[Anthony Morris' Private Netspace Server, Three Years Ago…]
"Adam! Are you guys okay? Is Emily safe?!"
Layla Saiba waited anxiously for confirmation. Injured as she was, the raven-haired girl was forced to stay on the sidelines while everyone else went to fight and protect Riverbed from RagnaLoardmon and the invading Digimon raining from the floating fortress in the sky above. She watched the screen, the dark skies of the city lit ablaze by shimmering colors. Fire roared, thunder cracked, and winds twisted, turning the world above into an all-out battlefield from her point of view.
But that wasn't all. There were also Digimon on the ground, wreaking havoc just like Millennium Day months prior. AEGIS agents were aiding where they could, but even with their efforts, the unmoving bodies decorating the streets twisted Layla's stomach in knots.
Would things be different if she didn't hand the Digimon over to them…?
"Yeah, we're good… it's over…"
Layla's heart skipped her out of her trance as she refocused. Adam's voice came through relief washing over her being and taking her mind off of the dark thoughts creeping on her.
But then another thought came, and her relief settled into melancholy. "So, I guess Ivan's…"
Whether Adam responded or not, Layla had her answer. She turned around, catching the sound of something materializing in the space. To her shock, Director Whitaker appeared, approaching the girl from behind.
"How…did you get here?" Layla asked, surprised to see the head of AEGIS before her.
"Just where do you think you are right now?" the older woman asked, giving Layla a moment to realize.
"This whole time…AEGIS has been keeping an eye on us? Even—"
"While Agent Merlo was watching Akiyoshi Saiba and his Royal Knights, I've been keeping a close eye on Anthony Morris and you children." Director Whitaker confirmed. "This server was gifted to Morris as a workspace to aid us with our investigation and eventual takedown of SAIBA Enterprise."
"Both BlitzGreymon and CresGarurumon were prisoners, just like I was; forced to be weapons for these Liberator guys. They want to show their thanks, and I want to see to it they get the chance."
Layla, hearing Axel's voice, spun back to the console. She saw the team riding on Imperialdramon's back, with Axel joining them. Ivan was nowhere to be seen, further confirming that he didn't make it.
"Do you think…that if he goes through, he can keep the Liberators from coming back to our timeline again?"Layla asked. The question seemed valid enough to her, but also felt as if she said it to assure them that she was paying attention.
"I'll do what I can," He replied.
Director Whitaker approached from behind as they watched as Axel transformed into Omnimon Alter-S and enter the gate above them. She then went ahead to re-mute herself to give Director Whitaker her attention once more.
"I've made a mistake…" Layla admitted. "Handing the Digimon to AEGIS resulted in a second Millennium Day."'
"You can't say that for certain," Director Whitaker replied.
"The hell I can't!" Layla snapped. "Have you seen how many dead bodies are out there?! Both Riverbed Citizens and AEGIS agents are lying out there because of my bad decision!"
"And what are you going to do about it?" She asked her.
Layla hesitated to answer. "What can I do? They're all gone…not like I can turn back the clock and keep myself from making one bad decision after another."
"AEGIS can thank us by giving us the data regarding the Digimon back."
Layla looked up, watching as her friends stood against Agent Merlo. She listened to the conversation following.
"As much as I would like to, that is out of my power, and yours for that matter."
"Oh, come on! You've seen what the Digimon are capable in your hands!"
"Again, I agree with you guys. But that decision falls on Layla and the current AEGIS director. I don't have a say in it."
"You hear that Layla?"
Layla's voice caught, giving Director Whitaker the chance to speak up. "AEGIS requires the aid of the Digimon for when they show back up. As powerful as Alter-S is, the Liberators have proven that they have more than pure strength at their disposal. In the coming battles, we will need you Beta Testers more than ever.
"Keep them out of it…" Layla replied.
Director Whitaker turned to Layla, the latter having a glare that the former didn't take lightly. Layla's expression was that of frustration. Moreso at herself than at her.
"You can keep the Digimon, but I'm going along with them."
"You want to join AEGIS?"
"As a means of atonement. I'm not letting them bear the sins of my father, or myself for that matter. The Digimon are my responsibility and no one else's..."
Director Whitaker respected that. "I will have someone get in touch with you within the week to set up the application—"
"I want Ben." She added further. "'I don't trust anyone else there but him."
Director Whitaker paused. Exhaling she conceded. "Very well. You will hear from me in due time."
Layla watched as Director Whitaker took her exit. She then turned back to the console and unmuted herself. "…Right. I'll reach out to her once I'm recovered."
"You okay…?"
Layla covered her face and slid her forehead into her palm. "…Yeah, I'm just exhausted…" she admitted.
Based on this conversation, Whitaker knew more about the Liberators than she was leading on. Joining AEGIS was a risk without a doubt, Layla thought. But at least there was a chance this would be the start of good decisions going forward…
Chapter 2: The Butterfly Effect Part 2
"In other news, the counter-terrorist organization AEGIS welcomes to its ranks the 48th graduating class. Since their establishment in 2020, AEGIS was established as a branch organization of the Federal Bureau of Intelligence, to manage the growing technological landscape which began in New York several years prior, and later expanded throughout the rest of the country. In addition, their actions have been made known, thanks to back-to-back incidents involving former gaming juggernaut SAIBA Enterprise and their flagship game, "Digimon." Due to the mysterious phenomenon of the fictional creatures coming to life and causing destruction both here in Riverbed and our sister, Cisco City, the once trending activity for all ages, has long since been erased from the social circles of society. After three years, however, sources claim that there have been sightings of figures resembling…"
Zack blocked out the broadcast as it played itself out. His head was spinning as he tried to make sense of things. He found himself in bed, the events that he remembers vividly seeming more dream-like as he began to process things. His computer wasn't a heaping mess, the report of the AEGIS graduation played as before, and according to the clock, it was still September 6th, 2049.
All of that had to be a dream…right?
He managed to sit up and took a moment to examine his room. Everything seemed normal…except for the device that sat on his desk.
Without hesitation, he got out of bed and went to grab the watch. Examining the object, it looked pristine, and not like it melted in an explosion on the roof, with the glossy black of the watch case complementing the solid lime green of the strap. Turning it around, he accidentally pressed a button on the side, causing a projection to appear and startle him enough to drop it. Taking a moment to collect himself, he picked it back up, realizing the projection had a message.
"ACHIEVE SALVATION THROUGH CHAOS…"
Before he could look into the ominous message further, he heard a knock on his door. He yanked open his desk draw and threw the device in. He rushed to the door and opened it, finding Nick and Mikayla on the other side.
"Good Morning!" Mikayla exclaimed cheerfully.
"Um…hi?" Zack took a moment to process the declaration. Mikayla's smile made him feel awkward enough to turn to Nick for assistance.
"You were causing a lot of noise last night. Didn't sleep well or something?" Nick asked.
"I…" Zack began to tread on his words as the events came back to him. "Wait, back up a sec. First off, I need to apologize."
Mikayla blinked. "About what?"
"About what I said yesterday. About you minding your business when it came to what happened between me and Wallace."
She blinked again. "What are you talking about?"
"You…don't remember?"
"Wallace as in the snooty rich kid whose Grandpa runs the school?" Mikayla seemed humored, enough for Nick to tap her to be serious. "What did you do to piss him off?"
Zack was still lost. "What about the fire…?"
"What fire?"
Confusion was settling in. To keep from detracting from the moment, he gave up for the moment. "Nevermind. I must've dreamt all of that stuff happening."
Mikayla and Nick looked at one another before turning back to him.
"I'm fine, really," Zack insisted.
"Okay then…well we were just checking up on you. As members of the Student Council, we're obligated to make sure students are doing—"
"Whoa wait a sec—!" Zack cut her off. "You two Student Council members? Since when?"
"Since…we were appointed at the beginning of last semester?" Mikayla noted as if it was common knowledge. "Shows how much you pay attention."
"Headmaster Lancaster wanted some fresh faces and perspective to help with making the school more inclusive, as we've had more students outside of Riverbed attending this past school year," Nick added.
"And…I'm guessing Wallace is the President then, right?"
"Yes, the snooty rich kid is our President," Mikayla confirmed, causing Nick to slap her harder.
"So…do you think there's a chance you guys can convince Wallace to let me join?" Zack asked.
That question even got Nick's attention. "You sure? It's not as glamorous as Wallace makes it. Besides, the deadline long since passed so you'd have to wait for next semester."
"Wallace and I go way back. I doubt it'll be a problem."
"I'm willing to take a shot at it," Mikayla nodded. It'd be nice to not be the new kids anymore."
"Awesome!"
"On one condition, though." She added, holding a finger before him.
Zack paused his enthusiasm. "Which is…?"
"We become friends from this moment forward."
Zack blinked. "That's it?"
Mikayla nodded excitedly. "I'm sick of seeing your loner persona on campus. We need to fix that."
Zack slouched. "But you barely know me though…"
Mikayla agreed. "Hence why we're fixing that starting now. Get ready, we'll meet you in the lobby."
Before Zack could protest, Mikayla closed his door, leaving the boy astounded.
"That girl is weird," was all he could say in response.
Still, using her to get close to Wallace will help in verifying whether that 'dream' actually happened or not. He mentioned that he has access to the Digimon, while that cyborg-dragon one said that AEGIS created him. Since that weird smartwatch exists, then the only conclusion is that the factors are connected somehow.
While it may seem scummy, Zack couldn't dismiss that taking advantage of Mikayla's naivety was a starting point.
As he turned to get himself ready, a glimmering light shot past him, causing him to stumble back onto the floor. Feeling the soreness climb up his back, he looked up, finding the glimmering ball before him for the third time. He easily recognized it from his dream, and yet here it was.
"What…are you?" he uttered as he reached for it.
The ball of light shied away from him and lowered. Then in a bright flash that blinded the boy, the ball began to change shape and became more humanoid in appearance. When the light finally cleared, Zack lowered his arms to glimpse at the being. His voice caught, and a flood of emotions overtook him.
The ball of light was now a young girl, bearing a faint resemblance to him. Her cream-colored skin, shoulder-length blonde hair tied with a big blue ribbon, and white and blue tank dress, along with a butterfly-shaped pendant around her neck, all fit in Zack's consciousness like puzzle pieces.
Zack crumbled to the floor as the little girl smiled at him, her crystal blue eyes staring intently at him.
Clearly, she was happy to see him…
[AEGIS Headquarters…]
"Leo realizes he's not helping our current situation, right?" Layla crossed her arms in defeat, processing the news that she was told. She and the man she was with were both dressed in AEGIS uniforms, the latter's a little more decorated, whereas hers was a more standard attire.
Captain Ben Merlo stepped back as the bottle of water crashed at the bottom of the vending machine. "I can assume that's his point. Though as far as I'm aware, Doctor McKnight deployed the D-Brigade to go after them.
"That's definitely not going to help!"
"Would you much rather have Beelzemon and Lilithmon raise all kinds of hell playing cat and mouse with a beefy lion dude?"
Layla's eyes narrowed as Ben twisted the cap of the bottle, "I see what you did there and I'm not laughing."
"I thought it was clever." An alluring voice came through the device on the woman's wrist.
"Of course, you would," Layla spoke into the device on her arm, getting a humored giggle in response. "Seriously, this feels like déjà vu; like, what would possess Leo to suddenly go AWOL like that? Could he have been hacked somehow?"
"That's a possibility. Whatever the case is, Darkdramon and his team are the only Digimon we have at our disposal who can stand up to BanchoLeomon in terms of skill. Those two are like two sides of a coin."
"No wonder they can't get along. Literally can't see eye to eye."
Ben stifled himself, "I'm gonna use that."
Layla realized the unintentional joke and turned away in slight embarrassment. The pair got into the hallway from their breakroom and proceeded to make their way towards the main command room. All the while their conversation continued, "How's Mrs. Merlo doing, by the way?"
Ben's lips curled as he broke into a goofy smile at the sound of that. "Still pinching myself. Can't believe she actually said yes…!"
"Really? You and Melissa have been close since you joined SAIBA Enterprise. I'm just surprised you took so long to propose."
"Okay, in my defense—"
"You were scared."
"I was busy! You try juggling a relationship while standing on high alert for World War 5."
"Megan wants to drag Emily and me on a Girls Trip across Europe during their spring break, so I'll take a pass on the relationship before then."
The pair reached the room and after Ben scanned his ID, the doors slid open, "Sounds fun. Just try planning it for after the upcoming apocalypse."
Layla followed behind him, considering the words, "If I get lucky, Leo and Darkdramon will take care of that for me."
"'Find their signals NOW!"
Both Ben and Layla were taken aback by the sudden order that erupted the room into a frenzy. Before them, were agents who were typing away furiously, their gazes glued on the screens, as well as an anxious middle-aged scientist standing in front of the massive holotable before him, gripping the sides as if he intended to flip the console over.
"What's going on?" Ben asked, shifting to a more serious tone. Michael looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the two young adults as they made their way further into the room.
"They're gone," Michael said flat out. "Both BanchoLeomon and Darkdramon's signals up and vanished without warning."
"Vanished?" Layla repeated. "How?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. One minute, I was obtaining Darkdramon's ETA, and the next minute the transmission cut out. Both signals just dropped as if they were never there in the first place."
"Hmm," Ben pondered, stroking his subtle facial hair, "That is suspicious."
"Should we look into it?" Layla suggested.
"I'll send some scouts out to survey the area," Ben replied. "It's probably nothing, but don't want to be too sure."
"Really, I can take care of it." Layla insisted.
"I know you can, but I'm pretty sure Whitaker's gonna be looking for you. Gonna need to explain to the recruits how to use the D-Streamers and the Digimon, right?"
Layla snickered as she considered his words. "There you go being overbearing again."
"Only because you've seemed to have forgotten that you are not responsible for the Digimon any more than AEGIS is. Let everyone else bear the burden for a bit."
She crossed her arms and conceded. "Alright, you win. Whitaker may want to speak to me anyway given my exit back there."
"Thank you." He patted her shoulder and guided her in the direction of the doorway. After she left, Ben turned back and came up to Michael's side, the latter looking over.
"Some advice: keeping secrets from those close to you doesn't end up well."
"It'll keep them alive a bit longer." Ben swiftly countered.
"Ah, yes. AEGIS is all about their secrets…" Michael chuckled. "Why else would you drag me out of prison except to replace the last mad scientist you had…" Michael put his hands at his hips and sighed, "…I must really be desperate for a brighter future…"
"We all are," Ben commented.
"We all are…"
"This…am I still dreaming?" Zack couldn't find the words to describe his emotions. When the little girl knelt to him, he jumped back.
"Get away from me!" He screamed. "You're not real…! You…you can't be…!" Zack's emotions began to overflow, and he broke down. "I'm sorry…Evie, I'm sorry…!"
"E…Evie…?" the little girl repeated, catching Zack's attention.
Zack looked up and saw the girl's curious expression. An involuntary nod came from Zack as he swallowed. "That's right…you're Evelyn…right?"
"Eve…lyn…" She repeated. She then rose and turned her attention to the drawer where the watch sat. She walked over, retrieved it, and returned to Zack. He didn't resist her as she placed it on him. Once she did, she covered it with her hands, proceeded to glow, and before he knew it, she was gone.
Zack continued to sit in silence for a few more minutes, before remembering that Mikayla and Nicholas were waiting for him. He drowned out the events from his mind, getting himself together and heading out of his dorm room. From there, he went downstairs, finding the pair in the same spot where he remembered.
"Thought you were never going to come down," Mikayla joked.
This girl really had a saying for everything, didn't she? Zack thought to himself. "Yeah, got caught up in something and lost track of the time. Not gonna kill my chances is it?"
"Nah, I'll let it slide," she answered, taking point. "Now then, Onward!"
As Mikayla marched forward, Zack turned to Nick who passively paid their dialogue no mind. "So…is she always bubbly like that?"
"Only until you slight her," Nick answered as the two began to follow her slowly. "Trust me when I say that she has a side to her that only a few have seen."
"…makes sense," Zack considered.
"I've warned her about coming off as naïve but she's stubborn," Nick continued.
"That's the burden of being an older brother I guess."
"I'm guessing you have siblings too?"
Zack hesitated to answer, stopping short. "…had."
Nick turned and saw the slight shift in Zack's expression, "Sorry to hear that."
"It's cool. It's been a few years so I'm pretty much over it." Zack reassured. "Technically, she was my little cousin, but familial circumstances made it so my parents ended up adopting her."
Nick nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "Mikayla and I are half-siblings, so I can somewhat relate. It's like you're not completely attached to them, but just enough to call them your sibling, right?"
"Basically. Hard enough to get attention from both parents growing up, and then here comes this little girl out of nowhere to make the strain worse. Ended up resenting her with all my being and the one time my mom decides to do something about it…"
Nick could pick up on the implications nodded. "Shame that life doesn't give us second chances, huh?"
Zack almost wanted to laugh but he had to refrain. The situation that he's currently in is almost too good to be true. He needed to hold off on it before jumping to that."
"Hey! Stop lagging behind we're gonna be late!" Mikayla's voice flew the distance of a good couple of yards from them.
Both Zack and Nick realized they were further back than expected, and Mikayla's announcement caused some heads to turn as they walked past.
"You heard her!" One student cackled as he and his friends strolled past.
Zack exhaled, imagining if Evelyn were to do something similar. If he was given a second chance, in reality, he would have to consider whether he had the tolerance of a little sister.
"Well, well well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Zachary…?" a voice made out from their left.
Just as the pair caught up to Mikayla, the sound of his full name being echoed in the air sent a chill up his spine. Even more unsettling was the fact that this presumed encounter was playing itself out in a similar fashion, save the addition of the siblings.
The trio turned to acknowledge the pair as they approached, the cool, blonde boy and the attractive curly-haired brunette girl that accompanied him. However, this time around, there was a third, roughly the same height as Nick, short black hair and slender built. His presence alone gave off more of a studious, academic vibe about him, compared to his social-influencing companions.
"Wallace! It's been a while," Zack called out in response. At face value, he seemed genuinely happy to see him, but Nick at the very least could tell he was forcing it.
The two boys came within reach of one another and shook hands like familiar friends, compared to their first interaction. Zack took this odd circumstance as a second chance, and he was sure to be on his best behavior.
Despite it making him feel like a sellout in some regard.
"I almost didn't believe my Grandfather when he told me that you would be attending Riverbed Academy. Truly is a pleasant surprise."
"Yeah well, my Father's out of the country on business, so he figured it'd be safe that I dormed here at least for the semester while he's gone."
"Well, rest assured that all of your needs will be taken care of." Wallace pleasantly assured. Zack couldn't help but wonder where this version of him was the first time around.
Maybe he's still dreaming after all.
"Hey, aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend…?" The girl accompanying Wallace whined a little as she leaned into his shoulder.
"Oh! I'm sorry sweetie. Zachary, I like for you to meet my wonderful girlfriend, Isabella Rosenthal; vice-president of Riverbed Academy's Student Council.
"Or as some like to call me: The Queen of Riverbed." She winked.
"…only you call yourself that…" Mikayla muttered, taking advantage of Zack's awkward pause while she rolled her eyes. Isabella's gaze shot to Mikayla, the latter playing it off as her thinking out loud.
"And you are…?" Zack asked the unfamiliar person, clearing his throat. He wasn't dressed in a uniform, which must've meant he was a teacher or some other staff member of the school.
"Oh, my apologies." He acknowledged. "I'm Dion Allister, Editor-in-chief of Riverbed Academy's blog, the Homeros."
"Homeros?" Zack repeated.
"The school's blog," Mikayla answered. "It's where news stories and updates about the school are posted. If you have any questions about the inner workings of Riverbed, you'll likely find it there. As part of the Student Council, I work with the Homeros team as a staff writer and have written some pieces myself."
"You know, speaking of Student Council," Zack brought up, inadvertently dismissing Mikayla's explanation, "remember what you were telling me before…?"
Mikayla sulked a little before turning to Wallace. "Zack wants to join the Student Council and we wanted to know if there was any way you can make that happen."
Isabella turned and sized Zack up. "Hmm…I wouldn't mind."
"That sounds great!" Wallace agreed, "Especially because Ms. Brant here is going to be a bit busier."
"Why is that?" Mikayla asked, puzzled.
"One of our staff writers was just recently promoted and we're a bit understaffed," Dion explained.
"Wait really? Who did we lose?"
Dion smirked. "You."
Mikayla blinked. "Huh?"
Wallace continued, "Dion and my Grandfather were talking, and he submitted a request for you to be promoted based on your recent work ethic. The Headmaster approved it."
"Congrats, Assistant Editor." Dion smiled.
Mikayla blinked again. "What?!"
"Congrats, Mikayla!" Zack told her. The latter was still in shock, taking a minute to respond to him. Nick meanwhile didn't say anything, remaining stoic.
"Sorry, I just…" she began to blush a little. "…wow. I mean, are you sure? Ken's a much better editor if anything, I mean have you seen his test scores?"
Dion nodded approaching her, "Sometimes passion means more than intelligence. Little do you realize how likable you are on campus. Students always look forward to your posts due to the upbeat tone you present in your writing. Headmaster Lancaster thought it a good idea and wants to capitalize on it, to help make the school feel more welcoming. And yes, while I did advocate for Ken, even he vouched for you."
Mikayla's face lit up even more. "Thank you, sir! I won't let you down!"
"And just to throw it out there, I'm not much of a writer. But I don't mind helping out where I can." Zack added.
"Don't worry, we'll discuss the terms for the interview later on. When is your next free period?" Wallace asked.
"Just after lunch." Zack said, "I have Study Hall during 6th Period."
"Then after lunch, report to the Student Council office instead. It's on the 3rd floor of the Administrators Building south of the campus," Wallace instructed, pointing to a building down the path off where they came from before. "I look forward to seeing what you can contribute to our fine establishment."
Zack chuckled lightly, "you and me both…"
After breaking off with them, Zack and his new friends proceeded to endure the first morning of the school year. From the entrance ceremony he had to attend the week before, he got the basic rundown of Riverbed Academy: While it is a private academy ran based on raising humanity's next leaders—as is every big private academy—classes moved about as one would expect. While yes, there was this atmosphere of 'elitism' that Zack easily picked up on, it was the teachers who stressed the responsibility of such status. How they got into the school, or what family they were born into was irrelevant in the face of "true" elitism. The students were told to meditate on that up until the first day of school, in which their teachers would expand on it.
When students were prompted during 1st Period Math, each of the students had similar answers that equated to what Zack gathered from living amongst them: "We're the best because we got lucky in life."
To his surprise—and somewhat delight—his teacher dismissed that notion, proceeding to explain the statement presented before. What made one "elite" was their contributions to the world and what they made out of themselves; in other words, hard work, dedication, and a passion to succeed outweighed any title the school or their lineage could hand them.
And even though his teacher knew that these words would fall on the deaf ears of some students, Zack, who grew up with a parent who echoed similar words to him was willing to adhere to that statement.
By the time 5th Period came around, Zack told his two companions that he needed to run back to his dorm room before heading off to find food, and he would meet up with them in a bit. While he had his interview coming up in roughly an hour, the situation from the morning was still bugging him.
Assuring that the hallways were clear, Zack closed his dorm room door and locked it behind him, pulling up his sleeve and fidgeting once more with the watch.
"Come on, I know you're in there…" He muttered as he repeatedly pressed the buttons on the device. "Come on out Evie…"
The moment he said the name, the device began to glow, and in moments, the little girl was back in his room, standing before him with as much curiosity as before. Unlike before though, Zack was determined to get to the bottom of this.
"You're not really her, are you?" Zack began, "you look like my sister, but you're not her at all."
The girl blinked, still curiously examining the boy.
"Could it be that…you're a Digimon?"
"Digi…mon?" She repeated.
"I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that," A familiar voice made out from the device, startling Zack.
"Don't tell me…" he began to dread. Evie meanwhile giggled and tapped the screen of the device, summoning a virtual projection of Darkdramon before him.
Naturally, Zack jumped out of fear, but he quickly realized that something was off about it. Noticeably the blue eyes were new.
"This child is indeed a Digimon, but her digital make-up shares traits of Human DNA as well. I don't know the full details as to why AEGIS created her, but whatever the reason was, it seemed too dangerous to say the least."
"Wait…" Zack said, studying Darkdramon. "Why are you so…?"
Darkdramon looked over curiously. "Is something the matt—ahh!" Darkdramon jerked.
"Grahhhh! Where is he?! Where is that furball hiding?!" Darkdramon began to lash out. The blue tint in its eyes was replaced by a predatory gold hue.
"Hold on! What are you—"
"Don't tell me to hold on human! I'll finish what I started—!" Darkdramon grunted, calming down after a few moments. The eyes went blue again. "Sorry, where was I?"
"What is up with you?!" Zack exclaimed, both confused and slightly irritated.
Darkdramon paused and looked down at itself. Examining its arms and body, even it realized something was amiss.
"Morphomon, did you do something to us?" Darkdramon calmly asked Evie.
"Morphomon…?" Zack repeated as he turned to her. "So, you are a Digimon."
Evie nodded and took a deep breath, a spiral of binary developing around her. In seconds, she went from being a human girl to a small, white-skinned creature with sleeve-like arms trimmed in crystal blue. Her blonde hair and ribbon were also replaced with butterfly wing-like appendages, and her bangs were now blue and white-striped antennae. Her crystal blue eyes seemed to be the only thing that remained the same post-transformation.
"Her name is Morphomon," Darkdramon explained. "And it seems…that in her attempt to stop our altercation, my core has now somehow infused itself within Darkdramon's body."
"Meaning…?" Zack asked.
Before Darkdramon could answer, his body jerked about once again, and he snarled as he straightened, the eyes shifting back. "Meaning, I can complete my mission without interference!"
Darkdramon turned to Morphomon and proceeded to lunge for it, only to fall short, giving the latter enough time to run behind Zack for cover.
Darkdramon growled, "Are you kidding me?!"
"As long as we're stuck like this you're not to lay a hand on her," the voice of BanchoLeomon said in its head.
"Just try and stop me you damn cat!"
Zack took a moment and pushed a button on the device, pulling Darkdramon back into the watch.
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Darkdramon roared.
"Once you behave and I get to the bottom of this. Face it, it's three against one."
"Don't push your luck, Human!"
"My name is Zack."
"Do I look like someone who gives a—!"
"And off." Zack switched the device off, having about enough of the back and forth. He looked over his shoulder where the little Digimon continued to tremble. Exhaling, he directed his attention to the innocent being. He had time until his interview and there was still time until lunch was over, so…
"Hungry?"
Landing on a rooftop amongst the steel jungle that was downtown Riverbed, the trio of monitor-head Digimon dressed in ninja garments surveyed the area in which they arrived. A trio of AEGIS Agents also arrived on the rooftop moments afterward, seemingly out of breath, having to chase the speedy Digimon.
"Can…we all agree that the Monitamon were cool on paper?" one of the male agents had his hands on his knees, clearly showing that he was out of shape.
"I second that…" the female agent with them said.
"No arguments here…" the third replied.
One of the Digimon approached the trio of agents, the screen on its face flashing on and displaying Ben's image.
"Sounds like you three need to build your stamina."
"I didn't… mean it like that…sir." The agent tried to defend. "It's just that these guys…are faster than we thought."
"Yeah, can't we tune their speed or something…?"
Ben leaned forward in the screen, "6 AM tomorrow, you three are going to run laps until you can keep up with the Monitamon."
"What?! That's not fair!" The third one chimed in, reacting to it the hardest.
"When it comes to protecting the world from all kinds of threats, what seems to be unfair actually is fair," Ben explained. "Be grateful that you three just have to run compared to the team who have to work overtime to recalibrate them."
The three quickly got the point, reluctantly accepting their punishment.
"Now that that's addressed, have you come across anything over there?"
The lead looked around towards the other two Digimon, of which the pair shook their head. "Nothing. Are you sure Doctor McKnight even deployed the D-Brigade? All that time in prison probably—"
"5 AM? Hmm, I'm not much of an early bird but I can make an exception for you three."
The agent's two companions both punched him in each arm as their punishment was clearly getting worse the more they talked.
"Like he was saying, Darkdramon and BanchoLeomon are nowhere to be seen," the female agent continued. "We'll keep making our way towards the border and see—wait." She paused taking note of one of the other Monitamon. It turned back and pointed in a direction.
"Looks like they got a lead. See where it leads and report back asap," Ben ordered.
"Yes sir."
The transmission cut out after that. Ben leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose while the hologram of a Digimon appeared on his desk. It was a humanoid Digimon dressed in a biker outfit with two shotguns strapped on its sides.
"I'm so tired…" Ben admitted to the Digimon.
Beelzemon crossed his arms, "Didn't know you knew the meaning of that word."
"Shut up," Ben replied. "You know what I mean."
Beelzemon scoffed, "naturally. Maybe instead of lecturing to your subordinates, you should take your own advice."
"About running laps?"
The pair looked up, hearing a knock on the office door. "It's me."
"About bearing the responsibility on your own," Beelzemon answered before dissipating.
"It's open." He replied, watching the door open afterward. Layla made her way into the room and closed the door behind her. "What's up?"
"Sorry, were you in a meeting?" Layla asked, noting she heard voices before she came in.
Ben shook his head. "Beelzemon's busting my chops. What's going on?"
"Nothing much, just checking to see if there's an update to the big mystery on our hands."
"So far the Monitamon may have a lead, but nothing concrete," Ben explained.
"Mhmm," Layla nodded.
"What is it?"
"That's all you know?"
"Yes… that's all." Ben nodded slowly. "What have you been up to all morning?"
"Did some more demo battles and went to the Gym. Despite the reception from this morning, some of the new cadets are somewhat excited to be reunited with the Digimon."
"Not everyone's afraid of them. Besides, it's safe to say that after three years, some people can move on from those events moreso than others."
Layla grew quiet, with Ben picking up on it almost immediately.
"Something wrong?"
"It's nothing," she waved off.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes…I'm sure," she nodded slowly, mimicking him prior.
Ben stared for a moment, making Layla get up in response. "I'm serious, stop worrying about me!"
"Fine…" Ben conceded. "I'll let you know if anything comes up. In the meantime, stay out of trouble and don't get into any more fights with the recruits."'
"You're not my Dad, you know!"
"Then stop making me worry!"
Layla turned before leaving the room, her quiet demeanor replaced with a small smile. "See you later."'
"Later," Ben replied as she closed the door behind her. He leaned back and rolled his eyes.
He was still tired.
Due to his unusual predicament, Zack had to cancel his appointment with Dion and Wallace, the latter surprisingly forgiving, and opting to hold it that evening. Zack agreed and used the allotted time to move Morphomon off-campus. The last thing Zack needed was Morphomon to be discovered by someone, either as a little girl or a Digimon. So, he came up with the only place where not only she could be safe, but he had easy access to.
"Welcome to my house…" Zack introduced as Morphomon's eyes grew. "Or…our house, actually."
Zack looked down, finding Morphomon continuing to be enamored by the pristine, white mini-mansion. Zack couldn't help but see his sister in her, her expression to the building resembling the same one Evie gave when they met for the first time. As a result, Zack held his hand out to her. "Come on, let's go inside, okay?"
Morphomon looked up at him, and took his hand, trusting him. The pair then went ahead to walk through the wide-open front yard and up the small staircase, into the building together.
Once more Morphomon continued to silently take in the new environment, the hollow foyer presenting a wide staircase that forked in the middle, leading to two entrances to the balcony above. To their left was an office space, to their right, a dining area, and straight ahead, the living room, which, aside from being well-decorated, continued the trend of matte-colored furniture with darkened pillows on top of standard brown couches and chairs. A large TV was mounted on the right wall, and on the left, behind the living room area, was the island kitchen top and food supplies. Morphomon gravitated towards the latter, after spotting a box of Oreos on the countertop.
Zack finally remembered Darkdramon and re-activated the device, and as expected the cyborg was far from happy.
"Just wait until I get out of here! I'm going to rip you to shreds!"
"I mean if you're just gonna keep threatening me then I'll just keep you in there."
Darkdramon growled in frustration, unwilling to admit that he was at Zack's mercy. Morphomon approached Zack with a half-eaten cookie in her mouth and reached out. Zack knelt to her, and Morphomon tapped the device, summoning a stream of binary. Before Darkdramon could take shape, Morphomon waved her small arm and forced the cloud to reform into a humanoid silhouette of both black and green binary code. She looked around the room for a moment, and after stopping for a few seconds, waved her arm once more and reshaped the figure slightly. Before Zack knew it, he found himself staring at a tall well-built Caucasian man, with shoulder-length platinum-blonde hair in a navy-blue tank top, dog tags, and black cargo pants. Zack was taken aback by the sight, at once recognizing the man in question, despite the furious gold eyes. "No way…"
"What did you do to me?!" The man scowled at the little Digimon, who scurried back behind Zack.
"I think…she turned you into my Uncle Darren…" Zack admitted.
Darkdramon quickly scrambled for a reflective surface and after looking at himself he was thrown by the human that stared back at him. "I've had it! Change me back or else—!"
Morphomon erupted into tears, making the two tense up. Both Zack and Darkdramon looked at one another, not knowing what to do.
"Let me take care of this…" BanchoLeomon spoke in Darkdramon's head. A quick jolt shifted Darkdramon's eyes, turning them into the familiar blue. His persona calmer, he walked over to Morphomon and knelt, holding his hand out to her. Morphomon hesitated, but after looking at the blue eyes and warm smile, she was more inclined to approach him.
"Sorry little one, this little predicament you got us into is quite an adjustment." He picked her up and cradled her in his arms.
"You're telling me," Zack crossed his arms. "Just confirming, you are that lion from before, right?"
Darkdramon nodded, confirming that he was indeed BanchoLeomon, "As I mentioned, it seems my Core has found its way within Darkdramon."
"So that means that the fight we had actually happened…?"
"For us, it would seem. But I think the true answer is that it's yet to happen."
"Time Travel isn't a thing though," Zack scoffed.
BanchoLeomon moved to the couch and sat, rocking the little girl until she calmed down. "Then I suppose a 'dream' is more likely?"
Zack caught himself, unable to argue one or the other. "All of this is so confusing."
"It's fine," he assured. "With Darkdramon's aid, we will get to the bottom of the matter in due time. Isn't that right, friend?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, switching back. "I'm not your friend!"
Darkdramon could hear BanchoLeomon chuckle, irritating him all the more.
"In the meantime, I think we need to come up with a cover story for you guys."
"What for? You really think I'm sticking around this place?"
"You could always go back in the watch," Zack flashed, causing the latter to snicker.
"Fine!" Darkdramon finally gave up. "I'll stick around long enough to get us separated."
"Fair enough," Zack agreed. "Now, about the cover stories; you are my Uncle Darren. Your nickname is Drake because back when you were in the Airforce you were nicknamed the Sky Dragon. You were a single parent and because you were overseas, my family took in Evelyn here until you returned. Due to a conflict, you suffer from Dissociative identity disorder, which explains why you sometimes talk to yourself or take on a different personality. Even so, my father was willing to let you housesit until he returned from his trip overseas."
Darkdramon scoffed, "You honestly expect me to remember all of that?"
"It's not that difficult to keep the basic details in mind," BanchoLeomon said.
"I'm in control, so you keep shut!" The former snapped.
"Ha, just like that! Perfect!" Zack nodded. "Now as for you…" he knelt to meet Morphomon at eye level. "You are my little cousin Evelyn who was adopted into my family while your dad here was overseas fighting. All you really have to do is look cute and behave yourself."
Morphomon blinked. "Cookie?"
"Okay, good enough," Zack sighed, proceeding to stand. "Alright, so here's the deal: I have to head back to campus to prep for an interview this evening. I'll try to be back this evening if not tomorrow to talk about this situation further with you. Please do not break anything while I'm gone, okay?"
"And what do you expect me to do?" Darkdramon protested.
"I don't know. What do you usually do?"
"Fight, hunt, and blast my enemies into dust."
Zack took a moment to verify if he was being serious. "Try reading a book or watching TV."
"Or maybe I'll do what you humans call 'taking a nap.'"
"Yeah, do that."
"May I take control for a while?"
"Knock yourself out furball," Darkdramon replied.
Zack watched as Darkdramon closed his eyes and opened them, revealing the color shift.
"I'll assure you that everything runs orderly until you return," BanchoLeomon stated.
"Thank you very much. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can!"
BanchoLeomon nodded as Zack took the opportunity to take his leave. With the door closing, BanchoLeomon found himself left with Morphomon, who retrieved another Oreo. She looked up at her current caretaker and handed him one as well, to which he happily accepted.
By the time he made it back to campus, 6th Period study hall was beginning to wrap up. Even though he lived about a fifteen-minute walking distance from the campus, running back ended up proving to be the better option.
Though he really could've called an Uber if he were so inclined in retrospect…
Nonetheless, he made his way through the gate and into the courtyard. One benefit to the lunch break was that students were free to leave campus, as there were plenty of restaurants and Cafés in the area. As long as you showed your ID to the security desk going in and out, you were fine for the most part.
Students surrounding the areas closer to the main building congregated in their own cliques, and Zack paid them no attention as they did him. Until he was officially installed as a member of the Student Council, he was likely to be regarded as a nobody. Though some heads were turning and whispering, likely because they saw him talking with Wallace and the others that morning.
As he went to open the door, the door itself flew and knocked him on his back, startling some students behind him.
"Oh my god, are you okay?!" The accidental assailant gasped.
Zack gave an absentminded nod and looked up finding Isabella, Wallace's girlfriend, holding an outstretched hand towards him.
Zack couldn't help but notice how pretty she was up close; not to mention the rosy-vanilla perfume she was wearing radiating off her person.
"Are you okay…?" She asked again, causing Zack to react.
"I'm fine!" he quickly shot up. "Little headachy now, but I'll live."
"Oh…poor thing…" Isabella said, straightening out his blazer. She even went as far as pulling up his tie, to which he didn't protest. "There, all better."
Unbeknownst to the boy, his face was changing to a rosy hue, making Isabella giggle a bit. The boy cleared his throat and backed away. "Thanks…"
"It's no problem. Tell you the truth your interview was a while ago and you didn't show up. I was wondering what happened."
"Oh! Something came up, and I had to take care of it. I'm gonna meet up with Wallace tonight.
"Oh…so that's what he meant. Okay," she nodded.
"What do you mean."
"Nothing, really. He just said he couldn't hang out this evening because he had plans."
"I mean if you need him, we can always have the—!" Zack felt his arm jerk to his right, causing him to stumble once more. He quickly turned, seeing Mikayla, firmly gripping him.
"What is your deal?!" Zack snapped at her.
"I'll explain later, just move it…" she whispered, trying to drag him.
"Rude of you to interrupt our conversation like that…" Isabella said before the pair could get to the door.
"Sorry, but I have an emergency and need my friend's advice."
"He's my friend too now, isn't that right?"
"Don't answer that," Mikayla whispered.
Zack pulled his arm back from Mikayla. "Sorry about that Isabella, but Mikayla's right. She did need me for something major before class started. Tell Wallace and Dion that I'll see them tonight."
Mikayla opened the door, with Zack following behind her. As the students watched the events unfold, they all slowly backed away into their conversations, not wanting to be caught in Isabella's path. Noticing the slight unrest, she dismissed the situation entirely, making her way in the direction of the Administrators building, not noticing the trio watching on from the distance…