Malfunction?
Chapter Seven – The Arrival of the Cavalry
Izzy stopped abruptly and
took the, for him, unprecedented step of tapping the screen of his laptop
impatiently - gently, of course – and shook his head in bewilderment.
"Tai, they're moving away
from us, quite fast. We'll have to
change our route if we're going to intercept them."
"Let me see." Nervously, Izzy entrusted his precious
computer to Taichi's not-too-tender care, but the older boy was only interested
in reading the screen.
"Hmm!" he chewed his upper
lip thoughtfully, "I think you'd better plot another route, Izzy, but try to
make sure we don't have to walk tightropes, won't ya?" This was another part of the situation that
had worried Izzy from the start. The
going was dark and spooky, and was slowly freaking most of them out, but they had
travelled mainly on fairly wide walkways constructed of strong spider silk woven
into hessian type matting. This
reinforced his idea that they were being softened up by the seriously horrible
atmosphere of the place, the endless exhausting route marches, and the lack of
proper food and water, but in reality were being drawn down a carefully planned
route into a web, like a lot of helpless little flies. What in digiworld do spiders need with
walkways like this? He pondered to
himself. They can walk upside down on ceilings, and they use the thin thread
of their sticky webs like – well, like we use floors and stairs. Have these walkways been constructed just
for us? Or is there someone else who
uses them? If the former, we're doomed:
there's no way we're going to be able to retrace our steps and get out of
here. If the latter, there's a chance
we may be able to modify our route and mess up his nice little plan. However, our chances of survival may only be
slightly higher: we don't know who or what this someone else is, how powerful
they are, whether we can beat them or not. I'm beginning to think that Taichi was right in his assessment of our
chances of survival. Izzy sagged in
mental and physical fatigue, and involuntarily tripped. Taichi grabbed him quickly before he had a
chance to fall.
"Hey, man, you better
concentrate on walking and forget that computer of yours for a while!" he
admonished in a friendly fashion, but Izzy was carefully examining the floor
beneath his feet.
"It's a junction," He
exclaimed, straightening up, "And it doesn't even show up on Gennai's
programme! If we take this route, it
could help us intercept Matt and Sora, if they continue at the pace and
direction they are presently taking. However, Gennai's programme will no longer be of any use, as it simply
does not recognise this route, so we'll have to do it the old fashioned way and
also be prepared to simply turn around and retrace our steps if it turns out to
be a dead end."
"I say take the new path."
Replied Taichi instantly, "I've cooled on that programme. If someone's stacking the deck against us,
we aren't going to help ourselves by using loaded dice as well."
"Rather a mixed metaphor,
but quite apposite, Tai." Commented Izzy, "Okay, let's take the high
road." He set foot on the walkway,
which seemed almost exactly like the one they had left, however, the going was
somewhat slower as Taichi and Izzy had to examine the ground more thoroughly
now that Gennai's programme had outlived its usefulness.
It was on one of these stops
that Joe noticed Mimi again. She was
standing on her own, talking to no one, not even Palmon, her head drooping and
her face miserable. He sidled over to
Kari.
"Kari, look at Mimi." Kari nodded.
"Yes, I know. Honestly, if Palmon cannot help her at this
time, then no one else can. I have been
trying to talk to her as we walk, but it is an uphill struggle. She is suffering." Joe was puzzled.
"What did you mean when you
told me I should look beyond my nose?" Kari looked at him, then smiled almost affectionately.
"Well, I meant two things
really," She began, "But as far as Mimi is concerned, she is very unhappy
because she does not believe that we can save Matt; in fact, she may believe
that he is already dead." Joe stared,
then frowned.
"Mimi and Matt? How long has this been going on?" Kari giggled.
"Joe, you really are unobservant,
aren't you? It's not been 'going on' as
you put it, but Mimi is fond of Matt. What exactly Matt's feelings are on the subject, I'm afraid I have no
information."
"He is still not awake yet."
Added Gatomon's voice quietly, "He is like you, Joe Kido." Then to Joe's complete bewilderment, Kari
blushed.
"Gatomon!" she admonished,
"You take too much on yourself. I think
we had better get going – Tai has decided to risk this next stretch of walkway,
I think." She moved away quickly
leaving Joe utterly confused. He took
his usual place beside Takeru, but his mind was not on the job and Takeru could
hardly raise a monosyllable from his companion.
Meanwhile, Yamato and Sora
were crouching precariously on some sticky fibres suspended below a walkway,
which had turned out to be rather a main thoroughfare. They had come a very long way, or so it
seemed, in a short space of time and were going at such a precipitous rate that
they nearly ran into the group of sentries before they saw them. Yamato promptly dived over the side of the
walkway, dragging Sora with him, and clung for dear life on to the edge, their
feet scrabbling desperately for footholds. Fortunately, the sentries passed without incident, but this brush with
disaster served as a timely reminder that they were getting nearer to populated
areas. Once they were sure that the
sentries were gone, Yamato and Sora heaved themselves back over the edge and
set out once more, hand in hand so that they would not lose each other in the
enveloping darkness.
A little later, the walkway
seemed to widen out into a broad, level platform.
"Wait up, Matt," whispered
Sora, having lost her sense of position, "I don't like this."
"It's just got wider, that's
all." returned Yamato, pulling on her arm, "We gotta keep moving."
"No, wait!" Sora stopped dead, forcing Yamato to turn
back. He opened his mouth in angry
protest, and she immediately slapped a well-aimed hand over it, silencing him.
"I hear something – up
ahead." Sora looked quickly around;
there was no cover whatsoever. Quickly,
soundlessly, she dropped to the floor like a stone, pulling Yamato with
her. The two lay there flat on their
fronts, stretching their hearing to its limits.
"Directly ahead." Yamato
breathed, his lips grazing Sora's ear, "Coming up fast, I'd say. A large group. Not Arachnamon." They
turned and stared at each other.
"Could it be ..?" Sora's whisper faded out as the group ahead
of them set foot on the platform. Without thinking of the possible consequences if she were wrong, Sora
leaped to her feet and pulled out her digivice. Obligingly, it burst into light, illuminating the group at the
other end of the platform, who yelled in protest, covering their eyes against
the unaccustomed brightness.
"Tai!" shouted Sora in
heartfelt relief, "Oh, Tai!"
"Sora?" Taichi's voice
cracked, something it rarely did these days. The digidestined, humans and digimon ran towards each other, only to
rock backwards on their heels in horror as an unearthly apparition began to form
between them. The darkness itself
started to coalesce into one deathly outline, glowing with the same sickly
lustre that permeated through the Arachnamon's lair. Larger and larger it grew, gradually taking a shape that seemed
vaguely familiar. Only Yokomon and
Tsunamon carried on running, straight into the arms of their beloved friends.
"You thought you could
escape me, but instead you have walked straight into my trap!" The digidestined to a man were rooted to the
spot with fear as the figure finished its ghastly transformation and smiled
evilly down at them.
"That's Devimon!" cried
Taichi, disbelievingly, but Izzy shook his head, dark eyes wide with shock as
he tapped into his database.
"I'm sorry, Tai, but it
isn't – at least not any more. It's
Metaldevimon. He's digivolved to his
Mega stage - and we just don't have the firepower to defeat him this time."
"We tried to warn you,"
yelled Sora, despairingly, "But he jammed the digivices before we could tell
you. He's been reactivated, and this is
his stronghold."
Metaldevimon laughed uproariously. Taichi seemed to sag in weariness as he beheld the stuff of his
worst nightmares becoming real before his very eyes.
"Geez," he muttered to
himself, "Doesn't this place ever give us a break?" Then suddenly, visibly he pulled himself together.
"Matt," he shouted, "Any
suggestions?" Yamato fumbled in his
pocket.
"Just one." He replied and
grinning, held his digivice aloft. Obligingly, it abruptly threw a searing beam of light over Metaldevimon,
"We might as well see what we're aiming at." Quickly, all the other digidestined children pulled out their digivices
and aimed their brightness at Metaldevimon. An unbearable keening arose from
his Arachnamon servants as they backed away from the agonising light, but
Metaldevimon's reply was contemptuous.
"Do you really think that
those pathetic little torches are enough to worry me? Me? The all-powerful
Metaldevimon?"
"They've put paid to your
bunch of creepy crawlies!" yelled Taichi, rudely, "And that's not all we've
got, Metaldevimon, you're in big trouble."
"I am only too well aware of
your capabilities," retorted the Megadigimon, "I have studied them for many a
long year, and I know to the last digevolution what you and your motley band of
renegades and outcasts from the human world are capable of. You haven't a hope, and what's more in your
heart of hearts, mortal, you know that." Taichi was silent. Unable to
bear the truth, Matt spoke up.
"You thought you had us
penned up, just like worms dangling on a hook. But we fooled you." He was
shouting now, "Sora and I got away, and we led you a merry dance through this
pathetic excuse for a fortress before you caught up with us."
"Fool!" bellowed
Metaldevimon, spitting a wisp of bad temper which exploded in a shower of
sparks at Yamato's feet, making him jump reflexively, "You didn't escape, you
were allowed to leave. I told you you
were bait for the others, and you played your part perfectly. I congratulate you: even I could not have
assembled all the digidestined in a place of my own choosing quite so quickly!"
"I've heard enough of this
creep! – Agumon, warp-digivolve!" Taichi was furious, both with the creature bearing down on him, and with
himself for having fallen into so obvious a trap. Swiftly, Agumon grew many times his own size and his appearance
changed to that of Wargreymon. Tsunamon, at last reunited with Yamato, warped just as rapidly into
Metalgarurumon, followed quickly by the other digimon warping into their own
ultimate forms. Megakabuterimon was the
first to attack with his Electro Shocker, but was contemptuously brushed
aside by a sweep of Metaldevimon's massive claw.
"Terra force!"
countered Wargreymon quickly, hoping to catch Metaldevimon on the hop, but he
easily evaded the powerful blast.
"Swathe of Malevolence!"
boomed the evil Megadigimon. A dark
cloud, shot with sickly green lightening powered towards Wargreymon and scored
a direct hit. Metalgarurumon leaped
into the fray, taking advantage of the distraction, but was unlucky. His unconscious form was unceremoniously
flung on top of Wargreymon. Sora bit
her lip: this was not going well. Next
to suffer was Angemon. His Hand of
Fate barely dented Metaldevimon's armour this time before the backlash left
him limp and helpless, hanging from a walkway. Metaldevimon howled with unholy glee at the sight of his former
enemy defeated so easily. Angewomon
managed to score with a Celestial Arrow which wounded the evil digimon,
but this only served to make him angrier, and the retaliatory thrust not only
knocked her out but also slammed her into Garudamon, leaving both of them
unconscious.
"Oh, no!" screamed Sora and,
evading Yamato's restraining arm, started to run across the platform towards
her injured digimon. Meanwhile,
Metaldevimon was despatching Lillymon with equal ease and lack of effort, all
the time laughing maniacally.
"Vulcan's Hammer!"
roared Zudomon, coming to her rescue, at his fiercest. He actually managed to hurt Metaldevimon,
and pressed home his advantage, but mega-digimon are rare and extremely
powerful creatures. Metaldevimon simply
picked him up in one giant clawed hand and threw him hard into the
rockface. Zudomon collapsed like a
stone.
"Your pathetic, puny little
attempts to foil me are like mosquito bites – a nuisance, but hardly
threatening."
"Some mosquitoes carry
malaria," muttered Taichi, helplessly, "Let's hope one of us does." Suddenly, Metaldevimon became aware of one
small figure making her way across the platform, frantic worry for her digimon
making her careless of her own safety.
"What's this?" he boomed,
"You dare to defy me?" A huge metal
talon descended and clamped painfully around Sora. She screamed in utter terror and beat uselessly at the claw as it
bore her effortlessly aloft and held her parallel to the evil face.
"Sora!" yelled Taichi, in an
agony of fear for her. Without
thinking, he tore over to Metaldevimon and, with a tremendous leap, clung on to
one of his darkly shining wings and began to climb. Aware of the intrusion, Metaldevimon grunted in annoyance and
brushed Taichi aside as he would an irritating insect. Taichi crashed to the ground,
senseless. Wargreymon stirred, shook
his massive head in pain and began to lever the as yet comatose Metalgarurumon
off his chest.
"Tai," his voice rumbled,
"Tai, are you okay?" With a stupendous
effort, he rose unsteadily to his feet. Metaldevimon focussed all of his attention on to the terrified Sora.
"You!" he growled, "You, the
bearer of the Crest of Love!" He spat the words out as though they tasted foul,
"You are deserving of the first display of my supreme power. You, who thought you could defeat me, will
be the first to die!"
"Let her go, you coward!"
Yamato stood rebelliously before Metaldevimon, almost incandescent with
rage. "Go bully someone who can fight
back, you miserable excuse for a virus!" In fury, Metaldevimon struck Yamato with his other claw and sent him
flying through the air to smash into the rock wall with sickening force. Metalgarurumon suddenly began to revive, the
damage to Yamato penetrating through his unconsciousness. Izzy shook Megakabuterimon by one mighty
claw.
"C'mon, please, you've got
to help Sora!" The giant antennae trembled slightly, and the enormous insect
began to come back to life. Angemon
lifted his helmeted head wearily and tried to realign his double vision,
Angewomon began to crawl back to an upright position, Lillymon and Zudomon also
started to revive. Only Garudamon was
in Metaldevimon's direct line of sight, and she elected to remain motionless
for the time being as she calculated that this was her best shot at assisting
Sora to escape. Every digimon and human
knew in their heart of hearts that all they were achieving was to postpone the
end for a short time, but this was what they had been called to do, and they
would do it willingly and with a whole heart. Metalgarurumon prepared to leap, Wargreymon gathered himself for a Terra
Force, Angemon joined hands with Angewomon to strengthen their individual
attacks, Megakabuterimon stood up, albeit shakily, and began to turn up the
voltage. All the digimon prepared for
one last attempt against this unpredictably awesome foe, when something quite
unexpected happened: Sora's crest began to glow.
In the midst of her
mind-numbing terror, Sora suddenly registered the soft, rose-coloured light
emanating from the jewel.
"What the...?" was the only
exclamation which escaped from her dry throat. Metaldevimon turned his evil face towards her with the obvious intention
of watching while he slowly crushed her with his claw, but he suddenly froze as
the rosy light of her crest fell on his face.
"What's this?" he exclaimed,
with sudden uncertainty, "Why is your crest glowing? What – what are you doing to me? I – I can't do it … I can't harm something as beautiful as you …"
Abruptly, Sora understood. The
knowledge burst upon her like the sun emerging from behind a cloud, like a
spotlight on a dark stage.
"Its power is to make others
love me!" she muttered, "To make them unable to harm me while they are in the
vicinity of my crest. No wonder the
guys responded so strangely!" Suddenly,
she realised that she could waste no more time in revelations: Metaldevimon was
still staring at her in wonder, but she couldn't deceive herself that this
unexpected power she had over him would last longer than an instant. She drew breath.
"Now!" she shrieked, as
loudly as her lungs would allow, "Take him out, all of you, NOW!" Then with as much strength as she could
muster, she squeezed herself out between Metaldevimon's claws, overbalanced and
fell screaming towards the platform fifty feet below. Garudamon launched her massive frame and dived in a fraction of a
second. At that moment, the other
digimon let rip with everything they had.
"Metal Wolf Claw!"
howled Metalgarurumon, aiming for the jugular.
"Flower Cannon!"
determined not to be left out, Lillymon led the others in simultaneous attacks,
which threatened to demolish the entire volcano. Metaldevimon, his guard completely down and his attention totally
distracted, scarcely registered the attacks until they hit him, full on. He howled in agony and attempted to gather
himself together in retaliation, but it was too late. Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon, the two mega digimon, moved in to
finish him off, with Megakabuterimon, Zudomon and Lillymon assisting. Angemon and Angewomon flew overhead to add
their strength to the fray, but Garudamon, having rescued Sora from certain
death by literally snatching her out of the air, administered the final Wing
Blade that sent the evil megadigimon into the ether for the second time.
"You haven't seen the last
of me!" he shrieked, "I'll be back again, and next time you'll die, all of
you!" His body dissolved into particles
of grey and black data that drained away like sand. There was a long, exhausted silence.