Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own digimon, only the original human characters in this fic.
Ricki and Dracmon followed Ryan and Ryu as the pair entered the building, a look of expectation on their faces. But they soon fell as they saw what was inside. Cobwebs hung from the walls, which had big cracks running through them. Although it's looked okay from the outside, inside it looked like it could still fall down any minute. Not what they had been expecting.
Ryan seeing the looks on their faces chucled lightly, and just continued through the hallway into what seemed like it had once been a loving room. Debris from the ceiling covered the few remaining bits of furniture, one piece of which was a chair. Placing the pizza boxes he held, Ryan bent down and brushed off the dust and bit of rock on it, and sat down with a contented sigh.
Ryan and Dracmon were still looking around in disbelief. The way Ryan had spoken about it, it had seemed like VDS was a brilliant place. True they hadn't known what to expect, but this was far from it. It looked like no-one had been here for ages, which Ricki guessed would be good for hiding, but it was still disappointing. Maybe they move around a lot. He told himself.
"Is this it" It was Dracmon who first spoke the pair's thoughts. In reply he got another chuckle from Ryan.
"If you mean is this where we hide, then yes it is" He was obviously enjoying the others disappointment. "If you mean is this all, then no. We're just waiting for the moment"
Ricki frowned. The two answers he'd just given seemed to contradict themselves. Was he just messing with them, and this was all it was. Then again, judging by the amount of pizza's they'd carried, there had to be at least 8-10 people in this VDS, if not more, and he doubted they could all remain here without leaving any trace of living in it.
Seeing as it didn't look like Ryan was going to explain his words more then he already had, Ricki decided to ask a question he'd been wondering about for a while.
"Ryan, you say you and Ryu are like us, being hunted for having or being a virus partner?" He began slowly, "Yet, I thought that Dracomon..."
"...that Dracomon are data attribute" Ryan cut in, guessing where the question was going. As Ricki nodded, confirming he was right he leant back in his seat, sighing. "Well you're right. Ryu, right now is a data attribute" He gestured to the Dragon digimon who was involved in a conversation with Dracmon, about seemingly random things.
"You see, not all digimon keep the same attribute throughout digivolution. Some change as they digivolve. Like Ryu. He's a data now, but his champion form is a virus. Unlike with rookie viruses however, those partners that digivolve to viruses aren't deleted." As he spoke his eyes clouded over as if he was recalling a previous memory.
"Instead, they brought in the 'Viral evolution Restriction Law' which is a fancy way of saying those found of having a viral champion form they are forbidden to digivolve after the discovery. As long as the digimon and partner are good little citizens they are allowed to stay together, after signing a contract not to digivolve. However if they digivolve, even once after the signing, it is shown they can't be trusted and are deleted."
Ricki listened in interest as Ryan explained. He hadn't been aware of all the laws concerning Virus attributes. He only thought that all viruses were deleted without question. "So this 'contract', you refused to sign it?"
"No, I signed it, and we obeyed it. For a while" Ryan sighed again. "Then something ... something happened and we broke it. " His tone in the last sentence warned Ricki not ask about what this something was. Nodding to show he understood what Ryan was talking about he went quiet, half listening in to Dracmon's and Ryu's conversation.
"... and then Ricki began to fall behind. I called at him to catch up, but he was tiring due to the chase. So I took the lead, and led us through the alleys. After all I know them like the back of my hand" Dracmon was informing Ryu of the events that had transpired before he and Ryan had turned up, or at least, his version of them
Ryu's eyes were lit up as he listened, but suddenly, he tilted his head, confused. "But didn't you guys end up at a dead end?"
"Of course, that was intentional" Dracmon laughed, but it was obvious, to anyone but Ryu, that he was quickly trying to come up wit h a quick explanation. "You see with Ricki tiring, I knew we couldn't keep on running, so I led us to a dead end, intending to finish it"
"You mean fight?"
"Yeah, and I would have won too, but you guys showed up. Not that I'm not grateful for you trying to help us, but I could have handled it" The little demon digimon boasted, expanding his chest at the same time. "Anyway although I could talk about me all day, but I;m interested in you"
"What about me?" Ryu tilted his head again; unsure what could be interesting about him.
"You're nickname. I mean it's unusual for me to meet a digimon that doesn't go by his species name, or a shortened version of it.. I just wondered if there's a reason or you just decided to have one"
"Ah, well." Ryu for the first time looked slightly nervous. He glanced over to Ryan, who wasn't really listening, just keeping an eye on his watch, and occasionally glancing at the door. "Umm, well we just thought a name would be good, and Dracomon can be a mouthful, and, I liked the name Ryu, so it kind of stuck..."
"Ah so it's just because huh. Well I have to admit it's a cool name. It means Dragon right?"
"Yeah, in Japanese" Ryu lightened up the second the topic left the reason for his name. "Although it doesn't look it, Ryan's really into manga and the like, and will get hold of some whenever he can, though at times it can be difficult"
"Manga, oh yeah Ricki used to have a few of those..." The conversation drifted off again as Ricki glanced back to Ryan. He was aware of his partner altering the events of what happened, but he'd given up trying to stop him ages ago.
Ryan was still looking at his watch, a look of irritation on his face beginning to grow. "Where is she? She's the last person I'd expect to be late. Don't tell me she was actually forced into a fight with him" He muttered." The irritation began to turn to worry as various scenarios ran through his head, while Ricki watched, confused as to what he was talking about.
That was when the door opened, and footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor towards the room where they were sitting. One set was light, barely noticeable, especially when compared to the others, which were heavy, and accompanied with the occasional 'clank'. Ricki stood up, alert, and Dracmon rushed to his side, prepared for a fight. Ryan also stood up; however it was a look of relief that ran across his face, though he quickly replaced it with a black expression as two figures appeared at the door.
It was the black haired girl, the one who had challenged Leo. At her side was what resembled a short suit of black and yellow armour, holding both a buckler, and a short spear. Katie, Ricki was sure Ryan had said her name was. He immediately relaxed, realising she was a friend.
"Hey guys" She addressed Ryan and Ryu in her soft welsh accent, as she and her partner walked into the room. She looked completely relaxed, a slight smile on her face as she turned to Ricki. "Hi. I haven't properly introduced myself to you, as last time we were all kind of busy" Her smile widened as she offered a hand "I'm Katelyn Wilde, or Katie as the other insist on calling me, and this is PawnChessmon"
"Ah Ricki" Ricki took the offered hand. "And Dracmon" He gestured with his free one to his partner at his side, who was staring curiously at Katie's partner.
"Katie" Ryan started, in a slightly stern tone, "You were meant to be here a while ago. With loving tactics so much I would have you would keep to a time basis. Did something happen"
Katelyn turned to the brown haired boy, a look of amusement in her eyes. "Why were you worried" She raised her eyebrows, at him suggestively.
"O...of course not. I mean, yes I was. Because you're my friend" A light blush crossed Ryan's face, before he regained his composure and it went blank again. "Besides the pizza's getting cold"
Katie chuckled slightly. "Lighten up Ryan. I just heard a disturbance somewhere, and thought it could be a virus digimon, I lost it though." She explained, before shrugging her shoulders "Anyway you know Bennie's pizzas. I swear it's impossible for them to get cold before some starts eating them" She walked over to the pile of boxes, and picked some up, and turning back to them. "So, we going down"
Ryan scowled at her briefly, then nodded, "Yeah" He picked up the rest of the boxes and handed some to Ricki, before seemingly speaking to thin air. "Okay guys, you can let us in now." For a second Ricki thought he'd gone mad, but then he heard a slight whirring sound, and the torn sofa he'd been sitting on pivoted around, uncovering the floor beneath it. Along with a metal trap door. Even before he could speak his amazement, there was more whirring, and the door lifter, revealing a set of stone steps.
"Whoa" Dracmon gazed down them into the darkness, before lights flickered on, revealing that they went don't quite a way before levelling into a concrete floor.
"I agree" Ricki commented, as both Ryan and Katie, smiles o their face, began to walk down, followed by their respective partners. Hurrying as so not to be left behind Ricki and Dracmon followed them, unsure as to where the staircase and corridor would lead.
The second the feet of the last person, Dracmon, touched the concrete floor, there was more whirring and the only exit, the trapdoor above them, closed, sealing them off from the fading sunlight.
" Leonardo Maygold reporting in, Sir" Leo saluted to the tall, man standing in front of him. He had long black hair which was tied back loosely. A pair of rimless glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, which his brown eyes now looked through as he studied the boy, and the digimon, in front of him.
"Stand down Officer, and give me a full report on what happened." He commanded. Although his words were soft, the authority was clear in his voice.
Leo immediately dropped his hand from his forehead and launched into a quick summary of events. " Sir, we were pursuing the targets we had been informed were resisting detainment and deletion. We chased them into a series of alleys, and succeeded in trapping them in a dead end." He began to explain, though it was clear that he was unhappy with having to remembered what had happened, and how his quarry had gotten away."We were about to proceed with the arrest, Sir, when we were attacked, by another Virus tamer."
The Commander nodded at the information, as did the long eared rabbit digimon at his side. "This attacker, you said you recognised her" Lunamon queried.
"Yes ma'am, I did. It was Katelyn Wilde, one of the escapees from the raid seven months ago. Back then we had a..brief run in"
"I see. So Miss Wilde attacked you, what next?"
"We fought back, ma'am, but only after a few minutes did we realise it was a distraction, to let the other one get away. Our guess, sir, is that another surviving member of the raid helped get the pair out while we focused on Wilde. Then when we realised she and her partner ran away. We were going to pursue, but Agent Gray and Renamon turned up, advising us to stop, sir"
"Yes. Despite the situation I do believe that was the best idea. Maria already gave me her account of events from when they arrived." He gestured to Maria and Renamon, who were standing off to the side Miss Wilde had a Knightchessmon. They have great leaping power. You would not have beaten them in a race over the rooftops"
"That aside, a problem now presents itself. It is obvious there are at least too pair of survivors with virus partners, if not more, from seven months ago." The commander started, addressing both Maria and Leo. "And it is also evident they are once more trying to expand their numbers. This cannot be allowed. Virus digimon endanger the safety of our country, and world. They must all be deleted. That is the reason VCA was formed. We cannot let any virus pair to remain free in this city."
Lunamon took over from her tamer " Which is why we have decided to create a new squad, who's primary focus will be capturing and eliminating this group of tamers" The news surprised both Maria and Leo. Normally VCA agents operated alone, or in pairs, patrolling the city, or reacting to various sittings. Squads, which always had a main focus although they also did general duty, were uncommon, and a new one hadn't been formed for a while. However this wasn't the main shock.
"Agent Maygold, you will be in charge of this Squad. You are one of the few people who took part in the raid who doesn't already have other duties, that and you have performed very well since joining VCA. We are sure you will be able to handle the leadership" Lunamon explained.
For a minute Leo just stood there surprised, before coming to his sense, and saluting. "I will not let you, or the Commander down, ma'am, sir."
The Commander nodded at the agent, sure he'd made a good choice, before turning to the Maria, and her fox like partner "Maria, you will be the second in command. Your performance has also been exemplary"
"Sir" Maria also saluted, and a light smile crossed the commander's face.
"As for the other members you will meet them tomorrow, before you beginning training. You need to be able to work like a team. These people are desperate to survive. You've got to be prepared to fight against whatever they throw at you. However now, I suggest the pair of you, and your partners, go to bed, it is getting late, and be prepared to be in the training room by 8 o'clock sharp. Dismissed"
"Yes, Commander Sir" The four replied, all of them saluting, even the digimon, before they filed out, heading to their rooms.