Kouki was loafing around in the main cavern of the excavation site, every now and then grabbing into his bag of chips. He decided to ignore the bustling cluster of activity that was surrounding the computer consoles and containment systems of the being that was hovering above them, luckily still entrapped in spherical barrier... Belphemon!
Still, the energy field was giving off crackling sparks of energy, and the nervous glances the technicians were giving the floating red sphere and its prisoner didn't really help to improve the mood.
They all knew that the MCT, or Mind Control Thingy, had to work, or else no one could predict what the Demon Lord of Sloth would do to them, should he break free.
Kouki didn't care. Or at least he didn't give any sign or reaction that he did. Maybe he was just able to hide his worries, or perhaps he even thought himself to be able to escape in time whenever Belphemon's wrath would be provoked.
Shin, the human foreman of the excavation site, nervously approached the powerful street fighter and Digimon Hybrid from behind.
Andromon, the head technician, gave the pair a worried look. He knew very well which task Lord Yamacus had given his foreman this morning, and he was glad he didn't have to do it himself. Even though he was an Ultimate, he was glad that he wasn't in Shin's position right now. While he was in a delicate situation himself, he still preferred to take care of Belphemon's containment field... than to take care of the aggressive Hybrid which Shin was just tapping on the shoulder.
Kouki turned his head around in annoyance. "What?"
"Um, s-sorry to bother you, but..." Drops of sweat were pouring down Shin's nearly-bald head as he turned around his helmet in his hands nervously. Whatever he would give so he would NOT have to say what he was going to say right now...
"Um... I was just wondering... would you be willing to be my personal servant for a day?"
Kouki's only reaction was a raised eyebrow. What the heck was that pathetic nitwit thinking?
"Get lost, you creep!" Kouki snarled from the edge of his mouth, not even turning around when he backfisted the foreman into the cavern wall.
Shin yelped sharply before sliding down to the ground and clutching his bleeding nose. In a hurry, he stood up from the ground and quickly ran out of the cave. Kouki didn't look after him.
"Damn freaks..." Kouki muttered while he stuffed more chips into his mouth. "Why does Yamacus put up with them?"
Meanwhile, Shin was coming to a stop in the middle of the tunnel and leaned against the wall, panting hardly.
He got startled when suddenly, someone appeared in front of him.
"So, how did it go?" Yamacus asked.
Shin sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you, sir! I was afraid that crazy thug would be after me..."
Yamacus crossed his arms. "Yes, Kouki tends to be aggressive when he's irritated. So I suppose he wasn't too happy when you asked him, right?"
"No... no, sir! Absolutely not!" Shin winced and pulled out a tissue to wipe his bleeding nose. "Was that really necessary, sir?"
"Oh, yes it was!" the self-proclaimed Digimon Lord nodded. "Only by seeing his usual reaction to that phrase can we ensure that this 'MCT' really has the powers Alice has promised me."
"I could have told you he would react his way without letting him dent my face first..." the foreman muttered.
Yamacus shrugged. "All in favor of my grand plan, Shin! Be thankful that a bleeding nose is the only thing you had yet to put up with while in my services. Now, you know what to do next." And he handed Shin an all-too-familiar device.
Shin cringed. "Oh, d-do I really have to do that, sir? Can't someone else do this?"
Yamacus frowned. "Shin, you do want to keep my favor, right? So I suggest you do whatever I tell you... without any questioning! Do I make myself clear?"
The foreman sighed. "Yes, sir... I understand, sir."
Yamacus nodded as he handed Shin the device. "Good. Now, you know what to do. I have something to take care of, I will come later and see if you have succeeded... or to gather your remains." He smirked as he turned around and left.
Shin shivered. "That's quite comforting, sir..."
Kouki almost groaned when he heard footsteps behind him. What did that nut case want now?
"Um... Mr. Kouki? I..."
"I thought I asked you to leave me the hell alone!" Kouki snapped. "Can't you go find somebody else to bother? Or do I have to pound it into your little skull until you understand?"
"Sorry, but I... I have to do this. Orders from Lord Yamacus, you see?"
And he quickly put the MCT on Kouki's head and closed the latches.
"What the...? Hey, get this damn thing off me, you freak!" Kouki shouted and tried to pull the weird helmet off his head. Still, it was stuck. Kouki fumbled with it, hoping to find the latches.
"C-calm down!" Shin stuttered as he jumped back, hoping not to get caught by the Hybrid's flailing fists.
Almost instantly, Kouki's flailing stopped. With a deep sigh, he calmed down visibly. Still, he was visibly annoyed when he looked over to Shin, who hid his face behind his helmet.
"You know I will have to pulverize you sooner or later for that, right?" he asked in a calm voice.
"S-s-sure," Shin said, all the while trying to remember his employer's instructions. "Um, do... do you want to be my servant for a day?"
"What kind of question is that?" Kouki asked in annoyance. "And would you finally get this damn thing off my head?"
Shin then realized that he couldn't make the MCT work by asking Kouki a question. "Uh, what I mean is... I order you to be my servant for a day."
He winced and once again hid behind his helmet, half-expecting that Kouki would smash him into the wall again.
But to his surprise, he could hear Kouki's voice saying: "Your wish is my command! What are your orders, my master?"
Shin opened his eyes again and saw how the powerful Hybrid was kneeling in front of him.
"I can't believe this..." the foreman muttered to himself. "That accursed contraption really works?"
With a gleeful giggle, he put on his helmet and ran towards the exit of the cave, shouting for Yamacus:
"Sir! Sir! I did it! I did it! The Mind Control Thingy really works! It works! Sir, you gotta have a look at this!"
He then seemed to remember something, as he stopped right in front of the cave exit and turned back to the still kneeling Kouki.
"Um, I command you to follow me, servant!"
"As you command, master!" Kouki said in an emotionless voice as he stood up and followed the foreman.
Yamacus knocked at the wooden door, one of the few doors that were installed within the cavern complex.
When he got no response, he asked: "Tally, may I come in?"
A short while later, a quiet voice answered: "Yes..."
Yamacus opened the door and closed it behind him. He looked at the camp bed on which his angelic advisor was lying, her feathered wings a mess, and her torso and part of her head wrapped up with bandages.
She gave him a sad smile. "Hello."
He nodded. "Hello. Are you feeling better?"
The Angewomon nodded. "Yes, a little bit. Sunflowermon took good care of me. She says I might be able to leave sick bay within a few days. It's just that..." She sighed. "Riley..."
Yamacus came closer and sat down on a stool next to her bed. He comfortingly patted her shoulder, the one that wasn't bandaged. "I know, I know... I'm still a bit shaken by what she did as well."
Tears appeared on Tally's beautiful face. "What... what should we do if she never comes back to us? I..." She sobbed. "I don't want to see her killed..."
"Me neither," Yamacus sighed. "But I promise you, should I find a way to save her... to bring her back to our side... I shall do it right away!"
Tally sniffed and looked at him. "You always are so good to both of us... I almost... I almost regret that..."
He looked at her questioningly. "What?"
She shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing..."
Suddenly, the door flew open and foreman Shin appeared within the room. "Sir, I did it! I did it! The MCT..." He looked down at Tally, who was holding hands with his superior. "Ummm, am I interrupting something here?"
A looming shadow appeared behind him. Shin turned around and looked into the angry face of Sunflowermon.
She growled at him. "What are you thinking? This is a sick room. Miss Tally needs her peace and quiet, and then you fool come and make such a racket? I'll have none of that, you hear me? I'll have none of that!"
And she grabbed Shin with her long, green arm and dragged him out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Yamacus and Tally blinked, then looked at each other. They blushed and pulled their hands apart from each other.
Tally giggled. "Maybe you should go see whatever it is Mr. Shin wants from you."
"Y-yes, I think I shall just do that," Yamacus mumbled as he stood up from the stool. "Um, I... I hope you get well soon."
Before he left, he turned around to her one last time and said: "I'll make sure to visit you again very soon."
She smiled at him. "I'm looking forward to it."
After he closed the door behind him, she sighed and lay down back on her pillow. She then put her hands on her face.
'Oh mother...' she thought. 'Whatever shall I do? I almost told him the true reason why I am here. But I... I can't do it! I know what he's doing is not right, but... can I really betray him?'
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(Posted Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:39)
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