AN: Hey everyone! I hope you like this chapter, because after this we're pretty much done with the 'introduction' portion of the story, and the main plot can begin!

Anyways, time for responses!

To smartalec121: Yeah, I love Dorimon and Taj's interactions. It's weird, but I really think that how the Digimon react to the Digidestined that aren't their partner is the most fun in this. Once the main trio are really together, May and BlackGuilmon is my favorite of what I have planned. They really don't like each other. As for Henry, I agree that he would recognize the signs once they really started popping up. Unfortunately, his family also has another history: willful ignorance. Henry's dad worked for HYPNOS and still didn't put two and two together for a while. On top of that, the 3D looks way different from the D-Power, and he wouldn't want to believe that Tasuke could be connected to an actual monster like BlackGuilmon. He might pick it up eventually, but when he does, is he going to try to convince himself it's anything else?

Now, I hope you all enjoy and leave a review, even with constructive criticism. I'll respond to anything on the most recent chapter that isn't spam.

Episode 6: Tasuke's Inheritance: Digital Delivery!?

Agent Smith was very confused by her most recent orders, but she knew better than to not follow them. That was why she and Commandramon had marched through the nursery towards the very edge of the Digital Field where the Firewall stood. The massive barrier between the field and the Digital World proper that, save for a few anomalies, kept any Digimon from entering the nursery from the Digital World or vice versa. A location that, realistically, she should never have been ordered to wait before returning to see the head of D-CARD. Not guard, wait. She'd do as commanded, but damn if she wouldn't question those orders at least within the safety of her own thoughts.

Agent Smith frowned and checked the mag of her data gun, making sure it was full before whatever the hell it was that the higher ups had ordered her here for showed up. It couldn't be good; she'd learned that if something broke the monotony, it wasn't good. Fun, maybe. A good opportunity to impress the higher ups, definitely. But good? Almost never. Take that BlackGuilmon thing, for example. A real mission after guarding a bunch of literal infants from nothing, a break in the monotony. One that killed more than a dozen infant Digimon and eggs. Each of those was priceless to the higher ups, and not to mention alive, kind of. If she'd captured the BlackGuilmon, they'd have promoted her for sure; she and Commandramon could have had a shot at some missions in the real world. The fun spy, cloak and dagger, fighting stuff. Which meant that if she did this well, maybe those missions would start coming her way. And if she followed orders efficiently just like Commandramon liked, she knew her merge rate would increase, and that would only give the higher ups another reason to think of her as a good agent.

Commandramon walked up to the Firewall, which in this semi-digital plane took on the shape of a domed wall that physically marked the end of the plane. Up close, one could see the pixels of the image that usually formed the horizon of the nursery: the grainy trees and sun, the ever looping image of Digimon playing in the distance, and the same clouds that moved in the same pattern every day. He sighed as a feeling of melancholy passed over him at the memories he held of the Digital World and the freedom it had held. While he may take to following orders and being a good subordinate, the desire to be free to see his home again – no matter how lawless and destructive it was – was always present in his Digi-Core. The rookie Digimon placed his claw less than an inch away from the wall, pressing softly against the repulsive force it generated.

The two stood in silence for a long while, just waiting as they had been told to wait by their commanding officer. Seconds ticked by, then minutes. Smith was, predictably in Commandramon's mind, the one that needed to break the silence. "So, something's going to come out of that, right?" she wondered aloud. She gestured with her gun at the Firewall. "The big question is how, given the fact Digimon usually slide through on accident."

"Any Digimon that could find or force their way through would have to be immensely powerful," Commandramon agreed. He lowered his claw and placed it back on his rifle. "Not to mention they would have to know where this specific Firewall was going to be and when in order to get here instead of another country's nursery."

Agent Smith frowned and grew quiet. "What is it, Ma'am?" Commandramon wondered, though he wasn't sure he completely cared. While it was interesting, the questions they were asking weren't all that important.

The woman glanced over at her partner. "To know that, they'd have to get a message from the real world, but we've always been told that's impossible. Not even radio signals can travel across the Firewall in that direction."

Commandramon turned away from her. "... You're right," he admitted, the idea confusing and worrying him. Had they been lying about being unable to return him to the Digital World? He wasn't happy about that idea. He buried those thoughts, for now; he wasn't sure how his partner would view his worries. If she thought they were insubordination and reported him, it would go poorly for him. While she was almost always soft, she wanted to get ahead as much as any other human did.

"Never heard you admit I'm right about something like that before," Smith joked, walking over and rubbing the top of the Digimon's head. "See? I'm not so bad."

Commandramon rolled his eyes, and pushed her hand away. "Focus," he commanded before turning away. She sighed and shrugged, then turned away as well.

The two waited in silence for some time until, finally, there was a massive crackling noise. It was like the static the radio made when not receiving a signal, or when old rabbit ear TVs couldn't pick up on any channels. And it was coming from the Firewall.

They both immediately turned to the source of the noise, guns clicking into position to aim at the disturbance. The wall had a patch of dead pixels, an ever growing, jagged circle of black that sent out that shrieking static. Eventually, the shape stopped growing, though its jagged edges did not stabilize, with pixels disappearing and reappearing along the circumference in a rapid fire change. Commandramon looked at Agent Smith out of the corner of his eye, seeing she was just as worried and ready for a fight as he was. He returned his attention to the Firewall.

The static noise began to grow louder and more high pitched for a moment before suddenly vanishing. Deep within the dead zone, there was... something. The guns dipped for a moment before immediately returning to aim directly at this shape. "What the hell?" Smith wondered aloud, echoing Commandramon's own thoughts. The human shape began to grow closer, and an explosion of cold ran down Commandramon's spine. That scent it... it was death. His pupils turned to slits and he growled nervously, slowly backing away while keeping his gun trained on this figure. The figure in the Firewall stopped after a few more steps, remaining fuzzy just beyond the Firewall's furthestmost edge. It raised its arm over its shoulder, and threw it forward.

The dead zone slammed shut as the thrown object soared towards the Nursery, popping out just before the last dead pixel was reconstructed. A box landed on the ground between the partners, but it remained ignored. They were far more concerned with the dead zone. Though it had disappeared, both still aimed their weapons at it. "W-what the hell?" Smith repeated nervously, only after she was fairly certain that the disturbance was not going to reappear.

Commandramon did not respond for a moment, also waiting cautiously to see whether or not the disturbance was truly gone. Finally, he lowered his weapon. "... We... we should deliver this box to the Director," he stated, not quite sure of what had just happened. That scent, it was so dangerous. He picked up the box in both hands and began to walk towards a location he had never been allowed to enter before: the doorway to the human world. He briefly wondered what was inside the box, though never so much as to steal a glance. What could be so important as to be the first item in almost a decade to be delivered from the Digital World to the human world?

X X X

"Hm, who could that be?" Director Gethen wondered after someone knocked on the door. He glanced up from the file he was reading on Takato Matsuki and shut it with his right hand. He placed it inside the desk before reaching out with his left hand to grab his whiskey. "Enter."

A woman in blue military fatigues entered, her red hair done in a ponytail. She stood at attention, a red box clutched in her hands. A small, green-tone-camouflage dinosaur rested atop her shoulder, looking very serious. One of his stubby little arms rested against the side of her head to "Ah, Agent Smith. Cadetmon. I wasn't expecting you to arrive so soon," Director Gethen said simply. He took a drink of his whiskey before placing it back on the table. "Well?"

The agent nodded and walked up to the table, carefully placing the box on the table. She stood up straight and took a step back. "I commend you on your quick work and your ability to resist looking within the package," Gethen said as he picked up the box, giving it a cursory glance to find that the seal had not been broken. He broke it. "As a reward, I will let you see exactly what it is that you delivered." He opened the box, pulling out...

A pair of round goggles with very large lenses. The casing was a deep crimson and the lenses themselves a dark violet. "They're... nice, Sir," Cadetmon said after a few moments of the director staring at the item in his hands, his deep voice clashing oddly with his tiny form.

The director returned his attention to his subordinates. "Nice? Oh, these are far more than nice. These are... well, for lack of a better term, they are a relic. These belonged to one of the first Digidestined to ever grace this world. One of the three reasons that this very organization even exists in the first place."

Agent Smith and Cadetmon were quiet for a moment before the Digimon piped up. "The Crimson Knight is still alive/" he asked, awe filling his voice. "The First Biomerger has been missing ever since the Sovereigns disappeared. Where did you find his goggles?" Gethen raised an eyebrow. Cadetmon quickly tacked on, "Sir?"

"That, unfortunately, is not something you need to know," the director said after a few moments of silence. He gestured for the door. "You are dismissed."

The partners saluted before Agent Smith turned and took them both out. He waited until the door clicked closed before standing up, taking a small device out of a drawer. He pressed a button and waited. "I have to say, I didn't expect delivery so soon. Good job, Reapmon."

"I didn't want to dawdle," the Demon Man Digimon said on the other side of the line. "After all, once we have the Hazard in hand, remaking the world is only a step away."

In the hallway, the eyes of a small dinosaur went wide as his hearing caught what the director had said. He looked at his partner, who was for once marching along quietly. "Jennifer," he said quietly. "Can we go somewhere? I just want to talk with you about something."

X X X

I sighed as I drove up to home, putting my car in park and letting it idle. It was boring to have to head home immediately without hanging out with May. I usually hung out with her every day, heading to her house until Henry got home. The fact that his car was in the driveway next to mine made it clear that he was working from home right now. All to make sure he could take my phone as I walked through the door. I bet he didn't do anything crazy when he was my age; probably never got grounded or snuck out once in his life. And he'd never let me get away with it, so I knew it was time to head inside.

Before I could unbuckle and reach out to turn off the car, my phone buzzed out a Digivolution noise. A text message. I shrugged; checking it now meant that I could face punishment later instead of now. The Digivice was in my hand a moment later, the message popping up.

My phone was on the chair again a moment later, a text sent to Henry as I slammed the car into reverse. "Tasuke, I have your friend. Tell me where your Digimon is and meet me there in 30 minutes." That was all some asshole sent me from May's phone. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel and I had to fight the brutal urge to go 90 in a 35 just to get to whoever had my best friend. I blasted through a turn and went as fast as I dared to without risking a cop chasing me down for speeding. I cut someone off and ignored their angry honking; I had more important things to worry about.

It didn't take me long to get there with how fast I was going. I was out of the car and locking it a half second later while I sprinted at full speed towards the park, tripping over rocks and roots. My 3D's compass was open, leading me to my Digimon partner. "Come on, come on," I chanted. I had to make it to him first. I had to make it to BlackGuilmon before whoever had May got to him. If I did, we could be ready for a fight. After all, there was no way that Dorimon just let someone take May. This person took down Dorumon in a fight, and they had enough left over to come after me and BlackGuilmon half an hour later.

It was at that moment that I realized this was all because of me. Goddammit, this was all because of me. I'd been in trouble until Dorimon Digivolved to save me from the Veemon, and now she'd been tracked down, just like May had said she would be. I hadn't been careful enough! I snarled at the ground, so focused on how angry I was that I wasn't even seeing that my Digivice's compass had begun to swirl wildly. Until, that is, I slammed into a very angry black dinosaur. The two of use yelped and began to tumbled over one another across the ground, dirt and rock digging into both of us. Eventually the two of us came to a stop, BlackGuilmon plopping down on top of me like a pile of rocks. All the air quickly exited my lungs, and I was slowly crushed under the surprisingly dense dinosaur.

He didn't move as he opened his eyes, an annoyed glare glowing in his reptilian pupils. "Watch where you're going, Tasuke."

I opened my mouth to respond, but what remained of the air in my lungs exited the moment my lips parted. He didn't move, but opened his mouth slightly and let loose a rancid blast of air across my face. My stomach fell to my feet and began to spin. I dug my arms under him and lifted as hard as I could. "What's... wrong?" I managed to gasp.

"You were followed, Idiot," BlackGuilmon growled. He slammed his foreclaws to the ground on the side of my head, causing dust to explode all around me. I coughed as he pushed himself up and turned to glare at where we had collided. I clutched at my gut, still sore from bearing his massive weight, and turned to follow his gaze.

"You!" I snapped, immediately jumping to my feet and shoving BlackGuilmon's head out of the way. I marched towards the human standing there, his hands crossed over his chest. "Davis, I knew you were – I knew – Gah! I knew something was off with you!" He didn't say anything, so I brought my hand back in a fist. "Say something you kidnapping freak!" I brought my fist forward as hard and fast as I could, right into open air as he ducked the punch. His leg shot out, looping around the outside of my ankle, and his other hand came up to slap me down. I tumbled right to the ground. I think BlackJerkmon was laughing. Very expected of him.

Davis crossed his arms again and looked down at me. "Charging without thinking. I never even started talking." He leaned down and yanked my hands behind me before shoving his knee into the small of my back. He continued, "That's reckless. What if you'd hurt me? Maybe the people holding Mayumi would follow orders and kill her."

I froze on the ground. "K-kill?"

BlackGuilmon finally spoke up. "So, not all humans are as squeamish as you?" he asked me, plodding over. I looked over my shoulder to see him baring his teeth at Davis. "But as squeamish as he is, he's mine. Get off of him or die."

Davis glanced over at my Digimon, then slowly stood up and backed away. BlackGuilmon didn't turn his gaze from Davis as he snapped, "Get up." I scrambled to do as he said, reaching my feet and standing cautiously beside him. He gestured with his head towards where my Digivice rested, forgotten after our tumble and my failed attack. I dashed towards it and picked it up,clutching it like it was the only thing that could keep me safe. Davis didn't even move.

"Well?" I growled at him. I bit back my desire to just sick BlackGuilmon on him until he told me where May was; his Digimon would just pop out from somewhere and stop us. I shoved down my rage and tried to think. "You told me to meet you here. Why?"

Davis glanced between me and the still snarling BlackGuilmon before answering. "I'd really rather not fight, Taj -"

"Only my friends call me Taj," I growled. "And you kidnapped my friends."

Davis shrugged. "Tasuke, then," he corrected. He gestured at BlackGuilmon and me with his left hand. "Like I said, I'd rather not fight. If you come with me calmly and quietly, I will take you to May. If you decide to work with us, you both will be set free, and paid."

"... And if I don't come quietly?" I wondered angrily.

Davis matched my glare. "You and your Digimon will be knocked unconscious and I'll take you in anyways," he responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He went quiet for a few moments. "I would prefer if we didn't do that, though. I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to be your friend. I think beating you and your Digimon up would be quite an obstacle for that."

"And what makes you think you'd win?" BlackGuilmon growled, smoke rising form his nostrils now. He was angry.

Davis pulled out his phone. A 3D. "I've been doing this far longer than either of you."

"I'll still load your partner's data!" BlackGuilmon roared. He took off at full speed, charging Davis before I could say anything. A white and red streak slammed into BlackGuilmon's side before he could even get close, sending him flying into a tree trunk.

"I guess we're fighting," I mumbled as I pulled out a few of my cards and waited to get a better look at Davis' Digimon. He the ground and slid to a stop in front of his partner, claws digging into the ground. My eyes widened. "Wait... Is that a Huckmon!?"

The Digimon grinned at me. "In the flesh!" His grin vanished and he stared at me seriously. "Now, tell your partner to surrender. No one threatens Davis, ever."

BlackGuilmon pushed himself to his feet. "And no one tells me what to do!" he roared. His mouth opened wide. "Pyro Grenade!"

"Teen Ram!" Huckmon leaped forward and brought his hind legs up, tail turning into a drill that easily burrowed through the viral attack, dissipating the flames into swirling, weak sparks. Huckmon landed silently despite his metal body and glared at BlackGuilmon. To Davis: "Permission to fight?"

Davis sighed. "I guess we've got no choice," he remarked, audibly disappointed with how this turned out. He pulled out a Digimon card and slid it through the Digivice. "Digi-Modify! Zhuqiaomon activate!" Huckmon glowed for a moment as his type switched to vaccine, and then the fight began in earnest.

"Finally, a good meal!" BlackGuilmon shouted before charging Huckmon. The white Digimon growled and charged as well, the two on acollision course of death. Claws lashed at one another, both Digimon testing the other's defenses as the bladed appendages clashed against one another or against their opponent's body. The entire time, Davis just kept his eyes locked on me.

Jerk thinks he can just ignore their fight? He's got another thing coming, I snarled inwardly. I pulled out a card and shouted out to BlackGuilmon, "Get your back to the tree!" I ordered.

"Terrible idea, Idiot!" BlackGuilmon snapped, ignoring my command, though he was slapped in the face until his back did hit a tree.

"You don't seem very good at this," Davis pointed out. "He doesn't listen, you don't have good plans. Mayumi was way better."

I ignored him, focusing on BlackGuilmon. "Use Pyro Grenade!"

The black dinosaur growled but opened his mouth to comply anyways. "Teen Ram!" Huckmon snapped, jumping forward before he could finish the attack. Right into my trap.

"Digi-Modify! MetalGarurumon, activate!" I snapped, sliding the card through my Digivice.

BlacGuilmon's eyes widened as an explosive spiral of ice shot out of his already open mouth, accompanied by the words, "Metal Wolf Claw!" Huckmon's eyes widened as the cold hit him head on, the Data infused Mega attack easily overpowering his own attack and freezing him solid. Huckmon hit one of the trees, a veritable ice cube, then collapsed to the ground.

BlackGuilmon recovered from his surprise first and glanced over at me. "A good idea? Finally!"

"Okay, shut up and just help me deal with this guy," I snapped at the ungrateful Digimon. "Why do I put up with this?"

I returned my attention to the other Digidestined, who was staring at the frozen Huckmon with a look of honest surprise on his face. He blinked once and scoffed in surprise. "I really underestimated you. Your Digimon doesn't listen at all, so I naturally assumed you two had no combat aptitude." He looked over at me. "If you two liked each other, you might be able to win."

"Might be? I'm two seconds from loading your pet's data!" BlackGuilmon mocked. Smoke rose from his nostrils as he chuckled. "And then maybe dessert..."

Davis glared at BlackGuilmon, who was advancing towards Huckmon. After that Digimon had helped kidnap May, I didn't exactly feel like stopping BlackGuilmon from killing him. Serves them right. "You know, the TV show might sound cheesy, with the whole 'power of friendship thing,'" Davis began as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another card, "but it isn't far off."

"BlackGuilmon, run!" I snapped as I realized what was coming. He just stopped in his tracks and glared at me, like an idiot.

"Digi-Modify! Digivolution, activate!"

The ice exploded off of Huckmon's body, shattering as an egg grew from within. After but a moment, a large, metallic foot with massive white claws exploded out. "Huckmon, Digivolve to..." Another exploded out, followed by a tail with a glowing red sword. "BaoHuckmon!" The egg exploded, slamming BlackGuilmon into the ground and revealing Huckmon's new form. He was much the same in overall shape, with white metal covering his entire body and a massive black horn coming out of his face. However, his tail was longer and more prehensile, and his mantle was attached to a metallic collar. His hind legs ended with long, thin, black blades instead of feet. His head was more robotic and threatening. I slowly raised my Digivice.

"BaoHuckmon, a Data type, Dinosaur Digimon. A Huckmon that has undergone intense training and has become mentally, physically, and technically more powerful. He uses his Teen Blade attack to cut his enemies down, and his Fif Cross to ignite what remains. A Digimon that has begun unlocking the power to become one of the top Cyber Security agents."

"Now, will you surrender?" BaoHuckmon asked coolly. His tail flicked tot he side and I watched as one of the trees was bisected vertically.

BlackGuilmon looked scared, understandably. We were being faced with a fifteen foot tall Champion Digimon. Even if he thought he could win, he had to know it was going to be difficult. Still, he steeled himself. "Stay far away. His attacks are all close range!" I shouted to BlackGuilmon. He didn't acknowledge that he heard me, but he jumped backwards and unleashed another Pyro Grenade at BaoHuckmon.

The Champion Digimon brought his long, bladed tail around to cleave through the attack, making it explode uselessly in front of him. I knew that we needed another card, some powerful Virus type attack. Unfortunately, I didn't have any of those; I had stupidly assumed that BlackGuilmon would have all the Viral attack power we needed. BlackGuilmon retreated further, firing Pyro Grenades every couple of steps, each green fireball dying to BaoHuckmon's tail. "Our turn," Davis eventually said before pulling another card out. "Digi-Modify! Ice-Devimon activate!"

"Zero Freeze!" BaoHuckmon shouted as his eyes turned an icy blue.

"Dodge it!" I shouted to BlackGuilmon, but he was stuck in the middle of charging up a Pyro Grenade. BaoHuckmon's eyes glowed brighter just before a beam of cold shot from them, enveloping BlackGuilmon entirely. He was frozen solid, the green fire a viral ice cube not far from his jaws, frozen just like he was.

"This isn't the end!" I snapped, pulling out an alias card and an energy card.

Davis reached behind his back and pulled out a gun, aiming it at me. I froze, suddenly way colder than BlackGuilmon. He was going to shoot me? Kill me in cold blood? I suddenly understood that I was in no way ready for any of this. "Yes. It is." Then he pulled the trigger. There was a powerful shock that ran through my entire body for a moment, and then the world went sideways. My body was twitching without my control, and my vision was tunneling. "Don't worry." Davis' feet came into view, as did a much smaller Huckmon's. "We'll be taking you to May right now." And that was all I heard before the world went completely dark.

X X X

Henry sat quietly in the basement, a magnifying glass in place so he could gaze into the opened inner workings of his D-Power. There were so many parts in there he didn't even remotely understand, pieces that could somehow convert his emotions into energy, then that energy into physical matter and data, then integrate that data into Terriermon. How the hell his father's college game had turned into this, he had no idea. He wasn't sure he could figure this out even if he had all of D-CARD's research into how these things worked. He just wasn't a thirty person team of physicists, computer scientists, biotechnologists, and who knows what else.

But that wasn't an excuse. He had all of his dad's old notes, and Shibumi's... ramblings, honestly. With all of that, he should definitely be able to find a way to connect to the other D-Powers and open a door in the wall that they'd put up. He leaned in and began to examine what he had decided to call 'green rectangle seven;' it was the only one that had been doing anything since the static had started. It was glowing now, which was confusing in of itself. Silicon chips tended not to glow, so that meant this thing was... not a silicon chip. And that was all the progress he had made so far. That and don't touch it with metal. His hand still hurt from that discovery.

He yanked back as he got too close and looked around. What was he forgetting? Right! "Tasuke! Where's Tasuke?" Henry wondered. He leaned back and placed the tools down. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, grabbing his phone and walking up the stairs. Momentai barked outside the door, running up and jumping up at Henry's leg. Henry nudged the dog away after giving in and petting Momentai's head, then went to the front window. He glanced out and saw Tasuke's car zooming away. "That little – " Henry cut himself off and growled under his breath, marching towards his keys. "When I get a hold of him -" He paused when his phone dinged in his pocket, pulling it out. "Better be Tasuke saying he has a good reason..."

And it was. Henry took a relieved breath. "May's dog is missing. I'm going to help find her. Call soon."

Henry frowned, but put his phone away. He walked right past his keys and into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge to grab a beer. Momentai turned his head to the side as the bottle top popped off. "What? I believe him," Henry said simply. He took a quick drink as the dog continued to glare at him. "He's a lot of things, but he's not a liar." He took another drink. "Besides, I can check with May later. She'd never lie to me."

Momentai yipped and began to wag his tail. "Yeah, of course I think she'd drop everything if you went missing." Henry spun his beer by the neck and sighed. "You know, I really want you to meet Terriermon, Momentai. He'd complain about not having a pet sometimes. Oh, it was Terriermon. He complained about it all the time. That he had to be the pet and he wanted to know what it was like to have one instead. Oh, and when Suzie put him in dresses... Ha..." He put his beer down and walked over to the dog, crouching down to scratch behind his ears. "Good boy, listening like that Momentai. You're such a good boy." He squished the dog's face between his hands. "Good boy, good boy!"

The dog just panted happily between the hands. "A good reminder of an annoying Digimon that looked like you," Henry explained, letting go to scratch him under the chin. "Letting Tasuke choose your name was a good idea, Momentai."

Momentai yipped happily and licked at Henry's face. "Stop! Stop! You're – ugh – you're getting it all over my face!" he laughed.

X X X

"Jesus," I groaned when the first feeling to hit me was pain. A horrible headache pounding the inside of my skull in time with what felt like a burn mark at the center of my chest. "What the hell hit me?"

"Nrt enrph."

I opened my eyes and immediately regretted it; even the dim lights were blinding for some reason. Once the lights hurt less, I saw that I was in some kind of large, empty warehouse filled with shipping containers. "Is this what a hangover feels like?" I wondered aloud. The grunting noise said something again before growling. I turned towards the noise. "Wh – BlackGuilmon?"

The Digimon had a muzzle over his mouth and he was strapped to the ground. I moved to go get him, pushing myself off – oh, I had been unconscious on the ground, apparently – the ground and towards him. "What happened?" I asked the dinosaur shaped container of rage before reaching out for his muzzle and taking it off. "Are you okay?"

"I will kill you for not helping me win that fight."

"Huh?" I wondered. "Sorry, but everything is kind of fuzzy right now."

"Side effects of the data weapons on human physiology." I whirled around, fists raised. Davis raised his empty hands while Huckmon sat as non-threateningly as possible for a metal-sword-dinosaur. "I did try to get you to come without a fight, but I am still sorry you were hurt." He glared at BlackGuilmon now. "But him. Your Digimon tried to burn this place down when he first woke up! We had to knock him unconscious again and strap him down."

"Let me go and we'll see who gets knocked unconscious next," BlackGuilmon snarled, reptilian eyes locked on Huckmon.

"You're crazy," Huckmon muttered nervously. He glanced up at Davis. "I think he'll be hard to have fun with."

I put my hand on top of BlackGuilmon's snout and shoved it closed before he could scream a string of profanities and launch fireballs at Davis and Huckmon. We were really not in the right position for that stuff. "Where's May?" I asked as everything came back to me. "Give her back."

Davis blinked then silently nodded towards a camera in the corner. A moment later, one of the shipping containers opened. I stood up and sprinted towards the girl coming out, grabbing hold of her and her ugly Digimon. "May!" I shouted, hugging my best friend tight. "I thought I'd... lost..."

May laughed softly and patted my back. "You know I'd never leave you, Taj," she replied. She pushed me off of her and glared past me at Davis. "I'm sorry he beat me. I didn't want you captured, too."

"Well, we can Digivolve to Ultimate. Losing to you two was... never really something that was going to happen," Huckmon explained earnestly. He shrugged where he sat. "But you guys did put up quite a fight! I can see why you guys are Digidestined like Davis."

BlackGuilmon scoffed. "You think I believe that?"

"We've been partners for almost five years now. Our merge rate is well into the eighties," Davis told BlackGuilmon dismissively. "Unlike yours. I've never seen any partners, even Tamers, with a merge rate that low. Zero? Do you hate each other?"

"Wait, merge rate determines how far we can digivolve?" May asked, a flash of excitement crossing her face. Davis wasn't threatening us; in fact this whole thing seemed... friendly, almost. It was easy to let your guard down. "What are the -"

"What do you want?" I asked before she could go too far down the rabbit hole. She stopped talking and grinned sheepishly.

"It's what I want, actually," a tall man said as he walked up, smirking. His blonde hair was loose behind the red shoulders of his well tailored suit. He held a red box in his hands, bound tight with a black tie. When he walked, the friendly ambiance disappeared, replaced with the overwhelming weight of his authority. He turned his gaze towards Davis. "Agent Estevez."

My blood ran cold. This man... "Director Gethen," Davis said, snapping a salute. Huckmon sighed, bored, beside him before clumsily doing the same with a foreclaw.

"At ease, Agent Estevez," Gethen said, nodding his head slightly. He turned his attention back to me. "Tasuke, it's been too long!"

"You know him?" Dorimon asked, scared at the weight of this man's charisma.

"Only in passing, Dorimon," Gethen said, his smirk turning towards her. His eyes traced up to May's face. "And Mayumi Anderson! You know, don't hold this against Agent Estevez. With your family and skills, you would have been on our radar eventually."

"Who are you?" Mayumi asked, just as anxious as her partner.

"D-CARD. We are the legal owners of your Digimon," he said, gesturing with his head at Dorimon, then at the growling BlackGuilmon. "Given the fact that they were created in our nursery."

"I belong to no one!" BlackGuilmon snarled from the ground. He struggled against the straps holding him down. "Especially not a human like you!"

Gethen smiled, then walked over and calmly put his foot on top of BlackGuilmon's snout. BlackGuilmon snarled and tried to summon a Pyro Grenade before his jaws could shut, but it was slammed shut before he could. The smoke rose from his nose as he stopped the attack from forming completely. "I have no desire to limit your freedoms, but you belong to me." He gestured with his head to me. "As does he."

"Hell no! I won't work for some asshole that kidnapped my best friend!" I snapped, taking a step forward. A burst of flames hit the ground in front of me, quickly dissipating. Huckmon glared from where he had shot them. I stopped where I stood, but continued to glare at the man holding my Digimon's jaws down.

Gethen didn't look at me for a second. He didn't care, he wasn't threatened at all. "You know, I always admired your father's work," Gethen said after a moment. He turned to me and smiled.

"Henry's a genius," I responded cautiously. "Everyone admires his work."

"Ah, no," Gethen said. He pulled his foot off of BlackGuilmon's snout and walked over to me, completely confident that BlackGuilmon wouldn't attack. Oddly, he seemed to scared to attack. That didn't seem like him. Gethen stopped in front of me and opened the box, grinning as he pulled out what it held and let the box hit the ground. He held out a pair of very large, circular goggles with crimson casing and dark purple lenses. "I meant your real father, Tasuke. And if you work for me, I can help you find Takato in the Digital World."

"What?" May asked, eyes widening. I didn't say anything. I just stared at the goggles, my memory tugging at me. I was four, watching my father and mother walk away. Those goggles, the goggles in this man's hands, were on my father's head. "Tasuke, is he telling the truth?"

I swallowed a pit of fear in my throat. "I... When do I start?" I asked, letting my gaze hit the ground.

Gethen smiled above me, reaching out to lift my hand. He carefully placed the goggles in it. "Immediately," he said triumphantly.

Wait a second... I got new goggles? Well, I guess it makes sense. These ones won't last forever. More importantly, how did Gethen get a Digimon as dangerous as Reapmon to deliver them? It sounds like this guy is more dangerous than he looks, and he looks pretty dangerous already. Jeez, I hope Tasuke and May can survive working for this guy on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!