It's been a hectic week for me, so that's why I'm a bit slow in coming.

Chapter 36: Interlude

''Whoa, what happened to you guys?'' Butch asked, looking more surprised than concerned. ''You look like shit.''

''Do I really look that bad?'' Karla asked, admiring her bandaged arm.

''Well, yeah.'' Vick replied from his seat on the sofa of Slate's room, typing on his laptop. ''You guys leave, and come back all beaten up and bruised. Of course we're gonna be surprised.''

The five rebels had gathered in Slate's hotel room following Terry and Karla's return to the city. Slate had called this meeting together almost immediately afterwards. From what Terry had already told him, he wasn't going to take any chances.

''You've checked for bugs?'' he asked Butch, who had opted not to sit with the others, but rather lean against a wall.

''Yeah, place is as clean as a whistle, like a hotel room should be.'' Butch reported. ''There's no one listening in.''

''Good.'' Slate rubbed his hands together as his face assumed its usual serious expression and turning to Terry and Karla. ''Don't leave anything out. I need to tell Wayne something, so I need all of the details.''

So Terry and Karla told their whole tale, from first meeting Dotarou and Levi, the disastrous tour of the mine, confronting Shockman, and finally, the disagreement between Solinar and Lunare, with their navis managing to smooth out any inconsistencies whenever they arose. When they had finished, Slate closed his eyes, thinking.

''Well, we should first tell Wayne that T-Corp appears to be unaware of the coup, before he has cardiac arrest.'' Karla put out. ''Because if we don't...''

''Still, the fact that Lloyd has actually followed us out here... That kid's really a pain.'' Butch grumbled.

''Him traveling to a neutral country is what worries me.'' Slate sighed. ''This really has turned into a vendetta...''

''Okay, so what about Kassandra then?'' Vick asked from his laptop. ''What's she got to do with anything?''

''I think that we should consider her a wildcard.'' Dash said. ''Kassandra is most certainly still in Japan. Lunare seems to be content with just observing how everything plays out, for now. Though I think that we can say with confidence that Kassandra was the one who sent us that device in End City. I wonder why though...''

''Who knows. She really doesn't seem like a hothead. Unlike Lloyd, it's harder to tell what she's thinking.''

''Well, if Lloyd is in the city,'' Butch spoke up. ''I think that we should lie low for a while to avoid drawing attention to ourselves.''

''Well, I'll go inform Wayne about all of this, and then maybe we'll all go out one last time before confining ourselves to the hotel.'' Slate said, scratching his chin. ''During that time, I'll try to crack the secret of Kassandra's device.''

''Aw man, I don't wanna be stuck in here…'' Terry let out a long sigh.

''But it's necessary.'' Dash remarked.

''Easy for you to say. At least you can still go on the Net.''

Slate stood up and checked his watch. ''Well, I have to go and find Wayne. I'll be back as soon as I can, provided he'll let me.''

Slate returned to the room about a half an hour later, looking even more grim than he usually did.

''So how did it go boss?'' Vick asked, closing his laptop. ''How'd the man take it?''

''Well, to be succinct, the reaction was basically 'It's your problem, deal with it yourselves.''' Slate said. ''I did recommend that the coup planning be kept under wraps, however.''

''And how are we going to deal with him, other than dying?'' Vick was visibly agitated.

''And we can't just go after him.'' Karla added. ''That would most likely end in disaster.''

''Ah well, let's just go out like Slate suggested, and worry about Lloyd later.'' Butch said. ''I'm not going to let all of this get to me.''

''Yes, fresh air would do me good.''

So the group assembled in the hotel's lobby, encountering two familiar faces: Damien and River.

''Oh, hi!'' Terry said cheerfully when he realized who the two people were. ''We haven't seen you guys in a while.''

''No, we haven't.'' Damien said, looking at Terry with a look of dissatisfaction. ''It's been kind of boring. I was thinking of challenging you to a netbattle, but they wouldn't let me in.''

''And I was just meeting with a friend who interns here in the building over.'' River explained. ''I finally have some free time.''

''What happened to you two?'' Damien asked as he drew closer to Terry and Karla. ''You're both tanner than before, and you have a giant bandage around your forehead…''

''I tripped.'' Karla replied nonchalantly. ''My head landed on a rock.''

''Uh, okay, sure…''

''Heh heh, it was really 'work', wasn't it?'' River said with a hint of mischief, sidling up to Karla. ''Wasn't it?''

''Nah. A netbattle doesn't result in physical harm.''

''If your opponent is using the Cyber World to wreck real-world stuff it can.'' Damien noted, dryly.

''Well, nonetheless, we've been quite busy.'' Slate cut in before things could get more awkward. ''We're just going to go out tonight, and relax for at least one evening.''

''Cool, maybe I'll hang out with you guys then.'' Damien said, falling in line with the others as they began to walk towards the lobby doors. Terry muttered something that sounded like freeloader.

''I don't mind.'' Slate said. ''The more the merrier, as the saying goes.''

''Hey, why don't you join us, River?'' Butch called back to the blue-haired girl. ''As Slate said, the more the merrier.''

''Uh, thank you very much!'' River sprinted to catch up with the others. ''But I won't be able to stay for all night.''

''Well, here's to our last day of freedom.'' Terry said as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

''Geez.'' Damien muttered. ''What is up with you people? Why do you guys not instill me with any confidence at all?''

Author's Notes: One word for this chapter: HATE. But luckily I'm getting to some stuff that I'm really excited about finally getting out there.