"Alice," asked the digimon, "Are they the ones?"
The girl nodded. "So it seems. That's good, isn't it?"
Dobermon didn't answer. He looked over at the three tamers. So puny… He must give up his core, his very soul, for them? Those weak little fleshlings? They could not possibly succeed against the D-Reaper.
They had been noticed. "Is that your partner?" asked the boy in orange.
"This is Dobermon," introduced his helper. Not as a partner. He was somewhat disappointed. Alice was one of the few ones who cared for him as himself, not as an emissary of the Four Holy Beasts. "He appeared in this world recently. I'm happy he did."
The redheaded girl spoke up, "But why did he come here?"
It was his time. "I came to deliver something to you," he announced.
"Deliver what?"
Dobermon was about to answer, when pale blue-grey hands shot up from underneath the walkway. They stretched out, wrapping around the walkway over and over again. Red-hot laser beams shot through the concrete, severing the bridge. It fell with a loud crash.
"Watch out!" called the goggle-headed one. A giant agent floated towards them, with numerous bubble-agents spread out around it.
Galgomon digivolve to… Rapidmon!
Kyuubimon digivolve to… Taomon!
Growmon digivolve to… MegaloGrowmon!
Good, the tamers had immediately reacted to the situation. Maybe, they were not as useless as their bodies made them seem.
"Bonhitsusen!" announced Taomon. Shining rays of light dissolved six bubble-agents. The creep-hands agent shot out its hands towards the attacking Taomon but MegaloGrowmon reached up and stopped the attack.
More bubble-agents mobbed MegaloGrowmon. Rapidmon came to the dragon's aid. "Golden Triangle!" The creep-hands agent shot out one of his arms to nail Rapidmon in the chest.
"Rapidmon!" called his tamer in alarm.
The other boy fell to his knees. "It's like I thought. We have to evolve to ultimate!"
"This isn't the digital world, Takato!" Rapidmon's tamer piped up again. "We aren't data! We can't fight together!"
Alice interrupted, "That's why I came. To bring him."
"Dobermon? But why us?"
Dobermon looked to the speaker. "I have come to offer you this gift, as ordered by Zhuquiaomon and Qinglongmon."
The tamers gasped. "The Holy Beasts?" Great, yet another being was amazed by his bosses. Nevertheless, he had work to do. His last job before he'd be at peace. "Alice," he whispered to the blond, "thank you for bringing me here."
"Already?" Tears formed in her eyes. He looked at her, his one and only friend.
"Please step back, Alice." Dobermon leapt up into the air, trying to ignore Alice's tears. "The Four Holy Beasts fight with all digimon against the D-Reaper in the digital world. In their immense power, they are still limited. They cannot give you what you seek," he announced. "They can, however, take you to those who do know."
Dobermon landed on the ground and gathered up energy. "Tamers who fight alongside the digimon, the Four Holy Beasts grant you this gift. Grau Realm!"
Inky black smoke with scattered blue and red sparks erupted from his jaw, covering the tamers and digimon.
Dobermon poured his heart and his soul into this attack. He began to de-digitize, but he continued. He had to make the world safe for humans. He had to make it safe for Alice.
The digimon, tamers, as well as one brave little sister and her partner, hidden in the nearby rubble, vanished into the smoke. When the grey mass dissipated, they were gone.
Alice stood in the wreckage, alone and crying. "Dobermon…" she whimpered.
--
Jenrya, Takato, Ruki, Renamon, Terriermon, and Guilmon rematerialized in a large grey bunker. Near the wall, a group of Security Forces snapped to action and pointed their loaded weapons at the group. Safeties clicked off.
The little sister whimpered. Her brother turned around in shock. "Suichon?" Jenrya whispered. "Stay behind me."
Suichon nodded and hid behind Jenrya's leg. She saw the big men with guns and was scared. She whimpered in fear and hugged Lopmon's ear tightly; too tightly.
"Ahh!" Lopmon yelped and wriggled out from Suichon's vice-grip. Lopmon ran away from her partner, and down the metal ramp.
Lopmon was heading towards the big men with scary guns. They could hurt her! Suichon rushed after her.
Guns swung in their direction. The three older tamers gasped. Takato and Jenrya reached into their pockets. Months of practice had taught them to keep their most commonly used cards easily accessible, so that they could reach them in less than a second if they needed them.
"Digimodify!" Takato called. "White wings, activate!" Six iridescent white wings sprouted from Guilmon's back. "Get Lopmon!" he shouted.
"Digimodify!" Jenrya cried. "Hyperspeed, activate! WarGreymon's brave shield, activate!" The tiny Terriermon now held an octagonal shield three times his size. He rushed to put himself, and the huge shield, in front of Suichon.
Ruki had not reached for any card. "Walk all over them, Renamon!" she ordered confidently.
"Very well"
Renamon knelt, before leaping almost ten meters in the air. "Diamond Storm!" Chunks of crystal coalesced into being all around her. When a sufficient amount had appeared, they rained down on the guards.
That was it. The guards had been attacked. These strange animals were hostile. One SF guard lined up a shot and the yellow fox creature crumpled to the floor in a spray of blue-green blood.
"Renamon!" Ruki rushed over to her friend and rolled her over. Relief washed over her. Renamon was only shot in the shoulder.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" called an amplified, disembodied voice. The guards shifted and removed their fingers from the triggers. They did not stop aiming at the strange people or turn off the safeties.
"Who are you?" demanded the voice.
"Jen-" began Jenrya, but Takato interrupted him with an elbow to the side.
"Fake names," he hissed into Takato's ear.
Jenrya gave an almost imperceptible nod. "My name is Henry Wong. This is my sister Suzie and our partners Terrriermon and Lopmon."
"Takato Matsuda and my partner Guilmon."
Ruki helped Renamon stand up. "Rika. You shot Renamon" The icy anger radiated off of her in waves.
Jen looked at Takato who answered his unasked question. "Are they really going to think my name is Takato?" Jenrya nodded. Takato did have a point.
Ruki whipped her hand to the card holster at her side. She ran the pad of her middle finger along the tops of the cards, trying to find the one that would heal her friend. A hiccup made her loose her place. Two more tries and two more hiccups and she still hadn't found it.
"R-ika," Jenrya murmured. Rika looked up to find Jen holding out one of his own cards. She glanced at the title, 'Stamina Seed,' just what she had been looking for.
"Thank you."
Henry just gave a slight smile and turned to his sister. "Suichon?" he asked. "Remember all those make-believe games you play, where everyone pretends to be someone else?" At his sister's nod, Jen continued. "We're going to play one right now. If you don't use someone's pretend name, you lose." Suichon nodded again. "In this game, my name is Henry and Ruki's name is Rika. Takato doesn't want to play."
Suichon looked up at her brother. He had forgotten the most important person in the game. "What's my name?"
"You, fuzz-butt, are Suzie." Jenrya, still kneeling, took both of his sister's hands in his. "Suzie?" Suichon looked up at him. "In a couple of minutes, some people are probably going to take us someplace. I need you to hold my hand when we go."
"Parking lot rules?" asked Suichon.
Jen nodded. "Parking lot rules."
A/N: Here ends the beta'd first chapter. Chapter two is to come soon.