DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories (except where stated).

And now to continue our tale. I expect that this book will be the longest so far, going beyond the 10 chapter average of the first three books. There are a lot of events to be dealt with.


CHAPTER 2

Secret Mission


REAL WORLD

Hideout, Shinjuku Park

12:26 JST

8th May 2010

Henry sat waiting in the hideout of the park, Terriermon on his head. Usually, of the three 'main Tamers', Takato would be first to reach the park because of his general proximity to it, but he would be coming from the Nonaka Residence today. Oddly, Suzie wasn't with him, and if all were to go to plan, Kristy wouldn't come either.

They had been contacted by Yamaki. Again. However, this time the instructions were far more specific.

"Henry Wong?" the man had asked. That in itself had surprised Henry, he usually used secretaries or Riley and Tally to contact the Tamers except in extreme emergencies. Henry had replied in the affirmative. "Hypnos needs to speak to you, Takato and Rika specifically. Only you three, any other parties should not be told about the meeting or about the content of the meeting beyond what we tell you. Please be at Hypnos for the meeting which will start at 13:05 JST. Okay?" Henry, knowing that he wouldn't get any answers, had agreed. "Good…please contact the other two and tell them of this." He had then called the other two Tamers, and they had agreed to meet where he currently stood. Getting out of the house without Suzie following had been difficult, it had required diversionary tactics by Terriermon.

"Henry, I'm not going to forgive you for that…" Terriermon complained, throwing off parts of the Princess Pretty Pants costume into a bush.

Henry chuckled. "Momentai…" he replied. Terriermon was now vexed.

"Henry!" he replied annoyed, leaping down in front of his Tamer.

"What?"

"Nicely played…" the dog-bunny replied grinning. "Now we have a chance to talk for once, can we talk about this whole Jeri thing?"

"I'd rather no…"

"Oh come on Henry, I'm sick of all this reluctance. Geez, you must have been reluctant to be born in the first place, I feel sorry for the girl you end up with."

"Look, I'm just not sure about anything at the moment, okay?"

"Is this that whole 'puberty' thing I heard about?"

"No more Wikipedia for you…"

"And?"

"Yeah, probably is…" Henry replied sighing.

"Cheer up…" Terriermon tried to encourage. "Let's talk about Digital Watch!"

"Yeah, I've been monitoring it the last few days. Everyone's been talking about the meeting last week; there are a few pictures but nothing much more."

"Any idea how they found out all those personal bits of data?"

"I think they may be spying on us."

"Or looking in our garbage…"

"Or bribing shop assistants."

"It's a pain for me…"

"Yeah, everyone knows our personal information"

"No, I mean that I've got nothing to blackmail anyone with!"

Henry sighed. "I'm sure you'll find a way…"

"Hey!" a voice resounded through the park.

"Nice and secretive…" Rika added sarcastically. Takato chuckled.

"Yeah, good point…" he replied, as they reached the Tamer and Digimon already sitting near the hideout. Henry stood up, Terriermon jumping onto his shoulder.

"We should get moving," Henry told them. Takato and Rika nodded, and they turned and walked away from the hideout.


Hypnos Boardroom, Floor 29, Tokyo Metropolitan Building

13:04 JST

Takato looked around at the familiar boardroom. It was far more empty than previously, with only four people and three digimon in the room. Other than the three Tamers and their partners, Yamaki sat at the head of the table, papers in hand. He had a concerned look on his face.

"This meeting is classified Level 1. Only those in this room are allowed to discuss its contents, beyond what is allowed to be publically stated. Are all in agreement?"

There, once again, was a resounding "yes" from the members of the board.

"You need to start the recorder…" Takato noted helpfully.

"I'm afraid not Takato." Yamaki replied. "This meeting is strictly off the record."

"I see…" Rika replied. "So what are we here to talk about?"

"I have learnt recently of concerning news regarding the work of a fellow government agency, that of the Digital Activity Control Squad, DACS."

"I remember them from the Demon L…" Henry began, before realising his mistake. "That evacuation a few months ago."

"I see…anyway, they have proposed a plan called Project Ragnarok. The plan has been approved secretly, but through some powerful connections I have found out about it. The details are sketchy at best, but it mentions a portal of some kind."

"Hmm…I remember them being opposed to the Digimon, it sounds like something bad…" Rika noted. Yamaki nodded.

"Naturally, I wish to know more about the plan, but I cannot go myself, and I am bound by the authorities not to involve myself in it. However, as free agents, you are able to find out."

"So you want us to sneak into their base, find out about their plans and report back to you?" Terriermon asked. Yamaki nodded. "Hey, it's like a videogame!"

Henry sighed. "So why did you pick just us?"

"Mainly because you three have experience of working together as a small team, and that is exactly what I need for this mission, if you'll let me call it that."

"We're da best of da best if that's what you mean!" Terriermon cheered.

"So when is this mission?" Henry asked, sighing at his partner's antics.

"Tonight…you will be picked up from outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Building, I will arrange transport. You shall have to come up with a convincing cover story, Hypnos can assist in it. Is everyone okay with this overall plan?" Yamaki asked.

The Tamers nodded in response. "Yeah, I'm curious as to what this project entails. So, what do we tell our parents?" Takato asked the others. Rika and Henry pondered what they could do.

"Perhaps…nah, forget it…" Henry began.

"Go on, we should consider every idea possible…" Yamaki encouraged.

"Well, we could tell them that we are comparing Guilmon's data, that of a digimon created by Takato, with the other two, as well as looking at the effects of Juggernaut on Terriermon."

"I see…Takato, what do you think?" Rika asked.

"That'll do…"


Shinjuku Park

19:21 JST

The orange light shone over the park, as the dusk drew in. Planes rose through the orange clouds, ever a reminder of the trip they would embark on in a week's time. Takato and Henry sat in the hideout, waiting for the third member of their group, their partners playing in the hideout behind them. There was a general silence between them, and angst over the evenings upcoming events had set in. Henry's mind had moved, however, onto matters related to his earlier conversation with Terriermon in the same location, namely that of Jeri.

"Hey Takato…" Henry began, breaking the silence. "How did you tell Rika that you loved her?" he asked nervously.

Takato was initially startled at the question, before breaking into thought. "Well…"

Takato walked over towards Rika. Rika unconsciously heard the footsteps, and they soon registered in her mind. She continued to sing.

"I wish that I could

Maybe…

Sing you a song…

Tonight."

Rika sighed, and turned round, to face Takato.

"Alright, now I'm ready to talk" she said emotionally, as a tear ran down her face. Takato was still in shock, and this shocked him further. Rika broke into more crying. Takato put his arm round her.

"Rika…please…please don't cry…" he whispered.

"Everything…everything sucks doesn't it Takato…" Rika said, as her sobbing decreased and she started to talk louder. "I mean I go through life, I try to improve, and I still get the same looks from everyone. My mother doesn't care about me, my father ran away, and I somehow brave through it, but I can't muster up the courage to tell my biggest secret. What possible reason do I have to go back?"

Takato made an action so unlike him that he would later question whether it was actually him doing so.

He leant forward, and he pressed his lips against Rika's in a kiss. Rika's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what was happening. But…surprisingly…she liked it. She began to kiss back and pulled Takato into a tight embrace. The moment seemed to last an eternity. When it finally finished, Rika just stared into Takato's eyes, the pair still in a tight embrace, before Takato asked a question.

"Is that your secret?" he whispered to Rika. Rika nodded, and pulled him into a tighter embrace, her head over his shoulder.

"Thanks…for caring…" Rika said, still emotional.

"Takato…helloooo!" Henry tried to attract the attention of his friend, who had lapsed into staring into thin air. Takato snapped to all of a sudden.

"Oh…sorry…phased out a bit there, anyway…well, it's complex, and it happened on that mountain, and I just kissed her, no real thinking behind it."

"I see…not really something duplicatable?"

"You mean with Jeri?"

"Um…yeah…" Henry replied nervously.

"Nah, you couldn't possibly repeat that. I'm afraid I can't help you with any of this really."

Henry sighed. "Momentai Henry, you'll get her someday!" Terriermon tried to cheer up his partner.

"Thanks…" Henry replied.

"Sorry I'm late…" came a voice, and the two boys turned to see Rika. Takato pulled her into a kiss. Terriermon chuckled. Rika sighed. "Immature as ever…anyway…"

"Why did you take so long?" Henry asked.

"Kristy…wasn't exactly easy to stop her following…" Rika replied. Takato nodded. "Anyway, let's get a move on…"


Rear of Tokyo Metropolitan Building

19:49 JST

The darkness had now truly set in around the skyscraper as it slept for the next day, and yet regardless there were still some light in its windows, that of cleaning staff or positions with 24hr workers. Under the cover of darkness, a black unmarked van was parked outside the front, a government agent leaning against it. He had instructions to deliver the three people and digimon who would arrive, an order that already disconcerted him, to a point seemingly in the middle of nowhere 50 miles out of Tokyo. However, he would carry the task out as required. He was also expected to return them to Tokyo again after their task had finished at an unspecified time.

"Nice ride…" a childish voice joked. The agent turned to see a small dog-bunny on the shoulders of a blue haired boy wearing an orange jacket, next to a redhead girl with a blue and white shirt and a yellow fox-like partner, and a brunette boy with a blue hooded pullover and a red dino-like digimon following him, all of them appearing to be about 16 years of age. Training and experience had taught the agent to recognise many slight things, the brunette's proximity to the redhead suggested a relationship, and the general unsure nature of how they were standing suggested that they were unclear on their mission.

"I have been ordered to transport you to the specified location" the agent replied monotonously.

"Wow, you government guys really don't have a personality…" the dog-bunny joked.

"Terriermon!" the blue haired boy scolded. The agent slid back the door on the side of the van.

"Climb in…" he instructed, and watched as they all climbed into the vehicle, the door being slammed behind them as the humans and Renamon sat in seats that had been laid out. The agent climbed into the front of the vehicle, and started the engine.

"Excuse me, but how long is this going to take?" Henry asked the agent.

"It should take about an hour to get there" the agent replied, pulling away from the building. The Tamers' view was limited to what they could see through the front windscreen, which was obscured slightly by the driver.

"So what exactly are we going to do on this mission?" Takato asked.

"The official who requested the vehicles gave me an envelope with the details in, you'll find it back there."

"Here it is Takatomon…" Guilmon told his partner, handing him a large brown unmarked envelope.

"Thanks boy…"

"I will now have to put the screen up, I'm not allowed to hear the details. Knock if you need anything."

"Okay…" Takato replied, as a black tinted screen went up between the agent and the passengers. Takato opened the envelope. "Now let's see…For Your Eyes Only…"

"Geez, you couldn't get more clichéd" Rika joked. Takato continued to read.

"I have created this envelope to inform you of the exact details of the mission. You will be deposited at an unnamed military base, 50 miles from Tokyo. You will be required to break into the base without being sighted, something which I believe is within your abilities (as well as being aided by the cover of darkness), and investigate the activities surrounding Project Ragnarok, a project by DACS, which is located in the northern wing of the base, which is conveniently furthest away from the main entrance, and hence will hopefully have the least security. The base will feature various methods of reaching the main experiment room, at the core of the wing. You are to not be seen, and not involve yourself in the project, nor to connect yourselves in any way to Hypnos if you are found out about. When you have discovered all you need to discover, return to the vehicle and call the driver using the secure comms device in this envelope." Takato checked inside the envelope and pulled out a small comms device. "Good luck. P.S. In this envelope, you will find all the information I could obtain on Project Ragnarok via various methods."

Henry looked into the envelope, and found several documents headed withDACS. He began to read the documents.

PROJECT RAGNAROK

The project involves opening a portal in order to contain and control the Digital Plane and World, in particular bioemergences, via any means possible. We believe that the current methods are inefficient and inaccurate, and that Hypnos, the Digital Monster Control and Prevention Department, has been unable to carry out its designated task, holding back the Digital Monster threat from the real world. As such, the Digital Activity Control Squad intends to take over this role, or eliminate its need entirely, via a new method involving a portal. The research details are current kept under Security Protocol 929 for the Control of Documents relating to the Production of New Technology Prototypes, which requires it to be kept only by the scientists and engineers involved, as well as their direct superiors. Updates including plans will be made available for government as soon as they are finalised.

The next document appeared to take the form of an email, presumably intercepted. Hypnos and its employees seemed to have an impressive array of intercepting and decrypting techniques for digital data.

Sir,

The portal is currently in a near working state. The first test will take place soon, after which a later test will take place with transferring actual matter to the Digital Plane/World. The technology involves is based on Hypnos' Ark technology, in particular the version created to facilitate a high power link. This was previously used for linking to another non-Digital World, but it is feasible that it could also be used to create a sizeable and controllable portal to the Digital World and Plane.

You shall be updated on the details soon.

Henry put down the papers. "I think they intend to do something to the Digital World. Not sure what though, but I guess we'll find out." Rika and Takato nodded.


DACS Research and Development Facility

21:12 JST

The van suddenly came to a stop, and the door opened. The Tamers looked up in surprise, and turned to see the sliding door open.

"We're here…" the man told them, and they climbed out of the van to look around.

"Where…is here?" Takato asked.

"There is a map in the envelope apparently" the agent told them. Rika looked in the envelope, and found a map and a torch.

"Got an umbrella and a hat-stand in there?" Terriermon asked, surprised at everything that they had pulled out of the envelope. Rika ignored him, and illuminated the map, having to pull the torch away from the sheet quickly when she realised it was far too bright.

"He's circled a point…that's where we are…and there's the base…hmm…it must be over that hill…and that looks like the northern wing…" Rika said, pointing at the map.

"Who says that women can't read maps…" Takato noted.

"I do…it's upside down…" Terriermon noted. Rika, somewhat angrily, turned it round. "There we go…"

"Right, as you know, contact me on the comms device when you need me to pick you up" the agent told them, climbing back into the vehicle and driving away. Once he was gone, they finally had their chance to see where they were. The area was sloped in a valley, and the road was on the side. Down a gentle hill lay many lights, clearly those of the base. The road was quiet and small, and there were only a few houses, well away from where they were. Takato, Rika and Henry stepped over the crash barrier and headed down the hill.

A few minutes later, they reached the outer fence of the base. As Yamaki had suggested, it was the least illuminated end, although it was clear that getting over the fence would be difficult without attracting attention or leaving evidence of them being there. Behind the fence there was a small gap with a pathway before the buildings began.

"Any ideas?" Takato asked.

"Renamon…" Rika called.

"As you wish…" she replied. She promptly grabbed Takato and backflipped over the fence, surprising Takato as she landed gracefully.

"Um…thanks…" Takato told Renamon, who he swore was chuckling at his surprise. She leapt over the fence again and grabbed Henry and Terriermon, and purposefully ensured that Terriermon landed roughly. Renamon returned to the other side of the fence and began to pick up Guilmon. She looked across to her partner.

"Rika, do you need my help?" she asked. Rika's wings flew out of her back and she glowed blue.

"No, don't worry…" the redhead replied cheerfully. The Kitsune nodded, and backflipped over the fence, putting Guilmon gently down on the ground.

"Thanks…" he said to her. She nodded and kissed him, before returning to her normal pose as Rika landed near Takato.

"Takato, why did you, someone with wings, forget that you could use them to get over the fence?" Henry asked.

Takato shrugged. "Didn't cross my mind…" he replied. "So how do we get in?" he added, as Rika's wings vanished, leaving no evidence that they were there.

"Hmm…" Henry pondered, looking at the mainly featureless wall and his eyes picking out a ventilation shaft, which he pointed to.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Terriermon complained exasperated. "Could this place be any more clichéd?"

"Quiet…" Henry told his partner, as they walked to below the shaft. Takato grabbed the bars and his hands glowed, before the bars came off.

"Okay, that may leave a trace…" he commented, realising his mistake.

"Let's just get moving…" Rika told him, passing him the torch. Takato nodded, and climbed into the shaft. He heard the clanging of metal as his fellow Tamers entered the shaft. He crawled along the shafts, getting occasional glimpses of the building, a corridor, a toilet, and an office, through the ventilation grills found occasionally. He kept the torch low so as not to attract attention, but considering Guilmon and Renamon's size, it would still be a difficult feat, regardless of how flexible and light-footed the later was. The square tubes split at one point, and Takato stopped to glimpse down each route.

"Any ideas?" Rika was clearly right behind him. He considered that of all people, it would be better that she was looking at his butt, although this still disconcerted him somewhat.

"Hmm…not sure…" he replied. He began to hear the sounds of conversation echoing from somewhere. "Quiet…" he told the muttering Tamers behind him, and they all became silent, all trying to listen. The sounds appeared to be coming from in front, and he continued along the tube, followed by the others. Thankfully, they had failed to attract attention since it was night-time and the building was largely empty, and Renamon's ears would've picked up anyone who noticed them passing through the resounding metal tubes. The tube suddenly widened, allowing them a bit more room to breathe, and then stopped all-together at a ventilation grill, from where the voices were coming. Takato switched off the torch and moved over so that the others could see out of the grill as well, despite the tight squeeze it now gave them, leading to Terriermon being squashed against the ceiling and Guilmon's head being squashed under Henry's arm. All annoyances ended up being sorted out non-verbally via a series of nudges (and punches from Rika), so as not to attract attention to themselves. Takato looked down to the room out of the grill. It was a large experiment room, and had a large piece of machinery set up at one end near a wall. It resembled a large metal arch and was attached to banks of computers and a central bank of machinery. It was clear that this was the core experiment room and that the arch was the portal. Takato looked down to the floor about four metres below, upon which several scientists walked around in white coats, looking at the equipment. At a few desks, some computer operators sat typing away at the numbers, and in the centre of the room in a gray suit stood a brown haired man, of around 40 years in age. Despite his calm and collected exterior, it was clear that he was enthusiastic about what was going on. One of the scientists approached him, with a clipboard

"Mr Hoshi?" the scientist asked.

"Please Hirofumi; I have requested that we all use first names for conversation to make it less formal and prompt creative thought to further the project."

"Okay…Kazuya, the results we have got back suggest that the portal is now ready for operation."

"Excellent, very good work…"

"However…no, never mind…"

"No, this is a place where we should air all doubts."

"Fine…how do you intend to use the portal?"

Kazuya's expression became more serious, unnerving the scientist slightly. "If this test is successful, I intend to attempt to delete five thousand gigabytes of data from the Digital World to test the technology."

This made the Tamers react in worry, as their mouth opened. 'He can't be serious…' Henry thought in surprise.

'He disgusts me…' Chaos told Takato via thoughts.

'Yeah, same…I thought you liked destruction?'

'Yeah, but only of my own doing…'

"That is a significant move Kazuya. Surely we should just ensure that the portal is operational first?"

"No…the project has to be proven so as to quell any doubts about its success. I will not have this project fail like Hypnos has."

"Excuse me sir…Kazuya," the scientist stumbled on his words slightly. "Why do you think that Hypnos has not been successful?"

"They had the chance to eliminate the pests, and yet they failed miserably. They have allied themselves with the Tamers, an alliance which will inevitably lead to chaos."

"Why exactly?"

"If the Tamers' interests were to deviate from those of Hypnos, what would happen?"

"I see what you mean. Do you dislike the Tamers?"

"I do not mind them, and I respect their ideas, but I have no doubt that they will eventually fail."

"Surely elimination of the Digital World is an extreme move?"

"Yes, but justified. The Digimon have attacked the real world on several occasions, any human act of that sort would lead to war."

"Is genocide justified though?"

"In order to bring about peace, you must prepare for war."

The scientist nodded unconfidently. "The machine should be ready within 5 minutes."

"Good…"

The scientist returned to a computer terminal. Takato watched them all buzz about, on their business. Kazuya seemed highly cheerful, and walked over to the portal, checking every aspect of how it worked in detail.

"Perfect…" he noted quietly, running his hands across the polished stainless steel that would form the portal. Ordinary steel would be fine for the task, but he had specifically requested that it be polished and wouldn't rust to ensure that his group's morale would be ensured.

A scientist walked over to him, and he nodded in response to what was said, before turning back to the group, the scientist retreating back to his terminal.

He spoke loud, and was charismatic in how he spoke. "Everyone, colleagues, observers…nay, even friends…we are here to witness a new age, for the DACS. The results we make here will ensure that we get our approval, and we will defend everyone, from friends, to relatives, to complete unknowns who you meet in the street" he paused for effect, looking at the gathered group. He looked across to a large handled switch, which of course was far more than needed, but worked well for his group's morale.

'Boy, this guy is a dramatist…'

"And now…" Kazuya continued. "We shall beckon a new age, one where we can live without fear of attack by those we do not know of. I give you…Ragnarok!" he called, flipping the lever. The computers whirred into life, electricity flowing through the portal. The figures flashed up on the screen, and Kazuya grinned at the numbers. "It works!" he called out excited. "Now begins the new age!" he called, as electricity ran round the portal, computers burst into life and the whole system lit up.

Takato would later understand his next act, but right now, he was unsure of why he did it. It wasn't Chaos who caused him to do it by any means.

'What the hell are you doing?' Chaos asked fearfully as Takato burnt the bars off. He leapt out of the ventilation duct, wings shooting out of his back and aura glowing red. The scientists and Kazuya looked at him in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked. Takato raised his hand, and noticed his fellow Tamer's looking at him shocked out of the corner of his eyes. His hand glowed red as a small ball of energy gathered in it.

"I cannot let this happen…you are not hurting our friends!" he called, as the ball of energy shot forward into the machine. An explosion rocked the area as one of the computers burst into pieces, and the electricity became erratic. The machines began to change their numbers to figures far beyond what was possible by human means, as the lights in the building cut from the colossal amount of power the machine was using. Rika and the other Tamers and their Digimon quickly leapt out of the ventilation duct, landing slightly ungracefully in some cases. Rika ran over to Takato, who now stared on in shock at what was happening. Kazuya ran over to a computer terminal.

"The co-ordinates…they're changing! 929292929292929292? What the hell is that? What have you done?!" he asked in fear and desperation as the stainless steel of the banks of machines began to conduct electricity on their surfaces, which leapt across them. The electricity surged through, increasing in power to be far more than it should be. "Divert the power back into the portal, we can dispel it!" Kazuya ordered. The scientists typed away at their desks and the electricity surged back into the portal structure, filling it with a blinding blue glare. Suddenly, two black gaps appeared in the portal. Henry looked on in intrigue, and Rika realised later that at the same time, she was holding Takato's arm so tight that it was actually painful.

Suddenly, it became clear that the gaps were not gaps, but rather silhouettes. The electricity suddenly shorted, and the machines silenced. Takato looked carefully at the silhouettes, which were now clear bright as day.

On the left, stood a teenager of about 16 years of age. He had brown hair that was spiked slightly but by no means anywhere near as much as Takato's or Davis' hair. He wore a blue jacket over an orange shirt, and wore blue jeans, with orange and white trainers. On his arm was a small watch-like device, and he was looking about agitatedly, confused as to where he had ended up.

Next to him stood a large (although still clearly rookie level) dragon-like Digimon with wings that extended out to either side. He was red, and his stomach, lines down the either side of his head, lines across his arms and legs and his tail were orange. He looked around in a similar amount of fear and confusion to his partner, his wings opened fully. He stood on his hind legs and was the height of a point half-way along the boy's upper arm. The boy was significantly tall anyway, which made the digimon significantly big in comparison to other people.

"Where the hell am I?" the boy asked in a British accent.

TO BE CONTINUED…


And so, we introduce a new character or two to the mix, albeit through an unconventional method. This boy is significant in the saga, and he will play a big role in tales to come. Please review.

Next time…

Who is this boy? What on earth is going on? And now they've made themselves known, what consequences are to come from this?

Find out in 'Lost for Worlds', Chapter Three of Dimensions Book Four: Gods.