Sorry about the delay of this chapter, but don't worry, summer starts very soon and I'll be able to get out more chapters than ever! Why was this chapter so late? Well, all my Chapter 25 papers were scattered and I had to get them together and rewrite a lot so it wasn't confusing.

Previously on Digimon Genesis, the Genesis Team arrived in a cold, dark Digital World. There, Naoki fought a Rhinomon, but the battle didn't turn out in his favor, and he was killed by the vicious Digimon! Afterwards, the team had a short funeral for him and did not sleep soundly, deeply concerned about what the days ahead would bring...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. But remember - I own your soul.

edited 8/17/06

DIGIMON GENESIS
CHAPTER 25

JAILHOUSE ROCK

Takumi rolled over in his sleep. With all the horrors he had been experiencing lately, sleep was the only comforting thing in life, but it would not last long. Little did the tired boy know that he would soon be rudely awakened by the sound of large feet.

At first, he had thought the sounds were a part of his dream - which was a strange one. It was hard to tell if it was reality or dream, because it began with him waking up - waking up to yet another sound. The walls of the cave they were in were shaking, sending large rocks crashing down over their heads.

Instantly Takumi knew what was happening - a cave-in. As he quickly got to his feet, it occurred to him that a member of their group may have been buried by the earthquake. Just as he had feared, a muffled sound came from a large pile of stones in the middle of the cave.

"Ryota!" he had shouted in his dream, recognizing the voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ryota!" He bitterly remembered their quarrel the previous night. If his friend suffocated under the rocks, he would never forgive himself!

Within seconds the pile had been lifted through what seemed like superhuman strength, but in reality - if such a term be applied to this dream - he had only imagined himself doing it. When the last rock had disappeared, revealing the poor victim's body, Takumi gasped. The body was not that of Ryota, but of the Shadow Gang leader - Tekkan Shintaro.

"Hello, Takumi, how are you doing?" the man asked, followed by maniacal laughter. In sheer horror, Takumi covered his eyes, and he felt his whole forehead melting, then the sound of feet, then a pull at his neck. He was pulled off his feet, over the cackling head of Tekkan Shintaro, when -

"Ow!"
"Careful now! If you kill him, we may lose our case. You know how tricky SkullSatamon can be."

"Sorry, Sir."

Takumi had bumped his head on the cave wall, and now he felt a slight pain in his back. No . . . opening his eyes, he realized that it was reality now, and that he had been pulled up, and he had fallen, fallen on his back onto the cave floor. But who had been pulling him?
Whoever it was grabbed him by the scruff of his neck again and pulled him onto a scaly body. Fearful, he found himself on the back of a large dinosaur. His friends slept tiredly on the reptile, and the one who had hauled him up climbed to the front of the green dinosaur Digimon.

His captor was a strange sight - it didn't seem his bony arms could lift five pounds without breaking them. He resembled an abnormally large green bat, with huge, yellow teeth and a mane of thick red hair. His small, long fingers made him look demonic, however tiny.

"Well, that's the last of them!" spoke another voice. "Aah, after so many years, I have struck gold! I would prefer to kill them myself, but it wouldn't hurt to have them arrested. Then the whole world can spit on these insidious murders!"

On top of the dinosaur Digimon, Takumi scanned the bat-like Digimon. "Vilemon," he read from his new D-Pendulum, "virus type, champion level. His special attack is Nightmare Shock."

Next he scanned the green dinosaur Digimon. It had two large, red and black striped horns, a long, mammoth-like tail, and a tattoo of a skull-and-crossbones on his shoulder. Some spikes protruded from his back, making it a bit uncomfortable to sit on. Judging by the color of Vilemon's rear end, he had apparently learned that the hard way. "Tuskmon," he scanned, "virus-type, champion level. His special attack is Slamming Tusk."

Next he scanned the Digimon who seemed to be Vilemon's master. He had a long, black cape which came from his shoulders to his feet, a red chest, black legs, a long, forked tail, and a red trident.

"Phelesmon," Takumi scanned, "Virus type, ultimate level. His special attack is Demon Shout - WHOA!" The Tuskmon under him was moving!
"WHOA!" he shouted as he tumbled off, landing on his hands on the desert floor. So shocked was he from tumbling off of the dinosaur, he forgot his sense of direction and ended up running away from Phelesmon and his servant. Of course, Phelesmon took this the wrong way and ordered:
"Vilemon! After him! Don't let him escape!"

With an effortless jump, Vilemon flew to the sand, flying right after Takumi as he ran as fast as he could down the desert. Phelesmon's plan backfired: Instead of getting Vilemon to bring him back, being chased by the servant only made him run faster. It was only when he tripped that the bat Digimon finally caught up with him. Afterwards, he (difficultly) had to drag him on back of Tuskmon, to a very angry Phelesmon.

"Don't you ever do that again!" the master scowled. "If you do . . . Then . . . You know what to do, now, don't you Vilemon?"
"Right!" said the bat scratchily, flapping his torn wings.

Now the Tuskmon began to move again, and Takumi grabbed on to one of his spikes to keep himself balanced; Phelesmon was at the reigns, Vilemon making himself useless behind him. From the movement, his friends awoke quickly and were very much surprised to find themselves on a running dinosaur Digimon.

"Gaah!" Shun cried after nearly falling off. "Where are we?" he demanded, likewise grabbing on to Tuskmon's spikes.

"You tell me," was the reply. "Those two . . . They just picked us up and hauled us on their dinosaur . . . Thing."

"I don't know about this," Ryota observed after a brief explanation about what happened from Takumi, "after all, that guy's an ultimate level Digimon." Then, turning to his now awake friends, he added: "Not that I'm scared. I can go ultimate too!"

"Yes, but that requires a lot of energy," Shun warned. Save it for when you really need it!"

"QUIET!" came a yell from Phelesmon. "You criminals don't have the right to talk!"

Even though he felt quite afraid, Takumi shouted back:
"Hey, what did you just call us? Criminals! What did we do to you?"

"You know perfectly well what you did!" snapped Phelesmon, sounding like an angry parent. Then, with a pull at Tuskmon's horns, he shouted: "Whoa! Easy there, boy! Now get on the trail to Demon Palace! You kidnaped my daughter!"
"Huh?" was the word expressed by the captive children.

"You - you five - you're the ones responsible for the kidnaping of my precious daughter! It's just by sheer luck that I found you, hiding cowardly in a cave instead of trying to face me! You're the catalyst of all my troubles. How wonderful it will be for me to finally bring you to justice by way of the Digital Police!" With a swish of his cape, Phelesmon tugged tightly at the reigns as to not fall from his speeding animal.

"You've all been very, very bad!" exclaimed Vilemon with a nasty grin, facing the group and spreading out his short, bat-like wings. "Master Phelesmon will be sure that you are put to death for your serious crime!"
Turning towards the sky, his master warned, "You had be best to keep quiet, too, Vilemon." And, obediently, the timid bat shrank under his wings and perched on one of Tuskmon's protruding spikes.

"He's a lunatic," Ryota said quietly. "If he turns us in, the police will think his case is so stupid that they'll send him to a mental institution!"

"Just our luck that the first non-wild monster we find here is a nutcase," said Reina gloomily.

"Don't worry," Takumi assured, "at least we know there is some civilization in this world. Then, we won't have to fight our way through." He turned to brown-haired Shun, who sat uncomfortably on the scaly reptilian. His beady eyes were far from their usual cheerful and happy selves. Now, they seemed preoccupied with something.

"What's wrong, Shun?"
"Nothing." Then, contradictory to his previous statement, he said, "What if the police force in this world is - cruel? What if they don't listen to us? What's the consequence for kidnaping someone in this place?"
A shiver went down Takumi's spine, but he tried to be assuring. "We can't think like that. Don't worry. The police will hear us out."
"Hmm," Shun agreed with an uncertain nod.

Although they had made an effort to keep quiet, evidently Phelesmon heard them.

"Shut up!" he shouted. "Be quiet, now . . . For all I know, you are whispering amongst yourselves, plotting against me!"

Takumi had the right mind to shout, "Shut up yourself, you deranged monster!" but even without it, Phelesmon ordered his servant:
"You there! Give them the shock of their life!"

Vilemon grinned, showing three nasty gold teeth, and happy, to do something for his master, he flew right next to Takumi, conjured up an electricity ball, and fired:

"Nightmare Shock!"

"AAGGHHH!" Through his body came a painful electric surge, and for the rest of the journey, Takumi (and his friends, who were also zapped) had no choice but to remain silent.

The sky darkened as the odd crew neared their destination. An eerie chill through the desert made the now silenced Genesis Team uncomfortable, but Phelesmon and his servant did not seem to notice. They rode on, undaunted by the cold winds and the lonely desert landscape. Takumi peered up at the pitch black sky and his jaw fell to the sandy floor. A swirling, dark cloud that was shaped like a whirlpool hung above them, making booming, thunderous noises every so often. The humans could see each other and their location, but there was something in the cool air that made them more fearful than they were during the nighttime. Even Ryota looked back uneasily, as though expecting to find something tailing them. Yuka cringed and sobbed, feeling helpless and alone. Takumi knew that if Naoki was still with them, she would be much better. Though he had been the youngest, Naoki still had some sort of powerful glow around him, making those close to him feel fearless. Shun, the oldest, was fairing no better than Yuka - shivering, hungry, tired. Reina kept quiet, but looked uncomfortable, and her eyes were black and empty, her warm face now pale.

The only ones who seemed to be enjoying the ride were their captors. Phelesmon held Tuskmon's horns tightly and leaned forward, his long black cape blowing behind him in the wind, he resembled one on a motorcycle - cool and careless, their hair blowing back in the wind as they sped along on the highway.

"We're almost there!" he announced quite cheerfully, flashing a rare grin to his companion. "Just a little bit further . . ." After they had picked up speed (by whipping the poor old Tuskmon's) and gone another mile or two, Takumi's eyes caught the sight of a large black dot, which had before been hidden by the blowing sand.

As though reading his mind (which Takumi was sure he could not) Phelesmon pointed out: "See that here? That little black dot? That's the palace of the Digital World - Demon Palace!" He said these words like a soldier gaining the edge in battle, and this, Takumi thought sourly, met his judgment was near. If the police didn't take his side, what would happen to he and his friends? He imagined all sorts of cruel and unusual punishments, ranging from mild (sent to jail for a short while) to severe (torture, then being thrown into a pit of lava). Even the lightest punishment was bad - what would he do behind bars? If it would be anything like Shin's experience, he would rather be thrown into that lava pit than endure the boredom.

"Look at that!"
It was Shun's voice, and he was pointing out a large building in front of them. Phelesmon ordered him to be quiet, but gave no punishment for, though he seemed familiar with it, the sight before him was stunning (especially to Vilemon, who rang his hands together with excitement).

A quarter of a mile away from them lay a remarkable building. It was over 500 feet tall, and very large. It resembled a chapel, but Takumi would have thought it better than any Roman cathedral - except for the fact that it was black. Where the cross would usually be on top was instead a large stone gargoyle. A tall iron gate surrounded it, guarded by brown robot Digimon.

"Hiya, g'day, Guardromon!" greeted Vilemon as they neared the gate.

"Oh, don't be stupid," snapped Phelesmon as he climbed off the Tuskmon, "there's no use talking to it, his only job is to guard the gate and kill any intruders. You can yell at him, swear at him, or throw a rock at him, but it won't matter, you'll get the same response. Isn't that right, big guy?" He playfully punched the machine and instructed everyone to get down from the dinosaur, Tuskmon, who was stationed at the gate.

"Why, of course I know that!" exclaimed Vilemon timidly, stepping behind his master. "Just playing around, Sir." His master ignored him and faced the robotic guard. "Well, aren't you going to let me in?" he scowled. To Phelesmon's surprise, the Guardromon replied:
"PLEASE INSERT CARD." The guard held out a hand with a card-shaped slot. Phelesmon chuckled and said, "How could I forget? An Entrance Card, of course!" He fumbled around in his many pockets for a moment, until he finally withdrew a plastic black card which easily fit in the guard's hand slot.

"SCANNING CARD . . . PLEASE WAIT . . ."
A minute later, Guardromon's eyes flashed red (scaring Vilemon silly) and miraculously, the iron gate swung open like an automatic door at a grocery store. Now the Genesis Team and their captors stood in the shadow of the looming palace. Takumi had never seen a building this beautiful - or such a building so frightening.

"Where'd you get that card, boss?" asked Vilemon as he hopped after his master, "I've read about this place, and only very important people are allowed access to an Entrance Card to this place!"

"Shows you how important I am," said Phelesmon handsomely, holding his cape to his chest as he was followed along the path to a wide door.

Takumi, always curious, foolishly asked, "What would happen if a Digimon was too big to fit through the door?"

"Shut up!" Phelesmon snapped, striking the ground with his staff. "And don't ask questions!"

With his staff, the aristocrat turned the doorknob and quietly entered. Being more than secure from the gate, the palace probably didn't need the door to offer more protection. Vilemon loudly shut the creaking door behind them after all seven had entered.

The inside was even more stunning than the outside, if this was possible. While it was still creepy in its own way, it was a delightful contrast from the darkness, for light shined throughout the castle.

In the lobby was a grand staircase, covered by a rose-red royal carpet. The stairs spiraled into what seemed like forever. The lobby itself was uncomfortably empty, but a few end tables stood near the staircase. All around the walls were decorated with portraits of royal Digimon, robed in red, glamorous garments.

Phelesmon sighed, apparently after looking about for something. "Oh, I wish they'd install an elevator!" he complained, looking less than happy about the spiraling staircase.

Takumi was about to ask how a large monster could fit in an elevator, but sense got the better of him as they reluctantly climbed the long staircase.

" . . . I mean really, not all of us can fly," complained Phelesmon as Vilemon began to flap his triumphant wings up the staircase, only to be pulled down by the tail, so the poor bat Digimon was forced to walk up the steps like the rest of the group.

Through Phelesmon's complaining that he was too good for the stairs and Vilemon annoying them all with dumb comments about the palace, Takumi just about went crazy. Fortunately, Phelesmon was irritated at Vilemon as well and the stupid facts came to and end with "The main structure was remodeled by . . ." as Phelesmon nearly gouged the tiny bat's eyes out with his staff.

After what seemed like forever, the group finally reached a landing after climbing eight flights of stairs, each with 27 steps. Proudly, Phelesmon opened the door and entered, holding the door for the rest of them. A few yards away from him lay a small desk. Seated behind it was a young, very attractive woman. No - not a woman - another Digimon that resembled a young woman. But she was also very different from an ordinary human female. She wore a large gray helmet which covered her eyes, and several large, white wings protruded from her back. No, she was definitely not a woman - but just as attractive, thought Takumi privately.

"Phelesmon!" she said, with evident surprise. "How . . . how unexpected! How are you doing?"

"Good, very good indeed!" Phelesmon said. "I believe we finally have them!"

Takumi thought it was eerie how confident Phelesmon sounded. Was it just another side effect of his lunacy, or did he really expect to have a case against them?

"Oh . . . really?" the angel woman asked. "And what would you like me to do?"

"I would like to see Mr. SkullSatamon!" Phelesmon declared.

The secretary pursed her lips. "Mr. SkullSatamon is very busy with important work at the moment, and he specifically asked me not to disturb him."
Phelesmon growled irritably. "But this is urgent! And besides . . . I have a sneaking suspicion that what's making him busy isn't as important as he'd think it is."

The Digimon sighed. "Very well then," she said reluctantly, leaving her desk and walking down a hallway. After entering a room at the right, she became engrossed in a conversation with a Digimon that Takumi presumed was Mr. SkullSatamon. He caught some of their conversation:
"Mr. SkullSatamon?"
"What is it?" Then - "What? Tell that blowhard that I'm busy -" (an annoyed grunt from Phelesmon) " - You shut up now. What? Oh, for crying out loud . . . I said shut up. I'll be back." The angelic Digimon returned a minute later with someone who didn't look anything like an angel. It was, in fact, a giant orange skeleton with a black helmet and black trousers. A large staff which Takumi assumed was his lay, unused, at the end of the long hallway.

"Well, we meet again, Mr. SkullSatamon!" greeted Phelesmon.

"Unfortunately," Takumi heard the skeleton mutter, and he was sure Phelesmon heard too.

"Now, you're probably wondering why I came to you. Well, I have come to report . . ."

" - That you've found the ones that kidnaped your daughter," finished SkullSatamon to an astonished Phelesmon. "Yes, I know . . ."

"But - how?"
"How? How? Why, for the last ten years you've done nothing but harass me about your precious daughter. These Digimon -" he gestured to the children, "are just innocent little monsters who were picked off the street by you."
Takumi frowned. SkullSatamon had called them "Digimon".

"Ten years? For your information - it has been eight years - eight long and very hard years, filled with suffering. Sometimes I wondered if I could even go on. My daughter! My only daughter! My only child - taken from me, never to be seen again!" sputtered Phelesmon, sounding very much offended.

Phelesmon's emotional correction did not seem to have much effect on the Digimon known as SkullSatamon, who merely looked bored. "You must forgive me, Phelesmon, if I am not up to date on the - date. But ever since, you've been coming to harass me constantly, picking up random Digimon on the street and accusing them with no proof whatsoever. And these Digimon here - why, I've never seen such pathetic creatures in my life!"

Takumi's fists clenched instinctively, but he realized he should not be offended - they were in another world now, and obviously they were not the most menacing of creatures.

SkullSatamon continued. "They don't look like they could harm a fly. When you find the real killers, come back here and talk to me. Now -"

"Killers? What -"
"Oh, Phelesmon, why can't you accept the fact that your precious daughter was kidnaped, raped, and, once the case came out - disposed?"
"Disposed?" He looked both angry, shocked, and sad. "You - you can't just make that assumption! You - you're the Chief Judge!"
Chief Judge? thought Takumi. If that's true, and he's on our side, then we won't be jailed after all!

"Exactly," replied SkullSatamon. "I'm the Chief Judge, and I see no reason in convicting these children of an ancient case."
"Ancient?" Phelesmon babbled. "It's not that old! I've got the ones who did it right here!"

This statement made Takumi furious. How could someone accuse him of something with no proof?

"We didn't do it!" both Takumi, Ryota, and Shun shouted together.

"Quiet!" Phelesmon retorted. "You have no say in -"
The Chief Judge made an interested noise. "Actually, I would like to let them talk. Let's hear what they have to say, shall we?"

"Fine," replied Phelesmon disappointedly. He crossed his arms and looked murderous in his long black cape. He knew that whatever the Genesis Team was going to say, it certainly wasn't going to help his case.

Ryota spoke up, glad to be able to talk without being assaulted by the perverted Vilemon. "We were just resting in a cave," he explained truthfully, "then this guy goes and picks us up and drags us here."
SkullSatamon smirked. "More victims of Phelesmon's desperate nature and horribly embarrassing lack of detective skills."

"They did it! I am sure of it!" retorted Phelesmon, with an even harder slam on the Chief Judge's desk, which made the room shake. "Notice how they leave out the significant details - the part about them hiding from me after kidnaping my poor, defenseless daughter. Hiding in a cave! Does that remind you of anything, Judge?"

"I don't have the foggiest idea of what you're talking about - the cave?" There was a slight pause. "Good heavens, he was cleared years and years ago! Absolutely no evidence to convict him! Even back then you defended him. So who did it, Phelesmon? Was it him or these Digimon you have here?"

"Them!"

The humans all exchanged bewildered glances. This case evidently had a lot of back story that Phelesmon and SkullSatamon both didn't care to explain to them.

Phelesmon sneered. Then he peered down another hallway and shouted: "LadyDevimon! Get You-Know-Who's daughter's file!"

There was a sigh from the woman. Apparently, thought Takumi, all of SkullSatamon's secretaries despised Phelesmon and his case as well, and were familiar with it. Soon emerged a wickedly pretty lady with long, silvery hair. She had red, demonic eyes and was (scarcely) covered with black clothes.

"Her file, Sir," said the woman, handing a folder to the skeleton judge.

"Thank you," thanked the judge tiredly, mopping his masked forehead with his brow. As he fumbled through the folder's many papers, and pulled out a pair of reading glasses, the secretary remained by his desk. She gave Phelesmon a sympathetic, almost longing look.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Get back to work!" he demanded. And she walked away.

"Now - " He withdrew a paper from the file. "According to this paper, you have turned in no less than 328 Digimon in eight years, charged with this kidnaping, that have been proven innocent! What makes these particular Digimon any different?"

Phelesmon moved around uncomfortably. "Those - Digimon - were the wrong ones, I admit it. But I am equally confident that these are the true kidnappers!"
"You have no right to do this!" Takumi shouted in rage. "We've never even heard of you! We don't even know your daughter's name - perhaps if you told us -"

"I don't need to tell you her name! You knew all about her, didn't you? You stalked her, then kidnaped her! And on her wedding night, too! I want her back, and I want you all in jail!" He turned to the judge. "Mr. SkullSatamon?"
The Chief Judge sighed and put his head in his arms. Then he looked at them all and explained: "I have no right to put these innocent little Digimon behind bars. The very idea that you should could to me with these charges is insanity. These Digimon are innocent, and I suggest you check into a mental asylum immediately. Case dismissed!"

"Oh really?" snarled Phelesmon. "You know, I really think you should be doing a better job at this, SkullSatamon. You wouldn't like me to go to the King, now, would you?" He made a nasty grin, and said nothing more, but evidently the Chief Judge understood what he was talking about, because at these words, he looked astounded and stuttered:
"I - I -"
Takumi and the rest of the group stood silent. Whoever this "King" was, he must be very powerful.

SkullSatamon seemed to be more stressed than ever. "Alright then," he agreed sadly.

"What's going on?" questioned a worried Yuka.

"I'm sorry, fellow Digimon," apologized the Judge, "but what I want to do and what I have to do are two very different things."
"What does that mean?" asked Shun anxiously.

This was shortly answered when SkullSatamon reluctantly addressed the Angewomon. The judge opened a drawer and pulled from it a large, silver key. "Take these five," he ordered quietly, "to the torture chamber."

"Torture chamber?" shouted Takumi. "But you can't do this! We're innocent! You know we're innocent!" His mind drifted to those court shows that his mother used to watch. Those two words, "I'm innocent", were always spoke by the person who was obviously guilty. The only difference here was, that in his heart, Takumi knew that he and the rest of the group were innocent!

"Come along, now," said the Angewomon, looking more than a little frightened. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to them, looking frantic.

"You're all humans!"

"Yeah, that's right," said Reina, a little unexpectedly.

"My goodness, children - but why did they not recognize you? Am I dreaming?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ryota. "Are there humans in this world?"

The Angewomon, however, seemed too frightened to answer. "Oh, this is awful. Humans!" She clasped a hand to her heart. "Now I know I must be dreaming. But why did they not recognize you? Am I going crazy?"

"You're not going crazy," said Ryota.

The Angewomon looked bewildered, terrified, and sorrowful all at once. "I'm sorry!" she said. "I'm so sorry! But I must do what I am told. I'm afraid I'm going to have to - lock - you - up!" And then she broke down and began to sob.
"It's all right," said Takumi. "We'll be cleared, won't we?"
"Yeah," put in Shun. "There's no evidence at all that we kidnaped his daughter."

"Oh no!" said Angewomon. "It's not that - oh, humans! Where have you been all this time? Were you hiding in a cave?"

"Yes," said Ryota truthfully.

"And the King never found you, never?" said the angelic Digimon between sobs.

"No," said Takumi. It seemed to be a bit of an odd question. "We only hid there yesterday."

"Oh, this is so strange!" said Angewomon. "This will be everywhere - everywhere - how did you do it, humans? How did you manage to avoid death?"

While they talked, both parties equally puzzled, they made their way down several hallways, down many, many flights of stairs, and finally down a dark, long hallway which seemed underground. At the end of this corridor was the dungeon.

"I'm afraid this will be the last we see of each other," said the Angewomon. "I have said too much. Please don't talk about me when they interview you. They will ask you lots of questions. Please, don't let them kill me!"

Takumi had never had such a strange mix of emotions in all his life, and for not a few seconds he wondered if he was the one dreaming. What in the world was she talking about?

Finally, they faced the dungeon. Many cells lined up, one on top of the other, like a zoo for Digimon. The jail room was hot and dark, and it seemed as though mold was growing on some of the cells. When the screams of tortured Digimon were not heard, a faint dripping noise came from somewhere, which was torture enough.

"I'm going to have to lock you up," said Angewomon with extreme remorse, locking them all grouped in a cell. "Good-bye, humans. I wish I could know more, but I must do my job or I will be killed. Good-bye now - good-bye!" And she walked away, looking behind her shoulder with a strange mix of wonder and fear. Her face then welled up with tears, and she ran up the stairway, leaving them alone.

Nerve-racking screams kept the Genesis Team awake for the remainder of the day. Takumi wondered when they were ever going to finish with the poor criminal Digimon.

"Just be glad you're not the one being tortured," pointed out Reina, and for this he was thankful.

The group was crouched down in the middle of the cell, all huddled together, most of them with their ears covered to protect themselves from all the racket caused by the tortured monster. Seconds later they took them out, for the screaming had ended and his torturer had left, but the criminal was howling more than ever.

"Finally," said a relieved Takumi, "I thought he would never be done."
"Must be even more relieving for that Digimon over there." But this was not so; only minutes later the torturer returned. He grabbed the crying criminal by the hand and dragged him out, resulting in even louder screams and shouts than ever before. They disappeared down another door. The sounds of the tortured Digimon's screams could even be heard through the thick walls.

"I wonder what they're going to do with him," Ryota said aloud.

"Perhaps they're - freeing him?" stated Yuka unsurely.

The little girl was half right. A moment later they heard the sound of metal, blubbering from the tortured Digimon, a clanging of metal, commands from SkullSatamon, then -

SWING.

The screaming ended.

At night, the screams of the tortured Digimon had faded away, the torturers having left them. Both them and the Genesis Team were able to get some rest. Dinner had already been served (bread and water), but it was scarcely enough to keep them satisfied. With five in the cell, they felt very cramped, making it take a while to get to sleep. As usual, Takumi was the last to get to sleep - mostly because Shun was sleeping on his knee. He thought back to the time when he had tried to go to bed early in order to be up and ready on exams, and had dived under his covers at seven-thirty, but did not get to sleep until shortly after eleven. But this was worse.

He tried, very hard, to think that he was in his room, back in his comfortable bed, with the fan blowing in the breeze. Unfortunately, this was equally difficult, because he was sleeping on a hard, stone floor and the only breeze came from Shun's loud snores.

After twenty minutes of trying the same method, Takumi just tried to close his eyes and feel really tired. This seemed to work, but five minutes after he had gotten comfortable, yet something else disturbed him.

"What is it now?" he said half-sleepily. Just as he uttered this, the sound of feet pacing the hard prison floor filled his alert ears. He bolted upright, trying to see where the sound was coming from. He looked around. Nothing. Just the pitch-black jailhouse at night. But he had heard something.

He lay his head down, not wanting to ponder upon it anymore. Perhaps I was dreaming, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, but only fifteen seconds after he closed them, the pacing sound was heard again.

This time he sat up silently and stared. Another look around the jail again yielded nothing. Except -

"Shun!" he whispered, kicking the boy's head.

"Ow!"
"Shhh! Not so loud! Look!"

"Huh?"

In the darkness, they both made out a womanish figure, standing three cells next to them, and trying, in vain, to disguise herself. Takumi and Shun didn't move. They stood, eyeing her, as she tip-toed down the cells until the figure walked right in front of their own cell. She held out a hand, holding a key, then -

BRING.

She dropped the metal object to the floor, awakening those close to her. Within seconds, the group was staring at the figure as it fumbled around on the floor for the key, grabbed it, then inserted it into the lock.

RU-HULL.

The barred door sprang open, shaking wildly. The figure motioned for them to step out.

Wondering what was going on, Takumi stepped out first, followed by Reina, Shun, Yuka, and Ryota. Though he was very close to her, the boy could still not make out the figure's face. But she held a finger to her mouth and motioned for them to follow her through a door next to their cell.

Obediently, the Genesis Team followed the tall figure, Takumi all the while trying to figure out who she was. But he had a guess.

The figure held open the door through them. What Takumi saw made him jump with joy. It was outside! Even though it was night and the crickets were chirping loudly, he never saw such a joyous sight. He could've hugged the female Digimon, whoever she was.

This time, Takumi was the last to go through the door. Before he went, however, he stared up at the tall woman's face.

"Angewomon?" he guessed quietly. "Thank you." He left through the door, looked up at the woman's face again, then departed along with his friends. Quietly, the female Digimon closed the door behind them.

Once more the Genesis Team stared up at the grand castle.