PHALANX - The series
Episode Twenty-five: Seven Days of Doom, part two.
Ami had crossed over yesterday evening, along with all her friends. She couldn't help but be curious about Shadow's friends, and the rest of the Senshi had joined in the party. Since universe 700 was one of the worlds with an extended pallet of hair colors, Ami's blue hair was accepted. Another complication out of the way, now she wouldn’t have to hide it.
Right now, she and Daphnix were walking along the shores of a large ocean. Ami sighed happily as she remembered how easily she and her friends had been accepted. She also smiled at the fact that no one made a comment about her age, certainly not after Shadow had explained what Ami did in her 'spare time'. In fact, she and her friends had been treated with the necessary respect, respect they readily returned after receiving a demonstration of the Z-fighters' abilities.
"This is such a peaceful world," Ami whispered.
"Unfortunately, there always seems to be something disturbing that peace. Shadow told us about her stay here…it wasn't pretty."
Ami nodded. "Gohan told us, too. You know, I think Gohan would make a good friend for Chibiusa."
Daphnix smiled as he thought of the pink-haired six-year-old girl meeting the young warrior. "I'm sure the sparks would fly…Chibiusa seems to have kind of an attitude at times."
"You can't blame her. She grew up a princess in the 30th century, and I think that's why she was sent back."
"To get rid of the attitude? Good luck…"
Ami playfully hit his chest. "Oh, you! Chibiusa's nice, once you get to know her. Unfortunately, you don't spend nearly enough time down with us to get to know her well enough."
Daphnix shrugged. "She seems to have something against me," he defended. "And I stay away so I won't hurt her. Normal children are very fragile."
Ami laughed. "Don't let her hear you said that!"
"I won't tell if you won't," Daphnix said, smiling. He bent closer to her while making his statement, so his face was close to hers. So close, he could smell her breath… and the mint-smell of the toothpaste she had used that morning.
"Deal." Ami smiled, and bent closer. Their lips made contact, and both closed their eyes, letting the sensations carry them far away from vampires, monsters, superpowers, and out into space.
******
Day two, 1115 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Jennifer's home away from home.
Jennifer awoke peacefully in the wilderness she now called home. Smiling contently, she stretched herself like a lazy cat, and grunted peacefully while doing so.
"This is so relaxing," she muttered, sitting upright. She closed her eyes, and let the smells of her surroundings enter her nostrils. Just content to sit there for now, she smiled as a gentle breeze nipped at her nose, and threatened to put her hair in further disarray. The gentle rays of the sun caressed her face as Jennifer let her thoughts wander.
Thoughts of training entered her mind, and she was content to notice that the kinks and aches in her muscles had diminished greatly today. The last week had been especially gruesome, both teetering on the brink of magic augmentation level 5. It had taken a lot of hard work to cross the fine line, hard work that had destroyed most of their resilience and reserves. Shorter tempers had caused frequent fights, fights that passed as fast as they came.
Jennifer laughed out loud as she remembered a fight about something as silly as a pair of socks. She couldn't help but laugh until tears streamed down her cheeks. Now that rational thoughts were returning, the stupidity of the fight amused her, yet at the time, it was deadly serious.
Gently getting up, Jennifer opened her eyes, and scanned the vicinity. She walked to the stream, and entered it. Fishing like a bear would, she scooped a couple of fish out of the icy water, onto the shore. After her morning fishing, Jennifer used her mental abilities to clean the slippery animals, and pinned them on some sticks. After roasting them on the rekindled fire, she couldn't help but enjoy her good breakfast. Being outside worked up an appetite in the Amazon.
She cleaned up her campsite, broke up the tent, and put everything in her backpack. She cast a look at the clearing, and started hiking once again. She had seen a large mountain not far away, and she was determined to climb it. Setting out a brisk pace, the female warrior disappeared into the forest.
******
Day two, 1235 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Sorcerer's home away from home.
Sorcerer had decided to stay on his spot, and had just finished catching his lunch: a couple of birds he had shot down, and a couple of fish he had caught in the nearby river. While the two birds roasted, Sorcerer prepared the fish like a real Japanese Sushi-chef would, and ate the tasty morsels of raw fish as if they were sushi as appetizers.
"Too bad I didn't have rice to go with the fish," Sorcerer said with regret after he washed his hands in the river. "Oh well, I still have the birds."
He pried the first bird from the stick, and set his teeth in the roasted animal. He chewed slowly, tasting the meat. "Not bad," he allowed. "I've had better, but not bad at all."
After his meal, Sorcerer disposed of the leftovers in the river, and undressed. After shedding his clothes, he stepped naked into the cold water, directly under the small waterfall. The cold mountain water cascaded down his body as Sorcerer closed his eyes. he began drawing in magic from the universe, doing a full recharge the way he liked them most.
This time, however, he didn't resent the images that would come. He didn't fight the memories of what he had done; of all the pain and grief he had felt for being alone. He wasn't afraid anymore, because he knew what would come at the end: Jennifer. She had made him a whole person; she had been his savior, literally. Even thought it had been only a few months, Sorcerer couldn't imagine his life without her. A smile decorated his lips as he glowed in a red light.
After the recharge, Sorcerer opened his eyes, and savored the feeling of the cold water on his heated body. Recharging always pushed his body temperature up by a few notches, and the cold water now cooled him down. Sorcerer stepped from under the waterfall, and climbed ashore. He sat down next to the almost extinguished fire, and rekindled it by throwing some small branches on it. After he got the fire going again, Sorcerer closed his eyes, and meditated, allowing all the 'negative energy' to flow out of his body. He knew he would feel like new after a couple of hours of this cleansing mediation.
******
Day two, 1425 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: mountain-wilderness.
David and Jessica were facing each other, both were squatting, their fists clenched, while grunting low and dangerously. Ki flames burst into existence next to their young bodies. The grunting became groaning, louder and louder, until the ki flames erupted in strength.
"That's it!" Gohan shouted. "You're almost there! Just a little more!" Next to Gohan, Frederic and Jennifer were also present.
Both kids were shouting now, their mouths wide open, and their young features distorted obscenely with rage. Suddenly, it was all over. The ki flames died out, and the kids fell to their knees.
"It's…too much," David moaned.
"Don't give up. You're getting closer," Frederic told them. "Another week or two, and you'll get it."
The kids nodded. "We know," Jessie grunted. "It's just…so much."
"Remember, you asked for this kind of training," Jennifer told the children. "You can stop at any time you feel like it."
David shook his head, his short brown hair waving. "No. Dad can do it. So can you, and uncle D. We need to do this too."
"I turned Super because of my fight with Sorcerer. Your mother turned Super because of her mind-link to me, and your uncle turned Super because of the vampires."
"We know, Daddy. But we don't feel ready to go out hunting with you… I don’t know if we could handle that."
"You just tell us when you're ready. There's no hurry. Now, do you want another go, or are you just going to fly off with your new friend?" Frederic asked. The kids had become good friends with Gohan in the short time they were here, and Frederic and Jennifer had no problems with that. They found that a friend more or less their age could do a lot of good for their twins.
"What do you say, Gohan?" David asked.
"Want to show us those caves you mentioned?" Jessie added.
"Sure," Gohan said, smiling.
"Great! Dad, I think we're too drained to try it again," David told his father.
Frederic nodded. "I understand completely. Doing things like that with you ki can be very draining. Well, I guess we'll see you when you get back, then."
David and Jessica laughed, said good-bye, and took off right behind Gohan, who also bid his goodbyes. Frederic and Jennifer watched them go, smiling.
"It's good to see them make friends their own age," Frederic said. Jennifer couldn't agree more. Together, they flew off, slowly making their way back to the Capsule Corporation building. Frederic shifted into Shadow along the way.
As the two women touched down in front of the building, a strange voice permeated into Shadow's mind.
Can you hear me?
"King Kai? Is that you?" Shadow's voice rose, indicating her excitement.
Yes, it's me Shadow. It's good to see you back here! I'm glad you made it. Listen, I think I have something to teach you that might interest you and Jennifer.
"King Kai? The King Kai? The one with the Kao-Ken techniques?" Jennifer asked.
The one and only. So, how about it? Are you interested?
"What is it you want to show us, King Kai?" Shadow asked.
It's something called the 'fusion dance'. It allows for two warriors of nearly the same power levels to merge into one being, combining the power levels of both warriors, and then adding some because the abilities get merged.
"It sounds interesting," Shadow commented. "Can I use it in my male form, or is it gender-bound?"
I…to be honest, I don't know. No one ever tied it with a man and a woman. But I think it's safe to say it's gender-specific. After all, what would the combination of a man and a woman look like?
Shadow looked at Jennifer, who nodded at the smaller woman. "We both accept King Kai. Thank you. Now, how are we going to learn this? Killing us is a little drastic to learn a new technique…"
"Besides, we can't be killed," Jennifer added.
I will show you telepathically. Your telepathic abilities are a great help.
"Alright, King Kai," Shadow told the short blue man on the planet at the end of Snake Way. As the knowledge transferred, the two women were amazed at the possibilities.
"I think we've got it," Shadow told King Kai finally. "Let's give it a test-run."
"Let's see…uhm…this is a dance," Shadow mumbled. "I hold you like this, and we do this…" the two women executed a really silly dance, and ended by pushing the top of their heads together. The next moment, a strange sensation overcame the two women, who certainly found themselves very much apart of one another. Two voices sounded as the strange woman spoke, "This feels really cool."
The woman stood at medium height, of about 1.70 meters tall, had dark-brown hair, and had the strangest blue-green eyes. Her facial features resembled a cross between Jennifer and Shadow.
"It certainly looks like we've done it," the woman said to King Kai, while looking at one of her clenched fists. It was glowing in a golden glow.
It certainly looks that way.
"Thank you, King Kai," Jennifer said as she and Shadow split apart once again.
"Yes. Thank you. I'm sure this will come in useful when something disastrous happens."
******
Day two, 1525 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: deserted seashore.
On top of a huge cliff, Daphnix and Ami were seated. They had gone for a walk after lunch, and they had found their way up here, a large cliff, towering over the sea. It towered at least 50 meters above the shoreline, and the salty air of the sea was coupled with a gentle sea breeze, relaxing the two people not only with smell and touch, but also with the rushing of the waves deep down.
Ami took a deep breath as she overlooked the sea. She and Daphnix were seated on the edge of the cliff, and she could feel the presence of her boyfriend next to her. Somehow, they had slipped back, and Daphnix was back on his pet-project. She knew he was going leisurely at it, because he was still able to hold a conversation. Well, sort of, anyway. She decided to let him go on with it. It was almost finished, after all. Closing her eyes, Ami thought of everything that had happened to her since she had met Daphnix. Suddenly, she spaced out.
"Did you feel that?" Daphnix asked the blue-haired girl he was seated next to.
"Fell what?" she asked curiously.
"I think I've got it," Daphnix whispered. Ami's face lit up.
"You do?"
Daphnix gave her a wide smile. "Oh, yes, Sweets. It looks like your problems will soon be over."
"And my friends?" Ami asked, serious once again.
"Well, it took me weeks with you… unless your friends are willing to spend as much time with me as you do, I don’t see a way to accomplish the same." Ami's face fell a little as the words registered.
"Come on, Sweets. Those are worries for later. Think about everything you will be able to do to help your friends."
Ami smiled again, and nodded. "You're right."
"Come on, let's enjoy our afternoon. There's no need to rush things. Everything's peaceful, calm, and low. All we need to do now is relax, and enjoy ourselves."
"Right," Ami mumbled, nestling herself against the warm body of the man next to her. She closed her eyes and smiled contently as he put his arm around her, pulling her against him. Ami was sure he had a similar expression when she felt his head come to a rest against her.
******
Day two, 1610 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Sorcerer's home away from home.
Sorcerer's afternoon had been spent training. First thing he had done was use his magic to create a fifth level golem, the weakest he could make, after which he had decreased the strength in his body through the use of magic. The magic decreasing spell wasn't used much, except for training purposes, and Sorcerer couldn't help but think who would create such a spell. After all, decreasing one's own strength was not something that was done readily.
After getting his strength and speed down to 50% of normal, he had sparred against the golem, until his body was aching all over, and sweat was pouring down his face. After catching his breath, he had instructed the golem to function as a further training partner. The golem held out boards, which Sorcerer broke using the strength of his decreased body.
After breaking numerous branches, Sorcerer had disbanded the golem. Setting out a brisk jog, Sorcerer further drained his energy by running 20 kilometers through the woody area where he had erected his tent. Using the forest as a nice place for a run, Sorcerer spent at least half the time either ducking under branches, or jumping over them. But, not as normal people would do it. He ducked only under the low branches, and jumped over the high ones. If he really couldn't get under them, he would deign himself to jump, but otherwise, he kept to the reversed rhythm.
After completing his lap, and returning to the campsite, Sorcerer knelt down next to the fire, and folded his legs. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing, and forced his body to relax. Half an hour later, he was up once more, and had jogged back into the forest. Using all the strength his decreased body could muster, he hit and kicked trees above the snowline. His feet buried up to their ankles in the white snow, the cold of it permeating into his shoes, Sorcerer stood quiet as a statue, listening to the programs inside his head.
"Left hit!" his left hand hit the tree, his body bending along with the stroke for maximum effect.
"Right kick!" his body shifted, and his right leg hit the tree, the pine bending and whipping as the force of the blow shook it.
On and on the training went. For what seemed like hours, Sorcerer stood there, training his decreased body. When he finally lifted the decreasing spell, he welt tired, but happy. Setting out a walk back to his campsite, Sorcerer thought of the fact that his body felt stronger than it had ever felt before. As such, he never had any prior warning. A flood of power rushed over him, blinding all the senses his mind had.
Grunting, Sorcerer fell to the ground, clutching at the pounding in his head. His eyes were closed, because the blast caused them to record spots, lines, colors, and shapes that weren't actually there. Slowly, he regained his balance.
"Damn, Jenny. You know better than to blow your screens like that… I told you to keep your magic in stealth mode to avoid detection by probes my twin might have deployed," he muttered into the empty air. When no second blast came, Sorcerer shrugged. "She probably blew a gasket while training," he added to himself. He released the breath he had subconsciously been holding as no avenging dimensional twin came burning from the skies, seeding death among him and Jennifer.
******
Day two, 1645 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: Capsule Corporation.
The entire Phalanx group had gathered at the Capsule Corporation building. They had needed a rendezvous point, and this was the best thing they could come up with. In addition to Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, David, Jessica, and the Senshi, Bulma and her parents were also there, as well as a grouchy Vegeta, Gohan, Goku, and Chi-Chi. After being assured that the baby was no problem, Bulma also brought baby Trunks with her, not wanting to leave him alone, or in care of someone she didn't know.
"We still have the things of David and Jessie," Jennifer had assured Bulma. "Believe me, we're more than well equipped to handle a baby. And Linda will be so happy to have another baby to pamper."
"Who is Linda?" Bulma had asked.
"Linda is an artificial intelligence. She can take a human form… and she likes children," Shadow had explained. "Something that came out only after our children were born, but still, I'm not complaining. She is an ideal babysitter."
"So, is everybody ready?" Shadow asked when he saw the large group chatter among themselves. It looked as if everyone was present. When she received positive answers, she called for transport. As Jennifer and Shadow had predicted, Linda was ecstatic about the baby, pampering the little boy as if he were her own child. Bulma was at ease when she saw how gentle the hologram dealt with her child. And after seeing the stuff that was available, she had joined dinner without reservation about the level of care Trunks was getting.
After dinner, Shadow had shown the people around the Ortega, and Vegeta actually began to loose his grouch when she showed him, Goku and Gohan the holodeck… and its gravity purposes. Chi-Chi had not been happy with Gohan joining the adults in the holodeck, but the decent amount of pleading done by Goku had convinced her. Finishing the rest of the tour, the three were still going at it in the gravity room. Just like Bulma and her father were still examining the technology of the Ortega by giving Linda the fifth degree.
Leaving only Chi-Chi and Bulma's mother, Shadow finished the tour back in the same room they had eaten dinner. The Senshi had retreated to their quarters before the tour, doing girls' stuff, so that left only Shadow, Jennifer, Daphnix, David, Jessica, and the two women from universe 700 in the room. Talk went quietly, and the two women left at around eight in the evening, Chi-Chi dragging a sputtering Goku and Gohan with her.
Bulma and her father left half an hour later, their heads spinning with technological advances, with Bulma dragging an equally sputtering Vegeta behind her. Bulma's mother was carrying Trunks.
******
Day two, 2010 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Jennifer's home away from home.
Gently, the chestnut-haired beauty opened her eyes as she gazed up into the sky. The sun was beginning to set, submerging the air into the most beautiful shades of purple and blue. Slowly, Jennifer got up, and rekindled the fire. Throwing an earlier caught, and prepared, rabbit onto the fire, she shifted over to a tree, and rested against it.
"This is so beautiful," she muttered. Slowly getting up, she added, "Better warm myself up a little before dinner."
She got into a combat stance, and started doing katas. Slow and deliberate, her movements were executed, with an emphasis on style and her breathing rather than pure speed and strength. She became the embodiment of inner peace as she went through the movements. As such, her senses were at their peak when they registered something. Something powerful. When the blade-wielding man appeared out of thin air, Jennifer looked surprised.
"Who are you?"
The man didn't bother replying, and jumped at Jennifer.
"Fuck!" she shouted, ducking, barely fast enough. She had ducked under his swing, and she felt his sword-hand reverse directions, and the hilt of the sword slammed into her lower back. A paralyzing pain shot through her lower body, and Jennifer fell flat on her stomach on the mellow grass she had been resting on not ten minutes earlier. Her head rose from the floor, caked with dirt, and her blue eyes shot fire. Ignoring the stabbing pain, the jumped up, and made a quadruple somersault as her instincts warned her against an incoming attack.
Again, she was just not fast enough, as she felt the blade cut into her back as she somersaulted over him.
"Magic augmentation, level six!" Jennifer shouted, and she felt her stealth shields crumble like paper against the onslaught. WARNING! Ten seconds before total bodily collapse!
Attacking with all the strength her body could muster, Jennifer slammed into the man, her magic, Force, and mental powers peaking to enormous levels. All she knew was the darkness as the man slammed his bulky fist, holding a hard sword, into her face.
******
Day two, 2030 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: Ortega Bridge.
Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, David, and Jessica had gathered on the bridge, talking about the DragonBall world. Top on the list was, of course, the twins' desire to turn Super, along with the super-ki that was available in this universe.
"So, how fare are you?" Daphnix asked. "It's 10,000% to turn Super, right?"
"Yep. 10,000 percent normal," Frederic agreed.
"The highest I got was a little over four-and-a-half thousand," David said, dejectedly.
"I got four seven-fifty," Jessie told the group, equally as dejected. "We're just not strong enough."
"You're still young. Barely over a year old," Frederic comforted them. "Your bodies will gain strength. Certainly now that you're training the way you are."
"Still…" David grunted. "It would be nice, you know? To know we are able to carry our weight…"
"David, Jessie, you're our children. We love you no matter what you chose. Remember what we told you hen you said you didn't want to be warriors?"
Jessie nodded. "You told us that, no matter what path we chose, you would always support us."
Frederic nodded. "That's right. You have to remember, children, your body isn't like your mind. You may be able to accumulate data almost as fast as a computer can, but your body isn't like that. It needs to be trained in order to gain strength and speed."
"Not to mention you can't go flat-out on us because we're too young to become immortal," David grunted. After the fiasco with the MiB, Frederic had attempted to make his children immortal, but the Fountain of Youth decided otherwise. The children needed to be at least in puberty before they could become immortal.
"Young Phalanx," the Wise One appeared in front of Frederic, who was seated in the command chair at the moment.
"Wise One," Frederic said, standing up, and bowing his head. "How can I help you?"
"This time, the Gods need the help of your children, Young Phalanx."
"My children, Wise One?"
"Yes. Allow me to explain. These are the coordinates of a universe we'll call 702 for now. It has a world within the world. Inside the digital networks of that universe, a second world has evolved, the digital world, so to speak. Now, this digital world is in trouble. Eight children of that universe, called the digidestined, have already been dispatched, and they have managed to get most of the dark forces under control. But, an even bigger darkness looms over them, and we fear they might not be enough."
"Why not send me and Jennifer, Wise One?"
"Because only children can survive the transition, Young Phalanx. We have no doubts that you would survive, but the resulting stresses might be too much for the digital world to survive. The battle between light and dark has already put enormous stresses on it."
"I see… How dangerous is it?"
"And what would we have to do, Wise One?" Jessie asked.
"The mission is indeed dangerous, Young Phalanx. But, the outcome of not one, but two worlds rests in the balance. A unique link exists between the digital world and the real world. If the digital world dies, so does the real one. And the mission would mean you will be given these devices, called 'digivices', and these, called 'tags', and you would be transported to 702 to make the transition into the digital world. There, you will team up with the eight digidestined, and help them defeat the darkness."
The God held out four items. The digivices were small square devices, with a small screen in front. Both were in a bluish-gray color. The tags were necklaces, fitted on a chain. They were a light ochre-yellow in color. The top of the tag, where the chain went through, was triangular in shape. Directly under the triangle, a small transparent piece had been placed over an indentation into the tag, obviously made to hold something under the transparent layer, while still allowing it to be visible. Under the transparent holding-location, the tag tapered to a small line, and contained some strange writings on top.
Frederic was obviously less than happy with it, but he forced himself to think of the consequences. If he didn't allow his children to go, it would be up to eight normal children…and their failure would certainly cause big problems. On the other hand, if he let them go, they could still fail. Neither of his kids was immortal… and if they failed, they would die.
Frederic looked at Jennifer, who looked back at him, her eyes standing lost. It was obvious she was considering the same things he was. Slowly, they smiled bravely at one another, and nodded one time.
"David…Jessie…the choice is up to you. You're both smart enough to decide for yourself. All your mother and I can tell you is to think things through, and do what your heart tells you to do. Make a decision, stand by it, and do your very best. That is all the advice we can give you."
"The Gods need our help," David muttered.
"Ours," Jessie repeated. "And only ours…" The two kids' gazes locked.
"We didn't sign up for this, Sis."
"But we are in a position to help. This is like X-5498 all over," Jessie grunted, referring to the project that created the Fromthefield Hole. They had needed to make a decision then, and they needed to make one now. Single-mindedly, they nodded.
"We'll do it," David told the Wise One.
"We will," Jessie added superfluously, but still feeling the need to express her agreement.
Frederic looked at his children. "Hang on for a second," he said. "I've got something that might help." He disappeared, and returned barely a minute later. "These are your Swords of Destiny. We were going to give them to you after you finished your training, but…well, this is a more suited occasion."
The kids looked around the bridge, seeing tears glisten in all the eyes there. Jennifer's face showed concern, fear, but it also showed that she was proud of her children. Frederic smiled encouragingly, his face too, showing how proud he was. Confidence was on his face, a confidence that supported David and Jessie in their conviction that they were doing the right thing. Daphnix clenched his fist, and gave them an encouraging nod.
"Ready?" the Wise One asked the children.
"What about weapons?" David asked.
"And equipment?" Jessie piped in.
"I think those swords are pushing it. I don’t know how much more mass the bit stream will be able to handle."
"Ok," Jessie said. "Can you hold on for one more second? I need to uhm…you know," she smiled, and disappeared. David shook his head.
"Who can think about going to the bathroom at a time like this?" he muttered. When Jessie finally returned, she found the Senshi waiting for her. The girls bid her good-bye, and Jessie could help but smile when she joined her brother and the Wise One for the transportation. The faces of all her friends were the last thing she saw before being taken in the Divine Transportation, and materializing on the surface of universe 702.
"There is one more thing," the God told the children. "Well, two actually. One, when you're in the Digital world, you have to go look for your crests. They'll place themselves in the place assigned for it in the tag. And two, when you're there, you'll get help. All digidestined get assistance of a digital being called a digimon. Now, I don't know more than that… the digital world is still a large mystery."
"Thank you for the information," Jessie told the God.
"And don’t worry. We'll finish the job," David confidently told the Wise One. "Now, what do we do?"
"Your digivices will transport you. Just grab them, and hold them."
David grabbed the digivice he had clipped to his belt, and Jessie grabbed the one she had shoved in her pocket. Both looked strangely at the small gadgets, when they felt power rip through them. The world went black around them as consciousness left them.