Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.
(a/n) I haven't written fic in years, but I've been binge re-watching Adventure and 02... so this is what happens. This is an AU I guess... a sprinkling of canon with lots of liberties taken. Eventual slash and femmeslash mention. Let me know what you think! xx
Chapter One: Blackout Friday
"I really should've brought an umbrella," Tai muttered to himself. The rain seemed to respond to this sentiment by falling faster; Tai growled and held a newspaper over his head as he rounded yet another corner. It was a gloomy gray day in late November, and as Tai looked around him, he realized that he had no clue where he was going. He thought that after a few years on the Tokyo bar scene, he'd have no trouble finding the place, but clearly he was mistaken. He'd never even heard of Shukumei before, which, according to the text, was where they were all supposed to meet…
Tai paused under an awning, checking his phone while bending over to undo the black brace and massage his knee before hurrying on. Running had been a challenge after the unexpected knee injury that abruptly put an end to his college soccer career- and professional career, for that matter. It had been awful in the weeks following the accident. Awful to receive people's sympathy, awful to want none of it, awful to watch the world go back to normal… to see Davis make starting varsity, with the same high hopes Tai had once had…
Tai had never been the type to lock himself in his bedroom for hours and either cry or stare blankly at the walls. He had never been the type to give up or to shy away from a challenge, yet he had been forced to do so out of pure circumstance, crossing the wrong intersection at the wrong time, when the car came flying out of nowhere…
But in his heart of hearts, he knew that he was fortunate to have survived, and to be given a new lease on life. He now instinctively raised his hand towards his chest and touched where the metal tag lay against his still-beating heart. True courage was understanding that some battles aren't worth your effort, and some challenges were never yours to begin with. True courage was figuring out who you're meant to be, despite the obstacles you face. He knew these things implicitly; he just needed to remind himself every once in a while.
The cold November rain had stopped for the time being. Suddenly, he realized that being lost in thought had gotten him actually lost. Just as he was about to get upset, he realized he was standing in front of the place he was looking for.
"Well, look at that!" he said happily, and he pushed open the swinging door.
Truth be told, this was not what he had expected. The place was dimly lit, the old wooden walls were grimy with dirt, and the tables were rough and looked mildly unstable. There seemed to be no one there save for a couple of old men chatting idly at the bar. Tai went to head into the far back when he was stopped by the gruff-looking bartender who seemed to appear from nowhere.
"ID, kid?"
"Sure, here you go."
The man squinted at the card, then tossed it back to Tai. "You looking for the party? They're in the back room. Down that hallway and to the left."
"Thanks, man," said Tai.
"Sure. The name's Ryo- let me know if you need anything."
Tai meandered down the hallway. Before even reaching the doorway, he said, "Wow, Mimi. You sure picked a divey place to celebrate your 20th birthday."
He was met with a flurry of pink, then felt gentle arms around his neck. "I was craving some privacy," came a light, airy voice. "I thought maybe here we'd go unnoticed."
"It's cool," he said, pulling back and smiling at Mimi. "It makes me feel like I'm a part of a secret society, or something."
"Well, you kind of are, aren't you?" came another voice.
"What's up, Joe!" Tai ran to hug his other friend, and then caught sight of the long table at the back of the room. "Hey Izzy, what's going on?"
Izzy seemed not to be paying attention. He was pecking away at the iPad that sat next to his drink on the table. "Just a second, Tai. I'm sending a very important e-mail."
"Some things never change." Tai rolled his eyes back to Joe. "Although I think you grow another six inches every time I see you, just to spite me."
"Damn! You've discovered my secret." Joe's eyes glinted behind thin rimless glasses. His hair was cropped short once more, and he wore a sleek button-down with a tie and dark slacks. His eyes narrowed at Tai's t-shirt and cargo shorts. "You, on the other hand, look exactly the same."
Tai gave him a playful shove and walked towards the table. "So how's doctor school going for you?"
"Fine, thanks. I've still got a few years to go. My brother finished his residency last month. He's leaving for Africa after Christmas. I can't wait until I can join him."
"Dude, you're absolutely crazy."
Joe shrugged. "After some of the things we've seen, I think I can handle pretty much anything. Except for seasickness."
"Well, you're not wrong," said Tai. He turned to Mimi. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday, but I figured that anything I could've gotten you could have easily bought for yourself."
"Oh, Tai," chirped Mimi, turning pink.
"Well, it's true, Mimi," said Joe. "It's a little intimidating being in the presence of the most recent cover model for Glamour magazine…"
Mimi waved dismissively and scowled. "I didn't ask you all here so you could fawn over me and shower me with gifts. I just wanted some quality time with my closest friends. Is that too much to ask?"
"Of course not!" sputtered Joe, grinning nervously.
"Who said we were fawning over you?" said Tai playfully. "I thought you were seeing someone, anyway."
"I am," said Mimi. "Her name is Erika, and she's the best thing that's happened to me since I moved to America."
"Should've figured she'd never find a man good enough for her- OW!" Joe cringed as Mimi smacked him on the back of the head. "She still packs a wallop!"
"Finally, done!" Izzy looked up from his tablet at last and gave Tai a nod. Tai pulled up a chair next to him.
"Well, I'm so glad you could finally join us, Izzy. What was so urgent that you had to interrupt this sophisticated event?"
"He's been busy chatting with his braniac friends from MIT," said Mimi, assuming her seat at the head of the table.
"Wow Izzy, I keep forgetting that you live in America now, too," said Tai.
"Sometimes I forget too, to be honest. I've been secluded pretty much all semester. But it's Thanksgiving break over there, so this was as good a time as any to visit home."
"I guess so," said Joe. "So, tell us all about your new friends."
"Well, of course I felt a little intimidated at first, being in a new country and surrounded by so many intelligent people," said Izzy, absentmindedly thumbing through a menu. "But I met this one senior named Gavin who was quick to take me under his wing. He introduced me to his group of computer science friends, and we've been inseparable ever since. They've been asking for my help on numerous projects, which has been immensely gratifying."
"Sounds thrilling," said Mimi. "Do you think we should order drinks while we wait for the others?"
"Not a bad idea," said Joe, squinting at a list of specials.
"So what was that you were doing just now?" Tai asked Izzy, determined to make it seem like at least one person cared about the riveting world of computer science.
"They're currently working on some kind of mega-database synthesizing all kinds of data from a myriad of sources. The program's in beta right now, but they want it to be available to the general public very soon. It has the potential to be an all-encompassing database, providing results more in-depth than a random Google search, but simple enough to use that it can be used as a phone app."
"Like Wikipedia on steroids?"
"Precisely. They haven't given me all the details yet, but I'm excited to see where this project goes."
Mimi sighed. "All this techno-talk is making my stomach rumble!"
"Let's get some food," said Joe. "They should be here soon, anyway."
Matt and Sora hurried in about twenty minutes later, hand in hand. Tai averted his eyes and bent over, pretending that his shoe was untied, telling himself that he needed to look away, that it would make pretending to be okay with it so much easier. He wasn't even sure why he still cared, truthfully. He looked up just in time to see Sora grappling with her blue umbrella that wouldn't close all the way while the bartender chided her about bringing bad luck.
"Sorry we're late," said Matt, automatically pulling out a chair for Sora before sitting down himself. "Traffic was ugly."
"We ended up parking three streets away," Sora said, still out of breath. She deftly slid her chair so that she was closer to Mimi than to Matt. "It's really coming down out there!" As if in reply, a muffled crackle of thunder sounded outside.
"I'm so glad everyone is finally here!" Mimi gushed, stifling a big yawn. "I'm sorry, I was up late last night for Black Friday shopping!" She turned to Sora. "I forgot to tell you when you called, I found this cute handbag..."
"So anyway…" Tai turned to Matt. "What's up buddy? How you been?"
Matt shrugged. "Been better. Been worse."
"Wow, thanks for the totally non-general statement. Now I feel totally informed!" Tai exclaimed. Matt closed his eyes, and the shadow of a grin flitted across his face. "Aha! I got a smile! My work here is done. But seriously," Tai's voice lowered dramatically, "what've you been up to since the big band split?"
Matt winced slightly. "Avoiding talking about it."
"Well, clearly. But I'm not the paparazzi- I'm your best friend. So spill."
Matt sighed. But it wasn't a real sigh. It was more like dejected exhalation. That was Matt's way. Totally cool. Totally un-dramatic. Totally infuriating. "Well," he started, then stopped. "I don't really know. Everything's been kind of a blur these last few months." He looked down at his drink. "I mostly try not to think about it. I avoid listening to the radio so I don't have to hear our one-hit-wonder single play endlessly on repeat." He rolled his eyes.
"Listen, Matt." Tai hesitated. "You're still young. You're still-"
"Please, Tai," said Matt, an edge in his voice. "Do not give me the speech. I've heard it from my father, from T.K., from-"
"So you want me to feel sorry for you?" Tai said, his voice rising slightly. "Is that what you want? You want me to feel bad for you because you have it made up in your mind that you don't deserve a second chance? Because it's easier for you to just quit?"
"What are you…? Oh…" Matt's voice trailed off. Tai had pulled his leg out from under the table and lifted up the knee with the black brace. Matt lowered his eyes.
"Look at me." Matt looked up, taken aback by the intensity of his friend's gaze. "I don't get another chance," Tai whispered. "Your fingers still move. Your vocal cords still vibrate. You are still the goddamn god of rock and roll." Another ghost of a grin, and Tai smiled back. "So don't you dare quit on me now."
Matt opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud alarm sound. Everyone instinctively reached for their phones.
"It's a push notification about a major network failure," said Izzy, looking puzzled. "Evidently, a number of major retailers had their servers corrupted just as Black Friday traffic was at its peak."
"That's not all," said Sora, scrolling quickly. "Apparently cell service has been sketchy all around the world today. I think the only reason we got these messages is because we're connected to the WiFi."
"I'm just surprised that a place like this has WiFi," muttered Tai. "Huh?" He looked down at his phone in disbelief. The screen flickered as all of the tiny square apps disappeared into nothingness. "Is this happening to anyone else?"
"Looks like it's just you," said Matt. "I wonder-hey, do you hear that?"
Everyone hushed as they listened intently. A muffled voice seemed to be coming from the phone.
"Tai… Tai…"
"It's… Siri?" said Tai.
"Tai…" It was indeed the robotic computer voice, but clearly something was not right. "Tai…"
"Who is this?" he demanded, shaking his phone.
"Don't do that!" yelled Izzy. "You have a bad track record with computers!"
"Tai… it's Kari." Everyone froze. Tai gripped his phone so tightly, he felt it might implode between his fingers. "Tai… I don't know how much longer I have. The others have been captured… on a mission… something went wrong…" The voice was growing fainter. "Tai… I know I'm next… please… come."
The screen went dark.
They all stared at the phone in disbelief. Tai swallowed hard. Suddenly, it felt like he was falling, and everything in the world was a million miles away…
"Look!" Mimi gasped.
The phone looked like it was rebooting, but instead of the Apple logo, a small pixelated digivice appeared on the screen.
Tai looked up at the others and saw that they were all doing what his fingers felt too numb to do.
"Hang on," he said. "This might be a trap. Maybe I should just go ahead and-"
"Don't be ridiculous," said Joe.
"We're coming with you." Izzy shoved his tablet back into its case and unzipped the front pocket, pulling out his digivice.
"But-"
"Tai, this is non-negotiable." Sora looked him dead in the eye. "Now let's go. We don't know how long we have."
"It's my birthday, so I get to go first," said Mimi, pushing the others out of the way. "Digi-port, open!"
The screen glowed brilliantly. The familiar scene unfolded as each Digidestined was inexplicably drawn into it. Tai watched as though in a trance. At the last second, he reached down for his own digivice, which he always kept attached to his belt.
Just in case.
The sky was a murky purple-grey. It could have been dusk or daybreak; it was impossible to tell with so many clouds. But apart from the sky, the world felt dark and strange. The ground was dusty and hard and cracked- could this really have been the sandy desert they had traversed so long ago? It must have been, for there were no trees for as far as the eye could see… although now there were rolling barren hills and great craggy rocks that jutted out of the ground like shards of glass.
"Is everyone okay?" asked Tai, getting on his feet.
"For all intents and purposes," Izzy said, also rising. "Where do you suppose we are?"
"It looks like it could've been the desert at one point," said Tai, still scanning the barren landscape.
"Perhaps," said Izzy. "But something doesn't feel right."
"I'll say," said Sora. She bent over and picked up a small rock. Turning it over in her hands, she said, "It's a little too quiet for my liking." She threw the rock towards the nearest towering rock. There was a clicking noise as it bounced, then stopped.
Joe took a tentative step forward. "Well, do you suppose we should-"
He was interrupted by a terrifyingly loud roar. Everyone cringed- everyone except Tai. Truthfully, he had been expecting danger from the moment they arrived, and whatever had made the sound would likely be upon them within seconds. He stayed vigilant.
"I've heard that sound before…" he said, looking around. "That sounded like a-"
Again, the roar came, and this time, there was no mistaking its source. Although there appeared to be no visible opening, a giant figure had emerged from the tall craggy rock at which Sora had chucked the pebble.
"Tyrannomon," finished Tai, speaking under his breath, for it appeared that the creature had not located the source of the disturbance yet. Its head moved wildly as it looked around, breathing heavily. The Digidestined did not move a muscle. They knew that without their digimon, they were utterly helpless against the beast. Was this why Tai felt particularly scared this time? He stared at the creature, unable to understand why it looked so gargantuan, so menacing. Had Tyrannomon always been this big? Was his memory failing him? Suddenly, he realized that everyone was looking at him, waiting for directions.
"On the count of three," he whispered, "we run. One… two…"
Another roar sounded, but this time, not from Tyrannomon. This time, it came from the rock that was not quite a hundred meters behind them…
Tai whipped around, and the others followed suit. Their eyes were met with a towering figure made of nothing but bone, with two expressionless eyes and a horrific gaping mouth. Standing behind them, as large and terrifying as ever, was Skullgreymon.
"This way!" yelled Tai, and he took off running to the left, away from both monsters. He heard everyone in the group struggling to keep up with him. Moments later, Tai turned his head to see Skullgreymon overtaking the Tyrannomon, which seemed to know it was no match for its formidable opponent. As it turned to run back to its rock, Skullgreymon launched a missile from its spine. It landed a good distance away from its target, and Tyrannomon disappeared into its rock. Tai stopped running.
"Tai, what are you doing?" Matt bellowed, gasping for air. "It's coming this way!"
"We should seek shelter in one of the other rocks," panted Izzy.
"What, and find it already occupied by another irate tenant?" Joe snapped. "I think we should- Tai, what the hell is wrong with you?"
The Skullgreymon was slowly advancing on them, one massive step at a time. Tai had turned around completely and was running right at it.
"He's lost his marbles!" said Mimi.
Courage, Tai knew, meant nothing when it wasn't tempered by reason and common sense. That was why he had seen Skullgreymon in the first place, all those years ago. True courage wasn't reckless, which maybe meant that this was a stupid move altogether. But Tai also knew that you had to trust your gut, and that was enough for him right now.
He slowed his pace and walked up to face the towering digimon, which also stopped in its tracks. This one, too, seemed abnormally large. The creature looked down, and Tai stared into the red eyes that seemed to bore into his soul. There was a very pregnant pause. Tai grinned.
"Agumon, old pal. You haven't changed a bit."