Digital Conundrum
The original Digimon Adventure 02 / Seven Days / Left Behind crossover story

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Digimon, Seven Days, or Left Behind for that matter! (Wish I did....) They belong to richer people than I.

Note: If any of you have seen the 'Left Behind' movie, I used the situations from the movie mainly for this story - which will explain why Buck and Hattie already know each other. And I HATE the American names of all Digimon characters, so I used Japanese names. And a final thing - the Holy Angemon in this fic is from the Digimon manga, not the anime.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming....

Backstep 00
Little Birdies Will Fall From the Sky - and That's Not All!

Location - downtown Los Angeles, California, USA

A shadow of a woman slipped through a hole in a gate on her way to the cordoned-off apartment building. She grudgingly made her way through forests of fallen bricks before reaching the collapsed base of the fire escape. The woman looked up, her pointed hat sliding off her head.
"Blast," the woman cursed, righting the hat on her head. With an expert leap she jumped onto the third-level of the fire escape and clambered into the window.
A man was seated in a leather chair in the awaiting room. He was wearing a long, blue jacket and a blue conductor's hat, and he greeted the woman as she entered. "Oh, lovebunkins," he said, standing from his chair and supporting himself with his cane. His white eyes glowed in the dark room. "Is everything set?"
The woman smiled, her purple lips framing her teeth. "Of course. All I have to do is call the United Nations and NNL, and then...."
Her accomplice limped closer to the woman. "Then what?"
"Oh, God, you should know that," the woman scolded, smacking the man on the cheek. "Little birdies are gonna fall from the sky ... and the apocalypse will begin. And don't call me lovebunkins - do that again and I'll be tempted to do more damage." She walked further into the room, the man limping behind her. "Now give me the phone - I have an important call to make."

Location - NNL (Never-Never Land), somewhere in the deserts of Nevada, USA

The phone in Nate Ramsey's office rang, waking the chief of security of Project Backstep from his long deserved sleep. He groggily took the phone from the hook, hoping it was not a drunken Frank Parker calling about the latest credit card bill.
"Parker, if that's you, you better not freaking tell me that you blew a thousand dollars of taxpayer money abroad in England," Ramsey groaned, bringing the phone to his ears.
"Oh, it's too bad that you're not Frank," a sultry female voice replied. "Frankie told me that this was the number to his apartment."
Veins started to bulge at Ramsey's temples. "God freaking darn it, woman, did Parker reveal the number again to this place?" he yelled into the phone. "If you're one of those ladies that he picks up at the local bar, well I could just tell you that you got the wrong number!"
"Oh, but I didn't meet Frankie at a bar," the woman crooned. "I've known him for a very long time."
Ramsey's face was flushed red up to his balding scalp. "Well, you shouldn't have called this number, anyway. Now what are you here for?"
The woman chuckled gleefully. "Get Frankie on the line within the hour. If you don't...." She left the line hanging.
Ramsey was visibly fed up with the woman's game. "If I don't get Parker on the line, then what?" he yelled, prepared to slam the phone down into the receiver.
"Well, then little birdies are gonna fall from the sky," the woman continued. "Now get Frankie on the line. I don't care if you have to use three-way-calling or long-distance - the taxpayers are the ones paying for this."
Ramsey, confused, pushed the three-way calling button on his phone. He dialed the number to Parker's cell phone, hoping that the chrononaut for Project Backstep would not be sleeping on his way to England.
After dialing Parker's number, Ramsey placed the woman on hold - after having a heated argument as to why. Exhausted from the debate, he pressed a button on the nearby intercom.
"Owsley?" he called. "Are you awake?"
A young, groggy voice greeted him. "Yeah. What now? There hasn't been a backstep recently."
"I want you to trace a call within the hour. Meet me in the hangar."
There was a pause, then: "Oh, I see. Did we lose Parker again?"
"No, Owsley. Just meet me in the hangar - I'll brief you, Isaac, Olga, Donovan, and Talmadge then. Ramsey out."
Then the phone rang again. Ramsey picked it up, and was surprisingly relieved to hear Parker's voice on the other line.

Location - somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, en route to London, England

Frank Parker's ringing cell phone was like a roar in the sleeping first-class cabin on the Pan-Con 747. Well, almost - a young man with long, blond hair was working on a laptop next to him. He seemed to be press - he was calling up newspaper articles from the Internet.
Parker cautiously opened up his phone. "Parker here," he whispered, afraid to wake anyone - especially the elderly couple across the aisle from him.
"Parker, how many people have you given out the NNL phone number to?" Ramsey yelled out, his words audible even to the passengers.
"Uh, sir, could you tell your friend to tone it down?" the man next to Parker requested. "Can't you see that people are sleeping?"
Parker nodded. "Sure thing, mister...."
"Williams. Buck Williams."
"Buck. Yeah. I'm Frank Parker."
"Nice to meet you, Frank." Buck extended his hand, which Frank took gladly. "Aren't you leaving someone on the line?"
Parker looked back at his phone - Ramsey was stringing curses out from the other side. "Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me." He brought the phone back to his ears. "Ramsey, all the passengers are asleep on the plane! Could you at least shut your mouth?"
"Well, sorry," Ramsey said sarcastically, bringing his voice down. "But I got this call from one of your girlfriends that little birdies are gonna fall on the sky if you don't freaking talk to her!"
Parker took the phone away from his ear in shock. "Another girlfriend?" he nearly yelled before he brought the phone close to him again. "Look, Ramsey, I haven't been going out with any other girls since the last backstep, all right? I haven't even talked to any since I was in the airport! Well, maybe I did talk to one of the flight attendants...."
"A flight attendant!" Ramsey yelled back. "Parker, don't tell me that you gave the number to a flight attendant."
"I didn't, Ramsey, I swear!"
"God," Ramsey swore, "I have no idea what to do with you, Parker. Here's that woman now. Owsley will be tracking the call. I'm hoping that he'll find out where your old girlfriend is."
"Great," Parker groaned. "Just what I needed - another woman on my case."
Buck looked up from his laptop and turned towards Parker. "The guy you talked to was your boss?"
Parker shook his head. "Not exactly."
Buck sighed. "I'd hate to be you."
Parker nodded. "You have no idea."

Location - NNL

Owsley, Olga, Talmadge, Isaac, and Ramsey were crowded before a large computer screen in the hangar complex of NNL. White-uniformed mechanics scurried around the nearby Sphere, fixing minor damages from the last backstep.
The mysterious woman that had called Ramsey earlier that day was speaking again, this time to Parker. As the two were speaking, Owsley flew his hands over the keyboard, bringing up a map of the world on the computer screen.
"Okay, girls and guys," Owsley said, adjusting his glasses. "The red blips are where the call has been relayed. When you see a green light, that is where the call is coming from."
"Thanks for explaining that, Mr. Owsley," Talmadge remarked. Despite the late hour, he was still dressed in suit and tie. "Now let's listen to what Parker has to say."
Parker's voice came up on the speakers. "Listen here, girlie - I have no idea who you are, so why call me?"
The woman gave Parker an angry grunt. "You hurt me a long time ago, Parker. So for two years I planned revenge. Then it came to me - you're in a plane right now. So nothing could be better than having a little birdie or two fall from the sky, eh?"
"Listen here, lady-"
"Tisk tisk, Parker. My name's Delores. Don't you remember?"
"No, I don't, Delores. But if you do this, you'll kill more than just me. Think of all the innocent people!"
"Sorry, but I don't care." The sound of Delores hanging up echoed through the hangar, followed by some curses from Parker.
"God, I do not know anybody by the name of Delores!" Parker whispered harshly. "Was Owsley able to trace the call?"
Owsley looked at the computer screen under the wary eyes of his superiors. Red dots were scattered over the map, connected by blue lines. "It originated from Washington, but then it went through Chicago, Boston, Taos, Los Angeles, London, then it disappeared for a while before I got it again in Tokyo. I got no real lock on the call, though. Sorry."
Olga brushed her red hair from her face and looked closely at the screen. "Look here, Owsley," she said, pointing at one of the lines. "This one seems ... wavier than the rest. And these over here, too. What do you think it means?"
Owsley shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the call was jumped through interdimensional rifts."
"That isn't possible," Isaac mused. "We don't know if other dimensions exist."
"No, that isn't true," Donovan argued. "Remember the electric parasite that ate up our systems? When the Sphere was traveling through time, it went through another dimension, where apparently the parasite hitched a ride."
Isaac nodded. "Oh yes. I remember."
"I do too," Parker muttered through the speakers. "Not a happy time. Now I have to catch some shut-eye here before pub time in London. Parker out."

Location - somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Parker shut down his cell phone and tucked it into his pocket. "That was not a good call," he sighed as he settled himself in his chair. It was hard, though, with Buck's arm resting on one of the armrests.
Oh, the disadvantages of window-side seats in airplanes!
Buck looked over at Parker and closed his laptop. "Girlfriend of yours get angry at you?" he asked.
"You said it," Parker moaned. "God, where's a flight attendant when you need one? I need a pillow."
A woman in a blue flight attendant's uniform came down the isle with a pillow. She reached her arm over Buck and tucked the pillow beneath Parker's head.
"Ah, that feels good," Parker sighed in relief. "Thanks, miss flight attendant."
"You're welcome," the woman replied before she left.

Location - downtown Los Angeles

The mysterious woman gently placed the phone back in its receiver and smiled. "There. One call finished. You done talking to the UN?"
Her accomplice smiled. "Just did. They totally believe that some Nicolae Carpathia is going to talk to the UN tomorrow on the subject of world peace." He laughed.
"Good," the woman said, walking deeper into the room. This section was filled with computer consoles and LCD screens. The woman seated herself before one of them and moved the mouse to deactivate the screen saver.
When the screen saver vanished, a digital countdown clock appeared. It was ticking, with ten seconds left.
The woman chuckled evilly. "Project Digital Conundrum will start in five ... four ... three ... two ... one...."
The word READY flashed on the screen, reflected in the woman's sunglasses.
"It's ground zero," the woman crooned, pressing a red button beside the computer.

Location - Holy Point, Digital World

Daisuke, Miyako, Ken, and Hikari were standing on a bluff overlooking an ebony spire. Their digimon partners were standing beside them, looking at the spire warily.
"Another Holy Stone," Daisuke sighed, adjusting his goggles. "Should we have the digimon evolve now?"
Ken nodded as he stared at the screen of his D3. "Yeah. Black War Greymon's going to be here very soon." A red dot on the D3 screen was moving steadily closer to their location.
Daisuke smiled. "Good. Let's go protect that Holy Stone! V-mon, go!"
V-mon raised his blue head to stare at his partner. "Okay! V-mon, evolve! XV-mon!"
Wormmon, standing by Ken, started to glow with a golden light. "Wormmon, evolve! Stingmon!"
Hawkmon rose into the air by Miyako. "Hawkmon, evolve! Aquillamon!"
Hikari looked over at Daisuke. "Shouldn't we Jogress evolve? The last time we faced Black War Greymon, he defeated us."
Daisuke brought a hand to his chin. "You know, you're right. XV-mon, you ready?"
"Ready!" the blue-and-white dragon growled. "How about you, Stingmon?"
The large insect nodded. "As ready as you are."
"Good! XV-mon...."
"Stingmon...."
"Jogress evolve! Paildramon!"
Tailmon, sitting on Hikari's shoulder, looked over at Aquillamon. "Let's do it! Tailmon...."
"Aquillamon...."
"Jogress evolve! Sylphymon!"
The two Jogress-level digimon swooped down into the canyon before the Holy Stone. They stood as guardians, looking towards the horizon at the dark figure that loomed closer to them.
The darkness known to the Digital World as Black War Greymon.
A mysterious voice echoed through the canyon, easily recognized by the Chosen Children as the calling of darkness.
"Stay away from the Holy Stone!"
The dark figure was now clearly seen to the children and the digimon. It was Black War Greymon, complete with his ebony skin and silver armor. A twin of the War Greymon that had fought alongside Hikari, Takeru, and the other children five years ago in a previous adventure - yet he was different. This War Greymon was tainted with darkness.
Paildramon readied the cannons at his sides and aimed them towards the dark dragon. "You are not getting near the Holy Stone! Desperado Blaster!" Bullets of blue light shot out from the cannons towards Black War Greymon's armored chest, not eliciting a response of any sort.
Sylphymon flew into the air and readied her hands in front of her body. "You heard Paildramon! Stay away! Static Force!" A red beam of light struck Black War Greymon's back.
The dark dragon roared and swung one of his claws at Sylphymon. "No-one dares tell Black War Greymon what to do! Dramon Killer!"
Sylphymon jumped out of the range of the glowing claw, seeing it buried in the rock where she had once been. She turned her head to look at the Chosen Children, and saw Iori and Takeru make their way towards the battle.
"Takeru! Iori!" she called out. "Have your partners evolve!"
Iori hesitated and seemed to mutter something before he finally said, "Armadimon, get down there and fight."
Armadimon looked up at Iori and nodded. "Okay! Armadimon, evolve! Ankylomon!"
Takeru looked up at Patamon with worry and hatred in his eyes. Tears were ready to gush from them, and he seemed to have a hard time holding them back. "Patamon ... you know what to do."
Patamon cheerfully nodded. "Sure! Patamon, evolve! Angemon!"
Ankylomon and Angemon leaped into the fray with the blast of their special attacks emerging from the now-fading light of their evolution.
"Tail Hammer!"
"Heaven's Knuckle!"
The spiked club on Ankylomon's tail struck Black War Greymon's leg, not even moving him an inch. The holy light of Angemon's attack, though, struck the dragon in his eyes, blinding him momentarily and wheeling him back a ways from the Holy Stone.
"Now's your chance to attack!" the angel cried out.
The shouts of "Desperado Blaster!" and "Static Force!" echoed through the canyon, yet the screams of Black War Greymon were not to be heard. The children and digimon were hopeful, but they were unsure as to what had happened. Was Black War Greymon defeated? Or were the cries of battle just drowning them out?
A dark figure that appeared in the rising dust of the attacks answered their question.
"Ha. That didn't even faze me."
Black War Greymon emerged from the dust, his very presence bringing fear into the children. Not a single scratch was on his armor, but there was a dark burn on his helmet where Angemon's attack had landed.
"It didn't even harm him!" Paildramon gasped.
"No - there's a burn mark on his helmet," Sylphymon cried. "Which one of our attacks did that?"
"It wasn't me," Ankylomon shrugged. "Angemon?"
"I think it was mine," he gasped.
"Makes sense," Sylphymon replied. "You did stun him long enough for us to attack."
Black War Greymon inched closer and brought his claw in a wide arc towards the digimon. "Dramon Killer!"
The digimon were thrown to various directions in the canyon, each of them slamming into the rock. Ankylomon was slumped on the far side of the canyon, and the two Jogress-types were just below the Chosen Children. Angemon was at the base of the Holy Stone, but was leaning upon his staff.
Black War Greymon marched towards the Holy Stone and grabbed Angemon by the neck. Two of the three claws on his hand threatened to choke the digimon.
"So I finally got hold of the Guardian of the Trumpet of Hope," Black War Greymon growled. "Have any last words to say?"
The Chosen Children on the cliffside looked down at the precarious scene below them. They were confused by Black War Greymon's words, and worried for the safety of their digimon.
Takeru was on the verge of tears, and was ready to leap off the edge of the cliff to come to Angemon's aid. "Angemon! Do something!"
Hikari came next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, Takeru. He'll come through. He always does."
Takeru hung down his head. "Yeah." He looked at Black War Greymon, seeing Angemon struggling to pry the dragon's claws away. "He always comes through. But, Hikari ... what did Black War Greymon mean by Guardian of the Trumpet of Hope?"
Hikari shrugged. "Beats me. I haven't even heard of a Trumpet of Hope. And what does Angemon have to do with it?"
"I don't know."
Below, Angemon turned his head towards the Chosen Children. "Takeru," he gasped, "I'm doing my best here. All that matters is that we protect the Holy Stone ... right?" He seemed to give a sheepish smile, but it was hard to tell, for his helmet perpetually hid his eyes from view.
Takeru nodded. "I guess. But what about the Trumpet of Hope - have you heard of it?"
There was no response from Angemon - Black War Greymon violently threw him towards the Holy Stone. The angel, nearly unconscious, struck the stone with such force that the entire canyon shook with the impact. Then he fell to the ground, crumpled at the base of the stone like a doll. He did not move; the children doubted that he was alive.
"Angemon!" Takeru cried out. "Angemon!!"
Angemon lifted his head slightly. His helmet was cracked on one side, revealing an eye of ivory. "I'm okay," he moaned, righting himself with his staff again. "I'll keep Black War Greymon from the stone - don't worry."
Black War Greymon was working his way back to the Holy Stone as Angemon readied a shining fist for his attack. The light, though, was weak - there was no way that this strike could harm the dark dragon.
And that was then the Holy Stone shone with a blue light.
The Chosen Children gasped in awe at the brilliant light that engulfed the Holy Stone. Black War Greymon haltingly backed away from the light, shielding his face with his armored claws. "Keep the light away!" he cried out.
The light of the Holy Stone enveloped Angemon, and his shining fist glowed brighter than the Chosen Children could remember. He thrust out his fist, and the brilliant golden light shot out from the depths of the Holy Stone's aura.
"Heaven's Knuckle!"
The light struck Black War Greymon on his armored chest, shattering it. The dragon slammed to the ground, moaning in pain. "How can this be?" he groaned, struggling to stand.
The Holy Stone's aura died out, revealing the glowing body of Angemon. He stood before the stone, seeming to stare intently at Black War Greymon. Angemon, though, was starting to ... change.
"What's happening?" Daisuke said, bringing his goggles over his eyes.
Takeru looked down at Angemon, a look of disbelief on his face. "I ... I think he's ... evolving," he gasped.
"That can't be!" Hikari protested. "We gave up our crests five years ago, making it harder for our digimon to evolve to any level higher than Champion!"
"Maybe he's tied to the Holy Stones in some way," Takeru said. "And also to that Trumpet of Hope that Black War Greymon mentioned."
Over the din of the children's voices, Angemon cried out, "Angemon, super evolve! Holy Angemon!"
White light engulfed the canyon, blotting everything from sight. A few minutes later the light died down, revealing a brilliant angel in robes of white. A single pair of white wings grew from his back. Upon his head and covering his eyes was a helmet shaped like an ivory miter, emblazoned with a silver cross. Hair of gold cascaded down his back, down to his waist.
Takeru rubbed his eyes, unable to believe that the strange digimon was Holy Angemon. The Holy Angemon he remembered had a force-field shield, a lightsaber, and a purple miter. And he remembered that Angemon's evolved form was clad to battle, not to display some sort of higher majesty.
"That can't be Holy Angemon," Hikari gasped.
Miyako, unusually silent, finally spoke up. "Who is Holy Angemon?"
Takeru slowly turned his head towards Miyako. "He's the evolved form of Angemon," he said blankly. "More powerful than even Paildramon or Sylphymon."
"Well, then, that's a good thing, right?" Ken asked. "The other digimon are out cold."
Takeru looked back at the unfolding battle. "I hope so."
Holy Angemon stared at Black War Greymon, who had managed to get back on his feet. Black War Greymon was the first to speak.
"So, you are the mysterious digimon that I saw in the aftermath of the destruction of the third Holy Stone," he growled. "I have been wanting to challenge you, Holy Angemon - and now I shall." He started to advance towards the digimon.
Holy Angemon ignored Black War Greymon's taunt. "You are a creature of pure darkness," the angel whispered in a monotonous tone. "One of your kind can not be permitted to walk on the soil of the Digital World. I shall send you to the darkness from whence you came."
A sword of silver appeared in the hands of Holy Angemon. With deft expertise he brought the blade in a circle before him. A disk of gold materialized before him, emblazoned with a message in Digital World hieroglyphs on the edge and a strange graphical design on the inside.
"Heaven's ... Gate!"
The design seemed to split in two, revealing a semi-transparent whirlpool of lavender light that brought even the rocks on the ground inside. Yet the rocks did not emerge from the other side of the gate to pummel Holy Angemon - they just simply vanished.
"This shall be the tool of your destruction," the angel whispered, and the gate moved to a position behind Black War Greymon.
Black War Greymon struggled to move closer to Holy Angemon, yet the strength of the gate's pull was inching him closer to the black hole. "If you believe that you will take me down, Holy Angemon," the dragon whispered, "then I shall be glad to take one last Holy Stone with me - just so that the both of us could continue our battle elsewhere." He brought his arms before his head, and an orb of raging fire materialized. "Gaia Destroyer!"
Holy Angemon brought the sword in a downward arc, striking the orb of fire. The fireball landed behind Black War Greymon into a wall of the canyon. Rocks tumbled down, creating a wall in the far end of the canyon.
Black War Greymon was now bracing himself at the edge of the gate, his head halfway inside. "What are you to do next? Finish me with that sword?"
Holy Angemon raised his arms, ignoring Black War Greymon's words. "I call upon the power of the Holy Stones - release the Trumpet of Hope!"
A beam of blue light shot out of the Holy Stone behind Holy Angemon, aimed for his hands. Three more beams streaked across the sky, meeting with the light in Holy Angemon's hands. Then they vanished, leaving a silver hunting horn in the angel's hands.
"The Trumpet of Hope shall awake those that will defeat you," Holy Angemon bellowed, bringing his arms down. With the Trumpet in one hand and his sword in the other, he charged towards Black War Greymon. He thrust the gleaming sword into the dragon's unprotected chest.
Black War Greymon groaned in pain, and released one clawed hand from the gate to swipe at the angel. Holy Angemon jumped out of the way, but too late to prevent his robes from being cut.
And then Holy Angemon cried out in anguish.
"What's happening?" Iori asked impatiently.
Takeru, still looking down at the battle, saw the angel engulfed in white light. The sky above darkened, leaving only the light from the D3s, Holy Angemon, and the gate the only items that illuminated the canyon.
"I have no idea," Takeru whispered.
Hikari trembled. "This doesn't look good," she whispered. "Darkness is swallowing the Digital World."
Ken and Daisuke looked up at the sky. An alien, yet familiar landscape was opening, replacing the starry expanse that blanketed the heavens during the evening. There was an ocean, with waves in shades of grayscale crashing on the beach.
"The Dark Ocean," Ken whispered. "But how?"
Below, Black War Greymon bowed his armored head and closed his eyes. "The Digital Conundrum has begun," he said before he plunged into the gate.
The gate closed and collapsed upon itself in a glimmer of golden light.
Black War Greymon was no more.
"We did it! We defeated Black War Greymon!" Daisuke cried out. "Time to celebrate!"
All the kids yelled in delight, yet Takeru could not help but notice that something was wrong below. He walked away from the children and climbed down the side of the canyon, making his way towards Holy Angemon. When he reached the angel, tears sprang to his eyes.
Holy Angemon was sprawled facedown on the floor of the canyon, his sword nowhere to be found. The Trumpet of Hope was by one of his hands, easily in reach. Yet the angel made no attempt to grab it; he didn't even move at all.
"Holy Angemon!" Takeru yelled, nudging the digimon's shoulders. "Holy Angemon! Please wake up! Come on!"
Holy Angemon slowly raised his miter-covered head and smiled. "I did it, Takeru," he gasped weakly. "I protected the Holy Stone."
The children above continued to cheer, paying no heed as to what Takeru was doing. "That's good," he said, patting Holy Angemon on the shoulder. "Thank you."
The angel took the Trumpet of Hope in his hands and brought the mouthpiece to his lips. "Now it is time for me to save you the agony of seeing me leave you again."
Takeru gasped. "Leave me? Holy Angemon, you don't know how you scarred me when you - as Angemon - sacrificed yourself to defeat Devimon! Please don't say that you used all your power to defeat Black War Greymon, too!" Tears fell from his eyes, falling on the digimon's body.
Holy Angemon looked away from Takeru and sighed. "Black War Greymon did not take my power - someone from your world did." He turned one last time towards his partner. "I'm sorry, Takeru - but this time, we will not see each other again."
With the last of his strength, Holy Angemon blew into the Trumpet of Hope. Bright lights formed where Takeru and the other Chosen Children were, engulfing them.
A second later all that was left in the canyon was a Holy Stone, the lifeless body of Holy Angemon, the stirring bodies of Ankylomon, Paildramon, and Sylphymon, and the clothing and D3s of the Chosen Children.
Sylphymon walked over to Holy Angemon, finding Takeru's shirt and hat laid neatly over the angel's body. She nudged the digimon with a clawed foot, receiving no response. Weak from the battle, Sylphymon glowed with a red light and reverted back to Tailmon and Hawkmon.
Tailmon climbed onto Holy Angemon's back and pulled at his hair. The angel still would not move.
"Holy Angemon!" the cat-like digimon called out, jumping before the angel's face. "Wake up! Takeru - he's gone! Only his clothes and D3 are left!"
There was still no reply.
Hawkmon flew to Tailmon's side and looked at her with solemn eyes. "Tailmon, I don't think he's going to wake up," he said, bowing his head. "I saw the position of Takeru's clothes - they were sprawled over Holy Angemon's body. It was like he was crying or something - the angel's robes were moist, too."
Tailmon looked down at the lifeless digimon, tears rising to her eyes. "So ... he's not coming back," she muttered, reaching for the angel's miter. Tailmon lifted it from Holy Angemon's head, revealing the face of a handsome young man eternally in slumber.
Ankylomon and Paildramon made their way to the body of the fallen digimon and bowed their heads. "He did good," Ankylomon said as he reverted back to Armadimon. "He actually managed to defeat Black War Greymon - despite that Iori kept on arguing that the monster had a heart."
"It doesn't matter now," Paildramon sighed. "I wonder why I don't hear the kids - they should be celebrating over this. I'm going up to the cliff." He bounded to where the other children were in a single leap.
A few minutes later, V-mon and Wormmon's anguished cries echoed down into the canyon. "Hey! Only Daisuke's clothes and D3 are here! And so are Iori's!"
"Same with Ken, Miyako, and Hikari!" Wormmon called out.
Armadimon, Hawkmon, and Tailmon looked at each other in worry. "What do you think happened to them?" Armadimon asked.
"Maybe they're running around in their underwear somewhere!" V-mon yelled.
"No, that can't be," Tailmon muttered. She looked down at Holy Angemon's face again, this time noticing a shining silver object by the angel's mouth.
It was a hunting horn emblazoned with the Crest of Hope.
Tailmon took the horn in her claws and stared in awe. "The Trumpet of Hope," she whispered. Hawkmon and Armadimon crowded around her to take a look.
"I've never heard of a Trumpet of Hope," Armadimon scoffed.
"Angemon told me about it once, when we were fighting Venom Vamdemon. He said, 'If only I had the Trumpet of Hope to awaken the digimon fallen by his hand - then we could defeat him easily.'" She turned to look back at the lifeless digimon. "Angemon didn't know he was the guardian - and neither did I or Agumon or the rest of the digimon. But he did know of its power."
"And that is?" Hawkmon asked worriedly.
"Well ... legend had it that the Trumpet of Hope would call the children and the faithful to a golden land ... while the Digital World and Earth are plunged into darkness for seven years."

Location - somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Frank Parker awoke a minute later to the sounds of Buck's laptop. He looked over at his new friend's laptop drowsily, managing to see a video play on QuickTime.
"New movie you downloaded from the Internet?" Parker asked, leaning on the armrest to get a better view of the laptop screen.
Buck shook his head and kept his eyes on the screen. "No. I just activated my computer, and for some reason the QuickTime program automatically came on and played this. I guess I got a streaming feed from a website that I didn't realize. Problem is, I can't get off it." He chuckled. "Nice movie, though."
Parker looked closely at the screen. "It's subtitled. Somebody out on the net has good taste."
The two stared at the screen for a while, reading the yellow-highlighted subtitles that graced the bottom of the QuickTime window. They were confused by the overall storyline - mainly because they had just tuned in - yet the premise was nearly tear wrenching for the men.
-- I did it, Takeru. I protected the Holy Stone.
-- That's good. Thank you.
-- Now it is time for me to save you the agony of seeing me leave you again.
-- (sob) Leave me? Holy Angemon, you don't know how you scarred me when you - as Angemon - sacrificed yourself to defeat Devimon! Please don't say that you used all your power to defeat Black War Greymon, too!
-- Black War Greymon did not take my power - someone from your world did. I'm sorry, Takeru - but this time, we will not see each other again.
Buck was wiping tears from his eyes. "My God, that was sobering," he whimpered, watching the movie play itself out. The character called Holy Angemon brought a silver trumpet to his lips and played a single mellow-sounding note.
"You know, Buck, this movie would go well with a beer," Parker said, seeing the flight attendant that had given him the pillow pass by again. "Don't you think?"
Buck nodded. "Yeah. Miss Durham, could you give us two beers?"
The flight attendant turned to look at Parker and Buck. "Sure. Do you want them in the commemorative Pan-Con First Class Glasses?"
Buck nodded. "Sure, Miss Durham."
Parker nudged Buck with his shoulder as Miss Durham left them. "Wow, Buck. You sure know how to pick up the ladies. You know her?"
"Sure," Buck nodded. "Hattie's the flight attendant on all Pan-Con flights from Chicago to London. I've flown this circuit a couple of times." He smiled as Hattie came back with two beers in slender glasses. "Thanks, Miss Durham."
Hattie smiled. "Sure, Buck. Oh, and thanks for referring me to Nicolae Carpathia," she added before she left. "Today's my last flight."
Buck took the beers and handed one to Parker. "Oh, that's too bad. Nicolae gave you the job?"
"Yeah, he did. Well, see you later." The woman went off, and Parker craned his head to see where she was off to.
"So, how did you and Hattie get off to a good start?" Parker said, taking a sip of his beer.
Buck drank some of his beer and stared at the screen of his laptop. "Oh, she gave me a couple of beers. When she found out that I was a world-famous writer for the Global Weekly-"
Parker nearly spat his beer in Buck face. "Wait - you're the Buck Williams that wrote the article on - what was that guy - that scientist from Israel...."
"Chaim Rosenzweig," Buck finished. "Yeah, I'm him. That fact really turned on the ladies - even Hattie. I even got nominated by Nicolae Carpathia to be his publicity manager - and that's how I got her recommended for a job with him."
"And Nicolae's what, some Russian politician?"
"No - he's the Romanian president. Shhh, wait - I think this movie's getting to a more somber part." He took another swig of his beer and turned the laptop so that Parker could see.
-- He did good. He actually managed to defeat Black War Greymon - despite that Iori kept on arguing that the monster had a heart.
-- It doesn't matter now. I wonder why I don't hear the kids - they should be celebrating over this. I'm going up to the cliff.
The woman that sat across the aisle from Buck and Parker turned towards the two. Her husband was nowhere to be found. She seemed confused, looking for someone.
"Henry? Henry, where are you?"
Buck rose from his seat and walked over to the woman. "What is it, ma'am?"
The woman sighed, relieved. "Oh, it's my husband, Henry. It seems that he's not here. Could you help find him for me?"
Buck nodded. "Sure. He's probably just in the restroom." He started to head down the aisle when the called him again.
"Oh, and could you bring this with you, too?" the woman added, handing Buck a blanket.
Buck looked down at the blanket dumbly. "Uh, why the blanket?"
The woman signaled for Buck to come close to her. "I think he's run off in his underwear," she whispered in his ear.
Buck backed away from the woman and took a glance at the seat next to her. A pile of clothes, placed as if a man were reclining, were laid out on the chair where the man had sat for the entire flight. He looked back at the woman. "I see what you mean. Well, I'll just tell my friend that I'm going off, and then I'll find your husband. I'm sure he'll be easy to spot."
Buck walked across the aisle and leaned over a chair to Parker. "Hey, Frank, I'll be off to the restroom for a while. Tell me what I missed in the movie, all right?"
Parker took a swig of beer - his glass was only half filled now. "Sure. Hey, what's with the blanket?"
Buck looked down at the blanket in his hands. "Oh, this? Well, you see, I have to find some guy in his underwear that's roaming about the plane."
Parker raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Uh, somebody would've reported a guy walking in briefs immediately if they found him. Now come down and watch the movie."
Buck leaned over to gain a view of the laptop screen. There were a few strange stuffed animal-like creatures that were crowded before the head of the unconscious angel that had blown the trumpet. They were looking up at a blue-and-white reptilian stuffed animal that was jumping up and down, holding a pair of flight goggles.
The subtitle read: Maybe they're running around in their underwear somewhere!
A camera rose to where the blue stuffed animal was. Beside it was an insect-like creature that scurried about on the tips of its claw-like legs. Scattered on the ground were five different sets of clothes, a strange digital device beside each of them.
Buck backed away from Parker in shock - that was exactly the scene that had greeted the woman when she noticed that her husband was missing! If those five people were missing, and that man, wouldn't there be others missing, too?
"No, this can't be happening," Buck whispered. "This is just some kind of movie, prerecorded - it can't be live! People just can't disappear and leave their clothes and material belongings behind! This is just coincidence!"
He ran down the aisle, the few people that were awake staring at him as he went by.

Location - NNL

Owsley sat in his darkened quarters in the NNL complex, a bowl of popcorn in his hands. Like the post-college graduate man he was, he was sitting before his computer, watching a streaming feed from the Internet.
This particular video had been hyped on the net for the past few weeks. It was an untitled, anonymous work, but geeks across the world had dubbed it the QuickTime Version 6.0 Special. Apparently, it was only available to those that managed to download the program on a specific day, at a specific time - 1806 hours on the first day of August. Some of Owsley's friends on the net had had doubts about it - it could be a virus, or just a prank. But the officials at Apple Computer had released the news the previous day - it was neither prank nor virus.
And now Owsley had the biggest treat of his life.
The show had started immediately after tracing the mysterious call from Delores. Upon entering the room, Owsley saw that his QuickTime program had activated by itself, and a song in Japanese started to play. There were English subtitles on the bottom of the display window, though.
For fifteen minutes Owsley stared at the screen, witnessing the strange battle for the protection of a Holy Stone. The story was strange to Owsley, but the great visual effects grabbed his eyes - they looked so real!
"God, these Japanese really know how to make a movie," Owsley remarked, throwing some popcorn into his mouth.
At the present, the cat-like creature called Tailmon was holding an object that was identified as the Trumpet of Hope. Two of the other creatures, Armadimon and Hawkmon, were crowded around her. Owsley stared at the subtitles - apparently Tailmon was explaining something.
-- The Trumpet of Hope.
-- I've never heard of a Trumpet of Hope.
-- Angemon told me about it once, when we were fighting Venom Vamdemon. He said, 'If only I had the Trumpet of Hope to awaken the digimon fallen by his hand - then we could defeat him easily.' Angemon didn't know he was the guardian - and neither did I or Agumon or the rest of the digimon. But he did know of its power.
-- And that is?
-- Well ... legend had it that the Trumpet of Hope would call the children and the faithful to a golden land ... while the Digital World and Earth are plunged into darkness for seven years.
Owsley threw some more popcorn into his mouth. "Harsh," he droned as he saw the QuickTime screen close down by itself.

Location - somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Buck ran back to his seat by Parker, nervous and breaking out in sweat. The blanket was still in his hands.
"Hey, Buck, calm down," Parker said, handing Buck his beer. "Have a drink."
Buck took a swig and sat down. "Parker - there's more people on the plane that are just ... gone. Vanished, I tell you! Only their clothes are left behind!"
Parker grabbed Buck by the shoulders. "Buck, they're probably just having a big party in the cargo hold. Now calm down."
Buck brought the blanket to his head and wiped off the sweat that dripped off his forehead. "But it was just like in that movie we saw on the laptop! All of the children and babies on board - gone! People in coach are going ballistic over it!"
Parker nodded. "You probably just had one drink too many."
Buck sighed. "Yeah. Hey, Parker, you told me that you'd tell me what happened during the movie when I was gone."
"Oh, yeah." Parker finished off his beer. "Well, this cat dude, she picked up a Trumpet of Hope thingy, and explained that the dead guy was the guardian of the horn. And then she said that the horn would bring, what, the kids and faithful of the world to the golden land while Earth and some digital world are plunged into darkness for seven years." He scoffed. "I think it's all crud."
The phone in Parker's pocket rang again.
"Oh, just great - another phone call," he moaned as he took out his phone and opened it up. "Parker here."
Talmadge's impatient, urgent voice greeted him from the other side.

Location - NNL

The briefing room at NNL, though drowsy, had a hectic atmosphere about it. It was a little after eight in the evening, but almost all the senior staff of Project Backstep had gone off to an early sleep. Now Talmadge, Donovan, Ramsey, and Owsley were seated at the long briefing table, looking either at files or the big-screen television that was currently tuned to CNN. Only Isaac and Olga were not accounted for.
Talmadge dialed Parker's cell phone number, and immediately the chrononaut was on the line.
"Parker here."
Talmadge pressed the speakerphone button and leaned back in his leather chair. "Parker, we have a worldwide situation here."
"You tell me," Parker scoffed. "We have half the passengers on this London-bound plane gone with only their clothes left behind." A pause. "You don't mean to say that this disappearance thing is worldwide, too?"
Talmadge nodded. "It is. The President and Vice President are dead, Parker. Air Force One crashed off of Chesapeake Bay a little after eleven Eastern Time, and they were on board. A flight attendant jumped out and claimed that she saw the pilot and his copilot disappear out of their clothing in a flash of light."
"So, why didn't the President and VP jump out?"
Donovan was the next to speak. "They were sleeping and didn't know that the plane went down. The flight attendant couldn't wake them in time."
"Oh."
"Sources claim that the disappearances are also somewhat linked to a movie that was available only to those that downloaded a program called QuickTime Version 6.0 from Apple Computers' official site," Talmadge said. "It was about some kids and some monsters called 'digimon' that were trying to protect a 'holy stone'. An angel blew a hunting horn near the end, and the children in the movie disappeared."
"I saw that movie, Talmadge," Parker sighed. "The person next to me just opened up his laptop, and the movie started to play. In the middle of the movie, a woman across the aisle from me called my seatmate, and told him to find her husband." He laughed. "Funny thing is, she told my friend to bring a blanket because she thought her husband was running around in his underwear. And then, my friend and I looked briefly at the movie, and one of the characters said, 'I think they're running around in their underwear!' Well, you know, the kids in the movie."
"You know, I saw that movie too, this evening," Owsley droned. "Very strange movie, but it looked so real-"
"Owsley, that movie may have been real," Parker interjected. "Was it a live feed?"
"I don't know. I was so engrossed with it. The ending just left me hanging."
"Owsley, the movie took place in a digital world," Ramsey scoffed. "There's no such thing as a digital world. Even if you did figure that it was a live feed, you would have gotten hold of some Hollywood studio."
"The movie was in Japanese," Owsley groaned.
"We're getting off topic here, team," Talmadge stated firmly. "Parker, we believe that we have to backstep. We have to find a way to prevent the disappearances - and save the lives of our President and Vice President."
Parker sighed. "Well, this is going to be tough. I think I'm already in British airspace - we're going to have to touch down in minutes. And even then, it'll take twelve hours for you to fly here and get me back to NNL."
"I know. We're currently short-staffed here, and it might take even longer than twelve hours to get you back. We've lost welders, medical assistants, even Isaac and Olga."
There was a long pause; the men in the briefing room thought that Parker had hung up. A few minutes later Parker's tearful voice came onto the speakers.
"I'll try to commandeer the plane," he said. "You guys have any leads as to who caused the disappearances?"
"I think it's that Delores girl," Donovan said confidently. "She did say that she would make little birdies fall from the sky. CNN is having a field day with all the plane crashes and closed airports around the world."
"I'd say the same too," Ramsey said, nodding. "She called a few minutes before the QuickTime special started."
"I think the Holy Angemon character from the movie did it," Owsley droned, seemingly uninterested. "He's the one that blew the Trumpet of Hope that caused all the children and selected adults to vanish."
"Owsley, he's a fictional character!" Ramsey roared.
"Well, it's my opinion. Besides, if the movie was real, then he's the culprit."
"Enough bickering," Talmadge calmly said. "Now, we don't have enough information, but we will have to backstep as soon as possible. Parker, is it possible to get more information?"
"Sure thing," Parker said. "The guy I'm sitting next to is Buck Williams, from Global Weekly. He might have friends that know about this situation. He is the youngest award-winning journalist, after all."
Talmadge nodded. "Good. Well, come back soon, Frank. The future of the world rests on your hands."
"That's an understatement," Parker scoffed as he hung up.

Location - British airspace

Parker hung up and stuffed his phone deep into a pants pocket. He looked over at Buck, realization upon his face.
"The disappearances are worldwide," he said blankly. "The American President and VP are dead."
Buck hung down his head. "They disappeared, too?"
"No. Plane crash. Their pilot and copilot disappeared."
"Oh."
Parker looked over at the aisle. The mayhem that Buck said was only in coach was now spreading into first class. Hattie the flight attendant walked down the aisle and turned on the main overhead lights, awaking everyone that was still on board. Passengers were crying and complaining, now realizing that family and friends had vanished and left only their clothes on their seats.
"Passengers, calm down," Hattie said in her kindest flight attendant voice. "I'll be requesting that the pilot return us to O'Hare immediately after refueling in London."
The passengers groaned, but Parker had a smile on his face. "At least I won't have to commandeer the plane," he sighed.
Buck had gotten back on the Internet again, and was trying to access the Global Weekly website. A few minutes later the Global Weekly logo appeared, along with news heading scrolling across the bottom of the screen.
"This is just great," Buck groaned. "Kennedy and London airports are shut down - no, wait, all New York and British airports are closed! The closest ones that are open are the De Gaulle in Paris and O'Hare in Chicago." He looked up at Parker. "This isn't good at all."
"You've said it," Parker agreed. "Do you think this was all caused by that movie?"
Buck shrugged. "Maybe. But then, I got some information from a friend of mine in London last week that may be of some use. I have it on a minidisk."
"Do you have it on you?"
Buck looked at his watch, which was one of those analog types with the wind-up alarm. Buck turned the alarm, and the clock face popped off, revealing the watch battery and a minidisk. Buck took out the disk before replacing the clock face.
"It's all in here," he said with a smile. He stuck the disk into the laptop and logged off the net. A few minutes later two words flashed onto the screen in bold letters.
Digital Conundrum.
"What's a Digital Conundrum?" Parker asked, confused.
"I have no idea. But you should see what comes up later."
A map of the Middle East appeared on the screen, replacing the words. There were arrows pointing towards Israel, coming from the southwest, east, and north.
"This was a plan for the air strike on Israel three years ago," Buck explained. "I was interviewing Dr. Rosenzweig about his Eden Formula when the strike started."
Parker nodded. "I remember. You saw the air strike fail. The Israeli were unable to launch rockets or planes, yet the enemy forces were mysteriously destroyed."
"Yeah. But what I don't understand, though, are these numbers here." Buck pointed to two numbers on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. They were strange ones: The first was Is 41: 25; the second, Ez 39: 4-7.
Parker shook his head. "It must be some kind of code. I don't understand it myself."
A voice on the plane's speakers echoed through the plane, interrupting Parker's conversation. "Passengers, this is Captain Steele," the voice said. "As you have heard, the mysterious disappearances have affected the entire globe. Due to the fact that the London airport and Kennedy are now closed because they are filled with grounded planes, we will have to turn back to O'Hare. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but the airline will give you a refund on the tickets."
Scattered moans were heard amongst the remaining passengers in first class. Buck and Parker, though, stared at the computer screen as a new image flashed into view.
This image was now a map of the world, with ten regions marked in a bright neon green. Each of the regions flashed every few seconds. Another number was on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, but the men paid it no heed.
"You know what this is, Parker?" Buck asked.
Again, Parker could only shake his head. "It's a map of the world, but I don't know what's with the ten regions here."
"That's no help. I don't know, either."
A new image replaced the world map. This one had no code number at the bottom of the screen, but strange symbols were scattered around two pictures. One picture was of an obelisk of ebony, and the other was of a stone encircled with a golden ring, engraved with the same strange symbols that covered the screen.
"What about this?" Buck said when the pictures had finished loading.
Parker shrugged. "I see strange symbols, the Washington Monument painted black, and a low-budget anniversary ring on display. I don't think I could figure this out unless I get somebody to interpret the symbols."
Buck nodded. "Just as I was thinking. Now here's the last one."
The final image not only had the strange symbols across the screen, but a similar code number in the bottom right-hand corner. The number was 1Thes 4: 16-17. Next to the strange symbols was an angel, exactly like the one in the movie Buck and Parker had seen earlier. In his hands was a silver hunting horn engraved with a medallion that looked like a prize ribbon - the Trumpet of Hope.
"Hey, that guy was in the movie we saw!" Parker exclaimed. "What was his name again?"
"I think it was 'Holy Angemon,' or something to that effect," Buck replied. "I can't believe it - I've been puzzling over the meaning of this picture since I got the disk from my friend! I thought it was just a prank, but this character must be real. And look - the horn he blew near the end of the movie is in his hands!"
"The Trumpet of Hope," Parker breathed. "The cause of the disappearances. What a coincidence." He cradled his head in his hands and sighed. "Buck, could you make a copy of that disk before the plane touches American soil?"
Buck nodded. "Sure. But why?"
"I want to be able to figure out this whole vanishing thing. Maybe whatever happened in that movie did occur. And if it did ... then we're screwed."

Location - Chicago O'Hare Airport, USA

It was still dark out when Parker rushed to the NSA helicopter on the helipad. In Parker's hands was a single black duffel bag, with a copy of Buck's minidisk visible through a mesh pocket.
Ramsey opened the door to the helicopter and helped Parker inside. The pilot activated the rotors, and the 'copter flew into the air.
"So, Parker, did you get any more leads on the disappearances?" Ramsey yelled over the din of the spinning rotors.
Parker nodded. "Sure do." He pointed to the disk in his bag. "Buck made me a copy of the disk that had whatever he knew about the disappearances on it. Owsley might have some fun with the program."
Ramsey's eyes bulged. "Program?"
"It's strange. I guess it's some kind of plan. There's code numbers on the bottom of some of the pictures, and on the last two there's a strange kind of alphabet that I don't think is used in any language I know. There's even a map of the air strike on Israel that happened three years ago."
Ramsey gasped. "Really? You've got to be kidding me."

Location - NNL

Three hours later Parker was suited up in his orange flight suit, helmet and duffel bag in hand. He emerged from the elevator into the large hangar of the NNL complex, face to face with the Sphere - the only operational time machine in the world.
"Frank," Talmadge said through the speakers, "You will be sent seven days before the disappearances. Be sure to get that disk to us immediately so that Owsley could decipher both of the codes. And get Buck Williams to help us, too."
Parker nodded and walked up the gangway stairs to the Sphere's entry hatch. "Sure thing. Buck might have a copy in the earlier timeline."
"Good luck," Owsley called."
Parker waved a hand in the direction of the shielded control booth, and caught salutes from Ramsey, Talmadge, Donovan, and Owsley.
"Hey Parker," Donovan yelled, "be sure not to go off to England on vacation after you get back!"
"I know, Donovan," Parker droned as he climbed inside the Sphere and took his seat before the operating board.
"Needles are engaged," Owsley stated.
Parker took hold of the stick and stared at the screen. "Lock and ready," the computer droned, flashing an image of the Sphere and the six needles that kept it aligned. Two welders brought in the hatch door of the time machine and locked it into place with a hiss of oxygen.
Parker placed the helmet over his head and put the duffel bag between his legs. He brought down the facemask and took hold of the stick again. "At least I know that if I don't prevent the disappearances, I'll make it all up to Olga and stop drinking," he joked.
"Good one," Donovan laughed.
"The reactor's at eighty percent," Owsley stated. "Ninety ... one hundred percent. Engage!"
A red button by the screen before Parker flashed green, a signal that it was time to leave. Parker slammed on the button, and hung onto the control stick for dear life as the Sphere plummeted through time and space.
The Digital Conundrum had begun.