Ep.1: First Contact
Undisclosed Location - Not of Our World
"Things are only getting worse...and our options fewer and fewer..." An aged, calm voice begins.
"We know that, lad! Forget the problem! What we need is a solution!" A pair of slightly accented voice shot back.
"Settle, old timer...let him think..." Another replied.
"It is obvious," The first said, "that these are desperate times, and desperate times call for desperate measures."
"You mean...I mean, I THINK you mean...What DO you mean?" Another voice asked, signs of age apparent in his own behavior.
"He means we're to put our faith in a myth." A last, slightly embittered voice said, accenting his opinion with a snort of disgust.
"It may be seen as myth now, but the Digital Soldiers, the Living Hope, were real...and they can be again..."
"How? You sound as though you have got the wheels turning already." The untrusting one said scornfully.
"I have...I have sought out and summoned those most likely to be part of the Soldiers' Second Coming...five have appeared." He sounded quite pleased with himself.
"But boss, weren't there NINE Soldiers?" The most youthful of them asked.
"True...perhaps in time, the legend will return in full..."
"This is ludicrous!" The agitated one shouted. "To put the fate of our existence in the hands of an incomplete troupe...a motley crue of strangers!"
"You always disliked their kind, admit it." The other elderly one remarked. "You've never trusted what little examples of humankind you have seen."
"Enough! We need outside help if we are to continue our way of life. The matter is sealed. We must move forward."
A snort. "Fine then. I'll go along, but I wholeheartedly disapprove."
"Good...the potential five are near, awaiting news from me...the five whose destinies are fused with the new soldiers...one of which, much to my surprise, is X."
"X? You mean...the rebirth of..."
"Yes...you shall see...let us go our separate ways and look out for our world, while we await the Soldier's arrival. Adjourned."
Springfield, Missouri - United States
"Rach! Wait up!" A voice strained to be heard over the thunder of voices and the wash of rain as class let out at the local High School.
"Tawny! I thought you were being held prisoner by Mr. Davies!" Came the reply, as a brown-haired girl carrying an open umbrella paused in the flow of students. Rachael couldn't help but laugh as her friend shoved her way through, clutching her raincoat to herself.
"He had an emergency. Bad for him, good for me. Unfortunately that just means I serve my time tomorrow." Tawny made a face.
"Great...Got time to come to the mall with me? I need to look into something for my Mom." She rolled her eyes.
Tawny shook her head. "She's got you doing her neurotic-style shopping for her?"
"Oh yeah...with her ankle sprained AGAIN, she wants to do as little driving as possible."
They both sighed, then Tawny groaned. "Wal-Mart, here we come."
"Relax, when we're done, we'll grab a bite at the new fast food place near the mall. My treat."
"Promise?" Tawny asked.
"Promise. Least I can do for dragging you along."
"What're we here to find, anyway?" Tawny asked as they walked up and down aisles near the pharmacy.
Rachael sighed. "Some painkiller for Mom's ankle...I'll remember the name when I see it...and some Tensor Bandages...they're this stretchy fabric you pin in place around a joint when you sprain it...they kinda look like mummy bandages."
"Night of the Living Dead Mother!" Tawny said in a creepy voice, then shuffled forwards with her arms out, moaning. "Braaains....Braaaaaiiiins!"
Rachael stifled a laugh. "That's zombies!" She replied, lightly swatting her friend on the shoulder. She went back to scanning the shelves, and paused. "Found it! This is what Mom wanted...and it's less than the other places around here, so I gotta get it for her. Geez, I can't even PRONOUNCE this!"
"Cool...and are these Tensor Bandages?" Tawny asked, holding up a roll of cream-coloured fabric in a plastic shell.
"Yep. Let's buy 'em and beat it." Rachael said, taking the roll.
Tawny paused. "You gonna have enough for some fries, at least?"
"Relax...I was given some cash in case I found it. I'll have my own. C'mon though, I still have to rush home after." The two quickly made their way to the cashiers. Luckily, they had to spend little time in line, staring at the displays and tabloids.
They were rung through quickly as well...while Rachael fished for the money, neither she, Tawny, nor the clerk saw a figure in a raincoat reach over and drop something in the bag. Rachael paid, grabbed the bag, and headed out, lamenting at the stormy weather.
They had only crossed the parking lot when Rachael stopped, lifting the bag up and down. "This thing feels heavier than it should..."
"Really? Lemme see..." Tawny took the bag and opened it. "Did you buy these things?" She said, taking out two objects. They were shaped like cellular phones, but shorter and wider...rounded on all sides, with a screen and a few unlabeled buttons. One device was Yellow, the other Red.
"No...they look like small phones...or big pagers..." Rachael took the yellow one and looked it over. "We better take 'em back before they think we stole them.
"Yeah..."
They turned back to the store when the devices went off, beeping loudly.
"Think they set off an alarm?" Rachael asked, looking at it... "Hey! What IS this?" Tawny looked confused. "What?"
"The display's got my name on it!" She held it out, showing "RACHAEL RUZICKA" On it in clear letters. Tawny spared a look at her own.
"You're right...TAWNY GOSS..."
Thunder struck, almost as though cued.
"How'd it get our names? Some kinda conspiracy thing?" Tawny wondered.
"Who cares? Let's get rid of 'em!" Rachael said, still staring at the one in her hand. "Huh?" She blinked a few times. "It's saying something...Are You Ready?"
"Ready? Ready for what?" Tawny said. A digital clock suddenly appeared on both devices, reading 4:14:54.
"Why would I know?" Rachael said, watching the clock press forward, until, at 4:15:00, it beeped loudly.
A boom of thunder assaulted them as a lightning bolt hit a phone pole nearby, severing one of the cables, which began falling, headed for Rachael.
"Rach! Lookout!"
Rachael seemed to turn in slow motion...just as the cable hit her, there was a flash of electricity...and she was gone.
"What the..." Before Tawny could even fathom what could have happened, the wire hit the ground, igniting the grass around it...the flames spread as though they had a purpose or plan, and formed a circle around her.
Before she could react, the fires flared taller than her, converged upon her...then seconds later, extinguished...the only signs the two had been there was Rachael's umbrella, Tawny's raincoat, and the bag, lying on the muddy earth as though discarded...
Near Worcester, Massachusets - United States
In a home just outside the town, a young man dressed primarily in black pushed the front door open with his foot.
"I'm home!" He cried, juggling his backpack in one arm and a package in the other. It was rare anyone else got in before him, but he still instinctively blurted it out every day. He dragged everything to the kitchen and dumped it there, then rummaged in his backpack, producing a sketchbook and art pencils, and sat down to draw, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl nearby. He muttered to himself as he drew for a few minutes, before pausing to realize one thing; he had not looked for whom the package he'd found on the doorstep was addressed to.
"Not much chance of a mismail out here...and no one's ordered anything online..." He mused as he turned it over and over, looking for stamps. He found none...but one side had something on it in bold letters..."ANDREW CHEN".
It was addressed to him...and there was no mailing address, return address, stamps or postage marks.
"Freaky." He began wondering of this was some letter bomb, or a prank...and he doubted he had a secret admirer.
"One way to know..." He ripped the simple brown paper off and opened the cardboard box. Packing pellets, and tons of them. He dove his hands in and felt around, then cleared the table and dumped everything out, spreading the pellets around. The only things inside were a small, black plastic device, like a child's toy, and an envelope with his name in the same bold letters.
"This makes less sense than things usually do around here." He muttered, getting a knife and cutting the envelope open.
The note inside was short and blunt.
BASEMENT. 5:15 PM.
Andrew looked at the clock. "10 minutes from now...s'nowhere NEAR my birthday, so no surprise party..." He latched the device to his belt. "Forget it. Probably a prank. Now where's my pop?" He dug in the refrigerator.
"Here we go...now, I gotta get to work or I'll never-" He turned around to find his sketchbook and bag gone. "...finish?" He scanned the room, finding no signs someone else had even been in. "This is no time for games, honestly..." He checked his living room and the dining room, but came to a stop in the hall.
The door leading into the basement was slightly open...and the Chens left it closed and locked almost all the time.
He sighed. "Fine, I'll play...but this rates a 9.0 on the weirdometer..." He hit the switch and descended the wooden stairs, looking around.
His basement looked no different...boxes of stuff like old christmas decorations, old books and games they never played yet never threw out, an old workbench, dusty - they had few tools around the house - shelves of junk he didn't even bother to identify, an old, but working grandfather clock that had been there when they moved in...and, lying on the floor just in front of it, his bag, neatly zipped up.
"That 9 just became a 9.5..." He stopped and shook his head as if to clear the thoughts from it. "Enough Twilight Zone, I got homework." He picked up the bag and turned to the stairs.
Chimes rang.
"Huh?" He turned back to the clock...it read 5:15...but...that clock had never chimed since they discovered it. Suddenly, with a crackle of electricity, the light in the basement shorted, plunging Andrew into pitch blackness.
"Okay, I'm scared! You win! C'mon out now, jokes over!" He began to breathe heavily, as the only response he got was the old clock still chiming. At least, for a time...soon a low rumble began to echo in his ears, and the floor under his feet began to vibrate, then shake.
"To hell with this, I'm gettin' outta here!" He made a mad dash for where he thought the stairs were, but after only a few steps, he heard the sound of cement splitting, and suddenly, there was nothing under his foot when he took his next step...he tumbled forward and screamed, clutching his bag to himself as he felt nothing but rushing air around him as he fell, seemingly forever...
Marion, Iowa, - United States
A young woman stood in the midst of a clearance, snow ankle-deep around her, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt on better. The snow had come suddenly, and the garment adorned with the name of her University barely kept her warm.
"This is the place..." She said, rubbing her arms with her hands, shivering slightly. "Gotta make this quick or I'll catch frostbite."
She looked around...the local park's trees obscured any view beyond, leaving only the green border, the white snow, and the midafternoon sky.
"I'm here!" She called out - the message made her presume someone would be there...she just hoped this wasn't a setup for some kind of attack. "What do you want?" She looked at her watch...it was almost quarter after 4...she'd found the note in her bag, VALERIE POWELL scrawled on it, and rushed to the nearby park after class let out to investigate.
She heard the sound of compacting snow behind her, and whirled around to face a cloaked and hooded figure, all features obscured. It was short...maybe four foot six at best, and...deformed...at least, the way the cloak hung about it didn't denote a healthy human being.
"What do you want?" She asked, stepping back and fishing in her bag. "This stuff stings like you wouldn't believe!" She pulled out a canister. "Oh damn, this is the computer cleaner..."
The figure merely lifted an arm, the sleeve of the cloak dangling over it's end, and the wind began to pick up...snow fell harder from the sky above, and that which was already settled was whipped upward like a sandstorm. Valerie shielded her face with her arms, dropping the small can.
"What IS this? What're you doing!" She suddenly realized her feet felt very cold...looking down, a thin sheet of frost had developed...but when she tried to pull her feet free, it was apparent it was very solid, and spreading up her legs. "Hey! Knock it off!"
She became desperate. "Look, I don't have any money or anything valuable on me, so you may as well leave me alone..." A tingling around her stomach alerted her that the frost's spread was picking up speed. She struggled and strained for an idea, but before she could create any new plans, her arms were locked in place. She began to scream for help, but after only a single cry the icy sheath overtook her head, silencing her. She was as though a crystalline sculpture of herself.
The figure snapped its fingers, and the snowstorm died...then, a second later, the icy figure of Valerie shattered, the frosty fragments evaporating quickly...no sign of the girl trapped within could be seen. It lowered it's arm as another flurry of snow swirled around it, and it too was gone.
Seconds later, someone would run into the clearing, and find the dropped canister, but more importantly, two pairs of footprints that led in, but did not lead out...
Calgary, Alberta - Canada
"Yesss! Finally did it!"
B.J. reveled in the rush of air around him as he shot around the skatepark. It was downtown, and schools had just let out...B.J. was a graduate, didn't attend college, and had no work today...so for a time, the entire skatepark was his...but, it seemed, good things don't last. It was just after 3, and soon people would show...and he would leave.
He wasn't very good...so the day was perfect for practice, the park deserted...in fact, only weeks ago he couldn't even manage to STOP on rollerblades...now he shot around the park without fear. He rarely tried any tricks yet, but one he'd been particularly working on had just been executed, flawlessly, despite the weight of the bag slung over his shoulder, the strap across his front like an ammo belt. He didn't know any stunt names, he just skated for fun...
He heard someone clearing their throat, and turned around to see - or rather, somehow feel - someone in the shadows near the concrete enclosure that held a hot dog stand which was closed for the season. He instantly became self-conscious.
"Look, don't laugh. I suck, okay? That short grind's a big accomplishment for me." He said quietly.
"Relax...I am not here to judge..." The voice was low and a little gravelly...B.J. souldn't see a single detail of the figure. "...but I will say, for someone of your size and build, you're quite agile."
"Thanks, I guess." B.J. scratched the back of his head, blushing...he stood just a fraction of an inch shy of six feet tall, and weighed more than someone like him should, though he did not look overweight.
"Young man...don't you feel...out of place?"
"Huh? Well, here yeah...I'm not very good like I said..." B.J. mumbled.
"Not in this park...in life...do you not feel...you have somewhere...to be?" The gravelly voice said.
B.J. made his way forward, a bit shakily, as he was moving uphill. "Not really...are you trying to get philosophical on me?"
Now only the shape of a head...or a hood, at least, could be made out... "In a sense...I'm here about your fate."
"Can't help ya...I don't believe in it...too depressing thinking I have no, or minimal control over my life..."
"Tell me..." The shadowed one continued. "...have you ever felt as though there is something waiting for you? Something...greater than the average human future?"
B.J. paused. "Yeah, kinda...at least, I always hope for it."
"I see..." The figure seemed to think, then looked up. "Come no closer, please. Young man, would you do me a favour?"
"Depends." he asked skeptically.
"Just hold on to this..." Something flew out at him, and B.J. barely caught it. He looked the small item over...it was kind of white, kind of grey...being slightly colourblind, he couldn't really tell...it was the colour of winter mist or fog, kind of silvery...
"That all?" He asked.
"Well...I noticed you manage to jump very high off one particular ledge...could you...show me how high you can go?"
"You mean, like, all out? Get as much air as possible?"
"Yes...I was impressed by it...perhaps you could...just to show off a little." The voice said.
"Uh, alright...but odds are I'll wind up on my ass." B.J. said, skating off to a high point of the area to gain speed.
"Whichever way you wind up..." The figure spoke so it would not be overheard, "It will be a new perspective..." The figure held a cloaked arm out, rolling his wrist in circles...the wind seemed to pick up, as though stirred by the hand.
"Alright, one jump, then I gotta bail before others show. Here goes!" He rolled down the steep incline, headed for the ramp. Steady, he thought to himself.
Steady, the figure thought as well, as he held the force he'd summoned at bay, waiting...
"And...we, have, LIFTOFF!" B.J. leapt off the ramp's egde, drawing his feet into himself.
"Indeed we DO!" The figure released the winds gathered, a small scale twister shooting out and catching the young man in midair.
"Whoah! Lemme down...stop the ride, I wanna get off!" The twister soon became a sphere of whirling wind, holding the young man, who twisted about in every direction, in it's midst.
B.J. could make nothing out...sky and concrete blended together, blurred by the wind in his face, its howl drowning out all hearing...they seemed to intensify, the wind closing in around him, until for a second he felt he WAS the storm...a second later, he lost consciousness.
The sphere of wind had drawn into itself and vanished, taking with it its unwilling passenger. His blades and safety equipment dropped to the concrete as though merely held and released from their former height. The figure watched a moment more, then turned and walked away.
"To his credit, he did not react as badly as I anticipated." The figure muttered to itself, before fading into the shadows.
Not of Our World
"What TIME is it?" An impatient voice whined, coming from a purple figure with pointed ears and a bandana, wringing red-gloved hands.
"Five minutes since the last time you asked, ten since the time before that, and fifteen minutes since before THAT." A voice that could only be described as reptilian hissed, as a black dinosaur shifted in his seat, staring out the window at the beach. The small hut was barely shelter for the cold sea wind.
"That'd make it...what?" Impmon asked, counting on his fingers.
"Does it look like any of us have WATCHES, Impmon? Geez..." A blue creature spoke up. "Speaking of time, did they give us ANY idea how long it'd be?"
"I really couldn't care." A hard but feminine voice interrupted, issued forth from the muzzle of a yellow, bipedal fox. "I just wish we didn't have to wait here. I hate the water."
"No kiddin'...Renamon gets splashed, and she'd smell like a wet dog for hours!" Impmon joked, holding his nose.
"How would YOU like to smell like singed flesh for a while?" She growled, taking a step towards him.
"Easy, toots, easy!" Impmon stepped back, hands out in front of him. "Just trying to lighten the mood..."
"Forget lightening the mood..." A dragonlike being with leathery material like wings attached to his arms said, silently standing at the door until then. "The sky just turned dark...I think...I think they're coming."
"How can you tell?" The blue creature asked.
The one at the door held a clawed finger to its lips. "Be still a moment, Veemon, everyone...can you feel it?"
Silence reigned for a moment, then Renamon spoke up. "I...think I feel it, Monodramon...Like a piece of myself, something important, is nearby..."
"I feel it too...strongly...wait...not IT...HER..." The black reptile spoke quietly.
"You can sense your partner's a girl, X?" Impmon asked.
"Yes...I don't know how...but I know...my partner is female..." he said, standing and watching the sky turn ever darker.
"So do I...mine is a female, as well." Monodramon said.
"I'm gettin' somethin' now too!" Impmon said happily. "Nothin' much...I see brown hair..."
"Dark clothing..." Renamon muttered.
Veemon raised his head to the view outside. "An amulet...looks like the thing on it could be a Dramon of some kind...and a ring with funny marks on it around that..."
"It must be them." X said, moving to the door. "Our destiny..."
"Let's go!" Impmon pushed past the others to the door.
Everyone had made their way out as a flash like lightning came from above, but no thunder followed. When their eyes had readjusted, they almost missed a series of splashes, as though something were dropped in the water from on high.
"What was that?" Veemon said, stepping toward the water...just as a head broke the surface, gasping for air. It was followed by 2 others, and soon they were all headed for shore...a fourth broke the surface, dragging something with it. Once the first three had composed themselves as best they could, they looked back, then ran back in to assist.
They were humans, the Digimon were all sure...five of them...but one was being dragged ashore...he was unconscious.
"Is he breathing?" One asked...a female with long brown hair.
A male in black attire pressed a hand to his neck, then laid an ear near his mouth. "Yeah, and his pulse is okay...looks like he's stunned."
"That makes more than one of us." Another girl responded, wringing water from her hooded sweatshirt. "Where the hell ARE we?"
"I dunno...but we better help him somewhere warm...the cold could cause complications. You, grab his legs." The male replied.
"I have a NAME, you know!" The last of them said, reaching down.
"How would I know? Do I LOOK like a psychic?"
"This isn't the time." The brown-haired girl replied "Let's get him indoors. Introductions later."
"Let us help!"
The humans turned to see a small band of...MONSTERS...headed for them. After a moment of shock, they did the common thing. They freaked.
"What ARE those things, Rach?"
"I dunno...they might think this guy's a fresh kill."
"Stand back! I've got mace!" The girl in the soaked sweatshirt cried, digging in her backpack.
"I know Judo!" The one whose name was 'Rach' said, taking stance in front of the group.
"You do NOT, your stance is all wrong!" The young man in black said.
"It's a bluff, you moron!"
"Humans! Calm down!" Renamon said. "We wanna help!"
The two who had almost begun to argue paused, and spoke in unison. "They can TALK?"
"Look, we'll explain later." X said, walking past them to pick the unconscious one up by the shoulders. "Let us get your friend somewhere warm." he said, smiling slightly at the young woman at the feet of the invalid human.
"Uh, okay." She said, a bit stunned. The monsters led the humans back to the shack they had been taking shelter in.
"So...what is your name? And your friends' names? Where are you from?" Monodramon asked one of them, as she hung her sweatshirt near the fire to dry, and huddled close to the flames in a T-shirt just as soaked.
"Valerie Powell, Marion Iowa, and I don't know these people." She said between chattering teeth.
"You don't?" Renamon said, then turned to the others. "Then...who are all of you?"
"I'm Rachael Ruzicka, and this is my friend Tawny, Tawny Goss. We're from Missouri." The brown-haired girl replied.
Her companion shyly raised a hand, but didn't wave. "Hey."
"My friends call me Darkness...what friends I have...but if you must know, Andrew Chen. Worcester, Massachusets."
"What about him?" Impmon said, pointing to the unconscious one laid out before the firepit.
"Let's see..." Valerie checked his pockets, and fished out a wallet. "Here's some ID...Benjamin Jacob Pepin...age 21...Calgary, Alberta? Wow...this guy's from north of the border!"
"Huh?" Darkness asked.
Valerie rolled her eyes. "Canadian...they held the G8 summit in his hometown...don't you ever hear or read the news?"
Realization dawned. "Oh yeah! That! The place where the protesters wrote their slogan across their-"
"As if that helps us..." Tawny said, cutting Andrew short. "This doesn't look like the U.S. OR Canada...so, where are we?"
"The digital world, duh!" Impmon responded. "Kind of like a reflection of your world."
Renamon added "But for all the ways it is similar, there are just as many ways it is different...for one, humankind doesn't exist here, much like we do not exist in your world.".
"And what are you?" Andrew asked. "We got a black lizard, a fox, some kinda devil thing, and two...I don't know HOW to describe those two." He pointed to Veemon and Monodramon.
"We're digimon...we're the primary species here...the Humans of the Digital World." X said, answering Andrew's question...though he never stopped looking at Tawny, who was becoming nervous.
"Would you stop that? You make me feel as though you're still going to eat me." She said, squirming in her seat.
X turned away a bit, not knowing how intense his gaze had been. "Sorry...but you feel...familiar...when I look at you, I get a sense of myself...and what I could be." He played with the red, spiked collar around his neck.
"Don't mind X..." Veemon said. "He's a little confused and stuff...as far as we all know, he's the only Black Agumon in the world!"
"Really? Cool..." Rachael said, looking to the others. "So...you know our names...what're yours?"
"I'm Veemon." The blue creature responded, pulling everything he could from the unconscious human's wallet and examining it.
"You know X...I am Renamon." The golden-furred fox found a seat, lotuslike, on the floor.
The creature with leathery, wing-like folds on his arm raised a hand, the material stretching to the fullest. "Monodramon here!"
The purple devil sat down and crossed his arms, smirking. "And I'm the leader of this pack. Name's Impmon."
"Leader? Is that a joke? If we even HAD a leader, it wouldn't be YOU." Veemon laughed.
Impmon was on his feet in seconds, fists clenched. "Is that a challenge, blue boy?"
"If you wanna MAKE it one..."
"Enough, both of you!" Renamon interceded. "This is not the way to make a good impression on our partners."
"Partners?" Andrew asked.
"Legend states each Digimon has a human match...like a soulmate...but the connection is deeper than just friendship." X sat down on a couch, beside Tawny, again addressing the room but only looking at her. "We were told humans were coming, and each would be a match for one of us. I'm not sure how I know, but I know which is mine." He reached up and put a hand on Tawny's shoulder and smiled, accidentally showing a LOT of teeth. "Tawny Goss, you are my partner. I am sure of it."
Tawny blinked, silent for a few moments. Eventually, she managed a single, weak "Me?".
"Andrew is mine...he is the only one dressed as I envisioned." Renamon continued.
"Okay...cool, then." Andrew said, then muttered. "This is too strange even for one of MY dreams..."
"Long brown hair..." Impmon said, looking up at Rachael. "You must be mine. Put 'er there!" He held a hand out.
"I guess this is my welcome aboard." Rachael chuckled. May as well roll with it, she thought to herself.
Monodramon looked between the two remaining. "My partner is female, according to my vision...and there's only one left...so it must be you, Valerie Powell."
"Just Valerie, please." She acted a little self conscious.
Veemon looked at the prone form in front of the fire. "Guess that means Sleeping Beauty is my partner..." He searched around his neck. "But I don't see...waitaminute..." He carefully picked up a silver chain around the young man's neck, and followed it around his throat. "It's the Amulet! He IS mine!"
"Well, now that THAT'S outta the way, what do we do now?" Impmon asked.
"We weren't told...the Elders' Council only told us to come here." Monodramon said.
"Then should we go back to these guys?" Tawny said.
"They spoke to us in dreams...we don't know WHERE to go." X replied.
"It doesn't matter..." Andrew said, looking over to the fire. "We're not going anyplace. Until Ben here wakes up...IF he wakes up...we may as well get comfortable."
"There are bunkbeds down that hallway..." Renamon said, pointing. "This used to be an Inn for seafaring Digimon, before the village and it's port fell apart."
"May as well get some rest." Rachael said, standing up. "Almost gettin' electrocuted takes it out of you...if I hadn't wound up here, I'd be dead!"
"Not the best way to travel, I take it." Impmon said.
"No kiddin'."
"I'm gonna stay here and watch Ben..." Tawny said.
"As will I...when he wakes, he most likely will be disoriented, and very frightened." X added.
Renamon calmly added "I am not tired, so I will remain here as well.".
"Sorry, 'partner', but I'm beat." Andrew moved to an empty couch. "I'll nap right here."
Valerie and Monodramon responded as one. "I'm turning in." They paused, looked at each other, laughed, then replied in unison again. "WE'RE turning in."
"Well then, see ya in the morning." Impmon said, following Rachael out. Everyone else settled in as they saw fit.
Some time later all was quiet. Everyone had given in to sleep, even Renamon, who had leapt into the rafters and settled there. Everyone, save for two.
"Lemme see if I got this straight...Humans are rumoured to somehow make you guys stronger?"
"Yes...and it is almost totally fact. I can draw power from you in some intangible manner to fight, defend...even change my form."
"Change form, X? Seriously?" Tawny's eyes grew wide.
"Yes...it's referred to as digivolution...usually, it takes years to amass that kind of power...but through humans, we can, though briefly, ascend to that higher level."
Tawny was silent a moment. "Heck of a trick from a species that can't defend itself without weapons...unless you count those Karate, Tae Kwon Do, 'Judo Chop!' people."
"Funny you should mention that...the elders told me you're slightly different from other humans. There are weapons out there...ancient artifacts, that can unlock powers dormant in the human race." X looked out the window. "They're little more than a fairy tale, and a very short one at that...any real knowledge has been lost to time...but they insist these special items, as well as the Myth of the Digital Soldiers, is real."
"Lemme guess...WE'RE these 'Digital Soldiers'." Tawny said, disbelieving.
"I dunno...I THINK they think we are...but c'mon...I cannot see myself as any hero of legend."
"That makes two of us."
"It's not that..." X looked at the floor. "I have...a history...an unpleasant past, rather..."
"Oh..." Tawny put an arm around the black Agumon. "You...probably don't wanna talk about it, do you?" X merely nodded. "If you ever do, come straight to me, K?" She smiled warmly. "After all, I'm your partner, right?"
He smiled weakly, and leaned into her arm a little. "Right."
Tawny chuckled and got comfortable, finally feeling the need for sleep pull at her. "I could get used to this..."
"So..." X yawned. "...so could I..."
Less than a moment later, they were both out.
B.J. was starting to feel uncomfortable, and hot on one side...he rolled away from it, and slowly opened his eyes.
"Unghh...what the...when'd I go to...nevermind...my head's all foggy..." He got to his feet and looked around...the building he was in looked a little worn down. The fire in the hearth had died out, and recently. Was I...kidnapped or something? He could see vague silhouettes in the darkness. I'd better bail...quietly...
He sneaked toward the door, watching each step, pulling away from the slightest creak in the floorboards. It didn't take much effort...moving around his home late at night without waking anyone else was a skill he'd had to aquire. He grabbed the doorknob and turned, painstakingly slow, until he felt it give way, opening toward him. The night outside was a bit cold and windy, but he thought he could manage, especially in the situation he thought he was in. He set the door in place and turned slowly, but lost his grip on the knob, and it clicked into place. For a moment, he was still, then, after a few steps away from the shack, he took off at a fast clip, not knowing someone had been awake through most of his escape...
"What...the hell?" The sight of a beach and rolling waves was a slap in the face for him. "I don't live anywhere NEAR the coast...any coast..." He audibly gulped. "Toto, I don't think we're in Calgary anymore..."
He turned down the beach and began thinking. "No matter WHICH way home is, it's a LOOONG road..." He bit his knuckle in thought. "...But step one is finding out just WHICH way to go. This place is a little too bleak for B.C....maybe I'm in the Maritimes...then again, how would I know...I need some help here."
The scenery didn't provide many options...what buildings were around were in ruin...the only one that was passing livable had been the shack he'd snuck out of...out of the corner of his eye, he caught a shadow further down the beach. Turning towards it, one became many...perhaps half a dozen.
"Hey! Excuse me!" He waved and called out. The figures paused, and seemed to turn toward him. "Could you give me directions?" He ran toward the group.
Before he could make out the shapes, a harpoon hit the sand inches from his feet. He barely stopped in time.
"Hey! What the hell kinda hello do you...call..." B.J. let the sentence hang...the silhouettes were NOT human.
"Whattaya think it is?" One figure asked.
"Never seen the likes of it before..." The moonlight emerged from behind a cloud, revealing a school of blue-skinned, three-foot-tall amphibians. "It's got no claws, no scales, no fangs, nothin'!"
B.J. backed up a step. "What ARE you?"
"We're Scubamon. Are you one of those human things?"
"Uh, yeah, I am." He responded, a little confused.
"He IS human!"
"Hey...weren't we told to watch for them?" One of the Scubamon asked another.
"Yeah! Why're we standing around? GET IT!" A chorus of cheers ensued, followed by a volley of harpoons.
"WHOAH!" B.J. pulled a 180 and ran, tearing up the sand. "Note to self, wherever I am, don't get close to the locals!"
"Diamond Storm!"
"Huh? Ahh!" B.J. dived to the beach as a flurry of sharp, icy-looking shards flew overhead. Luckily, the Scubamon broke off their attack as well. He looked up to find a yellow fox on two legs glaring down at him.
"Ugh..." He lay his face down in the sand, hands over his head. "Monster Central...what I wouldn't give for a human face around here!"
"Renamon! Are you gonna tell me what's...Ben! What are you doing out here!" A male voice responded.
"Huh?" B.J. looked up past the vulpine, to someone a little younger than him in black attire running to catch up...other people and monsters close behind.
"Our sleepy friend found his way outside...and he found trouble too. These Scubamon aren't exactly friendly." Renamon replied.
"Oh, brother...hey, you okay?" A young woman in a hooded sweatshirt stepped up, holding out a hand.
"Uh, yeah...apart from the twin heart attacks..." He pushed himself to his feet. "Where the heck IS this?"
"Long story. Right now, looks like you met some bad company." She responded.
B.J. scratched the back of his head. "No kidding."
"So, Renamon..." The young man in black said. "What are we supposed to do with them?"
Renamon didn't move. "Well...first, I think we give them a chance to run...and if they don't, then we deal with them."
"Deal with THIS!" Another harpoon was pitched, headed straight for B.J....until a blue blur caught it.
Veemon drove the harpoon into the sand beside him. "They NEVER take the opportunity, do they?"
"Nope. Everyone, CHARGE!" Renamon led the way into the fight, the other digimon right behind.
"What's going ON?" B.J. wailed.
"Apparently, we're not exactly welcomed by everyone around here." Darkness mumbled.
"Why are we standing here? We gotta help!" Valerie added, driving her fist into her open palm.
"How? We'd be shisk-kebabed!" Rachael replied.
"We gotta do something, though...after all, we're their partners or something. Right?" Tawny said, almost not being heard.
"What?" B.J. said.
"It's a bond...we may not fully understand it...but they need us here...as much as we need them." Without another word or gesture, Tawny stepped forward, and was soon running into the fray.
"She's right, I guess." Rachael took a deep breath, then took off in a sprint. "BANZAI!"
Andrew was a heartbeat behind. "Here comes the cavalry!"
B.J. stared, dumbfounded. "What's the deal here?"
Valerie laid a hand on his shoulder. "You kind of missed Digital World 101...we'll fill you in later. For now, just fight!" She took off as well.
B.J. blinked, then shrugged. "When in Rome..."
Harpoons were everywhere...the monsters on both sides were a blur, the humans going between and doing what they could. B.J. could barely take it all in. He had little time, because as soon as he ran in, a Scubamon leapt at him, harpoon at the ready.
"Vee headbutt!" A blue blur slammed into the fishy creature, driving it off course. It turned to him. "You okay?"
"I think so..." B.J. mumbled, then looked beyond him. "Look out!" Veemon turned to find a Scubamon had slipped up behind him, primed to stab him.
"HYAH!" B.J. covered the few steps, leapt, and drove both feet into the enemy's face, sending him flying. The creature disintegrated when it hit the beach. B.J. hit the sand on his back. "Oof!"
Veemon looked down at him. "I owe ya one."
"Nah, I just broke it even."
A few steps away, Rachael and Tawny, back to back, grabbed a Scubamon each by the wrist, then turned and slammed their resprective attackers into one another. The fishy fiends stumbled to their feet groggily, trying to recollect themselves to attack the young women again.
"Aw no ya don't! Bada BOOM!" The purple bandit pitched a fireball at the pair.
"Pepper Breath! HAH!" The black dino coughed up another fireball, pinning down the two with no place to run. The pair ran screaming into the water to put out the flames.
At the same time, Andrew was having fun with another, smacking him around almost playfully. He held out his left. "Watch the hand, buddy, watch the hand..." He then lashed out across the Scubamon's jaw with his right. "Wrong hand."
"Andrew! Get clear!" Renamon shouted, before leaping high and bringing her arms before her. "Diamond Storm!"
Andrew shoved the amphibian roughly and dived away, the shards peppering the monster's hide before it burst and disintegrated.
Valerie and Monodramon had the last two back to back, pounding them from opposing sides until they collapsed, vanishing in the same manner as the others.
The pair that had escaped to the sea took one look at the ten on the beach, turned, and began to swim off. "Forget this, this isn't worth it!"
"We're not getting paid enough!"
"We're not getting PAID at all!"
"When the Lord hears, you'll be sorry!"
Everyone relaxed.
"You were great out there!" Impmon said, beaming up at Rachael.
She blushed. "Thanks...never done that before."
"Me neither." Tawny added, shivering a bit.
"You handled yourself quite well...I would not have easily guessed your inexperience." X said, a smile on his muzzle.
Tawny looked confused. "Uhm...I THINK that was a compliment..."
"You shouldn't play with your enemy, Andrew. It's disrespectful." Renamon said cooly.
"Screw that, it was fun!" He answered, unashamed.
"We work great together! This is a good sign!" Monodramon said.
"You bet! Gimme five!" Valerie replied, holding her hand out.
Monodramon tilted his head to one side. "Give you five? Five what?"
"Nevermind..."
"Well...that was...unique..." B.J. replied before Veemon tackled him. "Whoah!"
"Welcome to the waking world, partner!" Veemon hugged the young man tight.
"Partner?" B.J. looked genuinely confused.
"C'mon...we'll fill you in." Valerie said, helping him back to his feet. "Truth is, Ben, we all need a little more data."
"Ben? Uhm, I prefer B.J.. And you are...?" B.J. asked.
Valerie, looked to the others. "Let's see what I remember...I'm Valerie, and Monodramon's my partner. Then there's Rachael and Impmon, Tawny and X, Andrew and...Renamon, was it?"
"That's correct." The fox replied.
"Yeah, she's Renamon. And the blue guy beside you is Veemon. He's your partner, we think."
"Veemon, huh?" B.J. looked down at him. "Cool. How goes?" He said, extending his hand.
"Gettin' better all the time!" Veemon said cheerfully, vigorously shaking B.J.'s hand.
"So...what should we do now? It's still dark." Rachael asked, scanning the horizon as if expecting more monsters.
"Back to the cabin?" Andrew suggested.
"There's nothing for us there. Besides, I think we're all pretty well rested, even after that." Valerie said.
"Besides," Renamon added. "Should those Scubamon call on any friends, they will search there first."
"Fine. So, what now?" Andrew asked.
Tawny spoke, again in that voice where she almost went unheard. "We go East."
"Huh?" X said, looking at her. "East?"
"I...I dreamed of a figure...a silhouette surrounded in light...he said to go East." She said quietly.
"Did it look like...a LONG serpent, or a dragon?" Monodramon asked.
Tawny looked up at him. "Yeah...how'd you know?"
Monodramon assumed a thoughtful pose. "Azulongmon...you got guidance from the head of the Elder Council."
"Then East we must go." X answered.
"Uh, alright then." Valerie responded.
"What? We're gonna follow a DREAM?" Andrew asked.
"Got any better ideas?" Tawny said angrily.
"N-not really...don't take it personal!" Andrew said, putting his hands up defensively.
"Well then, which way's east?" Rachael asked.
"Follow me!" Impmon said, heading inland. The others soon formed a loose group, the purple creature at the lead.
B.J. tugged on Val's sleeve as they walked. "So, Valerie...tell me what you know so far..."
Well, it's a rocky start, but a start nonetheless. Where their trek'll take them, who knows? I do...and so will you, in the next Digimon: Digital Soldiers!