[I'm sorry for the major delay! School has been evil, summer school has been evil, but I've finally managed to finish this chapter! Right now I should apologize for having nukes go off in major American cities in the chapter, and for putting our president in the line of fire - but this is what happens after watching The Sum of All Fears when writing a chapter....
[Now for the disclaimer ... GCNN is a made-up company, the Condor 216 is a plane from Left Behind, so obviously I don't own it, and I apparently don't own Learjets. And I'm just an avid Lakers fan - if I owned them, I wouldn't be writing this. And the Spirit Evolution business is a byproduct of my new obsession with Digimon Frontier. And for you younger readers, Frank and Buck start cursing their hearts out, so I caution you....]
{ VERSION UP and starting animation plays.... }
Backstep 16
Spirit Evolution! The Gift of Sakuyamon
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Location - the Center
Time - between ten and eighteen months since start of Digital Conundrum
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The months had not been kind to the gateway that led to the Golden Land. The two remaining portals that were open - the Earth and Digital World gateways - were clouding with dark shadows, dimming the brilliant light of the circular room.
A green light flowed from a spot on the dais, engulfing a robed figure standing limply at a military attention. A silver miter shielded his eyes from the darkness that surrounded the room, and an ivory sword was held to his side. For what seemed like ages in the Center, the Guardian had stood on the engraving of the Crest of Hope, waiting for the time when his strength would be regained. The darkness swallowing the Center would almost kill him, he knew ... only the power from the remaining Chosen Children's Crests had kept this small area on the dais lit.
Holy Angemon, Guardian of the Center, awake....
The Guardian rose his head at the sound. He turned his head, soon finding the source of the summons. A familiar angel was standing on the intricate design on the center of the dais, her lance held in her gauntleted hand.
"Ophanimon, Archangel of the Eastern Gate," the Guardian lowed, his voice husky, no longer echoing in the vast room. "What brings you here? It has not been three years yet."
"It is time for you to return to your partner," the Archangel whispered, taking a step towards the Guardian. "He has been waiting for you."
"My ... partner?" the Guardian asked, uncertainty playing on his mouth. "But ... he's ... in the-"
"No," Ophanimon interrupted; "Ben. Remember?"
The Guardian bowed his head. "I do." He looked up again at the Archangel. "But why now? It's too early!"
"There have been complications."
"But ... you told me to protect Cameron!" The Guardian took a step outside of the lighted area, steadying himself with his sword. The darkness that he had shielded himself from was immediately taking its toll, making the Guardian gasp as he fought to breathe. He tried to look at Ophanimon, tried to grasp her last words.
"And you will be with him," the Archangel snapped. "I will guarantee that."
With those words, the Archangel vanished in a blue flash from the room.
The Guardian sighed and stepped back into the green aura that rose from the floor. He inhaled deeply, feeling his meager strength flow anew through his body. There was no way he would want to go back to Earth, not in the state he was in. Yet the words of the Archangel were a direct order, and he had no choice but to follow.
"Sakuyamon, come hither," he gasped.
"I come anon," a sultry voice echoed from the deep shadows of the room.
The Guardian looked ahead, finding the armored sorceress standing immediately before him. He had chosen the digimon as his assistant, had sent her to gather information at various times since he had discovered her. Now the digimon lowed her head in reverence, her fox head-shaped helm glinting with the emerald light from the aura.
"What have you summoned me for, Guardian?" the sorceress asked, raising her head and placing her bronze staff at a ready position before her. She managed a smile on her purple-tinted lips.
"It is time for me to return to Earth," the Guardian whispered, bowing his head. "You know what to do."
Sakuyamon nodded and stepped back. "As you say."
Now standing on the design in the center of the dais, Sakuyamon raised her head towards the ceiling, keeping her staff before her body. She opened her mouth, uttering the words of an ancient song in a language that had been lost to humanity. A breeze of cherry blossom petals formed around her, adding an amethyst tint to the dark room.
"Spirit of Hope, summoned to defend the Center, I call upon you ... awake!" She swept her staff in a wide arc before her, petals fleeing from the pink trail left in the staff's wake. "Kongoukai Mandala!"
The nexus of Sakuyamon's spell floated towards the Guardian, ensnaring the angel in its center. In a flash of white light, the Guardian's brilliant robes, his helm, and his sword burned away from his body, leaving behind the emaciated humanoid form that it hid. Without even the energy to scream, the Guardian collapsed head-first to the ground, the light from the dais and Sakuyamon's spell fading into the darkness.
Sakuyamon laid low her staff and extended her left hand. A burst of light flickered inside, vanishing immediately to reveal a miniature dais with a model of the Guardian's robes placed on top. Digital Hieroglyphs encircled the edges of the dais, repeating the name of the item.
"The Spirit of Hope," Sakuyamon breathed, looking down at the moaning Guardian before her. "Guardian, are you all right?"
Unable to speak, the darkness of the Center overcame the Guardian, causing his shrunken form to revert....
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Location - Mount Prospect, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Time - twelve months since start of Digital Conundrum
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The black Corvette convertible stopped in front of the Steele residence, where the semi-circular driveway met the house's main entrance. Buck emerged from the driver's side door, lifting his head to the twilight sky. He had had a long drive from O'Hare Airport, with all the evening rush traffic clogging the freeways and the El. Buck could only thank his Carpathia International Bank card for enabling him to rent his luxurious ride - it was one of the special cards with no spending limit that his boss only gave to high members in his regime.
Buck was still disgusted that his journalistic outfit, the newly-renamed Global Community Weekly, had been bought out by that world-conquering digimon. Yet being the head publisher of one of North America's major printed-media sources came with its perks: much higher pay, flexible hours, the ability to choose the stories he could write ... if this wasn't the Seven-Year Darkness, Buck would have been in heaven already.
The only drawback was that Buck had to move back to New York City. With his extravagant paycheck, Buck had moved back into his apartment and had it fully refurbished. But he felt so alone in Manhattan; Elecmon was his only company, and the other Chosen Children had seemed to take their separate ways. Parker now lived in Babylon - now known after a major rebuilding project as New Babylon - which was much closer to Nicolae than Buck could handle. Ben was still living in Jerusalem, and Chloe still lodged at the Steele residence. As for the senior staff of Backstep, Buck had no idea where they were - last he knew, they had moved into the subterranean shelter of the nearby New Hope Church. I wonder why they would hide out in a church, Buck had asked himself constantly over the past year, but so far he hadn't found an answer.
With a sigh, Buck pulled out his leather bag from the back seat and slung it over his shoulder. He could hear a muffled complaint from inside, but Buck had grown accustomed to Elecmon's rants over his traveling conditions. Ignoring the digimon, Buck walked up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell. Synthesized bell tones echoed through the house, followed by footsteps running up to the door.
"Buck?" a female voice called out from behind the door.
"Yeah, it's me," Buck replied calmly.
The door creaked open, revealing Chloe in torn jeans, a t-shirt a few sizes too small that boasted the words CLEVELAND ROCKS, and the jacket she wore the day Buck had first met her. High straw sandals were on her feet, giving view to her blue-painted toenails. Close behind the girl was Hawkmon, flapping his wings hurriedly to keep himself aloft.
"I can't believe you've finally got here!" Chloe exclaimed, jumping towards Buck, wrapping her arms around the man's body. "It's been almost a year! Frank and I have been waiting forever!!"
Buck pulled the girl from him, keeping her restrained an arm's length away. He wasn't fond of Chloe's immaturity, nor her habit of running into his arms. "Wait a moment there, Chloe - you say that Frank's here?"
"Sure," Chloe shrugged. "Got here through the Digital Gateway."
Damn, why didn't I think of that? Buck grumbled inwardly as he followed Chloe into the house. He heard a click sound behind him - apparently Hawkmon had closed the door. "So, where's Frank?"
"He's in the kitchen, microwaving dinner."
"Really? Let me guess, he's making instant ramen."
Chloe giggled, but immediately stifled it with her hand. "How did you know?"
"Trust me, it's all we eat when we're together."
The two of them had entered the kitchen, lit by a single hanging lamp in the room's center. Parker was sitting at the dining table, Tentomon on his lap. The chrononaut was wearing his casual flight suit, only worn when he was away from his employer. He had tied a white apron over it - I guess even that has to be dry cleaned, Buck thought.
"Hey, look who came!" Parker exclaimed, standing from his seat. Tentomon flew out of the way as his partner stood up. "How have you been?"
"Just fine," Buck smiled. He opened his leather bag, allowing Elecmon to finally jump onto the linoleum floor below. "I finally got those stitches on my back out over a year ago."
"Hey, if I hadn't reminded you, they'd still be there," Elecmon scolded, rising to his hind legs.
"Thanks for telling them that," Buck mumbled, averting his eyes from his partner. Sometimes Elecmon could act so smart - it was even more so these days. "Anyway, the job's fine - I've managed to visit my family in Arizona."
"You got the time to travel?" Parker burst, his eyes widening at the statement. "Damn you, I wish I were the publisher of a magazine!"
"The travel's the only fun part of it. My brother got to meet Elecmon - and surprisingly grew quite kindly to him. As for my dad ...."
"What?" Chloe and Parker asked, more or less in unison.
"Well ... he just said 'hi'. That's it. He's just too busy with his business."
"Oh," Parker muttered. "Well, I made you all ramen - it's in the microwave right now." He walked over to the microwave situated over the stove near the refrigerator. "There's enough for all of you."
"Thanks, Frank," Buck smiled. "Well, do you think that after we eat we can visit Owsley and the others?"
"You know, I was thinking of doing that tonight." Parker opened the microwave and balanced three steaming plastic bowls of ramen on his hands as he pulled them out. "Sure, I wouldn't mind going after we eat."
New Hope Village Church was just like its name - built in the style of the country churches of rural Connecticut, its whitewashed walls melted seamlessly with the leaded stained-glass windows depicting religious scenes. The church was on a street corner, with a parking lot behind it and the offices and classroom complex surrounding the other sides of the lot. In the newly-born night, a lone beam of light streamed from a window in the church proper.
"Bruce isn't here today?" Parker groaned, standing in front of the desk in the resident pastor's auxiliary office. A note was on the cleared desk: On ministry in Asia, be back in a few months.
"Again?" Chloe leaned on the desk, taking the note into her hands. "That's just convenient. And right when we were going to introduce him to you, Buck!"
The journalist, standing in the doorway, just shrugged. "That's all right. I'd rather talk to Owsley and the others, if you don't mind."
"Sure." Parker turned towards the door and walked out. "The shelter entrance is in the basement. Come on."
The basement was accessible through a broom closet just across the hall from Bruce's office. Hidden behind a vacuum cleaner was a trap door set into the floor; lifting that would reveal a staircase made of inexpensive timbers, leading to an electrical box littered with HIGH VOLTAGE stickers.
"This is the secret shelter?" Buck exclaimed, looking into the closet, eyes wide. "You've got to be kidding me. Where's Owsley?"
"Buck, we're not even inside it yet," Parker chuckled. "Get down here." He pulled up the vacuum cleaner, revealing the dark stairway to the electrical box below. A single exposed light bulb flickered over the box. Pulling his arms close to his body, the chrononaut wiggled into the trapdoor entrance, easing his way down the steps. Once he was at the bottom, he signaled for Buck to follow.
"Frank, I don't get it," Buck managed, feeling his way down the narrow stairwell. His clothes were getting dusty, and despite his massive paycheck, there was no way he was going to go to the dry cleaners again. "There's nothing here."
Parker opened the electrical box, revealing a wall of on-off switches. "These switches are wired to the door. Flip the right ones in the right order, you'll get access. If you don't, you'll just get zapped." He flipped three switches deftly, each of them going off with a clunk.
As the last switch was activated, the wall where the box was bolted on to swung inwardly. Inside was a cubicle, with two bunk beds opposite the entrance and a table with folding metal chairs occupying the rest of the space. The concrete and metal room was only enlivened by a stack of playing cards on the table. A door to the right side of the cubicle was opened, an electrical whirring issuing from it.
"Whoa, this is neat," Buck gasped, eyes roving around the room. "I assume Owsley's in that other room there?" He pointed at the opened door.
"Don't worry fellas, I'm here." Andrew Owsley rolled into the room on a wheel-mounted computer chair, maneuvering himself over to the shelter's entrance. "Buck, Frank, it's been a while since I've seen you."
"Same here," Buck smiled. "So, where's everyone else?"
Owsley shrugged. "Talmadge is sleeping in the operations room" - he pointed at the door from which he entered - "and Ramsey is at a technician's house planning on another shelter."
"What do we need another shelter for?" Parker barked. "This one is just fine!"
"Hey, we can't put all of our computer equipment in here," Owsley argued. "The larger shelter could hold more of our electrical gizmos, plus give us larger storage and living space. That would be helpful if the world goes to hell in a basket."
Buck nodded. "So, uh, where's Donovan?"
Owsley's eyes almost bulged from his sockets. "You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"About Nicolae's new assistant?"
"If you're talking about that girl Frank and I saw at the UN meeting, then yes."
"Nope." Owsley shook his head from side to side like a pendulum. "Nicolae considers him his second in command. His name is Leon Fortunato."
That name sounds familiar, Buck shrugged. "What's that got to do with Donovan?"
"Buck ... Leon is Donovan."
"So, what, he's going undercover that far deep in the regime?"
"Well, come on, he could get some decent information on Nicolae," Parker argued. "Besides, he's the best at these things."
"I'll trust you on that," Buck said. He looked down at his watch. "Oh, great - it's almost eleven. I have to leave for the airport now."
"You're leaving already?" Parker exclaimed. "But you just got here!"
"I have a meeting tomorrow. But I'll be sure to arrange another reunion sometime soon, alright?"
Parker sighed. "All right. Well, good night, Andrew."
"Hey, no problem," the young computer specialist hollered back as the men walked off. "Thanks for dropping by!" The door in front of him eased back into its closed position as he rolled back to the computer lab.
"Damn, I hope we didn't make Chloe wait too long in the office," Parker grumbled, emerging from the broom closet. He helped Buck out of the trapdoor and watched as he closed both the trapdoor and the closet shut.
"Don't worry, you weren't out long." Chloe was standing in the office doorway, a paper in her hands. It looked as if some handwriting was on it. "Oh, and Frank, some woman named Raven told me to give this to you."
"Just my luck," Parker grumbled, walking up to Chloe and seizing the paper from her hands. He eyed the paper for a few seconds before crumpling it up. He managed a three-pointer into the trashcan by Bruce's desk.
"What is it?" Buck asked, advancing to Parker's side.
"Raven is a former thief from England," the chrononaut explained; "I met her last year. After losing her partner in those disappearances, she came here, and now she runs the church Bible study." He sighed. "And now she wants me to have lunch with her."
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Time - eighteen months since start of Digital Conundrum
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Cameron Williams,
You have been cordially invited to the wedding of Francis Bartholomew Parker and Raven Dunn. The ceremony is at four in the afternoon, at New Hope Village Church, Mount Prospect, Illinois. This is a private ceremony, do not bring anyone else.
Such was the note that Buck received in an e-mail from Parker while he was in Washington. Buck had interviewed the President of the United States - no more a leader than the Queen of England. Now with Nicolae in the seat of global power, what use was there for the president?
President Bush had been, in the past, just another president. He had the power, the clout, the influence to make it to the highest office of the nation. Yet now he was stripped of all that - stripped of plane, of control, of even the White House. And all he had left were four Secret Service agents and an office in the FBI headquarters.
The interview was, in fact, very brief. "Cameron, can I trust you with something?"
Buck had shrugged. "Yes, Mr. President."
"You have to get out of Washington immediately after this interview. Stay out of any cities on the East Coast. I suggest you go as far west as Montana. You'll be safe there."
"Safe? From what?"
The President ignored the question. "Today I'll make Secretary-General - excuse me, I mean, Potentate - Carpathia learn his place. He may have taken the world by storm, but he won't get America, I'll guarantee that."
The e-mail had come after the interview, while he was at the airport. Remembering President Bush's advice, he found an abandoned computerized ticket-ordering console and used his D3 to open a Digital Gateway to the Steele residence.
Chloe and Buck were the only witnesses to the wedding - unless Tentomon, Elecmon, and Hawkmon could be counted as witnesses as well. As sunset marched over the suburbs of Chicago, Bruce Barnes - the pastor of the church - recited the customary questions before Parker and the woman he had chosen as his wife.
Raven was nothing short of lovely. Dressed in a simple white dress, and her dark hair tied behind her back, the Irish high-scale thief smiled simply as Parker slipped a golden band onto a finger on her left hand. She did the same to Parker's, being sure it was not on the same finger as his Holy Ring.
Then, of course, came the kiss. Parker bent his head down towards Raven's, cradling her face in his hands, and seemed to melt his lips with hers. Slight applause ensued from the scant audience as the newlyweds broke apart and turned towards Chloe and Buck.
"How about that, Frank?" Buck smiled, shaking Parker's hand. "You're a married man now."
"Well, Raven and I have drawn close over the past six months," the chrononaut laughed. "And if this lull is short-lived ... then I guess this is the best time to tie the knot."
"Trust me, for a time of darkness, this doesn't seem all that bad." He looked over Parker's shoulder, seeing Raven fraternizing with Chloe and Hawkmon. "Say, could you introduce me to Raven? I don't believe I've met her yet."
Parker nodded. He walked over to Raven and tapped her shoulder gently. "Hey, Raven - I'd like to introduce you to somebody."
"Really?" The woman had a thick Irish accent, sounding almost like another language. "If you're talking about that man there, I already know about him."
"You do?" He turned back to Buck, seeing his friend's eyes widen slightly. "How?"
"I got the Global Weekly - excuse me, Global Community Weekly - while I lived in London. Read all his stories. He's quite a writer - but from what I can tell, he's better in the flesh." She winked, letting an eyelash fall over one of her violet eyes. "I'm Raven." She moved away from Parker and extended a slender hand towards Buck.
Buck took out his own and grasped Raven's firmly. "I'm Cameron - but you may call me Buck. Everyone does."
"Buck," Raven repeated, releasing her hand from the journalist's. "And I assume that that stuffed animal on the pew is yours?"
"Hey, I'm not a stuffed animal," Elecmon grumbled, standing on his hind legs to face Raven. "I'm Elecmon."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Frank keeps on calling you and those other things stuffed animals, and even gave you names." She turned back towards Parker, seeing Tentomon hovering by his head. "Guess I was proved wrong."
"I think you were," Buck laughed. "Are you having dinner after this?"
"Frank reserved a table at the Drake for tonight. I think we should get going."
Buck nodded and picked up Elecmon. "Sounds like a good idea."
The freeways leading to downtown Chicago were crowded, as they usually were during the evening rush. Squeezing Chloe's Lincoln sedan into the heavy traffic, Parker flipped on the radio, hoping to get some music. Of course, all the radio played those days were hits almost five years old - there was a serious lacking of artists willing to record.
"This is exciting," Buck muttered, leaning into the padded back seat of the car. Elecmon was sleeping on his lap, head resting near Tentomon's dozing body. "We're stuck in traffic."
"But the traffic isn't like this at this time of day," Chloe mused, looking out the window, holding Hawkmon on her lap. Being behind the driver, she could easily see the traffic inch before her eyes. "It's always moving somewhat - never at a standstill. Something must be wrong."
"Damn, all I keep on getting are these news reports!" Parker cursed, pressing the SEEK button on the radio. "There has to be some sort of music!!"
"Frank, there's news on for a reason," Raven soothed, bringing an arm around her husband. "Just switch it onto CNN."
Reluctantly, Parker switched the dial to AM and pressed a button preset to CNN - which, after Nicolae's media takeover, had been renamed GCCNN. A female voice was speaking over some sort of chaos in the background.
This is just terrible...! A United States Nike Base has exploded in Des Plaines, taking out Des Plaines Memorial Hospital ... apparently United States militiamen have stored contraband weapons there, and something must have made them go off. Global Community Peacekeeping Forces are here securing the area. Traffic to the area has been stopped up....
"Oh, shoot!" Parker cursed, looking back towards his passengers. "And Bruce left during our reception to secure our reservations - and he always drives by the hospital! Chloe, can we get to the hospital from here?"
"I think so," the girl shrugged. "If we manage to get this car off the highway and through all the street traffic, I think we can. Besides, this highway doesn't go over any streets for a while, so you can just drive off."
"Good idea." Parker turned hard on the steering wheel, throwing the passengers in the car towards the passenger side as he drove off the freeway and onto the side streets.
The side streets were even worse off than the highway. Cars lined up in rank and file down the streets, and drivers yelled out curses over the cacophony of car horns, emergency broadcast system tones, air-raid sirens, and the occasional news station. Attempting to avoid as much traffic as possible, Parker drove on the sidewalks and lawns, speeding his way towards-
"A road block!" Buck warned, in time enough for Parker to halt the car before a camouflage-fatigued soldier guarding a barrier of orange plastic barrels. The blue helmet on his head marked him as a Global Community Peacekeeper. Dusting off his darkly tanned face, the soldier approached the driver's door and rapped on the window.
Parker had enough experience with the NSA to know that the solder wanted him to lower the window. He pressed a button, letting the window slide down. "What do you want?"
"This is a restricted zone," the soldier barked. "No admittance without authorization."
Parker sighed, digging his hand into his pants pocket. Even in his dress suit, he still managed to keep his official Global Community Worker's Identification on him - not to mention his D3 as well. He pulled out his wallet and flipped to his identification card. The soldier pulled close to inspect it.
"Hmm ... clearance level 2-A ... you must work for Carpathia himself, eh?" The soldier chuckled. "Well, you can enter. I assume the rest of you have identification, too?"
Buck reached into a hidden pocket in his leather jacket and pulled out his wallet, exposing his official Identification. "Here - same clearance as the driver."
The soldier nodded. "I trust you. You can get out of the car and get to where you're going - we can't allow vehicles in there."
Parker nodded and opened his door. "All right." He slammed the door and ran to the barrels, moving a few aside so he could get through. Ahead he could see a few buildings smoldering in the distance, the smoke rising into the air against the setting sun. It would be a long run from the barrier to the ruins, but he had to make sure that Bruce - the only man knew of the government agents hiding beneath his church - was still alive. Who knew what secrets could be pulled from him, if any military reached him?
Footsteps made their way to Parker's ears. He turned, finding Buck standing just a few feet away, panting. "Parker ... I should come, too."
The chrononaut shook his head. "No. I may be in formal clothes, but I would rather you stay with the women. Besides, what if you transform into the Guardian in front of all those soldiers - assuming that there are soldiers by that hospital? We can't have all those people find out!"
Buck nodded - he had almost forgotten about his bond with the Guardian, after over a year of not taking his form. "I see. Well, I'll just be at the car, then." He turned back towards the roadblock, hands shoved into his pants as he walked away.
Parker sighed. I know he could be of help, he thought, but the risk is too great for him if the army finds out. Facing the ruins again, Parker ran out towards them, hoping that with his every step he would find some sign of life on this far side of the roadblock.
Yet every step closer to ground zero, the signs seemed bleak. The area was residential, and it looked like the Peacekeepers had already evacuated the area after the blast. Closer to the ruins, Parker could see cars with their tires in the air, their occupants already freed by authorities. Some Peacekeepers were patrolling the area, standing stubbornly at attention as Parker sped by. Why weren't they trying to help anybody else out in this abandoned suburb?
Smoke growing thick before his eyes, Parker soon realized why. The hospital before him was nothing more than a bombed out shell as he barged through the veils of smoke, bodies strewn neatly out in rows like a sleeping army. Soldiers had abandoned the area - there was no helping those that were dead.
"This can't be," Parker gasped, stopping before what would have been the hospital's lawn. "No ... this ... can't be...."
Cars had piled grotesquely over each other, blown away from their daily commute. It was too musty, too dark to figure out which one was Bruce's. Parker thought he could see his crushed totally beneath what may have been an SUV - he could see an arm clothed in a formal black sleeve jutting limply from a window. Blood caked on it in globules, a sign of such serious bleeding that the victim could never have survived long enough for help.
"No...." Parker muttered, staggering away from the scene. He may have seen death en masse in his days in the Marines, back in Samoa ... but never had he dreamed to encounter so much after such a long time! That was why the Sphere - and Project Back-step - had been created for ... to prevent all of this from happening - ever! But it had been over seven days since those disappearances ... and the Sphere was locked up in its hanger in Nevada, along with a warehouse's worth of weapons....
And if the Peacekeepers ever found out about that stockpile - like they easily did with this one in Chicago - what were the chances of ever having this world come back to normal...?
As he ran back to Chloe's car by the roadblock, tears streaming down his face, the Peacekeepers holding guard by the road roused themselves to attention, blank eyes showing indifference to the chrononaut's pain.
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Location - underground shelter, New Hope Village Church
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Owsley was browsing the Internet as the wedding ceremony took place just overhead. Nobody updated websites anymore, except for government and news sites and - as expected - a couple sites dedicated to the cause of the disappearances that occurred a few months ago. The computer specialist was actually looking at one of the sites just now, and could not help but stifle his laughter at the material.
"Look at this," he droned; "this guy thinks that the cast of Star Trek beamed up all of those people onto the Enterprise!"
"What a nut," Ramsey snarled from the other side of the room, staring intently at an array of television screens before him. Hidden cameras scattered around the church showed the dispersing reception and Bruce slipping out of the parking lot in his white Nissan sedan. "Must've watched too much Star Trek."
"You said it," Talmadge murmured, leaning back into a lounge chair before a television. Though the shelter was soundproof, the former project director kept the sound muted as he watched GCNN. Stocks were scrolling down the bottom of the screen - despite a much smaller global population, a bull market dominated the Dow. "Now if there were only some decent news...."
"Yeah...." Owsley exhaled slowly, leaning towards his computer. He waved the mouse over the screen to access a link when the cursor halted in the middle of its path. "Hey, what's going on here?"
"What is it this time, Andrew?" Ramsey bellowed from his post, turning his chair to face the younger man. "Get another missive from Donovan in the middle of work?"
Owsley shook his head. "No ... the computer's locked up ... it's never frozen before...."
The computer screen turned dark, erasing the image of the website Owsley was looking at. Two words in bold, red capital letters filled the screen.
DIGITAL CONUNDRUM.
"Oh, shoot," Owsley muttered. "I totally forgot...."
"What?" Ramsey stood from his chair and marched to Owsley's side. He bent down his face towards the screen.
"Remember over a year ago, when Parker showed us the disk that had those im-ges of the angel and those objects?"
"Yeah," Ramsey spat. "So?"
"Well ... I kinda left it in my computer. And I forgot about it when we were moving equipment and everything ... I didn't think that it would start up again on its own!"
"That's just great," Ramsey sighed. "Oh well, we already know what the hell's on that thing. Just shut the damn thing off."
Owsley shook his head. "I can't."
"Why not?" Ramsey turned red, even to the expanding bald spot on his head.
"Because ... something's loading up on it...."
The words DIGITAL CONUNDRUM flashed off the screen, replaced almost immediately by words scrolling in boldface white capital letters.
"Talmadge," Owsley stammered, "I think you have to read this…."
"Just read it out loud," Talmadge muttered, reaching for his cigar humidifier box on a nearby desk. "I'm listening."
The computer specialist gulped: whatever was scrolling on this screen appeared to be a personal message.
PHASE ONE IS UNDERWAY. FOUR OF THE SEVEN SEALS ON THE SCROLL OF PERDITION, STOLEN FROM THE VAULTS OF THE UNSEEN GOD, HAVE BEEN UNSEALED. YOU, THE VICTOR, HAVE TAKEN SWAY OF THE HUMAN AND DIGITAL PLANES. NOW YOU HAVE THE REINS OF WAR IN YOUR HANDS. YOU WILL WAGE WAR, AND I WILL GUARANTEE THAT THE WORLD WILL KNOW NOT WHO BEGAT IT. THE OTHER CALAMITIES WILL FOLLOW. I WILL BREAK THE OTHER THREE SEALS WHEN THE TIME COMES.
WITH MY KNOWLEDGE, YOU HAVE STOCKPILED THE WEAPONRY OF THE NATIONS. USE THEM AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES. MAKE NUCLEAR WINTER FALL UPON THE HOME OF FREEDOM, THE REALM OF THE GOD-KINGS, AND THE LAND OF THE SOVEREIGNS. DO THIS, AND THE WORLD WILL BE READY FOR MY REIGN.
THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS WILL BE DARK, YES ... BUT I PROMISE REWARDS FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW ... AS LONG AS YOU ELIMINATE THE CHOSEN CHILDREN DURING THIS BLEAK PERIOD. I SENSE SOMETHING UNUSUAL AMONGST THEM....
"Nuclear winter?!" Talmadge roared, turning in his chair to face Owsley. "Whoever sent this wants to declare nuclear war! We have to tell the government - the cities have to be evacuated! Which places were to be targeted?" He turned back towards the television, only to reach for the remote and turn the sound on again.
Breaking news - military uprisings against the Global Community has arisen in New York, Washington, and other cities on the East Coast. Apparently, they were attacks focused against the Potentate Nicolae Carpathia, who, as of this moment, is not known to still be alive. This just in - the Potentate is all right! He has ordered a nuclear bombing on the United States in retaliation....
"Goddamn it, he's using nukes on American soil?" Ramsey cursed. "I doubt even the major cities have bomb shelters large or deep enough to survive a nuclear attack! Now what?"
Talmadge sighed and lit a cigar he removed from the storage box. "If Chicago is targeted - which I doubt - we're at least far enough away to survive the actual bombing. As for fallout ... we're just going to make sure we stay in here for quite a while. And Andrew" - he swiveled his chair to face the young man - "make sure you keep that disk in your computer. We may learn some more about what may happen in the future."
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Chloe's car, somewhere in Des Plaines, Chicago
-------------------------------------------------
This just in - a nuclear bomb has been dropped in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City. We have lost all visual and audio contact with the city. Reports from the Global Community say that these are in retaliation for a joint American / British / Egyptian strike against the Global Community. Thousands are presumed dead in the blast. In other news: nuclear bombs have also been dropped on London, Cairo, Washington....
Buck sat on the hood of the car, staring off into the distance where Parker had run off. The radio had been turned up to its highest volume levels, loud enough for the inching cars nearby to hear the state of the world.
This can't be good, he thought, feeling a wind whip his hair before his face. He pulled his leather jacket tighter over his neck, trying to keep the slight autumn chill out. It was almost evening, darkness inching over the sky with its carpet of stars.
"Buck?"
The journalist turned at the voice, finding Chloe standing by the open driver-seat door. "What is it?" he muttered, looking out again at the abandoned road ahead.
"You're not going back to New York again, are you?"
Buck shook his head. "Why should I? My home is vaporized, the main offices of Global Community Weekly are probably ruined ... I've nothing to go back to now."
"Right. I see." She sat on the driver's seat, looking back at the passenger seat to find Raven sleeping with the three digimon. "Is Frank going to get back soon?"
Buck stared down the road, seeing a shadow staggering towards the car. "I think so," he said at last; "he'll be here any minute now."
A rumble vibrated one of the pockets in Buck's jacket. Buck thrust his hand inside, taking out his D3. There were some words on the screen.
"'Urgent message, press any button to read'," Buck recited, shrugging. In his peripheral vision, he could see Chloe look up at him from out the windshield. She didn't seem to pay attention to Buck, only to the advancing figure coming from the ruins. Ignoring her, Buck pressed a button, flooding the D3 screen with text:
Cameron: In big trouble. Bombs not falling in Israel, but family killed. Am in hiding - too scared to tell whereabouts. The Prophets will surely give you a hint. Try to get me to the States, hopefully somewhere where there is no fallout. Other Chosen are there, I presume. Cannot hide for long, get me ASAP. - Ben.
"Oh my god," Buck breathed, pocketing his D3. He jumped off the car's hood and walked over to the driver-side door. "Chloe?"
The girl turned her face to Buck. "Yeah?"
"Take care of Raven until Frank gets back. And get a better car - if this war drags on, we're going to have to get over some rough terrain." He looked towards the back seat, finding the digimon rousing themselves. "I suggest trading in this car for an Explorer."
Chloe's eyes widened. "Buck, you've got to be kidding! My dad gave me this car-"
"And it's a piece of crap," Buck spat, backing out of the open door. He rushed to the back seat, picking up a drowsy Elecmon into his arms. "Trust me, Chloe; we're going to need something that could handle all terrains." He walked away from the car, barging his way through the standstill traffic in the general direction of downtown Chicago.
"Buck!" Chloe yelled out, stepping out of the car. She could hear Raven awakening in the back seat, turning herself to look out the rear window. The pounding of feet on asphalt signaled Parker's return; the man halted behind her, staring off where Buck had run away.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Parker cursed, loosening the collar about his neck. "He's going off towards downtown! What if-"
His words were cut out by a tone so deafening that Parker, Chloe, and Raven had to hold their hands to their ears. A squadron of F-16 jets, all with the insignia of the Global Community, droned off towards downtown Chicago. Parker gazed upwards to inspect their payloads: they were fully armed with Sidewinders and some other type of missile that Parker didn't recognize.
"Holy mother of God," Parker gasped, looking back out towards Buck, still weav-ing his way through the forest of cars. "Buck - don't go towards downtown! It's an attack!"
Buck, only a hundred feet away from the others, stopped briefly. "No - I'm not going back," he whispered, clutching Elecmon closer to him. Even though I left my bags in the trunk, I don't see any need for them, he thought. "I have to get Ben - he's in more danger than the others...."
"Buck," Elecmon grumbled drowsily, "where are we going?"
"Israel," Buck breathed. "We're going to Israel."
Taking a deep breath, Buck sprinted through the cars towards downtown, ignoring the planes that continued to soar overhead. Explosions rumbled in the distance, and smoke plumed in a column reaching out into the darkening heavens. Radios from the cars blasted out the latest news: Chicago has been bombed! I repeat, downtown Chicago has been bombed! No news if it was a nuclear strike....
"No - first New York, then Chicago!" Buck whispered harshly. "If this war keeps on like this, I'll never make it to Israel!" He brought a hand upon the Crest of Truth hidden beneath his shirt, feeling for the first time in over a year its ethereal warmth. "Guardian .. I know it's been so long ... but I need your assistance again for another Chosen Child's sake ... I want to be one with you again…."
And with those words, the Crest of Truth enveloped him with its brightness, and the last thing he felt was a pair of wings bursting from his back....
"Oh my god…."
Chloe backed up into Parker, feeling the chrononaut's arms wrap around her tentatively. Her mouth remained gaping open as she stared out towards downtown. She had seen Buck run in that direction ... before those wings burst from his back, and his casual wear transformed into those robes of the purest white....
"It's happened again," Parker breathed, pulling Chloe closer to him.
Chloe just nodded. "I've seen this before ... when I saw him fight that dragon on the computer over a year ago. He's ... the Guardian, isn't he?"
"Yes," Parker nodded, watching the angel glide towards downtown in the distance. "And he hates it as much as hell."
Cameron....
Buck opened his eyes, finding himself in the familiar blue orb of light that evidenced his fusion with the Guardian. He realized that his arms seemed to be clutching something to his chest - what it was, he could not see. Frigid wind blasted against his bare body, whipping his hair far behind his head.
"Is that you, Guardian?" he asked at last, trying to discover what was beyond the orb of light other than the ever-present darkness.
You did summon me, did you not? the calm rumble echoed in the man's ears.
"Yes," Buck whispered. "I need to get to Israel."
A sigh blew across the darkness, bringing awareness of the Guardian's senses to Buck's attention. He was high above downtown Chicago, just feet below the fighter jets that threatened the city below. In his arms was Elecmon, clinging to the Guardian's robes as he looked at the destruction the planes had caused.
I only have enough strength to take you to Jerusalem, the Guardian's voice whispered, but then you are on your own.
Buck nodded. "But why?"
I must return to my partner, Cameron. I am sorry. But I have sent my servant to meet you in Jerusalem. She will give you the ability to have full authority over this form.
"Right." Buck looked down at the city below again, finding that most of downtown was now a smoking cauldron of ruins. He could pick out what may have been the Sears Tower, but it was now half of its original height, just a regular skyscraper amongst the other bombed-out shells. But what good would it do?
Flying through this will prolong the journey, the Guardian whispered, almost like a faint ocean breeze. We must steer clear of all the major cities. Then we shall reach Jerusalem before I am too weak.
"Yes," Buck replied. "How long will that be?"
Two hours.
"Wait a minute - two hours? But ... you're a living creature - and I'm human! I can't fly as fast as a jet plane - and I doubt you could, too!"
Trust me, Cameron ... this once.
Buck could feel the wings on his back stop their flapping, extending themselves to their full wingspan. Warmth spread across the feathered membranes, bringing a burst of speed to his flight. Holding Elecmon closer to his chest, Buck sped under the shadow of the fighters, seeing sky and earth rush below him as he made his way towards the Atlantic and - eventually - Israel.
The phone in Parker's jacket started to vibrate harshly, making the chrononaut back away from Chloe. He walked some distance from the car and took the cell phone from his pocket, pressing a button and bringing it to his ear. "Parker here."
"Thank goodness you are still there! I was hoping you were not hurt." It was Nicolae. "I need you for an errand."
What fun, Parker grumbled, stealing a glance at the car. "What is it?"
"I cannot tell you - this is not a secure line. I have a helicopter headed in your direction - it will take you and your wife to where we are." Click.
Parker pulled the phone from his ear and pressed the end message button. How'd he know I'm married? Parker thought, thrusting the phone into his pocket. I've only been married for a few minutes!
"What was that about?" Chloe asked as Parker made his way back to the car.
"Our good friend Nick wants me to do something," he said, his last words almost cut off by the thunderous rotating helicopter blades that had now just entered his awareness. Damn, those 'copters come quick. "Wake up Raven and get Tentomon - you take care of our bags."
Chloe nodded and thrust her head into the passenger seating area. "Raven - you and Frank are going somewhere."
The newly married woman turned towards Chloe, brushing her tresses from her eyes. "You saw what happened to Buck, right?" Her eyes had grown larger as she spoke, reflecting Chloe's distressed face in its violet depths.
Chloe nodded. "Yeah. But you have to go now - there's a helicopter out there waiting for you." She turned back, finding a military transport helicopter on the ground nearby with three armed soldiers in camouflage fatigues standing guard by the open sides. Her hair whipped across her face as the helicopter's whirring blades turned in the air.
"All right." Raven clamored out of the car, obstructed by her form-fitting wedding dress. "Should I bring the luggage?"
"No - only Tentomon." But Tentomon had already awakened and flew out of the car after Raven, heading towards Parker.
"Raven, hurry up!" Parker called, gesturing to the helicopter. "We don't have much time!" He helped his wife on board when she arrived, then climbed on after her and pulled Tentomon inside. Parker turned towards Chloe then, and cupped his hands about his mouth.
"Chloe - be sure to get a new car! That one won't last!"
Then the helicopter lifted from the ground, and the whirring of its blades faded into the panicked cries of civilians and the dread-filled reports on the radio. Chloe climbed into the driver's seat of the car after closing the passenger door, taking out her keys and starting up the engine. She slammed shut her door, shifted the gears into drive, and put her full weight on the accelerator, directing her vehicle towards the nearest car sales lot.
"Chloe, where are we going?" Hawkmon muttered from the back seat. "You're driving awfully fast."
"We're getting a new car," she grumbled, shifting gears again to adjust to the abandoned sidewalks by the gridlocked streets. "Apparently the men want me to."
Chloe could see Hawkmon nod his head in the rear view mirror. "Thank God," the digimon muttered as he sat down and buckled up. "This car's a piece of trash."
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Jerusalem, Israel
-------------------------------------------------
Buck could not remember the flight across the Atlantic, or arriving in Israel. Being able to travel naturally as fast as a Concorde had exhausted him after flying near the radioactive ruins of Washington, so Buck had closed his eyes, letting the Guardian handle the flight.
Buck didn't know he had fallen asleep, nor had knowledge of arriving in Israel. When he did at last open his eyes, he found himself lying on his back over what felt like a linen blanket. A stucco ceiling stretched out above him, and on his chest he could feel Elecmon's deep breathing.
"Where are we?" Buck moaned, lifting Elecmon from his chest and setting him aside. It was then he realized he was on a bed, situated before a television in a small room. There was a French door leading out onto a balcony; it was opened, and the evening air was now making the sheer curtains billow out into the room.
"We're at the King David," Elecmon muttered, his eyes still shut. "Get to sleep."
Buck shook his head. Israel, already? He turned to find a clock, finding a digital alarm clock on a nightstand to his right. The display read 3:30 AM. There was also a pad of paper the hotel had provided - there was a note written on it.
Guardian was unable to see you fully into Jerusalem. His assistant found you in Haifa and brought you to Jerusalem. She has paid for one day's lodging here under one of your aliases. Come to the Wall as soon as you awake - we must speak to you.
The letter was signed with a seal consisting of interlocked circles, each of them with an intricate design inscribed in the center.
"Great ... now I have to get to that Wailing Wall," Buck sighed, taking his attention away from the pad. His hair was starting to blow in the faint wind, which - now that he noticed - had grown slightly stronger. Maybe the fighter jets that seemingly had steered clear of Israel were now coming around, but there was no drone of engines to mark such a presence.
"Cameron...."
Buck perked his head up at the voice. It might have been the wind - sure sounded like it - but he could not remember when the wind had whispered with such authority. Curious, he stood up from the bed and made his way to the doors that led to the balcony. He was about to shut the doors when something caught his eye. It was just at the corner of his eye, a small flash of gold - no, that couldn't be, Buck told himself, yet he could not ignore what he sensed.
"Cameron...."
The voice sounded so much closer now - did it come from the balcony? Buck walked out onto the balcony, a blast of desert air encouraging him to remove his jacket. Yet he resisted that urge - the jacket's hidden pockets held his wallet, D3, and cell phone. He distracted himself by searching around, turning his head to view the city of Jerusalem. Even in the early morning, there were some lights still lit - especially by the newly-opened temple by the Wailing Wall. That had been the much-lauded project by Nicolae in recent months - hell, Buck even did a story on it just months ago.
"I see you have awakened."
Buck turned at the voice, facing the farthest reaches of the small balcony. Standing on the railing was a silhouette, perhaps a little over six feet tall if she (it looked like a she) had stood on level with Buck. A staff, just slightly taller than its wielder, was in her left hand, its pointed end buried in the railing. Buck could tell she was in heeled shoes, seemingly gilded in gold that glinted in the low light. His eyes drifted to the figure's face, noting that this stranger had what seemed like a fox's ears on her head, emerging from her silver hair tied in two flowing strands behind her.
"Who are you?" Buck asked, reaching his hand into his jacket for his D3. He pointed it at the woman, pressing a button for the analyzer screen. Words scrolled upon it, but he had no chance to glance at it.
"Your device will not detect my data," the woman whispered.
"So you are a digimon," Buck shrugged, thrusting his D3 back into his jacket pocket. How could a human with no knowledge of digimon know that the D3 scanned their data?
"Yes." The woman leaped from the railing, staff in her hands, and alighted just an arm's length from Buck. "I am Sakuyamon."
Now Buck had a closer look at the digimon's face - a gilded helm, shaped like a fox's face, shielded her eyes and the top of her head. Raised areas of ebony on the helm marked the spaces where the eyes would be. Her lips were of a deep amethyst, starkly contrasting with her pale skin. Looking further down her body, Buck could note the detail in Sakuyamon's armor - also in gold, with arcane symbols upon her shoulder armor, breastplate, and gauntlets, which were in purple. The rest of her body was covered in a black, form-fitting suit, interrupted by a stripe of white running down the center of her torso.
Sakuyamon took Buck's hand into her own, pulling the human close to her. "The prophets sent me to bring you to them," she spoke into his ear. "I understand that you have just recovered from the journey ... the Guardian had to use the last of his strength to send you here...."
"He ... did? Where is he now?"
A sigh. "I have to return him to his partner now, after this task. Hold on."
Sakuyamon jumped into the warm air, adjusting her path to float on the thermal lifts of the wind. She directed her head towards the lights of the new temple, bringing her passenger tight against her breast for security.
Buck forced his head up toward Sakuyamon's, managing a handhold in her armor. "Sakuyamon ... are you the Guardian's assistant?"
The digimon's lips parted in a slight smile. "You may say that I am. It is something I do on occasion ... and it is a debt I owe him."
"A ... debt? For what?"
"I was not always a digimon, Cameron. Like the Archangel Ophanimon, I was human once. I was a Japanese princess ... my name was Sakuya Konohana. I studied dark magic, but used it for battling the demons that were overrunning Japan. The last demon I fought was believed to be their prince ... he killed me, but I asked the spirits to give me another chance to destroy him.
"The Guardian came to me then, made me a digimon - an immortal demon-slayer, as he called it. In payment, I was to be his eyes and ears as he guarded the Center and - eventually - you."
"Ah. I see," Buck nodded. He chanced a look below, finding the lights of the temple just below him. "We're at the temple."
"I know." Sakuyamon angled her flight towards the wall just some feet from the light, towards the square where the two digimon prophets were resting from their ordeal.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Glenview Air Force Base, outskirts of Chicago
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The military transport helicopter landed on an abandoned airstrip as the moon made its way over the horizon. The runway lights of the base had not been switched on, nor were the exterior lights of the hangars, control tower, and personnel barracks. A plane, probably a seven-passenger Learjet, could be seen on the neighboring runway, its doors open. Three people could be seen seated inside: two passengers and a pilot.
"Potentate Carpathia is in that jet," the soldier closest to Parker pointed. "I suggest you and your wife hurry."
Parker nodded. "What about you?"
"Orders are to patrol the city, watch for other rebel outbreaks. Of course, with the aerial offensive on our part, I doubt it. Don't you?"
"Yeah. I bet," Parker shrugged. He jumped out of the helicopter, staying behind to help Raven down. He ended up carrying her in his arms, trudging to the Learjet with Tentomon buzzing behind him.
"This is turning out to be some honeymoon, eh?" Raven chuckled as Parker slowed his pace near the Learjet's entry hatch.
"Ah, it's just another day in the life." Parker set Raven on the ground and prepared to assist her into the jet, only to see that one of the men inside had already set himself to the task. He could see Nicolae in a seat across from the entrance, and his second-in-command seating himself before him after helping Raven into her own chair. Donovan - Leon, as Nicolae knew him - managed a wink as he pointed to the cockpit. He was mouthing something - a name, perhaps?
"Ballard's the pilot," Parker could make out.
Wait a minute ... Ballard transferred from Backstep for another project - but pilot an aircraft? Heck, with his legs paralyzed, he couldn't even control the elevator pedals!
Baffled, Parker shoved Tentomon into the passenger cabin (not as if anyone would care, he thought), closed the door, and jumped into the cockpit. He fastened his seatbelt and closed his door, turning to see the face of his copilot.
"So, we meet again, eh, Frank?"
Parker thrust on his earphones, then took another look at the man. He was balding, almost like Ramsey, only with less meat on his bones. A lollipop was in his mouth, and evidently he had had a few - there were candy wrappers and chewed-up lollipop sticks scattered on the instrument panel and floor. The man stared back at Parker, looking at him with eyes magnified behind his thick eyeglasses. Parker couldn't help but drop his mouth in disbelief.
"Ballard? Dr. Ballard?"
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
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I see you have returned, Sakuyamon, Jijimon echoed in Buck's heart as he and his digimon escort alighted before the prophets by the wall. The digimon prophets had emerged from their resting place by a small building, and now took what was now their customary position just yards away from the centermost point of the wall. Global Community peacekeepers had placed a chain-link fence meant to separate the digimon from their human audience, but blackened areas on the fence only evidenced where Babamon's assaults had been released.
"I have brought Cameron - I understand you wanted to speak to him." Sakuyamon walked to the fence, her gloved hands grasping the chain links.
Bring him here. Babamon had emerged now, bringing her face to the fence.
Sakuyamon turned to Buck, and motioned him to come with a twitch of her fingers. He approached the fence, kneeling down to bring himself closer to the digimon on the other side. "What is this about?" he whispered, drawing his face close to Babamon.
You have an incoming message on your D3, Jijimon breathed.
A soft beeping vibrated within Buck's jacket, where his D3 was pocketed. He pulled his hand inside, finding his D3 screen blinking with the notice for an incoming message. Curious, he pressed a button, finding another text message scrolling on the screen.
Hey, Buck! I got a new car - you wanted an Explorer, right? It seats five, has GPS, can switch between automatic and manual transmission, and a lot of other goodies. Don't worry; I got your luggage with me. Hope you get back soon - things are getting lonely here. - Chloe.
"Thank God she got a new car," Buck muttered, thrusting the D3 into his coat pocket. "So, what was this you we going to tell me?"
The Faithful and True one once went to a lake, Babamon recited, like a schoolgirl in front of her class. There he found two fishermen on a boat. The fishermen were having a hard time making a catch, so the Faithful and True one told them where to cast their nets.
Following his advice, Jijimon continued, the fishermen cast their nets. When they reeled them in, they found their nets bursting with fish. Knowing that the Faithful and True one was true to his word, the fishermen left their boats and followed in his footsteps.
Buck nodded his head as the story went on. He had heard a tale similar to this one many years ago ... but why tell it to him? Fishermen ... the Faithful and True ... where was this leading to?
So now do you know where the last Chosen Child is? Babamon queried, moving her broom towards Buck. Do you?
"Wait a minute - how did-?"
Do you know, Cameron?
"It must be in the story," he mused, resting his head in a hand. "A lake ... and fishermen ... there must be a lake in Israel somewhere - ah, I get it!"
Do not say where - there are those who still want to kill him, Jijimon whispered. We must rest again ... daybreak is soon coming.
The prophets backed from the fence, inched over to where they took their customary respite at twilight. They may have been behind a small shack, but Buck knew that they had squatted on their haunches, staffs upright, seemingly ready for an opposing strike.
"We should return to the hotel now, Cameron," Sakuyamon purred, taking Buck into her arms again. "You have to leave for Tsion soon."
Buck nodded. "Yes. We should."
-------------------------------------------------
Location - somewhere over the United States
-------------------------------------------------
"What are you doing here, Ballard?" Parker yelled into his headset, turning back in his chair. He could see Nicolae leaning into the aisle in the passenger area behind, chatting with Raven. It didn't seem to be much to worry about - it must be small talk, at the very least.
"That Nicolae guy hired me to build something ... I'll show it to you when we get to Dallas." Ballard rolled the lollipop around his mouth - a signal for Parker to move the elevator pedals on his side. "It's quite neat - I made a few improvements to the original model."
Great ... improvements, Parker shuddered. He remembered every improvement Ballard had made to the Sphere ... the results were memorable in that way that made hair stand on your neck.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - King David Hotel, Jerusalem
-------------------------------------------------
"Buck ... back already?" Elecmon yawned as he scuttled his way onto the balcony. Sakuyamon had already alighted, and now swung Buck so he would face her.
"Before I leave you," Sakuyamon purred, "I must give you the Guardian's means for protecting you. Hand me your D3, Cameron." She extended a gloved hand, a smile crawling up her amethyst lips.
Buck shrugged ... Sakuyamon was the Guardian's assistant, so he assumed she could be trusted. Besides, hadn't she taken him safely to the prophets at the Wailing Wall and back? He shoved a hand inside his coat, revealed his D3, and dropped it into Sakuyamon's waiting hand. A rose-colored light shone on the screen for a few seconds, then faded back to darkness.
"Look on the screen, Cameron," the digimon whispered. "What do you see?"
Buck took back the D3 - it didn't seem that anything happened. But what was this...? An outline of the Guardian's robes, wings extending from them, was drawn out in silver ... Digital Hieroglyphs rearranged themselves into English: Spirit of Hope.
"What is this?" Buck gasped. "What's a Spirit?"
"It is the remains of a powerful digimon, usually left behind after they sacrifice their bodies," Sakuyamon explained. "Humans and digimon could use them to become the digimon that left behind that Spirit. They are very rare ... and I am the only one who can create them."
"So ... can I use it?"
Sakuyamon nodded. "Yes ... just say 'Spirit Evolution', and it will activate." She backed away from Buck, her boots clicking with her every step on the balcony. "I must leave now ... the Guardian must return to his partner...."
And with those words, Sakuyamon flickered like a faulty image on a television before fading from view.
Buck looked down at the D3 in his hands ... the Spirit still stared back at him, its silver glint sparkling in his eyes. It was hypnotic, following the folds of the robes, watching them seemingly blow in a wind that wasn't there....
Then it struck him.
He brought the D3 before his body, screen facing away from him. If Sakuyamon gave him the Guardian's Spirit, then he might as well use it ... if only it wasn't the same as when he became one with the Guardian.
"Spirit ... Evolution!"
The world turned white before him ... everything on his person burned from his body - no, something was forming on his body ... the robes, the familiar helm, even the sword was materializing where he had held his D3....
Then the light faded.
Buck blinked ... he could still see the balcony, but there was something different. There were small words forming on the left side of his view: Heat Sensing, Targeting, Night Vision ... what was this?
"Buck..."
Buck turned around, finding Elecmon standing on his hind legs, blue eyes wider than he had ever seen them. What was he surprised about? Nothing seemed to have changed....
"Why do you look like the Guardian, Buck?"
The Guardian...? Buck looked down at his hands - he had held his D3 there, but felt the sword during the evolution. The sword was still there, steel gleaming in the moonlight. He raised the blade to his face, saw the reflection in the weapon....
"Just like that dream last year...."
For the face he saw in the reflection ... was the Guardian's....
The Spirit Evolution must have transformed me into the Guardian! Buck thought; but then, why don't I hear his voice? Why aren't I in that sphere of light...?
"What are you doing standing there, then?" Elecmon called out. "What are we going to do? What if someone sees you?"
"We're leaving now, Elecmon." Buck gathered the digimon in his hands, held him close to his chest. "I know where Ben is...."
He unfurled his wings and leaped from the balcony, gliding over Jerusalem to the Jordan River and - eventually - where he believed Ben was hiding.
Lake Tiberius.
-------------------------------------------------
Location: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
------------------------------------------------
Ballard taxied the Learjet into an abandoned hangar far enough away from the main airport. Dallas hadn't been hit by the war, but with rebels on the lookout for the potentate, it probably was best to stay away from a heavily populated place. Not that Dallas was at the moment - it was nearly deserted, airplanes taking off for fear that the war would reach them.
"All right, passengers, it is safe to exit Global Community Peacekeeper One," Ballard recited into his headset, depressing the button so that the passengers could hear. "Please watch your step when you head out of the plane, and I hope you had a nice flight." He released his hold on the button, watching Donovan, Nicolae, Raven, and Tentomon file their way out of the plane. Noticing that the passengers had all left, Ballard and Parker ran though the post-flight checklist before joining the others.
"Come on, Ballard, what's this thing you're supposed to show me?" Parker probed, following Nicolae and the others toward a door leading to another hangar. "You haven't told me much about it!"
"Don't worry - I'm sure he's leading us to it now." Ballard maneuvered his wheelchair next to Parker, unwrapping another lollipop and shoving it into his mouth. "Ah, there it is now."
Parker ducked into the door, his eyes immediately greeted by a buffet of finger sandwiches … was this what Ballard was building for Nicolae? A giant buffet in a hangar at Dallas International?
"Ballard, you must've sunk to new lows to build a buffet for Nicolae," Parker scoffed, seeing Tentomon fly over to a table a shove a few finger sandwiches into his mouth, toothpicks and all.
"No, no, no, Frank ... look up there."
Parker did. Towering above the buffet tables was a jet, considerably larger than the Boeing 757 Global Community One. It was painted in black, the windows in the passenger cabin tinted to match the paint. The cockpit windows were clear, though, reflecting the stark halogen light of the hangar into Parker's eyes. Words were painted on the side of the craft in white: Condor 216.
"You designed that thing?" Parker gaped; this surely wasn't like any aircraft he'd seen. It was too sleek for its status, too much on the fighter jet side for a potentate's plane. "What is it, a fighter jet or something?"
"No, my friend - it's the potentate's new plane. Comes with a lounge, a restaurant, conference room, communications center, quarters for you and your copilot ... and a few little things I decided to add. Come on, let's get inside."
Parker shrugged - what was the harm to go inside a plane developed by one of the founders of Backstep, anyway?
-------------------------------------------------
Location - somewhere near Lake Tiberius, Israel
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The readout screen on the inside of the Guardian's helm detected something under the Infrared setting. Buck gazed downward at the rushing plains below - there was nothing but grass, a few aquatic plants, the Jordan River, and the edges of nearby Lake Tiberius.
"I think I found him, Elecmon," he whispered, angling his flight sharper towards the ground. "He's by the lakeside ... three other people are with him."
"Guardian-"
"Please, Elecmon - just call me Buck. You're confusing me." Spirit Evolution confuses me....
"Right. Sorry. Could you tell if that's really him, though, Buck?"
"I think so." The readout screen detected a faint silver light on one of the infrared readings - the menu on the left marked it as a Crest. "I detect a Digivice and ... maybe a Crest."
"Then it has to be him! Come on, Buck, let's get there!"
Buck nodded - by now he was skimming over the tall grass, so it was easy for him to halt his flight and plant his feet into the ground. Elecmon jumped out of his arms, and padded beside his now-digimon partner as he trudged through the grass, Omega Blade bared in his hands.
"He's nearby, Elecmon - there's something irregular about that place there." Buck raised his sword, pointed towards a copse of trees by the muddy bank. The grass had abruptly ended before the trees, and the readout screen could mark out footsteps in the soil - human ones not a few hours old.
"Should we break in?" Elecmon rasped, standing on his hind legs. "Ben might've been captured."
Buck shook his head. "No ... something tells me he's safe." He advanced through the thinning grass, following the footsteps the Night Vision setting had located to an area beyond the copse. The path wound downward, the riverbank now towering above his helm-covered head as Buck and Elecmon at last reached a dead end. There was a door there, plastered with mud - well disguised enough to go unnoticed.
"This is it," Buck whispered. "Ben's here."
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport
-------------------------------------------------
"You like it?" Ballard beamed, navigating his wheelchair through the bowels of the Condor 216. He and Parker had entered into the lounge, a room with a relaxed setting of white leather chairs surrounding a big-screen television. A corridor led to the restaurant in one direction, and the crew's quarters and cockpit in the other.
"It's ... quite nice," Parker said, turning his head to view the area. "Looks just like the Global Community One. Speaking of which, what happened to it?"
"You didn't hear?"
Parker shook his head. "I haven't had access to radio or television for some time, not since I was picked up from Chicago."
"New York was nuked, Frank. The Global Community One was there, at Kennedy Airport. I'm just glad that your copilot escaped - he's in the cockpit."
That's a relief, Parker sighed inwardly. Mac was a good man - over the past eighteen months they had shuttled Nicolae across the world, attended social functions, and even became good friends. "Could we go there now?"
"Well, sure, Frank - I've something to show you there, anyway. After you," he said, pulling out of the way so Parker could enter the hallway to the cockpit.
The cockpit was like that of a 757, except for the padded leather seats and the extra legroom. Mac was in the copilot's chair, running through the pre-flight checklist when Parker and Ballard entered. The Texan turned around and brushed some of his fiery hair from his face. "Oh, I'm sorry, just going through routine here - Frank! You made it! Nice to see you!" He clapped the chrononaut on the shoulder as he shoved himself into his seat. "You like the Two-One-Six so far?"
Parker leaned back in his chair, taking the wheel in his hands - it was contoured to fit his grip exactly. "It's fine so far." He ran his eyes over the control panels, the back-lit gauges, the cup holder in the divider between him and Mac ... it was almost perfect. "Better than the Global." He ran his hands around the chair, feeling the plush padding, the retractable armrests, the smooth underside-
"Hey, Ballard, there's a button underneath my seat," Parker called out. "Is that supposed to be there?"
"Oh, that," the man said around a lollipop he had just thrown into his mouth. "Just one of my improvements."
"I hope it's a self-destruct button," Mac muttered, flipping a few switches over head. "I hate it when I hear the boss eating his ramen or whatever he eats for lunch."
"No - it activates the state-of-the-art bugging system I installed on the plane. Here - I'll go to the lounge to test it out. Just flip on the intercom, say a message, then press the button." Ballard maneuvered his chair out of the tight room and left for the lounge down the hall.
"I hope this works," Parker sighed, donning his earphones. He flipped on the intercom switch, his other hand on the bug activator. "Okay, Ballard, I better hope this improvement is better than your other ones," he said into the microphone. He depressed the button then, expecting to hear some mindless clatter from the passengers that were about to enter the plane. Instead, he heard his friend:
"Hey, Frank - I'm whispering right now, but I designed this thing to pick up the faintest sound. It hasn't been detected, even by the Global Community's best sweepers. I've even hooked it up to the phones, so you could hear both sides of any conversation. You like?"
Parker turned so his face could be seen in the doorway, and gave a hearty two thumbs up to his friend in the wheelchair. For once, one of Ballard's improvements had done him good.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - somewhere on the shore of Lake Tiberius
-------------------------------------------------
The door slid open, revealing a man dressed in military fatigue pants. An Uzi was carried on his shoulders Marine style, held up with one hand while the other fingered a handgun. He set his steel-like eyes on Buck, then at the digimon by his feet. He then spoke in Hebrew, the clipped whispers sounding like orders.
Words appeared at the bottom of the readout screen: Are you here for Ben-Judah?
Buck nodded. "Yes. Where is he?" He had spoken in English, hoping that the commando knew some smattering of the language.
The armed man spoke again: How do I know that you won't hurt him?
Great ...there's no getting through this guy, Buck sighed. If only I knew how the hell to get out of a Spirit Evolution!
Words again filled the readout screen: End Spirit Evolution? Yes or No.
Yes.
White light blinded Buck, fading away to reveal him in human form, his clothes still on his back. His D3 was in his hands where the Omega Blade once was. Buck tried to look beyond the commando, finding a faint light illuminating another guard and a sitting man facing the door. The one facing the door stood up and padded to the guard before Buck, soon tapping him on the shoulder. He whispered a few words in Jewish before the guard walked off. The man then walked out, and took Buck into a deep embrace.
"Buck! I prayed that you would come! My god, how did you get here? And what was that form you were in? But, oh, Buck, you do not have to explain - you are here!" Sobs filled Ben, tears pouring from his eyes onto Buck's shirt. "Come inside, before anybody comes!"
Buck took the rabbi before him, led him into the shelter. The guard by the door slid it shut after Elecmon walked in and locked it. Ignoring the guards, Buck, Ben, and Elecmon went to a corner of the room and sat down.
"How did you get all the way out here?" Buck started, taking Elecmon into his lap and thrusting his D3 into his jacket pocket. "And who are they?"
"The doorman is Michael - he is a friend of mine. He is the one who helped me escape out here - and the one who will help us flee from Israel. He smuggled me into his car after ... my family was assassinated."
"Assassinated!?" Buck was thrown back by the word. Why would anyone want to assassinate a rabbi, especially one who did the report on CNN about the Faithful and True-
"Yes, Buck - it was because of that broadcast over a year ago. I am considered a heretic now, sadly, and I believe that the United States is the only place where I will be safe. Of course, if I only had my partner to protect me-"
"Don't dwell on that," Buck hissed, taking Ben by the shoulders. "As far as we know, your family might be in the Golden Land, along with the Chosen Children taken eighteen months ago."
"Then if the Chosen Children were taken," Ben wailed, "why do you and I remain? Why are Francis and Chloe still here?"
"Because we have a task, Ben - and that is to defend this world. It has fallen into darkness, and we can't let it fall too deep!"
Where had those words come from? Buck asked himself - I sure as hell didn't mean to say that!
Whatever had come over Buck, it sure did make Ben's sobbing subside. "I see. I think that is a good enough reason. But those that killed my family-"
"I don't know, Ben. I don't know."
-------------------------------------------------
Location - San Francisco International Airport
-------------------------------------------------
The war hadn't reached the west coast of the United States, so it was relatively simple to ease the Condor 216 onto a near-abandoned taxiway at the San Francisco airport. Parker eased the plane beside the terminal as flight crews below hurried to connect tubes between the fuel tanks on the plane and those on the ground.
"This is a rather uneventful day," Mac scoffed, scrolling through the post-flight checklist. "Just too bad your friend Ballard couldn't come."
"Yeah." Parker slid from his chair and walked over to his quarters nearby; Tentomon was still on his bed, reeling from the longer flight. "You having fun?"
"I think your friend should have installed seatbelts in your quarters," the digimon moaned, turning to Parker. "Tell him to come back."
"I can't - he's on his way to Montana right now. Just sit tight a moment, we'll be in the air again soon." He left his quarters and returned to the cockpit, finding that the flight crew below had scuttled away, the trucks with tanks of gas driving back to the terminal. "Mac, you done with the check?"
"Not yet - but I'm just not sure what the boss wants after I'm done. Where is he, anyway?"
"I think I can find out." Parker slid back into his chair, placed the headphones on his ears, and activated the bugging system. A conversation echoed into the pilot's ears.
Nicolae: We will trigger the American west coast thirty minutes after the Condor takes off.
Man (unknown): What do you mean, "trigger"?
Nicolae: Just as I said. We will bomb major cities on the west coast - Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles-
Donovan / Leon: LA? You can't be crazy!
Nicolae: Why do you say so, Leon?
Donovan / Leon: I'm a Lakers fan! Sure, there won't be any more playoffs, but at least keep the Staples Center unscathed! Besides, you destroy LA, you also destroy your new theme park, Carpathialand....
Nicolae: Oh, yes ... Carpathialand ... I forgot about that.... All right then, instead of targeting Los Angeles, target Sacramento. Let everything else go as planned....
Parker threw off his earphones and released his finger from the button beneath his seat. "Mac, go through the pre-flight checklist! San Francisco is targeted next!"
"What? Frank, I'm not even done with the post-flight-"
"Just do it!"
"But there's no militia, no rebels-"
"There never have been rebels - it's all caused by the boss!"
"There you go again, blaming the potentate...."
"Shut up, Mac, and get with it! I'll check to see if everyone in back is all right." Parker stood from his seat and marched out of the cockpit into the lounge. He saw Raven there, sleeping on a couch, the television still turned on. There were scenes of the devastation across the globe - or the lack thereof, as was the case in Israel. Parker shrugged and made his way back to the cockpit. New Babylon was close enough to Israel for comfort ... close enough not to be destroyed.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - underground hideout near Lake Tiberius, Israel
-------------------------------------------------
Buck was roused by a sharp tap on his shoulder the next evening, making him bolt to his feet as he rubbed his eyes. It was then that he felt leaden in his limbs, felt a soreness on his back so familiar with his previous transformations into the Guardian. He rubbed his eyes, finding Ben across from him holding Elecmon. Michael, the doorman, was beside the rabbi; he was holding a pair of keys on a wire ring in his hands.
"We're escaping tonight," Ben translated as Michael spoke. "He has a bus in back - it's stick shift. You can drive stick, right?"
Buck nodded. "Sure can - it's fun." There was no need to tell about wild drives in the Arizona desert with the expression on his face. "So, where's this bus?"
The bus was in a garage not far from the common room. It was an ancient vehicle, probably out of commission for twenty years. Yellow paint had given away to rust, and the windows were misted over in white. A rack on the roof held a few weighted fishing nets and fishing supplies. The tires were recently changed, though, and some water tanks on the sides were topped off.
Michael tossed Buck the keys and whispered something in Hebrew. He ran off to the front of the bus and pulled a lever by the wall. The wall elevated out of view, revealing a path through the bush to a paved road. It was evening, starless, and there were no cars on the road to show any sign of civilization.
"Michael says we can leave now," Ben whispered. "Come on."
The two men clambered aboard the bus, Ben and Elecmon taking a seat to the rear while Buck sat behind the wheel. After a few unsuccessful tries at turning the key, the engine roared to life, and Buck shifted gears to rattle the bus down to the abandoned highway. It would be a miracle to get the bus out of the country in one piece in the shape it was in.
"The fastest way is to go to Egypt," Ben piped from the back. "It is just across the Sinai, and customs there is quite lax."
"Are we going the right way?" Buck asked, forcing his weight on the wheel as he maneuvered around the road. "There's no signs."
"Yes, Buck - this is the right way. I will just duck in back if we are checked."
I'm going to hope that's enough to hide him, Buck sighed, peering off into the darkness as the bus trudged down the road.
Five hours later, Buck finally noticed a light down the road. It was a solar-powered lamp, illuminating a roadway sign: CHECKPOINT 1 KILOMETER AHEAD - ISRAEL-EGYPT BORDER.
"Shit ... there's a border checkpoint ahead," Buck cursed, turning back to find Ben still in his seat. "You'd better hide, we're almost there."
The rabbi nodded and ducked beneath his seat, still holding Elecmon in his arms. There were now light posts by the road, leading up to a barbed-wire fence and a simple office made of cinder-blocks. There were two soldiers in office that could be seen: a man sitting behind the desk, staring at a television, and another with two long tied strands of dark hair just standing beside him.
Buck stopped the bus at the gate and cut off the engine before jumping out. The soldier who was seated walked out and greeted Buck with a handful of forms. "Sign these," he barked, handing them and a pen over to the journalist.
Buck shrugged and walked into the office, found a flat surface to write on, and wrote the name of the only alias he had on his person. The office was abandoned now, the other guard probably out checking the bus. Please don't let them find Ben! Buck prayed silently, signing his name on the last of the customs forms. He left the papers and pen on the desk, then walked out to find the first guard standing by the bus entrance.
"The bus is clean," the guard grumbled. "I'll open the gate, and you can go on. Have fun in Egypt."
The bus checked out all right! Buck smiled inwardly, climbing onto the bus. He settled himself in the driver's seat, checking the rear-view mirrors if Ben and Elecmon were still hiding, and let the engine idle. Once the gate slid open, Buck put his weight on the gas, and the bus rattled out of Israel.
"Ben, you could get up now," Buck called once the checkpoint was a good fifty kilometers away. "We passed the checkpoint."
The rabbi sighed and clambered back into his seat. He was holding something in his arms - not Elecmon, apparently, since the red-and-blue-striped digimon had climbed into the seat on his own. The thing in his arms was a strange shade of beige-orange, with a white belly, four black paws, bat-like ears, and blue eyes that could barely keep themselves open.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Buck exclaimed, driving off the side of the road and letting the engine idle. "That wasn't on the bus earlier!" He jumped out of his seat and ran to Ben's side - now he could see the creature closer....
"It is my partner!" Ben exclaimed, beaming in the darkened bus. "That guard with those two ponytails, he came onto the bus and stood right where you are. He told me, 'I am Sakuyamon, assistant to the Guardian of the Golden Land.' Then there was a flash of golden light, and I saw a woman in the most beautiful armor, with a staff and a golden fox's head for a helm. She had this creature in her arms" - he motioned to the digimon he held - "and handed it to me. 'This is your partner,' she told me, and then she transformed back into that guard and walked out!"
Sakuyamon? Buck thought, his eyes bulging in shock. She said she had to bring the Guardian to his partner ... and Ben carries the Crest of Spirit, so his partner could become the Guardian as well....
"What is your partner's name, anyway?" Buck asked at length, bringing himself to his knees. He brought himself closer to the half-asleep digimon - damn, it sure looked familiar now, like one of the partners of those long-vanished Japanese kids.
The digimon raised its head up to Ben, struggled to open its mouth and whisper a name. "Takeru ... is that you?"
Takeru!? Holy Mother of God, that's ... Takeru's partner? Patamon!? But ... didn't he die after that battle in 'edhen? Impossible!
Ben shook his head. "No, my name is not Takeru. I am Tsion, but you can call me Ben. How about you? What is your name?"
"Patamon...."
Buck couldn't help but to smile - it was good to see a Chosen Child and a digimon reunited. And in Ben's case, the reunion had been long belated. "I'm glad you're together again. I'll get the bus started again, and we'll be in Cairo in no time."
"But how do we get to America? I cannot go in public!"
"Don't worry, Ben - I have a way."
He touched the D3 hidden in a coat pocket. If worse came to worse, he could become the Guardian and take all of them to the United States. All Buck could hope for was some way to carry two digimon and a human across the Atlantic easily.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - New Babylon
-------------------------------------------------
Parker sat in his quarters in the New Babylon headquarters of the Global Community, eyes set on a television in the dark room. Tentomon and Raven were in the master bedroom of the penthouse suite, their snores hovering over the evening news.
"No news so far of the mysterious apparition that was seen in the bombing of Chicago," a reporter for GCNN droned; "pilots for the Global Community claim seeing an angel clothed in white flying over the city beneath their jets. It is being written off as a hoax by Global Community Potentate Nicolae Carpathia.
"In other news, Tsion Ben-Judah, a rabbi from Israel made famous for his telecast on the Jewish Messiah only over a year ago, has apparently gone into hiding after the murder of his family. He is the prime suspect in the crime, and could go under trial and face the death sentence if proven guilty...."
Parker switched off the television and sighed. Chloe had told him earlier that evening that Buck was in Israel right now, trying to get Tsion out of the country. Whatever his plans were, Parker hoped that they would be successful - he couldn't imagine what would happen if another Chosen Child was captured.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - somewhere outside of Cairo
-------------------------------------------------
Red flashing lights appeared in one of the outside mirrors of the bus. They were patrol cars, painted with the insignia of the Egyptian border police. There were two cars, each with two officers inside. One of the officers had a bullhorn, which he poked outside of the passenger-side window.
"Halt! Pull over for inspection! We know you are carrying a fugitive from Israel! Stop or you will be shot!"
"Damn it, how did they find out?" Buck cursed, his foot pressing the gas pedal to the floor. "The bus was checked out as clean back at Israel!"
"I have no idea," Ben called from the back of the bus, "but I think we should get them off our tail."
"Sounds like a good plan," Elecmon agreed. "Come on and let me at them!"
Buck nodded and took out his D3. "All right, then, Elecmon - Digimental Up!"
"Elecmon, armor evolve! Mysterious Truth, Kyuubimon!"
The nine-tailed fox ran down the center aisle to the emergency door in the back, ramming it open with a well-aimed blow of his body. He flew out of the opening, tucked into a ball glowing with a sinister blue fire. "Fox Fire Dragon!"
The digimon was a raging ball of flame, rolling out towards the patrol cars in a blur of blue fire. A dragon seemed to emerge from the fire, extending pitless eyes and a mouth of hollow flames at the careening cars that backed away from the bus. The dragon blew through the cars, incinerating the men inside and igniting the gas tanks inside. Orange fireballs engulfed the patrol cars as the blue fire faded away, revealing Kyuubimon standing triumphantly a safe distance away from the inferno.
"Good job, Kyuubimon!" Buck yelled, pulling the bus off the road and cutting off the engine. He clambered out of the bus, Ben and a sleeping Patamon following behind as they made their way to Kyuubimon.
"There's more coming," the fox whispered, looking up at Buck. "We'd better leave - we won't make the airport."
"Right." Buck pressed a button on the D3, revealing the traced figure of the Spirit of Hope. Ignoring the urge to follow the hypnotic lines of the Spirit's image, he brought the D3 before his body and said the words that would activate it.
"Spirit ... Evolution!"
A blast of white light, the familiar burning-tingling sensation across his body, and a slight disorientation followed as Buck opened his eyes. He looked through the alien readout screen, saw Ben, Kyuubimon - now reverted to Elecmon - and Patamon down below, craning their necks to see his face. Buck fingered the Omega Blade in his hands as he looked down at his friends below - they had to be brought to safety, before the sirens he heard in the distance could draw closer.
"Come on - we have to go."
He took Ben - still holding Patamon - into his arms, and let Elecmon climb onto his shoulders. With a sudden burst of speed, Buck ran down the road, away from the bus and the smoldering patrol cars, wings fully extended to catch the wind. In less than a minute they were in the air, high above the authorities, headed over the Atlantic Ocean for the United States - and freedom.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Mount Prospect, Chicago, Illinois
Time - twenty-two months into the Digital Conundrum
-------------------------------------------------
The war was over now.
For Buck, that was somewhat hard to believe. Chicago was still a bombed-out shell, and the suburbs weren't spared the fate of the main city. Mount Prospect was still standing, thankfully, and Chloe was still at home safe. Parker's associates from Project Backstep were well, too, having now moved into a larger - and better-hid - sanctuary elsewhere in the suburbs.
Ben was safe, as well - he had moved into the old shelter at the church. He communicated with Chloe, Parker, and Buck via the D3, which he received once setting foot on American soil. The rabbi spent his time studying - "There has been more written about this Digital Conundrum in ancient days than you think," he had once told them - and taking care of his partner, Patamon.
The war had been over for three days now. The treaties for peace had been signed - though according to Parker, there had been none. At least Buck could drive out in his new Explorer without fear of an attack.
Something else was on his mind this afternoon, though.
He had talked to Ben this morning, over an omelet - a nice break from a diet of instant ramen. Ben had learned something about the events of the Digital Conundrum from his studies - and apparently there was something of importance that concerned him.
"So, what's this you want to talk to me about?" Buck had asked, forking some omelet into his mouth.
"It is the next judgment in the Digital Conundrum," the rabbi whispered. "As you know, one of your sacred texts - I believe the book of Revelation in your Bible - tells of the full course of the Digital Conundrum. This first series of judgments are borne forth from a seven-sealed scroll - when a seal is broken, a judgment befalls the earth and Digital World. We have witnessed four of these judgments - the hearkening of the Four Horsemen."
"Horsemen, as in the Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"
"Exactly. We have witnessed the conquering of the world, a global war, with death and famine directly in its tracks. There are three more seals yet to be broken."
"And what happens then?"
"The fifth seal brings forth the cries of the Chosen Children, wanting revenge against the darkness that plagues the world. Some legends say that only a selected few could hear their voices - one of them being the Faithful and True.
"The Faithful and True one will grow enraged, causing the breaking of the sixth seal. This will bring forth his wrath, an earthquake felt around the world. Many will perish in it. Those who survive will witness the breaking of the seventh seal - an hour of silence that calls forth the next seven judgments."
"Wait - there's more judgments after that?"
"Yes - twenty-one in all. The next seven are to be called forth by seven blasts on the Trumpet of Hope by the Guardian still housed in the Golden Land, and are said to be worse than the previous seven. The final judgments, though, are the worst - they will leave the earth and Digital World stripped of everything, making them wastelands in preparation for the final battle and the coming of the Faithful and True."
Buck had left Ben's shelter in stunned silence - but not from the message his comrade had given him. Voices started to echo in his head, one at a time at first. Around noon the voices escalated to conversational tones, enough for him to turn around suspiciously as he ate lunch at a bistro.
A few hours later Buck emerged from a computer shop, four laptop computers in his arms, still in their packaging. He placed them in the trunk and went behind the wheel. He had brought Elecmon with him - the digimon was strapped in the back seat.
Revenge....
Faithful and True one, bring us revenge on the darkness....
Kill them for what they have done....
Destroy the persecutors of the Chosen....
Revenge, Faithful and True one, revenge....
Revenge....
The voices grew to a shriek as he made his way back to Mount Prospect, making Buck run a few red lights and garner him a few angry responses from drivers. The voices would drive him mad, Buck knew, and the best thing was to go back home, back to Chloe, back to Mount Prospect....
He stopped at the next light, looked up at the street sign to check his position. The lights were swaying gently, as though in a breeze.
"Strange ... it's not supposed to be windy today," Buck mused, watching the light turn green. He stepped on the gas and casually drove to Mount Prospect.
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Global Community Headquarters, New Babylon
-------------------------------------------------
Frank Parker heard the strange voices in his head that evening, as well. They had distracted him too often that day that Mac had to fly him over to Nicolae's penthouse office in the main complex.
Donovan greeted Parker when he set foot in the office. "Have you heard about Nicolae's fiancée?"
Parker nodded - it was common knowledge amongst those close to Nicolae that Hattie, a former airline flight attendant, was engaged to the potentate. "Sure, I've heard about her. Who hasn't?"
"Well, I got some tapes from somebody in security - they monitored his room three nights ago. You won't believe what I found."
"What?"
"Well, if you hear from your boss today that his consort it pregnant, pretend to be pleased by the good news."
Parker gasped - a human was impregnated by a digimon? Even after hearing the legends of the Faithful and True one, the prospect of such a thing happening took him aback. "I'll try, Donovan."
Donovan strolled out, soon replaced by a chipper man in a blue suit and a power tie. "Ah, it is nice to see you again, Mr. Parker."
"Same here, Potentate."
"You know why I called you here?" Parker shook his head. "Good. Well, it just turns out that my fiance, Miss Durham, is pregnant. I just thought it appropriate to spread the good news."
Parker managed to gulp, drowning out the voices in his head temporarily. "Well, congratulations, Potentate. Congratulations."
A rumble shook the floor, sending the two men to their knees.
"What was that?" Nicolae bellowed, rising to his feet. The lights above flickered and died, leaving them in darkness.
The Faithful and True one has brought his wrath on the earth....
"Oh shit," Parker breathed, fumbling for his cell phone in his dress uniform's pockets. He brought it out and speed-dialed the number on Mac's phone. "Mac, start the engines! I'm coming up there!"
"What is it, Mr. Parker?" Nicolae cursed, stumbling over to Parker's side. The ground rumbled again, reeling the two of them over to the emergency stairs.
"It's a goddamn earthquake!" Parker yelled. "We're going to the roof - Mac has a helicopter for us!"
-------------------------------------------------
Location - Mount Prospect, Chicago
-------------------------------------------------
Buck felt the rumble, too, at almost the same time. Though it was late afternoon in Chicago, the light suddenly faded into darkness, illuminated only by the headlights of cars. Ignoring the traffic signal, Buck sped through the intersection, trying to find his way to Mount Prospect before the earthquake took its full toll.
"Buck, stop driving so fast!" Elecmon complained, throwing on a seatbelt. "You can't even see a foot ahead!"
"I don't give a damn!" Buck cursed, hunched over the steering wheel. Elecmon was correct - even with the headlights on high, he still couldn't see very far. "Besides, I don't think we're going to fall into a-"
The front wheels lurched over a crevice newly formed in the street, and the momentum of the car brought it tumbling down to the dirt-covered bottom ten feet below. A car that had driven alongside Buck fell nose-first into the hole, exploding into a frenzy of flame just feet away.
"Oh shit," Buck cursed, looking up at the darkening sky above. "Damn, I pray Ben and Chloe and Frank survive this...."
{ 'Til the End of the World, credits, and ending animation plays.... }
NEXT TIME ON DIGITAL CONUNDRUM....
The sixth and seventh judgments of the Scroll of Perdition are released, bringing the greatest earthquake to hit the earth in history! Though the Chosen Children survive, it comes at a great price - for one of them is captured in the confusion! In the aftermath, new mysteries are revealed: was there more to Raven than it seemed? Does the human/digimon child in Hattie's womb pose a threat to the Chosen? What is the strange mark that appears on the Chosen Children? And what happened to Donovan? All this and more are revealed in Backstep 17: Secrets of the Crest of Spirit!