19
Reengagement
"Vast and lonely is the ocean, and even as all things came from it, so shall they return thereto. In the shrouded depths of time none shall reign upon the earth, nor shall any motion be, save in the eternal waters." – R. H. Barlow, "The Night Ocean"
The first thing BlackTailmon noticed was the noise. There were bustling regions of the Digital World, but nothing approaching this. The sound of people and vehicles was overwhelming. If the entire human world was as densely populated as this place, she didn't see what her superiors hoped to accomplish here.
She had come through the gate with Lilithmon and the demoness's subordinates, appearing in Tamachi. They now stood concealed in the shadows of an alleyway, where they were to await instructions. BlackTailmon turned at the sound of an opening door, claws extended. A human stepped out of the doorway, palms outward to show that he was unarmed.
"Sato told us you were coming," he said. "Welcome to the human world, Lilithmon-sama. We're here to escort you to your new headquarters."
Submarimon cruised through the dark depths, Iori lying in his protective dome. They had destroyed a number of Dark Towers, and were headed towards another cluster situated in a sort of underwater valley. Soon the valley's flat floor spread out beneath them, and they could see a kind of city. The structures were patterned after ancient Greek ruins, though these buildings were fully intact. Five Dark Towers sat around it in the same pentagram formation that they had seen beneath Kingsport.
"I see Digimon moving down there, dagyaa," Submarimon said. Iori strained his eyes and thought he could pick out motion as well. Shadowy forms darted among the buildings and in the surrounding water.
"They look like they're… fighting," Iori said. "Let's get closer."
Submarimon picked up speed and descended towards the city. As they drew nearer, the two of them were able to see that the Digimon in the valley were, as Iori had thought, fighting. They noted which Digimon were fighting against which other Digimon.
There were apparently two sides, one composed of Gesomon, Hangyomon, and another Digimon Hikari had described to him after her trip to Hong Kong, Octmon. The opposing Digimon were composed of Rukamon and a Digimon they had never seen before, like an anthropomorphic orca wearing various floatation devices.
"Some of those Digimon are guarding the Dark Towers," Submarimon pointed out. He was right. Around each of the towers there were several of the Hangyomon. When one of their enemies approached, they would attack with their harpoons, driving them off or killing them.
"I'll let Takeru know," Iori said. "If those Digimon are guarding the Dark Towers they must be with the enemy."
"I'll take those Dark Towers down, dagyaa! Oxygen Homing!" The torpedoes sped toward the nearest of the towers. Rather than trying to avoid the projectiles, the Hangyomon moved to form a living barricade around the structure. The torpedoes exploded upon contact, and the fish-men Digimon slumped to the sea floor.
"Now!" Iori said.
"Aqua Vulcan!"
The top half of the tower detached from the base and fell slowly to the sand. Several of the fighting Digimon turned their attention in the direction of the fallen tower.
"Let's hurry and destroy the other four," Iori said.
Pegasmon hovered above the waves. He and Takeru knew that Submarimon was somewhere below them, but were unsure of how to aid him in case he needed help. For the moment all they could do was wait for news while Takeru relayed Iori's message to the other two groups.
Daisuke received Takeru's message just as Lighdramon put an end to another Dark Tower. His group had had an easier time finding Dark Towers than the other two. Many were not hidden at all, though several had to be dug out of the ground, which was a slow process without Digmon's help.
"Ichijouji! Iori and Takeru just ran into the enemy."
"Then we'll have to be on the lookout for them, too," Ken said.
"There's a problem," Sato said, watching the map screen. "Two of the children have run into the group attacking Poseidonis."
The Dark Man didn't bother looking at the screen himself.
"I know," he said. "Why worry? Only the one with the Digimental of Sincerity can fight underwater."
Sato turned and looked at him.
"I don't want to just keep them busy," Sato said. "They must be kept under constant strain." A strange expression crossed his face. "You know that," he said, under his breath. He turned back to the screen and the interface in front of him. "I'm sending task forces towards the other children."
The Dark Man laughed.
"What do you expect that to do?" he asked. "They've already defeated three Perfect-level Digimon who had every advantage."
Sato's reply was spoken calmly and evenly, but a dangerous frustration showed in his face.
"What do you want me to do? We have not lost yet."
"Of course not!" The Dark Man laughed, and Sato drew back in his chair. "We are not even close to losing! You worry too much, Sato-kun." He stood up. "I really don't care what you do. Whatever makes you happy."
"What would make me happy…" Sato mused softly. "Firstly, I would like to see the Chosen Children suffer, like they never have before."
The Dark Man's grin split his face, and he laughed again, louder than before. Sato turned his face to the side, as if in a cold wind.
"You never disappoint me, Sato," the Dark Man said. He turned to leave the room. "They will," he called over his shoulder, before the door closed behind him. Sato turned back to the screen and contemplated the six colored dots on its surface.
"Secondly," he whispered. "I await the time."
Submarimon steered toward the second of the Dark Towers. The structure had just about come within range of his Oxygen Homing attack when he felt himself enveloped in something more solid than water. Iori's vision went dark inside his cockpit just before Submarimon's body twisted about.
Though the boy could not see what was happening, Submarimon knew that one of the gigantic Octmon had fastened itself to him. Submarimon tried to twist away from his attacker, but the suckers on the creature's tentacles gripped his surface tightly.
"Submarimon!" Iori cried. "What's going on?"
The dim light of the depths was allowed back into Iori's compartment as the Octmon's tentacles shifted somewhat. In one of its eight arms the thing held a jagged-edged scimitar. Bringing the weapon around, it began to pry at the watertight bubble. Submarimon tried again to wrench free of the suckers, and again failed.
The Octmon gave up on trying to insert the blade between the glass and Submarimon's frame. Instead it reversed the sword, smashing the hilt repeatedly into the glass. Iori didn't think that the sword would be enough to shatter glass built to withstand ocean depths, but he could hear Submarimon grunt with each impact.
"Submarimon!"
"Hold on, Iori! I think—" There was one possible option left. Submarimon pointed his nose upwards, and Iori held tight to the controls as he was pulled vertical. Vents opened in the rear of the Digimon, on either side of the main propeller.
"Hydro Jet!" The vents erupted. Submarimon, his human passenger, and Octmon, shot towards the ocean's surface. The water here was not deep, and soon they had broken through the ceiling of water, sending up such a spray that Takeru and Pegasmon immediately saw it.
"Is that—?" Takeru said.
"Submarimon's in trouble," Pegasmon answered. Within no time they were almost directly above the struggling mass in the water. "Turn, Submarimon!"
With a final colossal twist, Iori's partner managed to bring the entirety of his attacker's body out of the water.
"Silver Blaze!" Pegasmon's aim was good. Smoke poured from the gigantic cephalopod's body. The Octmon squealed in pain and detached itself from its prey. The oddly shaped gun clutched in one of its tentacles aimed upwards toward this new enemy. A stream of black liquid sprayed from the gun. Pegasmon was able to escape the worst of it, but was spattered in places by the caustic fluid, and cried out.
"Submarine Attack!" Submarimon charged, the spiked drill on his nose rotating. The Octmon attempted to flee deeper, but Pegasmon's attack had already wounded it grievously, and it was not fast enough. The drill tore through its sac-like body, and the monster exploded in a cloud of data.
"Are you all right, Pegasmon?" Takeru asked.
"I'm fine," he answered through the pain.
"Takeru-san!"
They looked down and saw Iori upright with the hatch raised.
"We're going to go down again and destroy the other Dark Towers. Tell the others what's happening." Takeru shouted back that he would, and reached for his D-Terminal. But by now his friends were having problems of their own.