A/N: Wow... okay, this was probably the hardest chapter to write thus far. It's a massive gear shift for me, as we're now getting toward the end of the story. Not to say it's going to wrap up in a couple chapters or anything, it won't. But now instead of building up all the new plot threads, I've started weaving together the ones I already have, and with how many there are going on at once, I had to do a lot of cross-checking with previous chapters, notes, and etc to make sure I got everything exactly right.
But you've all waited long enough for this update... so without further ado, here it is!
Chapter 12: Contingency
Talent hits a target nobody else can hit; genius hits a target nobody else can see.
As soon as she rejoined the rest of the team, Hikari made certain to speak to Koushiro about programming something into existence for her – a journal. Koushiro didn't comment about the request, but it was clear he understood that there was something peculiar about it, particularly because nobody mentioned anything being found on the peak. But for whatever reason she needed it, he soon produced one for her... might as well, Gennai hadn't contacted them yet, so he wasn't especially busy.
Hikari then headed toward Primary Village with Gatomon in order to be alone with her thoughts. Everything that Ogremon said... she didn't know when she would be able to investigate it, so she made certain to write down every detail she could recall for future reference. It was yet another addition to the growing list of things that needed doing once the war was over... things the children couldn't tend to now. But all in due time...
Hikari rejoined the team a few hours later to find that they had finally been contacted by Gennai. He had a report on the state of Myotismon's army, and the situation was fairly bleak. A small task force was being sent to pursue them across the ocean while the rest of the army began spreading out to cover as much of the coast as they could. Getting back was going to be hard, if not impossible.
On the bright side, the search for the crest was made marginally better by Gennai's assistance. He had developed a program capable of tracking the final crest and leading the team to it. It required several crest-bearing members of the team to use – the more the better – so it would have been useless before they obtained the Crest of Love. That was slightly comforting for Hikari, because otherwise she would have had to wonder why he didn't find some way to get them the damn thing sooner.
At any rate, only one crest left, which meant locating it would be easy, assuming the fake crests didn't interfere with tracking it. But Myotismon already knew that Hikari was with the other children, so it was doubtful he would be using the fakes anymore, especially in the digital world. The hard part was getting back to Server and past the enemy army so they could finally get to the end of their search... they had no means of doing so on their own, and Gennai didn't have enough digimon allies with him to try to challenge Myotismon's army head-on.
First things first, though. After stopping for a quick meal, the digidestined headed away from Primary Village to somewhere that was both more secure and further anywhere that innocents might be harmed if and when they were discovered. Koushiro eventually settled on the factory as their ideal staging area. It was near a contact point, easy to hide in, and had Andromon, a perfect-level digimon defending it who could give them backup if trouble found them.
They arrived early the next morning and spent a couple days there, hiding and periodically contacting Gennai while the enemy task force began scouring the island in search of them. For a while it seemed like they were simply... stuck. They were still getting little to no information from the human world, which Koushiro was almost certain was due to outside interference, and they could find no way through the blockade Myotismon had set up on Server's coast.
It was then that a message would arrive from Datamon: The situation with the war had changed.
"The change was quite distinct. Following the shift in the Hunter power structure, word was sent through Myotismon's ranks that one of his top-tier commanders had betrayed him, followed by the release of a kill-on-sight order. Then all direct communication from Myotismon to his army ceased."
"Do you know the identity of the traitor?"
Koushiro glanced aside to Hikari and Gatomon, sitting out of view. They had been careful not to mention to anyone that she had joined them, on the off chance that the transmission might be intercepted by Myotismon or Datamon. Myotismon already knew, of course... but that didn't necessarily mean all his followers did. Better to keep it that way, too. She had already been a vital source of intel regarding their enemy's tactics and how to counter them. If they suspected the children knew as much as they did, the enemy would be much more careful, and careful was the opposite of what the children wanted to face. Arrogant and ignorant was always preferable.
"It isn't Phantomon, if that is what you are hoping. It was an adult-level digimon named Gatomon. The commander worked in Myotismon's intelligence division, but there isn't much more information to be obtained. For whatever reason, they made very little use of the network to communicate with their underlings."
Koushiro nodded slowly, playing dumb. He already knew the reasons for that, of course. Gatomon was paranoid about others like DemiDevimon – the voice in most of the audio files – finding out what she was up to and trying to undermine her efforts for the sake of improving his own position in Myotismon's eyes.
"Myotismon reemerged two weeks later – the same time as our last contact, when I warned you of his pursuit. His tactics in both worlds had shifted dramatically, so I logically began scouring his mainframe for whatever might have caused the change."
"I'll assume by the fact that you contacted us that you finally found it?"
"Quite. I located a number of stray data packets located in the same sector of the mainframe that contained the audio recordings I showed you previously. The records had been auto-saved there, then immediately transferred to a more secure sector. Arguably the most secure sector in the entire dark network, save for my own. Most of my time since our last communication has been spent breaking through each of the security firewalls protecting that data. Myotismon was quite intent on keeping it as secret as possible."
Koushiro slowly nodded again, simply waiting, letting the pest run through his normal speech. He liked to gloat about his superiority to Myotismon and his minions, and telling of his brilliant detective work and his grand break-in to the most secure sector of the dark network was one way of doing so. Inevitably he would reach the important part sooner or later, and Koushiro could spare the time to be patient, so he chose to put up with it this time.
"After procuring the data, it was clear why such security was needed. Myotismon has procured a new commander to replace the one who betrayed him. A commander which was recognized by those in Hunter Command – a human – and thus he wished to keep the commander's identity secret."
A human? Working for Myotismon? Who in their right mind-
"Send us those files!"
Taichi soon interrupted Koushiro's thoughts as he moved around to sit behind Koushiro and watch the screen over his shoulder. Datamon, ever logical, had anticipated the request and began transferring the data immediately. Koushiro ran it through his usual virus-checks, though he was fairly certain that it was all clean. He knew Datamon, and the little worm wouldn't try to backstab them like that... more likely he'd feed them false intel to set them up once he wanted them dead, which wouldn't be until they were in a more advantageous position in the war.
"File. There is only one to send, and it is by far the largest of any of the files I've found. Unfortunately, it contains very little useful intel. The new commander is apparently quite clever and has, for the most part, avoided saying anything that could be used against Myotismon or his armies. However, it is still vital that you identify the new commander immediately so that a strategic response can be given as soon as possible."
Soon enough the file was transferring and the link to Datamon was cut off. Koushiro wasted no time setting it up to play back as the digidestined gathered close around him to listen. Though they would all hear it, Hikari was the closest one, knowing that she was likely the only one who would have any chance of recognizing the voice of Myotismon's new commander...
"Have the children been dealt with?"
"That doesn't matter. We will deal with the children now, they're no longer any of your concern."
Hikari's face froze in shock... no, not shock. Pure, abject horror. That voice... no. No way. That wasn't even possible.
"What- who... who is this?"
"You already know who I am, Mister Director."
"What are... what? You're working for Myotismon?"
"No different than you. In the end, we all serve the will of Lord Myotismon."
Lord Myotismon? That wasn't... no, that was wrong. That wasn't him. His voice, yes, but not his words... his personality, his heart. It was like a machine speaking with a human voice. Physically the same, but underneath there was something different in control.
The playback was suddenly paused by Koushiro, causing Hikari to glance up and quickly realize that the entire team was now watching her, all of them keenly aware of her reaction up to now.
"...Hikari?"
Her eyes moved to meet her brother's, who was watching her with a mix of worry and dread. Worry for her, dread for what her reaction might mean about the voice they were hearing through the computer speakers... the voice of a human child.
"That... that's Katsu's voice."
There were no words. Nobody even dared to open their mouth. Katsu Fang, the most paranoid and obsessively loyal person they had ever met, the one who was willing to do anything to stop Myotismon... was a traitor? How was that even possible? And worse, what did that mean for them now?
Hikari pushed the button to continue the play back, ignoring the others for now. She had to keep listening... she had to hear everything that was said. She had to know... why? What happened, and how did things change so suddenly and so completely for the boy she had known?
"So why... are you contacting us? I assumed this was going to be about the treaty, that the radio silence meant you were dealing with the children..."
"It is. The last child is in the digital world with the others, so Lord Myotismon no longer cares about Odaiba."
"Then he's ready to negotiate for peace?"
"No. I called to inform you that the treaty is now void."
"What?! Why? If Myotismon doesn't care-"
"He never cared. You don't matter, Director, and you never did. The city is still standing because Lord Myotismon doesn't care to destroy it – but he also doesn't care to leave it intact. Lord Myotismon will do whatever he pleases, with no regard for you or your wishes or your city. I'm just contacting you to let you know how things are going to be from now on, so be quiet and listen.
All restrictions on our armies have been removed, and we're finished pretending that your armies can stand up to ours in a fair fight. If any Hunters attack us, they will die. If the children attempt to flee the digital world and hide in Odaiba, they will die, along with anyone who tries to help them. If you call for help from any national government to reinforce or evacuate the city, they will die, followed shortly by Hunter Command."
"What the hell? After all the times you undercut our authority... you broke every rule to push back the invasion as much as you could! How can you possibly go along with this?!"
"You're in no position to ask that. You betrayed every promise you ever made just to save your own life."
"So did you! I did what I had to do to save this city – I never joined Myotismon's army!"
"He wouldn't have accepted you anyway. With how easily you switched sides, you couldn't be trusted to stay loyal. The only thing you were useful for was pacifying the Hunters until the last child was found."
"Damn you! How long have you been working for that monster?"
"It doesn't matter. This conversation has gone on long enough, and I've said all I have to say. Goodbye, Director. This is the last contact you will have with us."
This was impossible. All she had seen... the breakdown in Masaharu's office... everything Hikari knew told her that this couldn't happen. Katsu was no traitor. Everything he ever said and did proved that to her, and the way he spoke in that recording... he sounded hollow, empty... cold in a completely different way from what she used to know. The anger, the pain, the passion... they were gone from his voice. His most defining traits, just gone! That sort of thing doesn't just happen...
So what was this? Another ploy? Did he trick even Myotismon? Fool the monster into recruiting him so that he could work from within the enemy's own ranks? Knowing that Katsu was the one responsible for all of the trouble that he had faced during the war, could he even fall for that? What...
Damn it, what the HELL was happening?!
"...recruited."
Hikari's eyes widened as her partner spoke. Everyone heard the feline's voice, but only Hikari seemed to understand the implications of it, at least until Mimi suddenly spoke up from behind her.
"Is that even possible? Can he make somebody change that much? Enough to persuade one of his worst enemies to join him?"
Gatomon curled up, shivering slightly as the memories returned once again. Hikari quickly wrapped her arms around her partner, but it did little to protect her from the waking nightmares that haunted her mind, always waiting to rear their head again...
"Myotismon doesn't... persuade people. He breaks them. He whispers... he gets in your head, plants an idea... tells you there's a way out. Only one way... and once it's there, he tears you down until you can't fight anymore, and then... you're gone. You're a puppet, and all that's left is him, pulling your strings..."
Hikari didn't know what she was feeling... anger, regret, anguish... if it was true, then Myotismon had destroyed the boy she knew and turned him into... into what? What was he now? It was hard to even imagine Katsu as a puppet, the boy who was always in control, and had a plan for everythi-
"Oh god..."
The plan. Rogue protocol. NO!
Gatomon suddenly jumped from Hikari's lap as she felt the tension building in the girl. She didn't know what was happening, but given the context of everything else that was occurring, she had no doubt that it was absolutely important.
"Koushiro, do you have any data on Ken's computer?"
"On- what? What are you talking-"
"The gate! Ken opened a gate to the digital world from his computer – did you get any data on it? Any way to find him again? We have to contact Ken, NOW!"
The sudden shift from dire to panic caught Koushiro off guard, leaving him stunned for a moment, but fortunately the team leaders both had a survival instinct that kicked in as soon as they realized something was wrong... that is, even more wrong than they already knew before.
"Everyone, spread out! Make room! Koushiro, answer the question."
Yamato quickly helped everyone up and away as Taichi spoke, pulling away anyone and anything that might be a distraction before retrieving the tech's bags for him. Koushiro had run into the problem of mental overload several times before, trying to do three things at once inside his head, and they'd found the best solution was to remove as many of those things as possible so that there was only one thing left to focus on.
"I- I don't know... the gate links to a place, not a single system. If he's not in the same place... let me think..."
Eyes closed. Savant mode. Think... find Ken again... he needed a trail to follow.
"His computer... system ID. Need a trail. The gate... contact. He pinged my laptop. I have the records. Need a way to trace... is he linked to the Hunter network?"
Koushiro's sudden question in the midst of his brainstorming was a bit of a surprise, but not enough to make Hikari recoil in her current desperation. The network... yes. No question about that one.
"He hacked the network for the Yakuza, he has to be linked to it somehow."
"Hacked... command override. He has system clearance. It would remember the source... but it'd be masked. I need... the source code."
"How do we get it?"
It was enough for Taichi to know that Hikari was panicked about something. He trusted her judgment, especially in anything regarding Katsu. He could ask for the details later, once the problem was resolved. This was a time for action, not a time to worry about his composure.
"We don't. We get in to it."
And then Koushiro went to work. Hacking directly into the Hunter network wasn't going to be easy, but they had no other option. They had to find Ken, and they couldn't get help from anyone like Datamon, else they'd be risking leaving the Hunters even more vulnerable to future attacks from sources other than Myotismon.
The rest of the team quickly found things to occupy their time with while Koushiro worked, knowing not to interrupt him now, of all times. Hikari remained with Koushiro, telling him anything she knew about the network that might give him an opening to hack into it. Some things were more useful than others... she had expected her old account to have been removed along with everything else from the SDZ, but apparently it wasn't. It was completely locked down, and as soon as he logged in it set off an alert in the system that shut down all external access, but even with that it would be beneficial to him. He had a program already in place to analyze everything from the system that he came into contact with, and that brief access opened a door to part of the source code that would be quite valuable. He now had part of the program code that the system ran during log-ins. All he had to do was find a way to modify it so he could trick the system into letting him in...
Mimi, of all people, would provide the miracle this time. While all the others busied themselves with other, more trivial business, she returned to the factory to find Andromon and lead him out to where the team was. He wasn't necessarily the best when it came to hacking – he was designed to secure systems, not take them apart – but Koushiro already had all the pieces they needed, in theory. They just needed a way to work the numbers and modify the code faster than his human fingers could type, and Andromon was perfect for that.
After plugging in to Koushiro's laptop, it wouldn't take long for him to analyze and reverse-engineer the code to figure out exactly what parts needed modifying. What would have been a full day's work was reduced to an hour, and before they knew it the duo had managed to assemble a program that would give them open access to the Hunter network, at least on a rudimentary level. They wouldn't have access to the more secure sections, but they didn't need those. They weren't trying to retrieve top secret files, they were trying to trace system access to locate someone...
Oddly, Koushiro found that the system was already open and accessible from the outside again, even though the lockdown was supposed to remain for at least 24 hours. How was that...
"It's Ken."
Hikari knew instantly. He knew the Hunter network like Datamon knew the dark network. He would have spotted the alarm immediately, and the fact that it was triggered by someone logging in to Hikari's account... he figured out what they were doing and opened the system again.
"Clever... the system claims it's still locked down, but we have access anyway. He must be running a secondary process underneath the first that overrides the program's function without actually disabling it."
"So nobody knows we're in the system..."
"Nobody knows we can be in the system. And if I can find that process..."
"Then you can trace it back to the source, and figure out where Ken is right now."
"Assuming he didn't mask his source when installing the process."
"But he wouldn't do that if he wants us to find him. So it's just a question of whether or not he knows we're after him..."
Hikari wasn't as technically minded as Koushiro, but she understood the strategic half of things well enough. Koushiro dealt with the matter of how, Hikari focused on why.
With a little extra help from Andromon to run the numbers, it was easy to locate the process and, lo and behold, Hikari was right. Ken left his source exposed and easy to find. It was a simple matter for Koushiro to access the process and copy out everything he needed. However, as soon as he pulled out he found the process locked down, with the source he had just copied being immediately encrypted so that it couldn't be found again.
"Ken knows we're in the system... he's following us like Datamon did, covering his tracks as we go."
"Then he definitely knows we're trying to contact him. Can you use that data you found to connect to him?"
"I can, but it isn't safe like this. I'm going to pull out of the system and then connect directly to his computer, if possible. That way there won't be a data trail for any of the Hunter techs to follow."
The switch was easy enough, and Ken was already waiting for the signal, as expected. He'd even prepared a mask for them so that the rest of the Hunter network wouldn't detect them while they were conversing. If circumstances were different, Koushiro may have wanted to exchange notes with the boy. He was quick, clever, and seemed to share a love for computers... but that was for another time, when they weren't in such desperate straits.
As the system was connecting, Koushiro moved aside to make room for Hikari. She was the one who understood what sort of crisis was happening, after all. Best to have her deal with this personally, rather than having Koushiro play middle-man.
"Hikari... glad to see you're still doing well, but I'm guessing this isn't a leisure call."
"It's not. Has Katsu contacted you in the last few weeks?"
"Katsu? The Hunter reports said-"
"Cut the crap! Hunter reports are worthless when it comes to Katsu, and we both know it – did he contact you or not?"
Ken's eyes narrowed slightly, wary of Hikari's panicked attitude. He couldn't even guess at what might be wrong, but he knew enough about Hikari to know this was very out of character for her. Normally he'd follow orders, but... special case. Katsu trusted this girl, so he would too.
"He told me not to mention it to anyone, but yes... he called me a few days ago. He said he was prepping for a counter attack against the traitors in Hunter command and needed some information."
"Was it about Rogue Protocol?"
Silence. Now Ken was starting to feel uneasy... if Hikari was worried about that, then... she was scared of Katsu? Why would she be...
"Yes. Now would you please explain why you're asking all these questions?"
Hikari took a deep, heavy breath. This was bad... catastrophically bad. It could lead to the loss of the entire city if they didn't stop him. Every single Hunter defense against Myotismon hinged on a few key points that were easy to demolish with the system that Ken and Katsu had set up. If Myotismon got access to even one of those...
Hikari scooted to one side, making room for somebody to kneel beside her as she signaled Koushiro.
"Get the file ready to transfer. Ken... Katsu is working for Myotismon."
"No, he's not."
The response was immediate and emphatic. He didn't believe it, period. He knew that boy too well, there was no way in hell that he would ever join Myotismon. One couldn't act out that kind of hate against his enemies... there was no show with Katsu. Secrets, yes, but no act. Everything he did was completely honest. It was impossible for him to be any other way.
"Not willingly. Gatomon- that's... my partner. She used to work for Myotismon. He... he can do things to people. Break them, brainwash them... it happened once to her, and it seems it happened with Katsu. We're sending you the file so you can listen to it yourself, later. But we need to act now before something terrible happens."
Ken was quiet, contemplating the situation. Hikari was with the other children... if she was contacting him, it meant that they were likely all in agreement. So it was a question of trust. All of the rogues, or Katsu... not an easy choice for him, and he would have chosen the latter if not for one person. Katsu felt that Hikari was fully trustworthy, and if she was at the forefront of this... he'd at least give her his ear.
"...he asked for the codes to the system underneath what's currently the main network hub for the Hunters. He wanted to bring it down to shut down the entire Hunter network. Then once everything had gone dark he was going to lead a strike team of men from the DA teams into the command center and seize control. He said now was the only chance we'd have, with Myotismon hunting all of you in the digital world."
"If the hub goes down, could that give Myotismon any sort of window to get into Hunter territory?"
This couldn't be what it appeared on the surface... unless he was faking loyalty to Myotismon so he could then turn around take over the Hunters, but that was absurdly dangerous. He could be easily exposed and trapped if the disguise failed even for a moment, and pulling that kind of trick from within Myotismon's inner circle... from everything she knew about that monster, he was far too careful and paranoid to fall for that.
She wanted to believe it... she desperately did – that it was all just an act and that Katsu was still on their side, but it was far too dangerous to risk. Too many lives were at stake to gamble on something like that.
"No. If the hub goes down, there's no way to gate jump into Hunter territory. If he has some ulterior motive, it has to be something else..."
"Give us the codes for the system under the hub. We'll go in to see for ourselves. In the meantime, you can listen to the file, then we'll call you once we get back."
Taichi's entrance was sudden and abrupt, but not unwelcome. As always, his arrival heralded a switch from thinking to acting, which was welcome now. They needed to go in on foot and see for themselves what was happening.
Ken acknowledged and quickly sent them the codes to access the system before disconnecting. While he was busy facing the horrible truth about what had happened, Koushiro prepped a gate to take them to the hidden system. After some debate, they decided that they would all travel together. A smaller team was better if they needed to get out fast, but it was better to have more allies if there was something waiting for them down there...
Leaving Andromon to watch his laptop, Koushiro led the others through a quick jump into the sub basement of the Hunter hub. They didn't find any of what they were expecting... no enemies, no explosives rigged to the supports. It seemed almost completely still, save for a single object, roughly in the center of the massive chamber that Taichi spotted as he was going from support to support, looking for signs of explosives. It was clearly if digital world origin, but without his laptop on hand Koushiro had no way of identifying it.
It was large and spherical, and seemed to be charging up, as best Koushiro could tell. For a moment it almost seemed like a bomb, but no... it was different. It was like a sort of... engine. A generator? Why would Myotismon place something like this-
Oh, hell.
It had nothing to limit the charge. The energy it produced would just keep growing until it burned itself out, and the outer shell... it was electromagnetically conductive, and given the way it was designed...
"This is an EMP bomb."
"What's that mean?"
"What'll happen if it goes off?"
Hikari quickly overrode Sora's question with her own. Didn't matter what it stood for, all they needed to know was what it was designed to do, and what they needed to do to stop it.
"If the hub isn't shielded, it'll fry all the computers up above once the charge grows strong enough. If they are, it'll fry some of them and cause a major glitch- oh crap... that's it! The network will stay up, but it'll knock out the security long enough for Myotismon to form gates in Hunter territory and swarm in with his army!"
"Gabumon!"
Yamato was the first to act, and rightly so as Garurumon was the only partner who wouldn't hit their head on the short ceiling after digivolving. As soon as he had grown he grabbed the device with his jaws and began dragging it back toward the computer that linked them back to the digital world.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"If we destroy it, can we be sure it won't detonate?"
Koushiro paused. Good question. Hard to say unless he knew the design. It was possible the charge wouldn't be any worse than its current level, but given that it was digital world technology it didn't necessarily follow the traditional laws of physics. It wasn't worth the risk...
"Alright, we take it back to the digital world, get it far from the factory, and then blow it up!"
Nobody had any protests, and with the rest of the team helping him, Garurumon had a much easier time getting it to the computer. Koushiro opened the gate immediately, not wanting to risk the possibility of the charge frying the computer by keeping it nearby too long. As soon as they had crossed over, Biyomon evolved quickly to Garudamon and seized the bomb, carrying it up and away from the others, toward the ocean and far out of range of anybody or anything on the island.
The explosion could be seen even from the factory, but fortunately Sora contacted the rest of the team immediately afterward to let them know she and her partner were safe. As they didn't have any machine parts on them, neither was especially vulnerable to an EMP, and they were far enough from the object that any electrical discharge didn't hit them, either.
Koushiro immediately contacted Ken, who was now far more convinced, both from the recording and from the information they gave him regarding what they found. He didn't need any more convincing. Katsu was lost – controlled by Myotismon now, and a traitor in every practical sense. Getting him back was possible, but the first and most important step was neutralizing his potential to threaten them.
"So what can we do? With the influence Katsu has, there's too many ways..."
"SP-10."
Hikari's eyes shifted toward the screen from where they had been, wandering about aimlessly as she contemplated the problem. Special Protocol Ten... she had to wonder if Katsu would have some answer to that, but there was another, more important question to ask first.
"What's that?"
"Katsu's plan in case this sort of thing ever happened."
His plan for... this? He planned for the possibility of his own betrayal? Was that even possible?
"How exactly do you plan for something like this? Wouldn't he know how to stop it?"
"No. He set up the system, but control for activating it was put in the hands of others he trusted. The only people he trusted... it involved three separate pieces, each designed by a different person, so that nobody knew enough to be able to disable it, and only one could activate it."
"Alright, stop. Back up. Explain what this is first, and then tell us how it works."
Ken nodded slightly before reaching over past one side of the screen to retrieve something out of view. As he began to speak he also began typing, apparently prepping for the first staging of activating SP-10.
"You know about the SP series. A set of contingency plans for an escalating series of potential crises. The first five deal with catastrophes in the war itself. Barrier collapse, network failure... the latter five deal with betrayal. This includes willful betrayal, blackmail, mind control... anything you can imagine. SP-6 was designed for if a large section of the standard Hunter army was 'compromised' in any way. SP-7, as you know, dealt with the same issue for Hunter Command. SP-8 deals with SDZ and Katsu's closest aids. SP-9 deals with... well, you. The rogues."
Interesting... he'd even planned for the possibility of the digidestined falling under Myotismon's influence and turning against humanity. How, she couldn't even begin to imagine. If they were on Myotismon's side then the Hunters wouldn't even have a prayer. What she'd give to get a glimpse at what that plan must involve...
"And SP-10... deals with Katsu himself?"
It was ronic... most people would assume the digidestined would be first on the list if they understood what was actually happening in the war, but Katsu actually ranked himself above that. Then again, it was fairly accurate... he was the one who came up with these insane plans, and besides that, it would be harder for him to deal with being mind controlled than to deal with it happening to someone else.
"Exactly. As I said, it was designed in three parts. Katsu made the program that did whatever needed to be done... he never told anybody what it was. Only he was allowed to know. My job was designing the method to distribute it throughout the Hunter network, so that it reached everything and everyone under his command. It was the most technically challenging system I'm ever designed, but considering where we are now... I think it's worth it."
"Was Masaharu the third?"
Hikari already knew where this was going. She knew the boy's mind well enough after all the time she spent around him to understand who he trusted and who he didn't. Masaharu was the only person ever to talk him down and change his mind, at least as Hikari had seen. He had to be pretty high on the list to accomplish that.
"Yes. He's not as good with the technical side of things, so I designed a program to streamline the process for him. It helped him generate a concealed ID profile within the Hunter network. Almost impossible to detect. It was encoded with a variable encryption algorithm that changed the encryption process based on values that he chose during the process, so even I wouldn't be able to find it without the code unless I took apart the entire network. Activating the program is as simple as logging into the profile, but for that you need the correct ID and password."
"So unless we can talk to him, we can't access SP-10..."
"...and right now he's in the Hunter military prison."
Hikari glanced up to her brother as he concluded her thought for her. Around them stood all the rest of the team, each considering the problem. To stop Katsu, they would have to raid the prison... no small feat, given that it was in the heart of Hunter territory and heavily guarded. But they also had to do it fast, before Myotismon realized what happened and sent a team to the hub basement again to place another bomb.
"Is there any way we can sneak into the prison so we don't have to fight?"
They had to speak to Masaharu, but Jou preferred doing so without a fight. This was one of the rare problems that didn't involve something from the enemy army trying to murder them or the Hunters, so they could actually use non-violent means to accomplish it. The problem was the level of security they were up against...
"Not us. Not with all the DG sensors around, and there's no way we could disguise ourselves well enough to fool the guards. If we had Wizardmon to turn us invisible we could do it, but with what we have..."
Yamato's voice trailed off and he idly leaned against a nearby tree, lost in thought. He didn't like the idea of breaking in, especially since it was his father in there. Once they left, there was no telling what the Hunters would do to him, and he couldn't go back with them to the digital world...
"What if we can get somebody else to go in for us?"
Hikari turned to her partner, raising an eyebrow. Somebody else... who else would work? It would have to either be somebody with Hunter clearance, or one who had justifiable reason to visit Masaharu in prison like- ah... yes, of course. Hikari turned back to the screen to Ken, who quickly noticed the shift in her demeanor.
"Ken... is there any way you can contact Natsuko Ishida?"
It took a while and a bit of butchering the network, but Ken finally managed to set up a connection for the team. It linked them through the Hunter network, into the local phone towers, and from there they made a call to Natsuko's personal cell phone. The whole system was horribly unstable, but good enough to last for a few minute, at least.
"Hello?"
"Natsuko, please stay calm and try to act normal... this is Hikari."
There was a long pause and several sounds of movement from the other end. Nothing sounded too bad, fortunately... maybe she was just moving out of earshot of others who were standing nearby.
"I... wasn't expecting a call from you."
"Wasn't expecting to call... listen, I need your help. Something's happening. Something really bad, and I can't explain it all, but we need to get into contact with Masaharu. Are you able to visit him at all?"
It made Hikari feel somewhat sick to her stomach to think of putting this woman in danger for them, but this was desperate... if they didn't do this, Myotismon's army could flood into the city without warning, and who knew how many people would die. Granted, he could break through the barriers as well, but at least then people could see it coming and would have a chance to flee.
"Um... sometimes, but not often. And there's always a lot of people watching or listening, but I could... try to help. What do you need?"
"I... I don't want to put you in danger, but... there's something Katsu created, called SP-10. We need an ID and password to activate it, and only Masaharu knows-"
"Hope."
"Wh- Hope? What?"
"That's the ID you need."
"That's- wait... how do you know that? Did he tell you about SP-10?"
"I know the codes for nearly everything he did or had, just in case I ever needed to use any of them... a way to keep me safe, he said. But he didn't give me the code to that one. He didn't even tell me what it was... just the name of the ID. He said if it had to be used, whoever needed it could figure out the password themselves."
Apparently Katsu was starting to rub off on people... Masaharu had picked up some of that same paranoia when it came to protecting his own family. Maybe in other ways, too? She could hope... if it was Katsu in prison, she would have assumed he was there on purpose and had some plan to use the situation to his advantage. Then she'd have an assurance that he was safe...
"Well... thank you. We'll take care of figuring out the password, then..."
"Don't mention it. And... could you pass a message on to Yamato for me?"
Hikari turned to look back to Yamato, who met her gaze but said nothing. It was clear how much he wanted to talk to her, but not now... they were on a tight schedule, and people could die if they delayed too long.
"Of course I can..."
"Tell him his father and I love him... and we don't want him to feel sorry for what's happening. We're proud of him, and the things he's doing to win this war... the things you're all doing."
"Alright... I'll let him know. Thank you."
"No. Thank you... goodbye."
Hikari sighed heavily as the transmission was cut off. Koushiro then quickly retrieved his laptop to disconnect from the butchered system Ken had set up.
"Well, that's convenient. Now we just need to figure out the password... any guesses?"
Taichi commented idly as Koushiro reconnected to Ken and prepared to log in to the network.
"Did you hear the everything?"
Koushiro muttered idly, setting the computer down in front of Hikari again as Ken's face came up on the screen.
"Yeah, I got the whole conversation. Hope... given what Natsuko said, I assume it's a basic hint-and-code system. Whatever the password is, it's something related to Hope, at least in Masaharu's mind."
"Katsu."
Sora was the first to speak up, though she wasn't the only one to have that thought. In Masaharu's mind it was likely the truth... Katsu was the one who held everything together, and was their hope for victory in the war. However, a quick buzz would cut that line of thought short.
INVALID ID
"No good."
"Hikari?"
Hikari turned to Gatomon beside her, watching her for several moments before she realized the feline wasn't trying to get her attention, she was giving an answer.
"Hikari. The password. If it's not Katsu's name, maybe it's yours."
"No. We set up this system well before we ever met Hikari. He wouldn't have known her name."
Ken quickly responded from the other side of the screen. Good guess, though. Had it been made later, it might be right. Though, on that note... perhaps it wasn't one single individual, but a group of them. Not a name... a title. Rogue.
INVALID ID
Hikari narrowed her eyes slightly, frustrated. What about plural? Rogues?
INVALID ID
"Damn it."
Hikari threw her arms up and leaned back, sighing heavily again.
"Okay, so not on that vein. What else could it be?"
Hikari glanced to Jou as he spoke, then to Mimi as she replied.
"There's no one else we could name. It's not the Hunters. Maybe it's more... abstract. Maybe it's what he hopes for instead of what he hopes in."
Hell, why not? Might as well try everything they could. They didn't have time to sit and ponder all day.
"Peace... life... victory..."
INVALID ID
INVALID ID
INVALID ID
"This would be a lot less annoying without that stupid buzz..."
As Hikari muttered, Koushiro moved to her side and pushed a button to mute the computer for a moment before quickly undoing it.
"Well, we can't mute it unless we want to silence Ken, too."
Another sigh. Alright, Hikari, think. Hope. Masaharu's password, Hope...
"Maybe it's not related at all?"
"Got any better ideas?"
Hikari quickly pushed out the voices of Sora, Taichi, and everyone else from her mind, going into her own sort of 'savant' mode. Think. Hope... what was his hope in the war? Not Katsu... no, he was a symbol of everything that was wrong with the war. A broken heart, a broken soul... there was no hope there. Victory, but not hope. The rogues? ...yes. There was hope there, but that wasn't the password, she already tried it, so it had to be something else. Hope... what did Masaharu have hope in?
The children. She tried to think of something else, but she kept falling back to that same thing. The children, again and again. Hope, hope, hope... always them. The digidestined. But she'd already tried that... hadn't she?
Yamato
INVALID ID
No... not that, either. Not his own son, so it wouldn't be any of the other children, either. Although...
Yamato... he wasn't hope. No... he was friendship. Taichi... he was courage. The rest of the children and their crests... one was unnamed, but it wasn't hope, either. That much she knew. Think outside the box, Hikari. See the big picture. Like the digivice...you knew it instinctively. This is the same. It's there right in front of you.
The children... courage, friendship, love, knowledge, purity, light... integrity... and hope. Hope.
Takeru
A pause. No buzz this time. Hikari waited, holding her breath a moment as the rest of the team continued to talk around her, utterly oblivious to what was happening with the computer and girl that sat on the grass at their feet until suddenly the entire screen went black and reset back to the main screen. What the hell?
"What just happened?"
Koushiro was first to notice. Hikari passed him the computer, and in a moment he was right at work, checking the system to figure out what went wrong. At first he seemed confused, but that confusion quickly turned to shock.
"What... the whole Hunter network just went down. Everything is resetting. Hikari, what did you do?"
"She typed a password and didn't get a buzz."
Gatomon was quick to answer; though she didn't mention what the password was, even though she had seen it typed. Questions flew around for a moment but Hikari ignored them, and Koushiro quickly dismissed them all as well. Get the system back up and running first, then they can deal with the questions. Soon Koushiro was back in contact with Ken, who seemed much less surprised than the team did...
"Looks like you found the right password."
"Wait, that was it?"
Hikari moved around to Koushiro's side, practically seizing the laptop from his hands as Ken's face appeared on the screen.
"In order to activate Katsu's program without being detected, my program forces all systems on the network to reset. The network itself actually remains up, and while all the computers on it are reconnecting it, it releases the program to all systems and runs whatever processes were built in to it."
"So... it's done?"
Ken nodded and Hikari blinked several times. That was... much simpler than she expected.
"So what happened?"
Hikari glanced to Sora. Good question. No idea how to answer, as none of them even knew what Katsu's program did.
"Log back in with that same password. He may have left a message for us."
Hikari nodded and passed the laptop to Koushiro, who quickly set it up to log in before passing it back. As expected, everyone was watching her intently as she typed the password this time. She didn't turn to look at any of their faces, but from the breathless silence that hung around her she could guess at what they were thinking...
Fortunately, this time the system didn't shut down. It logged in just fine, though the screen she was greeted by was almost completely devoid of... well, anything. The only thing of note was mail... a single message sent to that account, source unknown.
Special Protocol 10 activated successfully. All authorization transferred to SDZ secondary authority.
"What's SDZ secondary authority?"
Hikari muttered, turning first to Koushiro before realizing he'd have no clue, then she turned back to Ken on the screen.
"Logically, the second person in charge of SDZ. Masaharu, most likely."
Well, that was... problematic. He had all the authority but no way to access it as he was in prison. But it was still far better than the alternative. Better no commander than one who was being controlled by Myotismon.
"Wait... but... Masaharu isn't... wasn't... over SDZ anymore. He was moved out, wasn't he? Second-in-command is... Hikari."
Hikari's gaze slowly drifted over to Mimi, who stood watching her along with the rest of the children. She was... no, that was impossible. Besides, Katsu made this program well before ever meeting her, didn't he? There's no way he could have designed it to transfer command to her.
"Wait... she's right. I'm checking the network now. All authority was transferred to the official – and current – second-in-command of SDZ... that's you, Hikari."
"...what?"
"The program... it looks like my system worked. All of the masked sub-networks of SDZ that are operating inside the Hunter main network... the program reached them all. Every single SDZ team, and all their computers, now recognize you, Hikari Yagami, as the head of the division."
Hikari was beyond stunned. She was... flabbergasted. It was arguable whether that was actually a word or not, but that was fine. There weren't really any words that could accurately describe what she was feeling anyway. The SDZ... the entire division was now under her authority? Did... did Katsu know this would happen? Did he plan for it? If not, it was insane. If so, then... he was insane! Putting her in charge of the entire division, when she barely knew anything about military command? She'd barely been trained! She was just getting started when she had to flee! How could she handle this?!
But the part that was worst of all was the fact that she knew she couldn't undo it. She had no way to transfer command to anyone else, and nobody to transfer it to. One option was Ken, but he wasn't officially part of the Hunters in the first place. Ryo? She didn't even know what had happened to him. Maybe he was a prisoner, maybe he was with the escaped teams... maybe he was dead. And even if he was alive, there was no telling if he could handle the responsibility of it, either.
"Hikari, snap out of it!"
It would be Ken that finally pulled her out of her stunned stupor. Until now she hadn't seen him angry or anything of the sort, but now through the screen he was definitely emanating that sort of emotion... and then some.
"There's no time to stand and gawk at this! We still have to secure the network hub, and after that there's no telling what Katsu is going to do! But whatever it is, rest assured it is going to be very bad for us. With everything he knows, and the way he fights... we can't fight passively anymore. We have to get on the offensive as soon as possible."
A pause. Hikari glanced across the faces of her comrades once more. They understood... as she did. He was right. The war of survival ended the moment Katsu was taken by Myotismon and his army. Simply trying to survive would get them all killed. Now they had to switch gears... they had to fight a war of aggression. Secure the hub, get the crest, and attack. Attack Myotismon's armies, his minions, his generals... free Katsu, and ultimately... kill Myotismon himself. That was the only recourse they had now.
"Ken... start thinking. Figure out a way to secure that hub from Myotismon. We're going after the last crest."