Paris, France
May 19, 2117
The Paris landscape had changed greatly over the last hundred years. The Eiffel Tower still stood, a monument to the workers who had created this monument nearly 200 years prior. Some of the antiquated buildings still stood as well, preserved through history by various historical societies. These were the only things that stood constant in Paris. The city, once no larger than several dozen square miles, now spanned hundreds of square miles, extending into what once had been central Europe. Steel and concrete filled the skyline around the Paris mega-city, where once open sky had been. Near the center of this behemoth stood the world's tallest building, silhouetted in the morning light. Made of the finest materials anywhere in the solar system, the 150-floor Pentumverate building rose like a lone beacon in the dawn sky.
For many in the once-proclaimed "City of Love", the rising of the sun marked the start of a new workday. The capitol of the United Planetary Government, Paris was considered the cleanest city in the world by many. As workers began their workdays, many boarded the maglev train systems that provided free and easy transport across the entire western half of the continent. For other workers whose jobs required them to be in places on the Eastern Coast of North America or other such locations, sub-atmospheric jets were available at any of several special airports located within the city. These jets, accelerating to speeds at over Mach 7.5 and cruising at altitudes of several hundred thousand feet, connected the Paris mega-city with the rest of the world.
Jaycn Entro, like many in Paris, awoke to the dawning of the new day. Unlike many, however, Jaycn was new to the city. Having only arrived two weeks prior, the young man had not had much of a chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of the mammoth city. Instead, he had spent much of his time preparing for his new job in the large Pentumverate building which dwarfed much of the remaining cityscape. 'Much different from my home in America,' he mused as he gathered up his belongings and prepared for his first day of work.
It seemed like only yesterday when he had been living at his family home in the quiet midwestern part of America. Located approximately fifteen miles west of the Chicago super-city, in what had once been the state of Iowa, the town of Davenport had survived everything history attempted to throw at it. The creation of the UPG had not phased it, nor had the rapid growth that the large cities around the world encountered as prosperity grew under the united government. Davenport had stood by and watched as Chicago's boundaries spread into the former states of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and even a part of Michigan. Yet they remained a testimony to the fact that small towns could indeed thrive in such a large and growing populace.
In Davenport, a town with a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants, Jaycn Entro had been born and raised. He had spent his childhood in the open community, enjoying the nourishment that a small town had to offer. Yet, he was now in the largest city in the world, preparing to begin a job with the group that headed everything on the planet. 'As my ancestors from the 20th Century would say, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire,"' Jaycn thought with a smug grin as he made his way out of his apartment and into the world beyond.
Outside the apartment complex, Jaycn checked his watch. 8:45. Looking up at the sky, Jaycn noted the clear blue sky and took in a deep breath, half in anticipation of the coming workday, and half as a way of calming the nervous butterflies which had taken shelter in his stomach. Slowly, almost hesitant to leave his apartment complex, Jaycn began the walk towards the nearest transit station.
He hadn't gotten more than several yards before he heard a voice call behind him. "Jaycn, wait up!" Pausing, Jaycn turned around and smiled as a short wizard-looking creature hurried to catch him. "Couldn't you at least wait for your partner before deciding to venture off to work?"
Arashimon, an elemental-class Digimon, studied his partner intently. Only three feet tall, Arashimon looked much like a miniature Prospero from Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Adorned with a long, white beard and flowing white hair capped by a small pointed cap, and armed with a small staff containing a crystal on the top, Arashimon seemed to be quite helpless. Looks, though, were not everything. While Arashimon appeared quite helpless, Jaycn knew that he packed some very powerful punches if they ever got in a fight. The two had trained together for many years and knew each other's strengths and weaknesses almost intimately. Jaycn looked down at Arashimon and smiled a bit nervously. "To be honest, I'm quite nervous about work. I shouldn't be, but I am all the same."
Nodding, Arashimon's blue eyes gazed into him with surprising clarity. "As you should be, Jaycn. Few can say that the Pentumverate called them into service at such an early age. Or that, at such a young age, they have accomplished so much." Jaycn knew that he was right. He was only 17, and had already graduated from college. That alone was more than many of his age could say.
"I suppose you are right," Jaycn flashed a brief smile before turning back to continue walking towards the transit station, "But one would think I was over it by now." After all, I survived college. How hard can this job be? Still, he wondered why it was that he felt nervous to begin with. He did not have long to feel nervous, as the transit station was directly ahead.
The transit station was like most buildings of the time. Sleek yet modest, the building gave off a utilitarian feel. As one entered the large multi-level building, it was easy to forget where one was. The inside of the building was a mass of passengers, their cargo, and hundreds of mag-lev tracks on which the mag-levs themselves ran. Passengers made their way through the crowded buildings, past the screening devices, and to their designated platforms. The mag-levs, much like subways of the 20th Century, would take their fill of passengers and then continue on their way to their destinations.
Jaycn and Arashimon hustled with the crowd, making their way up to the fourth level of the building where their mag-lev waited. Around them moved a veritable crowd of humans and Digimon, all going somewhere to do something. Many, like Arashimon and Jaycn, were going to their respective jobs. Others were on their way to training or to recreational facilities. Some were returning home from the night shift. It was not long before the pair made it to their platform, just moments before their transport arrived. Standing clear of the opening doors, the duo waited for the crowd of passengers to empty before rushing in with hundreds of others. Fortunately, Jaycn and his partner were two of the first ones on and were able to secure seats for themselves.
The ride to the Pentumverate Building station was smooth if not brief. It was only a few minutes from the time they had embarked when Arashimon and Jaycn disembarked at the transport station only a block from the Pentumverate building. Hurrying across the busy street outside the transit station, the two made their way into the lobby of the large skyscraper, a part of a mass of workers and tourists that daily flowed through the building.
Built only 16 years prior, the Pentumverate building was a modern marvel at it's greatest. Standing over 200 floors tall, the building rose like a majestic and virtually impervious to both man-made and natural effects, the building housed the planetary government for Earth, as well as the Pentumverate headquarters. It was in this building also that research and development took place on products and ideas that would help better the Pentumverate and the UPG as well as the general populace.
The lobby of the building reflected this fact. Circular, the lobby was accessible from one of five tunnels which led in from the outdoors. Hidden in these tunnels were sophisticated scanning systems that were able to easily and quickly scan anyone who passed through for dangerous substances. If these were found, specially trained security guards would apprehend the person at the end of the tunnel. It was a well known fact that several had tried to blow up the building in the past, one even resorting to trying to induce an artificial earthquake in the fault below Paris. Though many had tried, The lobby itself was like the inside of a cylinder, with a mosaic running around the outer wall of the lobby, telling the pictorial story of the history of Earth since 1492 when Columbus made his discovery of the New World. The mosaic ended with several yards of emptiness, a reminder of the future yet to come.
At the center of the room stood a bank of high-speed elevators. Designed to fit nearly 30 people per car, the multi-car elevators traveled ceaselessly up and down the building, delivering occupants to whatever floor they desired (and had proper access codes for). As Jaycn and Arashimon reached the elevators, they found a small line gathered. Lines were occasional, but never lasted long. This line was no exception. The line of humans and Digimon swiftly receded as elevator cars took on the line of passengers. Jaycn and Arashimon swiftly moved with the line into the nearest elevator, cramming themselves into what many considered a luscious space for an elevator car. Surrounded by people, Arashimon was able to move enough to hit the button for their floor. The doors shut behind them, and within moments the elevator was moving skyward.
Slowly, the car moved upwards, stopping every few floors to let out passengers. As people and digimon got out, Jaycn and Arashimon found themselves able to move a bit. The elevator was slow through the first seventy floors, and Jaycn guessed that most of the people and digimon who got off were office workers for the various offices that resided on the lower floors. With many of the people and digimon now gone, Jaycn took an opportunity to look around him at the others standing in the car. There were a handful of humans and their digimon scattered in the car, waiting for their destination floors to arrive.
One in particular caught Jaycn's eye. She was tall, but it wasn't so much her height that had caught his eye as it was her appearance as it was the hidden grace that belied every miniscule move she made. She was at least 6'5, he figured, but seemed extremely willowy and lithe. Her hair was silver in color, and she was dressed in a rather conservative manner; long black pants and a cardigan sweater. She wore no jewelry, save a pendant necklace which bore an unusual sapphire at its end. Beside her stood what Jaycn assumed to be her partner digimon. It was not very tall; maybe a foot and a half or so, and looked like a white housecat. He had never seen it before, and so assumed it was one of a type of digimon he had never seen before.
It turned to gaze on him, amber feline eyes meeting his. Then, it winked and looked away, a small smile forming on its face. Its partner, as if on silent cue, glared down at him and scowled menacingly, then looked back at the walls of the elevator car and closed her eyes, seeming to silently reflect on him. The air felt alive around him, suddenly, and a thought entered unbidden into his mind. Don't mess with the girl if you hope to live to see tomorrow. Just as suddenly, the thought left his mind and the air calmed. Wondering what had just happened, he noticed the girl staring more intently at him. She nodded, as if affirming his suspicions that she (or her partner) had somehow just done that. At that time the car stopped at the top floor, and Jaycn was mildly surprised to notice her getting off at this floor. Not allowing his curiosity to get the better of his business ethic, he straightened and beckoned for Arashimon, then stepped out of the car and into his new job: the Temporal-Loci Agency for the United Planetary Government and the Pentumverate.
The Pentumverate offices could have passed for any regular office building. A small series of cubicles on Jacyn's left marked the individual offices for the agents. Directly ahead of him was a table, projected above it was a three-dimensional diagram of the planet. Points on the planet were highlighted on the computer-generated model, with characters too small to read over them. Just off to his right was a door marked "Briefing Room". All around Jaycn, digimon and their partners moved about. Some worked in the cubicles, others stood beside the map.
"Ah, you must be Jaycn!" a booming voice rang out from behind them, interrupting his reverie. Turning, Jaycn gazed into the suit jacket of a tall, dark-featured man. "I'm Kenta Soryana, head of the department." The man offered Jaycn a meaty hand, which Jaycn gladly shook.
"So you're the mysterious Mr. Soryana!" Jaycn smiled. He had never talked directly with his employer, nor had they met in person before today. Soryana had, rather, preferred using his 'lackeys' or underlings to speak for him. To finally meet the man who was his boss was a great relief for Jaycn. Smiling, he turned to introduce his partner. "This is Arashimon, my partner." The digimon bowed politely, his walking staff in one hand and his cap in the other.
"It's so good to meet you, Arashimon," Soryana smiled warmly and bowed back to the Digimon before turning his attention over to the human. "If you'll please come with me to my office, Jaycn, we'll get you settled in right away."
Nodding, Jaycn followed the older man back through the cubicles to an office at the rear of everything. Soryana opened the door and Jaycn stepped into what one would describe as another world. The room was filled with plants of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Hanging plants dominated the ceiling, while vines grew up the walls of the room. Every available table or flat area had at least one or two flowerpots on it; all save for the desk in the center of it all. Taking a seat behind the desk, Soryana beckoned the two to have a seat in the chairs on the other side of the desk.
Politely, the two had a seat, eager to get started and curious about this room. After some moments of Soryana pecking at a computer, he finally nodded to the two. "Ah, here we are. Forgive my office, gentlemen. Everyone needs a sanctuary in these boom times, and I am not immune to that either. I see all the proper paperwork has been taken care of, so you two can begin your work today. I will be pairing you with one of our agents, as is standard procedure."
The man pressed a button on his desk, and after a moment a knock came from the door. "You can come in, Ay'lina," Soryana called without looking up from his computer. Slowly, the door opened to reveal, much to Jaycn's surprise, the same mysterious woman he had seen in the elevator. Right behind her came her partner, the housecat. "Jaycn, this is Ay'lina. She's 18 and one of our highest qualified agents. Her partner is Akentomon. You two will be working together as partners."
Armed with a name and a face, Jaycn put on his warmest smile and stood, extending his hand to his new partner. "I'm Jaycn Entro. Pleased to meet you." Instead of taking his hand, the woman stared at it for a second then at him. "The feeling's mutual," she coolly replied, her eyes locked on him. She then turned her attention over to Soryana. "Boss, can I see you alone for a minute?"
Flinching, Soryana shook his head. "I know what you're going to say, Ay'lina. You know what I'm going to say as well. Don't push the subject. You know what procedure is."
Emotionless, she nodded and coolly strode out of the door, leaving it open for her partner to follow. Instead of following, however, the housecat gazed upon the both of them. Again, Jaycn had that funny feeling he had experienced in the elevator. Nice to meet you, Jaycn. Just don't get in our way and we'll get along just fine. Quietly, it slunk out the door, which closed behind it with a small click.
Jaycn frowned at the situation. Evidently, as was confirmed a moment later, one or both of them were telepaths. "Don't mind those two; they're very highly trained in mind arts. What you just experienced was Akentomon's way of saying hello. She's like that." Sighing, Soryana turned his attention back to the two. "I would show you around, but I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. I don't think you'll have a hard time finding the briefing room, though. Just look for the shift head, Angela Davidson. She'll get you broken in and get you started on your assignments."
The briefing room was one of the more oddly-designed rooms in the building. Looking, from the standpoint of the blueprints, to be a pentagon in shape, the briefing room was literally just that-a room meant for group briefings, discussions, and presentations. The 'square' part of the building was filled mostly with the large briefing table which sat in it's center, with seats for up to twenty people. The table itself was quite state of the art, housing all sorts of equipment inside it to allow people to utilize many different means of briefing. This left the remaining triangular- shaped section of the briefing room. This housed a small theater of sorts, with, again, seating for around twenty people. The seats were laid out such that everyone had a view of the large projection screens, and could easily see any speakers who might wish to speak at the head of the room.
When Jaycn and Arashimon entered the room they noted there were already others present. Several, around ten, humans and Digimon stood, dressed in various styles of clothing, all talking amongst themselves, clearly waiting for someone to arrive and begin the day's briefing. They looked over at the newcomers, confusion evident but quickly turning to smiles of welcome. No doubt they had been briefed on the pair's arrival. Their focus quickly shifted to a point behind Jaycn and Arashimon, and Jaycn surmised that Angela Davidson, the team leader Soryana had spoken of, had arrived.
Turning, Jaycn caught sight of a young woman, maybe in her early 20s, entering the room. She was dressed professionally, in a business suit and skirt, and was escorted by, of all Digimon, a Gatomon. Standing about as tall as Jaycn, Angela had short black hair cut in a pageboy style, and walked with a poise that suggested she could be all business if she chose. Taking the nearest seat, Jaycn and Arashimon took a moment to look around at everyone else, catching Ay'lina's eye for a brief moment before the other turned away. Then, Angela started the meeting.
"Good morning. I see Jaycn and Arashimon have joined us. Welcome aboard. " Her introduction was formal and to the point, no-nonsense in every way. "We've got a few things going in the short-term. Daniel-I want you, Lei, and your partners to finish up the report on 92-C. Joshe, you and Twilight need to get that update to me in before the end of the week on your assessment of the new prototype system. Ay'lina, you'll be teaming with Jaycn and showing him the static bubble generation machine, and the other equipment he'll be working with. The rest of you will be doing monitoring. Team One will be rotating on-duty this week, Team Two next week. Any questions?"
She looked around the room for any, but found none. Apparently this was common. "Didn't think so. Alright, folks, let's get to work!" The team stood up, chattering among themselves as they went their ways, digimon and their partners going their own ways as the workday began. In moments, the room was deserted, save himself, Arashimon, Ay'lina, Angela, and their partners. "Angela, I wish to protest my assignment," Ay'lina began, not even caring that Jaycn was there or not.
"I've already spoken with the boss on this one, and we both agree that this is in your best interest. You're the most experienced members on this team, and the best suited to show him the ropes. You know policy; everyone gets a partner on the team." Angela's voice was firm but friendly, and Jaycn could tell she was trying to keep a level head and temper about her.
"But." Ay'lina tried to say but was surprisingly cut off. "But nothing. It's an order." Angela's voice was, if anything, even more calm than before, but it now had a sharp edge, belying a sharp temper behind the calm façade. This is someone you don't want to make mad, Jaycn thought as the taller woman actually seemed cowed by her superior.
Sighing and closing her eyes for a moment, Ay'lina's visible displeasure subsided as quickly as Angela's temper had formed. After a second, the Amazonian woman nodded politely. "Understood, Angela," she replied in an almost meek voice, the defiance totally gone. The superior smiled. "I'm sure you two will get along quite well," they heard as Angela turned her back on the two and proceeded toward the door, her digimon partner in tow.
"Since I am to 'show you the ropes', allow me to begin by laying down the rules. These are unspoken rules that we use on the team; you are expected to follow them like everyone else." Ay'lina's words brought Jaycn back to reality, and he was surprised at how calm her tone remained. He'd expected these sorts of words to come from a person who was agitated or upset, but Ay'lina was showing no such symptoms. "First and foremost, every morning there will be a briefing at 0900 here in the conference room. It is here that we get our assignments and check up on the latest assignments that have been completed. You will be expected to attend." She started walking toward the door, her partner keeping pace, causing Jaycn and Arashimon to have to catch up with them.
Exiting the door, the four turned back toward what Jaycn presumed to be the main office area, where the cubicles were. "You will be assigned an office later today, like the rest of us. When you are not in the field or on assignment, you will work there. We do not have strict policies regarding attendance or dress, but we ask that if you wish to work at home you let us know and that you dress in a casual yet acceptable manner." Jaycn took this to mean that they probably frowned upon such things as jeans and a t-shirt, but he probably also wouldn't want to wear a suit in every day. "Finally, be aware that once a month we evaluate everyone's performance and these evaluations are submitted to the head of the Planetary Congressional Oversight Committee. They have the final determination as to your status. Soryana sends his suggestions to the Committee and they decide from there based on his suggestions and the evaluations. Do you have any questions so far?"
Neither of them did, though this was not surprising. Jaycn was no stranger to this sort of environment, and he figured he'd adapt pretty quickly to it in a relatively short amount of time. Shaking his head, he motioned for her to continue what he presumed would be a proper tour. "You have seen the main office area of the TLA, but this is a small part of our job. From this display board, we monitor all activity that may disrupt space or time." She pointed to the large display, at which two humans and their partners sat, special headsets on as they looked at data. "The console system itself is fairly straightforward to use, and the digimon themselves can direct-access for faster connections." Arashimon nodded and stored this data away; Jaycn simply looked around. Leading the small tour group onward past the cubicles toward the "back" of the offices, Ay'lina continued. "A part of your job here will involve using and developing the special technologies we use when we're on field assignment. Much like the old American FBI, our agents go into the field sometime to do investigations or assist others with projects. Sometimes a historian comes to us and wishes to travel into the past to document historical events. Other times, anthropologists wish to observe other dimensions. Whatever the reasons, it is our job to assist these professionals in their research and do our own as well."
They turned a corner and came face to face with a large steel door. The door itself was at least fifteen feet high and ten feet wide, and looked to be made of very solid construction. At the side of the door was a keypad and other equipment whose purpose, Jaycn figured, he was about to learn. Stopping, Ay'lina and Akentomon turned to face the two. "This," she began calmly after giving them a moment's pause, "is the heart of our organization. It is from here that we go into the field and test our equipment. To obtain access to what is in here, you need to key in your security code-you will receive that later today as well-and then submit to a retinal scan and a sonometric scan. The sonometric scan will determine if you are from this dimension or not, and the retinal scan will determine your proper identity. I regret that our security may be a bit out of date; we are supposed to have better systems installed within a month." Approaching the keypad, she quickly keyed in her code, then stood still as a laser appeared at eye level for a moment before disappearing rapidly. Slowly, the doors parted, revealing a black-matte interior.
Entering the interior, Jaycn realized that the facility was larger than it first appeared to be. There were several cylindrical chambers located around the perimeter of the chamber, each of which had a black door and keypad. Off to his right, there was a bank of lockers, some benches, and a couple doors whose destinations were unknown to him. Walking slowly over to the bank of lockers, Ay'lina beckoned for the two to follow her.
"These lockers house our gear. It is in here that you will find the protective suits we will be working with. I'm sure you've had a chance to review them before," she continued in what Jaycn now dubbed a "tour guide" voice. "Go ahead and suit up and we will get started right away acclimating you to the environment in which you will be working.
The Paris landscape had changed greatly over the last hundred years. The Eiffel Tower still stood, a monument to the workers who had created this monument nearly 200 years prior. Some of the antiquated buildings still stood as well, preserved through history by various historical societies. These were the only things that stood constant in Paris. The city, once no larger than several dozen square miles, now spanned hundreds of square miles, extending into what once had been central Europe. Steel and concrete filled the skyline around the Paris mega-city, where once open sky had been. Near the center of this behemoth stood the world's tallest building, silhouetted in the morning light. Made of the finest materials anywhere in the solar system, the 150-floor Pentumverate building rose like a lone beacon in the dawn sky.
For many in the once-proclaimed "City of Love", the rising of the sun marked the start of a new workday. The capitol of the United Planetary Government, Paris was considered the cleanest city in the world by many. As workers began their workdays, many boarded the maglev train systems that provided free and easy transport across the entire western half of the continent. For other workers whose jobs required them to be in places on the Eastern Coast of North America or other such locations, sub-atmospheric jets were available at any of several special airports located within the city. These jets, accelerating to speeds at over Mach 7.5 and cruising at altitudes of several hundred thousand feet, connected the Paris mega-city with the rest of the world.
Jaycn Entro, like many in Paris, awoke to the dawning of the new day. Unlike many, however, Jaycn was new to the city. Having only arrived two weeks prior, the young man had not had much of a chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of the mammoth city. Instead, he had spent much of his time preparing for his new job in the large Pentumverate building which dwarfed much of the remaining cityscape. 'Much different from my home in America,' he mused as he gathered up his belongings and prepared for his first day of work.
It seemed like only yesterday when he had been living at his family home in the quiet midwestern part of America. Located approximately fifteen miles west of the Chicago super-city, in what had once been the state of Iowa, the town of Davenport had survived everything history attempted to throw at it. The creation of the UPG had not phased it, nor had the rapid growth that the large cities around the world encountered as prosperity grew under the united government. Davenport had stood by and watched as Chicago's boundaries spread into the former states of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and even a part of Michigan. Yet they remained a testimony to the fact that small towns could indeed thrive in such a large and growing populace.
In Davenport, a town with a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants, Jaycn Entro had been born and raised. He had spent his childhood in the open community, enjoying the nourishment that a small town had to offer. Yet, he was now in the largest city in the world, preparing to begin a job with the group that headed everything on the planet. 'As my ancestors from the 20th Century would say, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire,"' Jaycn thought with a smug grin as he made his way out of his apartment and into the world beyond.
Outside the apartment complex, Jaycn checked his watch. 8:45. Looking up at the sky, Jaycn noted the clear blue sky and took in a deep breath, half in anticipation of the coming workday, and half as a way of calming the nervous butterflies which had taken shelter in his stomach. Slowly, almost hesitant to leave his apartment complex, Jaycn began the walk towards the nearest transit station.
He hadn't gotten more than several yards before he heard a voice call behind him. "Jaycn, wait up!" Pausing, Jaycn turned around and smiled as a short wizard-looking creature hurried to catch him. "Couldn't you at least wait for your partner before deciding to venture off to work?"
Arashimon, an elemental-class Digimon, studied his partner intently. Only three feet tall, Arashimon looked much like a miniature Prospero from Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Adorned with a long, white beard and flowing white hair capped by a small pointed cap, and armed with a small staff containing a crystal on the top, Arashimon seemed to be quite helpless. Looks, though, were not everything. While Arashimon appeared quite helpless, Jaycn knew that he packed some very powerful punches if they ever got in a fight. The two had trained together for many years and knew each other's strengths and weaknesses almost intimately. Jaycn looked down at Arashimon and smiled a bit nervously. "To be honest, I'm quite nervous about work. I shouldn't be, but I am all the same."
Nodding, Arashimon's blue eyes gazed into him with surprising clarity. "As you should be, Jaycn. Few can say that the Pentumverate called them into service at such an early age. Or that, at such a young age, they have accomplished so much." Jaycn knew that he was right. He was only 17, and had already graduated from college. That alone was more than many of his age could say.
"I suppose you are right," Jaycn flashed a brief smile before turning back to continue walking towards the transit station, "But one would think I was over it by now." After all, I survived college. How hard can this job be? Still, he wondered why it was that he felt nervous to begin with. He did not have long to feel nervous, as the transit station was directly ahead.
The transit station was like most buildings of the time. Sleek yet modest, the building gave off a utilitarian feel. As one entered the large multi-level building, it was easy to forget where one was. The inside of the building was a mass of passengers, their cargo, and hundreds of mag-lev tracks on which the mag-levs themselves ran. Passengers made their way through the crowded buildings, past the screening devices, and to their designated platforms. The mag-levs, much like subways of the 20th Century, would take their fill of passengers and then continue on their way to their destinations.
Jaycn and Arashimon hustled with the crowd, making their way up to the fourth level of the building where their mag-lev waited. Around them moved a veritable crowd of humans and Digimon, all going somewhere to do something. Many, like Arashimon and Jaycn, were going to their respective jobs. Others were on their way to training or to recreational facilities. Some were returning home from the night shift. It was not long before the pair made it to their platform, just moments before their transport arrived. Standing clear of the opening doors, the duo waited for the crowd of passengers to empty before rushing in with hundreds of others. Fortunately, Jaycn and his partner were two of the first ones on and were able to secure seats for themselves.
The ride to the Pentumverate Building station was smooth if not brief. It was only a few minutes from the time they had embarked when Arashimon and Jaycn disembarked at the transport station only a block from the Pentumverate building. Hurrying across the busy street outside the transit station, the two made their way into the lobby of the large skyscraper, a part of a mass of workers and tourists that daily flowed through the building.
Built only 16 years prior, the Pentumverate building was a modern marvel at it's greatest. Standing over 200 floors tall, the building rose like a majestic and virtually impervious to both man-made and natural effects, the building housed the planetary government for Earth, as well as the Pentumverate headquarters. It was in this building also that research and development took place on products and ideas that would help better the Pentumverate and the UPG as well as the general populace.
The lobby of the building reflected this fact. Circular, the lobby was accessible from one of five tunnels which led in from the outdoors. Hidden in these tunnels were sophisticated scanning systems that were able to easily and quickly scan anyone who passed through for dangerous substances. If these were found, specially trained security guards would apprehend the person at the end of the tunnel. It was a well known fact that several had tried to blow up the building in the past, one even resorting to trying to induce an artificial earthquake in the fault below Paris. Though many had tried, The lobby itself was like the inside of a cylinder, with a mosaic running around the outer wall of the lobby, telling the pictorial story of the history of Earth since 1492 when Columbus made his discovery of the New World. The mosaic ended with several yards of emptiness, a reminder of the future yet to come.
At the center of the room stood a bank of high-speed elevators. Designed to fit nearly 30 people per car, the multi-car elevators traveled ceaselessly up and down the building, delivering occupants to whatever floor they desired (and had proper access codes for). As Jaycn and Arashimon reached the elevators, they found a small line gathered. Lines were occasional, but never lasted long. This line was no exception. The line of humans and Digimon swiftly receded as elevator cars took on the line of passengers. Jaycn and Arashimon swiftly moved with the line into the nearest elevator, cramming themselves into what many considered a luscious space for an elevator car. Surrounded by people, Arashimon was able to move enough to hit the button for their floor. The doors shut behind them, and within moments the elevator was moving skyward.
Slowly, the car moved upwards, stopping every few floors to let out passengers. As people and digimon got out, Jaycn and Arashimon found themselves able to move a bit. The elevator was slow through the first seventy floors, and Jaycn guessed that most of the people and digimon who got off were office workers for the various offices that resided on the lower floors. With many of the people and digimon now gone, Jaycn took an opportunity to look around him at the others standing in the car. There were a handful of humans and their digimon scattered in the car, waiting for their destination floors to arrive.
One in particular caught Jaycn's eye. She was tall, but it wasn't so much her height that had caught his eye as it was her appearance as it was the hidden grace that belied every miniscule move she made. She was at least 6'5, he figured, but seemed extremely willowy and lithe. Her hair was silver in color, and she was dressed in a rather conservative manner; long black pants and a cardigan sweater. She wore no jewelry, save a pendant necklace which bore an unusual sapphire at its end. Beside her stood what Jaycn assumed to be her partner digimon. It was not very tall; maybe a foot and a half or so, and looked like a white housecat. He had never seen it before, and so assumed it was one of a type of digimon he had never seen before.
It turned to gaze on him, amber feline eyes meeting his. Then, it winked and looked away, a small smile forming on its face. Its partner, as if on silent cue, glared down at him and scowled menacingly, then looked back at the walls of the elevator car and closed her eyes, seeming to silently reflect on him. The air felt alive around him, suddenly, and a thought entered unbidden into his mind. Don't mess with the girl if you hope to live to see tomorrow. Just as suddenly, the thought left his mind and the air calmed. Wondering what had just happened, he noticed the girl staring more intently at him. She nodded, as if affirming his suspicions that she (or her partner) had somehow just done that. At that time the car stopped at the top floor, and Jaycn was mildly surprised to notice her getting off at this floor. Not allowing his curiosity to get the better of his business ethic, he straightened and beckoned for Arashimon, then stepped out of the car and into his new job: the Temporal-Loci Agency for the United Planetary Government and the Pentumverate.
The Pentumverate offices could have passed for any regular office building. A small series of cubicles on Jacyn's left marked the individual offices for the agents. Directly ahead of him was a table, projected above it was a three-dimensional diagram of the planet. Points on the planet were highlighted on the computer-generated model, with characters too small to read over them. Just off to his right was a door marked "Briefing Room". All around Jaycn, digimon and their partners moved about. Some worked in the cubicles, others stood beside the map.
"Ah, you must be Jaycn!" a booming voice rang out from behind them, interrupting his reverie. Turning, Jaycn gazed into the suit jacket of a tall, dark-featured man. "I'm Kenta Soryana, head of the department." The man offered Jaycn a meaty hand, which Jaycn gladly shook.
"So you're the mysterious Mr. Soryana!" Jaycn smiled. He had never talked directly with his employer, nor had they met in person before today. Soryana had, rather, preferred using his 'lackeys' or underlings to speak for him. To finally meet the man who was his boss was a great relief for Jaycn. Smiling, he turned to introduce his partner. "This is Arashimon, my partner." The digimon bowed politely, his walking staff in one hand and his cap in the other.
"It's so good to meet you, Arashimon," Soryana smiled warmly and bowed back to the Digimon before turning his attention over to the human. "If you'll please come with me to my office, Jaycn, we'll get you settled in right away."
Nodding, Jaycn followed the older man back through the cubicles to an office at the rear of everything. Soryana opened the door and Jaycn stepped into what one would describe as another world. The room was filled with plants of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Hanging plants dominated the ceiling, while vines grew up the walls of the room. Every available table or flat area had at least one or two flowerpots on it; all save for the desk in the center of it all. Taking a seat behind the desk, Soryana beckoned the two to have a seat in the chairs on the other side of the desk.
Politely, the two had a seat, eager to get started and curious about this room. After some moments of Soryana pecking at a computer, he finally nodded to the two. "Ah, here we are. Forgive my office, gentlemen. Everyone needs a sanctuary in these boom times, and I am not immune to that either. I see all the proper paperwork has been taken care of, so you two can begin your work today. I will be pairing you with one of our agents, as is standard procedure."
The man pressed a button on his desk, and after a moment a knock came from the door. "You can come in, Ay'lina," Soryana called without looking up from his computer. Slowly, the door opened to reveal, much to Jaycn's surprise, the same mysterious woman he had seen in the elevator. Right behind her came her partner, the housecat. "Jaycn, this is Ay'lina. She's 18 and one of our highest qualified agents. Her partner is Akentomon. You two will be working together as partners."
Armed with a name and a face, Jaycn put on his warmest smile and stood, extending his hand to his new partner. "I'm Jaycn Entro. Pleased to meet you." Instead of taking his hand, the woman stared at it for a second then at him. "The feeling's mutual," she coolly replied, her eyes locked on him. She then turned her attention over to Soryana. "Boss, can I see you alone for a minute?"
Flinching, Soryana shook his head. "I know what you're going to say, Ay'lina. You know what I'm going to say as well. Don't push the subject. You know what procedure is."
Emotionless, she nodded and coolly strode out of the door, leaving it open for her partner to follow. Instead of following, however, the housecat gazed upon the both of them. Again, Jaycn had that funny feeling he had experienced in the elevator. Nice to meet you, Jaycn. Just don't get in our way and we'll get along just fine. Quietly, it slunk out the door, which closed behind it with a small click.
Jaycn frowned at the situation. Evidently, as was confirmed a moment later, one or both of them were telepaths. "Don't mind those two; they're very highly trained in mind arts. What you just experienced was Akentomon's way of saying hello. She's like that." Sighing, Soryana turned his attention back to the two. "I would show you around, but I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. I don't think you'll have a hard time finding the briefing room, though. Just look for the shift head, Angela Davidson. She'll get you broken in and get you started on your assignments."
The briefing room was one of the more oddly-designed rooms in the building. Looking, from the standpoint of the blueprints, to be a pentagon in shape, the briefing room was literally just that-a room meant for group briefings, discussions, and presentations. The 'square' part of the building was filled mostly with the large briefing table which sat in it's center, with seats for up to twenty people. The table itself was quite state of the art, housing all sorts of equipment inside it to allow people to utilize many different means of briefing. This left the remaining triangular- shaped section of the briefing room. This housed a small theater of sorts, with, again, seating for around twenty people. The seats were laid out such that everyone had a view of the large projection screens, and could easily see any speakers who might wish to speak at the head of the room.
When Jaycn and Arashimon entered the room they noted there were already others present. Several, around ten, humans and Digimon stood, dressed in various styles of clothing, all talking amongst themselves, clearly waiting for someone to arrive and begin the day's briefing. They looked over at the newcomers, confusion evident but quickly turning to smiles of welcome. No doubt they had been briefed on the pair's arrival. Their focus quickly shifted to a point behind Jaycn and Arashimon, and Jaycn surmised that Angela Davidson, the team leader Soryana had spoken of, had arrived.
Turning, Jaycn caught sight of a young woman, maybe in her early 20s, entering the room. She was dressed professionally, in a business suit and skirt, and was escorted by, of all Digimon, a Gatomon. Standing about as tall as Jaycn, Angela had short black hair cut in a pageboy style, and walked with a poise that suggested she could be all business if she chose. Taking the nearest seat, Jaycn and Arashimon took a moment to look around at everyone else, catching Ay'lina's eye for a brief moment before the other turned away. Then, Angela started the meeting.
"Good morning. I see Jaycn and Arashimon have joined us. Welcome aboard. " Her introduction was formal and to the point, no-nonsense in every way. "We've got a few things going in the short-term. Daniel-I want you, Lei, and your partners to finish up the report on 92-C. Joshe, you and Twilight need to get that update to me in before the end of the week on your assessment of the new prototype system. Ay'lina, you'll be teaming with Jaycn and showing him the static bubble generation machine, and the other equipment he'll be working with. The rest of you will be doing monitoring. Team One will be rotating on-duty this week, Team Two next week. Any questions?"
She looked around the room for any, but found none. Apparently this was common. "Didn't think so. Alright, folks, let's get to work!" The team stood up, chattering among themselves as they went their ways, digimon and their partners going their own ways as the workday began. In moments, the room was deserted, save himself, Arashimon, Ay'lina, Angela, and their partners. "Angela, I wish to protest my assignment," Ay'lina began, not even caring that Jaycn was there or not.
"I've already spoken with the boss on this one, and we both agree that this is in your best interest. You're the most experienced members on this team, and the best suited to show him the ropes. You know policy; everyone gets a partner on the team." Angela's voice was firm but friendly, and Jaycn could tell she was trying to keep a level head and temper about her.
"But." Ay'lina tried to say but was surprisingly cut off. "But nothing. It's an order." Angela's voice was, if anything, even more calm than before, but it now had a sharp edge, belying a sharp temper behind the calm façade. This is someone you don't want to make mad, Jaycn thought as the taller woman actually seemed cowed by her superior.
Sighing and closing her eyes for a moment, Ay'lina's visible displeasure subsided as quickly as Angela's temper had formed. After a second, the Amazonian woman nodded politely. "Understood, Angela," she replied in an almost meek voice, the defiance totally gone. The superior smiled. "I'm sure you two will get along quite well," they heard as Angela turned her back on the two and proceeded toward the door, her digimon partner in tow.
"Since I am to 'show you the ropes', allow me to begin by laying down the rules. These are unspoken rules that we use on the team; you are expected to follow them like everyone else." Ay'lina's words brought Jaycn back to reality, and he was surprised at how calm her tone remained. He'd expected these sorts of words to come from a person who was agitated or upset, but Ay'lina was showing no such symptoms. "First and foremost, every morning there will be a briefing at 0900 here in the conference room. It is here that we get our assignments and check up on the latest assignments that have been completed. You will be expected to attend." She started walking toward the door, her partner keeping pace, causing Jaycn and Arashimon to have to catch up with them.
Exiting the door, the four turned back toward what Jaycn presumed to be the main office area, where the cubicles were. "You will be assigned an office later today, like the rest of us. When you are not in the field or on assignment, you will work there. We do not have strict policies regarding attendance or dress, but we ask that if you wish to work at home you let us know and that you dress in a casual yet acceptable manner." Jaycn took this to mean that they probably frowned upon such things as jeans and a t-shirt, but he probably also wouldn't want to wear a suit in every day. "Finally, be aware that once a month we evaluate everyone's performance and these evaluations are submitted to the head of the Planetary Congressional Oversight Committee. They have the final determination as to your status. Soryana sends his suggestions to the Committee and they decide from there based on his suggestions and the evaluations. Do you have any questions so far?"
Neither of them did, though this was not surprising. Jaycn was no stranger to this sort of environment, and he figured he'd adapt pretty quickly to it in a relatively short amount of time. Shaking his head, he motioned for her to continue what he presumed would be a proper tour. "You have seen the main office area of the TLA, but this is a small part of our job. From this display board, we monitor all activity that may disrupt space or time." She pointed to the large display, at which two humans and their partners sat, special headsets on as they looked at data. "The console system itself is fairly straightforward to use, and the digimon themselves can direct-access for faster connections." Arashimon nodded and stored this data away; Jaycn simply looked around. Leading the small tour group onward past the cubicles toward the "back" of the offices, Ay'lina continued. "A part of your job here will involve using and developing the special technologies we use when we're on field assignment. Much like the old American FBI, our agents go into the field sometime to do investigations or assist others with projects. Sometimes a historian comes to us and wishes to travel into the past to document historical events. Other times, anthropologists wish to observe other dimensions. Whatever the reasons, it is our job to assist these professionals in their research and do our own as well."
They turned a corner and came face to face with a large steel door. The door itself was at least fifteen feet high and ten feet wide, and looked to be made of very solid construction. At the side of the door was a keypad and other equipment whose purpose, Jaycn figured, he was about to learn. Stopping, Ay'lina and Akentomon turned to face the two. "This," she began calmly after giving them a moment's pause, "is the heart of our organization. It is from here that we go into the field and test our equipment. To obtain access to what is in here, you need to key in your security code-you will receive that later today as well-and then submit to a retinal scan and a sonometric scan. The sonometric scan will determine if you are from this dimension or not, and the retinal scan will determine your proper identity. I regret that our security may be a bit out of date; we are supposed to have better systems installed within a month." Approaching the keypad, she quickly keyed in her code, then stood still as a laser appeared at eye level for a moment before disappearing rapidly. Slowly, the doors parted, revealing a black-matte interior.
Entering the interior, Jaycn realized that the facility was larger than it first appeared to be. There were several cylindrical chambers located around the perimeter of the chamber, each of which had a black door and keypad. Off to his right, there was a bank of lockers, some benches, and a couple doors whose destinations were unknown to him. Walking slowly over to the bank of lockers, Ay'lina beckoned for the two to follow her.
"These lockers house our gear. It is in here that you will find the protective suits we will be working with. I'm sure you've had a chance to review them before," she continued in what Jaycn now dubbed a "tour guide" voice. "Go ahead and suit up and we will get started right away acclimating you to the environment in which you will be working.