First off, sorry for the long wait in updating everyone. As of this update this story is no longer dormant, even with autumn on its way.
I do not own anything.
Chapter Fifty-Two-Brace and Harden
Even if everyone had told him he had nothing to worry about Davis knew he couldn't be foolhardy enough to push his luck. Not like he wanted to anyway. Enough had already happened and he didn't want to give people another reason to look at him or Veemon. The sharp glares of the "judges" sitting before him were hard and piercing, yet not enough to get him or his partner to cower in fear. Compared to everything they'd been through in the past seventy-two hours nothing they threw at them would be enough to frighten them. Though they were doing a very good job of trying.
Rather than appearing in person, they'd settled for holograms modeled into human likeness with no personally discerning features. That suited Davis just fine, a part of him knew this entire thing was formality and wanted to be dealt with as quick as possible. Five judges stood before, each bathed in a different color: red, blue, green, yellow, and orange. All of them eyed him with a mixture of sympathy and wariness as he stood defiant before them. It occurred to him in that moment there was a chance they didn't want to be there anymore than he did. Davis had to struggle to keep from blurting that out and making his already grim situation worse.
Veemon had slightly different ideas. "So, um, are you gonna throw us in the brig?"
At least no one laughed, if there was a juror Davis was sure his partner's statement would have had a good laugh or two out of them.
Red spoke first. "As cliché as that would be, no, we've got bigger issues to discuss. Namely your…Davis Motomiya, you have a very high reckless streak, you know that, right?"
"Yep, part of my charm."
"Which explains why you've yet to find a-" Blue started only to be silenced by green, a female, jabbing him in the side. "While that was all well and good, things are different."
"In case you haven't noticed, we're at war." Yellow deadpanned. "Look, we understand your feelings regarding your sister. Believe me when I saw everyone is feeling the pain and brunt of what's happening, but if we start acting on those emotions a lot more people are going to end up like your sister-lost."
Davis had noticed whenever people around him referred to Jun they used that word, lost. Not dead or gone, just lost. Though just about everyone had given up hope when her stray transmission from the Dark Ocean reached the Human World it sent something of a surge of revival through the DigiDestined. Davis included. Despite the fact weeks had passed those like him held onto hope that Jun was still alive. In Davis' case he had to hold onto that faith or else he'd…what he and Veemon had done at ShogunGekkomon's castle would look nothing more than a minor pout. Everyone was well aware of that, and if they weren't well, he and Veemon had already been the subject of a few stray glances and glares on their way into this mock courtroom.
Green coughed into her fist bringing him out of his thoughts. "Following that, Davis, while your situation is deeply understandable, you can't go running off on your own like that."
"Even when it does a damn good job in scaring the enemy senseless." Blue snorted.
"What you did was dangerous and reckless, not just for you and your partner but for the others as well." Spoke orange for the first time folding her hands. Davis hated that. "If not for a few lucky breaks you could have potentially killed yourself and your partner, or worse, injured your own allies. I repeat, by sheer luck a greater tragedy was averted. Next time luck probably won't be on your or anyone's side expect maybe Dagomon or Daemon's."
"Hey! We haven't made it this far off of pure luck you know! It was MetalGarurumon that stopped me when I was going berserk!" Veemon shouted.
Davis knew that outburst was coming, and he knew what the retort was going to be.
"And what if MetalGarurumon hadn't been there? Or what if you'd deleted him before he could stop you?"
That statement was…warranted. Davis placed a hand on his partner's shoulder slightly advising him to keep calm and not say anything else. They both felt anger rising within them, part of it was directed at the judges, and part of it was directed at themselves. The young DigiDestined had come within a hair's breath of mortal-wounding the dirty blond; Davis still remembered the feel of his fists raining down upon Matt's exposed body and the older boy simply taking it. If things had been different Davis knew there was a very real possibility he could have crossed a line he never would have been able to walk back. The thought left him wide-awake in his bed, tears unable to fall from his eyes due to silent horror gripping them and keeping them open toward the ceiling.
"You're right." He finally spat.
For a moment, the judges looked frozen at the fact he actually agreed with them. Having seen his record and heard of his reputation they no doubt thought getting him to admit his faults would be an uphill battle. Rather fortunate or not Davis wasn't in the mood for that.
Red was the first one to recover. "That at least saves us the trouble of wasting time on that matter. You know what you did was stupid so we'll skip the lecture and move on to making sure this never happens again."
"We know you want to save your sister…and this Chiyo person, though we believe it's time you faced hard facts regarding the latter." Spoke the blue judge looking at Davis with a hard glare he returned. "Davis Motomiya, as of this moment a shoot on sight order has been given for Chiyo Fukuzawe."
For the first time the pair reacted with visible emotion-shock. Quickly enough the shock gave way to horror that manifested on their faces and spread to their voices in the form of scattered protest.
"Davis!" Roared tallow slamming her digital grovel down. "Listen, whatever hope you might have had of turning her to our side is gone now! She's Leviamon's partner, the commander of his forces!"
"Only because she thinks I abandoned her!" Davis fired back growing more irritated with every second.
"And if you do manage to convince her otherwise? What then?" Green inquired leaning forward. "Even if she does realize she's been tricked do you really think Leviamon is just going to let her go? While we don't know much about Daemon's partner or even who released him our research has lead us to believe even the Seven Demons are like ordinary Digimon. When partnered with a human their power is increased three-fold. Leviamon is not going to give that up without a fight."
Before answering the human and Digimon looked between each. Upon looking back to the judges their eyes were as crystal clear as spring water yet as hard and steel.
"We never expected him to give her up." Veemon began.
"And fighting for her doesn't scare us in the least." Davis finished looked to each judge, never once faltering. "She's worth fighting for, maybe not to you or anyone else, but she is to me."
His words resounding through the mock courtroom as his eyes bore holes into the five colored holograms. Though digital each teen behind the projection could feel Davis' fierce eyes burning into them, engraving his will into their souls so they wouldn't forget it. That combination forced the five to privately converse while Davis and Veemon patiently waited on the pseudo-stand. Neither spoke a word to each other as there wasn't much need to. Whatever came their way they'd faced it side by side and go from there.
At the very least when the doors opened Yolei's pacing came to an end. "Well?! What happened?! How'd it go?! You're not leaving, are you?!"
Despite being grabbed and shaken like he was a salter dispenser Davis managed to remain calm. Equally interested the others crowed around the young goggle-head and his partner for the verdict that had been reached. Since the doors had opened and no one had come to apprehend Davis they were optimistic.
"They chewed us out," Davis started.
"And that's it!" Veemon grinned holding up a V-sign.
"That's it? What do you mean 'that's it'?" Cody asked looking as shocked as one might have expected.
"Exactly what Veemon said, that's it. They gave us a warning, told us if we pulled a stunt like this again we're really going to be thrown in prison, and that was it." Davis concluded giving his friends a sheepish grin.
All around the assembled group there were sighs of relief. Though most days he was a handful their reactions showed they were truly worried for him, and that inspired Davis and Veemon to think more carefully next time. There was also a twinge of sadness as the blue-haired teen couldn't help but wonder what would his sister think of his reckless charge. For the hundredth time he truly longed for her nagging voice.
"Well, better than I expected." Tai chuckled. "At the least there wasn't much yelling."
"You should have seen some of the times Tai had to appear in court, now those were some sights to be seen." Laughed Matt along with the others of the group. "It just proves you're already a step ahead of your predecessor."
Again, the group laughed in joyous harmony while the brown-haired leader shot his best friend a mock-venomous glare. Like a after-storm breeze the tension was pushed away. Amongst the chorus of laughter and jokes Davis and Matt locked eyes, neither attempting to hide their respective shame or guilt. Both knew a talk was coming, a long-awaited talk they'd been putting off for too long. After the Dark Digivolution mess Davis knew he had to talk to someone, anyone about what was eating him. Matt had silently been dreading the sit-down with Davis, the sit-down he probably should have had a month ago. The time for waiting and holding off was at an end.
With the trial behind them the assembled group fanned back out. Tai and Agumon returned to the medical ward where they would sleep off their last day of required medical leave. Yolei, Cody, and Noriko decided to go to the Digital World to see how things were going and even potential try to get in contact with either T.K. and Kari or Ken and Wormmon. Not so surprisingly Mimi had found service as acting as Joe's personal nurse. It still came as something of a shock to a few that the two were now a couple, and that Mimi was proving to be a vastly component organizer, doctor, and den mother. Then again, the original DigiDestined could attest to the brunette's willingness to multi-task when the situation called for it. That simply left Matt and Davis and their partners, all of whom knew the time had come.
David was supposed to return to his hospital cot, but this needed to be done.
There was a lounge area by one of the windows of the base that offered a half-decent view of the city. It was quiet and less-visited by other members of the crew which made it perfect for a sit-down. Both boys let out somewhat relieved sighs when they were finally able to plant their butts down on the chairs.
"I didn't realize how tired I was until now." Davis moaned stretching out his legs.
"Trust me, some days you don't realize you've run a marathon until you've stopped, then it hits you like a freight train." Declared the older boy recalling the "fond" memories of their earlier adventures in the Digital World. Again, those days seemed so preferable to now. "How are you feeling, Veemon, any side effects?"
"Eh, um, nope! Besides some really bad nightmares, they come up occasional." Answered the blue and white-skinned Rookie looking somewhat embarrassed to be reminded of the incident. Horror stories about Dark Digivolutions ran rampant and that was before the war started since they were few and far between but still very much a possibility. After the war began they became a lot more common for a variety of unsavory reasons. As Veemon found out the stories were true, and then some. No doubt the sensations and phantom pains would continue for days afterwards. "I, uh, Gabumon, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. We all have our bad days, believe me, as a senior I know." Offered the blue-furred Digmon. "It's nothing to get too bent out of shape about, and it's no reason to let anyone demean you either."
"I'm…not exactly worried about people talking about me behind my back. I've already had enough of that." Davis started leaning forward with his hands clapped together. "Heh, guess it really suits the village idiot, huh?"
"No, it just means you've got a stiffer spine than most people." Countered the rocker looking at him with affirmative eyes. Matt knew the self-pity train Davis was about to board and the track it was about to take him down. "Davis, people are always going to talk about you, you mess up they'll never let you live it down and you do something good they'll dismiss it. You can't let yourself worry about it, besides, from what I hear at least your rampage did a good job in scaring the Deep Ones shitless. At the very least you managed to kill one of Dagomon's lieutenants."
"His daughter." Davis clarified looking down at his hands. He was trembling as the memories flowed back to him; casting a glance to the side he found Veemon was in the same boat. Over the course of their adventures as a DigiDestined they'd had to delete Digmon, though they'd done so with the safe knowledge they'd be re-formatted latter on cleansed of their wickedness or entirely evil beings were gone forever. Even if Tosamon was evil incarnate and the daughter of one of their most hated enemies she was still a living creature…and she was no gone forever. "Mat…is it…"
"You did had to be done, Davis, nothing more and nothing less." He answered for him reaching across the table to grip his hands.
"If you hadn't stopped Tosamon there she would have gone on to harm and kill hundreds of other humans and Digimon. How it happened could have been better, but you've no reason to feel guilty over it." Gabumon added looking his fellow Rookie in the eye. Like his partner he closed the distance and placed a hand on the draconic Digimon's shoulder. "What you did, it was Daemon pulling the strings behind things, not you. If anyone's responsible for what happened it's him."
"Yeah, but that's what scars us." Shuddered the horned digital monster.
"Matt, Daemon's…he's in my head. Like this is some stupid horror movie and he's a damn ghost or something. I hear what he wants me to hear and see what he wants me to see." Davis admitted.
"He's torturing you, trying to break you." He deduced.
Despite the attempts f several including Matt himself Daemon's fixation on Davis had become public knowledge somewhat. Maybe it had to do with the fact Davis spearheaded the Demon Lord's last defeat or maybe it was something deeper, whatever it was Matt didn't care, he just knew the connection had to be severed before it started doing Davis serious harm.
"Chiyo said I abandoned her." He muttered.
"You didn't, we know you didn't because we were shouting for you to come back." The rocker proclaimed. Looking back on that night he kicked himself for not realizing the whole thing had been a set-up. "T.K. called me, told me he met one of the Demon DigiDestined, a guy named Valère, Davis, something happened that night." Now his focus was entirely on him as was Veemon's. Some would have argued he was getting Davis' hopes up but Matt knew better, he'd seen enough to smell when something was rotten, hell, he and Tai had practically honed themselves as they grew older. "I think…that night might have been a trap. Probably not entirely planned, but set up so Chiyo would think you…"
"He would have done it." Davis near growled. "Just to hurt me, hurt her. That bastard."
"Gotta give him credit, he may be the embodiment of wrath but he knows how to play the long game." Matt muttered feeling a strange mixture of repulsion and slight respect for the horned Demon Lord. It was hard for him to deny even he was starting to become fed up with Daemon's existence and his tactics. The guy shows up flat out of nowhere to harass the younger generation, then he comes back and brings hell with him, literally. This is like a bad comic book story line.
"All of this probably was part of a plan, one where Daemon would win no matter what." Grumbled the golden-horned Rookie. "Legend has it while Barbamon is the Demon Lords' supreme strategist Daemon is just as a good a tactician. He feeds off of hatred and anger thus according to stories he manipulated factions and entire countries of Digimon in the past to going to war with each other. Ever grudge or ill-feeling he can use to feed himself. Planning out an incident like what happened in Shinjuku, it's not just up his alley, it's the sort of thing he lives on."
While Dagomon and his Deep Ones had somewhat taken prominence as the most hated amongst the rank and file DigiDestined Daemon and the demon army was slightly working its way up the ladder. The collective hatred towards the Deep Ones would have been good enough, but Daemon was also a Demon who still had his pride so that demanded action. Fittingly, for a creature said to be the embodiment of wrath Daemon made sure his time was spent either getting people to hate him or someone else so his power could be fed. What was so frustrating about that fact was that it was near impossible to stop, talks and lectures could be given, but after everything that had happened the war had turned personal for people such as Davis and Matt. Until the target of their anger was slain they'd be feeding their enemy with their smoldering anger and resentment. Upon reflecting on the entire situation it just made their anger burn all the hotter which probably was what Daemon wanted.
"Gah, I wish we could just go back to trying to overthrow tin-pot tyrants and some asshole on an ego trip! Not this!" Davis yelled racking his hands through his hair.
"You gotta admit though, if any of this means something it's probably we've outgrown the 'Saturday morning cartoon villains' we all fought when we came to the Digital World." Spoke the rocker drily.
"If you ask me, I'm starting to miss those days." Gabumon sighed.
"Me too." Echoed Veemon. "Life was easier back then."
When they all looked to the window they were fully expecting to see rain. For better or for worse there was none which was something of a first. Just about everyone had gotten used to rain, rather in heavy downfalls or light sprinkles. Given the recent string of events it was something of a shocker that no reports of intense rainstorms had come in from any areas. Of course, several knew it was the calm before the storm. At some point Dagomon would hit back and the skies would turn from gray and slightly blue to pitch-black. When they happened would they be ready?
Davis worried for his sister. What were the skies of the Dark Ocean like? Were they calm or stormy? He may not have been a psychologist but he knew Dagomon was the type to hit back when hurt. Just like him. For what he and Veemon had done he'd take it out on Jun and that thought was enough to terrify him to his core. His sister would pay for his screw-up. He wanted to scream at how unfair the situation was, he was the one chosen to carry the burden of two worlds, not her.
Matt's thoughts were going along a different angle. Periodically he glanced to his partner who returned the gesture. The weather was calm for now, but it was a coin toss how long it would remain so. The city was still in heavy restoration with multiple sections and districts being blocked off by either the police or military. Speaking of military, the Self-Defense Force was finally getting its money's worth with deploying damn near the entire navy out to patrol the seas. While it had been silently agreed only Digimon could match Digimon ordinary human ships could at least drive off. A curfew had been imposed with anyone caught after hours being sent to either one of the many makeshift jails or shot-on-sight if they prove to be a threat. If his plan was to work Matt knew he was going to have to time it right.
"After what happened, are you going to give up on Jun or Chiyo?" The oldest of the two fired off attempting to divert the conversation.
Immediately the blue-themed pair looked to him with hard eyes. Despite the intensity of their combined glare Matt smiled as did Gabumon. That fire, that drive was exactly what they were hoping to see.
"Get back to the medical ward, you've still got one day left before you can go back out onto the field." He waved off leaning back.
"You're not my brother you know." Snorted the maroon-haired youth with a childish pout.
"No, but I am one of your seniors. If Tai were here he'd say the same thing."
"Yeah, yeah," Groaned the fourteen-year-old getting to his feet. "Matt…thanks for…thanks for putting up with my crap."
"Like I said, once I was in the same boat. I'm sure T.K. and Kari told you about the time I let Puppetmon get into my head and the mess that caused. Everyone has their off days, nothing to be ashamed of."
Reassured by his words the young goggle-head and his partner departed leaving Matt and Gabumon by themselves. Quickly filling the now unoccupied seat was the single-horned Rookie. The atmosphere surrounding the two instantly shifted from pleasant to tense. Quietly the pair gazed around the lounge area noting it to be empty along with the lack of cameras watching their every move.
"I've found us a boat." Gabumon finally spoke.
"Will it be enough to get us across the bay?"
"If our luck holds out. Matt, there aren't a lot of boats out there for us to use. It was hard enough finding us a boat that wouldn't stick out too much, never mind being able to cross a flooded bay all the way to an island that's probably crawling with infected Digimon."
"I know it wasn't easy, but thank you, Gabumon." The human offered. Their plan was already pushing the boundaries, not to mention once they were discovered Matt knew there'd be hell to pay. Manpower was already a precious commodity and after Davis and Veemon's outburst the notion of acting on personal feelings was about to gain even more scorn. That said, he doubted it'd stop people from acting out. Refuge in hypocrisy, yeah, I guess there's always a new level of low you can sink to. He thought with a depressing chuckle. "You know, I can't help but think there's a song to go with this."
His partner laughed, "Well, considering we're about to break protocol and sneak out…for a girl. I'm pretty sure the song's already been written but I'm sure you'll be able to put your own unique spin on it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Said confidence slowly drained from the teenager's face. "What am I going to say to her? What can I say?"
"Matt, let's just focus on getting to the Dark Ocean, then we can worry about that part." Offered his partner knowing where his train of thought was heading. Matt had been asking himself that question over and over again for weeks, going on months. Like Davis, he'd never lost faith that Jun was alive. The difference now was with Davis' recent transgression there was a chance that might change. For months Jun had been denying Dagomon, and now her brother had gone and killed his daughter. Gabumon may have been a Digimon but he knew about familial relationships…and the pain that came with losing a loved one-blood demanded blood. Every second they stood by and did nothing Dagomon was probably wasting his own realm as an outline for his frustrations. Even if Jun had survived this long what was happening now or coming was probably maelstrom of the highest order. "Still going tomorrow night?"
The blue and white-furred Rookie didn't receive a proper answer, what he got was his partner standing up and silently motioning for him to follow. In silence they made their way back to their room, taking care not to arouse suspicion from others as they passed by. Not until they were back in their private quarters with the door tightly locked and the peering eyes of the world gone did the tension leave their bodies.
"Yeah, we're still going. At sunset." Matt declared falling back against the doorframe with near exhausted expression. "You think Davis will be mad?"
"It's Davis," he said taking space beside him.
"Good point."
Being called a hypocrite wouldn't hurt as it wouldn't be anything new. Matt would accept the labels and court martials he'd get just like Davis, but at the very least he was hoping he'd have the closure of knowing Jun is safe and sound back home. All of it came down to tomorrow evening.
All things considered, the Metal Empire wasn't that bad of a place. By human standards it was a borderline fascist dictatorship which for most people would have set off alarm bells all around. Given Ken's previous history his presence there should have been akin to being locked in solitary confinement. It was a kingdom built by machines for machines thus order was the law of the land, albeit with a few exceptions. There was a reason why when he was the Digimon Emperor he'd only been able to penetrate so far into the Metal Empire's territory and he'd had to weigh his options when it came to going to war with them. Now, as he stood something of a captive prisoner he had a firmer grasp why.
The empire's power and resources exceeded that of any earthly military or nation. Its technology was miles head of anything humans had been able to grasp due to the superhuman intelligence and A.I. of the machines that populated the land. Thanks to that wealth of knowledge things such as hovercraft, teleporters, self-automated buildings and automobiles were common place. For a sci-fi nerd it was a dream come true. Ken would have been lying if he said he wasn't the least bit blown away by everything he'd seen. There were a few things that made his stay less than comfortable.
First was the threat of war that hung over the empire like an eternal storm cloud. That storm cloud was an active motivator in getting the thousands upon millions of machines within the emperor to work themselves into overdrive.
Second was the fact Ken was barred from going into certain areas, and he had to travel with an escort. In other words, he needed to be kept on a short leash for his entire stay. While his pride find it somewhat degrading Ken knew compared to what he could have been going through he was lucky-there wasn't an explosive collar strapped to his waist or neck.
Third, he still couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching. Matter of fact, the feeling had only magnified coming to the Metal Empire where everyone and everything was watched and observed by security cameras hidden around every corner. For the most part, the concept of privacy was near nonexistent.
To get away from those three days Ken had thrown himself into his work. Data managing, strengthening the empire's fire walls and security measures. He'd made the rounds across various sectors so he'd have an idea of what it was he was refining. The various machine digimon didn't particularly look at him with scorn because he was the Digimon Emperor, they looked at him because he was a human. Rumor had gone that humans weren't exactly well-liked in the Metal Empire, at least not in the upper ranks of the government. Having walked amongst them Ken could say definitely there was a ring of truth to that. Chaosdramon in particular seemed to hold something against him for being human during the two tension-filled times he'd met him.
All of that wasn't saying there weren't bright spots. He'd made a few friends and managed to bridge out a little. Not all the machines he'd met were antagonist or warded off by the labels and evil plans that seemed to revolve solely around him. Several had helped him along the way so he wasn't completely lost when brought before a computer screen or keyboard.
Throwing himself into that work had become his stress relief despite the fact that working often deprived him of sleep and food. Focusing on the now kept his mind away from the nightmares, the "could-bes" that kept him up at night. Naturally, all that collided when he finally lost the battle and sleep claimed him.
Then it fell to Wormmon to pull him back out.
"Hey! Hey! Wake up! The food's going to get cold!"
"Please, I'll do it."
Rather than a nudge he got a jolt of electricity. Instantly Ken sat up, his eyes and mouth wide. "Ah!"
"That was mean."
"But it worked, didn't it?"
The jolt wear off allowing Ken the ability to think coherently and reasonable. Firstly, he realized he was in a private chamber, a dinning room solely for him. Second, he wasn't alone. He smiled at his partner who seemed happy he hadn't fallen into a nightmare before moving to the second Digimon at his side.
Befitting of his title and rank Raijinmon looked and carried himself as one would have expected of a military commander. Doubly so since he was the commander of thousands of well-armed and super-powered robots and cyborgs able to lay waste to cities without much effort. Towering at almost nine-feet the cyborg walked with an air of constantly charged electricity as befitting of his name. Proudly gleaming in the light where the kanji painted at the front of its shoulder-mounted batteries. Human armies used dog-tags and such, Digimon went the extra mile and engraved their identities onto their bodies, especially machines.
Name: Raijinmon
Level: Mega
Attribute: Virus
Description: Honored and feared as the ultimate "Thunderclap Commander" few Digimon have what it takes to go head-to-head with Raijinmon and come out alive, much less victorious. Proudly leading scores of troops from the front like a guiding flash of lightning and striking with the force of thunder when confronted with the enemy for good reason Raijinmon is seen as a great warrior, even by those outside of the Metal Empire. Like the two other "Storm Commanders" Raijinmon carries the specialized "Blitz Arms" on both arms.
"I dosed off, didn't I?"
"You were asleep when we came in, we debated rather or not to wake you, but Wormmon won out." Raijinmon clarified.
"Heh, the great Thunderclap Commander being defeated by a Rookie, wouldn't that make for quite a story." Chuckled the teenager.
"Hey, I've fought bigger and badder than this giant tin-can." Stated the green-skinned worm looking somewhat incensed before turning to his larger companion. "Um, sorry, no offense."
If anyone had said a friendship between a Rookie-level worm and a Mega-level cyborg would blossom they'd have been labeled crazy, yet Ken had seen the bond develop between the yellow-armed cyborg and his partner before his own two eyes. For all his bluster and reputation as the DigiDestined pair had discovered the Thunderclap Commander was actually quite amicable and understanding. Probably because when it came to interacting with humans Raijinmon had one of the best track records, Chaosdramon had sent him as a liaison several times to speak in his name and each time he'd prove himself capable. It honestly wouldn't surprise him if the giant metal dragon had chosen Raijimon to act as his warden specifically because of his positive track record.
"I didn't start shouting anything weird, did I?" Ken asked stretching his arms skyward.
"Oh, besides saying you missed Yolei, nothing out of the ordinary." Wormmon offered causing the young man to smile. "Seriously though, you were sleeping rather peacefully. If I didn't know any better I'd almost say you sleep better at a desk in front or on a workbench than you do in bed."
"Well, if my calculations are right I believe it's because you're trying to overload your mind with work, correct?"
"Ye…Yeah, that's pretty much it, Raijinmon." Ken admitted slumping back into his chair. His partner may have been right about him slowly finding work chairs preferable to actual beds. When his body hit the mattress, he was beginning to realize a part of him subconsciously let his guard down.
"While I can understand the logic, I must put out the flaw in it." Began the Virus-attributed Digimon waging its cable-like tail. "If you continue on at this pace you will develop backpains that will require medical attention as well a further long-term psychological damage. As your ward, I must protest."
"Seems like I've been overruled." Happily sighing the blue-haired youth decided it was time to put something in his stomach. Perhaps they were right. He'd been pushing himself nonstop and maybe a break was needed right about now. What was the worst that could happen? For the first time his eyes settled on the meal laid out before him. Steak, prime cut and seasoned just the way one would have expected from a five-star restaurant. "Out of curiosity, where exactly do you guys get food like this?"
"Simply because eighty-eight point-seven percent of our population sustains itself on energy and fuel cells doesn't mean we don't like a good organic meal every now and then. Some of us are built with taste-buds." Chuckled Raijinmon holding out his hand over the meal. Invisible waves of heat fell over the plate restoring the steak and side dishes to their previous hotness making it prime for eating.
Ken wasted no time in consuming the meal. One other positive side of nonstop working was that it gave him quite an appetite when he did sit down to eat. Wormmon had told him Davis and Veemon would have been proud; he'd taken that as a compliment. On top of that, just before he left his mother had told him to make sure he kept himself healthy and ate right. She'd have a heart attack if he came back to her skinny as a skeleton because he'd been skipping out on eating, a few bags under his eyes could be explained as just excess stress.
"Davis Motomiya and Veemon will not be receiving any type of serious punishment." Raijinmon spoke once he saw his charge was half-way finished eating.
Wormmon motioned for the Cyborg Digimon to keep quiet but it was too late.
Immediately Ken fell back into his chair, a relieved sigh leaving his lips. "Thank God."
"With all due respect, you're lucky it was a human court and not a military court overseeing him." Said the cyborg. "Your friend would have been either executed or sentenced to one hundred years in solitary confinement."
"Hey, now, doesn't that seem a little harsh?" Wormmon noted nudging a claw towards his mechanical compatriot. "It's not like Davis or Veemon seriously hurt anyone."
"We're machines, protocol to use is everything, especially in a situation like this." Raijinmon responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "In the flames of war maintaining order can be just as vital as battlefield victories and military operations, in my opinion-more so. When you lose order you have chaos, and from that chaos anything can happen, especially the worst possibilities." Though he meant it as encouraging Raijinmon saw the shadow fall over Ken's face. "Did I…say something offensive?"
"N-No…it's just…order and chaos. Whenever I have a dream…whenever…Lucemon reaches out to me, he always brings those two things up."
Wormmon sighed while Raijinmon cursed himself for unintentionally leading the conversation back into another dark alley.
"Hey, hey, guys, it's okay." Comforted the human taking note of the digimon's moods. "It's not like I'm letting any of it get to me. Lucemon's a dystopic dictator out to rule the world with an iron-fist, any kind 'order' he wants is probably making everyone worship statues of him twenty-three hours a day seven days a week. I'm not falling for any of that."
"I'm still sorry I brought it up." Spoke Raijinmon looking conflicted. "I…we machines are order-bound creatures, even Lord Chaosdramon."
"Despite having the word, 'chaos' in his name." Worrmmon muttered.
Rolling his eyes, the commander continued onward, "Have you been having more bad dreams lately? Is the sleep chamber failing its' duties? Do I need to call the technicians?"
"No, no," Ken admitted shaking his head. Even glancing around the topic like they were doing was draining some of the energy out of him. He supposed that was a testament to how seriously he was taking the entire situation. "It's just…well, it eats at me in ways I can't control. When all this started I was just out of the windows regarding my tenure as the Digimon Emperor. Looking back, I actually almost miss those days."
"Well, repairing the damages down by your reign are preferable to what we're experiencing now." Raijinmon muttered before giving Wormmon a sideways glance. "Not offense intended."
"I just still find it a little strange though," Responded the Rookie looking cross. "I mean, it's not like you were discreet during your Digimon Emperor days, but why didn't any of these people start making a move then?"
"Because I was doing more damage as a thoughtless puppet." Ken growled recalling his…earlier adventures in the Digital World. "Whatever dark forces that was running around the Digital World…Devimon, or whatever the hell created him, it used me as an ignition to set all this off. What I want to know is how the hell did Daemon get released from his prison."
"We're still investigating that." Raijinmon answered, himself looking somewhat annoyed. Only in the aftermath of MaloMyotismon's defeat was anyone able to begin investigating how the seal holding the Demon Lord of Wrath was broken. What they found was the seal tower broken and the coding around the area torn to shreds. It was as if a data storm had torn through the area and destroyed everything in its path. Simply putting the surroundings back together had proved to be a challenge, and in doing so they accidently wiped away whatever evidence may have helped them discover the culprit. "If I may, my theory may be it was a simple backlash."
"Backlash?" Ken and Wormmon spoke in unison.
"As the human law goes, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, correct?" Seeing their nod he chose to continue, "The destruction of this so-called Chimeramon heralded the end of your reign as Digimon Emperor and start of your redemption, correct? In the ensuing battle the Crest of Kindness around your neck was freed and finally used for good. According to my calculations that much positive energy being released had to be balanced out by an equally powerful burst of negative energy."
"Is that even possible?" Ken asked completely bewildered. "I mean, though the Digital World is one giant digital program it still behaves like the real world, right?"
"Yes, which why I said for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Clarified the Thunderclap Commander. "The Digital World is built on balance, as machines we know this arguably better than other races. We machines have interacted with nearly every other race of in the Digital World, cataloguing their traits, culture, and tactics. When it comes to the forces of evil crafty and shifty is their calling card, you being used as pawn to set off a longer and deadlier chain of events is not out of the question."
"Just when I think things can't get any worse looking back on things." Groaned the genius.
"It's not all bad. You're actively fighting against it." Wormmon said jumping onto his shoulder and nudging him. "You've got Davis, Yolei, Kari, T.K., the others, and me and Raijinmon, right?"
Smiling back at his partner he looked to the cyborg commander. Though he couldn't exactly form facial expressions Ken sensed the kindness overflowing from him as he held up a peace sign, arcs of golden lightning jumping between his fingers.
"Thank you, guys, I…I don't know what I do without any of you."
"Go mad from isolation?"
"Continue onwards as a dystopic warlord playing out your deluded power fantasies?"
"Heh, yeah, one of those two." He chuckled.
Cog City, capital of the Metal Empire and unarguably one of the most fortified places in all of the Digital World. Comparable to the human city of Manhattan it was for all intents and purposes a military fortress mixed in with sprawling city heavily populated by machines and a handful of other races that chose to make the Metal Empire their home.
Guarded by the best security in the Digital World and manned by the fiercest of guards and automatic defenses attempting to sneak in was about as easy as teaching digital pigs how to sing. That said, it wasn't impossible. Cog City had seen its fair share of brutality and horror as evident by the hundreds of preserved scars and ruins that sprinkled the city. It was by Chaosdramon's decree that they be preserved so all those who entered Cog City would know the city and its people knew hardship, it knew war. From time to time the Metal Emperor himself had been seen visiting the ruins, even showing rare moments of empathy and deep emotion.
Tonight, the emperor would be emotional once more, though the emotions would not be those of regret, longing, and or even hope.
They'd be despair and rage.
Once upon a time Gadreelmon had visited Cog City, though it was much smaller and less compact. Back then it was nothing but a giant collection of metal blocks and refineries, nothing to write home about. He supposed a lot had changed in almost seven hundred years. It made what he was about to do all the more worthwhile.
"Sir, our agents are in place."
"Good, very good, the sooner we can get started the better." Snorted the being beside the demon knight.
Like Gadreelmon she too was dressed in a concealing cloak that helped mask their presence. The moment they threw off the garments Cog City's sensors would blare with enough force it'd be heard high up in the Sky Colonies. The thought made the collective demons grin in satisfaction.
"You can sense him, right, Gadreelmon?" Asked the female.
"Quite so, though his signal is faint." Answered the sword-user.
"Good, I was beginning to fear our efforts were for not." Shuddered the other demon. "It's been so long since we've seen him, Gadreelmon. Our Master, my love…" Behind the darkness of her hood the visor-like eyes of the woman's face glowed crimson red. "Soon, my love, soon we shall be reunited."
"Naamahmon, don't get too ahead of yourself." Spoke Gadreelmon. "We still have quite a bit of work lying between us and our master's resurrection."
"True, but come on, Gadreelmon," She began looking to him with a smile. Rows of pitch-black gangs revealed themselves going hand-in-hand with the demonic glow of her eyes. "What better offering to Lord Lucemon then the heads of his soon-to-be subjects?"
To Be Continued…
Again, I'd like to apologize to everyone for not updating in half a year. I sorta lost track of time and let things spin out of control. Rest assured, this story will be completed one way or another. In the meantime, it's Ken's turn in the spotlight as trouble finds him and the Metal Empire.
Next Chapter-Demons vs Machines!
