Chapter Thirty-Six: Sunburn Sucks

"My Digivice alert system exploded," Koh said once he had air back in his lungs. "All Light Fang need to be on their side of Center Bridge. They're intent on invading… so I went to take a look." He swallowed. "I saw knives. A hell of a lot of damn knives"

Julia let out a swear word. It was a good one too. "Knew that asshole was holding out on me."

I almost laughed out loud, but I did my best to keep a straight face. "Chief?"

Julia snapped to eyes turning nearly the color of black coffee as Skull Baluchimon came stomping in. (Still have no idea how these big ass demons can fit on our tiny ass teleportation pads but hey, I'd go with it.) "Oh Koh let you know then," he grunted. "They're looking pretty set on coming here. We're still getting paid for this right?"

"If we live," I heard Gao mutter and tapped the Digivice. No fatalist talk.

"Of course." Julia's voice sounded so butter smooth I almost fucking believed she wasn't about to try her whatever mind powers on a Perfect level. "But you don't want to have us die in the process, correct? We can't pay you if we're dead, the Holy Beasts really wouldn't want to, you know, open the accounts wherever they've left them. Can you and yours temporarily shift focus to somewhere else, such as a lock to keep them out?"

SkullBaluchimon made a face, which was really weird because he has no skin, but it looked like he was sucking on a lemon. "I think we can but it's gonna cost you."

"We'll get to you with that." Julia didn't miss a beat and I got the sense a lot of this was coming out of the budget the Holy Beasts had left automatically filling up years ago. You know, after their intermediary died and the last one said 'fuck it'. Pretty sure those were his exact words too. Zhuqiaomon's a bit of a dick, if you all didn't know.

"Then we should be in the clear."

SkullBaluchimon nodded. "I'll see to it with the boss then." He paused and grinned. "I thought you were supposed to be a scary lady."

Julia smiled right back. "At the moment, I don't think I should kill you."

There was that familiar awkward silence you had when you knew the executioner was right at your throat. SkullBaluchimon audibly swallowed, then made his exit. Koh glanced at me and I looked away. I wasn't going to rat out he actually had a heart, give me some credit. He muttered something and then left.

I glanced at Chief Julia. "Need me to watch the bridge?"

She nodded. "If they invade anyway, and you see an opening-"

"You didn't say anything, I didn't hear any order like it," I replied, clicking my heels as I saluted. "Understood."

Duke uncrossed his arms. "Good to know you listen still."

"My ears are fine," I said and I thought I heard my voice crack. "Am I dismissed?"

Both nodded. I left.

I saw SkullBaluchimon talking with Koh as I exited. Without thought, I slipped to the side of the office next to a Tsukaimon. I leaned down and scratched him behind the ears. "Anything juicy over there?"

"Stupidity's always juicy," he chirped back at me, stubby tail appreciating the attention to his ears. "Why?"

"Doesn't it look funny to see a skull dino leaned down to a kid he could crush like a popsicle stick?"

The little guy laughed and agreed. I scratched some more and tilted my head so I could hear. Thankfully, the kids in the Digivice understood and were very, very quiet.

"With this program, do you think you can get through?" I heard Koh say. Surprising for a Light Fang (look guys, the Light Fang aren't dumb, they're just kind of recklessly obvious about some things), he kept his voice down.

SkullBaluchimon snorted. "Course I can. Hell, Mercurymon could do it better than me."

"Yeah, but you told him to go do the lock program. So I'm asking you." Koh was trying to sound pretty brave. Then again the guy had kicked both of them around once so I guess he could afford to do that.

SkullBaluchimon grunted. "Ballsy kid, You're real lucky me trying to eat them off would take your insides and the rest of you with it."

Koh waved his hand and I could almost see his lips twist into exasperation. "So can you do it?"

"Yeah, yeah, course I can. We just gotta get closer to the-"

"Aren't you guys supposed to be at the bridge?" I asked, strolling up to them like I hadn't just been conveniently eavesdropping this whole time. I got the hilarious image of a giant dino and a kid leaping nearly a foot in the air. Julia's stealth training was fucking worth it for that.

Koh flushed. "Uh, yeah, we were just heading there now… right?" Smartly, SkullBaluchimon kept his mouth shut.

I nodded. "Yeah, probably good. If Julia'd caught you instead of me, you'd have been punted there. She's not in the mood."

"Who is?"

They left fairly quickly and I pretended for a moment like I believed they weren't doing anything wrong and went to get healing supplies. Just in case. Then, sighing heavily, I went outside.

Spike nodded at me as I passed by him below. I saw a few Silver Tamers with whetstones, a Gold like Raigo spinning his spear. Newton was bent over one kid, bandaging his burnt fingers. A taser lay cracked on the ground. I winced. I guess a taser was better than nothing for some zombies right? I kept walking. Grandracmon nodded at me as I past, mouth playing at a smirk. Ass. I followed Gaioumon's gaze however for only a minute or two. I didn't need to think about what the hell was happening over there. Probably lots of talking about destroying Night Claw. Yeah because I needed that today.

No sign of SkullBaluchimon or Koh here either. Might have actually done something smart and hid. At the sight of a flicker of golden light on a precarious little broken edge. Fun. Great place to put a teleport pad. Being me and a moron, I stepped on it. Thankfully, it got me to land silently where there the two idiots were, like one of those humor routines that happen in Japan. Come on, you know what they're called right? The straight man and… eh, can't remember the other one. Anyway, Koh's digivice was sparking like someone had put it in water (please don't do that.) and I stood back and tried to keep as much snark out of my head as possible.

"I can't believe you couldn't do this yourself."

Koh shot SkullBaluchimon a glare. "Excuse me, princess, but my material's at home. Humor me."

"You really think you'll be able to beat Chief Glare?" SkullBaluchimon let out a snort. "Even we've heard rumors about the guy. I wouldn't wanna screw with a dude who can give his partner enough juice to shoot a permanent crater in the ground of this place."

Koh scowled. "I don't have a choice. Those are my friends over there. I can't just leave them to die or whatever the Night Claw or going to do to them."

I snorted. "Still an us versus them mentality, huh Koh?"

They both jumped, again. God, that was funny. I shrugged. "We're their friends too, and we can't let them do this. None of this, we're friends and they won't hurt anyone crap, because they will. I wish they wouldn't, yeah but hey. We're all screwed if they get over here and infect everyone else, probably. So that has to stop. You think you can win against all of them?

Koh hesitated, then he scowled. "I dunno," he admitted. "But I've gotta try, right? I've gotta do something other than sit on my ass like I have been. But..."

"You just wanna check on that sister of yours," I said, realizing it was true as I spoke. He froze up and I nodded. "That's fair. I mean, not many people can just get into another person's Tamer Home, but clearly it ain't impossible." But that wasn't why he should go, and he knew it. So, before either of them could encourage or discourage me, I moved with the quickness my kind seemed to love in times like these, and I lifted Koh's digivice from his hands, diving onto the portal.

"Don't worry," I said as it glowed beneath my feet. Koh's fingers reached for me as his Digivice flickered blue. "We still have a rematch."

Then I stood behind the slew of Light Fang kids, all staring straight ahead and murmuring.

I swallowed. "Welcome to Legion I guess."

No turning back now.