Arc 4 Finale, Part 2 of 3

- Contingencies -

The Architect of the Hackware didn't look like much to MaloMyotismon, it was clear this creature was only an Ultimate in power naturally. However, the Dark Master had received ample reports through Oikawa about the unnatural energies and abilities that these 'Hackware' forces had displayed. "So, this all really was some other group trying to hijack my own efforts," MaloMyotismon noted a touch glumly, completely unconcerned with this 'threat'.

"I have seen your 'efforts' and I assure you far more of mine is uniquely my own work than what of yours isn't petty theft," the polygonal creature replied with the same disappointed tone, and that casual assurance more than anything angered the vampire. "Honestly your work with the Dark Spore was little more than altering who it obeys, and the make of most of the other structures utilized in this plan clearly have the same source as that marvel of engineering."

"You shouldn't just throw around accusations like that," MaloMyotismon darkly commented, and to drive the point home he fired another beam of energy at this new target.

Only instead of hitting his foe it slammed into his own back. The Architect did not even move to cause that change, still simply floating in front of the Mega as if nothing interesting was happening. "I can see that dialogue does not suit you then," the other monster commented.

Two more attempts at attacking the other monster met with the same result. "Why do you seem to be having such difficulty with encountering your own attacks?" the Architect had the nerve to ask curiously.

"Oh these are nothing to me, but I'm sure they will work just fine when they finally hit you," MaloMyotismon said before giving a huff at the pointless task of even attempting it. "Although it seems you will need to wait a moment for that."

"Oh, why is that?" the Architect asked as the Mega attempted to fly off. Only to find himself right back in the center of the region again after a brief flight away from it. "I'm afraid there is nothing else for you to spend your time on at the moment."

"Izzy, tell me we have some actual options here," HackBiyomon said as the more technical elements of the group rushed to get something to face a Mega stronger than even their prior opponent by a good measure.

"If we had just another month I might have been willing to risk my own attempts at remaking our Crests," the young genius complained. "I don't suppose you know how Datamon made one so quickly?"

"He didn't, I was a plan he'd been working on for years," she replied a bit sharply at the uncomfortable topic. "He'd even rigged the original with a booby trap, although it looks like that wouldn't have actually worked to damage the thing."

"Do I want to know what he'd have done if Devimon had defeated us before he could try and capture me?" Sora asked her sister with concern.

"The thing he really needed was the Digivice, and if we- you had lost then Devimon or Etemon would instead be at war with all the other Dark digimon to see who got to be in charge. He was sure he could get one during that," the bird monster glumly noted. "Myotismon was a lot less interested in trying to use actual Crests, so despite having the original equipment he only made rough recreations of the Crest of Light."

"Does having the original Crest of Love help us here?" Tai asked with a sigh.

"Should we find a way to give her enough energy she won't need another power up like this to get back to Mega next time. If it was an extra Courage or Friendship then we can just re-create the energy infusion process that Gennai called a 'prophecy'," Izzy grumbled. "There are two pages of buried technical documents that I'm fairly sure Myotismon never read that cover what happened when they figured out the rest of us didn't have Kari's energy, and how to try and use her Light alongside their understanding of Hope to get at least some of us to Mega in order to face Piedmon."

"To be fair, I don't think Gennai was all that up to date on what parts of the project were stuff we were doing ourselves and which were things that were made by groups before us," the giant cloud dragon that Upload had not really explained noted.

"How directly were you involved with that, Azulongmon?" Alice asked a bit harshly. The various people from the pokemon world were taking this increased context about how exactly the Digidestined were Chosen a bit poorly, and the stress of the events wasn't exactly helping.

"I do bear some responsibility for that process, but we should perhaps focus on the current goal," the Sovereign attempted to steer things back on track. "Perhaps I could try and remove the energy we took from the original Crests to give us that power?"

"'Try' that and I'll make sure you don't live another year," Absol harshly replied. "Anderson's trick with the digimon world depends a lot on the stability of it, and that would throw things off a hell of a lot. You do that and Anderson dies." The pokemon leveled a harsh glare at the sky dragon.

"You are sure?" Azulongmon critically asked.

"If you do that then Anderson isn't in any disaster ever again. I learned that means death the hard way," the canine Dark/Ghost type firmly answered. "I don't have a trainer anymore because of that, and Anderson saved me from being a cripple too by merging me with his Hackware. I will kill to protect my friends from that fate."

"Okay, that's an option we aren't taking then," Tai nervously declared in the face of the bear sized dog monster splaying out claw-wings while trying to glare down a dragon. "Please tell me somebody has another option."

Ken listened to the discussion over at the Upload base without really hearing much of anything. The Architect had sent a recording of the entire event, including the arrival of someone that filled the Blossomon with a cold anger.

"Dark Tyranomon, how far would you go to be able to kill this bastard," he said aloud, and in a way it wasn't a question.

"Doesn't count unless it works, Boss Man. If that other Mega didn't manage it I'm not going to waste my life trying something stupid," she replied, much to his surprise. "Why?"

"Because I think Myotismon might have killed my brother in order to make me his minion," the 'Digimon Emperor' said with a tone that was far too calm.

"Ken, what are you thinking?" Wormmon asked with considerable concern.

"That if it works it counts," he said to both of them, and turned on the microphone for the makeshift comm system. "Everyone, I have an option."

That quieted both sides in an instant. "Alright, start with the problems with this option," the leader of the Digidestined demanded tiredly. "Because if you haven't mentioned it before I can't see how there aren't any."

"I've just now taken control over the energy transfer system," he explained to the group. "It isn't specifically setup to target Myotismon, so we can use it ourselves. I think I might even be able to tune the energy collection system to target just Upload's energy stores if they were moved in range of the Spires."

"Kid, those Spires turn everything they gather into Dark energy," the Gazimon grumbled in a way that made Ken cringe. "I don't know if we have anyone who can handle hitting Mega with that kind of power up."

"That Gazi's old enough to call me 'kid', Boss Man," Dark Tyranomon quietly mumbled. "Don't get too mad about it."

"I can change Dark energy to Light energy," the BlackGatomon that sometimes looked like a human said a touch nervously, and Ken frowned at how thoughtfully she was looking at him over the video call. "Can we make that work?"

"I can rig something up to go from one digimon to others easily enough," Izzy said unhappily. "Can Anderson handle Myotismon for an hour or so?"

"The Architect is doing just fine," Alice said emphasizing the name. "Absol knows him better than the rest of us, that's why he gets away with calling him that. We should have enough time before he gets tired."

Davis looked over his group one last time before they reached their target. Davey was using a Gargoylemon form to hopefully give them a bit of a Light advantage in case BlackWarGreymon was still up for a fight, but the rest of the new Digidestined were simply in their typical forms. Which meant Yolei was scouting with Halsemon while Cody and Digmon planned out how to turn the battlefield to their advantage if needed. The plan was to quickly reach Arukenimon and Mummymon to make sure they weren't still an active threat, and that worked very well as something for his team to do while the rest of the group prepared to take down Myotismon.

Just ahead there was an out of place patch of green grass in the middle of the mountain range, and the massive Control Spire Mega quickly moved to stand between them and the three other figures present. Davis saw that the digimon was clearly not entirely up for another fight, and that Arukenimon was currently hurriedly doing something with the Megadramon construct that looked pretty desperate. He took a deep breath, and made a decision. "Do you guys need help?" he shouted to the group.

Yolei shot him a dark look, while Digmon simply chuckled, and Mummymon leaned around BlackWarGreymon with clear disbelief. "You cannot seriously be just asking us-" the undead digimon shouted back.

"If you have anyone who can patch together two wildly different creatures I could definitely use some damn help!" Arukenimon cut him off. "Otherwise just leave us the hell alone!"

"Yolei, Halsemon, make sure we don't have any surprises coming after them," he said and quickly activated the communications system on the eyepiece currently floating at the front of his face. "Tai, please tell me you guys don't need Tyra right now."

"Specifically asking for me is a really bad thing," he heard the patchwork digimon reply instead. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Do, do you actually have someone who can do that?" Mummymon choked out. "How? Why?"

The Gazimon/Tyranomon hybrid answered for them as she arrived in a flash. "Because they got the kind of 'luck' that makes me one of the people training their medics," TyranoGazimon grumbled.

Arukenimon took one look at her, and then groaned loudly. "Great, a Gazimon 'brave' enough to experiment on herself. Get over here, this isn't my field at all," the spider monster complained.

"Hey, just because mine's obvious doesn't mean we aren't both mons that got upgraded when we were revived," Tyra joked, and then caught sight of whatever happened to the Megadramon, and presumably the human they had with them too. "Davis, I'm going to need some help with this." Her tone had gone deadly serious. "And you are fluid enough to help me here."

"I am immediately concerned by anything that needs me to be liquid to help," Davis reminded her, but hurried up to look at what the heck was happening. "Also I'm nowhere near as good at making chemicals as Mimi, and she keeps saying she isn't that great."

"For a Muk she's fairly good, and that is already a lot better than she seems to realize sometimes," the patchwork digimon grumbled. "You, out of the way. This stabilized him, but 'hack job' is overstating things," she then harshly said to Arukenimon. Davis could now see the construct better. There were deep cracks through its chest, but the Spire material appeared to be replaced in some places by pale scaleless skin. "Right now I need something hot that can get into these cracks." Tyra rapidly turned to face Arukenimon "Yes, that will help!" she shouted quickly. "I can flush some of the gunk Myotismon left behind into them and then we can heat it up. Yes, as a matter of fact I can read your mind, you are being very loud there. He's part rock now that you've done this stupid plan to him, and despite how dumb it was that was the best thing you could have done right now."

"Cody, see if you can help BlackWarGreymon keep this place safe," Davis called out to the next in line to take charge of the group, and then got started on what he hoped was only critical first aid.

"Absol, is this really the best option you've found?" HackBiyomon hissed quietly at a pokemon she did count as a friend, despite his issues. Like the fact that he loved to manipulate people for his own goals.

The canine turned to look at her seriously, and then looked over to the grim face of the Blossomon on the monitor that prompted this question. "It is the best option to make sure that the Architect survives," Absol admitted equally quiet. "And the kid isn't going to die from this. Maybe lose a few Control Spires, but not die."

"There are outcomes worse than death, Ghost type," she noted.

"I wouldn't have brought it up as something to do if the kid hadn't," the Dark/Ghost/Fire Hackware hybrid grumbled. "I was getting ready for some worse ones actually when he spoke up."

HackBiyomon searched his face, and sighed at how she couldn't be entirely sure he was being completely honest with her, but she still believed him anyway.

"Alright everyone, we're ready to go," Izzy said with a sigh. "Agumon, to be safe we're starting with you, then Gabumon, and then Biyomon."

"Because my sister has a Crest, and the other two have already hit mega before?" HackBiyomon questioned aloud, still uneasy with how things were going.

"Yeah, and I'm going first because I've dark digivolved before," Agumon confirmed seriously. "If things go wrong... actually we've seen a Dark WarGreymon already, and he seems a lot more sensible than I was as a skeleton."

"I'm ready," the BlackGatomon said wearing a makeshift mess of black electronics from the Emperor's bases, Dark Network cables that DSS apparently were using themselves now, and Hackware crystals. "Also this thing is really awkward to have on if I don't stay in one form so we should probably hurry." The cat monster then moved to point a rather complicated dish device at Agumon.

"We've moved the largest stockpiles into range of the specified Control Spires," Alice confirmed for Upload's preparations. "All that's left is for Mr. Ichijouji to start the transfer."