99

Searchers

"I began to hear something like the hue and cry of organized pursuit." – H. P. Lovecraft, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"

When Hiraga arrived at the group's headquarters, he explained his need to locate BlackTailmon and relayed his question about whether it could be done remotely, saying nothing about Sato or his dream – if that was what it was – of the previous night. The dour Caucasian man he asked answered in passable Japanese that the system wasn't really designed to pinpoint a Digimon's location, and that it would be particularly difficult to find one so small.

"Then we'll need people to go around Odaiba looking for it?" Hiraga asked. He would be only too glad to leave the compromised building, but searching for a missing cat didn't appeal to him, and definitely wasn't the sort of work he was used to doing.

"Maybe," the other man said, thinking a moment. "I will see what can be done." With that he headed off to some other part of the complex.

Left to think, Hiraga tried applying logic to the problem. What would that Digimon do – what had it done – upon realizing that it was stranded? He had heard stories of animals finding their way home over long distances, but BlackTailmon wasn't really an animal, and he didn't know in what ratio a Digimon like that operated on instinct as opposed to intelligence. As on a number of other occasions Hiraga regretted having taken this job. It was lucrative, but for maybe the first time in his career he was out of his depth. What a bizarre world he had stumbled into.

As the minutes continued to pass he sat down at one of the unoccupied computers. Sitting duty, he thought, closing his eyes. The wait continued.

Taichi's hunt for the black Tailmon had hardly begun before the hopelessness of his task really hit home. Odaiba was too large, BlackTailmon herself too small, and there wasn't even a guarantee that she was still on the island. Together his stubbornness and awareness of what was at stake drove him to keep at it, but he also realized that if he wanted any chance at finding her he would need help. Koushiro and Jou were talking to Gennai by this time, but he could ask the others to join the search.

Yamato was the first to respond and the first to appear, meeting Taichi as usual between their apartment buildings with Gabumon in tow. Taichi could see at a glance that his friend hadn't gotten much sleep last night. That and the stress showed clearly in his face. And why wouldn't it? Both of them were in the same position, and Taichi had little doubt that he wasn't looking any better.

Mimi had also sent a reply, and a while after Yamato showed up she, Sora, Palmon, and Piyomon arrived together. The four pairs of partners greeted each other with what warmth they could muster.

"Are we ready to start?" Taichi asked.

"Shouldn't we come up with some sort of plan first?" Sora asked.

"Ah… Yeah," Taichi agreed, such a melancholy expression passing over his face that she was almost sorry she had said anything. She could see he was struggling to maintain some semblance of hope. After answering he gazed steadily at the ground, not putting forth any suggestion, and it was Mimi who spoke next.

"Should we split up?"

"We would cover more ground, I guess," said Yamato.

"I could look from the air," Piyomon suggested. "If I evolved…"

"I don't know," Sora said. "I feel like there's more to think about. Will that Digimon hide if she sees you? Should we try to sneak up on her? Even if we find her, we'll still need to be quick enough to catch her."

"Did you check where that black gate was last night?" Yamato asked Taichi.

"That was the first place I went," Taichi answered. "She's not there."

"There wasn't any Digimon smell near those trees," Agumon added. "She must have left a while ago."

"But where would she go?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Wouldn't she want to get back to wherever she was before?" Mimi said. "If I were her, I wouldn't want to stay in a place where enemies were looking for me."

"Hey… Yeah!" Taichi said. He looked up, enthusiasm surging back into his expression.

"With Lilithmon gone, she wouldn't be able to go back the way she came…" Yamato said.

"Right," Taichi answered. "She'd want to get out of Odaiba, and the quickest way back to that building is the same way we came back last night!" He turned and looked in the direction of the nearby Yurikamome station, though one of the apartment buildings blocked the view of the station itself. He actually smiled as if he could see his quarry already, though the smile had a hard edge to it.

"But she could have taken a different way off the island," Sora protested.

"Maybe, but Rainbow Bridge is the closest," Yamato said, beginning to catch something of Taichi's excitement. "We could ambush her there."

"If she hasn't already gone that way," Sora said. "And we don't know if she would take the road or the train."

"If she did go that way," Taichi said, "we'll follow her all the way back! I'll head for the station." And he started off at a run. Agumon watched him go in surprise, then belatedly followed. Yamato also stepped in that direction, but Sora reached out and touched his arm.

"It's a chance," he said softly, pausing and looking at her. "If it took her a while to figure it out… Anyway, you and Birdramon can fly ahead to the bridge. You may be able to spot her."

"Should we do that, Sora?" Piyomon asked, sensing her partner's continuing hesitation.

"…Yeah," Sora said after a moment, giving Yamato a smile. "Mimi-chan, Palmon, why don't you go with them?"

"Alright," Mimi nodded.

"If she's there, we'll catch her," Palmon said.

Sora nodded, and the four of them started off, leaving her alone with Piyomon.

"Alright," Sora said, more to herself than to her partner. "We can't waste any time. Come on, Piyomon." She raised her Digivice, and when the light of evolution died away and she was safely seated on one of Birdramon's scaly claws, the phoenix shot into the clouded sky like a great signal flare.

BlackTailmon didn't know that she was being sought by two different parties, but she suspected that it might be the case, which was why she'd been mad at herself for sleeping in so long. She hadn't spent a very good night. The rain and eventual storm, along with her greater need for concealment, had led her to take shelter, and she'd hardly moved at all from the unlit balcony she chose as a hiding place. It was part of one of the Searea buildings, but didn't front on the plaza where she had met with the Chosen Children.

It had soon become clear to her that she couldn't depend on Lilithmon to transport her back to the "coven's" headquarters. But she still couldn't quite believe that this was due to a victory on the part of the Chosen Children, so she felt no unease about remaining so close to where they lived. Indeed, she'd felt secure enough (or at least bored enough) to fall asleep before the night was over.

When she awoke it was with a sense that more time had passed than was desirable. She hadn't yet determined the best method of getting off the island, but a climb to the building's roof gave her a general idea of how things stood. Her instincts told her that the place she wanted to be was more to the west than to the north, and a glance was enough to tell her that the structure a Tokyoite would recognize as Rainbow Bridge was the most convenient way there. However, she was leery of traversing a place with so little cover.

She considered the alternatives, and it was as she looked back to the bridge that she noticed the trains running under it. She'd seen similar trains in other parts of the city, and knew from observation that there must be a station nearby. From her vantage point it didn't take her long to spot one, especially considering how ridiculously close it was to the building she stood on. If she had thought of it before, she might have spared herself that long night of waiting. With an irritated hiss she began making her way down.

From the building's base she headed for the station. She did nothing to draw attention to herself, sticking to the shadows as best she could lest an acquaintance of the Chosen Children recognize her for what she was. She had reached street level and was looking for an opening in the traffic when she heard a few exclamations and felt a murmur go through the crowd. At first she thought that somehow her presence had been detected, but darting a look about she saw that the human pedestrians were focused on something rising from behind the building she had so lately left.

It was a Birdramon. BlackTailmon knew that wasn't the type of Digimon likely to be recruited by her masters, but she thought she remembered a bird Digimon that had accompanied the Chosen Children. Was it possible…? She looked back down the street, and what she saw confirmed her in her impulse to take cover. On the sidewalk were four familiar figures, headed in her direction. At least there wasn't any indication that they had noticed her yet. She would prefer to keep it that way. Something a little like awe had come over her – they'd somehow escaped Lilithmon, and anyone capable of that was not to be trifled with.

There was no time to waste slipping through traffic like a true cat; she leapt once, landed on the roof of a slow-moving car, and jumped from there to the station, dashing inside through the feet of humans distracted by the monster in the sky.

Upon making her way up to the boarding platform, she positioned herself at the windows. From there she could just see those two Chosen Children and their partners. They had picked up the pace; perhaps they'd spotted her after all. But she was no longer worried. The partner Digimon, the only real threats, were hampered by their stumpy legs, and they couldn't evolve if they wanted to follow her into the station – it wouldn't occur to those idiots to destroy the structure with her inside. And the train was coming. She saw it a little farther down the tracks, approaching fast. In another minute the doors would be opening and she would be safely aboard.

She heard a voice raised downstairs above the general confusion, but paid little attention to it; the train was pulling in. The doors opened and she dodged between the feet of those disembarking – some of them talking uneasily about where that giant bird was going. Then came the wait for the new passengers to board.

BlackTailmon didn't know it, but most of them had changed their mind about going, since Birdramon was headed in that direction. And even if the firebird wasn't dangerous in itself – and many were familiar enough with recent history to doubt that it was – any opponent it might be headed towards would be another matter. Only a few people boarded the Yurikamome. But still it waited, and BlackTailmon began to wonder if she would make her escape after all. Inwardly she cursed these humans and their sluggish, overly considerate systems.

A voice came over the PA, informing potential passengers that the train would be leaving soon. At first it seemed that no one would heed the warning, but at the last moment before the closing of the doors two final riders came in at a dead run. BlackTailmon's smirk of triumph vanished as their eyes found her at the opposite end of the car. The doors slid shut with a hiss, and the Yurikamome went into motion.

BlackTailmon's yellow eyes were steady. She knew that she was cornered, and began to evaluate the situation. The Agumon was breathing heavily, but would still pose the greatest danger to her. However, it was the look on the Chosen Child's face that held her gaze.