Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Characters; Asuka (Qinlongfei), Zoe (Thisistherealdeal), Jay (sonofthetrigod), Hannah (RazenX), Lexy, Benji and Tilly (KumoFuzei), Amelia (Somethingdictionaryrelated), John (tobiisagoodboy94), Kara (FallenAngel01) and Rocky (me)

A/N – Well I had this chapter brewing when I wrote the previous chapter

A/N 2 – Check out the thread for the Tangled Web on the Digital Connections forum! You're still able to submit characters to me for the world tour, just drop me a PM or post it on the "Calling all budding fanfictioners" topic in the same forum

Let's hear those reviews!

After it's been so long since my last chapter (likkkkeeee, blooming years!), I feel like it's only right that I do a quick little summary with who and where the characters where: In the last chapter, Rocky's Candlemon digivolved into Mistymon to defeat LadyDevimon in the Digital world and got the group safely to Japan. They met up with Asuka, her brother Shinji and Lyle who had been in contact with Johnathan as a way of infiltration the DEPT base in Japan. Whilst in Japan, they encountered a Greymon with a digital virus that Lexy's IceAngemon engaged with, accidentally becoming contaminated himself. Lexy's brother (and also Rocky's cousin!) Douglas rang his her after coming across a video of her on a conspiracy site, forcing the group to use Digimon to get home quick. On returning home to the UK, Rocky's friends Tilly and her stepbrother Benji had to come to terms with the fact that they were moving to Australia, but Rocky had bigger fish to fry when General Nilloc- who was really Hunter Collins, had given him an ultimatum. The general told Rocky that Benji and Hannah had stolen something of his and he wants it back – if it is returned, then they will get the cure for Iontramon. Underneath it all, Rocky suspected that Pandemicamon was on the hunt for possibly the very thing that had been stolen from the DEPT. It all ended with Lexy and Douglas being taken to the DEPT headquarters as collateral… And our story continues with Rocky's girlfriend, Kara, discovering exactly what Benji and Hannah had taken from DEPT…

Chapter 35 – Kara Hamilton

"Benji, what have you done?" I asked the youngster whilst looking down at the boy who had his arms wrapped around my waist. "This girl, has she really been living inside the DEPT building for the last ten years?"

"But Lyra needed our help. She wanted us to save her," Benji protested, letting go of me. "I would want to be saved if I were cooped up in the DEPT compound. We can help her and show her the world outside of the DEPT."

"Benji – that's not the point. Look, what's your next step?" I asked him, looking sternly down at him.

He stammered uncontrollably, trying to find his words. "I- well, Kara. If… If it were- was, I thought that maybe if I saved her, she would tell us how to bring the DEPT crashing down!"

I looked at the girl and wondered what her part was in this whole thing was. How she fell into the general's greater plan… I thought about whether the girl was what Pandemicamon was after. She had to be important. "This is huge, Benji. We have to take her back..."

"But Kara-"

"No Benji – no-"

Then a tiny voice piped up. "The Digital World is at danger if I take the general there. I want to help you."

I turned to face the young girl. "Why do you want to help us? Don't you feel safer back at the headquarters?"

Before the youngster could answer, my phone started ringing. I answered it instantly when I saw who it was.

"Oh my good g- Rocky, I am so glad that you called. I'm having a total nightmare of a day and-"

He couldn't let me finish my sentence. "It's about to get a lot worse. Our good old friend General Collins has just kidnapped Lexy and Douglas. He says we have something that belongs to him, but we don't… I said we'd give it to him, but… oh man…"

I bit my thumb, I couldn't speak because I was in complete shock. Benji may have saved Lyra, but in doing so, he had endangered both Lexy and her brother. I felt worse because Douglas had absolutely nothing to do with this. It was certainly going to be a shock to the system when the Jackson boy was filled in about all things Digimon.

"Rocky, stop talking. Please? I think you better come over…"

"I'm already on my way to yours now, Kara. I had a feeling Benji might have come to you."

"How did you know-"

I wanted in the front room by the window, watching outside. There was no way that I could argue with Benji anymore about Lyra, not right now. Outside it seemed so still and quiet – the trees barely moved in the breeze.

Then I heard the revving of a vehicle, a vehicle of which I knew the sound of all too well. My stupid boyfriend was still driving that blasted DEPT even though he had promised me that he had gotten rid of it. Rocky leapt out of the jeep, slamming the door angrily before running up to the front door without even smiling at me in the window – not that I could blame him.

"Kara, was that Rocky coming up the drive?" Jenna called from upstairs. "Where's he been? I haven't seen him in ages – I genuinely thought that you guys had broken up."

Rocky stepped inside, and I received a sharp stab that was supposed to resemble a kiss I guess. A sharp stab because it was rough, quick and emotionless. "Don't worry Jenna… Everything's good between us. So you have got nothing to think about," he called out bluntly.

"You do realise these interior walls aren't soundproof, don't you? My room is next to hers, you know. Knock, knock."

I felt my cheeks flow with a burning heat. "Through here. And you can't be mad at Benji…" My hand took his and I led him to where I had left Benji and Lyra – in the back room with a newly replaced sliding patio door. Yes, Dad had replaced it since it got broken by DEPT. I still don't know if he is aware of what's going on… "Now don't be mad at Benji."

"Mad!" Rocky shouted, cupping a hand over his mouth before growling, "Why would I be mad?"

He was mad… but he continued.

"I mean, come on Benji. What the hell were you playing at? Have you any idea how irresponsible and not to mention downright stupid this is?" Rocky's eyes darted between Benji and Lyra. "You abducted her from the DEPT headquarters…" He paused, squinting at the girl. "You're the owner of the white egg with the crown embellished on it. The one that Wisemon showed Lexy. Oh god. Well there's no time to lose. We've got to get you back to the headquarters." He took Lyra's wrist swiftly and pulled her off the sofa.

"No!" Benji yelled, tugging at Rocky's hand that was gripped on Lyra.

"Benji- let me go!" Rocky snapped.

I blocked Rocky's way out, shaking my head. "I can't let you do this, Rocky. Please… I don't agree with what Benji did, but he had good intentions. Not to mention, we should give him some credit. After all, he did get Lyra out of the DEPT headquarters without anyone noticing… I think we both need to hear him out first. To make sure we have all of the facts."

Rocky sighed, letting go of the girl's skinny wrist. "You always could talk me out of doing anything."

"I guess that is one of the reasons why we go so well together as a pair," I mumbled, softly kissing his cheek. "Okay Benji, this is your chance to tell us your side of the story."

Benji inhaled sharply. "Lyra doesn't want to go back and she doesn't like it there… So why should we take her back there? We escaped the headquarters because the general was occupied, prepping his scientists for a test that he was going to carry out on Lyra. You both know what kinds of tests happen in that place. They're not right… And, and, and- well the general's got a plan and I know it involves Pandemicamon and Lyra."

Something made me agree with Benji, but after everything that had been going on, I also had a slight suspicion about Lyra. "Lyra – what does the general call you? You must have an agent name or something, right?"

Lyra shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think I have an agent name. Only this little bracelet that was given to me – I can't really remember when though." She showed us her wrist and I knew I had seen these bracelets before.

"Jay's got one like that… His was the-" I pulled up the internet on my phone and searched for the Greek alphabet and inspected the symbols. "You, Lyra, are called Agent Gamma – that's what the general will call you."

Rocky peered over my shoulder, pointing at a couple of the symbols on the screen. "Yeah, because Jay is Agent Sigma, which is that symbol- Asuka is that symbol, Agent Kappa. So what's so special about these guys?"

"We can work this out together," I smiled. "I've been thinking about this. But maybe the three of them are the experiments. We know that the general desires access to the Digital World and that children hold the key to this… We know that the hospital plays a part in this by tagging a child that passes through that has the D-gene."

Rocky stifled a laugh. "I've never heard Mrs Noah refer to it as that…"

I couldn't help but laugh and pat his shoulder gently. "Well we'll call it that for simplicity. What if General Collins has been trying to manufacture the D-gene?Whilst some of us were born with the D-gene, maybe DEPT believe that you can manufacture it? Either that, or they have been experimenting with the gene on Jay, then Asuka, and now Lyra. With Jay working as a fake receptionist, we know that the tests didn't work. For Asuka, something must have not worked, but they are both able to travel to the Digital World… But I don't know… What I do know is that both Jay and Asuka's Digimon partners dark digivolve instead of normal digivolution."

Rocky nodded. "So that backs up the theory that something went wrong with their experimentation. Which leads us to Lyra- maybe she hasn't failed as an experiment-"

"Stop it!" Benji shouted. "Stop calling her an experiment! She's a human being just like you and me are. Only she's more important in the process of saving the Digital World…"

"It's okay, Benji." Lyra smiled. "So what is our plan of action?"

I liked this girl. She had a tough head on her shoulders.

"I will go back, if it releases your cousins. I am no use to you without a Digimon…" Lyra hung her head in sadness.

Rocky and I exchanged a look, until he knelt down in front of Lyra. "Lyra, my name is Rocky – like the mountains." He held his hand out to her, but she didn't take it. "I didn't really get a chance to introduce myself. We're going to need your help and all the knowledge you have of the DEPT compound. Once we've got a plan of action, it will be easier to save Lexy and Douglas – my cousins. And your Digimon too."

Her face lit up. "You would do that for me? Oh thank you, thank you, thank you." She lurched forwards and hugged Rocky, almost knocking them both over. "But I don't know if I can be much help."

I crouched down beside Rocky, holding onto him for support and trying not to flash in my white skirt. "Anything could help us, Lyra."

"Well… I think, there is one thing that could help, but it isn't pretty, and I don't know if it will get through all the security."

"Where?"

"There's a load of hidden tunnels running under the compound. Like a maze when you don't know the way. I use to sneak down there and play with one of the receptionists, he was really cool. But to get into the tunnels, you would have to go through the sewers… I just don't know where the entrance is from this side of the fence… I never left the compound that way."

Benji squeezed her hand. "Well you didn't leave the DEPT base at all."

The idea of giving them Lyra away wasn't exactly thrilling me to the bones, but it would be worth it to save Lexy and Douglas.

"We should ask Jay if he knows anything," I said, standing up slowly. "Yeah, he managed to escape Pandemicamon with Gigimon, but he's lying low for the moment."

Rocky nodded. "Yeah. He's got to be the one that Lyra played with down there. There's no one else it could be."

Rocky got in touch with Jay and the four of us met up with him- but only once we had dressed Lyra in some of my clothes. She would have stood out like a sore thumb in the bright white outfit she had on, so it had to be done. Originally, Lyra looked like a mental patient in a fictional hospital.

"Jay!" I called out to him.

He was sat on a park bench with the hood of his jumper up and pulled down over his eyes. "What's up, Kara?" he asked, standing up cautiously. "It's so good to see you, and I'm sorry for the radio silence. I had to make sure that I had shaken off Pandemicamon." He hugged me tight, but then suddenly backed away, like he was shocked by something. "Lyra?" he gasped. "Is that really you?"

"You?!" Lyra grinned before lurching at him, throwing her arms around him. "I didn't know if I would ever see you, especially when I saw that you had been replaced- and they didn't come to play. I missed you."

"It's so good to see you, really it is, but why are you here? How are you here?"

Whilst it was heart-warming to see their reunion, but at the same time, time was running out and if I didn't say anything, Rocky would and it would come across ten times worse.

"Jay, me and these guys need your help. Desperately…" I whispered. "I really don't know what to do. So much is going wrong for us now that I wonder if we can really win this. Hannah and Lexy don't have fully functioning Digimon, and I don't know how we are going to cope with the DEPT."

He didn't seem phased at all – instead, he shrugged. Jay turned towards Lyra. "Are you sure you want to give yourself over? It's okay if you don't."

Lyra looked between all of us. "We have to help them, Jay. You have to show them the entrance to the tunnels. If we sneak in, then maybe we can have the upper hand."

I smiled at her bravery and tactfulness.

Jay led us along the back roads- we picked up Terriermon, Lalamon and Candlemon along the way, and then started to venture into the forest behind my house. The woods were overgrown and the path was barely exposed. I shivered as I followed at the back, trying to avoid any brambles or nettles that could scratch at my legs. Whilst I loved wearing my pretty little skirts, I didn't like their lack of practicality.

A rustle nearby caught my attention and I turned to face it. A clump of bushes was shaking and I wondered if it was a Digimon so I cautiously stepped towards it. I didn't even say anything to the others. As I crouched down to separate the bushes to peer into the shrub, something pricked me in the neck sending my body into a spasm. I collapsed in a heap on the grass, knowing that I had been captured by DEPT.

When I came around, I was trapped. My head was slumped down on a cold steel table. As I slowly sat up, I was blinded by the white interior of the room I was in. Instantly, I was sent into a panic and stood up so quickly that I felt my wrist crack. That hand was trapped in this cuff like mechanism. Right over my Digivice. There was no way that my hand was coming out of it. I tried to slip it out like when you have a bangle on that's too tight, but it wouldn't budge. My other hand tried to prise the mechanism open, but it was useless.

I looked around the room, but it was empty apart from a door that was in front of the table. Part of me wondered if I should shout out to someone, but I didn't want to alert them that I was awake. I wanted to break my thumb in the hope that I could get out of the device, but I knew I didn't have it in me to do that.

At the sound of a super loud alarm, I almost jumped out of my skin like some sort of out of body experience.

"Hey!" I called out, too quiet to be heard over the sound of the alarm.

Planting my free hand on the edge of the thick, steel table, I leant my weight into it and tried to move it towards the door. All whilst the alarm was ringing in my ears. Through the small window in the door, I saw a group of DEPT soldiers spring past- for some reason I just ducked.

When the alarm finally stopped, it felt so incredibly silent. I tried to catch my breath and figure out my next step whilst I was attached to this mechanism. Not knowing what it was doing only intrigued me more.

"Ah, Miss Hamilton, you're awake."

I looked up to see General Collins at the door.

He smirked. "Now you're going to have to move the table away from the door. We have a lot to discuss."

I wasn't sure what to do – I had always looked to Rocky as the leader, so to know that Hunter was about to enter negotiations with me, made me feel incredibly nervous. I tried not to make it look so obvious that I was worried, I had to try and hold on to the upper hand.

"Or if you don't want to move it, we can negotiate over the door whilst you are cuffed. Move the table, and I'll remove the lock."

The nerves got the better of me and I dragged the table away from the door. I rubbed my wrist and inspected my Digivice for any damage or signs of tampering. It appeared fine, but I couldn't shake my fear. It was clinging to me like a limpet to a rock.

"Okay Miss Hamilton. Let's get this all out in the open-"

Something snapped in me and I decided to try and take more control of the situation. "You think you have the upper hand, but you're running out of experiments and you don't have Agent Gamma. Kidnapping Alexis and her brother is not the key to get what you want, and… and…"

The general put his hand up. "Kara, please. You don't realise what you're in the middle of. The DEPT is not a team you want to cross. Let's look at the 'team' of Digidestined kids as you like to call yourselves. There is Miss Noah and her petrified Angemon. Miss Jackson has an infected Digimon partner. Then two of your teammates are off to Australia soon. Mr Bradley is nowhere to be seen, but there is a reason that he has not been in touch with you… He failed to protect his Digimon…"

I shook my head. "That's not true Mr Collins. You've got it all wrong."

The thing is, I had been speculating for a while over something about the Digimon and the Digital World. Yes, I had come to a decision on it, but I wanted to keep the information to myself for a little while longer. As I stared at the general, I felt that I needed to drop a card on the metaphorical poker table.

"Have you ever noticed why the children with Digimon are that? Children? … I'll take that as a no… but it is interesting that you thought Johnathan growing up and becoming a year older means that he has lost Commandramon and failed at protecting the Digimon. You're wrong, Johnathan didn't fail."

General Collins grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the corridors of DEPT. "You my dear, are going to be far more interesting than I could imagine."

"What do you mean by that?" I squeaked, trying to look around for someone to help.

"Your intelligence. The way in which you apply your knowledge on Digimon is incredible."

"I won't help you."

"Why not?"

"Because you haven't ever kept your promises, and you're working with Pandemicamon, and this whole place is a lie!" I wrenched free. "This isn't the Digimon Extraction Programme Team, but the Digimon Extinction Programme Team!"

"Seize her, and bring her friends in here- I'm done being nice."

Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Well I may have missed a couple of anniversaries but I hope that the chapter update and the chapter itself were okay *I'm slowly trying to get back into writing so go easy on me guys