Thanks everyone for the reviews. This is sort of a short chapter so I'd thought I'd give it to you a bit earlier than I intended. Enjoy.
And: yes, TheAddicted I do love torturing my readers. It's all for the best I assure you. Plus, you'll be happy to know that the story is about to pick up steam.
Chapter 5. The Essay
Despite the term "very important" Matt didn't read the documents right away because Joe always over-exaggerated his anxieties. Plus, if it was a matter of life or death Joe would have used the phone. When Matt did sit down with his laptop after band practice and opened up the files he was frozen in shock. It was an article his brother had written and according to the date it was published only a month after his disappearance. Matt's shock was further intensified by reading the first paragraph.
We are not alone. Every culture has its own myths and folklore that hint at worlds hidden barely out of sight. The select few that visit these worlds have returned to the human race with exclamations of either utopias or dystopias; pure light and darkness. But, neither can exist. The ancients speak of balance: balance between all forces and powers whether natural or supernatural. The question arises, now at the brink of a new digital world, what path will humans choose? One of unrealistic absolutes or a painful, but "real" life?
Matt read the rest of the paper as fast as his eyes would move. Not only did he find his brother's writing provocative, but it was provocative in a disturbing way. A way he thought completely unnatural for Tk. And truthfully, at the end of the essay Matt still didn't understand what it was about. It seemed to be about the digital world, but also not. It was heavily based in ancient research but predicted the future. Perhaps, Matt was reading too much into it, but there was still a prickling of suspicion under his skin.
Matt picked up his phone despite the late hour and called Joe. He was sent to voicemail and sighed before saying, "It's Matt, I just read that article. What do you think it means? I'm going to call Tai and see what he wants to do about it. If it is digidestined related we'll need to hold a meeting. Call me back."
Matt ended the call and then immediately dialed another number. A groggy voice answered the call, "Dude, do you know what time it is?"
"It doesn't matter. Have you checked your email?"
"Not today," Tai glanced at his clock and saw it was two in the morning, "or yesterday."
"Do it now?" Matt urged. Tai grumbled some more but didn't argue. He walked over to his desk and opened his laptop.
"What am I looking at?"
"The attachment on Joe's email. Open it." Matt answered.
Tai clicked on the attachment, "It's something Tk wrote?" Tai quested as the first page popped up. He immediately assumed that that was why Matt was so wound up but then he began reading, "Wait, what? The digital world."
"Yes." Matt answered, "Call me back when you finish it."
"Yeah, sure." Tai was distracted as his eyes focused on the computer screen. Anything to do with the digital world had him completely engaged. Therefore, he didn't notice when Matt hung up on him.
Given Tai's wish to fully understand every word the article took him a long time to finish. When he finally called Matt back the birds were beginning to chirp.
"We should get everyone together." Tai declared automatically. "I have no idea what any of it means but it feels fishy to me."
"I agree." Matt said, "My band's place at six."
"I'll call everyone." Tai said before hanging up the phone.
Before coming to the band's house everyone was told to read Joe's email. Once they had they were far more eager to come. It was almost like back in their teens during a digital emergency when everyone would drop everything they were doing to meet up: Matt cancelled a gig, Sora rescheduled a meeting with a major client, and Joe switched shifts.
"This feels less welcoming than last time." Davis said as he was the last to arrive in the house full of stressing digidestineds. The others only half smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood; they could tell from his face that he was also worried.
"Ok, let's talk about this." Tai said gathering everyone around the couches.
"I'm confused." Mimi said first. "I don't quite understand what Tk's talking about. He says 'digital world' but does he mean 'our digital world' or just cyberspace."
"I'm with Mimi." Sora agreed, "There was no specific mention to 'our digital world.'"
"I believe he's making a philosophical argument." Cody said, "The digital world is irrelevant except that it is, once again, a world creating by man - except this time it's real and not myth."
"I would agree to that," Matt began, "if Tk said so himself. However, he vanished half a year ago."
"Are you hypothesizing he went to the digital world?" Izzy asked with his eyebrows raised, "How could he have? Ken and I have been trying for years."
Ken nodded his head in confirmation, "It's extremely unlikely."
"But not impossible." Yolei stated firmly. She, Izzy, and Ken then began their own side conversation about whether or not Tk would have the ability to program himself into the digital world. The other people in the room began arguing about the relevancy of Tk's disappearance and his intent with his paper. In short, the room got very loud with conversation.
There was only one person who had yet to speak at all. She shrunk away from the many conversations and eventually excused herself to the kitchen where she grabbed a glass of water. Her hand shook. Like everyone else she saw the references to the digital world within Tk's paper but more than that she felt a personal attack. Tk talked about the irrationality of uniform dark and light worlds. Kari's crest was light. Therefore, every time Tk talked ill about the light she felt her own heart rip a little.
Kari and Tk were closer than siblings at one point in their lives. Until he ran off to France she thought they'd be together forever: whether as best friends or a couple. Now learning that he despised the 'light' she felt like she'd meant nothing to him. She was to blame for him running off; she was to blame for all the other digidestineds' pain at losing a good friend. She, Kari Kamiya, caused so much misfortune.
Kari's hand shook so much that the glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. She quickly bent down to pick up the pieces but cut her finger on a glass shard. She merely froze while looking at the bead of blood that formed.
"Kari?" Tai had rushed to the kitchen at the crash and now looked at his sister with worry. In all this mess he'd only thought of the digital world; Kari had seemed so strong he didn't think anything was wrong.
Kari looked up at her brother with messy hair falling into her face. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her voice quaked, "Tai."
Tai closed the three steps between his sister and himself and pulled her off the floor to envelope her in a comforting hug. Kari was very silent as she cried into his shoulder. "It's alright, I'm here for you now." Tai tried to calm her. Her tears kept pouring and he held the embrace.
Enough time had passed that someone had finally come to check on them.
"Kari?" Sora exclaimed at her surprised. Tai tried to wave her away but she didn't budge. After a few minutes she said, "They need you in there; I'll take her home."
Kari let go of her brother knowing he wouldn't leave on his own; she also knew the digidestineds needed a leader right now and not a nuisance like her.
"C'mon, sweetie." Sora said and grabbed Kari's shoulders. They left and Tai reluctantly went back to everyone else.
At the end of a nearly five hour debate very little had been decided. The only things the digidestined did agree on was that they knew nothing. Their only hope resided in questioning Tk or Genni. But, hope? Yes, they still had a bit left.
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