Chapter 1

You ever wish as a kid you could be your favorite superhero? I know you did. Running around the yard pretending to be flying around or fighting bad guys, that sort of thing. Then you grow up, go to school, graduate, and get a job. Then, as you're working one day, you realize. You wish you were that superhero again, to vanquish your enemies with extreme prejudice. Today was one of those days.

"Axel! Have you finished stacking those cartons YET?! It's almost closing time, hurry up! I'm not paying you overtime."

That was my 'boss', Assistant Manager Chad Keller, or Killer, as I called him. He was weaslelly, power hungry, and for some reason, in a position of authority. He set outrageous deadlines for his employees just so he could show off for the higher ups. He practically groveled before them when they showed up, something that made me hate him even more. I grumbled under my breath something about vanquishing, but kept working.

I finally finished stacking said cartons a few minutes later and punched out, only to have Coach Killer intercept me on my way out. There was only one thing this could be about. Not again… I thought miserably.

"Hey, we are a bit shorthanded since layoffs, and we're gonna need you on a Saturday. You mind coming in?" asked the simeball, a clearly fake apologetic look plastered on his face. Like I have a choice. I groaned inwardly.

"Okay."

He smiled that weaselly smile, one I so desperately wanted to wipe off his smug face. "Thank you, see you tomorrow."

Ugh, I hate him. I picked up my check from the front desk and hit the bank on my way home. Home, for me, was a small two bedroom house away from the main road, set in the mountains of northern Georgia. I split the rent and the place with my best friend, Max.

It may have been small, but it was tricked out on the inside. We had a big TV, leather couch and recliner, full kitchen with neat area for a soda bar style thing, every gaming console one could imagine, and an unnecessarily large sound system. We each took a room, filling it with our own stuff. Aside from what lined the bedroom walls, we pooled our cash to buy everything in the house. We never fought over it though. It was always thought of as 'our stuff', not 'my stuff'. I walked in the door and hung up my keys. Max had already made it home from his job, playing a game on the big screen.

"Whazzup bro? How was work?" I asked him as I pulled my shoes off by the door. Yeah, I talk like that. So what?

"Nothing much, it was boring and exhausting. How 'bout you?" he replied, not taking his eyes from the screen.

"Killer got me working this Saturday again."

"What? Seriously? That guy needs to ask someone else for a change; this is like the fifth time."

"I know, but we need the work. I had to say yes. But I agree with you, I wish he'd ask someone else."

I grabbed a coke from the fridge, and poured it in a glass with some ice, then walked over to the soda bar to add a shot of lime to it. I walked back to the couch and flopped down, opting to grab a controller and drop in for some co-op. After an hour or two, I coerced Max into watching another Digimon Tamers episode. Yeah. So, the childhood superhero told you about? I wanted to be a Digimon Tamer. So what? I'm a digimon fanatic, I know, but it was cool to me and it kept me from burying Keller in the backyard, so all's well.

I was making a fan out of Max too; he'd already seen all of Adventures seasons 1 and 2, and now I we were at the end of Tamers. I'd seen the series several times over, but stayed quiet so as not to spoil it for my friend. We were currently watching the last episode, around the part where Sakuyamon and Justimon were trying to destroy the giant green-headed D-Reaper agent with sickles on its arms. Ryo suggested that Rika send all of her power to his blade, and after a brief moment of arguing over the fact it could kill him, she conceded and gathered the energy. The energy lanced out to Justimon, but as Ryo struggled to channel it, the screen died black, flashed white, then flicked back on. It seemed like it was just a scratch on the DVD or something, so I didn't sweat it too much, until I saw what happened. The agent hadn't moved in the original series, still gathering its power to resist the oncoming attack. THIS time, the agent reared back one of its sickled claws, and smashed it into Sakuyamon in her weakened state. The attack instantly separated the mega to Renamon and Rika, the duo crashing into the ground a good distance away. I jumped up out of my seat.

"THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! I'VE SEEN THIS A MILLION TIMES, THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!"

"Rika!" Ryo shouted out. The sight of her taking that hit had distracted him for just a split second, but it was enough. The energy sparked and arced across his body and he lost control, resulting in a massive explosion of energy that wiped out the agent. Henry barely managed to escape the blast, Megagargomon's form heavily damaged. Takato had already merged with Grani to Crimson Mode, and had engaged the D-Reaper's twisted Jeri clone. He turned in time to see the explosion that killed his friend. Seeing an opportunity, the clone attacked Takato, but he fought back valiantly, and the clone seemed to realize it would soon be defeated.

After taking yet another hit, the D-Reaper clone bounced back to the main body, gauging its next move. It noticed Megagargomon trying to recover and launch the Juggernaut program, and decided to take advantage of this opportunity, releasing as many of the most powerful agents it could muster. Henry was barely able to defend himself, much or less be able to launch the program. As soon as Crimson Gallantmon turned to help his friend, the twisted Jeri clone fired a fiery bolt of light from its mouth into his back, wounding him deeply. Weakened, Gallantmon was assaulted yet again by the clone, and this time, he failed. Guilmon and Takato separated, and the D-Reaper finished them off. With him gone, the clone turned its attention to Megagargomon, and joined his agents in separating and destroying Henry and Terriermon.

Rika and Renamon were all that were left, and dismissing them, the D-Reaper sent a squad of firing agents to end what was left of the team. As they approached, Rika struggled to stand, and looked in her hand to see a white card. Renamon seemed to know what it was, and nodded for her Tamer to swipe the card. The card slid through the device, and Renamon began to glow a blinding white. There was a sound of building energy, and with a bright flash, the vixen was gone. The redhead looked up to see the firing agents reach firing distance, and stared defiantly up at them as they destroyed their only target left.

Max had ignored my outburst at first, but now was just as upset by the events as I was. What the hell was that? It was almost as if someone twisted had completely rewritten the end story, and swapped the DVD or something. But somehow, it had seemed to real to be a hoax or something. And there was that flash…

Before either of us could do anything, a bright light appeared in front of us, so bright that it nearly blinded us. As we blinked our eyes to adjust, the light slowly faded, revealing something neither of us ever expected. There, lying barely conscious, was a Renamon. And not just any Renamon, THE Renamon, scars still fresh from her encounter with the D-Reaper. They glowed bright blue and leaked streams of data. Me and Max had the same reaction.

"What the…"