Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Of Doors and Data ❯ Evolution ( Chapter 6 )

~*~ DISCLAIMER ~*~

WOW!! It's sure been a while since my last update-what, two years? Ah what's two years between friends? Seriously though folks, I'm sorry for temporarily abandoning this project, the first five chapters all came to me fast and hard over the course of a couple months, and after that I wasn't sure where I wanted to take the story. The whole, "getting into college," thing got in the way too…

Anyways, I want you to all know that I've now actually completed my freshman year of college (and am starting sophomore year soon) and want you to all know that the rest of the story is more or less mapped out, I'm just working out the particulars and finding time to crank it out. I know I've said it many many many times and not given you reason to listen to me, but please, STAY POSTED, the rest is coming soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, nor any names associated with Toei Animation Co., Ltd, thus far I've only named one Digimon of my own, Fumomon (Fumo being the latin for "to steam") who is mine, the rest don't belong to me…much as having Renamon would make my day.

Send possitive feedback (or at least constructive criticism) to renabhall2@yahoo.com

Allrighty, good to get that out of the way. Now on to the chapter.

Remember to R&R, my desperate paranoid obsessive-compulsive tendencies will consume me if you do not!

Chapter 6: Evolution

"Well now, isn't this a fine mess you've gotten us into Yaamon?" Hopmon quipped. They had floated for hours on Yaamon's vague directions, and though he insisted that they were going the right way, some of them had begun to doubt his obscure directions.

Being away from their partners was beginning to have some adverse effects on the Digimon. It had become increadingly easy for their tempers to flare up, and arguments to arise over the pettiest things. Had they not all become so weak, major fights would have probably broken out by now. MarineAngemon, of all Digimon, was the one who kept the rest of them in order. While he was still on their level in terms of physical movement, he could fly and his power had boosted astronomically since they had first landed. Much of his Mega level strength had returned to him, far more than anything the others were capable of. Whether their mood changes were some kind of physical reaction to their separation, or they were simply emotionally hurting, one thing was obvious-thoughts of their partners were frequently on their minds, and those thoughts weighed quite heavily on them and their attitudes. There just wasn't much to smile about.

Kapurimon, Hopmon and Chocomon were the most bothered by their apparent lack of progress. They hadn't known Yaamon in the early days with the Tamers, when he was just the pesky friend that seemed to want to be accepted, though he desperately tried to hide it. Gummymon was only slightly less irritated, but tried to keep up his usual carefree, "moumantai!" attitude, if only to balance out the group's mood and keep things casual. Gigimon cared less about their long trip, and more about how bored he was and how much he missed peanut butter. The party was as much annoyed with his incessant complaints as they were with Yaamon.

Calumon and MarineAngemon were just as cheerful as ever. Calumon seemed to be the eternal optimist, nothing could put him down. MarineAngemon was similar, but more in the sense that he simply didn't see anything as important enough to stress about. The only thing that seemed to take the wind out of his sails was the thought of his estranged partner, Kenta.

Pokomon was the only one who had any faith in Yaamon's ability to get them there. She had known Yaamon the longest, and had been the only one who had leveled with him before he decided to speak with the Digimon and their Tamers out of more than disdain. She knew that he could be a decent Digimon when he tried, despite her firsthand knowledge of what he had done in the past, of what he was capable of. He had come close to killing her and her friends on several occasions, and had held nothing back in the attempt.

Still, through all of that she saw how tortured he was by what he had done. She could see it every time he flinched when ti was brought up-like salting an old wound. Besides, this was their only option left to them, if this fell through, they were up the creek without a paddle. As dubious as the strange invader's advice was, they had no other choice but to follow it. Nobody saw any of this in her expression however. As Renamon, it took a sharp eye to discern her emotions, and even in her current form, her face was difficult to read.

She simply sat there as they continuously bickered and complained. She knew that if she got involved or stated her opinion it would only worsen their petty arguments and draw her into them. Let them tire of it in their own time. She wasn't about to give them more ammunition. Getting into another argument with these stubborn Digimon was more trouble than it was worth.

MarineAngemon floated them along in his little bubble, oblivious to the argument ensuing around him. He didn't talk much, though considering MarineAngemon that went without saying. "Well what the hell do you expect out of me anyway?" Yaamon shouted. He had been trying to take everything they said without argument, because they were following his directions, but there was only so much that one Digimon could take. "I mean, all I have to go on are impressions, feelings to go on and I'm doing the best I can!" he continued.

"I don't even know why we're trusting this guy for directions," Hopmon argued, "Who knows if he's not just faking it, and is leading us into some trap. If half of what I've heard-"

"Hey, let's not go to far Kapurimon," Gummymon cut in.

"Yeah, let's all be nice to each other," Gigimon helped, "What's the use of arguing anyway? Either we get there or we don't."

"Don't cut me off!" Hopmon growled, "I said, if half of what you guys have said is true, than I don't know why we even trust him not to delete us while we sleep!"

"What you guys...have said?" Yaamon said, slouching down, and for once not arguing against somebody who got in his face. He had mocked and fought against digimon many levels higher than he, but he had no comeback for what was implied. He thought he had finally gained real friends.

The silence that followed couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes, but seemed to go on for an eternity. Finally the silence was broken-"That was uncalled for Hopmon." Pokomon admonished, not loud, not angry, but her voice was cold as ice. More threatening from Pokomon than shouting ever could be.

"Come on, let the past stay in the past, moumantai!" Gummymon advised.

"That was mean! Say you're sorry to Yaamon!" Gigimon demanded.

Yaamon was a little taken back. He didn't expect such a passionate reply...after all the terrible things, the long-standing hatred, had they actually accepted him? But they had talked about him behind his back...What else could he have expected though? It was only fair that the others knew everything about him. His train of thought was cut by Hopmon laughing, "Apologize to HIM? HA! I'd sooner delete myself than lower to his level."

Gigimon's pupils shrank into his aggressive game face, but before he could do anything rash, Pokomon interrupted, "That's enough Hopmon. This is the path we have chosen and we will follow it through till the end. If you had a problem with it you should have said something before we started. Besides, you of all digimon should understand what it's like to lose control of yourself."

Hopmon was about to say something further, but realizing he had lost the argument he simply settled down and mumbled his complaints to himself. The awkward silence that followed was deafening. Yaamon looked longingly at all of them, but nobody there would meet his gaze. They group had petty squabbles before, but never had they lowered themselves to insulting each other's character until now.

The silence would have gone on had it not been broken by Yaamon's quiet (for once) entreaty, "I know how you guys must feel, and I know what you might think of me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to make up for what I did, to Juri or to myself. I'm not asking you to like me. I'm just asking that you trust me on this. I'm doing the best I can, and I don't have to go on here. I'm sorry."

Pokomon looked over at Yaamon, who had turned around so that nobody could see the pained expression on his face. She had rarely heard him speak so candidly. And hearing an, "I'm sorry," from Yaamon about came as frequently as a solar eclipse.

The pause was broken by the ever-prudent Gummymon, who in his usual attempt to break up the tension said, "Well isn't this an awkward pause? Why don't you guys all just chill out?"

Hopmon shot him an irritated look, but said nothing. Finally, Chocomon pointed out through the bubble and shouted, "Look everybody! I see some trees!"

Pokomon was relieved at the distraction, as they all peered off towards the distant horizon and saw a line of green stretch and grow as they flew across the digital plane. Trees in the plane that was supposed to be nothing but sand and rock.

~*~

"Hello, is this the Makino residence?" The voice asked over the telephone.

"Yes, this is Ruki, are you looking for my mom or something?" Ruki asked, a little exasperated. Solicitors and potential agents had been calling for days now, for some reason everybody and their dog was trying to get a contract with her mother, and she hadn't the faintest idea why.

"Oh! Ruki, this is Mie Madsuda, Takato's mother. He isn't there is he?" The voice was a strange combination of worry and irritation.

"Here?" Ruki asked, "Why on earth would he be here?" Was she implying that Takato had slept at her house or something? Ruki knew that if he ever tried anything like that he was likely to get decked. But she didn't know where he was either, so he was worried. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Mie's voice quavered, "He didn't come home last night, I was worried and all. He was headed out to the park and never came back. We waited a while, he can usually keep track of himself, but we got worried and went out looking...and he wasn't anywhere!"

Ruki could tell that the woman was becoming hysterical, and tried to calm her down, "You last saw him leaving for the park you said? Was he with anybody? When did he leave?"

"Right after school he came home, took some of his card-things and left...he was alone," the woman said, she sounded like she was about to cry. Ruki couldn't stand that sort of thing.

"Alright, calm down. I'll go check myself, and I'll ask if any of his friends knew what happened to him." Ruki assured, a little annoyed at how some people got so weepy instead of handling the situation. Ruki wasn't the type to sit at home and worry about her friends, she'd go out and do something to help. Still though, she herself felt a tinge of worry for the goggle-head.

Pausing mid sniffle, Mie asked, "You'd do that...for me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right on it. I'll call if I find out anything, just keep your pants on and don't worry.

"Thank you so much Ruki, I'll be waiting for your call. Do you have the number?" the older woman asked, "You don't seem to call around here much anymore."

"I...well...Yeah, I have the number. Talk to you soon," Ruki assured and quickly hung up the phone.

~*~

"Some trees," turned out to be the understatement of the century. Chocomon had seen trees alright, but she neglected to mention the entire forest behind it. It stretched on in both directions farther than any of them could see.

"Well where are we supposed to go now Yaamon?" Hopmon asked a little contemptuously.

"Inside," he replied simply.

"Inside? That's it?" Gigimon piped up.

If Hopmon had any rude comeback to that statement in store, it was interrupted as Gummymon cut in, "Well let's just give it a try, why talk about it when we have nothing else to do?"

Despite the mixed feelings of the group, they headed inside the trees, carefully maneuvering through the dense foliage. Whatever bad feelings they might have harbored against each other were cut short by the absolute beauty of the forest. Flowers the likes of which they had never seen before bloomed in the patches of light that filtered through the dense canopy above them, and the trees stretched on high as their digital eyes could see. A flock of Digignomes flew through the foliage, weaving through the trunks and branches of the beautiful tall trees and laughing to themselves without a care in the world. One of them turned around and smiled at the floating Digimon, then turned back and flew with it's brethren.

"Maybe we should follow them?" Hopmon suggested, his dislike of Yaamon temporarily forgotten in the face of such unexpected beauty, "they're usually helpful."

Yaamon answered in the affirmative. So it was that they followed the little creatures as they happily navigated their way through the crisscrossing branches of the trees, frolicking in the air with careless abandon. Watching them seemed to lighten their spirits, they were absolutely free, with no home to tie them down and no responsibilities to speak of. It was the way they all wished they could feel, and it was nice to see that there were still those who could feel that way.

Suddenly they began to loose sight of the Digignomes as they began to pick up speed, and MarineAngemon was hard-pressed to keep up. Still, even though their speed was powered by a Mega, they kept losing ground, and just before the avian digital creatures were out of sight, they slammed into some unseen barrier that burst their bubble and sent them all crashing to the ground (with the exception of MarineAngemon who never stopped flying).

Shots of energy suddenly burst out of the trees, and one by one the already stunned Digimon were knocked unconscious. "A...trap...!" Pokomon managed to gasp out as she was blasted painfully into unconsciousness.

~*~

"Are you sure? And she doesn't know where he is? No. No, he wasn't in school today, but I didn't think anything of it. Park? Yeah, remember? I saw him there the other day just before I talked to you. No. What do you mean? You couldn't think...alright, I'll ask Hirokazu, you call Kenta. Yeah, I'll see you there."

Jenrya hung up the phone and stared down at it. Didn't come home last night? Missing for more than a day? That just wasn't like Takato. He was usually more worried about worrying his parents than for his own well-being. Quickly he called Hirokazu, but he hadn't seen Takato either.

"The park eh?" he had said, "He seems to be going there a lot lately. Seems like he walks past Guilmon's old house almost every day, it's kind of weird. It's out of his way too."

Thanking him, Jenrya hung up and threw a coat on. It was cold, and he had to go meet Ruki at the park.

~*~

Drifting back into consciousness, the first thing Renamon noticed was the fact that the splitting pain in her head was gone. The second thing she noticed was the fact that she was just that-she was Renamon again. She stretched her slender body luxuriously on the strange comfortable bed she had found herself in, wondering how she came to be in this place. Suddenly instinct told her she was being watched.

Cautiously she stood, finding herself in a long room with her friends, Guilmon, Terriermon, Lopmon, Cyberdramon and Impmon. They were all asleep in beds similar to her own, though tailored to the unique size requirements of each. She was the first awake apparently. How were they all brought back to their usual forms? And noticing two conspicuous absences, Renamon wondered, where are Calumon and MarineAngemon?

It was then she noticed the cameras around the room, suspended from the ceiling. They were connected by strands of data thick as a child's arm to the room, completely open and unconcealed. Whoever had kept them made no secret of watching them. Stealth would be impossible, Renamon could only hope that if their captures were hostile, whoever was manning the cams hadn't noticed her sudden awakening.

Quickly deciding that she would be the best for some reconnaissance alone, she walked out alone. Had she woken the others, they would have attracted dangerous attention to the group; it was likely they would be fine where they were. For whatever reason, somebody had put them there and helped them recover. It was unlikely that the effort would be wasted by harming them now. Still she didn't want to take the risk.

Slinking down the hall, senses alert, she realized that their group was only one of many. Down the halls, like a hospital or a nursery, were dozens...then hundreds of Digimon. Some were highly digivolved, some were mere infants. Most were badly damaged and recuperating in much the same way as she had been. Were these the survivors of the war against the D-Reaper?

Ahead, she heard muted voices, two Digimon in conversation. Down a ways a door opened. She saw some Digimon hobbling down the hallway out of a room, and she half-leaped half-teleported herself to a beam in the high ceiling. `This place was built big enough to accommodate all but the largest of Digimon,' she thought. Flexing her powerful legs, thigh muscles rippling, she silently launched from her perch and bounded along through the rafters, over the heads of the others, and then soundlessly landed about 100 feet behind them. Risking exposure in an unknown environment would be a stupid risk; one she wasn't about to take.

Continuing along, she noticed the rooms began to change. The digital air seemed to thicken, like the information their world was made up of was tangible. She could almost taste it. The rooms also began to change, beginning to gradually shift from infirmary-type rehab stations to strange birth-chambers of some sort. She saw rows and rows of pods, in which digimon at various stages of programming development floated in their own miniature sea of visible data. Pausing to investigate she slunk into one of the pod rooms and silently shut the door. Sensing no observing presence, she padded over to one of the pods and read it's monitor.

*Gatomon - Status: Critical

*Damaged during D-Reaper main assault

*Subject reduced to data stream

*Data Restoration and Reprogramming In Progress

*Recovery Rate: 8 DW standard days remaining before chamber release

*Outlook good-Full recovery likely

It was now obvious to Renamon what this place was for-it was an outpost of sorts for damaged and near killed Digimon. Actually...it looked like this one had even had its body destroyed...but was somehow being reconstructed.

Though all this seemed very noble, Renamon knew better than to let her guard down in an strange place. The fact still remained that they were lead into a trap and attacked. She didn't know what the intentions of the being that lured them here was, or what purpose bringing these Digimon was. From what she could see these Digimon were being put back together...which meant they were being reprogrammed. And anything powerful enough to reprogram the very basics of a Digimon was something to be very careful around at the very least.

Suddenly a muffled shout was heard from down the hall. A high-pitched shout that was altogether too familiar to Renamon.

"Calumon!" she gasped, and `ported back into the hallway. Calumon hadn't been in the room with the rest of them, and sounded like he was in danger. Her stealth was pointless if she had to rush into battle for one of her friends, so she made a mad dash down the hall, ducking and weaving through the few Digimon that were wandering through it, tripping some of them up with her sheer velocity of her rush. She approached a corner at the end of the hall, and launching herself off the wall she propelled herself in a forward dive towards the source of the shouting, rolling up when she hit the floor and springing back up into a battle stance.

A strange scene greeted her which was so far from her expectations that she was startled out of her battle ready mind set and right into utter confusion. Calumon and MarineAngemon sat (hovered) at tea with a few other Digimon, Calumon with a mouthful of creampuff, and MarineAngemon chatting happily away with what was perhaps one of the strangest creatures Renamon had ever seen.

The thing was...old. That was Renamon's first impression. It was like a Digimon but not, its body was pear shaped, with what looked like an apron tied around it's midsection. What could be considered legs were more like data streams which widened at the base and become one with the floor, making it seem that it couldn't move from that spot. It had an utterly blank face, with the exception of its eyes, which flashed with a rainbow of colors and seemed to flash binary numbers through them at amazing speed. It turned around from their little tea party and reached out to Renamon.

She-somehow Renamon got the impression that the creature should be considered, "female,"-spoke in a blank tone of voice, but somehow its eyes conveyed such a warm, maternal feeling that Renamon felt that she was in absolutely no danger with this being. Her voice rang in her ears, "Welcome Renamon, I'm glad you've finally woken up. Would you like to join us for some tea?"

"But what about my-" Renamon half-heartedly began, but was answered before her question could be completed.

"Your friends will wake up in no time, you were only the first. Don't worry dear, all your questions will be answered once they are all here to listen to them. Would you happen to have a taste for creampuffs? It seems your little friend here has quite an obsession with them," and matron's eyes sparkled with mirth, or at least what Renamon interpreted as mirth.

~*~

One by one the Digimon woke up, now being watched over by Renamon, Calumon, MarineAngemon and the others who had woken up. Renamon figured that in such a strange environment, the newly re-digivolved Cyberdramon would attack first, ask questions later. Luckily he was the last to wake, growling deep in his throat as he was filled in with the details of their current turn of events.

As the creature they were introduced to as Matronmon explained, the place was being used as a Digital World hospital of sorts, and as a refuge center for Digimon who's worlds had been destroyed by the D-Reaper, during it's extensive campaign against all digital and human life.

"How could this building pop out of nowhere though?" Terriermon asked, "I mean, how can such a huge place like this just appear in the middle of a forest?"

"Well I programmed it here of course." Matron replied casually.

"`Programmed it here?' How could you possibly do that? Only the Sovereign have that kind of power over the Digital world!" Lopmon preached. She still was very biased in the Sovereign's favor. She had been one of their devas after all.

"Don't fool yourself into thinking those stuck up Digimon are the most powerful beings in this world. There are different kinds of power on this plane of existence," Matron began, "You see, the Sovereign are of the oldest and wisest of the Digimon, but they are not the first..."

Lopmon gasped, "You mean you're...!"

Matron nodded, "Yes, I am of the first Digimon created by Shibumi and your so called, `monster makers.' I am one of the few remaining Originals, and one of the few who survived the original D-Reaper attack. After it disapeared my comrades and I were left with the task of rebuilding our civilization, bringing our entire race back from the brink of extinction, and had to ensure that they would be prepared for the day when our True Enemy would return. I have spent my time since in the pursuit of the evolution, growth and survival of my race."

Guilmon squeezed between Cyberdramon and Guardromon, whose hulking bodies had been blocking him from entering the conversation, "Are you really more powerful than the Sovereign?" he asked.

Matron made a face that might be considered a smile, "We are powerful in a different way. You see we programmed the new Digimon to seek to grow stronger, allowing them to gain power through battle, so that even the weaker Digimon, who wouldn't stand a chance against the strong could at least serve in bolstering the power of those more likely to survive. They took the path of strength in destructive ways so that our race would have a first line of defense against our Enemy. We Originals however saw wisdom in learning to manipulate the world around us. You see the very ground you stand on is pure data manifested into physical form. There is endless possibility in the very matter that our world is made up of, and we have tapped that bottomless well, and through it have grown into the beings we now are."

Guilmon looked confused, and asked, "Umm...is that a yes?"

Matron's eyes sparkled with humor, though her voice didn't reflect it, "You could say Guilmon that we are neither more powerful or less powerful. We have a different kind of power."

"What about the others?" Cyberdramon growled, always thinking of possible enemies first.

"They do as they please, we are peers on an level plane. We do not presume to control each other. I keep track of those who I can, even though we are all capable of hiding from each other. However, most of us act as guardians of this world, helping behind the scenes, outside of the worlds that the rest of the Digimon reside in."

"Then why are you here?" Cyberdramon challenged.

"It's simple. I saw that I was needed. There hasn't been this bad a disaster since the first reign of the D-Reaper. When I went into seclusion the first time, I hoped that I wouldn't be needed again, but I had been preparing for its return anyways. As you probably saw on the way here, much of the world is unstable, and there have been many casualties. I'd have to be blind and stupid to ignore the need," her eyes shined, "and I assure you all that I am neither."

Growling to himself but not challenging Matron further. Guilmon took the following awkward silence as a change to voice a question that had been on his mind since he first returned to the Digital World, "But what about Takato? When can I see him again?"

"Takato?" Matron asked, "Who's that?"

"He's my partner silly!"

"You mean you nine are the..." trailing off, Matron muttered to itself, "of course, that's why their data kept reaching out..."

Renamon interrupted her musings, "What's that about our data?"

"Oh?" Matron started, "I'm sorry, I've spent so much time alone I sometimes forget my manners. When you first arrived," Cyberdramon grumbled something about being captured, but Matron acted like she hadn't heard, "your data was damaged. Your outermost layer and others needed repairing, they couldn't retain data past a very small amount."

"Layer?" Guilmon asked, "Like some of the cakes Takato's mom makes?"

"I can explain this one," Lopmon cut in before Matron could take center stage again, "My former master Zhuqiaomon favored me enough to gaurd him personally, and he once explained how Digimon were composed. He created all of us Devas after all. Each Digimon has at least two layers of complexity, the Core layer and the outer layers. The core is our essence, it stays the same no matter what form we Digivolve to, it even lasts after we're destroyed or absorbed. It then returns to the raw data streams until it's needed again, or is reborn into another Digimon. The outer ones decide the form and strength of a Digimon. That's why stronger Digimon tend to be larger."

MarineAngemon uttered an indignant, "Pi!" at her last comment.

"Just because you're small doesn't mean you're weak, Your layers must consist of more tightly condensed data, you are a Mega level after all." Lopmon reassured the tiny Digimon.

Impmon piped up, jumping on Guardromon's shoulder, "What did you mean by damaged though? Are we broke or something? What the heck is wrong with us anyways?"

"Well you see," Matron began, "though all of you had your data damaged to different extents, your outer levels were faulty and leaked data. That's why you were forced into your previous state, your bodies couldn't manifest into anything stronger and keep itself going. If you stayed in the Real World you would have deteriorated to nothing, the integrity of your very core data being threatened."

Noticing that they waited to hear more, Matron summarized, "What I'm trying to say is, If you returned before you met me you would have withered to nothing. You would have died."

The intollerable silence that followed that assessment was inturrupted once again by Guilmon, his lack of social tact coming in handy for once as he yet again voiced the question spinning through all the Digimon's minds, "But what about now? Can we go back to the Real World now?"

Matron paused, and uttered what could be considered a sigh, "As you are...only a few of you can return and survive," pausing to point one long digit toward Renamon, Guilmon, Cyberdramon and Terriermon each in turn, "you four were to badly damaged to sustain your protein based forms without being supported by a surrounding data field. Here in the Digital World you can live full, relatively normal lives, but you can't go back to the Real World."

An explosion of denials and refusals were shouted back and forth in the ensuing argument, until Matron finally shouted, "SILENCE!" cutting through the angered chatter. "There is no more I can do for you here. You must learn to live like the rest of our kind has. It's harsh, but in times like these you should cut your losses and learn to enjoy life with what you've got left."

This sudden outburst from a being that had so far been nothing but nurturing and coddling startled them all into silence. All of them but the one who hadn't been arguing, and had stood back and observed the rest. "I'm sorry," Renamon finally spoke up, "but I cannot accept that. I am bound to Ruki, as partner and as friend. I won't let anything overcome that bond."

The group that had been starring at Renamon while she made this declaration now turned to Matron, to see what her reaction would be. Expecting (and maybe afraid of) getting yelled at by such a caring being once again, they were once again taken aback by the soft tone of voice that followed another sigh from the Original. "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to move on. Well I suppose you are a breed apart from other Digimon now, you've learned what it is to be loved, instead of the way of battle that has been the tradition of your ancestors since the creation of our world."

"I lied when I said that there was no way for you to return, but it would require a complete reformatting of your beings, all of the knowledge you've accumulated since your partnership would be erased, and you would begin life anew. That is how I've brought back so many of the Digimon that fell in battle against the D-Reaper. There is no other way I know how to repair you completely..." Matron trailed off, shaking it's head sadly.

"I would not risk the memory of Ruki so that I could live a normal life. She is too important to me. Are there no others who would know of a better way for us to return?" Renamon asked, for the first time an almost pleading tone entering her voice.

"There are those like me who might be able to help, but If there are I cannot sense them. As I said, they can hide themselves from me just as I hid myself from the Digimon for all these years. You can try to find them yourselves, but I sincerely believe your chances of finding them are slim to none."

"You see," Matron began, "When all of we Originals acted in tandem with each other, our powers were supreme-we were like gods. We decided that no beings should have the power we had obtained, and separated. We made this decision so as to maintain a balance in this world, and allow Digivolution to take its own course. Since, we have all evolved on our own, individually. Even I wouldn't know what to look for; my compatriots are now strangers to me."

"But there's nothing stopping us from trying, right?" Terriermon piped up.

Smiling at the diminutive Digimon, Matron wondered at the bond that must have been formed to create such a loyal and loving devotion to humans, spoke, "Well I suppose there is nothing I can do to stop you, so I might as well point you in as best a direction as I can. To the east, the direction our sun rises, there is a ladder that ascends to a digital plane with a castle ruled by Knightmon..." but she was cut off by Impmon.

"Hey wait a minute, since when have we had a sun? The digital world had nothing like that last time I was here," he puzzled, "I remember it being like somebody flipped a switch and poof, the light was gone."

"Actually that is the work of another of my kind. I sensed him when he exerted his will over the Digital World. I was concerned at first, because the act drained some energy from the outer layer itself. I was worried about more collapses, but it's done no harm so far. Now that I think about it its actually a nice touch, It provides a sense of direction and time for our world. I'm surprised nobody thought of it before," explanations concluded, Matron continued, "As I was saying; a city has built up around it, as it was used as an outpost against the D-Reaper's agents and as refuge for hurt Digimon, much like the services I provide. There's so many Digimon there that there is a chance one of them has heard of another of my kind. That's all I can do for you though."

"That's enough for me!" Guardromon spoke up, still not minding Impmon, now perched on his copper dome-piece. The resounding murmur of agreement was enough to bring a little smile to Matron's eyes. They were some stubborn Digimon, but there was love waiting for them somewhere, and Matron didn't begrudge them that...even though the concept was something it didn't understand all too well, living most of her life alone and liking it. Perhaps it was what she felt for the rest of her race when she realized the danger of extinction they were facing...

~*~

They had rested for only a couple days before the group felt compelled to go on. The warm glow they had felt upon departing had begun to diminish after another week of travel, but their resolve had not wavered. Impmon was privately grateful that Renamon had stuck her neck out for him, since nobody felt compelled to make fun of him since they had left. It was nice to be back in their regular bodies as well, with Guardromon, Cyberdramon and MarineAngemon able to fly and carry others, the trip was actually quite comfortable, if a little boring.

They had carried on like this for almost a week, following the setting sun. Finally, late on the afternoon of the seventh day, they set up camp at the bottom of a small hill. Data stream sightings had been few and far between the last few days, and the weather was just as dry as always on their level. Sleeping outside for one evening seemed like a nice change of pace. That evening they gathered some wood they had stumbled across (literally, considering the pain of Guilmon's stubbed toe) and settled down around the fire, also courtesy of the disgruntled virus-type. Patches of scraggly grass speckled the landscape, which seemed the best substitute for a bed they were getting that evening. Nobody complained though, they had slept in far worse places-caves and trees had been fine homes for two of them.

Guilmon lay on his back, claws behind his head and stared at the digital night sky. "Wow..." he signed to himself.

"...Wow, what?" Terriermon asked, wandering over to where the dinosaur had settled. Leaning against the larger Digimon's side, he joined his friend stargazing. Stargazing wasn't quite the right word for their scenery however, the shining Earth floating far above, data streams pouring out from all angles. Layers of data glistened beautifully as they slid over each other, almost like it was they themselves that were in the night sky, looking down upon a vast ocean.

"It reminds me of home, watching the stars in the park," Guilmon sighed and continued, "I miss Takatomon."

On the other side of their makeshift camp, Impmon and Calumon were engagued in a heated argument about creampuffs. Nearby a quieter pair were contemplating more serious matters. "I wonder..." Guardromon began.

"Pi?" MarineAngemon prompted him, snuggling into a thicker patch of grass and sighing contentedly.

"It's so different now. The Digital World I mean. There was never any sort of plant life up here, unless it was another kind of Digimon. Now grass is starting to grow where there should only be sand. Not that I don't enjoy the change..."

<Don't forget this new sun thing,> MarineAngemon pointed out.

"Yeah, and Matron said that one of the first generation Digimon made that change. Why did he do it though? I appreciate the difference; it makes it more like my old home with the Gekomon." Stretching out his bulky metal body on the soft grass, he gazed up at the night sky. "I think that I like it better this way."

<Things sure seem to be changing around here,> MarineAngemon mumbled to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

Renamon leaned forward on her haunches, grass prickling between her padded claws. She too seemed enraptured in the Digital astrology, but despite her aloof projection her keen ears didn't miss a word of the conversation at the bottom of the hill. She felt compelled to distance herself now, it was her instinct to remain unseen, and lately she had been quite the social butterfly. She wasn't used to all the attention, and needed a respite from the never ending chatter.

Now he's got the right idea, she thought, watching Cyberdramon patrol around the camp a good distance away. He paced one section of the camp perimeter, obviously agitated-understandably so, he was built for combat, raised as a perfect warrior by his trainer Ryo. Though his lust for data and destruction was sated somewhat by the destruction of the D-Reaper, he still felt an instinctive craving for battle. Being trapped in such a creampuff of a body for so long hadn't helped much either.

Renamon sighed. At least they were all safe and sound. Matron's diagnosis of them still clouded her thoughts. Would they ever get to the human world and see their friends again?

Would she ever see Ruki again?

She shook her head, as if trying to shake loose the dark thoughts that threatened her determination. She would find Ruki. There was no other way to think about it.

And yet...doubt continued to itch at the back of her mind. Stretching out on her back, she ran her paw through the soft cushion of grass. "Why is the Digital World becoming so much like Ruki's world?"

She took small comfort in the soft grass under her, but something else bothered her. Something dark lingered, a glimmer at the edge of her perceptions. She couldn't identify what made her uneasy, and wasn't even sure when she first noticed it. It had developed so gradually that she had almost dismissed it as worry for her Tamer, but something inside told Renamon that this was more serious.

The worst of it was that she had felt this somewhere before, but couldn't place the sensation. She couldn't put it into words, but she was sure that nothing good could come of this feeling. She wondered...no. There was no way it could be the same.

She tried her best to get comfortable, but despite her improved mattress, it was a long while before she drifted into a restless sleep.

~*~

Worry turned into fear, turned into anger as Ruki stood at the threshold of Guilmon's old home. "That idiot..." she whispered, her voice suddenly shouting, "that damned idiot!"

Jen huffed his way up the stairs, catching up with Ruki. Standing next to her, he could see her eyes suddenly glistening with emotion. She had run ahead of Jen, and he heard her yelling up the hill. Walking to her side, he asked, "What's wrong?"

As soon as the question was voiced, the sight before him answered it. Before their eyes lay the glowing gate into the Digital World. Scattered around it were several school books, a bag, and Takato's case of Digimon Cards.

After a pause, a furious Ruki asked Jen, "Well what are we supposed to do now?" still focused on the scene before her.

"Looks like we have no choice."

"What do you mean no choice?" She snapped at him.

"I mean we have to go in and find him, make sure he's not hurt."

Ruki blinked, surprised at the thought that any other course of action was possible, and then yelled, "Of course we have to go get him, but how are we supposed to find him? What if he gets attacked in there, he doesn't even have that red doofus of a Digimon there to back him up! What if that stupid goggle-head gets hurt, and we can't get to him in time?" She turned away, hiding her rising emotions from Jen. She tried to calm herself-she knew she was only getting angry because she was so worried about him. So why was she covering? Old habits really must die hard.

After a time, Jen spoke up, "We're in the same boat you know."

"Huh?" Ruki turned, almost in control of herself.

"Well we're definitely going in after him right?" Ruki nodded, and Jen went on, "Well remember then, we're pretty defenseless ourselves. Besides, how are we supposed to find him?"

"I'll figure that out when I get there," an obstinate Ruki commented.

"Just like usual then," Jen wryly commented, "should we call the others?"

Ruki stopped then and rationally thought about it. Ryo was never to be found, Hirokazu and Kenta were good guys, but not very reliable on their own, and Jen's sister, Makato and Ai would be in too much danger. There was that strange Tamer they had only seen once too, Alice she thought her name was. She hadn't heard from her since the incident though. "No, I suppose not," she finally decided, "Ryo's the only other our age who'd be helpful, but it would take too long to find him. I don't want to involve any of the younger Tamers either, not without their Digimon to protect them."

The two stood there silently, watching the data portal shift and flicker. Finally Jen sighed, "Looks like it's just us then."

"Looks like it," Ruki agreed, "We had better get ready-and fast."

Ruki grabbed Takato's things and the two hurried back to their respective houses.

Eyes beginning to blur, Ruki rubbed still forming tears from her eyes. I can't believe this, she thought, I refuse to cry over that stupid goggle-head like this. She clutched Takato's bag tighter as she ran on, Already compiling a list of what she would need to go after him.

~*~

Takato streaked downwards toward the ground, closing hish eyes and expecting the worst. Layers of data streaked past him as he picked up speed, All he could doo was wait for the inevitable impact. Seconds before he should have smacked face-first into the ground, he thought about how the Digital World really needed a better way of doing this.

As soon as the thought had formed, he suddenly was buffered upwards, slowing his descent suddenly, yet at the same time without shaking him up too badly. It was as if he had been caught by a great pillow of air, and he was gently lowered to the ground.

Face down, Takato lifted his eyes to see a hulking behemoth of a Digimon. He had dozens of pipes hissing steam leading from his body. His torso seemed to be made up of one huge boiler, with a large grate in his iron-cast belly. Through the vent he could see (and feel) a warm crackling fire. His legs hissed with the release of steam, driving his piston-like legs.

"Are you allright?" the metal beast asked in an oddly gentle, even cheerful voice. Well, if anything Guardromon was any proof, not all large metal Digimon were as cold and sterile as one might think.

"Yeah, surprisingly," Takato replied, standing and brushing the sand off his clothes. "Who are you? And was that you who caught me?"

"My name is Fumomon, I'm here to catch `mons coming into the Digital World. I saw you falling and flew right over. Hey, wait a second!" the Digimon leaned in real close and scrutinized Takato for a minute, then leaning back as if startled, "You're human aren't you?"

Before Takato could utter a startled reply, the Digimon went on, "Wow! I've never seen one before, hey, do you have a partner yet? I've always wanted a human of my very own. Hey, could you be my Tamer? I promise to take extra special care of you, and make sure that no other-

"Wait wait wait, one thing at a time," Takato interrupted the uppity Digimon, "I already have a partner, Guilmon. And my name is Takato by the way."

Not catching the sarcasm, the Digimon repeated his name, "Takato?" Fumomon's eyes widened, "The Takato?"

"You've heard of me?"

"Heard of you?" the suddenly excited Digimon exclaimed, "Why you're one of the four legendary Tamers aren't you? You're a hero to us Digimon! Wow, who would have thought that in one day I'd meet a human, and one of the ones to stop the True Enemy in one day! And here of all places!"

"Hero? Legend? What have I gotten myself into...?" Takato thought to himself while his newfound fan drooled over him.

Finally, the Digimon realized something was amis and asked, "Hey, where is your partner anyways?"

Takato looked out over the barren plains and scratched his head, "well that's just the thing, I'm not entirely sure about that...or really even where to start looking."

Fumomon put his ironclad fist in his hand and in a suddenly determined voice declared, "Then I'll help you find him!"

Takato blinked at this sudden declaration, "You will?"

"Sure, it's the least I can do for a hero like you. Besides, maybe later you could intoduce me to some of your human friends!"

With that the two set off east, towards the new pride of the Digital World-their first city, not noticing the shadow which had become aware of their presence. Like skeletal fingers, think tendrils of darkness followed their easterly progress. A high, grating voice laughed, to be echoed by another voice, lower and darker. Echoing each other, the two voices hissed, "They'll be with us soon...yes, soon."