Chapter 40:  Enter the Permeate

            "How is the decoding coming along?"

            "At the expected rate, sir."

            "Hmm…we are expecting more information within the next few days.  Be prepared to decode it, as well."

            "Understood, sir."

******

            "So…we need to test out different types of stones, huh?" Tracy asked.

            "That's what Yolei told us to do," Cleaver said, nodding his head.  "We have a thunder stone, a fire stone, a water stone, and a sun stone…that's it, I guess."

            "What's the plan?" Davis asked.

            "First, use the digi-egg of courage on Veemon."

            "Okay…digi-armor, energize!"

            "Veemon, armor-digivolve to…Flamedramon, the fire of courage!"

            "Now…we try the different stones."

            "The most logical one to try is Brock's fire stone," Tracy thought aloud.  He touched it to Flamedramon's arm.

            "Flamedramon, radio-digivolve to…Magnesium-Flamedramon, the unquenchable fire of courage!"  Magnesium‑Flamedramon had white licks of flame painted on his armor.  He had a pair of red wings, and one of his arms was a cannon with a conduit running from it to his back.

            "Whoa," Davis sputtered.  "That's…radio digivolving?"

            "The way it works for pokémon is that the radiation from the stones lets them evolve," Tracy explained.  "It must work the same way with armor digimon, too."

            "So…we send out pokémon trainers with the Digidestined, and the Monsters?" Davis asked.

            "Looks that way."

            "But I have two digi-eggs that will work on Monsters…which eggs and stones should I use, and who on?"

            "Well, it's easy to guess that the thunder stone will work on Raidramon.  But I dunno about the sun stone---we'll need to test out what works on who later."

            "That doesn't answer my question."

            "We don't know the answer to your question.  We'll need to do more experimenting to find out which stones and eggs will work on who."

Cleaver cut in, "I have a guess how the radio digivolution process works. When we turned the Digidestineds' crests into digi-eggs, we left a few components of the crest programs in the eggs. The idea was that we'd be able to make the digimon stronger, later, but we never used those old components, but we never removed them, either."

"...So you're guessing that the evolution stones somehow activate those crest subroutines?" Tracy guessed.

"Exactly."

Davis and Veemon were dizzy from listening to that techno-babble. "Excuse us," Veemon said.

Cleaver rolled his eyes. "Lesser mortals..."

******

            Tai was Takato's roommate---a thing that Takato had had trouble getting his head around.  But now, Tai was having trouble getting his head around Takato and his weird behavior.  He was never at any of the meals, nor was he doing much of anything along the line of duties---he wasn't on seek patrol because he didn't have Guilmon with him, and he wasn't on cleaning duty---or an orphanage supervisor, for that matter.  It was like he was doing nothing at all, and Tai was surprised that Yolei would allow Takato to do nothing.  He asked Takato about it.

            "Oh, I've been doing a little of this…a little of that…you know…different duty shifts here and there…"

            "What kind of 'a little of this and a little of that'?  I haven't seen you at any of the meals, or anything like that…are you…not eating?"

            "Uh…"

            "Listen, if Agumon were kidnapped, I'd be scared, too.  And I'd lose my appetite.  But it's not good for you to starve yourself.  Even if you're not hungry, you should eat something."

            "Ah…point noted.  I'll do that."

            "Thanks.  And don't worry…you'll get him back."

            "Not likely.  The Empire---*cough!* (excuse me)---Yolei wouldn't let anybody go out there to get him back if the base was depending on it.  She's always neglecting the emotional needs of her underlings…I think you'd make a better leader."

            "Naw, Yolei's better at assigning people and paperwork, and all that stuff.  I'm more into going-out-and-fighting."

            "If you say so.  But I really think you'd be a better leader than she is."

            Tai yawned.  "I don't know about you, but I'm bushed!  I'm getting some shuteye."

            "Go ahead.  I…have some other things I need to do."

            "Don't stay up too late."

            "Oh, don't worry, I won't."  Takato quietly crept out of his room and into Sora's room.  Since it was Sora's shift to be on seek patrol, she wasn't inside---nor was her roommate, Mimi.  He looked at Biyomon's preening comb, and there were a few puffs of down on the teeth.  He plucked a feather off and put it in his pocket.  He quietly crept out of the room, and into Davis's room.  He was Henry's roommate, and Henry didn't seem to be around.  Davis and Veemon were in the thickest of sleep, snoring so loudly that Takato had to turn down the volume on his ears.  He looked at Veemon's helmet, which lay on the floor, away from Veemon's bed.  Good, he thought to himself.  He rubbed the inside of the helmet and wiped his fingers off onto a petri dish.

            "Takato?" Henry asked.

            Takato turned.  He hadn't expected to see Henry there.  "Sorry…I didn't mean to wake you up."

            "What're you here for?"

            "I---was hoping we could talk."

            "What about?"

            "…Are you sure we should talk here?  I mean…I don't want to wake Davis or Veemon up."

            "Oh, there's no danger of that.  If they can sleep through each other's snoring, then they can sleep through us talking."

            "Okay…if you say so…  One question---what do you think of Yolei?"

            "Well---I dunno…I never liked her on the TV show."

            Hello!  …I wonder what he's talking about? Takato wondered to himself.  "Well…neither did I.  But what do you think of her now?"

            "I guess she's okay.  I mean, I didn't like her telling me that nobody could look for you, but…"

            "She said that?"

            "Well…" Henry sighed.  "I don't mean to be saying bad things about her behind her back."

            "Then don't tell me anything that isn't true."

            "…Okay.  She said, and I quote, 'I'm sorry, Henry…but we just don't have the time to go after him.  He's just not that important.' "

            "Some attitude for a leader!  I'm really touched that she feels so strongly about me!"

            "My thoughts exactly when I first heard what she said.  But…well, I don't mean to insult you…don't take this the wrong way…but she might've---kinda been right.  I mean, if you hadn't slipped out of that throwback's shovel, we might not have been able to get you back alive, anyways. They would've used you as a hostage or---"

            "I'm really touched by your sympathy, too!" Takato spat.  He turned his back and stormed out of the room.

            Terriermon asked, "Did he take it the wrong way?"

            "I think so…but that's really not like him.  Maybe something is really wrong with him…?"