Chapter 44
Trust and a Reason to Resist
Today was the day he would finally make some progress in this world, was what Koji thought when he woke up. He had made his first contact with the Digidestine of this world a day ago, and even though they didn't seem to completely trust him, they were willing to listen to him. He actually found himself wishing that Takuya had been with him yesterday. A few words from him and people instantly trusted and liked him, even if Takuya wasn't the best at getting information out of people.
He had spent the first half of the day continuing his search of the city for an access point while he waited for the arranged time he had made to meet with the destine of this Zone. But just like his luck over the last week he had met with more failure.
"Thirty minutes until my meeting with them... I should probably get going…" Koji sighed. He had spent a good part of the night trying to think of how he was going to help them and himself get to the Digital World. They did seem to know more about the current situation of the Digital World, and they might be able to get him in contact with one of the ruling entities; or at the very least introduce him to someone who could. For all of these reasons he needed to gain their trust and keep them close. And the best way to do that was to help them out first.
Twenty minutes later Koji found himself standing outside an old brick apartment on the lower east side of the city. The red and grey stained bricks ran up about fifteen floors ending at a painted white concrete edge, which a low black metal gate jotted out of; most likely to keep people from falling off. On either side of the apartment there were other buildings pushed right up against it leaving only very narrow side alleys. On the front there was six old windows, their frames painted an off yellow color, on each of the fifteen floors. Every so often there would be a group of windows with either white curtains pulled shut or a flowerbox with the remnants of the flowers that had once grow during the warmers seasons, but were now brown and breaking in the cold fall air.
"I guess this is the place." Koji whispered to himself as he looked down at the piece of paper he held in his hand. The numbers on the paper matched the black metal ones that were hung on the wall by the main door. The girl Ayama had written down the address for him before he had parted with her group. From the looks of the place it definitely wasn't her house, thanks to his search for her he knew that she lived on the island community know as Twin Rivers. No, this place was most likely a spot the group felt they knew well enough that if Koji was tricking them they could just abandon or at least escape from. But considering it was an apartment complex it could actually be where one of them had once or currently lived.
"Here goes nothing." Koji thought to himself as he ascend the few concrete stairs out front and took hold of the polished metal handle of the old yellow doors. He pulled them back and they swung open with little resistance. Inside he found a zigzagging staircase that ran all the way up to the roof. On either side of each floor there were three yellow doors, making six apartments on each floor. Each door had several additional locks places above the knob. A sign of how unsafe the neighborhood actually was.
Looking back down at the paper Koji read the second half of the note. All she had scribbled beneath the street address was the word 'Roof' and a small arrow pointing upwards. Putting the paper back in his pocket Koji began ascending the fifteen flights of stairs to the roof. After a few minutes he reached a rusted red door and began pulling it open. The door resisted slightly but with his strength it easily gave in. Outside on the roof the sound of the traffic below was the first thing to greet him. The second was a sense of danger, but this was as he had expected. Without even turning his head to look he knew that one of the partner digimon would be taking up a position behind him to ensure he didn't do anything funny. A flash of light, most likely the reflection off of some metal weapon, from over his shoulder told him he was right.
"You know if I wanted a fight I would have done it at the school." Koji spoke to the thin air knowing that the Digidestine of this world were probably trying to decide whether or not to come out of hiding. They still must have need more convincing since they remained in hiding even after he had allowed what he assumed to be Darcmon to put a sword to his neck.
"He's right." The voice of the girl he had come to know as Ayama announced. A moment later she stepped out from behind one of the walls of the old buildings rooftop water tower. Her long black hair blew in the cold breeze as her light blue eyes fixated on Koji. She was obviously trying to size him up and felt that the only way was to talk to him. Koji's reserved actions and appearance made it hard for her to figure out what he was thinking with only her eyes.
"I don't know Ayama… This could still be a trap…" The older boy, Masato, noted nervously taking a step out into the open from his spot behind the rooftop access. On his shoulder hung his partner Terriermon, who eyed Koji as if he would transform into Lobomon at any moment.
"If it's a trap then he will pay dearly." Darcmon proclaimed with a threatening growl. She was obviously very protective of her partner and her friends. But even with her sword to Koji's neck he wasn't intimidated in the least, which worried her even more. However his confidence and calm demeanor were well earned, from a situation like this he could easily escape if he needed to.
"I think it's alright Masato… With Darcmon there he can't really do what he did last time." The second female voice noted. The older girl, Haruka, stepped out from behind the same spot as Masato. Floating just above her shoulder was her partner, Hagurumon.
"If Ayama says it's safe, then I'm with her." The final member of the group stated. The younger boy stepped out from behind the same water tower as Ayama and quickly made his way to the girl's side; followed by his partner, ToyAgumon.
"So do I pass, or are you still afraid of me?" Koji asked. He wasn't the type who could pretend to be weak or civil in a situation like this. He couldn't just laugh it off, or put up some nice front like Takuya, long enough to get what he needed. He was going to act like himself even if it slowed him down.
"I don't really know if we can trust you. You show up out of nowhere and tell us you're a Digidestine when we thought we were the only ones." Ayama said making sure to call attention to all the things she still didn't trust about him.
"That's right! It's only ever been us, but now there's you." Masato noted. This guy seemed pretty nervous. Despite his age and appearance he wasn't the leader of this group. It was definitely Ayama who called the shots here.
"Like I already told you…" Koji began to explain before Ayama cut him off.
"Yes, you claim to be from a different Earth and you traveled here through some kind of corridor between dimensions, right?" She finished for him. Even after having a night to think about it she apparently hadn't reach a decision as to whether she believed his story about the Multi-verse or not.
"Yes." Koji simple answered putting no emotion into his voice.
"So where's the proof?" Masato stepped forward and asked. Apparently now that Ayame had come forward to question Koji the guy was acting braver. Maybe he felt that Koji was less threatening now, or maybe he didn't see any way Koji could fight back with Darcmon's sword held to his neck.
"And what exactly would you accept as proof?" Koji asked implying with his tone that the guy hadn't really thought out his request. Koji had been a Runner for a while now and he still hadn't ever come across anything he could imagine to be proof of that kind of claim. Well, except for actually taking someone out of their own Zone, but he couldn't do that right now.
"I don't know! But something…" Masato said before taking a step back. It would seem that he felt his mistake had made him vulnerable to Koji once more. Koji on the other hand just sighed, realizing that if this was how they were going to conduct themselves then he wasn't going to make any progress.
"I think you should take the fact that I was able to track you down and didn't harm you at the school when I easily could have done so, should be enough to prove I'm not the enemy." Koji explained as if stating an obvious fact.
"That's true… But you could also need something… something from us. And the only way you can get it is with our help." Ayama noted with an uneasy, but sly tone. Koji could tell she was fishing for some answers, but he wasn't about to give them away so easily. But he also realized that this girl was sharp and would figure him out if he tried to hide too much.
"That could always be true. But considering how secretive your being about your meetings I can tell you're hiding from someone or something." Koji took a chance and guessed the reason for all their cloak and dagger activities. Instantly he got his answer when Ayama's eye's became more focused on him and Darcmons sword got a little closer to the back of his neck. He had been right. They were going against something in this world, but what? Then it hit him. "The ODC." He coldly added.
Again his answer came quickly when all four of them took a step back at the mention of those three letters and the cold sword got closer yet again. Even though he was getting in the important hits he was still missing some answer they held, and he knew that if he pushed too hard things would quickly breakdown. For now he would just let that be his leverage over them and let them lead the talk from there.
"So you're with the ODC!" The older girl, Haruka, stuttered. He could hear it in her voice, the fear those words carried. If he wanted to move forward he would have to quickly dispel any idea that he was an ODC member, whatever it was.
"No." Koji coolly answered. "If I was one of these ODC members, whatever they are, wouldn't I have already turned you all in?" He questioned before becoming quiet once more. Now was when he would figure out how the rest of this relationship would go. They would either believe him and want the knowledge he had, knowledge which he had seeded with his talk about the Multi-verse. Or they would turn him away and things in the city would get a lot more difficult.
"You have a point." Ayama begrudgingly agreed. She didn't want to admit it but he was correct. She couldn't think of anything he could get from them he couldn't get if he turned them in to the ODC. "Darcmon, put away your sword." She added with a sigh.
"Ayama…!" The group asked. They hadn't actually expected their leader to believe him. How could they? It all seemed like such a big risk. But they still obeyed and Darcmon removed the sword from Koji's neck and slid it back into its sheath with a metallic click.
"So you're going to trust me then?" Koji asked unsure of how much she actually believed him.
"I don't really know what to think of all that stuff about you being from another… what did you call it...? Zone? But…" Ayama began to explain before taking a seat on an old rusted chair that had been left out on the roof.
"But what?" Koji inquired urging the girl to continue. He really needed to know why she was going to trust him if he was going to improve on that trust.
"But I can tell you were telling the truth about not knowing what the ODC is. So for now that will have to be enough, especially since I had no idea what we were going to do if we had to turn down your offer to work together. It's not like we could kill you, and you know what we look like and who we are. The moment you confronted us in the computer lab it was over for us." Ayama explained making everything very clear for the rest of the group. Now that they all knew her reasoning they too had to agree with her. For better or worse they were in this with Koji until the end.
"That's pretty sound reasoning." Koji smiled. This girl was just as smart as he thought she was. Which meant things would be easier from here on out. "And you're right about me needing your help." He added deciding to drop the cool front. If he could find a link between their goal and his, he could make this extremely beneficial for both sides. But to do that he would have to know what was happening in this Zone and they would have to know his reasons as well.
"So what do you need from us?" Ayama inquired sensing that he was going to more forward from this point on.
"First, tell me what your problems are. Start with the ODC." Koji instructed taking a seat on the ledge a short distance from Ayama. The other closed in around them, wanting to be part of the conversation as well, but still kept their distance from Koji.
"The Office of Detection and Containment." Ayama simply stated with a tone of voice that made the words sound like venom, as if even thinking of them made her sick. Judging by the others faces it was a reaction they all seemed to share.
"What do they do? And why are you going against them?" Koji questioned again.
"They are a special section of the government that works with things having to do with the Digital World… and Digimon." She explained. The moment Koji heard the combination of the words government and digimon a bad feeling washed over him, as if whatever he heard next he wasn't going to like.
Before answering the second half of his question she took a deep breath and exhaled it, calming herself. "As soon as they became aware of its existence, they began treating the Digital World like a threat, and started taking measures to protect themselves in case of an attack. Eventually preparing wasn't enough and they attempted to gain control of the Digital World itself, an attempt which resulted in the sealing off of the Digital World from our own." Something about the way she said the last sentence made Koji feel compassion for the girl. As if she was connected to the happening in some sad way. "After that they would capture any digimon that appeared in the real world, rouge or partner, and take them away to one of their facilities where they aren't heard from again. So we do our best to interrupt their plans and fix the connection to the Digital World, but to do that…"
"To do that you need to find a way back to the Digital World, right?" Koji finished for her. She looked up in response and gave him a depressed nod of agreement. "Then that works out perfectly with what I need." He added with a sly but kind smile.
"I don't understand?" Ayama said as she stared at the older boy. He had been a very mysterious person from the start, especially after his claims about the existence of a Multi-verse.
"You will." Koji stated before he folded his arms and looked over the group to make sure they were paying attention. "My story starts with a job to deliver a certain piece of hardware called the Sealed Digivice…" With that Koji told them everything that had transpired to land him there before them. He told them about being a Runner, about the Sealed Digivice and the evil of Millenniummon locked within, the ambush that had stranded him in their Zone, and how he had found them.
"…Wow…" The group released a collective breath as they tried to come to terms with everything that had just heard.
"That's a lot to take in… I just need a…" Haruka sighed falling back against the wall and slid down it slightly. The rest of the group wasn't in any better spirits.
"Do you really expect us to…?" Masato began to ask before Ayama interrupted him with her opinion.
"That's just too much to be made up." Ayama commented while looking Koji up and down for any hint of a lie. Right now, she really wanted it to be a lie because it made their current problem seem so insignificant in comparison. But he gave no hint of distrust; if anything he seemed far more trustworthy then when he had first arrived.
"Is it here? The Sealed Digivice?" The youngest boy, Akito, asked, finally voicing himself for the first time today. He had spent the entire time until now just staring at Koji with a mixture of fear and respect, unable to form an opinion of him. Maybe the fact that he was speaking to Koji meant that the kid had come to trust him in some way.
"No. It's with my fellow Runner, Takuya. Or at least I hope he still has it…" Koji reassured the boy.
"What do you need from us?" Ayama inquired after a moment to think.
"To get back to the Dimensional Corridor I need the help of either a special device, or the help of the overseers of a Digital World." Koji explained.
"And you can't find either of those unless you can get to the Digital World too." Ayama finished for him this time.
"Which means that teaming up will benefit us both." Koji quickly added.
"How so? I don't see what you can contribute to this?" Masato retorted after finally steadying his nerves.
"I have the greatest amount of knowledge, experience, and ability out of all of you. Which are only made desirable by the fact that I'm used to the kind of operation you'll need to run to get what you're after. And if you factor in the fact that all your resource seem to be in the Digital World, where you can't get them, and mine are on me, I've got more resources as well." Koji listed off his points to the group. They hated to admit it but what he was saying was making a lot of sense.
"That's all true, but the most important thing is the Sealed Digivice you told us about. If we're going to work together then we'll have to believe your story, which means it exist and it's the biggest threat out there. So the only way to make sure our world stays safe is to help you locate your friend and finish the job. It's the only logical thing to do." Ayama concluded as she looked over her fellow chosen children, searching for their signs of agreement. Each one of them slowly but surely gave her their approval before she continued.
Her mind made up Ayama lifted herself up out of the old rusted chair and walked the short distance across the roof until she was standing before Koji. She stared up into his eyes, taking a final few seconds to think before extending her hand out to him. With a small smile he took her hand in his and shook it. Their partnership was set there on that rooftop. Were it would lead them in the future was still a mystery.
"Okay, all of this new teamwork sounds great, but what are we going to do from here on out? Do you have an idea?" Haruka inquired bring the moment to an end.
"I do." Koji nodded in her direction.
"Already?" Ayama asked, surprised that he already had a plan. Unless he had already known that they would accept him and came up with the plan before coming to the meeting, a reason that would really annoy her if it was true.
"Yes." He rejoined.
"What is it?" Ayama asked again.
"With my D-tectors functions I can locate digital signals. Such as portals and digimon." Koji noted with a sly grin.
"…And we can open portals with our digivices!" Ayama added, becoming more excited as she began to realize where Koji was going with this.
"But I thought you said the only signal you found was too weak to do anything with?" Masato inquired moving Koji's train of thought along.
"True, but there is one place where we're likely to find one powerful enough for us to use." Koji again noted.
"Where!" Akito, Masato, and Haruka asked.
"ODC Headquarters." Ayama answered for him.
"But we have no idea where it is!" Masato announced.
"And even if we did, how would we locate a usable…?" Haruka began to state before it all suddenlu made sense to the group.
"I can locate a usable portal and the ODC base with my D-tector. We just need a way to either increase the ground we can cover, or narrow down the locations it could be." Koji explained.
"So it's time to take the fight to the ODC!" Ayama stated with a vengeful grin. "I like it…"
Koji takes one step closer to his goal along with his new allies, the Digidestine of the Zone. One can only hope that the salvation of this world and all the others is somewhere in the future.
To be continued…
