A blue-furred creature stood balanced on an oak branch

Sometime next week I'll be putting up a new story. Just to let you know.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Like a Needle in a Haystack

"I wonder how long this'll take Dominic." Jay asked. She and Dominic were riding on the head of WarGaogamon as she stomped through the only way she knew how.

"I do too…it could take forever." He replied.

"Either way, I'm glad to have you." Jay blushed.

"Yeah…" he replied quietly.

Down on the ground, Anubismon was walking beside Rosemon. Varodurumon was flying gently above his brother.

"So, how does it feel to fly?" Anubismon asked.

"Great!" Varodurumon cawed happily.

Loaño and Marcus were searching in their own ways.

"What're we looking for again?" Loaño shouted up to Susanoomon.

He rolled his eyes and replied "A large machine."

Lucemon laughed. "She's nuts."

"You think?" Susanoomon replied.

"Humans are different alright." Lucemon exaggerated.

"This'll take forever." Loaño protested. "I wonder if we can search differently…" she suddenly ran off to another direction, leaving Marcus stunned.

"Uh…ShineGreymon, Anubismon…" he asked. "We should follow her."

"Right Boss." ShineGreymon said. And the three guys took off after the crazy person.

"Did she just?" Nanami wondered.

"Yes." Thomas sighed.

"Damn, that girl's just full of surprises." Kouki joked.

"She's full of something." Thomas sighed once more.

MMMMM

"Weeeee!! Down the hill!" Loaño muttered as she skidded, well, down the hill.

"Loaño!" she heard Marcus's voice yell from somewhere.

"Down here!" she called out. She began to walk around in completely random circles to nowhere.

"Hey, what's up? Why're you down here?" Marcus asked.

"Searching differently!" Loaño sighed, "Like I said!"

"Only you would do this!" Marcus sighed, but, she was…'unique'.

"Yup, that's why I rock!" Loaño smiled.

Marcus rolled his eyes and continued on with her. She led them all in a strange zig-zaggish pattern and round in circles even.

Let's face it: Loaño had no clue where she was going.

MMMMM

Izzy cracked his knuckles for probably the fifteenth time that hour. It's Izzy, he'll keep track.

Tentomon was shaking his head; the insect was frustrated with Izzy's habits.

"You know, you never used to do that." Tentomon said.

"I know." Izzy replied. "Over time, humans tend to develop new habits. This is one of those moments."

Tentomon rolled his eyes. "Only you would say it like that." He sighed.

A sudden buzzing came from Izzy's phone. Without hesitation, he picked it up.

"And who might you be?" he asked, rather rudely, since his caller ID showed a number that he didn't recognize.

"You know me…" an eerily familiar voice came over the line. Izzy's eyes widened.

"Kurata." He said simply. "I've told you time and again, I am not on your side."

"I'm not asking for you to join me, I'm warning you." Kurata said lightly.

Izzy narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" he repeated.

"I'm saying that that world you keep trying to save is doomed." Kurata said simply.

"How are you sure?" Izzy asked.

"Because, I'm the one destroying it." Kurata laughed.

"I know this Kurata. I'm not being your technologies partner again. That was a disaster." Izzy said quietly, so Tentomon didn't overhear.

"Well, that's why Sampson took me off of that department and made me an ordinary scientist. Then, he paired you up with Kevin and Michelle. Remember how that turned out?" Kurata cackled.

Izzy blinked. "Goodbye Kurata." He clicked off the phone.

"Izzy?" Tentomon asked, concerned.

"Tentomon, sound the horn. We're going to the Digital World to find that machine." Izzy ordered.

"Do you even know where it is?" Tentomon asked.

Izzy looked down on his laptop and typed something in quickly. A screen showed up showing several multi-colored dots. Four were separated from the group, but he knew them all the same. He pointed to something nearby on the terrain.

"There." He said simply. "The machine is there."

But he was already afraid of being too late.

MMMMM

"Oof!" Loaño landed hard on the ground.

"You OK?" Marcus asked, pulling her up.

"Yeah, just tripped over something metal." Loaño sighed.

"Something metal…wait a sec! Lo, look!" Marcus said, dropping Loaño's arm and pointing to the ground where Loaño once stood.

She did a quick push-up and looked there.

A large metal tube was pushing up out of the ground there. It winded around and around like a cord, and it seemed to be attached to something.

"ShineGreymon, get Susanoomon!" Marcus ordered.

The dragon nodded and jumped into the sky to alert ShineGreymon.

Either way, they had no absolute clue about what they had just found.