I do not own anything.
Chapter Sixteen: Dagomon's Counterattack Pt. 2
Cody wouldn't ever say it but he was scared of whatever he was going to see when Digmon came up in front of Joe's apartment. Digmon himself could feel it and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the same sense of dread. It seemed strange to the two that the darkness of the beneath the earth was now preferable to the dimming light that awaited them on the surface. What were they going to find when they got there? Likely police and ambulances parked everywhere, carting out bodies and the wounded. Cody's stomach lurched at the mental image causing him to tuck himself deeper into Digmon's chest. Even though he was only ten years old he'd seen enough death and destruction to last him at least forty years.
Peering out he could sense they were almost at the spot. He shuddered with every large thump that he heard. It sounded like laughter, like the earth was laughing at his normal unbreakable calm that had turned into barely visible terror. It had never done this before to him. Sure at times the darkness seemed intimidating but he always knee his partner was there with him to protect him. Now even being safely tucked in Digmon's inner arms gave him little comfort. Cody thought about the text message that carried his address. Like the others he'd been filled with immense horror and rage at Dagomon for coming after their families. Again the earth seemed to laugh at him as Digmon continued forward. It was saying what Cody and likely Tai had figured out at the hospital; that this was no longer just a battle, it was war.
THICK! THUMP! THUMP! THICK! THICK! THUMP!
Both human and Digimon knew the new wave of vibrations weren't from their tunneling but from a battle raging on the surface. Judging from their noise level and intensity they knew it was heating up very quickly. Which left them the question of what exactly was Mimi doing?
Cody and Digmon still had vivid memories of when Tai gave them the order to go make sure Joe was alright. Mimi had practically jetted out of the room with Pelmon in toy. By the time Cody and Armadillomon had caught up with her Pelmon had already digivolved into Lilymon and took off with Mimi in her arms. It was there that Cody decided while Mimi would go by air he'd go by the underground. As he snuck off from the gathering crowd he had to silence a small voice that kept nagging at him, telling him he was too scared to go through the city and see the growing mayhem. As always he used his logic to nip that voice in the butt.
Digmon knew they'd almost reached their target when he decided to speak up, "Cody listen, no matter who it is or what it is I'm going to protect you." And there went his sense of intuition. From time to time the others joked that sometimes the armadillo like Digimon's mind was on equal parts when his partners. That and as Digmon he could sense not just the vibrations around him but the tightly hidden trembling of his friend.
Cody's arms went slack for a second. It was amazing how comforting those words were before the darkness rushed back to him. "T-Thanks Digmon."
Nodding his head he gripped the young boy tighter. "We're here." He grimly spoke angling himself upward. Both braced for the scene that awaited them. One's flesh and blood heart pumping so loudly he could hear it in his ears and the other's DigiCore screaming for him to prepare for battle.
It was as Cody feared; a good chunk of Joe's apartment complex had been demolished and it wasn't from a single force. Windows were broken or stained with blood as hundreds of people flooded out of the building, some holding items and others simply dragging their family members along. All their faces were masks of horror that made Cody wish so for the darkness of the earth much more than he did before.
Flames were in the process of eating away a good chunk of the building yet were constantly slowed down by the growing pounding of the rain and howling wind. Onyx black clouds were gathering overhead with thunder booming from their shadowy depths. The closer Cody got the more clearly he could hear what sounded like shouting and to his horror screaming.
Unable to simply allow such a tragedy to continue Cody looked towards his partner. "Find a way to put out the fires! I'm going to go in to find Joe and Mimi!"
"Are you nuts! I can't let you go in there by yourself!" Digmon cried sharing his horror but yet still valuing the life of his partner. "Cody you could end up getting killed in there!"
"I know that but you're the only one cable of putting out the fire!" Cody yelled eying the multiple drills on Digmon's body. "I'll be fine!"
Faced with no choice Digmon gave his blessings and watched with a heavy art as the youngest DigiDestined made his way into the burning building. Just before he entered he threw one last glance at Digmon silently telling him he'd see him again.
It seemed unreal how hot it was inside the building compared to how cold it was becoming outside. The young man could feel his skin beginning to blister by the time he had it to the second floor after having to scramble his way through the first. There was flames licking at everything around him and the sound of metal bending under extreme stress. The floor groaned with every step he took.
He had to jump at least three sets of stairs and his feet screamed in pain every time he landed, no matter how close it was. Reading the numbers on the doors was near impossible as most of them had either melted off or were broken leaving Cody to stumble in the sea of orange and red. If he guessed right he was probably on the fourth floor, Joe and hopefully Mimi were about two floors up from him. Just before he threw his coat away he reached in and grabbed his Digivice. Its tractor picked up the signals of Joe and Mimi bringing him a small sense of relief.
CRICK!
The relief broke when a man, half of his clothing and flesh burning, broke through a wall behind Cody. To his horror he was swinging and waving around a chair leg like a baseball bat. It proved to be of little use when what he knew to be a Divermon came through the same hole and landed right on top of the man, slamming its fist into his skull. The Divermon turned to Cody. He knew immediately to run just by the red light rimmed around its eyes. The caution he'd used earlier had been replaced for adrenaline fueled strength and speed. Jumping over gaps and obstacles became so much easier than it was before. That he could think to the Divermon chasing him.
"GAH!" He screamed when one dropped from a hole in the ceiling onto his face. His back protested as it made contact with the burning floor however it was overshadowed by the pain caused by the kicking and snarling Divermon trying to rip his face off. I should have brought my kendo stick! A section of his brain screamed as he tried to pry the virus infected Digimon off him. What strength he possessed was used to keep the Divermon's razor teeth from getting any closer to his face.
CRICK! CRICK! CRICK! CRACK! THUMP!
Roaring he shook the Divermon off of him and hurled it into the nearest blaze. Cody jumped to his feet and continued going now visible shaken from his encounter. Getting closer and closer to Joe and Mimi he could hear gun shots going off over the roar of flames. They nearly froze Cody in his place until he remembered what was at stake. Instead he seemed to push himself further into the inferno that was eating away at the building.
Kicking down a blazing door he shouted the names of his two friends as loud as he could. "JOE! MIMI!"
"CODY GET OUT NOW!"
Cody saw two shapes staring each other down; one and adult standing over Joe and another, Mimi struggling to get up. The man seemed to realize Cody was standing by the doorway and immediately spun around. The next thing Cody knew he could see the barrel of a gun aimed straight at his chest. A new type of terror seized Cody in that instant, the kind he couldn't shake off. Everything, his friends, his life, and his future seemed to flash before his very eyes.
This is it. This…
BOOM!
Joe saw the bullet veer off the course the moment his eyes readjusted to his surroundings. It missed Cody's chest, thank God, and grazed his shoulder. He hissed in pain falling back. Their attack took a minute took long on get back on his feet, long enough for Mimi to spring to her feet and give him a rather violent shove towards the burning wall. A scream of rage turned into one of fear as the wall and the floor surrounding it came apart in a waterfall of fire and wreckage. Joe grabbed Mimi then ran for Cody, he'd inspect their injuries after they were out of here. A new shuddering shook the room. Mimi grasped onto Joe's shoulder while Cody braced himself for whatever horror came next.
What now of them were expecting was a sharp horn bursting through the other wall followed by a familiar voice, "JOE! JOE ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"
His eyes filling with tears from the smoke Joe looked between his two companions. "I'm fine Ikkakumon! I just need you to get us out of here!"
The three children gripped the white-furred Champion's fur tightly as he pulled out of the building. If any of them had their eyes open just to peek they would have seen a collection of furniture, bodies, TVs, and metal parts fly by. Where their lungs were starving for clean air in the smoke heavy enclosed space their senses blazed to life at the touch of rain against their skin and the feeling of moist air violating their nostrils and mouths. Blinking in shock they watched as almost half the apartment complex collapsed due to a missile strike from above. Windows in surrounding buildings burst and dust kicked up a think barrier around the remaining half which seemed to be sinking into itself.
Digmon stopped his channeling, seeing that nothing more could be done and only stood back in modest horror. He wondered how many people were still inside it. He prayed Cody, Joe, and Mimi weren't among them. No, he could still sense his bond with Cody was intact so that only left Joe and Mimi. Hearing a heavy set of footprints bounding towards him Digmon turned to see Ikkakumon's soot and burned covered form moving towards him. Seeing the three mentioned kids put his nerves at ease. Bending down so they could get off he turned Ikkakumon silently asking where Lilymon was. In reply he pointed towards the sky. Following him Digmon listened more closely. What he was hearing wasn't just thunder, he was hearing the sounds of battle.
Mimi didn't wait for Joe to regain his senses she just threw her arms around. The blue haired teenager didn't protest. Cody stood off to the side a little trying to focus on something else other than the pain gnawing at his shoulder. So this is what getting shot fills like. It burned every time he touched it. While he knew it could have been worse he wished he'd been able to move when the cultist aimed the gun at his chest. He felt so pathetic just standing there like a lamb waiting to be slaughter. He could have ran, jumped, shouted, he could have done something but no, he simply waited for the flash that would end his young life. That seemed to hurt more than the bullet wound on his left shoulder.
BOOM!
Three dark shapes hit the ground knocking everyone out of their bubbles. Animalistic snarls rolled off the three impact sites before fading into pained whined. All three of them were muttering something about a 'stupid flower lady'. All four looked upward to see Lilymon going head to head with a Gigadramon and two Megadramon, shooting wildly at her darting form.
"I never gave Lilymon enough credit." Digmon muttered clearly surprised.
Ikkakumon wasn't one for words. Waiting for his chance he watched the two Megadramon closely until they were close enough together for him to hit both. "Harpoon Torpedo!"
His attack didn't do as much damage as he expected but it did distract them long enough for Lilymon to get off two direct hits with her Flower Cannon. The surprise attack sent the two winged dragons plummeting towards the ground. Digmon decided to press his advantage and fired off his Gold Rush attack at their falling forms. Now that it was the last one left the Gigadramon was well and truly pissed off.
Lilymon backed away from the purple colored dragon. Before she'd sensed a dangerous aura around it but now that aura was visible in the form of a cloud of dark blue energy and red pulsing lines running all over its body. Right before her eyes it seemed to grow larger and stronger. Saliva dripped from its jaws giving it the appearance of a true rapid animal. To everyone's shock instead of attacking it roared, a heart-stopping sound that made everyone who heard it instantly sweat-drop. To answer the dragon's howl a twisted series of screeches rolled off the remaining half of the complex buildings. If Gigadramon's howl was terrifying the collective shriek was a haunting moan.
The youngest of the three realized what the shrieking was and quickly began looking around for a weapon. Seeing his younger counterpart Joe broke out of Mimi's arms and stood between her and the remains of the apartment. Digmon took a defensive stance alongside Ikkakumon.
The Divermon continued their shrieking as they burst from every opening in the building into the streets. Hundreds of screamed at the horde while others immediately began running for cover. If they weren't terrified by the shooting and the fire than the horde of aquatic amphibians did the deed for them. A rain of harpoons helped as well.
Ducking behind cover the Divermon leaped at whoever they could reach; either sinking their teeth into them or pummeling them like rag dolls. Policemen screamed into their radio for back up as their colleges unloaded everything they had on the amphibious beasts. A few actually managed to take down a few if they were hit in the right place, others were wounded, and the last just seemed to grow angrier than they already were.
"ROCK CRACKING!"
The Divermon seemed baffled as to why there were suddenly fissures opening up in the ground and chunks of rock nailing their brethren in the face until they saw Digmon's yellow form. At one they all turned their guns to the armored Digimon…all to be shocked when their attacks bounced off his yellow shell.
"Now I'm usually an easy-going guy but with what y'all just did," his voice changed from somewhat relaxed to dripping with anger. "I don't find that very nice. Gold Rush!"
Ikkakumon was having a slightly harder time dealing with the numerous Divermon darting around him. Their harpoons didn't hurt, they were annoying as hell. The only danger he actually faced was they weren't exactly aiming for him; they were aiming for Joe and Mimi who were standing safely tucked between his front legs. They were who the little runts were after. Enough Divermon had surrounded them that they were effectively cut off from Digmon and everyone else. None of them moved a muscle.
CSSSSKKKKHHHHHHHHHH!
Neither Joe, Mimi, nor Ikkakumon had any idea what the Divermon were shrieking but they knew it wasn't good. Mimi's grip on Joe tightened as he and Ikkakumon waited for whatever was coming. Expect they were looking in the wrong direction.
"Genocide Gear!"
"GGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAH!" The gigantic Champion howled as the organic missiles slammed into his back creating a great fire. Ikkakumon crumpled to the ground moaning in pain. The flames eating at his back bathed the Divermon in a terrifying light glow moments before they all converged on them.
Joe pressed Mimi against his partner's back as the harpoons came flying out. He hissed as some grazed his flesh and some hit spots of his body that were still tender from the fire. "Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon we need you to get up!" He could feel the blue and white skinned demons closing in on them. "IKAKKUMON!"
Blue and white light erupted from Joe's digivice. Ikkakumon's fallen form glowed dark blue as thunder started gathering in the clouds above. Lilymon and Gigadramon momentarily stopped their midair duel to watch the arcs of lightning arc downwards towards the downed Digimon. From the glow a thick, powerful arm emerged followed by another holding a metallic hammer. One by one the Divermon jumped back in freight. Instead of the furry white horned mammal they were fighting stood a gigantic, shelled walrus with a hammer and a very angry expression on its face.
Zudomon first eyed Joe and Mimi to make sure they were okay. Mimi was holding Joe who now had wounds over his back and legs. They didn't look fatal but the blue-haired teenager needed help standing. A rush of anger flooded the Ultimate's body and it was represented by the arcs of electricity curling around his Thor's Hammer. Letting loose a roar that terrified human and Digimon alike he swung it down tearing apart chunks of the ground, crushing or electrocuting many of the Divermon. They scattered and panicked making the easy pickings for Zudomon who brought his hammer down whenever he could count at least four of them standing close together.
Pausing from his attack Zudomon looked towards the storm clouds overhead. "Lilymon focus on Gigadramon! We got things covered down here!"
It seemed like Cody was trying to make up for his earlier display of cowardice by whacking as many of the aquatic Digimon as he could using a metal pipe he'd found. Digmon faintly recognizes some of the moves he was using as kendo strikes. It was impressive, even more considering the amount of pain he had to be in from his arm wound. The Divermon seemed to have caught onto his injury and were now doing everything in their power to separate the two from each other.
"How many of you guys are there!" Digmon snarled as no matter how many of the little monsters he took out there were another three.
Of course none of them gave him an answer and just kept attacking.
Cody was blinded for a moment when a spotlight overhead shined down on him. He knew it was a police helicopter, probably armed with a mini-gun or something of the sort. The pain in his arm finally caught up with him forcing him to his knees. Looking across the street he saw more police cars had arrived along with a few armored trucks. SWAT teams were getting into position however some of them had already starting firing. Cody felt like shouting to them they were still people in their firing rage but he knew it was pointless. Either they shot or risk being overwhelmed. Suddenly he felt the pain in his shoulder grow giving him cause to howl. He feared the worst' he'd finally been impaled.
Turning around the truth turned out to be a Divermon had merely grabbed him and was now doing its best to squeeze him to death. It picked him up and threw him across the pavement raddling his brain. Now that almost every facet of his body hurt he couldn't move out of the way as it aimed its harpoon at him. He was back in the same situation.
Just before Cody closed his eyes he saw a blackish-blue blur racing towards the Divermon's rear. "Karate Fist!"
The Divermon went face first into the pavement. A spider-web crack formed around its skull.
Cody saw his savior to be a Digimon, a bear like Digimon with a cap that, ironically, had bears written on it in big orange letters. He seemed to be unsure how to approach Cody even thought he was in no position to harm him. Another image came running up to them, it blew past the bear Digimon and run up to Cody. Now able to get a better look he saw her face through her hood and to say he was surprised would have been an understatement.
Her name rolled off his lips with a taste of both awe and shock. "N-Noriko?" He wasn't sure if it was the relief of being him being alive or at him remembering her name but she brought him into a warm hug that made his cheeks heat up for some unknown reason. "Uh, not to be rude but what are you doing here?"
"I saw the smoke from my house and I just…my Digivice starting going off. It pulled up a map of the city." Her face grew sour when she saw the wound on his arm. "Cody! What happened to your arm?"
He wanted to shrug and say it was nothing but the truth was it really was starting to hurt. "I…I was careless." That was all he could say. His pride kept the truth from coming out.
Noriko paused trying to figure out what to do next. Half a second later her face grew serious again. "I'm…I'm going to try to bandage the wound."
"Let me do that."
The two youngsters turned to see Joe, who was leaning on Mimi for support, making their way over to them. Mimi and Noriko helped prompt Cody up while Joe tore off a piece of cloth and began addressing the wound.
"Bearmon!" Noriko called gaining the cap-wearing Digimon's attention. "Work with Digmon and Zudomon!"
Bearmon looked between the armored yellow beetle and the hammer-wielding walrus he was now standing beside. His freak out seemed to last until the Divermon decided to restart their attack. That was when the confusion vanished from his face and he joined the Armored Digimon and the Ultimate Digimon.
BOOM!
The police and SWAT teams rapidly cleared aside as the twenty-foot purple dragon came crashing into the road. Lilymon floated downward, her breathing rigid and her body covered in scratches, burns, and bruises. It was plain to see she was running low on energy, odds were in another minute she'd transform back into Palmon. The look in her eyes spoke a different story, they still held the same fire they did when she first engaged Gigadramon.
Said Digimon awoke with a snarl. The first thing it saw were countless humans staring at it in fear. They yelped when it righted itself, lips curling back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. An order went out and everyone immediately began firing their weapons much to the dismay of the DigiDestined and their partners. They called for them to stop but their cries fell on deaf ears. The bullets bounced harmlessly off Gigadramon's flesh and metallic skin like rubber balls.
The Ultimate dragon before had been angered but now it was beyond furious. These insects had no idea what they had done. Raising both its claws the red metal arms opened. "Guilty Claw!"
"NO!"
Lilymon put both her hands together, rage now fueling her. "Flower Cannon!"
Catching sight of the attack and sensing the power behind it Gigadramon threw up a collection of cars and trucks to block the blast. The pink blast of energy collided with the automobiles creating an explosion that obscured the view of Gigadramon. Lilymon kept her cannon at the ready and her senses alert for the surprise attack she knew as coming.
Her eyes saw a shadow dart out to her right.
"Genocide Attack!"
Lilymon saw the attack wasn't directed at her. It was directed at the kids. "Not them!"
Zudomon lifted his hammer and took aim at the projectiles. "Vulcan's Hammer!" From his hammer an arrow shaped blast of thunder ran across the ground colliding with the missiles.
Lilymon and Zudomon then turned their attention to locating Gigadramon.
"Guilty Wing!"
"Everyone down!" Joe screamed grabbing Mimi while Noriko did the same for Cody.
Metallic shards rained over the street courtesy of Gigadramon who was keeping his distance overhead. The red lines had morphed into DigiCode. While the humans couldn't read it the Digimon could…and what they read made them sick.
Gigadramon's eyes had turned blood red and when he spoke it carried a ghostly echo. "I must say I didn't expect such resistance from either of you. Joe! Who knew you could be such a fighter and Mimi, who knew you actually had the courage to put your life on the line for someone else! Of course given who it was for I can understand. It's sad though that your heart is set on such a misguided path. The same thing with you Joe." The cybernetic dragon shook its head. "Oh Mimi have you learned nothing from your travels?" It swept its arms across the sky laughing with a voice that sent shivers down the spines of every creature present. It was now official, Gigadramon was nothing but a puppet. "You may have saved a few but it won't matter. It never does because for every life you save there's three more that are lost!" In the flash of lightning Gigadramon's already fierce appearance seemed borderline demonic with his glowing red eyes. "You kids are in over your heads this time. There's no magic power that's going to save you, there never was one. You see kids, you can scream and shout as much as you want but in the end that's not going to stop the tsunami from smashing you."
A flash of lightning struck Gigadramon stunning everyone into silence. When the lightning vanished Gigadramon was gone. The remaining Divermon either fled into the darkness, none of them throwing a sideways glance. As they were leaving the heavy rain seemed to hit in full force along with the gale force winds now that the virus infected Digimon were gone.
Lilymon flew into the storm looking around for any trace of the Ultimate. She didn't see the Gigadramon but she did the columns of smoke rising up from different parts of town. Dagomon's words came back to her causing her to close her fist in anger. She couldn't count how many there were but she had a feeling if she were to fly over they'd all look the same. With no choices Lilymon began descending to the ground, a golden light covering her shrinking form. She landed in Zudomon's palm. The glow faded to reveal a fairly exhausted Palmon huffing in his hand. He placed her on the ground next to Bearmon and Digmon before changing back into his Rookie form himself. Soon Digmon became Armadillomon and joined the rest of the Rookies. Together they made their way to their partners.
"Come on guys." Joe said after a tense silence. "We've got to get to hos-ow!" he would have fallen flat on his face if Mimi hadn't caught him. His head from light from all the blood loss not to mention his eyes were still recovering from both the loss of his glasses and all the smoke from the burning apartment. Scratch that his burning home.
To say Tai was in a daze would be an understatement. Kari couldn't even began to imagine what her brother was feeling. In some ways she was glad she didn't know, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to take it.
The one bit of relief he had was when he got calls from Mimi that Joe was alright and then a call from Matt stating they were able to get to Izzy. From there all he seemed to hear was one piece of bad news after another. He grew worried when Mimi told him Joe and Cody had been injured and required medical attention. So did Izzy though Yolei had assured him it was only a few scratches.
There were still at the hospital when a rush of new patients started coming in and almost every ambulance in the building was ordered out. Kari and T.K. felt snakes sliver up their spines the moment the whole place started coming alive. Now none of them knew much about how hospitals work (aside from maybe Joe) but they were able to piece together how bad things had to be when almost every doctor in sight was dashing around the room like frightened alley cats. Everyone could feel the shift in the air before the first patients started rolling in. All of the Digimon began to grow uncomfortable the moment their noises began picking up the smell of fresh blood long before their partners did. Kari grew visibly revolted while the others just pressed their hands over their noises.
The first patients came in by the dozen, almost four or five at a time followed by another group. All the children could do was stare with gaping mouths at the injuries and amount there were. To further nail things home they shook with a loud crack of thunder shook the entire building. Hundreds of eyes flickered towards the lights, expecting them to at least flicker or go out altogether. Everyone was hoping like hell that didn't happen. With 'rush hour' starting the last thing they needed was the power going out. Perhaps in some vain attempt to lighten the mood Davis exchanged a look with Veemon. He could understand the most of what he was asking; could he digivolve into Raidramon and kick start the power in case it went out? Veemon shrugged his shoulders indicating even he didn't know the answer.
Sora felt her legs begin to walk after seeing so many bodies pass her by. Between the smell and sight she started to think she was going to feint until Tai put his arm around her. No matter how forced it was seeing his smile brought a little light back into her world. She knew in times like this he saw it as his job to act as her anchor.
Still with one arm around the auburn haired girl in his arm Tai reached into his phone and decided to phone Matt's group first. Every second his best friend didn't pick up seemed to be a pin in his neck. Come on, come on Matt. Pick up! Just when he was about to give up and call Mimi's group he heard Matt's broken voice over the phone.
"T-T-Tai! Th-re's-rrrrrr-block! Some-zzzzzzzzz-tra-call back!" The line went dead not a minute later.
"Shit." Tai whispered. For the sake of convenience he tried dialing Joe's number. No response. He tried Cody's next. When Mimi picked up he felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. "Mimi what's happening out there?"
"We're stuck in traffic! This storm blew up after Gigadramon left! Listen I don't know how long it'll be but we can get to the hospital but it's going to take some time!"
He could hear the thunder exploding in the background along with the angry shouts of what was probably people stuck in traffic. "Just make sure to be careful." He coughed once to get everyone's attention. "The others are alright. They're just…" Another boom of thunder went off. This time the lights did flicker for about three seconds. "You get the idea."
Since there was nothing any of them could do the remaining children tried to find some corner or table that was out of the way. If they were asked to help then they would gladly give it however at that moment not one of them had the energy to move or act. Slowly one by one each of them began to drift off to sleep. Tai was the last one to surrender. Just before he closed his eyes for good he glanced around the room. The last sight he saw was Sora's auburn head resting on his shoulder.
Tai woke up to the sound of heavy rain pelting against the walls and thunder still roaring just outside the hospital. He couldn't see anything until a flash of lightning went off illuminating the room. They'd been moved to another room. Their parents sat beside them, arms wrapped protectively around them. The light went out again causing his heart to skip a beat. When they came back on he made sure to get a full view of what was happening. The lights were flickering on and off just as he'd feared. Sora was still on her shoulder bringing him a small sense of peace as was Agumon and Biyomon still at their feet.
As gently as he could he eased off of Sora and stood up. His body ached from not just the pain of falling asleep in such a position but also from the stress he'd been putting himself through.
He could still hear the sounds of doctors screaming commands and screams coming from the operating rooms. How the hell did we sleep through that? He walked down the hallway and towards the window in an almost daze-like state. If anyone stopped to ask Tai what he was doing he likely wouldn't have been able to answer them with anything concrete.
Finally stopping in front of a window Tai found it difficult to see even five feet outside the glass. The rain was now coming down like an angry torrent over the earth. If he squinted he could just barely make out a foot of water had developed on the ground and was more than likely still increasing. The window shook when a boom of thunder went off. Tai stumbled back until he felt a hand catch him on his shoulder.
Panic and fear pumped through him. His hand was almost raised like he was going to strike the person until he heard their voice.
"Tai! Relax it's me!" Matt almost screamed.
Tai's eyes struggled for a minute before he dropped his guard. "Jesus Matt I…I," he didn't know where to start. He almost whacked his best friend in the face. "I'm sorry."
The dirty blond shook his head. He had a few bandages wrapped around his left forearm and there was a butterfly bandage on the right side of his forehead. "You don't have to worry about it. We just got in about twenty minutes ago. Mimi and Joe got here before us."
"That's…good." Tai said returning his eyes to the window. "What's it like out there?"
"It's bad." Matt stated keeping his eyes on the floor. "When we got to Izzy's…Tai they tried to kill his parents before going after him. We nearly brought the whole place down." He shivered recalling coming upon the whole place. "It looked like something out of some cop show."
BOOM!
Outside the two boys watched the rain begin to lighten up. Neither of them spoke a word to the other for various reasons. Inside the mind of the first goggle head a hundred different plans were running through his head on what they could afford to do and shouldn't do. He knew the simplest plan was to go directly to the source of their problems and end it. That was easier said than done. As they two watched the storm batter the city he checked his watch. He'd been asleep for almost half a day, probably falling asleep at almost two in the morning and waking up at around two-thirty in the afternoon. Judging by the roads he theorized it none of them would be allowed to go home until tomorrow morning provided the rain slacked off and the roads were clear enough. The first thing he was doing was calling a meeting of the DigiDestined. Deep down he knew doing that would ease the tension building in his body. He needed to act, he needed to fight back against this insanity that was rapidly sweeping through their lives.
The thoughts running through the mind of the bearer of the Crest of Friendship mirrored that of his leader's but only to a certain degree. While a need to protect his friends and family ran through Tai's mind the emotion flooding Matt's soul was slightly more toxic; guilt. It would probably be years after this incident that he would admit he was happy he was sent to go to Izzy's instead of staying behind. He didn't know how much longer he could stand being in the same room as Davis without saying or doing something. A sideways glance at Tai made him think he was somehow able to read his thoughts and thus sent out to spare both boys the discomfort or confrontation that was inevitable. Matt made a mental note to think him later for it.
It seemed cruel that just when he and Jun were starting to come to the threshold of friendship a nightmare like this had to happen. How was he going to face her after this? Would they even speak to each other? A dark voice in his head popped various scenarios that would play out at the end of this. One of them involved her vowing never to speak or look at him or any of the other DigiDestined for as long as she could. Another one questioned the validity of his optimism. For the past few days he'd been doing his best to silence that voice with every ounce of inner strength he could muster. The constant tug and pull was beginning to wear on him more and more. His friends could see it in his eyes and his father noticed it whenever he returned home. It was only a matter of time before he questioned him on what it was that was eating him.
A cynical chuckle would have left his lips if he wasn't so depressed and angry with himself. Oh ya' know. One of my fans decided to turn her life around and actually try and be my friend and get to know me. It was great. Then in a fit of rage I busted the guitar she hand-made for me then I got her sucked into an alternate dimension. That happen regularly when you were my age?
On impulse he began to bit his lip, just being careful enough not to draw blood. There I go again, thinking about myself and my own problems instead of the people who are really in pain. It wasn't just his world that was falling apart at the seams, it was Davis's and everyone else's.
He wished he could just magical open a portal and pull Jun through. He'd get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness then for that of her family's. It wouldn't matter when it was or who saw him.
Either that or he'd find Dagomon and Daemon and make them pay in digital blood for everything they'd done.
That one though was a silent promise shared between him, Tai, Davis, and very likely Yolei and TK.
As it turned out they did have to stay the night and well into the next morning before the roads were clear enough to drive through and everyone's injuries had been treated. Their physically ones at least.
Ken had decided for everyone that until his parents were out of the hospital Davis would stay with him. No one, child, doctor, or parent gave much protest. Mimi all but strong armored her parents into accepting Joe into their household while his parents were out the same as Davis's. Many of them could sense the underlining in why she was so insist. Again, no raised any objections. Matt's father offered Izzy's family any of the free space they had in their apartment. Despite their protest they eventually agreed. With everything sorted out the families began to depart the hospital, many of them having grown tired of the scenery and atmosphere of dread.
Just before leaving Tai made sure to shoot each of them a glance that spoke what he couldn't say in public.
We are not giving up.
Some of the fire had come back in Davis and Veemon's eyes as Ken and Wormmon noticed on their way home. That was good. It meant some of the Davis and Veemon they knew were coming back.
Throughout most of the drive back Ken was lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't say he wasn't scared. He was terrified. He'd been terrified since this whole mess started. Having Yolei and the others with him had calmed him down a good deal but he still couldn't shake the toxic feeling in his gut. It screamed to him shit hadn't hit the fan yet. Dagomon may have been on the offensive but he knew Daemon wasn't one to take attacks lying down; therefore, he was more than likely going to strike back the moment he saw the chance.
Davis felt like both vomiting and screaming as he sat in the back seat next to Ken. Even with his parents out of death's reach his sister was still very much there. Not a minute had gone by in the past day he didn't feel the need to smash something in frustration. He never was a very patient person and all this was doing was ensuring he never would be one. No one knew it but sleep didn't bring him any peace of mind, instead all it did was just make him feel worse. In his dreams he saw his sister drowning and no matter how fast he ran he never made it in time. Sometimes he'd pull up her lifeless body and other times he'd drown himself as a wave came crashing down over him.
Failure. For as long as Davis could remember the word had been his enemy. It'd taken many allies over the years but in the end they'd fallen by the wayside.
This time those allies were ones Davis couldn't even touch or scream at face to face.
Once they stepped out of the car and began towards the apartment Davis took a moment to stare at the sky while everyone else moved on. He told them he'd be come in after spending a moment by himself. Veemon stayed beside him and he didn't mind it.
"Veemon…do Digimon pray?" he asked watching the darker clouds shift back into the sky.
Veemon paused before answering. Truthfully the topic they were venturing on wasn't one he liked but he'd talked about it once or twice in his lifetime. "Yeah Davis, we do. We pray to powerful Digimon like Azulongmon. We pray to the god of the Digital World Yggdrasil. We do it when we're really scared or need help."
"Have you ever prayed?"
"…Yes." He followed his gaze. "I…don't really like doing it but sometimes when things get tough enough I think about it but I don't anymore."
"Why not?"
Veemon was happy when his partner faced him. He gave him the best smile he could have while holding out his hand. "I don't do it because I've got you and everyone else. I know as long as I have my best friend and my family there's nothing I can't beat. Besides anyone up there listening already gave me enough by letting me meet you guys."
Slowly the unsure frown on Davis's face melted into a heartfelt smile. He gladly took the Rookie's hand, losing the battle against the tears amassing in his eyes. "T-Thanks Veemon." He accepted Veemon when he jumped into his arms. I'm gonna save you Jun. Just wait for us to come get you a bit longer.
You might want to rethink your priorities there.
The two separated seconds after hearing the echoing voice. Their eyes traced the surroundings until settling on the apartment building.
BOOM!
They saw the ball of fire engulf the side of the apartment. Pieces of steel, wood, tiles, and clothe went sailing into the cold air pelting the ground below. There wasn't one person on the street that didn't stop to scream in horror at what they just saw happen. None expect for Davis and Veemon. They weren't screaming in just fear but in rage as well.
Recklessly they pushed through the crowd, up the stairs and through the flames now eating the floor. Veemon smashed through the door with his V-Head-butt and began sniffing. Davis frantically looked around for the Ken's parents only to spot Veemon dragging them along the kitchen floor. Quickly taking Mrs. Ichijoui while Veemon used every ounce of strength in his body to carry Mr. Ichijoui out the door.
Outside the Ichijoui residence Davis and Ken saw many people had wisely started evacuating the building. They managed to catch a few people to pass the comatose adults onto before heading back into the inferno for Ken and Wormmon.
Little had changed in the brief three minutes they'd been gone. Davis silently feared what he was going to find when he managed to make it into his fellow DigiDestined's room. The first thing he saw was Wormmon lying in a bruise heap by in the middle of the burning wreckage.
Gathering the insectoid Digimon in his arms he continued searching for Ken. "Ken! KEN! Please tell me you're in here!"
"T-T-T-To-To-To…im." Wormmon's pain-stricken voice just barely reached his ears.
"What?" he shouted looking at Wormmon. "Who took him?"
"Davis!"
The second goggle head looked up from Wormmon to see an image carved into the wall of Ken's bedroom. It vaguely resembled an octopus head with a set of tentacles jetting out from around it.
It took Davis less than a second to realize whose emblem it was. Just as the hate-fueled scream was building I his throat the roaring of the flames reminded Davis they needed to get out before all three of them died.
Bolting from the burning apartment Davis and Veemon took fell to their knees. They knew they still had to move and get Wormmon to safety but first they needed to reign in the blaze roaring in their hearts.
Ring!
Moving Wormmon to one arm he reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He had a text message followed by an address.
Having a bad day?
"Grrrrrrrr…..DDDDAAAGOOOMOON!"
Saw quite a bit of collateral damage this chapter huh? If you enjoyed it then wait until the next chapter. That's when I'm really gonna start hammering the hell out of the city and everyone else.
