Chapter 13
With Izzy in the cave
Izzy stared detached as Arukenimon set up various things before him, not interested in what she was doing as he was barely aware of what was happening.
He shifted in the chains to regain some feeling in his arms, hissing as the short movement flared up pain everywhere in his body.
He looked up as light appeared before him and various symbols appeared and he blinked as he recognised the crests from the other Digidestined.
He blinked as a strange feeling rushed through his body and he shivered.
What were the others doing here?
He glanced around to see several Gazimon walk around, but no one paid any attention to him for a change.
Turning back to the crests, he closed his eyes as he felt the one of Courage touch his cheek and in his mind he could hear his friend's voices.
Be brave! You are not alone!
You are loved!
Be responsible!
They can't fight your honesty!
Don't lose hope!
Follow the light
Fight them!
We'll help you!
You are stronger than they are!
Don't give up!
Tears slid down as he could feel the sincerity of their hope directed towards them and blinked as the crests were starting to pull red wires of a strange energy out of him and collect them around themselves.
He realised they were pulling his powers from him, it brought a small smile to his lips as he knew that at least Arukenimon wouldn't get them that way.
He'd hate to give them what they wanted so he allowed the crests to pull his powers away from him more rapidly while trying to remember the faces of his friends.
But he found he couldn't even make out parts of them, not even Tai and the thought vanished as Arukenimon carried something towards him that didn't look like it would feel nice once it was attached.
Unintentionally he pulled against the chains and winced in pain as blood freely trailed down over his arms.
Arukenimon laughed at his reaction.
"Don't worry, Faith. Everything will be over in a few minutes," she placed something in front of him and he automatically looked down.
"Curious to what it is, huh? You truly are the Digidestined of Knowledge."
Wearily he looked up to her again.
"Knowledge?"
She laughed. "You don't remember?"
His confused gaze must have convinced her because she laughed even harder.
"Looks like we have nothing to worry about, then," she turned to the device and rose some part of it to eye height.
"Let's get this started, shall we?"
Don't give up
Izzy blinked as he remembered those words.
Please don't give up.
"I'm not giving up. My friends are going to save me."
Arukenimon smiled. "And how do you know that?"
He looked up to her, feeling a shimmer of hope as he stared at her.
"I felt them."
He secretly hoped to see uncertainty in her cruel eyes, but instead she just smiled.
"You felt them? when? Just now?"
Slowly Izzy nodded, uncertain to why she was just smiling at him.
"I am afraid that is impossible, unless they are ghosts."
"What do you mean?"
"Think for a moment, boy. You've been here for years. Time goes slower there, doesn't it?"
He nodded.
"One year there is thirty-five years over here."
Izzy blinked as he tried to recall what he knew about the timeline in Digiworld, but nothing would come to mind.
Arukenimon smiled, clearly expecting this.
"Let me help you count. You've been here for a little over thirty-five hundred years. That is one hundred years over there. As I recall, humans don't live that long. Your little brat friends have been long dead by now," she laughed evilly as all hope died out from Izzy's eyes.
No.
"They can't be...they just can't!" his friends couldn't be dead.
"If that is true, then why am I still alive?!"
"Did you forget about the shield I put over you? That stops you from getting older quickly."
Yes, he did remember the shield. It was what stopped him from asking out for help too.
He hung his head as he cried silent tears.
Don't give up, hang on.
Hang on for what?
He bit his lip as he saw Arukenimon laugh.
She was right, not many humans would still be alive after a hundred years.
Besides, even if they had been alive, surely they'd have forgotten all about him long ago now.
After all, he was nothing more than a low life, good for nothing.
He closed his eyes as Arukenimon told the Gazimon to get started before they all left the room to avoid getting hurt.
It would all end soon now.
Pain interrupted his thought pattern and he felt like electricity was pulling through him as a thundering wave.
Memories of the years he'd spend there, all the memories of pain and fear washed over him again and again in a never-ending circle and he screamed out in pain.
He could feel the emotions of everyone in the other room.
Anger, joy and hate made place for pure pain and fear as he felt the screams of their own they released.
But that was not all he felt, as he could suddenly feel each and every single living creature in this world.
He could feel their pain as he felt his powers leave him and faces of hundreds of Digimon rapidly passed through his mind and he remembered everyone he'd ever met or seen.
The pain and emotions crashing into him were overwhelming and his vision blacked out.
Don´t give up, Izzy.
His eyes snapped open again to see a young man standing in front of him, but although he looked familiar and Izzy knew he should know him, he couldn´t place him in his muffled mind.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"Don't say you've already forgotten about me, Iz."
Bright brown eyes stared straight into his and Izzy's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly knew.
"Tai."
"You can't give up now."
"How can I keep holding on? There's no hope..."
"There is always hope, love. You just have to see it," Tai interrupted him, and Izzy realised he wasn't bound to the rock any more as the other took his hands.
"Look where? There's nothing left."
"Hope is in everything. You just have to look for it to see sometimes. Everyone is trying to help you, but you have to fight for yourself as well."
"The others? Everyone is dead; Matt, Joe, Kari...even Hope himself."
"No they aren't. They are here in the Digital World, but your power is hurting them so you have to get back to fight Arukenimon."
"But she said...time..."
"Don't believe anything she tells you. They are alive, I am alive," Tai wrapped his arms around him and Izzy leaned into the embrace.
"I'm so tired, Tai. I don't want to fight anymore."
"You've never been a quitter and you don't have a choice now. If you don't fight, both of our lives will be lost. Remember what they told you?"
As Izzy looked into Tai's eyes he remembered.
Be brave! You are not alone!
You are loved!
Be responsible!
They can't fight your honesty!
Don't lose hope!
Follow the light
Fight them!
We'll help you!
You are stronger than they are!
Don't give up!
Tears filled Izzy's eyes. "I can feel them...but...I can't feel you. Why can't I feel you?"
Tai's smile saddened but he shook his head. "Don't worry about that right now, love. You have to worry about yourself right now and fight back."
"I can't."
"Sure you can, you are one of the bravest people I've ever known, Iz."
Izzy shook his head stubbornly. "I'm worth nothing."
Tai took a hold of his chin as he looked down and lifted his face.
"That's not true. You are worth the world to me and stronger than they will ever be."
"I'm stronger?"
Tai nodded as he stepped away from him and suddenly grinned.
"You are going to get back out there and claim back what is yours. You are the one to do it! Don't be a lost hope. You are Faith and it is time to show them just who they are dealing with."
Izzy smiled at Tai's determination, feeling that he truly believed in what he said and nodded.
"Yeah...I won't give up."
As Tai disappeared from before him the pain he'd been in suddenly rushed back in and staggered against his renewed bonds, making him realise it had been a dream.
But as he glanced at the device, Tai's words came back to him and with renewed hope he blew it up with his powers, making the pain disappear.
The thunder and darkness vanished immediately as he started pulling against the chain that held him and burned through them with the door opened.
"Grab him!" Mummymon screamed and Arukenimon growled.
"Trying to defend yourself now, won't help you, Faith."
"I wasn't planning to defend at all," Izzy raised his hand and Mummymon screamed in pain before turning into data.
Making a decision, Izzy glared at the data and that too blew up.
Several Gazimon blocked his path as Arukenimon ran but he simply destroyed them.
"That is for hurting my friends."
Memories of a former escape came to him and he smiled as he opened all the walls to create a short cut and blinked as he walked into broad daylight.
Heat came up from the mountain and Izzy knew the mountain was going to erupt, using his powers to throw all the evil Gazimon and other unfamiliar Digimon that felt bad back into the mountain before closing it.
Reaching out with his empathy, he felt the presence of several Digidestined and laughed relieved as he could feel they weren't hurt too badly.
But the smile vanished as he reached out further and couldn't feel Tai's presence. He knew that the vision he'd seen before had been real, had been able to feel it but he couldn't feel his presence now.
Biting his lip as his heart hammered in his throat, he mentally send a message to Matt and Joe to meet him half way and began to stumble down the mountain to find out if his fear was right.
TBC