Out of the Ashes: Chapter 7
** Disclaimers: I don't own digimon. Never will. This fic was produced for entertainment purposes only, and will not be sold. Leave me alone, you vultures!
** Author's notes: Um…I actually have nothing to say, for once. Please r/r. Thanx ^_^
"War has been accurately called hell... there is death, sorrow, pain... all emotions find their way onto the hallowed grounds that would be sanctified by blood. Yet aside from war being a horrific and evil thing... to the warrior it is a poetic dance. Life is never seen more clearly as it is put to contrast with death in great magnitude. The surge of adrenaline as it breathes electric fiery life into every cell of the body. To taste the sweat of warfare upon your brow. To smell the coppery aroma of blood in the air. To die in one mighty blaze of explosive glory. Or to stand atop a mound of tortured earth and survey the field as a victor.
And as any warrior would verify, you never feel as alive as when you are about to die in combat..."
- Logan
"GO GO GO!"
David yelled at his men the instant his watch hit the fateful second. One by one, they gripped their weapons tightly, and ran out into the downpour, wild war cries ripping from their throats. David led the charge, his own rifle cradled securely in his hands, safety flipped off, and finger resting on the trigger. Stinging rain lashed at him, soaking his entire body instantly. The small platoon of men charged down the street, swift harbingers of death.
The commander could hear the sounds of war beginning as all over the city, platoons of men suddenly burst out of cover and attacked simultaneously. Already, he could hear explosions starting, the hellish chatter of machine guns filling the air. A furious red flash lit up a nearby block, and the leader grinned.
Something had blown up.
Good.
Then, he looked ahead into the darkness, into the rain. Ahead, he could barely see the dim outline of the supply depot they were to attack. A small patrol of Bakemon guarded the tiny complex, and it was obvious the rebels had been spotted. Even as David ran, he could see the ghostly digimon forming themselves into complex defensive formations. A counter-charge was already underway. Fallback defensive lines formed behind the trench that served as defense.
Fortunately, they could shoot. Bakemon couldn't.
Turning, he gestured wildly at five men. "Bunker up, and lay down cover fire. Everyone else, follow me!" The five men nodded, unslung their rifles, and spread out over the street to maximize their range of fire. Taking cover behind wet mounds of earth and debris, leaping into knee-deep trenches of dirt, they ripped loose. A veritable storm of lead howled across the darkened streets and strafed the helpless Bakemon. The counter-charge failed miserably, cut down where they stood, and any ghost unlucky enough to be caught in the open was shredded apart like confetti. The rest dove under cover.
Several men swiftly set up a small mortar. Loading it with shells, they began laying siege to the depot. Flames blossomed around the building as the shells hit home, exploding into deadly geysers of flying debris and shrapnel.
The remaining men followed David as they led a mad charge against the complex, their own weapons blazing. The spouts of fire flashed alarmingly bright in the darkness. One of the men threw a grenade, and the resulting explosion ripped a hole in the side of the building. David covered his eyes to preserve his night vision as the fountain of fire erupted into the night.
"Ghostly Fist!"
Several counterattacks streaked in the moment they ran into range. David watched helplessly as two men were struck down where they stood, falling with a sickening crunch of breaking bone. "Don't stop!" he screamed at the top of his voice, yelling to be heard over the thunder and explosions. He leveled his gun and ripped loose a lethal stream of lead at a ghost. He watched in satisfaction as the digimon was literally ripped in half by the bullets, its terrible keening scream sounding through the night. "Keep moving!"
He felt no fear. There was no room for fear, only the terrible pounding of his heart in his chest, the red rage of war clouding his vision. The men stormed down the street fearlessly, their weapons blazing a continuous hailstorm of lead.
In the end, the small and sadly unprepared squad of defending Bakemon was annihilated. With roars of rage, the rebels crested the small fence that served as cover, and proceeded to ruthlessly slaughter all that remained. None of the men showed the slightest remorse. The ghosts were getting what they deserved.
David looked around, surprised. That was easy! he thought. Then, he looked at the fallen bodies of his two soldiers, and his jaw tightened. Well, relatively… Signaling wildly with his hands, he recalled his five cover-fire men. Water ran into his eyes, and he impatiently wiped it away. Pressing a button on his watch, he looked at the glowing time display.
12:02:55 AM. Good.
He gestured impatiently at two men by his side. "You have three minutes to rig this joint, then we're leaving before the reinforcements arrive. Everyone else, form a defensive perimeter. You know the drill. Come on people, let's move!"
The last word was a shout. An explosion about a block away thundered into the night. David could see the angry red flare even from where he stood. His finger twitched impatiently on his trigger as he watched his men scramble to plant the demolition charges. They had ten minutes to attack, overcome, and destroy any target they came across. Any longer, and they risked being caught by the reinforcements.
The explosives flashed green for full readiness. His men gave him a thumbs-up sign, and David nodded. Snapping his weapon up, he began jogging into the darkness. "Set the fuse. We're moving out." He had no need to check a map, or a compass. He had committed the attack plan to memory, and he knew exactly where their next assigned target was.
The men sped off into the darkness, slipping down the darkened street. As he ran, David could hear the sounds of combat crescendo. He looked up. The night sky was no longer an inky black, but a blood red, stained crimson by the hellish flames that was spreading across the city. Screams of digimon and humans alike pierced the night air, and his jaw tightened as the scent of death drifted down the streets.
Behind him, as he led his men towards their next target, the depot erupted in a rocketing fountain of fire. The small building exploded, and flaming steel and concrete shrapnel mingled with the rain as it crashed into the ground. The concussion was terrible, shattering the street and surrounding buildings. Where there once was a building, now there was only a smouldering pit in the ground.
The hellish crimson glow gleamed off David's face. His golden eyes narrowed, and his lips twisted into a thin smile as he ran, heedless of the darkness, heedless of the rain.
He didn't look back.
It had begun…
**********
Four blazing pyres of light lit up the city of Tokyo. Diaboromon and Bakemon alike scrambled into defensive positions at the new threat, assuming complex defensive formations around the power plant with lightning quick efficiency and coordination as if they were of one mind.
Which, in a sense, they were.
It was, however, to no avail…
The holy light was so blindingly bright it hurt to look at it. Every individual raindrop caught the blinding light, and became sparkling, gossamer jewels surrounding the digimon. It was an amazing and breathtaking display of raw power, as the digimon flashed rapidly through their forms, armour and carapaces hardening into place, as deadly claws and talons flashed into being.
And from that wall of fire, they emerged…
Joe stood perched on top of the armoured shell of Zudomon as the big, sea-going behemoth roared thunderously. Cable Crushers and Ghostly Fists glanced harmlessly off the digimon's impenetrable shell as he charged madly into the fray, his war hammer whirling overhead in a flashing arc of unstoppable metal. His eyes gleaming a deadly, piercing white with bloodwrath.
Izzy sat on the red carapace of MegaKabuterimon as the big bug digimon thundered in right behind Zudomon. His thrusters burned as he skimmed the ground, Horn Busters streaking off the large red horn on his head. Like a juggernaut, the two unstoppable behemoths smashed a gaping hole through the feeble defensive formations of Diaboromon's forces.
"Flower Cannon!"
"Wing Blade!"
The sky swirled blood red as Garudamon and Lilymon swooped in, dive-bombing the installation. Sora perched on Garudamon's back, and Mimi hung onto Lilymon's hand. The attacks were as flaming meteors as they homed in on their targets, and annihilated them. Entire squads of Bakemon, and at least two Diaboromon were taken out in the first volley alone. Devastating explosions rippled across the complex as the screams of Diaboromon and Bakemon being ripped apart, incinerated and crushed resounded through the city. Hungry flames raged across the complex.
Garudamon banked into the night, avoiding a volley of web-wreckers, and Sora looked up. The wind whipped her wet, chestnut brown hair around violently. Her jaw tightened. From her perch in the sky, she could see the entire city clearly. The ruined metropolis glowed with the hellish flames of war. The rain did nothing to quench the tremendous blossoms of fire that rippled across the buildings as the humans locked in a titanic struggle with the digimon.
The city, the Earth itself was bleeding, crying tears of fire…
Then, the sickly red glow from the fire illuminated squads of Diaboromon converging on the power plant, their dark limbs trailing behind them as they sliced through the air as dark, deadly knives. Sora looked around wildly, and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Garudamon! Stay in the air, and stop them! Don't let those reinforcements get through!"
Miraculously, despite the incessant rain and howling wind in her ears, Garudamon heard, and understood. Flapping her wings, she rolled around in midair, and several more web wreckers streaked off harmlessly into the night. Lilymon followed her airborne partner's lead, and both digimon began circling the complex, annihilating all comers with well-aimed attacks. Looking down, Sora clenched her teeth.
"Come on…come on…."
Insane laughter ripped from Zudomon's throat as he whirled his hammer around almost joyfully. Parts of Diaboromon went flying through the air as MegaKabuterimon joined the fray.
"Cable Crusher!" A Diaboromon desperately shot into the air, and struck out with his attack.
With a roar of joy, Zudomon twisted sideways, avoided the strike, and grabbed the whirring metal cable with his bare hands. Sparks flew as the blurred metal jerked to a stop. With the insane strength of bloodwrath, Zudomon began swinging the unfortunate Diaboromon in the air, sending it crashing into its comrades like some great mace.
Beside him MegaKabuterimon plunged headlong into the melee. His horn impaled a Diaboromon, and with a flick of his neck, he shook it off. "Horn Buster!" he cried as he blasted the offending spider out of the sky. Black data mingled with bloody rain as it showered down onto Earth. The whole time, both digimon never stopped their headlong charge, smashing through the ranks of Diaboromon's army. The screams of the dead and dying clashed horribly with the tremendous claps of thunder sounding across the sky.
A few moments later, they had smashed a path clear to the power plant. They were within range. Joe shouted over the incessant explosions and screams.
"The power plant! Destroy the power plant!!!!"
In answer, Zudomon slammed his hammer into the ground. "Vulcan's Hammer!!!!"
The ground trembled and split as a blinding river of light erupted from the hammer and streaked towards its target.
"Horn Buster!"
MegaKabuterimon added his attack, the orange ball of electricity rippling across the air. Both attacks smashed into the power plant at the same time.
The explosion that resulted was greater than any previously encountered. The first nail in Diaboromon's coffin. The reactors in the coal-burning plant burst into supernovas of blinding plasma flame, destroying the entire building instantly. Sheets of fire rippled across the complex, devouring all in its angry red teeth. Zudomon and MegaKabuterimon were both blown off their feet by the terrible concussion.
In the air, Garudamon and Lilymon were both tossed about like rag dolls in a typhoon. Lesser Diaboromon caught in the explosion were ripped apart instantly, their bodies and data shredded apart by the titanic forces of the expanding gases, and the shrapnel whistling around at better than supersonic speeds.
Dazed, Joe clawed his way out of the mud into a standing position from where he'd been thrown. Beside him, Zudomon lumbered back up, unhurt. His eyes sought out the hellish inferno of flames that had once been the power plant of Tokyo. Debris still rained down from the sky, and bloody rain still pelted his body, but Joe stood oblivious to them as it finally hit him.
"YEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!"
**********
In the utter darkness and silence of the safehouse, Tai's senses were stretched to the breaking point. His ears could pick up every subtle shift of the wind outside, every breath of his teammates. He could feel every stir in the room, and his eyes were glued to the windows of Diaboromon's base.
The huge complex stood, dark and imposing in the night. It was incredible, larger than anything Tai had ever seen. Like a heinous blemish on the surface of the Earth. Power cables and network links branched off like tentacles from the dark base. Looming satellite uplink dishes and spindly antenna towers cast their ominous shadow on the ground below, silhouetted against the crimson sky. A thirty-foot high chain-link fence surrounded the entire building. According to the flashing blue lights on top of each fence-pole, it was electrically charged. The moonlight glimmered off its dark concrete walls, casting a silvery pall over it.
Beside him, Matt and TK were both deadly silent. Their breathing was slow, and chillingly steady and controlled, but Tai knew they were both raging inside. Their men were dying. Even though their block was relatively quiet, they could still hear the sounds of slaughter and carnage from where they were, the terrible screams of human and digimon alike. Rumbles of explosions echoed faintly in the distance. The flames of war were refracted in each raindrop until they red.
It was as if it was raining blood…
Then the lights went out.
Tai jerked upright as the lights on the fence went out, indicating that it was no longer electrically charged. Then, the window lights in the complex itself winked out. Streetlights, command signals, everything abruptly went dark. A moment later, a slight hum started somewhere in the back of the building as the backup generators kicked in, and some of the lights flickered weakly back to life. Most of them, however, stayed dark.
Tai smiled, his lips pressing together into a bloodless grin. "They did it…"
Beside him, Matt uncoiled from his leaning position, his iron coshes gleaming dully in the night. All of them had their guns strapped to their shoulders, safeties securely on. It had been agreed that on a mission such as this, stealth would be of utmost importance. A gunshot would alert every Bakemon and Diaboromon within five blocks of their presence.
TK stood up, his staff at his side. A vicious lightning flash illuminated Patamon flapping beside his master. Kari flipped her kodachi to hold it backhand, the default preparation stance before battle, and Gatomon unsheathed her claws. Willis heaved his laptop back onto his back as Terriermon bristled, his fur standing on end.
Agumon looked around, and the small reptile digimon was chilled by what he saw. The stone cold expressions didn't belong to the faces of people as young as this. Those were masks reserved for killers, for soldiers…
Tai's voice sounded quietly in the safehouse. "Let's go." The boy slipped out onto the street. The others followed.
This part of town was eerily quiet, almost calm. Tai and Matt had specifically arranged their attack plan around the base, so as to keep this little sector as quiet as possible, the better for infiltration. Here, the cries of men and digimon dying were but faint echoes, drowning in the incessant downpour of rain.
The five warriors and their digimon were invisible. They were as ninja, part of the night, slipping silently yet swiftly through the dark streets. Shadows in the deep darkness, black on black. Humans and digimon alike held their weapons up and at the ready, their senses strained to the breaking point. The only sign of their passing was a fleeting shadow, a veil of smoke...
Then, they reached the chain-link fence. TK, Kari, Matt and Willis spread out in a circle around Tai. Tai looked up. The moonlight glinted off the tough wires. This would be their first obstacle.
Not for long.
Tai unsheathed his kodachi, and took a deep breath. Four slashes of burning orange sliced across the fence. The wires snapped instantly, and Tai proceeded to quickly and efficiently carve himself a hole in the fence. Within seconds, they were through. Matt looked around sharply. They hadn't been spotted.
The diversion was working well. The complex looked all but deserted. Several token guard shifts still protected the main gate and kept a lookout in watch towers, but for the most part, the complex was shrouded in a cloak of shifting shadows, silent, and devoid of activity. Any digimon still left in the base would no doubt be frantically working inside, trying to control the army abroad.
Sprinting across the dark ground, they avoided the few spotlights that still worked. Like tendrils of mist in the rain, they kept to the inky shadows as they hugged the side of the building, scouring it for a way in. Tai brushed his wet hair from his eyes as he looked around desperately for anything, anything at all that might offer them a way inside. They couldn't exactly just walk in the door.
"Tai…" TK suddenly whispered.
The brown-haired boy turned at the blond boy's word. TK was pointing with his staff to an air-duct vent. Matt followed his gaze, and grinned despite himself. Just like in the movies…. The group padded silently over to the grid.
Willis examined it. "This duct must be used to ventilate the mainframes and computers of Diaboromon's network," he explained in a whisper. Squinting, he looked closer. "Look, there used to be lasers guarding this grid. But now with the security measures down…" he poked a hand through the grid and waved it in front of the lasers. Nothing happened. No alarms, no flashing lights. He grinned.
Tai looked around, and shrugged. It should work. Nodding, he gestured to his group. "Let's go in this way then…"
Kari stepped up, her own kodachi unsheathed. The blade began glowing an intense, rose colour. "Allow me…"
**********
His thrusters roaring, MegaKabuterimon blasted high into the sky, tearing through a Diaboromon in so doing. Izzy looked around, the wind whipping his auburn-hair around wildly. His keen, dark eyes surveyed the melee below.
It looked like a dance. From up here, he could see every single unit, every possibility, like a giant, constantly shifting chessboard. Like every good commander, Izzy ignored the lines of least influence, and concentrated on the focal points, the lines of influence, the hotspots that could win or cost the battle. He nodded in approval.
Diaboromon's formation was crumbling in on itself. The devastating charge had smashed a gaping hole in the line, and the explosion of the power plant had dissolved all semblance of order. Now, Diaboromon and Bakemon struggled to surround the area, forming into broken and imperfect formations in the rain in a desperate scramble. Zudomon was charging the line, bowling Diaboromon over like ninepins in his unstoppable charge southwest.
Looking up, he saw Garudamon and Lilymon bank and circle, gradually spreading out and heading southwest as well, towards the center of the city.
"MegaKabuterion! Follow them! You know what to do!" Izzy hollered into the wind. Even before the last word left his mouth, he could already feel the mighty digimon shifting, banking to the side, and firing off a few last attacks before following his comrades in the sweep southwest.
The boy smiled. Everything was going according to plan. After destroying the power plant, Sora, Mimi and Joe had all agreed with him on the next course of action. And now, everyone was playing his or her part perfectly.
Spreading out into an offensive line, the digimon began a devastating sweep towards the center of the city, where the fighting was most fierce. They were going to back up Zion's rebels. Disorganized and incomplete formations of bakemon and Diaboromon tried desperately to stop the crushing march, but were blown left, right and center by the furious barrage. There was barely five kilometers between each ultimate digimon, almost shoulder-to-shoulder considering the incredible speed these creatures were capable of.
Abruptly, MegaKabuterimon rolled to the left, and a white-hot web wrecker streaked past the digimon into the bloody night. Izzy hung on grimly as the big, beetle-like digimon turned and dealt the offending Diaboromon a Horn Buster. The boy shielded his eyes as the dark spider blew up in midair, the fantastic explosion lighting up the city in unison with a tremendous crash of lightning. Desperately, he cast his gaze back onto the battlefield, the whole city, trying to get a general sense of how the battle was going.
His jaw tightened. Below him, the streets and buildings were stained bright red, the raging fever of war engulfing the metropolis. Even from his perch in the sky, he could see dark forms struggling desperately, screaming and dying. Blood and data mingled with the rainwater to form rivers of dark crimson. Countless explosions rocked the city, as more and more supply depots and network links were destroyed. It was working, yes.
But it was costing them. By God, it was costing them dearly…
**********
Inside the computer control room, deep in the bowels of Diaboromon's fortress, the mainframe hummed unattended, its systems strained past its tolerances. Outside the door, a Bakemon patrol of ten ghosts hurried past, floating as fast as they could to the next hotspot. Diaboromon's forces were stretched to the limit, and almost every able-bodied soldier was out there trying to contain the insurrection.
The sounds of the patrol faded away down the hall. Data readouts and real-time displays flashed silently on the network terminal's screen, but there were no Bakemon network crews to read it. They were all out trying to contain the rebellion. Once again, the only thing that could be heard was the slight whine of the ventilators, and the hum of the network terminal built into the wall.
Then, a quiet scrape sounded in the room. The ventilation shaft in the ceiling shifted an inch, then another, and finally, it was hauled away. A pair of hazel eyes peered over the edge, down into the room, then disappeared back into the gloom. A moment later, the owner of those eyes flipped off the edge of the vent, and landed soundlessly in the middle of the room. Even before he had fully straightened up from his crouch, his blade had already cleared its sheath, its point up and at the ready. Taking a step forward to make space for the next person, his watchful eyes took in every detail around him, providing cover for his friends.
One by one, the destined each slipped soundlessly down from the ceiling, and landed catlike on the ground. Matt, TK, Kari and the digimon immediately rushed to the doors, engaging the locks and barricading themselves in. Willis strode purposefully over to the network terminal, plugged in his laptop, and began typing.
Tai peered over his shoulder. "Well? Can you upload the virus from here?"
Willis quickly inserted the CD, and typed in a few simple commands. He frowned as an error message appeared on his screen. "No. This isn't a master terminal. I don't have the necessary authorization codes."
TK shifted his grip on his staff. "How far up are you?"
"Pretty high, actually. I've never hacked this far before. Must be because I'm logged into this terminal." Lines of computer code flickered in Willis's green eyes. "But I'm not high enough."
Matt was standing a wary guard by the door. "Tai, I'm telling you, this is not a good idea. I estimate five minutes before someone comes our way, which means we've got to be gone by then."
Tai frowned, and slid his kodachi back into its sheath behind his waist. The blade slid home with a metallic clink. Leaning over the terminal, he stared intently into the screen. "Where do we go to find a master terminal?"
Willis's fingers danced across the keyboard. The digimon were stationed around the room, checking all entrances and exits. Gabumon and Agumon had the door, while Patamon, Gatomon and Terriermon staked out the small windows. Content that the room was secure, Kari padded over to join Willis at his computer. TK ran through a brief kohlinahr exercise in his mind to calm himself. Pushing the threat of discovery from his consciousness for now, he stared curiously at Willis's screen.
Windows popped up and disappeared again in a flash. Real-time displays, maps, schematics, patrol shifts, all passed in a blur across the laptop monitor as Willis searched for a map. A map of the city of Tokyo popped up. A few commands later, and the view zoomed into the central section of town, focusing in on the huge complex they were in now. Then, the building turned into a 3D wire-frame model. Willis scrolled around in 3D space before settling in on a view. One of the rooms started flashing green as a red dot appeared.
Willis pointed at the green room. "This is where we are right now. And this," he pointed at the red dot, "is where the master terminal is."
TK's eyes widened. The indicated chamber was huge, taking up the bulk of the complex. There was no indicated scale on the map, but by comparing it with the room they were in now, it was at least the size of an Olympic stadium. Most probably bigger. But then, if it was the central command center, he supposed it would have to fit a sizable number of Diaboromon.
Tai, however, remained unimpressed. "Can you highlight all the vents and pipes in the complex?"
The blond boy complied, and tapped his controls. A flashing web of yellow appeared on the screen, and Tai leaned in close, his hazel eyes narrowing. "So...we can't sneak in.…"
He was right. The pipes seemed to be built around the room. Air conditioners and huge fans blocked the only places that led into it. There was no way they could sneak in via ventilation ducts. Tai mused for a moment.
"Superimpose all patrols in the building. Real time."
A real-time display flashed on the screen. Blue dots with data labels surrounding them, moved this way and that in a seemingly random pattern of chaos. TK heard Kari suck in a breath. He couldn't say he blamed her.
The central area was literally alive with bustling patrols and work-crews. All around it, swirls and patterns of blue moved this way and that in a frantic rush to get to their assigned positions. Tech crews laboured on huge mainframes of computers networked together, the central "brain" of Diaboromon's network. It was a hive of activity. There were at least a hundred digimon in the core alone, and four times that number in the area surrounding it in an impenetrable network of guards, patrols, and workers.
There was no possible way they could sneak in, and get out undetected.
Matt spun one of his coshes nervously as he gazed fixedly out the window. "Tai...three minutes..."
"Alright!" Tai snapped. Turning back to the screen, he looked at TK and Willis. "Is there any way we can upload the virus without going in there?"
Willis shook his head. "No. Impossible. I was originally expecting to upload it from a secondary terminal like this one, but apparently, we can't." His green eyes were glued to the screen. "If this is going to work, I'd need at least five minutes in there."
Tai gritted his teeth. "There's no possible way we can get in without being detected. If we go in, we're dead." He looked away from the screen, biting his lower lip in indecision. For once, his hazel eyes looked uncertain. Agumon, who was guarding the door, spared his master a concerned glance.
A deathly silence filled the room. Once again, all that could be heard was the hum of the ventilators and the computer terminal. All the destined looked at one another.
"What are our chances of getting in using brute force, and planting the virus?" TK's quiet voice broke the silence. "Using our digimon."
Willis sighed. "There's really not enough data. There are so many variables…"
"I want a number."
The boy's green eyes scanned the moving patrol symbols on the screen for a long moment. His face went expressionless as his mind ran through every possible scenario, and came up with his best estimate.
"Twenty percent."
This time, the silence was almost suffocating. The hum of the machines sounded eerily in the ears of the destined. The stomach-punching number sunk in. A twenty percent chance of success. Which meant an eighty-percent chance of failure, and consequent gruesome death.
Tai looked around. His heart rebelled, but his mind forced him to be cold, objective. "Abort?" The word tasted sour in his mouth, bitter even, but he forced himself to say it. A good leader always knew when to back down. And a twenty percent chance was no chance at all.
Abort?
No one breathed a word. The destined looked at one another grimly. The hum of the computer filled the room.
"And if that cost includes my life, then I'll give it up gladly, just so others like you may live in a world of hope, and not a world of fear. My life is worth that much."
"No."
The quiet word cut through the air. Everyone turned to look at TK. The young boy stood, his face expressionless. Matt cut in quietly. "TK…a twenty percent chance…"
"Matt, we've committed ourselves to a battle we can't retreat from." He looked around, his face hard. "We came knowing it would be all or nothing. Either we win, or we die."
Kari spoke up. "I personally would much prefer to die trying to do what's right, than to die running away in fear. Because we will die." She met Tai's gaze firmly, "Eventually, Diaboromon will catch up to us. No matter how well concealed Zion is, he'll find it eventually. And when he does…"
TK nodded in relief, and smiled at Kari. The girl nodded back. They were warriors, destined to live and die on the battlefield. No matter how much they wished they were anything but, it was inescapable. Their responsibilities as digidestined gave them no choice.
Turning back to the others, TK looked into their eyes as he searched for support.
"You understand, don't you?"
Silence reigned.
Then Matt grinned, baring his teeth in a predator's snarl. For a moment, his ice-blue eyes turned positively glacial, and a shiver ran up Tai's spine as he watched Matt's face turn into a killer's mask. Unlike TK, the lean commander had no compunctions against killing digimon.
"Tai, I'm surprised at you. Did you honestly think we'd back down now?"
Tai looked around. Everywhere he turned, the same, hard, unflinching eyes stared back. They were ready to go to the death for their beliefs. A small, but proud smile surfaced on his features. "Fine."
Turning, he looked at Willis. "Willis, get the- "
Willis however, was already one step ahead. He closed the laptop lid, the map committed to memory, and grinned. "Best way there is back up into the vent. We can get closer before we have to risk running along open corridors."
The brown-haired leader nodded, and flashed a smile of gratitude at the boy. It was the mark of a true soldier, the ability to predict and execute orders from your commanders even before they left their mouth. He gestured up. "You lead the way. We'll be right behind you."
Willis nodded, strapped his laptop onto his back, and leapt up. The leap carried him a full two meters straight up, and he caught the edge of the vent with both hands. Pulling himself into a chin-up, he quickly and soundlessly rolled into the vent.
"TK, watch our backs," Tai said as he secured his kodachi. Matt was already rolling into the vent behind Willis, and the leader prepared to jump himself. A second later, he too was gone, rolling into the gloom.
Then, Kari sheathed her kodachi behind her back, and positioned herself beneath the vent. Just before she jumped, she looked into TK's eyes. "Remember the promise," she whispered. "If we live, we live together." For a moment, a glimmer of fear and uncertainty flashed in her eyes. "And if we die, we die together."
TK nodded, and his eyes softened. For a moment, he dropped his battle mask, and Kari was allowed a glimpse of the "true" TK, his gentle and compassionate spirit. "I haven't forgotten."
Kari seemed slightly reassured by the words. With Gatomon perched on her shoulder, she leaped up into the vent, and disappeared into the darkness. TK cast a final gaze around the room, checking to make sure nothing was amiss, then followed her quickly. A quick chin-up, tuck and roll, and the boy disappeared into the vent.
A moment later, the grid was put back into place. In under ten seconds, the room was silent and empty again. The mainframe hummed on…
** Author's notes: OK, I apologize for the cliffhanger, but this time, I didn't do it on purpose. It's just that the final battle scene is way too long to be put in one chapter. As it stands, right now, it spans three chapters in total. This seemed as good a place as any to cut it.
No idea when chap. 8 is coming out. Maybe a week or so, depending on how fast TS works. Which reminds me, TS, if you're reading this, expect 8 and 9 sometime tonight.
Oh, and Silverlight, the term kohlinahr was not taken from a book. It's actually taken from Star Trek. It's a Vulcan meditative technique. ^_^