The
Ivani Chronicles : Book 1- Evacuation : Chapter 1- Message in a
Bottle
"We're
gonna get wrecked; we've gotta get out of here, now!" came
Yolei's yell of warning across the battlefield. She, along with the
rest of the Digidestined, had been responding to a distress call they
received from a village in the Digital World, which was on the verge
of entering its spring season. After their hasty transport through
dimensions, they found themselves face-to-face with a goliath
digimon, if it even was a digimon. It had met them with a fierce
attack, "Infernal Cannon," and the group was forced to
engage it in combat in the middle of the town. They had now drawn the
battle away from the town, to a cliff running alongside it, but were
being beaten badly. They now had little choice but to abandon the
attack and flee.
"Yeah, Davis, come on; this isn't going
anywhere!" TK shouted, hoping to knock some sense into their
fearless leader, who always seemed to make decisions without
consultation and possessed legendary stubbornness. A moment later,
Patamon and Armadillomon rolled to TK's feet, having been blasted out
of their DNA form to the rookie level.
"No, I'm not
leaving until that big ugly thing is destroyed!" Davis retorted.
Blinded by his emotions and the biting wind of the ebbing season, he
simply could not see the fact that only greater harm would come from
persistence.
"Infernal Cannon!" the mammoth creature
yelled as it raised its right arm, releasing a scorching flame with
incredible accuracy. Sylphimon broke apart, dropping Salamon and
Hawkmon to the ground, utterly exhausted and shivering.
"Fine,
then we're leaving without you; we're not risking our skins now that
the villagers have been evacuated. Let's go, everyone!" Cody
called as he retrieved Armadillomon and ran for the monitor. Yolei
and Kari followed suit. Ken and TK decided to drag Davis to the TV,
since his obsession with winning was keeping him glued to the spot,
as well as putting him in mortal peril.
"Look, with
Imperialdramon being the only one, we don't stand a-" Ken was
cut off by a tremor inducing blast. "Never mind. Now that
they've all been blasted, can we please leave?" Ken pleaded as
he retrieved the unconscious Wormmon and Veemon from the
ground.
"Fine," Davis receded, "you win. Let's go."
He ran back to the screen with Ken and TK following. Cody and Yolei
were the first to reach the screen, opening the gate and passing
through it, but Kari had run back to grab her camera. It had fallen
off in the confusion. TK saw the camera and changed course as Ken and
Davis reached the screen and warped through it.
TK reached the
camera as he skidded to a stop, snatched it up and bolted at the
monitor. Kari again changed course, ending up right beside TK.
Unfortunately, their opponent seemed to realize their delay and used
this to its advantage. It fired another flame shot, now concentrated
into a sphere and targeted at the TV, just as TK and Kari were about
to pass through the screen. This caused not only the destruction of
their escape route, but hurtled both of them back with incredible
force.
TK flew straight into the cliff face, and hearing a
horrible crunch as he slammed into the rock wall told him that his
legs were all but removed from his body. Across from him, he saw Kari
slam into a jutting rock some distance away arm-first. She collapsed
into a heap, unconscious. TK, now feeling faint from pain, was only
able to keep consciousness long enough to see the gargantuan beast
take aim on Kari and fire.
Kari had little memory of what had occurred; she only remembered making a dash for the TV then seeing fire. She didn't know whish side of the screen she'd been on; whether she was okay or not was a mystery.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was fuzzy, but she could tell that it was nighttime and that she was either in some sort of cave or outside. Either way, it wasn't good. She blinked a few times to try and restore her sight, clearing away sleep from her eyes with her hands. The area came into focus.
She was indeed in a cave, and a fairly vast one at that. She couldn't move much, and an incredible pain in her arm told her that she must have been on the wrong side of the screen. Unable to move with the stabbing pain in her arm, she tried to see whatever she could from her seat. She was amazed to see that there were furnishings in the cave, although makeshift. There was a card table and four chairs set up to one side, several torch-like structures were attached to the walls, lit, and a small circle of rocks with a small fire inside it lay near her feet. A crossbar was set up above it, holding what looked like a cauldron. She realized that she wasn't lying on a rock surface, but a softer material. Carefully looking over her right shoulder, she received an explanation: she was on a bed of leaves. "Curious," she thought, taking in the unusual decor. The entire room had an ominous yet sheltering feeling to it, and it was strangely calming. She soon came back to reality, and remembered hearing a voice. Who was it? It sounded familiar.
Her eyes then landed on a silver, humanoid robot. It instantly grabbed her attention. Her mind was racing: "How did I miss that before?""Oh, you're awake; I was hoping you'd come around soon," came a voice from within the metallic creature. It then paused. "I suppose I look rather robotic in this thing, huh?"
"Who're you?" Kari asked, losing her manners in a growing headache. It began as soon as she had awoken, making her current condition all the worse.
"Well, give me a second; let me get this thing off," said the voice. It seemed warm and soothing, making her relax a bit. The robot then released a sudden jet of steam from the joint where the neck met the rest of the machine. The helmet withdrew, sliding backwards until perpendicular to the ground. When the steam cleared, the face of a young-looking teen was revealed.
"TK?" Kari gasped. She was completely mystified. "What's going on? What is that thing? Where'd you get it? How-"
"Whoa, slow down there, Kari," The teen replied. "I'm not TK. He's on the bed next to you." He gestured to Kari's left.
Kari looked to her left, only to see something that nearly reduced her to tears. TK was lying, unconscious, next to her. His head was bandaged, and his legs looked like they had been shattered in several places. They seemed more like jelly than legs. "What happened?" she choked out, horrified by the physical state of her best friend.
"He took a bit of a flight when the blast went off in front of him, just as you did, but he was less fortunate," The person within robotic suit replied nonchalantly. "He went hurtling into the cliff wall, knee-first. Not the best way to fall."
"How can you be so heartless? He's must be dying!" Kari screamed, tears now flooding from her eyes.
"Hey, I'm not being heartless, it's my job to protect the two of you," The teen answered calmly. "Don't worry too much, he won't die. Just wait for Madina. I sent her an urgent signal once I took care of that imposter of a digimon. Those stupid robotic things are death traps for digimon." After a pause, he noticed Kari's quizzical face and added, "Relax. I'll explain everything. Have some of this; it will make you feel better. You haven't eaten all day." He handed her a bowl of red broth-like soup.
"What is this?" Kari asked, examining the liquid from her prone position.
"Requallo Squash Soup; tastes great, almost like tomato – not that I remember tomato soup very well anymore," He mentioned with a nervous laugh.
Kari dared to have a spoonful, and discovered that he was right. It was remarkably like tomato soup, perhaps even better. "Incredible," she said.
"Now then, what would you like me to explain first?" Asked the teen. "We'll have plenty of time, no need to rush."
"Um, who are you, exactly? And what's with the armor?" Kari asked as she continued to slurp her bowl of soup, regaining her initial curiosity.
"Ahhh, a good place to start, as well as very logical," the boy replied. He then turned slightly and mumbled something incoherent to himself. The entire suit burst with light. The armor started to ripple and break, but instead of shattering, it flowed like mercury. It merged into a stream and started to collect at the center of the chest plate, condensing itself down as more of the strange fluid collected. As the last of the substance came to the center, it continued to condense until it was the size of a pea. It then disappeared into an amulet around the boy's neck, which was the only thing visible in the blinding flash of light. As soon as the light transformation had come, it was gone, the whole ordeal lasting barely two seconds. Now standing before her was the same teen-ager, no longer a robot but in full human form.
"Wow," Kari breathed, staring at the person who seemingly appeared out of thin air and replaced the robotic person. He was nearly six feet tall, about a foot shorter than the robot had been. He looked somewhat like TK, and yet was starkly different. Had the same unkempt hair as TK, only slightly darker and of a brownish shade, the same crystal-blue eyes, and the same loving smile. However, his body was very different. Although tall and thin like TK, he appeared to be carrying a great burden. Although he held his square shoulders high, and looked almost regal in his casual clothes, fatigue and age seemed to be pulling at every inch of his frame. One may have thought him to be nearly a full five years older than he really was, his maturity having outrun his age and caused the whole process to speed up.
He was wearing a plain, dark blue T-shirt boasting no logo, cargo pants of a tan shading, black hiking shoes, and a black fleece sweater. The ensemble matched well enough and made him look even more dignified. His clothes looked slightly worn, as though he had been traveling for some time, but were quite clean. One major feature that she noticed was a long, black leather sheath, hanging from his waist with what looked like the hilt of a sword extending from the top.
"What is that?" she asked, though already knowing the answer.
"Oh, yeah, that," he said, snapping back to reality. His gaze had been on the mouth of the cave before. "That would be my sword." No sooner had he said this than the weapon was fully unsheathed, the point in the ground. "I've been training with it for years now, I can move at a speed that many will not be able to see, and can put enough force into it to cleave rocks. It's sharp enough to separate hairs, and sturdy enough to be caught under a falling tree and still be as straight as it is now."
"I see," Kari said, trying to take in the power of the sword. "What do you use it for?"
"The same thing that I use this for," he replied, indicating his amulet.
"What does that-" She never finished her question, for a great wind entered the tunnel and the boy turned expectantly to the entrance of the cave. A moment later, the gale calmed and another robotic suit appeared. This one was red, inlaid with golden highlights, and had feminine features to it."Showing off again, Ivan?" asked the new figure.
"Merely explaining my capabilities," the boy responded sheepishly. "I was showing Kari the Amulet of Ivani."
"Oh, I see," she responded with subtle sarcasm. She looked over at the two people on the ground. "Now what did you signal me f-" She stopped herself. She had noticed TK's legs and Kari's arm as she spoke. "Never mind. I understand."
"Great; this is really your field," The boy responded. "I was hoping you'd be able to help."
"Just let me recall Madina," she said with a sigh. She whispered an unintelligible phrase just as the boy had. With a nearly identical wave of incandescent light, the red body suit withdrew from the figure's body into an amulet. As the light faded, the girl who had seemingly been piloting the machine came into focus.
She was much shorter than the boy, reaching only his shoulder, but Kari could tell that she was still tall and strong in spirit. She had dark auburn hair with subtle, natural blond streaks in it, pulled back into a ponytail. She had bright brown eyes that seemed to glow with life and energy. Her face was beautiful, with every feature set in perfect place. However, she appeared to be affected greatly by the ebb of time, taking on more years than were initially intended for her. She reminded Kari of a friend of hers, but the name was lost in the pain coming from her head. Nonetheless, the same composure remained. Standing tall, she appeared thin and delicate, but Kari guessed that more of her strength came from within; the defiant, passionate look in her eyes confirmed this.
She wore a bright white T-shirt, a pair of faded, dark blue jeans and white tennis shoes. Having no warm outer garments, she was slightly under dressed for the cool temperature in the cave. Attached to her belt was a small red satchel, perhaps big enough for a baseball.
The girl quickly opened the pouch and reached inside as both she and Ivan kneeled down beside Kari's broken right arm. "By the way, I'm Madelyn, but call me Maddie, only my parents ever called me by my real name," the girl said as she removed the gauss from around Kari's arm. "And this is Ivan, in case he didn't introduce himself."
"Must've slipped my mind," the boy, Ivan, mumbled
"As always," Maddie commented slyly.
"Hey! It's not my fault I get too wrapped up in explaining things!" Ivan said in defense.
"Just keep her calm and distracted while I work," she told him. "Focusing on this will only make it worse."
"Right," Ivan said, looking up from Kari's arm to her face. "Don't worry: there's no doctor, digital world or real world, that knows more about medicine and healing than Maddie. No one is more qualified to give treatment to the two of you."
"That's a relief," Kari said, only half-believing him. Continuing with her soup, her pain in both her arm and her head seemed to deaden. The dulling effects of the soup were surprising.
"Now then, I was in the middle of explaining my pennant when Maddie arrived," Ivan said, coming back to the point when he had been interrupted. Maddie, Kari noticed, was now cleaning the open wound on her arm with gauss and had set up a large array of equipment next to her that she hadn't seen before. She had the lightest touch; Kari could hardly tell that Maddie was even there. However, the sight of her arm was enough to nearly make her faint. Her flesh had been ripped and tattered, and the bare bone was visible. The other problem was that the bone was in three pieces, which Kari was sure was two too many. However, the fact that her arm was numb and that Maddie had many kinds of binding materials and medicines laid out kept her from screaming. Her curiosity, in contrast, grew. Looking back up at Ivan, she listened to his explanation.
"This is the Amulet of Ivani, an ancient relic that had been entrusted to the care of Azulongmon, the Keeper of the orbs of Hope and Light."
"Oh, the dragon digimon," Kari interrupted, remembering the first time she met the mysterious digimon when they had stopped Black WarGreymon nearly three years ago.
"Yes, that's him," Ivan replied. "Now, when I was twelve, both of my parents lost their lives in a car crash, leaving me to be an orphan. I was sent to live with my grandparents. I went online one day to check out my stocks, which my grandfather had shown me, when an E-mail icon appeared.
"I read the E-mail with interest, since I rarely got any. It was very mysterious, for it described a world that I had only dreamed of: a world of freedom and adventure, a world of dreams, a world where digital information became real – The Digital World. There was a return address, and said to send a reply if I wanted to learn more. I thought that it was probably some new website advertisement, but replied anyway. An hour later, as I was about to sign off, the E-mail warning went off again. The E-mail was from the same person. This one had a file attachment that I downloaded after scanning for viruses. I booted up the program, and felt a rush of wind like never before. I was brought to The Digital World.
"I never learned how exactly it had been done, but the program had the power to bring me here. After the initial shock of finding myself outside on a mountain, I looked up to get an even greater surprise. There was a serpent-like dragon stretching across the sky floating not twenty feet above me. It looked down at me and gave me a long lecture. I'll spare you the details, but give you the gist of it:
"Azulongmon is a Keeper of the Digital World, one of four. Each was in charge of guarding two orbs of energy. Each orb had a specific balance to keep: Love, Courage, Friendship, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, and Light. These balances are reflected in your crests. Although each of the Keepers can protect their orbs, they are pacifists, those who cannot or choose not to fight. By mutual agreement, each of the Keepers had decided to recruit a person from our world to help them. I was one of the lucky four chosen for the job. He said that I would be needed to aid him in defending the orbs, as well as taking the offensive against evil, to keep it from getting too strong. However, I was not alone in my endeavor. Maddie, Hakin, and Sera were also recruited to aid in the task. In addition, each of us befriended a Digimon. I met Houndramon, while Maddie met Filmaramon."
"Who?" Kari asked.
"Houndramon is a large dog digimon, ultimate form, quite powerful for such, but also great company. Filmaramon is a shape-shifter digimon, also an ultimate, often taking on the form of a cat or another small, fuzzy animal since Maddie loves small and fuzzy things.
"When we first came here, we were each quite skilled in the wilderness, but only our Digimon could really fight, as it is for you and the rest of the Digidestined. However, the Keepers called us here to fight, not to command minions. Therefore, we were each presented with a digi-core from our respective Keeper. When we held them, they exploded with energy, enveloping us in a soft warm light. It soon formed and hardened into the suits of armor that we were wearing earlier this evening. Though they look similar on the outside, each is very different internally. The controls were designed exactly for us, as a kind of security measure, should the power fall in to the wrong hands. Each suit was obvious for us to understand and control. It was like getting a computer and already knowing how to make everything work.
"With these suits, all of our physical capabilities are greatly enhanced, and each suit had different powers. These powers have a direct relationship with each of us, the skills showing how we wish to handle a situation. Mine, for example, has the ability to create a powerful restraining net, fire a few variations of energy projectiles, and create a multitude of shields and barriers with a special cannon. It is by these abilities that each of us was given our title. I am 'Ivani the Guardian,' Maddie is 'Madina the Healer,' Hakin is 'Haitaku the Striker,' and Sera is 'Sentiga the Ranger.' I have Defensive powers, reflecting my protective and defensive nature. Maddie has medicinal powers, mirroring her caring and soothing nature. Hakin has Offensive powers, portraying his strength and power. Sera has stealth and scouting skills, matching her curious and secretive nature. Using these powers in unison, we're unstoppable, but unison is a rarity with so many places in need of protection.
"With that said, I'll get to my amulet. This relic has very powerful magical capabilities, such as the ability to store and release energy. Now even though our new armored suits were great, we still wanted to be able to walk on our own feet. Each of our Keepers taught us a special verse, which only we know, that will call upon the powers of our amulet. The amulet then pulls the digi-core's energy off of our bodies and stores it until we recite another verse, which releases the energy and the armor takes form again."
There was a long pause, followed by a nervous laugh from Ivan. "I apologize for the lengthy description, but it was important that you get a complete answer," he concluded, now helping Maddie close up Kari's arm. Putting down her empty bowl and observing the open wound on her sore arm, she saw that Maddie had made incredible progress. The bone was now realigned, and the regrowth of her flesh progressed at an almost visible rate. This made her see that Ivan had been right; Maddie knew exactly what she was doing. "Sleep would be a good idea now, we can explain more in the morning. First, however, I think you may want to say good night to Salamon."
Ivan lifted up another leafy bed on TK's left, which held the sleeping form of Salamon. She was in terrible shape, covered in bruises, cuts, and burns. Maddie assured the distraught, younger girl that digimon heal at exceptional rates, and that Salamon would be back to normal in a day or two.
"I have a couple more questions," Kari said rolling over to face TK. The sight of him brought back her fear for his life in full. "Where are the other two kids that you mentioned, Hakin and Sera?"
"I wish I could say," Maddie replied, now opening the bandages around TK's left leg, which now hardly resembled a leg. Kari nearly choked at the sight. The bone there made Kari's arm look normal. The bleeding, tattered flesh around the open wounds made Kari doubt Maddie again. "Don't worry, he'll be back to normal soon enough, after all, I am the great Maddie! But he did manage to get his legs pretty mangled.
"Hakin and Sera have been under radio silence for some time now. I'm glad that I wasn't, or this may not have had such a happy ending." Kari cringed. After a moment, Maddie went on, "Last I heard they were going to further investigate the Northern Assembly Plant, trying to see what it would take to remove the security."
"Plant?" Kari inquired.
"That creature you were fighting was mechanical, as I mentioned," Ivan answered her. "There are four plants building these behemoths, one in the north, one in the south, and two in the east. The security at these places is very hard to breach, we've already had two failed attempts."
"They're just methodical; we'll break through it soon," Maddie said, hoping to raise Ivan's spirits. She seemed to be shivering slightly.
"Are you cold, Maddie?" Ivan asked quickly, concern in his voice.
"A little," She replied. "I'm more tired, actually."
"Tell me about it; seems like we never get any sleep these days," Ivan answered as he crossed over, removed his fleece jacket, and put it around Maddie's shoulders
"Thanks," she said, blushing slightly.
"What a gentleman," Kari said silently.
"Anytime, now let's finish this so you can get some sleep too. Don't want to miss breakfast, though. I'm making my famous Ditrimal juice and Yavigaaz waffles!" Maddie's response was much more enthusiastic than Kari's was since the words sounded extensively foreign to the latter girl.At that moment, a beeping noise was emitted from Kari's pocket. Carefully reaching down, She extracted the source: her D-Terminal. Flipping up the screen, she found that she had a few new E-mails. Three were from Davis, one from Yolei, Cody, and Ken, and one from Tai. Each was asking, or more accurately imploring, where she was, if she was okay, and to reply ASAP. She had completely forgotten that no one knew what had happened to she and TK.
Ivan had noticed Kari get the terminal out and was presently looking over her shoulder with interest. "It's been so long since I've used a generic computer," he said, almost longingly. "The closest thing to technology that I've been in contact with in the last three years is Ivani. Never forgot how to use 'em though; photographic memory." He tapped his forehead for emphasis. "Got a messenger program on there?"
"No, these never came with IM," Kari replied.
"On the contrary," Ivan said reaching over her shoulder. Pressing a quick succession of at least thirty keys, a display popped up asking for a screen name and message. "Works just like any other version – type in their screen name here, and your message here. They will receive the message and be able to respond. They don't even need to know the entry code."
"Where'd you learn that?" Kari asked, astounded. She always thought she knew her D-Terminal inside and out.
"A little experimentation and a lot of curiosity," he stated. "I know more about these things than their makers do, and I can make just about anything on a computer work on these little miracles. I was very busy when I was with my grandparents." Ivan concluded with a proud smile.
"Yet you still can't locate the liver on a human body, let alone most of the other organs," Maddie scoffed, knocking Ivan from his aloofness. "The brain is the only one you know, since you had it replaced with a computer chip."
"Yeah, yeah, ridicule me at every chance, don't you? Never miss an opportunity."
"You bet. Although I wouldn't be forced to if you didn't try to show off all the time."
"I can never win," Ivan whispered in Kari's ear. "It's not worth arguing with Maddie, she's a great person and incredibly intelligent, but very stubborn."
"Although I'd love to listen to you two argue," Kari interjected, raising her D-Terminal with her good arm, "I would like to stop my brother from killing himself with worry and send him an E-mail. The problem is, I can only use one hand, which makes it hard to both hold and type on the terminal."
"Sorry, I forgot; pass it here," Ivan responded, turning from Maddie to Kari. Taking the silvery object from Kari's hand, he opened the protective cover and loaded the E-mail window. As Kari dictated her letter, Ivan typed it. Kari spoke at a nearly normal speed, and somehow Ivan had managed to type it all in at the same speed. Next, Kari dictated a letter to Yolei, Cody, and Ken, but decided not to respond to Davis' letters.
"Good idea," Ivan responded as he read over the letters Davis had sent. "He seems to be asking personal questions that not only do not relate to the current situation, but I personally find quite offensive. Where does he get off asking this stuff of a fourteen year-old? Jeez, where'd he learn that? He's one lovesick puppy that doesn't understand subterfuge in the least. What a pity."
"I'm guessing he has a few issues?" Maddie questioned, making assumptions from what Ivan had said.
"Not really," Kari replied, though not understanding why she was defending Davis. "I mean, he is crazy about me, which I don't like, and he doesn't quit at anything, he's far too stubborn, which can be a problem. But, other than me, Davis is pretty okay if he wants to be, even cool at times, when he's not trying to brag about skill that he doesn't have."
"I see," Maddie said thoughtfully. "What about your other friends? Yolei, Cody, Ken, and TK? Tell us a little about them, too. We haven't seen any of you, except occasionally from a distance."
"Well, to be completely objective, they're all great people but they each have a few quirks," Kari said after a thoughtful pause. "Yolei, for example is a kind, caring person when it comes to anyone but boys her age. With boys, however, she's a bit different. She's very radical, either falling in love with or despising each boy she meets. Humorous in a way, but something that has diminished with age. Nowadays she's more careful and less extreme.
"Then there's Cody, who is quite different. Anyone he knows he treats with great respect, but he is much less accepting of others. For example, back when Ken first started to fight with us, Cody was the last to truly accept him, but once he did, the two became great friends. You should see them now; they look like they've been friends since Cody entered kindergarten. Again, his flaw has decreased over the years. Now he would not be as brash, and would forgive others more quickly.
"Ken has a flaw which is different from anyone else I know, but that's probably because the flaw kept him out of contact with us. It's isolation. When Ken finally receded from 'Digimon Emperor' status to nothing, he asked no one for help, simply taking all of the blame on himself. This made it much harder for him to join us, and he wanted to liberate himself before talking to anyone. But his condition is nearly gone since now he hangs out with many other kids that he once hated. Also, he is great friends with all of us and is always accepting of anyone new.
"TK," Kari said slowly, trying to find proper words. "TK's different."
"How so?" Maddie asked looking up momentarily from the application of a medicinal potion.
"Well, I don't really know what flaws he has," Kari answered uncertainly. "He can be a little stubborn, and a bit rash, but he's got no major flaws like the others, except that he can be selfless."
"Selfless?" Ivan inquired, looking up as well. "What's wrong with that?"
"He's always watching out for everyone, but he never cares about what happens to him," Kari replied, looking over at TK. "His injury is my fault. If I hadn't dropped my camera, we'd both be back in the Real World. But if he hadn't noticed, or cared so much about me so he did what he did, at least he would be safe."
"True, but if he had not done so, what do you think he would be doing to himself now?" Ivan's question sent Kari deep into thought. She had never thought about being separated from the golden-haired boy for more than a day or two ever since he moved into Odaiba. His companionship had come to the point of being a granted security in her life. "You know how much he cares about you, and if he had been on the other side of the television he would fall apart. Besides, it isn't as though he could stop himself from helping others. Such is one of the blessings he received from higher powers upon his birth. Think of his actions not as a flaw, but as an astounding display of courage and love. Did you see Davis going out of his way to help you?"
"That was kind of my point in the first place," Kari replied after a moment's thought. "He doesn't have any major flaws, not that I can see, anyway."
"If only she knew what that meant about her feelings for him," The brown-haired boy said to himself, his eyes shying away. Ivan knew exactly what Kari felt for TK, the challenge for him now was to ensure that TK accepted and returned it to Kari. At least, he had to do so if his plan was to succeed.
"I apologize, Kari," Ivan began after a moment's silence. "We have kept you awake far too long; sleep is vital now. I hope that we can be moving out tomorrow, and for that to happen, we need you to sleep. We shall wake you for breakfast. Do not worry, TK is in good hands, and shall be ready to go tomorrow as well. Sleep and let your concerns fall from your shoulders."
Kari wished desperately to stay awake. She had so many unanswered questions, so many worries and doubts that needed correction and reassurance, so many hopes and prayers that needed confirmation and answers.However, exhaustion was starting to overpower her, acting like a lead weight on her body. The pains in her arm were returning, too. The soup's effects were wearing off. Consciousness was leaving her, and she knew that she would soon be lost amongst her dreams. Doing her best to fight it, she watched TK. His golden hair had partially fallen over his closed eyes. The gentle yet subtle smile on his lips assured her that he was still alive, and she closed her eyes tightly, as if to keep his image in her memory for as long as possible. Whispering a loving good night to TK, she lost her grip on reality, falling into her dreamland.
She fell asleep seeing TK getting his left leg rebandaged and his right leg surgically opened by the two people that she had only just met, yet trusted unquestioningly for some reason. Sadly for her, if Kari thought that she was going to have a restful sleep, she was far from the truth.