Dark Empire
7: Carrier of Doom (part 1)
The MDB
As everyone else prepared the MDB for departure, Riley was getting acquainted with the onboard computer systems. To help pass the time she was recording her own personal journal.
"…I can't believe it's only been a day since this nightmare began. Normally I'd have been thrilled to get a promotion like this but with my boss dead and the world falling apart, I can't find much reason to celebrate. From what we've been able to find out from the satellites, the dark digimon have captured several towns surrounding West Shinjuku but haven't gone much further than that. While that's a relief, Gennai thinks this halt is only temporary, and I'm sure he's right. What I can't understand is why this hasn't appeared on the news. What I've been seeing on TV is outright lies: stories of a 'shattering earthquake' and 'people hallucinating'! Why the cover-up? Is the government confident of ending this quickly? How and with what? I'd contact Tokyo and ask but I'm not keen to do that. Like my newfound friends I don't trust them anymore. While it's nice to think the government's got a weapon that can end this quickly, given my experience with Yamaki and the past few days, there's a part of me that just knows better…"
"Ready to go?"
Riley looked round to see Matt and Gabumon. She shut off the recorder.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. What's the plan?"
"We teleport into the 'occupied zone', then Gennai sneaks us inside West Shinjuku from there."
"How?"
Matt shrugged. "We'll find that out when we get there. The Tamers are just parting ways with their parents outside, then we'll go."
Outside the base, Takato's parents were realising the awful truth…their son was really going back to fight.
"I wish you didn't have to do this, son," his dad was saying. "But we won't stop you. Just promise us one thing: come back in one piece."
Takato wiped away a small tear from one eye quickly. "I promise, Dad."
"So you're Guilmon, huh? Now I understand the 'Guilmon bread' your friends wanted me to make. When I get a new bakery I'm going to need a lot of dough for this!"
"I wish we could go with you, Henry," his mom said.
Gennai sounded apologetic. "Sorry Mrs Wong, sorry to all of you. But your husband and your children have skills and digimon that the world needs. You don't unfortunately. But try not to worry, they've faced battle before and come out alive every time."
"Yeah, and this time we're watching their backs too," Barret grinned, arming his gun-arm as he did so.
"Ok, everyone who's going get aboard," Cid said. "Time we got this show on the road."
General Hospital: Odaiba
Davis Motomiya wasn't in the best of moods. The world was facing a new nightmare; his friends were all out fighting and where was he? Flat on his back in a hospital ward. The wounds he'd taken from the Gattlomon hadn't healed yet. The doctor had been amazed when he'd seen the extent of Davis' injuries. He was lucky to be alive according to him.
Davis didn't agree. What use was he stuck here? Davis had gone to sleep that night feeling more and more depressed all the time.
He got quite a shock when he woke up in the arms of a large blond-haired man with a great sword on his back. Even more amazing: all his wounds were gone!
"Hey Davis! Good to see you again!" Demiveemon flew into his arms.
Cloud smiled. "When we get back I'm going to have to ask Tai how many clones he has!"
"Feeling better, Davis?"
Davis suddenly realised he was back at Tai and Kari's flat and it was Kari that had spoken. "Uh, I'm good, Kari. But who are these guys?"
TK grinned. "Cloud, Tifa, Red, meet Davis. Davis, meet our old friends from 3 years ago."
Davis' eyes bulged at that. TK and Kari had told him all about that before but he figured they were exaggerating. Looking at the 3 powerful figures in front of him told him differently.
"Wolf got your tongue?" Red chuckled.
"We can save the jokes for later," Cloud said seriously. "We've got a job to do and another world to save. We'll fill everyone in as we go."
Davis saw that it wasn't just his team in the apartment. Sora, Joe and Izzy were there too with their digimon. "Cloud, You never change," Joe grinned.
"With luck we can get back into the castle at the same point that TK went in last time. But…"
"But we still might have trouble," TK guessed. "Just because Necromon isn't there anymore…"
"…Doesn't mean we'll get a free lunch," Cloud finished. "But is everyone ready to try it anyway?"
"Am I ever!" Davis quickly got to his feet. "Let's go!"
Davis was definitely back in action…
20 miles north of West Shinjuku
"This is where we get in from?" Henry asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"A lot of convoys have been going to West Shinjuku from here," Gennai said. He was sitting in the cockpit of his Mechanorimon. "I don't know what's in them, but this is probably the best way to sneak back into the city."
Below them was a large factory complex. Truck sized metal containers were being lifted out and flown toward West Shinjuku by Mechanorimon.
"So many! What's in those things and what does he want with all of it?"
"Maybe it's full of food and they're hungry, Takatomon," Guilmon offered.
Takato sighed. "Can't you stop thinking about food for one minute, Guilmon?"
"Matt, I've got an idea," Tai said with a grin.
Matt rolled his eyes. Tai's 'ideas' normally didn't come to much or they made things even worse. "What is it?"
"If we can get rid of one of those Mechanorimon, Gennai could bring his down, couple onto one of those things and we've got a free ride!"
For once Matt had to admit; Tai had come up with a good plan!
"That's good but how do we do that without giving ourselves away?" Henry worried. "There's too many to fight and if we're found out…"
"Hold on," Gennai opened a channel from his Mechanorimon. "Riley, can you hear me?"
Riley, Kenta and Jeri were all still aboard the MDB. "I'm here, Gennai. According to the satellites, your best approach is from the North. There's hardly any guards there and you've got good access to the containers."
"Thanks Riley. Stay in touch." He turned back to the others. "Shall we?"
Necromon's castle
With Necromon and most of his army gone, it was a lot quieter at the large castle. Nonetheless, there were still a lot of Champion and Ultimate guards patrolling and progress had been slow. They'd 'fixed' two dimension gates but that was all.
"Can't you get a better idea on this place's layout, Izzy?" Red asked as they sneaked across an open-air courtyard.
"Sorry but I can't," Izzy replied as he worked on his laptop. "I can only get a general layout. There's too many places where the other gates and breeding chambers could be."
Cloud cursed. "We'll just have to check them all and hope we get lucky."
"Are you sure those bombs of yours will work, Cloud?" Biyomon wondered. "We could digivolve and destroy them ourselves."
"We made plenty of those in our fight with Shinra," Tifa answered for him. "They blew Mako reactors sky high, they'll do the same for the gates and breeding chambers here. Trust me."
"Plus if you did digivolve, you'd probably set off every alarm in this place!" Cloud added.
"That's if we can ever FIND them!" Davis muttered impatiently. "You'd think it'd be…"
"HAHAHAHA! I can't wait till I meet those Tamer losers again!"
"We'll send you back as soon as possible…Beelzemon, wasn't it?"
Cody panicked. "Someone's coming!"
"You think?" Davis snorted. "Get behind here quick!"
Everyone ducked behind some pillars as the voices got closer…
Factory complex
"Man, why do we always get into a tight situation?" Tai sighed.
His plan had gone, surprisingly, without a hitch. Gennai, with a Twin Beam and a little help from Kazu and Guardromon, managed to destroy a dark Mechanorimon without being seen and then coupled his own Mechanorimon onto one of the cargo containers. Then the others had managed to sneak into the container, or squeezed would have been a better term. The container was piled high with metal sheets, rivets and plating.
"Can't you loosen up on me, you big lugnut?!" Kazu whined at Guardromon.
"Sorry, Kazu, I wasn't designed for this."
"Everyone alright back there?" Gennai's voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Then Rika noticed the camera that hung at one end of the container.
"Gennai? Can you hear us up there?"
"I can see you and hear you," Gennai replied. "If you come up to this end you can do the same. This isn't primarily a cargo container: it's a digimon carrier that's been modified. I think this was Necromon's first attempt at an MDB type dimension carrier. He probably couldn't get the engine design right."
Henry and Terriermon were the first to get through the piles of metal to find a command console and 3 small TV screens at the front. The controls on the console were plainly designed for a Hahgarumon's gears.
"Gennai, I don't think we can work this thing," Henry told him.
"You don't have to. I'm going to feed the image on my screens to yours. You'll be able to see what's outside. Brace yourselves, I'm taxiing round for takeoff. I've just accepted the pre-set flight program they've sent."
"I hope that was a good idea," Barret muttered. "Accepting one of their programs, that is."
"How would it have looked if we hadn't you stupid $£&!" Cid scorned him.
"Brace yourselves, we're taking off!" Gennai warned.
Everyone braced themselves in time…except for Guardromon, who lost his balance, smashed his head on one of the piles of plating and fell on top of Kazu.
Necromon's castle
"Who's this?" Red whispered.
"Don't know. We've never seen him before," Joe whispered back.
Izzy tried scanning Beelzemon but had no luck. "Can't get any reading on him."
"Can everyone put a sock in it so I can hear what they're saying?" Davis muttered angrily.
They all grudgingly quietened down to listen in.
"…back. But the gates need an hour or so to recharge."
"Then get recharging!" Beelzemon roared. "Now I'm digivolved I'm a busy businessmon with many values and patience ain't one of them!"
The Hahgarumon zipped away down the corridor as fast as their gears could take them.
Shaking his head in annoyance, Beelzemon followed them slowly.
"That digimon looks like trouble!" Tentomon shivered as the group came out of hiding.
Izzy gulped as his digimon analyser finally made a breakthrough. "More trouble than I thought! Beelzemon: Mega level! His attacks are Double Impact and Darkness Claw!"
"Great. Just what we needed, another Dark Mega," Gomamon quipped.
"Then let's get a move on so we don't have to face him," Cloud advised. "Didn't that guy say he was just digivolved?"
"Yeah, so?" Davis didn't quite get it.
"So he must have come from the breeding and digivolution chambers!" Izzy realised.
"Right! Let's go!"
The group quickly went in the direction that Beelzemon had come from, not seeing the security camera that hung from the ceiling on that particular corridor…
The MDB
"Are they ok? Having to watch all this from back here is killing me!" Kenta was complaining.
"They're fine so far, Kenta. But it's still early days yet." Riley turned back to her monitors. "They're still 3 miles out of the city. Gennai?"
"What is it, Riley?" Gennai replied over the communicator.
"I've just thought of something, what kind of metal is in that container?"
"Good point. Henry?"
"Hold on, Gennai. I'm scanning it over now…good grief!"
"What is it?"
"It's titanium but it's been mixed with chromedigizoid alloy!"
"What, are they planning to armour their digimon with this stuff?" Cid offered.
"No, they want it for something else," Gennai guessed. "Get ready though, the city's coming up."
"The fog barrier's still up, Gennai. Once you get in there, you'll be cut off from us!"
"I know, Riley. But we've got to go anyway, wish us luck."
On the edge of West Shinjuku
Gennai and his team could now see the massive fog barrier through their cameras.
"I wonder what that stuff really is?" Takato asked.
"Can't say, it defies all analysis," Gennai replied, switching on all his cameras and scanners.
There seemed to be no digimon on the floor of the city now. It seemed they'd abandoned it altogether.
"What, are they out to lunch or something?" Barret snorted. "I thought there were thousands here."
"What? Lunch?"
"Not now, Guilmon!" Takato groaned.
"They're still here somewhere," Tai was definitely worried by this. There was nothing in the streets or the park now, just desolate ruins, thin layers of mist and a cold wind.
Two large towers suddenly appeared out of the mist at the front.
Everyone recognised them. "That's Riley and Yamaki's building," Henry said.
Renamon appeared suddenly next to Rika, startling her. "Renamon, what is it?"
"There's something nearby, something big!"
"What kind of something?" Matt asked.
"I don't know, but it's powerful."
"Matt, what's that?" Gabumon pointed to one of the camera screens. Something was coming out of the mist near the roof of the Hypnos building and the other Mechanorimon were headed straight for it.
"I…don't believe it!" Gennai was amazed and aghast.
Neither could any of the others. It was the largest thing they'd ever seen in the air. Huge, black, bat-shaped and it seemed to stretch out further than the eye could see. If the skies had been clear it would have blocked the sun out for a quarter of the city.
"Any…idea what that is, Agumon?" Tai finally managed to find his voice again.
"No, Tai. We've never seen anything like it here or in the digital world!"
"There's nothing on the sensors!" Gennai spluttered.
He was right. According to the Mechanorimon's radar, sonar and other sensors, the huge craft did not exist. Yet they were still picking up the other Mechanorimon around them.
Cid was grim. "So no one outside knows it's there…"
"Right," Matt agreed. "It's like a stealth plane only a lot bigger."
"More like a stealth air fortress," Henry added. "Imagine what they could do with something like this…"
"I'd sooner not!" Rika joined in. "They could go anywhere and anytime and no one would know they were coming!"
Barret grinned. "Then we've gotta make sure it doesn't go anywhere. Gennai, can you get us inside?"
"Just where I'm going," Gennai said as he steered toward an opening in the side. "I just hope we know what we're doing…"
Necromon's castle: breeding chambers
Cloud's team was also in awe at that moment in time as they looked over the breeding chambers.
"Unbelievable!" Izzy said.
"Not prodigious for once, Izzy?" Red teased.
"Trust me when I say there's nothing prodigious about this, Red," Izzy replied. "This is pure evil. Look at it. Necromon's been stealing digieggs from Primary Village and immersing them in the Dark Ocean. No wonder these digimon turned out so bad, they're totally made up of dark emotions!"
Kari had been shaking as soon as she'd entered the room. She didn't know how but she knew that this was the case already. She could sense feelings from digimon and she'd felt nothing but anger, fear, hate and the like from Necromon's troops.
Cloud wasn't wasting time. "Well, what are we standing around for? Let's blow it up and go home."
However, as he and Tifa started to rig up the charges, they were interrupted.
"Well, looky here, Christmas has come early! I really wanted some practice before I met my old friends and look what shows up!"
Beelzemon stood in the doorway with both shotguns out. "Let's get this party going with a few firecrackers! Double Impact!"
Everyone hit the deck as Beelzemon's shots flew over their heads…and smashed several of the breeding tanks into oblivion.
Davis was now getting mad. "I'm getting sick of these freaks! Veemon, let's…"
"No! Let us handle this!" Cloud was grinning as he stood up along with Tifa and Red XIII. "Hey biker boy, my old mother could shoot better than that, and she's been dead 7 years!"
"Why you…DOUBLE IMPACT!"
His next shots were no more successful, at least for his side. Cloud and co dodged again and he destroyed another array of breeding tanks.
"What's the matter, you freak? Need us to stand still before you can hit anything?"
Cloud's taunts were making Beelzemon see red. "Alright, how'd you like this?" he ran straight at Cloud. "Darkness Claw!"
Cloud couldn't get his guard up quickly enough and was slammed to the floor.
"Not so cocky now, are ya?"
"I'm just getting warmed up…Shadow Flare!" Cloud fired off a crippling attack he'd learned from a WEAPON unit years ago. A wave of dark energy surrounded Beelzemon, who suddenly felt like he was in the heart of a furnace.
Tifa quickly followed this up with a high level Bolt attack and Beelzemon collapsed, smoking, after being struck by heavy lightning bolts.
"Ken, you know what to do."
"I'm already on it."
Beelzemon struggled to his feet and raised a shotgun. "We're…not…done yet!"
"I'm afraid you are." Red XIII bit down hard on Beelzemon's hand. Beelzemon screamed in pain, dropped the shotgun and tried to knock Red away only to be kicked in the head by Tifa and sent back to the ground again.
"Alright, let's go," Cloud said as Ken finished opening the portal. As Tifa and Red ran for the portal, Cloud sneered at Beelzemon. "You're supposed to be a Mega? Mega useless, more like!"
This got Beelzemon MAD and he started running flat out at Cloud. "I'll show you useless!"
Cloud sighed. "A slow learner too. ULTIMA!"
Cloud unleashed a huge mass of green flame with the force of a nuclear explosion behind it. Beelzemon was sent flying through the air and went straight through a breeding tank and the wall behind.
"Cloud, let's go! More company's coming!" Tifa warned. She pressed the button on the bomb detonator as she headed for the portal. "Ten seconds, everyone go!"
Beelzemon staggered to his feet…just in time to see everyone dive into the portal home…and then the breeding room blow up in his face.
Digimon Supercarrier
The giant air carrier seemed even bigger inside than it did outside. The landing bay was bigger than two football fields and had several conveyor belts at one end. The Mechanorimon were landing with their containers nearby.
"Bad news. Look who's directing the unloading here."
Gennai wasn't wrong. Arachnomon was directing the Mechanorimon to the unloading conveyors and the Tyrannomon workers who were starting to unload the metal.
"I'd love to step on that spider sometime," Rika muttered.
"You and me both," Tai added. "But it'll have to wait."
"What's he doing?" Cid had noticed Arachnomon go over to a communicator panel and activate it. There was no mistaking the figure on the screen: Necromon.
"Can we listen in?" Henry asked.
"One second, I'll try and get their frequency…got it!"
"…should be ready within the hour," Arachnomon was saying.
"Make sure it is. I don't want the schedule disrupted anymore than it already has!" Necromon sounded angry.
"Has something happened, my lord?"
"Those accursed Digidestined and their friends have happened. They sneaked into the castle and destroyed the enhancement chambers and half the dimension gates! I'm going to have to slow the pace until I can rebuild them. They and their new friends are becoming more than just a nuisance!"
"At least we are in a position to do some serious damage now, my lord. With these carriers we can go where we will. Nothing is beyond our reach. We can make sure this world pays a high price for their success."
"And pay it they will," Necromon laughed nastily. "The human government is overconfident. You should hear the humans' news broadcasts. They call our invasion an 'earthquake'! I'll show them what an earthquake really is soon enough. Once the next phase is complete, every human on this world will know the truth and will tremble in fear!"
"After today, it will be impossible for them to ignore us!" Arachnomon joined in the laughter. "We'll be operational within the hour and we'll catch up with you as soon as we can."
"Get a move on then. Machinedramon and his troops are impatient to start."
Matt didn't like the sound of that conversation. "Start what? What are they up to now?"
"Whatever it is, they'll be needing this carrier. If we can wreck it…" Rika was grinning as she said this.
"Just what I was thinking. You and me are going to get along just fine," Barret joined her.
"Ok, hold on," Gennai warned. I'll see if I can set down somewhere where you can get out of that container unseen."
Gennai had a sinking feeling about this; that they'd all got in over their heads on this one. Cloud had done some damage at the castle, but his group now had to destroy a virtual air fortress whilst evading god knows how many digimon doing it and all in less than an hour before it went online. This was becoming more than mission impossible, more like mission insane. Gennai just hoped their luck would hold…
TO BE CONTINUED…