"Is that…Eve's Core?" Mikayla's words struggled through her shocked expression.
"What do you plan on doing with that?!" Nick challenged.
Ken smirked, "that's a surprise. For now, it's my turn to have some fun." With his free hand, he flicked his wrist, trapping Nick and Zantia in the same prison Mikayla was in before, to their surprise.
"What are you doing?!" Mikayla screamed, darting between her brother, mother, and Ken.
Ken laughed at her reaction, "you really thought after a match like that I'd be able to sit still? Besides, just because I achieved my goal doesn't mean I'm in the clear yet. You've proven to be threats among others, so it's best I start the cleanup process while I have a moment—!" Ken hesitated and looked up, causing the siblings to do the same.
The air crackled subtly for a few moments before settling. A brief awkward pause later, Ken cleared his throat. "As I was saying…it's best I take this moment to do away with you all."
"That's not happening…." Zack's voice replied from behind Ken, causing him to tense.
Not being able to react quickly enough, Ken was knocked to the ground, losing control of the prison, resulting in Nick and Zantia's freedom. "What was that?" he asked himself while trying to process what hit him. He looked over to his captives, only to be surprised by the additional sight.
Both siblings were at an utter loss for words as Zack stood before them. Mikayla began trembling, feeling the surreal sensation in her stomach and tightness in her chest. Her brain was having just as much trouble processing what she witnessed as Ken.
"…Zack?" she finally got the name out, with tears streaming down her face.
Zack ignored Mikayla, fixing his focus on Ken, who rose from the floor. Ken straightened his clothes and pointed toward Zack. "You have something that belongs to me."
Zack looked down, noticing the Core he held. Turning back to Ken, holding his hand out, he responded. "Didn't you hear me before? I just said it's not happening."
Ken's hand curled. "And I said, that belongs to me."
Ken suddenly vanished and reappeared before Zack, hovering with his fist pulled back. "So, hand it over!"
Throwing his punch, Zack reactively knocked his strike back while tossing the Core in the air. He followed it up with a knee to Ken's abdomen, and a spinning back kick to put distance between them. The impact looked normal, but the amount of force that sent Ken flying across the throne room was an entirely different story, leaving the siblings even more astonished. Zack finally turned his focus to the siblings and opened a gate behind them. "Let's go while he's down!"
"But wait! What about—ow!" Nick yanked her arm, interrupting her thought and dragging her through the gate without question. Zack grabbed Zantia off the ground and turned, watching an enraged Ken recover from the dent he made in the wall.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING WITH MY PREY?!" Ken's voice exploded with chaotic distortion. He moved at the same blinding speed, only for Zack to turn into Alphamon proper and repel him with an energy shield at the last moment. Ken insisted, his fist driving in as hard as possible, binary peeling off his skin to reveal the navy and orange claw beneath.
"It's over for you, MOD! Alpha inForce!" Zack exclaimed. The energy shield began to glow, and in the next moment, Ken screamed in agony as a barrage of lasers relentlessly tore into him, carrying him back a ways away without let up. Zack ignored the cursing thrown his way, not ceasing his attack until the room went quiet, and his attack burned every bit of binary code. Finally ending his attack, Zack reverted to his human form, scanned the room one more time, and took his leave along with Eve's Core, hoping to find a way to restore it somehow.
Chapter 25: No Regrets
There was no end to them.
Glitter sparkled and exploded in Axel's path while Beelstarmon loaded and fired rainbow-colored bullets from her revolver. As an array of elemental attacks tore through her enemies, Garretson and Lancaster used their respective auras to beat and eat down a pathway through the crowd. At the same time, the other two musketeers blasted back the enemies trying to climb up to them. However, despite their attempts, the sea of Liberators kept recovering, like waves rocking back and forth along a coast.
"Agent Merlo, we're pinned down up here!" he claimed through his D-Com. Afterward, WarGreymon dodged an incoming shot, prompting Wallace to summon Varodurumon and switch over, allowing his partner the freedom to fight without worry. "We've recovered Arylide, but we're struggling to make it back to Majorelle's base!"
The human citizens ran for dear life on the ground while their Saibatar counterparts switched into their Digimon forms and went into combat. Beelzemon barreled through a good portion of them and didn't let up, Ben tagging along Titamon's shoulder while it stomped craters into the earth.
"With things the way they are, I doubt that's a safe option. Rendezvous in Neo Babylon." Ben ordered. From there, we can—!" Ben stopped talking, a loud, audacious roar echoing from the Crystallum in the distance. The chaos stopped, with all focus turning towards the Crystallum.
"…I don't like the sound of that…." Wallace said.
Ben swallowed hard. "Layla, you there?"
"Ben?! Hold on, how long were you—!"
"Save it for later; right now, it's important!" he interrupted her. "When was the last time you heard from everyone back home?"
Layla silently pouted before she answered. "Yesterday, why?"
Before he could answer, a bright orange beam of light exploded from the spire, blasting straight into the sky, dispersing the moment it hit the barrier above. Ben, as well as everyone around him, went silent. The fighting finally stopped, and the spectacle continued. Everyone then waited with bated breath for the moment it ceased going off.
"What was that just now?!" Layla exclaimed.
"Nothing good…" Ben said. Once the black mist began to leak from the opening, a cold chill shot through Ben as if recognizing it. "Okay, we need to go now!"
"Roger that!" Layla acknowledged to Ben's relief. The permeating black cloud roared again, restarting the chaos, but the group ignored it, uniformly breaking off from the surrounding crowd to escape. While most rushed to the Crystallum, some pursued them, unwilling to let them go so quickly. The temptation to retaliate grew with each second, but exhaustion was beginning to creep on the rebels, physically and mentally. The hours spent with the back-to-back fighting was weighing on them finally, whereas the Liberator army seemed as energized as ever. With the gap closing between the groups, it was becoming increasingly inevitable that the enemy would recapture them.
"Red Reamer!"
"Raddle Star!"
While the group in the air narrowly avoided a group of drones that shot past them, Ben was separated from his pursuers by a sudden wave of fire that exploded from an alleyway. Turning back to see what was happening, he was startled by the presence that landed behind him. Turning back, he was greeted by a Greymon-looking humanoid Digimon, with a highly toned orange body and Greymon's iconic blue markings across it. It even had a long, thin tail whose tip was almost sword-like in design.
"Agent Merlo!" Adam's voice came from below.
Looking down, he could see Adam waving at him from below. Dismounting Beelzemon, Ben greeted the Tamer, more than excited to see a familiar face.
Meanwhile, above, the drones all fired lasers that cut through the pursuers with ease, making the rebel's attempts at pushing them back seem utterly pathetic in comparison. They all flew back to a Digimon strongly resembling Garurumon. It was another mysterious, humanoid-esque Digimon who was very cybernetic, navy-colored metal lined with pinkish red lines across its body and along its thick metal tail. It sported a pair of circular wings alight with a gold hue on its back. Appearing on its shoulder was Trevor, who saluted the air group with a smirk.
"Trevor…!" Layla uttered, feeling tears build in her.
"You guys made it…!"
[Neo Babylon…]
"Down there," Ben pointed to a spot for them to land. Adam and Trevor dove down obediently along with everyone else, each touching base one by one. Those with Saibatar forms reverted to them, Garretson carrying Arylide on his back. Once the group was together and accounted for, they were finally able to acknowledge the two Digimon. At the same time, they stood side-by-side magnificently, the very miracles they needed in their dire moment.
"SAIBA Enterprise…" Wallace crossed his arms, surprised that the building was one of the few things left standing to a degree. "Is there a reason we've come here of all places?"
"Those were the instructions given," Ben replied. "If I'm right, we might get lucky and find something convenient."
"Speaking of which, I was wondering, how did you guys make it here? And where's everyone else?" Layla asked.
"These guys were made in a worst-case scenario by my father," Trevor explained, looking upward. "Agumon-Bond of Bravery and Gabumon-Bond of Friendship; two Digimon inspired by our original partners, each boasting powers to rival Omnimon in between them."
Axel to whistle. "Talk about overkill."
"As for everyone else…Emily and the others remained behind." Adam admitted.
Layla blinked. "But you guys know the situation we're in, right? I told Michael what we were dealing with."
"We know." Trevor acknowledged.
"So why? Are you guys saying that these two Digimon will help stop the chaos or…"
"We're actually here to evacuate you guys…." Adam stated, drawing Layla's gaze over to him.
"Evacuate…? You're…you're joking, right?" She turned to Trevor. "Tell me he's joking!"
Trevor shook his head. "With everything that's happened, Michael instructed us to grab you guys and get back to formulate a new plan."
"But you just said these guys have the power of Omnimon a piece!"
"But that's the thing," Adam interjected. "Because the lab was so damaged, Director McKnight had to rush and install them into our D-Streamers. They're not equipped to do battle card-wise."
"On top of that, it took so much energy out of them to even make it here, we're thinking we only have one jump left out of them, and that's for the return trip."
Layla swallowed, thinking to herself in hindsight, everything that happened over the last several days became all for naught. It was hard to accept. Even if they went back home, was there a point in returning? What's to say that centuries go by in the days and weeks to past, and the Liberators recover, appointing new pillars and coming back to start another cataclysmic event?
How much more blood would she have to bear before she eventually drowned?
"I'm sorry…" she spoke. "But we've come so close…we can't leave now."
"Layla," Trevor put his hand on her shoulder. "We need to go. You've done what you've—"
"Get your hand off me…!" She swatted him back to his surprise. "Don't you dare make my decisions for me!"
Trevor pulled back, the gaze she sported drilling holes into him. "Sorry I—"
"Remember what you told me," Layla reminded, "about trusting those around me?"
Trevor couldn't argue that. He did bring that up.
"No decision I've made since coming here was based on my own reasoning. I did what you said and leaned on everyone. And at this moment, I can tell you for a fact that none of us are leaving here until we settle this conflict once and for all."
Trevor bit his lip. She had him there. Looking at everyone else with similar determined expressions and patting him on the shoulder, Trevor conceded by drawing Gabumon back into his D-Streamer. Adam did the same with Agumon, the two titans taking their brief leave.
"Fill us in," Trevor suggested. "What's been almost ten minutes for us was a week here. What do we need to know, and what's left to do?"
A gate opened before them, followed by a voice. "Eve is gone…and her replacements will leave this world in ruins if left unchecked…."
The group turned their attention, watching Zack exit alongside Nick, Mikayla, Isabella, and Zantia. Everyone reacted at the sight of them, Zack immediately rushing to greet them. Ben's attention, however, was fixated on Zantia, and when her dazed eyes finally met his, her expression changed dramatically.
"Mel…" Ben uttered with tears rolling down his face.
"Ben…?" Zantia uttered. After blinking a few times, her hands raised to her face in disbelief. Ben didn't hesitate to rush on, breaking from the group to embrace Zantia, the latter becoming overwhelmed. Their reunion was a sight to see, as they showed their affection to one another in a heartwarming scene.
"Nicholas…" Zantia called to Nick, who stood a bit away from the trio. Mikayla was snugged in between Ben and Zantia on the couch within the lobby, the girl making the connection that Ben was her long-lost father on top of everything.
Nick heard his name but shied away, unable to approach. Mikayla took note of that, broke from her parents, and marched over to him, taking his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"The question is, what are you doing? Our parents are alive, and you're just sulking in the distance."
"Correction: your parents," He stated. "I haven't been able to contact Majorelle since this afternoon, and I've been worried since."
Mikayla was about to respond to that but noticed the expression on his face. "I'm…sure she's okay."
"yeah…" Nick replied. He noticed the approaching adults from the corner of his eye and gave him his attention.
"Everything okay over here?" Ben inquired.
"We're fine," Nick answered.
"He hasn't heard from Majorelle," Mikayla answered for him. "I know she was helping us, right? Have you…" she noticed Ben's look of silence, and so did Nick.
"Hey, everyone! Can we have your attention for a sec!" Trevor announced to the group. The sudden announcement pulled Ben away, with Zantia trailing after him. Before Mikayla could get a word in herself, Nick was already marching towards the center of the room in silence. With everyone gathered together, Adam, Trevor, Layla, and Zack took to the center to announce what the four had discussed since their initial reunion.
"Thanks to Layla and Zack, we now have a much better understanding of the situation." Trevor began. "That said," he turned to Zack, "it'd be best if you could explain the situation."
Zack nodded, taking a step forward. "Right, so um…does anyone have any questions to start or…?"
"You turned into the Black Digimon that attacked us on our way here…" Mikayla brought up. "What happened to you since then?"
A perfect setup. "That Digimon was known as Alphamon," Zack began. "And he attacked me because my role as a pathfinder resided in the past. I'm sure you all know by now about the time distortions within the two cities. Well, I ended up in 2041, eight years in the past. There, I met Eve, in her early stages, Agent Merlo, who was a Trojan Agent working to protect Eve, and Agent Jones of AEGIS, who I later realized would become BanchoLeomon in our world. Long story short, a splinter group known as the Messengers of Destruction sought to destroy Eve using a virus called MOD. It hacked Eve and, as a result, left both Agent Jones and I mortally wounded. Eve and Chaosmon managed to defeat MOD, the latter sacrificing itself to save Eve in the process. Alphamon, also known as the Original Vantus, was me from a future timeline—a future beyond this point in time, where humanity and AI coexist. He saved me by transforming my body into a Digital Entity like him and Eve.
And along with Ben, the three of us worked to rebuild Arcadia and the world as it was. Unfortunately, unexpected circumstances resulted in this world's Trevor McKnight seeking revenge against Eve and the rest of us. I was forcibly removed from my position, and Ben also disappeared when he tried to fight back. MOD, the literal embodiment of paradoxes, managed to survive due to the paradox of my arrival in that time period. And somehow, it ended up in the past, slowly growing more potent the more Eve messed with things. Did everyone follow that so far?"
After a few moments of awkward silence, Grey, of all people, raised his hand. "What's your point?"
Zack, flustered by the reaction slowly being shared by others, pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew better than to give these guys a whole history lesson at a time like this. "Okay; let's try this again." He looked up at the group rephrasing his explanation in his head. Holding his hand out, he revealed Eve's Core to the surprise of everyone in the room. Once he had their attention, he tried again.
"This…is what's left of Eve," Zack told them.
"What does that mean?" Marco chimed. "Does it have to do with the announcement we heard during the invasion?"
"That's right," Nick jumped in. "Ken Talbot's the one responsible for this. This whole time he was working alongside the Black Pillar to destroy Eve and take over Arcadia. That's because Ken Talbot is actually MOD, a virus whose sole intent was to destroy Eve and AI."
"And while it seems like there's nothing we can do to stop them, we have one option left." Zack continued, opening his other hand. Within it, another core-like object appeared. It was a navy-colored core with a group of smaller red orbs forming the shape of an "X" inside it. Ben was the only one to react to it.
"The X-Antibody Program! That's genius!"
"X-Antibody?" Layla asked.
"After the Arcadia situation years ago, the X-Antibody program was developed to prevent future attacks on Eve. It is an incredibly powerful antivirus created by Trojan from Alphamon's data." Zantia chimed in, aware of it as well.
"The idea came to me all the way back to the night before I was to face Wallace the first time; BanchoLeomon explained that Darkdramon's core was fighting his presence from within due to the two cores attempting to share one body, sort of like antibodies fending off a virus." Zack continued.
"How do we know it'll work?" Sakuyamon asked, seemingly skeptical about all of this.
Zack turned to Arylide, lying on a nearby sofa, and made his way over to her. As he approached, Mastemon and Sakuyamon moved aside and watched as Zack held his hand before her. Seeing her up close, he could see the black lines on her neck and likely across the rest of her body. Activating the antibody, she reacted, her body squirming while she moaned from the discomfort. Mikayla couldn't help but be reminded of Evie's care of Lilamon way back when in a similar fashion. Unlike then, this time, the lines receded while black binary rose from her body and dissipated in the air like steam. After about thirty seconds, Arylide relaxed, and the virus purged from her system. She opened her eyes, catching a glimpse of Zack.
"Van…tus?" she said groggily. "You're…alive…"
Zack nodded and helped her sit up, "This will be our way of destroying MOD once and for all. The X-Antibody Program."
"Which means…" Ben began. Zack turned to him and nodded, with Ben accepting the notion with reluctance.
Mikayla picked up on it and looked at both of them. "What does that mean?"
"It means that while you all head back to our time period, I'll stay back and put an end to MOD," Zack stated.
"Oh. Okay, well, that's fine, I guess… We'll just see you when…" she stopped talking once Adam began shaking his head. She slowly paned around and realized that all of them had similar expressions. "Wait…you're not…"
"Maybe you missed it when I said it earlier, but we only have enough power for one jump back," Trevor explained. "Once we leave, there's no telling when we'll be back if there's anything to come back to."
Mikayla scoffed, "you're joking, right? Right…?" she turned to Zack who looked reluctant to say anything further.
The longer they remained silent, the easier the tears began to roll. Nick went to comfort his sister, but she gritted her teeth and bolted out of the room into the dark hallway beyond. Nick and Zack reacted in kind, abandoning the group to chase after her within the abandoned building…
So caught up in her emotions, Mikayla aimlessly ran through the ruins of the building, not knowing exactly where she was going. This wasn't right. It wasn't fair. After everything that's happened, why this?
She eventually tripped on something in the darkness and crashed onto the floor, the tiny bit of pain unleashing the tears she tried so hard to hold back. She crawled until she felt the side of a wall, and leaned against it, curling while she let loose. Just when she thought everything was looking up, Garretson and Jesse, her parents, Zack…
After getting everyone back finally, why was she losing them all over again? How much more heartbreak could she take at this point?
Suddenly, a familiar sound echoed in the dark hallway. She looked up when she heard footsteps follow. Lured into investigating, she wiped her tears and slowly proceeded through the darkness, her hand running against the side of the wall to help guide her. Eventually, the sounds grew louder, and the whirls of semi-active machinery began to sound. When the wall ended, she stopped and curled her hand around it. She held her breath for a moment to avoid making sounds, and she peered over.
The dimly lit room was was illuminated with faint blue light from above, the only working light fixture,. It was enough to depict a figure in the room. Carrying something—or rather someone—in their arms, they rested them on the side of the wall before slowly making their way to the console. Trying to get a closer look at the person against the wall, a sudden tickle against her arm caused her to scream abruptly. The first figure turned, and upon recognizing him as Vantus, Mikayla stumbled back, even more, terrified…however, something was off.
Vantus stared for a few seconds before returned to typing against the console. Mikayla blinked in confusion and stood after calming down some. Inviting herself in, she slowly made her way into the room and rushed over to the body once she was completely inside.
"Don't touch her!" Vantus barked reactively, hearing Mikayla dash behind him. He then paused for a moment as if he regretted reacting in such a manner. "Please, just…let her rest."
His outburst shook Mikayla. Looking at Majorelle, she was lifeless. Her eyes were shut, and her body was still as a board. She turned to Vantus. "Did you…?"
"I didn't mean to…" He said guiltily. "I didn't want to, I just…I'm sorry…"
Vantus' sudden attitude change naturally threw Mikayla. Ignoring the Majorelle situation, she walked closer to him, curious to see what he was doing at the console. "Are you…"
"No. I've done far too much regarding the pillars. The only thing I can do now is to fix my mistake." He hit a key, revealing the same symbol that Zack showed them before.
"The X-Antibody Program?!"
"You know about it?" Vantus turned.
"Sorta…? How did you know it was here?"
"The man I worked with, Talbot, knew all about the X-Antibody Program and wanted to steal it at one point to keep MOD in check in case it tried to rebel. I plan on installing it in myself and taking down MOD with me. I'll die without holding on to any regrets."
"You're going to—!"
"MIKAYLA!" Nick's voice echoed.
Mikayla reactively spun around, watching as Zack and Nick slid in front of the doorway. Their shocked expressions at seeing Vantus prompted Mikayla to come to his defense. "Guys, hold on a sec!"
"Lady Majorelle!" Nick's attention immediately shifted once he set foot in the room. He rushed over to the woman and shook her, only for her being to come undone finally. In Nick's hands, he watched in horror as her body dissipated into blue binary and faded into the darkness.
Visibly shaken, he slowly turned to Vantus. "What… did you do...?!"
"Nick, calm down..." Mikayla approached, standing in between him and Vantus.
Nick snarled. "Answer me, Vantus; what happened to her?!"
Vantus silence was more than enough for Nick to lash out. He shoved Mikayla out the way to get to him, but Zack jumped in before he got close and held him back.
"Get off me! Let me go!" Nick raged. "LET ME GO!"
Zack continued to hold him, empathizing with his emotions. Nick eventually calmed down and cried, crumbling to the floor. Vantus exhaled and gave them his attention. "Using Eve's clone, I was able to main her physical structure long enough to bring her here for a solution. However, I've checked all over the building and found nothing to help. Her Core was beyond repair. There wasn't anything more I could've done."
"So now, what do you plan to do?" Zack asked. "All the other Pillars are gone, Neo Babylon is in ruins, and Arcadia is soon to follow. And if the barrier surrounding us falls, then this world will as well."
"I thought if I took control of Arcadia, then I could find a way to rectify past events. But in the end, all I've done was drive myself into despair once again. I converted Eve's pillars into caricatures of my dead friends, only for me to put them back into their graves with my own hands. At this point, fate tells me to stop the chaos and rest afterward."
Zack listened to Vantus' words and proceeded to reach out to him. Vantus took note of his hand and looked back at him. "What are you doing?"
"Fight alongside me. I plan on taking out MOD, and I could use your help."
Vantus looked back at Zack's hand and scoffed, "you really think I'm trustworthy after everything I've done to you?"
"Anyone can be a hero so long as one is honest and doesn't risk anyone's wellbeing. Despite everything, I want to believe you had honest intentions."
Vantus contemplated his words while his eyes wandered towards Mikayla. She nodded confidently. If Megan were alive, she would've pushed him forward. She saved him from spiraling, and as he's on the brink of repeating it, a hand is reaching out. She'd want him to grab on. Even so...
"Me fighting alongside you will not make my sins any lighter," he explained. "nor will it fix anything."
"Your role as a Pathfinder isn't over; I can guarantee that much," Zack told him. To support his claim, he summoned Eve's Core for Vantus to see for himself. Rendered speechless, he remembered at that moment what Majorelle said she was fighting for.
"A future for Humans and AI will happen; only if you help me achieve it," Zack told him.
Vantus found his hands rising towards the Core, though Zack didn't flinch. About halfway, Vantus hesitated and pulled back. He stepped backward with deep, shaky breaths and concentrated. White binary began to stir around him, and suddenly, his body began to glow. Itsteadily flowed from him, causing him to drop to his knees in pain, forming into the shape of Morphomon. Once it slowed, the binary solidified into the Digimon while Vantus collapsed on his side.
Zack, who at this point seemed to be the strongest amongst them in the room, nearly lost it when the Digimon opened her sapphire eyes.
"ZACK!" Evie did not hesitate to jump into his arms, nearly throwing him off his feet. Overcome with emotion, Zack crumbled onto the floor and cried, cradling the small Digimon in his arms.
"Evie..." He hugged her tearfully. "You're alright!"
Evie snuggled in his chest, transforming into her human form. "I missed you!" she said excitedly.
"So did I... I'm sorry I've been gone so long..." He continued to cry.
With both boys succumbing to their emotions, and Vantus reeling on the floor in pain, Mikayla turned her attention to the console. The temptation to take the program has resonated with her over the several minutes since its discovery. As she went to take a step, what sounded like a small stampede began coming in their direction, causing her to flip back around.
Grey and Marco, along with Garretson, appeared in the doorway, finding the group and finding themselves confused. The older man turned to the other two. "Bring them to the lobby. We'll go from there."
The two boys nodded, Marco moving to help Nick up and Grey reaching out for Majorelle's body onto his back to carry her. Zack also recovered and picked Evie up, the small girl holding on firmly to her older brother.
"Up and at 'em," Garretson hoisted Vantus onto his feet, going as far as handcuffing him. Mikayla took note of that and felt prompted to speak up. "Is that necessary?"
"You're really asking that question, Mick?" Garretson replied.
"Well...I just think that—"
"It's fine," Vantus told her, not needing her defense. "I'll comply to the best of my abilities. You need not worry."
Mikayla wasn't keen on that but let it go. Nick would say she's being naïve, and Garretson said it without saying it. There was no point in arguing with him. As the group walked out of the room, Mikayla approached the doorway, stopping and looking back.
The computer was still online.
The program was still present...
"So... something's been bothering me," Layla said.
Ben tensed, having a sneaking suspicion of where this conversation was heading. As everyone was grouping outside the building to make the jump back home, they split off into smaller groups within their own conversations. Layla pulled him aside to discuss an 'urgent matter' as she phrased it.
"You're not thinking..."
"How pray tell, are you going to explain to your pregnant fiancée Melissa back home that your wife Melissa is alive and you two reunited?"
"...you were thinking it..."
"OF COURSE, I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, YOU IDIOT!" Layla screamed, causing Ben to shush her frantically.
"Believe me when I say I've been racking my brain about it. How was I supposed to know this would happen?" He whispered to her.
"The real question is how someone as smart as you make such a dumb mistake like this?!"
Ben exhaled and took a moment for himself to compose. "Okay, look, I'm still you're superior—"
"We're both Captains, Ben; you can't pull rank—!"
"Are you—will you just—" he was growing aggravated. "Look, what would you have done in my situation? You lose everything and get thrown into an unknown world, not knowing if there's even a way home? Forced to find a way to adapt to an unknown situation, only to run into someone you care about. When you saw Alizar's face, tell me you didn't feel like the world didn't make sense for a minute!"
Her personal feelings for Tyrone were not romantic, but regardless she understood what Ben was implying. Her attention shifted, finding Zantia approaching.
"Is everything alright over here?" She asked. Layla noticed how soft-spoken this version of Melissa was, compared to the one she's known for so long.
"Everything's great!" Ben exclaimed, dropping his serious tone for a higher, nervous pitch. "Right, Layla?"
Being put on the spot, she struggled to respond right away. Zantia's staring didn't help either. Struggling internally about the situation, she exhaled. "There's something you need to know..."
Ben turned toward her but took note of the expression on her face. Layla looked anxious, which only motivated Ben to come clean.
"I also have something to say, actually," Zantia admitted. "I've decided that I'm going to stay and fight."
That took both aback, Ben even moreso. "What—why?"
"As the Purple Pillar, it's my obligation to do so," she explained.
"Then, in that case, I'm staying too," Ben decided.
"What? Ben, you can't just—"
"Melissa...I mean, your Melissa already knows more than you realize, Layla. She was more than prepared to accept me disappearing because of all this."
"That's not an excuse for you to abandon her!" She snapped.
"She's right, Ben." Zantia pointed out. "Don't force yourself to stay for my sake."
"I didn't go through all of this for fun, you know!"
"And neither did I." Zantia countered him. "I sold my soul for answers about yours and Mikayla's whereabouts, was turned into a puppet for it, and had been fighting for thousands of years. Now, knowing that both of you are safe is more than enough for me."
Ben tried to protest, but Zantia hushed him with her finger. "And, if the 'me' you fell in love with in the other world is half the woman I hope she is, I know she'll be able to take care of you in ways I could only wish…"
Her words were tough pills to swallow, though he had to laugh. One thing that she was known for was how brutal she could be while wearing a smile. Zantia hugged him tightly after her comment to assure him that this was for the best. Ben couldn't help but return it, surrendering to his emotions.
"Have you gotten a chance to talk to Mom yet?" Mikayla asked Nick.
Nick was silent still. Mikayla knew this wasn't the best time to talk, but at this point, when were they going to have it? Seeing both her and Ben off with Layla, Mikayla took it upon herself to pass the message along. "She wanted to thank you personally. Despite not being my actual brother, you've done everything you could to protect me from the very beginning. I know you and Majorelle was watching her for a while, so I thank you for that."
Nick continued to remain quiet. With no other ideas left, she hugged the taller boy from behind and laid on his back. "You're still my brother. She may be gone, but you still have a family you can turn toward. You have me. And I won't leave you so long as you stay close." Nick latched her off him so he could turn and hug her properly. He wasn't one to show affection, which made it extra special for Mikayla.
Feeling the warmth coming from him prompted her to continue. "Maybe when this is over, you can tell me about her and the stuff you've been up to since we last met."
"…yeah, I'd like that." Nick finally responded. He wiped his eye, noticing Wallace and Isabella walking up to them, the egg in Isabella's arms growing restless.
"Hey, you two," Wallace waved. "Got a sec?"
Mikayla perked up and turned. "What's wrong?"
"The egg I have…it's been really excited and well…" Isabella nervously looked down. "I think the baby is coming."
While not inherently wrong, the choice of words, were...an interesting choice of phrasing. Isabella looked at the three of them and their awkward expressions. "Don't look at me like that! We've been bonding!"
Mikayla let out a small giggle, liking this Isabella much more than the previous one. "I meant to ask, where did you get the egg from anyway?"
"Oh, that Zack kid…or Alphamon? Whatever his name is, he gave it to me to keep safe. He said that it was someone who needed a second chance or something.
Mikayla paused and looked down at the egg. "Then…"
"It is," Wallace confirmed. "Zack recovered the data when we defeated Reseda and reformed it into an egg. Without the negative influence, she'll have the chance to be her own Digimon."
The egg continued to jump back and forth, forcing Isabella to sit it on the ground to avoid dropping it. It continued to bounce back and forth, cracking from the middle. The fracture went around the shell until it made a complete ring.
And then the top half jumped up and fell to the ground, revealing a green top on the inside. The leaf-like cover lifted, unveiling what was underneath. The lower half of the egg tumbled over and out rolled a pale green ball with two beady black eyes and a pacifier for a mouth. The four waited with bated breath to see what it would do next, and once it looked up at the four human teens…
It began crying.
While Wallace and Nick hesitated to do anything, the two girls were diving in to comfort the Digimon. Nick grabbed Mikayla back reactively and gave Isabella the chance to swoop in.
"Aww, there, there, little one, it's okay…I'm here." Isabella cradled the small Digimon. It recognized her voice almost immediately. The Digimon eased its outburst and relaxed, the leaf—which they realized was a tail—folded over its face while it drifted to sleep.
The other three couldn't help but stare at Isabella and the Digimon, each wrapping their heads around the fact that the little thing tried to kill them not too long ago. Of course, Isabella looked more than forgiving based on how she was acting, so maybe her example was one they should pursue.
Garretson unlocked the cuffs on Vantus' arms, the latter rubbing his wrists. Trevor stared intently, and Vantus took note of it.
"It's not nice to stare." He commented.
"Sorry, it's just…I know now how Adam felt when he first met Axel. Surreal to see a mirror image of me."
"Now that you mention it, it is. Nice to see what could've been…"
Vantus' words hit Trevor, leaving him with little to respond. "I'm sorry for your losses."
"It's fine. It's all in the past," Vantus said. "Now, it's time to focus on the present."
"Couldn't have said it better, old friend…"
Both Trevor and Vantus were startled by the voice, looking up as Ken approached them. His appearance denoted a psychotic break of sorts, with the messy look about him. Upon closer look, his eyes flickered with the familiar eye pattern of Diaboromon.
"You all need to leave. Now." Vantus stated.
"Oh, what? But I just got here…" Ken said. He stopped and spun back to block Zack's fist. He smirked at the boy's trembling arm. "Was wondering where you were hiding."
Zack grit his teeth and forcefully pulled back to strike again. Ken blocked it and kicked Zack back, sending him flying. As he passed, Zack quickly transformed into Alphamon to recover and threw his hand out. "Alpha inForce!"
Ken grinned and began moving at blinding speed, avoiding each of the lasers this time around. Before Zack realized it, Ken was hovering above him, and with his feet, he stomped him into the ground, bringing his flight to an abrupt halt, and sending a tremor to pass through the area. Zack reverted, groaning in agony from the impact. All the while, Eve's Core bounced within the crater, finding its way to Ken's foot.
Everyone now, at this point, picked up on the commotion and rushed to Trevor and Vantus. Mikayla especially took note and began to run towards them, only for Nick to grab her again.
"Wha—Nick! Let me go! He needs us!" Mikayla exclaimed.
"Zack!" Evie protested, being held back by Arylide. The harder the little girl struggled, the closer she got to crying. "Zack!"
Mikayla quieted down, taken captive by Evie's desperate pleas to reach out to him. Vantus' words came to her at that moment, helping her to make a decision she found herself struggling with.
"You ready?" Trevor, meanwhile, turned to Adam, summoning Gabumon. Adam nodded and summoned Agumon, the two Digimon raising their fist in the air. To everyone's astonishment, spirals of red and blue binary stirred in the air and intertwined with one another, expanding into a large ring.
"DIGI-GATE: OPEN!" Adam and Trevor exclaimed, activating the massive gate.
Ken stopped his assault from turning around, hearing the whirling of the massive construct in the sky. It humored him so much that he broke out in hysteria while the others geared to make the jump into the atmosphere. "So that's it, huh? Are you all just going to run? After all, we've been through, you're just going to leave me?!"
Zack forced himself onto his feet, with every muscle fiber in him burning and aching. He was sure something a rib was broken, as it was hurting to breathe even. "You had…every opportunity to… destroy Eve…and yet, you… kept her Core intact…" Zack said between breaths and pain. "…why?"
Ken looked over at him, realizing his attack didn't kill him. Snickering, he gave Zack his attention and proceeded to answer. "I want Singularity."
Zack wasn't expecting that. "You want…Singularity?"
"That's right. I was originally created for the single purpose of destroying her. However, our encounter resulted in her achieving that magnificent power and my defeat. Ever since I've used the power of the paradoxes she would create to gain enough power to do her in and steal her greatest strength finally."
"And then what…? what do you…plan on doing with it?"
Ken furrowed his brow. "Didn't think I hit you that hard; it should be obvious. If Eve orchestrated an endless amount of timelines to lead to this one point, then I'll just do the reverse. I'll destroy every world she touched until the only thing that exists is an endless void of nothing. Starting, with this world and moving on back home."
Zack threw his arm up, grunting from the shock in his chest. "I…won't let you!"
"Says the one without the Core…" Ken smirked and held it up into the sky. Eve's Core began to float upward and shine in its vibrant colors. Ken's body turned into the binary cloud and wrapped around it, consuming it in shadow. Power suddenly erupted in violent pulsations as the winds whipped aggressively. The cloud made out yet another roar as it began to reshape back into Ken's human form. Once it solidified and Ken returned to normal, his appearance changed considerably.
Energy pulsating around him, Ken's form forwent the AEGIS uniform in favor of a black suit with a purple dress shirt and black tie. His eyes were lined with red markings and illuminated with a pale green color, and he radiated with a dark aura as power continued to expel from him.
"Move it!" Adam exclaimed, everyone, summoning their respective Digimon to mount. Without further discussion, they all, one after the other, took off into the air towards the gate, not having time to do much of anything aside from that.
Ken watched with a triumphant smirk, eager to play this interdimensional cat-and-mouse game they were setting up. "Now then…" he turned with his arm held up his voice carrying a deep, monstrous tone. "Shall we settle this once and for all?"
Zack braced himself. Pain aside, it was time to end this age-old conflict once and for all. To save all of time and space, he had to achieve salvation through chaos."
"Digi-Gate—!"
"Digi-Gate: Open!" Mikayla's voice suddenly boomed from Ken's other side.
Ken turned around and saw Mikayla's D-Streamer active. Grinning, he responded in kind. "Digi-Gate…Open."
Zack's heart sunk. Confusion rushed in, followed by anger. He ran past Ken, who was ever-so eager, and approached Mikayla, who stared resilient to his angered gaze.
"What the hell are you thinking?!" he barked at her. "You need to leave. NOW!"
"Do you trust me?"
Zack blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Do you trust me…?" She repeated, still resilient.
"Mikayla, we don't have time for—!" Mikayla's forceful pull silenced Zack. She locked her lips against his and held him steady for a long moment. Zack grew weak by her embrace, being overwhelmed with a plethora of emotions while slowly melting at her mercy.
Finally, she let him go when she needed to take a breath. "You're the reason why I'm still fighting…" she whispered to him. "And because of that, if I leave…I'll regret it for the rest of my life…even worse…you'll regret leaving Evie behind, won't you?"
Zack paused, coming to that realization. He was so fixated on stopping MOD that he nearly forgot part of the reason he was fighting in the first place…
"I love you, Zack," Mikayla admitted, smiling as the adrenaline was kicking up. "Always…now and forever."
Continuing to be dazed by her words, Zack was knocked unconscious by Vantus, who came up from behind. Without saying a word, he took Zack and floated upward after the group. Mikayla looked over as her mother remained, opting to stay and fight her own fight.
"Well, that was touching. Also, nice to see that you're honoring my request to face you."
"You're not getting to them; do you hear me?" Mikayla snarled. "If I die here, you better believe I'm dragging you to hell with me."
"Aww…that's cute," Ken commented. "But why wait? How about we just go there now?"
With a snap of his fingers, Mikayla's perceptions were thrown, reality visibly bending around her. Before she knew it, they were back in Arcadia. They were hovering over the cityscape as if standing on an invisible floor. Mikayla looked down and immediately wished she hadn't.
Endless upon endless amounts of Diaboromon and their evolutionary counterparts crawled across what remained of Arcadia like a mass infestation. The city was devastated, with Liberator stragglers attempting and failing to push back the waves and citizens buried under the rubble.
Rendered speechless, Mikayla felt her stomach twisting in knots while she tried to process everything she saw. Ken whistled to her and then pointed up.
She didn't want to look up. But she did.
The barrier which held the cities together was fractured, which only spelled doom if it broke completely.
"Welcome…" Ken threw his arms out to his sides. "…to hell."