[ Discontinued ] Crossroad 『Detective Conan』

Chapter 37 - Guilty of past『4/5』

   The elevator had stopped moving. His fall had stopped thanks to the rescue system.
   Jinpei stood up. He had jumped in the elevator to try to get Yoko out, but they were now both stuck.
   The policeman checked if the former high school girl was fine. She was unconscious. Maybe she had bumped into herself during the fall?

   The girl got up after a few minutes. She was stunned by what had just happened, but was fine. No injuries, no pain.
   -Matsuda...-keiji?
   -Your badge has been ringing for a few minutes. He told her.
   She took a few seconds to understand before taking her badge.
   -Y... Yes?
   -"Yoko-chan! Matsuda-keiji! Are you okay?" Conan asked.
   -Yeah. replied the policeman.
   -I'm alive, so I guess it's okay...
   She let out a nervous little laugh. The bespectacled kid was reassured to know that they were fine.

   -Okay, I'm going to get Yoko out. Through the roof it should be possible, hoping that we are low enough to find a forced door. Jinpei announced.
   -"OK."
   He carried right after his words Yoko who was greatly surprised at the time. It was the first time he carried her.

   He put the girl on his shoulders when his phone rang. It was Sato.
   -"What are you doing Matsuda-kun! I told you not to act alone."
   The concerned smiled.
   - I was just going to check if the bomb was here.
   -"And when the elevator stopped, you knew it was the right place but you didn't tell anyone. What now? You found the bomb?"
   -I have someone to get out of here first. But I think I know where it is...

   Yoko climbing the roof of the elevator while her tutor was talking to her colleague. Once there, she took her flashlight watch from her pocket and turned it on. She looked around before giving a slight start. She widened her eyes and swallowed. A kind of box was in front of his eyes, with a time indicated on it which was gradually reducing. Underneath there were cables. The young girl realized quite quickly what it was.
   -Mat... Matsuda-keiji... She called in a trembling voice, stepping back a little.
   He looked up, understanding the situation.
   -Is there a mercury switch?
   -... Eh ?
   -Do you see something containing two liquids?!

   She jumped at the raising of the man's voice. At the time, she saw nothing.
   -So ?
   -Uh... W... Wait...
   -Go slowly when you move, because if there is a mercury switch, it will explode.
   She didn't dare move. She was starting to shake. But she had no choice.

   Taking a deep, shaky breath, she almost lay down so she could see the part containing the cables.
   -Th... There are mainly wires... W... With a kind of vial trans... transparent with a thing...
   She got up slowly, trying to control her tremors so that they were as weak as possible.
   For his part, Jinpei let out a "tch" as he hung up Sato's call. The kid he was caring for was stuck just above. Calling for help to get her out was not possible because of the vibrations it could cause. He couldn't take his place either for the same reason. There was only one solution...

   - You will defuse the bomb.

   The concerned blocked her breath at this announcement. She ? Defuse the bomb? She couldn't. She didn't know what to do.

   -Only you can do it right now.

   Only her ? Because of this mercury switch? No. There was certainly another solution.

   No. Yoko had to calm down. She said she would help Jinpei. She had promised it. If he told her to do it, she would.

   She wouldn't make it. The slightest misstep and it would explode. She didn't want to die. She hadn't escaped death for it to be over already.

   Jinpei was there to help her. Everything could only go well. She would succeed. She could.

   No.

   She couldn't.

   She had to succeed. She had no other choice.

   But how ?

   The policeman heard the ex-schoolgirl's breathing quicken. It was not a good sign. She was stressing way too much. She had to calm down, or it was going to get dangerous.
   - Oe, calm down! You are not alone, you have no reason to panic!
   The bespectacled girl's shoulders twitched for the third time. She turned her head a little towards the man.
   -I'll tell you what to do. At the slightest doubt that you will have, you ask me again, okay?
   Her breathing calmed down little by little until becoming more or less regular. She took the time to analyze the policeman's last sentence.
   -But... The time...? She asked. If I often ask you...
  -It is indicated how much?
   -... One hour thirty six...
   -It will be enough if we start now. We just shouldn't waste any more time.
   -Ok...

   Jinpei pulled the bag he had brought with him from his shoulder in order to defuse the bomb. Yoko slipped to the open hatch to grab this bag which was not the lightest. The policeman saw at that moment that she was absolutely not reassured. But she had decided to muster up her courage despite her fear of bombs. He just hoped that everything would go well...

   The young girl was trying to be as careful as possible, so as not to make the slightest vibration. She didn't want to have this responsibility, but she didn't have much choice. If she could, she would start crying, but now was not the time. She shouldn't.

   The kid with the glasses looked at the things that had just been given to her. There were a lot of things, and she didn't know much. But she wasn't going to panic again.
   -Are you ready ? Jinpei asked.
   Yoko did not answer immediately. She just tied her hair in a high ponytail and took off her glasses so as not to be disturbed and to be able to concentrate.
   -I am.