[Another chapter up. Please be sure to look for the pic of =Metaldracomon= now available.]
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As all this went on, Matt found himself in an unlikely situation. He stood in the living room of a small apartment. The wallpaper was faded and peeling, the light bulbs were all broken in their sockets, the carpeted floor was dingy and gray, with large white patches that showed there had been furniture over it for years. Everything seemed to be in dull, dark shades of blue and gray. Outside the window, Matt could see nothing but a dull, gray city with heavy cloud-cover. An occasional pillar of sunlight would break through the clouds at an angle, sweeping over whatever lay in its path for a few seconds before being concealed again by the ominous clouds. Matt could see that a fine layer of dust sat over everything in the virtually empty apartment. Cobwebs decorated the nooks and crannies of the room, and all was perfectly still.
"H-hello?" asked Matt, who was very unnerved by this place.
Matt gingerly took a step forward. This apartment was so familiar, and yet he couldn't remember having ever been here. As he took his first step, he could hear a strange echo-like whisper in the back of his mind. It was completely incomprehensible, but it was clearly quite real. This made Matt even more wary. He started to shake just a bit, his eyes darting back and forth nervously. His mouth was dry, and the air grew colder and increasingly stale. Even though all was silent, it seemed as though an unbearably loud noise was bearing down on him. The sound of Matt's heart beating was like a thunderous drum in his head.
"Who's there?" asked Matt, feigning confidence.
Again, Matt heard the whispering noise. It was like the rustling of leaves on an autumn day. It was slightly louder and clearer than it had been before. Matt turned to his left, where a narrow alcove led to the two bedrooms. He stepped into the first bedroom on his right. The room was as empty and dull as the rest of the house with a small window on the opposite wall. For a minute, Matt thought he saw something; like an afterimage or a shadow. In the brief instant that he had seen it, it appeared to be… furniture. Matt had seen the room as if an image of it fully-furnished had been superimposed over his vision for a moment. At that point, the hairs on Matt's neck stood on end. He heard the whisper again, but this time he could almost make it out. It sounded like someone sobbing. Matt's sense of familiarity with this place was growing, and he didn't like that one bit.
Matt began to feel very nauseous, and quickly fled from the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Matt found himself leaning back against the door with beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. As he headed back to the living room, a sight appeared before him that he could not have expected. The drab, gray living room remained, yet a translucent image seemed to overlay it. An old, brown couch sat in the center of the room next to a coffee table and an overstuffed chair. The couch sat opposite a TV. Several plants hung from the ceiling and stood in the corners, and they were translucent just like the furniture. There were also a few stools in the kitchen area and the occasional painting on the wall. An ashtray sat on the kitchen counter with a fresh cigarette butt in it. Matt could smell the smoke, something that always made him a little lightheaded. Matt heard the distinctive sound of a lighter being flicked on, followed by a satisfied sigh.
"Dammit," said a voice Matt quickly recognized as his mother's. "I thought you were going to lay off those things."
Slowly, the translucent figures of Matt's parents appeared in front of him. His mom was in the kitchen while his dad stood in the living room, smoking a fresh cigarette."
"I had a tough day, Nancy," said Matt's dad.
"You know it's not healthy," said Matt's mom. "Besides, I don't want our boys to be exposed to that disgusting habit."
"It's not disgusting," snapped Matt's dad. "Besides, the boys are in bed already."
"Oh, well out of sight out of mind I guess," said Nancy sarcastically. "You're a real piece of work."
"Hey, I don't have to take this!" said Matt's dad, raising his voice. "I work hard all day long and THIS is the-"
"Can't you come up with a new routine?!" asked Matt's mother. "What do you think I'm doing all day; watching TV?! I work just as hard as you do!"
"Oh yeah, sounds like it," said Matt's father. "I can't decide which sounds more brutal: the shopping or the cooking. Judging by dinner tonight, I doubt you put much effort into the latter."
"Oh now you've really crossed the line!" said Nancy, enraged. "I slaved all day long just trying to keep us afloat and you complain because dinner's a little bland! That's so-!"
"Well if it weren't for me, there'd be no money to stay afloat with!"
"In case you didn't notice, I was on my way to becoming a real journalist until YOU came along! I stayed home to watch the kids because SOMEONE had to!"
"You're the one that wanted them so bad in the first place! I just wanted a dog! If I'd had my way we could both keep our jobs!"
"Are you saying you never wanted Matt and TK?! You don't love them?!"
"Of course I love them! It's just that I think we should have waited a little while longer!"
Matt felt sick to his stomach. It was all clear to him now. This was the apartment he had lived in before his parents had split up, and this was the night that had changed everything for him. Matt turned away, his eyes burning at the brink of tears. In front of him he saw the younger version of himself, clad in a baggy pair of pajamas and unnoticed by his parents.
"No, look away," said Matt to his young duplicate. "Turn around! Shut your eyes! Cover your ears!"
Of course, the younger Matt wasn't even aware of his older self. He just kept on watching his parents argue.
"Nancy I'm sick and tired of this!" shouted Matt's father, raising a finger to his wife. "I've sacrificed myself for this family. I've worked my hands to the bone for us, and I deserve just a little bit of respect for it!"
"What about me?!" demanded Matt's mom. "You NEVER show me any respect! I deserve it just as much as you, but I do I get it?! No!"
"I've shown you nothing but respect since the day I met you!" yelled Matt's father. "From the second I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I respect you!"
"It would help if you showed it!" screamed Nancy, raising a finger up to her husband. "And while we're hovering around the subject, I'd also like to hear just once in a while that you ACTUALLY appreciate me!"
"Don't you dare point your finger at me!" shouted Mat's dad, grabbing Mrs. Ishida by the wrist.
Mrs. Ishida responded instantly by striking her husband across the face hard. He released her, holding his own face, which had been cut by Nancy's wedding ring. Without thinking, Mr. Ishida reciprocated, decking his wife with a heavy-handed blow. She fell to the kitchen floor, momentarily stunned. The younger version of Matt gasped, eyes wide. A moment later though, he scampered back to his room as Matt just looked on in horror. A second later, Mr. Ishida realized what he had done. His face softened and he knelt down over his wife, offering his hand to her. She shoved his hand away, standing up on her own very shakily.
"Nancy, I-"
Matt's mother stormed past her husband, barely able to hold back the flood of tears. She went to her room and slammed the door behind her. Matt's father just stood looking at the door, trembling as the sounds of his wife sobbing began to waft over to him. Matt's father, moving very slowly and unsteadily, grabbed his car keys, put out his cigarette, and left. Matt was left alone in that gloomy room, watching the shadowy memories disappear, leaving the room bare and gray once again.
Matt had spent years trying to forget that night. Now he was thrust back into it with enough force to tear down each and every mental wall he had set up. This had been the night that his life changed forever. His mother and father had been in screaming matches for months leading up to that night. Matt didn't see his father again until nearly three weeks had gone by. When he did turn up again, he was met at the door with divorce papers. Matt was never the same after that incident.
Matt suddenly found his vision beginning to blur. He wasn't even aware that he had been crying. The pain he felt deep within himself was simply overwhelming. He slumped against the wall, staring off into space. The sadness was so deep, so penetrating that it felt as though his heart would explode. He made a vow to himself, just like he had done that night so long ago, that he would NEVER allow someone else to hurt him like that again. It was simply too painful to deal with. He would never get close to anyone ever again, because they would just end up leaving him too. He wouldn't risk that ever again. He would never run the risk of feeling that pain ever again. It was then that he saw a glowing blue shape lying on the floor a few feet away. He reached over and picked it up, realizing it to be the Crest of Friendship. As he looked at it though, the crest began to change in both shape and color. It was soon glowing forest green, and it was now in the form of a small circle with a larger circle lying around the outside, like a barrier. Matt could sense an incredibly powerful wave of loneliness wash over him.
"What… what is this?" asked Matt.
"What else could it be?" asked a dark, powerful voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "It is the Crest of Solitude."
Back in the darkened command center of the underground base, the shadowy figure looked over the work of his soldiers.
"Well?" asked the figure. "Is he…?"
"Analyzing," said a Hagurumon at one of the side consoles. "Individual strength registers at 155. That score is impressive alone, but the crest amplification ratio is a whopping 6:1. Still, it falls well below what the Vanguard asked us for."
"Damn," said the figure. "I don't see why they even need this data. They should know that I won't fail again."
"What should be done?" asked Hagurumon.
"Put him with the others," said the figure. "We have the crest. I believe that I can make use of such a powerful device."
"Should we load in the next subject?' asked Hagurumon.
"Of course," said the figure, turning to leave. "Keep me apprised of the status. I'll be down at the holding cells."
"Yes sir!" said all the workers in the command center.
The figure stepped through the door and began heading down the dark hallways.
"This is insulting," whispered the figure to himself. "Why do they still keep secrets from me? Why do they want the data from these children? The crests are so much more powerful, and yet I can have them while they want the data on a single child! It doesn't make sense! How do they expect me to find this chosen one anyway?! No human can sustain that level of power! They have me on a wild goose chase here!"
The figure continued walking until he came to a thick, steel door. After punching in a sequence of numbers on a nearby keypad, the door unlocked, revealing a dank hallway. On both sides was a seemingly endless line of thick doors with narrow window slats. The figure proceeded confidently for five doors or so. Turning to the door on his right, he looked in through the window.
"Hello, old friend," said the figure.
A stirring could be heard from within the cell.
"That's right, come to daddy," said the figure.
There was a low growl from within, followed by more sounds of a creature shifting its weight around.
"Is this any way to treat me?" asked the figure. "Now come show me your face."
The figure could see nothing within the cell, but he knew that the creature had come up to the window; he could feel its sour breath on his face.
"Good boy," said the figure. "How are you enjoying your accommodations?"
There was another low growl, inches from the figure's face.
"Glad to hear it," said the figure with a vindictive smile.
Suddenly the creature began to bang against the door VERY hard, forcing the figure to take a step back. Eyes peered through the narrow windows of the other cells to see what was going on.
"I see you're a bit feisty today," said the figure. "I'm glad you still have that fighting spirit."
The creature continued to thrash around in its small cell, clawing at the walls, seeking an escape.
"Just relax, my friend," said the figure. "I know you're anxious but the end is still a few days away. You'll finally get to see my ultimate victory."
The creature slammed its face against the tiny window, trying to bite at the figure, but unable to get much of its face through the small opening.
"Tsk, tsk," scolded the figure playfully.
"Hungry…" said the beleaguered creature. "FEED NOW!"
"You know I can't risk that."
"NEED DATA!" said the creature, growing increasingly agitated.
"Sounds like you need to calm down…" said the figure, retrieving the Crest of Corruption from around his neck.
The crest began to glow with its demonic light and the creature inside the cell immediately recoiled in fear, retreating to the far corner of the room. The glow of the crest intensified and the creature's tortured screams could be heard throughout the base. The cries of sheer agony were ignored by all but the figure, which looked on with sadistic pleasure.
"Satisfied?" asked the figure, returning his crest to his neck a few minutes later.
The figure headed back towards the command center as the wretched creature lay in the corner of its tiny room, its hands clasped over its face.
"Destroy…" muttered the creature.