Sorry for delays. Hope it was worth the wait. Introducing...
Chapter 4
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..Adventures-Verse
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We join Yamato, Sora, Mimi, & Taichi standing out on the covered balcony at Koushiro's office, discussing amongst themselves already...
"...yea I've already texted my boss and taken a few days off, I also told my father we're going..." Yamato said.
"Did you tell him we might no-" Sora started.
"That's not necessary." He cut her off, she just frowned. "Joe had to go tell someone in person but said he was going to be back here ready tonight."
"So we're all in agreement?" Taichi asked the others.
Mimi chirped, "of course, we're not afraid of a little "never get home" action again, are we?" She looked at Sora with her happy grin.
"Definitely!" Sora held a thumbs up trying to smile, "let's do this!"
..
Inside was a bit of a different story in the lounge, a door away from the balcony. Takeru, Hikari, Miyako, and Iori.
"...of course I care about him, he's my friend too! But we could be stuck forever trying to get home!" Miyako said heatedly, "it's not like I'm saying no, I just...think we shouldn't rush in, not until we're sure it's working. Or we at least can get a signal from Daisuke's D3..."
"We don't even know if that will work, but if he can bring the equipment we just open the door to come back from that side." Hikari said.
"That is very optimistic though, if there are infinite possibilities then there are endless odds on guessing the right one..." Iori said trying to neutralize the two.
"I didn't think of it like that..." Hikari trailed off sadly. "...we can't leave him though either."
"I know. We won't leave him, but we can't help if we're trapped endlessly searching for them..." Iori said putting a hand on Hikari's shoulder, she looked at him and nodded. He stood up and walked out of the room to the back with Ken, and Koushiro.
"We will figure something out, they'll be fine." Takeru assured her.
..
Back in the office the mood was tense. Both were silent, clicking away, the force increasing with every keystroke. Ken's brow was sweaty and furrowed. Koushiro was similarly deep in thought and clicks.
"Damn!" Ken said frustrated, angry.
"You'll do no good losing your-"
"I know! Don't push it..."
"I know you're worried, but you make mistakes that way."
"I just don't understand, I've got the data right, I've got the program right, it's loaded to the D3 it should've at least tried to do something..." He sighed.
"Maybe we should take a bre-"
"Daisuke wouldn't stop..." Ken said not looking away from his screen, "not for anything."
"Perhaps, but he also would not want you to hurt yourself for him, not resting is the same thing."
After a few seconds of silence both turned to look at Iori the eavesdropper, "my grandfather said you will accomplish nothing when you're frustrated except making more work. The world isn't going anywhere, take a break, relax and breathe. Then you'll figure it out." Iori finished.
Ken stared for a moment, "Iori, you're right, I should..." He thought for a moment, "wait, what did you say?"
"I said you need to rest." Iori said sternly as Ken turned back to his screen.
"No shut up, you're right but the other thing. The world isn't going anywhere..." He trailed off.
The bulb clicked in Koushiro, "wait, Ken, that's it!"
"Exactly!" Ken smiled.
Iori watching curiously, "what do you mean?"
"We've been writing this code like the Digital Gate coding, that's occupying another space, a networked space not actually part of earth. We've been trying to open a door to other dimensions the same way, trying to use the source code from when Bugendaimon sent them away. Nothing has worked so far."
"But you're absolutely right the world isn't going anywhere, we're trying to occupy the same exact space but on a different plane of existence. We're not going sideways, not forward or backwards, we're in the same exact place just a different version, faded to a different dimension, all merged together!" Ken stated excitedly.
"All things aside, this is prize winning work you're doing here. Seriously if this works you're going to be world renowned Ken." Koushiro said.
"Couldn't it be dangerous?" Iori deflated the balloon pretty early. They both looked at him, then each other.
Ken sighed, "if the government gets involved."
"Or if the power fell into the wrong hands..." Koushiro started.
"Like a dimension shifting digimon running loose?" Iori reminded them.
"..."
"..."
"I think I can try again, run this new code I'm sending." Ken said, turning to look at him after the last keystroke.
"...ok it's coming through. I'm uploading it to the gate software... ok, rebooting... I'm loading the program now, here goes nothing... it's charging. I'm going to activate the gate when it's fully charged, if it works Ken send the drone out." Koushiro anxiously said watching the screen.
"Everyone is also worried about ending up in the wrong dimension not able to even help Daisuke." Iori said also watching their screens with wide eyes.
"That's why we're sending drones out, I'm hoping as long as the door is open we can manage to get a D3 signal. Maybe even video and audio. Albeit probably delayed if at all. These features I've been testing in the digital world with this device, I hope it works in another dimension." Ken said.
All three stared as it began to peak a strange purple streak of what looked like electricity cracked in the middle of the air, then again and yet again, the three looked at each other. Koushiro grabbed his computer and stepped back from the anomaly.
"We should probably step back in case," the purple electricity cracked loud and explosively, sending them three flying back against the wall with a few thuds.
..
Hearing the commotion, the three inside stood up, the four outside heard something faint and stopped talking, rushing in when they saw the others jump up. "Something's wrong." Taichi stood up and moved inside, the others followed.
"Iori!" Miyako said frantically, she was first to get to the hall back into the office, she then looked over inside the office, Ken! Koushiro!" They all followed inside the office, all tending to the battered and bloodied boys on the floor, Iori missed the wall and was thrown down the hall to the desk, the worst looking wounds.
"Call 119 now!" Takeru shouted, passing Miyako holding Iori. He checked Ken and Koushiro as Sora Mimi Taichi and Yamato shook their shock off, "what should we do?!" Sora asked Miyako
"I need towels, his heads bleeding bad! Hurry! Miyako said frantically.
While they checked the others and found supplies no one noticed Hikari, stopped, staring into a giant puddle in the middle of the room, it looked like a mirror, perfectly smooth surface, like liquid, but abstract shaped edges. A purple tint on what you see. But an endless infinity effect, she stared endlessly, suddenly 100's of her face were in the infinity effect, some looked the same some differing wildly.. She couldn't look away, her eyes glowed.
As tensions were high waiting on emergency help Taichi looked up from Koushiro to his sister, his face dropped, "Hikari?!" Her whole body was beginning to glow.
Takeru immediately concerned for her moved to grab her only to be thrown back into Yamato and Mimi.
"Stop!" The voice spoke with Hikari's voice, no... it was another voice, it spoke beside hers. It filled the room with a warmth, but it's aura was daunting.
"Who are you? What do you want with our friend?" Sora said cautiously.
"I am neither friend nor foe, I am everything I am nothing. I am time everlasting. The balance of existence has shifted. There must be light to burn away the dark, there must also be dark to extinguish the light. The darkness has tipped the scales in its favor. All dimensions must answer to time, you must restore the balance." The dual voices chilled the chosen to their cores.
"How can we trust you, you've already hurt our friends?"
"Opening the door caused the shockwave. Collateral damage, what choice do you have, existence itself is in danger, will you not rise up?" The voice stated.
"Our friends are not collateral-" The figure made a face, motioned a hand to the wounded and restored all three, almost instantly.
"Now I ask you again, chosen, will you rise to the challenge?" The figure stood a foreboding aura still emanating.
They all looked to each other. They all knew the answer.
"We'll always be there for our friends. If the world is at stake, we're gonna win!" Taichi said.
It was unmoved by the emotions, "then you will have to grow, I have interfered enough. You must seek out the endless mind among the Heroes when you step through the door, or you'll be doomed to always step through a new door. Hurry, time grows short..." the glow intensified as Hikari gasped and fell faint to the floor, Takeru had inched back close enough to jump to her aid.
"Hikari!" Sora covered her mouth worried.
Joe had joined the chosen during the commotion and immediately took point checking on Hikari.
"I think she'll be fine, her vitals are all ok, I think she just needs rest." Joe said.
"It doesn't seem like we really have time on our side," Yamato pointed out, "I think we should split up."
"No we can't just split up." Takeru said sternly.
"I know, but you heard it, we can't afford to wait. We need to move!" Ken argued.
Taichi moved between them, "I don't see much choice, Hikari is in no condition to go, Takeru, Joe, Koushiro. You guys stay, you're our backup plan and protection for Hikari. The rest of us are going, before that door closes."
"No one's ready to go, our partners aren't here, what happens to looking for a signal or or preparing or or-?!" Miyako stammered before Yamato calmly interrupted...
"You're never ready for this, but the world is at stake it's right, what choice do we have? ..." Yamato backed up Taichi.
"Koushiro is staying to hopefully figure out how to stabilize this door and origin, I'm going to hopefully find us a way back. Now, are they ready?" Ken asked, Koushiro only nodded, and turned his computer. Agumon, Gabumon, Palmon, Piyomon, Wormmon, Hawkmon, and Amadimon materialized ready to go, having been listening in from Koushiro's private network.
Taichi, Yamato, Mimi, Sora, Ken, Miyako, and Iori stood with their partners staring into the liquid mirror of infinity for what felt like hours before Taichi finally grabbed his bag and stepped through followed closely by Agumon, then the others.
Koushiro and Takeru stared into the abyss for for a few minutes until the liquid mirrored disappeared.
"We've got a lot of work to do..." Koushiro stood and walked to the office, Joe had moved Hikari to a couch, Takeru watched, frustrated. 'Be care brother.' He thought.
..
..???verse
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Big Ben chimes in the background loudly as we zero in on a construction zone. An explosion boomed as a delighted voice just cackled and said in a British accent, "hahahah ohhh come on, you've gotta do better than that!" Another explosion boomed as glass mirror shards fired through the air. Everywhere the creature looked there were mirrors, a figure in a brown trench coat smiled.
An awful looking creature angrily fired a weapon in his direction a few more times, "Quit hiding! You little pests!! Double Impact!" His pistols fired...
As shots fired the British voice yelled, "Oi! What kind of aim is that and don't you ever run out of ammo?" The creature sneered and shot again, more broken glass. Suddenly an odd noise filled the creatures ears and it stopped. It heard the noise of a mirror shifting behind him and twisted around immediately charging, shattering the target. It growled, but immediately it's face changed when it spotted a figure behind the mirror, he had fallen in the trap.
"Now!" The trenchcoat figure yelled to the silhouetted long haired figure, she moved and flipped a switch, a purple haze ignited around her, purple sparks of lightning shot out as it grew into a purple pool of energy, it began pulling the creature in.
It growled, "nooooo, I won't go back! Heartbreak sh-" It was absorbed and the silhouetted figure flipped the switch back before the creature could finish.
"Hah! We got another, piece of cake!" A female British voice chimed in a very egotistical tone.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, we still don't understand why it keeps happening or where it's coming from, all I did was find the door to throw them back in..." The trench coat wielding man said moving towards the other.
The silhouetted figure stepped from the shadows finally, revealing a beautiful blond head of hair and sweet hazel eyes. "Yea yea yea, you never want to acknowledge a job well done." She mocked.
"No that's not, I'm not saying that wasn't great." He backpedaled.
"Don't get fussy!" She giggled, poking fun as she grabbed his arm and they started grabbing equipment.
"But these creatures are showing up more and m-" The trench coat man was interrupted by a beeping in his pocket, "oh come on!" He complained, pulling a strange looking device out, sucking his teeth looking at the screen he said, "there's another opening! Let's go!" They ran off towards a concrete giant crumbling Roman style column oddly sitting in the middle of a clearing inside the new construction building. Both figures ran towards it, one looking back momentarily, before both jogged past the column and disappeared instantly.
Inside a metal corridor the two figures appeared to just walk in out of thin air, not skipping a beat the man runs over to a console on the wall and begins typing and hitting levers and triggers. "It's in Japan." The man said, shifting a lever causing the entire corridor to shake, back outside the concrete column began to vanish with a very odd noise.
In the same moment the girl smiled, "oh! I haven't been to Japan yet!" She squealed.
He smirked and rolled his eyes, "you have way too much fun in danger times sometimes."
She just grinned, "you wouldn't love me any other way would you darling?" He just shook his head smiling as they faded into nothing.
..
.. Elsewhere in Survive-verse
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In a large empty looking warehouse building we spot Ruki standing with Miyuki and the professor. Daisuke, Vmon, Gabumon, and Takuma were close by in a room behind them. The building looks old, unused for awhile, but a perfect out of the way spot.
"You're not going to figure it out in a few days. Don't get upset, the song doesn't have to sound perfect. It's only meant to help hone the feeling of opening the gates, eventually you'll feel the power flowing inside, you'll understand how to direct it." Miyuki said calmly.
"That's easy for you to say., I've never done any of this!" Ruki said agitated at her light tone, there was so much riding on this. She worked better under pressure.
"Just focus on how the words make you feel. Trust me. Let's start again." Miyuki told her. "Take a deep breath. And begin."
Ruki took in a deep breath...
Countless stars that shine so bright…
Sparkling with ancient heat and light…
May this world where friends are found…
'Hah! I finally got that all perfect!'
With ghostly voices now resound.
Let these bonds be refashioned…
Purple energy cracked, she jumped but Miyuki reassured her, "keep focus."
Never to break apart again…
Take my body, together we'll be…
Let your light shine down on me…*
As she came to an end a pool of purple liquid had sparked to life, they all stared into it.
It flickered...
It sparked..
"That's not the digital-" it suddenly fizzled out of space, "... world." Ruki said never turning to Miyuki or her brother. Both looked at each other.
"No it wasn't, your power is different..." Miyuki said.
"..." The professor stayed quiet. His sister knew he was deep in thought. 'If the monster lost track of them maybe-'
"Come on, we'll try more later, we will need an expert next time we open that door so let's find wisemon." Miyuki said changing tone to a very easy going voice. Ruki quietly nodded and began to walk towards where the others were at.
Miyuki and the professor walked slower, "did you feel that?" Miyuki asked her brother Haru.
"I felt a crushing ominous presence if that's what you mean." He said as they both stared back for a few moments silent before turning and following Ruki one behind the other.
..
"Where is Mui?" Takuma was asking Kaito as Daisuke and Vmon walked in a familiar room with many monitors.
"She went to see Saki this morning..." He replied trailing off. Takuma didn't press, instead acknowledged the new entrants.
"Good morning Daisuke, Vmon, did you eat already?" Takuma asked brightly.
"Good morning. We did, Aoi was waiting with a full course breakfast." He laughed sheepishly as Vmon let out a loud belch. They all laughed a little, it seemed like it was needed, Daisuke wasn't sure why. "Where is Ruki and the others?" He asked.
"They were off training before dawn this morning." Kaito told him. "Ruki insisted the minute she woke up... She seems intense." Kaito said without much care, Takuma was wide eyed, giving Kaito a jab in his side for it.
"That's an inside thought, we've discussed these. I'm sorry about him." Takuma laughed sheepishly.
"Hah I really just met her but she is intense." Daisuke joked laughing.
"Excuse me?" A voice shot from behind him, he immediately was now the wide eyed one.
"No-uh- we were talking- I mean, not about anyone in particular or anything." Daisuke stammered turning around.
Ruki gave a sneer as she walked in, "you're off the hook Daisuke, you're not the first to think I'm intense." She walked past him to the others, Miyuki and the professor walking in after.
Daisuke spoke quietly as she passed, "I didn't mean it like that..." She heard him but didn't look back.
"We've been practicing a song that helped their ancestors learn to open the door to the digital world. I finally got it all right and managed to open a door..." Ruki told them bluntly.
"What do you mean?" Daisuke questioned.
Before Miyuki could speak up a voice emanated from what appeared to be a book in her hands, "maybe I can help." It opened and lit up as a shrouded figure appeared.
"Wisemon. I thought this might get your attention." Miyuki said. "We've had his book for a few years but he's never showed himself before."
"I am the one and only Wisemon, I do not come and go as you would please... I come because the realms are all in danger." It spoke gravely from its astral-like project above the open book.
"We feel it too..." Gabumon said with the other digimon nodding in agreement.
"There is infinite realities, infinite decisions, infinite possibilities, infinite opportunities to go wrong... I cannot tell you the future as it's not written in stone, but if I tell you of the past maybe you can avoid this future I see..." They all looked at each other.
..
..???-verse
..
As traffic honked past in a busy road, an alleyway a spark was heard. Inside the alley another spark, purple flashed, an explosion with no noise, a pool appeared, purple mirror-like liquid. Brown spikes hair flew out, followed by an orange figure. As they landed with an, "oof." And "owwwie." Another 12 figures popped out one after another. "Ahhhh!" He jumped out of the way as the orange figure was tackled. They all began to grumble about their pains as the weird purple mirror door shut.
"Owwie." Miyako rubbed her butt.
"Ge oof ma faith!" Someone said from underneath her, she jumped up turning red as Yamato crawled up.
Taichi helped Sora and Mimi as Ken and Iori recovered. Their digimon all grumbled too.
"I'll take a trip through the digital gate any day over that!" Palmon griped.
"Ken, where are we at?" Wormmon asked.
Ken rubbed his head and dropped his backpack off his shoulder, "I don't know, it looks like Odaiba still." He pulled out a tablet and opened an app, a few clicks later. I have an internet connection. Wherever we are it's compatible still."
"Well if we're in a different reality we need to find out and we need a base. Should we try to open Koushiro's network here? We can't just walk around with our digimon right?" Taichi asked taking point.
"We have to be cautious." Iori said, checking the other digimon for injuries.
"We don't know anything about where we're at if it really is another reality there could be another us..." Mimi said.
"I think Taichi's right, first we should try the network." Yamato had regained composure, "then we can freely walk around to assess where we're really at."
"Ok." Ken nodded. He began pulling up the data.
Before he could finish they heard a loud crash. Then screams. Taichi and Yamato looked at each other momentarily before bolting towards the noises without a second thought.
"Wait! You literally-... They're gone..." Sora rolled her eyes. "I guess we're going." The others packed up and jumped into action behind them following them towards the screams and crashes.
..
"Trump sword!" Another crash as concrete fell to the ground.
"That voice" Taichi's gut wrenched as he got closer.
"No." Yamato knew, they turned the corner and saw the familiar face.
In unison, "Piedmon!" It turned back to face them with its name being called.
"Oh a human knows me, I'm honored, I'll let you die quickly for that! Haha! Trump sword!" The Piedmon aimed for the boys, their digimon leapt into action.
Agumon and Gabumon both warp digivolved and deflected the four swords to Piedmon's dismay. He frowned and rushed in for an attack as the others rounded the corner, all shocked at the sight.
"Terra Force!" Wargreymon fired back.
"Garuru Tomahawk!" Metalgarurumon added. They waited for the smoke to clear only to be greeted with another, "Trump sword!" As they fired from the smoke. Both barely escaping the hits.
"Watch out!" Taichi yelled.
"What are you kids doing! Get out of there!" An odd voice yelled at them. Yamato turned to see a blond woman.
"What? No we've got this, you need to run!" Yamato told her.
A man in a trench coat walked up behind her and said, "we don't need to run, you need to run, we've got this." He said confused at the children's reluctance to quit. "This is dangerous. There's monsters everywhere we've got to open the door to send them all back, you need to get out of here first!" He yelled at them.
"What's with this guy?" Sora asked.
Ken tried to reason, "they aren't monsters, well, they are but they're digimon. Some are our friends you can't send them away!"
"We need to open the door." Piedmon fired another shot towards the blond and the man as Wargreymon stopped it.
"Terra force!"
"Thanks." The man said, "fine, get them out of here though, we will take care of the rest."
"I've got the network," Ken opened the tablet hit an app and the screen lit up, Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon devolved as they we all absorbed by the light, the digidestined all ran back out of the way, the man aimed a strange tool and fired, nothing came out but a strange noise was heard then behind Piedmon a purple haze ignited again, engulfing the digimon quickly, "what? What is this? Let me go! Trump sw-" it disappeared and they were left with silence...
The man sighed, "see they're not all a piece of cake Rose."
"Who are you guys?..." The blond and the man turned to see the 7 digidestined staring at them.
"And how did you open that door?" Ken asked.
"Oh my, how rude of us, I'm Rose Tyler and this is David. And we run Heroes for Hire!" The blond girl chirped happily. The man in the trench reached in his pocket and pulled out... a pair of 3d glasses? Taichi and Yamato looked at each other.
"None of you are from this reality either..." The man said.
The blonde took over, "what he meant to say is he's really smart and you look confused but know about these monsters, maybe we can help each other?"
The digidestined looked to each other.
How will they find their friends? Will they get back home?
Find out next time...
