Sora's screams reached Taichi and Agumon, but they were in no position to help her.
After being tossed from Garudamon, Taichi had instinctively reached for his digivice, but the impact of Suicune snatching him out of the sky had caused him to drop it. The speed and the chill wind of Suicune leaping without cease left him disoriented, but he knew where his digivice had fallen. The red roof of the dance theatre. Suicune shifted directions in its jarring way, and he saw his opportunity.
"Agumon!"
He leaped from Suicune's back, and Agumon leaped after him, but it was far quicker than he could ever have hoped to be. Taichi hit the roof, and while he was still gasping for the air that had been knocked out of him, Suicune landed beside him, and quickly pinned him down.
"Baby Flame!"
The flame hit Suicune's side and dissipated harmlessly in the winds around its body. It didn't even look up at him. When he made the mistake of closing in to use his claws, he was pinned down beside his partner.
They were forced to watch in horror as burned feathers and clumps of Garudamon's hair fell through the early evening sky, crackling and exploding in bursts of data like grisly fireworks. Garudamon's body hazed out of focus like so much colored static. Sora's screams ended, and the silence was far worse.
"Damn it," Taichi hissed, clawing at the roof in vain as he tried to worm himself from beneath Suicune's surprising weight. "SORA!"
Light erupted from Garudamon's remaining claw where Sora was held, the only part of her left. The data littering the sky coagulated around the flames that had consumed the perfect level digimon and took a new shape, one neither Taichi nor Agumon recognized. Four-winged, with an extremely elaborate, billowing tail. If it was digivolution, it was not complete. The flame launched back to the rainbow bird it had come from, and all that was left behind was Sora and Yokomon.
Suicune released Taichi and Agumon to catch them. Standing on the rooftop, Taichi could see Morty standing with Zuki and four other girls that looked like Zuki, staring up at the tower where the rainbow bird perched quietly, unharmed by its returned flames. He snatched his digivice from the rooftop and scrambled down. His body didn't approve, but he gave no thought to the aches blossoming in his joints. He dashed to where Suicune had landed with Sora, violently shoving the creature out of his way. It just didn't matter that it was a monster that could kill him with ease; not in light of what had happened to Sora. He cradled her limp form.
Yokomon was strangely intact, unmarred by the flames that had destroyed Garudamon. Sora had not been so lucky. Her clothes were burned and still wafting dark, oily smoke. Her arms and shins were bright red with burns, and she reeked of scorched cotton and singed hair. It had grown over the years, but most of it had been reduced to a crusty mesh at the sides of her neck. He brushed the frizzy, burned edges away, and slipped hesitant fingers just below the curve of her jaw. The skin was feverishly hot, but she still had a strong, rapid pulse. It probably hadn't calmed from the panic that must've set in when the fire found her.
He shook her gently. "Sora…?"
She didn't stir. He looked to Agumon for help, but his partner was holding onto Yokomon, and looking to him with those same pleading eyes. Neither of them were stirring.
Taichi thought of Hikari's message… Of the young, reckless trainer covered in scars and the Koromon village that had been burned down. He thought of his sister's shivering shoulders as she talked about the not-Koromon thing that would have killed the trainer if not for her digivice and her partner's holy ring. He thought of how many other trainers might have been so foolish, and died for it, and of how many digimon must have died fighting. …Of those that might have been transfigured, gotten away, and were running loose in the digital world.
He knew what he should do, but Sora was steaming like a fresh corpse in his arms. If she had been awake, she would certainly have scolded him for his decision. But she wasn't, and that was all it took.
"Help!" he bawled. "Somebody, help me!"
Bing!
Tentomon glanced up at the screen, and immediately went back to twiddling his claws. All the messages were from digidestined children in other countries, asking questions he couldn't answer, or telling him about developing human world problems he had no idea how to address. It almost wasn't worth the effort of looking every time it—
He nearly tripped over himself turning back to the screen.
"Ichijouji… Ken!" He scuttled into the hall. "Miyako-han!"
A clatter from the storage closet further down the hall answered him, and she hop-skipped out, barely managing to not fall over the odds and ends that had tumbled out of place.
"What's wrong now?"
"We got a message from Ken!"
It was the best news Miyako had heard since Amphimon's arrival, and she dashed toward the lab as though the solution to all her problems had suddenly appeared within. She eagerly scanned the message.
"Back on this side... found Tachikawa... Don't want to expose the side entrance...From above?" She looked at Tentomon. "They're here?!" Her jaw tightened and replied as quickly as her fingers would allow. GET DOWN HERE, IT'S NOT SAFE!
She abandoned the laptop and ran with all her might. If the gates were open they could have been there sooner and safer. Who knew what eyes these mountains had right now. Hovering up there in the open air like idiots! But as she swerved to the T-section and turned for the main entrance, her worry-born anger was lost in relief.
Mimi, Palmon, Ken, and Wormmon were ducking under the partially opened gate, totally unharmed.
Miyako gratefully threw herself at her friends, and squeezed them tightly.
"Thank goodness," she croaked. "You're both alright."
Ken merely blushed, while Mimi smiled comfortingly and allowed the strained young woman to lead them back to the lab.
Mimi was immediately distracted by the jewels laid out on the table. "Wow! What's all that?" Her eyes flicked further, to the scrolling silhouette in front of the computer. "Is that Amphimon?"
Miyako nodded, and sat both of them down grimly. She explained what had happened to Noriko's partner, and how they had come under attack by the militaries of what seemed to be a several different countries. She explained their hypothesis on why the crests had been sent with Amphimon, that the next bearer of the crest of courage had been chosen, and how likely it was that the other crests would respond to other children if this continued to drag out. She explained what had happened to Iori, and what he had found when he stumbled back into the digital world. Most importantly, she explained their current situation in regards to the power, and why Amphimon was connected to the computer.
Ken took the information with a grim expression. "I'll have to go back in then. We need to find the others and get them back as quickly as possible."
Miyako tried hard to muster what bravery she had left. "I know."
"Koushiro's still in the basement right?"
"Yes."
He plucked his D3 and D-terminal from his pocket, and left it on the table, beside Amphimon. "Here's hoping she can find the time to do whatever she did with Iori's. A map would be useful." He stood with Wormmon in hand...and sat a tentative, but firm hand on Miyako's head. "You did fine, Miyako."
She kept her eyes down so he wouldn't see them welling, and nodded softly. When he was gone, she looked up to Mimi. The older girl and her digimon were both ashen.
"What's wrong?"
"When I was on my way to Cherrygrove… I heard some trainers talking about something weird happening at some ruins, but I didn't think it had anything to do with the digiworld or anybody dying…."
The hairs stood on the back of Miyako's neck. "It's ok, Mimi. It's a whole other world, and anything could have been happening."
Mimi didn't look convinced. "It was east… What if it was where the Tibetan anchor came down and trainers were getting lost in there? Some of them were just children…!"
Miyako did the only thing she could, and grabbed Mimi's hands. "I'm going to be selfish here… Please don't fall apart over something so uncertain, Mimi. I can't...support you right now." Tears started rushing down her cheeks. She could no longer hold it all in. "I can barely support myself. Koushiro has been 'sparing' me from information because he thinks I'm trying too hard, and he's right. I almost got s-s-shot, and there aren't enough people to do everything that needs to be done, and there isn't going to be any p-power or water soon, and Ha-hawkm-m-mon is still m-mi—"
She dissolved into sobs, leaving Mimi and Palmon momentarily stunned into silence. The two shared a sympathetic glance. They didn't have time to worry about having possibly missed the chance to help people who needed it when someone right in front of them so plainly needed help.
"It's okay, Miyako. I thought I should go back into the other world with Ken since I learned so much about how it works, but I see where I'm needed most." She squeezed the younger girl's hands. "You've got two more pairs of hands to help you now. We can do this."
Miyako felt as though she had been waiting for those four words her whole life. She cried harder, still worried out of her mind about what the next few days would bring, and fearing the worst for her lost partner. But she was relieved, somehow. She knew better than to believe everything would be alright, but the reassurance in Mimi's voice gave her hope.
"It really is a mess in here…"
Koushiro's fingers lost their grasp on the pliers he'd been holding. "Ken…Wormmon…"
The insect digimon waved cordially. "We've just returned successful. Mimi and Palmon are upstairs with Miyako."
Koushiro suspected he should have been happier, but looking at Ken, he felt the weight of his knowledge bear down on him. Even more so than Miyako, perhaps even more so than Hikari, Ken might come apart at the seams if he was forced to deal with the Dark Ocean again. Koushiro was prepared to tell Miyako, because not telling her seemed to be doing more harm than good. But Ken was still sensitive when it came to matters that touched close to his many wounds. His brother's death, the Dark Ocean, and his time as the digimon Kaiser were all incidents inextricable from one another for him. Touch on one, and all three would occupy his mind. Telling him about this was...
Koushiro's face must have betrayed his thoughts, because Ken was staring at him warily.
"Sorry," Koushiro muttered quickly, turning his back on Ken.
Ken set his partner on the ground. "Wormmon, wait outside for me awhile, please?" He watched him scuttle out, and approached Koushiro. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Just going a little crazy from being surrounded by all these wires, I guess. Miyako told you about our power problem, right?" A gentle chuckle answered, causing Koushiro to turn mostly out of curiosity. "What's so funny?"
"You, thinking you can lie to me." Despite the chuckle, Ken's smile was bittersweet. "I've been on the other end of the expression you're wearing."
Koushiro considered if he should press the issue, but quickly let it go. Ken might not have the skepticism and nosiness that enabled Miyako to detect and dissect white lies, but he could spot a guilty conscience from a mile away. "I'm sorry, Ken. You're right. Something's very wrong, but I'm not sure how to tell you. I'm having a hard enough time thinking of how I'm going to tell Miyako when she gets down here."
"You're thinking too hard, Koushiro. Just say it."
"The thing that's trying to get at Alice's Door..." He paused, swaying between total withdrawal and total honesty. "It's from the Dark Ocean."
Ken tried and failed to at least look like he wasn't deeply disturbed. He wobbled, and Koushiro was immediately at his side to steady him. The voice that came out of his suddenly dry mouth was a hoarse whisper.
"You're sure?"
Koushiro nodded.
"Is it Daemon?"
The idea hadn't occurred to Koushiro at all. "I… don't think so. According to Miyako, Amphimon described it as more like Gennai and herself: not entirely a digimon, but not human either. As mysterious as he was, Daemon was definitely a digimon."
A bit of strength came back to Ken's legs, but he continued to lean on Koushiro. Daemon might not be the one clawing for Alice's Door, but he was certain to be waiting in the wings for his chance to come through it.
It wasn't as much of a relief as he expected. His personal fears aside, for Daemon to not have just destroyed this new threat, it would have to fit a certain criteria.
"When you're corrupt and powerful," he thought aloud. "You're likely to be whimsical out of arrogance when there's nothing to do… But if there's something to be gained, the only ones allowed to go about their business unimpeded are those who might be more trouble than they're worth in a fight, or those who might be useful to you in some way..."
Koushiro hadn't considered that either. He was worried about just how many other considerations might have escaped his notice if Ken had churned out two in mere minutes, but he was more concerned about his friend's haunted eyes and distracted tone of voice. "Ken?"
"It's something powerful; something that could give even Daemon pause..." Ken's eyes wrenched away from whatever ghosts they saw, and met Koushiro's. "Is there more bad news?"
"There's more news; not all of it bad, none of it great, but that's a long talk I'm going to have with Miyako. And then I intend to release the information to all the digidestined."
"Then I'll wait like everyone else." He sighed heavily, and ran his fingers over his face and into his hair. A thought occurred to him through his dread. "Have you really been exchanging messages only inside the immediate group?"
"Miyako handled most of the early messages while I was coming here, and I...don't think there's anything I can say to the world until I fix this."
"'The world' doesn't want to hear anything you have to say until you fix this anyway. The way Miyako told it, 'the world' might actually be more interested in using you than letting you work at this point. I'm talking about the other chosen children."
Koushiro dropped his eyes. "I haven't had any time to compile a message since my arrival. Don't worry though, like I said, Miyako will be sending out the rest of the news after I talk to her."
Ken's eyebrows furrowed. "They need to hear something from you, Koushiro."
"I don't know enough about what's going on. Anything I tell them will result in questions I don't have the answers for."
"So you're having Miyako do it for you because you don't want to have to say 'I don't know'?"
Koushiro's face tightened. "I'm not Taichi, I can't pull off 'I don't know'. I'm the head of the project and I'm supposed to know what 's going on. Anything less will just cause a panic. "
Ken sighed. "I understand, Koushiro, but that's not a good excuse for having Miyako do this. You're the one wearing the metaphorical goggles right now. You're in charge of us. Not just me and Miyako and the others who are out searching and the former dark spore children, but chosen children everywhere. You owe them an explanation."
Koushiro didn't say anything, and Ken turned away. "I'll be on my way then. I need to find the others." He paused at the door. "It's okay to not know, Koushiro. You're only human."
Koushiro's eyes closed as soon as Ken was gone. He leaned back against the wall, unable to sit comfortably among the wires, and gripped his tag. The crest inside provided him no answers, but he clung to it anyway.
Miyako was nowhere to be found when Ken made it back to the lab, but Mimi was there watching over Amphimon and Ken's digivice.
"Should I ask where she's gone?"
"I sent her away with Palmon to get some rest." Her gaze turned toward the whiteboard, coated in the events of the past few days. "I think she was at her limit."
Ken followed her gaze, and rubbed at his shoulders. "Don't worry about it too much. This is normal for them. Koushiro gets frustrated when he can't answer big questions about the project, because he feels he should have the answers as head developer. He pushes himself too hard, inevitably finds an answer or two that isn't what anyone wants to hear, and avoids saying anything or as long as he can. Meanwhile, Miyako attempts to be the perfect helper for him, and in the end, she forces these unwanted answers out of him. Then she tries to help him fix them, ignoring her own problems and trying entirely too hard. Koushiro then tries to spare her to keep her from breaking down, because he really does need her help, and she realizes she's being treated delicately because she's on the verge of a meltdown, and the idea that she's spread herself too thin to be useful to anyone is usually her last straw."
"Wow… You're so familiar with them."
"It's usually my job to step in about half-way through the cycle and mitigate. We're an incredibly functional trio, but those two alone…."
I think I get it, Mimi thought, biting back a crooked half-smile. Koushiro hasn't changed a bit, and Miyako and I are very similar…
Ken sighed heavily, and set Wormmon on the table. He grabbed his D3 and D-terminal, but they didn't look like they'd been disturbed. "She never woke up or came back or anything, did she?"
Mimi shook her head, and for a moment, both of them stared quietly at the script silhouette of the woman-digimon they were relying on; Mimi in curious wonder because she knew little, and Ken in dark, sympathetic gratitude because he knew enough.
"Well," he finally breathed. "I've got a lot to do and little time to do it."
Mimi nodded emphatically, and held out the pink backpack she'd been using "You'll be needing this, then. My Pokenav and all the food I had are inside, plus some extra water and tea from what we have downstairs. Maybe you can get the map function updated or fixed while you're out there. Don't be afraid to battle if you need money for food or more repellent, though maybe…" She gave Wormmon an apologetic smile. "You might want to battle as Stingmon."
The insect digimon drooped, but didn't protest. He knew well that he was not very strong or agile in his child form.
Ken patted his head to cheer him up, and gingerly accepted the effeminate sleeping pack. "More repellent sounds like a good reason to fight, if nothing else."
"Do you think we'll see Ladybug again?" Wormmon asked.
"Ledyba," Mimi corrected. "And maybe if you go back to where we left from. To it, we just winked out of existence when we crossed to the digital world. It's probably hiding somewhere, scared and lonely..."
Mimi's words poked at Ken's heart. Originally, he had no intention of taking the time to search for it, since they were in a hurry… But how could he leave such a defenseless creature in the territory of metal birds, almost a hundred miles from its home forest? The thought conjured up the image of it huddling beside Wormmon, and it was entirely too pitiable for him to leave alone. And it wasn't as though Ken had any leads this time.
"I'll take some time to search for him."
Mimi smiled. "Good luck!"
He nodded, and darted out of the lab, only to turn back. "Tachikawa-san, take care of Koushiro."
"I'll be taking care of everyone," she assured energetically.
"No, listen to me. Koushiro isn't the kind of person who can go a long way on a little care when he's stressed, even if he gives off that vibe. He gets worn down just as badly as Miyako, and he needs just as much looking after, even if he seems okay. He and Miyako work so poorly together because she gets too worn down trying to help him to notice, and he gets stupidly focused on her stability rather than his own. So, please."
Mimi nodded slowly, and Ken said his thanks and vanished into the halls with his partner, leaving her to fold her arms in wonder. "Maybe he has changed a little..."