"Beware the Eastern Sun"
Chapter 9
"One
foot in front of the other,
The path into
the forest deep;
Part the trees
and the brushes,
Into the dark
man's keep."
-Palaen Wanderings, by Kari Kamiya
Kari looked up at the light of the
waxing moon. The crescent floated amidst a mist of gray, which only partially
obscured its brilliance. Like diamonds in the sky, the stars twinkled, turning
the night into a flickering display of lights. To the east, the mountains
loomed, the ever-constant element of a dynamically changing world. For eons,
they watched, and for eons more, they would stand guard over the valleys and
plains. And then there was her, a small girl with a devoted companion, alone in
the night.
Things were not as bad as they seemed,
though. She felt comfortable in the darkness with Gatomon as her only company.
Nature went on about her business around Kari, and she fell into silent
observation. Though she had come to see the fields, the forests, the trees, and
the sky so much in the Digiworld, it always seemed new to her. City life had
left a lasting impression on her, and deep inside, it would always be her home.
But for now, there was Life.
She turned her eyes upon the figure of
Gatomon, taking a light nap on the cool grass. During the nights, when she was
asleep, Gatomon would keep watch, even though Kari often insisted that they
would be fine. To counter this, Kari would stay up, letting Gatomon sleep from
the early evening to later at night. This way, they shared the burden, which
ended up benefiting both of them.
She made loud noises setting up her
knapsack by the dimming fire. Gatomon rose quietly from her sleep and looked
slightly dazed, silent reproaching herself for her lapse in watchfulness.
"I'm going to go to sleep now, Gatomon," Kari announced. "Good
night." She climbed into her knapsack and closed her eyes, letting her
mind ease into soothing unconsciousness.
Matt's eyes played across the words,
but he was no longer comprehending. Sighing, he closed The Prince and
set it aside. He sat on a green velvet armchair in his library which was lit by
an electric lamp, one of the few bits of technology he allowed. On the small
table next to the armchair sat a pile of books, among them Mahan's The
Influence of Sea Power on History, Hobbes' Leviathan, Marx and
Engles' Communist Manifesto, and other books of military and political
doctrine, with the occasional biography of Rommel, Patton, or some other famous
general. Books had come to dominate a portion of his time. As he read, his
thoughts brooded over and mere notions became ideas. Before him he saw the
thoughts of great others, which he sought either to emulate or surpass. He was
trying to establish peace and order which would last, and to do so, he would
have to pick and chose ideas from the best.
Although he would like to think
differently, he had come to agree with the philosophy that men cannot rule
themselves. They are base, conniving, and evil by nature. As such, it is up to
the elite and the intellectual to guide the rest of humanity, like parents to
the children. Perhaps someday, he thought, mankind will grow up, and then we
can have a truly equal society. But for now, power would best be placed in the
hands of the elite.
He sought to imitate, in a broad
sense, those benevolent governors of the Renaissance Italian city-states. He
would help the arts flourish, support public education at all levels, attempt
public works, stimulate commerce, and raise the standard of living. But to do so
would take many years, and often these kinds of flowering programs die with
their leaders. Therein lay the problem: a successor. He would need someone to
continue the leadership, extending the foreseen Golden Age to the following
generations. In his study of history, he often found the most corrupt
dictatorships to follow the most benevolent, as in Ancient Greece.
This is where T.K. came in. He saw
T.K. now not only as a brother, but also as a legacy. In him, he would impound
the great ideas of the thousands of years of history of man. From the Code of
Hammurabi to the Magna Carta to the Constitution of the United States of
America, he would show him all the goodness of history while warning him of its
evils.
But alas, there were many miles to go
before this dream would be complete. And he must be careful, for he was setting
the foundation for future generations to come. So many things to do...
A knock at the door.
"Enter."
A messenger stepped into the doorway.
"Sir, she has been spotted along the river."
Matt rose from his chair. "Good.
Show me."
The servant bowed and led him through
the halls as Garurumon silently followed, staying behind in the shadows.
"He has left."
T.K. looked up at Angemon, who
returned the stare impassively. He rose, nodding his head towards a nearby
grandfather clock on the wall. The two moved off towards the clock, and after a
manipulation of switches, a part of the stone wall shifted aside in the
neighboring room. They then went into the neighboring chamber and made their
way into the passage, which spiraled down into the deep labyrinth of ancient
tunnels long since forgotten. With a single sputtering torch to guide him, he
moved swiftly and silently towards a room, unnoticeable to the passing eye, but
only evident upon inspection.
He flipped a switch, and a light
flickered on, accompanied by the humming sound of an electric generator. The
room housed a plethora of computer, telecommunications, and electronic
equipment. Here was the essence of the underground movement, deep within the
caverns of the one who would seek it destroyed. Here was the central hub of the
last remnants of the electronic network spanning the digital world, all but
dismantled by Matt in his rise to power. Here was the last scant means of mass
communication that was available on any scale. And here, T.K. made his base.
Here he would stand.
The gushing and swirling sounds of the
river lulled Kari peacefully to sleep, but to a sleep that was anything but
peaceful. She dreamt the kind of dream that she had come to know well: the
dream of premonition. In it, she was reaching out to her friends, but the
harder she tried, the farther they disappeared, and the darker the world around
her became. Finally, she saw Matt and Tai fighting. Tai wielded a giant sword,
wearing glowing blue gauntlets, and Matt was poised above him, striking
furiously with a battleaxe glowing fiery red. His mechanical right arm glinted
in the dim light menacingly as Tai fell to his knees, clutching a mortal wound.
As Matt raised his sword for the final blow, a pinpoint of light came from
behind him and illuminated the whole chamber with a blinding glow. Then, there
was a flash, and Kari sat up in her knapsack, sweating.
Looking around her, all seemed normal.
Gatomon was sitting by the river staring off into the distance. The fire was
reduced to mere glowing embers, and her supplies sat still and quiet near its
glow. Sitting up straighter, she inhaled deeply. The cold, crisp air was
refreshing, with the thin layers of fog stemming the air from becoming too
cold. The light of the moon trickled down to the grassy covering in slivers,
sliced up by the shadowy forms of trees and passing clouds.
As she sat, however, a strange feeling
began to creep upon her, nipping at the edges of her consciousness. One might
have dismissed it as an itch or a cramp, but it tugged at her persistently,
growing in intensity. Nearby, Gatomon's ears twitched as she rose and looked
off towards the east. She felt it too. As if her body acted on its own, she
rose from the security of the knapsack and looked in the same direction,
rubbing her arms to fight the chill.
In the distance, the two-beat sound of
a fast approaching creature could be heard.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Thump-thump...