"Why do you insist that the genetic code is "sacred", or "taboo"? It is a chemical process, and nothing more. For that matter, WE are chemical processes and nothing more. To deny yourself a useful tool, simply because it reminds you uncomfortably of your own mortality is to hopelessly, and pointlessly cripple yourself."


Chairman Shenji Yang Sid Meiers' Alpha Centauri.


Chapter 2: Non Linear Genetics


"Welcome, Mr and Mrs Higgins. I am Doctor Scott Brady. Please take a seat."


Mr and Mrs Higgins, both tremendously pale, sat in the two comfy chairs in front of Brady's desk. Brady, a middle-aged man with black hair and a bald spot on the tip of his crown, with piercing grey eyes was sat on the other side, his hands clasped together, leaning his chin on his hands. Mr and Mrs Higgins were both extremely frightened by what had happened to their son. They knew he was sick, but they had never dreamed it would come to this.


"Mr Brady, please..." spoke Mrs Higgins in a quiet voice, almost tearful, "Will Daniel live?" Doctor Brady sighed and sat back.


"I'm afraid your son is dying, Mrs Higgins. His heart can no longer sustain him. He has, at best, a few weeks to survive before he dies." Mrs Higgins gave a startled cry and buried her face in her hands, sobbing hysterically. Mr Higgins, his eyes running with tears gently embraced her.


"Isn't there something, anything you can do?" Brady sat forward, peering at them thoughtfully.


"As a matter of fact, there may be something we can do..." At this, Mrs Higgins' head instantly snapped up and stared him straight in the eye.


"Is there? What is it? Tell me!"


"Please calm down, Mrs Higgins. Take a moment to collect yourself, and I will tell you everything." Mrs Higgins quickly mopped her eyes and suppressed her tears. After a few moments of sniffing and wiping her eyes, she looked up.


"An old associate of mine, a Japanese gentleman named Mr Yamaki has recently been developing a new form of high-tech medical analysis and treatment facility. He has taken an interest in your son's condition lately and has come up with a proposition."


"What kind of proposition?" demanded Mr Higgins.


"That your son become the test subject for our technology, Mr Higgins." a calm voice growled from the back. Both Mr and Mrs Higgins quickly glanced at the door to see a tall man, dressed in an immaculate navy business suit, spiky blonde hair and dark sunglasses waiting calmly in the threshold.


"Ah, there you are Yamaki. These are Daniel's parents. Paul and Louise Higgins." Yamaki smiled warmly and extended his hand.



"Pleased to meet you." They shook his hand, somewhat tersely, but returned his greeting nonetheless.


"I used to work for the Japanese government. I now work under the new UN department for research into the Digital and Real Worlds. To be precise, I work for the Department of Genetic and Digital Research. I have been working on a new method of directly influencing cellular growth and change using digital information."


"You mean like genetic engineering?" Paul Higgins wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion of volunteering his son for anything to do with genetics.


"Something like that. It's too difficult and complex to explain everything about the procedure to you now. All you need to know is that there is absolutely no chance of your son dying as a direct result of our treatment. All I ask is that you sign these forms..." he waved a wad of papers in front of them, "and give permission for us to use your son in our program."


"But what exactly are you going to do to him?" demanded Mrs Higgins.


"We want to cure him. We want to test our ability to treat genetic illnesses after birth, in early teen years, when the effects of most genetic diseases such as Downs Syndrome become most apparent."


"Will he be okay?"


"I assure you ma'am that your son will be among the greatest scientific minds in the world. Geneticists, digital and biological lifeform specialists, the works. Your son will have approximately seventy-two percent chance of surviving after treatment."


"Your son has no chance whatsoever of living beyond the end of next week without treatment." added Doctor Brady, "If you decide to volunteer, you will receive the treatment free of course. We will keep you up to date on his status at all times." Mr and Mrs Higgins exchanged worried glances.


"Where exactly will this treatment take place?" asked Mrs Higgins.


"I'm afraid I cannot say. It is a secure complex and a classified project. Among those forms is an Official Secrets Act, which your Parliament requires you to sign for legitimacy. Again, this is entirely your choice. Please decide."


"Now? Can't we think on it?"


"I'm sorry, but we cannot wait. We need time to prepare our equipment, and since your son is in a critical condition, time is of the essence. I'm afraid you will have to decide now." Yamaki placed the pile of forms down on the table and stepped back.


"It is entirely up to you."


Mr and Mrs Higgins leaned closer and whispered to each other. After a few minutes of deliberation, with heavy sighs, they pulled the forms to themselves and started filling them in.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Somewhere in the Mojave Desert:


Vritramon slowly opened his eyes to see a concrete roof, cracked and grey above him. He tried to move, but found his limbs were still weak. He groaned softly and closed his eyes again.


What the Hell happened? Why do I feel so weak? Where am I?


He could feel cold metal across his waist, ankles, wrists, neck and halfway down his tail and he realised he had been restrained. Not that it was necessary. He also realised there were two strange containment devices attached to his wings. Apparently to stop his fiery wings igniting anything.


Questions swirled in his head until he couldn't bear it and tried to block it out. He barely recalled the chaos he had experienced before he had lost consciousness. Losing the data of every Digimon he had ever defeated, only to have them all materialise directly before his eyes.


He barely noticed the woman enter his concrete prison. She stood at the door uncertainly. He turned his head to look at her. Behind her, two grim- looking guards armed with automatic weapons stood in khaki. The woman was dressed in a white lab coat with a nametag, which he couldn't make out. She clutched a clipboard to her chest and wore a pair of glasses. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun behind her head. She chewed on her lip nervously before walking cautiously toward Vritramon. She sat on the chair by his restraint.


"Vritramon? Can you hear me?" She spoke abnormally loudly and clearly, as if addressing a barely conscious patient.


"I can hear just fine, human." He growled irritably. She jumped, apparently not expecting him to be so clear-headed.


"Oh, you're awake." She spoke in an English accent.


"Your powers of deduction astound me, human." He snapped. She frowned and pushed her glasses back into place. She examined her clipboard for a moment.


"Do you know why you are here? Do you know what happened to you?" the scientist asked giving him a sideways glance.


"I was hoping you were going to tell me that, since it was you people who brought me here." He growled. He was finding it hard to contain his mounting frustration at not being able to move. "Actually, we had nothing to do with this. You bio-emerged in the middle of a mall in New York. We brought you here for treatment." "Treatment? What are you talking about?" She glanced again at the clipboard, which annoyed him mightily. "Are you going to talk to me or the paper, human?" Her head snapped up, an embarrassed flush evident on her cheeks.


"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to working with Digimon."


"So?"


"I'm afraid you have been infected with a virus." Vritramon was silent with confusion. A virus? Wasn't that a type of Digimon? What was she talking about? The scientist mistook his confused silence for shock. She chewed her lip again, not knowing what to say.


"A virus?" he repeated.


"Yes, and an insidious one too. It has wiped out your data arrays and your virtual RAM. It has obliterated your body's ability to store alien data, that is, data you have absorbed from those you have defeated and downloaded. As such, your body is now too weak to move anymore."


"How? How did I get infected?"


"It seems someone downloaded it directly into your body. It is highly improbable that you simply ran across it. Digimon are more complex data life forms than all known viruses can cope with."


"You're saying someone had it in for me, so they tried to kill me by sabotaging me?"


"I wouldn't say 'kill'. It seems you were pulled out of the Digital World deliberately. If they wanted you dead, for whatever reason that might be, they wouldn't have pulled you out, away from danger, where any stray Digimon could have scavenged you for your data."


Vritramon fell silent, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. A human of all things had brought him to the brink of certain death. How could such feeble creatures humble him, Vritramon, the single most destructive force in the Digital and Real worlds?


"Listen, I know this is a bit much for you, so just hear me out," the scientist offered gently, "We have a method of treating you, a method that is virtually risk-free. We have a critically ill boy coming to this facility. We have a treatment in place, but we need you." He turned his head and gave her a piercing stare.


"You 'need me'? What for?"


"You have provided a unique opportunity. Data from Digimon, when taken from their bodies is easily modified, changed or altered in ways that is impossible for cells from animals. We are hoping that the data you can provide for us will allow us to treat his illness. Of course," she tapped her clipboard against her hand, "We need your permission first. If you would just allow us to use you in the treatment, we could have you treated too, in about three months." Vritramon was silent in thought. Why should he allow them to use his body to treat some human brat? Was he not a warrior? But then, if the human was correct, and the virus was an insidious one, what if he died? How would the world (Both of them) exist without him? Unthinkable!


"If I agree, what is my guarantee that I will be as strong as I was before I was infected?"


"None, I'm afraid. Treatment will not put your life at risk, but there is no possible way of restoring all the data you had absorbed over the period of time before you were infected. You will at least be able to move, and no longer in danger of succumbing to the virus." Vritramon didn't quite know if this would be worth it. How many years had he been fighting? So much time had been wiped out in a single moment. But his inner instinct told him that he must live, no matter what.


"Fine. As long as you're going to treat me, I'll do it." The scientist smiled and scribbled something on her clipboard.


"Great. You won't regret this. Treatment will start tomorrow. Thanks." Vritramon turned his head away and growled,


"Whatever. Just leave me alone now, human." She left quietly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Three months later, Mojave Desert, US.


The jeep moved along the cross-desert highway, moving toward the facility where Vritramon was held. In the distance, rising up in front of them was the grey concrete and glass installation, surrounded by a chain-link fence. The jeep pulled up to the gates and a guard in khaki stepped out.


"ID please?" he reached out and took a card from the man sitting in the back, next to his aide. The guard scrutinised the card carefully and glanced at the man's face.


"Mr Garret, here to see Mr Yamaki." Said the man in the back.


"Mr Garret with DARRC? I see. Do you have an appointment?" the guard said while handing back his card.


"Unfortunately no, but it is an urgent matter. I'm on business from the UN."


"Alright, sir. Go on through." The gate opened and the jeep drove through, moving toward the central building.


"Sir? You have a visitor. He says it's urgent." Yamaki was standing in a sealed room with a large Lucite window, filled with a variety of monitors and computer equipment. There was staff at the computers, performing various tasks and operations. Through the window, two large cylinders filled with a light blue, mostly transparent, liquid could be seen. In each, the faint outline of a figure could be seen.


"A visitor? I wasn't expecting anyone. Who is it?"


"A Mr Garret, sir. Says he's with DARRC sir, and he's on urgent business from the UN." Yamaki was visibly annoyed. He raised his eyes, fixed his suit and motioned for one of the scientists in the room, a woman with brown hair tied in a bun with glasses.


"Take over here. Inform me if anything happens."



"Yes sir." After Yamaki had left, one of the interns at the security monitor pointed to a screen and said,


"Who's that guy?" The intern at the monitor next to her leaned over and frowned at the man in the immaculate black suit and shades.


"Looks like the Men in Black to me," He joked, "But seriously, I think that's the guy who's in charge of DARRC."


"What's "dark"?" said the female intern.


"D.A.R.R.C. Stands for Digital Anomaly Research Regulatory Commission." Said the female scientist standing in for Yamaki, "A branch of the UN set up to check on research being done on Digimon, the Digital World and other things like that."


"How do you know about them, Marie?" said the female intern.


"I'm supposed to. We've been visited by them before, didn't you know that?" Marie replied.


"I only started here a year ago. He looks weird." she scrutinised the man on the screen, "Kinda creepy, don't you think?"


Mr Garret stood at the reception beside his aide. He wore an immaculate black suit with tie, a pair of dark sunglasses, which hid his eyes and a calm, detached expression. He was quite short and round, with very short and well-kept jet-black hair. His piercing gaze took his surroundings in, like a wary hawk. The reception desk was a semi-circle, with two guards in red and white uniform. They wore black berets as part of their uniform, with a small insignia on its front: A gene helix with the sign of alchemy, two snakes coiled around a staff, and the letters DGDR underneath.


Yamaki, dressed in his dark blue suit and tie, with his shades, walked from an elevator and approached them. Garret was a good head-and-shoulders shorter than Yamaki.


"Mr Garret. An unexpected pleasure." He extended his hand, smiling politely.


"Mr Yamaki? Are you the one in charge?" Garret said, ignoring Yamaki's outstretched hand.


"Yes I am." He said, his smile faltering slightly and dropping his arm, "And might I ask your business here?" He had already decided he didn't like him very much.


"I've been sent by the UN. They wanted me to check up on your progress." He said, carelessly brushing something from the arm of his suit.


"Already? The next inspection wasn't due for at least two months. I wasn't informed of this by UN."


"This is a surprise inspection. We want to make sure you've been keeping up to scratch." Yamaki frowned.


"What do you mean? All our operations here are cleared with the UN first, everything we do is above board and sent through the proper channels. Why the sudden interest?"


"Not my business to know. Why, is there something wrong?"


"No, nothing. All right, I'll take you through some of the labs. Let's get you cleared by security." The three of them, including Garret's aide walked to the security guards at the reception.


"Mr Garret and entourage. Can you clear them?" he asked the guard watching the monitors.


"Yes sir. Just one moment." He typed away at his computer for a few moments, before inserting a card into a slot. It beeped a few moments before sliding out again. He handed it to Garret.


"Name?" he directed at the agent next to him.


"Thomas Reiley." The man answered. The guard repeated the process for the man and handed him the card.


"Valid for twenty four hours only." He warned, before moving back to watch the security monitors. Yamaki led the two men into an elevator and swiped his card. It began moving downwards.


"Perhaps while we're waiting, you might explain a little of what it is you do here?"


"You mean you don't know? UN never told you what it is we do here?"


"They didn't tell me, because."


"It's not your business to know, right?"


"Exactly." Yamaki pushed his shades back into place before speaking,


"Do you know what "Bio-emergence" is?"


"When Digimon appear, without warning in the Real World for apparently no reason."


"Textbook answer. Well, do you know how it works? How a cloud of mist can turn a creature made of zeros and ones into a living, breathing creature?"


"I can't say that I do." Yamaki resisted a smirk. So he wasn't entirely arrogant.


"When a Digimon in the Digital World Bio-emerges, a cloud of charged particles appear in the Real World.

These particles attract atoms of whatever the Digimon needs to assume a physical form from whatever is nearby. Living cells from people and animals, metals and materials from cars, buildings and so on. Of course, because the rang is so wide, anything which loses molecules to the Digimon doesn't notice."


"I see." Garret said, staring blankly ahead.


"The Digimon gathers this material and changes it, through some kind of process, into the materials it needs to take form. We haven't figured out how it morphs metals and non-organic materials into different things, but we have a grasp of how it alters organic materials."


The elevator door pinged and slid open. They were in an office, filled with cubicles and scientists running this way and that, holding files and folders, shouting for someone or something across the room.


"Admin. Sometimes I get the feeling they start this organised chaos whenever I'm around." He tried a joke, but Garret seemingly didn't notice. He was watching a woman who was having a heated argument with another intern. Yamaki excused himself and approached them, followed by Garret and Reiley.


"What's going on here?" he demanded.


"There you are Yamaki!" the woman growled, rounding on him. Her nametag said "Y. Lewton"


"What's wrong, Yvette? Have you just come back from your trip?"


"As a matter of fact I have!" she hissed, "Why wasn't I informed that treatment on a live subject was started." she cast a cursory glance at the men standing behind him, which turned into a startled stare.


"Mr Garret!" Yamaki looked from Garret to Lewton.


"You know each other?" Garret cleared his throat, unconcerned.


"We've met before. Please don't feel embarrassed on my account."


"Thank you." He said, slightly annoyed, "Lewton, we'll talk later. Go and cool down in the staff room or something." She looked livid, as if she wanted to choke him. She said nothing, spun on her heel and stormed away toward the door.


"Are you alright?" Yamaki asked the Intern.

"Yes sir. She was just upset because we didn't tell her about the treatment. We tried to, but we couldn't find her anywhere."


"That's alright. Get back to your duties." The intern excused herself and walked away.


"My apologies. Lewton was away on business for a few months."


"No need to apologise."


Yamaki and Garret entered a second elevator, this time one that was opened only by Yamaki's card swipe. It slid open and the three entered.


"You were explaining about this research?" Garret pressed.


"Of course. As I said, we haven't figured out how they alter non-organic materials, but we have started to understand how they alter organic materials. Cells from animals and people."


"And?"


"The data from the Digimon is highly advanced. It seems it is capable of actually programming the cells and their DNA sequences to exactly the specifications the Digimon requires. In short, it literally programmes cell evolution and accelerates it from millions of years to a few seconds."


"Incredible." And Yamaki thought that Garret actually sounded impressed too.


"We've been using suspended animation technology to freeze a subject-two of them in fact- and use this incredible ability to reprogram their genes to fix certain abnormalities."


"You have a test subject? Right now?"


"Yes we do. A child, a fourteen-year-old male was volunteered for the project. He has Forstner's Disease, a disease that stunts the growth of the heart. When the child reaches his or her teens, the heart is too small and weak to sustain their body any longer, and the child dies. We have almost succeeded in reprogramming the faulty genes responsible and have accelerated he growth of the heart."


"And how is the project progressing?" Garret was now looking at Yamaki with mild interest. Which was more encouraging than his bland manner of before.


"It is going fine. The reprogramming was finished in the fourth week. The rest of the time since then has been simply waiting for his heart to develop. It had at least seven years of growth to catch up with, and it has almost completed this in the space of three months."


"Fascinating. Would it be possible to see this subject?"


"Would it help your investigation?"


"As a matter of fact, it would. The UN would be doubtlessly encouraged if I were to give proof our your exceptional progress." Yamaki was excited. Finally, if they heard some proof of progress, heard it from their own people, maybe they would stop interfering. Yamaki swiped his card and pressed the 'stop' button. He pressed another button marked "restricted" with "Lab B5" marked underneath.


"I'll show you our two subjects then."


When the door opened, they stepped out into a large hangar-like area with a massive cargo elevator that slid downwards diagonally toward the depths of the facility.


"How deep does this place go?" Garret asked, looking around at the walls and huge containers sitting nearby. As they talked, they walked onto the massive platform and Yamaki swiped his card. There was a beep and the elevator began grinding its way downward, an ice-cold breeze whooshing up to meet them.


"About a mile down. We need to keep the equipment below cool, and in case of a problem, we need the depth to contain any mishaps."


"Mishaps? You don't mean. Nuclear?"


"Of course not. We don't have the funds to maintain the equipment needed, or the personnel. We use diesel, solar and thermal, as well as the power grid. We have ample power to keep us running in an emergency."


"So what do you mean, "mishap"?"


"You see those 'teeth' coming out the sides of the tunnel?" he said, pointing up at the ceiling. Garret looked up and saw square-shaped, yellow and black striped protrusions coming from huge slots in the walls.


"What about them?"


"If an emergency should occur, those security shutters will close. All in all, this shaft has twelve shutters, each capable of withstanding about an hour of continuous bombardment with high-grade HEAT rounds. Nothing will get through that passage, should the need arise to contain." After that, Garret fell silent and Yamaki led him through a set of huge security doors. When they were inside, Garret gave an almost audible gasp.


Encased in two cylindrical vats were a boy, looking in his early teens, and a Digimon, who would have looked very menacing indeed had it been for the fact he was asleep. The boy had a complex series of tubes and IV drips leading to various veins in his body. Also, a complex suite of instruments was lying at the base of his tube, which a scientist in cold-protective clothing was working at.


"Here," Yamaki said, handing Garret and Reiley their thick yellow suits with black mittens, "Put these on. It's minus four degrees Celsius in here." Garret absently took his clothing and put them on before walking toward the vats. He was staring intently at the vat containing Vritramon.


Vritramon's wings were encased in what looked like ceramic seals, no doubt because his fiery wings would be problematic in liquid. He too had various instruments attached to his body, wires leading to the roof of the unit and to the floor. A vital monitor hummed softly by the side of each tube, displaying the occupant's condition.

Garret was mesmerised by Vritramon's appearance. He walked right up to the tube and placed his mittened hands against it.


"Uh, sir? Please don't touch, the instruments are very delicate."


"Oh. I'm sorry." He said, removing his hands, but not moving any further away. Yamaki stood beside him and gazed up at the Digimon within.


"Isn't he magnificent? He volunteered to assist our research because a virus had infected him. He bargained with us, that we would treat him in return for his help."


"And the results?"


"We've almost removed the virus. It should take a few weeks more, as will the boy's treatment." Both subjects, human and Digimon looked strangely peaceful within the vats. Daniel was naked apart from a pair of plain shorts. Vritramon was still in his armour, looking as dangerous and powerful as ever. Garret hadn't taken his eyes off Vritramon since he had entered the chamber and Yamaki was getting suspicious. He cleared is throat noisily, but Garret seemed to take no notice.


"Hmm? Did you say something?"


"You were staring at him." Garret looked back up at the Digimon, as if realising he was there and quickly stepped back.


"I'm sorry, but I've never been this close to such a marvellous specimen before. To be this close to a Vritramon of all things."


"You've seen his species before?"


"Almost. We tried to capture a pair before, for study. They resisted. One was deleted, the other escaped."


"For study? You actually entered the Digital World to capture Digimon? That's illegal!" Yamaki sounded shocked, but Garret shrugged.


"We had permission. We needed a closer look at certain types, for scientific reasons of course."


"Of course," acknowledged Yamaki, but he didn't sound convinced.


"How long until treatment is finished?"


"A few weeks, maybe three or four."


"I trust all this is being kept strictly confidential?" Garret asked, giving Yamaki a sideways glance.

"Of course! You know what would happen if the press got one whiff of this. There'd be those damn anti-genetics and religious vultures at our gates and homes before you can say "no comment". Garret once more looked with what could almost pass for longing at Vritramon before asking Yamaki,


"Tell me, is it possible to alter a persons physical appearance using your technology?"


"What, you mean making them taller or changing their facial features?" Garret raised an eyebrow.


"Well, I mean giving them things they didn't have before, such as wings." Yamaki frowned.


"Well," he said slowly, "I suppose it would be possible, perhaps." He gave a suspicious look at Garret, "But why do you ask? That isn't what this technology is for."


"Just curious. If it were to fall into the wrong hands."


"The boy would pretty much be at their mercy." Yamaki finished chillingly.


"Indeed. Well, Yamaki, I believe I have seen enough to compile a report."


"A positive one I hope?"


"Judging by what I've seen and heard, you can assume that the UN will be very pleased by your work. I will ensure you get the credit you and your staff deserve."


Outside, Garret and his aide climbed back into their jeep. Once they had passed the gate, Garret brought out his cell phone and dialled a number. He pressed one finger to his ear. And held the phone to his other ear.


"Garret here. Reconnoitre complete. Moving schedule ahead by five days." He listened intently for a few moments.


"No time. They've already got two subjects just right for our needs. They're released in two weeks, approx. Reiley here has recorded our path through the facility. I planted the bug in their networks, so we should have

access to their systems." He listened once more, then replied,


"Alright. Get ready to initiate phase one in four days. You heard me; phase one commences in four days. We must take them before they are released." He was silent again for a good few minutes, and then he terminated the call with, "Understood, make preparations." Then he hung up.


"Phase one in four days." he muttered to himself, "Well, Yamaki, let's see if your facility is as good as you boast."


Notes: Sorry this took so long, but I've been VERY busy over the holidays. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to one and all! Sorry if this chapter was a long and arduous read. I will try my best to complete the next with all haste, but homework is piling up once more. Now my holiday job is over I have more free time (And I'm rich!!) so I should be able to work on this more often. Thanks for the patience. PS: I'm now getting close to my exams, so don't expect fast updates. I'm afraid my studies come before this.