Kari had run out of the forest into a large rocky clearing overlooking a cliff. She peered down and saw a river nearly a mile down, and there was no obvious way of climbing down. She turned around and heard a crashing coming through the forest behind her. A Mechanorimon crashed through and walked towards her. She was trapped with no way of escape. She backed as far as she could to the cliff, frightened. The Mechanorimon hovered over her, and spoke.
"Kari?" The distorted amplified voice announced. "It is you!"
"You won't catch me that easily!" Kari screamed and started to jump off the cliff. A mechanical hand grabbed her before she could take two steps and held her tight. Surprisingly the metal figure dropped her away from the cliff.
"Kari it's me!" The hatch flew open, and instead of the usual Bakemon pilot, a human came out.
"Joe!" Kari cried happily. Finally a friend, probably the only one who wasn't captured by Gatomon.
"I'm sorry Kari!" Joe jumped down from the Mechanorimon's hollow form. "I should have jumped out, I must have scared you half to death. I wasn't thinking. I borrowed this thing off Gennai. I was just on my way to try to rescue Gomamon when I spotted you."
Kari smiled, "I know you didn't mean it Joe. But now we have a chance to rescue Gomamon and the others."
Joe led Kari to a cave on the top of the cliff. "That's where I've been staying since this whole mess began. You can stay here while I go rescue everyone."
"But I want to come with you!" Kari complained.
"My plan hinges on stealth." Joe pointed back to the metal husk. "I can sneak in with that suit and rescue everyone with no one being the wiser." He started to climb back on the machine. "I'll be back shortly." He turned to climb back in the hatch, and immediately came flying out landing next to Kari.
"Joe, are you alright?" Kari picked up his arm. "What happened?"
"I happened." Gatomon's red eyes flashed as her head popped out of the hatch. Her face broke into a grin. "Good plan, Joe. It would have probably worked, too. Luckily for me I was hunting for Kari when I spotted you climbing out of this Mechanorimon. I snuck in while you weren't looking. I felt like you needed a little excitement in your life." She jumped completely out of the robot shell.
Kari gasped when she noticed Gatomon's new paw. "What happened to your paw, Gatomon?"
Gatomon jumped down and examined her prosthetic paw. "Your boyfriend and his angel chum. I was a little annoyed at first, but this paw has some features I quite enjoy."
Kari bit her lip and stood up straight. "I'm not going to run anymore Gatomon. You're still my friend, and I know you won't hurt me."
Gatomon looked at her and pointed a figure mockingly at her. "You know what?" Her pointed claw shot out, piercing Kari's hip. Kari screamed at the pain, but was numbed as the anesthetic took affect. Kari's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground. "You know wrong."
Joe was just beginning to regain his senses and began to stand up, but was slammed down on his back as Gatomon jumped on his chest. She grabbed him by his crest and pulled his head up "Oh, I haven't forgotten about you."
"Gatomon, you know we are destined to win. It's not too late to turn back." Joe wheezed out.
"How very reliable of you." Gatomon's black paw's slot flew open and a small disk popped out and adhered to his crest; Joe didn't even notice. "But now you're going to fail. Good old reliable, fifth wheel, scared of his shadow Joe."
Joe grew angry. "I am not afraid of you, you traitor."
Gatomon cuffed him once across the face with her metal paw, knocking off his glasses. "Then I'm not trying hard enough."
"Why you little" Joe released a string of swear words. He didn't even notice his crest turning black. Joe did feel his positive emotions drain away though. He no longer wanted to help Gomamon, there was no need. He only needed to worry about himself.
Gatomon pulled Joe up so she was sitting on his lap. "The crest of failure. That should help you see the error of your ways. Now then, Gomamon doesn't matter any more, does he?"
Joe thought to himself, "No, I could get hurt."
"Now then, why don't you be a good selfish boy and take that Mechanorimon suit back to my castle. Turn yourself in to the guards and I promise you won't get hurt." She said, patting him on the head once.
"Sure thing." Joe got up and pulled his shorts up. He picked his glasses off the ground and put them on as well. He clambered into the suit and with a roar, took off to Gatomon's castle.
Gatomon smiled to herself as she watched Joe start to land near her castle in the distance, before she lost him as the trees obscured his suit. A moan caught her attention, and she turned back towards the cave. Kari was starting to stir. "Well, it looks like I forgot about someone."
Kari slowly got up from the bed, fighting the effects of the drugs Gatomon pumped into her system. She was in the cavern Joe had shown her. She reached down to her leg, and found the claw had been removed and the wound bandaged.
"Glad to see you're up and about." Gatomon sat cross-legged. "I fixed your leg, you see you have a long walk in front of you."
Kari was crying again. "Why are you dong this?"
"No more crying, you pathetic excuse for a human." Gatomon sneered. "I don't know why I let you live." An evil smile crossed Gatomon's face. "I don't have to, come to think of it. You don't have a digimon, and it's not like you have any useful skills." Her claws slowly extended. "I can't really think of any reason I need to keep you around."
Kari fell down to the floor. She grabbed the digivice from her belt and showed it to Gatomon. "Gatomon we're friends, Remember? You gave me this when you defected from Myotismon."
Gatomon snatched the digivice from her hand and held in her black paw. "I do remember and it doesn't matter." She slowly squeezed her paw. Kari eyes grew wide. "I don't need this anymore and I don't need you." Gatomon squeezed her paw tight, shattering the digivice. "Now it's your turn."
Kari's eyes where still wide, but they where focused on Gatomon's paw. Gatomon followed her gaze. The crushed digivice in her hand was glowing bright. Tendrils of light wrapped her paw and slowly worked her way up her arm. "What's going on?" Gatomon screamed. The tendrils whipped around and started to pierce her body. Gatomon fell to her knees as the vines of light surrounded her completely and with a blinding flash, the light disappeared.
Kari cautiously crawled forward. Gatomon looked up suddenly starling Kari as she jumped back. But when she looked again, her eyes had gone back to their normal blue. Her eyes where filled with tears and her face had a thousand emotions running across it, fear, realization, pain, but most of all, remorse. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "I'm sorry."
"Kari?" The distorted amplified voice announced. "It is you!"
"You won't catch me that easily!" Kari screamed and started to jump off the cliff. A mechanical hand grabbed her before she could take two steps and held her tight. Surprisingly the metal figure dropped her away from the cliff.
"Kari it's me!" The hatch flew open, and instead of the usual Bakemon pilot, a human came out.
"Joe!" Kari cried happily. Finally a friend, probably the only one who wasn't captured by Gatomon.
"I'm sorry Kari!" Joe jumped down from the Mechanorimon's hollow form. "I should have jumped out, I must have scared you half to death. I wasn't thinking. I borrowed this thing off Gennai. I was just on my way to try to rescue Gomamon when I spotted you."
Kari smiled, "I know you didn't mean it Joe. But now we have a chance to rescue Gomamon and the others."
Joe led Kari to a cave on the top of the cliff. "That's where I've been staying since this whole mess began. You can stay here while I go rescue everyone."
"But I want to come with you!" Kari complained.
"My plan hinges on stealth." Joe pointed back to the metal husk. "I can sneak in with that suit and rescue everyone with no one being the wiser." He started to climb back on the machine. "I'll be back shortly." He turned to climb back in the hatch, and immediately came flying out landing next to Kari.
"Joe, are you alright?" Kari picked up his arm. "What happened?"
"I happened." Gatomon's red eyes flashed as her head popped out of the hatch. Her face broke into a grin. "Good plan, Joe. It would have probably worked, too. Luckily for me I was hunting for Kari when I spotted you climbing out of this Mechanorimon. I snuck in while you weren't looking. I felt like you needed a little excitement in your life." She jumped completely out of the robot shell.
Kari gasped when she noticed Gatomon's new paw. "What happened to your paw, Gatomon?"
Gatomon jumped down and examined her prosthetic paw. "Your boyfriend and his angel chum. I was a little annoyed at first, but this paw has some features I quite enjoy."
Kari bit her lip and stood up straight. "I'm not going to run anymore Gatomon. You're still my friend, and I know you won't hurt me."
Gatomon looked at her and pointed a figure mockingly at her. "You know what?" Her pointed claw shot out, piercing Kari's hip. Kari screamed at the pain, but was numbed as the anesthetic took affect. Kari's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground. "You know wrong."
Joe was just beginning to regain his senses and began to stand up, but was slammed down on his back as Gatomon jumped on his chest. She grabbed him by his crest and pulled his head up "Oh, I haven't forgotten about you."
"Gatomon, you know we are destined to win. It's not too late to turn back." Joe wheezed out.
"How very reliable of you." Gatomon's black paw's slot flew open and a small disk popped out and adhered to his crest; Joe didn't even notice. "But now you're going to fail. Good old reliable, fifth wheel, scared of his shadow Joe."
Joe grew angry. "I am not afraid of you, you traitor."
Gatomon cuffed him once across the face with her metal paw, knocking off his glasses. "Then I'm not trying hard enough."
"Why you little" Joe released a string of swear words. He didn't even notice his crest turning black. Joe did feel his positive emotions drain away though. He no longer wanted to help Gomamon, there was no need. He only needed to worry about himself.
Gatomon pulled Joe up so she was sitting on his lap. "The crest of failure. That should help you see the error of your ways. Now then, Gomamon doesn't matter any more, does he?"
Joe thought to himself, "No, I could get hurt."
"Now then, why don't you be a good selfish boy and take that Mechanorimon suit back to my castle. Turn yourself in to the guards and I promise you won't get hurt." She said, patting him on the head once.
"Sure thing." Joe got up and pulled his shorts up. He picked his glasses off the ground and put them on as well. He clambered into the suit and with a roar, took off to Gatomon's castle.
Gatomon smiled to herself as she watched Joe start to land near her castle in the distance, before she lost him as the trees obscured his suit. A moan caught her attention, and she turned back towards the cave. Kari was starting to stir. "Well, it looks like I forgot about someone."
Kari slowly got up from the bed, fighting the effects of the drugs Gatomon pumped into her system. She was in the cavern Joe had shown her. She reached down to her leg, and found the claw had been removed and the wound bandaged.
"Glad to see you're up and about." Gatomon sat cross-legged. "I fixed your leg, you see you have a long walk in front of you."
Kari was crying again. "Why are you dong this?"
"No more crying, you pathetic excuse for a human." Gatomon sneered. "I don't know why I let you live." An evil smile crossed Gatomon's face. "I don't have to, come to think of it. You don't have a digimon, and it's not like you have any useful skills." Her claws slowly extended. "I can't really think of any reason I need to keep you around."
Kari fell down to the floor. She grabbed the digivice from her belt and showed it to Gatomon. "Gatomon we're friends, Remember? You gave me this when you defected from Myotismon."
Gatomon snatched the digivice from her hand and held in her black paw. "I do remember and it doesn't matter." She slowly squeezed her paw. Kari eyes grew wide. "I don't need this anymore and I don't need you." Gatomon squeezed her paw tight, shattering the digivice. "Now it's your turn."
Kari's eyes where still wide, but they where focused on Gatomon's paw. Gatomon followed her gaze. The crushed digivice in her hand was glowing bright. Tendrils of light wrapped her paw and slowly worked her way up her arm. "What's going on?" Gatomon screamed. The tendrils whipped around and started to pierce her body. Gatomon fell to her knees as the vines of light surrounded her completely and with a blinding flash, the light disappeared.
Kari cautiously crawled forward. Gatomon looked up suddenly starling Kari as she jumped back. But when she looked again, her eyes had gone back to their normal blue. Her eyes where filled with tears and her face had a thousand emotions running across it, fear, realization, pain, but most of all, remorse. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "I'm sorry."