Tamer Evolution
Part 3
by Christian "Sid" Lang




"Okay. One last try."
"Should I load it into the new playground?"
"Yes. Let it roam free within its borders. As long as it stays there, it's fine."
"Got it. Loading now."
You will fail.
"Whatever. How's it going?"
"It's staying within... Oh. Oh oh."
"What's happening?"
"It just absorbed and modified the playground program."
Nice try.
"Nice try indeed. Very well. Connect that server over there!"
"Sir, are you even aware what is stored on that server?"
"Oh yes I am. I studied some files before Yamaki destroyed them."
"Well, I have worked with Yamaki on that project and I advise you to-"
"Don't lecture me, connect it! NOW!"
Ah yes... Freedom...
"Connecting. God, forgive me."
EXECUTING.
Wha-
OBLITERATE.
Renamon! Help-
"There. One less stubborn digital being."

"Ruki!" Renamon shouts, waking up from her uneasy sleep.
For a moment the Digimon thought she had heard Ruki's voice.
It had been weak, frantic and desperate.
Renamon blinks and looks down at Ruki's body, the empty shell looking like her Tamer.
The fox whines as she nuzzles the girl's cheek.
Then she sighs. Ruki wouldn't want Renamon pitying herself.
She called me. Ruki needs me. I must find a way to help her.
She walks to the window and stares at the sunset.
How should we get Ruki into the building? There will be guards with guns.
Resting her forehead on the glass, she sighs.
One bullet and Ruki is gone forever.
Renamon stays like this for some minutes. Then she starts to analyse their previous battles.
I always had to keep an eye on Ruki. To make sure she wouldn't get hurt. Always.
Renamon looks at the unconscious figure on the bed.
Well... Not always. When we fused into Sakuyamon, things were different.
The fox Digimon blinks. Then she cocks her head.

Ruki's room hadn't changed much after Renamon had left the real world.
After her return, Renamon had come into this room. It had almost been midnight.
What the fox had seen almost made her cry.
Ruki slept on her futon. The girl had obviously cried during her sleep.
And her right hand rested on the D-Arc. The last reminder of Renamon's existence.
Seeing how Ruki couldn't let go, she decided to lock the D-Arc away.
After all, Renamon had returned and there wasn't anybody to fight.
There was no need for the card slashing device. So she and Ruki did it.
"We vowed not to get it back unless we really needed it." Renamon whispers.
Her paw moves over the large and massive wooden panel.
The panel is covering an ancient safe. It's one of the few new objects in Ruki's room.
Renamon sighs and clenches her paw into a fist.
Then she hits the safe with a Wisteria Punch.
After a few long seconds, Renamon sinks to her knees and screams in agony.
"Okay... That was dumb..." she mutters.

Now she remembers why they had picked this safe.
The D-Arc should be out of reach. It should be impossible for one person to take it.
To ensure this, the 16-digit combination for the safe has been split up.
Ruki knows the first seven numbers. Renamon knows the last seven.
Lee and Takato know one each, although they have no idea what it's good for.
Renamon remembers the details of the safe.
The hardest steel of the DigiWorld protected the D-Arc.
Renamon looks at the hole she has made into the wood.
The steel behind it has some scratches.
The vulpine warrior grits her teeth and hits the spot again. And again. And again.

It's almost midnight and Mikino Makino walks through the kitchen.
With her daughter in hospital, it was impossible for to sleep.
Finally she had given it up and went to the kitchen.
The young woman turns around when she hears somebody enter the room.
"Renamon?" she asks, looking at the fox.
The Digimon nods and walks to the sink.
Mikino can now see that Renamon's right paw is wounded.
Groaning, Renamon holds the bloody paw into the water.
"What happened?" Mikino asks, worrying about the Digimon.
"Nothing you have to worry about." Renamon whispers, closing her eyes.
When Renamon has finished cleaning her fur, Mikino can see that the injury isn't too severe.
As the Digimon turns away from the sink, Mikino notices another thing.
"Is... this..." she whispers, pointing at Renamon's glove.
"Yes. It's the D-Arc." the fox answers, pointing at the device attached to the glove.
"Then I guess you will fight again."
Renamon looks into Mikino's eyes and nods.
Then she vanishes, leaving Mikino frowning, but somehow relieved.
Good luck, Renamon.

Renamon appears in Ruki's room and checks the time.
The nurse will come here in an hour. More than enough time.
Renamon takes the D-Arc into her paws and - hesitates.
Will this really work? Or have I gone crazy? she asks herself.
She had been convinced by her idea until now. But now she doubts it.
Renamon closes her eyes and thinks of the fusion to Sakuyamon.
I digivolved... and Ruki was inside me...
Renamon remembers Ruki telling her that it had felt as if she was a pilot.
Ruki had guided Renamon's actions, had controlled the Digimon.
But would it work the other way round?
Renamon looks down at Ruki's soulless body.
There is only one way to find it out.
She takes the D-Arc into her paw just like Ruki has done it.
"Matrix Evolution!" she shouts, pointing the device at her Tamer.

Guilmon wakes up growling.
"G-Guilmon? What is it?" Takato asks, being woken by the noise.
"I... don't know... I smell... power..." the dino Digimon whispers.
"A Digital Field?" Takato asks, although both of them now that this isn't the case.
"No... This is just... power. It's pure... so pure..."
Guilmon looks out of the window, as if waiting for something big to happen.

Renamon sinks to her knees crying.
It hadn't worked. Of course it hadn't. It has been a dumb idea from the start.
"What have I been thinking?" she sobs and shkes her head.
"Ruki is a human! She can't digivolve!"
The Digimon pulls herself up so that her upper body is lying next to Ruki.
"Forgive me Ruki." Renamon cries and closes her eyes.
A human digivolving and a Digimon in her head. Oh God, I have gone insane.
She'd challenge Guilmon in the morning. A fight to the death.
This way she could die like a warrior. She isn't worthy of having a Tamer.
A failure. Without Ruki, Renamon is nothing.
"I'm sorry Ruki. I tried... but I failed." Renamon whispers and stands up.
She holds the D-Arc close to her chest and closes her eyes.
"But before I go I wanted to say..."
Her tears fall onto her arms. Her chest. The D-Arc.
"I am proud of having been your Digimon." she whispers.
Then she can feel the D-Arc start to glow.

"It... It has become so quiet..."
"Of course. Once this digital rebel had been wiped away, everything became better."
"You really believe this, don't you?"
"Well, you can see that the AI is working now."
"I seriously doubt that it will stay this way... sir."

Renamon closes her eyes and lets the digivolution happen.
She has often fused with Ruki. But this time, she notices differences.
The fox can feel her identity being reduced to a faint whisper and almost struggles.
Almost.
This is the way Ruki must have felt.
She feels her body fade away from her and prays that this really works.
Then, the world is dark once again.
And Renamon... breathes. It's over.
Slowly she opens her eyes again and blinks.
She is looking up at the ceiling. And her body aches.
"What happened?" she hears a female voice ask.
Panicking, Renamon turns her head. But she does not see anybody.
"Who is-" she starts to ask.
Then she realizes that this her voice matches the first one.
Her voice reminds her of Ruki. But it sounds older.

Renamon starts to sit up, but pauses when she feels something tug at her arm.
She looks at her left arm and gulps. The injection needles are still in her arm.
Gritting her teeth, Renamon carefully removes the needles and the other hospital stuff.
She also removes all the sensor pads used to monitor her- Ruki's heartbeat.
"Oh oh." Renamon mutters and looks at the monitors.
All displays are showing off-the-scale values and Renamon bets that an alarm has been activated.
Renamon quickly gets out of the bed and stands up.
Just as she wants to look at herself in a mirror, somebody opens the door.
Reacting on an instinct, Renamon kicks the door shut again.
Then she locks it and sighs.
Why didn't I hear them coming? Or smell them? she asks herself.
Then she realizes that this form is based on Ruki, not on her own body.
"Open up!" she hears somebody outside yell.
Renamon snarls and clenches her fists. Then she blinks and unclenches the fists again.
"Five fingers..." she mutters and moves her fingers.
Snap out of it! she scolds herself and clenches her fists again.
Just then, somebody must have found the master key for the door.
Even with Ruki's senses, Renamon can hear somebody unlock the door.

The door is pushed open and Renamon can see three people entering.
Renamon quickly sees that they are from the hospital security.
All men gasp when they see her and the Digimon uses this moment to strike.
Her first punch sends one of the men out of the room, and Renamon is surprised by her own strength.
But now a man has grabbed her left wrist and she can see the last one trying to snatch her right one.
She quickly avoids the last man and uses her free hand to punch the man holding her.
The punch hits the man's face and Renamon knows that he is bleeding.
Before the last man can help his buddy, Renamon kicks him away so that he flies onto Ruki's bed.
Not wanting to wait for reinforcements, the Digimon dashes out of the room.

"My God. It's way past midnight."
"You were the one who ordered the late-night shift, sir."
"Yes. Yes. How is our... project doing?"
"It reminds me of a snake, sir. It's waiting to strike."
"Don't be ridiculous. What is it waiting for then?"
"I don't know, sir."
"It has everything it could wish for. It will cooperate. I know it."

Renamon runs through the empty streets until she is sure nobody is following her.
Once her adrenaline level has dropped a bit, she starts to feel... cold.
She shivers and frowns.
It's summer! I shouldn't be freezing like this!
Renamon raises an arm and blinks.
Then she laughs when she realizes why she is freezing.
"Of course! No fur! My God, however did Ruki manage without fur? I feel so..."
She blinks again. Then she gulps and touches her new body.
"...nude..."
Slowly Renamon begins to realize that she is not wearing any clothes.
She hadn't even thought about it since she never had to care about such things.
Blushing, Renamon starts to look for a clothes store.
When she finds one, she smacks her forehead.
"Closed... Of course... God, I should have guessed that one."
But Renamon knows that she can't possibly walk all the way home without clothes.
She sighs and walks to s parked car. Then she bows down, grabs the front bumper and rips it off.
Then she turns around and faces the shop window.

And finally, Renamon sees her reflection in the window.
She gasps when she realizes that she looks just like Ruki. Like an adult Ruki.
"Awesome..." she whispers, touching her auburn hair.
Her hair is even longer than Ruki's, and Renamon smiles at her reflection.
Then she shakes her head once again and smashes the window with the bumper.

Knowing that time is working against her, Renamon dresses quickly.
She picks dark blue jeans and a dark T-shirt.
She has watched Ruki dress a thousand times and knows what she needs.
Finally the only thing missing is a belt.
Renamon first wants to pick any belt, but then she stops and smiles.
Then she carefully picks a very special belt.
It's made of black leather, and it features a fox-head buckle.
Just like the one I have as Sakuyamon...
Completely dressed now, Renamon dashes out of the store before the police arrives.

Ruki Makino blinks.
Everything is cold. And dark. And... empty.
"Renamon?" she whispers.
But nobody answers her call.
Curling up into a small ball, Ruki closes her eyes and cries.
Game over.