Episode 3:Strange Arrangements
Cassandra awoke to the low blare of her alarm. With a practiced movement, she pressed a nearby button, quickly silencing it. She rose up, and slid out of bed, taking a moment to stretch her long limbs. Then brushed aside a strand of her short blonde hair.
After walking over to her closet, she picked out her outfit for the day. A freshly pressed dress shirt, slacks, and black loafers. Upon getting dressed she took a moment to fix her hair, styling it back to a proper pixie cut.
Cassandra then took a moment to scan the room. Noting that her partner was still fast asleep. His snoring form, laying sprawled atop his hammock in one corner of the room.
He was a child sized, demon like digimon. His skin was dark purple, while his face was stark white. Horn like ears sat atop his head, and his tail ended in a notched spade. He wore a pair of red gloves, as well as a neckerchief, decorated with black flame. Hanging nearby was his was slightly weather beaten leather jacket.
Cassandra rolled her eyes, and gave a sharp clap of her hands. The blinds of her window slowly began to open at her command. As the blinds parted, a perfect view of the city skyline could be seen beyond the windowpane. The silhouettes of buildings were perfectly framed against the morning sky. Light began to pour into the room, completely alighting the space.
Impmon grumbled as the light shone in his face. Without even opening his eyes, he rolled onto his side. Shielding his face from the morning sun, and returning to his slumber.
Cassandra's icy blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Impmon, it's time to get up."
He ignored her.
"Impmon. Get. Up."
Once more, the digimon made no response.
Having had enough, Cassandra marched over to the hammock. Then without any ceremony, twisted it upside down. Dumping her partner flat on his face. With a growl he rose up, and spun on her with an angry glare.
"Alright I'm up, geez! Was that really necessary?"
Cassandra crossed her arms, and measured him with a stare. "Maybe if you didn't stay up so late, I wouldn't have to use such drastic measures."
"Yeah, yeah." Impmon grumbled, as he put on his jacket.
Cassandra rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Come on, it's about time for breakfast. I don't want to keep mother waiting."
"I do." Impmon replied. "That old bat can wait till hell freezes over for all I care."
"I'm not so sure your stomach can wait that long." Cassandra retorted with a small smile.
"True dat." Impmon smirked, shrugging.
After a short walk, the pair came into a wide open room. The floors were made of smooth black tile, speckled with white, and shone like mirrors. An open living area sat off to the right. It was decorated vary minimally, and had a humongous couch, and a high tech television. To the left was a plexiglass wall, that overlooked the city below. In front of them was a long dining table, with a glass top, and iron legs. A vase of white flowers decorated its center.
At the head of the table sat Cassandra's mother. She was an older woman with sharp, almost rigid features. Her shoulder length blonde hair was perfectly kept, not a single strand out of place.
Beside her, stood her mother's partner, Angemon. He was a tall humanoid digimon with long flowing locks of orange hair. His body was muscled, and covered by a white bodysuit. A metal helmet sat atop his head, covering the top half of his face. Flowing from his back were six angel wings. All of them subtly shimmering in the morning light.
"Good morning Cassandra, Impmon." Cassandra's mother greeted in an almost professional tone.
"Morning mother, Angemon." Cassandra replied curtly.
Impmon simply gave a wave, and a series of grumbles to the pair. He, and Cassandra then took their seats beside each other. The imp having a special high seat just for himself.
Angemon leaned down to his partner. "Shall I call for the chef now, Ms. fox?" he asked, voice almost monotone.
"Please do, Angemon."
The angel gave a small bow, and floated over to a console in the wall behind him. He quickly typed away a message, and sent it to the kitchens. Then moved back over to stand by his partner's side.
Impmon had watched the angel's actions with a hint of disgust. He had never liked Angemon. Some would chalk it up to the natural animosity between virus, and vaccine types. But it went much deeper than that. The way Angemon moved, the way he spoke, and how he only showed the barest hint of emotion. He was like some robotic slave with a semblance of personality. All of it made Impmon's skin crawl.
Within a minute of Angemon sending the message, a pair of elevator doors opened into the room. One of the Fox's personal chefs stepped out from within. A pair of servers trailed behind, and pushed along a metal food cart. The cart itself was laden with three covered trays.
The chef moved to stand opposite Angemon. While the two servers began to lay trays for table's occupants.
"Good morning, Ms. Fox." the chef greeted. "Today, we are having, eggs benedict with hollandaise, toast, and parma ham. As a side dish, I have prepared a fresh fruit salad."
"Thank you Evette, it looks delicious as always."
"Please, enjoy your meal."
With that, Evette, and the two servers took their leave.
Impmon wasted no time and dug into his meal. He practically scarfed it down, taking large, loud bites. In contrast, Ms. fox ate almost daintily, only taking small bites. Cassandra seeming to be the balance between the two.
"Cassandra, I really wish you would teach your partner some table manners." Ms. Fox said after a few moments.
"I've tried mother. Trust me."
The woman glanced over at Impmon. Bits of crumb were stuck to his face, and a small dribble of hollandaise hung from his lip.
"Obviously not hard enough."
"Hey don't you know it's rude to talk about people like they're not there?" Impmon growled. "Honestly, some people."
A small belch escaped his lips, as the last words left his mouth. Earning him a measured glare from Cassandra.
The rest of the meal passed in silence. When Cassandra was done, she stood from her seat and placed her dirty silverware neatly atop her plate.
"I'm going to get ready for school." she stated plainly.
Ms. Fox only gave her nod of recognition, before her daughter left the room. Impmon quickly following behind her. Once the two were out of sight the woman turned to her partner.
"What's my schedule like today, Angemon?"
"You have a meeting with a Mister Arnold Strauss, and his Partner, Starmon in an hour."
Ms. Fox quirked a brow. "Strauss, and Starmon?"
"They're top investigators with the DDA. Apparently they're leading the investigation into the incident involving the digital gate that appeared in the city."
"I see."
The woman stood from her seat and pushed her plate aside. After taking a moment to straighten her clothes, she moved toward the elevator. Angemon moving in step alongside her.
Within a few days of her visit to the hospital, Elena was given permission to take the mysterious young man into her care. In the intervening time, the young man had finally been given a name by her daughter.
Kai.
It was a name that Molly had always liked and it was used by multiple cultures. The young man seemed to take a shine to it and it stuck.
Elena was currently driving from the hospital, with Kai sitting up front. The young man watched the city go by with wide eyed wonder. He seemed to have a natural, almost childlike, curiosity. A quirk that Elena found quite endearing.
After a twenty minute drive, Elena pulled into her driveway, and looked over to Kai.
"Welcome to your new home." she said with a smile.
The young man stepped out of the car, and took in his surroundings. The house was a two story affair, made of aged red brick. A set of short stone steps, lead up to the front door. The front yard was quite spacious, and was carpeted by finely trimmed grass.
After taking his cursory look, he followed after Elena. She opened the door, leading him inside. The pair moved through the entryway, past the living room and up the stairs. Elena came to a stop at the second room on the left and opened the door.
"This is where you'll be staying."
She flicked the light switch, and motioned inside. Kai stepped through the doorway and looked about the room. The entire space was about Fifteen by Fifteen, and was mostly bare. The carpet was colored a dark blue, and shaggier than in the rest of the house.
A single size bed sat up against the left side wall. It was freshly made with clean a pillow, and bedding, and a bedside table sat nearby. Up against the right wall, was a three tiered bookshelf. Each one filled to the brim with books of varying sizes.
"This room hasn't been used in a while." Elena admitted. "So it doesn't have much. But given some time, I'm sure you'll make it feel more homey."
Kai nodded at that and moved over to the bed. He ran his hand over the soft sheets and took a seat. Feeling his body sink into mattress.
"Are, Molly and Liollmon home?" he asked, after a moment's silence.
Elena shook her head in response. "Molly's at school right now. As for Liollmon, I'm not sure. He tends to go off occasionally and do his own thing. He's a lot like a regular cat in that way."
"Well, I'll leave you to get settled in. The bathroom is next door and the kitchen is downstairs, if want something to eat. And if you need anything else, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."
Kai offered her a small smile. "Thank you."
Elena mirrored the gesture, and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Kai sat in silence for a few moments, simply absorbing his new surroundings. His eyes eventually fell on the bookshelf across from him. He stood up and moved toward it, scanning the various titles. Soon, one caught his eye and he slid it gently from its spot.
It was an older leather bound volume, colored a deep blue. A stylized picture of a fairy, leaning over a puppet was illustrated on the front. While its title was written in silvery text.
"The Adventures Of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi." Kai read aloud, in a slow deliberate manner.
With book in hand, Kai took a seat on the floor and crossed his legs. Once in a comfortable position, he set the book into his lap. He then opened to the first page and began to read with great curiosity.
Molly walked through the entrance of the school, her bag slung over her shoulder. A gentle rock song blared from one of the buds in her ear. While the the other dangled uselessly.
As she walked through the halls, she began to notice several curious glances. She ignored them at first, but there were soon whispers and hushed conversations as she passed. It didn't take her long to figure out why. No doubt the rumor mill had a serious field day with the digital rift incident. As well as her week of absence.
She finally escaped the majority of her questioning peers, when she stepped into her class. With a sigh, she took her seat and set her bag on the ground. The girl only had a few moments peace, before two of her friends entered. The pair quickly rushing to her desk, as they spotted her.
"Oh my gosh, Molly you're back!" exclaimed one.
Her name was Connie. She was a year older than Molly, and had long brown hair that touched the middle of her back. She had a certain nervous energy about her, and her voice was bubbly, and bright.
"Finally return from the dead?" her other friend joked.
He was a tall young man, named Edward(Eddy for short). He had dusky skin, and a faux hawk fade.
"I was only gone a week. Calm your tits." Molly laughed.
Her two friends shared a look and pulled up a couple of chairs.
"So is it true?" Connie eventually whispered.
Molly gave her smile. "Yes it's all true. My name isn't Molly Mhan. I'm actually an alien from another galaxy. Sent by my race to learn about earth culture under the guise of an average high schooler."
Eddy held back a snicker and Molly chuckled along with him. Connie frowned at the two and gave Molly a soft shove.
"Don't be such a smartass! You know what I mean!"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Molly chuckled. "Just having a little fun with you."
"Then I repeat the question. Is it true? Were you really there when that digital gate opened up?"
"Yep, sure was. Pretty much saw the whole thing."
"Woah, dude!" Eddy exclaimed. "Were you scared?"
"Of course. Who wouldn't be? Though, I would have been way more scared if Liollmon wasn't there. He protected me. Even took down one of those Tyrannomon."
"Really?!" Connie asked.
Molly gave her a nod in response.
"Wow, your partner is so cool."
"So what exactly happened anyway?" Eddy asked. "I heard the news stories and stuff. But I wanna hear it from someone who was actually there."
"Well..."
For the third time that week, Molly gave a brief retelling of the events. Her friends listened with rapt attention, not daring to interrupt. Several other students also listened on the conversation. Some being less obvious about ti than others.
"So, it just showed up out of nowhere?" Eddy asked as she finished.
"Yep."
"That's so weird." said Connie. "I've heard of digital rifts sometimes opening. But in the middle of the city? I don't think that's ever happened before."
"As far as I know it hasn't" Eddy commented. "So, do you know what the DDA is doing about it? Your dad works for them right?"
Molly rolled her eyes. "Just because my dad works for the DDA, doesn't mean I know what they're up to. Not like my dad would tell me even if I asked. I do know they've got someone working on it though."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. A couple of top investigators. Agent Strauss and his partner Starmon. They asked Liollmon and me some questions the day after the whole thing went down." Molly smiled a little. "They were actually pretty cool."
"Enough about that." Connie interjected. "I wanna hear about that mysterious guy you found!"
"There's not much to tell." Molly replied with a shrug. "He's mysterious, he's an amnesiac and he's a guy."
"A guy who's going to be living with you! How do you know he's not some serial killer?"
"Oh please. He couldn't hurt a fly."
"Maybe that's what he wants you to think."
"Hey Connie." Eddy said, giving her a nudge. "I'd hate to interrupt your paranoid ramblings, but look who just came in."
Connie spared him an angry glare, before glancing at the classrooms entrance. Standing in the doorway, was the tall form of Cassandra Fox. Unlike the other girls at the school, she was dressed in the the black jacket, white undershirt, and slacks worn by the boys. Connie thought it made her look absolutely dashing.
"Its Cassandra." Connie whispered.
Molly and Eddy smirked at her reaction. The girl had a crush on Cassandra Fox ever since their junior year. It was of kind endearing. In that hopeless, puppy love kind of way.
"Why don't you pick your jaw off the floor and talk to her?" Molly teased.
Connie almost jumped at the suggestion. "What?"
"Yeah, you're not going to get anywhere by just gawking at her." Eddy added.
"I can't just walk up and talk to her!" Connie hissed. "She's Cassandra freaking Fox! She's way out of my league. She doesn't even know I exist."
Molly glanced over the girl's shoulder. "Is that why she's looking this way?"
Connie turned with nervous energy, her eyes meeting Cassandra's icy blue ones. A small blush bloomed across her cheeks, and she turned away. Quickly hiding her face.
"Oh my god, she looked at me! Is she still looking? Please tell me she isn't still looking."
"She's not." Molly answered.
Connie breathed a heavy sigh of relief and held a hand to her fluttering heart.
"You really need to calm down. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack." Molly commented.
"I know."
Molly gave her a sympathetic look and reached across the desk to pat her on the shoulder. Connie offered her a small smile in return. Happy for her friends genuine concern.
Only moments later, their teacher, stepped into the classroom. He was a large man with a bushy mustache, and a shaved head. A pair of golden framed spectacles sat atop his hooked nose.
"Alright everyone, please take your seats." his sharp voice announced.
Quickly conversations were put to a halt and students rushed to their assigned desks. Mr. Rockwood moved to his own desk at the head of the class. Setting down his leather briefcase and a hot cup of coffee. He took a swig of the bitter drink, before addressing his students.
"Good morning, everyone. Today, we will be talking about a very important topic."
He turned behind him and pressed a pair of switches on the wall. The lights in the classroom dimmed and one of the screens at the front of class flickered on. A large symbol soon appeared upon it.
It was a pair of intersected circles. Within one of the circles was the silhouette of a human form. Within the other was a slightly taller, reptilian figure. Both of their hands were outstretched, coming together at the circles intersection.
"Today, we will be talking about digimon and human relations." He gestured to the screen with a finger. "This is one of several symbols, created to represent unity between both digimon and humanity. Now...can anyone tell me when digimon and humans first made contact?"
One student raised their hand and Rockwood gestured toward them.
" April fourth, nineteen-ninety." he answered, standing from his seat.
Mr. Rockwood shook his head. "Incorrect. That was when first physical contact was made. Anyone else? What about you, Miss Fox?"
Cassandra stood from her seat, before replying. "March twenty-fifth, nineteen-eighty four. A small group of scientists in japan were conducting experiments to explore different forms of communication through the early internet. Their efforts accidentally made contact with the digital world."
The man smiled, and gave a satisfied nod. "Very good, Miss Fox."
With a flick of a switch, the screen changed to several old photos. All of them depicting several young scientists, hard at work.
"After the first contact, several more were made all the way up to to nineteen-eighty six. That was when world governments stepped in to fund the project. Then over the next four years, an effort was made to make physical contact. All that culminating-" He gestured to the student who had first answered. "-on April fourth, nineteen-ninety."
Another picture then appeared on screen. It was of a giant, golden armored digimon, with a cloak of white feathers. Who was reaching down, to greet a woman dressed in government attire. The digimon's size made shaking hands difficult and the two had instead opted for a respectful bow.
"What followed was seven years of tenuous peace and tension. Groups of humans, and digimon fearing they may suffer an attack by the other. Which lead to hate, fear and bigotry to fester. However, in nineteen-ninety seven -in a show of good faith-the digital world's leaders and the united nations signed a treaty between the two worlds. Which would also lead to the founding of the DDA and a grand exchange of technology, and culture between the the two worlds."
"However, the hatred that had taken root didn't disappear. No. Such biases, fears and prejudices do not go away overnight. To this day we see evidence of it. Particularly hate crimes against digimon in the human world.."
As Rockwood paused, Molly could not help but recall her visit to Ogremon's restaurant. The hateful words splattered in red across his storefront. The very thought of it making her blood boil.
"Now, if you will all turn to page two-eighty seven in your history books. We will then read about, and discuss these events in greater detail."
Elena gently bobbed her head to the rock tune that played on the stereo. It was an eighties rock ballad from the woman's younger days. She vividly recalled her first time hearing it when she, and her friends had snuck away to the concert.
Ahh to be a teenager again.
The woman worked away at the stove as she listened. A ham, and grilled cheese sandwich sizzled away in the pan. The bread caramelizing into a delicious brown, and the cheese beginning to ooze and melt. When it was finally finished, she gently placed it atop a plate, and sliced it diagonally.
With a small smile of satisfaction, she then headed up stairs. Coming to a stop as she reached the door to Kai's new room.
"Kai? Can I come in?" she asked with a soft knock.
"Mhm"
Elena opened the door, and was surprised to find Kai sitting on the floor, nose in a book. Several books were laid out before him, all open to different pages. Beside him was a small stack of even more books.
"I...see you helped yourself to the books."
Kai quickly looked up with a start. "That's not a bad thing is it?"
Elena chuckled lightly. "No, not at all. Lord certainly knows we weren't reading them. I'm glad to see they're getting some use. Anyway, I came to tell you that I made some lunch if you're hungry."
Kai gave a nod at that, and set his book aside. He then stood up and stretched, before following Elena downstairs.
As the two headed toward the kitchen, Kai paused near the entrance. A small table in the entryway hall caught his attention. He cocked his head curiously and walked toward it.
Several electronic picture frames sat atop the table. One shifted through pictures of Molly. All the way from childhood, up to the present day. Another showed Victor, and Elena on their wedding day, and some of the events that followed. There were also a couple of traditional photos sitting in antique picture frames.
One in particular caught his attention. It was of a slightly younger Molly, and a young man. He had short, dark brown hair, that was slightly spiked. A bit of stubble covered his pronounced chin. The two were both smiling, and standing on a rocky outcrop near the sea.
"That's my son, Robert."
Kai turned, to see Elena standing beside him. He then looked back to the photo, scrutinizing it.
"He has your eyes."
"He also inherited my hair." the woman laughed, pulling a finger through her long locks. "The room you're staying in, actually used to be his."
"Oh, so he's moved away?"
Elena frowned, and looked to the photo forlornly. "No. He...died in accident, almost four years ago."
Kai could almost hear a crack in the woman's voice. He reached out, almost instinctively, and placed a hand upon her arm. She smiled softly at the gesture, and wiped away the phantoms of tears that were forming in her eyes.
"Well...lunch is getting cold, come on." she said, and headed toward the kitchen.
Kai frowned, and set the photo back in its place. He gave it one last look, before following Elena into the kitchen.
Arnold, and Starmon looked up to the building ahead of them. The towering structure, was simply known as Fox tower. It was the main headquarters of Fox Enterprises, one of the largest companies in the world. It stood as one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, and was a marvel of both human, and digimon engineering.
Sunlight shimmered off the panes of plexiglass, creating a water like shimmer. A holographic image of the Fox Enterprises logo was projected near the top. It shifted occasionally to various languages, and even multiple forms of digicode. The company said it was to represent its influence, and partnership with both worlds.
Personally, Arnold always thought it looked gaudy.
"God, when was the last time we had to come to his place?" Arnold asked, as they neared the doors.
"A few years back, if I recall." Starmon answered. "We were still in the security division back then, running detail on some techno wiz from the digital world."
"Oh, yeah. Man, time sure flies."
The pair headed through the building's automatic doors. They came into a gigantic lobby. The floors had an almost mirror like sheen, and were made of fine stone tile. Another Fox Enterprises logo was emblazoned near the center of the room. All around them, people in business attire moved about. Several elevators lined either side of the lobby, and a pair of spiral staircases sat at the end of the space.
Small holographic projectors were up near the the ceiling. They displayed various bits of information. From maps of the facility, to ads, advertising the company's many products.
Finally, near the center of the room, was a large reception desk. It was completely circular, with five workstations. The receptionists tapped away at their consoles, or talked into their headsets. They never seemed to stop, working almost ceaselessly.
The two detectives approached one of the stations. It was headed by a machine type digimon, called Datamon. The clear atop of their head glowed, and shimmered with activity as they worked.
"Welcome to Fox tower, how may I help you?" the machine droned.
"Agents Starmon, and Strauss." the champion greeted with a flash of his badge. "We have a meeting with Ms. Alison Fox."
"One moment please." The Datamon typed away at few keys. "Ms. Fox is waiting in her office on the forty second floor. I just messaged Ms. Fox, and her attendant will be here shortly to escort you."
"Much obliged." Starmon said, with a tip of his head.
The investigators waited over by one of the lobby's many benches. After several minutes, Angemon stepped out of one of the main elevators. He floated over to the pair, everyone around giving him a wide berth.
"Agents Strauss, and Starmon I presume?"
The two gave a nod in reply.
"Right this way."
They followed the angel toward the elevator he just exited. They stepped inside, and the doors slid closed behind them. Angemon then waved his hand over the elevators console, bringing up a holographic display. He clicked one of the buttons, and the elevator began to move with a small jolt.
It only took a few moments for the elevator to reach its destination. With an audible ding, it came to a stop, and the doors slid open.
Angemon did not linger for even a moment, and headed down the hall to the right. The three soon came to a set of double doors. Four security officers stood by the door, all dressed in black suits, and sunglasses. Angemon gave the four a wave, and one of the officers opened the doors for them.
As the three stepped through, they came into a large office space. Several modern art pieces, and bookshelves decorated the room. On the right hand wall, was a large fish tank, filled with tropical sea creatures, and coral. The floor was a fine plush carpet. Ms. Fox sat behind a large mahogany desk, near the middle of the room. A view of the city skyline could be seen through the windows behind her.
Angemon quickly moved over to stand by the woman's side. She gave him a small nod of thanks, and turned to the two investigators.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen." she greeted. "Strauss, and Starmon was it?"
"That's right." Arnold nodded. "This is quite the nice office you have, Ms. Fox."
"Spare me the false pleasantries, Mr. Strauss. If you wouldn't mind I would like to just get down to business. Why do a pair of DDA investigators want to speak with me?"
"Alright, well get down brass tax then." Starmon said, moving toward the desk.
Arnold moved to stand beside him, and pulled out his digivice. "As you're aware, we're investigating the strange appearance of the digital gate. Upon our initial investigation of the scene, we found several interesting clues."
He pressed several buttons on his digivice. It then began to project a hologram of the shrapnel they found from the armored truck.
"This piece of shrapnel was found near a trio of destroyed armored cars. As you can see, it has your company's logo. So, we assumed the trucks belonged to you."
Starmon brought up another hologram. Which depicted the remains of the weapons found at the scene.
"We also found these. They're common weapons wielded by PMCs and private security divisions of large companies. Companies such as yours."
"Those trucks did indeed belong to us." the woman said. "They were an armored convoy, transporting precious cargo from one of our research facilities. It was being protected by some of our best security officers. All of them were well armed."
"What exactly was this, 'precious cargo'?" Arnold asked.
"It was a new, experimental, biofuel cell."
"Biofuel cell?" Starmon said.
"Yes. I can't really give any details on it. All I can say is that it was powered by both organic, and digital material. It was still in the early stages of testing." She scowled deeply. "However, because of this incident, the fuel cell was destroyed."
"And, the teams protecting the trucks?"
"All dead, from what the reports say. A true tragedy." she replied, with not a hint of sympathy.
A flash of anger came across Arnold's features, but he quickly reigned it in.
"So, you had three teams of heavily armored guards, protecting a 'fuel cell'?"
"I'm not exactly sure what you're implying, Mr. Strauss."
"Nothing. All I am saying is, it seems like a lot of security for something like that."
"We put of lot of money into that fuel cell, Mr. Strauss." the woman said, with an edge to her voice. "I have a lot of enemies, and I want to protect my investments from those enemies."
"Of course."
"Ma'm is it possible that this whole mess with the gate was to get to your fuel cell?" Starmon asked. "Maybe one of your enemies wanted to destroy it."
"I highly doubt it." she answered. "None of my company's rivals would ever dare to go this far. Not to mention Fox Enterprises, and the DDA are the only ones in the human world with the technology to open that kind of gate."
"Fair enough."
"Was there anything else, detectives? I'm a very busy woman, and I do have a schedule to keep."
Arnold flicked off his recording device. "No, I think that'll be all. Thank you for your time Ms. Fox."
"Good. Angemon will show you out."
She motioned her head, and the champion headed toward the exit. The detectives followed him to the nearest elevator, and stepped inside.
"We can take it from here." Arnold said, activating the console.
"Very well, have good a day detectives."
With a ding, the door slid closed, and the elevator began to move downward.
"So, what do you think?" Starmon asked.
"She's a good liar. I'll give her that much."
"Mhm. Whatever the heck was in the back of that truck, it sure weren't no damn fuel cell."
"Well, if we keep digging, I've got a feeling we're gonna find out exactly what it is."
Liollmon leapt down from a tree, into the Mhan's front yard. He then strolled to the entrance.
Just to the right of the front door, was another smaller door, that was specifically made for Liollmon. It had a small security device, that was tuned to Liollmon's unique energy signature. They were quite common in homes with smaller digimon.
The rookie stood before the door for a few seconds, as the device scanned him. A small light on the device then turned green, and the door popped open automatically. He slipped inside, the door closing behind him.
When he heard the low blare of the tv, Liollmon headed into the living room. He found Elena, and Kai sitting on the couch together. An old sitcom played on TV, the occasional audience laughter coming from the speakers. Elena was only half paying attention to it, and was casually folding clothes. Kai sat beside her, doing the same.
"Hello, Elena, Kai."
"Hi, Liollmon." Elena greeted.
Kai offered the digimon a small wave.
"I was just about to head to the school, and get Molly."
"Oh, why don't you take Kai with you." Elena suggested. "Show him around a bit."
"Don't you want me to help you finish these?" Kai asked, gesturing to the remaining pile of clothes.
"Don't worry about it, I can handle the rest."
Liollomon sighed, ears swiveling back in slight annoyance. "Fine. Just follow me."
Kai nodded, and stood from the couch, trailing after the rookie. Elena gave the pair a small wave goodbye as they left.
Liollmon strolled with a small scowl upon his face. Despite all of Molly and Elena's assurances, the cat was still suspicious of Kai. They were not blind to that either. While he had not directly antagonized the young man since their second meeting, he often gave him the cold shoulder.
Elena knew that Liollmon was not fond of Kai. Which is what made her suggestion all the more annoying. She was pushing Liollmon to spend more time with him, and perhaps bond a little.
The digimon didn't want anything of the sort. But Elena knew all too well the cat could not say no to her. She had a certain sweet charm that was hard to ignore. He could not refuse so easily, and the woman took advantage of that. Thus making Liollmon even more annoyed by the whole situation. His scowl deepened the more he thought about it.
Kai seemed completely oblivious to the cat's annoyance. The young man looked about the neighborhood as they walked, taking it in.
There were many lush lawns, and gardens, all well tended and trimmed. People walked down the sidewalks, jogging, walking their pets, or simply having a nice stroll. Occasionally one would offer a quick greeting or a wave, and Kai would respond a bit too enthusiastically.
He suddenly paused in his step, when he caught a faint hint of yellow. The boy looked down to the ground. At his feet was a freshly bloomed dandelion, sprouting from a crack in the sidewalk. He kneeled down, and brushed a finger across its soft petals, a smile crossing his lips.
"You're lagging behind! Hurry up!"
Kai looked up suddenly. Liollmon stood on the street corner several meters away, tail swishing impatiently. The young man nodded, and offered a quick apology, before catching up with the digimon. Liollmon rolled his eyes, and continued forward. Kai lingered for a moment, sparing the lone flower one last glance, before following once more.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the two came to the entrance of Molly's school. Liollmon seated himself by the gates, and waited patiently. Kai looked down at him and followed his lead.
Only a minute or so later, the school bells echoed across the the grounds. Kai nearly jumped at the noise, his body tensing into an aggressive pose. Liollmon spared him a glance, almost chuckling at his reaction. The young man soon calmed, finally realizing there was no danger, and took his relaxed posture once more.
Molly, Connie, and Eddy all stepped out of the main entrance. Molly was in the middle of telling a joke as the three walked. Once the punchline was finally delivered, Eddy burst into hysterical laughter. Connie tried to hold back her humor, not wanting to laugh at such a crude joke. Eventually however, she gave, and almost bent over in laughter. Molly laughed along with them, smiling a little in smug satisfaction.
Once the laughter had died down, the trio noticed the pair standing by the gates. Connie quickly leaned over to Molly, half whispering.
"Is that the guy?"
"Yes, that is the amnesiac serial killer." Molly joked.
Connie ignored the jab at her paranoid comments, and looked the young man up down.
"He's cute."
Eddy quirked a brow at her. "What about Cassandra?"
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with someone keeping their options open."
"True enough." Molly chuckled. "Come on, let's go say hi."
The girl shouted to the pair, and waved. Kai, and Liollmon both looked up, and greeted her back. The trio of friends then approached them, and Molly gestured to her two companions.
"Hey guys. Kai, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Eddy, and Connie."
"Sup dude." Eddy greeted.
"H..hi." Connie said a little shakily.
She was still a little paranoid of the young man, and stood a few steps further away than her friends.
Kai smiled brightly, and held up a hand to the pair. "Nice to meet you!"
"Dude, love your hair." Eddy commented.
Kai blinked, and a ran hand through his long ponytail. "Thank you."
Connie cocked her head, as she watched his reaction. She would describe it as almost child like, holding a certain joyful innocence. Maybe she was being paranoid about the serial killer thing. He seemed nice enough.
"So...how do you like the area so far?" the girl eventually asked, after getting the courage.
"I haven't really gotten to look around all the much." Kai replied. "I just moved into Molly's house today. Her mom is really nice."
"Well, maybe we could show you around sometime." Eddy suggested. "We could all hang out."
"I'd like that!" Kai exclaimed, smiling toothily.
The group conversed for a few more moments, before Connie, and Eddy went their separate ways. Molly waved goodbye to the pair, before turning back to Liollmon, and Kai.
She scrutinized the young man for a moment. Her eyes particularly drawn to his clothes. A button up sky blue dress shirt, with dark blue slacks, and a belt. They were definitely some of her brother's old clothes. They seemed to fit him fine, but they didn't quite suit him. An idea then formed in her mind.
"Hey, what do you say we get you some new duds?" she asked, with a smirk.
Kai looked himself over. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"It's doesn't really seem like your style y'know? You don't wanna look like a lame office worker all the time, do you?"
"You mean like your brother did?" Liollmon interjected with a laugh.
"You shut your mouth." Molly frowned. "I mean yeah, he did dress kinda nerdy sometimes, but Robbie was cool!"
"I know, only joking."
Molly harrumphed, and turned back to Kai. "So, what do you say? Want to do a bit of shopping?"
Kai considered the offer for a few moments, before giving a firm nod in response.
"Nice." She turned to her partner. "You coming Liollmon?"
"Someone has to keep you out of trouble." he commented. "Besides, I like walking around the shops."
After texting her mother, Molly hailed a cab. A ten minute ride later, and the three arrived at the local mall. Kai was almost overwhelmed, as they stepped inside the gigantic space.
There were shops, and kiosks of every kind, lined up in neat rows. Many of them were sporting hologram signage, and advertising. Up above the third floor, was a ceiling of steel, and glass. Sunlight filtered in through the clear panes, and down onto the shining floors. People, and digimon moved in throngs, carrying bags, or conversing. They moved almost like a constant stream, into stores, up, and down escalators, never stopping.
Kai was finally pulled from his reverie, as Molly tugged at his arm. With Liollmon right alongside her, the girl lead him to the nearest escalator. Once they were at the second floor, Molly headed straight ahead. She finally released her grip on Kai, as they stopped at a decently sized clothing store. A holo sign hung above the entrance, simply reading 'Stylized'.
As Molly opened the door, a upbeat vaporwave track played from within. A majority of the customers inside seemed to be people around Molly's age, or slightly older. The girl at the counter sporting a half shaved head, and long flowing locks of purple.
"Go ahead, and look around." Molly said, turning back to him. "Pick out whatever you like. It's on me."
Kai gave a nod, and a quick thank you, before heading off in his own direction. He could see Molly moving toward a rack of earrings. While Liollmon looked over a set of bracelets, and bangles.
After a few minutes of browsing, Kai picked out a trio of shirts, and a jacket hoodie. Upon finding some pants to go with them he moved to the changing room. Molly followed, waiting outside patiently to judge his selection.
When Kai returned, he was sporting a gray shirt, with a large ankh design on the front. The plain, dark blue jacket hoodie was worn over it. Finally in place of the slacks were a pair of shin length shorts.
"Nice!" Molly exclaimed, after appraising him for a moment. "It looks good on you."
Kai smiled at that, and went to show off his other two outfits. Molly approved of them as well, and they moved to the checkout. Once everything was paid for, the three headed back out into the chaos of the mall.
For the next couple of hours, they perused the mall. They went from shop to shop, taking a look at whatever piqued their interest. Eventually, they passed near the food court, and Kai caught the delicious smells in the air. His stomach suddenly began to rumble, demanding food.
"Hungry?" Molly asked with a smirk.
"Yeah."
"I could go for something myself." Liollmon chimed.
"Well we're not gonna eat at the food court." Molly said. "That shits way too overpriced."
Liollmon looked up to her, brow quirked. "Oni Bowl?"
"Oni Bowl."
With the small ring of a bell, Molly stepped into Oni Bowl, Liollmon, and Kai trailing behind. The sound of sizzling ingredients, and the smell of spices filled the air. A few patrons were seated around various parts of the space, most of them digimon.
Molly stepped up to the counter, ringing the bell. Moments later, Ogremon stepped out from the kitchen wiping his hands on a tea towel.
"Hey, Molly, Liollmon!" the champion greeted. "Who's your friend?"
"Ogremon, this is Kai. Kai, Ogremon."
"Hi." Kai greeted.
"Nice to meet ya." He reached out, shaking the young man's hand. "Any friend of Molly, and Liollmon, is a friend of mine. So, what can I get you?"
"Can I get a Oyakodon , and a couple of pork dumplings?" Molly said, after a moment of thought. "Oh yeah, and the usual for my mom."
"Sure thing." Ogremon replied, quickly scribbling down the order.
"I'll have the curry udon noodles." Liollmon chimed.
Ogremon turned to Kai next. He could see the young man's indecision, as he scanned the menu.
"Can I make a suggestion?" Ogremon smiled.
Kai was snapped from his thoughts, and nodded.
"One of the chef's specials is the red oni bowl. Its beef, cooked in a spicy garlic sauce, served over fried rice, and stir fried vegetables."
"I'll try it." Kai replied.
"Good. I'll call when your order's ready."
Within ten minutes of taking their seats, Ogremon returned from the kitchen. He placed each of the three's orders carefully in front of them. They soon dug in, and Ogremon was happy to see Kai enjoy his meal. He practically began to woof it down after his first bite. Which made Molly, and Liollmon laugh lightly.
Molly reached into her bag whipping out her camera. "Smile!"
Kai only had a moment to process, before a bright flash hit his eyes. Within moments the photo slipped out of the camera, displaying Kai, cheeks stuffed, and bits of rice on his face. Molly chuckled at the photo, and pocketed it.
"That ones going on the wall."
A small jingle announced the arrival of more customers. Ogremon moved to make his greeting, but soon froze. Curiously, the three friends looked back toward the entrance. Molly's eyes widened in shock, and Liollmon's face twisted into an angry snarl.
Standing in the doorway were four humans. They were armed, carrying both makeshift, and practical weapons. A mask, or bandana covered each of their faces. A dark purple jacket, was worn over their street clothes. A patch, was sewn onto one of the jacket's shoulders. It depicted a stylized Agumon, covered by a circle slash. Printed on the back of the jacket, in pixelated letters, was the word 'DELETE'.
The group moved slowly, taking a cursory look around. Many of the patrons kept their heads down, trying not to make eye contact. Some even trembled with a barely contained fear.
Ogremon moved to the other end of the counter. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, actually you can." replied one of the four, face obscured by a skull mask. "You can start by clearing out of here. Pack up your bags, and take your stinking green carcass back to the digital world." She looked around the space. "And that goes for the rest of you stinking monsters!"
"Yeah! Earth belongs to humans!" another added.
"Shove your bigoted shit back up your ass where it belongs!" Molly shouted.
Kai stood up alongside her, taking up an aggressive posture.
The skull masked woman flicked out a collapsible metal baton from her jacket. With a flip of a switch, it started to hum with an electric charge. She pointed it at the girl with a glare.
"You stay out of this, you fucking sympathizer!" She turned back to Ogremon. "So? You gonna listen?'
Ogremon narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."
The woman clicked her tongue, and snapped her fingers. One of the other masked thugs nodded, and moved over to an occupied table. He hefted a bat over his head, and brought it down hard. The tabletop was smashed apart, dishware, and food going flying. The two digimon at the table recoiled, curling up in fear.
Ogremon growled in anger, and pulled out a large club from beneath the counter. Molly tried to move in as well, but Liollmon quickly jumped in her path. Stopping her with a firm shake of his head.
"You get out of my shop, or I'm calling the cops!" Ogremon roared, hefting his club.
The skull masked woman snapped her fingers again, and another of her group stepped forward. He pulled a gun like device from his jacket, and took aim. With the pull of a trigger, a large net fired from the device. Ogremon was quickly entangled, and fought to free himself. The man then pressed another button on the device, and a powerful jolt of electricity coursed through it.
Ogremon screamed in pain, and fell to the ground in a heap. The woman moved toward him, her baton upraised.
"Get the hell away from him!" Molly shouted.
Liollmon rushed into action, and leapt over Ogremon's fallen form. With a snarl, he pounced at the woman, and bit onto her arm. She let out a shout, and flung the lion off, before he could latch on. He landed on his feet, and the two faced off.
"I've got this one! Get that girl!" she ordered.
Her three companions charged toward Molly, weapons at the ready. Liollmon tried to move into help, but was intercepted by the masked woman.
Instinctively, Kai moved in front of Molly protectively. The thug wielding the bat, hefted it high, and brought it down with all his strength. To his utter shock, Kai caught the bat with his bare hands, stopping the attack dead. His eyes flashed, turning beastial, and slitted. With little effort, he wrenched the weapon from the man's grasp, and tossed it aside. Then, finally, he struck the man with a powerful right hook, sending him flying back several feet.
"Holy shit." Molly gasped breathily.
Everyone around seemed to pause, all looking on with varying levels of shock. When they finally snapped back to reality, one of the thugs charged toward Kai, stun baton in hand. The other circled around him, moving toward Molly with a knife.
With incredible agility, Kai leapt over the baton wielder's head. As he landed, he spun about, and struck with a powerful kick. The man went sprawling forward, chin smashing against the edge of a metal stool. With a groan, he fell to the floor
At that same moment, the man with the knife stabbed downward at Molly. Molly leaned backward, catching the man's wrist with her forearm. She struggled, as the man continued to bare down on her. The knife's point edging closer, and closer. Within her bag, her digivice suddenly began to flash.
"Danger detected. Digivolution limiters released."
Liollmon was quickly encased in a cocoon of light. The flash made the skull mask woman stagger back, covering her eyes.
"Liollmon digivolve to...Leomon!"
The woman blinked, as the light dissipated. She looked to the powerful form of Leomon, letting out a gasp of surprise. Then without another moment of hesitation, she lashed out with her baton. Leomon took the strike with barely a flinch, and pulled the weapon from her grasp. With the barest of effort he crushed it into pieces.
Molly continued to struggle against her attacker. With her other hand, Molly desperately grasped for something, anything to defend herself. Her fingers soon found purchase on a warm bowl. She smashed it against her attacker's face with all her might. He screamed, scalding broth, and food splattering across his face. As he staggered back, Molly kicked forward, foot smashing into his nethers.
"You fucking bitch!" he roared, as he pulled out another, more wicked looking knife.
He charged at her again, with both weapons, but was quickly stopped in his tracks. Leomon had come up from behind him, grabbing him by the collar. Slowly, he lifted the man up to face him, and roared in his face. The thug trembled in utter terror, blades falling from his grasp.
Leomon tossed him aside like a ragdoll, and moved to his partner. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I think I'm good." Molly answered.
The girl was trembling slightly. Her close call with death affecting her more than she was letting on.
Leomon frowned, and looked over at Kai. The young man's breathss were heavy, body completely tensed. The digimon squinted, something seeming off. If he didn't know better, he could swear that there was a subtle heat distortion around him. As if his body were searing hot.
With a heavy sigh, Kai's body finally relaxed. He blinked, eyes returning to normal. His mind seemed foggy, as he looked down at his hands. Suddenly he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned, to Molly looking at him worriedly, with Leomon right behind her.
"You destroyed those guys. How did you do that?"
Kai looked back down at his hands again. "I...don't know."
To Be Continued...
Next Time On Digimon Cross! Episode 4:Partners