"Doppelgangland"
9. 'This is the sound of the revolution'
"Fallen Angels at my feetWhispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin?
Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to meet the end."
~ Evanescence 'Whisper'
"So that's the plan?" Yamato inquired leaning over the table in the middle of the warehouse.
Davis, Yolei, Cody, Kari, TK and their digimon partners were sitting scattered on the various crates around the table, while the leaders of the pack hovered over the maps spread out in front of them.
Both Kens, Mike, Hikari, Yamato, Daisuke and Kouen all had their heads together, and were mumbling and whispering under their breath and then would suddenly lift their head and ask a question.
The Digidestined decided not to interfere. Usually, Davis would have been in there, boots and all, but he agreed with the others that it was best for them to sit back and let the Chosen and Ken deal with the planning, as they were most familiar with what had succeeded in the past and what had failed.
"Well, in theory anyway." Kouen shrugged and tucked her bangs behind her ears as she looked down at the maps again.
Ken, feeling out of place, glanced at everyone's face before leaning forward and tracing his finger along the middle section of the Base, where a tower or pillar ran throughout. "This is the Core. It's highly dangerous to destroy and will cause the entire Base to explode if it's damaged, which is why we have to be careful about shutting it down."
"How do we do that then?" Daisuke asked, sitting on a back-to-front chair.
"Well," he began quietly, "I'll do it."
Ken's double frowned deeply and folded his arms, "No."
He looked up, "What?"
"I'm not putting you in such danger. No."
Ken raised his eyebrow, "Look, I'm the only one here who knows that Base like the back of his hand-"
"Other than me." Kouen interrupted.
"Other than Kouen," Ken added irritably, "and who knows how to shut it down without getting us all killed."
"How will you shut it down?" Yamato queried, trying to break the tension between the doubles.
"There's a plug of sorts, at the base of the core. It's where all the pipes that power the entire Base start. There is a small outlet with a switch on it that is connected to a security system. The switch is so sensitive, that if a strong vibration were to happen near it, it would disrupt the connection and set off the alarm by shutting down the power, even if it is for just a second. I'm probably the only one who will be able to unplug the pipes carefully enough to-"
"Unplug them?" Hikari jumped in quickly, "I thought you said that if it is unplugged then the alarm will go off."
"No, the outlet with the sensitive plug is next to the pipes. They are right next to each other. That's how I built it, so no one would be able to disconnect the pipes without my knowledge. Removing the pipes is like defusing a bomb."
"So why can't one of us do it then?" Ken asked harshly.
"Because I'm the one who knows just how sensitive it is! I know how much pressure and movement will be needed to remove the pipes."
Ken huffed, "Fine, then what do we do?"
Kouen looked up and addressed everyone; "We fight. While Ken here," she put a hand on Ken's shoulder as he straightened up, "is off shutting down the Base. I know the Base well, so I will lead you into the prisons and we will start releasing as many people as possible. If we come across any Sniper, our mission will be to release them."
She turned seriously to Ken, who was still standing with his arms folded, "That's when you will fight Osamu. If you're up to it that is."
He turned on his heel, "I am. You and I will train tonight after my speech at the festival." He strode off to his room and shut the door with a sharp snap.
The Digidestined looked to the Chosen, "Festival?" Davis inquired, "What festival?"
Yamato turned around and leaned on the table, "Every year on the 26th of July we celebrate our first and only victory against the Kaiser."
"It was three years ago when we first opposed Osamu in a battle against him, using our Digimon we fought him and tore down his first Base. That was his first year in taking over the human world, unfortunately, he re-built and came back stronger. We celebrate it because it drives him crazy and gives us hope." Daisuke established, then looked around, "We should start getting this place ready."
"You celebrate here?" Kari asked quizzically, "Is that safe?"
"Well, the last time we had it at the stadium and Yamato and his band sang, but Osamu put a stop to it by telling the manager of the building to shut down the power or be faced with serious charges against him." Daisuke stated bitterly.
~~~~****~~~~
The day passed relatively quickly as it was filled with everyone preparing the warehouse for the festival. The Digidestined were surprised to see everyone in the warehouse work to get it ready in time. Many people were in the cafeteria kitchen, cooking sukiyaki, tempura and yakitori or preparing cold dishes such as sushi and sashimi, while others were clearing the main floor by pushing the crates and tables to the walls.
Davis looked around, dusting off his hands after pushing a particularly heavy crate to the side of the warehouse. His brow furrowed with confusion, "Where's Ken?" he asked Yolei, who was adjusting her glasses.
"Which one?" she asked with a caustic tone.
"Our Ken." Davis stated irritably.
"I don't know. He disappeared a few hours ago." She turned and strode off towards the stage area where Yamato and TK were. Davis watched her hop onto the crates and begin helping them set up musical instruments.
The stage was makeshift, several large wooden crates pushed together to form a platform. In the center of the stage were microphones, which were hooked up to outlets.
Davis spotted Hikari walking out of the kitchen and towards him, "Hey Davis." She looked closely at him, "What's wrong?"
He shrugged, "I was wondering where Ken went to. He just disappeared and it's got me concerned and Yolei peeved."
"Why?" Hikari inquired, sitting on the crate he had moved.
"Well, I don't know why, but I'm starting to worry about him remembering what it was like being the Emperor. I know he still beats himself up about it almost everyday, but now that he is thinking about it so often, I just hope it doesn't make him nuts or something." He glanced at Yolei and then back to Hikari, "And Yolei is just peeved because he seems to be pushing her away."
"Pushing her away?"
"Well, spending more time with Kouen than her and when he's not doing that, he's off somewhere by himself, thinking about his days as the Emperor." Davis sighed heavily.
She cocked her head to the side, "You don't want Ken to help?"
"Of course I do! But, well, there's only so much he can do right? I mean, he doesn't remember much about being the Emperor. He's told us that loads of times. So I just hope he doesn't beat himself up about not being able to do enough."
She narrowed her eyes at him with a wise look, "I think he is capable of doing a lot for us. Just like our Ken. They both are the same, but somehow different, but both are able to do incredible things that no one else can get through. Ken almost killed his brother and he came back from it, and now, he's even going back to try again. Your friend is strong, you just have to trust him, Davis."
He nodded as Hikari slipped off the crate; "I came out here to ask you if you wouldn't mind joining us in the kitchen. Daisuke is in there and we need all the help we can get. See, I heard you were a really good cook."
A smile stretched over his features, "Ah, yeah, sure."
In the office, this new world's Ken was sitting at the computer typing away commands and information which was causing him to become more and more infuriated. Kouen quietly opened the door and leaned on the frame. She took in a long breath and let it escape her slowly as she stepped in and shut the door behind her. "You should be resting."
"I'm fine." He snapped without looking up.
She sat down on an office chair beside him and stared at the screen, "You fixed it." She stated, startled.
"Yes, but now I can't figure out how to change it back so we can send the Digidestined back to their world."
"Why did you change it?" she asked innocently.
"We need to go to the Digital world to shut down his Base there."
She nodded and fell quiet. She wanted to put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but resisted the urge, as she knew it would only anger him. A year ago, she would have done it without a second thought, and he would have welcomed it, but now days, too much had happened to them. Ken had grown up incredibly fast and become a hard and sometimes cold person. He had watched as his brother had snapped Kouen's delicate spirit in half, watched as he took possession of the human world, watched as he had killed Iori and all with him feeling helpless to stop it. He burdened no one but him self with all he had seen and it was starting to show how heavy it was to carry the weight of it on his shoulders.
Feeling the strong silence, Kouen cleared her throat and asked quietly, "Are you sure you don't want to rest before we train tonight?"
He nodded, only half hearing what she was saying. He was absorbed in what he was doing. She dropped her eyes to the floor, "I'm going to train you hard tonight Ken, I just want you to know that and I wanted to make sure that you were ready to-"
"Kouen! I'm fine! Now leave me alone, I'm busy!" he shouted.
Feeling stung, she got to her feet and left the room. Glancing at the excitement of everything going on around her, she stepped into the dojo and changed out of her dress and sandals into her black pants and white top to begin training herself.
~~~~****~~~~
He walked determinedly down the corridor. The beige walls were illuminated with strong down-lights. The floor and stairs were a cold gray. He looked left and right and stepped towards a black door, which slid open and then closed again when he was inside the room. He sat down on his throne and stared up at the many monitors in front of him. They showed him many things. One was his design of the Dark Rings, another a Dark Spiral. One to his left showed his visor, and one above that was showing him all the Digidestined. He turned to look at the one right in front of him and saw himself. His hair was smooth and bangs fell over one side of his face. His eyes were cold and void of emotion and suddenly that Ken opened his mouth to speak, "Ken." It sounded far away, "Ken?"
He snapped his eyes open and looked around. Yolei was standing over him, her hand on his shoulder and her eyebrows raised, "Ken? Are you alright?"
He lifted his head off his arms and tried to collect his thoughts. "I'm fine."
"You looked like you were having a nightmare." She looked around at the desk he had been sleeping on. "What are you doing in the work shop anyway?"
"I'm…I'm…nothing, Yolei." He said hastily and grabbed the metal object in front of him before Yolei could get a good look at it. But it was too late. With surprising reflexes she leaned forward and snatched the object out of his hands.
She studied it and her mouth fell open. Then she turned to him with a fury that he had never seen in her before. She gritted her teeth as her eyes grew large with anger, "Is this what I think it is?"
"Yolei, I can explain-"
"No, Ken, I don't think you can! This is a Dark Ring! What the hell are you doing making a Dark Ring?"
"Yolei, it's not exactly the same and it's not even finished yet. I must have fallen asleep or something but I was building it to-"
"To what Ken? To enslave digimon again, or maybe you'll pull a Kaiser and enslave people?"
He stood up forcefully, causing Yolei to step back in surprise. He was burning with a fiery anger and he wasn't too sure why. "Yolei! Let me explain! I'm not using it to enslave anyone! I'm going to use it to help someone. You know I would never go back to my old ways."
She narrowed her eyes; "You're using it to help someone? Ken," she held up the ring, "this is not a good thing. This is a destructive thing. It can't be used to help anyone."
He sighed deeply, "I've modified the program."
"Who's it for?" she asked coldly and already somehow knowing the answer.
"Kouen." He stated smoothly.
"Oh. I should have known. You and her have become awfully close lately."
"Yolei, you don't understand. It's like I know her. I have to help her if I know I can. And besides, it's not like that. She feels like a sister." He reasoned.
She shook her head and threw the ring to the table, "And since when do you remember how to build a Dark Ring and draw the map of your old Base? You told us you don't remember much about being the Emperor. Or were you lying Ken?"
His mouth fell open, "I wasn't lying. I didn't remember much. Not until recently."
"What's 'recently'?" she asked flatly.
He hesitated, "About two or three years."
She raised her eyebrows, "And you were going to tell me when?"
"I didn't want you to worry about me…"
"I'm your girlfriend Ken! No matter what I'm going to worry about you! When will you trust me completely and just open up to me? Do you know what it's like being around you sometimes? Impossible! It's like you just shut down sometimes or go off on your own, leaving me behind. And not just me but the others too! After all these years, you still haven't realized that we are your friends and that you can tell us anything without us judging you."
"It's not that easy for me Yolei!" he erupted, "When I was a kid, I didn't have anyone! No friends, no one, just Sam. He's the only person I trusted and look how well he treated me! And then he died Yolei, he died and I had no one. I was really alone. All those years I kept things to myself because I had to, because I had no one to confide in. I'm sorry I'm not more open Yolei, but it's an old habit."
Her cold demeanor melted and her eyes became soft again as he sat down with a huff. She bowed her head in shame and moved over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry Ken-chan. I didn't mean to upset you. I know it's hard, I just wish that you would remember that you're not alone. Not anymore. I'll never leave you." She kissed him on the cheek and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Ken paused before picking up the ring again and working on it. Something stirred in the back of his memory. Something Shinsei had said about him. She had said that he would be able to help the Chosen Children of this world but that he would have to decide if he would admit that he could help them. He didn't really understand what she had meant, but now it was crystal clear. Ken had to inform his friends that he remembered everything about being the Emperor and that he was prepared to use that knowledge to help fight the Kaiser. He knew how they would react. Davis would worry about his sanity and Cody would look at him with repressed bitterness. TK would try his hardest not let it bother him, as he knew that TK hated all things connected with the Darkness. Kari would be the only one to really understand. She knew all about light and darkness. She knew that the human soul was made up of both these choices. And now Ken had to admit to his friends that he was now a gray person and could never go back. He could either take what he knew and use it for the darkness or use it by helping the light.
He hunched over the ring again and finished it off. Then he picked it up and stepped out of the room. He noticed that in his absence he hadn't been missed much, for everything had changed around him. He walked to the office and sat down in front of the computer. He pulled out his D-3 and connected it to the computer, where a few commands and a dialogue box popped up on the screen. He clicked 'proceed' on the dialogue box and his D-3 lit up. With shaking hands, he held his black D-3 over the glinting Silver Ring and then pressed the small screen to the tip of the ring where a small section was left open, exposing all the chips on the circuit board. As if scanning the ring, all the information was loaded onto the chip. Ken closed the ring up and shut off the computer.
He pocketed the ring and made his way towards Shinsei's room. He wanted to ask her about confronting his friends with his news for some reason. When he heard Kouen's voice, he stopped and turned. She was coming from the dojo, a sweat towel over her shoulder.
"What are you doing?" she asked casually.
"I was going to ask Shinsei something." He replied.
She shuddered, "You're going in there voluntarily?"
He narrowed his eyes at her; "You don't like her much do you?"
"It's not that I don't like her. It's just that I don't like being in her company. She gives me the creeps. She looks at me like she knows exactly what went on between Osamu and I in the Base. Well, I guess that's because she does know and that's why I don't like to be around her."
Ken's interests peek and he looked at her accusingly, "What did go on?"
"Things I don't like to talk about Ken." She stated bluntly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
"It's okay." She made to walk off but he called her back.
"I made something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Silver Ring. "I haven't tested it yet, but if it goes wrong I can fix it for you." He held it out to her.
"Is that a Black Ring?"
"No, well, it's similar, but not exactly the same. I got the idea when you told me that you had more control when Osamu was controlling you with a Black Ring. I thought that maybe if I created a ring that would allow you to control your evolutions and keep your mind when you are in that state it would benefit you and this fight. Which means you can evolve and devolve at will."
She blinked at him, impressed and truly grateful. "Thank you Ken." She took the ring and snapped it onto her wrist.
She tilted her head at him, "Should I test it here?"
"No, not yet." He dropped his voice, "Was Ken working on the gate to the Digital world?"
She nodded.
"He wants to shut down the Kaiser's Base there doesn't he?"
She nodded again.
"I think it would be a good idea if we went there and looked through his computer files. Just incase he is hiding something up his sleeve that we don't know about. In this situation, we don't want to be surprised."
"Good idea Ken. Just one problem, he keeps it heavily guarded with Digimon when he's not there. How do we get in?"
"Well, if the ring works, you could fight them off."
She stared at him for a while, then nodded once again, "All right Ken. But I think it would be best to keep this from your doppelganger until we have the files and know the ring works. I'm not sure how he will react to it."
Ken nodded, "Okay."
~~~~****~~~~
Finally night came and the warehouse looked ready for a festival. The cafeteria tables were laden with plates of food. The makeshift stage was set with instruments, waiting to be played and candles were lit around the open area sitting on the crates that were pushed to the sides. A few photos were next to some of the candles or people's names, written in Japanese characters. There were sticks of incense burning too and the whole room had relaxed soft feel to it.
As if on cue, everyone in the warehouse emerged out of their rooms, dressed in garments for special occasions. Some wore traditional Japanese Kimonos; some wore traditional martial arts garments. The Digidestined had found clothes laid out for them in their room and so dressed in them. Cody wore a Hakama with a Haori. Kari wore a long rose coloured Kimono that was very soft and flowing. TK wore a white Kimono with a blue obi across his waist. Davis wore a similar outfit though his sash was green. Yolei wore a plane lilac Japanese Kimono, with her hair tied up with chopsticks and Ken emerged wearing his Judogi with a black belt.
Everyone made their way to the open area in the middle of the warehouse and stood as if they were at an assembly. Ken turned and saw Kouen lighting a candle near two pictures. He couldn't quite make out who they were. She blew out the match and turned to him, smiling. She joined the group of Digidestined and looked at the stage expectantly. Before Ken could ask what they were waiting for, his double walked onto the stage, dressed in the same Judo clothes as him.
He stopped in front of the microphone and waited for everyone to stop talking. When everything became quite, he opened his mouth to speak. His tone was somewhat distant with a forced effort to make it comforting and warm. "My fellow Resistance Fighters, we have come to another year."
There was a burst of cheering and then everything slowly became quiet again.
"It has been a long war and is far from over. I wish I could say that I have a plan to stop it all, but as you know all too well, noting is set in stone. My efforts to assassinate the Kaiser failed and I apologize to you for that. I know so many of you have lost someone to be here. Whether it is their life that was taken, or their freedom. I feel your pain, I truly do. I ask everyone to bow their heads in honor of those who cannot be here tonight in a moment of silence."
Everyone dropped their heads and fell silent. Ken glanced around and noticed some people had their eyes shut. Some where silently letting tears roll down their cheeks. Some where muttering under their breath and then Ken spoke up again. "We are all here for a reason tonight. As you all remember, three years ago, we fought the Kaiser and won. This is our hope that we will do it again. This war is only over when we stop fighting and the Kaiser will have to destroy every single one of us in order for that to happen!"
Again the crowd erupted in a roar of agreement.
"Now!" Ken bellowed, "Enjoy yourselves tonight, live in the now! Eat! Drink and dance!"
The crowd burst into cheering and applauding once again and Yamato's band started playing. Everyone began dancing to the heavy beat.
Ken bowed and jumped off the stage. Kouen, who was wearing her white Ao Dai and her hair in her long braid, walked up to him and asked him if he was ready. He nodded and they walked into the room and closed the door behind them.
Ken watched them and then looked around him. People were doing various things. Some had gone to the cafeteria to eat. Some couples where kissing or dancing with each other in passionate ways. Some people were looking at the photos along the warehouse.
Yamato's song ended and Yolei grabbed Ken's arm, "What is it?" he asked slightly startled by her reaction.
"It's Shinsei!" she pointed at the stage and Ken watched as the girl, dressed in a red corset type dress walked on to the stage. Her black hair was still flowing behind her and her eyes were as piercing as ever. She stepped up to the microphone and Yamato and his band began playing a rather hard rock song, which suddenly became soft, as she began to sing. Her voice was enchanting and powerful.
"Catch me as I fallSay you're here and it's all over now.
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself.
This truth drives me into madness
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away."
Meanwhile, Ken and Kouen were fighting each other. Ken held his sword across his face, while Kouen stood at a distance, her Sais at the ready. Their hearts were beating with the beat of the music penetrating the room and their eyes were locked.
They raced at each other and Kouen managed to block every blow that Ken aimed at her. Then she bent low for a sweeping kick and knocked him off his feet. He landed on his back and sat up quickly. She held out a hand for him but he refused to take it.
"You aren't focusing Ken." She stated harshly.
"I am!"
"No, you are holding back!"
He narrowed his eyes at her, "I don't want to hurt you."
"I can hold my own Ken. This isn't a game. This is real. Go for the kill. You know the Kaiser will." She took her position again and he charged at her, lunging his sword at her chest, but missing every time.
"Don't turn away(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind them)
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep, never die."
Yolei grabbed Ken by the waist and held him close to her. He smiled weakly before leaning his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her slim mid-section. Somehow in all this reality, he felt he needed to hold onto something before he got lost in it. He looked up and into her amber eyes, which were sparkling in the candlelight. Then he leaned in closely and gently but passionately began kissing her. It was the first time he had touched her since he had been controlled and almost raped her. She welcomed his affection and drank in it gratefully.
"I'm frightened by what I seeBut somehow I know there's much more to come.
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be blinded by tears.
I can stop the pain if I will it all away."
"You're still holding back Ken!" Kouen yelled as she managed to knock his sword from his grip once again. Now he had to resort to his own hands.
"I need my sword!" he growled, his way of asking for a break.
"No you don't! Remember what I taught you: Don't rely on the weapon, be a weapon yourself! You don't need it!" With that, she threw down her Sais and charged at him, going to sidekick his waist. He managed to block her by lifting his leg so her kick would hit his shin. Then she made to use her other leg to kick his undefended leg, but he managed to block her again. However, she changed her weight and made an eye-level swooping kick, which connected to his face. He fell to the ground and looked up at her with a glower.
"Your style has changed."
She nodded and offered him a hand, but he refused to take it again. "I taught the Kaiser to fight remember. He knows everything about the way we fight so I decided to create a new style, something he won't expect. Learn it Ken. Study it. It will be the deciding factor of whether you live and he dies or you die and he lives."
He nodded and they began to lock in battle again.
"Don't turn away(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind them)
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep, never die"
It felt like hours that they had been training, though it had been little more than five minutes. This new style of Kouen's was tricky and hard to figure out. He never knew which angle she was going to come from or where she was going to strike until she was too close for him to block it. He staggered and fell backwards again. He was exhausted and he had barely touched her, though she had managed to strike him many times. She had not lied when she said she was going to be hard on him in this session. He now sincerely regretted not resting more, as he was feeling the side effects of the fever and his wounds from Osamu were throbbing painfully. He tired his utmost not to show his pain or fatigue but his head was swimming and he fell to the mat. She waited for him to get up and when he did not she walked over to him and looked down.
"Get up."
"I can't."
"Get. Up."
"I told you I can't!"
"Do you honestly think your brother will give you a time out? Now get up and fight me!"
"Kouen, I don't have the strength, I have no more energy."
"If you have the energy to tell me you have no energy, you are a liar. Take that energy, that strength and transform it into the power you need. When you can no longer talk or move, that is when our training is over."
Ken stared hard at her for a minute and then gathered the strength to stand again. "When did you turn into such a hard-nose bitch?"
"About the same time your brother turned into a cold-blooded killer."
"Fallen Angels at my feetWhispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin?
Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to meet the end."
----~~~~----
Nic: I love this chapter!
Ken: It's very strange.
Nic: I know. Okay, I got the idea for the dancing and festival thing from 'Matrix Reloaded' but elaborated on the idea. Obviously the song that was sung was 'Whisper' by Evanescence.
Kaiser: Is Ken going to turn into a Digimon now that Osamu injected that serum into him?
Nic: No, that was not what caused Kouen to become a Digimon, I'll go into more detail about that next chapter.
Nic: (Updated AN). Okay, I forgot how much I love this chapter. I've been feeling really emotional lately and was playing a song by Sarah McLachan, which always makes me on the verge of tears, and that speech Ken made to Yolei about being alone nearly made me cry!
Ken: Wonder if it did the same to anyone else?
Nic: Yeah, me too. Anyway, thanks for reviewing everyone. I cannot wait to work on the sequel for this, but more importantly, I cannot wait to work on the crossover between Akino Ame and I are going to be working on. It's a crossover between Doppelgangland and With Broken Wings. I think it's going to rock this world! Okay, till next time!