Taishiro Week Day 5: Bad connection [Earth / Vadermon]

The Modem Mines

Taichi wiped the sweat off his brow and forced a smile. He stretched his hand to Agumon sitting beside him and rubbed the dinosaur's shoulders. Then his eyes darted to the security guard standing next to them. The guard had been assigned to watch over the partners for the duration of their stay in the Kantei. He was silent, but his eyes judged the pair harshly. Agumon stared shamefully at the black granite floor.

It was enough to make Taichi want to lash out. But he wasn't about to do anything foolish in the Prime Minister's Official Residence. He had worked too hard for this meeting. Four years of studying the government in college. Dozens of phone calls to journalists and bureaucrats. Hundreds of miles driving up and down the country to speak to sympathetic politicians. And unsympathetic ones. Hundreds of emails to international Chosen Children, and a few expensive trips to meet some of them. Eight years of learning English; four years of learning Chinese. Plenty of doors slammed in his face.

And now he and Agumon were finally here, in the foyer of the Kantei, waiting for an appointment with the Prime Minister's Cabinet. Taichi had spent a month practicing his presentation. He had radical ideas to create a new embassy for dealings with the Digital World. A place where human and digimon partners could have an official voice in the Japanese government. Once Japan got started, then his country would set an example for countries worldwide. Taichi believed that such an embassy could help ease the stigma against digimon. There were too many governments—including his own—that were hostile towards digimon and their children partners.

Now a college graduate, and technically an adult, Taichi was eager to be a voice for those children growing up like him.

He straightened his tie and dug a water bottle out of his briefcase to soothe his nerves. He knew that these politicians would be hard to impress. He should have gotten his hair cut again yesterday. It grew so quickly…

"Taichi! Help me!"

Taichi spat out his water and leapt to his feet. "Koushirou?" He looked around wildly. There was no sign of his red-haired friend in the foyer. He wasn't on the stairs or in the courtyard outside. The Kantei's glass walls made it easy to see all around him, but he didn't see anyone calling for help. "Did you hear that?" He asked the guard.

The guard huffed. "I didn't hear anything." He glared at the small puddle on the ground.

"Er, sorry," Taichi apologized. Agumon jumped on the floor and licked up the water to clean it. The guard made a disgusted noise. Taichi sighed and patted Agumon's head. He picked up his partner and sat down with him in his lap. "Did you hear anything?" he whispered.

Agumon shook his head. He looked too embarrassed to speak out loud.

Taichi frowned. Were his nerves playing tricks on him again? He had seen his friends in danger so many times. But he knew that Koushirou wasn't here. He closed his eyes and recalled their phone conversation from last night. It drew a smile on his face.

…

"You're going to be wonderful, Taichi. Don't even worry. Everyone loves you! How could they not?" Koushirou's voice was light and hopeful.

"Ha. Most politicians can't stand me. They think I'm a nuisance, but they like the optics of pretending to be nice to me…They're a rotten lot." Taichi adjusted his phone on his shoulder as he looked through his closet. He needed his most conservative, professional suit. Nothing that betrayed the slightest hint of a sense of humor.

"But there are some good politicians. You're going to be a politician, so they can't be all bad," Koushirou argued.

"You have a more positive attitude about my career choice than Yamato!" Taichi chuckled.

"Yamato has a negative attitude? Wow. Shocking," Koushirou drawled. "You're going to be sitting in the Prime Minister's seat someday. Keep telling yourself that when you give him your presentation."

Taichi laughed and blushed at Koushirou's faith in him. It was good that they couldn't see each other's faces.

"I'm grateful for what you're doing," Koushirou continued. "We need your voice in the government. You're far and away the best candidate to represent us. You know I'd be panicking the whole time if it was me. You're going to make the lives easier for a lot of children and adults like us. And digimon!"

"Thanks. I really hope so."

"I know so. And that's my crest."

"Thanks, Koushirou." It made him so warm inside, hearing Koushirou say those words. He knew how easy it was for Koushirou to clam up. But somehow, Koushirou could always speak freely to him. "Enough about me! What are you up to in grad school?"

"It's fantastic!" Koushirou sounded dreamy. Taichi couldn't wait to get out of college, but Koushirou seemed to enjoy it more each year. "They give me a lot of independence to study whatever I want in the Digital World, since it's a brand new field. Tomorrow I'm headed to the Modem Mines! My favorite place!"

"Yeah! You've told me," Taichi replied. The Modem Mines had become Koushirou's newest favorite spot in the Digital World. While their other human friends were drawn to palaces, forests, or lakes; Koushirou was enchanted by the dark, sprawling tunnels of the underground cave. There was so much area to map out, and so many secrets waiting to be discovered. Taichi had to agree that it was a cool place.

"Tentomon and I will be searching for the legendary Modem Crystals. Rumor has it that Modem Crystals show windows to parallel universes when you look into them."

"Whoa!"

"I know!"

"Do you believe that?"

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"Good luck." Taichi laid out his most respectable suit on the chair. "Be safe."

"I'll be fine!" Koushirou's voice was a tad exasperated. "I'm just fine on my own, you know? I can take care of myself."

"I know. I know." Taichi smiled.

"Good luck to you too! Be our voice. I have every confidence in you."

"Thank you." His heart swelled. He finally felt ready.

…

"Taichi! I need you!"

Taichi sprang to his feet again. He held Agumon in front of him, ready to throw the tiny T-Rex at any source of danger. "Koushirou!" He shouted.

"What are you doing?" The guard asked, crossing his arms.

"Someone's in trouble! Can't you hear him?"

"Stop making up stories. The Kantei is not your playground, boy."

Taichi whirled around, furious. "I'm not making anything up! My friend is calling me for help!"

"I believe him!" Agumon said. "Taichi doesn't lie!"

"Oh?" The guard raised an eyebrow. Taichi knew that Agumon's word meant nothing to him.

Taichi forced himself to ignore the man's scowl. He scanned the room again. He dropped Agumon, who immediately scampered around the floor, looking for any sign of Koushirou or Tentomon.

"Don't let it wander off!" The guard shouted.

Taichi walked to Agumon's side and squinted at the bamboo court outside. Koushirou wasn't there. Was it really just his imagination?

"TAICHI!" Koushirou's voice screamed in his ears.

A formally dressed bespectacled woman walked down the stairs. "Taichi Yagami? The Prime Minister and his Cabinet will see you now."

Taichi threw Agumon over his shoulder and ran to her. "Is it possible to reschedule?"

Her eyes widened. "What on earth are you saying? Your meeting is now. He's seeing the South Korean president after you."

"Yeah, but this is important!"

"Mr. Yagami, you can't expect another opportunity like this."

Taichi's mind reeled. "Where's the nearest computer?!"

"There's a laptop in the meeting room and a projector for your presentation. Did you bring your flash drive—?"

Taichi sprinted up the stairs, bewildering the woman. His footsteps echoed loudly.

"STOP RUNNING!" The guard shouted. He quickly followed Taichi up the stairs. The woman ducked out of his way.

Taichi skidded around the corner and his loafers squeaked. He ran down the hall and heard the guard's footsteps thudding behind him. He threw himself at the large door and shoved it open.

Two dozen well-dressed ministers were seated around a long wooden table. They were mostly elderly gentlemen, with a handful of stately women. The prime minister sat at the head of the table on the other end of the room; he was typing on the laptop. Everyone looked up in alarm at Taichi and Agumon's sudden arrival.

"Mr. Yagami—?"

Taichi slammed his hands down on the table. "I need your computer! Right now!"

The prime minister frowned at the young man's impudence. "Mr. Yagami, you will wait your turn—aah!" He raised his arms. "What's happening to the screen? What are you doing?"

"Please help me!"

Agumon leapt off Taichi's shoulder onto the table and ran down the middle. The ministers seated at the sides shrieked; a few ran to the walls. Agumon ignored them. "I hear him now too!" The digimon yelled. The prime minister stared at the monster in shock, frozen in fear. Agumon snatched his laptop and ran back across the table to Taichi. He opened it wide for his partner. The laptop's screen was filled with static, but it was clearly the source of Koushirou's voice.

"Taichi!" Koushirou's face flashed onto the screen. He was pale and dirty, and his eyes were wide with terror.

"YAGAMI!" The security guard barreled into the meeting room and grabbed Taichi's shoulder.

"I'm coming!" Taichi grunted and pointed his digivice at the computer. A stream of orange light appeared between the devices and enveloped him and Agumon. The man and digimon vanished, and the security guard clasped his fist around nothing.

Spinning through a whirlwind of brightly colored pixels, Taichi and Agumon transported to the heart of the Modem Mines. They stood in a chilly, pitch black cavern. Taichi took a step forward and his foot collided with something plastic. He picked it up; it was a flashlight. He switched it on, and saw that they were standing on the edge of a crevice. "KOUSHIROU!"

"Taichi?!" Koushirou's voice came from within the crevice. Taichi knelt on the edge and shined the flickering light below. Koushirou was twenty feet beneath him. He was hanging onto the side of the cliff with both hands, and Motimon was holding onto the man's shoulders. They both looked exhausted. "How the hell…?" Koushirou stared at his friend with wide eyes.

"Don't move! I'm coming for you!" Taichi gripped the flashlight tighter. His whole body was shaking.

"Why would I move?! Taichi, how did you know I was here?"

"Rescue first; questions later!" Taichi let out a strangled laugh.

"Uh, right! R-roger that!" Koushirou smiled weakly at his friend.

Taichi got back on his feet and nodded at Agumon, who growled and started glowing and growing into a much larger dinosaur. There was barely any room for Greymon to stand between the stalactites, much less to climb into the narrow space where Koushirou was dangling. Taichi patted his back and the monster understood. He turned around and let down his long striped tail into the crevice. Taichi climbed over the tyrannosaurus' hind legs and scrambled down. The space between the two cliffs was freezing cold. Taichi could see a cloud of his breath from the dim light still shining above.

He could barely make out Koushirou beneath him, stranded on the wall. Taichi slid to the end of Greymon's tail and gripped it tight with his left hand. He found footholds in the crags and leaned backwards, stretching his right arm down as far as he could. He grasped repeatedly at thin air. Koushirou was still out of reach.

"Koushirou, I need you to grab my hand."

Koushirou's eyes grew large, reflecting the light. He shook his head rapidly. "I can't! I'll fall!"

"You have to!"

"No! Taichi, you don't understand! We're in the Processor Pit, from the ancient Digital World legends. There is no bottom! You fall forever and you never stop falling. You starve and your body rots until there is nothing left, and only then do you stop falling—"

"You don't need to explain that to me because you're not going down! You're going up!"

"NO! I-I'm not like you! I can't do it!"

"Yes, you can! I'll catch you! Koushirou, I know you can do it. I believe in you!"

Koushirou panted, staring at Taichi above him. He adjusted his grip and wobbled. "Aah!"

Taichi winced. He grunted and strained his fingers a little farther. "Come on. I'm so close! You can reach me. I promise."

Koushirou studied the man's hand with laser focus. He started swinging his legs beneath him.

"NGAAAH!" Koushirou swung himself with all his might and lunged his right arm forward. He grasped Taichi's fingertips.

Taichi leaned down and fastened his hand tight around Koushirou's. "I got you!" Taichi felt himself slipping and he caught his breath. Then the end of the tail wrapped itself tight around his left hand, keeping him steady. Taichi shut his eyes and smiled.

He felt himself being pulled higher, lifted from the crags on the wall. He kept his grips tight around the people he loved. Then Greymon raised them over the top and set them safely on the ground.

Koushirou crumpled to his knees, gasping. The first thing he did was hug Motimon. Then he met Taichi's eyes and quivered. He started speaking very fast. "I-I'm so sorry. I'm such a fool. I evolved him to the Ultimate Level so he could keep digging in the caves. We were digging for six hours and thirty-two minutes, and then he had to devolve. I thought—I thought that I could keep going on my own with him on my shoulder. I should have rested, but—I didn't want to stop! And then—I tripped over my own flashlight that I dropped and I fell. You know I have terrible hand-eye coordination. Then I dropped the bag of food—!"

Taichi sobbed and threw his arms around him. "You're alive!"

"S-so I couldn't feed Motimon—"

"You're alive! I thought I'd lost you!" Taichi's sobs were loud and ugly. They echoed off the cave walls, filling the room. He ran his hand through Koushirou's matted hair and pulled his waist close against him.

"I was so, so stupid—"

Taichi kissed Koushirou's forehead, and Koushirou became silent. Taichi let go of his waist so he could caress the man's face and stare at him. He slowly stopped sobbing. "I was so scared," he whispered.

Koushirou nodded. "Me too."

"Are…" Taichi swallowed. "Are you all right?"

"Well…We lost our food and water, so we're both a little—"

"Water! Of course!" Taichi said too loudly. He let go of the man and grabbed his briefcase. He quickly retrieved the water bottle.

Koushirou took it gratefully and drank half of it. Then he coughed and gave the rest to Motimon. Motimon seemed too tired to even form words, much less hold a bottle, so Koushirou cradled him in his arms and fed it to him like a baby bottle. Taichi stared at the dirty man and his baby digimon by the dim light of the flashlight, transfixed. He thought that he had never seen a more heavenly vision. Koushirou finally met his gaze and blushed. Taichi blinked and remembered to close his mouth.

"How did you find me?" Koushirou asked.

"I heard you calling my name…"

"What?" Koushirou's eyes widened. Then he looked a little embarrassed. "I did say your name a few times. That still doesn't explain how you heard me in the real world."

Taichi shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! This is a mystery and we need to solve it!"

Taichi crawled on his knees, closing the space between them, and grasped Koushirou's shoulders again, as if he was terrified of what would happen if he wasn't holding him. "Can we solve the mystery later?"

Koushirou sighed and leaned his head onto Taichi's chest. "I suppose so…"

Taichi wrapped both his arms around Koushirou and gently swayed, rocking back and forth. After such a long day, he finally felt peaceful.

"Taichi…"

"Yeah?"

"How did your meeting with the Prime Minister go?"

Taichi hesitated.

"Oh God…" Koushirou slumped weakly in his arms.

"That doesn't matter," Taichi said firmly. "I'll force them to reschedule. I'll make them listen to me. They can't keep me out. Every time I fall then I get back up and try again."

"I know," Koushirou said. "I love that about you."

Taichi smiled. "Thanks. I…" He sighed. The words were caught in his throat.

"Thank you for saving my life," Koushirou continued. "And Motimon's life."

"Y-yeah…" Taichi grinned and lowered his eyes, flustered. "Do you want to go back home now?"

Koushirou didn't answer right away. "May I show you something?" His voice was stronger now. More sure of himself.

Taichi nodded eagerly. "Yes."

Koushirou sat down and Taichi sat next to him. They both leaned against the cave wall, tired and shaking. Koushirou retrieved the flashlight and then pulled out something small from his pocket. He held it in his palm between them and shined the light on his hand.

It was a rough gem stone, cut from the wall by a bug digimon's talons and a man's pickax. Black as onyx, but it reflected all the colors of the rainbow like liquid oil. As Taichi's eyes adjusted to the light, he began to see other colorful shapes in the crystal's reflection. Then the shapes in the crystal became clear as images on a computer screen.

He saw a towering blue waterfall shrouded in mist. Then with a slight turn of Koushirou's hand, he saw red and yellow fires. Then he saw a vale of sunflowers.

A galaxy full of stars. Pink curtains blowing in the wind. Strange dog-like animals with antennae. A black ocean. A room full of flustered politicians…

Taichi turned his head and saw that Koushirou was already looking at him, smiling widely. Koushirou's smile extended all the way to his eyes, which brimmed with curiosity and sparkled like black diamonds. Here in the Digital World, near the center of the earth, that smile was hidden from everyone except for Taichi. Taichi grinned back at him.

"Worth it."

"Worth it."

They both agreed.