Chapter 30:
Ten Faces of Evil: Part 5
Tai opened his eyes and found that he was staring up at a white ceiling. He sat up in bed and looked around. The walls where white, there was a dresser on the right side, and a t.v. on a stand right in front of his bed. He saw that there was a bathroom near the dresser, so he walked inside. He looked in the mirror and smiled. He was his regular age, gender and species. He was back to normal, but where was he?
He walked back into his room and saw the door was locked. He walked over and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Okay, I'm locked in?"
He walked back over to his bed. "What do I do?"
After a few minutes of silence, there was a knock at the door. "Mr. Kamiya?"
"Yes?" he asked.
He heard the door unlock and a large man in a white jacket walked inside. "Breakfast."
Tai nodded and followed him outside. He was now in a long hallway, with white doors on the walls. He saw that there was a group of other people in the hall too. He gasped when he saw who they were, the Digidestined!
He moved over to where Kari was standing. She was her normal age, gender and species too. "Tai, where are we?" she asked.
He looked around at the surroundings as they walked with the other people down the hall. "I think it's a mental hospital."
"What?" she gasped.
"Be quiet," he said, "The others are coming."
She looked over and saw the other Digidestined walking over. Matt whispered into Tai's ears, "We're going to make our move tonight."
"What?" he asked.
"The escape!" Matt whispered, "Remember?"
"Oh right," Tai nodded, "Yeah, I remember."
"Good. Sora's coming to get us out. We won't have to stay here any longer." He growled with anger.
"Um, why are we here?" Kari asked.
Matt stared at her. "Do they have you on new medication? We're here because they think we're crazy."
"About what?"
"The Digital World."
Derwood, Rika and Takato were in the woods outside of the mental hospital. They stared at the white building. "Do you think they're inside of there?" Rika asked.
"Maybe," Takato said, "Sora usually drops us off pretty close. Maybe they're stuck inside?"
Derwood was going to say something when they heard a noise behind them. They turned around and saw Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam fall from the sky and land in the woods. They ran over and saw that the three of them had landed on top of each other. "Are you okay?" Rika shouted.
"Yeah," Emperor Tai mumbled, "We're fine."
Sara stared at Takato and Rika. "You guys are smaller then before. And you're..digimon."
They looked at themselves. "We know," Takato said, "We were digimon last world, but because we were already part digimon, I think it jump started our merging. Takato and Guilmon have merged together to form me."
Rika nodded. "The same for me."
"Where have you been?" Derwood asked.
The three looked at each other, then turned away. "What?" Takato asked.
Emperor Tai stood up. "Something that was inside of my old body infected Sora and made her the Digimon Queen. She told me that whatever happened, it happened to me in the desert five years ago. Why can't I remember?"
He looked at Sara and Sam. "And…I can't even believe who you two really are!"
"You can't believe?" Sara shouted, "I use to be Matt! How do you think I feel?" She pointed at him, "You killed me!"
He gasped, then stared at the ground. "I did."
"How did this happen?" Sam asked, "If we should have died, why didn't we?"
"If you could remember, maybe you'd know, right?" Derwood asked.
"Yeah?"
"Okay, so if we hypnotized you, maybe you could remember."
"That's a good plan," Sara said, "But who can hypnotize us?"
Derwood mentioned to the building. "That's a mental hospital."
"How do you know that?" Sam asked.
"There's a large sign down the road," Rika said.
"Okay, but how are we going to do it?"
"We'll get a doctor," Derwood said, "When I was still with the Reality Police, I had to do undercover work sometimes."
Sara and Sam looked at each other. "I don't know about this."
Emperor Tai stood up. "I'm not afraid to face my past."
The two girls nodded. "Okay," Sara said, "We're in."
Inside of the mental hospital, Tai and Kari, along with the rest of the Digidestined, where sitting inside of another white room. They were sitting in a circle, looking at a psychiatrist who was writing notes on a notepad. Her security pin said her name was Dr. Mathis. Tai noticed that Sora, Davis, and Ken weren't there.
"Okay, Tai," the Dr. Mathis said, "Yesterday we were talking about.." She flipped through her notes, "Agumon, right?"
Tai nodded. "Okay."
She smiled. "Why don't you tell me about him."
"Uh…I don't know where to start."
"Well, how about you tell me your relationship."
"Okay, well, we are best friends," he said, "He saved my life so many times I lost count."
She nodded, "Why don't you tell me about…" She looked through her notes again, "Skullgreymon."
Tai flinched. "Well..I don't think I should.."
"No, go on."
"Okay, I had just found the Crest of Courage and I let it go to my head. Agumon dark digivolved and it took almost all of the other Digimon to stop him. It was my fault; he was fine until I messed him up!"
Kari placed her hand on Tai's shoulder. "It's okay."
Dr. Mathis wrote a few notes, then looked at Kari. "Why don't you tell me about Myotismon? About how you destroyed him."
"Why do you want to know about that?" Kari asked, "I've tried to bury that." She looked at the ground, "I hated him so much that I wanted him dead more then anything! How do you think I should feel?" she shouted.
"Okay," Dr. Mathis said, "Okay, calm down, it's okay."
Kari took a few deep breaths. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Dr. Mathis turned to Matt. "Why don't we move over to you?"
In another section of the hospital, Emperor Tai and the others had snuck inside by disguising themselves as security personal. They were looking for a doctor's office when they passed by the room that Tai and Kari were inside of. "Well at least we know they're here," Derwood said.
"We'll worry about that later," Takato said. Since he and Rika were smaller, Rika was standing on Takato's shoulders inside of the uniform.
"Yeah," Rika said, "Let's find that stupid doctor so we can get out of here."
Sara was in the lead and she mentioned to an empty office room. "In here."
The group walked inside and locked the door behind them. Sara read the doctor's schedule. "He's got an opponent in a few minutes. Let's take that time."
Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam quickly removed their uniforms to the patient uniform they had on underneath. The doctor walked inside a second later. "Yes?"
"This is your next appointments," Derwood said, "They're here for memory regression."
"They are?" he asked. He flipped through the files that were on his desk. "I don't see their files."
"It was supposed to be sent over from D-block," Rika said, hoping he would believe it.
The doctor did. "D-block is always behind. Okay, what exactly is their conditions?"
Derwood pointed to Emperor Tai. "Something happened to Chi, about five-years-ago that he can't remember. Sara and Sam can't remember something that happened to them about a year ago. The doctors in D-block think that it is causing their schizophrenia. They believe it's somehow connected."
The doctor nodded. "Okay. Well, why don't we start with a drug that will create a trance."
He walked over to a cabinet. Rika mumbled to Derwood. "What a lucky break, we get the doctor who drugs everyone up."
The doctor injected the three people with the drug. After a few minutes, he started talking to Emperor Tai. "Okay, now, go back, back, five-years-ago, what do you see?"
"A desert," he said, "I'm standing in a desert…I'm not alone."
"Who is with you?"
"A girl, with blond hair and wearing a black dress."
"Alice," Rika hissed,"
"We're fighting something, a dark creature…that…." He started screaming, "I'm being attacked with something, inside of me!"
The doctor snapped his fingers. "Return to the present, come back, return, return…" Emperor Tai gradually stopped screaming until he looked like he was asleep.
The doctor sighed. "Something traumatic must have happened, especially with that girl." He wrote a few notes, then turned to Sara and Sam. "Now, go back, one year. What has happened?"
Sam answered. "I'm floating, darkness and loneliness. I didn't go where I was supposed to because I couldn't. The Digital World wouldn't let me, they told me I wasn't done yet. I waited for four years before the Digital World told me that I was ready."
"I came," Sara said, "I met Kari in the sky and we merged together. The Digital World was in control. We were born again."
The doctor stared at them. "Kari?" he asked.
"I am Kari," Sam said.
"My name is Matt," Sara said.
The doctor nodded and wrote down something else in the notes. "Past lives, incredible!" he said.
The lights suddenly turned off. "Power's out," he said. He looked at Derwood and Rika. "What should we do?"
Rika was going to say something when Derwood jumped behind the doctor and hit him in the back of the neck. He fell unconscious to the desk. "What did you do that for?" Rika shouted.
"This is the perfect way to get Tai and Kari out," Derwood said, kicking the door open, "Come on."
* * * * * * * *
Back in his room, Tai heard his door unlock. He expected to see one of the orderlies, but saw Davis instead. "Come on!" he said, "I'm here to get you out!"
Tai followed him into the hallway where Ken was standing next to Kari. "We just have to get the others," Ken said, "Then we can…"
The emergency lights came on. They heard the voices of the security people running towards them. "We have to get out," Davis said, "I'm sorry Matt." They ran down the halls until they reached one of the doors and jumped through.
When they were outside, they ran deeper into the woods and hid behind a group of trees. They watched the doorway they ran out of, and saw a security man with two girls over his shoulder jump out. He was followed by a small fox and a small dinosaur carrying a teenage boy.
"I think that's Derwood," Tai said.
"What?" Davis asked,
"They're friends of ours," Kari said, "We can go back in and get the others."
Before they could, they heard the alarms go off. "Powers back on!" Ken shouted, "Let's get out of here."
Derwood and the others met up in a large clearing in the middle of the woods. Sora was there waiting for them. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt and had started a fire. "I'm glad you made it here," she said, "You were only able to get Tai and Kari?"
"Yeah," Davis frowned, "We had to leave. But these others came too."
Sora nodded. "Good." She held up her hand and fired a dark ball that made Davis and Ken fall unconscious.
Tai gasped. "You're the Digimon Queen Sora, aren't you?"
"That's right!" she laughed, "I have to..replace myself with the Sora of this world." Her clothes shifted into the Digimon Queen uniform. "Now, prepare to be…" Her body suddenly started to shake.
"Run!" she shouted, "Get out, hurry!"
"Works for me," Tai said, "Let's go!"
They ran into the woods, leaving Sora in the clearing.
* * * * * *
After a few hours, Emperor Tai, Sara and Sam worked the drugs out of their system and were conscious again. They told the others about what they learned. Everyone was in shock. Emperor Tai was sitting on a log, staring at Sara and Sam, specifically Sam.
"That's Kari," he said, "My little sister, she's really alive again. But it's not her, not anymore. Kari, it was my fault that you died before, and I won't let it happen again!" He turned to Sara, "And you're Matt. But why does Sora seem to hate you so much?" He sighed, "All of this is my fault. Well, starting today I'm going to make up for everything that I've done."
Tai was staring at Sara and Sam. "So you're Matt, and you're Kari?"
They nodded.
"Wow, I'm really in shock. How did it even happened?"
Sam started. "When I…died, the Digital World wouldn't let me leave yet. It kept telling me that I wasn't ready to go. I don't remember what happened afterwards, but then I saw Matt coming towards me. We started to merge together, it was like being born. The 'mother' and the 'father' joining together. But since we were already teenagers, when we were 'born' we were born as fourteen-year-olds. I don't know why, but a rip in reality formed, and we were sucked in. That's when we ended up in the Tamers world."
"That's amazing, " Kari said, "Who would have ever thought that.."
"I would have!"
The group looked into the woods and saw Sora standing there. Agumon and Gabumon were at her side. "You're all together, I see." She grinned at Sara and Sam. "And I bet you're having trouble adjusting, aren't you?"
"Why do you hate us so much?" Sara asked, "I'm starting to remember things about Matt Ishida. We…you two were in love!"
"You're not him!" she screamed, "and you never will be!"
Emperor Tai stood up and spoke to her. "Isn't this over yet, Sora?" he shouted, "Why do you keep playing with us like this? What happened to you?"
Her body started twitching again. The evil look in her eyes disappeared. "Tai, both Tai's, I'm sorry. I tried to hold her back as long as I could."
"Who are you?" Tai asked.
"I'm Sora," she said, "Her…"Light' side."
"A split personality?" Derwood asked.
Sora nodded. "I think I was 'born' the day that my other self tried to kill Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. Part of Sora was horrified at what she tried to do, that part became me. I grew in strength after Sora touched Emperor Tai's body, and became infused with evil."
"So, then Sora's just being control?" Tai asked, hopefully.
"Sorry, no. I'm the invader," she said, "The real Sora is the Digimon Queen. When she found out you where coming, I used all of my strength to make her arrange this game-style fighting for you, trying to give you a chance. I knew if you got stronger, you might be able to stop her! But, my strength is falling. I'm sorry."
Sora's evil became dark again. "So," she grinned, "I guess it's true what they say, you are your own worst enemy."
"Where's is she?" Emperor Tai shouted.
"That other Sora won't be joining us every again," Sora grinned, "Now, I believe I was about to kill you."
Agumon and Gaumon turned to her. "We're ready." Gabumon said.
"Let's form Omnimon and kill them!" Agumon grinned.
Sora reached over and grabbed the two Digimon in her hands. "Fuse, with losers like you? Ha! Give me your powers, and I'll fight myself!"
Agumon and Gabumon tried to protest, but they were turned back into Digi-eggs and Sora absorbed their powers. She flung the eggs into the ground, where they cracked and were deleted.
"No!" Emperor Tai shouted. He turned to Sora. "How could you?"
Sora laughed. "It was really you, after all. Sure, I was probably heading down the evil path before, but I would never have gotten power like this if I hadn't of touched your body!" She licked her lips, "And I've got to stay it feels great! Now I know why you went made with power, but it's not yours anymore, it's mine!"
"I don't understand," Tai said, looking at Sora, then at Emperor Tai, "He doesn't have the same power?"
"The power was in the body, fool!" she shouted, "In the desert, five-years-ago, Emperor Tai and Alice were exploring when they were attacked. Tai was infused with energy from this Digimon that corrupted his spirit. When he switched worlds, most of the evil influence went with his spirit into his new body, it needed to recharge basically. Which is why, Tai, when you entered it, you weren't over come with evil. However, by the time I touched it, that evil had become strong enough to empower me!" She turned back to Emperor Tai,"You're so pathetic, you know that? You keep thinking that you were the most evil Tai of all, but you weren't! Gradually, the evil diminished, which is why you're even working with this Tai to begin with! Remember when you first jumped realties? You wanted to control everything, but after spending time with that Kari, you started to miss your own sister. You wanted to bring her and Matt back to life, right? Well, do you think you would have done that if you were still the Digimon Emperor?"
"Wait!" Kari shouted, "You mean, he was infected with a Dark Spore?"
"No," Sora grinned, "A Dark Spore wouldn't have followed him. Once he left his old body, he would have instantly changed, like the Ken of your world. Secondly, the Dark Spores came from Milleniumon, the reality powers Emperor Tai and I have came from someone else."
"Who?" Tai shouted.
Sora pointed into the sky as a transparent image appeared. "I believe you know Apocalymon!"
Everyone gasped. "Apocalymon?" Emperor Tai shouted, "But, we beat him!"
"And he was trying to revive in the desert!" she shouted, "But you and Alice were able to beat him. As he died again, he infected you with his evil. After you become depressed, that evil grew, changing you into the person you are now."
Her hands started to glow with dark lightning. "I think we've talked long enough. It's time to die!" She swung her arms open and the trees surrounding Tai and the others exploded in darkness. Her body started to twitch again and a portal opened behind her. "What?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.
Her voice changed to the softer voice of Light Sora. "This portal leads to the Nexus of Reality. Throw us inside, and we'll be trapped."
"No!" Tai shouted, "There has to be another way!"
"There isn't," Light Sora said, "Hurry." Her voice changed into the deeper voice of Dark Sora. "I'll kill you before that happens!"
"No!" Emperor Tai shouted. Her ran towers her and wrapped his arms around the Digimon Queen. Her body started exploding with lightning that pierced Emperor Tai's body.
"I'll stop you!" he shouted, pushing her towards the portal, "I'll draw out your good side and set her free!"
"You can't!" Dark Sora shouted, but saw that she was wrong. She watched as her 'good' side, a transparent image of Sora, wearing the clothes she wore when she first entered the Digital World, float out of her body and disappear with a blast of light.
"Where is she?" Dark Sora shouted.
"In the Digital World that's connected to our home world," Emperor Tai said, "Being so close to the portal to the Nexus of Realities boosts my reality powers! Your light side will be reborn, and given another chance. You, on the other hand, will be trapped forever!" He lifted her up and threw her into the portal. She managed to stop herself right before she was pulled in. Everyone could see that the portal was trying to pull her inside, but she was fighting back.
"If I go inside," she shouted, "Then you all will die!" She pointed her right hand at Tai and screamed, "Dark Supreme Cannon!"
A blast of dark light flew towards them. Dark Sora was thrown into the portal, which vanished a second later. Her attack would have destroyed Tai if Emperor Tai hadn't of jumped in the way.
As the dark light attacked him, he looked over his shoulder at Sam, but saw his sister instead. "Kari, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't miss you, enjoy your second chance at life, little sister." Her looked over at Sara, but saw Matt instead. "You enjoy your new life too. And Matt, I'm sorry." He screamed one final time, and his body was disintegrated.
The others could only stare at what had just happened. Finally, Sara was able to speak. "He saved us all."
Sam nodded with tears coming out of her eyes.
Tai cleared his throat and walked over to him. "I've been to a lot of different worlds, but each Tai was pretty much the same. He thought he was different, the outcast, but deep down, he wasn't different at all. Goodbye, brother."
Later that night, they had found where Davis and Ken were still lying, both of them were still alive, thankfully. They figured that they probably wouldn't wake up for a while, so the group sat and talked.
"With Sora gone, we should be able to jump realities soon," Takato said.
"But what are we going to do about Sora?" Tai asked, "If all the other Digidestineds are safe, isn't her mother going to wonder where what happened to her?"
"Emperor Tai brought her light side to that Digital World," Sara said, "But, does that mean she'll be reborn as a digimon, or what happened to Sam and me?"
"There is something very odd about that Digital World," Tai said, "Maybe it was because of Apocalymon being there, or maybe something else."
"When this is all over," Sara said, "We'll have to go back and explain everything, we have to."
"And maybe see our parents," Sam said, "Even though they won't know it's us."
"Are we going to be able to get back to our world?" Kari asked, "I mean, how would we get there?"
"We'll be able to take you," Sara said, "As soon as you fall asleep, we can move your spirits back into your own world."
"Finally," Kari smiled, "Home again."
"What about me?" Tai asked, "Emperor Tai had my body! With him dead.."
Sara nodded. "Yes, I know. Unfortunately, creating bodies was something that Ryo did. Sara and I aren't up to that level just yet."
"So what do I do?" he asked.
"You have a body there," Sam said.
"You don't mean the cat, do you?" Tai shouted.
The twins nodded.
"Oh, no!" he shouted, "You're not kidding either!"
"Don't worry," Sara said, "I'm betting that Ryo's there to. If we can find him, he can do it, or…" She smiled.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said, "Don't worry about it. After we bring you to your world, we're going to go back and bring Male Kari to our home world, just like we promised. I bet Henry can think of something to help."
"How can we cure him?" Kari asked.
"Milleniumon should have the shield energy inside of him," Takato said, "Once we beat Milleniumon, the energy should go back to where it came from."
Tai looked at Davis and Ken. "What about this world? Will the other Digidestined get help?"
"It's not really our place to change realities," Sara said, "We're outsiders, we're invaders to this world. It would be like going back in time and changing something. We don't know what would happen. I'm sure that once Davis and Ken wake up and see that Tai and Kari are here, they'll make another plan and find a way to free their friends. Or find a way to prove that they're not crazy and can be freed."
Tai nodded. "Alright."
"Get some sleep now," Sara said, "It's going to be a big day tomorrow."
"I get the feeling you're right," Tai said, closing his eyes. He was soon asleep.
To be continued…