SINCERITY AND KNOWLEDGE BREAK THE BARRIERS
- Wakey, wakey birdy…. – taunted a voice that sounded distorted.
It was so because Hawmon had woken up from what it seemed to be a deep slumber. At that moment he realized it was a nightmare.
He could not move. His legs were tied up as well as his wings. His body was suspended in the middle of a dim lighted room.
Around him, strange creatures would come and go. The closest one to him was semihuman and had white makeup and a clownish attire. Despite the attire he looked very creepy especially when he noticed his grin when he approached him to ask a question.
- Who are you? – asked Hawkmon.
- My name is Piedmon…..One of the Dark Masters.
- What do you want from me? – struggled Hawkmon.
- Good that you ask. – replied Piedmon gesturing like he was doing a magic trick putting his hand behind Hawkmon's neck. Then he showed Hawkmon the engraved rod. – Tell me what this is. – he hisses menacingly.
- I don't know. – said hawkmon turning his head away trying to avoid eye contact.
- You are very brave, but I strongly recommend you tell me….. – said Piedmon sidestepping and allowing Phantomon to come forward. Hes was carrying a prodding rod that emitted sparks on its tip.
On contact, Hawkmon felt all his body twist and churn. The unpleasant feeling travelled throughout his body making him squawk in pain.
In the meantime, the group of humans led by Gennai were following the trail from their digivices trying to figure out where could Renamon be hoping they would find Hawkmon along the way.
Voices could be heard around the bend. Armadillomon got ready to attack as well as Biyomon and Gomamon. They loosened up as they saw who was coming.
Laika and Palmon showed up with Yuki and Patamon. The latter looking very badly hurt. Demidevimon's attack made him crash land but fortunately he was able to fly Yuki to a safe place before returning back to Patamon.
Lillymon was able to find Yuki and her digimon and help them find the way out.
Aurora's happiness became a painful sensation when she felt an electrical current course though her body. She yelled and fell over feeling nauseous feeling a huge cramp on her muscles. Everybody run to her aid.
- What happened? – asked Hector very concerned.
Aurora could not stand up again when she felt another shock coursing through her body. With a gasp she was able to hold on to Clara and tell everybody what was happening.
- They are hurting him. – cried Aurora embracing Clara with all her strength.
- Damn!. – yelled Hector feeling helpless.
- Calm down. – said Clara holding her shoulders. – Be strong. We are going to solve this.
- Easy for you to say. – replied Hector. – You are no the one being electrocuted.
- Enough! – said Carlos. – We won't accomplish anything arguing. We have to keep moving.
As they kept moving they noticed they had entered a very strange place. The fortress made of crystal looked like a maze.
As they walked on the center aisle they notice that the wall became transparent at times and that familiar images could be seen through. In one of those instances Carlos recognized something familiar.
- Mom? – thought Carlos when he saw that through one of the wall an image of a woman that Carlos saw in the portraits at home
Carlos separated from the group as he was hypnotized and approached the wall where the mysterious woman was waiting.
Clara, who was next to Carlos notice that the wall that Carlos was walking toward was a gaping hole that had teeth on the upper section ready to come down and crush anybody passing by.
- Look out! – yelled Clara pulling Carlos away from the wall. The upper wall crushed to the ground in front of Carlos and missed him for few inches.
- What happened? – asked Carlos coming out of a trance.
- I don't know what you saw on that wall but you suddenly walked toward it and it was a trap.
Carlos acknowledged this was another trap from the Dark Masters.
Iori was walking behind him thinking. He was being the loner of the group. He felt quite different. His father had taught him not to trust strangers. He held a small copy of the Quran in his pocket and prayed in silence.
He feared the other would not trust them so he decided to continue silently and be there if needed.
Meanwhile, leslie was very hungry. She could not stop thinking of supper back at home. Her mouth would water just thinking about it.
Then, through one of the transparent walls she saw something interesting. She could see a huge table and over it she could see a lot of food and desserts.
- Food! – said Leslie running toward the wall.
Everybody jumped as Aurora ran to catch Leslie but everybody ran thought the threshold to that dinning room.
- Leslies wait! – yelled Aurora trying to stop her but it was too late. The threshold became solid rock and iori who was in his prayers failed to notice immediately that everybody had run behind Leslie. He was the only one outside that dinning room.
The table and food vanished as a mirage. Now everybody was trapped inside a rounded room that was narrower than it seemed from the outside.
- Damn. Could this get any worse? – asked TJ.
At that moment Veemon leapt forward and headbutted the walls but was violently thrown backwards as a huge stream of water came through the walls filling the cave as it were a swimming pool.
Everybody looked displeased at TJ.
- Hey! What did I do?
The water was reaching the human's knees and the digimon tried to attack the wall to no avail.
Meanwhile Iori pounded the walls outside trying to find a way to get through. Voices started to pound in his head.
- "You do not have to save them…you are different. They will never be your friends…"
The walls of the chamber became translucent and iori could see that the chamber wall filling with water rapidly. He tried to pass through but the wall was still solid.
Iori reflected on this and remembered his parents have always taught him to do the right thing.
"Son, the most important thing in life is helping others. Money runs out, fame disappears and religions change. But if you remain in the memory of others because you do something wonderful, it will last forever"
Iori remembered the words from her mother who had always been kind to others. She would lend a hand to others while his father always distrusted people.
Iori made up his mind. He took out his digivice and stretched his hand in front of the wall.
Armadillomon glowed and became an insect like creatures with golden plates covering him. His extremities and nose had become long and pointed drills.
Iori saw his digivice would describe his creature as DIGMON. The symbol of two concentric circles interconnected glowed in the white device. Knowledge, this is what was this all about.
- Quickly. Drill thorugh that wall. – ordered Iori.
Digimon spun his three drills and opened a hole but the wall gave in and the whole maze became a larger room being filled with water. Digmon returned to be Armadillomon.
- Iori! – yelled the others. – Are you alright?
- I am sorry. – said Iori as he saw the water reaching his chest. – I couldn't help you.
- Thank you Iori. – said Aurora thanking his new friend.
Right then, Aurora felt an electric shock once again. She yelled and Hector had to hold her.
Iori closed his eyes and reflected that this was not time to give up. His digivice glowed again and this time Armadillomon became an elongated creature with a harpoon on front and his body was shapped like a small submersible. On top there was a pod where iori could easily fit.
- It looks like a submarine. – commented TJ.
- The pod is too small. – commented Carlos. – Iori, you are the only one who can get us out.
Iori nodded and got in the submarine leaning inside the pod facing down.
Iori saw his digivice describing this creature as SUBMARIMON. The crest around his neck glowed with the symbol of a cross with two triangles at each side of this base. It was the faith that the others had deposited in him that made this happen.
The pod closed and submarimon dived to look for an exit.
In the depths of the room Submarimon turned on his searchlights. The level of water was very high and everybody was holding to the sides.
Iori could stop small whirpools at the bottom at one of the corners.
- That's the exit! Attack now. – said Iori.
- Oxygen torpedo. – announced submarimon and two gigantic canisters of compressed air were propelled toward the wall at great speed. This made the whirlpools spin faster.
The water level started to drop quickly and soon everybody held her breath as they were flushed down the drain of the cave to the outside.
- Lord Piedmon. We lost them. – said a rounded digimon looking at the monitors.
- Find them!. They can't be far. – then he stared at Hawkmon. – You see now? Now they will die because of you and your little friend will have a lot of pain.
Another discharge came to Aurora who bent on the ground.
- Stop…- she cried. – Don't hurt him.
Hector came forward and covered her mouth like he was gagging her.
Finally, everything was calm and was upset. – What was that all about Hector! I could not breathe, you almost choked me.
Hector pointed in front of them gesturing Aurora to stay silent. They were in a dark edifice that looked like a military outpost.
They could see just over one of the dunes that they were on the backside of the fortress.
Then, they heard screeching noises. They ducked and saw Machinedramon and Metalseadramon coming out of the fortress walking away from the entrance looking for the humans that just happened to be beneath their nose.
The humans took the chance and sneaked into the fortress.