~*~ Project Moment ~*~
A Digimon Fanfiction by Bandit
**Chapter 4- Blind Hope**
Sora was beginning to feel overwhelmed. She hadn't really thought about the size of the building she was in, but after going through multiple elevators, the majority of which didn't elevate anything, but seemed to move horizontally, and a series of glide-walks and escalators, she was getting a pretty good idea of the size of the complex, or at least of how small it was *not*. And it was not small in the least. In fact, it was huge.
"How do you keep track of it all?" she exclaimed to Joe as they entered a sort of foyer, floored in glassy black stone that she could see her reflection in.
"It took me a while," he admitted. "Of course, it helps that they put maps at intervals along the walls." Nodding at the wall, he pointed out just such a map, made of some kind of metal and hanging nearby. He led her toward a wall made of a transparent material that didn't quite look like glass; it was too clear, and it didn't reflect like the stone did. As they reached it, a door slid aside in it, and they passed through into warm sunlight. Touching the clear material as they passed it, Sora realized that it felt like the window in her tank.
Then she was distracted, her attention caught by the area they'd entered. It reminded her of nothing so much as a picture she'd seen of a military complex, with lots of low tan structures, and a few larger ones in the same metal-and-glass scheme that she could now see that the bigger building they'd come out of was built in.
The building they'd left was enormous; in fact, it seemed to be a sort of battlement. It extended in a multiple-sided wall around the entire little series of buildings they were strolling through, and almost the entire inside of it was covered in large 'glass' windows. She had been right; it didn't reflect light, and therefore she could see clearly into the rooms on the lower floors. It was several stories high, and she had no idea how thick a 'wall' it formed around the large 'courtyard' within.
The courtyard itself was a surprise. While on first impression it had looked military, she saw now that children ran and played around several of the buildings, and that a woman was tending flowers in a window box nearby. There was even a cat sunning itself in a window, and a pair of dogs jumped after toys thrown by a girl who looked to be in her early teens. While they mostly wore the by-now-familiar blue-gray jumpsuits, this was no military establishment; at least, not one like she'd always assumed them to be.
*'When you assume, you make an ass of u and me',* she quoted Missy mentally, smiling in spite of herself. *So it's not military as I know it. Then what is it? Listen for the answers and they'll come,* she reminded herself. It seemed that the inhabitants of this 'Project Headquarters' were not averse to talking animatedly about their lives, if Missy was any example. She'd figure this out, somehow.
Joe was walking purposefully toward a cluster of small, one- and two-story buildings nearby, and she followed, taking in the sights as she went. Suddenly, a red plastic missile shot over her head, and she ducked. It landed a few feet behind her.
The next thing she knew, both of the dogs she'd seen earlier were galumphing past. One was a German shepherd, and the other was some sort of enormous mutt that looked like it had golden retriever ancestry. Neither of them were any relation to Tinker Bell, and having them stampeding around her was not the most pleasant of experiences. In fact, it was a bit like being caught in a minor seismic disturbance.
"DC! Jones!" a young female voice yelled in exasperation, and suddenly the dogs were being held away from her by the collars by the girl that Sora had seen throwing toys for them to fetch. The girl gave her a winning-if sheepish-smile. "Sorry about that. They're like a couple of young elephants, and they do love their Frisbee." Sora blinked; the girl spoke English, and with a faint British accent. "My name's Pam," she said, nodding her head in greeting so that her twin blond pigtails bounced. "These two dangerous beasts-" she patted the head of the yellow dog fondly, and it was clear she was joking, "are Jones and DC. DC just had pups," she added proudly, as DC panted and happily slobbered on her hands. "They're getting weaned now...they're the cutest little things ever! Oh, and my mum's on Medical Team, and my dad's on Textiles. You're new here, aren't you?" she said, as if suddenly remembering that her dogs were not everyone's favorite subject.
Sora nodded, choosing not to introduce herself. She remembered too well Missy's overboard reaction to her name. Still, she needed some excuse to be here...what was the term Missy had used?
"I'm a pick-up," she said, hoping she'd used it in the right way. Apparently she had, for Pam's face lit up with polite interest.
"Really? You'll have to tell me about where you hail from, then," she said jovially. "You sound like a Japanese. Am I right?" Sora nodded again. "Well, that's all right then," she said with a satisfied air. "You'll have to drop by sometime and have Mum show you around. I've been here three years now, since I was ten, and I still don't know my way around the place. Oy, Andrew!" she called over her shoulder. One of the boys running about looked up.
"What now?" he yelled back. He looked about nine years old.
"She's a pick-up!" Pam shouted, jerking a thumb in the direction of Sora. "That's my little brother," she added for Sora's benefit, grinning. "He's a real nitwit."
"Hey, welcome aboard!" one of the older boys in the group yelled. Sora grinned and waved. There was a very community feeling to this place, however daunting the technology and the as-yet-faceless 'Command' might be. Before she could talk more, Joe beckoned over his shoulder to her; he'd been having a conversation with someone at the door of one of the buildings.
"Hey, Sora, talk later! Your breakfast's getting cold!"
The name 'Sora' set off a sudden buzz of excitement among the children, and Pam turned to look at her with wide brown eyes. Sora cringed and ducked into the house, turning as soon as she'd closed the door to confront Joe.
"Joe! Why is it that every time anybody here hears my name, they go nuts-" her voice stopped mid-gripe as she spotted the person standing by the door, with an amused look on her face.
"It's nice to see you, too," Kari said, smiling at Sora's shocked expression.
"Kari? Oh my Lord, Kari!" Sora ran forward and wrapped the younger woman in a tight hug, grinning fiercely into her hair. "I can't believe it's really you!" Stepping back and holding her friend at arms' length, she let out a hoot. "You're older! Good grief, you're a real grown-up now, aren't you? The last time I saw you, you were, what? Nineteen? Oh, you look great! How are you?"
"I'm fine," Kari said solemnly, her eyes sparkling. "How are you?" The sparkle condensed into tears, and she reached up to wipe them away on her sleeve. "Oh, you have no idea how good it is to *see* you!" she exclaimed suddenly, and threw herself back into her surrogate big sister's arms.
Joe stood awkwardly a few feet away, sweatdropping and trying to suppress comments about how emotional girls could be. He had decided a long time ago that it was better to stay out of the way when they got like this.
Once they'd finished their greetings, the girls began to talk animatedly, heading into the kitchen. The inside of the plain building was furnished like any of a dozen apartments Sora had been in, but the occasional knickknack here or there-Kari's beloved digital camera; a photo of a much younger Tai and Kari, hanging on the fridge; a framed painting on the wall-added a touch of familiarity that made Sora blink away a few tears of her own before her attention was caught by a delicious smell.
A plate of pancakes and eggs was set out on the table. Sora started toward them, but as she was about to reach them, a voice rang out from the next room.
"Sora? Is that you? Get in here and say hello already!"
"TK?" Sora said, with a disbelieving expression, and hurried through the door without waiting for a reaction from Kari or Joe. The room turned out to be a small living room, and the next in a continually lengthening string of familiar faces was seated on the sofa, facing her.
TK stood up as she came in, taking a few steps forward. "Sora?" A huge grin was spread across his face, but he didn't come any closer. He seemed to be waiting for something.
The something came through the door behind Sora a moment later. Kari and Joe moved to flank her, both looking...worried, somehow. Nervous.
"She's over by the door, TK," Kari said gently. Joe sighed.
"I wish you'd waited for us to tell you first," he said in a defeated tone. Sora blinked.
*Tell me...what?* Suddenly, Joe's words, Kari's directions, and TK's confusion as to where she was, all came together in her mind with a shock like being doused with a bucket of cold water.
"TK. You're..." she stammered.
"Charming? Delightful? A sight for sore eyes?" he teased, coming over with careful but confident steps now that he'd had his signal from Kari. At this distance, Sora could see that his once clear blue eyes were clouded.
"Blind..." Sora said softly.
"Oh, that," he said, his smile fading. "I'm always forgetting that one."
He was within arms' reach now, but Sora was suddenly shy and unsure of what to do. *How do you greet someone in a situation like...this?* Before she could decide, fortunately, TK reached out and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I can't say it's good to see you again," he quipped, his smile ironic now, but back in place, "but it's great to have you here." She returned the hug, her vision blurring slightly with tears.
"How... When..."
"We'd better sit down," TK said, and led her over to the couch. She blinked; he literally knew his way around the place blindfolded. Sitting down next to her, as Kari and Joe joined them on either side, he took her hands as if *she* were the one in need of comfort. *Which is, frankly, not far off, now that I think about it... He seems just fine.*
"I had an...accident, on a mission with Tai and two other people," TK said, his voice somber. "We were attacked by a group of the enemy, and while we were battling them, they managed to blow up our vehicle. I was caught in the blast, along with one of the others. She has permanent scarring; she was closer than me. I was caught in the head by a piece of shrapnel, and it did a number on my optical nerves, according to Mr. MD here," and he gestured to Joe. "Tai got the two of us back to base okay, and we both pulled through, but it was touch and go with Yuki for a while." He sighed. "That was about a year and a half ago, and I've had plenty of time to learn new ways of getting around. Kari's been a real angel, right from the start."
Kari blushed. "I try," she said modestly. Joe grinned.
"Yeah, she took it really well, too."
She shot a Look at him. "Don't be sarcastic, Joe. It doesn't become you." She turned to Sora with a slightly amused look. "I nearly had a litter of kittens," she said frankly. "I screamed at Tai until my lungs gave. Mostly stuff like 'how could you let this happen, his life will be ruined', you get the idea. I spent hours either with TK at the hospital wing or locked in my room. I was worse than him, and he's the one it happened to." She grinned at the memory. "Once I was hoarse and miserable enough to listen to a few ideas from Joe and the rest of Medical Team, I decided I might as well try and help out."
"Yeah, so she moved in with him to play nurse twenty-four seven," Joe said helpfully. Both younger adults turned to glare at him, and he raised his hands defensively. "Well, you did," he protested.
"You're not helping your situation any, Dr. Kido," Sora said dryly. Joe went red and shut up, but TK laughed.
"Actually, he's pretty close to the mark. You wouldn't believe what a blessing it was to have her here to take care of me those first few months. Davis was furious, of course." The smug expression on his face told Sora very quickly that he had no problems with that state of affairs. "You know, I could probably take care of myself almost completely by now, thanks to Kari's ideas on how to do stuff using my other senses."
"But we've gotten pretty comfortable with each other, so we figure, why bother moving out again when I've just really gotten settled in?" Kari said with a little smile. Sora pretended to look shocked.
"Kari! You're the last person I'd expect to see living in sin..." This time it was TK and Kari's turn to blush.
"We don't...I mean...we…" TK stammered. Sora laughed.
"I was teasing, you guys. I should have known you couldn't take a joke."
"I thought it was funny," Joe hastened to add, earning another pair of Looks.
There was an awkward pause, but TK was quick to forgive, as usual, and in a hurry to get on with finishing his story. "So we do all right together. I'm not totally useless, anyway. I help out at Textiles workshop sorting types, which I can do really well by feel, and I'm visiting nurse at Joe's wing."
"That means he goes and horses around with the kids-gently-and reads to the invalids," Kari said, smiling. Sora blinked.
"Reads? But..."
"It's called Braille, and you'd be surprised how quickly I picked it up with all that free time on my hands," TK said, with a satisfied tone to his voice. Sora gave him a disbelieving look.
"TK, if anyone deserves the Crest of Hope, it's you."
"Thanks," he said with a grin, giving her another hug. "Right now, I'm hoping that you'll leave me a few of those pancakes. They smell great."
"Help yourself," Sora said. "There's enough for four people at least."
"As it should be," Joe said, standing up. "I haven't had breakfast yet, either."
All four young adults headed for the kitchen to dig in, and to TK's credit, he made it into the kitchen with more ease than Sora, and put away his share and part of everybody else's to boot. Between him and Sora, who literally hadn't eaten in days, it turned out that Kari had to make up another batch for there to be enough for herself and Joe, after all...
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Arigatou gozaimasu to everyone who is reviewing me of late! This fic is my baby (hey, aren't they all? M_~* But this one is more so than most) and I'm happy as a cat by a heat source to see it getting so much attention. I hope you all will continue to enjoy it! The next chapter should be coming up sometime in the next few days. -Bandit O_o
A Digimon Fanfiction by Bandit
**Chapter 4- Blind Hope**
Sora was beginning to feel overwhelmed. She hadn't really thought about the size of the building she was in, but after going through multiple elevators, the majority of which didn't elevate anything, but seemed to move horizontally, and a series of glide-walks and escalators, she was getting a pretty good idea of the size of the complex, or at least of how small it was *not*. And it was not small in the least. In fact, it was huge.
"How do you keep track of it all?" she exclaimed to Joe as they entered a sort of foyer, floored in glassy black stone that she could see her reflection in.
"It took me a while," he admitted. "Of course, it helps that they put maps at intervals along the walls." Nodding at the wall, he pointed out just such a map, made of some kind of metal and hanging nearby. He led her toward a wall made of a transparent material that didn't quite look like glass; it was too clear, and it didn't reflect like the stone did. As they reached it, a door slid aside in it, and they passed through into warm sunlight. Touching the clear material as they passed it, Sora realized that it felt like the window in her tank.
Then she was distracted, her attention caught by the area they'd entered. It reminded her of nothing so much as a picture she'd seen of a military complex, with lots of low tan structures, and a few larger ones in the same metal-and-glass scheme that she could now see that the bigger building they'd come out of was built in.
The building they'd left was enormous; in fact, it seemed to be a sort of battlement. It extended in a multiple-sided wall around the entire little series of buildings they were strolling through, and almost the entire inside of it was covered in large 'glass' windows. She had been right; it didn't reflect light, and therefore she could see clearly into the rooms on the lower floors. It was several stories high, and she had no idea how thick a 'wall' it formed around the large 'courtyard' within.
The courtyard itself was a surprise. While on first impression it had looked military, she saw now that children ran and played around several of the buildings, and that a woman was tending flowers in a window box nearby. There was even a cat sunning itself in a window, and a pair of dogs jumped after toys thrown by a girl who looked to be in her early teens. While they mostly wore the by-now-familiar blue-gray jumpsuits, this was no military establishment; at least, not one like she'd always assumed them to be.
*'When you assume, you make an ass of u and me',* she quoted Missy mentally, smiling in spite of herself. *So it's not military as I know it. Then what is it? Listen for the answers and they'll come,* she reminded herself. It seemed that the inhabitants of this 'Project Headquarters' were not averse to talking animatedly about their lives, if Missy was any example. She'd figure this out, somehow.
Joe was walking purposefully toward a cluster of small, one- and two-story buildings nearby, and she followed, taking in the sights as she went. Suddenly, a red plastic missile shot over her head, and she ducked. It landed a few feet behind her.
The next thing she knew, both of the dogs she'd seen earlier were galumphing past. One was a German shepherd, and the other was some sort of enormous mutt that looked like it had golden retriever ancestry. Neither of them were any relation to Tinker Bell, and having them stampeding around her was not the most pleasant of experiences. In fact, it was a bit like being caught in a minor seismic disturbance.
"DC! Jones!" a young female voice yelled in exasperation, and suddenly the dogs were being held away from her by the collars by the girl that Sora had seen throwing toys for them to fetch. The girl gave her a winning-if sheepish-smile. "Sorry about that. They're like a couple of young elephants, and they do love their Frisbee." Sora blinked; the girl spoke English, and with a faint British accent. "My name's Pam," she said, nodding her head in greeting so that her twin blond pigtails bounced. "These two dangerous beasts-" she patted the head of the yellow dog fondly, and it was clear she was joking, "are Jones and DC. DC just had pups," she added proudly, as DC panted and happily slobbered on her hands. "They're getting weaned now...they're the cutest little things ever! Oh, and my mum's on Medical Team, and my dad's on Textiles. You're new here, aren't you?" she said, as if suddenly remembering that her dogs were not everyone's favorite subject.
Sora nodded, choosing not to introduce herself. She remembered too well Missy's overboard reaction to her name. Still, she needed some excuse to be here...what was the term Missy had used?
"I'm a pick-up," she said, hoping she'd used it in the right way. Apparently she had, for Pam's face lit up with polite interest.
"Really? You'll have to tell me about where you hail from, then," she said jovially. "You sound like a Japanese. Am I right?" Sora nodded again. "Well, that's all right then," she said with a satisfied air. "You'll have to drop by sometime and have Mum show you around. I've been here three years now, since I was ten, and I still don't know my way around the place. Oy, Andrew!" she called over her shoulder. One of the boys running about looked up.
"What now?" he yelled back. He looked about nine years old.
"She's a pick-up!" Pam shouted, jerking a thumb in the direction of Sora. "That's my little brother," she added for Sora's benefit, grinning. "He's a real nitwit."
"Hey, welcome aboard!" one of the older boys in the group yelled. Sora grinned and waved. There was a very community feeling to this place, however daunting the technology and the as-yet-faceless 'Command' might be. Before she could talk more, Joe beckoned over his shoulder to her; he'd been having a conversation with someone at the door of one of the buildings.
"Hey, Sora, talk later! Your breakfast's getting cold!"
The name 'Sora' set off a sudden buzz of excitement among the children, and Pam turned to look at her with wide brown eyes. Sora cringed and ducked into the house, turning as soon as she'd closed the door to confront Joe.
"Joe! Why is it that every time anybody here hears my name, they go nuts-" her voice stopped mid-gripe as she spotted the person standing by the door, with an amused look on her face.
"It's nice to see you, too," Kari said, smiling at Sora's shocked expression.
"Kari? Oh my Lord, Kari!" Sora ran forward and wrapped the younger woman in a tight hug, grinning fiercely into her hair. "I can't believe it's really you!" Stepping back and holding her friend at arms' length, she let out a hoot. "You're older! Good grief, you're a real grown-up now, aren't you? The last time I saw you, you were, what? Nineteen? Oh, you look great! How are you?"
"I'm fine," Kari said solemnly, her eyes sparkling. "How are you?" The sparkle condensed into tears, and she reached up to wipe them away on her sleeve. "Oh, you have no idea how good it is to *see* you!" she exclaimed suddenly, and threw herself back into her surrogate big sister's arms.
Joe stood awkwardly a few feet away, sweatdropping and trying to suppress comments about how emotional girls could be. He had decided a long time ago that it was better to stay out of the way when they got like this.
Once they'd finished their greetings, the girls began to talk animatedly, heading into the kitchen. The inside of the plain building was furnished like any of a dozen apartments Sora had been in, but the occasional knickknack here or there-Kari's beloved digital camera; a photo of a much younger Tai and Kari, hanging on the fridge; a framed painting on the wall-added a touch of familiarity that made Sora blink away a few tears of her own before her attention was caught by a delicious smell.
A plate of pancakes and eggs was set out on the table. Sora started toward them, but as she was about to reach them, a voice rang out from the next room.
"Sora? Is that you? Get in here and say hello already!"
"TK?" Sora said, with a disbelieving expression, and hurried through the door without waiting for a reaction from Kari or Joe. The room turned out to be a small living room, and the next in a continually lengthening string of familiar faces was seated on the sofa, facing her.
TK stood up as she came in, taking a few steps forward. "Sora?" A huge grin was spread across his face, but he didn't come any closer. He seemed to be waiting for something.
The something came through the door behind Sora a moment later. Kari and Joe moved to flank her, both looking...worried, somehow. Nervous.
"She's over by the door, TK," Kari said gently. Joe sighed.
"I wish you'd waited for us to tell you first," he said in a defeated tone. Sora blinked.
*Tell me...what?* Suddenly, Joe's words, Kari's directions, and TK's confusion as to where she was, all came together in her mind with a shock like being doused with a bucket of cold water.
"TK. You're..." she stammered.
"Charming? Delightful? A sight for sore eyes?" he teased, coming over with careful but confident steps now that he'd had his signal from Kari. At this distance, Sora could see that his once clear blue eyes were clouded.
"Blind..." Sora said softly.
"Oh, that," he said, his smile fading. "I'm always forgetting that one."
He was within arms' reach now, but Sora was suddenly shy and unsure of what to do. *How do you greet someone in a situation like...this?* Before she could decide, fortunately, TK reached out and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I can't say it's good to see you again," he quipped, his smile ironic now, but back in place, "but it's great to have you here." She returned the hug, her vision blurring slightly with tears.
"How... When..."
"We'd better sit down," TK said, and led her over to the couch. She blinked; he literally knew his way around the place blindfolded. Sitting down next to her, as Kari and Joe joined them on either side, he took her hands as if *she* were the one in need of comfort. *Which is, frankly, not far off, now that I think about it... He seems just fine.*
"I had an...accident, on a mission with Tai and two other people," TK said, his voice somber. "We were attacked by a group of the enemy, and while we were battling them, they managed to blow up our vehicle. I was caught in the blast, along with one of the others. She has permanent scarring; she was closer than me. I was caught in the head by a piece of shrapnel, and it did a number on my optical nerves, according to Mr. MD here," and he gestured to Joe. "Tai got the two of us back to base okay, and we both pulled through, but it was touch and go with Yuki for a while." He sighed. "That was about a year and a half ago, and I've had plenty of time to learn new ways of getting around. Kari's been a real angel, right from the start."
Kari blushed. "I try," she said modestly. Joe grinned.
"Yeah, she took it really well, too."
She shot a Look at him. "Don't be sarcastic, Joe. It doesn't become you." She turned to Sora with a slightly amused look. "I nearly had a litter of kittens," she said frankly. "I screamed at Tai until my lungs gave. Mostly stuff like 'how could you let this happen, his life will be ruined', you get the idea. I spent hours either with TK at the hospital wing or locked in my room. I was worse than him, and he's the one it happened to." She grinned at the memory. "Once I was hoarse and miserable enough to listen to a few ideas from Joe and the rest of Medical Team, I decided I might as well try and help out."
"Yeah, so she moved in with him to play nurse twenty-four seven," Joe said helpfully. Both younger adults turned to glare at him, and he raised his hands defensively. "Well, you did," he protested.
"You're not helping your situation any, Dr. Kido," Sora said dryly. Joe went red and shut up, but TK laughed.
"Actually, he's pretty close to the mark. You wouldn't believe what a blessing it was to have her here to take care of me those first few months. Davis was furious, of course." The smug expression on his face told Sora very quickly that he had no problems with that state of affairs. "You know, I could probably take care of myself almost completely by now, thanks to Kari's ideas on how to do stuff using my other senses."
"But we've gotten pretty comfortable with each other, so we figure, why bother moving out again when I've just really gotten settled in?" Kari said with a little smile. Sora pretended to look shocked.
"Kari! You're the last person I'd expect to see living in sin..." This time it was TK and Kari's turn to blush.
"We don't...I mean...we…" TK stammered. Sora laughed.
"I was teasing, you guys. I should have known you couldn't take a joke."
"I thought it was funny," Joe hastened to add, earning another pair of Looks.
There was an awkward pause, but TK was quick to forgive, as usual, and in a hurry to get on with finishing his story. "So we do all right together. I'm not totally useless, anyway. I help out at Textiles workshop sorting types, which I can do really well by feel, and I'm visiting nurse at Joe's wing."
"That means he goes and horses around with the kids-gently-and reads to the invalids," Kari said, smiling. Sora blinked.
"Reads? But..."
"It's called Braille, and you'd be surprised how quickly I picked it up with all that free time on my hands," TK said, with a satisfied tone to his voice. Sora gave him a disbelieving look.
"TK, if anyone deserves the Crest of Hope, it's you."
"Thanks," he said with a grin, giving her another hug. "Right now, I'm hoping that you'll leave me a few of those pancakes. They smell great."
"Help yourself," Sora said. "There's enough for four people at least."
"As it should be," Joe said, standing up. "I haven't had breakfast yet, either."
All four young adults headed for the kitchen to dig in, and to TK's credit, he made it into the kitchen with more ease than Sora, and put away his share and part of everybody else's to boot. Between him and Sora, who literally hadn't eaten in days, it turned out that Kari had to make up another batch for there to be enough for herself and Joe, after all...
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Arigatou gozaimasu to everyone who is reviewing me of late! This fic is my baby (hey, aren't they all? M_~* But this one is more so than most) and I'm happy as a cat by a heat source to see it getting so much attention. I hope you all will continue to enjoy it! The next chapter should be coming up sometime in the next few days. -Bandit O_o