Overhead, there was no blue sky. It was the same gray seen in towns besieged by too much smog and air pollution. Though a fairly recent phenomenon, it felt as though the gray sky had been there forever; as if there had never been a blue sky, just the still gray cloud that hung over everything, a poisonous pall which hung perpetually in the air. And in the center of it all, just above the citadel, a red, yawning hole in the sky. Small bits of loose data hung around the tear, creating a strange sort of illusion, as if the hole itself were a second sun, a swollen red giant inches away from supernova. It added to the image that any moment the world could end. If it hadn�t already.
The Kaiser strolled through the halls of the Citadel, computing. There was a never a time that he wasn�t computing, wasn�t thinking. He had perfected his own portable computer, with a keyboard on the back of one of his gloves. The monitor was reflected inside his sunglasses over the left eye and a headphone was in his left ear, so that one side of him always walked in the data stream and the other remained in the real world.
Or what had been the real world. It had taken time and sacrifice, but less than three months before the Kaiser had reached his greatest goal: the merging of the real and digital worlds. It had been through his power that the sky had been torn open. Through the tear had rushed countless numbers of his Digimon slaves, held bound by dark rings and dark spirals, and evolved versions of the same, new instruments in enslavement. He had conquered Japan easily, and the rest of the world, weakened and thrown into disarray by the influx of data and computer information strewn into the atmosphere and the earth, had made no move against him as he set up his empire. The citadel had only recently been completed, but he was happy enough with it. For now, it would do. For now.
�Master, the repairs on RED have been completed.� A small green head peeked out from behind a corner. Wormmon was one of the few Digimon in the citadel, besides certain prisoners and those who had chosen freely to serve the Kaiser, with no device controlling him constantly. Which was not to say that he was free of all control. The Kaiser, in one of his early experiments of new controlling technology, had outfitted Wormmon with a metal control chip embedded into his forehead just above the right eye. One wrong move and the Kaiser could have his faithful Digimon on the floor and bleeding with the stroke of a fingertip.
�Very good. How is the Chimeramon II prototype?�
�Undamaged by the explosion, master.�
�Good. After all the trouble I�ve had with the early Chimeramons, I can�t afford to lose the new prototype. This one may even be able to function without a double-power control chip planted in its pea-sized brain.�
�S-should I have the techs stand by to test RED?� Wormmon ventured a few steps towards the Kaiser, who had paused in the hallway, a thoughtful look on his face.
�No,� he said at last. �I�ll deal with it myself. Come, Wormmon.�
�Yes Master.�
Wormmon followed his master into the RED control room. RED was one of the Kaiser�s greatest creations. The Reality Exploration Device, or as it had been more simply dubbed, RED, allowed the Kaiser to expand his horizons beyond the simple conquering of Japan. He had other plans, and he needed guinea pigs for his experiments. And the results those experiments had produced....Wormmon shuddered at the thought. Most were still in the dungeon. Those that were still alive, at any rate. The last time, in an attempt to push the machine past its limits, the Kaiser had ended up accidentally destroying most of the machine, as well as its occupants. It had been a rather messy cleaning job for Wormmon.
Two teams of lab techs stood awaiting the Kaiser�s orders. They were all human, and each had either a collar around his or her neck or a control chip implanted above the eye. One could always tell how valuable the servant was by the type of control device the Kaiser employed. The less skilled humans had been given control collars and were nothing more than mindless drones. Those with control chips were like Wormmon: they retained their own consciousness but were still at the mercy of the Kaiser�s good will.
�Does it work now?� the Kaiser demanded of the lead tech.
�Y-yes sir. We believe that RED has been restored up to full capacity, but��
�But nothing. I want to use it. Now.�
�B-but sir��
�It will work,� the Kaiser said simply, almost pleasantly, as if commenting on the weather. �Or one of you will be dead by morning. I require the use of the machine to continue with my experiments. Unless you would rather I use one of your team as a guinea pig? Perhaps you yourself would like to volunteer.�
�N-no sir,� the frightened tech stammered. �It�it will work.�
�Good. Very good. Dismissed.� As the techs filed out, the Kaiser sat down in front of the main control pad. Carefully he moved his glasses and headphones. This task required his full concentration. Once the room was empty of all save Wormmon and himself, the Kaiser slipped on the control visor and punched in the start sequence. On the other side of the protective glass, RED began to glow as it started up.
The Kaiser smiled to himself as his fingers flew across the keys. Soon his goal would be accomplished.
Ken Ichijouji was now the Kaiser of all Japan, and his kingdom was the strongest in the world. But it wasn�t enough. The Kaiser had begun his Ultimate Experiment. With the help of RED, he would become a digital god.
�Free! We�re free!� Daisuke bounced into the Digital World with a surprising amount of buoyancy. �No more school! No more school!�
�Until next year,� Takeru reminded him calmly.
�You�re ruining my fun,� Daisuke grumbled. Then, without missing a beat, his mood turned happy again and he looked over at Ken. �Hey, Ken, what are you planning to do next year? Are you gonna quit that stupid private school and join the rest of us or what?�
�I-I�m not sure yet,� Ken admitted, suddenly very interested in his shoes. �I talked to my parents about it, and they�re not sure if it�s a good idea. I think they�re afraid my grades will slip even more if I�m put in a school where there�s less pressure. They�re afraid that if no one�s pushing me I�ll stop trying altogether.�
�That�s dumb,� Daisuke replied with an airy wave. �I�ll push you if that�s what you need. You�ll need a push if you wanna be as smart as me.�
�Don�t worry, Daisuke, I haven�t sunk that low yet,� Ken said with a playful smile.
�What�s that supposed to mean?� Daisuke pouted and everyone laughed.
�What about you, Miyako?� Hikari turned to the purple-haired girl. �You�re starting middle school next year. Aren�t you nervous?�
�Yeah,� Miyako admitted. �But Sora said it isn�t too bad. And maybe I can meet some older boys!� Her eyes shone and everyone sweatdropped. Miyako gave them a look. �Hmmph. Just because I�m holding out for someone mature...�
�Sure she is,� Daisuke murmured to Ken. �She just can�t wait to hit on Koushiro in the computer club.�
�I heard that!�
�At any rate,� Takeru said as Miyako and Daisuke began to squabble, �summer break means that we can spend some more time here, with you guys.� He smiled at the Digimon accompanying them.
�The Digital World�s been so nice and peaceful lately,� Hikari added.
�Until they showed up anyway,� Tailmon said, glancing at Daisuke and Miyako.
�Miyako�s just nervous about going to a new school,� Hawkmon attempted to explain.
�Daisuke just talks too much,� V-mon said in a matter-of-fact way.
�Hey, V-mon! You�re supposed to be on my side!� Daisuke shouted.
�You two really need to--� Ken broke off in mid-sentence and froze.
�Ken, what....� Hikari�s voice trailed off as she, too, stiffened.
�What is it, Ken-chan?� Wormmon asked.
�Hikari?� Tailmon ventured nervously.
�Do you feel it too?� Ken said softly.
�Yes,� Hikari replied. �It�s�it�s like eyes....something�s watching us....�
�It feels like power,� Ken breathed. �Like something very powerful has turned its eyes on us.�
�What do you mean?� Daisuke said. �I don�t feel anything.�
�None of you guys feel it?� Hikari looked at them curiously and then shivered. �How can you not feel it? It�s so�so cold.�
�It�s familiar, though,� Ken breathed. He glanced over at Hikari. �Don�t you think so? Like it�s something we should recognize.�
Hikari opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak the ground where Ken stood suddenly began to glow. A pillar of flame-colored light burst up from the ground, enveloping Ken, who began to scream in pain.
�Ken!� Daisuke was the first to dive towards the pillar, with Wormmon at his side. Not hesitating a moment, he reached into the pillar of light and, ignoring the sudden burning pain that blossomed along his arm, grabbed Ken�s wrist and tried to pull him out of the pillar.
�Daisuke, don�t!� Ken panted, turning his head to look at Daisuke. There was blood on his forehead. �Don�t�you�ll be pulled too�don�t�� His pained voice was strangled off by a pained gasp and suddenly the light thinned. Ken arched his back and screamed as his body began to phase out of sight.
�No!� Daisuke tightened his grip and suddenly found himself screaming as his body too began to disappear. He was vaguely aware of another hand on his arm and of his friends shouting, but everything was drowned out by the fire coursing through his body. He had a brief mental image of a darkened castle before his eyes closed and he passed into unconsciousness.
�Daisuke! Wake up, Daisuke!� Someone was calling him. Daisuke knew that it was a person he knew and that he should probably wake up, but he didn�t want to. It felt so comfortable, floating there in the darkness. �Wake up, you idiot!�
However, one could only enjoy the darkness so long.
�Who are you calling an idiot!� Daisuke sat up quickly, his eyes snapping open. He realized that he had made a tactical error when the world began to swim around him. He groaned and lowered his head into his hands, trying to dispel some of the dizziness.
�You okay?� Someone put a hand on his shoulder and Daisuke glanced up through his fingers to see Takeru looking at him with concern.
�Yeah, I�m okay. Just a little dizzy. Where are we?�
�No idea.� At Takeru�s statement, Daisuke raised his head and took in their surroundings. They were lying on a curiously empty sidewalk. There was litter strewn all about and no human being to be seen for miles. All the shops around them appeared to have long been abandoned, and many of the windows had molding boards nailed over them. The only living creature besides himself and Takeru that Daisuke could see was a scrawny black alley cat picking its way across the deserted street.
�Wherever it is, it doesn�t look very good,� Daisuke muttered, getting to his feet. �Where�s everyone else?�
�Don�t know.� Takeru stood up as well. �When I woke up I was lying a few feet away. I haven�t seen anyone.�
�Daisuke? Takeru?� They both whirled at the voice. Coming up behind them were a pair of haggard-looking Digimon.
�Tailmon! Hawkmon!� Takeru took a few steps towards the Digimon. �Are Hikari and Miyako around?�
�We were hoping you knew where they were,� Tailmon said. She looked troubled. �We must have gotten separated.�
�Then we need to find the others!� Daisuke decided. �Come on!�
�Wait a minute.� Takeru grabbed the collar of Daisuke�s shirt and pulled him back.
�Hey!�
�Be sensible about this, Daisuke,� Takeru said. �We�re lost in a strange world without our Digimon.�
�We�re here,� Hawkmon reminded him.
�Yes, but without Hikari and Miyako you can�t evolve,� Takeru reminded them. �So we�re fairly defenseless. If we come up against something really powerful we�ll be in trouble, so we can�t just wander around aimlessly.�
�So what do you suggest we do?� Daisuke asked petulantly.
�Let�s see if we can track them using our D-3s.� Takeru pulled his D-3 off his belt. Daisuke peered over his shoulder.
�Is it working?�
�No. I can�t get any signal.�
�What does that mean?� Hawkmon asked. �Shouldn�t you be able to find them?�
�If you�re not getting a signal does that mean that the others aren�t even in this world?� Tailmon said.
�Calm down,� Takeru said. �There could just be some sort of interference in the air. And you never know, no signal could be a good thing.� Despite his words, Takeru�s face was grave. �They might not have been pulled to wherever we are at all. They could still be in the Digital World.�
�Then how do we get back there?� Tailmon said.
�We can�t just stand around here all day,� Daisuke said. �If you can�t get a signal then we should try to find someone who can tell us where we are.�
�Right.� Takeru nodded. �But let�s be careful. There could be all sorts of dangers lurking around here.� The group started to walk off when Hawkmon suddenly shouted out.
�Look, up there!�
�What?� Daisuke and Takeru glanced up and gasped.
�Is�is that the sun?� Daisuke wondered.
�No,� Tailmon said. �It�s a hole. There�s a hole in the sky.�
�I think we may be in more trouble than we thought,� Takeru said softly. �We�d better find our way out of here as soon as possible. Let�s go.�
In silence, the group walked along the empty street.
�Hello? Is anyone there?� Miyako called out to the darkness. There was no reply.
�Um, is that the best idea?� Wormmon ventured from beside her. �Something might hear you.�
�I want something to hear me,� Miyako said, glaring at him. �One of our friends. And how else do you expect me to find Ken and the others? My D-3 can�t pinpoint them.�
�B-but something dangerous might hear you,� Wormmon said. �This place doesn�t seem very nice.� His eyes moved towards the hole in the sky that swirled right above a large black building. He sighed. �I hope Ken-chan�s all right.�
�I�m sure he�s fine,� Miyako assured him. �He�s probably just looking for us the way we�re looking for him.�
�I hope so.� Wormmon glanced up at her. �But are you sure you should be yelling?�
�It�s better than standing here moping,� Miyako stated. She cupped her hands around her mouth and began to call out again. �Hello? Can anyone hear me?�
�I hear you,� a gravelly voice said. The two jumped and whirled around to see a large figure step out of the shadows. Miyako�s eyes widened slightly as a scruffy Roachmon emerged from the shadows. �Now shut up. Do you want to attract the attention of the patrols?� He gave them a dark smile. �They wouldn�t take kindly to a little girl and a free Digimon walking around in the middle of the street, disturbing the peace.�
�You�re....a Digimon,� Miyako said slowly. �But�does that mean that we�re still in the Digital World?�
The Roachmon gave a husky laugh.
�Stupid girl,� he chuckled. �Don�t you even know? There is no Digital World anymore. See that hole in the sky? That was where they let the data stream in. There�s only one world now.�
�One world? Then�then what is this place?� Miyako asked.
�Hell,� replied the Roachmon, and then he laughed again. �Though we also call it Japan. Or that�s what it was called, before the worlds merged.�
�But�but this can�t be Japan!� Miyako argued. �It�it couldn�t be.�
�Where have you been for the past three months?� The Roachmon gave her a withering look. �Ah, I don�t know why I�m even bothering talking with you. At this rate the patrols are gonna catch me before I can scrounge up a good meal outta these trashcans. Get outta here already.�
�I�m not leaving until I find my friends,� Miyako said stubbornly. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she took a deep breath and screamed out, �HEEELLLLLOOO!�
�You idiot!� the Roachmon growled, stepping towards her. �You�ll get us all killed!� He moved towards her, his arms raised.
�Leave her alone!� The three turned to see Iori running up the sidewalk with Armadimon at his side. Behind him was Hikari, holding Patamon in her arms.
�Damn it, this place is gettin� too crowded for me,� the Roachmon grumbled, jumping into the air. �I�m outta here!� With that, he flew off.
�Miyako, are you okay?� Hikari rushed to Miyako�s side.
�Y-yeah, I think so,� Miyako said. She glanced at her companions. �Where are the others? Where�s Hawkmon?�
�And Ken-chan?� Wormmon piped up.
�We don�t know,� Iori said. �We were lucky to find you.�
�Do you know where we are?� Hikari asked. �We haven�t seen anyone.�
�But that was a Digimon so we have to be in the Digital World, right?� Patamon said.
�Well....� Miyako and Wormmon exchanged glances.
�What?� Iori said. �What�s wrong?�
�It�s just....the Roachmon,� Miyako said hesitantly. �He said�he said that this was Japan.�
�Japan?� Iori glanced towards the hole in the sky. �Then that hole��
�It�s the hole between realities,� Wormmon said quietly.
�But that means...� Hikari stopped and shuddered as Miyako nodded gravely.
�The real and digital worlds have merged.�
�Master! Master, wake up!� The Kaiser groaned softly as he opened his eyes. Wormmon was leaning on him, shaking him lightly.
�I thought I told you never to touch me!� A swift backhand sent Wormmon sprawling as the Kaiser sat up and removed the control visor. �Wormmon! Get up and print out a control spec of that last transfer!� He glanced through the protective glass to the single figure lying on the floor in the Reality Distortion Chamber. �I know something more was pulled through the gate. The strain I felt was more than what it should have been if I only brought him here.�
�I-I�ll run a diagnostic, Master,� Wormmon said hesitantly.
�Good. Do that while I wake sleeping beauty.� The Kaiser rose and exited the control room, entering the main chamber. In the center of the Chamber there was a crudely drawn pentagram. Lying in the pentagram was Ken, unconscious and unmoving.
�So....I got you, at least.� The Kaiser knelt beside the alternate version of himself and gently shook the other boy. �Wake up. Come on, the transfer shouldn�t have harmed you too much.�
�Ungh....� Ken groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The Kaiser beamed.
�Welcome to my nightmare,� he whispered. Ken glanced up blearily at him. Recognition slowly dawned and the other boy quickly sat up, retreating to a corner of the chamber, his back to one of the main generators.
�Wha--Where am I?� Ken stared with wide eyes at the Kaiser. �Y-you�re me! But...how?� He swallowed, trying to calm down. �Wait. What�s going on here?�
�Haven�t you figured it out?� The Kaiser smirked. �And to think, you�re supposed to be a genius.�
�This....this isn�t my world, is it?� Ken asked hesitantly. �Something�s different about it. And you....you are me, aren�t you? The person I used to be.�
�I am.� The Kaiser nodded. �But not as different as you might think. Like you, I am Ken Ichijouji. One moment is all that separates you from me.�
�I�d say it�s more than that,� Ken replied dubiously.
�You�d be wrong.� The Kaiser rose and held out his hands, showing off the room. �You see this? This is the Reality Distortion Chamber, the main room of RED, the Reality Exploration Device. The control room is just beyond the glass. This is the moment that separates us.�
�I know this,� Ken said slowly. �I think I recall this from when I was the Kaiser. It was designed to help me search out other realities beyond the Digital World. At the time, I hoped to find another game like the one I thought the Digital World to be. It was designed to act much like a search engine on the Internet does. But I could never get it to work.�
�And there�s our difference,� the Kaiser said smugly. �By some trick of fate, I managed to make this device work.� His voice took on an almost awed quality. �You can�t understand the thrill I felt when I first used it. Countless worlds, countless realities opened up and I could see them all. So I waited and watched and learned. I learned that the Digital World was not a game, and I learned that I was being manipulated by outside forces.�
�Oikawa and the dark seed,� Ken said grimly.
�Yes,� the Kaiser agreed. �I didn�t like it any more than you did. So I took steps. Thanks to RED I was able to predict my own defeat, not just once, but countless ways. Let�s see...I believe you were defeated by the death of the worm, correct? That was only one way. Others like you, like me, in other realities lost in different ways. I managed to bypass them all. Then I found Oikawa and his minions, and used my power to defeat them.�
�You killed him?� Ken couldn�t hide his surprise.
�What did you think I would do?� The Kaiser shrugged. �You don�t know what might have been, my friend. You would have done the same.�
�I wouldn�t have taken a human life,� Ken argued. �Not knowingly.�
�Yes you would�ve,� the Kaiser said factually. �We�re the same person, remember? I�m just a bit more...evolved, so to speak.�
�Regressed maybe,� Ken said. �You haven�t conquered everything, though. The dark seed still holds you.�
�Don�t be stupid,� the Kaiser said. �You think you can explain all this away by saying �the dark seed did it?� I committed every crime of my own free will. Once I knew I was being controlled, I used the power of the dark seed to help me grow stronger. You think you�re the first counterpart I�ve pulled from another world? I�ve done it many times before. You see, next to nothing is known about the dark seed. So I needed to perform experiments. Unfortunately, only one dark seed exists for the testing.�
�You wouldn�t test it out on yourself,� Ken said slowly, realization dawning. His eyes widened in horror. �How could you?�
�How could I what? Experiment on myself?� The Kaiser laughed. �Or rather, on the Ken Ichijoujis of the other realities? It was very simple, actually. My first guinea pig gave me what data I needed to trace the origins of the dark seed to Milleniummon himself, and to bypass the block it placed on my memory. Unfortunately, in the experiment my test subject died. So I needed another. And so on and so forth, until you came. You wouldn�t believe how often I�ve had this same conversation.�
�But how could you kill your own self?� Ken argued. �It�s sick. I can�t believe that I was ever that twisted.�
�You�d be amazed, my dear,� the Kaiser said. �And you�ll see how, in due time. Until then, I offer you my hospitality.�
�Let me guess,� Ken said, finally getting to his feet. �An invitation I�m not allowed to refuse?�
�And you�ll find it rather hard to leave, as well,� the Kaiser said with a wolf�s grin. �I wouldn�t recommend escaping. There are many creatures around here you�d rather not run into.� He typed something swiftly onto his portable computer. �Now, you have a choice. You can stay in the room I�ve provided for you and have free run of the east wing. The only stipulation is you go nowhere without one of my servants as an escort, and you don�t make any attempts to escape or contact your friends. Otherwise, I have a lovely room in the dungeon for you.�
Ken glared at him, and the Kaiser smiled. The chamber door slid open to reveal two of the citadel�s human guards, accompanied by a Gazimon wearing a control chip.
�So? Make your choice.� The Kaiser nodded to his servants. �I don�t have all day.�
�I�ll...� Ken swallowed. �I�ll accept your hospitality. For now.�
�Good. Show him to his room.� The servants stepped forward. �And remember, don�t try to escape, or it�s the dungeon for you. And trust me--� He smirked. �You don�t want to end up in the dungeon.�
Ken glared balefully at him as he was escorted out of the room. The Kaiser watched until Ken was out of sight, then returned to the control room. Wormmon sat on the control panel, skimming the diagnostic readout.
�Well?� Wormmon jumped as the Kaiser stalked up behind him. �What does it say?�
�W-well, Master, it--I mean--� Wormmon�s voice tapered off.
�Spit it out!� The Kaiser barked. He touched one hand to his portable computer. �Unless you�d like a little reminder of who your master is.�
�A-according to the readout, he wasn�t the only one brought through the gate,� Wormmon said hurriedly. �The printout says approximately twelve beings were pulled through the tear.�
�Twelve...� The Kaiser looked thoughtful. Suddenly, he laughed. �Of course! Why didn�t I think of it? Those other children...they must have been pulled through as well. Daisuke and the rest of his merry band of fools, along with their Digimon. Well, well....this should prove interesting.�
�But Master, aren�t you upset?� Wormmon ventured. �I mean, they were the ones who almost--�
�Why should I be worried? It�s been a long time since I had an opponent worthy of the name.� The Kaiser turned to leave. As he exited the room, his last words floated back to Wormmon.
�Besides, if they cause any trouble, there�s no reason I can�t just kill them all a second time.�