"All hands, man emergency battle stations. This is not a drill."

Renamon's pace quickened. They were mobilizing forces to stop her. This was her only shot though. She wouldn't miss.

Artillery fire coming from up ahead didn't agree with her. Imperial artillery shells ; enough to take out an ultimate level digimon in a single direct hit. Renamon knew the Empire's communications would beat her to the Gate, but she admittedly didn't plan on the amount of firepower the gates' garrisons packed.

She mentally slapped herself. Stupid. Every digimon in the Digital World wanted to get access to the Gates… Of course resistance would be heavy. Perhaps if she had more time to plan her escape… This would all go smoother. Perhaps even with a Resistance strike force and some bombers…

She ran as fast as her legs would take her, dodging incoming artillery and machinegun fire. The chopping of helicopter blades in the distance became louder. They really were pulling all their tricks to take her out.

"Renamon, this is General White. Please, stop. You're causing nothing but misery to yourself, there is nothing out there for you." Blared through the speakers. She was almost at the gates, which were beginning to close. She'd have made it if she had a tamer, preferrably one with a speed card. She'd have to improvise.

"So be it, then."

The chopping of the helicopter blades was replaced by the rattle of gunfire ; the Imperial airforce had reached her. She couldn't dodge bullets ánd make it through the fortress gate in time… It was over. Or so she had thought. An explosion bashed on her eardrums, missiles?

"Renamon, this is Jamie!" She heard on her ear-comm. "Listen, I've got a plan, and you need to do exactly what I say." The captain said, her helicopter pulling ahead of her, towards the fortress gate. "I'm going to jam my bird between those doors, buy you a few extra seconds before they crush it and close completely. You need to get in there and do what you have to do, and do NOT stop to help me."

"You're the Digimon's finest pilot, a symbol of resistance tot he Empire, we cannot lose you! What of your partner? Just eject right before you crash, we can-" Renamon tried.

"No, we cannot go through the gate together. One of them nicked me pretty bad in my shoulder… It's not going to be a happy end for me. Just…. Go. Do what you gotta do in the real world. And don't –" Boom. One of the artillery cannon shells had grazed Jamie's ship, causing her and her ship to turn into a big fireball….

That landed right between the fortress doors. They crunched and screaked, but it worked, they were significantly slowed. Renamon briefly hesitated, but she realised it was over for her ally. She leapt through the crack, into the dimly lit gatehouse.

Inside it was all red, mostly because of the emergency lights. Another announcement came through the intercom : "All Gate B personnel, protocol Omega is in effect. Man emergency battle stations and prepare for gate shutdown in T-minus 2 minutes."

Oh no.

The Gates were, essentially, a big data link to the real world. Once the pink beams would randomly send you somewhere, but the Empire managed to tame them, use them to send troops down from Earth to the Digital World, and vice versa. This also meant they found ways of shutting them off, apperantly.

She ran through a series of hallways, coming face to face with turrets, soldiers and even an armor-clad crusader soldier, armed with a flamethrower.

"Gate shutdown in T-minus 60 seconds."

Her time was running out. Soldiers proved little problems for Renamon ; her diamond storm attack would easily pierce their armors. That, however, took time. Time she didn't have much of.

"Gate shutdown in T-minus 30 seconds."

Panic settled in. Where could the damn courtyard be?! "Dammit!" she cursed, when a door led to another labyrinth of corridors.

"Gate shutdown in T-minus 20 seconds."

One unfortunate soldier met his end by the power of Renamon's paws against his head. Another whimpered and froze in fear. Fuck him, Renamon thought, and noticed an arrow indicating "Gate courtyard". She ran faster than her legs ever had, praying that she found her exit.

"Gate shutdown in T-minus 10 seconds."

She opened the door, and there stood a batallion of soldiers, General White (wearing an appropriate white uniform), and an elevated platform... And the Gate. The pink beam to freedom...

Everything then seemed to go in slowmotion. All the soldiers fired at her, but she was well out of the way before they could hit her.

"Gate shutdown in 5..."

She leapt on several soldiers' heads, trying to just get to the gate in time.

"4..."

She prayed that she would be on time, prayed that she would live to save the Digimon.

"3..."

The beam became thinner. She wouldn't make it...

"2..."

She leapt on General White's face, thinking that served him right. The beam was now almost a fraction of it's width.

"1..."

One final leap, one final massive leap to freedom...

A flash. Streams of data all around her. She noticed the ground was distancing from her at a rapid pace.. She made it!

Then she noticed something unsettling. The beam was catching on her... Or rather, the end of the beam. Looking up, she made a chilling realisation... She wouldn't make it all the way up.

Earth came closer and closer, and then when she thought she could almost touch it... The beam ended.

She flew freely, the portal now fully closed. She thought she would fall, all the way back down... Right into the claws of the Empire...

And then she looked up, and saw perhaps the most beautiful thing she could imagine at that time : her momentum was carrying her towards Earth! Her landing spot would not be what she had planned on though, and her contacts in the real world, who would serve as her tamer to anchor her to Earth, would probably presume she was dead. As she flew towards what she thought was the United Kingdom, she prayed silently that she would find a tamer there... And that the Digital World was not lost yet.


"You lost her, General." a man said.

White sighed. "I did. I must say I didn't anticipate a member of the resistance to be so... Valiant. I must admit it was an admirable move, albeit an unfavorable one for us..."

The man was silent for a moment.

"She is not a big threat. When she reaches Earth, she will be isolated and weak. Many a digimon have died the way she will. Without a partner to anchor her, she will dissipate quickly."

The man paused.

"Still, contact Hypnos in Tokyo. Tell Yamachi it's code red. A wild one has escaped, and agents should be on high alert."

The man's ornate robes and shining armor stirred as he walked across the courtyard to his transport helicopter.

"As you command," White spoke, "My emperor."


Whew. There's the prologue. I hope you guys are interested, as I've thought long and hard about what I wanted
this story to be.