Epilogue
Eight months later...
Icy blue eyes suddenly flashed open, a shaky breath escaped her mouth in the dark silence of her bedroom. She glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table. It read 04:13. She groaned and slowly sat up from her bed. Something stirred to her right on the bed. Peeking out of the bedsheet were two golden innocent orbs, filled with worry.
"Are you okay, mommy?" The voice squeaked concernly. She faintly smiled and craddled her child in her arms. The child was a small furry creature with two big pointy ears, little limbs and a long fluffy tail. Her red fur covered much of her body expect her white tipped tail. The hybrid Viximon purred lightly into her mother's strong but caring arms.
"I am fine, my child, mommy just had a nightmare." Renamon explained in a motherly tone, planting a soft kiss on Viximon's forehead. "You can go back to sleep, sweety."
"Are you afraid, mom?" Her daughter asked in a rather serious tone, looking up to Renamon with worrying eyes, "I heard you whimpering and sobbing during your sleep."
Renamon remained quiet, stunned by Viximon's question. She thought of a simpler way to explain her mental condition. She didn't want to show weakness in front of her daughter however she didn't also want to lie to her. After some thought, she took in a deep breath and sighed.
"I'm not afraid, I'm... a little bit sad." Viximon stared at her in confusion, tilting her head to the side like Guilmon would when he was younger. "When your father and I were soldiers.. I, we saw things that caused sadness... then they become nightmares. I'm sad but I'm never afraid." Renamon clarified with a confident smile, "Nothing can make me and your father afraid."
"Yeah! You're very strong digimon like the superheroes on TV!" Viximon agreed with a wide grin, admiring her parents since she came to this world. "B-but it's okay to be sad. Even strong digimon can be sad, right?" The small digimon stated naively.
Renamon giggled and patted the top of her head, "Father told you that, huh? I guess he's right on that; even strong digimon can be sad."
Viximon let out an adorable yawn, almost making Renamon squeal inwardly. The child's eyes were fluttering, struggling to stay awake as fatigue quickly consumed her. The vixen lied back down on the bed and rolled to the side, letting her child cuddle closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. Renamon gave Viximon a motherly smile before she shut her eyes close, catching up on some sleep.
And this time, her nightmares were gone for the reminder of early morning, instead her mind and heart were at peace and relaxed thanks to a certain red furball.
The lights were off in the conference room, only the images from the projector provided a dim source of light. The Minister Of Defense, Tarō Kanō, tore his eyes off the document in his hands and looked at the screen to his left, where the head of Hypnos, Mitsuo Yamaki, and the commander of the Special Forces Group, Colonel Kazufumi Ryuzaki, stood beside the screen about to present their project. Attending the meeting with him were four other governmental personels. Sitting to his right was ambassador Kōji Sugawara and ambassador Reiko Shirayuri of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the opposite side of the conference table was Hideyo Komakado, head of the Public Security Intelligence Agency.
"With the fundings given to us by NATO and with the Prime Minister's approuval, we've created a new tier one Special Operations Forces unit." Ryuzaki stated calmly, "We've received a hundred twenty candidates – all volunteers – and they all went through four weeks of intensive physical and mental tests before they passed an additional week on Digimon-related tests. They then went through six weeks of formation in Digimon combat and civilian relations, trained by other tier one units from across the world. Only twenty have passed." He pressed a button from the projector's remote control, moving the next slide on the screen , showcasing the faces of the newly formed unit. "These are the best of the best that we could summon. They all had pass military experiences. Most were former SAT or SFG operators with some from the First Airborne Brigade."
"And what about that Marcus Damon fellow?" Komakado interrupted with a laid back tone. "He isn't Japanese and he isn't a former soldier of the JSDF."
"Indeed, Sergeant Marcus Damon is the only foreigner in the unit so far." The colonel confirmed as a matter of fact, "He is however half-Japanese and has plenty of military experience. He served two years in the United States Army, five years in the French Foreign Legion and four years as a Blackwater operator."
"Blackwater? You've accepted a foreign mercenary into the unit?" Shirayuri asked incredulously, "Does the Prime Minister know about this? Or the National Diet?"
"No and I wasn't too keen on accepting him into the group however Yamaki seemed to be convinced." Ryuzaki explained, motioning Yamaki to speak up.
"Uh, yes. At first glance, he may not look promising other than killing everything on sight, however he does have some extensive knowledge on Digimon, making him an important asset. The fact that he is the only foreigner to have applied in the program is a sign that he could immensely benefit us and the unit."
"Well if the kid managed to pass the tests, what's the point of wasting a promising talent?" Komakado claimed with a shrug, seeming to be on board with this.
"If we are looking for the best of the best and he shows it, I guess there aren't any problems." Sugawara agreed, much to Shirayuri's doubt.
"What about you, Kanō-san?" She asked hopefully to get him on her side.
"You've been awfully quiet there, sir." Komakado remarked with his hands behind his head casually.
The minister of Defense thought for moment and sighed before he expressed his opinion. "To be honest, I'm having some doubts that this unit would be enough to guarantee the security of our citizens and potentially our world." He said sceptically, "What's exactly their mission?"
"Well this unit is specialised in digital warfare. This means they will able to conduct deep reconnaissance, hostage rescue, infiltration and exfiltration, surveillance, raids and parachute operations among others in the Digital World." Ryuzaki informed straightly, "We want to put an emphasis on adaptability and speed. They are our first crisis responders, a task force able to deploy behind enemy lines under short notice and in small groups."
"They are la crème de la crème of the JSDF, possibly the best unit in the SOF community." Yamaki added. "With their experiences and training from other SOF units, they can accomplish any mission at any time and anywhere."
"That does sound great," Shirayuri admitted respectfully, "However this unit doesn't have any field testings." She remarked.
"I understand your doubt of their capabilities, but they will be put to the test when they will be deployed with the Second Digital Expeditionary Forces in three weeks." Ryuzaki informed them with confidence in the unit.
"And what's the unit's name?" Sugawara asked curiously, feeling a bit left out with all the military talks.
"Officially, it is called the Digimon Advanced Tactical Squad, DATS for short," Yamaki replied straightly, "However we just started to call it the "Data Squad" and that nickname stuck with them."
"Heh, it's a fitting name." Komakado admitted with a playful smirk. "Sounds like a rip off of the "Avengers"."
"Do you plan on having more recruits for this unit?" Ryuzaki nodded to Kanō in response.
"This time, with the accords of NATO, we'll be accepting more operators from other forces around the world."
"Then I say we let them face their baptism by fire, if they succeed, then you have my full support on this project." The minister finally conceded, having more faith in DATS's success rate.
A loading bar appeared in the middle of the video call, the caller was uploading a large amount of gigabytes' worth of data. The person at the receiving end silently stared at the files in confusion.
"What the hell are you sending, Harrison?" The person demanded sternly, his face completely overshadowed by the lack of a light source.
"Intel, Matt." Harrison replied flatly.
"On what?"
"The upcoming apocalypse. Collected by some of our troops on the field during the campaign." He explained straightly while checking on the upload's progress bar. "It is called Project Purging by the Imperium and it somehow involves the Royal Knights, the World Tree and Yggdrasil."
"And it is now that you're sending us this intel?!" The higher ranking individual asked in disbelief and anger.
"Trust me, Matt, it wasn't easy to pry it off the Japanese intelligence agency and Hypnos, they knew about this ahead of us."
"And what do you expect us to do with this?" The man asked with interest and intriguement.
"A solution, a counter-measure to assure our species' survival." Harrison answered stoically.
"The Japs have the necessary counter-measures if they know about this. They will probably tell the whole world when they deem necessary. The war is over, stability and peace have been established between the Digital World and our-"
"There won't be "our world" if we do not prepare ourselves against this." Harrison interrupted agitatedly, "This is something that could destroy both worlds. This isn't something we could solve with nukes, diplomacy or boots on the ground. The gate is about to close and if we do nothing then we'll abandon thousands of soldiers beyond that gate."
"What did you say about the gate?"
"The gate is about to close on itself, shutting the link between the two worlds. Hypnos have estimated that it'll be in a couple of years, maybe in five to eight years." The head of the Delta Region Division explained with urgency, "The gate is consuming an enormous amount of data, more than we could give. The Juggernaut is slowly getting weaker, exposing our world to more digimon and that could lead to our destruction, the complete annihilation of Humanity. We'll have a wide gap in our wall."
"Okay... so what happens when the gate suddenly closes?"
"If the gate closes, we have no access to the Digital World but they do, we'll be exposed and open to the enemy."
"But who is this enemy you speak of, Harrison?"
"It is a theory that I've picked up from Hypnos but apparently the Royal Knights are behind this...well more specifically Yggdrasil. This deity is planning to "reboot" the whole world, killing everything but one percent of the Digital population and they will try to merge our world with theirs; creating a new world order."
The upload bar was complete, all remaining files have been transferred to the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"We'll see what we can do about this... if what you say is true, Harrison."
"If the Japs believe this, if our troops believe this; I think it's a good reason to take this matter seriously." Harrison stated with a frown.
"The U.N will hear about this sooner or later. Goodbye, Harrison and thank you for this... sensible information."
The video call ended abruptly, two emblems were displayed side-by-side: the emblem of the DRD and the seal of the CIA.
"Let's hope we can avoid the end of the world..." Akita Harrison murmured dreadfully.
Like any day in Tokyo, the city was bustling with life. Numbering in the millions, the inhabitants of Tokyo go on with their daily lives and activities like a well-organised and disciplined ant colony. A well working machine of life. The crowd of people and rivers of cars looked like blood cells in veins from above. However the populous metropolis still bears the scars of the battle of 2017. Some chunks of wards and districts were still under reconstruction or in military control like Ginza District or the artificial island of Odaiba.
Two women happily chatted while they made their way into a shopping mall. They took the automated stairwell to access to the upper-levels of the mall. Strolling around to pass the time, they pass by many varied stores, observing some of the goods and products before walking along.
Passing a library, one of the women, a petite brunette glanced at the books displayed at the storefront. She looked away then abruptly halted in her tracks, stared back at a perculiar book with wide eyes and pratically glued her face at the window in pure shock.
"EH?!" Her friend heard her cry out, startling her in her stride.
"What are you doing, Shino-san?" Mari asked concernly, walking up to her side.
Shino pointed at a displayed book and spewed out incoherent words in utter shock, her face was completely red.
"h-h-h-h-o-ow?" She finally said through her stutter.
Mari directed her eyes towards the book and gasped immediately. She covered her mouth, stifling a soft giggle while her cheeks blushed light pink.
The book Shino was pointing at was a biography written by a soldier whom fought in the Digital World. Intilted "Peace, War and Love: a soldier's journey." , the cover image was a photograph of her kissing a familiar Marine. She could tell that the photograph was taken during their departure and from the inside on an APC. This revelation struck her to the core and a mixture of anger and embarrassment boiled inside her.
"Hayato..." She hissed furiously, fuming with rage, "I'm so going to kill him when I-"
Her murderous rant was interrupted when another pair of women, much younger than them, tentatively walked up to the two off duty soldiers and hesitantly addressed to Shino.
"Um... excuse me, ma'am, but aren't you Shino Kuribayashi from this book?" One of them asked nervously while holding out a copy of the book in her hand.
The petite brunette's right eye twitched while Mari chuckled behind her, staring in amusement at the on-going scene.
"Er... yes, that's me." Shino finally answered in embarrassment. What came next will surprise her to no end.
"Can I have your autograph?" The younger woman begged with admiration in her eyes.
"eh?"
"Please?" The two of them begged with puppy eyes, "Your story is so awesome and sweet!" One of them said. "Yeah, and your relationship with that Marine is so cute and romantic!" The other added.
Shino had to physically shake her head for her brain to work properly. Awkwardly, she decided to sign the book. Her two "fans" squealed happily and asked her and Mari for a group photo. Hesitantly, they both agreed and joined them for the group selfie. Once the two fangirls bid farewell, Shino and Mari stared at each other and laughed. This has been a weird day for them.
It was already late afternoon when Shino reached her apartment. She dropped her keys on the kitchen counter and head straight for her couch in the living room. She ungracefully fell on the soft furniture, releasing a tired sigh on impact. She grabbed hold on one of her pillows and rested her head on it, swaying her feet in the air lazily.
She felt her phone buzzing in her shorts' pocket. She pulled it out and read her notifications. Her face beamed with a wide smile when a certain and special someone texted her with good news.
"Hey sweetheart, I'm in Okinawa now. I'll be in Tokyo next week. Can't wait to see you :)"
She typed in her reply and sent it: "Can't wait either! I miss you soooo much! Love you!"
"Love you too~!"
She hugged her pillow, sighing in happiness. Months of phone and video calls was getting unbearable for her; she needed him physically with her to fill in the void in her heart. Just thinking about him with her in bed made her smile grew wider... and her cheeks flushing brighter. Her phone buzzed again.
"Did you know we were in the cover image of a book? It is quite popular too..."
She stared at the message with a deadpan look for a full minute.
"I'm so going to kill you, Hayato!"
Author's Note: Enfin the first story of the series is over. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you enjoyed the story. I will begin writing the sequel aswell as the prequel though I do not know for sure when they'll be up, hopefully in a few months, depends with the ongoings of my life ( bachelor's degree and stuff). So to fill in some of those gaps, I've already prepared some short stories and I may rewrite or tweak some of the chapters in this story. A review is really appreciated, it could help me improve my writing. Also I want to say un très GRAND MERCI to those that favourited/followed my story, really, it makes me happy, you're awesome gals and guys! :D
That's all I have to say so... à la prochaine!