Thanks to Nameless Dragon for reviewing and thanks also to all readers.

Chapter 2

Oddly, with death looming Nathan's focus became clearer. It seemed the powers that be or sod's law or something wanted him reasonably awake and alert as he was gutted. He could feel the searing pain of the arm that had been torn from its joint clearly now, as well as the agonising pain in his gut, but he still couldn't bring himself to move.

For what seemed like hours, nothing happened. In reality it was probably no more then a second or two. His attacker stood motionless above him with his new clawed limb hovering in his field of vision. He was drinking in every minute of this, making sure that his victim had time to appreciate his impending doom.

"Lightning Paw!"

A flash of white fur snapped passed Nathan's field of vision and the next thing he knew, his would be murderer was staggering backwards, cradling his nose.

"Incoming!" Screamed Sepikmon at the top of his lungs before flinging his boomerang over Nathan's head and towards the attacker. Gatomon, on hearing his booming voice promptly got out of the way. The boomerang struck the man square on the forehead, causing him to stumble backwards several steps.

A pair of hands grabbed his shirt and began to drag him away from the battle. Being dragged across the rough ground was painful, but Nathan knew that he was being taken away from the danger and for this he was grateful. Whether it would ultimately do any good however was debatable.

Gatomon struck again, this time landing a savage, albeit clawless hit in the man's shoulder. Groaning once in pain, he flailed at her with his clawed arm. The shot was rushed however and Gatomon evaded it with ease.

"Getting your…" The man paused and winced in sudden pain as his bleeding nose protested against the motion that speech forced upon it. His features twisted themselves into an embarrassed snarl before he continued, "Getting your pets to fight for you eh Nathan?"

Sepikmon cast a short lived glance in Nathan's direction. His attention soon returned to the aggressor however, who was at this point extending his metallic arm towards Nathan once more. It looked like he was going to make a run at him.

"Pathetic to the last." He said, and then with a voice which was definitely not his own he shouted.

"Mega claw!"

The claws on his arm shot forward from what looked like a thick, black cable. Nathan had barely registered this fact before the three sharp spikes pierced his chest.

There was a short lived popping sound which he soon realised was his flesh being torn open. The pain was numb at first, distant as the shock stalled his body from realising what had happened, but soon he found himself screaming out in anguish as the full impact and sensation of what had happened hit him.

Things started to get blurry very quickly. Sepikmon was shouting something at him, probably some words of encouragement. He was in no shape to hear them. Things were beginning to go black. Before he passed out completely, he couldn't help but wonder why the hooded, scythe wielding person was heading for his killer and not him.

"He's waking up."

Through his barely open eyes, Nathan could see faces peering down on him. There were a fair few faces, but he couldn't make out any of them.

The realisation that he'd been stabbed hasted the waking process considerably. The faces hastily dispersed as Nathan shot up in the bed he'd been placed on and searched his stomach for where the bleeding holes should be, only to find undamaged skin under three claw marks in his shirt.

For a long while he simply sat still, gaping at the lack his sudden lack of bodily harm and tried, with limited success, to absorb the situation.

"Easy," Sepikmon said in an uncharacteristically calm voice.

"You're ok now." Gatomon added, "Wizzardmon managed to get to you quick enough to heal you."

Nathan nodded, not initially sure of what exactly he was nodding at initially. The information eventually sunk in however, and as he began to calm down and feel the enormous relief that cheating death entailed, another unpleasant thought stuck him and sent the adrenaline coursing through his veins once more.

"What about the other guy?" He asked hurriedly with his eyes scanning the room.

"He's gone." Sepikmon said, "Some uh, out-of-towners showed up shortly after you erm... Well, long story short they chased him off."

Chased him off? That meant he could come back and finish what he started right? He might get lucky next time right?

As if sensing the unpleasant train of thought that Nathan was indulging, Salamon promptly lightened the mood by once again pouncing on top of his head. He hadn't even known she was there.

This spontaneous interruption brought some much needed laughter to the group, it was short lived however, and Gatomon promptly shooed Salamon off Nathan's head, she retreated to the foot of the bed and perched there. It didn't look like she knew what had just happened.

"He knew you." Sepikmon said awkwardly after a few moments, "He called you by name."

Distantly, Nathan remembered that he had indeed been called by name by the man who very nearly killed him. He hadn't met him before, that much he was certain of. A face like that he would certainly have remembered.

"I didn't know him." He replied quietly, then paused as he tried to remember what he'd been told "He said that I was a mistake, that they'd chosen someone else and for some reason they got me instead."

"What?" Gatomon asked.

"I don't understand it either. I'm not even sure if I'm remembering this correctly. It's kind of blurry."

Some silent nodding followed, the fact that an armed lunatic had tried to kill their friend was weighing heavy in Gatomon and Sepikmon's minds, however another, equally unsettling fact was that Nathan's mysterious and unexplained arrival had now resulted in an armed attacker invading their formerly peaceful village. Neither of them believed for a second that he intended to place anyone in danger, but that was what he had done nonetheless, and that was what he might still be doing.

"There's someone you need to talk to?" Gatomon said quietly.

"Who?"

"You'll see," Sepikmon added with a forced lightness in his voice. "Up you get."

With that he took hold of Nathan's shoulders and pulled him from the bed. A confusion which was fast becoming his predominant emotional state began to show itself. With everything that had happened, Nathan thought that now he'd be able to sleep and pretend for a few hours that nothing at all had happened.

What the hell was going on?

In spite of what had happened last time, Nathan couldn't help but feel another, albeit weaker surge of hope at the sight of another human. Maybe it was because this one was a concerned looking teenage girl, although the hooded Digimon at her side who bore an uncanny resemblance to the Grim Reaper didn't inspire much confidence.

"Ah, the kraken awakes!" He said in a low, echoing voice.

"Cut that out Phantomon." The new human said, her voice sounded relieved, yet she was looking at Nathan like he was a slightly disappointing museum exhibit.

A flash of sunlight reflected off of something in the corner of Nathan's field of vision. He looked and couldn't help but flinch at the sight of his attackers upgraded arm lying severed and sparkling on one of the restaurant's balcony tables. Phantomon's scythe was lying propped up against it, it looked almost as if it were protecting the severed limb, or trophy.

"A fine cutting is it not?" Phantomon uttered, hovering over to the limb, "I don't think your uninvited guest will be giving you any more grief without this."

"Ignore him," The girl said, just as Nathan was beginning to feel an unpleasant twinge in his arms. "He's not as bloodthirsty as he looks. I'm Amy." She said, extending a hand.

"Nathan." Came the uneasy response as he shook the offered hand, "I take it you've met the others."

"Yep, they told us your story after we sent your friend packing."

"How'd you get here?"

"Trailmon, from Skuld server."

"What? No I mean how'd you get to this world?"

Amy laughed softly, but that was soon replaced by a momentary flash of pain across her face, it soon faded however.

"I wish I knew. One minute I was online at home, the next thing I know my digivice came through the computer, there was a bright light and then I was here."

"So you don't know a way back?"

"I don't even know if there's a way back."

Nathan blinked heavily a few times and tried to keep his breathing in check.

She doesn't know if its possible to get back, doesn't mean that it isn't possible.

He didn't want to dwell on this train of thought, so he switched to another one.

"What's a digivice?"

Amy pulled a small looking device from her belt and held it in front of him.

"One of these, didn't you find one when you got here?"

Instinctively, Nathan began to search himself for such a device. Then the obvious realisation hit him.

"No, I've never seen one of those before."

"Really?" She seemed genuinely surprised by this.

"Really."

"But if you're here then you must be a digi-destined?"

"A what?"

"Are you sure you don't have one of these?" She shook the digivice in her hand, perhaps hoping that it would jog his memory.

"I'm certain. I've been here about a month now and I've never seen anything like that."

"Then why are you here?" She said this as much to herself as to Nathan.

"I don't know." He gestured at the arm on the table, "Its like I told them, that guy said I was a mistake, that they wanted someone else and got me instead."

"So I guess that makes the next question obvious," Gatomon said from the doorway, "Who was he? And who are 'they?'"

"Good question." Phantomon added, "Humans in the digital world are rare enough as it is, but I've never seen anything like this." He tapped the metallic arm on the table with his scythe.

"Looks like he superimposed the data from a Metal Greymon onto himself." Nathan couldn't help but think that this technical talk from Sepikmon sounded odd. "But that's impossible, isn't it?"

An uneasy silence followed the grim realisation that it wasn't. However there were still a lot more questions then there were answers.

"We need to get back to the others." Amy said eventually, "Pack what you need but don't take too much. You don't want to be overburdened."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

"You haven't told him yet?"

Nathan looked behind him to where Gatomon was staring sadly at the floor.

"Look," Sepikmon started, "The truth is, that guy's still alive, and even if he's down one limb, he could still come back. Maybe he'd bring more of his friends with him. Maybe we could deal with them, maybe not. The truth is however…"

"They're out for your blood." Gatomon said, "And we can't afford to keep you here, if Salamon's in the wrong place at the wrong time then…"

A stunned silence was all he could manage. Narrowly avoiding death, meeting this new human and now being told to leave his home from home was all too much for one day.

"I'm sorry." Gatomon said, "Believe me this is the last thing we wanted."

"I know," Nathan said finally, "There are innocent lives at stake. Not just Salamon but the whole village. If these guys are after me…" He trailed off and for a few moments another uneasy silence lingered on the balcony. Soon however, he realised something else.

"Even if I do go, it's likely that they'll just come back here anyway. Right?"

"Maybe," Sepikmon replied, "But then how did they know to find you here in the first place. I'm just guessing here Nathey, but I think they can track you somehow."

"Oh wonderful, but then aren't I putting you in danger?" He asked Amy.

"Don't worry about us," She replied with a short grin in Phantomon's direction, "We'll be fine."

The weight of the whole situation forced tears to well up behind Nathan's eyes. He kept them at bay with the last vestiges of strength that his dignity allowed him, then in as clear a voice as he could manage said,

"I'd better go pack."

"Look, we don't want you gone for good." Sepikmon said, "Just until this thing blows over. You'll be safer with the digi-destined anyway."

Still unsure of exactly where he was going, Nathan made his way back inside and towards his bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Salamon asked, smiling up at Nathan as he crammed too few clothes into the travelling bag that Gatomon had left him.

This goodbye was the one he dreaded above all others. Salamon still had little to no idea of what was happening, and now in her eyes, he had to go away for no apparent reason. He wasn't sure if he'd ever see her again.

"Salamon er, I'm afraid that," He paused, inhaled and tried again, "I'm afraid I have to go away for a while."

"Why?"

"I'm, uh, doing a favour for your mother. I need to head to another town, get some stuff."

"When will you be back." It was hard to tell what she was feeling, she was saying everything quickly, but her voice sounded blank. Maybe it hadn't sunk in yet, maybe she just assumed that he'd be back soon.

"I'll be away a little longer then usual."

"Oooh, can I come too?"

"I don't really think you'd like it, It's not going to be much fun."

"Awww, I really want to see other places."

"Someday you will," Nathan said, struggling to keep a relatively cheery face, "But for now you have to stay safe here with your mum and Sepikmon."

"Ok." Came the pouted response, "Don't be away too long. You promised to help me build a tree house remember."

"I remember." Nathan replied, wondering how exactly he could ever hope to build a tree house when he couldn't even get birdhouses right, "Don't worry I'll be back. I'll get you a souvenir too."

"A what?"

"A gift."

With that Salamon parted with a huge grin, and for the final time leapt atop Nathan's cranium. There she sat while he packed the rest of what he thought he'd need into his bag. When he was finished he made his way into the dining area where he headed Salamon to Sepikmon and bid his farewells.

"Don't put fibre glass in my bed while I'm gone." He said to Sepikmon, trying for lightness in his voice and failing miserably.

"Who do you take me for," Came the exaggerated response, "Do you really think I'd do that? Again?"

"Do you have everything you need?" Gatomon asked.

"I think so."

"Ok then." She hopped up onto the counter and gave Nathan a pat on the shoulder, "Good luck then. Remember, when this is all over there'll still be a place for you here. Hell, maybe you'll even find a way back to your own world out there."

"Maybe." He paused and for a moment he felt the tears well up behind his eyes again. "Thanks for everything guys. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for you."

"Pfft." Sepikmon responded, "Just make sure you get this all sorted out soon, if I have to do your chores for too long then I'll be the one hunting you down."

"I don't doubt it."

A short lived, uneasy laughter filled the quiet room for a few moments before Nathan spoke again.

"I'd better get going." He said, "I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Sepikmon said, giving Nathan a clap on the shoulder that almost sent him flying to the floor.

"Take care." Gatomon added.

"Remember Nathan, you promised to bring me back a gift, and help me build a tree house."

"I remember." He said as he made his way through the door to where Amy and Phantomon were waiting.

"You promised."

To be continued.