Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

AAUK: Sorry for the delay with this chapter folks but someone was 'too busy' to write...
DC: It's true.
AAUK: ...
DC: It is!!! Anyway please read and review - we love reviews!!!!
AAUK: Riiiiiight. Well we do not own Digimon, just this skull - alas poor Gennai, I knew him well Horatio...

Chapter 27 - Mansuros et Coniurati

They had returned to the all but deserted and severely damaged centre of Tokyo, (no not Tokyo-3 and Neon Genesis Evangelion, we've left there remember?) It truly was in a state. They were all far from home, some a world away, others a continent but each did not belong here wanted to go home. Yet their paths had led here, to this place and it would be here that their futures would be decided. For one however, their path would lead away from the others. They had their own destiny to fulfil, away from most of the others - at least for the moment. The time of that parting was now.

"You're going?"

"Yuppers."

"Just... like that?"

"Damn straight."

"But I've only just got back!" Ben complained, leaning on his glowing staff.

"I've only just woken up!" Angelus protested looking a tad put out himself.

"I'm sorry you guys, but I've got to go." Wolfie smiled sadly and looked off into the distance, her eyes narrowed. "Something's..."

Kari blinked, "Something's what?"

"Calling me." The dark haired girl finished.

Now it was TK's turn to blink, "Calling you? Calling you where?"

"Home."

"To New Zealand?" Angelus asked, looking concerned as Wolfie's brow furrowed and her eyes closed as if in concentration.

"Something's going on there." She said simply. "Dang, why is it I have all these extrasensory powers all of a sudden."

"I dunno." Shrugged Joe, "But do ya wanna trade?"

"Joe?" Gomamon looked puzzled,

"I wanna be the hero for once." Joe grumbled.

"You were once, remember. We climbed Infinity Mountain - the whole Unimon incident remember?"

"True."

"When we get back from memory lane..." Tai rubbed his temples.

"But I feel really ill at ease among all these magicians demigods and chosen people." The doctor in training whined.

"When did you switch back from mature Joe to wimpy Joe?" Izzy wondered aloud, before being distracted by a sudden realisation. The temperature was dropping, he couldn't be sure but it had been very warm, at least 18 degrees Celsius. By Izzy's calculations it could only be 8 or less now - ten degrees in a matter of minutes??

"Er hello?" Jun waved a hand in front of Joe's face, "At least you're a DigiDestined, I'm here by mistake and my only claim to fame is having Davis as a brother."

"Yeah you should be happy!" Davis grinned,

"Oh brother..." Jun held a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"What?"

"I think she's saying that having you for a brother still isn't a very good option for her." TK chuckled.

"Who are you calling a bad option TC!"

"You Davis."

"Why you... GRR!"

"Seems like things are back to normal." Angelus sighed, eliciting a giggle from those still listening to him. Wolfie turned towards the two elder males.

"I really want to help you guys out." The kiwi ignored Sora's snort, "But something's going on there and I need to find out what it is."

"Well, thank you anyway Wolfie for helping us out." TK said on behalf of the group, minus a redhead obviously, and the keeper of Hope gave her a dazzling smile. The Mender blushed, Davis elbowed TK in the ribs.

"Hey TK I think she likes you." This earned Wolfie a glare from Sora and Kari whilst Davis got a glare from Wolfie, TK, Kari and the two chosen ones.

"Doofus." Jun muttered, which only served to kick up everything again and a full-scale row broke out between Davis, Jun and anyone else who got caught in the crossfire. Rather sensibly (a moment severely OOC for those who care at this point) Wolfie flung an arm around Ben and Angelus steering all three away from the verbal carnage going on around them... who'd have thought little Cody knew so many rude and insulting words....? Tsk tsk.

"Who'd have thought little Cody knew so many rude and insulting words?" Ben replied, curiously repeating the author's train of thought.

"What that midget? Ha! He'll be listening to Slipknot by the end of all this." Wolfie chuckled.

"He's certainly the right age." Angelus nodded as they approached another deserted clearing well away from the others. "And he's already got his own weapon..." The sound of Cody smacking his kendo stick accidentally into Matt's ankle reverberated around the deserted streets. The Gatekeeper shook his head, now Armadillomon had grabbed Yolei by the shirt and was yelling in her face, something about 'not being a stool' or something.

"Well," Wolfie sighed "I'd best be going then." Angelus responded by drawing his sword and burying it into the ground. As if by magic a blue archway appeared, creating a rush of wind that successfully got the attention of the DigiDestined. In the centre of this archway a flickering monochrome picture appeared of a beach, a severely deserted and battered beach.

"That does not look good."

"What's up with the image Wingy?" Ben asked but didn't get a verbal response, instead Angelus just frowned his face decidedly concerned. He reached out a laid a finger onto the very base of the sword hilt, immediately the image corrected itself and a stabilized portal formed.

"What the hell happened there?"

"Guess I'm gonna find out."

"Be careful." Angelus cautioned,

"I will." The elder girl smiled, "See ya Gatekeeper."

"See ya Mender."

And with that Wolfie disappeared out of our story - At least for now.

"Soooooooo." Ben announced rubbing his palms together, "Where's the staff?"

Angelus blinked, "What staff."

"THE staff."

"You know about the fake?" Sora asked as her brother tossed the staff he had been leaning against into a nearby skip.

"Fake? What the?" Mimi did a double take.

"So you know about Aeth's betrayal of us?" Angelus said slowly and deliberately, noting Ben's eyes narrowed when he mentioned Aeth's name. The bitterness in the Traveller's reply was almost tangible and brought a tingle to the Gatekeeper's spine.

"Yeah." But you don't know the half of it, and I cannot tell you what will occur...

Sora scratched the back of her neck, "Um, don't take this the wrong way but... who told you? I mean we've only just found out ourselves."

"I did."

"You told yourself?" Asked a sceptical Ken,

"Yessssss." Ben noticed the mass of confused expressions, "This is going to take some explanation." And so Ben explained what Alzari had told him and more specifically what he could tell them that Alzari had told him. What the staff was meant to do and what the one he had held would not have done.

"So what does this staff do." Yolei gestured at the binned staff.

"It sends you on an express trip to the Chaos Plain."

"Chaos Plain?" Now it was Davis' turn to voice a question, but it was Angelus who answered.

"An area of anti-space, nothing lives there very long for everything is un-orderly - hence chaotic. It will turn your mind inside out and scatter you across reality."

"Ouch." Veemon muttered.

"Most everything in the Universe is either chaos or order based, there cannot be one without the other but it is not as simple as too much chaos being 'evil', for if you were to have an excess of order the result would also be negative. The Chaos Plain holds order, it has to to remain separate from everything else it's just that within that space there is little to no order."

"Well that was as clear as mud." Gatomon yawned, "Thanks for sharing Angel boy."

It was at that moment a deafening crash of thunder sounded and the ground shook for several seconds. Everyone bar Myotismon was thrown to the ground as windows imploded, buildings shook and cracks snaked down the road and pavement. The little group were barely on their feet again before a second sonic boom knocked them flat again.

"What the hell was that!?" Izzy asked, only serving to increase everyone else's worry.

Veemon pointed skyward, "Is it me or is the sky getting darker?"

Angelus's jaw dropped, "Oh boy."

"What is it Angelus." Palmon tugged on his jeans in desperation as a nearby building collapsed in on itself, Jun shrieked and it was up to the nearby Matt to shield her from the falling masonry. The DigiDestined and Digimon fled into a nearby plaza seemed to have been all but levelled it was obviously where Devimon had first attacked, shattered phone boxes and compressed cars were deposited all over the area.

Angelus finally managed to yell over the noise, "If my scrambled memory is correct we're coming up to total Unification!"

"What?!"

"We've got about 5 hours to find the Keymaster guy who tried to send TK to the big beyond and FAST."

"What about having to free us from Toei?" Hawkmon cried, as he helped Yolei stay upright as another explosion rocked the area.

Angelus shook his head rapidly, "That doesn't matter! We were wrong, it was never because of that. It's the Keymaster we need to stop, he could be anywhere and as long as he lives the true worlds will continue to merge. Killing him halts the process then Ben and I will perform the Rebirth ritual with the Golden DigiEggs to separate them all again. After that we can release you guys from this world's influence."

A jet of high-powered steam shot a series of manhole covers skywards, Ben held Mimi to him to keep her upright. Cody clung onto Armadillomon as the circles of harden steel landed with audible clangs around them, all thankfully missing Digimon and Human alike.

"But the Keymaster could be anywhere." He yelled.

"On the contrary, SHE could be HERE." Myotismon said looking away to their left.

"Huh?"

"How do you know it's a she Myotismon?" Ben grabbed the ultimate by the elbow, and the vampire pointed an accusing finger.

"Because she's IS here."

A spirit like Yamashita stepped forward, an aura of cloud and darkness surrounding him the once stout man now had a pair of lifeless black pools for eyes, flesh hung from his body he was literally a walking, or levitating corpse.

"FOOLISH CHILDREN..." This Über-Yamashita boomed, "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN SIMPLY STOP ME JUST LIKE THAT." The voice was menacing but indeed was unmistakably female.

"Who are you?" Tai demanded.

"I AM THE ETERNAL."

"Well that's good to know... I'm sure we can get you some nice cards printed up." Angelus growled, drawing his sword. Ben snarled and moved his staff into an attacking posture, the undulating golden sphere atop the wooden pole glowed a deep crimson in warning.

"You're the cause of all this aren't you." The Traveller accused, the Yamashita creature scoffed.

"A PATHETIC QUESTION FROM A PATHETIC CREATURE TRYING TO BE MORE THAN HE IS."

"A pathetic reply from something that hasn't even got it's own body." Angelus' eyes narrowed.

"YOUR WIT HASN'T CHANGED MUCH SINCE WE LAST MET, STILL AS SHARP AS A DISHMOP."

"Who are you, really?" Angelus asked, "What are you?"

"I AM THE KEYMASTER AND YOUR DEMISE STARTS HERE." The Keymaster thrust it's hand outward and three sphere's of blue power slammed into the chests of the two chosen ones knocking them back and through a shop window. They crashed through a display of instant soups and landed with a pair of groans, their heads hitting against a wall a sickening thud.

"Ben!"

"Angelus!"

"Urrrghh..."

The Keymaster smirked, and turned towards the DigiDestined, "MWAH HA HA! WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE TO DO NOW CHILDREN?"

Angelus managed to get to his feet, before a barrage of images flooded his skull.

This isn't right....

I must remember. I MUST.

Something's missing, I-I can remember the first Unification we weren't strong enough to defeat her. She was sealed away, but she couldn't possibly escape as she was...

Her body isn't here...

WHO IS THE KEYMASTER? I... CAN'T.... REMEMBER....

"You're... just a spirit. Nothing... more..."

"WE SHALL SEE, MAYBE YOUR FRIENDS WILL PROVE MORE OF A CHALLENGE." Über-Yamashita chuckled, then discharged another sphere of power into Angelus sending him sprawling into a large and heavy freezer.

Matt glared at the Keymaster, "Just you try it!"

"Oh Matt don't get yourself hurt!"

"Oh man." Matt muttered as Jun latched onto his arm.

Tai changed the subject by yelling out "Go get him guys."

"Right!" The DigiDestined chorused

"Agumon - WARP DIGIVOLVE TO...."

"Gabumon - WARP DIGIVOLVE TO..."

"Patamon - WARP DIGIVOLVE TO..."

"...WarGreymon!"

"...MetalGarurumon!"

"...Seraphimon!"

On the floor of the small supermarket outlet, Angelus cried out in pain his body contorting as his DX pulsed with light.

"Is this wise?" Kari cried hanging on to TK as the three Mega level Digimon deflected a series of blue spheres. "Aren't we gonna put a hell of a strain on Angelus and Ben's energy bond with us?"

TK held his arm in front of his face to shield it from the dust being blown up by the firefight, the keeper of Hope shrugged. "We don't have any choice."

Gatomon bounced over to Kari, "Can I get him? Her? Whatever?"

"Very well, go get it!" Kari held her D3 in the air and a beam of light came from the shop and Angelus to strike it dead centre.

"Lets see if Jasmine was right about that extra boost - Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon... ANGEWOMON MEGA DIGIVOLVE TOO..... MAGNADRAMON!!!"

Spirit... no, cannot be. Must have had help.

Can't remember, but must...

What's missing?

Why am I in such - pain?

Keymaster... Gatekeeper... Keymaster... Gatekeeper... Keymaster... Gatekeeper... Keymaster... Gatekeeper... Keymaster... Gatekeeper... Keymaster... Gatekeeper...

They, they cannot defeat her!

"No." Angelus tried dragging himself towards the shop doors, Ben was up with the help of his staff but very dizzy. A trickle of red was coming from the Traveller's left eyebrow. "Stop." He tried to call out but to no avail as it came out as but a whisper, enough for Ben to hear though.

Ben winced as he touched his head wound, then heard Angelus' words. "What is it Wingy?" He hobbled over to the fallen Gatekeeper.

"Something's not right." Was all he could say as Ben tried to help him up.

"Seven Heavens!"

"Fire Tornado!"

"Terra Force!"

"Ice Wolf Bite!"

"AHHH!" The Keymaster cried out in pain as a series of missiles hit her body, the creature hissed through it's teeth and backed away a bit.

Davis whooped, "Come on we've got him!"

"Myotismon." Ben, who had half-dragged himself and Angelus out into the open again turned to his Digimon partner. "Digivolve and help them out."

"Are you sure?" The ultimate asked raising a red-masked eyebrow.

Ben looked stunned, "What do you mean 'are you sure'? Go ahead and do it!"

Myotismon grinned wickedly, "Just thought I'd make sure. Myotismon... MEGA DIGIVOLVE TOO... Azarelmon!"

"WHAT IS THIS?" The Keymaster looked genuinely surprised by Myotismon's digivolution.

"This?" Ben smiled despite the pain of his energy bond, which now only seemed to extend to Sora and Biyomon. "You're about to be judged."

"...." From seemingly out of nowhere Azarelmon produced a sphere of white light, then turned towards the other Mega Digimon. The Keymaster grinned almost knowingly and laughed.

"FOOLS."

"What the?" Joe gawped.

"What's Azarelmon doing?"

"Azarelmon!?" Ben cried out as Azarelmon dedigivolved into Myotismon, yet the vampire still held a somewhat smaller version of the white orb. "What's going on?"

"You really think I would join you?" Myotismon taunted, then backhanded Ben across the face. "Idiots, I am to be lord of all worlds that will be bathed in darkness. It is my destiny."

"You betrayed us!" WarGreymon growled, stepping forward with MetalGarurumon.

"You forget that prophecy of yours." Myotismon chastised.

"You will be betrayed..." Angelus muttered.

"Indeed Gatekeeper." Myotismon smiled a fang-toothed smile, "Someone's missing from our company." With that he raised the orb above his head and hurled it into the centre of the group of Seraphimon, Magnadramon, MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon. "Judgement lifted."

"Oh my God.... GET BACK!" Joe cried as the ball hit the ground and exploded, flinging Digimon and DigiDestined in all directions.

"Aaaah!"

"Patamon!"

"Agumon!"

"Gabumon!"

"Gatomon!"

All four Digimon were back to rookie (or champion in Gato's case) and were unconscious, but worse than that was what stood where the ball had landed.

"It's good to be able to stretch my claws again..." Dragomon said laughing, "And on that subject - TENTACLE CLAW!"

To Be Continued....

Sora: Who will survive this deadly face-off? Who is the true Keymaster and what has the Harbingers, Myotismon, Yamashita and Angelus got to do with her? Will the three worlds of the Human world, DigiDestined World and Digital World merge and be covered by evil and darkness??? It's a fight to the death, Gatekeeper versus Keymaster in the next Unification climaxing chapter of Digimon: Reality Redux!!!!!

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