Digital Demons III - Part 3
by Nopporn Wongrassamee
Summary - A Digimon Tamers/Jackie Chan Adventures/
Gatekeepers Crossover. The team takes a break from Agent Tag's
brand of training.
Disclaimer - None of these characters are mine, nor am I making a
profit here.
"I'm glad you changed your mind, Jade," Jackie told his niece as
they entered the convention center.
"Don't worry about it, Uncle Jackie," Jade replied, shrugging. "I
understand why you did what you did. But that doesn't mean I
agree with your reasoning though..."
As they entered the main floor through the glass double doors,
Jade noticed that there was only a light sprinkling of visitors.
Various artifacts on display ranging from pottery to ancient
weapons were scattered more or less evenly about. The building
itself was several stories tall and glass sided with the main floor
taking up most of the volume. On a sunny day like today, that
gave the main floor a light and airy feel.
There weren't many visitors present. Two boys and two girls about
Jade's age filtered out of the light crowd. Jade and Jackie knew
who they were instantly. It was the team they had left at Section
13. There were only two Digimon visible. Henry was wearing
Terriermon like a hat. Jeri had Calumon firmly in her arms like he
was a plush doll.
"Jade! Hi! I didn't know you were coming here," Rika greeted in a
forced, totally unconvincing tone of voice.
"Rika! What a coincidence," Jade returned in a similarly fake tone.
She turned to Jackie. "Right, Jackie? A coincidence!"
"Jade..." Jackie began in Than Voice.
"Okay, okay," Jade said quickly, "the guys wanted to see the
sights and called me. Here seemed like a good place to start."
"And Agent Tag...I mean MacTaggert, agreed to this?" Jackie
asked the kids.
"We, um, didn't ask..." Takato replied nervously.
"He was all tied up," Rika intejected quickly.
***
"Oh, kids, I brought some refreshments," Ruriko called as she
entered Section 13's gym carrying a tray with a full pitcher and
paper cups on it. Getting no response and not seeing anyone,
Ruriko called out again. "Kids?"
"Romrr hrrr!"
Following the sound of the voice, Ruriko found Agent MacTaggert
tied to a weight machine in a darkened corner of the gym with a
five foot steel bar literally wrapped around him and welded to the
machine for good measure. A towel was stuffed in his mouth as a
gag.
"Agent MacTaggert?" Ruriko asked unnecessarily as she set the
tray on a convenient bench.
"Wrrr ryy thhk?"
"Kids today," Ruriko sighed as she removed the gag.
***
"Okay, what about that?" Takato asked, pointing at a random
artifact. It was a large, waist high vase decorated with faded
dragons.
"Ming dynasty, fifth, maybe sixth century," Jade rattled off. She
had somehow become a sort of unofficial tour guide for the gang
as she proved to be a surprising store of arcane knowledge
regarding the relics on show.
"Hey, pretty good," Takato confirmed, reading the placard next to
the vase.
"How do you know so much about this stuff?" Henry asked Jade,
a bit intrigued.
"I live in an antiques shop," Jade replied with a humorous smile.
She jerked a thumb at their impromptu chaperone trailing behind
them. "And Uncle Jackie is an archaeologist among other things."
"Other things?" Rika quizzed. "Like what?"
"Oh, you know, secret agent stuff," Jade tossed off lightly.
"Jade, I'm just an archaeologist," Jackie corrected, exasperated.
"Ah, don't listen to that old 'I'm just an archaeologist' line," Jade
told the others, ignoring her uncle more or less. "He's in deep
denial. Way deep."
"Hey, Jade," Jeri called, pointing at yet another display as Jackie
stammered for a comeback. "How about that one?"
"It's a sword," Jade replied, just glancing at the artifact. Then she
took another look and stopped at the display. The sword didn't
look like anything spectacular at first glance. Jade could barely
make out what was once a beautiful etching pattern on the blade
under a thin film of rust. "Funny, I don't recognize the style.
Jackie?"
"What? Um..." Jackie broke off from his stammering to examine
the sword. "Hmm, looks familiar, but I can't recall where I've seen
it before."
"It's called the Green Destiny," a man in a formal tux told them as
he walked up to them. "Jackie! So good to see you again!"
"Oh, hello, Ambassador Li," Jackie greeted in return. "Kids, this is
Ambassador Li from China. Now I recall wear I've seen this sword
before."
"Yes, last year when you and that loud mouthed police officer
rescued my daughter from those kidnappers in Los Angeles," the
Ambassador supplied helpfully.
"Kidnappers?" Jade echoed, confusion. She through a suspicious
stare at Jackie. "Jackie, I remember that trip you took to L.A. You
never mentioned kidnappers."
"Ah..." Jackie stammered again, this time in embarrassment. He
decided now would be a good time to change the subject. "Mr.
Ambassador, why don't you tell the kids about the Green
Destiny?"
"Alright, Jackie," the Ambassador agreed, obviously amused by
his discomfort. "The Green Destiny is said to be a magical sword
capable of slicing through any other weapon."
"Said to be?" Takato repeated, questioningly.
The Ambassador just shrugged. "The archaeologists just think
that it's very sharp," he replied. "Anyway, the sword was said to
have belonged to one of the Wuxia, an ancient order of warriors
said to have near magical fighting abilities. As the story goes,
there was this princess who desired the sword..."
***
After searching the rest room to make sure there was no one else
present, Shibumi leaned against the door to make sure he would
not be interupted. He didn't want anyone to see this. It would
just raise too many questions he didn't want to answer.
"Alright guys," he said to the empty air. "You can come out now."
Several digignomes appeared out of thin air. They tinkled a query
at Shibumi.
"Sorry I haven't called in so long," Shibumi apollogized. "It's been
kinda busy around here."
The digignomes cooed back soothingly.
"Thanks," Shibumi said. "Listen, there's an old friend that I need
to get in touch with. I didn't even know she was still around until
I saw her today. Can you deliver a message for me?"
The digignomes tinkled positively.
"Right, tell Yukino that I'm sorry for her loss," Shibumi told them,
"and that I really need to see her in person."
***
"What a sad story," Jeri commented when the Ambassador
finished.
"Aw, don't cry Jeri," Calumon soothed.
"Oh, I'm alright," Jeri replied.
"So, are these the Digimon I've heard so much about?" the
Ambassador asked quietly, looking at Calumon and Terriermon.
"I presume the fox one is being invisible, but where's the red
dinosaur?"
"Oh, I stashed him nearby..." Takato paused in mid reply. "You
know?"
"My dear Tamer," the Ambassador chuckled. "AEGIS, both the old
and the new, is an international organization. Did you think only
America and Japan were providing funds? Mr. Yamaki provided
a rather interesting briefing this morning. And you didn't answer
my question."
"Oh, um, I thought Guilmon might draw too much attention here,"
Takato explained. "So I stashed him..."
There was a commotion near the entrance. Shouts of "Monster!"
and "Dinosaur!" could be heard. Someone even asked, "Hey, is
Spielberg filming a new dino flick here?"
"Er, excuse me," Takato said quickly as he rushed off.
"Gee, some things never change," Terriermon commented, looking
after the retreating Takato.
"So, where's Yamaki now, Mr. Ambassador?" Jade asked.
***
As the last of the Shadowkhan was reduced to blue mist, the
Spy switched back to his human guise. The others quickly
followed suit.
"Any casualties among us?" the Soldier inquired, holding a rifle
at the ready. He wasn't about to assume the Shadowkhan had no
more reinforcements coming.
"We are victorious!" the Zealot proclaimed, waving a whopping
huge scimitar around. "What do casualties matter?"
"If we have suffered losses, then replacements need to be found
to keep our table of organization intact," the Technician argued,
dripping with odd gizmos.
"I believe we are all intact," the Spy announced. He rapped the
top of the slightly worse for wear table and looked under it. "You
can come out now."
The Attache scrambled out from under there. "Ah, it's safe?" he
asked.
"Yes, it's safe, no thanks to you," the Orderly snorted in contempt,
twirling a big syringe. "He," the Orderly indicated the Accountant,
"was more useful than you were."
"Hmph! I'm sorry that my specialty is diplomacy..." the Attache
began coldly.
"Oh, stuff it," the Spy told him shortly. "We have more important
things to discuss than petty bickering. For example, how did the
Shadowkhan even find this place?"
"Are you accusing one of us...?" the Zealot began to thunder.
"I accuse nothing," the Spy snapped at him. "I merely asked a
question that is extremely pertinent to our security. Then there is
the matter of the Talismans." He picked up the briefcase holding
said Talismans. "Several of the Shadowkhan tried to snatch these
during the fight. I think it's pretty obvious that we either quickly
employ these to protect ourselves or risk losing them entirely. If
we don't employ them, we might as well send them back to
Section 13 for safe keeping."
"I still don't see the value of those antiques," the Technician
stated.
"Perhaps we should have a test," the Soldier mused, plucking a
random Talisman from the open briefcase. "I've just had an idea."
"This wouldn't happen to be like your last idea would it?" the
Spy asked suspiciously.
"Now that you mention it..."
***
"There you are! You kids are in big trouble now."
"Oh, great, It's Agent Tag," Jade muttered. "How'd you find us?"
"Ah, the Chans. Why am I not surprised?" MacTaggert said
witheringly. "As to how I found you pack of delinquents, you lot
may have tied me up and gagged me, but my ears work just fine.
I overheard where you lot were going."
"You guys tied him up?" Jade asked Rika, amused.
"Uh, yeah," Rika answered. She turned to MacTaggert. "How'd you
get loose?"
"I found him," Rika's grandma told her, appearing behind Agent
MacTaggery. She looked at Rika, a dissapointed expression on
her face.
"Oh, Grandma, ah, I can explain..." Rika began fidgeting.
"Is there a problem here?" Ambassador Li inquired.
"And who are you?" MacTaggert asked, annoyed. "Another Chan?"
"No, actually," Ambassador Li replied cooly. "I'm the Ambassador
of China."
MacTaggert froze as his mind worked through the implications.
Meanwhile, his mouth worked soundlessly of their own accord,
trying to shape a response.
"I was curious about the investment my government has made,"
the Ambassador conyinued smoothly. "When I saw these children
here, I thought to see what they are like for myself."
"I'm...sorry if they've...bothered you, Mr. Ambassador," MacTaggert
ground out slowly.
"Oh, they're no bother," the Ambassador reassured him. "I find
them rather delightful. They remind me of my own daughter. The
question is, can they handle the burden we are placing on
them?"
"Hey, we can handle anything, Digimon or Invader thrown at us,
Mr. Ambassador," Jade declared proudly.
"Yeah," the other kids agreed.
"May I remind you, Jade, that you are not on this team?" Agent
MacTaggert. "Given the reports I've read on your three sole
engagements with the Enemy, I really don't share your
confidence."
"You might not have a choice," Rika's grandmother sighed as a
pen in her breast pocket started beeping.
"What..." Taggert began to ask. He was interupted when the
windows exploded inward. An instant later, what appeared to be
a black F-14 fighter jet boomed past overhead.
***
"Oh, it's him again," Takato said to himself as he watched the
Invader fighter rising into the sky. When the attack came, Takato
had been outside with Guilmon, trying to convince the crowd
that the Digimon was a guy in a suit. No one was buying it, least
of all the kids with their parents. Those kids had quickly
identified Guilmon as a real live Digimon.
And then there was the news crew nearby setting up to get the
scoop. Digimon return! Film at eleven. Things didn't get that far.
The Invader plane had bombed them on its first pass for some
reason.
The crowd had run screaming in fear from the attack. This left
Takato and Guilmon momentarily by themselves at the moment.
Alone, in the open, Takato realized they were a too obvious
target. But obvious wasn't alway correct.
"Alright, buddy, let's do it!" Takato exclaimed, pulling out his new
digivolve card and digivice. "Digimodify!" He swiped the card
through his digivice. "Armor Digivolution, activate!"
"Guilmon, digivolve to..." Guilmon began as he began to glow. The
Digimon dropped to all fours and quickly grew in size. The armor
Takato had sketched out earlier materialized around the Digimon,
and wings sprouted from the pods on his back. As the glow
faded, Takato's partner concluded with, "...AEROGUILMON!"
Rearing up and letting loose a challenging roar, the spinal plates
on Aeroguilmon's tail and back rotated ninety degrees into a
makeshift staircase. Takato ran up this and hopped into the open
cockpit in the armor right behind Aeroguilmon's head. As Takato
strapped himself in and lowered his goggles, Aeroguilmon's
spinal plates rotated back into position and he assumed an even
more upright stance.
"All right, buddy," Takato said eagerly. "Let's get 'im!"
"Right, Takato," his partner agreed. "RAZOR MISSILES!"
***
Coming back for another attack run, the Invader fighter spotted a
Digimon that was similar to the one of ones it had been
expecting. But there were enough differences that the Invader
realized it was dealing with something new. It broke off the next
attack to assess the situation.
This was fortunate. The Invader just managed to avoid the swarm
of missiles suddenly lauched at it. Unfortunately, the missiles
turned to follow.
And right behind the missiles, the new Digimon launched itself
into the air like a rocket. Right behind it, were two more Digimon
the Invader identified as Taomon and Rapidmon. They had just
digivolved right behind the unknown Digimon and were just now
rising into the air. They were slower, less of a threat, and
accounted for.
But first, the Invader had to deal with these missiles.
***
"Okay, I want an Armor Digivolve card of my own," Rika
commented as she watched both the Invader and Aeroguilmon
outrace her and Henry's own partners.
"You said it," Henry agreed.
Behind them the rest of the gang watched from just inside the
trashed convention center.
"What are they doing?" MacTaggert demanded. "I didn't give any
orders! We need a plan..."
"Tag, they're doing what we're asking them to," Ruriko interupted
him, turning around to stare him in the eye. "Don't complain just
be..." A movement of bright color caught her eye. "Jeri look out
behind you!"
Spinning around with Calumon still in her arms, Jeri spotted the
danger in an instant. It was a single Invader, though unlike any
she had heard about. Instead of red or black, this Invader wore
what appeared to be a canary yellow hat and trenchcoat. It had
an arm raised and pointed right at Jeri. The hand had morphed
into a gun barrel. Just inside the muzzle, Jeri spotted one of the
Talismans.
"Target Locked," the Invader intoned as it opened fire.
by Nopporn Wongrassamee
Summary - A Digimon Tamers/Jackie Chan Adventures/
Gatekeepers Crossover. The team takes a break from Agent Tag's
brand of training.
Disclaimer - None of these characters are mine, nor am I making a
profit here.
"I'm glad you changed your mind, Jade," Jackie told his niece as
they entered the convention center.
"Don't worry about it, Uncle Jackie," Jade replied, shrugging. "I
understand why you did what you did. But that doesn't mean I
agree with your reasoning though..."
As they entered the main floor through the glass double doors,
Jade noticed that there was only a light sprinkling of visitors.
Various artifacts on display ranging from pottery to ancient
weapons were scattered more or less evenly about. The building
itself was several stories tall and glass sided with the main floor
taking up most of the volume. On a sunny day like today, that
gave the main floor a light and airy feel.
There weren't many visitors present. Two boys and two girls about
Jade's age filtered out of the light crowd. Jade and Jackie knew
who they were instantly. It was the team they had left at Section
13. There were only two Digimon visible. Henry was wearing
Terriermon like a hat. Jeri had Calumon firmly in her arms like he
was a plush doll.
"Jade! Hi! I didn't know you were coming here," Rika greeted in a
forced, totally unconvincing tone of voice.
"Rika! What a coincidence," Jade returned in a similarly fake tone.
She turned to Jackie. "Right, Jackie? A coincidence!"
"Jade..." Jackie began in Than Voice.
"Okay, okay," Jade said quickly, "the guys wanted to see the
sights and called me. Here seemed like a good place to start."
"And Agent Tag...I mean MacTaggert, agreed to this?" Jackie
asked the kids.
"We, um, didn't ask..." Takato replied nervously.
"He was all tied up," Rika intejected quickly.
***
"Oh, kids, I brought some refreshments," Ruriko called as she
entered Section 13's gym carrying a tray with a full pitcher and
paper cups on it. Getting no response and not seeing anyone,
Ruriko called out again. "Kids?"
"Romrr hrrr!"
Following the sound of the voice, Ruriko found Agent MacTaggert
tied to a weight machine in a darkened corner of the gym with a
five foot steel bar literally wrapped around him and welded to the
machine for good measure. A towel was stuffed in his mouth as a
gag.
"Agent MacTaggert?" Ruriko asked unnecessarily as she set the
tray on a convenient bench.
"Wrrr ryy thhk?"
"Kids today," Ruriko sighed as she removed the gag.
***
"Okay, what about that?" Takato asked, pointing at a random
artifact. It was a large, waist high vase decorated with faded
dragons.
"Ming dynasty, fifth, maybe sixth century," Jade rattled off. She
had somehow become a sort of unofficial tour guide for the gang
as she proved to be a surprising store of arcane knowledge
regarding the relics on show.
"Hey, pretty good," Takato confirmed, reading the placard next to
the vase.
"How do you know so much about this stuff?" Henry asked Jade,
a bit intrigued.
"I live in an antiques shop," Jade replied with a humorous smile.
She jerked a thumb at their impromptu chaperone trailing behind
them. "And Uncle Jackie is an archaeologist among other things."
"Other things?" Rika quizzed. "Like what?"
"Oh, you know, secret agent stuff," Jade tossed off lightly.
"Jade, I'm just an archaeologist," Jackie corrected, exasperated.
"Ah, don't listen to that old 'I'm just an archaeologist' line," Jade
told the others, ignoring her uncle more or less. "He's in deep
denial. Way deep."
"Hey, Jade," Jeri called, pointing at yet another display as Jackie
stammered for a comeback. "How about that one?"
"It's a sword," Jade replied, just glancing at the artifact. Then she
took another look and stopped at the display. The sword didn't
look like anything spectacular at first glance. Jade could barely
make out what was once a beautiful etching pattern on the blade
under a thin film of rust. "Funny, I don't recognize the style.
Jackie?"
"What? Um..." Jackie broke off from his stammering to examine
the sword. "Hmm, looks familiar, but I can't recall where I've seen
it before."
"It's called the Green Destiny," a man in a formal tux told them as
he walked up to them. "Jackie! So good to see you again!"
"Oh, hello, Ambassador Li," Jackie greeted in return. "Kids, this is
Ambassador Li from China. Now I recall wear I've seen this sword
before."
"Yes, last year when you and that loud mouthed police officer
rescued my daughter from those kidnappers in Los Angeles," the
Ambassador supplied helpfully.
"Kidnappers?" Jade echoed, confusion. She through a suspicious
stare at Jackie. "Jackie, I remember that trip you took to L.A. You
never mentioned kidnappers."
"Ah..." Jackie stammered again, this time in embarrassment. He
decided now would be a good time to change the subject. "Mr.
Ambassador, why don't you tell the kids about the Green
Destiny?"
"Alright, Jackie," the Ambassador agreed, obviously amused by
his discomfort. "The Green Destiny is said to be a magical sword
capable of slicing through any other weapon."
"Said to be?" Takato repeated, questioningly.
The Ambassador just shrugged. "The archaeologists just think
that it's very sharp," he replied. "Anyway, the sword was said to
have belonged to one of the Wuxia, an ancient order of warriors
said to have near magical fighting abilities. As the story goes,
there was this princess who desired the sword..."
***
After searching the rest room to make sure there was no one else
present, Shibumi leaned against the door to make sure he would
not be interupted. He didn't want anyone to see this. It would
just raise too many questions he didn't want to answer.
"Alright guys," he said to the empty air. "You can come out now."
Several digignomes appeared out of thin air. They tinkled a query
at Shibumi.
"Sorry I haven't called in so long," Shibumi apollogized. "It's been
kinda busy around here."
The digignomes cooed back soothingly.
"Thanks," Shibumi said. "Listen, there's an old friend that I need
to get in touch with. I didn't even know she was still around until
I saw her today. Can you deliver a message for me?"
The digignomes tinkled positively.
"Right, tell Yukino that I'm sorry for her loss," Shibumi told them,
"and that I really need to see her in person."
***
"What a sad story," Jeri commented when the Ambassador
finished.
"Aw, don't cry Jeri," Calumon soothed.
"Oh, I'm alright," Jeri replied.
"So, are these the Digimon I've heard so much about?" the
Ambassador asked quietly, looking at Calumon and Terriermon.
"I presume the fox one is being invisible, but where's the red
dinosaur?"
"Oh, I stashed him nearby..." Takato paused in mid reply. "You
know?"
"My dear Tamer," the Ambassador chuckled. "AEGIS, both the old
and the new, is an international organization. Did you think only
America and Japan were providing funds? Mr. Yamaki provided
a rather interesting briefing this morning. And you didn't answer
my question."
"Oh, um, I thought Guilmon might draw too much attention here,"
Takato explained. "So I stashed him..."
There was a commotion near the entrance. Shouts of "Monster!"
and "Dinosaur!" could be heard. Someone even asked, "Hey, is
Spielberg filming a new dino flick here?"
"Er, excuse me," Takato said quickly as he rushed off.
"Gee, some things never change," Terriermon commented, looking
after the retreating Takato.
"So, where's Yamaki now, Mr. Ambassador?" Jade asked.
***
As the last of the Shadowkhan was reduced to blue mist, the
Spy switched back to his human guise. The others quickly
followed suit.
"Any casualties among us?" the Soldier inquired, holding a rifle
at the ready. He wasn't about to assume the Shadowkhan had no
more reinforcements coming.
"We are victorious!" the Zealot proclaimed, waving a whopping
huge scimitar around. "What do casualties matter?"
"If we have suffered losses, then replacements need to be found
to keep our table of organization intact," the Technician argued,
dripping with odd gizmos.
"I believe we are all intact," the Spy announced. He rapped the
top of the slightly worse for wear table and looked under it. "You
can come out now."
The Attache scrambled out from under there. "Ah, it's safe?" he
asked.
"Yes, it's safe, no thanks to you," the Orderly snorted in contempt,
twirling a big syringe. "He," the Orderly indicated the Accountant,
"was more useful than you were."
"Hmph! I'm sorry that my specialty is diplomacy..." the Attache
began coldly.
"Oh, stuff it," the Spy told him shortly. "We have more important
things to discuss than petty bickering. For example, how did the
Shadowkhan even find this place?"
"Are you accusing one of us...?" the Zealot began to thunder.
"I accuse nothing," the Spy snapped at him. "I merely asked a
question that is extremely pertinent to our security. Then there is
the matter of the Talismans." He picked up the briefcase holding
said Talismans. "Several of the Shadowkhan tried to snatch these
during the fight. I think it's pretty obvious that we either quickly
employ these to protect ourselves or risk losing them entirely. If
we don't employ them, we might as well send them back to
Section 13 for safe keeping."
"I still don't see the value of those antiques," the Technician
stated.
"Perhaps we should have a test," the Soldier mused, plucking a
random Talisman from the open briefcase. "I've just had an idea."
"This wouldn't happen to be like your last idea would it?" the
Spy asked suspiciously.
"Now that you mention it..."
***
"There you are! You kids are in big trouble now."
"Oh, great, It's Agent Tag," Jade muttered. "How'd you find us?"
"Ah, the Chans. Why am I not surprised?" MacTaggert said
witheringly. "As to how I found you pack of delinquents, you lot
may have tied me up and gagged me, but my ears work just fine.
I overheard where you lot were going."
"You guys tied him up?" Jade asked Rika, amused.
"Uh, yeah," Rika answered. She turned to MacTaggert. "How'd you
get loose?"
"I found him," Rika's grandma told her, appearing behind Agent
MacTaggery. She looked at Rika, a dissapointed expression on
her face.
"Oh, Grandma, ah, I can explain..." Rika began fidgeting.
"Is there a problem here?" Ambassador Li inquired.
"And who are you?" MacTaggert asked, annoyed. "Another Chan?"
"No, actually," Ambassador Li replied cooly. "I'm the Ambassador
of China."
MacTaggert froze as his mind worked through the implications.
Meanwhile, his mouth worked soundlessly of their own accord,
trying to shape a response.
"I was curious about the investment my government has made,"
the Ambassador conyinued smoothly. "When I saw these children
here, I thought to see what they are like for myself."
"I'm...sorry if they've...bothered you, Mr. Ambassador," MacTaggert
ground out slowly.
"Oh, they're no bother," the Ambassador reassured him. "I find
them rather delightful. They remind me of my own daughter. The
question is, can they handle the burden we are placing on
them?"
"Hey, we can handle anything, Digimon or Invader thrown at us,
Mr. Ambassador," Jade declared proudly.
"Yeah," the other kids agreed.
"May I remind you, Jade, that you are not on this team?" Agent
MacTaggert. "Given the reports I've read on your three sole
engagements with the Enemy, I really don't share your
confidence."
"You might not have a choice," Rika's grandmother sighed as a
pen in her breast pocket started beeping.
"What..." Taggert began to ask. He was interupted when the
windows exploded inward. An instant later, what appeared to be
a black F-14 fighter jet boomed past overhead.
***
"Oh, it's him again," Takato said to himself as he watched the
Invader fighter rising into the sky. When the attack came, Takato
had been outside with Guilmon, trying to convince the crowd
that the Digimon was a guy in a suit. No one was buying it, least
of all the kids with their parents. Those kids had quickly
identified Guilmon as a real live Digimon.
And then there was the news crew nearby setting up to get the
scoop. Digimon return! Film at eleven. Things didn't get that far.
The Invader plane had bombed them on its first pass for some
reason.
The crowd had run screaming in fear from the attack. This left
Takato and Guilmon momentarily by themselves at the moment.
Alone, in the open, Takato realized they were a too obvious
target. But obvious wasn't alway correct.
"Alright, buddy, let's do it!" Takato exclaimed, pulling out his new
digivolve card and digivice. "Digimodify!" He swiped the card
through his digivice. "Armor Digivolution, activate!"
"Guilmon, digivolve to..." Guilmon began as he began to glow. The
Digimon dropped to all fours and quickly grew in size. The armor
Takato had sketched out earlier materialized around the Digimon,
and wings sprouted from the pods on his back. As the glow
faded, Takato's partner concluded with, "...AEROGUILMON!"
Rearing up and letting loose a challenging roar, the spinal plates
on Aeroguilmon's tail and back rotated ninety degrees into a
makeshift staircase. Takato ran up this and hopped into the open
cockpit in the armor right behind Aeroguilmon's head. As Takato
strapped himself in and lowered his goggles, Aeroguilmon's
spinal plates rotated back into position and he assumed an even
more upright stance.
"All right, buddy," Takato said eagerly. "Let's get 'im!"
"Right, Takato," his partner agreed. "RAZOR MISSILES!"
***
Coming back for another attack run, the Invader fighter spotted a
Digimon that was similar to the one of ones it had been
expecting. But there were enough differences that the Invader
realized it was dealing with something new. It broke off the next
attack to assess the situation.
This was fortunate. The Invader just managed to avoid the swarm
of missiles suddenly lauched at it. Unfortunately, the missiles
turned to follow.
And right behind the missiles, the new Digimon launched itself
into the air like a rocket. Right behind it, were two more Digimon
the Invader identified as Taomon and Rapidmon. They had just
digivolved right behind the unknown Digimon and were just now
rising into the air. They were slower, less of a threat, and
accounted for.
But first, the Invader had to deal with these missiles.
***
"Okay, I want an Armor Digivolve card of my own," Rika
commented as she watched both the Invader and Aeroguilmon
outrace her and Henry's own partners.
"You said it," Henry agreed.
Behind them the rest of the gang watched from just inside the
trashed convention center.
"What are they doing?" MacTaggert demanded. "I didn't give any
orders! We need a plan..."
"Tag, they're doing what we're asking them to," Ruriko interupted
him, turning around to stare him in the eye. "Don't complain just
be..." A movement of bright color caught her eye. "Jeri look out
behind you!"
Spinning around with Calumon still in her arms, Jeri spotted the
danger in an instant. It was a single Invader, though unlike any
she had heard about. Instead of red or black, this Invader wore
what appeared to be a canary yellow hat and trenchcoat. It had
an arm raised and pointed right at Jeri. The hand had morphed
into a gun barrel. Just inside the muzzle, Jeri spotted one of the
Talismans.
"Target Locked," the Invader intoned as it opened fire.