Foreword: Ugh, when I wasn't getting distracted with writer's block the next arc, the weather was straight out telling me "no".

XiaOfTheMists: About the year, I'm going to tentatively say 1999 like in the original but only because Colon didn't give me a good look at the world outside the Digital World. I didn't really consider a year since it had no real effect on the setting. I don't do topical. And I can see your point about the Digivices being a bit overpowered but I'm making the children more than just power sources, but actual partners.

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Mimi admired the new shield she'd just cut out. Once again she had to carve out handles, though it was much easier with Palmon holding it for her. Well, that and the fact that they were in one gigantic room instead of a narrow bridge. The room that tunnel dropped them into didn't appear to have any guards though she couldn't be sure. It was big enough that it didn't fully appear on her map and there was a lot of junk in it. Was Hackermon building something? From how Wizardmon made his powers sound, he should've finished it ages ago.

She carefully folded her fingers into the shield's handles. That last shield cut them pretty badly and she didn't want to make it worse. But no, these handles were much smoother. "Perfect," she said.

"You've really gotten good at this," Palmon said, holding the shield Mimi made right before this one. In hindsight, sharing the one big shield was probably a bad idea. Separately, they could've drawn the eye's attention from each other. "So, any ideas where we're going now?" Mimi looked across the room.

Nothing but junk. In the center was some sort of curved wall, though it only looked a few meters high. It was surrounded by chunks of scrap and one big three fingered claw lying on its back, palm open. Obviously, going straight across was out of the question. No telling what was hiding in that mess.

Off to the left was some sort of tower. It was about as high as Greymon and was topped off with a circle and there was a layer of metal covering the circle. The tower's base had two prongs she could see, one on the front and one on the side, and she assumed there were two more on the opposite sides. Come to think of it, one of the objects in the junk pile looked a little like the tower but fallen over. The right was emptier, a few things scattered around, but nothing big.

"Let's go to that tower on the left," she decided, "We can hide behind it while we look around." It wasn't exactly a good hiding spot but it was better than nothing. They needed at least an idea of what was waiting for them in there. While the map didn't capture all of the room, it got most of it, and so far the only way in and out was that tunnel. Either the way out was on the opposite side of the room where her map wasn't reaching, or they'd have to explore the junk pile in the hopes of finding something to help them escape.And a very easy to understand manual. Please let there be a door.

As they headed for the tower, Mimi kept a close eye on the junk pile, watching for even the slightest movement. And listening for that hum she was going to be having nightmares about. Still, she and Palmon reached the tower without incident. Up close, it looked about as tall as Greymon- no, more like up to his chest. And it did have the four prongs at its base like she thought.

"Are we going to brave the pile?" Palmon asked. Mimi looked at it. Nothing recognizable in that mess though she could see the edge of the curved wall.

"Let's stay outside," she answered and pointed at the wall, "If we go to that, we'll see what's on the other side from a safe distance." Palmon nodded and the two moved past the tower, keeping a distance from the junk pile. As they reached the rear wall, Mimi ran her eyes along it. There, in the center… A door! "There's a door!"

"I see it!" Palmon answered, "But we don't know what's behind it! We have to be careful!"

"I know," Mimi responded, fighting the urge to speed up. Just because they found a door didn't mean they were safe. Or any closer to getting out of here. She pushed that depressing thought away as she moved towards the door. Just like the others, little green lights, no handle. "I'm cutting this one down."

"Be careful," Palmon repeated. Mimi nodded and summoned her PhotoSaber. She slowly pushed the blade through the door and strained her ears for any sound that could indicate what was on the other side. Nothing. She slide it upwards, still no response. Now that it was higher than her, she started to move the blade sideways. "Wait," Palmon whispered, "Angle it down a little. So it'll fall towards us."

"Then we can catch it," Mimi realized, "Good idea." She angled the blade and continued the cut. Still no sign of any danger past the door. The final cuts went just as uneventfully and Palmon's vines shot up against the door right as it started to fall. Mimi joined in pushing against it and gently pulled back, quietly lowering the door to the floor, and then threw herself to the side of the new opening. Whatever was in there probably already saw her but it was still better than standing around.

Nothing happened. Palmon stretched her vines across the entrance. Still Nothing. Mimi held her breath and peeked in for a second, not bothering to register anything she might have seen. No beams or hum or anything. Palmon was taking a longer look and Mimi decided to do the same. The doorway lead to a pile of metal crates and some shelves and… nothing else? Mimi stepped inside and looked around. Just crates with some shelves on either side.

"It's a storage room," Palmon said, sounding as unhappy as she felt, "It's a just a storage room. Why? I mean, I'm sure creating those robots is sort of a piece by piece sort of thing, but why?!"

"We have to look at the junk pile," Mimi despaired, "and hope there's something simple enough for me to use." Fat chance. "And if there isn't…"

"If there isn't, let me risk cutting us out," Palmon interrupted, "I can be reborn. You can't." Mimi grimaced in response. Would Palmon really have to be punished that badly for a mistake she had made? Sighing, she stepped out of the storage room and stared at the junk pile.

As expected, the curved wall's open side was facing the door. Nothing interesting about it, but at its base was some of tent… no it looked more like a lantern. The top half of one, actually, with a red screen at its bottom. And… she could just barely make out something in front of that screen. "We'd better find out what that is," she said, pointing at the lantern.

"Be ready to run if I tell you," Palmon ordered. Mimi nodded, not bothering to point out that there really wasn't anywhere for her to run to. Not unless she was somehow able to climb up through that tunnel and face the eye again.

As they drew closer, the figure in front started to look a little familiar. A clawing sensation exploded through her head. No, not clawing, more like chewing… And then information about the figure barged into her head. "Ugh!"

"What happened?!" Palmon asked as she whipped around.

"It's that stupid scanner!" Mimi growled.So this is what fire feels like when it doesn't hurt?! I think I liked it more when it did!Now what was so important? The figure up ahead was a Hackermon- "It's Hackermon!" she nearly exclaimed, "We've found Hackermon!" Palmon's eyes widened.

"We did?!" It made sense now. Hackermon, having somehow lost control of his fortress, created this cut off area where the guards couldn't reach. And those tunnels gave Mimi and Palmon a direct path to him. "Mimi! Slow down!"

"Hackermon!" she called out, "Hackermon! We're here!" The figure straightened and started to turn around. "What happened?! This whole place has gone crazy! We almost didn't get here…" Mimi trailed off as she saw Hackermon's face. His eyes were pitch black, no, somehow even darker than that. "Hackermon? Are you okay?" Hackermon's mouth opened and a screechy, metallic hiss came out. He lunged, one of his hands striking her in the chest, throwing her to her back.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Palmon shouted, her vines whipping Hackermon across the face. "We came here for you and-" With a metallic hiss, Hackermon grabbed her vines and pulled, yanking Palmon into the air and crashing to the ground.

"Palmon!" Mimi cried, her fear melting away to anger. Whatever was wrong with Hackermon did not give him the right to bully Palmon like that! She started to summon her ElectroBlaster when Hackermon lunged at Palmon, stabbing his front legs down on her. Thankfully Palmon was able to roll away and get back up.

She was just going to give Hackermon a good shock; it would wake him up, but not now. He crossed the line. Mimi summoned the PhotoSaber instead and ran at the traitorous bastard with a wild swing. Hackermon leapt away and stumbled a few steps on his landing. Mimi moved her sword back in front of her, ready for him to lunge again. Instead, he started running towards her with a fist drawn back. Even I can counter that!

Then a puff of smoke erupted from his wrist and stars exploded in her eyes as his fist was suddenly colliding with her cheek. The next thing she knew, she was on her knees, staring at a puddle of blood dripping from her mouth and… a tooth?! And as her tongue found the empty space in her mouth, at least two others were pretty loose. The digivice burned in its assurances that it would reconstruct any missing teeth.

I lost a tooth… Yeah, a metal punch would do that. Another day another beating. Ever since Sora hit her with that ball she'd become little more than a punching bag. That dinosaur digimon back at Phantomon's palace, that green guy who clobbered her with that club, this fortress, and now Hackermon himself. Why did the Digital World hate her so much? Would it be wrong for me to wish Sora-san was here instead? She was the first to go after me.

Of course it was. Sora didn't mean to hit her with that ball. And she was a good person. But on the other hand, if she was here, Hackermon's guards wouldn't know what hit them. Just like those plant monsters. The memory of the condition Sora and Yamato were in after that battle flashed through her head. What am I thinking?! How could she possibly wish someone else was going through this nightmare?! Sora-san and Yamato-san almost died! Died protecting me and TK-chan… TK-chan! She completely forgot! The whole reason she risked this in the first place was so Hackermon would get rid of TK's nightmares! So she could finally do something nice for him after the way she yelled at him before. And hit him. That sweet little boy was defending me and… and…

Her head clear, she stood up. She had no right to feel that way. Not until TK trusted her again. And especially not while I'm under that Painless Powder! She looked back at Hackermon. He was grabbing at Palmon vines as the digimon continued to whip at him. Didn't look like she was getting real hits in though Mimi doubted it would make any difference if she did. She summoned the PhotoSaber back to her grip and tightened it.

As she started over to the traitor, Hackermon suddenly looked at her. Expecting another rocket punch, she swung her sword, but this time Hackermon lunged at her. A spray of sparks and his two front legs hit the ground. Mimi blinked in surprise as Hackermon staggered back.

Palmon landed on his back, her vines wrapping around his neck and chest. Hackermon reared back, letting out an angry hiss. Mimi charged in with another swing. Hackermon jumped back but four more of his legs fell off. As he landed, his body lurched forward and Palmon flew off, colliding with Mimi, throwing her back down. "Sorry, Mimi. He had an ejector built into his back. Who does that?"

"That's fine," Mimi grumbled, "I'm getting used to this." She started crawling back up to her feet, keeping her attention on Hackermon. It was almost kind of sad, seeing him try to balance on just his two rear legs. You brought it on yourself. Hackermon stopped struggling and raised his arms. What was he doing?

"Uh, Mimi?" Palmon said, "Usually when a digimon with special powers does that, it's a bad thing. We need to run." Mimi nodded and turned. Where to? The storage was a bit obvious, but where else-

The scatter junk began shaking. And lifting. Mimi broke into a run as the scattered parts clustered together around Hackermon. The lantern thing floated up with Hackermon inside, parts closing off the open half. In its place was a bright red circular light. Beneath it was the curved wall, being filled in the same way. The tower from before was getting parts connecting it to the body, like a leg. And that fallen one had propped up, along with two others. And that clawed platform was one of two hands connected to arms as thick as the legs.

Mimi's mouth dried at the monstrosity. "It's like PetriWoodmon," Palmon said. PetriWoodmon? That tree monster that took everyone everything to beat?! No, Jou-san poisoned it! It was too strong to fight! And Hackermon made a robot version?! That… That just wasn't fair!

The robot looked right at her and she was suddenly aware of three red lasers closing in on her. "Mimi!" Palmon cried out. She turned and resumed running as the lasers continued to close in. "Sharp turn! Now!" Mimi did as she was told, turning away from Palmon. Something hummed, similar to the eye's beam but far nastier, and something exploded behind her. Suddenly she was in the air as two more explosions followed. She hit the ground rolling, frantically scrambling to her feet.

Hackermon took a step towards her and two glowing objects popped out of his shoulders. And they started getting closer. She started backing away, summoning her ElectroBlaster and fired. Each shot a clear miss, though a couple hit Hackermon to no effect. And the three lasers returned.

With a tug from Palmon's vines, Mimi was moving again. The door to the storage was just ahead! If she could get there, Hackermon's new body was too big to fit inside. The hum of the glowing objects was getting louder. She wasn't going to make it- "I've got this!" Palmon shouted. Mimi risked looking back, regretting it as she saw how close the lasers were together. Palmon's vines shot out, striking one of the objects, causing it to explode. The second one exploded right after and Mimi took the opportunity to turn again, this time the other way.

The three blasts struck where she was, throwing her into the air again but Palmon's vines wrapped around her, throwing her towards the doorway. She slid through and rolled herself to the side, out of the robot's sight. Palmon quickly followed.

Mimi sat against wall on the left side with her legs pulled up to her chest, trying to stop shaking. A robot PetriWoodmon. They had to fight a robot PetriWoodmon! Alone! "Are you okay?" Palmon asked. Mimi looked at her partner.

"What about you? Your fingers were in those explosions." Palmon gave a small smile and held up her hands. Her fingers were looking just fine.

"My vines are meant for that," she assured, "Now what about you?" Mimi looked ahead, resting her head against the wall, trying to ignore the stomping outside.

"I want to cry," she admitted, "We're trapped here with some super PetriWoodmon, alone, and every bone in my body is broken." The digivice flared a list of unbroken bones through her head. A small list. "Oh, shut up. Almost every bone in my body is broken and no one's going to save us. And it's all my fault." She let out a moan. "I'm so stupid!"

"No you're not!" Palmon gave her a stern look which Mimi had no trouble returning.

"Name one smart thing I did since that stupid trial!" she demanded, "And the shield doesn't count!" Palmon started to look ready to answer but her expression gave away to a look of shame. Mimi gave her partner a hug. "Don't make excuses for me, okay? I messed up. And now I have to get us out of this." Of course, even if she did, there was still all those guards. And no telling how many rooms would be even worse than that eye room.

If it weren't for the guards she could cut her way out. Maybe there was some trick to shutting them off? She did scan Hackermon, maybe the digivice knew something? She played the information through her head. Hackermon: Corpse Mode. It was the same things Wizardmon told her, plus a warning about how his powers were enhanced- "Corpse Mode?"

"Corpse Mode?!" Palmon sounded alarmed.

"You know what that means?"

Palmon shook her head. "I don't but…" she put a hand to her head, "it feels like I should. Um, wait, there is one thing. Hackermon will never figure out we're here. He'll just wander that room, looking for us, forever." Mimi let that sink in. Hackermon, who had created all these robots and this fortress was now that brain dead? She went over the Corpse Mode information.

Normally when a digimon died, their body would be fed into the Rebirth Cycle but, through digital necromancy, it was possible to leave the body intact. When this happened, it would contain the runoff of their digicore's energy, allowing them to retain access of all their former powers, though at only a fraction of their former strength, usually around a tenth. Everything else about them, however, is completely gone and they are consumed by their fighting instinct, mindlessly attacking friend and foe alike.

"That… That's awful," she muttered, "He's like a brainless zombie now."

"And he was so scared before," Palmon added. Mimi nodded, his terrified reaction flashing through her memory. Other memories joined in. The twisted axe guards. The banged up fliers. That warped eye. And the enraged faces… "Pain and anger look kind of similar."

"What do you mean?" Palmon asked.

"Those faces we kept seeing. I thought they were angry but what if they weren't? Maybe they're in pain. I mean, look how messed up all the guards are now. It has to be painful." She took a breath, her despair fading. In place was a determination. "Palmon," she said, the digimon straightened, aware of how serious Mimi was feeling, "I'm going to be stupid one more time. I don't care how evil Hackermon was. He doesn't deserve this and I want to save him."

"Save him?" Palmon looked at her questioningly, "What do you- oh!" Mimi nodded.

"He, and his guards, are all suffering. And it's because of me. You said it was like PetriWoodmon but Wizardmon said that PetriWoodmon was the strongest." Palmon nodded.

"I don't think Hackermon's weapons would've done much to PetriWoodmon."

"So if-" she took a breath, "So if, I were to… evolve you…" Understanding appeared on Palmon's face.

"I'll do it," she said, "I feel bad for Hackermon too. I think the Core should make me strong enough-" Palmon smiled, "There's a smart thing you did. You picked the right Core for me." Mimi couldn't help but smile back. At least she did one thing right. Now maybe it was time for a second. If not… best not to think about it.

She concentrated on the digivice. How did Taichi explain… No, wait, how did Yamato explain it? There! She had it! "I'm ready," she said. Palmon nodded and peeked out the doorway.

"He's looking at the other side of the room," she reported before darting out. Mimi peeked out, just enough to see Palmon was far enough from the doorway to become Greymon sized and sent the command. Within seconds, where Palmon stood was now a gigantic… cactus with boxing gloves? Whatever Mimi expected her partner to become, that wasn't it.

The digivice told her it was Togemon, though the image of Togemon it gave was a little different. The Togemon picture had normal boxing gloves but Mimi's Togemon had spiked metal over them. Other than that they were the same with two holes for eyes and a hole for a mouth. On her head was some grass or something serving as hair. This was not the flower Mimi imagined her partner evolving into… though she was a lovely shade of green.

Hackermon's upper body turned around. His legs began to step towards Togemon, the lower body rotating a little with each step. Togemon stepped back, like she'd just noticed the machine, and the three lasers appeared around her, circling around as they closed in. Togemon raised her fists, visibly bracing herself. The lasers became one and the robot's eye lit up, releasing three swift energy blasts. Togemon immediately countered with three punches, intercepting each blasts. Mimi clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress the escaping cheer.

The needles on Togemon's body started to glow green. What's happening- Ooops. She was so distracted by Togemon's appearance, she forgot the read what the digivice actually said about her. The needles gave off a flash and were suddenly clustered together as a big spike and shot towards the robot. A transparent blue wall appeared in front of its body and the green spike shattered against it. Mimi grimaced and focused on the Togemon information.

Togemon was what she looked like: A giant cactus that was real good at punching. Though it was claiming that the needles were fired off in a spray, not like her Togemon's. Must be part of the Geo Core. A needle spray probably wouldn't do much against that robot. As she looked at it, the digivice burned in a message. When a Hackermon interfaced with a battle body, that body would become an extension of Hackermon. So, that thing is Hackermon himself? Mimi's thoughts were interrupted when the robot- Hackermon's red eye lit up and a light flashed out, exploding against Togemon, throwing her to her back. Mimi again had to clamp her hands over her mouth to keep from crying out. Calm down! Togemon's strong!

Sure enough, Togemon was already getting back up. But then Mimi heard that familiar starting sound. Those explosive, glowing objects had just emerged from Hackermon's knees and were now humming their way to Togemon. And the three targeting lasers returned. Her needles glowed and fired off in four smaller spikes, striking each of the explosives and then threw herself to the side, away from Mimi, into a roll. The lasers converge on where she was, the blasts hitting the floor harmlessly.

The explosions cleared and Hackermon looked in Togemon's direction. The red light flashed but this time Togemon blocked it. She drove a fist into the wall and tore off a large chunk of the plating, revealing the glowing red lights. She went into a spin as Hackermon's red light flashed again, this time deflected by the piece of wall and Togemon hurled towards him. One of Hackermon's arms moved and swatted the piece of metal aside but Togemon was already leaping at him with her fist drawn back. Hackermon's other arm shot forward at a speed that shouldn't have been possible, grabbing Togemon in the air but a green needle spike immediately struck his chest, causing to him step back and drop her.

Togemon lunged in with another punch, going for what was probably Hackermon's "stomach" or whatever that part on a robot was. The blue shield reappeared and Togemon drove her fist into it. She pushed for a couple seconds and was thrown back. Hackermon followed with a massive step, his leg glowing. As his foot touched the ground, an orange circle with electric sparks shooting off spread out. Mimi found herself looking around a crate to get on top of, but at the same time, she didn't want to just abandon Togemon. Togemon leapt back, hitting the wall, but the wave faded away.

And then five missiles popped out of Hackermon's back, homing right in on Togemon. She She rapidly fired five of her needle spikes but only three missiles were hit. Mimi found herself looking away as the remaining two hit. "Togemon!" she found herself crying out. She looked. Togemon was catching her breath but didn't look too hurt. But Hackermon hasn't been hurt at all.

The three lasers begin closing in on Togemon yet again. She raised her fists to block the onslaught, and Mimi winced. There was no way Togemon could keep blocking those attacks. The lasers closed in but Togemon's needles glowed. Right as the lasers became one, Togemon fired her big needle spike, hitting Hackermon right in the eye. His head jerked to the side, away from Mimi, and the three blasts went nowhere near Togemon. She followed with another needle spike but the blue shield popped up again. That stupid shield! It's not fair he has that!

Hackermon stomped down with another glowing leg. Togemon leapt towards him, over the wave, with ready to punch again, but he moved one his oversized hands in the way. Right as she punched it, she fired off another needle spike but the shield was already up, blocking it. As Togemon dropped down, Hackermon's other arm shot forward, punching her into the wall.

She can't do it. She just can't. Hackermon has too many weapons and that shield. Was this what it was like when Taichi and Koushiro had to fight PetriWoodmon? She suddenly wished she'd paid more attention to their explanation of that battle but when Taichi started talking about shattering its knees, she just couldn't stomach anymore. The knees… That was it! PetriWoodmon's heavy body needed all four legs! That robot had to be the same!

She summoned her ElectroBlaster and focused on taking deep breaths. She was actually going to shoot at someone. Or someone's battle body. Either way, she had to do it. Togemon needed her. She stepped just outside the doorway and aimed… and fired. Repeatedly. Somehow, despite Hackermon's body being so gigantic, her shots missed. All of them- wait! A hit! Right on an arm! A few sparks flashed and… nothing.

She ducked back in, staring at the gun. In hindsight, she should've expected it. This tiny weapon against that giant? Not a chance. She closed her eyes. Her only choice was the PhotoSaber. Hackermon's robot body was probably made of the same metal as everything else. The PhotoSaber would cut it.

She summoned the weapon and looked at the battle. Hackermon was swinging a fist down on Togemon, only to be intercepted by a strong punch. I have to get close to that?! This wasn't going to work! Even if Hackermon didn't step on her, she'd never get higher than his ankles! Okay, Mimi, calm down! Think about it! Taichi-san, Yamato-san, and Sora-san already worked these problems out! What did they- oh! Of course! They just banished and resummoned the sword! I can just throw it and summon it back!

She grabbed the hilt with both her hands, tightening her grip and stepped outside her shelter. Now Hackermon was firing those blasts from the three red lasers, though Togemon was blocking them. Hang on, Togemon! I'm coming! She held the weapon out, spun, and released. It clattered against the ground, barely half way to Hackermon. I forgot… I throw like girl…

She banished and resummoned the weapon, not taking her eyes off Hackermon. She was going to have to get close after all. But even if she did, she'd never throw it high enough to hit anything important. Like the knees. A moan escaped her lips. What was she supposed to do?!

The sound of missiles launching caught her attention. Three of them were coming down on Togemon, along with two of those glowing explosives. And Hackermon had just launched into the air, all four legs glowing. Mimi instinctively stepped back into the shelter while Togemon fired off needle spikes into each projectile. Hackermon dropped down, releasing four shockwaves all at once. Togemon ran back to the wall and flung herself forward, over the waves. She almost made it, letting out a cry that wrenched Mimi's heard, and fell to her knees.

That's it! I'm going out there! With a shout, she ran to Hackermon, stopping only meters away, spun, and released her sword. The spinning blade stuck Hackermon's leg, slicing through with several sparks… and nothing else. She growled, not caring if Hackermon heard her.

Togemon stood up as Hackermon stepped towards her, his leg not even slightly affected by the cut, and started running away from Mimi. I'm just getting in the way! While running, Togemon fired off another needle spike but the blue shield deflected it. And, Mimi had just noticed, the knees had lit up. More missiles popped out of Hackermon's back, exploding just behind Togemon. I'm not even worth noticing.

She blinked. That was true. She was so ineffective that this completely feral Hackermon has his back right to her. Like he had no idea she was there. She stared at the knees again. That glow they gave off when the shield formed, obviously they formed it. Probably those shockwaves too. And with Hackermon ignoring her, she'd could attack one.

Yeah. Great. I'll just climb up a leg and… No, she had to seriously think about this. She couldn't make out the fight but knew that Togemon was still having a hard time. Everyone else found ways to pull their weight. Now it's my turn. Now, how could she get her sword high enough? It was… a gravity thing! Now… what was gravi- Space! Astro! I can make gravity with the Astro shots and they'll pull the sword!

With a thought, her ElectroBlaster was an AstroBlaster. She aimed at the nearest knee and fired. Repeatedly. Her aim was as bad as ever but a couple managed to hit, eventually. She could feel the gravity wells tugging at her. She dropped and banished the gun, held the sword with both hands, and hurled it towards the knee. It started to slow but continued then sped back up, going faster, and becoming a circular disc of light. The gravity wells disappeared but the sword kept going, right past the knee, with a big spray of sparks. And flames jetted out as the knee's covering fell apart.

Mimi's elation at seeing the damage she caused turned to terror as the other three legs began to glow and Hackermon leapt straight up. She turned and ran, working a desperate plan through her head. She fired gravity shots and jumped, allowing them to pull her higher into the air. Right as she left the ground, Hackermon crashed down, the shockwave passing by right underneath her. She began falling towards it, hitting the ground just after it passed by.

The sound of Hackermon's stomp came very close. She rolled on to her back, seeing the metal behemoth staring down on her. Togemon's needles were striking his back but that shield was in the way. The trio of lasers appeared around her. "No!" she cried out, firing as she summoned the PhotoSaber. She threw it, looking away. The sound of sparks and fire rang through her ears, followed by the sound of Togemon's fist hitting the shield. The lasers disappeared.

Mimi risked a look. Togemon was punching Hackermon's shield, which was looking a lot more transparent then before. And it was only pushing Togemon's fist back now and Hackermon's upper body was rotating towards her, swinging one of his hands at her. Togemon's own arm shot up, blocking the blow and her other fist immediately drove itself into Hackermon's arm, with the sound of crunching metal. Hackermon pulled the arm away, a chunk of it caved in, and his hand limp.

Togemon began to circle, moving towards one of the good knees. Mimi turned her attention to the other one, moving to get an easier shot. Three missiles popped out of Hackermon's back, arcing right towards Togemon. Three?! Togemon can handle that! Three more missiles followed, only these ones arced towards Mimi. The blood drained from her face as the reality dawned on her. I'm dead… Togemon's needle spikes struck each missile. Relief exploded through her, only to be interrupted by three explosions and Togemon's cry.

Because she was protecting me… she couldn't protect herself… Seeing Togemon lying on her back like that caused an explosion of anger to erupt through Mimi. She quickly aimed at a knee and began firing, throwing her sword once a gravity shot hit. Like before, the blade with through the knee with the same result. Hackermon's upper body rotated to face her but she no longer cared. Togemon had taken such a beating because of her. No more.

The trio of lasers appeared around her. She opened fire at his head while they closed in and summoned her sword. She threw it and sparks sprayed out of Hackermon's eye and the lasers disappeared. Then a need spike drove itself into Hackermon's final good knee, turning it into a fireball.

Hackermon launched straight up, all four legs glowing, and four needle spikes intercepted him, each striking where a leg connected to the body. Hackermon crashed down on his side, his legs' glow fading away. Togemon, however, was now in the air, coming down on Hackermon, driving a fist into his good arm. With a metallic crunch and sparks, the arm was completely severed.

She then drove a fist into Hackermon's chest, tearing it open. "Wait Togemon!" Mimi cried out, "Just hold him down!"

"What?! Okay!" Togemon sounded confused but she'd understand. Mimi had to do this herself.

"Hold him so I can talk to him!" Togemon hammered her fist into Hackermon's head and then pinned him by the shoulders.

"He can't use the missiles like this," she informed, "He's helpless now!"

"Thank you!" Mimi hurried over to what was left of Hackermon's battle body. She climbed up, seeing him connected right into the chest. All kinds of tubes and wires were connected to him which must have been how he could control that robot so easily. It was pretty impressive, especially given how he was currently snarling and snapping at her like some mindless beast.

She took a deep breath. "Hackermon… I'm so sorry. I know you were bad. I know you were only going to help us for yourself. But… you didn't deserve this. No one does. I couldn't protect you from this… but…" she blinked away the growing tears, "I can at least end your suffering." She plunged the PhotoSaber into Hackermon's chest. With a spray of specks, he was gone, along with his robot and Mimi was falling, landing gently in Togemon's glove. Another cloud of specks, filled her vision like a thick fog. And then… she was once again in that ruined city, right where the entrance to that fortress was.

Mindlessly, Mimi slid off Togemon's glove and, with a flash, Palmon was back. "We did it," she muttered. The fortress was gone. And the symbol for Miracles had been lit up. Maybe Hackermon and those poor guards could find some peace now.

"That was amazing, Mimi," Palmon said, "After everything we went through, you didn't even hate him." Mimi shook her head.

"It wasn't his fault. It was that Shadow thing. Now, how are you doing?" Palmon shrugged.

"I'm a little sore and tired, but not bad. Hackermon had a lot of weapons but they seemed a bit weaker than a good digimon attack."

"I'm thinking we should go after Taichi-san, Yamato-san, and Sora-san," she said, "Their digimon are still really weak." Palmon gave her a wry smile.

"And you don't want to see Jou." Mimi's face heated up and she looked away. But she couldn't deny it.

"He's gonna yell at me. And I deserve it but I don't think I could take it right now. And besides, if I help them, maybe Yamato-san and Sora-san will forgive me."

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Riding on Togemon's shoulder, Mimi did her best to stay calm as they approached the purple dome. What was it about this place that made purple so creepy? She liked purple. She looked away from the dome, her eyes glancing over the black hexagon. Now Miracles was lit, bringing a pang of guilt. I'm so sorry, Hackermon. I can't even think of anything to do in your memory. Maybe if she understood why he became a Warden…

"We're just about there," Togemon announced. Mimi put her attention back on the dome, looking around its base. While her map only showed what was around her, it did show three digivices off in the distance. And three more inside that dome. They weren't colored like everyone else's maps were supposed to be, but she knew who they were.

"Let's go around it and find how Taichi-san and others got in," she suggested. No telling what was waiting for them inside; like another laser shooting eye or something. "In fact, let me down. Might need a close look."

"Good idea," Togemon said, getting on to her knees, allowing Mimi to slide off, "Just be careful. We don't know what's inside."

"Believe me, I'm not underestimating what those things can hide." She started walking around the barrier, keeping a close eye on where it met the ground. There had to be some sign of the entrance the others used. Taichi and Yamato weren't exactly subtle, after all.

She heard something! It was a… popping? She glanced at Togemon. "Let me take a quick peek," she said, "Maybe my scanner thing will say something."

"Just don't hurt yourself again," Togemon said in a pleading tone. Mimi assured her partner with a smile. She started towards the sound very, very slowly. Togemon would occasionally take a silent step. The popping grew louder.

Suddenly information burned into her head. "Koromon?! Tsunomon?! Yokomon?!" she couldn't help blurt out. The popping stopped and Mimi froze. Why was she so bad at this?! What if the scanner was wrong and-

Three little spherical digimon came hopping from around the barrier. "Mimi!" Yokomon cried out and rushed ahead of Koromon and Tsunomon. "Help, Mimi! Sora's inside! And it's a double sided one way barrier!"

"Um… what?" Mimi tried to process was the little bulb said, "Double… side… um…"

"A double sided one way barrier!" Koromon repeated, sounding impatient.

"You're confusing her," Tsunomon said, "Please allow me to explain." He cleared his throat. "What we mean is that this barrier blocks digimon but allows humans to enter. But on the inside, humans are blocked while digimon can exit."

"So Taichi-san, Yamato-san, and Sora-san are stuck inside," Mimi said, trying to make certain she understood, "while we're stuck outside. I can enter but I won't be able to leave."

"That's right," Tsunomon said with a nod.

"It's Tailmon's fault!" Yokomon snapped, "She attacked us and pushed them in!"

"We've been hitting with our bubbles but they slide off," Koromon complained.

"Look at the way barrier's energy is flowing," Tsunomon pointed out. Mimi guessed he was talking about he shades of purple. They were all going in waves, moving to the top. "The element energies the Cores gave out bubbles keep getting carried away by it."

"Oh." If she understood what Tsunomon was saying… "Then let's just use something that isn't energy. Right Togemon?" Right on cue, Togemon charged at the barrier, driving a fist into it. The crash rang throughout, purple flew off, and then Togemon blown on to her back. Mimi gasped. "Togemon!"

"I'm fine!" Togemon said, getting back up, "Give me a few more swings." She looked at her fists. "Yeah, with the Geo Core I think I can just break us in." She charged at the barrier again, delivering another punch, this time visibly bracing herself. She was pushed back, but not so hard. More punches followed. Static suddenly appeared on the barrier but only for a split second. Then more static. It grew more and more frequent until a section suddenly shattered, revealing a cave-like room.

"That wasn't part of the city, I'm sure," Mimi commented. The three digimon were already hopping in. She took a deep breath and followed, Togemon right behind.

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Sora's eyes opened. What happened? The last thing she remembered, that spider… Dokugumon dropped down. Taichi took some shots at her and ran. Dokugumon started to chase, but the moment she turned around, webbing fired from her rear, binding both Sora and Yamato. Now she was suspended above the ground, almost completely covered in the webbing.

She tried to move her arms which were pulled behind her. No luck. Not even her hands or fingers. She summoned her CoreSaber. The webbing holding her fingers loosened as the blade appeared and she could feel the ones on her hands pulling towards it. That's right. I'm using the AstroSaber. She wiggled the blade around, the webbing following it slightly. She threw down the weapon with as much force as the could, the webs sharply pulling downward before snapping back into place. An idea grew in her head. She resummoned the weapon and dropped it again, the webbing responding with sharp tugs. The instant the tugs stopped, she resummoned the weapon again. After a few attempts, she'd figured the exact moment the AstroSaber would fall out of range, keeping constant changing pressure on the webs.

Finally! The webbing loosened enough to move her hand. Now she just had to very carefully move the blade to cut herself free. Without actually cutting herself. Still, the AstroBlade's gravity pulling on the webbing made it relatively easy for her to tell how close the blade was. Several long minutes later, at least Sora hoped they were just minutes, she dropped to the ground.

She looked around. It was a large cavern with rocks connecting the ceiling and floor. Stalagmites and stalactites all over. And she could just barely see the entrance leading into that stone corridor. Something dropped down in front of her. It was… the Creature?! She screamed and fell back.

It was gone. No, it wasn't there in first place. It couldn't be. That was just a dream. Cool it, Sora. It's just your injuries, lack of sleep, being separated from Yokomon in his creepy dungeon… yeah, lots of reasons to see something that isn't there. "Sora-san!" a voice called, "Sora-san!" What? Is that… She looked around. "Sora-san!" There! Another figure hanging from the ceiling, wrapped up like she was! She only needed one guess to know who it was.

"Yamato-kun!" She rushed over. "I'm using the AstroSaber! Try not to move!"

"Right!" Yamato answered, "I've been trying to just touch the webs with my PhotoSaber but I can't move at all!"

"I know." She started to slowly saw at the webs holding his arms. "I had to get a little creative with the AstroSaber's gravity to loosen my fingers." The webs opened and his arms slumped a little.

"That feels good," he said as she started on the remaining strands still clinging to his arms. "Now, what happened before?"

"What do you mean?" she feigned ignorance.

"You screamed. Why?"

"I-I just thought I saw something," she answered faster than she wanted, "I mean, no sleep and our injuries and… well, you get the idea!" His arms were free. Now for the rest cocooning his body.

"Yeah… I really screwed up."

"You're just worried about TK-kun. Taichi's just as bad with Hikari." The comparison might have been a bad idea but Sora really wanted him to understand he was as good a brother as Taichi. Again, of all the traits for these two to share.

"And once again, we're separated from our partners. We have to work something out." Yamato's eyes closed. "TK… he… if Tailmon…"

"Stop that!" Sora chided as she finished cutting through the webs. Yamato dropped down, landing on his feet. "We need to focus on getting out of here!"

"Yeah… Let's see if I can't make some sense out of this map problem." He growled. "Now it's just an error message!" What? Sora called up the map. ERROR.

"You know, when Taichi and I were little, we thought it would be the coolest to be cyborgs. I don't think so anymore." She looked her surroundings again. "At least the night vision is still working."

"And combat," Yamato added, "but unless that corridor has some landmarks, we're in trouble."

A growl rumbled through the room. Sora looked to the entrance, slowly putting herself between whatever it was and Yamato. Yamato was quicker and stepped in front of her.

The source of the growls came through the entrance. Sora activated the DigiScanner. ERROR. "Are you kidding me?!"

"You can't scan either?" Yamato growled. The digimon looked a bit ape like with spiky fur. It carried a large bone on its back. But what struck Sora most was that it was gray; the same dead gray that the Ankylomon was before Phantomon revived it. And its eyes were pitch black. If it wasn't moving, she'd swear it was dead.

The digimon started looking around, growling with each movement of the head. Its "eyes" fell on Yamato and Sora. It roared and suddenly lunged, raising its club. Yamato's PhotoSaber appeared in a flash as the digimon swung at him. The weapons met with a spray of sparks but Yamato was thrown aside with a scream. He's too injured! Sora realized.

The digimon glared at her and swung again. Sora barely got her AstroSaber up, the impact driving the flat of the blade into her. She scream as the felt the gravity tear at her, reopening her wounds, and banished the weapon as she fell on to her back, another jolt of pain. The digimon raised its club above her and swung down. She instinctively resummoned the AstroSaber, blocking the blow, and trying not to see the drops of blood flying off her body. The digimon swung again, and again, each time driving the blade closer into her.

Change Cores! Have to change! She tried to concentrate over the painful blows. It wasn't easy, especially considering she didn't know what Core to change to. Electro could be a good choice, giving the digimon a shock. She ran the other Cores through her head. Aero was the best; the swings would give strong wind bursts, but it was on Yokomon.

Fiery explosions rocked the digimon's back. It reared back and disintegrated. I-It's gone? She laid still, hearing only her ragged breathing, and feeling the screams of her body. "Sora-san!" Yamato's voice sounded. The next thing she knew, he was standing over her.

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"What are you doing here?!" Taichi demanded, "And how did you get here?!" The genie shrugged.

"I'm here because you need me. What more do you need?" Taichi clenched his fists. He did not need this. Sora and Ishida needed him. He brought the map. ERROR. What?!

"I need my damn map to work!" What was wrong with it?! He couldn't find his way back to Sora and Ishida through that maze without it! In fact, looking around this pitch black room, he wasn't sure he could even get back into the maze. Where was the doorway? When was he even pulled in here? Didn't the genie catch him in the corridors? And why could he see the genie so clearly?

"What you need is to get back to Hikari," the genie said, "You know as well as anyone that Sora and Yamato are far from helpless."

"They're also hurt!" he countered, "A lot worse than I am too!" Where. Was. That. Exit?! He had better things to do than argue with this figment of a bad dream!

"Allow me to show you." The genie waved an arm and Taichi was suddenly seeing some gray monkey thing swinging a down on Sora. She blocked with her AstroSaber but he could see bits of blood fly off her body. And the monkey swung again. And again.

"You bastard!" he roared, summoning his own gun. He opened fire, making sure to angle the shot to keep Sora from getting hit. The black spheres shot right by the monkey and through the ground. And then fireballs struck the monkey in the back, reducing it to particles. Ishida! Ishida came running up to her and Taichi was back in the pitch black room.

"Yamato was quite capable there," the genie commented, "and Sora did well, fending off that Apemon, especially in her condition."

"She's still hurt! They both are! I need to get to them!"

"What about Hikari?!" the genie shot back, "Isn't she hurting too?!"

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Yamato slowly walked through the corridor, Sora clinging to his side. With her injuries reopened, she couldn't move quickly. "Sorry… Yamato-kun," she panted.

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault we're here."

"But… because of me… you can't rush-"

"It wouldn't matter," Yamato cut her off, keeping his voice light, "Tailmon's had more than enough time to reach our camp. I'll never get back in time to make a difference. All I'm doing now is praying Koushiro-kun and Jou-kun pulled something off." He had to blink away tears at the thought of that furry killer being anywhere near his brother.

Something came out of a corner of front of him. It looked like a big furball with arms and legs. And a bone club. And it was that same gray and same dead eyes. "Oh no," Sora muttered.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he lifted her on to his back. She yelped and whimpered and he flinched. Given how much that one blocked blow hurt him, he couldn't imagine what the repeated blows did to her. Her short, fast breaths were telling him she was agony.

"Just… go…" she muttered. The digimon gave a feral roar. He took off, trying to ignore the pained sounds Sora was making, picking his turns at random. Something grabbed his arm and he was suddenly pulled into a corridor.

"You'll be safe here, Yamato-sama," the girl said.