A.N.: Holy Cow, it's been a while! The last section of this chapter took soooo long to write. All the more galling, considering that I wrote the opening to this chapter months ago, and then stalled on stitching it into the rest of the narrative, as well as on deciding which perspective to use in the last section. The time of year has somewhat conspired against me too, I must admit.

Still, we're here at last! Getting closer and closer to the end of Act One (I can't believe how long this fic is getting. I thought it would all be finished by now, and yet here we are, still sorta at the intro? I blame Digimonm for being an Ensemble Cast series - I don't want to leave anyone out!) Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter!

Monday, 12:35am

It was a city. Something about it seemed instantly familiar, although it took her a minute to realise what. The thought was not a comforting one.

"Mimi, where are we?" said Palmon's voice.

"I don't know," she replied, glad to have her partner there. "But doesn't this place look creepily similar to when we were in that city in the Digital world? When Leomon…" She trailed off and looked around her.

"I don't know, Mimi. I can't explain it but I can tell you for certain that this isn't the Digital world."

She nodded. "Then it's just like the others. We're in that strange place, the same as everyone else." She held a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun.

"It probably just looks familiar because it seems like this city is abandoned too," Palmon said, walking over to the nearest doorway.

Mimi clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Palmon!" she cried. "Remember what Miyako said? Yamato was in a city when he went missing. What if it's the same one?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

"Well, Taichi found Takeru, didn't he? So I don't see why we can't find Yamato. I'm certainly going to look, at any rate. I mean, what else can we do? From what Miyako and Jou said, we're stuck here unless something super scary happens, and well I don't know about you, but I would really rather not go looking for that. And if we're going to be stuck here anyway we might as well do something useful, yes? And Sora might be there too."

Palmon smiled. "Well when you put it like that, I guess you're right Mimi! Let's get looking!"

Mimi nodded, and reached down for her bag, to fetch out the sunglasses she'd packed. Her hand met air.

"That's odd," she said, looking around to see if the bag had landed nearby, instead of being carried with her. "I brought a bag, and now I can't see it anywhere. I was going to put my sunglasses on, but I don't know where they could be."

Palmon frowned, and waved her over to the building.

"Why don't you come in here out of the sun, and you can message the others to ask if it's still there," she said. "You still have your digivice and phone, don't you?"

Mimi gasped, covering her face with her hands. This was all going wrong. "But my phone - oh no, and my digivice! They were both in my bag as well! I know I was wearing it. I'm sure, because the strap was digging into my shoulder, so I shifted it slightly before I went to sleep."

She looked around at the city again. Despite the fact that nothing had changed, it suddenly seemed a lot more hostile an environment. If she didn't have her digivice with her, that meant Palmon wouldn't be able to evolve. What would they do if they encountered someone dangerous during their search for Yamato?

Palmon nodded. "I believe you Mimi. I saw it too. You'd better come inside where no one can see you."

Now she couldn't help but imagine people or monsters lurking behind every building, despite the eerie silence. It just wasn't right for a place to be this quiet. Mimi was a city girl at heart; whether in Japan or America, she had never dwelt in the countryside. Even the digital world wasn't as silent as this place - there was always a breeze in the trees, or the sound of digimon somewhere in the distance. She hadn't experienced silence like this since Spiral Mountain.

And there was that association again. The nagging worry in the back of her mind, lurking with the memory of friends lost. She forced herself to think of something cheerier - she wasn't a little girl any more, after all. She wasn't helpless!

The building appeared to have once been a house. Furniture remained in the rooms on the ground floor, shielded from the bright light by cracked blinds and faded curtains. There few signs of disturbance - no one had come to rummage the belongings of the former inhabitants. They wandered slowly from room to room, searching in vain for any clues as to what sort of people could have lived there

"This place is creepy," Palmon said, as they walked into a kitchen area. The windows opened onto a courtyard, their shutters hanging part-open.

"You're right there," she replied. "I wonder what happened, to make all the people leave."

Pots and pans were still stacked on shelves. Mimi didn't dare open the cupboards - she was afraid they would still be filled with what once had been food. What had happened? What was this city, and why did no one live here any more?

The oven in the kitchen looked very old-fashioned, and she couldn't see a fridge anywhere. In fact, the more she looked around, the more obvious it became that everything was either very old fashioned or of a completely unfamiliar design. The chairs had odd backs, which dipped in the middle, and there were shelves on one wall which extended right to the ceiling - far out of reach.

"I don't like it here," Mimi said. "It's all too… It's not right."

Palmon walked further, through an open doorway. "Mimi, look! Have you seen anything like this before?"

Mimi followed her partner into an adjacent room filled with what she supposed to be wash tubs. They looked like the sort of thing she'd seen in historical dramas, with old scrubbing boards, and the thing with rollers which she couldn't remember the name of. A basket stood in the corner, filled with ageing scraps of faded cloth. It was like walking into the past.

There was a door to an outside area in this room, and Mimi peered out to find a patch of dry earth. At one time it looked as though plants would have grown in it, but all that remained were withered stalks and a few gardening tools. A tall fence had once surrounded the garden, but it too had suffered over the years, and most of it was bent or broken entirely. Only a small patch near the house remained at full height - presumably sheltered by the overhanging roof.

It was far too bright to be comfortable outside, but even this barren garden was less unsettling than the abandoned house. Mimi crouched down to inspect the plants. The earth had cracked in places - did it ever rain here?

"It's all so strange," she said, as Palmon wandered over to a pump of some sort. "I wonder why everyone left the city."

"Hey, look Mimi!" Palmon said. "This still works. Water!" She lifted the handle and pressed it down again, laughing as water splattered onto the dry ground. "I was starting to get thirsty. At least we can have a drink."

Mimi frowned. "But if the water pumps still work, why is everything so dry? This place is almost like a desert, but there's still water. It doesn't make sense, if you ask me."

Palmon shrugged. "I don't know, Mimi. But I think we should both have a drink here, in case we can't find water later. Maybe there's a bottle we could take from the house to carry more with us?"

Mimi shuddered. "I don't really want to go back in there, Palmon. Besides, everything there is so old and dirty. It's different for you, but I'd probably get sick if I drank that water."

Palmon frowned. "Well you'll need to drink sooner or-" She froze, then raced over to Mimi. "Someone's coming!" she hissed.

Mimi reached out and clung to Palmon. "What do we do?" she whispered. "Without my digivice, you can't evolve."

She could hear it now - voices and footsteps, drawing closer. It was impossible to make out the worlds, but the voices sounded human. Creeping over to the fence, she peered through a gap in the wood, and saw a group of what had to be soldiers. Her jaw dropped. They were humans! A group of nine or ten, all wearing uniforms and carrying weapons. Despite the lighthearted tone of their speech, they walked cautiously, looking around them with solemn faces.

As she watched their progress along the street, without quite realising it she leant forward. Her hands pressed against the ageing wood. It creaked - and then, slowly but inexorably, the section of fence began to move. She gasped, and clutched at it in vain as it picked up pace. It fell to the ground in front of her with a loud clatter which made her wince, raising a large cloud of dust. She coughed and spluttered, waving her hands in front of her fact to try and clear the air.

"Mimi!" Palmon cried, running over.

As the dust settled she looked out into the street beyond, and saw the group of soldiers arranged in a loose group. All had weapons drawn and pointed in her direction.

"Um, hello," she said nervously, not sure what else there was to do. "I'm a little lost - can you tell me what this city is please? My partner and I woke up here, and we're looking for a friend."

From the way that the soldiers' eyes all seemed to flick in the direction of the man to the right hand side of the group, Mimi supposed him to be the leader. He didn't look particularly friendly - covered head to toe in a strange armour, which seemed more elaborate than the gear the others were wearing, too. Rather than the old-fashioned guns which the others had, he held a sword.

"Who are you?" he barked. "And what manner of creature is that with you? Speak quickly, or face the consequences. Why do you trespass in the city?"

Mimi blinked, shocked at the man's harsh tone of voice. "But I told you," she said. "We just woke up here, and we're lost." She started to stand up.

"Freeze!" the man snapped, as every soldier seemed to go tense. "Do not attempt to resist or escape. My men will not hesitate to shoot."

"No!" Palmon cried, taking a step forward. "Don't hurt Mimi!"

One of the men flinched, and the gun in his hand fired. A bullet hit the ground just beside Mimi's leg, ricocheting off into the garden with a crack that made her scream. She flung her hands up to cover her face.

Palmon reacted almost as quickly, lashing out with long vines which wrapped around the soldier and tossed him aside. The other soldiers retaliated with a deafening round of gunfire which peppered the earth around them. Mimi screamed again as her partner was hit, and fell backwards with a cry of pain.

"Palmon!" she shrieked, lunging forwards to grab her. "Palmon, no!"

Mimi looked up in time to see the soldiers reloading their weapons. Already one of them was taking aim at her.

"Please," she whispered, closing her eyes.

The gun fired.

Monday, 12:57am

Mimi woke with a deep, shuddering gasp. Every muscle in her body screamed a protest - she was rigid with terror, trembling slightly and unable to move. The first thought in her head as she opened her eyes to see a bright light was that she was dead. She had to be dead. She'd heard the gunshot, and there was no way she could-

"Mimi!"

Palmon. If there was one voice which could cut through her panic, it was that one. Her surroundings came into focus, all the more slowly for being somewhat unfamiliar. It took her a few moments to realise where she was.

Palmon crouched beside her on the floor, awake and seemingly unhurt.

"B-but how," she said, feeling the tears start to fall. "I saw… they… but you were…"

Palmon shrugged. "I don't know, Mimi. It's still a little sore, but I'm okay, really."

She moved to sit up, and felt the strap of a bag press into her shoulder. Frowning, she disentangled herself, and took a better look around. The light was on, but she and Palmon were alone in the room, and the door was almost closed. She could hear voices from the other room.

She ought to go and let everyone know what had happened. She ought to find some other company, not sit here by herself. She ought to check and see if everyone was okay.

Instead, she clung to Palmon and cried.

"Oh I was so scared," she sobbed, between tears. "Why did they do that, Palmon? Why did they shoot? And I thought they'd hurt you - I'm so glad you're alright!"

Before Palmon could reply, the door pushed open to reveal Mrs Takaishi. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene, then strode over and crouched down beside them both.

"Mimi, you're up!" she said, then rested a hand gently on Mimi's shoulder. "It's okay, it's over now."

Mimi scarcely heard her, lost in her own mingled shock and relief. She didn't notice movement at the door until someone else sat down beside her, and reached out a hand. Looking up, she gasped.

"Hikari?"

Hikari smiled. "It's me. I made it back about twenty minutes ago. Are you and Palmon okay?"

Mimi tried to smile back, but felt her lower lip trembling.

"Oh, it was awful," she said, feeling a fresh set of tears spill down her cheeks. "We were… it was a city, and we were just looking and then there were all these… all these soldiers, and they were so angry and I just don't understand why! And then- then they…"

She couldn't bring herself to actually say it. Instead, she looked down at Palmon, still marvelling that somehow her partner was relatively unhurt. How was that possible?

Her partner smiled up at her. "It's okay, Mimi. I'm alright. And I couldn't let them hurt you."

Hikari frowned. "Soldiers? And a city? What sort of place was it, Mimi?"

She took a deep breath, and brushed some of the tears away. After all. It was over now. She was safe, and Palmon was safe, and that was all that counted, wasn't it? Besides. The others had all managed to tell everyone what had happened to them. Still, her breath hitched in her throat when she went to talk. It took several tries for her to get the whole story out, starting with her decision to look for Yamato, and she managed it mostly by not particularly stopping for air. It got a little easier the further she was through the tale, though. Talking it out was a good way to process what had happened. It was only after she finished talking that she realised Mrs Takaishi had left the room.

"Oh dear," she said. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned Yamato in front of his mother, should I?"

Hikari looked out into the main room. "I don't know," she said. "I think it's hard for her at the moment, but we can't exactly hide things from our parents. Now that they know, there's no going back. And they might as well have the same information we do."

Mimi sighed. "I haven't said anything to mine. They think I'm just having a sleepover at Sora's. I suppose I-"

Miyako shrieked from the other side of the door. "Hikari, quick! It's a message from Taichi!"

Hikari tensed, then raced out of the room. Mimi quickly got to her feet and followed her, still holding Palmon.

"What did he say?" the younger girl asked, racing over to the table where Miyako and Ken sat. "Is he okay? What about Takeru and Koushiro?"

As she stepped into the room, Mimi froze, eyes going wide. Jou was lying on the sofa with Gomamon draped across his stomach, both of them wreathed in black shadows. It was a rather disturbing sight, not least of all because she knew that it was how she must have looked all the while she'd been in the other world.

That was bad enough, but she had been preparing herself for the possibility of seeing something along those lines. After all, there had never been any doubt that one of them would have to wake before the other. What she hadn't been expecting was to find a stranger sat on a chair in the corner, sporting a large pair of wings and holding a pair of chopsticks awkwardly over a bowl of ramen.

"Okay," she said to the room at large. "How long was I out for, exactly?"

Monday, 12:50am

In all honesty, when Ithel had announced that he was going to escort them to the healers' quarters - which didn't sound all that encouraging a destination, if he was honest - Taichi assumed that he'd meant in a delegation sort of sense. Instead, the little guy had flown over, draped Takeru's comparatively good arm over his shoulders, and led the way himself.

Taichi was impressed. It was a lot easier to believe they were on the same side after a gesture like that. And to judge from the awestruck expressions of the people they passed on their way to the healers' quarters, Ithel was a pretty senior member of the Elders, even if he was half Taichi's height.

The tunnels were filling fast, although the odd assortment of people lining them made sure to stand well back of the guards who flanked them. Taichi wasn't sure he liked the expressions of all of their audience. Particularly some of the expressions being directed at their digimon. Then again, if the only digimon these people had met were hostile ones, he couldn't exactly say he blamed them either. They'd jumped to some conclusions of their own, after all.

The crowds didn't go past a set of large, ornate doors inlaid with precious stones. Taichi saw why once they made it a few paces in. It was a hospital wing of some sort, albeit one which seemed very old-fashioned. Nurses and doctors bustled around in neat white clothes, some afoot while others flew through the air. The lights here were all electric, and seemed brighter than the mix of yellow bulbs and open torches of the other corridors.

He was pretty sure the effects of that awful drink were wearing off by the time they reached a ward off the main corridor, because every step got harder to take. He could see Takeru ahead of him flagging. The poor kid looked ready to drop. Koushiro had dropped, or at least it appeared that way. His head was lolling forwards, and one of their guards had come to assist with carrying him at some point on their walk. Even the digimon looked exhausted.

The two guards saddled with Koushiro lowered him onto an empty bed, where he lay unmoving, while Ithel led Takeru to another nearby. Patamon flew over and settled down near Takeru's head. Their entourage had remained outside in the corridor, to be replaced with the strangest assortment of doctors Taichi had ever seen. He certainly hoped they were doctors, anyway. "Healers' quarters" had sounded rather too much like the sort of place which didn't feature medicine so much as it did prayers.

Taichi wasn't sure what to do. He was exhausted, but not so tired that he was going to fall down. Agumon and Tailmon waited by his side, looking between him and the others.

"Please, take a seat, either in a chair or one of the cots," Ithel said, turning away from Takeru. "Our healers will attend to your wounds, and you all appear to be in much need of rest." He gestured to the assortment of people dressed in white.

A woman with what looked like leaves in her hair turned to him and bowed. "There is no reason to fear for your friends. We are well accustomed to treating injuries of all sorts, I am sad to say. In these dark times, to wander the forests above is a peril in itself. If you are able, though, it would speed our work to know what forms their injuries take."

"They fell through a roof," he said, running a hand through his hair. "So generally they're not in great shape. And Takeru apparently got attacked by a giant bird? You'll have to ask Patamon for the details on that one because I wasn't there at the time. Oh, and before that, he got burnt by this weird rain. And Koushiro… well honestly, I think his wrist is pretty bad, but he's insisting that it's no big deal."

She nodded and smiled. "Thank you," she said. "We can take things from here. Your friends will be okay, but now it is important that your injuries are tended to as well."

Taichi grimaced. "Honestly, it's not so bad. I'm fine."

"What about your side, Taichi?" Agumon said. "You should really get it seen to, you know."

He shook his head. "It's just a scratch. Honestly, I'll be fine after a rest."

The woman reached out and pressed a finger to the centre of his forehead. He was about to ask what the hell she was playing at when she pulled her hand back and shook her head.

"If left untended, the wound will develop an infection. The claws of the bargheist carry toxins. Your body is also thoroughly battered, and weary from both physical exertion and lack of sleep. Please take a seat, and someone will come and tend to your injuries."

Taichi gaped at her. "What did… What are you?"

She pointed to a bed. "I am the doctor who just told you to rest. Now please. Be seated or lie down."

There was a chair next to the bed she had indicated. Taichi had just enough pride left to sit in it, rather than accept the comfort of the mattress. Given a few moments to think, he still wanted to be sure that Takeru and Koushiro were safe. These were the people who had sent Hikari off into certain and absolute danger, after all.

Agumon sat on the floor by his feet, while Tailmon leapt onto the bed and curled up on the pillow. Despite appearing to go to sleep, Taichi noticed that one eye remained slightly open, watching the comings and goings.

He fully intended to stay awake himself - they'd been promised the return of their phones and digivices, after all. Still, after just a few minutes he caught himself nodding in the chair. Despite promising to attend to him, it seemed that the focus was on tending to Takeru and Koushiro - which was understandable, really. Neither of them looked in good shape.

A mug of suspiciously and unpleasantly familiar liquid was thrust under his nose. He recoiled from the smell, startled into wakefulness.

"I would not normally keep a patient from their rest, but Ithel tells me you must communicate with the other world."

Taichi looked up to see yet another new face, this time belonging to a small man with short antlers poking out from the top of his head. It was unexpected enough that it took him a few seconds to fully comprehend what he'd been told.

"Wait, other world…You have my phone?"

The man nodded. With his other hand he held out a wicker basket containing their devices. "We brought these as swiftly and securely as we were able. The Chosen of Light told the Elders that they are able to run out of power, so Maela wished you to send a message now, just to be sure you can."

Taichi nodded blearily.

"You should drink, Chosen of Courage," the man said.

Sighing, Taichi accepted the mug. He grimaced, then drank down the contents as quickly as he could, shuddering at the taste.

"Man, this stuff is a real incentive not to get hurt," he muttered, handing the mug back. He straightened slowly as the effects took hold, shaking his head.

"Never mind that, I want to know if Hikari is okay!" Tailmon snapped.

Taichi smiled tiredly at her. "Me too," he said, flipping open his phone to send an email.

He had almost forgotten about the unread message which had arrived on their way to the city. Reading it, he felt as though he'd been punched in the gut - again. His bruises twinged as he tensed.

::Sora has vanished. Mr Ishida came home to an empty apartment. We can only assume she went to the other world through a fear gate somehow. We're working on getting some answers, and we'll get news to you as soon as we can.::

He sagged in the chair.

"What's wrong?" Agumon asked.

"It's Sora," Taichi said dully. It seemed as though they'd had nothing but bad news for days. "She's… she's gone. Piyomon too, by the sounds of it. That's what they were telling us earlier. That they both just disappeared and no one knows where they are."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I hope they have some more news for us by now,"

Tailmon and Agumon both nodded.

"It's been a few hours," Tailmon said. "I'm sure something has to have happened."

He nodded. "Well, one way to find out."

::What's going on there? Is Hikari with you? And is there any news about what happened to Sora?::

He hit send, and then looked up at the rest of the room. Koushiro and Takeru lay asleep in their beds nearby. The doctors had apparently finished tending to Koushiro while he slept, although someone was still dressing the burns on Takeru's arms. Groaning, he got to his feet and walked over.

"How are they?"

Sighing, the doctor glanced over at Koushiro before turning back to Taichi. "Thoroughly battered, but they will be much better for a rest. We gave them both a sleeping draught to ensure that they would get it while we worked." He gestured to Takeru's shoulder. "The wound here had been cleaned well, but there were a few lingering traces of poison which-"

"What? Poison?" Taichi exclaimed, rousing Patamon - who was dozing on Takeru's pillow. The little digimon looked up at him sadly.

"They told me they got it all out, Taichi," Patamon said. "They think the rider on that bird which attacked us was firing arrows with poison on, and that's why Takeru's shoulder kept bleeding."

The doctor nodded. "It's a common enough tactic with the goblinfolk. They were bad enough even before the corruption. We are well accustomed to dealing with such injuries. He will be fine. The remainder of his injuries, while numerous, are not too serious."

"And Koushiro?"

"Overall he was in better shape, but his left wrist has a hairline fracture to the radius which we've had to splint. Once he's awake we'll get a-"

Taichi's phone bleeped loudly, cutting the doctor off. Tailmon leapt down from the bed and ran over as Taichi flipped it open and read the message.

::Taichi, it's me, Hikari. I'm fine - tell Ithel the plan worked, and Alwyn is safely here too. Are you all okay? Everyone was really worried when you didn't reply. We've not heard anything from Sora since she disappeared. We're waiting for Jou to wake up at the moment. Mimi is back safely, but she's very shaken.::

For a few seconds at least, Taichi's relief that his sister was safe took over. He pressed the phone to his chest, sighing, and turned to Tailmon.

"It's from Hikari. She says she's fine."

Tailmon beamed at him. "Good," she said. "But you tell her that she'd better stay that way."

Taichi nodded, then looked back over at Koushiro and sighed.

"I told him it wasn't 'just sore'," he said.

The doctor cleared his throat. "We treated the break with salves to reduce the swelling and speed his recovery. There are tonics we can offer - and he has the advantage that, so far as our healers could tell, he has never broken a bone before. It should heal within the week."

Taichi turned and stared at him. "A week? Man, where were you guys when I broke my arm? I was in plaster for more than a month!"

The doctor smiled wanly. "In times of old, a week would be considered slovenly. And yet now, were you not the Chosen Children, your friend would have a similar wait. The tinctures and charms to heal someone with that speed are much sought after, and there are too few thurgists and healers. It is only because the health of you and your friends is so important to the world that we can heal him so swiftly."

So, no pressure or anything then, Taichi thought glumly, staring down at his phone. They're only giving us a priority over their own people because they believe we're the only ones who can help them.

::Have you heard anything from Gennai?:: he typed, frowning down at his phone. ::Apparently we've got to save the world again. Dunno where Ithel is. We're in a kind of hospital at the moment and I nodded off. We're all fine though, more or less. Oh, and Tailmon told me to tell you that you'd better stay okay, Hikari.::

The doctor had finished what he was doing as Taichi wrote out the message. After a short silence, he cleared his throat.

"I should dress your wounds now, Chosen of Courage."

Taichi grimaced. "You don't have to call me that you know," he said, heading back over to the chair. But I expect you will anyway.