Chapter 12

Woven

"Get a couple things off her chest?" Mega asked, "you can't possible mean-"

"That's exactly what I mean." Terra interjected.

"What in front of everyone?" Proto asked, "You do know what'll happen if the wrong person hears that don't you?"

"Yeah, I know, moral quagmire, and that's why I tried to dissuade her, but she's set in this, she's not going to change her mind. She said that if Manuela or the chief were there that she'd wait, even Famous."

"You really hold her to that?" Chaud asked.

"Hopefully," Terra replied. "What other choice do I have?"

"I can not believe you." Whisper continued when her father remained speechless, "were you ever going to tell me, or were you going to let me walk around an amnesiac for the rest of my life?"

"Skyler I-" Dr. Javedson started when Whisper cut him off.

"You know what, I don't want to hear any of your excuses," Whisper said, "And do you know what the worse part of this is? I actually have to have Regal to thank for getting my memory back, if you had anything planned for me to do it can wait until tomorrow." Whisper said as she turned around and headed for the door. When it opened she saw Terra, Lan, Mega, Chaud, Proto, Tasha and Breeze all in the hall, she took one look at them and kept on walking.

When Terra looked back into the lab she saw her dad start to come toward her. "Don't even bother." Terra said as she turned her back and walked away as well leaving the rest of the gang not sure what to do.

"You guys should probably go home and get some rest," Dr. Hikari said taking control of the situation. "Don't worry about coming back tomorrow."

"Ok," the whole group replied gratefully as they left.

Once Dr. Hikari was sure they were gone he turned to Dr. Javedson, "Jonah, what did you do?" he asked.

"Skyler wait!" Terra called as she tried to catch up with her sister, "Sky, I'm in good shape I can keep up with you!" she called again once she reached her. Whisper stopped when she did.

"He doesn't care," Whisper said, "I told him that I knew and he had nothing to say."

"Did you ever think that maybe he was surprised?" Terra asked.

"Since when are you on his side?"

"I'm not on his side," Terra replied, "I'm just stating the obvious."

"So now what do we do?"

"I don't know-" Terra started to reply when she was cut off.

"Terra, Whisper, wait up!" two voices called out, when both girls turned around they saw Mega and Lan trying to catch up with them. "Thanks," they said simultaneously once they reached them.

"So are you guys ok?" Mega asked as the group started to walk.

"I guess," Whisper replied, "as ok as anyone can be anyway."

"Where's everyone else?" Terra asked.

"Home or going home," Lan replied, "there was no point in sticking around once you guys left, dad said we could leave, we don't even have to come in tomorrow. I think he knows we need the time off. Oh, and before I forget here." Lan said as he reached in his pocket and handed Terra her locket. "Seems like when Regal took us you lost this, Tasha found it."

"I hadn't even missed it. Thank you." Terra said as she reached for it and put it around her neck.

"Well that's good," Whisper replied, "I don't think I could take another practice after today."

"So what are you two going to do now?" Mega asked.

"Go home." Whisper replied.

"That isn't exactly what I was asking." Mega admitted.

"You mean about our mom?" Terra asked, both Mega and Lan nodded in answer. "We don't really know, we want to tell her but this whole situation is just so awkward. We're not really sure how we want to go about it."

"Are you absolutely sure that your mom doesn't know what happened?" Lan asked.

"Well sure, I mean reason would she have had not to say anything in all these years?" Whisper asked.

"We don't know, I guess that would be a question you'd have to ask her." Mega replied.

"Chaud are you ok?" Proto asked, on the ride home he had become uncharacteristically quiet.

"Yeah, he replied, "I was just thinking about Mom and how she kept the secret for so long, it must have been hard on her."

"Not really, a lot more people knew than you think," Proto replied, "what really hurt her was having to keep it from you."

"Who?" Chaud asked.

"The whole house staff knew."

"Oh yeah," Chaud said as he remembered the entry from the diary, "I forgot about that."

"Now what is it?" Proto asked when Chaud got oddly quiet again.

"Nothing really, I guess everything with Regal just reminded me how much I missed Mom. I still miss her."

"You're not the only one." Proto added.

"I wonder what Terra and Whisper are doing right now." Lan said as he sat in his computer chair at his desk. Both he and Mega had made it back home, much to the gratitude of their mother that they were safe.

"Who knows, they could be doing almost anything." Mega replied as he sat across from him on the bed. "What I want to know is what Dad's doing right now."

"Probably still chewing out Dr. J," Lan replied as he looked over at the clock seeing that it was now 10:45 pm., "he's been at it for a while."

"Yeah," Mega agreed also taking notice of the time, "and we should be getting to bed."

"Why?" Lan asked, "tomorrow's Sunday, it's not like we have anything to do, we don't even have practice."

"That's not the point, it's the principle," Mega replied as he grabbed one of the pillows off Lan's bed and threw it at him.

"Well fine then, get out," Lan replied as he grabbed hold of the pillow and threw it back.

"Well this is a nice change," Mega said as he easily caught the projectile, "You're actually listing to me for once."

"Yeah well don't get use to it," Lan replied, "I just realized that I was dead on my feet, but I can't go to sleep with you looking at me so get outta here."

"I use to look over you all the time."

"Yeah, I know," Lan replied, "but back then I could put you in stasis mode to make you quit, now get out!" Lan said as he grabbed a nearby CD case and chunked it at Mega.

"Fine," Mega replied as he dodged the case and got up from the bed and walked over to the door that led to the a joining bedroom opening and closing it before Lan had the chance to throw something else. Turning around he looked at the room that had recently become his own again. About a month after Lan had found out about him their mom had gone a little crazy for a minute and had updated it for him. At first it was strange sleeping in a bed and not a PET, he had done it to begin with to please his mom, but then he soon found himself graduating to the routine, after that it had become second nature. Sometimes it seemed like the past eight years hadn't happened, that he was still human, but as soon as a fuse box blew or a dimensional area appeared, the classic signs of a darkloid attack, that feeling would vanish. Although he wasn't fully a navi he wasn't fully human either. His thoughts continued to bounce back and forth until he lost track of time, he was only brought back into the real world when his dad came home.

"Hub, you're still up?" Dr. Hikari asked as he opened the boy's door.

"Oh," Mega replied as he looked at the clock noticing that it was past midnight, "I guess I just lost track of time, you're home awfully late."

"I had a pretty long talk with Whisper and Terra's dad." Dr. Hikari replied, "I had no idea what he did to those girls. He said what he did he did he did out of desperation at the time, that he was afraid that Terra might say something in front of the wrong person, and that a moral quagmire would follow. But that's still no excuses. Just like it's no excuse what I did."

"Dad it's ok," Mega replied, "both Lan and I have put that all into the past, we've forgiven you."

"I know you have," Dr. Hikari replied, "But all of this with Jonah just reminded me what you and I haven't spoken about. Lan brought it up right away but you never have."

"Dad, it's ok we don't have too-" Mega started to say but he was cut off.

"But we do Hub, I don't want 20 years to pass and have you start to harbor resentment, because of something you never expressed now. I don't want my relationship with you to get as rocky as Jonah's is going to be with Terra and Skyler. I want you to tell me what you felt all those years." Dr. Hikari asked as a silence began to form.

"Loneliness," Mega replied breaking it pouring our his heart, crossing some invisible barrier he had put up sometime in his past, "that's what I felt. For five years I was by myself, it's not that I didn't like having you around it was just that I missed everyone else, Mom, Lan, Maylu. All those years it seemed like I was a ghost, I could see my family and friends interact but I couldn't be a part of it, I couldn't be with them. Then for a while after you gave me to Lan it was worse; I was lonelier than ever. I was back in my universe but I couldn't be me, I was dead to him. After a while it got better, I guess I adapted, I even got use to the lying. But I'm glad that all that's over, I don't have to feel so confused anymore."

"Hub, I'm so sorry," Dr. H replied, "I wish I could do it all over."

"But you can't," Mega mentioned, "and don't worry about it, things have turned out ok, believe it or not I'm happy."

"Really?"

"Really."

Back at the Javedson residence both Terra and Whisper remained on the front porch. Whisper wasn't ready to go in and Terra was waiting patiently by her side, little did they know they were being watched.

Inside the house Amy Javedson watched her daughters outside, they had been out there a while and by the looks of it, it seemed like Terra was comforting her sister. That meant only one thing. They knew the truth…

"Are you ready to go in?" Terra asked, honestly she was tired of staying outside.

"Not really," Whisper replied, "I mean Mom's in there Airie, what am I suppose to do, walk in the door and say, 'Hi mom, remember me, I'm your dead daughter.'

"Well it is always best to rip the bandage off quickly." Terra said.

"You can't be serious."

"Ok, maybe you should show more consideration and tact, but you're going to have to tell her somehow and however you spin it it's going to sound ridiculous. That's just the way it is."

"How can you be so calm?"

"Believe me, I'm not," Terra replied, "I just think it's pointless in wasting energy off it. So are you going to go in or not?"

"Are you rushing me?" Whisper asked.

"Skyler, we have been out here for an hour and a half, it dark, I'm tired, and the mosquitoes are starting to bite and unlike you I'm susceptible to West Nile, plus I'm sick of being out here! Can we please go in?" Terra pleaded.

"Are you girls ok?" a new voice asked, when Whisper and Terra turned around they saw that it was their mom.

"Yeah," Terra replied begrudgingly, "Whisper's just a little rattled."

"Well rattled or not you girls should come in, it's way past late." Mrs. Javedson said opening the opening the door wider.

"Ok," Terra said happy to obey, Whisper on the other hand was nervous, she had wanted to approach her mom at her own pace, now she was thrown for a loop.

"I'll check the security system, I need something to keep myself busy, I'm not ready to settle down," Whisper said as she walked in touching the console and disappeared in a flash, she wanted to give herself more time.

"Wow, I haven't seen your sister this flustered or nervous in years." Mrs. Javedson commented.

"Yeah I know what you mean," Terra said before it finally registered what her mother had just said, "wait, what?" she asked.

"I know sweetie, I've known for years, come with me, there's a lot I need to tell you." Mrs. Javedson replied as she led Terra into the kitchen.

"How do know? How could you tell?" Terra asked thoroughly confused, this was all happening way to fast for her to keep up, "I didn't think that dad told you."

"A mother can tell anything about her children Terra, and your dad didn't tell me," Mrs. J replied, "he just thought that I'd never find out until her was ready for me to know."

"What made you think that Skyler was still alive?"

"Well at first nothing did, I guess the suspicions started the day after that big eletrical storm. You had come to terms with Skyler's death by then, but then all of a sudden everything bubbled to the surface again. You told me that you had seen her the night before, that she was a navi now. At the time I didn't beleive you, and even you weren't positive; your father said that it was a dream so in time I came to beleive that it had been."

"But?"

"I just kept watching you. I could tell that you never thought that she was fully gone. You could always sense her, twins are two sides of the same coin. After she died I remeber you telling me that at first you thought that she was gone, but that it seemed like you could still feel her at times, but it was faint like she was far away. I thought that maybe you were just finding it impossible to fully let her go, but I held on that it ment something."

"Yeah, her being a navi pretty much cut or tie, and then Dad blocked out Skyler's memories,so after that it but all disappeared. If she couldn't remember who she was, it was like she wasn't alive."

"I remember when she was first given to you, that's when I decided that she had to be alive. Your father said that he built Whisper as a memorial for Skyler, but I just couldn't see him doing that to you. I thought that if that was the case it was cruel, and I knew that he woudn't do something like that to you. And there was just something in his eyes...like everything was going to turn out okay. The only way I thought that everything could ever be okay again was if Skyler was still here. And if that were so she had to be Skyler."

"Wow. That some serious deductive reasoning."

"More like a mother's hope, you know you should go tell you sister, I'm sure she's at her whit's end by now, we can all talk later."

"Ok," Terra replied as she got off her stool and left the room.

When Terra opened her door she found Sky in her bed, face against the mattress. Once Whisper heard her come in she started talking.

"I am such an idiot, Mom was standing right there and what do I do? I say I have to check the security system." Whisper said as she looked up to see Terra smiling, "What are you smiling for?" she asked, "Do you enjoy seeing me wallow?" Terra kept smiling, "Well what?"

"Sky, she knows."

Chaud stared at the ceiling as he lay in his bed it was amazing how fast things could change, circumstances, relationships, they could all be here and then be gone or change in the blink of an eye. For him everything had changed, he had a brother, he wasn't alone anymore. Once thing was for sure things were going to be different from here on out. There was no longer an 'operator, operative' relationship with anyone anymore, only partnership. In fact if anyone was going to be operated it would probably be him, Terra and Lan. Now that was a new thought, he had always been in control. How would he handle things once Proto took over?

"Oh, I can't believe we're home," Tasha said as she collapsed into her bed. A day that was supposed to be uneventful had turned out to be quite the opposite.

"Well you should just be glad that mom worried herself to sleep, otherwise you'd have to recap the whole day." Breeze said as she stood over her.

"Believe me I've counted my blessings today," Tasha said as she turned over.

"Yeah," Breeze added with a laugh, "one being we've finally found a place that's crazy enough that we actually seem normal."

"Shut up," Tasha said laughing along as she threw a pillow at her.

Regal looked on at the four pairs of teens, monitoring their every move, love, happiness, a sense of belonging, these were the feelings that were now permeating their existence, it was just too bad that the netsavers newfound security was fixing to come crashing down at it's very core. Regal pushed a button on his thrown.

"You called for us master?" a voice asked on the darkness a few seconds later.

"Yes, "Regal replied addressing his three prized darkloids that had just appeared before him: Dark Megaman, Dark Protoman, and Dark Whisper. "Get everything set, it's time for phase three."

TBC IN - There's No Time Like the Present