Chapter six
Digital Power
The hole in the wall closed behind Raiden as she landed in the next room. This medium-sized room seemed to be a different kind of prison; there were rows upon rows of steel cages. Inside each cage was a red rabbit sized creature with blue stripes and a fan like tail. Wires had been pasted to their skin, and ran across the floor to a giant pillar of a battery in the middle of the room. Some of them would light up with short bursts of sparks.
The little device Raiden had stuffed in her shoe began to beep, so she pulled it out. Out of its blue-lit screen, a three-dimensional picture was projected of one such creature, minus cage and wires. A human voice came from the device. "Elecmon (rookie) loves making mischief, and is very proud if its luxurious tails. It discharges electricity seemingly at random, using attacks like Sparkling Thunder and Lightning Knife."
"A field guide. Useful," Raiden mused. Upon seeing her and Imon, the Elecmon perked up, and many hustled to the edges of their claustrophobic cages.
"Hey sweet," said one nearby, "Could you let us out of these cages? At least loosen up these wires."
Another waved its tails alluringly. "Aren't I cute? Don't you want to take me home?"
One talked frankly with Imon. "You look like a mon of the world. Listen, I got some good business connections back home. You break me out, I could hook you up. And I mean that in a good way."
"Push off, you has-been," snapped one next to it. It then turned to Imon and Raiden itself, smiling sweetly with its wide mouth. "I know you want to free us, because it's the right thing to do."
"They're not gonna listen to you. No one's an altruist anymore," the businesslike Elecmon grumbled.
Imon whispered to Raiden, "They're like Hyenamon, don't you think?"
Raiden felt sorry for the poor desperate prisoners. It looked like they were being used to generate power for something. She held up her hands. "I'll let you all out. No one should live like this," she told them. And then she got to work. The cages didn't have doors; they must not have been meant to be opened. So she ripped a heavy pipe off the wall, and smashed the nearest cage. The Elecmon inside jumped back.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack," it wheezed. Raiden pulled the wires off it, leaving a few bald spots. For awhile, it just sat in place, feeling its de-wired skin. Then it hopped out and paraded ecstatically around the room.
Sitting on Raiden's shoulder, Imon tapped her. "That pipe you ripped off- it carries natural gas. We have to get out of here fast, or we'll all suffocate." Raiden nodded, and hurried.
As more Elecmon were free, they began to help one another. It took three Elecmon to remove the wires from the skin of a fourth. Some stayed in their cages, barely believing they were free at last. By the time everyone was out, Raiden was feeling dizzy- probably from the gas, or the work, or both. Imon used his Bubble Blow to open the locked door, and shouted at the Elecmon until they were all out. "We'll have set off an alarm by now, so we'll need to be long gone soon," he warned Raiden.
--------
Mist swirled in front of Lilithmon. The face of one of her subordinates appeared. "M-mistress… bad news. Someone or something has sabotaged the auxiliary power."
Lilithmon tossed her head. "We can spare it. Still, get one or two of your mons to round up the Elecmon."
"Yes, mistress."
The mist faded. Lilithmon wagged a finger. "Machinedramon?"
Machinedramon's mechanical speech echoed from nowhere. "What is it, mistress?"
"The auxiliary generator is adjacent to the cell block, is it not?"
"…Yes, it is."
"Thank you. You may continue. Make sure to remind the idiots I just sent out to look for an apparenthuman, too. And spank them if they slack off, will you?"
--------
Raiden and Imon tiptoed down the silent main corridor. The Elecmon, surprisingly, tried to remain silent. "There's only two exits from this place," Imon whispered. "One is a small tunnel in Lilithmon's private suite. The other is the main door. Lilithmon's rooms are locked with a deadly energy barrier, and are only unlocked by her unique data signature. So that's out of the question. We have to risk the front door."
"How do you know so much? You've only just hatched," Raiden inquired.
"Machinedramon had been downloading information into me since I was created," explained the metal Digimon.
They reached the big door. Would Flamedramon help them? Raiden wasn't sure. "I think the shift has changed. Boogiemon will be on guard," Imon supplied. Raiden was impressed. The baby must have all of Machinedramon's knowledge of the factory. "And Boogiemon definitely will not help us."
One of the Elecmon raised its paw. "We would normally be able to break the door down with our combined power… But all our energy has been sucked into this factory…"
"That's all right," Raiden reassured them. "We'll find another way." She herself was surprised at how motherly she was behaving around the little creatures. Though she wasn't quite sure what 'motherly' meant.
Imon hopped in front of the barrier. "I might be strong enough to break the door down. Not as I am now, though." He looked at Raiden. "But with you, Raiden, I think I have a bond of sorts. You were holding me when I hatched."
"How will that help?" Raiden was confused.
It was an Elecmon who spoke first. "I get it… The more data we Digimon collect, the more energy we have. The stronger we are. But I heard that what you get in the Real World, whaddaya call it… Oh yeah, chi! I heard chi was much, much more potent than data." It smiled, pleased to know something someone else didn't.
"Last year, Lilithmon traded two hundred megabytes for a drop of chi," Imon added. "But I think that you, Raiden, could channel as much of your tasty chi as you wanted into me, if you use that transfer device."
Raiden looked at the yellow plastic object in her hand. "I thought it was… a dictionary sort of thing."
"A Digivice has many functions."
The Elecmon seemed startled by this statement. Some gasped. Raiden turned her head. "What about…?" her voice trailed off.
"That stuff is only supposed to exist according to legend," gasped one Elecmon.
"A culturally informed mon would know that it is in fact real," said another, possibly the business one.
Raiden held it out, with a serious expression. Something about the whole 'according to legend' thing made her feel important. She wasn't sure she trusted any 'Digimon', but, deeper down, she realized she'd trust Imon with her life any day. "All right, how do I use it?"
"Just concentrate your energy on me. The rest should come naturally," said Imon.
Raiden focused. She thought hard about Imon, and imagined energy flowing from her to it. She imagined the energy as a golden stream. All of a sudden the Digivice began to beep again. She opened her eyes and looked at the screen. It had turned green, and read 'Activate Infinity Digivolution. Press middle button to confirm.'
Raiden pressed the middle button, and, just as she imagined, a starburst of golden energy erupted around her hand, and flowed to Imon. It surrounded him in a cocoon, which grew in size as more chi was transferred. Raiden staggered. While Imon grew stronger, she was becoming tired. 'Press lower button to end' said the Digivice. She pressed it, and cut off the flow of chi.
The cocoon was slowly absorbed into the body inside it. It didn't look like Imon anymore. It was a small robotic creature, standing on two metal feet, whose head was about as high as Raiden's waist. A bronze visor covered a face of yellow-white metal. The body was also the same yellow-white. Two bronze pipes stuck out of his back, and a pair of wide bronze blades hung in front of his body. A cord and plug was his tail now. "Imon digivolved to Angolmon," he announced. "Straight to Rookie. Not bad."
Raiden slumped on the floor, panting, but she smiled. Some of the Elecmon patted her on the back and whispered congratulations to her and Angolmon. Digivolution was a big deal.
Angolmon thought. "Let's see… My attacks seem to have more destructive power than those of the Elecmon. I may be able to do this. Stand back, everyone!" Raiden crawled, and the Elecmon scurried to a safe distance.
The pipes in Angolmon's back began to glow red-hot. He barked the command words. "High-Impact Cannon!" and two fiery missiles flared from the tubes. The both struck the door in the same place, leaving a smoldering crater. He attacked again and again, and soon had a passable hole in the door.
Raiden peered through the hole, and was startled by a bloated red face. It shouted at her. "Why, if it isn't some escapees! How'd you get out?"
A hologram glowed from the Digivice. It was of a humanoid with garish red skin and a swirling pattern on its pot belly. It had undersized purple bat wings, and a devil tail. It carried a black pitchfork. Basically a classic depiction of the devil- with any luck, it'd be sweet and kind.
"Boogiemon (champion) is malicious and cowardly. It enjoys frightening small children and weaker Digimon, and embodies the fear of small, dark places. It attacks with Death Clash and Ruby eye." No such luck, Raiden supposed.
Boogiemon climbed through the hole, seemingly oblivious to the molten metal still un-cooled, and leering. "I've been waiting for someone to try to break out. This will be so much fun, and Lilithmon will probably reward me to boot!
"Which one of us are you gonna delete first!" called an Elecmon; whether it was out of fear or defiance, Raiden wasn't sure.
Boogiemon scanned the amassed Elecmon. "That one, who's sticking its tongue at me," it said. "Death Clash!"
Raiden pulled the Elecmon, who was now blowing raspberries furiously, out of the way. And not a moment too soon- a pair of ax blades materialized out of nowhere and smashed into the spot the Elecmon had just been standing in.
"Charge Attack!" bellowed Angolmon. Fire flew from the soles of his feet, and he flew at Boogiemon. The devil Digimon swatted him away with its trident. Algolmon flew back around, around and around, but was repulsed every time. Boogiemon leered and rolled its eyes at Angolmon, which only made him angrier. As Angolmon got angry, his flights became more reckless.
Eventually, Angolmon flew in too low an arc, and left himself wide open. Boogiemon aimed its pitchfork at him, and announced "Ruby Eyes!" Its eyes glowed red, and red light pulsed down its pitchfork. The light crashed into Angolmon, blasting him into the wall. He shrunk back into Imon. Boogiemon cackled obscenely. "Heehehehe! Who's next!"
Raiden heard a single footstep behind her. She craned her neck, and looked up at the blue and red of Flamedramon. "I am," he said.
Boogiemon cackled again. Was it just Raiden's imagination, though, or was this laughter fake, and nervous? "Lamedramon!" it chortled. "What are you playing at?"
The blue dragonoid jumped over the huddled group of Elecmon, landing gracefully in front of Boogiemon. He shoved his claws around its face, which squished, unhurt, like an octopus fitting into a crevasse. In a slightly hampered voice, Boogiemon squealed.
"Flame Fist!" growled Flamedramon. Fire glowed across his talons, and enveloped Boogiemon. As the flames shrunk, Boogiemon's body shattered, bloodlessly, into countless pieces.
Raiden stood up hesitantly, then bounded to Imon's side. She cradled the baby Digimon in her arms. A few of the bolder Elecmon were crowding around Flamedramon, complimenting him on his strength. The business Elecmon was offering him a job. Raiden, too, approached Flamedramon.
"Did he… suffer?" she asked. A part of her couldn't believe she was concerned about someone who'd just attacked her. But that part was distant.
"No," Flamedramon assured her, as the flecks spun away in all directions. "Hopefully he'll make a new start in life, from the beginning."
Flamedramon slid his claws into the door, opening it properly. Raiden cocked her head at him. His expression was so serious. "This wouldn't count as… heroics, would it?" she asked, only half joking.
Flamedramon smiled, though to Raiden's judgment, it seemed rather forced. The Elecmon tumbled joyfully down the concrete lane. "No, this is entirely selfish."
"I think it's very heroic."
"Don't tempt me."
They raced straight to the door, at every step worrying that they'd be caught by one of Lilithmon's henchmen. Flamedramon didn't seem worried about them, though. Even when they could have taken them, the many creatures populating the factory didn't bother to. It must be true then, what Machinedramon said, Raiden thought. Only a very few people actually want to help Lilithmon. These guys can pretend they hadn't seen us, so they let us pass. She also realized that, after meeting friendly Digimon- Machinedramon, Imon, Flamedramon, and the Elecmon- these creatures didn't seem quite so monstrous.
Flamedramon stopped them at the door out. He turned to Raiden and Imon, and passed Raiden a fluffy pink orb. "That will revive Imon," he explained. Raiden placed the orb on Imon, and it sunk into him. Imon rolled over, awake. "Now… I'll let you out if you promise me something."
Imon seemed to understand what was going on. He and Raiden nodded slowly. Flamedramon took a deep breath. "Where has all that courage gone?" he whispered to himself.
"Go on," said Raiden, nodding again encouragingly. "I promise I'll do what you ask."
"Find a human named Daisuke Miyamoto, and give him this message exactly: 'Veemon is alive. Go to http/o$en54tr ve.gemini.'"
"That'll be hard to remember… but I'll try," Raiden promised, smiling.
"Then go!" Flamedramon practically ripped his claws through the door. As light spilled blindingly into the darkness, a black winged figure appeared at the end of the hall. It flew rapidly at the group, all the while shouting at the Digimon who had ignored them.
"You traitors! Do I have to do everything myself!Remind me to show you what you should do to enemies!" She landed on Flemedramon, tackling him. Raiden recognized the woman who had commanded Vilemon. Was this Lilithmon? She spat and snarled at Flamedramon like a wild cat. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! I should have listened to my own judgment, lord knows it's the only good advisor I'll ever have. From now on I'll send all heroes packing! Nazar Nail!"
She stabbed her delicate fingernails into Flamedramon's chest. But she pulled them out almost immediately, because Imon had bitten her wrist with his metal beak. Flamedramon stood up, clutching his wound. It seemed much larger than should have been inflicted by those small nails.
Raiden's eyes darted between Imon and Flamedramon. She glanced down at the Elecmon. Who should she help? She couldn't chose between any of these people.Then she looked at her Digivice. She clutched it to her breast and focused with all her heart on everyone she cared about. She barely noticed the golden mist that floated out of her, and rained down on every Digimon she thought of. And the area around the door turned into a sea of data, as Imon and the Elecmon all spun cocoons around themselves.
When the cocoons lifted, Raiden couldn't see. She was surrounded by a forest of gray and blue fur. The Digivice, which until then had displayed the words "Mass Infinity Digivolution," now projected an image of a wolf-like creature with stripes of dark gray and light blue. Plumes of fur similar to an Elecmon's tail grew around its neck, shoulders, back legs, and along kinked tail. It had long red claws and a gaping mouth. "Garurumon (champion), has fur as hard as any armor imaginable! Its sense of smell letsit findits prey wherever it may hide, asit attacks with Ice Wall and Howling Blaster!"
Every Elecmon, now Garurumon, leaned back and howled out the attack, "Howling Blaster!" A gale of wind blasted out of their mouths, and blew even Lilithmon back. Angolmon steadied himself with his rocket feet, and landed in Raiden's arms. She kissed him.
Realizing that even a mighty Digimon like herself was outmatched against so many champion level Digimon, Lilithmon turned tail and ran. Perhaps her gaze lingered on those teeth and claws, or perhaps it bored maliciously into Raiden herself. As she retreated to her room, the factory workers began to applaud. The Garurumon preened and strutted, faced with all this attention. Raiden beamed.
"This isn't over. Lilithmon will be back as soon as the Garurumon de-digivolve," Angolmon warned. Raiden acknowledged, and Angolmon shouted at the wolves. "Come on, out the door, toot sweet! You want to stay here? Hut hut!"
Sheepishly, they all slunk outside, with Angolmon hovering after them like a sheep dog. Raiden and Flamedramon, chest healed, followed.
"You have a lot of chi in that little body. I thank you for giving me a taste, after so long," Flamedramon nodded respectfully to Raiden. The Garurumon frolicked joyfully into the wilderness, calling fond farewells to Angolmon and Raiden. Golden sunlight made the hills misty and beautiful. A perfect place for a young Digimon to find a future. Peace and happiness filled Raiden's heart.
Flamedramon looked away. "I must part ways with you, too. I have a lot of catching up to do, now that I can't go back there."
Raiden patted him on the shoulder, in a comradely sort of way. "I understand, I think. No one can stop a mon like you."
Flamedramon looked at her, surprised. Then he grinned ear to ear, and took off, laughing out loud at some private joke.
Angolmon floated back to Raiden's arms, and she accepted him contentedly. Despite being made out of metal, he wasn't heavy. He would get stronger; Raiden knew he would. As she took the first step away from the ugly factory, Raiden realized she could remember everything since coming to this strange, yet familiar world. Perfectly.
--------