Jade, Ice, and Talon

Chapter Twenty-One - "Downpour"


He threw me out? He threw me out. I suppose I encroached on a hard moment; but even so, throwing me out was not his wisest move. Perhaps loosing his heart is punishment enough. He will eventually lose the will to fight me, then I will have everything. My game, my wife, everything. Godesses, HA! They are as pathetic, emotional, and useless as digimon. They scream at bugs, they're PUSSIES! But Jade, she was different. To that, I will agree with Davis. Jade is a goddess. And damn, is she ever good to screw. If it weren't for that, I'd probably have done away with her a while ago. Soon, I will be able to take her whenever I please, and she can't do a thing. I will train her to be as dark as I, and soon, the digital world will be completely ours. Perhaps even the real world in time....

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"I'll be at home..." muttered Ken, though the door. Grogilly, at the voice, Pijumon blinked his eyes open, and weakly looked about himself. Where was he? The last thing he recalled, was fighting poor Stingmon, and the Emperor. It was a bag; Jade's purse. Had he been taken back to the real world? He hoped so - he didn't want another fight to deal with, not without healing fully. He needed meat, and picking off a Biyomon would not likely go over well with his tamer. He started to climb himself out of the bag, but paused. If he was in the real world, he'd give someone a heart attack. Frowning, he nestled his blue form back down between her wallet, and her camera.
"Jade...Look, the Emperor's not who you think he is." Davis spoke in a quiet voice, in case he was listening. Who knew if he was really gone. Jade stepped closer, standing up from her position on the floor, from when she'd held him.
"Oh god, not you too. Izzy tried that. None of you get it..."
"No, just listen to me...Izzy is a know it all, and he can't help coming off that way. But, hold on. If he is a genius, don't you think he'd be able to convince someone he's not quite what meets the eye? I mean, if you can convince me that you were interested in more than the digital world for a few hours, don't you think he can make you think he's a victim?"
"Anyone can make people think there's more than meets the-" she started, but her brain froze to a stop once his words struck her.
"That's all you wanted, right?..."
"...Davis..."
"No, I mean, you were never interested in me before. Sure, you were with Joe most of that time, but even then, you basically ignored me..."
"I'll be honest with you. I wanted to know, and I was going to do anything to get it. But, you had morals, and wanted to keep me. I figured that it was a good idea, and would be a reason to stay here in Japan for a while. I know it was only a few days, but, you were growing on me - and even if the last two weeks I've been in Ken's castle, I missed you."
"...Do you really think he'll make you happy? Do you think the darkness that consumes him won't destroy the both of you?"
"He isn't like that. He's infected. It's the dark spores."
"What do you love about him?" Jade frowned. What could she say that wasn't corny? "Precisely. You can't think of anything."
"No - I can. He's...a hurt puppy."
"Jade, I want to show you something. You never saw what he did to Cody." Davis moved to approach the door, but realized he was in his pajamas. "After I change..."

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"Jade, behind this wing is the ICU burn unit. He hasn't been through all his surgeries yet, but he looks a lot better than he had first off. I want you to remember that. Also, keep in mind that Cody was 10 when he went in there. His name is Damian, now. I'll explain later..." Davis pushed open the left side of the double doors, and led her down the room, until he found Cody's glass-encased room. He let Jade enter first, and followed shortly behind her. Jade gasped faintly as her eyes fell on the stretched-out figure of Cody. He was covered in bloodied bandages, unconscious, and looked as though he'd been mauled by a flaming bear, or something. "Jade, he strung him up on chains, and attacked him. He stretched him out, and burned him alive. Left him for dead. If he can do this to a human, nevermind the digimon. What will he do to you if you piss him off?" The boy looked like he might not make it. If this was better than he had been, what had the six foot tall mass been like before?
"...It's the spores. Worrmon told me about them, and Izzy gave me more information. He's got a computer virus, and this's happened before with digimon. Davis, he's infected. It's not entirely his fault. I'm not saying it for an excuse, he can control himself most of the time. But sometimes if you set off his anger, it's not even him anymore. I don't think he'd do these kinds of things if he were infected. He's an angel, I swear it..."
"If you really believe that, why are you marrying him? If he's still able to do these things to a ten year old, why get into that when there are people who love you?"
"...There's got to be a way to cure him. Looking at Cody...I can see the virus. Davis, when I see his eyes when he's happy...he's a very different person. I know this videogame is important to all of you, but-"
"Videogame? Jade...I don't know what he told you...But, that's not a game. It's a real world, filled with real creatures. Living data." Jade laughed softly.
"No it's not. It's three dimension, it's a game." Pijumon blinked softly, as he eavesdropped on the conversation from within the purse. How did she get the idea it was a GAME?
"Uhm, excuse me..." he spoke, muscling himself up to the brim of her bag. "Davis is right...It's a parallel universe, it's like an expanse of all the data here on Earth, just manifested as life." Jade's brow furrowed. She'd designed Pijumon with real world knowledge; how could he possibly know? As if to answer her confusion, he turned to Davis. "Wormmon told me. He knows much about the digital world, for an insect."
"You mean that those creatures are REAL? That you're not just data?"
"You didn't create a watch, honey."
"That means that all those digmon he petrified..." Jade dashed quickly over to the nearby sink, and promptly threw up. He seriously killed all those living creatures, thinking they were a game. She felt sick - very sick. "He thinks it's a game. Virtual reality. That's why he's doing this; he's infected with a virus, and he thinks it's a game to be destroyed...He thinks that if he wins the game, he's not a monster..."
"...I guess that's why he can justify doing these things to other people and digimon, none of it is real to him..."
"How do we help him?..."
"Kill him." piped up Pijumon, who got a faint flick from Jade in response.
"Like THAT would solve it."
"I dunno Jade...Please, don't go back there with him...if not for me, then for yourself..." Jade frowned. There were two halves of Ken; one she loved, one she was scared of. Right now, it seemed that the side she was scared of was winning. If they could heal him, then she might be able to keep on with their plans...But, if she stayed away, Davis was in danger, as much as she was.
"We can't stay in Japan, Davis...He'll come after both of us if I don't show up. None of us can. All the digidestined - we all have to leave." Davis nodded. She was right; especially if he did think it was all just a game with no reason to be merciful. "I know where we can stay - but it'll require some work, and getting dirty...but we'll be safe if Izzy shuts off the portal..."

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AN: Guess where...xD