Yesterday When the War Began, Chapter 3:
**Disclaimers: I don't own Digimon, and never will. This fic was produced entirely for entertainment purposes, and no infringement on copyright was intended. This fic will never be sold.
**Author's note: This is a "what-if" fic based on the Digimon Movie. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely go read the prologue I whipped up before even trying to understand what's in this fic. Again, this is my first real attempt at a fic, so please be gentle when reviewing. This chapter has some very, very slight hints at TaKari (dunno, maybe I'll expand on it later on). I'll have to admit that my TaKari was inspired by Kale, the all-time best writer I've ever seen, whose skill I can't hope to match in a thousand years. This fic is also dedicated to Fruitloop Trooper and Ryan Berke, the best adventure/action (Fruitloop Trooper) and drama/action (Ryan Berke) writers I've ever seen.
Now that that's over with…
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**One day later**
Diaboromon was still troubled.
The invasion had gone rather well. As well as can be expected for something that was never planned. Although he had lost a sizable number of copies, the major cities had been taken without much resistance, and all the major armed forces eliminated, or at least crippled. Without communications, the countries could not coordinate their forces, and couldn't fight back. That was assuming their leaders were still alive to make decisions after the missiles hit.
What he had not expected was the total annihilation of the invasion force assigned to Tokyo. According to accounts of the Diaboromon that had been there before they had been deleted, they had been facing off with an Angewomon, a Zudomon, and a MagnaAngemon. There had also been sightings of a Kabuterimon about the district, but those were unconfirmed. The digidestined had apparently been in Tokyo at the time.
The dark, master spider clenched his fangs together. They were stronger than he had anticipated. At first, he had thought that WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were the only fighting digimon of any significance they had, but apparently the rest of the group was just as deadly. Especially the youngest one with the MagnaAngemon.
Sighing, he played back for the umpteenth time the message that he had intercepted the moment before the missiles hit.
DD. Diaboromon invading. Hide, he'll be looking for you. Get out of Tokyo if you can. Meet at where this all began in 1 week. It's war.
Tai
DD. must mean Digidestined. According to ancient legends and the records of the digital world, Tai was the leader of the digidestined, the master of WarGreymon. If the other digidestined had read this message, then they would undoubtedly be hiding from him, probably out of Tokyo.
But where was "where this all began"?
Fires crackled among the ruins of what was left of Tokyo. Cars were overturned, and smouldering fires continued to burn despite the light drizzle coming down from the sky. A young, blond boy looked down sadly at what used to be his hometown. "How did it happen…?"
"You okay up there squirt?" Matt stepped out onto the roof along with his younger brother. TK was standing at the top of the building they were hiding in, his bright blue eyes looking out over the devastated vista of the city. The older boy's gaze was filled with concern for the little boy. "You don't seem to be yourself."
Matt was right. TK was not his usual cheerful, bubbly self. TK turned his blue eyes onto his brother for a second, then turned away, again contemplating what was left of Tokyo. "Matt…what do you think happened to Dad and Mom?"
Matt hesitated. That had been a question he had been hoping to avoid. "I…don't know TK. I just don't know. I hope…I really hope that they're OK, but then…" he trailed off.
TK turned his blue eyes back towards Matt. "And what about Tai, and Izzy, and Sora, and the others?"
All Matt could do was shrug helplessly. "Tai and Izzy are probably all right. They knew what was coming. Sora though, and Mimi…I don't know."
A single tear rolled down TK's cheek, and he angrily brushed it away. What Matt said was the truth, and he knew it. No sense sugarcoating it.
"TK…" Matt placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. At Matt's touch, the younger boy gave a sob and threw himself into his older brother's arms. Matt held the crying kid for a while, rocking him like a baby. TK cried into his brother's shirt. Why did he have to fight again? It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he just be a normal kid? He was sick of it, he was sick of everything.
Several minutes passed. Matt just stood there, holding TK. Then the younger boy sniffed once, and embraced his brother back. "Thanks Matt…" the younger boy whispered. Then he pulled back.
"TK…I'm sure they're OK, just trust them. We've been through worst than this," said Patamon, still perched on the blond boy's shoulder.
TK smiled through his tears. "No we haven't. But thanks anyway." Then, the little boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His blue eyes suddenly focused again, and he looked concernedly at Matt. "What about Kari? How's she doing?"
Matt was grateful that this was a question that he could answer, at least. "I think she'll be fine. In fact, I was coming up to see if you wanted to go check on her."
TK nodded, so Matt turned back to the stairwell. "Matt…" the older boy turned back. TK looked serious. "I promise, I won't cry again."
Matt turned back to the stairwell, a small smile on his lips. TK was going to be all right. "Come on, squirt. Let's see how Kari's doing."
The brothers walked down a steep flight of stairs. They were in the building that Matt and Kari had taken refuge in when Myotismon had held the rest of the city hostage. An old abandoned building, in an old abandoned part of town, it had been, and still was, the perfect place to hide up and rest for awhile. Everyone had agreed that they didn't have the strength to fight the Diaboromon, and thus had decided that subterfuge as the best strategy.
For now, that was.
There wasn't a shadow of doubt in Matt's mind as he climbed down the last flight of stairs. They were going to take this world back. It might take a long time, and a lot of people might die, but Diaboromon was going to pay for what he did to Earth.
Diaboromon, using his vast knowledge and connections of the Internet, began to take apart Tai's message word by word. This investigation took the form of electronic inquiries into the records of the digital world, and of this world.
How old were the digidestined when they were first sucked into the digital world? In a moment, he had his answer.
The older ones, the ones called Tai, Mimi, Joe, Matt, Sora, and Izzy had been eleven. The younger one, TK, had been eight. The eighth child, Kari, had not been with them at the time.
Where were they when they were sucked into the dimensional rift?
No matches found
Diaboromon gritted his fangs. Full database search, for everything with keywords "Tai",
"Mimi", "Joe", "Matt", "Sora", "Izzy", and "TK".
A huge list of entries popped up. Diaboromon carefully considered his next move, then slowly began to take out anything that was irrelevant. Delete doctor's records and school records, social security numbers, passports, and bank accounts.
The list was cut in half.
Diaboromon's eyes narrowed. It was highly unlikely the Digidestined had been in a public place when they had been sucked in, so wherever and whenever it was, it must have been when they were all together, yet alone. Search for entries including all of the keywords together.
The list shortened yet again.
Search within results, look for keywords "WarGreymon", "MetalGarurumon", "Zudomon", "Lillymon", "MegaKabuterimon", "Garudamon", "MagnaAngemon", and "Angewomon".
The computer paused for a second. No matches found.
The spider snarled in anger. Go back to previous search results. Delete everything that happened when the digidestined were home.
The list suddenly shrank to one entry.
Diaboromon growled in excitement as he scanned the message. It fit. It was a series of electronic notes and forms associated with a summer camp that took place a year ago. The digidestined would have been eleven and eight then. They would certainly have been times when they had been left alone. Then, the evil spider came across something that clinched it.
It was a note from the teacher, Mr. Fujiyama. "Camp was cancelled due to the bizarre weather, and all kids will be returning home. All present and accounted for. I am compelled to note however, that 7 kids requested to be let off at Highton View Terrace rather than Odaiba. Their names are: Taichi Kamiya, Yamato Ishida, Takeru Takaishi, Sora Takenouchi, Mimi Tachikawa, Jyou Kido, and Izumi Koushiro. I let them go on the condition that they phone home and tell their parents.
Diaboromon quivered. All the digidestined together. The "dolls" they had been holding. Highton View Terrace. He had them.
TK and Matt opened the door, and stepped into the room. Joe looked up as he changed the bandages around Kari's wound, then looked down and finished the knot he was tying. Then he stood up, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Matt, I need to talk with you."
Matt nodded. "Yeah, I have something to say too. Let's go outside." He nodded at Kari, who was asleep, albeit fitfully.
The two older boys started for the door, then stopped as TK remained by Kari's side. Matt and Joe exchanged worried looks. "TK…" Matt started.
TK turned and smiled wanly at them. "You guys go ahead. I just want to stay here for awhile. I'll catch up with you later."
Matt looked concerned for his younger brother, but Joe merely said, "Fine. See you outside," and left. Matt, still looking troubled, left the room as well. Their footsteps on the hall faded away, until total silence once again reigned.
TK turned back to the bed, pulled up a chair, and sat beside it. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor was alarmingly loud in the deathly silent room. He took Kari's hand and held it tightly, his blue eyes were filled with anxiety as he looked down at the girl on the bed.
Kari was still in pain. There hadn't been much that Joe had been able to do, and there were no painkillers available. She was unconscious, thank God, but even in her sleep, the pain still reached her. She moaned softly around clenched teeth as she shifted slightly in her sleep.
TK's eyes once again started brimming over, but he angrily held the tears back. I made a promise. Instead, he placed a hand on Kari's head, gently brushing her hair back. "Live Kari. Please…just live. I don't know what I'd do without you."
With those simple words, Kari's breathing seemed to become less laboured for a second. Her rolling stopped, and she slept on the bed quietly. Her brows were still furrowed with pain, but it was as if TK had calmed her down. Even unconscious, the very fact that TK cared calmed her down.
The room was dark and dusty, but it was safe. Underground, surrounded as they were by concrete walls, they were sheltered from enemy attack. One of the many things that made this building the ideal hiding place.
Matt crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "OK, what is it?"
Joe took a deep breath. "Matt. I'm not going to lie to you, but there's a chance Kari won't make it."
Matt sighed. "Go on."
Joe continued doggedly. "She was lucky. The piece of shrapnel that hit her wasn't very large, and it was relatively easy to extract. No vital organs were hit, and I don't see any sign of infection, probably because it was treated early."
Then he caught Matt's eyes with his own. "The problem is her wound is still too large. It's dangerous. If there was a working hospital nearby, then we could have it stitched, and it wouldn't be a problem. Full recovery would only be a matter of weeks. However, we don't have any stitches, and even if we did, I don't trust myself to stitch up a wound."
He paused. "She's lost a lot of blood already. Ideally, she should have a transfusion, but then, these are less than ideal circumstances. All that's holding her wound together now is some tape, bandages, and a lot of hope." A small smile hovered around Joe's lips as he said "hope", but then his face suddenly became serious again. "If that wound opens up again, I don't think I can stop the bleeding in time."
Joe went slowly, making sure that he made his point. "If we are attacked again, or if that wound, for whatever reason, opens up again, Kari would lose too much blood. She'd be dead within an hour."
Matt was silent. Joe stared at him curiously. "Matt? Did you hear me?"
"I heard."
"OK…" Joe paused, pushing his glasses back up again. "So what now?"
Matt unfolded his arms and pushed off from the wall he had been leaning on. He sighed. Now he knew how Tai felt. With Tai gone, he had unofficially assumed leadership of this ragtag group, and all the command decisions rested with him. The responsibility, and the ever-present fear that he would fail haunted him. Now he knew. He didn't envy Tai at all.
"We have a problem."
This time, Joe said nothing. Matt would continue on his own.
"I still haven't told you what happened, have I?" Matt looked over with a slightly amused light in his eyes. "I bet you still have no idea what's going on?" Joe shook his head.
"Come on then. I'll tell you."
** half an hour later **
Joe was gaping open-mouthed at Matt. "You're kidding."
Matt had just told him what had transpired starting from when Tai had first called him up to now. TK, at some point during the narrative, had slipped in silently, and now sat close to the group.
Matt nodded. "So you see my problem. The digidestined have to meet at that summer camp within the next 6 days. Every moment we stay in Tokyo we risk detection by Diaboromon. And now, you've just told me that under no circumstances can Kari be moved."
Joe shook his head. "My decision stands. The slightest jostle and she could die. Simple as that."
Matt sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his fists. He had stayed up most of the night, on the lookout for Diaboromon.
"Maybe if we built a stretcher, and we handled her really carefully…" Patamon piped up.
Gomamon snorted. "Too dangerous. I mean, it takes 5 hours to get to the camp by car, so it would take us at least a day on foot. That's the straightest route. If you take into account the broken roads, and Diaboromon patrols, then it would take at least twice that." The water digimon stared at Patamon. "You think you can carry Kari for that long, probably running some of the time, and still not jostle her?"
"Just a suggestion…" Patamon muttered.
Matt smiled. How like his brother Patamon was. "Don't worry. Suggestions are welcome. Don't feel bad about it." He turned back to the center of the group. "But what do we do about it?"
A couple seconds passed.
Don't worry Sora. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to protect Kari.
"I'll stay with Kari."
Matt whirled around, surprised. "TK?" The younger boy had remained silent for the duration of the meeting. "What do you mean you'll stay with Kari?"
TK turned to stare at his brother in the eyes. Matt was taken aback by what he saw. There was an almost palpable difference about his brother. He was mature, wise beyond his years, all discerning. Yet behind that wise exterior, Matt saw a burning desire to protect Kari, no matter the cost. "It makes sense doesn't it? You and Joe can go to the rendezvous, and I'll stay behind to protect Kari. Gabumom is still weak from that pummeling, and it wouldn't be safe to have him fight. Joe can protect you."
The little boy looked around the group, looking for support. "I'm not boasting here, but we all know that MagnaAngemon is one of the strongest fighters we have." Patamon blushed. "He can take care of any trouble that springs up. You two go ahead, and then you can come back for me and Kari later."
"Kari and I," Matt muttered absentmindedly.
"Whatever."
A couple more seconds passed.
Joe pushed up his glasses. "He's got a point you know."
Matt stared at him.
Joe continued nervously, "I mean, Zudomon isn't very well cut out for urban combat. He's too big, and all these buildings'd hamper him." Gomamon sniffed disdainfully. "MagnaAngemon can fly, and he could take the battle into the air if it comes to that. Plus, he's much smaller." He paused to look at TK. "The actual tending to Kari shouldn't be a problem. All you have to do is change her bandages. That's about all we can do without antibiotics, needles, and suture thread."
2 pairs of eyes turned to Matt. One pair a dark black and one a cerulean blue. Matt still didn't say anything. Tai, how the hell did you manage this with 7 people. "Fine," he said slowly. "But TK…" he looked at his brother worriedly. "Take care of yourself, OK?"
The young boy nodded his head, causing his golden bangs to droop in front of his face. "I promise Matt."
Matt nodded back. His decision made, he slumped back into a corner and yawned. "Well, we'll go when it gets dark. Until then, I'm going to get some sleep. TK, would you mind keeping a lookout?"
"Sure" The little blond boy bounded up the stairs, Patamon flying close behind him. Matt gazed up at the receding little figure worriedly. He was unable to shake his concern for TK. Joe noticed his friend's concern.
"Trust him, Matt."
"Huh?"
"He's grown a lot since that first day we discovered we were digidestined. He can take care of himself and Kari. Personally, I feel a lot better having TK guard Kari while we go. Don't worry, he'll be fine."
Matt nodded dubiously. Then he snuggled down to try to get some sleep. He would need it for tonight.
** 5 days later. Day before the rendezvous**===============================
Tai was dreaming.
Once again, he was staring helplessly at the screen as WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon were being pummeled into bits by millions. He saw over and over again, each individual explosion as it blossomed off their armour, the screams and roars of pain from the 2 megas.
Then all became still.
Time itself seemed to slow. He seemed to slow. The world became languid, surreal, and he felt he was being drawn into something. What was going on?
The Diaboromon had stopped shooting for some reason. Now, they all watched silently at the scene which was unfolding in front of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Tai saw Matt, floating into his surreal, dream-world. What was he doing here? Time had slowed to the point of being nonexistent. He could no longer feel each second go by, but somehow he didn't care. Nothing mattered except reaching WarGreymon's side.
The big mega was motionless. Both of his gauntlets had been torn from his hands, his helmet askew, and his armour cracked and chipped in many places. He looked over at MetalGarurumon. Both their eyes were dark, and all life seemed to be drained from them.
Then, his chest glowed with a brilliant light. Looking down, Tai saw the crest of courage outlined boldly on his chest. A corresponding light burst from Matt's chest. Their combined auras surrounded the 2 digimon, and their eyes snapped awake. WarGreymon's body glowed, dissolved, and shrunk into his helmet. MetalGarurumon's wolf-like body did the same.
"WarGreymon, digivolve to…"
"MetalGarurumon, digivolve to…"
"Tai, Tai, wake up, it's morning."
Tai's eyes snapped open. Sora was shaking him gently. Beside him, Tai could hear Izzy yawning as he stretched, and got up. Sora looked tired and drawn. No wonder. It had been a long time since they had to stand watch at night, and she had taken the last watch.
Events flooded back into his mind as he gradually woke up. The missiles, the invasion, the message. The message…
"Sora, did any of the others come?"
Sora shook her head. "Not on my watch. Sorry Tai, but they haven't shown up yet."
Tai choked back a growl of frustration. It would not do to lose his temper, but he couldn't help it. It was now 6 days after he had sent the message, and there was still no sign of the others. The worst part was that he didn't even know if they had received the message or not. Had he cracked the e-mail ban correctly? Had they been near a computer at the time? Tai didn't know.
He sat up quickly and punched the ground, hard. Agumon looked at him, surprised. "Tai, it's not like you to lose your cool so easily."
Sora grinned at that. "What are you talking about? Tai was always the impulsive one." Her grin turned slightly devilish. "He's the one we've designated to throwing a fit whenever we get bad news."
Tai glared at her, then softened. She was just trying to cheer him up. How typical of her, the thought flashing through his mind. She's always the peacekeeper, the one who keeps the group together.
Then he turned to Izzy. "Izzy, is there any way we can know for certain whether the others got our message?"
Izzy shook his head as he brushed back his hair. "Tai, I've told you already. I've looked at what you did when you cracked that e-mail ban, but there's no way of knowing whether it worked. Also, there's no guarantee that they were near a computer at the time. Matt and TK probably got it, but Kari, Joe and Mimi…I don't know."
Tai sighed in frustration. They had been lucky. Both he and Izzy had been prepared for what had happened, and Sora had received their message, and thus had packed the essentials. They had gotten to the campsite only 3 days after the message, because for some reason, although a lot of Diaboromon had invaded Tokyo, they didn't meet many. It seemed someone or something had thinned their ranks drastically. Tai had no idea what, but it worked in their favour, and so he didn't really care.
He and Izzy had hooked up with Sora on the streets, where they'd found her trying to find a way to the camp. It was then that they had been spotted by a group of digimon, and with nothing else to lose, Izzy had ordered Tentomon to digivolve. Kabuterimon had managed to evade the chasing Diaboromon, but they had had to go the rest of the way on foot. A giant, flying bug was a little too conspicuous to travel safely on.
Now, 6 days after the incident and the message, they still hadn't heard from any of the others, and Tai was beginning to get really nervous. If they hadn't gotten the message, then they were apt to stay in Tokyo and fight. If they had done that…Tai shut his eyes. No, they couldn't have. They were smarter than that. They had to be.
He opened his hazel eyes again. Sora and Izzy were preparing breakfast, and their digimon were still sleeping. The brown-haired kid frowned. Something else was bothering him, and he searched his memory. What was it? Something about the origin of Diaboromon. Suddenly, he had it.
"Izzy, who was that friend person that you told me about? You know, the one who said 'this is all my fault'?"
"You mean Willis?"
Tai snapped his fingers triumphantly. "Yeah, that's the one. What do you think he meant by that? How could he possibly be responsible for Diaboromon?"
Izzy stared at Tai. "You know, you may be on to something there. I personally haven't thought about it much, but now that you think about it…I have no idea."
Tai mused to himself. "He apparently knows about the digital world, and he definitely seems to know more than we do. Do you think that he's a digidestined?"
Izzy chewed on his lower lip as he thought about it. "I suppose its possible. I mean, we didn't know Kari was a digidestined until at least 3 months after we ourselves got our digivices."
Suddenly, Tai had an idea. "Hey, Izzy, do you think you can contact Willis again? I think he might come in handy."
Izzy looked at Tai like he was from another planet. "What are you talking about? Contact him how? Phones are dead, Internet's controlled by Diaboromon, and the power is out. So unless you can think of a way to teleport a mail message over there, I don't see how."
"Maybe through our digivices…"
Izzy shook his head. "We don't even know if he has one. And even if he did, I don't think the digivices could reach halfway around the world. Besides…" Izzy's eyes turned serious. "he might be dead already, for all we know."
Tai sighed. He hadn't thought about that. Yet another unanswered question. Then, he did what he did to every unanswered question. He pushed Willis to the back of his mind. Right now, he was of no real importance, though it was definitely something worth exploring in the future. There were more pressing concerns to be addressed. The young boy turned his worried eyes back to the horizon. If they didn't make the rendezvous, then it would be next to impossible to find them again. The digidestined could well be separated forever.
Diaboromon sat in the darkness, lost in thought. He knew where the meeting was taking place, and the digidestined didn't know he knew. That was an advantage. An advantage he planned to use.
He hadn't sent any troops yet. He had some time. Whoever got to the campsite would stay there for at least another day, waiting for the others. He couldn't spare any troops right now to go battle them, particularly since Tai's WarGreymon would have healed by now. No, he had to think this through, and be cautious.
The masters of the Angewomon, MagnaAngemon, and Zudomon his troops had battled had all but disappeared. Not one of his minions could find them anywhere. They were formidable opponents, adept at subterfuge, Diaboromon had to admit that to himself, however grudgingly.
The meeting must not be allowed to take place. He didn't have the strength right now to defeat them, since it would require a gathering of his forces. Even now, his forces were stretched rather thin around the globe, mopping up resistance. He didn't have to destroy them just yet though, he just had to stop the meeting. They must not be allowed to coordinate their efforts against him, or all would be lost.
The dark spider grinned to himself. Once separated, the digidestined would likely split into lost, uncoordinated little groups. Alone and by themselves, they would be easy targets to track down and destroy, one by one. It might take some time to find them, and even alone, they would be formidable opponents, but it was manageable.
Diaboromon finished that line of thought. The meeting must not be allowed to take place. His eyes snapped open, then narrowed, as he began to give orders to his underlings…
Matt panted as he pushed his way through the forest. Gabumon trailed just behind him, his tongue hanging out, and wishing he could take off his fur coat. Further back, Joe and Gomamon struggled along. Gomamon was having more trouble than any of them. Being a water digimon, he was not built for land travel.
"Matt…wait up…" the digimon panted as he waddled up the remaining distance, and collapsed on the ground at his feet.
Matt looked at the sky worriedly. It was around noon, on the sixth day, and they were still a fair distance off from the campsite. "I didn't expect that it would take so long…"
Joe rested on his haunches, panting as well. "Yeah well, it probably wouldn't have, if we hadn't had to avoid so many patrols."
Joe was right. As the crow flies, the campsite wasn't far. A day's walk would have gotten them there. However, particularly during the last 2 days, there had been Diaboromon patrols everywhere, along the main roads, mountain passes, roaming the countryside. Matt and Joe had had to detour around groups countless times. Sometimes, like now, they had been forced to blaze their own trails, since all the established ones had been blocked. The going was slow, to say the least.
"I just hope that TK's all right…"
Joe exploded. "Dammit Matt! TK's FINE, as is Kari. Man, have some faith in your little brother! He's not as young as he used to be, and he can take care of himself as well as you or I can!"
Matt stared at Joe, shocked and hurt. Joe turned away, then spoke again, in a softer voice. "I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just… well, I guess I'm rather frustrated with all these detours."
Matt groaned stiffly as he himself sat down as well. "No, you're right. I should have more faith in my brother. I guess I'm just so used to protecting him that I haven't noticed that he's matured a lot."
Joe snorted. "Matured a lot doesn't describe it."
Matt was about to respond when he suddenly went stiff. His blue eyes widened and his head perked up, every sense strained to its utmost.
Joe caught the change in his friend's demeanor. "What's the…" he began. "Quiet!" Matt cut him off with a forceful whisper. Joe listened hard as well. Then he heard it. Gabumon and Gomamon perked up their ears. Heavy, booming footsteps, scores of them, though still a long way off.
Matt caught Joe's eye, and both boys nodded. They leapt up, their exhaustion forgotten, as they began to push their way through the forest again, on a tangent away from the sound. Gabumon and Gomamon followed grimly, ready to digivolve on a moment's notice. A wind picked up.
Gabumon stopped. "Matt…"
"Not now, Gabumon."
"Matt, this is important."
Matt turned back. "What is it?"
Gabumon sniffed the air. "I smell something strange. It shouldn't belong to a forest like this." He sniffed some more, then pointed in the direction of the camp. "I think it's coming from over there."
Matt and Joe looked in dismay at each other. Another detour. They were going to be late, there was no doubt about it now. And the footsteps were getting louder.
Matt grabbed Joe's arm. "This way." He jerked his head. Then both boys pushed off again, this time away from the camp. They had no choice. This whole affair reminded Matt of a game he used to play in summer camp, Manhunt. He had thought it was fun at the time, but this wasn't fun at all. He had to make it to the camp, and he couldn't afford delays.
They came to the top of a hill, overlooking a valley. They were about to start down, when Joe stopped. "Matt, what's that?" he pointed.
"What's what?" Matt strained his eyes. "I can't see anything."
"There. See where those trees are moving?"
Matt looked in the direction Joe was pointing. Nothing happened for a while, then he saw a faint ripple in the trees descending down the other side of the valley. Another patrol.
Matt closed his eyes in frustration. He knew. The scheming bastard knew where the meeting was. There was no other explanation for so many conveniently placed patrols.
Then a cold ball of fear lodged itself in his stomach as he followed the logic through. Tai and the others, if they were there already, were in danger. Suddenly, the need to get to the camp became that much more urgent.
"Come on." Matt grabbed Joe's arm again and began leading him off into the underbrush.
"But…but Matt. That'll lead us too close to those patrols…" Joe stammered in protest, then shut up as he saw the intensity behind Matt's eyes.
In the end though, it was useless. No matter where they turned, they always met up with a patrol. Diaboromon had set up a virtual dragnet around the camp, impossible to penetrate.
Diaboromon checked the progress of the patrols. His minions hadn't found anything yet. Once again, he was forced to admit that his enemy was good. Very good.
His mind drifted among the consciousness of the hundred or so Diaboromon stationed around the area, randomly making checks to make sure they hadn't missed anything. He entered the mind of one soldier, as he made his rounds in the forest. He was about to leave to go on, when suddenly…
With a sudden, urgent intensity, he forced the soldier to backtrack. Looking through the other's eyes, he looked closely at the ground.
Footprints. 2 pairs of human shoes, and Gabumon and Gomamon tracks. That was it. No sign of the younger pair's tracks, or Gatomon tracks. MagnaAngemon and Angewomon were not with them!!
**Author's note: to the digimon illiterate, in case you didn't know already, Patamon flies, so he wouldn't leave any tracks anyway.
With that sudden discovery, his strategy changed instantly. Now he knew the enemy was out there. The tracks had been recent. In a flash, he had reorganized his patrols into an entirely new pattern. Instead of one designed to patrol, they were now aimed at cornering and destroying the 2 stray digidestined.
Then, he turned his attention to the camp site itself. The area he was covering with his patrols was large. If they should decide to abandon being subtle and break out through brute force, they just might be able to succeed.
The meeting must not take place.
With a tremendous push of his long-slim legs, he soared into the air, and traveled towards the campsite itself. He couldn't trust his forces to do this right. If the master of MetalGarurumon and Zudomon managed to get out of the dragnet, then they must not meet with the rest of the digidestined. The dark digimon grinned to himself. Whoever was at the campsite would soon be dead, or dying.
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Matt noticed the shift in the patrols fifteen minutes later. Now, there were patrols in every direction, not just in the general direction of the camp. No matter where he turned, even if he turned directly away from the camp, he still bumped into a patrol.
Joe had noticed too, and he was beginning to get worried. "Uh…Matt, this might not be the best time to say it, but I think we're surrounded…"
Matt looked wildly around. There was a dragnet around them, in the hills and forests. How had he been fooled into putting his head into this noose? He had never been up against a digimon with such a command of strategy before.
A strange thought entered his mind. It reminded him of the chess games he played with his brother. Though TK may not look like it, he was actually an incredible player. At the end of the game, when TK had invariably stripped Matt of the rest of his pieces, each move was calculated, each time there was less and less space to maneuver his King in.
Except in this game, he was not without pieces.
With that thought, he struck off again, this time heading directly towards the camp. Joe hurried to catch up. "Matt, what are you doing? We'll be found for sure if we go this way…"
"To hell with hiding."
Joe blinked. "What?"
"I'm tired of this. We've got MetalGarurumon and Zudomon. If we can punch through their lines fast enough, we can get out of this dragnet, and then we'll be home free."
Joe was worried. It was too simple. Diaboromon wouldn't let it happen. "Matt, you know that's impossible. Does Diaboromon strike you as the type to allow you to just burst out through brute force?"
Matt silenced Joe with a glare. "We can do it, we're going to do it, and that's final."
Joe shrunk back. If Matt was that angry, then maybe they could pull it off after all.
"We'll keep evading for a while, try to delay the inevitable as much as we can, but eventually we'll have to confront them." Matt's eyes flashed. "And when that confrontation takes place, I'm going to be choosing the time and the place, not him."
Looking up into the sky, Matt's eyes narrowed as he judged the time. The best time to attack and break through would be midnight, when it would be easier to overwhelm and confuse the enemy. That meant they would have to avoid detection for at least that long. "Come on, this way." Joe followed grimly, tracking Matt's every move. He was the leader after all. As night began to fall, the two boys and their digimon slipped noiselessly through the jungle, skirting and avoiding patrols, sometimes laying low and hardly daring to breathe. Matt's prediction was right though. The dragnet was too tight for them to simply slip through. We're going to have to fight eventually, Joe reflected bleakly. All this running around is just delaying the inevitable.
**Author's note: How'd you like that? PLEASE REVIEW!! I'm a new writer and I need the feedback to improve! Don't be scared to point out something wrong in my stories, cuz then I can change it for you in the future.
PS. No more obvious requests for "what's going to happen next". For those of you who are curious, the new digidestined will not appear in this fic (I want to keep it relatively simple). Willis though, will be making an appearance. As for what's happened to their families, etc., well, even I haven't decided yet. Ask me in a week or two.