Chapter 19:
Shattered Reality
It was a bright, warm spring morning. A light breeze flowed, stirring the branches of the cherry trees and causing a few of the cherry blossoms to flutter along the grass.
Tian sat, staring blankly at the softly falling blossoms as they were reflected in the classroom window. After a while, she sighed and turned to face the chalkboard and the chalk lines that spelled “Odaiba Elementary – Grade 2, Class A: Parents’ Day.” She tried not to pay attention to all of the parents streaming into the room. Especially not the fathers.
Akira was sitting next to her, as always. She had a big smile on her face, and her eyes shined with excitement.
“Isn’t it great, Tian?” Akira said cheerfully, “All the moms and dads coming to see us?”
Tian didn’t answer her. She continued to stare into space.
“Hey, Tian…”
Tian looked up suddenly, and snapped her head toward Akira. “Yeah?”
“Is your mom coming?”
Tian looked down for a moment, and slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. She said she might not have time…”
Akira frowned. “Oh.”
“What about your dad?” Tian asked back, “Is he coming?”
Akira smiled. “Of course he is! He wouldn’t miss today for the world!” Her voice squeaked a little, and Tian could see that she was trying too hard.
“And…” Tian hesitated, “your mom…”
Akira’s smile quickly disappeared. “She left,” she said dully. “Last week.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know when we’ll ever hear from her again…” Her hands trembled a little while after she spoke.
Tian nodded sadly, letting the matter drop. She looked around the room, at all the parents and children, and noticed how so many students had both parents with them.
“It seems like we’re the only ones who won’t have both a mom and a dad here,” Akira whispered, voicing Tian’s thoughts.
Tian nodded again. “Yeah.”
“But then,” Akira replied, brightening, “that would make us special, in a way. Right?”
Tian stared at her questioningly, then slowly smiled. “Yeah!”
Someone laughed behind them, a mean laughter. Akira scowled, knowing exactly who it was. Tian sighed and put her head on her desk. Not again.
Akira whipped around. “What are you laughing at, Seita?”
“You two sound like a couple of idiots,” Seita said, “‘that would make us special in a way, right?’” he mimicked, bursting into more laughter.
Akira bristled. “Shut up!”
Seita laughed again. Akira pulled an eraser from her desk and threw it at him, hitting him in the face.
“Ow!”
Akira shot a withering glare at him, then turned around. “ Moron …”
“Akira!” a voice called from the other end of the room.
Akira brightened. “Dad!” She skipped toward her father, who had just entered the classroom.
Tian sighed and looked out the window again. A part of her hoped that her mom would make it to the school on time to see her, but she knew it probably wouldn’t happen. Her mom hardly spent a lot of time with her anymore, and a lot of times, she wasn’t even home. She was always working.
“Hey, Shu,” one of the students asked, “Is your mom and dad coming?”
Still looking away, Tian shook her head.
“Why not?” another student asked, “We never see your mom and dad!”
Tian didn’t answer. She didn’t like the way this conversation was going.
A boy walked up to her. “Yeah,” he added, “We never ever see them, not even out of school! Do they not care about you or something?” He started laughing.
Tian closed her eyes and sank lower in her seat. “They do care…” she tried to say, “But it’s just-”
A few of the students interrupted.
“I heard that her dad isn’t here anymore,” one girl murmured.
“Really? I was wondering about that! We never see her dad around! I wonder what happened?”
“They’re fighting a lot in China, I think, so maybe he…”
The boy overheard this, and smirked. “And her mom probably only cares about work, so that’s why she won’t come today!”
Tears started flowing from Tian’s eyes and she covered her ears. She couldn’t stand hearing any more. “Stop it…” she said shakily, “Please stop…”
The boy laughed again, until he was roughly pushed away. “Hey!”
“Leave her alone!” Akira shouted at him, hurrying over to Tian’s desk. “You’re making her cry!”
“Why are you always defending her, Mitsuishi?” the boy demanded, “Do you feel sorry for her?”
“No!” Akira shot back, “Because she’s my friend!”
The parents were beginning to notice the argument, and the room grew quieter.
“Really?” the boy asked sarcastically, “Are you sure it isn’t because you feel just the same as her?” He smiled spitefully. “I heard your mom walked out on you last week!”
A couple of the students gasped. Apparently, not a lot of people knew that, until now.
Tian looked over at Akira for a second, and was suddenly scared. She had never seen her look so mad. “Akira,” she tried to say, but her voice was hoarse and choked with sobs. “Don’t listen… don’t–” But Akira wasn’t listening.
Akira shook with anger, barely hearing Tian’s pleas. “Shut up!” she shouted, moving toward the boy with a clenched fist. Before she got there, however, someone reached out and roughly grabbed her wrist. She looked up and glared, seeing Seita there.
“Will you relax, Akira?” Seita demanded, “He was only joking around!”
“You don’t joke around like that!” Akira answered angrily. “Not when you don’t understand!” She tried to push him aside, but he was still holding onto her wrist. “Let go!”
Seita glared back. “Don’t push me!” Then he pushed Akira hard, causing her to fall to the floor and crash into an empty desk.
After that, the room was in an uproar. The students crowded around and shouted, trying to see the two of them kicking and screaming.
The teacher slammed her hand on her desk.
“Mitsuishi! Kazama!”
The entire room went silent, and Akira and Seita turned around to face her, shocked stares on their faces.
“Outside. NOW!”
She walked over and marched them out of the room. After that, many of the children started talking excitedly, and the parents whispered among themselves.
Tears continued to stream down Tian’s face, but she gave up trying to wipe them. She kept her head down, not wanting to see everyone staring at her. She could hear Akira’s dad and Seita’s parents apologizing to each other profusely, plus all of the adults’ whispering. A lot of it wasn’t nice.
She felt terrible. Not only did she embarrass herself and help cause a scene in front of all the parents, she also ended up getting both Akira and Seita in trouble.
Then, she heard one of the students call out. “ Shu , your mom’s coming!”
Tian looked up slowly and rubbed her swollen eyes.
A girl ran up to her. “Your mom’s coming to see you, Shu . You’ll feel better then, right?”
Tian wiped her face with her arm. “Thank you…” Then she stopped, realizing that she couldn’t remember the girl’s name.
She looked around, and with an icy feeling, realized that she couldn’t remember anyone’s names. And even stranger, she couldn’t seem to be able to focus on anyone’s faces. Everything on everyone seemed blurry and indistinct. Every feature, from hairstyles to eye colors, seemed muted and pixilated. She couldn’t recognize any voices either, except one.
“Tian!”
Tian’s eyes widened. “Mama!” She could see a larger figure move toward her. She got up. But when the person got close enough for her to see, she gasped. “…Mama…?” She stared up at the person’s face in confusion and shock. She didn’t recognize the face.
She turned around and ran. And kept on running.
Finally, she stopped, but it was hard to see anything. There was thick, dark fog everywhere she looked.
Then, she felt someone touch her shoulder…
Tian screamed and stumbled to the ground. Renamon had put her paw on her shoulder, jolting her out of her memory nightmare.
Renamon looked concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Renamon, don’t do that!” Tian retorted shakily, “You scared me!” She turned away. “I was just daydreaming, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong.” She continued walking ahead.
“What were you thinking about?”
Tian turned around and glanced at Renamon, startled. “Hmm?”
“You haven’t been talking a lot lately,” Renamon replied, “What’s on your mind?”
Tian closed her eyes and looked away, silent.
“Well?” Renamon asked.
Still, Tian didn’t answer.
Renamon frowned. “Are you going to tell me now, or do I have to wait until the next time someone manipulates your mind to get it out of you?”
Tian turned back and stared at her for a moment. Then she sighed, defeated. “Oh, all right.”
Renamon stared back at her, waiting patiently.
Tian thought a moment before answering her. “I’m… well…” she started uncertainly, then stopped to collect her wits. “I’m worried,” she finished in a stronger voice, “About everyone else, I mean. Worried about Akira, wondering if she’s okay, and if she’s not, wondering whether or not I should kill Seita the next time we meet…”
Renamon chuckled.
“And…” Tian continued, “I’m worried about Jun and Mana, wherever they are. I’ve been wondering what kind of crazy plan they’re pulling off right now, when none of us are around, and if they’ll live to tell about it! Kei and Yuka… I’m not sure I want to know.” She put a hand on her head and took a deep breath. “It’s driving me crazy, not knowing where everyone is or if they’re all okay!”
Renamon put a paw on her shoulder. “Calm down,” she said softly, “You can’t be everyone’s caretaker. You’re just one person!”
“I know that,” Tian retorted, “But still… I feel responsible for them, somehow. I feel like I have to be there for them, in case something happens to Akira or Seita.”
Renamon said nothing, regarding her with a thoughtful stare.
“But then,” Tian continued, “sometimes, I feel the complete opposite. Sometimes I wish that I could just leave and forget about all this, and not have to worry about everyone else. Sometimes I wish I could just go home, go to bed, and wake up… and all of this would be just a dream.”
She paced a little bit. “I know it sounds selfish and mean, but that’s how I’ve been starting to feel lately. I don’t know if everyone else feels the same, but they haven’t said anything – not one word! I haven’t either, except to you. Even now, I feel like a traitor, talking about home.”
Her pacing quickened and anxiety began to creep into her voice. “We’ve been here too long. And the longer we stay here, the more I think about home. And it scares me, because I really have to think about it.” She looked at Renamon, fear in her eyes. “I’m starting to forget a lot of things, like what my neighborhood looked like, who my classmates and my other friends were, what my relatives looked like and what their names were…” She shut her eyes, and the anonymous faces in her daydream/nightmare came back. She shivered. “I think I’ll even forget who my mother is, if we stay here any longer!”
She was about to say more when a bright pink blur suddenly zipped by her. She did a double take and whipped around, surprised. “What was that?”
Renamon frowned. “I’m not sure. But it felt awfully familiar.”
Tian ran toward the blur, squinting, and her brow furrowed. “Mana…?” she murmured uncertainly. Then, listening carefully, she heard the voice of someone shouting out directions. After that, an ear-piercing scream.
Tian’s eyes widened. It was Mana. She knew no one else who could scream like that.
Then, she could feel the ground rumbling and hear a cacophony of shrieks and howls. Right after that, she gasped in horror as what looked like millions of dark Digimon rushed past.
“Wh-what the hell…?” Tian stammered out.
Renamon had closed her eyes for a few seconds, surprisingly calm. Then, her eyes suddenly snapped open, a stricken look coming to her face.
“We have to get out of here.”
“What?”
“Come on!” Renamon grabbed Tian’s hand and ran.
Tian struggled to keep up with her, having no idea what was going on. Her Digivice beeped and glowed a bright yellow, and Renamon’s hastening form shifted to Kyuubimon’s. Tian got on Kyuubimon’s back as the fading light from the evolution was suddenly overpowered by an even brighter light from behind them.
Tian looked behind her, but the bright light kept her from seeing anything substantial. She could hear a soft humming sound that grew louder with every passing moment. She could feel everything vibrating – trees, rocks, even the air, and she could feel blasts of sweltering heat. All of a sudden, she wondered if Kodamon was somewhere nearby. If she had evolved all the way to Helamon, and something happened…
Her eyes widened in fear. “Kyuubimon!”
“I know!” Kyuubimon answered breathlessly. She ran faster, trying to escape the growing radius of light and heat, and then she began to glow again. The Crest around Tian’s neck grew warm and brightened, but after a certain point, its light flickered and pulsed violently, as if it were a candle about to be blown out.
“What are you doing?!” Tian asked frantically, noticing Kyuubimon’s brightness while still staring at the crest’s wavering light. And then, as suddenly as it came, the flickering stopped and the Crest’s light blasted out strong.
After a second, Kyuubimon spoke up again, quickly and loud enough to be heard over the noise. “When I say so, slide off of me! Understand?” Tian nodded.
Kyuubimon’s light brightened. “Now!”
Tian let go, and she tumbled down, landing on the unstable ground with a thump. Kyuubimon jumped up, and with a flash of red and yellow light, landed as Taomon. She glided back, and with Tian behind her, she waved her hands in a single, sweeping movement. A large circle appeared under their feet, in the form of a Ying-Yang, and an energy dome appeared over their heads.
And then, explosions ripped through the area, debris zipping by like bullets and bouncing off the dome.
Tian stood there, eyes wide and mouth open in amazement and fear. She tensed at every moment a piece of debris smacked the dome and made it flicker. She could hear Taomon straining to keep the dome functional.
After what seemed like an eternity, the explosions subsided. Staggering, Taomon let the energy dome disappear and collapsed to the ground, reverting to Renamon on the way down.
Tian stared around her in shock, and was unable to speak for several minutes. Then she walked over to Renamon and pulled her up. “What was that?” she managed to say, slowly.
Renamon weakly shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Tian looked around her again. “Whatever it was, it took out almost everything…” She glanced at her Digivice. “I wonder if the others…” Her fist clenched her Digivice hard, and her voice faltered.
She then shut her eyes and sighed in frustration. “I hate this!” she yelled, “I wish I never started playing that Digimon game! I’m so sick of being here! Sick of being scared all the time, trying not to get killed! I’m sick of trying to keep track of so many people, and dealing with all of their problems! I don’t want to care anymore!” She quickly turned around and started walking away.
Renamon stared back at her, stunned. After a few moments of silence, she was about to reply, but her thoughts were pushed away when she heard a rustling noise behind her, and a noise that sounded most unmistakably like a Digimon’s evolution.
Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she whipped around, gasping at what she saw. “Tian!” she called out urgently, trying to get her attention.
Tian stopped suddenly. “Renamon?” She turned around and caught a glimpse of something large and red, and what looked like large energy balls raining down, before Renamon knocked her over to the ground and acted as a shield.
Tian breathed heavily and covered her head with her hands. The landing had knocked the wind out of her. After a moment, she noticed that the fiery attack had stopped, and uncovered her face, only to be nearly blinded by the yellow light of her Digivice. She looked again after the light faded, and saw that Kyuubimon was fighting what looked like a large red dinosaur with chrome metal. She also heard a child’s voice that she didn’t recognize, shouting something she couldn’t understand.
The sound of Kyuubimon being slammed into the ground startled her, and reality started flooding back. “Kyuubimon!” Tian ran over to her, and she gasped as she saw how hurt Kyuubimon looked. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Too strong…” Kyuubimon said weakly, staring up at the large red Digimon towering over her. Then, she got up, slowly, and assumed a fighting stance again.
“Wait!” Tian shouted, trying to hold her back, “Not until you’ve evolved again!” She picked up her Crest and noticed that it was dark. Kyuubimon gave Tian a knowing look, and Tian’s eyes widened. She realized, with a jolt, that if Kyuubimon could evolve, she would have done it already.
Then, Tian looked down and saw that her Crest was acting strangely again, with its light flickering on and off and slowly fading away. She stared at it and stared at Kyuubimon’s weakening form, hoping that somehow the Crest would fix itself and work again, like the last time. But the light sputtered and died.
Then, the red Digimon shot another attack at Kyuubimon, and sent her flying out of sight, de-evolving to Renamon along the way.
“Renamon!” Tian cried frantically, unable to locate where she fell. She looked up at the red Digimon, wondering what to do next.
I can’t do this anymore, she thought hopelessly. It’s too much!
Then, she heard soft footsteps behind her. She turned around and caught a glimpse of someone swinging something toward her from the corner of her eye, too fast for her to react.
Pain erupted from her head, and she collapsed to the ground. Gasping for breath, she tried hard to keep her eyes open and see at least a glimpse of who attacked her. But her vision was distorted and swimming. All she could see was a dark, blurry figure standing over her, staring back with cold, black eyes. Then, everything faded…
Some time later, Tian woke up, the back of her head still hurting like mad. She sat up and impulsively put her hand to her head, surprised to find that a bandage had been wrapped around it. Her cap lay on the floor next to her. When she bent down to pick it up, she blinked, then looked around in surprise, noticing her surroundings.
She was in a large, sparsely furnished room, and she had been lying in a bed with a strangely familiar floral print comforter. On the far left, there was a door that was closed shut, and to Tian’s immediate left, there was a table. A black laptop sat on top, humming, its screen blanked.
When Tian saw the laptop, she froze.
Wait a minute…
She took a closer look around her, and saw an open, half-filled suitcase and a familiar-looking pale yellow backpack on her far right. Her eyes then rested on an object sitting next to the laptop on the table – a small picture in a frame. Narrowing her eyes, she made a closer examination of it.
The picture had been taken over a decade ago, and showed her as a very young girl, posing with both her mother and her father.
Tian gasped, surprise registering on her face. It was one of the pictures she had always treasured, and she always made sure she took it along with her, no matter where she traveled. Even to…
…my aunt’s house, Tian thought incredulously. This is my aunt’s house. I’m in China. I’m back on Earth…
She shook her head in disbelief, making herself wince with pain.
This can’t be. I must still be in the Digital World. I have to be… unless…
Peals of laughter outside the room startled Tian out of her thoughts. Then, the door opened with a bang. Two very familiar children ran into the room and toward her – a little boy, followed by a little girl.
Tian’s mouth fell open in astonishment. “Taosan… Ming…” she whispered, barely able to speak.
“Tian! Tian!” the two of them called excitedly, “Are you okay? Does your head still hurt?”
Meanwhile, Tian had been staring at them in shock. Then, when she realized that they were waiting for an answer, she blinked and quickly shut her mouth.
“Um, yeah!” she stammered, “Yeah, I’m fine. My head still hurts a little, but I’m okay!” She smiled, and the two children cheered.
Meanwhile, Tian had lowered her head and closed her eyes, trying to sort out the dozens of questions running through her head. What was going on?
“So, you’re finally awake?” a voice drifted into the room. Tian turned to see her aunt standing in the doorway.
“What happened?” Tian found herself asking, still wondering if she was dreaming.
Her aunt raised an eyebrow. “You don’t remember?”
Tian slowly shook her head.
“Unbelievable!” her aunt answered, “They must have hit you harder than we thought!” She looked at Tian seriously. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Tian thought for a few moments. Obviously, her aunt was asking about the last thing she could remember before being whisked off to the Digital World. She could barely remember anything. It seemed like a million years ago.
Her aunt noticed the strained look on her face, so she shook her head. “Never mind. It’ll probably come back to you later.”
Tian looked at her questioningly, then the little girl, Ming, answered.
“Mama told you to go to the store, and you left,” she said.
“Oh! Oh, and then,” Taosan interrupted, “After that, the police called, and said some bad people hit you on the head!! Wham!” he shouted, whacking his head lightly and pretending to faint, then looking up. “Just like that!”
“So we all went to get you, and Mama kept telling them not to take you to the doctor! She kept saying she could fix your head herself!” Ming added, pouting.
Tian looked at her for a moment, smiled, and patted the girl’s head. “It’s okay,” she said, “I’m sure that Auntie had a very good reason for not taking me to the hospital.” She looked at her aunt for a second, then turned back to her little cousin. “My head’s fine, nothing’s broken, and everything will be just fine.”
“Really?” Ming’s face brightened.
“Really,” Tian said firmly, giving her another smile. She looked over at her aunt again.
Her aunt stared at her blankly for a moment, then brightened up. “Okay, you two,” she said to the twins, a little too cheerfully, “why don’t you go off and play for a while? Tian needs her rest!”
“Okay!” they yelled, giggling. Taosan ran out right away, but Ming hung back. She went over to Tian and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“Here you go!” she said, thrusting it into Tian’s hands. “We made this while you were sleeping!”
Tian unfolded the sheet and stared at it. It showed a crayon drawing of herself and the two children, holding hands. She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Get better soon, okay?” Ming said hopefully.
Tian nodded, pocketing the sketch, and Ming giggled and skipped out of the room.
As the girl’s laughter faded away, Tian and her aunt stared at each other, not saying a word. Then, when the silence became unbearable, Tian spoke up.
“Are you sure that’s what happened, Auntie?” she asked skeptically, “Someone on the street just snuck up on me and hit me on the head? Nothing else?”
“Of course that’s all that happened,” her aunt said in a huff. “They found you right next to the grocery store, knocked out. If you were kidnapped, you’d be either miles away by now and we’d get some sort of ransom note, or you’d be dead and we’d end up finding what’s left of you tomorrow! And if someone murdered you right then and there, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, would we?”
Tian stared back at her, speechless. She blinked a couple of times, and opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Then, in a flash, she remembered something. Her hand flew to her neck and to her pocket, then looked around her, feeling around the bed. She frowned, and looked up to see her aunt turning around and starting to walk out of the room.
“Auntie?” Tian called out, stopping her in her tracks.
“What is it?” she replied tiredly.
“Whoever hit me… did they take anything?”
Her aunt frowned. “Come to think of it… no…” she murmured, “A funny thing, too. Whoever did it didn’t bother to take anything. The stuff you bought was still there. It was as if the person only wanted to hit you on the head!” She shook her head wearily. “It must have been one of those crazy old ex-politicians, afraid you would start another revolution if you ever came back. Just because you’re my brother’s kid…”
Tian scowled. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Of course it is…” her aunt answered absently.
She was about to leave again when a boy poked his head through the doorway. He looked a couple years younger than Tian, with glasses on his face and headphones around his neck. He had an amused look on his face.
“Hey, Tian…” he started, grinning.
“Yuu…” Tian answered warily.
“I heard you got attacked!” Yuu said with a smirk. “And you didn’t even see it coming!”
Tian stared at him. “Yeah? So?”
Yuu laughed. “It’s only your first time back in, what, eleven years? I never knew you were that unpopular with the Chinese police!”
Tian had an irrational desire to jump out of bed and kick him in the head, but since her own head was still aching, she could only glare at him murderously.
Instead, her aunt was the one to smack Yuu on the back of his head.
“OW!!”
“How many times have I told you not to speak that way?” she shouted, “You know better! And don’t say such rude things to your cousin. You know what she and your aunt have been through!”
“But Mom, I was only–”
“Say you’re sorry!”
“Okay, all right, whatever!” Yuu stammered and walked away, throwing Tian an insincere ‘sorry’ on the way out.
Tian stared after him, surprisingly calm.
Her aunt sighed. “I don’t know what to do with him… I’m sorry he upset you.”
Tian shook her head. “It’s okay.”
“Cai-lin is coming later tonight,” her aunt said, “About time, too. That devil computer job of hers in Shanghai’s kept her working so long, she hadn’t been able to see you when you got here.” The frown on her face then turned into a wicked smile. “Don’t worry – once Cai-lin’s around, Yuu won’t be even half as irritating.” She winked.
Tian smiled a little. Cai-lin was her older cousin, and one of the only people she remembered from before, besides her aunt and uncle.
“I’m going to step out now,” Tian’s aunt continued, hastening toward the doorway. “I have to get dinner ready before your uncle comes home!” She gave Tian a quick smile. “Lie back down and get some more rest. If you need anything, shout.” She left, shutting the door behind her.
When her aunt’s footsteps faded away, Tian lay back down and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
That conversation had gotten her nowhere. All she knew was that somehow, she had ended up back in the real world and that everyone thought she had been the victim of a stupid hit-and-run accident. And not to mention that her aunt’s theories were as far out as outer space and that Yuu was probably the most annoying kid she’d ever met…
I wonder what they’d say if they knew where I’ve really been…
A flicker of doubt flashed through her mind. She really did wonder if she was only dreaming. Everything and everyone around her seemed real enough, but as far as she knew, there was no sensible way she could have come back. And she didn’t believe a word of that assault story. Even so, she pinched her arm, just to make sure she was really awake. The pinch made her wince and brought on a strange disorientation, but when her vision cleared, everything was still there.
She frowned, and slowly got up and walked over to the window. Everything looked normal outside – a normal, sunny afternoon. She turned away, sitting back down and staring absently at the floor.
Maybe she really had managed to return. She was found at the same spot where the Digivice had whisked her away. And the hit-and-run attack explained the head injury, at least to the people around her. But then, her Digivice and Crest tags were gone, and Renamon was nowhere in sight.
Renamon!
Tian looked up suddenly, remembering the last moments before she had passed out in the Digital World. She remembered the giant red Digimon and the murderous blasts from the sky. She could still see Kyuubimon being beaten back and forth, and falling through the air as Renamon.
“Renamon?” she said uncertainly, her voice unnaturally loud in the quiet air.
No answer.
“Renamon?” she tried again, “If you’re there, can you please let me see you?”
Still no answer.
“Renamon!”
Tian looked down again, hanging her head. She suddenly felt very alone.
Renamon!
Renamon’s eyes snapped open and she woke with a jolt.
“Tian…?” she whispered out weakly. She tried to get up, but gasped as her body was wracked with pain. She collapsed and took a couple of short, soft breaths, then slowly tried to sit up. The floor underneath her was as cold as ice.
She looked around her, and found that she was in a small, dark room with an opening covered by iron bars. A small amount of light trickled through the bars.
When she inched closer to the opening, she saw that it was coming from part of a much larger room, filled with all kinds of machines, both broken and intact. A steep flight of stone steps leading upward lay along the far side of the room, and the light from the corner shined over an area with a large computer-like screen. Wires trailed from the screen to different, shadowy parts of the room, visible only by the flashing of random, multicolored lights.
Renamon looked around again, wondering where she was and why she was there. It seemed to be a laboratory of some kind, but for what, she didn’t know.
And Tian was nowhere in sight.
Where are you? Renamon wondered, I thought I heard you call me.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash and the crackling of frayed cables. She looked up quickly and squinted through the bars, seeing a very old, wizened humanoid Digimon emerge from the shadows.
He had frizzy white hair, with goggles covering his seemingly eyeless face, and he was wearing what looked like a cross between a lab coat and a medieval magician’s robe. He shook himself free of some stray wires, and hobbled over to a machine next to the computer screen and started pressing random buttons.
Renamon could only look at him for a few moments before she could hear footsteps coming down the stairs. A little dark-haired boy and a red reptile Digimon walked into the room. To Renamon, they looked vaguely familiar.
As the two neared the workstation and the old Digimon, Renamon stayed in the shadows, peering through the iron bars and quietly watching what would happen next.
“Ah, Rion! Guilmon!” the old Digimon greeted the two in a much-too-cheerful tone, “What brings you two down here on such a beautiful day?”
“Alchemon!” Guilmon called out, waving happily until a stern look from Rion made him stop.
“Don’t play dumb, Alchemon,” Rion addressed the elderly scientist coldly, with another sharp look at Guilmon. “You know what we’re here for. Have you located her yet?”
Alchemon nodded. “According to my calculations, she was sent to an area in the Real World, somewhere within the city of Nanjing, China.”
Rion narrowed his eyes. “But do you know exactly where she is? Which neighborhood? Which house?”
“Eh-no,” Alchemon twitched. “I’m still working on that.”
Rion glared. “The only way we can stabilize the Edge is to use the Projection system to send one of the Chosen Children into the Real World, and map all of the places that he or she has been. Or at least, that’s what Mataymon told me.” He looked away for a moment. “This one’s over there, all right, but how can we figure out the places she’s been to if we can’t even track her?”
“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Alchemon retorted hoarsely, “The electronic interference from the other side keeps breaking up the tracking signals I’m trying to send – too many high-security installations. And this mediocre equipment you people have given me to use isn’t helping very much either!”
Rion’s eyes flashed, and he clenched a fist, as if he was going to attack Alchemon. After a moment, though, he relaxed. He thrust a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a Digivice and Crest tags. He threw them over to Alchemon. Renamon looked closely before Alchemon caught them and saw that they were Tian’s.
“Those should solve your problem,” Rion said grudgingly, “And even if they don’t, you have permission to ask for and use anything else that will.”
Alchemon nodded gratefully.
“You understand that there will be no more delays after this, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” Rion turned to leave, pulling Guilmon along with him. “You’d better have found her by the time I come back, or else Mataymon will have your head!” They walked off, disappearing up the stairs.
After he was sure they had gone, Alchemon turned back to his work, mumbling things to himself. Somehow he continued to ignore the caged area behind him where Renamon lay. He pulled out a wire and placed one end into his workstation. The other end he plugged into Tian’s Digivice. He also clicked the Crest into place through the slot at the top. Then, he waited for something to happen.
Renamon couldn’t watch anymore. Her vision was becoming blurry, and she could feel herself weakening.
In an effort to stay conscious, she closed her eyes and tried to think about what happened before she had been locked in this dark cage. She could still remember the hopeless battle she had with the giant red Digimon, who she knew had to be one of Guilmon’s evolved forms.
She could still see the stricken look on Tian’s face, when her Crest refused to shine.
Renamon sighed. She was still a little shocked at how much Tian’s feelings about their entire situation had soured, but somehow, she wasn’t surprised. With Akira constantly absent or unstable, and Seita being uncooperative most of the time, most of the burden of looking after the group’s well-being had fallen on Tian. The pressure had gotten to her, and she had finally cracked.
And now she was gone. Sent to the Real World, if what Renamon had overheard was true.
You’re in danger, Tian, Renamon thought ruefully. And I’m nowhere close enough to help you!
Frustration filled her as she tried to move again and was hit by another wave of pain. I’m in no condition to go looking for you, either.
She reluctantly settled down and closed her eyes.
I’ll rest. And then I’ll find you.
Just then, the Digivice bleeped an alarm and the Crest inside flickered violently. Then, an image appeared on the workstation screen.
The image was that of a map, showing an overhead view of Nanjing, and in the northeast corner, a bright yellow light flashed.
“Aha!” Alchemon crowed, “There you are!” He hobbled over to another console and began to type furiously.
At that moment, early evening had fallen, and the room had steadily darkened. Tian still sat in the corner, sleeping lightly and oblivious to everything around her. She didn’t notice when the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees, even when she started shivering. It was the alarming of her laptop that finally jolted her awake.
She quickly opened her eyes and gasped. Everywhere she looked was surrounded in thick, cold, gray fog. She got up and looked over at the table where her laptop sat. The screen was a blank gray-white, with light pulsing on and off, and it was still alarming. Combined with the darkened, fog-filled room, it was an eerie sight.
Still shivering violently, Tian managed to walk across the room and over to the door. The fog, strangely, became thicker and thicker only around her, no matter where she went, and small bursts of it seemed to emerge from under her. Trembling, she placed a hand on the door and quickly opened it, peering into the hallway.
It was unusually quiet, and just as dark as her room. No one was in sight, and the fog quickly began filling up the open space.
“Auntie?” Tian called out, her voice making an odd echo. She slowly stepped out and walked toward the kitchen. “Uncle?”
No one answered.
“Ming? Taosan?” She swallowed nervously. “Yuu?”
Fog continued to fill the dark, empty hallway, and the temperature continued to drop. Tian’s pulse quickened. She felt as if she was being watched. She whirled around her, expecting someone or something to jump out, but there was no one in sight.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. Then, when she least expected, something grabbed her from behind!
She screamed.
Renamon woke suddenly for the second time, a piercing scream still echoing through her head. She pushed herself up slowly, noticing how much easier it was this time. The time she had spent resting had paid off – she felt stronger and more alert.
But who was the person who had screamed in her mind? Tian?
Renamon looked over at Alchemon’s station again. The old Digimon was running around frantically, trying to put out a small electrical fire. She listened closely, trying to make out what he was saying to himself.
“Confounded piece of junk!” Alchemon bellowed, blasting a fire extinguisher over a fried console. “Blows up in my face, just because some stupid real-world factors interfere with the operation! Too many humans around! Why that girl would have so many humans around her, I have no clue!” He roared again in frustration, flinging the extinguisher away. He moved toward the viewscreen.
“Location: China, northeastern Nanjing, in a house with too many interfering humans!” He grimaced. “That’s all the information I have to go by!” He paused for a moment, thinking very hard. “Aha!” he crowed, “I have just the thing to fix that!” He pressed a button, and a spot on the floor opened, revealing a small, rectangular metal box.
Renamon squinted a little, not quite sure what Alchemon was going to do with this new machine. She saw him push the small machine over to a dark corner of the room that Renamon didn’t notice before. Then Alchemon pulled out a strange, headset-like thing with a wire attached.
Renamon crept closer and squinted even more, but she still couldn’t see. She gave up, and closed her eyes, concentrating hard. Her form grew transparent, and she slowly moved one of her arms until it passed through the iron bars.
She was completely out of the cage when footsteps rained down the stairs again and Rion and Guilmon reappeared. Renamon quickly turned invisible again before any of them could see her.
“Well?” Rion asked, not bothering to greet Alchemon. “What’s happened?”
Alchemon sighed wearily. “I’ve almost got it, Rion,” he replied, “The systems were faulty, so I switched to this machine here.” He motioned toward the metal box. “From what I heard, it’s been fully tested, so it will get you what you need in no time!”
Rion came closer to the machine, stared at it, then stared at the headset in Alchemon’s hands. Renamon thought she saw his eyes widen in surprise, then return to normal.
“Why are you using this?” Rion demanded, “I thought it could only block thoughts and memories – not save them!”
“Oh, it can do much more than that!” Alchemon answered proudly. “It connects directly with a person’s mind, just like the technology we use for Projection, but it also tracks exactly where the person’s consciousness is, and can save memories and thoughts!”
“Whatever,” Rion waved away the technobabble. “Just finish.” He and Guilmon looked at the dim corner, as if there was something else there besides the mysterious machine. Renamon thought she saw Rion’s expression soften just for a moment. Then he turned around to leave.
When he saw the corner where Renamon was hiding, he stopped. Renamon was still invisible, but it almost seemed as if he could see her anyway. He looked at the spot, then looked at the empty cage. His eyes narrowed, and he turned his head toward Alchemon. Renamon stiffened.
“One more thing!” Rion called, “Make sure you check our prisoner. You never know what she might do.”
“Right, right…” Alchemon answered, lost in his work once again.
Rion stared at Renamon’s hiding spot one more time, then walked off, not bothering to tell Alchemon that she had escaped.
Before the two of them vanished through the door, Renamon overheard them talking.
“Rion…”
“What is it, Guilmon?”
“That girl… I think you hit her too hard.”
“Shut up.” They were too far away to be heard after that.
Renamon’s ears perked up at what Guilmon had said, and with growing fear, she stepped closer to the work area – close enough so that she was directly behind Alchemon. She saw what looked like a shabby operating table, connected to the computer interface by a heap of wires. When she focused even more and saw what was actually on the table, she could hardly contain her shock.
Tian was lying there, unconscious and breathing shallowly. Her head rested on rags stained with blood, and the machine’s headset was fixed firmly onto it.