[IC] Digimon Decryption Redux Chapter 1

[lord pringle]

[Damian Rosier]
It is a boring day. You haven't quite had the time to make friends yet, so you're just jogging around Seattle. You pass by yet another coffee shop, when out of the corner of your eye, you notice your father standing a block away. He makes eye contact with you and starts walking away.

[Thomas Charlebois]
You're reading an okay book. To get away from the world, you went to Colman Park and sat down at a bench. No one tends to bother you if you just sit and read. Suddenly you have the feeling that something’s wrong. A cloud of fog begins to roll in, and you notice a strange device (http://arumi.crims0n.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/rukidvice.gif) next to you.

[Shawn Reinhardt]
The bus you’re on is overly crowded. You don’t even know why. It’s not a commuter bus and it’s a Saturday anyway. You managed to snag a seat that a group of three friends left unoccupied. They’re talking about some basketball game that they lost, when a man in a suit and sunglasses walks up to you, pushing his way through the crowd. “Excuse me, I think you dropped this. ” He smiles and hands you an odd gadget (http://arumi.crims0n.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/rukidvice.gif)

[Mic Norris]
No matter how many times you scooter down the trails at Colman Park, you’ll never learn the layouts of them. You’re currently going down a particularly poorly kept bike path, littered with beer cans and cigarette stubs. A wave of fog starts rolling your way, despite it being a strange time for fog to come in. You’re struck with a strange feeling of discomfort that almost knocks you off your razor, but you recover. The fog is also spreading very rapidly.

[Luís Romero]
Per usual, everyone in your life is busy. Because you didn’t have anywhere to be, you decided to take a walk through Colman Park. You mostly just meandered through the field, putting off studying for your history test, until you noticed a large bank of fog spreading across the fields. It seems that instead of it coming from the ocean, it’s forming over the park, and spreading quickly.

[tonberryking]

Mic

Finding it too dangerous to ride around, the cautious tweenager stops, and with a few flicks and clicks shoulders the folded scooter. It's the loudest noise surrounding poor Mic and it doesn't do much for his courage. Tugging his cap back and forth a little, he wanders forward towards the fog-- it's a bit dangerous, but the path's sloping downhill. He reasons the path will end lower down the way, and fog or no fog, he'll know where he stands...

[lord pringle]

[Mic]
When you step into the fog, it feels strange. It's not cold, but about the same temperature as the rest of the park, if not warmer. Once you're inside you can see everything inside perfectly, as if the fog is just an facade. No one else seems to be in the fog zone, but you're on a pretty hidden trail. You have this odd uncomfortable feeling that on some level feels warm and familiar.

[Failed Phantasm]

*BEEP*

$3.99

*BEEP*

$1.82 (1.843 lb. @ $.99/lb.)

*BEEP* *BEEP*

$1.79
$1.79

The motion had quickly become automatic: pick up item, swipe over scanner, put inside bag. Simple. And yet he'd been waiting in line for nearly ten minutes before any of the self-checkout machines were free, to say nothing of the registers with actual people staffing them. Of all the days for uncle Erik to have forgotten something from the grocery store, it had to be a Saturday when everyone in the neighborhood was out and about and busy, where the market closest to his foster parents' home had what appeared to be a dozen people waiting in each line, every one of them with a cart crammed full. It was only ever this busy on a holiday, but there wouldn't be another holiday for a while yet. It was just another ordinary Saturday. As he bagged the last carton of chicken stock, the machine helpfully indicated, in its eerily stilted mechanical female voice, the payment options that it accepted. Fishing his wallet out of his pocket, and retrieving the crisp $20 he'd been given, Shawn inserted it in the slot that had lit up, waited as it whirred for a moment and then spit out his change and receipt, then gathered up his things and headed for the exit. As the automatic doors slid open, Shawn saw the bus he needed as it started rolling away from its stop on the other side of the parking lot; he uttered a sound that was halfway between a frustrated growl and a resigned sigh. Of course he'd just missed it. He glanced up at the sky — it didn't look like it was going to start raining — and then started towards the bus stop, hoping the next one wouldn't be too far behind the first.

It wasn't. In fact, Shawn hadn't been waiting five minutes when the next one pulled up. Instead of being late, however, it was incredibly crowded. Standing room only, so long as the only place you cared to stand was just behind the driver. Now the buses were unusually busy, it seemed, even though the one he'd taken to get to the market had been nearly empty. He fetched his bus card, tapped it on the fare machine as the driver hurriedly waved him back, and then tried to wedge himself and his bag of groceries somewhere that he wouldn't be in anyone else's face. There were eight stops between the store and his home and, given the way his day had been going, he suspected that they'd be stopping at each and every one. He was right, of course, but by the third stop, he'd managed to sidle far enough down the coach that he was near the rear doors, following the natural rhythm of the bus as current passengers exited through the back and new ones entered through the front. Fortunately, he wasn't carrying anything heavy, but he was beginning to think that it would be nice to set the bag down, even if only for a few minutes. He got his chance at stop number four, as a group of three other teenagers (High school seniors? Young university students? It was hard to tell sometimes) in the seats to his left got up and left. Shawn was close enough that he managed to take one of the newly-vacant seats, dropping his bag between his feet to keep it from moving. Breathing another sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. Soon he'd be home, practicing on his cello again, or maybe working on the homework he had that was due on Monday.

"Excuse me."

Curiously, it sounded like it was being directed at him. Shawn opened his eyes and looked up at the owner of the voice, an eyebrow arched ever so slighly in what was for Shawn an expression of deep puzzlement. There was man standing next to him, wearing a suit and sunglasses — 'Sunglasses? On a day like this?' he wondered — holding something in his outstretched hand. "I think you dropped this," he continued, with a smile. Shawn's gaze dropped to the strange-looking device. He'd never seen anything like it before. At first glance, it looked a bit like a toy, only it didn't seem to be made of plastic and the buttons didn't look like cheap rubber; actually, it looked quite well-made and very expensive. He couldn't possibly have dropped it. Shawn didn't even own his own cell phone: he borrowed his uncle's if he needed to go somewhere and couldn't be without one. He looked back up at the man and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. That's not mine."

[Chase_D]

Thomas

"Hmm, I should really organize my books." Thomas stood, staring at his small, but cluttered bookcase in his room. It seemed to be full of books, of varied subjects. Mystery, Action, and even non-fiction. However, most of the books are either falling apart or are facing the wrong way. He shuts his eyes in dissatisfaction and gives a small sigh. Perhaps a nice relaxing day is in order. He quickly takes one of the books from the bottom. "Blood Trade", one of his fathers old books probably. Probably on conflict diamonds if he had to take a guess. Why not, not like it was going to be too boring out there.

Downstairs, the whole house is quiet. No TV or anything could be heard. However a note saying that 'I'm running into town, I'll be home in a bit.' is on the table. Thomas fetches a pen from one of the nearby drawers and quickly writes, 'Heading out, will be home later on tonight' on the other side of the note. He gets his shoes on and leaves, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Walking down the street are tons of people, young and old. Lots of action going on today, it seemed. He almost regretted not bringing his camera. However it isn't really much to worry about, he was just going to stop by some store or park to sit and read anyhow.

Colman Park was nice, not as populated, but still busy enough to make him retreat to one of the park benches, instead of his usual spot under a shady tree in the corner of the park. He sits down on one end, and opens his book. Surprisingly, it wasn't about diamonds after all, but was instead about a murder mystery involving a killer who drained the blood from his victims before dumping them. Never before had he read this book, and this was good enough to draw him away from everything.

After an hour of reading, Thomas gives a small stretch, and a yawn. The plot had thickened to making the police chief boyfriend become a major suspect. A bit of a twist, but was partially expected. Noticing how quiet things have gotten, Thomas gives a quick glance away from his book, to see how late it is. That's when he felt a chill down his spine, the park, bustling before, now covered in a rolling fog. He shuts his book and quickly looks around, the fog seemed to come from everywhere, strangely enough. He goes to set his book down on the park bench, when he notices a strange device. He picks it up by the strap to examine it. There is a small screen, along with some buttons on it. He had no idea how it got there, as he was almost absolutely sure that no one sat next to him. Let alone place the device on the bench.

[lord pringle]

[Shawn]
The man tilts his head to the side and smiles without showing his teeth. "Are you sure? You are Shawn Reinhardt, yeah?" He places the object on your seat.
The bus lurches and makes the wrong turn. People on the bus begin shouting at the driver, but the bus moves into a bank of fog. You have this strange feeling of malaise, that morphs into a impression of familiarity.
[Thomas]
When you grab the device, it turns on. It beams a light out for a few seconds, before reading "http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075425/digimon/images/b/bc/DC_H.pnghttp://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075424/digimon/images/3/3e/DC_E.pnghttp://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075625/digimon/images/1/12/DC_L.pnghttp://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075625/digimon/images/1/12/DC_L.pnghttp://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075626/digimon/images/4/48/DC_O.png." The fog seems to have only formed around the park rather than in it. Near the top of the fog, there is some sort of strange glow.
[Leon]
Colman Park is a nice place to put things off. It's a pleasant enough park where no one bothers you. Today, however, an uncharacteristic fog bank is forming over the park. The closer you get to it, the worse you feel, but the unpleasantness induces a strange nostalgia.
You notice a weird shiny thing (http://arumi.crims0n.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/rukidvice.gif) on the ground near you.
[Elijah]
You've never skateboarded through this park before. So since you had some spare time, you decided to do so, without a helmet, naturally. You hit a jump and land in a fog bank that you swear wasn't there a second ago. It feels strangely warm but still sends shivers up your spine. There's some sort of light at the top of this oddly hollow dome of fog.

[LordChaos13]

Looking around confused for a second before a grin forms on his face
Absently reaching into his pocket he taps a delayed distress button, something Mother and Father made him carry and use ever since he got kidnapped that one time. They were totally overreacting, he got out of it anyway.
Hopping on the board again as it moves off, why get on a stationary board anyway, picking up speed he skates towards the glowing light. Knowing he has 5 minutes to hit the button again preventing the overprotective Parentals from getting all worried yet again

[Deathkeeper]

Leon

Huh. There I go, trying to read outside, of all things. And of course I look like a dork with a paperback stuffed into my cargo pants, but what else are those pockets going to be used for? Snacks? Well, yes, but I'm not exactly the kind of person to need many. Or didn't you see the scrawny wrists? It's back to work when I get home, but for now, for now it's just me and Mr. Brust.
And aw crap, it's getting foggy, the pages are going to get all wet, that's enough of that.
I sigh. Better get home anyway, there's no point in getting extra wet. Still, fog is cool. You never know what's going to pop out of fog. It's like the movie-lover's weather. 'Course, all you really get is cars, bikes, and people. But it's fun to remember all those scenes of velociraptors instead. Even though those were totally Oviraptors, Spielberg.
Taltos gets stuffed in my pocket as I stand up and look down inadvertently. Aw, some poor kid lost his toy. I pick up the thing. It's not dirty, so it must've been dropped recently. The screen's way too small to be a phone, so it must do something else. Nice shade of blue, though. I press a few of the buttons, letting the fog roll in, ignoring the odd sense of dread as it gets past me. With my other hand I reach into one of my pockets. I always keep a pair of shades in there, even if I don't wear them often. They'll keep the vapors from getting in my eyes while I try to get home, at least. And maybe find a place for this gizmo.

[Chase_D]

Thomas

Thomas stared at the screen, unable to decipher the message it presented.

"Hmm, looks like...a speaker...a bug...and the letters SSX..." it was weird, it made no sense, and it was no language he had ever seen before. Although it must of meant something, almost like a made up kind of code game of sorts.

The fog, almost seemed to form a dome around him. The entire park was surrounded in fog, but also had some sort of light above everything. The first thought that crossed into Thomas's head was...Aliens. Stupid, yet possible. He cursed himself ten times over for not bringing a camera, this would of been a great moment for him. It would make sense too if it was aliens, the weird device, the sudden fog, the weird light directly above him. Another thought enters his head, 'Hide you dummy!'. He quickly picks up his book, keeping the device in his left hand, he tries to dash somewhere he can remain hidden and still keep an eye on the situation.

[tonberryking]

Mic

The familiarity is all that keeps Mic from bolting back the way he came. Yes, something's not right about any of this, but something's not alien about it either. He tries to think, was this one of the places Mom said she and her friends used to hang out? He descends down the path, following the warmth. She'd taken him on a long walk the first year away from his father; it would have to have been from then, right? It certaininly wasn't before the divorce. Father, or Garret Flynn as Mic made a point of calling him since he didn't want to be his son anymore, was not the sort of person who'd have put up with coming down to the park. Not unless he smelled making money in something or was taking credit for something good...

No, it wasn't from then... but now that he's followed the path, in other words, too late, Mic feels a sinking feeling that he couldn't place why it feels that way.

With each step, the urge to squirm strikes him. Why does this place seem so familiar, as if his noggin's trying to force him into recognizing it? Mom didn't take him here, she never whispered about a hidden path where she and her girlfriends had fun being kids... And in the absence of something good, or reassuring to explain it all away, Mic starts to fear for himself....

[Yodas_Free_Boat]

Luís just looked at the fog for a moment, as though he was trying to figure out why it was there in the park. Sure, fog in the city wasn't that strange, but it never came around this time and it always seemed to come from water; never just spewing forth from the middle of the park.

There's was brief moment where Luís considers just slowly walking away and heading to the bookstore, but something stopped him. A sense of anticipation and need started to slowly fill him. He reached into his bag to pull out his father's goggles, snapping them around his eyes, before he starts to step headfirst into the dense fog.

[lord pringle]

[Elijah]
When you push the distress signal, it makes a screeching noise before fizzling and stopping. It morphs into something else (http://arumi.crims0n.us/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/rukidvice.gif).
[Elijah, Leon, Shawn]
Your digivices display the message, "http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075425/digimon/images/b/bc/DC_H.pnghttp://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075424/digimon/images/3/3e/DC_E.pnghttp://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075625/digimon/images/1/12/DC_L.pnghttp://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075625/digimon/images/1/12/DC_L.pnghttp://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110526075626/digimon/images/4/48/DC_O.png."
[Everyone]
The Light begins to make a loud screeching noise and it stretches. It quickly fills the entire fog dome, before it makes a louder popping noise, before the light dissipates. When your sight and hearing return, you notice that there are two monsters standing in the center of the park. One is a large dark dinosaur (http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100723044512/digimon/images/7/76/Greymon_%282010_anime%29_b.jpg)while the other is a giant infernal dragon. (http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110916101720/digimon/images/c/cc/Devidramon_b.jpg) The two seem confused for a moment, before the dinosaur turns to the dragon and breathes a massive jet of flame at it. The dragon retaliates by firing lasers from its many eyes.
[Thomas]
You take cover in a bush, just before the monsters appear. A large green worm pops up next to you.
[Mic]
After the giant beasts manifest, a strange black striped cat runs up to you.
[Elijah]
The bright flash knocked you off your skateboard. You didn’t break anything, but you must have hit your head pretty hard, since you see a small white dinosaur walk towards you.
[Leon]
You must have gotten hurt in that explosion somehow, since you see an armed, green, featherless dinosaur trying to escort you away from a burning tree.
[Luís]
As your eyes recover the bright light, some kind of fiery cat walks up to you.

[Deathkeeper]

Leon

Oh cool, the batteries are still good. Hmm. Flashlight, Atari-bug, SSX. He remembers a PS2 game called that, but he doubts this gizmo has anything to do with snowboar-
And then suddenly he's deafened, and just as suddenly his quiet little place to read is being occupied by a pair of twenty-foot reptiles. Leon is off to the side of the satanic-looking one, and is nearly blinded again by the pillar of flame that's blasted towards him. Cinders from the fire fly everywhere, but Leon's too stunned to notice. I mean, really, what exactly is the proper response to what would normally be one of the most awesome monster movies ever happening thirty feet away at lethal range. Seriously, it's-
"Hey!"
Trying to narrate here, the interruptions aren't helping. Oh, right, three-foot-tall dinosaur commando.
That isn't normal.
"Hello? Hey! Civie, you can't stay here."
Things like that talking may or may not be normal, since Leon has no frame of reference. It's funny, normally there'd be a hundred witty things to say here, but currently the only thing popping into his head is,
"What."
The little fellow crosses his arms, his face oddly expressive considering its reptilian nature. And he's clearly annoyed.
"C'mon, Civie, this is no time for shellshock! You gotta get your tail outta here. Now I know this is probably weird. He smirks. or are you simply taken aback at my...my...what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Cuteness."
"Mm, yes, cute-What-no! I am not cute!"
Leon scratches the back of his head.
"Sorry, but that's what you look like to me. It's probably the height. And I just think reptiles are cool."
The little fellow sighs. "Yeah, well, don't rub it in. Wait, what the hell are we doing?! That tree's on f-ing fire, Civie! Get moving!"
The shout's enough for Leon's legs to remember they exist, and power him a good thirty feet away to a solid tree that is not in risk of burning down.
"Hey, thanks. I probably wouldn't have even noticed. he puts a hand out even though his eyes are still closed as he pants, mostly out of habit, and ends up with it on the fellow's large nose. "Y-you're warm," he says, his eyes wide with shock. The "and solid" goes unsaid, as does the "and therefore neither my imagination nor a robot." Somehow he's managed to be surprised again, the fact that his little helper being real makes the whole situation even more incredulous. He moves his hand a bit in disbelief.
"Hey, while that feels real nice, I'd prefer if you didn't pet me. You can call me Private, and I can debrief you later, but you gotta keep your head down, ok? These things don't mess around."
Leon withdraws his hand, the sheer WTF? of the situation starting to make him feel ill. "Oh, sorry. Leon. Got it."

[LordChaos13]

Stumbling to his feet Elijah rubs the back of his head blinking several times in the vicinity of the dinosaur seeming more at home in the arctic than Seattle
"You a'right there mate?" The incongruous australian accent on the snow beast causing Eli to blink
"Who, how...Maybe a helmet was a good idea...Nah, it looked silly. Um whats your name probably figment of my concussion?"
"Hey! I'm as real as any ya human buggers. Just cause I happen to be snow white you think Im non-existent?"
"Actually it's probably because you look like a small dinosaur..."
"Tomatoes, potatoes, same thing. Now come ON! Or do you think the GIANT MONSTER FIGHT is a figment of your imagination too?"

[Chase_D]

Thomas

Thomas began examining the area, looking or someplace good to hide. He spots a bush, next to a few trees just a couple of feet away from him. He begins to bolt to it, noticing a loud shrill building up as he ran. 'Please be safe, please be safe' he repeats to himself in his head as he approached the brush. Diving in as the sound picked up in intensity. Finally a loud pop and a flash of bright light could be seen from the cover of his hiding spot. Thomas took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself before poking his head out.

What he saw made him unsure of what the hell just happened. He could make out what looked like a dinosaur, and some sort of...demon? He had no idea, but whatever they are, they do not look friendly. After a few seconds, they begin to fight, with flames spilling out onto the ground, and lasers etching everything they touch.

Thomas watches, mouth wide open, as the fight continues...until he hears a voice in the right side of his ear.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"

Thomas flinched back in recoil at the sudden greeting. He turns to face a...green bug looking thing...

"W-w-w..." he stutters out, unsure on what will happen next.

"Lemmi guess, 'What are you?', am I right? the bug says, in surprisingly normal sounding voice. "Hmmm, I'm guessing that you've never seen a Digimon before huh..." the creature says still staring down Thomas.

"Look, we should probably get out of here before baddie number one and two come over here and eat us. I'll explain more after, by the way." it says beginning to move out of the brush. "You wouldn't happen to know where we are cause I'm about as lost as you seem to be with your words." continuing on as it moves. Thomas gets up and follows, even though he had just met the...digimon...a few seconds ago. He makes sure to keep an eye out for any more...surprises.

[tonberryking]

"I am SO strong!!!!"

Four little words was all it took. Four bitter, heart wrenching words that she spat out t her piers and the whole world... All because the other Gatomon told her with a sneer that she was otherwise. So what if she didn't have a Holy Ring? Jewelry! That's all it was! She didn't have to laugh so hard at her for standing defiant.

Well, "Standing defiant" was a little, teensy, partial exaggeration; the very slightest stretch of the truth. She would have shown that plain ole white cat who was boss, but when giant dragon digimon pick then and there to tear into each other, even the strong, the cunning, the gallant, the awesome pick someplace else to stand. She was just trying to run and get some room, maybe figure out how she was going to whomp the both of them for ruinging a perfectly good argument. Then who'll be the strongest?! It wouldn't be that other Gatomon, that's for sure.

It would be the one and only Black Rose who stood victorious! She'd made a throne out of the dragons, maybe get a kick-ass looking belt out of it too. There would be plenty of materials! But first she needed to get some room. Place to plan, to bide her time... to run headlong into some weird looking creature that she'd never seen nor imagined before.

...Wait, what?

Whump

Mic, for his own part, doesn't know what hit him as much as the dark stripe gatomon knows what she ran into. The pair collapse into a heap with little fanfare, Mic looking up at Black Rose with an askew cap and a blank, frightened expression on his face. 'Rose, for her part, seemed a little stupefied and unable to make sense of where her train of thought wrecked.

It was rather awkward for the both of them.

"...Hey, squirt! You should really watch your step, ya know?! I coulda hurt you with these!" Though it makes her almost sick to her stomach for some reason, Rose shows off the gloved claw on her left limb up front and close to the boy, and for once, she opts for tact and quickly tries to help him up rather than brag.

..Haven't seen you around these parts..Which, I gotta say aren't exactly familiar to me any more. Did you see alot of Gatomon like me, only whiter and dumber and meaner run by in fear? ...No huh? I'm guessing you mean no, the way you're just shaking your head..." she prattles on, before waddling off in a different direction. Only to stop suddenly, an unspoken urge bidding her to stay. To turn back around.

"Listen, uh, whoever you are, I could whip the floor with those big ole digimon back that way, but I really don't like seeing peeps like you who obviously aren't warriors get caught up in the crossfire. Let me escort you someplace safe, kay? ...Kay???"

"Um... Sure, I guess... uh.. just one thing."

"Yeah?"

"...You can talk?"

"Uh... well, doesn't everybody?"

[Yodas_Free_Boat]

The small flaming feline just looks at Luís for a moment, a near twinge in its lips, before it jumps up and points back at the battle currently happening a football pitch away. "Isn't this so rad!" the small creature shouts out with a grin now engulfing its face, "I mean, I'm in the human world for all of a minute and there's a huge battle going already? With two champion levels?!"

Luís can't help but stare at the thing for a moment, dumbfounded, before he finally remembers that he's capable of speech too. "How are you talking? No, wait a minute, What are you!?!" he asks of the cat-like creature. "And what do you mean two champion levels?"

"Well I'm a digimon obviously. Coronamon to be specific. A rookie level" The hot head explains with a slightly annoyed smirk. "I thought you were a goggle head. Aren't you supposed to know this sorta thing already?" As he says 'goggle-head', Coronamon points to the aviator goggles strapped around Luís' head.

"What's that supposed to mean? What's a digimon? And what do you mean I'm a 'goggle head'?" Luís asks; the teen clearly becoming quite confused by the small creature. Or rather, he thinks he understands what the small creature is saying and that thought is endlessly confusing.

"Digimon, it stands for digital monsters. We're beings made up of 1's and 0's just like a sun is made up of flammable gases!" Coronamon says in a triumphant voice. "And as what's a 'gh', well, they're humans who help out us digimon. They always wear silly lookin' headgear like you've got, and they're really brave."

"Well, if you're a digimon and so are the two big monsters over there, than can't you tell them to stop fighting?" Luis asks once he realizes, both from seeing some destroyed vegetation and from feeling the heat of a fireball a hundred yards away, that the creatures fighting are causing very real damage. "I mean, they might hurt somebody"

Coronamon's eyes narrow when Luis' question forces him to realize that innocents might be hurt because of the massive digi-fight. "I can't promise anything big, and it would sure be easier if you had a digivice, but let's see what we can do!"

And with that, The small digimon starts running towards that fight, fully expecting to be able to take on one or both of the bigger creatures. Luis just starts running after the surprisingly fast digimon, knowing somewhere deep down that he has to protect the little guy.

[Failed Phantasm]

"You are Shawn Reinhardt, yeah?"

A conversation with a complete stranger on the bus was not usually the sort of thing that would put Shawn on his guard. A complete stranger who somehow knew his name and who was apparently trying to fence whatever expensive-looking gadget he had on Shawn, on the other hand, made him want to get away from the situation as quickly as possible. Eyeing the device suspiciously as the man set it down next to him, a thought occured to him: 'This is stolen, isn't it?' As it lay on the seat, Shawn examined it more closely. While he couldn't determine anything else about it — such as what the hell it could be — this provoked a rather odd realization: he hadn't seen anything like it before. Anywhere. He didn't remember seeing such devices on display at any of the stores he'd visited lately, nor could he recall hearing about something like it on TV or reading about it in the paper ads. Shawn looked back up at the man, who was standing there with the strangest smirk on his face, and started to reply. "I don't know wha—"

The bus's tires screeched as it made a hard right turn, throwing a number of passengers into the aisle or against the wall of the bus; Shawn was among the latter. It wasn't a very hard impact, and certainly not enough to hurt, but it left him wincing for a moment as he pushed away from the window. While the other passengers were yelling at the driver, Shawn heard the gentle, yet distinct *ding* that signaled someone wanting to get off the bus, and how surprising was that after what had just happened? While the bus slowed down and drifted closer to the sidewalk, he picked up his bag of groceries and stood up: he recognized an opportunity when he saw one. Looking back at the strange man one more time, he said, "Excuse me. This is my stop." As the doors swung open, Shawn wasted no time and hurried out into the

'Fog?'

That made no sense. The weather report he'd seen on the news earlier had never mentioned it, and the sky was clear when he left the grocery store. Shawn watched as the bus shuddered into motion and drove off, quickly passing out of sight. He appeared to be the only passenger to have disembarked, and while he felt vaguely relieved to have left the strange man behind, he was also uncomfortable standing on the sidewalk all by himself. He was also starting to feel a strange sense of déjà vu, an inexplicable familiarity, as if he'd seen this place in a dream... as if he'd been here once before. However, he had no idea where he was — while it felt familiar, he couldn't actually remember having come here — and the fog was so thick that he couldn't see very far in any direction. Today's events were starting to make Shawn wary, and he was sure that his uncle would be starting to worry about why he hadn't come home yet, so he decided to stay where he was for the time being and just wait for the next bus.

[lord pringle]

[Shawn]
You enter the fog dome, only to have some form of short orange man bump into you.
[Everyone]
The Greymon shouts "MEGA FLAME!" before it shoots another massive jet of flame at the devidramon. The devidramon takes the hit square in his chest causing him to recoil backwards.
[Luìs]
As the two of you run up to the fight, a spurt of flame leaps out from the greymon's blast.
[Thomas, Leon & Mic]
The three of you individually head over to a far corner of the dome. You all arrive at relatively the same time, and there's one other person there too. He's wearing a suit and sunglasses and is smiling with his lips closed.

[Chase_D]

Thomas

"...and I say to the mon, 'Relax, I'm just passing through. You don't gotta be all aggressive'... the digimon continues on, about his misadventures as Thomas walks behind it. His head hurting from the constant babble coming from this bug. Quickly he thinks of something to distract it. "So...uh...whats your name?" he says, barely forcing out the words. The digimon stops, and does a sudden turn. "Did'ja say something, or am I hearing things? He says, eyes locked on Thomas. He takes a deep breath and this time speaks normally "I s-said, do you have a name?" he says, better than before.

The digimon looks at him, and then in a dramatic voice, starts talking.

"I go by many names, some call me the green death, others call me the silent nightmare, but you can call me... he stops for a dramatic pause ...WORMMON!" before shouting out.

Thomas, for some reason, found it actually pretty funny how hard he tried to make him laugh there. He smiles, different from one of his usual smiles he puts on day to day.

"I see...My name's Thomas." he says, and kneels down. "Nice to meet ya Thomas!" Wormmon says, smiling (or at least the equivalent of what could be considered a smile).

They continue on, making their way to what seemed to be the corner of the dome. Off in the distance Thomas can hear one of the two combatants shout "MEGA FLAME!". A small tinge of worry caused Thomas to grasp his digivice harder in his hand, causing a small, but painful sensation.

When they were only a few minutes away, they noticed what appeared to be someone else standing in the corner. Thomas began to quicken his pace, since he wanted to know if he really was just crazy and not dreaming all of this. "Hey, slow down! I'm just a little guy ya know!" Wormmon shouts to him as he passes by.

However, when Thomas reaches the person, he immediately regets running ahead. It was a person dressed in a fancy suit, wearing glasses so you couldn't see his eyes, the smile, is what got to him. There was something off about this whole situation. Wormmon comes in from behind, out of breath (oddly enough, he seems to be able to talk for ever without stopping for a pause)*huff* "Next time..." *huff* "Your carrying me..." he stops however as soon as he sees who it is.

[LordChaos13]

"What ARE those things!" The human exclaims while being dragged away by a small dinosaur
"Digimon, giant Digimon fighting one another and your small enough to be collateral damage mate, if you hang round here too long. So come ON!"
Taking cover under a nearby tree a bit away from the fight
"The hell's a Digimon??"
"I am, and so are they. Digital Monsters from the Digital World. I don't know where here is but it's not the DigiWorld. I was minding my own business when BAM! I'm here and fair dinkum I'm not in Kansas anymore. Where is Kansas anyway, I've never been but it sounds cool."

[Deathkeeper]

Leon

"So, what now? I'm guessing we can't fight these...what are these things?"
"They're a Greymon and a Devidramon."
"Why are they both 'mon? Are they related?"
"What kind of question is- Private adopts a rather shocked expression. Holy Hollow-points, you don't know? You must be a human! I've never actually seen one." he says, poking experimentally at Leon.
"Hey! Now who's petting?" "Sorry, but this only makes things worse! I thought you were a Digimon. Some kinda unlit Meramon. But that means you're even squishier than I thought! I don't have the firepower to clear those guys out. We're getting out of here, c'mon!" he says, taking hold of Leon's free hand in his oddly dextrous claws and starting to run. Private can run surprisingly fast for someone of his size. He's much less surprised than Leon is to run into more 'mon along with the other people Leon was hoping wouldn't also have been caught in this disaster zone.
"Who the hell are you, Glasses? Get outta the way!"

[tonberryking]

Mic asks no questions nor does Black Rose offer any answers, though she occasionally turns back to shake a claw at the two rampagers or even hurl insults that can make a young boy blush.

"--an' the cart you rode in on!!!" she punctuates her last insult while gently shoving or tugging Mic away from the fight. For all her smart-ass bravado, the gunmetal gray gatomon with blue-black stripes is taking seriously the task of keeping Mic safe from harm. She doesn't stop to think why, though, even if it's slightly under protest.

"He-hey, you don't need to shove like that! Those two giants are too busy killing each other!"

"Oh, like it'll be that hard for either of them to walk over here-- you could get squished before I have a chance to thrash them! A small, infinitesimally finite chance, but I'm not taking that risk, squirt!

"You keep calling me that, but I'm taller than you..."

"I... you... JUST KEEP MOVING!!!"

It isn't until, after a variety of attempts by the boy, including tugging Black Rose's head upwards, do either of them stop at the sight of the adult. Mic tumbles to the ground again, though unhurt even as the gatomon tries helping him back up.

"muh-Mister! You gotta get away from here those monsters are wrecking the park!" Mic blurts out, before Black Rose can ask the more pressing question of who the hell this guy is.

[lord pringle]

[Thomas, Leon & Mic]
The man runs a hand through his black hair. "Fascinating," he says, peering down his glasses at the teens. "You should be more respectful to your elders, Private, " his grin doesn't subside no matter what he says.

[Deathkeeper]

Leon

"Yeah, and you should be less obtrusive to folks trying not to get their tails singed off, old man."
Leon flinches. Yep. He walked right into that one. It'll probably take a while for Private's vocabulary to update itself for being around folks who are tailless.
"You know this guy?"
"Hell no!"

[Chase_D]

Thomas was always horrible when it came to talking to people, but most the time he is able to at least say three or four words. However, with everything going on right now, his speech, and more importantly his sanity seems to be wearing thin as things continue. "W-w-w..." he stutters, before Wormmon steps in.

"I think what Thomas is trying to say, is 'Who are you?'. Either that or he loves the sound the letter W makes.".

Thomas gives Wormmon a glare of anger, before looking back to the man and saying "Yeah...what he said...", growing quiet at the end.

[Yodas_Free_Boat]

Luis sees the fireball speeding towards his new 'friend' and reacts almost without thinking. He leaps forward, tackling Coronamon out of the path of the ereant fireball.

"Hey, why'd you do that?" the small creature cries out once he coughs out some of the grass that the pair landed in.

"You were gonna get hit by a fireball! what should I have done?"

Coronamon just looks at Luis for a second before he finally speaks. "My head is on fire. I would have been fine" he says in a clam voice, like an adult explaining something to a child

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that." Luis finally says with a small voice as he picks the two of them off of the ground.

Once the two have patted themselves off, they turn their attention back to the two dueling monsters.

"HEY! KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO!" the two shout out in unison to the dueling monsters

[lord pringle]

[Luìs]
The two titans look at the two of you. The greymon growls out, "Why should I, pathetic rookie?" The devidramon takes the distraction, and begins dashing away.
[Elijah]
The devidramon moves up to your hiding spot and glares at you. It makes a guttural sound and bends down to get a closer look.
[Mic, Leon and Thomas]
The guy stares vacantly past Wormmon. "Call me Dr. Kato." He turns back to Private, "Shouldn't you be saving the day? The weather has taken a turn for the flammable."

[LordChaos13]

Looking up at the giant demon for a couple seconds, before suddenly moving forward, the glare of a century leveled at the giant monster while the smaller more friendly Digimon is shoved in the opposite direction with the whispered words to "Run, now, only come back if you have help."

"So, Demidramon huh? What's wrong is Dramon so bored dealing with lesser monsters like that fire-breathing lizard he is sending such a weak little minion to fight his battles for you? A weakling worth a 10th of him according to your rather hilarious name."
Having misheard the digimon's name in the kafuffle. Stepping forward again, finger pointing
"You messed up my ride, I had a nice skate to keep the blood pumping all planned out and because of You and that overgrown lizard I'm way off schedule. Still the way to remove further impediments from my way is really quite simple. Remove the issue and so too go the impediments. In case you got a 10th of his Brains too, I'm telling you get the Blitz out of MY CITY."

[Deathkeeper]

Leon

"If you haven't noticed, they're both a tier above me. Going in there and expecting a win is a slim bet, and it's only going to be a worse idea if I try doing that with a set of civies running around that can get incinerated if I misstep. Evac first, elimination second."

Leon looks over to Private and raises an eyebrow. He's smarter than his mouth would indicate.

[tonberryking]

"Why are we just standing here! I don't understand where these...um... creatures are coming from--they can't have just popped out of thin air! And um, yeah, should we really be hanging around??"

Mic seems to wilt at meeting new and interesting people, shadowing the shadowy cat digimon. Black Rose doesn't seem to notice, or care, as she sticks out her chest with a bit of swagger in her step. "Relax, kid," she's come to gather that Mic is an obviously much younger version of ...whatever species of beings are hanging around and gawking, "If those chumps stomp over here, I'll cut them down like they were timber! But, you look like you've been 'round the block, Doc. What's going on? And what should the Great and Powerful and Fastidious Black Rose due to set things right!?

[lord pringle]

[Elijah]
The monster looks at you and growls. Its eyes start to glow, before crimson beams of heat burst out of them.
[Dr. Kato Group]
"Maybe the three of you should join together so these humans don't get jellified?" There's something horribly condescending about the way he says things. It seems almost sarcastic, but still sincere.

[LordChaos13]

Diving to the side, coming up in a roll
"Well that hit a nerve. I can see why your only a Demi. Really you need to have a much better grasp on your emotions to be a good combatant. Self control beats mindless rage every time."

[Chase_D]

Thomas gave Dr. Kato, if that was his name, a look of surprise. He wasn't sure what a bug and...wait there was more creatures? A black cat-like creature stood near a boy around three to four years younger than Thomas, and a what appeared to be a militarized dinosaur stood next to a kid that he couldn't quite place an age on based on his thin build, but was probably older than the other kid.

Suddenly, as if the moment wasn't awkward enough, Wormmon suddenly interjects. "Hiya guys! This right here is-*mrph*" Thomas drops his book and grabs Wormmon, covering his mouth. "Shhh you, I'll introduce myself." Thomas whispers. He lets go and Wormmon sits, clearly annoyed but willing to put up with it, for now.

He clears his throat, and says just barely loud enough to be heard. "H-hello, my n-name Thomas." he says, giving a sigh of relief when he's done. He catches himself looking at the ground instead of up at them as he waits for a reply.

[Deathkeeper]

Private shifts from foot to foot anxiously.
"Three against two don't mean jack when they're a whole tier above us. Where did you learn tactics, bub?" he says, getting more and more annoyed.

[tonberryking]

"Yeah, yeah, fine, you're Thomas." Black Rose is spurred into action at the sudden fearful thought of Mic being injured. With a sneering nod towards Kato, she prods the other two Digimon nearby, stomping about like a drill instructor. Or at least that's probably how she envisions herself.

"But as for you two, I kinda like that kid with the cap, so I'll give you the distinct honor of helping me beat these guys. They may have tiers on us, but we have mobility! Wormmon's condition as, well, being wormy, doesn't stop her from declaring this.

"The best thing to do to keep the kid...kids safe is to lead these sluggers away from here, so on my mark, we'll ....we'll.. charge at them and lead them off from there. That'll work!

[lord pringle]

[Elijah]
The devidramon sees Snowagumon fleeing, and he moves after it. He begins firing more lasers in an attempt to delete it.
[Dr. Kato Group]
"I'm glad to see smarter minds prevailing." He turns around, slightly faster than seems possible. "I do need to get going. I wish you luck." He walks away through the fog.

[LordChaos13]

The Australian Snowlizard reps as the lasers come down around him.
Pouring on more speed desperately searching for help

[Deathkeeper]

Private scowls.
"Stow it, you overgrown hairball. That accomplishes literally nothing, because the two baddies aren't actually focused on them. A diversion requires that the enemy is already giving fire to the group you want to draw fire from. In this case, they're focusing on killing each other, which means we and the humans can walk out right now and have absolutely no trouble doing so."

[tonberryking]

Oh he did not go there. As Mic tries to restrain her, Black Rose remains undaunted by the thirteen year old tugging her tail as she inches closer to Private, dragging her claws and not caring how insipid it looks.

"Hey!" I'm a perfectly grown furball, thank you very much! And if we bail, what going to happen when one of them wins?! You have a honking huge and hungry digimon, with nothing else that can stop it, that's what! I'mma gonna go set up an ambush!"

No. No she's not. Struggling to take one step at a time despite having Mic continuing his admirable efforts to keep her from being squished, she's not going anywhere fast. Mic looks pleadingly at the others.

[Chase_D]

Standing there, watching the bit of theatrics, Thomas thought to himself [FONT="Georgia"]'Could we actually do this...like seriously...we've got a dodgy cat, and an army dino that doesn't want to get involve...at least not yet...'[FONT].

He looks down at Wormmon, still sitting there watching as well. Thomas kneels down to ask "What do you think? Should we just go and hope they follow?". Wormmon took a few seconds before answering "Yeah sure, I think they'll follow after a while, but...uh....don't you think we might stand a better chance in numbers. I mean I don't want to hog all the spotlight here." finishing off with a nervous laugh. Thomas agreed, they would stand a better chance maybe if they all went instead of avoiding the fight. He gives a small sigh, and then with a bit of reluctance he stands, and says to the other two with a bit of a rushed voice "We're leaving. Come if you want, or don't.".

Thomas kneels again and, biting the bottom of his lip offered to carry Wormmon. Wormmon gives a look excitement and then climbs his arm, perching on his shoulder. Thomas can already feel the chills going down his spine. It felt creepy, but he quickly got over it. He starts moving, back towards where he imagined the fight was still continuing on.

[lord pringle]

[Team Outskirts]
The greymon begins lumbering toward you. He growls and booms, "Surrender now, pathetic scum! Or I will enjoy feasting on your data!"
[Elijah]
The Devidramon swoops down and grabs Snowagumon. It growls before swooping back around and heading towards Elijah.

[LordChaos13]

"Lemmie go you rassafrassa grumble" He cries struggling in the claws of the beast
Elijah frantically presses the 'alert now' button on his digivice, too scared to remember the change, or wonder about the changed shape.
"Let him go! Your quarrel here has no valid means of advancement by threatening him."

[Failed Phantasm]

Strabimon

Falling. That's what it felt like. One second he'd been reaching down to take a much-needed drink from a cool, clear stream, and the next he was falling. It was the strangest sensation, though, not at all like how falling usually felt; instead, it felt like being pulled in all directions at the same time, up and down and left and right and forward and back all at once. The spinning itself was disorienting beyond belief, and it didn't help that the world appeared to be fading away around him: trees and flowers and grass and river and sky and sun all seeming to whirl away into the distance, leaving him behind. He hadn't any idea about how or why it happened, nor did he have much time to ponder it. As he was catapulted into the darkness, tumbling around helplessly, he experienced a brief moment where he felt the most intense sensation of, for lack of a better term, being torn apart, as if his body were being forceably disassembled down to the smallest bit. It was the most painful thing he'd ever experienced, and yet it was also somehow not painful at all, inexplicably thrilling, exciting, promising, though he had no idea why. Whatever it was, it was enough to send him sliding into unconsciousness, just as he became vaguely aware of the ground rushing up to break his fall. And just about everything else, likely.

'I'm not going to be wandering aimlessly, you know. I can't "go where the wind takes me" just because.' What an odd thing to remember. Leaving home. Or, more accurately, the place where he'd been born. There wasn't anywhere in the world where he'd ever really felt like he was home. It hadn't been easy to explain, but he had to say the words anyway, if only to convince himself that he wasn't being a naive idiot. 'It's not that I feel like I don't belong here. I guess this is going to sound a little stupid out loud, but... every night, before I fall asleep, I ask myself, "Why am I here? Is this all there is? Is there something I'm meant to do?" Haven't you ever asked yourself that? But for me, no matter what I would think of, I was never satisfied. I kept asking. I'm leaving because I need an answer. I'm leaving because I want to feel like my life has a purpose. Even if that means I have to make one up as I go.'

Strabimon's eyes snapped open and he sprang to his feet, not having remembered how he ended up lying on the ground in the first place. He looked around — he appeared to be in some kind of meadow or sparse forest, blanketed in fog — and took a few tentative sniffs of the air — he could identify none of the scents, but they seemed similar enough to ones that he was familiar with that he didn't immediately panic. He sifted through the pungent smell of leaves, the earthy dryness of tree bark, a few faint whiffs of other Digimon, several strong odors that were totally foreign and unrecognizable, but also... 'Is that the ocean?' The thought of water, even undrinkable salt water, caused him to notice his thirst again, and that triggered the memory of the river and the falling to come surging back. As his eyes widened from the shock of having not died, he quickly patted himself down to confirm that he was, in fact, still alive. "What now?" he wondered, his voice a low murmur. What sounded like some manner of explosion or blast off in the distance broke the fog's oppressive silence, and Strabimon's ears instantly perked up. It was a bit difficult to make out, probably owing to the distance, but it sounded like a battle.

"Not again." He sighed. 'I don't know where I am or how I got here, and I don't think I'm going to get any answers by going that way.' He looked up, hoping to use the sun or stars to get his bearings, but found that he couldn't see the sky through the fog. He'd been lost before, so that didn't worry him too much; he looked around and scanned his immediate surroundings, hoping to find a trail or path he could follow that would take him further away sound of the fighting. Not finding one, he decided that putting distance between himself and the battle was the most prudent thing to do, so he dashed off anyway, hoping to find someone who could tell him just where exactly he'd ended up.

1
Shawn

"Come on, work."

Shawn was slumped on the bench underneath the bus stop's sign, grocery bag at his side and cell phone pressed to his ear as he tried futilely to call his aunt or uncle to let them know that he'd be a little late coming home. In spite of having perfect reception almost everywhere else in the city, the display was very clearly telling him that it wasn't getting a signal at all. Shawn knew that none of his calls were going to get through, but he was starting to feel genuinely unnerved by how empty the streets were. No cars had driven past him — or at least, none that he had heard — and there hadn't yet been a single person who had come walking up or down the street. The thought of simply getting up and walking until he reached the previous stop had occurred to him, but if he didn't stay put, he could very well miss the next bus to come by and then it'd take even longer to get home and his aunt and uncle would only worry more. Of course, the phone might actually start working if he were to get out of the fog, since it had been working perfectly fine in the market and the weather was the only thing that had changed since then. After another few useless attempts at making a call, Shawn breathed a resigned sign and gave up on the phone, sliding it back into his pocket. He had nearly made up his mind to just follow the sidewalk until he was out of the fog, when the eerie quiet was broken by the loud *SNAP* of a twig being broken behind him.

Shawn's heart nearly skipped a beat. That had sounded very, very close. He quickly stood up and whirled around, managing to keep his expression fairly neutral and quite free of the shock and, admittedly, fear that he was feeling. Upon seeing who it was that had snuck up behind him, Shawn's heart nearly skipped another beat. It was nearly as tall as Shawn was — about a head shorter, perhaps — and lithe, lupine in aspect, covered in white and orange fur, with eyes the color of amber and canine-like ears that were perked and alert. Even more strangely, though, it was wearing clothes. It had a short white scarf, and white pants, and black gloves and boots from which its wicked-looking claws protruded, and lots of belts and buckles around its arms and legs. It appeared to have frozen in mid-stride as it stared down at the offending twig, an incredulous expression on its face that seemed to be saying "I can't believe I just did that."

Surprised and speechless, Shawn took a step back, nearly missing the curb and almost losing his balance, but he managed to stay upright with a bit of undignified arm-flailing. Thus bonded, if only for a moment, by mutual embarrassment, they found themselves looking at each other, eye-to-eye. As they stared in utter silence, it was obvious to Shawn that he (and some strange intuition of Shawn's told him that the creature was a "he") wasn't human at all. It was clear that, whatever he was, he had never seen a human being before in his life, and it was equally clear that Shawn had never seen a creature quite like the one he was now staring at. Neither was sure whether or not the other could talk, and after prolonging the awkward silence a few moments more, they both started talking simultaneously.

"Who are y—"
"Do you kno—"

More awkward silence.

'Way to go, Shawn.'
'Way to go, Strabimon.'