Chapter Two

Going Digital

Six figures stood in a circle in the dimly lit room. A single blue flame hung suspended in the center, like a specter, bringing an eerie light to the otherwise pitch-black room. All that could be seen in the misty blue glow were the fronts of the shadowy forms. They were all dressed in similar attire, but were divided into two groups of three.

The three on the left side of the circle were garbed in blue capes and wizard hats, each with a skull mounted on the front, and strange yellow clothes. Each one held a staff, decorated with an odd figure of the sun on one end.

The other three were dressed in quite the same way, but in white, rather than blue and yellow. Their hats did not have skulls donning them, and their staffs held large snowflake-figures, rather than the odd suns of the other three.

The six figures chanted in hushed voices, causing the blue flame in the center to begin swirling around, as if it were in a giant cauldron. The ghoulish flame rose up into the air, and formed a large vortex. Wisps of fire and streaks of lightning flashed throughout the cave. Quite suddenly, however, the flames and lightning bolts retracted, shrinking back into the single, ominous blue fireball in the center.

One of the wizards glanced back into the shadows. In a voice muffled slightly by his high collar, the magic-user said, "Master Wisemon...everything is in order. The time is now."

Two glowing orbs appeared in the darkness. From within the shadows spoke a single whisper...a whisper that would bring chills to just about anyone: "Indeed, Wizardmon. Normally, if these were merely Digimon we were bringing to and fro, I would not have requested the help of the immigrants from Witchelny...but these are humans that must be called upon. Bringing them here will take more power than even I could muster alone."

The Wizardmon nodded. "It is our pleasure, Master Wisemon. We will do everything in our power to summon those who can save our new world."

Several nods from the other wizards confirmed the Wizardmon's statement. Out of the shadows stepped Wisemon, and the tall, cloaked figure joined the six wizards in the circle. In one hand, Wisemon held an odd book; a book that held a mystical power...a power not of that world...or of any world, for that matter. It was a book that held all of the secrets of time and space.

Wisemon blinked his glowing eyes, and then said, "Very well...let us begin."

******

"Spiral Saw!"

"Beat Knuckle!"

Just ten minutes before, all had been calm in this Canadian coastal city. But not anymore. In the city park, on this perfectly fine Tuesday morning, all had been as it should be. However, in the lives of some, everything seems to be able to take a U-turn instantaneously. That was how it always seemed for Jeffrey Drago, anyway. The boy was running late to school, so he took a shortcut through the park...oh, how impeccable was the timing of chaos and utter annoyance.

Jeffrey was Caucasian, and had dark brown, medium-length hair. He was tall, even for a sixteen-year-old, about six-foot, and quite thin. His garb consisted of a blue T-shirt, a pair of red (checkered with black and white) soccer shorts, and silver-white running shoes. To complete his motley attire, he wore his favorite green baseball cap with a 'D' on the front (for his favorite team, the 'Dayton Dragons'). The fused colors of gray, green, and gold formed around his pupils, which were fixed on the two battling monsters before him.

It was at times like these when Jeff was glad to have a draconic monster for a best friend. "Monodramon!" Jeff shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth for better projection. "This guy's a pretty fast jumper, but he can't run for beans! You'll have to hit him just before he jumps or lands!"

Stumbling backwards, the little purple dragon grunted, "That's kinda what I've been trying to do for the last fifteen minutes!"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "We've only been out here six."

"That's what I meant!" Monodramon exclaimed, charging at his foe once again. "Beat Knuckle!"

The little purple dragon struck at his foe with his drill-shaped claws, and then batted the creature away with his fleshy wings that protruded from his forearms. His opponent staggered back, and soon became subject to a two-footed kick from Monodramon. The blow sent the creature hurtling backwards into a bush. Monodramon somersaulted through the air and landed just a short distance away, watching for his foe to reappear.

Jeff glanced down at his Digivice. 'Gizamon. Rookie level. Virus attribute. Sea Animal type. Threat level: Low.'

The boy looked back up and saw that the monster was slowly making its way out of the brush. Jeff raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had actually gotten a clear look at the beast...and he had to say, it wasn't attractive in the least. Not even a mother could love that face. It was amphibious in form, with yellow skin, webbed feet, and strong back-legs. But it wasn't entirely frog-like. This creature, Gizamon, had a thick mane of orange fur that ran down its back. Huge black spines protruded from the creature's back, giving it a monstrous appearance. Teeth jutted out of its mouth menacingly, and its feral blue eyes were fixed on Monodramon.

"Water Cure!" bellowed the Gizamon. It planted its back feet firmly on the ground, swelled up its stomach, and sent a stream of water flying through the air at Monodramon. The purple dragon's eyes narrowed. He leaped to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack with his superior speed, and then lunged forward.

"Cracking Bite!" Monodramon shouted, diving at his target. His gaping mouth latched onto the Gizamon's front leg, and, with a sharp turn, Monodramon ripped open a hole in the Digimon's leg. The Gizamon dropped to the ground in a heap, and exploded in a flurry of data a moment later.

Jeff shook his head. These fights were starting to get out of hand. "You know, Monodramon...you probably could have killed it in a less painful way."

Monodramon folded his arms across his chest and scowled. "He was a Virus type. He deserved it."

Jeff rolled his eyes. Just as he began walking away, a bolt of lightning launched into the sky from under the ground. The earth below erupted into a swirling vortex of blue energy, and seemed to be sucking everything into its center...like a black hole.

Jeff stumbled backwards and fell on his rear end. Monodramon was by his side in an instant. They cast glances at each other, and then stared at the spinning whirlpool of terror.

"Get sucked into a vortex of death, or face an angry homeroom teacher..." Jeff muttered, "...I think I'll choose the vortex."

Suddenly, the vortex strengthened tenfold, and he, Monodramon, and a couple of park-benches were dragged into the dark abyss below.

"I was kidding!"

******

"Great sword in the stone," murmured Arthur Camotel, dragging his feet as he trudged along the sidewalk. The seventeen-year-old hadn't had a very successful day thus far. Everything during the fair's rehearsal seemed to have gone wrong. The guy who was supposed to play the jester had gotten chicken pox. The 'fair maiden' was no longer quite so fair...as she had broken her nose roller-skating. It seemed as though half a dozen other things had occurred...he just couldn't remember them all.

Arthur ran a hand through his wavy, brown hair, which was kept out of his gleaming black eyes using a small yellow bandana. He was dressed in a yellow sweatshirt, covered by a gray denim jacket, and a pair of black cargo pants with a yellow trim on the pockets. A pair of his grandfather's old biking gloves donned his hands. His build was that of an Olympic swimmer, and could easily scare off most anyone who might see him as a threat. To add to this already-dire misconception of his nature, the boy carried a forty-two-inch sword in a sheath that was slung on his back.

"Why doesn't anything ever seem to go right for me, Calliburn?"

Quite suddenly, a very short and skinny knight in white armor with yellow trimmings appeared by his side, carrying his spear in one hand and his shield in the other. "I don't know what you mean, Master Arthur," replied the knight, staring up at Arthur through the openings in his helmet. "Your lessons for the day had been cancelled...and you had the fortunate opportunity to rehearse for the fair."

As if reading the boy's thoughts, Calliburn continued, "And now you are on your way to visit your sagacious grandfather. What more could you wish for?"

"Well, for one, you could stop--" Arthur cut himself short. He had almost told Calliburn to stop calling him 'Master'. Arthur didn't like being considered someone's master, because he felt that it undermined Calliburn as a freethinking individual...but the little Digimon was so sweet...he didn't want to hurt Calliburn's feelings, or anything.

Arthur glanced up at the sky. "...never mind."

They remained silent for a few moments, quietly walking down the empty sidewalk. Finally, Calliburn looked up at Arthur, inquisitively. "What is the matter?"

Arthur continued to stare at the clouds. They were starting to swirl...taking on the shape of a whirlpool in the sky. Suddenly, the sky split open, and a beam of light struck the earth from above. It opened up a hole in the ground, and, from the newly-made opening, a vortex of blue light erupted. Arthur shielded his face with his arms, while Calliburn lifted his shield to a defensive-position.

"What in the name of Excalibur is the meaning of this?!" shouted the small knight Digimon, staring into the portal. With a turbulent bout of force, the vortex swallowed up Arthur and Calliburn, before closing up again, leaving naught but a few singed spots to mark where the abduction had taken place.

******

Twelve-year-old Jack Baker surveyed the screen of his laptop with a raised eyebrow. The boy was quite short for his age, and had short, brown hair and inquisitive brown eyes. His skin was pale, for he spent most of his time indoors. He was dressed in his usual attire: a hooded, black jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and green gloves. His computer bag was brown, and lay at his side. He was sitting under a tree during recess while all of the other kids played kickball or other some-such. Jack needed no such thing. All he needed for a successful break-time was his laptop.

But today, that 'trusted laptop' was acting up. The screen was going crazy, and Jack couldn't comprehend why. Perhaps it was a virus? A bug?

"Hiya, Jack! What's up?"

Startled, the boy yelped, and almost knocked his laptop off his lap. Jack glared over his shoulder at the newcomer, a creature that resembled a small, white seal. Three claws decorated each flipper, and a red streak of hair ran down the back of its head. The seal-creature's ears were long and normally droopy, but at the moment they were surprisingly perked up.

"Gomamon! What are you doing here?" Jack snapped, glancing around to make sure no one had seen the little seal. "Somebody will see you!"

Gomamon grinned. "Heheh...I just came to make sure you were having fun!" he replied, throwing his head back and letting out a chuckle. Suddenly, he grew more serious. "But you don't look like you're having any fun. You should go play that game where you kick a ball!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "That would be kickball, Gomamon," Jack muttered. "Great, first my computer goes mental, and now my Digimon wants me to play kickball of all things."

"Why's your computer going mental, Jack?"

Jack scanned his laptop again. "I don't know. There seems to be something interfering with the electrical current...it's making the whole laptop go wacky."

Before either could say anything more, they found themselves staring straight into the infamous abducting-vortex of terror. Jack's jaw dropped. "Wow...an anomaly."

"That's not an anemone," Gomamon corrected. "That's a spinny-hole."

Just as Jack was about to correct Gomamon's "correction" he found himself hurtling into the vortex, with his laptop before him and Gomamon close behind...

******

"What is that thing?!" exclaimed Talia Strachan, staring at the blue vortex just a few feet away. The little girl, just about ten or so, was quite frightened by the idea of being sucked into whirlpool. The wind that spun around in differentiating directions blew her chest-length, golden blonde hair every which direction. Her sky blue eyes remained fixed on the eye of the vortex, which seemed to beckon to her. Her tunic top clung to her front and flailed around in the back from all the wind. Clutching her blue bandana to her chest, the little girl let out a yelp.

Her Digimon partner, a small, green-striped, rabbit-like creature named Terriermon, was beside her in an instant. "Don't worry, Talia! I'm here with you!"

With a sudden pull, both were sucked into the vortex. "Er...well...I'm still with you, at least."

******

Twelve-year-old Jasmine Strachan-Taylor's face was twisted into a horrified grimace as she stared into the spinning vortex just a short distance away. Her shoulder-length, brown hair blew about wildly in the wind, despite the fact that she was indoors. She was garbed in a long tunic top, covered by a hooded jacket, and a pair of skinny jeans. Her stormy gray eyes were stationed on the whirlpool that reached out at her.

In her hands she held her small Digimon partner, a cute dog-like creature named Salamon. A holy ring donned the Digimon's neck. Salamon's eyes had grown wide in terror. "D-don't worry, Jazzy...I won't let that thing eat us...I hope."

Jasmine glanced down at Salamon, and then back at the vortex. She tried to retreat back a step, but lost her footing and fell into the awaiting abyss below...

******

"Uh...Kate...what's that?"

Katherine Wilson was speechless. She had never seen anything like this before. The forceful wind was sending her long, fiery red hair every which direction, and her hazel eyes stared straight into the blackness of the vortex. The fifteen-year-old's light green tank-top clung to her thin frame tightly. The legs of her baggy jeans flapped in the wind. Reaching behind her head, Kate quickly tied her red hair back in a ponytail to keep it from flailing about.

"I don't know, Palmon," the girl answered, over the roar of the vortex. "But it doesn't look pleasant in the least!"

Palmon, Katherine's Digimon partner, stood defiantly in front of her human friend. The little green creature was plant-like, and had a beautiful flower on her head, but she bore no resemblance in terms of frailty. She was a tough one, to be sure.

Suddenly, the force of the vortex's pull strengthened, and it sucked both Kate and Palmon into its center. The green Digimon extended her claws like vines out of the whirlpool and reached desperately for something to grab onto. The only thing it could grasp, however, was Kate's baseball bat, and that too fell into the dark void below.

******

Keith Spring stared unflinchingly into the vortex below. His medium-length, jet-black hair blew in the wind, as did his gray shirt (decorated with several modern-looking shapes), his black jacket (complete with two vertical white stripes), his jeans, and his striped scarf. The boy clenched his fists, tightening the fingerless gloves on his hands even further. His amber-colored eyes scanned the whirlpool inquisitively.

Suddenly, a small, limbless, furry creature hopped onto his shoulder. Orange fur covered its round body, and a large, disproportional horn extended from the top of its head, which, coincidentally, was its body. Its red eyes fixed on the vortex below.

"Keith, what shall we do?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't know, Tsunomon. If this is anything like that time when we first met...then I'm guessing we should try going into it."

Tsunomon nodded. "Very well, then. I'm guessing we should be off then?"

"Yes...if my hunch is correct, this will probably lead to the Digital World," Keith replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Ready, Tsunomon?"

"Ready!"

******

"As if my day hadn't been crazy enough already!" Daiki shouted, as he hurtled downward through the swirling vortex.

Agurabana was right behind him, trying in vain to bring an optimistic point of view on this occasion. "Look on the bright side, Senpai," he shouted. "At least we're not plummeting to our obvious dooms through a spinning whirlpool of darkness!"

Daiki cast him a menacing glare and the Agumon soon realized his mistake. "Oh...wait...maybe we are. Well, that's a downer."

******

Several minutes later...

Darkness.

Jeff's eyelids slowly opened, and a wash of light filled his eyes. For a moment, his vision was terribly blurred, and he couldn't see hardly anything other than vague shapes. Finally, he regained his vision and sat up. Glancing around, he found himself to be in some very unfamiliar surroundings. A deep forest surrounded him on every side, letting in just a few rays of light from the intertwining canopies above. The trees were huge, stretching hundreds of feet into the sky.

Truly, this was like nothing the boy had ever seen before.

"Hey, Monodra--" Jeff said aloud, scanning the perimeter for any sign of his partner, "--mon."

"Ack!--Jeff!" came a muffled cry from some bushes a few yards away. "Help me! I'm stuck!"

Jeff scrambled over to the place from whence his Digimon friend's voice came, and found Monodramon tangled up among the branches and vines. Shaking his head, Jeff muttered, "How do you get yourself into these messes?"

"More importantly," Monodramon replied, despite the numerous branches that muffled his speech, "how are you going to get me out of them?!"

As Jeff proceeded to free his friend from the brush's vile clutches, he failed to notice a figure watching them from afar. Chuckling, the figure gripped a sword in each hand, and murmured, "So...the Chosen Ones have come...heheheh...now the fun begins."

******

"Master Wisemon," said one of the six wizards, this one cloaked in white, "they have arrived."

"Excellent. Well done, Sorcerymon," Wisemon answered, in his usual hushed tone.

"Um...but...we fear something may have gone horribly wrong," murmured the Sorcerymon, fidgeting slightly. "We have sensed another presence in the area of one of the Chosen...we fear that Piedmon has already found one of them."