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Part Three: The Digital World
The Terraces
New York City, USA
Monday, May 21st, 2018
9:25 A.M.
When Pamela Grey entered the diner, she spotted her associate immediately. A young woman sat in the corner, feigning interest in a newspaper. Pamela felt she revealed far too much, wearing a pair of black shorts that revealed most of her legs, and a white jacket that opened up down her chest, exposing her cleavage. Pamela would have judged, but this was nothing new to her. Kids had been dressing this way for years. She watched the young woman drop her newspaper, ruffling the bangs of her blonde hair, which rolled down her back below her waist. A pair of pink sunglasses rested atop her head. Kyoko Kuremi liked to stand out.
"I see that you're dressed for the occasion." Pamela said in jest as she approached the table, the young woman having returned to the article she was reading.
"Oh, do I make you uncomfortable?" Kyoko said sternly, her eyes focused on the page in front of her as Pamela pulled back a chair and sat down.
"It's nothing I'm not used to; however, I was under the impression that most private detectives liked to appear anonymous in the crowd." Kyoko neglected to respond as a waiter came to their table. Pamela ordered a small cup of coffee and sent the man on his way.
"And do I not look like an average 20-year old to you?" Kyoko smirked behind her paper.
"Point taken," Pamela sighed." Now did you have something to discuss, or did you call me here to exhibit your affluence with outdated technology?" She tugged at the newspaper.
"Sorry, I thought that since we were judging each other on our appearances, we should act like it was the 1950s." Kyoko tossed the paper aside, bending over and pulling a file folder from her bag. Pamela winced, but neglected a comeback. She shouldn't have given Kyoko a hard time.
"I'm sorry, now what did you find out?" She asked with a stern look on her face.
"Concerning what's so interesting about these servers, nothing." Kyoko answered. "Everything I told you three weeks ago holds true still. Mateo's involvement with the Kyoto situation hasn't seemed to have escalated. There doesn't seem to be anything to profit from concerning the Factory Mark servers. The company went belly-up two decades ago because of a major accident in their head office. A computer in the special projects division caught on fire, the sprinklers were faulty, and dozens of people died. The company couldn't survive the following lawsuits."
"And there's nothing concerning what was on the servers at the time?" Pamela inquired.
"Nothing directly from Factory Mark, no." She shook her head. "Special projects only seemed to be working on technology that's already outdated by today's standards. The only thing of interest that I found from that time was that the company had funded an archaeological expedition in the Antarctic, something about recovering historical data from previous Antarctic expeditions, but it seems like that was just some executive doing a favor for a friend, nothing relevant to anything of value on the servers." She paused as the waiter returned with the older woman's coffee.
"So then why did Mateo risk so much to get ahold of them?" Pamela inquired.
"As far as the history is concerned, there's no explanation." Kyoko answered. "Absolutely nothing indicates why these servers could have so much value to him."
"So what did you find out?" Pamela knew Kyoko would not have called her for a meeting unless something of value had been uncovered.
"I looked more into Mateo and the situation with the fog itself. Did you know this has happened before?" Kyoko asked. Pamela looked puzzled. "Eight years ago, in Tokyo. The official stance by the Japanese government is that it was a terrorist attack. A thick fog rolled in over the entire city, centered around Shinjuku. Reports from inside claimed that a terrorist organization was kidnapping the citizens for ransom, but local police units were able to put a stop to it and the fog disappeared shortly after."
"Any explanation as to the fog that prevented people from entering or exiting the city?" Pamela asked.
"No, but the phenomenon was the same back then too. Investigators assumed it to be some new technology, but research into the matter proved fruitless."
"And that's all that the reports had to say on the matter?" Pamela wondered about the connection.
"The only other information was that a number of inhabitants of Tokyo reported seeing giant monsters in the city, but their claims were unsurprisingly unsubstantiated." Kyoko replied.
"I see, is that it?" Pamela felt disappointed.
"Oh, hardly. With another incident, I was able to compare names from then and now in order to draw any parallels, and I found two big ones." Kyoko answered. "You see, about a month before the Tokyo incident, there was a situation in Kyoto, involving a 16-year old boy named Koushiro Izumi."
"Izumi…" Pamela pondered. "That's the name of the employee at the Kyoto branch who sent the information to our servers."
"Exactly. It seems he was busy back then, too. Eight years ago he hacked into government servers and pulled up as much information as he could, concerning Factory Mark."
"No…" Pamela gasped. Kyoko nodded, and continued.
"At that time, an unknown individual who went by the pseudonym Koushiro Okawa took advantage of the breach in security and stole millions of dollars from government accounts, and framed Izumi to look like the culprit."
"Interesting that they had the same name." Pamela's eyes narrowed.
"Fortunately for the boy," she carried on, slightly irked about the interruption, "he was found innocent. He moved to Tokyo shortly before the terrorist attack. Koushiro Okawa was never found."
"So the same boy who was doing research concerning Factory Mark is now working for Mateo in Kyoto on extracting data from the Factory Mark servers. And Okawa?" Pamela urged.
"Koushiro Okawa is listed as the provider for an algorithm that was sold to Nideo a few months before the incident. From the information dump sent by Izumi, it seems that algorithm was the one used to extract information from the Factory Mark servers." Kyoko closed her folder.
"Hm…" Pamela stroked her chin. "What in God's name is going on over there…"
"Pam," Kyoko placed her hand on Pamela's, "Koushiro Okawa is an at-large, international terrorist, and Mateo is doing business with him concerning stolen government property. You have to get out of this."
"I appreciate your concern Kyoko, but Mateo would never hurt me." Pamela shook her head. "He's a close friend."
"It's more than that, isn't it?" Kyoko suddenly crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. "You're close to this."
"What do you mean?" Pam asked nervously, though she knew what Kyoko was about to say. The girl was a brilliant detective, and there's no way she hadn't deducted her past relationship with Mateo.
"Why didn't you tell me you and Mateo used to be married?" Kyoko asked with concern. Pamela sighed at the question.
"How much do you know?" Pam winced.
"I stopped looking into it once I saw the marriage certificate. I figured I'd ask you about it first." She frowned.
"It's not something either of us like to talk about." Pamela shook her head. "We were married up until twelve years ago. We were happy back then, Mateo and I, and our daughter Jean. But then, our daughter, she… we lost her. Mateo and I couldn't come back from that. We divorced a few months after she was gone."
"I see…" Kyoko averted her eyes. "Listen Pam, I know he meant something to you. But whatever he's gotten himself into, he's clearly not the same man you once knew. Please, for your own safety, stay out of this."
"You might be right." Pamela nodded. "I can't promise I'll leave this alone, but I'll be careful, I promise."
"Just look out for yourself." Kyoko stood up, grabbing her bag from the floor and returning the file folder to its interior. "I've got somewhere to be. Call me if you need anything else."
"I will, thank you Kyoko." Pamela waved as the girl exited the diner, leaving Pamela alone to finish her coffee, mulling over the information she had been given.
The Digital World
1:20 P.M.
Takuya felt his eyes open droopily; the world was only a white blur. He tried to reach out in front of him, but his arms wouldn't move. No, it was more than that. I can't feel my arms. I can't feel anything.
"Calm down now." A soothing, majestic voice sounded within the void. "Don't try to do too much. You're not finished yet."
I'm not… finished…? Takuya couldn't speak. Within his line of sight, he began to make out a blurry form.
"That portal you entered was never meant for more than one use." The blur shook its head, and Takuya could begin to make out more features. The shape of a man came into view, though his arms and face had the features of a lion. A Digimon, Takuya realized, I've never met this one before. "It looks like when you and your friends entered, your data didn't process correctly. You were scattered. Fortunately, all data ends up here sooner or later."
I need to save Willis… Takuya tried to cry, but he still couldn't speak. He wasn't sure if he had a mouth or not. Still the lion-man turned to him as if he heard him.
"Don't worry, I'll get you where you need to go. Just rest for now; I'm almost done." A wave of exhaustion overcame him once again, his eyes drooping. Takuya wanted to fight it, but he couldn't help but let the sleep consume him. For now, he would have to put his trust in the strange Digimon.
When next Takuya woke, the strange world of light was gone. A lush, green canopy was suspended over him, light filtering from above as he lay in a circle of grass. The boy shot up to a sitting position and looked around him. He was in a sparse forest, with trees spaced out evenly along a steep hill. Takuya groaned as he stood up, his legs wobbling weakly, as if they hadn't been used in some time.
"Dinoster!" He called into the quiet wood, his voice echoing through the empty space. No one answered him, but after standing in silence for a minute he began to make out the sound of flowing water. A river? He scrambled down the hill towards the sound, hoping the others had the need for water as well. My throat is so dry. He realized. How long was I out?
A short trip later, and he was at the bottom of the hill. The trees were more concentrated in this area, as the hillside curved back upwards. He started climbing, hoping the path wouldn't be too long, when suddenly he was out of the forest.
"Woah…" The hills in front of him were covered in terraces, with water flowing down from each one as it made its way to an expansive field below, which stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Takuya!" A few terraces up, Mimi stood at the edge, waving at him. Takuya sighed with relief, and started up a dirt path along the side, which took him upwards. Once there, he found a larger group than Mimi waiting for him. Palmon sat with her feet in the pool, absorbing the water through her roots. The girl named Alice and her partner Lopmon sat at the other end, lapping up water. At the next terrace, Impmon was sitting with his arm draped over his knee, his usual, irritated frown displayed.
"Takuya!" Dinoster sprang from his place at the pool, where he was lapping up some water, and gripped the boy in a bear hug. "I was worried when we couldn't find you."
"I was feeling the same a few minutes ago, but at least we found each other." He looked out at the small group of Digidestined that had gathered. "Impmon, what are you doing here?"
"Hmpf…" The rookie groaned. "I was done with that dump you call a city. Needed to get back home, so I followed youse guys."
"You came to help save Willis too, huh?" Takuya gave a smile.
"Ugh… He's the only one of you I can stand, okay?" Impmon turned away in embarrassment.
"And you…" Takuya left the rookie alone, glad he was here to help, and focused his attention on the other girl. "Your name is Alice, right?"
"Uh huh." She nodded. "Koji asked me to come, and Lopmon persuaded me too." She turned to her partner, who was sipping water from a small, curved stone.
"Well I'm glad you came to help. Sorry we didn't have time to get introduced before. My name is Takuya." He walked over to her and held out his hand.
"Yeah, I know." She stood up and gave him a firm shake. "You should get some water." She suggested. "If you're as thirsty as the rest of us were when we woke up, you're probably dehydrated."
"I am, thanks." Lopmon passed over the bowl she was using, and Takuya gratefully received it, dipping the stone into the pool and sipping the water it collected.
"Well, now that we're here, what do we do now?" Mimi looked over the hillside. "Asuramon and Willis could be anywhere."
"Asuramon will have returned to his commanding officers." Lopmon explained. "We'll need to find their base of operations."
"And how do we find them?" Alice inquired.
"Palmon and Dinoster were both in the digital army when they arrived in Kyoto." Mimi looked to the two rookies. "Do you two know where they're located?"
"No," Palmon shook her head, and Dinoster shook with agreement. "I was recruited from my home in the Transistor Jungle, and brought to a training location out in the desert. I don't know who is in charge."
"Me neither." Dinoster regretfully concurred.
"I've got nothing for ya either." Impmon shook his head.
"I know where they are." Lopmon continued. "It's why I traveled to the human world in the first place, to inform the Digidestined."
"What do you mean, Lopmon?" Alice was puzzled.
"I apologize Alice, that I was not able to share this information with you sooner. You see, when Digimon die, they become reconfigured, which removes them of all previous power and memories until they reach the highest stage of evolution that they had achieved previously. To come to the human world without alerting the digital army, I had to be reconfigured, which means I forgot my purpose until I reached my ultimate form, Antylamon."
"I see…" Alice said calmly. "So what do you have to tell us? What did you need to tell the Digidestined?"
"Not you," Lopmon shook her head, "I didn't expect to become partnered when I arrived here. My message was for the original Digidestined, who came to save our world years ago. You see, I am a Deva, I serve to help monitor the flow of information in and out of the digital world. My leader, Makuramon, sent me to the human world to find the Digidestined, and warm them of the upcoming attack, and who was behind it."
"Who's leading the attack then?" Takuya asked. "Who's commanding Asuramon?"
"The group responsible for commanding the assault on Kyoto, are the partner Digimon of the original Digidestined, a group called the Royal Knights."
The Digital World
1:20 P.M.
Prison didn't suit Willis. He sat in a dark cell, atop a bundle of blankets that also served as his bed. The floors were cold, but at least the blankets kept him warm at night. He couldn't complain about his accommodations, given the situation. They had made sure he was warm, even though they had stuck him in the cellar, having crafted the bars upon his arrival. He was given food every day, a serving of various fruits and breads, and was never short on water. Once a day, they let him outside as well, and he was allowed to stretch and move about along the beach. They had even provided him with reading material, when he had asked. Willis was surprised they had books from the human world when the Digimon had brought him a selection of classics. He was currently reading The Odyssey, a dim lamplight illuminating the pages.
His mind drifted as he read, reflecting back on the circumstances that had brought him here. Asuramon had arrived on the beaches of a small island upon entering the digital world. It was bare but of thick grass, and an impressively large, white castle that stood in the center. A blue-winged humanoid Digimon had greeted their arrival, covered in white and gold armor. Asuramon had explained the circumstances of his retreat to him, and the next thing he knew he was being escorted inside. The blue-armored Digimon had taken charge of securing his accommodations, building his cell within the cellar, and had provided him with food and water, as well as escorting him outside, since his arrival. He had seen nothing of Asuramon or the other armored Digimon since then, his only living companion the blue, winged Digimon that provided for him an hour out of the day.
Reading alone wasn't his favorite pastime. He had been a computer nerd before the invasion, constantly tinkering with hardware. His father had taught him to take apart and put together a CPU when he was younger, and since then he'd been experimenting with networking and coding, learning what he could in his spare time. He like to remain active while he was alone, and holding a book in his hands was not his idea of stimulating activity. Not that he minded what he was reading. The Odyssey was more captivating than he had anticipated, given how old it was. However, he was restless. He wasn't treated poorly, but he'd almost rather they had put him to work. At least then he'd have something to do, something to take his mind off the fact that he was still a prisoner in a strange world.
A creaking sounded beyond his cell doors, signaling Willis that it was time for lunch. He set his book down atop the small stack that had been provided him. Heavy steps sounded through the quiet cellar as a massive warrior approached. The Digimon was coated in blue-and-white armor, with a hefty cape on his back, and a large, golden V displayed on his chest. He carried a wicker basket filled with fruits and bread, some he recognized and some he didn't. The Digimon looked emotionless as it unlocked the cage and placed the basket inside.
"Thank you." Willis' voice cracked as the Digimon began to close the door. It looked up at him for a moment before turning away and heading back towards the stairs. "Please," Willis called, "I haven't spoken to anyone since I got here." The Digimon stopped for a moment. "I'd just like to ask a couple of questions, nothing too invasive, I promise."
"Proceed." The Digimon spoke with a sigh.
"I just wanted to know why you keep bringing me my food." Willis said softly. "Don't you have servants or something that can do that for you? You look pretty important."
"I took responsibility for you when you got here," The Digimon answered, "I am here to ensure your continued confinement, and your safety."
"My safety…" Willis' eyes widened. "What exactly do they want to do with me?"
"Nothing, if I can help it." He answered. "Make no mistake, humans do not have much good will here in the digital world. However, the Royal Knights have always been and will always be protectors of the weak and innocent. You have committed no crimes that I am aware of, and thus you are safe here, for the time being."
"I appreciate it, I guess." Willis smiled. He hadn't realized his position was so precarious. "Would you mind telling me your name?"
"My species is called UlforceVeedramon," He answered, "Most call me Zero." He began walking towards the stairs once more.
"Thank you, Zero." Willis called to him as the Digimon ascended the steps. The Digimon gave no reply, instead slipping out of the cellar doors, leaving Willis alone in the dark once more.
Out of the cellar, Zero walked down an adorned hallway, with brilliantly patterned carpentry and soft, white walls lined with numerous paintings. Zero's attention was momentarily drawn to a long mural as he passed, detailing a major conflict between two forces. The Battle of Sekigahara… He noted.
"Zero!" Another knight beckoned him down the hallway, this one coated in white armor. "The meeting is beginning."
"Coming, Dynasmon." Zero picked up his feet, moving faster down the hallway. Dynasmon led him to the meeting hall, a round, extensive room with high walls, with a circular, mahogany table in the center. Zero's eyes skimmed over the table as he entered, a sadness in his heart. There were fifteen seats in the meeting hall, but most were vacant. Dynasmon, the draconic warrior, sat down next to Crusadermon, the pink-armored knight. Across from them sat KabukiSakuyamon, a woman dressed in white dress and red pantaloons, wearing a yellow kabuki mask. Her long, gray hair descended onto the floor. Next to her was GoldenRapidmon, the bipedal rabbit Digimon, dressed in spherical, golden armor.
"Zero, take a seat." The last Digimon at the table addressed him. Omnimon was covered in white armor as well, with a massive red cape draped over his shoulders. His head was covered with a spiked helm, and two large gauntlets covered his arms, shaped like a golden dragon and silver wolf. Zero followed his command, walking swiftly to the assigned chair he had held since the formation of the Royal Knights.
"I am here, Omega." Zero pulled out his chair and sat, "Now, why did you call us here today?"
"I wasn't the one who organized this," Omega replied, "It was Dynas." He turned to Dynasmon, who cleared his throat.
"It's been three weeks since Asuramon returned with news on the Kyoto front," Dynas began, "And we've yet to do anything concerning the situation there. Asuramon has been beaten, Blossomon is a traitor, leaving Astamon and his forces alone to combat the humans and these "Gizumon creatures", who we have yet to make contact with following Asuramon's return."
"The digital world keeps us busy," KabukiSakuyamon spoke, "We haven't had the time to develop an appropriate response."
"The assault on Kyoto is the most important thing we should be focusing on right now, Saka." Dynas glared at the woman. "We cannot afford to hold back any longer."
"I was under the impression that our number one priority was protecting the citizens of the digital world from the virus." Rapidmon interjected.
"Eliminating the source of the virus is the most effective method of protecting them," Crusadermon defended Dynas' point, "The sooner we can eliminate the threat at the roots, the sooner this can all be over."
Zero sighed as he listened to Dynas and Crusader's argument. They hadn't been the same since their return. An expedition had resulted in the disappearance of two of their members. Dynas and Crusader had gone to find them, and came back with nothing concerning their whereabouts, instead having become bitter over the curse of the virus. Though their new personalities were not all they had returned with.
"Crusader is right." Omega nodded. "The sooner we eliminate the source of the virus, the sooner the Digimon will be safe." Crusadermon gave a victorious grunt. "However, we cannot ignore our relief efforts. If we direct all of our attention from salvation efforts in the digital world to an assault on Kyoto, we may not have anyone left to save."
"I'm telling you, there's no time!" Dynas slammed his fist onto the table. "The threat of these 'Gizumon' have kept our forces at a standstill since they arrived in Kyoto. If we don't put our full attention towards finding the source of the virus, we'll lose our hold in Kyoto and with it our one opportunity to stop it!"
"Omega, please listen to us," Crusader pleaded, "We are the generals of this army, we know a losing battle when we see one, and if we don't act now we'll never get this chance again."
"And what exactly would you have us do?" Omega inquired.
"The seven of us should go there ourselves," Dynas answered, "We can take care of the Gizumon threat more efficiently than what remains of the digital army."
"You'd put the safety of the digital world in jeopardy like that?" Saka cried. "If we were to all leave for the human world, there's no telling what would happen here!"
"It needs to be done." Dynas urged. "There's no other way. The Gizumon are virtually infinite in number. It'll take all our combined strengths to defeat them."
"Saka's words ring true," Omega shook his head, "We cannot allow the digital world to become defenseless."
"Well then," Dynasmon jumped from his chair, "Forgive me, Omega, but perhaps instead of discussing this among ourselves, since we clearly cannot come to agreement, we should see what He has to say about it."
"Is that really necessary?" Zero questioned, gaining the attention of the other five knights. "We're all friends here. We should be able to come to a peaceful resolution ourselves."
"No, Dynas is right." Omega agreed. "He is the one who has guided us along this path, we should seek his wisdom before coming to any conclusions."
"Agreed," Saka nodded, standing up. Crusader and Rapidmon stood up with her, leaving Zero no choice but to stand as well and follow them out of the room. The six knights then exited the room, moving down the hallway towards a winding staircase which led them to the top of the highest tower. They reached a wide landing at the top, where a set of double doors was guarded by a purple-armored Digimon, holding a double-sided axe that was as tall as his entire body.
"Craniamon," Omega spoke, "We would have words with Him."
"Understood." Craniamon turned and unlocked the doors, pushing them wide open, and walked inside. The group was met with an impressive, shimmering light that consumed the entire room. Omega walked up to the source of the light, a wide, blue crystal that sat in the center of the room, which stood more than twice his height.
"Why have you come?" A voice boomed into the room as the seven knights knelt down on their knees.
"We seek your guidance," Omega looked up in reverence at the heavenly form, "Lord Yggdrasil."
