Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

DC: *Wearing his Techie costume, headphones and all* Okay, you're on in 5, 4, 3Cue!
AAUK: Welcome, viewers, to another episode of Reality Redux, the story that keeps on going! Before we begin, here's a brief catch up for recent readers!
*DC wanders on and drops a book the size of the Yellow Pages on AAUK's lap*
AAUK: What the hell is this?
DC: The plot and changes to it of Reality Redux. Abridged version.
AAUK: Okay, let's skip that and go straight to the disclaimerWe don't own Digimon, or Neon Genesis Evangelion or the Moon or the Hubble space Telescope. However, we have a large line in second hand sandwiches

Chapter 23 - The Episode With No Name

"Is too!" Ben said

"Is not!" Mimi said

"Is too!" Ben said

"Is not!" Mimi said

"Unit One looks so much better than Unit Two!"

"No way! And Asuka's a cool pilot!"

"How can you say that? She's always insulting Shinji and Rei!" Appearances to the contrary, Ben and Mimi were enjoying themselves. So maybe they were stuck in a different world, and the portal seemed to have closed behind them. Then again, the reason they had come through was to allow Ben to recover his energy, so they weren't that concerned. "You know, I never thought you'd know about this." Ben grinned. They were walking hand in hand through the park they'd found themselves in a short while ago. The person who had rudely interrupted them had caught a glance of Myotismon and Palmon and had run off screaming, leaving them to explore and hopefully figure out where they were

"I'm Japanese! Evangelion came from us, remember?" She teased. "And you should talk to Izzy sometime! He's got the complete set, and the movies! In Japanese, of course." Ben set his jaw.

"In that case, my path becomes clear. Could you teach me how to speak Japanese?" Mimi's brow furrowed.

"But you are speaking Japanese."

"I thought you were speaking English." He said, equally confused. Mimi shook her head.

"SoI'm speaking Japanese, and you're speaking English. You don't know any Japanese, do you?"

"I've picked up a few wordskonnichiwa, jagaimo, yonaka, baka, and wakarimasen. But that's it."

"Hello, Potato, Midnight, Fool, and 'I don't understand.'" She translated. "So how can we be talking and understanding each other?"

"Let's think about this. We've been able to understand each other since we arrived, yes? But I couldn't understand that news bulletin when the Harbingers came into the world at all. Maybe it's just between me, Angleus, and you Digidestined?"

"One way to find out." Mimi suggested. "Ask someone." Ben cast his eye round the park, looking for someone suitable to ask. A young couple beneath one of the trees, an old man walking a dog, a group of men in suits Ben chose the old man.

"Hi!" Ben said, smiling "Can you understand me?" The old man shook his head.

"Eigo o hanashimasen." He said apologetically. Ben's smile became rather fixed.

"Mimi?"

"He said he doesn't speak English."

"How about best out of three?"

"Okay. Ask that redhead in the school uniform." Ben and Mimi walked up to the girl, who was walking out of the park with her back to them. Ben tapped her on the shoulder...

"Excuse me, this may sound stupid, but what language am I speaking in?" ...And got one of the biggest shocks of his life thus far.

"What are you, stupid? Japanese, of course!"

Bateth sat calmly on top of a large grey rock, preparing himself for what lay ahead. Of the renegade Scubamon rebels, there had been little sign. It was possible, he supposed, that they had left the Dark Ocean world altogether. He clung onto that thought, because he knew that the rebels, once more in their desired forms, had far greater strength and power than those who still followed Lord Dragomon and kept their Scubamon shapes. Anyway, it was time. He stood up, and surveyed the Followers. There were, he estimated, fewer than three hundred left. Of the hordes there had once been, the ones slain in combat had been sent back to the Chaos land, born again in their natural form. They did not return. Fully half the horde had rebelled as soon as Lord Dragomon had been taken by the Angel of Death, and none knew where they were now. And as time passed and Lord Dragomon did not return , more and more Scubamon defected. There had also been vicious, brutal battles between the two factions which had taken their mighty toll on the Followers.

"My friends!" He began, gaining their attention. "My friends, this truly is the time of hardship. In the absence of Lord Dragomon, many of our number have strayed from the path. But I bring a messenger who has great news! He is surely a prophet sent by Lord Dragomon"

Aeth waited in the shadows, a wry smile passing over his face. Him, a prophet? Not likely. Still, he had dressed the part. Aeth had a streak of theatricality in him a mile wide. He was dressed in a black robe with a blood red streak running diagonally down the front. He half listened to Bateth prattling on while his mind idly thought events through. He had been surprised when he had seen Bateth in the square where the Chosen Traveller had left. He'd been even more surprised to see that there was a Dimensional tear there. In short, he had no idea where Myotismon and the boy had ended up. With any luck, it would be one of the more dangerous ones. Maybe even the Chaos plane. Still, the boy seemed to have an extraordinary amount of luck at his disposal, and Aeth wasn't the type to take risks. Ah. Bateth seemed to have finished his introduction. Aeth stepped forward into the pale light of the Dark world, wearing an expression akin to holiness.

"Followers! Lord Dragomon but rests!" he boomed out in a voice that carried far across the beach. An excited stir ran through the congregation, if you could indeed call it that. "He has spoken to me, and I know now that even the Angel of Death could not vanquish Lord Dragomon! He shall rise again, stronger than ever before!" He dropped his voice down to a dramatic whisper. "And he has given me commands for you."

"Tell us, Dark Prophet!" Cried Bateth, plainly on the edge of some sort of religious experience.

"There is but one thing that stands in the way of his return. The Chosen Traveller who has tricked the Angel of Death into keeping Lord Dragomon captive." Aeth realised he'd made a continuity error there, but the Scubamon seemed too wrapped up in his speech to notice. "Lord Dragomon commands that you seek him out wherever he may hide! For, to free Lord Dragomon, you must slay the deceiver!" A great cry rose up from the multitude. Aeth raised his hands for silence. And got it. He smiled inwardly He had them eating out of the palm of his hand. "But the Deceiver is cunning, and will not face you unless provoked. To force him to come forward, what better way is there than to attack his fellow conspirators, and his fellow ringleader? To catch the Chosen Traveller, you must attack the Gatekeeper!"

With that, Aeth ended his speech and disappeared into the shadows once again. He moved swiftly to the nearest tear, smiling to himself. If all went well, either the Gatekeeper and the Digidestined would sustain casualties, or Ben would be forced to return, and the Scubamon would tear him apart. A win-win situation, he couldn't help but think.

Ben could do little more than stare in open mouthed amazement. Finally, Mimi managed to speak. "Asuka?"

"Yes?"

"As in Asuka Langley Sohryu?

"Yes." She boasted, with a flick of her hair.

"As in Asuka Langely Sohryu, pilot of Evangelion Unit Two?" Asuka looked a little surprised, but recovered magnificently.

"You seem to be pretty well informed. Why do you hang around with a loser like him?"

"He is not a loser!"

"He didn't even know what language he was speaking! Tell me, can he do his shoelaces by himself?" It pretty much went downhill from there. After a few minutes, Ben decided to leave them to it while he went to check on the Digimon.

"Hey guys." He said, after heaving himself up into the branches of the tree where Myotismon and Palmon were hiding, along with the Traveller staff.

"Do we know where we are now?" asked Myotismon.

"Yup. Tokyo-3, as in Neon Genesis Evangelion."

"Is that even possible?"

"Current evidence suggests that yes, it is. And you'll never guess who -"

"MIEN GUT! ANGELS!" Asuka screamed from the ground below the tree, causing Ben to fall out of it. "AND THEY'RE ATTACKING YOUR IDIOT BOYFRIEND!"

"HE IS NOT AN IDIOT!"

"Why is it whenever I go somewhere I end up hitting the floor with a bang?" complained Ben, getting, albeit unsteadily, to his feet. "And they aren't Angels. That - " he gestured to the huge monstrous shape that had just appeared on the horizon. "-Now that is an Angel. Hey, where'd you go?"

"Ben?"

"Yes?"

"I think I've changed my mind about Asuka." A thought occurred to Ben, and he began hopping from foot to foot.

"What's wrong?" asked Mimi, concerned.

"Nothings wrong. But can we follow her, Mimi? Pleease?"

"What for?" she said with some disdain.

"We might be able to see Nerv headquaters! And the Evangelion units!" He said excitedly. Mimi rolled her eyes theatrically.

"All right. But on one condition."

"Anything!"

"You have to take me out for a nice meal in a nice restaurant the first chance you get."

"Of course!" He didn't think she needed to know he was planning to do that anyway. "Now let's go!"

"We're too late!" Ben slumped in defeat against the resolutely closed Nerv door.

"Maybe next time?" Mimi said, secretly disappointed. She had wanted to see Nerv headquarters as well. And Pen-Pen.

"Ah, Mimi? A thought occurs."

"What?"

"Do you know where the nearest shelter is?" Mimi shook her head as the enormity of what he said hit her. An Angel was attacking Tokyo 3, and they were stuck outside.

"Let's go back to the Digimon. If the worst comes to the worst, I can try to open a Gate of Destiny." He said.

"The target is coming straight for us!" Hruga relayed from the monitor in front of him. Misato stared tersely into the main computer display.

"What's the plan?" asked Ritsuko

"Units Two and Zero are taking flank positions." Explained Misato

"The Pincer movement?"

"Yes. Unit One is taking position with the long range Positron Rifle near Memorial park. He's directly in line with it's trajectory. Units Two and Zero are going to rush the Angel and take it's AT field out, then Shinji's taking his shot."

"What the hell?" came Shinji's voice through the speaker systems.

"What is it, Shinji?"

"There are some people in the park! I'll bring their image up on screen." Misato gaped in amazement as she saw two young teenagers, male and female, walking through the park, staring up at the Eva in awe. The boy held a long staff with a strangely glowing end, and beside the pair walked

"Angels?"

"I'm not sure! They don't seem to be attacking."

"Just who are those two?"

Maya searched records frantically. "We don't have any information on them!"

"The Angel is advancing!" Hruga pointed out sharply.

"Shinji! Take your shot, you idiot!" screamed Asuka. Misato watched as Shinji fired a round at the Angel, hitting it dead centre.

"Target status is unkno-" began Hruga, before Asuka cut him short.

"WHAT THE HELL? They passed straight through it!" Unit Two grabbed it's Prog knife, and thrust at the core of the Angel. The knife also passed straight through it. Unit Zero stuck out it's hand experimentally, and waved it though the Angel.

"The Angel seems to be incorporeal." Rei stated. The armour on Unit Zero's arm began to buckle and melt. "But highly corrosive."

"Ritsuko! How is it doing that?"

"I've no idea! Maybe it's a sort of gas!"

"That's impossible! It wouldn't have an S2 organ! Or a core! How could it move?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"Well, this was unexpected." Ben muttered, watching the ghost-like Angel curiously before turning to stare almost reverentially at Unit One. "GO SHINJI!" He yelled, giving the Biomechanical giant a thumbs up.

"It's getting nearer." Said Palmon, nervously tugging at Mimi's leg

"What do you think? Should we try and help out?" asked Myotismon. Ben gave him a dirty look.

"You're just spoiling for a fight, aren't you?"

""

"Oh, all right then. Just remember to keep your distance as much as possible."

"We're detecting two massive energy surges in Memorial Park!" Misato turned almost automatically to the image of the two mysterious teenagers and the possibly-Angels. Who were glowing, stretching, changing.

"Lilymon!"

"Azaraelmon!" The two Digimon hovered above the ground.

"Do you feel okay?" Mimi asked. Ben nodded.

"I feel absolutely fine. Why is that?"

"When the tear closed, it must have severed the Energy Bond between you and the other Digidestined. If you're only supporting Mimi and Palmon, the strain should be much easier to handle." Guessed Azaraelmon.

"I guess that makes sense." Ben concluded, absently spinning the staff. "So let's go!" And with that, he climbed up onto one of Azaraelmon's shoulders. "Want a lift?" he asked Mimi.

Shinji watched dumbfounded as the twowhatever they weresoared effortlessly into the air straight towards the Angel that merely ignored all attacks the Evangelion units could throw at it. He shook off his amazement, and, discarding the rifle, started to run behind them, unit one easily keeping pace with the strange creatures and their passengers.

To Be Continued....

Sora: Will Mimi and Ben be able to help defeat the angel? What will NERV do about two Digimon being in Tokyo 3? And will Ben be taking any more allies back with him? The only way to find out is to read the upcoming chapters of Digimon: Reality Redux!

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