➥ first

[asmallamoroso]

[ When the video of the device flickers on, the face of a child with strawberry-blonde hair is peering at it curiously. She turns it over in her hand, giving a brief shot of the ground as she talks to herself. ]

It’s simple enough to work out the functions. How it ended up in my pocket, let alone waking up here, is beyond me. …I would say this is a

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[video]

[modernholmes]

[When Conan went to check the communicator he hadn't expected to see anything different. After all, in the past week he'd seen Kazuha, Ran, and someone he strongly suspected of being KID all arrive. Why would the scientists bring any more of his acquaintances here? And so, when he hears that very familiar voice he nearly chokes.]

H-Haibara! What- When did you get here?

[video]

[asmallamoroso]

[ Oh look, a familiar face. Upon seeing him on the video feed her calm expression slipped for a second for her usual deadpan one. She's tired, annoyed and still concerned about the latest turn of events back home. ]

About ten minutes ago. What exactly is here? [ She pauses before adding. ] And how did you get here?

[video] locked 60%

[modernholmes]

[He slams the highest security lock he could manage on this conversation.]

The same way you did. A large number of people have been brought here by a group known as the scientists for an unknown reason. The operation has been going on for at least three years.

The long-term victims all claim that the purpose is to rebuild an abandoned city called Discedo. But I've been working on the assumption that their statements are unreliable. Among other things, they also claim that this is another planet called Fortuna. And the scientists may make use of memory alteration techniques.

According to my count, I arrived here over eighty days ago. Hattori arrived approximately a month later. We found Ran and Kazuha only a few days ago. And none of our memories match up.

[video] locked 60%

[asmallamoroso]

[ For the duration of the explanation she's quiet. The deadpan expression remains but then again when does it not? It isn't until he finishes does she speak up. ]

Memories aren't matching up? You mean to tell me that everyone is being pulled here from out of the blue from different points in time?

[Video]

[luke_triton]

[Another person who spoke Japanese? Luke was about to write off this post--he meant nothing by it he just wasn't up for another really bad attempt at conversation in Japanese. But he understood enough to get 'please answer me' and 'help'. He had to reply. So here he goes, with some very bad, very disjointed Japanese. With a British accent. Don't even ask, he's trying his best.]

Hello...sorry my Japanese is bad...

What...help...need?

[Video]

[asmallamoroso]

[ Noticing both how he seemed to be having trouble with the language as well as the accent, Ai responds to him in English. ]

I can speak English as well.

[ She glances around at her surroundings for a moment. ]

For starters I want to know what this place is and who is in charge.

[Video]

[luke_triton]

[Thank goodness, otherwise this conversation wouldn't have gone far.]

Well..the scientists are in charge. We're all on the planet Fortuna, but we're not all in the same city anymore. An explosion went off just outside of the city we all started in--Discedo--so we were all forced to evacuate. Some of us went to Spero, others to Dissimulo, and others East to go and explore. I can't tell from the video feed where you are, though. The scientists have kept bringing people here, even through all of this mess...I'm not really sure what makes them think that's a brilliant idea..

[Video]

[asmallamoroso]

[ Ai, now turning back to the video, holds it up a little higher to show more of the surrounding area. Because irony seems to go hand in hand with her she had found herself in front of the Little Anchor Elementary School. ]

Not all scientists are the brightest in any given place.

[video]

[fierybluebird]

Hi, you're not hallucinating.

I'm Marco, by the way, and welcome to Fortuna.

[video]

[asmallamoroso]

[ She's still debating on that. ]

Fortuna. So I've heard.

[video]

[fierybluebird]

[He will just lump her in with the Conan and Heiji skeptics. Silly skeptics.]

Aye. Any idea which city it is yet? If it is a city.

[video]

[asmallamoroso]

[ That's because they're awesome like that. ]

I've been told this place is called 'Discedo'.

english with a thick accent.

[eroslegy]

Are you alright?

[asmallamoroso]

[ She switches to English as she massages the side of her head as if to ease a headache. ]

That depends on your definition of the word.

[video]

[waytoopatient]

Ai-chan!

[ Congratulations--you now have (1) concerned Ran Mouri peering at you through the video feed. She is totally the person you wanted to see the most, right? ]

Oh, no, they got you, too?

[video]

[asmallamoroso]

[ It was one thing seeing Conan show up on the screen of this device. But seeing Ran's concerned face so suddenly when it notified her of an incoming response, her eyes reflected a moment of surprise. The moment lasted a second though; Almost immediately her expression turned neutral when she replied to the teenager. ]

So it would seem.

[video]

[waytoopatient]

[ ...ah, well this is kind of awkward. She knows that gaze of hers well, she could feel it on her sometimes when she would look after the Detective Boys. But she tried not to let it worry her too much. ]

C-conan-kun's here, too. I can't believe they resorted to taking you kids... [ A sigh. ] I wish I knew why.

I only just got here myself, so I...I don't know much.