Wow, two months. Well, nothing much to say except this is the first post of the year, and I have my time occupied by rewrites and new games, and the weekly episodes of MLP for a while, which makes me a happy Demon.
Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do hereby state that I do not own the rights to Digimon: Digital Monsters. Thank you.
…
I settled against the chair as the others talked to one another, and I thought about my new revolvers. Baffle had been a thirty eight caliber revolver, and these two were a pair of forty four magnums. The change of going from GunImpmon came with a few surprises apart from the new revolvers. Starting with the feet, I actually did have toes, complete with claws instead of toenails. Those would ruin someone's day, easily. Add in the new height, it's lucky the new data gave me immediate acclimatization to the differences. Then there were the long horns on my head and the claws instead of fingernails, half an inch from the tips of my fingers, but they could be retracted, unlike the toe claws.
I also now had clothes apart from a belt, gloves, and a neckerchief. A black leather vest, torn in the back for two long slits, with ripped off sleeves, as though it had been a jacket at some point, and a very damaged dark gray and red checkered shirt, with slits lined up perfectly with those in the vest. I had a pair of Devi jeans, and they, too, had seen far better days, as they were ripped at the bottoms of the legs, with holes in the knees, and more than a few small rips, tears, and even bullet holes, though they wouldn't get worse with time. I had a pair of scuffed and damaged black cowboy boots with dented and slightly oxidized iron ten point spurs. They'd jingle, but not very loudly, and they wouldn't rotate very much. I still had gloves, black with red stitching, and still fingerless, and my neckerchief had simply grown slightly, but now I had a black leather mask covering the upper part of my head, but not the rest. I felt that I had hair, around my neck, and Scott said it's black, whereas my eyes are brighter red than before.
But my favorite change was that the blank tin star had become a Deputy Sheriff star, tarnished silver, but the words were clear. Oddly, my DGA badge still existed, still on my belt, and had not changed at all. My one issue was with the black Stetson on my head, and my horns were growing through the sides, meaning it was stuck. I found that I could delete it though, so I would be okay with it for a while, it just had a tendency to make itself known by tilting down at odd times to impair my vision a little.
"Mao, are you okay?" Daisy asked. I nodded.
"Just thinkin' about my new body." I said. "And my new voice. Sounds like it belongs, and the drawl is, kinda nice." She sat by me. The lab techs were going over the data, and the others seemed concerned for some reason. "Just gotta get used to my new vocabulary. I'll have to get that under control." She laughed.
"I like it." She said. She slowly slugged my shoulder. "Cowboy and a cactus." We both laughed.
"Now we just need a horse and a proper sheriff." I said. I tapped the star with my finger, being careful of my new claws. "Just a deputy." She slugged my shoulder again.
"Strong looking deputy." She said. I smiled a little and looked at the table. "Thinking?"
"I name my weapons." I said. "And I think I've got the names for them."
"Sounds like you've given it some thought, deputy." Scott said. They all walked over, sitting at the table, save for Percy and Riley. Percy just stood by Arthur with Riley on his shoulder.
"What are you going to call them?" Arthur asked. I put the revolvers on the table. They were old looking, but not rusty or damaged at all, save for superficial scratches in the metal and a few pits here and there. I touched the right revolver.
"Panic." I said. I touched the other. "And Disorder." Most of the others laughed. "Baffle is a type of confusion, Panic is worse, and Disorder is yet another name for the same thing."
"You sure like naming your weapons after odd things." Sarah said. "Hey, can you still summon Bamboozle?" I shrugged.
"No clue." I said. "Arthur?" He checked the Optimizer.
"Okay, let's see…" He said. "Tech list grew, but, the Shinai isn't there anymore… But… Devil Rounds, a decidedly improved Dark Round, as we saw… Dark Reload, pretty much just Shadow Reload, probably uses the same amount of power… Dark Justice Claw?" I saw images in my mind's eye.
"I use my new claws to scratch or impale my target." I said. "I infuse them with darkness…" Scott seemed apprehensive while the others seemed unnerved. "And then I make them tired, and demoralized, so they might just give up."
"I like that." Arthur said. "Sounds, cool… Okay, Dark Wave." More images appeared in my mind.
"Pure darkness from my hand, like Scott's ranged Hand of Fate, but wider." I said. "I can focus it for a very powerful stab of energy if I need it."
"Death's Hand? Arthur continued.
"Mano de Muerte…" I said quietly. Daisy and the other girls laughed. "Just a blast of darkness, like Dark Wave, but as a single burst to do the most immediate damage… Tiring."
"Hellfire, Exhalation?" Arthur asked. "You can breathe fire?" I thought for a moment and nodded, smirking.
"Couldn't call me the devil if I couldn't spit hellfire all over." I said. Arthur and Percy laughed.
"Sounds like you've gotten, considerably more powerful." Scott said. "Do you think you can stay as we've known you to be, or will there be issues with temptation?" I shrugged.
"I can't really see myself abusin' my new gifts." I said.
"Looks like you have most of your old techniques, too." Arthur said after a moment. We looked at him. "Badda-Boom Shot, Big Badda-Boom Shot… Well, looks like Infernal Funnel isn't there, nor is Burning Fence, but Blazing Lasso, is upgraded to Hellfire Lasso, and the Red Tips, are Red Magnums…"
"Well, these brothers are forty four magnum." I said. Arthur laughed.
"Dirty Harry…" He said.
"Who?" Percy and Scott asked. Riley jumped down as I picked up Confusion, holding it near my face dramatically as I deepened my voice.
"I know what you're thinkin'." I said. "Did he fire six shots, or only five? Well, to tell ya the truth, in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a forty four magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one more question; Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" They all laughed at my impression.
"'Dirty' Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood." Arthur said. "Classic movie about a cop willing to do whatever it takes to bring down the worst bad guys." Percy and Scott looked at each other.
"Even I know those lines." Riley said. "Mom watches it once in a while, and I can hear it all from my room."
"Mr. Rowe, Mr. er, Deputy Mao?" A man asked. "The data just cleared, and it, has put us a step closer to completing a project." He held out a clipboard to Arthur, and he took it. As he looked at it, he looked at me and slid it to me. I looked down at it after holstering the revolvers.
"A machine that stabilizes Digivolution, specifically, artificial." I said.
"Yes, once it's complete, if you can go Ultimate, we can make it permanent." The man said. "Instead of having to wait, or constantly Digivolve and let the data settle as that stage through time, we can impart instant stable data that will let you go Ultimate and stay that way. When we complete it, if one of you can, go to Ultimate, we would like to ask that you allow us to test the theory. There are no foreseeable negative effects, so… Yeah." I handed him the clipboard.
"Glad I could be of assistance." I said.
"Well, coming from the devil…" He said. I laughed.
"Don't worry, no strings attached." I said. We all laughed.
"Well, I'll get back to work." He said. "Thanks again." He walked away and Percy stretched.
"Well, seeing as we have done what we came to do, and it is three in the afternoon…" He said. "I think we should go back to the rotation… Whose home are we going to tonight?" Sarah raised her hand.
"My place, and I think Mao's gonna need some new formal duds." She said. I looked at my vest and adjusted it slightly.
"I'd be much obliged." I said.
…
I settled against the wall as the party went on. Whether or not it was in full swing was beyond my ability to tell. People in fancy outfits, some of which probably cost more than Arthur and I made in a month, drinking various beverages, both alcoholic and non, and food I didn't remotely recognize.
"Wow, and I thought being rich would mean great parties." Riley said. "They don't even have any good music to dance to, if they'd dance." She sat down by me, sighing tiredly. "The food stinks, literally, I don't know what half of it is, and the only thing that did smell good tasted horrible."
"That's why I chose to be upwind of it." I said. She laughed. "Don't go inside, it's worse." I sat down after grabbing a chair. "Nothing interesting, at all?"
"Arthur's over there with Sarah and Ann, Percy's talking to someone he recognized…" She said. "Scott's talking to a few Angel Digimon with Lena, Daisy's in the indoor garden, and Harry's getting something to eat inside that isn't finger food. He's hungry lately."
"Champions usually are." I said. "Rookies eat a lot, Champions eat more, at first. Way I understand it, Champions need more energy for the first few weeks, and when they get totally used to it, they go back to normal, human sized meals. If they're human sized." She laughed quietly as I took a glass of water.
"Hey, since you're like the devil, can you, like, change things to other things?" She asked. "Like turning that water into, cherry coke?" I shook my head.
"Not in this world." I said. "In the Digital World, yes, but it takes energy to convert one liquid to another." She sighed, setting her chin on the table.
"Well, I'm bored." She said. "And we promised not to cause trouble."
"I think we'll be alright." I said. "We can always call it an early night and have our own party in the morning." She smiled a little, but stopped. "Somethin' wrong?"
"My mom…" She said. "She, doesn't care that I'm working, but she wants me to put money toward things already. I don't want to. I… I want to have a better family. I want my mom to, not be my mom…" I put my hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry." I said. "We can all help."
"I know, but…" She started. "I feel bad, that I don't want her to be my mom anymore. I feel like, I'm bad, for thinking like that…" I moved my hand a little.
"You're not bad for wanting her to be a better person." I said. "You're not bad for wanting a mother that actually cares about you. Everyone wants a better family, a perfect family, a perfect life. All you can do is try to cope, and if you can't, you've got friends that care, and we're all willing to help if you just tell us what we can do." She smiled a little, but looked at the table. "Tell you what, I'll talk to her and set a reasonable amount of money you can put toward groceries, and only groceries, for you when you're home, good food and drinks that are good for you, alright?" She smiled a little more.
"Are you sure you're not an Angemon?" She asked after a second. We both laughed and I patted her shoulder. "Thanks, Mao."
"We're friends." I said as I leaned back. "I haven't had many, neither has Arthur up to now, but I know that friends help each other. If I know Arthur, he'll drive us over there and…"
"Mao?" She asked.
"You know, Percy said his mother's a lawyer, right?" I asked. She nodded. "So, he knows a thing or two about it, I'd wager. So why don't we ask him along and he can help with this, he's smart enough to pull it off." She smiled. "We can try for tomorrow before breakfast, come to a number, and that'll keep her off your back, you can keep your job, and if she tries to get you fired we'll call bull on her." She laughed. "Worst comes to worst, we call her an unfit mother, and, we'll find some way to keep you with us."
"Y-yeah…" She said quietly. Arthur suddenly walked over, brushing off his jacket shoulders while Percy and the girls walked up.
"Hey." Arthur said. "Any chance you've got some kind of unholy stain remover power?" We all laughed. "I'm talking to some guy, trying to get away, all of a sudden he spills a glass of wine on the jacket, and I don't know how to get a wine stain out before it sets."
"We'll get it taken care of." Sarah said. "So, what's going over here? Anything's more excitin' than what's going on everywhere else."
"Just, talking…" Riley said. "I, uh, I was thinking, my mom's asking for money, and I don't, know what would be fair, so, Mao and I were talking, and he says, he could help figure out a fair amount, to put to some food, just for me, and something fair for mom for, bills."
"You know, my father taught me a bit about that, and I do alright on my bills and taxes." Percy said. "And my mother was good at making arrangements, talked about a few things with me about it in case I ever felt like following in either of their footsteps. I could talk to her about her expenses and how you could, how to say, chip in."
"R-really?" She asked. Everyone nodded.
"You are our friend." He said. "It would be terrible for us to leave you to deal with this on your own. Too much would be extortion, too little and she could take back her permission. I can make sure that whatever you pay will be just enough that you'll build up a healthy savings account while she's able to handle the bills. I'll call in my mother to get a contract drafted so that it will be entirely legal, so that if she demands more money, you can use the contract to make her stop, or if you want to do anything else." He leaned in. "Honestly, from what I've seen, alone, I think the best option would be to rent an apartment of your own in a few weeks so you can just give her a little money once a month to keep her at bay."
"S-sounds good to me, I guess, but, am I old enough?" She asked.
"Tell you what, I will co-sign for it." He said. "That way, all you have to do is not destroy the apartment and I'll handle keeping it paid off, and you can just get the money to me so it will be even." She nodded, smiling, and I patted her back lightly.
"See, friends help each other." I said. "Even the devil knows that much." They all laughed.
…
"So, what do you think?" Percy asked. Riley's mother looked the contract over before her eyes darted up toward me.
"I'd ask if you made a deal with the devil, but since he's standing here…" She said. I laughed genuinely.
"I only played a small part, but that offer is more than fair." I said. "Even by my standards." She grunted and looked it over again.
"Sign this, and Riley moves out so you can have some more room." Percy said. "And she'll send you the amount noted once a month for bills and tax purposes, but if you need more, I'll have to step in to be sure, and yes, I've checked the laws regarding this, and this is legal." She looked a few more things over, adjusting her glasses slightly. "Apart from that, just let her keep her job and the apartment and you'll have a little easier time on your bills."
"Sounds fair…" She said. "Jim won't mind, I guess. Gives us more time to get closer." She pulled out a pen and tested it before writing her name. "There, when's the first payment?"
"Two weeks from now." Percy said as he wrote his name in the notary space. Riley then wrote her name. "We're currently checking out a reasonably priced apartment she can move into in that time." He pointed to me. "Mao has agreed to personally deliver the first payment, and each payment thereafter will come from a company that requires a signature so we can be sure it arrives for your sake and Riley's." She nodded when a feeling hit me, so I stood up slightly.
"I know that look." She said. "Somethin's comin' through." I nodded.
"Yeah…" I said. Our phones began ringing and we checked them.
"Confirmed, they came through ten minutes ago, and it's in our area." Percy said. "Correction…"
"Three areas." Scott said. "We'll have to split up."
"Ann, you and Arthur head to the first spot, here…" Percy said, texting us the location. "Riley, you are with Sarah at location two. Scott and I will hold off the third until backup arrives. Looks to be four big threats in all. Looks like Three champions, and one Ultimate… No sign of where that one went."
"Keep her safe." Riley's mother said. "And make sure Harrigan doesn't bite it."
"You can rest assured we will keep them safe." Percy said. "Once we know where the Ultimate is, we're officially working under another team this time, led by, Pete Rook. Arthur, Ann, you're meeting up with his partners, Sylvia Reynolds and Elliott Arnold." We started walking out. "Riley, Sarah, you're working with June and May Richards, twins or at least sisters, I suspect. I will be working with Pete personally."
"Mao, can you carry me there?" Arthur asked. "Sarah, take the car." He tossed her the keys.
"I'll ride on Daisy's shoulder." Ann said. As we stepped out, I unfurled my new wings, or rather I formed them from data. I grabbed Arthur under his arms as Daisy picked Ann up and the others left. I quickly took to the air and Daisy started running as Arthur pointed. "Run the red lights Daisy, this looks like it'll be a hard one!" I quickly picked up speed, but stayed close to Daisy, and Arthur gestured. "Little lower." I flew in close and he looked at Ann. "The plan is, we set down at a safe point near our new partners. Mao and I are going to go on ahead and spot them, and then he'll guide you in. I checked and found out we're going to a public park where the target, has apparently just sat down. It's a Kokatorimon, but they're sure it'll fight if confronted. We'll keep an eye on him from afar."
"What are our partners?" She asked.
"Looks like, an Apemon called Hanu, and a…" He started. I looked down slightly to see his phone.
"A Deputymon." I said. Ann and Daisy laughed.
"Unbelievable, this is going to be difficult if he's like the ones I've heard of." Arthur said. "Alright then, up, up, and away, Deputy Mao."