NOTE: Christian content.

Chapter 42: Power Beyond Me

Sora held an orphan in her arms, rocking him gently to try to get him to go to sleep. He'd been crying all afternoon, and Sora wondered if he wasn't sick, or hurt. She wished that Joe had been there to look after the child, but she knew that he was back at their other base. What really scared her was the realization that time was horribly scrambled on Earth: for all she knew, weeks or even years had passed between the time she left that base for the pageant and the time when Matt and Gabumon would arrive. Then again, she reminded herself, trying to keep despair from taking hold, It's just as likely that only a few seconds have passed, and that they'll be back any minute, now.

The boy on her lap suddenly asked her, "What's going on?"

"Hmm?"

"What's happening? What's going on?"

"I…I'm not sure what you mean…"

"I mean out there…in here too. What's going on everywhere?"

Sora was beginning to see what the child was asking: he wanted a general description of how things were. He wanted to see the big picture.

Of course, Sora felt that way, too. She wondered in her mind how much she could tell him, and how much he would understand…

The boy sighed before she made up her mind. "This is just like work: nobody tells me anything!"

"Hmm?! You were an adult before all this happened?"

"Yeah…and I really resent going through childhood all over again. I really don't look forward to puberty: I had enough of zits and a squeaky voice the first time."

Sora couldn't help but chuckle. "You know…I was an adult, too, but…I only know that because somebody else told me. I don't remember anything about what I did, or who I was."

"Spooky."

"I know."

"So…somebody else told you what was going on, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Why won't you tell me, then?"

Sora sighed. "Because I scarcely know, myself. I mean…well…I'll tell you what I know: some outer space aliens think it's a good idea to try and take over Earth. They destroyed the Digiworld because their soldiers can't go into the Digiworld. On top of that, they attacked time on Earth, too, so that time is completely messed up."

"Like how?"

"It's tough to describe…but I've heard of places where there's something like a wall that you go through, and time moves faster on one side of the wall than on the other."

"Weird…"

"There's other stuff, too…like a time tornado that takes stuff in and spits out versions of it from other time periods. One of our fighters went in, and three of him came out…it was weird."

"Yikes!"

"And that's not all…their soldiers are like digimon, but they're robots that eat people alive…they ate a lot of the parents of kids that are here."

The boy just nodded. He yawned. "This is too sad for words."

"I know…"

"All I wanna do is cry…"

"I know…" Sora was almost ready to burst into tears, herself, when she felt a reminder of Tina's words in her head: she had to keep strong to set an example for the others. But she again felt she couldn't keep strong because she wasn't strong… But these words surfaced in her head in a way she never felt before: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." If she could do anything…then…

She wiped the tears off the boy's face and decided to try to come across as strong. "There's no point in crying if it won't help. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I think you've cried enough for today."

He nodded slowly. Sora wrapped him up in his blanket and found a spot on the floor to set him down. She kneeled at his bedside, wondering what next. He wasn't getting to sleep easily, and she knew that he should probably get some sleep. If they were attacked again, they would need to be well-rested…either to run, or to fight. But it was no use…

Tina kneeled next to them and asked, "How's it hanging?"

Sora shook her head sadly. "He's having trouble getting to sleep."

Tina thought for a moment, bowed her head in silent prayer, and then laid her hands on the boy. Her low, sweet voice began to sing---at first, so softly it was unintelligible…

"♫♪When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,

My grace all-sufficient shall be your supply,

The flame shall not hurt you: I only design

Your dross to consume and your gold to refine."

Sora stood bewildered as the child slept as softly as snow on a meadow. "How…how did you do that?"

Tina held up a small red book. "I found it in a warehouse while I was on seek patrol. It's a Bible."

"And…that has cures for sleeping problems?"

Tina giggled. "Yes and no. Let me show you…" She turned to a passage near the end of Mark. It was the last chapter, in the eighteenth verse. "Look at this…

'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.' "

Sora was a bit bewildered. "What…does this mean?"

"It means that we can do anything---because we aren't doing this with our own power. Sure, a scientist can cut open our digivice and tell us that all the energy it uses comes from us, but there are a lot of things we can't do. We can't control everything that happens. We can't do things perfectly. We can't predict the future…not on our own. But with God, we can do anything."

"Then why couldn't I save those people?"

Tina sighed. "There are a bunch of different reasons…maybe it was their time."

"Time…ha."

Tina didn't know what Sora meant by that. But she went on, "Sora, nothing happens without a reason…and if you don't take this to heart…then the reason for this---well, you've defeated the reason for it."

Sora sniffled. "I can't…God can…"

Tina nodded. "Look at what just happened: me putting my hands on this kid to cure insomnia shouldn't have done anything, and, really, it didn't. God's Holy Spirit did it all."

Sora understood---and she wondered to herself how she could get in on this power that went beyond her…(1)

******

"Kamnadramon, mode-change to…Typhoon mode!" The typhoon mode looked like Imperialdramon's dragon mode, but with the wings put together into the hull of a boat. It sported a pair of laser weapons, one on each wing pylon. And it was tough to see, but it looked like Rainmyotismon was inside Kamnadramon's head, at the controls of the boat. "Time you saw just what I am capable of! Hurricane Force!"

"Not so fast!" Tai's voice shouted. A cardboard box skidded across the floor as Metalgreymon swooped down and regressed back to Agumon. "You're ready, Agumon?"

"I'm ready! Agumon, warp-digivolve to…Wargreymon!" Wargreymon put his wing panels together to form a shield. "Brave Shield!" he shouted, and an orange field of energy surrounded the refugees and protected them from the blasts of lightning and water and wind that were hurled at them from Kamnadramon.

"Tai, good to see you!" Mimi shouted, running at them.

"Whoa, Mimi! Rainmyotismon's been here, I see…"

"Her Tsunami Monsoon attack was sure named right!" Mimi spat, wringing out her blouse.

"Relax, Mimi!" Matt said, opening the box. "We thought these might come in handy while we were passing a warehouse." He pulled out blankets and jackets that were of such a variety of sizes that everyone was clad by the time they emptied the box.

"Tai, we've got a problem! Kamnadramon isn't stopping its attack, and I can't last forever!"

"Neither can he, Wargreymon!"

"Especially if Zudomon has a say in it!" Joe shouted. "Go for it!"

Zudomon had been sneaking up behind Kamnadramon for a while, and he chose this moment to attack. He couldn't hear Joe at all, but he knew what Kamnadramon was doing. Aiming for one of the cannons on Kamnadramon's back, Zudomon brought his hammer down on the cannon and smashed it. He went for the other cannon, but was too late: it shot at his hammer and knocked it out of his grasp.

"You think you're a match for us?" Kamnadramon asked.

"Horn Taser!" Zudomon answered. The bolt of lightning hit Kamnadramon's body and seemed to glide off.

"Electricity won't hurt me; this body is as plastic-clad as Rainmyotismon!" Kamnadramon sneered.

"I bet there's as much plastic in your brain, too!"

"You'll regret saying that! Crimson Laser!" Zudomon turned around and pulled his arms and legs into his shell to try and keep in defense mode as the red blasts continually pounded him.

"Shouldn't have taken your eyes off of us!" Wargreymon shouted. "Nova Force!"

"Metal Wolf Snout!" The two attacks pounded Kamnadramon in the back and disabled its turbines, sending it plummeting to the ground, crippled, and unable to re-start its Hurricane Force attack.

"Digi-modify! Recovery, activate!" Kamnadramon's wounds simultaneously healed, and it began its Hurricane force attack again.

"Brave Shield!" Wargreymon replaced the force field. "This isn't getting us anywhere, Metalgarurumon! I think we'd better merge and become Omegamon!"

"We know what to do!" Matt shouted. He and Tai clapped their digivices together…nothing happened.

"Come on!" Tai shouted.

"How did it happen the last time?"

"I don't know! Ghenki just barely touched the screen on my digivice, and then they trans-mega digivolved!"

"This isn't good, Tai…"

"I know…we need more fighters if we're ever going to beat this guy!"

(1) You know how you get in? Well, obviously, first, you have to believe in Jesus as your only Savior and Lord. Not to preach, but---if you don't do that---it all falls apart. Second, you have to ask humbly. That's all there is to it. (Would you expect more? God works the miracles, not you, so there's not much that you actually do. But then again, life isn't all about power...nor is Christianity; I've gone a long time without supernatural stuff, and I'm okay with that.)