Digimon: Symbiosis (Remastered)

by Dragon Champion Zero

Everything changed the night the sky lit up. Now, with everything in two worlds laying on the line, they'll have to join together to survive and overcome - in the most literal sense possible.

24. Chapter 24: Moments Before The Moment

I hope you all have a good rest of the year. Enjoy the holiday season and find time to spend with the people you cherish.

---

Chapter 24 - Moments Before The Moment Of Truth

—

The tension was thick in the air. All of them could sense it…and all of them knew where it was coming from.

"They're trying not to show it, but it's pretty obvious." Datacarnomon was leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "They're nervous as hell. Putting on a brave face, but you can see it and hear it whenever you're around."

"Not even a brave face for some of them, Sky looks like he's gonna keel over half the time," signed Breezedramon. "I promise I'm trying to keep his spirits up! But not much is really helping."

Shockavimon nodded in commiseration. "Iris is the same way, pretty much, at least when no one else is around. Around others she's giving her best impression of being at ease, but otherwise, I can see how stressed out she is."

"Derek's olfactory emanations are considerably altered dependent on his emotional status," added Blackcanismon. "And I've furthermore developed enough experience with our compatriots' scents to delineate similar modifications. Without exception, they express comparable deviations from normality. Facades of stability are impotent to withstand the almighty strength of the subconscious."

"…That's about what I expected to hear. But can you blame them?" Salmandmon shook his head. "Imagine how we all felt when we were coming over here. Even considering all our experience in challenging situations, we had our own struggles. We barely knew what we were doing, just had a vague idea, and even that pretty muddy plan blew up instantly. There was a lot for us to get used to, and even to this point we've only really scratched the surface of this world, just enough to get by and do what we have to do. Imagine that in them, except they don't have any more experience than what we've…imposed on them. And considering how hard that's been, I can only imagine they're having trouble not thinking about the worst possible outcomes. And that's before you get into what could possibly happen over here while they're gone."

"Is there anything we can do about that?" asked Shockavimon. "I really want to help them…they're so determined to get through this, but I worry it's going to grind them into nothing."

"…I don't think anything we could do would ever get them totally at ease. It's far too much to ask for them to be perfectly confident and collected under this kind of challenge. But…what we can do is show our support to them. And not just our own partners…all of them. Me talking to Reyn will only go so far, because even though we're in this together, in some ways it still feels like we're alone. But with you guys, you'll be someone else no matter who you are. And I think knowing that he's not going to be alone, he's going to have others helping out and they'll have a common goal, that's probably going to do more than anything else. I can't speak as well for the others, because I haven't spent as much time around them as you all have, but I'd have to think it'd be helpful for them as well."

"I think you're right…as much as Ike tries to act like he's the 'odd one out' of the group, I can tell he wants to have those connections," said Datacarnomon. "He'd benefit from hearing from the rest of us, I'm sure of it."

"His situation is markedly comparable to Derek's, I would venture," agreed Blackcanismon.

"I'll be happy to help!" exclaimed Breezedramon. "Getting others' moods up is my ballawantisantiwick!"

"I don't think was presented as something optional, bud," Shockavimon said with an eye roll. "But yeah, I think it's a good idea. It may not be much, but the more they feel like we're all at their back, regardless of who we connect most with, maybe the less pressure they'll feel with everything."

Salmandmon nodded. "Right. And it's a good opportunity now, since other people are actively working on defense. Even if it's been quiet, we've always had to be alert before because we were the only ones handling things...now that that's changing, it gives us a little more freedom to do stuff like this. But that might not last once we get over there, so let's make sure we take the chance now."

—

Slowly the orb of fire grew between Reyn's hands. He kept it there, holding it stable for a good minute, before suddenly pushing his hands forward, letting it fly out in front of him. It impacted the wall with a loud whooshing sound, the flames spreading out and dissipating rapidly. Reyn stood there, staring for a moment, then shaking his head and starting again. And again…and again…

"Whoo!" The boy jumped a bit as he heard the whoop of Breezedramon coming in from overhead. "Dang, you're getting good at that already! Wanna clash against my Wind Sphere, see who's stronger?"

"…I'm gonna pass on that, I promised them I'd practice responsibly." Reyn rubbed his head. "You really think that's good? I dunno…it doesn't seem that strong to me."

"Sal says fire's one of those things that's a lot better against living stuff than most other things. Like, you're not gonna be able to tell against rocks and stuff! But I guess you can't practice against that, it'd create a confalamangeranameration!"

"…Uh, yeah, most likely." Reyn sat himself on the ground, sighing a bit; Breezedramon soon settled in by him. "I just wish I knew what I was really capable of…I'm guessing I won't really get much chance to 'practice' before things get dangerous over there. And that's got me nervous…I mean, I'm already gonna be super out of my element, not knowing if I can defend myself is just another thing that's going to bother me."

Breezedramon cocked his head. "Whaddaya mean, out of your element? You're not gonna stop being fiery just because you go to our world! I mean, I didn't stop being windy!"

That got a chuckle out of Reyn. "Not what I meant, bud. I mean it's just…going to be really unfamiliar to me, not just the fact that it's a world I don't know but more just…you know, I don't do stuff like this. If I go anywhere, it's with family. If I do stuff, it's always with adults around. I don't…go off on my own like this. I've never really felt the urge to, even as I know some people who wish they could make their parents disappear for a while at their whim. I'm…not really sure I'm ready for something like this. It's so much, so quickly…and even if it's something I know we have to do…well, it's overwhelming."

Breezedramon bowed his head, quiet for a moment. "…I think I undimenterandistrand what you mean. I kinda went through the same thing."

"You did?"

"Yeah. When I left my home…well, it wasn't…entirely because I wanted to, or because I felt ready to. And when I first got out there…it was scary, you know? I didn't know what I was doing, where I was going, what I might run into. Honestly…I didn't know a lot about even my own world. The idea that I was just, well, flinging myself into it…it was terrierinafilifaraying."

"Terrifying?"

Breezedramon put his hands on his head, closing his eyes. "Yeah. Ter-ri-fy-ing. Bleah. Anyway, yeah, that's what it was. And I was scared for a long time, because I wasn't really ready for anything, you know? I was just winging it, so to speak! And it didn't really always go great, and I was really lucky I met Data out there, because he just is this huge bank of inflamorfarinamanteration…erm. In-for-ma-tion that I was missing. Except I had to get it in small amounts because there was just SO MUCH that it was overlamwhalamelaninig. Argh. O-ver-whelm-ing."

"You okay, there?"

"Yeah. Just…practicing my own stuff."

"…Breezedramon? Why do you have…trouble with words like that?"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

"I'm just…curious. It seems like you always know what you want to say…but when a longer word comes out, it, uh…kinda gets mangled. And I was always just…curious why you would stick with it, rather than just trying not to use them."

The dragon gave a little shrug. "Well…I mean, I'm not ever gonna get anywhere just doing that! I don't really know why, though…long as I can remember, big words were just…hard. Like, I can speak shorter ones just fine, and some kinda slightly long ones that are easy or familiar I usually can do okay, but the biggest ones? I dunno, it's never like I don't know what I want to say, but I start trying to say it and something goofy happens, unless I take it really slow and break it into little pieces. It's kinda weird, sometimes I even FEEL like I said it normal, though I've done it enough that I can usually hear it when it happens. Sky says I even butcher them in our telempathetertry, so I guess it's not just what BC says that my tongue moves faster than my brain. Course, he said it in a way that would be WAY harder for me to try to say, because he's REALLY good with the big words, crazy good."

"I don't doubt it. But you could use other words, couldn't you?"

Breezedramon shook his head. "I guess, but…if it's not something that'll get us killed if I don't do it, then I can't just spend my life trying to avoid it. Maybe it's purpleamulexitating for people, but I don't wanna just give up on actually saying stuff right just because it's not something easy for me! If I can say it with enough…con-cen-tra-tion, then I should keep trying. Even if I never get it all the way, maybe sometime I'll start getting it right more often. So I just do it! Like I said, if it's not really life or death, then the worst that's gonna happen is that I get confused looks or laughed at."

"…I guess when you face the kind of stuff you face, then getting laughed at doesn't seem like that big a deal, huh?" Reyn let out a quiet laugh. "We've got it good over here, I guess, if that's the worst we have to think about…you know, I never really looked at it that way. Whenever I found something I wasn't good at, I always thought, you know, just stay away from it, find something to do that won't involve that…just focus on what I'm good at and nothing else. I thought that was just the best way to do things…"

"It's not!" insisted Breezedramon. "Something being hard doesn't mean you're not supposed to try to do it! I mean, if everyone only did easy things, nothing useful would ever get done! Yeah, stuff can be compincertipulated, but that just means you really did something when you finished! It makes you feel, uh, that, uh…ach…ach-ieve-ment. Yeah, that!"

Reyn nodded slowly. "Yeah…I guess that's why you handle this kind of thing better than I have been. I avoided really challenging myself, unless I didn't have a choice. You face it head-on, and even though you might struggle with things, you've been able to accomplish so much. I guess the only way I'm ever going to be able to deal with this is to let myself be challenged and actually try to meet it."

"I think you're more worried than you have to be! You're not gonna be alone, we're all gonna be there too! And even though it might sound like it sometimes, it's not ALL fighting and stuff over there! When I finally had to get out there, I realized that people were a lot friendlier than I thought, and a lot of them were willing to help you out, at least a little. And even though you might feel out of place, a lot of them deal with it a lot better than it might seem! Maybe that's true over here, too, there were a lot more people who knew about us and were on our side than we thought…they helped us a little even if we didn't know about it!"

"I guess you would know better about how they are over there than I would. That doesn't mean I can stop practicing my fireballs, though, right?"

"Oh, no way. There's gonna be some jerkasses over there too! But probably a lotta them will hightail it when you give them a fireball to the face!"

"I'm sure I'll have opportunity to test that here and there." Reyn leaned over and pulled Breezedramon into a hug. "Thanks, Breezedramon…I think you've helped me get my mind in a better place. I'm still nervous, but…I guess that's gonna be natural, and I just…need to focus on what I can do to face the challenge, rather than just being afraid of it."

Breezedramon giggled. "Hey, I'm happy I could help! I wanna see us all get things done over there, too…and make it clear that I'm not JUST a goofball."

"Yeah, definitely. You're still a goofball, though."

"Aw…"

Reyn snickered. "But…you're also pretty smart in your own way. And I think it's something we all need just as much as anything else. And not just us humans…I'm sure the other digimon feel the same way."

"I hope so…I wouldn't want to find out I've only been around for comic relief!"

"Definitely not…though that's important, too."

—

"I'm glad you came by, Data…maybe you're the one who can help me sort this all out in my head." Iris was laying on her cot in her temporary room in the BICI, looking plenty frazzled.

"I'd be happy to help any way I can," replied the robot earnestly. "What's on your mind?"

"You can probably guess."

"Yeah, about what I figured. How could the upcoming adventure not be everything you're thinking about? But maybe we can try to narrow it down to something more manageable?"

Iris let out a deep sigh. "I wish I could. Every hour that slips by is another hour less until we go…and I can't help but feel so…intimidated, I guess, by the fact that this is happening and it's closer to happening all the time. And I don't feel any more ready for it, despite knowing that it's something we have to do…even that it's something I WANT to do, because I really want to make sure we don't have another one of those days like a couple days ago."

"I can help you prepare a bit," Datacarnomon offered. "Maybe some tips for what to expect, things you might want to remember, that sort of thing?"

"Mm…maybe. It probably can't hurt…"

"Well…okay, let's see…our world functions differently from yours in, well, a lot of ways. I don't want to overwhelm you with information, but one of us can explain things to you as they become relevant. So don't be afraid that you're not going to understand anything, because you'll have resources. And don't be afraid to ask questions, because no one's going to expect you to know a whole lot, even if you have a better inkling than most humans would. And, let's see…right, here's one, I don't know exactly how every digimon is going to react to humans over there, of course, but there are plenty who are at least prepared for the idea of them…if you're polite to them, they likely won't have any reason to dislike you. Digimon tend to me most aggressive as a response to someone else's aggression, so if you're not being particularly confrontational, they'll usually be more relaxed with you…" Datacarnomon paused, noticing that Iris wasn't responding much to what he was saying. "Not helping much, is it?"

"Sorry…it's not your fault." Iris shook her head a bit. "I mean, what you're saying makes sense, it's just…more reminding me of what's coming than helping me process it, I guess. I…really don't have a lot of experience going anywhere. We haven't taken a lot of vacations as a family, and I certainly haven't gone anywhere on my own before…as if Dad ever would have been able to stomach that idea in the first place, but I've never really wanted to, either. I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with traveling, but I've just…never had that wanderlust. There's always been enough for me to do around Braun, and since I don't really have the means to go anywhere else, I've never really thought about it. And then…suddenly, I'm supposed to go off, kinda-sorta on my own, to a place that's unlike anywhere in my entire world, and for a purpose that puts me deliberately into danger…"

"You won't be on your own, Iris. We'll be around to help."

"I know, but…well, the sense of 'on my own' is more just…without my family. With some, uh, sense of independence. Even thought it'll be in a group, it's still more my own thing than it's ever been in my life…and…well, I don't know if I'm totally ready for it, mentally. Maybe I should be, I know there are people around my age who do things sometimes on their own like this, and I'm sure they handle it just fine…but I'm not them…"

Datacarnomon had gone quiet, his head bowed in contemplation. "…I get what you mean…I think…it's like what I've been through before."

"You?"

"Yeah. I know it's been mentioned that my hometown is a place called Mechalopolis. It's a place that's unlike pretty much anywhere else in Tetraquaz, it's the grand city of machines, where partly or fully mechanical digimon thrive. And it's a very different world from anywhere else on the continent…enough that it's like walking into a completely different world when you go in or out. And…well, for the longest time, I never went out. Why would I? I was home, I was in a place that was tailored to me, I had everything I wanted. Sure, travel could sound nice, but why did I need to? I had plenty to do, there was lots for me in Mechalopolis, leaving for the unknown just didn't matter. If I wanted to talk to someone outside, there were plenty of ways to do that without going anywhere." Datacarnomon gave his own impression of a wistful sigh. "I guess I'm romanticizing it a bit much, though…maybe wishing I could go back to the way it was…"

"The way it was?"

"…Mechalopolis hasn't been as…idyllic for people as it's supposed to be, in recent years. And it's only been getting worse since I left…and I don't doubt that part of that is due to what caused me to leave. I…well, I left voluntarily, but not because I really wanted to…" The robot's voice cracked a bit, and he shook his head. "Sorry, I…I don't want to talk about the details of that right now. I've got too much on my mind to bring that back up…"

"It's okay…you don't have to." Iris sat up and put her arm around Datacarnomon. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"It's fine, it's not your fault. Trust me when I say there's no way for me to forget about this. But…well, I guess I kinda got sidetracked a bit, because that wasn't quite where I wanted to go with that. The point is…when I did leave, I had no idea what I was doing out there. Even though it was still the digital world, it wasn't MY world. And I was…honestly pretty clueless about it. I didn't retain much information about it, because I never thought I needed it…and that had me lost, aimless, wandering without any real purpose or understanding. It was really pretty embarrassing, honestly, how ignorant I was about so many things…it got me into trouble on more than one occasion."

"Huh…it's kind of hard for me to imagine you that way, considering than you always seem to know so much about everything."

"Well, that's because that experience taught me not to take ANY information for granted. I made a point of trying to retain everything I learned from then on, because I didn't want to get caught out like that again. But believe me, it wasn't there to start with, and unlike you, I WAS alone…at least at the start. And thank everything that it didn't stay that way, because I probably wouldn't have made it."

"You found someone to help?"

"More like someone found me. And that someone was Breezy. Basically pulled my tail out of the sinkhole, he did…" Datacarnomon let out a wry chuckle. "They crew back in Mechalopolis would never let me live it down if they heard I had to rely on HIM to figure out how things worked in the world. He's smarter than he looks and acts sometimes, to be sure, but they would never be able to see past the goofball."

"I honestly have a hard time imagining the two of you off on your own…" conceded Iris. "You seem like such…different people."

"We are. But it works out, because…we kind of cover for each other, in our own ways. He's flighty, I'm the more analytical machine. He thinks outside the box, I am the box. He misses things I catch, he catches things I miss. And as much as he can be a challenge sometimes, he's also good at lightening things up, and I've needed that more than a little bit in my life. Especially during those early days after we met…it all seems a lot less daunting when you have a guide next to you. Maybe not a perfect guide, but good enough to get you where you need to go."

"…I guess, maybe, once I'm over there, it'll seem less overwhelming, with people who know what's going on helping me through it." Iris bowed her head. "It's hard to imagine that part of it…even though I know it's true, my mind still doesn't really…get that, I guess."

"Imagination is a funny thing," agreed Datacarnomon. "It's great at inventing things, but sometimes has such bizarre gaps in it. And one of those things is imagining having another mind right next to you in situations that stress you out and make you feel alone. Maybe it's because it's hard to imagine someone who knows things we don't know - because, well, we don't know them, so we can't imagine what they'll tell us to reassure us. But I promise, it gets a lot better once you're there and you don't have to imagine anymore. Once you're there, you don't have to use your imagination as much, because it's just…right in front of you. And the guide is there to tell you all the things you didn't know, or at least enough of them that you don't feel lost."

"I hope that all holds true…I definitely don't want to feel this anxious when I'm actually over there." Iris gave the robot a hug. "Thanks, Datacarnomon…I think that helped a bit…I still feel nervous, but I think I understand it a bit better."

"I'm glad I could help. And believe me, you'll have good support when you're over there, whether I'm there or not. Shockavimon was a fantastic intel agent for the Kaiser, she's incredibly savvy and knows her way around a thing or two. And maybe at some point you'll be able to return the favor to us, too, because we still haven't learned nearly enough about THIS world…crisis mode doesn't offer a lot of opportunities to really get into the good stuff."

"Boy, is THAT ever true. I'm sure there's a ton you'd be interested in, if we ever get the chance to talk about it. So…let's make sure that happens, okay?"

Datacarnomon nodded. "We'll do everything we can to make sure of it."

—

Being a silent observer was something Skylar was used to. Today, he was doing so from somewhat farther away than normal, but the principle was the same. He was watching some 'training' going on - a rather unusual setup, with a somewhat large frame with tarps set up in the middle of the field, and several small barricades and wooden training dummies spaced around it. The barricades were clearly placed with a purpose…but some didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"No, no! Not like that! You're still too in front of it!"

"Listen, we're fanned out, it's not going to be as easy to hit us like you said-"

"Pah, that's next to nothing! If you're right in their range of vision you're a target! I keep telling you, BEHIND them is where you want to get to! You need to divide their focus enough that they can't zero in on all of you at once!" The forceful commands were certainly bizarre coming from Talomon - he sounded too young to be leading anything other than a children's choir group. Skylar couldn't really blame the soldiers around for not jumping on board right away, it must have sounded like taking orders from a kid.

"Listen, lizard, I don't know how you all do things, but this is as much flanking as we're going to be doing here," snapped one of the soldiers. "Breaking rank to try to do all this run-around nonsense isn't going to help anyone. You're supposed to set a position, find cover, and wait for an opening."

Talomon folded his arms and glared at the human defiantly. "Is that what you're 'supposed to do'? Bully for you. That's not what's gonna keep you alive here. You need to stop thinking like it's just any old human you're going up against! Your 'cover' is barely going to be an obstacle to many digimon! And your guns are stupidly narrow, while a lot of them have way wider range, not to mention being MUCH more powerful, and you guys are a LOT squishier! Mobility and separation are what matters here! If you're coming at them from multiple sides, it's harder for them to focus and direct their attacks, and you'll have more openings to fire!"

"But that takes too much time!" protested another soldier. "By the time we get into position, we could've fired several times over!"

"So fire on the run!" Talomon fired back. "But don't sit there waiting for them to throw an attack! Generally you want to try to surround before attacking, but you won't always get that choice. But if you decide not to move, then you're dead! Fights between digimon are usually quick and brutal - moving around is the most important thing, because the more you move, the less chance you have to get hit! And it doesn't always take a lot of hits, even for us sometimes one is all you need to meet your end! You guys are at the disadvantage, one hit'll probably end you a lot more reliably, and those guns of yours are gonna take a lot more to take down most digimon, if they even can."

"Listen, I think you need to realize, quite a few of us have been doing this kind of thing for years," stated a third soldier. "We're trained well enough, we know what we're doing. Some of these creatures are going to be nasty to deal with, but our standard tactics will work well enough on most of them. I mean, look, if you were in the middle there, getting around you wouldn't matter, you're not going to hit us from that far away-"

Suddenly, Talomon's body glowed, and he rapidly evolved to Raptormon. In the next second, he whipped around, sending a duo of Slicer Kicks towards one of the barricades. The dummies next to it were sliced very cleanly in half, while pieces were sheared off the barricade, wood clattering to the ground rather loudly. There was a lot of murmuring and unease from the soldiers, particularly as Raptormon turned back around to glare at them. "That…is both how quickly it can end, and how little you know. You want to live? Don't give yourself a chance to be hit. Assume EVERYONE has a ranged attack until someone confirms it, because a lot of us have sneaky ones."

"What the actual hell…" The soldiers didn't exactly seem at ease, but they were certainly listening more attentively now. It had taken a bit, but it seemed that it was sinking in just how out of the ordinary this was going to be. Skylar couldn't really blame them for not figuring it out immediately, though. It's one thing to be seeing pictures, it's another to see what they're capable of right in front of your eyes. They've trained for years, but they've trained for conventional things…this is about as unconventional as it gets.

"Perchance, is the education of our military compatriots proceeding smoothly?" Skylar blinked and looked down and behind him as Blackcanismon approached. "Offense not intended if it occurs, but I scarcely would have imagined your preference of entertainment to involve combat training exercises."

"It's, uh…it's not, really. But I was kind of hoping that it would give me a little more confidence that I could leave and feel like things were under control here."

"Understandable. Your conclusions?"

Skylar sighed. "We're probably a ways away yet…I'm not even sure we're at the point where they really buy in. I mean, I guess it's not all bad…Strikedramon and Leomon seem to be getting people on board, Commandramon seems like he knows exactly how to talk to them, and Shadowdramon is actually surprisingly capable as a leader when he's not being a petulant brat. But Gharialmon and Surfimon aren't getting much luck with the water tactics stuff, and Paledramon and Crestmon…let's just say they're a bit lacking in confidence and that's not making it easy for them to get through. All told, I don't think it was time well spent, because I'm not feeling too great about it."

"I emphatically presume no measure of capability reasonably achievable in such a diminutive temporal scope would have successfully allayed your consternation," Blackcanismon stated gently; as he did, he moved next to Skylar, nudging under the boy's hand and leaning into him. "Nevertheless, you must endeavor to constrain your focus to your own particular circumstances. Dwelling on the homefront whilst mired in the midst of conflagration is decidedly contra-conducive to determined focus."

"…I guess you're right. I only guess, though, because I'm trying to catch up with what you're saying."

"I have boundless confidence in your capabilities, Skylar. Your intellect is highly proficient, and your vocabulary appears to be among the upper echelons of your compatriots, if less extensively utilized compared to myself."

Skylar gave a slight weary smile, slowly stroking Blackcanismon as the canine's head lay in his lap, barely even noticing he was doing it. "Thanks, I guess. I do get it, it just…takes a bit sometimes. Never heard anyone talk like you before…uh, is that going to be a thing I should be ready for over there?"

The canine shook his head gently, so as to not dislodge Skylar's petting hand. "Perish the thought. My cultivated mannerisms are a personal peculiarity."

"Cultivated…so you do that, uh, very deliberately. But…you know, it seems almost like you're more used to that than, uh, well, talking like normal people."

"Undeniably so. The magnitudes of my experience in the course of my existence have witnessed my firm entrenchment in this idiosyncrasy. Deliberately so, indeed. Reversion to the couthness of the laity therefore becomes exceptionally foreign."

Skylar nodded, laying back and looking up at the sky. "I guess I get what you mean. Spend long enough someplace and anything else feels out of place. Guess that goes for worlds, too…but I wasn't ever really imagining I'd ever see another world, so…I dunno. I don't know what to expect…I don't feel like I'm prepared for anything. It feels like when we moved to the city, except…well, several orders of magnitude more daunting."

Blackcanismon was quiet for a moment. "…Your reservations are, I believe, not entirely foreign to myself."

"Hm? I mean…I guess that would make sense, you aren't any more familiar with our world than we are with yours."

"Indubitably, but my observation was couched in a significantly disparate sense from that conceit. You reflected upon being thrust into a context within your terrestria yet decidedly unfamiliar…I myself have endured such an experience. My domicile within Moonlighton was absolute for the majority of my annua…I departed initially only roughly five years preceding the current time, presuming a relatively consistent concert between our planes."

"Huh…so you didn't leave that place for, what, around ten years?"

"Approximately. And while my awareness of the lightened world was considerable, my experience was insubstantial. I required assistance from a deeply-cherished compatriot to adjust to my excursions…even then, returning to familiar territory was always dramatically relieving, and subtly discouraging of further meandering for the following period. To the degree that my deepest discomfort was the day I established myself among the ranking forces of the Knights of Liberty - such a movement required my translocation of my permanent residence within their compound."

"…Guess that was probably pretty rough, huh?"

"It cannot be denied. But I proved capable of adjustment…however, said capability was predicated upon my earlier familiarization. The challenge was decidedly greater in that intervening period…the impression I burdened myself with, almost akin to ambassadorship, distressed me significantly when receptiveness to my presence was lackluster - an experience unfortunately overly commonplace given my elemental alignment."

That got a frown out of Skylar. "That just doesn't sit right with me…I know you said dark digimon have an unfortunate history over there, but they clearly aren't ALL bad. Treating them like they are just because of their element…"

"Your distaste of the phenomenon draws my gratitude, Skylar. Indeed, I lament the prejudice equally emphatically, even with recognition of its origins. However, the likelihood of any substantial resolution of such discord via my personal efforts are infinitesimal. I merely attempt to provide an exemplar in contrast to the stereotype. One lesson, however, that I gleaned from my earlier experiences, is that the impression of discomfort can very well be a mutual phenomenon. Just as your lack of preparation for what will undoubtedly be the majority of your existence within the digital domain unnerves you, so too will your personal uniqueness flummox the denizens of our world. This provides an ingress opportunity to assert yourself and establish a rapport."

"They…won't get me?"

"Assuredly so. While awareness of humanity among ourselves exceeded prior awareness of digimon amongst your multitudes, it remains extremely limited and in many situations largely hypothetical. Markedly few digimon have established a sensibility for reception of your presence. Your capacity to assert yourself, then, may provide an emotional advantage, which can furthermore be compelled to mutual understanding as they are required to process you, and to forestall their immediate judgments from taking hold."

Skylar stared at Blackcanismon for a bit, as the gears turned in his head. "…That's it, isn't it? That way of speaking, that throws them off their game, they don't know how to make sense of you from what they think they know. And you use it to control the flow of conversation…they can't keep up with you, so they need to think about what you're saying, which keeps them from just…saying what snaps right into their heads."

"Precisely! A scintillating deduction!" Blackcanismon declared proudly. "I would effusively deny the slight of 'impenetrability' of my vernacular - the penetration simply requires additional effort. Effort denied to immediate judgments, thoughtless reactions, and the comparable. Such capacities would surely be available to you, perhaps via more uniquely personal mechanisms, but related conceptually."

"I think I get what you mean…I'm not sure what or how to do it, though. I'll have to think about that…but, yeah, I guess anything that can keep people from jumping to negative conclusions about me before I have a chance to even open the dialogue…it's probably going to be more productive thinking about that than watching Raptormon yell at soldiers all day long."

"Infinitely so. Particularly given our scaled turncoat's irascibility." Blackcanismon let out a slight sigh as they watched Raptormon laying into another soldier for trying to break from the tactics he was trying to convey. "I appreciate his willingness to support the benevolent faction, but his approach leaves much to be desired. A convenient demonstration that assertiveness can indeed be performed incorrectly."

Skylar nodded. "Yeah…I think I'm going to find a much less LOUD way of asserting myself, I feel like that will go a lot better."

—

The clacking of the keyboard was the only sound that was coming from the small private office room that Isaac was holed up in. It was the only sound that had been heard in there in a fair bit, apart from the occasional groan or sigh…at least, until Shockavimon stepped inside. "You know, when we said you were becoming a little bit robot, that didn't mean you had to act like one of those mindless ones."

"What are you talking about?" mumbled Isaac, not looking away from the screen.

"The whole 'total silence' thing that's kinda creepy. You seem like you've dived completely into machine mode."

"Oh…well, it's good for concentration."

Shockavimon cocked her head. "Really? Data says he'd go crazy if he had dead silence like that. He's constantly making his own music play in his head whenever he's engaged in something just so that doesn't happen."

"Mmph. Different strokes, I guess…I've never found it easy to focus with music in my ears, though. My mind wants to go to that instead. On that note, talking is also similarly disruptive."

"I know, that wasn't accidental." Shockavimon put a wing on Isaac's leg. "You've been back and forth between this room and the PTM setup spot with barely any in-between. We're getting a bit worried about you, you've barely spoken to anyone unless it's been necessary…even Data says he can barely get anything out of you."

Isaac finally stopped typing and looked down at the avian. "Oh…well, it's…it's nothing bad. I'm just…my mind's occupied."

"With what, if I might ask?"

"…Programs. As much as I can think of, and then try to write up, and then test out." Isaac gave a brief rub over his metal arm. "I feel like there's a ton of potential in me now, but…I've got to do so much to bring it out. And it's tough figuring out what my limitations are, too, I've got a bit of an idea from trying to introspect as Andrexmon but it's…a little harder to tap into that as I am now. I think things are a little more nebulous because I'm not really a digital creature."

Shockavimon knew she wouldn't be able to offer anything on that; it was strange hearing him talk about a sense she could never possess. But she'd heard Data talk about that more times than she could count, so she was somewhat used to that sense of weirdness. "So what have you been trying to write?"

"…Anything I can think of and make happen. Weapons programs, defensive programs, utilities, enhancement programs…the only thing that's innate is that I can make it work like a cannon like Andrexmon, though it's not nearly as powerful. I've been trying to adapt some of the programs that we made for Andrexmon, since they seemed like good starting points…but some of them just don't seem to have any hope of working. The teleport module straight up does not do a thing, I'm not really sure why…uh, let's see, I did get the variable weapons system going, that was basically first priority, and I've been trying to work on the speed booster, shield, recovery program, ability seal…"

"That…sounds like a lot," observed Shockavimon. "How many of those actually work?"

"Uh…the VWS, minor utilities like a laser cutter and lock pick and contact interface, the recovery program kinda works. The rest are…minimally functional. I'm running into resource limitations trying to make them more functional…and it's hard to figure out how to make them better. But I know I can do it, I just…I need to think about it more, work on it more…" The boy rubbed his hand over his eyes. "I'm just…feeling a bit of pressure from time crunch. It's not going to be long before the PTM's functioning enough that we can get over there…"

The stress in Isaac's voice was as obvious as it got to Shockavimon - she'd heard it enough from her own beak. "I'm worried that you're draining yourself beyond what you can handle, Isaac. You seem like you're getting run down, and I know that the PTM stuff is taking plenty out of you already."

"I can deal with it."

"I'm not sure you are. You're acting noticeably different…if you were dealing with it, you'd still be yourself more or less."

Isaac's brow furrowed, and he slumped forward a bit. "I…guess I'm not…totally all right. It's just, I want to get all this done, because once we're over there, I can't just develop this stuff like this…I want to be prepared for anything I could run into over there, that's the best chance I have of getting through it and getting back."

There it was, the real driving force. Shockavimon patted Isaac gently. "Isaac…I understand that feeling. You're going somewhere completely unfamiliar to you, facing a challenge that's beyond anything you've ever faced before, no one could blame you for feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, or even a lot overwhelmed. But…I think you need to take a step back, and remember that it's just not possible to be prepared for absolutely everything. You're stressing yourself out over everything that you want to be able to do overnight and can't make happen that way, but there's so much you don't know about over there, even before you factor in that you're going to be dealing with people, who are notoriously unpredictable even when they're the same kind of person."

"I…I mean, I know that…" Isaac tilted his head back and groaned. "Like…there's too much to be prepared for…absolutely everything, I guess, but I…I dunno, I feel like, what if I'm missing something really obvious? Something that could make my life a lot easier that I'll regret not having…there's so much at stake, and…are you laughing?" He looked down at Shockavimon, who was giggling a bit.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I'm just remembering OUR first trip."

"Your…oh, your trip here, right. I guess there was plenty you weren't prepared for, yeah…I guess I'm a bit curious what you DID prepare for, though."

"That's why I was laughing." Shockavimon shook her head. "Isaac, we didn't prepare for a DAMN THING. We spent most of the few days between our sealing and the transfer just surviving long enough to get back…the most idea we had was Sal convincing us that we needed to go over there and find someone. That was it…that was all we could afford, really, we didn't have time to get supplies or anything else, we just booked it the moment we could."

Isaac was staring at Shockavimon, wide-eyed. "You weren't prepared at ALL?! Jesus hell. How did you think that was going to work out?"

Shockavimon shrugged. "None of us were sure, really. Ill-defined plans to hide away, find out where we were, trying to find some humans who'd listen to us and then help us get in touch with the ones that could do something…the details of any of that were completely going on the fly. I mean, it wasn't exactly how I would have preferred to have done it, but we were at a point where there weren't any luxuries to be had…we didn't have the time to learn more, and the tech just wasn't there to do a whole lot. All we really had to rely on was our own wit and ingenuity, until something else happened that threw a curve into the whole thing. But…that's the thing, isn't it? You can't possibly be prepared for everything that's going to happen, you have to be able to trust yourself that you'll be able to figure things out when you're actually in the midst of things. None of us would have gone over here if we didn't think there was something we could do, even if we didn't know what…even with what extra knowledge we had over others, there were a ton of unknowns for us to face, and we were prepared to face them, even if we weren't actually prepared FOR them."

"…Man…I had no idea. So…it really was just that, huh? Just going and hoping for the best?"

"That's…one way of putting it. There's always going to be some hoping, because you can't just make guarantees happen out of thin air. But it's more than that, it's trust in yourself, in your ability to adapt and to figure out what you need to do even in a challenging situation. And I know you've got plenty of that…you're a smart kid, you've got a lot of knowledge and plenty of ingenuity. And while doing stuff to prepare is good, you should also be trusting that you'll be able to handle what you're not going to be prepared for. And remember that it's not necessarily a jungle over there - not everyone's going to be out to get you. Just like with us over here, there will be friendly folks who can help you…and they'll be able to fill you in on a lot of your unknowns."

Isaac took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right…I guess I kind of forgot that over there, the majority of digimon we see aren't going to be from Emperius. I guess it's tricky to have that perspective when that's most of what we've faced here…"

"Exactly. And they'll help you get ready for what you'll be facing, using means you might not know anything about right now. So don't panic over not having every contingency covered…trust in us, trust in the good people over there, and trust in yourself. Whatever you have going in will be a good bonus, but it's not all you're going to have."

"I guess that's true…" Another sigh, but one that was a lot less weighty than before. "Thanks, Shockavimon…I think I needed that. I guess maybe I got so sucked into what I could do that I convinced myself that I had to do it or I'd be in trouble. But there's a lot that I don't know, not just about what I'll be facing but what I'll have at my back…I shouldn't lock myself into just thinking that I'm stuck with what I have when there's a whole world of things to learn about."

Shockavimon smiled up at Isaac. "That's the spirit! And hey, you can't possibly be any less prepared than we were, right?"

"I dunno, we may have a bit more prep time, but not having years of combat experience is going to be a challenge to overcome. But I guess that's one of those things I'll just have to hope that you guys can help with…or get through my own experience, I guess."

"…I'll settle for WAY less than years, for all of our sakes."

—

"See, the thing about Origin Resonance Theory is that SOMETHING has to explain the overlap between our worlds. It can't just be random - that wouldn't make any sense, random can manifest in so many possible ways that it might as well be infinite. If you're picking from an infinite amount of things, the odds of picking ONE thing that's already been picked is…well, close to impossible, right? And this many things?"

Derek was nodding along; he wasn't sure he was getting everything Salmandmon was saying, but what he was picking up on did sound pretty interesting. "I guess it would make sense that there would have to be something to explain it. Are there any…alternatives to it? What's it really going up against?"

Salmandmon thought for a moment. "Well…at the moment, it's competing against doubt, more or less. People who don't think that there's any way to prove it so why even bother thinking about it. As far as I know, there's not really a, uh, competing idea…at least, not one on a big scale. There's always those who say that it could be explained by someone guiding things along both of the planes, some powerful agency beyond the imagination or nonsense like that."

A hint of a smile appeared on the dark-haired boy's face. "I'm guessing you're not big on gods, then."

"I'll be big on gods when I meet some. So far I've only met my share of god-wannabes. Are humans different?"

"Somewhat. If 'somewhat' means 'billions of people over several major religions.' Some of those biggest and most influential ones have this idea of one all-powerful creator who has his hands in everything. I've never really bought that, myself, but then again, my parents were never religious, either."

"Yeesh." Salmandmon folded his arms. "That sounds scary to me. But that might just because I've seen mostly the worst of what that kind of stuff has to offer. You've heard how Emperius talks…it's almost a religion or cult to them."

"Too many of those over here, too. Is that another thing for this Origin Resonance Theory business?"

"I don't think so…I think that's just part of what happens when it comes to things that are…well, just beliefs. Some people are just going to be very extreme about them. And there might be a few other things that are familiar that won't be because of Origin Resonance Theory, but just part of a pretty natural way of things. But that overlap means that there might be more familiar stuff than you might think."

"I guess that would be helpful." Derek went quiet for a moment. "Hey, Salmandmon…can I ask you about something…that might not be pleasant?"

Salmandmon raised an eye ridge. "Well, you can ask, but with a lead-in like that, you've got me nervous."

"Sorry. But back the day before the army invaded, you mentioned something called the Gradwen Massacre. And I remember Datacarnomon mentioning something about it a while back, too. And…well, it's been on my mind. With the word 'massacre' in it, it certainly can't be anything but a disaster, but if it sticks out that much to you guys…it has to be something important. And I feel like I won't really understand how you react to it as well without knowing what it was."

"Oof…" Salmandmon took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's a heavy one, all right. But it's definitely important, and I'd be…well, not happy to tell you about it, but I'd definitely want to if you're interested. Just be ready, because it's not pretty."

"I'm familiar with not pretty from some of the sins of our own kind," replied Derek. "But I'll keep that in mind."

"Right…so. A little background. Southern Tetraquaz…it's been a mess for a while. The whole part of that continent has been embroiled in conflict for over 20 years. It's not a simple thing, either…it's a melee between seven or eight different factions, some of which have receded and resurged over the course of it. The biggest thing to remember is that the violence isn't everyday everywhere…there are battles taking place almost all the time, but not necessarily full-on war, at least not most of the time. Sometimes you get territory changing hands, which makes things tense in that territory, but a lot of what happens are random ambushes. Part of the reason for that is the Kaiser's peacekeeping forces trying to minimize the damage, and another part is that no faction wants to push too far and risk the other factions allying against them, even if temporarily. But it's definitely not low-stakes, these people all would gladly see all their competitors wiped out…a couple of factions that used to be in the mix are gone, though it doesn't stop because new ones rise up too."

"No one's 100% sure why things all went to hell, but there were definitely some precipitating factors. To start with, Tetraquaz has always been a little…weird, when it comes to governance. The other main continents are different…Primarest, our biggest one, is a loose confederation of countries which have an overcouncil for making broad decisions, but for the most part each one operates on their own. Segnosta has three strong unions that are, at least at the moment, in a pretty tight alliance. Tercertes has been under unified rule for as long as most anyone can remember. But Tetraquaz doesn't have anything like that…the Kaiser is nominally the leader of Tetraquaz and diplomatic relations go through the Kaiser's territory, which lays on the isthmus between Northern and Southern Tetraquaz. But…there really isn't any rulership mandate. He's basically there to resolve disputes and to maintain a peacekeeping force, and there's a bit of money that gets paid towards him for that since everyone wants to be able to at least ask for their support if trouble arises. But he doesn't really rule and doesn't have authority to really force anyone to abide by him. And on top of that…there aren't really any countries or anything. Pretty much all leadership is at the municipal level - any established area of inhabitance has its own leadership, and that's the top authority of it. It's…worked, I guess, but it leaves a lot of space for someone to think they should be able to tell others what to do."

"The other factor that made things ripe for conflict was…well, the previous 'ruler' of Tetraquaz, KingMamemon. I never met him, but I heard he was very lax in even his very limited duties. He had pared down the peacekeeping force and was taking the money to fuel his own lifestyle of largesse and luxury. That meant that there wasn't much really getting in the way of chaos. When the Kaiser came in, he gave the old ruler the boot, and worked to restore the degraded systems, but by then the South had been mired in conflict for a good decade, and it's been impossible to get a proper hold on it."

"Gave him the boot?" asked Derek. "It was a coup?"

Salmandmon chuckled. "Of sorts…it might be better called a 'vote of no confidence.' Power in the Central Territory is usually transferred peacefully, either by a retiring leader or to a designated subordinate should the leader die. If someone tries to actively conquer CT, its forces will fight tooth and nail to protect it…unless, of course, they feel like the leader isn't competent, in which case they won't lift a finger. Kaiserhuanglongmon literally walked in and, reportedly, punted KingMamemon like a ball out the window. Rumor has it there was applause."

"Probably the cleanest coup I could imagine. But people don't have a problem with that?"

"They don't really care much. Like I said, the Kaiser doesn't really have any formal authority over just about anyone, at least outside of CT. He just tries to keep Tetraquaz from falling into total chaos. Unfortunately, that's been easier said than done in the south."

"What happened, near as I could tell, is that some guys started to get the idea that they could organize into a collective authority and…well, challenge CT. Like, they wanted to take charge and actually make people obey their rule, rather than just be a distant authority. They started to recruit and gather folks to their cause, people who wanted to be in power for one reason or another - some of them probably well-meaning, others just wanting to act above the rules, you get all kinds. But they ran into a little problem…not all of them agreed on who should be at the top, or what rules should be in place, or how they should run things. And those squabbles grew hotter and hotter, until there was a mass defection, and then another…and before you know it, you have over a half dozen different 'true leaders of Southern Tetraquaz' lashing out against each other, trying to beat out the others. Each faction has their own plans and ideas, and each one of them has their own checkered history…I wouldn't say there are any straight-up good guys, just 'least-bad' guys. The Kaiser's unofficially trying to support the least bad option of the bunch, but only as a last resort in case it comes down to one of them needing to win to finally put the whole mess to bed. Ideally, they'd rather all of them to go away and make things peaceful again, but the next best-case scenario is that they organize into their own countries and at least behave…but no one seems to want to settle for that."

"So, that's the backdrop…a messy situation, lots of people doing unsavory things, no one with the power to rein them in. And that's how it's stood for most of those years, lots of skirmishes between the factions but it's bubbling rather than boiling. But, about eight years ago, something happens that brings that bubble to a raging boil for a good year, and it starts in a town called Gradwen."

"You remember how I mentioned that a couple of the factions that used to be there are gone now? One of them was known as the Crown Royal. They were a group of neo-monarchs, believing that kings and royals were necessary to help everyone prosper…obviously, they were the ones who intended to fill those roles. They were far from noble despite thinking themselves nobles, they demanded tribute and enriched themselves for the sake of it, and they took a lot of involuntary servants and were doing forced partnering and breeding, trying to isolate the strongest 'royal bloodline'…disgusting stuff. But they screwed up…they attempted to take on the Putzlik, and paid a devastatingly high price for it."

"The Putzlik are another of the factions, and one that's very much still around and still a threat. They're also pretty autocratic in nature, but there's no bloodline stuff going on - they're very much a might-makes-right style, but rather than being showy about it, their approach is to try to control more in secret. They're more or less a military junta but do most of their damage behind the scenes, or using the covers of militia factions that they prop up that claim to be independent but are bankrolled by them. A fair few cities sympathize with them because they say they mostly just root out troublemakers, but it's pretty clear that the definition of 'troublemaker' is pretty much whoever the Putzlik want to go after. They're all about plausible deniability, but, well, those in the know are well aware of what they're trying to do."

"And I'm assuming, based on the way you're telling this, that you're one of the ones 'in the know,'" surmised Derek.

Salmandmon nodded. "I spent a good portion of the first three years of the Kaiser's reign running interference in Southern Tetraquaz. I, uh…I was just intel. And special forces."

Derek caught a hint of something in the way Salmandmon said that. "Just? Those are two pretty distinct groups. What position did you have?"

Salmandmon winced a bit, but there was no escaping it. "…Division commander."

That got an almost barking laugh from Derek. "Wow! And you have the audacity to wonder why they keep voting you leader?"

"Sh-shut up! It wasn't like I was asking for that! I just…I couldn't talk the Kaiser out of it, okay? He's very persuasive! And I kind of owed him big-time! I swear, I'm not really that great of a leader!"

"Sure, uh-huh. You might just have to accept that you are at some point, you know."

"Tch, never. Do you wanna hear the rest of the story or not?"

"Right, right, let's get back to it." Derek was still grinning, which clearly was irking Salmandmon, but he continued nonetheless.

"Anyway…I'd say the Putzlik are among the top three most influential factions. They don't cover quite as much territory as a couple others, but what they do control is pretty hard to push against. Crown Royal, though, got cocky. They made a play for a city in Putzlik Territory…they got thrashed pretty hard for it. Their grand leader escaped the fray in the rout, and made way for Gradwen. Gradwen was under Crown Royal control, and their leadership was pretty thick with the faction leadership, especially because royal titles were said to be in line. So it was considered a good place for them to try to recover after their defeat. And it might have been, if not for what happened next."

"See, the Putzlik militia they faced, they saw an opportunity. They'd just wiped out a good bit of Crown Royal's forces, and they had a faction leader on the run. To them, it was all about the chance to put them down for good. The Putzlik leadership insists that the faction went rogue…I'm not so sure I'd go that far, but I've not seen any indication that the militia was ordered to do what they did, I think it's more likely they were acting of their own volition, but thinking that it would be rewarded by the Putzlik. So the denial is sort of like saying they armed the bomb but didn't press the trigger - you still made it so that the bomb could go off. And that's what it did…the militia approached Gradwen, and gave orders that it was to turn over the Crown Royal leader to them immediately, or face consequences."

"Gradwen's leadership…should have known when to cut their losses. They weren't a military town…sure, they had digimon who could fight, even some high level ones, and they had a numbers advantage, there were about 1500 of them to roughly 250 militia members, though I'd say only roughly 1000 of them were actually battle-capable. But…you can't ever ignore the disparity in training, preparedness, and equipment. The militia had just come off of defeating the Crown Royal's invading force, and they were in better shape, even lacking a numbers advantage. Anyone could see that the only way to avoid a disaster was to comply. But…well, I don't really know what was going on in their heads, but whatever it was, it was high stupidity at its worst. Rather than complying, they ordered an all-out attack by all able-bodied citizens to protect the Crown Royal leader and drive back the Putzlik."

"From analyzing the scene, we know that only around 80 or 90 people actually complied with the order…that's one reason you can never count on the numbers advantage, particularly when you're ambushed. The Putzlik overran them swiftly and brutally…and they didn't stop. They heard the order loud and clear, and figured they would be proactive…they pushed into Gradwen and the bloodbath was on. It didn't matter that most of the digimon were running rather than fighting. It didn't matter that they clearly outclassed everyone there. It didn't matter than they were slaughtering even goddamned kids. Whatever they wanted to do, they did it, and they spared no one that they didn't want to. We found unique identifier signatures of almost a thousand digimon within the city itself…"

"Jesus," Derek muttered shakily. "How awful…"

Salmandmon nodded grimly. "I've spent a long time in combat…for better or worse, I'm desensitized to a lot of the realities of death that I've had to face up to. But thinking about Gradwen always makes my stomach turn. So much loss of life, so senselessly. And it wasn't even over there…a number of digimon weren't killed right away. The Crown Royal leader, the town leadership, and a number of select sympathizers were captured first, along with maybe roughly a hundred or so of the remaining citizens…and one by one, the leaders and sympathizers were executed, right in front of the eyes of the others, as a message to anyone who would oppose the Putzlik. Showing them exactly what they could and should expect. The other citizens were let go, to flee from the town…the last thing they did was raze absolutely everything. Gradwen was left a smoking hole in the ground, less than 300 of its 1500 escaping with their lives. It was a display of brutality and savagery that will never be truly healed."

"The Crown Royal was done for after that - they faded away quietly. But that was the only thing quiet in the aftermath of that…the attack sent the other factions into a panic. They were certain that the Putzlik were making a play to take over everything, and they were next. And suddenly, Southern Tetraquaz was in all-out war. Every faction was going after every other, trying to make sure they weren't the next ones to be caught off-guard. In fact, the Putzlik probably got the worst of it since it was one of their forces that did it…they ended up suffering the largest losses during that time, they might have been the largest faction before that but they took a beating. Other factions made some gains, some also lost…a new faction came in to replace the Crown Royals, and was dispatched almost immediately, and thank goodness because they had some NASTY ideas. It took us over a year to pull them apart again, and bring things back to the point of stability, if not real peace. And worse, it really entrenched the factionalist mindset…really, it should have been a warning about sticking to your guns in the face of obvious disaster, but too many saw it as a sign that they needed to be the ones to win because if they lost, they'd end up with the same fate as Gradwen. But that wasn't even the worst part."

"After all that, there's a WORSE part?" Derek asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Because up in Northern Tetraquaz, someone heard about the Gradwen Massacre. And it affirmed one of his most fervent beliefs - that those who relied on the weak were damned to failure and ignominious death, and that determination to a cause was worthless in the face of power. The weak were unworthy of anything, nothing but a burden weighing down those who mattered…only the strong could make a difference, and therefore only the strong should have any say, and the weak should be prevented from undermining them, by any means necessary. And within days of the massacre, that mon gathered some like-minded individuals and make a declaration…that mon was Craniummon, and he was establishing Emperius, a faction dedicated to securing the proper destiny of the strong, by gathering them up and crushing the unworthy into dust so they would never be a liability to them anymore."

"…That…that was why Emperius was formed?"

"That was the trigger. We'll never know if Craniummon would've done it anyway at some point, but that was the catalyst that made it happen then and there. We know this because there were defectors who would tell us about it, Craniummon regaled the tale to all the recruits. He sold it as something almost romantic - that they were people who had been wronged by those who were weak, who were too pathetic to defend them when they needed it, and now was their chance to take revenge on the world. And particularly in those early days, they were trying HARD to make another Gradwen happen in the North…besieging towns and daring them to defy them. They never got anything quite like that, no one in the North had enough of a death wish to get baited like that…not that Emperius didn't cause their share of death and destruction anyway. Probably the worst of it was Nikia…Emperius wanted numbers and Nikia was a town in flux, they had a leadership void due to a recent death and Emperius stormed in. A lot of mons ran, but there were plenty who were captured, and their peaceful town was reduced to rubble before their eyes, a threat as to what they could do if they were refused. It wasn't as deadly as Gradwen, but it was brutal nonetheless, and the torment the survivors went through was its own level of nightmare…quite a few of them gave into the brainwashing just to escape the pain. We had a LOT of defectors come out of that, though…and a lot of people took that as the last straw. That's when opposition to Emperius became more organized, leading to the Knights of Liberty. And that's when I took an official leave of absence from the Kaiser's forces to join up."

"Man…that's a lot to take in." Derek let out a long sigh. "The Kaiser couldn't do anything about Emperius because of all the stuff still in the south, right? I remember Data saying that."

"Officially, yeah. Unofficially, that's the main reason I joined the KOL. I'm basically the Kaiser's endorsement. And I was already working against Emperius even before that - that's why I was pulled from the South in the first place. While the Kaiser couldn't risk a lot of manpower, I was leading a couple special forces divisions against threats in the North, many of which revolved around Emperius. Even though I'm officially on leave of absence, I'm still doing the Kaiser's work in the KOL. And I brought along a friend...Shockavimon and I met not long after I started doing work in the North. I convinced her to join the Kaiser's forces, she was an intel agent for CT, and then asked her to come to the KOL with me when that came about."

"Huh, so you knew her already…but only her?"

"Yeah, only her, at that time. Breezy and Data joined up pretty soon after, though…they'd been together for a few years by that time, and boy, talk about a strange duo to see walking in together like best buds. BC was the last one to join up, coming in a couple seasons after we'd formed a provisional unit…he was a lot shyer then, not too familiar with the world, but I could tell he had an inner strength to him that we could really use. Though, now, I wonder if part of the reason I saw something in all of them was because of our connections to you guys…"

"That's probably one thing that'll always remain a mystery," conceded Derek.

Salmandmon nodded, sighing. "Yeah, and yet it's STILL probably gonna bug me until the end of time. But yeah, that's the story…Gradwen means a lot to all of us, because it was the start of all of this ghastliness we've had to stand up to, and a reminder that we can't ever abandon our duties to the people of our world, and now this one. Because thinking only of themselves was why Gradwen's leaders sent people to die, and spurred on the deaths of so many more…they abandoned their duties to the people who trusted them, and all of them paid an intolerable price."

"Yeah…that's something I'm going to be thinking about a lot, too." Hearing about it, the whole story was disturbing and unsettling to Derek; yet, it also was helping him get his head in the right place. Fighting fervently to make sure nothing like that happened again, it fueled his determination to stand up against whatever it was that they would face on the other side…nothing about it was too foreign for him to understand and want to stand against. Origin Resonance Theory isn't the only reason things might be familiar, he said…I have a feeling that's the case here. Evil is just something we're all capable of, and we all have to push back against.

—

Early in the morning of May 3rd, just about one month after the flash in the sky that changed everything. Now everything was changing again, at least for the key players. They were crowded in the hallway outside their makeshift PTM room, waiting for the last tests to confirm they were good to go. The mood was subdued - their last goodbyes had been said that morning, with the expectation that they were off on their journey, and that was lingering with them as they waited.

"It doesn't really get any easier, does it?" muttered Iris. "Mom and Dad were both tearing up, and I was barely able to keep from joining them."

"I guess this is when it hit home," agreed Isaac, somewhat tensely. "Even Ashley…I don't think she's ever hugged me as tight as she did. Didn't even snark at me this time, either, and if anyone could do it through this kinda thing…"

"I had to get out before Benny pitched another fit," Skylar groaned. "He's really not taking this well…I don't know when I became 'favorite family member' but I think it's going to be unpleasant for them for a lot of reasons while I'm gone."

"Never thought I'd be feeling anything but relief getting away from my folks…" Derek said distantly. "Guess it's a new experience, not wanting to disappoint them. Maybe better than not caring at all, but it sure leaves an ache. If that's the last time I see them…"

"It won't be." All eyes turned to Reyn; he didn't look any less uncomfortable, but his expression was firm and determined. "We're going to come back. All of us. And we're going to come back victorious, or at least on our way to it."

"…That's surprisingly bold coming from you," remarked Isaac.

"I won't let myself think anything less. We've been through a lifetime of hells protecting ourselves and everyone that we care about. And we've made it through, in spite of everything they've tried so far. If they want to keep trying, I'm going to keep finding ways to make them pay. And I know you all are, too, because we've been in this together every step of the way. We weren't ready for this, and we still made it through…how are they going to stop us when we ARE ready?"

"That's quite the statement, and quite the supposition," stated Derek. "Though, I can't say I don't welcome it. I'd rather be determined to come back than dwelling on what happens if I don't."

"I guess it doesn't make sense not to take the determined approach," Skylar agreed. "Even if the worst DOES happen, thinking about that isn't going to make our lives any easier. Still…you're suggesting a lot more than I'm sure we're able to back up. We're going over there because we aren't capable of handling everything, aren't we?"

"We will be. And we're going to do it." Reyn took a deep breath and let it out, looking squarely at the rest of them. "We all know what's at stake here. We're not going to be able to ignore the danger, we're not going to be able to pretend we can just forget about what's waiting for us back here. But how many times have we stared death in the face this last month and refused to blink? Things have gone badly plenty of times, and we've still found a way. And all of that while we've been playing defense, waiting for whatever's coming to us…now it's time to put that damn reaper on HIS heels. Make him claw for every shot he takes."

"You've got a vendetta against the avatar of death?" Isaac asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That bitch has had a grudge against me since he whiffed a softball thirteen years ago. Like hell I'm going to let him come calling when I'm having to play gatekeeper against him. And I don't want you to be targets for him, either. Don't even give him the THOUGHT that he's got an opening. Whatever it takes, focus on the one plan that matters over everything else: we're coming back, alive, and putting an end to this once and for all. Whatever it takes to do that, we'll do it - and I dare them to stand in our way."

It was perhaps the most intense Iris had ever heard Reyn…it felt like it was lighting a bit of a new fire in her as well, and from the way the others looked, she had a feeling they were feeling the same way. And though she didn't say it, she had a feeling she knew where it was coming from. You say you don't want to be in charge, Reyn, but when the moment calls for a leader, you're the one who's stepping up…you really are getting more like Salmandmon. Maybe that's what we need to actually do what you say we can do. I hope you stick with that, because it's probably not going to get any easier over there…we'll need all the fire we can get.

—

"…That's that." Datacarnomon stepped away from the console, letting Rudy retake his place there. "The PTM is active and ready to go. The diagnostics suggest some of the modules are being pushed right up near their limits, but they're going to hold together."

"Then it looks like we're going." Salmandmon let out a smoky breath. "I'm glad, I really didn't want to have another awkward goodbye, one was more than enough."

"You think YOURS was awkward, we skedaddled the heck outta there before the little kid could wake up," Breezedramon groaned. "It woulda been a camataratamatactophy if he'd been there, he woulda been crying for ages!"

"Nothing about this excursion has approached within a photic annum of simplicity, but heralding our departure may perchance have exceeded the distance of the totality of our preceding endeavors," agreed Blackcanismon.

"I don't think any of us were prepared for this…" Shockavimon shook her head. "The idea that we would be saying a goodbye like this wasn't anywhere near what I could have imagined. And it's not because of us, but who we're taking with us…that's even further from anything we were ready for."

"Then we'd better make sure the next tears they shed are ones of joy," huffed Salmandmon. "That's our debt to repay in the short term. We're taking something precious away from them, the least we can do is bring them back in as good a condition as we found them, if not better."

Datacarnomon bowed his head. "A tall order, that one…"

"I know, but one we're all capable of. Zetta Unit has weathered fearsome challenges before, and even that might be nothing compared to what we've all dealt with individually. We've succeeded not just because of power, but because of the other qualities we have - courage, wisdom, knowledge, experience, and raw determination. And we're going to need to summon every bit of all of them to make sure we get them through this, but I've seen it all in all of you, it's THERE. And just as we're sharing ourselves with them, we need to share that with them, too. They deserve all that and more."

"Who thought this was gonna be how we made our return over there?" wondered Breezedramon. "Heck, who even thought we'd be returning? We coulda been stuck over here for an eterminimitulity, for all we knew."

"Ostensibly, my most superior predictions would have positioned ourselves as advisors to humanity's ultimate defensive stand against Emperius's invasive efforts," Blackcanismon stated. "Nevermore could I have fantasized our forward-facing engagement on such unprecedented terms…revisitation was impossibly distal within my mentality."

"…And now we're not just thinking about that, are we?" Shackavimon said. "You're all thinking the same way I am, aren't you? That this isn't going to be the last we see of this world, either…"

"Uncanny perceptiveness remains your bailiwick, it appears. I have indebted myself necessarily…my return is unquestionable, provided our successful advance."

"Yeah, Sky feels like…one of the closest friends I've ever had," agreed Breezedramon. "Not to take away anything from you guys at all, but…"

"No, I get it," agreed Datacarnomon. "There's a connection that that just goes so much deeper than anything else…well, even could, I think. As close as we all are with each other, we can't Jogress with each other…and now that we've experienced that closeness personally, it's hard to imagine leaving that behind."

Salmandmon nodded. "I've already made my decision. I'm going to have to be jumping back and forth…there's a lot I still feel like I need to do in the digital world, while I have the strength of spirit to keep up with it. I still want to see peace in Southern Tetraquaz, and that's not going to happen without a lot of effort. But there's no way I can leave people who I've gotten so close to in the rear view…there's a life here waiting for me that I wish I'd been able to know earlier. And anything I can do to come back and experience it, I'm going to do."

"…So, I guess there's nothing left to do but try to make it happen," declared Shockavimon with a grim finality.

"Right. It's time. Emperius may have managed to resurrect itself, but now we have a chance to kill them again, and make sure we finish the job properly this time. Their ashes will join Craniummon's, and be buried with him…just as it should have been from the start."

"We'll let you lead the way, then!" declared Breezedramon.

"…See, that was NOT what I was trying to go for-"

"Let it go, Sal," giggled Shockavimon. "Come on, let's get them in here."

—

The door opened, and the humans were beckoned inside by their partners. "It's all good to go, guys. We're on."

Silent nods between the group were all the more response that was given, before they headed inside. It was not exactly the most impressive-looking construction - a number of blocky machines hooked together in just the right way, with a ring positioned over a slightly-raised platform in the center of it all. "This looks…a lot simpler than I imagined for a device which apparently can pierce between planes of existence," observed Skylar.

"Aesthetics wasn't our primary focus here," remarked Datacarnomon. "Particularly because we don't know if this is gonna survive beyond one use. Maybe we'll have to figure out how Emperius did theirs, because they clearly have worked on it a bit more."

"Something tells me it's about as utilitarian as it gets," Iris said. "Nasty people usually don't have much of an appreciation for art."

"…I'd say something about that, but robots tend to be just as bad a lot of the time. Anyway, we just stand in the middle there and let Rudy do his thing. Rudy, you're solid on everything?"

Rudy nodded. "The interface is clear enough, and the directions you provided are burned into my brain. I'm just nervous about all of you, but I suppose that's natural."

"You and dozens of others at this point," declared Reyn. "But worry about yourselves first, because you can do something about that. Emperius isn't likely to let up, so anything you can do to level the odds…"

"Yes, yes, certainly, I'm hoping to get more out of that digital interface unit…perhaps I can provide some additional support to our defenders over here. There are so many possibilities with it, and I feel like I'm really starting to understand the nuances-"

"Not the time for that, Rudy," Isaac cut in; they were taking position on the platform, somewhat of a crowded space to try to fit into. "Take all that energy and put it into doing it."

"Ah, right, of course. Is everyone ready?"

"As we're going to be," affirmed Derek.

"All good on our end!" chimed in Breezedramon.

"All right, I'm initiating the transfer now! Here goes…" Rudy pressed the screen on the console, activating the machinery. A loud whirring and rumbling was coming from the machines, some vibration as they were pushed to the limit. The air around them started to feel charged up, slowly building up as the seconds ticked by.

"It's really happening…" Iris reached for Shockavimon, who grabbed her hand and held it tight.

"We'll be fine, Iris...I'll be right here."

Derek knelt by Blackcanismon, holding the canine tight next to him. "Jeez…I didn't think I'd be this nervous…"

Blackcanismon leaned into him reassuringly. "Derek…I'll provide every support conceivable."

Behind Reyn, Isaac elbowed Skylar over a bit. "Oy, space, dude."

"Hey, you're the one taking up a bunch of it!" Skylar shot back.

"Settle down, both of you," chided Datacarnomon. "Staying still is better for this sort of thing."

"Also, try not to let yourself fall if we come out high, that's a thing that could happen," Breezedramon remarked.

Reyn was quiet, eyes closed as the hum got louder, trying to focus as intently on possible on nothing but the goal…but he felt a tug on his pant leg, and looked over at Salmandmon. The lizard offered his hand. "We're in this together…never forget that. Let us carry the burden, we can take it."

Reyn gave a tight nod and took hold of Salmandmon's hand, just as the air whirled around them. Suddenly everything got bright, and a loud roar rang out - before everything fell into silence for them all, as they were sent off on the next stage of their journey.

As the light died away, pieces of the PTM were smoking, but the screen was reading a successful transfer. Rudy stared at the empty space left behind where there had been five youths and five digimon moments before. "…We'll do our part over here. The rest is up to you…but if anyone can do it, it's you all…"

---

This was something I REALLY wanted to do from an early point in this remaster: have some interactions between digimon and human that WEREN'T just between their partners. As I've said, character interplay is probably my favorite part of writing, and I wanted to establish a good deal more of that, as well as diversify it more. And it ended up going far beyond even what I had originally envisioned. There's going to be more scenes like this, which involve the digimon using their life experiences and feelings to help with certain issues the humans have. Even with just these early ones, I'm incredibly happy with how they turned out.

I never really thought much about Breezedramon's muddletongue in the original beyond "it's funny." This time…well, it's still funny. But I have a bit more to it now, too! I've settled on it being a speech production disorder, where something has a bit of a hitch when it comes to the longer and more complicated words in particular. But slowing down and breaking them apart works.

I like all of these, but I'm particularly happy with the piece of worldbuilding. That was pitifully threadbare in the original, it's going to be a lot more extensive this time around, and this is just the start of it. The Gradwen Massacre was mentioned in the original, but never really given any significant detail…not that the details are a nice read. But then again, neither are the details of the My Lai Massacre, and that one was real. The idea of this being the indirect catalyst for the rise of Emperius is a more recent idea, and perhaps a bit superfluous, but I did want to give a bit more insight into the background of it.

But yeah…with this, the first 'part' of this is finished. I'm not splitting this into multiple works, but I have denoted 'parts' in my inner workings, as a way to highlight break points were the story focus shifts. The previous work's part 1 was around 162k words total…the remastered version clocks in around 371k. At this point, it's not whether I break a million, it's how much I break it by. Nothing to do but to keep at it until I find out.