Michael stared at his computer screen as the events unfolded before him. The four teens and their Digimon gathered together on that roof inside Babylon, putting on a show they didn't realize they were staring in. At any moment he could shut down the server and force them out with a simple command, and as is his position, it was his responsibility to do so. However, he was captivated by the spectacle.

"Am I allowed to speculate about your sense of curiosity at the moment?" A computerized voice suddenly spoke up.

"If I answer that I may have to delete you." Michael responded, continuing to focus.

"Charming." The voice dismissed. "As much as I am willing to accept that your curiosity is in Trojan itself and not of the children, I also anticipate the damage they can present if not stopped soon."

"If I was worried, I would've stepped up my actions when Trojan first attacked us the other night. This narrative is taking more turns than I expected it would. Illogical to an AI such as yourself I'm sure, but for me personally, I'm humored and want to see how this plays out."

The AI was quiet for a few moments. Michael watched as Layla drew. A blip on his monitor popped up, indicating the presence of a foreign program being generated inside Babylon, one that was detected the last time he watched Trevor and Layla battle one another. It wasn't of much concern at the time, but this time it was clearly more relevant per Babylon's security system.

Layla's mannerisms changed abruptly at this point, the girl unleashing the barrage via MetalGarurumon back-to-back. The boys reacted, and the sudden appearance of the Stranger interfering with Adam's motion played out on the screen.

"Humans are interesting creatures." The AI stated, watching the events unfold as well. "Even in Cyberspace, emotions have enough power to make the mind susceptible to the artificial. And yet you are the superior beings."

Michael smirked, "Absolutely jarring, isn't it?"

Michael's phone buzzed, causing him to reach out for it. He answered immediately, taking his focus from his computer, "Yes? Mhmm, everything's going to plan as you hoped. And things on your end? Got it. In that case, I'll start preparing it." Michael hung up the phone, crossing his hands over his face and smirking underneath.


Chapter 8: Infestation


The Stranger lowered his finger and turned around to watch the smoke clear. Adam and Trevor felt pinned against a wall now that the 2nd Trojan Member made their sudden appearance before him. Not only that but that "good part" they mentioned didn't sound like anything worth waiting to see.

"…Security…Trigger!" Emily's voice spoke through the clearing smoke.

A wave of relief hit the two as the shimmering of her sole Security Card and Digimon broke through the dark veil. Emily was revealed to be still on her feet, her digital self visually scratched up, but relatively okay.

"Heaven's Gate grants my Digimon and Security Digimon +5000 DP for the rest of the turn in addition to being added to my hand as well."

Emily

Security: 2-1

"She's okay!" Adam exclaimed, feeling relieved.

Layla, overhearing him began to laugh hysterically. Trevor's gaze darted immediately.

"Layla you need to stop this now! Before either of you get hurt!"

Layla's head rolled onto her shoulder, still humored. Her eyes flickered, this time finally her hazelnut irises shifting to a bright red. "Layla's not home right now…"

Trevor hesitated. Before he could even ask Layla straightened up. She took the card she drew before and swiped it over her D-Case. "I play…Piedmon, for twelve Memory."

Ripples on the surface of the rooftop began to appear as the jester Digimon rose like a ghostly apparition, its red lips sporting a fixed smirk. Once it was completely out it looked at each of the teens one by one, starting with Trevor, Adam, and then finally Emily, who felt the cold hands on her once more.

Piedmon (BT2-080)

Color: Purple

Level: 6

DP: 10,000

MEMORY

2-10 (Turn Change: Emily)

Piedmon snapped its fingers, summoning two Vilemon from Layla's trash.

"What…who is that…?" Adam asked, feeling the dark presence of the clown take over the atmosphere.

"That's Piedmon." The Stranger answered.

Layla turned to them and bowed, Piedmon mimicking her movements one-for-one. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintances."

Trevor grew cold, silently coming up with a dire hypothesis in his head that scared him half to death. "That's…not Layla is it?"

The Stranger laughed, "Gotta be sure all potential liabilities are covered. Isn't that right?"

Layla rose, her smirk curled just like the clown. The unsettling scene sent shivers through them. Trevor felt his emotions begin to bubble, encouraging him to make his opinion heard.

"Get…out…" Emily interjected.

All eyes turned to her, as her breathing sharpened and her fist clenched at her sides. "I said…GET OUT OF HER!"

Emily's fingers slammed on top of the virtual card and ripped it from the D-Case. "Salamon moves to the Battle Area and Digivolves into Unimon!"

Salamon ran forward and threw its front legs up as it morphed into the unicorn Digimon.

Unimon (ST3-07)

Color: Yellow

DP: 6000

MEMORY

10-8

"Darcmon, Digivolves into Angewomon as well as Recovery +1!"

As per declare, Darcmon spread her wings and allowed the binary to overtake her and turn her into the angelic Digimon.

MEMORY

8-5

Emily

Security 1-2

"Security Attack, Angewomon!"

Layla smirked and snapped her fingers, one of the revived Vilemon zooming in her path.

Angewomon: 7000 DP

Vilemon: 6000 DP

Angewomon readied one of her light arrows and pierced the creature, deleting it in a display of vibrant colors.

"Ruler of the sky, I call upon thee to shield the world from those who oppose it! Come Forth Magnadramon!" Emily exclaimed, the area erupting in thunderous applause as the pink lion serpent descended from above. Layla and her Digimon watched as the ferocious beast came down upon the area, leaving them and the others awed by the gigantic beast.

Magnadramon (BT2-039)

Color: Yellow

Level: 6

DP: 10,000

MEMORY

5-6 (Turn Change: Layla)

"As long as I have less than three Security, Magnadramon grants me Recovery +2."

Emily

Security: 2-4

Layla studied Emily's expression. Her tone carried anger and desperation, and her face was painted with rage and confusion. "How amusing…you humans truly are amusing."

"What are you?! What did you do to her?!" Emily screamed.

Layla laughed once again, "Not I, but you."

Emily paused.

"You drove her to this state, after all." Layla continued, "a position of weakness. Of despair. Even when she came across the power, she hoped would fix her plight, you continued to reject her…and what's more delicious than one on the brink of collapse, hm?"

Emily felt the words constrict her voice, standing in disbelief. She didn't…she didn't cause this. Layla brought this on herself. She went to Trojan—she became one of them…She…her family murdered Ivan and covered it up…!

Layla smirked, "that look in your eyes…are you going to break as well…?"

Emily took a step back, the presence encroaching onto her. It was like staring at a large, malevolent shadow with an unlimited reach. She was losing her focus. She wanted to scream. Her knees buckled and she dropped down, startling the spectators who remained at the mercy of the Stranger who oppositely watched with eagerness.

Layla scoffed, "adorable." She drew. "At the very least, witness the other surprise I brought along with me." She played the card and what materialized was something no one saw coming.

The Digimon materialized as an abnormal silhouette, with various shapes making up the framework of it. as it began to fully materialize and become solid, it continued to resemble a grotesque amalgamation of parts. Garurumon's legs, Devimon and Kuwagamon's limbs, Angemon's wings, and Kabuterimon's horn, were some of the assets that found themselves stapled onto the torso of Greymon. The Frankenstein Digimon opened its eyes, and immediately unleashed an abnormal, shrill whine that shook the senses of everyone in earshot.

Kimeramon (BT2-077)
Color: Purple

DP: 7000

MEMORY

6-1 (Turn Change: Emily)

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Layla said staring up at the beast.

Trevor and Adam got a good look at the thing, not knowing what to make of it. Adam especially tried to keep a straight face, feeling the adrenaline get to him as before. The shrill cry of this monster was almost unmistakable, but a healthy dose of denial on his part kept his anxiety quiet for the moment.

"What better way to see SAIBA's destruction than a mockery of their work?" The Stranger commented. "Better wrap it up before it gets loose."

Layla nodded. "Kimeramon, do it."

Kimeramon roared, grabbing Layla's Tapirmon and not hesitating to devour it like a starving beast. The data inside its throat began to glow like fire before it was regurgitated back out in a yellow beam that melted Unimon where it stood.

Layla drew for Tapirmon, "Garurumon's IE effect grants me one memory for my Digimon being destroyed.

MEMORY

1-0 (Turn Change: Layla)

Emily looked up, her blood running cold at the sight of the nightmarish army that stood before her. Layla cackled as her army slowly geared up for their final assault.

"MetalGarurumon!"

MetalGarurumon revived Tapirmon and absorbed its energy to empower it to go in for the double attack. It picked its head upward, charged, and fired, two of her Security Cards expanding and being taken out one by one. Neither Seasarmon nor Sirenmon could stop it.

Emily

Security: 4-3

Security: 3-2

As Tapirmon returned, Devimon stepped forward and raised its hand, unleashing a purple energy beam at Emily. Once again shielding herself, the blast was intercepted by another Security Card.

Emily

Security: 2-1

MagnaAngemon emerged from it, dashing forward, and cutting down Devimon where it stood, before disappearing itself.

"Tsukaimon's IE grants me one memory upon deletion."

MEMORY

0-1

"Piedmon…go."

Piedmon grinned and drew a pair of its swords, taking off towards the girl. Emily's eyes widened in horror as the clown came racing towards her, but the sudden appearance of Tinkermon with her arms thrown open blocked the clown momentarily. Tinkermon dropped to the ground before Emily, and as the latter attempted to reach out to her, Tinkermon dispersed, leaving the girl filled with dread.

Emily

Security 1-0

"Vilemon…Direct Attack…" Layla uttered.

Vilemon floated over to Emily whose hand-scraped over where Tinkermon fell. She was oblivious to the creature that hovered over her, so much so that she didn't notice it land before her and tap her on the head with its bony claw.

WINNER:

Layla


The Digimon dispersed one by one, with Piedmon remaining as the last. It stood before the three others, as it continued to mimic Layla's movements.

Not knowing what to say, let alone understand what was happening, they watched as the Stranger snapped their fingers, causing Piedmon to finally disperse. Layla's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, causing Trevor to bolt into action. The Stranger, like they did Adam, pushed him back and jumped back towards the girl.

"What are you going to do with her?!" Trevor howled.

The Stranger chuckled as he picked up her unconscious body bridal style. "Whatever she needs to bring down SAIBA."

"You're lying! You're using her!"

The Stranger shrugged, "Believe what you will. I'm just following orders."

"Whose? What's Trojan's endgame? What do you plan on doing?!"

The Stranger turned, "All in due time. Just know that the final act is almost upon us and we'll need all the help we can get to prepare."

Before Trevor could go further both the Stranger and Layla dissipated into the air, completely vanishing from sight. Trevor ran forward and scrambled around, anger burning inside of him, fueled by utter confusion.

Adam meanwhile got Emily onto his back and made his way to Trevor. "Let's get out of here before something else crazy happens."

"You want to leave? Now?! What if they left something behind? We can chase after them! Whatever they're planning we need to stop it before—"

"Dude shut up already!" Adam snapped.

Trevor got quiet, looking over to Emily who looked passed out on Adam's shoulder. Despite being in a digital form, her expressions of mental exhaustion clearly carried over, even if the physical injuries recovered.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Trevor apologized. He ruffled his hair and put his hands on his hips. "This is too much to handle…"

"And trust me, we'll get through this, but as it stands, we've stepped too far into it and we need to back off while we still can."

Trevor looked at him, "Since when were you the voice of reason?"

"I've always been; all the time I told you 'you were gonna dig yourself into your own grave,' wasn't me being annoying."

"…fair enough," Trevor chuckled lightly.

The three of them began to glow in a blue aura, catching them by surprise. Before they could react, they found themselves waking up inside the computer room where they logged into Babylon. Rendered confused by the sudden pull, they were greeted by Michael who shook them all awake.

"Dad…?" Trevor noted as he came to.

"Go home. Before I find a reason to suspend you three from here." His voice was stern and authoritative, clearly angered. The security personnel standing beside him only emphasized the situation.

As the three slowly began to wake, Trevor immediately noticed something: there were only three of them.

"Where's Layla?!" He shot up out of the chair, but the security guards grabbed him and led him and the other two out without answering any of their questions. Emily and Adam were both silent the whole way through.

As the three found themselves breathing the fresh air of the real world, Trevor's anxiety was kicking back in. Frantically, he paced back and forth, muttering under his breath, and leaving Adam watching in silence.

"…stop…"

Adam looked over, hearing Emily finally speak up. He saw a tear fall from her face afterward.

"We need to find Layla. There's no way she would've woken up like that I'm sure. Someone must've carried her out of the room before we were ejected." Trevor was thinking out loud at this point, or at the very least Adam was ignoring him to focus more on Emily, who continued to sob.

"Just stop it…" Emily repeated, her sobbing getting worse. "It's over…"

"It's not over!" Trevor spun around. "Trojan has Layla hostage and is likely to sic that monstrosity onto SAIBA in some way! We're the only ones who know about it, which means we're the only ones who can—"

"WHAT ABOUT MEGAN?!"

Emily scream shut Trevor up. Her eyes were growing bloodshot from the stress she was enduring. And after what she just went through, it was clear that she had it.

Trevor regained his composure and responded rather apathetically, "What about—"

Emily smacked Trevor across the face, catching his other cheek. Adam got in between them before Trevor could feel the need to strike back.

"What's your deal?!" Trevor howled in Adam's ear.

"Listen to yourself!" Emily snapped back. "Have you given her a single thought since Saturday?! Do you realize that she's been trying to contact you this whole time?!"

Trevor grew quiet, knowing full well that he couldn't argue. The guilt that he felt before was slowly resurfacing, buried underneath the fixation of the events that transpired.

"I…I—"

"Don't answer that!" Emily snapped again. She took a deep breath before continuing on, "She was right. I didn't want to believe her, but she was right about this. We were way in over our heads, but you are more so. You are so determined to be the hero that you ignore the people who need you most."

"But Layla—"

"Layla needed me! And I turned my back on her and now Trojan has her like a puppet on a string. Megan needed you, but you abandoned her so you can save the world from terrorists!"

"Okay, that's enough from both of you!" Adam interjected. "It's obvious I don't have much of a say in this situation, but I'm gonna be really honest; both of you screwed up big time. And yeah, I'm part of this situation whether I like it or not, but when I decided to play the game, I did not sign up to fight with terrorists! Whatever happened five years ago, needs to stay back there, alright?!" He turned to Trevor, "and look, if you care so much about where Layla went, file a police report or something, tell Melissa, or heck even your dad once he calms down. But Emily's right. Megan needs us, and if you're not gonna check up on her, then I will.

Trevor continued to stay quiet as he allowed himself to be verbally pummeled by the two. Adam though felt as this was more than enough and turned in the direction of the train station. "I'll see you both tomorrow at school; assuming the world doesn't end by then."

Adam departed from the two and went home. Emily likewise went her own direction, and Trevor still lost in thought eventually moved from the building and followed the way to his home.


Adam laid up in bed that night, unable to fall asleep. As he stared up at his ceiling, the events of the last week began to playback in his mind. He decided to pick up the Digimon TCG after five years, he met Emily and got to explore what it's like to be inside a cyber world, which to say the least is amazing in its own right. At the same time though, he finally has answers to the nightmare that hung in his subconscious for years, but at the expense of losing consciousness for a moment and waking up to find his group of friends spiraling downward into drama.

So much is going on that he feels ignorant about. Trevor and Emily know so much more than he does, making him feel as if he can do little to stop either of them from getting themselves hurt, or at the very least any more than they've already been.

And then there's Megan, who like Trevor did to her, has ignored text messages and calls from him as well. Adam gave up after the third phone call in an hour, thinking that whatever she was going through likely required her to just be alone for a bit. He decided to save the check-up for school.

All that aside, there was something else that was bugging him as well. Although he said what he did to Trevor, curiosity and anxiety made a terrible combination.


"I will…protect…my tamer!"


The way the AI spoke during that battle. As far as he knew, the Digimon's speaking ability's no better than a cellphone's AI. Only reacting to what's spoken to it. The Digimon have an endless database of phrases and mannerisms to fit the desired personality and all. But the way Flarerizamon spoke then…seemed almost intelligent?

And then there was that Digimon that Layla used…Piedmon.


"You drove her to this state, after all; a position of weakness. Of despair. Even when she came across the power, she hoped would fix her plight, you continued to reject her…and what's more delicious than one on the brink of collapse, hm…?"


Whatever that was, it was like something straight from a horror movie if at all. Was that even a Digimon to begin with? If it was, then how did Trojan make it so… life-like?

And somehow all of this is connected to the nightmares. If only he could remember more, then maybe he could understand the situation better. Maybe he could understand what Trojan is, why they're so hellbent on taking down SAIBA, and god knows what else.

Adam turned over in his bed and closed his eyes, forcing his brain to let things go until the morning. Hopefully, nightmares not included.


No sign of Megan—at all. Not at his front door, not in any of the classes they shared… Trevor and Emily also noticed Megan's bizarre absence, but to Adam's slight irritation, the two were somewhat distant from one another, likely because of the events the day before.

How much drama happened while he was knocked out, he wondered. It was becoming more frustrating as time went on, as it felt as though he was completely out of the loop with everything involving his friends, no matter what he did. Even when Emily explained everything to him, he still felt as lost as ever.

As the day came to a close, Adam couldn't be bothered to search for either of them, opting to head home on his own. Walking past Mr. Morris' classroom as he himself was leaving for the day, Adam respectfully waved at the teacher. But he stopped and backtracked, remembering that he and Megan were pretty close all things considered.


"Megan was in school yesterday. As a matter of fact, both she and Ms. Parker stopped by during their lunch period." Mr. Morris explained as he and Adam trekked the crowded hallway.

"And she didn't seem off or anything?" Adam asked.

"She didn't go much into detail, but it was evident that she had some things on her mind. Likely home-related I'm sure. Is that why you're asking about her?"

"Kinda, yeah. I tried reaching out to her, but I haven't been able to reach her. I asked Emily but she said Megan went straight home after she got into it with Tyrone. "

"Yes, well," Mr. Morris cleared his throat as he remembered the events, "I couldn't tell you why those two were arguing but once I broke them both up, that was the last I saw of her."

"And what about Tyrone?"

"He was absent today as well. It seems he injured himself during practice yesterday and stayed home to recover. Must have found himself distracted in his own ways. Shame, because I wanted to thank him for assisting me with Ms. Jones' predicament."

Adam didn't like the sound of that. It's not like it was of real importance but he was so distracted keeping track of the others that Tyrone's lack-of presence just now began to settle in.

Adam paused his thought and backtracked. "Wait, Tyrone? How did he help?"

"I was able to borrow his Digimon Cards. I've noticed that quite a few of the students, including you all, are playing the game and asked him for the favor. To my surprise, he was much more than willing to do so."

"That's…unlike him." Adam pondered. Granted Tyrone's been acting pretty buddy-buddy with them since both he and Trevor defeated him last week.

"Is it? Behind all of the muscle and football armor, there's a young man who wants to do right by everyone. By the looks of things, I think you and your friends may have had a bit of an influence on him without realizing."

"I personally think he's trying to win brownie points with Megan if anything."

Mr. Morris laughed, "that may be true as well, but give him the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it's the people you least expect who bring out the biggest change."

The pair reached the outside, small crowds of students congregating in their own groupings before them, leaving but a narrow path to crawl through. Mr. Morris took a few steps down before looking back at Adam, "I'll keep my eyes and ears alert for Ms. Jones. In the meantime, I've heard you yourself had a rough few days, so maybe it'd be wiser for you to rest yourself."

Adam shrugged, "One can hope."

Mr. Morris smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Russo."

"Likewise." Adam gave him a two-finger salute.

As Mr. Morris mixed in the crowd below them, Adam exhaled and began to consider Mr. Morris' words. Rather than drive himself nuts like those other two, he needs to remind himself of what he told them. And that's to leave the matters to the people who can actually take care of it.

Adam skipped down the stairs and broke through the entrance of the school into the street area. He began making his way down the path towards the train station that was several blocks away. Finally, a day where he wasn't forced to go to SAIBA. He was gonna make the most of it if he had a say in it.

He was a block away from the station when his phone buzzed. Reaching for it, his eyes widened with anticipation at Megan's name flashing on the Caller ID. He immediately picked up, eager to talk to the missing girl.

"Meg, where've you been? Everyone's been wondering what happened to you!" He exclaimed in a relieved and excited tone.

"…She's doing fine. A bit tied up at the moment but overall, she's being a real trooper."

Adam's blood ran cold, freezing him on that city block as the crowd continued to flow as if the world didn't just come to a screeching halt.

Adam choked on his voice. "How…"

The voice of the Stranger laughed into the mic, "You don't sound too good. Catch you at a bad time?"

"Where…where is she?" Adam gripped his phone.

"Yeah…that's not how this is going to work."

"You better leave her alone or I swear—!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold a sec. Keep in mind who's in control here."

Adam grew quiet, bottling his anger as best he could. After a moment, the Stranger continued, "As I was saying…your friend is safe, and she'll stay safe. All I want from you is to steal back something for us."

Adam remained quiet, trying to figure out what kind of sick joke this was. There's no way Trojan would go so far as this. This just added a whole additional layer of confusion.

"I'll assume you're complacent with that silence. Anyhow, if it makes you feel better, you're not the one who's going to do the actual stealing."

"So why do you need me then?"

"Because my little friend needs a ride and I'm a bit tied up tending to guests."

Adam gritted his teeth.

"We appreciate the work you guys are putting on for us. As the saying goes, great minds think alike."

"We're nothing like you people!" Adam exclaimed, unknowingly drawing stares from bypasses.

The stranger laughed, "you have no idea how wrong you are, my friend. I'll be in touch. Just start making your way to SAIBA in the meantime."

The phone hung up and the wave of anxiety was already towering over Adam. Whether he wanted it or not, he was involved in this mess just like the rest of them. But with that thought in mind, maybe there was a way he could get this situated without them knowing…


"Are you sure about this…?" Melissa looked up at Michael, the latter waiting for her to finish reading what he had handed her. "I mean, I like my job as is; I couldn't possibly imagine myself as—"

"It's in case things reach that point after all. Mr. Saiba hasn't initiated the beginning of the project yet, but with Trojan's activity, it's only a matter of time before other hackers like them attempt to take a swing at SAIBA."

Melissa looked the application over again. After another long thought, she slid it into her drawer. "I'll need some time to think it through."

"Mr. Saiba wouldn't have recommended you if he didn't think you couldn't handle it. We need young people like you after all."

"Didn't realize twenty-four was still young." Melissa blushed lightly.

"Compared to the ripe old age of forty, you're a kid." Michael reassured.

The both of them laughed some more before Michael rose from the chair. "Just think it over. We'll be going through the process of looking at others across the circuit and see if we can't pick up on some other potential candidates. Of course, being that you've had so much experience your decision will take priority."

Melissa nodded, having the information resonate. "I understand."

Michael then proceeded to make his way to the doorway, twisting the knob and opening it to find Adam readying himself to knock. The surprise of seeing the man-made him hesitate, with the latter equally surprised to see him.

"Hey Adam, what's up?" Melissa leaned over to take note of him.

"Oh hey, just wanted to see if you had a sec?" Adam said, trying his best to ignore Michael's presence.

Michael moved out of the way and motioned for Adam to enter. "I was just heading back to my office."

Adam looked at him and nodded. "Excuse me."

Adam walked past him, his nerves standing on needles as he felt the atmosphere in the room. For a room he's been in plenty of times, he didn't expect to be this anxious. Also, to add, of all the places he could've used to access a computer, he just had to pick Melissa's office. The guilt was already setting in before he did anything.

He told himself on his way that no matter what happened, this was for Megan. The Stranger made their request sound very simple so therefore it can't be too difficult to pull off. Megan was going to be beyond pissed if she learned what he was doing he was sure of it. Trevor and Emily would probably be on his case, but given the circumstances, neither of them would be able to argue otherwise. They would've done the same if they were in the same position surely.

"Earth to Adam…!" Melissa waved in his face. "You there, bud?"

Adam blinked, snapping back out of his trance. "Yeah…just didn't get much sleep last night."

Melissa nodded, "Yeah, I heard. You guys snuck into Babylon yesterday and caused Michael to nearly have a stroke. You do realize everyone's been on pins and needles since Trojan attacked us, right?"

Adam swallowed hard. "Yeah, about that…I wanted to ask something."

"What about?"

"Five years ago. During the Beta Test…"

"Oh…" Melissa's voice dropped. "What about it?"

"Do you remember anything from it? Like specific details."

Melissa leaned back in her chair, "what…brought this on?"

Adam scoffed, "what? I'm just curious."

"Yeah but…it's just the way you ask it was just…" She was avoiding eye contact. That request made her uneasy and Adam realized that.

Adam bit the inside of his lip. "If it's possible, can you explain what you remember? If it's not too painful…?"

Melissa took another long pause, formulating the events in her head. "I couldn't tell you what happened in the room where you and Trevor were. But all I remember is that I left the Test AI to tend to your match while I gathered the other Beta Testers. Everything was going fine by the looks of things. But then, suddenly…"

"Trojan struck." Adam finished her thought.

She nodded. "Out of nowhere the computers, one by one just began crashing and overheating. The R&D team scrambled to get a hold of it, but whatever virus Trojan stuck in the system fried everything. It was so bad that everything began to spark into flames and before I knew it everything was on fire."

Adam nodded, listening to her, feeling his phone go off in his pocket. He assumed it was the Stranger, but he opted to ignore it to hear more of the story.

"Back when I was fighting that Trojan agent before…I suddenly had a moment where I remembered that day. For years I assumed it was a nightmare, but for some reason, they reminded me of events I long forgot. I remember…you were calling out to me in the flames. Or at least I think you were…"

Melissa didn't say anything, her facial expression displaying her emotions starting to get to her as she relived the horrific events in her head. "The First Responders were trying to force me to escape. But the thought of the both of you being trapped in that room…" she took a breath as her eyes welled up. "I couldn't live with it…"

Adam likewise felt himself growing emotional from her. "Thank you. For what you did that day. For not giving up on me after all these years." He stood up and walked around to her desk, throwing his arms out towards her. Melissa didn't hesitate to rise from her desk and wrap her arms around the younger boy as they both embraced one another tightly. Adam still had plenty of questions about that day but knowing that Melissa did go back for him and Trevor, the thought of knowing that her sacrifice saved him from that day…he could check that off for his own sake.

With the inch he had on her he was able to look over her shoulder, where he noticed a pop-up screen appear on her desktop. A small pale blue jellyfish motioned itself to the center of the window and turned itself to face Adam. It blinked and gave the equivalent of a smile towards him. The window closed out as Melissa pulled back from him.

"So glad I decided to not wear eyeliner today," she joked as she wiped her eyes.

Adam agreed as he backed off. "Sorry to suddenly bring it up. It's just that what with everything that's happened…"

"You're fine. As a matter of fact, I'm glad you came to ask me about it. It's sort of like a weight off my mind. Part of me wanted you to not remember any of it, but at the same time, that little kid from back then inspired me to take my role at this company more seriously."

Adam didn't expect that "I inspired you?"

Melissa nodded, "Tell you the truth, I was only interning for the experience. After all, SAIBA is so influential here in Cisco City just about everyone takes advantage of it for internships and the like. But your enthusiasm and the events tied with it, just made me want to give this place my all. So, I stuck with my internship, made my connections, took every opportunity SAIBA offered me and now I'm here. Doing what I grew to love with some of the most amazing people I ever met. That includes you and Trevor both."

Adam scoffed, "even with the threat of Cyberterrorists?"

Melissa shrugged, "No job's perfect." She looked over to her computer screen. "It's almost four already?"

"You getting off now?" Adam asked.

"Unless Trojan tries to pull a fast one, I'm a free bird." She said shutting her computer off. "You need a ride home, or you're gonna hang out here some more?"

"I'm good on the train, thanks." He assured her.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he rose from his seat and made his way to the door. "Thanks for the chat."

"Anytime. Love seeing you guys around here." Melissa smiled.

Adam smiled back, feeling the sense of guilt again now that he was exiting the room. Once the door closed, he took a deep breath, his heart beginning to do laps in his chest. He looked at his hands, trembling with adrenaline. That jellyfish thing that popped up on Melissa's computer had to be the virus. Oddly enough it was no different looking than a Digimon.

Adam took his D-Case and flipped it on. He cycled through the settings and even switched to Agumon's AI. The dinosaur Digimon seemed as complacent as ever, nothing out of the ordinary. No glitches, no nothing.

Adam waited until he got outside to check his phone. Megan's name was on the screen when he unlocked the password and he nervously opened the Text Message.

Do you really think it's a good idea to have a conversation while she's waiting for you to come do something?

Gritting his teeth Adam called the number. When the speaker picked up, he didn't hesitate. "It's done, okay?! Now let her go!"

Silence met him on the other end. Anxiety welled up inside of him as he awaited a response. "Hello?! He—!"

The phone was cut off. Adam's heart dropped as fear sent a cold chill through his body.

A second text message came through this time. Frantically, he scrambled to access it, finding not words, but a link. Accessing, it led him to a video. It showed the moment where Emily and Megan broke off. Tyrone is shown moments later chasing after her and eventually catching up. And after a few moments of talking, a third figure approached them. Adam's blood went cold as this individual subdued Tyrone, laying him flat on the ground. Megan attempted to run, but the Stranger also appeared, as if out of thin air, knocking her out and hoisting her up off the ground. Both individuals both dispersed in thin air, leaving other students to discover Tyrone lying on the ground and disoriented. The video ended as an ambulance pulled up.

Adam dropped his phone on the ground in shock, not believing what he just witnessed. He was confused. Angry. Words couldn't really describe what was racing in his head. None of it made sense so why…"

Adam's phone, which survived the fall finally rang. Shakily he picked it up and answered it, his shaky breathing responding to the call.

"Nice work. Our little friend had a safe landing and is on its way to get what we need out of there."

Adam swallowed hard, trying to find the nerve to formulate words. "What…"

"…what was the video? Just a reward for a job well done. True what they say, isn't it…?

…It's the people who you least expect who bring the biggest change…"

With a pained cry, Adam smashed his phone to pieces and broke down on the sidewalk. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted all of this to end already. It was too much at this point.

His cries met the ears of Melissa who was steps away from the entrance of the building. Seeing Adam kneeling on the sidewalk the way he had, sent her into panic mode, rushing to his aid to see what was wrong. Too hysterical to utter words, she took it upon herself to escort him to her car, the latter doing virtually nothing to resist her.


Adam blacked out. The next thing he remembered was waking up in his bed the next morning, not having any clue how he made it home, let alone his bed. The previous days' events were a blur, including the fact that he was now without a cellphone. Nonetheless, he got ready for school and reaching for his D-Case, a wave of anxiety suddenly washed over him, something that he thought he was over. Regardless he shook his head, hooked the D-Case onto his belt, and took off for school.


"…People are saying she ran away…"

"…Her? Pigs would fly before she'd quit school."

"…T-Rex got bodied the other day did you hear?"

"…Bro, bad enough he got chewed out by Morris' pet but then he got his butt kicked? I can't…!"

Adam couldn't escape it. Everywhere he turned he was reminded of the video he saw. News Outlets were now reporting Megan as officially missing as per the police report. No one's seen her since the day before and her mother and her extended family were desperate to find her.

His head dug deep into his locker as he tried to calm himself down, he didn't notice both Trevor and Emily approach him. Trevor hit the locker beside him, causing Adam to jump hard.

"Dude!" Adam snapped harshly.

"Sup?" Trevor asked him.

Realizing it was them, he began to calm down. "Hey…"

Emily noticed the tonal shift in his voice, "Is everything okay with you?"

"What about you two? You seem to be getting along again."

Trevor and Emily look at one another and back at Adam.

"What?" Adam asked.

"What do you mean 'what?' didn't you hear?" Trevor asked.

"Hear what?" Adam demanded.

Emily pulled out her phone and accessed the news article. Adam's face grew pale as he read the headline.


SEVERAL MAJOR SECURITY BREACHES AT SAIBA ENTERPRISE RAISES CONCERNS AMONGST SHAREHOLDERS


Adam read the smaller text following, explaining how the latest attack was detected in the evening when a mysterious virus began to delete important company files and the department's inability to rid the malware.

"What the Stranger said the other day…we were thinking that whatever they meant then this must be it." Trevor explained.

Adam muttered under his breath, but Trevor continued on, oblivious to it. "I got in touch with my Dad and he says that he's working on an anti-virus to kill it. "

"…sorry…"

The thing is its multiplying so quick it may very well eat the company inside out before we can make a—"

Emily stopped Trevor. "Adam? What's wrong?"

"…it's all my fault…"

Trevor was taken aback. "What…?"

"The virus…they…they had her…"

"Wait-wait-wait…" Trevor was processing. "Don't tell me…what did you do?!"

"They have her!" Adam exclaimed. "What would either of you have done?!

"That's not important! That's like a basic rule you doofus, you don't make deals with people like that! What were you thinking?!"

"Unlike you, I was thinking about my friend!"

Trevor shoved Adam up against the lockers. Emily attempted to break them up, but Adam shoved Trevor back. Trevor forcefully charged back and got over to Adam's ear.

"…play along…"

Trevor pulled back and shook Adam, with the latter pushing him off and throwing a punch. It connected, Trevor, staggering a bit, before retaliating and swinging back. The two continued to fight until security guards came to rush in between and break them up. Even when they were apart, they attempted to break away to rush each other once more.

As they were pulled away, Emily stood, astounded at what just suddenly unfolded, all the while trying to process herself what happened. Mr. Morris approached, catching the tail-end of the chaos himself. Emily acknowledged the presence of the teacher as they both watched the two boys be escorted to the principal office to endure whatever punishment came their way…


Meanwhile, the small jellyfish floated to and fro through the conduits of SAIBA's network, curiously seeking the information it needed while absorbing any digital object it passed through. It stopped, seeing in the distance of the dark green landscape, the illuminated floating island in the distance: Babylon.

The beauty captivating the little virus, it was unaware of the binary code encapsulating it, turning it into a crazed alien-like entity, its tiny feelers dropping down and slimming to a grouping of thin feelers with spiked claws on each of them, as well as two thin arms with oversized hands. It moved its wide mouth open as if it was salivating at the sight of the city and began to make its way towards it…