PHALANX - The series
Episode Twenty-six: Seven Days of Doom, part three.
David cranked one eye, grunted, and finally opened his second. What he didn't expect was to stare up into the smiling face of some kind of creature. It was a gentle brown in color, and possessed big eyes with lavender pupils, and small teeth were visible in the smiling mouth.
"You're finally awake," the face stated. "How are you feeling, David?"
"It feels like I've just swam twenty laps in a pool full piranhas," David responded, looking around. Only now did he notice that the face was not much more than that, a face. The creature was oval in shape, with no legs or arms.. "By the way, who are you?"
"I'm your digimon. My name is Baymon," the creature told David.
"Baymon, huh? I was told I would be getting a digimon partner. Right now, we have to go find my sister. We can get better acquainted along the way, ok?" David told Baymon, getting up from the grass he had landed on. The digimon nodded in agreement, while David scouted the area, and he noticed his sword lying nearby. It was hard to miss, as the blue glow was clearly visible in the inky darkness. Sheathing it in the scabbard on his back, he gave a nod to Baymon, who started hopping next to the boy as he started walking toward the mental tag he had on his sister.
"Here. Let me carry you. That's probably easier," David suggested, bending down to pick the brown creature up. the digimon smiled as David clenched it in his arms, and continued walking. Neither human nor digimon knew what to say to one another, so they kept quiet as they entered a forest. Now that the overhanging trees obscured the moon, David unsheathed his sword, and used the glow as a light-source.
Finally, Baymon asked, "Do you even know where your sister is?"
"Sure," David said with a smile. "She's that way." He pointed straight ahead. "And if her tag is correct, she's walking to meet us. Another five minutes or so, and we'll be reunited."
"You know, you don't seem surprised by all of this," Baymon told his human partner.
"I was warned, and with the stuff I've seen in my life, you're not easily surprised," David muttered the last. Baymon noticed the sad look dropping over David's face, and decided not to press further. The boy would tell when he was ready. Baymon couldn't help but be surprised himself. From what he had been told, the other digidestined had shouted, panicked, kept on going about going home… to the point where they didn't want to have anything to do with their digimon partners. That had changed, of course. But David had just woken up, and accepted a talking digimon at face value. No shouting, not threatening, no crying, nothing.
Baymon also was startled at the glowing sword. He had seen it glow blue well enough after David used it for a light source, and that realization startled him. A glowing blade? Baymon noticed that David's stride increased, and he could see his face smiling as he jumped some bushes. They came face-to-face with a girl carrying a grayish blob, similar in shape and size to Baymon. David put him down as he raced toward the girl, who did the same with her digimon.
"It's so good to see you, Sis! You okay?"
"It feels like I swam twenty laps…"
"In a pool full piranhas," David finished. "I know. So, who's your digi-partner?"
Jessie answered proudly, "Bémon. That's him over there." She pointed to the grayish blob she had put down earlier. "And yours?"
"Baymon," David said, pointing over his shoulder to the brown creature. Baymon and Bémon hopped forward, and nodded at one another.
"So, we found them. Now what?" Bémon asked the other digimon.
"We go find our crests. After we get some sleep," David told the digimon. "And if I know you, you didn't go to the bathroom, but to the quarters, right?" David asked, turning to his sister.
"Right," Jessie responded, and held out a small capsule, about the size of a cigar, with a button on one end. She pressed it, and threw the cigar-like capsule away. Two backpacks emerged from it.
"Remind me to thank Bulma for her gift," David told his sister as he strapped his pack over the scabbard on his back. Having the body of a six-year-old sure had its drawbacks. First, he wasn't tall enough to wear the sword at his hip. Second, his body wasn't suited for wearing a full-size backpack, so the smaller size had to be used, which meant that a lot of necessary equipment had to be left behind on the Ortega.
"What do we have?" David asked his sister as the two children took the lead through the thick forest. The two digimon looked at one another with an expression of "This could be fun."
"Two-person tent each. Sleeping bag. Emergency rations for 96 hours in your pack. Mine has a mobile emitter coupled to a solar array and a battery pack, for emergencies. Some camping gear, including a small frying pan, some utensils, and that's about it. Oh, we also have a data pad, as well as some other equipment that might come in handy."
"You anticipated on companionship," David stated, approval in his voice. Jessie just nodded. The digimon eyed each other. "What have we walked into? Those two aren't kidding around…"
When they emerged from the forest, David pointed out the location where he had awakened, and the two kids put up their tents in record pace. Sleeping bags were unrolled, and goodnights were bid. The children disappeared in their own tents, the digimon following suit.
******
Day three, 0635 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Sorcerer and Jennifer's refuge.
"Jenny? Love?" Sorcerer asked as he entered his house. No answer came. Shrugging, he went to the bathroom, and washed himself. After dressing in some fresh clothes, and disposing of his dirty clothes in the hamper, he began to worry. Jennifer should have been back by now. After all, they had told each other they'd be back in the night that had just passed.
Sorcerer couldn't help himself but look out the mental tag on Jennifer's location. He didn't find it. His face lost all color. His face was white as snow as he raced out of the house.
"JENNIFER!!!" he shouted, knowing just as well that the chances of her hearing him were…well, slim, at best. His full mind went behind those words, amplifying them to tremendous levels. As he had somewhat expected, no answer came. His eyes turned green as he accessed the Oech-anya Necklace. In a flurry of mental powers, he took to the air, searching out Jennifer's location.
Because he never developed the nature senses, Sorcerer used an identification spell, ignoring the fact that a wide-area identification spell made the entire area light up like a hundred watt bulb in a dark room. His magic senses reported a find. Setting a course, he blasted toward the location.
Sorcerer touched down to find the remnants of a rabbit that had obviously been burned over a fire. Sorcerer looked around the small clearing. The hair on his arms stood up straight, just like the hairs at the back of his neck. He didn't like this. Not one bit.
"Blood!" he screamed out as he noticed the drops. He raced towards them, and touched the small red drops. "Jenny…" he croaked. "Who did this? I don't understand… Yes, I do." He added the last part when he saw a sigil carved into a tree not far into the forest. "Destroyers…" he muttered. With one blow, the tree fell. It was an oak, at least three hundred years old, and Sorcerer felled it with one blow.
His eyes lit up green once more. "Even here they won't leave me alone," he grunted. "But they will pay for what they did. Trying to destabilize me by kidnapping and hurting Jenny, huh? They'll see what happens when they do that." His eyes turned stone cold once more. All the joy, the joie de vivre, left his face as he regained his regal airs. This was the Sorcerer that had commanded millions of troops, and who had conquered vast regions of space. The Sorcerer who had fought against every imaginable opponent, and who had won each and every time.
All but one… Sorcerer banished the thought. He took to the air, not a single emotion playing on his face. He was filling his reservoirs. He would release his emotions against the Destroyer who had this on his conscience. He touched down at his house, and walked inside. He ignored the kitchen on his left as he entered. He ignored the living room on his right, and the bedroom on his left, next to the kitchen. He halted in front of the door leading to the cellar.
Pushing it open, he walked down the stairs with deliberate steps. His eyes were perpetually green, his nerves were tensed and ready, and his mind was thinking of one thing, and one thing only: blood. He halted in front of the far wall. He pressed one hand against the wall, and slid a loose panel aside. He entered a 32-digit code, and the wall slid away.
He walked through the open door, and into the small room on his left. He sat down, and pressed a key. Screens lit up, as did control panels.
Ready, the computer noted. Out of fear of detection, this ship had been built in the bowels of mother Earth, hidden deep under the foundations of the house.
"Lock on, subject Jennifer."
Dimensional coordinates obtained.
"Set course. Emergency override Omega-twelve. Condition black. Acknowledge."
Condition Black acknowledged. Her Imperial Majesty Jennifer of the Earth Empire has been kidnapped by forces unknown. Preparing for war.
"Update. Forces Unknown are the Destroyers."
Acknowledged. Course plotted.
"Engage." Sorcerer closed his eyes, allowing his body to poise for battle. His mind and his body geared themselves, nerves hardening, his mind shedding all remorse, guilt, and mercy. The moment he had crossed over, Sorcerer turned the sensors loose on the planet.
"Devoid of life," Sorcerer muttered to himself. "No life evolved on Earth in this dimension. But there is a breathable atmosphere… and Jenny's life-signs. Computer, beam-down to the field of battle," Sorcerer snapped at the computer as he stood up straight.
The next moment, he was standing in front of a large man. He could feel Jennifer directly behind the man, in a shallow cave. He could also feel that she was injured. Sorcerer forced himself to focus on the man.
"An Assassin. The Destroyers sent a fucking Assassin after me," he grunted. "Alright, dirt-bag. Beg the Gods for forgiveness." This was one of the gravest insults one could make to an Assassin, or a Destroyer in general. It implied not only that they were going to die soon, but it also implied that they weren't strong enough to hold on to their own beliefs in the face of death.
To his amazement, the Assassin smiled. "You're brave for someone who will soon be food for the worms," the assassin told Sorcerer.
"Not on this lifeless dirtball, you sack of shit. Now, I'm going to give you the choice. Give me my wife, and let me go, or I will kill you, and still take her. The choice is yours." Sorcerer held up five fingers. He started ticking them off like seconds. Another insult: an insult to the intelligence, claiming that the assassin was too stupid to understand numbers when he heard them.
Again, the Assassin smiled. "I have dealt with your kind before," the assassin growled. "Puny Phalanxes who outgrew their usefulness. But, there is always the third choice."
"Which is?" Sorcerer asked, his voice cold enough to freeze nitrogen.
"I'll kill you…and have fun with your woman." Assassin shrugged. " Destroyers know I've done it before."
Sorcerer growled in rage, his face twisting in a rage unknown. "Magic augmentation, level six!" he shouted. Warning, fifteen seconds to collapse. Sorcerer ignored the warnings, and attacked, drawing both swords in mid-attack.
Assassin blocked his attacks, and slammed his hands in the triple Phalanx's gut. Sorcerer was blasted backwards, loosing both blades in the process. Sorcerer got up on his knees, and clenches his stomach. He grunted in pain as his head leveled to look at the Assassin.
Shooting fourth level fireballs at the Assassin, Sorcerer jumped up high into the sky, and attacked once more. His body should have exploded by now, but his rage and burning hatred kept his body from disintegrating under the level six torrents of power. Warning! 20 seconds past annihilation. 25 seconds…
Sorcerer heeded not to the calls of his mind to turn down. He attacked with his best attacks, spin-kicks and spin-punches, but the Assassin blocked them all just as easily. When Sorcerer started using the Force and his telekinetic super-charging of the Force, The Assassin's smug look disappeared. When Sorcerer kicked him in the face, Assassin's body twisted like a rag-doll, after which Sorcerer slammed his hands in the Assassin's gut.
Assassin went down, after which Sorcerer hit him in the neck with both hands. Sorcerer kicked him, again and again, until he literally had burned all his rage from his body. Turning down his magic, Sorcerer walked to Jennifer. He readied his mental abilities to cut loose the divine Steel bounds that were keeping her wounded body secured to the cave-wall.
Suddenly, he saw her eyes open up, and he heard insane laughing form behind him. Slowly, Sorcerer turned around.
"Very good, magician. Now, let's try two percent of my power instead of just one percent, shall we?"
Sorcerer's jaw dropped. "Fuck," he grunted. "Don't you know when to quit?"
"It is you who should quit, magician."
Sorcerer launched at magic level six, and attacked the man with all his strength. "The name is Sorcerer!" Sorcerer shouted, as he launched an attack made of Force, telekinesis, magic, it was all combined into one supreme beam of pure energy. Assassin ducked. Sorcerer's eyes went wide open.
"Fast. But not fast enough," Assassin said, smiling. He drew the sword on his back, the black glow around the broadsword telling Sorcerer more than he wanted to know. The next moment, Assassin appeared in front of Sorcerer, who managed to avoid most of the blow by the evil broadsword. As he had suspected, his wounds didn't heal. The pure evil with which the blade had been created cancelled out any healing magic the Fountain of Youth had granted him.
Growling like a mad bull, Sorcerer charged, his hands moving faster and faster as he unleashed the nanites upon his body. The tiny machines sped up his movements, as well as increased his strength. Sorcerer landed a couple of punches on Assassin, but it didn't seem to keep him down for long. Each time, the Assassin got up, and attacked with renewed vigor.
When Sorcerer felt the blade enter his body, he wasn't even surprised. He turned down from magic level six, and sunk to his knees, staring at the Evil Blade sticking up to its hilt in his stomach. Assassin withdrew it, causing Sorcerer to grunt out in pain. Snarling, Sorcerer forced himself to his feet, telling his mental powers as well as his nanites to repair the damage done to his body. Their prognosis was that it would take at least 36 hours to repair all the damage.
The bad news fueled Sorcerer's anger, as his one hand pressed to the wound, attempting to keep his internal organs internal. He snarled at the Assassin, his second hand reaching for the Dual Blade light saber on his belt. He knew that with just one hand, he wouldn't be much of a challenge.
"You have heart, kid. Sorry it has to end this way," Assassin told the triple Phalanx.
"NO!" Jennifer shouted. "Don't do it, Fred! Go! Come back some other time, after you've grown stronger!"
Sorcerer weakly ducked the attack, causing him to loose the grip on his wound. Blood gushed down onto the barren ball of rock.
"I can't…will take too long," Sorcerer grunted weakly as he rolled under another attack. Each time, he would contract more cuts and bruises, wounds that could not be healed because all power had been diverted to the potentially lethal wounds. His immortality was at a standoff against the evil, not allowing him to die, but not making him better, either. It was all up to his mind and his nanites, but the evil was strong enough to counteract those as well.
"Then you know who to visit," Jennifer semi-shouted. "He's your only chance!"
"No! If I leave, he'll kill you!"
"You bet I will!" Assassin growled, charging again. Sorcerer used his last strength to kick upwards, hitting the man where it hurt most. Assassin sunk to his knees, grunting.
Sorcerer forced himself upright once more. "No," he finally said. "You won't kill her. Because if you do, you will have lost me. And I'm your primary target."
"You'll want revenge," Assassin grunted, getting up again, brandishing his black-glowing broadsword.
"I’m sorry…" Sorcerer told Jennifer as he pressed the communicator. His eyes drilled into hers, and she could see bottomless depths of pain etched in them.
"Love you," she whispered before the dematerialization beam was fully gone. She closed her eyes as the two discarded Phalanx Swords disappeared as well. Silently bracing herself for what she knew what was to come, her mind focused on the image of Sorcerer.
******
Day three, 0500 hours Universe 702 Digital time, location: Digital World, grassy meadow.
David and Jessie were awake after only a couple of hours of sleep. Restlessness had caused them to stand together at the shores of the sea, staring out over the waves.
"David? Are you scared?" Jessie asked her brother.
"Not scared. More like a feeling of anticipation, not knowing what is to come…"
"And the dark memories this all brings back. Getting up after only a few hours of sleep, not knowing what the day will bring, or where we will find ourselves tonight."
David nodded solemnly. "War… that's what unnerves me. We're back at it, and this time, we're the last, first, and only line of defense."
Now it was Jessie's turn to nod. "Wanna train a little? It might get our minds of things…"
"Sure," David agreed. "What training?"
"Serious training. We'll switch halfway. One is programmed to be the drill instructor while the other is programmed to be the trainee."
"Trainee at what?"
"Something hard. How about Black Cat, or Navy Seal training or something?"
"Black cat it is," David said.
"I wonder why the ball is locked," David grunted, still staring at the black-and-gray pokéball. The button in front had turned an opaque color, and no matter what the kids tried, Alakazam didn't come out.
"Maybe because we're in the digital world," Jessie offered. "Whatever," she added, shrinking the ball, and replacing it on her belt. Her instincts warned her. So did David's. Together, they turned around, to see the two digimon hop close.
"Good morning," David greeted. "Sleep well?"
"Sure," Baymon answered. "But shouldn't you be sleeping? It's only six in the morning."
"We can survive for extended periods on very few hours of sleep," Jessie told the two digimon. A sad look crossed her face. "One of the only benefits of growing up during war…"
David nodded, his face growing sad as well. The digimon stared first at the children, and then at each other. The look in the two sets of digital eyes was nearly identical. No wonder they're equipped like a small army.
"Come now, enough thinking of things past," David said, attempting to lift the mood. "First off, what are we going to do now?"
"Well, looking for your crests would be a good idea," Bémon told the twins.
"Where?" Jessie asked, making mental notes in her head.
"Your tags give off light signals when you come near your crest," Bémon answered.
"Alright," David ventured. He retrieved the tag the Wise One had supplied him with. Still looking at it, he asked, "And from further away? Do we know where to go?"
"We're now on the island-continent of Server," Baymon supplied. "The other Digidestined just stumbled upon their crests. And reasonably fast, too."
"So, we just start walking, and the crests will find us, huh?" Jessie asked rhetorically. "Oh well. That way?" she asked David, pointing in a random direction. Her twin brother shrugged, and answered,
"Why not? All right, let's get going. En route, you two can tell us more about the digital world, and the darkness that we're sent here to defeat."
"Sure," Baymon said as the two kids, holding the two digimon, walked off. Well, they started walking off. Suddenly, a large creature rose from the sands directly in front of them.
"That's Rockmon," Baymon shouted. "Run!"
"Rockmon?" David asked, eyeing the creature. Its head was bony, and dark in color. The creature also sported a horn on its nose, like a rhinoceros. The rest of the creature's body was yellow in color, and sported rocky spikes protruding from various places. Its hind legs were yellowish in color, while its forelegs were a combination of black and yellow. Both fore and hind legs sported enormous toes made of yellow rock. It stood at least four meters tall.
"Something called a Rockmon comes from a sandy beach? This world is seriously messed up," Jessie said to her brother.
"Never mind that! RUN!" Bémon shouted. The kids looked at each other, shrugged, and turned around. They started walking in the opposite direction, when a ball of rock impaled itself in front of them.
"You're not going to get away, Digidestined!" Rockmon shouted.
David and Jessie sighed. "Great. Oh well." Both kids put the digimon down, and drew their swords. Not having had much training with swords, the kids were awkward with them, but they knew enough to put up a decent fight.
"Leave it to us," Bémon said, hopping forward. Baymon hopped right next to his partner.
"Don't be silly. You're too small to fight. Leave it to us," Jessie interjected, as she and David launched at the creature. Another downside of their young age was the fact that their powers were not up to the same strength as the grown-ups' were. Coupled to the fact that their training wasn't complete, this gave a dangerous combination.
David attacked from the left, while Jessie took the right. Both hacked at the creature's rock-hard skin, to no avail. When Rockmon punched Jessie, sending her flying, David howled in rage, and attacked. Rockmon picked him up, and threw him on top of his sister. His massive forepaw made ready to crush the children.
"No!!" Baymon shouted. "David!"
"Jessie!" Bémon added in. Both kids were too busy with staying alive to notice the yelling, or the strange light that permeated from the digivices.
"Bémon digivolves to…Vogumon!" Bémon shouted, his form shimmering. In place of the round face stood now a grayish creature, resembling an overgrown rat with wings, only with black, bony 'armor' over its face.
"Baymon digivolves to… Durumon!" Baymon shouted. His new form stood on its hind legs, both his fore- and hind paws equipped with vicious-looking claws. Durumon's fore claws were 20-centimeters in length, while the hind ones were shorter, more like ten centimeters. Both digimon were now about the size of their young masters, with Durumon standing about as tall as David was, and Vogumon would be as tall as Jessie was if he stood on in his hind legs.
"Sonic Scream!" Vogumon shouted, letting go of a series of ultrasonic screams, causing Rockmon to howl in pain as the frequency resonated through his body.
"Claw Slash!" Durumon shouted in turn, attacking with his vicious-looking 20-centimeter long front claws. Strike after strike the small digimon dealt the large behemoth looming over it. Vogumon let go of another Sonic Scream, forcing the large digimon to let go of its adversaries. David and Jessie calmly retrieved their swords, and sheathed them.
"You'll have a lot of explaining to do. But right now, you deal with that asshole. Any more tricks up your sleeve?" David asked Durumon, his tone indicating he was kidding.
"I don’t know if we're strong enough! We're making dents, but not enough to get rid of him!" Vogumon answered from his high vantage point, just before releasing another Sonic Scream at Rockmon.
"Can you go higher?" David asked Durumon.
"Higher?"
"Yes. You called it 'digivolving'. I want to know if you can go higher. The next level, so to speak."
"Only when you're in danger," Durumon answered, before launching at the behemoth once again. His luck ran out as Rockmon punched him viciously, and threw another rock after him. Durumon was hit by the rock, and remained still.
"Durumon!" David shouted, running to his fallen partner. "Vogumon!" Jessie added next as her partner was brought down form the sky. Jessie knelt down right next to David as Vogumon landed right next to Durumon.
"Now what? We can't handle him!" Jessie shouted to David, her head indicating Rockmon over her shoulder. The two kids heard him readying another Rock Ball. As one person, they stood up, and turned to face Rockmon. Their arms spread, they declared,
"You won't touch them. You'll need to go through us first."
"I was sent here to kill you. It's not my concern what happens to your digimon," Rockmon declared, throwing the rock ball toward the two children. When the attack hit its targets, the two digimon cried out.
"No!!!!" the two digimon screamed at the same time, trying to get loose from under their respective boulders. No avail. They were not strong enough to deal with the behemoth that was Rockmon.
As the kids grunted of the strain from trying to get from under the rock, they didn't notice their digivices flashing. Again.
"Vogumon…digivolves…to…Vulturamon!" the gray rat with wings grew in size until it was about the size of an overgrown condor. His feathers were black and gray, while the head was covered in the trademark black bone armor.
"Durumon…digivolves…to…Velocimon!" the ochre-brown digimon grew to the size of a grown man, while the body structure changed. It was leaner, faster in appearance. The head now was elongated, with lots of sharp teeth visible. Velocimon resembled a meat-eating dinosaur in a lot of appearances, if not for the bony ridges on his head and back, giving him a more solid look. The claws had vanished, though.
The rock balls were shoved aside in a single shove as the two digimon attacked the adversary. But not before they freed the children from under the rock balls.
"Dead Scream!" Vulturamon shouted, while beams of purple-red energy blasted from its beak toward Rockmon, who was now looking for less smug.
"Claw Blasters!" Velocimon shouted, aiming his forepaws at Rockmon. Forty-centimeter long claws shot form the paws at the target. As the two attacks hit Rockmon, it seemed to disintegrate.
"He's gone. Transferred to another computer system," Vulturamon stated, before his form started shimmering once again. Velocimon did the same. Moments later, Durumon and Vogumon stared at the two children.
"What happened? Why did you loose your stronger forms?" Jessie asked.
"When our energy runs out, we digivolve back. We can keep this form more or less permanently," Durumon explained.
"And what was the 'digivolution' trick?" David asked.
"Well, we're linked to you through the digivices. When you're in danger, the digivices allow us to digivolve to the next level." Vogumon answered
"How much more levels are there?" Jessie asked.
"Well, the form you knew up until now was called the training level. We're now rookies. The next level was the champion level. That's the highest we can get, without the crests. The other Digidestined managed to use the crests to get their digimon up to the ultimate level."
"So we'll need the crests," Jessie stated. "Fine. Now, let's go find them, and you tell us all we need to know about this digivolving, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am," Vogumon said, earning him a slap on the back of his head.
"We're not served with smart-asses," Jessie told him. "By the way, thanks for the save, guys."
"Yeah. Thanks a lot. I guess our powers aren't worth much in here," David added.
"Hey, no problem," Durumon said.
"Yeah, that's what we're here for. To get your sorry asses out of trouble," Vogumon kidded. Jessie slapped him.
******
Day three, 1230 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: Ortega Bridge.
Daphnix and Ami walked up on the bridge, to find Frederic and Jennifer stare at a planet.
"Worried, huh?" Daphnix asked. "I don’t blame you. That planet's a mess."
"The Wise One did say that the planet was linked to the digital world… it just shows what a mess there is in that digital world. Look at this… deserts are overflowing with water while other areas are literally thirsting for water that used to be abundant. The entire weather pattern is screwed up, and the fate is resting in the hands of David and Jessie…" Frederic's voice trailed off.
"They'll do fine," Daphnix assured his friend. "David and Jessie are two strong kids. They went through the war, they'll go through this."
"I hope you're right. By the Gods, I hope you're right."
"So am I," Daphnix muttered, sitting down at the tactical station. Ami sat down at the spare science console right next to him. Silently, the four people looked at the rotating planet. At first glance it looked to be the same as Earth, but when one looked closer, one could distinguish clouds where there shouldn't be clouds, and the absence of clouds where they should be.
When the Wise One appeared once more, Frederic's face went ashen-white. Jennifer's followed suit. Daphnix forced himself to be strong, and buried the rising feelings of dread.
"Bad news?" Frederic asked.
The God shook his head. "Not that kind of bad news, but bad news nonetheless, Young Phalanx."
Frederic and Jennifer sighed in relief, as did Daphnix and Ami. "Then how can we help you, Wise One?" Frederic asked.
"I need to make an announcement first," the Wise One told the four people. He stepped in front of the viewer, so everyone had an equal view of him. "We fear that something is brewing with the Destroyers. We have picked up signals that aren't good. And some reports even indicate that they are about to launch a blow that would cripple us severely."
Frederic nodded in understanding. "So how can we help? I can handle one Destroyer, but not a couple dozen."
"That's why I came here, Young Phalanx. What you faced was the lowest grade Destroyer. A lowly foot soldier. True Destroyers are dozens of times stronger, if not hundreds of times."
Everyone stared unbelievingly at the God. "You're kidding, Wise One. Please, tell me you're kidding," Frederic begged.
"I don't kid, Young Phalanx. And I certainly don't on this kind of subject. And, please, let me finish. There is an object that might help us. It's called the Stone of Ages."
"So? Let's go get it," Frederic said.
"It's not that simple, Young Phalanx. You see, the Stone of Ages is a unique item. So unique that, in fact, there is only one of it in all the dimensions."
"I still don’t understand. Why don't you get it? Why the theatricalities?"
"The Stone has tremendous powers. Legend has it that the Stone is what created us, the Gods of the Universe. Although improbable, it's not impossible. All we know of it is this: the Stone is protected. Only one pure of mind, soul, body and spirit can retrieve it. On this moment, I can think of only one person we both trust with the job."
Frederic frowned. "Who?"
"Ami," the God whispered. "The rest of you has killed at one time or another, and David and Jessie are already saving the planet you're watching."
"I am NOT going to send Ami on some mission by herself," Daphnix yelled, jumping up from his chair.
"We never thought you would. That is why you will be sent to accompany her. Remember, though that only Ami can retrieve the Stone of Ages. And also remember that the Destroyers will try to take it from you as soon as you have retrieved it. The mission itself has very little danger in it. The people protecting the Stone will test you, but the tests are not dangerous. Once inside the Temple of the Ancients, only the final chamber is booby-trapped. Only Ami will be able to enter."
"How long will it take?" Daphnix asked.
"Not more than a couple of days, at most. The Temple of Ancients was constructed before our time, and therefore follows different laws of physics. You might become disoriented, prolonging your time there. But, as I said, it probably won't take you more than two or three days, at most."
Daphnix looked at Ami. "What do you say, Sweets? Will you help us save the universe? All of them?"
Ami smiled courageously, and nodded. "Of course I will," she said.
"Great!" the Wise One exclaimed. "We can leave right now."
"If I may, could I ask for some time to prepare?" Daphnix asked.
"Time is of the essence," the God lectured. "But, I will grant you two hours."
"Thank you, Wise One," Daphnix said.
"Until then," the Wise One said, and disappeared. Immediately, Daphnix took Ami's hand, and pulled her to her feet. Together, they walked up to Fred, who eyed them strangely. There was something…different about the way they conducted themselves. And the extension of time didn't feel comfortable with him either. Normally, Daphnix would have jumped into action immediately.
"Fred? I need a favor," Daphnix told his friend.
"Really? What?" Frederic's face frowned in curiosity.
"Well, over the last couple of weeks, I've been working on a little project. Well, I finally completed it yesterday. We both wanted to wait until this Dragon Ball issue and the stuff with the kids had cleared up…"
"D, out with it," Frederic said in mock-anger.
"I broke the shields of the Imperium Silver Crystal. Took me a lot of work to crack the forty-five layers of shields. But, I've had so much experience in it it's almost kid's play to get in and out for me now. But, I still have no experience with mental power, and such…"
"And you want me to activate whatever I can, right?" Frederic asked.
"Yep."
'Ami, you also know that you'll need to get an Instructions file? And are you sure about this? It's a big responsibility…you'll be a full member of the team. Those powers entail the responsibility to use them in defense of the human race in particular, and the good against the dark in general."
"I understand completely. D already explained it to me, and yes, I accept."
"Good! Welcome to the club! Now, D, you'll have to guide me through the shields. After that, I think I can do it alone."
"No problem," Daphnix agreed. Frederic sat down in the chair Daphnix had vacated, and motioned for Ami to sit back down at the science console.
"This won't take long, but it's always easier to do this sitting down. Ready?"
Ami nodded, putting up a brave front. Frederic gave her an encouraging smile. "You won't feel a thing. You'll go to sleep as if you're under narcosis, like for an operation. When you wake up, you'll be a new woman," he said to put her at ease. Giving a nod to Daphnix, Frederic brought his powers out. Frederic saw Daphnix's power open up the shield, and he tagged along. As soon as he had penetrated them all, Daphnix's power left, leaving Frederic to do the actual task at hand.
Ami phased out as Frederic entered her mind. He appeared in the hall of cabinets, all organized in a very effective way. Frederic stored the layout in his mind, for later use. Who knows, he might be able to adapt it for his own mind. Well, for the computer in his mind, anyway. Walking to the control room, Frederic took the cabinet layout into himself, marveling at the ingenious way files had been stored.
Frederic entered a gentle ochre-colored control room, with a verbal interface. He entered the command to deactivate the mental cabinet, and stood up once more. He walked to back the mental cabinet, and activated all the powers he could.
The first signs of trouble came when he tried to link the Instructions file. He couldn't create it the usual way, and had to put in every data string manually. Since he had the file in his mind, it took him short of 30 seconds to do it, but still… it rattled him that he couldn't just copy it into her mind. After linking the file, which he had to do manually once again, Frederic accessed her main processes.
"Ami, do you want my full knowledge? It will teach you everything we know. It will be a great asset, but the choice is up to you," Frederic told the processes. The computer indicated Ami was thinking. Not long after, Frederic smiled at Ami's response. He turned around, and activated the console once again.
"Here it goes," Frederic said, starting to copy his entire database into the girl's mind. She certainly was smart enough to handle the information, and it was sure to boost her IQ another couple dozens of points.
Problems rose again as Ami's mind refused to accept the 'foreign' database. So, once more, Frederic found him manually entering all his information. After what seemed like hours, he finally could pull out. Well, it seemed like hours in here… I bet it hasn’t' been more than minutes on the outside.
He found himself staring at the ceiling… of sickbay?
Bolting upright, Frederic looked around. "What am I doing here? What's Ami doing here?"
"Fred? Oh, my God, it's been hours!" Jennifer said, rushing to his side. Daphnix rushed to Ami's side as she too, started to wake up.
"I had to enter everything manually. Her mind refused to accept any copies. But, everything should be okay now."
"Okay?" Ami asked, staring strangely at her hands. "I feel better than just okay. This is incredible! I feel so strong!"
"Imagine how you'll feel in a couple of weeks, when all your abilities have surfaced. I activated all your mental abilities, and gave you the entire database on martial arts. And since you decided to accept all my knowledge, I gave that to you as well."
"I did?" Ami asked. "I don't remember you asking…"
"I asked your mind while you were out. That's the same thing. Anyway, you'll start feeling the effects soon, if not immediately. It's good for you I perfected my techniques. When I first gave Jennifer my full knowledge, she almost lost it. Now it will just be assimilated into your brain at a steady pace."
"I know. I can feel it," Ami answered. "I feel more confident, too. Like I can take on the world!"
"Side-effect of the martial arts training. You now know how to handle yourself, and your body knows it."
"I understand," Ami responded. Suddenly, Frederic switched to French.
"So, you understand me?" he asked.
"Perfectly," Ami answered in the same language. "This is cool!" she exclaimed.
"Every language ever known to man is in your mind, Sweets. But right now, we have a job to do… The Wise One is waiting outside."
"But first, I have something for you. D, wanna come?"
"Sure," Daphnix said, shrugging. The trio disappeared, only to reappear not a second later. Ami was loaded with necklaces, rings, a Sword of Destiny, and a smile the size of Jupiter on her face.
"Immortal now?" Jennifer asked. Ami nodded, smiling even wider.
"Well, enjoy your presents. But remember, don’t get cocky. You're only a Master Slayer. I don't have enough to spare to empower you. We'll see what we can do when you get back."
"Okay," Ami answered, grabbing Daphnix's arm. "Come on, Love. Our job's waiting."
Daphnix let himself be dragged out the door, looking at the girl. "This might be fun," he muttered to his friends before the doors slid shut.
"Don't worry! The shock will wear off, and she'll more or less turn back to normal!" Frederic shouted through the doors, not sure whether Daphnix could actually hear him. "I hope," he added silently.
******
Day three, 1315 hours Universe 702 Digital time, location: Digital World, hill overlooking a small town.
"That is a town occupied by Motimon," Durumon told the group.
"Nice guys, those Motimon. I'm sure they won't mind sharing some food," Vogumon added.
"What are you talking about? You didn't want any of our food," David grunted at the bone-armored rat with wings.
"That was positively disgusting! How can you eat that stuff?" Durumon added in.
"They chew and swallow," Vogumon quipped. "They must have taste buds of concrete."
"We survived on rations for months," Jessie said grimly. "When you have a choice between starvation and eating them, the choice was easy."
David just nodded in agreement. "But one thing I have to agree with. Real food's always preferable to rations."
The small group walked down the hill, into the village, which seemed to be entirely made up out of wood and dried mud. "Hello? Anyone here?"
A small, pink creature peered out from one of the small houses. It was pink, and looked like Casper, the friendly ghost, only pink, and not flying. The creature had two friendly eyes, and smiled when it recognized them in some way.
"Hello Motimon," Durumon greeted the creature. "Where are the others?"
As if on queue, Motimon started coming out of the other houses as well. Soon, the two humans and the two digimon found themselves surrounded by cheering Motimon.
"It's been a long time since we had visitors," one of the Motimon explained. "Come on, this way. We'll hold a feast for you!"
"That's very nice, but…" David began. Durumon cut him off.
"You don't want to insult them, now do you?" he asked in David's ear. "Right," David whispered back. By now, the Motimon had guided them into one of the larger buildings, where the two Digidestined and their digimon were seated. Soon, tropical fruit was brought in on large dishes. What did startled the small group was the fact that there were only two or three different kinds of fruits on the plates.
"Sorry there isn't more variety," one of the Motimon apologized. "But since our waterfall turned dry, these are the only fruits that grow around here."
"Your waterfall turned dry?" David asked. "How?"
"We don't know. We're too small to climb the waterfall, to see how it happened."
"Well, maybe we could take a look," Jessie offered. "As a return for your hospitality."
The Motimon started cheering and laughing, to the extent where David and Jessie forgot their dark thoughts, and couldn't help but join in as well. After filling themselves on the fruit, the small group set out to the waterfall, along with four Motimon who acted as guides. Speaking like a waterfall, the small pink digimon told the kids all they knew of the environment around the village, from edible pants to plants that would be edible if they only had water. Soon, they reached the waterfall.
Well, it would have been a waterfall, if there were water pouring down. The group could see the riverbed, as well as the marks the waterfall had made on the sheer cliff.
"Alright. This doesn't look too hard," Jessie commented. "We'll see what is up there, ok?" opening her backpack, she retrieved two sets of Shuko, the Ninja 'climbing irons'. She gave one pair to David, who slid them over his hands. Jessie did the same with her pair.
"Hey, what about us?" Durumon asked.
"Speak for yourself. I can fly," Vogumon said, laughing at his brown counterpart.
"Carry Durumon," Jessie told him. The smirk disappeared from his face as Durumon started laughing at his sour expression.
"But I'm not strong enough…" Vogumon tried, already knowing it was lost. Protesting silently, he picked up Durumon, and with a lot of theatrical moaning and groaning sounds, he flew his friend to the top, where David and Jessie joined the two digimon not long after. The cliff was about twenty meters or so tall, but it was nearly vertical, and possessed very little points where one could hold on to.
"Too bad our powers might give us away," David told his sister. "It might give us a much-needed edge."
"Yeah. We could just fly up here. But, you know the drills: know thy enemy and know thyself. Without knowing the enemy, we can't be sure what abilities he has. We need our crests, and then we'll try to get some info. Until then, we consider this as 'extremely hot', and keep ourselves down to normal."
"I know, I know," David grunted. Together, the small band walked down the riverbed, until it entered a forest.
"Another forest? What? This world is made up of forests, meadows and deserts?" David asked Durumon.
"The digital world is made out of the same elements as the real world. Only, here a computer puts them together. I guess the computer was low on inspiration," Vogumon told them.
"Fine, fine," David said, and the team entered the forest. Soon, they found a large dam blocking the water. The dam seemed to be up out of rocks.
"Well, well. Looks like Rockmon was busy," Vogumon said. "Why he was building dams instead of training eludes me. He could use the training." Jessie slapped him.
"Always respect your enemy," she told her digimon. "And no insulting someone you defeated, because one day you might be defeated yourself."
Vogumon stared embarrassed at the floor as the group neared the dam.
"Jess! Look!" David shouted, pointing at his tag. It was glowing. It was visible even through his clothes. He pulled it out, and the two kids and the two digimon stared at the glowing tag.
"My crest should be near here. I wonder where." David started looking, but found nothing. Deciding on getting rid of the dam first, the kids set out to work, along with their digimon. Suddenly, a rock David had picked up started glowing, along with the tag.
"What the…" he exclaimed as the rock began to change shape. It became a small, rectangular plaque, and it inserted itself in David's tag, directly behind the small transparent window. The crest was black, containing three concentric gray circles.
"So, what does it mean?" he asked. Jessie shrugged, while the two digimon looked as lost as David was.
"We'll find out, sooner or later," Jessie consoled her brother. "Now, let's get this barricade out of the way."
******
Day three, 1825 hours Universe 001 Sorcerer Time, location: cockpit of emergency trans-dimensional spacecraft.
Sorcerer coughed up some blood. With a routine gesture, he swiped the blood of his mouth with his sleeve, and used the same sleeve to wipe the blood off the console. He continued typing.
"Finally," he coughed. "All the dimensions the ESMF knows… now all I have to do is scan for the Ortega." Sorcerer coughed up some more blood. He didn't wipe it this time.
"So tired…" He sighed. "I feel so tired… Computer, trans-dimensional sensor-sweep. I want to know where my twin is."
Engaging sensors. It is advised to note that the twin has access to camouflaging equipment. His ship might be cloaked.
"Use an inverted polaron scan…" Sorcerer muttered.
Acknowledged.
The inverted polaron scan was something Sorcerer's scientists had developed mere days before the war came to an abrupt ending. As such, it had never been used in battle. It would come in handy now, even if it tipped Sorcerer's hand. Right now, he no longer cared. He knew only that he was hurting; slowly bleeding to death, and that he needed to save Jennifer. She was all that mattered to him. Whatever his twin asked, he would do… even if it meant giving up his life in the process. Sorcerer no longer cared for his own life. He only wanted to save Jennifer, and he would pay for her rescue. No matter what his twin would ask.
Before Sorcerer closed his eyes, all he thought was, "Survival alone is unacceptable."
******
Day three, 1835 hours Universe 702 digital Time, location: Digital world, inner desert.
After saving the waterfall of the Motimon, the group had stayed for food, song, and dance. They had enjoyed themselves immensely, and when the time of departure had finally arrived, the good-bye had been heartily. Setting out into the desert, the children had continued to look at David's crest.
"I wonder what it means… or how to use it," David said for what seemed like the thousandth time.
"I'm sure we'll find out," Durumon piped in. "The others found out from Jennai."
"Ah?" David and Jessie asked at the same time. This Jennai was new. "And who is Jennai?"
"We don't know. According to what we heard, he mostly appeared in projections. He only showed himself once, and that was to guide the other digidestined to the real world."
"Fine. Maybe we'll meet him when Jessie finds her crest," David said. The group walked on in silence. Compared to the nice temperatures of the meadows surrounding the Motimon village, the desert was searing hot. Of course, the desert was searing hot compared to anything.
"So, how are we going to find my crest?" Jessie asked.
"We stumbled onto mine," David suggested. "Maybe we'll stumble onto yours too. Keep looking out for your tag to start glowing."
Jessie retrieved the object hanging from its chain around her neck, letting it hang above her clothing. "There. Now we'll see it even better."
"Pyramids?" David asked, obviously not listening to Jessie.
"Huh?" she asked, staring at her brother.
Slowly, his finger pointed directly ahead. "There are pyramids in this nuthouse?"
"Cool! Pyramids!" Jessie shouted. She set a brisker pace, a pace David copied only too gladly. The two digimon ran after their masters. Soon, the group was staring at the pyramids, looming above them in all their splendid glory.
"Those are not ordinary pyramids," David stated the obvious. "A pyramid doesn't have such a clear entrance, and those are not hieroglyphs."
"This looks more like computer code to me," Jessie muttered. "See, if I rub this sign away, the light goes out."
"You can just rub it off?" David asked. He pulled a marker from who-knows-where, and redrew the sigil Jessie had just deleted. The light came back on.
"And you can just write it back," Jessie noted, giving a short laugh. "Think we'll find my crest here?"
"Maybe," David ventured. "This hall goes on. What do you say, explore?"
"Oh, yeah," Jessie was just like her brother. They enjoyed learning, and discovering something like this required an investigation. An extended one.
"Hey, Jess, look at this," David suddenly said, looking at one of the sigils on the wall. "Recognize it?"
"Three concentric circles. Hard to forget, bro."
David's hand reached out, and rubbed the sigil away. The next moment, the wall slid open, revealing a second wall behind it. On that wall, two crossed lighting bolts were shown. The wall shimmered in a golden light.
"Bro, look!" Jessie pointed to her tag. It was glowing too. The wall transformed into a small black tag with two bright crossed golden lighting bolts. It placed itself into Jessie's tag.
"Great. Three circles for me, and two lighting bolts for you," David muttered. "And now where do we find this Jennai figure?"
"Right here," an old man in a multi-colored beam of light said. The beam came out of a projector hidden behind the second wall. Jennai appeared to be old, his eyes almost fully closed, and he appeared to be bald, save for some gray patches of hair at the sides. He was dressed in some sort of robe.
"So you're Jennai," Jessie stated. "Alright, now, tell us what these things mean."
"Impatient, are you?" Jennai snickered.
"We're here for a reason. This reason is urgent. We don't have time for pleasantries," David chipped in. Durumon and Vogumon just remained silent.
"Fine, fine. Can't say I disagree with you. Now, what do you want to know?"
"What do these things mean? And how do we use them?"
"Alright," Jennai started. "Before I tell you, do you have a computer? That way, I can download all the information on the digimon into it. It might come in handy."
"That a good idea," Jessie said, opening her pack, and retrieving the data pad. "Can you interface with this? I can establish the connection from this part, if you want."
"I think I've got it. It's a lot more advanced that I'm used to, but I think I managed," Jennai said. "Try it."
Jessie accessed the pad. She nodded. "It's working fine. Rockmon… hey, look at this, Rockmon is what's called a 'champion' level digimon. That's why we couldn't defeat him until Durumon and Vogumon digivolved. They needed to be at the same level as Rockmon."
"Interesting. Than I wonder what would happen if we met a higher level digimon," David said, his face getting a pensive look. "Is it possible to defeat a higher-level with a lower-level?"
"Possible," Jessie said. "Maybe it's all dependant on the strength of the digimon."
"That could very well be," David said again.
"Hey, how about your information?" Jennai interrupted the kids. "And what about urgency?"
"Right. Sorry. We get carried away sometimes," David said, smiling slightly. Jessie's smile looked similar to her brother.
"Anyway," Jennai said after clearing his throat. "David's crest is the crest of Honor. Jessie's is the crest of Power. And in order to use them, you have to come in contact with the side of you the crest represents."
"Honor, huh? Well, all I have to do is act honorable, then."
"Power? What kind of power? Great! I get the one I don't know how to use!" Jessie screamed out.
"A brain-queen like you will figure it out," Vogumon said.
"Gee, thanks," Jessie grunted, looking at the tag.
"Anyway, I have more to show you right here, at my house," Jennai interrupted once more. "Follow the light beacon."
Jessie and David looked curious at Jennai.
"Once outside, you'll see a light beacon. Follow it, and you'll come to my house."
"Okay, we'll do that, Jennai. Thanks for the help," David said.
"Yeah, thanks a lot," Jessie added in her part. Together, the two kids started walking towards the exit of the pyramid, the exploration of the strange signs totally forgotten as the kids stared at their crests.
"Honor and Power," David muttered.
"This will be fun," Jessie responded sarcastically.