Greetings people in cyberspace! Another chapter down. I'll have some more fun with the adults. There will be a demonstration of why you never mess with mothers. Ever. But first, we'll check in with Kenta and his aquatic partner. (By the way, I almost forgot that MarineAngemon can talk, he just doesn't usually. I just re-watched an episode where he does.)
Kenta watched his happy partner float by. MarineAngemon was having the time of his life. The tiny pink mega was in his ideal environment after all.
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying this," the boy grumbled. "I'm just glad I'm not drowning."
Currently the pair was in a completely different level of the digital world than before. Instead of a barren wasteland and sand all around them, the data stream had dropped them in an unending sea. Kenta panicked at being underwater until his partner pointed out he was already breathing the water just fine. Then he remembered some of Henry and Takato's stories. That was the point where the tamer really realized how unusual the digital world truly was. So, the pair was drifting with the undertow, looking for any way to get out of there.
"Pii?" asked the small shape, stopping his aquatic fun to look at the boy.
"I'm alright, really," he assured his digimon. "I just hope everyone's okay."
"Yamaki," reminded MarineAngemon, actually saying the word instead of relying on Kenta's expert translating skills. "Pii pii."
"Yeah, he's an adult and everything, but he's new here," the boy explained. "And what if he isn't with Kazu, Suzie, and the rest? Beside, his partner is Calumon. That's not a lot of protection."
"Pii pii," smiled the mega.
"Terriermon would get mad at you stealing his word," chuckled the tamer. "Even if he wouldn't understand you anyway."
After a few minutes, they went back to comfortably drifting, watching for signs of life or ways to escape. The gentle movements were soothing and Kenta began to fall asleep. His partner, noticing the boy's drooping eyelids, smiled. MarineAngemon knew the seriousness of the situation, but he hadn't enjoyed the fun of the ocean depths in so long and there were few options available for them at the moment. The pink mega saw no harm in letting the child rest.
"Pii pii, Kenta," he murmured in his ear before returning to watching the currents.
The Hypnos building was under attack. Not by some powerful digimon. Not by an out of control program that was destroying two worlds. Not even by a hyper Calumon seeking out his friends who give him creampuffs. No, the building was being stormed by a group of confused and concerned parents. Those who had not witnessed the actual disappearance of half the tamers, such as the parents of Kazu and Kenta, were called by the others and joined in the mob-like group. The poor girl working the front desk didn't know what hit her.
Janyu Wong took pity on the overwhelmed woman, who was still ignorant of the agency's loss of Yamaki because of her low security clearance, and gave her a reassuring smile. Though he was as worried as the others with him, he had to keep calm. His position and background with the digital world made him seem reliable and stable in circumstances like this.
"Excuse me, miss," he explained calmly. "We're here to…"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wong," she began suddenly, recognizing the Monster Maker. "Mr. Yamaki has taken the afternoon off and won't be back in until tomorrow."
Rather than mention the blond government agent would not likely be back tomorrow either, as his son's blunt partner would have, the man shook his head, "We're actually here to talk to Riley and Tally. They're expecting us."
The young woman blinked, considering the size of the group, and nodded numbly. "I'll contact them upstairs and let them know you're here."
As she started dialing, the front door opened again. Another adult entered; her face more angry than worried. Janyu recognized Mrs. Olkowski, but none of those at the party had known how to contact the young twins' parents. How the housewife had known to come was a real mystery.
"So tell me," she asked, eyeing the group, "when did you plan to inform me that they're gone again?" Her expression was harsh, but softened as some parents looked guilty. 'Well, it's not like they ever give much warning or anything, but I still prefer to know when they disappear."
"We wanted to," defended Janyu's wife, Mayumi, "but no one knows your phone number or address. It's mostly the children who handle these things. How did you…"
"… know to show up?" she finished. "Someone decided to tell me. Remember the strange prophecy person from the last disappearance?"
"She showed up for you too?" asked Janyu suddenly before the girl at the desk addressed them.
"Take the elevator up. They'll be waiting."
Less than a minute after the parents were ushered out of the lobby, a red-haired woman took their place. While not as familiar as Mr. Wong, Miss Suzuki was still a known face in this building. She wasn't a welcome presence, however. In fact, the standing orders were for her to remain in the lobby unless Yamaki himself said otherwise. But she walked straight through as if she owned the place.
"Madame, you can't…" began the young woman guarding the desk.
A glare was aimed in her direction as Miss Suzuki warned, "Don't even think of stopping me, secretary. I outrank everyone in this building currently and I have the authority to remove vermin like you if I chose. I'm just here for some files that I have every right to examine. Besides, by week's end, I'll be running this disgrace of an operation."
She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but afraid she could be exceeding her jurisdiction to impede aggressive woman's way directly. The red-haired menace stepped into the elevator and vanished out of sight. The assistant picked up the phone once more. She had a call to make.
"Alright, here's what we know so far," sighed Riley as she studied the faces before her. All the Monster Makers, not just Janyu, were present. Mayumi Wong and her two oldest were standing near him. The Matsuki couple who ran the bakery where Riley and Tally bought a delicious variety of breadstuff stared expectantly at her. Rumika Nonaka, the famous model, looked concerned like the rest of them. Mrs. Shioda and Mrs. Kitagawa, the mothers of Kazu and Kenta respectively, were huddled together, their expressions alternating between worried and frustration. Mr. and Mrs. Katou, father and step-mother of Jeri, along with her younger brother or half-brother (she couldn't remember which or what his name was at the moment) seemed shocked. The technician kept going. "A short time before Mr. Wong contacted me, the systems detected a few minor anomalies. They weren't even strong enough to set off any alerts or for our systems to really register the occurrence as anything beyond a possible glitch. I had to go back and really study the output to find them. But the locations are interesting."
The gathered technicians, parents, and Monster Makers were in one of the computer rooms rather than a plain meeting room. Tally pulled up an image on screen. An image of the entire Shinjuku area appeared. Two areas of red glowed on the map.
"One was in the park, where you said half of the tamers vanished. The other was a short distance from the park," she continued, wishing she had better information to pass on. Or better, Yamaki was here to give it. The brunette frowned slightly as she thought of her missing boss. "Specifically, the location is where there were reports coming into the emergency response teams of a serious accident."
Shibumi narrowed his eyes, "Is it digimon related, the accident?"
"No, not as far as I can tell," Tally answered. "Nothing bioemerged and the witnesses claimed that a truck losing control was the source. But it was bad enough without digimon. Several people were killed and more were burned or otherwise hurt."
"Could that be what exploded?" wondered Janyu.
"Quite likely," nodded Tally. "As I said, it was pretty bad."
Mie Matsuki exchanging a worried glance with her husband, "You said several people were killed. Anyone we might know?"
"Let's see," Riley muttered, tapping a few keys. She may not be as good as Yamaki, but she believed in doing her research. Knowledge is power. And while it might be off-topic from their current dilemma, the people in this area end up being fairly close-knit. Naturally, they worry about the people. "… Sorry, they haven't identified them yet. I'll let you know when they do." She looked back towards the main information they had pulled up. "These two areas were possibly portals of some kind and likely that's how the tamers and digimon vanished."
Tally pulled up a short file, freshly added, and reported, "Some of the response team at the scene of the crash claim a group of children and digimon vanished before his eyes. I'd say that proves your theory, even if the rest of you already confirmed this in the park."
"'Vanished'? Not, stepped through a portal?" asked Shibumi suspiciously.
"It says 'vanished,' but there could have been a portal," Tally suggested.
Mei Matsuki shook her head, "He would have mentioned it. The one the Destiny girl used to vanish half the kids and Yamaki was hard to ignore."
Riley blinked. So they knew Yamaki, for sure, was in the digital world. At least, in theory. But the others might not have gone through a portal. Did that meant they weren't in the digital world? If they weren't, then where were they?"
She didn't get the chance to wonder further as the door opened to admit another individual. The woman, with her freshly permed red hair and perfectly manicured nails, strolled into the room as if she owned the building. Or soon would. In her arms were a number of files and computer print-outs and a smug look decorated her features.
Tally moved from her computer, frowning at the newcomer, "Miss Suzuki, you are not authorized to be here."
"Only Yamaki himself can deny me access to this building and, unless he can tell me to leave himself, I plan to remain a few moments more," the red-haired lady announced, confident in her rank and influence to keep her safe. "I just thought I should advise you, Miss Onodera and Miss Ootori, to begin seeking alternate employment. When I gain control of Hypnos, your services will no longer be required."
Riley stared in confusion at the dark-suited woman, as did the others in the room. Many had no idea of Miss Suzuki's identity or her hatred for Yamaki. Once, the two government agents had simply scorned each other and competed for power and funding, like any other government officials. But after the blond man humiliated her (with the help of Calumon, so the rumor said), the furious red-head had sought ways to return the favor. She tried to find ways to discredit Yamaki, but her proof was always too speculative to make her accusations work. Some of the Monster Makers did recognize her, however, and became concerned.
"What are you talking about?" asked Daisy. "You work in a completely different branch than Hypnos. You have no power here."
"Not for long, blondie," she smiled mockingly. "Not after I show the higher ups my findings."
"What findings?" demanded Riley.
Miss Suzuki held up the folders for evidence. They looked like files on personnel or other people of interest. Familiar names were listed on the covers. She opened the first, the name Mitsuo Yamaki written in black.
"Your boss does not have an impressive track record so far," she commented, flipping through the pages. "So many failures. So many mistakes. His prize program, Juggernaut, discarded as too hazardous and unwieldy. Except, of course, when the Monster Makers got a hold of it for use against the D-reaper. And yet, Yamaki claims that it still can't be used properly."
"It can't," Janyu insisted. "It does too much harm."
"Or maybe all of you are just too attached to those dangerous programs to take proper action anymore," suggested the woman. She held up one of the print-outs and seemed to be studying the information. "The digimon with those children are considered 'off-limits' by Hypnos operatives. As much as it pains me," she visibly grimaced, "I can understand that logic. Keep the public happy with these little 'hero' digimon on display. But giving these children access to our intel? Allowing them, not to mention their digimon, to come and go as they please? I'm even finding hints that they are encouraged to manage the Wild ones that appear. Yamaki would rather have children and unpredictable programs to deal with his job than trained operatives." She shook the sheets of paper in emphasis.
"Those children are more effective in many cases," pointed out Tally. "And while no one likes the idea of those kids being in danger, their digimon are not dangerous and protect their partners unconditionally. And they would seek out Wild ones, no matter what we do. Yamaki simply allows them to do what they would do anyway."
Miss Suzuki smirked, "Really? 'Not dangerous'? I have some information for you on who you are defending. Let's forget for a moment that none of the tamers are old enough to make serious decisions." Several parents frowned at her words. "After all, they range in age from four to one who's about to turn thirteen in spring. Not exactly who I would want to protect my home. There are rather interesting bios of them and their digimon, but I'll focus on the less stable half of the team." She selected a file at random and scanned the contents. "Mr. Wong, both of your youngest children are tamers, are they not?"
"Yes, Henry and Suzie are partnered with Terriermon and Lopmon," he acknowledged.
"Funny, I'd be more concerned with my youngest daughter being near a Deva. From what I've read, that group of digimon caused the greatest damage of any," she mused. "I'd be concerned if that's who I was depending on for her safety."
The whole Wong family glared at the woman. None of them appreciated the implications that the sweet, soft-spoken, brown rabbit was a dangerous monster. Riley had, on occasion, seen how the digimon were treated by the parents and siblings of their partners. The digital beings were viewed as part of the family in the cases she had observed. Henry's family was especially like that; Terriermon and Lopmon were almost seen as siblings to their young partners.
"How about Guilmon?" Miss Suzuki asked, selecting another folder. "His personality is described as 'young,' 'child-like,' playful,' and 'friendly.' How quaint." She flipped through the file slowly. "Especially with his less 'socially-acceptable' personality in his mega form of Megidramon."
"I thought he turned into some knight-like guy named Gallantmon," interrupted Takehiro Matsuki, father to the goggle-wearing youth.
"Normally, yes," she admitted. "But reports indicate that his original form was a mindless, blood-thirsty, monstrous creature whose very presence was a danger. Just like the rest of those digital mistakes."
Takato's parents paled at the idea of the happy, bread-eating reptile could become the being the red-haired woman had described. But she wasn't done yet.
"And he's supposed to be one of our heavy-hitters, 'defending the world' and all that. I could go on about the sheer stupidity of this. Not only is this an insult to Hypnos, it is a real liability risk. One child dead along with his 'precious partner.' Another, Miss Katou, lost her partner and was used by another program, the D-reaper, to access the real world." She held up two files with the names Ryo Akiyama and Jeri Katou on them. "Another was injured, burned, while his so-called friend less than a hundred yards away. 'Protect their partner'?" She laughed scornfully.
"They do!" defended Janyu, becoming frustrated with this cold analysis. "None of them would ever let anything happen to the children if they could prevent it. We've seen how much they care for the children, how much they love them. These digimon would never hurt our kids."
Mrs. Suzuki gave a very smug smirk as she selected another file. "None of them would? I find that hard to believe. Especially after reading this. The youngest of these tamers are partnered with the least stable digimon. A bad combo, if you ask me. His violent past, against the other tamers no less, only proves that these things are just dangerous, no matter how you try to disguise it. When I take Hypnos out of Yamaki's unqualified control, I'll use Juggernaut as it should be: to remove these mistakes from existence. I'd be doing the world a favor to delete anomalies like that vicious, hostile…"
Slap!
The woman's cheek gained a red handmark and her mouth opened in shock. Before her stood a shaking Kokoro Olkowski. But she wasn't shaking in fear, but fury. Her hand was still raised from her strike. When Miss Suzuki had begun to talk about the twins and Impmon, the mother had begun to force herself through the crowd. Now, she was glaring at the red-haired government official with undisguised contempt.
"You listen carefully, Kirai Suzuki," she snapped at her victim. "I remember you, even if you don't remember me. We went to school together long ago, but you haven't changed. You're still a condescending moron who hates anything you don't understand or you see as a threat to your power. And right now, you are demonstrating you're complete lack of tolerance or acceptance. Normally, I'd ignore your ignorance and the vile words you are spewing out at us. But when you threaten my family, any of it, then we have a problem." Her eyes burned with anger. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't," she growled, raising her hand further.
"How dare you slap me?" gasped an astonished red-head. "Do you realize that I…"
"Shut up, Kirai," the parent interrupted. "You do not impress me anymore than when you were bragging about being top of the class. I remember that even then you were bitter and alone. Your attitude drove others away. While I'm one of the last people who would advocate placing children in harm's way, I expect that whatever you have in mind is far more dangerous."
"You can't stop me," warned Miss Suzuki. "Once I take this information and make my findings public, there is no possibility…"
"Do you think the public, especially those who have actually met the digimon, will actually believe that all digimon are mindless monsters," Mei asked, stepping forward.
Rumiko approached the red-haired woman as well, "And when it comes to connections and influencing the media, I have more pull than you. If you try to take over and begin your insane plan on destroying everything our children work for or harm them in anyway, I can destroy all of your credibility with just a few calls."
Mayumi Wong, the sweet-seeming woman, spat acidly, "You will not break my children's hearts by taking away their friends. You will not undo all the good that their partnership has done for two worlds. I worry every time they go away, and I always will be, but they have a responsibility. You wouldn't understand that duty and would destroy it all."
"I have no intention of harming your children. If anything, they'll be safer without digimon around," reasoned the government official.
Mrs. Katou shook her head, "Jeri lost her partner, Leomon, for a time. She wasn't really herself for a time after that. Separating partners is the cruelest thing possible."
"And from what my husband has said about Juggernaut, that is exactly what would happen. If we're lucky, that is all that happens," pointed out Mayumi. "Likely, it'll be worse. It's foolish to interfere in what you don't understand."
"So leave now, never come back, and never come near my family," Kokoro Olkowski warned. "Or I swear, I'll make you suffer."
At this point, the door opened to admit a man in a dark suit. He stepped into the room and studied the furious women and stunned men. His gaze came to rest on the red-haired lady.
"Miss Suzuki, I just got off the phone with your superiors who were informed of your presence here," he explained. "It seems that you are outside your authority by being here. At Hypnos, you defer to those who work here. If I may, I shall escort you off the premises and your superiors would like to speak with you personally about this."
She started to follow, but Mrs. Olkowski blocked her way. The mother held out her hand, waiting. Eventually, Miss Suzuki handed over her load of paper and folders. Relieved of her findings, she was forced to walk out of the room in shame.
Janyu and the other husbands stared at their wives. The men, Daisy, Riley, and Tally were completely shocked at the transformation from loving caregivers to ferocious defenders of their families and all they loved. Finally, Takehiro smiled goofily at Mei.
"Honey, have I told you lately that I love you?"
I've wanted to do that for a long time. And I enjoyed it so much, having the mothers defend their children and digimon. I see them as viewing the digimon as one of their kids now, and will defend them as such. I especially loved having Mrs. Olkowski slap Miss Suzuki.
Just to note, Hypnos would keep information on the kids and digimon because it only makes sense. Yamaki is the kind of guy who would have to know everything he could because his ignorance of digimon, the digital world, and all that stuff is what caused him problems in the past.
I hope that you are enjoying this so far. Please let me know your opinion. Thanks.