Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaawwwww! I just love this fic now…oh, you guys are so nice, the reviews are great too! The story starts to pick up a bit now, and I guess from here on out just about everything is taking place in the Digital World.

Predestined

Chapter Six: Shields Up!

The first thing that Kinaka noticed when she woke up was that her little brother was not with her.

Damn! Did Julian get lost on the way there? she thought, panicking. But then she looked at the TV screen she had just come through and smiled. There was Julian's little face pressed against the screen. That little brat!

"How are you guys?" Matt asked, surveying the group.

"We're fine, Dad. How come Julian's still there?"

Kari looked around. "Tania's still here too," she said. "We don't know why. But, I guess I'm kind of relieved," she confessed.

"All right then. Keep comm2.exe open at all times, OK? See ya," said Holly. She turned off the TV. "Damn…I forgot to ask. Who has Lauren's laptop?"

"I do," Mike offered.

"Then let's set up the tent, and…" Suddenly, Holly's eyes fell on a blonde-haired, grey-eyed boy who looked no more than seven or eight. "Who are you?"

The boy stepped forward. "I'm Lucas, and I used to live here," he said. "Are you all friends with my cousin Deanna?"

Jenna jumped. "Lucas?! Oh my God! The last time we saw you, you were just a little kid!"

"Well, golly gee whiz, she remembers," he said coldly.

"You don't have to be rude, kid!" she said. "I'm just sayin', you're not so little anymore. So, how's your parents doing?"

His eyes clouded over. "Dad died when I was five. Mom's all right, though. She's probably not going to be too thrilled that I came back."

"Why did you come back, anyway?" Kiko asked.

"Because Earth is a horrible place, and I don't like it there!"

Everyone almost started laughing at his outburst, but when they saw his expression, they calmed down. For them, being from Earth and all, it was in fact the best place to live. How could this kid say that? But then again, Lucas had spent his formative years in a comfortable little house, in an unpolluted planet. His homesickness was understandable.

"So…are we gonna set that tent up, or what?" Holly said brightly. "Lucas, since I'm guessing you're with us, you can help set it up. OK?"

"OK. Just one question, though—when do we get to see our Digimon?"

"What do you mean, you can't fly out to come here?!"

"Exactly what I just said, Mom." Cleo sounded tired and apologetic. "I'm really sorry. My exams are soon, and as much as I'd love to go back into battle with a bunch of hellish beasts from another dimension, I'd also like to pass my first semester at college so I can get a job that pays good money."

Yolei shook her head. "Oh, dammit. Cleo, if things go really bad there for your sister and her friends, promise me you'll come out and help too. Something's kidnapped five of the kids already and then there's you and Deanna…"

"Only if it's absolutely necessary, life-or-death, fate-of-the-world-depends-on-it."

"It often is, in the Digital World. We'll call Deanna and let her know, all right? Have a good night, darling, and sleep well."

Cleo snorted. "I wasn't asleep. I was studying for my chemistry exam."

Rachael and Deanna's parents had been utterly dumfounded by their youngest child's news that they completely missed Rachael finding a Port on her computer fifteen minutes later.

Rachael called Deanna into her room. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked quietly.

Deanna's eyes bulged. "It is," she whispered. "Are you planning to go through, Rachie?"

"I think I should. Don't you?"

"Shut the door," Deanna said in reply. When Rachael had done so, Deanna put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Listen to me, Rachie. You know what it's like there. Do you think you ought to go? What am I gonna tell mom and dad?"

Rachael squirmed away and dumped out the contents of her backpack onto her bed. "Tell them to tell my teachers I'm sick. I'm so going."

After Rachael had packed and was on her way, Deanna went to see her parents. "Mom? Dad?" she said tentatively. "Rachael went back to the Digital World. Maybe you ought to call Aunt Cat in Versailles or something."

It was raining hard when Rachael arrived near the tent the others had set up. Curious, she opened the flap to find seven unfamiliar people and one familiar person inside.

"Lucas!" she said, surprised. "Hey, whassup, cuz?"

Everyone stared at her. "Geez, first Dee and now her sister," Kinaka grumbled. "I am so glad my brother's not here."

The next morning, they were woken by the sound of a familiar giggle. Tina put on her glasses and peered out of the flap. "GUYS! IT'S THEM! THEY'RE HERE!" she cried, pulling Rubymon inside the tent with her.

"Argh! Tina, lemme go!" her little dragon Digimon squealed. "I just ate! Do you want me barfing all over you?"

Jenna tripped over Tina and Rubymon trying to get out of the tent, and almost squashed Pikkimon. "Hey!" she cried out, before she realized that the mass of yellow and black striped fur beneath her was her partner.

"Give me at least a warning if you're gonna do that again!"

Before long, everyone was chatting with his or her Digimon partner. But it took a while for them to realize that there were seven of them missing, and two unfamiliar Digimon hanging back.

"Who are you guys?" Leon asked them. "Do you belong to these two?" And he pointed out Lucas and Rachael, who were standing by.

One of them, a purple and black wolfhound with bright green eyes and a unicorn horn, went up to Rachael. "My name is Tsumiramon," she said shyly. "Are you Rachael?"

"Yeah. But just call me Rachie, OK?"

The other, a long red ferret with cream colored markings and wearing gold anklets, flowed over the ground and wrapped itself around Lucas's neck. "And I am Aibomon," he said.

Lucas tentatively stroked his shiny fur. "You're really beautiful," he said.

"Thanks, but I'm a guy."

Kiko looked around, scanning the Server grasslands for signs of Starymon, Mousiemon, Thimon, Mikomon, Minomon, Usaiamon and Donamon. "Where are the others?" he asked. "Weren't they with you?"

"That's just the problem," Empramon hooted. He flew up to Kiko's shoulder and flapped his wings. "Mousiemon and Thimon are at Gennai's place. He said since their partners couldn't come, he'd keep them there until they arrived. And as for the other five…"

"Go on," Mike prompted him.

Tyumon looked distressed. "They were kidnapped. By a bunch of Digimon we don't know, and some creepy lady. I'm glad you guys are here, because we really need help!"

"A human woman?" Jenna asked incredulously. "I didn't know other humans could come here!"

"We don't know much about her," Pikkimon admitted. "We've only seen her twice—once when she tried to reason with Gennai for a treaty over his land on Kai and Torii, and once when she started destroying the forest near Gennai's place. She's really creepy. She's dressed in this leather outfit and a black mask, and her eyes are freaky—one orange, one yellow. She carries around a whip and a throwing knife."

Jenna snorted. "She sounds like she comes from Planet Dominatrix."

"Yeah, but do you remember what Tania said last night?" Leon asked. "About her eyes? Jenna, we've got to find out more about her if she's who we're up against!"

"Ah, screw that," she said. "Pikkimon's not gonna let anyone hurt me. Right?"

"Right!"

Leon sighed. "All right, but I'm not letting you go out of my sight. I think your dad was serious about what he said."

The first disturbance came at around lunchtime that day. Jenna and Leon were cooking lunch (Rice-A-Roni and fish from a nearby stream), Holly and Tina were playing cards, Kinaka was reading, and Kiko, Mike, Rachael and Lucas were doing macabre aerobics in the field. Their Digimon were sunning themselves nearby, but keeping a watchful eye on their companions.

All at once, the sky went completely black with rain clouds. "Dammit!" Jenna cried. "We're gonna get rained on! Is the food cooked yet?"

Before Leon could answer, dark shapes in the sky began to swarm in from the north. As they drew closer, Pikkimon darted up.

"It's the Fiannamon! The Fiannamon are coming!" she cried. "We have to get out of here! Trust me on this. When troops of Fiannamon come by, you don't want to get in their way!"

"Why?" Leon asked.

Fangmon shuddered. "They are seriously mean sons of bitches. They're bred for hundreds of years by dark Digimon, or by good Digimon, it doesn't matter because whoever gets a bunch of these guys together are supreme in battle."

"Are they anything like those Flymon we encountered before?" Kinaka asked.

"Worse!" Auroramon cried. "One Fiannamon alone can level a major city in five seconds flat! One hundred could end all civilization on the planet!"

Holly looked astounded. "Damn," she said. "Then I guess we'd better get into battle mode. Do you guys remember how to digivolve?"

Syramon snorted. "It's like riding a bicycle. You never forget."

"Well, get on that bike and start pedalling! They're COMING!" Holly shrieked.

All at once, everyone (except for Tsumiramon and Aibomon) digivolved to their Ultimate forms. Those who had their DNA partners with them DNA digivolved. Before long, the four Ultimate-level Digimon were all suited up and ready to go. Rachael and Lucas stared at them.

"They can do that?" Rachael asked incredulously.

"What, you thought they were any good in their Rookie form?" Kinaka queried. "C'mon, let's go!"

There had been no need for them to digivolve, however. Six large Fiannamon (wearing gold and green kilts, silver masks and black breastplates) landed in front of them and folded up their gigantic steel wings.

"We are emissaries from an alliance of entities, known as the Gatemasters," one said formally in his heavy Irish accent. All the kids could do was stare.

"Uh, come again?" Leon asked, scratching his head. "I don't think I understood a word you said."

Jenna elbowed him. "It means that their bosses are not human and that they're friendly!"

"Oh. Hey, I knew that."

"Right."

The Fiannamon glanced at them, but kept talking. "Our masters have sent us to ask for your help, Digidestined. In return, we will help you get your friends back."

Leon looked dubious. "What do we have to do? Specifically, I mean."

"You have to be willing to fight man-on-'mon battles with us on Starlight Plains. It's on the continent of Kai, and…"

"Battles?! In the plural sense?" Holly yelped.

"OK, Gwen. Calm down, s'il vous plaît. What's wrong?" Catherine asked.

Gwen Ruble's panicked voice shouted over the phone, "MY DAUGHTER IS GONE BACK TO THE DIGITAL WORLD, AND I THINK HE TOOK YOUR SON WITH HIM!"

Catherine's eyes went wide. "How did you know Lucas is a Digidestined as well?" she asked.

"I don't know. But everyone in our family is a Digidestined too, so I just assumed…"

Catherine sighed."Why oh why does our family have to be so damn complicated?"

"Do you think they'll be all right?"

She slumped against the wall. "I hope so, Gwen. I really hope so."