Book One, Chapter One: Welcome to Hell
Disclaimer: The standard. I don't own Digimon Tamers or Digimon Adventure.
The Fan Made character Skull Renamon is the creation of Mike Reynolds.
Noble Kale/The Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze/Zarathos/Ghost Rider, Vengeance,
Galactus, The Living Tribunal, The Beyonder, Infinity, Thor, Odin, and
The Phoenix are the property of Marvel Comics. All WWF, WCW, and ECW names,
songs, Trademarks, and characters are the property of World Wrestling
Federation Entertainment, Inc.
Author's Notes: Well, the prologue seemed to get good reviews. Here's hoping Chapter One gets some good ones too. Refer to the key in the prologue. ^-^ Things are gonna get a lot more confusing, so if you hate supernatural stuff, and stuff that is meant to be confusing, I'd suggest you turn back now. If you like Alternate Universes, and seeing Takato and Ruki and Jenrya all being put through Hell and back though, by all means read on. ^.^ I will note that since I dunno the first name of Ruki's mother, nor her grandmother's name at all, I'm gonna make up my own.
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"About time you got back, 'Kato. What's the sitch?"
Takato rolled his glowing green eyes and snorted.
"Bout the same as ever, Jen.Got in, beat the shit out of some of their
henchmon, got the humans out, got blown up. Same old, same old."
It was almost an insult to have to be asked. Ever
since Takato had become what he now was, bothering to ask had quickly become
a running gag for the two. Jenrya smiled, his hoverchair giving off it's
usual low-level hum. Takato still wondered how he had managed not to go
insane, what with all that had happened to him, the worst of it for Jenrya
might not be the fact that he was no longer able to walk, but Takato still
wondered how he'd managed not to go insane from that chair's hum. Of course,
Jenrya believed Takato already *had* gone insane, although he'd never say
so to him, so they were even. The two friends watched as the humans who
had been slated to be either killed or put into a slave labor camp were
welcomed into the ranks of the growing population of the underground tunnels.
In the six months and three weeks since the disappearance of Renamon, and
then her Tamer, Ruki Makino, life on Earth, or at least in Japan, had gone
to hell in a handbasket. Now it was all they could do to keep hope alive.
"Blown up huh? Who was it this time?"
"Warumonzaemon."
"Ouch. I take it he won't get the chance to repeat
it."
"Bingo." Takato said nothing after that. Nothing
more was needed.
Jenrya glanced at something which popped up on his
hoverchair's holographic screen, then headed off towards the barracks.
Or what passed for barracks. Takato himself headed off to the private area
he'd staked out as his own during the first month of the assault. No one
bothered him there. Nobody dared to. Most took a single look at his face,
and went the other way. Few talked to him. In fact, the number was very
small. He hated it at first, but in the end he began to accept it, and
even started to relish it. It made things easier for him. Few would be
crazy enough to stay near him for long even if they weren't topside. That
meant he'd have fewer people to worry about. Fewer chances to see an innocent
person die because of him. Though he had only just turned 14 shortly after
Ruki vanished, the changes that he had gone through left him looking somewhat
older. Of course, the big change was the strange, glowing markings that
were now on his face. Actually, it'd be more accurate to say they were
PART of his face. They weren't some kind of paint or tattoo. His face had
simply changed in a way that was more than a little unsettling. Of course,
the fact that he could stand dead center on top of a stack of dynamite
and walk away with only one or two scratches- and every now and then a
scar- probably helped to leave people more than a little wary of hanging
around too long with 'The Superbeast" as many called him. Of course, he
himself had called himself "The Avenger". Though who and what he was avenging,
only Jenrya knew. And he wasn't saying. As he passed by the various
people in the tunnels, most shied away. A few were brave enough to remain
where they were, but only those who were new to the tunnels, or those with
nerves of steel dared look at his face for more than the merest of moments.
I need a Vacation. Maybe when this is over,
I can go see the Bermuda Triangle. I always wanted to see if I'd vanish
there.
Shaking the thoughts off, Takato arrived
at the small room where he lived between mission runs. It was actually
a medium sized room where electronic generators were once stored. Now only
three were used to power the tunnels. One at the remains of the Hypnos
building. One beneath the Tokyo Tower, and one massive enough to power
the majority of the tunnels, below the Tokyo Diet Building. Those three
generators were masked from the reach of the Digimon who called themselves
the Devas. Protected by specially built energy shields, and the last hope
of what territory in Japan hadn't been conquered by the Devas. Takato was
one of the few who was willing to fight, and had the power to do so. A
very small few Digimon, believing the Devas' cause to be wrong, had joined
in the fight, but they were mostly Champions and Rookies, along with one
ultimate, though his joining the fight against the devas surprised everyone.
Of course, considering that SkullGreymon was known for being feral, and
enjoyed nothing more than to destroy, is it any wonder?
"Takato-Kun? Are you home?" Takato snapped out of
his reverie at the sound of the voice. Few spoke to him. Fewer still used
his first name, and only a very select few were close enough to him to
call him that.
"Yeah, Juri. Come on in." With that said, Juri Katou
entered. She hadn't changed much, Takato mused. She was still optimistic
about everything. And she still carried around that fucking sock puppet!
Why does she do that? FOLEY doing it made
sense. This doesn't.
This, among other things, was why she had always
scared him a little. While many believed him to have gone insane, Takato
had to wonder if perhaps Juri always had been. For almost as long
as he had known her, she had had that sock puppet with her. It annoyed
him, and made him fear for the girl's sanity. Though she, and most of the
others in the tunnels feared that it was he who had gone mad. He
may well have, but his madness had a focus. Juri simply seemed too cheerful,
given the circumstances, to be sane. At least, that's what he believed.
"What is it, Katou-San? I was kinda hoping to get
some time to myself before I need to head out again." Takato asked, getting
right to the point.
"I just wanted to let you know that Yamaki said
he's got some weapons that might be able to help against the Devas. He
wants you to come down and take a look at them later. Also, Kaneko-Sama
would like to speak to you before you go out."
"Who?" Takato had always been lousy with family
names. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"That would be Makino-Sama's mother."
"Oh. Right, Ruki's grandmother. Tell her I'll be
there in a few minutes. Where is she?"
"Grid delta, section thirteen. Right under your
old home." With that Juri turned and left. Takato sighed and flopped down
on his small mattress. Emiko Kaneko. Mother to Sen Makino. Grandmother
to Ruki Makino. He had run into her during his days as a Tamer when he
visited Ruki that one day, and then again in the early days of the war.
In fact, he had saved her, and then a few weeks later her daughter. They
were among the few who were willing to speak with him, and who weren't
afraid of him. Of course, he still felt a strike of pain through his heart
every time he spoke with either of them. He had fallen in love with Ruki
what now seemed like ages ago, and he'd never had the chance to tell her.
Of course, he would never broach such a subject with either of the women.
They didn't need to be reminded of their loss.
Enough soul-searching, Avenger. Time to get
down to Brass Tacks.
With that thoght, the former Tamer got to
his feet and headed out the door.
He never knew it would be the last time he'd see
that room for a long time to come.....
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To Be Continued.....
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Post Notes: Hope you're enjoying the story thus far. Chapter Three of
Human Eyes, Digital Soul is still in the works. I promise I'll try
to get it posted soon. In the meantime, I hope this tides you over. ^-^
Ciao!