The Fate of the World: Divided
by Creedogmon
edited by Godeerc VanDrey
Category: Digimon
Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating: PG-13 (Somewhat graphic, beware)
Language: English
Summery: The school choirs visit the National Choral Competition in Atlanta. Let's just say the timing's wrong.
A/N: I almost hate to start the action, because I was really getting into the suspense. I don't want to say too much in the summery, because you might as well not read the chapter. There's also the thing where I haven't planned where I'm going to start and stop each story arc, so I may not get to the point I though I was going to.
I hop out of the car. My mom says good-bye, but it's dull. She's still a little sore from yesterday. Apparently, I went through a red light. It didn't look red to me. I was green when I started and turned yellow as I entered it. That's perfectly legal. Mom insists I went through it as it turned red. I'm a good kid, but not that good of a driver. It's tough being fifteen.
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The day passes without a hitch, and I'm glad. I've gone through lots of hitches recently. All the fighting, which is over, thank goodness. I keep getting in fights with my mom because of mistakes I'm making. I'd think there something wrong with me, but I can't put my finger on it.
Well, there's the obvious, but how would my DigiDestiny be affecting my driving?
I walk by the cafeteria and see Stuart Dora slip in through the double doors. Must be trying to skip class. Still, his methods are rather amateur.
: : :
Stuart slips into the cafeteria, unnoticed. The tables are already laid out for today's lunch in a few hours, but there are no cafeteria ladies in sight. He pulls a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Footsteps near and someone opens the door.
The principal walks through the empty cafeteria on his way to the office, passing by the middle table with a dark-haired boy crouched beneath it. Stuart watches the charcoal-colored slacks pass by him. He waits until he hears the telltale sign of the sound of the door closing. He lights the cigarette, puts it in his mouth, and sits back, putting his hand behind him for support. He frowns; the cigarette falls to the edge of his lip at his pulls his hand back and looks at the black substance on his hand. He shakes his hand, but none of the thick, oily substance falls off. It continues to drip down his arm.
Stuart isn't in homeroom that day. I'm not surprised. There are several students missing. The choir has gone on a field trip. That's not surprising. What I am surprised by is the unscheduled fire drill. Bored, the class exits the classroom. I see Daniel in the hall and we exchange looks. On our way out of the school, we pass by the cafeteria. I think of Stuart and make a prediction about the source of the alarm.
As if reading my mind, Daniel's and my digivices squeal as we walk, so we quickly turn a corner, pull out our digivices, and try to muffle them. I don't know what the teachers will think our digivices are, but regardless, it's probably something we shouldn't have. Then I smell something.
I open the cafeteria door and am bombarded by a smoky smell. "Dude, it's a real fire." I tell Daniel.
Sniffing, he tells me, "That's cigarette smoke."
"Yeah, but that's not cigarette fire." I tell him, pointing inside. There is a small fire under one of the tables. I close the door. "Chris, dude, you could put it out."
"Daniel, I'm not using my power to put out a fire. Plus, it would look very strange if the firemen break in and I'm standing there with a dead fire. We're supposed to be outside."
Convinced, Daniel follows me as we catch up with the last students. For a little bit, at least. Suddenly, we heard the muffled sound of an explosion while tongues of fire spit out from under the cafeteria doors. We run out with the rest of the students. Outside, we look back. There are now several large columns of smoke coming out of the roof.
"Attention, there is a fire in the cafeteria. Do not panic. The fire department will be here shortly."
"Daniel, fires don't grow fast. How did it spontaneously super-combust?"
"It's a cafeteria; maybe it found the gas line."
"In the middle of the cafeteria?"
Daniel's response is overcome by a large collapsing sound. A huge cloud of smoke now floats from above the cafeteria. The roof has collapsed. I check my watch. "Roofs don't collapse because of fire in four minutes!"
Fire engines fill the front parking lot, and a horde of firefighters run past us. There is some mayhem now. Teachers try to silence it, but they can't get over the occasional scream. My heart is beating a mile a minute. I've never been much of an intuitive person, but even half-blind people can see theater lights shown directly into their faces.
A fireman runs out, holding something. He drops it on the ground. It's a person, his skin charred. I turn away, but catch a glimpse of the fireman beginning rescue procedures, but I hear him say something, probably cursing, and I see him beat his fist against the ground. Then I realize. It's Stuart.
"That's Stuart Dora," I tell Daniel, breathless.
"Oh, no."
"I saw him in the cafeteria. He ran in before school. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't have time." I'm about to break down, but then, "Hold it. Stuart was caught smoking at the basketball game. Cigarette smoke…"
"Chris, he's still dead."
"He wasn't killed by fire. Something evil killed him." Even I have to notice my cryptic speech is rather unlike me.
"Cigarettes are evil…"
"So is…" Before I get a chance to finish, there is deafening roar. Like out of a sci-fi movie, something huge, black, and formless emerges from atop the school. The fire and smoke have ceased, the last wisps disappearing into the air. At first, it looks like mountain, but quickly falls over, spreading across the roof.
There is more screaming from girls. Our digivices squeal again. "Looks like we're in trouble." I tell Daniel, but he's already in Champion form.
"Victory of Stone!" he cries. A large rock crag emerges from under the black ooze, but does nothing. A black tentacle forms from the mess and strikes Daniel, who falls to the ground, unhurt.
"Matador Dash!" Eric's bull digimon cries, crashing into the building and causing a great golden blast from within. The bull is thrown back through the glass door. Eric goes to help him, "Bullmon! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a scratch." The bull gets up and goes to attack again.
"Eric! Are you crazy?" I tell him.
"C'mon, Chris, if Daniel gets to go rocky, so should I."
Before I have a chance to answer, the Sanguine and the Patron are seen jumping onto the school to fight, but both are thrown back in a similar manner. Realizing that keeping my identity a secret is secondary to saving my school from strange monsters, I, too, get ready to attack, but find my effort equally thwarted. What kind of digimon is this, if at all? Attack after attack, we are unable to even faze the strange black ooze. We try holding back, but it lunges for us. The students have long since scattered, not even noticing our transformations.
We regroup. As the Inquirer too is fought back, she joins Phillip, Daniel, Anna, Eric and I.
"This isn't working," Daniel comments.
"Where's everyone else?" Phillip asks.
In unison, Anna and Justine answer, "Choir Concert."
I answer, "That's where Matt, Jessica, and James are. Virginia and Katmondu are at their respective houses."
"We need backup," Anna says.
"Obviously. Where's the choir competition? And why aren't you at it, Anna?"
"Had to make up a test. My mom was gonna take me after lunch."
Daniel speaks, "You might have to get there earlier."
"It's an hour and a half away!"
"And we still have to get Virginia and Katmondu." I add.
Justine speaks, "Well, as I see it, we have two places to go and no way to get there."
Phillip, in a moment of brilliance, says, "Patron could carry them."
Anna says, "The Sanguine can fly, but none of you can handle the heat."
There is a short silence, then…
"I can." I tell her. She nods.
"I'll stay her with Eric and hold them off," volunteers Daniel. Eric nods. Daniel continues, "Christopher, take Anna to your neighborhood and get Virginia and Katmondu. Phillip and Justine, you're going to Altanta."
Phillip frowns, "How do we get there?"
Anna gives Phillip a map, "These are directions for my mom. Follow them the best you can."
"Okay, thanks." Phillip hands them to Justine, who looks them over and puts them in her pocket. Phillip transforms and Justine mounts the twelve-foot form, gripping his neck. Daniel, Eric, and Bullmon run forward and wait to attack. Anna ignites herself and I grasp hold of her, my aura sizzling immediately.
"Ready?"
Sharply, I respond, "I'll never be ready. Just get the heck out of here. I'm roasting." Fiery wings emit from Anna's back and we quickly take flight. The Patron is already running full speed ahead.
The black ooze forms itself into a grotesque humanoid form. Daniel jumps up to attack and is immediately knocked down. It's hard to look now. My eyes are watering, so I close them and hold on tight to Anna. Then I hear something coming toward us.
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A/N: Well, this is a nice place to leave off. You're just going to have to read the next chapter. Hehehe, I'm so sort of evil.
(Sonriso)- Come on black thing! Bring it on! The Herald will take you out! After two seconds of my Sarcasm power, you'll be crying on the floor with low self-esteem. Hey! Watch those tentacles!