Hello again and here is Chapter 9, a little late again so I apologise. I just want to make a note about the next chapter. I will be out of town for half the week and won't have computer etc. access. As a consequence, Chapter 10 will not be posted until Tuesday the 21st at the earliest (save for some miracle or me hitting a hot streak with my writing).

Just to respond to the last chapter's reviews:

Vigatus: All good things take time, although I'm still working on pacing in my writing so I hope I don't draw it out too long. But worry not, the action is now returning.

Mimato love 4ever: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter and I hope this one is also long enough and to your liking :)

Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius: I now give you the return of the action, although it's not full blown at this point. It will get more intense in the next chapter or two.

Lastly, thank you to pyrorynox, samaelfell and Valechan92 for adding this to your story alerts and to Dracula X for the favourite. It's nice to see more and more people taking an interest in my writing, for what it's worth.

So, all I have left to say is for you all to enjoy and to not hesitate to leave any thought and/or comments you may want to share in the reviews section.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of the characters, they are the property of Toei Animation.

An echoing bang rang across the main floor of the convention centre as the living dead threw themselves against the doors in a furious effort to gain entry. Inside, packed together liked trapped rats, were the many hundreds of surviving Odaiba citizens who had fled their homes and places of work the day before. But now, as the midnight hour approached, the scourge that had forced them to flee had caught up and was now threatening to overwhelm what defences were left.

A hundred or so defenders, culled together from the military, police force and private security companies, had attempted to hold off the walking corpses of friends and loved ones, but to no avail. Barely a dozen had survived the onslaught of the undead army and even their veteran leader, Colonel Takagi, had fallen to the horde. Those that remained barricaded the doors with their own bodies in an attempt to stave off final and lasting defeat.

As the remaining defenders braced themselves for another impact on the doors, Tai and the other Digidestined looked on helplessly, waiting for the inevitable. The Digidestined and their families had resisted the urge to pack what few belongings they had left, knowing that if and when they would have to make a break for it, they would be best off travelling without any added baggage. As Tai watched the remaining defenders trying desperately to keep the undead out, he knew the time to flee was fast approaching.

As Tai stood silently with his sister and their parents, he looked around to the other Destined. They had grouped themselves into their families and were huddled together, not taking their eyes off the doors. All seemed to be afraid for their own lives and for the lives of their friends and family, however, there was one individual who caught the leader's eye.

Davis, who stood silently with his parents, looked as though he was about to break down and cry. No one else seemed to have noticed, and to Davis's credit he was hiding his apparent distress well. Tai, however, could see through his friend's façade. While the younger goggle boy had managed to maintain a blank facial expression, his body language betrayed his fragility. Instead of his normal upright, energetic posture, Davis stood with his limbs tucked tightly towards him body, almost as if he was subconsciously trying to curl up into a ball. His breathing had grown heavier as well and, to Tai's great surprise, his hands were also visibly shaking.

If anyone else had shown these signs, Tai would normally have let it slide; fear would cause similar reactions in most people. But Davis was not your average person. Even in his greatest battles, Tai had never known him to let his fear or anything else affect him like it was now. Arukenimon and Mummimon, Blackwargreymon, Daemon himself and even Malomyotismon had never done anything like this to Davis. To see his friend like this was shocking to Tai. Beyond everything, Davis could always be counted on to be tough, resolute and to never surrender. Now, seeing him like this, Tai was not so sure that these things could be expected of the younger leader.

As Tai pondered this one of the last remaining soldiers gathered the attention of the civilians.

"Everybody!" the young man shouted, his voice resonating with panic, "We can't hold the doors for long! I need all of you civilians to make a run for it out the rear doors, past the storage area!"

"But won't they be waiting for us out there?" a middle-aged woman yelled back fearfully.

"Probably." the soldier replied bluntly.

"Then why are you telling us-" a young man piped up before the young soldier cut across him.

"Everyone, it's either you run now and risk it or stay here and die!" he shouted hurriedly at them.

At that the crowd realised he was right. They could either chance it by fleeing or stand no chance at all by staying and waiting for the undead to break in. Tai gulped, knowing that their odds of survival were slim. But they had little choice in the matter. They would have to run for it.

As the Digidestined and their families readied themselves the rest of the civilians all got a head start and simultaneously dashed for the storage area and what they hoped would be a clean getaway. At that moment, as though the living dead had sensed and been enlivened by the newly stirred alarm and desperation, there was a thunderous crash and several yells of pain and exhaustion as the defenders holding the doors finally broke and the undead hordes came flooding in.

Utter pandemonium ensued. What little order and cohesion the civilians had had was now swept away by the wave of terror and alarm the undead brought with them. Everyone scrambled for the exit, hoping that they would make it out alive. For many, their wishes would not come true.

As the screaming began, Tai grabbed hold of his sister's arm and beckoned his friends and family to follow. At first he thought they all had, but as he looked back he saw Davis, rooted to the spot his eyes wide with fear. He and his parents had been at the back of the pack, and, from what Tai could see, his mother had fallen and hurt her ankle.

Thinking fast, Tai pushed Kari forwards and headed back for Davis.

"Tai, what are you doing?" Kari screamed at him in disbelief.

"Just go Kari! I have to get Davis!" Tai yelled back, determined to save his friend.

As Tai reached Davis, he saw that Matt and T.K. had noticed as well and had come to assist. The two brothers went straight to Mrs Motamiya to get her on her feet and moving, while Tai grabbed Davis by the wrist. However, when Tai pulled him, he encountered resistance. Davis refused to move from where he stood. His fearful expression had not changed, as though the boy was frozen in time.

"Davis, c'mon!" Tai shouted at him hurriedly, but received no response.

Seeing he would have to carry Davis, Tai picked him up and hoisted him onto his shoulders, like a soldier would his wounded comrade. It helped that Davis was slim and rather light, care of his athletic pursuits, but Tai still found it difficult to stay on the move while carrying him. Matt and T.K. had already caught up to Tai, both holding up Davis's mother.

Still not satisfied, the undead flesh eaters abandoned the mauled, bloodied corpses of those they had already caught and killed and took interest in the Digidestined.

"Fuck, not good!" Tai yelled in horror and frustration as the living dead charged towards them.

However, at the last moment, their saviour leapt in. Davis's father, wielding what appeared to be a fallen soldier's combat knife, jumped between the advancing undead and Tai's group.

"Get out of here! I'll hold them off!" he shouted to them.

This seemed to wake Davis up, and he and his mother both screamed for Mr Motamiya to escape with them. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as the man stabbed an advancing flesh eater, before turning to slash another. His line had been drawn; there was no retreat for him now.

"GO!" he screamed at them hysterically as the undead continued towards them.

Ignoring Davis's pleas, Tai ran as fast as he could, with Matt, T.K. and Mrs Motamiya close beside him. As Tai and the others made it through to the storage area doors, he heard Mr Motamiya's bone chilling scream as he was overwhelmed. At that, Davis's yelling stopped and he fell limp, a dead weight on Tai's shoulders as they fled the killing ground that was the convention centre.


Sora ran as fast as she could. With her mother in tow, she could only think of getting to safety. They had burst out into the darkness, covered by a cloudy sky, and cleared the convention centre. Now they were sprinting across the rear courtyard, where a tree line provided some temporary cover. When they finally reached it, Sora slowed down and caught her breath.

Seeing that her mother was alright she looked to the rest of the group, who had managed to stick together. Almost immediately, though, she noticed that something was wrong. There were members of their group who she could not see. Matt and T.K. were both missing, as were Davis and his parents. However, Sora then spotted Kari looking incredibly distressed without her brother, or T.K. for that matter, beside her. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Where's Tai?" she said worriedly, loud enough for all the others to hear.

The absence of various members of the group no longer went unnoticed. The Kamiyas went pale and turned to Kari, who seemed to be on the brink of tears. Hiroaki Ishida and Nancy Takaishi were now also frantically looking around for their sons and the fact that Davis was missing had seemingly hit the other families.

Without thinking, Sora snatched Yolei by the wrist and pulled her away from her parents and siblings. Grabbing the younger girl by the shoulders, Sora spoke sternly to her.

"Yolei, look after my mother." she said before turning and heading back in the direction of the convention centre.

"Sora wha-" Yolei began.

"Just do as I say!" Sora snapped as she boldly broke into a run.

"Sora!" Toshiko Takenouchi called after her daughter, but the redheaded girl ignored her mother as she went in search of the most important person in her life.

Dashing between low walls, cropped bushes and various directional signs, Sora went from cover to cover, focused solely on the back exit she had only just escaped from. Some other survivors were still scurrying out of the convention centre and the few undead that had not rushed through the front doors and lingered outside had caught sight of these stragglers and now gave chase, growling like ravenous dogs as they relentlessly hunted their prey. Still, there was no sight of that head of bushy brown hair, or any of the other wayward Digidestined.

Grotesque and painful images and scenarios began to creep into Sora's mind. Had they been taken by Daemon's scourge? Was it already too late? Sora could never forgive herself if that was the case. The girl had not even noticed that they were missing until she herself was safely outside. She could not stand the thought that selfish short-sightedness on her part may have contributed to their deaths. Most painful of all, she knew that she was yet to tell Tai what she felt for him; to lose her best friend and the object of her desire and yet still have kept secrets from him was something which she could not abide.

But fate was to be merciful to her that day, as the missing group emerged suddenly from back doors. She gasped with relief as she sprinted towards the group. Before she reached them, however, Sora noticed that something was wrong. Davis was thrown over Tai's shoulders like a rag doll, and Mrs Motamiya was being supported by the two brothers. Most ominous of all, Davis's father was nowhere in sight.

"Tai, where is-" she began, but received her answer in the form of a grim shake of Tai's head.

Sora's hand flew to her mouth in shock. She had thought that her father's death would be it, the beginning and end of the group's tragedy. But now she found herself to have been sorely mistaken, as Daemon's sinister and hateful plot had claimed yet another of the Digidestined's loved ones.

"Sora, where's everyone else?" Matt asked hastily, constantly swivelling his head to check for undead.

"They're just over-" she began, but was interrupted by Joe as he raced over to them.

"Sora, what the hell are you-" he started.

"No time!" Tai interjected as he spotted a small mob of flesh eaters shuffling around the corner, no doubt in search of fresh meat to feed their insatiable hunger.

"This way." Sora beckoned and she led them back to the tree line where the others still found cover.

When they reached the hiding spot, Matt and T.K.'s parents immediately demanded to know what their sons had been thinking, while similar treatment was given to Tai as he deposited Davis against a tree trunk. Izzy's father was the first to notice that one of their number was no longer among them.

"Wait, what happened to your father Davis?" Masami Izumi asked with trepidation.

Sora looked to Tai as he stepped forward to tell them the grim news.

"He's-" Tai began before Davis erupted.

"He saved us! Told us to go… I-I didn't want-" he stammered as large, painful tears trickled down his face.

As Davis continued, the others all stood in shock. Surely they could not have lost another. Sora fought back her own tears, formed in sympathy for the teenager, whose pain now mirrored her own. She bit her lip, not wanting to succumb needlessly to a grief that was not her own. But their moment of mourning was not to last in such a hostile environment.

Hearing a chorus of loud growls and moans, everyone's attention snapped back towards the convention centre. Standing just outside the storage room doorways was a pack of five undead killers, all of which had clearly heard Davis's outpouring of anguish. Time stood still as the two groups stared at one another, the silence only broken by the distant screams echoing through the dark and cloudy night.

The moment was not to last, however, as the undead broke into a run, charging towards their newfound victims. Only one word came to mind.

"Run!" Sora and a few others yelled.

They all moved frantically, Tai hauling Davis to his feet, Mrs Motamiya now being supported by Izzy and his father and Yolei helping Sora with her mother. Yet with all their haste they could not escape before Daemon's minions were upon them. It was like a cat among the pigeons as one of Yolei's older sisters was brought down by three of the living dead. Her screams drew the purple haired girl's eyes to the sight of her sister being mauled, her blood gushing out onto the cold soil.

"Chizuru!" Yolei screamed in terror, not wanting to believe the horrifying sight before her.

She was not given time to see her sister's death, as Sora called to Matt, who promptly grabbed the girl by the waist and hauled her away before the other monsters could grab her. Yolei protested, beating Matt's arms with her fists and screaming wildly for him to let her go, but Sora could focus on none of this as she shepherded her mother away, not caring which direction she chose.

The hysteria had retaken her mind and she lost sight of all else. Only the memory of her sickening prior anxiety made her look for Tai as she ran. The Digidestined leader was not far behind her, pulling Davis along as he sprinted away from the infected predators. Reassured he was still with her, Sora ran on, not caring where they were headed. Her only thought was to escape. There was no time for thought, only action as Sora, with her mother in tow, ran blindly into the murky night.


Agumon rested quietly as he observed the slow, fluid movements of the fish outside of Gennai's house. The Digimon and the digital man had so far put in over a full day of work into their attempt to breach the sealed barriers of the Dark Ocean. Results had been promising and their progress steady. Gennai had assured them that they may even manage to break through before their original estimate of three days. But despite all the good news on their end, Agumon could not help but worry about his partner and the other Digidestined, not to mention the rest of humanity, who Agumon had come to regard highly for the many unique qualities they possessed, not least of which was the production of food.

At the moment both Gennai, Tentomon and Wormmon were once again hard at work breaking down the barriers, the latter two having picked up a wealth of technological skills and knowhow from their partners. As for the rest of the Digimon, Gennai had told them to relax and prepare for the coming battle, as the complex technical process of penetrating dimensional walls was beyond their capabilities and knowledge.

Agumon could feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, for the duty of destroying Daemon once and for all had fallen to him alone as he was the only one who could Digivolve beyond the Champion stage. Daemon had been weakened and his deterioration was ongoing, yet the little orange dinosaur could sense that the final showdown would not be an easy one. Somehow, even when victory seemed assured, their enemies had always had one more trick up their sleeve, and while Agumon liked to remain optimistic, he was unable to shake the feeling that Daemon would be no different.

Agumon was so deeply wrapped in his thoughts that he failed to notice the approach of three of his friends.

"What's wrong Agumon?" came a high and chirpy, yet soft and kindly voice.

The dinosaur swivelled in his seated position and saw that Biyomon, Patamon and Gatomon were all now standing behind him, with looks of puzzlement and concern written on their faces. Biyomon, Sora's partner, stood as tall as Agumon, only she was a bird, coloured a hearty pink with blue tips on some of her feathers. Gatomon was Kari's partner and she took the form of a white cat with purple tipped ears and clawed green gloves over her front paws. Lastly, T.K.'s partner Patamon was a small orange backed, white bellied creature, who resembled a large guinea pig with wings protruding from the back of his rounded head.

Smiling weakly, he motioned for them all to sit with him. Not to be deterred, Biyomon again questioned him.

"You look like something's bothering you Agumon. Is something the matter?" she chirped worriedly.

Agumon looked at the pink bird and marvelled at how much like her partner she was. Sora was always the one who had worried about the other Digidestined, looking after them as if she was their big sister. Biyomon was exactly the same with the Digimon, although the sibling analogy held somewhat less meaning for them. It was the same with the others as well, from Tentomon's inheritance of Izzy's smarts to Gabumon's more quiet nature, which he shared with his partner Matt. Of course the Digimon were unique and independent in their own way, such as Gomamon being the antithesis of Joe with his playful and mischievous antics, but it was hard to miss the similarities they had with the Digidestined.

Refocusing on the present and not wishing Biyomon to repeat herself, Agumon voiced his concerns.

"I'm worried about Tai and the others. Did you hear the talk Gennai had with them?" he said gloomily.

"Yeah, we joined in remember?" Biyomon replied, unsure what Agumon was talking about.

"No, the second one they had just a little while ago." Agumon replied.

"They called back? Then why didn't they want to speak to us?" Patamon interjected.

"I don't know, but I overheard the whole thing and I think they're in some serious trouble." Agumon told them.

Patamon and Gatomon both seemed to grow anxious after hearing his words, fearful looks dawning slowly on their faces. Biyomon, on the other hand, was more positive.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. I just know they'll all be fine and we'll all get to see each other very soon." she insisted, smiling warmly at them.

Agumon was not so sure, but hope and joyfulness were like a virus to him, infecting his mind and pushing away all despair and pessimism. He grinned back at Biyomon.

"Your right, and when we do see them again I can have one of those things the humans make." he said cheerily.

"You mean cheeseburgers?" Gatomon purred, rolling her eyes at how Agumon never failed to think of his stomach.

"Yeah, that's it!" Agumon exclaimed excitedly, his mind now dominated by visions of fast food and sweets.

"Just as well because we'll all be so hungry when we've defeated Daemon." Patamon remarked jovially.

At the mention of their foe, Agumon's cheeriness faltered. He was reminded of the onerous task that lay before them, and also of the consequences of failure. But, on top of the dangers that threatened the Digidestined, there was one other thing that troubled him, a nagging uncertainty that rekindled an old fear of his, like the reopening of old wounds.

"Um, Gatomon? Patamon?" Agumon asked, almost timidly.

"Yeah?" they both piped up simultaneously.

"What's the Dark Ocean like?" Agumon questioned, once he had their attention.

"What do you mean?" Patamon replied, bewildered by Agumon's question, "It's dark and there's an ocean… oh and there also this lighthouse- oh wait, no we blew it up because it was a control spire..."

Before Patamon could continue his rambling, Agumon cut in.

"No, no, I mean what does it feel like." he clarified.

"Feel like?" Gatomon and Patamon both said, confused.

"Yeah, um… does it make you feel… evil?" Agumon said awkwardly, choosing not to look directly at them.

Patamon and Gatpomon just looked at him in puzzlement, unsure what to make of Agumon's words. Biyomon, however, had figured out what he was getting at.

"You're remembering turning into Skullgreymon, aren't you?" she probed gently, concerned for her friend.

"Yeah." Agumon replied simply, his tone betraying his embarrassment.

Biyomon patted the troubled little dinosaur on the back with her wing, trying to provide what little comfort she could.

"It's OK Agumon, you're not going to become that big walking skeleton again." she assured him.

"Yeah, all that's in the past now." Patamon added as he took flight and hovered in front of Agumon.

"They're right you know." came a new voice.

The four Digimon turned around in surprise to see Gennai standing casually behind them. It seemed as though he had been there for almost the entire conversation. Not waiting for a response, Gennai continued.

"The negative energy of the Dark Ocean is insidious, but as long as you remain true to your noble goals and values you will not become the monster you fear." he said knowingly.

"Really?" Agumon asked hopefully.

"Of course my friend." Gennai replied with a warm smile.

"Yes!" Agumon and the others cheered, jumping up and down in relief.

"However… I cannot say the same for Daemon." Gennai revealed, interrupting their celebrations.

"What?" they all questioned, taken by surprise.

"The negative energies of the Dark Ocean will not affect you, but Daemon will be empowered by them." he informed them grimly, his face now showing no trace of the smile he had worn only seconds earlier.

"But I thought-" Gatomon began.

"He is becoming weaker, he is a shadow of his former self and his full disintegration is inevitable." Gennai cut across her, "However, he is still able to draw power from the Dark Oceans power to fuel his own."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner, and why didn't you say anything to Tai and the others?" Agumon demanded, shocked that Gennai would keep something like that from them.

"This is not the Digidestined's battle; I did not wish to worry them, and I did plan on telling you before you left to fight him." Gennai insisted, "But you need not worry. As Wargreymon, you are more than a match for his failing powers, Agumon."

Like the slowly rising sun, Gennai's smile returned to his face, again to reassure the Digimon. Agumon himself was still very much unsure, especially in light of this new information. Nevertheless, he still trusted Gennai and knew that while the digital man could be secretive, he would never outright lie to anyone, much less to the Digidestined or their Digimon.

Agumon nodded at Gennai to show he had accepted his words. At this, Gennai excused himself and returned to work with Tentomon.

"Worry not, you will succeed." Gennai's parting words hung in the air long after he left.

"I hope so." Agumon whispered.

The four Digimon began observing the fish outside again. They watched and envied the seemingly simple lives of the small creatures; if only they and their partners could return to the endless peace these fish lived everyday. The hour of their departure to the field of battle was drawing ever nearer, and still Agumon's mind was filled with doubt. Time was not on their side and every moment they waited the Digidestined were still in danger.


The early hours of the morning in Odaiba brought a blood red sun to the horizon, a reflection of the events of the past two days. The dead littered the streets, many roaming mindlessly, searching for more human prey and others too badly mauled to be reanimated as a walking carcass. Yet still, the Digidestined had defied the deadly onslaught of their enemy. But now they no longer stood together, united as one.

Matt stared forlornly at a row of lockers in the police station they had sought for shelter. Scanning the room, he saw their broken group in the same depressed state he was in.

When they had been attacked by the group of undead outside the convention centre, they had been forced to split up in order to reach safety. Most of the Digidestined had managed to stick together, but some had been separated from the main group. Joe, Izzy and Ken had last been seen following the families in the opposite direction, but now none of them knew what had become of them. Now Matt, Tai, Sora, Sora's mother, Mimi, T.K., Kari, Yolei, Davis and Cody were on their own, hiding away in the now abandoned police station.

Matt was glad he had managed to stay together with T.K.; if his little brother had gone missing there would have been no end to his torment. Still, Matt worried about his parents. Although he only saw his mother on occasion he loved her just as much as his father, with whom he lived. Their family had been torn up enough in the past with the divorce; Matt did not want to have to deal with anymore heartache than he already had to.

Tai, Sora and Cody had gone to search the station for whatever supplies they could find to help them all stay alive, leaving Matt to watch after the others, a grim task to be sure. Of the six others in the room with him, two had lost family members only a few hours before. Davis had lost his father, who had died holding off Daemon's minions while the teenagers had escaped. One of Yolei's older sisters had also been taken, eaten alive during the attack that had split them all up, much to the girl's shock and mortification. Now, for all they knew, there could be even more losses among the wayward members of their group.

For their part, T.K. and Kari were each comforting one of their friends, while Mrs Takenouchi slept in the corner, worn out from the events of the night. On the part of the comforters, Kari held Yolie's hand while T.K. sat with Davis. While there seemed to be no obvious reason to think so, Matt could not seem to shake the odd feeling that something was wrong between T.K. and Kari. He had sensed something since he and Tai had interrupted them the night before, just before the undead breached the convention centre defences. Now, there was a strange tension between the pair, one that Matt could not readily describe. It was as if they had become disconnected from each other, something no one thought was even possible for the two of them. Regardless, Matt planned to discuss it with Tai when he returned.

"You think we're going to get out of this?"

Matt jerked in fright, having not noticed that Mimi had come and sat beside him. He was still able to quickly regain his composure and address her question.

"Of course I d-" he began, but Mimi cut in.

"Matt, you don't have to sugar coat it. You can be honest with me." she said soberly, her expression unreadable and her eyes fixed firmly in front of her.

Matt stared at her for a second, not expecting her latter request. He then sighed and decided to be straight with her.

"In all honesty I have no idea, but the odds sure as hell aren't in our favour." he told her solemnly.

"I thought so too." Mimi replied simply as she continued to stare off into space.

The two them lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. The uttered truth was no different than that which they had held inside, but now that it had been given voice the two found it almost instantly harder to deal with, as if their demise had been assured by their now open doubts. The truth might set you free, but Matt wondered just how desirable that freedom really was.

His gloomy line of thought was broken as Tai, Sora and Cody returned from their search for supplies and re-entered the locker room. Matt rose to his feet, eager to hear some good news.

"Did you guys find anything useful?" he asked.

"Quite a bit actually." Tai replied as he, Sora and Cody walked into the centre of the room and laid their findings out on a collapsible table they had all found when they arrived.

Matt observed the haul with interest. Thankfully they had found some food, enough for at least a day or two, as well as extra pairs of clothes. They may have mainly been oversized tracksuits, but Matt knew they were better than nothing. But just as important as the clothes and food were several first aid kits. Joe was not with them, but at least they had some means of treating injuries should they occur.

"We found the food in the a little kitchen area towards the back of the station." Sora explained, "The first aid kits came from the supply room along with the clothes."

"Great. So long as those things don't find us here we should be able to live off of this." Matt said, masking his uncertainty with optimism.

"We also found this." Tai added hesitantly, reaching into his back pocket.

Matt recoiled in disbelief as Tai produced a pistol and placed it on the table. Its dark grey, plastic finish gave it an ominously bleak aura, as if the weapon itself sought to scare away any who intended to wield it. Matt's concern quickly turned to frustration.

"Tai, how could you even think of picking that thing up?" Matt demanded angrily, his fist clenched tightly at his sides, catching the attention of Davis, Yolei and their respective comforters, who had, up until then, been absorbed in their own issues. Mrs Takenouchi, however, remained in her state of slumber.

"Matt, we need something to defend ourselves with." Tai insisted, holding his hands up defensively.

"We've been lucky so far, but we can't just rely on running away to stay safe." Sora added calmly.

Matt unclenched his fists, his anger residing. He still was not happy with the idea of using a gun, though. The blond grimaced as he eyed the pistol warily.

"I don't know about this." he said uncomfortably, moving his hands to his pockets.

"We'll only use it if we have no other choice." Tai assured him.

Giving in, Matt nodded, but his uneasiness was still apparent.

"Does anyone even know how to use one of those?" he pointed out.

The following answer was not just a surprise to him.

"I do." Mimi announced as she approached the table and lifted the gun gently in her hands, examining it with some surprising experience.

Matt and the others just stared at her, utterly dumbfounded by this new revelation. Between this and her outburst towards the parents the day before, Matt thought, it was as if they were not even looking at the real Mimi, like someone had replaced her with an imposter; an imposter that knew how to use a gun.

"Mimi… s-since when have you known how to use one of those?" Sora managed, barely able to keep a straight face.

It was then that Mimi seemed to realise how casually she had declared her knowledge and her cheeks reddened at Sora's question. She giggled nervously and she began to blush even more heavily as the others continued to stare at her. Matt could see that, in her discomfort, at least she had not changed completely.

"Um, well, I kind of dated this guy when I was in the US… his name was- well that's not important… er, he was, like, a competitive shooter and he took me to a firing range this one time… alright, more than one time. I went there, like y'know, thinking it would be terrible, but I- I actually kind of enjoyed it. He was cool and I guess I never really forgot what I learned and… um, yeah." Mimi rambled embarrassedly, her words flowing uncontrollably like water from an open dam.

Matt could not decide what surprised him more; that some guy had taken Mimi on a date to a firing range, or that Mimi had actually enjoyed it. Still he could manage no words and continued to stare at Mimi with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Mimi giggled sheepishly and shuffled uncomfortably on the spot before turning to Tai.

"So, how many rounds do we have?"


Like a deadly flood, the living dead poured through the streets and alleys of Odaiba, searching without relent for their elusive targets. At first they had been allowed to feast on and infect any human they saw. But then their master had begun to grow impatient. Death had not come to the Digidestined as quickly as he had desired. Nowhere could the teenagers be found. The minions of the evil monster, usurper of the dark realm of grey and shadow, had scoured the city endlessly, but with no success.

But then, frustration turned to hope for final victory when the last human sanctuary was discovered. Quickly surrounded, there had been no escape. Or so the digital demon had wanted to believe. His rage had been all consuming as he found that, once again, his quarry had eluded him.

This was an insult to his now fading glory. His vengeance was not to be denied him, not when he had come so far and been so close. These brats had no right to defy his will. His end was now inevitable, but even in death there would be victory. If he was to die, he would take his greatest and most hated enemies with him. There would be no second humiliation; now there could only be death, cold as the world he now ruled.

These thoughts dominated the mind of Daemon as he mercilessly drove his undead puppets onward. His anger was matched only by his determination and bloodlust, at no time before had he ever been so intense. Daemon would search until his final moments for the Digidestined. They could not elude him forever.