Episode 2:Enigmas

Arnold Strauss drove through the streets of the city. The siren atop his car flashing. He was a barrel chested man, with a heavy set build. People often describing him as being built like a house. His jaw was square, adding to his strong appearance. As he stopped at a traffic light, he glanced over at his partner, Starmon, in the passenger seat.

He was a strange digimon, with a silver, star shaped body. A red, rhombus shaped jewel was embedded in the top point of the star. His blue eyes peeked out from the darkness in the middle of his body. Black belts were wrapped around the entire length of his arms and legs. Purple gloves, each marked with a star, covered his hands. While boots of the same color were worn upon his feet. Both of their tops embossed with a star.

The two had been partners for about twelve years now. Working together on a number of cases, and incidents since they joined the DDA. Which was not too long after they had met. Arnold laughed a little to himself. Thinking about how far he had come since then.

"Whatcha thinking about partner?" Starmon asked, in his almost cowboy like drawl. A voice that wouldn't be out of place in a spaghetti western.

"Oh nothing much." Arnold replied, as he turned a corner. "Just reminiscing a bit. Thinking about how I used be when I started this job."

"You mean greener than a douglas fir?" Starmon joked.

"You're one to talk." Arnold remarked with a laugh. There was a moment of silence between the two, before Arnold spoke up again. "So, what do you think about all this partner? This incident I mean."

"The media is going to have a field day with this one, I'll tell you that much.." Starmon answered. "There hasn't been an unauthorized breach like this in five years. What it could mean, I don't rightly know."

"Well that's our job to find out isn't?"

Only minutes later, Arnold's car arrived at their destination. He parked, and took a moment to adjust the tie of his uniform. Starmon was already outside waiting for him when he stepped out. The two looked out, to see the destruction before them. Bits of metal, and car parts lay strewn about everywhere. Firefighters were still dealing with remaining flames. While rescue crews searched the remaining buildings for survivors. With ambulances ready, and on standby. The police had formed a perimeter around the destruction. With a crowd of journalists, and reporters chomping at the bit to get past.

Arnold sighed, and he Starmon made their way to the police line. They waded through the crowd, ignoring the innumerable questions thrown their way. As they finally reached the head of the crowd, they marched toward the nearest officer. Both of them pulling out their badges.

"I'm agent Arnold Strauss, special investigator for the DDA."

"Agent Starmon." greeted the digimon. "I'm his partner."

"I was wondering when you guys would get here" stated the officer.

Arnold tucked away his badge. "So, what can you tell us about what happened here?"

"No more than you probably already know." she answered. "Assuming you've both been briefed properly."

Arnold, and Starmon could sense a note of contempt in the woman's voice. That wasn't anything new. The DDA were often under high scrutiny from both the public, and the government. They honestly couldn't blame them. An organization with as much power as the DDA shouldn't just be trusted blindly. So they took the comment in stride, giving a courteous nod to her.

"Well, we're going to have ourselves a look around." said Arnold. "We'll try not to interfere with your business. If you find anything of interest, please let us know."

The officer gave them a curt nod, and turned about. Before taking off toward another nearby officer. Arnold, and Starmon stood, watching her for a moment, before heading further into the devastation zone. They gave cursory glances about the area, noting the sheer level of destruction.

They soon spotted a strange sight near the street corner. The wreckage of several armored cars.

Curiously, they approached, and began to inspect around the wreckage. As they searched, they found a long anti digimon rifle, lying upon the ground nearby. It was bent in several places. No doubt crushed by the heavy footfalls of one of the rogue digimon. Arnold quickly pulled out his digivice, and activated its scanner function. A blue beam of light fired out from the devices face, and roved along the entirety of the weapon.

"Scan complete." droned the device.

After only a few seconds, it let out a whistling beep, and its screen flashed. It then began to project a 3D image of the weapon. The digivices computer had reconstructed it, displaying it in its undamaged state. Various bits of data, and stats were displayed alongside the image.

"This is a DDS-12." stated Arnold. "Pretty standard issue for most private military companies."

Starmon walked over to one of the armored cars. "So whatever these armored cars were carrying, was being escorted by a PMC."

The champion lifted one of the hunks of metal nearby. His eyes narrowing as he found its underside marked with an all too familiar logo.

"Arnold, you better come look at this." the champion said, gesturing his partner over.

Arnold approached as his partner held up the hunk of scrap. Showing the logo for FOX ENT.

"Fox Enterprises."

There was hardly a person in the country who didn't know about Fox Enterprises. They were a multibillion dollar corporation. With there hands in almost every industry. Their most famous endeavors however came in the form of some of the first digital gates. Just about every gate to, and from the digital world was created by Fox Enterprises. The company worked closely with the DDA, and the government. Giving them more than a few friends in high places.

Which often allowed them to get away some of their more...questionable dealings.

"They have their own private security force." stated Arnold. "No doubt they would be carrying military grade hardware. But the question is, what were they transporting?"

He glanced over to his right, spotting a small puddle on the ground. He squatted down, hoping to get a closer look. Upon further inspection, Arnold found that the puddle was not water. But a mysterious green fluid that seemed to glow through some unknown chemical process.

"What is that stuff?" Starmon asked, looking over his partner's shoulder.

"Looks like toxic ooze from an old monster movie." Arnold answered, whipping out his digivice once more, to scan the unknown substance.

"Scan complete." chirruped the device after a few moments. "Substance unknown. More information required.

Arnold hummed thoughtfully. "Looks like I'll have to take this back to the lab for analysis."

He reached into his coat, pulling a tube shaped device from his pocket. With a press of a switch, a small nozzle flipped out from the devices tip. Arnold touched the tip to the pool of strange fluid. After pressing the switch again, the device began to suck it up slowly. Stopping as it finally filled with a few milliliters. Once the nozzle was secure, Arnold stowed the device back into his pocket.

"Find anything else?" he asked, turning back to face his partner.

"There's still a lot of digital interference in the air." Starmon answered. As he held up a small device, not unlike a geiger counter. "I can feel it even without this fancy gizmo."

"That's not surprising." said Arnold. "The residual energy from a rift that size is bound to linger for some time."

He paused for a moment, and looked down the street. Spying the building that had been destroyed by the dragon digimon.

"I'm more interested it what caused that." He pointed a finger to the building in question.

Starmon gave a nod at that. "Yeah, from what the reports said, a couple of Tyrannomon came through the rift. But I ain't never seen no Tyrannomon that could do something like that."

After combing the area for a couple hours, Arnold, and Starmon made their way back to the car. They gave a professional goodbye to the officers as they passed. Then waded their way through the hungry pack of media mongers. Once they were safely back in their seats, Arnold let out a heavy sigh.

"This is already turning out to be one hell of a case." he groaned. "I can already see the little threads that lead across this whole damned city."

"Well, before we go and follow our own leads." Starmon interjected. "We still got some witnesses to interview."

"Right. The girl, and her partner."

He pulled out his digivice. Bringing up the file on Molly, and Liollmon.

"They were the only ones who saw the whole incident up close, and personal. Apparently the girl is even the daughter of Victor Mhan. One of the DDA's heads of security."

"He's got some serious pull in the DDA from what I heard." Starmon commented, pulling up the file on the man in question.

Arnold put the the car in reverse, and slowly pulled away from the sidewalk. "We can go pay them a visit in the morning. Lets just take all the evidence back to hq, and see what we can find out from that."

Just as the two took off down the street, another car passed by them, going unnoticed. At first glance, the car appeared completely non descript. But upon further inspection, one could see the logo of FOX ENT, embossed just below the right side mirror. Inside the car, a sharply dressed woman, and man sat. Their eyes hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses. As they pulled in to park, the woman put a hand to her earpiece.

"We've arrived ma'am." she stated in an almost monotone fashion. "The DDA just left, and we're ready to proceed."

A stern female voice came over the other end. "Excellent. You know what to do."

"Of course ma'm"

With that, the suited woman cut the call. Before turning to her partner, and giving him single nod. He nodded back, and the two stepped out the car. Adjusting their ties, in an eerie synchronization. Then, with briefcases in hand, they headed toward the police line.

Molly lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling. It had been many hours since she finally arrived back home from the hospital. Her mother had insisted she, and Liollmon get some rest as soon as they got back. The girl had tried to sleep, but her mind was still too abuzz to rest much. Only getting a few hours at best. Despite this, she felt wide awake.

She glanced over at the clock at her bedside, noting that it was almost six thirty. With a sigh, she sat up and looked about the room absently. Her walls were a clutter of her unique style of decorating. A giant collage of photos, magazine clippings, and the like, made a sort of pseudo wallpaper. She had toyed with idea of putting some on the ceiling, but had decided against it.

Clothes of various styles, and colors were strewn about the room. Looking as if a thrift store had thrown up. Sitting on her desk on the far side of the room were her various cameras. All of them of different makes, and time periods. She had used each, and every one in some capacity. Most people called the place a pigsty. But to Molly, it was a beautiful little slice of organized chaos.

The only part of the room that was completely clear, was Liollmon's space. The lion digimon had a little over a third of the room to himself. It wasn't much space by human standards, but for the little cub it was plenty. He slept soundly now, atop his giant cushion of a bed. Curled up into a comfy ball, and snoring lightly.

Molly simply watched him for a few moment's. Enjoying the gentle rise, and fall of his breath. Then, with a languid stretch, she slid off her bed, and into her houseshoes. She tiptoed across the room, and quietly opened the door. With the same gentleness, she closed it behind her, and stepped into the hall. She made her way downstairs and toward the main hall. As she neared the kitchen, she noticed the light was on.

She paused near the doorway, knowing full well who would be up at this hour. She considered just heading back up to her room. But her stomach's demand for sustenance won over her brain. So, with a heavy sigh she stepped into the kitchen. Finding her father drinking a cup of coffee, and looking over files on his digivice.

Molly's father was a middle aged man, easily in his early forties. Though many would say he looked a few years older. Do to the deep lines under his eyes and along his cheeks. Further compounding that were the almost perpetual bags under his eyes. A permanent mark of his erratic sleep schedule. A few streaks of grey were visible in his dark hair, and his tannish skin had a slightly lighter tone than his daughter's.

Sitting loyally by his side, was his partner, Dobermon. He was a large dog like digimon. His body was thin, and wirey, spikes running along his spine. A spiked collar was wrapped around his neck, and curved blades sprouted from the back of each of his ankles.

"Morning dad." the girl greeted. "Dobermon."

Dobermon glanced over at her, but said nothing. He then closed his eyes, lying back down for a nap.

Her father paused, looking up from his files. "Good morning. You're up awfully early."

Molly cleared her throat, already feeling the tension in the air. "Yeah...I didn't get much sleep."

A moment of awkward silence passed between the two, before Molly walked over to the pantry and retrieved a box of cereal. As she moved to the fridge for some milk, her father set down his digivice, and measured her with stern glare.

"I heard about what happened from your mother."

Molly jumped at those words.

"But I'd like to hear it from you." He leaned forward, templing his fingers. "What were you doing out? Did I not explicitly tell you to come straight home after school?"

Molly set the milk on the counter, and let out heavy sigh through her nostrils. "Dad...can we please not do this right now? I'm still a rattled from this whole thing okay?" she pleaded, giving her father a half truth.

She was indeed still a bit shaken up by the whole ordeal. But not as badly as most people would assume. Her father seemed to consider her words for a moment. Then leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Very well." he finally answered, making Molly sigh in relief. "We'll put this discussion on hold for now. But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Understood?"

Molly gave a nod. "Yeah, alright."

Her father quirked a brow. "Pardon?"

"Yes, sir." she answered.

He gave a satisfied nod at that, and took a sip of his coffee. As he turned back to his work, Molly took the opportunity to roll her eyes at him. When she finished making her bowl of cereal, she carried it into the living room. Not wanting stay in the kitchen with her father a minute longer.

She quickly turned on the tv, and settled in with her cereal. Only an hour later, Liollmon awoke, and came down to join her. They simply relaxed, watching whatever peaked their interest. It was around ten thirty, when the pair heard a knock at the door. By the time Molly moved to answer, her mother was already halfway to the door.

After taking a moment to unlatch the door, Elena swung it open. Finding herself greeted by Arnold and Starmon.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Morning miss." Arnold greeted. "I'm special investigator Arnold Strauss. I'm with the DDA."

He and Starmon held up their badges.

"My partner, Starmon, and I, are here to ask some questions. If that's alright with you."

"Oh yes, of course!" she answered, and motioned them inside. "Please, come in."

Arnold and Starmon said their thanks and stepped inside. Taking a moment to glance around the space. Molly and Liollmon stood up from the couch and watched the two curiously.

"Can I get you two anything?" Sarah offered. "A cup of coffee?" She grinned. "A donut perhaps?"

Arnold chuckled. "No thank you. My husband doesn't want me eating sweets."

Elena nodded in understanding, and looked to Starmon. "What about you?"

"I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee. Black please." Starmon answered.

"Coming right up."

With that, Elena took of toward the kitchen.

By that time, Victor had come from down stairs. Having heard the commotion from his study. Arnold and Starmon gave quick salutes as he stepped into the room.

"At ease." Victor ordered. He then took a moment to appraise the two. "So, you two are the ones they put in charge of this investigation?"

"That's right sir." Arnold replied. "I'm special investigator Arnold Strauss. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance sir."

"And I'm special investigator Starmon." his partner added. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I've heard about you two." Victor commented. "You both have quite the track record. Some of the best the DDA has ever seen. I think they made a good choice with you two."

"Thank you sir." the two said in unison.

"So...I assume you're here to interview my daughter and Liollmon?"

"That's right sir." Starmon answered. "Report says they were at the scene during the incident."

Victor gave a nod and sighed. "I just wish I could perform the questioning myself."

Arnold shrugged and gave a friendly smile. "Well, you know how regulations are sir. Can't have you questioning witnesses you have a close personal connection to."

Victor gave a grunt of affirmation. "Well, hopefully my daughter and Liollmon are feeling up to questioning."

He gave the two a sidelong glance.

Molly nodded, avoiding her father's gaze. "Yeah, I'm feeling better now."

"I'm willing to answer any questions." Liollmon added politely.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." Victor said, clearing his throat. "It was good to meet you Mr. Strauss, and you as well Starmon."

After the two said their thanks, Victor spun about, and marched back up the stairs. Once he was well out of sight, Arnold, and Starmon sighed, letting their bodies relax. Arnold then turned to Molly and Liollmon.

"Is he always like that?"

Molly and Liollmon were quick to nod in answer.

Arnold made a little grimace. "Yeesh, I feel for ya. My dad was a real hardass, but him?"

"He's stiffer than a pair of over starched jeans." Starmon commented, earning him a chuckle from both Molly and Liollmon.

Arnold and Starmon stepped over to the pair. The man holding out his hand in greeting.

"Names Arnold. Your Molly, and Liollmon right?"

Molly gave a nod, and shook the offered hand. Arnold's warm smile making her feel at ease. Starmon soon moved in alongside him, shaking paw, and hand alike. The two investigators then took the chairs nearby. Elena stepped back into the room only seconds later, a mug of hot coffee in hand. Starmon accepted it graciously, and gave his thanks. As he took his first sip, Elena took a seat on the couch next to Liollmon.

Arnold leaned forward in his seat, looking to the girl and her partner. "So are you two okay if I ask some questions?"

They reaffirmed their consent with a pair of nods.

Arnold gave a nod of his own, and pulled out his digivice. Pressing several buttons to turn on the recording function.

"What can you tell me about what happened last night?"

Molly and Liollmon went into their account of the strange event that had transpired. Starting from when they left Ogremon's restaurant to their arrival at the hospital. They tried to give as much detail as they could in their description. Occasionally, Arnold and Starmon would interject with a question here, and there. But mostly stayed quiet throughout the exchange. When they finished, Arnold and Starmon took a moment to consider their statements. Before moving into their follow up questions.

"Did you happen to hear any weapon fire at any point?" Arnold asked.

Molly shook her head. "No. I couldn't hear much of anything over the Tyrannomon and everyone screaming."

Liollmon mirrored her partner's action. "Neither did I. Why?"

"We have reason to believe,"Arnold said. ",that a squad of armed guards was escorting an important bit of cargo through that part of the city when the Tyrannomon came through. A firefight may have broken out when they attacked. That's as much as I can say on the matter."

Starmon downed the last of his coffee. The bitter drink having already grown cold.

"So what about this fourth digimon you saw? You said it just up, and vanished after it fought the Tyrannomon."

Liollmon turned to face him. "Thats right, I couldn't even sense his energy. He just vanished."

"What did you say it looked like again?" Arnold asked, pulling out another tablet like device.

"It was like a red, humanoid dragon." Liollmon answered.

"Yeah, with big horns, and spiked fists." Molly added.

Arnold typed in a few of their descriptors into the device. After a few moments, it brought up a dozen or so images of digimon that met any of the criteria. He then held up the device for the two to see.

"Do any of these look like what you saw?"

After a few minutes of the two carefully looking over the images. They both shook their head in response.

"I see." Arnold sighed, putting the tablet away. "So after the attack, you said you found a young man, wandering through the streets?"

"Yeah." Molly replied. "It was the weirdest thing. He was almost completely naked when we found him. He was exhausted, but didn't look hurt."

"There wasn't even a scratch on him." Liollmon chimed in. "I got this strange feeling off of him as well. He seemed off somehow."

Arnold held a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I see." He picked up the recording device, and stuffed it back into his jacket. "Well I think that'll do for now. Thank you for your time."

Arnold stood up, and headed toward the door. Starmon soon following behind him.

"We may come back for some more questions." Arnold stated, as Sarah opened the door. "It all depends what our investigation turns up."

"Well, you're welcome here anytime detectives." Elena replied with a smile.

The two smiled at that, and Arnold pulled a small card from his jacket pocket. "If you find out any other information call this number."

"Of course."

Starmon dipped his head. "Thank you for your hospitality ma'm. Y'all have a nice day."

He, and Arnold waved goodbye, and headed toward their car. Soon backing out of the driveway, and disappearing down the street.

Three days went by after Arnold's questioning. Molly had stayed home during those intervening days. The school allowing her few days absence due to her experience. Though it hadn't been as relaxing as Molly would have liked. As it didn't take long for the various news stations to get wind that she had been at the scene of the incident.

At first, Molly and Liollmon had given the first reporters an interview. But soon more, and more of them began showing up out of the woodwork, demanding an interview of their own. It became so bad that Molly's father brought in a pair of DDA agents to guard the house from any unwanted visitors.

Molly and Liollmon lounged on the couch with Elena. The three were watching one of Elena's favorite movies. A giant monster movie called, Kanjira vs The Beast From The Abyss. Partner, and digimon liked to watch to men in rubber suits fight each other as much as next person. But Molly's mother truly loved these types of films. It was one of the weird quirks about her mother Molly never quite understood.

Just as the titular Kanjira was about to make his first appearance, Elena's phone rang loudly in her pocket. She quickly paused it, and looked at the number. Recognizing it as the number of the nearest hospital, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello. Is this Elena Mhan?" a feminine voice asked from the other end.

"Speaking." she answered, a bit of worry starting to settle in her stomach.

"I'm calling about the patient your daughter brought in a few days ago."

"What about him?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Well it seems there is no record of him. No birth certificate, no next of kin. Nothing. And that's not the only thing. But I'm afraid I can't discuss anymore details over the phone. When do you think you could come by?"

Elena took a moment to consider the question. "Well I'm not really busy today. I could probably head over within in an hour or so."

"That will be just fine. I'll see you then Mrs. Mhan."

With a click the line went silent.

Elena ended the call as well, and placed the phone back in her pocket.

"What was that about?" Molly asked, popping a couple kernels of popcorn into her mouth.

"That was the hospital." Elena replied. "They were calling about the young man you brought in."

Liollmon perked his ears, and Molly quickly sat up from her slouching position.

"Is he okay?" the girl asked, with a tinge of worry.

"He's alright." Elena then gave a quick repeat of the what the doctor had just told her. "I'm going to head over to the hospital right now to get some more details."

"I'll go with you." Molly exclaimed, hopping up from the couch.

Liollmon sighed. "I'll guess I'll go too then. Who knows what kind of trouble you could get into without me."

Elena gave a nod, and a smiled at the pair.

After quickly getting themselves ready, the trio headed to the car. Elena stopped for a moment to tell the agents outside where they were headed. One of them offered to go with them, but she politely declined. Thanking them for the offer, before giving them a wave goodbye, and getting into the car. With a flip of a switch, and a turn of a key, the electric engine started up, and the car pulled out of the driveway.

The three arrived at the hospital within fifteen minutes. After checking at the front desk, they were directed to one of the rooms on the second floor. When they headed inside, they found a tall indian woman in a doctor's jacket, looking over the mysterious boy. He wore a patient's gown, and his long hair was tied back into a ponytail.

The doctor turned as the three entered.

"Ah, you must be Mrs. Mhan." she said with a smile. "I am Doctor Gadhavi. We spoke on the phone."

"Good to meet you doctor." Elena greeted, shaking the doctor's hand. She then gestured to the pair beside her. "This is my daughter Molly and her partner Liollmon."

Doctor Gadhavi offered the pair a nod. "A pleasure." She turned her attentions back to Elena. "I'm glad you could come, Mrs. Mhan. May we speak in the hall, privately?"

Elena gave a nod. "Of course." She glanced over at Molly, and Liollmon. "Why don't you two wait here for me."

After receiving a nod from the two, Elena and the doctor headed outside. Leaving Molly,and Liollmon alone with the mysterious young man. After a few moments of silence, Molly approached him. While Liollmon watched him warily at her side.

"Hi." she greeted awkwardly. "You remember me?"

The young man's eyes drifted up from the floor, and he met her own. He cocked his head for a moment, scrutinizing her. Then a look of recognition came over his features and he smiled.

"Yes. I remember."

She smiled back at him. "I'm Molly. What's your name?"

He quickly frowned, and shook his head. "I don't know."

Molly was a bit taken aback by the response. "You don't remember your name?"

The young man gave another shake of his head. His eyes then roved over to Liollmon, meeting the rookie's stern stare. Molly followed his gaze, and turned to Liollmon. Upon seeing the rookie's look, she gave him a shove and a disapproving look.

"That's Liollmon." she said, turning back to the young man. "Don't mind him. He's always a little cautious around strangers."

"Stop talking about me like I'm a common house cat." Liollmon growled.

"I will. Once you stop giving him that dirty look." she retorted.

Liollmon sighed. "Fine."

The young man looked between the two curiously. Seemingly oblivious to what they were irritated about.

The door soon closed behind Elena and Doctor Gadhavi. Elena took one last glance inside, before turning her attention to the other woman.

"You're sure he's alright, doctor?" she asked with worry.

The doctor had to smile at the concern Elena showed for a complete stranger. "Oh he's quite healthy I can assure you. In fact he's in the peak of physical health. He could honestly be an olympic athlete."

Her smile quickly faded. "However...he seems to be suffering from some form of amnesia."

Elena was taken aback. "Amnesia?"

"Yes. He appears to have no memory of who he is, or any events before your daughter, and Liollmon found him. But the truly strange thing, is that this boy doesn't seem to exist."

"What?"

Gadhavi adjusted her glasses and replied. "Well, you see, he has no form of identification on him. Normally, we call the police do a search in case of such events. However they turned up nothing. No social security, no birth certificate, no place of residence, no next of kin. Nothing. It's a very strange case."

"So, what's going to happen to him?"

"Well you see, an amnesiac patient with no extreme instability, would be taken into the care of the closest family. Then would have routine visits to the hospital for treatment until their condition improves."

"But the boy has no next of kin. So we're at a loss. He cannot stay here forever, and we're reluctant to send him to a mental institution. Since other than his amnesia, he seems completely mentally stable."

Elena looked through the door's window. Watching the boy chat with her daughter,and Liollmon.

"What if I were to take him into my care?" she asked.

Gadhavi was taken aback. "You would do that?"

"Of course. I'll have to talk with my family about it, but that shouldn't be an issue. Is it possible?"

Gadhavi gave a nod. "Yes, it is. We'll of course have to evaluate you and your ability to provide him with the proper care. As well as file some paperwork, and the like. Are you sure about this?"

Elena nodded resolutely. "Yes. I want to help him anyway I can."

"Alright then. We can have your evaluation within the week. Then we can go from there."

"Of course." Elena smiled.

After a few moments of silence the two women stepped back into the room. To find Molly, Liollmon and the young man conversing quietly.

"Come on you two, we're going home for now." Elena said.

"Already? Okay." Molly replied, then turned to young man. "See ya later."

He gave her a little wave which she returned. Liollmon simply bowed curtly and strolled toward the door, Molly following. Elena said her goodbyes to Gadhavi and turned to move after them. She glanced back, as she stepped through the door, her eyes lingering on the young man for a moment. They shared a brief look, and Elena offered a kind smile, before finally closing the door behind her.

"So...what did you, and the doctor talk about?" Molly asked, as she put on her seatbelt.

Elena adjusted the rearview mirror, and glanced over at her daughter. "Well…"

She briefly explained the conversation between her, and Gadhavi. Coming to a stop at an intersection as she finished.

"He's gonna be staying with us?" the girl asked after few moments of silence.

"If all goes well, then, yes." She paused, and switched on her turn signal just as the light turned green. "Is that going to be okay with you? It's a big change, and I know its a lot to ask."

"I don't have any problem with it." Molly answered. "I mean it's definitely going to take some getting used to. But I'll deal."

Secretly she was actually a bit excited by the prospect. Having someone else in the house could be interesting. Especially living with someone that had amnesia, as well as this mysterious hidden past. It was like something out of one of those popular young adult novels. Or an old anime, depending on your point of view.

"I don't like it." Liollmon stated from the back seat.

Elena quirked a brow. "Why not, Liollmon?"

"I don't know, there's just something about him that makes me uneasy. Almost like there's something off about him."

Molly rolled her eyes. "You're just being paranoid. You saw him. That guy wouldn't hurt a kitten. No pun intended."

Liollmon sighed and looked to the floor thoughtfully. "Perhaps you're right. But I'm still going to keep my eye on him."

"Fair enough." Elena said with a nod.

"What about dad though?" Molly asked, after a few moments of silence. "Is he gonna be okay with this?"

"Don't you worry about your father." her mother replied with a smile. "I have my ways of convincing him."

Arnold and Starmon strolled through the citie's DDA offices. A combination of phone conversations, clicking keyboards, and general office chatter filled the air. It was a far cry from the chaos that it was not too long ago. The incident with the Tyrannomon had turned the place into a frenzy. It still lingered to a certain degree. There were many tired eyes and tense bodies. Such things came with the territory though.

The two officers did not linger long in the offices. Only pausing briefly to give a wave, or hello. Once they stepped into the nearest elevator, Starmon pressed the button for the second floor. After a few moments, the doors slid open again, and the two stepped out into a long hall. It was lined with several doors, all of them containing some of the more specialized departments within the building.

Their destination was one of the labs three doors down. Upon stepping inside they were greeted by a sterile, chemical smell. A couple of technicians were inside, diligently working away at their tasks. Various lab equipment was placed about the space. Including, microscopes, centrifuges, beakers, and test tubes, among others.

One particular technician was a young woman. She was shorter than average, and her black hair was tied back in a slightly frazzled bun. Her face was covered by a pair of protective goggles, as she worked with a series of chemicals.

Arnold and Starmon approached her and cleared their throats, trying to get her attention.

She quickly held up a finger, her eyes not moving from her work.

"Just one second."

After a few moments, the woman turned about to face them. Then lifted the goggles from her face, and set them atop her head.

"Hey, Arnold. Hey, Starmon." she greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Howdy, Sally." Starmon replied. "We were hoping you got the results back on that fluid we found."

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot!" Sally said with a chuckle. "I should have them nearby."

After a quick glance around, she spotted a set of papers. She quickly grabbed them and gave them a once over to refresh her memory.

"Right, now I remember. The fluid in question seemed to be a mixture of several different chemical compounds. Mainly electrolytes, proteins, and phospholipids. Not unlike amniotic fluid. The strange thing is the main base fluid, is liquid data. There are also some proteins that I was unable to identify. "

Arnold quirked a brow. "Liquid data?"

Sally looked up from the papers, and gave a nod. "Right. Its highly refined, and purified too."

The man held a hand to his chin. "You can't just find something like that, it has to be synthesized. That requires a lot of knowledge,and resources."

"Something Fox Enterprises isn't short on." he added in thought.

"What about the proteins?" Starmon inquired. "You said you couldn't identify them."

"They had an unusual structure. I've never seen anything like them."

Arnold let out a sigh. "I see. Thanks for your help Sally."

The woman waved a hand dismissively. "No problem. It's my job. Speaking of which, I have to get to work."

"Maybe you should take a break." Arnold suggested. "You look a little out of sorts."

Sally held a strand of her frazzled hair, and frowned. "Yeah, I know. You two aren't looking great yourselves. Maybe you should take your own advice."

Arnold and Starmon both chuckled.

"Fair enough." the man relented. He then gave her a wave. "We'll catch you later, Sally."

Starmon gave a tip of his head to the woman, and followed his partner to the door.

"So, what's our next move?" Starmon asked, as they stepped into the elevator.

"I think it's about time we pay Fox Enterprises a visit." Arnold answered.

To be Continued...

Next Time On Digimon Cross! Episode 3:Strange Arrangements