The Fate of the World: Journeys
by Creedogmon
edited by Godeerc VanDrey
Category: Digimon
Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating: PG
Language: English
Summery: The group is faced with the inevitability of splitting up.
A/N: Okay, from here on out, you're gonna have to pay attention because I'm going to be working with at least four separate stories lines. Or maybe I should be paying attention, because I'm writing them all. They might even have to intertwine. Wish me luck.
Chapter 10: Journeys"They're gone?! How did this happen?" the general yells gruffly.
"A fire broke out at the school. The cafeteria collapsed after only four minutes. We had agents on the scene immediately. They saw something and called for haz-mat team. The two agents had fifty parts per million in their blood after fifteen minutes on site. This stuff powerful and it was in the air."
"If the stuff is in Raymond, how did it already get to Atlas?"
"Either the wind took it there or there was a second package. Now they're gone."
"They're not gone. They're somewhere, probably lying on the ground and the chemical prevents us from seeing them."
"All of them?"
"The chemical had some effect on the tracers. They were moving toward Atlas when the signals finally died out."
"Then get a team there. And tell the lab to get working on the Antihistamine project or we're as lost as the rest of the world."
: : :
"We're gonna have to split up," Daniel states gravely.
Matt replies, "No way. We're strong as a team. I'd like to keep it that way."
Daniel shoots back, "What is all this is happening tomorrow? Stuff is going down fast and we don't have time to bully our way through it. By the time we get to the last spot, we may be too late."
Matt huffs, "What are the chances of that?"
Justine sighs, "He's right. There's not way we'll get everywhere in time. The monster is taking over things fast. We won't have more than a few days." Every from there is silent.
Anna looks over, "You're getting a lot of stuff lately, Justine."
Justine shrugs her shoulders, "I always get a lot. Most of it I can ignore. Lately, though, I've been getting lots of C-SPAN and not much MTV."
"We're not going in by ourselves. There were what? Four places that needed attention?" she asks. Justine and Jessica nod in unison. "Four teams then. We'll split up in the morning. It's getting dark."
The sky continues to darken, and I volunteer for the first watch. As a fire is built and my friends go to sleep, I pull out my "borrowed" laptop and fiddle around. For the most part, it's eerily quiet. The crackle of the fire, some soft groans from Justine, and some quick breaths by who I believe is Jessica, and the hum of my laptop is all the noises I hear. It's disturbing not having any crickets in the background. I don't get very far with my fiddling on the computer, because already several serious error messages have appeared on screen concerning the operating system. After it spits out technobabble for several minutes, the screen goes black, and a single word flashes on and off on the screen: REFORMATTING. This lasts only a few seconds, and the desktop screen comes up, almost instantly.
I study the screen. It appears normal, but an icon is flashing on the taskbar. I click the icon, which resembles two computers, one overlaid on the other. A Command Prompt-like window comes up, with the words "Affirming Network Connection." I roll my eyes. There's no network connection, but suddenly several lines of text appear. I read them; it's ten lines of random numbers and letters, except for the bottom line; it reads ORPHEUS8. I tried to click on the name, but soon realize that I have an inadequate window for that. I scroll down with the arrow keys and press enter. A new window pops up, with "Orpheus8" in the header. It features several buttons, including one stating "CHAT." I double-click it, wondering what my computer is linked to without a cable.
A primitive Instant Message program comes up. I type something in and press enter. Nothing happens.
: : :
C.J. lies on the oversized lawn chair, in the back aisles of Wal-Mart, drinking out of a summer-themed glass with the price label still attached and a plastic container of Raspberry Ice Tea instant powder mix by his side. He's wearing audacious sunglasses with the price tag still attached to the nose rim. A beeping wakes him up. He reaches beside the chair and opens his backpack and pull out his laptop. Opening it up, he finds a Microsoft InstaChat window displayed, which is strange because he doesn't have his wireless modem connected. The name is a mess of numbers and letters. It's almost as if it's an error message using the wrong program. Regardless, he opens the window. The message following the random character string states: "Hello?"
C.J. replies, confused.
: : :
Orpheus8 replies with a "Hello?" back. I type something in, and then notice another blinking icon, this time of a microphone. I click this and a window pops up. "Huh?" I mumble, and an audio frequency indicator screen appears, vibrating with my voice. "That's insane." I say to myself, and a text-editing program appears, having written, "That's in sane."
I click an arrow on the edge of the taskbar shortcut menu and a series of blinking icons flash in unison. I click them in sequence and a myriad of windows pop up and most disappear. One screen besides the IM program, the frequency indicator, and the text document stays: a hardware locator asking for a mouse. I spin the laptop around and look at all the empty ports, seeing an empty microphone slot, an empty mouse slot, and other empty slots. I pass my hand behind the slots. There's nothing there. Suddenly a chill goes up my arms as all the hairs stick up. I look around and a mouse pointer appears on screen, moving autonomously. I try to follow it with my hand, but it stops moving until I move it away. Struck by inspiration, I shake my hand and the mouse shakes back and forth as well. The window searching for a mouse is gone. I move the mouse with my fingers in the air to the frequency indicator and the text editor and close both.
In the IM box, Orpheus8 has typed something else: "Who's there?"
"Christopher" I reply and press enter.
"VanDrey?" appears on the screen, and I'm scared, until "Wicked!" appears to.
"CJ?" I ask. "Yeah" is the reply.
"You're not going to believe what I can do with this laptop." I type.
: : :
The next morning I have a big surprise for the team. Since each non-cat, non-toddler DigiDestined is equipped with a laptop in their backpack; we can communicate through Microsoft InstaChat with each other and with C.J. In addition, each computer is now appropriately named for its owner. After showing them how to use the new ghost hardware, I state how I realized since each computer has been formatted with our digivices, they all have a program installed that traces the homing beacon feature on the digivices, so that C.J. can locate us wherever we are and pass along vital information. They are, needless to say, very impressed. It doesn't last long.
The topic of who's going where and how we're going to divide arises. Anna and Justine of course pair up. I make the obvious point that Katmondu will be coming with me no matter who we assign him to. Diana asks to be with me. Jessica says she should go to the Cave of Destiny. Matt and Daniel offer to join her. James opts to go there, too. Phillip and Eric want to the go the plain. Eric even mentions that the "hotbed of evil" thing sounds like a lot of fun. We don't argue with him. Justine and Anna offer to take Virginia with them. Though I feel responsible for her, I admit that they girls love caring for her with her as much as Diana and I do. I warn them, unnecessarily, to take care of her. They agree to check out the cove, leaving Diana and I to head for the valley.
And we're ready to go. Sort of. We're prepared to go.
: : :
Jessica, James, Daniel, and Matt ride out on Spiremon, who glides over the ocean and out of sight before we know it.
"Bye, J.J." I think, and hear her reply in my mind. There's something to this, I think, but I'll worry about it later.
Eric and Phillip run off in the opposite direction as full speed, leaving a dust cloud in their path.
Anna and Justine glide off southward using their ability to fly. Justine is of course the one holding Virginia, tightly in her arms. In addition, she's carrying an overstuffed backpack with both hers and Anna's stuff in it, along with Virginia's diaper bag around her shoulder.
Salamon somehow convinces Katmondu to transform, and I ride Katmondu while Arielle rides IceFelismon with Hawkmon in one arm.
I know where we're heading; I was able to use a picture editing program to scan Diana's map. What I don't know is what we're going to do when we're there or what we're going find. But this is my destiny nonetheless.
: : :
A small fire dies away near a rock wall with a strange design drawn on it. And one of the points, the one near the top of the design, not in the outer triad, but over the inner triad and the vertically connect points, the one with an equal-armed cross drawn through it, now glows. The glowing originates from a tiny, yellow, glass sphere.
: : :
A/N: Okay, maybe these aren't turning out to be as long as I thought. However, they'll get more action-packed as I get through them. I want to warn you as standard as this story sounds, I want you to mind the twists. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
(Sonriso) - Oh, you think you have tricks up your sleeve. Wait till you see what I have up my sleeve. Nothing! I don't have sleeves! That wasn't funny. I think I'm losing my touch.