A/N: Work has been quiet lately, so I'm not too tired when I get home to work on this story. Anyway, here is the next chapter of this Digimon Savers fanfic rewrite! The second chapter of the year 2016! My New Year's Resolution remains intact! YES!

Please R&R. :)

Inside a liquor store, by an abandoned railway…

Phoebe Yang looked up from where she was re-organizing the cans of beers. Although it was already late afternoon, only two customers had come into the shop in the last four hours. Considering that there was a hockey game today, Phoebe found the lack of customers a bit strange.

'It's not only that…' Phoebe thought to herself as she stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. She looked up at the red moon that had been in the sky all day. However, it seemed that she was the only one who was able to see it. 'Ever since I met that boy last night, everything has been so strange…'

The girl sighed as she thought again about last night. 'That boy…He's Katherine's friend. His name is Andy,' she remembered. Phoebe recalled often seeing Andy hanging around the choir room when she and Katherine were having class. The whole class always knew whenever he was outside, since every teacher that passed by and noticed him would demand (often very loudly) why he wasn't in class.

At first, Phoebe had silently agreed with many of her peers that Andy was nothing but a troublemaker who was rude to anyone who wasn't his friend. However, that was before she saw the things she saw last night:

Andy's memories. Phoebe was sure that those images she saw when she and Andy crashed into each other outside of the hospital last night were the latter's memories. In those short moments, she saw the tragic story of the boy's life:

"Mama!" A little boy sobbed as a woman fell to her knees in front of him. The two of them were surrounded by an angry mob. They were shouting in a language that Phoebe faintly recognized as Japanese, and they were pointing accusing fingers at the little boy and his mother.

"Bastard!" An angry man spat in the little boy's face.

Phoebe could actually feel the pain in the little boy's heart as he heard this word being used to describe him. Soon, other feelings begin to crowd the boy's heart as well: denial, anger, sadness, and hopelessness…

The rain continued to pour down. The boy, now a bit older but still young, stood silently over the still figure of the woman lying face down on the ground…

Phoebe did not know who her biological parents were. It was a fact that had haunted her ever since the day she learned about the truth from her foster uncle. Deep inside, Phoebe feared that she had been abandoned by those so-called parents.

Yet, what was her fear compared to Andy's pain? The pain of seeing your mother's dead body, and the pain of betrayal towards your own father as a result... That had been Andy's life.

The little boy had become a teenager. Underneath the shining image of Jesus and the cross, he stood straight and tall as he glared at a dark-skinned man standing across from him. To their side was a slightly older man and beyond that, were rows and rows of people.

Everyone's attention were on the boy.

"How dare you?!" The teenaged boy screamed in the other man's face. "You're nothing but a pimp, and a coward! You screwed around with women in my mother's village, and then you just left! You're a horrible, despicable…filthy pig! You abandoned both my mother and me! You let her die! How dare you show your face to me now, in this place of all places? Screw you! Go to hell!"

There were gasps and murmurs. Then, the faces of the two men and the sea of people became blurrier and blurrier, until everything around the teenager was a sea of white. Then, that sea too disappeared, giving way to pitch darkness.

"Your memories will remain intact, in exchange for your freedom," a strange voice said from far away. "Welcome to DATS, Andy Ha…no, Andy Holland."

Phoebe opened her eyes. "DATS…" she muttered. There was that word again. She knew what it was but at the same time, she didn't know what it meant.

And that voice… Phoebe had heard it before, but where?

A cloud briefly covered the red moon. For a moment, there was darkness.

Fog began to form around Phoebe.

"Monster!"

Phoebe jumped in surprise as another unfamiliar memory suddenly overtook her. The memory was so clear this time that she wondered if it belonged to Andy's, or somebody else…

"Monster!" a terrified Katherine was pointing straight at her. "She's been cursed! She'll kill us all!"

Phoebe fell to her knees, breathing hard. Why did she suddenly feel so sad? The girl stared at her trembling hands, and thought about the strange glowing light that surrounded them last night when she crashed into Andy. Was Katherine talking about that light? Just what was that light?

She had so many questions, and even more mysteries. Phoebe sighed, feeling her forehead; her head hurt…

The partially buried railway tracks in front of her moved slightly. However, because of the fog, which had only gotten thicker, the girl did not notice them.

"Katherine…" Phoebe muttered her classmate's name. Even though the two of them had choir and history classes together, they had never socialize with each other before. However, when they first met, Phoebe had been instantly captivated by Katherine's bold and independent nature.

"Opposite attracts, huh?" A sarcastic voice replied.

Phoebe grabbed her throbbing head. It was happening again. Out of all the voices she had heard in her head for the past few days, this voice was the clearest. This voice shouted in her ears whenever she closed her eyes. Last night, as she was lying in bed, the voice was so close that Phoebe felt that if she just reached out a hand, she would be able to grasp it.

"You're too passive, Ruo Lan. That's why you're always getting stepped on by others."

Ruo Lan. According to her adopted uncle, that was the name her biological parents had supposedly given her. He was the only one who called her by that name. Not even her adopted parents had the courage to acknowledge her prior life. So why was this voice…?

"Ruo Lan! Don't be a coward!"

Katherine was crying. "It doesn't matter..." the blonde whispered. "These hands are already stained."

Then, there was blood.

Phoebe gasped as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Her heart was rapidly beating against her chest. "Wha-?" she gasped. What did she just saw?!

"Ruo Lan?"

Phoebe whipped her head around at the sound of that name, but it was only her uncle. He was standing at the doorway of the shop.

"Ruo Lan, can you help me?" he asked her. Phoebe noticed that he looked tenser than usual. His eyes darted around the bare yard that connected to the abandoned railway tracks, as if he was looking for, or expecting, something.

"Uncle, what is it?" Phoebe finally spoke up.

Her uncle narrowed his eyes, and peered through the fog at the space beyond the railway. Not seeing whoever or whatever he was searching for, he sighed in relief and loosened up significantly. "There are two customers looking for you," he told her. "They say that they're your classmates from school."

Phoebe's eyes widened in surprise. She never told any of her classmates what her family did for a living, let alone told anyone where she lived. So why…?

"Okay," she finally replied, albeit hesitantly. "Tell them I'm coming."

As Phoebe followed her uncle inside, neither of them heard the faint crackling sound of electricity behind them. Neither were they aware of the sudden movement from the earth, as the partially buried railway tracks emerged from the ground, brand new and glowing with white data.

In the distance, through the fog, the sound of a train's horn could be heard…

Robert's house…

"Geesh Allen, you didn't have to do that!" Robert pouted. "I'm not sick!"

"It's fine," Allen said shortly. He was struggling to balance a bowl of congee, a jar of Chinese pickles, and a bottle of soy sauce in his hands. In addition, a rented video and a bag of chips were tucked underneath both his arms.

"Do you need help?" Robert asked his cousin anxiously. "If that congee lands on me…"

"No, it's all good," Allen insisted. He dropped both the video and bag of chips on the floor before allowing the sealed jar and bottle of condiments to drop onto the table with a soft thud.

Robert breathed a sigh of relief as Allen managed to put the bowl of hot congee on the table without spilling a drop. "You're a pro," he complimented. "Looks like those hours spent on Ultimate Frisbee helped your balance."

Allen nodded in reply. "Here," he said, beckoning to the bowl of congee. "Auntie made this for you. She added preserved egg in it."

"Sweet!" Robert grinned, digging into his meal.

Allen flopped down on the chair next to Robert's bed and picked up a comic book that was lying around.

"So," Robert said between bites of food, "So, where will be going to school now?"

Allen flipped the page. "I heard from Matt's dad Mister Dayton that the administration is already making arrangements for the students to be transferred to nearby schools. They say that the arrangement is only temporary...maybe until the end of this school year."

"Temporary? But wasn't the school completely destroyed?" Robert inquired.

"Apparently, the east wing survived," Allen answered. "Since it was the oldest part of the building, it was made of bricks and didn't burn as much as the newer west wing."

Robert nodded. "That makes sense," he admitted. "But don't you think it's odd? After what happened at the theatre…now arson…someone sure has it in for our school, right Allen? Allen?"

Allen did not reply. Recognizing that his cousin was deeply troubled about something and wanted to be left alone, Robert respected Allen's wishes and returned to concentrating on his food.

'But that fire…' Allen thought. 'And Agumon's appearance on cable news… Was DATS fighting another Digimon at the school last night?'

Slurp, slurp…

'Christina… Was she there fighting as well? Is that the reason why I still can't get in contact with her?'

SLLLUURRRP

Allen sighed. "Robert…" he warned.

"Sorry," Robert apologized with a grin. "It's just…"

"It's fine," Allen repeated. "I know."

"Huh?" Robert stared at his cousin blankly. "Know what?"

"About what you're really feeling right now," Allen replied quietly. "About Judy. You liked her, right?"

Robert slowly put down his spoon. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "But she was always one of my best friends. To know that she's gone now…and that I didn't go to see her in her last moments…I…"

"Robert…" Allen said quietly as his cousin started to weep. "What do you remember from Saturday night?"

Robert shook his head. "I…I can't remember much," he confessed. "I remember sitting in the audience, talking with someone. Then, everyone was panicking and screaming about a murder and I heard Judy's name and then…and then I just fainted. When I woke up, I was in bed with you and my parents around me. And that was when you guys told me about what happened to Judy."

Allen was silent.

"What's wrong with me?!" Robert sobbed. "I'm such a coward! If only I hadn't fainted, then maybe I could have gone to Judy and maybe saved her! Right?"

Allen sighed. "Robert…"

"She died all alone!" Robert was screaming now. "If only I had been by her side, she might have lived! She didn't deserve to die like that! She was so nice! Who would do something like that?! What kind of monster would do-!"

Allen grabbed his cousin's shoulders. "Robert, calm down!" he shouted. "Deep breaths. Take a deep breath. In, out, in out…Good. Now, calm down…"

Robert took several deep breaths. "Thanks," he finally said wearily. He was quiet for a few moments. "You know…" he continued, and Allen heard the hesitation in his voice. "I think that I might be losing it."

Allen blinked in surprise. "How?" he asked.

"Yesterday, while I was stuck in bed, I had a lot of time to think," Robert explained. "About my life, and all that philosophical stuff. But it's weird…There are a lot of blank holes in my memories, especially from the last couple of weeks. One moment Henry and I are goofing around in class, and the next…he's gone. You said he went back to China? How come I don't remember him telling me? Aren't we friends?" he sniffed.

Allen frowned. "It…it was quite sudden. He only told Christina, and I heard the news from her," he lied through clenched teeth.

"Henry's not the only one…" Robert said absentmindedly. His eyes glazed over as he stared off into space. "For some reason I keep seeing an orange monster in my nightmares."

Allen almost gasped. "An…an orange monster? Why orange?"

"I don't know…I can't see its face, only the outline," Robert explained. "It was trying to eat me," Robert shivered at the thought. "It was awful, and…and…and then he would ask me for a chocolate muffin and I would wake up."

Allen frowned as Robert managed to laugh through his tears. "It wanted a muffin?" he repeated.

"There's a guy that I don't recognize when I close my eyes…" Robert continued quietly, changing the subject. "He had brown hair…but it was a weird shade of brown. It was almost orange, like that monster…"

Allen bit his lips. He wanted so badly to tell Robert the truth about what really happened to Harry and Judy, and why he couldn't remember anything. However, as Allen stared at his cousin's pale face, he knew that Robert would not be able to handle it. Knowing the truth…would kill him.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Allen said automatically, glad for an excuse to get away from thinking about his moral dilemma.

Robert's mother, who was also Allen's aunt, came into the room. "Hello," she greeted Allen cordially. Then, she turn her attention to her bedridden son. "Guang," she addressed him by his Chinese name. "You're looking pale. Is he bothering you?"

"No!" Robert shot back immediately. "Allen's the best cousin ever! Don't you dare kick him out!"

His mother nodded. "Alright then," she says. "I understand." She put a white box on the table. "I went to Brookbridge Centre for groceries earlier and passed by St. Bella's Bakery," she continued, opening up the box. "I know how much you like their Napoleon and mousse cakes, so I brought you some."

"Isn't that great, Robert?" Allen spoke up as Robert stared at the surgery pastries. "She brought them, just for you!"

Robert just continued to stare at the cakes as something stirred inside him:

"Watch where you're going!" A man with bright red hair snarled in his face.

Robert stared at the mushy ground on the ground. "The cakes…"

"Wimp," the red-haired man snarled again.

A man with pierced lips laughed, and threw a chunk of cake at him.

Robert looked down at the red cream dripping from his shirt…

"Stop!" A familiar voice screamed.

There was an explosion. Lights. Screams. More lights. Shouts and sounds of a battle. Glass shattering…

"Robert!" Robert heard Allen's voice in the distance, but he was in too much pain to reply.

That orange monster. It was here again. It was going to eat him, hurt him…kill him.

It was going to kill him.

The red cream on the front of his shirt turned to blood.

And someone screamed, loud and clear:

"Aniki!"

"A…ni…ki…?"

Allen blinked and Robert's mother pulled back when they heard these syllables escape Robert's parched lips. "A…niki?" Allen repeated. What was a niki?

"You need to rest," Robert's anxious mother said urgently as she tucked her son back into bed. Robert was so distracted that he did not put up a fight. "I'll call Dr. Chang and have him come over to see you right away!" With that, Robert's mother dashed out of the room.

Allen slowly approached his cousin. "Hey," he said gently. "What did you just say? What's a niki?"

"That was his name…" Robert said slowly. He was staring into space again, but Allen noticed that his hands were shaking this time as well. "That boy with orange hair. Aniki. That orange monster called him that."

"Aniki," Allen repeated the word. When he finally realized what Robert was talking about, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Robert, you…don't tell me…?"

Robert turned to look at him, and Allen almost cried out in anguish: his cousin's eyes were so sad. "I know, right?" Robert asked sadly. "I'm completely losing it."

Robert closed his eyes, and a single tear rolled down his face.

Allen stormed out of the bedroom, almost crashing into his aunt. Without even saying goodbye, he left the house.

'Robert…you…' Allen was seething as he stomped along. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care.

DATS. How dare they?! Robert was his cousin, basically the only family that mattered to him. Because of them, Robert was now…His family was now…!

Allen's cellphone was buzzing. He stopped walking long enough to take it out and to see who was calling him. The boy's eyes widened when he saw the caller ID.

"Christina…" he muttered.

In an undisclosed location…

Gaomon's mouth curled up in a slight smirk. "To free you, of course," was his reply.

Silence.

Then, Plotmon howled with laughter.

"Stop messing with me!" the puppy Digimon snarled. "Free me? You're nothing but a slave of DATS! Why would I trust you?!"

Gaomon allowed the other Digimon a few more moments to calm down before he spoke up again. "Wasn't it you who told Master and I that trust was the only way for us to fulfill our mission?"

Plotmon abruptly stopped laughing. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you plotting?" she asked quietly.

Gaomon took a deep breath. "Before I met you, I had always follow my master's wishes without hesitation. However, after you called me a 'Digimon slave,'I began to question that unwavering loyalty. I began to have doubts about my master, and about myself. These doubts only grew when I saw how confused my master was as well."

"Wait, Norstein is confused?" Plotmon gaped. "About what? Isn't he supposed to be the genius?"

"Everyone has something that is worth protecting more than their own life. It's something that not even a genius like you will be able to solve for them."

"Some things , Plotmon…" Gaomon replied, thinking about Masaru's words, "there are some questions where the answer is not there in black and white."

"Oh yeah, like what, Digimon slave?"

"Like my faith in my master," Gaomon replied softly. "Why do I follow him without hesitation, even if it is to the ends of the earth? For a long time I searched for the answer, and I only got more confused. However, in the end, I realized that the answer had been right in front of me all along."

Plotmon's green eyes softened. "Did something happen?" she asked. Her voice was almost kind.

Gaomon sighed. "A lot of things happened since that incident at the theatre," he revealed. "Two powerful Digimon attacked us at Alexander Worthington Academy yesterday. We couldn't defeat them, and were only saved by the rising sun. However, the battle completely destroyed the school."

Plotmon's eyes almost popped out of her head. "THE SCHOOL IS GONE?!" she shrieked. "How?! Were there any casualties?! How is Ruo Lan taking the news?!"

Gaomon shook his head sadly. "We haven't been able to contact her. Professor Klein is monitoring her very closely, so closely that we're not allow to see her."

At this piece of news, Plotmon bashed her head against that glass cage. "Damn that man!" she screamed. "Ruo Lan!"

"Don't give up," Gaomon insisted. "We can still save her!"

"Not with that man around!" Plotmon shot back. "Even if she even begins to suspect that something is wrong, he will use that evil device on her again! He will alter her memories as many times as he wants! She'll die!" the puppy Digimon sobbed. "Ruo Lan!"

"Don't give up!" Gaomon repeated. It was a bit unnerving, seeing the usually arrogant Plotmon break down like this. "There's still hope! There always is…" he said, thinking once more about the not-so-silent exchange between his master and Masaru earlier.

"Hope?! What do you know about hope?!" Plotmon shrieked.

"Remember what I said earlier?! About the answer being in front of me all along?!" Gaomon shouted back.

At this, Plotmon quieted down a bit. "Go on…" she sniffed.

"You were right all along," Gaomon continued. "Trust is the most important thing that differentiates us from Klein and the other senior officials at DATS. My master and I worked alongside Klein in Europe for months. I thought we knew everything about him, and I thought we could trust him. However, everything was a lie. I never trusted him like I did Master. You know why?"

Plotmon smiled. It was a faint smile, but it was still a smile. "I have an idea…" she finally replied.

Gaomon smiled back. "Your partner once said that to trust somebody is to be confused, because you know each other so well. Klein…he doesn't give anyone the chance to be confused. His orders and actions…they are all for the sake of DATS' mission, and he makes sure that we all understand that, even if we disagree with them.

On the other hand, my master raised me the moment I hatched from my DigiEgg. He is a part of me. I was confused, because I thought he was acting strange. Now, I see that he was also confused because of my behavior. Yet, despite all this… we still trusted each other, because we both know that our desires are the same.

Isn't it the same for you and Phoebe Yang? Your partner's memories may have changed, but the feelings the two of you shared will never fade. Even with all the false memories and lies… that bond of trust will break through to the truth. One of the reasons that Klein is keeping Phoebe away from us is that he recognizes this possibility as well."

Plotmon scoffed. "That man noticed something like that? When he doesn't even trust his own partner?"

Gaomon nodded. "I think he knows," he replied, remembering the fleeting look of hesitation in the man's eyes back when his master confronted him about erasing Phoebe's memories. "He knows what trust is…but he, well…"

"Say no more," Plotmon did not give Gaomon the chance to finish his thought. "I know what you want me to do…" she said softly. "And frankly…I don't know if it's such a good idea." Plotmon walked to the other side of the cage. "Trying to use those bonds to bring back her memories, to remind Ruo Lan who she is and what she is searching for… It's not that I don't think it's a good idea. It's just that…"

"What is it?" Gaomon asked.

Plotmon was so nervous she actually gulped. "I was in Klein's lab when he developed the Memory Erasure Device, " she explained. "I saw firsthand its effects on the human mind. I saw people trying desperately to claim what they had lost, and I saw all of them fail in this hopeless endeavor. Many were so close, but they all fell in the end. I don't want Ruo Lan to suffer that fate as well."

"She won't," Gaomon spoke up after a lengthy silence. "Phoebe Yang is stronger than she seems. You of all people should know her strength best. Also..."

Plotmon lifted an eyebrow as Gaomon smirked at her.

"...She has a partner who can help her see the errors of her ways. Isn't that right, Plotmon?" the Digimon shot Plotmon's own words back at her.

Plotmon closed her eyes, and repeated Gaomon's words to herself:

"You should know her strength best."

When the puppy Digimon opened her eyes again, Gaomon saw that she had found her answer. He smiled.

"Let's go."

At a playground near Christina's house…

"It was here."

Lunamon looked up at her partner. Christina was staring straight ahead, at the swings. "I beg your pardon?" the rabbit Digimon inquired.

Christina did not reply. Silently, she walked over to the swings and sat down on one of them. The swing moved slightly from her weight.

Minutes passed. The only sound was the swing creaking underneath Christina and Lunamon's combined weight. The quiet sound brought back a familiar memory for the former:

A girl sat on that same swing, staring up at the figure standing in front of her.

The boy blushed as he stared at his feet. "I…I like you Christina, Not just like you as a friend, but like like you! I really like like you!"

After what seemed like an eternity, a small smile crept across the girl's face. Soon, it turned into a grin…

"Allen, you stupid jerk," the girl muttered as she leapt off the swings and wrapped her arms around the boy.

Everything was perfect.

Yes, everything was perfect back then.

"Lunamon, why?" Christina finally spoke up. "Why?"

Lunamon suppressed a sigh. She knew what Christina was talking about. "We must respect his decision," she finally replied with a tone of finality. "Robert is in the position he is in right now because of DATS. He needs someone to support him through this difficult time, and his cousin may be the best person to fulfil that role."

"What about me?!" Christina cried. "It's not like I wanted to join that organization! I can't do this alone! Allen…why? How could he abandon his friends?! How could he betray me?!"

"You still have Amy and Roscoe," Lunamon reminded her. "Don't be selfish, Christina Liu. Robert Chen is your friend as well, regardless of whether he remembers you as such. He at least deserves the companionship of his family."

"No! You don't understand!" Christina screamed. "Klein ordered me to get Allen's answer, and he will want an answer sooner than later! What am I going to say to him? If I lie and tell him that Allen agreed to join DATS, I'll only be putting Allen in danger when Klein finds out the truth. But if I tell him the truth… Allen…he…like Robert…"

"To protect my friends. Yes, I can do that. I know what to expect…"

Christina slid off the swings. "I can't…" she realized, falling onto her knees on the dirt. "Protecting my friends…Who was I fooling? I can't even protect myself…" she sniffed.

Lunamon opened her mouth to say something but to her surprise, no words came out. The Digimon blinked, but her mind remained blank of answers.

With a start, Lunamon realized that she had no answers for Christina's current dilemma.

A voice said lazily: "Some things are meant to be."

"It is destiny," someone replied with finality.

Green eyes flashed angrily. "You can change your fate."

Lunamon frowned, wondering where she had heard this conversation before. Yet, the Digimon wondered if this was one of those things that were just 'meant to be.'

Because, regardless of Christina's choice in the end, she would only be hurting her lover.

Lunamon jumped off Christina's lap. The girl was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she did not even notice her absence. A few minutes later, Lunamon found herself on the jungle gym, staring up at the sky, and the faint glow of the red moon in it.

'Christina always wanted to be the moon," Lunamon thought. 'To be in the background, watching over everyone and everything. However, in this specific case, it seems she has come to the harsh realization that passiveness will not help at all. Up to now, despite her worries and complaints, Christina has never given up hope. If she loses hope now, what will happen to me?'

When they had first met, Lunamon had wanted Christina to be her sun. Lunamon was a creature of the moon, which meant her strength came from the strength of others. When Christina declared that she still wanted to be the moon, Lunamon had let her, for she was also curious about what kind of strength the power of two moons could possibly produce.

"The sun is also a star, and the moon shines brighter than all the stars in the sky combined." Christina's voice had been firm and strong then, despite the pain of her bleeding hands. But that voice was now…

Lunamon sighed. At times like this, the light of the moon was exactly what she needed to sooth her troubled soul. The Digimon closed her eyes, and concentrated on soaking up the moon's bright but cool light…

Suddenly, Lunamon frowned. She opened her eyes and glared up at the moon above. Lunamon, as Lekismon, had looked up at the same red moon last night as well, during the battle with Neo Devimon and Phelesmon. Even then, she had the feeling that something was slightly off. Now, she knew that something was definitely wrong.

'This moon…something's not right about it,' Lunamon realized. 'Lekismon is a creature of the moon. Yet, the light that the moon is giving off right now…is not the same as usual. It's as if it is still hiding, behind the light of the midday sun. But that's impossible…'

In the distance, a clock chimed six times.

"It can't be possible…" Lunamon muttered to herself.

The darkness of night began to creep up on them once more…

Atop a clock tower, looking south of the city…

"It's wearing off," the mysterious Osamu deadpanned as Alice's form materialized from out of thin air behind him. "Illusion and reality are almost back in sync."

Alice nodded. "It seems that sleep is the main factor needed to quicken the rate of synchronization," she deducted. "Have you noticed? After so many people overslept today, the gap between the two time periods has shortened considerably."

"I've noticed. Because of that boy's powers, the people of this city thought it was day when it was really still night, and now they believe it is night while it is still early afternoon. However, their weary bodies are telling them otherwise. In sleep, the illusion known as dreams surpasses all other illusions. Thus, the real world was able to push back on the boy's illusion while the latter was weak and inactive."

"Exactly," Alice agreed. "At the rate this synchronization is going, I believe that everything will be back to normal by tomorrow morning, after the city falls asleep once more. However…"

"However…?" Osamu prodded.

"Something is bothering me," Alice confessed. "The two of us checked to make sure, and we affirmed that the boy's illusion ended at the city's outskirts. The rest of the country was unaffected by the illusion. Vancouver is a large port city. There are ships and planes from all around the world coming in and leaving this city every day. If people are coming into the city from elsewhere, there's no doubt that there would be confusion and a great panic over the difference in time."

"You're right," Osamu realized. "Ships and planes are very careful about time. The slightest miscalculation can be tragic and fatal. So, why hasn't there been any incidents yet…?" Osamu frowned. "Alice, do you think it's possible…?"

"Perhaps," Alice replied, as if she had heard Osamu's inner thoughts. "Perhaps there is somebody else in this city with the power to control time. Not as an illusion, but the real thing…"

Osamu narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. A gust of wind blew past them. Alice looked up and stared in the direction of Vancouver International Airport.

The clock tower they were on began to chime again.

After the sixth ring, a flock of pigeons took flight from the clock tower. After the seventh and final ring, they were gone, and the roof of the clock tower was bare once more.

At Vancouver International Airport…

A man stopped underneath a large colourful sign with several of the world's time zones on it. In each time zone was a city's name and time.

The man glanced at his watch, and saw that the time on his watch did not match the time for Vancouver that was on the sign. In fact, there was almost a two hour difference between the two.

"This won't do…" the man muttered. He quickly glanced around to see if anyone was looking. Seeing that no one was, the man's hands glowed a golden colour.

The sign glowed as well. A moment later, every time on it went back two hours.

Outside, the sky got significantly brighter.

The man lowered his hands. "That's better," he murmured.

Then, he turned and walked towards the exit.

A/N: The main theme of this chapter is dealing with falsehoods. Both Phoebe and Robert are haunted by the eerie sensations, and have become emotionally and physically drained. In the case of Robert, his illness also has horrible repercussions for his friends and family. Thus, a single lie can cause dire consequences that are beyond a person's greatest expectations.

The next chapter continues with this theme of a pain caused by falsehoods. In the next chapter, everything comes apart for Eric Klein and DATS as all his greatest fears become reality.

Right. That's all I'm giving away this time. Check back regularly for an update in a few weeks!

:)