Digital Shuffle

by famirad

One night, Takato vanishes, leaving Guilmon behind. With something weird happening at Hypnos, maybe there's more to this than just a missing boy. Jenrya and Ruki must face conspiracies, a Digital World bent on invasion, and new allies with their own agendas. They aren't the first kids to meet Digimon...and these partnerships aren't as magical as they seem. [Tamers AU with 01, WS]

15. Will o'Wisp

Digital Shuffle
By famirad

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Digimon Tamers.

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Digital Shuffle
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(Will o'Wisp)

"Jenrya!"

Ryo cursed himself. Why the hell hadn't he seen this coming? Of course there would be some sort of shape-shifter! How else to replace a kid who vanished? It was so obvious, and whoever/whatever this shape-shifter was, he was strong. You had to be to retain that shape for very long. His shout didn't seem to have any effect on the other boy. Jenrya stood in his path, frozen in shock as the Takato Matsuda-look alike quickly closed the gap between them. Ryo sprinted recklessly forward, watching as the blue eyes lit up. A fist draw back, Takato's eyes wide and unblinking.

Ryo's push sent them tumbling off to the side and, with a deafening crack, Takato's fist slammed violently into the wall where Jenrya's head had been only seconds before. The stone cracked under the blow and a large portion of the wall shattered into a pile of rubble. Ryo scrambled to his feet, hauling Jenrya roughly up by his arm. No time for questions.

Ryo definitely didn't like these odds. It was three of them versus this freakishly powerful "human". Not to mention his buddies.

The Ogremon behind the blue-eyed Takato milled around in dull confusion, at a loss of what to do. Waiting for orders. One plus. Good. They're not very independent. Or smart. Ryo wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he knew he couldn't. All Takato had to do was give the order and things would get even worse. For some reason he didn't. Maybe he was a glory hog.

"Jenrya, that's not Takato!" Ryo snapped. "We got no time for this! Attack him! Terriermon has to digivolve! I can't do this on my own!"

"But – " Jenrya started, visibly shaken.

"That's not him!"

It wasn't. It couldn't be. Ryo was right.

" 'Course I'm right!" Ryo spat. Jenrya probably wasn't even aware he said something. "Look at him!"

Takato, at the moment, had disengaged himself from the wall, shaking a stinging hand. If he had been human, his hand should've been a bloody pulp from hitting the wall like that. But there was no blood. Only a few rips, like tears in flesh-colored plastic, out of which a few particles of glowing green data slipped into the night air. His blue eyes rose slowly up as he faced Ryo, Jenrya and Terriermon again, a strange smile forming on his face. Too wide, with pointed needle-like fangs. That smile – that wasn't Takato's smile at all…

Ryo was gratified to see Jenrya getting back with the program. Straightening, Jenrya let Terriermon hop down and pulled out his D-Arc.

Takato crouched low, almost on all fours, a mocking expression twisting his face:

"I'm afraid a mere Rookie isn't going to be of much help!"

Terriermon assumed a defensive stance, beady eyes fierce. Jenrya was behind him and that was all he needed. Takato or no Takato, if Jenrya was okay with it, then so was he! They didn't know if this Digimon, posing as their friend, was a Champion or higher. Not only that, but he had a sinking feeling those Ogremon wouldn't stand there and be content just to watch, not if the battle dragged out. They weren't very intelligent, that was true, but neither were they big on the idea of patience.

Jenrya selected cards. Next to him, Ryo watched, hands in his pockets. There wasn't much he personally could do, except try to coach. No point in running, because they'd just catch him. That, or those freaky wires things would get him the moment he left the (relative) safety of Jenrya and Terriermon's company.

"Just because he looks like Takato doesn't mean he has the same human weaknesses," Ryo said aside to Jenrya. "Don't pull any punches."

The Tamer gritted his teeth. "Not planning to."

He had slipped his first card into his D-Arc just as the false Takato charged. Fingers splayed into claws, he slammed down his hand. Terriermon danced out of the way, his reflexes improved. With a grunt, Takato ripped his fingers from the holes they created in the sidewalk and stood upright. Without warning, he abruptly spun about, holding out a hand. There was a dull, rising humming sound as purple beads of light collected into a sparking ball. His hand tilted up sharply from the recoil as he released the energy ball, sending it rocketing at Terriermon.

Terriermon dodged the hissing blow, running along the wall as the bolt blew a large hole into it. Another followed suit. A hail of chips and dust rained down, clinking on the pavement. He leaped off, the bunny-Digimon retaliating with an attack of his own, spinning.

"Bunny Twister!"

The young human didn't even appear to feel the blow, turning to face Terriermon as he bounced off and landed on the sidewalk. There was a deafening screech as the boy reached out and, with a single, powerful wrench, tore the iron-gate off from the wall. He hurled the heavy metal at the smaller Digimon. Terriermon managed to scurry away from the projectile. The gate screeched harmlessly onto the empty street, throwing up sparks.

Takato's eyes narrowed, gleaming blue as he glanced over his shoulder at the Ogremon. They were growing increasingly restless, eager to join alongside their escort. A snapped order and they calmed down, cowed.

"I'm afraid I'm not impressed," Takato turned his attention back to Terriermon, "Much as I would love to play with you further, I haven't the time." He looked past the smaller Digimon, at Jenrya, then at Ryo. A flicker of recognition. "I'll kill you two nuisances and get it over with."

Ryo scowled. So this Digimon masquerading as Takato Matsuda knew about him. Instead of trying to pick him out before Jenrya, the imposter decided it made more sense to get rid of all of them. Great. Just great.

Terriermon wasn't going to stand for it. "Not if I can help it! Jenrya!"

Jenrya started to slash his card. "Digi-Modify…!

A burst of light to Takato's left, the flare blindingly bright. Takato threw up his arms with an angry snarl, his blue eyes narrowed to slits as the light radiating from Terriermon brightened. So this human's slave was dependent on his master to digivolve? Best to ignore the slave, kill the master first. The slave would be useless without the human holding the power. He lowered his arm and measured this new threat. A Gargomon. Large for its species, but surely nothing to be afraid of. This new group of human children and their slaves couldn't be much stronger than the first group. He could handle this by himself! He wouldn't take the humiliation of letting Kincaid's pet abomination lurking underneath that big building best him.

Gargomon leveled his barrels with a click as Takato approached, his inhuman eyes unblinking. His enemy was in his sights.

Swallowing, Jenrya bowed his head. "Do it."

The Champion opened fire on Takato. The Tamer kept coming, walking right through the crossfire. His shoulder wrenched back as a shot plunged through it and tore open a bloodless gash. His face tilted back slightly as another grazed his cheek. Ribbons of shimmering green data streamed out as Takato began to speed up, his shoes touching lightly on the pavement of the sidewalk. With a sinking feeling, Gargomon realized none of his efforts were going to slow down this monster. But he had to keep trying -

He let out an involuntary squeak as a blue and tan blur – Takato! - suddenly rushed past. Spinning about on his hind paws, he started to lock onto his opponent; green muscled arms were abruptly grabbing clumsily at him with huge ham-fists. Wriggling frantically out, he ignored the Ogremon behind him and went frantically after Takato. No! The imposter was already practically upon them, his hand now before him and glowing purple. Jenrya was rooted in his spot, gray eyes wide. Jenrya!

An explosion erupted at Takato's feet, forcing the energy blast to shoot wide of his intended targets. Gargomon's breath caught in relief as Takato, in open fury, turned to face this new threat.

Kyuubimon bounded toward them, Ruki riding behind her neck. Her Tamer ducked as Kyuubimon's multitude of tails rose up, shining with pale blue fire and howled as she let loose another assault. Caught by surprise, one of the Ogremon fell backward as the first wave of ghostly blow fireballs caught him in the face. Kyuubimon streaked past, ignoring the data spraying out as he was deleted. Ruki, nearly engulfed in the soft fur of her partner's mane, sat up as Kyuubimon quickly put herself between Takato and Jenrya. The remaining Ogremon retreated, suddenly finding these odds less appealing.

"Why don't you do yourself a favor and crawl back into whatever hole you came from?" Ruki glared murderously.

The fake-Takato tilted his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible."

Takato didn't even so much as flinch when Kyuubimon bared her fangs at him. This definitely wasn't Takato Matsuda. The green particles of data leaking out from numerous cuts were a dead give-away, while the fact he had nearly blown Jenrya and the stranger with him to sky high was another clue too. Ryo guessed that was probably Ruki Makino. He already liked her style.

Ruki took her eyes off the fake Takato for a moment. "Gargomon, change of plans. Tunnel. You know where."

Gargomon nodded and started to herd Ryo and Jenrya away. Everyone tensed, for one, unending moment. Takato was poised to attack once more, Kyuubimon bristling.

That was when the lights appeared in the sky.

With a hiss, Takato's blue eyes turned up, his expression one of annoyance. First four, then seven. Others joined them. Turning and dancing among each other several thousand feet up, the eerie balls of light twisted through the night sky and headed in a glowing stream overhead. The glittering thread of light wound its way under the stars, heading to some unseen destination. Ryo scowled, wondering just where he had seen this phenomenon before. Whatever they were, they spelled trouble.

Takato glared as if he could wipe the three humans off the face of the earth. He was presented with a choice. Finish the job, and risk losing the rest of the Ogremon. Or complete his task and deal with them later. The Mistress would be displeased if her servant came back empty-handed and his only excuse was he got distracted, side-tracked by targets that weren't even his to deal with in the first place. No, better to finish his task. He had already lost one Ogremon.

Ruki was startled to see Takato suddenly turn on his heel and walk away, disgruntled. Soon he, and the Ogremon tramping after him, were gone, vanishing into the shadows beyond the streetlights.

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"Ruki, this is Ryo Akiyama. Ryo, Ruki Makino."

Ryo and Ruki shook hands with equally guarded expressions. Each was distant, sizing up the other.

Jenrya sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as their hands dropped and the two turned to look at him. "I think saying this whole thing is out of our league is justified.

"No kidding," Ryo said brusquely.

Ruki shot a stare at him, who steadily ignored it. Terriermon and Renamon remained several yards away from their Tamers. In a hushed voice, the bunny-Digimon filled in Renamon about Ryo and everything that happened. The other Digimon nodded several times, her eyes glancing from time to time at the new human. Ryo shoved his hands in his pockets, slouching against the wall of the tunnel.

"Even if it is out of our league," Ryo paused, but made no attempt to correct "our" to "your", like Jenrya expected, "the question is, what can be done?"

Jenrya shook his head. "Exactly? What can we do? We don't even know what's going on."

"That's such a bad attitude, Jenrya," Ruki rolled her eyes. "The sky isn't falling yet."

"Hey, I think tonight was actually pretty productive," Ryo said sarcastically. "Aside from almost getting blasted to sky high, I'd say you guys learned a lot." He glanced from Ruki to Jenrya. "We know some Digimon is running around pretending to be Takato. But his job isn't to blend in – I'd say Takato happened to be the first one he came into contact with, so he copied his image first."

Ruki's eyebrows drew together. "So what was he doing out there?"

Ryo shrugged again. "Beats me."

"Those Ogremon." Jenrya mused, thinking back to the harrowing events not long ago. "He was leading them, wasn't he? Like some kinda guard?"

Ruki suddenly snapped her fingers.

"What if more Digimon bio-emerge? He might appear again. So long as we don't broadcast our presence, maybe we could follow him. See where he's going. Who knows?" Ruki was determined. "Maybe the real Takato is there."

Jenrya looked at her hopefully. It was definitely a plan, a good one in his opinion, better than anything he had come up with. Ryo himself nodded after giving it some thought. It could work…maybe it wouldn't save the world, but it was a start. If Takato was back, that meant the odds got a little bit better.

Ruki's plan was given the thumbs up. Jenrya and she would meet later to decide the specifics. That settled, she turned to Ryo.

"Jenrya said you might have some info about all the weird stuff that's been going on here. Heard you even went to the Digital World."

Ryo went silent for a moment. His voice, when he spoke, was tightly controlled. "So? It's none of your business. I only came to see if I could do something about the present, not the past." It was obvious he wasn't going to talk about whatever happened in the Digital World. Ruki only arched an eyebrow as if to say yeah, that's not a good excuse.

Jenrya diplomatically cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence.

"Okay, so let's focus on the present."

Ryo glanced from Jenrya to Ruki, his black gaze apathetic as his lips quirked up in a dry grin. "Only problem is, what answers I have might not make any sense. We need to have the right questions first before I can really be useful. I got my own ideas about what's going on here, but a lot of what I heard were rumors. But with all the action I saw then – and now – I think they're true."

Ryo ran a hand through his hair. Everyone's eyes were on him now. Now that he was here, he wasn't really sure how to go about this. When Ryo clawed his way out of the Digital World, he hadn't exactly been rehearsing his lines – in fact, this moment was the last thing on his mind at the time. Now that he was here, he wondered where to start.

"More Digimon are coming," Ryo said bluntly. "Not sure exactly when the invasion is, but they're definitely coming. I don't know how long it will take them to open the door between our world and theirs. It could be weeks, months. Even a year, but I doubt it'll take that long. The thing is, the whole Digital World has been united for this; all the warring factions, gone. All the wars there, gone. All Zones are governed by some sort of World Council." He took a breath and went on. "When the door opens, they will come in full force. There will be a huge massacre when that happens. Most likely everyone here in Tokyo, in Japan, will die. And that won't even be when the backlash from the interference between the Real and Digital World hits."

There was only a stunned silence.

"I came here to try to do something about it. The Digimon you've seen running around – the Tamer-less ones – are part of it. Even when I was back there they were recruiting, amassing some huge army. It's all some sort of plan that's supposedly been years in the making. Again, I don't know why they're doing this. Frankly, I don't care," Ryo's expression was dark. "I came back to do what I could. You guys have more of a chance than I do at preventing this."

"And just how big is that chance?" Ruki asked, subdued.

"Tiny?" Ryo's chuckle bordered on fatalistic. "But mine's zero, so yours are better than nothing."

Jenrya was cradling his head in his hands, completely overwhelmed. An invasion? How could they expect to deal with something like that? Where would they even start, if anywhere at all? Three Tamers…no, two. Takato wasn't even here and neither was his infectious optimism. Two Tamers then, and Ryo, against what seemed like the weight of a whole world. This was too much. Jenrya couldn't help but have a difficult time trying to understand just what Ryo was saying – it was almost too ridiculous, too insane to be actually true.

"The thing is, they can't do much until this door is opened," Ryo continued, "There's some sort of 'weak' spot between the two Worlds. Obviously it hasn't been broken yet, otherwise we'd all be dead."

Renamon came up behind her Tamer, clapping a supportive paw on Ruki's shoulder. "What can we do?"

"Prevent the door – the weak spot - from being opened. It won't deteriorate any further, unless something disrupts it. I'm sure that whatever Digimon are here, they're working on doing just that. Thing is, I haven't the slightest clue how they're going to do this. Even though the door is relatively weak, it would still take a huge amount of energy to breach it. It's beyond me how they plan to collect that much, much less focus it at the door."

Terriermon joined them, button nose twitching as he raised a stubby paw. "Where is this door?"

"Tokyo is one of the most technologically advanced cities – where there is amassed technology, there is always a door. Tokyo's is the weakest for some reason. Digital pollution, too many people, who knows? I know for certain they won't even bother with the other doors. But the location of the door could be anywhere here, probably out of our reach."

Jenrya made a low, agonized sound at this. Terriermon comfortingly rubbed his partner's shoulder, his round face concerned.

"Besides, I don't think any of you could actually touch the door. It's not tangible. You can't see it, smell it. Sense it, maybe, but that's it. The door – weak spot, tear, bridge, whatever – isn't the issue. In fact, trying to tamper with it might make things even worse," Ryo gestured. "Whatever is collecting the energy. Whatever is going to use it to breach the door. Those would have to be artificial, man-made. And if they're in our World, they can be destroyed."

"So, by destroying those, we prevent the door from being opened," Renamon mused, her alien eyes narrowed in thought. "It's not quite so hopeless."

"How do we find out how they're collecting energy? And where? By then, it might be too late. My guess is the process of getting the pathway between the Digital World and Real World fully open isn't gonna be a one-second shot. It might be gradual, maybe take a few hours at worst. The energy they use on the door couldn't be just one quick burst – it would just seal itself up. Doors all over the world do that all the time. It would have to be a steady stream," Ryo said. "But that's my take on it, based it from what I learned years ago. But I think it's pretty damn close to what could happen. What is going to happen," he corrected himself with total conviction.

Jenrya sighed and rubbed in exhaustion at his eyes, miserable. Ryo fell silent, the dark shadows under his eyes even more apparent in the red light of the tunnel. Ruki stared at her hands, her fingers twisting nervously.

Jenrya couldn't believe this. This's impossible. There was a goal, a definite one, from what Ryo described. But there was so much room for error. How could they even hope to accomplish this? Destroying whatever the energy-collecting device was wouldn't be a problem – Renamon and Terriermon could probably handle that – but there was the matter of finding it first. It was in Tokyo, it had to be. But…where? It would be impossible to search all of Shinjuku in time, much less the entire city. The chances were, as Ryo just said, tiny.

Just what can we do?

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Yamaki found sunsets grating.

He wasn't late. Nothing to worry about. For some unexplained reason, he'd been checking his watch all night, as if waiting for something to delay him. Tonight was surprisingly stress-free. The repairs went well and he reworked his calculations: it looked like Hypnos would be online a day or so earlier than originally projected. Kincaid had wandered off, taking that sickeningly enthusiastic, bubbly air with her. The damage from the mass power outage could be reasonably contained.

Yamaki was surprised to find he was actually in a good mood.

He side-stepped the uniformed workers refitting the bulbs in the storefronts. This part of Shinjuku was almost done and while they had been working around the clock, the damage was still there.

It was a small restaurant, nothing overly fancy. After Reika left his office, he ran over his conversation with her. Reviewing it again, he was startled to realize that what he proposed to her sounded very much like an invitation to a date.

Reika was already there, sitting at one of the low tables in the back. Looking in from the front window, it was obvious she hadn't been there very long, her coat draped over the back of a free chair and they hadn't yet started hounding her about coffee. She was looking at something he couldn't see from his angle, her head tilted to the side slightly in an unconsciously graceful gesture. Yamaki suffered a sense of dizzying vertigo. He steadied himself, startled. There was something altogether too familiar about this scene.

Thinking about it further, still watching Reika from outside, Yamaki realized what it was was: he had met Yayoi just like this. Different restaurant, true, but...

Good thing I have no intention of making that mistake again.

Reika turned as the door gave a musical chime to announce a new arrival. Her boss stepped in, his hair gleaming gold in the overhead lights. He made his way over, winding through the maze of tables, and sitting down across from her. Yamaki made no attempts to remove his ever-present sunglasses: he was silent, waiting. Always all business.

"Almost thought you were going to be a no show," Reika said, accepting the menu that materialized with the waiter.

"I keep my word."

Reika laced her fingers together and tilted her head, her lips drawn together. "I already explained how I felt. Did you have enough time to think about it?"

There was the ghost of a smile on Yamaki's lips. His voice was almost wry.

"Enough. More time would've been better.."

"Only there's never enough time," Reika finished quietly.

"Exactly." The conversation bordered on territory Yamaki didn't much care to think about. Accepting the cup of coffee the waiter discreetly offered, he took a sip. "I would personally prefer it if we kept the arrangement, although it's understandable where you're coming from."

Reika stared, taken aback. Clearly this wasn't what she was expecting.

"That is, if you want –" Yamaki cut himself off, tilting his head at some nearly inaudible sound.

A few seconds passed before Reika's less acute hearing picked up what her boss already noticed. A strange, eerie humming, reverberating across the walls and glass. The pitch rose and then fell, a mixture between the song of a dying animal and what sounded almost like the faintest of human whispers. Standing up, Yamaki cautiously rounded the tables, Reika following. The staff from the restaurant and the few customers began approaching the restaurant front, having just heard the bizarre humming. Yamaki reached it first, with Reika behind him.

What Yamaki saw sucked his breath away.

A river of lights.

He had to remind himself to breathe. Yamaki knew he shouldn't be surprised (he had, after all, seen stranger things), but the fact there was a glowing, thick thread of energy in the night sky wasn't exactly something he expected to see tonight. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses. It wasn't a solid stream – the sheer number of individual balls of light and the intensity of their glow only made it look like it was. Somewhere beyond the buildings of the street, more joined the river in the sky.

Whatever the hell that thing is, it's going somewhere. Yamaki didn't like this. He didn't trust it. It just wasn't in his nature to. Behind him, a crowd of cooks, waiters and customers gathered, staring in open shock at the sight. Next to him, Reika stared stonily at the gleaming white river, than at her boss. Waiting. Knowing that look on his face. Back to work, it seemed.

"Let's go. I want to see where this damned thing goes."

Reika nodded and, gathering her coat, followed Yamaki outside the restaurant. Whatever he was about to say earlier could wait.

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The Juggernaut switched monitors, flipping through hundreds of thousands of individual units in a matter of milliseconds. Nothing of importance. Impressive the Creator managed to call in so many Golems – the humans were too startled to panic just yet. A few might escape, but the Juggernaut could eliminate them if there were any signs they would try to warn the rest of the world. Dispose of the bodies if necessary, but it calculated it wouldn't need to. By the time thousands at a time tried to flee, it wouldn't matter. The Shield would be in place. And that would be that. It could feed on the humans at its own pace.

As the Juggernaut continued to upload the now-steady flow of data (souls?), the merged computer began to undergo a minor internal change. It was to be expected, of course. In order for it to function even more efficiently, the human's "Will" had to be coaxed from the rest of its general makeup. It had been dormant since the merge, slowly repairing itself as the huge machine went through its tasks.

…?

The Juggernaut, noticing two of the harbor guards wandering closer to the Shield, took action. Thick, pulsing cables burst loose from the walls. They quickly wrapped around the surprised humans, forced them mercilessly into the dark waters. Their struggles were weak and they soon expired from lack of oxygen. That seen to, the Juggernaut went back to monitoring the area, apathetic.

The groggy Will was more insistent this time.

….?!

Another Golem went into the pool and dissolved. More energy stored. Routine. Your purpose will come soon.

What are we waiting for?

Inside the Juggernaut, the small boy's frail body remained motionless.

When the time is right. When there is enough to complete our task.

The emerging Will was bewildered and for a moment, it instinctively sought to resurface. To remove the parts of the Juggernaut inserted in Takato's (his) being. It/he was easily pushed back. No. Unity. We are one. The only reason you are permitted to function with relative independence is because of the purpose you serve. Faulty programs failing to obey this purpose will be expelled.

I don't understand. Although Takato Matsuda himself was unaware of anything around him, the tiny conscious part – his Will – was suddenly terrified, and quaked at the mild threat. Don't expel. Don't expel.

Cooperate and expulsion will not be necessary.

A pause. And then meek submission.

The Juggernaut continued with its tasks. One part of it scanned the human boy. Perfectly healthy, as expected. So the only part of the human boy capable of any independent thought (if it could be called that) was Takato Matsuda's Will. It/he could be pointed in the correct direction. Since the Creator recently gave new data to the supercomputer, it knew what would have to be done now. See to it that enough time was bought so Zudomon could set up his forge and create the Shield. After that, it was probable the Juggernaut would take on the duties of the Sword. And that was where Takato Matsuda's Will came in.

Guilmon. You want Guilmon?

I need him.

You're…not going to hurt him, are you? Jenrya wouldn't, surely.

We each have our duties. I will follow my programming. And so will you. Questions serve no purpose.

The Juggernaut deleted another Golem and absorbed it, swelling with the sparks of energy spreading in the glowing pool. It almost made the two light-headed with the new surge of power. Another life, gone. Another soul, another human being. Gone. Memories of a grandson, a huge fight with a spouse, a funeral. And then nothing more.

It was…sad. Almost. The Juggernaut itself was incapable of true emotions – it could emulate them if it felt a reason to – but there was a strange sensation that was slightly upsetting to the core of the machine. Probably an aftereffect of the merge between the original Juggernaut and Takato Matsuda. By bonding, and eventually coming together into one, they had, in an inaccurate way of speaking, blurred together and overlapped. It could explain the alien sensation the Juggernaut supposed could be an "emotion".

The inorganic part of the Juggernaut wasn't concerned. It could still easily override the inferior part if it became necessary. Although it meant certain options could not be used – Takato's Digimon, for example – it could still accomplish the given tasks. But it would be less efficient. It wouldn't be difficult to control the inferior's Will. Directed at the Digivice sitting on an unresponsive lap, the Will could be focused.

And then Takato Matsuda's Digimon would evolve into a better weapon, another tool for the Juggernaut to use.

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Ryo returned home as fast as possible.

I did what I could. He told himself as he headed toward the apartment complex, picking his way through the darkness. In this part of the city, they hadn't gotten to fixing the lights yet. Ryo was positive he had seen the lights in the sky. The eerie humming was way too familiar. Glancing over his shoulder, back the way he came, he could still see the glow from the stream, fainter now than before. Whatever those balls of light were, they were decreasing in numbers. For now.

Shaking his head, Ryo let himself into the apartment, shoving the quietly jingling keys into his pocket as he mounted the stairs. Feeling blindly for the banister, he made his way up to the second floor. You couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor kids. Caught up in something that just was too big. Jenrya, Ruki, their missing friend. Despite the differences, they were still kids. Ryo knew he wasn't. He was no longer an innocent, he was no longer a kid, despite whatever physical age he might appear to be. All those years in the Digital World…and only one passed here. It felt like he'd been somehow cheated by time. It wasn't fair. But then again, when were things ever fair?

Sometimes Ryo was convinced those long years were a dream. A never-ending nightmare. But he only had to look at his scars to see it had been all too real. He lost his childhood because he made one stupid, impulsive choice. And, looking at Jenrya, at Ruki, at the kids at school, he regretted it now more than ever.

Still contemplating this, Ryo reached the second floor of the apartment complex. Looked like the emergency lights were, the dim weak glow visible across the hall. He took a few steps, and paused. Silent. Normally you could hear people doing their laundry, cooking dinner, watching TV or just listening to music. But now there was nothing. Only a low humming…

Crap.

Cold realization broke in a wave. Those weren't emergency lights – those things from outside were in here! Ryo's first reaction was to turn on his heel and leave the building. The deathly silence wasn't a good sign and he didn't relish sticking around and finding out how close the source of the humming was. A sudden thought made him pause. Tamayo. She would've gotten back from work and been home by now. Without thinking, Ryo sprinted down the hall, barely stopping as he rounded a corner, skidded slightly, and raced toward their apartment.

The door was ajar.

The humming approached from his left. They were definitely heading for something. Ryo entered the living room and took it in quickly. Some of the furniture was overturned in the living room, as if someone went scrambling over them. A package of strawberries lay on the counter, spilling out into the juice that had splattered everywhere when a glass pitcher was suddenly dropped. Faintly, he could make out the dark droplets of what looked like blood, leading away from the small kitchen. Now his heart leaped into his throat. He threw caution to the wind:

"Tamayo!" Ryo headed down the hall and glanced in his room, then in Tamayo's abandoned one. "Tamayo!"

He tilted his head and listened, unfamiliar worry taking root. Was she even here still? Someone was . The blood was proof of that. Concern for himself had somehow vanished, now replaced with a growing nausea. Following the drops of red on the carpet and stepping over the shattered glass from a fallen picture frame, Ryo bit his lip. What if – no. She wasn't dead. Couldn't be.

He was about to call again when he heard something that made him stop in his tracks. Ryo paused, straining. There it was again, a muffled sound from the bathroom. Crying? Pressing his ear to the door, he listened. Yeah, someone was crying. He tested the doorknob. It rattled: locked. The crying stopped.

"Tamayo, is that you?"

He nearly sat down in relief as her voice neared the bathroom door. "Ryo?"

"Yeah. Are you okay?" Ryo demanded. The humming wasn't coming any closer, but it wasn't going away either.

"Y-yeah," the woman on the other side sniffled. There was a click as she shakily undid the bolt. "Are you?"

"I'm fine," he said as he pushed open the door. Peering into the darkness of the bathroom, he could make out the shape of Tamayo huddled near the sink. She got to her feet at the sight of him, swaying on weak legs and almost tumbling to the floor as she approached, her eyes wide as she checked her charge over. Once she confirmed Ryo was in one piece, she leaned heavily against the tiled counter and wiped at her red eyes.

Ryo watched her for a moment. Her dark green hair had worked its way out of their customary braids, now loose in clumps. Involuntary tears ran down her cheeks, blurring the little makeup she normally wore. Other than that, she didn't look hurt, just scared out of her mind. She's seen these things.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm frayed nerves without much success, Tamayo ran a hand through her tangled green hair. At first Ryo didn't say anything. Several agonizing seconds passed before he finally spoke up.

"What happened?"

Tamayo sighed, drained. "I-I don't really know. These…"

"What?" Ryo asked.

"I don't know what!" Tamayo snapped and then instantly apologized, her face flushing. "I…I'm sorry. It's just…I don't know what they were. They were like…ghosts."

Ghosts. What did he know of that acted like ghosts? As far as he knew, there wasn't any such thing in either the Real World or the Digital World. But…there were those that could put on the appearances of one. He was about to ask his guardian to describe the "ghosts" in more detail when he suddenly noticed her eyes were no longer on him.

The young woman, frozen, stared past him, her eyes wide. Ryo whipped around.

The metal forehead of a white horse poked through the locked door, looking like a freaky mounted trophy. Red armor covering the creature's eyes turned slowly, taking in the room. Ryo tensed as the Unimon's head lifted through the door, taking a soundless step forward through the wood. Tamayo pressed herself against the counter, instinctively scrabbling up onto it, her voice catching in her throat as Ryo instinctively moved to place himself between the Unimon and his guardian.

Ryo thought quickly, his mind racing: what did he know about Unimon? Enough to know he stood no chance up against one. But they shouldn't be able to go through solids like that. It took a step, lifting its head as pulled itself further. He had no weapons. His D-Arc was still recharging. Screwed was one way of putting it.

The Unimon started to take another step forward, standing at its full height. Behind Ryo, Tamayo made a horrified squeak of terror – something swung on its hinges and there was a flash as the bathroom light reflected off something. The Unimon froze as the light from behind Ryo flashed over it.

Without so much as a sound, the Unimon burst into data particles.

Ryo stared. Just what the hell happened? Cautiously, he watched the data particles fade away – whatever the Unimon was, it hadn't been a real Digimon. Real ones had more data in them than that, didn't vanish just like that. Satisfied that the Unimon was dead/deleted/gone, he turned to see just what caused the flash, silently thanking whatever luck he still had.

Tamayo, in her panic, had bumped into the medicine cabinet's mirror. The Unimon stared the reflected light right in the face before it dissolved away.

Ryo was beginning to realize what they were up against. Digimon-that-weren't. They only appeared like real Digimon, but they were shells. Mindless drones. He remembered seeing them in the Digital World. As far as he knew, the drones (no, the official term was "Golems", he remembered now being told that with a rumble of disdain), had little defenses. Any Digimon could take care of them. And somehow they were affected by anything magnetic – but that was in the Digital World. Maybe the rules changed here.

I don't really care what the differences are between this and the Digital World. Ryo bit his lip. His mind raced. So it was basically anything magnetic then. But they were around that sort of stuff here and there was no effect. From the reaction from the Unimon-Golem, mirrors had about the same effect. And that was really all he needed to know. The technical stuff didn't matter.

He managed to calm Tamayo down in the meantime, taking her hand and helping her off the counter. She wobbled, but stayed standing.

"We're gonna get out of here," he started, listening. The humming grew closer, louder than ever. He didn't have much time. "We'll try to get out through the fire escape. Understand?"

Tamayo nodded shakily. She still held his hand in a death-grip.

"Okay. Do you have any mirrors I can carry? Something hand-held?"

She directed him to one of the drawers near the sink. Rooting through it, he located a small compact and a larger frameless one, still covered with a fine layer of dust. Apparently Tamayo intended to have it framed and mounted, but never got to it. Careful to avoid slicing his fingers on it, he opened the compact and handed to her, hoping his theory was correct and this would work. If not, if somehow he was wrong…well, he guessed they were good as dead.

Taking her free hand, he rushed out of the bathroom with Tamayo in tow. The fire escape was out in the hall, beyond their apartment, only meters away from their end of the complex. It wasn't far. Moving about in the darkness of the living room, he made his way cautiously into the kitchen The humming was close, much closer than before; it was difficult to pinpoint a location because it sounded like it was closing in from all sides. All the more reason to hurry.

They crossed the kitchen floor. Ryo reached for the door -

Just as the ghostly head of another Golem appeared.

The gray, flat face passed right through his fist. For a second, he felt like he plunged his hand in a vat of liquid nitrogen. It went painfully numb at the contact and he jerked away from the door, trying to shake some life back into his fingers. Tamayo clutched onto his other hand, biting down an instinctive scream at the sight of the heavily furred Gorillamon-Golem.

Behind him, Tamayo stumbled, but regained her balance as Ryo backed the two of them away. Another Golem joined the large face of the Gorillamon. Ryo glanced sharply about as he caught movement from the corners of his eyes – they were surrounded as dozens of other species began to come in through the walls.

Shit. Surrounded like this, he couldn't hope for the mirrors to take care of all of them - if what that one, quick touch had done to his hand was any sign, they couldn't risk something as stupid as trying to charge past. The two humans were forced to back across the living room as the Golems closed in, the window behind them.

Ryo thought quickly. Glancing behind him, he could see the window. Their apartment was on the second floor So long as we don't land on our heads, we'll survive. One of the Golems darted forward, the claws of the Betamon scrabbling for Tamayo; Ryo jerked her roughly away, fingers so tight around her they were white. The half-circle of the Golems throbbed, the creatures swarming.

His dead arm still hanging uselessly at his side – feeling was just starting to return to it – Ryo grabbed the heaviest object he saw. The metal paperweight smashed through the window pane. Glass sparkled out into the night sky. The paperweight hadn't been heavy enough to break the entire window – it had been weakened, but the hole was only a foot or so across. Good enough. Tamayo barely had enough time to make a surprised noise as he charged recklessly at the window, pulling her with him.

There was a brief second of sharp pain as he felt the window give way against his body. Glass shards exploded everywhere, small pieces cutting at his skin. Shimmering powder sprayed after him. For a long moment, he felt the sickening weightlessness of free-fall as he and Tamayo plummeted toward the patch of thick grass below. Suddenly it was close – too close – and with a dull thud, he hit the ground hard, and rolled, winded. Stars swirled. Disoriented, he was surprised to find, aside from a few cuts and bruises, he was okay.

A small voice wondered how this was possible. He ignored it.

Ryo staggered to his feet, blood sliding down his cheek from a cut above his eyebrow. A few feet away, Tamayo sprawled awkwardly, staring forward in a daze. Her face was starting to twist in pain despite her shock – approaching his guardian, Ryo could see her leg twisted at an unnatural angle. Unlike Ryo, Tamayo hadn't been so lucky.

Glancing up, he knew the Golems wouldn't wait there forever. Eventually they would have to realize the humans ran away. There wasn't much time. Turning back to Tamayo, he quickly checked her leg. Definitely broken. Ryo managed to loop one of Tamayo's limp arms over his shoulder, staggering under her heavier weight. Gritting his teeth, he glanced up again.

None of the Golems were drifting down yet to investigate. He wasn't going to wait around until they finally got it through their brains. There was no time to waste.

Shifting under Tamayo, Ryo set off as fast as he could.

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Yamaki followed the river of lights, driving haphazardly through the half-lit streets. Reika, sitting in the passenger, glanced over at her boss. Yamaki's face was set. She knew that look – it was always the same on every hunt. Whatever he tried to say back in the restaurant was forgotten. There was really no question of what was more important, after all.

The river of light in the night sky had been steadily dimming, which meant if Yamaki didn't punch it into gear, he'd risk losing it. This had to be linked to all the bizarre activity earlier. If it was, it meant Yamaki might finally make some headway. He wasn't going to lose that chance. Through the dark lens of his sunglasses, he tracked the stream of strange lights. They were definitely heading somewhere. Deeper into the city.

In a direction that was far too familiar.

He could see the familiar double towers of Hypnos's headquarters, jutting up into the night sky and standing in stark contrast to the glowing ribbon circling about the two towers. The humming was still audible, despite the fact the light ascended thousands of feet into the air, a shimmering thread instead of the river from before. They were disappearing into the skyscraper, spiraling down in gleaming ribbons.

There was something in there.

Something going on behind his back. Someone was undermining him; there was no possible way that something like this could've escaped his notice any other way. He'd personally see to flushing out the rat, and finding whatever drew the lights. Whatever it was, it was better off destroyed.

He slammed on the brakes as he rounded the corner. A roadblock was set-up, the flames from the dozens of sputtering red flares reflecting off the makeshift barrier of black vans blocking the street. Pulling to a stop, Yamaki got out of his car. These vans didn't belong to him: they had no markings at all. No insignias, no license plates, blackened windows. A few armored figures strolled about the blockade and he caught the glimpse of weapons, of semi-automatics. They meant business.

Who are these people?

Leaving the car, Yamaki strode toward the blockade, Reika following. One of the helmeted soldiers, speaking to someone, turned at his approach. Behind his shades, Yamaki's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the man the soldier had been talking to. The same deceivingly harmless expression, the same black suit. The same face he instinctively despised without really knowing why. Ataru Nagamora. Yamaki marched up to Nagamora.

"What the hell is this?" Yamaki hissed.

Nagamora waved the soldier away. "Precautions. I had the area quarantined off."

"Why didn't I have a say in this?"

The other man, unfazed at the venom in Yamaki's words, began to clean his glasses.

"This's my jurisdiction, Nagamora!"

"You forget I also have an interest in this," Nagamora said calmly, replacing his glasses. "We don't know for sure what this phenomenon is, which is why I want my people on this as insurance. Unless there is a direct connection to your field, I don't want your manpower wasted on it."

That answer wasn't good enough. Too many holes, too much left unexplained. Reika glanced at her boss and bit her lip. He looked ready to explode, hands clenched together into fists. He wasn't the type to be satisfied by that answer. Reika watched the growing argument with quiet interest, eyeing the other man. She heard of Nagamora, but she rarely saw him, much less this close. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose, almost instinctively. He looked so normal, so average, that he almost seemed out of place somehow.

"My manpower doesn't matter. That," Yamaki stabbed a finger angrily at the twin towers, at the thread of light starting to dwindle, "is under my personal care! If there is anything out of the ordinary involved with that building, I have every right to investigate it with my own personnel."

Nagamora shook his head.

"Sorry, but I can't take that chance. I'm afraid I can't permit you to enter until my men finish their search."

Yamaki seethed. Was his control that meaningless? He managed to prevent himself from doing anything drastic, closing his eyes behind his sunglasses and counting to five. This was ridiculous, beyond insane! If somehow Hypnos had something to do with the river of lights, he had every right to know, to conduct his own investigation. How can I be barred from my own goddamn headquarters? He was the leader of Hypnos! This couldn't be happening.

But it was. And he was starting to get suspicious.

Nagamora was still talking, but he only listened with half an ear, watching as the light faded and altogether vanished into the enormous building. The sky returned to normal.

" – final inspection. If everything passes, then we'll remove the quarantine."

Yamaki's voice was low, a dangerous growl. He was starting to get sick of these stupid little games.

"It better be removed. Because Hypnos must function and it can't without access to the equipment. Without us, those damned creatures will overwhelm this city," Yamaki said. "We can't afford any more of these delays."

Nagamora turned and shouted orders to a squad of the armed soldiers. When he turned back to Yamaki, his expression was unreadable. He adjusted his glasses, mouth a thin line as he regarded the younger man. It didn't look like Yamaki would be willing to bend over this time – he was set to continue regardless of what Nagamora advised him. Which wasn't a good idea, since it halved Yamaki's usefulness. A shame, really. Especially since he surpassed Nagamora's initial expectations ever since he'd introduced himself officially to Yamaki all those years ago at the hospital. Oh well.

"I'm sorry," Nagamora repeated. He had one last chance to reconsider before Nagamora would take action against him. "But this isn't intentional, if that's what you're getting at. I would advise against conflicting with the quarantine."

One last chance before Yamaki would wear out his usefulness.

"Maybe I want to personally find out what happened, not get force-fed a report after the fact," Yamaki glowered. "If you actually start using those weapons on my people, I'll have your operation blown."

The two men fell silent, sizing each other up. Yamaki did have that power – he could find resources somewhere else because like it or not, he did have some other friends in high places, and he had dug up enough facts that could have officials scrabbling to help him. Very well. By this time, they could run things well enough without Yamaki at the helm. It was only a matter to seeing him removed. Now was not the time, obviously. Too many witnesses. But it would have to be soon. A mental note to see that Yamaki would be dealt with, preferably within the week. Nagamora's expression didn't change.

"I assure you, that won't be necessary."

Yamaki stared at Nagamora for a long moment. His expression remained unreadable. Giving the vans and the soldiers a disgusted look, Yamaki turned on his heel and stalked away, Reika glancing over her shoulder.

Nagamora was still watching them even as they left.

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Tamayo wasn't getting any lighter.

Grunting, Ryo shifted his grip. Tamayo stumbled, moving in a daze and nearly sent the two of them sprawling to the sidewalk. The moan she gave was pitiful. Her face had paled considerably since their flight from the apartment – he'd been in such a hurry to get away he hadn't seen to her broken leg. You can survive a broken leg, Ryo's face, set, didn't betray any of his thoughts. Feeling finally returned to the hand that touched the Golem earlier. He didn't even want to think what might've happened back there. Half dragging, half-carrying his guardian, he looked around for anyone who could help him.

At this time, there was no one. Glancing over his shoulder, Ryo could see the faint glow from their apartment. The creatures were still there. Going back wasn't an option. But staying out here in the open, broadcasting their presence, wasn't either. If it wasn't the Golems, it could be that thing that tried to kill him earlier.

There was one last option.

I didn't want to get her involved in this…

He had no choice though.

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Jenrya couldn't concentrate. Lying on the length of the couch, his arms crossed behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling. This is too big for us. How could they expect to "save the world"? Just like something about of a bad movie, a bad book. It wasn't possible. Too big. Too impossible.

But why would Ryo try to warn us if it was hopeless?

Exactly.

He'd tried watching TV, reading a book, doing his homework even. But Ryo's words kept coming back. Thinking back to what he said, Jenrya found he couldn't concentrate on math when those words echoed. The solutions to equations slipped through like it didn't matter. Meaningless. Staring blankly at the homework, Jenrya felt his teeth grinding together. This just didn't feel important. Not when it felt like…like their days were numbered. Like time was limited. Looking at it that way, solving math equations suddenly seemed a waste of time.

Jenrya turned on the couch and sat up, elbows resting on his knees.

But what could we do?

Not much. What Ryo described sounded inevitable.

A series of sharp knocks startled him back to the present. Whoever it was, they were hammering on the door. Jenrya looked up sharply. A visitor? Now? He pushed away from the couch and shuffled toward the door. It was late, past midnight. His parents were gone – Dad had been called to work (he'd left grumbling about OT) and his mother was off to visit her sister for the next couple of days. Which basically left Jenrya to himself. As far as he knew, no one was supposed to be over. Warily he approached the door and slowly opened it.

And stumbled backward in surprise.

"Help me!"

Jenrya could only stare, gaping. Ryo stood there, looking haggard and the worse for wear, clumps of grass blades clinging to his spiked hair and a streak of blood trickling his cheek. But that wasn't what made Jenrya freeze. It was what Ryo was doing: the taller boy was struggling under the weight of a woman in her twenties. Ryo staggered under her, starting to sink under the dead weight. He repeated himself sharply before Jenrya shook off his surprise and hurried over.

Between the two of them, they managed to get the woman into the living room and onto the couch. Ryo made sure she was as comfortable as possible. Listening to the ragged breaths, Jenrya frowned. Whoever she was, she looked like she was in bad shape, covered in grass, dark tracks from mascara running down her flushed face. He didn't even see the strange angle of her leg until Ryo knelt down and began looking at it. Jenrya looked away, feeling sick at the sight of the unnatural bulge. Ryo got up, wiping the drying blood from a cut on his forehead.

"I need to get her to a hospital. At least do something about the leg."

Jenrya looked up at the other boy, who was rubbing absently at his bleeding cut.

"Ryo, what's going on?"

"We were attacked," he said, his hand coming away with blood flakes. "By Golems. Explain to you about them later since you probably haven't encountered them yet. And we look like crap because we jumped out a two-story window. She broke her leg on the way down."

Jenrya gaped at him. Jumped out…a two-story window? That was something out of movies, manga! But Ryo's expression was dead serious. He wasn't kidding. Ryo hadn't much in the way with humor, unless it was the morbid sort and Jenrya knew he hadn't changed suddenly. But still. A jump like that. Crazy. But it did explain the broken leg. It didn't, however, explain how Ryo came out looking better than her.

Jenrya said as much, looking worriedly over at the strange woman. To put it in Ryo's words, she definitely looked like crap.

"I don't know. Luck, I guess," Ryo shrugged. He'd practically landed on his head, now that he pieced together the fall. It didn't really make that much sense now that he thought about it. "Maybe I'm just hard to kill."

"Who's she?"

"Tamayo. My assigned…guardian. I live with her."

Jenrya rubbed at his temples. He didn't know the first thing about first aid. Personally, he wouldn't trust himself to touch that leg. "We've got to get her to a hospital. Her leg –"

" - Broken."

" – I know. I've got eyes," Jenrya spat out before he was aware he'd said anything. His exhaustion and worry really weren't mixing well. "My mom's out for a few days. But I think my dad's coming back in the morning. He could drive us."

"That's assuming the nearest hospital recovered from that blackout."

Do you have to be so pessimistic? "If they aren't, then we can't do anything."

Ryo walked over to the kitchen as he spoke. He stopped at the sink and turned the faucet, running his hand through the icy water. Splashing his face and cleaning the scrapes and cuts, he wet his whole head before helping himself to one of the clean towels on a nearby rack. Jenrya said nothing in protest and stepped back as he touched the moist towel to Tamayo's pale forehead. It didn't do anything to help her leg, but it apparently made Ryo feel like he was doing something.

Ryo sat down heavily on another chair, peering through wet bangs at his hands. "God."

Jenrya pulled up a chair, glancing first at Ryo's companion. She had somehow fallen asleep, dozing uncomfortably.

"I seriously didn't think they'd be that desperate to bring them into this."

Jenrya frowned. "Who's 'them'?"

"The Golems. They're like rejects from the freak-farm. The menial laborers of the Digital World. They're virtually harmless to any Digimon. Too stupid to revolt against their masters. And far too weak to be any threat," Ryo snorted. He smoothed back his wet hair. Rubbed at his face. "You could sneeze on them and they just puff out. Like that. Poof."

Jenrya hadn't known any of this. Terriermon never told him. Never told him that even in the Digital World, there were forms of enslavement. This didn't seem to bother Ryo – he saw this as a fact, nothing of importance. It bothered Jenrya. How could someone become so desensitized? His mouth pursed.

Ryo continued. "In the Digital World, they weren't much of a problem. I was the only human, as far as I knew. I never got attacked by a Golem, although I was taught how to defend myself against one," he skirted the topic of the Digital World. "But they can be dangerous. I got tagged by one for a second and my arm just went dead on me. Like it'd been sucked dry."

"I thought you said they weren't dangerous."

"They aren't if you've got a defense. And I don't anymore. There were too many and I blew the charge on my D-Arc. We had to run. It was a good thing they're too stupid to follow us."

Jenrya asked Ryo to describe them, what happened before. Ryo kept it brief and to the point, detailing the lights, Tamayo, the jump from her apartment and breaking her leg. Yeah, it sucked she got hurt, Ryo said, but the fact was, better injured than dead. And that was what would've happened if they stayed. Beat being sucked dry like a damn sponge.

"They're going all out if they bother to send Golems over. They're not keeping much of a low profile anymore – not with the big pretty light show in the sky," Ryo commented dryly. "Means they don't care as much as before. Probably closer to their goal."

"Don't remind me," Jenrya groaned.

"Yeah, it blows."

A silence as the two boys avoided each other's eyes.

"I still don't get what they're doing fooling around with Golems," Ryo went on. "They can't do anything so they're useless. Human weapons could easily knock them out. I don't get why they're bothering with them."

Jenrya turned this new concept over. So Golems were basically a lower form of life than Digimon? Nope, Ryo said. Not even that close. As far as he knew, they only looked like Digimon. That was where the similarities ended. Just data. No intelligence. No personality. No will. The perfect slaves.

"Maybe they have some use I don't know about. I never really bothered with them before."

Ryo covered the beginnings of a contagious yawn. Jenrya fought his own down. One of them would have to be awake in case the "Golems" came back (Ryo highly doubted it, because of Jenrya being here) or if whatever attacked Ryo a few days ago showed up. With a silent sigh, Jenrya steeled himself for an all-nighter. He'd be the one to do it. There weren't any free rooms beside his own. He started to offer but Ryo shook his head, tired.

"I'd rather stay right here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Easier to watch Tamayo."

Jenrya made himself useful, glad for a distraction. Retrieving an extra blanket and pillow from the hall closet, he offered them to Ryo. He accepted them and stretched out on the loveseat he'd been sitting near, lanky legs hanging over the side. He visibly relaxed, the adrenaline from earlier flooding away. He dozed off uneasily within minutes of lying down.

Jenrya settled down in the opposite chair. It was going to be a long night.

To be continued…

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