45 Chapter 44: Grandpa Pisco

Being notified that Ran was stabbed with a poisoned weapon and Ai is being kidnapped, Conan tries to find the attacker and get Ai back. Accompany with Sato, Conan now disguised once again as Jaques Farrusi enter the laboratory. Having previously contacted Erin to take care of Ran, he now knows, that time is running out, as Ran only has few hours to live if the right antidote is not administered.

Being frustrated and pissed about once again being unable to protect his woman, Conan curses. ''Sognatore incompetence! Che tempo di bastard son quando ho molte done ma non posso proteggerle?''

''Tutto andrà bene. troveremo l'attaccante e salveremo Ai.'' Tells him Sato in Italian, while giving him a hug to calm his anger.

Feeling the sincerity and honest concern in Satos action, Conan can't do anything, but calm down.

Unknown to them their arrival already forces Pisco to request help from Vermouth to escape Satos scrutiny.

''What have you done this time Pisco?'' Asks Vermouth already very pissed about the mess the old man made out of a simple guard job.

Sounding embarrassed, but not the least bit apologetic the old assassin tells her. ''I think I have found a lead about our traitorous researcher! Now help me distracted this police officer and her Italian escort. I have to interrogate somebody!''

''This is the last time I will help you old man. Management isn't that happy anymore with your performance. Oldtimers like us have to constantly prove ourselves or permanently retire!'' States Vermouth, as she ends the call.

While Vermouth and Pisco are talking to each other, Sato has already started questioning a group of lab assistants. Looking at the monitor, which is also the only light source in the place Ai finds herself in, her mind is already calmed by knowing Conan is coming for her. Being bound to a chair by industrial-grade ropes, Ai simply uses her ability to turn even younger and slip out of them.

Having gotten more proficient using her ability, she turns back into being a fourteen-year-old the moment she has gotten free. Being free from her bindings, she starts investigating Pisco's computer in the storage room. Copying once again every bit of data onto a nearby hard drive, Ai questions the organizations intend of keeping their data safe, as her login or password are still usable.

They also always provide a physical hard drive as if they want their precious research data stolen. Making sure to have copied everything, Ai uses her ability. As she grows back into Shiho to escape up the fireplace chimney, she doesn't spot the camera in the corner of the room.

Reaching the snow-covered roof, Shiho is sure to have escaped her captors once again. Letting herself fall into the cooling snow, she is mostly exhausted from the clime, but otherwise fine.

As she is about to pull herself back out of the snow, to look for a way down from the roof, she suddenly hears somebody clap his hands. Looking up, Shiho's eyes following the sound, she finds a research assistant aiming a silenced gun right at her.

''Shiho, Shiho, Shiho...'' The man says shaking his head before stating. ''... Why does it have to end like this Sherry?''

Recognizing the seductive female voice used to emphasize her former codename, Shiho instantly sees through the disguise. Having Vermouth intercept her on the roof, she knows that resistance is futile.

Feeling the first bullet paralyze her, Shiho asks. ''Why Sharon? Why?''

Removing her mask after being recognized, Sharon Vineyard, reveals her flawless face and think blonde hair.

''Just because I can!... And I need answers... How did you escape your research facility in the first place?'' Vermouth tells her, as she shoots Shiho several times as torture to make her answer how she escaped them in the first place.

Crouching her wounds, but Shiho refuses. Having the cold steel barrel pressed against her forehead, Shiho's only regret is not to have become Conan's lover sooner, even with the high risk of getting pregnant.

As Vermouth is about to kill her, a snowball suddenly hits Sharon's back. Seeing her executioner turn around, the will to life and the instinct to refuse death, Shiho starts crawling away from Vermouth.

Having previously pinpointed Ais location on the rooftop, via his glasses and the pendant around her neck, Conan is able to arrive on the rooftop of the laboratories, just in time to see Vermouth place her gun at Ainow Shiho's forehead.

Just reacting out of desperation Conan decides to attract the woman's attention, to give Shiho time to escape. Having his plan succeed in attracting the woman's attention, Conan is happy to see Shiho escape down a chimney. Now alone with Vermouth, he finds himself in mortal danger, as bullets come flying his way. Creating a weak illusion, Conan has Vermouth distracted, as he sneaks behind her.

Seeing her target suddenly disappear into nothingness, a cold shiver raises down Sharon's spine. Before she knows it, strong arms envelop her nack. Knowing herself to be beaten, the beautiful blond doesn't even resist. With one sudden move, her neck is snapped.

Letting the beautiful, now dead woman fall onto the snow-covered roof, after having snapped her neck, Conan can only pity her for wasting her beauty.

Being occupied with scrawling to safety, Shiho successfully escapes, just in time transform back into Ai. As she is transforming back into a fourteen-year-old version of herself, now Ai is happy to discover a passive attribute of her ability. As she tumbles down the chimney while having her ability triggered, an inhuman healing factor becomes active. Vermouths bullets are pushed out of her body, as all wounds are instantly healed, even her formally torn hymen is healing.

Fully healed up and without a scratch, Ai tumbles out of the fireplace, right into Pisco who is already waiting for her in the storage room.

''Nice to see you again little Shiho!'' Says Pisco, looking more like a grandpa than a cold-blooded assassin of the organization.

Frightened Ai shrikes. ''Grandpa Pisco?!''

Having seen her transformation ability through the camera, the old man smiles, before praising her for success with her dead parent's research.

''... I am still under orders to kill you, but I am sure that if you hand over your research to the organization, the management will let you live.'' Saying that Pisco retrieves a hanker chief from his trousers. Smelling a strong smell of formaldehyde coming from it, Ai begins to struggle and trigger her ability to fend off her attacker. Being weakened from using her passive healing, she is unable to resist. Having the hanker chief pressed over her nose and mouth, Ai holds her breath.

Once again Conan comes to the rescue, as he just like Ai comes down the chimney.

Instantly understanding the situation, he uses a weaker version of his brainwashing skill to temporarily completely Pisco. As he scanned the man's short term memories, Conan learns about the poison the assassin used on Ran. Hearing somebody already following him down the chimney, he commands Pisco to set fire to the storage room.

Seeing the man follow his instructions, Conan takes the dazed Ais hand and pulls her behind him, as they leave the storage room. As they escape the smoke covers g them, Vermouth, who somehow survived to have her neck broken arrives through the chimney. Finding the old man in the midst the flames, she executes Pisco via a shot to the chest for starting the fire.

Now dying, but freed from Conan's brainwashing, Pisco dies, unable to tell Vermouth the truth about Ai.

Blissfully unaware of Vermouths survival and Piscos death, Ai and Conan join Sato, who up until now was still interrogating the lab assistants. Finally, save with an armed and dangerous officer Sato by their side, Ai tells Conan that she plans to leave the city, worried the Organization will find her. Alleviating her fears, Conan convinces her to stay put, because the organization expects her to run.

As firefighters and the police are closing in on the burning storage room, Vermouth escapes the laboratories with the intention to stay for a while in Japan, wanting to find the man on the roof who break her neck and helped Shiho escape.