Pre-chapter author's notes:
[1] Word count is 12, 375 words on Microsoft Office.
[2] I've decided to split The Butterfly Effect into two chapters because it will be too effing long if I include everything! More on that on the post-chapter author's notes.
[3] Sorry if it took me long to update. I was not only having a vacation, but I was also (and still am) struggling with employment. I finally relocated to the US, and it couldn't come at a worse time, when so many people are competing for work.
[4] When you're reading the battle part of the chapter, you may want to listen to music from One Piece such as Karakuri Defense System, Deploy or Karakuri Defense System, Activate. Also check out XRay Dog's Army of Doom. All these can be found on Youtube. Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
By the way, B.D.U. stands for "Battle Dress Uniforms". And if you cannot recall, "SCAI" is an acronym for "Self-conscious Artificial Intelligence", which is the scientific name for a digital monster. I pretty much retconned some earlier facts from the previous chapters (e.g. "Autonomous Artificial Intelligence" as the scientific name for digimon). ^^
Although his endurance, stamina, strength, and dexterity all surpassed human limits by a significant degree, Christopher Van Numen was still human, but only to an extent. Whether it came from time spent fleeing and fighting, or time spent walking and having fun, exhaustion was inevitable. Recreational fatigue may have been different from combat exhaustion, but in the end, it all boiled down to the fact sleep could make everything feel so much better.
Veemon was the best example of that. The blue dragon was snoozing, resting his head on Chris's shoulder. His three-foot body was secured by the arms wrapped tightly around the blond's neck. To warm his dangling feet, the Chosen, in his deep slumber, had stowed them in the blond's vest pockets. Chris's hands occupied the small, sheltered space as well, and the three-toed encroachers were a discomfort, not to mention dirty and probably carrying a thick, cheesy odor from all the walking they did that afternoon.
Preferring to remain in their private pouch rather than hang loosely in the air, the blond's hands accommodated this unconscious intrusion without putting up any resistance, its owner unaware they welcomed their new companions and gave them a rather comfortable massage. Veemon was not disturbed by this. Judging from the gratified mumbling his resting muzzle hummed, he probably found it relaxing. Enjoyable, even. His sleeping body dug his toes deeper into the pocket, wanting more.
Christopher, in contrast, was not as pleased. Neither was he as relaxed and happy. Wandering around Odaiba in the middle of the night just sucked. Worse, walking alone was instilling a desire to sleep. Veemon's still form did nothing to help him resist this desire. But Chris inhaled and rejected the temptation to find a spot and sleep there. For once he had money, and therefore, easy access to a comfortable bed. It seemed so wrong to opt for something as primitive as a tree, or a bench in the park.
Unfortunately, the bastard called "company policy" had so far obstructed the blond's quest for a good night's sleep. Christopher made a beeline first for the international hotels, those large ones catering to foreigners and local tourists from cities far from the Tokyo metropolis.
In one of these posh establishments, with Veemon still snoozing so contently on his back—why am I the one always walking? He grumbled enviously—through a revolving door. Upon entry the front desk was empty. In fact, the entire lobby was empty. Nobody came in to service him, nobody but one clerk working a night shift.
Before the blond could even ask if they had a room for the night, the clerk preempted him. "Check-in time runs from 11 AM to 3 PM everyday," she stated matter-of-factly. "Sorry, but we don't accept guests beyond this unless they have a reservation." She took out a small piece of paper, obviously a list of names. "Do you have a reservation with us, sir?"
Chris went out not long after. The next two big hotels gave him the same line, though not exactly word for word. When he chose to ponder on it, why would he go after multinationals like Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza? It was certain the money Ken lent them would run out just after one night in an establishment like this.
This random thought led Chris to roll his eyes towards Veemon. This blue dragon was the reason. Keeping the day's events in mind, the blond guessed digimon were given better treatment in the larger, more successful, yet more bureaucratic hotels, which were more considerate on the issue of "pets" than the local ones were. Veemon, as far as the entire world was concerned, was Christopher's pet. The digimon hated this label. Hell, Chris didn't t like it either. But I can't do anything about this. At least, not without generating unnecessary commotions.
Soon, the search among big hotels became futile. Chris thus turned his attention towards the smaller, more humble places to sleep. He found one, and was about to enter when he noticed his right shoulder and its general area were getting a little wet. He groaned. Chris wiped off some excess drool and closed Veemon's open mouth, slightly annoyed. He had already lost count of how many times he's done this in his sleep. I really wonder how that Daisuke could live with this.
Veemon and this Daisuke were apparently really tight. After all, they've been sleeping together on the same bed for more than five years. Seriously, pondered Chris, just how could he stand Vee's childishness? And all this drooling!
Stowing the irked thought away into the recesses of his mind—obviously stemming from his unsatiated desire for sleep—Chris entered the hotel, only to be pointed out the door the second he came in.
The reason?
The business owner was there, checking the books, performing her bookkeeping duties, and analyzing the financial statements to date. When she saw Christopher come in with Veemon on his back, the first thing that came straight out her mouth was an expletive. "We don't service SCAI's. Those hideous things make a complete mess of our rooms worse than real animals. I don't care if you'll leave it outside. Take your business somewhere else!"
She whipped her arm towards the door. "GET, OUT."
Chris briskly left the place, glimpsing her rigid index finger. The woman was entitled to her opinion, sure, but did she have to shout like that? Guess there are people who hate digimon with a passion.
The next few hotels were just as hostile, driving Chris's business away with cold, corporate policies. That they used the derogatory SCAI—society's acronym for the digital monsters—was implicative of the glacial stance towards them. One place actually refused to let Chris in because they didn't allow pets on their premises. Chris wanted to argue that Veemon wasn't a pet, that he was a good friend. But why bother? They wouldn't listen, anyway.
Two hours passed. Chris found another hotel, just a block away. It looked relatively decent and, judging by the pictures on the outside signage, seemed pretty comfortable. Check-in time was anytime, and the rooms were spacious enough for double beds. It was perfect! Chris went in, buoyant at this promising prospect.
His goldenrod eyes spied the clerk. Accosting the sleepy-looking man, he grabbed one of the choco-mint candies sitting by the man's computer. "Hi, I'm looking for a room…"
"Do you have a reservation with us?"
The blond shook his head. "No. But the sign outside says I can check-in anytime."
He nodded. "What kind of room do you want? We have a superior, a—"
"Just a regular." Chris cut him off. "With double beds."
"Mmmmhm."
"Oh, I forgot: how much is it?"
"For how long?"
"One night."
The sleepy clerk gave him a very competitive quotation. Chris was delighted. "Great!" After proceeding through the formalities of registering in the guest list and tendering the payment, "Can I have the key please?"
Before the clerk could finalize the transaction and hand it over to Christopher he finally noticed the blue digimon sleeping on his back. It was funny how he never noticed a second, dragonic head resting on this customer's shoulder.
What he said next wasn't. "Is that your SCAI?"
"Huh? SCAI?" Chris blinked. The clerk was gazing at Veemon. "Oh, you mean Vee? Yeah, he's with me. We'll both sleep in my room."
The clerk apologized. "Mr…. Van Numen, was it? I'm sorry, but hotel policy mandates that all pets have to be kept here on the ground floor in designated living spaces…"
Moaning out of exasperation, "Not again… look, Vee's not some pet."
Chris heard him heave a sad sigh, like this conversation was fairly common. "Management considers as pets all accompanying animals. That includes SCAI's."
"Can't you make an exception for this one?"
"Only if it's a service animal."
Adamant in getting his way, another wad of cash was taken out of Ken's wallet. "Would you change your mind if I—"
The clerk put his hand on Chris's. The lack of indoor heating made it cold. Very cold. "I don't accept bribes," he whispered. "Besides, we're being monitored by security cameras. Your SCAI's obviously not for service."
He scowled at the clerk, making him tremble. Chris retrieved the money that would've been the payment for the night. "And your hotel just lost one good customer."
Chris turned towards the door. Before he could walk away, the clerk murmured, his voice so low only Christopher heard it. "I'm sorry 'bout that. Management's strict on this. I just don't want to lose my job. Look, if you need a place to sleep, I can help you."
Piqued, the blond averted his gaze towards him, slowly. "I'm listening."
"The closest place isn't far. Just three blocks to the left, and then a couple more to the right. There's a motel there that allows guests to bring pets into their room." He took out a piece of paper and drew some landmarks, giving further directions. How nice of him.
Handing the paper over, "I don't think you'll like the place, but at this time of the night it's the best bet you've got in Odaiba. All the others either hate SCAI or cage them in the lobby."
"You said it," pouted Chris. "Why're you helping us, anyway?"
He rubbed his hands, breathing some heat into it. "Weeeelll, I have a SCAI back home." He pointed at Veemon. "The triband's M.M. just like yours. It's the closest to having a real partner, so I can relate with you wanting to keep Veemon by your side. If it wasn't for the management here, I'd bring mine—"
Chris interrupted him, nudging Veemon's head. "How'd you know his name?"
The clerk made an amused smirk. "You have a Veemon and you don't even know how popular it is?" His tone became more casual. "Any idiot who's ever watched Zero Two would know."
"Zero… Two? What does some TV show have to do with—"
A cough. "You know, Digimon Adventure Zero Two? Digimon Adventure's a non-fiction animation of the Chosen Children's quest to save two worlds from evil." That explanation alone made Christopher realize he was talking to a big fan. An otaku. The man's relaxed voice underscored the management's suppression of his favorite subject. "Zero Two's the second half when Daisuke Motomiya led the second generation of Chosen Children—"
"…and Veemon's his partner…" murmured Christopher. Didn't know they were that famous.
The clerk heard him clearly. "That's right."
He hummed. "Now that you mention it, I'm actually surprised you have a Veemon. I've always thought Daisuke's partner was the only one of its kind—even the DSI thinks so." He leaned closer towards Chris, shooting a glance at the sleeping dragon, his voice even softer. "Mind telling me where you bought it? My daughter's in love with the adorable little guy."
Chris shook his head. "Sorry," came the retort. "I'm not the one who bought him."
"Oh." He looked downcast. "That's a shame."
"I should go."
"Good luck finding a place to sleep, then." Chris, as he sauntered out, listened to the clerk slumping down on a chair, mumbling. "Wow, it is cute. No wonder she wanted a Veemon so much. I wonder where that man got one…" The clerk shuddered, thinking about the cost.
With directions in hand, Christopher Van Numen walked out of the hotel and bore left, traversing three blocks. Three long blocks. The roads were empty. The sidewalks were devoid of people. Chris's sharp ears could hear gunshots and explosions coming from the far north. He ignored it. Probably a gangfight, he thought.
.
.
A spacious courtyard greeted Chris upon arrival. Complete with a flowing fountain. Surrounding it was a virtual square composed of multiple two-level rooms. The ground level was always a garage that had a narrow, white door beside it. Obviously locked. Directly above it was a window sheltered in curtains so thick and dark in color you wouldn't see a silhouette even if there was a person right behind it.
Though the place was, like the rest of Odaiba, dead and deserted, Chris found a small, brightly-lit office. Somebody was inside, reading a local newspaper. Trying to read it when he could decipher the characters using his 20/20 vision was futile: only Veemon could read Japanese.
When Chris opened the glass door and entered the office, the clerk greeted him with an unfriendly "What do you want?" That the man never bothered putting the newspaper aside just to look at him spoke plenty about his attitude for the job.
"A room for two."
Christopher watched the man open the drawer next to him and fumbled for the keys, apparently relying on peripheral sight. In less than fifteen seconds the man tossed him a key. "You pay when you check out."
"Do the rooms come with double beds?"
"You just get what you see."
"What was that supposed to mean?"
He heard the clerk growl a miffed groan. "What a stupid question!" He slammed his newspaper down on his desk. "If you don't like what you see, you can just get the fuc"—his eyes fell upon Veemon. The man fell silent. "Oh, so you're one of them."
"What…?"
"Return that key." Chris tossed it back. "That's a one-man, solo room. I'm giving you a room just for people like you," he said, fumbling around the drawer. The clerk was grumbling, loud enough for Chris to barely hear it. "Why're we always getting these retarded sickos? Honestly, what do they see in those monsters? I can't picture myself in a fursuit screwing one of 'em no matter how cute it was."
"HEY!" the blond yelled, his goldenrod eyes making eye contact with him. "We're only here to sleep!"
"That's what they aaalllll say," he threw another key at Christopher, unfazed by the fierce stare, much to Chris's surprise. "You're here to sleep, all right… WITH EACH OTHER."
The blond cursed and turned around, walking out. "Asshole," flapped his mouth, spoken at a volume easily heard by the unfriendly clerk.
His response: "Damn furry."
Christopher ignored this gross insult, having no idea what it meant. Asking about it would've led to an ugly argument, and might actually make him kill the effing clerk out of frustration, he left. One look at the key and he knew they were sleeping in Unit 23 tonight.
All the thoughts of basking in the sweet embrace of slumber were broken when the inconsiderate clerk's disembodied voice resonated in Chris's mind, frustrating him even more. Sick bastard. Just because Vee's with me, he thinks I'm... I'm into...
"Hey, Chris?" Veemon's sleepy voice funneled into his ears. "Did something happen back there?" He yawned. "You look pissed." The Chosen gave a tired laugh or two.
"The clerk's a big jerk," admitted Christopher. "He thinks we'll be sleeping with each other!" He snarled, grumbling. "I ought to kill that…"
"Eh?" wondered the dragon. "What's there to be mad about?" he asked innocently. "We are sleeping together, aren't we?"
Chris stopped in front of Unit 23's garage door, turned his head, and glared at Veemon. "Vee, you've been living with a teenager for seven years. Didn't Daisuke ever bother teaching you about sex?"
"Duh!" Then he blushed, recalling something he probably wanted to forget. Obviously embarrassing. "Daisuke, err, taught me a lot of things back then. Yeah." Awkward laughter. "Ahahaha...ha. But, uhm, Chriiisss, what's that got to do with us?"
Slapping his own face, Chris groaned. Childish and a bit dense. Just perfect. "Nothing, nothing." He plunged the key into the door next to the garage and opened it, leading into a dimly-lit space large enough to fit a luxury car. "I'll tell you in the morning."
Veemon yawned. "'Kay," he mumbled, his disinterest taken with relief.
Christopher was surprised to find the room aesthetically appealing. One would expect from a sleazy-looking motel something more… unkempt. In a freak twist of fate, it was also Chris's first time in a place like this—in his opinion, only people who had glaring holes in their morality, ethical and sexual, would visit these seedy motels. The blond stifled a chuckle, remembering something about the space pirate he used to travel with.
Upon entering the garage, he went up the narrow flight of stairs. A door, dull white, greeted the blond. It was unlocked. Entering, he found a narrow hallway about one yard in length. The next door (also white) was locked. Using the key given to him by the irate, discriminating clerk, Christopher entered the room. The first thing he found was a dark blue curtain concealing the world outside, so thick it'd absorb all light passing through it.
His feet noticed the soft carpeting, blanketing the floor with a warm hazel. The walls of the bedroom—about 100 sq. ft. in area—had a serene scarlet cascading down from the ceiling down. Chris noticed the sleek air-conditioner directly above the room to the bathroom. As he took off his boots, the blond found a small television to his left, propped beside a work desk.
He found the room's fluorescent lighting (though they emitted a tungsten-colored light) apt for the room, and thought, This place doesn't look so bad after all.
Opposite the TV was a king-sized bed covered in brown sheets. It had four pillows. Two bedside tables stood by its sides. As Chris set the sleepy (or had he dozed off again?) dragon down on the bed, he realized: only one bed?
Wanting some proper customer service, the blond left the Chosen in this room and jogged back to the small office, frowning a bit, only to find the unsociable bastard gone, his newspapers set down on the desk, and a small sign acting as paper weight. Upon closer inspection, Chris fumed at the content: "You get what you see."
His eyes rolled down to a small postscript hastily scribbled in messy handwriting, one Chris deciphered in ten seconds: "To the furry staying with us tonight, if you need fursuits, they're in the back."
It was difficult to ignore the rising steam bubbling in his head, to do away with the bloodlust gathering in his teeth. Still, Christopher managed to do it. Calming himself down, he figured his short temper was a function of a strong desire for sleep and the maddening search for a place to settle down in. The man went back to Unit 23, wondering how he and Veemon could split the bed.
Speaking of the blue dragon, the Chosen had woken up for a few moments, not long after Chris left. He set the air-conditioning on low cool, shut most of the lights, and baptized the bed by finding a nice, comfortable spot under the sheets in the very middle. Veemon must've trusted Chris to come back—he didn't leave the room looking for him.
Well, that was merely speculation. An inference made after the blond arrived, still irked. Veemon's crimson eyes gazed at him inquisitively, showing some concern. "Where'd you go?"
"I wanted an extra bed." A straightforward response.
"Chris, leave it alone," proposed the blue dragon. "Let's just sleep already." He yawned again after giving him a puzzled stare. "Why do you want one so badly? We don't need another bed. This one's rrreeaalllyyy comfort…able…" his voice trailed; the digimon rolled to his side, shutting his eyes. "Mmm…" Then he was gone. Deadweight.
Veemon was right. All the previous establishments he'd gone to were unacceptable, not with their inflexible bureaucracy and discriminatory policies. The notion of going back out there was becoming less and less attractive the more Christopher put some thought into it. He ogled Veemon. He sighed when he noticed how relaxed the dragon was after a long day touring what they could. They both knew they'd have to get back to business by tomorrow, so everything that had to be seen, that he wanted to revisit, was marked off the mental checklist.
Nothing I can do about it now that we're here.
Accepting the ending to the hours they spent roaming the Tokyo Metropolis, the blond gave his vest and pants a light tap. His eyes glowed for each one, prompting said clothing to dissolve into molecules absorbed by the Realm Scanner, digitized and ready to "print" them back on his body at will. He gave the gauntlet one awed glance. This vambrace must never be taken for granted. How many times had it saved his life from a terrible wound? How many times had it facilitated escape from the most perilous situations? How many times had this miraculous machine made his journey easier, assured communication with everyone he's ever met?
Chris' precious staff, white and pristine, was laid to rest next to the wall, within his reach. Left with only his undershirt and boxers, the man slipped into the far side of the bed, facing the wall. It felt good, not having some piece of armor on him. If it wasn't for the Ultimate Shield eternally clasped to his left arm, Christopher Van Numen could have sworn he was a teenager again. A young, innocent boy, back in his home universe, in his own house, his head resting on soft pillows carrying the relaxing scent of fresh down. Oh, the bed was so comfy.
It was so easy to forget everything he had gone through, to banish the chilling horrors he himself experienced—the execrable sins he knowingly committed—from his conscious. He might have been successful, too, if the sleeping dragon on the other side did not snuggle against his back. The digimon's soft, leathery body cuddled closer and gave Chris a tight bear hug. The unfriendly clerk's mockery echoed in the blond's ears, and for a second, he entertained the idea of pushing the Chosen away.
It didn't hold for too long. He decided against it. They've been friends long enough. For all he knew, Veemon could still sense his unease while asleep and was simply responding to Christopher's desire to forget. A touching thought. If this was what those Digidestined people were trying to preserve in this corrupt society, he couldn't blame them. How would life be like back at home, if they had something just like digimon back there? If they had a lifelong companion from childhood and up, a second shadow of sorts? How would they even look like?
The goldenrod eyes eventually closed. Soon, he too, fell asleep. His last thoughts free from the hardships of his journey. From the stress of his fate.
One second. That's all it took.
Rika resisted Renamon's insistence to move away, believing in the apparent safety of their perch. They were beyond the DSI's security perimeter. Far from it. The long-range fire support they gave was not enough for either the SAT or DSI to pinpoint their exact location. Nonaka sent fleeting glances on her teammate's digimon, along with the partners of the fireteam on the other building, who she could see from a distance. They weren't fidgeting the way Renamon did.
Before she knew what was happening, the yellow fox tackled her own partner, so suddenly Rika hadn't the time to brace herself. Rage began to build up, only to be abated by high-pitched whistles in the air.
Projectiles struck the railing running across the roof, the very one that separated Rika from a precarious, 100-foot drop, causing sparks.
In one second, Rika realized she would've been hit square in the head had Renamon selected inaction. Rika was stupefied. We're, we're under attack? Here? Impossible!
Renamon rolled the moment she struck the concrete floor, keeping Rika close to her warm, furry body. She raised her left hand, holding it before her chest. Crystal shards, glimmering white as it basked in the moonlight, appeared before her, gathering in a small cloud. When the fox whipped it outward, the cloud of spikes shot towards a small assembly of machinery and pipes on the roof. "KOYOSETSU!"
Rika watched two men bolt away, ducking behind concrete and the roof-access stairs. Their dark blue battle dress uniforms gave them away: DSI soldiers.
.
Veterans.
.
Rika, regaining her bearings, pushed herself away from her partner and took cover behind a ventilation shaft, assessing her surroundings. Though the highest vantage point within a hundred meters, the roof of the building was littered with industrial machinery, piping, and steel ventilation shafts. Sitting there on the very middle of the roof, which was wide in terms of area, was the fire escape, albeit the only one that led here. It was locked, a predicament easily addressed by shooting the door open.
Her purple eyes shifted to the right, towards her teammate. She hoped her fellow sniper survived the initial ambush. Sadly, he was dead. His digimon partner had collapsed beside him, completely catatonic. Rika closed her eyes, mentally disbursing her condolences—the two must've had an exceptionally strong bond for that digimon to have died that way.
She caught another pair of veterans shuffling in the moonlight, inching their way towards her, when she reopened her eyes. Rika found her voice. "Renamon, what just happened?"
The fox's reply was calm. "I don't know," she admitted. "It's like they teleported. One moment they weren't there; the next, they were. If I had been a second too late…"
"Shut it," snapped Rika. This wasn't the best time for what-if analyses. "This isn't good," she grumbled. Rika Nonaka was up against a squad of DSI veterans. There was no use contacting the others. If she was attacked, by now they were either in a fight for their lives or worse.
She couldn't understand how the DSI found them, or how they got there undetected by Renamon's sharp ears. 'Teleportation' was the only explanation Rika's mind settled for, but the word itself sounded doubtful. Not even digimon can teleport.
Or could they?
Something landed next to her leg. She glanced down; panic filled her. A fragmentation grenade. Rika had to move! There was no time to prepare a battle plan. The young lady had to go by instinct. She hated going by instinct.
Rika Nonaka only had four guns in her arsenal: a semi-automatic sniper rifle, an Atchison-Assault 12 full-auto 20-round shotgun, and a pair of TMP Machine Pistols. Her ears picked up Renamon's plea to do something, right here, right now, before the veterans could further exploit their vulnerable position—they had many options for doing so. The sooner they acted, the higher were their chances for survival.
Taking a deep breath, Rika chose the TMP's, brandished them, and leapt out of cover seconds before the frag grenade burst. Simultaneously the yellow fox jumped, her clear, blue eyes gazing straight at the other fireteam making their way across the roof. Renamon rebounded off some machinery, heading for them.
Rika opened fire, ducking behind a large object for cover.
Renamon closed in, summoning six Koyosetsu shards. She grabbed three in each hand and clenched them in between her fingers. With makeshift claws the yellow fox swiped at the nearest DSI veteran, who ducked and attempted to shoot bullets straight into Renamon's gut.
I'm not that open! The fox instantly sidestepped, swatting the man's arms down and seizing his neck for a choke slam, one strong enough to damage the spine and indefinitely paralyze the soldier from the waist down. Before she could disable her opponent, his teammate ran in, shooting multiple burst shots.
Renamon backed away, summoning another cloud of shards. "KOYOSET—AGH!" Searing pain shot up from her waist. She turned to her attacker—the man she almost slammed—just as he fired another bullet. This time she was ready. Renamon's paws burst into flames, its azure hue indicating the sheer heat they possessed. The yellow fox swiped the air, instantly melting the bullets, somersaulting behind him and going instantly for the kill. "TOUHAKKEN!"
Had Renamon been fighting a grunt or a regular soldier, she would've won this little match. Unfortunately, this was a veteran. His cumulative battle experience manifested in his quick reaction time; he let go of his sidearm, moments before Renamon's paw struck and melted it. He unsheathed a combat knife and slashed, slicing the fox's forearm as she tried to avoid getting a direct hit on her artery. Detecting the pull of a trigger on the side, she bounced forward, barely avoiding gunshots from the veteran's teammate.
While he reloaded, Renamon crossed her arms and amassed floating crystals from oblivion, only to realize there was something wrong with the attack: the materialization rate had dropped significantly, and there were fewer shards hovering before her. The yellow fox unleashed her attack, and was stunned to discover their lower speed and power.
The veteran closed in, knife ready to kill. Renamon bent her legs for a high jump, only to feel physical strain on her legs, as if they had recently undergone a severe exertion of strength. She found it odd. I've only been fighting for two minutes!
She tried to flip backwards to avoid a fatal wound from the oncoming enemy, but her leg strength waned, and she fell on the concrete floor, landing on her back. Renamon's blue eyes widened as they perceived the battle-hardened human approach with his dagger.
Rika wasn't doing well either. The fireteam she engaged were adept at urban combat, taking cover behind the machinery. She leaned on a pipe, recovering some energy, reloading her TMP's.
Watching Renamon a few meters next to her made her worry. The fox was already shot once, and Rika could see signs of exhaustion quickly building up. It was evident in her increasingly sluggish movements, and in the weaker summoning of her attacks.
Rika Nonaka recognized the symptoms. She's in trouble!
The young lady bolted out of cover, aiming her TMP's at the fireteam on the other side—as expected, they're about to fire. She beat them in this game of pulling the trigger, unloading a sum of ten bullets on their location.
One duck under cover. The other sidestepped and continued shooting. Rika shot a glance at Renamon and found her on the floor. "RENAMON!" she screamed, holding the trigger, aiming it in the general direction of her digimon partner's opponent. Simultaneously attention was centered on her enemies. Rika's own death would make the rescue of her partner meaningless. The incomprehensible yet rational laws that governed such partnerships made it so.
She sprayed her TMP, emptying the clip. A couple of bullets grazed his hip, causing him to fall. Rika took shelter behind a short cover, kneeling behind it. Her interference planted a bullet in the soldier's arm, causing him to drop the knife. Renamon hastily seized the CheyTac Intervention and aimed it towards the veteran without even looking through the scope. One shot thundered across the roof.
The bullet did not hit its mark, not even grazing him. Yet the forceful blast of its ejection startled the soldier, making him stagger back. Renamon got up and whacked him with the butt of the humongous rifle, summoning ten shards of crystal. It used to be fifty. "KOYOSETSU!"
Ten shards of crytal shot from close range would rip through a human body, even if their speed had decreased greatly. All ten struck the veteran's battle dress. Even Rika believed the soldier died, covered in red, vital body parts malfunctioning.
Or so they thought.
To Rika's surprise, the victim escaped with cuts on his uniform. A little blood oozed out—the wounds were shallow. Lockheed Dispersion Gear! "Renamon, on me!" she snapped, rising out of cover, emptying her TMP's clips.
She didn't have time to reload. Trusting Renamon to do her part, Rika switched to her sniper rifle.
The yellow fox complied, backflipping before she could be flanked. She saw a soldier in full view. Fire support was given, sending the man fleeing from the crystal shards. He ran right into Rika's trap.
Unlike Renamon, the girl needed no assistance from a scope. Not at a relatively short range. The semi-automatic rifle fired four shots at the veteran, striking his neck twice.
Securing a clean kill, Rika retreated to cover. Renamon was right beside her in an instant. "How's your body?" she asked.
"Exhausted," Renamon panted. "Especially after my arms got cut up." She gazed at them now: slash wounds ran across both. The veteran fought well with a knife. "My power weakened too, but I don't know why…"
"They're well-equipped for digimon combat," retorted her partner. "Should've known they'd use fatigue bullets and gear applied with Lockheed dispersion coating."
Among the insidious technology developed by the Digital Suppression Initiative, the fatigue bullets were most crucial to humanity's victories against Adult and Perfect level digimon. These projectiles exaggerated the attrition nature of combat, steadily increasing the amount of energy consumed by the digimon for every action it takes, whether it was movement or an attack. Worse, these bullets' enfeebling nature stacked upon each other. Renamon's exhaustion following the slash wounds meant the DSI's close combat arsenal had the same effects as well. The amount of time for this effect to wear off was unknown. To date, no digimon struck by fatigue weaponry survived to tell the tale, always slain by opportunistic humans before full recovery.
Lockheed dispersion coating, an ingenious development from weapons company Lockheed Martin, worked differently. Rika once told Renamon how that worked: anything made with dispersive abilities exuded micro-digital fields—zones that imposed the Digital World's rules on the three-dimensional reality of the Real World, making it easy for digimon or anything digital to realize, or for people to alter their inner programming with ease—that weakened the potency of all digital attacks, unless they were melee.
"What do we do?"
Rika considered her options. It's a 3-on-2. One of the veterans couldn't use his arm. Renamon is under fatigue and increased stress thanks to the DSI's weapons. Without the fox on her side, she knew she would've been dead minutes ago. They weren't called veterans for nothing
.
The big picture was serious. How many veterans were deployed, or "teleported" as Renamon claimed? How many from her squad survived? Were they also caught, like her dead teammate, completely undetected?
Her thoughts went to Taichi. What if he had been ambushed as well? If not… then there's still a little time to warn him. Something's wrong with Operation: Pyramid. Rika Nonaka had a feeling things were going to get worse. A lot worse.
Little did she know the only ones returning to Mt. Fuji were Renamon and herself.
Rika switched back to her TMP's reloading them. Six clips remained. "We're retreating," she said to the fox, eyes fixated on the lone door in the center. "Renamon, cover me."
The digimon nodded. With the full support of her partner, the Digidestined took a deep breath before sprinting out of cover.
The Chosen Child of Courage spied faint lights from far away, illuminating the dark tunnel slightly. Taichi's, and the rest of the platoon's, legs were submerged in the filthy waters running the Tokyo sewers. Somewhere along the way Taichi had actually seen one long piece of human excrement floating by him as he walked past it, heading for the light.
Ignoring the screams of disgust behind him, Taichi carried on, perceiving faint light in the distance, and what appeared to be a narrow platform elevated slightly above the murky waters. Once the distance was closed the Child of Courage could see a small corridor leading deeper into the sewer. Taichi glanced back, his gaze being met by rather hopeful eyes of people who have grown tired of wading in excrement and other things better left unsaid in this sentence.
Acceding to their unspoken requests, Taichi Yagami led his platoon up the platform and into the corridor, eliciting some joy from his own subordinates. Agumon was wiping his entire lower body on the concrete wall, to the point the tiny dinosaur's stub of a tail was being scraped clean. "Don't ever make me do that again, Taichi!" He gave his human half a light slap.
"I can't wait to take an effing bath," murmured a young man next to the Child of Courage, tending to a small, russet digimon. The little creature squirmed when he took hold one of its long ears (which was about the length of and twice as wide as a human arm) with his sleek hands and squeezed the grime out, flicking the disgusting filth back into the water. "How about it, Lopmon?"
"O-o-o-o-o-ow! Yuuji, not too haaarrd!" the tiny rabbit-like digimon whined.
"Sorry," apologized the teen, wiping brown stuff off the three horns forming a triangle on Lopmon's forehead. He sniffed it before flicking it off. "I do not want to know what I just smelled."
"Then why'd you sniff it?" snickered his digimon.
Taichi Yagami stopped listening, watching his comrades clean themselves. He was starting to get worried. Checking out the map again with a small LED flashlight, he pinpointed their location as slightly past the midpoint of the radius from the DSI tower to the perimeter. At this point they had to start exercising caution, lest they get caught in a trap. Past investigations did reveal underground monitors, after all.
That just proved the DSI's obsession with security and control. However, there was a passage devoid of cameras and monitors, and it led straight into the heart of the subterranean M&A Wing (how can it store all those weapons and combat equipment in the heart of a business & government district otherwise?). Unfortunately, the information was provided by an unknown informant whose identity was never revealed, and in fact, was never heard of since the leak, two details that spoke for the risks involved.
The first ones ready were Yuuji and Lopmon. As usual, thought the elder Yagami.
Yuuji shared with Taichi a history of being persecuted for noncomformity while having an undying determination to stand for what's right, even if it cost one's way of life. Yuuji may not be a Chosen Child, but he was a Tamer well-acquianted with the Twelve even before the Mt. Fuji base (or the Digidestined itself) was established, thanks to a common friendship through the late Miyako Inoue.
Whether it came to firearms, digimon, close quarters combat, or even plain camaraderie, the fact remained both Taichi and Yuuji were good friends, friends who lost their loved ones when the Digital Suppression Initiative reared its ugly head.
Eying a corridor nearby, Taichi called Yuuji's attention and told him to gather his squad and take point. Though it brought the platoon north, the tunnel was narrow and short, forcing everyone to travel in rows of two rather than a big group accompanying their own respective squads. It widened later on as it merged with several other paths. Taichi noted ladders heading up to the surface. About three in 80 meters.
Then Yuuji led them straight into a rather large chamber, a derelict one with decrepit machinery clinging to the sides of the walls no longer functioning. The chamber was about 30 feet high, implying just how deep underground they all were. Because it was dimly lit (so dim you could barely see anything), Taichi discerned a second level elevated above the floor, constructed on a sturdy steel platform that ran across the perimeter of the chamber. The Chosen Child could catch a faint silhouette of what looked like stairs on the other side, stopping short of a thick-looking double door.
As the platoon followed Yuuji's squad into the room, Taichi noticed there used to be stairs beside their entrance to, but were destroyed, probably due to some mishap years back. I wonder what this room was used for, he thought. Before he could cogitate anymore he found something odd about the way the stairs next to them were broken. It was hard to see but it looked like, someone torched it off? That isn't right…
There were four pillars supporting the ceiling. Taichi imagined the place would look like the #4 on a six-sided die from a bird's eye view, given the empty space in the middle. That didn't stop him from recalling the oddity of the stairs. As they approached the center, he bent down, whispering to Agumon. "Something about this room's giving me the creeps. Agumon, what do you think?"
The orange dinosaur never got to respond.
In the exact moment he opened his mouth to speak, Lopmon shrieked. "WE'RE NOT AL—"
Explosions thundered, silencing the digimon's words.
The rear! Taichi noted, watching blasts of fire erupt amongst the platoon's rear guard. Incendiary grenades burst upon hitting the ground, thrown from locations unknown. One squad died instantly. Though the fire—kept alight by chemicals—provided illumination, it wasn't enough to even see the silhouettes of their attackers, especially when the entire platoon LOST COMPOSURE AND MADE A MAD DASH FOR THE FRONT. Taichi was shoved aside by inexperienced individuals seeking only self-preservation. Not even the elder Yagami's command to stay strong could hold them back.
Gunshots boomed, their bullets coming in from the front. Bodies were falling, and digimon were disappearing in an instant. Immediately Taichi thought of his friend. "YUUJI!"
Taichi had no time to worry about his comrade. During the ensuing panic, his brown eyes discerned movement among the pillars surrounding them. Then he finally identified the enemy: DSI Veterans clad in their trademark dark blue B.D.U.'s, coming in pairs from the sides!
"AMBUSH! IT'S AN AMBUSH!" yelled the Child of Courage. "WE'RE BEING FLANKED ON ALL SIDES!" Some of the remaining Digidestined had gathered themselves and tried to counterattack, opening fire, but the mass panic clouded their judgment, as their rifle bullets were not striking the opponents.
Taichi Yagami watched in horror as a small, green monkey—a Koemon—leaped in front of a soldier, yelling in pain as the man shot him twice. The sound the weapon produced was distinct, yet easily recognizable. Shotguns! "Agumon!"
"On it, Taichi!" he hawked a ball of flame in his mouth, spitting it towards the soldier. "BABY FLAME!"
Simultaneously the Child of Courage pulled up his cloak's hood, aimed down his AK-47's holographic sights, and returned fire on one fireteam. The man tried to dive for cover, but Taichi's bullets caught him before he could do so. Passing a glance at Agumon's target, he watched his partner's Baby Flame disperse upon contact, barely burning through the veteran's uniform. Damn they're wearing Lockheed!
The elder Yagami yelled, "AGUMON! CLOSE QUART—" A bullet struck the side of his head, coming from above. That the hood of his cloak was laced with red chrome digizoid saved him from death yet spared neither his earset nor his head from blunt trauma. It was a massive headache, causing Taichi strain when he tried to catch a glimpse of his attackers: multiple soldiers gathered on the second level, each armed with Belgian FN FAL battle rifles, firing upon his platoon in multiple 3-round bursts. He could already infer the presences of more soldiers from the other side.
They had the height advantage.
.
.
"Calm down and take cover behind the pillars!"
Taichi barely discerned the shape of a man aiming straight at him. He ducked, narrowly avoiding a bullet that would've struck his face. He rolled, stacking next to a pillar. The Child of Courage unloaded several shots on the other side before attempting to peek out and kill the man who almost killed him. Suddenly his gun jammed. "DAMMIT!"
Lopmon had been unusually attentive the moment the platoon entered the room. There was something strange about the eerie silence blanketing the entire chamber, he thought. How right he was when his long, floppy ears detected movement coming from the front.
The rabbit-like digimon instantly leaped down from his perch on Yuuji's head with a rather strong kick-off. "Lopmon, what're you—" The teen was interrupted by a searing heat from behind, and the platoon's mad dash to go forward. Meanwhile Lopmon spun in place, rapidly increasing his RPM, moving towards Yuuji with every revolution. He slammed into his human half's body, fragile yet protected by combat armor. "PETIT TWISTER!"
It came just in time. As soon as the pair was out of the way gunfire burst from the front, mowing down his squad, along with everyone else rushing to the front. They weren't safe yet—a pair of soldiers popped out from behind the pillars, and in the darkness Lopmon could discern their shotguns. The russet rabbit wasn't so keen on firearms, but from how those guns looked he did not want to be one of the DSI's targets.
He opened his mouth and cried "BLAZING ICE!" spitting out crytal bolts, only to watch them bounce off the veteran's B.D.U., marginally damaged. "Wha—it can't be!"The soldier was about to pull the trigger when he fell to the floor, dead. Lopmon could see two holes on the man's forehead.
Gazing back, he found his partner standing up, having realized what was happening. Faint wisps of smoke escaped his AK-47; clearly he was the one who shot the soldier. Lopmon couldn't thank him for the assistance since Yuuji seized one of his floppy ears and pulled hard, sparing the Child rabbit from being diced by bullets coming in from above.
"Too many up there!" Yuuji said before rolling, taking Lopmon with him. There were still DSI veterans opening fire from the front.
They had no cover! Hide from the frontline attackers and they get hit by the ones shooting from above. Hide from them and get hit by the latter! There was no escape, unless…
Taichi Yagami already beat Yuuji to the idea. He aimed at the second level, firing not his AK-47, but its grenade launcher attachment. "EAT THIS!" An explosion not only destroyed the railing and caused considerable structural damage to the elevated steel platform, but also killed multiple soldiers camping near it. Another grenade explosion struck the platform while the Chosen Child reloaded.
Yuuji had apparently caught on, and it was only a matter of time before they'd get a fighting chance. "Everyone," he ordered, calling upon what remained of his platoon and the lone sniper squad provided by Rika—it was a miracle they survived, considering they were close to the rear, where the medical squad was (the loss of which is a great tragedy). "Retake the left!"
Agumon saw his chance when the soldier, about to finish off the dead Koemon's grieving partner, was distracted by grenade explosions on the elevated level above him. The orange dinosaur leaped, his vascular arms, which were proportionate to his body unlike a typical tyrannosarus rex, rearing back for a strong attack.
The soldier never saw it coming. "SHARP CLAW!" Agumon's three-fingered hands, each possessing white claws sharp enough to cut through steel, pierced the veteran's coated BDU. Warm blood gushed from the body, dousing the Digimon of Courage.
His green eyes caught a dog-like shape leaping from behind him. It landed on the elevated platform: a black Doberman pinscher whose scrawny yet muscular body intimidated the soldiers seeing him for only a second. Its crimson eyes gleamed.
"SCHWARTZ STRAHL!" the Dobermon roared, firing a blast of dark energy. His attack struck a fireteam. Though the Lockheed Dispersion Coating applied to their BDU's weakened the potency of all non-melee digital attacks, the Adult's attack was simply too strong. The two veterans were killed.
However, bullets rained upon the Dobermon, who was obviously a liberated digimon (one could see the deactivated black, triband suppressor on his neck, where a silver, spiky collar should be).
Taichi's voice sprung from Agumon's right. "Dobermon! Fall back! They're using fatigue bullets, too!"
As if the liberated digimon heeded his warning, Dobermon jumped away, moments before a frag grenade exploded on the platform and finally made a hole. The black dog landed next to Agumon, who not only saw the multiple bullet wounds on the Adult's body, but also the extreme state of exhaustion he was in. God knows how many bullets he endured; the Digimon of Courage was certain there were enough to completely sap him of energy.
Two more grenades struck the platform; Agumon glanced at the other side and after confirming two veterans up there, hawked up another fireball. "Full charge, BABY FLAME!" Striking the metal underneath their feet, its dispersion was explosive. The pair fell. Their ankles broke upon landing, and they were slain by the Digidestined and their digimon.
In less than five minutes the Digidestined have seized control over the western (left) side of the chamber, taking cover behind the two pillars. Suppressing fire was great, and the chemical flames blocking their only path of escape was just beginning to flicker. Yuuji knew they had to find a way out as soon as possible.
He spied another tamer cowering behind the pillar, afraid to peek out. His digimon was just as timid, refusing to fight. "Why aren't you fighting? We need your help!"
"I, I, I c-can't," muttered the Tamer, throwing his gun down. Yuuji conjectured the kid's immaturity from the way he hid behind safety. "I'm not c-c-c-cut out for this." He turned to his digimon, who responded he didn't like fighting either, especially when his partner's shaking in fear. "I don't, I don't want to end up like mom and dad…"
"Yuuji!"
He turned and found Taichi Yagami staring at him. "We need to surface! We're heavily outnumbered and we lack cover underground!"
"And what do you propose?"
"Take Tommy over there and gather everyone else who isn't in my squad." His eyes darted towards the dying flames by the rear tunnel. "Lead them through there and up the ladders we passed earlier. We'll cover and follow."
Lopmon protested, "Just let us fight. We're digimon, we can handle it!"
"And for how long, Lopmon?" countered Taichi. "We're still far from the M&A Tower. If we let you guys fight now, you won't be in shape to fight back later, especially when they're already using fatigue bullets…"
His partner remained silent, speechless. Yuuji only asked the elder Yagami one question. "Is this necessary, Taichi?"
Taichi nodded. "I don't know what else the DSI has up their sleeve, Yuuji. We need to conceal our strength as long as we can. Only resort to evolution when you must, got it?"
"Got it."
In moments, Yuuji had gathered the escaping combatants. Including Lopmon and himself, his group was comprised of the frightened tamer and his hesitant digimon, two owners and their digimon, and Dobermon. Taichi had only Agumon, one tamer and her digimon (a colorful bird called Muchomon), two vengeful tamers seeking revenge for their loss, an owner, and one liberated digimon.
All in all there were nine people and eight digimon left over from the entire platoon's count of over 25 people and at least 15 digimon.
The only reason why the soldiers haven't attacked yet is because blitzing them risked evolution. Killing the digimon's human half before it could even react is certainly the most surefire method of dealing with the monsters capable of evolving. And thanks to their hesitation we can escape!
"GO-GO-GO!" commanded Taichi, commencing the operation. Agumon and Muchomon took point, delivering plumes of fire to the soldiers gathering above, followed by rifle grenades from both Yagami and the Muchomon's tamer. The remainder fired upon the soldiers on the north side, forcing them to scatter. Lockheed can protect them from digimon but those coats can't stop our bullets! Taichi slung his AK-47 and snatched a fallen comrade's M240 LMG and some belts, unloading high-caliber bullets on his enemies.
Meanwhile, Yuuji led his squad through the tunnel, making an escape. They were to meet up on the surface, where they will continue making progress until it was no longer possible. Yuuji barely made it into the tunnel when chemical fires sprang forth, truly separating both Taichi's and his groups. "TAICHI!"
"Go on," urged the Child of Courage. "I can deal with this!"
Yuuji hesitated for a moment, concern overwhelming him. Then he complied, fleeing with three persons and four digimon in tow. Lopmon, clutching his head tightly, summed up his thoughts in one sentence. "I really hope he'll be okay…"
Taichi's situation had worsened.
Not only was he barred from escape, but DSI reinforcements came, surrounding the lone squad's cover of pillars. Chemical flames prevented them from using the southern side of the chamber, and the worst part of it was they were all slowly being overwhelmed.
The Chosen Child overheard a DSI captain commanding the platoon pinning his squad down, presumably from the other tunnel. "Taichi Yagami, Child of Courage; incumbent leader of the Digidestined. Capture him. Kill the rest."
"Sir!"
Rapid footsteps coming his squad's way held only terrible news. A whirring sound filled the chamber, and in moments, strings of binary code ran up, down, left, and right in the air, appearing sporadically and unpredictably. Taichi's surroundings became more pronounced, adopting a rather digital air around them, as if they were from the Digital World itself.
What, is, this? The DSI Veterans arrived next. Their FAL's were equipped with shotgun attachments.
The Muchomon flapped its scarlet wings and leaped, attempting to slap them down with them. "MUGEN BINTA!"
One blast of shotgun shells not only stopped her, but also forced her back, careening into her tamer's arms. She was bleeding heavily from the front, but was adamant in defending the squad. Light gave Muchomon's beak an orange hue. "ARDENT FLARE!"
Instead of an attack, the flame sputtered out, as if the red, tropical bird couldn't produce it. No, it's as if the attack was cancelled. Taichi Yagami opened fire, his offense bolstered by the lone owner, two vengeful tamers, and one liberated digimon.
A chaotic gunfight ensued between the squad and the platoon convergin upon them. One of the rancorous tamers died, getting stabbed in the neck with a combat knife. A frog-like monster with four, uni-toed legs and a red dorsal fin targeted a veteran and unleashed a 1-million volt bolt of electricity. "DENGEKI BIRIRIN!"
The liberated Betamon's attack was weakened, but managed to kill one of the veterans before the digimon itself was killed with two shotgun blasts to the face. His owner screamed, emptying his AK-47 to avenge his slaughtered friend. "You'll pay, you S.O.B.'s!"
Another squad of veterans flanked them from the other side, and one of them intended to shoot the owner from behind. Taichi Yagami mowed them down with his scavenged M240, but that was not enough. One soldier had survived the sweep, and shot Taichi with a full blast of shotgun shells. His right hand was struck, a few pellets invading his body. Immediately he began to feel the effects of the fatigue alloy these pellets were made from: every action he did, every breath he took, had a toll on his body. The very act of reaching for his Desert Eagle, cocking it, and firing at his opponent's chest twice exhausted him to a great degree. And this came from onlya few pellets.
But why was the fatigue alloy affecting him, a human of all things? Did that have something to do with the Digital World-like qualities that now dominated the chamber? Was his body digital within this bounded field?
Taichi couldn't afford to ruminate further. More soldiers replaced the squad he just killed, and the screaming owner had been shot in the head. Agumon barely dodged a bullet and regurgitated another Baby Flame at the other squad. Everyone was dead, save for the female tamer and her Muchamon.
Taichi immediately went to her side. He could hear her sobbing despite all the fighting, despite all the gunfire pursuing them as he dragged her and Muchomon's body with one arm using adrenaline-pumped strength, fighting back with nothing but a Desert Eagle in hand. The Child of Courage's cloak was saving him from death, but sooner or later even that cannot save him.
I have to do it.
One of the DSI soldiers tackled Agumon, pinning him down, putting a gun to his large head.
I must violate my own rules.
"Agumon." He gazed at the pinioned, orange dinosaur. Taichi unearthed his rectangular digivice from his pocket. A bright light enveloped the Digimon of Courage, startling his would-be slayer. "EVOLVE!"
Agumon's body, encased in light, grew in size and shape. The orange dinosaur stood, erect, towering 20 feet above the floor, his head almost reaching the ceiling.
Taichi dove when the light dissipated. A massive tail swept the entire floor, destroying not only the support pillars, but also pushing away the DSI veterans converging upon them. Bloodred eyes glistened behind a brown, horned helmet that extends all the way to its snout, wherein a third horn also protruded. The dinosaur that was once Agumon staunchly soared staunchly above them all, snarling.
The Child of Courage reached for the dinosaur's orange, blue-striped skin, urging his two remaining comrades to climb up. "GREYMON!" Taichi howled, his voice charged with authority. "We're getting out of here!"
Greymon did not respond, rearing his muscular body. "Miki!" commanded the Chosen Child. "Muchomon! Hold on tight!"
The tamer and her partner only had a second to prepare before Greymon straightened his legs and jumped, soaring above the DSI below. Taichi glimpsed a strange machine next to the tunnel, something that appeared portable, easy for two men to carry. What the hell's that?
Using his armored head, the Adult form of Agumon broke through the ceiling, causing debris to fall. Concrete and steel fanned out from the point of impact, descending upon the DSI with deadly force. Taichi held on as tight as he could, feeling his exhaustion fade away as they escaped the bounded digital field and the surroundings became more "real" than "digital".
Clouds of dust obscured his vision; Greymon's solid landing, nonetheless, meant they had surfaced successfully. The DSI HQ loomed 1½ kilometers north. Just a little more. Taichi was flabbergasted to discover what awaited him and Greymon once the dust settled…
With Greymon at the very center of an intersection, there were two Type 90 main battle tanks facing them, one from the right and one from the front, the barrels of their main guns ready to fire. "T, they, they expected us to escape!" stammered Taichi, completely paralyzed by the new development.
Shit, what now? WHAT NOW?
The Atchison Assault shotgun was smooth in her hands. Rika Nonaka cocked the gun as she approached the fire escape in the middle of the roof. Renamon, with her strength, took one of the smaller machinery on the rooftop and hurled it at the veterans pursuing the pair. "Hurry!" she croaked, her legs shaking, hyperventilating. "I can't keep this up any longer!"
Without mouthing a reply, the brunette tamer held the trigger, blasting the door's lock with shotgun shells before kicking it open. She dashed down . "C'mon!" Stopping half a flight from the top, the pineapple head chucked a frag grenade while the yellow fox followed her, not wanting any "guests" following her path.
"Take that door down," she gave the order once her partner landed beside her, leaping from the top.
Renamon stated, "Intervening," taking out her CheyTac Intervention, opening fire at the ceiling directly in front of the fire escape. The bullet's internal components and caliber ensured penetration and destruction of the concrete, barring access from the veterans.
"Good job," praised Rika. The young lady walked down the stairs briskly, just in case the veterans found a way to get down. Although only one fire escape led to the roof, the fact remained there were two other stairwells in this building. Caution was necessary, but the first thing she needed to do was inform Taichi Yagami.
The brunette put her hand to her ear, activating her earset's comm-link. "Taichi! Taichi! This is Rika. I was ambushed by DSI veterans! Entire squad is dead. I repeat: I was ambushed! I was—" She stopped. There was no response. Nothing. Nada.
Multiple thoughts spawned. What if Taichi was ambushed, too? What if he didn't make it? What would happen to Operation: Pyramid now?
"Don't worry, Rika," she recalled his reassurances from the Yoyogi Park briefing. "We've got the digimon as trump cards, once we take out the security nexi."
But we never knew how potent those anti-digimon weapons were... Rika glanced at Renamon, who had trouble descending one stairwell after another. Exhaustion was killing her slowly, Rika thought, and that fatigue would surely haunt them when the time for battle landed upon them once more.
As if on cue, a resounding blast thundered from above. Pieces of rubble fell down the narrow space in-between the stairs, plummeting to the basement tens of feet below. In an instant she knew what happened: the DSI veterans found a way to breach the concrete barricade between them. Footsteps echoed, rapidly dropping. I'm running out of time.
Rika brought Renamon and herself to the nearest exit and kicked the door open. It didn't budge. Dammit, locked from outside! Only one option was available: use the AA-12—it would alert the DSI to their presence, but with Renamon tired and the veterans having both the height advantage and (possibly) reinforcements, she had to take it!
The stern tamer brandished her trusty shotgun and blew the door open, kicking it down once it was weak. Assisting Renamon walk—she couldn't afford letting the yellow fox expend more energy than she needed—Rika led her digimon to a fire escape on the other side of the building. Hopefully they could elude their pursuers with it.
However, the moment Rika opened the door a bomb exploded on the stairs directly above and beneath her, closing off any path, whether it was upward or downward. Shit! Half of her body would've been pinned if Renamon wasn't sharp enough to at least pull her human half to safety. That scenario would've doomed them both.
"T-th-thanks," Rika sputtered. The close call left her in shock. I am not going near another fire escape!
Luckily, they had one last option, and it required a leap of faith.
.
.
An impeccably calculated leap of faith.
.
.
After checking one of the maps beside the fire escape, the girl led her weakened digimon to a room with a large window. Seconds after instructing her to study the jump's feasibility, "your thoughts?"
Her comment dampened Rika's morale. "Too high," shaking her head. "The jump'll break both my legs."
What if we land on the building over there?" The fox's tamer pointed at a shorter building a wide block ahead. This was the problem with camping at very high locations: no digimon below Adult could survive the fall, cutting off any escape route. None, not even Armor levels (at least they can come out with less severe injuries).
Renamon's kept her piercing glare fixed at the window, gazing down. "Still too high, Rika."
"Even as Kyuubimon?"
The yellow fox shook her head. "And let them know we can evolve? We can't afford to have strike teams chasing us." Strike teams were basically a pair of helicopters equipped for heavy assault accompanied by several DSI squads composed of veteran and experienced men, every combatant armed with anti-digital and anti-personnel weaponry. Thinking about trying to escape from such a force sent shivers down Rika's spine.
She kicked the window. Hard. The damn thing didn't break. Tough. "Grrr!" she growled. "We're effing trapped!"
The tamer slapped her face in frustration, desperately trying to think of a way out. With two stairwells out of the picture, and the other, lower buildings too high for a leap of faith, one escape route kept returning to her mind, one she knew she couldn't take at all costs: the elevator. It was a hackneyed option, not to mention effortless to defend.
Nonaka noticed Renamon's ears jerking up. Damn. "They're here!" murmured Renamon, as the tamer and her partner stacked behind a cubicle. Rika readied the AA-12.
"Give me a general direction and distance," Rika whispered. They're probably sweeping the floors clean. We can't escape from the room, but right now we have the advantage! There was no way in hell she wasn't taking this opportunity.
Renamon concentrated, seconds strongly dilating her eyes. "5 o'clock, three meters. Another at 8 o'clock, five meters."
The first one's passing through the cubicles. "The second's yours." The fox nodded, disappearing into the shadows like a ninja; Rika sprinted towards the corner on her right, heading for the path running across the cubicles. She maintained her crouching position. Even she could hear the soldier's footsteps echoing nearby.
It was time. Rika peeked out of cover, and fired three times into the veteran soldier's torso. Her opponent had a fast reaction time, diving out of the way. A grunt of pain, however, told Rika her pellets were faster. Now to finish this! She followed the man, still crouching. Rika turned the corner but retreated as soon as she emerged, narrowly avoiding bullets from her enemy's rifle.
"Yasuharu to Tanaka," she heard him speak. "Tangoes on the 35th floor! We've been ambushed and I'm"—Rika did not let him finish. I won't let you! The moment she heard his voice she snapped her shotgun blindly in the soldier's direction and held the trigger down for three seconds, unleashing enough pellets to kill the man.
Meanwhile, Renamon hid behind her target once she phased out of the shadows. Rika's job was easier considering the DSI soldiers weren't equipped with armor tailor-made for human-to-human combat. The Lockheed Dispersion Coating on their vests made digital attacks harder to kill them. The real problem is the fatigue bullets lodged in her body, as they severely weakened both her attacks and speed. Renamon speculated the man could survive a direct hit from Touhakken unless…
Then Rika took action, her gunfire echoing in the room. "Yasuharu!" the soldier exclaimed, heading over to support his mate, firing at Rika's direction, hoping for an intimidated retreat. Chance! Renamon pounced from behind like a wild animal leaping for the kill. Her hands went aflame, emitting an ominous blue hue. "TOUHAKKEN!"
Hearing the announcement and feeling the immense heat on his back coerced the soldier to turn. Renamon threw a fiery punch at the man, aiming straight for his face, a vital weakness in the dispersion-coated armor the DSI wore. A sickening crunch echoed in the room, blood bursting, splattering the yellow fox's fur.
"Coby!"
She turned right, gaping straight at the man who almost killed her, stricken by the way she ruthlessly—disgustingly—disposed his teammate. "YOU EFFING BITCH!" he yelled, firing directly at the yellow fox.
Renamon sprinted out of harm's way, preparing to counter when the glass window running across the room shattered thunderously. She heard Rika scream, "THE SIDE DOOR! RENAMON, HURRY!"
Her piercing blue eyes caught silhouettes of armored men in the darkness. Reinforcements! Then she heard the monotonous buzz of a helicopter's rotors. For a moment, the yellow fox was stunned by the sight of a veteran DSI squad rappelling down the building and straight into the wartorn office, shooting at her and her human half upon landing, fully equipped. A helicopter hovered behind them, a fireteam standing by, training a mounted machine gun straight at Renamon. She knew even a single hit would kill her, even in her Adult form. Crap!
"DIE!" The veteran before her opened fire; two bullets grazed her skin, their digital nature affecting the fox once more, increasing that nasty feeling of exhaustion. Renamon rolled out of the way, hiding behind another cubicle. However, she moved quickly onto the next, as her position was immediately bombarded with a rifle grenade by one of the veterans who rappelled in.
Renamon passed by a workstation and ripped a rather heavy CPU from its wires. She carried it with her until one of the new opponents got in her way, at whom she hurled the machinery, knocking him down. The fox breathed heavily, her sight blurring. Damn, I'm too exhausted! Imbuing the blue flames of Touhakken on her feet, she stepped on the fallen soldier's neck and leapt towards the side door Rika just entered, turning around and crossed her arms, summoning fifteen shards of crystal, launching her incomplete attack on the fresh combatants. "KOYOSETSU!"
The squad took cover behind cubicles; Renamon landed close to the door, on her back. As she picked herself up, her first opponent arrived and aimed his rifle directly at her. "You're finished!"
The DSI knew they were on the 35th floor. Veteran soldiers were rappelling in, and it didn't take long for Rika to expect more to come, either from the only fire escape available or from the other offices. Little by little we're being cornered like rats. She entered her point of escape successfully, but blanched upon seeing Renamon struggle to catch up to her, landing a mere three feet in front of the door she stacked behind when one of the first soldiers they fought was upon her.
"NO!" The tamer went out of her current shelter and unleashed several shots at the soldier, this time some pellets striking his torso, the Lockheed armor unable to withstand the barrage. She went over to her digimon partner and dragged her heavy body as the fox groaned. Rika held her shotgun with one hand, pulling the trigger whenever a DSI soldier dared to peek out.
No other option but the elevator. Her mind kept screaming, "It's a trap, you fool! It's a trap!"
I KNOW! She hushed herself. We'll deal with it when we cross that bridge. For now, Rika hauled Renamon to the next office, slamming the door behind them, but not before tossing a flashbang inside.
"FLASHBANG!" she heard a soldier exclaim. A few extra seconds, that's all I'll get.
Rika could even hear the helicopter moving slowly to her position. She knelt before Renamon and raised her. "C'mon, Renamon, we're not yet safe!"
Renamon snaked her arm around the tamer, slouching as she stood. She could barely run. Being so close to the fox's furry body let her hear Renamon's frantic heartbeat. Effing fatigue bullets. "Just lean on me," she instructed, reloading the AA-12's drum magazine. "We'll get there," Rika swore. "We'll get there. To that effing elevator."
Rika led Renamon and herself down one of the paths between the cubicles, aiming her shotgun at the door, downing one of the veteran soldiers rushing in. Only two fireteams were left; unfortunately one of them stood on the helicopter, beyond the kill range of the Atchison Assault. The glass shattered when the machine gun started firing; the two ducked, narrowly avoiding the bullets, creeping slowly towards the middle, where they have a straight path to the hallway outside this danger zone.
"Renamon, prepare Koyosetsu," Rika ordered. "We need to distract those bastards on that mounted gun."
"Rika, behind us!"
They slipped behind the nearest cubicle, almost struck by bullets from behind. Close! Rika peeked out and retreated again, a bullet slicing the surface of her cheek. Too far. Holding the AA-12 on her left, Nonaka brandished a TMP with her right and again peered towards her opponents, firing upon them. They took cover.
Now! She and Renamon continued their progress, hiding behind another cubicle to take cover and retaliate. They had to keep their heads down, lest they risk getting struckby the helicopter gun's high-caliber bullets. They advanced like this slowly, eventually reaching the midpoint.
It was the moment of truth. The plan assumed there were no reinforcements awaiting them at the hallway, where Renamon and Rika would flee to the elevator and hold off the DSI. It was a good thing the tamer checked the map before heading to that godforsaken office. At least she knew where they were.
Rika took out a fragmentation grenade, ready to clamp her teeth on the pin. "Renamon, are you ready?"
Renamon opened her azure eyes, focused and prepped. Charging up an attack without actually summoning the projectiles needed for it was difficult, but very lucrative once unleashed, since the effect would be similar to a cloud of spikes instantly appearing without warning and hurling themselves at the enemy. "Yes."
"We won't die here," she said again.
"I trust you," Renamon responded.
"Me too."
Rika took a deep breath before initiating the plan. She removed the pin with her teeth and hurled it towards her pursuers. Renamon grunted, going against her body screaming for respite, leaping into the middle. With a second or two available, the yellow fox slammed her crossed arms outward. "Full charge, KOYOSETSU!" The effects earlier described came to pass, and immediately the soldiers on the mounted gun abandoned their position for cover.
Her human half watched the entire thing. Hopefully one of those shards will ricochet and strike one of 'em. But that's just wishful thinking. Rika deserted her cover, going straight for the middle. Renamon fell to her knees; Rika took the fox's gloved arm and dragged Renamon towards their only exit.
When she blew the door open with one gunshot, Rika was relieved to see zero reinforcements. We're in luck! However, the echoes of shattering glass—signs of more incoming opponents—reverberated in the hallway. We got out just in time! "C'mon, Renamon, to the elevator!"
Back within the perimeter, Greymon stood in the line of fire of two Type 90 battle tanks. Taichi was stunned, unable to process the information and deal with the situation. It was rare for the Chosen Child of Courage to be struck with strategy paralysis, but during those times, miracles only came from actions made on instinct.
Unfortunately, even Taichi lost his instinct his battle. Greymon knew it would last for a minute or two, but they definitely did not have enough time for this.
Greymon, however, did not lose his composure. Though shocked by this new development, the Adult digimon acted quickly. "Taichi!" he spoke before lunging at the tank in front of him. "Don't let the other one fire!"
He heard the grown man gulp. "Whatever you're thinking, it better be good!" Taichi shook himself off his rut and fired his AK-47 upon the tank, probably aiming for the viewport. Heh, that's the Taichi I know.
Greymon's orange, three-digit hand curled around the barrel, his claws scratching the vehicle's armor a bit. Bestowed with immense strength, the large, orange dinosaur had no problems lifting the Type 90. An explosion from the side occurred, but there was no pain. Greymon assumed it was Taichi's doing, trying to delay the other tank as much as possible, this time launching a rifle grenade at the viewport.
Greymon roared, "RRRAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!" slamming the tank right on top of the other, culminating in a massive explosion. Nobody could've survived that. "Whew!" Taichi heaved.
Almost immediately after, Greymon felt a tickling pain across his entire back; he rotated, protecting Taichi, Miki, and Muchomon. He lifted his arms, protecting his eyes and bare torso. An RPG exploded in front of Greymon's helmet, obscuring his vision.
Taichi's voice screamed in his ears. "Soldiers garrisoning a building, half past 1 o'clock! Show them your Mega Flame!"
Eh? "Half past 1 o'clock"? What the hell's he talking about? The orange dinosaur loved him, but sometimes his human half just didn't make any sense.
"Now's not the time to tell me the fricking time, Taichi!" Greymon complained.
"I'm telling you where those bastards are!" he heard the adult grumble. "Didn't I teach you the O'Clock navigation system?"
Greymon laughed nervously. "Haha, sorry, Taichi, I kinda forgot…"
He heard the elder Yagami slap his face. "At a time like this…!"
.
.
Miki finally spoke up. "I can see them too! Greymon, look straight ahead!"
"But I can't see anything!"
"Doesn't matter, just do as I say!" The dinosaur complied, following her directions despite feeling the urge to reel away from all the pain he was getting from the bullets landing on him (and the RPGs striking him occasionally). "Slowly turn your body towards the right, stop when I tell you to."
Taichi finally caught on, and when Greymon had arrived at the proper angle, yelled "stop!" along with Miki.
"Aim straight ahead and show them your power!" the Chosen Child exclaimed.
Greymon summoned a gigantic fireball from within him, unleashing it upon the garrisoned building. "MEGA FLAME!"
The fireball struck its target, erupting into a fiery explosion. Greymon knew he got the DSI soldiers when the attacks immediately ceased. "Good job, bro," praised his partner. "Miki, thanks."
.
But the action was far from over.
No sooner had the attacks cease did Muchomon's high-pitched voice float into the Adult digimon's ears, warning the group about multiple DSI squads disembarking from some APC's. Not all of them were veterans, but every single one posed a threat to the Child level and the two humans the dinosaur protected. I won't let them die without a fight!
Greymon began his assault by coughing up another Mega Flame in one direction, while both Taichi and Miki opened fire at the soldiers, sending out rifle grenades whenever necessary. Muchomon was relegated to a spotter's role while he recovered from the fatigue bullets in his body.
The dinosaur digimon had plenty of bullets lodged in his skin, yet the feeling of fatigue had yet to reach the level where he could no longer run or attack. We can still do this, he thought.
Yes, we can. Greymon snarled, his roar booming in the soldiers' ears, letting them know they were dealing with one of the most experienced fighters among the Digidestined, among the Twelve! YES WE CAN!
.
.
.
The Digidestined continue to struggle against the overwhelming might of the Digital Suppression Initiative. Rika Nonaka and Taichi Yagami have successfully routed the ambushes against them, but at a costly price. Friends have died; some sacrifices have been made. The Chosen Child of Courage himself was forced to unveil his trump card. As the battle for the egalitarian world conceived by the Twelve rages on, the DSI fights back with equipment derived from heavy research on the Digital World, the digital monsters, and the digivices.
Things will only go downhill from here. Will the potential unlocked by digital evolution be enough for the Digidestined to create another miracle? To be continued in part II.
Post-chapter author's notes:
[5] I've already outlined The Butterfly Effect in its entirety. The second portion of the chapter, which I have yet to write, sets the "counterattack" when every digimon with a tamer is going to evolve - after all, Taichi has already broken the Golden Rule of this operation and will predictably authorize evolution once he and his party are done defending their asses. The centerpiece of this rather long chapter will be featured during the counterattack, which not only reflects the chapter title, but also signifies the beginning of the hell that my main protagonists are going to experience. The only reason why I decided to split the chapter is because of the length! We're not only seeing Yuuko Urameshi and the Kurosawa family again, but also simultaneously watching how Rika Nonaka and Taichi Yagami proceed. Even Christopher has a scene at the end. I'm trying to keep things short here. Bear with me. Please.
As for what will happen next... just wait until The Butterfly Effect (Part II) is finished and published. I'll get there eventually. I'm already quite eager to write the next few chapters, since: [a] Hikari's about to meet Chris and Veemon (obviously discovering the fact Daisuke still lives); [b] we're close to seeing Daisuke Motomiya for the first time in this story; [c] the Modifiers Tina, Aldo, and Lucy are returning from the Digital World; and [d] among other things I don't wish to disclose (hehe can't reveal too many spoilers you know ^_^)
[6] The Digital Suppression Initiative has a crapload of anti-digimon technology aside from Mitsuo Yamaki's Digital Modification project. The latter is still prototypical, but what they're using in this chapter are regularly issued by M&A. So far, fatigue bullets and Lockheed Dispersion Coating has been unveiled, along with two unnamed weapons that can cancel digimon attacks and even digitize a portion of the Real World. Things are getting serious now that the DSI's bringing out the big boys and their big toys. If you're wondering how the hell the DSI appeared at Rika's perch and how they quickly responded to Taichi's subterranean approach, that fact will be released in Part II. :)
[7] Responses to reviews:
RazenX (Chapter 11): I've received your review and would've responded if it wasn't for the fact you disabled PMing. (Boooooo!) At any rate, I'm actually surprised there's a story that can rival mine in terms of chapter lengths. LOL. Anyway, your comments show that I've accomplished what I wanted with the way I wrote The Interloper so far, and I'm glad you find my writing as "gripping", considering that I still see signs for improvement and some overlooked grammar & spelling errors in the narrative. Calling my battle scenes as "some of the best you've read" would've made me happy if it wasn't for the fact they're too damn long DX
Thanks for the review. ^^
Rets: I couldn't resist throwing in the furry scene at the last minute. Originally I was going to have Chris leave Vee outside the door while he accosts the clerk; yet if he did that, what kind of friend would he be? Even though he's too selfish and noninterventionist to think beyond his own goals, at the very least the guy still has some morals left in him. XD
And I thought I was going to get people with that last bit with Greymon and the part about Daisuke teaching Veemon about sexual intercourse and their *ahem* "creative variations" during the teen years. LOL