Chapter 16
Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so.
After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns,
we ourselves flash and yearn,
and moreover my mother told me as a boy
(repeatingly) "Ever to confess you're bored
means you have no Inner Resources."
I conclude now I have no inner resources,
because I am heavy bored.
-John Berryman
Spikemon was warm and comfortable. He lay as he was for a long time, half-dreaming, tucked in a pleasant cocoon of soft warmth. Sunlight filtered through leaves and played across his face. Birds sang all around, and nearby was a deep musical purring. He did not want to awaken and leave this comfort, but there was something he needed to do, something important...
"Zach!"
Spikemon shot to his feet, then toppled to one side and lay propped up on a forearm, disoriented.
"Don't worry about your partner," rumbled a voice nearby. "He has been here every day since your accident to check on you."
Spikemon's bearings began to return. He was in a clearing in the woods, and had been sleeping against the side of a huge animal. He peered along its violet length. It was an exotic dragon with a head like a goat, and large, clear blue eyes. With its body covered in violet fur, it resembled a bizarre dog.
"Hello," said Spikemon, waving a paw. "Azulongmon, is it?"
"Luceramon, actually," said the dragon. "I've spent the last eight days rebuilding your missing data." As Spikemon lay down at its side again, the dragon added, "That was quite rash, to pour all your data into your partner, but it did the trick."
"It did?" said Spikemon, trying to remember. "Zach woke up?"
"And more than that," said Luceramon. "When he emerged from the distortion, he was carrying three new data sticks."
Spikemon cocked his head, puzzled.
Luceramon smiled. "Mulemon achieved ultimate, and Frogmon went to champion. The third stick was for you, but you were unconscious, so Zach loaned it to Savannah. And Hissmon digivolved."
Spikemon tried to imagine Hissmon digivolving. "But it was my data stick--how could he use it?"
"We're not sure," said the dragon. "They defeated Thrashmon together."
Spikemon sat up, shaking his head. "So the virus helped save me. I guess he's all right after all." He sat still for a while, listening to birdsong and the breeze in the trees. Luceramon lay curled in an arc, his head resting on his forepaws, and one eye fixed on Spikemon like a watchful nurse.
The day passed quietly, with Luceramon producing a basket at noon that was packed with food sent from Vinegarden. Spikemon enjoyed this immensely, and slept for several hours that afternoon. He awoke around four to the sound of voices.
Luceramon's head was turned, and he was speaking to a small digimon whom Spikemon recognized. "Hey there, Chamelemon," he called to the orange lizard. Chamelemon flicked an eye in his direction and continued speaking to Luceramon. Spikemon moved closer, trying to hear.
"...Conch Rock," Chamelemon was saying, his baseball bat resting on one shoulder. "I saw the data flying, he must have a jillion slaves in there. I talked to a Crabmon, and he told me it's the stronghold, and you can tell because the weather is bad."
"Whose stronghold?" said Spikemon.
"Hydramon's," said Luceramon. "Your friend was brave enough to locate his lair without being captured."
"And killed," added the baseball bat. "You forgot killed. Rookies are snacks down there."
"Shut up," said Chamelemon automatically, as if he had said it hundreds of times. "He's mortally afraid of the Digidestined, according to the buzz. If they all get together--" He looked at Spikemon. "I'll come with you, too. After all, I'm armed."
Spikemon looked the lizard up and down. Chamelemon was skin and bone, and his eyes were sunken. "Have you eaten lately?" asked the green dinosaur.
"Can't eat," said the chameleon, shaking his head. "Makes me sick. But I think once we take out Hydramon, I'll get my attacks back."
Spikemon looked worried. "Maybe you shouldn't come. You look like you've got DCP."
"My data's not corrupt!" said Chamelemon, turning red. "I just haven't been able to eat."
"You can't eat, you can't fight," said Spikemon. "And just how big is Hydramon, anyway?"
Chamelemon looked at the ground. "Mega."
"Mega!" Spikemon exclaimed in horror. "He's a mega? How can you think we can beat him?"
Chamelemon didn't answer, but Base said, "Aw, c'mon, Spikemon. Thrashmon was an ultimate and you guys took him out."
"Ultimates are not megas," growled Spikemon. "Mega is the strongest there is, and they can take out ultimates with one claw behind their back."
Chamelemon looked at him. "But wasn't Hydramon the one who menaced your partner?"
Spikemon was silent a moment, then said, "How did you know that?"
"Zach told us," said Luceramon. "He was remarkably coherent about what happened in the distortion. And you talk in your sleep."
Spikemon grinned sheepishly. "I couldn't let him take Zach, you know. Where is Zach?"
"He comes in directly after school," said Luceramon, "which is right about ... now."
On cue a digiport formed in midair, and Zach bounded out and ran up. "Spikemon! You're up!"
The dinosaur flung himself at his partner and they exchanged a rowdy greeting.
"You're in color again!" Spikemon exclaimed.
"Yup," said Zach. "You didn't have to give me all that data, you know. You'd already broken that guy's power by distracting me."
Spikemon sobered and looked into Zach's eyes. He looked like his old self, and yet ... "Well, we won't know until we destroy him. Chamelemon, tell Zach about Hydramon's hideout."
The chameleon obliged, and Zach grew pale at the idea of challenging a mega. Not only a mega, but a monster who had used Thrashmon to feed darkness into Zach. Spikemon sensed his discomfort and put a paw in Zach's hand. Zach's courage level had returned to normal, he noticed, but now Zach had a defense level, currently at 3.
Chamelemon ended his account with, "And it'll take all of you Digidestined, so I'm coming, too."
Zach shrugged. "Sure, come along. But I'll have to talk the others into it. Oh..." He dug into his pockets. "You guys wouldn't want to take these off my hands, would you?" He held out three chocolate bars. Spikemon and Luceramon accepted two, and Chamelemon looked wistfully at the remaining bar.
"I'd really love one of those..."
Zach unwrapped it and held it out. Chamelemon took it in two fingers and studied it. "Maybe..." He broke off a piece and ate it, but gagged and spat it out. "Can't," he coughed. "Tastes great, but I can't."
Zach, Spikemon and Luceramon exchanged an awkward glance. "Maybe you should stay here," Zach began, but Chamelemon's body flashed green, then dark red.
"I've got to go, hear me? If I don't help you take down a big digimon, I'm gonna die! I've got to!"
"Okay, okay," said Zach, holding up his hands. "Fine. I'll let you know when we decide to go." Still looking at the chameleon, Zach thanked Luceramon and took Spikemon back to the real world.
Spikemon landed on the floor, then jumped up on Zach's bed. "I'm glad your computer's port works again. They must have rerouted traffic to a new node."
Zach put his digivice in a drawer, then sat down in his desk chair. "Yeah. When do you think we should go after this Hydramon?"
"As soon as we can," said Spikemon. "Want to go now?"
"I have to tell the others," said Zach, lacing his fingers. "They might not want to fight another digimon so soon." He looked down. "All three of them fought to save me, after you went down."
"Save you?" Spikemon frowned. "But I saved you."
"You pulled me out of the distortion," said Zach. "Thrashmon was still there and he was mad. It was a good thing I had those new data sticks."
Spikemon hung his head. "I wish I could have fought him."
"Oh, you did enough," said Zach. "I couldn't absorb your data, but because of what you did, it formed new data sticks."
Spikemon peered at him. Even here in the real world, he thought there was a change in his partner, as if Zach had absorbed a little of the extra data without knowing it. There was something different about his eyes. He also sensed that Zach was growing uncomfortable, and changed the subject. "Got any more chocolate?"
Frogmon sat with his head tilted. "I like it."
"I'll tell you who sounds neat is Bach," said Rick. "A keyboard doesn't do this one justice, but listen." He changed instruments to 'pipe organ' and began to play the Fugue in D Minor. Frogmon's eyes bulged at the first sinister strains, but after another moment he relaxed and enjoyed it, his throat pulsing.
Rick stopped in the middle. "That's as far as I can get without sheet music."
"Wonderful!" said Frogmon. "You ought to show the others how well you play."
"No way," said Rick, face darkening. "They'd tell the guys, and then the whole football team would laugh at me. You just don't play classical piano in this day and age." He opened his piano bench and rummaged around for sheet music.
Frogmon watched him. "How come you don't like the other Digidestined?"
"One's too young and the rest are losers," said Rick, straightening up and placing a page on the music rack. "Name me a Goth who turned out."
"Matt Ishida," replied Frogmon.
"Who?"
"Matt Ishida," replied Frogmon, slowly. "He was a Digidestined from Japan, and he was like Zach and Savannah before he got to the Digital World."
"And what's he do now?" said Rick, sitting down.
"He goes by 'Matt' in The Icebreakers. Plays hard rock."
Rick lifted his hands to the keyboard, but froze with a funny look on his face. He stood up, went to a rack of CDs beside his stereo, and took one down. Opening the booklet, he located a photo of the band and held it out to Frogmon.
"Him," said the frog, indicating a tall young man with wild blond hair, holding an electric guitar.
Rick looked closely at the picture. "So you were Digidestined." He put away the disk, returned to his piano, and stared at the sheet music.
"Don't judge people by school," said Frogmon. "Real life is a whole different ball of wax."
Rick did not reply, and began to play a ragtime, which was not classical but fun to play. Frogmon listened, his throat pulsing to the rhythm. The house was quiet, for school was out, Rick's parents weren't home and his sister was out with her friends.
Rick's computer chimed, and he glanced at it. Displayed on the screen was an instant message. He got up from the piano and walked to his computer desk. "Holling," he said with surprise. "Where'd he get my screen name?"
"I gave it to Spikemon," said Frogmon, looking smug. "What's he want?"
Rick sat down and looked awkward. "He's ... thanking me. For defending him." He sat there a moment, then typed, "Welcome."
There was a moment of digital silence, then Zach typed, "Did you know Frogmon could digivolve?"
"No," replied Rick. "Never saw it before." He hesitated, then added, "It was cool."
"Way.
There was another pause. Rick shifted positions in his chair, as if he could escape the prodding of his conscience. He knew he needed to apologize to Zach for tormenting him, but doing it was like having splinters driven under his fingernails.
He was conveniently distracted when Zach typed, "I've got another mission for us."
"What?"
"There's a big bad digimon threatening the existence of the Digital World and so on. The digimon want us to go take him out. Seems he's scared of us."
"Who told you?"
"A chameleon guy I sold my baseball bat to. He went to the guy's hideout and snooped around." When Rick typed nothing, Zach said, "Want to try it?"
"Sure," said Rick. "How long will it take?"
"No idea. Apparently it's quite a walk. This weekend?"
"I have a football game," replied Rick. "Make it next weekend."
"Okay." A pause. "I still have to talk the girls into it."
"Good luck. Your girlfriend doesn't like killing."
"She's not my girlfriend."
There was an awkward pause.
"I need to go now. See you around." And Zach logged off.
Savannah was unhappy about another battle, when Zach IMed her that afternoon. "Thrashmon screamed," she typed. "That really got to me, Zach. I don't care if they are viruses, they're alive and we kill them. I don't want to kill anything else."
"Come on, Sav," Zach typed. "Hydramon was the one who was trying to take over my mind. He's dangerous. You know I'm afraid to go back to the Digital World because of him?"
There was a brief pause. "I didn't know that."
Zach was a little nervous about returning to the Digital World, but he figured stretching the truth wouldn't hurt. "Yeah. And what if he does that to other kids? Once we take him down, we won't need to fight anymore." He crossed his fingers, glad Savannah couldn't see him.
There was a long pause.
"I guess you're right," Savannah typed at last. "When do you want to go?"
"Next weekend. Rick has a football game this weekend."
"Check. We'd better track down Tithonia, I don't know her number."
"What's her last name?"
"I ... don't remember. Want to go to CompUSA?"
Tithonia had already left when they arrived. They found out her last name from a co-worker (it was Harris), and looked up her address in the phone book. They tried calling the number listed, but there was no answer. "Look at the address," said Zach. "They live over on the east side."
"Gosh, they must be poor," said Savannah, to whom poverty was a new concept.
They took a bus down to the east side of town and found apartment 118, but there was no answer to their knock. As they stood there on the steps, wondering what to do next, a tall, dark-skinned woman climbed the steps with two bags of groceries in her arms.
"Oh, hello," she said, scrutinizing their faces. "Do you want something?"
"Are you Mrs. Harris?" said Zach. When she nodded, he extended a hand. "I'm Zach, and this is Savannah. We're Tithonia's friends..." He trailed off, acutely aware of their Gothic appearance.
To his relief she smiled. "Oh yes, she's told me about you. Won't you come in?" She unlocked the door and led the way inside.
Zach had never seen such a tiny apartment. Mrs. Harris placed her grocery bags on the sink and began to put their contents away. "Have a seat. Tithonia took Mulemon out for a run, but they should be back any minute."
Zach and Savannah sat down on the threadbare couch before her words sank in.
"Mulemon?" said Savannah.
"Yes, her digimon," said Mrs. Harris.
It was strange to hear the name on the lips of an adult. "You know about digimon?" said Zach.
"Heavens, yes," said Mrs. Harris. "Either of you want something to drink?"
"No thanks," they said. When an uncomfortable silence followed, Savannah ventured, "So, what do you think of Mulemon?"
"She's darling," said Mrs. Harris. "Brings back memories of my own childhood. Except that mine was a horse."
Zach glanced at Savannah. "Yours...?"
"My digimon," said Mrs. Harris. "She died years ago, but I still consider my time in the Digital World as one of the best times in my life." She wiped her hands on a dishcloth and faced them, smiling. "It's good to know the Digital World is still around. I hear you all reached ultimate the other day."
Zach felt as if his brain had gone into shock. "Y-yes," he stuttered. He glanced at Savannah and saw that she, too, was at a loss. An adult who not only knew about the Digital World, but was as familiar with it was themselves!
They were spared further shock as the door opened and Tithonia stepped in, leading Mulemon with a piece of string around her neck. "Oh, hi," she said to Zach and Savannah, then untied the string from around the donkey's neck.
"You take her out in public?" said Savannah, aghast.
"Sure," said Tithonia. "I tell people I'm in 4H. What are you guys doing here?"
"We tried to call, but nobody answered," said Savannah. "We, uh, have something to do in the Digital World..." She glanced at Tithonia's mother.
"It's okay, she's safe," said Tithonia, stroking Mulemon's back. "What is it?"
Zach explained about Hydramon and departing on the following weekend. Tithonia and her mother listened, and when he finished, Tithonia said, "Sure, let's do it. Do you mind, Mom?"
"Just be careful, baby," said Mrs. Harris. "And you two watch out for her."
"We will," Zach and Savannah chorused.
They left soon afterward, refusing offers of dinner, and walked down the street to a bus stop. The bench was taken, so they stood nearby and talked in low voices.
"We have two weeks," said Zach. "I don't even know where Conch Rock is."
"It wasn't on the weather map," said Savannah. "But I'll bet it's on the coast, with a name like that. Chamelemon got there and back in a week, right?"
"True--so it must be three days away, at least," said Zach, thrusting his hands in his pockets and looking sullen as a couple walked by. "Maybe we could find a node near there."
"Maybe," said Savannah, frowning. "I donno, Zach, so far it's all too easy. We have a date and a guide--so what do we have to do, walk up and ask politely if he'll let us kill him?"
A man nearby stared at them, then inched away.
"It might be that simple," said Zach. "Viruses always have people after them, don't they? Maybe he gets challenged all the time."
"And maybe he doesn't. Zach, what happens if we go out there and get killed?"
"The Programmer wouldn't let it happen," said Zach without thinking.
Savannah snickered. "What?"
"Oh--" Zach shook his head. "I sound just like Spikemon. What I mean is, we'll win because our digimon can digivolve up to ultimate now. By the way, what does Hissmon's champion look like?"
"I'll draw you a picture when we get home," said Savannah. "A really, really big snake with front legs."
"That's original."
"Hey, if not for him, Thrashmon would have got you. Don't laugh."
"I wasn't laughing, I was coughing."
"Sure."
Then the bus pulled up, and the two rode home, looking forward to dinner.