Hey everybody, I'm back with another update for the story here and it is actually the longest chapter for the story thus far not counting the author's note with a word count of 7,310. Anyway, thanks for your continued support. Anyway, let's get to the chapter. Remember to read the statements at the end.
Chapter rating T: Language and suggestive themes
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Digimon. I own the OCs, the story here and the idea of the story.
Bold- PA Systems/Message Bulletins/Computer Messages
Bold Italic- Radio/TV/Text Messages/Cell Phone Voicemails/Computer Message Responses/Cell Phone Responses
Italic-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks/
Kyle, BlackGuilmon and Veemon continued their walk through the many alleys of the city as they trekked to the restaurant they agreed to meet Yamaki at so they could meet the new team members. He got a message from Mikayla a few minutes earlier saying that she and Andrew successfully managed to retrieve Commandramon from down in the subway system and that they were almost to the restaurant. With that bit of good news, Kyle began to pick up the pace with BlackGuilmon and Veemon following close behind. The sooner he got the restaurant, the sooner he could stop answering Veemon's nonstop questions. It wasn't that Kyle did not like Veemon, but he found him to be too curious for his own good.
"What's the meaning of life?" Veemon asked as they rounded another corner.
"Geez, Veemon. Look, I'm not one for philosophical questions. That question is one of the biggest ones asked and there can be many answers to that," Kyle answered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well, what's your answer?"
"If I tell you, will you stop with the questions for now?"
"Yeah!"
"Fine, if you really want to know my stance on the meaning of life, it's this. Life is a miracle that can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, so it's important to live in the now and do what you can to make the most of it by doing the right thing and helping those who cannot help themselves, that way when you die, you can go without having any regrets."
Veemon opened his mouth to ask another question, but Kyle shot him a look as a reminder of their deal to which so he closed it a second later. He was having trouble staying quiet and he still had many questions to ask that he wanted answered. Trying to take his mind off of the mountain of questions he wanted to ask, his mind wandered back to Gaomon. He was wondering what his friend was doing, but frowned when he remembered Gaomon saying that he would not call their relationship that of friends. He was not sure why Gaomon didn't want to be his friend or call him his friend when he was being polite and kind to him they first met. If anything, Gaomon seemed more annoyed than passive when he talked to him the day before.
"I guess some Digimon don't want any friends." Veemon shrugged.
The three of them were now a block away from the restaurant that Yamaki rented out. Kyle took a quick look at his watch to check the time to see he had ten minutes to make it on time. As he waited for the cars in the street to come to a stop so he could cross, his mind wandered to the other candidates that Yamaki and the rest of his staff found. Being the leader of the American Tamers, Kyle knew he had to make a lasting impression if he wanted them to follow his orders and work as a team. The thought of leadership made him frown and his hand subconsciously clutched the Digivice in his pocket. He then began to think about the conversation he had with BlackGuilmon about his role as the leader.
Kyle accepted the job as the leader without hesitation because he was not afraid to do what needed to be done, but he was terrified with the reality that he would ultimately be responsible for the survival of his team and it would only take one wrong call for him to get somebody hurt or killed. In hindsight, he was silently wishing he did not take up the responsibility and was starting to wonder if there was anyone on the team more capable than him in filling the role as the leader. While he had yet to meet the rest of his teammates, the only person that came to his mind that best fit the position was Bobby. He made his decision to tell Bobby that he was passing the role of the leader on to him. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did notice BlackGuilmon trying to get his attention.
"Kyle, let's go. The cars have stopped." BlackGuilmon nudged him.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Kyle replied, walking out into the street.
After crossing the street, Kyle, BlackGuilmon and Veemon picked up their pace and started running as fast as they could down the back alleys. They weaved their way around apartments, dumpsters, and restaurants. Kyle's mood had been sour, even more so now that he decided to relinquish his title as leader over to Bobby which he silently felt would be the best decision he made so far. He never gave up on something once his mind was made up or if he wanted something, but this time, he felt it had to be done. His head perked up when a delicious aroma flooded his nostrils and his stomach gave a loud growl. Despite feeling down in the dumps, Kyle felt that if he got some food in his system, he would feel a lot better.
The three of them reached the restaurant a minute later and hurried inside to avoid being late for Yamaki's meeting. They were out of breath having sprinted as fast as they could for the last-minute. Just like Yamaki said the day before, he bought out the entirety of the restaurant for the next two hours so they could talk without risking being eavesdropped on. Kyle was greeted by Takato and Guilmon who rounded the corner a second later. Takato gave him a smile and motioned for him to follow. As they walked to the table, Guilmon kept trying to engage BlackGuilmon in conversation, but was failing miserably. Looking over his shoulder, Kyle could see a noticeable twitch in his partner's eye as he tried to ignore his red counterpart.
"Is Guilmon always that chatty?" Kyle whispered.
"Yeah, but I think he's more chatty around BlackGuilmon because they look similar," Takato answered, glancing at the two of them.
"BlackGuilmon, do you want to have that staring contest rematch?" Guilmon asked with a smile.
"Two minutes and thirty seconds. Two minutes and thirty seconds," BlackGuilmon repeated under his breath.
"Two minutes and thirty seconds until what?"
"Before I experience a white-hot flash of fury."
The oblivious red dinosaur Digimon merely tilted his head in confusion at BlackGuilmon's response. Kyle and Takato were glad to reach the table so they could keep BlackGuilmon from doing something rash with his short temper. Takato and Guilmon hurried to the opposite side where Yamaki, Rika, Renamon, and two other males and their Digimon were sitting.
Turning his gaze to the other side of the table, Kyle could see Mikayla, Bobby, Andrew and two new girls. The first girl had dark red hair, almost appearing black cherry in color. Her body was that of an athlete with natural curves. The other girl was shorter than him, barely standing over five feet tall. Her state of dress concealed most of her body, and her hijab was wrapped around her head, blocking her face save for her eyes which were covered by glasses. Shaking his head, Kyle went to the open seat between Bobby and Mikayla and sat down. When he took his seat, Yamaki broke the silence.
"Now that Kyle has graced us with his presence, I believe it's time we get this discussion going."
Yamaki took his time to explain their schedule for the next two hours while they had the restaurant to themselves. First everyone would go around and reintroduce themselves, which would then be followed by Yamaki explaining the plan for the coming months as well as any questions that the group may have. Starting on Yamaki's side of the table, everyone introduced themselves, starting with Takato, followed by Ryo, then Henry, and Rika with Yamaki finishing. All of the true tamers gave the new ones a couple fun facts about themselves when it was their turn to speak to try and create a more relaxed environment instead of an awkward silence.
Takato told the new tamers that he was their leader in the field and led the team on missions for the past five years against Seeker. The interesting facts he told the group was creating the Guilmon card and the evolutionary line along with being credited for advice on the BlackGuilmon card and evolutionary line. He also told them that he wanted to go into graphic design later in life and that he enjoyed baseball, garnering the attention of Kyle and Bobby who both played the sport.
Ryo, appearing cocky, told the new tamers about his accomplishments in being a Digimon Card Game champion as well as his self-proclaimed talent with women to which Nasrin scoffed and rolled her eyes, having remembered their first encounter. He then told them that he was the best fighter of their group, earning eye rolls Takato, Henry, and Rika.
Henry gave them a friendly smile and nod when it was his turn. Out of the four Japanese tamers, he was the brains and calmest one of the group. He acted as the team's strategist in the field and was good at coming up with spur of the moment tactics to make sure they succeeded. His last bit of information that he relayed to them was that he wanted to do something with computers when he was older like his dad.
Rika was reserved about telling the new tamers anything about herself. She told them of her role as the support of the team and that she was not really sure what she wanted to do with her life. That brought them to Yamaki who was like Rika with his introduction. He only told them that he created Hypnos and that he had a wife at home with a kid on the way.
Now it was time for the American Tamers to talk about themselves for a bit. First up was Cerise. She took a deep breath as she looked up and down the table at her fellow tamers.
"I am Cerise Lumiere. I was born in France, but I moved to Florida with my mom and my sister when I was young," Cerise began.
"Are all French girls as hot as you?" Bobby asked with a smirk.
"I'm flattered, really, but a lot of us are out of your league."
"Is that a challenge?"
Yamaki cleared his throat to stop the banter between the two of them so they could move on with the agenda. Cerise smirked back at Bobby, turning her face to allow the small black tattoo of a crescent moon to stare back at him.
"Anyway, before Romeo over there interrupted me, I was going to say that I like to stay active by exercising and playing soccer. To wrap things, up this cute little Lunamon is my partner." Cerise picked up Lunamon.
"Just for a head's up, you're already awesome in my book. Nothing's cooler than a girl who likes the outdoors and playing sports!" Bobby smiled at her.
Cerise rolled her eyes and did not acknowledge him with a response, turning her attention back to Lunamon who was munching on a small slice of bread.
Nasrin was up next and she was met with a lot of curious stares. She assumed that her clothes and her hijab were the cause of the stares, but she ignored it. If they did not like the way she dressed or found it odd, it was not her problem. Unfolding her arms, she sighed and looked at the rest of the occupants at the table.
"I'm Nasrin Hamidi. I come from an Iranian family, and just like Cerise, I came to America after moving from my homeland of Australia. I live in Oklahoma, and as you can tell from my state of dress, I'm a Muslim," Nasrin said, slowly taking in everyone's response.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a look of caution in the eyes of the boy with the short brown hair. She had seen that look many of times before, and while not similar to the ones she got in Oklahoma from some of the hate groups like the Westboro Baptist Church or the KKK, she could tell it was one of uneasiness. She sighed again after finding the first one of the group that would require to build the level of trust. Not thinking of anything else to say, she finished her greeting by nodding at Mikayla.
The soft spoken Mikayla offered a friendly smile to the tamers around the table. She was nervous about how the ones she just met would receive her, but did everything she could to push those thoughts out of her head. Taking a deep breath and a moment to think about what to say, Mikayla looked up and calmly spoke.
"I'm Mikayla Dunn. Like Kyle and Bobby, I'm from Virginia, but I was born and raised for most of my life in Florida. I am a teacher's pet and I believe in God and go to church when I can. In my spare time I like to listen to music and sing."
Her words were met with some interest, namely she saw the gazes of Nasrin and Andrew from the corners of her eyes. She was not entirely sure what it was that spiked their interest, but she had a hunch she would find out soon enough. Sparing Bobby a glance, she hoped that he would try to be as civil as he could during his introduction, but having known him for so long, she knew that would be asking a lot from him.
"I'm Robert Thornburg, but everyone calls me Bobby." Bobby raised two fingers as a wave. "You already know where I'm from, so let's get to the fun stuff. I love baseball, and while I may not be the most book smart guy, I'm a genius with military tactics and sports. I guess the last thing you should know is that I'm a douchebag, so there's no need to tell me."
He heard a scoff from his left where Andrew was and he also saw Nasrin's eyes adapt a more predatory look. He was ready to go on the defensive when he saw the look Nasrin gave him as it reminded him of some of his more short-tempered teachers that always looked at him with frustration at failing one of his tests. He subconsciously clenched his fist and shook his head to rid himself of the negative memories and was silently waited for a retort to come his way.
"Typical jock." Nasrin shook her head. "All brawn and no brain, obviously overcompensating for something with the overconfidence you are trying to display."
"I say it because I know it's true." Bobby glared back. "Don't be so quick to judge me until you've seen what I can do."
"I'll hold it to you. By the way, what's with that hat?"
"Oh, my hat? Well, I'll keep wearing it as long as you keep that stupid towel on your head."
Bobby smirked inwardly when he saw Nasrin's look change to one of visible frustration. She tried to get a rise out of him and he managed to shut her up with his retort, so he savored his rare victory over a girl before turning it over to Kyle to avoid more conversation with Nasrin.
"I'm Kyle Osbourne, but my nickname is Oz. I play right field in baseball and I run cross-country for sports. My partner is BlackGuilmon and I am the assigned leader of the American Tamers." Kyle smiled.
Kyle then nodded at Andrew who was the last one to introduce himself to the group at the table. He sat up straight in his seat and cleared his throat before speaking.
"My name is Andrew MacDonald. I'm from Utah, and I'm the proud son of a veteran. I plan on following in my grandfather's and my father's footsteps and become a soldier. I was born to lead," Andrew said with a strong and commanding voice. "Behind me is my partner Commandramon."
Glancing back at Commandramon, he could see that his partner was standing at parade rest with his rifle strapped to his back. Their eyes met and they gave a nod to one another before Andrew turned his gaze back to his fellow tamers. He heard a scoff come from his right and looked down the table to see who made the noise. At first he thought it was Bobby mocking him, but he was also looking further down the table to the source of the noise. His eyes landed back on Nasrin who had a raised brow and he was sure that she had a smirk on her face. He frowned when he looked at her and was not happy that she was going to try and get a rise out him. He was a kid that was raised to treat others with respect to get it in return, and when someone did not do it for him, he got very irritated.
"What's so funny?" Andrew asked, looking at Nasrin.
"I just think it's funny how you are trying to act like this big guy with command, so I'm finding it hard to take you seriously." Nasrin smirked back.
Seeing that Nasrin was now just trying to satisfy her boredom by provoking her teammates, Yamaki cleared his throat and gave her a stern look. She looked back at him and rolled her eyes, reluctantly stopping her catty attitude so they could continue. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before tucking the glasses in his pocket. Pulling out his lighter he clicked it open and snapped it shut.
"Now that that's out of the way, let's get to our main topic." Yamaki flipped the lid of his lighter again and snapped it shut.
Yamaki started the conversation off with a quick refresher of why he recruited them in the first place and what Seeker was capable of doing by using Virus Digimon and infusing them with new computer viruses which made them more dangerous than normal. He then explained how they would fight Seeker which involved using their Digivices to enter the Digital World through computers and then they would take down the threat with their partner Digimon. He did not go into specifics on how they would be taught to engage Seeker in a battle since he was going to have Takato and his team train them in that concept, but he did tell them not to underestimate the intelligent hackers. He then moved on to his next bit being how they were going to come over to Japan to train.
"Now, as I've told all of you when you signed on for this, you will have to come to Japan to train with us and I said I would come up with a cover story so your parents won't be suspicious," Yamaki continued, pulling out a small stack of letters.
He handed the letters to the American Tamers before flicking his lighter open once again and then snapping it shut.
"So what ingenious cover story have you come up with?" Nasrin asked as she looked at her letter that had her parents' names on it.
"To put it simply, think of it as an extra prize to winning the Digimon Card Game tournament. I formatted it to make it seem like you got won an all expensed two month vacation," Yamaki replied.
"Cliché, but I guess it'll do."
Ignoring Nasrin's snarky comment, Yamaki pocketed his lighter and took a drink from his glass. From what he could tell, none of the American Tamers had any objections as of yet and all of them grasped everything he said. Setting his glass back on the table, Yamaki folded his hands and his eyes moved down to each tamer at the table. All of them appeared to be lost in their own thoughts. He spared his watch a glance and saw that they only had one hour left in the restaurant before they had to clear out.
"Do any of you have any questions before we eat and take our leave?" Yamaki eyed each of them.
"I have one," Nasrin replied. "I need a Digivice since you didn't allow me to grab one after I talked to you in Florida."
Yamaki nodded at Ryo who brought up a small box and rested in on the table. He took off the top and gently pushed it over to Nasrin who peeked in the box to choose her Digivice. For something that should have taken no longer than five seconds, Nasrin was taking her sweet time as she observed each Digivice one by one.
"It's not rocket science, Hamidi. Grab a Digivice so we can get on with our meeting," Rika said, frustration clear in her voice.
"Hey, don't rush me. This is an important decision because this Digivice will be with me forever," Nasrin calmly replied, giving Rika a smile from behind her hijab.
Rika only closed her eyes and took a deep breath to not snap at the wisecracking girl. While Nasrin continued to take her sweet time, Kyle used his chance to talk to Bobby about what he was thinking about on the walk to the restaurant.
"What's up?" Bobby whispered.
"You know how Yamaki said I was the leader of the new tamers, right?" Kyle answered.
"Yeah. Why?"
"I… I don't think I'm the right choice."
"Where the hell is this coming from all of a sudden?"
"It doesn't matter, but I guess you can say I had time to reflect after our battle against Devimon."
Bobby's brow furrowed in disbelief as he heard the defeat in his cousin's tone. When they first got their Digimon he had been ecstatic and he was more than willing to fulfill the role as leader for the team. Although he knew Kyle could have done better in their battle against Devimon, he did not believe the fight went that badly for a first time. He was not sure if it was fear that Kyle was experiencing or if it was just his doubt getting the better of him, but he was not going to let him keep degrading himself.
"Calm down for a second." Bobby rested his hand on his shoulder. "What made you change your mind?"
"It was the battle with Devimon," Kyle answered back. "When you guys left, BlackGuilmon and I had a talk about it. Let's just say that conversation put things into perspective for me."
"So you're afraid because he chewed you out about your mistakes and told you what had to be done?"
"It's not so much the critique he gave me as much as it was the responsibilities that come with the job."
Now Bobby understood where Kyle was coming from. In all honesty, he could not blame his cousin for being scared since the responsibility of a leader was not easy and it required decisions to be made and what made that worse is that they would never be easy. Decision making was something his cousin struggled with and he felt that it was his greatest flaw. He felt that while his cousin struggled with making decisions, he had guts and determination which made him act on sheer impulse, having seen it since they grew up together. His hand dropped from Kyle's shoulder and rested back on the table.
"So who would you pass the job of leader on to if you don't want to do it?" Bobby asked.
"I was going to give it to you. You have confidence and you don't hesitate with making decisions or coming up with ideas tactically. In my mind, that's what a leader is," Kyle replied.
"Kyle, trust me, as much as I would take the job, I'm the last choice you want at this moment."
"Why do you say that?"
"Look, I'm an asshole. Our job over the next two months in Japan is to build our skill as a team and learn how to fight Seeker. If I was given that job and implemented my training style that my dad and those guys at the West Point summer camp did, I would do more harm than good."
"But you would be able to keep us alive! They may hate you, but you would have prepared them!"
While the cousins continued their back and forth argument, they did not notice that their conversation had a third listener. Andrew had paid keen attention to the two cousins and when he heard the word leader, it gathered his interest. He always wanted a chance to lead and now that he heard Kyle was seriously considering giving up the position, it gave him the chance to pounce on the opportunity. He was confident in his own abilities to train their team and while he heard Kyle list off all his concerns, it made him less willing to follow his orders. He knew with proper training that Kyle could become the leader the team needed, but it was clear to him that the boy was not cut out for it at the moment.
Everyone returned their focus to the table after Nasrin finally chose a plum-colored Digivice. She fished a card out of her pocket and swiped it through the Digivice just like Cerise did that day in the car. Her Digivice's screen shone white and an egg took shape on it. Once the egg finished forming, it began to expand and shrink as if it was breathing. The sight of it made Nasrin smile behind her hijab once again. Now all she had to do was play the waiting game and her partner would be there before she knew it.
"Now that that's all sorted out, does anybody else have questions?" Yamaki asked.
"I would like to volunteer myself to be the leader of the American Tamers, Sir!" Andrew said firmly.
"While I like the confidence, I'll have to deny your request. Kyle is already holding that position.
"Well, I won't argue with your decision, Sir. But I think you should know that your current leader doesn't feel confident with the position at the moment."
His words made Yamaki raise a brow and out of the corner of his eye he could see Kyle and Bobby glaring daggers at him, but he brushed it off. He did not care and if there was a problem with his unit, he was going to do whatever it took to make sure it was resolved.
"Kyle, is that true?" Yamaki asked turning to him.
"No, it's not!" Bobby quickly defended his cousin. "He expressed his concerns, but he never said he did not want the job!"
"Calm down, Bobby. It was just a question."
"Sorry, but I don't take kindly to eavesdropping turds."
Bobby sent a fierce look at Andrew who returned one right back. He knew the situation that Andrew brought up was not good since he knew Yamaki would make sure the right man had the job as the team's leader. His mind raced as he tried to think of a quick way to convince his cousin to not hand over his title as the team leader. Clenching his fists tightly, he came up with the words he needed to assure Kyle he could do the job. He could see Kyle was about to open his mouth to respond to Yamaki's question, but he stopped him when he placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Kyle turned back to him, and he gave him a stern look.
"Kyle, I want you to know this," Bobby whispered. "I think you're a great leader. Not because you're strong, but because you know how to relate to others and you know what it's like to be weak. What I want you to do now is dig down and find a bigger set of balls for yourself and accept the job. I believe in you and so does Mikayla. We will both follow you regardless."
"Bobby…" Kyle began.
"You can do it! This will help you develop as a leader and that's what I know you can be!"
Kyle only blinked at his cousin's words. He and Bobby have not been strangers to each other with personal pep talks, so this was not new to him. What he did not expect was for Bobby to give him that answer. His cousin saw potential in him and he put all his faith into him as well by saying he would follow him regardless of his decision. He spared Andrew a quick glance and he could see the determination in his eyes, but that was all it took for Kyle to make his decision. He did not want to lose his job to Andrew, even though he was the more ideal candidate.
"I'm not handing over the job as leader! I can do it!" Kyle answered with renewed vigor.
"That's not what it sounded like to me a second ago." Andrew shook his head.
"I can do it!"
Kyle stood up from his chair and sent a fiery glare back at Andrew whose eyes narrowed at the sudden display.
"You're not fooling me, Kyle," Andrew said.
"I'm not trying to fool anyone!" Kyle sneered back. "But since you think I am, let's settle it this way!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Since you're so eager to lead because you believe I'm not cut out for it, let's do this. We'll put it to a vote for everyone to decide who should be leader for the American Tamers. The choices are you and me, and everyone can vote. Even our Digimon!"
Andrew blinked and smirked back at Kyle. While this would make his job harder than he wanted it to be, he had to give Kyle credit for his risky decision. At the same time he was glad because he still had the chance to be leader and he was confident that he would be chosen.
"Fine, we'll go with your method," Andrew said as he, too, stood up.
Kyle and Andrew both turned to Yamaki to see if he approved the idea and were met with a nod. All of their fellow tamers also nodded in agreement for the idea.
"All right. Everyone in favor for Andrew as leader for the American Tamers, raise your hand," Yamaki said.
The hands of Henry, Ryo, Commandramon, Yamaki, Cyberdramon, Renamon, Henry's Terriermon, and Cerise went up. Then it was time for those who wanted Kyle as the leader to vote. This time the hands of Takato, Rika, Guilmon, Bobby, Bobby's Terriermon, BlackGuilmon, Veemon, Lunamon, and Nasrin went up. Since Kyle and Andrew could not cast their own votes, that left Andrew with eight votes and Kyle with nine, making Kyle the leader.
"All right, it's decided. Kyle will remain the leader of the American Tamers." Yamaki nodded.
Kyle let out a breath he was not aware he was holding and relaxed after hearing he won the vote. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Andrew glancing down at the table with obvious disappointment at not being elected. Although he felt a little sympathetic towards Andrew, he was glad he did not get chosen as the leader since he wanted to prove him wrong. With that out of the way, he sat back down and waited for their food to be brought out to them.
The food was carted out moments later by a bunch of chefs that did not look the least bit interested in the Digimon standing in the restaurant. Mikayla noticed this and asked Yamaki why the chefs were so calm about their presence to which he replied that they were his own workers. He did not want anyone to listen to their conversation so not only did he buy out the restaurant, but he also temporarily replaced the staff with his own. While the group continued to eat and converse with each other to better affiliate themselves, Nasrin cleared her throat to get their attention again.
"I have to ask. How long will it take before my partner hatches?" Nasrin looked at Yamaki.
"It should take only a day for them to hatch. Why?" Ryo replied.
"I just wanted to know when I could expect it, and because I would like some help finding her."
"Which partner did you choose?" Cerise tilted her head.
"Where's the fun in telling you? You'll have to wait and see!" Nasrin quipped.
Cerise merely rolled her eyes and ate another bite of her salad.
"Well, as much as I would be willing to help you, I can't. Bobby, Mikayla and I have to head back home today." Kyle frowned.
"So I have to find her myself?" Nasrin crossed her arms.
"Hey, if we could do it, you can too," Andrew answered, taking a gulp of water.
The look on Nasrin's face was one of disappointment. It was clear she did not want to be alone in searching for her partner and it did not help that half of the tamers would not be able to help her. Her only chance for help was if by some chance Andrew and Cerise were not heading back home that day as well.
"Well, when do the rest of you head back home?" Kyle asked.
"Lunamon and I are here overnight and leave tomorrow afternoon," Cerise replied, stroking Lunamon's head.
"I'm here until tomorrow, too." Andrew sighed, having an idea where this was going.
"Well, congratulations! Andrew, Cerise, you just volunteered to help Nasrin search for her partner tomorrow!"
Andrew shook his head when he heard that. He did not have problems with team work, but his first impression of Nasrin was that she would always have some wisecrack thing to say which would not only annoy him, but make things difficult when working together. He downed the rest of his water and rubbed his eyes, silently cursing Kyle for volunteering him against his will.
"Since they will help you tomorrow, I want you to exchange phone numbers so you can get in contact with each other when your partner bio-emerges," Kyle told Nasrin. "Andrew, I will put you in charge of the team tomorrow to get things done."
"I can do that." Andrew smirked.
"Once you guys finish doing that, I want you to call me to tell me what happened. In fact, give me updates if something should happen to any of you."
Although Andrew was not pleased at first, he looked at the silver lining with the job he was tasked with. He would at least be able to lead some of the group.
The time they had left went by quickly at which point they all got up from the table and followed Yamaki out of the back and into the alley where the rest of his staff was. Yamaki pulled out his phone and called his driver to bring the limo around to pick up his team. When he hung up, he looked at the American Tamers once again as he fiddled with his lighter again.
"All right. I want all of you to be ready to go this Sunday. I will send all of you itineraries for your flights to California where I will have one of my planes pick you up to bring you to Japan." Yamaki flicked his lighter. "If you have any questions, you can call any of us and we will answer them."
The black limousine pulled up seconds later and the door to the back opened, which allowed the Japanese Tamers to climb in with their now De-Digivolved partners. Yamaki climbed in the limo after they were inside and gave one last nod to Kyle before closing the door. The limo pulled out into the street and disappeared from sight, leaving the new American Tamers alone.
"Are all of you good with the plan?" Kyle asked, turning to Andrew, Cerise and Nasrin.
"Yes." Nasrin rolled her eyes.
"All right. Remember, call me and keep me updated tomorrow."
With that, Kyle, Mikayla, Bobby, Terriermon, BlackGuilmon and Veemon turned and left to return to their hotel so they could begin their drive back home. Andrew, Commandramon, Cerise, Lunamon and Nasrin stood in the alley for another minute before they gave each other their phone numbers and went their separate ways. Tomorrow would be a test to see how well they worked together.
The countdown until Seeker was to deliver their broadcast to the world could not have come any sooner for Kurt and his staff. He had spent the entirety of the day rehearsing his speech and making preparations for the broadcast. He was mildly surprised how efficiently his group managed to get everything set up to make it flawless. He had taken an hour to tell his staff of who would be doing each task during the broadcast. Valerie, Martin, and Chris were tasked with hacking into the media feed so they could appear on every news station in country. That left Lucio and Seishiro to monitor the broadcast and reroute any tracing signals.
Taking a look at his watch, Kurt could see he only had five minutes until he had to deliver the message. He took one last puff of his cigarette before extinguishing it and walking over to his desk that had his reference notes resting on it. He took his seat and nodded at one of his members to adjust the lights so it would be dark to the point that only the camera could pick up his outline. He then fixed the microphone that was on the collar of his shirt so his voice could be heard clearly and after doing a quick test, he nodded at another member to modify the sound to eliminate voice recognition.
Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath and looked at the clock as it continued to count down. Thirty seconds remained until he delivered the message to the world and chaos would be born. Glancing off to the side, Kurt could see Valerie, Martin and Chris were ready to go after they gave him a thumbs up. Looking back to face the camera, Kurt saw his camera operator give the final count down.
"Five, four, three, two…" He whispered.
The red light went on behind the camera and Kurt smirked as he looked into it.
"Attention, citizens of the world. The time has come for you to open your eyes and see the truth that your governments have hidden from you and do not wish for you to know," Kurt began, as he went to the next set of lines he memorized. "The political system for governments around the world has been collapsing since its establishment. Power, corruption, fear and control are just a few words that best describe this pathetic system."
Kurt could see that Valerie, Martin and Chris were in overdrive as they rerouted one traceable signal after another. He had to hurry and give the rest of the message before it became too much for them to handle.
"We are Seeker and I know that we have already gained the attention of governments around the world, but what they haven't told you is that they are trying to stop us from giving you the truth," Kurt continued. "The information that we have obtained from these fools can unleash ultimate chaos on the entire world. All we have to do is tell you what we found, but we have instead decided to put the last of our faith in the government to tell you the truth about everything we obtained from them. Should they fail, we will take matters into our own hands and tell you ourselves."
Kurt was nearing the end of his speech, but now it was time to deliver the warning and use his anger to do it.
"To all the governments out there, I want you to listen to what I say very closely. It is time for you to make a choice on whether you want to take steps to fix this world. What's more important to you now? Silencing us to keep the truth from being spilled to your people, or coming clean yourselves? This is your chance to start with a clean record and do the right thing, but we already know what you are going to do. Now let me be clear with this. We don't care what you choose to do, because either way, we'll win," Kurt said as a twisted grin marred his face. "The truth will be revealed, and if we are the ones to do it, we can promise you this. It will not only cripple you, but it will cost you the control over your people that you work so hard to keep in the dark out of fear for your own skin! Revolutions and chaos is upon you! Citizens, if I have your attention now, let me ask you this question. What is important to you? Do you want to be slaves to your government, or do you want to be free?"
Kurt was now standing up with his hands gripping the sides of his desk tightly. His brow furrowed as his grin was replaced with a scowl and his voice became more venomous.
"One way or another we will expose the injustice of the political system and bring it down on top of you! Chaos is upon you! This world will be set ablaze with what you have done!" Kurt yelled. "Do we have your attention now? We are Seeker! We are vigilantes! We are the face of truth!"
Calming down, Kurt sat back in his seat and looked back at the camera. It was time to wrap it up.
"We will give you one month from this day to come clean with your secrets. If you don't, we will unveil one top secret every month and set this world ablaze one country at a time. Any form of attack against us will result in a premeditated retaliation." Kurt pulled out his lighter and another cigarette. "Your move."
The red light on the camera in turned off, signaling the end of the broadcast. Kurt lit his cigarette and took a long drag from it and rubbed his eyes after the stinging light hit them seconds later. He got up from his desk and puffed out smoke and took a look around the room at his staff. All of them were looking at the wall of televisions on the other side of the room as they watched the surprise and shock settle in the with the main news networks.
"So we're vigilantes?" Martin asked. "I thought we were criminals?"
"We are." Kurt puffed more smoke out. "What I did was sleight of hand."
"What do you mean?" Valerie raised a brow.
"This is only one part of our plan. While the country believes we are vigilantes, our true motive will be hidden from them. This world was made to be run by powerful minds like us, and that's what we are going to do. We will be the ones ruling this world."
With that, Kurt departed the room in a brisk pace and continued his stride to his office. While walking, his phone let out a small beep after a text message was sent. He turned on the screen and observed the message that was sent.
"Stellar performance, Kurt. Continue with the plan."
A lone H was the signature at the bottom of the message. Kurt tucked his phone back in his pocket and puffed out more smoke while rounding the corner.
"Stellar performance indeed." Kurt smirked.
Well, that's the chapter everybody. I figured it was time to have Kyle back in the story for the first time in almost three chapters. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and everything that happened in it. Now, like I said last time, I don't have a solid update schedule since I am busy, so they will be sporadic. Remember, take a look below for the statements and until next time, I'll see you all later.-Captain
Statements:
1.) Remember what I said about reviewing. For those who already have their OC in a main spot in the story, don't forget to review. Like I said, I am keeping track and I already have a tallies by people who have not been doing that. So don't be surprised if I decide to axe your guy and replace them with a reserve OC.
2.) I was surprised with some of the voice acting choices for people. Namely because I saw more live action than actual voice actors, but whatever. Now, here's the next unrelated thing. If anyone likes to play Black OPs 2 on the Xbox 360, I am on there every now and then. You can find my gamer tag on my profile page if you are up for playing for a few rounds. Just send me an invite and explain to me who you are on the site here, or else I won't accept.
3.) I have been quite frustrated now that the baseball season is done, especially since my team, that has been dominating up through August, threw away the season in September and lost all chances for the division title and wild card appearance. (If you know me, then you know I am a Milwaukee Brewers fan).
4.) I have taken up a challenge that I want my fellow reviewers and writers to start doing. I'm talking about constructive critique. Anyone who has received a review from me knows that when I give you one, I give you a pretty decent sized review that usually has a brief summary of the chapter, but I point out mistakes that I see as well as offer suggestions or critique that I feel needs to be said to help that author out. That is a review and the sad thing is I don't think a lot of people on this site understand that concept and that truly screws an author over. I want to see my fellow readers and writers step up and truly give critique instead of the infamous "Good chapter!" or "Update soon!" that's not a review, and offers no assistance, because that's all I see on the majority of stories on this site. So let's get away from that and start giving true critique! Prove to me that you can do that!
OCs featured in the chapter:
Mikayla Dunn: (CaptainPrice) Partner: Veemon
Lucio Emilio: (Asher Gray) Partner: BlackAgumon
Valerie Haines: An Anon Fellow) Partner: Elecmon
Nasrin Hamidi: (wisdom-jewel) Partner: Uknown
Christopher Lewis: (revan228) Partner: Strabimon
Cerise Lumière: (Nicky Azure) Partner: Lunamon
Andrew MacDonald: (Kiue Jin) Partner: Commandramon
Kyle Osbourne: (CaptainPrice) Partner: BlackGuilmon
Kurt Reynolds: (CaptainPrice) Partner: Gabumon
Martin Sanders: (True2Momentai) Partner: BlackGabumon
Bobby Thornburg: (CaptainPrice) Partner: Terriermon