Tamer Evolution
Part 2
by Christian "Sid" Lang
"Give it another try."
"Sir, I wouldn't-"
"Just start it."
"Oh oh."
"What do you mean? Why isn't it loading?"
"Oh, it is loading. Loading like mad in fact."
"Then why isn't it display- Oh my God."
"Main power switch?"
"HURRY!"
Soon.
Renamon slowly wakes up. She hears voices around her.
They are discussing something. They. The Tamers.
Discussing with Yamaki. He hurt Ruki. She knows it somehow. He is responsible.
She groans as she tries to move.
"Wow, she's waking up already." Yamaki mutters.
Renamon opens her eyes and tries to focus them on something.
"You sound surprised. She has been away for almost an hour." Takato mutters.
"Well, the tranq dart should have knocked out a lion for a day."
"Are you serious? Are Digimon that strong?" Juri asks Yamaki.
"You Tamers should know it better than me."
With a sigh, Renamon gives up her struggle to get up.
"Oh, I'm sorry Renamon." Lee whispers and helps her to sit up.
Juri frowns. She is the only one who has an idea how Renamon must feel.
Losing Leomon has been the worst thing she ever experienced.
And she didn't know him very long then. Renamon has known Ruki for more than an year.
She takes a riceball into her hand and holds it in front of Renamon's mouth.
Renamon blinks, trying to figure out what's going on.
Finally she sees the food and who is holding it.
"Go away. Just leave me." the Digimon mutters and stares at Juri.
"Sure. Throw me out!" Juri dares the Digimon.
Renamon snarls and lifts her paw to grab the girl.
But the paw doesn't even make it halfway up.
"You're too weak. You've got to eat." Juri tries to convince Renamon.
"No! I failed Ruki! I don't deserve to live."
Now it's Juri's turn to snarl.
"Ruki is not dead!" she snaps, making Renamon flinch.
Juri sighs when Renamon finally bites off a piece of the riceball.
"Finally. You will need all your strength." Yamaki tells her.
Takato sighs as he watches Renamon eat.
Guilmon is lying on the floor next to him, watching the fox, too.
The dino Digimon seems to feel that this is a very serious situation.
No begging for food, no silly games, no funny comments.
By now Renamon is able to hold the food herself.
Boy, she must have been starving for some days. he guesses.
The report in the newspapaer said that Ruki has been in hospital for three days now.
Takato bets that Renamon has been with her all that time. Non-stop.
Maybe only disappearing when the doctors were in.
But I guess that she has stayed close to Ruki all the time.
Takato now remembers what Yamaki had told them about the priorities their Digimon have set.
"Guilmon? I have a question for you." he whispers.
"What is it?" Guilmon asks him, never taking his eyes off Renamon.
"This may sound weird, but I really want you to answer honestly."
"Of course, Takato. Just ask."
"If one of us had to die, and you could choose, who would die?"
Lee and Juri gasp when they hear this question.
Guilmon doesn't even stir.
"I would. Why do you ask?" the dino answers instantly.
He didn't even think about the answer.
"B-But why?" he asks.
"You're my friend. And I would never let anything happen to you. Never."
"See what I wanted to tell you?" Renamon asks and stares at Takato.
Takato gulps and nods, stroking Guilmon's back.
"Maybe this would be the right time to tell them what happened." Yamaki mutters.
"I guess so." Renamon sighs and looks down.
Juri looks at Takato and frowns.
I don't like this. she thinks.
"It has been three days ago. Ruki and I were in the park. Training."
Training? What for? Just for fun?
"Things weren't going too well. Ruki has been in one of her... moods again."
So she most probably blamed Renamon for all her problems again. Juri thinks and smirks.
"I... I..." Renamon covers her eyes with her paw and sighs.
"It's all right. We-" Juri starts, but Renamon holds up her paw.
After a short pause, Renamon seems to be ready to continue.
"I reacted as usual, turning my back to her and vanishing. She sometimes wants to be left alone."
Renamon shakes her head, and Juri suddenly feels cold.
"Just as I vanished, a ray of light passed through my body. It didn't hit me... But..."
Juri bites her lower lip when she realizes that Renamon is crying.
"It hit Ruki! IT HIT HER!" the Digimon shouts, hiding her face behind her paws.
Yamaki frowns, but nods.
"Yes. It makes much more sense this way." he mutters.
Takato stares at him and cocks his head.
Yamaki simply gestures the boy to be patient.
He watches as Lee and Juri try to comfort Renamon again.
Both Tamers are holding her and stroking her fur.
"And after this beam hit Ruki, she has been in the current condition, right?" Yamaki asks.
Renamon looks at him with wide eyes and nods.
"Just as I thought." he mutters.
"What did you do to her?" Renamon hisses, flexing her claws.
Yamaki sighs and holds up his hands.
"This beam has been developed by Hypnos. But not by me."
"Do you know the term AI?" Yamaki asks.
"AI? Like in Artificial Intelligence?" Lee asks.
"Exactly. After the DigiWorld has been sealed-"
Yamaki pauses and looks at the assembled Digimon.
"-Hypnos was suddenly an organization monitoring... nothing."
"So you zap innocent girls?" Terriermon bluntly asks.
This is the first time Lee does not order his partner to be quiet.
"Hypnos became a research facility. Medicine, computer development, you name it."
Yamaki coughs politely before he continues.
"The server room has been used to develop an Artificial Intelligence."
The Tamers frown. Renamon only stares into his eyes.
"Well, it became obvious that normal software can't think." he tells them.
"I could have told you that." Takato mutters.
"Oh, the team has made amazing progress. In fact, it should have worked."
Everybody gulps at the thought of an AI controlled by Hypnos.
"After countless tests it became obvious that an AI would need a personality."
Renamon's eyes widen when she hears that.
"Then they...? Why? How?" she stammers.
"The reserch team worked together with other teams to yome up with a solution." Yamaki begins.
Then he sighs and shakes his head.
"One of the teams found the old files about the Digimon Project."
"You mean the files about us." Lee mutters.
Yamaki decides to ignore the remark.
"They re-activated the Scanning Facility and found out about your current presence."
"Why were they interested in us?" Terriermon asks him.
"You are the best working example of an AI." Yamaki explains.
"I am not artificial. I am real!" Guilmon protests.
"True. But you are made of data. Even your personality." Yamaki tells him.
Renamon gasps.
"So they wanted... me?" she whispers.
"Yes. They modified old equipment to be able to target a single Digimon."
"But that would just delete us." Terriermon reminds him.
Yamaki shakes his head.
"They modified it so it would scan and absorb data instead of deleting it."
"So they wanted to give the AI Renamon's personality?" Juri asks.
Terriermon and Guilmon suddenly snicker.
"I don't want to hear one comment." Renamon hisses.
"So the beam has hit Ruki. How did it affect her?" Takato asks.
"Yeah. Our mind isn't digital." Lee adds.
"In theory, nothing should have happened because of this fact." Yamaki admits.
"Then why is Ruki in hospital, showing no brain activity?" Renamon asks quietly.
"WHAT?" the three Tamers ask in unison.
"She is showing no brain activity?" Takato asks.
"But she was breathing on her own!" Lee protests.
Renamon just holds up her hands until the questions stop.
"Her brain is just doing enough to keep her body alive. Not more." she whimpers.
Juri gently strokes the Digimon's fur and sighs.
"The beam did that. It absorbed her personality. Her soul so to speak." Yamaki explains.
"But that should be impossible! You said that yourself!" Takato shouts.
"Well... This is the interesting part..." Yamaki admits.
The man closes his eyes and sighs.
"It looks as if you... changed when you and your Digimon digivolved into one being."
"You mean... Our thoughts became digital?" Lee asks and frowns.
Yamaki only shrugs helplessly.
"It would make sense in a way. But I wouldn't have expected this." he sighs.
"So... Ruki has been turned into a working AI?" Renamon whispers weakly.
"In a way. Her brain patterns have been implemented into the Hypnos mainframe."
Yamaki suddenly chuckles.
"They still think they got Renamon. Only I realized what was going on when I read about Ruki."
"Then they will try it again? Or are they happy now?" Juri carefully asks.
"They are not happy. The system has become... stubborn. It won't cooperate."
Renamon suddenly grins.
"Yeah. That is my Ruki." she whispers.
"Then they will come after Renamon now?" Juri repeats her question.
"No. I destroyed the files and their backups. That's why I have been fired."
Everybody stares at Yamaki.
"Now they have a gun and a radar, but no patterns to look for." he explains.
"Wow. I guess we have to thank you in a way." Takato whispers.
"Yeah. Sorry for our previous doubts." Lee adds.
"But now what? We may be safe, but what about Ruki?" Terriermon asks.
Yamaki smirks and takes a disc out of his pocket.
"Before going, I copied their files of the project." he explains.
"Then you think there is a way to bring her back?" Renamon asks.
Yamaki is pleased to see that the Digimon is showing some of her old fighting spirit again.
"Yes. The neccessary equipment is already in the facility."
"Then let's go!" Takato cheers.
"Not so fast. There are still some problems." Yamaki tells him.
Renamon cocks her head, obviously eager to get Ruki back.
"First of all, we have to get inside somehow. This won't be easy." he starts.
"Of course. We'd have to fight our way in." Takato mutters.
Yamaki nods and continues.
"Then we have to bring Ruki with us."
"The hospital won't just let her go in her condition." Juri observes.
"Correct. And the fight will be hard since we only got three Digimon." Lee adds.
"And only two can digivolve." Renamon reminds them.
Takato suddenly stands up, looking very determined.
"So what? If we work together, we will make it!" he shouts.
"Right! We have to get Ruki back!" Juri adds, standing next to Takato.
"Yeah. We have had tougher opponents before!" Lee says, being the last Tamer to stand up.
Renamon wipes away her tears and sighs happily.
"Thanks to all of you. I really owe you something for this." she whispers.
"Don't say that. You would do the same for us!" Terriermon says, jumping onto her shoulder.
The vulpine Digimon nods and hugs Terriermon and Guilmon.
Yamaki gives each of the Tamers and Renamon discs.
"These are blueprints of the building. I have highlighted the area we have to go to."
"When will we do it?" Takato asks.
"As soon as possible. Tomorrow would be best. We don't have much time."
"Why is that so?" Juri asks, cocking her head.
"I bet Hypnos is working hard to make Ruki cooperate." Yamaki explains.
"Then we will do it tomorrow." Renamon decides.
Yamaki nods and gives them a business card with his phone number.
"I will wait for your call then." he tells them and stands up to leave.
"I guess we should leave, too." Takato whispers.
Juri and Lee nod in unison.
"I we will find you in Ruki's room, right?" Terriermon asks Renamon.
The Digimon nods and escorts the group to the door.
Don't worry, Ruki. We will get you back. she vows.
Part 2
by Christian "Sid" Lang
"Give it another try."
"Sir, I wouldn't-"
"Just start it."
"Oh oh."
"What do you mean? Why isn't it loading?"
"Oh, it is loading. Loading like mad in fact."
"Then why isn't it display- Oh my God."
"Main power switch?"
"HURRY!"
Soon.
Renamon slowly wakes up. She hears voices around her.
They are discussing something. They. The Tamers.
Discussing with Yamaki. He hurt Ruki. She knows it somehow. He is responsible.
She groans as she tries to move.
"Wow, she's waking up already." Yamaki mutters.
Renamon opens her eyes and tries to focus them on something.
"You sound surprised. She has been away for almost an hour." Takato mutters.
"Well, the tranq dart should have knocked out a lion for a day."
"Are you serious? Are Digimon that strong?" Juri asks Yamaki.
"You Tamers should know it better than me."
With a sigh, Renamon gives up her struggle to get up.
"Oh, I'm sorry Renamon." Lee whispers and helps her to sit up.
Juri frowns. She is the only one who has an idea how Renamon must feel.
Losing Leomon has been the worst thing she ever experienced.
And she didn't know him very long then. Renamon has known Ruki for more than an year.
She takes a riceball into her hand and holds it in front of Renamon's mouth.
Renamon blinks, trying to figure out what's going on.
Finally she sees the food and who is holding it.
"Go away. Just leave me." the Digimon mutters and stares at Juri.
"Sure. Throw me out!" Juri dares the Digimon.
Renamon snarls and lifts her paw to grab the girl.
But the paw doesn't even make it halfway up.
"You're too weak. You've got to eat." Juri tries to convince Renamon.
"No! I failed Ruki! I don't deserve to live."
Now it's Juri's turn to snarl.
"Ruki is not dead!" she snaps, making Renamon flinch.
Juri sighs when Renamon finally bites off a piece of the riceball.
"Finally. You will need all your strength." Yamaki tells her.
Takato sighs as he watches Renamon eat.
Guilmon is lying on the floor next to him, watching the fox, too.
The dino Digimon seems to feel that this is a very serious situation.
No begging for food, no silly games, no funny comments.
By now Renamon is able to hold the food herself.
Boy, she must have been starving for some days. he guesses.
The report in the newspapaer said that Ruki has been in hospital for three days now.
Takato bets that Renamon has been with her all that time. Non-stop.
Maybe only disappearing when the doctors were in.
But I guess that she has stayed close to Ruki all the time.
Takato now remembers what Yamaki had told them about the priorities their Digimon have set.
"Guilmon? I have a question for you." he whispers.
"What is it?" Guilmon asks him, never taking his eyes off Renamon.
"This may sound weird, but I really want you to answer honestly."
"Of course, Takato. Just ask."
"If one of us had to die, and you could choose, who would die?"
Lee and Juri gasp when they hear this question.
Guilmon doesn't even stir.
"I would. Why do you ask?" the dino answers instantly.
He didn't even think about the answer.
"B-But why?" he asks.
"You're my friend. And I would never let anything happen to you. Never."
"See what I wanted to tell you?" Renamon asks and stares at Takato.
Takato gulps and nods, stroking Guilmon's back.
"Maybe this would be the right time to tell them what happened." Yamaki mutters.
"I guess so." Renamon sighs and looks down.
Juri looks at Takato and frowns.
I don't like this. she thinks.
"It has been three days ago. Ruki and I were in the park. Training."
Training? What for? Just for fun?
"Things weren't going too well. Ruki has been in one of her... moods again."
So she most probably blamed Renamon for all her problems again. Juri thinks and smirks.
"I... I..." Renamon covers her eyes with her paw and sighs.
"It's all right. We-" Juri starts, but Renamon holds up her paw.
After a short pause, Renamon seems to be ready to continue.
"I reacted as usual, turning my back to her and vanishing. She sometimes wants to be left alone."
Renamon shakes her head, and Juri suddenly feels cold.
"Just as I vanished, a ray of light passed through my body. It didn't hit me... But..."
Juri bites her lower lip when she realizes that Renamon is crying.
"It hit Ruki! IT HIT HER!" the Digimon shouts, hiding her face behind her paws.
Yamaki frowns, but nods.
"Yes. It makes much more sense this way." he mutters.
Takato stares at him and cocks his head.
Yamaki simply gestures the boy to be patient.
He watches as Lee and Juri try to comfort Renamon again.
Both Tamers are holding her and stroking her fur.
"And after this beam hit Ruki, she has been in the current condition, right?" Yamaki asks.
Renamon looks at him with wide eyes and nods.
"Just as I thought." he mutters.
"What did you do to her?" Renamon hisses, flexing her claws.
Yamaki sighs and holds up his hands.
"This beam has been developed by Hypnos. But not by me."
"Do you know the term AI?" Yamaki asks.
"AI? Like in Artificial Intelligence?" Lee asks.
"Exactly. After the DigiWorld has been sealed-"
Yamaki pauses and looks at the assembled Digimon.
"-Hypnos was suddenly an organization monitoring... nothing."
"So you zap innocent girls?" Terriermon bluntly asks.
This is the first time Lee does not order his partner to be quiet.
"Hypnos became a research facility. Medicine, computer development, you name it."
Yamaki coughs politely before he continues.
"The server room has been used to develop an Artificial Intelligence."
The Tamers frown. Renamon only stares into his eyes.
"Well, it became obvious that normal software can't think." he tells them.
"I could have told you that." Takato mutters.
"Oh, the team has made amazing progress. In fact, it should have worked."
Everybody gulps at the thought of an AI controlled by Hypnos.
"After countless tests it became obvious that an AI would need a personality."
Renamon's eyes widen when she hears that.
"Then they...? Why? How?" she stammers.
"The reserch team worked together with other teams to yome up with a solution." Yamaki begins.
Then he sighs and shakes his head.
"One of the teams found the old files about the Digimon Project."
"You mean the files about us." Lee mutters.
Yamaki decides to ignore the remark.
"They re-activated the Scanning Facility and found out about your current presence."
"Why were they interested in us?" Terriermon asks him.
"You are the best working example of an AI." Yamaki explains.
"I am not artificial. I am real!" Guilmon protests.
"True. But you are made of data. Even your personality." Yamaki tells him.
Renamon gasps.
"So they wanted... me?" she whispers.
"Yes. They modified old equipment to be able to target a single Digimon."
"But that would just delete us." Terriermon reminds him.
Yamaki shakes his head.
"They modified it so it would scan and absorb data instead of deleting it."
"So they wanted to give the AI Renamon's personality?" Juri asks.
Terriermon and Guilmon suddenly snicker.
"I don't want to hear one comment." Renamon hisses.
"So the beam has hit Ruki. How did it affect her?" Takato asks.
"Yeah. Our mind isn't digital." Lee adds.
"In theory, nothing should have happened because of this fact." Yamaki admits.
"Then why is Ruki in hospital, showing no brain activity?" Renamon asks quietly.
"WHAT?" the three Tamers ask in unison.
"She is showing no brain activity?" Takato asks.
"But she was breathing on her own!" Lee protests.
Renamon just holds up her hands until the questions stop.
"Her brain is just doing enough to keep her body alive. Not more." she whimpers.
Juri gently strokes the Digimon's fur and sighs.
"The beam did that. It absorbed her personality. Her soul so to speak." Yamaki explains.
"But that should be impossible! You said that yourself!" Takato shouts.
"Well... This is the interesting part..." Yamaki admits.
The man closes his eyes and sighs.
"It looks as if you... changed when you and your Digimon digivolved into one being."
"You mean... Our thoughts became digital?" Lee asks and frowns.
Yamaki only shrugs helplessly.
"It would make sense in a way. But I wouldn't have expected this." he sighs.
"So... Ruki has been turned into a working AI?" Renamon whispers weakly.
"In a way. Her brain patterns have been implemented into the Hypnos mainframe."
Yamaki suddenly chuckles.
"They still think they got Renamon. Only I realized what was going on when I read about Ruki."
"Then they will try it again? Or are they happy now?" Juri carefully asks.
"They are not happy. The system has become... stubborn. It won't cooperate."
Renamon suddenly grins.
"Yeah. That is my Ruki." she whispers.
"Then they will come after Renamon now?" Juri repeats her question.
"No. I destroyed the files and their backups. That's why I have been fired."
Everybody stares at Yamaki.
"Now they have a gun and a radar, but no patterns to look for." he explains.
"Wow. I guess we have to thank you in a way." Takato whispers.
"Yeah. Sorry for our previous doubts." Lee adds.
"But now what? We may be safe, but what about Ruki?" Terriermon asks.
Yamaki smirks and takes a disc out of his pocket.
"Before going, I copied their files of the project." he explains.
"Then you think there is a way to bring her back?" Renamon asks.
Yamaki is pleased to see that the Digimon is showing some of her old fighting spirit again.
"Yes. The neccessary equipment is already in the facility."
"Then let's go!" Takato cheers.
"Not so fast. There are still some problems." Yamaki tells him.
Renamon cocks her head, obviously eager to get Ruki back.
"First of all, we have to get inside somehow. This won't be easy." he starts.
"Of course. We'd have to fight our way in." Takato mutters.
Yamaki nods and continues.
"Then we have to bring Ruki with us."
"The hospital won't just let her go in her condition." Juri observes.
"Correct. And the fight will be hard since we only got three Digimon." Lee adds.
"And only two can digivolve." Renamon reminds them.
Takato suddenly stands up, looking very determined.
"So what? If we work together, we will make it!" he shouts.
"Right! We have to get Ruki back!" Juri adds, standing next to Takato.
"Yeah. We have had tougher opponents before!" Lee says, being the last Tamer to stand up.
Renamon wipes away her tears and sighs happily.
"Thanks to all of you. I really owe you something for this." she whispers.
"Don't say that. You would do the same for us!" Terriermon says, jumping onto her shoulder.
The vulpine Digimon nods and hugs Terriermon and Guilmon.
Yamaki gives each of the Tamers and Renamon discs.
"These are blueprints of the building. I have highlighted the area we have to go to."
"When will we do it?" Takato asks.
"As soon as possible. Tomorrow would be best. We don't have much time."
"Why is that so?" Juri asks, cocking her head.
"I bet Hypnos is working hard to make Ruki cooperate." Yamaki explains.
"Then we will do it tomorrow." Renamon decides.
Yamaki nods and gives them a business card with his phone number.
"I will wait for your call then." he tells them and stands up to leave.
"I guess we should leave, too." Takato whispers.
Juri and Lee nod in unison.
"I we will find you in Ruki's room, right?" Terriermon asks Renamon.
The Digimon nods and escorts the group to the door.
Don't worry, Ruki. We will get you back. she vows.
