Lost on the Outskirts [Cassandra]

"Put it this way: as much as the crew relies on me, I can't let a little fogginess in my head screw up my judgement." That tone sounded confident, but perhaps the claim was a bit much. Did he really believe that he could simply shrug off the ill effects of something that strong for so long?

"Resistance to common sense, more like it." Stepping back, she'd idly look on as Denryu sat at the edge of the bed. With a wave, she excused herself to the ground floor, at least for the moment. As for Denryu, he was about to give his response - but Cassandra jumped right into another topic, speaking of her own 'Pandora's Box'. She backed up... everything?

"Emma must have had her hands full helping you out with that. In retrospect, it makes a few things make a bit more sense." Denryu wasn't going to complain about a potential security breach, especially when it was about to work to their benefit. "As for our own work, well, it seems that the Dark Area will have at-least surface level problems with the D-Reaper for the foreseeable future. Apparently, that land's effigy simply broke under the pressure in such a corrupt land. Unfortunate, but..."

He mulled the thought over: "If we're ever going to put that data to use, that's going to be our testing ground. Our only problem is that we underestimated the scale of this. Emma, she had the initial theory that the statues were sending a sort of 'muting' signal, preventing the D-Reaper from progressing to anything more advanced than a lichen or bladegrass. We know now that its less that, and more 'an indomitable pressure of a Sovereign weighing down on the earth'." For something so grand, the tone was so casual!

"Its overtuned - not something we can imitate without the collective data of... well, three Whitewaters."

"Its something I'm going to have to get used to again. Eight's a hard number to move around, even with the Xros Loader." Losing Paradise was definitely a somber thought, but thankfully, the conversation quickly drifted away, to that of Zhuqiaomon's effigy.

And, unfortunately, Denryu couldn't supply such an answer... simply, at least. "Based on where they found the pieces and based on the relative location of the central nest, the central point of where the statue might have originated would rest at 98 knots east, 17 south. Unfortunately, our initial scan of that area proved fruitless." He mulled it over: "Its possible the data itself contributed to the D-Reaper's rapid growth, or that it simply returned to the world - hm?"

Cassandra was on a nice string of thoughts. 'Where do Sovereign go when they die'? Such a powerful egg would have undoubtedly began a stir at Primary Village if it indeed happened, but was there another fate for these beings of divine providence?

... The answer lied with Calumon, of all things. "Where we tried to work in secrecy, that Field Club's pretty much had Luminas at their front door since day one. Not that I blame them, that group tends to be ankle deep in some problem every other week." Still, he understood Cassandra's frustration.

"At the very least, its not difficult. You sound like you have a favor or two you can call that cat on - not that he'd even give me the time of day."

"Were it so easy..."

Denryu's remark there was little more than an utterance to himself. All the planning in the world didn't prepare him enough for his current situation. He looked on as Cassandra observed the door, before finally disabling that holosuit. What was seen underneath might have shaken many to the core, but the General already knew of Cassandra's condition. Still, the state of her clothes were enough to raise an eyebrow: how long had she gone in the Digital World without proper rest? What stories did that dilapidated lab coat have to tell?

"Could it really be called a personal distaste, if its not your own?" Denryu's point curiously held in the air, lying back on the bed, resting his head against his hands as he waited. To him, this was familiar: the scent, the sight, even the slight 'feel' that buzzed in the back of his head. If he closed his eyes, he could easily picture himself in the Dark Area. His gaze flickered up, seeing that Cassandra had at least managed to tidy out the state of her wear, listening carefully to Cassandra's feelings towards the Calumon.

How it felt wrong. How violently she wanted to both assimilate, understand, and destroy that horrid concept of a Digimon. He sat up, as Cassandra took her seat next to him, the General letting out a small sigh.

"The D-Reaper's intent is too basic. I mean that in a literal sense: the extreme at which it will seek one goal is a downright frightening concept." It was, in a sense, like always feeling like a cornered rat, regardless of the situation. To go against it, was to simply go against one's own instinct...

... Even if it was a foreign one. "Hm." Even talking about it seemed to rile up Cassandra's nerves... or was this the edge that she found herself on all the time? Would the D-Reaper even allow her to rest? It took the General a moment, but he would slowly raise his hand - his good arm - and carefully wrap it around Cassandra's back, around her shoulders.

"How do you take the 'edge' out of those instincts?" His question was calm, a sincere curiousness to his tone.

... Alright, so there was a personal edge to it.

And for that much? Denryu simply allowed Cassandra to vent. The General didn't know enough about the Calumon, but it sounded as if that small mega simply didn't understand the gravity of the situation, simply too 'innocent' to realize his own potential. Or, perhaps he was simply a weakling brought from a past era?

It was hard to say, both about the Calumon and Cassandra's condition. Obviously, the doctor was somehow different than the D-Reaper, but to what degree? Exactly what caused such a drastic mutation? Already, the gears were starting to spin inside his head. In fact, Cassandra's question gave him an excuse to think out loud.

"... Hm..." Closing his eyes for a moment, he gathered his thoughts.

"In the most basic sense, the D-Reaper acts as a limiter against data complexity. The entity as a whole follows two main directives, to 'learn' and to 'destroy."

"It serves to make sure that nothing grows out of its parameters. As an example, the D-Reaper rarely shows hostility to Rookie or Champion level Digimon, but will usually attack those that are Ultimate or higher without provocation. Its optimum operating temperature is around 55 Celsius, so it often needs to generate a field to properly exist. Let's see..."

What of the hivemind? Going over every agent wasn't really what he wanted to do right now. "At the center of a sufficiently large nest, there's usually a white, spherical kernel, usually specialized with a ring of defensive metal. It can be considered the D-Reaper's core: on the surface of that core lies its basic instructions and acquired information. Should the D-Reaper find something it didn't recognize previously, the agents will occasionally capture and trap such a target within the kernel itself. After some time, its likely that the D-Reaper will indoctrinate one trapped within its own core..."

He sighed: "But that's merely a guess, on that end."

"A developed core is one of the few ways a D-Reaper can gain true complexity in its thought process. Perhaps fittingly, it appreciates achieving a perspective that it can't obtain on its own." Though, was appreciate really the right word? Did the D-Reaper even live, in the strictest definition of the word?

Cassandra still had more to add, of course, regarding the D-Reaper's treatment of the Core. It made sense that the D-Reaper could still continue its 'two basic functions' without a Core, but that second fact caused him to raise a brow. That... somehow didn't add up in his head. "A forced appropriation as a means to survive?" He mumbled that part to himself, briefly resting his chin between his thumb and index finger. He idly returned that grip of Cassandra's hand, but it was clear that Denryu's mind was elsewhere.

His eyes were focused, the gears in his head turning. It felt like he was just on the edge of 'something'... and he had a handful of pieces to work with. The direct indoctrination of Wizardmon's team in the Dark Area, the uncharacteristic aggressiveness of the Dark Area nest itself, and even Cassandra's own infection. Were these pieces related? If so...

"... Rapid mutation." The words finally landed.

"At first, the D-Reaper that was first seen within the Sea of Blood acted on its 'old' rules. It was predictable enough that the Wizardmon could organize a team to consistently deal with the known entities in the Sea of Blood. But when it was suddenly exposed to the 'new' Digital World, its 'search' function essentially had to start from scratch. The Dark Area's own data set forth its malicious intent. The need to conquer, to command."

His eyes flicked over towards Cassandra. "Left in such an unstable state, its form had to both evolve and take chances. For an entity able to create 'agents' from scratch, it goes without saying that its range of success is varied. In your case, the D-Reaper's lack of understanding of humans led to this outcome. Able to infect, but not to control."

"Honestly, it feels as if both of us are sifting through the dark." If Emma were here, Denryu would already have had access to the answer... but there was one key bit of information that Cassandra gave the second time around, that Denryu hadn't considered.

He blinked, feeling that grip around his hand. "I had assumed you heard it from the Dark Area incident. One of the directly indoctrinated was a tamer, but your infection is in an entirely different class then Moeru's." He blinked, curiously analyzing Cassandra's frame - before it clicked.

"In the simplest terms, the D-Reaper overtaking you... its not the data of an inhabitant or an agent at all. Its the data of the kernel itself."

Denryu sounded certain in his diagnosis, even dragging the back of his knuckle over the metallic part of her arm. "If anything, the ailment only confirms it. Only one part of the D-Reaper utilizes a metal of this color or shape..."

But if that were true, and Cassandra received the information firsthand? Well, it would mean she's used her potency as a 'core' already. Whether it was with Hunter or the Sorcermon, Denryu wouldn't be directly aware of such an incident.