DARTS - Digimon Assault Response and Tactical Advisement Sector

[Hydra of Ages]

[url="http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/240890-darts-digimon-assault-response-and-tactical-advisement-sector/#entry5030560"]DARTS OOC Thread[/url]

[spoiler= DARTS Announcement on So-Called "Approaching Storm"]
[font="Courier New"]DARTS and DARTS-affliated lab studies do not predict any particularly larger-than-average Emergence within the next week, despite recent claims by less reputable sources.

The thick fog currently occupying several coastal areas of Japan have been identified as little more than a mixture of mundane water vapor and relatively harmless Data leakage. While there has been a greater instance of Data transference from the DABO Realm, we see little reason to suspect that it could imply any greater number of attacks than are otherwise presence. Our most likely theory is that data flows much like slow-moving tides, naturally ebbing inward and out, and a certain amount of this data may be pressed into our dimension at certain intervals.

However, as a precaution, several maritime towns and small island societies have been temporarily evacuated until complete studies have been completed.

DARTS thanks the public of Japan for collaborating with them on this matter.

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[/spoiler]

[i][b]--- - GM Post - ---[/b][/i]

The Commander looked down darkly at the children through his tinted glasses. He wore sunglasses because they made him look imposing. The eyes were the window to the soul- they contained that spark of humanity, the glint of mortality and vulnerability that made a man; not a leader. Kudo Bishman was DARTS. He was the embodiment of humanity's power, their resourcefulness, their dedication- distilled into a single being for much the same purpose as the white-hot tip of a dagger. He couldn't afford to be just a man.

He had a powerful body. He towered over most men with his thick body of carved muscle, his face a fighter's countenance. In his younger days, he'd often stood in a blank white room, much like the one he was in at the moment, alone in the darkness with a poor soul who needed to start talking. Today, he'd be the one doing the talking.

There were seven poor souls in the room. Their demons weren't with them at the time, either stored inside their Leashes or left elsewhere; Kudo hated seeing drawn weapons outside of storage or on the battlefield. They listened in various stages of attentiveness, though most simply seemed surprised to see the Commander General speaking to them in person.

"Tommorow," he said severely. He never rose his voice, but kept it calm and level. His face was neutral, if partially hidden by his eye-wear.

"You will likely die."

He let that sink in for a second, and turned to face the blank wall behind him. After a few moments, the wall flicked to life- diagrams depicting charts, numbers, arcane equations and a few video panels displaying equally arcane beasts, seemingly out of story books, tearing apart building and man the same.

"Greymon," he started calmly. A video panel maximized, showing an orange dinosaur as it released a gigantic burst of flame, causing the landmark tokyo tower to blacken and burn before it fell apart in a mountain of slag. "1067 fatalities, civilian and military in total. The first Adult emergence. Taken down only after days of artillery and aerial pursuit. We woke to the true potential of the menace Digimon showed to us only then."

He gave a slight gesture, and the video clip changed, this time showing a reddish beetle monstrosity the size of half a skyscraper. It made a horrific sound that distorted the video quality briefly as it descended from the skies with gale-force flaps of its insectoid wings. "Kuwagamon. Emerged and destroyed a fairly large section of Shinjuku- especially business and apartment buildings. 3011 casualties. DARTS was formed mere days later."

the screen blinked again- this time showing an altogether different being. An angelic, humanoid creature, its visage was hidden from view by a cast-iron helmet and its two bright white wings shimmered with energy as it released pulses of beam-light downward, splitting the pavement. Smaller creatures of various shapes seemed to be running rampant around it, though the humanoid seemed in deep thought. Kudo coughed for a second.

"Angemon. Smallest Adult Emergence. Reportedly spoke to army officials at the time, though we have no clear record of the conversation. Caused a total of 723 confirmed fatalities personally, and an additional 482 by his armies. At this point, Tokyo had developed an effective evacuation strategy. Angemon deciphered the method and counteracted it quickly, targeting the fleeing crowds rather than simply committing wanton destruction. Unlike the others, Angemon was not destroyed- he Remerged, the first evidence of such an ability."

The next image that came was another aerial monster- this one machinery based, with bright blue armor. Seen from the ground, it was nothing but a small shape in the sky, though plumes of smoke rose into the air. "Mailbirdramon. The second large-scale assault on Shinjuku, and the first evidence of planning among the larger creatures. It methodically aimed and destroyed DARTS public command, as well as most DARTS-aligned testing bases in the area."

The video screen was minimized again as it turned black. The series of unintelligable data once again took up the entire wall. Kudo turned again, wearing the same grim expression as always.

"Those four are rated the current most notable Emergents in DARTS history. We are capable of deducing the potency of these creatures through numbers. Greymon was a 7378. Kuwagamon, a 6101. Angemon was an 9352, and Mailbirdramon a 10107. Mailbirdramon was capable of destroying almost every Gizumon in operation at the time, even with aid from the conventional military."

He crossed his arms. "Tomorrow, we predict a coastal emergent with a Data Potency range of 10400 to 11070. We will not have support from the Tokyo Military. You, the members of the inverse project, will take the place of main-line infantry as the first true test of your combat value. If you are successful, the Inverse Project will become the Inverse Unit- as a full part of DARTS military operations. If you fail, you will likely be dead, and the project will be scrapped."

The room was circular, and almost blinding white. Though the lights tapered off towards the edges, the Commander could see every nervous movement his child soldiers made- he could see the value of their dedication through those small clues. He wondered which of them would fall; he knew them all by sight. Even those he'd never met in person, he'd studied their portfolios for hours upon hours. The Inverse Project was not a minor distraction, as some might have been led to believe. It was Kudo's attempt to match the DABOs, and to beat them at their own game- by turning their own against them.

Yukito did not stand with the rest of the Inverse Members. He, clad in his uniform, unique from the rest, stood at attention and observed the rest with icy eyes. Yukito was an officer, the direct commander of the Inverse Project's members, though he was little more a child than any of the rest. He would not be going in battle with the rest. His partner was useless- a failure in all but strictly scientific terms. He wondered if Yukito ever resented his paperwork, knowing that were titles stripped away, he was little more use to DARTS than a janitor. And yet still, that stare- the blank stare of one far too dedicated to his work- was intriguing. Kudo was careful to keep Yukito at his sides at all times- though he did not suspect a traitor in their midst, if there were one, there could only be a single guess who it was.

Leiko and Hiro. Both test subjects in their own rights- owner of a modified EGL and an altered Gizumon, respectively. Their use was not so much in what they did, but what became of them. In a field as unexplored as they were, there was little to be gained from safe, rote work. Only experimentation helped them get further- deadly experimentation at times. Those who were, to DARTS, little more than test mice, watched intently at all hours of the day in order to survey any possible effect from their treatments.

Kazuma, Kaimasaru, Emiko, even his own Rika- they were nothing but footsoldiers. Individually, they were meaningless- cogs outside of a machine- yet together, they all formed the true core, the foundation that Kudo hoped would prove solid enough to expand onto. If even one of them succeeded -survived- then all wouldn't be for naught.

"You will depart at 1400 hours tommorow, or will be deployed earlier in the case of a surprise Emergence," he said after finishing his observations. "Be suited and ready at exactly that time. Until then, you are dismissed. Get some sleep," he muttered, walking out.

As his shoes clicked against the hall, he faintly realized he just ordered children into what was likely a suicide scenario. And he was horrified, not at this thought, but when he found it didn't bother him at all.

-

[b]Regular Post[/b]

Leiko swung her feet back and forth as she sat on her chair. It wasn't very comfortable.

It took her a few moments, but eventually she looked up into the eyes of her fellow Inverse Members.

"So... it's really happening, then," she muttered. As a team, the members of Inverse had never been dispatched before. While some of them had been to routine Child or weak Adult-level destructions, it was never anything that couldn't have been handled by simple squads of Gizumon.

Now, they were expected to produce results, or die trying.

The reality of it made her terrified to walk back to her room. She glanced up, and saw the cold eyes of Yukito staring at her. She looked away, back down, and kept swinging her legs, wondering idly what the others felt. Elation? Surprise? Anger? Resentment, maybe?

Leiko was afraid. Terrified, really. She didn't want to show it -she was a soldier, after all- but she really didn't have any reason to keep it locked up, either. It was a puzzle that kept her mind off the tommorows battle, and for those short moments, she was glad of that.

[The Warden]

Hiro was shaking a little, being told 'you will most likely die' isn't the best morale boost to be given. He sought comfort in Gizumon, though, despite being kept in the lab for continual maintenance to be at optimal efficiency, their fond memories were tied into that leash. He tried to control his own shaking by keeping his hand on the leash. He stopped shaking a little, but his knees were still weak. 'I'm completely terrified' he admitted.

Okay, did he just say that, or think it? By gods if he said that would've been embarassing. 'Just those numbers, in the ten-thousands. The power was equal to MailBirdramon, or bigger. I'm a scientist, not a foot-soldier' he added, again out loud than thought.

[Hotaru987]

Emiko was one of the few - if there were any at all - who wasn't as put off by the commanders words. Why should it bother her anyway? It's not like there was much for her to live for anyway. Well, besides Tsunamon. She glanced at the dark red bracelet - also her leash that held Tsunamon when she wished for some quiet time. Another reason why she wasn't as put off probably had a huge reason to due to the damage done to the emotional part of her frontal lobe. If she was completely honest with herself, Emiko was actually looking forward to having something to do. It was boring just sitting around all day.

While thinking one of the other kid's talking caught her attention, something about him being a scientist and not a foot-soldier. He was rather tall - though when you're 5 feet tall everything looks tall to you. . From his demenor, he wasn't looking forward to the future assignment. Either way it wasn't Emiko's problem, so she simply ignored him.

Though the look from Yukito had chills running down her back. The boy was more anit-social than she was, or that's what she heard anyway. She only knew some of the people from talk she over heard from other members of DARTS. The only exception being Rika who Emiko knew by name. She was the commander's daughter after all.

Emiko looked around once more and it didn't look like anyone was leaving. She didn't want to stay in the room anylong, besides the commander said they were dismissed. With a stiff about face, she turned to walk out of the room.

[GreyCat]

The scar on Kazu's back seemed to throb from excitement and anticipation. This was what he joined DARTS for. To protect the populace from the dangers the EGL pose. He remembered the first time he encountered one. Back then, he was lucky to have escaped with his life. Now, however, he had Leor at his side. He had power. Enough power to protect his friends. He smiled at Leiko when she looked at him.
"Don't fret, Leiko," he said to her. "We have taken down EGLs before and the seven of us can handle whatever this new one dishes out." He spoke up a bit louder when he overheard Hiro's depressed comments. "All that talk about 10,000, that's just techno babble. What's really important is spirit!" He paused and dug in his pocket and pulled out a smiley badge. This one had a scowling set to it's mouth, a stretched out 'X' for eyes and a scar. It was slightly dented on one edge. "See, this is my battle badge. It signifies my will! Kind of a good luck charm." He grinned and tossed it lightly in the air. "I carry it on every mission and It has never failed me. Besides, Leor gives me all the power I need and more."

[The Warden]

Hiro covered his face in his hands, though leaving a opening for his mouth. 'That's all well and good for infantry; but I helped work on the Gizumon, I KNOW what that techno-babble means' he lamented.

He sat down on a chair, still not feeling the spirit to move on. 'And Gizumon don't have spirits, besides my one they're all empty shells we use to help gather data to make more of them and the ocassional EGL. But this is an adult level, the level that kills you by looking at you. We don't have back-up, we only have each other and perhaps some Gizumon. We're dead' he cried.

He was trying hard not to cry over his inevitable death. He failed miserably, but he hid it. [color="#000080"]'Oh bunch up girly boy'[/color] Gizumon said via the leash, oddly, none of the other humans could hear Gizumon.

Hiro stared at the screen. 'I told you not to use the leash as a communicator. I had the link with the lab established so your performance could be monitered. Our heads are on the line to see whether you work better as a sentient or as a remote-controlled' Hiro said back to his partner (this must look strange).

[color="#000080"]'Yeah yeah, to see if my species is capable of becomming the adult level like natural DABOs blah blah blah. I get it, but right now, you need to get that I need a strong tamer to see me through this battle and future battles. Not some whiny kid, got it?'[/color] Gizumon demanded.

Hiro whiped his nose on his sleeve. 'Yeah, I get ya' he replied and walked off. He was going to check up on Gizumon for final diagnostics.

[Quiksilver]

Rika remained mute until Kudo exited the room- she always made sure to never show any more emotion that was necessary in front of her father. Once she had left the room however, she untensed and gave a long breath- both a sign of how happy she was Kudo was gone and how nervous she was a about the mission. Her head flickered around as she heard some of the other people in the room begin to talk; after a minute of hearing the scientist whine, she felt like replying with a cutting "Looks like your mother put down the wrong gender on your birth certificate", but a certain ominous feeling combined with the fact she had pranked the man a couple of times and wanted to avoid further trouble- she was currently in a delicate situation involving a personnel officer and several cream pies- made her stay her tongue. However, once that guy with the really long name- Kazu was his abbreviation, Rika thought- begin to cheer about the mission, Rika couldn't help but reply;

"You do realize your 'Leor' is like a twig compared to whatever is approaching the coast? Techno-babble or not, whatever Digimon we're going to fighting needs to be taken on with the utmost caution. I'm not one for death prophecies- unlike some milksops here whose attitude makes you think they believe 2012 is not a total crock- but whatever is out there, we are not going to be able to beat it with [i]optimism[/i] and [i]smiles[/i]."

[Hotaru987]

Emiko didn’t see what the big deal was. They were soldiers, and this is what soldiers are to be used for. She rubbed her temple feeling another headache coming along – hopefully the medicine will work this time. Having to take so many was annoying. The commander told them to get some rest, but ever since leaving the medical room two days ago that’s all she had been doing. Emiko’s leash started beeping – though it was most likely nobody but Paomon wanting to get out. With a sigh the young girl permitted the small digimon to materialize in front of her in a collection of scattered data, before coming together in solidarity.

“Have a good nap?” Emiko asked walking pass the stretching digimon. Both her soft voice, and footsteps echoed in the plain white hallways. Her destination; ETA level.

“It was very good thanks for asking!” Paomon barked happily as he began something similar to a skip in his walk.

“I hope you heard because I don’t feel like repeating what the commander said.” Paomon looked up at her, “You’re not worried? Or scared? Because it’s ok if yo-”

“Should I be...You know it’s hard for me to determine what emotion I should display…” She said not bothering to look at the small digimon beside her. “I don’t see why we should be bothered over such a mission. Isn’t this why we were brought here in the first place?”

Paomon rolled his eyes before jumping in front of Emiko forcing her to stop, or walk over him. “This is why you don’t have any friends. You need to lighten up! Get loose! Shake your money maker!!” Emiko raised her eyebrow at the last one a slight chuckle she walked around him, “I don’t thinking ‘Shaking my money maker’ will get me into the desired crowd.” Paomon simply shrugged, “Fine your loss.”

Emiko cracked a smile at her digimon as they slowly approached the ETA level.

[GreyCat]

"Who ever said anything about optimism and smiles?" Kazu countered. "I believe the word I used was spirit. S-P-I-R-I-T; spirit. As in fighting spirit. And determination. Only idiots would fight a high level DABO with optimism alone." He stopped to consider as Started talking to thin air. Kazu hoped that the boy was talking to his partner (he had a earpiece for that purpose himself) because a crazy person on the team would be... awkward in the least. Continuing his debate with Rika, he held up his badge and pointed to it.

"See; a scowl, not a smile. Though, smiles tend to make everything better. And optimism is always a good thing to have, you need courage to fight. Courage and strength. True, Leor might be a weak twig," he would probably have to apologize to Leor for that later, if the EGL was paying attention anyway, "but there are seven of us here and seven twigs. It's harder to break a bunch of twigs together than alone. That's why we are a team." He smiled and kicked back and leaned against the wall. He liked having people to support and who would support him. "Now, if no one has any team related plans, I think I'll try to get," he glanced at his leash for the time, "twelve or fourteen hours sleep and a large meal or two before our mission time."

[Quiksilver]

"Seven twigs are still quite easy to crack," Rika shot back. "With our Digimon at this current level, it'll be like trying to move a mountain; we would need some really big shovels for that job. But whatever." Rika stood up from her chair, glancing slightly at Yukito to see what he would do about that. "I could really use some food right about now- and I can't rage at people properly on an empty stomach. Anyone going to join me?"

***

Coronamon was bored. Like, really bored. His human was off in some top-secret meeting and when he had tried to quietly sneak in, they had grabbed him and thrown him out into the hallway. How rude. Coronamon wasn't one for patiently waiting inside the leash, so he was now forced to hang out around the Bunker, with nothing to do but sulk around the hallways and look aroud for something exciting to do. Unfortunately, there was nothing exciting to do- the hallways were empty, both free of Gizumon to mess with and humans to do the same too. It was almost as if they were consciously avoiding him-

Wait. What was that noise? Coronamon tensed slightly, then looked down the hallway; at the end and slowly approaching were two figures; one a Digimon, small and no much more than a head, and the other a human girl.

Coronamon untensed and approached the duo. If it had just been a lone human, Coronamon would have done one of two things- 1.) flee in case the human was coming to apprehend him or 2.) Ambush him/her. However, the presence of the Digimon- that was not a Gizumon- showed that the girl was a Tamer, and Coronamon felt more comfortable around them, even though he still used the options listed above on them quite often. And, indeed, it was a Tamer- the girl named Emiko, if Coronamon remembered correctly, and a small Child-level Digimon named Tsunomon.

"Hi," Coronamon said, his face an expression of boredom. Most humans would have reacted with shock, or confusions, or anger at being addressed by a Digimon in such a way- sometimes it was all three- but Tamers like Emiko were used to such things. Or, at least, Coronamon hoped she was. "Did you just get back from the oh-so-top secret briefing?"

[Hotaru987]

Ooc: Oh, they're supposed to be in child form? I'll go change it after this post.

Emiko paused in her stride as she stared at the small child form digimon below her. She wasn't used to being address by others, except for Paomon. The digimon in front of her was a Coronomon, and if memory served her well this was Rika's digimon. "Yes...I just did. Though it was boring to say the least." Emiko looked around searching for the digimon's owner but didn't see the young girl anywhere. Did she know her digimon was simply roaming around? Why wasn't he with her?

"Coronomon right?" She started, "You're Rika's digimon. Why are you out here alone, and without your partner?" Though her facial expression never changed from her normal blank look, the slight difference in her voice made it obvious she was worried about the digimon. It wasn't safe for one - especially a child-level digimon - to simply be out and about. Emiko may not have been the most social bee around, but that didn't mean she was cold hearted.

[GreyCat]

"Since you need someone to rage [i]at[/i], I'll come along with you," Kazu smirked "I would like to hear what else you think of 'twigs.' Besides, I do need a big meal. Fighting spirit doesn't run on air." He looked around to see who else would be interested in joining them, rubbing his neck slightly. Standing at attention for long always made him sore. He hoped some of the others would join them, otherwise it would be just him and Rika. That wouldn't be a date, would it? He smiled at the thought. Rika didn't seem the type. If he hinted a it, he might encounter some... unpleasant circumstances. But it might be worth it... So maybe optimism was something good.
"You know Rika," he ventured, seeing how much more raging she had in her. "For someone who likes pranks as much as you do, I'm surprised you have such a low opinion of high spirits." He grinned. "You pranks always leave me in high spirits when I hear about them."

[Hydra of Ages]

"I'll go too... if that's alright..." she muttered a little, getting up with a bit of a twitch in her leg as she twisted her head to catch a glimpse of Yukio. The blond had turned away from the rest, seemingly disinterested in what they did now that the meeting was over, and was busy monitoring the various stats on the wall while comparing them to the contents of some file he held in his hand.

Leiko suddenly felt cold. She put her hands together, rubbing her palms together; for some reason, the barren white room felt a lot more uncomfortable when she wasn't immediately concerned with how she'd live through the next day. She briefly considered waking Kunamon from her slumber, but decided against it; the other members of DARTS kept their distance from EGLs when possible, and having her partner around always made her feel like she was being stared at.

Besides, Kunamon was a DABO. Technically speaking, she was the same thing as what they were going to be fighting- a monster, for lack of a better word. Watching Kazu, and Hiro as he spoke into his Leash, she wondered briefly if any of the other Tamers felt uneasy in trusting their partner. A digimon's nature, even the EGL's nature, was to kill humans, wasn't it? That's why they needed the implants and everything? After all, the only Tamer whose' partner wasn't manually restrained from killing them was Yukio...

"I want you awake by 900," she heard someone say, and twisted around just in time to catch Yukio's lips moving. His voice was soft, but filled with iron- it reminded her a lot of Kudo, actually. He spoke to them without taking his eyes off of his calculations.

"Be in the training room then. We'll run some last-minute tests and strategy training before you leave. It's not optional," he finished breezily before he stopped talking, never having broken his stride of writing. Though he said it in the most impartial, mechanical sort of way, Leiko couldn't help but get the impression he was trying, in his own way, to reassure them.

[The Warden]

Hiro took an elevator to BETA level. Passing by the labs, he remembered back a ways when the Gizumon project had begun. Creating EGLs in order to combat DABOs, it had been incredibly fascinating. But now, the thought of actual combat just made him feel sick. He didn't spare a thought to the labs or their contents, merely passing by until he came to his father's lab.

It had been recently repurposed for Gizumon maintenance and alterations, though maintenance was the only process occurring for the normal Gizumon. Speaking of them, Hiro's partner had been hooked up to the main computer and system's checks had been running for a good two hours now. 'How are you feeling?' Hiro inquired, as was the ritual.

Gizumon shifted on his platform. [color="#000080"]'As fine as any guinea pig I suppose'[/color] he replied coolly.

Hiro nodded as he checked the report on current scans. 'I just want to make sure you're ready for the mission. So far you haven't got any issues, which is good. We need your laser to weaken the DABO that is coming' Hiro commented as the scan finished.

'Good news, a clean bill of health' he announced as the cables were detached.

Gizumon's joints groaned as he moved off the platform, he gave a stretch, causing more groans.[color="#000080"]'That's good. Oh yeah, how's that new augment coming along?'[/color]

'It goes, it's just difficult trying to figure out how to freeze data such as a Digimon's without harming it. If we can cause temporary stasis in a Digimon, we could bring them back so we can study living subjects, that's really exciting' Hiro replied as he checked up on said design.

Gizumon snickered loudly. [color="#000080"]'Yeah, instead of the remains the Gizumon squads pick up'[/color] he joked.

Hiro turned on his chair at Gizumon. His right eyebrow raised. 'How is that funny?' he inquired.

[Spartan919]

Kai had stood silently, in his uniform, his leash stashed in the pocket on the left side of his pants. Now the meeting was over, he watched as the others began to collaborate and interact. Honestly, he had been unnerved by that statement: "you will likely die tomorrow." But it didn't matter; his life had never meant much to him in the first place. He sighed, and shook his head, quietly, before watching, amused, as the antics of his fellow Tamers captured his attention. [i]This isn't going to be as easy as anything else, is it? We're going to be tested in ways we couldn't possibly imagine...I just hope we all survive...against all hope.[/i] Silently, he turned and decided to head to his quarters, to rest and think about what the meeting had consisted. Hoping he wouldn't be stopped and bothered, he headed for the elevator which would take him back to BETA level.

[Quiksilver]

Rika raised an eye at this, but she still nodded her head in acceptance of the compliment. "Well, there is a difference between pranks and charging blindly into the dragon's maw. Just because I'm stupid enough to prank superior officers doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to attack things that could crush me like an ant." At that moment, Rika realized how wrong it was to take out her anger on her teammate, when in fact it should be directed at the source of her anger- Kudo. Changing gears hurriedly, she said, "But, enough about that! It's time for some good ole mystery food- oh, how I love the meat that I can't tell what type it is, and the drink that could be any number of flavors! Maybe we can make up over such delightful cuisine." She offered her hand to Kazu, a smile on her face- the smile jumped slightly when she heard that robot Yukito -that was how she thought of him-, and it bounced up and down as she nodded towards Leiko, but she kept it on all the same.

***

Coronamon shrugged noncommitally. "She's probably still at that meeting- she'll come and get me when she wants to, I'm sure." Coronamon picked up on the subtle cues on Emiko's face, and said, "Don't worry about me, though. Whenever I see one of you humans, I usually just hide, or do...other things...but anyways, when I saw you guys I thought you could tell me about the meeting I wasn't allowed into." Coronamon paused. "You can tell me about it, right?"

[Spartan919]

Kai's attention had bee perked by what Rika had just said. Stopping, he spun on his heel to see that she was offering her hand to Kazu, in an attempt to fix a friendship that had been frayed by the earlier communications. His eyebrow raised; he had been ignoring what the others had been saying, but for some reason, what Rika had said...stirred something inside him...but he had no idea what that might be. He quickly walked over to Rika, and gave her a friendly nod in greeting. "Hello, Rika...I'm sorry to say that I disagree with what you just said. According to you, we are going to 'charge blindly into a dragon's maw.' But I think you're looking at it the wrong way. I will not be charging blindly. This is what we've been training for. I will be charging with courage, and faith, and great friends." With that last remark, he shot a smile at the girl, hoping his remarks hadn't riled her up.

[Quiksilver]

"Hey, Kai. I didn't say [i]we[/i] were- just someone is." Rika jerked her head towards Kazu. "And anyways, in a way we are- we have no idea what this thing is, what is dangerous about it, what it's weaknesses is- only that's it's gonna be one hell of a Digimon. That puts us at a disadvantage, and I just wanted to make sure we would proceed with caution, that's all." Rika shrugged. "But everyone can believe what they want, I suppose. However, who said we were friends?" Rika winked, and turned back towards Kazu as she waited for him to shake her hand.

[Spartan919]

Kai nodded; what Rika had said made sense. A few of them probably would be simply rushing in foolishly; more than likely, Kai would be one of them. He didn't exactly have that much to live for anyway, other than those who actually [i]were[/i] his friends. Apparently that's not what Rika thought their relationship was. As Rika turned from him, Kai felt a momentary flash of anger. She had just turned and ignored him, waving him off as being as crazy as any of the others, no doubt. Suddenly he felt a calming sensation; Renamon was trying to soothe him, through his Leash. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm down. Then, relaxed, he moved quickly until he was next to Kazu, in front of Rika. He gave a quick nod of greeting to Kazu before facing Rika. "Just because we may be at a disadvantage doesn't mean we shouldn't fight; it just means we'll have to fight harder. And, besides...who said we weren't friends?"

[Quiksilver]

Rika looked surprised, because the moment before Kai had stepped next to Kazu, she had seen a look of anger on his face. What could have said to upset him? "I was just kidding- that's what my wink was for." Rika made an exaggerated motion that made it look like she was winking in slow-motion. "What you said is true- we [i]do[/i] have to fight harder. But we should also be fighting smarter, too- find it's Achilles heel, and so forth." Rika was beginning to feel a little stupid now, holding out her hand for Kazu who didn't seem like he wanted to shake it.

[Spartan919]

Kai broke into a smile, and now [i]he[/i] felt stupid for overreacting to what was obviously just play. But now he could see that Rika was beginning to look flustered. [i]Surely she must feel stupid just holding her hand out like that? What is with Kazu?[/i] Kai shot a glance at Kazu, but nothing seemed to be wrong. Kai took a deep breath, trying to force back the anger he could still feel, and ran a hand through his hair. Now what? Should he leave, or should he take Rika's hand, and possibly save her from embarrassment? After only a moment's thought, the answer seemed obvious. He nodded to Rika. "Right. Of course...Sorry about that," he said, feeling his face fluster. "We'll fight smarter; that's the logical thing to do. Well...I probably won't fight 'smarter.' I never really was one for strategy and that. Come on, let's go get something to eat. See you later, Kazu." With that, he reached out and took Rika's hand in his. "And maybe we could go train after our 'cuisine?'" he offered.

[Hotaru987]

Emiko considered Coronomon's question. Would she get in trouble for divulging the information? Then again Coronomon was Rika's digimon, so he was bound to find out sooner or later. So why not sooner? "I suppose I could tell you." She looked around to make sure no one else was around to over hear before speaking again, "We were told that the team - Project Inverse - will be sent out as a group for the first time to test the abilities of the tamers and their digimon..." Emiko never raised her voice, keeping it a soft whisper so only those close to her could hear. "We will be going up against DABOs with their data potency possibly being over 10,000....We will recieve no help from the Tokyo military." She ended with a slight tilt of her head, watching the child level digimon through dull emerald eyes.

Emiko was curious as to how he would react to the news. The others had slightly amusing if not annoying reactions - at least the two that she heard before leaving - especially the doctor looking kid. "Even the commander said that some of us might die."

[GreyCat]

Kazu had matched Rika’s smile with one of his own, but paused to consider what they were saying. He was aware that courage alone was far from enough to combat the DABO. Probably more aware of that fact than the others thought. The scar on his back was proof of that. That time he leapt into a battle with no power, no plan, and no sense at all. Fighting smarter was the only way to go about things. Otherwise, they would die. But looking at things from that negative point of view wasn’t going to help them any either. The training the next morning would be useful in learning how to act as a team. He blinked, suddenly realizing that he had zoned out before shaking RIka's hand. And that Kai was taking advantage of that to stealing his opportunities.
“Sorry, sorry,” Kazu apologized to her. He hated when he zoned out like that; the more stress he faced, the more it happened. It was one of the reasons he tended to take naps so often. “I zoned out a bit.” He took Rika’s free hand, shot a quick glare at Kai, and kissed it lightly like in the movies. “Don’t forget that this meal is a group outing Kai.” He smiled, though a bit of venom seemed hidden in his words. “You wouldn’t want to leave me and Leiko behind, especially since you were the last to agree to come along.” He stopped. Not his usual reaction, but it was pleasing in some way. He swallowed the venom and added more lightly. “Testing mystery meat is more fun in groups anyways.”

[Hydra of Ages]

Leiko smiled a bit at the rest of them as they got up to leave. From the look of it, Kazu and Kai were beginning to develop a sort of rivalry over a rather typical squabbling point for adolescent boys. It felt almost surreal, and she understood why after a moment- acting like the children they were really outlined the kind of situation they were getting into.

She was the last to leave the room, following after the group heading out to ETA Complex, as Yukio walked quickly out the door without looking at any of them. He turned in the opposite direction from the group, his shoes clapping at regular intervals across the floor, and it took Leiko a moment to realize he'd forgotten something; a file folder, a couple pieces of paper almost falling out, left on chair that he'd been using.

She picked it up and quickly ran after him. "Hey, you forgot...this..." she muttered as she saw the elevator door close. Doubtless he was heading to ALPHA complex, and she didn't have the type of clearance needed to follow. She bit her lip a little, but glanced at the folder. Well, she couldn't just leave it lying around- it could be sensitive information. So, she guessed she might as well carry it with her.

"Hey guys, wait up!" she called after her group, managing to catch up after a couple seconds dash. She kept the folder held securely under her arm, though she wondered briefly what might be inside it.

[Spartan919]

Kai walked along with the group, but he shot a glare at Kazu. Apparently he thought Kai was taking advantage of him, according to the venom he heard in his voice. He did his best to ignore the glare that he received, and after a moment's thought, returned the expression, albeit a little lighter. Then he finally decided to respond to both Kazu and Rika. "Who knows what will make the mystery meat taste better? Surely nothing that the cooks can come up with. Anyway, it's not like I was making a move or anything...I'm not like that." He knew this, but Kazu might not, and it was never too bad to remind him. "It would probably be more beneficial to all of us if we train as a group anyway." Then, noticing that Leiko was lagging behind, he slowed his pace until he was walking beside her. He shot her a nervous smile. "What took so long?"

[Hydra of Ages]

"Hm? Oh, well..."

Leiko glanced guiltily at the manila folder under her arm. For some reason, she felt as if she had stolen it.

"Yukio dropped this when he was walking out. I tried to give it back, but he was gone by the time I got there...", she said scratching her head a little. "So I figure I'll just hold onto it until he asks for it back. No use leaving sensitive documents just lying around, right?" she said with a slight grin. It was only then that she thought about what actually might be in the files...

since he was bringing them to the meeting, maybe it was something to do with the Inverse Project?

Oh dear. Now she was curious.