"But that can't be!" Kari choked out as another Gatomon stood in front of
her, caked with dried blood.
The injured Gatomon growled at her counterpart. "I'm afraid it is Kari. That creature over there attacked me, and took my place. She works for Myotismon, or Beta, or whatever he calls himself. She's a spy!"
The uninjured Gatomon next to her smiled at the wounded Gatomon. "I must say I'm impressed you escaped Lord Beta like that." There was no need to keep up her subterfuge. "I was looking forward for a rematch. I enjoyed beating you senseless."
"It was you!" Joe reached for his guns, but found they had vanished. Mimi realized her taser was gone as well.
Evil Gatomon laughed. "If you're looking for your weapons, they're in the bottom of the sewer. So is your digivice Kari. It has been fun talking, but now let's get to it!" Evil Gatomon leapt at Joe. Joe moved out of the way, just in time to avoid a deathblow, but still felt blood spill from his arm as Evil Gatomon ripped open a new wound.
"Digi-armor energize!" Yolei shouted.
"Hawkmon armor digivolve to.SHURIMON; Samurai of Sincerity!" Shurimon appeared in a storm of leafs. Shurimon glared angrily through his ninja- hood. The Evil Gatomon had him completely fooled, he should have known from that gold ring! But that hypnotism of hers... put him dead to sleep.
"You'd better do the same. Digi-armor energize!" Cody announced. (I hope this Gatomon remembers Ladydevimon wants everyone alive.) Cody thought.
"Armadillomon armor digivolve to.DIGMON; Drill of Power!" Digmon's form took his place as his rocky shell burst apart. Digmon was furious as well, since he to was completely fooled. "Let's get the little turncoat! Gold Rush!" Digmon threw his arms wide open, shooting his drills at the small figure.
Evil Gatomon leapt effortlessly out of the way of the projectiles as she charged Digmon. "Lightning Claw!" Digmon took the blow full in the chest. He was sent sailing into the wall.
"How can something so little pack such a wallop?" Digmon groaned as he crawled out of the rubble, glad he had his stone hard carapace.
"It's the gold ring! It greatly increases a Gatomon's power!" Gatomon announced as she leapt at Evil Gatomon.
Evil Gatomon grabbed Gatomon's paws as she leapt forward. "You speak the truth." Evil Gatomon tossed Gatomon into Agumon as he was charging to attack. "Shouldn't have lost your ring. You might have been able to give me a challenge then." Evil Gatomon laughed as she landed a jump kick to Patamon's head.
"Double Star!" Shurimon's arm extended as his shuriken hand spun rapidly. Evil Gatomon dodged the bladed star and grabbed the green arm. She pulled hard, sending Shurimon flying towards her. Shurimon went flying back, when he reached her, Evil Gatomon just punched him in the head. She would have used her claws, but they were still wanted alive. Evil Gatomon then turned her attention to Joe and Mimi. Now them on the other hand.. Evil Gatomon charged the couple, claws pointed at their throats. She stopped in mid air, sort of hanging for a split second, until she was yanked back.
"I will not be made fun of by a foolish digimon!" Ken's whip was wrapped around Evil Gatomon's tail. The young boy swung Evil Gatomon into a sewer wall with all his strength.
Wormon followed suit. "Sticky Net!" A blast of webbing was fired at Evil Gatomon.
Evil Gatomon sliced through the whip after she hit the wall, and she ducked under Wormon's attack. The collision left several bruises under her fur, but nothing she couldn't handle. She ran a quick analysis, deciding she could take them despite their greater number. But not without risk of killing them, something Ladydevimon did not want. "I see I am out numbered. Oh well, you're all doomed anyway." She winked at Gatomon. "See you later." And with that, she disappeared into the darkness.
Everybody picked themselves up slowly, examining their battle wounds. Joe was the first to speak as Mimi tied a tourniquet around his bloody arm. "How the HELL could you let that thing in to our underground?! Because of her we lost everything!"
"How were we supposed to know?" Patamon squeaked out. "She's identical to our Gatomon."
"I don't suppose the fact she tried to kill us makes her different?!" Joe began to grow angry.
"Don't get angry." Ken walked up to Joe. He didn't want Joe to start tearing everybody up. He still needed them, pathetic as they are. "It is my fault. I should have not let anybody in to the underground, and I should have realized the Gatomon was a traitor. The gold ring was a dead give away. We all should have seen it coming."
(I did.) Cody thought to himself. (You think the gold ring would have been obvious enough. The first time line's Gatomon didn't have a gold ring, you'd think somebody would have noticed. This time line's Gatomon should have removed hers. Guess she didn't want to give up all that power. No need to reveal my little plan right now. I might still be useful being Cody- Delta.) "Is everybody ok?"
"Not really y'all." Armadillomon was pulling an unconscious Hawkmon out of the rubble. Mimi was finishing bandaging Joe. Joe had lost a fair bit of blood, and was leaning heavily against Mimi. He looked half-asleep. "That Gatomon is a vicious filly."
"You're too kind." Gatomon, their Gatomon, looked the worst out of all of them. Her eye was swelled shut and her fur was caked with dried blood. Kari was using a damp rag to clean Gatomon's eye off.
"Sorry, Gatomon, I meant." Armadillomon stuttered.
"I know what you meant. I'm sorry I got captured, it's all my fault." Gatomon winced as Kari dragged the damp rag over her swollen lip.
"No it's not!" Kari announced. "It was that other Gatomon. You did nothing." Gatomon didn't feel like she did nothing though. That Gatomon was, or could have been her. That one thought gnawed at her.
"We should get out of here. If I'm right, that fleabag had some sort of locator on her. She could be back at any time, and most likely not alone." Joe stood up, but almost fell over if it was not for Mimi's strong grip.
Yolei picked the injured Hawkmon up, running through his head with a hand. "We can't go far, especially not all the way back to your Church. Half of us are hurt and our digimon our low on energy."
"You're right. First we fish our gear out of the sewer, than we move again." Joe stood up full, fighting off a wave of nausea. They had lost. He knew it and so did everybody else here. But he'd be damned if he was going to roll over and die.
Everybody began to move out. Yolei carried the unconcious Hawkmon and Kari carried Gatomon. Gatomon had fallen asleep as her adrenaline rush finally died down. Mimi supported Joe as he walked down the sewer. Agumon and Patamon managed to get on by themselves, despite the fact that they had been knocked for a loop by Evil Gatomon. Armadillomon got around as well, despite a massive headache as he followed Cody. Ken led the way with Wormon by his side, believing he was the best to be in charge. Everybody was too run down to argue. They traveled for a half an hour, until they were sure they were out of danger. By then Joe announced he needed a few minutes to sit down. He sat down on the ground and completely passed out. Mimi smiled as she rested Joe's head on her lap. "I think we all need some sleep. We didn't exactly get much rest before."
It was only a few minutes before everyone was asleep. Patamon volunteered to stay awake as a guard, since he hadn't digivolved to fight the Evil Gatomon and still had the most energy. Patamon watched as they all drifted off to sleep one by one.
Gatomon was in the center of a dark room. She was there also, her evil counterpart, with the gold ring still on her tail. Evil Gatomon paced around Gatomon smiling. Gatomon screamed at Evil Gatomon. "Why did you do that to my friends?"
"Why did we do that, don't you mean?" Evil Gatomon smiled, her gold ringed tail twitching. "I am you."
"I am nothing like you!" Gatomon yelled. She wanted to rip this creature's heart out, make her pay for what she did.
"Oh no?" Evil Gatomon walked up to Gatomon. "Did you ever tell Kari what you were about to do the first time you met?" Gatomon's lips trembled; knowing what Evil Gatomon was talking about. "Let me help you remember. You climbed up behind her while she was sitting on the couch. You pulled back your claws, aimed at the back of her tender neck, and."
"Nothing!" Gatomon pushed Evil Gatomon back. "I did nothing!"
"But you almost did, almost killed your beloved Kari. Have you ever told her that? Does she know that if she hadn't turned around that exact second, Tai would have become an only child?" Evil Gatomon smiled. "What do you think your friends would do if they knew? I am part of you, that dark little bit you keep locked up." Evil Gatomon backed up into the shadows. "I am always there..."
Gatomon woke up sweating and shaking. She had gripped the floor so hard she left three identical groves on either side of her. Gatomon looked around, breathing heavily.
"Gatomon?" Somebody whispered beside her. Gatomon turned her head, seeing Patamon right beside her. "Are you all right?"
It took Gatomon a few seconds to regain her composure. "Yes." Gatomon thought for a second. "Well...no. Not really. I had a horrible nightmare."
"What about?" Patamon asked.
"About me and.her." Gatomon whispered sadly.
Patamon knew whom she was talking about. "Gatomon, she's gone."
"No she's not." Gatomon brushed a tear from her eye. "That could have been me. A single change in my choices years ago." Gatomon looked up at Patamon. "I almost did something years ago, when I first met Kari. I was working for Myotismon, and I found the eighth child, Kari. I followed her to her apartment, and I almost...almost." Gatomon started crying, burying her face into the fur of Patamon's chest.
Patamon wrapped his ear wings around Gatomon. "There, there. Gatomon, that was not you. It will never be you." Patamon wiped a tear from Gatomon's eye with his paw. "That Gatomon is everything you're not."
Gatomon looked up at Patamon. "Thank you Patamon." Gatomon was flashing back to Myotismon's lair, where she seduced that Gazimon in order to escape, kissing him in order to snatch the metal buckle of his tail.
Patamon smiled back, when Gatomon moved forward suddenly. "MMmm?!" Patamon's eyes went wide. Gatomon had kissed him suddenly, which completely took Patamon off his feet. He just sat there in stunned silence for several seconds.
Gatomon removed her mouth from Patamon's lips. "I...I have a secret. In order to escape, I had to do kiss.with a Gazimon." Patamon's eyes grew wide as Gatomon's confessed. Gatomon always had trouble talking about her feelings. Wizardmon and Myotismon were particullary sore points with her. "I didn't want to, and I hated every second of it, but to save Kari and everybody I would do anything. I almost was deleted escaping, and I just.just didn't want my last kiss to be like that. I... I'm sorry... I should have asked..." Gatomon cluthced tightly agianst Patamon's chest.
"No no it's ok Gatomon." Patamon whispered. He can't imagine what she was going through. "I... I never really told yout his Gatomon but I have always had...kind of a crush on you...." Patamon blushed. as he looked down.
"..." Gatomon's eys where closed. Exhaustion had overtook here, and she was now fast asleep, her head resting against Patamon.
Patamon smiled softly as eh lifted Gatomon up slightly with his ear wings, and gently lay her down. He stroked her forehead once with his wing. "Good night Gatomon." He whispered.
The injured Gatomon growled at her counterpart. "I'm afraid it is Kari. That creature over there attacked me, and took my place. She works for Myotismon, or Beta, or whatever he calls himself. She's a spy!"
The uninjured Gatomon next to her smiled at the wounded Gatomon. "I must say I'm impressed you escaped Lord Beta like that." There was no need to keep up her subterfuge. "I was looking forward for a rematch. I enjoyed beating you senseless."
"It was you!" Joe reached for his guns, but found they had vanished. Mimi realized her taser was gone as well.
Evil Gatomon laughed. "If you're looking for your weapons, they're in the bottom of the sewer. So is your digivice Kari. It has been fun talking, but now let's get to it!" Evil Gatomon leapt at Joe. Joe moved out of the way, just in time to avoid a deathblow, but still felt blood spill from his arm as Evil Gatomon ripped open a new wound.
"Digi-armor energize!" Yolei shouted.
"Hawkmon armor digivolve to.SHURIMON; Samurai of Sincerity!" Shurimon appeared in a storm of leafs. Shurimon glared angrily through his ninja- hood. The Evil Gatomon had him completely fooled, he should have known from that gold ring! But that hypnotism of hers... put him dead to sleep.
"You'd better do the same. Digi-armor energize!" Cody announced. (I hope this Gatomon remembers Ladydevimon wants everyone alive.) Cody thought.
"Armadillomon armor digivolve to.DIGMON; Drill of Power!" Digmon's form took his place as his rocky shell burst apart. Digmon was furious as well, since he to was completely fooled. "Let's get the little turncoat! Gold Rush!" Digmon threw his arms wide open, shooting his drills at the small figure.
Evil Gatomon leapt effortlessly out of the way of the projectiles as she charged Digmon. "Lightning Claw!" Digmon took the blow full in the chest. He was sent sailing into the wall.
"How can something so little pack such a wallop?" Digmon groaned as he crawled out of the rubble, glad he had his stone hard carapace.
"It's the gold ring! It greatly increases a Gatomon's power!" Gatomon announced as she leapt at Evil Gatomon.
Evil Gatomon grabbed Gatomon's paws as she leapt forward. "You speak the truth." Evil Gatomon tossed Gatomon into Agumon as he was charging to attack. "Shouldn't have lost your ring. You might have been able to give me a challenge then." Evil Gatomon laughed as she landed a jump kick to Patamon's head.
"Double Star!" Shurimon's arm extended as his shuriken hand spun rapidly. Evil Gatomon dodged the bladed star and grabbed the green arm. She pulled hard, sending Shurimon flying towards her. Shurimon went flying back, when he reached her, Evil Gatomon just punched him in the head. She would have used her claws, but they were still wanted alive. Evil Gatomon then turned her attention to Joe and Mimi. Now them on the other hand.. Evil Gatomon charged the couple, claws pointed at their throats. She stopped in mid air, sort of hanging for a split second, until she was yanked back.
"I will not be made fun of by a foolish digimon!" Ken's whip was wrapped around Evil Gatomon's tail. The young boy swung Evil Gatomon into a sewer wall with all his strength.
Wormon followed suit. "Sticky Net!" A blast of webbing was fired at Evil Gatomon.
Evil Gatomon sliced through the whip after she hit the wall, and she ducked under Wormon's attack. The collision left several bruises under her fur, but nothing she couldn't handle. She ran a quick analysis, deciding she could take them despite their greater number. But not without risk of killing them, something Ladydevimon did not want. "I see I am out numbered. Oh well, you're all doomed anyway." She winked at Gatomon. "See you later." And with that, she disappeared into the darkness.
Everybody picked themselves up slowly, examining their battle wounds. Joe was the first to speak as Mimi tied a tourniquet around his bloody arm. "How the HELL could you let that thing in to our underground?! Because of her we lost everything!"
"How were we supposed to know?" Patamon squeaked out. "She's identical to our Gatomon."
"I don't suppose the fact she tried to kill us makes her different?!" Joe began to grow angry.
"Don't get angry." Ken walked up to Joe. He didn't want Joe to start tearing everybody up. He still needed them, pathetic as they are. "It is my fault. I should have not let anybody in to the underground, and I should have realized the Gatomon was a traitor. The gold ring was a dead give away. We all should have seen it coming."
(I did.) Cody thought to himself. (You think the gold ring would have been obvious enough. The first time line's Gatomon didn't have a gold ring, you'd think somebody would have noticed. This time line's Gatomon should have removed hers. Guess she didn't want to give up all that power. No need to reveal my little plan right now. I might still be useful being Cody- Delta.) "Is everybody ok?"
"Not really y'all." Armadillomon was pulling an unconscious Hawkmon out of the rubble. Mimi was finishing bandaging Joe. Joe had lost a fair bit of blood, and was leaning heavily against Mimi. He looked half-asleep. "That Gatomon is a vicious filly."
"You're too kind." Gatomon, their Gatomon, looked the worst out of all of them. Her eye was swelled shut and her fur was caked with dried blood. Kari was using a damp rag to clean Gatomon's eye off.
"Sorry, Gatomon, I meant." Armadillomon stuttered.
"I know what you meant. I'm sorry I got captured, it's all my fault." Gatomon winced as Kari dragged the damp rag over her swollen lip.
"No it's not!" Kari announced. "It was that other Gatomon. You did nothing." Gatomon didn't feel like she did nothing though. That Gatomon was, or could have been her. That one thought gnawed at her.
"We should get out of here. If I'm right, that fleabag had some sort of locator on her. She could be back at any time, and most likely not alone." Joe stood up, but almost fell over if it was not for Mimi's strong grip.
Yolei picked the injured Hawkmon up, running through his head with a hand. "We can't go far, especially not all the way back to your Church. Half of us are hurt and our digimon our low on energy."
"You're right. First we fish our gear out of the sewer, than we move again." Joe stood up full, fighting off a wave of nausea. They had lost. He knew it and so did everybody else here. But he'd be damned if he was going to roll over and die.
Everybody began to move out. Yolei carried the unconcious Hawkmon and Kari carried Gatomon. Gatomon had fallen asleep as her adrenaline rush finally died down. Mimi supported Joe as he walked down the sewer. Agumon and Patamon managed to get on by themselves, despite the fact that they had been knocked for a loop by Evil Gatomon. Armadillomon got around as well, despite a massive headache as he followed Cody. Ken led the way with Wormon by his side, believing he was the best to be in charge. Everybody was too run down to argue. They traveled for a half an hour, until they were sure they were out of danger. By then Joe announced he needed a few minutes to sit down. He sat down on the ground and completely passed out. Mimi smiled as she rested Joe's head on her lap. "I think we all need some sleep. We didn't exactly get much rest before."
It was only a few minutes before everyone was asleep. Patamon volunteered to stay awake as a guard, since he hadn't digivolved to fight the Evil Gatomon and still had the most energy. Patamon watched as they all drifted off to sleep one by one.
Gatomon was in the center of a dark room. She was there also, her evil counterpart, with the gold ring still on her tail. Evil Gatomon paced around Gatomon smiling. Gatomon screamed at Evil Gatomon. "Why did you do that to my friends?"
"Why did we do that, don't you mean?" Evil Gatomon smiled, her gold ringed tail twitching. "I am you."
"I am nothing like you!" Gatomon yelled. She wanted to rip this creature's heart out, make her pay for what she did.
"Oh no?" Evil Gatomon walked up to Gatomon. "Did you ever tell Kari what you were about to do the first time you met?" Gatomon's lips trembled; knowing what Evil Gatomon was talking about. "Let me help you remember. You climbed up behind her while she was sitting on the couch. You pulled back your claws, aimed at the back of her tender neck, and."
"Nothing!" Gatomon pushed Evil Gatomon back. "I did nothing!"
"But you almost did, almost killed your beloved Kari. Have you ever told her that? Does she know that if she hadn't turned around that exact second, Tai would have become an only child?" Evil Gatomon smiled. "What do you think your friends would do if they knew? I am part of you, that dark little bit you keep locked up." Evil Gatomon backed up into the shadows. "I am always there..."
Gatomon woke up sweating and shaking. She had gripped the floor so hard she left three identical groves on either side of her. Gatomon looked around, breathing heavily.
"Gatomon?" Somebody whispered beside her. Gatomon turned her head, seeing Patamon right beside her. "Are you all right?"
It took Gatomon a few seconds to regain her composure. "Yes." Gatomon thought for a second. "Well...no. Not really. I had a horrible nightmare."
"What about?" Patamon asked.
"About me and.her." Gatomon whispered sadly.
Patamon knew whom she was talking about. "Gatomon, she's gone."
"No she's not." Gatomon brushed a tear from her eye. "That could have been me. A single change in my choices years ago." Gatomon looked up at Patamon. "I almost did something years ago, when I first met Kari. I was working for Myotismon, and I found the eighth child, Kari. I followed her to her apartment, and I almost...almost." Gatomon started crying, burying her face into the fur of Patamon's chest.
Patamon wrapped his ear wings around Gatomon. "There, there. Gatomon, that was not you. It will never be you." Patamon wiped a tear from Gatomon's eye with his paw. "That Gatomon is everything you're not."
Gatomon looked up at Patamon. "Thank you Patamon." Gatomon was flashing back to Myotismon's lair, where she seduced that Gazimon in order to escape, kissing him in order to snatch the metal buckle of his tail.
Patamon smiled back, when Gatomon moved forward suddenly. "MMmm?!" Patamon's eyes went wide. Gatomon had kissed him suddenly, which completely took Patamon off his feet. He just sat there in stunned silence for several seconds.
Gatomon removed her mouth from Patamon's lips. "I...I have a secret. In order to escape, I had to do kiss.with a Gazimon." Patamon's eyes grew wide as Gatomon's confessed. Gatomon always had trouble talking about her feelings. Wizardmon and Myotismon were particullary sore points with her. "I didn't want to, and I hated every second of it, but to save Kari and everybody I would do anything. I almost was deleted escaping, and I just.just didn't want my last kiss to be like that. I... I'm sorry... I should have asked..." Gatomon cluthced tightly agianst Patamon's chest.
"No no it's ok Gatomon." Patamon whispered. He can't imagine what she was going through. "I... I never really told yout his Gatomon but I have always had...kind of a crush on you...." Patamon blushed. as he looked down.
"..." Gatomon's eys where closed. Exhaustion had overtook here, and she was now fast asleep, her head resting against Patamon.
Patamon smiled softly as eh lifted Gatomon up slightly with his ear wings, and gently lay her down. He stroked her forehead once with his wing. "Good night Gatomon." He whispered.