"Try and make it brief." He huffed.
"Take as long as you have to, we want to know everything." Kari sat down in front of her and smiled.
"This is actually about you Kari. Summer camp…I felt bad that you couldn't go with your brother. So my mom suggested I go and keep you company.
Ding-Dong "Hey Kari?" Young Tara, opened the door and stepped in, "You here?"
"Tara?!" Kari smiled faintly stepping into view.
"Hey sickly, I hope I didn't wake you up." Tara said slipping off her shoes and walking closer into the apartment.
"No, I couldn't sleep." Kari coughed.
"Where's your mom?"
"She and dad said they'd be back in a second. What are you doing here?"
"I just thought I'd come and keep you company." Tara sat on the arm of the couch and looked at Kari who smiled weakly at her. "It's not fun being stuck indoors all day."
"You can say that again." Kari sighed heavily. "But theirs nothing much you can do."
"I know, but I can make a killer chicken noodle soup that will make you feel great!"
"So can I, it's in a can!" Kari joked cough-cough
"Who told?" She jumped to her feet and put her arm around Kari. "Why don't you go lye down in your room and I'll…I know, I'll run and get my brothers portable TV and we can watch some movies."
"Sounds great to me." Kari said not too enthusiastically.
"Alright then, I'll be back in a Jif." Tara ran to the door and slipped into her shoes.
"I remember that," Kari smiled at the memory, then suddenly she gasped at another memory. "That's right, you found me and walked me home. Did you see Tai and Agumon?" Tara nodded, and continued.
"I followed Coramon and Tai was right behind him. I saw him digivolve into Agumon, then him and Tai disappear into the portal in the sky. Sora and Mimi though, they were the only two I figured out during the Miodismon's attack.
"No one really talks about Miodismon," Luke said hazily "It's like they want it to be a dream and not face the facts."
"You were there too?" TK asked
"Of course we were, He did take over half of the country." Aubrey stated, "But the real torture was not being able to help."
"I felt helpless when they herded everyone into the convention center," Russ said glaring angrily off into space. "Luke, Robie, Aubrey, Tara, and me. All of us and there was nothing we could do."
"We knew there had to be a new group of digidestined, Because our digi-vices were gone. I didn't believe Tara before about Tai, then I saw it for myself." Robie said "You burst through the wall of a building but Snimon caught Greymon off guard."
"Hey I remember that," Koramon chimed in.
"Mimi had Palmon under a bed sheet." Tara added "And Sora's mom and Biomon saved a group of us. Later I tried to follow Birdramon and you Sora, but they caught me and drug me back to the center, with all the rest of the kids."
"To be examined by Miodismon, and a Tigramon." Aubrey said.
"A Tigramon?" Kari asked, "Oh you mean Gatomon." Gatomon smiled from Kari's feet.
"We had a plan for when our turn came!" Luke stated exited "It would have worked but then they left, and just before my turn!"
"That's when I felt all that sadness," Nicki realized.
"No, that came from when we saw 8 figures ascending into the upside-down digi-world." Zowie said "That's when Russ about cried."
"Shut up!" Russ' face grew red "You cried too!"
"That's when we were mostly helpless, and we realized we'd failed." Tara said, Tai slid his arm around her shoulders.
"Failed?" Genni's voice came out of nowhere "Who failed?"
"Gennei?!" Tai shouted, "Are we glad to see you."
"Really are you sure?" Genni laughed "because I've been looking for you everywhere I thought you were trying to avoid me."
"Hey Jiz!" What's goin' man?" Jay shouted
"Nothing at the moment Jay-bird," Gennei chuckled said "But it looks like you all have been through a lot."
"Wait a minute," Matt stopped the conversation "Gennei is JIZ?"
"I guess," Nicki shrugged "You do look a little different old man."
"Yes I know I've been working out." He chuckled
"What's with the different name?" Matt inquired
"I don't know, I just loved hearing Jay call me that so I didn't correct him. But there's something strange going on here your two groups were never supposed to meet together."
"Wait what do you mean? What's going on?" Izzy inquired.
"You've already figured it out." Gennei said "A more powerful digital world has collided with your own and now one step closer to affecting the real world. It's that simple."
"Simple this is far from simple," Izzy said "This whole thing doesn't add up!"
"Yeah, like why everyone's young again," Davis chimed in, "with no way to change them back…"
"And there's no way to get back with the portal closed," Kari added
"Is it still closed?" Gennei questioned, "Oh yes I guess it would be."
"I've checked all the logical sources," Izzy continued, "of how were got to this point but nothings turned up."
"Then why don't you check someplace un-logical," Gennei laughed "Like a friend."
Yolei laughed "No one out there is smarter then Izzy."
"Actually," Tara hesitated as all eyes shifted to her direction. "I'm not disagreeing with Izzy being smart Yolie but I did find something."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Tai asked
"And what do you mean you found something?" Izzy asked
"I found that the gate we were transported through was connected to the rift I downloaded from Mimi's digivice." She swallowed, "The earthquake altered the world just enough that the guardians of your digital world released a default connected with the only digimon able to contact us in the real world."
"Tigramon," Nicki sighed "Everyone was in contact with her or her tail ring at one point."
"Right," Tara continued, "And since passing into the real world altered her format by forming a being of matter instead of data the portal became that of the same material and only able to withstand one way passage."
Sora raised her hand, "What?"
"She's saying that portal was a one way ticket," Izzy clarified, "We can't go back through it."
"But passage could be ascertained through the original portal." Tara finished flipping open her computer
"Which you successfully linked through your own internet router," Izzy shook his head in disbelief as Tara gave a weak grin, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Well, because with it being connected to my portal I know its requirements. And it will only work for those who have digivices." Devastated sigh's circulated throughout the group but no one really understood what she meant.
"Wait what does that mean?" Davis asked
"That means they can't pass through it," Izzy swallowed,
"Not without physical altercations." Tara nodded avoiding eye contact, Nicki put her hand on Tara's shoulder
"So only half of you get to go home," Gennei said light hearted "What's the big deal?"
"Gennei!" Kari scolded "That wasn't very nice."
"Oh come on," He said in his cheerful tone. "Just be happy it works at all."
"He's right," Nicki said squeezing Tara's shoulder who responded with a heavy sigh before working on the preparations.
"Tara stop!" Matt ordered "Put it away."
"Matt we can't all be stuck here young and helpless." Nicki said "Sense you are still the digi-destined it's up to you to go back and at least stop that Ottomon. Us being here was actually an accident, one that played into Ottomon's hands."
"I'm not growing up without you." Matt stated timidly
"Doesn't look like you have a choice," Jay said joining Tara.
"Of course we do and we're not going!" Tai added firmly
"Yes you are Tai," Nicki smiled softly "but we appreciate the chivalry."
"What exactly are you doing Tara?" Izzy asked leaning over her shoulder.
Tara didn't answer and Nicki knew she wasn't going too, "since no one has the communicators with them she's hacking into the digital world mainframe to access the portal." Nicki stated
"Hacking into the digital world mainframe?" Joe mocked in amusement "I heard Tara was a model student compared to her brother? How is it a model student of Odibah Junior High knows how to hack?" Joe wasn't the only one that didn't really believe this.
"In all honesty everyone's a model student when compared to her brother," Luke added, Robie and Russ tried really hard to keep from laughing. "And hacking has always been second nature to Tara. It's like the world talks directly to her."
Joe leaned over and whispered softly "She's perfect for you Izzy." Izzy turned slightly red and even though it looked like Tara wasn't listening she too turned pink.
"What are you hacking into exactly and how?" Izzy asked courteously.
Nicki seeing that Tara was still not going to answer decided she'd keep going. Bending down she began digging into the dirt until she was able to retrieve a long thick black cord. "These run all through the digital world if you're world is a parallel world than you probably had a digimon who used them for his music, sadly he was tone deaf. Tara is able draw information from this using it to find the main computer where Ottomon is storing all his information." Everyone gasped in shock and amazement.
"How is she connected?" Izzy asked, seeing there was no cords connected from the computer to the cord Nicki had showed them. Gently not removing her eyes from the computer Tara held up her glove. The digital chips could be easily seen fastened to them.
"But…that means…She's connected to the entire digital world and everyone in it." Gabumon said a little nervous.
"In a way yes," Nicki said "Don't worry she can't hurt anything, only locate, or open things, make an odd noise as a distraction." Nicki smirked at this memory "But she can't force anything living to do anything against their will. She wouldn't even if she could."
"Tai, Izzy," Tara looked up from her computer at the two who had been intensely watching everything over her shoulder "I need you to go over their and Russ, guys come over here." They all split into there two groups.
"I don't get this," Sora said as Tara looked ready, "So WERE you digi-destined before us?" Nicki shrugged
"If it comes down to a chronological order than yes we were," Robie shrugged not realizing how nerdy that made him sound Tara smirked.
This fact allowed Sora to relax and settle back so Tara reached forward to hit enter but Sora stopped her again "Wait! Sorry, um, when exactly was that?"
"About three months before you." Nicki said and Sora stepped back again but she was still thinking. Hesitating and keeping her eyes on Sora, Tara reached forward but…
"So," Sora started again, Tara threw her hands up in the air "Are you the ones Gennei was talking about?"
"What?" Nicki looked lost
"Gennei remember you said that there were digi-destined before us?" Sora continued "Are they who you were talking about…"
"Buh-bye!" Gennei blinked and the portal activated automatically.
Each digivice activated immediately as the blurry vortex sucked them through. Nicki and the others waved as there friends disappeared in a whirl wind then suddenly a white fog flooded around Nicki's ankles swallowing everyone.
As the fog slowly began to fade away Nicki realized something. Her feet were no longer on the ground, she and the others were standing in mid air. Not feeling anything under her feet was the only realization that there was nothing there. Then as everything came back into focus gravity kicked in. and they all dropped out of the air into a huge pile.
Mrs. Mikayo stood in the entry way by the door. Her glasses were in her right hand and her briefcase in the other. Eyes wide and mouthed open, she stood frozen in shock at the dog pile in the middle of her living room floor.
"OW!" Aubrey shouted "Someone's on my FOOT!"
"My knees are in someone's ribs." Luke stated.
"Ya! MINE!" Russ hollered back.
"Oh, good!" Luke smiled. Pushing and shoving began within the pile and heads and hands began to poke out.
"Uh, guys where are we?" Zowie asked looking around.
"Good question," Nicki said lying flat on her back when Russ finally got his head out from the middle of the pile of twisted legs he smirked at where he was. "You're invading my personal space Russ." Nicki stated a small blush raising in her cheeks.
"Am I?" he smirks realizing his face was only inches from hers. It was an interesting experience that was cut short when he spotted his mother unmoving in the doorway.
"Hi mom." He smiled timidly. "We…uh…well…" Quickly snapping out of her trance.
"I'm sure there is a logical reason why you all appeared out of no where." She choked slipping on her glasses and grabbing hold of the doorknob. "But for now since I'm running behind, I'll just say Mike's getting really good at his magic tricks." She opened the door and slipped out.
"Thanks Mrs. Mikayo!" Mike shouted to her, slowly sliding out of the pile to his hands and knees.
"You do magic tricks?" Jay asked struggling to get out himself.
"Not these kind." Mike said grabbing hold of Jay's arms and pulling.
"Oh," Mrs. Mikayo stepped back into the room "I just whipped out some fresh Chocolate Chip Cookies, there on the counter, and since you have friends just tell Tara to put more in the oven. Bye!"
"Thanks mom!" Russ shouted again as Mrs. Mikayo disappeared again. "Where is Tara?"
"Please, get OFF the COMPUTER!!" Tara shouted from the bottom of the pile. Everyone immediately jumped off Tara who was protecting her laptop the best she could. "Thank you." She shook running her fingers through her red streaked hair. Starred at Russ she gasped "Inconceivable."
"We're back!" Aubrey said happily "The great double one age! Oh how I missed it so!"
"But how?" Zowie asked
"Someone was holding back on us." Nicki folded her arms; just then the computer blipped and Genni appeared through the fuzzy screen.
"Hey, I hope you like my little surprise." He laughed
"Thanks JIZ, but how?" Jay asked
"I don't get it," Tara shook her head, "A digital glitch only works through the digivices and ours…"
"Ours?" Nicki's eye's lit up "That only means one thing…but how?"
"Where?" Russ said immediately.
A little ashamed that he wasn't catching on before Russ, Luke turned red… "What are you all talking about?"
"Our digivices," Nicki blurted out, "The…the…the…." She was so excited that she couldn't explain.
"The glitch sucked us all in, everyone in Tokyo with a digivice. Meaning all original Digi-destined."
"No you're not original, you're a more complicated digi-destined." Genni said. "We'll enjoy your dilemma, I've got a turkey in the oven." Before anyone could say anything to stop him he was gone. And everyone fell silent. Except one.
"Yee-Haw!!" Nicki shouted jumping up into the air. Confusion and embarrassment hit her when she realized she was the only one dancing. "It's an American expression. You hear it all the time in the cowboy movies."
"No not that," Mike said, "We are going to need to talk about that though. But we don't even know what he was talking about."
"Our digivices," Russ said "If we still have them then where are they?"
"They would have to be somewhere we would never think of looking." Mike said "Or we'd have found them by now."
"Quick Russ, under your bed!!" Robie rushed, surprisingly Russ jumped to his feet and headed for his room at a full sprint. Robie laughed and Tara smirked.
"You know he's going to kill you when he gets back," Luke stated
"Ya, but it will take him a while to shuffle through all that junk under his bed." Robie said kicking back in the reclining chair.
"Why wait," Russ stated reentering the room. Without a word Robie sprung to his feet and bolted through the back door, with Russ at his heels.
"Russ! Be careful I'm not taking the blame for another trampled bush!" Tara shouted after him. Intrigued and courteously Nicki stepped out onto the back porch and examined the yard and house.
It was a long one floor, cream colored building. The backyard was a large ordinary Japanese garden with long wood walkways that mazes through artfully trimmed trees, flowers, and ferns of every kind. There was even a small bridge that lead over a small stream to an Ivy covered Gazebo, at the far end of the yard.
"Tara this isn't your apartment." Nicki stated wide-eyed.
"Really, what tipped you off?" Tara said teasingly. Nicki shoved Tara off the porch onto the walkway.
"When were you going to tell me you moved?"
"Never, or maybe when you went to our old apartment building and met the really nice British people that live there." She giggled
"Nicki," Tara swallowed, "You jumped to a conclusion about our digivices."
"What do you mean?"
"JIZ said it was his surprise he didn't say it was our digivices existence that brought us back."
"Oops," Nicki sulked
"Hey Nicki," Zowie leaned out the door, "It's getting late, we need to go."
"It's not late!" Tara said nervously.
"The sun's going down." Zowie stated pointing at the orange sky.
"Come on Nicki," Jay leaned out the door "Mom and Dad won't like us out on a school night."
"Alright, but first a club meeting!" Nicki said sitting herself down on the wood porch. With a sigh of relief Tara disappeared to do some research Nicki went into the garage for the guys and Jay yelled into the house for Aubrey.
The 11-year-old blond came out of the house with both hands and her mouth full of cookies. She did her best to keep them to herself the bottomless pit always prevails and she did so once she returned from the garage with four exited boys.
"What was so fascinating in the garage?" Jay asked
"We'll show you later." Russ grinned "What's up?"
"So here's the story involving our digivice," Tara sighed sitting beside Nicki, "Though Gennei may have implied there still in existence I'm not so sure they're in our possession or how we'll be able to use them. We can't forget that we're dealing with two separate digital worlds here that have inadvertently collided with each other."
"So what are you saying." Russ glowered, "This isn't our fight?"
"Though our keys are being targeted…no it's not our fight. The portal between worlds is not compatible with us and passing through it will be hazardous."
"But we already passed through it, isn't that how we got back?" Robie asked
"No," Tara shook her head, "We were transported here through the power of the Nicki's key. It was jumpstarted by the portal and threw us back in time."
Russ added knowingly, "Though we spent hours in the digital world were back shortly before we were transported in the first place."
"That's right," Tara confirmed, "That means technically Tai and the others haven't arrived through the gate yet, they will later tonight and if they feel the reverberations of Nicki's key like I theorize they will, each will be transported to a subconscious moment linked with there notion of suspended animation."
"Sleep," Russ's forehead scrunched as he repeated what Tara said, in his version of English, "There subconscious knows the time and thus will transport them home?"
"Bingo," Tara shrugged,
"So tomorrow at school we all need to act as if nothing has happened." Nicki stated
"Why?" Luke asked, "What did your psychic powers tell you?" He mocked
"Tai, Matt, and the rest of them are going wake up in their own homes and think it was all a dream." Nicki stated seriously "So we need to make it a dream."
"But it wasn't." Zowie said thinking hard "if they think it is a dream then they won't remember Ottomon and…"
"It's not our fight." Tara finished "Why let them believe it is."
"Because it's Nicki he wants Tare," Russ pointed out, "It's our keys that are in danger and if Nicki's has manifested itself than ours are out there too. Our digimon have been targeted, at least three of them have."
"And if we stay hidden he can't get us," Nicki added, "They will protect our digimon with there lives I know that. And that's the way it's supposed to be."
"And if it's not?" Russ asked
"Then things will end up playing out they way they're supposed to and he'll come and attack me." Nicki said
"Oh please let it attack Nicki!" Aubrey pleaded
"Hey!" Nicki looked offended
"Sorry," Aubrey flushed
"Is everyone in than?" Tara asked looking around.
"Wouldn't it be easier to work together on this?" Jay asked.
"We might have to sooner or later…" Nicki said "But for right now let's enjoy the fact that we were able to set foot in a world we thought was lost and support those that can return to save it."
"Okay," Jay held his hand out "I'm in!"
"Me too," Luke placed his on tope of Jays "Anyone else?" Everyone's hand went into the middle of the circle.
Tai and Kari, Matt and TK, Sora, Mimi, Joe, Izzy, Davis, Cody, Yolei were all snuggled fast asleep in their beds. What's in store? Coming up next!