Patience
After Birdie had stopped crying, she talked to me. Of course, she was going to pretend she'd never cried, and Near and I would have to go along with it. God forbid Near ever mentioned that; then there would probably be another murder to solve.
Birdie and I had talked. She had never cared about Kira before. She hadn't cared if he was good or evil or if people obeyed him. She joined the SPK because she had wanted to do something fun, but now, now she knew what she thought of Kira. She hated Kira with every fiber of her being, and she would make sure he paid.
She still didn't care about the countless people Kira had killed beforehand, and she never would. The only reason she wanted Kira to pay was because he'd killed May. May had been someone Birdie cared about. If you messed with someone Birdie cared about, you messed with Birdie. And if you messed with Birdie, bad things would happen.
I was listening to the sound of all the news broadcasters, who were talking about the death of the President of the United States, when Rester spoke up.
"The soldiers were definitely killed with the notebook," he said. "The helmets were taken off because they had to see the soldiers' faces."
"But if they could slice the straps so easily, why weren't the team's throats cut?" Near wondered. "This is troublesome."
"Anyway, I think we can be certain that Mello was there and that he was involved in the soldiers' deaths," said Rester. "But who discovered their hideout and sent the soldiers in?"
"There's no way of knowing, with both the president and the troops dead," Lidner pointed out.
"What do you think, Near?" Rester asked.
"Good question," Near replied, "but for now, I think it's better for us to stay put and watch."
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"The only reason you found their hideout was because you had Kira's help, but you don't know how Kira found the hideout?" I had lost count by then. Near had called L. Again. Now he was pretty much listing all the things L had already told him.
Chief Yagami was dead now. Another death. Mello had gotten away. And for some reason, I couldn't help but be somewhat relieved, but on the other hand, Mello had...
"That's right," L said, "stop being so obstinate. No matter how many times you ask me, it's going to be the same answer. I've told you everything I can." They disconnected. Again. Near went back to his toys. Again. Birdie sighed in frustration. Again. It was routine at that point.
"Near," said Rester, "I think it's about time to tell us your thoughts on the case."
"The new L is too foolish, and Kira is too active," Near answered. "This L knew that every mafia member in the United States was going to die on November tenth because Kira contacted the Japanese Task Force and told them so... what a joke. He doesn't want to tell us why they believed the information Kira gave them, but everybody at the headquarters was convinced by it.
"Kira knew that the Japanese Investigation Team had the notebook, but from the death of certain gangsters, Kira figured out the notebook had fallen into evil hands. And in order to get the notebook back, Kira offered to lend them a hand.
"And they succeeded in getting the notebook back."
"It seems like a pretty consistent story to me," said Lidner.
"No, it's not," Near said. "If Kira was able to directly contact the Japanese task force, then why is Kira allowing them to keep the notebook?
"Kira teamed up with them to get the notebook back—that I can understand. But if Kira wanted to get the notebook back, Kira should have regained possession of it. Kira was able to directly contact the headquarters, so it would have been easy to threaten them.
"Furthermore, there are many rules to using the notebook. It's highly unlikely that Kira would let anybody else have the notebook since it would provide them with information about the murder weapon.
"Maybe Kira didn't know that the task force got the notebook when they took it from Higuchi, but if he knew of its existence before the gangsters got a hold of it, why didn't he do anything? And if Kira found out about it only after the gangsters took it, why is Kira allowing them to keep it now? If anybody other than Kira has the notebook and its existence becomes public, there will be people who will try to get it for themselves. The government and the police could keep the notebook a secret, fearing a panic by the public, but... There are millions of rumors about Kira's methods, and nobody is going to believe in the notebook unless its powers are demonstrated to them. What Kira should fear the most is the possibility they might go to that extreme."
By now, Birdie had pulled out a sketchbook and started drawing, obviously getting bored with Near.
"You're right," Rester agreed. "Why does the Japanese task force still have it?"
"I've had my suspicions," Near began, "but judging from the unbelievably convenient deal between Kira and the Japanese Task Force on this case, at the very least, Kira and the Japanese task force are connected."
"Connected?" Lidner echoed.
"No, if Kira is actually within the task force, then," he popped the helmet off of the police toy he was holding, revealing a skull, "the new L is Kira."
Once again, ladies and gentlemen, Near surprises everyone with his theory.
"Th-that can't be," Rester said. "Are you serious, Near?"
"Yes," Near confirmed, "but—"
"—There's about a seven percent chance," Birdie said just as Near said, "about seven percent serious."
The others stared at Birdie for a moment, shocked (except for Near, of course). She looked up from her sketchbook.
"What? You think I got into Wammy's for nothing?" she said, genuinely offended.
"Seven percent? So the possibility is very low."
"No, he's saying it's high," Birdie said sarcastically, "because we all know that seven is such a big number."
"But it does make sense, so the problem is how to fill in the remaining ninety-three percent. All we did was keep a close eye on them, and Kira began to move around, and the new L began to give himself away.
"Luckily, Mello escaped, so the remaining ninety-three percent might not be as hard as it seems to fill in. I've had an uncomfortable feeling about L from the start." He popped the skeleton head off of his toy. "Didn't you think it was strange that he was so reluctant about cooperating with us in the investigation? That's because he doesn't want us to investigate them." He placed a normal man's head onto the toy in place of the skull.
"But they wouldn't just trust us from the start, so I can understand them not telling us everything," said Lidner.
"Near, isn't that too much of an assumption?" Rester pointed out.
"Commander Rester, investigations are based upon assumptions," said Near. "If you're wrong, you just have to say 'sorry.'
"Well then, please assume that this is correct and start investigating everything you can about the Japanese task force."
It was around that time that the former US vice president—George Sairus—who had now taken up the position of president after the death of the late President David Hoope, announced on live television that America wouldn't be defying Kira.
"What's going to happen to us now?" Lidner wondered.
"We're going to be dissolved," Near surmised. "Thanks to that chicken of a president... No, he's not even a chicken. He's less than a maggot."
"Does it really matter what kind of animal he is?" Birdie asked.
Yup. We're doomed.
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"Near, are you serious about dissolving the SPK?" Rester wondered.
"Yes," Near replied. "This country's just system has completely collapsed." Rester simply stared at Near, dumbfounded. "And I'm not joking when I say that dissolving this organization may actually prove to be fruitful. Of course, I will continue to try and find out who L–Kira is with the information from five years ago when the FBI tried to investigate the Japanese task force, but it will be difficult since we can't expect any help from Japan or the American police.
"Including me, there are six of us left. The spy leaked the names and faces of the others. Well, it could have been just the faces. Either way, they were all killed by the notebook. That is irrefutable."
"That's nothing new," Rester said.
"I want all of you to put yourselves in Mello's position. The spy has given you the names and faces of the SPK members. Would you kill all of them? Would you kill all of them, knowing that there will be some member of the SPK who won't die?"
"No," Rester answered, "one or two... I'd at least keep one of them alive."
"That's what I think as well," Near said.
"Then why are so many of us still alive?" Lidner asked. "Six isn't a big number, but it's bigger than I would have chosen."
"I already told you, lady, I never die," Birdie explained, as if it made everything clear. Lidner glanced at her in annoyance. Birdie rarely took things seriously.
"Mello wants to beat me," Near said. "It wouldn't be much of a victory if I was dead. Not to mention he doesn't know my name.
"As for Patience and Birdie, he couldn't find out their names either, unless he had the powers of the Second Kira. Not even Patience knows her real name. And Birdie," he glanced at her, and she nodded, much to my surprise, "does know hers but hasn't used it for the majority of her life.
"Mello left you three alive because he needed other SPK members. Perhaps he didn't think Patience or Birdie would be useful."
Birdie looked offended for a moment; then she glanced at me, sitting down and staring at my feet, as usual. Due to my reaction, she knew exactly what I wanted to ask.
"Patience wants to know if Mello knows she's here," Birdie asked, causing the other SPK members to glance at me. Sometimes I felt invisible, like they didn't even notice I was there. I'm not complaining, though. I preferred it that way.
"It's highly likely that he does, since pictures were taken of all of the SPK members," Near said. "Unless he doesn't recognize you, he'll know you're here." Lidner was looking at me, more intrigued than anyone else. She looked surprised that I knew Mello.
Then maybe he doesn't know I'm here, I thought to myself when I noticed her gaze.
"So we're going to purposefully disband and wait for Mello to contact one of us?" Rester asked.
"It's not a bad idea," Near admitted. "The chances are pretty high, and it will be easy to get the vice president to announce that the SPK is disbanding. Mello is all alone right now. He probably has no one to rely on," I knew Near didn't really believe that, "but I can't believe that he's abandoned his desire to be number one. Since he wants to get Kira before I do, he'll definitely want the information we have."
"But judging from the way Mello's been acting, won't it be dangerous to come in contact with him?" Rester queried.
"Very dangerous," Near confirmed, "so when the time comes, I want you all to do as he says."
"Do as he says?" Rester echoed.
"Give him all the information we have," Near said. "Especially the fact that the new L might be Kira, and that I have Mello's photograph—"
"Why do you, by the way? That's creepy."
"It's a tactic," I quickly whispered to Birdie so that Near could carry on with what he was saying.
Us kids had all been forced to destroy any pictures of Mello we had. Despite how much it hurt, we had done so diligently. Wammy's wanted to protect Mello until the end, and I'm sure he knew we would.
And I'm sure he knows that Near would end up hanging onto one so that they'll have to meet again one day.
Near nodded at me in thanks for quieting Birdie down. "...The next move is up to him. Those willing to take part in this plan are going to wear a wire and come to the headquarters every day from their former residences. Actually, I'd want you to put cameras in your rooms, too."
"B-but if we give all that information to Mello, won't he try to kill us so we won't tell you about him?"
"That may very well happen," Near said (I doubted it), "but I have faith in your excellent skills.
"If you're scared, you don't have to participate, but please don't leave the headquarters. I'm scared, so I'm not going outside."
The SPK members all stared at him in shock, along with Birdie, whose eyes were practically bulging out of her head. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, but in interest.
"What do you think?" Near asked. "Especially you, Halle Lidner."
"Me?" she said.
"Let me say this plainly," Near said. "Other than Rester, Patience, Birdie, and me, Mello should have known everybody's information, but Mello decided not to kill you. And if I were him, I would choose to get the information from you, a woman. Because if I had to meet you face-to-face, there is a better chance of escaping or overcoming you because of our physical differences. And the fact that it would be unlikely, even for the SPK, to invade a woman's privacy using wires and cameras."
I heard Birdie mutter something that sounded vaguely like "pervert."
"S-so you're certain that Mello will contact us," Lidner said.
"No, the chances are about 60–40," Near specified at the same time Birdie said, "Maybe a 60–40 chance."
"And if the contact takes place," he paused for a moment, waiting to see if Birdie was going to give her input.
"All yours," she said, waving a hand dismissively.
"Circumstantially: Lidner, 39%; Gevanni, 25%; Rester, 5%; Birdie, .5%.
"Patience, if he doesn't know it's you, which in itself is a very small chance, then I would say there's about a 30.5%, due to his limited information on you and your background being disadvantageous to him in such a position. If he does know it's you... then I can't quite say for sure what he'll do."
Each of the SPK members stared at me, all of them wondering what exactly my relationship with Mello was.
"I-I don't mind doing it," Gevanni said once all their gazes shifted back to Near.
"Okay," Lidner said, "I'll do it.
"But with the 'L is Kira' theory going around since Kira first appeared, will Mello believe us?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Near said. "Anybody who knows that the true L is dead will believe it.
"And Commander Rester, we're now an informal organization. I don't mind if it is from the general public, but I want you to gather powerful people who are completely against Kira. You can use as much money as you need from the funds I inherited from L."
"But if they're from the public, it's going to be hard for me to determine if they're trustworthy," Rester pointed out. "I'll need to investigate them."
"We won't need to trust each other," Near assured him. "From now on, we're going to have no choice but to become an underground organization that strives to get rid of Kira. We just need people who are willing to join such an organization and follow the orders of a boss whose face or voice they don't know. The more people we have, the better it will be. That is the kind of battle we're going to be fighting from now on.
"Now's the time to leave, if you want it."
"Wow, Allison was right," Birdie mused. "She always said I was probably going to end up a criminal."