Indirect Pain
By: Theodore 'Blitz' Leung
Theoleung@sprint.ca
Disclaimer: All Digimon and their characters (except for those introduced in this fic/series) do NOT belong to me. I do not have permission to use their characters, but it's a FanFic, so, who cares? =) This story line belongs to me and me alone. Please ask for permission if you wish to use it. Thanks. Now let's get onto reading!
Kisheartmon met her partner in the depths of the base, more specifically the mess hall of the base. The Aerial Armour pilot sat alone, not accompanied by her squad mates as usual. Her hands were placing the on the table, in between them was a cup, probably of tea, the only thing she drank, at least that was what it seemed for Kisheartmon.
"Hey!" the female avian Digimon shouted out to her partner, raising a crimson wing. Jena glanced up, smiling lightly and motioning for her Digimon partner to join her. By the time Kisheartmon reached the table, Jena's smile turned into a frown.
"What's wrong?" the Digimon asked her partner and friend, taking a firm seat on the chair beside Jena. "What did the commander say?" Kisheartmon asked next, getting more to the point. Jena took a sip from her tea before facing her Digimon partner.
"How's the Armour?" Jena asked her partner, eluding to answer the Digimon's previous question. Kisheartmon realised that, but didn't want to upset her partner any further then she seemed to be.
"I think I increased your maximum top speed a bit," Kisheartmon reported. "The damage has been repaired, and weapons are all full. The Armour is all good to go." Jena took another sip from her drink, then nodded in approval.
"You know that WUF base near this base on the border?" the Aerial Armour pilot asked her partner, finishing the remainder of her tea with one last gulp. Kisheartmon nodded slowly, unsure where this question was going to take them.
"Rumour speculates we're going to take the base," Kisheartmon responded after the nod, keeping her voice low. The officers here didn't like rumours that much, but they still got around. The Digimon was just playing it safe to keep 'rumours' away from the ears of those who can exaggerate their worth.
"It's no a rumour anymore," Jena told her partner, also keeping her voice low. Kisheartmon stared at her partner with disbelief, wondering even if this base has the manpower to attack. She always took the rumour as an impossible feat for the tiny recon base here.
"And the commander...said this...?" Kisheartmon asked, staggering to find the words. The female Armour Pilot nodded slowly, bouncing the now empty cup in her between her hands.
"First, we need reconnaissance to determine the enemy's strength," Jena told her Digimon. "I guess you can figure who got the mission." Kisheartmon nodded.
"When do we leave?" the Digimon asked. Jena grinned lightly, glad her partner volunteered to help out for this mission.
"If we got nothing to pack, immediately."
* * * * * *
Amnemon played with the grass with his hands, waiting patiently for something to happen. His partner, GS, sat beside him, back in his Armour. The sniper was slowly and mechanically ejecting the clip of the gun, and then replacing it into the weapon once again. In the tent lay the target and her Digimon, both still unconscious.
"Why don't we just move them?" Amnemon asked his partner, not bothering to look up. "It's better then waiting around doing nothing. The faster we get this job done, the faster we get paid."
"It's a nice thought," GS responded, glancing back towards the tent. "But if we get hit by a WUF squad while heading back, we're going to have to leave her somewhere, and that somewhere might still get her killed. At least, when she's awake, she can retreat to a safer location while we fight it out."
"Or she could escape while we're distracted," the hedgehog Digimon retorted.
"She won't run," GS replied coldly, continuing his action with the clip. Amnemon would normally ask why his partner was so sure, but there was something about that girl that kept GS' interest. Amnemon decided to shut up, letting the actions unfold the events.
GS decided to stand up now and unlock his Armour. He decided he stayed too long in the Armour, despite the fact he wore another type of armour as well. The servos and such from the Armour opened with a hiss, letting out steam. The mercenary stepped out of his Armour and sealed it back up, taking the Digivice from it.
"And now...we wait again..." GS told his Digimon partner. The two fell silent once more.
* * * * * *
The two fighters lay on the stomachs, looking down at the group below from their vantage point high above on the hill. Their Digimon partner sat a few feet below, waiting patiently for any instructions.
"It looks like they aren't inclined on losing some fighters," Siato commented, watching the Armour's walk back and forth, most likely looking for them in the area.
"It's not good publicity for them to lose two of their more popular fighters, especially those that never met and were still able to escape a supposed inescapable prison," Sapphire answered softly, watching the Armours as well. "Question is if they want us alive, or wants us dead..."
"Well...we'll just try to keep on escaping if we're taken back...so they'll probably just want us six feet under," Siato reasoned, rolling onto and sliding down the hill a bit so he could talk with the Digimon better.
"But they're too lightly armed to be an annihilation squad..." Sapphire spoke, also rolling down. "Either they want us to surrender, or they are really underestimating us."
"Either way, that is towards our advantage," Agumon assessed, glancing between the two fighters. "We have an element of surprise, and they are not that well equipped. We should take advantage of the situation."
"I agree," Gabumon spoke, facing the Agumon beside him. "If we attack now, we may be able to incapacitate them before they have a chance to call for reinforcements. That will give us a few more hours of uninterrupted travel." The two Humans exchanged glances, both taking the idea as the best course of action. Each of them retrieved their Digivice.
* * * * * *
A soft moan from the tent quickly gained the attention of the mercenary and his Digimon partner. It was all they pair needed to know that their prey was awake, or, awakening. They headed over to the tent, flipping open the tent cover.
Inside, the young and petite girl curled up, if not complete awake before, now is. She held her Tigramon closely, the both of them staring at the pair glaring in.
"W-W-Who are you?" she asked, pulling back.
"You're saviour," GS replied sarcastically. "We're moving out, whether you like to or not."
"B-B-But..." she stammered.
"Listen, missy, you shouldn't argue with him...he always gets his way in the end," Amnemon told their objective.
"My name isn't missy," their target replied, gaining a bit more confidence. "It's Nina...Nina Windhope..."
"Whatever," GS replied harshly, tempted to drag Nina out. Nevertheless, he halted, unsure what kind of after effect the sleeping potion could cause to this young girl.
"I'll go..." Nina answered, crawling out of the tent. "But I want your name...at least try to make this trip easier for us..."
"...yeah...sure..." GS responded, not really paying attention. He began to walk away.
"Sorry, Nina, he's like that," Amnemon apologised for his partner. "My name is Amnemon, and he's GS." The young girl nodded, thankful for the small bit of help.
"This is Tigramon," Nina introduced to Amnemon, pulling her Digimon partner a bit out for the hedgehog Digimon to see. Tigramon coughed slightly, nodding.
"It's nice to meet you..." she told him weakly.
"Is something wrong?" GS' partner asked the cat Digimon, noting the signs of weakness and frailty.
"It's nothing," Tigramon answered quickly, with renewed energy. Amnemon leaped back at the sudden snap, then decided not to pursue the subject anymore.
"Hey, are you coming?!" GS shouted out, waiting patiently by his open Armour for the others to join him. Nina and Amnemon didn't protest, quickly rushed over.
"GS, what an unusual name," Nina commented to the mercenary. GS glared at his partner, who in return only shrugged. "Don't look at him like that. I asked." The mercenary sighed, shook his head, and was about to mount his Armour. "I don't think I would ever get accustomed to calling you GS...and I don't think that is real name..."
"It's not. So what?" GS asked, pausing his mount.
"Can I name you?" Nina asked. The question came as a peculiar request for the mercenary, causing him to pause even more.
"If you can find me a good name, sure," GS answered, a bit more kindly now. Amnemon found it strange for the mood swing from his partner.
"Hmm...a good name...what's a good name..." Nina pondered aloud, biting her lower lip lightly. "How about...Satsuki...Satsuki Crescent?"
The name seemed nice to GS, but it hit something in his mind. He gazed down at Nina, that name repeating in his mind like a throbbing headache.
"Satsuki..."
Nina slowly stepped back, with no fear in her eyes, but she passed her Digimon to Amnemon, who took the sick Digimon. For some strange reason, that action prompted the two Digimon to retreat.
"Satsuki..."
Tubes of various colour liquids flowing all around, a thick mist hung in the air, blocking sight..
"Crescent..."
A cluster of familiar people surrounded, their features blocked only by the mist that hung in the air, a mist that rotted with...
"Satsuki...Crescent..."
A bloodied hand, the hand trembling, either from fear or from shock of the deed.
GS took a step towards Nina, his thoughts impossible to read through the armour he always wore. Once more, Nina retreated a step, but, even if fear was apparent, something else was telling her to stand her ground.
The air stunk of death, blood slowly spread across the ground, in pools from flesh that was fresh...
In the next moment, GS slammed his suit fist into the stomach of Nina. She let out a cry of pain, but there was no surprise in her tone. Both Digimon were ready to pounce on GS for the action, but a quick, sharp look from Nina halted both of them. There was something in her short smile that stopped them, and then they decided to hold back once more.
The thick mist hung with the stench of death...through it, untouched metal gleamed for the eye...
The next attack came with a right hook from GS. His fist connected with Nina's face, forcing another short cry. Her cry was muffled when GS' left hand reached out and grabbed her head, followed by his knee connecting with her stomach. Nina's eyes went wide with pain, but she forced the cry back that time.
Metal gleamed brighter. Slowly and deliberately, the mist cleared, revealing a strange mechanical suit of armour...
GS tossed Nina away like a rag doll, but still approached the wounded, fallen girl. The wounded girl moaned in pain, shakily holding her body up with her arms. The mercenary loomed over her, before her kicking her harshly in the ribs. Nina cried out again, rolling over and around.
"Nina!" Tigramon screamed out, but collapsing afterwards. Amnemon was by her side, watching GS meticulously tear up the one person they were retrieved to get.
"What's with you...?" the hedgehog Digimon thought, never seeing his partner go berserk before.
Silver metal shot out from the hand part of the armour...gleaming...and then just as quickly...coated with blood.
GS regarded the fallen child with a deliberate intent to kill her, even if you couldn't see his facial features through the mask.
With a sharp sound, a tri-pronged claw blasted out from the outer hand of GS' suit, the orange light gleaming off the sharp edges, murderous to the end. Nina crawled backwards, watching the claws that slowly advanced towards her.
The mercenary swiped with the claw, Nina leaping back as much as she could in pure instinct. The blades pierced the tatter clothes she wore, but didn't pierce flesh, much to the disappointment of the claw, or perhaps it was deliberate, slowly torturing the mind before going in for the kill.
Explosion...smoke...orange light...metal clanking to the ground after the brilliant display, shrapnel flying all over.
GS slashed again with the claw, this time Nina rolling away. However, metal connected with frail flesh, the blades slashing the back of the young girl. She cried out once more for the ears of GS, falling to the ground.
"Nina!" both Amnemon and Tigramon screamed out, the two ready to jump in and stop this madness. The hedgehog Digimon's mind raced to find a solution for GS' behaviour.
"Satsuki..."
Nina slowly turned around, groaning in pain as she faced the mercenary masked behind his armour.
"Crescent..."
His eyes met hers, pausing the claw that was now only a few inches away from her neck.
"Satsuki..."
Eyes gazed at each other. Behind the visage of death in GS' eyes, those eyes shall the same from that girl, and for a brief moment, two eyes of the same nature met.
"Satsuki...Crescent..."
"AAAAAAAAHHH!!" GS screamed out, the repeated saying of that name in his head breaking his mind. The claws on the armour retracted as the mercenary grabbed his head, trying to calm the throbbing. The two Digimon watched in shock with the sudden change, but Nina remained calm, waiting.
After a few moments, GS slumped to the ground, curling up into a ball.
* * * * * *
The four admired their handy work. Before them lay a mangled heap of Armour's, none destroyed or beyond critical damage, just all disabled.
"Good job..." Siato told his Digimon, now back to the Rookie form. "Good thing for Mega level Digimon, no way we can bust these tin cans with our weapons..."
"Do you think they sent out a distress signal?" Sapphire asked her humanoid escapee partner, facing Siato.
"By the way they were all attacking us, probably not," Gabumon assessed. "They seemed more inclined to smash and perforate us then anything else."
"Which is good, we get a few more hours," Agumon added quickly, taking onto the optimistic side of things.
"Then we better not waste these hours..." Siato thought aloud. "The more distance...the better..."
* * * * * *
Nina, with some miraculous feat of strength despite her weakened state, lifted the fallen GS and placed his head onto her lap. She winced in pain from the three cuts the mercenary gave her, but she continued to watch the armoured figure. Amnemon and Tigramon slowly advanced, both wondering what Nina was doing.
The helmet hissed as steam was let out, burning the female slightly, but it was nothing compared to the slash she received. Amnemon gazed in surprise, watching the young female separate the helmet section from the rest of the suit. Not even he knew how to do that, let alone this girl they never met before.
The revealed face was Chinese like, with shoulder length blonde hair. Nina opened the closed eyes of GS, revealing a pair of crimson eyes. She shook her head, letting them close again, then turning to the two Digimon. Tigramon, albeit weak, still watched with much anxiety.
"Amnemon...do you have any water?" Nina asked the hedgehog Digimon while tearing a piece of her already tattered garments off. GS' partner Digimon nodded, rushing to the Armour and opening a small hatch in it, revealing a canteen of water. He rushed back to Nina, where he was joined by Tigramon. The young girl took the canteen and poured some on the torn shirt piece, bundling it and placing it on GS' forehead. His body grew less stiff then before, let his body relax with the cold moisture.
"Nina...your wound..." Tigramon whispered, looking at the bleeding on her back.
"It's alright..." Nina spoke softly and calmly, wiping the sweat from GS' forehead. "It'll heal over time..." Her Digimon partner was about to protest, but decided against that, seeing the focus Nina dedicated to GS. She leaned down to clean the sides of his face.
"Satsuki...Crescent..." she whispered into his ear, getting a faint shudder from the body that reacted to the name. She continued to clean and care for the unconscious GS, better known to her as Satsuki Crescent.
Fin
Completed: 09/07/01
