Author's note: another rewrite/repost of an old M306117 story. Same deal as before. I hope to stick close to the original whilst polishing up some issues I saw. And 'artists': by offering commissioned artwork without request you agree to pay me, the author, 1 (one) USD per word of your initial message to simply consider your offer. By messaging, you are considered to have read these terms and conditions. Otherwise you're just an illiterate retard.

One

Earthquakes were nothing new to the people of Japan.

Being located in the Pacific Ring, tectonic activity was the norm for them and they had adapted accordingly. Buildings were made to exacting standards with features not found in those of other nations, and the population had been drilled in what to do if or, rather, when an earthquake struck. So much so that they treated it like they might any other weather phenomenon such as a storm. Of course, there were still instances where things went a little beyond what the people were used to, causing problems for all involved.

Davis Motomiya let out a groan as he experienced exactly this, looking up at his apartment as a group of civil engineers cordoned it off following a particularly bad quake that had struck in the early hours of the morning. A little after four, to be exact, when he and rest of Tokyo had found themselves roused from their slumber by a magnitude 8.1 quake which was playing merry hell with everything.

No end of roads, bridges and railways had been knocked out, or damaged enough to need repairs before they could be used again, and plenty of buildings now found themselves without power or water, in some instances both, meaning the SDF had to ferry everything in from outside along what few routes remained open. The earthquake had done a number on the phones, too, with most of them without a signal or just overloaded from the amount of traffic.

Worse than that, though, was the fact his apartment had just been labelled off-limits by the engineers so he and everyone else who lived there had been forced out, lest it collapse with them inside. He looked forlornly at his home and all the prized possessions it contained, another groan escaping his lips. He didn't like the idea of leaving it all behind but he liked the idea of suddenly finding himself buried by tons of rubble even less.

It was the same for everyone around him, most of them carrying what few trinkets they couldn't dare to lose that were small enough alongside a selection of clothes, food and drink as they, too, looked up at their now condemned homes. Nearby, one of the engineers had a loudspeaker and was assuring everyone that alternative accommodations would be found, that they should remain calm, and to avoid breaking the exclusion area around the building.

The only saving grace that Davis could think of was the fact his family were on vacation in America, visiting family and friends, whilst he had been forced to remain behind because of work commitments. The same was true for almost everyone he knew, actually, as Tai, Joe and Meiko had gone to the Digital World to show some government officials around though, knowing his mentor, Tai was just using it as an excuse to have a romantic getaway with Meiko, Joe being the one to actually explain things to the officials.

Matt and Sora were doing something similar in France, TK tagging along so he could meet up with Catherine, the French DigiDestined he had met and become smitten with back when they were dealing with the Control Spires that had appeared in the real world. Closer to home, Cody was in Kyoto to participate in a kendo tournament with his mother and grandfather, whilst Ken and Yolei were in Sapporo. Mimi had originally gone along with them but changed her mind at the last minute, catching a flight to New York after seeing it listed on the departures board.

That meant only Davis, Kari and Izzy had suffered through the earthquake.

'Lucky us,' Davis muttered darkly to himself, hitching a rucksack higher on his shoulder.

He pulled out his phone and then his D-Terminal to see if anyone had left any messages but there were none, and it probably had something to do with the fact that neither had a signal. The little icon in the corner of the screens was flashing at him, a reminder the cellular networks were down, so he just shoved them back into his pockets and resumed looking at his building.

Chances were good that his bed for tonight would be some narrow cot in a stadium somewhere, or a hotel pressganged into service, or a bunch of tents on whatever open field was big enough to handle everything, joining all the other displaced people for an uncomfortable night where tensions might be running high. And if not that, then the close proximity and chaotic atmosphere would make it an ideal environment for people with sticky fingers.

Davis figured a decent night's rest was not in his future which was a problem, because he hadn't exactly gotten much sleep beforehand. A gaming session had kept him awake until around two o'clock in the morning, just a few scant hours before the earthquake hit, and between helping people out and following the instructions of the engineers he hadn't had much of a chance to have a nap. Alternatively, he could just find a random spot down some side street to sleep, though that would make him a ripe target.

That being said, he could think of at least one safe possibility. The Kamiya apartment wasn't too far from here and he knew that Tai's room was going spare, so assuming it hadn't been deemed off limits like his own there was a good chance he could spend the night there. Provided Kari took pity on him, of course, which was an almost certainty. And if not, then they could just buddy up in whatever location the night's accommodation would be. Safety in numbers and all that.

His destination in mind, Davis set off into the crowded streets of Odaiba, battling his way through fellow displaced residents and emergency workers, plus their attendant vehicles. It would have been quicker to have ExVeemon fly him there, except his partner was back in the Digital World for a few days to recuperate. Spending too long in the real world sapped away at their strength, so periodically they returned for a few days, a week at the most, to recharge.

It then dawned on Davis that with the phone and internet networks down, the Digital World was all but closed to him and Veemon with it. Apprehension tugged at him, doubly so when he realised now was the perfect time for some malicious Digimon to strike Tokyo given so many of the DigiDestined were elsewhere, or cut off from their partners.

But then he relaxed. There wasn't even a slight indication that something evil was brewing within the Digital World, most of the threats that came from it being random Digimon that happened to somehow stumble through a portal into the real world. If anything, the biggest threat he or any of the others faced came from their own world in the form of anti-Digimon groups. No end of them had risen up in recent years, protesting against the apparent threat they posed to people across the globe and calling on their governments to ban their presence, or just limit how many could be in the real world at any one point.

Thankfully they were far and few between, and the small number violent enough to gain the attention of the police were dealt with quickly and efficiently, before they could become a real threat.

Thus reassured, Davis allowed himself a small smile despite his surroundings as he retraced the route he knew by heart to the Kamiya residence.

As he walked, he passed by a lone figure sitting by themselves on a low wall near his apartment complex, seemingly in no hurry to do anything. He was just sitting there and watching the chaos of the world around him from behind a pair of silvered aviators, head bobbing along to some unknown beat. His gaze seemed fixed on Davis, however, always keeping him in sight even as he began moving through the crowd.

Then, when he was far enough away, the figure raised a wrist to his mouth and said, 'Delta-9, moving west. Looks to be heading for Delta-8's location. No sign of partner Digimon.'

'Acknowledged,' a tinny voice said, coming from a covert earpiece. 'Delta-6 looks to be heading in that direction as well, also without partner Digimon. Follow at a distance and continue to observe. We may be able to deal with all three at once.'

'Solid copy on all,' the figure said, standing up. 'Continuing observations.'