Chapter 21
Lunch
Greg met Lisa as she returned from the warehouse. She was riding on Fangmon's shoulders and he was holding his head high and proud and there was a definite strut to his stride. Lisa was smiling and her face was flushed. Greg assumed the sparring had gone well.
When Lisa saw Greg standing in the hallway, she lost her smile and she ducked her head slightly.
"Would you guys like some lunch?" Greg asked nonchalantly, "Gwen will be joining us."
Lisa looked up in surprise. "She's not-?"
"No," Greg assured her, "she's fine. Renamon decided that a stern teasing was enough- well, okay, a vicious teasing- but we're satisfied with where things stand for now. I take it from Fangmon's smug expression that you guys had some good bouts with old metal-head?"
Lisa's face burst out in a smile again. "Oh yes! Metal Tyranomon isn't as dumb or slow as you'd think and he's really strong, but Fangy and I beat him three out of four! We've never fought on our own before and I was kinda nervous but-"
Lisa chatted happily all the way to the Dining Hall.
All of them sat around a long table except for Fangmon, who lay in a corner of the room, curled around a chunk of meat that looked to Greg like an entire hind leg of a cow. A Commandramon set plates down in from of each of them, and then poured drinks for everyone.
Gwen hadn't eaten for almost and entire day and tore into her omelet, wolfing down the food until she looked across the table and saw Renamon taking small, lady-like bites of her food, her huge hands handling the utensils with delicate grace. Gwen frowned and forced herself to slow down. When she did, she suddenly realized that the omelet was superb. "Don't tell me you're a culinary genius, too," she half-growled at Greg, "I don't think I'd be able to stand it."
"Me?" Greg laughed, "Oh God, no! I could burn soup! It's Commandramon there that did the cooking." He gestured with his chopsticks to where the soldier dragon had once again taken up a guard position next to the main door.
"Really?" Gwen asked in surprise. "You made this?"
"Um-" Comandramon's claws shifted nervously on the grip of his assault rifle."Yes, Ma'am. I- I enjoy cooking. I find that it relaxes me."
"He makes the best burgers, ever!" Lisa put in, holding up her half-eaten sandwich.
"Don't be so surprised, Gwen," Greg said, "Even if they look a lot alike, they're still individuals, with different tastes and interests. Yeah, I know the fact that all of the name tags on their uniforms read 'Commandramon' is confusing, but it's easy enough to tell them apart if you try. I call him Chefdramon, if that's any help."
"Why do you even bother?" Gwen asked.
There was a brief silence around the table. "Because they're people, Gwen." Greg said softly.
She looked at him like he was insane. "No they're not. They're things that you made. Computer programs, complex robots, but not people."
Greg put down his chopsticks and looked Gwen hard in the eyes. "I've tried to make digimon 'robots'- ones that would mindlessly obey me- and it doesn't work. If they don't have free will from the start, they just stand around like empty sock-puppets. Oh, I can control the other ones- force them to do what I want- but that's no different from coercing or enslaving a human being. And no less an evil act, I'm ashamed to say. None of my troops have Black Rings on them now. I've learned my lesson."
"We caught some of those," Gwen said. "They didn't last long after we-"
Renamon flicked her fork across the table. It hit the back of Gwen's chair just beside her head and buried its tines in the polished oak.
"Hint taken," Gwen muttered, and returned her attention to her omelet.
"If you don't like the word 'people,'" Greg continued, "then at least think of them as 'sentient beings' or 'aliens' with their own needs and desires. People have always wondered how we would react to a 'First Contact' situation. Well, now we know, and it didn't do the human race much credit."
Gwen glared at him for a moment and then put down her fork. "If I can express an opinion without getting impaled?" she asked Renamon.
Renamon blinked lazily and then looked off toward a corner of the room- as if nothing that interested her was happening at the table.
"That is a load of California Liberal bullshit." Gwen continued, her voice calm, even though her words were passionate. "It doesn't matter what you call them- they're invaders. I swore an oath to protect and defend the United States, not every damn 'sentient being' that wanders by."
"Yeah?" Greg snapped back, "and how's that working out for you? A couple of million citizens of the US got 'protected' into radioactive ash! And that dentist's wet-dream over there-" he gestured to where Fangmon was stripping hand-sized chunks of raw meat off his cow leg, "-was working for you until a little while ago. So, let me guess- there are bad invaders and good invaders, right? Your morals hinge mostly on convenience, it seems."
Gwen's expression went icy-cold. "How it's worked out for me is that I've failed, even though I did everything I could to stop you. And you- you've betrayed and destroyed your own country. Does that make you feel like a hero?"
Greg took a moment to get his anger under control and then said, "You seem to be confusing the political and military leaders with the nation as a whole. Those leaders are off on a nice, permanent vacation, and the citizens- the real America- well, they're doing just fine."
"For how long?" Gwen shot back. "Without the government, all the infrastructure will fall apart within weeks. And that's if some other country doesn't decide to waltz in and take us over! With our military's command structure gone, who would there be to stop them?"
"Oh, please!" Greg snorted, "you think I didn't plan for that?"
Gwen's eyes went wide. "Oh, God, what did you do?"
"I did a convincing imitation of Santa Claus," Greg smirked. "Oh, don't look at me like I'm crazy! What I did was hand out presents to all the good little girls and boys- and bad ones, and adults- all in one night. And all over the world, too, not just my country."
"What presents?" Gwen asked, an icy chill running down her spine.
Greg reached back into a satchel that hung from the back of his chair and removed a small object. It was round and red and about the size of his fist. He held it up and said, "What I gave them was power. The power to change the world in any way they see fit. That's what the assholes in the ex-government always told me- that the sort of power I commanded shouldn't be in the hands of one person. That no single person had the right to make such sweeping changes. Well, they should be happy now that everyone has that power. Very democratic, right?" He rolled the object across the table to her. "Here's yours- even though you're on my 'naughty' list."
Gwen caught the little red sphere and looked closely at it. There was a slightly recessed button surrounded by a dial that lit up with several words as Gwen touched it: Transform; Invite; Information; Gate.
"Touch the word 'Information' and it'll give you complete instructions on how to use it,' Greg told her. "Basically, it'll enable you to transform the landscape around you for about a mile or so, including making buildings and clothes and food and so-on. . You can send out a signal that will invite different types of digimon or people to your location and it'll act as a net terminal, or- if you're feeling brave- open a gate to the Digital Dimension."
"You are crazy!" Gwen shouted. "One evil genius was one too many! Now there will be thousands of people out there trying to start their own digital armies! And in a city as dense as New York, with everyone trying to transform their surroundings? It''ll be unbelievable chaos! With everyone able to do whatever they want, who will control things?"
"Eh," Greg shrugged, "I'm sure it'll work itself out after a while. People are more adaptable than you give them credit for. And I did reserve a little bit of authority over it all- just in case."
"What- you're going to be the final judge of all humanity?" Gwen sneered. "You give megalomania a bad name!"
"Jeeze, Gwen!" Greg shook his head in mock sadness. "And you can be so charming when you want to!" He pulled a little tablet computer from his pocket and glanced at it. "Mm- good timing! C'mon, let's take a little walk."
"Ooh!" Lisa said with sudden interest. She had been keeping her head down, seemingly avoiding the argument at the head of the table while actually listening carefully. "Is it him? Can I come, too? I want to see!"
"Lead the way!" Greg told her.
They all walked out of the building. The first thing Gwen was aware of was a sound like distant thunder but with a strong metallic quality. The little hairs on the back of her neck went up, much like they would have on a day when a powerful thunderstorm was about to break. But there was only one cloud in the sky, a long, twisting white cloud that stretched across the sky nearly from one horizon to the other and looked remarkably like a dragon bound in chains.
"Oh my God," Gwen breathed in sudden realization, "that isn't a cloud!"
"That is Azulongmon, the Great Sovereign," Greg told her.
"I know," she replied, "I've watched the series- I recognize him now. But he's- he's so- God, a cartoon is one thing- this thing is terrifying! And you're giving over the rule of humanity to-" Gwen waved her hand at the sky, unable to sum up the incredible creature in words.
"Him and the other three Sovereigns," Greg confirmed. "And they're not really rulers. They won't interfere unless things get too far out of balance, and their presence will be a constant reminder for people to 'play nice.' It's the best solution I could come up with on short notice. I wanted everything to be as stable as possible before I leave."
The immense dragon digimon flowed through the sky, the distant sound of his chains rumbling as if in warning, until the last sweeping movement of his tail faded into the mist on the horizon.
"That was so cool!" Lisa whispered.
"Leaving?" Gwen asked, turning her gaze down from the empty sky.
"Yes," Greg said, "The world holds too many bad memories for me. I have a few things to take care of and then I'll head off to the Digital Dimension. I guess I won't be seeing you again, Gwen. In a weird, twisted sort of way, it's been fun."
From the reactions of Renamon and Lisa, Gwen gathered that Greg's announcement was just as much of a surprise to them as it was to her. "So you're just screwing up the entire planet and then running away?" she sneered.
"Put it however you want it, Gwen," Greg sighed, "If you don't like the shape the world's in, fix it yourself," he reached out and tapped the red sphere she was still holding, "you have the power, now."
"So does everybody else," she said sourly.
"Ah, but cleverness has to count for something, and you are a very clever woman." Greg grinned, putting an emphasis on the word that indicated he meant something else, entirely.
"I'm coming with you, right?" Lisa asked in a quiet, unsteady voice. Renamon said nothing but watched Greg carefully.
Greg looked down at her and frowned sadly, "Lisa- digitizing will freeze you at the age you are now. If you come, you'll never have a chance to grow up."
"I'm sixteen next month!" she said emphatically."I'm just small and skinny for my age!"
"Well, even sixteen is-"
"And what's so great about growing up, anyway? I could turn out like her!" Lisa finished, pointing an angry finger at Gwen.
"Good point," Greg admitted. "Listen, we'll work something out. I need a few more days to wrap things up, anyway. For now, let's all go back inside and finish our meal. Chefdramon makes some kick-ass deserts."
Lisa nodded, still looking slightly unhappy.
"Not for me, thanks," Gwen said. "If you don't mind, I think I'd better get started on damage control." She waved her red sphere for emphasis.
"Not too much power for one individual to handle?" Greg gently chided her. "Well, good luck, anyway, though I doubt you'll need it. You're a very capable woman, Gwen. You'll probably be running your own kingdom by this time next year."
Gwen didn't immediately reply but a thoughtful expression crept across her features. "Well- who knows?" she said finally.
After lunch Lisa had taken Fangmon up to the roof to watch the skyline of the city ripple and change, leaving Greg and Renamon alone together in the Common Room.
Renamon watched him silently as he ran through several screens on his computer and then, when it seemed as if he had reached a stopping point asked him, "So, what are your plans for the future? Do they include me?"
He looked up in surprise and then gazed sadly into her face for a few moments. "That's for you to say, Renamon. You're not my slave or my servant."
She narrowed her sapphire eyes. "You've been acting strangely ever since you were with Gwen when she woke up this morning. It's still not too late for me to run her down and gut her like a trout, you know."
"No, it's not her fault- exactly. She just made me realize some things-" Greg shook his head. "We can talk about all that later. Right now we need to go get my parents. They've been in protective custody for a while. It's a good thing the government put them in a nice place or that prison world I built for them all would have involved a lot more molten lava. Once we get them settled and safe, I'll want to look in on Terminus Village and then-"
"Then-?" Renamon echoed.
"Then- before anything else- before I make any more plans- I'd like to spend one perfect day, alone with you."
Renamon smiled. "That will be wonderful."
Greg forced himself to smile back at her. I wish I could believe that, he thought.