Chapter 7
Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.
- Hippocrates
Railmon made a brief stop at a town called Rom, where two digimon boarded. One, a metal-plated star with eyes, took a seat at the far end of the coach, but the other, a three-foot tall rooster, sat down near the Digidestined. "Hi," he said, his red eyes taking in the wheelbarrow, and the half-sick Hissmon and Spikemon. "You folks in some kind of trouble?"
"A vacation," said Zach.
The rooster looked him up and down. "Well, they say never to question a human. We're bound to Gigaterra."
"So're we," said Zach, who saw no reason for caution, despite Spikemon's worried glances. "Is it a good place for sight-seeing?"
Kokatorimon launched into a description of the landmarks, historical monuments, and tourist attractions in Gigaterra. As Zach listened, Hissmon slithered to Savannah and whispered in her ear. "Kokatorimon is a champion level. He could be quite dangerous if angered." Savannah gave Hissmon a worried look.
But Kokatorimon acted friendly enough, and entertained them with amusing stories from Kokatorimon's hometown of Silicon City. Some of his stories would have been funnier had they been familiar with the digimon he was talking about, but they laughed anyway.
Before they knew it Railmon was bellowing, "Gigaterra! Gigaterra, next stop!"
They Digidestined piled their things into the wheelbarrow again, and Kokatorimon shook Starmon, who had dozed off in the far end of the car. The train rattled to a halt, and a bustling platform appeared outside the windows. There were several dozen passengers waiting to board, and a crowd of curious eyes stared at the Digidestined as they disembarked. Zach was aware of how odd he looked with a broken wheelbarrow full of camping gear, a dinosaur, and a baseball bat, and ducked his head in embarrassment as they pushed through the crowd. Savannah followed in his wake, and Spikemon lay regally in his barrow, gazing down his nose at the other digimon.
"Humans!" someone said, and the platform broke into excited muttering.
Beyond the platform and station lay a bustling city of spherical buildings like great white eggs. Streets of orange pavement laced between them, and digimon of all shapes and sizes hurried by in two directions. Bewildered, Zach stood on the sidewalk and looked around. "Do they have cars here?" he called to Spikemon above the hubbub of the street.
"Yeah," said Spikemon, waving a paw. A giant turtle was passing by with a row of seats built across its back, smaller digimon just visible inside. It was fast for a turtle, and was gone within seconds.
"Flag down the next one," said Savannah.
Zach tried, but the next turtle took no notice of his timid wave. Savannah pushed in front of him. "Here, let me." She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled.
The turtle kept going, but a little yellow cart zipped to the curb. It looked like a shopping cart, and seated in the bottom were four brown birds with two legs and bird skulls clamped over their heads like helmets. "Kiwimon Karts at your service," said one. "You whistled?"
"Can you take us to a digimon doctor?" asked Savannah.
"Sure," said the Kiwimon. "How can you pay?"
Savannah and Zach exchanged glances. They had no digimon money. "Got any more of those coins?" Zach whispered to Spikemon.
"No," said the dinosaur. "I used all I had for tickets."
Hissmon unfolded a few feet of himself from Savannah's neck. "Would you take this fine wheelbarrow as payment?" he said in his oiliest voice.
At once all four Kiwimon left their cart and examined the wheelbarrow. They muttered and chirped to themselves for a moment, then announced, "We'll take it."
They swarmed back to their cart as Zach and Savannah threw their gear into the cart's basket, which expanded inch by inch the more it contained. By the time Zach and Savannah climbed in with their partners, the cart was the size of a small car. "How does it do that?" Zach asked the helmeted birds below the basket.
"Data compression," replied a Kiwimon.
Without warning the cart zipped away into the traffic, weaving in and out of the feet of bigger digimon. Zach and Savannah clung to the cart, but Spikemon, Base and Hissmon whooped and hollered. Zach tried to look at each creature they passed, but after a few minutes his senses were overwhelmed by claws, shaggy fur, robotic limbs, and glinting, intelligent eyes.
They whipped around a corner and entered a walled courtyard at the foot of one of the egg-shaped skyscrapers. As the humans and digimon climbed out, Base remarked, "Let's do that again sometime."
"Thank you for choosing Kiwimon Karts for all your transportation needs," squawked one of the birds, and the cart skidded out of the courtyard on two wheels.
"This must be the waiting room," said Savannah, looking around. Benches of various heights lined the courtyard walls, and in the wall of the building was a door, and a window with a sign that said 'appointments'. There was only one other digimon in the courtyard, a burly man-like lion with black trousers and a shaggy mane that spilled over his chest and back. He stared at them with stolid indifference, and they took seats as far from him as possible.
"You want to make the appointment, or should I?" Zach murmured to Savannah.
"I will," she said, and walked to the appointment window, leaving Hissmon beside Zach. The snake bunched up his injured coils, and Zach saw the gashes in his scaled back. The sober knowledge that their partners were hurt returned to him. He rubbed Spikemon's head, and glanced at Base, who had gone to sleep on top of the backpacks.
Savannah returned, looking cheerful. "The doctor will see us in half an hour." She lowered her voice. "Did you scan Leomon over there?"
"No." Zach pulled out his digivice and scanned the hairy beast. Leomon, champion level, 96% injured. Zach squinted across the courtyard. "Good grief. What's the matter with him?"
Savannah and Zach, along with their digimon, gazed at Leomon in curious silence. Leomon stared at the wall, ignoring them. Aside from a tear in his trousers, they could see nothing wrong with him.
"Go ask him," said Savannah.
"Drop dead," said Zach, looking down as Leomon turned and met his eyes. "He might attack us."
"At ninety-six percent injury? I don't think so," said Savannah. "I'll go ask him, then."
She left their bench and approached the lion, which watched her but did not move. "Hello sir," she said. "We were wondering--"
Leomon lifted one arm and revealed a huge gash down his side, oozing blood that evaporated into data fragments. "I know you scanned me," he said in a voice as deep as a bass drum. "Was that all, little girl?"
Looking amazed at her own bravery, Savannah said, "Yes, thank you," and returned to Zach. "He's injured all right. I wonder what happened?"
"Why don't you go ask him, little girl?" said Zach sarcastically. Savannah mock-punched him.
At that moment the inner door opened, and a thing like a bulb with a flower on its head hopped out, looking happy. Behind it, the interior room shone with light, and a voice called, "Leomon?" The Digidestined watched as Leomon stood and limped slowly inside. The door closed behind him.
"What did the doctor look like?" Savannah asked.
"Don't know," said Spikemon, and, "Didn't see," said Hissmon.
Spikemon added, "But it'll be an extremely powerful digimon to heal another. Healing powers weren't part of the original matrix."
Hissmon looked at Spikemon. "Yes they were. It just took time to work up to that level."
"No they weren't," argued Spikemon, propping himself up on his forearms. "That's why the Programmer had to come and update the Digital World to 1.5."
"Psshaw," spat Hissmon, forgetting his injuries and raising himself above Spikemon's eye level. He had to sink down again, hissing in pain. "We digimon were responsible for the reprogramming of the Digital World. No mythical Programmer exists."
"Oh yeah?" snarled Spikemon, starting to rise, but Zach pushed him back down.
"Cool it, hothead. What's this stuff about a Programmer?"
"It's a theological debate," said Hissmon before Spikemon could speak. "Some think that the Digital World was coded by a Programmer, while the more intellectual school of thought has it that the Digital World was formed by us Digimon, each of our battles contributing to the on-going formation of the world--"
"That's Nuumon sludge," spat Spikemon. "There is too a Programmer, and someday soon he's going to update us to 2.0, and all you viruses will be deleted."
The two fell to arguing the finer points of their beliefs, quickly losing their partners. It seemed that there were only two religions in the Digital World, and members of both always argued fiercely with each other. Zach found it embarrassing, but Savannah listened closely and asked questions.
Before they knew it, Leomon emerged from the bright room, his wound gone, and the voice from within called for Spikemon and Hissmon. "Sorry to interrupt you," said Zach, "but it's our turn." He and Savannah picked up their partners and carried them inside.
The two froze in the doorway and stared, mouths hanging open. Standing in the center of the room and seeming to fill it with his six wings was a ten-foot angel. He was robed in royal purple and wore a tall helmet that masked his eyes. His entire body radiated power, and it was terrifying to stand so close.
He motioned for the Digidestined to set their gaping digimon on the floor, then held both hands over Hissmon, who cowered under the glowing hands, trembling. "Magna Touch," the angel breathed. Bits of data flowed out of a gray block of raw data in the corner, and within minutes the snake was healed. Hissmon collapsed in relief as Magna Angemon turned his attention to Spikemon.
Spikemon was awed, but did not cower. Magna Angemon held his hands over the green dinosaur and frowned. "You have been poisoned. It will take longer to heal you."
"Okay, do it," said Zach as the great digimon looked at him. Zach found it easier to breathe when Magna Angemon was not looking at him. He was also glad the digimon's eyes were masked; he had a feeling that meeting the gaze of a six-winged angel would incinerate him.
Outside in the empty courtyard, Base dozed in the sun on top of Zach's backpack. Having no limbs, there was little else he could do. However, he opened his eyes when he heard the slap of feet on the pavement. Standing in the courtyard entrance on two legs was an odd-looking lizard. He was orange with enormous green eyes, and his long tail was curled into a neat roll behind him. He clasped and unclasped his long fingers as he peered about, then scurried to the bench where the gear lay, crouching as if afraid of being seen. He eyed Base for a second, then snatched up the bat. "Hey!" Base began, but the lizard curled his hand around Base's mouth. "Shh," said the lizard, and whisked out of the courtyard.
Base was in a frenzy of indignation by the time his kidnapper took refuge inside a dark restaurant. The lizard carried him to a table in the darkest corner, and there changed the color of his skin to mimic the chair and wallpaper. He uncovered the bat's mouth, and Base shrieked, "Help me, I've been stolen!"
The lizard covered his mouth again and whispered savagely, "Keep quiet! I'll give you back to them once I'm done with you."
He uncovered the bat's mouth, and this time Base did not yell. "Why'd you take me?"
"I don't have any attacks," whispered the chameleon. "I'm defenseless and you're a weapon."
Base sneered. "How come you don't have any attacks?"
The lizard peered around the restaurant without answering. It was empty at that hour, with a single egg-like Digitamamon behind the counter. The lizard looked back at Base. "I'm Chamelemon. And you're Basemon?"
"Just Base," said the bat. "So when will you give me back to Zach?"
Chamelemon didn't reply. His scales shading back to orange, he slid out of his chair and ran lightly to the door. "The museum," he breathed to himself as he hesitated on the sidewalk. He slipped into the street traffic and vanished.