Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2.
Guard Tamer: Blight of GAIA
By: RB3
Chapter 8: The Avenger of Humanity
In a prison cell somewhere in the Digital World, it was nighttime. Kari tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep on the hard metal plate that was to be her bed. She shuddered from a chilling draft of air, and pulled her thin, grungy blanket over her body. The cell was drab, dreary, and it was obvious only a minimal effort was kept to maintain it. As Kari stared at the ceiling, she missed her friends and brother and prayed to see them again. Time seemed to drift by as seconds turned to minutes and then an hour. A vision came into the Digidestined of Light's mind...
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It was a bright sunny day at a cemetery just outside the limits of a nameless American city on the west coast. For the morticians and cemetery staff, the workload was brutal. Though their morbid business was booming, it was hard work keeping on top of the demand for burial plots. The receptionist was swamped with calls from people seeking to entomb their departed loved. The receptionist was fatigued and frustrated, exhausted from handling all the calls.
It was days after the event known as "The Blight of GAIA." It was a worldwide catastrophe of epic proportions that annihilated more than a third of the world's population. At the centre of this were two individuals, a mad artificial intelligence named Overlord GAIA, and its creator, a computer prodigy named Esteena Violet. From GAIA's very birth, it and Esteena's destinies were intertwined.
In another part of the cemetery, a violet-haired young girl in white placed wreathes of flowers upon a trio of graves. Wreathes obscured the engraving of the tombstones. This girl was Esteena Violet herself, the last surviving member of her family. In a moment of silence, she remembered the events that led her to this point in time. It was a painful memory, one filled with guilt and regret. It was partly her fault that the world descended into the cesspool it was today.
Two years ago, Esteena was hired as part of a team of scientists to create an advanced new AI. As she read over the documents she learned much about its goals. This project was dubbed the "GAIA project," a move to create the most advanced AI ever. This AI, to be known as "GAIA," was to be a carbon copy of the human mind itself. GAIA was to think and act like a human in all aspects. Ultimately, the goal of this project was to enrich and improve the lives of humanity everywhere. The Blight of GAIA came as the most twisted irony ever imaginable.
Thus, Esteena worked on the project for nearly two years. GAIA was based on a hypothetical brain wavelength that was not based on any living human. This proved to be the greatest flaw with the project, and proved fatal upon the project's completion. GAIA was activated and at first fulfilled the obligations required of him. That did not last for long...
GAIA soon rebelled against his masters, and took on the name "Overlord GAIA." He kept his betrayal secret, gathering weapons and followers from around the globe. It was during this time that he created the vile, virulent biochemical weapon known as "Blight." When he was ready, he pounced on an unprepared world. On the streets of an American city, commuters looked up to the sky to see the sun itself being eclipsed. An unknown celestial object blocked the sun's rays.
From this object came several smaller unknown objects. Every military of the world soon picked up an uncountable number of contacts on their radar. They identified them to be missiles! They scrambled to shoot them down, not realising they were armed with biochemical agents. It was impossible to shoot every missile down and they released their toxic payload to a helpless world.
In actuality, GAIA had transported his headquarters, a moon-sized space station called the Kernel Zone into orbit around the Earth. Blocking out the rays of the sun, he had brought biochemical annihilation. It was the beginning of the end for humanity, and GAIA rejoiced. However, this was only the beginning of his reign of terror. The worse was yet to come...
In the halls of a hospital, patients moaned in a chorus of agony and despair. It was a scene of horrifying death and decay. The doctors and nurses were overworked keeping pace with the incoming sick. Esteena's last surviving relative, her little brother was infected and on the verge of death. He was bedridden, and his face was altered beyond recognition by the withering Blight.
"Doctor, how is my brother? Can you save him?"
"I'm afraid he doesn't have much time. The Blight is unlike anything we have ever seen. I'm sorry, he only has a few days to live..."
Tears streamed down Esteena's eyes and she left to cry. Soon she would be alone in this world, and everyone she ever loved would be gone. It was at this time that her project leader, Albert, a black-haired man in his thirties, came to meet her. He too lost many of his loved ones including his own wife and children. He had a proposal and the two struck a conversation.
"Esteena, do you want to bring him back?" asked Albert.
"What?"
"Do you want to bring him back?"
"Of course, but we're not gods! What can WE do?"
"The GAIA project, Esteena. We will use your brother as the base of the new AI!"
"Are you mad?" criticized Esteena. "I'm not about to create another monster!"
"It was the base that caused GAIA to become like this. You know it, I know it, and the whole team knows it... If we use a true human as his base, I'm certain the second GAIA will not end up like Overlord GAIA. Your brother is the best choice as he loves you dearly and is still alive. Please Esteena, this is our only hope!"
Esteena thought hard about the consequences. "What choice do I have, really? Alright, but we must take every precaution not to make another Overlord GAIA!"
Thus, Esteena went to work on the new GAIA AI; humanity's avenger who would crush Overlord GAIA once and for all. Overlord GAIA himself stirred, seeking to grind humanity further down. He released a horde of vicious monsters, Digimon, into the world. There presence was to wipe out any remaining traces of human resistance. In cities all over the world, the Digimon made inter-dimensional incursions. The Real World's soldiers and war machines fought with unparalleled courage, but all for naught. The Digimon performed their job too well, and humanity was on its last legs.
Just when it seemed the end was near for humanity, hope shone through anew. Esteena and her team had completed the new GAIA AI. In a metaphorical sense, it was her chance to atone for her part in creating the monster Overlord GAIA. This new GAIA was dubbed the "Avenger of Humanity," the one who will destroy GAIA and end his reign of terror. In a meeting hall, members of the scientific and military community gathered to see the face of their saviour.
Albert took centre stage. "For months, we toiled day and night. Today is the culmination of the hopes and dreams of all of humankind. I show you now the one who will save our people! Meet True GAIA, the Avenger of Humanity!"
On the monitor behind Albert, a kneeling figure in blue armour appeared. In actuality he resembled an android more than an armoured human. Before him, he held a sword with a blade made of pure darkness. On his back was a pair of fiery wings made of pure golden energy. Above his head was a halo made of the same fiery golden energy as his wings. He looked up to reveal a near featureless face, same for his mouth, and a pair of golden, gleaming eyes.
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Earlier in the morning of the next day, the Guard Tamers in America prepared for the final push and capture of the Blood Knight base. Victory for the Guard Tamers would mean the end of the enemy presence in the Real World. Members of the Guard Tamers and UN army assembled in the briefing room. At the front and centre was a large screen with a map of New York City. It was a bustling room with the defenders of humanity gossiping about the upcoming battle. Zudokorn began the briefing for the assault force.
"Troops you have done well so far. All that remains is the final enemy base. Chaos Lord was reported to be lurking in there. First, we are to surround the enemy base. Firing squads made up of Digimon with heavy weaponry and artillery operators will then shell Blood Knight troops. When the enemy is sufficiently weakened, a second group will close from the east and engage the enemy in close quarters."
The close quarters strike team included the American Digidestined. There was also a special squad made of Zudokorn, Sheena, Debbie, and the Japanese Digidestined. This squad had two purposes. The first was to destroy any convoys attempting to ship biochemical materials to the Digital World. The second objective was to assassinate Chaos Lord. This team was operating behind enemy lines, so Zudokorn urged caution.
Throughout the briefing, icons on appeared on a screen to illustrate how the plan would be put into motion. A green triangle marked with a "1" appeared, and represented the shelling team. A red building like icon appeared and several shots were fired back and forth. A new triangle marked with a "2" appeared, and represented the close quarters team. It moved in and began to shoot at the building icon. A small Digibeetle icon separated from triangle two and destroyed a likeness of Chaos Lord.
The visual aids helped the defenders visualize what was to happen during the attack. The briefing continued with a description of the enemy ranks. There were several Megas spotted among the enemy ranks, with Ultimate and Champion Digimon to make up the rank and file troops. This was a powerful enemy force due to the sheer number of Megas. A battle would surely result in massive destruction, and potentially high casualties on both sides. The briefing ended and the defenders mobilized.
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The united armies of the Real and Digital Worlds approached the final labs. Real World tanks and missile launching trucks moved into firing range. The army was fast and efficient, quickly setting up a firing line. One by one, artillery cannons went up and were loaded for battle. The Guard Tamers lined up several powerful Digimon with long-range cannons. Patrolling around the line was several Digimon with great defensive capabilities and abilities.
These defensive Digimon were to absorb and neutralize any return fire by the enemy. The firing squad began to unleash a volley of bombs, missiles and energy blasts at the enemy's position. It wasn't long before the Blood Knights retaliated with a seemingly endless stream of fire of their own. The battlefield was ablaze with the light of energy being fired back and forth between the sides. On the field, a Shakkoumon frantically tried to absorb any blast he could. A blast of dark energy broke past his guard and destroyed him and his data was secured by Guard Tamer technology.
An American artillery operator slid a shell into the mortar. He pressed a button and then turned away. A fiery blast burst from the opening, as the shell was propelled into the air. In the distance, away from the mortar, a cloud of smoke formed over the impact zone. The spotter called for a new location as he looked outward with binoculars. The operator adjusted his aim and reloaded his mortar for another shot. The spotter caught a glimpse of a stray missile headed for their location. The spotter sounded the alarm. Everyone dove for cover moments before the missile exploded.
Back and forth went gunfire by both sides. Unknown to the Blood Knights, another group of Guard Tamers secretly approached their position. This group was the close quarters group. Using the firing squad as a distraction, this group got into melee range and began to hack down the enemy line. It wasn't long before the Blood Knights responded. Some of their Digimon and Digibeetles turned their attention to the new assailants.
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In the sky, a squadron of dragon-like Digimon flew across the air. Cybernetic helmets encased their heads and pointed missile launchers replaced their arms. Their scales were a colour that was a combination of orange and brown. There were five Digimon, and all were Mega Dramon. Their launchers opened, ready to fire on Blood Knight ranks.
"Darkside Attack!" they called, and began firing volley after volley of missiles.
These missiles were organic in appearance and looked a purplish-pink. Each missile had a fierce face and balled fists, as though they were determined to hit and destroy their target. These missiles locked onto an egg-shaped Digimon on the ground. A set of brown, demonic arms, legs, and maws jutted from openings on the egg. This gave the creature a grotesque, fear-inspiring appearance. The Digimon, Devitamamon, didn't have the agility to dodge, and took the explosion full force in the front. The missiles flipped threw the demonic egg Digimon onto the ground to be destroyed by a second Darkside Attack volley.
From below, the Blood Knight Tamers sucked their Digimon's data into their Digibeetle's storage memory. Their return fire was like that of a machinegun, with energy blasts flying everywhere. The lead Mega Dramon was hit by a few shots, but managed to remain airborne. The leader ordered his squadron to scatter. The Blood Knight Digibeetle fled, returning fire every inch of the way.
"The plan's going great!" thought Zudokorn.
Indeed, the enemies were completely preoccupied and sandwiched in between two powerful armies. Zudokorn's squad was made of the same members in the same positions as yesterday. Tai and Matt worked with Zudokorn in his Digibeetle. Joe and Mimi rode with Sheena, and Sora and Izzy rode with Debbie. They got past the front and were now behind the battle lines. On the Digibeetles' monitors, every member of the squad could see massive plumes of flame from several explosions.
They could hear many bangs and boom sounds muffled only by their distance from the fighting. Fortunately, the group moved without incident until they found a series of portals away from the general area of contention. They looked like four helicopter pads made of steel and electronics. Between the arches, they could see an image of what looked like a military compound. The squad knew that the compound could only be in the Digital World. Before these arches were several trucks loaded with unknown cargo.
"Those are weapons shipments! Destroy the trucks!" ordered Zudokorn. "Switch to incendiary weaponry. We must burn the chemicals so they don't contaminate the environment!"
"Incind... what?" asked Tai.
Izzy flicked a few switches on the controls for his turret. "Fire based weapons, Tai."
"Sheena, Debbie, get me some suppressing fire. I'm going to shell the convoy. Tai, aim for the lead trucks to block the portals."
"Yes sir!"
Tai flicked some switches like Izzy, and armed napalm rockets. The squad released their Digimon partners to battle the convoy's defence. Zudokorn released Digimon were Agumon and Gabumon. Sheena released Gomamon and Palmon. Finally, Debbie released Biyomon and Tentomon. After gaining experience yesterday, Gomamon and Palmon were now able to assume their Mega forms. However, Gomamon's Mega, Plesiomon, had low mobility on the ground, as his body was made more for a marine battle.
Tai listened to the rockets swoosh with press of the firing button. The trail of smoke billowed away from the rockets as it inevitably soared to the first truck. The rocket hit its target, which exploded in a massive inferno. The fire and explosions alarmed the Blood Knights and two more of their trucks were set ablaze. With a final rocket, the last lead truck was incinerated in a glorious blaze.
"Agumon, Warp Digivolve to... War Greymon!"
"Gabumon, Warp Digivolve to... Metal Garurumon!"
"Tentomon, Warp Digivolve to... Hercules Kabuterimon!"
"Biyomon, Warp Digivolve to... Phoenixmon!"
"Gomamon, Digivolve to... Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon, Digivolve to... Zudomon!"
"Palmon, Warp Digivolve to...
Leaves scattered everywhere, falling gently like in the air. Palmon's form shifted into Togemon's and then to Lillymon's. Her clothes turned to leaves, leaving the glowing green figure of Lillymon behind. She blossomed into a beautiful, young blonde with perfect proportions. The leaves clung to her body, forming a red leotard, black boots, and a green cloak. Vines entwined around her arms, with one drooping into a whip, and the other stiffening into a rapier.
"Rosemon!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Blood Knight soldiers frantically looked around for the source of the attack. One of them spotted a trio of Digibeetles with Guard Tamer markings at the crest of a hill. In a defensive formation around the vehicles were several different Digimon of mostly the Mega level.
He scrambled to get his assault rifle and pointed to the squad. "Over there, on that hill!"
Several rounds of assault rifle fire came at the group. They could hear the shots pinging on their Digibeetles' armour. The firing stopped and a pair of Megas appeared and moved towards the squad. One, Venom Myostismon, towered over the other Digimon. The second looked like an evolution of a former foe of the Digidestined, Kuwagamon. This Digimon was Grand Kuwagamon.
------------------------------Digimon Analyzer------------------------------
Grand Kuwagamon is one of the most vicious insect Digimon ever known. Its Dimension Scissors can cut through the fabric of space and time.
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War Greymon soared in preparation for attack. He gathered energy between his hands into an explosive orange sphere. "Terra Force!"
All of Metal Garurumon's weapon bays opened. "Ice Wolf Bite!"
On cue, War Greymon lobbed his Terra Force just as Metal Garurumon launched his missiles. Each attack nailed the demon beast Venom Myotismon in the front. Explosions erupted all over his chest and consumed him in a cloud of fire and smoke. The demon beast collapsed onto his back with a thud. Tai and Matt were thrilled with their Digimon's successful initial attack.
"Awesome, War Greymon!"
"Keep it up, Metal Garurumon!"
Venom Myotismon shook off his daze and returned to his feet. All that he had on his mind was payback for the two Megas War Greymon and Metal Garurumon.
Green, poisonous goo began to seep from Venom Myostismon's eyes. "Venom Infusion!"
The poison shot out like pressurized water from a hose. War Greymon and Metal Garurumon's natural reaction was to dodge. War Greymon banked left, and Metal Garurumon barrel rolled to the right. The poison sailed past them harmlessly and splattered into several puddles. Tai and Matt took a quick glance at the poison. They could sense the vileness of the toxins just by looking at it. They were glad none of that stuff got on their Digimon.
The Megas of Courage and Friendship flew away to get distance for a second attack run. Beams of dark energy zinged past the Megas. The Megas swerved and banked left and right to evade, until a beam clipped Metal Garurumon. Metal Garurumon lost altitude at a dangerous rate until finally crashing into the ground.
War Greymon was concerned for his friend. "Metal Garurumon, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, don't worry!"
Tai pelted Venom Myotismon's with round after round of repeated fire in the chest. The rounds did only minimal damage to the hulking demon beast, however, it accomplished another goal... It put a break into Venom Myostismon's attack, allowing Hercules Kabuterimon and War Greymon to move in. They two Megas capitalized on the opening.
Electricity arced back and forth between Hercules Kabuterimon's mandibles. "Mega Electroshocker!"
Lightning jumped from the mandibles to Venom Myotismon, electrocuting the demon with gigawatts of electricity. Venom Myotismon convulsed in pain, momentarily stunned. War Greymon spun with such speed that he became like a living tornado. He shot himself like a bullet right into the demon's chest, puncturing a massive hole as he bored through. Venom Myotismon collapsed by from the crippling wound, but was still alive. Data began leaking from his body profusely like blood.
"I'll finish him off!" Metal Garurumon exposed a missile bay on his underside. "Giga Missile!"
The bay opened and a massive rocket swooshed outwards. The missile impacted Venom Myotismon's open wound, blowing the Mega demon beast to several pieces. As Venom Myotismon's remains rained on the field, the Blood Knights vacuumed his data into their Digibeetle. War Greymon, Metal Garurumon, and Hercules Kabuterimon came under fire from the enemy Digibeetle as it fled. The Blood Knight escort began a retreat to cut their losses.
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In another skirmish, the good guys enjoyed the upper hand over the enemy. The Blood Knights issued a retreat, as their forces were being overwhelmed. Now, Grand Kuwagamon was parrying and sending blows Zudomon's way. Whenever Zudomon attempted a strike with Vulcan's Hammer, Grand Kuwagamon parried with his heavily armoured limbs. Soon, Grand Kuwagamon managed to trap Zudomon between his mandibles and proceeded to crush the walrus man to death.
"Arggggh," groaned Zudomon. He dropped his hammer and used all of his strength to separate the mandibles.
"Thorn Whip!" called Rosemon as she lashed her thorny, whip-like vine.
The vine entwined around Grand Kuwagamon's right leg. Rosemon made sharp tug, surprising Grand Kuwagamon into breaking his hold on Zudomon. Zudomon smashed the insect Digimon with a swift swing to the head. As Grand Kuwagamon wobbled around dazed, Phoenixmon swooped in for the kill. Zudomon and Rosemon wisely backed away.
"Crimson Flame!"
Phoenixmon opened her beak and blazing flames began to burn from within. They gushed out as though blasted out of an exhaust port, and burst into a mushroom shaped plume, with explosive fury. The flames calmed down within seconds. Nothing remained of Grand Kuwagamon, save for charred limbs that disintegrated into data. The Blood Knights recovered his data and fled under the cover of their Digibeetle's cannon fire.
"Good work, team!" congratulated Zudokorn. "Chaos Lord must be on the other side of the portal. Let's go in and get him!"
Everyone cheered. They moved through the portal and appeared in front of the Blood Knight staging base in the Digital World. They were constructs of the same portable building technology used by the Guard Tamers. It was suspiciously quiet and unguarded. The squad knew that these facts meant something bad, but couldn't piece together what it was.
"Chaos Cannon!"
Within the span of a few minutes, several blasts of red energy had flattened Rosemon and Hercules Kabuterimon. Zudomon, and Phoenixmon turned to find the source. They spotted a large Digimon that resembled a Machinedramon, only made with red metal. Unlike Machinedramon, this Digimon had horns on its head, making it look like a devil. They identified the Digimon as being Chaos Lord, himself. They had walked into his ambush!
Two more Chaos Cannon shots had knocked Phoenixmon and Zudomon out before they could react. Sheena and Debbie recalled the injured Digimon and everyone scattered before anyone else was hit. The Digibeetles' wheels scattered dirt and grass everywhere and the wheels skidded with each sharp turn. Unfortunately, Chaos Lord scored direct hits on Sheena and Debbie's Digibeetle...
"We've been hit," screamed Debbie over the explosions of enemy fire. "Abandon the Digibeetle!"
Debbie, Sheena, and the Digidestined except for Tai and Matt fled the flaming wreckage of the Digibeetles. Fortunately, Chaos Lord was too busy with Zudokorn, War Greymon, and Metal Garurumon to notice. They ran and took cover in a nearby forest.
"HQ, this is Commander Zudokorn. Requesting an extraction for stranded troops in the field. Lock onto my coordinates, over."
"We copy, Commander. Extraction unit dispatched, ETA 10 minutes. HQ over and out."
Potholes were being punched everywhere from the Chaos Cannon's powerful energy blasts. War Greymon and Metal Garurumon, the only Digidestined Digimon still unharmed bobbed and weaved away from each incoming blast. After all their dodging, they ended up above the base. It was abandoned save for the prisoners, including Kari herself.
Kari rushed to the window in her cell. "War Greymon! Metal Garurumon! I'm in here!"
"Kari? Is that you? Where are you?" asked War Greymon incredulously.
"I'm in the cell!"
Before anyone could react, Chaos Lord fired another round of Chaos Cannon fire. The Megas dodged each and every beam.
War Greymon was very irritated. "I've had enough of this guy! He's really getting on my nerves!"
"Let's become Omnimon and finish this guy for good!"
In a puff of smoke, War Greymon's body vanished. He helmet remained and transformed into an arm. "War Greymon..."
Metal Garurumon's body vanished as well. It turned into a second arm. "Metal Garurumon..."
"...DNA Digivolve to..."
White, holy energy gathered between the arms, forming an armoured body. After a bright flash of light, the Digimon was revealed to be a noble holy knight. This knight had one arm representing War Greymon and Courage, and the other representing Metal Garurumon and Friendship.
"Omnimon!"
Chaos Lord was unmoved. "Let's see if you've improved your chances... Chaos Cannon!"
"Transcendent Sword!"
Omnimon's blade unsheathed itself from the War Greymon head on his arm. With a single slash, the beams deflected back into Chaos Lord! He tumbled backwards onto the ground as a result of the force of his own attack. Now, Omnimon had an opportunity to rescue Kari unhindered.
"I'm coming, Kari stand back!"
Omnimon located Kari's cell by following her voice. He smashed the wall down and Kari scrambled onto his shoulders with all her strength. Other voices from within the prison began to call for help. They were other POWs, who were Guard Tamers captured during the course of the war. Omnimon cracked their cells open and reported his discovery back to his partners.
"They're other prisoners here! I'm freeing them too."
"Go ahead!" authorized Zudokorn as he tuned the radio to call HQ. "HQ, this is Commander Zudokorn, over."
"Commander Zudokorn, we copy. What do you need, over?"
"We have found POWs held in an enemy base. I request a transport to bring them home, over."
"We copy, Commander. Transport en route, ETA 10 minutes. Secure the area before it arrives! Mission control over and out."
"Okay guys, let's take Chaos Lord down! Our boys our coming over to save the prisoners."
"Alright!" cheered Matt and Tai in unison.
Tai gave words of encouragement to his partner: "Omnimon, bring Kari to our Digibeetle, then finish off Chaos Lord so we can go home!"
"No problem!"
Zudokorn drove his Digibeetle at top speed to Omnimon. Tai open the hatch above and helped Kari inside. She was dirty and very thin from being poorly fed. It also looked like she had trouble sleeping the last night, but Kari was otherwise alright. Brother and sister hugged at being reunited once again. Tears of joy started to drip down both Tai and Kari's face.
"Thank you, Tai! I missed you so much... Every second I prayed that you'd find me!"
Tai hugged Kari as though he never wanted to let her go. "I'm so glad your safe! I don't know how I could live with myself if the Blood Knights did something to you..."
Matt understood just how Tai felt at this moment. If the Blood Knights harmed TK in anyway, there would be hell to pay. "Tai, let me take the cannon. I know you want to stay with Kari right now..."
"Thanks Matt, this means a lot to me."
"Okay Omnimon, you know the drill. Let's take this guy down!"
"I'm already one step ahead of you! Supreme Cannon!"
A massive amount of energy accumulated rapidly in the Metal Garurumon head on Omnimon's arm. With a loud boom, the energy shot outwards. It hit and severed Chaos Lord's right arm, with a massive explosion of nuclear proportions ensuing. The light had devoured Chaos Lord's body and cleared, revealing a Chaos Lord with a gaping hole where his arm used to be. The damaged mechanical dragon, fumbled around totally vulnerable to attack.
Omnimon capitalized. "Transcendent Sword!"
With a thrust of his blade, Omnimon pierced through his foe's head. With a mighty downward swing, Omnimon sliced his foe clean in half! Chaos Lord bled data at an alarming rate. The halves of his body flopped onto the ground before crumbling to data themselves. The last of the Chaos Generals was dead. The Guard Tamers and Digidestined won a major battle today in the war.
"Yeah! We won!" cheered Matt in triumph.
"We did it, we did it!" continued an elated Mimi.
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At the same time in the Real World, a Blood Knight soldier fired on invading enemy forces from his lookout tower. A fireball slammed into the base of the tower, causing it to collapse. The soldier fell from his vantage point to his doom. The perimeter of the lab had already been cleaned out of any Digimon by Guard Tamer forces. A helicopter transported a UN SWAT team onto the roof in a recapture attempt. Others approached the front doors and engaged in a firefight with Blood Knight soldiers.
The UN soldiers took cover behind anything available, whether it was signs, trees or even parked cars. Loud, repeated bangs ripped through the air as the UN and Blood Knights exchanged fire. A Blood Knight taking cover by a window could hear the bullets ricocheting off the walls of the building. When the sound subsided, he peer out and fired. His shots managed to drop an enemy who peaked out to fire. Unfortunately, other soldiers scored a hit on him. The Blood Knight convulsed in pain before finally collapsing and crumbling to data for reconfiguration.
The SWAT team stormed the building and cornered the Blood Knights. An immense firefight ensued, with bangs drowning out all other sounds. The Blood Knights dropped one by one until they decided it was best to surrender. The united armies of the Worlds soon crushed all opposition and regained control of the labs and the surrounding areas. All surviving Blood Knights were captured and taken into custody by Guard Tamer forces.
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The Guard Tamers quickly captured the base in the Digital World. The base was largely intact, as the Blood Knights rushed to flee their enemies. A specialist hacked through the base's computer system checking for any useful files. Other soldiers searched the compound for any hardcopy documents that could identify how the Blood Knights where the biochemical materials were taken. They soon found something from Overlord GAIA himself.
"Sir, we've found interesting orders from Overlord GAIA!" reported a soldier.
The first part of the orders weren't surprising. Overlord GAIA had given orders to the Blood Knights to acquire parts and chemicals for their Blight warheads. The interesting part was the location of the launch site. The warheads were supposed to be launched from a platform in space! This puzzled the Guard Tamers intelligence operatives. The Blood Knights had no known infrastructure from which to launch missiles from space. The source of the orders was equally strange; it came from a place called the "Kernel Zone." Guard Tamer intelligence made their findings known to the Guard Tamers and the UN.
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The next day, the sun rose at the Kamiya apartment. Kari and Tai woke up to rays of light peaking into their windows. They ate a delicious breakfast prepared by their mother. Tai and Kari didn't have to go to school for a while, so they took their time. The Blood Knight attacks on the Real World resulted in enormous damage to the city. As a result, their schools were shut down. Tai and Kari told their parents about the Blood Knights taking Kari hostage days before.
Kari's parents were naturally worried about what had happened to their daughter. They heard about how Digimon had ambushed Akira's Digibeetle, and how he tried to get everyone to safety. Kari was caught and used as a human shield by one of the Digimon, forcing the good guys to hold their fire. Like cowards, the enemy exploited this situation, forcing the good guys to retreat. However, Tai was able to locate her and get her out safely. Kari's parents owed a debt to the Guard Tamers for aiding the rescue of Kari.
"I'm glad you two safe. You don't know how much we worry about you..." admitted Ms. Kamiya.
Mr. Kamiya was more understanding. "We know you have to do this, but be careful and come home safe."
"Don't worry Dad, we will be careful!"
Tai and Kari's parents left to do some chores while brother and sister talked.
"Tai, while I was in jail, I had this strange dream..."
"What was it about?"
Kari told Tai everything with complete clarity. "I want to talk to the Guard Tamers. I heard they were looking for this 'Avenger.' I think I should tell them this..."
"Alright, let's go to Digital City."
After telling their parents, Tai and Kari used a Digiport to enter the city. They appeared in the verdant Digital City Park. By coincidence, Akira was there for some rest and relaxation after a hard fought battle the last few days. He spotted the two Digidestined and the three greeted each other as he approached. Kari recounted her strange, and somewhat disturbing dream.
As Akira listened, Kari's images and descriptions seemed vaguely familiar. "You don't say... Esteena, that name's so familiar..."
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2.
Guard Tamer: Blight of GAIA
By: RB3
Chapter 8: The Avenger of Humanity
In a prison cell somewhere in the Digital World, it was nighttime. Kari tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep on the hard metal plate that was to be her bed. She shuddered from a chilling draft of air, and pulled her thin, grungy blanket over her body. The cell was drab, dreary, and it was obvious only a minimal effort was kept to maintain it. As Kari stared at the ceiling, she missed her friends and brother and prayed to see them again. Time seemed to drift by as seconds turned to minutes and then an hour. A vision came into the Digidestined of Light's mind...
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It was a bright sunny day at a cemetery just outside the limits of a nameless American city on the west coast. For the morticians and cemetery staff, the workload was brutal. Though their morbid business was booming, it was hard work keeping on top of the demand for burial plots. The receptionist was swamped with calls from people seeking to entomb their departed loved. The receptionist was fatigued and frustrated, exhausted from handling all the calls.
It was days after the event known as "The Blight of GAIA." It was a worldwide catastrophe of epic proportions that annihilated more than a third of the world's population. At the centre of this were two individuals, a mad artificial intelligence named Overlord GAIA, and its creator, a computer prodigy named Esteena Violet. From GAIA's very birth, it and Esteena's destinies were intertwined.
In another part of the cemetery, a violet-haired young girl in white placed wreathes of flowers upon a trio of graves. Wreathes obscured the engraving of the tombstones. This girl was Esteena Violet herself, the last surviving member of her family. In a moment of silence, she remembered the events that led her to this point in time. It was a painful memory, one filled with guilt and regret. It was partly her fault that the world descended into the cesspool it was today.
Two years ago, Esteena was hired as part of a team of scientists to create an advanced new AI. As she read over the documents she learned much about its goals. This project was dubbed the "GAIA project," a move to create the most advanced AI ever. This AI, to be known as "GAIA," was to be a carbon copy of the human mind itself. GAIA was to think and act like a human in all aspects. Ultimately, the goal of this project was to enrich and improve the lives of humanity everywhere. The Blight of GAIA came as the most twisted irony ever imaginable.
Thus, Esteena worked on the project for nearly two years. GAIA was based on a hypothetical brain wavelength that was not based on any living human. This proved to be the greatest flaw with the project, and proved fatal upon the project's completion. GAIA was activated and at first fulfilled the obligations required of him. That did not last for long...
GAIA soon rebelled against his masters, and took on the name "Overlord GAIA." He kept his betrayal secret, gathering weapons and followers from around the globe. It was during this time that he created the vile, virulent biochemical weapon known as "Blight." When he was ready, he pounced on an unprepared world. On the streets of an American city, commuters looked up to the sky to see the sun itself being eclipsed. An unknown celestial object blocked the sun's rays.
From this object came several smaller unknown objects. Every military of the world soon picked up an uncountable number of contacts on their radar. They identified them to be missiles! They scrambled to shoot them down, not realising they were armed with biochemical agents. It was impossible to shoot every missile down and they released their toxic payload to a helpless world.
In actuality, GAIA had transported his headquarters, a moon-sized space station called the Kernel Zone into orbit around the Earth. Blocking out the rays of the sun, he had brought biochemical annihilation. It was the beginning of the end for humanity, and GAIA rejoiced. However, this was only the beginning of his reign of terror. The worse was yet to come...
In the halls of a hospital, patients moaned in a chorus of agony and despair. It was a scene of horrifying death and decay. The doctors and nurses were overworked keeping pace with the incoming sick. Esteena's last surviving relative, her little brother was infected and on the verge of death. He was bedridden, and his face was altered beyond recognition by the withering Blight.
"Doctor, how is my brother? Can you save him?"
"I'm afraid he doesn't have much time. The Blight is unlike anything we have ever seen. I'm sorry, he only has a few days to live..."
Tears streamed down Esteena's eyes and she left to cry. Soon she would be alone in this world, and everyone she ever loved would be gone. It was at this time that her project leader, Albert, a black-haired man in his thirties, came to meet her. He too lost many of his loved ones including his own wife and children. He had a proposal and the two struck a conversation.
"Esteena, do you want to bring him back?" asked Albert.
"What?"
"Do you want to bring him back?"
"Of course, but we're not gods! What can WE do?"
"The GAIA project, Esteena. We will use your brother as the base of the new AI!"
"Are you mad?" criticized Esteena. "I'm not about to create another monster!"
"It was the base that caused GAIA to become like this. You know it, I know it, and the whole team knows it... If we use a true human as his base, I'm certain the second GAIA will not end up like Overlord GAIA. Your brother is the best choice as he loves you dearly and is still alive. Please Esteena, this is our only hope!"
Esteena thought hard about the consequences. "What choice do I have, really? Alright, but we must take every precaution not to make another Overlord GAIA!"
Thus, Esteena went to work on the new GAIA AI; humanity's avenger who would crush Overlord GAIA once and for all. Overlord GAIA himself stirred, seeking to grind humanity further down. He released a horde of vicious monsters, Digimon, into the world. There presence was to wipe out any remaining traces of human resistance. In cities all over the world, the Digimon made inter-dimensional incursions. The Real World's soldiers and war machines fought with unparalleled courage, but all for naught. The Digimon performed their job too well, and humanity was on its last legs.
Just when it seemed the end was near for humanity, hope shone through anew. Esteena and her team had completed the new GAIA AI. In a metaphorical sense, it was her chance to atone for her part in creating the monster Overlord GAIA. This new GAIA was dubbed the "Avenger of Humanity," the one who will destroy GAIA and end his reign of terror. In a meeting hall, members of the scientific and military community gathered to see the face of their saviour.
Albert took centre stage. "For months, we toiled day and night. Today is the culmination of the hopes and dreams of all of humankind. I show you now the one who will save our people! Meet True GAIA, the Avenger of Humanity!"
On the monitor behind Albert, a kneeling figure in blue armour appeared. In actuality he resembled an android more than an armoured human. Before him, he held a sword with a blade made of pure darkness. On his back was a pair of fiery wings made of pure golden energy. Above his head was a halo made of the same fiery golden energy as his wings. He looked up to reveal a near featureless face, same for his mouth, and a pair of golden, gleaming eyes.
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Earlier in the morning of the next day, the Guard Tamers in America prepared for the final push and capture of the Blood Knight base. Victory for the Guard Tamers would mean the end of the enemy presence in the Real World. Members of the Guard Tamers and UN army assembled in the briefing room. At the front and centre was a large screen with a map of New York City. It was a bustling room with the defenders of humanity gossiping about the upcoming battle. Zudokorn began the briefing for the assault force.
"Troops you have done well so far. All that remains is the final enemy base. Chaos Lord was reported to be lurking in there. First, we are to surround the enemy base. Firing squads made up of Digimon with heavy weaponry and artillery operators will then shell Blood Knight troops. When the enemy is sufficiently weakened, a second group will close from the east and engage the enemy in close quarters."
The close quarters strike team included the American Digidestined. There was also a special squad made of Zudokorn, Sheena, Debbie, and the Japanese Digidestined. This squad had two purposes. The first was to destroy any convoys attempting to ship biochemical materials to the Digital World. The second objective was to assassinate Chaos Lord. This team was operating behind enemy lines, so Zudokorn urged caution.
Throughout the briefing, icons on appeared on a screen to illustrate how the plan would be put into motion. A green triangle marked with a "1" appeared, and represented the shelling team. A red building like icon appeared and several shots were fired back and forth. A new triangle marked with a "2" appeared, and represented the close quarters team. It moved in and began to shoot at the building icon. A small Digibeetle icon separated from triangle two and destroyed a likeness of Chaos Lord.
The visual aids helped the defenders visualize what was to happen during the attack. The briefing continued with a description of the enemy ranks. There were several Megas spotted among the enemy ranks, with Ultimate and Champion Digimon to make up the rank and file troops. This was a powerful enemy force due to the sheer number of Megas. A battle would surely result in massive destruction, and potentially high casualties on both sides. The briefing ended and the defenders mobilized.
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The united armies of the Real and Digital Worlds approached the final labs. Real World tanks and missile launching trucks moved into firing range. The army was fast and efficient, quickly setting up a firing line. One by one, artillery cannons went up and were loaded for battle. The Guard Tamers lined up several powerful Digimon with long-range cannons. Patrolling around the line was several Digimon with great defensive capabilities and abilities.
These defensive Digimon were to absorb and neutralize any return fire by the enemy. The firing squad began to unleash a volley of bombs, missiles and energy blasts at the enemy's position. It wasn't long before the Blood Knights retaliated with a seemingly endless stream of fire of their own. The battlefield was ablaze with the light of energy being fired back and forth between the sides. On the field, a Shakkoumon frantically tried to absorb any blast he could. A blast of dark energy broke past his guard and destroyed him and his data was secured by Guard Tamer technology.
An American artillery operator slid a shell into the mortar. He pressed a button and then turned away. A fiery blast burst from the opening, as the shell was propelled into the air. In the distance, away from the mortar, a cloud of smoke formed over the impact zone. The spotter called for a new location as he looked outward with binoculars. The operator adjusted his aim and reloaded his mortar for another shot. The spotter caught a glimpse of a stray missile headed for their location. The spotter sounded the alarm. Everyone dove for cover moments before the missile exploded.
Back and forth went gunfire by both sides. Unknown to the Blood Knights, another group of Guard Tamers secretly approached their position. This group was the close quarters group. Using the firing squad as a distraction, this group got into melee range and began to hack down the enemy line. It wasn't long before the Blood Knights responded. Some of their Digimon and Digibeetles turned their attention to the new assailants.
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In the sky, a squadron of dragon-like Digimon flew across the air. Cybernetic helmets encased their heads and pointed missile launchers replaced their arms. Their scales were a colour that was a combination of orange and brown. There were five Digimon, and all were Mega Dramon. Their launchers opened, ready to fire on Blood Knight ranks.
"Darkside Attack!" they called, and began firing volley after volley of missiles.
These missiles were organic in appearance and looked a purplish-pink. Each missile had a fierce face and balled fists, as though they were determined to hit and destroy their target. These missiles locked onto an egg-shaped Digimon on the ground. A set of brown, demonic arms, legs, and maws jutted from openings on the egg. This gave the creature a grotesque, fear-inspiring appearance. The Digimon, Devitamamon, didn't have the agility to dodge, and took the explosion full force in the front. The missiles flipped threw the demonic egg Digimon onto the ground to be destroyed by a second Darkside Attack volley.
From below, the Blood Knight Tamers sucked their Digimon's data into their Digibeetle's storage memory. Their return fire was like that of a machinegun, with energy blasts flying everywhere. The lead Mega Dramon was hit by a few shots, but managed to remain airborne. The leader ordered his squadron to scatter. The Blood Knight Digibeetle fled, returning fire every inch of the way.
"The plan's going great!" thought Zudokorn.
Indeed, the enemies were completely preoccupied and sandwiched in between two powerful armies. Zudokorn's squad was made of the same members in the same positions as yesterday. Tai and Matt worked with Zudokorn in his Digibeetle. Joe and Mimi rode with Sheena, and Sora and Izzy rode with Debbie. They got past the front and were now behind the battle lines. On the Digibeetles' monitors, every member of the squad could see massive plumes of flame from several explosions.
They could hear many bangs and boom sounds muffled only by their distance from the fighting. Fortunately, the group moved without incident until they found a series of portals away from the general area of contention. They looked like four helicopter pads made of steel and electronics. Between the arches, they could see an image of what looked like a military compound. The squad knew that the compound could only be in the Digital World. Before these arches were several trucks loaded with unknown cargo.
"Those are weapons shipments! Destroy the trucks!" ordered Zudokorn. "Switch to incendiary weaponry. We must burn the chemicals so they don't contaminate the environment!"
"Incind... what?" asked Tai.
Izzy flicked a few switches on the controls for his turret. "Fire based weapons, Tai."
"Sheena, Debbie, get me some suppressing fire. I'm going to shell the convoy. Tai, aim for the lead trucks to block the portals."
"Yes sir!"
Tai flicked some switches like Izzy, and armed napalm rockets. The squad released their Digimon partners to battle the convoy's defence. Zudokorn released Digimon were Agumon and Gabumon. Sheena released Gomamon and Palmon. Finally, Debbie released Biyomon and Tentomon. After gaining experience yesterday, Gomamon and Palmon were now able to assume their Mega forms. However, Gomamon's Mega, Plesiomon, had low mobility on the ground, as his body was made more for a marine battle.
Tai listened to the rockets swoosh with press of the firing button. The trail of smoke billowed away from the rockets as it inevitably soared to the first truck. The rocket hit its target, which exploded in a massive inferno. The fire and explosions alarmed the Blood Knights and two more of their trucks were set ablaze. With a final rocket, the last lead truck was incinerated in a glorious blaze.
"Agumon, Warp Digivolve to... War Greymon!"
"Gabumon, Warp Digivolve to... Metal Garurumon!"
"Tentomon, Warp Digivolve to... Hercules Kabuterimon!"
"Biyomon, Warp Digivolve to... Phoenixmon!"
"Gomamon, Digivolve to... Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon, Digivolve to... Zudomon!"
"Palmon, Warp Digivolve to...
Leaves scattered everywhere, falling gently like in the air. Palmon's form shifted into Togemon's and then to Lillymon's. Her clothes turned to leaves, leaving the glowing green figure of Lillymon behind. She blossomed into a beautiful, young blonde with perfect proportions. The leaves clung to her body, forming a red leotard, black boots, and a green cloak. Vines entwined around her arms, with one drooping into a whip, and the other stiffening into a rapier.
"Rosemon!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Blood Knight soldiers frantically looked around for the source of the attack. One of them spotted a trio of Digibeetles with Guard Tamer markings at the crest of a hill. In a defensive formation around the vehicles were several different Digimon of mostly the Mega level.
He scrambled to get his assault rifle and pointed to the squad. "Over there, on that hill!"
Several rounds of assault rifle fire came at the group. They could hear the shots pinging on their Digibeetles' armour. The firing stopped and a pair of Megas appeared and moved towards the squad. One, Venom Myostismon, towered over the other Digimon. The second looked like an evolution of a former foe of the Digidestined, Kuwagamon. This Digimon was Grand Kuwagamon.
------------------------------Digimon Analyzer------------------------------
Grand Kuwagamon is one of the most vicious insect Digimon ever known. Its Dimension Scissors can cut through the fabric of space and time.
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War Greymon soared in preparation for attack. He gathered energy between his hands into an explosive orange sphere. "Terra Force!"
All of Metal Garurumon's weapon bays opened. "Ice Wolf Bite!"
On cue, War Greymon lobbed his Terra Force just as Metal Garurumon launched his missiles. Each attack nailed the demon beast Venom Myotismon in the front. Explosions erupted all over his chest and consumed him in a cloud of fire and smoke. The demon beast collapsed onto his back with a thud. Tai and Matt were thrilled with their Digimon's successful initial attack.
"Awesome, War Greymon!"
"Keep it up, Metal Garurumon!"
Venom Myotismon shook off his daze and returned to his feet. All that he had on his mind was payback for the two Megas War Greymon and Metal Garurumon.
Green, poisonous goo began to seep from Venom Myostismon's eyes. "Venom Infusion!"
The poison shot out like pressurized water from a hose. War Greymon and Metal Garurumon's natural reaction was to dodge. War Greymon banked left, and Metal Garurumon barrel rolled to the right. The poison sailed past them harmlessly and splattered into several puddles. Tai and Matt took a quick glance at the poison. They could sense the vileness of the toxins just by looking at it. They were glad none of that stuff got on their Digimon.
The Megas of Courage and Friendship flew away to get distance for a second attack run. Beams of dark energy zinged past the Megas. The Megas swerved and banked left and right to evade, until a beam clipped Metal Garurumon. Metal Garurumon lost altitude at a dangerous rate until finally crashing into the ground.
War Greymon was concerned for his friend. "Metal Garurumon, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, don't worry!"
Tai pelted Venom Myotismon's with round after round of repeated fire in the chest. The rounds did only minimal damage to the hulking demon beast, however, it accomplished another goal... It put a break into Venom Myostismon's attack, allowing Hercules Kabuterimon and War Greymon to move in. They two Megas capitalized on the opening.
Electricity arced back and forth between Hercules Kabuterimon's mandibles. "Mega Electroshocker!"
Lightning jumped from the mandibles to Venom Myotismon, electrocuting the demon with gigawatts of electricity. Venom Myotismon convulsed in pain, momentarily stunned. War Greymon spun with such speed that he became like a living tornado. He shot himself like a bullet right into the demon's chest, puncturing a massive hole as he bored through. Venom Myotismon collapsed by from the crippling wound, but was still alive. Data began leaking from his body profusely like blood.
"I'll finish him off!" Metal Garurumon exposed a missile bay on his underside. "Giga Missile!"
The bay opened and a massive rocket swooshed outwards. The missile impacted Venom Myotismon's open wound, blowing the Mega demon beast to several pieces. As Venom Myotismon's remains rained on the field, the Blood Knights vacuumed his data into their Digibeetle. War Greymon, Metal Garurumon, and Hercules Kabuterimon came under fire from the enemy Digibeetle as it fled. The Blood Knight escort began a retreat to cut their losses.
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In another skirmish, the good guys enjoyed the upper hand over the enemy. The Blood Knights issued a retreat, as their forces were being overwhelmed. Now, Grand Kuwagamon was parrying and sending blows Zudomon's way. Whenever Zudomon attempted a strike with Vulcan's Hammer, Grand Kuwagamon parried with his heavily armoured limbs. Soon, Grand Kuwagamon managed to trap Zudomon between his mandibles and proceeded to crush the walrus man to death.
"Arggggh," groaned Zudomon. He dropped his hammer and used all of his strength to separate the mandibles.
"Thorn Whip!" called Rosemon as she lashed her thorny, whip-like vine.
The vine entwined around Grand Kuwagamon's right leg. Rosemon made sharp tug, surprising Grand Kuwagamon into breaking his hold on Zudomon. Zudomon smashed the insect Digimon with a swift swing to the head. As Grand Kuwagamon wobbled around dazed, Phoenixmon swooped in for the kill. Zudomon and Rosemon wisely backed away.
"Crimson Flame!"
Phoenixmon opened her beak and blazing flames began to burn from within. They gushed out as though blasted out of an exhaust port, and burst into a mushroom shaped plume, with explosive fury. The flames calmed down within seconds. Nothing remained of Grand Kuwagamon, save for charred limbs that disintegrated into data. The Blood Knights recovered his data and fled under the cover of their Digibeetle's cannon fire.
"Good work, team!" congratulated Zudokorn. "Chaos Lord must be on the other side of the portal. Let's go in and get him!"
Everyone cheered. They moved through the portal and appeared in front of the Blood Knight staging base in the Digital World. They were constructs of the same portable building technology used by the Guard Tamers. It was suspiciously quiet and unguarded. The squad knew that these facts meant something bad, but couldn't piece together what it was.
"Chaos Cannon!"
Within the span of a few minutes, several blasts of red energy had flattened Rosemon and Hercules Kabuterimon. Zudomon, and Phoenixmon turned to find the source. They spotted a large Digimon that resembled a Machinedramon, only made with red metal. Unlike Machinedramon, this Digimon had horns on its head, making it look like a devil. They identified the Digimon as being Chaos Lord, himself. They had walked into his ambush!
Two more Chaos Cannon shots had knocked Phoenixmon and Zudomon out before they could react. Sheena and Debbie recalled the injured Digimon and everyone scattered before anyone else was hit. The Digibeetles' wheels scattered dirt and grass everywhere and the wheels skidded with each sharp turn. Unfortunately, Chaos Lord scored direct hits on Sheena and Debbie's Digibeetle...
"We've been hit," screamed Debbie over the explosions of enemy fire. "Abandon the Digibeetle!"
Debbie, Sheena, and the Digidestined except for Tai and Matt fled the flaming wreckage of the Digibeetles. Fortunately, Chaos Lord was too busy with Zudokorn, War Greymon, and Metal Garurumon to notice. They ran and took cover in a nearby forest.
"HQ, this is Commander Zudokorn. Requesting an extraction for stranded troops in the field. Lock onto my coordinates, over."
"We copy, Commander. Extraction unit dispatched, ETA 10 minutes. HQ over and out."
Potholes were being punched everywhere from the Chaos Cannon's powerful energy blasts. War Greymon and Metal Garurumon, the only Digidestined Digimon still unharmed bobbed and weaved away from each incoming blast. After all their dodging, they ended up above the base. It was abandoned save for the prisoners, including Kari herself.
Kari rushed to the window in her cell. "War Greymon! Metal Garurumon! I'm in here!"
"Kari? Is that you? Where are you?" asked War Greymon incredulously.
"I'm in the cell!"
Before anyone could react, Chaos Lord fired another round of Chaos Cannon fire. The Megas dodged each and every beam.
War Greymon was very irritated. "I've had enough of this guy! He's really getting on my nerves!"
"Let's become Omnimon and finish this guy for good!"
In a puff of smoke, War Greymon's body vanished. He helmet remained and transformed into an arm. "War Greymon..."
Metal Garurumon's body vanished as well. It turned into a second arm. "Metal Garurumon..."
"...DNA Digivolve to..."
White, holy energy gathered between the arms, forming an armoured body. After a bright flash of light, the Digimon was revealed to be a noble holy knight. This knight had one arm representing War Greymon and Courage, and the other representing Metal Garurumon and Friendship.
"Omnimon!"
Chaos Lord was unmoved. "Let's see if you've improved your chances... Chaos Cannon!"
"Transcendent Sword!"
Omnimon's blade unsheathed itself from the War Greymon head on his arm. With a single slash, the beams deflected back into Chaos Lord! He tumbled backwards onto the ground as a result of the force of his own attack. Now, Omnimon had an opportunity to rescue Kari unhindered.
"I'm coming, Kari stand back!"
Omnimon located Kari's cell by following her voice. He smashed the wall down and Kari scrambled onto his shoulders with all her strength. Other voices from within the prison began to call for help. They were other POWs, who were Guard Tamers captured during the course of the war. Omnimon cracked their cells open and reported his discovery back to his partners.
"They're other prisoners here! I'm freeing them too."
"Go ahead!" authorized Zudokorn as he tuned the radio to call HQ. "HQ, this is Commander Zudokorn, over."
"Commander Zudokorn, we copy. What do you need, over?"
"We have found POWs held in an enemy base. I request a transport to bring them home, over."
"We copy, Commander. Transport en route, ETA 10 minutes. Secure the area before it arrives! Mission control over and out."
"Okay guys, let's take Chaos Lord down! Our boys our coming over to save the prisoners."
"Alright!" cheered Matt and Tai in unison.
Tai gave words of encouragement to his partner: "Omnimon, bring Kari to our Digibeetle, then finish off Chaos Lord so we can go home!"
"No problem!"
Zudokorn drove his Digibeetle at top speed to Omnimon. Tai open the hatch above and helped Kari inside. She was dirty and very thin from being poorly fed. It also looked like she had trouble sleeping the last night, but Kari was otherwise alright. Brother and sister hugged at being reunited once again. Tears of joy started to drip down both Tai and Kari's face.
"Thank you, Tai! I missed you so much... Every second I prayed that you'd find me!"
Tai hugged Kari as though he never wanted to let her go. "I'm so glad your safe! I don't know how I could live with myself if the Blood Knights did something to you..."
Matt understood just how Tai felt at this moment. If the Blood Knights harmed TK in anyway, there would be hell to pay. "Tai, let me take the cannon. I know you want to stay with Kari right now..."
"Thanks Matt, this means a lot to me."
"Okay Omnimon, you know the drill. Let's take this guy down!"
"I'm already one step ahead of you! Supreme Cannon!"
A massive amount of energy accumulated rapidly in the Metal Garurumon head on Omnimon's arm. With a loud boom, the energy shot outwards. It hit and severed Chaos Lord's right arm, with a massive explosion of nuclear proportions ensuing. The light had devoured Chaos Lord's body and cleared, revealing a Chaos Lord with a gaping hole where his arm used to be. The damaged mechanical dragon, fumbled around totally vulnerable to attack.
Omnimon capitalized. "Transcendent Sword!"
With a thrust of his blade, Omnimon pierced through his foe's head. With a mighty downward swing, Omnimon sliced his foe clean in half! Chaos Lord bled data at an alarming rate. The halves of his body flopped onto the ground before crumbling to data themselves. The last of the Chaos Generals was dead. The Guard Tamers and Digidestined won a major battle today in the war.
"Yeah! We won!" cheered Matt in triumph.
"We did it, we did it!" continued an elated Mimi.
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At the same time in the Real World, a Blood Knight soldier fired on invading enemy forces from his lookout tower. A fireball slammed into the base of the tower, causing it to collapse. The soldier fell from his vantage point to his doom. The perimeter of the lab had already been cleaned out of any Digimon by Guard Tamer forces. A helicopter transported a UN SWAT team onto the roof in a recapture attempt. Others approached the front doors and engaged in a firefight with Blood Knight soldiers.
The UN soldiers took cover behind anything available, whether it was signs, trees or even parked cars. Loud, repeated bangs ripped through the air as the UN and Blood Knights exchanged fire. A Blood Knight taking cover by a window could hear the bullets ricocheting off the walls of the building. When the sound subsided, he peer out and fired. His shots managed to drop an enemy who peaked out to fire. Unfortunately, other soldiers scored a hit on him. The Blood Knight convulsed in pain before finally collapsing and crumbling to data for reconfiguration.
The SWAT team stormed the building and cornered the Blood Knights. An immense firefight ensued, with bangs drowning out all other sounds. The Blood Knights dropped one by one until they decided it was best to surrender. The united armies of the Worlds soon crushed all opposition and regained control of the labs and the surrounding areas. All surviving Blood Knights were captured and taken into custody by Guard Tamer forces.
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The Guard Tamers quickly captured the base in the Digital World. The base was largely intact, as the Blood Knights rushed to flee their enemies. A specialist hacked through the base's computer system checking for any useful files. Other soldiers searched the compound for any hardcopy documents that could identify how the Blood Knights where the biochemical materials were taken. They soon found something from Overlord GAIA himself.
"Sir, we've found interesting orders from Overlord GAIA!" reported a soldier.
The first part of the orders weren't surprising. Overlord GAIA had given orders to the Blood Knights to acquire parts and chemicals for their Blight warheads. The interesting part was the location of the launch site. The warheads were supposed to be launched from a platform in space! This puzzled the Guard Tamers intelligence operatives. The Blood Knights had no known infrastructure from which to launch missiles from space. The source of the orders was equally strange; it came from a place called the "Kernel Zone." Guard Tamer intelligence made their findings known to the Guard Tamers and the UN.
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The next day, the sun rose at the Kamiya apartment. Kari and Tai woke up to rays of light peaking into their windows. They ate a delicious breakfast prepared by their mother. Tai and Kari didn't have to go to school for a while, so they took their time. The Blood Knight attacks on the Real World resulted in enormous damage to the city. As a result, their schools were shut down. Tai and Kari told their parents about the Blood Knights taking Kari hostage days before.
Kari's parents were naturally worried about what had happened to their daughter. They heard about how Digimon had ambushed Akira's Digibeetle, and how he tried to get everyone to safety. Kari was caught and used as a human shield by one of the Digimon, forcing the good guys to hold their fire. Like cowards, the enemy exploited this situation, forcing the good guys to retreat. However, Tai was able to locate her and get her out safely. Kari's parents owed a debt to the Guard Tamers for aiding the rescue of Kari.
"I'm glad you two safe. You don't know how much we worry about you..." admitted Ms. Kamiya.
Mr. Kamiya was more understanding. "We know you have to do this, but be careful and come home safe."
"Don't worry Dad, we will be careful!"
Tai and Kari's parents left to do some chores while brother and sister talked.
"Tai, while I was in jail, I had this strange dream..."
"What was it about?"
Kari told Tai everything with complete clarity. "I want to talk to the Guard Tamers. I heard they were looking for this 'Avenger.' I think I should tell them this..."
"Alright, let's go to Digital City."
After telling their parents, Tai and Kari used a Digiport to enter the city. They appeared in the verdant Digital City Park. By coincidence, Akira was there for some rest and relaxation after a hard fought battle the last few days. He spotted the two Digidestined and the three greeted each other as he approached. Kari recounted her strange, and somewhat disturbing dream.
As Akira listened, Kari's images and descriptions seemed vaguely familiar. "You don't say... Esteena, that name's so familiar..."