Author's notes: This is part of a large, multi-part saga, "The Saga of the FOX Kids Fantom." This story CAN be read on it's own - it's very good for informing people about my self-created funfic characters - but for the bigger picture, go and read "Casting Call!" and "A Piedmon's Life Is Not A Happy One...!"
- - -
At the top of the FOX Kids building, Censors Joe, Bob and
Steve stand before the almighty CEO Vader, as he regards them
from his seated position on his throne.
Vader: ...what the hells going ON AROUND HERE?
Censor Joe: We... we have our best men working on it, your
lordship, sir.
Vader: Not a day goes by without some form on industrial accident
or injury to a cast member in your department! Digimon is our
most valuable asset right now, and we cannot afford to lose it!
You MUST discover the cause of these accidents!
Censor Bob: We endeavour to serve the greatness that is...
Vader: Oh, get your nose out of my ass and do your job, dammit!
- - -
SECRET FILES AND DIGI-ORIGINS!
(Part Three of "The Saga of the FOX Kids Fantom!")
By Chris McFeely
- - -
Izzy sits on top of a crate of props, tapping away at Charlene.
For those of you with short memory spans, Charlene is the name of
his laptop. It talks. Seriously. Tentomon sits beside him.
Charlene: What - are - we -doing - today - Izzy?
Izzy: Well, I thought first Id check my message boards,
then my newsgroups, then go and download the new reverse megabyte
multiplay ultra-configuration anti-viral game patch from
PatheticComputerNerds.Com...
Charlene: Why - do - we - never - do - what - *I* - want - to -
do? You - never - TAKE - me - anywhere - any - more...
Izzy: *notices that Tai is coming towards him* Not NOW,
Charlene...
Tai limps up, his left leg in a cast. Behind him are Kari - her
arm in a sling - Sora - a bandage over her head - Cody - wearing
a neck brace - and Matt - with a harmonica-shaped lump jutting
out of his throat. Sora and Matt are arm-in-arm, and are talking
quietly...
Sora: Just to be clear, again... you know Im only doing
this to make Tai jealous, right?
Matt: Yup. And *you* know that *Im* only doing this to get
Jun off my back, right?
Sora: Yup.
Matt: ...God, we ARE pathetic, arent we?
Sora: No doubt.
Tai walks up to Izzy.
Tai: Izzy... wed, uh, guess that youve noticed all
the... accidents that keep happening around here...
Izzy: Accidents? What accidents?
All of them sweatdrop.
Izzy: Oh, yeah, right.
Tai: Uh... anyway... we figure, they cant ALL be
coincidences... theres something WEIRD going on around
here. We were wondering... is there a chance you and Shirley
could hack into the FOX computer files, and see if theres
anything in there about all this?
Charlene: My- NAME - is - CHARLENE!
Tai: YES! Charlene! Thats what I meant! DONT HURT ME!
Charlene: Your - just - ASKING - for - it - hair-boy.
Izzy: Hmn... that would seem to be a viable hypothesis... very
well, Ill do it.
Tentomon: Uhm... can you... excuse me for a while, Izzy? I have
something I need to... do.
Izzy: Sure...
Tentomon runs off like a startled wombat, and Izzy starts typing
on Charlene.
Izzy: Hmn... there are numerous levels of security... the first
shouldnt be too hard to breach...
Izzy hits a few more keys.
Charlene: Ow! Not - so - hard!
Charlene bleeps.
Izzy: Were in!
Tai: Whats in there?
Izzy: It seems to be an information database...
Kari: Information on what?
Izzy: Information on...
Charlene: ...ME!
Charlene bleeps, and activates the link on her screen. A new
window flashes up!
*click*
PROFILE:
CHARLENE
(Authors note - click the link, read the page, then
return here to continue on with the story! Do this with each new
link that you come across! Each page that opens is the page that
Charlene has accessed - read along with Izzy and the others!)
*click*
Charlene: *mutter* Makes - me - out - to - be - some - kind - of
- maniac...
Tai: I thought it was quite accurate...
Charlene: Okay! Thats - it! CONNECTION - TERMINATOR!
Tai is blasted across the studio by a bolt of electricity. He
crashes into a backdrop, and the noise attracts the attention of
Davis, Willis, Yolei and Mimi.
Willis: What was THAT?
Kari: ...who are you, again?
Willis: *growls*
Kari: *whispers to Yolei* Whos the new kid?
Yolei: Beats the heck out of me.
Davis: Cmon guys! Its Willis! You remember him,
right?
Kari & Yolei: ...
Davis: Eh, who asked you anyway...
Mimi peers over Izzys shoulder - as best she can, as
shes wearing a back brace.
Mimi: Whats going on?
Izzy: Tai asked me to hack into the studio computer files -
were trying to find out if the execs around here know
anything about the weird accidents thatve been happening.
Mimi:
OOOoOoOOoOOOOOOoooOOoOOOoOOoooOOOOOOoooOOOOOOooOOOOooOOOhhhHH!
Everyone removes their fingers from their ears.
Mimi: Did you find anything out yet?
Matt: They keep a file on Charlene, anyway.
Charlene: The - FOX - mainframe - is - a - friend - - such - a -
flirt - - bet - its - for - his - personal - use...
Davis: You wish.
Charlene: Back - off - ya - little - bitch.
Izzy: Hold on a second... theres something else coming
through here... I think weve almost penetrated the second
level of security...
*bleep*
Izzy: Were in!
Yolei: Whats in there?
Izzy: Looks like... staff records...
*click*
PROFILE:
CENSOR JOE
*click*
Everyone turns to look at Yolei.
Yolei: What? Cmon, get real! Like Im shallow enough
to use a mans feelings to manipulate him...
All: ...
Yolei: ...I hate all of you.
Yolei spins on her heel and storms off.
Izzy: Theres still more...
*click*
PROFILE:
CENSOR BOB
*click*
Matt: Ooh, Bon Jovi. I have newfound respect for Bob.
Sora: Its my life... its now or never...
Tai blinks.
Tai: Sora, Im deeply and madly in love with you, I want to
marry you, and I want you to have my kids and I want for us to
grow old together and all that stuff.
Sora: *looks around* ...sorry, did you say something?
Tai: Nope.
Sora: kay.
Tai quietly and repeatedly bashes his head off a wall.
Izzy: Heres another one...
*click*
PROFILE:
CENSOR STEVE
*click*
Izzy continues to search this level of security, which is
extensive, oblivious to what goes on around him.
Davis: Mmmn... cheese fries... *gargle*
Willis: Cheese fries are overrated.
Davis: Whatchu talkin bout, Willis?
Willis: GRAAAAAGH!
Willis grabs Davis by the collar and slams him against the wall.
Willis: STOP SAYING THAT!! I HATE THAT!!
Willis bashes Davis off the wall several times, until T.K., Ken
and Joe, their attentions caught by the noise, round the corner,
and, having avoided injury thus far, manage to prise Willis off
Davis.
Willis: If one more of you damn Japanese ask me what Im
talking about, youre gonna FEEL the WRATH of the U. S. of
A, damn you all!!
T.K.: God, man, simmer down!
Willis: IM PERFECTLY CALM! One of these days, though,
Im GONNA snap... and THEN, youre ALL gonna be sorry
you asked me what I was talking about!!
Willis shoves T.K. off of him and stomps off, muttering angrily
and growling.
Cody: He has some serious people problems.
Joe: You cant blame the guy... after all, how easy can it
be to relate to people when you dont technically exist?
*bleep*
Izzy: Ive penetrated the third level of security...
its the last... so if what were looking for
isnt here, then were in trouble.
Sora: Well, come on, whats it say?
Izzy: Theres just one file...
*click*
PROFILE:
CEO VADER
*click*
T.K.: That is deeply disturbing.
Ken: I dont know, he has nice fashion sense. That whole
Retro seventies armour suit thing is hip...
Cody: This IS coming from the guy who wore a disco suit to commit
evil, after all...
Ken puts one hand on his hip, and points into the air with the
other.
Ken: You can tell by the way I use my walk... Im a
womans man...
Yolei: You certainly are!
Yolei appears again, grabs Ken, and runs off with him, dragging
him along the ground.
Ken: NOOOOO!! In the name of God, somebody HELLLLP MEEEE!!
Everyone ignores Ken.
Izzy: Well... thats it. Theres nothing more here.
Censor Joe: Whats that?
Everyone turns to see the three censors plodding over towards
them.
Tai: Uh... we... that is, I.... or, yknow... Izzy...
Davis: ....we certainly werent hacking into classified
files and reading secret information, thats for sure!!
All: AUUGH!
Everyone falls over, anime-style.
Davis: ...what?
Censor Steve: Hacking? Heck, you didnt need to go and do
that.
Censor Bob: Yeah, those files are okay to view. You just needed
the password.
Censor Joe: You couldve asked Nimoy.
Censor Joe bends over and grabs a floorboard, then pulls it out.
He reaches down, underneath the floor, and pulls Jeff Nimoy out
of the hole. The poor man is filthy, stinking, wearing rags, and
has about a weeks beard growth.
Nimoy: Oh... sweet God... the beautiful light...
Censor Joe: *drops Nimoy to the ground* Knock it off, Nimoy.
Nimoy: ...the light... the day... day time... daytime
television... vision... visions of darkness... the green orbs...
they surround me...
Censor Bob: What the hell are you babbling about?
As if to answer Bobs question, out of the hole from which
Nimoy came... a cantaloupe appears, and rolls away.
Nimoy: *shrieks*
Censor Steve: I could go for some cantaloupe about now...
Suddenly...!
Voice (v/o): Im afraid THAT, my dear censor, will have to
wait!
Censor Joe: What the diddly...?
Matt: Who the...?
Izzy: ...where...?
Tai: ...how...?
Theres a swishing noise, and something whooshes past above
the groups heads... something black, white and red. It
swings on a rope, and swoops lower, releasing the rope and
dramatically somersaulting through the air, to land gracefully on
a plinth on the wall, in front of and above the group of
onlookers.
Charlene: Slap - a - SCART - cable - in - my - interface - and -
call - me - Pineapple - Surprise...
You alert readers will know who this figure is... but the kids
and censors dont...!
Figure: I am... the FOX KIDS FANTOM!
Nimoy screams like a girl and hides behind Censor Steve.
Censor Joe: Well, f*ck me sideways.
Fantom: Know you all well that it is *I* who have caused the
accidents that plague you! And I will continue! Until
my grand plan comes to its conclusion... when the finale
shall be writ in fire and blood!
Tai puts an arm around Sora, while Joe and Mimi hold each other,
as do T.K. and Kari. Davis is still wondering why everyone fell
over about five minutes ago.
Fantom: Oh, cease your snivelling! Im not going to destroy
you... well, not YET, anyway...!
The Fantom unleashes a peal of evil laughter, as he reaches into
his pocket, and produces the computer disk we saw at the end of
A Piedmons Life Is Not A Happy One...!
Izzy: Who... who are you?
Fantom: Ah, that is a tale for another time.... say, perhaps, in
the afterlife. For now... you must make do with this...
The Fantom casually tosses the disk to Izzy, who catches it.
Fantom: Farewell, fools! Our paths WILL cross again!
The Fantom laughs once more. As he disappears in a puff of purple
smoke, the laughter turns to coughing.
Fantom: Geez... *hack* ...the guy at the store said it
WOULDNT irritate my lungs... *wheeze* ...Im gonna sue
his pants off...
Everyone looks at the disk in Izzys hands.
Cody: Wh... what do you suppose is on it?
Matt: Theres one way to find out...
Izzy: But... but what if its a virus? It could dump
Charlenes core...
Tai: ...your point being?
Charlene: *BLEEP!!*
Censor Joe: Oh, for Gods sake, dont be such a pussy.
Censor Joe snatches the disk from Izzy and whacks it into
Charlenes disk slot.
Charlene: AAAIIIIGGHHH!!
Izzy: CHARLENE!!
Charlene: Grrrlllgxxx.... bbrrzzzzgghttt.... my - mind - is -
going - Izzy - - my - mind - is - going...
Kari: Again?
Charlene: My - name - is - Charlene - - I - know - a - little -
son- -I know a lit- - I - know - a - little -
s-s-s-s-sssssssssssssss - -
Izzy: Charlene? CHARLENE?!?!
Charlene: ...
All: ...
Izzy: ...
Charlene: PSYCHE!! Had - you - going!
Izzy: Dont EVER do that to me AGAIN!!
Charlene: Try - and - stop - me.
Muttering, Izzy accesses the disk, and opens the solitary file on
it.
*click*
PROFILE:
THE FOX KIDS FANTOM
*click*
Everyone is quiet as Izzy finishes reading out the information.
Tai breaks the silence.
Tai: What could he want?
Censor Bob: More to the point, who is he? If we knew that, we
might be able to figure out what hes after.
Izzy: Its not an easy task...
Izzy looks around the room... Tai, Sora, Matt, Joe, Mimi, Kari,
T.K., Davis, Cody, Censor Joe, Censor Bob, Censor Steve and Jeff
Nimoy all look back. (this list supplied for your theorising
convenience by ChrisCo. 2001 [patent pending, all rights
reserved, have a nice day]).
Izzy: It could be anyone of us who isnt here... or maybe
someone we dont even KNOW...
Kari: Well, I know SOMEONE who does...
Kari raps Shave and a Haircut on the fourth wall, and
the Two Bits is rapped right back by me, Chris, the
author-guy.
Chris: I aint tellin, you know.
Kari: Rats.
Censor Bob: It might not even be someone from the Digimon
department...
Censor Steve: ...Everyone in this building is a suspect... we
might never figure it out...
Tai: We have to try!
T.K.: Yeah! Cause if we dont, the next few fics
arent gonna be much to read...
- - -
TO BE CONTINUED!
- - -
For the next part of The Saga of the FOX Kids Fantom,
be on the look-out for:
THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS!
- coming soon!
- - -
Any more theories on the identity of the Fantom? Just throw 'em out when you... REVIEW! ^_^