So quick heads up, this will be the first chapter to make direct references to my other stories. Did my best to just keep to general plot points and not be too heavy-handed. Despite trying to keep myself to a single continuity, I do try to have it so each individual component is at least somewhat standalone. Ideally, this would be as obtuse as a chapter of this particular collection would get.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

Beta Testers

"There's no way this is going to work."

Henry looked away from his computer screen to face his former coworker, one Alice McCoy. The blonde girl didn't look directly at him, however, as her blue eyes were trained on the monitor instead. Henry opted not to let her pessimism get to him, as she would not be standing in his apartment if she truly believed that. If anything, it just part of what had become their usual back-and-forth.

It hadn't been that long ago that the two of them didn't get along at all, something Henry had initially attributed to Alice's digimon partner sacrificing himself during the fight against the D-Reaper. Following that conflict, they wouldn't meet again until they were both offered an opportunity to be interns at Hypnos, and it was during this time that they slowly gained a mutual respect for each other. Even after their time at Hypnos ended, Henry still turned to her for input on projects like the one he was currently working on.

"I don't see why you think this is going to be so difficult," Terriermon said, probably assuming he was speaking on Henry's behalf. "It's just an instant messenger."

"An interdimentional instant messenger," Alice replied, not turning to face the digimon either. "And are we even considering the risks involved here?"

"Everything's being routed through the Digital World," Henry explained. "The barriers between realities are more malleable there, so Izzy thinks that we shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"So we're doing this based off the hunches of a cartoon character?"

"He's only a cartoon character in our reality if it makes you feel any better," Terriermon commented.

"It doesn't." Alice finally broke away from the monitor to look at Henry, a raised eyebrow essentially asking for Henry to confirm his trust in the Digidestined of Knowledge.

Objectively, Henry should have had more trouble trusting Izzy and his friends. They had only met in person the one time, during a battle against an interdimentional threat. Somehow, though, that one meeting had been enough to forge a bond of trust between the Tamers and two different groups of Digidestined. If Henry was being honest with himself, the simple fact that they had met other people with shared experiences might have been enough to do that.

That was part of the reason why Henry was set on getting this messenger to work. When it came to being a Tamer, he and his friends only really had each other to confide in. Their families tried their best, but their lack of first-hand experience meant there were limits to what they could talk about.

"Izzy knows what he's doing," Henry stated, not hesitating in the slightest. "And he had me double-check everything he did, in case that makes you fell any better."

Alice only grunted in response, which roughly translated to her approval. She never argued for the sake of arguing, so her silence meant that the two of them were on the same page.

Henry didn't waste any time after that. He closed his current window so that he could initialize the software he had been working on. Within seconds, a chat window opened in the center of the screen.

Log-in successful.

Well, at least that works, Henry thought as he read the message on screen. Another indicator on screen told him that Izzy was already online. He leaned forward to type a greeting.

Henry: What's up?

Even Terriermon was silent as they waited for a reply, which would serve as an indication that the program was functioning properly.

Izzy: The usual for us. Hey, would you mind giving me a timestamp on this message?

Henry checked the clock on his desktop, having a good idea what Izzy was testing.

Henry: 12:31

Izzy: Same on my end.

"No lag," Alice said softly. Henry wouldn't have said she was in awe, but the success of the experiment definitely had her attention.

"Again, I don't see the big deal," Terriermon complained. "Isn't that the point of an instant messenger?"

"The 'big deal' is that it's instantaneous despite traveling between realities." Alice turned to Henry again. "How did you program this?"

"Not easily..." Henry answered. Difficulty at completing this task was only compounded by slower communication between realities. Prior to the program they were currently working on, their conversations were facilitated by an email system they had thrown together after their first meeting. This system took a few minutes deliver messages, and while this was not a long time in the grand scheme of things, it was a detriment when the pair of them were trying to program the exact same piece of software.

Not that all of their problems were solved now. They were still incapable of video and audio communication, and even ignoring that, Henry had no doubt that the current version of the software had a few bugs to work out. He returned to his keyboard to continue doing just that.

Henry: What's our next step?

Izzy: I'd like to do some stress testing. Hold on for a few seconds.

Henry sat back and waited for and waited for more notifications to appear on screen.

Yolei has joined the chat.

Yolei: Hello people of the chat! What's happening?

Ken has joined the chat.

Ken: Hey, guys.

There was a brief pause after Ken's message before he followed it up with a second one.

Ken: Wormmon says hi too.

Yolei: Tell him I said hi back!

"Can I say 'hi' too?" Terriermon asked, eyeing the keyboard.

"No," Henry answered instinctively. He knew his partner would try to say a bit more than just "hi."

"You're no fun."

Ken: Did you guys settle on a name yet?

Henry: We've touched on it. That hasn't really been a priority.

Yolei: Then I degree that to be this chat's first order of business!

"Don't you guys have something more important you should be going over?" Alice asked.

"Maybe," Henry replied with a shrug. "But this is the kind of the thing the chat's ultimately going to be used for. I say let them have at it."

"In that case, can I make a suggestion?" Terriermon asked, already on his way to the keyboard.

"No!" Henry picked up the keyboard so it was out of his reach.

"Fine, suck the joy out of everything!" Terriermon crossed his arms and turned his head away from the computer.

Henry would have been relieved if didn't know that Terriermon wouldn't give up so easily. He cautiously set the keyboard, keeping his partner in his line of sight as he turned his attention back to the monitor.

Izzy: We've typically been just referring to it as the D-Chat.

Yolei: That's it?

Izzy: DigiChat has also been on the table.

Yolei: I'm starting to realize how much we suck at naming things.

"Which is why you should ask someone who thinks outside the box," Terriermon claimed.

Henry sighed. "You know what? Fine," he said as he let Terriermon have the keyboard. "Have at it."

Terriermon said nothing in response. He only cracked his knuckles and smiled as he typed. By the time Henry realized what the digimon was doing, it was already too late.

Henry: We should name it Alice, after my favorite muse.

"Terriermon!" Henry snapped as he yanked the keyboard away. Not that Terriermon could offer much resistance, as he was already on floor laughing. Henry turned to Alice. "Sorry about-"

"Just don't worry about it," she said, lifting her hand to just the right spot so he couldn't look her in the eye.

Henry: Ignore that. Terriermon was just proving I should always trust my instincts.

Yolei: Sounds like whenever we take Davis out in public.

Ken: Yolei...

Yolei: What? You know it's true!

"Hold up," Terriermon said as he lifted himself back onto the desk. "Let me have it back. I have a real suggestion now."

"No way," Henry replied sternly. "You've used up every chance you're ever going to get."

"Oh, moumantai, Henry. What's the worst I could do?"

Henry found himself unable to respond right away. Not because he couldn't think of an answer to the question, but because too many came to his head for him to choose from. Then, before he could choose his response, the computer monitor flickered before displaying a bright blue screen.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure that wasn't my fault," Terriermon said with a nervous laugh.

"Dammit," Henry grumbled under his breath. He clicked his mouse and hit a couple buttons on the keyboard, confirming the computer had crashed.

"Hardware problem?" Alice asked as she leaned closer to inspect the damage.

"Don't think so. Half this stuff is brand new."

"And what about the other half?"

"We won't know til I try to reboot this thing." Henry reached over to his computer tower to do just that.

"You're going to have to move quicker than that." Alice beat him to the reset switch. She was a type-A personality, so her efforts to take control of the process did not surprise Henry. That, however, did not mean Henry wasn't a little irritated, particularly when she tried to reach over him to take over the mouse and keyboard as well.

"Relax, I've got this." Henry took hold of her hand before she could reach the mouse, a gesture he probably wouldn't have thought much about if not for Terriermon snorting instantly afterward.

"I had no idea you could be so manly and impulsive, Henry," Terriermon teased. "Grabbing a lady's hand without permission... the shame."

Henry and Alice both paused at the comment. Feeling his face heat up, Henry slowly retracted his hand. He wanted to apologize, but wasn't sure if that would make things worse. Especially considering he was having trouble looking at the American girl now.

"Grow up," Alice whispered, sticking both her hands in her armpits and taking a step back.

"I'm pretty sure that's the problem," Terriermon commented. "Good thing I'm here to chaperone you two."

Henry glared at his partner, who only grinned in return. Said grin, however, turned into confusion and disappointment when Terriermon looked to Alice for her reaction. She had apparently decided not to pay him any mind.

They spent the next couple minutes sharing an awkward silence as the computer rebooted. Henry lept at the first opportunity he got to restart the "D-Chat," just so he could have something else to focus on. Luckily for him, Izzy, Yolei, and Ken were still present when he logged back in.

Henry: Sorry, computer crash.

Yolei: Same on our end.

Ken: I suppose we could all run diagnostics to be sure, but I'm guessing it was a software issue. Probably a bad line of code.

Yolei: I love it when you talk dirty.

Yolei's message received no replies, or at least initially.

Yolei: I didn't mean to actually type that.

Izzy: That was my theory.

"What about you, Alice?" Terriermon asked. He sounded like he was trying to tease her, but his usual confidence didn't seem to be present. "Should Henry start talking dirty too?"

Alice did not so much as blink at the comment, instead keeping her eyes on the chat's conversation. Henry would have been lying if he said he wasn't impressed by her composure.

Terriermon's eye twitched. "I said-"

"She's ignoring you, Terriermon," Henry stated, hoping to put the digimon out of his misery.

"W-Well, tell her she's not allowed to do that!"

Henry managed to not laugh out loud. He returned to his keyboard, sensing that their business here was almost concluded.

Izzy: Ken's most likely correct. My recommendation is that we call it a day for now.

Henry: Okay, I'll talk to you guys later.

After the others returned the sentiment, Henry closed the program down. He considered today's tests to be a success, all things considered.

They all ended up going quiet again, even as Henry walked Alice out of the apartment. Reaching the door, Henry decided that it was best to stop the silence. He didn't want Alice to think there was suddenly a problem between the two of them.

"Hey, thanks for coming over," Henry said just as she passed through the threshold.

"I'm not sure my presence really helped anything," Alice replied, speaking as though her statement was more an observation than a knock at her own self-worth. Not that she ever gave the sense that her confidence was ever in doubt.

"You're honest, and that goes a long way when working on a project like this." Henry smiled, hoping to get across that he was returning the sentiment. "Plus you actually understand what I'm talking about. All my other friends just smile and nod when I try to explain this stuff."

"Well, I doubt any of them are taking classes in interdimentional communication." Alice then paused for a brief moment, looking away from him for a split second before looking at him again. While she wasn't exactly smiling, she did seem to be frowning less than usual. "You're welcome."

Henry let the words sink in before deciding to push his luck. "You know, I'm meeting the rest of the gang in the park next weekend. We're not doing anything special, but you're more than welcome to join us."

"I'm busy, so I probably wouldn't be able to make it," Alice said as she started to walk away. She then paused again to turn around and look Henry in they eye. "Just let me know ahead of time in the future."

"Definitely," Henry confirmed. He closed the door behind him once she was out of sight, returning inside to find Terriermon waiting for him on the kitchen table. The smirk on the digimon's face told Henry that he had some comment to make, leaving Henry to debate whether or not he should just ignore his partner.

"You gonna invite any other girls to join the team?" Terriermon asked, his earlier lapse in conviction now gone.

"I'm not inviting anyone," Henry answered with equal conviction. "She's already one of us, Terriermon. There's no reason to treat her otherwise." Plus, if connecting scattered Digidestined was the point of what they were working on, Henry could think of no better place to start than right at home.

"Is that the only reason?" Terriermon's smile widened.

"You think I'm a sucker for a pretty face?"

"Hey, I didn't say anything about her being pretty."

Henry didn't reply right away, and not only because he didn't want to give Terriermon more ammunition. He used the word to describe Alice without even thinking, a notion that left him with a bit to think about.

"Something to consider the next time you ask her to come over," Terriermon said as he jumped off the table. Before he left the room entirely, he turned back around. "Just remember to keep your hands to yourself."

Henry sighed. "I'm never living that down, am I?"

"Not as long as I have a say."

Henry conceded it was a small price to pay. Again, the day had been surprisingly productive.

The concept of the D-Chat was something I was initially dismissive of, and still am to some degree. I guess I was concerned with accidentally writing a chapter that just one long "chat" conversation (ironic considering how I tend to lean on dialogue and character interaction anyway). Hence why Henry spends more time interacting with Alice and Terriermon than Izzy, Yolei, and Ken. Not sure if I'm going to revisit the plot device, but I am considering doing a couple more, so that Rika and Takato can each have a crack at using the thing.