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The change in lighting is jarring. The café has a far warmer atmosphere than the sterile, barrack-like dreariness of the sewer base. You've almost forgotten what this quaint little place looked like. When you get back, maybe you'll have time to ask Squid about the teleporter. Or maybe not, if you decide not to stick with them long-term. You may not even get to choose if the mission goes wrong.
There are no customers, and the owner is brewing some coffee on the countertop. Wind is chatting with him animatedly, and you watch as he grabs the first cup and downs it. The others step forward to claim their own cups, one after another.
"Is this some kind of tool too?" You ask the girl directly in front of you. She shakes her head.
"Just for good luck."
The spiky-haired owner gives you a measured smile and hands you a tiny glass, filled with a simmering espresso. You take a short sip, feeling the bitterness spread across your tongue. It's slightly acidic, but it fills you with warmth. You follow the lead of the others and finish it in a second big gulp.
"Let's go." Wind calls. Everyone does a last minute check on their Digivices, and you watch Phascomon juggle a few chunks of meat data. A special tool for later.
You step out into the streets, where you're dazzled a second time in a row by the dark expanse of 87O. The data streams cut across the sky as always, and the sound of traffic rumbles from behind, where the highway is. You slide your goggles on and keep them there, so you can compare the mapdata with the scenery ahead of you. The data center is a distance away.
It's a little disconcerting to see the doubles peel away from the people that they're impersonating. The whole lot of you have activated your VPNs prior to entering the 'VVV' cafe, and your tracks are covered for now. You'll refresh it right before entering, prior to being subject to constant monitoring. You split into groups at random, and you end up with Elecmon guy, Gazimon girl (who you asked about the coffee earlier), and Wind, as well as some people who don't even have Digimon of their own. You pull up beside the leader as you walk.
"You nervous?"
"Me? Of course. This is a big job for us. I want to thank you again for agreeing. I know negotiations were a bit rough, but having him here is going to increase our success rate. And more importantly, decrease casualties."
Phascomon grunts softly from inside your Digivice.
"It's alright. We're not doing it for free."
