Peregrine settled down back at the RAM base several hours later. A late-night medical team took Lizarddramon to the Infirmary, while Agumon requested for a refueling of the ship. Wex quickly exchanged good nights with the others, obviously fatigued. Hikari, as well, left the others for the night in a hasty manner, but made sure to give her brother a brief scowl. Agumon nodded off in the co-pilot chair as Peregrine recharged from a long flight.
Sora waited for Taichi to do a scan over his ship's hull for any damage. When none were present, Taichi hopped down to the metal floor, stumbling as he hit. He saw and approached Sora surprised she'd be waiting for him. I put our lives in danger way too many times. "It's getting late, you should be in bed."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. Listen I know we had a rough night. I can see you're really down, and I want you to know… I really think you did good out there."
Taichi smiled, looking down a bit to cover the redness in his cheeks. "Well, thanks. I've got to get going now, before I fall asleep here and now." He turned to go, but Sora put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait, before you go…" Sora looked into his eyes, drawing him closer to her. She enveloped her arms around his chest, locking them behind his back, and put her mouth to his, pulling Taichi into a tight kiss.
Taichi was taken aback but quickly brought Sora close his own body. After a moment, which felt like an hour, Sora pulled away, face heavily tinted red, then nearly sprinted away. The young man, himself was blushing heavily. Where'd that come from? Who cares, that was… great. Taichi felt odd and almost refreshed. I know I've gotten interested in Sora, but I thought it was just my hormones acting up. He smiled inwardly. Guess I was wrong.
Dawn the next day was uneventful for Xantos and his ragged band of soldiers. Even in the early morning, the air was hot and uncomfortable. They ate a quick breakfast of rations and dried meat and fruit, and started the morning march through grassy fields and treeless plains. Xantos, up at the front, tried to make conversation with his Lieutenant, Lee.
"Never thought I'd become a Commander in an army. Most of my life I was a nobody, just some faceless civilian in a wrecked city."
"Never thought I'd live to get past Private." Lee replied.
"How long have you been in the Morhin Army?"
"Not long ago, since the Council passed the Service law. I'm just glad my younger sister isn't here, I don't know who'd take care of my mother and father."
Xantos nodded in understandment. "I led a quiet life in Japan until two years ago."
Cautiously, Lee asked, "What happened?"
Though tempted to snap back at Lee to mind his own business, Xantos restrained himself from doing so. He's a lot like me. We're both vague with our past. Xantos drew in a breath, trying to recall just why he was constantly raging on the inside. My memory hasn't served me well since that day, two years ago. It's rather pitiful I have trouble remembering what this is all for. "A person… who I thought was a friend… turned out to be an enemy. It's complicated and foggy, I took a horrible injury in the head."
It was Lee's turn to nod. "Well, I used to live in a town, not a big one, but the residents were happy and we made our own things. I was the third of four kids. My parents, they were getting old, and sick. My older bother and sister, they had gone to the Morhin Army, and I haven't gotten word of them for months, so it was just the four of us. I brought in most of the money as a farmer." He smiled slightly. "I could grow the juiciest tomatoes in the East." He went back to a frown. "But now that I'm gone, I don't know how my family's holding up. I'm sure I get letters or video mail from them, but I don't have time. All I do is march and fight, march and fight."
Xantos felt a pang of guilt. He was probably worsening the situation, and now Lee would spend a few days with the slaves. "I'm… really sorry to hear that." Why does that feel strange on my tongue? "Listen, I'll try to get us to the transport as quickly as possible. We've already got, what, twenty miles covered? We're making progress." Xantos checked a small electronic map. It showed his position, as well as a white line to indicate the easiest route to the shuttle's point. Odd, what's that steep curve doing there? Zooming out, Xantos groaned, which sounded like radio static from his artificial larynx. "What's that? A valley?"
Lee followed his Commander's metal index finger to the slightly oval circle. "Yeah, that's the Pit. Before the big meteor hit, it clipped a space station. Some pieces flew off and arrived a little before or after the big one. This is one of a couple dozen."
"And right in our path too." Xantos said with some glumness. "Well, its about ten miles in diameter, that gives us," Lee scratched his blue-haired head, mumbling math equations. "About five or six extra miles if we hug the corner."
"I think our exalted tyrant knew about this."
"Of course. You think he's courteous?"
"He's good at his job, I'll give him that, inspiring fear into the common man. People will cower before a picture of him."
"We don't like him either. I doubt any Private in all the army does. Once you get into the loftier ranks, he actually pays you, and his advisors get vacation time."
"Though I don't know where someone would want to vacation in this wasteland of a planet." Xantos returned the radar into his sea of robes. "Well, it's almost noon, and I think we could use a break to eat." The Commander held up his arm, indicating the score and a half troops to halt. As the grateful men seated themselves they dug into their packs for a well-deserved lunch. They socialized with one another through mouthfuls of the tasteless but filling bars. Despite their bad situation, the troops were rather calm and content.
At least, until the Horzumon arrived.
It was a blur of action. One minuet, everyone was finishing up the last crumbs, the next, a loud series of whoop calls caused a trio of enormous Digimon to erupt from the sand. So well camouflaged they were, the bits of dirt had to run off them before all thirty men realized it was Digimon that were attacking and not the earth itself.
The grotesque Horzumon were vaguely humanoid, more ape-like, and with flat streamlined heads that were mostly just mouth. Two black beady eyes flared with hunting instinct. All three bore a protruding set of teeth and enormous hands tipped with dark black claws. The Horzumon were nearly twice as tall as most of the terrified men and probably threefold as heavy.
Xantos knew they wouldn't get away with this one without some bloodshed.
Menacing over their trembling prey, the Horzumon gnashed their six-inch long fangs, intimidating the soldiers into a circle. Xantos whispered shrewdly with Lee. "Got any bright ideas for this one?" His stiletto was already out and ready, though it probably would do little against the Horzumon's thick, maroon hides.
"Just relax." Lee said loud enough for all the troops to hear. "Try to stop trembling and keep straight faces."
The biggest Horzumon snarled, blowing hot air through his nostrils. It opened its maw and snapped it shut, clearly trying to paralyze it's meal in fear. Another one was holding its powerful arm up, ready to send one of them flying.
"It's not working." Xantos said to Lee as a pair of troops were swatted aside like dolls.
"I'm aware of that!" Lee replied sharply. He took another step back into the ever-tightening circle. His foot stepped on something, a gun! "On three, I'm gonna pump lead into their mouths." Lee cautiously leaned down, planning to jerk the gun up. The closest Horzumon turned to see which human it would devour first, then Lee burst into action, pulling up the gun and clicking the safety off in one motion, and squeezed the trigger.
The gun clicked.
Out of ammo. Both Xantos and Lee realized at the same time.
The noise caught the attention of everyone, including all three Horzumon. The troops got the idea though, and drew whatever weapon they'd forgotten would come in useful. Bright flashes lanced out of blaster muzzles and bullets spat from the gun barrels. In a moment, it was all over. All three Horzumon lay dying on stained red grass, having underestimated their meal
One soldier found it amusing to taunt one of the helpless Digimon. "Yeah, how's it feel to be killed by your lunch? Want some more metal, you ugly son of a bitch?" He laughed as a dozen more shots were sprayed over its body. The Horzumon roared in pain and rage.
Lee didn't find it so humorous. He swiftly approached the blond man, and tapped him on the shoulder. As the man turned, the Lieutenant dealt him a sharp punch slightly above the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake, just kill the poor thing already!" He wrenched the gun out of the stunned man's hand and emptied the rest of the clip into the creature's head, mercifully letting it pass to the blissful peace of death. Lee turned back to the soldier, who was quickly developing a large red fist mark between his eyes. "If it ate you, do you think it'd take a nibble every ten seconds? Ripping you apart bit by bit?"
"Well… I…"
"You what? Think it's OK to torture a Digimon? They're not just data anymore, they live, breathe, and feel pain. Has Morhin's prejudice gotten to you too?"
The man gulped audibly and shamefully nodded.
"Are you going to let something that feels pain like you sit on the brink of death?"
Again, the soldier swallowed but shook his head.
"Good. Double the load for you when we're done with the food." Lee picked up a stray nutrient bar and tossed it to the man. "Eat. You'll need your strength."
Xantos smiled beneath his robes. Yes, he's righteous one. That'll have to change though, perhaps I can bring about his darker side.
"Sora Takenouchi, welcome to your first mission. And it couldn't be more important." General Skot Homidon himself was in the circular briefing room. Sora sat in the front row of the benches that covered one half of the wall.
"One of Morhin's most trusted advisors is attending a Digimon Gladiator tournament in a stadium at the outskirts of what was once Phoenix, Arizona." Homidon nodded to a woman behind a desk filled with colored buttons and dials. She flipped a switch, dimming the room, only to turn on a holo-projector. A map of the area washed Sora's face in pale green. It zoomed in and revolved around the oval-shaped stadium.
"We've chosen some special ops troops for support this mission, they've already been informed of their mission. Also, a pilot has been selected, he should…"
The door leading into the briefing room slid open horizontally. Sora immediately recognized the bush of hair. "Taichi?"
"Yes, he's quite the pilot, or so I've heard."
"Thanks, sir. Hey Sora, looks like we'll be in this together." Taichi sat himself next to Sora.
Homidon cleared his throat and continued the mission. "The tournament will start at two P.M. You two will pose as a couple simply out to enjoy the afternoon. The four other operatives will come in a separate ship, and sneak in as security guards. They'll approach and escort Sora to the Security Room at about two thirty."
The image switched to a 3-D image of the small, square room.
"From there," The General continued, "An undercover agent will shut off the security cameras and make it appear to be a power surge. Our agent has also planted a sniper rifle in the ceiling. It's a top quality bullet style, and only about fifty meters, so this should be relatively easy. Once the job is done, there will be a lot of chaos. Taichi will have Peregrine warmed up and ready for extraction by the time you're ready."
"That's all?" Sora asked.
"That's everything." Homidon confirmed. "You have seventy two hours to prepare yourself. I suggest a large portion of those hours be sleep."
Three days and three nights passed. Xantos, Lee, and the remainder of Morhin's 3rd Scout Force pressed on. The thin, wispy grass stretched out for miles, broken only by the looming mountains and gray sky. The sheer monotony seemed to blur time. Lee had no watch, only the sun and his thoughts. He'd kept quiet most of the day, thinking about home, his family; I'll visit them one day, even if I have to go AWOL.
"Xantos, look, is that ship?" Lee pointed into the distance. The gleam of metal flashed into Xantos's ice blue eye. Quickly, Lee slipped a pair of binoculars out of his pack, focusing in on the object. "Doesn't look like any Morhin ship I've ever seen."
As the soldiers continued the approach, the ship took form as a long, thin, cone shaped vessel with a pair of sweeping wings. It stood still and silent on a trio of thin landing legs. It was uncomfortably quiet around the ship as well as in the group.
Lee took a step forward, making a megaphone out of his hands. "Hello? Anyone there?" He looked back at his Commander, who simply shrugged and went to his side.
"Looks deserted, and old." Xantos edged forward.
The ship came to life suddenly, swiveling its forward mounted guns in Xantos's direction. A single crimson laser speared outward, catching him in the foot. In an odd, hop skip, Xantos fell back clutching his foot in pain. "Ship must be on guard mode, or didn't like my remark of it's age." He said through clenched teeth. The laser had hit his natural leg, not the artificial one. He tore off his boot, revealing a nasty burn. It was hardly noticeable among the other scars that lined from his leg ankle to knee.
"I got some bandages sir." A middle aged black haired man placed a metal first aid kit next to his Commander and opened it up. "Whew, those're some nasty scars. Ever think about Laser-skin therapy?"
Xantos chuckled. "Some men hide their scars, I prefer to keep mine."
"You know," Lee thought aloud. "A regular shot would've blow off your entire leg from the thigh up. Those lasers must be pretty much exhausted." He un-holstered his blaster, and fired at the turret, leaving a blackened scar on the hull where it was once before. "Not even shields. This ship is just a dead hunk of metal in the middle of nowhere. I still smell engine exhaust though. Arrived here a few hours ago.
Xantos checked the electronic map. "This is the right place, but… no one's here."
"Well, what's your order?" Lee asked.
Xantos thought for a moment, then said, "First, contact Morhin. Something's gone wrong. Also, take care of the turrets. We're going to pry our way into that tin can."
Sora was trying to keep her hands steady, but they took on a mind of their own and refused to sit still. She was glad to remember the pills General Skot Homidon had given her. She'd spent two days in the training room and simulator, and the last day asleep for about 16 hours. Rested, but still nervous, Sora sat reclined in the copilot chair next to Taichi, who gently feathered the stick through the thick haze. He'd dressed casual, with a synth-leather jacket over a deep red T-shirt and faded jeans. Sora had a tight, navy blue, sleeveless shirt, and a knee-length, jet-black skirt.
Taichi had made sure Peregrine was in its best possible shape. Maintenance was becoming more and more common for the aging ship, and fortunately for her pilot, Wex did it just for the love of ships. Taichi was worried too, but not for his own safety. In fact, he really had the least dangerous job, only to get Sora and the special ops troops out, which shouldn't be hard if there was a panic.
He was more concerned about Sora. The few minuets between her shot and extraction would be the most tense. If he messed up somehow…
A shudder ran through the pilot's body. Everything would rest on his shoulders… again. He wasn't very fond of responsibility at such a large scale.
"Taichi, look, we're almost there." Sora pointed at the dot in the horizon. The haze had burned off and the stadium was approaching fast.
Taichi was surprised at the length of the trip. Wex had really tuned up Peregrine if they could go a thousand odd kilometers in less than two hours. Taichi brought his ship in a wide turn to the ship garage, getting directions from an emotionless voice. Despite the fact they were early, it was quite a walk to the bleacher seats.
The stadium was oval-shaped, with an enormous sand field taking most of the space. The first rows were for people who had paid more and earlier. Most of the others were cheaper and less comfortable, except for the V.I.P box at the East section, which gave a grand view of the whole field. That was Sora's target. Morhin's advisor would be in there. Humanoid robots patrolled around the aisles, selling beverages. After a little searching, Taichi and Sora had gotten a pair of tickets and sat in the northeastern section, at the nosebleed row.
"Good afternoon folks," An announcer's bass voice boomed over the speakers Taichi and Sora were uncomfortably close to. "It's a beautiful eighty degree day for Digimon to duke it out to the finish. Get your bets in now, relax with a beer, and get ready for the Gladiator Tournament! A wave of cheers rolled through the stadium.
"I'll be glad when this is over." Sora muttered to Taichi.
"Ditto." He replied.
"Almost through." Lee said after the hatch groaned in protest. He discarded the power pack in favor of a fresh one. Xantos had ordered his men to use knives, lasers, bare hands, anything to get the sealed hatch open. Already, most of the cutting utensils were dulled, and they ran through ammo faster than children with fresh brownies.
With a small limp, he acknowledged a soldier tinkering with a video comlink. "Any luck in getting a transmission through?"
"No, sir. There 's an occasional break in the static, but for only a second." He sighed and dropped the bundle of wires, tools, and other miscellaneous objects. "Could be a number of things. Faulty equipment, busy operators, sunspot activity," he turned to his leader. "Could even be a magnetic storm."
Xantos saw just low, gray clouds lining the sky above him.
"They're tough to predict, because it's pretty cloudy everywhere. They're like thunderstorms, but about ten times as bad. Lots of electricity. So much it can just about garble everything from radar to video links."
"Well keep at it. We'll have to get something sooner or later." Xantos turned to Lee, who was helping the troops at the hatch. "Done yet?"
"We're just about out of power packs. This shuttle has a thick hide.
Xantos's stiletto sprung out, and drove itself into the steel. The closest men backed up, not wishing to get in the way. Grunting, Xantos tried to make a tear in the hull, but only succeeded in putting a hole into the ship. "No kidding it has a pretty thick hide." The blade slipped back into his mass of robes.
Lee glanced over at the sky to the east. "I don't like how the air feels." He walked out slowly from under the ship. Barely noticeable was faint flickering of white light far out into the flat horizon. "Storms a-brewing."
"How do you figure?"
Lee shrugged. "Farm boy instinct. I think we should move our things underneath the ship."
"Probably a good idea. I just…" Xantos never finished his statement.
Without warning, the shuttle's hatch popped then fell with a loud ruckus. Inside, it was pitch black. For a moment, no one moved or spoke. Xantos broke the tension by stepping directly under the opening. Normally, he'd arm his sword, but he drew a blaster from his robes instead. Cautiously, he hopped and grabbed the edge of the busted hatch. With ease, he pulled himself up into the dark shuttle.
Sora was appalled at the distaste of the crowd. They cheered when one Digimon, wearing a restraining-collar, would be forced to fight another. Often the competitors were mismatched, and the bigger, Champion Digimon would quickly destroy the other. Anytime a fresh puddle of blood appeared, the spectators cheered, stomped, and made a general racket. Bloodshed was quite easy, so this occurred about every ten seconds. Even so, she tried to fit in, but her fake cheers were easily drowned out.
She almost sighed with relief when a pair of security guards were walking around, obviously searching for someone. Sora coughed noisily, trying to draw their attention so she could escape from the terrible sights.
The shorter guard turned as pointed at her. The other nodded and approached her. "Ma'am, we'll need you to come with us." A masculine voice came from beneath the helmet of Tall
Sora wasn't much of an actor, but put on her best "I don't know what's going on" tone. "Uh… sure." As she stood up, Taichi whispered, "Careful."
Sora nodded and followed the two guards down the steps.
Taichi was a little puzzled; it still felt a little early. "'Scuse me sir, you got the time?" He asked a man in front of him.
"Twenty five after." The man replied, then howled with delight as one Digimon sank its jaws into the other.
Early. Oh well, maybe someone didn't set their watch right. Taichi quickly finished the remaining water in his drink, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, you," Another security guard had shown up. "Where's the girl?" She asked.
"What?" Taichi leaned to look past her. The other two guards were gone with Sora. "Weren't those two that just came here you buddies?"
"No, I'm the only one who was supposed to bring her!" Stress filled her voice. "The whole mission is going to flop."
"We can still finish it." Taichi stood up and said before dashing off, "Get to the security and make sure she's safe. I'll make sure my ship is there."
As Sora entered the large, white-walled security office, she immediately turned around and asked, "OK, where's the gun?
Both guards looked at each other in puzzlement. "What gun?" The smaller one asked.
"You know, the one I shoot Morhin's advisor with? And shouldn't the lights be off?"
The two guards, in perfect unison, drew their guns and said, "Hands up!"
Sora's mouth hung slightly slack. "You two, aren't the operatives?"
Tall snickered. "Are you crazy or just plain stupid?" Half a dozen other security officers, out of armor, turned their heads to see the commotion. "Hah, you're an agent from some rebel group, aren't you? Well you didn't do a very good job plotting, eh?" Some other guards laughed, others turned and shook heads.
"Get in the cell, now." Short nudged her with the muzzle of his gun. Sora, completely stupefied, went along. She felt a strong sense of despair as the metal bars crashed shut. "For your sake, I hope this is a joke. We find out you were really going to pull a stunt like that, they'll give you immediate public execution." Short chuckled to his taller companion. "They're everywhere today, Morhin's letting some get by." Without warning, a troop in the corner, who'd raised his blaster unnoticed, squeezed a pair of shots. Both struck the nook between helmet and breastplate on Tall and Short. They fell against the bars, dead.
The others reacted swiftly. Within seconds, the whine and smoke of blasters engulfed the room. Sora was glad she was out of the line of fire, especially when a brief cry of pain reached her ears. The fans on the ceiling automatically kicked on high, and sucked in the gray smoke, clearing the room. Only two of the original dozen remained. One grabbed the keys from a fallen trooper, the other pulled out an old, bulky comlink. Probably all RAM could afford.
"Keith, where the hell was that power surge!? The sniper was brought in, I don't know how they got her, must've been a mistaken identity or tip-off. We started a firefight, the sniper was in a dangerous spot, and Fernando is down, probably dead."
"The whole place is crawling with guards. I almost got caught twice. You'll have to finish the mission now. Security is restless, and Irixor is going to be moved before long."
"Right. Where'd you plant the gun?"
"On the bottom left corner of a wall is a crack. A good kick will break it open."
Sora was on it already. The wall crumbled under her boots, revealing the small, compact gun. "Cover the door, I'll get this done as fast as I can."
The door burst open, with the female security guard imposter breathing heavily. "The mission's falling apart, I sent the pilot to his ship, but all…" The woman gargled her next words unintelligibly, then coughed and hacked, droplets of blood sprayed in front of her feet. She turned around in utter astonishment, revealing a stream of the red liquid pouring from her upper spine, then fell over with a thud. Five soldiers each had their guns drawn and ready.
Not thinking, the soldier to Sora's left squeezed a laser at the door switch, destroying it. The door slammed down, much to the other soldier's dismay. "Idiot! How do we escape?"
Bullets pinged against the door, and spot on the door began burn red hot. "Not like the door will last for long!" He retorted.
"Shut up so I can concentrate!" Sora screamed over the noise. A white pill was already rolling around in her mouth and after a little work, down her throat. After a moment, she embraced the feeling of calmness, yet, still alert.
Her senses sharpened dramatically, and she focused completely on the vulnerable Advisor. Sora's eye lined up with the scope. She adjusted her aim, subtly, slowly. The cross hairs lined up with the Advisor's bald head, right above his eyebrow. Sora hesitated for a moment. Is this right?
Of course it is! Do it now! The voice in the back of her head screamed.
Irixor shifted, leaning forward, intent on something. Sora shifted her aim again, just a hair more to the right…
The door blew open, bent and twisted from intense lasers. One of the operatives, not thinking of himself, moved closer to Sora, protecting her from the deadly bullets and beams. He went down quickly, blood trickling from a score of bullets and skin melting from a score more of laser burns. Sora was knocked slightly by his fall. She saw his face, frozen forever in an expression of pain. She readjusted her aim, hoping it would be the last time.
Do or die time! Finish the job! Her conscience commanded.
Sora had him in the crosshairs, focusing on her target, nothing else in the world.
But she didn't see that one Digimon had finished off another in the stadium.
Didn't see the excited parent.
Didn't see the young child she'd held up in her excitement.
Sora pulled the trigger, sending the deadly cylinder on its one-time course, with the child in its path.
Everything in Sora's world exploded in a flash of images, melting with each other. The child, stunned and bloody, the people all around screaming in surprise, and Irixor adjusting his position in surprise. Before the full impact of what happened hit Sora, she adjusted her aim and picked off another, hasty shot, catching Irixor right and upwards of his heart. He'll probably suffer for a bit, might die if the troops organize themselves. Sora slapped herself mentally, so hard she almost felt the real sting of her own hand. I… no… this can't… oh God… The same image flashed through her mind a million times. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't block out the horrendous scene.
Sora crumpled underneath herself, breaking down in realization of what she'd done.
Taichi had Peregrine ready, but wasn't in his beloved ship. Armed with a small pistol he'd forgotten was still there. Hopefully, it still worked. He'd blown off most of the dust in it anyway…
Sora was in trouble; he couldn't wait in Peregrine. Security was tight at the ticket entrance, he flashed the slip of paper before the vender could approve, but he didn't bother chasing after the frantic pilot.
He was almost up to the Security Room, when the muted sound of a sniper rifle came to ears, and the crowd broke into panic. Taichi was almost trampled when a dozen civilians came barreling down the stairs, fear in their eyes. It was tempting to draw his blaster, but that just might trample him more.
His head turned to see if Sora had made the shot, just in time to another bullet hit the Advisor in his chest, and the bloody child… Sora, how could you? No, she must've been distracted. Taichi swam through the river of people under survival instinct, eventually reaching the guard-filled door.
Taichi knocked out two of them with the butt of his gun before the remaining trio realized he was behind them. At point blank range, they flew back a meter or so. The one remaining guard, loyally protecting Sora, got the last shot in before collapsing.
Sora had drawn her knees up to her chest, and her shoulders were bobbing up and down. Brief sobs escaped from her. Taichi rushed to her side. "Sora, relax, I'm here."
She didn't look up right away. Taichi feared she'd been injured, but relaxed a bit as her head tilted upwards, unscathed. A veritable waterfall of tears gushed down her cheeks and chin.
"Listen, don't kill yourself over this, it was an accident… right?"
The sound of twenty guns clicking at once caused all hope of escape in Taichi to vanish without a trace. "Hands up, all three of you."
Xantos was in the shuttle, utterly dumbfounded.
It was empty. Totally, utterly, void of any life at all, a dead ship in the middle of nowhere.
"Whaddya see sir? A soldier called out."
The Commander peeked his head out of the jagged opening. "Nothing. It's just… an empty shuttle."
Murmurs circulated through the group. Several wanted to see for themselves and crowded to get in the ship.
"Hold on, one at a time!" Xantos went into the cockpit, where all but a handful of lights were on. A bar in the corner read: "Autopilot engaged."
Autopilot? Why would someone Autopilot an unmanned ship in the middle of nowhere? Xantos scratched his head in confusion.
A sound like two enormous hands clapping together rolled through the sky outside like a sonic boom. "It's a storm! A big one at that!" Lee called to his Commander. "Suggest we move our stuff inside before they get soaked or zapped."
"Acknowledged! Get everything in, quick!"
Motivated, the score and a half of troops brought in whatever they could fit in their arms at once. They stockpiled it in the back, which was also filled with nothing, not even supply crates. Xantos assigned some men for oddjobs like inventory, or inspecting the shuttle to see if it was flight-worthy.
Even if it was, Xantos couldn't fly it, for the controls were on Lock, and he needed a code or key to bypass it. Hours dragged on in the cramped shuttle, but Xantos allowed his men to break out into a festive song, and have a little of the dwindling supply of beer. Outside, the wind howled like an angry beast, but could only make the ship shudder. Blasts of lightning arched down from the rolling clouds, releasing immense amounts of energy. Within the ship though, it was fairly comfortable, albeit tight, but at least the troops hadn't been outside the ship.
Xantos sat still in the pilot's seat, watching the streaks of light flash downward, and the screen darken to filter out the intense light. Long, rumbles of thunder, dulled out by the thick metal, echoed through the flat, dry landscape.
Yet, it was all so… boring. Being a Commander wasn't as much fun as he'd thought. Marching for days on end wasn't what he'd expected. Dreams of grand battles and promotions had lined his dreams, but instead it was hot, oppressive days and cold, miserable nights. Oh well, maybe it'll get more exciting.
That night, Xantos wanted to kill himself for wishing that.
Taichi, Sora, the covert technician, Keith, and the last special-ops man, who'd revealed himself as Zyke, were in a pitch black cargo space in a prisoner freighter. All had been bound with handcuffs and placed in the tiny hold. Taichi had lost track of time he'd been in the darkness, but little pieces of conversation had spilled out every once in awhile. Sora had only spoke mumbled fragments.
An unknown amount of hours later, a rough jolt signaled they were on the ground. A moment later, the back door unlocked and opened. It was nearly as dark outside as it was inside the ship. All four captives were roughly brought into a large, high walled building made of thick concrete, presumably a prison, by a duo of blaster-wielding shock troops. Taichi caught a glimpse of an enormous metal wing. He realized it wasn't just a prison, but a slave camp too. Oh that's just great. As all four went through the main gates, which were guarded by several dangerous looking Peacekeeper droids. At the end of a long hallway, a fairly pudgy man sat at a desk.
One troop talked to him for a moment, then the group moved through a thick steel door, into a huge room filled with prison cell upon prison cell of humans and Digimon. Some were tough looking, rebellion in their eyes, while others stared blankly into the wall, radiating despair and hopelessness. Taichi and Sora were led to the very last cell, which happened to be a metal box more than anything, probably for more dangerous captives. Zyke and Keith were led to a similar cell, but on the other side of the hallway.
"Don't get used to this place. You'll probably get public execution in a few days." The troop sent the metal door crashing down.
Taichi looked around the room. There was nothing but a pair of cots, a grimy, unkempt toilet, and a little swaying light bulb. "Home sweet home." He mumbled.
"Do you have to joke at a time like this?" Sora said with all seriousness.
"Hey, I'm trying to be just a little upbeat."
"Well it's doing a shit load of good right now!" Sora couldn't help but burst out.
"Sora, c'mon, we…"
"Don't say to look on the bright side again, because there is no bright side Taichi. We're going to die, what do we have to look forward to?" Sora curled up on the cot. "I'm going to spend what's left of my life asleep tonight, OK? And I wouldn't mind if you killed me overnight, better than in front of thousands." Sora turned to the wall and closed her eyes.
Taichi shivered as her words, fairly dripping venom, echoed through his heart. Sora, have you really become so cold?