Non-challenge: A Policeman's Tale (Day 34)
Title: A Policeman's Tale (Day 34)
Author: ytak
Word count: 1060
Rating (chapter): K (G)
Rating (whole story): T (PG-13)
Comments: This chapter is a little crazy. If you have questions, I'll answer them in the comments. :) But I think it'll be obvious what it going on by the end.
Other chapters can be read through here or here.
Day 34
Takagi felt his jaw creak from yet another yawn. He stared off into space, blinking slowly, trying to clear his mind. I've felt kind of off this morning but now, he could actually feel his mind stop for a moment so he could yawn again, But now, I don't think I can keep my eyes open any longer. I even slept in this morning.
With almost no energy, he looked at his wrist watch. He was almost surprised to see that he had only been up for five or six hours. He felt like he had just gone a day without sleep.
A moment later, he jerked up out of a light doze. “What is wrong with me?” he asked himself. He violently shook his head and stood up. The room seemed to sway and rock. “Sitting is a good idea,” he said, dropping back down on the worn sofa. He considered going to the kitchen to get something caffinated to help him wake up but standing seemed like a bad idea. Maybe I should go back to sleep...Maybe there is something on TV to help me sleep.
He reached down between the couch cushions and pulled out the remote. Flipping the TV on, he flipped through the channels until he landed on what looked like a movie. The TV droned on, some monster movie playing.
Takagi could feel his eyelids become heavier and heavier every time he blinked. Maybe I'll just leave them closed, he thought. I can still listen to the movie.
Leaving his eyes closed was a tremendous relief. It felt like there was lead weighing them down.
He could hear talking. It's probably coming from the TV. But something was not right. Why was he sitting when he should be standing and helping Conan-kun?
Takagi stood up and held the walkie talkie up, mentally marking off the steps as the bomb squad member ran him through the steps to disarm the bomb.
Takagi looked up at the opening in the elevator ceiling. Though it was dark, he could see the slight form of Conan carefully moving around as he familiarized himself with the tools he needed to disarm the bomb.
Finally, Conan stated he was ready and they began the tedious process of disarming the booby trapped bomb. Takagi was horrified at the message challenging them to make the sacrifice of giving up their lives on the chance of saving more people.
The horror was supplanted by awe for a time as he listened to Conan. The deduction Conan offered was brilliant. Not just for someone his age but for all ages.
“Who are you?” Takagi found himself asking. As Conan answered, it was almost as if he could see someone else superimposed over the small form.
Takagi looked down. The cabin was cramped and the atmosphere thick with tension as the teenager standing by the Inspector directed everyone about the cabin like master director on a film set. Takagi could remember how naturally he listened to the youth, the son of a friend of the inspector.
Takagi now stood in a strange room that seemed to be an amalgamation of the elevator, airplane, and his apartment. He looked around. Instead of airplane seats, there was his sofa and the TV showed a countdown. There was a open door off to the side that looked like the airplane toilet. Chancing a look up, he could see the there was a dark hole in the ceiling.
Of course! It all made sense now! How Conan-kun related to Kudo-kun and everything that had happened with Mouri-san.
“I've only seen a few people make leaps of logic like that. And Conan-kun was definitely not acting like a child then!” Takagi thought. It felt like his mind was moving as fast as a bullet from a gun.
“Kudo-kun has hardly been seen since Conan-kun showed up and Conan-kun makes connections that seasoned detectives miss.”
“Their leaps of logic are so similar. They must be one in the same!”
Takagi paced in the bizarre room, “Maybe Kudo-kun has some sort of disease that made him child-like. But why would he hide under another identity? For privacy, maybe. But it doesn't even seem like Ran-kun knows and I know they have known each other since they were young. Why wouldn't he tell her? I know that she has been worried about Kudo-kun.” Takagi chuckled, “I know there have been enough rumors and a few bets flying around them.”
A roaring sound made he look up. With eyes the size of saucers, he gave a surprised yell and began to run from the Gomera-like creature chasing him and, strangely enough, Professor Agasa, who was yelling something about having just the invention needed to kill the creature. They just had to make it back to his lab alive. And, oh, would Takagi be good enough to act as a distraction so Agasa could actually get the device?
“Nooo!” Takagi found himself yelling as he jerked upright and off the couch onto the floor. “Ow,” he muttered after a moment, pushing himself up to lean against the couch. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes.
The source of the roar and the scientist asking for a distraction was clear. The TV was still playing a monster movie. He stared at the screen. Was it the same movie he had settled on before?
Yes, he decided it was. But why did it make him remember the incident in the elevator and then murder on plane? Somehow, he felt like they were linked but he could not remember how.
Another tinny roar drew his attention to the TV. Maybe I ought to go to bed? He looked over to the kitchen. Some water first. Make that a lot of water.
Somehow, Takagi leveraged himself up and, with the aid of the wall, stumbled into the kitchen. Choosing a plastic cup, he filled it and drained. He stared at the empty cup and decided it would be more useful if he filled it again.
Feeling a little better he stumbled to his bedroom and flopped onto the bed, only spilling the water a little. He did not remember putting the cup on the nightstand or pulling the sheets up before he fell back asleep.