Hey, guys. I know this one is also pretty last-minute, but I admit that I'm finding it hard sometimes to find the motivation to write this. I just doesn't draw me in as much as Academy did, or at least, not at the moment. I think things will pick up in awhile and I'll be able to really get into it. Maybe when I throw one of my famous curveballs at you. Anyway, let's get going, shall we~?
Palmon: "We wound up in another Virus-run site, but this one wasn't nearly as friendly as the other one. Things were looking pretty bad until that girl, Miyuki, showed up with her partner, Devidramon. They helped us, but when we got to Devimon, the leader of the area, he controlled Devidramon. Hana used some screwed up logic that that meant that they were still threats. Now, Miyuki and Devidramon left. Guess we're back to square one again..."
Devidramon had reverted back to DemiDevimon, but he was watching his partner carefully. The only reason he had gone back to Rookie level was to save some strength in case they ran into another battle. He had initially wanted to stay as Devidramon, but Miyuki had pointed out that that would be drain his energy sooner. He wished he could carry her, though. Her back was still bothering her. Not as much as it had been in the castle, but it still bothered her nonetheless.
"I think we might have blown our one chance in joining them," DemiDevimon said. "I'm sorry..."
The brunette shook her head. "It's not your fault. You were being controlled, just like my back wasn't Centarumon's fault." She gave a pointed look, causing him to pause. He had still been extremely pissed about the Centarumon thing, but now he was beginning to see it from the Champion's perspective. Okay, maybe it wasn't really his fault...
"So, now what do we?" the Rookie asked. "We're on our own, probably for good, now. Do you think we can handle all this?"
"No," Miyuki replied. "We need to find some way of convincing them we're on their side."
DemiDevimon looked at her for a minute. "If saving their lives didn't convince them, I'm not really sure what will."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
The three girls and their partners exited the site, walking through the tunnel and continuing their argument.
"We need her on your side, and you know it," Kiira said, irritated. She, Yumi, Labramon, Palmon, and Renamon had all been trying to convince her that it would be better for them to have Miyuki on their side, but the blonde just refused to listen. It apparently 'didn't fit into her equation' or something like that.
"I think she proved she isn't as dangerous as you think she is," Yumi added. She actually kind of liked Miyuki. The girl may not be considered a genius like the three of them, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart or useful. Sure, her grades might not be the best, but she was more street-smart that the rest of them put together.
"How do we know that her partner won't turn on us again?" Hana asked, arms crossed. "He could have killed us."
Kiira rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she said. "He was being controlled. And you know it."
Renamon studied her partner, hoping she would see reason. She was a logical girl, but she was just too stubborn to see what was right in front of her.
Palmon, wanting to ease the tension around them a little, said, "Well, we need to find somewhere else to go." Maybe we'll run into Miyuki again and can get it through Hana's head that she's not our enemy... she mentally added.
"Whatever..." the blonde muttered, falling silent as she continued to lead.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
The next hole led them to what appeared to be a row of factories. The silence surrounding them was unnerving. The place looked abandoned, but they weren't going to let their guard down.
"How are you guys feeling?" Hana asked the Digimon. She wasn't sure if they had completely recovered from the damage they'd take back in the castle, and whatever lingered around here might be just as bad, if not worse. They needed to be able to rest, but they couldn't do that in the tunnel since there was always a risk of something dropping in on them at any moment. It hadn't happened in a while, but that didn't mean it would never happen again. And with their luck, it would be when they were at their weakest.
"Could be better," Labramon admitted.
"Definitely," Palmon agreed.
"I may be ready for battle, but I am not sure how long I would be able to keep it up," Renamon stated. She had always recovered fairly quickly, but they had taken some pretty hard hits.
Yumi looked down the long street lined with factories on both sides. "Maybe we should see if one of these is empty and rest in there for awhile. We can take shifts, too. I'm getting kind of tired.
"I'll go," Renamon said, seeming to disappear.
"I still can't get over how fast she is..." Hana muttered as she looked down the row of factories, Renamon appearing, looking through a window, and disappearing again. Moments later, she returned to their side.
"The first three are currently empty, but I believe they have someone living in them, they are just currently away," the reported. "But the fourth looks like it hasn't been touched in years."
Hana looked at the empty area around them. She still didn't trust the apparent peace. "Let's stay in the shadows until we get there. We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."
The rest of the team nodded, and they managed to make it to the factory unnoticed. A low window was broken, so they didn't have to risk making a lot of noise by opening the door. Once they were all inside, they sat under the window they had entered through. The other windows were covered in dust and dirt, making it impossible to see through them. The door was firmly shut, so the only source of light came through the broken window. By remaining under it, they remained invisible to anyone from the outside.
"Alright, get some rest," Yumi suggested to the Digimon. Labramon was out like a light, quickly followed by Palmon.
Renamon locked eyes with her partner. "If anything approaches, don't hesitate to wake me."
"Got it," Hana replied with a nod before the fox Digimon allowed herself to succumb to her exhaustion.
Kiira leaned her head back against the wall behind them. "It's been awhile since we've been able to relax for a minute like this, huh?" she commented. "I mean, we spent a lot of time in the tunnel, and then that castle, and now coming here. I just hope that whatever is hanging around here is either friendly, or that they haven't noticed us yet."
"Let's hope it's the first one," Yumi said, staring at her hands, crossed on the wrists, propped up on her knees. "I really don't want to get into another fight. I just want this to be over. I want to go home."
"So do I," Kiira admitted. "But we're here to do a job, aren't we?"
Hana looked over at the lavender haired girl. "You're a hacker, I thought you would have loved being here in the internet."
"Okay, it was cool for the first few days," Yumi admitted. "But... The novelty wore off after about our second battle. I mean, we could die in here, and our parents wouldn't know until the rest of us get out of here. If we get out. How will they know for sure when we're done in here? How will they get us out?" She paused. "And if we die in here, our parents won't even have any bodies to bury."
This earned silence from the other two humans. They hadn't even thought of it like that.
Hana bit back the worries the hacker had just given her. She was their leader, she couldn't show weakness. She had to be strong for them. "Remember, our government picked us to do this. They put their faith in us. The world is counting on us."
"But why a group of teens?" Kiira asked. "I mean, they could have easily had some adults that they could have trained to do this instead of taking us."
Hana directed her attention to what the other girl said. "I don't think we should really think about that right now," she suggested. "We have more important things to worry about. We can get back to that when this is over. Maybe we can ask when we get back."
"If..." Yumi muttered, but the blonde chose to ignore the comment this time. She had to get them to focus on something else. All this would do is get them all depressed, and they didn't need that.
"Why don't you guys get some rest now?" she suggested. "I can keep watch, and I'll let you know if something's going on."
"You sure you'll be alright?" Kiira asked.
Hana nodded. "Yeah. Now get some sleep."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
The pain had finally subsided, allowing Miyuki to walk more comfortably. She really didn't want to keep going through this, but she had a feeling that it would be a continuing problem throughout their journey. Would it stay that way when she left, whenever and however that was? Would the medicine, because it was digital, not work anymore when she left? She could only hope.
Trying to divert her thoughts, she once again began mentally addressing the problem of the other three girls, mainly Harusawa. Yumi and Kiira seemed to like her, and she liked them, too. They were nice, and so were their partners. But the blonde seemed to hate her guts, even after she had saved their lives.
She began to pass a hole when a feeling struck her. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it did feel odd. She stopped and backed up, looking through it. As usual, the hole itself was dark, the only indication that it was even there being the break in flying binary. She would have no idea what was on the other side until she stepped through.
"I think they might be in here," she commented. She began to take a step.
DemiDevimon looked apprehensive. "Are you sure you want to go back there?"
The brunette nodded stubbornly. She would have to work to gain their trust, but as she had said both out loud and to herself many times, there was a better chance of getting this job done and surviving in a group, rather than being out on her own with DemiDevimon. Yes, he was strong, but she doubted that even if he made it to Mega Level, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Virus behind it all on his own. "What choice do I have?" she asked her Virus partner. "It's only going to get tougher from here." She gave him a look. "And no matter what you say, I know you're no match for whatever final enemy we have to face."
The Rookie had been about to argue, but once her words reached his ears, he paused. As loathe as he was to admit it, she had a point. He wasn't all-powerful. They would need help. But could they actually get help from people who continuously thought that they were the enemy?
"Alright," he finally relented. "Let's go."
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
They were met with a large group of gears with eyes.
"Name: Hagurumon. Classification: Virus. Threat: Minimal."
"Alright, we can take these guys, right, DemiDevimon?" she asked.
The Rookie nodded. "Of course, I'm gonna need a little help."
"Right," Miyuki replied, opening her Digivice. The data flowing from the sphere in the center to her partner.
"DemiDevimon Digivolve to... Devidramon!"
"Cog Crusher!" the Hagurumon around them yelled, all sending gears flying up at the Champion. Devidramon simply slapped the gears away, embedding them in the ground around him, careful to avoid his partner getting hit.
"Is that the best you can do?" he growled out, raising a claw. "Crimson Claw!" the attack hit many of the Rookies, destroying some immediately while slamming others into the ground. The ones on the ground seemed to be too weak to move for the moment.
The Hagurumon that Devidramon hadn't missed attacked again. "Cog Crusher!" He managed to bat away most of the flying gears, but a few hit him in the face. One narrowly avoided one of his right eyes. He turned to glare down at the Digimon that had fired off that attack.
"Crimson—" he began.
"Grenade Destroyer!"
Devidramon stumbled as a missile hit him in the neck. He turned to see a clunky robot-like Digimon with its arms raised, already arming two more missiles. "You don't want to piss me off," he growled.
"Grande Destroyer!" he hear again, from multiple directions. Five different sets of missiles hit, one on each side of his torso, one in the back, one on the left side of his head, and a pair that hit each of his right eyes. He cried out in pain and raised a hand to cover the wound. He went to attack again, but his perspective was now skewed.
"Dammit...!" Miyuki muttered. If they didn't get help soon, they were screwed.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x
The five sleeping figured jolted awake at the explosions outside. Hana was already on her feet. "We've got trouble," she told them.
"They don't sound like they're attacking this warehouse," Palmon said slowly. "So what are they doing?"
"I'm fine enough to fight now," Labramon said. "Let's go see."
The group was about to climb out the window when the door burst open. The Digimon each took battle stances while their partners took out their Digivices, ready to use them if they had to. They were not prepared, however, for the figure in the doorway.
"I need your help," she said, pleading as she leaned on the doorframe. Running and looking through the warehouses and factories, following her gut, had aggravated her back again. But that wasn't important now, she could worry about it later. What mattered right now was getting help for Devidramon and hoping he wasn't going to die while she was gone.
"Help with what?" Hana asked skeptically. Another large explosion shook the building, rattling the windows.
"That," Miyuki said. "We need your help."
Kiira looked at her for a moment, seeing the distress that was clear on the other girl's face. "Hana, I don't care that you don't trust her," she began. "But right now, she needs help. Honestly, I don't care if you stay here or come with us, but I'm going."
"Don't forget me," Palmon said, following her partner as she exited the building. Miyuki stepped out of the way to let her pass. She was followed by Yumi and Labramon, and eventually Hana and Renamon, though the blonde didn't seem too happy about it.
"Holy shit!" Labramon yelled, watching Devidramon try to hold off the Guardromon that had attacked him, attacking blindly on his right side.
"Is something wrong with him?" Yumi asked.
Miyuki nodded. "Yeah," she informed them. "A pair of missiles caught him in his right eyes." The two of us just can't catch a break, she thought as she bit back another wave of pain. It wasn't as bad as it had been in the castle, but that didn't mean that it didn't still hurt like hell. She just hoped that as time went on, the pain would come less and less often.
"Come on, Hana, we have to help him," Kiira said, turning to her leader.
Hana seemed hesitant to respond. Renamon placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to help them," she informed her partner. "They aren't the enemy like you think they are, and if that still bothers you, think of it as getting rid of some of the Viruses in the internet. Just avoid taking out Devidramon."
Hana looked from her partner to Miyuki. "Fine," she said. "But only because we have to take out the Guardromon anyway."
"Hey, we'll take what we can get," she said. Hana opened her Digivice, followed by Yumi and Kiira.
"Renamon Digivolve to... Kyubimon!"
"Labramon Digivolve to... Seasarmon!"
"Palmon Digivolve to... Seasarmon!"
"Let's get them, guys!" Seasarmon yelled, diving into battle. Togemon followed while Kyubimon headed straight for Devidramon, deciding to defend him directly. He was their target, so if she put herself in plain sight, perhaps they would realize that they had more than just the larger Champion to deal with and spread their attacks more thinly.
"Dragon Wheel!" the yellow fox yelled, ramming into the Guardromon in front of her before rolling off him and in front of Devidramon. She took notice of Togemon on his right and Seasarmon on his left. Hearing the noise, the Virus Digimon was about to swipe down at his right side again before she called out, "Relax, Devidramon! We're on your side! Let Togemon take care of your right! We've got you covered!"
The words took a moment to sink in, as his primary focus was his attacks and blocking his opponents', but once it did, he nodded and turned his full attention to his front. Once she was satisfied that he would be alright, she moved behind him, ready to take care of the Guardromon at his back.
"Sun's Courage!" Seasarmon yelled, firing off his attack, pushing the Guardromon back.
"Needle Spray!" Togemon called out, though several of her needles landed in Devidramon's side. He growled in response. "Sorry!" she apologized. He couldn't see her at the moment, meaning he didn't know when to dodge in time. She'd have to resort to different methods. She charged the Guardromon she had just fired at. "Lightspeed Jabbing!"
"Grenade Destroyer!" the Guardromon from behind the large Virus yelled, this time aiming for Kyubimon. She managed to dodge the first, but the other was heading for Devidramon's leg.
Acting fast, she yelled, "Fox Tail Inferno!" The flames met the missile, destroying it.
"Crimson Claw!" Devidramon yelled, slashing the Champion in front of him as the Vaccines destroyed their own targets.
The four changed back into their Rookie forms and approached their respective partners.
Miyuki held DemiDevimon, who had his right eye squeezed shut. She turned to the other girls. "Thanks," she said. She looked at Hana. "I know you don't trust me, but you saved our butts today."
"I don't like owing someone..." the blonde muttered. "Now we're even."
Kiira and Yumi looked at each other. They had to speak up this time.
"Come with us," Kiira told the brunette. "This whole thing will be a lot easier with all four of us together, instead of fighting each other all the time."
Hana was about to argue, but Yumi cut her off. "If you really don't trust her, think of it this way. Now you can keep an eye on her. Three against one if she does something 'suspicious', right?"
The leader thought her argument over. She hated to admit it, but they both had a point. "Fine," she finally said. "But don't think for a second that I trust you."
"Figured that out awhile ago." Miyuki gave a lopsided grin. "But thanks."
Next time:
Miyuki: Oh, shit...
Kiira: What's wrong?
Palmon: Are you alright?
DemiDevimon: We need to rest.
Hana: We don't have time for that.
Yumi: We're in trouble...
Well, finished this barely on time. But, like I said, it was hard to motivate myself to start. I got into it later on, but then I had to go to work and just wrote the end since I just got home. So sorry if the ending seemed a little abrupt, I had to be sure that I could get it done in time. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll try to manage my time regarding the next one better.
See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~
