Back to the Digidestined universe. One of my reviews noted that my digivices for the original DigiDestined looked like the original digimon virtual pets that came out before the show, only bigger and without the keychain (they were basically a boy version of those Tamagotchi things). While that is too cool for words, it wasn't intentional. It was simply an awesome coincidence.
Just to note: the original DigiDestined are my vision of these individual. Their names, appearance, and personality are mine. So if you want to borrow Riku or the rest of the gang, ask first.
Chasing a purple creature across the city is hard enough. Doing it while weaving through crowds of pedestrians and the digimon leading the way is moving along rooftops is even worse. Izzy felt that if Impmon wasn't trying to make sure the Digidestined could keep up, the boy would have lost the rookie long ago.
As he moved along the sidewalks, glancing at the tall buildings for a flash of purple, he began contemplating how the world had changed in the last six months. Digimon and the digital would were common knowledge now. Groups like PAD were sprouting up. Protests at the existence of digimon and children partnership rose from the masses. And now the hints of a government based anti-digimon group was leaking out. It seemed like too much to handle.
The number of digidestined was increasing at a geometric rate. Though most of the new members ranged from ten to fourteen in age, more and more younger children and teenagers up to sixteen years old were appearing across the globe. Izzy predicted that this was meant to create an entire generation of humans partnered with digimon to replace the older people. If he was right, then the idea that digimon could be placed back in the Pandora's box of the digital world is wrong. It would be the unpartnered humans that would eventually be lost.
The Digidestined of Knowledge would have continued with his thoughts if a gloved hand didn't shoot out of the alley way and jerk on the boy's shirt. Impmon scowled at the teenager and pulled him out of the flow of traffic. His chosen alley seemed to be mildly cleaner than some, which meant all the trash was in the garbage bins, but it wasn't the first place Izzy would have chosen for a conversation. Still, it was secluded. And from his cautious glances, that was all the digimon was concerned with.
"Okay, Techno-Geek," he began. "Almost there. Couple more blocks this way. Tall building, grey with reflective windows you can't really see through, and thick ledges. I think it has some of those giant T.V. dishes on top, but I was more concerned with the place's 'dangerous-to-touch' quality than the scenery."
"So why are we stopping here?" asked the Digidestined.
The digimon rolled his emerald eyes, "I thought you were supposed to be semi-smart. Because I'm not going to get closer. For several reasons. One, there is less cover up ahead and more windows looking down on the roof. At night, I can get away with it. Daytime is another story. Two, that place is supposed to be the source of 'ultimate digimon hatred and desire to rip us apart' and even if the paranoid pedestrians don't spot me, the lunatics in lab coats certainly will. And, despite what some might say, I do have some survival instincts. And they say 'going back to the building of evilness is stupid.' If you can't find it from here, we really are doomed."
"Fine," sighed Izzy. "Just wait here and please don't cause trouble."
Impmon shrugged, "If you aren't back in ten minutes, I make no promises."
Shaking his head at his companion, the Digidestined of Knowledge stepped back into the main flow of traffic. Unfortunately, the digimon's argument made sense. The potential danger of their target was the whole reason that they didn't bring the whole group there. Besides, if Tentomon was with him, he'd have asked the insect digimon to hide a safe distance too. Only Davis or Tai at their most impulsive would suggest storming the gates with their partners. Which would likely lead to a swift retreat and possible rescue mission later. The only thing that bothered Izzy was that Impmon chose to stay back and not cause problems on his own. From what the group genius had observed and read so far on that particular digimon, trouble was that guy's middle name. Was the purple virus actually afraid enough to learn caution?
The reddish-brown haired boy then remembered the young tamers' last words to their partner before being dragged away to Tai's house. Ai asked him to be "really, really careful." It was quite possible that the rookie was simply trying to do what she asked. If thought about in that way, it made some kind of logical sense that Impmon was acting this way.
Actually identifying the correct building was as easy as the viral digimon suggested. The reflective windows stood out enough on their own since most of ther surrounding structures had clear glass to allow sunlight to stream in, but the thick ledges and grey color was less rare. The satellite dishes on top, that Impmon only suspected were present, proved to Izzy that not only was this their target, but it was also involved with technology directly. From his position, he could make out at least as many dishes as he would find at the television station. Most were small, but there at least three larger ones. And there was no sign or logo to announce what the building contained.
"Guess this is the place," Izzy muttered, pulling his laptop out of his backpack and heading forward.
Stepping through the revolving door, the boy carefully approached the front desk. The lobby was bare of any furniture or decoration beyond the desk. Behind it, a young man in a suit sat there stiffly. The black haired man had a telephone and planner on the desk, but no computer. His eyes were locked on the Digidestined, watching the youth for any hint of trouble. Likely, his finger was on an alarm button in case the strange youth made any sudden moves.
"Excuse me," smiled Izzy, trying to look friendly and naïve. Basically, he was channeling his inner-idiot. "My computer won't turn on and someone said this place works with them. Can you help me?"
Sighing tiredly, the man replied, "Your friend is mistaken. We don't work on computers here."
"Are you sure?" he frowned. "He seemed so certain. But he's better at all this technology stuff anyway. If you don't fix computer stuff here, what do you do?"
"Boring things, kid," the employee answered, his tone supporting his words. "Your friend was sort of right. We deal with computer programs. Like viruses, worms, and spam. Only we deal with the whole infrastructure."
"What about digimon?" inquired Izzy cautiously.
The man's face darkened, "There's a computer store six blocks from here. They should be able to help you, kid."
"Okay," he nodded. "I'll tell my friend he's wrong. That… what's this place called again?"
"Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing," answered the man sharply.
"Right," Izzy nodded again. "I'll tell him this isn't really a computer place. It's a more complicated something." Thinking back to how Tai once tried to fix his laptop, he added, "And maybe I should just hit my computer a few times to see if that will fix it."
The Digidestined of Knowledge moved away from the desk. He glanced at the pair of elevators across the room, noting that there was a tiny sign indicating the staircase. Logically, paying attention to the entrances and exits of the building could serve them well if they ever needed to use them. They could easily be trying to break in here sometime in the future and information could be the key. After all, knowledge is power.
As the boy left, he could still feel the man's gaze on him. This place held secrets and seemed to fear discovery. But Izzy intended to uncover them, even I they tried to hide the facts.
Mrs. Kamiya hummed softly to herself as she mixed together beet juice with wheat germ. It was rather nice to have young children in the home again. She was surprised at how well Ai and Mako got along. After they were dropped off, they had talked for a little while before deciding to color. Not argued, but talked. She shrugged their uncommonly good relationship as a "twin thing."
"As soon as I'm done mixing this, we can start baking this cake," the mother remarked as she added an egg to the batter. "You'll have to make sure to leave some for the others. Your friend, Guilmon, seemed to have quite an appetite."
"Impmon and Terriermon say he's a bottomless pit," Ai informed the woman as she reached for a crayon.
"I don't mind that," confided the woman. "I always end up with leftovers anyway. It's nice to see someone enjoying my recipes."
A polite knocked at the door interrupted them. Mrs. Kamiya set down her mixing spoon and sighed. She wouldn't be able to finish if the interruptions continued. She'd already had a phone call from her sister and a telemarketer. Now there was this distraction.
"Just a second," she called. She smiled at the young pair stretched out on the floor, "I'll be right back. Don't cause trouble."
"We won't, Mrs. Tai and Kari's mom," Mako reassured. "Impmon said not to do anything he would do."
Chuckling softly and remembering how her own children acted at that age (Kari and her "whistle language" came to mind), the brown-haired woman went to answer the door. Checking the peephole, she saw a blond woman she didn't recognize. But the individual was dressed very professionally and Mrs. Kamiya opened the door unsuspectingly.
Four other people who'd been standing out of view rushed in, pushing her out of the way. They vanished into the apartment, causing the twins to shout in surprise. Before she could run into the living room to protect the frightened children or even demand an explanation, the blond woman from before pinned her against the wall and slammed the door shut.
"Mrs. Kamiya, I'd advise remaining silent and coming with me into the main room," she stated simply. "You're cooperation will be greatly appreciated. And while we do not intend any harm towards you or your family, any resistance to our instruction will increase the likelihood of unexpected results. If you would lend the way, we can handle this quickly and efficiently."
Unable to think of anything else to do, the mother nodded slowly and returned to the living room. Ai and Mako huddled together, starting at the strangers. One man in a suit stood by the sliding door to the balcony. The other three reappeared from the other rooms. Each one held some kind of object that looked like a bad sci-fi movie weapon. Still, Mrs. Kamiya watched the devices uneasily in case they proved to be more dangerous than their strange appearance might suggest.
"Miss Mizutani, we have secured the area and our targets are not present," one of the dark suited men reported.
Her grey eyes narrowed at the man's statement before turning towards the parent, "Where are your children and the digimon?"
"What do you want with them?" demanded Mrs. Kamiya.
"Only to save your children from themselves. We can wait for them to return. We have time," Mizutani answered. She glanced at the kitchen, "I see we caught you in the middle of baking. Please feel free to continue. We don't want to interrupt."
"I don't like you," mumbled Mako. 'You guys look mean."
"And you're scaring the nice lady by crashing in here," Ai added. "You should go away."
Mrs. Kamiya wanted to go over and hide the twins behind her, but the blond woman was already walking over to them. She proceeded to study the pair with her stormy-grey eyes until the young children stopped cringing from the strange adults and returned a defiant glare at her.
"But you don't scare me," the girl finished.
"Me neither," declared her brother. "Because we're brave and you're just a bully."
"Tell me, children," Mizutani remarked. "What is that?"
She pointed at the device hanging around Ai's neck. The child grabbed the purple and white object protectively and her brother did the same with a white rectangle around his.
"It's ours," Mako muttered.
"While I haven't heard of that specific model, I know that object is evidence that the digital monsters have claimed you," remarked Mizutani. "I'd say that we should add you to our lists. It seems that Tai and Kari aren't the only ones who need to be separated from a threat."
"What 'threat'?" whispered Ai, her young face twisting in confusion and frustration.
"The digimon," she answered. "Whichever of those digital anomalies that has decided to act as a parasite and became attached to you. Tell me, child, is it just you who will have their life ruined by these things or is your brother suffering similarly?"
For several moments, Mrs. Kamiya and the children stared at the blond woman and the dark suited men. The sheer animosity of these individuals was overwhelming to see. The parent felt a deep sense of dread. The hatred wasn't aimed at her children or the children she was currently guarding, but it was directed at the beings that the kids cared about the most.
Frowning, Mako mumbled, "You're wrong. He isn't bad. And when he gets back, you'll be sorry."
Pulling out the strange weapon with the satellite dish for a muzzle, the woman showed it to the twins, "This is a Digital Destabilizer or DD-gun as the 'imaginative' employees are calling it. With it in our possession, whatever digimon that is connected to you will have only two choices: surrender to us and be brought back with us for study or risk being destroyed in the capture process. Either way, you'll be better off. Whether you believe it or not, this is for your own good. It doesn't matter if a digimon is supposedly 'good' or 'bad,' they can only cause harm."
"How do you know?" snapped Ai accusingly. "You're just a grown up. And a big meanie. What do you know about important stuff?"
Mrs. Kamiya nearly scolded the girl for her rudeness, but stopped herself. While the child's tone was completely inappropriate for addressing an adult, the blond-haired woman and her fellow invaders were not making themselves well liked by anyone. Besides, it wasn't her job to teach manners to everyone. She had enough problems handling Tai, Kari, and their digimon.
Mizutani gained an odd look, but seemed to shrug it off after a moment, "I just know. Besides, adults know what is best for children and having monsters following them around is dangerous. We'll take care of that problem."
"We won't let you hurt Impmon or take him away," Mako declared softly. "He's our friend and our partner."
One of the dark suited men, standing guard by the sliding door, stated firmly, "As soon as the digimon enter the residence, we have orders to subdue and capture the specific specimens Agumon and Gatomon. Those two are the only creatures we are required to return with. Any other digimon are expendable. When your digimon returns, we will try to capture it, but if we cannot do that, there is no reason to keep it alive. And there is no way to prevent us from fulfilling our mission."
The bubble she and Fate watched from was clear from their viewpoint, but it hid its inhabitants completely from those outside. The defensive forcefield, provided by her D-arc, made the girl and digimon invisible and undetectable to those they needed to observe. It was perfect for situations where they only needed to watch and ensure that events occurred as needed, all while remaining protected.
And safety was truly an issue. They were near a battle between the children and digimon who would soon face a deadly threat to two worlds and a mega drowning in darkness and violence (all of their faces and identities blurring as she tried to recall specifics). The cruel virus already had shattered one child's heart and drove a second into blind fury. His heartless destruction of the girl's partner forced the boy into unleashing a monstrosity of his own.
"Scary, isn't it?" Fate commented slowly as the giant, crimson dragon transformed into a deadly mega. "One of their team's main 'good guys' ends up creating something that could destroy the world just by existing. Why is it the nicest and least cruel kids always have the potential to become the worst threats?"
Destiny shrugged, "The higher and greater you start, the farther you can fall into darkness. But those who are cloaked in shadows can soar into the brightest light if they choose to try."
"You've been practicing your 'mumbo-jumbo' talk again, haven't you?"
The prophetess grinned, but her hood hid her face, "It's a fact. The one who is now causing the greatest pain will be spared by someone who has no reason to. And he'll soon risk the most to redeem himself."
"Well, right now he's crushing a monkey," reminded her partner. "And we both know what's coming soon."
Sighing, she nodded, "He'll barely get a chance to seek forgiveness from those he's abandoned and those he's betrayed before it is all snatched away."
"Doesn't really seem fair, Dee," Fate remarked softly. "I know that girl no longer has a partner, but that doesn't mean its right for anyone else to be separated."
"It has to happen. Nothing lasts forever," she whispered. "Not even the strongest of bonds."
Trying to lighten the mood, her partner jokingly suggested "At this rate, our job is going to last forever. How long does it take for this kid to figure out he's…" The rookie was interrupted as the monsterous dragon became a knight with white armor and a red cape. "Now he's got it right."
Destiny frowned. While this memory wasn't quite what she was looking for, she could tell she was getting closer. She could almost recognize some of the individuals that were in the foggy background of the event. Many of them were still hidden, but she knew Gallantmon when she saw him.
The prophetess sighed softly and pulled her attention back to the present moment, where a spiky-haired adult embraced his oversized friend. Riku and BigAgumon were too happy to be together again. But she wasn't done. She still had a duty to fulfill.
"'Dark Ocean'?" asked Rika, raising an eyebrow. "Better name than that dark dimension place we found, but not by much."
"That place is really evil," Kari shivered. "You can just feel it and I keep getting pulled in there un-expectantly."
"It happened only about two times," corrected Gatomon, "but that was two times too many."
"Last time, at least, it wasn't just Kari," T.K. remarked.
The Digidestined of Light smiled ruefully, "Yeah, Yolei can really get someone focused in a crisis. She wouldn't let me just freak out."
As soon as they made it out of the forest, the group found an empty plain of tall grass that stretched to the foothills of the mountain. After some debate, they decided that riding on Kyubimon and Pegasusmon would make more sense than everyone walking through vegetation that reached above Patamon and Gatomon's heads. So, Kari and T.K. rode on the winged horse while the feline and Rika traveled on the giant fox. It wasn't a perfect arrangement, but it was faster than any other.
"And we've also been to this 'Dream World,' which was just weird," described T.K.. "It's a place where dreams really can come true."
"Okay, I know you're making that one up," Rika accused. "That sounds like 'the land of the DigiGnomes.' I'll bet there's a catch."
"Of course," nodded the boy. "You see, we…"
"Corona Sanctions!"
The pillar of fire, summoned by a familiar voice, erupted before the group and forced them to dive for safety. Tumbling off the back of her partner, the red-head could only briefly wonder if their attacker was alone before grabbing her D-arc.
His parents once dressed him in adorable hats and tried to make him look "cute." The days of him conforming to their wishes were long since gone. The soon-to-be college students wore his ink black hair slicked down, hiding most of his face and only his right brown eye could gaze out into the world unhindered. His baggy jeans, chosen for their dark blue shade and carefully crafted holes, worked with the dark grey shirt (complete with skull and crossbones across the front and the sleeves torn off). The eighteen year old added a spiky bracelet on his left wrist, a silver bat necklace around his neck, and a replicated fang earring dangling from his right ear to finish off his chosen image.
Rather than responding to the name "Joji Tojo," he required that everyone address him as "Jay." A stupid nickname, but it reminded him of his best friend. Though the teen hadn't seen the little pest in nearly a decade, he still remembered the various ways that his partner spiced up his life in such a short time period. Rather than remember the kid's full name, he shortened it to a letter, "J".
Jay leaned back on his bed, sketch pad in hand. An art scholarship, hard earned, did little to pacify his parents' concerns. They worried that his drawings, as skillfully portrayed as they were, were not enough to guarantee a stable career and viable income source. They worried his nightmarish subjects (clawed beasts, winged demons, glowing red eyes, and brutal fights) and his questionable fashion choices meant something went wrong in his upbringing. They felt that they made a mistake in their raising of their son. Honestly, he just expressed himself as he chose and didn't care what impression it created.
The black-haired youth carefully began the outline of a clawed hand, pressing down on a crushed car. This picture would be a delicate balance between light and shadow, between what could be seen and what hid out of sight. Eventually, he planned to go over the entire thing in inks to complete the effect.
"Nice work. I recognize that digimon," a young girl commented, standing by his window in a relaxed manner. How she could have gotten in unnoticed was the real question. While Jay tried to slow his heart rate down, she continued, "Of course, it should be familiar to you. Though, last time I saw, he was in his rookie stage."
The black-haired teen dropped his pencil and sketch pad and leapt to his feet at her words, "You… You know Tsukaimon? How?"
"I came to reunite him with you," she explained. "Once more, there is a danger to the harmony of the world. Two worlds, actually. And though digidestined exist across the globe, you were one of the first. Will you accept this duty once more, to save those who are threatened, and come with me?"
"Duh," Jay responded. "Save the world and see my partner? Where do I sign up?"
He yanked open his dresser drawer, pulling out a grey digivice with navy blue buttons, and snatched a pair of sneakers from under his bed. His unfinished drawing remained on his blanket to be found by a concerned mother in a couple of hours when she came to announce dinner.
And there is the "T.K" of the original DigiDestined. Hope you like him. He's the youngest of that group and he's the rebellious teenager about to head away from home. Perfect for his partner.
Yes, I'm kind of evil. You'll likely be sending me comments on how cruel I'm being, but things will be picking up as I continue. Reviews are always appreciated.