April 15th, 2015 - two minutes before the summoning
Shinichi twiddled the USB drive in his hand as he watched the sunset. He halfheartedly hoped that the thing would fall off his hand, past the railing, and into the river beneath the scenic overlook.
"I've warned you, Kudo-kun; that email was something that should never be opened: Pandora's Box. Much like the supposed data you've got on the Organization's leader."
He buried his head into his folded arms. He knew the risk contained within this tiny capsule; he had experienced it before firsthand through the death of his girlfriend. It might be another trap that would lead to the death of another innocent. But he also knew it was not about him; it was about stopping a criminal organization who had caused hundreds of lives.
Shinichi caught the USB in his fist, his resolve rediscovered. He was not going to give up the pursuit before, and he certainly would not start now. Just as he was about to end his momentary scenery trip, however, his consciousness began to fade...
Present Day, Present Time
It felt like a mere second had passed when he awoke, as feelings of nauseousness and disorientation caused him to wobble around on the spot. The bright light did not help one bit.
When his vision had returned, he nearly convinced himself that he was dreaming; aside from the strange uniforms some of the individuals around him were dressed in, an android and a bipedal squid were among the other strange creatures in this surreal environment he found himself in. Then he noticed the distant aroma of roasted chicken, the mumblings of confusion uttered by the surrounding people, and the solid flooring he was standing upon; they all felt real, nothing close to the state one would normally associate with dreaming.
Thus, he held the question: 'Where am I?'
All of the sudden, someone bumped into him. A bit cautious, Shinichi spun towards the person and found a teenage boy with a tattered sweater.
"S...s...sorry..." the teen whispered with his fingers touching together. He was going to ask him for their current location, but the boy seemed almost as confused the rest of the occupants here.
"No, it's okay," Shinichi casually responded, a faint smile across his face.
Then he turned towards his right, and he noticed the main door standing before him. It was a large set of door like any other. There was nothing ominous nor special about it. However, the normality of it kept Shinichi even more on guard as he gradually approached the handlebars.
He tried the door. Locked. He sighed in disappointment, but quickly reached into his blue jacket and pulled out a yellow badge.
"Oi, Haibara! Can you hear me?!" Shinichi shouted into the transmitter, but the device merely responded with pure static. "Dammit. Where the heck am I?"
Then he remembered; the USB. He probed around his jacket, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the rectangular device safely tucked away in one of the pockets within the jacket. At least that part of his life had remained secure.