DIGIMON TAMERS: AFTERMATH
BOOK 3
by Vashkoda
(Disclaimer: This work of fiction uses characters belonging to Toei and Saban without their permission. I am getting no profit from it. I only do it because I think Digimon is a great show, and I want to keep the story alive!)
Author's Note: Almost there! Thanks again to those of you letting me know I have an audience and should keep this thing going.
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"Jen, Takato wants you to come right away!"
Jenrya looked up at Kenta as the green-haired teen approached, then threw a worried glance over at where MarineAngemon floated to verify that their prisoner hadn't escaped. It was a relief to know that they had nothing more to fear from the strange digimon, but nevertheless, Jen was on the lookout for new surprises. This was the Digital World, after all--where literally anything could happen. He wondered with slight apprehension what Takato had found.
"He didn't go out on his own to search for Guilmon, did he?" asked Jen in a lighthearted tone. Though he was worried, he didn't want to give the impression that he didn't trust Takato. He did. Most of the time.
Kenta shook his head. "You'd better come and see. Three new digimon have appeared, and they seem to be challenging the others to a fight. One of them is, uh, well..." Kenta avoided Jen's gaze. "One of them is Rapidmon."
Jen bolted to his feet and began racing towards the hill. He could hear Kenta relaying the message to Juri and MarineAngemon, who quickly got up and followed.
Terriermon, what have you gotten yourself into? What have you done now?
Takato spotted him near the crest of the hill and urgently motioned for Jenrya to stay down and be as quiet as possible. Jen inched his way to where Takato stood, his body pressed against the hillside so that only the top of his head emerged over the rim.
"They just arrived," Takato whispered. "It's Rapidmon, and two others that I'm guessing are part of the Sovereign's Chosen."
"Did they say why they're here?"
"Shh! Just listen!" Takato instructed. Juri and Kenta had now joined them. Jen could see that MarineAngemon and Culumon had elected to stay down at the base of the hill, keeping watch over the rainbow-colored bubble and its captive.
A Gold V-dramon, Maildramon, and Rapidmon in golden armor stood at the lip of a precipice a short distance from the digimon camp. The Tamers' initial guess had proven to be correct--the congregation of evolved digimon now looked every bit like an army prepared for war. The digimon had their claws out and multiple weapons drawn, their attention switching between the three newcomers and a Wizardmon making his way towards the front of the group.
The Gold V-dramon laughed. "You have made our job much easier, rebels! Now we do not even have to go searching for you--you willingly submit yourselves to your fate!"
"We will not submit to you or to the Sovereign's foolish laws!" shouted the Wizardmon in reply. The digimon around him cried out in agreement.
"Blasphemy," growled the Maildramon, stomping her iron-shod hooves against the rocks in a shower of sparks. "No escape for you now!"
"You break biggest rule," nodded Rapidmon. "No fight digimon; no evolve unless Chosen. Now you pay price!"
"Look at us!" Wizardmon commanded. "Look and see how many of us are evolved, how powerful many of us have become! Yet we do not fight amongst ourselves for dominance, or for greater strength. Those of us you see here have never loaded another digimon's data. We do not know how we were able to evolve, but it was not of our own choosing and we do not merit punishment! We are peaceful, and wish only to be left alone-"
The Chosen chuckled rudely at his words. Wizardmon clutched his staff more tightly and continued.
"-but your Sovereign have made it clear that our lives are forfeit despite our innocence. They have chosen to make us your enemy. Though we desire peace, you have forced our hand...you have made us go to WAR."
It was as if a dam had suddenly burst and unleashed its pent up waters upon the Chosen. Waves of Champion and Rookie digimon were thrown at the three golden Ultimates, trying to take them down by their sheer numbers. Those who had room enough to call forth their attacks did so, pelting the Chosen with fire, electricity, smoke and sound.
"E-NOUGH!" exclaimed Gold V-dramon. From beneath the roiling mass of bodies, he and the other Chosen simultaneously called out their strongest attacks. A sphere of golden energy burst forth, lighting up the sky and gouging a crater several yards long around the area where they stood. The sound of the explosion thundered over the battlefield and echoed down the valley below. All the digimon that had been caught in the radius of the attack vanished, leaving no trace but their fragmented code. Only the Chosen remained standing at the edge of the cliff, although they looked temporarily weakened. Jen noticed the Wizardmon take advantage of that moment to wave his staff and collect all the data.
"So much death...so much destruction," Juri sobbed. Takato gripped her hand reassuringly.
"Juri, maybe you should go back down to where Culumon and MarineAngemon are waiting. You don't need to see this."
"Takato," spoke Jen hesitantly. His mouth was suddenly very dry.
"What is it, Jen?"
He had to say it. By executing all those digimon, his partner had lost any rights to mercy.
"Do whatever it takes."
Takato gave his friend an odd stare. "What are you talking about?"
"When you find Guilmon," Jen persisted. "When you evolve into Dukemon, do whatever it takes to stop them...even if it means killing Rapidmon."
Ryo poked his head around each corner before creeping down the corridors of Baihumon's palace, with Elecmon only a step behind. He was surprised that no one had yet stumbled across the suspicious-looking pair.
"Where do you think the Mekanorimin are?" whispered Ryo. The furry red digimon cocked his head and gave the human a strange look. "You want them find us? Thought we want avoid trouble."
"Well...yes," he admitted with a frown. "But we also don't want to find ourselves defenseless if we get in a tight spot. I was thinking that maybe you could shock one of the Mekanorimon and daze it for a minute or two while I mess with its wires. Maybe I can get it to fly us out of here."
Elecmon seemed to consider the idea. "Maybe...maybe it work," he acknowledged.
Just then they heard the clanking steps of something approach. Ryo and Elecmon crept behind a large wooden crate and waited for it to pass. As Ryo had hoped, it was a Mekanorimon.
"Wait. A few more seconds," said Ryo softly. "Okay...NOW!"
Elecmon raised his nine tails and sent a brilliant bolt of electricity surging into the metal digimon. The Mekanorimon shuddered for a moment before turning completely still. Ryo wasted no time and quickly began opening the panels in the mechanical creature's sides, trying to expose the circuitry that would help him override its programming.
"I knew that summer job at the auto repair shop would come in handy," the teen muttered, twisting off and replacing several gears and wires. He then lifted up the glass bubble atop the digimon's head and climbed into it, finding it roomy enough to sit in.
"Ryo, I think it awake!" cried Elecmon anxiously, seeing the Mekanorimon begin to power up.
"Nah, it's okay. I switched it to manual drive. I think if I--aha!" Pulling a certain lever had activated its engines. The Mekanorimon was now hovering several feet off the ground.
"Climb on up! We should lower the hatch so that no one sees us piloting this thing. It's the perfect disguise!"
Elecmon was forced to agree. They ducked in their seat as they passed several other Mekanorimon on their way out of the cave. No one glanced at them twice.
A short distance away they could see Sakuyamon, Beelzebumon, Guardromon and Hirokazu keeping the Sovereign distracted. Ryo slowly pulled the lever all the way down. The Mekanorimon began to rise high above the valley floor.
"Ryo, what you doing?" Elecmon asked nervously. "You said we just wait and watch!"
"Yeah, well we'd have a better view from up here, right? Besides, something caught my eye." He pointed at a dark mass above the cliffs at the end of the canyon. "I want to go check that out. We can do it without getting spotted." The Tamer glanced down at Elecmon expectantly, but the small red digimon seemed focused on the cliffs.
"Hm, I thought you would protest and demand we head back down," remarked Ryo in surprise.
"Juri is there," said Elecmon softly. "I can feel her."
"And you're worried about her, right? Come to think of it..." Ryo pulled out his digivice and stared at it intently. Was that a faint blip on the compass? Could his partner be out there as well?
"I think it's worth checking out," said Ryo at last. He heard no complaints from Elecmon, so he put the Mekanorimon in full throttle and flew towards the cliffs, keeping them low to the ground so as not to get spotted.
"What in the worl-"
Elecmon cried out in warning, but it was too late to steer them away from the large explosion spreading across the face of the cliff. They braced themselves as the shockwave struck, grateful for the protection of the Mekanorimon's tough metal hide as they were knocked back several yards. Unfortunately, the blast still caused sufficient damage that the engines started to choke and sputter.
"I have to land this thing--we can't risk crashing down in the canyon," muttered Ryo through clenched teeth as he gripped the controls with both hands.
"But what if they see us?" asked Elecmon. "They could attack again!"
Ryo stole a glance at the scene. A sizeable chunk was now missing from the cliff edge, as if someone had taken a large bite into it. Dust and data rose into the air, obscuring three large gold-colored digimon standing at the center of the crater. Ryo recognized the Maildramon, and assumed that these were the Sovereign's three Chosen. Beyond them, he could spot small shadowy figures that were either lying still or limping slowly away to safety.
"I think we'll be okay as long as we don't draw attention to ourselves," he cautioned. The Chosen had their backs turned to Elecmon and Ryo, who barely managed to land the Mekanorimon before its engine died completely.
"Juri and the others!" cried Ryo suddenly as he lifted up the hatch. "Is...is she all right? Can you tell?"
Elecmon nodded. "Nearby, but not part of that," he said, pointing at the smoking crater. Elecmon's eyes roamed across the blasted battlefield, taking in the horrible details of the scene. "This what Ruki and me afraid of. Many digimon here will die. Rebels fools!" he growled, shaking his head.
"They're fighting to save themselves," Ryo argued grimly. "The Sovereign gave them no choice."
"You think they are peaceful? You think they deserve our help?" asked Elecmon incredulously. "What if I tell you that they tried to kill me and Ruki to steal our data, even when we told them we are also fighting Sovereign!" The rabbit-like digimon snorted in disgust. "Still think they deserve our help, our pity? Still think we should join their side?"
Ryo sighed, his expression becoming one of growing uncertainty and dismay. "As I said before, we can't really afford to join either side in this battle. But I never would have thought they'd go so far as to kill you guys to help themselves digivolve. That would go against everything Guardromon said they believe in." His thoughts were racing as he surveyed the remains of the rebel army. He could now see that many of the more powerful digimon had been held back in reserve. Only the weak had been sent in as the first volley...sent in as canon fodder. His dismay was quickly turning into anger.
"Look--others too scared to fight now," observed the Maildramon with a laugh. She still had not spotted Elecmon and Ryo.
"What are you waiting for?" the Gold V-dramon asked the remaining digimon. "Here we are, come and get us!"
Ryo noticed a small figure limping towards them from the edge of the battlefield. The Tamer had trouble believing his eyes until his D-Arc began to sound.
"Monodramon?"
Ryo ran towards the injured digimon, praying that he was all right.
"Monodramon?" repeated Elecmon. The name tugged at his memory. "Wait, Ryo!" he called out, racing to catch up. The teen was already kneeling beside the dragon digimon.
"You mine partner?" it asked in a weak voice, coughing lightly. "I search you."
"Yes!" said Ryo excitedly, scooping up the small dragon in his arms. "I've been looking for you too, Monodramon. It's going to be all right, now! It's going to be all right."
Elecmon looked at the other digimon suspiciously. "Careful, Ryo. He come from rebel army. He could be dangerous."
Ryo frowned down at his companion. "Just because he was caught in the attack doesn't mean he was part of it. You said that Juri and the others were around here. Maybe they brought Monodramon with them." He looked around, expecting to see his friends appear any minute.
Elecmon shook his head. "No, Ruki and me hear Wizardmon say Monodramon in his army. He knew Monodramon had a human partner. I think..." he stared at the Monodramon warily. The purple dragon's eyes suddenly focused on Elecmon with a menacing glare.
"...I think this a trap!"
Ryo's protest turned into a sharp cry of pain as the Monodramon dug its claws into Ryo's chest and belly. The digimon, too, looked to be in great pain, as if it could feel its Tamer's suffering. Ryo fell backwards and hit the ground, a pool of blood rapidly forming around him.
"Give...data...me!" panted the dragon with effort. Ryo had already lost consciousness.
"No!" shouted Elecmon, raising his nine tails. The Monodramon saw this and clutched Ryo tightly to him.
"Hurt me, hurt him!" he warned. Then something strange began to happen. Both Monodramon and Ryo began to disintegrate, their bodies ripping apart into data. But the data did not just float away. It began to swirl around them, forming a brightly glowing sphere.
"Jogress Evolution!" the dragon cried from within the sphere, its voice growing deeper and more feral. Elecmon could see nothing but shadows moving inside. The silhouette was steadily growing bigger as the digimon continued to evolve.
Elecmon looked up as another digimon approached. It was Wizardmon, whose staff was glowing so brightly that it seemed to have caught fire.
"Our champion is being born!" Wizardmon cried, to the cheers of the surviving digimon. "Accept our gift of data, O Champion! With this sacrifice, may you have the power you need to destroy our oppressors!"
As the tip of the staff touched the evolution sphere, its light was transferred. The sphere flared momentarily, then burst open like a ruptured cocoon, revealing the new digimon within.
They all stared in speechless shock as Monodramon plunged his claws into Ryo. They were too far away; too far away to do anything but watch as the digimon began the strange new form of evolution with his unconscious partner.
"That was how it happened..." said Juri softly. The others turned and looked at her in surprise, but she didn't meet their gaze. Her eyes were still focused on the glowing evolution sphere.
"...how it happened...with Makato and Sepikmon."
"Kenta, get Juri out of here," Takato ordered. Kenta was ready to protest, but the look on Takato's face told him that it was best not to argue. He gently tugged at Juri's elbow until the girl began to follow him back down the hill.
"I can't believe he did that," muttered Kenta, wiping his glasses with a trembling hand, as if doing so could also wipe away the memory of what he had seen. "How could he do something like that to his own partner?"
The dread on Juri's face was his only answer.
When they reached the base of the hill, Culumon sensed that Juri was upset and rushed into her arms.
MarineAngemon peeped him a question.
"It's bad, buddy," he answered with a shake of his head. "Real bad."
The sounds of battle had changed; something new was happening on the other side of the hill. Kenta wondered if he should go back and join the others. MarineAngemon was their only Mega--they might need his help.
"Juri, you'll be okay here, right? You'll keep an eye on the bubble?"
MarineAngemon flew onto his shoulder. Kenta nodded.
"Okay then. We'll be right back, Juri. It'll be okay."
Yeah right, as if I have any clue what's going to happen, thought Kenta to himself as he dashed madly up the hill. But it can't hurt to stay positive.
"Culuuuu?"
Juri's hand absently stroked the little digimon's head. Her thoughts were focused elsewhere, on a place very far away, to a time long past and deeply buried in memory.
Death.
She saw Beelzebumon's fist punch straight through Leomon's chest. She had expected to see blood, but instead, it was data that poured out of her partner's gaping wound. Blood would have been easier to handle, she realized. Blood could always be remade, but every bit of data that trickled out of her friend was a part of him that could never be replaced. She watched the data float away helplessly, feeling each loss as if it it were a piece of herself.
Blood.
Everywhere she looked, the world was the color of blood. It made a strange kind of sense; after all, she was inside the D-Reaper's heart. But instead of liquid, what flowed within it were emotions, waves of negative energy that powered the creature's endless thirst for destruction. Juri was surrounded by that energy, fed off it, and was being fed off of in turn.
Destruction.
The D-Reaper's nest was made from the half-consumed husks of buildings and machines, things it was learning to incorporate into itself. The rest--like the trees at the fringes of the park, or the people it had trapped within its globular mass--were either preserved for study or destroyed. From inside the heart, Juri could sense that the creature's entire will was bent towards accomplishing its one programmed objective. The destructive thoughts were so powerful that the gelatinous walls thrummed, their vibrations becoming a dark, sinuous melody that enveloped and entranced her, until she could almost make out the words to its song.
All will die. All life will be purged and the world made clean. Death. Blood. Destruction. Glorious Chaos.
The D-Reaper stared at the human with surprise and growing interest. There was something familiar about her, or at least something within her that seemed in tune with itself. Since the program could neither touch nor communicate with her, it focused instead on the one thing that connected them. From deep within its throat, it began to sing, changing the pitch ever so slightly as it probed for a reaction from the girl.
"...die. All life will be purged and the world made clean...."
Juri's words were almost inaudible. Culumon stretched out his ears in surprise, then looked up into Juri's face.
"Culuuu?" he asked, climbing onto her shoulder. He gently tugged at a strand of her hair, but she did not respond. She continued to chant the strange words.
Culumon glared angrily at his dark clone, sensing that it was the source of the problem. But the prisoner, too, seemed to be ignoring him. It was making an odd sound, a low hum that made Culumon's ears ache.
Suddenly the dark digimon threw itself against the walls of the bubble. Culumon almost flew off Juri in surprise, but to his relief, the prisoner did not break free. It did succeed, however, in rolling the heart-shaped bubble onto its side, and thus moving a little closer to Juri.
"Culululu!" he scolded, but again, the clone ignored him. With another violent shove, it managed to set the bubble aright again. Culumon could clearly see that it would only take one more roll to get the bubble close enough to touch them. Juri, meanwhile, reacted as if nothing was happening.
Culumon tried to cover Juri's ears to block out the sound, but his short arms wouldn't stretch that far. In desperation, he began to sing a song of his own, something completely random that he made up on the spot. It had no real words, but the silly tune instantly made him feel better, and as he looked into Juri's eyes, he could see that the clone's song was losing its effect on her.
But he was too late. The bubble crashed into him and Juri, rolling on top of them until they passed through its shimmering walls and found themselves inside.
"Cala...."