I do not own digimon.
The Final Crest
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"Justice Massacre!" Assaultmon didn't waste any time.
The humans scrambled, with their partners, across the sand, like cockroaches from a flashlight. The sand flew into the air as the blasts rupture across the landscape. Assaultmon narrowed his golden eyes.
"Fools, I shall find you, and nothing can stop me!" growled the metal titan as he marched forward with his metallic hooves. He hit a barrier. A static field buzzed in Assaultmon's ears. It was trying to short circuit his wiring. "I am not a weakling like the Mecha Norimon and the Guardromon!" Assaultmon pushed forward with a grunt and then leveled his cannon-like arms on the retreating figures. "Justice Massacre!"
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The explosion flung them around the corner. Janet was grumbling loudly. Brendan was rubbing his head and Mark was helping Lucemon to his feet.
"Hurry, get up, get up!" Snow Agumon was staggering around in the sand trying to get everyone to their feet.
"Where's this back door?" called Janet as the sound of soft clomping starts to come nearer.
"Umm…" Brendan fumbled around with his laptop. "Damn thing…" he growled. "Right…this way…"
He pointed to the left. They ran for their life and come to a large brick wall.
"Oh yeah, looks just like a door," Janet said quietly.
"It's defended," whispered Brendan. "Give me a second…" The wall flickered a little and then became translucent. "There…now I…."
"Right!" Kevin pushed past through the door.
"Wait…" Brendan snatched forward missing the boy, "I haven't finalized the code…." It didn't matter though as the boy rushed through the semi-transparent barrier.
"It's ok, come on…" shouted Kevin.
The others slipped through the wall. Brendan was instantly at Kevin, "You shouldn't do things like that, if I don't get the code finalized the defense mechanism may not be down, you could've gotten inseparably stuck in that wall!"
"Yeah, yeah…" whispered Kevin as he walked onwards down the pyramid tunnel. "Any lights?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I'm working on it," growled Brendan with a sneer of annoyance. A low glow filled the tunnel. "There, it's the best I can get for right…" A shadowy figure appeared on the other side of the wall mirage. Brendan slowly puts his index finger to his lips.
"Impossible!" growled the shadow as its centaur like body swiveled back and forth. "I know they are here somewhere!" A low growl escaped from the beast and it stomped off.
"Hehe, metal head couldn't find a needle in a pincushion…" giggled Kevin.
"Shut up, let's just get further in the pyramid, I don't like being this close to being discovered," hissed Janet.
"Oh come on, what's he going to do blast us?" Kevin turned and looked at the others. They had a very scandalous look to them. "What?"
"Umm…" Brendan looked at Janet.
"That doesn't even deserve an answer," said Janet and she pushed past him. "Come on Brendan, let's find this stupid digimon and get out of here…"
"Hey you can't go without me!" yelped Kevin as he scrambled after the other three humans.
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Steven growled loudly, "Stupid Kevin, now Assaultmon's here!"
"Just sit tight," whispered Jason quietly. He squinted and watched the metal centaur march around the pyramid for a fifth time. "They must have slipped in…he seems to be rather, confused…"
"How long do you think it will take him to figure out that they are in the pyramid?" Michelle asked quietly. The others looked at her.
"I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out by now," mumbled Amy as she watched the creature march back to its trailer.
"We should stay on guard, in case he starts looking for us," whispered Jason quietly.
"That sounds right…" replied Steven.
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"My Lord, I'm sorry that you missed…" Goblimon shrunk back as the golden eyes of Assaultmon leveled a laser like glare on the small green gremlin.
"I do not need your sympathy," growled Assaultmon as he stomped past and into his trailer.
"Master, what should we do?" asked the goblin quietly.
"Find the digi-destined," growled the metal titan as he swept around to two small metallic insects, "You, Kokuwamon, go and clean up the Guardromon and the Mecha Norimon outside." The two beetles nodded and walked off.
"Who will you destroy first, master, the digi-destined or….?" asked Goblimon quietly.
"Why do you worry about things that are beyond your position?" growled Assaultmon loudly. "It's becoming a very unwanted quality."
"I am sorry, Master," the little green digimon lowered his eyes. "I am unworthy of being in service to you…"
"Yes…yes indeed you are," replied Assaultmon calmly and left the trailer to see how the Kokuwamon were doing.
A small Kapurimon was at one of the computers. It was a metal helmeted raccoon. Lord Assaultmon was hoping it would digivolve to a metallic digimon and was giving it field experience. The little round fur ball turned to Goblimon. Its organic eyes stared in awe at the green digimon. "Why do you stay with Lord Assaultmon, even though he abuses you and treats you less than an animal?"
The Goblimon sighed softly and turned to the computers. He sighed reminiscently. "I remember when Master Assaultmon came to my village…
"He came at the beginning of the Great Drought. Our village was under constant attack from a wild Brachimon. Our leader, a strong and wise Fuugamon was trying his best against the beast but he was no match. Soon enough the long necked dinosaur had engulfed our leader.
"All was lost. The Brachimon came at night and would consume one or two of us. We tried to run but the beast would hunt us down. Finally, I was the last of my people. They'd all been consumed; eaten in front of me by that gluttonous beast. I waited all day, dreading the coming night. I knew my life would be over by the next daybreak.
"The night came. The beast arrived soon after sundown. I tried to run but it was so large and it was ahead of me before I could even get a good gallop going. My fire balls only bounced off its hard skin. I was soon pinned against a huge stone pillar. The Brachimon was coming closer, and then…oh and then…" The Goblimon sighed and looked dreamily at the computer screen. "Out of the desert came my lord, oh yes one should see him in the moonlight with the soft pearlescent glow reflecting from his metallic joints. Crimson explosion fired from his arms and the Brachimon exploded into dust. Oh he was so magnificent.
"He walked up to me so calmly and said, 'Are you damaged?' and I was just a swoon with his magnificence," Goblimon leaned on his club heavily. "Of course, being Lord Assaultmon, he refused to allow me to believe he saved me for the mere fact that he pitied me against that brutish dinosaur, saying he did it to get rid of a threat to his power in the area, but I know better. He came to save me, because he cared. Sure he is gruff but I know he cares, there is no other servant of my lord who actually gets to sleep in real straw and not on the hard ground."
"You sleep on straw!" gasped the Kapurimon in shock.
Goblimon nodded. "Yes I do, I would like to believe Master Assaultmon enjoys my company…"
"You should not think such weak thoughts about me," growled the voice of Assaultmon. Goblimon leapt up and fell backwards as the shadow of Assaultmon moved closer. "You still have a warped memory of the events with that Brachimon, you should really just realize that I wish my head caretaker to be healthy, my needs must be attended to, and I refuse to put up with a second hand job. You were always such a fool, Goblimon, really for me to care about you, a maggot of an organic, is illogical, insufferable and nearly disgusting. I have gone through many servants, but you are the first I have ever had that has been so blind to the truth. You are a tool for me, nothing more; do not delude yourself with these feelings of love and caring, they only cloud your judgment and lower your productivity quotient." Assaultmon turned to the Kapurimon and walked forward. "I wish for you to set up a magnetic burst. We must break down that static barrier." The ball nodded and hopped to action.
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"Wait!" Brendan held out his hands forcing the others backward. They were in front of a checkerboard of sorts that was laid out on the floor. Black and white squares ran up and down the tunnel. "We have to be very careful….this thing is booby trapped to explode if the wrong tiles are stepped on."
"So…what are the correct tiles?" asked Mark quietly.
"This white one here…" whispered Brendan as he stooped down. "From this white tile, up three." He leapt forward barely making it to the black square three squares up. "Then, one to the right…" he walked to a white square. "Then, four up…" He looked back. "Umm…yeah…." Suddenly Renamon was behind him and lifting him up and leaping the four squares. Brendan thanked the fox and then looked at the screen, "One right…" He walked over onto the square. He sighed, "Finally five up…" Renamon grabbed up the boy and leapt landing on the other side of the checkerboard. "Ok, you guys follow, I'll give instructions!"
The others nodded and Mark and Lucemon followed the boy's instructions; Lucemon helped a little, gliding slightly, but the height of the room really prohibited his flight. Renamon ferried Kevin and Snow Agumon across and then finally Janet. Tapirmon hovered slowly across the checkerboard.
"Pish, that was a test?" grumbled Kevin as he looked back.
"Pastry, language and math, spun and round, a number essential to area must be found, what is the number?" asked Brendan as he looked pointedly at Kevin.
"Umm…right…." Kevin looked back blankly.
"That was the question to the test, the answer was pi!" shouted Brendan in annoyance.
"Three point one four one five…"whispered Janet.
"Yes, now let's go," Brendan pushed past Kevin and walked further down the tunnel.
They walked in stilted silence. They stopped here and there to undo a trap or a code. The darkness slowly encroached around them. The lights growing dimmer as they made their way further down the tunnel. The shadows stretched out over the floor and suddenly Brendan and Janet were very far ahead of Kevin and Mark.
"Hey, wait!" shouted Kevin. The turned and suddenly they were in front of the boy. "Umm….admittedly that is weird…"
"Must be a pocket of dimensional instability," said Brendan as he looked around hopping back and forth between being twenty feet away and two feet away. "It looks harmless enough, let's go." Called the boy and he pressed onward. Suddenly the boy slipped and disappeared into the shadows.
"Brendan!" Tapirmon rushed after the boy. "Oh Brendan be ok…be ok!"
The boy was hanging on the edge of a ravine. The others were right behind the elephantine digimon. Tapirmon was feverishly hovering over Brendan trying to help the human from his predicament.
"Be careful," whimpered Mark as Brendan's fingers started to slide.
Janet instantly grabbed the boy's arm and then Kevin grabbed her around the waist and tried to hoist them both up. Lucemon tried to fly but the ceiling was too low to allow it. The angel grabbed Kevin around the waist and Mark clasped onto the angel.
Tapirmon then zoomed underneath Brendan's feet and slowly started to rise. "Ugh…so heavy…."
"Yeah, you need to lay off the cream puffs buddy," called Kevin.
Renamon leapt forward and clasped Brendan's laptop letting the boy use his other hand. The fox put the computer on the ground and then gingerly grabbed the boy's hand and together they pulled, and Tapirmon pushed and Brendan tumbled over the edge.
"That was…" started Brendan.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" shouted Janet, "running off like that!"
"I…I…" Brendan looked down, "I was just…aggravated…and wasn't paying attention"
"As long as no one got really hurt…" Kevin started but Janet planted a glare on him that was so strong that he nearly fell backward. He blinked and looked at Brendan, "Look, bud, you really shouldn't run off like that…we need you to get this quest thingy done…"
"Umm…right, this is another trap," whispered Brendan as he looked at his computer. He glared at the screen. "Hmm…" He walked to the edge of the ravine and the to the right wall and walked slowly to left taking three, long legged, steps. He sat down and typed some stuff out on his computer. "Now wait…this is one trap I don't want to mess with…there is a bridge here but it's invisible so I want to make it visible," He smiled, and looked up as a large rocky bridge shimmered into existence across the gorge. "Ok…here we go."
They slowly made across the rock bridge. Brendan looked up. Kevin walked past him. "Are we here?"
Brendan nodded slowly. Kevin smiled and extended his hand and pushed the door open. A blazing white lab opened in front of them. Large super computers lined the walls. The humans and their digimon staggered forward. Amidst this all was a single digimon. Brown and white feathers covered its body. A leather strap was wrapped behind its head. It turned and looked at them through infra-red goggles.
"Ah, you came to free me!" cheered the digimon lifting its wings. Its short hooked beak turned upwards slightly into a smile.
"And you are?" Mark asked quietly.
"I am, Owlmon, General Owlmon," the owl bowed slightly.
The humans gasped and their digimon took up defensive positions. The owl stood up and held his hands up in placation.
"You're one of Assaultmon's stooges!" growled Kevin loudly. Owlmon narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Don't call me that," growled the bird of prey. The lights turned crimson and the bird looked up in shock. "We haven't much time; he's broken through the barrier…Pull that lever!" he pointed at a large lever behind them. "It will lower the defense shield that traps me on this side of the room!"
"Huh…?" whispered the children.
Brendan blinked and then pulled a huge lever. The owl spun around and pushed a number of buttons on a computer consul. A bright light covered them and then suddenly they were back outside, except for Janet and Renamon.
"So you little organics have been helping that fool Owlmon!" growled a voice behind them. They turned to find themselves facing Assaultmon and his small army of Mecha Norimon and Guardromon.
"Where's Renamon and Janet?" growled Lucemon quietly to the others.
"He has her," growled Kevin loudly as he looked back at the pyramid, "that fink!"
"Then we have to go back for her!" yelped Brendan.
"You aren't going anywhere!" shouted Assaultmon as his energy cannons hummed to life.
"Snow Agumon, digivolve to Shima Unimon!" A black and white zebra unicorn charged forward with its horn lowered.
"Tapirmon digivolve to Dobermon!" a snarl escaped the light of digivolution before the black pinscher slashed forward with its claws.
Lucemon took to the air, drew his hands together and pulled his wings tight against his body. He slowly twisted into a maelstrom of light. "Divine Feat!" The cyclone of energy slammed into Assaultmon eliciting an annoyed grumble from the metallic Ultimate. The angel appeared from the maelstrom and did a single hand back flip before Assaultmon could crush him with those hard, metal, cannon arms.
"Wild Thunder!" Flashes of blue lightning slashed the sand exploding into the ranks of the Mecha Norimon.
"Schwarz Strahl!" A black beam of energy sliced cleanly through the metallic digimon.
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Janet blinked. She and Owlmon were still there in the lab. The door slammed shut and the owl looked at her with a hungry sneer. "You do know what I have right?"
"What did you do to the others?" shouted Janet. She and Renamon's fists clenched as she looked at the owl.
The bird chuckled softly, "Oh don't worry they're doing an errand for me…"
"What do you mean?" Janet gritted her teeth.
"Oh, holding off Assaultmon, until I get you to use that tag and crest of yours on me," replied the owl calmly.
"You won't touch her!" shouted Renamon. "Fox Leaf ArroAHH!" a metal arm flashed down and snapped up Renamon.
"There, that's that inconvenience taken care of," said Owlmon quietly as he walked up to Janet. "Now, be a good girl and give me your strength…" A metal table rose from the floor where he indicated a heart shaped object it looked like a crest.
"If I don't?" growled Janet.
"Then the metal hand holding Renamon will hold her tighter and tighter until her eyes shoot across the room," replied Owlmon quietly. As if to emphasize his point the hand creaked and Renamon groaned as he body was squeezed.
Janet walked forward slowly. She put the tag on the crest and the two merged in an aura of pink light. Owlmon was at her side smiling.
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"We have to get Janet back!" shouted Brendan as a blaze of energy whizzed past.
"Don't worry, we'll hold them off, you go!" growled Shima Unimon as he charged a group of Mecha Norimon.
"And how are we supposed to get Janet out without any help?" called Kevin.
"Good point," Dobermon growled as he engulfed a group of Guardromon in a Grau Realm sphere.
"I'll go, I can handle the owl," said Lucemon as he appeared in front of them.
"Ok…" said Brendan. He, Kevin and Mark ran for the pyramid.
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"We're coming!" shouted Steven as he watched the fight break out.
"Ryuudamon digivolve to Ginryuumon!" the long necked, black armored dragon roared forward into the fray.
"Otamamon digivolve to Seadramon!" the blue sea serpent curled into the sky with a roar.
"Penguinmon digivolve to Saberdramon!" the black raven phoenix screeched across the sun.
"Labramon digivolve to D'Arcmon!" the canine angel sprinted across the sand and took flight.
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Assaultmon turned to find the other digimon rushing towards him, but he couldn't let the others escape. He barked and order to one of the Mecha Norimon and then pursued the digi-destined that had returned to the pyramid.
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"Well, use the power!" growled Owlmon loudly.
"I can't!" shouted Janet in frustration. "I don't know how!"
"Don't try to fool me child I know you digi-destined children are the only ones that can activate these crests!" returned Owlmon. He looked up at Renamon and the hand closed around the fox. "Your friend will get hurt if you do not learn soon!"
"I can't help it!" shouted Janet as the hand tightened again. Tears were streaming down her face. "I just don't know how! I can't get this stupid thing to work!"
"Fool! Then watch as your partner dies!" growled Owlmon and the hand groaned as it closed in on itself.
"NO! Renamon, I'm so sorry, I'm so…" Janet looked at her hand. It was glowing with a raspberry light.
Owlmon was instantly at the hand and yanked the small chain and pendant from Janet. "I can feel the power! Yes, THE POWER TO DIGIVOLVE!"
"Divine Feat!" A stream of light flashed towards the owl but the bird was spry and leapt free from the attack.
The others stumbled through the door. Brendan was gasping for breath, "Come on…Assaultmon isn't far…."
"Justice Massacre!" A wall of super computers exploded inwards as the metal titan stomped forward on metal hooves.
"You're too late, Assaultmon!" shouted Owlmon as raspberry light covered his body. "For you see, I have found a way to become as powerful as you without the other generals! Finally, you will fall, Assaultmon!"
Lucemon narrowed his eyes as he looked at that legend that was equated with pure evil. "It's him…."
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AN: Usually this is the place I say stuff, but there's really not that much to say, other than, they are really fast. This is the starting of the close of the Assaultmon arc coughthankgodcough with the new arc it may take a bit to start up the new arc, have to get through a filler chapter, and they are usually very hard for me to write.