Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Revival

Chapter: 38/ Afterward

"Mr. Yamaki! Sir! Can you hear me?"

Yamaki cracked open one eye only to close it shut once again as a blinding light peered directly into it. Reflexively raising one hand to ward off the light, Yamaki pushed himself up into a sitting position and glanced around him. Shibumi was leaning against the wall not too far off with two smokey cloud digimon lying next to him, while all around them were a number of Hypnos employees looking them over anxiously. Lying on the ground, surrounded by the largest number of Hypnos agents was Urocyomon, completely unresponsive to their attempts to awaken him.

"Glad to see that you're okay, sir," said the person in front of him, a young man with light brown hair, wearing a white T-Shirt. Yamaki recognized him as belonging to the recently established section of Hypnos connected to various hospitals. They were dedicated to providing first-aid to the Tamers for any potential problem that could not be solved with conventional medicine. Part of their training involved the study of the effects of data on the human body and how to apply it in an emergency situation. For the most part, they were headed by Shibumi or Robert McCoy. It was, in their words, a work in progress.

"What happened?" croaked Yamaki, getting up carefully to his feet. The young man grabbed him by the arm to steady him.

"You don't remember sir?" asked the young man. Yamaki glanced at his nametag. Nishimura Miyahara.

Yamaki frowned. The last thing that he remembered was seeing something coming from the shadows and…

"Foothold situation," growled Yamaki under his breath. "We lost power and we were infiltrated…"

"Sir?" blinked Nishimura, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Yamaki shook his head.

"I want all areas under lockdown immediately. Do not let anyone in or out without my express permission, is that clear?"

"Uh…yes sir, except…" Nishimura scratched the back of his head anxiously. "Except that I don't have that kind of authority…"

"I do," spoke up a voice from behind the man. Looking over his shoulder, Nishimura backed off upon seeing who it was. Riley came to a halt in front of Yamaki, glancing at Nishimura with a nod. "Go see to Urocyomon," she said, pulling out her cell phone.

"Riley," greeted Yamaki.

"Sir," she replied, dialing a number. A moment later, she raised the phone to her ear and was already speaking to the person on the other end. After several seconds, Yamaki's orders were relayed and she soon ended the call. "Tally's sending out the order now. The Tamers just got inside." She glanced up at Yamaki with a meaningful expression.

"And?"

"They found the receptionist unconscious at her post."

Yamaki nodded.

"How are you feeling, sir?" asked Riley, concern flooding her face. Yamaki sighed and raised a hand to his face, letting himself lower his guard for just a moment.

"Not good," he admitted. "Something—a digimon I think—attacked us and did something to me. I'm not sure what, but it knocked me out."

Riley pressed her lips together and nodded. "We'll have to get you down to the infirmary and get you looked over. Even though I'm sure you don't want to…"

"In this case, I have no choice but to agree with you," said Yamaki, gripping one hand into a fist. "Considering what happened, I don't think we can afford any mishaps. Did you call a meeting with the Tamers?"

"They're already on their way up here to be debriefed. I think we should at least have Kenta's partner have a look at you. His abilities are currently the best we have for cleansing the effects of digimon attacks, Viral infections, and injuries. No offense to Shibumi and Dolphin's bunch, but they still don't know enough about data generation and manipulation to do more than basic first-aid"

And even then they still rely on more traditional methods, added Yamaki in his mind. The man grimaced, still holding one hand to his face. He felt strangely disoriented. Dizzy almost, but at the same time, not quite. He didn't know how to describe it really, except for that, and it left him worried. "All right," he said, "for the time being, you're going to head the meeting with the Tamers, but I want to stay apprised of the situation. I'm going to handle damage control."

Riley nodded, although the way she pressed her lips together told Yamaki that she clearly did not like her orders.

She'll need to be ready anyway, thought Yamaki. He looked over at Urocyomon. The silver-furred Rookie was being loaded into a stretcher as the medical unit prepared to move him out. Yamaki frowned.

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know," said Riley. "And neither do they. He hasn't been responding or showing any signs of waking up. For the time being they're going to move him where he can be kept stable and safe until they've worked out what's wrong."

"Stable and safe?" asked Yamaki, raising an eyebrow. "Is he injured?"

"Like I said, sir, I don't know. But right now, I imagine that they're not taking any chances."

"I see." Reaching into his suit's pocket, Yamaki fumbled to find his sunglasses, only to find them come up empty. I must have dropped them during the fight, he thought before turning his attention to Shibumi. The man was already on his feet, albeit rather shakily, while his two Mokumon were floating around him.

"Shibumi," Yamaki said, heading over to him. The man looked up at him and began to chuckle.

"Seems like quite the mess we've landed in, huh? I suppose you want to know about this." Shibumi raised his D-Arc at Yamaki for emphasis. The blonde-haired head of Hypnos nodded.

"He has a digivice now?" asked Riley in surprise. "It looks different from what the kids have."

Yamaki blinked and took a closer look at the device. Riley was right. It certainly looked different from the Tamers' digivices. The overall shape was the same, arc-like with its curves and sporting the familiar screen with a ring surrounding it, but this time it had more buttons lining its surface. The card-reader was also missing.

"Explain," said Yamaki.

"There's really not much to explain," began Shibumi, handing the device over to Yamaki for him to inspect. "I've been studying the technology behind the digivices for years, ever since the first prototypes were developed during the original digimon program back in college. We were improving upon them when the project was shut down, and after that the Arc model appeared. I managed to fish out one of the original models and I've been working with it in my spare time, trying to understand what helped create the ones that the Tamers have. I've improved upon it since then and I believe I'm getting close to being able to produce a brand new design. I thought it would help to have them handy, especially for our new medical unit since the D-Arc is perfect for interacting with data."

"Makes sense," acknowledged Yamaki. "Janyu did say that the digivices taught data how to behave and that it could organize them on an unprecedented level. But what was it that you did with your Mokumon? I seem to remember that you…merged them together."

"Jogress. Or DNA digivolution," supplied Shibumi. "That was just part of my experiments. I had been working out various programs with my friends when the power went out. I didn't even know it would work when we were attacked, but I'm glad it did."

Yamaki frowned at the Monster Maker. "While I am glad that you had that on you, I would appreciate it if you would inform me of your projects, especially when they are of such importance to the future operation of Hypnos."

Shibumi paused before nodding. "I'll be sure to remember that from here on in. In the meantime, should I assist the medical team with Urocyomon?"

"Do so. I want to know what happened to him while we were disabled."

"Will do." Tipping the two agents a salute, Shibumi turned and followed the medical team as they rounded a corner.

Riley glanced over at Yamaki, an eyebrow raised.

"Sir? Was it really necessary to order him to inform you about all of his projects? You haven't shown much interest in having him keep you updated about that sort of thing, and it's not as though he were keeping it a secret either."

"I know," acknowledged Yamaki, spying his sunglasses lying on the floor. Walking over to them he picked them up and brushed them off. "But the digivices are a technology that we barely understand. Even after all this time studying them, Shibumi doesn't know everything about them, and that could have unintended consequences in the future if something went wrong. I don't like being kept out of the loop of something like that."

Yamaki placed his sunglasses on his face and pulled out his lighter, flicking it open with a sharp click.

"Sir…" began Riley, only to stop when Yamaki looked at her.

"I'll be at the infirmary," he said. "I'll be sure to join you and the Tamers as soon as I can."

"…All right, sir," replied Riley, nodding.

Riley sighed as she watched the man go, wondering what was going through his mind. She didn't have long to contemplate as her cell phone began to ring.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Riley," came the voice of Tally from the other end. "Our external cameras have spotted Ryo and his partner approaching."

"All right. Make sure that they're let in and have them sent to the usual meeting room. I'll be there shortly."

With that, Riley hung up and massaged her forehead. She had the distinct feeling that things were only beginning.

…

"What happened here?" asked Jeri, horror painted on her face as Cyberdramon began to descend towards Hypnos. The streets surrounding the building were a shattered ruin, and the remains of cars, both police and civilian, littered them. In some cases, they had become a part of the buildings around Hypnos. Most telling however were the smoking holes ripped through buildings that were further away, as though something had fired right into them.

From his spot on Cyberdramon's right shoulder, Ryo frowned, already afraid that what he was guessing had its reality behind this devastation.

"It looks like there was a battle here," growled Cyberdramon, flexing his claws. Ryo glanced at his partner, hearing the anger behind his voice.

"Easy there, bud," he said, patting Cyberdramon on his armored head. "You can't mix it up every time."

Cyberdramon growled again and sniffed the air. Beneath his armor, his muscles trembled.

"There's something…familiar about this," he growled. "I smell a familiar scent. A familiar power…"

Ryo's worry increased. Cyberdramon sounded…excited? He couldn't tell for sure. As they drew closer towards Hypnos, he could start to make out emergency vehicles, firemen, and police officers as they swarmed around the building, closing it off from the public. Ryo looked back over at his partner, feeling the sensation of the Ultimate's muscles trembling beneath their armor.

He wouldn't fight humans if he got a sudden urge to fight…would he?

"Cyberdramon?" he asked.

Cyberdramon didn't respond, and instead continued on downwards until they landed. In a fluid motion, the Ultimate-level dragon-warrior removed the two humans and placed them on the ground.

A police officer as he approached them. He glanced worriedly over at Cyberdramon before focusing on Ryo and Jeri. "Excuse me, but this building is currently under lockdown and…whoa!"

Cyberdramon moved forward, ignoring the officer. Instinctively the man's hand went for his gun, but froze as the Ultimate's head swung towards him.

"Do not touch your weapon," the Vaccine warrior growled menacingly. The officer gulped nervously and backed off. He yelped as a hand clapped on his shoulder.

"What's the matter Fujita? Don't you recognize Ryo Akiyama or the fact that this kid's a Tamer? You were briefed on this when you joined the force after all." The second officer approached the two children, nodding respectfully to Cyberdramon as he did so.

"Sorry about that," he said. "He's young. I'm officer Hiroki Hido. I'm in charge here. I was told to keep an eye out for a Tamer and to let him into the building when he showed up." He glanced over at Jeri and raised an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"Jeri Katou," replied the girl, giving the officer a respectful bow. "I'm also a Tamer."

"All right," Hido nodded. "Anyway, this whole area's being closed off to the public, but if you would just follow me…?"

Ryo nodded and glanced over at Jeri. The girl nodded to him and then, much to his surprise, Jeri's hand slipped into his. Ryo's eyes widened, stunned at the gesture, but the girl's disquieted expression prevented him from saying anything about it.

Is she upset because of the destruction around us? Ryo couldn't be certain, but it made sense that she would want to have some reassurance in the face of the ruin. His expression relaxing, Ryo squeezed her hand, to which she returned with a small smile sent in his direction, and the two prepared to head towards Hypnos.

They didn't get very far.

"Hey!" called out an officer from off to the side. "I can't let you past here!"

"Shut up."

Those words, coming forth from Cyberdramon's mouth in a harsh growl caused Ryo to freeze up and turn towards his partner.

Cyberdramon was sniffing the air, glaring at the humans that were nearby. Hiroki stopped in his tracks and tipped back his hat, surveying the situation.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Well…no sir, but we're trying to conduct our survey of the area and close the place off, and this…digimon is…getting in the way."

"I'll handle this," said Ryo, unclipping his digivice. "Cyberdramon?"

The first inkling that he had that something wasn't quite right was when Cyberdramon ignored him completely.

Sniffing the air again, he moved forward. Energy glowed at the tips of his claws and he snarled.

"Hey, what are you…?" began Ryo, only to stop as the Ultimate slashed his claws through the air, gathering energy between them. With a roar, Cyberdramon unleashed a torrential blast into the street in front of him, causing a powerful explosion to rip through the air. Dust and debris rained down upon them, causing Ryo to pull Jeri close to him and shield her with his body.

"Cyberdramon!" he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the sound of rubble hitting the ground around them. "Stop it!"

But the Ultimate was not listening.

"Desolation Claw!" Slashing his claws through the air again, Cyberdramon stormed forward, aiming for the main entrance to Hypnos. Ryo's hand moved reflexively and an energy whip lashed out from its screen, snagging Cyberdramon by the wrist. The Ultimate stopped in his tracks and glared back at Ryo, a menacing snarl emerging from his mouth.

"You…will stop it, Cyberdramon," said Ryo firmly as he stood his ground, his arm straining against the Ultimate's power. Not for the first time was he grateful that the energy whip greatly reduced Cyberdramon's ability to fight him, otherwise he would surmise that if his arm wasn't ripped out of its socket, he would certainly have been thrown towards the doors. His eyes locked with Cyberdramon's and the two tugged against each other.

Damn it…he's not budging. He really means to fight me this time. Just what is going on?

At that moment, Jeri's hands reached up and clasped Ryo's digivice. In that moment, Ryo felt a strange strength flow through him from the digivice. Cyberdramon pulled on the energy whip once again, but his strength did not so much as budge the two Tamers from their spot. The Vaccine Ultimate looked over at Jeri, who was staring at him with defiant, amber-colored eyes and a moment later, he dropped his arm.

Ryo blinked as his energy whip disappeared. He gave up?

"Do you mind telling me what that was all about?" asked Hiroki.

"Sorry," said Ryo as he lowered his digivice, Jeri releasing her hold as he did so. "My partner can be a little wild sometimes, especially when it involves fighting. He was getting better about controlling himself these past few years. This is the first time in a while he's been like this."

"I…see." Hiroki took in Cyberdramon's more subdued stance—if such a thing could be called 'subdued'. Giving Jeri a reassuring nod, Ryo strode over to Cyberdramon.

"Go up to the roof," he commanded. "I'll come get you in a little bit."

Cyberdramon grunted and spread his wings, preparing to take off. For a brief moment though, he paused and looked at Ryo contemplatively.

"I was here," he said, his voice changing slightly. Ryo blinked and then a guarded look flashed across his face.

Milleniummon!

"A part of me was here," the Ultimate continued before laughing lightly. Before Ryo could say anything in response, he crouched down and leapt into the air, soaring towards the Hypnos rooftop. Ryo watched him go, worry filling his heart.

"Hey," came the voice of Jeri from behind him. "Is he okay?"

"Huh?" Ryo turned to look at her, and for a moment, he found himself ready to lie. The moment passed however, and he shook his head. "I don't know. But I can't talk about it right now, not here. C'mon. We'd better get going."

Jeri nodded and once more her hand found its way into his, and together the two headed towards Hypnos.

…

"Mmm…" Suzie's eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring up at a white tiled ceiling.

"Oh, good, you're awake now," spoke up a female voice pleasantly from next to her. Turning to the side, Suzie saw a woman dressed in a white-colored uniform that made her think of a nurse, calmly writing something down on a clipboard. The woman smiled at her warmly.

"What happened?" she asked the woman.

"Mr. Takahashi brought you here. He said that you collapsed while venturing around the hallway during the power outage." Setting aside the clipboard the woman moved to adjust Suzie's blankets. For the first time, the young girl noticed that she was lying on a bed. Suzie scowled.

"I don't…remember ever…going into the hall…" Suzie said, her voice falling into a whisper. Her frown deepened. Something felt…off. She could remember the power going off while she was talking to Itsuya, but after that her memory just dropped off, as though the power outage had gone through her mind as well. It was as if…

…

"…Could you please listen to me? I'm telling you that we should just…"

Suzie looked up to see a dark haired man standing in front of her, one hand held out and touching her forehead. The world grew dark and heavy just then and the floor suddenly seemed so very comfortable looking…

…

…Something had made her forget. Suzie shook her head mentally. That didn't make much sense. Perhaps she was just tired.

Tired enough to fall asleep while in the middle of a session at the same time that the power goes out? a part of her wondered sarcastically, but she soon brushed it aside when she felt a familiar pressure brushing up against her side. Suzie smiled upon seeing Lopmon snuggled up against her.

"Lopmon…" Suzie cooed, picking the rabbit digimon up into her arms and pulling her close. Whatever worries she might have had, they were as nothing as long as her partner was all right. Lopmon squirmed a little in her grasp and woke up.

"Suzie. You're all right."

"Of course I am, silly," laughed the young girl, scratching the digimon behind her ear. "As long as I have you with me, I'll be all right."

…

Noriko finished taking a sip of water from a drinking fountain and looked out a nearby window worriedly. Next to her, Henry watched her with concern, not saying anything. There was very little that he could say that he hadn't already, though he wished that there was more he could say, or at the very least do to help relieve her of her concerns. As things stood however, there was nothing he could do.

Too bad for him, Terriermon, as always, held a differing opinion.

"I'm sure he's on his way," the long-eared digimon pronounced, though to his credit, with far more tact than was normally warranted considering his mischievous nature. "He probably got a little bit lost. You said that your mother was going to send him grocery shopping, right? I mean, a part of him came from Takato, and that guy can get lost in an empty room after all…"

So much for the tact, thought Henry dourly with sigh. "Terriermon…"

"Sorry, Henry." Terriermon's expression became downcast, but he wasn't willing to accept defeat. "Momentai, Noriko. Momentai."

The dark haired girl forced a smile on her face and looked at the duo. "I'm all right, really."

Terriermon looked down at Henry with an uneasy expression. "Henryyy…can't you do something? Tell a joke even if it's bad? Kiss her even? Hold her hand?"

"Huh? Kiss?" Henry blinked, befuddled. This was not how he thought the conversation should go.

Then again, this is Terriermon we're talking about…

"Ugh. You're impossible."

Henry glanced at Noriko, honestly embarrassed at his partner's antics. The digimon just did not give up, even when it was inappropriate to go into that sort of thing. Not for the first time did Henry wish that his partner did not have to be so blunt about the things on his mind.

"Sorry about that," Henry sighed, exasperated. Noriko kept smiling, this time a bit more naturally and she took a step closer to the boy.

"No, I'm sorry. I've been kind of gloomy, huh? I mean, it's probably like you said; we already know that our digivices detected the bio-emergence. Neither did any of the digimon, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Lumemon didn't pick it up either. But…" Noriko's red-colored eyes softened as she hugged her arms around her. "…I guess I would have thought that with the way the fighting was going he would have noticed something and come to investigate. Maybe I shouldn't have put so many rules on him about him flying about and letting everyone know he's a digimon…"

"I still don't see why you thought it was a good idea," muttered Terriermon. "He's pretty capable of defending himself, even if he trips over himself about half as much as Takato does."

"I'm sure he'll turn up," said Henry, trying once more to comfort the girl. "And if not, he's probably at home right now, watching TV."

"How's that work? Don't angels have rules against sinning and stuff like that?"

Noriko giggled. "Watching television isn't a sin, Terriermon."

"But it saps your soul, doesn't it? I watch that thing all the time and I know I feel something coming out of me…"

"That's your attention span," joked Henry, tapping his partner on the head. "Not to mention your brains."

"Mom always said that television would do that," laughed Noriko, feeling a little bit better now. "Besides, we all know you're a lost case anyway."

"Wha—?" Terriermon stood up indignantly. "Hey! I'll have you know that I'm the picture of saint hood! I saved the world from the D-Reaper! You can't tell me that doesn't get me something fancy!"

"It got you some manjuu muffins from Mom when you came back," replied Henry in an amused tone. Terriermon flapped his ears out as he scrunched his face in deep thought.

"That's true. Your mom's muffins are pretty good."

"I'll have to ask your mom to teach me how to make those," murmured Noriko under her breath, catching Terriermon and Henry's attention. The two looked at her with raised eyebrows, causing Noriko to blush sharply. "F-For Terriermon!" She blurted out, shifting from one foot to the other nervously. "I-I mean…"

"Jeez." Terriermon rolled his eyes and hopped over to Noriko's shoulder, climbing up onto her head. "You two… You guys went on one date, and you're still acting like this? What's with you two? Where's the smooches? The hand-holding? The cuddling?"

"The tact?" asked Henry as he snatched his partner off Noriko's head by the ears and deposited him back on his shoulder. "This really isn't the time for that."

There followed a brief silence before Noriko spoke.

"He does have a point though…"

"Thank you!" exclaimed Terriermon. Tapping his partner on the head again, Henry smiled.

"He sometimes has his moments."

"Sometimes?" demanded the Rookie, but he went ignored by the two humans.

"Henry. Do you…do you think that…?" Noriko trailed off and hugged herself more tightly.

"What's up?"

"I was just wondering…would I make a good girlfriend?"

Henry's mouth parted slightly. He wasn't sure how to answer that. Nervously, he reached up and scratched the back of his head. Being in a relationship…there had been times where he had toyed with the idea, wanted it surely, but he always found himself becoming busy. Becoming too involved with something about school or being a Tamer to really focus on what would have normally come naturally without the additional chaos in his life.

"I don't know if I could make a good boyfriend," replied Henry with a false laugh. Noriko raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm just…never around," Henry clarified. "Usually you're the one who has to pull me away from my work and remind me to just enjoy myself. Well…you and Terriermon anyway."

"We're all pretty busy these days," said Noriko, stepping closer to him. "But for what it's worth, when we had our date…you were…um…" Noriko licked her lips as she thought of a way to put Henry's worries at ease. "…pretty good."

Terriermon's ears perked up at that. "Okay, I heard the emphasis there. What does that mean? Henry! What were you two doing while I wasn't around?"

"You stalked us," Henry reminded, not amused.

"Stalk, stay at a discreet distance…same difference. I didn't see everything you guys did. Come on. Spill the beans you two!"

Noriko hung her head, hiding the blush that was blooming on her face. All the while though, her shoulders were shaking from the effort of keeping herself from laughing out loud.

Sometimes, messing with Terriermon was enough to make anyone forget about their troubles, if only for a little while.

Still, she couldn't help but keep wondering where Lumemon was.

…

Wings twitched as Lumemon's eyes slowly opened. Looking around him revealed a place that struck his memory…tickled it. Darkness…claustrophobic darkness. He felt as though he were supposed to be curled up in a ball, sleeping. Or…waiting for the day to awaken.

"My Royal Knights…" his voice whispered in a cold, harsh tone.

"My, my," laughed a familiar voice in amusement. "Listen to the fallen angel. He calls us his."

As light surrounded him, illuminating the darkness, a yellow ribbon tickled Lumemon's chin. He followed it to its owner and found RhodoKnightmon, who stood proudly next to him.

"How do you do, oh former Overlord of the Celestial Kingdom?" the knight asked, one hand resting comfortably on her hip while the other pointed at Lumemon in a come-on gesture. "Enjoying your new home?"

Lumemon groaned as he tried to move, only to find that he was unable to do so. His arms were spread outwards and held in place by rings of energy wrapped around his wrists. His legs were tied together at the ankles, leaving him completely immobile.

"I don't appreciate the symbolism," the angel grumbled. RhodoKnightmon tilted her head to one side, obviously disappointed.

"A shame. I thought you would enjoy it, considering your nature. Oh well. Not that it matters. You're awake now, and that's all that matters."

"What do you mean?" asked Lumemon, narrowing his eyes.

"This," spoke up a new voice. Turning his attention towards its owner, Lumemon saw a young girl in a gothic style dress approach him. A girl that he distinctly remembered seeing before.

"You…" Lumemon tilted his head to one side. "Um…who are you?"

"It's no surprise that you don't recognize me," said the girl coming to a stop in front of him. "You have very little memory of your old life. I looked different then too, but were you still as you once were—Lucemon—you would have had no difficulty recognizing me. I was once known as Yggdrasil, but now I am known as Norn."

"I'm not sure if I should say it's a pleasure to meet you or not," replied Lumemon. He glanced down at the girl's hands. In them was contained a small sphere covered by a black, lacey cloth. "And I have a bad feeling about this whole scene."

"As you should," nodded Norn, taking the cloth off the sphere. "Because we have need of you."

Lumemon's eyes widened in horror as they fell upon the revealed sphere. It was red in its color, and it glowed ominously. A symbol consisting of three triangles pointing out from a forth, central one stood out prominently on its glassy surface. Lumemon recognized it for what it was. No matter how many lives he lived, no matter how much his memory would change or be lost, he would recognize this sphere for what it was, as all digimon did. Something powerful. Something dangerous that could be used to save or destroy, but in all cases, it was a force to be reckoned with.

"The Digital Hazard." His breath drew in sharply and he stiffened.

"I am sorry," Norn apologized before slamming the sphere into Lumemon's chest. Lumemon threw his head back and let loose a howl from the depths of his very being as crimson light burned from his eyes.

A/N: And the plot continues apace, with a few more developments. Other than that, not too much to say. 'Till next time. :)

-Crazyeight

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