DISCLAIMER: Come on, it's the fifth chapter, do I have to say it again?

Part Five: Interrogation

I awoke in an unfamiliar place, lying on a cold surface and engulfed in the metallic tang of blood. From the way my energy seemed to be leaking out of me, I assumed that it was my blood. I remembered the brief skirmish I'd had with the Dokunemon and wondered if these were the same wounds.

Something nagged at my memory, telling me that there was something here I was missing, something important. A glimmer of the past, or a hint of the future, perhaps. But, as my lifeblood effused into a crimson pool beneath me, the urgency dissipated, and I was left exhausted once more.

Soon after I awoke, someone approached from behind, and I felt a sharp pain in my side. The pain cleared the last remnants of unconsciousness from my mind, and I rolled over onto my feet, ignoring the pain the movement caused.

I was in a small metal cell, more of a closet than an actual room. The feeling of urgency returned as a sense of déjà vu overtook me; it was as if I had been here before, yet I couldn't remember where 'here' was.

Noriko stood before me, smirking contemptuously, a stark contrast to the girl I remembered. Her features had hardened, and her eyes were cold, so cold that the very air seemed to recoil from them. From her hand dangled a leather chord- Ken's old whip. The familiar sight elicited so many unbidden memories that I cringed, the movement earning a harsh laugh from Noriko.

"So, my assumption was correct." She held up the whip, examining the pommel casually. "This did belong to the Kaizer." Her attention turned back to me, her eyes filled with a sadistic glee. Dread welled up inside me, and fear so strong I could taste it, though I knew my fear was irrational. She must have captured me for a reason; I would remain alive until I had served whatever purpose she needed me for. "Now, insect," she continued, "you have two options. You can cooperate with me, or I can whip you until I get what I desire. The choice is yours."

I stared up at her, struggling against my fears and the growing weakness in my body. Where was Ken? He had gone to her house to confirm his assumption that she was behind the events in the Digital World, but we were no longer in her house. I was in my Child form, Wormmon, which meant we had to be in the Digital World. What had happened in the time between Ken's departure and now?

An ominous snapping sound, a quick lash of the whip, and I was back on my side, bleeding from yet another wound. I glared up at the human girl, but my glare instantly turned to a grimace of pain.

"Which will it be?" she asked impatiently.

Trying not to move anymore that I had to –it hurt even to breathe– I looked up at her. Could I afford to defy her? In my present state, I wouldn't be able to survive much more of her treatment. Would I last long enough for Ken to find me? That is, if he was still safe. I wasn't sure what had transpired between him and Noriko.

"What do you want?" I murmured. Hopefully, complying with her for the time being would give Ken enough time to rescue me, or at least give me the chance to escape. Either way, I dreaded feeling the sting of the whip again.

Flicking her wrist disdainfully, Noriko sniffed. "Pathetic. You are all so malleable." I stared up at her, waiting for her to continue. I knew that anything I said now would only earn me another lashing. Her dark eyes bore into mine; playtime was over. "I want access to the computers in Ken's base."

I blinked. "Demo, it was destroyed shortly after– "

"Don't take me for a fool," she snapped, cracking the whip menacingly. "He had a secret base, a back-up where he kept the prototypes for his experimental weapons. I want the access codes to it."

My eyes widened, and a gasp escaped my lips. Everything fell into place; the sense of urgency vanished. I knew where we were. I'd never been inside the holding cells in Ken's hidden base, which was why I hadn't recognized it at first. But the design, the scents, they were all familiar. I knew this place, and I hated it. No one had known about it save for Ken and I, and even Ken no longer remembered it. He'd been able to banish it form all but his nightmares. "How did you know about this?" I whispered.

Grinning smugly, Noriko cocked her head and put her hand on her neck. "A little bird told me… Or rather, a little bat."

^~^~^~^~^

"Iie, gomen Ken," Hikari said, "but Minomon's not here."

Ken sighed, the beginnings of fear starting to crawl up his spine. He'd left the small Digimon sleeping peacefully only an hour ago, and now he was nowhere to be found. If Minomon hadn't come here, where could he have gone?

A hand fell on his shoulder, and Ken turned to face Daisuke. "Genki dase yo, Ken-chan! He can't have gone far. I mean, DemiVeemon's got more legs than Minomon does, and he can only crawl about two feet an hour at the most."

"I heard that!" the Baby Digimon yelled from somewhere under the bed.

Daisuke grinned. "Maybe he went to the Digital World," he suggested. "He could have gone to T.H.'s or Miyako's and gotten them to open a Digiport…"

Ken nodded reluctantly. Though he knew the improbability of Daisuke's suggestion, he had no other option but to follow along with it. After all, he had run out of ideas himself, and he had no doubt that if he actually sat down and thought about the situation, he would lose himself in distress. Wormmon was everything to him; he couldn't handle knowing that his partner had come to harm because of him. I never should have left him alone.

Hikari rose from Daisuke's computer chair, making room for the two boys at the desk. She brushed Ken's hand with her own as she moved to join Iori on the bed and offered him a smile. "It'll be okay," she said quietly. "I'm sure Minomon is fine."

"Arigato," he replied, not meeting her eyes. He wished he could smile and agree with her, but he knew something was amiss. He could sense it. Darkness was drawn to him like a magnet, and he had no reason to think it would leave him alone now, especially with Noriko asserting her strength in the Digital World.

He'd emailed the important details of their conversation to Izzy after he'd left Noriko's and then went home to check on Minomon. When he'd found his bedroom empty, he had gone straight to Daisuke's, hoping that his partner had gone there. Without his D-3, Wormmon couldn't Digivolve, which made it difficult for him to travel, and neither could he enter the Digital World- unless he had gotten one of the others to open the Digiport for him. It was the last place Ken could think to check.

An email alert appeared as soon as Daisuke powered the computer up. Sighing, Davis began to delete it, but Ken stopped him in hopes that it was one of the other Digidestined telling Daisuke that Wormmon was with them.

It wasn't.

The contents were short and simple: "Ichijouji Ken. Your partner is safe with me. I will return him when I am finished. Your Empress."

"'Your Empress'? Eh, you gotta girlfriend, Ken?" Daisuke jeered, jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow.

"Iie," Ken whispered, breath ragged. "It's Noriko."

^~^~^~^~^

Pain exploded down my back as Noriko lashed me again. I twisted aside, but I could not avoid the stinging tip of the whip. Noriko was much more skilled with the weapon than Ken had ever been; she was merciless and uncaring, and she enjoyed the power the weapon gave her. It did not matter to her whether I lived or died as long as she got what she wanted out of me first.

"Dammit, you cretin, tell me the codes!"

The whip came down again, this time with enough force to stun me for a moment. When I finally regained my senses, I glared up at her, knowing I would pay for it but unable to keep silent any longer. "Iie. I swore to Ken I would never speak about it to anyone. I won't break my promise."

Noriko paused, staring down at me curiously for a long moment. I stared back defiantly then blinked when she broke into laughter. "Oh, you poor, piteous fool. Why should you keep your promises to him when he's already broken his?"

"That wasn't his fault!" I cried, then winced at the sudden pain. "The Dark Spore-"

Noriko cracked the whip again, serious once more. "Hai. The Dark Spore. Which he still bears. And as long as it has even a single root within him, he cannot escape it influence."

"If you know so much," I murmured, "why can't you discover the access codes on your own?"

"Because the Kaizer was somehow able to conceal the codes, even from the Dark Spore buried inside him," Noriko replied bitterly. "His strength of will was immense. It is a shame he did not employ it in anything useful."

"Iie," I whispered. "You're wrong."

A/N: Well? Whatcha think? If you've read this far, you must like it, so TELL ME!!! Anyone who reviews gets free pocky sticks. (I am the Pocky no Miko, remember!)

Oh, and by the way, I'm taking a break from this story for a while. I haven't been getting many reviews (thanks Another World!) and I've got other projects that I'll be working on. (Go check them out!) I'm not abandoning this completely, though, so if I get some more reviews I'll consider restarting it.