Chapter 56: Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch (Literally)
"Well, there's one thing we can try and hope it gives us some answers," Cleaver sighed.
"What's that?"
"We could scan your entire bodies and hope that we can get a subspace resolution scan."
"But…we're just human beings; we shouldn't have subspace matrixes!"
"I'm a human being, and I have a subspace matrix!" Cleaver insisted.
"Well…okay…" Takato climbed into the scanner, and hoped no pain was involved in the scan.
"The point is, the Digidestined from this world have subspace matrixes that allow them to use the digivices. And it lets them use the crest program."
"Crest program, huh?"
"It was a perpetual-loop program that was activated by their specific emotions and virtues. We integrated those emotions into the program deeply so that it was nearly impossible to copy."
"I don't know if that worked…I mean, that evil Digidestined was using counter-crest cards."
"Counter-crest? You mean, those enemy researchers copied the crest program?"
"Yeah. And they're evil; they're working with the power of the anti-crest!" (1)
Cleaver snickered. "You should write that stuff down. That's a good one."
"Huh…? …" Takato chuckled as he realized what Cleaver was talking about. "I didn't even realize that I said that! …So, what's your scanner say?"
"Basically, you have a subspace matrix, but one that only lets you do one thing: change your paper cards into blue cards. From the looks of things, you could turn any piece of paper into a blue card, because cellulose in needed for the transformation. Theoretically, you could change a cotton ball into a blue card, assuming it was real cotton."
"What…?"
"Let's just say that cotton and paper have a lot of the same stuff in them. Anyway, like you said, your matrix only lets you change cards if they're in your right hand."
"So do we know anything new?"
"Not much, no. But if you could make a card transform, we could scan that, and it would give us some idea what happens with the blue cards."
"Well…okay, I'll try it." Takato held up a card in his right hand. Nothing happened. "Huh…I guess it's because I don't need a digivolution, right now…"
Cleaver looked at the readout of Takato's matrix. "You say you could change the cards in the heat of battle?"
"Yeah, I could…"
"Then this might explain it: there are points in your body where your blood leaves normal space and enters subspace. It isn't a big drain form your bloodstream; in fact, it's so small that it's just enough to let your matrix pick up chemical transmitters…I wonder…"
"What's your idea?"
"We need to get your adrenaline level up."
After a few hours, there was a treadmill set up in Cleaver's lab, and Takato was on it, running like there was no tomorrow. "All right…I'm pumped…c'mon, card…do your thing!" he shouted, holding up his hypersonic card. The card changed into a blue card, and Cleaver snatched it out of Takato's hands. He plopped it in his scanner, and ran it over the card.
"Got it!" Cleaver yelled. His mouth dropped open as he looked at the intricate matrix. "Whoa…this is as complex as the crest program, if not more…!"
Panting, Takato asked, "But you got the matrix in your computer?"
"Yes, I do. But for me to decode this…that'll take a while. I can't even guess how long it'll take!"
******
Renamon lay curled up in front of the fire, drying out from her fight as Cyberrufusmon. She could hear Hare and Tiger scrubbing muck off their fur in the bathroom, but what scared her was the silence that hung over the bathroom. She knew that both of those two Monsters were in love with her and jealous for her, and she was scared of what would happen if there would be a fight between them over her. But, then again, considering the battle that had just taken place, there wasn't a very big chance that Hare and Tiger would be able to fight each other (or anyone else) any time soon. Renamon hoped that no fights whatsoever would happen any time soon, and she kept drying out in front of the fire.
Rika was still outside, and still listening to the foreman's speech about labor, and how great it was to finally have robots doing the work (not to mention getting second-hand smoke and second-hand alcohol into her lungs). "I tell you, I'm surprised technology hasn't come far enough to make robots for work! I mean, you're Japanese, right? I've heard that Japan is working on all kinds of robots to do work, and you'd have that project done by now if it wasn't for the recession back in 2022!"
"Hmph." (That "Hmph" translated to: "I resent the fact that you're being so stereotypical by classifying me with the rest of my ethnic group.")
"Anyhow, I think these people-from-another-world who are trying to take over Earth wouldn't really need to kill people…or digimon, for that matter…to pull it off. I mean, if I had the patent on these things, I sure wouldn't need to kill anybody to get a little control in the economy!"
"Hmph." (That "Hmph" translated to: "I don't care what you could do with economics. All I care about is my job: I have some important grumping and grouching to do!")
"Don't get me wrong. I would only be able to command the labor field---which…is…actually the backbone of society, come to think of it. Now, one worker is nothing. A whole bunch of them is something, and absolutely all of them is a huge thing. Come to think of it, if I had control over the whole labor field, that would mean something, all right!"
"Hmph." (That "Hmph" translated to: "Do your ambitions in life also include cutting down the whole rain forest and kidnapping the Pope for ransom?")
"Oh, well…play the hand you're dealt, I guess…and then, there was the time I……" Rika leaned backwards in her chair and shut her eyes. The thought that we could be waiting here for years for Imperialdramon to come back is scarier than getting eaten by a saberstrike, she thought to herself.
******
"So, you think you can take me on?" Gary asked the saberstrikes that were approaching him. "Fine then! I'll just use the giant pokémon I just caught! …Although it would be nicer if I knew their names…" Gary pulled out the two catamarines that he'd caught out from his pocket. He kissed both pokéballs and threw them.
The two catamarines came out. "Urbo-tor-thera, noh unukreshnaiona djom…"
"Urbo-tor-prie!"
"Urbo-tor-andib!" The catamarines disassembled into a pair of black boxes and ten superslagsters.
A bead of sweat trickled down Gary's neck as he realized that he wasn't controlling what the catamarines were doing, and they had just joined the saberstrikes in attacking him.
"N-Nidoking! Arcanine! Gyarados! I choose you!" He let out his three best pokémon. "U-Use Hyper beam and Fire blast on them!" He picked off several, but they didn't stop attacking. Before long, they had forced Gary to call his pokémon back, and they were attacking his car, and had his cheerleading squad on the run. Gary's feelings of self-worth plummeted as his emotional lifeline scurried away in three directions. He gripped his remaining pokéballs. "Exeggutor! Jolteon! Rhydon! Fearow! Go!" His four pokémon fought off the saberstrikes and superslagsters, and the black boxes weren't a big threat because they were for attacking buildings, not people. So Gary was safe…though car-less.
He called his pokémon back and sighed. "Oh, well…I don't have any place to go! I'm not in a hurry! What do I need a car for?"
And at that moment, thunder rolled, answering Gary's question...
(1) This is why I called them "counter-crests": so that I could make this joke once and it would be funny...or not so funny... :(