The Nonaka household.
Taomon was fuming. "You should have informed my troops," He said with clenched teeth. "Or at least the police. Holding such a dangerous instrument in your house without any governmental admission? Who do you think you are, James Bond?"
"It was entrusted to me, do you understand?" Janyu Wong shot back. He was at least as angry as Rika's father. "And unlike other people I know, I always keep my word, especially when it concerns the Digital World and the Digimon!"
That last comment made Taomon nearly lose his patience. "Don't you act like you were the all-powerful maker, Janyu!" he barked. "You and your little friends may have created us, but that doesn't give you the right to treat us like your little toys! Do you know what would happen if I tell my superiors about this? The best thing that could happen to you is that you will be in remand. But if you are unlucky, you might be sentenced for treason, conspiracy and defalcation of governmental property!"
"TAOMON!" Sheperdmon growled. "We had no choice, you got that? You would have done the same if your family was threatened."
Taomon shook his head. "I can't believe you and your husband did something like that, Sheperdmon..." he grumbled. "It was your imprudence that endangered your daughter!"
"EXCUSE ME?" Janyu almost screamed. "It was your father who broke into our apartment, held my daughter hostage, threatened to kill her and blackmailed us into giving him that machine! And where have you and your little club of boy scouts been, Hiroshi? That criminal is still at large. Do you believe you can cover him, just because he's your father?"
"ENOUGH!" Taomon exploded. "How DARE you?"
"Stop it, all of you!" Rumiko yelled. "This is my house, and if you keep this up, I'm gonna call the police!"
The two men still glared at each other, but Sheperdmon sunk down on a chair and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Rumiko..." she finally whispered. "But when I imagine what would have happened if Barbamon did anything to our little girl..."
"I understand," Rumiko sighed. "And I don't blame you. I would have done the same if one of my daughters were in such a danger."
"You would have done the same?" Taomon growled. "Do you know what you're saying, Rumiko? That machine is one of the most dangerous creations of Dr. McCoy... one of YOUR colleagues, I might add!" he spat into Janyu's direction. "Do you have the slightest idea of what he could do with that thing?"
"You seem to have forgotten what it means to be a parent," Rumiko said bitterly. If you love your child, common sense isn't always an option. What would you have done? Would you have sacrificed Rika or Renamon just because your father would have become too dangerous with that thing?"
Taomon wanted to reply, but realized that he didn't have an answer for that. What was going on with him? Was he really such a bad father? All he ever wanted was to protect both the Digital World and Japan from evil creatures like his father.
Instead of answering his ex-wife's question, he looked back at Janyu and asked him: "Oh, and before I forget to ask: Exactly who gave this 'MCT' to you?"
Janyu exchanged a quick glance with his wife. They both sighed. "It was an... old acquaintance."
"Stop fooling around! Tell me the name or I'll have to arrest you!!"
"TAOMON!" Sheperdmon shouted in shock.
"FINE!" Janyu snapped. "It was Alice! Alice McCoy! Are you satisfied now?"
Taomon groaned. "On top of everything... you are in cahoots with that... that TERRORIST?"
"Hiroshi, she is a little girl!"
"This 'little girl' of yours and her friends are wanted criminals, mercenaries that offer their services to terrorists such as Yamaki! Do you want the reports of them I have in my office? Property damage, theft, and that's just the tip of the iceberg."
"She is the only daughter of my best friend..." Janyu said. His voice was very shaky. "And she has nobody left but her friends. I would never turn down a request from her!"
"That's IT! You are insane, Janyu! I should call my colleagues and tell them to arrest you right now!"
"I think that is just enough, Taomon," a deep and firm voice rumbled as the tall form of Leomon Katou entered the room.
"Your guests are here, Hiroshi," Rika's grandmother remarked as she lead the tall lion-man and a red-scaled dinosaur woman inside.
"Mie!" Sheperdmon exclaimed. "Thank god you're here..."
Compsomon went over to her friend and gave her a massive hug. "I heard about what happened to Suzie," the dino-woman whispered. "Is she all right?"
Sheperdmon nodded. "Yes, I've sent her and Lopmon to MarineAngemon while we're away. I doubt that Barbamon will return for her, but I want to know them safe."
Taomon snarled. "Leomon, you honestly don't want to defend him, do you? Do you know what that man has DONE?" He accusingly pointed at Janyu.
"Taomon, that is my husband you're talking about!" Sheperdmon growled.
"I'm wondering about your sanity as well..." Taomon grumbled.
"Whoa, whoa, stop it right there, Tao!" Mie said sternly. "Stop treating your friends like your enemies, you hear me? or else you and I will have a problem here!"
Taomon grimaced. Why did neither of his friends understand? "But Compsomon..." he protested. "The MCT... the McCoy girl..."
"Is a victim of that demonic computer program as is everyone of us," Leomon said in his calm, but firm voice. "I think all of you have forgotten what our children and the Sovereigns told us: Everything happening right now is because of the RPG Maker. And I must know, as I am one of the few persons that remember the time before he change."
"What... what do you expect me to do?" Taomon groaned. "I can't just ignore my duties as a police officer... just because of some metaphysical computer game that supposedly changed everything."
"I don't think he quite got it..." Sheperdmon sighed. "Hiroshi, why would the Sovereigns lie to us? It is true, accept it already! Still, this is our new reality now, and we have to make the best of it."
"Taomon, I have the memories of three different men in my head," Leomon spoke up. "Do you honestly think that you can treat this like any normal case of a 'bank robber' or 'rogue Digimon'?"
Taomon looked from one face to another. "I... don't know what to believe anymore..."
"Well, I guess that's my clue to step in," a cocky voice said from the door.
Taomon turned around... and paled. "Y-y... YOU!" he stuttered.
Gaomon smirked as she leaned against the doorframe. "Yes, me! Did you all miss me?"
"Alice?" Mie shouted in surprise. "Oh my god, I can't believe it's you... its been so long..."
Taomon pointed at the canine girl. "Gaomon, you are hereby under arrest!"
Leomon decided that enough was enough. He grabbed his perplexed friend by his shoulders, shoved him over to a chair and firmly pressed him down. "Sit. Shut up. Listen." he growled.
Taomon was too shocked to do anything after that.
Alice smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Katou. Now, where was I? Ah yes, my mission! Ladies, Gentlemen and..." She glanced at Taomon. "Other people as well. I am here on behalf of my father, and I believe you all pretty much know who I am talking about. And he has a new mission for you, the Champions of the Digital World."
"What mission are you talking about?" Sheperdmon frowned.
"He wants you to follow every trace of Barbamon you can find. He knows that your kids are very busy right now and that he can't always bother them, so he sent me to you. Oh, and by the way, he also asked me to help you. I was originally going back to my friends, but you know how girls like me are..." She smirked. "We just can't say no to Daddy."
"The Sovereign... expects me... to work with YOU?" Taomon stuttered.
"Yes he does, and I would welcome it if you finally learn to pronounce my name, Mr. Nonaka!" she glowered. "It's Alice! And we all could use your abilities of investigation. You don't think your little operation has a few files about Barbamon that could help us further?"
Taomon sighed. "Why do I have the feeling that everyone is conspiring against me?" he grumbled. "All right, you win! But tell me one thing: Where are our children, if not at home OR on my father's trail?"
Alice shrugged. "Oh, they're after some renegade Digimon called Millionmon or something like that... but I think they're doing fine. Little Kei is still sitting at the computer, and she's helping them."
"Kei?" Mie wondered. "But I just talked to Miss Asaji on the phone, just before we came over to you... and she said that Kei had been sitting in her room all day long."
Alice giggled. "Looks like someone played a dirty trick on her mother..."
"I don't believe this..." Mie sighed. "Does every Digimon mother have to worry for her child in this town? Rumiko, where's the phone? I'm gonna give her a call..."
"Ah, I see... yes, I understand, Mrs. Matsuki. No, I didn't know that. Well, I guess I'll just have to... okay, thank you, bye!"
Lillymon Asaji hung up her phone and sighed. She then glared over to the door of her daughter's bedroom.
'Kei' looked up at the Lillymon with a wide grin. "Umm... what's up, Mom?"
"You can drop the 'Mom', Eiko!" Miss Asaji frowned. "I know it's you..."
"Awww..." the ChibiBakemon pouted as she dropped her disguise and turned back to her regular self. "How did you figure it was me?"
"Some little dinosaur told me. And now I want you to tell me where my daughter went. I guess I don't have to ask what you two were thinking..."
Eiko winced. It looked like she and Kei really were in trouble now...
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See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:48)
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