Starkiller reporting – mission failed. Chapter 7 – The Noble, the Vindictive and the Reasonable.
Another chapter ready.
… "Sons of bi…" Starkiller managed to scream when the missiles exploded. The explosion was so powerful it leveled down the ceiling in several places and destroyed a couple supporting walls. The only exit, along with half of the room, caved in. Shrapnel and napalm were supposed to make sure no one would be able to escape death.
"I have no visual of the target. I think we got them." main pilot reported, after waiting for some time for the smoke to clear out.
"Are you sure?" copilot said doubtingly.
"Positive." A short reply came.
"Maybe we should launch a couple more just to be safe." copilot was precautious.
"That would be a waste of ammunition. No one could survive several missile explosions at such a close range. They have to be made out of armor or something. Base, come in, base, this is Red crown – 5 reporting. All targets are destroyed, I repeat, all targets are destroyed. Over." the main pilot reported to main base.
"Roget that, red crown – 5. Return to base. Over." A reply came from the base, and the black chopper flew away, being absolutely certain they did the job right…
But, by some really strange circumstance, they didn't do the job right. Scared to death by the sudden attack and the explosions, both children and their digimon finally dared to open their eyes. At first they didn't believe it. They have survived. The explosion managed to knock them off their feet, but none was really hurt. Strangely, all shrapnel, everything that was supposed to tear bodies to shreds, hit anything but the place where they were standing. But there was a reason why it happened that way…
"Wha…? No way… We're … still alive?" Henry muttered as he tried to stand up. It was ringing in his ears, his eyesight was a bit blurry – aftereffects of a concussion, but he managed to keep balance and not fall to the floor again.
"I thought my eardrums would explode…" Takato moaned as he tried to stand up also. His efforts were less successful, and he would have fallen if Henry wouldn't have helped him stand straight. Renamon was back on her feet also, acting like nothing happened, but it was obvious she was shaken by the explosion too. She helped her tamer and other digimon get up.
"I think I just started to believe in God." Rika mumbled. When she saw the missiles fired a slideshow of all her life passed in front of her eyes, and it was quite a surprise for her to find out that she survived.
"I … still can't believe it… They fired at us … like … missiles! And we're still alive." Henry said and looked around. The only doorway from which they came was blocked by rubble and debris. The part of the room which had window openings was also blocked. Frankly, they were cut off, blocked and unable to get out.
"Err… It looks like were trapped, people." Takato made a conclusion.
"Great, out of the frying pen and into the fire. Renamon, teleport out of here and find us a way out." Rika ordered, but Renamon only shook her head in disagreement.
"I'm sorry, I cannot do that." She said softly.
"And why not?" Rika asked harshly.
"I can teleport only where I can go physically. And I am trapped here with you. Wouldn't it be easier to look for alternate escape route from the inside?" Renamon replied softly, but with a bit of irony. What she told was true, but she considered that such irrational commands were because her tamer was still a bit shaken. But there was a different thing on Renamon's mind right now.
She still remembered that brief conversation she had with her former captor before he incapacitated her again. She was absolutely sure no one would come for her, and, to be honest, her captors weren't putting too much hope in such a turn of events too. She actually felt grateful. "This … was unexpected. But how did she…? Did she actually asked for their help or did the others come by themselves? If they did, then why…?" but her thoughts were disturbed by her tamer's another order:
"Then make yourself useful and make us a way out! Smash through that wall or something!" Rika was losing what little of calmness she had. But she restrained herself from panicking even further.
"As you wish." Renamon replied and smashed the wall with all her strength. It left a rather large dent, but the wall was not breached.
"Wow… I mean just … wow. Talking about being very strong." Both Takato and Henry gasped.
"Not strong enough." Rika retorted, and slashed a strength boost card through her D-power. Renamon smashed the wall once again, but to no avail. The wall she was trying to break through was one of the supporting walls, which was made very thick, to withstand earthquakes.
"It would take me a while to break through…" Renamon replied, waiting for orders whether she should keep hitting the wall or abandon the idea.
"Well, at least that blast killed off those two murderous assassins for sure…" Takato tried to remain optimistic, when suddenly Terriermon's voice was heard:
"Um… I think you might wanna take a look at this…"
Only he noticed that in the far corner of what remained of the room there was a body. A dent on the wall nearby suggested that the body hit it very hard, thrown by the wave of explosion. The arms of the body were badly burned, clothes were shattered in many places, sharp shards protruded from the wounds, it was not pretty. Renamon, however, recognized the body, mostly by the thing in his right hand – the lightsaber.
"It's one of the assassins." She stated.
"Incredible that the body is still intact, I mean, when the rockets exploded he and his robot were only several meters away…" Henry said in amazement, as his friend Takato approached the body. "No one could have survived such a blast…" he thought as he grabbed Starkiller's arm searching for pulse. To both his surprise and horror, he felt a slight pulse under his finger.
"Err… I think he is still alive… I think…" he exclaimed, and his words put everyone in a state of shock for a couple of seconds.
"Alive? No way, it can't be!" Henry exclaimed in disbelief and rushed to the body also, only to confirm Takato's words.
"Hnh, bastards die hard." Rika spitted out with hatred and anger. She felt no remorse for the wounded foe, who threatened her, and her digimon, and her newly-found friends with death. Neither she nor the rest of the group knew that it was only thanks to that man's control of the Force that they have actually survived. When the missiles exploded, Starkiller absorbed the majority of the power of the blast with his Force shield. Although he was not powerful enough to contain all the blast, it he managed to stop the blast and survive, albeit barely. Even though not by his own will, the assassin became a shield for the rest…
"Hmm… I think I just got an idea how to get out of here…" Henry muttered as he released the lightsaber from Starkiller's grip. It was not a devise of incredible complexity, and Henry saw it activated a few times already, so he pushed the button to activate it again. A red laser blade appeared out of the hilt, lighting everything up with its crimson light.
"Hey what are you doing put that thing down! What are you trying to do get yourself killed?!" Rika shouted at Henry, who was holding the sword with both of his hands.
"In a lot of Sci-Fi movies lasers can cut through anything… Maybe it will work so in reality…" Henry explained and stabbed the part of the wall Renamon was trying to break through not a while ago. To his amazement, the blade went through solid concrete like a hot knife through butter. Henry started to "make a door", burning through the wall with the lightsaber. In a matter of minutes a section of the wall was detached, and it was so much easier for Renamon to move it away.
"Henry you're a genius!!!" Terriermon concluded as the new exit was ready.
"He he, no, not really…" Henry replied modestly, while the others were already making their way through the exit. But suddenly, Takato, who was going to be the last to leave, stopped.
"C'mon hurry up we have to keep moving! What did you stop for?!" Rika asked a bit harshly.
"Wait. We can't just leave him there." Takato replied and went back, followed by his digimon. Amazed by such a reaction, the others followed in as well. They knew full well who he was talking about.
"Of course we could leave him let's go!" Rika shouted again as Takato was making several unsuccessful attempts to put Starkiller's helpless body on his digimon's back.
"No we cannot. If we leave him he will die." Takato replied confidently, and was not going to back away.
"Yes we can. Renamon, break that guy's neck so that Gogglehead wouldn't worry about his fate anymore." Rika ordered viciously.
"With pleasure." Renamon replied in the same demeanor as her tamer and made a few steps towards Starkiller to put him out of his misery, but found Guilmon standing in her way and not letting her pass.
"Out of my way." Renamon wanted to push Guilmon away, but failed to do so. Guilmon was pretty strong physically in his own right.
"Takatomon said not to harm him!" Guilmon growled back. None was about to back away and Renamon was already counting her chances of winning the fight, when Henry managed to stop a potential conflict with a voice of sense:
"Takato is right, we shouldn't kill him. If anything, we must find out who he works for. He said that the whole thing was "nothing personal", so there is someone who sent him, someone who wishes our digimon dead, gone. He is not the real thread, not now." His words had sense indeed, and his speech managed to cool off the hot heads.
"What made you think he wouldn't fight us as soon as he regains consciousness again?" Rika asked suspiciously.
"Please, look at him. He is not in any shape to fight, he just survived a direct missile hit." Henry replied with iron logic. It was hard to argue against that.
"What made you think he would just give out hat information?" Rika continued to resist.
"Because … that rocket was not meant to kill only us, but them as well. For some reason whoever wanted to dispose of us, wanted to dispose of them at the same time. I doubt someone would still be loyal after such a clear betrayal." Henry retorted.
"Very well. But if he will refuse to give us what we want to know, I will force it out of him. And no one better be in my way when I do…" Renamon said grimly, with such a murderous blue flame in her eyes it gave shivers to everyone, and left through the opening.
"Henry, can you help me out with this?" Takato asked to help him put the body on Guilmon's back.
"Sure." Henry replied promptly, and in less than a minute the body was ready for transportation.
"Great, just great. Taking with us someone who tried to kill us. We should leave him for dead." Rika sarcastically, but the last sentence was said honestly. For some reason that remark made Henry turn his head to her and practically pin her down with his glare.
"What are you looking at?" Rika asked, that glare creeped her out.
"You know, you're very heartless for such a young girl." Henry sighed, and followed Takato and Guilmon out through the opening. Henry's words were like a cold shower. Rika didn't say a thing afterward… The group managed to get out of the hotel within several minutes. Renamon was sent to scout up ahead in case they were watched by someone. After Renamon reported that there was no one dangerous around, they left the hotel, and disappeared into the small forest that was near the hotel...
After everyone left, and darkness of the night covered the hotel, something began to move in the rubble. Slowly, slowly, pushing away the remains of concrete blocks, it was making its way through the debris. Damaged, battered, but still fully functional and battle-ready, it dug itself out. Sinister metallic steps were echoing in the dark, abandoned corridors… Machines were built to survive greater hazards than your average organic being could. And such a unique and expensive model like PROXY was built to last…
There, done. Hope you liked this chapter.
