Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
The Invasion – Chapter 27
Music Inspiration: Hikaru Utada - Deep River
Originally Written: Sunday, July 12, 2015 454PM to 743PM
. . . . .
Albedo held in a scowl as Ryo, a few Plumbers and himself filed into a safe house. Number three if he remembered right. He found no sign of Henry as he looked around. His stomach felt heavy from the realization. His heart pounded with every fierce, unapologetic, heavy footstep of the feral To'Kustars outside. The many plumbers that surrounded Ryo and Monodramon openly and from the shadows, invaded his space. They swarmed like ninja, some in white, others in black suits, all on alert.
He recognized that this was something fueled by another force and feeling than hatred, but he still could not explain why. Plumbers, men and women with families and lives, put both on the line just to carry out Operation Hidden Technique. They followed this order without question. The sacrifice was so big, yet in his eyes, quite a bit more noble than if Operation Hidden Technique referred to protecting Ben Tennyson.
Nonetheless, it still unnerved him, the utter complacency of it. As he looked at Ryo, tired and weary as though he single handedly fought a battle on two fronts, he realized that the entire thing probably unnerved Ryo as well. Monodromon looked strained and weary, but nowhere near on the level of Ryo. The Digimon bounded in between them and rushed to Renamon with a downtrodden Calumon sitting on her head.
Rika stood next to Renamon. She looked curiously at the purple digimon. Ryo squeezed through the Plumbers as he hushed their protests with an air of superiority and orders to go rest up.
Ryo swept Rika into his arms, and he received what Albedo perceived as the rare opportunity to see Rika in the frailty that many said females had. They also said that this was the reason females didn't belong in the battlefield, for they were not as hearty as a strong man. He wondered if anyone of them had seen the wrath and power females like Rika could muster if one pushed the right buttons far too much. She was a tamer after all, and working alongside creatures that could kill you before you could retaliate had to stand for something.
Not that he would ever say he liked Rika as a human, but he could see her strength in sharp contrast to her feminine ways she displayed by showering Ryo with love, affection and worry that Ryo gladly accepted. In that manner, Rika's strength was something he could respect, as annoying for him as it may be.
He walked around seating himself at a table close to the two. Civilians watched him lock up his weapon and hook it diagonally on his back, as though he truly were dressed in Plumber gear.
"Are you alright?" Rika asked.
He kept his focus on a small television sitting on the table. Reporters preached about the Incurseans. Praising them as though an Incursean stood behind them with a blaster forcing them to read from cue cards. The civilians at the table with him looked disgusted and tired, and some muttered about sooner praising 'The Plumber at the table with them' than a "Slimy wart covered toad.'. Albedo didn't react to the comments, for he was unsure if it was meant as a compliment or an insult to him.
Ryo spoke after a while, "Course wildcat."
Albedo looked at them.
Rika narrowed her eyes. "He fought you again."
"It's nothing. I told you how he is. He doesn't like losing. Not on this scale."
Tennyson's speech had left a bad mark on anyone who was associated with aliens. The Incurseans successfully made the aliens look even worse, even the peaceful ones. A dreadful situation as any other one. The makings in potential for humans to give aliens up to the Incurseans as sacrifices for keeping themselves safe.
He wondered how Digimon would fall into this mix of controversy. It sounded as though Monodromon, Cyberdramon, was privy to disobeying Ryo, even if it left his human partner a tired, weary, broken mess.
He couldn't imagine humans taking it well if a Digimon injured their tamer in any way. The civilians at least. The Plumbers seemed to have understood that a Digimon was just as likely to violence as an alien backed into a corner. Humans had their own devastating weapons, no match for most aliens, but enough to tell anyone who dared threaten them that they weren't going down without a fight. A foolish courageousness, bred in people like Tennyson.
Rika led Ryo to a table, where she sat him down, reprimanding him for protesting her insistence.
Someone turned the volume up at the table Albedo sat at. He turned his attention to the television. A short reporter with brown hair and black eyes stood in front of a building. The building was extravagant, reminding him of Rika's house with the detail paid attention to the materials used, and a high end building residing in America from it's modern structure.
Civilians gasped, some covering their mouths and others shaking their heads. A feral To'kustar stalked around the building, threatening it. It's long legs flexed as it walked, giant footsteps shaking the ground and serving to frighten the woman standing in front of it and the building.
"That's the Prime Minister's residence!" An older male cried out.
And that's why Albedo felt the building so familiar. The equivalent or closest equivalent to the White House in the United States, and a Feral To'Kustar surrounded it.
"Ryo!" He heard Rika call and heavy footsteps. He watched Ryo take a stand behind civilians at the table he sat at. Ryo leaned on their shoulders for support. Around the safehouse, other plumbers and civilians crowded around other televisions, watching the news intensely.
"L-Lord Emperor Milleous-"
Plumbers around him groaned, as the reporter, who the television labeled as a woman by the name of "Mizaki", started addressing Emperor Milleous in the customary fashion. Her voice wavered and she shuddered and shivered, despite clear attempts not to. Her eyebrows furrowed and it truly looked as though she were prepared to take her chances, nonexistent as they were, to flee from the Incursean male who walked into the camera's view and stood next to her.
"Alright, we get it." The Incursean spoke, resting a heavy hand on her shoulder as he spat at her. She turned white as a ghost and did her best to ignore the alien hand on her. "Emperor Milleous doesn't watch some lowlife like you report on things he already knows. Get on with it. Make sure the rest of these warmblooded gnats can see it really good." The Incursean looked directly at the camera.
"Disgusting." Renamon commented in her confident as usual voice. The camera moved to show a better view of the Sari Daijin Kentei, and the To'Kustar walking menacingly around it.
Humans around Albedo protested in reaction to the Incursean insult. Albedo sat silent, watching the Incurseans grant further evidence of their own lacking intelligence.
"Emperor Milleous and our gracious overlords, are proud to declare that they have... liberated us from the planetary and intergalactic nuisance known as Ben Tennyson." Mizaki spoke in a solemn voice. "His exile means that we will never be..plagued by his presence again."
Albedo stared at the screen, his mind blank. He supposed this was the only solution when mutant feral To'kustars made the Earth their home.
"All hail our, so very gracious overlords. We thank you."
The Incursean stood proudly before her. Anyone with access to a tv screen watched Mizuki bow. They cheered at her frown and glare at the ground as she bowed to the Incursean, dramatically and mocking. When she stood up straight again, there was no sign of the death glare. The Incursean folded it's arms and nodded approvingly.
Without warning the To'kustar trampled on the Prime Minister's Residence. A few well placed kicks sent the building into a heap of rubble. The camera angle changed, allowing those watching to see the sadistic, crazed grin on the alien's face as it repeatedly stepped on what used to be an elegant building of high standing.
Albedo looked around as the safe house's residents broke out into rage. Humans, fellow Japanese men and women fell into outrage and panic. Albedo closed his eyes, part of him hoping they didn't start doing that to every day buildings. That same part hoped that the Prime Minister wasn't inside the building at the time. Humans were dumb enough without the situation turning into a right mess.
"Hey!" Ryo called out. "Calm down! If they hear us outside they'll attack us!"
"I'll give them something to fight!" A male called out.
"Against that giant!? It's hopeless!" Someone retorted.
Albedo, Ryo and Rika looked at each other.
"Those frogs are everywhere!"
Albedo was pretty sure Rika only looked at him because Ryo did. More outrage, yelling and panic erupted. 'A small crowd of people, but if this keeps up, we're going to be in a lot of trouble.' Albedo narrowed his eyes, 'Incurseans hate rioting.'
"Hey!" Someone yelled loudly. The safe house fell quiet. At the top of the stairs leading to the apartment complex above stood one Takato Matsuki.
"Look. It's him." Someone spoke pointing to him.
"Takato Matsuki." Someone else chimed in, elated.
Takato walked down the stairs, brown bangs flopping.
Guilmon stood at the bottom of the stairs, with his calm blue eyes shining.
"If there's anything that Digimon Adventure and Super Sentai have taught us, it's that humans don't give up and human civilization doesn't just collapse because some giant ugly alien came along and kicked down a building." He gripped the megaphone tightly in his hands as he looked around the large room.
Ryo slowly walked towards him, Rika following, as the air in the safe house calmed.
Albedo watched him in wonder, not used to seeing this side of the red eyed brunet.
"Furthermore, history itself has taught us that if we work together, nothing can truly take us down!" He raised a fist and the room exploded into confident cheers.
The whole exchange confused Albedo.
"If we keep our wits about us and don't let the Incursean's fear tactics get us down we can overcome them!"
Ryo handed out orders to various Plumbers he passed by as he walked. Guilmon ran off to group with Renamon and Monodramon. Albedo tapped his communicator on his ID mask.
"Gogglehead!" Rika called sounding cheerful.
"Sorry it took me so long." Takato replied, "I couldn't get the Wongs to budge."
"So he's not there either." Ryo sighed.
Albedo felt another chill run through him as he looked at the trio. He just knew they spoke of Jenrya.
"Not at work. Didn't meet up with Kazu and Kenta, wasn't near Ai and Mako. Not a sign anywhere." Takato continued. "His D-Arc is silent."
"Damn." Albedo watched Ryo run a hand through his hair. "What about Jeri?"
"I dropped her off at safehouse six, since that was closest and we had Ai and Mako with us. I managed to get Suzie and Lopmon to stay with her family just in case..." Takato trailed off.
"They would, wouldn't they?" Rika spat.
"Mr. Wong is an ally of the Plumbers. They're all at risk." Ryo spoke.
Albedo nodded in agreement. For an empire who hadn't acquired any of its territory through peaceful negotiation, the Plumbers would always be their number one enemy.
"There aren't many Incursean ground forces yet."
Albedo saw Takato look at Ryo.
"No one's rising up so soon after Ben Tennyson and these Waybads." Takato continued. So, if you want to do any strategic shifting around, now would be the time."
Ryo nodded, folding his arms.
"They're working towards cutting off standard communication. They want us unable to group together to oppose them."
"Sounds like their initial M.O." Ryo spoke, voice weary.
"Ryo?"
"Nothing big, Cyberdramon fought me again."
"I don't like when he does that." Takato sighed. "No more than I like Megidramon hanging over my head."
Ryo shook his head. "Dwelling on it doesn't do any good. Just like everyone else, we need to keep ourselves in check too."
Albedo looked around. No plumbers or civilians he could see were particularly focused on him. He stood and walked off to a more secluded area. Alex the Plumber could get into Safe house Six easily. There was no way anyone would let him, in his rookie ranking into Henry and his apartment. the tamers would find it especially suspicious for him to know exactly what was in the apartment as well. As he stepped behind boxes full of rations, he fiddled with the ID mask.
He pulled it off, and looked at his reflection of Ben Tennyson in the material. He leaned up against the boxes, and fiddled with settings further. Alex Strong, the civilian walked back into the common area. He greatly hoped Ryo would utilize strategic shifting. Things would deteriorate quickly as the Incurseans cut off human means of communication and replaced it with their more advanced, invasive methods stolen from other planets.
He sat down at a new table, where people seemed more weary. Slumped in their seats, sighing with half lidded eyes. At the table behind him, a small group of kids played the Digimon Card game. He folded his arms on the table and rested his head upon them. A Plumber duo came around distributing water and food. He focused on Takato, Rika and Ryo's conversation, anything to keep his mind off the lack of blue hair and silver eyes that marked his Jenrya.