Angela set down the handful of papers she held and sat back. Even after spending almost an entire hour reading through the most recent reports, she made no progress. It was frustrating. Though they had already come to the conclusion that the base had been found due to the DigiDestined being followed, they had no idea who had done it. None of them had seen anyone on their way to the castle. Who could it have been? Would have had been able to keep out of sight? It was no easy task to hide in the Desert Zone.

She let out a long sigh and tilted her head back. Hopefully their victory would show Laylamon that they were on equal terms and there would be no further attacks as a result.

"There you are."

Because of how annoyed she was at the situation, she was ready to snap at someone and lowered her head to glare at the door. She closed her mouth when she saw who it was, smiling instead.

"Oh, Mikami. Did you need something?"

Rubbing her arm, Mikami looked to the side. "I was wondering if we could talk."

"Uh…sure. Why don't you pull up that chair?"

With a slight nod, Mikami grabbed the chair and dragged it over to the desk.

"What are you doing?"

"Just looking at reports. I was hoping there was a hint in one of them about who followed you guys, but there isn't," Angela said. She ran both hands down her face. "I asked the others, but they weren't of any help. It's not like the information would be helpful, but it would nice to know."

"I don't blame you. I'm just worried what they'll do if we do find out who it was. Daiki and Shizuka would probably want to go after whoever followed us."

"I think they know better by now."

"Maybe, but considering what Daiki and Renamon did when I was gone…"

Though she left the sentence unfinished, Angela knew what she was talking about. There were a few reports about what they had done to the few Digimon they had captured. It was hard to believe that the two partners would go so far as to behave like the enemy. Then again, she understood the sense of desperation they must have felt. The thought of losing someone so close to you—and the possibility that you never had a chance to be able to save them—could make anyone desperate. Mikami had been gone long enough that most people would assume that the worse had happened. Given the ongoing war, it was a reasonable assumption.

"Mikami, what exactly happened to you?" Angela asked. "I understand if you don't want to tell me, but I think it'd be for the best if you told someone."

After regarding the woman for a few moments, Mikami gave in. "So long as you promise not to tell the others. Or anyone else."

Squinting her eyes, Angela raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but why? I thought Daiki would be the first person you would tell."

"Oh, hell no," Mikami said with a laugh. "He's the last person I'm going to tell. Just trust me when I say that it's for the best that he doesn't know."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

"So, I don't know how much you guys know, but a couple of Champions kidnapped me and planned on handing me over to Laylamon for protection. Not sure why they thought Laylamon would be so gracious, but whatever."

The bitterness in her voice was something Angela understood. She knew better than most what Laylamon could be like.

Mikami turned her head to the side and folded her arms. "I wouldn't exactly call what happened a rescue. Someone showed up, got rid of them, and took me with him."

"Who was it?"

"Beelzemon."

Taken aback, Angela stared at Mikami. There was no way that could be the truth. If the testimonies of the File City survivors were anything to go by, then Beelzemon was a nothing more than a menace. A ruthless fighter. A monster who helped to destroy an entire city. Everyone who had been there that day had borne witness to his ruthlessness. Mervamon had spoked about the lack of hesitation he had when he attacked.

"That was the reaction I was expecting."

"Are you certain it was him?"

Mikami nodded. "I get why you think I'm lying, though."

"It's not that I think you're lying. It's just…" Choosing to shift her gaze away from Mikami, Angela look down at her palms. "It's hard to believe. After everything he's done, I don't understand why he would show anyone compassion."

"I was surprised too. When I asked him why, he said it was because it was the right thing to do." The sour laugh that followed made Angela raise her head. "The irony. As if following Laylamon's orders could ever be the right thing. I think I made him start to realize that, but I don't know."

"So, how'd you get back?"

"He brought me to the village everyone was staying at."

"Wait…he was in the Desert Zone?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Could it be possible that he was the one who followed all of you here?"

Anger flashed across Mikami's face at the suggestion, only to fade. She reached up to slide her hand through her hair. Angela hadn't expected that kind of reaction. It was a logical conclusion, at least to her. If Beelzemon had a quick way to relay the information to Laylamon, there would have been plenty of time after the arrival of the DigiDestined for her to order the nearest group of troops to head to the castle and arrive a day later. Unless they were able to question Beelzemon—which she doubted would ever happen—there was no way to be certain, but it was the most likely scenario.

"How could I be so stupid?" Mikami mumbled. "All those conversations we had. The things he told me. That whole time he was just getting me to trust him. This is my fault."

"No, it's not."

"If I hadn't been so quick to trust him, this place wouldn't have been found. Everyone here would have stayed safe. But I was stupid and believed him." The tone of her voice shifted from scornful to one of morose as she whispered, "I thought…maybe…he was different than the rest of them."

Unable to sit still any longer, Angela stood and walked around the desk to wrap her arms around Mikami.

As naïve as it was, she couldn't blame Mikami for being hopeful. After all, if it was possible to convince one of Laylamon's most loyal goons to turn against her, then others could be convinced, too. Angela wanted to believe that it could be done so that more fighting could be avoided, but the truth was that it was unlikely to be a possibility. Most had chosen to follow Laylamon of their own free will, whether it was because they feared her or because they agreed with her ideologies. Every interaction with the enemy has continuously shown that her followers were set in their choice to work for her. How could you convince someone to change the choices they made when they've already convinced themselves of what they want?

"I'm sorry, Mikami. Sometimes people just…aren't who you think they are."

A nod was the only response. Mikami simply leaned against Angela, closing her eyes. After a few moments, Angela pulled away and watched Mikami take in a deep breath.

"I just… It seems like all I've done is make things worse."

"It was a bit stupid for you to come."

Opening her eyes, Mikami stared at Angela with her mouth handing open.

"But it doesn't matter; it's in the past. You're already here. Besides…I'm glad you came."

"Really?"

With a smile, Angela nodded. "Yeah. I was afraid that I wouldn't get a chance to say all the things I wanted to tell you. These past couple years I've been thinking a lot about what I was going to say to you. There's a lot of baggage between us, you know? I wanted a chance to clear all of that up, to make sure you knew how I felt."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being such a bad friend back then. You were trying to help. Instead of letting you, I kept pushing you away," Mikami mumbled, shaking her head. "You must've felt like I didn't want you around anymore."

"I wasn't exactly a good friend either. I never tried to reach out to you," Angela said, chuckling as she rubbed her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. We were both pretty young when it happened." She stopped, sliding her hand down to grab her arm. "I know we probably can't go back to how things were back then, but I promise I'll do my best to be there for you unlike before. It's the least I can do after all of the things I've done."

"Well, it's not like you wanted to do those things."

If only it was that simple. Deep down, there had been a part of her that wanted to hurt others. To make others feel the way she had felt. It was because of that desire to cause pain that Hypnocomon had been able to use his abilities on her. Her measly troubles had been enough to make her do terrible things. Explaining in a way that Mikami could understand would be near impossible, so Angela remained quiet. She was glad when the door opened, as it was an excuse to shift her attention away from the awkward situation. It was Shoutmon who entered, a wide smile on his face.

"Arresterdramon is here. He wants to talk to BanchoLeomon."

Noticing Mikami shift, Angela briefly glanced at her to see that she was surprised.

"Boss is busy right now. Go tell him I'm coming down to talk to him," Angela said.

Shoutmon saluted and dashed out of the room. Angela tilted her head in Mikami's direction.

"Want to come with me?"

"If you don't mind."

Waving with her hand for Mikami to follow, Angela headed out into the hallway. Mikami caught up quickly, matching Angela's pace as she walked beside her. It was easy to tell that Mikami had another question, as she flicked her eyes towards Angela every few seconds.

"You look like you're wanting to ask me something."

"Well…I guess I was just surprised to hear Arresterdramon's name. I figured he would've Digivolved by now."

"Heh. He actually can't Digivolve."

"Oh…wait, what? He can't?" Mikami asked, blinking.

"Nope. He's a No Level. No Levels don't actually Digivolve. They can shift forms and get stronger, though."

"Huh. I didn't know that."

The tall, bipedal dragon was visible the moment they stepped into the main hall. Angela picked up her pace and raised her hand to catch his attention. Seeing her, Arresterdramon raised his hand in turn and waved. After the period of silence from those in the Dragon Zone, it was a relief to see him. She hoped that he had good news, as it was needed after all the problems that they had experienced. Both she and Mikami hurried down the steps and approached him, causing the few Digimon around him to disperse.

"Hello, Angela. Mikami, it is good to see you again," Arresterdramon said.

"It's good to see you, too."

"So, how are things in the Dragon Zone?" Angela asked. "You haven't sent any messages in a while."

Behind her back she crossed her fingers that nothing was wrong.

"Things are going well. We were forced to leave Ragnarok City some time ago and have been changing locations frequently. Because there are few Digimon who know the area as well as I do, we have been able to avoid being caught. Along with the lessened activity due to the DigiDestined's return, which has allowed us some relief. Though we have not lowered our guard."

"Good to hear," Angela said, relieved. At least there were some things going right. "Do you want me to pass on a message to BanchoLeomon?"

"No. I was concerned when I heard that there had been an attack and decided to see for myself the damage." Pausing, Arresterdramon hummed. "Though, I did overhear something that is rather interesting."

"Oh? What?"

"Apparently one of the stronger members of Laylamon's army has disappeared, though I am uncertain who. It could be a good sign."

"Huh. I'll be sure to tell Boss later. Did anyone come with you?"

"Yes. Wingdramon was kind enough to bring me here."

"Why don't you bring him in? The two of you can rest for a bit."

"Of course. Thank you."

~0~

Traversing through one of the secret passages deep within the castle were Gallantmon, BanchoLeomon, and Silphymon. The knight was leading the two down to a special room. What it was he refused to say, but he had his reasons.

"I must admit that I am surprised. I never would have thought that there would be hidden passages," Silphymon said.

"Omnimon ordered them to be built in the event that something should happen to the Royal Knights. I suppose it was a good thing that he did, considering what Laylamon did."

"How was she able to do such a thing?" BanchoLeomon asked. "A single Digimon should never have able to defeat the strongest group of Digimon in the world."

"Because she was able to turn us against each other."

A huff came from Silphymon. "I fail to see how that could be done."

"Omnimon disappeared one day. There was no sign of where he went or what happened to him," Gallantmon explained, his voice strained. "We were never prepared to deal with the losing our leader. It was chaotic. That was when Laylamon made her move. Magnamon, Crusadermon, and I were the last ones, and suffered serious injuries. It was after sending out the message for those who had been chosen to be gathered that we succumbed to our wounds. I doubt they were as lucky as I was."

Neither said a word to him, unable to think of what to say in response to his explanation. That was for the best; Gallantmon had no desire to continue speaking about it. They continued on until what seemed to be a wall stopped their progress. Once he slipped his shield off and put it on the ground, Gallantmon pressed his hand against the wall. A slot opened to reveal a keypad, which consisted of buttons with DigiCode on them. After entering in the password, the wall seemed to slide down into the floor.

The room was lined with shelves that had an assortment of items on them. In the center of the room was a large metal table that Gallantmon approached. He laid his lance down and began to tinker with the table. While Silphymon inspected the gadgets, BanchoLeomon stopped near the door.

"Most of the devices in this room no longer work. Those are communication devices, however, should. Feel free to give them to whoever you choose," Gallantmon said, pointing towards the left rear corner of the room. "Just be aware that there is a limited amount. The DigiDestined should be given at least two as a precaution."

"What are you doing?" BanchoLeomon asked.

"Give me a moment and you will see."

Though it took a few moments, Gallantmon was able to stand up and turn on the table by pressing one of the buttons on the panel. The room filled with a soft, blue light as a hologram of the world appeared above the table. Mesmerized by the sight, Silphymon and BanchoLeomon approached it while gaping.

"Is this…?"

"Yes. The Digital World."

He input a few commands, bringing up a hologram of the castle.

"If this is working correctly, this should be the current condition of the castle. Judging from the details of it, I would say that it is. Aside from the major damage done to the wall, it would seem there is miniscule damage to a few spots throughout the castle."

Silphymon tilted her head towards Gallantmon. "Are there any areas that could be a cause for worry?"

"For now, no, but it would be for the best if I checked back at a later point to ensure that the damage hasn't worsened."

"You could always tell us the passcode to this room."

Gallantmon looked towards her, but was quick to turn his gaze away. She made a good point. However, he doubted he bring himself to trust anyone with that information. Considering what happened before the war began—before his closest friends had lost their lives—how could he? Yet, if something were to happen that would require access to the room, and he was unable to input the code, someone else would need to know it. Surely these two would be trustworthy.

Taking in a deep breath, he nodded.

"Alpha."

~0~

"L-Lady Laylamon?"

She took a step back and spun on her heel to stare at the small DemiDevimon. The small bat was practically hiding within his wings, his frightened eyes just visible from between them. Eyes narrowing, she folded her arms. Whatever had him worried was obviously important. Perhaps it would explain the recent murmurings amongst her troops.

"What is it?"

"The attack on the Resistance failed. A few of the survivors said they saw a Royal Knight, but they wouldn't say which one."

A Royal Knight, alive? Surprising, considering what she had done to them. Why hide away for so long? Unless, of course, they had been mistaken. Not that it mattered if the Digimon in question was truly a Royal Knight. She would simply get rid of the troublesome knight once again.

"What else?"

"It's Beelzemon, ma'am. It seems he's…turned his back on you."

"What?"

When she took a step forward, DemiDevimon cowered and covered his face with his wings. She refused to believe such a ridiculous lie. How could Beelzemon ever even think of betraying her? No, he would never do something so foolish—not when he knew what the consequences were for such a ludicrous decision. Surely he would not put his own life on the line in such a way.

If it was true, then she would have no choice than to take action.

"H-he said he refused to be your pawn any longer and left. No one knows where he is now."

"Tell Darkdramon to take his squad to comb the Rock Zone. Puppetmon is take his to the Desert Zone. I want Beelzemon found."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Fleeing from the room, DemiDevimon flew out as fast as his wings could take him.

Laylamon stormed out onto the balcony and slammed her fist against the railing. To think Beelzemon would dare to commit such an act. Insubordination would not be tolerated, especially from him. She was going to make sure he regretted his choice.

After she was done with him, he would never think of turning his back on her ever again.