Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon and its characters, nor am I making any money from this. This is done purely for fun.
Warnings: This story disregards the ending of season 02. The Digital World is still a secret except for the Digi-destined. And this story contains violence, angst, and some mild language. I have only seen the American version of Digimon. So although I try to stick to cannon as much as possible, there are some things that I have to guess at. Oh yeah, it's becoming slightly AU. Hope that doesn't bother you too much.
As always, I thank my sister for getting me involved in yet another anime obsession.
To Sleep…Perchance to Scream
Chapter 4
They met in the park.
As soon as he got done speaking with Davis, Tai had called the other Digi-destined that were available. Mimi, of course was out of reach in America, but Joe assured the elder Keeper of Courage that he would e-mail her and keep her apprised of the situation.
Sora was out of town for the week, but had responded to Izzy's e-mail, sending her love and support to the others, since she couldn't be there in person.
An hour after Davis made the first call, they gathered under a clump of oak trees. The sun-dappled shade played intricate patterns over the ten young Chosen Children and some of their Digimon partners. For a moment, no one spoke. They were not sure where to begin. The sound of the nearby traffic filled the gap, and the breeze whispered through the leaves overhead.
Finally, Tai cleared his throat and turned to Davis and Ken, who was sitting with his back to the trunk of one of the trees, Leafmon sitting quietly in his lap. The breeze stirred the green leaf on the baby Digimon.
"You said that Daemon has escaped from the Dark Ocean?" the elder Keeper of Courage asked. He didn't mention Ken's parents. Tai was not the most tactful, and he wasn't sure how to approach the subject.
Davis nodded, glancing at Ken, who was staring off into the distance, his straight dark hair stirring around his face in the cool breeze.
"Yeah," Davis said, and proceeded to relate his and Ken's little adventure at the television station earlier that day.
Izzy, who had been studying Ken's laptop with intense interest and a smidgen of professional jealousy, accessed the video Ken had copied from the traffic control center. "Guys, here it is," he informed the group. All of them except Ken clustered around Izzy, peering over his shoulder to get a good look at the scene. Ken just remained sitting under the tree, humming under his breath.
They watched in silence as the massacre was played out in front of their eyes in digital reality. And hidden, but somehow not from their eyes, was Daemon. He was standing nearby, seemingly invisible to the people on the street. But Izzy noticed that people, even though they couldn't see the digital monster, were avoiding the area where Daemon was standing. A few were even wrinkling their noses, as if they smelled something that was rotten.
After they had seen the evidence and Izzy closed the program, silence once again descended on the group. Each one lost in their own thoughts as they tried to make sense out of it all.
It was Davis, predictably that broke the silence. "Well, I say we go to the Digital World and kick Daemon's ass," he proposed.
"Definitely," Tai agreed, and there were general murmurs of agreement from the rest of the Digi-destined as well.
"We need a plan," Matt reminded them, his blond hair stirred in the breeze. Of all of them, it was Matt who was the most deliberate. He liked to think things through and then go charging in and wreaking havoc.
"Simple," Davis shrugged. "We open a digiport, arrive in the Digital World, grab Agumon and Gabumon, along with the rest, have them digivolve into their Mega forms and beat the snot out of Daemon." He looked to the others to see what they thought of his plan.
"Simple, straightforward," Tai evaluated out loud, "I like it."
"You would," Joe said sourly. "Has it occurred to you guys that that is probably what Daemon expects us to do and is ready for that? Don't you think that he might have something planned to stop us from doing that?"
"Joe's right," TK said thoughtfully. "I'll bet he's just waiting for us to get to the Digital World so he can take us out all in one fell swoop."
"Ok, then what do we do?" Davis asked sarcastically.
"Know our enemy," Izzy replied promptly, still playing with Ken's laptop. "What do we know about Daemon?"
"He's an incredibly powerful Mega digimon," Kari said quietly, stroking Gatomon's silky fur. She had been studying Ken, who had yet to contribute to the conversation.
"He can open a gate between our world and the Digital one," Yolei supplied as she adjusted her huge glasses.
"Yeah, and he has friends too I'll bet," Cody piped up from where he was sitting between Yolei and Kari.
"Ok," Izzy acknowledged. "What does he want?" and looked up to see the others staring at him.
"He wants Ken," Davis said rolling his brown eyes at Izzy missing the obvious answer.
"Why?" Izzy asked.
"Because Ken has the dark spore," said TK said, not understanding where Izzy was going with this. Ken was still looking off into the distance, not caring that they were talking about him.
"So what?" Izzy asked. "Daemon is one of the most powerful Digimon in existence. Why would he want the dark spore?"
The others began to look a little unsure of themselves. "Because it would make him even more powerful?" Joe offered.
"Maybe," Izzy hedged. He had the distinct feeling that there was more going on here than they knew about, and not having all the information irritated him a little. "What do we know about the dark spore?" he questioned.
"It makes a person evil," Davis replied with an apologetic glance at Ken, who was ignoring them all, still lost in his own thoughts.
"Besides that," Izzy said a bit impatiently. He hated to waste time with the obvious. Looking over at Ken, he decided that it was time to bring the Child of Kindness into the conversation. "Ken?"
Ken turned and looked at him. "What?" he asked as he reached up to brush a few stray strands of hair out of his violet eyes.
"Tell us about the dark spore," Tai said, his brown eyes were serious.
"What do you want to know?" he asked back, all too aware of the eyes on him. Leafmon stirred in his lap, then subsided.
"How has it changed you?" Joe asked, looking at him with a clinic air of detachment.
Ken frowned, reluctant to share his differences even with his friends.
But Davis jumped in. "He doesn't eat," the younger bearer of Courage and Friendship supplied.
Ken jerked his head up at give Davis a look. "You know about that?" he asked half in surprise half in chagrin.
"Of course, dude! I know that you manage to slip most of your food onto my plate. Not that I mind, mind you. But I did notice you hardly ever eat. Even I notice some things once in a while," Davis said loftily.
Ken looked down, a faint blush painted over his pale skin.
"What else?" Izzy asked, trying to keep the conversation on track.
"He can open a gate without a monitor," Kari said quietly.
The others looked at her in surprise, then Yolei's own eyes widened as she remembered her field trip to Kyoto. "Yes! He can! He brought Poromon to me through a gate in the river, and then he and Stingmon went back through the gate!" She jumped to her feet and glared at Ken. "You can make a gate anywhere!" she accused.
Ken eyed her, not sure if the volatile girl would physically attack him. "Yes I can," he admitted. "But it takes more time and energy than just using a monitor." He looked at the others, looking for anything in their eyes that might seem accusing. So far, they all just looked fascinated. But he still felt a little defensive. Telling himself to stay calm, and that he was being paranoid, he met their gazes squarely.
"What else?" Matt asked as he shifted to a more comfortable position, laying flat on his stomach in the grass with his chin propped up by his fists.
Ken shrugged. It was hard to put into words the things he did on instinct. Things like understanding the Digital World, and controlling the Digimon themselves. Then TK spoke up and broke Ken's thoughts.
"Well, we know that he is better at physical activities and has a photographic memory," the Keeper of Hope added, not sure if what he was saying would help, but felt it was worth mentioning.
Izzy nodded, processing the information. "Ken, where is the spore anyway?" he asked.
Ken raised an eyebrow. "It buried itself right here," he said, tapping the base of his skull.
Joe rose to his feet and walked over to Ken, crouching behind the young genius and moving his black hair out of the way so he could see better. Ken sat perfectly still, with everything sense keyed toward Joe's slightest move.
"There is a small scar here," he reported. "I think the spore has embedded itself in your occipital lobe," he diagnosed. Joe retreated to where he was sitting beside Izzy. "I wonder if the spore is still there, or if it has integrated itself completely into your system," he mused.
Ken repressed a shudder. He resented being treated like an object. It was bad enough when the media did it, but it hurt that it came from people whom he regarded as friends.
"If that is the case," Izzy wondered aloud, "does that mean that Ken is part Digimon now?"
Ken stared at Izzy in horror. "You mean I'm not human anymore?" he asked, his violet eyes alight with fear. Leafmon buried himself closer to Ken, trying to give silent reassurance to the young boy.
Seeing Ken's reaction, Davis scooted closer to Ken. "Izzy didn't say that!" he snapped in desperation, glaring at the redhead. Ken's mental and emotional state was already shaky as it was. The Keeper of Kindness didn't need any more shocks like this right now. "You are human, with a little addition is all."
"Besides," Demiveemon chimed in from his perch on Davis' head. "Being a Digimon isn't so bad! We have a lot of fun, except when someone throws a dark spiral on you," the tiny Digimon amended. He was trying in his own way to make his Jogress partner's friend feel better. But the innocent statement produced exactly the opposite reaction.
Ken went white to the lips. The only color in his face was his violet eyes, turning towards black. Without a word, the young genius pushed himself to his feet and clutching Leafmon like a lifeline, he stalked off. The other Digi-destined stared in shock at the blue digimon perched on Davis' head. Davis glared up at his partner.
"Sorry Davis," he hung his head, knowing he had said the wrong thing.
Davis sighed and reached up and stroked the silky blue hide. "It's ok," he said. "You meant well." The younger Child of Courage glanced at the others. "I'll go get him," he reassured them.
"Davis, can someone else go get him?" Kari asked hesitantly. "I think we need to talk some more."
Seeing how serious the Child of Light was, TK volunteered, "I'll go get him." The others nodded and with Patomon perched on his hat, TK rose to his feet and proceeded in the direction that Ken had taken.
"What is it?" Davis asked.
"Has Ken seemed different to you?" she asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes that the breeze loosed from the clip.
Davis started to answer an automatic no, but seeing how serious Kari looked, reconsidered his answer. He dropped his brown eyes and studied the grass. "Yes, but I thought it was because his parents had died," he said.
Kari nodded and bit her lip. "Has he cried at all?" she asked gently. The others were looking at her, but her gaze never left Davis.
Davis shook his head. "No." He didn't want to betray his friend but Kari had asked. "He has nightmares, but he hasn't cried once."
Kari sighed and exchanged a concerned look with Gatomon, who was a few feet away. "Ken told us that the spore fed off of negative emotions. It amplified them," she explained, hoping Davis and the others would see where she was going. Davis just sat there, waiting for her to get to the point. Sighing, she tried to remember that this was Davis. "I think the dark spore in no longer dormant."
Davis blinked. "No way!" he exclaimed, but there was an uncertainty in his voice. "Are you saying that Ken is going to try to take over the Digital World again?" The rest of the Digi-destined were leaning forward, listening intently.
Kari shook her head. "No, not at this point. But if we aren't there for him, his pain and anger might lead him back to evil."
"Kari, are you sure?" Tai asked softly.
The Child of Light drew in a breath. "Ken once said that when he was under the spore's influence, whenever he felt pain, he wouldn't cry, he would just go numb. I think that is what is happening again." She looked unhappy and Gatomon snuggled under her arm, trying to comfort her.
"Oh boy," Davis breathed. "We gotta stop that." The rest of the Digi-destined nodded in agreement.
They looked up as TK and Ken walked back to the group. Ken didn't look at anyone, but kept his gaze firmly on the ground in front of him. He didn't look particularly upset, except for the firm set to his jaw.
"Have we decided on a plan yet?" TK asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
"We are working on it," Izzy assured them. "We have to see if we can come up with a way to destroy a virus Digimon."
Surprisingly, it was Ken who answered him. "I e-mailed a friend from MIT in America. He's a Professor in the Computer Science department." Ken's voice was very calm, although his face was pale. Davis frowned as he saw a strange gleam in his best friend's violet eyes. He remembered what Kari had said and repressed a shudder.
Izzy, not seeing it, slid the laptop over to the Child of Kindness. "Here, see if he's replied yet."
Ken sat down and logged on to the Internet. For a moment, the only sounds were the traffic nearby, and the rustling of the leaves overhead. The sun-dappled shade played over them, and none of them looked at each other. Then the screen of the laptop went black.
"Izzy, what did you do to my computer?" Ken asked quietly, but with a deadly undertone to it. Kari and Cody drew a breath, but the others just remained still, like the quiet before the storm.
The redhead was puzzled. "Nothing, I just accessed the video file. Why?" Izzy asked in a calm, professional tone.
Ken was about to reply, when the screen flashed blood red. "Hello, Ken Ichijouji." A deep voice oozed out of the small speakers in the laptop.
The Digi-destined stiffened in surprise, then crowded around the genius child, who froze at the keyboard. Then, very deliberately, Ken asked in a bored tone. "What do you want Daemon?"
The voice chuckled, it sounded to the children like gravel being slowly ground into powder. "What I have always wanted, young Ken. You."
"Then why didn't you just come after me? Why kill my parents? They had nothing to do with this," For the first time, Ken showed some emotion. Traces of anger, rage and hate laced his voice, making it shake just the slightest bit. "Why didn't you just come after me?" he repeated softly.
"My dear boy," Daemon answered in mocking sorrow. "I did it to awaken the dormant spore inside you. You needed to be hurt so bad that you would turn anywhere to escape the pain. Did it work? I think it did." Daemon finished with self-satisfaction.
Ken didn't answer. Davis reached out and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. He could feel Ken's slender body shaking, but the young genius' face was remarkably neutral, with a little contempt thrown in for variety's sake.
"Well, you can't have it!" Davis snapped at the Mega Digimon. "Get another one, this one is Ken's."
"There is no other. The one embedded in the child is the last one in existence. I will have it!" Daemon replied, losing his oily, confident tone in his desperation to get what he wanted.
"Why do you need the spore?" Izzy jumped in, wanting his previous question answered by the one being who could. They held their breath, and listened. "You are a very strong Mega. What can the spore offer you?"
"That spore contains the original program that created the Digital World," Daemon answered. Izzy drew in a quick breath, but the others were so intent on the conversation that they completely missed what had struck the redhead like a bolt of lightning. "It's mine and I will have it! I need the dark spore inside that child," Daemon sneered. "Give it to me," the Mega demanded.
"Get bent, Daemon," Ken answered laconically. "You killed my parents, and then expect me to just give it to you? I think not!" The contempt was clearer now, and the temperature in his voice dropped several degrees.
"I will have you and the dark spore, Ken. You will surrender yourself to me, or more of your friends will die!" With that final announcement, the blood red screen of the laptop flared, and then went dark as the machine itself started whirring as it went through the re-boot process.
"Oh man," Davis said, as they all slowly settled back to their previous positions. "We have to stop him." Davis hadn't removed his hand from Ken's shoulder yet, but he could still feel the tension vibrating throughout Ken's body.
It was Izzy who replied. "The original program for the creation of the Digital World? Prodigious," he breathed in wonder.
"What is so great about that?" Tai wanted to know. All their lives were in grave danger and Izzy was excited about a program. Typical.
"Don't you get it?" Izzy demanded. "Ken has access to the original program for the creation of the Digital World!" he said, as if it explained everything.
Seeing the blank looks from the others, Izzy shook his head in frustration. "C'mon guys! Pay attention." Still seeing the blank looks, Izzy elucidated. "Think about it. If someone came along, someone who had the knowledge and the ability to create the Earth, what would you call that person?"
It was Cody who answered. "Most people would call them God," he said thoughtfully. The others gasped in astonishment.
Izzy nodded. "Exactly."
TBC