Chapter 11
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..Adventure-verse Real World
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Taichi led the way with Yamato and Sora, the other digidestined were close behind. They made their way quickly towards a large office building. David and Rose walked behind them, David felt very uneasy.
"How much further? Something isn't right..." David said with a stern face, looking around.
"It's right around the corner up there." Taichi said pointing at the corner ahead.
"He's right something is weird." Ken noted also looking around.
They walked a few more buildings down, David was the first to notice. "What time is it?" He asked as he looked up the street, then down.
Ken did as well, "wait. It's just after rush hour what gives?" They had all stopped to look now.
Yamato caught on, "you're right, where's the traffic?"
"I haven't heard or seen a single pedestrian either..." David pointed out.
"Something is wrong, we need to be ready for any-" A lightning bolt of purple energy shot across the road in front of them interrupting Taichi, the door opening wide letting a dark figure fly out, then another and another before the door snapped shut. Two of the figures stabbed two adjacent buildings' glass windows as they flew past. It rained shattered glass across the ground as all three made a wide turn. As they did Ken quickly opened his computer, their partners materializing already ready for a fight they digivolved.
Agumon.
Gabumon.
Palmon.
Piyomon.
Hawkmon.
Armadimon.
Wormmon.
All of them one by one until all of them stood at the ready in champion adult form.
The mystery attackers zeroed in. Stingmon identified them first, "it's three Devidramon!"
Two of them charged and maneuvered to send charges through the air, "Demonic Gale!"
Shockwaves blast the ground as the Digimon covered their partners and their friends. The attacks brushed off as they countered.
"Mega Flame!"
"Fox Fire!"
The first two fired. One barreled to the ground, another stunned broke off attack and landed on a rooftop nearby.
"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon flanked him and sent him flying to the ground, knocked out with the other.
The third was able to get by and fired more charges, "Demonic Gale!"
Stingmon darted and covered David and Rose.
"Thanks, you beautiful beast." David grinned as Stingmon blasted off into the air and finally caught the last one after it was stunned by a, "Blast Laser," and "Prickly Bang Bang!"
"Spiking Finish!" He made contact! The last enemy fell to the ground, all three out cold.
The Digimon took a moment to breath, David loved every moment of course.
"You guys are brilliant, such harmony. You all work together like a well oiled machine." He praised them.
They were used to such. Both Miyako and Mimi blushed, Taichi and Yamato mostly pretended it didn't happen. Ken was the only one to directly acknowledge David.
"We've had a lot of practice in stressful situations." He told them.
David turned serious, "good, you can all keep up then, it's often dangerous around me." He told them.
"We can handle ourselves for sure." Yamato said proudly, the others all agreed.
"We need to get to Koushiro's and get a game plan, find out what's happened since we left. Our families are still here..." Taichi said, trailing off at the end.
"He's right, come on." Sora said, the Digimon began devolving and joining them, the others all followed. Their pace much more urgent this time. The thought echoed, 'what if they went after us?' His stomach turned, he was stressed enough. 'One step at a time.' He told himself.
After a few more blocks of sprinting here and there they reached the office building, they sprinted to the stairs, ignoring the elevator with as many as they had. They all barreled up the staircase, Taichi wasn't really sure why he was running, but he had this awful feeling the moment they walked in the building, he needed to get upstairs.
They continued, reaching Koushiro's floor they all piled out of the stair well. Taichi and Sora were in the front, the others followed.
They slowed their pace as they got closer to his door, Taichi grabbed the handle, it was unlocked.
He turned it and shoved it open, Sora immediately screamed...
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..Tamers-verse
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Gennai and Ryo both felt so confused as they followed this weird hologram, they had no choice.
"We've been walking awhile man, er- uh, computer I mean. Couldn't you tell us what-" Ryo was cut off at the end. Remembering then it didn't acknowledge him. He sighed as it spoke over him.
"Control center ahead." It simply said.
"Yea thanks." Ryo grumbled knowing it wasn't talking to him but in general.
They walked up to a massive door at the end of a hallway, it hissed as steam vented and the door opened a hair, then began to disappear into the wall.
They could see a few panels in the dark room. As the computer hologram crossed the threshold it suddenly disappeared, but his voice began to speak over the comm system as they walked in.
"Initiate fail safe." Both Gennai and Ryo looked to each other with a bad feeling.
The lights dimmed to red, "Battle Mode initiated. Network activate." It said, the doors slammed shut.
"What's going on, computer?!" Gennai said, increasingly worried.
"You asked what can be done to battle Bugendaimon, this station has been initialized and the network activated, once online you will have total control over all active stations in every reality. If opened Bugendaimon can detect the energy the station gives off so, as this station's team you've been sealed inside. You will have contact with every station's team."
"Wait, we're not here for that!" Ryo protested.
"We didn't sign up for this, how do we get back out?" Gennai asked.
"Once the protocol has been initiated there's no stopping it I'm afraid. The instructions you gave were very clear sir." The computer told him.
"I gave you no such instructions." Gennai protested to the air, suddenly a screen turned on. It caught Ryo and Gennai's attention, they turned only to be taken aback.
Gennai, standing in a strange looking garment was in a video playing on the screen.
"That's not me, I never-"
"We are in a perilous position my family, my friends," he spoke, the same voice, the same person. The video panned out to see many others in the same garments, others in other strange garments, they could see a least 8 or 10 different versions. Some totally strange creatures. All with monsters beside them ready for battle.
"You have won the battle, now it's time to end the war. This creature cannot be destroyed, he is trapped but his evil would prevent his total destruction. The balance would prevent it. One day he will return. One day this place will be used again. It must be ready. It must stay ready for always." He said.
"Just as we stayed sealed, self sufficient only leaving through the MGT or or digital gates, they must do the same to protect the facilities location forever, once activated you must never open that door until he's been defeated." The screen turned back off. They felt like the computer was gloating, while it had moved on completely in reality.
"Ok, so-" Ryo started.
"Network online, incomplete." The computer interrupted.
"Ok what the hell was that?" Ryo asked.
"I...I don't know, Azulongmon told me the others were clones of me. That they originally created me and ended up needing more than they thought. Nothing like this. I've never seen him..." he said, trailing off, his eyes distant. In shock. "Why wouldn't they tell me the truth." He said confused.
Ryo tried to comfort him. "They probably had thei-"
Gennai looked up at the screen and cut Ryo off. "Who is in that video? Who do you see when you look at me?" He asked.
Without hesitation the computer replied, "King Atlas, the Greatest Ruler of Atlantis, last son of Poseidon. Age... 2,647,341." Both were in shock, Gennai was unable to speak.
"It survived more than 2 and a half million years..." Ryo couldn't believe it, "this technology, the digital worlds. Earth is just a drop in an ocean..." His eyes distant, astounded, staggered.
"My memory, Azulongmon's, there's no way either of us can retain 2 million years... with the time distortion for so many long years, the Digital World could be over five or ten million..." Gennai shook, "it can't be." He looked sick. "Why would he leave me as a copy with no memory of this?!" Gennai asked. The computer was silent for a few moments.
"Request input, clarify he/him." It said a few moments later.
"Why would King Atlas program me into the Digital World with no memory of him?"
"..." It was silent again.
"..." For awhile.
"Did you break-?" Ryo started, the moment the words exited his mouth a small door hissed, making them jump. An arm extended, a noise rang out as it pointed towards Gennai, it made a strange noise and retracted back into the little door on the wall.
Ryo and Gennai looked at each other worriedly. Neither moved but both were cautious.
"...Confirmed." It said, "not original, digital copy. Damaged memory bank noted as well. Repair tasked."
"Damaged?" Ryo looked at Gennai. "Maybe it wasn't Azulongmon, maybe someone did this to both of you."
"It's possible. There are many more questions now." Gennai was deep in thought as his brow furrowed, "we need to find the others. Let's focus on that right now. Can you help?" He asked looking up to a camera. "Can you also maybe show yourself again too, I feel dumb talking to a camera lens, huh?"
The computer materialized again and spoke, "the network is online, though incomplete, if they are near a facility in any reality available you should be able to reach them by conventional means, the facilities are connected through a multiversal communication system designed by the Atlanteans. It is the reason you must never leave through conventional means, it would instantly alert Bugendaimon in every universe where every connected facility is located."
They immediately looked at each other and scrambled, Ryo pulled a cell phone, Gennai opening a tablet style handheld device.
Ryo dialed. It rang...
Again...
And a third time. He sighed. "I guess-"
"Ryo?! Where the hell have you been? What happened?" The voice was loud enough Gennai could almost make out the words.
"Dude, there's so much to tell you. But this got heavy, fast. Are you near Takato?" While he waited for an answer, he looked to Gennai, "it worked, ask him is there a way to get them to their facility?"
"Computer-" Before Gennai could finish the computer told them.
"We're noticing a possible ally nearby. Would you like to add them to the identity friend/foe system and enable computer interaction?" It asked.
"Holy shit, please yes, just fuckin' say yes dude." Ryo said exasperatingly.
"What? I've got Takato here on speaker, who are you talking to?" Henry said on the phone.
"Hold on man, a lot going on..." Ryo said.
Gennai laughed a little at Ryo, "yes, please computer. Can you do what he asked?"
"Registration completed, confirmed, initiated device signal sequence." Ryo's digivice lit up, he felt the energy and pulled it out, the light lit up the whole area.
"Hey what did you do?" The phone questioned, Takato this time.
"Are your's lit up too?" Ryo asked into the phone, his eyes distracted, watching the light shine.
"What's going on Ryo? Is this-" Henry tried asking. The computer spoke over his voice, Ryo couldn't hear the phone.
"Signals synced, gps activated."
"I don't have time to explain," Ryo looked at the computer. "What do they need to do?"
"Their devices should have the facility's gate location marked, once the network is online the only way to get in a facility without a device is from the physical world through a digital gate." It stated.
"Did you-" Ryo started.
"Yea I heard it and I see it, just give me something, what's happening, what about Ruki?" Henry asked.
"No sign yet, but she's not the most important thing right now, the dimensions are all in danger. Just get to that location in the digital world, there's a-lot to say man." He told his friend, his phone beeped as he hung up. He looked over, "Gennai, any luck?"
"I've messaged everyone, but nothing yet." He said solemnly.
Ryo ran his hand over his face, the stress apparent. Both were worried, both had so many questions, Ryo's mind raced. They needed some answers, but they needed to find everyone too. What was next...
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The teenager's breathing was heavy, his legs ached, his lungs burned, but he knew he was too close to stop.
As he finally grew near his destination he could hear strange noises, like a whooshing noise, but distorted and mangled, fading in and out.
He followed the noise, bringing him out of the brush, between a few more trees, there, he could see the crash site. He slowed his pace some.
He could see a groove in the dirt hundreds of meters long, the blue thing had made contact. It had stopped leaned against a massive tree it left a massive imprint on.
He stopped, looking around cautiously he pulled his phone out, his sister shared her location too, she was almost there.
'Should I wait...' He thought to himself, blatantly ignoring his own question he crept forward, foot by foot, until he was only a few meters from the Blue Box.
'Police Box? Why would a police box come from space? That doesn't make an-'
The door swung open, the boy jumped back and fell over, screaming when he did.
"Ahhhh!" He landed on his butt, he looked back up to see a man standing in the doorway.
"Dipper!" He heard his sister yell out for him.
"H-h-here, Mabel!" He stammered out, backing up some on trying to get some distance and stand up.
"Oh hello, sorry to drop in like this! I'm the Doctor, and these are my friends!" He walked out with an entourage behind him as they piled out.
The boy's sister had made it to his side and was helping him up as the entourage walked out.
"This is River Song and the Digidestined... I uh, hmm, I just realized I still haven't learned all their names." He laughed sheepishly. "I'll let them introduce themselves but right now, we're from another dimension on a mission to save the multiverse, has anything usual happened here? Also where is here?" He asked.
"Cool!" The pair both said in unison. The Doctor smiled, 'just my style.' He thought.
"I'm Dipper and this is my twin sister Mabel! And this is Gravity Falls! There's always weird things happening in Gravity Falls! Well...except this summer." He said grumbling.
"Yea you guys are the most entertaining thing all summer, and some of the cutest!" She gushed over the doctor's dashing good looks.
"Quit." He told her in a hushed voice. "But she's right, this summer has been unusually usual." He told them.
"So no door's to other dimensions? No evil Digimon? No apocalyptic cults?" The Doctor asked.
"Wait there's cults now too?" Daisuke asked
"You never know." The Doctor said confidently.
"I mean...fair enough..." he shook it off.
"What the heck is a Digimon?" Mabel asked.
"It's a digital monster from the Digital World." Hikari told her.
"The digital what?" She asked still just as confused.
"No nothing like that has happened, nothing has happened at all. But that in itself is sort of strange though, ever since I came to Gravity Falls there was always weird things happening, mysteries, all sorts of things. But nothing this year." Dipper told them, moving past the other questions.
"Hmm, mysteriously good luck, eh? I'm sold, let's try to find a lead and unleash the weird!" The Doctor said.
"I like him!" Mabel grinned as Dipper rolled his eyes.
"By the way, I'm Hikari, that's Takeru, then there's Joe, Michael, Daisuke, and Ruki. Over there is Catherine, Miyuki, her older brother Professor Haru, Kaito and his sister Mui. Lastly Takuma and Saki. We all also have Digimon but they're in the digital world recuperating, I'm sure you'll meet them sooner or later." She told them.
"Nice to meet you all!" Mabel said happily, Dipper just nodded awkwardly. His social skills still weren't exactly up to par. Especially when his mind was racing with questions. And he was never bubbly, he left that to Mabel.
Suddenly the all the digivices lit up, they could feel the energy pulsing. Daisuke and Ruki first, then Hikari, Takeru, Joe, one by one. They stood in a circle as the light collected in the sky and shot off to the south. They all looked at each other, blip, all the devices made a noise, blip, Daisuke looked down.
"It's showing," he turned left and right with it, "yea it showing us where that light went, there's a dot on the screen and it's in that direction and it follows no matter what way I turn it points in the direction it shot off in." He said pointing south with it.
"Well, no time to waste." The Doctor said. "Would you care to join us? Hopefully we can unleash the weird." He told them looking at Dipper and Mabel.
They looked at each other and smiled, they knew the answer. "Let's go!" They said in unison.
They all took off in the direction of the blip.
"I've been meaning to ask, what are those devices? And why do you pull them out when you battle with your partners? Are they connected?" Haru asked of no one in particular as they walked through the forest.
Takeru answered, "yea, they're our digivices, they were our first contact with the digital world, they're definitely connected. They're our connection with the digital world, they're the way we open the gate, and they're our direct connection to our partners, it's how they digivolve, it's even got an identifier on it. Does that mean you don't have them? How does that work?" He asked, at the end looking at Daisuke both making a face about it.
"No we don't, we share a unique bond with our partners, when we need their power our bond gives them the strength to unlock their power." Miyuki told them.
"That... sounds cooler." Daisuke said brooding.
Takuma retorted, "I don't know, I think it's awesome you have a physical device to enhance that connection that has become useful for more than just evolving."
"I think they both serve a purpose." The older Professor Haru said. The conversation died down, the Doctor and River walked behind.
"You haven't changed much, expect behind those eyes." River said.
"Oh?" He asked smiling, "I like to think I'm a little taller this time." She rolled her eyes.
"I missed this. The last time I saw you was-" he shook his head.
"Let's worry about now, not then." She nodded quietly.
As they walked through the forest it had grown quiet over the last few minutes. The noise from the trees and animals compounded.
The blip continued getting closer, Daisuke and Dipper were in the lead, Ruki, Haru, and Miyuki following.
"I think..." Dipper started, he looked at the device and back up. "Yea we're headed straight for the shack."
"There's nothing past it." Mabel adding.
"Where is it taking us?" He wondered. They continued on, the Mystery Shack could finally be seen in the distance.
As they grew close the blip began to center on the screen.
"It's leading us to this shack, what is it?" Daisuke asked.
"It looks like a dusty old tourist attraction." Ruki said.
"Hey, I'm old but I'm not dusty!" A voice spoke from the shadows.
"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said. Stan and Stanford walked out of the shadows.
Stanford took one look and Dipper and immediately asked, "What's going on?"
"There's a lot." They proceeded to briefly explain what all had happen in the past hour as they continued to the shack.
"And it's led us here." He stood on the porch, he looked back as he opened the door. They all followed.
They centered in the study. They were directly on it.
"It should be here." Takeru said, Daisuke started looking around. Ford and Dipper looked at each other.
"It's not here, follow us." Stanford walked to the gift shop, then to the vending machine, he push A, B, 1, C, then when he pressed 3 it hissed and opened revealing a secret room.
"I love secret rooms!" The Doctor said as they all walked down to the Underground Laboratory.
As they grew near a light lit up the entire room ahead and the stairs they descended even.
Ford pushed the askew door fully open, the huge screen was on and lit up. As everyone poured out into the lab they all could see the screen lit up white.
"I didn't leave that computer on." Ford said, "did you?" He asked looking at Dipper, who simply shook his head.
Daisuke kept walking to it, he looked at his digivice. He knew what it was, it had to to.
"It's a digital gate." He looked back at the others.
"What?" Joe asked.
"It's reacting just the same, I'm telling you, it's a digital gate." Daisuke told them.
"What do we do?" Takeru asked, they all looked around.
"We go, what else?" Ruki said, annoyed almost, like it was a dumb question.
"I like her." The Doctor said grinning, "she's spicy!" He laughed.
Daisuke agreed, he liked her too, 'was she right, was it all meant to end?Or were they meant to meet?' He sighed and shoved that question to the back. 'Focus, people are counting on you.'
"I guess, are we ready?" Daisuke asked, "if anyone's not sure, stay here. I don't know-"
"We know, we know, let's speed it up goggles 2." His eyes narrowed at Ruki who just grinned.
They both suddenly held up their digivices while their gaze stayed connected, everyone stood close behind them as the gate opened. They finally each looked forward, neither wanting to really back down.
The light radiated, within seconds the entire room was emptied...
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..Adventure-verse
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Taichi pushed the screaming Sora back behind him, "whoa, whoa, whoa!" His hands up in protest.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Where's Koushiro Izumi. He was the only smart one." A man demanded, pointing a gun straight at Taichi.
"Calm down, put it down and we will talk." Taichi said, ducking covering his face some with his arms.
"No! Don't tell me to calm down! She's gone, he can get her back we've got to hurry!"
The Doctor's hearts hurt, he knew what happened and stepped up, between the man and Taichi.
"Who was she?" He asked softly standing straight up looking down the barrel without fear.
The man kept pointing the gun, but thought for a second if he wanted to answer.
"My daughter. She's all I have left now. Her mother died a couple years ago..." he trailed off, before suddenly getting aggressive again.
"That's why I need Koushiro Izumi! He's the one the news said was responsible for researching. Now where is he?!" The man demanded.
"We don't know, we just got here, what's her name? ...hey," he got the man's attention and made eye contact, the man was in shock. Distraught. "What is her name. And what's yours?" He finally made the man see him. The man sighed, "her name's Renee... and my name is Alex..." he said, he closed his eyes and put the gun down finally.
"The door just opened, I was right there, inches away. And I couldn't get her, she was gone in an instant." The tears were building.
"Listen, Alex, we'll help you find her. But she wouldn't want this would she? You don't want her to come home and see you like this would you?" The Doctor was right in front of him, unafraid of the weapon or the man.
"She knows you care for her, we are experts at this sort of thing, I promise, Alex, I promise I'll find her." The Doctor reassured him. He grabbed the gun and hugged the man as he passed the weapon off, Taichi grabbed it carefully.
The man cried. The doctor continued hugging him. "Do you have family to stay with?" He asked, the man reluctantly nodded. "Then I want you to go stay with them, leave Renee to me, I promise I'll find her for you." The Doctor assured him. The man finally agreed and left the office.
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To be continued...