Don't really know why it took me so long...well I am very sorry though. This story's still going that I can assure you. I am still writing it, and I surely will finish it! it just takes me longer than I thought it would.
I don't own digimon. I own my OC's!
English is not my first language. Sorry for possible errors.
This chapter begins a few days after the last one ended!
IMPASSE
Kazumi's Prov
The wind carries the sound of the waves breaking on the afar placed cliffs all over the beach. I stare silently ahead at the endless seeming sea, focusing on the feeling of the waves wetting my feet per a few seconds. The tide is setting in...
The fresh wind feels like sharp needles piercing my skin. The sand feels cold around me, giving in to my every movement. Closing my eyes I dig my fingers into the sand, blocking out my surroundings and enjoying the sound of the fl – BEEP BEEP BEEP
The sound of my D-Terminal rips me out of my trance-like state, throwing me back into reality. I slowly take out the device, expecting –as usual – the worst.
DYLAN/00:34AM: When do you plan to come back? You should not be out alone...
KAZUMI/00:35AM: I'll be back soon.
"What are you doing here all by yourself?" I'm so focused on my D-Terminal's screen that I don't hear the rustling sound of the afar bushes that gives away the fact that someone's approaching me. That however is the reason why his voice scares the shit out of me: Tai's standing right next to me, his hands buried in his pants pockets. He's dressed in all black and looks down at me, wearing a rather worried expression, not to mention tired.
"Needed some fresh air", I respond. Though it is not fully true... I really couldn't bear it any longer in there. He nods lightly, averting his gaze.
"Mind if I join you?"
I shake my head "no" and tap the sand next to me. He sits down without any other word and mirrors my posture, staring at the moon that looks like it's floating over the water.
Although I haven't had any possibility to spend some alone time with the younger version of my father, not to mention I'm longing for his company, I remain silent. I don't know why but it feels surprisingly good to just sit next to him on a beach in the middle of the night.
"I can't sleep in there..."
His voice is small... smaller than I'm used to hear. I can't deny that I'm more than surprised by his honesty. I was sure that he doesn't see me as anything else than his daughter from the future, but I didn't expect him to show me one of his vulnerable sides.
"I know what you feel like... I was having nightmares the first few nights I spend in this base in our time", I say still staring at the glistering water in front of us. I know he's looking at me, but I'm not ready to look at him just yet... I can't bear it actually.
"What did you do about it?" he asks, bending his knees and placing his elbows on them.
I can't suppress the grin that's growing on my face when remembering my method of getting rid of these nightmares.
"I spend my evenings with you in the command center. You use to work until late in the night so I usually fall asleep before you decide to call it a night."
This time I turn and hold Tai's gaze. He's looking straight into my eyes, obviously trying to read my mind. However while he's failing to do that –I can tell by his confused gaze – I can read his like an open book. I see the pain that was caused by Matt's accident. I see that he feels lost in this whole situation. I can tell that he has no idea what to do next... and after staring a few more minutes into these endless seeming dark brown eyes that I love so much, I can see his almost non-existent call for help. I'm sure he's not even aware of the things his eyes are giving away right now.
"So you use my company to fight nightmares off?" he breaks the silence again, smiling lightly at me. I can tell he likes this thought.
"I do." I can't help but smile back. "I'm sure Mom's company would have a similar effect... if you'd let her."
I realize that I hit a weak spot by mentioning mom in this conversation. He tensed up immediately. I carefully place my hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"
"Nothing really... we're all just really tense right now. The whole situation messes with our nerves", he says, avoiding the question as well as possible. I'm used to people not wanting to talk about their problems. I know that I should not ask any further so I remain silent and direct my gaze on the sea again. He's following my example after a few more seconds, exhaling deeply.
I know we're in a really messed up situation. After Alec healed Matt's worst injuries the digidestined's life wasn't in real danger any more. However his paralyzed legs seem to be a problem still. Although he should be able to walk... even run, theoretically, he doesn't seem like at least getting on his feet. The images of almost every digidestined included Gennai trying to get Matt on his feet flashes in front of my inner eye. However T.K's devastated face after the second day without any success with his brother's recovery gave me the rest. So I had to get out of there... and I can tell that is one of the main causes for my father's sleepless night.
The vibration of my phone causes both of us to snap out of our own dazes. I answer the call without bothering to check the caller ID.
"Are you alright?" Phoenix's voice sounds through the speaker. I inwardly roll my eyes before answering his question.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you're out there. Alone. Can you imagine what could happen to you?!" I can tell by the sound of his voice that he was worrying about me for a while now. Phoenix usually is not the type of guy who gets angry that fast.
"I'm not alone." Although it's a lame excuse... it's a true one.
"Who's with you?"
"Dad."
I hear him exhale – in deep relief probably – before speaking up again.
"Good. Another problem solved. You should come back. Now."
I hang up after his last word and turn around to Tai who was staring at me the whole time. "Is Phoenix calling us back?" he says, annoyance clear in his voice.
"You don't really like the idea of following his orders do you?" I say, standing up and taping the sand off of my pants.
"Is it that obvious?" he asks, mirroring my example.
"Yes", I laugh before adding some more:" you're the leader... you should start acting like one again though."
He looks at me, obviously debating whether he should tell me something or not. I can tell because Dylan wears exactly the same look as Tai when he's in situations like that.
"Kazumi... between you and me. I have no idea how to act in a war. Sure we had our big fights, but nothing like this", he says, keeping his voice as low as possible.
I expected something like that already:" I know. But you've got Alec on your side he has a lot of exper –"
"You're really telling me that I should trust the person who not only tried to kill me but also held me back when I was trying to help my best friend?" he interrupts me, getting angry at just the mention of my boyfriend's name.
"No. I'm telling you that you should stop denying the bond you feel with him", his eyes go wide immediately after me saying this. He obviously didn't expect me to know about this.
"I am telling you that you should trust the person who saved your best friends life after saving yours. I am telling you to work with this one person I would rely my life on. Tai, Alec is a horrible person... but he's worth trusting...and loving."
"How can you be so sure about him?" he asks, still not fully convinced.
"You will find out why... you just have to let him help you. At least; try."
I can't imagine how confusing this has to be for Tai. I for my part didn't know anything about this bond between them either. But it turns out that there is a lot more that connects Alec and Tai than just their similarities in their looks. Although Alec refused to talk about this too much with me –or anyone for that matter – he told me that not only he himself but also Tai has to feel this between them. So I don't feel guilty for using this information for winning this discussion with Tai.
"Alright", he says, nodding finally. I smile brightly at him before touching his arm in a comforting way.
"Let's go back then."
Back at the base
Every time I enter this place it feels like a ton of bricks are pressing down on my chest, preventing me from breathing normally. I can't really come up with a reason why I feel calmer in the base in our time... probably because I'm working there all day long, but I can't help but feel like there's more to that. Screw it... I have enough things to worry about already
I don't bother to check for any of the digidestined. Seeing that it's quite late already I don't think that anyone's still awake. Nevertheless I take the elevator down to the last floor and enter the command center after identifying myself before the door. The metal doors slide open and reveal the round room with its ton computers and maps. The seats on the table are all empty... actually; the whole room is empty except one of the chairs in front of the main computer screen. My first thought is that Izzy got caught up in work or something. However after taking a better look at the person's silhouette I realize that it's Alec sitting on the chair, holding a cup in his left hand while his right one lays on the mouse.
"You're picking up bad habits", I say and take the seat next to him. His usually hard features soften immediately as soon as he turns to me and he gives me one of his rare smiles.
"Why is checking the area a bad habit?" His gaze is once again fixed on the screen that's showing a particular area of the digital world. The area's partly colored in a few different colors. Starting from a light gray and turning slowly in some darker shades. The darker the area is colored the more enemies are located there. I'm so focused on studying the map that I don't notice my boyfriend's burning gaze laying on me all of the sudden.
"What is troubling your mind at this late hour love?"
"Life probably..."
"What are we looking at Alec?" I ask, following his example and looking at the computer screen once more.
"I found the cure's location", he says, emptying his cup and placing it on the desk in front of us. My heart is beating painfully against my chest, making it harder for me to breathe. I knew what I came for into this time, but I didn't expect to find it so soon.
"So that means –", I start, already planning this mission in my mind. However Alec interrupts me.
"Not so fast love." His tone is what ruins my tiny little moment of joy. He taps on some of the keys on the keyboard and within seconds a red dot starts blinking in one of the dark shaded areas. Wow... that figures.
"What kind of area is that?" please... don't say d –
"One of the demon lord's." THAT FIGURES! I hit my head against the back of the chair and groan in frustration.
"What are we going to do now Alec?"
"We can't probably just walk in and declare that we're there to get a cure they don't even know exists..." he says more than to himself than me.
"Yeah. And don't forget that we can't probably go alone...let alone take the digidestined with us." I add, remembering the painful truth that the digidestined from this time have absolutely no idea in what a mess they are right now. And the worst is; this war hasn't even really begun yet.
"I know what you mean. This war will destroy them..."
"If not physically then mentally for sure", I end his thought for him. "Which one of the demon lords is there?"
"Belphemon."
Thank god. Some good news.
"He isn't that much of a problem if he's in his sleeping mode. We can take the digidestined with us. They know how to fight", I say, daring to gain a little hope again.
"I'm not going to force the digidestined to do this Kazumi. I'll give them a choice tomorrow. Whoever wants to is free to go." He says, seeming far away all of the sudden...
"And of course... We have to get Matt back on his feet – literally – first."
"I think Dylan should talk to him", I say, looking right at my loving friend who's turning off the computer before locking his account.
"I had this thought too already. After all.. Dylan knows how it feels like to be in this kind of situation", Alec says before getting up from the chair and looking down at me.
"Let's go to bed love."
Next morning.
Dylan's Prov
"Come on Matt, let's try again." T.K lifts himself up from the couch he was sitting on and stands in front of his brother who's sitting on his bed. After Alec finished the healing process Matt was allowed to leave the hospital wing of this base. Although he'd be able to walk around – as well as jump and run and stuff like that – he doesn't. I know that for the digidestined his behavior must be really weird. I for my part however can relate... no one who didn't experience this already does know how the own body feels after being healed. Though your brain knows that your body's fine, you can't bring yourself to actually get up...it's sheer impossible and takes a damn long time.
"No. I'm done for today", Matt replies, leaning his back against the head of his bed.
"But you didn't even try!" Tai protests from his spot next to me. Ouch... daddy's getting frustrated.
I take a quick look around the room and realize that most of the digidestined left the room already. The only ones still remaining in this room are Tai, T.K, Kazumi, Mimi and I.
"Come on Matt... Just once", Mimi tries in her usual soft voice. She's sitting next to him on his bed, placing her hand on his left thigh. However he glaring at her causes her to take her hand back immediately.
"Okay. This is getting ridiculous. How much longer do you want us to wait for you to recover?" My sister joins in, not even bothering to cover her annoyance with Matt's behavior. I can't help but feel a little annoyed myself, but not because of Matt.
"What she's trying to say Matt is that, without trying you won't know if you –"T.K tries again but they obviously crossed some line of Matt's nerves or something because he doesn't let his little brother finish his sentence.
"You should get out. I'm tired."
The following silence is surprisingly calming. I can tell by glancing over the digidestined's faces that they're not sure what they're supposed to do now though it's more than clear that Matt doesn't want us in his room.
"Is that what you want?" Tai asks, sitting on the edge of the couch already.
"Yes."
Not sure if Matt is avoiding Tai's eye contact on purpose...
"Are you sure?" T.K asks his eyes wide. I can't help but think of a little kid whose ice cream got stolen or something like that. T.K looks way too vulnerable right now as for me not to think about this image. I'm probably being mean... but at least I'm honest.
Matt doesn't say anything, and that is answer enough.
Kazumi, Tai, T.K and Mimi get up after one another and exit the room. I for my part was expecting Matt to expulse us from his room sooner or later. I lean back on the couch and cross my arms, staring straight at one of my favorite uncles in the future.
"I meant everyone", he says, his tone reminding me of cold ice splintering on a glass table.
"Yeah sorry. But you can't get to me with this tone of yours", I reply, staring at the burgundy carpet on the floor. The color kind of reminds me of my mother's hair. But it's probably weird to think about my mom right now. I feel Matt's glance burning on me, but I refuse to look at him. If I would, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm up to do right now.
"You know Matt...When I was twelve I got seriously hurt in the digital world", I start. I personally promised myself that I would never talk about this with anyone. Kazumi pestering me the whole morning about this convinced me otherwise.
Matt inhales deeply. I take that as a sign to continue.
"Dad told me I should stay by his side and not go too far away. But you can imagine that a little kid doesn't take his dad's instructions that seriously. So when Dad was busy doing some stuff I got bored and wanted to take a look at the surroundings. You know, a battlefield is quite interesting", I stop and take a look at my uncle. He's watching me closely, not leaning on the headboard from the bed anymore. Looks like I caught his attention.
"Well. I didn't see them coming... they were there within a blink of an eye. And I ended up being injured. I had several contusions and cuts and stuff like that. My legs however were the worst; they broke both of them –"
"They?" he interrupts me, narrowing his eyes dangerously. I can see that he doesn't like the thought of me being hurt by someone else at all. I can't deny that it feels quite good actually..
"The enemies."
"And where was Tai? Why didn't he help you?!" Matt's tone changed from worried to angry within seconds.
"He was there. Matt I don't want to talk about this too much. Dad was there; he saved me, got hurt himself and slapped me for being an idiot afterwards. I must say, I deserved that", the memory of dad bending over me, looking at me with fear stricken eyes pops up in my mind. I inwardly shake my head to get rid of that image. I hated seeing my father like this.
"Anyway. I was healed too. And I got into the same situation as you. My legs were perfectly fine, but I couldn't get myself to actually get up from the bed."
"What did you do about it?"
I feel my lips forming a wide grin. This is where the story turns cool.
"Dad took me out with him to check an area, in a wheelchair. Of course I protested to sit on a wheelchair, but since I couldn't walk and my dad is stubborn as fuck I ended up in this situation. However as soon as we were there we got attacked, again. I must add in here that I didn't walk for about 4 weeks then already. So there we were once again. I was absolutely helpless on a wheelchair and my father didn't bother to get us out of there –"
"What do you mean he didn't bother?"
"I'm getting to that. Dad started to run to get himself out of the area –"
"He didn't take you with him?"
"I know it sounds like my dad is a real asshole. But I want you to understand him a little better. He's a genius matt. Dad left. So the only way for me to get out of there was to run. I was a twelve year old boy. I didn't want my legs to be broken once again, let alone die. So I stopped thinking Matt. I ran. I didn't bother looking where I was going. But as soon as I got up and ran a few meters Dad picked me up and got ourselves out of there."
"So he let you think he wouldn't help you this time so that you –"
"So that I overcame my fear."
"And what has that to do with me?" Matt asks, looking straight into my eyes.
"Do you want me to take you to a battlefield or do you want to try to get up in here. With me?" I ask, placing my elbows on my knees.
"Dylan I – "
"I know Matt. But you know as well as me that the digidestined won't stop trying to get you on your feet. And if you'd fall in front of them you'd be ashamed. I know you. But I'm almost a stranger to you, and I know how you feel. So I'm the best choice for help right now."
He stares a few more seconds at me, giving me at the same time, the opportunity to take a closer look at him. The bruises on his face disappeared almost completely. Here and there are some scars that won't be gone for a long time I'm sure. Nothing grave however. His upper part of the body is covered by his black shirt but I know that he's got some bandages on because of his ribs.
"Lock the door. Please."
Kari's Prov
"What now?" Cody asks, staring aimlessly throughout the room. Phoenix looks up from the small screen of his tablet and fixes his gaze on the youngest of us. No one said anything in the past few minutes, though the lobby is almost full. Every digidestined is here except Ken, Yolei and Joe who said they had to check on their families at home. Alec is absent as well, but it isn't really that surprising that I have no idea where he went to.
While most of the digidestined look like they're trying to find any response to Cody's question Phoenix and Kazumi don't look that interested. Kazumi's been studying a heavy looking book for the past hour and Phoenix was doing the same, just with the tablet.
"Didn't someone of you say that we should answer the attack?" Davis says, looking at Kazumi and Phoenix. While Kazumi doesn't bother to look up Phoenix is the one who actually turns off the device in his hand and accepts our attempt to start a conversation with them.
"We thought it would be best to do so... but –"
"But we don't think it would be that smart to do that just yet", Kazumi ends his sentence, closing the book in her lab.
"Why not?" Veemon asks, driving his attention away from the cookies in his hand and to Kazumi instead.
Said girl takes a deep breath and straightens her posture, causing her long wavy hair to fall down loosely on her back. I can't believe how pretty she is, though a little too thin.
"It is out of question that you aren't ready to participate in this war so there is no reason to cause unwanted trouble", she says, her tone a whole lot of degrees colder than it was in the past days. What happened that pissed her off this much?
"How can you say something like this? We fought several times before!" Cody protests, getting angry too. I for my part feel kind of insulted myself; how can she say something like that? We've faced a lot of enemies in the past... just because –
"Just because we didn't fight in a war yet against these so-called demon lords doesn't mean we can't fight them", Davis speaks out my thoughts.
"Davis you have no idea what you're talking about", Kazumi says, her voice getting thinner by the second and her eyes start to shimmer lightly. All of the sudden she finally looks her age... not this fake version of her that makes her look at least 10 years older, and much colder.
"We can fight... we did it a lot already", Agumon joins in.
"I don't think she means you digimon Agumon", Tai says quietly, staring straight at Kazumi who holds his gaze with the same intensity.
"You're right, I don't."
The realization sinks in by almost everyone at the same time. Suddenly phrases like "you haven't faced something like this before" and "you're not ready for this" get a new meaning. We were thinking that they didn't trust in our ability to defeat these new enemies, but in reality they knew exactly that we can't fight by ourselves, without the digimon.
"Is this the reason why you aren't accompanied with your digimon?" I ask Kazumi as soon as everything gets clear in my mind.
"It is. I am able to look after myself on my own. My digimon is needed in our time", she says, looking sad all of the sudden. God the expressions of this girl change within seconds.
"So you're saying... we have to fight with our bare hands against digimon?" Sora asks her face pale as a sheet.
"No. Not at all", Phoenix joins in again. "We're facing two kinds of enemies: real digimon who turned evil and are loyal lackeys of the demon lords and some other creatures."
"What do you mean?" Izzy asks after closing his laptop finally.
"What he means is that these said creatures aren't human, nor digimon", a voice sounds from the door.
"Matt!"
Within seconds T.K jumped up and is hugging his brother who is actually standing in the door frame.
"You got up!" T.K's eyes shine brightly like two blue diamonds. I can't help but feel happy not only for matt that he recovered finally but also for T.K who's suffering has come to an end hopefully. Dylan slips into the room behind Matt and takes a seat next to his twin sister. However the knowing gazes and the smiles they share with each other doesn't get by unnoticed by me. I have a strong feeling that Dylan has something to do with Matt's change of heart.
T.K lets go of his brother and returns to his seat pulling his brother with him.
Matt's gaze wanders through the room and gets a hold of his best friend. Tai didn't say much today, nor did he show any emotion for the last few days. At least... after Matt's accident. They exchange a quick gaze followed by an almost unnoticeable nod of the blonde.
"I can't believe you recovered that fast!" Gabumon says, joining his partner on the sofa. Matt gives him a small smile before his expression turns serious again.
"We have to focus on our further steps in this situation. I don't think it would be very smart if we keep doing nothing", Matt says while looking at the twins and Phoenix. While Dylan just nods approvingly Phoenix and Kazumi exchange a rather worried glance.
"Are you hiding something?" I hear me say before I have the chance to stop myself.
"No. I am just worried about you. I don't want any of you to be hurt", Kazumi says. This time however I am certain that she is not lying.
"We won't", Davis argues.
"Are you sure about that?" Dylan says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Of course I am!" Davis counters, getting to the point where his annoyance of being unable to do anything gets the best of him.
Dylan eyes him silently before he narrows his eyes. Within seconds a small dagger appears in his left hand. All time he needs to throw the small item at Davis is a blink of an eye. Davis' eyes wide immediately, however the dagger's caught in mid-fly.
Everyone's staring at Tai in awe – and in shock – who's standing in the middle of the room, holding the dagger in his hand and glaring at his son from the future.
"What's the point of that?" I can tell my brother is beyond pissed right now. I for myself can't come up with a reason why I am not angry or at least annoyed myself. I don't know why but I can't get myself to be angry with these two children.
Phoenix eyes Tai with as wide eyes as the rest of the digidestined, except Matt. Matt as well as the twins wear all a similar looking smile on their faces.
"Do you believe me now Matt?" Dylan says, getting up as well while holding eye contact with Tai.
"I do", the blonde replies quietly, looking at the two.
Tai for his part doesn't bother to notice the exchange in words between his best friend and Dylan. He eyes the boy in front of him with the same look as before. I can tell he is seething with anger.
"I asked you a question."
"And I will give you an answer", Dylan replies, smiling lightly. However this smile of his reminds me of the one that appears on Alec's face constantly. The spitefulness of his expression is really not that unobvious.
"Dylan knew you'd catch it", Kazumi replies, getting up herself and pulling her brother back from Tai.
"And you should not provoke him like that, for all I know you'd get a clout off if he'd knew you better, right Tai?" she says, smiling apologetically at him.
"Right." He says before taking his seat again.
"How did you know Tai would catch it? And how did you even do that? I didn't even see this thing getting thrown", Cody speaks up the one question probably everyone wondered about. Even I didn't know that my brother could do something like that and I'm pretty sure neither did Sora.
"Because –"
"You didn't see it getting thrown?"
Tai and Dylan speak up at the same time.
"Did you?" Sora asks her boyfriend in confusion. What the hell?
"Of course I did. Why not?" Tai asks, getting more and more confused by the whole situation.
There is just was no way to see the dagger getting thrown, at all. Dylan was way too fast and seeing that he has some weird powers this part of the whole thing doesn't even surprise me. However what really does cause an uncomfortable feeling in my gut is that my brother was obviously the only one of us digidestined who was able to see the dagger flying.
"Well would you look at that", a new voice sounds, catching immediately our attention.
Alec's leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed before his chest. He's eyeing my brother who's still holding the dagger with interest.
"I wondered when it would start." He says before turning to face Matt, ignoring our questions concerning his more than just simply weird statement.
"Glad to see you out of bed blondie", he says, grinning lightly. "I'd like to talk to you. In the command center. Now."
After saying these simple words he disappears out of the room, leaving us no other option than to follow him.
"I think that was an order", Tai says, rolling his eyes. He gets up though.
Tai's Prov
I am beyond annoyed right now. Not only do we have to spend our days in this underground base, completely shut off from the sunlight, but we also don't do anything about this whole war situation. However the worst thing is probably to follow someone else's orders. I never was a person who'd liked to do that. I was the leader... hell, I still am the leader. So why don't they let me live up to my position?!
Though I don't really like this base so far I can't deny the fact that this room appears to be rather calming. For whatever reason. Everyone except Alec takes their seat on the round table. Alec however is rummaging in some cabinets, looking for something obviously.
"You need any help or... –", Phoenix asks, looking at his older brother who doesn't bother to turn to face him.
"Is it possible that you don't have any bourbon here?" He asks finally, closing the cabinet he was rifling through.
Memories of broken furniture flash in front of my inner eye, making me shiver immediately. After glancing at my girlfriend who's sitting next to me though I can tell I am not the only one who remembered that night by Alec mentioning bourbon. God I hate whiskey.
"No. there isn't any", Phoenix answers calmly, activating the technology of the table. The tabletop lights up and shows a map of the digital world. Looks like this is the main menu or something. Izzy's interest is awakened immediately and he examines it full of expectation.
Alec takes his seat between the twins and huffs in frustration. He runs his finger through his hair, causing it to get messier than mine is usually. The dark bags under his eyes complete his generally leached-out-look.
"Are you nervous or something?" Sora asks him, observing his actions carefully. The way he's fidgeting and rubbing his hands against his knees is kind of disturbing to look at.
"No."
"No Sora. My brother's just an alcoholic on deprivation", Phoenix says irony clear in his voice.
"Here. You're way more obnoxious when you're sober", Dylan says, giving him a silver flask. Alec thanks him and takes the flask, taking a sip immediately.
He obviously feels everyone's gaze on him because he puts it into his pocket. I for my part try to ignore the fact that my son from the future is keeping a flask full of alcohol with himself...
"Yes: I got a drinking problem. But that's not your concern", he says defiant. "However there are some things we have to discuss." He pauses and looks at me, his eyes looking like broken ice. "I'd like to have a word with you afterwards."
Though I feel almost everyone's gaze on me, as well as Sora's hand clutching mine, I just nod and lean back in my seat. However the tense atmosphere is broken when the realization that our days of doing nothing is over hits Davis.
"THANK YOU. Finally we're about to do something", he says, straightening his posture and looking at Phoenix, Alec and the twins expectant. I give him a small smile as a thank you which he answers with an almost unnoticeable nod.
Alec observers Davis for a few seconds with numb eyes before he clicks on some regions on the table what causes one particular spot of the map to be zoomed at. Within seconds a virtual city is floating over the tabletop. The technology of this base surely is amazing. However Alec's not done yet. He gets up and pushes a few buttons on the big computer –wall screen what causes the exact same city to appear on the wall. This time however it isn't a hologram like the one we're seeing in front of us, but a 2D map in general. So while we're able to see the buildings in their "original" height in front of us the map on the wall has its focus on the streets.
"What is this?" Joe's voice sounds from the entrance. As if on call everyone turns to look at Ken, Joe and Yolei entering the command center. Their gaze is focused on Alec who's still standing right beside the wall-map. The three newcomers take their seat after greeting us warmly.
"This, Joe is a map of a city we're about to break in", Alec says nonchalantly.
The following silence is pressing me down on my seat. Though I was aware of the fact that we surely had to fight soon I didn't expect them to have a concrete plan already. I probably should say something since I am still the leader of the digidestined, but I don't really feel like it is time to say anything. Moreover I don't think they'd approve anything I'd say right now...
"Why?" Mimi is the first one to break the silence. She looks at the hologram of the city floating in front of us, not showing any emotion on her face though.
"We thought about how we should advance in this war. And we think it would be best if we'd kill each demon lord systematically", Kazumi says, looking at the same spot as Mimi is right now.
"So we start with the one we think is the easiest to hurt", Dylan ends his sister's sentence.
"And who is it?" Izzy asks next.
"His name is Belphemon." Phoenix answers his question.
"As much as I know no one of the demon lords is really easy to kill", Ken says, looking quite nervous actually...
"You're right kid, but Belphemon is in his sleeping mode. This is a good thing", Alec says, confusing me –and I am sure the rest of the digidestined too – even more. What is that supposed to mean?
"What is that supposed to mean?" Yolei asks the exact same thing I was wondering about.
"This means it's a lot easier to kill him than when he's awake", Kazumi says, crossing her legs and leaning back in her seat. Her reddish brown hair falls down her right shoulder in waves, giving her generally hard contoured face a soft touch. She looks way older than she really is...
"This however doesn't mean that he will not fight against us. He surely will, but we know how to handle him in his sleep-mode", Dylan, once again, ends the sentence for his sister. Looks like this is some thing of them.
"Sounds good to me. When are we going?" Davis asks excitement clear in his voice.
"Are you ready for this?" Gennai asks, looking at our digimon.
I feel Agumon shifting next to me. This is when something really important hits me. Though I was thinking the whole time as soon as we got into this base I didn't think about our digimon feeling well enough here. I knew I felt like shit here, but what about them?! I turn to look at my partner digimon who is wearing the same determinate expression I am used to see on him.
"We sure are", Gatomon says, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Yeah! We were waiting for this for way too long!" Hawkmon adds, flapping his wings impatiently.
"Are you really ready for this buddy?" I whisper to Agumon so no one's able to hear our conversation. He immediately turns and looks at me with his deep green eyes.
"I know the demon lords are very strong Tai. I think I know much more about them than you", he says but pauses. Probably because my expression gives away how much his statement affects me. Fear is widespread inside of me. "Tai I can do this. Trust me."
Since there is not much I can I just nod. I am not convinced at all, but Agumon unfortunately is as stubborn as me, so there is no way I can talk with him about this anymore when he made up his mind.
"Alright. Here you see the guards", Alec says, pushing a few buttons again. As soon as he does that on the hologram in front of us as well as on the map on the wall appear a lot of red blinking dots. Way too much red blinking dots.
"And traps", Kazumi adds, pushing a few buttons herself. A few black blinking dots appear on the two maps.
This doesn't look that good...
"This city reminds me of the one Kari was trapped when we first met Andromon again", T.K states, looking at the hologram in front of me.
"Yeah I was thinking the same", my sister replies, looking at the floating image in front her: her expression unreadable.
"It is not though", Gennai says, looking at the city thoughtfully.
"This is a city where the sun stopped rising", Kazumi says, her thoughts suddenly seeming far away.
"So the night there is permanently?" T.K asks, holding onto his partner digimon all of the sudden. Patamon eyes him nervously. The blonde however ignores him while eyeing my future daughter.
"Yes."
"Alright. So what's the plan?" I ask since I've finally got enough of talking around the bush. I want to know facts. Clear facts.
"You see the guards there Tai?" Alec says pointing at the red dots. I just nod, waiting for him to continue.
"These aren't really a problem since you're not going to fight them –"
"Didn't you say we'd have to start fighting too?" Matt interrupts him.
"We did. But it would be stupid to send you into war without training you first", Dylan says, looking at the blinking dots in front of us.
"So why don't we train before we go?" Sora asks eagerness clear in her voice. I should have known she'd be ready to fight anytime...
"We don't have time for that. I want to leave tonight already", Alec says, looking at everyone of us.
"YOU WHAT?!" Yolei shrieks, all color drained from her face. Almost everyone is looking at Alec with wide eyes. I for my part feel my heart beat accelerating though I was expecting something like that actually... Guess I hoped inwardly that my team wouldn't have to put themselves in danger so soon.
"We want to do it tonight. We break into this city; observe at first and when the situation looks good we will kill Belphemon. The sooner we start fighting the demon lords the better", Dylan says. Clutching what looks like a digivice in his hand.
A million thoughts are running through my mind. While the worry for every one of my teammates dares to overwhelm me I can't ignore the fact that I myself am sensing fear while thinking about the upcoming mission. I know we have to fight against these demon lords. Dylan's statement was logical and well thought, but on what cost?
Who can guarantee that everyone will come back to this base alive? Am I ready to let them put their life in danger? No. I certainly am not.
"Can I have a say in this?" I hear me say before I have the chance to stop myself.
Everyone's gaze immediately focuses on me. While I feel their gaze burning on me, my best friend's gaze feels the heaviest. I can tell by the change in atmosphere that he tensed up as soon as I spoke up. He was probably waiting for me to say something finally. After all... I never was the type of person who just accepted what others told me to do.
"I don't want everyone to put their live in danger. At least... not without any training or something", I say.
Kazumi and Dylan eye me with softened expressions while Phoenix and Gennai don't look that bothered by my statement.
"I think you should let them decide for themselves", Alec says.
"No I don't", Kazumi argues, leaning forward again.
"Yeah... Dad is right. Back home no one is allowed to leave the base without training, why should it be different here?" Dylan says, supporting me too. I give the two of them a small smile which they return immediately.
"Because we're under massive time pressure, you two should know that", Phoenix says, supporting his brother's opinion, for once.
"What about we make groups? One group goes and the rest stays here?" Joe says, trying to come up with a solution, as usual.
"This is a very good idea", Mimi says approvingly.
"Alright. Is there someone who wants to stay behind voluntarily?" Davis asks sarcastically.
Everyone eyes each other carefully. I can tell there surely are some digidestined who actually liked to stay behind, but there is just no way that they will –
"I will", my sister speaks out, staring straight at me as if waiting for my approval. I feel a ton of bricks getting lifted off my chest. Though I was hoping instantly that she would stay behind I never dared for a second to hope she actually would say she'd do it voluntarily.
"What? Why?" Davis asks confused.
"I-I don't know... I just feel like I should not be there..." she says quietly, clasping her hands together. My heart aches when I look at her in this posture. Her legs are crossed and her clasped hands are on top of her knees. The black pants she's wearing and the tight black shirt make her look much thinner than usual. I inwardly hope that this is just the clothes making her look like this and not reality. God she looks so small all of the sudden.
"I am staying too", Joe says quietly, looking at my sister too. I can tell he is thinking something similar as me.
"Same here", Yolei says, as well as Mimi.
Good, this means the girls stay behind... almost.
I turn and look at my girlfriend who is glaring daggers at me. "Do not look at me like that Tai there is no way I am staying."
"But –"
"Actually Tai. I think it would be best if Sora would near to you", Alec says, looking at us thoughtfully.
"I am staying too", Izzy says after another long silence.
"Yeah me too", Cody follow Izzy's example. "I don't feel good about this, I am sorry Armadillomon", he apologizes to his digimon.
"Don't worry about it Cody. If you don't feel like it is what we should do I share your opinion", the digimon assures him, causing the boy to smile lightly.
"Anyone else?" Alec asks. No one lifts his hand anymore.
So this leaves T.K, Sora, Matt, Davis Ken and Me.
"Alright.. I am staying here too in case someone attacks the base", Phoenix says, looking at the few digidestined who declared their stay.
"God... I feel like we're letting you down", Mimi says quietly...;" I'm ashamed of myself."
"You shouldn't! You're the back-up team", Dylan says, getting their attention immediately.
"Yeah... when we go for a mission back home half of the team stays behind in case something happens there or if we need back up in battle", Kazumi says, smiling brightly at them. Mimi's expression brightens immediately.
"Alright. So here's the plan", Alec starts before he pauses and looks at the twins who were listening to him carefully.
"I think you should take it from here."
Kazumi and Dylan exchange a few glances between each other before Kazumi speaks up.
"Alright. My idea would be that we'd approach the city with some of the tunnels underground", she says, wiping over the floating city.
The image turns immediately and the buildings are gone, replaced by a desert. Kazumi once again pushes a few buttons on the tabletop and within seconds red tunnels appear under the sand of the desert. The tunnels go from under the desert to the point of a big market square.
"Where is this?" Sora asks.
"This still is the city Sora. This round square is in the heart of the city, you see all tunnels are connected with this point, so it doesn't matter which one we take to get into the city", Kazumi explains, studying the map carefully.
"This is a giant net of tunnels", Izzy states in awe. "This is amazing."
"But there surely are guards and traps...right?" T.K throws in.
Alec once again pushes a few buttons. Black blinking points appear on the map, followed by a few red dots. The red ones however doesn't look like they're underground but more on the market square.
"There aren't any guards on the underground. No one's stupid enough to go through these tunnels... usually", Phoenix says.
"Stupid enough?" Ken asks confused.
"Don't you see all these traps?" Davis says, staring at the dots that are blinking inevitably. It almost feels like they're making fun of us...
"Andromon knows this city; he will accompany us." Alec says.
I actually am not sure if I should be happy about this or not. Sure... it will be very helpful to have someone with us who knows the city well, but Andromon is just one more life that will be in danger. And if he dies, he will have died trying to help us, again.
"You want to say something Tai?" Alec's voice snaps me out of my little daze, causing me to look at him. He observes me with cold looking eyes, driving everyone's attention to me once again. I surely have something to say... but I will not. This time. So I shake my head no and focus on holding Sora's hand in mine, trying not let my emotions take the best of me.
Sora immediately clutches my hand and strokes it with her thumb, signalizing me that she's right next to me. As usual my body reacts immediately and my heart beat slows down, allowing me to take a deep breath.
"Good. This meeting's over", Phoenix says, lifting himself of the seat and yawning lightly. "You should get some rest. The night's going to be awful." With that he exits the command center, his white cape floating behind him with every step he takes.
"If you'll excuse me", Ken says, getting up too and leaving the room.
Soon everyone exits the room, saying that they certainly are tired and they go and get some rest.
"Aren't you coming?" Sora says, getting up too.
"No I'll stay a while. Go ahead I'll come later", I assure her, giving her a quick kiss on her lips. She exits the room too followed by Matt who throws me a worried glance. I just brush him off with a wink and wait for the door to close behind them before I turn back to Alec and the twins. Gennai for his part left a while ago too.
"You wanted a word with me?" I ask Alec straight away. I was wondering about this the whole time.
"Did you see me throwing the dagger?" Dylan asks, pointing at the item that is lying in front of me on the table.
"I did. Why?" I ask him. Why the hell is that so special?
"Because Tai, Dylan threw it in high speed. Normal digidestined wouldn't have been able to see this", Kazumi says, confusion clear in her voice.
"What do you mean by ´normal´"?
"They mean digidestined who didn't activate their powers yet", Alec answers my question.
"What powers? You're talking in secrets. PERMANENTELY!" I really have to fight against the anger that is boiling slowly inside of me. It really frustrates me that they refuse to talk clear to us.
"Alright Tai. I'll tell you", Alec says before taking a deep breath.
"Each of you has some special powers. Some greater some weaker. It is absolutely trainable; however you Tai are special, as usual."
I am so fed up with being special...
"Your power is the greatest a digidestined ever got. Your future self is so strong that he'd be able to destroy not only the digital world but also the human world with a snap of his fingers. And your powers seem to boil inside of you already. Don't you feel it?" He says, looking at me intensely.
"How am I supposed to feel that?" I ask, trying to ignore the annoyance.
"Your emotions are stronger than usual. You awareness is sharper... your reaction more precise", Dylan counts.
My silence is obviously answer enough for the three of them because they nod in unison.
"You've got them already. You just have to activate them", Alec says as if it is a normal thing you do on a daily basis.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"It depends. A sovereign would say you should live up to your crest, but I personally don't believe in this thesis", Kazumi says, crossing her arms before her chest.
"How did you activate them?" I ask her.
"She flipped. Bad." Dylan says, judged by his troubled expression the memory of this event isn't all too pleasant.
"You should not worry about this too much Tai. It will come to you naturally, as well as to everyone else. The true reason why I wanted to talk to you is something much more important", Alec says, getting serious all of the sudden.
"What's that?"
Kazumi once again pushes a few buttons on the tabletop. The image changes back to the one where the whole city is visible. While an apartment lights up in a blue light, the red and black dots still blink a new green dot starts blinking in a building where most of the red dots are located as well.
"The blue illuminated apartment is the place we're going to hide after getting into the city. The green dot however is something very important..." Kazumi says, pausing in mid-sentence.
"What is it?"
"It is a vial my sister and I have to get. This is the reason for our time travel Tai", Dylan says, staring at the green blinking dot.
"What's in the vial?" I ask since I still feel like there is much more to this than they're telling me.
"Tai they're not allowed to tell you too much", Alec says quietly, looking at the twins.
"Why not?"
"Your orders", Dylan says while trying to hide his grin behind his fingers.
"How are you going to get this?" I ask them, looking at all the red dots blinking along the green one.
"We will find a way. We will split our group as soon as we get there. Alec, T.K, Ken, Matt and you will stay and observe the situation. You will try and come up with a plan to kill demon lord Nr.1. Sora Dylan and I will go after the vial", Kazumi tells me their plan.
"Didn't Alec say it would be better if Sora would be near to me?" I ask, not liking the idea of my girlfriend being in a warzone while I am not able to protect her.
"Tai we are trained to protect tons of civilians at home from giant armed armies... trust me when I tell you we can look after the younger version of our own mother", Dylan assures me.
"Alright... anything else?" I instantly hope they're done for today. I definitely need some sleep finally.
"No. Go and get some hours of sleep. We're leaving soon", Alec says, dismissing me.
Kazumi's Prov
My heart is beating painfully against my chest. The heat is unbearable and I know I am sweating under my armor. We clothed the digidestined in similar armors so they'd be at least a little bit covered from anything that could get thrown at them or something like that. Moreover they were armed with several weapons as daggers, knuckle-dusters...and guns. The last one however were just for Matt and Tai, I doubt that the others would be ready to use something like that. Instead of the normal walkie-talkies you see on TV-shows, Dylan and I managed to generate the small ones we use in our time. So the digidestined all wear a descent necklace microphone that not only connects the ones who are on the mission with each other, but also with the rest who is keeping an eye on the maps constantly. So we will be warned in time if anything is going to happen.
The moon is shining beautifully, engulfing the desert in magical silver light. I stare up quietly and enjoy the past few minutes of this beautiful image in front of me. However I hear the click of the tunnel's entrance being opened way too soon. I turn to look at my companions who all look quite nervous at the entrance of it. The tunnel is pitched black, no light to be seen. Exactly what I expected.
I take out my flashlight and press it between my lips before I push myself in front of everyone and take the lead from here on. I slowly climb down the ladder into the tunnel, into the never-ending darkness.
I illuminate the ladder for everyone until Alec gets down at last. No one dares to say something.
"Careful now, if you walk straight ahead you'll face the first trap", I hear Izzy's voice in my ear. After glancing at everyone I can tell that their micro is working just fine. So they heard him.
"Thanks Izzy", Tai whispers back into his micro before turning on his flashlight too.
Soon the tunnel is illuminated by our flashlights. The ground is disgustingly wet and the smell of mold on the walls is killing my nostrils.
"Okay. Come on then... let's do this."
We walk in silence through this shit hole before my brother spots the first trap.
"Stop right here", he says in his usual calm voice.
"How are going to deactivate it?" Davis asks quietly, not daring to raise his voice down here. I don't blame him... god knows what is hiding in this place.
"Don't worry Davis. This whole world is made of technology. So these traps are deactivated with technology", Andromon says, pointing a laser pointer-like device on the activator for the trap. Within seconds the trap starts blinking red before the color changes to green, signalizing that it's deactivated.
"Thank god", I hear my brother say quietly next to me. I for my part allow myself to let the breath out I was holding. I honestly had no idea what we were going to do if this would have failed.
"We should not lose any time", Andromon says before he begins to walk again.
We continue walking in silence and deactivate every trap on our way. To the point I see a greenish light in front of me that is marking the market square I lost ever sense of time.
"Thank god, please tell me this is it", Sora says next to me, looking longingly at the green light in front of us.
"It is", Alec says:" Get your weapons out, just in case", he says, before unsheathing his sword. I immediately take my trident off my back, holding it tightly.
"You think we come to face enemies already?" Sora asks, fear clear in her voice.
"No. but it's better to be careful than sorry", I quote the one sentence her future self tells me almost every time when I leave for battle.
"Is there a reason why you have a trident as a weapon? Some connection with water maybe?" Matt asks, curiosity getting the best of him.
"No... I was a big fan of the little mermaid when I was a little girl. Izzy developed it for me for my 16th birthday", I reply, remembering my joy when I saw one of my favorite persons appear in the doorframe, carrying this cool weapon in his hand. I fell in love with it since the day he gave it to me.
The tunnel suddenly gets wider before ending in a big square. I take in my surroundings and see 9 other tunnel endings. Each one of them looks exactly like the one we just came from. There is no light in none of them. This is just way too creepy.
In the middle of this square is a giant pillar with a ladder attached to it. I follow the ladder with my eyes and spot the exit of this hell-hole.
Alright... if we take this exit we will be on the open field. If there aren't any enemies we've got maximum 2 minutes to look for shelter before someone will spot us.
"Izzy... is there anything right above us?" I whisper into my microphone. I am well aware of the fact that everyone's staring at me.
"Wait. Let me check."
"Okay, we will have to –", I start but Alec interrupts me.
"Be quiet love. I think I heard something."
My blood freezes inside my veins and I can literally see the color draining from the digidestined's faces. I feel my brother next to me grabbing his javelin, looking into the same direction as Alec.
"Guys... get behind me. Please", I hear me say. Though everything inside of me is screaming out of panic I pull myself together and try to listen to anything that could be in the tunnels.
"Guys. Can you hear me?" Phoenix voice sounds inside of our micros.
"We can, brother", Alec replies, still looking at the tunnel he thought he heard something coming from.
"I have some bad news..."
"Spit it Phoenix. I am not in the mood", Alec says dangerously quiet.
"There are several guards right above you. If you would exit the tunnels now you'd be dead within seconds", he says.
There is more...
"There is more to that isn't it?" Tai asks quietly.
"Yeah... the water supply of the city gave in this means that –"
"That the underground is being over flood", Dylan ends the sentence blankly. As soon as the words are out however the water appears in the flash beam of our flashlights. I quickly turn around and illuminate every entrance of the tunnels just to come to the realization that there is water coming from every one of them.
"What now?" Ken asks, horror clear on his and everyone else's face.
"We can't get out... and we can't stay in here."
"We'll die here." Davis says blankly. And turns off his flashlight.
So. This was chapter 7. FINALLY!
Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I hope there still are a few who were waiting for this. As you probably already noticed...action's about to start!
I'll try to upload as soon as I can! But school is keeping me very busy at the moment. sorry!
03/14/16
