Years of Preparation: Part 2
Yolei Inue walked into work. She was a part time dance instructor for the grade school's after school drama program. The basketball practice was finishing up as she walked down the side of the gym to the locker room. She placed her purse and jacket inside and walked over to where the tapes and equipment was when she heard a scream. She ran back to the gym and saw the children were screaming. There was a young man in dark clothes standing in the middle of the gym holding a knife to the coach's neck. Next to the man was another young man, and two young women, all with Digimon.
The man with the knife screamed,"Quiet!"
The kids became very silent with fear. "And Hawkmon's not here!" Yolei told herself, mentally smacking herself for leaving her Digimon at home. She walked slowly over to the pay phone, which wasn't easy because she was pregnant. She picked it up carefully. So far they had not seen her, and she meant to keep it that way. She was going to dial the Digidestined base, when a hand grabbed her across the face and through her into the group of kids.
"There will be no outside calling," the woman said.
The man with the knife turned to her and said,"What have we here? Ahh, Yolei Inue, excellent. Listen up! I am Greg Barker. My assoiciates and I have come to take you, the final possibility, to our master."
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Yolei said.
"We could kill all of these kids without missing a beat," the other girl said. She leaned forward in a sneer."Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way! Your choice!"
The train came to a stop, throwing up small sparks as its metal wheels dug into the railing. The doors slid open, and a young man with a mess of brown hair emerged. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Ahhh!" he said, smiling,"Tokyo, how I have missed you. It is good to be back home."
"Well, I couldn't be more happy for you," a woman's voice said,"But, could you help me with these bags?"
The young man smiled slightly and turned around. He reached and grabbed three suitcases from the young, redhead woman, with a large bloated stomach, leaving her with only two. "Thanks," she said, moving one of the suitcases into her other hand, "I'm not as agile as I use to be."
"No problem," he said, helping her off the train,"I know how hard this must have been."
The young woman put a scowl on her face. ""Of course it is. Knowing that I had to go all the way to Tokyo, with my child due any day, because my child's father has to play the hero!"
The man sighed firecly. "You knew that it was my duty when you..."
"That's not what I'm talking about," she said, crossing her arms,"I'm talking about coming all the way back here, because you former flame, the great Sora Takenouchi, is missing!"
"That's not why I came down here, and you know it! I came here because my little sister is missing! That's why! And Sora's not even missing!"
"Yeah right! Don't you think it hurts knowing that the only reason that you even went out with me to begin with his because I look just like her! Don't you think it hurts knowing that the only reason that you m-"
"Miriya, let's not fight, okay," he said, raising his hands,"We're going to make this work, okay? I promise."
Miriya smiled slightly. "Okay, Tai."
"Now," Tai said, lifting the suitcases,"Let's find the Digidestined Headquarters, and get down to work."
"Sora," Matt called out, watching his girlfriend walk towards the door,"Where are you going?"
"Out," she said, grabbing her coat and her keys.
"But, y-you're pregnant," he said, getting up from the couch..
"So?" Sora asked, opening the apartment door.
"Its not safe for you to go out alone," he said,"Especially with all the kidnappings going on."
"I can take care of myself," Sora said.
"Sora," Matt said, a little more sternly.
She sighed, and closed the apartment door. "Fine," she said,"I'll take Biyomon with me." She started walking towards her room.
"No," Matt said,"I don't want you going at all. Its dangerous out there."
She sighed deeply. "Matt," she said,"I am twenty years old! I can take care of myself!"
"Sora," Matt said,"You're pregnant! You can't go around, walking through dark alleys at night like you use to! You can't take care of yourself, not now."
Sora started getting really angry. "Oh, so you're telling me that I'm helpless!"
Matt took a deep breath. "Yes, pretty much. You're nine months pregnant, you can't act like you're still fifteen."
"Oh, I get it," Sora said, sniffiling,"I'm just a helpless woman, is that it? One that needs you to protect me no matter what, huh?"
"I didn't say that," Matt protested.
"But that's what you were thinking, wasn't it?" Sora asked, opening the door to her room. She called inside,"Biyomon, come on, we're going out."
"Sora," Matt said, even more sternly,"I don't want you to go."
Biyomon walked out of the room, and followed Sora as she walked to the door. "I'm going to my mothers," Sora said, holding back tears,"I don't know when I'll be back."
"Sora," Matt said, as she walked out,"Wait...Sora...."
The door slammed shut behind her.
Miriya sighed deeply as she tried to keep up with Tai. She huffed and wheezed as she waddled down the sidewalk. "Tai," she huffed,"You've got to slow down."
A little ways in front of her, Tai stopped. He turned around, to wait for her, when he found that she was crying softly. He dropped all the suitcases and ran to her side. "What is it?" he asked, placing his arm around her shoulder,"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I was walking so fast..."
"Its not that," Miriya said, laughing between her cries, "I..I just felt our child kick."
"W-what?" Tai asked.
Miriya grabbed his hand and put in on her stomach. "There, do you feel it?"
Tai slowly started to smile. "Y-yeah," he said, slowly,"M-my child......my child....."
Tai could help himself. He started laughing. He couldn't stop, he was just so happy. Miriya joined in his laughter. They young couple laughed as hard as they could, letting their joys out for all the world to hear.
Tai couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. He was about to throw his head back, when he felt a presence behind him. Before he could turn around, something slam into the back of his head. He heard Miriya scream as he hit the ground. He tried to move his arms to push himself up, but found that he couldn't. He kept hearing Miriya's screams, and knew that he had to save his child. He put all his strength into his body, forcing himself to move.
Unfortunately, all he could do was move his head slightly. He struggled to stay conscious as he watched a young man with black hair hold Miriya tight with a knife to her throat. "Stop struggling," he said,"Or, you're going to get a hair cut much lower down your body!":
Miriya stopped struggling, and the young man pressed a button on his belt. A yellow circle appeared before them, sparkling and flashing. The young man turned around and saw Tai staring at them from the ground. He grinned slightly. "Just so you remember, Kamiya," he said,"I am Greg Barker!"
"Yeah," Tai thought,"I'll remember you!" He struggled to move, but, couldn't hold on any longer. His head crashed into the ground, as his eyes slammed shut.
"Hey guys, " Matt said sadly as he walked into the cafeteria of the Digidestined headquarters. Izzy and Michael looked up from where they were eating a late dinner. They watched as Matt got a cup of coffee and plopped down into one of the chairs at the table.
"What's wrong?" Izzy asked.
Matt sighed. "Sora and I just had a big fight, a..and she went to her mother's."
"Matt," Michael said,"I'm sure that the two of you will work things out."
Matt sighed. "We've been fighting a lot lately. I...I just hope she doesn't leave me."
The white phone on the wall buzzed. "I'll get it," Michael said. He got up and picked the phone up. "Cafeteria, go," he said."...................what, really? Okay, I'll tell them."
"That was Noriko," he said, placing the phone back on the wall,"She said that Ken just called. Yolei's missing too."
Izzy and Matt looked at each other. "First Kari, now Yolei. What's going on here?"
"Someone.....else is....missing."
The three turned around and gasped. There was a figure covered with black snow, and bits of red blood covering his bushy brown hair. "I need...." his eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Tai?!" all three shouted.
Tai slowly opened his eyes, and felt an intense pain on the back of his head. He quickly brought his hand up to rub it, when he heard a familiar voice. "Be careful," Tai looked up at a familiar person," you're still sore back there, but, it could have been much worse. You're lucky all that hair blunted the force of the object."
Tai smiled slightly. "Thanks, Dr. Kido," he said,"Where am I?"
Joe stood by the side of the bed he was in. "You're in the hospital floor of the Digidestined Headquarters," he said, leaning Tai forward a bit so he could check the back of his head. "Well, you did suffer some bleeding, but, everything looks okay back there now."
Tai leaned back against he pillow feeling the pain vanish somewhat when he rested against the soft fabric. As he did, he could see the rest of the room. It was much like a hospital room, with beds up against the wall, each with its own specialized equipment, and curtains. "How did you afford all of this?" Tai asked,"You've got the best equipment all throughout this building!"
"Well," Joe said,"Ken's the accountant, but, we get some money through tuition, but, most of our funding comes from Davis's girlfriend's father."
Tai's eyes shot open wide. "What?! You mean, Amanda's father, the American Ambassador, is paying for all of this?"
Joe nodded. "After Davis got her pregnant, he kind of did everything he could to keep us from telling everyone."
Tai nodded. "I could kind of see the problem if the press found out about that, but, my question is, how did Davis end up with an Ambassador's daughter?"
"Hey, you make it sound like a bad thing."
Tai smiled as he turned to the doorway. "Davis," he said, as he took his friend's handshake,"Its good to see you again."
"You too man," he said, grinning,"So, I understand that you had a bump on your head."
"Yeah," Tai said, his smile fading,"I came back here to help find Kari, but, Miriya and I were attacked, and she was kidnapped, by some guy named Barker."
"Barker?" Davis asked,"When Yolei was taken, it was in a school gym. The witnesses said the one in charge called himself Barker..."
"You think Kari was taken by the same group?" Tai asked.
"Yes," Davis said, nodding.
"But," Joe said,"Where are they?"
"I don't know," Tai said, rubbing his forehead,"I really don't remember it too well, but, Barker brought Miriya throw a portal, I assume it was a Digital Gate-wait, I really don't remember too well, but, I'm pretty sure Barker had a Digivice, but, he opened the portal with a button on his belt. Why didn't he use his Digivice?"
"Are you saying they're on Earth?" Davis asked.
"I don't know," Tai said.
"Noriko has been using Izzy's computer system to boost her psychic power to search for Kari ever since she went missing. She has determined, and Izzy agrees with her, that Kari is not on Earth."
Tai nodded. "Okay, so they are in a part of the Digital World that we can't reach by using our Digivices."
The three thought for a couple of seconds. "Tai," Joe said,"When Barker took Miriya, did he throw her in, or, did he go in with her?"
"I don't know," Tai said,"I passed out right after he opened the portal. When I woke up, they were both gone. I barely managed to make it here."
"Well," Joe said,"The witness when Yolei were capture said that Barker and the others that were with him opened a portal, but threw Yolei inside. They never went in.the portal."
"Hmm," Tai said,"so, they're opening portals, but, not going in? Why would they do that?"
"Maybe once they get in, they can't get back out," Davis said.
"So," Joe said,"They're opening portals to a place in the Digital World, that they can't leave."
"And they need to use a special device to enter it, as opposed to the Digital Gate," Davis said.
The three placed their hands to their chins and thought. Suddenly, they all looked up. "The Dark Ocean!" they all cried.
Minutes later, all the senior Digidestined, plus Michael, were assembled for a meeting in the War room, they even called their Digimon from the Digital World. Everyone sat around the large, square table, with Tai and Davis at the front. Davis called everyone to attention, and quickly retold the events of the past few days, as well as the conversation between Tai, Joe, and Davis.. He then gave Tai the floor.
Tai stood up and faced the senior Digidestined. He cleared his throat, and looked at each one in the face. "First," he said,"I want to say that it is good to be back home. I've missed you guys so much....hey, where's Sora?"
Matt stared at Tai with an annoyed look in his eyes. "She's not here, okay?"
Tai stared back at Matt. "Why isn't she here?" he asked. "If he's done something to hurt her.." Tai thought.
"Um, Tai," Davis said,"Remember your sister?"
"Right," Tai said, turning back to address all of them,"We have reason to believe that Kari, Yolei, and Miriya are in the Dark Ocean."
"Are you sure?" T.K. asked.
Tai nodded. "Yes. We will be journeying to the Dark Ocean to find our captive members, at eight o'clock tonight."
"Who will be going?" Izzy asked.
"The team to go will be Davis, Ken, T.K., Cody, Michael, Matt, and myself," Tai said.
"I'm going too."
"Sora!" Matt said, jumping up from his chair and running over to the door. He wanted to hug her, let her know how much she means to him, but, she just moved out of the way. "I'm going with you," she said.
"But Sora," Tai protested,"You're pregnant.."
"Don't you start treating me like I can't do anything either," Sora said, eying Matt, while keeping Tai in her field of vision.
"Fine," Tai said,"You can come."
Matt turned to look at him. "What are you talking about?! She can't go!"
"Matt!" Sora shouted,"I am fully capable of fighting! And I am going, with, or without your consent!"
She turned and walked out of the room, with Matt following her.
"Okay," Tai said,"I want everyone in the computer room at eight o'clock."
Everyone nodded and exited the room. "Hey, Tai," Izzy called out as he was leaving,"I've got to talk to you about something."
"What?"
"I've been doing some research on the possible Child of Darkness," he said,"And, you're correct, all evidence points to Kari.."
"Izzy!" Tai said, almost shouting,"I thought I told you that Kari would never do something like that! Come on, you know her, she wouldn't do something like that!"
"But, you suspected her after Daemon told you the reason about the File Island Massacre.." Izzy started.
"I wasn't thinking straight," Tai said,"Kari would not doing something like that! End of discussion!"
"But, Tai.."
"End of discussion!"
At eight o'clock sharp, Tai, Davis, Ken, Matt, Sora(much to Matt's protests), T.K., Cody, and Michael and their Digimon were assembled in the computer room of the building. Noriko was briefing them on the information they already knew about the Dark Ocean. "Now, she said,"we are unsure of the being who rules the Dark Ocean, but he has legions of Scubamon and Divermon as his servants, probably more that we are unaware of. There are only two Digital Gates in the Dark Ocean. One to enter, and one to exit. Once you find Yolei, Kari, and Miriya, you will have to find the exit portal to get back to earth."
Tai nodded. "Right," he said, never taking his gaze off of the computer monitors,"Ken, open us a gate."
"Right," Ken said, raising his Digivice, towards the screen,"Dark Gate open!"
to be continued...
Yolei Inue walked into work. She was a part time dance instructor for the grade school's after school drama program. The basketball practice was finishing up as she walked down the side of the gym to the locker room. She placed her purse and jacket inside and walked over to where the tapes and equipment was when she heard a scream. She ran back to the gym and saw the children were screaming. There was a young man in dark clothes standing in the middle of the gym holding a knife to the coach's neck. Next to the man was another young man, and two young women, all with Digimon.
The man with the knife screamed,"Quiet!"
The kids became very silent with fear. "And Hawkmon's not here!" Yolei told herself, mentally smacking herself for leaving her Digimon at home. She walked slowly over to the pay phone, which wasn't easy because she was pregnant. She picked it up carefully. So far they had not seen her, and she meant to keep it that way. She was going to dial the Digidestined base, when a hand grabbed her across the face and through her into the group of kids.
"There will be no outside calling," the woman said.
The man with the knife turned to her and said,"What have we here? Ahh, Yolei Inue, excellent. Listen up! I am Greg Barker. My assoiciates and I have come to take you, the final possibility, to our master."
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Yolei said.
"We could kill all of these kids without missing a beat," the other girl said. She leaned forward in a sneer."Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way! Your choice!"
The train came to a stop, throwing up small sparks as its metal wheels dug into the railing. The doors slid open, and a young man with a mess of brown hair emerged. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Ahhh!" he said, smiling,"Tokyo, how I have missed you. It is good to be back home."
"Well, I couldn't be more happy for you," a woman's voice said,"But, could you help me with these bags?"
The young man smiled slightly and turned around. He reached and grabbed three suitcases from the young, redhead woman, with a large bloated stomach, leaving her with only two. "Thanks," she said, moving one of the suitcases into her other hand, "I'm not as agile as I use to be."
"No problem," he said, helping her off the train,"I know how hard this must have been."
The young woman put a scowl on her face. ""Of course it is. Knowing that I had to go all the way to Tokyo, with my child due any day, because my child's father has to play the hero!"
The man sighed firecly. "You knew that it was my duty when you..."
"That's not what I'm talking about," she said, crossing her arms,"I'm talking about coming all the way back here, because you former flame, the great Sora Takenouchi, is missing!"
"That's not why I came down here, and you know it! I came here because my little sister is missing! That's why! And Sora's not even missing!"
"Yeah right! Don't you think it hurts knowing that the only reason that you even went out with me to begin with his because I look just like her! Don't you think it hurts knowing that the only reason that you m-"
"Miriya, let's not fight, okay," he said, raising his hands,"We're going to make this work, okay? I promise."
Miriya smiled slightly. "Okay, Tai."
"Now," Tai said, lifting the suitcases,"Let's find the Digidestined Headquarters, and get down to work."
"Sora," Matt called out, watching his girlfriend walk towards the door,"Where are you going?"
"Out," she said, grabbing her coat and her keys.
"But, y-you're pregnant," he said, getting up from the couch..
"So?" Sora asked, opening the apartment door.
"Its not safe for you to go out alone," he said,"Especially with all the kidnappings going on."
"I can take care of myself," Sora said.
"Sora," Matt said, a little more sternly.
She sighed, and closed the apartment door. "Fine," she said,"I'll take Biyomon with me." She started walking towards her room.
"No," Matt said,"I don't want you going at all. Its dangerous out there."
She sighed deeply. "Matt," she said,"I am twenty years old! I can take care of myself!"
"Sora," Matt said,"You're pregnant! You can't go around, walking through dark alleys at night like you use to! You can't take care of yourself, not now."
Sora started getting really angry. "Oh, so you're telling me that I'm helpless!"
Matt took a deep breath. "Yes, pretty much. You're nine months pregnant, you can't act like you're still fifteen."
"Oh, I get it," Sora said, sniffiling,"I'm just a helpless woman, is that it? One that needs you to protect me no matter what, huh?"
"I didn't say that," Matt protested.
"But that's what you were thinking, wasn't it?" Sora asked, opening the door to her room. She called inside,"Biyomon, come on, we're going out."
"Sora," Matt said, even more sternly,"I don't want you to go."
Biyomon walked out of the room, and followed Sora as she walked to the door. "I'm going to my mothers," Sora said, holding back tears,"I don't know when I'll be back."
"Sora," Matt said, as she walked out,"Wait...Sora...."
The door slammed shut behind her.
Miriya sighed deeply as she tried to keep up with Tai. She huffed and wheezed as she waddled down the sidewalk. "Tai," she huffed,"You've got to slow down."
A little ways in front of her, Tai stopped. He turned around, to wait for her, when he found that she was crying softly. He dropped all the suitcases and ran to her side. "What is it?" he asked, placing his arm around her shoulder,"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I was walking so fast..."
"Its not that," Miriya said, laughing between her cries, "I..I just felt our child kick."
"W-what?" Tai asked.
Miriya grabbed his hand and put in on her stomach. "There, do you feel it?"
Tai slowly started to smile. "Y-yeah," he said, slowly,"M-my child......my child....."
Tai could help himself. He started laughing. He couldn't stop, he was just so happy. Miriya joined in his laughter. They young couple laughed as hard as they could, letting their joys out for all the world to hear.
Tai couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. He was about to throw his head back, when he felt a presence behind him. Before he could turn around, something slam into the back of his head. He heard Miriya scream as he hit the ground. He tried to move his arms to push himself up, but found that he couldn't. He kept hearing Miriya's screams, and knew that he had to save his child. He put all his strength into his body, forcing himself to move.
Unfortunately, all he could do was move his head slightly. He struggled to stay conscious as he watched a young man with black hair hold Miriya tight with a knife to her throat. "Stop struggling," he said,"Or, you're going to get a hair cut much lower down your body!":
Miriya stopped struggling, and the young man pressed a button on his belt. A yellow circle appeared before them, sparkling and flashing. The young man turned around and saw Tai staring at them from the ground. He grinned slightly. "Just so you remember, Kamiya," he said,"I am Greg Barker!"
"Yeah," Tai thought,"I'll remember you!" He struggled to move, but, couldn't hold on any longer. His head crashed into the ground, as his eyes slammed shut.
"Hey guys, " Matt said sadly as he walked into the cafeteria of the Digidestined headquarters. Izzy and Michael looked up from where they were eating a late dinner. They watched as Matt got a cup of coffee and plopped down into one of the chairs at the table.
"What's wrong?" Izzy asked.
Matt sighed. "Sora and I just had a big fight, a..and she went to her mother's."
"Matt," Michael said,"I'm sure that the two of you will work things out."
Matt sighed. "We've been fighting a lot lately. I...I just hope she doesn't leave me."
The white phone on the wall buzzed. "I'll get it," Michael said. He got up and picked the phone up. "Cafeteria, go," he said."...................what, really? Okay, I'll tell them."
"That was Noriko," he said, placing the phone back on the wall,"She said that Ken just called. Yolei's missing too."
Izzy and Matt looked at each other. "First Kari, now Yolei. What's going on here?"
"Someone.....else is....missing."
The three turned around and gasped. There was a figure covered with black snow, and bits of red blood covering his bushy brown hair. "I need...." his eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Tai?!" all three shouted.
Tai slowly opened his eyes, and felt an intense pain on the back of his head. He quickly brought his hand up to rub it, when he heard a familiar voice. "Be careful," Tai looked up at a familiar person," you're still sore back there, but, it could have been much worse. You're lucky all that hair blunted the force of the object."
Tai smiled slightly. "Thanks, Dr. Kido," he said,"Where am I?"
Joe stood by the side of the bed he was in. "You're in the hospital floor of the Digidestined Headquarters," he said, leaning Tai forward a bit so he could check the back of his head. "Well, you did suffer some bleeding, but, everything looks okay back there now."
Tai leaned back against he pillow feeling the pain vanish somewhat when he rested against the soft fabric. As he did, he could see the rest of the room. It was much like a hospital room, with beds up against the wall, each with its own specialized equipment, and curtains. "How did you afford all of this?" Tai asked,"You've got the best equipment all throughout this building!"
"Well," Joe said,"Ken's the accountant, but, we get some money through tuition, but, most of our funding comes from Davis's girlfriend's father."
Tai's eyes shot open wide. "What?! You mean, Amanda's father, the American Ambassador, is paying for all of this?"
Joe nodded. "After Davis got her pregnant, he kind of did everything he could to keep us from telling everyone."
Tai nodded. "I could kind of see the problem if the press found out about that, but, my question is, how did Davis end up with an Ambassador's daughter?"
"Hey, you make it sound like a bad thing."
Tai smiled as he turned to the doorway. "Davis," he said, as he took his friend's handshake,"Its good to see you again."
"You too man," he said, grinning,"So, I understand that you had a bump on your head."
"Yeah," Tai said, his smile fading,"I came back here to help find Kari, but, Miriya and I were attacked, and she was kidnapped, by some guy named Barker."
"Barker?" Davis asked,"When Yolei was taken, it was in a school gym. The witnesses said the one in charge called himself Barker..."
"You think Kari was taken by the same group?" Tai asked.
"Yes," Davis said, nodding.
"But," Joe said,"Where are they?"
"I don't know," Tai said, rubbing his forehead,"I really don't remember it too well, but, Barker brought Miriya throw a portal, I assume it was a Digital Gate-wait, I really don't remember too well, but, I'm pretty sure Barker had a Digivice, but, he opened the portal with a button on his belt. Why didn't he use his Digivice?"
"Are you saying they're on Earth?" Davis asked.
"I don't know," Tai said.
"Noriko has been using Izzy's computer system to boost her psychic power to search for Kari ever since she went missing. She has determined, and Izzy agrees with her, that Kari is not on Earth."
Tai nodded. "Okay, so they are in a part of the Digital World that we can't reach by using our Digivices."
The three thought for a couple of seconds. "Tai," Joe said,"When Barker took Miriya, did he throw her in, or, did he go in with her?"
"I don't know," Tai said,"I passed out right after he opened the portal. When I woke up, they were both gone. I barely managed to make it here."
"Well," Joe said,"The witness when Yolei were capture said that Barker and the others that were with him opened a portal, but threw Yolei inside. They never went in.the portal."
"Hmm," Tai said,"so, they're opening portals, but, not going in? Why would they do that?"
"Maybe once they get in, they can't get back out," Davis said.
"So," Joe said,"They're opening portals to a place in the Digital World, that they can't leave."
"And they need to use a special device to enter it, as opposed to the Digital Gate," Davis said.
The three placed their hands to their chins and thought. Suddenly, they all looked up. "The Dark Ocean!" they all cried.
Minutes later, all the senior Digidestined, plus Michael, were assembled for a meeting in the War room, they even called their Digimon from the Digital World. Everyone sat around the large, square table, with Tai and Davis at the front. Davis called everyone to attention, and quickly retold the events of the past few days, as well as the conversation between Tai, Joe, and Davis.. He then gave Tai the floor.
Tai stood up and faced the senior Digidestined. He cleared his throat, and looked at each one in the face. "First," he said,"I want to say that it is good to be back home. I've missed you guys so much....hey, where's Sora?"
Matt stared at Tai with an annoyed look in his eyes. "She's not here, okay?"
Tai stared back at Matt. "Why isn't she here?" he asked. "If he's done something to hurt her.." Tai thought.
"Um, Tai," Davis said,"Remember your sister?"
"Right," Tai said, turning back to address all of them,"We have reason to believe that Kari, Yolei, and Miriya are in the Dark Ocean."
"Are you sure?" T.K. asked.
Tai nodded. "Yes. We will be journeying to the Dark Ocean to find our captive members, at eight o'clock tonight."
"Who will be going?" Izzy asked.
"The team to go will be Davis, Ken, T.K., Cody, Michael, Matt, and myself," Tai said.
"I'm going too."
"Sora!" Matt said, jumping up from his chair and running over to the door. He wanted to hug her, let her know how much she means to him, but, she just moved out of the way. "I'm going with you," she said.
"But Sora," Tai protested,"You're pregnant.."
"Don't you start treating me like I can't do anything either," Sora said, eying Matt, while keeping Tai in her field of vision.
"Fine," Tai said,"You can come."
Matt turned to look at him. "What are you talking about?! She can't go!"
"Matt!" Sora shouted,"I am fully capable of fighting! And I am going, with, or without your consent!"
She turned and walked out of the room, with Matt following her.
"Okay," Tai said,"I want everyone in the computer room at eight o'clock."
Everyone nodded and exited the room. "Hey, Tai," Izzy called out as he was leaving,"I've got to talk to you about something."
"What?"
"I've been doing some research on the possible Child of Darkness," he said,"And, you're correct, all evidence points to Kari.."
"Izzy!" Tai said, almost shouting,"I thought I told you that Kari would never do something like that! Come on, you know her, she wouldn't do something like that!"
"But, you suspected her after Daemon told you the reason about the File Island Massacre.." Izzy started.
"I wasn't thinking straight," Tai said,"Kari would not doing something like that! End of discussion!"
"But, Tai.."
"End of discussion!"
At eight o'clock sharp, Tai, Davis, Ken, Matt, Sora(much to Matt's protests), T.K., Cody, and Michael and their Digimon were assembled in the computer room of the building. Noriko was briefing them on the information they already knew about the Dark Ocean. "Now, she said,"we are unsure of the being who rules the Dark Ocean, but he has legions of Scubamon and Divermon as his servants, probably more that we are unaware of. There are only two Digital Gates in the Dark Ocean. One to enter, and one to exit. Once you find Yolei, Kari, and Miriya, you will have to find the exit portal to get back to earth."
Tai nodded. "Right," he said, never taking his gaze off of the computer monitors,"Ken, open us a gate."
"Right," Ken said, raising his Digivice, towards the screen,"Dark Gate open!"
to be continued...