"Ugh! What I wouldn't give for a shower!" Emily pulled off her metallic blue vest and shook it out. "Joe, how did you get through all this?"
Joe looked up from his glasses that he had been cleaning. "Lots of antibiotics."
"Ah!" Emily left Joe to his cleaning and sauntered over to Izzy, working furiously on his laptop. "Hey Izzy! Let me ask you something."
"Ok."
"How long have you had that laptop?"
"About two years. Why?"
"Just wondering. Do you have Net access?"
"Are you kidding? Of course I do!"
"Cool! Can I check my e-mail?"
"I guess so. Do you know how?"
"Oh yeah. I have one of these back at the apartment. I just hope Betsy hasn't spilled coffee or anything on it." Emily typed almost as fast as Izzy did.
"Who's Betsy?" Emily hadn't told any one in the group, except Joe, about her band's super powers.
"One of my room mates. She can be kind of care less at times. She has this knack for spilling coffee, dropping keys and TV remotes, and cutting important wires." Her deep brown eyes flashed as she remembered her friends back home.
"I guess I should be glad that she didn't become a Digi destined." Izzy chuckled
"From what Joe tells me, there's no chance she could have become one. She was nowhere near Heighten View Terrence when the attack happened. She was on vacation. Hmph!" She glared at her inbox, "Fine time for Katie to be e-mailing me! Can't she even let me save the world with out nagging me?"
Emily was about to hit 'respond', when a window popped up that said 'You are receiving an instant message from A FRIEND. Would you like to respond?' "Uh, Izzy? Do you want this?"
"What is it?" he looked at the screen and smiled, "There's only one person who could know that I'm online right now!" He hit 'Ok' and then typed in 'Hello Gennai!'
"Gennai? The one who lives in the lake?" Emily looked puzzled. "How does he get electricity in there?"
"Hold on a second Emily!" Izzy took the laptop from Emily and looked at the screen:
A FRIEND: Izzy my boy! How are you doing out there?
IZZY: Pretty good. I received you previous e-mail.
A FRIEND: Good. You've met up with her I suppose?
IZZY: Yes. And her digimon, Candymon.
A FRIEND: How is she holding out with the others?
IZZY: Holding out? What do you mean?
A FRIEND: I reviewed her past experiences with her band GQ. She has a tendency to like to take charge. How is she reacting to the other Digi destined?
IZZY: Well, Tai's been fascinated with her ever since she pinned a nuemomon to the ground and made him spill some information vital to who we're up against now.
A FRIEND: Yes, I thought Tai might like her attitude.
IZZY: I think she's annoyed by Tai's "go get 'em" attitude.
A FRIEND: It's because she hates being in charge. She hates it so much that she always ends up as a leader. Tai's willingness to lead irritates her.
IZZY: Matt never really talked to her until he found out that she used to baby-sit for TK and that she helped TK write a song for him when he was 4. Now he's always talking to her or getting TK to talk to her for him.
A FRIEND: The way to Matt's heart is through his brother.
IZZY: I'm not sure what Emily thinks of him though, but I suspect that she only likes him as a friend
A FRIEND: Go on...
IZZY: Sora and Emily both like to be around each other. If she's not talking to Matt, Joe, or me she's talking to Sora.
A FRIEND: According to what I've researched, Sora's sisterly relationship with everyone is like the sister Emily never had. Also, Sora reminds her of her friend Katie.
IZZY: Kari tends to avoid Emily, though I don't know why. And Emily, usually, just ignores her. TK on the other hand, loves Emily. He follows her all the time. Emily treats him the same way Matt does; like a brother.
A FRIEND: Kari is still new to being a digi destined. Give her some time. Remember that she was used to being "THE 8th child" and now everything's gone to "THE 9th child." As for TK, Emily adores kids like him, because of his innocence. But she can't stand babies. I think Kari's attitude shift has made her avoid Kari because of her resemblance to a two-year-old.
IZZY: As for me, she fascinates me. There's something mysterious about her; almost like she's human, but she's not.
A FRIEND: Yes, there are some mysterious things to her. But she will have to tell you these things on her own. And tell me something Izzy?
IZZY: Yes?
A FRIEND: Why haven't you mentioned Joe?
IZZY: Goodness! I forgot! I don't quite know what she thinks of Joe, though I do know that Joe probably likes her. We sent him with Candymon to go get her the day after she arrived.
A FRIEND: And how does she treat Joe?
IZZY: Well, one minute she'll be talking to one of us, and then he'll come by and she'll blush and walk away. She's around him more than any one else, and when she's not near him, he goes off to find her. I'm not quite sure what to think Gennai.
A FRIEND: Leave them to themselves Izzy. What ever happens with them will happen. Now it's you and Mimi that I'm concerned about.
IZZY: Me? And Mimi?
A FRIEND: Yes, I know all about you two. I'm just warning you that, if you don't tell the others soon, bad things could happen. They might loose their respect for you if you keep it a secret too long.
IZZY: I see what you mean. I'll think about that Gennai. I'm going to have to coax Mimi into consenting, but I think it's possible.
A FRIEND: Good. Oh, and Izzy?
IZZY: Yes?
A FRIEND: Put Emily on.
IZZY: Ok, but I need to ask you something first Gennai
A FRIEND: What is it Izzy?
IZZY: Is there any safe place that we can stay at for a while to rest? I know I speak for the others when I say that being in the woods and sleeping on the ground is starting to become painful.
A FRIEND: Of course! About 2 miles North of where you are, there's a hotel run by an old friend of ours, Leomon. I'm sure that he'll be glad to let you nine stay there. After I finish with Emily, I'll contact him and let him know you're coming.
IZZY: Thank you Gennai. I'll get Emily.
IZZY: Hello?
A FRIEND: Emily! How nice to meet the 9th child at last! I am Gennai, a friend of the Digi destined's.
IZZY: Yeah, they've told me a lot about you.
A FRIEND: Now, Emily, I have to ask you something that is very important.
IZZY: Ok. Shoot.
A FRIEND: Have you told any one about your powers and your ability to change into Gold Card?
IZZY: Only Joe. Why? Is that bad?
A FRIEND: Oh no. I was just going to warn you that, if word got out to your enemy Gary that you could do things like that, the danger you're in would be increased.
IZZY: What do you mean, the danger I'm already in?
A FRIEND: Queen Laurence knows you're here. She had Biff and Sully transport her here to have me tell you this-
IZZY: Laurence? She's here?
A FRIEND: Not any more. She left yesterday. And even if she were here, she wouldn't be able to talk to you, because Izzy didn't use his computer at all yesterday or the day before. But she left you this message-
IZZY: shoot! I'm all ears.
A FRIEND: She says that her planet is in danger. Someone's stolen the Guardians of the Universe from her throne room and left the calling card GAG. She says, without their force, the planet if falling apart. She also said that your other two friends can't transform anymore, because, whoever has then Guardians, has them surrounded by a force field. There fore, you can't transform either. I'm sorry Emily.
IZZY: Don't worry Gennai. I've dealt with worse. You forget that saving the world was my job already, before you brought me here.
A FRIEND: Yes, how could I forget. Oh, I forgot to mention, Queen Laurence will be notified if you can get the force field down. She will have Biff and Sully beam the Guardians up as soon as she gets word. Now I have to go.
IZZY: It was nice talking to you Gennai. Good bye!
A FRIEND: Good bye!
---Connection closed---
"I don't believe this jerk Gary! First he terrorizes the Digiworld, and now he steals the Guardians! What kind of freak is he?" Emily slammed Izzy's laptop shut and stormed away angrily. "The Guardians. How could he take the Guardians?" Emily kept muttering to herself. Then she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Emily, are you all right?" It was Joe. She turned away and ran. She couldn't let him see her cry. She was Gold Card! Leader of GQ! Bearer of the spirit of Godiva, the leader of the Guardians of the universe! She wasn't supposed to cry! She was supposed to fight back! Be a guardian of truth, peace and love! But then, that's what Godiva was, and now her body had been stolen. Her thoughts drifted back to when she first met Queen Laurence. The part of her story that she hadn't told Joe.
Emily and her friends had been taking a break from their first shot at fighting crime, when a flash had filled the room and a beautiful woman appeared. She had looked at them with joy in her eyes and cried "Greetings Godiva! Greetings Madova! Greetings Catalina! Queen Laurence salutes you."
"I knew you existed," Katie had said, "I saw you in my dreams. You're why we are the way we are!"
"Yes. And I bring you the truth. I am from the planet Orgisian. You are its defenders, or their spirits anyway."
"Their spirits?"
"Yes, the original Guardians of the Universe. They were all-powerful and bore the galactic symbol that I wear. One could turn sound into her weapon; one could control her hair's snake-like demons; and the leader could turn thin objects into solid spikes as her weapon. Their names were Catalina, Godiva, and Modova.
"They guarded the universe with strength and unity. Then, one day, a stranger came. He began to enchant the Guardians leader, Godiva, and she fell in love with him. But little did she know his dark secret!
"The night before their wedding, he imprisoned the Guardians as they slept. He suspended them in time. No one can undo his work, and now they stand, never to be awakened, in the palace. But, apparently, their souls sent them selves to Earth in their current form."
"And we read them!" Katie had been so excited at learning the truth.
"Yes, and when you read them, the royal symbol that each Guardian wore disappeared, so we knew someone else had the powers. I sent Biff and Sully over to protect you until I could come, but it seems you've gotten control of your powers rather easily."
Emily shook the image out of her mind. What was she going to do now that she couldn't transform? What would Joe think, especially after her sob story about Greg and her decision. He'd think she was a liar and a fraud. And he would think Gennai was a liar. She couldn't let that happen. She didn't want Gennai hurt, the same way she didn't want Queen Laurence hurt. Desperately, she dug into her pockets and pulled out her transformation card.
She held it out in the air and yelled out "Star Wars!" She felt the card surge as if it was going to fill her with her strength and power, then stop dead. The glow that went along with it died. "No! No! No!" She threw her card to the dirt and began to cry. *Godiva* Emily looked up, "Laurence?" * Godiva, the one you call Gennai has told me about your distress of the Guardians being taken* Emily heard Queen Laurence, but couldn't see her. Emily decided that Laurence must be talking to her telepathically.
* Godiva?* "Laurence, I can't believe they took them. Without their power flowing openly from your planet, I can't transform. I feel so powerless! How can I help these people save this world when I don't have the powers I used to save my own?" * Godiva, do you remember how you were before you found the cards? Before you had the responsibility of saving your world from evil? Do you remember how you were?* "Yes. I was a sleazy guitar player in a street corner band called "Gimme Quarters."
* Don't say that. Think of how you were when you weren't doing things in the band. Think about how you were when you were just plain Godi- I mean, Emily going to the movies with your friends.* "I was happy. And free. I could do almost any thing I wanted, as long as I had my friends around." * Will these people you call the Digi destined make poor substitutes for friends?* "No. Because some of them are my friends. I like them a lot. And one of them, I think I love" * Then, as of now, you are no longer Godiva! You are once again Emily! You have no powers and are surrounded by your friends. With out your powers, you can still do anything!* "Laurence?" * Yes, Emily?* "After I save this world, how long can I stay plain old Emily? Can I take some time off?" * Emily, you have always had the power NOT to transform into Gold Card. Who am I to stop you? But promise me one thing. Never get rid of your card. It is the key to everything. To your powers, to your friends powers, to my world's powers.*
"I promise. Oh, and Laurence. Before you go-" * Yes Emily?* "Thanks!" * My love goes with you and Godiva, Emily. Enjoy your freedom.*