Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Digimon Tamers: The Next Level ❯ Episode 24: Recovery and Discovery ( Chapter 24 )

“Yamaki?” Janyuu asked in surprise. He hadn't expected to see the former Hypnos agent after his disappearance. Quickly, Janyuu ushered him in, closing the door. “What happened to you? Why are you wearing that getup?”

 

“They've got a couple of Hypnos agents in the lobby downstairs,” Yamaki explained. “Looking for me, I'd bet. I, ah, borrowed this uniform to get past them. As for what happened to me, it's a long story,” Yamaki answered, greeting each member of the Monster Makers warmly. He looked around the room, his eyes finally falling on the communications device. “Is that what I think it is?” he asked, pointing.

 

Janyuu followed Yamaki's gaze to the table. “Yes,” he answered. “It's a comm. device. Henry managed to hide it in his room so the Hypnos agents who cleaned the place out wouldn't find it.”

 

"I take it you've been in contact with the Tamers, then?"

 

"Yes. They told us what they knew about what's happened. But, there are still a lot of questions that need to be asked."

 

"You got that right," Babel chipped in. "We don't know jack about this Ichiro Kurouji."

 

"I'll start at the beginning then," Yamaki said, pulling up a chair. The rest of the Monster Makers turned away from their projects to listen. "Ichiro Kurouji has been working for Hypnos for about ten years now. He was initially hired as a programmer, but he made his way up in the ranks, eventually becoming a supervisor directly under me. He was always very serious about his work, and was a consistently good supervisor.

 

"After what happened with Vikaralamon, when I was… fired, he stepped in to take over my position. He was one of the few who spoke out against the re-use of Juggernaut, but was ignored. When that backfired, I was given my job back, and the lead director who authorized the use of the program was removed from his position.

 

"I was offered the now vacant position, but I declined, and it ended up being given to Mr. Kurouji. When the time came to discuss sealing off the two worlds, he came out strongly in favor of the seal. Against the better judgment of me and several others on the board of directors, the seal was put in place.

 

"I thought that it was over but, while doing a routine check of the Hypnos servers, Riley came across some documents. They outlined a plan, which was called Prodigal Son, that involved using Takato and the other Tamers. As you know, the seal was designed by Shibumi with an intentional flaw, the details of which were given to Henry. Henry was the tool, the perfect choice to figure out how to take advantage of the flaw and bring Digimon back into the Real World. Military might is next to useless against Digimon, as only other Digimon and powerful programs such as Juggernaut can really defeat them. To put it simply, Kurouji would use Digimon as a nearly invincible weapon and grab power in the world.

 

"The rest you know. For years, Digimon compatriots of Kurouji have been building their strength preparing for the time when they would enter our world. The only ones who can stand up to them are the Tamers. I'm here because I need your help to help the Tamers.”

 

“Whatever you need, we'll try to provide,” Janyuu replied.

 

“I need access to a good computer,” Yamaki said, standing up. “There's something I need to do.”

 

“What do you need it for?” Dolphin asked.

 

Yamaki smiled as he gave his answer. “I'm going to hack into Hypnos.”

 

 

******

 

 

“Renamon,” Rika said, seeing her partner off. “Be careful out there. You never know what could be waiting for you out there.”

 

“I know,” Renamon smiled, leaning forward to kiss Rika on the mouth. “Don't worry.” With that she was off, leaving Rika to watch until she faded from sight.

 

It wasn't that Rika didn't trust Renamon to take care of herself, she just didn't want to have to lose her again. If it hadn't been for her leg, she would have gone with Renamon, but as it was, she was stuck waiting. If there was one thing Rika hated more than anything else, it was the feeling of being useless and, with her leg injured like it was, that feeling was paramount in her mind. With nothing else to do, Rika turned, the movement made awkward by the makeshift crutch she was using, and began to head to the courtyard.

 

“Ah, Rika,” Henry said, rounding a corner in front of Rika. “You're just the person that I was looking for. I need your help with something.”

 

“As long as it doesn't involve heavy lifting,” Rika smiled wryly. “What do you need?”

 

“Actually,” Henry answered, “and this is going to sound weird… I need you for an experiment.”

 

 

******

 

 

“How exactly do you plan on pulling this off?” Janyuu asked, looking over Yamaki's shoulder at the computer the former Hypnos agent was using. “It's not exactly going to be an easy thing, hacking into Hypnos.”

 

“No kidding,” Babel added. “We're talking high end, top of the line security measures. It's a hacker's worst nightmare.”

 

Yamaki's fingers fairly flew across the keyboard as he worked. “Yes, but what you forget is that I designed most of the systems in use. I made sure to leave several back doors as… insurance, for something like this happening. At least a few of them should still be open.”

 

“All right,” Dolphin said, crossing his arms. “Supposing we do get in, what kind of information do you think we could find?”

 

“According to Henry,” Janyuu answered, “what they really need are locations in the Digital World. A base, or an outpost, or anything like that.”

 

“I'll see what I can do,” Yamaki nodded, not taking his eyes from the screen.

 

 

******

 

 

Shibumi sat at his desk inside the Hypnos building, reviewing the continuing progress of Operation Prodigal Son. The Tamers were still very much a thorn in Kurouji's side and, from the reports, they had only added to their strength. They had reunited with Ryo Akiyama, Kazu Shiota and his partner had reached Mega, and above all, Gallantmon had once again accessed the power Grani had given him, allowing the transformation to what had become known as Crimson Mode.

 

At this, Shibumi smiled. While Kurouji's plan was achieving only partial success, Shibumi's own plan was progressing quite nicely. But still, there was something that was bothering him; something felt very out of place. He had an idea of what it was, but he didn't really have any proof.

 

Shibumi's thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door to his office. Irritably, Shibumi closed the reports file, calling out, “Come in.” The door opened, letting in an agent, looking slightly nervous. “Yes, what is it?”

 

“Sir,” the agent said, snapping into a salute. “We've received word from the network administrators that there has been an unauthorized access into the system. So far, all attempts to stop it have failed.”

 

“All right,” Shibumi nodded. “Tell them that I'll take care of it.”

 

“Sir!” Giving another salute, the agent quickly left, closing the door behind him.

 

“So, someone's accessing the system…” Shibumi said to himself thoughtfully, turning back to his computer. Typing in several commands, Shibumi brought up a screen showing the progress of the intruder. Much to Shibumi's surprise, the hacker was making considerable progress, somehow bypassing most of the security. He had to give the person credit, they really knew their way around.

 

“Wait a second…” Shibumi muttered, looking closer. The degree of skill that the hacker possessed was almost impossible, unless they were extremely familiar with the systems. Shibumi knew only one person who had such a degree of familiarity. “Well, well, Yamaki…”

 

Shibumi knew that the man was smart, but he hadn't known the full degree of his skills. Still, admiration or no, he had to put a stop to the access. If Yamaki got too much information, things would move much faster than Shibumi had planned, which could be disastrous. Whatever he did, it would have to be quick.

 

 

******

 

 

Renamon leapt quickly across the vast plains of the Digital World, landing briefly on a large outcropping of rock. Her mission was simple enough but, as Rika had said, she had no idea what would be waiting for her. She scanned the horizon, searching for the Data Stream that Henry had calculated would bring her to her destination. Finally, she spotted the Stream in the distance and raced towards it, mentally bracing herself for anything.

 

She entered the Data Stream, the familiar sensation of teleporting once again assaulting her body, breaking it up and reassembling it. Renamon landed in a crouch, quickly surveying her landing spot. The scenery was very familiar; Renamon recognized it as the same plane where they had fought Black War Greymon. The only thing left to do was scout around the area.

 

Renamon pushed a button on the device on her wrist, a D-Band, feeling power flow through her body, enhancing her muscles and sharpening her reflexes. She crouched briefly and was off, her card-enhanced speed allowing her to cover ground quickly. Her first destination was the site of the battle, and from there she would begin her search.

 

Renamon was easily able to identify the former battleground, a large area of scorched and pitted ground, feeling the power of the card dissipate as she reached it. She paused briefly, marveling over the amount of damage inflicted on the ground, before looking for some sort of clue. As Renamon reached what appeared to be the furthest edge of the damaged area, she felt a sudden chill over her entire body. She leapt up into the air just as ice crystals covered the ground where she had just stood. She traced a wide fan of crystals back to the source, a blue ogre-like Digimon.

 

“Supreme King Fist!” Sensing another incoming attack, Renamon twisted out of the way just as a burst of black energy streaked towards her, launched by a green ogre-like Digimon. “Evil Hurricane!” Renamon wasn't quite as lucky with a third attack, a tornado of swirling dust catching her and flinging her to the ground.

 

“Gotcha!” a third, orange ogre-like Digimon cheered. “Still, two out of three wasn't bad.” He stepped forward, tapping a large club on the palm of his hand.

 

Renamon quickly sprang to her feet, sore and bruised, but otherwise undamaged. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

 

“So glad you asked!” the blue one laughed. “You can call me Hyogamon!”

 

“The name's Fuugamon!” the orange one added.

 

“And I'm Ogremon,” the last, green, one said. “Together we are…”

 

“The Ogre Brothers!” They said in unison.

 

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” Renamon said with a slight sneer. Despite her bravado, she hadn't been expected to get into a fight so early, and especially against three powerful Champion level Digimon.

 

“Doesn't matter,” Fuugamon shrugged. “All that matters is that we capture you, and receive our bounty.”

 

“Bounty hunters,” Renamon sighed. “How'd you know I was going to be here, anyway?”

 

“Come now,” Ogremon laughed. “A good bounty hunter never reveals their source. But that's not important right now. The time for talking is over!”

 

“I agree,” Renamon said, reaching once again to her wrist. “Let's go!”

 

 

******

 

 

Under the sheet, Rika lay back on the bed, her injured leg exposed. “I'm still not entirely sure about this, Henry.” When Henry first suggested his plan to use a Dust Packet on her injury, it sounded very strange, but she had agreed, curious to see if it would work. Still, she had some doubts. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

 

“By all logic, it should work,” Henry answered, knowing that his answer wasn't exactly reassuring. “But, the worst thing that happens is that it doesn't work at all. So, there's nothing to lose.”

 

“All right,” Rika sighed. “Let's get this over with.”

 

“Sure,” Henry nodded, using a pair of tongs to pick up a Dust Packet. “Now, Rika, the most important thing is that you believe it will work. Also… this might sting a little.”

 

“Now you tell me…” Rika grumbled. “Okay.” She closed her eyes, repeating to herself over and over that her leg was going to be healed. Henry wasn't completely accurate, as it stung more than just a little. She inhaled sharply at the pain, and looked down to see the Dust Packet dissolve. At the same time, before her eyes, the wound on her leg began to close and then disappear completely, not even leaving a scar. “How the…?”

 

“Yes!” Henry laughed, pumping his fist. “I knew it would work!”

 

“All right, but how?”

 

“Well, it's like this,” Henry said, sitting on the edge of a nearby bed. “You see, here in the Digital World we don't have a flesh and blood body like we do in the Real World. What we are over here is a representation of our physical body composed of data. That form, the one we're in right now, is controlled by our minds and wills. When you were hit by Knightmon's sword, your brain decided the type and extent of the injury and that, in turn, was represented in your data form.”

 

“So, what you're saying is… I thought I was injured… so I was?”

 

“The human mind is a peculiar thing,” Henry nodded. “Since the brain controls pretty much all of the functions of the human body, whatever the brain believes is the truth. If our brain gets a signal that we're unable to breath, we can't, even if there's no real problem. Also, the brain, especially in children, is incredibly adaptable. Our brains were able to adapt to the need to regulate our human forms here in the Digital World, and representing physical damage stemmed from that.”

 

“If I follow what you're saying,” Rika said, “and I think I do, if we believe that we won't get hurt… we won't?”

 

Henry thought about that for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to formulate his response. Finally, he told Rika, “Theoretically, yes. Say, for example, that I told you I was going to jab you with a pin. This gives you enough time to believe strongly enough that doing so won't cause any pain, that it won't even pierce the skin. But, if I just do it without giving you a warning, there's nothing you can do.”

 

“I see,” Rika nodded. “No matter how much we think so, we're not immortal by any stretch of the means. One thing though. If it's all controlled by our brains, why is the Dust Packet necessary?”

 

“It helps if you think of our bodies as files on a computer. Basically, when we get hurt, it's like the file gets corrupted, and something extra is needed to repair the damage. The Dust Packet serves that purpose.”

 

“I suppose that makes sense,” Rika said with a dry chuckle. She stood up, the sheet still wrapped around her waist, and gingerly put weight on her formerly injured leg. As she might have figured, there wasn't even a twinge of pain. “That's better,” she smiled, grabbing her pants.

 

Henry turned away as Rika got fully dressed once again and said, over his shoulder, “If you see Kazu, tell him I'd like to see him.”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

 

******

 

 

“Damn,” Yamaki cursed, typing frantically. “They've found my intrusion.”

 

“Worse than that,” Dolphin told the former agent. “They've launched a worm. We need to cut off our connection in the next forty-five seconds, or it could infect our system.”

 

“Right,” Yamaki nodded. “Give me a countdown.” He was so close, he could almost taste it, but he still had to get through the final layer of protection.

 

“Forty seconds.”

 

“I'm in!” Yamaki said, not sparing a second for gloating. “There's a lot of data in here, but I'll get all of it I can.” He typed in a quick command, beginning the download.

 

“Thirty seconds.”

 

Yamaki watched, literally at the edge of his seat as he watched the download bar increase. Five percent, seven, ten…

 

“Hurry, only ten seconds left to total system collapse! Nine… Eight… Seven…”

 

Yamaki cursed softly, watching the bar creep towards twenty percent, counting off the seconds in his head. At two seconds left, he had to cut it off now or never. “Closing connection… Now!” The words `Connection Cancelled' appeared on the screen, the download bar stuck at only nineteen percent. Yamaki saved what he could to a file, slumping back in his chair. “That… was a bit too close for comfort.”

 

“Still,” Janyuu said, bringing up what they had downloaded, “it wasn't a complete bust. Let's see what we got…”