Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Alternative Factor ❯ The Slab From the Sky ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

 

Summary: AU Season 01. In a world that has co-existed with Digimon for the past twenty years, humans and their partners battle against the Virus type Nightmare Soldiers set on casting the world into darkness. Eight kids will help reshape the future.

 

Title: The Alternative Factor

 

Ch.2. The Slab From the Sky

 

Tai grudgingly followed Wizardmon down the corridors of the facility he now knew to be a Self-Defense Forces base. In the span of less than twenty-four hours his world had been turned upside down. He was being held against his will and would be forced into a partnership with a Digimon who hadn't chosen him of its own volition. It was shameful and embarrassing in society to have to form a bond in that manner. Humans like that, for whom an egg never hatched or a Digimon had never appeared before, were looked down upon in disgrace and thought to have something wrong with them—something that seemed to attract Nightmare Soldiers and were vulnerable to becoming mindless slaves of the enemy.

 

Tai understood why the captain saw him as a dangerous liability, but that didn't mean he agreed with his logic. He was not going to form a bond with whatever Digimon they dug up for him no matter what the consequences. And as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he was going to sneak away and go back to Sector 12 to take another look inside that crater.

 

"The contents within have already been excavated and moved to a safe location," Wizardmon said from ahead. "And I assure you, it is quite impossible to sneak away or into a Self-Defense Forces base. Your plan is ill-thought out and unnaturally reckless."

 

Tai froze in place with a jolt. "You—you can read minds!" he exclaimed.

 

"I can if I so choose to," Wizardmon admitted never once looking behind him as he continued to walk forward. "However it is not in my nature to invade another being's privacy without due cause. You are simply broadcasting your thoughts in a loud enough manner that they pass right through my shields. It's like someone walking pass a closed door shouting at the top of their lungs. I can't help but overhear it."

 

Tai was growing more irritated by the second. Well, so much for the element of surprise on getting past these guys then.

 

"Fine!" he snapped. "Can you help but overhear this?"

 

He stood there for a short space of time thinking the nastiest insults he could come up with about Wizardmon. Unfortunately, the most degrading that came to his mind was something along the lines of "witchy pony-tailed midget".

 

Wizardmon stopped abruptly in his tracks and Tai wondered a bit perturbed if it had been wise to goad a Digimon.

 

"Tell me, human, this Digimon you saw that bore a resemblance to me—what did he look like?" was Wizardmon's unexpected inquiry.

 

"What?" Tai asked baffled at this change of conversation.

 

"Earlier in the Interrogation Room, you thought I was 'similar to another Digimon' you had seen. I assume that's why you started so violently at my appearance—not only because you inferred I was a Virus type. I would very much be interested in knowing what they looked like," Wizardmon said.

 

Tai didn't question the reason why.

 

Blue eyes glittered with malice as mocking laughter pealed out madly over the wrecked and rubble-strewn streets. The night blazed red with hellish fires over a ruined city square and the sky was ripped in half.

 

In the space of a heartbeat, the two people he cared about the most were gone.

 

"I was mistaken," Tai said quietly.

 

"I see," Wizardmon stated gazing at him with a placid expression before turning and resuming pace.

 

Wizardmon could read minds.

 

Tai found he didn't have the energy to care anymore.

 

They remained in silence for the remainder of the walk until they reached their intended destination.

 

"B-11," Wizardmon said, pushing a button on the wall panel and the doors slid open to reveal a recreation room of some sort.

 

There were several tables with numerous half-constructed projects and papers littering their surfaces. A row of empty computer monitors lined the back wall and the room was otherwise empty except for a small boy playing with some toys on the floor.

 

He jumped as soon as he heard the doors open and a guilty look flashed across his face. "Wizardmon!" he cried in surprise.

 

"Where is your brother?" Wizardmon asked in a displeased tone.

 

"Uh, he ah…" the small boy stuttered. Obviously lying was not his specialty. "He's not here."

 

"Am I correct in assuming that he and young Kido have taken it upon themselves to visit the Digital World expressively disregarding your father's orders not to go there without supervision?" Wizardmon inquired.

 

"No, they would never do that!" the boy exclaimed aghast. "They took their Digimon with them."

 

"I believe 'Champion-level or higher' was implied in Hiroaki's orders even if it was never vocalized, none of which your partners are," Wizardmon stated. "How did they manage to override the block set on the gateway?"

 

The small boy fidgeted in a nervous fashion and tugged his gigantic, green puffy hat down over his eyes.

 

"Ah, yes, the computer technicians convened here today to hold their conference with the general," Wizardmon said as if remembering. "Izumi must have come with his parents. Has he with gone to the Digital World also?"

 

"No." Now the small boy appeared to be sulking. In any case, his lower lip was sticking out in a pout. "Matt told him to stay behind and watch me to make sure I wouldn't follow them."

 

"He appears to be lacking in his ordained duties," Wizardmon said curtly.

 

Tai wondered if Wizardmon had just attempted a joke. It came out more like dry sarcasm.

 

"He said he wanted to check out the cargo hold," the boy explained. "He was curious about what was underneath the big tarp brought in earlier. So he put the block back on the gateway while he went off to look."

 

"This is a Self-Defense Forces military base, not a playground," Wizardmon said sounding annoyed. "I've told Hiroaki a hundred times this is no place for children, but he insists it is the safest place from Nightmare Soldiers' attacks. In the meantime, guess who gets granted the role of babysitter?"

 

"Aw, but we love you, Wizardmon. You're the best!" the small boy declared brightly, looking for a moment like he would attach himself to one of the Digimon's limbs in a hug.

 

"Nonsense," Wizardmon said waving his staff to the side as if brushing the statement off, although two tell-tale pink splotches had appeared in the skin beneath his eyes. "I shall be informing Hiroaki about his sons and friends' little misdemeanors here today, right after I fetch Mr. Izumi from the cargo hold. It is vital what lies under that tarp not to be disturbed. In the meantime, where's Tokomon?"

 

Tai watched in fascination as the boy's giant green, mushroom hat began wriggling and twisting this way and that as if it were alive until a small white creature poked its face out from underneath the material and blinked beady black button eyes at them.

 

"Hello!" it chirped, displaying a mouth full of double rows of razor sharp teeth in a smile.

 

"Please do hurry and digivolve soon, Tokomon," Wizardmon said on his way out. "I am unsure much longer I can manage playing nursemaid to adolescent delinquents."

 

It was when the doors had closed behind him that Tai realized in the Digimon's haste that Wizardmon had neglected to introduce the two to each other and so now he had a captive audience consisting of one small, short-legged kid around Davis' age and a digital piglet staring at him.

 

"My name's T.K. and this is Tokomon," the small boy finally said pointing to his partner.

 

"Tai," Tai replied, running his eyes over the kid speculatively. So he was Captain Ishida's son was he? He must take after his mother then because his hair was several shades lighter than the captain's, peaking out from under his hat in untidy golden tufts, and his eyes were baby blue in contrast to his father's darker irises. However, the family resemblance was there along with an air of trusting friendliness with no ulterior motives as had been the case with the captain.

 

"Cool goggles," T.K. said gazing at them in admiration where they sat conspicuously atop Tai's head.

 

Tai couldn't help the grin that broke out over his face. He thought he might like this kid. He had good taste.

 

"Nice hat," he replied, returning the compliment, even if he did think the head accessory was ridiculously large for so small a boy.

 

T.K. giggled and beamed proudly.

 

Then Tokomon ruined the good mood by piping up and asking, "Where's your Digimon?"

 

Tai felt the grin slide off his face. "Don't have one," he stated curtly.

 

"Oooh," T.K. breathed, his blue eyes widening in wonderment.

 

Usually, when others discovered he had no partner, he was treated like an outcast. Strangely enough, Tai got the vibes that the kid was more excited by this information than repulsed. In fact, the boy was now exchanging knowing looks with his partner in a manner that suggested he understood why Tai was here at section B-11 more than he did.

 

Before Tai could press for answers though, the doors to the room slid open again and a spiky red-haired boy rushed through flailing his arms wildly.

 

"Prodigous!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "It's another, T.K.! They brought in another with the same type of markings as the ones before! It's got these weird ovular and triangular abrasions and-" He broke off mid-speech when he noticed the room had acquired an extra occupant in his absence. "Ah, hello," he said awkwardly.

 

"Izzy, wait for me!" squeaked a cylinder-shaped pink blob hopping after the boy as fast as its little body was able. He entered mere seconds before the doors closed and slammed into the back of his partner's leg.

 

The red-haired boy stood frozen in place very much like a deer caught in headlights as well as a flustered visage upon his face. He was biting his lower lip as if to restrain himself from letting the words he so badly wanted to share from tumbling out unto unwanted ears.

 

"This is Tai," T.K. spoke up first, filling in the uncomfortable silence. "Wizardmon brought him. He doesn't have a partner."

 

Izzy's eyes rounded like saucers as if he had just mentally connected the dots to something important.

 

Tai was growing frustrated that everyone seemed to be getting the bigger picture except for him.

 

"Look, I've been attacked by two Devidramon, nerve-pinched by an Andromon, interrogated by the captain, your dear old dad, for hours," Tai said motioning to T.K, "who very heavily implied I wasn't going to be leaving here anytime soon, had my mind read like a it was the latest gossip column by a magician-wannabe Digimon, and stuffed into this room with you guys with no explanation. I think I deserve some answers!"

 

Tai saw Izzy open his mouth—hopefully in preparation to expound—and then a blinking yellow light went off on one of the computer monitors and began sharply beeping.

 

"Oh my god, Matt and Joe!" Izzy exclaimed in horror. "I forgot about them!"

 

Rushing over to the computer, his hands fairly flew over the buttons and keyboard until a square, black-framed box popped up on the screen glittering with a myriad of colors. There was a bright flash of light and then four figures, two-human-shaped and two distinctly not, shot out and landed in a dog-pile on the floor.

 

"What took you so long?" one of the human figures asked as he untangled himself from the pile-up.

 

"Sorry, I got side-tracked," Izzy admitted sheepishly.

 

"Side-tracked—we've been waiting on the other side for fifteen minutes!" the boy yelled flushing an angry red all the way to the roots of his blond hair. His eyes were flashing an accusing stormy blue. "I thought the base was being attacked!"

 

"You could show a little more gratitude, Matt," Izzy said with a slight furrowing of his eyebrows. "I did hack into the system to open the gateway after all, knowing full well how dangerous it was for you to go to the Digital World on some stupid fool's expedition—"

 

"It's not stupid and I'm not a fool!" Matt proclaimed.

 

"No, you're just a kid who thinks vengeance will make things better," Izzy replied.

 

The statement seemed to strike a sore spot with the boy for he started forward in a heated manner only to be pulled back by the wrist by the other human who had exited from the portal with him.

 

"Leave it, Matt. You know he's right. Even if you had come across one of the Nightmare Soldiers there, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. Tsunomon's only an In-Training Digimon. He's no match for even a Rookie."

 

"If that's the way you really feel then why did you come along with me?" Matt demanded.

 

His companion, a tall, gangly, indigo-haired boy, pushed his square-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose matter-of-factly and opened the medical satchel that was strapped around his chest. "I came with you to ensure your safety," he confessed without shame, pulling out a long, cylindrical syringe filled with a clear liquid.

 

"You were planning to sedate me?" Matt cried sounding betrayed.

 

"Only if there was trouble," the boy declared with a shrug. "Luckily we encountered none."

 

"So that's why you didn't protest that much when I asked you to open the gate," Matt said to Izzy. "You were in on this too!"

 

Izzy had a smug grin hidden in the left-hand corner of his mouth.

 

"I can't—I can't believe you—both of you!" Matt sputtered furiously, whirling on the two Digimon who were his and the other boy's partners. "Did you know about this also?"

 

"No, Matt, I swear I had no idea!" a round, orange-furred Digimon with a sharp, metallic horn on his head denied vehemently.

 

The other though, a grey-skinned Digimon with two front flippers and a crest of orange hair sprouting from its head, let out a gleeful laugh as it hovered in mid-air.

 

"Bukamon!" the indigo-haired boy said reproachfully.

 

"What? It's funny! He actually thought we could take on Nightmare Soldiers at our level? Hahaha!" Bukamon chortled doing several belly-rolls in the air.

 

The boy called Matt looked mad enough to hurt something. His hands were clenched tight into balled fists at his side where a familiar-looking silver gun and white canister hung from his belt.

 

Tai supposed he must have gasped or emitted some sort of noise for everyone's attention snapped to him a moment later at the same time.

 

"Who is that?" Matt demanded, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

 

"That is called Tai," Tai snapped waspishly.

 

"What is he doing here?" Matt pressed, ignoring him and turning to Izzy for an answer.

 

"Matt! Matt! Guess what?" T.K. shouted running up to him excitedly. "Tai doesn't have a partner either!"

 

Matt's eyebrows flew upwards in surprise for the briefest of seconds at this before crashing down in a furrow over his brow again. "You have got to be kidding," he scoffed, wrinkling his nose at Tai like a particularly repugnant odor lingered about him.

 

"A tarp was brought in while you were in the Digital World," Izzy put in quietly. "They've found another marble slab. I've seen it."

 

"What?"

 

This time it was Tai who was caught by surprise. His feet were moving before his brain had sent the message to them and his hands were snagged in Izzy's orange over shirt.

 

"Where is it? Take me to it!" he ordered shaking the boy roughly.

 

He couldn't explain it. This unquenchable urge to see—to touch—the marble slab that had fallen from the sky. It just was there, brewing under his skin, burning in his veins like fire every second the desire went unfulfilled.

 

Someone had him by the arms and was dragging him backwards. His grip on Izzy's shirt was ripped away. Tai struggled violently trying to regain it back.

 

"Calm down or it will be you that Joe sedates," Izzy warned him.

 

Tai finally halted his wild thrashing and went still, his chest heaving in exertion. "What's going on?" he demanded. "You all seem to know. Why am I here, what is that marble slab, and why do I feel the compulsion to touch it or I'll go mad?"

 

"So it is for you then," Izzy said assessing him with a curious gaze. "I wonder how many of them there are exactly."

 

A temple in Tai's head throbbed painfully like a severed nerve and a patch of skin across his chest above his heart flared as if salt had been poured into a raw wound. From under the sealed doors, he could see a flicker of glowing red light, beckoning, calling, tugging at his heartstrings persistently, impatiently... and yet the others did not appear to notice this.

 

Losing your partner can drive you insane, Captain Ishida's voice floated back to him.

 

Tai felt his knees buckle as the world tipped dizzyingly and the boy called Joe caught him as he slumped over limply.

 

"I think... I think I'm going crazy," Tai admitted shivering, feeling a cold sweat break out across his forehead.

 

"This is bad, guys," he heard Joe's voice say over his head. "He's been in too close proximity to it and hasn't touched it yet. I'm more amazed he's lasted this long than I am at the sheer idiocy at the ones who brought it in and didn't allow him access to it at once."

 

"Are you calling my dad an idiot?"

 

"Cool it, Matt. He had to be certain it was meant for Tai first. You remember what happened to last person who touched a marble slab that turned out not to be theirs? They got blasted backwards into the wall; the skin off their hands seared straight off and they were in coma for two weeks!"

 

The voices became a buzz around his head, distant and dim…

 

Tai tried his best to follow the sound of the whistle blowing but it was hard. There was too much noise, too much explosions. He was caught in a raging maelstrom of chaos and overhead, power lines sent down a shower of sparks as they threatened to snap from their conduits under the weight of concrete slabs having fallen on the wires.

 

He was frightened, so frightened, but the whistle kept on blowing in a tireless, relentless manner and he knew he had to make it because both of them were out there waiting for him...

 

Waiting for him—the marble slab was waiting for him...

 

He straightened up and steadied himself on his feet, only swaying from a slight case of vertigo and made his way across the floor to the doors where the red light was filtering in from.

 

"Where are you going?" he heard Izzy's voice ask.

 

"Show me where the cargo hold is," Tai said his mind set in determination.

 

oOo

 

Izzy, for all the hacking into databases and breaking and entering into restricted military sections it was implied he had done, was getting paranoid and jittery.

 

"We shouldn't be here. We're not allowed," he protested as he led the group across the metal catwalk and down the stairway that led to the storage space below.

 

"That didn't seem to stop you before, did it?" Joe murmured.

 

"Wizardmon caught me on my way back," Izzy admitted. "He said there would be severe consequences if any one of us ever went into off-limit areas again. He mentioned something about turning my laptop into pineapple slush and feeding it to Tokomon."

 

"Yum!" Tokomon cried from his perch atop T.K.'s head, smacking his lips.

 

"I'm sure emergencies are excluded in this order," Joe said, trying to allay his friend's fear for his most precious possession.

 

"He also mentioned turning your glasses into a rubber chew toy for Bukamon to play with and cleaning toiletries until we're thirty-five," Izzy said dryly.

 

"Maybe we should head back," Joe said skittering to a worried halt.

 

Tai continued forward darting fleeting furtive glances at the boy called Matt from the corner of his eye. He was definitely the captain's other son, T.K.'s older brother. He too had blonde hair and blue eyes, though they were several shades darker than his brother's. Of the two, he resembled his father the most closely, right down to the style in which he wore his hair. Yet he seemed to be the more withdrawn person in his family. Apart from his brief show of emotion earlier, he had said not a word ever since they had left section B-11. He hadn't even opened his mouth to say if he was for or against the illegal act they were committing. Since he had come along with them, any normal person would have thought he agreed with what they were doing, however Tai could notably feel the icy vibes rolling off the boy aimed directly at him. It wasn't so much as hostile as it was like being given the cold shoulder, only it was more of a blizzard in Matt's case. The tension gathered so thick between them as they walked alongside each other in silence, one could cut it with a knife.

 

Tai felt a surge of irritation swell up within him. Matt had no right to make him feel like an unwanted intruder. He felt as if he had done something wrong but couldn't think of what. Maybe it all had to do with this marble slab that was their intended goal. Speaking of which...

 

"There it is," Izzy said pointing as they all reached the bottom of the stairway and descended onto the storage space's floor.

 

It sat wedged between mountains of stacked boxes and crates: a large, square-shaped object laid flat on its back covered in a blue tarp, a glowing red light radiating from underneath it.

 

"What color is it?" Izzy asked abruptly, surprising him. "We can't see what the other's aura is. Mine was purple."

 

"Red," Tai said softly, walking slowly towards as if hypnotized. "Red-orange."

 

Like the fiery inferno that had erupted through the wall of the apartment complex four years ago.

 

Then he was half-running, half-tripping over his own feet in his haste to get it-get to this mad obsession that had his mind in a tenacious grip. He was barely aware of the others hanging back, of himself climbing on top of a stack of crates, of bending over and yanking the tarp off with one swift flick of his arm and unveiling the symbol engraved deeply into the stone.

 

A small circle and two rings centering it. Four triangles with four smaller ones spread out like pointers for north, south, east and west on a compass... or perhaps, perhaps it was an ancient carving of the sun.

 

Tai trailed his index and middle fingers down the marble slab's surface almost lovingly, not understanding the need to do so.

 

A bright, orange light shot up from inside the center circle filling the room with a light so blinding, they had to shield their eyes.

 

Tai squinted through the brightness and could vaguely make out a dark mass in the core. Then as the brilliant light faded, the form became clearer: a pale pink, round ball-shape with two floppy ears streaming from its head.

 

Tai felt his breath catch in his chest. No. No, the world couldn't possibly be this cruel...

 

He staggered backwards, hearing a strangled sob escape from his throat, and he tried so hard not to look because if he did he would be just as susceptible as before. But his eyes were already lifting of their own volition and Tai found himself drowning in a warm, red gaze that was so hauntingly familiar.

 

His lungs burned as air tried to tear itself free. Something that felt like liquid honey was cascading down the inside of his chest, coating the raw patch over his heart and soothing the ache he had carried for so long.

 

Tai tried to resist it—the bond that was wrapping itself around his very soul—but he felt alive like he hadn't in four years time and then the Koromon smiled at him in that stupid, adoring, toothy grin almost the same as before... and then Tai was home.

 

To Be Continued...

 

A/N: Whew! Well, that's out of the way now. This chapter was mainly for pushing main characters forward. I wanted to explain a lot of things like why Matt went to the Digital World looking for a fight-it wasn't just to act tough. He does have a valid reason for the vengeance. That will be explained later. Half the fun is the suspense of finding out what, you know! Also, more information on T.K., Joe, and Izzy like why it seems the Self Defense Forces base is like a second home to them will be made clear... later.

I kept forgetting that in 01, Tai and Matt have this antagonizing rivalry thing going on for the most part. I'm so used to writing their 02 counterparts where they are friends who have overcome their trials and worked out their differences. It was sort of daunting to go back to the beginning, but I shall fun paving the road for them to become bosom buddies in the future, muwaha! XD

 

Also, some reviewers were curious as to what happened to Tai's first partner. There was even speculation that Tai might get a Virus type for his new partner. You have no idea how very tempted I was to alter my plans for this fic to do that! It sounded so cool! However, when I say this is an 01 AU, I mean pretty much that everything that happened in the show we all know happens here, yet ten times more exaggerated and sometimes out of order. However, there will be some new, never-before-seen AU events too. That means the kids will be getting the same Digimon as before. I'm sure some of you will be disappointed and some will be relieved. Hey, I could always write another AU fic where Tai gets a Virus partner—I'm not putting that egg out of the basket just yet!^^

 

And if you hadn't guessed from this chapter with all the clues, yes, something tragic happened to the first Koromon at Highton View Terrace. This Koromon is not the same one. He becomes the Agumon we all know and love!

 

Also, I don't think I can update this fic as quickly as I did Reboot. I'm working on a lot of background information that is the supporting column for this story. Such as, how the gates were opened decades earlier than they should have been, what adult gets what Digimon partner, and so on. I will say now that the Crests' plotline will be slightly different from their role in the tv series, alright? In any case, I'd say two weeks between updates hopefully, three if I really need the time.

 

Next chapter: Captain Ishida makes another appearance as well as Tai's parents, more explanation on the marble slabs, and more background info on the kids' pasts. How will Tai take to this new Koromon, hmmm?

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. If you have any questions just ask, and I'll try to answer to the best of my capabilities without giving anything away. Thank you!^^