Digital Conundrum Special Issue - part 6-7 and 7-7
The Cast of Characters (tentative)

I realized that later on in this story many of the characters will be going by aliases. I know that it would be near impossible for a reader to keep track of them all, so that's what this Cast of Characters is for. It is separated by Good Guys, Bad Guys, and Digimon and Other Mysterious Characters. Each persona will have a quick bio and tell which series the character is from. I apologize for any mistakes - if you spot any, please tell me!

THE GOOD GUYS

Chosen Children - Ancient

FRANCIS BARTHOLOMEW PARKER (alias: RAYFORD STEELE; common name: FRANK)
Series: Seven Days
Twenty-nine years old. An orphan. Ex-husband of Patricia Parker, and father of James Parker. Former Navy SEAL, before being sent to Hansen Island for mental rehab. Chrononaut for NSA project Operation Backstep, which deals with time travel. Has an obvious crush on Olga. His digimon partner is Tentomon; he is the bearer of the Crest of Time. Poses as Chloe's father during the Seven-Year Darkness.

CAMERON WILLIAMS (common name: BUCK; alias: too many to list)
Series: Left Behind (novel, manga, movie)
Thirty-one years old. Brother of Jeff Williams. Reporter for newsmagazine Global Weekly. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Ernest Hemingway Award. Survived mysterious failed air strike on Israel at same time as the original Japanese Chosen Children fought the Dark Masters. His partner is Elecmon; he is the bearer of the Crest of Truth. Cameron also has the ability to fuse with the Guardian (Holy Angemon).

CHLOE STEELE (later in fic: CHLOE WILLIAMS)
Series: Left Behind (novel, manga, movie)
Twenty-one years old. Daughter of Rayford and Irene Steele; sister of Rayford Steele, Junior; future wife of Cameron Williams, future mother of Takeru Williams. Was a freshman at Stanford University when Digital Conundrum began. Has a crush - and soon marries - Cameron. Her partner is Hawkmon; she bears the Crest of Love.

TSION BEN-JUDAH (pronounced: Chai-on; common name: BEN)
Series: Left Behind (novel only)
Forty-four years old. Is married, has two stepchildren. A rabbi and student of various religious text. Knows twenty-two languages. His partner is unknown; he bears the Crest of Spirit.

SVETLANA PREMENOVA
Series: Seven Days
Deseased. Sister of Olga.

Chosen Children - Japanese
(note: all characters in this category are casualties of the Digital Conundrum, unless otherwise noted.)

DAISUKE MOTOMIYA
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Ten years old. His partner is V-mon.

MIYAKO INOUE
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Ten years old. Her partner is Hawkmon.

IORI HIDA
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Seven years old. His partner is Armadimon

TAKERU TAKAISHI
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Ten years old. Brother of Yamato. Seriously scarred by a traumatic event in his past. His partner is Patamon.

HIKARI YAGAMI
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Ten years old. Sister of Taichi. Has ability to be controlled by the force of Light. Her partner is Tailmon.

KEN ICHIJOJI
Series: Digimon Adventure 02
Ten years old. Boy genius. Formerly the Digimon Kaiser. Has a very angst-filled life. His partner is Wormmon.

TAICHI YAGAMI
Series: Digimon Adventure
Thirteen years old. Only Japanese Chosen Child left behind during Digital Conundrum.

YAMATO ISHIDA
Series: Digimon Adventure
Thirteen years old. Brother of Takeru.

SORA TAKENOUCHI
Series: Digimon Adventure
Thirteen years old.

MIMI TACHIKAWA
Series: Digimon Adventure
Twelve years old. Lived in New York.

JO KIDO
Series: Digimon Adventure
Fourteen years old.

KOSHIRO IZUMI
Series: Digimon Adventure
Twelve years old. Computer expert.

JIANLIANG LEE (pronounced: Jen-rya; alias: CHANG WONG)
Series: Digimon Tamers
Twenty-one years old, but looks seventeen due to plastic surgery. Brother of Shaochung. An agent of Project Hypnos, sent to help Operation Backstep. His partner is Terriermon.

SHAOCHUNG LEE (pronounced: Shi-u-shon; alias: MING TOY)
Series: Digimon Tamers
Seventeen years old, but looks twenty-six due to plastic surgery. Sister of Jianliang. An agent of Project Hypnos, sent with her brother. Her partner is Lopmon.

Operation Backstep Crew (all characters in this category are from Seven Days)

BRADLEY TALMADGE
Age unknown. Head of the project. Is almost always seen smoking a cigar. Liason between the Backstep Panel and the rest of the team.

NATHAN RAMSEY (common name: NATE)
Age unknown. Head of security. Comes up with cover stories for Sphere sightings. Has an anymosity against Frank. Also has a crush on Olga.

OLGA VUKAVITCH
Age unknown. Chief medical engineer. Sister of Svetlana. Has a rather small relationship with Frank, but is too shaky to know if anything will happen. Her husband was a chrononaut in the Russian time travel program she was a part of before he was killed (?) in a test run. A casualty of the Digital Conundrum.

ISAAC METNOR
Age unknown. One of the founding heads of Backstep. A casualty of the Digital Conundrum.

ANDREW OWSLEY (common names: HOOTER, OWLS)
Twenty-one years old. Graduated from college as a teenager. Sent in to replace Dr. Ballard after his reassignment. Is a big fan of comic books and strange computer programs. A computer and electronics expert.

CRAIG DONOVAN (alias: LEONARDO FORTUNATO)
Twenty-eight years old. Frank's friend from the Navy SEALS. Backup chrononaut. Poses as Nicolae's subordinate during the Seven-Year Darkness before something very strange happens.

DR. BALLARD
Age unknown. The original electronics expert for Operation Backstep. Paralyzed below the waist from a childhood accident - he now rides about in a joystic-controlled wheelchair. Is always seen with a lollipop.

Left Behind
(note: all characters are from the novels!)

RAYFORD STEELE
See Frank. Parker's alias during the Seven-Year Darkness. Originally Chloe's father, currently unaccounted for and presumed dead at start of Digital Conundrum. Airline pilot for Pan-Continental Airlines. Former military officer.

BRUCE BARNES
Visiting pastor at New Hope Village Church. In charge of hiding the senior staff of Operation Backstep.

STEVE PLANK (later alias: LT. STEPHENS)
Buck's boss at Global Weekly. Replaces Buck as Nicolae's press manager. Takes alias after suffering amnesia later on in story.

CHAIM ROZENSWEIG (pronounced: Kaim Ro-zen-zweig)
Israeli botanist who invented the Eden Formula. Close friend - and story subject - of Buck's. Former teacher of Ben.

ALBIE
No-one but the best black-marketer ever!

MAC
Pilot of Nicolae's plane, and Rayford's co-pilot. Was also in the military.

ABDULLAH
Mac's co-pilot. Former air-force pilot, Albania.

JAMES WONG
See Jianliang. Computer expert at Nicolae's palace. Replaced David.

MING TOY
See Shaochung. Head of a prison in Brussels, England.

HARRIET DURHAM (common name: HATTIE)
Rayford's head stewardess. Nicolae's personal assistant and fiancee, before she ran away.

MICHAEL
See Guardian.

ANIS
See Sakuyamon.

DAVID
Computer expert at Nicolae's palace.

HANNAH
A nurse at Nicolae's palace. A Native American.

ANNIE
David's fiancee.

LEAH
A nurse at a hospital in Palatine, Illinois.

RITZ
Pilot-for-hire.

GEORGE SEBASTIAN
Another of Frank's buddies from the Navy SEALS. Pilot-for-hire.

JEFF WILLIAMS
Brother of Buck. Co-owner of a trucking company. Has known about Buck and the ancient Chosen Children's adventures for sixteen years.

Other Characters

MR. T
Series: uh....
Yes, it's Mr. T, and he's in this story! A pilot-for-hire, and owner of a small airport.

TAKERU WILLIAMS
Series: none, I made him up
The son of Cameron and Chloe.

THE BAD GUYS

NICOLAE CARPATHIA (pronounced: Ni-ko-lai Kar-pei-thi-a)
Series: Left Behind (novel, movie, manga)
See Mummymon. Due to some strange politics, he becomes the ruler of the world. He knows eight foreign languages, and is rumored to know more. However, there is something very strange about him....

VIVIAN IVINS (common name: VIV)
Series: Left Behind (novel only)
See Delores, Archnemon. The surrogate mother of Nicolae. She seems to have some plans of her own....

LEONARDO FORTUNATO (common name: LEON)
Series: Left Behind (novel only)
See Craig Donovan. Nicolae's immediate subordinate, next in line for ruler of the world. Claims to have been resurrected by Nicolae after a terrible accident.

DELORES
Series: Seven Days
See Vivian Ivans, Archnemon. The gijinka form of Archnemon. She likes ramen.

DIGIMON AND MYSTERIOUS CHARACTERS

Digimon - Chosen Children's

TENTOMON
Parker's partner, different from Koshiro's in that he is black. Armor evolution: Scarabmon. Normal evolutions: Kabuterimon (adult), Chimeramon (perfect), Mileniumon (final). He is rumored to have an evolution higher than Final-level....

ELECMON
Buck's partner. Armor evolution: Kyuubimon. Normal evolutions: Kentarumon, Knightmon, Imperial Dramon.

HAWKMON (Chloe's)
Chloe's partner, different from Miyako's in that he is a darker shade of brown. Normal evolutions: Aquilamon, Silphymon, Valkyriemon.

PATAMON
Takeru's partner, but rumored to have another partner as well. Armor evolution: Pegasmon. Normal evolutions: Angemon, Holy Angemon (see Guardian).

V-MON
Daisuke's partner. Armor evolution: Fladramon. Normal evolution: XV-mon, Paildramon (jogress).

HAWKMON (Miyako's)
Miyako's partner. Normal evolution: Aquilamon, Silphymon (jogress)

ARMADIMON
Iori's partner. Armor evolution: Submarimon. Normal evolution: Ankylomon.

WORMMON
Ken's partner. Normal evolutions: Stingmon, Paildramon (jogress).

TAILMON
Hikari's partner. Armor evolution: Nefertimon. Normal evolution: Silphymon (jogress)

TERRIERMON
Jianliang's partner.

LOPMON
Shaochung's partner.

Digimon - Evil

DAGOMON
Ruler of the Dark Ocean. Evolution: Metal Seadramon.

MUMMYMON
See Nicolae. Possesses Nicolae's body. He knows nothing of the politics or customs of Earth, and causes some major problems....

ARCHNEMON
See Viv, Delores. Possesses Viv's body. Much wiser than Mummymon, and often scolds him.

BLACK WAR GREYMON
Created by Archnemon. His original purpose was to destroy the Holy Stones, but once he did that, he went for the Golden Land as well!

DEMON
The true enemy behind all of this! Will he ever appear...?

Mysterious Characters / Digimon

JIJIMON and BABAMON
Known as Eli and Moishe on Earth. The two messengers sent from the Golden Land to tell the legend of the Faithful and True for the first half of the Digital Conundrum. Have the power to create force fields and breathe fire, amongst others. Nicolae hates them, and vice versa.

SAKUYAMON
See Anis. She poses as a male Global Community (GC) guard on Earth. A personal assistant of the Guardian.

GUARDIAN (digimon name: HOLY ANGEMON; human name: MICHAEL)
See Michael. The angel who guards the Holy Stones, the Trumpet of Hope, and the Center. Can possess Buck. Is the archenemy of Demon.

MOON=MILENNIUMON
The second Guardian. Known as Gabriel on Earth.

OPHANIMON
The Archangel who guards the Eastern Gate. Her past is a mystery. Why does she care for Buck...?

THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE
A character destined to bring peace at the end of the Seven-Year Darkness. But who exactly is he...?

That's your cast of characters for the entirety of this story! So many heroes, so many complicated aliases....

Since part 7 of this special issue is very short, I'm going to post it below!

THE QUICK GUIDE TO THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS

Frank Parker and Buck Williams return to Earth, finding it a changed land compared to when they left. With Backstep now just a cover for an insurrection plot, the two Chosen Children must find answers, find two more Chosen Children, and - most importantly - find a way to survive! For the next seven years until the Faithful and True one's return will be the worst the Earth and Digital World will have seen.... Can the original Chosen Children find a way to defeat the demon that will rule over their world? Or will Nicolae and Delores have the last laugh? Who is the Faithful and True one destined to redeem this stricken world? Will peace finally return to ease all the pain? And could Frank ever find a way to undo the Digital Conundrum that started it all...?
Thus begins the adventure of the remnants of the Chosen Children to save their ruined land from an evil older than time itself....

The next issue will be Backstep 14: Strangers In Their Own Home, and the next Special Issue will be the evolution songs! Until then, wait for the next chapter of DIGITAL CONUNDRUM!

[I don't own anything copyrighted in this six-part special issue! And I apologize for messing with the lyrics to songs!]