they would be leaving the prefecture by car. Train, of course, was entirely out of the question- which left only one option.

Air.

If they got him on a plane, he might really never see him again. Above all else, he couldn't allow that to happen.

Turning his attention to the building looming before him, he couldn't help but grimly note how much it looked like a prison. The windows were far too high up for him to see anything out of, and it looked as if the walls were fairly sturdy too. Creeping towards the front door, he pressed his ear up against it, narrowing his eyes as he could barely make out any sound.

Pulling away, Conan frowned, glancing back up towards the nearest window. If he used his shoes, he could probably grab the ledge and pull himself up, but there was no way he was going to get in past those bars. He might be small, but he wasn't that small.

He'd rather avoid alerting anyone inside of his presence, too. Making his way to the window, he strained his ears, just faintly able to make out the sound of voices coming from inside. Though he couldn't make out what they were saying, he could tell that there were at least three people inside- likely to be Vermouth, Kawaguchi, and Bourbon.

And of course, Heiji. It bothered him that he couldn't make out his voice, but there was a high chance that he might be out cold, or at the very least, didn't have the voice left to speak. If that was the case, then he would have to bank everything he had on the hope that Vermouth was in a generous mood towards him today.

With any luck, she would agree to what he asked of her. He didn't like it, the idea of letting her get away again, to miss a chance to grasp a lead towards them- but Heiji's safety and well being came first.

As well as the capture of Kawaguchi Souma.

Without him, they could probably devise a way to keep Heiji alive, with time. They had someone on their side that at the age of eighteen, had already become a highly valued researcher, after all. With him, however, things would move much quicker- even if the man himself didn't have interest in keeping the clone that he had created alive, he wouldn't let him have much of a say in the matter.

He had made him, the very least he could do was take responsibility for the existence he had brought into the world. Though given the way his own sister had spoken of him, he doubted that he'd ever done so, not once in his life.

Drawing away from the window, Conan searched for a good hiding place. In order to pull things off, he would need to knock out both Amuro and Kawaguchi. The tranquilizer dart would be fine for the latter, but as for the former...

...he couldn't help but want him to feel just a bit of pain- so a soccer ball to the face it was. He didn't care if he thought that doing this would advance him further in the Organization, and allow him to gain more information, the price of it wasn't worth it.

What did he think the cost of a human life was? Or was it just because he assumed that Heiji wouldn't live for very long anyways? Whatever the case, his reasons didn't matter.

Finding the perfect spot, Conan settled down to wait. From here, nobody would be able to see him until he got a good blow in- and after that, he could only hope it would be too late to react. Take out Amuro first, and then Kawaguchi. And after that...

...try to convince Vermouth to help him, he supposed.

Haibara, he thought dimly, would very much not like this plan. But at the moment- he didn't quite have anything better.

"Yes, yes. Then, I'm counting on you."

Hanging up the phone with a long sigh, Agasa slumped in his seat ever so slightly. Checking the time, he noted that it had almost been thirty minutes since Shinichi had left them- and he couldn't help but worry about him. He sounded like he was fairly confident that he could handle things, but...

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Ai noted, barely even glancing up at him.

"Naturally." Agasa stated plainly, turning to look down at the girl. "What about you?"

"I'm worried that he'll get all of us in danger." Ai noted, keeping her tone sharp. "I still don't approve of getting the police involved. It's too dangerous."

"But-"

"Yes, yes, I know." Ai cut him off, already able to tell what he was about to say. "There's not much of a choice right now. I'm sure that one has thought of something, at any rate, to explain this all."

"Knowing Shinichi." Agasa said. "So? Did you contact Jodie-san?"

"I did." Ai told him. "I just finished sending her a mail. I doubt she'll be able to reach her in time, though. And? How did your call with that Toyama-san go?"

"It went well, I think." Agasa told her, a slight frown on his face. "I was able to tell him our general location, and it seems as if he's on his way with a few other officers. For the moment, I was able to get out of explaining too much about the situation by telling him I was acquainted with Shinichi."

"He did show his face in front of them, after all." Ai dimly noted. That hadn't been something that she had been thrilled about either, but she'd rather not find out if he'd be desperate enough to ransack her room in search of an antidote. She'd rather remain in control of their distribution.

"That he did." Agasa noted, turning to glance out the window again, not being able to make out much on the darkened road. "But do you really think he'll be alright?"

"Who knows." Shrugging her shoulders, Ai's kept her tone dispassionate. "We have no choice but to rely on him now."

"That's true." Agasa noted. "But I still don't like it."

Neither did she, Ai mentally noted- though that was a thought she'd rather keep to herself. She certainly hoped that his plan wasn't what she was thinking, at the very least- but knowing him, it was probably was.

She didn't understand the strange faith he put on Vermouth to keep her word, nor did she fully understand why it was that that woman was so hesitant to reveal Edogawa Conan's existence to the rest of the Organization. She just had to hope that it would work out for them this time- because if it didn't, it wouldn't just be Heiji who was in danger.

Honestly. She was starting to suspect that being reckless was just a natural trait of high school detectives.

"I trust that you are satisfied."

"Yes, very much so." Carefully pulling off his gloves and tucking them back into his pocket, Kawaguchi turned on his heel to face the blonde woman. "It would seem that your story was indeed genuine."

"But of course." Amuro told him simply. "I might have omitted a few details here and there, but nothing that was printed in that article wasn't the truth."

"Yes, I can see that much." Kawaguchi noted. "It would seem that your Organization would rather avoid a formal public announcement that a human clone was made."

She didn't miss the way he had avoided using the word successful- though she supposed from his perspective, it wasn't true. Seeing as how the boy's body was currently breaking down, on that point, she couldn't exactly argue with him.

He'd resisted as much as he could, but in the end, Amuro had successfully been able to put him to sleep. She would have thought that his sleep would have been fitful, but he appeared to be sleeping rather peacefully. Perhaps he simply had that much confidence in his friend.

Well placed confidence, she knew. Though she had ensured that her passenger did not, she hadn't failed to take notice of the car that had been following behind them ever since they had left the meeting spot. There was a small chance that they might have thrown him off when they'd turned on the road leading here, but knowing Kudo Shinichi as she did, she rather doubted it.

Yes... if she knew her silver bullet as she did, he was without a doubt already here. As for his plan, well...

...she could make a few guesses as to that as well.

"We would rather keep it to ourselves, yes." Vermouth said simply, taking a step forward. "As mentioned before, that person desires that your research is used for the sake of the Organization and only for the Organization."

"Yes, you made that quite clear the last time." Kawaguchi merely remarked, arching a brow. "Fear not. As long as the research facility lives up to it's promise, I see no reason to not comply with your request."

Request, was it. As she thought, this man had a lot of nerve.

"Of course, you can continue your research for personal use." Vermouth stated plainly. "And if you require test subjects-"

"No, no test subjects are needed." Kawaguchi said simply. "Now then, if we can proceed without further delay, I would very much like that."

Not needed? That did give Vermouth a moment of pause, though she didn't let it show on her face. Surely he couldn't have already...?

As she thought, letting this man come into contact with the that person was a dangerous move indeed. While his research was far less catastrophic in consequence than that of the departed Miyano couple, she couldn't say that she liked it. Human cloning was one thing, but that was simply a means to an end.

As for what that end was...

Turning her attention back towards the sleeping form of Hattori Heiji, she merely narrowed her eyes. It would seem that he wasn't the only one relying on that boy in order to achieve their goals.

"I understand. Bourbon," turning her attention back towards him, she gave him a rather frozen smile. "...I'll leave transporting Hattori-kun to the car to you."

Though he still couldn't quite make out was being said, he knew at least, one thing.

They were coming out.

His breath catching in his throat, Conan felt his heart pounding heavily in his ears. During tense situations, he could only be grateful that his hands weren't prone to sweating, though he could feel a bead of it trickling down the back of his neck.

It was do or die. Almost literally, in Heiji's case.

The door to the building opened, swinging out on just the side he had predicted that it would. He'd let his eyes adjust to the darkness while waiting, but even if he hadn't, it still would have been rather easy to make out the glistening blonde color of the woman who stepped out first.

Vermouth.

For a brief moment, he almost felt her eyes drift towards his hiding place, causing his heart to beat all the louder- before she turned away. As he thought, she'd noticed the fact that they'd been followed up here- since it seemed like she hadn't said anything, maybe this would all work out after all.

Now he just had to wait for...

It was Bourbon who left first, and Conan could have sworn underneath his breath. He was carrying a presumably unconscious Heiji over his shoulder, as if he were a sack of rice. That made things a bit more difficult. Still, he'd somewhat expected this- as long as he waited until he could get a clear shot, it would be fine.

But once he moved, he had to do it quickly. Aiming the tranquilizer dart in the dark wouldn't be easy, but he couldn't risk giving away his location by turning on a light.

And then, he left. Kawaguchi Souma, last of all. He hadn't gotten that good of a look at him when he had been spying on him from the restaurant, and even now, in the darkness, he still couldn't quite make out his features all that well. He didn't need to- it was as if he was already somewhat familiar with them, the trace of age only deepening things, rather than making them wholly unfamiliar.

The eyes were another matter, but it wasn't something he was about to let himself dwell upon. Willing himself to absolute stillness, he watched, and waited, for just the right moment to open up.

Once it did, he didn't even hesitate for a second.

Vermouth, he thought, was barely shocked at all.

"You can come out, cool guy." The leaves crunched underfoot as she took a step forward, and he couldn't help but think how out of place her high heels were in the forest. "I won't bite."

"Yeah, I know." Slowly taking a step out from the cover of darkness, Conan cast a gaze towards the pair of men, lying unconscious on the ground. Containing how satisfied he was at seeing Amuro sprawled unconscious was harder than he thought, and he thought for sure some of the smug feeling might have leaked through.

"You realized that we were following you awhile ago, didn't you?" Conan asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No, before that." Vermouth told him frankly, a placid smile, one that he couldn't read, on her face. "You were a bit careless this time."

"I didn't exactly have that much time to make a plan." Conan admitted freely. "You moved quicker than I expected."

"Ah, you can blame that on Bourbon." Vermouth stated, stooping down next to him. He was completely out cold- no wonder, since his head had hit the car right after being slammed in the face by a flying soccer ball. He could be surprisingly violent sometimes, her silver bullet. "He was in a rather large hurry to make this deal succeed. I'm sure he thought it would put him in that person's good graces."

"And you?" Conan asked. "Just so you know, the police are on their way here right now. I don't think they'll let you off easily, even if you are famous in America."

"I imagine they wouldn't, seeing whose son it is we abducted." Vermouth said simply. "But I have no interest in being captured."

"So? What will you do then?" Conan asked, arching his brows. "I'm out of weapons, but I'm sure you must be carrying at least one gun with you, judging from the bulge around your ankles."

"That's right." Vermouth stated plainly. "I could hardly go and pick up someone who burned people to death unarmed, now could I?"

"Well, that's fair enough." Conan admitted. "Why does the Organization want him?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that." Vermouth said, shaking her head. "Are you perhaps stalling for time, little detective?"

"I don't like the idea of letting you go." Conan stated flatly.

"Letting me go, you say..." Vermouth smiled. "You might say that, but I'm sure you planted one of your transmitters somewhere on the car. Both of them, I'm sure."

"You might say it's a gamble." Conan noted, taking a step forward, letting out a faint breath of relief as that brought him close enough to Heiji to tell that he was still breathing, albeit with a bit of difficulty. "To see if the police catch up to us before you go out of range, or if you get away first."

"I could simply take it off." Vermouth noted. "Since it doesn't seem as if you'll be able to chase after me without abandoning your friend here."

"You won't." Conan said- and though he sounded confident, in truth, he doubted his own words. Vermouth's goals, as always, remained amorphous.

"Quite the amount of confidence you have." Closing her eyes, Vermouth let out a short sigh, her lips curling into a grin. "Alright, detective," taking a step forward, she held up her hands. "...you win."

"You're giving in awfully easily, Vermouth." Conan noted, a hint of suspicion on his voice.

"I simply don't think it's wise to allow this man," her gaze flickering over towards the slumbering Kawaguchi as she spoke, "...to be allowed to continue his research. It should have never begun in the first place."

"...although I suppose in your case, it would be troublesome if it hadn't."

"I can't deny that." Conan confessed. "So? You'll turn Hattori and Kawaguchi-san over to me?"

"Of course." Vermouth said simply, already moving to scoop up her slumbering partner, tossing him without much care in the passenger seat. "But in exchange, I'm taking this one with me."

"That's fine." Conan said. "But what are you planning on telling that person?"

"Kawaguchi-san has already ran from us once." Vermouth noted. "It won't be hard for him to believe that he attempted to trick us, and run off with his research sample."

Ah, he didn't care for his friend being referred to that way, she could tell instantly. She couldn't say that she hadn't expected that much.

"I see. So you're pinning the blame for everything on him." Conan noted.

"And? What do you plan on telling the police?" Vermouth asked, scooping out the slumbering detective with a bit more care, unable to help but note that he was lighter than he looked. "About us?"

"I have no solid proof, just my word, and Hattori's." Conan noted. "Of course, I don't doubt his father would be willing to believe him, but I doubt that you'll give up on him that easily. Even without Kawaguchi, he's still important to you, isn't he? As a," his nose turned up at even having to use the word, "...research sample."

Leaning Heiji against the other car, Vermouth took a step back. "That's right. Even if you do find a way to save his life, he'll never be able to appear in public again."

"At least not until I bring your Organization down." Conan told her.

At that, Vermouth merely gave him an unreadable smile as a reply. Stepping into her car, she closed the door behind her, pausing for a moment to roll down the window. "There's one more thing, though, that might interest you."

"Oh?" Conan asked, arching his brows. "What's that?"

"There might actually be a way to solve both your problems." Vermouth stated plainly. "Provided you can get him to agree, that is."

Though he didn't get to question her further, as she rolled up her window before he had a chance, he could tell one thing at least. That the him in question wasn't referring to Kawaguchi Souma- but rather, to Heiji.

A method that could solve both their problems, but one that Heiji might not like... she couldn't possibly mean...

...was that really possible?