Cloak and Dagger

Chapter 28

Isamu sits in my lap as I review the tips we've been given. We have to be careful of what we follow up on, mostly because we don't have police support in this. Too many deaths, too much danger. We can't stop, though.

Tap, tap, a pen on the spiral binding of a notebook. I glance to my left and nod at Mikami, who's still chained to L and sitting at another computer. He gestures to Isamu with an almost pleading look.

"You like cats?" I ask. Mikami nods. I smile slightly, because that's just so mundane for the sociopathic ex-Kira devotee. Mikami leans over my shoulder to look at the screen.

"We have to find him. Do you have any ideas which of these tips might be helpful?" I ask. Mikami shakes his head with a soft frown, turning back to surveillance feeds that allegedly contain Kira. Despite losing his Eyes and memories after his death, a hand on Kayo's Death Note returned his memories. He then made the Eye Deal once more, having accepted that his life will soon end.

Mikami gestures to Isamu once more, giving me the pleading look as he does. I sigh softly, lifting the half-awake cat and holding him out to Mikami. The ex-prosecutor takes my cat with a grateful smile, settling the feline in his own lap and returning to his computer.

The screens flicker and black out. In the back of the room, I hear a giggling.

"Oh, really?" I ask flatly.

WHAM!

I shriek as my chair flips over, sending me crashing into the ground. L and Mikami help me to my feet very quickly, but I shove them off.

"Really, Beyond? What kind of infantile move was that?"

The computers roar to life once more, screens showing nothing but static. They flicker, showing off the Cloister Black capital L. Then, red splatters that transform it into the Cloister Black capital B.

"Oh, real cliche!" I yell. "I haven't been paying attention to you, right? What's what this is about? How childish can you be, Backup?!"

Bang! One of the computer screens bursts. Misa, Touta and the boys all race into the room, only to be hurried out by L, Mikami and myself.

"The fuck is going on?!" Mello exclaims. Mikami looks at me expectantly.

"Kayo-sama told me that Beyond Birthday is tailing me." I say curtly. "And he's pissed that I'm not paying attention to him and that I'm not a weeping mess. So, he's getting pushy. Lemme talk him down."

"You were just doing the exact opposite of talking him down." L tells me sternly. "I will not allow you back into that room."

"He's not in the room, he's stuck to me." I remind him. "And I don't think being protective of me is gonna change his mind. After all, he wants to surpass you. That means being better than you, or proving you wrong."

L pauses, eyes widening at this. I give him a 'yeah, time to be quiet' type of look before turning back to the main room and marching to the middle.

"Alright, Beyond, let's make this quick. I can't exactly punt you into New Year's Eve, but I can scream the building down and I'm pretty sure that'll at least bug you."

The computer speakers buzz aggressively.

"Yeah, yeah, bzzt." I mock him. "This doesn't make you look half as good as you seem to think it does. I've got no patience for crybabies."

The screens go a little darker, though they're still lit.

"So you're... No. No, you want to keep me interested." I realize. Another computer screen bursts.