My back was pressed against the wall in the hallway, breathing deeply and slowly, trying to catch my breath from the last excursion.
"How many are around the corner?" Inquired the long, spiked-haired youth. His forehead slick with sweat, which only aided the goggles he wore to slide down his forehead. Frustratingly, he slid them back in place then wiped his forehead with the back of his gloves.
"I don't know, Ty... Give me a minute," I panted as I eased over to the corner. Peering around the corner quickly, I counted three security guards, clad in the rich suits that a corporate office would require for the job. "Three..." I answered, easing into a sitting position with the thought of fighting off more men. The other Digidestined groaned. Everyone was exhausted. Only four of the Digimon with us even possessed the energy to fight, of these only two of them kept a close proximity to me. Unbeknowst of their reasons for their protective nature, I gathered a few more gulps of air as well as some courage, and got back to my feet.
"Ready?" I asked, witnessing the same growing determination in their eyes as they nodded breathless agreement. I nodded to the two Digimon companions. The white cat, whose saber teeth protruded from a heavy jaw, but whose secondary wings hid any more features to his face, nodded. How he even knew I had even signaled him was still beyond my ken...
His canine compatriot followed right behind him. His sharply pointed muzzle and long, loppy ears weren't nearly alien as the other, but his distinct tail and lavender coat wasn't exactly your everyday dog either. Wordlessly they communed, which was their preference then saying anything at all. Then, on silent paws, they charged.
I barely had time to move, when I heard the last of the men crumple to the ground. Checking to make sure all was clear, I waved to my companions and proceeded down the body strewn hall. I met both winged cat, and purple dog at the end of the hallway, saying yet another word of gratitude as I cautiously approached the large wooden door that the security guards had been guarding. With everyone at the ready behind me, I opened the mohagony door.
The room was completely devoid of life.
Even so, we entered the room with a finite sense of aw. The room was richly decorated. Money, in a material sense, was littered everywhere, from the plush, leather armchairs to the expanse of a brightly elaborate rug in the middle of the room.
Many, many running foot beats reverberated from the hallway we just left, as well as from the door just on the other end of the wall.
"Oh man!" Ty whined, "What does one have to do to get a break around here?"
"I'm not sure," I answered, checking the ceiling for any signs of an escape route, via air ducts.
Meanwhile, the lavender pooch was running around like crazy, touching spots with his clawed paws on the floor and on various items scattered throughout. The touched areas glowed and then shifted in shape, form, or color. The canid grinned, and somehow I was aware that he was affecting the areas like an antivirus would an infected area.
"That's very nice. I would hate to stumble into any traps this late in the game..." Mumbled Ty, mostly to himself.
"Hey, Ty," I called.
"Hmm?" He answered. By now I can hear the other Digidestined preparing to hold the men at bay while Ty and I figured a way out of there.
"If we can reach the roof, we might be able to remove the panelling and climb through..." I suggested.
"Ya know... You might be right," he agreed, eying the roof intently. Together we climbed on top of the glass coffee table. As if by doing so, we hit a trigger, the table grew, bringing us only halfway to the roof.
"I bet if you climb on my shoulders you could reach it," was Ty's deduction.
"I'm a lot heavier than you, Ty. How about you get on mine?" I offered.
For a minute he looked at me like I was crazy, "O-kay."
Lowering to one knee, Ty climbed onto my shoulders a bit clumsily. With a grunt and some uncomfortable wobbling on Ty's part, I was able to stand upright. His hair grazed the ceiling as I stood still. He grunted and pushed hard, but none of the tiles were giving.
"Crap! I think they might have thought of this possibility..."
"Anything is possible at this moment," I agreed.
Easing to my knees, Ty dismounted and together we lowered ourselves down to the floor. At this point in time our companions were fighting valiantly against the grunts. We need to get out of here... FAST! I thought, knowing that no one was in much condition to continue the fight for much longer.
A pot of vines caught my attention... Or at least, my mind had originally written off the far corner as being a pot of plants. Intrigued, I walked over there. The plants weren't in pots... They were growing from the ground... Wait... We've been underground? I thought, completely perplexed that rich CEOs would have their offices underground... As I drew closer, I noticed that there was no wall behind it, but actually a tunnel, and the vines weren't just any vines, but huge, grotesque thorns that would leave more than just a scratch if one touched it. Yet despite the obvious roadblock, the spaces between the vines had enough holes that we could all crawl through single-file, as long as we were extremely careful. Better yet, the tunnel wasn't that long. I could somehow see the end of it, even though the other side was blacker than ink. It gave me an odd feeling, but if that was our only way outta here, then it was our only way.
"Hey Ty! Come over here!"
Ty finished heaving heavy furniture to barricade one door before running over to where I stood. "Oooohhh..." He thought out loud. "You think its safe?"
I shrugged. "Its better than waiting around here."
"Right," he agreed. He turned to catch the attention of our comrades.
At that moment, I saw a white object on the other side of the tunnel. I looked closely, awed that the thorns had suddenly disappeared. The object, or more rather creature, was transparent. The creature looked wolf-like, but was spiked, now whether from large clumps of matted hair or from some other feature, I couldn't tell. All I knew is that he started running down the tunnel.
At once I shapeshifted into my wolf form, fangs bared as I leapt into the tunnel to prevent him from entering our sanctuary. In another powerful bound, I leapt for his shoulder, aiming to grab him and throw him to the ground by both fanged force and weight. My teeth clicked together on empty air...
I knew my aim was true, but somehow he had escaped me... Looking over my shoulder, I saw Ty talking to one of the other DigiDestined. No one acted like they even were aware of the danger that just entered their midst... It was like a ghost...
Trotting back into the room, I looked around, catching the veiled stare of the cat-like Digimon. He wasn't by the entrance, but somehow I knew he was aware of what transpired... Looking over my shoulder, this time toward the tunnel entrance. Once more the thorns were back in place, and everything was like as it had been before.
Loud poundings came from both braced doors now. The DigiDestined were taking a break, leaning walls and other such objects that they had moved. Too exhausted to move to places more comfortable.
I growled my frustration, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Shapeshifting into human form I added, "Everyone ready?"
"Everyone's exhausted. Give them a minute to regain their strength," spoke the lavender canid.
"How about I just burn the thorns down? That'll make it easier for everyone..."
"Don't!" Voiced my mother. "Sariyah just went into the tunnel..."
"What? What are you thinking?"
"I was busy... And she is my cat, afterall..."
I ground my teeth together and folded my arms... Things couldn't possibly get any worse... Could they? I should just burn them down anyway... Then it dawned on me... My jaw fell open, mouth curved in the ah of understanding. "The thorns aren't there to keep us from escaping... They are there to keep us from going through..."