Digital Shuffle
By famirad
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Digimon.
Author's Note: An AU of Digimon Tamers. This will have crossover with other Digimon series, but most of the main characters are from Digimon Tamers.
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Digital Shuffle
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(Golem, Golem)
Chitose Saiki was drunk.
It wasn't fun, being drunk this late at night. Her lips felt tingly. For one thing, she wasn't quite walking straight and no one was able to drive her home. They all lived in the opposite directions. And besides, Izumi told her, she could use the exercise. Walk it off and stuff. Chitose's legs wobbled and she doubted she'd find her way home. It would be humiliating for her if one of the koban officers were patrolling the area, because she'd definitely need help getting home. Of course they'd be very polite and helpful. But it would still be embarrassing.
The woman staggered across the street. She didn't trust her feet at all, the powerful dry winds pushing at her. Chitose was forced to bend against it, shoulders hunched.
Leaning on the railing heavily, Chitose went on her way, her eyes glancing blearily at the dark brushes on the other side of the path. Why had she gotten so wasted in the first place? She wasn't even from around here, but she'd been visiting a couple of friends, one of who let her stay at his place until she had to go back to Ueno. It must've been something important. Something about a break-up…? Or maybe she'd just gotten fired? Maybe even both?
In fact, she was more than just drunk. Closer to being hammered.
Chitose neared the bubbling fountain in the middle of the small park. Resting on the railing, she paused for breath, her gaze sweeping the area as she brushed her hair from her face. And then did a double take, suddenly noticing something – where was that light coming from? That sickly blue glow? It was simply there, casting the fountain in its pale light. It wasn't natural.
In fact…despite the fact everything was still fuzzy, some instinct begged her to turn around and leave .
But she didn't listen to it. Chitose was close to getting sick as she clapped a hand to her mouth, shutting her eyes and wishing the nausea would go away. Her other hand tightening on the rail, she sat back on her knees, the office lady resting her forehead against the cool metal. She hoped she wouldn't get sick. Not out here.
Swallowing her nausea, Chitose glanced over her shoulder. And froze, blinking in astonishment as she noticed the unexpected visitor.
What is that?
A small animal peeped at her from around the fountain. It wasn't very big, but whatever it was, it was strange looking. It looked like a bizarre mix between a small dog and a cloud. It looked like she was starting to see things now, because half of the animal's body ended in a swirling tail of blue, opaque gas. Well, it was probably just a lost puppy and the rest was all those beers talking. She didn't know what a Tapirmon looked like. Chitose turned around as the pitiful little thing half-crawled, half-floated toward her. Poor thing! It looked so skeletal, like it hadn't been eating in a while; she could clearly see the outlines of its ribs through the lightly furred hide. It looked like it was going to keel over any second.
"You poor thing," Chitose breathed. It stumbled over to her, the ghostly eyes fixed on the kneeling woman. "Who's your owner, boy?"
The weird puppy didn't make any noises as it approached Chitose. She held out one hand to it as it came closer. The creature dragged itself toward her, foot by foot. "I can't believe someone would actually abandon you. Poor thing," she cooed as it stopped only a foot away, the plated nose sniffing at her outstretched fingers. A noiseless snuffle. Its breath was cool, like a winter gust.
It pounced at her.
With a startled screech, Chitose fell backward…and backed right into the railing. Before she could scramble away from her attacker, the Tapirmon was on her, still silent. It dove head first into her – like a ghost, it went right through. Chitose stiffened as the tail of the cloud vanished into her chest. Something was being pulled from her, she was suffocating as numbness spread from her chest all over the rest of her body.
Eventually the struggles ceased.
The Tapirmon Golem squirmed free from the human female as it slumped lifelessly against the metal bars. Chitose's staring eyes had been bleached white, colorless as the Golem pulled first its long snout and then the rest of its body out from the host. The orders had been clear and the dead face of the Rookie turned toward the direction of the Juggernaut, its new brown eyes emotionless. The orders were simple: "overtake", "host", and "pool". That had been all that the brainless creature was able to understand, but it followed those orders with a singe-minded zeal. A glow shone throughout the unstable hide of Golem as it took to the air, as if something inside it was lighting it from within.
Several people claimed they saw lights in the sky flying that night.
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Impmon shivered, rubbing his gloved paws furiously against each other in an attempt to warm up. Stamping his feet didn't work. At least it gave him something to do. Standing behind the billboard, the fierce winds couldn't reach him, but it was still cold.
It hadn't been a good week. Last night was one of the weirdest experiences in the history of ever. Sheesh, this place is turning upside down! He didn't have any idea why and he didn't want to stick around to find out. Maybe he should leave Tokyo. There was no point in staying. He didn't even know why he was still lurking about here. If he'd been smart, he would've left a long time ago.
The wind was roaring by, whistling angrily as it lashed through the skyscrapers. The humans below were still scrambling after last night and he didn't want to deal with them right now. 'Sides, who knew if Fox Face was still looking for him? He didn't feel like dealing with those kids right now, those almost pitying looks that their Digimon gave him. Gross!
He winced. A flash of green eyes, a glint from a huge blade. Pigtails. And then a blank.
It wasn't hard to work himself up into a good sulk. Impmon was already feeling sorry for himself, and it had been awhile since he saw Calumon. He didn't want to admit it, but…he was actually kinda lonely, sitting here by himself, shivering in the wind. He didn't immediately notice when he wasn't alone. The Rookie started when a relatively familiar voice snuck up on him.
"Miserable day, isn't it?"
Impmon jerked, casting about for the source of the voice. Where in the…?
The voice continued speaking, all casual. "But of course a little wind never hurt anyone."
Impmon stared in open surprise as a young boy came into view, walking easily along the railing surrounding the roof's perimeter. Hey…I know this guy. Okay, so the name wasn't coming to him, but Impmon definitely recognized this particular human. And those stupid yellow goggles, yeah he remembered those too. The human was one of those "Tamers". The short one with Guilmon. What was his name? Started with a T... Takato. Takato strolled toward him at a leisurely pace. Impmon was instantly on his guard; something was weird here…
Takato hopped down from his perch, his too-bright blue eyes on Impmon. It was unnerving how the kid was clearly measuring him up.
"You've been hard to find, you know."
Impmon frowned. From his limited experience, this kid never talked like that. He was moving strangely too, stiffly. Like he wasn't used to his limbs. The expression didn't belong to the Tamer. And, to top it off, there was something different about his face: the virus-type couldn't place a paw on it, but something was out of place. Takato looped his arms around the struts as he stared at Impmon. "Spent several days looking for you. And now here you are."
"What's yer deal?" Impmon demanded. "How'd you even get up here?"
The human made a mirthless sound. "Obviously I'm not human. Must I spell it out?"
"Obviously. Pardon me if I ain't surprised." Huh. Impmon clearly remembered the Tamer vanishing right into thin air that night at Tokyo Tower, with the Guilmon that wasn't Guilmon. Even at the distance he'd been, he somehow sensed a difference. Takato disappeared. What he knew about the kid pinned him as a big old softy, so yeah, then he definitely wasn't dealing with the same human. Someone stole Takato's face.
Probably a Digimon, then, 'cause humans couldn't pass themselves off like that. A few Digimon out there could do the whole smoke and mirrors thing, steal faces and memories and all that jazz. Creepy.
The boy put on a smile. That's how Impmon saw it - he plastered it on like it didn't belong. "Are you going to waste my time with meaningless banter?"
Indignation surged, but Impmon managed to force it back down before he did (or said) something stupid. Better to be on his best behavior right now. His hackles raised instinctively and the Rookie swallowed down the impulsive retort, a grimace revealing his small fangs.
"Good," Takato took his silence as consent. "I'll dispense with the pretense of pleasantries. Orders are orders, after all. It's nothing personal."
Orders? From who?
"My Mistress notes your presence," said Takato. "I bear a proposal. It would be in your best interests to hear me out."
Impmon was suspicious. It was weird enough here was a Digimon actually trying to contact him now. Why would they suddenly have an interest in him? After all, they'd left him stranded out here, with all these humans! If they knew about him, then why hadn't he been able to go home? Although he was naturally suspicious, he was willing to listen to whatever this Digimon/thing had to say. But that didn't mean he had to sign on the dotted line either. I come first. I ain't servin' no cause I don't benefit from.
"I'm listenin'," Impmon grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Perhaps you noticed last night," Takato drawled. "It has all been planned, Impmon. You could play a role in this, if you so desired. These humans are weak. We will overtake them, these foolish creatures. We will rule over them. All of us, not just the elite. Not just the Ultimates. Not just the Megas. All of us. Would you not want to be involved in such a grand endeavor?"
"And what are you proposin' I do?"
"You could take up arms with us. You must have potential, Impmon, to draw the eye of my Mistress. She knows of your past transgressions, but she is willing to offer you a chance to redeem yourself. This is a rare opportunity she gives you."
Impmon blinked. "What d'ya mean, 'past transgressions'?"
"You don't remember?"
"If you could fill me in, I might," the Rookie retorted.
"You came into contact with two humans several years ago," said Takato, turning his hand over as if he was disgusted being attached to the thing. "Perhaps it is for the better you don't remember the details. The rift between our world and this one has been weakening and it is only a matter of time. Will you fight alongside us?" A sly blue-eyed glance. "We can see to it you'll digivolve. Assist us against the humans and everything you desire will be yours. You only have to ask and it will be done."
Tempting. He wasn't sure what this Digimon meant by the whole thing about past transgressions though. It always bothered him there seemed to be gaps in his memory and he'd toyed with the idea of digivolution more than once. What if he digivolved? Would that make everything go back the way it was? Would he remember? From the sounds of it, the Digital World had good chances of coming out the victor once the two planes clashed. Don't really wanna be neutral when that happens. The Rookie scratched his head, mulling this over. You didn't want to be pinned between the two. Of course he wanted to be on the winning side.
Impmon got to his clawed feet, brushing his fur off.
"I'll think about it."
An icy smile. Takato's voice was stained with the threat, the boy's hand idly sparking with strands of dark energy.
"Don't dwell on it too long, Impmon. I would hate to have to hunt you down personally."
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Ryo Akiyama was still alive.
Yes, we know.
The Juggernaut must continue its efforts. Both systems agreed. The Creator told them Ryo Akiyama was a threat to the plans of the Council she was part of. They also agreed this was true – but the Juggernaut also considered the fact Ryo could be a threat to itself as well. If he came into contact with the "obstructions" – the children with Digimon – and told all he knew, the knowledge could somehow lead them here. The dominant system disagreed with this suggestion: the calculated probability was far too low to concern itself with. However, it would keep this scenario in mind. After all, it couldn't afford to lose its "heart", so steps would be taken to reduce that risk.
We'll try again?
Yes. Again. And again. Until he is terminated.
Then why not now? Humans were usually still asleep now. There was experience in that area.
Because the human would be ready. The supercomputer would be as efficient as possible and it would serve no purpose to needlessly expend energy. It would wait until the target's guard was down and then try again. It hadn't known about the self-defense systems built into the D-Arcs. It hurt when the extensions received those shocks. It hadn't hurt the dominant system – no, it was funneled past it, to the lesser of the two. The Juggernaut hadn't felt the pain, but the other did.
Whatever remained of Takato Matsuda was still aching from the encounter with Ryo Akiyama.
Because of the companion system, the Juggernaut was capable of feeling pain. But it was an effective arrangement, the Juggernaut only vulnerable if the "heart" was. But if the extensions – or the machine itself – were under attack, any physical sensations would be passed onto the lesser, human awareness. This arrangement eliminated any distractions for the dominant side. Effective, for its center was deep inside itself. Protecting itself would not be an issue. However, there were other things that needed to be attended to.
Both systems focused their attention on Tokyo's sprawl. Visuals narrowed down to a few cameras in the southern area of Shinjuku. Lurking along the edges of the Yuggoth program, the supercomputer noted the Golem didn't cause the watchdog programs to spike, not like Digimon did. And so it slid past. The Juggernaut turned one of its many eyes as the Golem – in the form of a Tapirmon – went for the closest host. The Golem was about to arrive, but so was the Creator, according to the lobby's cameras.
Of course the Creator wasn't really a woman. Or even a human, for that matter. It was just the form she took on. She was the Deceiver precisely because of that ability: a fickle Digimon, she only bestowed the gift of shape-changing on her closest cohorts. And even then they would never have her powers, not to her extent. She was one of a kind in that aspect, the strongest available. And now she was here again.
She did what she had to. So should they.
The Juggernaut was aware of what was unfolding in the Real World. It knew about the operatives that had been chosen by the Council. It long ago categorized the positions for future reference. The operatives were appointed in a Line, each one's work blending into the other to be as effective as possible. The Founder prepared the way for his successors, prepared for the invasion. He laid the groundwork the Deceiver would work on. And the Deceiver would keep the humans unaware until it was too late. By then the Shield would be in place and deception would no longer be needed. Both systems approved of this way of working: it was the operation of a machine, each part doing their respective work and helping the others. Very efficient.
The humans don't stand a chance, Jenrya.
No, they do not. Not when the Shield arrives. The humans would be trapped in Tokyo, this newest operative keeping them locked within the city's boundaries, as well as keep out any outside interference. Humans never stood a chance, the dominant side said. They are disorganized. You, however, are fortunate.
That was true. The lesser part of the supercomputer understood this. It understood whatever it was told.
It trusted the Juggernaut without question.
It already came to the Juggernaut's attention that Takato Matsuda's companions – his "friends" – had begun looking for him. And that one of them had already spoken with the target Ryo Akiyama. A potential problem. Especially since there were things, such as additional properties of the D-Arc, that he could tell them. The shocks the Digivice sent went right to the Juggernaut and a powerful enough one could actually stun it: it wouldn't be able to access the electronics in the immediate area until it got its bearings back. Which could be several minutes to half an hour, depending on how far away it was. The closer they were, the faster the recovery rate.
The "heart" was still concerned about the Juggernaut. Was it hurt?
No. Of course not.
A surge of something resembling relief.
The Juggernaut began organizing the information that was filtering through with expert ease. In a way, it was like looking down at its own body. Part of the Juggernaut once had a faint memory of walking on two legs, of seeing things with only his two eyes. But that was irrelevant now. Combined, the Juggernaut and the companion system were perfect. The power of the companion system's Will and the Juggernaut's own unwavering focus were unstoppable.
The Creator was in the elevator now. And the Golem – a small glimmer of light like a will o' wisp – approached the building. It simply went through the walls, oblivious to everything, drawn toward the pool next to the Juggernaut's chambers. A quick rotation of CCTV cameras. A majority of the population was sleeping in the Shinjuku area and none of the extensions were picking up any activities that required closer inspection.
Kincaid Donovan arrived. The Juggernaut turned on all the lights in the smaller room, flooding it with a harsh yellow glow as the Deceiver began to resume her shape. Both sides, dominant and submissive, were curious about this "experiment" of hers.
…what will it be like?
It will be like the deletion of a Digimon. But we will be uploading the "data" it carries.
Made some sense. But then again, everything Jenrya said made sense.
The various monitors around the still pool began to hum to life as Kincaid approached. The lens zoomed in. She was saying something, her mouth moving. There was the briefest of delays as the Juggernaut translated the vibrations in the air to binary code.
" – failure. Why is Ryo Akiyama still alive?"
Jenrya, do we really need to kill…?
If you want to stay the way you are, yes.
That quelled any other "suggestions" from the submissive system.
Text began scrolling across the nearest computer screen as the Juggernaut explained the delay in its task. Another human 0ame to the target's aide. It appeared the D-Arcs these children carried differed from the original Digivices. These were not the same as those the first humans carried. They were stronger.
"Hmm…is that so?"
Yes.
Kincaid scratched the back of her head, running too-long fingers through her thick purple hair. "They must've evolved somehow. No one knows a lot about those things to begin with," She paused, her mouth making an expression of veiled disgust as the room brightened at the new arrival: the Tapirmon Golem was waiting stupidly at the pool's edge, having just floated down from the ceiling. Kincaid disdainfully ignored the creature. "Looks like we're starting."
She seated herself at the console nearest the pool as the Juggernaut turned its "eyes" on the Golem. It was still hovering, staring straight ahead. Mindless. Waiting for purpose.
"Into the water," the Creator ordered it coldly. She didn't even bother to look at the Tapirmon to see if it complied. The glowing creature obediently dove into pool, sinking underneath the surface. Her fingertips flying expertly, Kincaid began setting up the experiment's perimeters. Both sides of the Juggernaut set to work getting the pool ready for deletion. A surge of power and the waters suddenly rippled under its manipulations, lit from within by a moss-green glow. The Golem was a soft blob of gold shimmering in the depths of the pool.
"Delete it. Remember, I'm monitoring this, so keep it neat."
Very well.
Around the pool, a ring of red markers lit up as the Juggernaut fed more power to the "pool". The green glow increased as the supercomputer began deleting the Golem and the burden it carried, the life of a drunk. The Tapirmon slowly began to dissolve into data particles. Light leaked out, oozing into the water as more and more of the Golem broke apart.
And then the Juggernaut began to upload the energy of both the Tapirmon Golem and the host.
It was indescribable.
There were memories. A woman's life collapsed into brief glimpses of intense emotions, passions that varied between sadness, to pleasure, to anger and happiness. Inside its metal casing, the Juggernaut closed his eyes, drawing in a quivering breath as all of these sensations passed over him. Both sides of the supercomputer were fascinated with these feelings – it was a human they deleted, not a Golem. The Golem had only carried the aura of the unfortunate woman named Chitose Saiki. A good deal of this human was physical pleasure and recent tensions. They were so human, these emotions.
So human.
What I once was?
What we were once does not hold any relevance anymore.
Oh, but this was all so familiar…
But these are the only glimpses we will have of these humans. Nothing more.
Intoxicating. This was human Will, exposed for what it really was.
It was beautiful, so tempting in diminishing glow. That light…
It was human.
Upload is 50% complete.
It was a reminder. For a moment, Takato Matsuda listened. For a brief moment, he wasn't broken. For a moment, Takato was only a kid again, not Jenrya's "heart". He was aware of himself, locked into the throne-like personality matrix. Unmoving.
The light had been so weak…and his own was the same.
It was suddenly over: Takato Matsuda faded back into the general consciousness of the Juggernaut.
Upload complete.
Kincaid whistled her approval as she leaned over the railing of the pool's walkway. There was no sign of the Tapirmon Golem. The Juggernaut gave a pleased hum from the machinery surrounding the calm waters. Both systems could feel the sheer power thrumming throughout it, as if there was actually life animating its coils, and not just Will and electricity.
The Creator was grinning as she scanned the results.
"Cool! No hitches whatsoever." A sudden thought and Kincaid twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. "We can harvest more energy for you this way and get rid of some of those Golems. They're such a nuisance sometimes. But we can kill two birds with one stone if we use this method. What do you think?"
True. The Golems were weak, so it was natural for the stronger to take advantage of them. At least they were being put to a use.
Kincaid laughed at this comment. "Right? Looks like I'll be calling in more of the pests for this." She planted her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at the computer screen. "How do you feel about this?"
The Juggernaut would look forward to it.
More vibrations in the air translated to binary. "The Golems that come here will go into the pool. When that happens, delete them. The more you delete, the closer we are to our goal." The Deceiver gave a chuckle as she strolled toward the door. "Don't enjoy yourself too much. I want you to get rid of those children while you're uploading. And as for that Digimon of yours…make sure he doesn't wander out into public. Make him useful."
The Juggernaut would see to it. Humans were such short-lived things: if a few were gone, no one would miss them. As for the Digimon in question – a little persuasion would easily keep the creature in line.
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Guilmon felt sick. It wasn't the warm sick he felt when he ate too much. It wasn't full-sick. It wasn't that feeling he got when he stayed out in the cold either. This was a different sick.
Takato, I feel bad…
He huddled against the curved wall of the tunnel, his amber eyes half-lidded as he shivered. Didn't feel good. But Takato would make it go away. Takato had called to him when everything turned weird. Takato called for him only.
His human needed him.
A twinge of pain from his side caused Guilmon to sink to his haunches, tongue lolling out in a pant. Oh, he hurt! Takato had been hurt by someone (or something) and now he felt it too. His skin was all prickly and he ached with pain. His ragged breaths came in whistling wheezes. Takato? Where was Takato? He'd heard his Tamer's voice in his head, calling for him that night. And then again when he was with Terriermon. But Takato sounded different then, lifeless. He hadn't been screaming for help then, hadn't been crying.
But Guilmon listened anyway.
"Takato…I'm here…" Guilmon rubbed his head against the smooth surface of the wall, closing his eyes as if he could will away the shared pain. Takato said to wait here. But he hurt now. Takato was hurting too. Another brush against the wall, harder this time. "Where did you go?" Guilmon was babbling now – he didn't know why – but speaking aloud distracted him from the prickly sensation. "Takato?"
What if Takato left? Had he abandoned him?
Guilmon's throat caught. What if his Tamer grew sick of him? The Rookie hadn't thought of that. What if Takato called him here only to leave him? It was such a cruel thing to do. Takato's not mean! Takato hadn't a mean bone in his body. Takato would talk to him again, Guilmon decided with certainty. Takato would tell him why he vanished, why Jenrya told those lies to him. Takato would tell him what was going on. Guilmon let out a low, strained growl, banging his scaly shoulder into the wall.
"Takato!"
The cry echoed forlornly off the walls as Guilmon tilted his winged head, listening. No answer. Takato wasn't here yet. The shrunken wings drooped. He wanted to be hugged and comforted, but there was no one here. And the buzzing in his head wasn't going away either. It was maddening, distracting. Buzzing like a hive of bees in his brain. An irritated shake of his wedge-shaped head. The bees weren't going away, no matter how much he ground his skull against the wall.
"Guilmon?"
Takato! Guilmon stopped in mid-rub against the wall, his eyes flaring open. Takato was here! Like he'd promised! But there was only confusion as the Rookie glanced about the tunnel. His Tamer was nowhere to be seen. He could hear his friend, but that was it. There was no distinctive scent, just the familiar voice. "Takato?"
"Yes."
Guilmon surged forward eagerly. "Oh, I've missed you, where'd you go?" In his relief, he didn't notice he was talking to the air, that the voice of his Tamer was thick in the nest of buzzing bees.
"I had to go somewhere, Guilmon. But I told you I'd come back."
"Are you okay?" Guilmon asked, worried.
"…Someone hurt me, but I'm okay."
Guilmon felt a threatening snarl rumble through his chest as he strained to find the location of the boy's voice. Who hurt his Tamer? His human? His pupils shrunk down to dangerous black slits that were almost lost in the golden irises.
"It doesn't matter. I'll tell you later."
Guilmon shook his head rebelliously. Someone hurt Takato, therefore he had to do something about it. But eventually Guilmon quieted down, his grumbles of anger falling gradually into silence as the boy waited patiently for him to finish his spitting growls. Now that Takato was back, his hive of bees had only gotten stronger. But his Tamer's voice was soothing and Guilmon eased back onto his hind legs, resting his snout on the cold floor of concrete.
"I'm glad I can talk to you again."
"Me too. It's been so long," Guilmon mumbled.
"I want you to stay here, okay? It's not safe out there. They're looking for me."
Guilmon blinked. Who was?
"My friends. They can't find me. I don't want to be found."
Well, that was weird. After all, Jenrya and Ruki were Takato's friends, weren't they? And Terriermon and Renamon…everyone was worried about Takato. Why didn't he want to be found? They were only trying to help, right? This was all very confusing. "But…"
"If they find me, I'll be hurt." Takato's voice said tonelessly. "I can trust you, can't I?"
Guilmon's jaws snapped shut, wounded. Of course Takato could trust him! They were best friends, weren't they?
…Weren't they?
There was only silence from Takato's end.
"You can trust me," Guilmon whimpered. Takato was mad at him, he could tell. Did he say something wrong? The Rookie hastily tried to fix whatever mistake he'd made. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Then you have to stay here. If they see you again, I'll get hurt. Please listen to me, this is serious." Takato's voice broke expertly, imitating the first signs of fear. "I-I'm scared, Guilmon. You can help me. Please," he repeated with the beginnings of desperation. "I…I need you."
Guilmon's eyes brimmed with tears now. The very idea that Takato was in pain, was frightened somewhere made his snout all runny. And there was guilt, too. Why hadn't Guilmon gone looking with the others? Why hadn't he known where Takato vanished off to? They were partners, after all. He should know these things…he'd thought that they had a…well, something between them. Guilmon wasn't quite sure what exactly. The buzzing in his head grew even louder, drowning out even his own voice. It was only that and Takato he could hear now as he nodded tearfully.
"Then you'll help protect me?"
Guilmon knew he was saying he would, but he couldn't even hear himself now. Just the deafening buzz and the lulling voice of his Tamer.
"You're bound to me, Guilmon. Protect me. You're the only one who can. If you don't, I'll get hurt again…and so will you."
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"Oh my."
Ruki glanced up from her backpack at her grandmother's soft exclamation. The elderly woman slowly sank down into a chair, her eyes focused now on the TV.
"Ruki, come here for a minute."
Grudgingly curious, Ruki got to her feet at the sound of her grandmother's voice. Now what? More oatmeal? She wondered ruefully. Although she didn't get along with her mother, she was usually nicer to the older woman. After all, her grandmother was little more than a bystander and she always seemed to see the good in people…Ruki couldn't despise her, it just wasn't possible.
Her grandmother turned up the volume.
"…found dead this morning," the newscaster was saying. He exchanged glances with the woman sitting next to him. "According to the officials, there is no known cause of death. Ms. Saiki's body was found at six this morning in the newly developed Takamori Fountain Park. It's suspected she likely died of natural causes, but this hasn't been confirmed."
"My condolences," the other newscaster remarked, her lips pursing as she shook her brown curls. "I don't want to sound harsh, but I do hope it was natural and not something hu –"
Click.
Ruki raised an eyebrow as her grandmother got to her feet. The older woman glanced over her shoulder, her frown worried. Ruki went back to getting ready to leave: she wasn't really sure how she was supposed to act, finding out a complete stranger just up and died. When you didn't know someone, were you supposed to cry about it? Whatever happened to them didn't have an immediate effect on you. In went her pens, dumped into the backpack.
Ruki shouldered her backpack, turning around. Her grandmother was watching her. Ruki looked away, a little uncomfortable at the scrutiny. Why is she looking at me like that? Ruki finally turned around, breaking the awkward silence.
"I'm going."
A weary sigh.
"Be careful, Ruki."
How much does she know? Ruki wondered as she closed the gate behind her. It was hard to say. Sometimes she got the impression her grandmother knew everything she was involved in. Everything; Renamon, the wild Digimon. It was dangerous, what she got herself mixed up in. She didn't want her family to get involved. It was her business, hers to deal with. No one else's.
Frowning to herself, Ruki continued down the empty road. Renamon was probably watching her right now, hidden as usual. A snort. Grandmother has nothing to worry about. Ruki was a lot safer than most people. "Most" people didn't have their own Digimon, for starters. And although she rarely admitted it to herself – or to her partner – Renamon was good at what she did. The best, in fact. She couldn't ask for a better guardian. There was an unspoken trust between the two. It was assumed that each would look after the other.
She turned down a side alley when Renamon appeared: she was suddenly sitting on a ledge a few feet overhead, her bushy tail curling at her side as she looked down at the approaching human. There wasn't much sunlight between the apartment buildings and the darkness only seemed to make the Renamon's silky fur become even brighter.
Ruki had never actually stepped back and looked at her "partner". She was actually very pretty, now that she thought about it.
"Any luck?"
"Regrettably, no," Renamon got to her hind feet. "No Takato look-alikes. No Impmon either."
Ruki sighed. "We're getting nowhere," she muttered. "There's too much ground to cover."
Renamon joined her, hopping off the ledge. The Digimon straightened, glancing down at her Tamer. What she said was all too true. There was simply too much area. And there was only so much Renamon could cover alone. Renamon fell into step with Ruki, who continued down the narrow alley. The wind that had grown stronger overnight was kicking up loose bits of debris, discarded newspapers and posters whirling dust-devils around their feet.
The Tamer simply ploughed through them. "I think we should try talking to this Ryo kid Jenrya was talking about. It sounds like he knows more about what's going on than we do."
"He might be able to help us," Renamon agreed. "Although I myself am curious just how he came by whatever knowledge he has."
"I'd like to find out too," Ruki said, hefting her backpack to a different shoulder. Next to her, Renamon was silent, her tail moving lazily behind her as she walked. Ruki was feeling a bit better since the attack, although it looked like her partner wasn't going to be as forgiving about it: she was still tense with suppressed fury that only showed in the smallest of gestures. "Maybe it's just me, but I've got a weird feeling about this whole thing…"
Renamon lowered her snout, her inhuman eyes averted.
"Whatever it is, it's already in motion."
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Another half-day.
Jenrya sighed. These days it started to seem like it was pointless to even bother coming to school, but he did anyway. Not because they were getting much learning done, but because it was the only way he knew how to keep in contact with Ryo. The other boy seemed to come and go whenever he felt like it. But Ryo seemed to show up for his classes and this way Jenrya could keep an eye on him. Jenrya was genuinely worried…or at least he told himself that he was. He refused to consider the idea that maybe (just maybe) the only reason he felt anything in the first place was because of what Ryo knew.
It was true. Even if he told himself otherwise.
He'd managed to convince Ryo to wait for him after school, that he, (as Jenrya had half-jokingly put it), would play his "faithful bodyguard". Ryo only rolled his eyes, but he'd also taken the Tamer up on his offer. For the most part, Ryo still continued with his "I'm the coolest kid around" act in the presence of his classmates, but he was mostly just cool when left to his own devices. Like now, walking side by side. After a point, Jenrya gave up to have a conversation. They went in uncomfortable silence toward Guilmon's former den, where Terriermon waited. It was only when they'd begun to mount the stairs that Ryo spoke up.
"How many other people have you told about Digimon?"
Jenrya glanced at Ryo – the other boy had stopped in his tracks and was now facing him with another one of his unreadable expressions, as if keeping his face blank would prepare him for anything coming next.
"Well, I haven't told anyone: I'm not sure about Ruki. But I know Takato has at least told one other person."
"Who?"
"I don't really know her that well…"
Ryo was quiet for a moment, black eyes withdrawn in thought. He was still frozen in mid-step on the stairs, one foot on the step above the others as he spoke up, "It's that girl, the one with the green bow in her hair." There was only cool certainty in his voice. "The team leader."
It took a moment for Jenrya to figure out who Ryo was talking about. He stared – how could Ryo know? He'd barely spoken to Juri, and from his impression, Ryo hadn't made any contact with Takato.
"Juri Katou. Takato's friend."
Ryo didn't seem to notice he'd spoken. Without warning, he was suddenly moving again, turning and heading up the winding concrete stairs. Jenrya followed the other boy, bewildered. What was that all about? His gray eyes fixed on Ryo's back. How could Ryo have known that Takato told Juri? There's just no way…he couldn't have talked to Takato. And he doubted Juri told him. The two boys winded their way through the sun-splashed stairwell, climbing higher through the brush. The wind was still strong, shaking the trees overhead furiously. Branches creaked ominously. Ducking his head, Jenrya followed Ryo.
Terriermon waited for them at the open gates, taking refuge from the blistering wind.
Ryo was the first to speak up. "About this Juri. What's she like?"
"She's nice, I guess. Haven't really talked outside of class."
"Did Takato tell you what he told her?"
Jenrya frowned as Terriermon crawled up to his normal perch on his shoulder. "He said he showed her Guilmon. I think she probably already knows about Terriermon and Renamon. In fact, I think Calumon has been staying with her for the past week."
"So she's with a Digimon. Is this one her partner?"
"No, at least I don't think so. I don't think she's a Tamer." Jenrya said. At least this he was sure of. Calumon didn't seem to be the partner type – actually, thinking about it, he wasn't sure just what kind of Digimon Calumon was. A weird one, that's for sure. Far as he knew, Calumon didn't have any attacks to speak of, no special powers besides being his cute self. As for Juri – she didn't seem to be the type to have a Digimon. Does she even have an interest in them? It was true no one knew what qualified someone to become a Tamer; Ruki thought it was a matter of strength, both mental and physical. Takato thought that it was a matter of "will". Jenrya himself wasn't sure what to think. It just...happened.
"She can't stay in Tokyo." Ryo's eyes rose up to meet Jenrya's. "Convince her leave on that vacation of hers earlier."
Terriermon interrupted, his bead-eyes clearly confused as he raised a paw. "Excuse me, what's going on?"
"I'd like to know myself. What does Juri have to do with what's been going on?"
Ryo pursed his lips.
"She'll get dragged into this. If she's out of Tokyo, she'll be safer."
Jenrya sighed. "Okay. I'll talk to her and see if she can convince her family to leave early."
"Now that you guys finished up with that, maybe we can get talking about what's really important." Terriermon poked Jenrya in the side of the head with a claw, eliciting a sound of protest from his Tamer. "I don't know if Jenrya told you, but Guilmon disappeared yesterday."
"Yeah, Jenrya filled me in."
"He was acting really weird when I was with him. Like he was distracted or something." Terriermon was talking to Jenrya now; it was easier to talk to his Tamer than this stranger he brought with him. "I swear, I left him for a few minutes and he vanished on me."
Jenrya said nothing, glancing at Ryo expectantly. "Distracted?"
"Like he wasn't listening to me. Weird."
"Like he wasn't listening…if not to you, then who was he listening to?" Ryo thought aloud. That whole Digimon-Human bond was no joke. That much Jenrya could read in the other's expression. "This could be bad, if it's what I think it is."
"What do you mean?"
Ryo shook his head. I can only think of one thing that might distract a Digimon like that. But could he be sure? They don't know where their friend is. And if he hasn't come back by now, it isn't because he won't. He can't. The more Ryo thought about it, the more he was convinced Guilmon's disappearance hadn't been due to curiosity (as hinted by Terriermon), but by something else. For Ryo, it was always the worst-case scenario.
"Digimon develop bonds with humans," Ryo said quietly. A regretful twinge he ignored. "Not always, but sometimes. From what I've seen, it looks like you three have bondedwith your 'partners'." He held up a hand, barring any questions. "You wouldn't notice it – it's only obvious when one or the other is under some kinda stress, and that's if it's strong."
Jenrya and Terriermon exchanged startled glances at his words. Ryo couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Had they thought the only reason they were so close was because they were "friends"? Human-Digimon bonds have nothing to do with friendship, Ryo couldn't help thinking bitterly. It never did. His smile tightened, cooling.
"I'm getting somewhere with this. These bonds serve as a link between human and Digimon: from my understanding, they can convey one's feelings to the other's end, and vice versa. Among other things. I don't really know a lot more about them," Ryo's tone was sardonic. Mostly because I never got a chance to learn about them. Getting almost killed does get distracting."The stronger the link, the more that can be felt through it. From what I'm hearing, Takato had a real strong bond with his partner. My guess is Guilmon must've felt something on his end..."
"…which means that Takato must be in trouble." Jenrya picked up the train of thought, his eyebrows knitting as he turned this over in his mind. We have bonds? This was a new concept; he'd assumed that Terriermon and him being best friends was enough. But a bond? Is it something more? Jenrya glanced at Ryo only to find the other boy met his gaze without flinching.
"Fear and pain are two of the strongest emotions. Because the main 'instincts' – the coding – of a Digimon is to fight, they're most sensitive to this. It's the strength of the bond that determines how much of it gets channeled to the other end."
Terriermon's comfortable weight on his Tamer's shoulder shifted. Jenrya couldn't see his partner's round face, but he had an idea that Terriermon was miffed at being referred to as "only" programming. His voice bordered on petulant. "But why didn't Guilmon feel anything before? I mean, he was pretty normal a few days ago."
"Don't know, I've been wondering about that myself. Takato was probably fine before yesterday." Ryo's face hardened as he regarded Jenrya and Terriermon. "Must be bad. Real bad. Normal pain doesn't drive a Digimon to wander off like that." For the first time, he looked away, his face stony, even through the smirk. "Trust me on this; Digimon have a crazy high tolerance for that kinda thing. It was probably something else. Worse."
Something else? Jenrya wondered as he stared at Ryo. If Takato's hurt, what could be worse?
"It's always taking a turn for the worst, isn't it?" Ryo remarked. "But I don't think Takato's gonna be the only one in trouble when things heat up."
Terriermon ogled at Ryo, his small mouth gaping open. Jenrya himself was torn about his options at the moment. There was of course a sharp fear for Takato – he was his best friend.There were hundreds of things he could have (should have) done that day, before Takato disappeared. He'd been planning to invite Takato over to his house – why hadn't he done it earlier?
"Doesn't matter what you didn't do for Takato and Guilmon," Ryo said bluntly, noticing the looks. "Right now, what matters is what you do next."
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The afternoon passed into the dusky evening sky as the fog near Rainbow Bridge thickened. It was a strange fog, those passing by commented to one another, so weirdly thick like a wall. But most shrugged it off and went on their way. No one noticed as the fog spread its ghostly tendrils across the waters. As the mist continued to grow, the center of began to become very solid, a dark shape gradually taking form. Shouldering a huge hammer, the Digimon continued to solidify…
Sitting at a computer console, Kincaid tilted her head, as if listening to something out of a human's limited hearing range. She could feel the approaching Digimon. Given he'd digivolved, it was hard not to. She had to hide her grin with a gloved hand before the others around her noticed. A little late, but better then never.
The Shield. He's bio-emerging.
Below Hypos, the Juggernaut paused in the middle of routine sorting. The files – information on the last humans involved with Digimon – were put on hold as it began accessing the nearest electronics to the disturbance's site, for a moment focusing its attention on fixing the location. Several CCTV feeds rotated toward the bay. A visual of a heavy "fog" over the suddenly placid waters popped up.
Ah, it was the next of the Line the Deceiver spoke so highly of.
The Shield. NOTED.
Losing interest, the supercomputer went back to its tasks. There were other, more important matters that needed to be tended to. Both systems agreed it was necessary to work as efficiently as possible – already they could sense the Golems that began coming into the Real World. Three here. Two in Ueno. Four to the south. Their Creator put thought into action. Though there would certainly be a larger scale of awareness from the humans, noticing the growing number of dead, the Shield would be settled in by then. By the time the humans started fleeing Tokyo, it would be too late.
They wouldn't be able to leave.
…then you'll feed again, won't you?
I will. Am I not more important than the lives of strangers?
Without a question. There was nothing that meant more than Jenrya's well-being. After all, it was important he ate. The stronger Jenrya was, the longer they would stay together. The dominant side saw no reason to correct this line of thinking. Let the remnants of the companion system believe whatever he wanted: after all, he wasn't coherent enough to make his own decisions. The Juggernaut returned to the files but, even then, it kept an eye on its primary target. An opportunity would arise. They could wait, both of them. There were two more that were to be dealt with as soon as that was finished.
It would, of course, use different tactics than those employed by the Digimon. There were easier ways to hunt these humans down, these humans who broke the taboo. The companion system's memories were easily dissected by the Juggernaut, picking out weaknesses that could be exploited, flaws which could be used against the targets.
Evening progressed. The large, armored Digimon slid into the water with barely a splash as the Digital Field faded away. And things were quiet, once more, as more strange lights appeared over the city's sky. They were almost pretty, observers remarked. Those who saw the lights described them as glowing balls, like large stars.
More unearthly lights, and, in the morning, more bodies.
The Juggernaut absorbed everything: nine wasn't enough at all. Jenrya must eat more.
To be continued...
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Juri will be have a sidestory and yes, Leomon will be appearing.