Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

We do not own Digimon, however we do own several items of Digimobelia which are for sale at auction. Now what do I hear for this autographed segment of WarGreymon's shield -

DoIhear£30?£30£30£30?£40£40£40?£50£50£50? NomorebidsdoIhearanybidsoncetwicesoldtothegentlemanatthebackfor£40!

AAUK: Are you gonna give me this chapter of yours or what? Or do I have to post another chapter by me?
DC: Soon! Soon! My PC broke down and I lost my chapter, I've had to rewrite it.......[23 minutes later]...It's not my fault! I tried to do this all but I've got all this other stuff to do and I - *CLANG! A piano filled with strawberry custard falls onto him*
AAUK: *Calling upwards* Thanks Wolfie!
Wolfie: *Calling Downwards* Oooookaaaay!
AAUK: Another AAUK chapter then...

Chapter 9: Lineage

They had been walking for perhaps two hours and all their feet ached, all that was save for Patamon and Gatomon who continued to enjoy their ride on ArchangelUK's shoulders. Palmon groaned, her roots hurt and so did her stems, and her leaves, and her flowers and everything. She suddenly realised she was beginning to sound like Mimi so clamped up before she could voice her opinions. The torch light shone onto the ancient stone casting shadows that frightened minds would believe to be monsters, yet still they walked on. Eventually the LED's on the DX all flashed as one, indicating they had found their journey's end.

The beam washed over a large tablet raised up from the centre of the floor. It was a yellow stone, rectangular in shape and was covered in a thick layer of dust which Sora tentatively blew at revealing a deep groove cut out of it.

"Gagh, there's so much dust here." AAUK muttered scooping off more of the aforementioned covering.

"The more we seem to clear it Angelus, the more sand seems to appear." Sora moaned.

"Why don't you do something Gomamon, you haven't done anything at all yet."

"Oh thanks Joe!"

"Maybe I could help." Patamon grinned, "Boom Bubble, PAH!" The ball of air dislodged the rest of the sand if only to cover Joe and ArchangelUK with it. It also revealed a number of hieroglyphs carved into the face they looked familiar to them.

"What is all that writing?" Yolei traced a finger over the symbols,

"It looks like the ancient Digital language." Biyomon chirped as she hovered above the tablet.

"What does it say?" Yolei asked turning to Izzy, the boy genius scoffed annoyed.

"Do I look like a translator?"

"No, but you look like a computeraholic who has translated them before." Sora said with a hint of anger in her normally peaceful voice, she stood hands on hips and Izzy did not meet her glance.

"Fair point." He said biting his lip, Joe and Angelus shrugged when Sora got annoyed, thought you weren't pulling your weight or believed you could be doing something to help she told you. Joe thought back to the times in the Digital World when she had taken it to both Matt and Tai for being childish. He chuckled at the memory as Izzy tapped fervently away.

"Do we know what it is."

"Well I can tell you what's underneath it." A picture slowly appeared on the laptop of a long leather bound item, a golden hilt jutted from the top of the bundle.

"Hey it's a sword! Groovy!" Angelus grinned.

"So Izzy, what does the writing say?" Joe asked leaning forward eagerly.

"It says, 'Who so ever pulleth out this sword from this stone and anvil is rightwise King, born of England'." Joe rolled his eyes.

"Very funny Disney boy, what does it really say?"

"It just says, 'Only the true Gatekeeper shall wield his sword.'"

"Gatekeeper?"

"Don't ask me." Izzy wasn't sure what that meant, however he had found something else. On the front of side of the tablet there was a groove cut out, not anything special at a first glance but on closer inspection it was exactly the same shape as the DX digivice. Angelus flipped it over in his palm repeatedly, as he examined the tablet. The others crowded around successfully blocking the light from the torch that Sora was holding for him. After a moment's reorganisation and the stream of light being restored AAUK stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm."

"So Angelus, are you gonna give it a go?" Gomamon asked, turning to ArchangelUK who shrugged.

"Yup. I suppose so."

"You suppose so?" Yolei asked, Angelus spun round annoyed.

"Yes." He said, jamming the DX into the gap. "I suppose so."

Everything began to shake - the tablet, the floor, themselves. The stone slab rose up out of the ground revealing it to not be a tablet but actually the top of a large stone alter. Small stones fell down around them from the ancient ceiling and everyone covered their heads fearful of being hurt. Suddenly there was silence but for a moment nobody dared move.

"Well that was a novel experience." Joe's voice echoed through the chamber."

"If that's what happens when Angelus supposes something I'd hate to be around when he's certain." Tentomon buzzed, rubbing one of his antennae which was grazed by a rock.

"I think it's over now Yolei." Halssemon said, somewhere during all that noise Hawkmon had armour digivolved and Yolei was sheltering under him.

"Yeah, it's over now Sora." Patamon grinned, "You can let go of Angelus now."

"Ca.....an't bre-breeeeeathe."

"Oh! Um, sorry." Sora relinquished her grip and tried to hide her face as it went a deep red. Angelus's face on the other hand was blue but was now turning red himself, Gatomon thought the whole thing was hilarious.

"Haaaahahaha!" She rolled around on the floor, Patamon shook his head and sighed.

"That's rich coming from the mon who as soon as the floor started to move clutched onto Patamon for all she was worth." Gomamon grinned, earning a thank you glance from Sora as well as a death glare from the digital cat. Gomamon winked at Joe who ruffled his tuft of red hair in response.

"Shouldn't we all better see this sword then?" Izzy asked, getting up off of the floor.

"Stop." Gennai materialised next to the alter, "You cannot take this sword, not yet. You are not ready for it's power."

"It has power?"

"Oy. I shouldn't have told you that." Gennai slapped his hand to his forehead. "There are things that must be discussed first."

The robed man told them all about the DigiDestined and the battle at hand, the return of Miyotismon and the discovery of the truth behind DC's heritage. There was a series of gasps and Gatomon had to be held down when she heard about the return (for the third time) of Miyotismon.

"Can't the guy take a hint?" Yolei mumbled,

"I suspected something like this." ArchangelUK admitted, "Especially after the whole Dark Ocean business, they mentioned something about their associate. Looks like it was him."

"Wait 'till I get my paws on him, if he goes anywhere near Kari..."

"Hey, when did you leave them anyway?" Gomamon asked,

"About two days ago."

"Two days!" Gatomon yelled, "Two whole days! They could be in serious trouble! They could be hurt! They could be-"

"-Perfectly fine. Though the Unification has thrown out the timescale as we know it, the DigiWorld time still moves much more rapidly than the real world. We can go back to virtually the same moment I left, maybe a minute or two after."

"Alright then, let's go help." Angelus reached out for the sword, but Gennai slapped the hand away drawing gasps from everyone else.

"There is more." He said simply, and went on to explain that AAUK's lineage was also not what he believed it to be.

"I'm not sure what happened, it's a long time ago and I can't remember that far back but you are not who you are. Just as DC/Ben didn't realise who he truly was and maybe I don't really know who I am either."

"Oh I see..." Angelus managed after a while.

"You do?" Hawkmon asked astonished, Angelus pulled a face.

"Sort of."

"Well it'll be something implausible no doubt." Joe said,

"It has to be if DC is related to me!" Sora snorted, sending Gomamon into fits of laughter.

"Ha ha ha! Ben Takenouchi!"

"It could be worse, I could be a *cough* Motomiya."

"Eww." Was the unified response, Gennai shook his head, time was being wasted and he was losing patience as well.

"Precisely."

"As you said it'll be something completely barmy." Hawkmon said thoughtfully, tapping a feathery finger against the side of his beak.

"Something totally ridiculous, like I'm Gennai's father."

"I don't like that idea." Replied the keeper of love, her eyebrows knotting together.

"You think I would?"

"And you age backwards and have amnesia due to the fact you were sent into a Gate of Destiny from an alternate DigiWorld where there was a Dark spiral controlled MagnaAngemon or something." Gatomon was getting into this now Gennai gritted his teeth together in annoyance. Patamon was about to go into a long argument that he could never be evil when Gennai interrupted him.

"This is not a joke Archangel."

"It isn't?" Angelus said suddenly concerned.

"You are not of the real world."

"Stuff and nonsense." The youth spat, turning away and walking towards the other end of the pillar.

"Really? Then check the Digital World records and see. You will find your origin locked there in the very first file recording the digital world's creation."

"The DigiWorld has records?" Izzy asked puzzled, Gennai sighed.

"Of course. It's digital."

"So does it have a desktop too?" Teased Tentomon, Gennai growled at the insectoid digimon of knowledge and marched off towards the far side of the chamber.

"Just follow me."

At the far wall was a very large section of digital hieroglyphs and a carved scene depicting some kind of event. Two males about fourteen holding swords stood holding off what appeared to be a wall of vicious creatures. Images of battle came next, the two boys becoming triumphant over the depicted evil.

"I used to think they we're Tai and Matt." Gennai said turning around, "From a time in the future, then for a while I even thought they might be Davis and Ken - until I realised that was nonsense." Indeed, the prospect of a sword in Davis's hands was very frightening.

"So who are they then?" Squeaked Patamon, landing once more on Angelus's shoulder. Angelus turned to Gennai, his eyes answering the same question as his orange friend.

"Look harder." Gennai said pointing to the wall,

Oh brilliant, he's turning into the DigiWorld equivalent of Rafiki. AAUK thought to himself but none the less followed Gennai's pointing finger.

Then Angelus realised that the one on the left looked decidedly like a much younger version of Gennai. The one on the right however looked a lot like him....a LOT like him.

"What is this?"

"It's the truth ArchangelUK."

"I don't believe it." He spun away from the wall and marched back over to the alter, the others in pursuit.

"What is there not to believe? You just can't remember."

"Are you telling me that my entire life, my family, my friends - it's all a lie?" Angelus glared menacingly at Gennai as he turned back, but the middle-aged man seemingly took no notice. Or maybe he simply did not take in the very obvious look of anger.

"Not your friends no, nor your family. They believe you are their son without question, just as you yourself believed in them."

"I haven't stopped believing, so why use the past tense?" Angelus was getting angrier, not helped by Gennai's pigheaded refusal to accept that what he was saying was destroying anything and everything he had ever believed in. He held his head in his hands, a deep pain throbbing in the side of his skull.

"Because it is the past."

"I've heard enough of this. Enough of you." Now it was Gennai's turn to be angry.

"You are the gatekeeper, a chosen one, the one prophesied to end the Unification with the last of the Takenouchi-Alzari line."

"Takenouchi-Alzari? Huh, it gets worse!" Gomamon chuckled, Gennai grabbed Angelus by the arm and boomed at him.

"It is your duty! It is your birthright! It is what is written and shall BE!"

Angelus spun round grabbing the sword off of the alter, the weapon radiated blue light at his touch. He swung it toward the old man and only stopped when even Gennai thought he was dead. When he opened his eyes and pointed the pupils downwards he could see that the razor sharp silver blade had stopped dead still. It was barely a millimetre from his neck, Gennai didn't even dare swallow less it push his throat onto the blade. Angelus locked eyes with him, a steely gaze, his eyes a vast pit of fury.

"Leave now. Or bits of you leave in different directions. Your choice."

And with that Gennai very wisely vanished.

"You guys need to help out DC, that alone should be your priority. Besides, you guys deserve to see the real world too."

"What are you going to do?"

"Follow him; and see if what he says is true."

"Are you sure you don't want some company?" Gatomon said pawing the hem of Angelus's black jeans.

"Since when did you back away from a fight?"

"I just thought you might want some backup." She grinned.

"No, I'll be fine. Besides Kari needs you to help against Miyotismon, you don't want to pass that off do you?"

"Hell no."

"Then let's see what this thing can do." Angelus pointed the sword downwards so it's blade was nearest the floor. "Earth Gate Open." He pushed the sword downwards the point connecting with the ground sending out rays of blue light. The light formed an archway which hovered in mid-air rather unsteadily in the centre a picture of Digicowboy could be seen, suddenly a stream of light erupted from the device he was carrying which struck him and another figure - Miyotismon."

"How did you... do that?" Patamon asked dumbfounded,

"I don't know." He gestured towards the gate, "Go help the others, I'll be okay." He nodded at Sora who looked decidedly worried, this time Yolei did notice and went to protest but was pushed, or rather kicked through the archway by Hawkmon.

"I've wanted to do that for a very long time!" The English bird said smiling, and flew into the arch himself. The others did to, Angelus watched as Gatomon and Patamon pushed and pulled Sora through the gate which closed behind her. He smiled grimly, there was work to be done and things to be found out. Angelus picked up the scabbard from the alter, it was black and gold. He fitted the straps so it rested behind his back then he sheaved the sword and looked towards where the gate was.

"I don't know how I did that Patamon my friend, but I'm going to find out." And he walked purposefully out of the temple and in the direction of something in the distance - Infinity Mountain.

To Be Continued....

Will ArchangelUK find out the truth? Is Gennai really correct? What waits at the top of Infinity Mountain? Will this announcer stop asking questions? Will he get the paid holiday he asked for or will he have to go on strike? Tune in to the next Digimon - Reality Redux to find out!

AAUK: Hey this strawberry custard isn't bad.
Wolfie: Really? Let me have some!
AAUK: Get a bucket and help yourself.
Wolfie. Cooly!
DC: Hey! That's my line!

Kari's Angels - http://www.geocities.com/happy_hylian/