Ep. 2: Fired Up
"I dunno about that...night or day, the sky in this world is beautiful." Tawny said, looking up.
A few steps behind, B.J. was beginning to grasp what the others had had a few hours to adjust to. "So, lemme get this straight, Valerie...these guys can breathe fire, headslam things, and pitch shards of God-knows-what like knives, right?"
"Apparently." She replied.
"And yet...they need US, who at best can pull cheap moves from a wrestling match? Am I the only one who sees a flaw in the logic here?"
Valerie shrugged. "That's what they're telling us."
"It's spiritual. A bond, intangible, between the lifeforce of the human and the Digimon...at least, that's the theory." Monodramon interceded.
"Like a Feng Shui thing? Chi or whatever?" B.J. asked.
The dragon digimon nodded, crossing his arms. "That's the human answer, I guess."
"I just don't see it. I mean...you guys just...I SAW what you guys did." He pointed to each example as he mentioned it. "Veemon hit one of them headfirst at Mach 2 and didn't snap his neck, Renamon leapt 20 feet in the air, which is a feat even WITHOUT those shards, Impmon pitched fire like a fastball...the idea of needing us sounds downright ridiculous."
"Ridiculous or not, it is true." Renamon said simply, slowing her pace until she walked abreast with Monodramon and the two humans. "And that is even BEFORE what you in particular are presumed to be."
"And what's that?" Valerie said curiously.
"Soldiers." Tawny said simply. "Digital Soldiers."
"And how would you know?" Andrew said skeptically. "The Dream Dragon tell you?"
"Do not speak ill of Azulongmon." Monodramon growled.
"X explained it." Tawny replied shyly.
"You TOLD her?" Renamon said, sounding agitated. "Do you realise you could have scared her off?"
X crossed his arms and casually replied "I explained all I knew.", unashamed to admit it.
"Alright, what's going on here?" Rachael said angrily. "What're you hiding?"
"Don't be mad, Rachael! We couldn't take it at first either!" Impmon said, tugging on her sleeve. She quickly pulled her hand away.
"What've you dragged us into? TALK!" B.J. growled.
Renamon sighed. "Let's find a place to relax...this will take some time."
Less than five minutes later, the nearly dozen travelers were seated in a clearing in a sparse forest. A loose circle of old logs gave the space the feel of a campsite.
"Monodramon, this is your territory...you know more about myths, human and digital, than anyone else." Renamon said quietly.
"Okay, spill about this Soldier thing." Andrew said.
Monodramon took a deep breath. "The Digital Soldiers are a legend that crops up every few generations, or sometimes just a decade or two apart. Most think it's an ancient myth because the Elder Council can somehow wipe their existence from the minds of those who need not remember them."
"Conspiratorial, almost." Tawny mumbled.
Monodramon ignored the comment. "Each generation of them varies, from numbers to how they are composed. Each Soldier is representative of one of the Nine Elements of the Digital World; Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Earth, Ice, Light, Darkness, and Soul. The Soldiers are called upon to deal with forces the Digital World alone cannot handle."
"So what, we're superheroes? C'mon!" Valerie looked ready to burst out laughing.
X responded. "Yes, and no. Of course, you're not expected to do it alone. You have us."
"Well, we know YOU'RE capable. It's us I worry about." B.J. said.
"Well, there is something to help THAT as well..." Veemon said. "The Arms of the Elements. Weapons suited to each Soldier. I remember that."
"Weapons?" Andrew said. "I'm not comfortable holding ANYTHING that could hurt someone."
"They grant some control over their particular force. In addition to that, there are even other abilities inherent to the Digital Soldiers." Monodramon finished.
"Like what?" Rachael asked.
"Even I don't know that." Monodramon said, looking down. "All I know is that the Elder Council called us, and said that humans were coming...our partners...and the next Digital Soldiers. I realize this all seems farfetched, even impossible."
"Damn right! Me a hero? I can't even make a hero sandwich!" B.J. joked weakly.
"There is nothing to be done about it. As far as the Council is concerned, you ARE the next wave of Digital Soldiers, and we are your partners." Renamon said it as though simple fact.
"We found it hard to accept too..." Veemon said. "But we accepted it. You guys can too."
"This is a hell of a lot. What are we supposed to do about it?" Tawny said, staring at her feet.
"What Azulongmon told you to do. Go east." X said.
"Like NOTHING happened?" Valerie said indignantly.
Monodramon sighed. "Not really."
"You guys have been taking us for a ride this whole time..." Rachael muttered angrily.
"We didn't mean to, Rachael, honest!" Impmon said. "We wanted to ease you guys into it! Humans aren't famous for even accepting the fact they're not on their world anymore...how were we supposed to spring THIS on you?"
"Well, we have nowhere better to be..." Valerie said, defeated. "We may as well go with it."
"Yeah...but I'm gonna be watching what you do and say for a while!" B.J. replied, glaring at Veemon, who shrank back a bit.
"Fine. Let's continue." Renamon said, standing. "At the pace we were going, we should reach Mechtropolis by midday."
"Mechtropolis?" Andrew asked.
"A city built around a number of old factories." Monodramon replied. "They make almost everything there."
"Maybe we can get some supplies." X suggested. "I do not think humans live in the wild like we can."
"Maybe we can hit a restauraunt too, I'm starvin'!" Impmon added.
"Me too! We haven't eaten in a day, at least!" Veemon held his stomach, which growled audibly, as if on cue.
"I'm hungry too." Tawny said, half-whining.
"Let's just go." Valerie said, picking up her backpack.
The bulk of their journey was in silence, each staring into space, placing one foot in front of the other, zombie-like.
So, we're these so-called Soldiers... Valerie thought to herself, not knowing each of the others were thinking along the same lines.
Us, save the world? C'mon! Rachael shook her head in disbelief.
I don't even know these people, how can I trust them? Andrew wrung his hands as he worried.
How can THEY trust ME? B.J. thought, looking from person to person.
Tawny instead looked at each Digimon in turn. I hope their faith in us is justified...
"Tawny? Tawny, are you alright?" X asked, shaking her arm.
She broke from her reverie. "Huh? Oh...I'm fine, I guess."
"You aren't. Even with what I told you at first, you're scared."
She smirked. "Busted. Yeah, I'm scared."
"It'll be fine, promise." X hugged his partner tightly for a second. "You would not be a Digital Soldier if you were not meant to be...if you could not handle it."
"Maybe." She said quietly, not believing it.
"You CAN handle it, Tawny. You'll see." X said reassuredly.
"I hope so..."
"I see buildings!" Rachael cried, running ahead.
B.J. was close behind. "Industrial buildings, factories...this must be Mechtropolis."
"You got it!" Impmon replied. "Mechtropolis: If ya can't get it here, then ya don't need it!"
"You seem to know a lot." Monodramon said as he and Valerie approached.
Impmon smiled proudly. "You want to know about big business, you talk to me."
"One problem, guys...those Scubamon sure weren't big on humans...do we really wanna walk into a city full of strange Digimon?" B.J. said, remembering the half-dozen near-impalings he dodged.
"Good point." Monodramon said, thinking. "It's obvious the enemy is everywhere."
"So what do we do?" Tawny asked. "Disguises?"
"We have nothing to work with." Andrew said. "Unless someone has an entire wardrobe in their bag." At this, everyone searched through their bags to see what they had.
"I've got my sweatshirt, organizer, and stuff for class." Valerie reported.
"Pretty much the same for me." Tawny added.
"I've got my laptop...not like that'd help, the water probably trashed it." B.J. said. "Don't even have my blading equipment...must have lost them coming to this world."
Rachael sighed and zipped her bag back up. "Nothing of use here..."
"Me neither..." Andrew added. "Just my art stuff...sketchbook, pencils and grease pencils...glue, chalk, paints and brushes..."
"Oil or water?" Renamon asked.
Andrew blinked. "Huh?"
"Nevermind, they'll do. Impmon, Veemon, everyone, huddle." The other Digimon grouped around the fox, whispering.
"What're they talking about?" Andrew asked.
B.J. shook his head. "Dunno."
"Yeah! That'll work...maybe." Veemon cried.
"Take a lot of work..." Monodramon added.
Renamon stood up again. "Andrew, empty your bag...the rest of you, anything not valuable, dump it."
"What do you mean?" Tawny asked.
"Paper and such...expendable materials." X noted. Everyone began sorting through their belongings. Soon they had a pile of paper, textbooks and such.
"Not like that Final is a concern anymore..." Rachael joked, throwing her books into the pile. Renamon nodded. "Right...Let's get to work...X, Impmon, prep the materials. Veemon, set up the paints. I'll gather additional materials." She shot off back into the woods.
"Valerie...can I borrow your sweater?" Monodramon asked.
"What do you need it for?" She asked.
"Look, I promise I'll replace it..."
"REPLACE IT? What are you gonna DO to it?" She said suspiciously.
"Just let me have your sweatshirt!" Monodramon pleaded.
"Fine." Valerie said, fishing it out of her bag.
"Don't worry! This is a BRILLIANT Idea!" He said.
Some Time Later...
"THIS was your brilliant Idea?" Valerie cried.
"Considering the supplies we had on hand, this is actually very good." X said simply.
Over the last hour, the digimon had made papier mache, and along with branches and such from the woods, which Renamon had carefully shaped, they formed accurate, if slightly crude accessories to their disguise Ideas. Andrew's paints had been key in making them as believable as possible.
"Man...this was my favourite sweatshirt..." Valerie griped...it had been cut, molded and painted into a blue and white pelt, complete with a mask-like head made from the hood...a paper-mache, yellow-orange horn had been glued to it, positioned to rest in the middle of her forehead, not to mention her face painted to match.
Monodramon reassured his partner. "It works! You may not look EXACTLY like a Gabumon, but you'll pass!"
"And what the heck am I? Where'd you find all these feathers?" Rachael said. "This mantle-thing is really heavy, and I can't see well through this helmet."
"I had to reinforce it to hold the wings up. You make a good Garudamon, even if you are really, REALLY small for one..." Impmon said. "Just watch how you walk...took forever to mold those talons on your shoes..."
"What about me? I look like a Mushroom!" Andrew complained, pushing the bizarre cap out of his eyes, adjusting the purple gloves made from remnants of Val's sweater, and staring at his similarly-painted shoes.
Renamon sighed. "Mushroomon, Andrew. It was all I could think of...are you uncomfortable?"
He crossed his arms and grumbled. "Not PHYSICALLY..."
"This isn't BAD...I feel like that kid in Elementary who had to be a tree in school plays, though." Tawny commented on her own attire, leaves everywhere, skin painted green, and a huge tropical flower tied to her head. "So what am I, X?"
"Palmon. Remember it, in case we get separated." X said. "I think I did the best job..."
"This stuff's makin' my face itch, and my scalp too." B.J. grumbled.
"Don't scratch, it'll come off!" Veemon said, holding up his hands. B.J. was wearing a papier mache helmet with molded horns, blue and white face paint, and glued-on claws...a large papier mache horn was even glued to his nose, and a tail to the back of his jeans.
"You look like Veemon's big brother!" Tawny laughed.
"Veedramon, actually." Renamon said. "So you ARE correct."
"There IS a resemblance..." Valerie said, stifling her own laughter.
"Guys, c'mon!" B.J. shrugged it off. "But...won't our clothes give us away?"
"Nah, some digimon have clothes...most of us don't prefer them." Impmon said. "You'll stick out a bit, so be careful." Impmon paced in front of them. "All right, troops, this has to be believable, so listen up! If you don't know what someone's talking about, play dumb...you'll be doing that a lot."
The disguised humans glared at him.
"Hey, it's the truth! Second, stay with the group, or at least one of us whenever you can...Finally, remember your cover...just as a test, Sound Off!"
"Garudamon, SIR!" Rachael shot off sarcastically.
"Gabumon...I STILL don't like this Idea..." Valerie said.
"P...Palmon?" Tawny said, not sure she remembered. X nodded.
"How embarassing...Mushroomon..." Andrew said, arms still crossed in agitation.
B.J. sighed. "Vee..dramon...Right?"
"Good!" Mondramon said. "Time for the acid test. Let's go."
"Company...Forward...MARCH!" Impmon called out, taking point. "Hup, two, three, four, hup, two, three four..."
"Impmon?" Rachael said, adjusting her helmet.
"Yeah Rach...I mean Garudamon?" He replied
All the humans chimed in with her. "Give it a rest!"
"Fine, Sheesh, some Digimon you guys make..."
Getting into town turned out to be quite simple...though the humans in their Digi-Disguises got a few stares, and overheard mumbled comments about their appearance, no one seemed to see through the paint and plaster.
"This wasn't so hard!" Andrew/Mushroomon said, still fidgeting with his gloves.
"I STILL feel silly." B.J./Veedramon replied.
"It doesn't matter. The material is doing its job." Renamon said cooly. "Now...let's procure what we need."
"Right!" Tawny/Palmon began listing things off on her fingers. "Food, basic camping stuff, maybe a map..."
"I wanna get my laptop looked at." B.J./Veedramon interceded.
"One thing we're forgetting, guys...how are we going to PAY?" Veemon asked. All ten of them paused, and the humans checked their pockets.
"Twenty Bucks U.S...." Rachael/Garudamon replied.
"I'm flat broke." Tawny/Palmon said.
Andrew/Mushroomon nodded. "Same here."
"I've got nothing but pocket change." Valerie/Gabumon added. "Is there a currency exchange? Will it even take what we have?"
"There should be...small amounts of currency from your world are flowing around..." Monodramon said sagely.
"B...I mean...Veedramon? What do you have?" Impmon asked.
"N...Nothin'." he stammered.
"Liar, I know you have some, I saw your wallet!" Veemon said.
"Hold him!" Renamon said, grabbing an arm, others following suit. B.J./Veedramon put up one hell of a fight, but was held fast, and his wallet checked.
"Wow...120 bucks! Granted that's Canadian, but it'll help!" Tawny/Palmon said, handing back the wallet.
"Not fair! I just got paid!" B.J./Veedramon whined, snatching back the wallet. "I didn't even get to catch a movie or get lunch or ANYTHING!"
"It's for the cause. I had to give up my Paints and paper..." Andrew/Mushroomon grumbled.
"Let's just find a currency exchange, then plan everything." Val/Gabumon said.
"There's one over this way." Impmon said, pointing. "I, uh, passed through here on the way to the coast."
The currency exchange was a simple stand made of molded plastic in the middle of the market, awnings set up to keep the sun and rain out. A Gazimon ran the stand. "Can I help you?" He asked cheerfully.
Renamon took the front. "We have some Terran currency we need exchanged."
Tawny/Palmon leaned closer to B.J./Veedramon. "Terran?"
"It's like the latin name for Earth, or something like that. I'm not sure." He said, shrugging.
"I'll need to examine it...someone came through a while ago with some fake Japanese bills." He said. "Let's see it."
Rachael/Garudamon felt something behind her, and looked beneath a molded wing to see Impmon staying out of the Gazimon's sight. "Is that so..." She said a little sarcastically.
"Let's see..." He ran them over with what looked like a supermarket barcode scanner. "All genuine! Real United States and Canadian currency! This stuff is practically collector's goods."
"What is it worth?" Andrew/Mushroomon asked.
"One at a time..." The Gazimon checked a display on the cash register. "US Dollars to Digi-Dollars is 3 to 1, so that's 60 Digi-Dollars..."
"Wow, Cool!" Rachael/Garudamon said, beaming...the US currency had been HERS, after all.
"And Canadian...hmmm...Well, you guys really struck pay dirt. 7 to 1, so that's 840 Digi-Dollars!"
Four Digi-Disguised Humans jaws dropped...the fifth looked like someone struck him in the back of the head.
"WHAT?" Valerie/Gabumon began to rant. "How the hell can Canadian money be worth more than Ameri-MMMPH!" She was silenced and pulled away by Monodramon and X.
"That's 900 Digi-Dollars...thanks for your business." The Gazimon gave Renamon the money. She thanked him and turned away.
"Come on, everyone." Renamon said, laughing. B.J./Veedramon was the first to recover.
"About time we got our due." He chuckled, pushing Andrew's open jaw closed. The other's recovered after about half a block of marching dumbfounded.
"Okay, NOW what?" Andrew/Mushroomon asked.
"I'M holding the money." Rachael/Garudamon said, reaching for it.
"No way!" Tawny/Palmon grabbed her wrist. "I've SEEN you at the mall."
Impmon jumped in. "I'm the brains here, I should hold the money!" Soon he and all the humans were fighting, save for B.J./Veedramon, who sat there shaking a bit in agitation.
"STOP IT!" He cried. "This is totally immature! You're acting like CHILDREN, for God's Sake!"
Everyone paused...Impmon almost ready to bite Andrew/Mushroomon's arm.
"Look, let's split the money, do what we need to, and meet up later." B.J./Veedramon snatched up the pile of bills from Renamon and looked it over. "900, Divided by 5...that's 180...pair off with your partners. We'll each take our share, split up, and get what we can. Then we'll meet up..." He looked around. "Near that Pagoda thingie, and eat."
"...That sounds good." Impmon said.
"I can live with that." Rachael/Garudamon replied.
"Good." The disguised Dragon-Digi split up the bills and handed out each share. "Let's say, an hour? No, Hour and a half, okay?" Everyone agreed, and shot off.
"Wow...that was really mature of you, Veedramon." Veemon remarked.
"Thanks." B.J./Veedramon said.
"And NOBLE! Like 90 percent of that was yours, and you accepted having just a little so everyone could have some!" Veemon went on.
His partner sighed. "Don't remind me. C'mon, let's find a repair shop."
The time passed rather quickly, and 90 minutes later, the group began to trickle back together. Valerie/Gabumon and Monodramon were the first to reach the Pagoda like building, and awaited the others. B.J./Veedramon and Veemon were the next to return. "How'd it go?" She asked.
"Pretty good...My Laptop's fine, hard as it is to believe, and I got a wireless modem for it cheap! Apart from that, I didn't find much of real use, but I did get this!" He pulled a book from his bag. "It's a textbook on Digital World history and mythology! It's meant for little Digimon, so it shouldn't be too far over our clueless heads." He put it away. "What'd you get?"
"Not much...I spent my time in pubs trying to get information..." Valerie/Gabumon looked agitated.
Veemon tilted his head to one side. "What's the matter?"
Monodramon answered for her. "While in one establishment, a Sukamon tried to pick her up...nasty little creature. Va..I mean, Gabumon lost her temper...we had to pay to replace the chair she broke."
"Ugly yellow wad of sh*t-looking thing..." She muttered. "Not only that, we didn't learn anything."
"Hey Guys!" Andrew/Mushroomon and Renamon ran up.
"So how'd you fare?" Val/Gabumon asked.
"Ta-Da!" Andrew/Mushroomon pulled out a small device. "A Global Positioning System! And five wireless headsets in my pack! This place has the coolest stuff!"
Renamon sighed. "I had to keep him away from the Art Supply store..."
"But you didn't! I also got a new sketchbook and pencils!" Andrew/Mushroomon said, opening his pack to show them. "No one can silence an artist! No one MUST!" The rest of the group stared at him oddly.
"We're back! Didja miss us?" Impmon appeared, riding on Rachael/Garudamon's shoulder. "And I made the best costume, bar none!"
"How's that?" B.J./Veedramon asked.
Rachael/Garudamon adjusted her helmet, a little embarrassed. "Apparently, we Garudamon are pretty intimidating...everywhere we went we got great service, discounts..."
"Yeah...now if you'd only checked more places selling what we NEED, and less clothing stores!" Impmon said, leering.
"Hey, you have to be well-prepared! My clothes aren't gonna protect me in a blizzard!" She argued.
Her partner crossed his arms, grinning. "Riiight...I'm sure that Dark Blue number with the Jeans would have held up great."
She shrugged him off her shoulder. "Little snitch...I DID manage to go to a grocery store...you can get almost anything non-perishable here." She lifted up a loaded bag of provisions.
"Cool..." B.J./Veedramon said, then looked at his watch... "Where's, uh, Palmon? She's almost 15 minutes late."
"Funny..." Rachael/Garudamon said. "She's usually very punctual..."
Punctual wasn't her strong suit today, as Tawny/Palmon and X had not only failed to find anything they wanted...they had managed to get lost in the process.
"It has to have been an hour and a half...where's that Pagoda?" Tawny/Palmon whined.
"I don't know...the buildings are so tall here...and I smell grease and garbage...we're too close to the Industrial area." X muttered.
Tawny/Palmon sighed. "Let's find a high point to get our bearings...and rid ourselves of this smell! Ick!" She looked around. "There's good!"
Laughter came from behind them, and the duo spun around, facing down a trio of ugly, batwinged heads.
"Hey cutie..." One responded.
"What's a pretty little flower like you doing in a place like this?" Another added.
"Are they coming on to me? That's so wrong!" Tawny/Palmon said, making a face.
"Those are DemiDevimon." X muttered to her. "They may look like furry bowling balls, but their Evil Whisper is nothing to laugh at, and if you hated vaccinations, you'll LOATHE their Demi Dart! Their intentions are NEVER good, Palmon."
"Lost there, honey?" The third flew up to her, taking her wrist in it's feet. "We can help you out, for a price." He puckered up.
"Yuck! Buzz off, Bat-boy!" She pulled her hand away and slapped the creature clean across the face, the sound of the SMACK echoing through the empty alley.
"OW! You little tramp...I oughta..." He was cut short by X stepping between him and Tawny/Palmon, growling. "Is he a..."
"Boss! That Agumon's BLACK!" One said.
"I see that!" Three shot back.
"But Boss, that means he's the one the other Boss is looking for!" Two said.
"Is that so..." Three snapped his claws together. "Get him! And save the little blossom for me..."
"Right!" One and Two replied together, pulling needles from out of nowhere and throwing them. "Demi Dart!"
"Whoah!" Tawny/Palmon leapt back, the points embedding themselves in the concrete. "Those things are sharp!"
"Pepper Breath! HAH!" X coughed up a fireball at the pair, singing one's wing but not slowing it down.
"Evil Whisper!" All three cried, thick, choking fog pouring from their mouths.
"Tawny, we must run!" X said, coughing, and pushed the Palmon-Costumed girl away. The two broke into a run.
"You're not getting away!" The DemiDevimon gave chase, pulling out more syringes. "Demi Dart!"
"Palmon! X! Where are you?" Andrew/Mushroomon cried, looking around the dirty street. Renamon searched from a rooftop.
"Does anyone realize how funny it is trying to call for someone by a name that isn't theirs?" Rachael/Garudamon said.
"Screw the pseudonyms! TAWNY? TAWNY!" Valerie/Gabumon began shouting.
"Guys!" Tawny could be seen stumbling towards them, her costume making her clumsy.
"Keep Running!" X was right behind, making sure Tawny didn't stop.
They rushed right by. Everyone blinked.
B.J./Veedramon scratched his head. "What was that about?"
"Demi Dart!" Three bizarre flying creatures soared past, pitching needles at the sprinting pair.
"Nevermind..." B.J./Veedramon gave chase, soon joined by the rest.
The chase led straight to an abandoned factory, it's gate left wide open. Without a second thought the black lizard and the Digi-Plant pretender went in, and toward the main building, the enemy and their allies hot on their heels.
Speaking of HOT...the inside of the building was a sauna! Vats and troughs of molten metal flowed about the derelict building as though someone had forgotten to stop them.
"Did we lose them?" Tawny said, gasping for breath.
X was similarly tired. "No...but we can ambush them here..."
"Think again! Evil Whisper!" The choking smoke forced them from their hiding place into the open.
"We shoulda stuck with one of the others..." Tawny lamented.
"We've had just about enough of you!" One sneered.
"Yeah! Just you wait! We're gonna call the Boss!" Three said.
The Trio lined up in a triangular formation, and began circling one another. Dark energy gathered, forming a portal from which a large, demonic monster stepped, just as the others caught up.
Renamon's eyes grew wide. "Devimon!"
"Who?" Andrew/Mushroomon asked.
"Devimon..." Monodramon began. "One hardcore evil Virus-type Digimon. His Death Claw slices through ANYTHING like warm butter!"
"Boss! We found the troublemaker for ya! The Black Agumon!" Three began, the other two taking up subservient positions, heads bowed low.
"X...what are they talking about?" Tawny asked nervously.
X's glare never left Devimon. "Before I got the call, I'd been here for a few weeks preventing crime...this guy and his underlings are a chief source of misery for the people of Mechtropolis."
"You've been spoling my fun for a while now, X, and I'd almost thought you'd packed up and gone...but luckily you're back, and with a friend, too...poor thing seems to be wilting in this heat..." Devimon gloated.
"I'm startin' to feel sick..." Tawny/Palmon wavered on her feet...the plant life woven into her costume was drying up and withering away. The huge tropical flower slid off her head.
"What the heck?" Two muttered.
One's eyes went wide. "She's not a Palmon! She's one of those humans!"
Tawny looked herself over... "Uh oh..."
"She's busted..." Andrew/Mushroomon mumbled.
B.J./Veedramon turned to the others. "C'mon, we gotta back them up!"
"More troublemakers!" Devimon said, turning his gaze to where the others hid. "DemiDevimon squad, deal with them. The Agumon is mine..." The trio headed for the others.
X stepped in front of Tawny, facing Devimon. "You want me, you have me, but Tawny stays out of it."
"I'm afraid not, my dark-skinned, reptilian adversary...being Human, she's worth quite a lot to the right people...and being a friend of yours, she deserves to share your fate! Death Claw!" With a swing of Devimon's hand, a crescent-shaped beam of black energy soared toward them both, forcing them to dive aside in opposite directions.
"Demi Dart!" Two thrust a syringe at Rachael/Garudamon, who only put her arms up in defense.
"Bada BOOM!" Impmon's fireball knocked the needle off course. Rachael backed away to try and think, only to have one of her phony wings graze a trough of molten metal.
"Aaah! My Wing's on fire! Put me out!" In one swift move she rid herself of the mantle and helmet.
"Hey...this one's a fake too!" Two commented.
"They all are!" Three added.
"Not quite...Diamond Storm!" Renamon let fly with a focused stream of her icy projectiles. Three darted about rapidly to dodge them.
"So much for the costumes..." Andrew said thankfully, tossing aside the mushroom-cap hat and pulling off the gloves.
"Evil Whisper!" One had B.J. choking on fumes with little place to go, coughing so hard the papier-mache horns on his head and nose fell off. "That'll do him...now...Demi Dart!"
B.J. ducked beneath the cloud as the syringe flew in after him...for a second, nothing happened...then the same dart came out back the way it came. "Think Fast!"
"What-AAAGH!" The dart pierced One's Wing, and he fell to the ground, twitching as though paralyzed.
Two was scanning the area. "Where'd the Gabumon go? Here puppy puppy..."
"Over here, ya flying rat!" Valerie jumped out behind it and threw her makeshift pelt over the DemiDevimon. Unable to flap its wings, it fell to the ground, stuggling to get out from under the garment.
"Allow me...Beat Knuckle!" Monodramon laid in a heavy punch to the trapped bundle, sending it rolling into a dumpster and knocking it unconscious.
Three looked at the turning tide. "This isn't good...forget the Boss, I'm outta here!" It flew out an open window.
"Now to help Tawny..." Rachael ran back towards the centre of the factory...but just as she rounded a corner, Impmon yanked her back...before she could step into a flow of molten metal. "Whoah!"
"Slow it down, Rach, unless you wanna be Extra Crispy!" Impmon said, still tugging her away as the scalding mass spread. The others fanned out, but found no way past, until they climbed to a catwalk above the factory. From there, they could see that Devimon had shattered vat after vat with his Death Claw, effectively boxing in Tawny and X...who was pushing himself to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"What happened, Black One? Where's this strength and intelligence I heard about...or was it just dumb luck?" Devimon gloated. X charged him in a fury, but the larger Digimon merely caught him by the throat, and threw him out of the magma-bordered battlefield.
"X!" Tawny cried, before turning her gaze on Devimon. "You dirty..."
"Say all you want...because before I finish the lizard, I'm going to make charcoal out of you!" Devimon took to the air, and turned to one last undamaged vat, easily one of the largest.
"Hope you can swim...as if it would do you any good! Death Claw!" The black beam cleaved the vat open, its beyond boiling contents flowing out, coating the floor and speeding toward her.
Tawny searched frantically...everywhere the molten metal was still hot, and far too wide to jump...and the wave was advancing. With nothing left to do she covered her face with her arms and waited, praying for a miracle.
"Say goodbye to your litttle Friend, Black One!" Devimon said, grasping the downed digimon and turning his wide-eyed stare at the trapped human. Above him, the others watched in fear, some holding a furious Rachael back as she cursed and threatened the Devil Digimon, ready to jump down on him.
Just before the wave would reach her, something began to glow under Tawny's feet...a glyph of some kind...and a column of flames appeared around the mark, encompassing her...the molten metal beat against the barricade, and flowed around it.
Tawny brought her hands down, and looked around her. "What the...what is this? I'm not even warm!"
Monodramon was leaning over the rail. "It's a Sacred Glyph, the Digital Symbol for Fire! Tawny! Tawny, touch the glyph!"
Whether she heard or not, she was kneeling, her fingers brushing against the mark on the floor...she heard a tone, and pulled out the device she'd found before arriving.
"Uplink Completed." The device spoke. "Loading..."
The molten flow around her cooled and hardened almost instantly, before the flaming barricade, and the glyph itself were soaked into her device.
What the heck is- she thought, until she felt a prescence in her head, speaking calmly to her. What? Well...okay, I trust you... She turned to Devimon with an angry glare. "Drop the Agumon!"
Devimon laughed. "Just because you managed to live, you think I'm afraid of you? What do you possibly think you can do if I don't?"
She confidently smirked at him. "How about this?" She readied her device before her, in both hands. "Soldier Program - Fire, Upload!
Flames poured from the device, latching onto her clothes, until it looked like she was burning...her red shirt darkened to black, as did much of what she was wearing...designs like flames sprang up on her shirt and the legs of her jeans, while her spiked collar and bracelets turned a much darker red. The device stretched and grew, forming a pair of red and black nunchaku.
Monodramon was stunned. "She Soldier-shifted...and there's the ultimate proof! One of the Arms of the Elements! The Fire Flail!"
"Uh...what does it mean?" Darkness asked.
Even Renamon was so stunned her usual calm was gone. "It means the myths are true! The Digital Soldiers exist! And Tawny is the Digital Soldier of Fire!"
"Impossible!" Devimon cried. "They're just a myth! It's not real!"
"What? I don't look real to you?" She grinned and held her weapon out before her. "Maybe THIS will convince you! Ember Rave!" She began swinging the nunchaku, small fireballs flying forth from each swing, spiraling toward Devimon.
"My cue to exit!" X kicked Devimon in the stomach, forcing himself free and rolled away as the projectiles bombarded the enemy.
"This is...a dream..." Devimon groaned, barely standing.
"Nope...it's your worst nightmare!" She charged in and began beating the digimon viciously with the Fire Flail, each contact creating a burst of flame. "Hot Seat!"
"Ugh...Death Claw!" The battered Devimon managed to backhand her roughly, and the following crescent of energy knocked her across the open space, flat on her back.
"Tawny!" X cried, then growled at Devimon. "No one...touches...my PARTNER..." Tawny's weapon glowed, firing a bolt of bright energy into X, who was overtaken by the light.
"X...digivolve to Greymon!" X had become a massive black tyrannosaur-like creature with a horned helmet.
"I'm not going down like this..." Devimon groaned, and readied both hands. "Double Death-"
X took a deep breath, and with a cry of "Nova Blast!" coughed up a massive ball of fire. it exploded on contact, sending the Devil digimon flying.
"This isn't happening! The Soldiers are..." He didn't get to finish the remark as he burst into data. It swarmed around the building before splitting, equal parts soaking themselves into both Digimon and human.
"Wow...that was...oh jeez..." Tawny wavered and fell back, he clothes returning to normal, and the weapon turning into her device again...X caught her before she could fall.
"You okay?" He asked.
"I feel lightheaded..."
The others caught up to her, Andrew being the first. "That...was...INCREDIBLE! The pyrotechnics and the ass-kicking, and the flash and fire...and...WHOAH...you're way bigger up close, X!" X grinned back, showig a few too many teeth, and Andrew backed away.
"That was an unbelievable display! No one picking up a NORMAL weapon like that could have been so proficient! You really ARE fit for the Role!" Monodramon said enthusiastically.
"So...The Soldiers ARE Real...and we're them...at least Tawny is..." Rachael said quietly.
"That was cool! Hey Tawny, do it again! C'mon!" Impmon said, bouncing up and down like an excited child.
"I don't think I can...I'm so tired..." Tawny was barely standing on her own. "C'mon...let's get out of here..."
A few minutes later, everyone was leaving the Industrial district headed back toward the markets, the sun just beginning to set in the west.
"Tawny's discovery and transformation prove we're destined for great things!" Monodramon continued to babble on excitedly.
"It also means great hardship." Renamon said simply.
"What if we're not all Soldiers, though?" Valerie asked.
Andrew laughed. "C'mon! If Miss Quiet and Unassuming is a Digital Soldier, how hard can it be?" He felt a tap on his shoulder, turned, and was suddenly grabbed by the collar, Tawny glaring into his eyes.
"What was that, DORKness?" She scowled.
"N..Nothing...Nothing at all!" He said nervously. "I didn't hear anything, did you guys? Heh heh..." His expression changed to fear. "Please don't burn me! I take it back!"
"That's what I thought." She let him go, smiled, and moved to the front of the group. "Now, who's for dinner?"
"Me!" Multiple voices chorused.
"Cool...I'm buying." She said. "Hope you guys don't mind if we avoid barbecue for a while..."
"I'm all for that!" Rachael chimed in, remembering her overly-flammable wings.
"Well, the costumes are gone...now what do we do?" B.J. said. "They itched, but at least we weren't threatened."
Tawny chuckled. "No one will mess with us! C'mon! We're Digital Soldiers! Now let's go EAT already!"
Veemon leaned in to speak to X. "She's changed a lot in a day...she was so quiet before, now look at her! She's happy, energetic..."
"Confident..." X added... "That's what I see most...Confidence...and it couldn't happen to a better person..."
Many miles away, a quivering hagurumon soared up a long hall, toward a single, black throne.
"M...Master...News has come from Mechtropolis...our local influence has been..." He gulped. "E-Eliminated."
"Noted. Carry on." A shadowed voice replied.
"B...But Master Malevolemon...what about-"
The voice grew agitated. "Devimon was an incompetent peon, not worth the time taken to look at him. We won't bother replacing him. Carry on."
The Gear-Shaped Digimon shivered as he continued. "Another thing, Master...one survivor of the incident claims there were humans there...and one female has learned to harness flames to her benefit."
The figure straightened in his chair. "WHAT?" He calmed himself. "Did she have...a weapon? A pair of Nunchaku?"
"Yes, sire..."
The figure sat back, sighing angrily. "That'll be all. Dismissed."
"Yes sire...praise the rule that will be yours, Master Malevolemon." The hagurumon made a hasty retreat.
"The Council finally makes a move..." He turned to his side, where a crystal chess set lay...he picked up a single, glossy pawn, and set it forward two spaces. "Took them and their visier long enough...let's see how these humans play the field, before I plan my Gambit..."
He chuckled. "Digital Soldiers...the fate of our world on the shoulders of HUMANS...this is no contest...it is a joke! We'll see what the council thinks of their precious legends when they find themselves in shallow graves!" Laughter rung loudly through the hall, frightening bats and creatures nestled in its darker corners.
Who's this guy think he is? What's he after...and what's with the lousy chess metaphors? You'll have to wait and see, until the next Digimon, Digital Soldiers!