The Contingency Plan

Chapter 10

Pyre

From high above in her cell, Shiho Miyano was trying to piece her leg back together when she saw the pulse of blue light reflected in her lone, barred window. She looked at it in curiosity for a moment, unsure if the blood loss was playing tricks on her vision. Then, in an instant, she realized what it was. Only law enforcement had that kind of strobe.

The cavalry had arrived! He'd done it! By some miracle, Kudo had figured it out and sent help! For the first time in what felt like an eternity, pure elation swept over her.

Clenching through the pain, she dragged herself up to the broken glass just in time to see disaster. The Coast Guard vessel pulling away from the pier.

"No!" She cursed and smacked the wall. What were they doing!? Moonshine must have called them off.

She had to signal them. Get their attention. But how?

Yelling or making some other kind of racket wouldn't work. The howling winds would scatter any noise to the four corners of the earth.

Thinking fast, she made a quick survey of all that she had available. Her sister's letter, the one that started it all, was still in her pocket. It was the last link she had to her old life, and now, her only chance at a new one.

From the first aid kit, she removed the long metal pin that held the hinge in place. Wrapping the paper around it, she pressed the kindling to the electrified bars, being careful to only hold it by the edge of the paper so as to not be shocked. The ends of the pin started to heat up and glow as voltage surged through the conductive core until the heat ignited the parchment.

Carefully, she nurtured the flame and carried it to the window sill, praying friendly eyes would take notice.

***

Outside, Ran made her way up the east road, passing the shell of the old post exchange before taking a switchback towards the main blockhouse on the summit. She moved quietly beneath the base of the great stone monolith that was the Alcatraz lighthouse.

Watching the rain fall through its beam, she saw Shiho's signal slowly dying in the corner of the central hall.

There! That had to be it! Finding a doorway, she entered the building. The floodlights and computers Moonshine had placed were still there lining the walls of the cell block. It was an unexpected and disquieting discovery for her. This wasn't the lair of some crazed madman. This was a sophisticated machine. There was a network, an organization behind this. The kind of thing that only survives through skill and success.

She wanted to call out but decided against it. Shinichi had described the plan with all the confidence in the world. He was going to distract the criminal, leaving this place safely deserted. But she could tell what truly lay under that cocky demeanor. He was terrified out of his mind, sending her into the devil's den.

With cautious, deliberate strides, she advanced into the dark. It wasn't long before the scent of smoke filled the air. Following this led her to a section marked "solitary confinement."

It was a virtual dungeon deep in the heart of the prison. The walls were narrow and damp, leftovers from the old Spanish fort the jailhouse was built upon. The storm was all but muted by its broad ramparts, leaving only the sound of dripping water to resonate off the stone.

She tensed as a sixth sense screamed alarm milliseconds before a hand reached out of the gloom to seize her wrist. Instinct took over as she whirled to strike. But she yielded her momentum as the face of the person came into view.

Agent Camel held his service revolver in one hand as he glared at her. "Mouri san? What are you doing here? I asked you to stay on the boat."

She explained briefly the situation and how they were on their own.

"Well, that's great." Camel sighed to himself.

"I saw a light in a window from outside. That's where I was heading."

"Alright," He rasped. "Stay close behind me."

Together, they dove deeper into the pit, soon following the smell of smoke and hum of electricity until the prisoner came into view.

Shiho recoiled in surprise when she saw who it was. "Mouri san? Agent Camel? Where's Kudo..." she stopped herself mid breath "...kun?"

"Shinichi is arresting the culprit." Ran answered.

Camel gave her a puzzled look as he holstered his pistol. "How do you know my name? Have we met before?"

Thinking fast and feeling stupid, Shiho bowed her head. "No, of course not. Kudo kun mentioned the name. It was a lucky guess. Be careful with the bars. They're electrified."

Camel made short work of disarming the trap and flung open the door.

"You're hurt?"

Shiho smiled weakly. "I'll be alright." She tried to get up under her own steam but failed painfully.

Camel scooped her up in his arms to carry her. "Let's get you to a hospital."

"No! We can't go yet." Shiho demanded. "We still need the antiserum."

"Antiserum?"

She forced herself to look up at Ran, peering through the glint of anguish clouding her eyes. "Kudo kun has been poisoned. Our abductor has the cure. We have to wait until he gets back and retrieve it."

The words fell like molten lead into Ran's ears. She stood as pale as a marble statue whose sculptor had chiseled off too much. "Poisoned?" She echoed faintly.

Feeling the radiating alarm, Camel told them not to worry. "Akai san and Starling san are arresting him as we speak. Once we get back to the mainland, I'll call them to search for the antidote."

None of them found much solace in what he said, but there was no other option but to get back to the dock and wait for pickup.

They quickly made their way back to the main entrance and ran straight into an ambush.