"A digital monster in Hydra's computer, you say?" says William, on the other side of the call.
Drake sits on his chair in front of his computer, looking at the Digimon files. "Yes. After you were gone, I finalized the restoration process, which was very fucking weird. My first idea was to check the hell needed 'data to regenerate core'. Then I found this file called , which is terabytes big, so probably the same stage as the armored bunny and bipedal lion. But when I tried to do something about it, the only thing I got was a prompt saying the file is corrupted and . I opened the txt and read the instructions, and promptly followed it"
"Are you insane? What if it was just a dangerous virus?"
"Nah. If that Digimon is on Hydra's computer, then it's for a good cause, I'm sure of it. The file was very corrupted, so it instructed me to extract a smaller version or something to work properly. I followed it to a T and decided to project it in the room"
"Then what happened?"
Two days ago
I was shocked, of course. I already figured out from the file that it was a Digimon, but I still wasn't so sure. I sent the files to your laptop because I had to leave to do other stuff. When I came back, the power was already off, but I obviously left your laptop and the powerbank fully charged. Then, I projected him in the room and saw this fucking big blue dragon that walk on two legs. He has cool red horns, and since his file is named , I assume the Digimon name is Coredramon. But there was a fuckton of glitches on his body.
The Coredramon opens his red eyes and looks at Drake, visibly very weak. "You… Are you Wyvern or Drake…? Hmm… Probably Drake" says the Digimon.
"Uuh… W-what about Hydra…?" asks Drake, surprisingly feeling tense now.
"H-Hydra… He wouldn't input the wrong password twice… But by the way things were being cracked… I recognized it as a hacking pattern of someone from the Big Three, and since you are a- Wait, how am I seeing and talking to you…? A-Am I in the physical space of the Human World- UGH!" He flinches when a wave of glitchy static cascades through his body.
The hacker quickly approaches the dragon, looking very worried. "Yes, I'm Drake. Don't move much, okay? Your file is still critically damaged! But yes, you are kinda out of the computer, talking directly to a human. Don't ask me how this shit works, because I have no fucking clue either"
He shakes his head and puts some effort into standing up. Then, he politely bows. "You can call me 'Naga'. It's the name good sir Hydra gave me after I've helped him countless times. 'A draconic name for a honorary member of The Dragons' he said"
"D-Don't call Hydra a 'sir', this is weird as hell! Also, 'helped him'? During all this time Hydra had a Digimon and never told any of us? …motherfucker! He loved to say that a spirit guided him with the codes and stuff. It was you all along!"
"Don't get this wrong… He doesn't know about Digimon or me being one yet, but he proved to be smart enough to know that something is helping him, he just still can't tell what. Or, uhh, maybe I'm just too stupid to keep myself properly hidden"
Drake frowns. "Uh… For how long have you been stuck in his computer…?"
Naga closes his eyes and scratches his horn. "I… Don't know… The time stopped for me when I sealed myself in his computer- Ugh!" He falls on his knees, but slowly gets back up. "The last thing I remember… I was trying to return to his computer to warn him that something seemed very suspicious a-and… I was critically damaged by something… A virus…? I had something important on me, a 'game changer' Hydra would say… So I couldn't let myself die… Hydra's system is very secure, so I sealed myself there and hoped he or any other of the Big Three could help me… Since you are the one who freed me, I assume Hydra is in jail, correct…?"
He lowers his head and clenches his fists, staying silent for a few seconds.
"Drake…?"
"H-Hydra… Big Bro… He's dead. He was captured and sentenced to death"
"D-dead?" Naga's eyes widen in shock, and tears roll down his face as he puts his hands in his head. "T-this… This is a critical failure! I-I'm sorry Hydra! I failed you!"
I approached him and technically hugged him. I never expected to see a big blue dragon crying, y'know? And… Yeah, we stayed silent together, respecting the memories of my Big Bro Hydra.
The hacker sighs. "I guess Big Bro really believed in that 'guardian spirit' shit, just like granny, huh… Funny how he gave you a dragon nickname for being a part of the team, and you really end up being a dragon… You just don't look like a naga, but who cares… " He gently 'knocks' Naga's chest, while looking nostalgic. "Thank you for being a big help for Big Bro"
"I don't think I deserve the praise when he died in the end…"
"Nah, this is not how things work. Someone conspired against him, I'm sure of that. And fortunately, we're close to finding a piece of this puzzle or even the resolution for this shit, then we can finally show the world the real villain behind everything. Ah yeah! Does the name 'Leviathan' ring a bell to you?"
"Leviathan-!" His eyes open wide in shock again, but then an interference wave followed by glitches falls through his body again, making Naga shriek in pain.
"Goddammit!"
"I-I'm sorry… That name is familiar, but I can't fetch anything related to it… Maybe if I could evolve back to Wingdramon…"
"I could try to help if I have access to your file, but-"
"I grant access"
"Huh? Just like that?"
"You're Hydra's close friend, his brother, Drake… I have no reason to not trust you"
"Tch, what if I'm just lying to you- Right, whatever! Working on it right away!" Drake quickly sits on the bed, puts the laptop on his lap and starts typing.
Naga slowly gets up again and approaches the hacker from behind, observing him. Then he looks at the date and gasps. "I-It's November of 2030…? I've been inactive for three years!?"
"Yeah, it's been that long already, buddy…"
So I accessed his source code just like that. I learned something interesting: his codes were similar, yet different from that materialization component the bunny found, including the weird characters.
"That's so weird. Your codes have compatibility to other programming languages somehow. If I code a tool in a different programming language it will work for you just fine. And then there are these weird characters! What the fuck is this?" asks Drake.
"Digimoji, the writing system of Digimon"
He grabs the materialization component. "What? So this thing… A Digimon has to be involved in that, right…? Look, there are people helping me, and some of them are monsters like you. They are allies, so don't attack them when they suddenly appear". He looks at the software related to Team Twilight. "They're going on a mission soon, and hopefully they will return soon. For now, go back to the computer and leave the fixing to me, I'll see what I can do"
Present day
"Well, I tried to do something, but I was afraid that I'd hurt him by messing too much with something I have no idea of how it works, so I decided to let the big boy rest. I was so excited and focused on trying to help him that I forgot to message you guys about that. Not that it matters, I'd tell you that eventually anyway. When the power was back, I sent the file back to my computer, because, you know, I have my better tools there. I can't wait to see Komet angry again because of another surprise" says Drake
"I think the scariest part is that he does know something about Leviathan. It would be great if we knew that before sending Team Twilight to Diamlock Tech, but oh well" says William
"Nah, that would just distract them from our main mission. Not like Naga can remember shit about Leviathan anyway. I'm sure we'll be able to do something when they return, so let them have their fun first"
As soon as Team Twilight is transferred to Dayana's phone, they get slowly decompressed until they are completely free to move around.
"What a horrible feeling! I hope I never need to do this again" huffs Komet
"Yeah, I'd rather face Infection with Apepmon again than be inside another .zip!" says Lua
"Ahm, I wouldn't go that far. Anyway, the first part of the infiltration is a success. Sonne, activate this phone's mic at nine o'clock"
The lion nods. "I would like to mention that a strange yet very familiar feeling is giving me big concerns"
"Wait, what?"
Lua frowns. "Big puss is right… It's EXACTLY the same feeling we had with that component that materializes us and on the day you were attacked!"
"Then… Ugh…" She puts her hand on her head. "I'm curious to see what it actually is… We have to hope Dayana will leave whatever this object is behind during the meeting"
"Are you planning on materializing in the office?" asks Sonne
She nods. "Don't worry, I know the routine of the office very well. It's very normal for it to be empty during that time. As long as we're careful, no one will see us" Then, she looks away, looking very concerned.
A few minutes pass. Sonne activates the mic as asked, so they start to hear a conversation starting outside.
"Good morning Shen, good morning Gabriel. Coming today was almost catastrophic just because of a stupid electricity malfunction in the train" says Dayana
"How was that catastrophic?" asks a male voice, who Komet immediately recognizes as Shen's.
"I almost lost my phone! But fortunately a person found it and returned it to me. A true lifesaver"
"Ah yes, truly a tragedy. Losing your phone is the end of the world for you. The chaos on the nation caused by the mysterious murderer of Soutriver is just a side note"
They hear a slap, and a 'OW' from Shen.
"Funny enough, this lifesaver looked exactly like the son of Alencar IT Solutions' owner. A guy like him doesn't need to take the train, does he?" continues Dayana
"I don't know, it all depends if you ever seen this guy taking a train!" says Shen
"If you are asking me that, then no, I don't use the public transportation" says a different male voice, Gabriel.
"See? There's no reason for rich people to do that!"
He chuckles. "I hope you don't see me as an alien because of that"
"Of course not! I stopped taking buses as soon as I bought my motorcycle. It's more convenient, and I'm not a coward like Day- OW"
Komet sighs, looking melancholic. "I never realized how much I actually miss them"
"Ooh, are you gonna admit it now? That they're your friends, not just colleagues?" asks Lua
She just lowers her head and shakes it. Then, they focus their attention on the conversation again.
"By the way, Gabriel! What's the last time you have slept? You've been working way too much lately, don't you think?" asks Dayana
Gabriel sighs. "The situation has been deteriorating very quickly since the disappearance of Police Chief Hawks. Since people believe it's related to crackers, they are counting on me again to solve this problem. So I'm doing my best to meet their expectations and find the criminal, who's most likely Richard Heion"
"It has to be him, right? The guy already looks like he's up to no good, and he is already a fugitive. A good one on top of that!" says Shen
"Yeah, this guy has to be behind bars as soon as possible. We are very close to a public security crisis because of those cyberterrorists. But you're already working on the government's new law stuff! You're gonna die from overworking like that!" says Dayana
"It's time for the meeting. We can talk about that later, but thanks for the worries, I really appreciate it!" says Gabriel
"They'll go to the meeting now. Let's jump to the network!" says Komet
Sonne and Lua nod. The lass mounts on the lion, and they use Dayana's phone wifi connection to jump into Diamlock's internet. They stay afloat in the internet router.
"Okay, I'm sure they are gone now. Do you two still feel the familiar feeling? Can you open the portal to materialize?" asks Komet
"Yes" says both Digimon. They focus and a portal opens in front of them.
"I'll jump out with Lua while you wait there, Sonne. I'd hate to see the fire alarm go off because of your flames"
He nods, and both girls jump out, materializing in the office. The place is empty at the moment, as expected. Komet looks left and right and sighs.
"Woooah! So this is where you work and overwork, huh? Looks very neat!" says Lua
"Yep! And be careful where you walk. There aren't many blind spots here. There's also a big window there. I wouldn't recommend letting people see a big pink masked bunny here" says Komet. "So, guide me to the suspicious device first, then I'll authorize our entry to the Network"
Lua nods and crouches. She walks a bit and approaches a laptop, which has an object of the size of a pendrive flashing a number of digits on its display. The object has the logo of Diamlock Tech. "I found it! It's this thingy right here!"
The lass looks shocked. "T-this is… The authentication token generator…! But why?"
"Do you think Infection used this to try to kill you…?"
"It has to be… I always had it with me. I need it to access the Network remotely, after all…" She places her hand on her forehead, feeling a bit dizzy. "B-But why…? Who manufactured this…?"
Lua frowns. "How did we overlook this? Is this because we were never aware of what this could do until Infection attacked you…?"
"That doesn't matter now… Somehow this situation manages to get weirder and worse, huh…" She gets her notepad - which is now in her bag, to not make the same mistake of using the smartwatch to summon items and get the attention of the security system - and starts taking notes. "I really need to find a way to tell this to Mr. Smith. He'll be veeeery disappointed when he finds out that the real danger was within his company all along, but at least this will make him go after the real danger and leave Drake alone. He's a very smart guy, after all"
"Very smart and very hard working, so hard that he overworks. You didn't learn those bad habits from him as well, did you? You do look up to him after all" says Lua, squinting at Komet.
She grits her teeth. "Let's not get sidetracked, okay? We're gonna leave something only after we have enough proof that Leviathan was or is here, then we'll also mention the token generator device"
"Then he will join us in this hunt! Hooray! It's probably way nicer than having Drake around!"
"Uuh… I don't want to imagine the result of Drake and Mr. Smith in the same room… Anyway, since I'm out of cyberspace, I'll use Dayana's credentials to give you access to the Diamlock Network" Gritting her teeth and with shaky hands, Komet types on Dayana's laptop and grants them access, opening the doors for them to go to the database. "Go with Sonne, I'm going after you as soon as I'm done here"
She nods. "Understood. Please, be careful!"
Lua jumps back to cyberspace, while Komet carefully walks towards a different computer. It's the computer she always uses when working there. "I know I shouldn't do this, but I really need to put my hands on the InIATeS project I was investigating. Unfortunately this is the only place I can get it now. The more clues and evidence, the better". She quickly looks behind her back to see if no one is coming, and after confirming to be safe, she boots the machine.
It's the login page. Since it's not a remote access, she doesn't need the token, so she just input her own credentials. But to her surprise and shock, a message is prompted on her screen saying that the account she is trying to access has been terminated.
"Terminated? But it's been only a few months! They don't terminate ex-employees accounts that quickly as far as I know!"
She hears steps coming in her direction, so she quickly unplugs the computer and hides behind the desk, since she is not close enough to the area to jump back into cyberspace. She spies through a hole and sees Gabriel looking very concerned. He stops moving and looks at the direction she just left, staring for some time.
Komet's heart start beating faster. She can't be spotted, or the infiltration will go down the drain. What is she going to tell her boss if she gets caught? How's she gonna explain she is actually Tayna Bambadi, when she's looking like she came from a fantasy book? The commotion caused by her presence would also alert whoever Leviathan is - if he's still working for Diamlock - and possibly ruin their plan forever. She gets more and more nervous, already thinking of ways to get out of this sticky situation, but fortunately for her, this is not needed. After intensely looking at the computer, Gabriel decides to just keep moving to a different room.
She sighs in relief. "That means the meeting is already over, or Mr. Smith was interrupted by something urgent. Hopefully it's not because of what I did. Regardless, the others will be here soon…" She quickly gets up and walks towards the area she came from, and jumps back to cyberspace. The first thing she does inside is to check the security system. To her relief, it doesn't seem they were detected yet. Then, she sees Sonne and Lua approaching.
"Did you find anything?" she asks
"Yes. However, this might not be related to what we are looking for, and yet I believe it is worth our attention. Perhaps Lua's tendency of deviating from our original goal might bring a positive impact to the investigation" says Sonne
"Bullshit! You were already looking for the victim names in the database to find any signs of leaking or even ternary. So I decided to look for something else, like some kind of secret. I just didn't expect I'd actually find an almost invisible door!" says Lua
"Anyhow, since this is not part of our original goal, I request permission to investigate the matter"
"An invisible door…? Can you show it to me?" asks Komet
Both nod and guide her through the semi-transparent cybercorridor. She sees a lot of paths connecting each other and some kind of sea nearby, in which she knows it's the database. Funny enough, even though it's the first time she is seeing the place in 'physical' form, she can recognize a lot of the areas.
"Here" says Lua
Komet looks in the direction the Lekismon is pointing at, but sees nothing. Then, Lua walks on a path that shouldn't exist and gets her hands closer, which causes the outline of a door to appear.
"What the hell? This is a part of the system I wasn't aware of!" says Komet
"We figured, which is why it caught my attention. This can't be found normally unless the person knows exactly what they are looking for. Good thing I have good eyes for tricks!"
Komet projects the holographic keyboard in front of her. "This door has an extra layer of security… I'll try to use Dayana's permission to open this door using a backdoor key" She types stuff, but then gets frustrated with the results. "Ugh, failure… This has to be something very important, right? Something very game changer!"
Sonne approaches the door and places his paw clad on fire on it. "It is not a strong security check. It only requires a password" says Sonne
"Only a password?"
"I believe it is because of the nature of this door. It is invisible for normal computing methods, making it nearly impossible to access, unless you know the existence of it as Lua said, or you are a Digimon, which can navigate through cyberspace like a physical space. So this is already a great security by itself. The password is nothing but the last check. Thus I recommend a brute force attack"
"Right. I guess if they had put more security in there, we would detect it… Well, we're already inside in the guise of Dayana, so go ahead". She grits her teeth. "I'm sorry for that, Day… I'll make sure I'll make up for this if there are consequences on you"
Sonne looks at Lua, and both nods. Sonne covers his body in flames, while Lua gets two ice spears from her protrusions. Then both attack the door at the same time, which causes 0s and 1s to revolve around them. A holographic list projects in front of them, quickly scrolling through a lot of password patterns. Then, a click is heard, and with a last push, they burst the door open.
They go inside and find a large, almost empty room being lighted by a dim light, with a single shelf on the other side of it. Komet swallows hard. "Whoever built this very hidden area must be an exceptional engineer. They really hid it well"
"This has to be related to Leviathan, right?" asks Lua
She lowers her head, feeling nervous. "At this point, I doubt it's not… Ugh, let's check what's inside the shelf. Your intuition is probably right again, Ricky…"
They run to the other side of the room. The lass quickly opens the shelf, feeling very anxious. When she opens the files, she sees it encrypted. So she projects her keyboard and types some stuff to decrypt the files, since she knows the keys used in her company. But when the decryption is done, she gets shocked: it's still not understandable.
"What? Is this another layer of encryption?"
Sonne approaches the file and gasps in shock. "This is written in Digimoji!"
"The Digimon script?"
Lua takes the files from Komet's hands and quickly reads some parts of it. She flips through the pages as she looks more and more nervous. "What the eff? Is this a guide about Corrosion Virus? How to manipulate ternary code? A diary of the progress in reprogramming Digimon by force? Plans to create responsive Infecteds?" She gets another folder and opens it. "Hey! Isn't that project from InIATeS you were investigating? The one to access the internet with your mind! It's here, and it seems it's been updated since you've been 'killed'!"
"What?"
Sonne grabs the last folder with his mouth and opens it, reading it as quickly as Lua. "This file apparently contains yet another project. From what I understand, it is a plan to access 'Kernel'"
"Kernel…? The core of a computer operating system…?"
"No, I believe. After all, 'Kernel' is being used as a proper name for a place. Apologies, I do not know of a place with such a name. But it does seem like this plan is related to the brain-internet integration project"
She grits her teeth and grabs her notepad, writing on it. "This is giving me horrible feelings. Sounds like an evil plan from a movie villain…" She grabs the folders, duplicates them and gives one set to Sonne and other to Lua. "We need to take this to figure out their plan. You can store this somewhere, right?"
Both nod, close their eyes and absorb the folders. "Stored in our cores!" says Lua. Then, she whips her body to the opposite side, launching an icicle spear. "Tear Arrow"
"What?" Komet raises her head and sees Lua's attack clashing with something that causes a big explosion. As the smoke clears out, all three of them gasp in shock by seeing they were attacked by a Digimon - a Nanomon. But it isn't any Nanomon.
"Dr. Dataniu!?" say all three in unison.
Dataniu scowls. "Why is it so hard to get you all killed?"
"Why the fuck are you here?" yells Lua
"Well, I ask you the same. How did you find this place?"
"This is not what I mean! Why and how are you in the Human World?"
Sonne growls. "I should have suspected that you were actually aware of the existence of this world, considering the way you were questioning Komet back in Loch Pless"
While both Sonne and Lua surround Dataniu, Komet scowls. "You're responsible for the infection of that fossil Digimon in Loch Pless and Prince Mamemon in Scrivale, aren't you? You can do that because you created the Corrosion Virus!"
"Hey hey hey! The fossil was just a fossil! I did what I did for science! It was dead already, so why feel bad for it? While for that dumb prince… Well, that's on him. I offered a deal and he accepted it. I shouldn't be responsible for his dumb choices, right?" says Dataniu, shrugging. "At least, despite his lack of brain, he served good purpose while he was alive"
The bunny looks incredulously at him. "YOU SON OF A-! You play with people's lives like toys! Just like those helmets that remove all the Digimon's sense of self- …wait! These weird projects here, and the bees just outside the system… And the lives given away to Don Werisley, where the sensitive data probably came from here… And the ternary monster we killed, that killed Police Chief Hawks for finding something… Y-you are hacker Leviathan, aren't you? Somehow and for whatever reason you decided to make this place your lab! It makes sense why everything here is in Digimoji!"
He gives a smug grin while clapping. "Oh, so you came here looking for Leviathan…? I guess you figured out my secret, huh? Impressive, really impressive. Yes, I am Leviathan! Now what?"
Lua shakes in anger. "Why did you leak data to a criminal? Tell us everything, and we'll consider letting you live, you stupid tin can!"
"Well, wouldn't you love to know?" he says, opening a big grin. He slowly walks backwards towards the door, but Lua blocks his path.
"I also demand explanations, especially on how you created the Corrosion Virus and a way to revert that. You should also tell us the reason you are making it seem like it is coming from this world, when you demonstrated being capable of handling such hazards in the Digital World. You are potentially putting this world at risk of being annihilated" growls Sonne, menacingly approaching Dr. Dataniu.
He raises his hands. "Oooh, this caught your interest I see! I hope that means you want to be my test subject. You see, I-"
"He's lying," says Komet. "He's not Leviathan"
Dataniu scowls. "What do you mean 'I'm not Leviathan'?"
"First of all, you love babbling about your cruelties and always seem very proud of your bullshit, but now that Lua asked about Don Werisley, you didn't have much of a strong reaction as if it's just something you had to do. And talking about strong reactions… I kinda remember that when I saw whatever name I found, I felt strong emotions. It's not a reaction I'd get by reading 'Dr. Dataniu' or any name I don't know. That said, you're not Leviathan yourself, you just work for them. You are lying to protect their real identity, which only proves that they're, in fact, someone from Diamlock Tech!"
He lowers his arms, looking serious. "You are truly a smart girl, Komet. I really can't underestimate you, however-"
At that moment, some kind of force pulls everyone down, including Dataniu. Everyone grunts from the impact. Sonne and Lua try hard to stand up, but the force pulling them is too strong. Komet can still at least stay on her knees, since it seems like it doesn't affect organic creatures, and she's partially organic. Lua tries to use her Tear Arrow to attack Dataniu, but launching the ice spear proves to be impossible, since it's instantly pulled to the floor.
"W-what? Are you really going to show yourself? You could at least have waited for me to try to leave the room! Nngh!" says Dataniu. He uses all his strength to look Komet directly in the eyes. "You might be very smart, but he is even smarter! He's always two steps ahead of you. Well, this is very obvious, considering that you have yet to beat him in a chess match!"
Komet feels her heart immediately racing. "W-what?"
"Welcome back, Tayna. So you figured it out, expected from you! Why don't we chat a bit?" says someone, as his holographic image projects right in front of her: a blond man wearing a suit, his arms crossed and a resentful look on his face.
She looks up in horror, still in disbelief with what her ears hear and what her eyes see. "No… No, no no no- ARGH!" She feels like a shock in her head, as if something is connecting back: the corrupted memories from the attack. The name she saw on the screen, the real name of Leviathan: Gabriel Smith, the man she looks up to.
"Y-you…! Why? Why are you hacker Leviathan? Why did you do that?" she asks
Gabriel sighs and shakes his head. "You have no idea of how heartbroken I was when I got to know that hacker Komet and Tayna Bambadi were the same person"
"What…?"
"Hacker Komet should have suffered the consequences, not you. Why did you get back into cracking?"
"Why are you talking me down? You are the big criminal here! Also, what you're saying doesn't make sense! If hacker Komet was someone else, they couldn't be killed by the goop monster, because what triggered it to materialize in my room was that token authentication device from Diamlock Tech! You were already planning to get me killed!"
"Please, don't get me wrong. Yes, I set it up for you to get a 'visit' from the Ternary AI monster, but not for the reasons you think". He crouches to stay on the same eye level as Komet. "The goal was much different, which wouldn't get you killed. It'd only leave some nasty injuries in your body and some brain damage if you didn't cooperate, which is still pretty brutal in my opinion. You see, despite our deal regarding that InIATeS project, you withheld too much information from me. Then you promised you would give me the full report after the Big Day. If you went back on your word, the Ternary AI monster would retrieve your credentials and the information by force, and you would report it as a bizarre attack that came from the computer, never realizing what really happened. Unfortunately that beast prioritized killing you for seeing too much and never took the information I wanted"
She grits her teeth, as she uses her strength to move her hand to her left eye. "Heh, so not even you could just easily break in, huh…"
"I'll give you that, the security there was flawless. You'd quickly notice the breach if I've tried anything. But after you were supposedly killed, I didn't need to worry about that anymore, so I could take my time to break through the defenses. Anyway… On the Big Day I got the report that you went missing, along with the report that the monster had attacked someone. When I realized what happened…" He places his hand on his forehead and sighs. "The info you found about Leviathan… That shouldn't be there. I thought all the evidence was gone, but… I really shouldn't have completely trusted TerAI to do all the work. What an oversight. You're truly exceptional, Tayna, but look at the trouble this is causing for us both! If you didn't get back to cracking and just respected our conditions, you would be fine! Your friends, your family, I… This hurt all of us! I felt so betrayed when I found out about your second identity!"
She scowls as her eyes get teary, slowly starting to accept that her boss is the cracker they've been looking for. "You, talking about feeling betrayed?"
"Your 'death' was a big problem for me. Not only for my plans, but I also lost a valuable employee, someone who was a nice friend and a very skilled person. I couldn't take part in the debate that happened after your murder because I was still shaken from all that. And as I predicted, it went pretty poorly…" He shakes his head. "Since defeat was guaranteed at that point, I needed to remake my plans and adjust it to the new reality, which was no easy feat. After all, you've already forced me to delay my plans because you decided that holding information hostage was the best idea around. And yet, I trusted you"
"You're so horrible! Komet admired you! You were her inspiration!" yells Lua
He looks at the bunny and looks back at the lass. "You have not only one, but two AI monsters. I have no idea how you found them, but I'm impressed. It's been around one year since you got them, correct?"
"H-How do you know this?" asks Komet
"Simple. Just because you revealed your true identity to me during the interview, it doesn't mean I would trust you immediately. You could just be spying on Diamlock Tech, so I told Dr. Dataniu to watch your movements, then I could spy on you to see what you were actually up to. If you had these AI monsters back then, Dr. Dataniu would have found and destroyed them". He pauses for a moment and looks upwards. "But then, that day… The day you almost took your own life… I realized you weren't a malicious person at all, but were actually suffering from being deluded by those horrible people from the Dark Web, having to do horrible things yourself… Or at least this is what I thought. So I redirected Dr. Dataniu to work on more important matters"
"The nerve of calling them horrible when you were the one that have been helping a fucking woman trafficker…! Why did you help Don Werisley? Why? Just why?"
"Vigilante hackers were in my way to achieve my goals, they were way too loved by the general public. So I set traps for big hacker groups for them to make a mistake so big that people would turn their backs to them. It took a while, but one day it finally happened. Hydra was a big fish I didn't expect to catch, and the way he dealt with the problem really caught me off guard, but also helped me a lot"
"Y-you… What?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "A-Are you the one… Who persuaded the authorities to give Hydra the death sentence?"
"Please, understand me. The world is in a chaotic state, spiraling through a bottomless pit of despair. Innocent people are so desperate for help that they are willing to accept anything that gives them a supposedly glimpse of hope. You saw this with your own eyes"
She growls. "Yeah, yeah, but what does that have to do with helping criminals and killing vigilante hackers?"
"I can't yet solve the world's problems, but I can solve the problems I create. By doing that, I get more trust from people from different areas, and they give me access to more things, which will allow me to solve bigger problems. Then I repeat the cycle until I'm powerful enough to cleanse this world from all the filth. Unfortunately, I had to ruin the reputation of vigilante hackers to achieve that"
She looks at him incredulously. "W-wait… Is your goal… World domination?"
He shakes his head. "Please, saying it like that makes me sound like a comical villain, but I'm neither comical nor a villain. My ultimate goal is to save humanity… From humanity itself"
"Huh? From humanity itself…?"
He nods. "Homo homini lupus"
"W-what…? I don't understand…"
Sonne lifts his head a bit with some difficulty. "'Homo homini lupus' is a Latin proverb translated as 'man to man is wolf', which implies that humans are cruel beasts to themselves when in their natural state. Despite not being the creator of it, this proverb is usually attributed to a human philosopher named Thomas Hobbes, who is mostly known by his book…"
Komet gasps in shock. "...Leviathan!"
Gabriel nods, stands back up and crosses his arms, looking proud. "I see you raised an intelligent AI monster. Yes, that's exactly the message behind this nickname, although originally it was mocking that idea. I was once like you, a gray hat that wanted to change the world for better, bringing justice to people. But as I grew older, I noticed how foolish my ideals were. I learned more and more about the dirty side of the world. People who deceive other people for their own gain… People who are easily corrupted for horrible reasons… People in power who will do everything to keep the status quo for the sake of their power, including my money-hungry father, not caring about innocent lives who are suffering for that… Unfortunately that old fool opened my eyes to reality. These are not changes people can make as simple hackers… The network of the wolves is too strong and too established to simply be destroyed like that"
He pauses, looking reflective, shakes his head and then continues. "This world needs a leader capable of putting all of humanity in their place and making them behave, or everyone will forever live in this hell that has persisted for millennia. I had no idea how I could make this happen, but then a miracle happened: I met Dr. Dataniu, an exceptional AI monster - or Digimon, as they call themselves - which opened a big door to reach my goal. Also thanks to him, we discovered about InIATeS' project to connect your brain with the internet. But since we were very busy with other matters, we didn't have time to decode it ourselves. So I resorted to you, the person I trusted the most in Diamlock, to do it for me"
"But why…? What will you gain from that?" asks Komet
"Full control of the internet. If I connect my brain with the internet, I have access to anything in real time - computers, servers, surveillance… That will allow me to detect any threat in no time, and take necessary measures to neutralize it"
"I-is this even possible?"
"Thanks to Dr. Dataniu's extraordinary knowledge and the existence of the Digital World, yes, it is. Not only that, I'll also have full control of Digimon, who'll be my enforcers and take actions real-time as soon as the threat is detected. With the materialization device, they will quickly travel through cyberspace and physically intercept the threat. Punishment will vary depending on the severity of the offense, but I'll make sure to make people understand that they have to behave and be nice to each other, leading humanity to built the best society ever"
She grunts, feeling more and more nervous and uncomfortable. "Like an omniscient god…?"
"If you want Digimon to help you build a better world, then why are you spreading Corrosion Virus in the Digital World? That kills us, you know?" asks Lua
Gabriel just ignores Lua, which annoys Komet. "Why don't you answer her, Mr. Smith?"
"I have no interest in interacting with random programs. If you have more questions, I'd like you to ask them yourself"
Komet growls, feeling more annoyed and upset. "Do you see no value in the lives of humans or Digimon? You talk about saving humanity, but you made so many people suffer or die for this…! All the victims taken by Don Werisley for horrible things… The Digimon you're controlling for your own gain, as if they were just mere tools… Killing anyone who's a threat to your plans, like Chief Hawks or hacker Komet, and actively involved in the scapegoating of innocent, good people, such as hacker Drake and hacker Hydra… Do you really feel nothing for those lost lives? Are lives just disposable like that for you?"
"First of all, Digimon are just AI in the shape of monsters, a bunch of codes that are capable of learning and improving, but still just programs, tools. As much as they try to sound more human, they are still just following inputs and commands with no feelings involved, so I don't know why I should feel bad for a running set of numbers and strings"
She shakes her head. "You're wrong! They're not 'just AI in the shape of monsters', they are digital living beings! They have feelings! They feel love, hatred, pain-"
"Please, don't interrupt me, I'm not done answering your question yet"
She grunts in annoyance.
"About the people who had to go… Unfortunately they are necessary sacrifices to achieve my goal. Don't get me wrong, I don't take pleasure in doing that. It hurts my heart every time I need to use a innocent life for that, but unfortunately this is how it has to be"
"Have you gone mad? This is not how it has to be! There's no such a thing as 'necessary sacrifices of innocent people'!"
Gabriel scowls and raises his voice. "Would you rather see thousands or millions of people dying and suffering daily than sacrificing hundreds to guarantee the peace of billions? As we talk right here, more and more people suffer from a horrible fate by the hands of the ill-intended. You're already sacrificing lives the longer you take to take an effective action. For years, for generations even, humankind has tried to reach peace, and most of the successful attempts are the ones that didn't use peaceful methods. Even so, have we even reached remotely close to that peace after all that time? Open any news portal and you will have your answer"
She grunts again, shaking her head.
"Besides, haven't you done something questionable in the past too? I remember you saying something like that. Even someone like hacker Hydra resorted to such methods, but I never heard you criticizing him for it. Or do you think it's completely okay to use someone's home automation to neutralize a threat without caring for the safety of the victims?"
Komet flinches. "That-! T-That…! No, t-this…" She looks down, distraught.
"In any case, don't you tell me you have forgotten about that lesson while we had a match of chess, the one about protecting your ideals"
She looks at him, mentally exhausted, just waiting for him to answer it for her.
"'Every single piece is important, small or big, to protect what you are fighting for. You move them strategically to keep these ideals alive. But, for that, some sacrifices are necessary. Some will stand, some will fall. But if you use all your energy trying to keep every single of them alive, you will eventually get yourself trapped. Then everything and everyone you had been fighting for will meet their demise'"
"I-I never imagined you meant that with actual lives! It never crossed my mind that you would actually kill people for your goals!" she yells, as tears roll down her face.
"I do, unfortunately. I have the blood of innocent people in my hands, people that will never experience the better world I'll build for everyone". He crouches again, looking Komet in the eyes while putting his holographic hand on her shoulder. "Listen, Tayna… I really appreciate you. You're a great and smart person. I know you're fighting for a better world too. I've trailed the same path as you. We may have some different traits, some different ways to think about certain topics, but we are very alike! I can easily see my younger self in you. Because of that, I believe you will be a great addition to my plans. If we work together, we can find the best way to tame humankind to become a peaceful society. Think about that"
She looks down, silent.
"I'll let you choose. You can help me make the world a better place as my trusted employee and friend Tayna Bambadi. Or you can oppose me and die by my hands as hacker Komet"
Still silence.
"Well…?"
She gives a deep sigh and raises her head. "First of all, you'll deprive people of privacy for that, which is very ironic coming from the CEO of a cybersecurity company! No, I don't care what the majority voted for, because you created situations to trick people into believing this is the better outcome. Second, you killed many innocent people for that! You got my friend killed for that!" She shakes her head. "And on top of that, you will use Digimon as tools for that, depriving them of their free will just to reinforce your ideals like a tyrant. I'm against your 'sacrifices for the greater good' bullshit, and if this is your way to reach your goal… Then I'll not support your 'better world'. I'll oppose it, I'll fight against your utopia. This world doesn't need a Leviathan!"
Gabriel shakes his head, looking very disappointed. "So this is it, huh…? You're really like him…" He sighs resentfully and stands up. "You'll leave me no choice but to kill you… At least I can help your parents retrieve the body of their beloved daughter. I'll help them give the best burial to her. After all, Tayna Bambadi deserves it"
"Like 'him'...? Who is 'him'?"
"I won't answer any of your questions, hacker Komet" he says, typing on a keyboard.
She grits her teeth. "So you're just gonna treat me like a different person now, like a different persona…? Welcome to the club, I guess- Ugh!" She feels an electric current going through her body, which makes an invisible energy rope that's linked to her become visible.
"An escape rope, huh? I already suspected that you and your AI monsters have external help. Let me guess: hacker Drake?"
"Go to hell"
"Is he Richard Heion?"
"I'm not answering your questions, you psycho!"
"Doesn't matter. I got the location of the place you intended to escape to". He starts walking away from the group. "Doctor, inject TerAI V2 - Dijiangmon in the system. I'll contact the police to arrest the cracker who sent them here. If it's really Richard Heion, then we hit the jackpot"
"Woooh! We're finally gonna test my new creation! You guys are gonna love it! It's the first non-deformed controllable Digimon working fully in ternary! It's an improved version from that defect the first version was, the one you killed. My ultimate weapon to clean the path for Gabe's dreams!" says Dataniu.
"Your new… Creation…?" says Komet, shocked and disgusted.
"Yes! Made from a Dracumon! But Gaaaabe, you need to release me first for that"
Gabriel types on the keyboard, which deactivates the energy field. Sonne and Lua quickly get up and try to attack Dr. Dataniu, but he just jumps away, feeling smug. At that moment, the door opens, revealing a different Digimon: a faceless creature clad in leather, with a long tail and very long arms, red spikes growing from the body, as if some kind of energy is trying to escape from its body. It has two pairs of white-and-red wings.
Sonne and Lua jump close to Komet, ready for battle or to escape, depending on what Komet decides.
"I can't let you live for any longer, hacker Komet. You're not getting out of this place alive" says Gabriel
"You wish it's that easy to take down Team Twilight" she says. She lifts her left arm and points at Dr. Dataniu and the new monster. "Sonne, analyze!"
Sonne focuses on Dataniu first, but he gasps in shock. "It is not possible! The server has just gone offline!"
"Wait, what?"
End of the chapter! There it is, the answer she was looking for, but unfortunately not the answer she wanted to get. Is this what you expected?