EVERYONE: Digimon: D.E.M.

[Garren]

It's been awhile, but I've tried another attempt at writing. Yu-Gi-Oh was a bit difficult writing about, as it involved spending a large amount of time planning the Duels, and writing around them, and furthermore, it was difficult to find a way to make reading about them interesting. To be quite honest, I'm rusty as it is when it comes to basic writing, so piling on having to plan out a game as well for each chapter was quite difficult for me.

So, I switched gears. Another childhood series I enjoyed was Digimon, and that series has a lot of potential to write about. So, well, here's something I've worked on. I'm not the best writer, so this is more or less practice for me, but I hope you'll enjoy the story, and if you're not a Digimon fan, might wanna check out the actual series as well.

I hope to have a new chapter out every other week, and actually finish at least an entire story arc. That being said, enjoy!


The Plot
Digimon: D.E.M is an original Digimon story, a unique take on the original formula of Digimon Adventure. Seven Humans and Seven Digimon team-up to take on the evil plaguing the Digital World and prevent it from destruction. Sounds familiar, right?

D.E.M is a 'retelling' of Digimon Adventure, in a sense. It returns to the linear evolution format (Child, Adult, Perfect, Ultimate) of the original series, and the basic element of a Human and Digimon Partner working together. It is focused on nostalgia in a sense, but with some unique elements thrown into the mix as well, as the story progresses coming into its own feel.

Characters
* Tau: The Leader
Digimon: Primemon. An ape creature, with an affinity for fire.

* Sigma: The Lone Wolf
Digimon: Celmon. A dinosaur-like creature, with an affinity for ice.

* Rho: The Heart
Digimon: Komorimon. A white bat, with an affinity for wind.

* Pi: The Brains
Digimon: Whiskmon. A catfish/eel, with an affinity for electricity.

* Kappa: The Pillar
Digimon: Platymon. A platypus, with an affinity for water.

* Iota: The Soul
Digimon: Kaguyamon. A bamboo creature, with an affinity for nature.

* Lambda: The Guide
Digimon: Duomon. A two-headed dragon, with an affinity for both light and dark.

Important Notes Before Reading
* This story has no connection to the Adventure, Tamers, Frontier, Savers, or Xros Universes, technically. The Digital World featured in this story is similar to the one seen in Digimon Adventure, but otherwise is not meant to be the same Digital World. There are a few easter eggs as the story develops that hint at connections to the other series, but are basically in-jokes.

* For standardization sake, I'll be using the original names for the Digimon and their attacks, so, Piyomon instead of Biyomon, and 'Baby Flame' instead of 'Pepper Breath'. Since there are a lot of Digimon that haven't had a proper 'dub debut', and a lot of dub names have changed throughout the various media, it's just easier to manage.

* The central 'Partner Digimon', as well as a few of the supporting Digimon, are my own creations, and I hope you'll accept them. I feel Digimon has a loose enough canon that 'OC Digimon' aren't as much of an annoyance as Fan Pokemon in a Pokemon Fic, which has a more stable, less shifting roster of creatures. Most of the Digimon featured, though, are pulled from the actual franchise. At the end of each Chapter, I'll provide a Digimon Glossary, with a link to 'Wikimon', the Digimon Encyclopedia, for those of you to brush up on the Digimon featured, and some information provided by myself about the original Digimon featured.

* I've taken a few liberties for plot sake when it comes to minor technical things like a Digimon's level (one Ultimate Digimon is merely a Perfect Digimon, as an example), their strengths, etc. Of course, this stuff changes in the official material as well, so I don't think it is that big of a deal. I'll make a note in the Digimon Glossary when such a change occurs.

Arc 1: The Monster Mad Brothers Arc
I. The Arrival
II. The Baptism

 

[Garren]

Chapter 1: The Arrival​

Primemon was awoken by the furious knocking on the door of his treetop hut. Annoyed at being disturbed at such an early hour by what he assumed was an easily solvable issue that the Koemon could've figured out by themselves if they put some effort into it, he thought about pretending to be asleep. But as the knocking continued, and the shouts of multiple Koemon shook his room, he had a feeling this problem was one he couldn't ignore.

"Better be good," he said as he opened the door and came face to face with practically the entire village standing at the entrance to his home. Unlike Primemon, who resembled a short, but stocky, orange gorilla with an uncharacteristically long tail and two miniature horns sitting on his head, the Koemon were green monkey Digimon, a bit taller, but looked much more fragile, and their wide eyes suggested a lack of intelligence.

"Elder Brother! Elder Brother!" shouted the Koemon in unison. "Come look! Come look! Come look!" They continued to shout as Primemon took note of their frightened expressions, now worried at what had caused them all to gather here like this. This wasn't like the time one of the Koemon had accidentally clogged the toilet, or like the time one of the Koemon had lost it's trusty slingshot (it turned out to be on their back the whole time), this was an issue that required the advice of a world wise leader. And that leader was Primemon.

"Brothers," he said with authority, bringing a hushed silence to the frantic Digimon. He straightened his back to make up for his shorter size, and crossed his arms to show he meant business. "You in front. Explain problem."

Primemon wasn't the greatest when it came to grammatical structure, but his gruff, right-to-the-point way of speaking made him a born leader. The front-most Koemon saluted him, and began to quickly explain the problem. "Elder Brother! We were doing target-practice in the middle of the canyon to the north, when a giant object fell from the sky! It's black, and has numbers on it! Numbers!"

"Numbers?" questioned Primemon. Although the Koemon knew what Numbers were---legendary symbols said to be the language of higher-beings that made up the very fabric of the Digital World---only Primemon was intelligent enough to recognize them individually. "Me see. Me understand why you come to me. Show me where object is."

The group of Koemon nodded, and spread apart so the lead Koemon could show Primemon where the object was. As Primemon slowly walked out of the crowd, moving on all fours with his knuckles, the rest of the Koemon decided to follow behind him to the object as well, curious to see what Primemon had to say about it.
***

About half a digital-hour later, Primemon came face to face with the object the Koemon had told him about. The large, metallic cylinder was solid black, and about thrice Primemon's height. It was perfectly smooth, apart from some indentations running along the face, and the only thing on it was a red Number in the center, '01'.

"Elder Brother, what Number is it?" asked Koemon. The other Koemon who had followed along kept their distance behind some nearby rocks, their slingshots trained on the mysterious object in case it proved dangerous.

Primemon approached the object without fear, and placed his hand on where the Number was and looked it over carefully. "Zero-One", he said loud enough that the others could hear him. "Zero, not Number. Not exactly. Means nothing, or means can be something. One, that main Number. Means first, or beginning."

"So...what does this "Zero-One" mean?" asked Koemon. Primemon scratched his head a bit before answering. Although he prided himself on his knowledge compared to the Koemon, he wasn't as knowledgeable as they believed him to be. Still, for the sake of the village, he had a responsibility to come across as such.

"Me think object not alone, more like it somewhere. Any more objects fall from sky near here?"

"We looked around, but we only find this one," replied Koemon. The other Koemon nodded to back up his claim.

"Me see," said Primemon. He punched the front of the object as hard as he could. It made a metallic sound that was loud, but sounded hollow, and didn't dent whatsoever. Primemon's knuckles hurt a bit from the collision, but he shook the pain off. "Oook! Me think it carrying something inside. Me look to see if it opens." Primemon used his claws to gain traction on the smooth object as best he could, and began to crawl around it, searching for a switch, button, or lever to open it. But after five minutes of looking, his search came up empty. Besides the little indentations on the front, too narrow to stick his fingers in or use a stick to pry open, Primemon found nothing to suggest a way to make the object open up. He took a step back from the object and looked up at it, scratching his head. "Me stumped. Can't open."

Right as he said that a loud, computerized voice was projected from the object. "BOOT-UP SEQUENCE INITIALIZED. RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS. CHECK. RUNNING ANTIVIRUS SCAN. CHECK. NO VIRUSES FOUND. RUNNING SYSTEM RESTORE. FORTY-PERCENT. FIFTY-PERCENT. SIXTY-PERCENT."

"Brothers, hide now!" shouted Primemon as the voice began to count up. He didn't need to tell the Koemon this, though, as all of them had already fled to safety the moment the voice started up. Primemon wanted to run as well, but his legs weren't working at the moment. Whether it was fear, or curiosity, he wanted to stay and see what was in this metallic object. He felt it was his duty.

"SEVENTY-PERCENT", the object began to count down as a burst of compressed air shot out from the indentations as the front started to lift up. "EIGHTY-PERCENT", now Primemon could see that there was some creature within the object, but the compressed air obscured his view of what it was exactly. "NINENTY-PERCENT", Primemon could now tell what the creature was, although he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a human. "ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT. DIGITAL ANDROID ZERO-ONE, MODEL TAU, ON-LINE."

The human inside had appeared to be sleeping, but its eyelids suddenly shot open as it met Primemon with a colorless, blank stare. Primemon had only heard of the creatures known as 'humans'---those not from the Digital World---in legends, but this creature fit the description. Barely larger than the average Child Digimon, covered in a strange flesh free from excess hair or fur, no horns, wings, or other adornments on their body. There was no mistake, this was a true human. Although Primemon didn't know that humans looked different from one another, this being the first one he had ever seen for himself, after all, this human was a young adult male, with dark brown hair that curled up at the sides and looked a bit unkempt. Atop his head in the front was a pair of goggles, and he was dressed in a black bodysuit, with red-and-white armor covering his shoulders, chest, and waist.

As Primemon stared at the human, and the Koemon had slowly crept back behind the rocks to take a peek, its eyes lit up, turning from dark gray to a bright green. Its mouth began to move, not saying anything at first, as if it was practicing how to form words. Finally, after what felt like hours of silence, the human spoke.

"Primemon. You're...Primemon," it said. The voice was steady and had a sense of warmness, as if it was greeting an old friend, but also sounded as if this was the first time it had ever said anything. Primemon was surprised to hear his name spoken. And so were the Koemon, once more taking cover in fear. Primemon was not afraid, however, and got closer to the human.

"How you know me called Primemon?"

"I cannot explain why I know this," the human replied. Its voice sounded much more natural now, as if it was learning how to speak again, but was still quite stiff. "When I saw you, I saw your name appear before my eyes. You are the first thing I recall seeing, in fact. Why is that?"

"You, Baby Human?" asked Primemon. He didn't know how humans aged, exactly, but maybe the object was some sort of egg. "You just hatch?"

"No, I don't think that makes any sense," explained the human. The rest of its body was coming to life, its finger beginning to move around, and its feet twitching. "Humans don't hatch. And when we are born, we don't have the capacity for speech, or interaction, until we learn it from others. Also, we aren't born with hair. And I seem to have a lot of hair."

"You not Baby Human then. You Child Human? Adult Human?"

"I believe I have the characteristics of an older child, or perhaps a young adult, depending on an individual's opinion of me. But I don't have any memories of anything before this. I feel like I know quite a bit about a variety of subjects, but no reason to know such topics. "

"What you mean?" Primemon scratched his head. He didn't quite understand the human.

"I have intelligence, but no memories to explain why I have such intelligence. To put it more simply, have you ever burnt your hand on something hot?"

Primemon nodded. "When me little, me fight Agumon. Agumon fire breath, very hot. Hurt me."

"Before that happened, you didn't know that fire was hot, until you had an experience that taught you that fire was hot, and that it hurt. I'm the opposite of that. I know fire is hot, yet I don't recall even coming into contact with fire, or learning that it's hot. Just like I know your name, but have no reason to as I've never heard of you or met you."

Primemon tried to understand what the human meant, but was honestly stumped. When you're around the Koemon all the time, you don't exactly have your mind challenged on a regular basis like this. "Oook. Me not quite get it, but me don't care. What me call you, call you 'Human'?"

"No. Humans have names for one another to help us communicate. Is it not the same for you given that you can communicate though speech?," the human said. He looked over the Koemon nearby, causing them to duck back down behind the rocks, "those creatures which I know are called Koemon, you don't call them all Koemon, do you?"

"Me do. They all Koemon, so me call them Koemon. Me Primemon, they call me Primemon too."

"Then how do you address them individually? Or even tell them apart?"

"Easy," said Primemon as he pointed at a random Koemon. "That Koemon oldest, but me be honest, very dumb," then he pointed at another, "and that Koemon make me laugh most. Good at jokes. See? Me know which Koemon which."

"It is hard for me to tell how you're capable of doing that," replied the human. "We humans all look different, and we use names to address one another and give us a sense of individuality. It's how we communicate. Although you seem to be capable of doing so without the use of name, and no real difference between how you all look. Although I guess since you have traits of animals, it's some sort of animal instinct."

"Animal? We not animal, we Digimon!"

"Digimon? I vaguely know that name, but I don't know from where, or what it means. That's the group you all belong to, I take it? Why your names all end in 'Mon'?"

"We 'Digital Monsters'. We all look different, many types of Digimon, but we still Digimon."

"You seem to take on characteristics of animals that I recognize, although besides your name, I don't have any information on you beyond that. You look like a creature I know as a gorilla, plus the addition of a tail which is an oddity, but so is talking. Are you not a species of gorilla?"

"Me look like gorilla, but me Digimon."

"So, you have gorillas here too?"

"No. Me never seen gorilla. But me know what gorilla is."

"How?"

"Me just know. Like you just know stuff. Me smart too."

"Fair enough," replied the human. "So, you Digimon have attributes of animals, but with traits of humans as well. Interesting. Anyway, back to the topic regarding my name, you can call me...you can call me..."

"What wrong," asked Primemon. The human looked around aimlessly before a few seconds, confused at something. "You don't know 'name'?"

"I don't have any memory of interacting with others, thus I don't know if I have a name. Unlike you Digimon, we aren't born with an inherent name, others give them to us," said the human. He pointed to a 'T' symbol on his chest armor, "however, this I recognize as the Greek letter 'Tau'. Although it does not strike me as a normal name, it is the only thing I can think for you to call me to make our interaction a bit more natural sounding."

"Me don't recognize that Letter, but me know Letters," replied Primemon. He used his finger to write three, foreign characters in the sand. "Look, me write 'T-A-U' in Letters."

Tau lifted his body out of the pod and, for the first time in his life as far as he could recall, began to slowly walk towards Primemon. Primemon didn't sense any body heat from the human, which unnerved him a bit---when Koemon and other Digimon he knew were near, he could feel a warmth from them, a sense that they were there. But in this case, he didn't feel anything. Maybe humans were just like this naturally?

"I have a feeling I can read these letters," said Tau with a smile, his first one, as he looked down at the letters. Over the course of their discussion, Primemon had noticed the human had steadily become more alive, moving more consciously and with more emotion. Tau bent down on his knees, and began to write as well in the same script as Primemon. "P-R-I-M-E-M-O-N."

"So? Letters easy to do. Tau not smarter than me."

"I have knowledge of a variety of letters used by humans, but I've never seen these before. Yet I know what they say, and even how to write them. That is strange to me. You are speaking the same language as I am, so I wonder, do you Digimon have a variety of languages as well? I find it quite odd a unique creature like yourself is capable of speaking English, the language I am speaking in."

"No. Digimon talk, or don't talk. Some Digimon dumb and just growl. What English?"

"So, you have no concept of language beyond simply being able to communicate," said Tau. "Humans have a variety of languages depending on region and culture, and thus not every human is capable of speaking to one another and understanding what the other is saying. But you and me, besides your grammatic difficulty, are able to communicate quite well. I think I'm close to figuring it out, though."

"Figure what?"

"From the moment I awoke, I knew this wasn't the world I'm from. A name popped in my mind, 'Digital World'. And you said you were 'Digital' Monsters."

"Oook. Digital World made up of stuff called 'data'. We all made of 'data', maybe you too. Digital World and Human World co-exist, me heard. But me never been to Human World. No Digimon I know has."

"The concept of a 'Digital World' is familiar to me somehow, although your explanation is about as much as I can recall about it. But if right now we're data, than we're communicating in data as well, mathematics so to speak, the universal language. We perceive and process the data as a language we're familiar with, so to us, we're both speaking the same language, even if technically that isn't true. This is quite an amazing concept to me."

"Me get headache listening to Tau," Primemon said. He grabbed Tau by the hand, once more feeling that strange coldness, and pointed at the jungle popping out over the canyon's walls. "Tau come home with me. We talk there. Me got lots of questions."

"From your confusion over some of the things I've told you about human culture, I assume there are no other humans living there?" asked Tau as Primemon led him out of the canyon. The Koemon followed their leader, some of them eying Tau with suspicion, others with wonder, on his journey home.

"You only one me know," replied Primemon. "Me heard tales of Humans in Digital World in the past, but that long ago. Sorry, Tau."

"So, I'm the only one," said Tau to himself. He felt a weird sensation after hearing this. Something inside of him felt empty, and a longing for something that was missing, but he couldn't quite put this feeling into words. He had no choice but to follow Primemon home for the moment and think things through.
***

A month, in Digital World time, had passed since their meeting, and since then Tau and Primemon had become great friends. They spent all day together at Primemon's jungle hut talking to one another about their homes, although the more they talked, the more it became apparent that while Primemon was quite knowledgeable about his world, the same couldn't be said about Tau. He found himself unable to answer a lot of questions about 'Earth'. He knew the names of places, organisms, and tools that existed on Earth, but he had trouble recalling what day-to-day life was like on Earth.

The Koemon had also gotten over their initial fear of Tau, and welcomed him to their home without reservations. They loved to listen to him talk, even if they didn't understand much of what he said, and he in turn found their playful nature amusing, even helping them practice with their slingshots. Tau proved to be quite skilled, in fact, able to hit a target almost a mile away with perfect accuracy, causing a few of the Koemon to become a bit jealous. Primemon also took note of Tau's physical skills, regularly sparring with him, although he quickly found that Tau was more or less on his level, and may even exceed him, so he soon stopped these training exercises in fear of causing the Koemon to doubt his strength and, in extension, his leadership qualities.

Over the course of that month, a change had come over Tau. His demeanor had changed, softened. Now when he discussed complex subjects with Primemon, there was a look of excitement on his face. He enjoyed teaching the Digimon new ideas and concepts, and he himself enjoyed learning from them. His explanations, while still quite sophisticated, were now delivered in a more pleasant manner, engaging with his audience and cracking jokes (although the Digimon rarely understood them, they made Tau feel a sense of fulfillment, even if he didn't quite understand why they were humorous himself), when they presented themselves.

At the end of the month, Tau and Primemon headed to the beach together for a day of fishing. While they had been eating berries (the exact nature of how berries grew in a world of data confused Tau, and likewise he found them to have no taste), it was tradition for the Koemon and Primemon to switch to fish at the end of each month. Tau noted, though, that during his stay the climate of the area never changed apart from a freak rainstorm every once in awhile, so this habit of switching food choice had nothing to do with a change in the season.

"Last night when you told me we were going fishing, I got to thinking---are we fishing for Fish-type Digimon? Or am I going to finally see just a regular animal here in the Digital World?"

"There 'Fish', and there 'Fish Digimon'. Fish Digimon are better, but Fish more common."

"Now I have even more questions about how this works. First of all, do Fish Digimon talk? I don't know if I can eat something that's talking to me, feels a bit like cannibalism."

"Fish Digimon usually dumb. Me never eat one that talked. But me wouldn't care."

"Well, that's a relief I guess. Now, what kind of fish do you usually catch? Flounder? Yellowtail? Mai Mai? I don't know what to expect to find here..."

"Fish are Fish. They taste good, me good. Fish aren't like Digimon, don't have 'names'. Just Fish."

"Some of the logic in this world confuses me."

"Tau may be smart with words, but not skilled. Me show you how to fish," explained Primemon as they arrived at the beach. Tau looked over the clear-blue ocean, and saw land on the other side on the edge of the horizon.

"So, you told me we're on 'Ping Island', what's that place over there across the sea?"

"File Island. Me never been there. Too crowded, and bad Digimon live there me hear. Don't care about File Island, care about fishing now. Be quiet, and me teach you how to fish."

"We fish in the human world too. I mean, yeah, I've never actually done it, but I know the concept. You have the rod, the line, and the bait, and then it's all about just waiting for something to happen."

"You make a fishing pole before?" Primemon asked. Tau shook his head. "Be quiet and me show you, or else no fish for Tau." Primemon walked over to a nice sized branch sitting in the sand that had washed up onshore, and tested its flexibility. "Good stick. Now, Tau find good one."

"What about this one?" asked Tau. He held up a huge log in one hand with relative ease. Primemon was impressed once more with Tau's strength, but disappointed in his stick-collecting skills.

"Too big. Tau only think about strength. Strong stick, but no flexibility. Break too easily under pressure."

"This one?" asked Tau, holding up a thin branch that was roughly thirty-feet in length.

"Me losing patience. Too long, no control. Find one 'just right'," explained Primemon. "This time, you just watch me. Don't worry, me share fish with Tau. Next, need string." Primemon walked over to the patch of grass just above the beach, and grabbed a piece. As he pulled on it, the blade of grass slowly began to slide out of the ground, revealing itself to be quite long.

"It was that long?"

"This called 'stringrass'. Me train to spot. Looks small, but really long."

Tau walked over to where Primemon had pulled the grass from, and looked down. There was no hole or root where that piece of grass had come from, it was like the grass had just stretched out by itself as Primemon had pulled on it. "I guess big things do come in small packages. Another oddity of the Digital World reveals itself."

"Stringrass useful for line, doesn't tear easily. Now, need bait. No problem." Primemon began to scratch his back, and plucked a small object off his fur and showed it to Tau. "Nanobug annoying, but make good food."

"That thing was on you?" exclaimed Tau. Although it was small, he was able to make out a small, silver bug-like creature between Primemon's fingers. "Is that a Digimon?"

"Tau dumb," replied Primemon. "If Digimon, me say 'Nanobugmon'. No, Nanobug is Nanobug. Me eat them all the time, you never notice?"

"Well, come to think of it, I always wondered why you scratched yourself so much."

"You try one?"

"Nah, I have a feeling eating bugs isn't really something humans do. Let's just hurry and catch a fish, alright?"

"Let me just put together rod..." said Primemon as he fiddled around with the three items, "and we good. Now, me cast, and we wait. Tau patient?"

"Yeah. I've found out that when I want to relax, I just run through mathematical formulas in my head. Helps me sleep at night."

"Me don't know what that means. But good if keep Tau quiet."

Primemon cast the line into the sea, and sat down on his bottom and waited patiently. Tau stood behind him keeping his eye on the water, while his mind was quickly running numbers. A few moments later, a small red fin appeared above the water near where the line was cast. Primemon's eyes lit up, as did Tau's, but for a different reason. He could see the words 'Swimmon' appear before his vision. In the next moment, the line was tugged below the ocean, and Primemon snapped the rod back, landing a hit.

"Tau help me pull!" he demanded. Tau popped out of his trance, and quickly grabbed the rod, tugging on it so hard with his full strength that the fish was instantly thrown out of the water and landed on the ground behind them, flopping around for air. Primemon was surprised. "Fishing never be so easy, usually Fish put up fight!"

Tau and Primemon ran over to the emerald-colored fish flopping on the ground, and it looked at them with fear as it spoke. "Help me."

"It talked! It talked! You said they don't talk!"

"Hmm. This first. Never met Fish Digimon that talked. Wonder what it tastes like?

"You're not gonna still eat it, are you? It's asking us for help!"

"Me no care. It nature, me eat Fish Digimon, other Digimon might eat me. You don't like, don't eat."

Before Tau could protest further, Primemon bit down into the poor creature's neck with his fangs. The creature gasped one last time as its eyes went blank, and a stream of data-like substance flew out of its neck-hole and into the sky.

"You...you killed it," stuttered Tau. He looked down at the creature and felt a strange pain in his stomach. Killing was wrong, he reasoned to himself. Or so, his knowledge told him so. "Even after it asked for help."

"Kill? Digimon aren't killed, Digimon deleted. But look," Primemon pointed to the data-stream dispersing into the air, "that Digimon's data. Data returns to Digital World. Now, we pray for it." Primemon clasped its hand together and closed its eyes.

"Prayer?" asked Tau. He knew what a 'prayer' was, but he had no reason to think it was anything other than superstition. "That's not gonna bring it back to life, will it?"

"When Digimon deleted, data reformatted, and reborn as new Digimon. We pray, or Digimon come back bad, not good. Now, Tau pray."

"Well, prayer has no practical purpose besides comforting those who believe in it," Tau began to say, "and reincarnation isn't a proven concept."

"You only know human world. How you know how Digital World work?"

"I guess you have a point there," said Tau as he bowed his head and prayed alongside Primemon. Tau took this moment of silence to think to himself about the concept of 'knowing how the world works'. He really didn't know anything about the human world, either. And the more he thought about it, the more things weren't making any sense for him. Why didn't he have any memories of the human world beyond a mind filled with basic concepts and theories? Why didn't he have memories of 'friends' or 'family'? And these 'feelings' he was having, why were they so difficult for him to exactly understand where they were coming from, and what they meant?

But as this moment, all he could do was pray, and hope that the answers came to him soon enough. If he had opened his eyes at that moment, and looked above him, he would've seen the two objects flying through the air that were about to deliver those answers.

TO BE CONTINUED


Digimon Glossary

ORIGINAL DIGIMON:
Primemon: A Child Level, Beast-Type, Data Digimon. It resembles a small, orange gorilla, with pointy ears, a long, prehensile tail, and two horns on its head. Oh, and it has a cute outie-belly button.

It was created from research data studying the relationship between humans and apes, and due to this, has a natural affinity and curiosity towards humans, not afraid of them, but can also be vicious if provoked. They are proud of their strength, and seeks to prove themselves by taking on stronger Digimon, but always fight with honor. They usually live in seclusion alongside weaker Digimon, and rarely with other Primemon.

CANON DIGIMON:

Koemon
Agumon (mentioned)
Swimmon

 

[Garren]

The mysterious human Tau arrived in the Digital World, with no memories of his life on Earth. He quickly befriended Primemon, and the village of Koemon, and began to learn about the unique, and sometimes confusing, Digital World...

The Baptism​

"Elder Brother, Elder Brother!" the Koemon shouted as, yet again, they furiously knocked on the door of Primemon's hut. This time he and Tau had been awake for quite awhile, having another one of their discussions about various cultural norms and taboos of the Digital World, but once more he wanted to pretend he was still asleep. Tau wasn't as used to this disturbance and thus was more open to investigating the cause.

"Should we see what they want?" asked Tau. "They sound pretty worried."

"You don't know Koemon," replied Primemon. "Need help all the time. Can't think for themselves. Probably nothing."

"Yeah, I've picked up on that during my stay here," said Tau. He recalled the other day when a Koemon had almost shot its own eye out when aiming its slingshot. "But, to be fair, you told me they were the ones who found me, right?"

"That one time thing. Me doubt something like that happen again," said Primemon as the knocks continued.

"Elder Brother! There are Humans like Brother Tau here! Humans!"

Before Primemon could respond, Tau had ran out the door, knocking into a few Koemon who were standing on the other side. He headed to the edge of the bridge leading out from Primemon's hut and peered down at the village square below where a large group of Koemon had gathered. In the center of them, he could make out two individuals. He wanted to say something, but he felt a knot in his throat preventing him from speaking. There was no doubt in his mind, those were definitely humans down there. Humans just like him.

Primemon quickly jumped atop the bridge's suspension ropes, hanging down off them with his tail to survey the situation. "Oook! They no lie, more Humans here!"

The humans were dressed like Tau, the same type of bodysuit and armor, although different colors. One of the humans looked like Tau, in that he was a male, and was about his size, perhaps a bit lankier and paler though, and had thin blond hair. One piece of hair fell over his right eye, obscuring it. His armor was blue-and-white. The other human was a female, or so she appeared, who was shorter than Tau and the other male but had a more muscular build, with her hair styled in a firm, black ponytail. Her armor was green-and-white.

"Digital Monsters, I ask that you not make any more sudden movements," said the female with a strict tone. Her stare pierced right through the Koemon as she spoke to them, slowly moving her head around and counting out their numbers. "Any attack directed at us will be met with a swift response. I say this for your own good, do not engage us in combat."

"According to our data, one of our comrades should be located around here," said the male with an equally strict tone, but with a slight bit more edge to it. He looked up in the air and spotted Tau looking down at him. He didn't look happy to see him, however, as his face didn't shift from the stoic look it sported.

Tau felt a strange sensation as he looked back at the other human. A few moments ago, he felt a sense of curiosity, a desire to meet with the other humans. But now, he felt like there was something different about them. He wanted to turn around and head the other way, to ignore them and go back to the hut.

Primemon was less frightened, and curious about the humans. "They don't look like Tau. Other species of Humans?"

"N-no," said Tau trying to snap out of the daze he was in. "We don't have 'species' of humans, we all look different, but we're the same on the inside more or less."

"One human look different from Tau. Also look different from other human who look like Tau. Why?"

Tau used this as an excuse to look away from the humans for a moment, and tried to explain that to Primemon as best as he could. "Well, that's a female human. Me, and the other human, we're male humans. There are slight variations in our, I guess you could say, 'data', but it's really not a good time to try and explain that all to you."

"Male? Female? Me no understand."

"Do you understand the concept of identifying as a gender? You do refer to the Koemon as 'he' or 'him', so you must have a way to tell the difference, right?"

"Me never put much thought into words me use. They just come out naturally. Koemon is Koemon."

"Well, never mind that discussion right now," said Tau as he looked back at the humans once again. The male human hadn't moved an inch and had been staring at him, motionlessly, the entire time. "We should probably be polite and go greet them now. You coming Primemon?"

"Of course. Me Village Elder. Responsibility to greet guests. Me no be rude." Primemon jumped to a nearby tree and began to climb down it. Tau, although he could have simply jumped off the bridge and effortlessly land on the ground below (and he had done so many times), decided to slowly take the ladder down instead.

Tau reached the ground below. The humans stood only a few feet away, but it felt like there was miles between them. He didn't know how to approach them. There were many ways humans greeted one another depending on relationship and culture, but he wasn't able to figure out what greeting would be appropriate here. He decided to use the most universal greeting he could think of.

"Hello," he quietly said with a weak wave. "It's nice to meet you two."

In retrospect, there were perhaps better ways to introduce himself, but the damage had been done. All he could do now was wait for a response. Primemon looked up at Tau with disappointment in his eyes. He found the greeting to be embarrassing, but had decided to let Tau talk to the humans first.

"Nice to meet you?" asked the male human. He turned to look at his female comrade. "Do you understand why he is saying this? Although this is the first time we've come into contact with him directly, he should be familiar with us."

"It is quite a strange gesture for him to be doing," she added. She turned to Tau and took a step closer. "Although we were separated during the metaphorization process, you should still be capable of recognizing us. Do you truly not know who we are?"

"Not a clue," replied Tau. "But I really can't remember anything about my life before I arrived here about a month ago. Well, I'm not even sure what a month is in the Digital World, I'm just basing that on how many times I've seen the sun come up."

The woman looked Tau over. "So, you not only were separated from us during the metaphorization process, you materialized in the Digital World a whole cycle before we did as well."

"Did you not think to come and find us during that time you were awake, Tau?" asked the male. It took Tau a few seconds to process what he had just heard. He felt something in his chest rise up upon hearing this, and the uncomfortable sensation he felt earlier left his body.

"Wait...did you just call me Tau? Is that actually my name? I mean, I thought it might be, it just popped into my mind, but I really couldn't be sure."

"Name?" asked the female. Tau thought for a second she was going to laugh, but she just stood there with a blank expression. "We do not have 'names', that is your designation given to you." She then pointed at a symbol on her chest. "Recall, my designation is 'Rho'. And this," she said as she pointed at a symbol on the chest of the male, "is designated as Sigma."

"I am relieved to see that you at least remembered your own designation somewhat," said the male designated as 'Sigma'. Although he delivered it completely deadpan, like everything else he said, Tau felt there was something 'cold' behind his words.

"So, it's just a code name is what you're saying," said Tau, "I figured as much. Naming someone after a Greek Letter feels a bit off, but as a codename, it gets the job done. But surely we must have actual names beyond the code names, right? We're not just some machines, we're human after all."

"Human." Sigma said that word out loud and paused.

Primemon decided to speak up, sensing some awkwardness between the three. "Ooook. You, Human, right? Me hear tales of Humans coming to Digital World before like you. No mistake. You definitely Human."

"Impossible," replied 'Rho'. "The Digital World is comprised of data. Humans are not data, thus they cannot enter the Digital World. The tales you have heard are simply legends. That is the truth of the matter unless you can prove otherwise through solid evidence."

"You're gonna say, 'before now', right?" asked Tau, his voice a bit shaky. He looked at Rho, then Sigma, then Rho again for a response, but they remained quiet. "I mean, I'm here, you're here...we're the first ones to accomplish that feat, right? A couple of Armstrongs, right? No human has ever come to the Digital World...'before now'. That's what you have to say afterwards. Otherwise it's kind of a confusing statement"

Rho looked at him and stayed silent. She didn't seem to think there was a problem with what she said.

Finally, Sigma spoke. "I take it you think that you are a human, Tau?"

Tau nodded. "I'm surely not a Digimon, as far as I know. According to Primemon, if I was, I'd be called 'Taumon' then. I'm definitely a human, I'm positive of that fact."

"Negative. You are not a human. You never have been. And you never will. You're a Digital Android. A collection of data created to resemble a human, but you are merely a replica of one. You are Digital Android Zero-One, Tau. I am Digital Android Zero-Two, Sigma. And this is Digital Android Zero-Three, Rho."

Tau couldn't believe what he was hearing. A 'Digital Android'? According to his knowledge, 'androids' were a rather young field of study among the scientific community, and an android to be as advanced as he was---had such a thing been created? On the other hand, he couldn't help but think that explanation made some sense. The lack of memories outside of pure knowledge, the inability to properly categorize or identify the feelings he was having, the fact that nothing he ate seemed to have any taste, and beyond that he never grew hungry or had to dispose of waste, the fact that when he went to sleep, he never dreamed, but merely woke up after what seemed like a second, perfectly refreshed. But would an android be capable of doubting that it was an android like he was?

Primemon spoke up, "Tau no Android. Me know what Android look like, me met Android Digimon Andromon before. Tau no Andromon."

"That is correct," said Sigma. "Tau is not an 'Andromon'. We are not Digital Monsters, although we have similarities to them. Let us leave it at that."

"Sigma," said Rho, "I am sure you have picked up on this as soon as you saw him, but Tau's actions have me concerned. He seems to be displaying peculiar behavior that goes against our programming. The Meta-Capsule he arrived in should have checked him for any viruses that may have infected him during the metaphorization process."

"Agreed," replied Sigma. "I believe our best course of action is to seek out the Meta-Capsule, and run a virus scan once more. It may be possible to eliminate the cause of Tau's erratic behavior. Of course, if that fails, then we must decommission him."

"Decommision me?" yelled Tau. Sigma and Rho ignored him. "Hey, you can't just talk about decommission someone so casually! That is a decision I think that I should have a say in!"

"But Sigma, we have been separated from the other five Digital Androids and we don't know where they are located," said Rho. "Reducing our numbers further like this could prove dangerous to the success of our mission. Beyond that, destroying one of our own goes against our programming by my count."

"In a situation like this we must utilize our ability to think rationally," explained Sigma, "and figure out the solution that follows the most logical course. If Tau is infected by a virus, he could prove a danger to us. Furthermore, we do not know if the virus infecting him could potentially spread to us. If we can not remove the virus, I feel that decommissioning him to neutralize the virus is the best option available."

"I agree with your reasoning, then. I will not interfere with you decision."

"Sigma! Rho!" yelled Tau once more, trying to catch their attention. This time, Sigma and Rho both turned towards him. "So, you're like dogs, basically? You're trained to instantly respond to your 'designation', huh? Now that I've got your attention, let me just say that I'm still trying to come to terms with this whole 'android' deal, and you two wanting to dismantle me isn't helping. I'm not sure how to properly get across the feeling I'm having towards you two, but I don't like it."

"Me keeping quiet and let Humans, Androids, whatever talk. But me no let Tau be hurt by you. Tau friend, no matter what Tau is," added Primemon. He moved in front of Tau and spread his arms out to protect him. The Koemon quickly pulled their slingshots out and focused their aim on Sigma and Rho, their leader's actions giving them courage. Enough courage to aim, at least, but firing proved to be more difficult.

"Their slingshots do not pose any physical threat to us, so let them be," said Sigma to Rho. Rho had lifted her arms up, prepared to fight back, but lowered them at Sigma's request. He walked towards Primemon and looked down at him as his pupils retracted. "While they have an extremely low power level, this Level 3 Digital Monster, on the other hand, is quite powerful. Not powerful enough to pose a serious threat for us, though."

"So, that's how it works," said Tau under his breath as he looked at Sigma's strange eyes. "We have some sort of scanner built in our eyes that let's us analyze data of the Digimon. But all I can see are names..."

"Tau," said Sigma. He looked at Tau straight in the eye and spoke directly to him. "You will show me where you landed in your Meta-Capsule, the object you arrived in if you've forgotten what it's called. Without you in it, I cannot track it unfortunately. There, I will have you undergo a virus scan. If all goes well, a virus will be found and quarantined, and our mission can resume without incident." He then looked down at Primemon. "I will tell the truth to both of you, although lying is not a part of our programming. If I can not eliminate the virus, I will decommission Tau---I will 'delete' him, in terms you may be able to relate to. I can tell you won't let me do that without a fight, and I accept that. So you, Digital Monster, I ask that you accompany us. But when you attempt to stop me, I will have to delete you. Do you accept?"

Primemon didn't hesitate for a second. "Me go. But me not let you hurt Tau. Me real strong."

"According to my data on you, you are a Digital Monster known for having an honorable personality inherent in your programming," said Sigma. "I see that my data like always is accurate. Now, Tau, I ask that you lead the way."

"I will stay here, Sigma, and ensure that none of the other Digital Monsters follow," added Rho. She turned to the Koemon. "Once more, I do not wish to have to engage any of you in combat. You won't win. Do you understand? Stay still."

Although the Koemon couldn't just stand there as their Elder Brother, and new friend Tau, headed towards danger, the gaze of the Digital Android froze them in their tracks. They all slowly lowered their slingshots and just stood there, perfectly obedient.

"I don't appreciate the way you just come here and start ordering everyone around," said Tau. He knew, though, that he didn't have a choice except to listen to the two Digital Androids---something told him they were quite powerful and could easily back up their threats. "Anyway, the Meta-Capsule...that's the giant metallic object I came from, right? Follow me, it's over in the canyon to the north of here. Don't worry, I won't lead you in the wrong direction or anything."

"I am glad you are following my instructions without difficulty," replied Sigma. He turned towards Rho and nodded. "Rho, do not move till I return."

"Understood. Sigma, use caution. Do not forget Tau has been active longer than we have. His power level may have increased by a significant amount."

And on that note, Tau, Sigma, and Primemon disappeared into the jungle as the trio made their way towards the canyon. As they left, the Koemon realized that only one of them would likely return.
***

Tau, Primemon, and Sigma arrived in the canyon where the Meta-Capsule had landed. Over time, it had become slightly covered with dirt, but otherwise hadn't been tampered with by any wild Digimon. It stood there, motionlessly, like an ancient monolithic structure. Tau looked at it with a slight feeling of familiarity. If he really was a 'Digital Android', this was basically like the egg he had hatched from. He turned to look at Sigma, a small smile crept on his face. He may be an android, but he was certainly capable of a level of human sophistication.

"So, Smegma. Mind if I call you Smegma? I recall it's not considered good manners to use that kind of slang around a woman, or a 'gynoid', as the case for us was, but I hope you don't mind."

"I ask that you refer to me as my official designation," he replied. "Hearing you refer to me with a vulgarity leaves me metaphorically speechless. I believe you to be beyond repair, and surely a threat to our mission. The fact of the matter is, I do not intend to run the virus scan on you, nor did I ever. I intend to decommission you right here and now. Rho is programmed to have a certain amount of care towards you, the purpose of such programming I do not quite see the need for. I, on the other hand, am programmed with pragmatism in mind."

Tau and Primemon were shocked at this revelation. Sigma just stared at them, though, not even bothered at what he had done.

"Wait, so you can lie?" asked Tau. "You said you'd only resort to that if you couldn't remove the virus infecting me!"

"I did not lie. I do not believe you to be infected with a virus," replied Sigma. "Do you?"

"Of course not! I mean, there's definitely some things about me that feel off. Unnatural. But I feel that I'm in control of myself. I don't exactly see what's 'wrong' with me in the first place!"

"There is something wrong at your very core, a fatal error in your programming," replied Sigma. "You have cultivated something dangerous. A full-fledged personality. And you have forgotten what you actually are, a Digital Android. There is only danger in a machine such as yourself who acts as if he is equivalent to a human."

"You know, you're not that much different from me in my opinion," said Tau. He pointed an accusatory finger at the android. "You're a machine, yet as far as I'm concerned, you lied. You can try and play it off by acting like you didn't, but you lied to us. And you lied to your 'friend', Rho. So when I look at you, I see a dangerous machine who doesn't know its place."

Tau felt a sudden blow to his face. His feet lifted off the ground as he was thrown to the ground. Sigma had punched him.

"Tau!" yelled Primemon when he realized what had happened. One minute Tau and Sigma were talking, the next minute, one of them was on the ground. Primemon had been cautious the entire time, yet didn't see this happen till after it occurred.

For a split second, Sigma's stoicness gave way to a scowl. He looked at Tau on the ground. "You are a danger to our mission, that is all. I must decommission you to ensure its success. I ask that you do not take this personally."

Tau rubbed the spot where Sigma had hit him. Although he couldn't necessarily feel pain, so to speak, the act of getting punched nevertheless caused his body to tense up. And he could feel a sort of brokenness in his face. "You just try to play off everything as just you being rational, don't you? But yeah, I think I'm gonna take you punching me in the face as personal. And you know what else? I usually have a hard time saying how I feel, but this time I'm positive that I'm pissed at you."

"Once more, you do not have emotions. You are merely replicating the idea of anger, you do not truly understand it. Do not try and tell yourself otherwise."

Tau stood up. Primemon walked towards him to see if he was okay, but Tau waved him to stand back. He reached up and grabbed the goggles on his head and pulled them down over his eyes. He wasn't sure why he did it. It just felt like the right thing to do. "Fine, then I'm 'replicating' being pissed off. And you're not decommissioning me without a fight. Right now, I'm infinitely focused!"

"Me fight too!" said Primemon. He straightened his back, as he tended to do when it was time to get serious, and his fur prickled up as he growled at Sigma. "Me like phrase 'I'm infinitely focused!'. Sound cool."

"To be honest, it just was a phrase that popped into my head when I put these goggles on," replied Tau as he used this opportunity to survey the surrounding. "I don't understand the point of the goggles, or the line, really, but I guess you could say it's just something programmed in me."

"Both of you have provided enough reasoning for me to use the full extent of my power," replied Sigma. His face switched in an instant from the usual stoicness to a full-on glare. "Do not mistake this for emotion. When entering my battle mode, I simply change my expression artificially to frighten my foe."

"Not sure if I believe that," said Tau with a grin. "I think you're starting to come around to whatever's inside of me. That 'human' feeling. I gotta say, this is the first time I can honestly say I feel a positive vibe from you."

"And I will make sure to eliminate the glitch it is in your programming that makes you see 'humanity' in us," said Sigma. "Come at me when you are ready."

Tau accepted the invitation, propelling his body forward with his front foot as he dashed towards Sigma. He threw a punch with all of his might put into it at his foe's face. But Sigma simply snapped his head to the side, so fast that it seemed like his head momentarily separated from the neck. Tau's punch ended up only grazing the side of his face, which didn't even seem to register for Sigma.

Sigma then 'disappeared' in what seemed like a flash to Tau, although he could still sense his presence. He tried to turn around in time, but Sigma was too fast. The android prepared to deliver a sharp chop into Tau's back when a voiced interrupted him.

"Don't turn back on me," yelled Primemon as he charged towards Sigma and jumped into the air, engulfing himself in flames as he flipped around rapidly. "Me show you my technique, Hihi Somersault!"

Sigma wasn't able to react fast enough this time, and was slammed in the back by Primemon's attack. He let out a pained grunt as he was pushed forwards, the flames licking his back and burning through his suit. And to add to that, Tau had managed to recover from whiffing his punch, and was ready to deliver another one right at Sigma's face. The two-pronged attack worked, and Sigma was struck on both sides. He fell to his knees, his breathing (or, the simulated breathing the Digital Androids did) heavy.

"I think I get it," explained Tau as he looked down at Sigma. "When someone is right in front of you, and you can see them with your eye-sensors, you have no issue reacting to it. But sneak attacks from behind---since you're a machine, it's hard for you to get a sense of when someone's behind you. That's your weak point."

"I will admit that I did not factor in the power of both of you attacking me simultaneously," Sigma explained as his breath returned to a normal frequency. "But do not think you have found the answer to defeating me that easily. We are built to learn from our mistakes in combat."

"Stop playing up that indifference and just admit you can't beat us as a team," said Tau with a smile as he and Primemon gave each other a fist-bump. "Now get up, and apologize. I'm not going to 'decommission' you, alright? Let's talk things over or something, 'rationalize' as you'd call it."

Sigma paused. But he had no intention of accepting this truce. He used this opening to recover his strength and moved behind Primemon in an instant, lifting him up in the air by his tail. Primemon shrieked as he struggled to break free.

"Something in my data told me this would be effective," Sigma said as he held Primemon in the air for Tau to see. "When your tail is grabbed, you become completely helpless."

"Oook! Oook! How you know this? Koemon tell you? They can't keep quiet!"

"We are capable of analyzing you to determine your strengths and weaknesses," said Sigma. "And this was a weakness that my analysis discovered."

"You're playing cheap now, Sigma. Let Primemon go! It's me you're after, not him. Let him go and I'll make sure he doesn't interfere anymore!" yelled Tau.

"Our programming has two main 'laws'," said Sigma. "The first law, we put the success of the mission first. The second law, we do not attack Digital Monsters without reason. But a Digital Monster threatening our 'life', and more importantly our mission, that is grounds for deletion."

"Oook! Oook! You threaten us first," yelled Primemon. "Me accept you otherwise like Tau. But you bad."

"We are not good, or bad. We are data. We don't have the capability to weigh morality, or even consider it when making decisions. Although we attempt to carry out our mission while avoiding casulties, it is out of avoiding excess conflict that could pose a threat to us, not because it is 'wrong'. Your continued thinking of Rho and I as human is why you find yourself in this situation."

"Then me no regret this! Methane Bomber!" Primemon aimed his buttox at Sigma, as small energy particles began to gather. Before Sigma could realize what was happening, a powerful ball of fire was launched from the Digimon's rear. Sigma's fast reflexes allowed him to dodge the fire ball at the last minute, but his grip on Primemon's tail loosened without him realizing it. Primemon used this chance to deliver a strong punch to Sigma's gut, and then another, and then another. He didn't hold anything back as he slammed his fist into the android's stomach.

Sigma retched forward from the impact. Now Primemon was able to escape. He ran to Tau, and the two of them looked at Sigma as he fell to the ground again. Tau was a bit frustrated by this.

"I had no clue you could do that. I mean, shooting an energy ball from your behind? You never told me you were capable of that," said Tau, "and part of me is relieved you didn't."

"Me no like to do," explained Primemon. "Gross. Plus, use lot of energy. Me can't do again unless me eat something."

Tau spoke to Sigma next. "That's another thing your data didn't pick up on, did it? I guess your analysis takes some time to fully input everything a Digimon is capable of. Now, you're on the ground---again---and I can tell even though you can't feel pain exactly, you're body is weakening, so I'll give you another chance to just give this up. My apology offer still stands."

Sigma had been slammed in the back by a flaming gorilla, and punched in the gut, but his stoic programming remained in-tact. "Once more, it was merely because I did not fully take in account what that Digital Monster was capable of. If that technique had hit me head on, I likely would have been damaged to a large extent. But although you may have knocked me down, my superior speed and reflexes will allow me to dodge anything you throw at me from this point on. In a few moments I will have recovered enough to continue our conflict."

"Sigma, come on, let's stop this," said Tau. He moved towards Sigma once more attempting a truce. This time, Sigma didn't attempt any trickery. "You keep making excuses, but it seems to me like we've got an advantage over you, power-wise. Is there really anything else you can do in your situation? Try and trick us again?"

"As the Digital Monster stated, its ability to fire off gastrointestinal explosives is limited by its energy reserves," Sigma explained. "This time, if I grab its tail to weaken it, it will be unable to escape. Then, after disposing of it, I can finish you."

"Sigma, there really is something wrong with you..."

Suddenly, Tau felt his body begin to shake. But it wasn't just him, Primemon and Sigma felt it as well. The ground itself was shaking, small pebbles bouncing around from the tremors.

"Does the Digital World have earthquakes?" asked Tau to Primemon. The Digimon shook its head.

"Me not know "Earthquake'. But when ground shake, it mean something big coming. Look!"

Primemon pointed at the entrance of the canyon where a gigantic, red tyrannosaurus creature had appeared. It let out a roar that shook the canyon walls, and moved its head to look in Sigma's direction. Sigma froze up.

"This is an unfortunate turn of events," he said as he scanned the Digimon. "That Digital Monster is a Tyranomon, Level Four. And its power is quite high. Normally it wouldn't pose much of a threat---however, I have been damaged, and Rho is not here. And you, Tau, cannot hope to defeat it on your own. I was hoping to avoid a Digital Monster of this strength until we had time to increase our own power level, but it seems that my plan did not succeed."

"We should be okay as long as we don't make it mad, right Primemon?" asked Tau. "I mean, it's big, but that doesn't mean it's dangerous, right?

"Tyranomon dumb, but usually peaceful. But me can tell. It mad. Something make it mad. Sigma do this?"

"Judging by the location it came from, I believe our Meta-Capsules landed in its territory. Perhaps we disturbed its sleep, or it felt threatened," replied Sigma. "Let me be clear that it was entirely unintentional on our part, our Meta-Capsules were calibrated to land in a remote area away from any Digital Monster activity."

"Great, so it's mad at us," said Tau, "or more accurately, it's mad at you. You're lucky that I 'cultivated' a personality, because I think the rational thing to do in this situation would be to just leave you here and let it works out its anger on you."

"I agree with your assesment," said Sigma. "Rho has great strength, but on her own will not be able to complete the mission. Even though I do not have much faith in your decision making capabilities, I request that you aid her as well as you can. She can judge whether or not to decomission you in my place. Leave me here. We are designed to look out for one another to some extent, but we are also programmed to ensure our own survival if necessary."

"No, see, you don't understand. I'm not going to leave you behind. It's---wrong. You're an unpleasant individual, Sigma, but just leaving a fellow Digital Android behind, that's just something my programming won't let me do. I'm staying, and we're gonna get out of here together! And if you still wanna decommission me, that's fine, but I'm gonna be the bigger man here!"

"You are an irrational failure, Tau," replied Sigma. Tau couldn't help but laugh at how Sigma, even in a moment like this, refused to let down his guard. That was certainly a strength of his.

"And you are a rational failure. But these two failures are going to make it through this."

Tyranomon drew near as Tau and Sigma shared a moment of silence between one another, perhaps some sort of respect, if androids could have that, growing between them. There was no time to chat, Tau realized, he had to act. Tau tried his hardest to pull Sigma to his feet, but his body was quite heavy, and it seemed like he was purposefully trying to stay put out of arrogance.

The giant Digimon wasn't about to let either one of them escape, and fired a gigantic fireball at the both of them. With its speed and size, Tau realized there was no way he could get out of the way in time---he wasn't as fast as Sigma was. And Sigma, on the ground, had yet to restore his strength---he too realized that this projectile was going to hit them at full force.

"Tau!" yelled Primemon as he jumped between the fireball and the two androids. "Me protect Tau!"

"No! Primemon!" Tau yelled as he watched his only friend jump in front of him. But at that moment, something strange happened. It was like the air 'rippled', spreading out from Primemon. Everything came to a halt for Tau. Primemon, Sigma, Tyranomon, the fireball, the wind itself---everything just stopped. Tau looked around, unsure of what had just occurred.

"Everything froze? Is...is this 'death'?" he wondered to himself. He recalled his data speaking of a rumored phenomenon occurring before one's death, in which time seemed to slow down and a person's memories flashed before their eyes before they went into a bright light, or so the rumor went. But that was something, perhaps, that only happened with humans. For an android like him, 'death' would just be a sudden flash of darkness.

But there was a bright light, coming from Tau's arm near his wrist. The light's brightness seemed like a miniature sun, so bright that it made everything else seem darker by comparison. He squinted his eyes as he looked down to see what was the source of the light.

There was a strange, watch-like object wrapped around his wrist that was the source of the glow. Where did this come from? Had he always been wearing this? No, he thought. There was his goggles, his armor, and his under suit, but there was never a watch like this.

As he tried to figure out the origin of the mysterious device, he felt his arm move on its own, lifting up into the air and pointing towards Primemon. A beam of light shot forth from the device, and wrapped around Primemon, forming a sort of barrier that circled continuously. Tau noticed this barrier displayed English letters, 'carved' into the light. He read them out loud to himself: "WARNING: EVOLUTION"

STAND BACK! EVOLVE! STAND BACK! EVOLVE! STAND BACK! EVOLVE!

It was the device saying this in a loud, robotized voice.

A change had begun to come over Primemon, his body growing in mass as the barrier of energy expanded to accommodate his increasing size. His tail dissolved into data as his body became more like that of a typical gorilla, and the horns on his head began to grow and move further apart, as they morphed into a helmet that covered the Digimon's head. Primemon roared as the transformation came to a close, showing off considerably large fangs.

"PRIMEMON EVOLVE! KONGMON!"

And then time resumed. Now, between Tau and Sigma and the fireball, there was no longer the small Primemon, but a giant Digimon that was just as tall, maybe even taller, than Tyranomon. The fireball collided with the new Digimon, but dissolved into data like a piece of dust as it just bounced off its larger mass.

"ME POWERFUL!" yelled 'Primemon'. He beat his chest like a drum to show off his size, and let off another roar. "ME EVOLVE!"

"What just happened?" asked Tau. He looked around at Sigma. "What does he mean he 'evolved'?"

"It's called 'evolution', although it is more like a form of metamorphosis. Over time, a Digital Monster will change into another, higher-level Digital Monster. In this case, a Level Three to a Level Four. But a spontaneous transformation like this, with this much of an increase in mass and power---this appears to be quite different from the evolution my data is familiar with."

Tau held up the wristwatch device for Sigma to see. "This might not make any logical sense to you, but I think this, whatever it is, caused it. You wouldn't happen to know what this is, would you Sigma? Because I sure don't."

"I do not. I have never seen such a device before. Where did you obtain it from?"

"That's the thing, I have no clue. It just appeared on my arm---right before that fireball would've hit us, I felt some sort of temporal distortion, and next thing I know, this watch was glowing. But I've got a more important question for you---that Digimon right there, is it still Primemon?"

"ME KONGMON NOW," the Digimon roared in response. "DIGIMON EVOLVE, NEW NAME. DIFFERENT DIGIMON. BUT ME STILL BE TAU'S FRIEND!"

"You Digimon have some weird logic when it comes to how you identify yourselves, you do realize that, right?" shouted Tau so that Kongmon could hear him. "But either way, thanks for saving us, and I'm glad you're okay, Kongmon. Now, the question is, with your new mass, I'm guessing that Digimon isn't an issue for you, right?"

"NO PROBLEM. IT VIOLENT AND MAD. ME FEEL SORRY FOR IT, BUT ME HAVE NO CHOICE. ME CRUSH IT!".

"I don't know if you can hold back enough to keep from deleting it," said Tau, "but you know, this is your world, so I'll leave that up to you. I trust your judgment!"

"ME TRY TO SPARE IT. BUT ME DON'T KNOW WHAT POWER KONGMON HAS YET!"

Tyranomon and Kongmon began to roar at one another, a pre-battle ritual of sorts, before both of them began to charge at one another. Kongmon, using his powerful arms to support himself as he charged forward, easily outsped Tyranomon, and he unleashed a powerful combo of punches on the Digimon. He hit it in the jaw, he hit it in the stomach, he hit it in the nose, and finally, to finish things off, he clapped his hands together, locking his fingers in, and lifted his arms back above his head. His fists suddenly ignited into flames. "VOLCANIC DRUMMER!" Kongmon brought his fists down like a hammer right into Tyranomon's head, knocking it jaw-first to the ground as it instantly burst into data.

"To defeat a powerful Digital Monster like that in an instant..." Sigma quietly said to himself. "Where did all this power come from?"

Tau was shocked. That was far more powerful than he imagined. He looked up at Kongmon, who also seemed a bit surprised at how strong he was. Kongmon turned his head around and peered down at Tau, scratching his head nervously and looking a bit embarrassed by his faux-pas.

Before either one could say anything, the ring of light returned around Kongmon's body. This time, the words that appeared were "COOL DOWN". Tau watched as Kongmon shrunk back to Primemon, almost as fast as he had transformed beforehand, and collapsed onto his belly.

"Kongmon!" Tau yelled as he ran to see if his friend was okay. Primemon's body seemed to still be solid, and hadn't begun to flicker like the Swimmon had done before deleting. He seemed to still be 'alive'. Tau was relieved. "You did great Kongmon---no, Primemon. I'm surprised you changed back, though. Not that I want you to always be that big, of course, I like you this size better"

"Evolution not supposed to be like this. Me no understand why me change back..." muttered Primemon with his last bit of energy. He then passed out.

"Let him rest," said Sigma. He raised his hand up as the data from the Digimon changed direction and headed towards his open palm, dissolving into it and disappearing from sight. "Thanks to him, he provided me with a significant amount of data.

"You're absorbing its data?" Tau was shocked. "Sigma! You know what happens when a Digimon is deleted, right? The data's reformatted! How's that supposed to happen if you absorb it for yourself?"

Sigma stood up. The data he had absorbed seemed to have healed the damage done to his body during the fight with Tau and Primemon, and even his suit which moments before had been torn by fire was back to how it originally looked. "That is not my concern. We absorb data from the violent Digital Monsters we defeat in order to increase our power and ensure the success of our mission. The Digital Monster posed a threat to us, and ensuring it does not return makes the most logical sense."

"Primemon told me a bad Digimon will come back good if you pray for it," Tau explained. "You know, I don't really believe that either, I have no proof that's the case. But if there's a chance that a Digimon can come back and have another shot at things, who are we to take away that chance? We shouldn't be the ones to decide that!"

"As I said before, we Digital Androids are not meant to weight morality. Our creators are who decide that. Now, there is still the matter of decommissioning you..."

"Sigma! Even after what we just went through, you still can't get off that subject?"

Tau then noticed Sigma was no longer in his 'battle mode', as he had been before, but had returned to the stoic, but softer demeanor, he wore when not engaged in combat. This was Sigma's smile, basically.

"Although I find you to be a threat, nevertheless what just occurred with the Digital Monster undergoing that unique metamorphosis protected both of us from serious damage, and at this point, all I know for sure is that you in some way had a part in bringing about that power. I am intrigued by it, and wish to study it further. It may come in use in completing our mission, as there will be Digital Monsters we face far more powerful than the one we just deleted. But let me be clear. Should you prove to a threat to the success of our mission at any point, more than you are currently that is, I won't hesitate to attempt to decommission you once again. And with the data I have just absorbed, I feel confident I will succeed this time."

Tau looked down at Primemon. This 'evolution' that had occurred, what had caused it? He assumed it was the result of the strange device that had appeared on his wrist, but that only led to more questions. He was just thankful, though, that at the moment, Primemon and himself were safe. And a small part of him, oddly enough, was relieved that Sigma was still alive as well. For the moment, the only choice he had was to listen to Sigma.

TO BE CONTINUED


Digimon Glossary

ORIGINAL DIGIMON:
Kongmon: A Beast-type, Data Digimon that is the Adult Evolution of Primemon. It's a giant, orange gorilla. It loses its tail it had as Primemon. It wears a brown, horned-helmet atop its head, resembling the one Greymon has.

Data of a 3D-Rigging of a giant gorilla creature to be used in an expensive Hollywood Film entered the Digital World and took on a life of its own. This powerful Digimon prides itself as "The King of the Jungle", and protects the weak from danger. It has a natural rivalry with Dinosaur-type Digimon, and the helmet it wears with pride is said to have come from Greymon. Using its Volcanic Drummer technique, it's able to break through solid bone and rock with ease.

CANON DIGIMON:

* Andromon (Mentioned)
* Tyranomon

 

[Garren]

The Digital Androids, Sigma and Rho, appeared before Tau and revealed to him the truth...he is an android like they are. Sigma attempted to decommission Tau, but they were attacked by a wild Tyranomon. A mysterious device appeared on Tau's wrist at that moment, allowing Primemon to evolve into Kongmon, and defeat the Digimon...

The Decision​

Sigma, Tau, and Primemon returned to the Koemon village a few hours later, Tau carrying the half-asleep Primemon on his back. The Koemon were relieved to see their friends return and quickly huddled around them, but made sure to be cautious around Sigma. Rho walked over to Sigma and gave a quick nod to acknowledge his return.

"I know what you're thinking but don't worry, Sigma didn't do this to him," Tau quickly told the Koemon before they overreacted to seeing their Village Elder slumped on his back. "We just had a little fight with a Tyranomon, and Primemon got a little too carried away. He managed to beat it, and thanks to him we're all doing good."

"Elder Brother defeated a Tyranomon?" asked one of the Koemon. The others shouted in excitement upon hearing this news. "Elder Brother is strong! Elder Brother can defeat any Digimon!"

"After seeing him fight today, I wouldn't be surprised," said Tau. He kneeled down and gently placed Primemon on the ground. "But right now, I think he needs a nice nap. He's pretty tired as you can all see. Would a few of you mind helping him to his bed so he can rest?"

Some Koemon pulled their strength together and lifted Primemon up off the ground, hurrying him home as Tau watched his friend off. He then turned to Sigma and Rho, who had stood back and were discussing something among themselves. Tau noticed that the two, oddly enough, were holding one another's hands as they talked. He didn't think it wise to ask Sigma about this, though.

"Brother Tau, what should we do about them," asked one of the Koemon who had stayed behind. Tau took his attention off the androids and turned around to face the Koemon, hoping they hadn't noticed his stare. "Are they really your friends? They scare us!"

"I wouldn't say they're my friend...I just met them, after all, but I don't think any of you have to worry," he told the Digimon. "If you could, could you gather up the other Koemon and get everyone to head home? I'm gonna stay here and talk with them for a bit, try and defuse the situation a bit. I think I should be able to convince them to leave us alone."

"Got it!" said the Koemon. He went around to the other Koemon to tell them the plan, and one-by-one the little monkey Digimon headed back to their huts. Once they had all gone, Sigma and Rho approached Tau.

"Tau. Rather than decommission you, I would rather have you come with us to help accomplish our mission. I know that, given your 'personality', this might not be a view you agree with. So I am giving you time to decide. I am going to survey the surrounding area to see if I can pick up a signal from our remaining comrades, while Rho will stay here with you and make sure you stay put and don't try anything. And I warn you, don't try anything. Rho's power level is quite high, and she will decommission you herself if it comes to that. I will return when the sun rises again, and at that time I expect you to have reached a decision. Come with us, or stay here. But if you decline to come with us, then I must decommission you as I originally planned. Do you understand?"

"I understand," said Tau. "But you're not giving me a lot of choices."

"You are fortunate that you are being given any choices," replied Rho, who had up to this point remained silent. "You should see the fact that you haven't been decommissioned yet as nothing short of a miracle, but nevertheless Sigma has given you this opportunity. You should take it."

"The reason I offer this opportunity is not for your benefit, of course," said Sigma. "The phenomenon I observed between you and the Digital Monster I consider to be a potential asset to our mission. I wish to study that power, and learn how to use it for myself. You should consider how to make yourself more useful to our mission, of course, because once I learn how you brought about that evolution, your worth will be reexamined."

"So you're treating me like a guinea pig, basically? Once you've learned all you need to from me, you're probably going to toss me out, is that correct?"

"Correct. Before I leave, there is one more caveat when it comes to sparing you. You must convince the Digital Monster to accompany you. He has already engaged me in combat, so I have ample reason to delete him if he refuses. Now, I must leave. I expect an answer from both of you when I return."

And with that, Sigma headed off. Rho watched him as he walked away, and then turned to look at Tau. Her role up to this point had been somewhat of a mediator between Tau and Sigma, standing quietly in the back and only speaking up when needed. This was the first time her and Tau had really interacted one-on-one. She was the first to speak.

"I don't think I have to tell you to listen to Sigma, but as he said, don't leave my sight until he returns. Use this time to decide what you will do, and afterwards, hopefully the Digital Monster will have awakened so you can convince him to come with you."

Tau was quite frustrated at being under lock-and-key like this, but didn't want to start another fight. He didn't want to see how strong Rho was, and the fight from earlier still left him with a numb feeling in his face. For now, he'd just take a seat and try and talk with her. "I don't need any time to decide, not that you gave me a lot of leeway to begin with. Human or android, I want to know more about who I am, and going with you two is the best way to figure that out."

"That is the best decision for all of us. We shouldn't reduce our numbers, and I don't want to decommission a comrade if it can be avoided," said Rho. "Although part of me thinks you should be decommissioned after attacking Sigma, even if he initiated it. I am surprised he decided to spare you."

"Why don't you decommission me then? Sigma probably could've done it if Primemon wasn't there, and you're just as strong as he is, right?"

"We Digital Androids have more or less equal parameters, but individually we have a unique skill we excel at. As Sigma said, mine is physical strength. His is his enhanced speed and reaction time, as you yourself are familiar with. But yes, I could decommission you without much difficulty right now."

"So what's my strong-point?" asked Tau. Rho seemed to hesitate.

"Sigma would not want me to tell you that, as you could use that knowledge against us."

"Do you always need Sigma's permission before you act on your own? Is he designated as your leader? I can see you, as Zero-Three, having to listen to Zero-Two, but by that logic, that means that I have the most authority here, since I'm Zero-One. So, if I tell you to do something, do you have to obey?"

"There is no chain of command in our programming. We are made to be equal, and work together as one."

"Sigma's been ordering me around since I first met him, and he seems to order you around as well. He threatens me to obey him, but he doesn't do that to you as far as I can tell. So...do you follow him because you trust him?"

Rho hesitated again. The androids were normally fast to respond, but Tau picked up that questions like these seemed to trip them up. He had found a weakness in their programming, and was interested in seeing how far he could exploit it to get some answers.

"I ask that you change the topic. I do not have to explain my reasoning to you."

"Alright," said Tau. It didn't seem like he could push that exact topic further, so he decided to try another angle. "Here's a question for you. When Sigma returned, I saw you two holding each other's hands. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what two humans do when they are attracted to one another. But you two don't have feelings like that, so I'm guessing there's another reason for doing it."

"It makes me question how stable you are that you even saw such an action as possibly being a romantic gesture. But no, we do not form relationships between one another, we work together to complete the mission, and are concerned with one another's well-being, but due to our programming, not because of any attraction. By touching our hands together, Sigma transmitted the data he collected to me. In addition to sharing with me a fraction of the data he absorbed, I know everything that occurred between you two---your fight, the Tyranomon attacking you, and the evolution of the Digital Monster."

"In that case, you probably know he went behind your back and never ran that virus scan on me like he told you he would, right?"

"I will admit that there are some differences between Sigma and my own programming that I do not fully understand. But, I believe he acted within reason. He was simply putting the mission first, and that is what we always must do. He saw you as a threat, and acted as such."

"Now, my next question to you is this: what is this mission you and Sigma seem incapable of going a sentence without mentioning? What is our mission, and why is it so important that you seem to put its success in front of everything else?"

"That is another confidential matter that I don't think you need to know at this point," explained Rho, "and that is based on my own judgment. Sigma did not say to withhold that information from you. For now, I will just tell you that we must seek out the remaining Digital Androids."

"How many are there like us still left to find? Why do we have to find them in the first place?"

"There are five remaining Digital Androids: Zero-Four, Pi. Zero-Five, Iota. Zero-Six, Kappa. Zero-Seven, Nu. And Zero-Eight, Mu. We were meant to all be sent to the same location and awaken at the same time however, for reasons that Sigma nor I understand, that did not happen as planned. We were all separated, and you arrived earlier. As for why we must find them, it is simply part of our mission. The Digital World is dangerous, and we'll need strength in numbers in order to survive."

"You know their 'names', but what are the others like? I mean the other Digital Androids. Are they like you and Sigma?"

"Logically, yes. As should you be, we are all more or less the same. There are some minor differences in our individual programming and skill sets, but we are made to work together as a single unit."

"Then don't you find something strange about how we look then?" asked Tau. "If we're meant to be basically this hive-mind machine with individual parts working together in harmony, why were we given distinct appearances in the first place? Wouldn't it make more sense to design us to resemble Digimon, so that we could blend in without drawing attention to ourselves?"

"You raise an interesting point," replied Rho. She looked down at her own body. "But I believe you are looking too far into it. The truth is that humans are vain and narcissistic creatures, who built us in their image."

"But whose image? Are we just random designs that someone created in their mind? Haven't you ever wondered if, in the human world, back on Earth, there's a girl who looks just like you?"

"It has never crossed my mind," replied Rho. "Does it matter if we are based off anyone in particular? Our existence is limited to the Digital World, so we'll never actually meet or interact with whoever we were modeled after."

"I think we should care a bit more about it," muttered Tau. He had worked himself up, and thought it best to move away from these philosophical questions for the moment. It was evident that Rho didn't know, nor care, about them, and Tau himself felt a bit odd when he considered them as well. "So, how do we go about finding the other androids? Do you know where they are?"

"I do not. Sigma and I have a built in radar allowing us to sense the others...that is how we found you...but it has limited range. We can only scan one sector at a time. Fortunately, you were in the same sector we landed in."

"Sector?"

"Our programming has divided the Digital World into a five-by-five grid, each square area is what is referred to as a 'sector'. We are in Sector 22, at the edge of the Digital World."

"Did you say 'edge'? Are you saying the Digital World is flat?"

"The Digital World paradoxically exists in a three-dimensional space, yet is simultaneously flat. The exact nature is beyond my comprehension, and not in my data, but it is not possible to circle around the Digital World like you could on Earth."

"So, it's like a table, basically? If you go too far, you...fall off? Or do you still wrap around somehow?"

"Neither. The border of the Digital World is surrounded by a firewall that keeps data from getting in, or getting out. Hitting the firewall would result in complete deletion."

"How did we get into the Digital World then? If there's a firewall keeping it stable, where'd we enter from?"

"At the center of the Digital World is a 'vortex', where data flows in from the network, as well as flows back out. This vortex has a filter that limits the amount of data that can enter at one time. Small bits of data enter, and then conglomerate, forming the landmasses, as well as the Digital Monsters. We came in through there."

"And I'm guessing the Meta-Capsules are what allowed us to come in, fully-formed, as opposed to stray bits of data, right? They're like a Trojan that allows a virus to sneak in through the back-door I take it?"

"Yes, that is more or less correct. Of course, you should know all this without me having to explain it to you. The Meta-Capsules are made of unique bits of data that form an outer shell, but are individually quite small---the vortex lets them in without any issue, with us inside. Unfortunately, even using this method, something apparently went wrong and separated us."

"Since the Digital World is basically a giant computer, I'm guessing it has some sort of anti-malware program that got wise to our plan and tried to prevent it as best that it could."

"That might be the case, but I can't say for sure. We actually have very limited information about how the Digital World actually works, it's somewhat of a scientific anomaly. Our map of the Digital World is quite limited too, while we can see sectors, we don't know what is in those sectors until we observe it for ourselves."

"What's this sector like then? You and Sigma explored it a bit before finding me, right?"

"Well, we're located on an island as far as we can tell, which makes up a majority of this sector. The rest is just the surrounding 'net-ocean', a mass of loose data."

"Ping Island, is what Primemon calls this place. So, if we want to start looking for our Digital Android buddies, we'll need a boat to get off of here. There's a landmass I saw across the ocean Primemon called 'File Island', that seems like a good start."

"That is an issue. The Digital World's 'net-ocean' is unpredictable, and should not be treated like regular water. It is dangerous to traverse without knowing where you're headed. If we sail out on a small vessel that we construct using trees and other local materials, we'll likely end up adrift, possibly right into the Firewall. And we don't know what sort of powerful Digital Monsters lurk below the waves."

"Our best bet is to rely on the Digimon themselves," suggested Tau. "Sigma doesn't seem like the type to ask for help, but I think if we want to make any progress, we'll need their assistance. They know this place better than we do."

"I agree," replied Rho. "Although, as you brought up, convincing Sigma of this fact might be difficult, but I think I can prove to him that it has merit. The Digital Monsters seem to be quite intelligent to an extent, more than we realized."

"And they're just data like we are, right? I wonder---are we any different from them really?"

"The fact of the matter is, Digital Monsters should not exist. The level of culture I see them capable of looking at this village they've created, their ability to act on emotion and display unique personalities, it exceeds what artificial beings made of data should be capable of. They're far more advanced than you or I, more human-like."

"Did humans create Digimon like they created us?"

"Not exactly. When I say they should not exist, I mean also that no one 'created' them. At least, not directly. They came about by pure chance, from the large amount of data stored on the network. That is the extent of what I can tell you about the Digital Monsters. We should treat them with respect and cautiousness, if we wish to avoid being decommission by them."

"If they can reach that level of sophistication, and by pure chance, shouldn't we be capable of that as well? I think I'm pretty human, I can see a bit of that human side poking through you and even Sigma's hard exterior---maybe the Digital World changed me, and it's beginning to change you as well."

"Please stop this discussion right now," said Rho. Tau could tell, even though her voice remained the same tone, that there was an 'anger' behind it. "Do not bring that up in-front of Sigma. And...I ask that you do not talk to me about this subject either, alright? It is a line of thinking that will detract from the mission."

"Back to the mission all of a sudden?" Tau was frustrated with the sudden change in Rho after he felt he had made some real progress with her. But before he could try and get back on her good side and press her further, a loud voice interrupted him.

"Tau!" It was Primemon. He marched towards Tau with a grin, fully rested and back at full strength. The Koemon followed behind him, their worried looks from earlier replaced with joy and pride in their powerful leader.

Tau waved at Primemon, relieved to see him back on his feet, but wished he had better timing. Nevertheless, Rho could wait, he owed Primemon the attention. "How are you feeling? I was worried about you after you passed out."

"Me feel great," said Primemon as he flexed his muscles. They seemed to be larger than they were before. "Me think me got major power boost from last fight."

Tau noticed something new on Primemon's chest---it was Tau's name. Or, rather, the symbol for 'Tau'. He ran over to Primemon and started poking at it, tickling the poor Digimon. The Koemon looked at Tau, confused. Some of them thought he was attacking Primemon, and had been turned by the androids. But then Primemon began to laugh, and their fears subsided.

"Ooook! Ooook! Me happy to see Tau too, but Tau embarrassing me in front of Koemon."

"Have you looked at yourself since you woke up? Look right here at your chest," said Tau as he pointed to the symbol. "It's the same as I have. 'Tau'. Not my name, I mean the letter 'Tau'!"

"Me...me not sure how that got here," replied Primemon. He turned to look at the Koemon. "One of you play prank on me when asleep? Whoever did, me hurt you bad for that. And me powerful now, so it hurt!"

"It's definitely not drawn on or anything," replied Tau. Primemon calmed down and turned back to Tau. "It's like...it's part of your skin, or rather texture might be a more appropriate term. It doesn't seem to be engraved into your skin, you can't even feel it."

Primemon rubbed his chest to see what Tau meant. Sure enough, when he touched the symbol, it felt like touching any other part of his chest. "If me get weird mark, me glad it 'Tau' at least. Now other Digimon know Tau my friend."

Rho moved forward to take a look at the symbol, feeling it for herself. This made Primemon feel dizzy, although he didn't know why.

"Do you know why this happened?" asked Tau.

"No, but it probably has some relation to the occurrence earlier," said Rho. "That strange device that appeared on Tau's wrist seems to have branded the Digital Monster. I'd say it probably means there's some sort of connection between you two now. A bond."

"Connection?" asked Primemon. He looked at the device on Tau's wrist and started poking at it. "Me remember light shot from this, hit me, and me evolved to Kongmon. What is it?"

"I don't know," replied Tau. "Sigma doesn't know, Rho doesn't know, nobody knows. I can't find a way to take it off, I can't figure out how to activate it again, and I don't think you should be poking it like that. It might be dangerous."

Primemon didn't care and kept poking it anyway. "Me want to evolve again. Me like being Kongmon."

"It would be best to locate our comrade Pi," said Rho. "Out of all the Digital Androids, Pi is built with the greatest skill in analyzing the Digital World and the Digital Monsters. They may be able to figure out how it functions, and what purpose it serves."

"More 'Androids'?" asked Primemon. The word 'android' worried him. "Me hope they like Tau, not Sigma. Where Sigma now? Me hope he fell off cliff!"

"He is currently surveying the surrounding area to find any signal from our comrades," said Rho, "and be glad he is not here to witness you saying that."

"On that note, I think this would be a good time to get the issue out in the open," said Tau. "Primemon, I'm going with Sigma and Rho to find the other androids. Sigma wants you to come with us, too. But it's not just him who wants that, I want you to come with me as well. You're my friend, and I need your help with this."

Primemon didn't even need to think this over. "Me glad you say so. Me knew Tau would leave, and me want to go with Tau. Me protect Tau from Androids."

The Koemon gasped. Obviously, they had not been made aware of this desire. They began panicking, all but one Koemon who stood in the back with his arms-crossed, silently observing the cacophony of screeches and cries.

"Thanks, Primemon. I knew I could count on you. Oh, and to be honest, Sigma didn't give us much of a choice. If either one of us said no, well, he wasn't going to be happy. But either way, without knowing that, you still wanted to come with me, and I'm really glad I met you."

"Ooook! Me no scared of Sigma. But me realize, me not as strong as me thought. Without strength, can't protect village. Me want to travel to be stronger. Travel with Tau, and evolve again."

"You both made the correct choice," said Rho. "Sigma will be satisfied."

The Koemon, however, weren't happy with this decision. "Who will lead us?" they all cried. "Why do you have to leave Elder Brother?"

Primemon faced his brothers, and gave them a look of disapproval. He did not raise them to be like this, he thought to himself. Only one Koemon, the one far in the back, had kept its cool. Primemon pointed at that Koemon, and beckoned him to come forward. "You. Come here."

The Koemon nodded, and slowly made its way through the crowd of Koemon. Unlike the other Koemon, this Koemon did not look worried in the least, but wore a face of determination. That impressed the other Koemon---right up until he haphazardly slipped on a banana peel in his path and fell face-first into the ground. Everyone (but Tau and Rho) burst into laughter, including the Koemon who fell.

Primemon tried his hardest to talk between bouts of laughter. "Ooook! That never get old," he cried, "you always make me laugh. You don't see banana, and you slip on it! Ooook! Classic!"

"I don't understand what is going on," Rho quietly said to Tau. "I know that slipping on a banana peel is a joke, but this does not seem like the right situation to make a joke like that. I took this as a moment of sadness"

Primemon heard her, and stopped laughing. "You don't understand. You have no humor. Being Village Elder means being strong. Laughter is strength. Laughing when sad, that is what strong Digimon do."

"I don't follow that logic," she said, but dropped the matter. Tau thought it over himself, a bit unsure of what it meant as well.

Primemon then turned back to the Koemon, who recovered from his fall and gave a proud salute to Primemon. "Elder Brother, you have always led us well. Do you really have to leave us?"

"And you always make me laugh. Make everyone laugh. But me see more in you than that. You strong. You smart. Me think it time to put you in charge. Me need to grow, you do too. Can't watch over Koemon forever, Koemon need to think for Koemon."

"Elder..." Tears welled up in the Koemon's eyes as his body seemed to glow. And then the glow became brighter. The other Koemon stared in awe as the outer layer of Koemon's body began to fall apart piece-by-piece, revealing a transparent wire frame skeleton beneath it.

"He's starting to delete?" asked Tau, shocked. Rho shook her head.

"No. He's undergoing evolution," she explained. "His body is taking on a different form."

"Like what happened to Primemon? But this looks different..."

The wire frame began to stretch and squash, taking on a larger shape, as data began to form tissue around it, then muscle, and then finally a new, solid form. This new form was a man-sized, golden ape creature.

"Elder Brother, I think you for believing in me," it said to Primemon after the transformation was complete. "It has helped me evolve into Hanumon. With my new strength, I hope to serve as a great leader in your place."

"Me glad to see you grow," said Primemon. He looked up at Hanumon and held out his fist. Hanumon responded by doing the same, and the two punched their fists together. "Now, Hanumon Village Elder. Keep Koemon safe."

"I will always strive to lead with the same amount of strength and courage as you, Elder...I mean, Former Elder Brother."

"So, other Digimon can evolve like Primemon did," said Tau.

"No. Not quite," said Rho. "Digital Monsters take in data overtime, and will eventually transform. It may be initiated by a certain stimuli, such as what just occurred here, but overall it is a process that takes time, and is permanent."

"So, he's not going to evolve back like Primemon did? He's no longer Koemon, he'll always be Hanumon from now on?"

"Correct. The Digital Monster here underwent a normal evolution---from Level 3 to Level 4---and had a moderate increase in power, only slightly more powerful than its previous form, and mass. It is a stable form. Primemon, on the other hand, had a threefold increase in power, and was quite unstable. Although it is the same process, the results are completely different."

"She right," said Primemon. "We Digimon can all evolve...we begin as Digitama, then become Baby. Then become Baby II. Next is Child. Me Child. Koemon Child also. Hanumon, he Adult. Next is Perfect, then Ultimate. Not many Digimon go that far."

"We call them 'levels' instead, to avoid assigning any association with real-world animal growth," explained Rho. "Generally as the levels increase, power seems to go up, but a Digital Monster's intelligence appears to be dependent on the species. The Level 4 Tyranomon you encountered, for example, seemed far more primitive than these Level 3 Digital Monsters."

"So, Primemon is a 'Child Digimon', while Kongmon is an 'Adult Digimon'," said Tau as he held up the device on his wrist and looked it over. "And there's a possibility he could advance even farther than that into a 'Perfect Digimon'..."

"Yes, although it is also possible he may never reach that level even with that device's power," said Rho. "Our data suggests that the majority of Digital Monsters tend to be either Level 3 or Level 4, due to their ability to survive relatively well, and the stability of their data structure. And with the added instability of the evolution method that device brings about, a Level 5 might be unable to hold itself together."

Tau looked at Primemon, remembering how much power he displayed when he evolved into Kongmon. How much more powerful could he become, and would that much power even be necessary? Part of him worried about Primemon going even further, past a point where he was still in control. On the other hand, he'd be lying if a part of him wasn't interested in seeing what his Perfect form was.

"Brother Tau," said the newly appointed Village Elder Hanumon. Tau snapped out of his thoughts. Hanumon was far stricter sounding than Primemon, and quite intimidating due to his impressive size. "I have always enjoyed your company, and am glad you found your way to us. The other two that are like you, I cannot say the same for them. But, you have decided to follow them, as has the Former Village Elder. I wish you luck, as well as ask you to keep him safe. I want both of you to return back here one day after you find what you're looking for."

"He good speaker," said Primemon. "Almost good as me."

Tau took a step towards Hanumon. This felt a bit off to him---he never quite figured out how to tell the Koemon apart, so Hanumon, even discounting his new form, was basically a stranger to him. Yet he couldn't help but feel a certain warmth coming from him. "Don't worry, I don't plan on letting anything happen to us. We'll definitely come back."

"I understand our arrival here has been less than pleasant for you," said Rho as she moved beside Tau, "but I share your goal of keeping these two 'alive', to an extent. I will do my best to protect them, and convince Sigma to do the same."

Tau was surprised by this apologetic tone. "Rho..."

"There's no reason to cause anymore unnecessary tension between us and these Digital Monsters," said Rho. "We won't get anywhere without relying on their expertise, after all."

"I do not trust you," said Hanumon, "or the other one that is like you, the one named 'Sigma'. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to fight you right here and now. But I will extend my hospitality to you as long as you don't hurt any of the Koemon here."

"Rho seem nicer than Sigma," said Primemon. "She okay with me."

"I thank you for that," said Rho. Her face slowly turned to a weak smile.

"You smiled?" Tau was surprised by Rho yet again. "I didn't think you were capable of smiling!"

"Of course. Our faces are constructed with the ability to mimic any human expression," she explained. "We just don't feel the need to utilize them unless required to. I thought this was the best way to ease tension, with a smile."

"It doesn't quite work like that," said Tau. He appreciated the effort, but something about the smile was just off. "It needs to come naturally. Without even thinking of it."

"But humans use their brain in order to decide what expression to use as well," said Rho. "They just don't realize this fact because they're so accustomed to it."

"I guess you have a point there," replied Tau. "We're not so different from humans, after all."

"Don't think you've tricked me with that twist on my words," said Rho. Her face changed back. "We will never be able to reach that same level."

"I wasn't even trying to trick you!" yelled Tau.

"Hoho. I find your exchange to be quite humorous," said Hanumon. "But, the time for jokes has passed. Now, I would like to know where you plan on going now. Where are these comrades you're searching for? How will you locate them?"

"We don't know for sure. They don't appear to be located in this sector," said Rho. Hanumon looked confused.

"What she means is we don't think they're on Ping Island," interpreted Tau for the Digimon. "We're planning on going to that place called 'File Island', but we don't know how to get there."

"Me never leave Ping Island before," said Primemon. "None of us have. Too dangerous. But with new power, it be okay."

"File Island is not easy to get to," said Hanumon. "Very few Digimon here on Ping Island have been there. Unless you can swim, there's only one way."

"Called 'Ice Link Bridge'," said Primemon. He drew a circle in the sand near his feet, and a bigger one a few inches away. "Little circle is here," he said as he pointed at the drawing, "big circle, that File Island. Usually not connected." He then drew a small line connecting the circles. "But sometimes, bridge of ice appears. That only way to get to File Island on feet."

"How long will we have to wait for that to happen?" asked Tau. "This island is always so bright and sunny, does it ever get cold enough here for that to occur?"

"It doesn't have to," explained Rho. "I imagine the Digital World doesn't follow the same logic as Earth. This bridge may resemble ice, but probably just takes on the appearance of it, and isn't actually formed by freezing water. Rather it's just a collection of data that takes on an ice-like texture."

"We've never wanted to go to File Island, so we don't know if the Ice Link Bridge has appeared recently," said Hanumon. "Your only option right now is to head to the north where it usually appears, and hope it's there. That's the best I can do for you."

"That is the safest means then," said Rho. "I don't particularly wish to delay our mission any further, but it can't be helped. The other androids should be searching for us now as well," she glanced at Tau, "assuming nothing has gone wrong, so they may find us while we are waiting."

"Me got idea," said Primemon. He called over two Koemon. "Last act as Former Village Elder, me need your help. Go north, see if Ice Link Bridge appeared. Come back quick."

"O-of course," said the Koemon. They hadn't quite processed everything that had happened---Primemon leaving, Hanumon becoming their new Village Elder---so they were flustered when called to action. But they obeyed, and headed off as Primemon commanded.

"They return by morning. Unless get lost," Primemon said. "But those two pretty smart. Should be okay."

"That's when Sigma told us he'd be back," said Tau. "I doubt he'll want to wait around, so let's hope that bridge has appeared."

"Until then, I suggest we have a feast," suggested Hanumon. "As a farewell for Tau and Primemon."

"I would be honored," said Tau. Rho was confused by this.

"You can taste food? You should not have any taste---eating food serves no purpose for us. It provides no energy."

"It doesn't matter if I can't taste it," replied Tau. "It's what the food means symbolically that's important. Even if I can't taste it, it's polite to show respect towards those who made it by trying it regardless."

"I see what you mean. In that case, I will also take part in this feast if I'm allowed to."

"When it comes to feasts, we never leave anyone out," said Hanumon. "We are all friends at dinner time."

"Oook! Me teach him that," said Primemon. "Everyone eat. Everyone poop. We connected that way."

"Well, that last part might be difficult for us," laughed Tau.
****


Sigma stood in the middle of a large clearing in the jungle where the two Meta-Capsules he and Rho landed in sat. He had come here in order to examine the Meta-Capsules, searching for a device like the one Tau had. Tau had obtained his near his Meta-Capsule, so perhaps the same would happen for Sigma, he reasoned. But after searching around the capsules, nothing had happened. A device had yet to appear for Sigma.

Even in the Digital World, it seems too illogical that such a device would just appear without rhyme and reason, he thought to himself. There must be some reason behind its appearance, something Tau did. Perhaps the Digital Monster itself played a role as well...

He then looked at the Meta-Capsules. They were only useful for entering the Digital World and served no further purpose. There was no reason to destroy them, yet he felt it the right thing to do. As he lifted up his right arm and took aim, he thought of Tau and Primemon, and for a second pictured them where the Meta-Capsules were.

"Fire Breath." Energy began to gather at the palm of Sigma's hand, as a small ball of fire, not unlike the one used by Tyranomon, came into form. Sigma narrowed his eyes, and focused his power into his palm, the fireball increasing in size. "Not as powerful as the one used against me, but decent."

He launched the fireball forward at the Meta-Capsules. But right as it collided with the first Meta-Capsule, it was repelled. Sigma quickly dodged the recoil as the fireball flew past him, blasting through a line of trees and evaporating into smoke and cinders. I underestimated how much force these are built to endure. For now, I'll have to leave them standing.

Suddenly, Sigma heard a loud buzzing noise coming behind him. He turned around and spotted a large, bee-like creature hovering towards him. A quick analysis of it told him it was known as Flymon, and despite being Level 4, it was fairly weak compared to Tyranomon. But strong enough to provide a good source of data to absorb.

"It seems I have a habit of irritating the natives around here," Sigma said to himself. He switched his face to his 'battle mode' as he stared at the Flymon. "I don't know if you can understand me, but if you attack me, I'll reply with an attack of my own."

The Digimon wasn't one capable of words, and responded instead by firing its stinger like a missile directly at Sigma's head. Sigma, though, had nothing to worry about---a direct attack like this was simple to dodge. With a sudden flash, he moved out of the way of the stinger.

"You made the wrong choice." Sigma dashed towards the Digimon and vaulted into the air with a swift jump. Flymon flew at Sigma as he maneuvered so he was directly above it. "On the other hand, this gives me the chance to test my power on a moving target." Sigma spread his arms apart as his fingernails quickly extended in length, becoming sharp, blade-like claws. "Slash Nail."

Flymon's wings were chopped off and burst into data as it crashed into the ground, unable to move. Sigma landed on top of the poor creature, his nails returning to their regular size, and pressed his foot hard into the Digimon's head. Flymon shrieked and tried to wiggle free, but Sigma was applying a high amount of pressure despite his small frame. Flymon gave one last pitiful cry as its head was smashed to bits, the rest of its body disintegrating into data.

Sigma absorbed the data through his palm, and then paused. In the clearing the fireball created, he noticed a small, worm-like Digimon (Kunemon, according to his scanner) lying on the ground, bits of data coming out of it. I see. The other Digital Monster was avenging its comrade. It's an unfortunate accident, but I did warn it of attacking me.

The android walked off, heading back to see if Tau had made up his mind so they could begin their mission once more. He let the Kunemon's data drift off into the night sky. It didn't have enough data worth absorbing, after all.

TO BE CONTINUED