Author's note: Thanks so much to all my readers, and extra thanks to reviewers! Today's my birthday, and I'm giving you all a gift- the next chapter! Finally, most of Ken's plan will be revealed. GASP! This chapter isn't as cool as the others, but I hope you will like it enough to review and tell me so!
Disclaimer: I didn't get the rights to digimon as a gift. I got socks, chocolates and some paperbacks. So I still don't own digimon. I do own this story, although if you like it enough to want steal part of it, let me know and I might lend you part of it.
There was a sudden blast of light, and the seven Digidestined arrived in a tangle of limbs, backpacks and digimon on the floor.
"Didn't we agree to leave out pillows?" Yolie wanted to know. No one bothered to tell her that it had been her turn to leave out the padding, instead they moaned, groaned, and tried to separate themselves without jostling either the injured Gatomon or Cody.
As soon as he was free of the pile, Joe knelt under one of the nearby desks and pulled a large first aid kit from the underside, ignoring the stares he got.
"What? I thought it might come in handy!"
He began finishing the job he'd started in the Digital world, applying anti-bacterial cream to the nasty looking cuts on Gatomon's scruff, where she'd been carried off. The water and kitty treats she'd consumed had helped the feline digimon, although she still shook, and refused to look anyone in the eyes.
"Kari said don't come," she stuttered. "Kari…said...don't."
But that was all she would say, no matter who prompted her.
The D Terminals beeped as one, blazing a message from Izzy.
"Bad news. On my way. Stay put.
-Izzy"
As Cody fumbled for his device, he winced, and dropped it with a clatter.
"Cody, what happened?" Yolei demanded, concerned for her friend.
"I fell off a cliff. My arm's a little sore, but I'm fine."
Joe got up from Gatomon's side, where he'd been soothingly asking her what she meant.
"Let me see it." He sighed, adjusting his glasses.
Grimacing, the younger boy obliged, rolling up one sleeve. It clearly hurt more than he'd let on earlier.
Although only a few minutes- ten at the most, the wrist had started to swell, and was turning a brilliant shade of purple.
Joe took one look at it, and pulled from the box a cell phone.
"Izzy? It's Joe. Where are you?" he paused, listening." Ok, just up that block is my apartment- can you make a- yes, I know it's important. Can you call up and see if my brother is there? Jim's on break, he should be there. Tell him I asked him to come."
He hung up.
Everyone was staring.
"I'm not a trained doctor, but even I know that your wrist isn't 'fine.' You need a real doctor, and Jim's the only one I trust with the details of this. He knows everything, and…hey, quit staring at me."
But no one was listening. Shock had worn off, and Cody was biting his lip to keep from crying, Davis, Yolei and the digimon were crouched around Gatomon, hoping she'd return to herself again. T.K paced, Tai fumed, Matt prayed.
"Hurry Izzy"
Izzy hurried back down the stairs- Jim had buzzed him up, and he'd panted out the message.
" Joe needs me…for what?" the taller version of Joe asked, blinking.
"It's complicated" Izzy hedged. "But we need you at the school right away, I don't have all the details. One of our friends might be hurt- badly. That's the only explanation I can think of."
Jim nodded, thinking. " It's like three years ago, isn't it. With the monsters." His eyes widened. "That little girl! The one with the cat-angel. She's the one that went missing last night, isn't she?"
"Yes, and we need your help!" Izzy repeated, flustered and unwilling to waste time.
Jim grabbed a black bag from next to the door. " Lets go then."
The two raced down the stairs, Jim holding his keys.
"We can take Dad's car!"
Jim felt Cody's wrist, declared it to be sprained and badly bruised, but not broken.
"Now," he said as he finished wrapping the swollen joint. "What in heaven's name is going on?"
"It's a long story," Joe Sighed, but a look from Izzy shut him up. The red head continued, "And you'll hear it all, later."
The young doctor looked like he might protest, but he relented.
"Just don't get yourselves killed, ok? Call me on my cell if you need me."
And he left.
"Ok, Izzy, what is it, why did you call us back?" Tai looked like he had been about to explode.
Izzy took a deep breath, remembering the chill and the awful message he had to give. Time was running out.
"Ken…Ken emailed me." he said, bringing up the email and hiding behind the screen.
He read the email, and with each sentence, cold rage built inside Tai.
"The four of you with the gate opening digivices, and Kamiya, are to come to sector 4, section 13 of my digital world in 45 minutes. Only the five of you and your pathetic excuses for digimon are to come.. You will bring the five 'D3s', and you will hand them over to me, or I will have no choice but to take action. If you are foolish, the consequence for your friend will be severe. Do not test me on this.
I will be waiting.
Do not attempt anything,
Emperor."
Izzy looked up. The room was silent, except for Gatomon's mewing of, "..don't come… Kari said don't…come. Kari …said don't ..come."
Izzy looked up. The room was silent, except for Gatomon's mewing of, "..don't come… Kari said don't…come. Kari …said don't ..come."
" we've only got 20 minutes left, maybe less. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."
" It's not your fault, Iz." Tai whispered hoarsly. " But I'm going to rip that kid to shreads the second my sister is safe."
" I'm ready!" Davis said, leaping to his feet. " we don't have time to waste! "
Yolei ajusted her wire rimmed glasses. " I say we kick some emperor butt!"
" Wait," cody said urgently, tucking his injuerd wrist close to his body. " we can't just go charging in. for all we know, Kari won't even be there, and It's all a trap."
As if on cue, Gatomon opened her eyes.
" Trap." She said, louder than before. " Kari said don't come. Don't. Come."
There was a moment of silence, before everyone was talking at once.
" Trap or no, I'm not letting her get hurt."
"She's my sister!"
"I vote for the plan of just beat the crap out of Ken"( that was, to everyone's surprise, Gommamon.)
"Let's go already!"
Izzy's computer chimed with an email from Sora. "Mimi's sob story worked, we're coming."
"We can't let him win!"
T.K stood up. "We have to rescue Kari. She'd do the same for us, so we have to try. I don't care if it's a trap- we can all escape together if it is. But I Promised to protect her, no matter the cost."
Heads nodded in agreement, but Armadillomon frowned.
" I don't mean to be negative…but what happens if Ken get's what he wants? With those digivices, he could seal the digital world.
" Don't say that!" Yolei shrieked. All this was bad enough without thinking of future possibilities.
" It's ok." Tai said, without hesitation. "I thought about that. If it does come to that… If giving up the digivices is the only way to save Kari… then I won't come back to Earth until he's defeated. Promise."
No one quite knew what to say to that, but more than one of them silently uttered a similar promise. Ken could never be allowed free reign of the Digital world.
"Ten minutes." Izzy warned, rapidly typing. "I'm sending the coordinates to Mimi's Army, but they won't attack unless something goes wrong." I'm out of ideas." He ran a hand through his short red hair. "Anyone?"
T.K. looked at his older brother. They were nearly the same height, and with a little luck…
"I do." The younger boy said thoughtfully. To Matt, he asked, "think you can bear wearing a hat?"
I know this was a lot shorter. The next chapter will be much, much, much longer, and that is a Promise. I hope you liked it!
Like I said, today is my birthday, and I would love to get a review from you- if it's two words, twenty, or two hundred, anything is loved and appreciated! It would very much make this day even more awesome. So yeah.
Previews will start up again for the next chapter, anyone who reviewed this one and chapter 8 will get a double helping!
Lots of love,
HNA