Well, since the enemy is Diaboromon, there is one particular individual that I should at least mention in this story. It also allows me to explore a certain aspect of the creepy virus' thought process. We know he's smart, destructive, manipulative, and deadly. But I think there has to be something else considering who and what he is.

I also had to figure out the time difference between Japan and New York City. That should give you a clue of who we're checking in on.

Willis, American digidestined who could use the Digi-Egg of Destiny and partner to Terriermon and Lopmon, sat at his computer. He might be close to Davis and that generation of digidestined in age, but the blond boy already possessed college credit and his mother gave him far more freedom than most. He'd even gone from New York to his old childhood home in Colorado with only his white and green rabbit digimon for company after delivering a flimsy excuse about backpacking with some others.

But that was back when the other half of the twin set was corrupted by a virus. A virus that originally attacked a digi-egg that Willis created on the computer as a child, producing the horror that became Diaboromon. He created a monster that almost dropped a bomb on him and Japan, which would have killed untold numbers of innocent people. Then, the virus stole away Kokomon for years until Magnamon and Rapidmon destroyed the viral Kerpymon. Only after that did Willis regain his partner.

He glanced over at where the pair of rabbits was lying on his bed. The digital brothers were so similar in appearance; they were different in personality and sleeping styles. While Terriermon was the more outgoing of the twins and used his ears like a pillow while snoring, Lopmon was more reserve, nervous, and uneasy with strangers. Willis didn't remember this level of hesitation back in the old days, but the years he spent corrupted by the virus took their toll. But the brown rabbit wasn't beyond hope. When Lopmon did relax, he would hum or sing happily to anyone in the area. Unfortunately, not only did he hum softly in his sleep, the rookie was also completely tone deaf.

As Lopmon reached a particularly sour note (the digidestined wasn't certain which song was being mangled by the sleeping brown rabbit, but it certainly didn't deserve this fate) and Terriermon snorted slightly before rolling over, Willis rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. It was amazing how two little creatures could produce that much noise. And his mother wondered why he was up at all hours of the night on his computer. If he wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, why not make use of the time?

Besides, a large percentage of his friends lived on the other side of the globe. If he wanted to communicate with Davis, Izzy, or any of the other digidestined in Japan, it took a little planning concerning the time difference. Or he could work on gathering information on the American digidestined so that Izzy's data banks could be as complete as possible. He could always find something to do.

Fighting back a yawn, the blond-haired boy stretched his arms above his head. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning and even struggling to sleep through the racket sounded good. Willis rubbed his tired eyes and began to shut down his computer. Just before he turned it off, he spotted a new e-mail. The heading was simply "Hello" and he didn't immediately recognize the address. Curiosity stirred in his sleepy mind. The digidestined dragged his mouse over and opened the e-mail to read.

The font and format seemed fairly ordinary, but even before he began reading, there was a strange sense of dread that filled him. He couldn't explain why that was, but it only grew worse when he actually began to read.

"Hello, Willis. You knew I would come back. You thought I was destroyed by Omnimon on the internet, years ago. You thought I was gone once you regained your partner. You thought I was finally a distant memory when your new friends defeated me on the other side of the world three months ago. I will finish the destruction here and then return to you. I'll find you, Programmer. After I take control of this island and wipe the humans and digimon who threaten me out of existence. Until then, don't interfere.

Soon, Japan will be but a memory. The world will follow, but these Digidestined will be the first to fall. Can you count backwards from ten?

And tell Kokomon I said 'hello'."

The boy stared in horror at the glowing screen, unable to believe what he was reading. While it never explicitly states who sent the e-mail, it was clear enough. But if it was who he thought it had to be and it was across the globe causing trouble, Willis needed to alert the Digidestined. Unfortunately, if he felt confident enough to e-mail the boy, he was likely expecting Willis to take action and didn't care. Still, the boy intended to try. It was his fault that he existed in the first place.

Willis gently leaned over and stroked Lopmon's head. He would never let the little rookie be harmed by his mistake again.

He shouldn't have sent that e-mail. Though he'd found that small connection to the internet on the personal computer of one of the DADP employees, he shouldn't have done it. Providing the enemies with a warning is a foolish thing to do, but Willis was the reason he was self-aware. He created his digi-egg that was attacking by a virus. That boy even provided a new vessel when Omnimon destroyed his first body. Kokomonn served him well for four years until he was forced out by Magnamon and Rapidmon. And then he regained his old form, just in time for that Davis to defeat him again. Those digidestined were nothing but a threat and he'd just warned them.

But it didn't matter anymore if they knew. He was in complete control of the Guardian program and DADP building, even with Tamiko Mizutani attempting to stop him. Soon enough, there would be no hiding what he was doing from the world. It would be obvious and a five minute warning would do nothing to assist them. In ten hours, he should be in complete control of Japan, regardless of what anyone might do. And once one tiny chunk of this miserable world was rid of all life, the rest would fall.

Diaboromon initiated his next step, pulling up the necessary code he buried in the Guardian program. Every computer system in the building, interconnected to each other, but isolated from the outside, began to glow blue. Doubtless, the blond human would be startled by the event, but the viral creature couldn't care what became of his old pawn now that she'd served her purpose. Just as those kids world use the technology in order to appear and disappear from this world, he was using it to bring his creature into the human world.

Each screen began to release a blue mist that crept across the floor and moved towards the closest pathway to the outside. The mist didn't act natural, but it wasn't supposed to. It wasn't a weather phenomena, subject to forces of nature like air currents or being burned away by sunlight. The blue mist was a physical manifestation of the full-power of Guardian, flowing like a river towards doorways and window cracks. It would suck the energy from anything it encountered like electricity from appliances, the energy of digimon that allowed them to retain their forms, and even, when at this extreme setting, the chemical and electrical power that gave life to organic creatures. Tamiko Mizutani never found this particular aspect of Guardian, but it would serve him well. It would destroy everything in the human world. Then, he would use it on the digital one.

Yes, everything would be destroyed in both worlds and he could consume all the data on the internet to become even stronger. And everything would be his to rule as he wished. The mass destruction of his enemies and everyone else would be glorious, but he would seek out Willis personally.

His memories of the years possessing Kokomo were fuzzy, but it did allow Diaboromon to find the boy in the city of New York to e-mail. No doubt finding him in the human world would be just as simple. That particular digidestined would be destroyed by the virus' own hand. He was the programmer, his creator, and almost his partner. Willis created him to become another partner for the boy, though they never succeeded in that. He'd even possessed the child's partner, making him even closer to being his partner. But Willis was special and deserved special treatment. No bomb to destroy him at a distance this time. He would destroy the digidestined up close and personal, as was his right as Diaboromon's almost-partner.

Everything else can simply die from Guardian.

"We bring the gift of non-Guilmon bread and slightly stale creampuffs," Takato announced as he came through the computer lab door, causing the waiting digimon and humans to smile at the foods' arrival.

"They aren't stale. You're just complaining because you don't think they're as good as what's at your parents' bakery," argued Tai, following. "I learned one important lesson between going hungry in the digital world and surviving Mom's cooking: if you can eat it, don't complain too strongly since you never know when the next time you'll be lucky enough to find a fridge full of eggs sitting in the middle of nowhere might be."

"Did somebody lose it or did you plant it and the fridge grow there?" asked Guilmon curiously, intrigued by the thought of random food. "I planted my bread once, but it didn't grow into a bread tree."

Ai giggled, "Bread doesn't grow on trees. It comes from stores and bakeries. Leaves grow on trees. Or fruit."

"Like coconuts on palm trees on deserted islands," suggested Mako.

The two goggle-heads set down their bags of food, causing Takato to toss his partner a loaf of bread to keep him from trampling over everyone in excitement. Even if they had lunch only a short time ago, the snacks were quickly snatched up. There is something comforting in the familiar act of sharing a meal with friend. How often did the tamers end up sitting at Guilmon's hideout while the reptile dug up his buried snacks while the others ate treats that didn't spend time underground first? Even if it wasn't from the Matsuki bakery, it was still bread.

Takato grinned to himself. He was beginning to sound like Guilmon. Food was not the answer to all of life's questions. Even if he included peanut butter with the bread.

The brown-haired boy glanced over at where Jeri was passing creampuffs to the twins and her small partner. She was one of the best with young children out of all the tamers due to the fact she lived with Masahiko, had Calumon bouncing around on a regular basis, and excelled at being patient. Only Henry, with his sister to provide experience, could match her at keeping small kids calm. While they'd seemed unsettled and nervous upon their rescue, Ai and Mako were getting back to themselves in the presence of the older girl and their partner.

After a moment, he noticed something different about Jeri. One detail had changed since he last saw her.

Unable to think of a better way to phrase his odd question, Takato blurted out, "Jeri, you're crest has a weird yellow raindrop on it now. When did that happen?"

"What?" asked Tai, his head snapping up in surprise.

She smiled slightly and looked down at the stylized image that now decorated the previously-blank rectangle. Elecmon bore an expression of pride. Impmon simply cackled.

"You two missed her crest thing going all glowy and freaky," the purple rookie explained. "And Techno-Geek didn't even notice all the theatrics until it was over because he was busy with his computer."

As Tentomon prepared to defend his partner, the Digidestined of Knowledge gave a stunned gasp, "Prodigious. Guys, I think things have just got worse. Willis just forwarded an e-mail he received."

"What did it say?" asked Agumon.

"And how is it going to make things worse than what we're already dealing with?" Tai continued.

"Diaboromon," answered Destiny, appearing in a more normal fashion than usual, opening the computer lab door and stepping into the room.

Though less unusual than coming through a portal in midair, it still startled half the group enough that Izzy jumped, Impmon prepared a small fireball to throw, and Tentomon gave a small shout before they identified the girl properly.

"Guess you got an update on this prophecy," Takato remarked after he calmed down from being shocked.

She nodded, "'Past foes in new forms.' He has returned, but not as he once was. He's been busy since his last defeat, playing both sides in order to increase hostility between humanity and digimon so that when unleashes his horror upon both worlds, they can't possibly unite against him in time."

"How many times do we have to beat him?" groaned the Digidestined of Courage. "He returns more often than Myotismon."

"Well, you just proved Willis' theory," Izzy remarked. "The virus just sent him a message about taking out everyone, starting here. He even repeated the comment about counting backwards from ten."

"Ten hours," the prophetess interjected. "Without interference, all of Japan shall be lost by midnight. As he gains more control and power, he shall bring the destruction at a faster rate until the worlds, human and digital, falls."

"The question is," Agumon frowned, "how is Diaboromon planning to do it? The internet is acting alright and no swarm of Kuramon is appearing throughout the city. Other than these Digital Anomaly people, things seem normal."

"Maybe he's working with them," suggested Guilmon. "They're like the old Hypnos, so they have to have dangerous programs too. If I was evil, I'd use that stuff."

"You may choose your moments," Impmon muttered after a moment, "but you can actually have a good idea at times, Pineapple-head. If this Dia-boring-mon guy gets those sci-fi weapons, he can use them against us digimon. And who knows what other 'fun' toy they have at the 'Building of Doom.'"

"They hate digimon," reminded Tentomon. "Why would they work with Diaboromon? He has a history of causing problems for everyone."

Tai suggested, "I suppose he could figure out some way to use their stuff without their knowledge. He once launched a pair of missiles against the U.S. government's will. I'm sure, given time, he could steal some top-secret doomsday devise from the guys in suits."

"So your old enemy, in a different form then before, judging from Destiny's words, could theoretically be using a new enemy, who exists in a form similar to our familiar Hypnos, to enact a plan to destroy both worlds," summarized Elecmon. "Is that not similar to what Destiny has already warned?"

The dark-haired girl nodded, "It is worse than that, though. The basis for their shields and weapons is in his grasp and is being released as we speak. A program, imagined for the possibility of protection, but forged with the power of pure destruction, is freed by Diaboromon to remove all life forms. Unstopped, both worlds will be left barren and silent."

Everyone in the room gave an involuntary shudder at her bleak description. The young twins cringed closer to their partner. The older tamers exchanged a look while Impmon narrowed his eyes.

"A program that destroys everyone… Does that remind you of anything?" asked Takato uneasily.

"It does and I don't like it," growled Impmon.

Guilmon nodded, "Me neither."

"It's called 'Guardian,' but it protects no one," Destiny described. "It was designed as a weapon against digimon, but it has exceeded that. Diaboromon is going to use it against everyone and it won't matter if they're digital or organic."

"It is sounding way too much like the D-reaper," Takato remarked, knowing exactly what that would mean for this world. "Which explains why we're here, isn't it? Because we've faced that kind of destruction before."

"I'm getting a little tired of being in the dark," complained Izzy. "Who or what is a D-reaper?"

"An awful nightmare," Jeri growled, "that I will never let hurt anyone again."

"Or use them like some kind of twisted version of a battery," continued Impmon. The viral rookie, the brown-haired girl, and her partner looked ready to go after the threat themselves. Takato wasn't far behind them, though he was a little less personally angry at the thing. "It was a freaky program that tried to destroy digimon and humans for 'exceeding our boundaries' and was harder to kill than a cockroach."

"It was pink and gooey and scary," Ai added. "But it's gone for good now."

"Well, this Guardian thing is too close for comfort," the purple rookie muttered. "If I see a giant eyeball that talks or find out it has some damsel in distress trapped in a sphere, I give up."

"Though similar in nature, Guardian does not take on all of the traits of the D-reaper," Destiny explained. "And it is guided by the will of Diaboromon. He commands its actions and changes."

Nodding with understanding, Takato asked, "You said he's already unleashed it. What are we looking for?"

"Check the news," she answered. "He is no longer attempting to hide his presence, so the program's effects should become obvious. But you will find further help outside this building."

Izzy responded by pulling up another window on his computer while the rest of the group nearly trampled each other as they headed for the front door. Luckily, the halls were still deserted or else some poor janitor might have been squashed beneath a stampeding dinosaur or kid.

What they found outside caused Tentomon and Agumon a sense of déjà vu and the tamer half of the group to stare in surprise at the strange, but recognizable creature.

"Anyone else seeing a purple Kyubimon?" whispered Takato.

"I see an oddly colored me," Tentomon answered.

"Well, I definitely see another Goggle-head," Impmon grumbled. "That just what we need: another crazy human."

Diaboromon's egg was Willis' attempt to make another partner for him to have fun with. Unfortunately, it became infected and tried to take over the internet. During that event, he called every phone searching for "the Programmer" and mentioned to the digimon he was looking for "the Programmer" and to not interfere. He was looking for Willis and, when he found him, he tried to blow him up. Then, when the virus possessed Kokomon, he kept harassing the kid. On the one hand, it could have been Kokomon's attempt to return to Willis that caused the monster's obsession… or it might have dealt with the fact that Diaboromon wanted to be near Willis. I think, since Diaboromon was supposed to be his partner originally, he has that usual connection that partners feel towards one another. But, because he's been corrupted by a virus, that usual protective instinct has mutated into an instinct to destroy. The only way that he can express himself is to destroy, so he wants to kill Willis personally since he "cares" about him most of all. Kind of twisted, but it makes sense. Viruses (the program, not the digimon type) corrupt and destroy computers and programming, so Diaboromon seeks to corrupt and destroy everything around him.

Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Thanks.