Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2 and Digimon World 3. This story was not written for profit.
Guard Tamer: Associates of Anarchy
By: RB3
Chapter 2: Dimensional Incursion
Digital City was a hi-tech paradise, a utopia in the beautiful and wondrous Digital World. It was a small city with geometrically shaped metal buildings, from domes and pyramids to the normal rectangular shape of modern buildings. Cars travelled down the street, and both human and Digimon pedestrians commuted in an orderly manner. In the park to the south, several kids were playing a game of tag with their Digimon and having great fun.
In one of the buildings, a sister was saying her farewells to her younger brother. She was a beautiful girl of half Caucasian, half Japanese descent. She was in her late teens, and had shoulder length violet hair. She was in an elegant white gown that made her look distinguished. This girl was Esteena Violet, and in her arms was her brother, Akira Violet. She broke off her hug and took a good look at her brother, a look filled with both sorrow and pride.
"Goodbye, Akira, please come back soon. You're the only family I have," said Esteena.
"Don't worry!" replied Akira. "I will be home before you know it!"
As Akira left, he thought back to the events that led him to this point. The enemy was acquiring reinforcements from the new Digital World. If the operation succeeded, it would greatly weaken the war effort of the enemy. These new reinforcements, Digimon, had the ability to grow more powerful by absorbing, or loading, the data of fallen Digimon. These Digimon were much more dangerous than what the Guard Tamers had faced so far.
Akira used his GAIA powers and in a flash of green light he materialized on the Kernel Zone. After Overlord GAIA's fall, the Kernel Zone became a Guard Tamer asset under Akira's control. It was a massive, moon-sized space station that was currently in orbit around the Digital World. It was a grey, barren world made entirely of metal and circuitry. The air was cool and scentless, and the environment was eerily quiet. The only things that broke the monotony of the landscape were the Guard Tamers' base, and two towers.
The first tower, Core Tower, was at the centre of the Kernel Zone. Core Tower's name was a bit of a misnomer. It consisted of a central, green, sphere of light surrounded by four curved, metal structures at the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Each of the four structures was connected to metal bars that ran along the ground. A black ring floated around the tower, and green data symbols would light up on the ring occasionally. Core Tower was where Akira reunited with his True GAIA aspect to finally defeat Overlord GAIA.
The second tower, Chaos Tower, was a far distance to the northeast of Core Tower. Its bottom was straight out of a Towers of Hanoi problem, resembling a series of metal disks stacked in increasing size. A series of red wires ran down into the ground from a central red sphere on top of the disks. Above this red sphere floated a metal tower that resembled a metallic grey mountain. Surrounding Chaos Tower was a floating black ring akin to the one around Core Tower. It was the former headquarters of the Blood Knights and their late master, Overlord GAIA.
The Guard Tamer base was built to the southwest of Core Tower. It was well fortified from enemy attack with cannon towers placed strategically around the compound. Many of the buildings were metal domes resembling golf balls, while the rest had other geometric shapes. Near this camp were obstacle courses and firing ranges designed for training Guard Tamers. The lookouts in the tower glanced at the surrounding land periodically for possible enemy attacks.
Akira approached the entrance of his home, Core Tower. "Hi, Akira!" cried his Digimon.
"Hi Darkfryer, hi Lillith!"
"So, we're going on a mission, darling?" asked Lillith.
"Yep, we're going to take out some Data Loaders, so take these two pills."
Akira produced two red pills from a small container in his pocket. Lillith and Darkfryer took the pills and swallowed them whole. These pills contained a program that altered the digital make up of a Digimon's body. It essentially made their data toxic to anyone who attempted to load their data. If any Digimon were dumb enough to try, they would get a nasty surprise and be weakened rather than strengthened. This was just one of a series of measures to protect themselves from Data Loaders.
Darkfryer smirked. "The Data Loaders will be in for a surprise if they try to load my data!"
"Those guys pulled a fast on us the first time, but now we're ready!" declared Lillith.
"You've been practicing the Data Drain technique?" asked Akira.
"Yep, now we fight those Data Loaders on our terms!" replied Lillith.
The Data Drain technique was an enhancement to all abilities of a Guard Tamer Digimon. Any Data Loader struck is "drained," and lose all advantages that come from loaded data. This ability was made to counter massive data loading during army versus army confrontations. Though the effects were temporary, they lasted long enough for allied troops to kill the victim. The Guard Tamers implemented a similar enhancement was implemented for their weaponry.
Esmeralda approached Akira, and the two saluted. "Commander, our forces have gathered at the base. We may leave when you are ready."
"Tell them that I am moving the Kernel Zone immediately," replied Akira.
"Yes sir!"
A flash of green energy consumed Akira as he made his transformation into True GAIA. When the energy subsided, an unearthly, angelic figure emerged. His body was made of a brilliant blue metal, and his face was harlequin-like with gleaming golden eyes. Above his head floated a halo of golden flames, and on his back were two wings of fiery gold. In his hand was a black sword engulfed in darkness that rumbled softly.
True GAIA magically dismissed his sword and promptly flew up to the top of Core Tower. True GAIA raised his hands and channelled the powers of the Kernel Zone. The green sphere began to rise until was at eye level with True GAIA. The crackle of energy ripped through the air, leaving the pungent smell of ozone in the air. Bolts of green electricity arced from the sphere into a swirling green vortex in outer space. In this vortex was the scene of a desert taken from the air.
A giant blue sphere floated above the desert, and rings of green data symbols orbited this strange sphere. Several pink energy beams, or Data Streams, emanated from this sphere. Upon a closer look, one could see the twinkling of data symbols within the sphere and the light of the Data Streams. The sphere seemed to be turning around randomly, as though trying to move its various Data Streams to different parts of the Digital world. A warning klaxon blared in the Guard Tamers' base, warning everyone of impending turbulence.
****************************************
In the Real World of the Digimon Tamers was a government organization known as "Hypnos." It was created to monitor the web, and intruded on private information. This organisation came to be the watchdogs that monitored Digimon, and prevented them from "Bio-Emerging," or entering the Real World. Hypnos was based in a tall building with twin towers located within the Shinjuku district of Tokyo . It was a modern government building with several metallic receivers on its side for detecting Digimon and their Bio-Emergence.
The monitoring room was dark and like the interior of a dome. The walls functioned as a gigantic screen relaying any information on unusual activity in the Digital World. A pair of beautiful female technicians was seated on chairs raised by a mechanical arm in the centre of the room. They were typing away, performing scans on the Digital World for anomalies. After the D-Reaper fiasco, Digimon activity had dropped sharply and things had been very quiet.
A blond haired man in a distinguished black suit flicked his cigarette lighter open and closed. He watched his operators work through his black sunglasses. This man, Mitsuo Yamaki, was the head of the Hypnos operation. The two operators wore light beige suits, and reflective goggles over their eyes. The first was the thinner of the two and had chestnut hair, whereas the second was blonde and had a full figure. They were Riley and Tally, the operators of the Hypnos systems.
An alarming beep resounded in the room. "What happened?" asked Yamaki.
"There's massive energy build up in the Digital World!" replied Riley.
"Something is trying to enter the Digital World. Whatever it is, it's huge and I had to shut down unnecessary systems just to avoid a crash!" reported Tally.
"Riley, send a message to those kids about this. Tally, get a tracer on this thing, and be sure to tell me whatever its does," ordered Yamaki.
"Yes sir, tracer launched!" said Tally.
"Sending message right now!" said Riley.
****************************************
The Tamers were ready to go to the Digital World and cheered with fervour. Suddenly, a blue glow lit up the rear pocket of Takato's pants. The source was a handheld, electronic agenda used for keeping track of dates and appointments. It had an E-mail function for sending and receiving messages from Hypnos. This device was a gift from Yamaki for the Tamers' first voyage into the Digital World.
Takato pulled out the device and checked his E-mail. "Hey, we got a message from Yamaki. He said that there's something big entering the Digital World. He wants us to check it out while we're there."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," commented Henry. "We'd better find our partners first before we do any investigating."
The Digimon Tamers descended into the earthen depths of Guilmon's former hideout. One by one, they entered the portal, and found themselves wandering in a glowing green cloud called a Digital Field. Various strange data symbols were floating around in the air within the cloud's body. Digimon Bio-Emerged into the Real World via similar clouds, only they were white and had no data symbols. The light was intense and very hard on the eyes, but fortunately, the Digimon Tamers were prepared and brought protective eyewear.
The Digimon Tamers suddenly began a terrifying free fall to the ground! "AHHHHHHHH!"
"How can anyone get used to this?" screamed Jeri over the others' screaming.
The Tamers burst through several panels floating in the middle of the air. They were holographic images of circuitry that glowed yellow and green. Each time Takato passed a panel, he could feel a light resistance briefly slowing him down. It was as thought he was bursting through a thin layer of plastic wrap for food. Eventually, Takato cleared the images, and began to accelerate on a one-way trip to the ground.
Below Takato was a vast, seemingly uninhabited desert that extended to infinity in all directions. The sands were an orangey brown colour, as though layers and layers of rust had piled up through millennia. Dotted across the landscape were various naturally forming rock formations. These stone towers were the only things noteworthy in an endless sea of sand. However, this desert bore a nostalgic importance to the Tamers. It was the physical layer of the Digital World, and the place they began their first journey.
The Tamers hit the ground, instantly silencing their screaming, and knocking up huge clouds of sand. Their impact locations created a cluster of craters with each Tamer sprawled on the ground at the centre. Kazu was the first to recover, and began to stir. After several groans, he spit the sand out of his mouth, and began to dust himself off. His body was aching from hitting the ground so hard.
He stood up and looked around. "Ohhhh... There has to be an easier way to get here."
"At least we're still in one piece," groaned Rika.
As the Tamers recovered and cleaned themselves off, several familiar Digimon were approaching their location. The leader of the pack was a dinosaur with red skin and sharp teeth and claws. His body was covered in various black stripes and markings, but the hazard symbol on his chest stood out from the rest. His eyes were yellow, and his ears were like a pair of red, vestigial bat wings. He had a playful demeanour and was overjoyed to see his Tamer again.
"Takato!" called the dinosaur.
"Guilmon!"
The next two were a biped fox and a small rabbit-like dog. The fox had a yellow coat of fur and a lithe, graceful body. She wore a pair of violet gloves with open fingers, and the yin-yang symbol on them. She had a cool, calm demeanour, but was visibly glad to see her Tamer after such a long time. The dog had white fur with a slight yellow tint, and green markings on his ears, below his chin, and on his paws. He had a small horn protruding from his forehead.
"Rika, it's good to see you!" greeted the fox.
"Hi, Renamon!"
"So Henry, did ya miss me?" asked the dog, Terriermon.
"Of course, you fool! You don't know how I felt," replied Henry as he hugged Terriermon tightly.
"You don't have to get all sentimental you know..." said Terriermon.
The rest of the Tamers' Digimon rushed up to greet the partners. The first was a tall, biped dinosaur with black skin. He had a muscular body and that had strong humanoid characteristics. Several tubes that fed adrenaline and energy into his system were wired into his body . His head was shielded by a brown metal mask, but revealed the Digimon's toothy maw. He was Ryo's partner, Cyberdramon.
The next was a rotund, rust coloured robot with cylinder-shaped limbs. He resembled an old-fashioned stove and had a hatch on the centre of his chest. This Digimon was Guardromon, Kazu's partner. The third, Marine Angemon, was a small, fairy-like Digimon with pink fur, and a bright red heart on his chest. Around his neck was a ring of gold with an unknown scripture written on its circumference. Marine Angemon was Kenta's partner.
"Guardromon!" called Kazu.
"Marine Angemon!" called Kenta.
The fourth was a Digimon with a devil-like appearance and violet skin. He wore a red bandanna around his neck, and red gloves. On his chest was a yellow smiling face with jagged teeth. This was Impmon, the partner of the siblings Ai and Mako. The fifth was Suzie's partner, Lopmon, a female version of Terriermon. She had brown fur, and pink markings in the same style as Terriermon's. She had a set of three horns on her head arranged in a triangular formation.
The last Digimon was possibly the cutest thing any girl could ever see. He was a Digimon with white fur with purple markings on his ears and feet. On his head was the symbol of a downward pointing red triangle. Three black, but smaller triangles surrounded the main red one, forming the shape of an upward pointing triangle. He had wide green eyes with a cheerful appearance. He was Calumon, the only member of the Digimon that didn't have a Tamer.
"Look in the sky!" cried Renamon.
The group followed Renamon's finger to a ripple high in the sky, a nexus of churning green energy. From within this energy nexus emerged a massive, moon-sized orb made of pure metal. A cluster of buildings and two towers stood out from the barren, grey surface of the object. The orb was slowly leaving the nexus, which the Tamers concluded to be some sort of dimensional gate. They continued to watch in awe as the object hovered ominously above the sandy wastes of the physical layer of the Digital World.
"What is that thing?" asked Takato. "Does anyone have any idea what that thing is?"
"Honestly, I don't have a clue," admitted Ryo. "This is the first time I've ever seen that. Yamaki might know something; see if you can get through to him."
Lopmon was clueless as well. "I haven't seen anything like that at all, even when I was working for Zhuqiaomon."
"Wait a minute." Takato fiddled with the communications device to no avail. "No, this thing's fried."
"It's the Data Streams like last time," informed Henry. "We need to be somewhere shielded from them like a cave."
"Renamon," began Rika.
"Already ahead of you," replied Renamon.
Renamon leapt off into the distance, before returning a few minutes later. The Tamers followed Renamon's lead to an opening in a mountain. The cave itself was dark and clammy, and extended deep under the mountain. The stalactites resembled icicles of stone, and dripped water with a light pitter-patter. Eventually, they reached a small underground lake, and the communications device activated. Takato sent a message confirming that the Tamers had reached the Digital World safely.
"Good," replied the message. "Did you get a look at the object?"
"Yes, it looks like a giant ball of metal. I can make out buildings and towers on it," wrote Takato. "Is this helpful in any way?"
"No, we still don't know what it is. You should investigate too, but be careful, it could be dangerous. Call me later if you find anything new."
"Well guys, looks like we going to find out what that thing is."
****************************************
The Kernel Zone had entered the Digital World successfully. The warning klaxon fell silent, and the Guard Tamers relaxed their guard. Akira and his Digimon were now seated in a sterile briefing room with many other Guard Tamers and Digimon. At the front was a massive screen with a podium off to the side. Near each seat was a small port for connecting electronic devices to the main briefing server.
Akira pulled out a handheld device much like an electronic agenda. He connected his device, a Digibeetle Browser, to the port. He turned it on and the Black Sword emblem appeared briefly on-screen. He soon received a message confirming his connection to the main briefing server. Moments later, a tanned man with a violet beard and violet hair took centre stage. His uniform consisted of a one-piece black jacket with a cowl that extended sideways, and black pants. The man was Commander Chris Conner, and he called for silence.
"Okay troops, listen up," began Conner. "Thanks to True GAIA, we have entered the new Digital World. Unlike our world, this one is actually several interconnected worlds. I think 'Digital Multiverse' is a better name for this world."
Chris Conner continued his briefing by explaining the situation. This Digital World consisted of six planes arranged in a spiral. The Kernel Zone was hovering above the bottommost plane, which was a vast, almost uninhabited desert. The other five planes were made up of differing environments suited for the native Digimon. Due to the sheer size of this Digital World, finding the enemy would be quite difficult.
"We don't have enough forces to cover every single world with enough speed. We will be sending people to gather information and request aid from the leaders of this Digital World," informed Conner.
Chris Conner proceeded to warn the assembly of the dangers of this world. The first and most obvious were Data Loaders. These Digimon might decide to snack on the data of fallen Guard Tamer Digimon, so Conner reminded the Digimon to take their pills. The second were beams of pink energy that originated from the orb of circuitry in the sky, and ran along the ground. Intelligence had not determined what those beams were yet, thus Conner urged caution.
"Avoid those beams at all costs!" stressed Conner. "Use the Autopilot function to escape if you must!"
The enemy base was sure to hidden, thus help was needed to find it. He recommended that the next step was to question local Digimon for clues. He suggested that the Digimon do the talking whenever possible. Conner proceeded to assign troops to search for, and to question local Digimon for information. Akira and Esmeralda were assigned to Sector Two of the desert, or the east-northeast. After the briefing, the two Guard Tamers boarded their Digibeetle and began their search.
Akira and Esmeralda's Digibeetle sped along, its motor whirring as it traversed the endless sandy wastes. Its tires kicked up sand from the ground, blowing up a cloud in its wake. During the entire voyage, the Guard Tamers kept a sharp eye on their radar and instruments to see if there was anything of note. At first, there was nothing of note, except for the occasional rock formation. Eventually, the scanners picked up several Digimon gathered in one place. This gathering turned out to be a village of Digimon.
The village was fairly crude and built directly on the sand. The homes were shaped like domes and made of a hodgepodge of metal machinery lodged into brown stone. The village looked very unkempt, which suggested that the natives were poor. The inhabitants were biped Digimon resembling cute teddy bears made of mud. They almost looked like living gingerbread cookies. There were both children and adult villagers.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Mud Frigimon
Type: Data
Level: Champion
These Digimon were created from discarded data. They are golems made entirely out of mud.
Attacks:
Heavy Punch - Mud Frigimon can make their fists as hard as stone and deliver a powerful haymaker.
Mud Ball - Mud Frigimon can create and sling balls of pure mud.
Akira beamed his group's Digimon outside of the Digibeetle's memory banks. "Okay, you three take over from here."
"Right!" answered Darkfryer, Lillith, and Amar.
"See if you can find the chief or elder of this village," suggested Esmeralda.
The three Digimon asked around until some kind villagers led them to the house of the elder. The interior of his house was as unkempt as the exterior. A hammock was set off to the side for use as a bed. The elder's wife was busy in the kitchen, preparing a meal for her family. Her cooking filled the room with the smell of baking dirt and mud. The three Digimon took a seat around a round wooden table.
The elder wasn't a Mud Frigimon like most of the other villagers. He was a bit taller, and had a different bear-like shape. His body was made entirely of an unknown green mineral. His eyes were yellow, but showed the wisdom gained from a long lifetime. The elder had a kindly aura, but wasn't sure what to make of the presence of the three Guard Tamer Digimon. The elder, a Meteormon, took a seat in front of the three.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Meteormon
Type: Data
Level: Ultimate
These Digimon are golems made of the minerals of meteors from outer space. They are similar to their smaller brethren, Gotsumon, but are green instead of grey.
Attacks:
Cosmo Flash- Meteormon radiates a blinding burst of harmful green energy.
Falling Star - True to their name, Meteormon can call meteors from outer space to strike a foe.
"Hello, I heard you were asking around for me. What do you need?" asked Meteormon.
"We're members of a group called the Guard Tamers. I'm Darkfryer, this is Lillith, and he is Amar," introduced Darkfryer. "We'd like your cooperation for a mission we're undertaking."
"We're looking for some humans who have been taking Digimon from this world. They've been sending these Digimon to make war on our world and we're here to stop them," explained Lillith.
"Have you seen anything suspicious or heard anything that can help us?" asked Amar. "It would help our cause greatly."
"Not really..." admitted Meteormon. "Actually, a long time ago, some humans from the Real World came to our village. I thought the Real World was just a myth, but now, I really do believe it exists."
"Why were they here?" asked Amar.
"It seems they got lost looking for one of their friends. At the time, an evil motorcycle was terrorizing our people. Those kids did our village a great favour by stopping it. We owe them a great debt for their kindness. Are they the ones you're looking for?"
"Hmmm..." pondered Darkfryer. "We're not sure. Can you tell us anything about them?"
Meteormon thought back to that event. "Those kids were travelling with a band of Digimon. One of them looked like a lion-man, another was a red dinosaur, and another was this dog-rabbit with green markings."
"What about the kids?" asked Lillith.
"One of them was a girl, and she had this green dress." Meteormon described the other children before pausing in thought. "Oh, they also had these strange handheld devices they used for slashing cards. Does this help?"
"A bit," said Darkfryer. "Do you know of anyone else who can help us?"
"Well, we were once called to join an army to fight an enemy of the Digital World. I heard from other Digimon that the leaders of this army were called the Digimon Sovereigns. Maybe you should try them?" suggested Meteormon.
"Alright, thank you for your time. Goodbye, elder," said Darkfryer.
"Goodbye," said Meteormon, as the three left.
The three returned to the Digibeetle and repeated the information to their partners. "Sounds like Digidestined," suggested Esmeralda.
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" replied Darkfryer.
"It seems this world has Guardians of its own. I wonder if the Sovereigns are like them?" pondered Amar.
"Well, we'll think about this later. I'm going to open a channel to base, so tell them exactly what you told us. Esmeralda, get the Digibeetle going, we've got a few more places to search," ordered Akira.
"Affirmative!" replied Esmeralda.
****************************************
The Tamers travelled along the desert until they found a pair of tracks on the sand. "Tracks..." mumbled Renamon.
"What could have made them?" asked Takato.
Guilmon began sniffing the air. "I smell oil and metal. It was here not long ago."
"A car?" suggested Henry.
"Well, what else could it be?" asked Terriermon. "Look at the tracks!"
"I've never seen anything like a car in the Digital World," informed Ryo.
Henry looked carefully at the tracks. "The tracks aren't quite right for a car."
"If it's not a car, then what is it?" asked Rika. "Why don't we follow the tracks instead of standing here all day thinking about it?"
The group followed the tracks eastwards, which ended some distance to the west of the Mud Frigimon village. The tracks turned northwards at the end, but a small distance away was a trio of Digimon tracks. One looked like the footprints of a large, barefoot human. The second and third were more bestial, with one set belonging to a beast, and the other to a reptile. From the appearance of the tracks, the three Digimon had entered the village, and then left the way they came.
Jeri looked at the village. "We've been here before, remember Takato?"
Takato reminisced about his adventures in the village. "Yeah, that crazy bike."
Guilmon sniffed the air again. "I smell Digimon!"
"Well, duh!" said Terriermon.
"No, I mean different Digimon," corrected Guilmon.
Takato, Jeri, Henry, Guilmon, and Terriermon decided to speak with the village elder. To their surprise, the elder had become a young-looking Meteormon. Calumon's Digivolution powers were truly amazing to have made such an old Digimon young again. The elder didn't recognize them at first, but eventually, the Tamers jogged his memory and he was glad to see them. The group sat around a table and the elder's wife gave them several glasses of water.
"I'm glad to see you guys! That's odd, where's the lion-man?" asked the elder.
"He died in battle with an enemy," replied Jeri solemnly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," consoled the elder. "We owe him so much for his help with the motorcycle. The Digital World needs more noble souls like him."
"Meteormon, have you seen anyone come by recently?" asked Takato.
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Three Digimon came here several minutes ago asking if we've seen anything suspicious around here," replied Meteormon.
"What did they look like?" asked Henry.
The elder described the appearance of each of the three. "So they were a small black cat, a flaming black lizard, and a flaming man with black skin?" asked Jeri.
The elder nodded. "What did you mean by them asking about 'anything suspicious?'" asked Henry.
"They said they were from this group called the 'Guard Tamers.' Do you know them? They came here to stop some humans who have been recruiting Digimon for some war."
"Not really," admitted Takato. "Did they say where they were going?"
"No, but they did leave town by going west," replied the elder
Takato pondered the information. "Thanks a lot, you've been a big help."
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2 and Digimon World 3. This story was not written for profit.
Guard Tamer: Associates of Anarchy
By: RB3
Chapter 2: Dimensional Incursion
Digital City was a hi-tech paradise, a utopia in the beautiful and wondrous Digital World. It was a small city with geometrically shaped metal buildings, from domes and pyramids to the normal rectangular shape of modern buildings. Cars travelled down the street, and both human and Digimon pedestrians commuted in an orderly manner. In the park to the south, several kids were playing a game of tag with their Digimon and having great fun.
In one of the buildings, a sister was saying her farewells to her younger brother. She was a beautiful girl of half Caucasian, half Japanese descent. She was in her late teens, and had shoulder length violet hair. She was in an elegant white gown that made her look distinguished. This girl was Esteena Violet, and in her arms was her brother, Akira Violet. She broke off her hug and took a good look at her brother, a look filled with both sorrow and pride.
"Goodbye, Akira, please come back soon. You're the only family I have," said Esteena.
"Don't worry!" replied Akira. "I will be home before you know it!"
As Akira left, he thought back to the events that led him to this point. The enemy was acquiring reinforcements from the new Digital World. If the operation succeeded, it would greatly weaken the war effort of the enemy. These new reinforcements, Digimon, had the ability to grow more powerful by absorbing, or loading, the data of fallen Digimon. These Digimon were much more dangerous than what the Guard Tamers had faced so far.
Akira used his GAIA powers and in a flash of green light he materialized on the Kernel Zone. After Overlord GAIA's fall, the Kernel Zone became a Guard Tamer asset under Akira's control. It was a massive, moon-sized space station that was currently in orbit around the Digital World. It was a grey, barren world made entirely of metal and circuitry. The air was cool and scentless, and the environment was eerily quiet. The only things that broke the monotony of the landscape were the Guard Tamers' base, and two towers.
The first tower, Core Tower, was at the centre of the Kernel Zone. Core Tower's name was a bit of a misnomer. It consisted of a central, green, sphere of light surrounded by four curved, metal structures at the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Each of the four structures was connected to metal bars that ran along the ground. A black ring floated around the tower, and green data symbols would light up on the ring occasionally. Core Tower was where Akira reunited with his True GAIA aspect to finally defeat Overlord GAIA.
The second tower, Chaos Tower, was a far distance to the northeast of Core Tower. Its bottom was straight out of a Towers of Hanoi problem, resembling a series of metal disks stacked in increasing size. A series of red wires ran down into the ground from a central red sphere on top of the disks. Above this red sphere floated a metal tower that resembled a metallic grey mountain. Surrounding Chaos Tower was a floating black ring akin to the one around Core Tower. It was the former headquarters of the Blood Knights and their late master, Overlord GAIA.
The Guard Tamer base was built to the southwest of Core Tower. It was well fortified from enemy attack with cannon towers placed strategically around the compound. Many of the buildings were metal domes resembling golf balls, while the rest had other geometric shapes. Near this camp were obstacle courses and firing ranges designed for training Guard Tamers. The lookouts in the tower glanced at the surrounding land periodically for possible enemy attacks.
Akira approached the entrance of his home, Core Tower. "Hi, Akira!" cried his Digimon.
"Hi Darkfryer, hi Lillith!"
"So, we're going on a mission, darling?" asked Lillith.
"Yep, we're going to take out some Data Loaders, so take these two pills."
Akira produced two red pills from a small container in his pocket. Lillith and Darkfryer took the pills and swallowed them whole. These pills contained a program that altered the digital make up of a Digimon's body. It essentially made their data toxic to anyone who attempted to load their data. If any Digimon were dumb enough to try, they would get a nasty surprise and be weakened rather than strengthened. This was just one of a series of measures to protect themselves from Data Loaders.
Darkfryer smirked. "The Data Loaders will be in for a surprise if they try to load my data!"
"Those guys pulled a fast on us the first time, but now we're ready!" declared Lillith.
"You've been practicing the Data Drain technique?" asked Akira.
"Yep, now we fight those Data Loaders on our terms!" replied Lillith.
The Data Drain technique was an enhancement to all abilities of a Guard Tamer Digimon. Any Data Loader struck is "drained," and lose all advantages that come from loaded data. This ability was made to counter massive data loading during army versus army confrontations. Though the effects were temporary, they lasted long enough for allied troops to kill the victim. The Guard Tamers implemented a similar enhancement was implemented for their weaponry.
Esmeralda approached Akira, and the two saluted. "Commander, our forces have gathered at the base. We may leave when you are ready."
"Tell them that I am moving the Kernel Zone immediately," replied Akira.
"Yes sir!"
A flash of green energy consumed Akira as he made his transformation into True GAIA. When the energy subsided, an unearthly, angelic figure emerged. His body was made of a brilliant blue metal, and his face was harlequin-like with gleaming golden eyes. Above his head floated a halo of golden flames, and on his back were two wings of fiery gold. In his hand was a black sword engulfed in darkness that rumbled softly.
True GAIA magically dismissed his sword and promptly flew up to the top of Core Tower. True GAIA raised his hands and channelled the powers of the Kernel Zone. The green sphere began to rise until was at eye level with True GAIA. The crackle of energy ripped through the air, leaving the pungent smell of ozone in the air. Bolts of green electricity arced from the sphere into a swirling green vortex in outer space. In this vortex was the scene of a desert taken from the air.
A giant blue sphere floated above the desert, and rings of green data symbols orbited this strange sphere. Several pink energy beams, or Data Streams, emanated from this sphere. Upon a closer look, one could see the twinkling of data symbols within the sphere and the light of the Data Streams. The sphere seemed to be turning around randomly, as though trying to move its various Data Streams to different parts of the Digital world. A warning klaxon blared in the Guard Tamers' base, warning everyone of impending turbulence.
****************************************
In the Real World of the Digimon Tamers was a government organization known as "Hypnos." It was created to monitor the web, and intruded on private information. This organisation came to be the watchdogs that monitored Digimon, and prevented them from "Bio-Emerging," or entering the Real World. Hypnos was based in a tall building with twin towers located within the Shinjuku district of Tokyo . It was a modern government building with several metallic receivers on its side for detecting Digimon and their Bio-Emergence.
The monitoring room was dark and like the interior of a dome. The walls functioned as a gigantic screen relaying any information on unusual activity in the Digital World. A pair of beautiful female technicians was seated on chairs raised by a mechanical arm in the centre of the room. They were typing away, performing scans on the Digital World for anomalies. After the D-Reaper fiasco, Digimon activity had dropped sharply and things had been very quiet.
A blond haired man in a distinguished black suit flicked his cigarette lighter open and closed. He watched his operators work through his black sunglasses. This man, Mitsuo Yamaki, was the head of the Hypnos operation. The two operators wore light beige suits, and reflective goggles over their eyes. The first was the thinner of the two and had chestnut hair, whereas the second was blonde and had a full figure. They were Riley and Tally, the operators of the Hypnos systems.
An alarming beep resounded in the room. "What happened?" asked Yamaki.
"There's massive energy build up in the Digital World!" replied Riley.
"Something is trying to enter the Digital World. Whatever it is, it's huge and I had to shut down unnecessary systems just to avoid a crash!" reported Tally.
"Riley, send a message to those kids about this. Tally, get a tracer on this thing, and be sure to tell me whatever its does," ordered Yamaki.
"Yes sir, tracer launched!" said Tally.
"Sending message right now!" said Riley.
****************************************
The Tamers were ready to go to the Digital World and cheered with fervour. Suddenly, a blue glow lit up the rear pocket of Takato's pants. The source was a handheld, electronic agenda used for keeping track of dates and appointments. It had an E-mail function for sending and receiving messages from Hypnos. This device was a gift from Yamaki for the Tamers' first voyage into the Digital World.
Takato pulled out the device and checked his E-mail. "Hey, we got a message from Yamaki. He said that there's something big entering the Digital World. He wants us to check it out while we're there."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," commented Henry. "We'd better find our partners first before we do any investigating."
The Digimon Tamers descended into the earthen depths of Guilmon's former hideout. One by one, they entered the portal, and found themselves wandering in a glowing green cloud called a Digital Field. Various strange data symbols were floating around in the air within the cloud's body. Digimon Bio-Emerged into the Real World via similar clouds, only they were white and had no data symbols. The light was intense and very hard on the eyes, but fortunately, the Digimon Tamers were prepared and brought protective eyewear.
The Digimon Tamers suddenly began a terrifying free fall to the ground! "AHHHHHHHH!"
"How can anyone get used to this?" screamed Jeri over the others' screaming.
The Tamers burst through several panels floating in the middle of the air. They were holographic images of circuitry that glowed yellow and green. Each time Takato passed a panel, he could feel a light resistance briefly slowing him down. It was as thought he was bursting through a thin layer of plastic wrap for food. Eventually, Takato cleared the images, and began to accelerate on a one-way trip to the ground.
Below Takato was a vast, seemingly uninhabited desert that extended to infinity in all directions. The sands were an orangey brown colour, as though layers and layers of rust had piled up through millennia. Dotted across the landscape were various naturally forming rock formations. These stone towers were the only things noteworthy in an endless sea of sand. However, this desert bore a nostalgic importance to the Tamers. It was the physical layer of the Digital World, and the place they began their first journey.
The Tamers hit the ground, instantly silencing their screaming, and knocking up huge clouds of sand. Their impact locations created a cluster of craters with each Tamer sprawled on the ground at the centre. Kazu was the first to recover, and began to stir. After several groans, he spit the sand out of his mouth, and began to dust himself off. His body was aching from hitting the ground so hard.
He stood up and looked around. "Ohhhh... There has to be an easier way to get here."
"At least we're still in one piece," groaned Rika.
As the Tamers recovered and cleaned themselves off, several familiar Digimon were approaching their location. The leader of the pack was a dinosaur with red skin and sharp teeth and claws. His body was covered in various black stripes and markings, but the hazard symbol on his chest stood out from the rest. His eyes were yellow, and his ears were like a pair of red, vestigial bat wings. He had a playful demeanour and was overjoyed to see his Tamer again.
"Takato!" called the dinosaur.
"Guilmon!"
The next two were a biped fox and a small rabbit-like dog. The fox had a yellow coat of fur and a lithe, graceful body. She wore a pair of violet gloves with open fingers, and the yin-yang symbol on them. She had a cool, calm demeanour, but was visibly glad to see her Tamer after such a long time. The dog had white fur with a slight yellow tint, and green markings on his ears, below his chin, and on his paws. He had a small horn protruding from his forehead.
"Rika, it's good to see you!" greeted the fox.
"Hi, Renamon!"
"So Henry, did ya miss me?" asked the dog, Terriermon.
"Of course, you fool! You don't know how I felt," replied Henry as he hugged Terriermon tightly.
"You don't have to get all sentimental you know..." said Terriermon.
The rest of the Tamers' Digimon rushed up to greet the partners. The first was a tall, biped dinosaur with black skin. He had a muscular body and that had strong humanoid characteristics. Several tubes that fed adrenaline and energy into his system were wired into his body . His head was shielded by a brown metal mask, but revealed the Digimon's toothy maw. He was Ryo's partner, Cyberdramon.
The next was a rotund, rust coloured robot with cylinder-shaped limbs. He resembled an old-fashioned stove and had a hatch on the centre of his chest. This Digimon was Guardromon, Kazu's partner. The third, Marine Angemon, was a small, fairy-like Digimon with pink fur, and a bright red heart on his chest. Around his neck was a ring of gold with an unknown scripture written on its circumference. Marine Angemon was Kenta's partner.
"Guardromon!" called Kazu.
"Marine Angemon!" called Kenta.
The fourth was a Digimon with a devil-like appearance and violet skin. He wore a red bandanna around his neck, and red gloves. On his chest was a yellow smiling face with jagged teeth. This was Impmon, the partner of the siblings Ai and Mako. The fifth was Suzie's partner, Lopmon, a female version of Terriermon. She had brown fur, and pink markings in the same style as Terriermon's. She had a set of three horns on her head arranged in a triangular formation.
The last Digimon was possibly the cutest thing any girl could ever see. He was a Digimon with white fur with purple markings on his ears and feet. On his head was the symbol of a downward pointing red triangle. Three black, but smaller triangles surrounded the main red one, forming the shape of an upward pointing triangle. He had wide green eyes with a cheerful appearance. He was Calumon, the only member of the Digimon that didn't have a Tamer.
"Look in the sky!" cried Renamon.
The group followed Renamon's finger to a ripple high in the sky, a nexus of churning green energy. From within this energy nexus emerged a massive, moon-sized orb made of pure metal. A cluster of buildings and two towers stood out from the barren, grey surface of the object. The orb was slowly leaving the nexus, which the Tamers concluded to be some sort of dimensional gate. They continued to watch in awe as the object hovered ominously above the sandy wastes of the physical layer of the Digital World.
"What is that thing?" asked Takato. "Does anyone have any idea what that thing is?"
"Honestly, I don't have a clue," admitted Ryo. "This is the first time I've ever seen that. Yamaki might know something; see if you can get through to him."
Lopmon was clueless as well. "I haven't seen anything like that at all, even when I was working for Zhuqiaomon."
"Wait a minute." Takato fiddled with the communications device to no avail. "No, this thing's fried."
"It's the Data Streams like last time," informed Henry. "We need to be somewhere shielded from them like a cave."
"Renamon," began Rika.
"Already ahead of you," replied Renamon.
Renamon leapt off into the distance, before returning a few minutes later. The Tamers followed Renamon's lead to an opening in a mountain. The cave itself was dark and clammy, and extended deep under the mountain. The stalactites resembled icicles of stone, and dripped water with a light pitter-patter. Eventually, they reached a small underground lake, and the communications device activated. Takato sent a message confirming that the Tamers had reached the Digital World safely.
"Good," replied the message. "Did you get a look at the object?"
"Yes, it looks like a giant ball of metal. I can make out buildings and towers on it," wrote Takato. "Is this helpful in any way?"
"No, we still don't know what it is. You should investigate too, but be careful, it could be dangerous. Call me later if you find anything new."
"Well guys, looks like we going to find out what that thing is."
****************************************
The Kernel Zone had entered the Digital World successfully. The warning klaxon fell silent, and the Guard Tamers relaxed their guard. Akira and his Digimon were now seated in a sterile briefing room with many other Guard Tamers and Digimon. At the front was a massive screen with a podium off to the side. Near each seat was a small port for connecting electronic devices to the main briefing server.
Akira pulled out a handheld device much like an electronic agenda. He connected his device, a Digibeetle Browser, to the port. He turned it on and the Black Sword emblem appeared briefly on-screen. He soon received a message confirming his connection to the main briefing server. Moments later, a tanned man with a violet beard and violet hair took centre stage. His uniform consisted of a one-piece black jacket with a cowl that extended sideways, and black pants. The man was Commander Chris Conner, and he called for silence.
"Okay troops, listen up," began Conner. "Thanks to True GAIA, we have entered the new Digital World. Unlike our world, this one is actually several interconnected worlds. I think 'Digital Multiverse' is a better name for this world."
Chris Conner continued his briefing by explaining the situation. This Digital World consisted of six planes arranged in a spiral. The Kernel Zone was hovering above the bottommost plane, which was a vast, almost uninhabited desert. The other five planes were made up of differing environments suited for the native Digimon. Due to the sheer size of this Digital World, finding the enemy would be quite difficult.
"We don't have enough forces to cover every single world with enough speed. We will be sending people to gather information and request aid from the leaders of this Digital World," informed Conner.
Chris Conner proceeded to warn the assembly of the dangers of this world. The first and most obvious were Data Loaders. These Digimon might decide to snack on the data of fallen Guard Tamer Digimon, so Conner reminded the Digimon to take their pills. The second were beams of pink energy that originated from the orb of circuitry in the sky, and ran along the ground. Intelligence had not determined what those beams were yet, thus Conner urged caution.
"Avoid those beams at all costs!" stressed Conner. "Use the Autopilot function to escape if you must!"
The enemy base was sure to hidden, thus help was needed to find it. He recommended that the next step was to question local Digimon for clues. He suggested that the Digimon do the talking whenever possible. Conner proceeded to assign troops to search for, and to question local Digimon for information. Akira and Esmeralda were assigned to Sector Two of the desert, or the east-northeast. After the briefing, the two Guard Tamers boarded their Digibeetle and began their search.
Akira and Esmeralda's Digibeetle sped along, its motor whirring as it traversed the endless sandy wastes. Its tires kicked up sand from the ground, blowing up a cloud in its wake. During the entire voyage, the Guard Tamers kept a sharp eye on their radar and instruments to see if there was anything of note. At first, there was nothing of note, except for the occasional rock formation. Eventually, the scanners picked up several Digimon gathered in one place. This gathering turned out to be a village of Digimon.
The village was fairly crude and built directly on the sand. The homes were shaped like domes and made of a hodgepodge of metal machinery lodged into brown stone. The village looked very unkempt, which suggested that the natives were poor. The inhabitants were biped Digimon resembling cute teddy bears made of mud. They almost looked like living gingerbread cookies. There were both children and adult villagers.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Mud Frigimon
Type: Data
Level: Champion
These Digimon were created from discarded data. They are golems made entirely out of mud.
Attacks:
Heavy Punch - Mud Frigimon can make their fists as hard as stone and deliver a powerful haymaker.
Mud Ball - Mud Frigimon can create and sling balls of pure mud.
Akira beamed his group's Digimon outside of the Digibeetle's memory banks. "Okay, you three take over from here."
"Right!" answered Darkfryer, Lillith, and Amar.
"See if you can find the chief or elder of this village," suggested Esmeralda.
The three Digimon asked around until some kind villagers led them to the house of the elder. The interior of his house was as unkempt as the exterior. A hammock was set off to the side for use as a bed. The elder's wife was busy in the kitchen, preparing a meal for her family. Her cooking filled the room with the smell of baking dirt and mud. The three Digimon took a seat around a round wooden table.
The elder wasn't a Mud Frigimon like most of the other villagers. He was a bit taller, and had a different bear-like shape. His body was made entirely of an unknown green mineral. His eyes were yellow, but showed the wisdom gained from a long lifetime. The elder had a kindly aura, but wasn't sure what to make of the presence of the three Guard Tamer Digimon. The elder, a Meteormon, took a seat in front of the three.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Meteormon
Type: Data
Level: Ultimate
These Digimon are golems made of the minerals of meteors from outer space. They are similar to their smaller brethren, Gotsumon, but are green instead of grey.
Attacks:
Cosmo Flash- Meteormon radiates a blinding burst of harmful green energy.
Falling Star - True to their name, Meteormon can call meteors from outer space to strike a foe.
"Hello, I heard you were asking around for me. What do you need?" asked Meteormon.
"We're members of a group called the Guard Tamers. I'm Darkfryer, this is Lillith, and he is Amar," introduced Darkfryer. "We'd like your cooperation for a mission we're undertaking."
"We're looking for some humans who have been taking Digimon from this world. They've been sending these Digimon to make war on our world and we're here to stop them," explained Lillith.
"Have you seen anything suspicious or heard anything that can help us?" asked Amar. "It would help our cause greatly."
"Not really..." admitted Meteormon. "Actually, a long time ago, some humans from the Real World came to our village. I thought the Real World was just a myth, but now, I really do believe it exists."
"Why were they here?" asked Amar.
"It seems they got lost looking for one of their friends. At the time, an evil motorcycle was terrorizing our people. Those kids did our village a great favour by stopping it. We owe them a great debt for their kindness. Are they the ones you're looking for?"
"Hmmm..." pondered Darkfryer. "We're not sure. Can you tell us anything about them?"
Meteormon thought back to that event. "Those kids were travelling with a band of Digimon. One of them looked like a lion-man, another was a red dinosaur, and another was this dog-rabbit with green markings."
"What about the kids?" asked Lillith.
"One of them was a girl, and she had this green dress." Meteormon described the other children before pausing in thought. "Oh, they also had these strange handheld devices they used for slashing cards. Does this help?"
"A bit," said Darkfryer. "Do you know of anyone else who can help us?"
"Well, we were once called to join an army to fight an enemy of the Digital World. I heard from other Digimon that the leaders of this army were called the Digimon Sovereigns. Maybe you should try them?" suggested Meteormon.
"Alright, thank you for your time. Goodbye, elder," said Darkfryer.
"Goodbye," said Meteormon, as the three left.
The three returned to the Digibeetle and repeated the information to their partners. "Sounds like Digidestined," suggested Esmeralda.
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" replied Darkfryer.
"It seems this world has Guardians of its own. I wonder if the Sovereigns are like them?" pondered Amar.
"Well, we'll think about this later. I'm going to open a channel to base, so tell them exactly what you told us. Esmeralda, get the Digibeetle going, we've got a few more places to search," ordered Akira.
"Affirmative!" replied Esmeralda.
****************************************
The Tamers travelled along the desert until they found a pair of tracks on the sand. "Tracks..." mumbled Renamon.
"What could have made them?" asked Takato.
Guilmon began sniffing the air. "I smell oil and metal. It was here not long ago."
"A car?" suggested Henry.
"Well, what else could it be?" asked Terriermon. "Look at the tracks!"
"I've never seen anything like a car in the Digital World," informed Ryo.
Henry looked carefully at the tracks. "The tracks aren't quite right for a car."
"If it's not a car, then what is it?" asked Rika. "Why don't we follow the tracks instead of standing here all day thinking about it?"
The group followed the tracks eastwards, which ended some distance to the west of the Mud Frigimon village. The tracks turned northwards at the end, but a small distance away was a trio of Digimon tracks. One looked like the footprints of a large, barefoot human. The second and third were more bestial, with one set belonging to a beast, and the other to a reptile. From the appearance of the tracks, the three Digimon had entered the village, and then left the way they came.
Jeri looked at the village. "We've been here before, remember Takato?"
Takato reminisced about his adventures in the village. "Yeah, that crazy bike."
Guilmon sniffed the air again. "I smell Digimon!"
"Well, duh!" said Terriermon.
"No, I mean different Digimon," corrected Guilmon.
Takato, Jeri, Henry, Guilmon, and Terriermon decided to speak with the village elder. To their surprise, the elder had become a young-looking Meteormon. Calumon's Digivolution powers were truly amazing to have made such an old Digimon young again. The elder didn't recognize them at first, but eventually, the Tamers jogged his memory and he was glad to see them. The group sat around a table and the elder's wife gave them several glasses of water.
"I'm glad to see you guys! That's odd, where's the lion-man?" asked the elder.
"He died in battle with an enemy," replied Jeri solemnly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," consoled the elder. "We owe him so much for his help with the motorcycle. The Digital World needs more noble souls like him."
"Meteormon, have you seen anyone come by recently?" asked Takato.
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Three Digimon came here several minutes ago asking if we've seen anything suspicious around here," replied Meteormon.
"What did they look like?" asked Henry.
The elder described the appearance of each of the three. "So they were a small black cat, a flaming black lizard, and a flaming man with black skin?" asked Jeri.
The elder nodded. "What did you mean by them asking about 'anything suspicious?'" asked Henry.
"They said they were from this group called the 'Guard Tamers.' Do you know them? They came here to stop some humans who have been recruiting Digimon for some war."
"Not really," admitted Takato. "Did they say where they were going?"
"No, but they did leave town by going west," replied the elder
Takato pondered the information. "Thanks a lot, you've been a big help."
