Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

AAUK: Welcome back to Reality Redux! We are the writers of the fic, ArchangelUK and Digicowboy and this time it's my chapter!
DC: Hey I've had a thought, are you alive or dead after the fall?
AAUK: If you'd let me do the disclaimer we all might find out!
DC: Okay! Okay!
AAUK: We don't own digimon, in fact we don't own these clothes they are infact intriguing 3D holograms of clothes. Hey, would I lie to you...?.

Chapter 5: Life's a Beach

Joe continued his slow climb down the canyon, the dangerous task made even more so by the complete lack of any mountaineering equipment. Patamon was okay of course, he had somehow regained the energy to fly about, much like Salamon had suddenly received a boost of energy enough for her to digivolve back to Gatomon. Tentomon too could fly, although he was still a little unsteady, neither digimon wanted to fly straight to the bottom, to be the first to see... whatever awaits them there.

The long climb had so far been made in unwavering silence, even the digimon made no sound, the only noise the normally chirpy Tentomon made was the buzzing of his insectile wings. Patamon and Gatomon who probably said more to each other then most humans do to their friends were stone faced. Only communicating in glances with each other, Gatomon giving worried looks over her shoulder to see if Patamon was straining himself too much trying to fly. Patamon making sure Gatomon wasn't struggling with the climb down, occasionally indicating towards what Patamon could see as safer handholds, or rather pawholds.

Izzy with his laptop strapped precariously to his back was making slow progress, he'd never liked this sort of thing. He also felt incredibly guilty for not getting to ArchangelUK in time, he had gone through his procedure a hundred times in his head searching for an error a slip of a finger, a wrong command line. Nothing. His contemplation was though distraction enough for him to try and use fresh air as a footgrip. Izzy cried out in alarm and began to fall downwards, Tentomon made a grab but missed, had it not been for Joe who somehow spotted the danger Izzy would have been joining ArchangelUK in finding out what sharp granite tasted like.

Izzy breathed his thanks, Joe smiled meekly at the compliment and continued to lead the ramshackle 'rescue squad' down the rock face. Izzy glanced at Joe and wondered, when had the eldest of the DigiDestined changed from the small boy who was afraid to say boo to a goose? Where had the confident outgoing Joe come from, who had without hesitation taken over leadership of the now DigiWorld stranded group? When had it all happened, well, at the moment all Izzy could see was that Joe was making a damn good job of it.

"We're almost at the bottom." Tentomon announced from overhead, "I can see the canyon floor it's about twenty metres below you."

"Thanks Tentomon."

So this was, as they say - it. The end. Finito. The big goodbye. The last dance. The final curtain. Death.

Resigned to his fate AAUK closed his eyes and waited for permanent unconsciousness to claim him. Just before he hit the ground, had he kept his eyes open, he would have been able to see what happened a split second before he hit the ground. It warped. And then he would have realised it was a sensible thing to close his eyes as he fell towards the sand, instead of opening them wondering why he hadn't hit the stone at the exact moment his fall ended...

Where am I?
Don't ask me.
I can ask you whatever I like, you're my sub-concious damnit!
Okay, okay...no need to shout.
Where am I?
You said that already.
And I'm going to keep asking it until you answer.
The voice sighed heavily, Very well, but if you'll take my advice you'll stay unconscious, because when you wake up you'll be wondering why you didn't just lay there. Believe me this will be as peaceful for you as it's ever going to be for a very, very long time. It's all downhill from here.
How do you know this?
Because I'm not your subconscious.
....riiiiight...that actually makes a lot of sense.
But what I say is true, look you're waking up.
Yeah, I must.
Are you sure?
There's this little thing called 'oxygen' which I really need right now as my mouth is full of sand.
I see, but I warned you.
I'm gonna wake up now. BREATHE!

ArchangelUK's lungs expelled the sand in a mass of coughing, he gasped the oxygen flooding his system "He's waking up." A voice hissed,

"Good, we wouldn't want him to miss our show now would we?" Laughed a second.

"What shall we do to him first?"

"Let me crush him!" A third voice boomed,

"Oh no." The second scolded, "This enchanting performance is worthy of a public display."

AAUK's eyes flickered open to show the silhouettes of four figures crowded around him. He recognised each one, he could only hope now that what he was told by whatever it was he had just communicated with was false. He prayed his first thoughts were wrong, he prayed it was just his blurred vision still recovering. His prayers were not answered today.

"Welcome back to the land of the living..." smirked Piedmon

"...At least for the time being." Devimon finished, his harsh braying laughter echoing across the beach.

"Ahhhhh....nuts."
I told you...

Izzy's group had found something, it wasn't a body, it was a portal. The five looked at it in a bizarre mixture of wonder, confusion and revulsion.
"What's that?" Joe asked, he made to put his hand through it but he merely knocked it against some kind of barrier. The keeper of reliability stepped back, somewhat surprised and turned to the others. "Where is that?"

Patamon and Gatomon, who made up the revulsion segment of the previous paragraph, looked at each other and winced. "We know where that is." The orange digimon said quietly, "We know all too well."

"Where?" Izzy asked.

"It's the Dark Ocean." Gatomon answered.

"Why have you brought me here...why did you save me."

"Yes, I've been wondering that myself." Devimon said, turning to his former master Daemon.

"Information." The evil mega replied and turned back to AAUK who was being frog-marched into a nearby cave complex by a trio of Scubamon. "We need to know what he knows about the Unification, if he is indeed one of the chosen two he can tell us how far they are in their quest for the Rebirth. If they even know that..."

Piedmon, Daemon and Devimon followed the Scubamon into the cave, Dragomon who was far too big for such a task waited just by the sea and was kept abreast of things by a swarm of Scubamon messengers. The news was mixed, it had soon become apparent AAUK knew almost nothing of the Unification at all. They hadn't even worked out the ancient text yet, indeed the four evil digimon were somewhat amazed to discover that AAUK and Digicowboy had only just been called to the DigiWorld. It appeared the energies they had expended to save AAUK had been wasted, there was one silver lining for the group. The DigiDestined were, at least partly, on the wrong path.

ArchangelUK blinked against the harsh light that lit the cave, he tried to focus his eyes but found he couldn't. His limbs felt sore, like he had been walking for miles but he hadn't actually gone anywhere. His face was a mass of dirt, hair tousled, even his clothes were ripped and torn, how long had he been there? 'An hour' said a part of his mind - 'an eternity' said another part; he couldn't remember what had happened exactly. At first he had refused to give any information at all, the Daemon had used some kind of attack on him and after that... He tried to get up, but failed miserably, only getting to his knees before falling backwards. Suddenly, he felt he was moving again, he was being dragged out onto the open beach and the fresh sea air seemed to revitalise him a bit. The quartet of digimon were discussing what to do with him, although his body was still weak his voice was strong. So when Daemon happened to say that the DigiDestined had no chance of defeating them, AAUK said.

"You're no match for them, they're the good guys!"

"Really, you think so..." Dragomon chuckled, the four turning towards the dishevelled youth.

"Yeah, well they beat you before didn't they?"

"Oh yes, we know that." Piedmon laughed, "But they didn't bank on all of us appearing and taking over your world!"

"My world?"

"Oh yes." Replied Devimon, "You really think we'd be content with just the two worlds when a third lies so easily in our sights." Piedmon stepped forward

"With the Unification the Dark World grows nearer to your world, the barriers are weakened and soon it will be time to strike."

"And besides, they haven't faced me before." Dragomon said menacingly.

"Even so, do you really think you can just walk in and no one will try to stop you?"

"Yes." Piedmon nodded.

"Huh, you are a clown after all!"

"Piedmon is right," Daemon screeched, "Your world is corrupt, misgoverned, full of liars, cheats, thieves and warmongers. It would be so easy to take over a champion digimon could do it, in essence your world is ripe for the picking." Something in AAUK snapped and he found the strength to get up, although still unsteadily and took two paces towards the agents of evil. He glared daggers at them, and summoning up his rage yelled,

"You leave my world alone you bunch of misdrawn illustrations!"

"Oh so we're illustrations now ARE WE?" Daemon rushed forward grabbing ArchangelUK by the throat and pinning him to the rocky wall, his feet dangled in mid-air, a whole metre from the floor. "If we are merely illustrations you pathetic insect why am I a hairs breath from destroying you?" AAUK choked out a reply but it wasn't understandable, he was going blue from the pressure.

"If we are so useless, why have we already sent our ally to your pitiful planet to seek out and destroy the other 'chosen one'?" Devimon taunted,

"You're telling him too much." Dragomon cautioned.

"You think, you and your precious digimon, DigiDestined and shiny digivice can stop us?"

"Diigiccc-vyyce?" AAUK spluttered, trying to prise loose the fingers around his neck.

"You're telling him too much!" Dragomon roared, "He didn't know about the digivice yet."

"It matters not. " Daemon dismissed, "This insignificant human is about to be dispersed." Daemon raised his hand and a ball of yellow light.

"Well...you..urrghhh...you're forgetting one th-ahhgh-hing." ArchangelUK managed to say,

"What?" Devimon asked,

"You're forgetting that I'm not gonna let you....disperse this!" With one swift movement AAUK delivered a furious kick to where the digisun doesn't even think about shining. Daemon screamed in agony, let go of AAUK and collapsed backwards, inadvertently knocking over Devimon and Piedmon. AAUK went to run, but his eyes caught a flash of silver on Daemon's belt, without even thinking about it he snatched it and did the sensible thing - he ran like hell.

"Stop him!" Devimon cried,

"Tentacle Claw!" Dragomon launched the powerful attack in Archangel's direction, the youth somehow managing to leap and roll over the deadly offence.

"Trump Sword!"

"Oh craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!"

Joe shook his head, "It doesn't look like we're going to be able to get through." He rubbed his hand over the invisible layer than had prevented them entering the Dark World, it was at that moment he saw something through the portal in the middle-distance. "Hey what's that?" A figure came into view, he was blurred at first but it became obvious he was running...very, very fast.

"It's AAUK."

"How can you be sure from this distance."

"Trust us, after years of being around you guys we know only a human could get themselves in that much trouble."

"Hey!"

"Wait, here he comes!"

AAUK with his strength returned to him, legged it across the sand, explosions rocking the beach behind him, plumes of water and sand were being thrown up left right and centre. AAUK had always been a fast sprinter, so you could imagine with the added adrenaline boost he was away pelting towards the portal at breakneck speed. Surprisingly he didn't notice the portal at first and he was 25 metres past it before realisation dawned on his adrenaline soaked mind. "Wait a minute..." He performed a skid, a trainer-clad foot digging a long trench in the monochrome beach and raced back towards the portal. He was of course running back INTO the explosions, as he soon found out being showered with sand on more than one occasion.

He saw the DigiDestined through the portal and waved, "Guys!"

"What did he say?"

"I don't know."

"I couldn't hear him."

"What's going on?" AAUK asked them, "Can't you guys hear me?" he cocked his hand to his ear and Joe shook his head. "Oh well." AAUK shrugged, "It doesn't matter, I'm coming back. Stand clear!"

"No AAUK wait, you can't..." AAUK dived headfirst towards the portal, but hit something hard and unyielding and bounced backwards landing in a heap on the sand.
"...Get through." Izzy finished, gritting his teeth at the rather sickening impact. AAUK pushed himself up from the ground, holding his nose and mouth he removed his hand showing a trickle of blood coming from one nostril and a nasty looking cut lip. ArchangelUK glared at Izzy and then began to yell at the genius through the portal, the gist of it was why hadn't Izzy told him before he had tried to enter. Thankfully for Izzy he obviously couldn't hear him, but nethertheless, the rather obvious screaming combined with the furious gesturing gave a rather good idea.

The explosions were getting closer.

ArchangelUK hammered on the barrier with his fists, on the other side the digimon were doing their best to try and break whatever it was down. "Electro shocker!"

"Boom bubble!"

"Lightning paw!"

"It's not working." Joe cried in desperation, on the other side AAUK mouthed the same back. "There must be something else...something!"
"Maybe...just maybe." Joe thought out loud, he fumbled in his pocket and brought out a small light blue digivice. "Digiport open!"

Nothing. AAUK watching on shook his head, that's not right.

"It won't work." Patamon said, "It's not a D3."

"We need Yolei." Izzy agreed, "But I don't think there's enough time."

"Oh no. Archangel, behind you!" Tentomon cried gesturing frantically, AAUK got the message and looked over his shoulder. Approaching fast was a furious Daemon and what could only be described as an army of Scubamon.

His eyes went wide, as a Scubamon yelled "There he is!"

"Get him!" Daemon screamed,

Damnit. There must be something, a normal digivice doesn't work...I need something! Anything! I need a D3 - wait a minute.

AAUK looked in his palm at the item he snatched from Daemon, it was chrome, shiny and was a digivice, not a D3, but a sleeker looking model. "Evil inferno!"

"Of course, that's what Daemon meant." AAUK held it up towards the wavering image, "Digiport Open!"

A bolt of gold light streamed from the digivice and struck the grey image of the DigiWorld Izzy and the others backed away nervously as it first crackled then burst into a stable digiport, AAUK threw himself into it and it sealed up behind him. A column of flame incinerating the spot he had been standing.

"He escaped." Daemon said despondently, he floated past the other three muttering curses under his breath. He did not wish to hear of it again, he an all powerful dark digimon could not stop a mere youth from escaping.

"He did?" The question was Dragomon's, the last thing Daemon wanted. "Why does that not surprise me." Dragomon said, trying not to sound to smug about it.

"It's not like your pathetic footsoldiers were any help!" Daemon snapped back,

"Don't raise your voice to me Daemon!" Roared the undersea mega,

"I'll do as I wish Dragomon!"

"SILENCE!" Devimon boomed, "I don't see why you're acting this way. Yes the chosen one escaped, and yes he now has the digivice, but we still have the upperhand."

"Yes. They didn't know about the digivice, and we can assume by that they haven't solved the prophecy yet. The Unification will continue, and even if our friend fails - and I doubt that very much - we still possess one of their precious keys." Piedmon laughed and reached inside his garment, he pulled out an shiny ovular item that looked almost like a jar. This was no jar however, it was gold, solid gold and glowed brightly. Dragomon and Devimon noticeably backed away from the light it produced, eliciting a sigh from Piedmon.

"Without the pair they are as good as defeated already, they don't even know the golden digiegg's true importance." The quartet laughed an evil laugh of victory.

Back in AAUK's room in the real world, a cupboard door creaked open and a bat fluttered out from where it had been hiding....

To Be Continued....

Is the bat who we think it is? What is the true importance of the golden digieggs? What does the ancient text mean? Find out the answer to these and many other questions in the next instalment of Digimon - Reality Redux!

DC: Let me get this right....you were tortured?
AAUK: They're evil! What did you expect, a tea party in my honour?
DC: Fair comment.
AAUK: Reviews greatly welcomed...as there's a pretty naff total at the moment.
DC: Next stop RR 6 - and back to me!!!!
AAUK: *Rolls eyes*

ArchangelUK 0:o)
Digicowboy c):o)
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REDUX TIMEOUT:

Welcome to Reality Redux Timeout, a subsection at the end of some chapters which will reveal origins for ideas, characters, plot twists, Redux facts, hidden meanings, references, parodies and tributes etc.

Terminal Velocity is the term given to the point at which a falling object can no longer accelerate past its current speed due to the air friction. The discussion about the slave theory being reversed was discussed at length before chapter 2 was posted. It was DC's original theory, yet AAUK was the one who suggested it could theoretically be bi-directional. Yolei always seems to be choking Hawkmon when she's emotional, you have to wonder how he survived those 25 years into the future... Matt's hair gets messed up for the first time. It was DC's suggestion to put Jun in, at the time he had a bit of a thing for her... don't ask... No really. All the Digimon regain their strength suddenly, this is beginning of the 'life energy bond' between Gatekeeper, Traveller and the Digimon. Though this does not appear again until halfway through battling the harbingers. Gatomon says of Angelus's chances of surviving the cliff fall "Yeah, in much the same way I 'could be' a dog(!)" but then again as Salamon she is decidedly puppyish. First sneeky Patatail reference at the end of the chapter