"…It's your turn…"

Adam's heartbeat boomed in his ear as he snapped back to reality. He felt himself growing anxious, the concept of being in a virtual setting lost on him at the moment. WarGreymon towered before him, standing like a sentinel with vicious prowess.

Adam's shaky vision looked down at his opponent who awaited a response from him. A chime began to play drawing Adam's attention to the hovering card on his D-Case, telling him to draw. Confusion and fear turned his mind to mush as he shakily reached for the card. His fist clenched before he could grab it and his vision whipped back to his opponent.

"JUST WHO ARE YOU?!" Adam screamed, his voice echoing around the area.

The Stranger paused for a minute and chuckled. The chuckling began to turn to laughter, and it was at this point Adam finally snapped. In anger, he grabbed ahold of the card and ripped it from his wrist guard.

"Tai sets my Memory to 3 to start!" Adam looked at the card he drew. "Okay; I Hatch!"

Koromon materialized on Adam's side, and the boy didn't hesitate to digivolve it into Monodramon.

Adam drew, looked at the card, and immediately played it. "Agumon, Digivolves into Flarerizamon!"

Agumon, raring to go a second round, flexed its limbs as binary code encircled it and covered the Digimon in flames. A metal plate covered his face as the flaming Digimon stepped forward in eagerness.

Flarerizamon (BT1-018)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

3-1

"And then, I play the Tamer, Sora Takenouchi!"

Joining Tai on Adam's side, a young brown-haired girl wearing a pink t-shirt, red jeans pink boots, and a blue helmet materialized.

Sora Takenouchi (BT2-084)

Color: Red

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Stranger)

The Stranger drew. "Tai sets my Memory to 3 and I hatch."

Kapurimon materialized subsequently.

"Kapurimon digivolves into Gotsumon."

Kapurimon heeded the calls of its tamer and as such, digivolved into the small rock Digimon.

After drawing the Stranger threw their hand out. "With MetalGreymon's IE Effect WarGreymon is granted Security +1 thanks to its Reboot. Go, Double Security Attack!"

WarGreymon's eyes lit up, sending a wave of terror down Adam's spine as the Digimon turned his attention towards it. His throat closing up Adam crossed his arms to shield himself as the claw rained down on him. Two of his Security Cards expanded in a row to shield him.

"Greymon's IE Effect grants it Jamming as well." The Stranger reminded as the first card was revealed.

The first card to shatter was Volcanicdramon, an 11,000 DP Digimon that would've countered WarGreymon had it have not been for the Jamming. The 2nd card revealed was SkullGreymon, a 7000 DP card that would've been handy due to the number of blockers. That too dissipated before Adam.

Adam

Security: 4-2

Adam felt the remaining force of WarGreymon's strike throw him on his back, the shock radiating through his body the moment of landing. He made a mental note to let Trevor and the others know about calibrating the nerve response to instances of injury.

Was this his attempt at distracting himself?

As Adam sat up, he saw as binary came down upon Andromon, and he continued to stare as Andromon grew taller and wider, converting itself into a larger, dinosaur-shaped machine monster, that only made Adam lost for words.

"Andromon…Digivolves into Machinedramon."

Machinedramon (BT2-066)

Color: Black

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-1 (Turn Change: Adam)

Adam couldn't speak. He couldn't move. Machinedramon's empty slits in its metallic skull were black and lifeless, whereas its chrome cannons glimmered from the light that bounced off. Every turn his opponent continued to raise the intensity of the situation, counter after counter and blocker after blocker…

It's just a game…right? So, what if he loses, what's the worst that can happen…?

A shrill cry suddenly screeched in his head, causing Adam to nearly double over and collapse. His head suddenly felt like it was on fire. The pain was surging and he didn't know why. His adrenaline kicked in, and just when he wanted to scream his heart out…

"Pro…tect…" a raspy voice echoed.

Adam paused, turning his attention to Flarerizamon who looked back at him.

"Pro…tect." Flarerizamon turned back to the Stranger and took a stance. "I will…protect…my tamer!

Adam blinked, watching as the Digimon uttered words. This was a feature of the AI…right?

"I will…protect my Tamer!" Flarerizamon repeated once more, its voice getting clearer with each statement.

Adam felt an odd sense of reassurance and security thanks to Flarerizamon's stand. He pushed himself up, feeling the gravity of the two titanic Digimon before him. Flarerizamon turned back and nodded to Adam, the boy nodding back. "My move!"

Adam drew and added the card to his hand. Tai shifted the counter to 3 for him afterward.

MEMORY

1-3

Re-opening the menu, Adam clicked on Machinedramon to look at its stats. "A 13,000 DP Blocker…"

That Tai on his side with the boosted +1000 DP didn't matter anyway; Flarerizamon can't get past it. Adam looked at the card he drew; Gaia Force. That would easily get rid of it but…at the disadvantage he finds himself in, the last thing he wants to do is give him all that Memory. Flarerizamon, with Agumon's IE effect and Sora's effect, would boost him up to 7000 DP, along with the Security Attack +1 he has as long as he sits at 3 Memory…but Machinedramon has him pinned.

"I move Monodramon to the Battle Area, then Digivolve it into Coredramon!"

Monodramon stepped ahead and Digivolved into the larger green dragon Digimon.

Coredramon (ST1-06)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

3-1

"I end my turn," Adam said, his voice filled with renewed determination. Whatever was coming, he was ready for it.

The Stranger drew and watched as the counter switched to 3 for them as well. "Gotsumon moves to the Battle Area."

Gotsumon obeyed its Tamer, jumping ahead to join the two titans.

"WarGreymon, Double Security Attack!"

WarGreymon brought its claws into the air and brought them down as the last two security cards expanded. But suddenly Coredramon intercepted the attack.

WarGreymon: 12,000 DP

Coredramon: 6,000 DP

Coredramon stood no match against WarGreymon and was slowly faded away into binary, fulfilling its duty of protecting Adam.

"Thank you, for buying me some time…" Adam said solemnly.

"You really think so?" The Stranger prompted. They took a card from their hand and flipped it around. "I play the Option card, Atomic Ray."

MEMORY

3-0

"Atomic Ray unsuspends one of my blockers." The Stranger stated.

Adam stared confused, being that neither Gotsumon nor Machinedramon didn't attack.

But WarGreymon rose from its rested stance, and he finally realized the mistake he made.

"WarGreymon's…a blocker?!"

"WarGreymon, once again, Double Security Attack!"

"COREDRA—!" Adam's voice was silenced by the realization that Coredramon already blocked prior. The shadow of WarGreymon's claw came overhead and his heart stopped, as he quickly shielded himself from the attack.

The first Security took a hit and revealed itself: WarGreymon with 11,000 DP.

Even in the last moments, WarGreymon continued to defend Adam. Alas, the Stranger's WarGreymon disregarded it. The second and final Security card revealed…

Security Trigger: Gaia Force.

A bright orange light, bright like the sun rose overhead, drawing the attention of Machinedramon. The bright orange ball of energy came careening down on top of Machinedramon, engulfing it in a complete and utter fire. The ensuing explosion threw both Adam and the Stranger back further from one another. Smoke billowed through the area, covering everything within the smog.

Adam

Security: 2-0

As the smoke cleared, Gotsumon, the remaining attacker, strolled over to Adam who laid unmoving. With a light kick to his shoulder, he delivered the direct attack, ending the match. Gotsumon, before dissipating, looked over, hearing footsteps approaching.

The Stranger, rising from the smoke themselves looked over and noticed the same individual moving towards them. She, clearly feminine in appearance, likewise wore a white cloak, however, her face was also covered in a black mask, but she wore blue goggles instead.

Without saying anything, she walked over and knelt to Adam. Her fingers slid on the side of his neck, and with a bit of pressure, his body jerked and dissipated, fading away in a stream of binary in the air.

"Did you get the data?" She asked the Stranger, her voice likewise distorted to mask it.

The Stranger nodded, detaching their D-Case from the wrist guard, and watching as WarGreymon and Gotsumon dissipated.

"Then we're done here. Let's go." She said, moving towards the portal that patiently sat open the entire time.

She was the first to walk in, and as the Stranger went to follow her, they looked back, watching as Adam's data faded in the air.

"…I had fun." They said, and with those words they stepped through the portal, closing behind them.


Chapter 5: Lone Wolf's Folly


"Start talking."

Megan got in between Trevor and Emily as the former stepped in her direction. The latter on the other hand, her mindset rattled by the unfolding events, looked at Trevor with visual irritation. The last thing on her mind in this moment was to be interrogated by an amateur Sherlock Holmes; in a hospital no less. The first person she was able to trust in a long time was defending her. Though she couldn't tell if it was because of the baseless accusation, or if something happened while she was away from them. Given the boy's unconscious body inside the room on the other side of the window, as well as the woman who anxiously waited for him to open his eyes, she leaned on the latter.

Megan's had her arm extended forward, her fingertips hovering over Trevor's heaving chest. She could empathize with what he was feeling. She really could. But she knows Emily had nothing to do with it. She believes in her friend. At the same time, standing opposed to Trevor, her confused feelings were making her feel conflicted and that was the last thing she needed to feel right this second. It wasn't fair.

Trevor backed off and turned, looking for something to kick, before giving up and throwing himself on the bench. Guilt was eating at him. Feeling powerless in a crucial moment was excruciatingly painful. "None of this was supposed to happen. This was supposed to be a fun day. Everything was planned to be great!"

"Trevor please, stop blaming yourself." Megan stepped forward, the hurt in her voice was evident. "No one could've seen this coming."

"You don't get it…" Trevor replied. "…The demo was a complete disaster! The shareholders are threatening to sue, my best friend is stuck in a coma, and you're keeping me from the person responsible!"

"You're jumping to conclusions again!"

"Am I? Emily, why did you lie and say your father was a shareholder? Why didn't you come with us when we first offered the invitation?" Trevor shot back up and stomped back forward. Megan once again shielded the girl.

"Stay away from her!" Megan snapped.

"Megan, move!"

"Both of you shut up!" Emily screamed, silencing the bickering teens. She motioned over in the direction of the security guards coming towards them.

Trevor turned back to face them, flashing his SAIBA Enterprise badge. "Sorry for the noise. We'll take this outside."

To avoid being forced out of the hospital, Trevor led the two girls outside of the hospital out to the outer courtyard area. A sunny spring afternoon greeted them in contrast to the dim outlook of this situation. Trevor leaned up against the side of the wall, awaiting Emily's answers to his question.

Emily, who clearly was over the bickering crossed her arms. "Being a part of SAIBA's demo today, I'm assuming you know what caused the malfunction that kept Adam from logging out and for him to be put in this coma right?"

"Leading theory points to you being responsible."

"Trevor, stop it!"

Emily threw her hand up, silencing Megan, to the latter's surprise. "What if I am related somehow?"

"Then that's a problem."

"Emily, you don't have to tell him anything. That's none of his—"

"It was Trojan…wasn't it?" Emily cut Megan off.

Trevor was silent. He was still trying to read Emily, but she wasn't giving him any hints.

"Since you're gonna be so damn pushy I might as well tell you everything right? That's what you want, after all."

"Emily, you don't owe him!" Megan exclaimed.

"Megan shut up!" Trevor's voice roared, setting Megan's heart into a frozen state. She's never heard Trevor so serious before, so…not him.

She turned back to him, but his attention was focused on Emily. Megan without thinking stepped back, feeling that she had no place in the stare-down.

"Well?" Emily pressed. "Was it them, or not?"

Trevor took another moment to read her, before responding. "Are you…"

Emily shook her head. "I'm not a member. But what I am, is a fellow Beta Tester."

"I know that."

"From five years ago." Emily clarified.

Trevor's eyes widened. "Wait a second so—"

Emily nodded. "I was there the day of the accident. The day that Trojan hacked the testing rooms and ended up setting the rooms ablaze. My friends and I were all invited to be testers for the Yellow, Purple, and Black decks. But when Trojan struck and caused the fire…I was separated from them in all of the chaos. One of my friends never made it out alive that day. Afterward, my parents pulled me out after the fact and once I learned what the cause of it was, I've been keeping tabs on SAIBA to find out the truth of the matter."

"Why keep tabs on SAIBA?" Trevor questioned.

Emily scoffed, "typical lapdog, aren't you?"

"Emily!" Megan attempted to scold, but Trevor threw his hand up, yet again, keeping Megan out of the conversation.

"Adam and I were in the room where the explosion happened. SAIBA tried to play it off saying that it was a system malfunction during our test duel, but I never believed it for a second. Truth is, I somewhat resent SAIBA for what happened."

"Yet you run around like a good Pro Tamer why?"

"Same reason you're sneaking about. To find out the truth about why Adam can't remember the accident."

Emily paused, her gaze shifting over to Megan. "That's why you told me to not mention it?"

Megan nodded rather reluctantly as if she wanted nothing to do with the direction this conversation was going.

"The doctors explained to us that the event was so traumatic that he doesn't remember anything between our match and waking up in his own bed at home. Like he is right now, he's just unconscious, no reason outside of his body's own defense mechanism. Megan and I didn't think anything of it as kids, but when you start having to go to therapy for nightmares and become terrified of the one thing you were once in love with, it doesn't take a kid long to figure something's wrong."

"So, in other words, it's fair to agree that SAIBA's covering the accident, right?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" Megan interjected. "Why are we talking about this right now?"

Trevor and Emily looked at each other and back at her.

"Guys!" Megan exclaimed. "Are you seriously going to take on a corporation over a conspiracy theory?!"

"Megan, this isn't funny, SAIBA—"

"I know it's not funny Trevor, I'm not an idiot! But listen to the both of you! No one could've seen this coming. Not this, and not what happened five years ago, okay? Even if for the sake of argument, they did cover it up, we have no power to do anything to them, so why are you two talking like you intend on some hostile takeover?!"

"You of all people should be agreeing to this!" Trevor snapped back. "SAIBA's at fault for hurting Adam! Are you saying that SAIBA covering up Trojan's attack isn't the least bit suspicious?"

"About as suspicious as you are right now!" Megan shot. "Beta Tester, Pro Tamer, father works for the company, you have more connections than anyone. Are you going to throw all of that away, your future, for a theory?!"

Trevor got quiet. Clenching his fist, and gritting his teeth, he felt anger bubbling inside of him. "This isn't about me! This is about Adam, about you, about her! What good will your father's death be if I can't get to the bottom of—?!"

A clean smack echoed, loud enough for people in the surrounding area to hear the clap. Trevor nearly fell as he staggered, his cheek flaring up as it tried to get a hold of his disorientation.

"Don't you dare…involve my father in this stupidity…!" Megan's voice broke. Tears hung from her eyelids as she herself was growing more aggravated.

Trevor regained his balance and leaned up. His face stung as he looked up at her astonished that that just happened. After a moment, he could then see the realization settle in her face, and before he could apologize Megan began to run off. He went to reach out and call her but stopped, not wanting to draw any more attention towards them.

Emily looked towards him. "I'm gonna head off too. Today's been a long day and…I still have some things to process myself."

Trevor nodded, finding it best to leave the situation as is. As Emily broke off, he pondered what he should do next. The best option he thought at the moment, was to head back upstairs and talk to Melissa, just to see how SAIBA's going to respond to all of this.


The forced log out during the demo resulted in some of the shareholders feeling disoriented and sick, to the point where they, along with Trevor and his friends, took a ride to Cisco University Hospital. In retrospect, Trevor shouldn't have said they were all gonna sue since none have outright said it, as well as the fact that most if not all were grateful that they made it out in one peace. He rarely ever let his emotions get the better of him in public, but in a situation where he feels directly responsible…

That reminded him; he needs to apologize to Megan. He shouldn't have said anything to her regarding her father and he ended up with his foot in his mouth. She wasn't wrong either. He did have his future to worry about. Everything after high school was lined up, as long as he kept his grades up, participated in tournaments, and volunteered at SAIBA. Yes, SAIBA makes mistakes. Yes, those mistakes sometimes have consequences. But he was sixteen—a child, talking about plans to go up against adults who have seen the darkness of the world in full force.

And speaking of which; Emily. Transfer student, ex-Beta Tester, or whatever she was, he didn't know anything about her really beside her name. Until he could verify what she said, he needed to be careful as to how he reacted to sudden news. While he has long been speculating, his emotions were high; stressed out and anxious. The last thing he needed to be doing was going off on theories and trying to fix a problem in which he doesn't have a plan.

Trevor exited the elevator and made his way down the hallway, where he saw Melissa hanging up her phone. She leaned her head back against the wall, visibly stressed out. She turned when Trevor approached her.

"Any news?" Trevor asked, seeing the young woman's exhausted expression in full display.

Melissa almost didn't want to answer. "Babylon's going to be delayed until we get the Trojan thing situated."

Trevor would've been speechless, but he understood the reasoning behind it. It's too much of a risk if hackers can come and go as they please. It'll be a miracle if SAIBA's reputation doesn't tank after what happened. He looked back through Adam's window and saw that the boy was still sleeping soundly. Melissa followed his gaze, biting her lip to keep her from getting any more emotional. Trevor looked over to her, seeing the pain in her face.

"It's not your fault," Trevor said.

A tear streamed down the side of her face. "I shouldn't have…I knew better…"

"I knew better." Trevor reiterated. "What happened to Adam is all me, not you, and not anyone else. I convinced you to try and help me get him back into the game. It's my fault for setting him up to play against Tyrone and it's my fault that he went into Babylon and got hurt."

"Trevor you're just a kid, you didn't know any better!"

"I'm not that same ten-year-old you remember!" Trevor snapped.

Melissa got quiet. She retreated but then exhaled. "I know you're not. I know neither of you two isn't. But at the same time, I was the adult then, and I'm the adult now. And no matter what you say, you are not the one who has to take responsibility. It's me.

Trevor couldn't argue. Melissa wasn't going to budge at this point, especially when she pulls that "big-sis" play on him. "So, then what? How are you going to be held accountable then? And what about my Dad since this is gonna fall on the R&D department in a spectacular fashion?"

"I'm supposed to speak with Mr. Saiba directly on Monday. He said we'll discuss things then. As for Michael, the R&D department is refocusing its efforts of fine-tuning the security."

"And Trojan?"

"Where do I even begin with that?" Melissa admitted. The frustration in her voice was enough for Trevor to realize this was no easy feat like patching a hole. "For starters, we know this was a planned attack. By the looks of it, their initial attack last night was only the start. They stole the data on the Purple and Black beta decks and hid within Babylon while we and the shareholders came in."

"They singled out Adam. Once they were detected, My Dad and his team proceeded with the emergency eject." Trevor said, thinking back. "Adam was the only one that couldn't log out. Was it because of the Trojan agent he ran into?"

"Likely. I don't know if you're aware, but there was a second one aside from the one he battled. They did something to him and kicked him out of the server.

"Okay so if he's logged out then why didn't he wake up like the rest of us?" Trevor looked back. Still no difference on the other side.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. The doctors say that his vitals are perfectly fine. However, they're thinking whatever happened to him in Babylon may have caused some mental trauma.

Trevor was silent, processing what he heard to the best of his ability. "Do they know when he'll wake up?"

Melissa shook her head.

"Does his parents know?"

"Already got in touch with them. SAIBA's covering any medical expenses as compensation."

"Is this anything like five years ago?"

Melissa cut herself off from answering. "I…I really hope not."

Trevor crossed his arms, giving a subtle nod. "Same here…"


Against his better judgment, Trevor clearly couldn't leave well enough alone, heading back to SAIBA Enterprise to see his father. He has a grasp of things from Melissa's perspective, but he knows that's not enough to go off on. And even if Melissa has a valid point, his feelings insist that he has a role in the recovery process. And so far, they've provided results for better or worse.

So here he's hoping they'd come through once more.

The moment the doors slid open, Trevor headed inside the building and beelined straight for the elevator. Because it was taking unusually longer than necessary, he broke from it and took the staircase upward to the 2nd floor where his father's office was. He heard the elevator door creak open as he ran past it, but it was then he stopped short. He turned around to be sure he wasn't seeing things, finding the familiar raven-haired girl come through the door.

"Layla?" He said to verify it was the same girl.

The girl, Layla looked up and a smile crossed her face. "Trevor! Didn't expect to run into you."

"Yeah, same." Trevor waited for her to come up to him. The desperation to get to his father's office dissipated as his attention was focused on the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much, just coming to run a quick errand. You?"

Trevor realized he shouldn't bring up anything about the Trojan attack, being that he didn't know who she was related to and whether the information was considered confidential. "Same. Ms. Reinhardt left me some new cards to test out at my Dad's office so I'm just off to pick them up."

"Really? Anything cool?" Layla curiously inquired as they walked down the hall together.

Trevor shrugged. "She said it was a surprise."

Layla laughed, "I bet."

Trevor came up to his father's office and turned back to Layla. "So, I guess I'll see you around then?"

"Oh, actually I need to talk to Mr. McKnight myself."

Trevor didn't expect that. "What for?"

Layla smiled. "It's a surprise."

Not sure how to take that, Trevor twisted the knob and proceeded to head inside. It was there he found his father furiously typing away at his computer, unaware of the two teenagers that breached his office door.

"Hey Dad, got a—"

"Both of you have a seat," Michael told them, not peeling away from his computer.

Startled by the sudden interjection, they followed his instructions and awaited him to be done. When he finished what he was doing he flipped the screen over to them so they could see what he was so focused on. On the screen before them was a diagram of a human silhouette, and the nervous system outlined inside of it. popup windows pointed out specific senses in detail.

"You both are aware how the human body reacts to the various stimuli within Babylon's system, correct?"

"I have a basic idea," Trevor admitted.

"Yes," Layla said with a level of confidence that Trevor didn't expect.

Michael took a stylus and circled a spot along the side of the neck, around the lower middle. "Around here, is what's known as the Vagus Nerve. It's what controls involuntary body functions and the nerve that's struck when they karate chop people in kung-fu movies."

Trevor didn't know where he was going with this, so he just silently nodded.

"It's difficult to perfectly encapsulate every single nerve in one's digital persona, so we developed a simplified version of the nervous system to emulate the five senses while participating in Babylon. In each digital persona, is this particular pressure point, in which a moderator can force an ejection of anyone disrupting while in the server."

"So, what you're saying is that one of the intruders is a worker here at SAIBA, is that it?" Layla asked before Trevor could even get the words out.

"That's my guess. As for who and/or why that's still in the air. There's also the possibility that one of the Trojan hackers got a hold of a moderator account and stole the access code for the command."

"But it wouldn't do them any good if they don't know the pressure point beforehand; not to mention the area restriction would have to be lifted by someone to use it in a restricted area." Layla continued, once again leaving Trevor clueless.

"Okay, I have a question," Trevor turned to his friend of several days. "You said you had a relative who worked here right?"

Layla nodded. "That I did."

"Okay, just to settle my curiosity, who would that be? Because no offense, you don't seem like the type to know how complex Babylon is to the degree—"

"She's Layla Saiba, Trevor," Michael stated.

"…you're…making it…what?"

Layla smiled. "Layla Saiba. It's a pleasure to formally meet."

Trevor blinked.


"Okay time out time out time out; you're dead serious?" Trevor pressed.

Layla bit on the straw of her chocolate shake and took a deep sip of the treat. "I may be half-Japanese but I'm pretty sure I'm about as authentic as cherry blossoms and mochi ice cream."

Trevor crossed his arms, still finding himself in disbelief. Who he once thought was a fan of is actually turns out to be the heiress of the company, aka his future boss if he intended to make a career out of it. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" His slice of pizza was growing cold at this point as if he really cared anymore.

"Did you really need to know?"

"In this case, it would've been nice."

"Would you've treated me any differently had you've known? You can be honest."

Trevor hesitated to answer. "I wouldn't."

"No really, just say it, I'm used to it."

"I am serious. I wouldn't."

Layla looked up at him and saw in his eyes he was being honest.

"I'm not necessarily an outcast, you know. I know how it feels to have people buddy up to you because of status. Comes with being a Pro Tamer after all."

Layla released the straw from her lips and propped herself up on the back of her hands, "Tell you the truth I always watched from the sidelines, so I never really thought about it being like that for you."

"It pretty much stays inside the school. Classmates from time to time watch my matches on tv or online, so I have a reputation at my school for better or worse, which is why I keep my friends limited to like three of them since I don't have to feel like I have to put up a front."

"Lucky…at my school, everyone knows I'm the princess of this place. Could barely hold a conversation with people without them asking if I'll give them info on new sets, or if I can hook them up with some pros." Layla scoffed, disgusted at the thought. "People can be shallow without trying."

"Almost as if there's an ulterior motive behind everything right?"

"Exactly." Layla wholeheartedly agreed, before taking another sip.

Trevor folded his hands and leaned in, "speaking of which…"

Layla looked up, noticing the odd smirk on Trevor's face. "What's up?"

"Nothing; just wanted to confirm a theory."

"That theory being…?"

"Not something I can say as much as I can demonstrate…" Trevor fished his pocket and flashed a pair of D-Coms he held onto after the demo. "Wanna take a trip really quickly?"

Layla looked at them and with a devilish smile, reached for a straw off to the side to hand him. "Help me finish this first?"


"You're bringing me along to avoid getting in trouble with my father, right?" Layla asked, Trevor as they walked into the computer room where his father's team was earlier. Thanks to Layla's ID card, she had access to the room which allowed her to get in without tripping an alarm.

"Wouldn't necessarily word it like that. But you know, every Sherlock needs a Watson." Trevor sat at the computer and typed away.

"And here I thought all you did was play cards." Layla leaned in over him.

Trevor could smell the lavender perfume on her person. He attempted to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. He accessed the security footage and centered on the match between Adam and the Stranger, just as the explosion happened. A quick dark spot flashed over the cloud of smoke and Trevor paused it.

"Okay. So, I wasn't seeing things after all." Trevor zoomed in on the smoke cloud and moved the timeline a few seconds back, replaying the footage frame by frame, pausing when the black spot showed itself.

Layla looked closer, attempting to make the shape out in her head. "Is that a…Digimon?"

Trevor nodded, "Only one Digimon I know that could potentially move that fast." He reached for his D-Case and pressed a button on the side, revealing the Digimon on his mind.

Layla looked over and saw MetalGarurumon rotating around as a hologram. She looked at Trevor, and the latter smirked. "Did you really find those MetalGarurumon cards the other day, or did you steal them from Mel's office when she wasn't looking?"

Layla, rather than be taken aback, leaned up and turned away for a moment, almost as if she were trying to come up with an answer. "In my defense…when she told me who they were for, I couldn't pass up the opportunity, you know?"

Trevor's smile faded. "Why did Trojan attack SAIBA after five years? And what did you do to Adam?"

Layla turned around, surprisingly calm. "Do I get a prize if I give you an answer you like?"

"I'll report you."

"No, you won't."

"Wanna bet?"

"And have you lose out on an easy opportunity to have your questions answered? That's no fun."

Trevor took a deep breath, realizing she was just going to string him along. "Fine; let's battle then. I win, you spill everything."

"And if I win…?"

"That's not going to happen."

"Says you." She tapped the side of her chin and thought for a moment. "How about…your opinion on something.

Trevor was taken aback, but he could see it in her eyes that she was serious. "Opinion on what?"

Layla smiled, hooking the D-Com on her ear.

"D-Com powered on. Standing by for Cyber Drive."

"Activate the Babylon Server. Party Size: 2, set to private." She spoke into it.

"Understood, Ms. Saiba."

"Shall we get going?" She took a seat nearby.

Trevor reluctantly took the D-Com and hooked on his ear, getting the same message. He turned to the console, confirmed the settings that Layla set, and closed his eyes waiting for the transfer of his consciousness into the digital world.

His arm went limp on the side of the chair as his digital self, materialized on the rooftop along with Layla. Trevor rolled his neck and stretched, getting a feel of his digital self, and making sure every bit of code safely transferred over. Once he was good Layla threw an object towards him.

"That goes on your wrist. D-Braces enable D-Cases to become a stand-in for a table."

"I know how they work," Trevor said setting his deck case onto it. He looked up, watching as Layla set a purple and black D-Case on the brace and strap it on her arm.

"Ready to get started?"

"Bring it," Trevor said determinedly.

"Digi-Gate: Open!" They both exclaimed, causing both of their D-Cases to produce the gate-like constructs in blue and purple colors, respectively. Once they expanded in the general area, their security cards, as well as the counter all, followed suit.


"I'll start," Trevor said, casting his arm forward. "I hatch Tsunomon!"

Tsunomon materialized, bouncing away to its heart content.

Tsunomon (ST2-01)

Color: Blue

Level: 2

"Tsunomon digivolves into Gomamon."

Binary code wrapped around the orange ball Digimon and reformed it into the sealion Digimon.

Gomamon (BT1-030)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Trevor drew. "Finally, I pay Gabumon from my hand, who lets me draw 1 card when played."

Gabumon materialized in Trevor's Battle Area, taking a battle stance as Trevor drew the card.

Gabumon (BT1-029)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 1000

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Layla)

"My turn." Layla drew. "I'll begin by hatching Pagumon!"

A grey ball with a pair of droopy ears and a mischievous face materialized on Layla's side. The small ball snickered as if it was looking for trouble.

Pagumon (BT2-007)

Color: Purple

Level: 2

The sight of the purple Digimon checked off two boxes for Trevor. The first one being that she was in fact in possession of the other stolen color. And the second being that his bluff was on point and she wasn't just teasing him about.

"Pagumon, digivolves into Gabumon," Layla stated, revealing the card in her hand.

Trevor was taken aback as he saw Gabumon's shape overlay on Pagumon and reform into it. Trevor's Gabumon and Layla's looked at one another, Layla's sharing the same mischievous look that Pagumon gave,

Gabumon (BT2-069)

Color: Purple

Level: 3

DP: 2000

"Don't be psyched out, Gabumon. It's just a cheap imitation." Trevor told it.

Gabumon nodded, understanding Trevor, and resetting its stance.

Layla drew. "Gabumon digivolves into Garurumon."

Once again, Gabumon proceeded to digivolve further into Garurumon. The wolf Digimon, lacked the mischievous look it had before, opting for a more predatorial expression.

Garurumon (BT2-073)

Color: Purple

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

3-1

Drawing once more, Layla revealed her final card. "I'll play Tapirmon from my hand and end my turn from there."

Tapirmon, the last Digimon on her list materialized, this Tapirmon sporting purple fur in its underbelly coating rather than the blue fur of its Yellow card counterpart.

Tapirmon (BT2-070)

Color: Purple

Level: 3

DP: 2000

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Trevor)

Trevor drew. "Gomamon moves to the Battle Area. Then, Gomamon Digivolve into Leomon!"

Gomamon hopped alongside Gabumon and began to transform into the bipedal, muscular lion Digimon.

Leomon (BT1-035)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 5000

"Leomon, Security Attack!"

Leomon drew his blade from its sheath and flipped it downward. From there he rushed towards Layla with the blade ready to strike her. Unfazed, she held her arm up as one of the Security Cards expanded to block Leomon's attack.

Layla

Security: 5-4

"Security Check…" Layla responded. The card revealed the image of a masked humanoid Digimon dragging its claw in front of them.

"Security Trigger: Darkness Claw. It's Security Effect grants me +2 Memory."

MEMORY

0-2 (Turn Change: Layla)

Trevor didn't expect that, watching as his turn was abruptly ended by the unexpected option card. He knew little to nothing about how R&D designed the Purple Color, but if it's gathering Memory through Security Effects, then it's definitely similar to Blue to some degree.

And if it's similar to blue, then he's already figured out how to go about beating it. Treat it exactly like a mirror match.

Layla drew and smirked, "looks like you're thinking."

"Don't worry about me. Just do your move." Trevor waved her off.

"Gladly then." She spoke. "Garurumon, you're up, to the Battle Area!"

Garurumon howled and leaped over in front of her.

"And Tapirmon, attack Leomon!"

Trevor didn't see that coming either. Why is she attacking with such a weak—!" It dawned on him. He watched as Leomon pulled its fist back, igniting it in a flame the shape of a lion's head.

Tapirmon: 2000 DP

Leomon: 5000 DP

Leomon punched the air before him, sending the flaming fist soaring across Tapirmon who attempted to attack him, to literally no avail. Before its small legs left the ground, the lion's head incinerated every data bit. Trevor watched as Leomon eased up and as the stream of binary entered Layla's D-Case and then generated a card.

"Knew it. Your deck's strategy is Graveyard Manipulation."

Layla took her card and looked back at Trevor. "The game was bound to get it sooner or later, am I right? The bright side for you is you get to experience it firsthand before anyone else."

"Consider me lucky." Trevor scoffed.

Layla gave a small frown, "at least try to be a little excited, will you?" she took the card she drew and scanned it. "Garurumon, Digivolve into WereGarurumon!"

Binary encircled Garurumon and it got on its hind legs and straightened itself into the werewolf Digimon. WereGarurumon flexed its arms, howling into the sky above. Coincidentally, Babylon's time-setting was turning the sky above darker, as the sun began to set, and the moon slowly began to take its place.

WereGarurumon (BT2-078)

Color: Purple

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

2-1 (Turn Change: Trevor)

With 1 memory to work with, it wasn't enough to deal with what was coming. One turn from a level 6, he could only guess that MetalGarurumon was coming up to complete the line. And there's no telling what annoying effect it'll have if Graveyard Manipulation is the core theme of this color.

"I hatch Upamon!" He couldn't speculate. The Sooner he acted the sooner his questions would be answered.

Upamon materialized and like Tsunomon before it, it bounced happily like the active ball it was.

Upamon (BT1-003)

Color: Blue

Level: 2

"Upamon Digivolves into Bearmon!" Trevor scanned the card and watched as Upamon turned into the cub-like Digimon.

Bearmon (ST2-04)

Color: Bule

Level: 3

DP: 4000

Keep the pressure up.

"Leomon, Security Attack!"

Leomon charged another flaming lion fist and threw it forward, the lion head launched towards Layla, who was once again protected by the Security Card.

Layla

Security: 4-3

"Security Check…Tapirmon, with 2000 DP." She said, knowing obviously it did nothing to Leomon.

"I end my turn by playing the 4-cost Matt Ishida from my hand," Trevor said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Afraid of getting Memory choked, huh?"

Matt materialized behind Trevor, prepared to support the Tamer at hand.

Matt Ishida (BT1-086)

Color: Blue

MEMORY

1-3 (Turn Change: Layla)

"That a problem?"

"Not at all. Giving me all the reason to see what this deck of mine can really do."

"That deck doesn't belong to you." Trevor snapped.

"You mean it doesn't belong to Trojan." Layla clarified for him. "As of right this second, I am Layla Saiba, not Trojan. Then again, it probably doesn't matter at this point." She drew. "I Hatch Pagumon, who then will digivolve into Gabumon."

Gabumon materialized in her Breeding area, waiting patiently to be moved out. Layla drew her card, setting it in her hand while she grabbed another.

"Eclipse the Moon with peerless intellect and awaken the armies from the depths below; WereGarurumon digivolve into MetalGarurumon!"

WereGarurumon howled as the binary was absorbed into its body, as Trevor watched expectedly as MetalGarurumon stared him back.

MetalGarurumon (BT2-081)

Color: Purple

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-0

Trevor continued to size MetalGarurumon up, finding it striking that this is what it felt like to go up against a card that has carried him to victory time and again.

"Speechless?" She asked, drawing.

"Little bit. Just devising a way to dismantle it, don't mind me."

Layla laughed. "Well while you do that, I'll just go ahead and perform a Security Attack! Go MetalGarurumon!"

She's finally attacking, Trevor thought.

"MetalGarurumon's Effect: Whenever it attacks, I'm allowed to play 1 Level 3 Purple Digimon from my Trash without paying its cost with its On Play abilities restricted. I bring back Tapirmon from my Trash!"

A stream of binary expelled itself from Layla's D-Case and returned to the Battle Area as Tapirmon.

"Pagumon's IE effect activates, sending the top card of my deck to my Trash." Layla continued, the card materializing and then flipping over to reveal the Level 4 Devimon. It faded back in the deck, to show that it was sent to the Trash.

"WereGarurumon's IE Effect allows me to delete Tapirmon to unsuspend MetalGarurumon when I attack with it as well. Tapirmon, when deleted, draws me one card. And finally, since one of my Digimon was deleted, once per turn I gain a Memory. Get all that?"

MEMORY

0-1

Trevor braced for the barrage of missiles that soared his way. The Security card expanded and blocked all of them, before revealing LoaderLiomon on the other side of it, a mere 1000 DP shy of taking out MetalGarurumon.

Trevor

Security: 5-4

"Yeah. Basically, you set up MetalGarurumon to loop Tapirmon in your grave to use as death fodder." Trevor said as the smoke cleared. The chill from the missiles caressed his digital skin, sending a chill throughout his body. "And if I had to guess, you're likely to fill that Graveyard with more low-level Digimon so you can cheat them back to life.

"Bingo! This is why I'm your fan." She said, excited he was able to guess her plan.

Trevor chuckled, "Wonder if I should be flattered at this point…"

Layla heard what he said and calmed down. "MetalGarurumon does another Security Attack, reviving Tapirmon once again from my Trash. Pagumon's IE effect sends another card from the top of the deck to the Trash." Her deck revealed Tsukaimon, as Tapirmon reappeared and MetalGarurumon fired on Trevor once again. A second Security expanded and blocked the attack.

Trevor

Security: 4-3

Trevor checked the card and countered. "Security Trigger: Sorrow Blue; Tapirmon is restricted from attacking until the end of your next turn."

The Security Card fired a torrent of water on Tapirmon, the blast disorienting it and pinning it down for the moment.

"Tapirmon digivolves into Vilemon." Layla countered.

Tapirmon's disoriented self was reformatted by the new batch of data, turning into a winged imp-like Digimon, whose teeth were lined externally to emphasize the creepiness of it.

Vilemon (BT2-072)

Color: Purple

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

1-1 (Turn Change: Trevor)

Trevor drew, taking note of the new Digimon. Ugly as it was, 6000 DP wasn't to snuff at. Fortunately for him, now that he's seen what her Ace can do, he can act accordingly. "Matt sets my Memory to 3, to start."

MEMORY

1-3

"Bearmon moves to the Battle Area, and Leomon attacks MetalGarurumon!"

"Real cute," Layla said in a less enthusiastic tone.

"You know what they say, imitation is the best form of flattery," Trevor smirked. "Or so I've seen."

Leomon: 5000 DP

MetalGarurumon: 11,000 DP

Leomon charged ahead towards MetalGarurumon, dodging the missiles that careened in its direction. It leaped into the air to unleash one last fire first, but Garurumon's Cocytus Breath overtook the Lion Digimon and deleted it.

"When Leomon is deleted, I gain +2 Memory, as well as +1 thanks to Gomamon's IE effect."

MEMORY

3-6

"Gabumon, it's your turn. Digivolve into Garurumon, then into WereGarurumon!"

Gabumon howled as it shot through its initial digivolution and into the Werewolf Digimon.

Garurumon (ST2-06)

Color: Blue

Level: 4

DP: 4000

WereGarurumon (BT1-042)

Color: Blue

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

6-1

"WereGarurumon, Security Attack! WereGarurumon snags me 3 Memory, while Garurumon's IE Effect trashes Tapirmon from Vilemon's sources.

MEMORY

1-4

WereGarurumon's claws illuminated in crimson light, and from there it sent a wide slash that hit Vilemon and cut away from its source. The slashes continued their trajectory heading towards Layla who once again took the hit. The Security Card reacted and blocked it, revealing a 2nd Vilemon, who couldn't take WereGarurumon out.

Layla

Security: 3-2

"Bearmon, go for it, Security Attack! Since Vilemon doesn't have any sources, Upamon's IE Effect draws me one card from my deck."

Bearmon as well took the charge, getting up to Layla to land a punch. The Security blocked it, once again taking the hit for her. A third Vilemon was revealed, and the ghastly smoke blew Bearmon back and deleted it.

Layla

Security: 2-1

Trevor finally noticed that something was off. Layla waited for the data to return to her D-Case, clearly focused on the events of the game as opposed to witty banter.

"With the Memory I borrowed, WereGarurumon digivolves into SaberLeomon! And with it, four of MetalGarurumon's Digivolution cards are trashed from its sources!"

WereGarurumon howled as it digivolved into the yellow Sabretooth Tiger Digimon, continuing the exclamation with a roar that detached the sources of MetalGarurumon, stripping it of Layla's loop combo.

SaberLeomon (BT1-043)

Color: Blue

Level: 6

DP: 10,000

MEMORY

4-1

"I lose the three memory I borrowed, pushing you to 2 and ending my turn."

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Layla)

Layla continued to stay silent, making Trevor uneasy. What was she planning, he wondered?

Layla drew. "Gabumon moves to the Battle Area. And then for 12 Memory, I call upon Piedmon to come to my aid…"

Trevor was taken aback. Hard playing a Level 6 was bad in of itself. What would Purple do with that?

Piedmon rose from the ground underneath their feet, a masked clown Digimon with a white and black mask, that contrasted from the red top, green leggings, yellow boots, and blue ribbons that extended from the box on his back which housed four swords in an X formation.

Piedmon (BT2-080)

Color: Purple

Level: 6

DP: 10,000

MEMORY

2-10 (Turn Change: Trevor)

"Piedmon when played revives two level 4 or lower Digimon from my Trash. I revive my two Vilemon that were sent earlier, giving me a total of three Blockers."

"Seriously?!" Trevor exclaimed as the pair of Vilemon came back to life. Suddenly Layla went from having a powerless Level 6 and one blocker, to now Five Digimon with 3 of them being 6000 DP blockers. At the same time…seven cards in hand which is about to turn to eight, along with ten Memory to work with. If he can draw just one card, then he might have a shot…

Let's see if luck will be in his favor.

"My move!" He stated, drawing. "I hatch Tsunomon! Tsunomon Digivolves into Gomamon!" Trevor watched as Tsunomon transformed and he drew. The sight of Ikkakumon filled him with glee, as he drew the card, he needed to remedy the situation. "Gomamon digivolves into Ikkakumon!"

Gomamon flipped in the air and began to transform into the larger walrus-like Digimon with a sharp black horn on top of its head.

Ikkakumon (BT1-034)

Color: Blue

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

10-8

"Ikkakumon Digivolve into Zudomon!"

Ikkakumon roared and reformed once again, turning into a bipedal version of itself, its fur moving towards its claws and feet and turning orange, leaving the rest of its now muscular, toned body exposed. A shell materialized on its back, as well as a silver hammer in one of its claws.

Zudomon (BT1-041)

Color: Blue

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

8-5

"Howl, champion of the Net Space! Zudomon, Digivolve into MetalGarurumon."

Zudomon's data reformatted one more time, its shell splitting and becoming the wings of MetalGarurumon, like the rest of its body was covered in metallic armor until it was completely cyborg.

MetalGarurumon (BT1-044)

Color: Blue

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

5-2

"I'll end by playing the Option Card Kaiser Nail, moving WereGarurumon from SaberLeomon."

WereGarurumon materialized beside the two Level 6 Digimon, completing Trevor's line up.

MEMORY

2-2 (Turn Change: Layla)

Layla drew her card and immediately scanned it. "I play the Option Card Trump Sword; One of your Unsuspended Digimon is deleted. I choose SaberLeomon."

Piedmon drew two of its swords from the box on its back and cackled as they were sent straight into SaberLeomon, taking it out immediately.

MEMORY

2-5 (Turn Change: Trevor)

Trevor didn't see that coming. Purple also has a pseudo Gaia Force in it. Maybe it's less like blue and more of a combination of it and red. Ironic to say the least.

"That's not gonna stop—"

"God, you're so dense!" Layla finally snapped.

Trevor blinked. "What?"

Layla looked up at him. "It's nothing…just finished testing a theory."

Trevor stood confused, trying to gauge the situation. Layla looked back and motioned to him. "Go! It's your turn."

Trevor, still not knowing what he did just did as he was told. "MetalGarurumon moves to the Battle Area. "MetalGarurumon, Security Attack!"

MetalGarurumon's wings extended as it began to charge forward. The Vilemon across the way geared up to block it.

"Ikkakumon's IE Effect makes MetalGarurumon unblockable as long as the blocker lacks a Digivolution Source. And last I checked, all three of the Vilemon lacking sources."

MetalGarurumon dove over them, completely ignoring them as it came down towards Layla.

"Not only that, MetalGarurumon moves one level 4 or lower Digimon from its sources when it attacks, so come on back Gomamon!"

Gomamon materialized over MetalGarurumon and fell back as it got closer to Layla. The Security Card appeared and took the brunt of MetalGarurumon's blade, leaving her wide open for the following turn at this point.

Layla

Security: 1-0

"Security Trigger…Trump Sword," Layla revealed. "WereGarurumon gets axed."

Piedmon repeated its previous maneuver, drawing its swords and sending them towards WereGarurumon, who fizzled into data after taking a direct hit.

Trevor held off from continuing the turn. "You realize next turn—"

"If I really was a part of Trojan…" she interjected. "Would your opinion of me really change…?"

Trevor took note of her tone. The curiosity, yet pained undertone in her voice made him question where that even came from. He reached for his D-Brace and released the D-Case from it, resulting in his Digimon dissipating. Layla watched as he made his way over to her side and when he stopped, he locked his gaze on her.

"I win." The tone of his voice was clearly no-nonsense. "Now tell me everything you know…"

Layla couldn't break eye contact with him, the feeling of intensity taking over between them. Even still…

She laughed. "can't blame me for trying…"

"This isn't a joke!" Trevor howled. "What did you do to my friend?! Who was that person with you before?! Is Trojan responsible for what happened five years ago too?! What is SAIBA hiding?!"

Layla had to take a literal step back for a moment, to process everything coming at her. "Your friend should wake up in about a day or so. Him being trapped here wasn't planned and my partner…can be a bit unpredictable."

"Unpredictable?!"

"Hang on hang on! Which is why I stepped in before things could get any worse than they have, believe me!"

Trevor himself backed off, trying to contemplate how Adam getting hurt by cyber terrorists could be considered an accident.

"Listen…" Layla stepped forward.

"Why are you with Trojan? SAIBA Enterprise is your company so why work with terrorists to bring it down?"

Layla grew quiet again.

"You don't even know why you're doing it, do you?"

"The answer isn't as simple as you're making it," Layla explained.

"They're cyberterrorists. Period. That's pretty simple."

"So then let me ask you again. Do you hate me?" Layla turned to him.

"Wha—"

"I'm a terrorist, after all." Layla shrugged. "I stole your cards and your battle data to build the purple deck I have to use as a weapon. I sabotaged a shareholder event meant to advertise this paradise of a cyberworld that would've made this company so much money because I was ordered to. I put your friend in the hospital because I am a terrorist!"

Trevor couldn't find words to respond. Layla couldn't help but smile at Trevor's astonished expression as a result. "It's a simple question; 'Do you hate me?' Because you're not the first and you won't be the last…"

Layla backed off and turned around, disengaging her D-Case from the brace, and fading away into data along with the Digimon present for what just happened. Trevor stood silently, trying to process what just happened.

However, by the end of it, all he could do was fall to the ground, and scream out of pure anger and frustration, eventually giving way to tears...