Italics = thoughts

"Quotes" = dialogue

underlined = reading something that is written

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon or any of its characters. I do however claim ownership of any original characters introduced.

Chapter 75: Aftermath

Mayumi Wong taps her foot nervously as all manner of scientists, technicians, and government agents flit about the area, completing last minute preparations for the ark's emergence. She looks to the other parents, Mie Matsuki in particular, and notices that she too exhibits nervous tics. "I would have…hoped they'd have arrived by now…"

Mie appears startled but quickly regains composure. "Yes…I…I just want to see my baby…" Her husband wraps an arm around her. "He'll be here soon. You'll see. It's nerve racking, I know, but they said they're coming, so we just have to wait a few minutes.

"Our two babies must be traumatized…" Mrs. Matsumoto mutters to her husband as she seeks relief in his embrace.

"I'm sure Impmon took good care of them," Seiko assures them. "Rika and the others would also have done everything they could to keep them safe." The Matusmodo's nod to her, though both appear to shed tears of anxiety.

"I'm not entirely certain whether I should throttle Kazu for running off to the Digital World again without telling me or just be happy that he'll be home," Mrs. Shiota adds, biting her lip as she awaits the ark.

"I just know Jeri must have had a hard time," Mr. Katou interjects, lowering his head. "My poor girl just keeps getting dragged back into all of this…"

Alarms begin to blare and all of the scientists and technicians begin clearing the floor. Several Naicho agents come over to the parents and usher them backward. The doors behind them slide open, allowing Riley, Tally, and Shibumi to enter.

"Sounds like we made it just in time," Riley states as she comes to stand amongst the parents.

"Yes. We'll need to be quick about getting Guilmon for the cure," Shibumi quips quickly. "Tally, which children were infected? Do you recall?"

"Infected?!" Rumiko suddenly shouts.

"I have Henry Wong, Rika Nonaka, and Alice McCoy. Each of their partners as well, with the addition of Impmon," Tally says, ignoring the woman's shriek.

"Wait, Henry is infected? With what?" Mayumi asks frantically.

"Please keep calm," Riley requests, making a placating gesture to the woman. "Everything will be explained later. All you need to know right now is everything is going to be fine."

A bright light envelops the room, emanating from its center, as a fog explodes into existence, obscuring everyone's view. The sound of metal grinding and repulsors blasting is heard before both suddenly stop.

After a few tense minutes of silence, the fog starts to dissipate, revealing the cylindrical ark, still sealed shut. "Someone open that ark," Shibumi shouts to the technicians nearby. They glance at the Naicho before complying and moving over towards the ark. After some time, they manage to pry the doors open, revealing a somber cadre of humans and digimon within.

"It's alright. You're all home now and your parents are here to get you," one of the technicians says as Riley and Tally step forward. "Those of you who are infected need to come with me right away," Riley says to them, though none of them seem to hear or so much as budge.

"What's wrong?" Mayumi asks with concern, stepping forward, though a Naicho agent steps in her path to prevent her from getting closer. "Why have't they come out yet?" The doors behind them soon slide open again, Janyuu and Dolphin entering. "Oh thank goodness, they made it back!" Janyuu shouts, releasing a sigh of relief.

"Janyuu! What's going on here? I heard Riley say something about infection and now the children aren't getting out of the ark!" Mayumi questions. Janyuu exchanges glances with Dolphin before they both press through the crowd and step up to Riley and the ark, shoving their way through the Naicho who attempt to stop them.

"I need you all to disembark the ark now," Riley says again. "We need to get those of you who are infected up to our lab right away. Come on! Hup to!"

Henry is the first to exit, sliding slowly out of the ark with Terriermon sullenly clinging to his shoulder. "We failed, Miss Ootori…" he mutters, hanging his head low, suppressing the rising sobs, and fighting back tears.

"What are you talking about, Henry?" Janyuu asks, kneeling down to meet his son's eyes.

The tamers begin to exit, the twins and Impmon clambering out first, followed by Masahiko and Kotemon, Rika and Renamon, Guilmon, Kai, Ryo and Monodramon, Kenta and MarineAngemon, Alice and Dobermon, and finally Kazu and Guardromon, who pull Jeri out with them, Calumon clinging to her head. None so much as speak a word.

"Where's…" Riley starts, but Ryo shakes his head. "He didn't make it…"

"Kai! Oh my goodness!" Mie shouts in shock as she sees him and Guilmon exit. "Wait. Where's Takato?" Takehiro asks.

"And Suzie? Where is my Suzie!?" Mayumi shouts in alarm, not seeing her daughter amongst the tamers.

"I need the parents out of here. Now!" Riley shouts at the Naicho. The Naicho seem to comply, but Mayumi, Mie, and Takehiro shove back at them. "No! I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me where my boy is!" Takehiro barks at the agents.

"And my daughter!" Mayumi adds. "Where is she!?"

"Mom…" Henry speaks up. "I'm sorry… Suzie isn't…" He cuts off, biting back tears.

"We lost Takato too…" Kai adds, hanging his head as he places a hand on Guilmon's. "He's gone…"

The parents each glance at the Matsukis and Mayumi, none of which had yet uttered another word: apparently too stunned to act or speak.

A few Naicho agents step forward, the first stating, "We need to get the Guilmon upstairs to extract the necessary data for the cure."

"Yes. Right," Riley says, looking back to the tamers. "We'll have to get your report later. Guilmon and any of you who became infected with the virus should come with us upstairs right away."

"We'll also be taking the remainder of the digimon to lockdown," a second agent says, directing his men to seize the digimon.

"Wait, what?" Rika asks, her head shooting up. "Lockdown?"

An agent grabs Kotemon and starts pulling him away while Masahiko clings to his partner's sleeve, screaming for the agent to let him go. "Stop! You can't just take Kotemon! I won't let you! Let him go!"

"I'm sorry, children. The only way for us to rescue you all was to agree to your digimon being put into government custody," Dolphin states while turning his gaze away and downward. Agents grab each of the digimon partners in turn, Calumon squealing for his friends to save him while Dobermon growls at the agents who try to take him.

"No! You can't have our digimon!" Alice shouts at them. "They're our friends!"

"We have our orders. All digimon are to be taken into custody immediately," the agent states before trying to grab Dobermon again.

"Dad, please…do something…" Henry pleads, looking to his father with tear filled eyes.

"I'm sorry, Henry… There's nothing I can do…" A Naicho walks over and pulls Terriermon from Henry's arms while another pulls Impmon away from the twins.

"But Impmon is sick! He needs help! You can't just take him!" Ai whines.

"We'll make him better," Shibumi tries to assure the little girl. Rika looks to Renamon as two agents flank her, ready to escort her away. Renamon…

We'll be all right Rika. I know you and the others will be able to figure this out.

One of the agents finally manages to muzzle Dobermon and begins to pull him away, though Alice grabs onto him. "No! I'm not letting you take him away from me!"

"Alice, you need to let him go," Dolphin says to his granddaughter. "I'm so sorry…" Alice gives him a tear-filled look before Dobermon is yanked away from her by the Naicho.

"You promised me that you wouldn't let us lose them again!" Henry shouts through his tears. "You promised!" Janyuu is unable to bring himself to look his son in the eye.

As the agents leave, Riley releases a regretful sigh before stating, "Henry, Rika, and Alice, please follow me. The rest of you, your parents are waiting…" Shibumi places a hand on her shoulder, nods and turns, gesturing for them to follow. As Henry walks past, he stops near his still stunned mother and the Matsukis. "I'm…so sorry… It's all my fault…"

Mie Matsuki looks up at him, tears finally beginning to fall, but does not manage to say anything. Kai stops besides her and Takehiro, but neither seem to yet pay him any heed. Rika places a hand on Henry's shoulder, looking into his steely eyes with her purple orbs and sharing a moment of pain with him. Having nothing further to say, they continue off behind Alice, Dolphin, Janyuu, Riley, and Shibumi while the rest of the tamers reunite with their families.

Riley, Tally, and the Monster Makers sit silently in their lab. The cure had been easy enough to create with Guilmon's data and tissue samples and all the digimon and children appeared to be responding well to it. The Naicho had directed them to stay for one final briefing from the prime minister before leading off the infected digimon and Guilmon, presumably to the containment cells Tally had helped construct earlier.

"I can't believe Takato didn't make it…" Tally mumbles after some silence.

"I can't even believe we are sitting here waiting for him to come talk to us," Shibumi adds. "You heard what Henry said: the ark behaved erratically, as if it didn't want him to board."

"But why would they activate the contingencies?" Dolphin asks. "Kurota agreed that we didn't need to do it anymore and Yamaki even stayed. Do you think the ark activated them on its own, even after we took all those precautions to prevent an artificial intelligence from forming?"

"It's certainly disturbing," Babel admits, glancing at Janyuu. "How are you holding up, Tao?" The man shakes his head. "I don't know what to do. I'm not even sure how I'm going to make all of this right. Those children must hate us for letting their digimon be taken from them..."

The door to the lab opens and a handcuffed Yamaki is shoved through by two Naicho agents, Kurota walking in behind them. "So, I hear the ark safely returned. "Excellent work, gentlemen." None of the Monster Makers answer; instead, they focus on Yamaki. "What's going…?" Riley asks as she begins to stand.

"Kurota activated the contingencies," Yamaki blurts out. "Did Takato…" Each of the Monster Makers is taken aback.

"You did what?" Janyuu nearly shouts as he leaps to his feet, most of his colleagues following suit.

"I activated them to prevent the virus from emerging here and to ensure that the ark would have its best chance of returning. We couldn't risk that Norn program doing anything…"

"The tamers reported to us what I'm sure you already knew: they defeated Norn," Curly interjects. "There was no threat to bringing that boy home. We told you we were working on a cure!"

"I knew you were sick, but this really takes the cake," Shibumi adds. "You killed a fifteen year old boy, a citizen whom you are sworn to protect, out of what? Fear? Spite?"

"I do not appreciate your tone, Mr. Mizuno," Kurota practically spits. "All of you with your grand ideas and insubordination. My directives were to evacuate all but the Hazard and yet you all still constantly plotted against me to undermine my commands. So yes, I activated the contingencies – as was the plan from the start!"

"I don't give a damn what you appreciate!" Shibumi retorts forcefully. "It's bad enough you destroyed the Digital World, placed all of the tamers in danger, and have now deprived those poor children of their closest friend, but now you've unnecessarily deprived a family of their only son!"

Kurota gestures to one of the agents, who immediately releases Yamaki from his cuffs. "The deal stands. You all keep quiet, and everyone can go about their lives."

"Oh, I suppose you're going to tell the Matsukis how sorry you are that you had to kill their only son?" Riley snipes as Yamaki comes to stand next to her.

"You all may tell them whatever you need to, so long as you do not reveal anything about Project X or the contingencies to prevent his return," Kurota states coldly. "I'm closing the book on this little escapade now. Go home and sleep. I honestly hope to never hear from any of you ever again." He steps aside and gestures for them to leave.

"The feeling is mutual," Shibumi rebuts as he marches out, the other Monster Makers, Riley, Tally, and Yamaki following behind him. Janyuu stops near Kurota and says, "What about my daughter's data? How will we be extracting it?"

Kurota gives him a cold stare before answering, "I'll have a technician take you down to the lab, but I don't believe we have the technology or know how to do so. You have until the end of the day, and anything you want to do to my digimon you run by me first. Then I don't want to hear anymore about it after today. Now, get out of my sight."

Janyuu tenses a fist at his side as Kurota refers to the digimon as his, but a Naicho steps forward and he relaxes it. "Alright. Thank you," he states before moving to exit the room, where Riley and Yamaki had stopped to wait for him.

"And remember. Mouths shut, or the deal is null and void," Kurota adds as the three give him one final glare and leave.

As they exit, a technician enters, walking over to Kurota. "Uhh, sir…I have that report you wanted…"

"Good," Kurota answers taking it from him. "And? What news?"

"Well, everything appears to be in order, and with any luck, it won't take us long to develop fully. Officially speaking, Project Kaiju is a go."

"Excellent…"

Henry sits alone, waiting for his family to come take him home. He doesn't cry: all his tears spent on mourning the loss of his friend, his partner, and the dread of explaining the circumstances of his sister's death to his mother. He instinctively reaches up to his head to scratch Terriermon, or rack his forehead, but of course the little dog-rabbit isn't there, and he lets his arm fall back down.

Henry pulls his legs up, hugging them tightly while biting his lip. The urge to cry persists, but all that comes is sobs, which jerk his shoulders. Thoughts of his father enter his mind but he quickly shoves them away. Terriermon… I'm so sorry…

What feels like hours pass before the door cracks open and Mayumi Wong is ushered in. Henry looks up at her, trying to gauge what she is feeling as she sits down next to him, laying a hand on his back. "Henry…" She pulls him into a tight hug, squeezing as much to comfort herself as she does him. Henry makes no complaint of the discomfort, squeezing back just as tight.

"I'm sorry mom… I couldn't save her… I'm sorry…"

"No, Henry… It's not your fault… I know you did your best…" A silence befalls them for a time, though they never break their embrace.

"I can…only imagine how you are feeling right now Henry…" his mother states after a time. "But none of it is your fault. You have to know that." She brushes her hand through the boy's hair and he loosens his grip on her, letting himself slouch back into his chair.

"You don't understand mom. All of it is my fault… Suzie's death… and Takato's…"

"Henry…"

"Suzie was killed by Megidramon," Henry starts, the whole story quickly flowing right out. "Takato lost control of Guilmon and he became this huge monster. Suzie tried to help him while the rest of us panicked. After that, I blamed him. We had been separated and when I found him, I attacked him: treated him like some kind of monster. I drove him away and then the DexDoruGreymon came. They infected me, and some of the others, and because of that, we weren't strong enough to fight. I wasn't gonna make it, but he saved me. After everything I put him through, he saved me. And because of that – because he had to come save me again…he wasn't on the ark when it took off and it wouldn't let him board… He's dead because of me…"

Mayumi seem entirely taken aback by his outpouring of guilt, but still manages to rub his back and answer, "You couldn't have known. Henry; it's not your fault. Don't for one second think…"

She is interrupted by the door opening once more, this time Janyuu entering. "Henry! Are you all right?" Henry hardly acknowledges him, turning his head away and biting his lip once more.

"Janyuu…" Mayumi mutters as she stands. "What has happened? Why did they take all of the digimon?"

"It was part of the deal," Janyuu explains, gesturing for her to sit. "The Prime Minister, Kurota, was going to charge them with various crimes against the State, and he agreed to drop them and allow us to construct the ark to retrieve the children if we agreed to grant the government custody of their partners. It was the only way…"

"Riley said something about an infection earlier. Henry mentioned it too. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes. The children were exposed to an enemy in the Digital World who unleashed some kind of anomaly. That anomaly infected them and their partners with this kind of virus, which causes deletion…death in digital terms. We had to clear it. He and the other children, and their partners, will be just fine."

Mayumi glances at Henry quickly before returning her attention to Janyuu. "Did you know this before now? Why didn't you tell me anything? Why didn't you keep me in the loop?" Her voice seems slightly agitated, but more so exasperated, confused, and upset.

"I didn't want to worry you… That's why I didn't tell you about Suzie either…" Mayumi's face flashes quickly to one of rage. "You knew!?"

Janyuu hangs his head. "Yes. I was going to tell you…but…then we learned about Guilmon…" Mayumi's expression returns to that of confusion.

"Guilmon had absorbed her data in the Digital World," Henry speaks up without turning to face his father. "This other kid we met there…Atticus…he said he believed that the data could be retrieved…" Mayumi turns quickly to Henry, and then back to Janyuu, a look of question on her face.

"It doesn't matter now. I've just come from the lab. I've been scanning Guilmon over and over and looking for any difference in his data make-up to find it, but nothing…"

"Nothing? Are you saying she's just…gone?" Mayumi demands to know. Janyuu pauses for a time before he shakes is head and shrugs. "We don't really know how toto find the data or extract it, or if we can, and those digimon are now the property of the Japanese government. I doubt he'll let me near them again: He'd be too concerned that I'd release Guilmon, or the others, if I were allowed back in…"

"So that is it… Suzie is gone! I'll never see my baby girl again!"

"I'm sorry, Mayumi. I…" The woman quickly grabs her husband and hugs him, begging to be comforted. The man returns the embrace before she states, "We'll have to all get through this together…" Janyuu squeezes tighter as he looks to Henry, who quickly glances at his father, catching his eye before giving the slightest nod.

The ride to the bakery is quiet: neither Takehiro nor Mie utter even a word and Kai stares at them silently, a million thoughts running through his head. Ai, Mako, and Masahiko had been particularly distraught with the arrest of their partners. Their parents couldn't even console them and eventually the Naicho forced them to take their children and go as they all kicked, screamed, and resisted. Jeri didn't utter so much as a word. It was almost like she was in complete shock, unable to react in any way.

Then there was Alice. Despite her best efforts to resist, they had still taken Dobermon, and the defeated look she wore as she went with Henry, Rika, and all those technicians told him she was taking it all particularly hard. He had felt numb witnessing all of it, and could hardly come up with words, or so much as keep straight thoughts.

And Ryo… If one looked up the definition of defeat in the dictionary, one would probably find a picture of him. He had hardly reacted at all to Monodramon being taken from him and, for the first time that Kai could tell, the boy seemed unable to speak or even move. Poor Kazu and Kenta couldn't even break him out of it.

As the taxi pulled up in front of the bakery, Kai opened the door and slid out, stepping back to await his aunt and uncle. They too slide out, and Takehiro silently pays the driver before the taxi rolls away and they all walk up to the front door.

"Uncle Takehiro…" Kai mumbles as the man pulls out his keys to open the door. "I'm sorry I didn't bring Takato back… please, can you say something…" The man sighs as he turns the key and unlocks the door, turning the knob and opening it. "It isn't your fault, Kai… Please just… Your aunt and I need a minute… to gather our thoughts." He ushers his wife in before following in after her and gesturing for Kai to enter as well. The boy follows cautiously into the bakery, the bread still out on the shelves as if the Matsukis had left the moment they had been called to the ark's emergence point.

Takehiro pulls a stool out from behind the counter and has Mie sit down before looking at Kai. "Are you…are you alright at least, Kai?" Kai lowers his head. "No… I tried so hard to make sure he could come home. With everything that happened…it all seemed like it was gonna work out…but…"

As the boy starts to cry, his aunt and uncle do likewise. "Can you tell us…what happened…?" Mie manages to get out.

"How did you get to the Digital World, Kai?" Takehiro asks.

"I don't know…" the boy answers. "I remember swimming towards Seasarmon and the next thing, I woke up in the woods. That's when the others found me and I learned I was in the Digital World and that Takato had been kidnapped and was being held somewhere there."

"Yes. That was about three weeks ago," Takehiro responds letting out a heavy sigh. "How did Takato…"

"We managed to rescue him," Kai starts. "But something happened with Guilmon and, well…we lost Henry's little sister to it. We got separated and after we found one another…" Kai continues to tearfully tell the tale of the fight amongst the tamers, the emergence of the DexDoruGreymon and their deadly virus, the loss of his own partner, Pandamon, and the wrath of Norn and her Royal Knights. "Even after all of that, we lost him…because the ark malfunctioned…" Mie buries her head in her hands and her sobs intensify. Takehiro does all he can to comfort her, but otherwise lets her expend tears for the loss of their boy.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Takehiro…Aunt Mie…"

"It's not your fault," Takehiro says, wiping his own eyes. "It's no one's fault. Things just…happen sometimes…" He takes a deep gulp of breath. "You and the others… you did all you could…"

"I guess…I should call Grandpa… Let him know I'm here and what's happened…"

"No, you can't," Mie lets out through more tears. "I'm sorry Kai, but… Your grandfather had a stroke… He passed away two days ago…"

"What…? No! What happened!?" Kai shouts as he begins to enter a hysterical fit.

Takehiro rubs his wife's shoulders one last time before stepping over to Kai. "You disappeared and he was just so worried about you…" Takehiro places his hands on the boy's shoulders. "At least… you're back safe and sound. That's what counts. I'm so sorry for your loss, Kai." Kai squeezes his uncle in a tight hug and the man returns it, doing his best to comfort the boy as well.

"We'll get through all of this…somehow," he whispers as he splits from the boy and looks to his wife. "We have to be strong, right Mie?" The woman only continues to sob. Kai moves over to her and gives her his strongest hug, which she returns with tremendous gusto. "I'm sorry, Aunt Mie… I'm gonna miss him too…and Grandpa…" And of course you too, Pandamon…

Three days later…

Yamaki tosses the contents of his office into a box, ripping half of his papers apart and sending them to the trash. He stops as he hears a knock on the door and relaxes as Riley enters. "Hey bossman. I'm all packed. You ready to head out."

"Just about…" Yamaki responds curtly. Riley walks up this desk and lays a hand on his. "We don't want to be late for the funeral ceremonies, Mitsuo…"

"No. Of course not… I just wonder if we should go…" Yamaki replies sorrowfully.

"We should pay our respects. Takato and Suzie both were good kids…"

"…that we killed. How can I go to that funeral and look those parents in the eye, knowing what we did?" he asks. Riley moves around the desk and gives Yamaki a tight hug, followed by a quick peck on the cheek. "I know how you feel. I feel the same. But we should go." Yamaki lets out a light sigh but nods.

"Alright. Head down to the car. I'll be there in ten minutes…" Riley gives a mild, comforting smile before nodding and turning to leave, carrying her own locker's contents with her. Yamaki packs up the last of his belongings and turns his attention to the last remaining file on his desk. He picks it up and opens it, quickly glancing through all of the information he had gathered on the tamer, Takato Matsuki. Tears come to his eyes as he turns it back to the front and pulls a stamp out from his desk drawer, pressing down to leave "M.I.A." written in large red letters.

As he exits the building, he hands the file to a Naicho agent, who had apparently been waiting for it. "Good day, Mr. Yamaki," the agent says as the man turns to leave and Yamaki refuses to dignify the comment with a reply.

Henry, Rika, Ryo, Kazu, Kenta, Kai, and Alice sit in the front row, staring at the pictures of both Takato and Suzie placed on the dais at the room's front. The adults mingle behind them, but none of them pay the crowd any mind, focusing their thoughts entirely on memories of their lost friends.

"So what will happen now?" Alice asks, breaking the silence after some time. "Do we just…move on?"

"We will never be able to truly move on…" Ryo mutters. "We did this…"

"You all did everything you could…" Kai responds calmly. "It was…just out of our hands…"

"What happens to you after today?" Henry asks, changing the subject. "You said your grandpa passed… Who will you be…"

"I'll be staying with my aunt and uncle for now," Kai responds cutting the boy off. "Maybe I'll go back to Okinawa in a while, but…"

"I'm sorry about your loss, Kai…" Alice mumbles, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Both of them…" Kai gives a slight nod to her.

"Here we are… No Gogglehead…and no digimon…" Rika lets out, trying, but failing, to keep her usual indifferent tone.

"We'll figure something out…won't we?" Kazu asks, looking to Ryo.

"I don't know," is the boy's response. Rika clutches an item tightly in her hand, as if trying to draw comfort from it. It's a pair of goggles, which look very similar to Takato's, though these are black rimmed with red lenses.

"School begins in a couple weeks," Kenta mumbles. "I don't feel so ready to go back…"

"We will have to mtry at least to get past all of this and continue on…" Ryo mumbles in reply.

Rika stands, walks over to the dais, and places the goggles in front of Takato's picture. She suppresses the urge to cry, but a single tear does manage to escape her eye. She turns to Ryo and states, "Move on if you want Ryo. I'm not sure I can…" before walking away.

As she moves to exit the building, Shibumi suddenly steps in front of her. "Miss Nonaka…"

"Mr. Mizuno…" Rika says with a nod of recognition. "I need to talk to you," the man continues. "All of you."

"Going to tell us it's not our fault like everyone else has? We don't need to hear it again."

"No. Please, just get the others and meet me in the adjoining room." Rika turns toward the others, then back to Shibumi, and nods again before returning to get them.

As she does, Yamaki and Riley enter the room, stopping next to Shibumi. "Mr. Mizuno," Yamaki says with a nod. "Yamaki," Shibumi responds, gesturing likewise.

"Have you already paid your respects?" the shaded man asks.

I'm about to," Shibumi responds as Rika returns with the others in tow.

"So what is it you need to talk to us about?" Ryo inquires. "I know you mean well, but consolation isn't something we need a whole lot of right this minute…" Both Yamaki and Riley look to Shibumi in question and the man gestures for the children to follow.

"Mr. Mizuno… You know you can't…" Riley starts.

"They deserve to know the truth. Maybe we can't scream it to the world, but they deserve to know," Shibumi interrupts her before following after the children. Yamaki and Riley glance at one another and both follow after him.

"Tamers… What I'm going to tell you…you can't tell anyone else… But I just felt you have the right to know what really happened while you were in the Digital World," Shibumi starts.

"What do you mean?" Kenta asks. As Henry, Rika, Ryo, Alice, Kai, and Kazu all jerk to attention.

"Well…it's hard for me to say it…but…the DexDoruGreymon…Takato's death…they were no accident…" The tamers exchange glances. "It…wasn't?" Kai asks, confused. "But how? Why? What do you mean?"

"Shibumi is correct, I'm afraid to say," Yamaki interjects upon seeing that Shibumi is struggling to find words. "Part of the deal to get you amnesty was we had to construct a virus to delete the Digital World and every digital life form in it. After Takato unleashed Megidramon, we were contacted by an anonymous source, which we later discovered to be Norn, the program you deleted before escaping. She provided us with the DexDoruGreymon's code to use to transport our virus into the Digital Network and in exchange, demanded we prevent the escape of the Digital Hazard, which turned out to be Takato."

Most of the tamers are too stunned to speak, but Ryo manages to respond, "And you…actually did it?!"

"We didn't want to," Riley interjects, making a placating gesture to calm the boy. "The Prime Minister ordered it as part of the deal for your amnesty. The Monster Makers programed the ark with multiple manually activate-able contingencies to ensure Takato wouldn't board. That's what you observed. We're so sorry…"

"So…" Henry mutters, finally gathering the needed resolve to speak, "You gave him our digimon, destroyed the Digital World, and had Takato deleted…for what?"

"You're freedom…" Henry and the others turn to notice Janyuu and Dolphin had come into the room. "They were going to imprison all of you and delete your partners. We made what deal we could to avoid all of that…"

"You knew dad…" Henry mumbles in disbelief, hardly holding back tears. "You and the others…you killed him…"

"Henry…" Janyuu starts as he approaches but Henry shakes his head and backs away.

"We all made the same mistake," Alice interjects after a few tense moments. "We all tried to do the same thing while we were in the Digital World…"

"Not all of us," Rika retorts, standing up next to Henry. "How could you? How could you make that decision for us?!"

"We knew you wouldn't go for it…" Dolphin replies. "We were just trying to save as many of you as we could…"

"You have every right to be angry with us," Yamaki starts up again. "We betrayed your trust and kept you outside the loop until it was already too late, but I want to assure you that we did everything we could to bring Takato home. It was the Prime Minister who activated the contingencies, not any of the Monster Makers."

"But you're the ones who programmed all of it!" Kazu shouts at the man. "You didn't even give Chumly a chance!"

"What's going on in here?" Mayumi Wong, along with Jaarin, Rinchei, Mie and Takehiro Matsuki, Rumiko Nonaka, and Seiko Hata enter, looking confusedly at the room's occupants.

After some silence, Henry suddenly moves to exit the room. "Henry? What's wrong? Where are you going?" his sister asks as he passes. "I'm going home…"

Rika, Kai, Ryo, Kazu, Kenta, and Alice soon follow behind, each of them glancing at Mie and Takehiro as they pass. Mayumi frowns before turning her attention back to her husband. "Janyuu…what did you say to them?"