44Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon
Author's Note: I contemplated about starting a new chapter name in this chapter, since last chapter feels like a good wrap up chapter. But since this first arc deals with the official formation of Team Brave... starting a new chapter name feels like I'm chopping my first major arc into two halves. If anyone disagree, please pm me or says so in a review and I'll think of a good song for this second half of Team Brave formation arc.
As a side note, the first major OC in Spiral Nemesis makes an appearance in this chapter. I hope she doesn't come out as another Mary Sue like a lots of OCs in fanfic consider she's the first original OC I make (I have this habit of taking a pre-existing character from a different franchise, change the character up somewhat, give the character a new name and calls that character an OC, not the most original way to write a character I admit).
It's hard to recall how 'Ruin Tokyo' becomes the name of Japan's first safe zone established by DDD back in 2002. The name is extremely misleading consider it roughly encompasses the area of former Shinjuku instead of the entirety of metropolitan Tokyo. Some suspect an anime otaku came up with the name consider how many different XXX Tokyo there are in anime, and it becomes popular amongst the resident in the safe zone. Regardless, it's not important to the residents in the safe zone. Most of them have warm bed (even if they smell awful) and enough food to fill their stomach every day and there is even limited entertainment in the form of tavern singers.
Without a doubt, the pride of Ruin Tokyo is DDD's twin tower in the center of the safe zone. Right now, a yellow haired man is in a squatting position of one of the twin towers. He wears a clean set of black suit on top of a navy blue shirt and a black tie, a stark contrast to all the civilians down on the street clad in tattered rags and other undesirable clothing. He has every right to dress as elite of human civilization before its complete collapse back in 2002, for he is the director of DDD Japan branch Yamaki, Mitsuo.
Yamaki takes a deep mouthful of nicotine from his cigarette and let out a cough. He grunts out a curse as he throws the cigarette butt on the floor, and stomp it out with his boot.
Has it already been six years? How long will I keep sending children not even reach their teenage years out to die while I sit on my ass in the safe confinement of Hypnos? For the greater good of mankind… what a bunch of bulls…
Yamaki frowns behind his sunglasses. Being the director of DDD Japan branch means he needs to be emotionless, and highly efficient to do his job right. The world after 2002 is a harsh place, and sometimes it comes down to a delicate balancing game of deciding how many people you send out to die in order to maximize the number of people who'll survive at the end of the day. It doesn't help the people he issues a death sentence are children instead of adults. Not a game for the faint of heart, and definitely not a game for someone with a heart of gold.
Still, with only children younger than eighteen years old being able to unlock the Spiral… He's not left with much choice. He will send out one of mind controlled filthy monsters to those jobs if he can, but with effective radius of those black obelisks being rather limited and brain washed monster can't carry out complex order… Yeah, children with Spiral Programs are the only reliable agents working in the field.
Yamaki lets out another growling sound when he thinks about the filthy monsters now populate most of the Earth. Back in 1999 right after Odaiba Incident when Japanese government decides to initiate Nemesis Plan, he is one of the few people who voice their objection. Even back then, he knows those monsters are too danger to keep around even if you have them in a leash. They need to be kept off the face of Earth, not brought in. If they some how makes it to Earth, they need to be exterminated, not domesticated…
Regrettably, all the government officials are convinced this is the chance for Japan to become a self-reliant super power in the world once again. Thus Nemesis Plan is born in secret, and before long every major country on the surface of the world joins this second arms race. Look at where that gets them… Although in hindsight, it's kind of ironic DDD is using mind controlled monsters to bolster their rank like Japanese government wanted…
It would be funny… if there aren't so many deaths involved. But that's the funny thing about death toll. When one happens right in front of your eyes, it is a gruesome trauma that'll shake you down to the core. When it happen everyday on a massive scale, the deaths becomes a simple number on a piece of paper or a computer screen and you'll end up signing it off as an 'acceptable loss' at the end of the day.
Yamaki wonders if his own heart has been transmitted into a slab of rusted metal at this point. A beep rings in his ear, and he turns on his communicator. "Speak."
"Director, you need to get to Hypnos quick, we have a Threat 10 fissure forming on the horizon." Yamaki's eyes twitch at this. A Threat 10 fissure will be absolutely disastrous if handled incorrectly.
"I'll be there." Yamaki stand up immediately and dash toward the exit. He runs down the stairs and bolt for the restricted elevator for high level DDD personal. When he enters the Hypnos, he notices Commander Rentaro already in there. "Situation?"
"Threat 10 fissure, forming ten kilometres west of Safe zone 11. By Hypnos' estimation, it'll tear into our world in one hour." One of the operator replies back to the director.
"Who is on the job?" Yamaki's eyes narrowed. A fissure is usually generated by a Digimon of the same Threat Level tries to burrow into the Real World from Digital World. And even among Master Class defenders there's only a few who are equipped to deal with a Threat Ten.
"Noble is on the way, but he'll only make it in two hours. Dragon is on another high level mission and will take even longer to arrive on the scene."
"It's no good when Noble arrives one hour late. Anyone closer to the location?"
"Brave can make it on time, but he's on a Rookie training mission, and he can barely go against a Threat Seven by himself…"
"Send him in."
"Sir! There's no way Brave can win against a Threat Ten if it emerges before he close the fissure, he'll surely die if…" The operator turns sharply and looks at the director behind her goggles.
"That's what he signs up for when he decides to become a Master Class. Time to live up to his title." Yamaki takes another cigarette out of his pocket and light it up with his Zippo. Even after all those time Yamaki still remembers the spiky haired cheerful idiot who dives into danger to save the lives of two of his competitors during his qualification test. The stoic director realizes if the goggle headed Master Class dies in the end of the day, the Brave Master won't be another number on a casualty report in the back of his mind.
Damn it…
Daisuke is sweating furiously inside his grey Omnicloak. He tries to keep a cheerful and happy outward appearance all the time, but right now his facial muscles refuse to bend and twist at his own brain's command. His two trainees, as well as his Digimon partner all look at him with worried expression.
He just receives the transmission from DDD HQ telling him to make haste and close a Threat Ten fissure before it opens up completely. A Threat Ten, in other words there's likely a Mega level Digimon behind it ready to emerge into their world. This is bad, no, saying this is bad is severely underplaying the badness of the situation. This will be a disaster.
To be fair, this is not the first time Daisuke tangles with a Mega level Digimon. Heck, he fights against a Mega level back in 2002 when he's still a Rookie Class in Ryo's team. But this time, he doesn't have the support of Wallace and his team, he can't fall back to Ryo for the heavy lifting if he screws up, and he doesn't shine like back in 02…
He's no longer that fearless Rookie Class with fire in his eyes anymore. He is a Master Class who has seen a lot, and more conscious about the consequences when he fails. He shudders when he thinks about his sister Jun in wheel chair… it can happen to Masaru, Takato and Juri… or worse…
"Well, what's the massage? Spit it out!" Daisuke lifts his head to look at Masaru. He has an impatient look on his face. If the angry Patroller Class removes that annoyed glare and replace it with a goofy grin, he looks almost like Daisuke back then…
He can't risk the life of those three. He's got to do this job alone. Daisuke let out a cough to clear his throat as well as his mind a little. He tries to sounds as calm as possible given the situation. "Masaru, take Takato and Juri back to the last safe zone we rested. No, take them back to Ruin Tokyo, our mission has concluded."
Both Masaru and Juri raise their eyebrow at this. The female Rookie Class take a step forward and stares at Daisuke right in the eyes. "What is going on Daisuke? Aren't we still needed to go a bit deeper into wild land to complete our training?"
"I just received a notice from HQ, you two passed with flying colors after that Icedevimon incident last week. So congratulations, you two are now officially defenders." Daisuke gives Juri one of his usual goofy grins before turning and gets ready to run. But before he can get away, Juri suddenly grabs his wrist and refuses to let go.
"You are lying, Daisuke. I may not know what the message is, but you turned pale after a few seconds of glancing over it. I doubt Takato and mine official instatement of DDD will have that effect." Daisuke grimace at Juri's completely serious look. "Tell us what the bad news is, aren't we a team?"
Daisuke wants to say they aren't really a team. He's just training them so they can find someone better suited as a leader than himself. He wants to tell Juri he only works alone, so when he fails he won't get some else hurt anymore. But there's something in Juri's eyes that make him unable to speak his mind. Maybe it's the fierce determination, or the unpromising compassion and kindness. He lets out a sigh, and thinks he'll regret this later. "There's a Threat Ten fissure forming about five kliks west from us. It's likely caused by a Mega Level trying to come to our world and HQ orders me to go close it."
"So what are we waiting for? Don't tell me you are going to chicken out." Masaru folds his sleeve up his arm and swings his arm around. "I get tired fighting small fries anyway."
"Don't let your confidence go to your head young one. A Mega Level is not to be under estimated…" Leomon seems to try to inform everyone the danger of a Mega Level Digimon, but Daisuke's outburst beats him to it.
"This is not a joking matter! If that Mega Level emerges we are good as dead! Heck, last time I fought against a Mega, it took the combined effort of three high tier Master Class defenders to take it down. All of them much stronger then me!" Daisuke hunches over and lets in several deep breaths after his outburst at Masaru. "If I can't close it in time… the only thing I can do is slow it down a little so people from the last safe zone can evacuate back to Ruin Tokyo through their Escape Window… All of you have families back in Ruin Tokyo; I can't drag you all into this mess."
For a short while, the only sound between them is Daisuke's heavy breathing till Guilmon breaks the silence. The red dino's ear falls down as he looks at his partner Takato. "Why does Daisuke look so sad Takatomon? Did Guilmon do something to upset him?"
"No boy, he's upset because he doesn't want us to be in danger." The quit goggle head hugs Guilmon and pets him on the back to try and cheer the hazard dino up.
"Don't you also have a sister waiting for you back in the safe zone?"
Daisuke cringes at Juri's remark. Deep down the goggle head always knows how much emotional turmoil he puts Jun into every time he goes on a mission. Still, all he ever receives from his sister are encouraging words, and some mild sibling teases from time to time.
"If we go as a team, we can buy twice much time for the safe zone to evacuate." Juri places one of her hand on Daisuke's shoulder trying to reassure him. "Besides, I know you'll make it on time. I have faith in you."
"What are you waiting for Motomiya?! Don't tell me you are less of a man than her. " Masaru also takes a step up and flex his fist at Daisuke's face. "We are wasting time arguing over this! I say we run to that fish thingy and close it, if that Mega Level shows up we beats his face in!"
"What do you think Takato?" Daisuke turns to look at Takato, who seems to be startled as he jumps away from the hug he and Guilmon shares.
"I… I'm not as brave as Juri or Daimon-San… The truth is I'm scared out of my mind right now. But I don't want anything bad to happen to Juri, or Guilmon, or any of you. So I'll also come, and even if I'm not as strong as Daimon-San (Masaru shouts: Damn straight!) or as smart as Juri, I'll pull my own weight! There's got to be something I can do." Takato's eyes seem to wander all over the place fast, and he speaks with the zeal of a cornered animal. But eventually, he has a determined look and lifts his head up at everyone in the group.
"Guilmon helps Takatomon too!" Guilmon says happily as he raises his claw.
"Guess that settles it. We'll go close the fissure as a team." Daisuke lets out a sigh, knowing he can't convince the others to return to the relative safety of the nearest safe zone. The group runs toward the location marked on Daisuke's D3K.
It takes less than an hour to reach the destination, and Daisuke can see the fissure forming right in his eyes. It looks like a crack in reality itself, as a part of the street seems to shatter like an eggshell, and the fissure glows with a sinister purple. "All right, everyone stand back."
The goggle headed Master Class defender takes the pair of pliers from his pants holster and throw it into the air. He presses a button on his D3K and a strand of glowing data shots into the sky and envelopes the pliers. "Dimensional Pliers, activate."
Before the eyes of two Rookie Class defenders, a brilliant light burst out of the cocoon of data. After the light faded, everyone can see a pair of pliers with golden handle and deep blue jaws bigger than their body. It falls down and each handle attach to Daisuke's hand.
"Show off…" Masaru lets out a snort at the light show Daisuke just performs.
"All right… I'm going to repair the fissure, everyone stay back but get ready to defend yourself in case that Mega Level decide to emerge now!" Daisuke turns to look at his team before walking forward to the fissure. He opens up the jaw of his Dimensional Pliers and clips at the edge of the crack. The goggle headed Master Class defender starts to take steps back and drag one side of the crack over the other end like it's a sheet of paper.
"That's how Master Class fix a fissure?" Juri raises her hands and rubs her eyes. She opens them again and sees Daisuke move a few steps to the side and slowly drags the shuttered dimension together with his Dimensional Pliers.
"How else do you think they do it, using wonder glues?" Masaru fold his arms in front of his chest and lets out a snicker.
"Well… it's just a little… unexpected, that's all…" Juri looks at the scene in front of her eyes unfold with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"Wait, is something coming out?" Takato suddenly points at the edge of the fissure as a black shadow shoots out of the fissure like a canon ball. It collides into Daisuke and knocks the Master Class onto the ground as they rolls around into a heap.
"Let's go help him!" Juri bolts at the downed Master Class. Everyone else follows right after her.
They expect the thing that just emerged from the fissure to be the Threat Ten Mega Level Digimon despite its small size. But when they run next to Daisuke, they realize what's on top of the downed Master Class seem to be a human girl. The girl has long black hair running all the way down to her feet, like she hasn't had a hair cut in a very long time. Her skin looks a little pale, but she still has that soft oriental feature on her face.
"Oh… I think I got run over by a pick up truck… anyone got its number…?" Daisuke mumbles some gibberish under his breath as his head start to tilt back and forth.
"…'ll be good… stopping the hurting… so much hurting…" Just like Daisuke, the girl also seems to be mumbling some nonsense, except she's even harder to understand than Daisuke possibly due to her lower voice.
Juri kneels down and uses her hand to brush away the girl's hair from her face. She shudders and shivers when Juri's hand touches her and tries to retreat back. Then she notices she's on top of Daisuke and let out a soft shrill before rolls onto the ground and crawls away with her arms and legs and curls into a ball near the corner of a building. "…sorry…so sorry…"
The three defenders notices she's holding tightly to a small Digimon in front of her. The Digimon is black, has cat like features and seems to be completely quit like it's not even alive.
"Don't be scared, we aren't bad guys and we are trying to help you." Juri starts to walk towards the girl as she holds out her arms in a welcoming gesture. But she stops a few meters away from the girl so she can calm down.
The girl slowly sits up and tilts her head, looking at Juri through her long hair with a curious light in her brown eyes. Juri notices the Digimon she holds in front of her chest is a BlackGatomon. The Rookie Class defender shivers her when she meet that Digimon's stone like expressionless face.
"Get up; aren't you going to close that fissure?" Behind Juri, Masaru drags Daisuke up to his feet. The Brave Master shakes his head and looks at the fissure.
"Of course! It won't close itself!" He picks up his Dimensional Pliers again and starts to walk toward the fissure.
"He's coming… He's Coming… HE'S COMING!" The nameless girl seems to stuck in a low chant, till it grows louder and louder into a shriek eventually. Suddenly, a large black claw attached to a long black arm burst out of the fissure, and slams right down at Daisuke.
=== DDD Log – Equipment===
Dimensional Pliers
One of the most important tools for a defender Master Class: Dimensional Pliers is a live program which takes the form of a pair of Pliers in its dormant form. It can be transformed into a boomerang for mid-range combat. But its main purpose is dimensional tear repair.
By charging the live program with Bits, a Master Class can transform Dimensional Pliers into a giant form which can be used to drag a distorted dimension, and glue it back to normal. This action effectively stops more Digimon coming into Real World.
=== End Log ===