I knew this chapter might be a bit late with the end of the semester looming over me, but I really didn't mean for it to be this delayed. On top of just being busy with school and work, I was sick for, like, the entire month of November. First the flu, then a bad reaction to a medication… Which only left me even more behind on my school work… But I'm back now and hope to get consistent updates back up and running.

Thank you for reviewing the last chapter: MoonChildTM, Angelfish369, leah61909, Fruitloop Trooper, and Sweet Cari!

Chapter Twenty-One: Team

Kari had to admit she was a little relieved when Cody's grandfather chose not to follow them upstairs. He'd proven to be a surprise wealth of information, but she just… needed room to breathe. For some reason, her partners' (teammates?) presence did not leave her feeling like the room was closing in.

The three crowded into Cody's room, closing the door behind them. Davis was the one to break the silence, exhaling loudly. "Wow, what a crazy day. I feel like I keep waiting for all this to make sense, but every time we figure something out, things just get weirder."

Kari nodded. She knew what he meant. The world suddenly felt very small. Both worlds.

But Davis had already moved on, turning to Henry. "So what's your big plan?"

Henry nodded as well, breaking away from their little huddle. He sat himself down at Cody's desk, tapping a single key on his laptop. The screen lit up at once, showing them the last web page Cody had been looking at—the Palo Alto University's alumni page.

Kari and Davis leaned over either one of his shoulders, studying the page before them—Kari with interest, Davis confusion. "What? Don't tell me he was looking into colleges, in the middle of all this? That's a bit much, even for Cody."

Henry shook his head. "I don't think so. Palo Alto is my dad's alma mater. This is where the Monster Makers created the Digimon project."

"So Cody was doing research when he was sucked in," Kari surmised. "He must have found something directly related to the Digital World's code. I guess I shouldn't be surprised…"

But Henry had already scrolled up, opening Cody's search history. His eyes scanned the list of web pages and then widened in surprise. "These names… I recognize a few of them. I think Cody was tracking down the Monster Makers!"

Kari had to smile. How very like Cody, going back to the source when stumped. "Maybe he was hoping to get them back together and solve the problem from this side of things."

"Could they do that?" Davis asked curiously.

"They are the ones who put the world together," Henry answered thoughtfully. "And they are still some of the greatest scientific minds in the world today. So I'm sure they could hack in and take the world apart… in theory, anyway."

Davis frowned, grumbling, "Why in theory? Why does everything always have to be so complicated with you genius types?"

A smile quirked at Henry's otherwise serious expression. Even he seemed to be finally becoming endeared to Davis's blunt ways. "Sorry, you're right. Yes, I'm sure they could do it. But they probably wouldn't take that chance. They never planned for something like this—people from our world getting trapped inside. I'm not sure they could dismantle the world and get them out…"

Davis groaned, pitching back to plop down on Cody's bed. "So we're back where we started. Again."

"Maybe… Maybe not." Henry's eyes never left the screen. "I'm going to follow up on this. The Monster Makers used code names in their reports. It looks like Cody tracked down all but one… Shibumi. Of them all, he seems like he'd be the most local. I think I'll see if my dad knows anything about him. What about you two?"

Kari and Davis blinked at each other, feeling abruptly dismissed. The atmosphere of comradery had certainly chilled a bit. And without the urgency of a plan at hand, she could feel their time constraints closing in on them again.

"I guess… we should all be off then," she said slowly. But she couldn't fathom going back home after the scene she'd made earlier. Not without the promised results. Kari took a deep breath. She didn't feel like she'd gotten the answers she'd been searching for but supposed there could be no more putting it off. She glanced down at Gatomon and saw a knowing look in her partner's eyes.

"Okay," she responded, steeling herself. "I'm going to go back to the bakery, fill in Takato."

Davis looked at her and seemed to make up his mind. Then, surprising them both, "You're right. We should finally get this team together. Do either of you know where Rika lives?"

…

Yolei jumped back with a yelp at the sound of the huge lock on the castle's main door. Standing at her side, Hawkmon looked distinctly unimpressed.

In truth, her post in this fortress had not proven to be terribly demanding. ShogunGekomon had begun mobilizing his troops of Gekomon as stealthily as possible in the surrounding areas, preparing for an attack. And Yolei… was left to wait. She couldn't even say she was supervising. She was really just occupying the castle, anxiously waiting for the next threat—the dark shadow of the Digimon Emperor looming over them. Honestly, it was just now that she was even getting out from her expansive personal rooms to explore the rest of the castle.

She stiffened, standing practically at attention as the door creaked open. Hawkmon remained loyally at her side, not seeming nearly as concerned. She remembered to breathe a second later when a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.

Somehow, even after her lifestyle had gotten rougher, Mimi still looked strong and radiant. After another second, Yolei could make out an odd collection of Digimon accompanying the former princess. Tadpole-like creatures, a pink bipedal rat with an anthropomorphic blob of cheese, and what looked to be a giant teddy bear. Mimi lead them all inside, and Palmon made sure to carefully shut the door behind them.

Yolei backed up to make room for them all, sending a relieved smile Mimi's way. "You came back!"

"Of course!" her predecessor answered with a wink. "I said I would, didn't I?" She turned back to observe their guests. "Not for good, though. Hang on; I'll explain everything in a minute."

Mimi clapped her hands together loudly and raised her voice. "All right, everyone, listen up! Welcome to the Gekomon's castle. This is my friend Yolei. She's watching over this place for me while I'm gone. So if you need anything before I get back, Yolei's in charge." From where he stood along the wall, ShogunGekomon snorted, but Mimi didn't seem to notice. "Thank you all for your patience and support. For now… Just try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

The assembled Gekomon, their boss, and the castle's new occupants all dispersed, going off to explore their surroundings. Soon only the two Digidestined and their partners remained. Only now did Yolei see the touch of weariness behind Mimi's smile. "I guess I should probably fill you in now, huh?"

They made their way to the kitchen, where they were hastily supplied with tea. They sat themselves at the tiny wooden table in the corner, designated for the workers' breaks. The action was still distinctly royal when Mimi took a sip of her tea. A part of Yolei wondered if the older girl had ever seen this area of her domain before. But she didn't have time to linger.

"Palmon and I have been going back through the surrounding villages, trying to be as discreet as possible. We were going to try and find the others, but… We couldn't ignore the problems around us." Mimi grimaced. "A lot of the towns are in pretty bad shape. This territory seems to be the only one the Emperor left alone, probably so I wouldn't suspect anything… Of the ones that aren't completely abandoned, there weren't many Digimon that still had the heart left to join the resistance."

Yolei wrapped both hands around her teacup apprehensively. "Is that what we're doing? Forming a resistance?"

Mimi saw right through her bravado and smiled encouragingly. "I haven't run into any of my friends, and no one's heard anything about the other Digidestined being active anywhere. So it's not like we can count on anyone to come rescue us if we just wait around here. As Digidestined, we have a responsibility to this world and the Digimon who live here."

"And so we're turning them into an army?" Hawkmon asked, sounding a little skeptical.

Yolei thought she saw Mimi's eye twitch. "I'll admit… we're a little weakened right now… We're not really in a position to defend them single-handedly… So teaching them to defend themselves is the next best thing!" (Yolei had to admire Mimi's ability to keep her cool. She was still learning herself how best to deal with her partner's unflappable nature.) "In fact, if Matt were here, he'd probably be advocating to teach the local Digimon to fight regardless of whether we were at full strength or not. I bet he'd think it's good for them to be more self-sufficient."

"Matt…" Yolei repeated. "That's TK's brother, right?"

Mimi nodded, looking melancholy. "Yeah… Apart from Joe, he was always the most responsible. A little uppity, though. Or I guess proud is a better word. He and Tai used to butt heads over everything."

"You must miss them…" Yolei murmured. Mimi's reminiscing was making her heart ache for her own friends. Before, when they'd only been brainstorming… when all of this had still been so far away… being a part of a group had been like a safety blanket for her. Now, she would have settled for just their company. And her team had only been separated for a few days. She could only imagine how Mimi felt.

Her newest friend nodded emphatically. "The last time I saw everyone, we were still a bunch of lost kids with this huge prophecy thrust on our shoulders… We had no idea what we were doing… We argued over the dumbest things…" Mimi laughed a little. "And if I've come this far, I have to believe everyone else has gotten stronger too. When we all meet again, maybe we will stand a chance of saving this world."

She stood up decisively from her chair, her energy renewed. "I trust you to hold down the fort here. We're going to venture out further this time, so we'll be away for longer."

Yolei stood too, trying to absorb some of Mimi's confidence. "Be safe…"

"There's no better time for it," Palmon spoke up. "The Digimon Emperor seems to have disappeared."

Yolei's eyebrows rose hopefully. "Really?"

Mimi nodded. "I was surprised to hear from ShogunGekomon that he hadn't called to check in on us yet. We were gathering intelligence out there too. No one's seen the Emperor in days."

"Do you think maybe he's gone for good?"

Mimi did not seem so optimistic. "I doubt it. Why would he? There was nothing threatening his power until you showed up. Even now, I wouldn't want to face him just yet. I don't know what yet… But he's got to be working on something big."

…

"Are you sure about this, TK? It feels wrong to just leave them here…" Patamon seemed to shrink a little from where he was perched on his partner's shoulder.

"I know. We'll come back. But if we set them free now, we'll be discovered, and this whole mission will be for nothing," TK answered, doing his best to keep his eyes facing forward.

It had taken them the better part of the day to creep down into the valley where the Digimon Emperor's hideout was based. It had seemed a little suspicious that the place had been so lightly guarded, but they'd managed to sneak in unseen. TK had quickly realized that the structure that had appeared pyramid-shaped from the outside must actually be shaped like a diamond with the second point stretching deep underground. And with each level they descended, a new horror awaited. They'd currently waded through three levels of cells, each and every one housing a captured Digimon.

He suspected they'd all been down here for a long time, trapped in the gloom. In the higher levels, some had maintained their fighting spirit, thrashing against their collars and prisons. Down here, most were too dejected to even raise their eyes as they passed.

Like Patamon, every fiber in TK's being was shouting at him to set them free. But he restrained himself. He strongly believed that the Emperor must be hiding something crucial in the bottommost level of his lair. Why go to such trouble to design it this way otherwise? And if TK could take out a major source of his power, perhaps it would distract him long enough for TK to get back to Kari and convince her to help him after all. So they pushed on.

At last, the floors began to narrow noticeably, and TK could tell they were nearing the end. They were about halfway down the final staircase when the temperature very abruptly dropped ten degrees. TK and Patamon exchanged a look. There was something dark down here…

Before he could steel himself, his steps slowed. He couldn't stop the feeling of foreboding from creeping up on him. But they'd come this far.

But there was no way to prepare himself for what he saw when he turned the corner.

…

Henry wondered if it seemed suspicious for a sudden interest in his father's past to arise twice in one night. He hoped he wouldn't have to answer any tricky questions, but they didn't really have the time to be inconspicuous anymore.

The apartment was mostly dark by the time he returned home. His mother had left the light on over the stove for him, but he didn't hear any movement deeper in. Terriermon leapt off his shoulder on his way in, and Henry left him to his own devices, his mind on other things. And finally, luck seemed to be on their side. He smiled at the light shining under the crack of the door to his father's study. Sure enough, he slowly pushed the door open to find a tired-looking Janyu seated at the computer.

"Welcome home," he greeted with a smile. "Did you have a good time with your friends?"

"Yeah." He stepped into the room. "What are you working on?"

"Oh, just a report for work I figured I'd get a head start on. What's up?"

"I was thinking some more about your Digimon project. The other Monster Makers… Have you kept in touch with any of them?"

Janyu got a nostalgic twinkle in his eyes. "No, I can't say I have. Dolphin reached out a few times, but… Well, what can I say? Life just got in the way."

Henry smiled a little awkwardly. Yeah, four kids and a job on the other side of the world tended to do that… "Not even Shibumi? I always got the impression he was local."

Janyu brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Shibumi was always a little… odd. It was his idea to use code names, and he took it the hardest when the project disbanded. Everyone else… We all moved on to other things, but he kind of just disappeared… I did hear that he came back to Japan, though. We all assumed he got a regular, quiet job and settled down here."

"But you didn't always call each other by your code names, right?" Henry prodded. "You could track Shibumi down if you wanted to?"

Janyu smiled conspiratorially, like he was catching on. "Hypothetically speaking, yes. Gorou Mizuno was his real name. I don't know where your sudden interest in game design came from, but I think you'll get an interesting perspective if you find him. Shibumi was always our most creative mind. Every time we thought we'd covered everything the AI could possibly encounter, Shibumi would bring up something no one had considered… The project may have been shut down regardless, but we never could have gotten even as far as we did without him."

Henry smiled appreciatively, said his goodnights, and left his father sitting there with his wistful look. As soon as the study door was closed behind him, Henry's footsteps quickened, carrying his swiftly but softly down the hall. His younger sister's door had been left ajar. As he passed by, he saw Terriermon sneak out of the kitchen and—out of the corner of his eye—dart in to silently leave a treat on her nightstand. His smile softened as his partner slipped back out with Suzi none the wiser, slumbering on peacefully. As much as Terriermon might complain, Henry knew the little girl had firmly claimed a section of his heart.

But this stealthy act of kindness went without comment as the two slipped into Henry's room—he had too much on his mind to tease his partner tonight.

"What a crazy day," Terriermon commented, pulling himself up onto the windowsill and peering out at the streetlamps.

"It's not over yet," Henry answered absently, opening up his laptop and searching Gorou Mizuno's name. As expected, there wasn't much. His dad had said Shibumi hadn't gone on to do any further work in the field. He was just starting to lose hope—it was probably too much to ask to find his personal address just floating around as public information—when he stumbled across something unexpected.

A newspaper article reporting a traffic accident. There were no deaths, thankfully. But the most serious injury reported happened to be one Gorou Mizuno. A follow-up article months later revealed that Shibumi had remained comatose with pessimistic prospects and—most importantly—gave the name of the hospital where he was being treated.

Perhaps this shouldn't have made his heart soar. After all, what insight could Shibumi possibly give them if he was in a coma? But Henry had learned to trust his instincts. And it couldn't possibly be a coincidence that both articles had been written four years ago—shortly before the incident that had set this all in motion. No, at the very least, he had to check this out.

So he shut down his laptop and motioned to Terriermon. "Are you up for another adventure?"

Review please!

I don't own Digimon.

You may have to wait a bit longer for the TK suspense to be resolved. If all goes according to plan, the next chapter should be another of the big ones, and I try to keep those focused on just the one person—and crest—in question.