JapaNews 24 2:30 PM

"We interrupt this program with the news that there has been a very ominous red sky over Japan. The skies have been blackened by large quantities of smoke being seen over Tokyo." The anchorman's voice crackled through the speakers in an apparent attempt to make the news more exciting. "The cause of these dark clouds is unknown at present, but it is believed that they are an attack made against the nation. There has also been a strange event here in the city today. We have Lena Kamamoto here in Shibuya reporting on it."

A woman in her 30s appeared on the screen, holding her hand out for the microphone as she spoke. "I am standing outside on the main street where Shibuya Station used to be. And the sky is truly red like blood, not just from the pollution. But it seems like it came from above the buildings," she gestured upward.

"There is nothing visible in the sky to suggest that something like this is happening," continued the anchorwoman, who was now trying to sound more upbeat. "There are no signs of danger in the air. However, police have been called for in the area. All citizens should stay indoors while they investigate.''

In the next part, they filmed the man with a dog and told them about the situation.

"I was walking with my dog down the main streets when I heard Akemi barking," he said. "And then this thing happened, when I looked up the sky seemed darker than before. At first, I thought maybe it was fire pollution, but it wasn't. The red sky was enveloped by thick, red clouds as a huge red cloud had fallen right onto Shibuya. There is no sun. The sky was completely red, and all around me was chaos. The people were screaming and running around, calling for help, but they couldn't seem to get any. No one could see what was happening in the red sky. I saw people diving under their desks and behind trashcans to hide from whatever was happening."

*Back to Lena*

"It is terrifying to think that this might be an attack. The red sky is such a stark contrast from everything else we've seen today," Lena said into the mic. Her face was a bit pale but still managed to show some excitement. "We're going to keep our eyes peeled. If you see anything suspicious, please call us immediately, or if you feel threatened, please evacuate as fast as possible. If anyone can tell me what is going on in that red sky, please do. Thank you."

*At Blade and Whistler's vacation home*

Disappointed, Whistler shook his head slightly and turned off the TV. The television reporter's report hadn't been much better. It sounded like it had been fabricated to scare the people away from the place; they had only heard what she wanted them to hear because it was obvious that she had been ordered to make sure it sounded authentic.

"Ugh, I can't believe they did that!" said Whistler angrily as he flopped back into the chair. He rubbed his hands across his face and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and stare moodily at the floor. Blade got off the chair and walked to the window. He stared out silently, listening to the sounds outside. As much as he hated what was happening to the world, he still felt somewhat responsible for bringing it to this point, but he didn't know how to fix it. His plans had always relied heavily on the element of surprise. In this case, though, it didn't seem like that plan was going to work out. He needed to make sure that it wouldn't go too wrong again. This time, it would be different. It had to be. He needed to make sure of it. He hoped that somehow, somewhere, someway… he'd figure out how this whole mess started…

"What do you think was happening, Blade? Why does the sky look so odd?" asked Whistler suddenly. Blade shrugged his shoulders as he replied. "Who knows?" He walked over to Whistler, leaned against the wall opposite him, and crossed his arms. "But whatever it was, it probably wasn't good."

Whistler sighed, "Yeah, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that the sky is fucking red now. I mean, the vampires will be able to move around the broad daylight! Hell, they could even hunt during the day!" He exasperatedly threw his hands up in the air. "I want those bastards gone!" He fell silent after that, staring at his feet.

Blade remained quiet as well, his eyes focused on Whistler. He knew exactly why Whistler had been so upset. He could feel it in the air. They both knew that this whole thing would be extremely dangerous if things went as planned. It was bad enough that they already had a target on their backs, but if they screwed this up… Well, there was no telling what the consequences would be.

Blade took a deep breath, "So, we need to come up with a way to distract whoever it is. Or better yet, someone we can control…"He trailed off, thinking. After a few seconds of silence, his eyes narrowed slightly and he glanced over at Whistler. "How about you try to contact your friends?" he suggested.

"With whom?" asked Whistler.

"Tai and the other kids. Maybe if we can get everyone together, we can try to reason with Angelus." Blade looked away as he spoke. "Tai, especially, would be the best to start with, since he's the oldest, most experienced fighter we have, along with his friends."

"What if they can say no?" asked Whistler.

"They won't." Blade frowned. "Besides, it won't hurt to try. Tai is a very brave kid, which makes him even harder to convince. And you know they have Digimon."

Whistler nodded his agreement. "Okay, I'm going to call Tai right now."

*At Kamiya Residence*

"So, Izzy, anything's going on outside?" he asked through his smartphone as soon as he got Izzy and Whistler on the line. He sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote. "Any news about the red sky?"

"Yes, but I'm not entirely sure where the red sky comes from. I found some old files online saying that the red sky is formed apocalyptic. That's what the red cloud covering the sun is doing, I guess. Anyway, I don't know how it works." Izzy paused for a moment, clearly concerned. "But if you want to know more about the sky, I think that maybe I can find out who caused this."

"You mean, Angelus is the one who's behind this whole thing?" asked Whistler. Izzy gave a short nod, "Yes, definitely. I have a terrible feeling about what's he up to. I really wish I'd gotten more information from him before all this shit hit the fan."

"Whistler, are the vampires able to walk around in broad daylight?" asked Tai.

"Well, yeah, apparently so. You know how they can't stand sunlight, right? They must have created this shroud to shield themselves from the sun," explained Whistler. "Then they must have developed this special kind of technology. Something that allows them to use the power of the sun to protect themselves from light and heat. That's what I'm guessing anyways. So, if they're able to move through the daylight, then I doubt that it would make much difference whether they could see the sun."

"The Shroud... So that's why they built this machine. Because they knew that it would give them protection from sunlight," concluded Tai, sounding thoughtful. "We need to destroy this somehow."

"Yeah, I agree. How do we do that, though? What do we do to take care of that?" asked Whistler. He paused, considering the question carefully, "Do we want to expose the vampires in Japan?"

"No, we can't let that happen," replied Tai. "If the people learn that the vampires were hiding here all along, then the world will be in danger!"

"Then we better get moving, before they decide to do something terrible," said Whistler.

"Right, let's meet back here in an hour. I'll get Kari and the others together to come up with a plan. Until then, just be careful." said Tai.

"Got it." With that, the phone line went dead.

*Meanwhile*

Angelus waited at the lab patiently while the three vampires in lab coats worked on the computers, studying the data they gathered thus far. He listened intently as they discussed their results and theories about the red sky. He was interested; they weren't wrong in any way, at least, not when he considered the situation. The world was getting darker every second, with the red skies constantly shifting in color; sometimes bright red, like the sky itself, almost blinding. Everything in the entire world was changing.

Soon, the old scientist in the vamp face came out of the lab room. "All done," he told Angelus, carrying a potion filled with black liquid in each hand. "I made this to help you regain your health. It'll replenish your energy significantly if you drink it."

Angelus grabbed the knife from the table and cut his own hand to bleed, "This better be work."

He took the potion from the scientist's hands and drained it slowly, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat. When he drank all the potion, his hand stopped bleeding and healed rapidly. He clenched and unclenched his hand a couple of times to test its strength. Satisfied, he smiled evilly at the scientist. "This stuff is amazing. And I like the taste of black cherry."

"This mixture of blood and demon blood can regenerate broken bones and repair torn muscles," replied the scientist. Additionally, it helps heal wounds and burns."

"I bet it does," chuckled Angelus. "And I bet this stuff will really help me keep my strength up. Thanks for your hard work."

The scientist grinned widely. "My pleasure, Master Angelus. I will pack up your potions as soon as possible."