[Dictated;backdated to Feb. 5]

[deductiongeek]

 [Conan was bored.  Incredibly bored.  Why were there never any cases in this castle?  At this point he'd even take a lost pet or a haunted house.  He'd always complained when the detective boys had forced him to investigate one of those, but at least they'd been slightly entertaining.

But no, here in the castle there wasn't even that.

He'd reread every book in his room, and now he was even resorting to kicking a soccerball against the wall and working on his aim.  As he progressively increases the force behind the ball the thumps heard through the journal steadily grow louder.]

Comments

Action

[jimfromit]

[Somewhere in the dark corners of the room...something goes ping and starts to make a noise as it picks up the motions of the incredibly bored child detective.

Could a certain creeper have left a little present in your room Conan?

Only one way to find out...try to locate that noise Mini-Holmes.]

Re: Action

[deductiongeek]

[The boy instantly traps his soccerball under his foot and listens intently to the noise. He quickly begins following it into the corner of the room.]

Action

[jimfromit]

[There’s that ping again.

It seems to be coming from a laptop computer that’s somehow managed to find its way into your room and hidden itself next to one of your bookcases.

That wasn't there before now...was it?]

Re: Action

[deductiongeek]

[No, it wasn't. Conan knew the exact location of every item in his room. The laptop was not his. And he couldn't help but be suspicious of why it was here. Cautiously, he pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and flips on the light on his watch. He carefully inspects the area around the laptop for any kind of wiring or fingerprints.]

Action

[jimfromit]

[Sensible, but the creeper will have taken precautions in handling such an important piece of equipment.

Just because he's without and lackeys doesn't mean he should get careless now.

Nothing left to do except see what’s on here is there?]

Re: Action

[deductiongeek]

[At last satisfied that there was nothing to find Conan wraps the handkerchief around his hand and carefully turns the computer on.]

Action

[jimfromit]

[It starts up quick enough.

In a few moments Conan is presented with a blue screensaver...no other desktop icons in sight. However there is one pop up advert that appears in the middle of the screen.

It’s interactive though...so isn't that fun?

The words SPIN THE WHEEL AND WIN A PRIZE appear over a spinning roulette wheel that looks like it can be clicked on.

You also get this track played on a loop until you actually do click it.]

Action

[deductiongeek]

[Now Conan wasn't the best of hackers, but he more than knew his way around a computer. This was not normal. He suspected a trap.

But that suspicion wasn't enough to stop him from clicking. Blame it on his professional curiosity.]

Action

[jimfromit]

[The ball lands on red 16...not that it matters.

The number sixteen fills the screen for a minute before it goes black.

A picture of Elizabeth Tudor shackled to a chair with what looks like a bomb strapped to her flashes up in an on screen window.

Within a minute that picture is gone and replaced with the blueprints for the device attached to her...just to give you an indication of how much trouble she’s in.

And again the blueprints disappear within a minute...replaced by the following ominous words across the screen.]

Zozh klli blirxp r pmvd srn dvoo

SIX HOURS.

EVEN QUEENS CAN FALL.

Action

[deductiongeek]

[Conan doesn't give himself time to react to the situation. You didn't get to be a detective of his level and experience without learning how to remain calm in a crisis. No sooner do the images appear than he is memorizing and analyzing every clue in them.

When the riddle appears he grabs up a notebook and pen and quickly copies it down. He frowns at it, and quickly began to solve it. Not a difficult riddle, but hard enough when every moment counted.

The moment he is sure of the answer he grabs up a bag and hastily tosses some tools into it. He knew enough of bombs to have an idea of what would be needed. Then he is running out the door with his skateboard in hand and his bag slung across his back.

The entire series of events had only taken a few minutes.]