Episode 52:Sanguine Call

Sinclair peaked around a corner. After making sure the coast was clear, she slowly began creeping through the empty hall. She turned down several more corridors. Before coming to a set of large a double doors. Cautiously, she looked about, and quickly put in her code for the doors security panel. The doors then slid open, and she rushed inside.

She came into a medium sized room. At the end of the room in front of her, was a portal ring. It was twice as large as the one in her lab, and made of digital world alloy. Thick wires ran from the bottom of it. Some plugging into power generators along the walls. While others were connected to several biomechanical consoles.

Sinclair moved over to one of the consoles, and took a brief glance at the controls. With a bit of effort, she was able to work out the lay out. She clicked away at several buttons and switches. Energy began flowing into the ring, and the lights surrounding it slowly turned red. Then with a small flash, a swirling portal of blue energy formed in the ring's center.

The professor let out a sigh of relief, and moved toward the portal.

"Leaving, professor?"

Sinclair froze midstep, her blood suddenly running cold. Slowly, she turned around, to see Alastormon standing in the doorway. At his side, Sinclair could see the sharply dressed man from before.

"I was...just heading back to earth." Sinclair replied nervously.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

The professor swallowed nervously. "Why n-not?"

"Daemon's orders." the knight answered in a blunt tone. "Now that his enemies know where you live, its too dangerous for you on earth. So, until further notice, you'll be staying here. Where you'll be safe. We're already bringing over some of your things, and preparing a room for you."

Sinclair opened her mouth, as if if protest, but thought better of it. "Very well. I'll stay for now."

Alastormon nodded at that, and gestured to the door. "Come along then, I'll show you to your new room."

After taking Sinclair to her new quarters, Alastormon moved toward the main elevator. He and his companion stepping inside. With a small rushing noise, the lift shot upward, until reaching the main command chamber. Daemon stood near the main console, surveying everyone's work. Off to the right side of the room GranDracmon stood, a glass of crimson wine in hand.

Daemon turned at the pair's arrival "Aah, there you are Alastormon. I trust professor Sinclair has been taken care of?"

"Of course my lord." Alastormon saluted. "She was placed in her room, and put under surveillance, as per your instructions."

"Good" the demon smiled.

"I also received a report from our field agents." Alastormon continued, moving to stand at his lord's side. "The last of the transmitters has been put in place. Everything is ready."

"Finally. Now, it's time to move on to phase two." Daemon turned toward GranDracmon. "It's time for you to take the stage."

The vampire took one last sip of his drink, and grinned wickedly. "I'll be sure to give an outstanding performance."


Trent, and Misaki sat in Chloe's hospital room. The bespectacled girl held one of the boy's hands in her grip, and a permanent marker in the other. She was painstakingly drawing onto the back of his hand, making sure not to leave a single smudge. When her work was done, she let go, and smiled in satisfaction.

"There, all done."

Trent took a moment to look over the now drying ink. It was drawn into the shape of a simple magical circle. A ten pointed star sat in the circle's center. Between each of the stars points was a single black dot. The same symbol could be seen on the back of Misaki's own hand.

"Thanks, Misaki." He twisted his hand back, and forth. "So...how does this thing work exactly?"

"First you press the center of the star." Misaki did so to demonstrate. The entire circle then began to glow faintly. "Then all you have to do is think of the person who you want to speak to. If they get the message, the circle will flash. Then they just have to answer by doing the same. To turn off the call, just move you finger counter clockwise around the circle."

Once more she demonstrated, and the circle returned to normal. "Simple as that."

"Got it." Trent replied with a bit of a sigh.

Misaki frowned at that. "Is...something wrong?"

"I just…" He paused for a moment, struggling with his words. "We lost the professor. Now we have no idea where she is! Our only lead gone-" He snapped his fingers. "-just like that."

"We should have kept an eye on her! Made sure nothing happened! We should have-" His shoulders sagged, as he let out another sigh. "I just don't know what we're supposed to do now."

Misaki's frowned deepened, and she touched his arm with a gentle hand. "Hey...it's alright. There's no way you could have known about what would happen." She smiled softly. "I'm sure we'll come up something. We always do."

Botamon leapt from inside of Trent's bag, and onto the boy's lap. "Misaki is absolutely right! You gotta have faith!"

Trent cracked a soft smile at him, and turned to the girl. "I never thought you'd be the one assuring me."

"What can I say, Chloe's rubbed off on me a little bit." Misaki laughed.

The two suddenly heard a yawn, and turned toward the bed. Chloe slowly sat up, rubbing one of her eyes. She then let out another yawn, and turned to the pair.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "I'm still really sore though. Everything's all stiff."

"It'll take a bit." Trent said, with a hint of sympathy. "Even after I woke up, I could barely walk for a day two."

"Great." Chloe deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

Misaki moved over to her side, and softly kissed her forehead. "You'll be up, and about before you know it."

Chloe smirked at that, and turned to look out the window. Her face then twisted into a curious frown. As she saw a thick fog outside.

"Huh, it was sunny out earlier. Where that fog come from?"

Trent quirked a brow. "Fog?"

He,Misaki, and Botamon moved over to the window, to have a better look.

A thick, grayish fog had indeed rolled in. It twisted, and curled around trees, and structures. Only the barest hints of silhouettes could be seen in the mist. Up in the sky, grey clouds hung heavily in air. The world outside, seemed washed out, still, and lifeless.

"I don't like this." Trent said, with a shake of his head. "This doesn't feel right."

Botamon's brow furrowed."This fog… It isn't natural."

Pupumon suddenly awoke at Chloe's side. "What's going on?" she yawned.

Suddenly an electric tingle ran through her, and Botamon's body. At that same moment, all the electronics in the room flickered for a brief moment, before switching back on. The tv within the room, flickered on, displaying only static. Then, just as suddenly, Trent, and Misaki felt their phones vibrate in their pockets.

The group all shared a look, each of them feeling a sense of dread. With great caution, Misaki, and Trent pulled out their phones. The screens flashed with static, and gave off a low crackling noise. Then, slowly, an image came into view on all three screens. As it came into focus, the smiling face of GranDracmon was on full display.

"What the hell..." Trent exclaimed.

"Hello everyone!." the vampire greeted, bowing dramatically. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast, to bring you a once in a lifetime musical experience. Performed by none other than yours truly. So, please, sit back, relax, and let go."

GranDracmon took a moment to clear his throat. Then, after several moments of suspenseful silence, he began to sing. It was a haunting melody, that seemed to strike a cord within the groups very being. They felt themselves shudder, blood running cold. Their minds then began to fog, thoughts slipping away. All of it was drowned out, and only GranDracmon's voice remained.

Then the sigil's within each of the teen's d-braces began to shine brightly. Pupumon was engulfed in light, Chloe's sigil shimmering atop her head. Botamon was also encased in his partner's light, and the Fireheart burned between his eyes. The power of the sigil's flowed into them, pushing back the fog in their minds. Soon there thoughts became clear once more, and the spell was shattered.

Trent held a hand to his head with a groan. "Ughh, what the hell just happened?"

"I...don't know." Misaki replied, mirroring his action.

Suddenly, the five heard a loud clatter from outside. Trent quickly moved out to investigate. After scanning the hallway briefly, he spotted a lone nurse. At his feet, was a turned over metal tray, and several medical tools.

Cautiously, Trent made his way over to him. As he got closer, he could see a phone was held in the man's grip. The video of GranDracmon was playing on the screen, haunting melody flowing from the speakers. The man stood stock still, as he stared down at the screen. His eyes were glazed over, and his mouth hung agape.

"Hey, are you alright?" Trent called.

The man did not respond, and continued to stare blankly at the screen. With an almost robotic motion he then dropped the phone from his grasp. He strode forward, bumping past Trent, and continuing down the hall. His gait stiff, and unnatural.

Within moments, more people appeared. All of them moved in the same manner, eyes glazed over. Like a procession they moved together in the same direction. Trent tried to call out to them as well, but his cries fell on deaf ears.

Misaki soon stepped outside as well, gasping in surprise. "Trent what is going on?!"

The boy made his way through the crowd, and into the hospital room. "I have no idea. They're all acting like-like zombies!"

Chloe quickly sat upright with a start. "Zombies?! The hell are you talking about?"

Misaki's eyes suddenly widened, as realization struck her. "It's the song! The song is controlling them!" She looked to the procession of people. "But where are they all going?"

"Wherever it is it can't be good" Trent replied. "But we can't worry about that right now. We have to think of a way to stop them."

Before Misaki could offer any solution, the circle atop her hand began to flash. Misaki quickly pressed the center of the star. It flashed one last time, then released a small stream of light. The light coalesced, forming into a phantom image of Gale.

"Finally, got this freaking thing to work." Gale sighed, exasperatedly. "I've been trying to get a hold of you guys, there's something going on over here."

"A creepy song, turning people into mindless, shambling zombies?" Trent asked.

Gale blinked at that. "Wait...it's happening over there too?"

"Yeah." Trent nodded. "Everyone in the hospital is moving together. We have no idea where they're going. And we're trying to figure out a way to stop them."

"I know how."

"You do?" Misaki asked.

"Yep." Gale answered with a nod. "After that message came through, June, and my parents started acting all strange. Me, and Fufumon tried to stop them, but it was no good." She held up her d-brace. "But then my digivice started shining, and this blast of golden light came out. It stopped them right in their tracks, and knocked them out cold."

She paused to look back over her shoulder."There's still crowds of people outside though, and I can't stop them all."

"Just get as many as you can Gale." Trent ordered. "We'll do what we can on our end."

Gale gave a single nod in response, and the call was cut.

"Botamon, and I will go and try to stop the people." Trent said. "Misaki, you stay here, and watch Chloe."

"I can look out for myself." Chloe interjected, fixing the boy with a serious look. "Besides, Pupumon's here to to protect me. You guys go on."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Pupumon added.

"I agree." Misaki said. "If there's two of us, we have a better chance of saving more people."

Trent sighed, and relented with a nod. "Fine, let's go."

"One last thing!" Chloe exclaimed.

Her friends turned to her curiously.

"My dads in this hospital. He's out there." The girl held a hand to her chest. "Please...make sure he's okay."

Misaki gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure of it."

With that, Misaki, Trent, and Botamon headed out of the door. Leaving Chloe, and Pupumon all alone.


Botamon rode atop his partner's shoulder. As he and Misaki rushed down the nearest hall. The three quickly scanned about, before spotting a small group of people, shambling down the stairs. They followed after them, and eventually ended up near the hospital's main lobby.

Throngs, and throngs of mind controlled individuals were gathered. They all shambled, and shuffled, in the same direction. None of them caring as they bumped into walls, and knocked over stacks of papers.

"It looks like they're all headed for the main entrance!" Misaki exclaimed.

Trent pondered the situation for a moment, before an idea sprung to mind. "You stay here, and try and get as many people as you can. We'll make our way through, and head outside. So we can pick up any stragglers."

Misaki gave a nod of agreement. Trent then rushed forward, moving into the crowd. He pushed, and shoved his way through. Arms, elbows, and bodies knocked him about. Botamon was even nearly knocked from his shoulder several times. But the little digimon was able keep steady.

As Trent barreled his way through the crowd, Misaki considered her options. It would take far too long to break the spell, one group at a time. She needed a way to get them all at once.

She scanned about, and soon spotted the main desk among the crowd. After taking in a breath, she charged forward into the throngs of zombies. With some effort she pushed past them, nearly getting trampled in the process. Finally, she made it to the desk, and scrambled to stand atop it.

With her higher vantage point, she raised her digivice up into the air. She focused, calling to her inner power. Her sigil shone within her d-brace, and began to emit a soft blue light. The light spread outward,in a brilliant burst, washing over everything around her.

All the people froze instantly as the light touched them. They felt the intense warmth course through their entire being. An electric tingling sensation ran through their muscles. Slowly the fog that clouded their mind began to lift, and GranDracmon's song was silenced. The color returned to their eyes once more, and they stood for a brief moment. Before all of them fell to the ground, unconscious.

With the way mostly clear, Trent, and Botamon were able finally make it to the entrance. They rushed out into the fog, finding nearly a dozen people shambling outside. Trent moved in their path, and held up his digvice. Just as with Misaki's, his sigil shone, and a burst of red light came forth. The people before them dropped to the ground in a heap.

Trent let out a sigh relief, and moved to rejoin Misaki in the main lobby. Misaki leapt down from atop the main desk, and walked over to meet the pair.

"We're going to search through the hospital for anyone else." Trent said, motioning toward the stairs.

"Right." Misaki nodded. "I'll search for Chloe's dad, and make sure everyone doesn't have any injuries."

Trent, and Botamon then took off, and headed up the nearby stairs. Misaki watched them go, before moving to the tedious task ahead of her.


It was nearly twenty minutes later, when Trent and Botamon returned to Chloe's room. Misaki was already there, sitting with Chloe atop the bed. The boy quickly moved to a nearby chair and flopped down into it.

"How did your search go?" Misaki asked, handing him a bottle of water.

Trent thanked her, and took deep a swig before replying. "We didn't find anybody else walking around. There were some people that were affected, but they couldn't really get out of bed. I fixed them up pretty quick."

He took in a deep breath, and took another drink. "The only people that seem unaffected were unconscious,asleep, or in comas." He looked up to Misaki. "Everything go good for you?"

Misaki gave a nod in response. "Everyone seemed alright. I was able to find Chloe's father too."

"I'm so glad he's okay." Chloe sighed. She paused to look out the window. "I think the fogs getting worse."

"Where the the heck is it even coming from?" Trent asked.

"Its Daemon's work. I'm sure of it." Botamon said.

Trent opened his mouth to reply, when his spell circle began to flash. He held it up for all to see, and pressed the circle's center. Just as before, a blue energy burst forth. It quickly shaped itself into a phantom image of Kiko.

"Guys, some serious shits going down. Where are you?"

"We're at the hospital." Trent answered. "You dealing with a bunch of zombified people too?"

"Yeah." Kiko said with a nod. "I was watching tv with my little brothers, when the signal cut. This digimon appeared on screen, and started singing. My brothers started acting all weird, and my head got fuzzy." He lifted up his digivice. "I was able to stop them thanks to this."

"Gale told us something similar." said Misaki.

"It's not just my bros though." Kiko continued. "My neighbors they all just up, and left. I went out outside to see what was up. There were people everywhere. Hundreds of them, all walking around like zombies. Not just here either, it's happening all over the city."

Kiko stopped for a moment, and sighed sadly. "I...went to where my parents work. They were already long gone by the time I got there."

Chloe's eyes suddenly went wide as dinner plates, her stomach dropping. "Emily!"

Trent, and Misaki felt the same sense of dread. As they realized their families were in danger as well.

"Kiko, how soon can you get here?" Trent asked, resolution burning in his eyes.

"I'm already on the road." Kiko answered, already knowing what Trent was thinking. "I'll be there soon."

"Please, hurry Kiko." Chloe pleaded, trying to hide her utter panic.

"Don't worry. I'll be there."

The call then cut, and Kiko's image suddenly disappeared.


Trent, Misaki, and Botamon all stood at the hospital's entrance. All three of them waiting for Kiko's arrival. The three stared out into the gray mist for some time. Before they heard a clattering sound from behind them.

They all turned, to see Chloe moving toward them. Her face twisted in effort, as she walked on a pair of crutches. Pupumon sat atop her shoulder frowning in worry.

"Chloe, what are you doing?" Misaki asked, rushing over to meet her. "You shouldn't be out of bed. You need to rest."

"If you think I'm just gonna sit in bed, while my sisters out there, you've gotta another thing coming. I'm going with you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Misaki opened her mouth as if to argue, but quickly stifled her objection. She sighed heavily, and gave the other girl a nod of understanding. Chloe cracked a small smile, and leaned forward to touch Misaki's forehead with hers.

The moment was suddenly interrupted, as the five heard the honking of a horn. They looked out to the fog, and could see bright headlights piercing the gray.

"Our rides here!" Trent exclaimed. "Let's get a move on!"

The five followed the twin streams of light. Trent, and Misaki helped support Chloe as she moved on her crutches. While Botamon, and Pupumon hopped along at the front, leading the way.

They soon spotted Kiko, and Lunamon standing in front of the van. The pair waved, and called out to them as they neared. Kiko then immediately leapt into the driver's seat, and revved the engine. With as much speed as they could, Trent and the others hopped into the van. One of them only pausing to note the unconscious forms of Kiko's brothers in the back.

"I couldn't just leave them alone." Kiko commented, as everyone buckled their seatbelts.

"What are you gonna tell them when they wake up?" Trent asked.

Kiko let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure."

Trent nodded in understanding. "My place is closest. You can drop me off there, and head off to find Emily."

With that, Kiko revved the engine one more time, before backing out of the parking lot. After carefully maneuvering toward the street he took off deeper into the fog.

The mist began to thin as they drove. Not a single soul could be seen. Empty cars, and other abandoned vehicles, were strewn haphazardly throughout the streets. Stores, and other buildings lay completely empty. Food sat uneaten at restaurant tables. But was most eerie of all, was the silence. No engines revving, no honking horns, no talking, or even a single footfall.

Nothing.

Only ghostly silence, and mist.

A sense of deep seated dread, filled the air, as the group continued on. It was hard not to feel a foreboding fear, settle in the pits of their stomachs. They did not show it though, and soldiered on in silence.

They soon neared Trent's apartment complex. The teen quickly unbuckled his seatbelt. The van only slowed for a moment, before he and Botamon leapt out. It then took off down the street, as Trent, and Botamon rushed toward the parking lot.

Trent practically sprinted up the stairs. All around him, he could see apartment doors hanging wide open. With not a single person in sight. He, and Botamon soon reached his apartment, finding the door tightly closed. After a moment of trepidation, the pair stepped inside.

"Mom?!" Trent called, looking about. "Mom!"

He quickly moved past the living room into the hall, continuing to shout. Suddenly the door to Sarah's room swung open, making Trent jump back in surprise. Sarah stood in the doorway, rubbing one of her eyes blearily.

"Trent?" she asked, voice slightly hoarse. "Whats wrong?"

Trent immediately lunged forward, wrapping her in a hug. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Of course I am. I was just taking a nap." She hugged him back. "Whats going on sweetheart?"

Trent separated from the embrace. "Something bad. Really, really bad. We need to pack up, and get to the hospital."

"The hospital? What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain as we go. Just trust me, okay?"

After a moment's thought, Sarah gave a single nod.


Kiko's van pulled up to the driveway of a small suburban home. It was painted a canary yellow, and was completely encircled with flower gardens.

"This should be the sitters house." Chloe said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

Misaki stood up, and helped the girl with her crutches. Pupumon then leapt atop her shoulder, and the trio headed out of the van. Despite Misaki's protests, Chloe moved with every ounce of speed she could muster. When they reached the front door, they found it hanging wide open.

"Emily!" Chloe shouted, as she burst inside.

Misaki, and Pupumon followed after her, scanning about the space. They could see that everything lay undisturbed. A full mug of coffee even sat on the living room table. Now cold, and untouched.

"Emily!" Chloe called again, moving deeper into the house.

She was about to call out again, when she heard a soft whimpering nearby. She followed after the noise, and soon reached a crawlspace near the stairs. Misaki moved in beside her, and opened it up. Inside, they found Emily, curled into the fetal position, crying softly.

"Emily!" Chloe cried, heart swelling with relief.

The little girl sat up with a start. She turned about, eyes widening as she saw her sister. Without a second thought she bolted toward her, and wrapped herself around Chloe's waist. Chloe dropped her crutches, falling to her knees, and hugging her sister tightly. She could feel her muscles screaming in protest,but she didn't care. All that mattered was that Emily was safe.

"Shh. It's okay Emily." Chloe soothed, as her sister continued to weep. "I'm here now. Your safe."

"I was so scared." Emily cried in between sobs. "I was upstairs playing. And then I heard a noise." She sniffled. "I went downstairs, and Mrs. Avery was gone." Her breathing became more erratic, tears flowing stronger. "And then...there was this fog, and I was alone. And then...and then..."

She started to cry in earnest once more, staining her sister's hospital gown.

"It'll be okay." Chloe said softly. "I'm here now. Everythings okay."

Pupumon leapt off Chloe's shoulder. "Yeah, everything's fine now."

The girl looked over at the small digimon. She let go of Chloe, and reached out to hug Pupumon tight to her chest. The digimon snuggled up to her, comforting the girl with her warmth.

"You can hold on to me as long as you need to."

Emily sniffled, and nodded in gratitude.

With some help from Misaki, Chloe stood back on her crutches. Then, with Emily in tow, the three headed back out toward Kiko's van.

"Where are we going?" Emily asked, as the side doors slid open.

"Somewhere safe." Chloe answered. "We gotta make a few more stops on the way though, okay?"

Emily nodded at that, and stepped into the van. Kiko, and Lunamon looked back at her, and offered her a wave. The girl gasped, as she spotted Lunamon, mouth hanging slightly agape.

Chloe smiled at her reaction. "Emily, this is Kiko, and Lunamon."

"Sup." Kiko said.

"Hi." Lunamon greeted shyly.

Emily moved over toward Lunamon, and reached out a hand. With a gentle tentativeness, she touched one of Lunamon's ears. Lunamon chuckled, and blushed lightly at the contact.

"Come on Emily. We need to get going." Chloe said, gesturing to an empty seat.

Once everyone had their seatbelts secured, Kiko pulled out of the driveway. Emily clutched Pupumon a little tighter, as they headed into the fog.


With great fear, and trepidation, Misaki stepped into her home. She walked through the living room into the dining room. Lying, scattered on the floor, she could see the shattered remains of several plates. Dozens of papers were laid on the table haphazardly. Several of them, along with a single pen had fallen to the floor.

"Mom! Dad! Magimon!"

After few moments of silence, she heard a familiar voice from the kitchen.

"In here."

Misaki immediately rushed into the kitchen. She found Magimon, sitting on the floor. His head was hung low, eyes glued to the floor.

"Magimon?" Misaki asked, beginning to feel a sense of dread.

"I couldn't stop them Misaki." he replied sadly. "I tried to everything I could. I couldn't do anything. Not without risking their lives." He looked up to her. "I'm so sorry."

Misaki froze up, standing stock still. She shook her head in disbelief.

"No. No, it can't be."

She let out a choked sob, and fell to her knees. Magimon immediately stood to his feet, and rushed over to comfort her. She began to weep freely, tears flowing down her cheeks.

After a few moments, Magimon heard Chloe enter the room. Magimon met the other girl's eyes, and simply shook his head. Chloe sighed deeply, and put her weight on a single crutch. She then reached down with her free arm, a bit awkwardly, and touched Misaki's shoulder.

A minute passed, before Misaki's tears finally ceased. She stood to her feet, and wiped her eyes. After taking in a deep breath, she gave her companions a reassuring nod. They both offered her a small smile, and the three headed back toward Kikos car.

Kiko, and Lunamon looked back at them expectantly as they entered. Misaki offered them a single shake of her head. Kiko could only nod in silent sympathy.

"I just got word from Trent." Kiko said, as everyone settled in. "He said he, and his mom, are going after Gale, and Derek. We're gonna meet them back at the hospital."

"Can we stop by my place first?" Chloe said. "I need to pick up some things."

"I should probably get some stuff too, while I'm here." Misaki added, wiping away a stray tear.

"Yeah, sure thing." Kiko nodded.


A lone ambulance moved through the misty streets of a quiet suburb. Sarah, sat at the wheel, while Trent, and Botamon were in the passenger seat. The three had picked up the ambulance, after making a quick stop at the hospital. So they would have room for their extra passengers.

The ambulance pulled up to the driveway of Derek's home. Trent, and Botamon then hopped out of the car, Sarah soon following after them. The three headed for the entrance, finding the door unlocked. Trent unsheathed his sword, and cautiously swung the door open. Once he, and Botamon were sure it was safe, the teen motioned for his mother to follow.

As they headed further inside, they heard the low blare of a t.v. They followed the noise, and found the screen was only static. Trent turned it off, and looked about the room. A half eaten sandwich could be seen lying on the table. In the kitchen, Sarah found the oven was still on, and a freshly used mixing bowl was on the counter.

"Who's there?"

The three turned at the voice, Trent readying his blade. They all relaxed, as they spotted Pururumon sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Botamon! Trent!" the tiny digimon exclaimed. "I'm glad it's you two."

"Hey, Pururumon." Trent greeted. He looked about. "Where's Derek?"

Pururumon frowned at that. "He's in his room. This way."

The three followed Pururumon up the stairs. They turned down the right hall, and moved toward an open door. As they stepped inside, they found Derek. The boy was lying on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Derek?" Trent said, moving further into the room.

Derek glanced over at him, looking slightly surprised by his presence. "Trent?"

"What are you doing on the floor?" the other boy asked, looking him over.

Derek's brow furrowed, and his fist clenched tightly. "I was trying to stop my parents. But I couldn't do anything."

Trent's eyes widened in surprise. Beside him, Sarah covered her mouth, holding back a gasp.

Derek hammered his fist into the floor. "My body wouldn't listen to me. It took everything I fucking had, just to crawl out of bed! Damnit! DAMNIT!"

A tense silence hung in the air for several moments. Derek held back his tears, as the others looked on with sympathy, and regret.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." Trent said, moving to grab Derek's upper half. He then looked up to his mother. "You mind giving me a hand?"

The woman nodded, and walked over to grab his legs. With a heave, the pair lifted him up between them. They carefully moved down the stairs, and out the door. After opening the back of the ambulance, the pair laid him down on one of the gurneys.

"Where are we going?" Pururumon asked, moving to sit beside her partner.

"We're gonna go get Gale, and Kyokyomon." Trent answered. "Then we're gonna meet back up at the hospital." He turned to Derek. "Is there anything you need while we're here?"

Derek took a moment to respond. "A change of clothes. And my meds. There in my bathroom, behind the mirror." He gestured vaguely with his hand.

Trent nodded in reply, and took off back toward the house. Pururumon watched him, before looking back to her partner. She frowned deeply, feeling utterly powerless to help.


Kiko, Misaki, and their partners stood near the hospital entryway, as the ambulance rolled in. Behind them, Chloe, Emily, and Pupumon all sat with the girl's still unconscious father. The fog had now mostly cleared, revealing the empty city for all to see. Night was beginning to fall, the sun's rays disappearing behind the horizon.

Trent, and Botamon were the first to step out of the van. Quickly followed by Gale, and Kyokyomon.

"How did things go?" Trent asked as he neared.

"We found Emily." Kiko answered. "But...Misaki's parents were already gone."

"Dereks too." Trent sighed sadly.

Gale stepped forward, turning to Kiko. "What about...your folks?"

Kiko simply shook his head in reply.

Without a second thought Gale rushed toward the pair, pulling them into a tight hug. They, and everyone around were stunned. After a few a moments, Kiko, and Misaki returned the embrace.

When the three finally separated, Trent motioned toward the ambulance. "Come on, lets get everyone inside."


Daemon, stood on a viewing platform, along with his commanders. Down below, thousands of humans marched, eyes glazed over. Several dozen Boogeymon stood on standby, corralling them toward several different passages.

"Very good work, GranDracmon." Daemon said, turning to the vampire.

"I aim to please." GranDracmon smiled.

Irkallmon scowled beneath her mask "Forgive me for not seeing your grand master plan. But what exactly do you plan to do with all these worthless humans?"

"Gathering them serves two purposes. The first, is to make it easier to gain a foothold in this city. As well as isolate the digidestined. As for the second, allow me to show you."

Daemon snapped his fingers, and a holo screen appeared before him. The screen displayed a gigantic mass of biomechanical machinery. Coils of black, almost spinal cord like wires were all twisted together. All of it forming into a tower like structure. Breaking up the black mass, were large pods of translucent yellow semi-fluid. All of them hung from the main tower, and sat at its base, like fruit. As Irkallmon looked closer, she could see humans being loaded into the pods.

"These machines are based upon the dark digivice technology." Daemon announced, gesturing to his creation. "It can channel the human's emotional energy, and turn it into power that we can use for ourselves."

"What are you planning to use all that energy for?" Irkallamon asked.

Daemon turned to her, and smiled. "That, my dear Irkallamon, is a surprise."

To Be Continued...

Next Time On Digimon Saga! Episode 53:City Under Siege

Author's Notes:Hey guys. I would have posted this a few days earlier, but my internet has been out. Not to mention dealing with the flood aftermath. Anyway, we have a couple new followers/favoriters since last time. BlasterDrive,Ryo551, and Zentegenal. Thank you for your support! Also this fic has over 20,000 views now! Holy crap! Thank you all so so much for your continued support! The end is in sight, and I hope you guys stick around until then! Anyway, that's it for now. As always thanks for reading!