Silence.
There was only silence.
Then, the squeal of tires, and the crunching of metal.
"OKAA-SAAAN!"
*cue Gou'ing*
GOTSUMON: The Gorge of Deception!
SOMEWHERE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD_ _ _| SAND-RAY DESERT_ _ _|
"Are we there yeeet...?" Agumon groaned.
"Be quiet...Please..." Marcus closed his eyes tiredly.
For what seemed like a long time now, after emerging from Cherrymon's Forrest, the DATS Team had found themselves walking across a desert.
"Actually... How long until we do get there, anyways?" Yoshi asked. "Those mountains don't look like they're getting any closer."
"It's just an optical illusion." Thomas started. "Once we get to the Infinite Ice Ridge, we can find Merukimon's castle, and get to the Digital Gate inside."
"Newsflash." Marcus grumbled. "We're not here just for the Gate, we're here to beat Merukimon."
"Right, right." Thomas nodded. "The head must've made it slip my mind."
"Sir.." Gaomon stopped suddenly. "You might want to have a look at this."
"Huh, what is i-!" Thomas stopped suddenly as he nearly walked off the edge of a cliff. "Woah! That's some drop!"
There was a city.
"What is this place...?" Yoshi asked.
"Buildings." Lalamon noted. "Big ones too."
"But they're Sideways!" Agumon pointed out.
Indeed. This Strange City was on both sides of a gorge- the very one that they had almost fallen into.
"But how are they floating like that?" Gaomon frowned. "Gravity alone should prevent this from being possible!"
"Maybe they hired really good contractors?" Marcus suggested.
"I think that with the Digital World, anything's possible." Thomas started. "I once read a report about vending machines that served Numemon, for example." Agumon and Gaomon both shuddered at the memory of the one they had faced before.
"Ick." Marcus stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Who'd want that?"
"Do you think we can go around it?" Yoshi frowned.
"I've got a baaad feeling about this." Lalamon quoted.
"Well, as far as I see it." Marcus smirked. "We can use these buildings to climb to the bottom, get to the other side, and climb back up!"
"Oooh!" Agumon's eyes widened. "So if we can't go around it, we just go through it?"
"I've got a really bad feeling about this." Lalamon quoted, again.
A short time later, and the Trio of DATS agents were descending from the top most level to the next building down, via a cable wire. Marcus went first, then Yoshi and Lalamon, then Thomas. So, naturally, as Gaomon began her descent down, Agumon spotted that the rope was snagged on something. "Whoops... That's not good!" He reached out to pull it free and...
THUD
A second later, Gaomon and Agumon fell the rest of the way down. Marcus shook his head as he laughed at the way they had landed. "Geeze... What luck." One ontop of the other.
"Yeah..." Gaomon narrowed her eyes. "Next time the rope's caught on something, let it be, okay?"
"Okey Doky!" Agumon replied dizzily. From the fall, not the how Gaomon had landed on top of him (somehow), I swear! Really! ... Stop staring at me...! I'm Serious!
Lalamon shivvered. "I've got a really, really, REALLY Bad feeling about this!"
Un-known to the DATS agents, a small jelly fish like creature with one beady little orange eye was staring at them.
{KURAMON: "An Fresh level, Virus type digimon. Their evolved form is Keramon, And, as such, are naturally adept at spreading viruses in computer networks, and eating anything necessary to satisfy their hunger."}
Kuramon's solitary eye narrowed as it spied on the DATS agents, sending it's visual aid on them to a pool within the Infinite Ice Ridge...
SAID INFINITE ICE RIDGE_ _ _|
Ikuto smashed his fist into the water. "Humons...! I hate them...!"
"Calm Down, Ikuto." Falcomon started.
Gotsumon cut them off with a laugh. "Well, let's just say that they've found themselves between a rock and a hard place."
"What do you mean?" Falcomon narrowed his eyes.
"No-one has entered the Gorge of Deception and escaped alive!" Gotsumon smirked, then broke down into evil laughter.
Even Ikuto and Falcomon foundthemselves disturbed by that.
THE GORGE OF DECEPTION_ _ _|
There was the sound of rapidly moving feet all around them. This alone was putting Gaomon, Agumon, and Lalamon on guard. "What's going on?" Thomas asked.
"We're not alone here, Sir..." Gaomon narrowed her eyes.
"Well, let's give them a warm welcome...!" Marcus smashed his fist into his hand.
All across the gorge, sets of red, glowing eyes began to stare at them through the Darkness. Lalamon turned around a full 360 degrees as she surveyed the area, but when she looked back to where she had started, the poor plant found herself looking into the open mouth of a hungry spider.
"We've been surrounded!" Agumon growled as the creatures emerged from all angles.
{DOKUGUMON: "Dokugumon! They're champion level digimon who have computer viruses running through their systems, and love to wait for their prey to walk into their spiderwebs before striking merciously!"}
The Dokugumon then began shooting their webs out of their mouths at the humans and Digimon.
"Scatter!" Thomas ordered.
"Scattering!" Lalamon cried out in terror as they all began to duck and dodge.
Sadly, it was not enough, one spider managed to ensnare Gaomon and Agumon within the same web; then another got Yoshi! Once captured, those Dokugumon then proceeded to dive down into the abyss below, taking their captives with them.
"YOSHI!"
"AGUMON! GAOMON!"
"Well, What do we do now?" Marcus growled as he, Thomas, and Lalamon found themselves back to back against the hord of Spiders.
"Keep dodging!" Thomas replied as they scattered away once more.
"AIIIEEE!" Only for Lalamon to get captured.
"They've got me!" Marcus cried out in horror as he was tangled up.
"No way!" Thomas gasped for breath as one of the spiders literally slammed into him before wraping him up in it's webs.
THE MIDDLE OF THE GORGE_ _ _|
From one of the buildings, the humans were suspended by threads, hanging like treats to be plucked off a branch. The Digimon, meanwhile, were trapped by a sticky net made of webbing.
"Let! US! GO!" Marcus growled. "I said Let us Go!"
"When we get out of here, You're gonna be toast, You hear me!" Agumon roared.
"Yoshi!" Lalamon cried out. "Are you allright up there!"
"Fine! Just Peachy!" The girl smiled. "You?"
"We're Status Quo." Gaomon rolled her eyes.
"What are these digimon up to?" Thomas narrowed his eyes. "They must've separated us for a reason..." 'Think Thomas, Think!'
There had to be a reason! Something that made the Dokugumon more then just predators taking prey. Why leave them out to hang like wet laundry like this, and not just eat them? It didn't make any sense!
And then, the laughter started. Deep, grating, hollow laughter.
"What in the...?" Marcus blinked. "What's that!"
"It's coming from down below!" Yoshi replied.
"Filthy Pieces of Scrap Data..."the voice began. "Worthless. Except... Ah, Yess..."
"Who...?" Thomas's eyes widened. "A Digimon...?"
"Now Sleep. Sleep so that you can roam Aimlessly through your own nightmares." The voice continued.
"What?" Marcus growled. "I don't like the sound of that...!"
"Sleep... And then Your hearts... Shall Be mine..." There was enjoyment in that voice now. "FOR THE TAKING!"
There was a moment of pause, but, suddenly, a cold gust of wind rushed through the gorge.
"What...the..." And then, one by one the Humans began to fall unconscious.
"Boss! Wake up!' Agumon called out. "This is no time to be taking a nap!"
"They can't help it!" Lalamon's eyes widened. "The voice is...!"
"He's causing it." Gaomon narrowed her eyes as a form began to ascend from the bottom of the Gorge. "MetalPhantomon."
The form was massive- Easily as big as Merukimon- consisting of a Metallic Chest and A Metallic Spine that ended in a glowing sphere of energy. His face was a metallic skull, only partially obscured by the large cloak he was wearing- his arms were nothing but arcs of electricity that were connected to his metallic gloved hands, clenched between which was a ram-headed staff.
{METALPHANTOMON: "MetalPhantomon is an Ultimate Level Digimon, his energy stealing scythe can steal the life force from the living, and his deep voice is known as the GRAVE SCREAM."}
INFINITE ICE RIDGE'S OBSERVING POOL_ _ _|
"So that's Metal Phantomon." Falcomon observed. "The Death King of the Gorge."
"Yes..." Gotsumon grinned. "He's a grim digimon who steals the energy from the prey captured by the Dokugumon- he especially loves to eat the endless energy provided by humans..."
"And the Digimon...?" Ikuto narrowed his eyes.
"Midnight snack." There was a certain... musical quality to the way Gotsumon said that.
THE GORGE_ _ _|
"If MetalPhantomon gets inside your head, you're a goner." Gaomon started. "And then you become one of the walking un-dead..."
"That doesn't sound good!" Agumon's eyes widened.
"I DON'T WANT BE A ZOMBIEEEEEE!" Lalamon screamed in horror.
"Now Sleep..." MetalPhantomon started as he raised his Ram headed staff. "Sleep..." Then, pink energy began to emit from the eyes of the staff, reaching out towards the unconscious humans, and surrounding them. Then, the pink collor shifted into a deathy red.
ICE RIDGE_ _ _|
"Just watch... Metal Phantomon will take care of those Humans for us!" Gotsumon smirked, and then laughed.
Even Ikuto, sworn enemy of all Humons, wouldn't have wished this fate on those three.
THE GORGE_ _ _|
The energy that flowed through MetalPhantomon, and made his form, began to arc wildly. "Ahhh... Yeeesss..."
"What are we going to do?" Agumon narrowed his eyes, his voice strangely calm. And, those who knew Marcus also knew that Agumon had picked up that one certain trait from his Boss.
"We've got to come up with a plan, quick!" Gaomon frowned. "Agumon, I know it's a long shot, but see if you can make his DNA charge flare!"
"Ehwha?" The Dinosaur blinked.
"We're linked to them, and them to us." Gaomon started. "You've already reached Ultimate, that means your DNA Charge is shared between you at a much higher level then ours! If we can just get him to..."
"Oh..." Agumon's eyes widened with understanding. "Gotcha..."
"But what about...?" Lalamon started.
"We'll have to do the same." Gaomon nodded.
"BOSS!" Agumon roared out. "Fight it! Fight him off! Smash him in with your fist!"
"Marcusss!" Kristy cried out as she- trapped on Drimojimon's back- was raced away across a desert. "Marcus! Help! Come get me off of this! PLEASE HELP!"
"I'm Comming Kristy!" Marcus roared as he chased after that Drimojimon. Suddenly, a Numemon jumped up infront of him. "OUTTA MY WAY!" A swift punch later and...
The Numemon Split into two separate Digimon!
Smashing them just made them multiply again!
"MARCUSSS!" Kristy cried out again. Drimojimon was almost gone now!
"KRISTY!" Marcus quickly ran past the Numemon, but they were too quick for him, and they jumped all over him.
"marcusss...!" her voice was all but an echo now.
Marcus turned towards the shrinking purple dot in the distance, anger boiling on his face, and then...
"Why hello there!" That girl- Sakura- appeared in front of him, a baseball bat in her hands. "Long time no see!"
"Get these things off of me!" Marcus ordered. "I've got to save Kristy!"
"Of course, Masaru-chan!" She smiled at him, then raised the baseball bat and-
"They cannot hear you." MetalPhantomon started. "In this trance, their minds no longer belong to them! Your voices are but distant memories to them."
"No! I refuse to believe that!" Lalamon roared in frustration. "YOSHI! YOSHIIIII!"
The female DATS agent wrenched her eyes shut in pain.
"Don't come near me!" A very, very, very Much younger Yoshino cried out as she cowered in a corner. "Keep away... keep Away... I hate everyone... MY sisters... My Mother..." the younger girl cried out in pain.
The Present Yoshi gasped as she watched this. The day she and Lalamon had met.. Wasn't it...?
But Lalamon was supposed to be here now... Where was she...?
"I...I HATE EVERYONE!" the Younger girl cried out.
"...Was this all a dream...?" The present Yoshi's eyes widened. "A...A dream...?"
"Hahahahaha~!" MetalPhantomon laughed. "These three are now traveling deep into the fears burried in their hearts! They are seeing what they don't want to see the most! Fearing the things they fear the most!" Gaomon narrowed her eyes at each of the human's discomfort. "They are trapped within their minds... And there is NO Escape!"
And then she saw it- A small flicker of blue, just barely around Thomas' right hand. Their DNA Charge! It had been acting very strange lately, Overflowing to the point of... Perhaps... Yes... Just Maybe...!
"SIR!" Gaomon ordered. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"
A street... Thomas H. Norstine found himself on a street. "Where am I? Wait..." he looked around. "This is my home town... There's no mistaking it!" And so, he started running through the seemingly abandoned town. "This is where I grew up, everything looks so familiar!" And then, he came across a set of Stairs. "I remember these... I used to think they were endless when I was little..."
And there, up at the top, were two forms... very familiar ones...
One was himself- only younger. Way younger, and the other...
"It's..." His eyes widened. "My Mother... Okaa-san..."
Thomas found himself walking through the town, following the two ghostly forms. "Her favorite Market... She'd buy me ice cream if I didn't complain about going..." Then they found themselves at a small playground, and the younger him was swinging on the swings. "Her smile was so warm..."
Then, a sound, a sound he'd never forget...
beeeeeeeeeeeeee...
"NO!"
There was a flash, and the fog lifted suddenly.
"W..Where...?" Thomas found himself on a street corner, right as two girls in kimonos walked past him.
"Did you see what he bought me? Isn't it the greatest!" one of the girls asked the other.
"I Know! I know!" the other replied.
Thomas turned suddenly as he watched them pass, and, in doing so, caught sight of the flyer on the window next to him. "...Summer Festival..."
Then, a flash, and his younger self and Mother walked past. "Look mom! The Festival's in town! Can we go!"
The woman considered it briefly, then checked her watch. "Sure! Why not!"
Another flash, And Thomas glanced at the clock inside the store. "Four P.M., I Can still make it!"
And as he ran off towards that one fatefull street corner, MetalPhantomon's voice called out across the horizon. "Yeeesss... This is the day you lost your precious Mother... Run all you want... But you will never save her...!"
"I will make it! I've got to...!" Thomas pushed the taunts of the Phantom's voice out of his mind.
Down streets, and across intersections, Thomas ran and ran, as fast as he could.
And then he stopped. "This is it...!" He found himself infront of a small house. "Home...!"
And up in the window, he caught sight of his mother closing the blinds.
"Okaa-san!" He called out, racing towards the door. "Okaa-san! Please! Let me in! I have to warn you!" He started pounding on the door. "Please I have to tell you about what's about to happen!"
And then, his fist passed straight through the door- even though it was still closed.
"W...Wh..."
Then, the door slid open- right through his arm- revealing the younger him on the other side. "Mom! I'll be waiting outside!" The boy hopped out the door- and straight through the present him. "I'm gonna ride the rides and eat cotton candy...!"
Thomas stared. "I...I can't change anything..."
"Come on, Okaa-Saaaaan!" the younger boy called out in mock-annoyance. "or it'll be over before we get there!"
"Allright, allright." the woman smiled as she exited the house, closing the door behind her. "The Festival's not going anywhere..."
Even though he suspected as much, Thomas tried to reach out and put his hand on her shoulder- and yes, it passed straight on through.
"Come on Mom! Wanna race!" The younger boy asked.
"Not really!"
"HAhahahahaha...' MetalPhantomon's voice came by again. "if you let things continue like this, your Mother won't make it...!"
"Please! Mother!" Thomas ran to catch up with them. "Don't go to that festival!" he pleaded. "If you go you'll never come home again! Please, Don't go!"
"COME ON! FIGHT ME!" Agumon roared. "Fight me!"
MetalPhantomon had no reply.
"SIR! SIR!" Gaomon was starting to cry. "WAKE UP!"
"Yoshi! Yoshi!" Lalamon actually was crying, and had been.
Thomas rounded the corner. "Maybe I can stop the truck before it's too late... Maybe I can..."
And then it came... A truck loaded with supplies. Coming down the hill over the speed limit. But the brake lights were flashing... Why wasn't it slowing down...?
There was silence as the truck went through Him like he wasn't even there, and he could see the shock on the driver's face as the truck's brakes completely gave out.
Then, there was the sound of squealing wheels, just as Thomas' mother and his younger self rounded the corner, the truck driver threw the wheels into a sharp turn in a last ditch effort to stop. Her eyes went wide, she quickly spun and threw her son back the way they had come and then...
...There was the sound of crunching metal as the truck spun down the corner and came to a halt.
Thomas slowly turned around, and saw the sight that he had seen when he was only a kid... The Truck's engine was crushed inwardly against a street lamp, and...
His mother caught between them.
The blue flare around Thomas' hand was starting to shrink, and the red energy drain began to enlarge.
"Sir...Please..." Gaomon wrenched her eyes shut, tears freely flowing now. "THOMAS!"
But why was he crying? Why was he only reliving this one bad moment? Why only the one bad thing...?
Why wasn't he remembering all the good times? How she would wipe the pudding off his face when he took too big of a spoon full. How she would hold his hand as they walked...
No. No. NO.
"SIR! SNAP OUT OF IT!"
That was when he met Gaomon. That was when he was at his absolute worst, and she managed to turn things around. That was when he decided to live for all the good and not for the bad.
"I'm Done Playing Around."
"THOMAS!"
Suddenly, the red beams of energy transformed into Orange, Pink, and Blue beams, and began flowing back into their owners with a resound surge- The most masive energy flow of them all was going into Thomas. "What!" MetalPhantomon's eyes would have gone wide... had he had any, that is.
And then...
"I'm Done Playing Around."
Suddenly, that small speck of a flare of a DNA charge around Thomas' hand Exploded violently into a gale-force wind that swept across the entire Gorge, sweeping the Dokugumon away like they were nothing, and shattering the web around the Digimon and deleting the one around Thomas instantly. Yet somehow, through his DNA Charge, Thomas stayed floating in the air.
"WHAT'S THIS?" MetalPhantomon's eyes would have exploded at their sheer wideness... you know, if he had any.
"You decided to use that one memory of mine against me!" Thomas started as he opened his eyes. "A memory that you'll regret even trying to provoke any reaction out of me."
*Cue Any upbeat and AWESOME insert theme here*
PERFECT
EVOLUTION
With that, he grabbed his Digivice and held it forward. "D.N.A.!" He Raised his left hand up into the air, focusing all of his overflowing D.N.A. charge onto that hand. "FULL!" And finally, he slammed his palm down onto the top of the DataLink. "CHARGE!"
Gaomon's eyes widened as energy filled her body. "GAOMON MATRIX SHINKAAAA!"
In a flash, Gaogamon tore through the webbing, and kept on soaring towards MetalPhantomon. There was a flash of data, and her face elongated, gaining a flashy, stylish Visor, like the ones one would see on a Police hat.
Another flash, and her front paws became massive, metallic Boxing gloves. Two more flashes- Her body switched from being quadrupedal to bipedal, then, her feet became cybernetic; a pair of long, flowing pants appeared; her tail became longer, flatter, more belt like; and a metallic case encased her upper chest, with a pair of massive Jet engine thrusters attached to the back. Then, finally, strapped across her chest was a massive belt, with a police badge shaped center. The final touch was that her size exponentially grew to match that of MetalPhantomon's open hand.
"MACHGAOGAMON!"
{MACHGAOGAMON: "An Ultimate Level digimon. Two Jet engines propel her at incredible speeds, and her Special attacks are Winning Knuckle and Howling Canon."}
"WINNING KNUCKLE!" With her forward Momentum propelling her, MachGaogamon smashed her right fist into MetalPhantomon's face- Sending him flying back across the gorge.
INFINITE ICE RIDGE_ _ _|
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?" Gotsumon's jaw fell to the ground.
Literally.
"They...Free...?" Ikuto narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm... Impressive..." Falcomon nodded.
THE GORGE_ _ _|
Now, a few Dokugumon had returned, and that was trouble.
Well, it would have been had Marcus and Yoshi not have woken up from MetalPhantomon's spell.
"I'Ve Had Enough of You!" Marcus Roared as he punched one of them in the face.
Simultaneously, He and Yoshi raised their digivices.
"D.N.A. CHARGE!"
"AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO... GEOGREYMON!"
"LALAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO... SUNFLOWMON!"
With a roar, GeoGreymon jumped from one building to the next, Swatting the Dokugumon that even dared to get within five feet of him.
Sunflowmon quickly led a group of Dokugumon out, and then turned to face them, a smirk on her face. "Back At 'Cha! SUNSHINE BEAM!"
MachGaogamon threw another punch, easily blocked by MetalPhantomon's palm. "I'm going to make sure YOU'RE the one that's doing the sleeping!"
"Good Luck Trying!" MetalPhantomon smirked as he quickly swatted her into a building. With that accomplished, he then used his electromagnetic powers to throw the buildings on his side of the gorge towards MachGaogamon.
Toobad for ol' Skully here, but MachGaogamon's strength was much stronger then it appeared- She easily caught one of the buildings (with one hand, no less) and threw it back at him.
The sound of Metal and concrete crunching never sounded so sweet.
MetalPhantomon groaned in annoyance as the rubble fell away from him. "You'll Pay for your insolence... DEATH SCYTHE!" With that, two purple beams of energy split out of the ram's horns, and he slashed it through the air with glee.
The stray energy beams hit EVERY SINGLE Dokugumon there was- with Geogreymon and Sunflowmon barely dodging. Even Marcus and Yoshi had to seek cover.
But Thomas?
He was just standing there, a dead glare set on MetalPhantomon, as the beams just rushed past him. The closest ANY of them came to actually hitting him was one that only ruffled his hair due to wind and air currents. He snapped his fingers. "Gaomon. End this now."
"Sir Yes Sir!" MachGaogamon let loose a roar, quickly ducked and dodged through the energy slashes, and came up close and personal with MetalPhantomon. "HOWLING CANON!" She let loose a pure shock wave of sound, forcing the Metal Goon straight into the cliff wall- AGAIN. While he was struggling against the pinning sound waves, MachGaogamon dove in to finish the job. Her right fist began spinning rapidly and then... "WINNING KNUCKLE!"
She punched right through MetalPhantomon's chest to the rock wall behind him.
And the Digi-Egg?
It happened to re-materialize half-way inside the cliff wall.
It shattered into nothing a moment later.
MetalPhantomon was dead.
INIFINITE ICE RIDGE_ _ _|
Gotsumon managed to reattach his jaw just in time to have it fall off again.
Ikuto had nothing to say, and Neither did Falcomon.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GORGE_ _ _| A SHORT TIME LATER_ _ _|
Thanks to MachGaogamon, exiting the gorge was a simple task.
"So Gaomon finally managed to digivolve to Ultimate..." Agumon nodded to himself, then let loose a war cry. "THAT! WAS! AWESOME!"
"That'll even the odds come time to pound Merukimon." Marcus grinned.
"Thanks, I guess..." Gaomon smiled nervously at Agumon's enthusiasm.
"Well, then..." Thomas sighed. "Shall we get going?"
"Yeah... We've wasted enough time here." Marcus nodded.
So, the group started out again...
For all of five seconds.
"Huh? Yoshi? What's wrong?" Marcus narrowed his eyes. The poor girl was breathing heavily, leaning against a small rock... And then...
"YOSHI!" Lalamon cried out as her partner fell to the ground, unconscious.
NEXT TIME ON DIGIMON!
"We need to get her medical attention immediately!"
"N..I'm allrigh...realy..."
"You Humans passed the Virus onto Ikuto!"
"Virus? What Virus?"
"Tell us what you know."
"NO!"
"You shall not leave with that Vaccine! Falcomon... Your betrayal has made Merukimon furious!"
"no, please! It's not true!"
"Prepare to pay!"