𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬

file 062 | the clash of red and black: bomb

"Should we take him now?" Jodie asked as they hid and watched Kusuda walk down the hall.

"No," James answered. "We should watch him for a bit. It shouldn't take long before he gives himself away. Slight as it is, it's still possible that he's a patient in it for the admittance bonus."

"Well, if a lot of us keep watch for any suspicious behavior, there'll be no problem taking him down immediately," Shuichi remarked.

"Yeah."

As they began to walk down the hall after Kusuda at a slower pace, Jodie said, "By the way, please at least consider it." James glanced back at her questioningly. "Transferring Mizunashi Rena to another hospital."

"Yeah. I was planning to ask the director about it," James told her. "He may know an understanding doctor who won't ask any questions. I'd prefer transferring her before we get Kusuda, but..."

"Maybe we really should take her to America..."

Suzume couldn't help a smirk as they walked past a certain room, where the door opened slightly and a pair of eyes peeked outside.

~ — — — ~

"Say...don't you find it peculiar, nurse?" Kusuda asked the nurse who handed him his digital camera after he accidentally dropped it. "After seeing this camera...you didn't think I was here to take pictures of the nurse's station? How could you not guess that? How could you not say anything?" He turned to give her a blank stare. "Who are you?"

Several running footsteps echoed as Jodie and other agents appeared with her aiming a gun with a silencer at Kusuda. "The FBI!"

His eyes widened.

"Keep your hands where I can see them, put them behind your head, and get on your knees!" Jodie ordered.

"The FBI, you say?" Kusuda echoed with a smirk as he raised his hands. "Then, I guess that means the place where Mizunashi Rena was napping...was here, as we thought."

"Yeah. We planned to let you go free until we secured solid evidence against you, but... That's no longer necessary," Jodie declared. "Now, hurry up and get on your knees. Let's not wake the patients."

"Then, what would you say to waking them up?" Kusuda took off his neck brace to reveal... "By blowing up this C-4!" He held up the trigger in his hand.

Everyone stared in shock.

"Plastic explosives!" James gasped from his, Suzume, and Shuichi's hiding place.

"Don't move now," Kusuda sang. "Unless you want me to blow this floor, I mean. Don't move now." He took off running, cackling as he went.

"He's probably going back to his room to remove any evidence," Jodie presumed. "From there, he'll likely escape through the window. Get outside so he doesn't get away!"

"Yes!"

~ — — — ~

Thanks to Suzume's gut feeling, she and Shuichi made it to his truck just as Kusuda tore out of the parking lot in his car. They were currently chasing him down the road through the city.

"Roger," Shuichi said, talking to James on his phone. "However, if he has his cell phone with him now, I won't be able to stop him."

"Don't worry about that," Suzume told him with a smirk. "While he was out of his room, I found his phone and dumped it in some water."

"You didn't need to come along," he reminded her with a smile. "You could have let me handle this."

"I trust you to do that, but I've been involved this long. I want to see it through to the end," she said, crossing her arms.