Khgirl08: Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? What with being in my first semester of college, having a boatload of personal issues to manage and trying to maintain a fairly normal life, I will admit that I have been slacking on this story and my others. It didn't help any that I developed a severe case of writer's block. :'(

Anyhow, this is the… erm… second to last chapter, I think. It depends on how much I can get done in this one and the next. Basically, this chapter is going to be about Tai and the older Digidestined, with a "unique" view inside the head of a mind-controlled somebody. There will definitely be at least one next chapter, though, as well as an epilogue. Enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story but the plot, and even that's a little iffy. Please don't sue me…

Tai shifted uncomfortably as he waited outside the door to Myotismon's personal chambers. He had no idea how long he had been waiting, but his aching feet and chilly arms told him that it had been far too long for their liking. Okay, so maybe this wasn't the best idea after all. What good is pretending to be evil going to do me if I collapse before they call me in?

Fate seemed to be on his side, however. Just as he was certain that his legs would crumble if he had to stand even a second longer, the dark wooden door swung open. "Come in, Courage."

Procuring the darkest scowl he could manage and standing up straight, Tai stalked into the chamber and paused halfway in. "Lord Myotismon, Master. What can I do to honor and serve you?"

Myotismon grinned horribly. "You have made a good choice, Courage. I am extremely pleased that you chose to join me rather than continue to spite me. Only Love remains opposed to my cause, and when I have taken her under my control we can move on to Earth, to Hope and Light and all of the other Digidestined out there. You, of course, shall be at my right hand, a terrifying opponent for any rebels. What say you, Courage?"

"Of course, Master. I will do what I must to assist you."

"Very well. You will bring your beloved Sora, Love, to our side. After that you will join Friendship and round up any escapees before you help me get to Earth. Bring Agumon to me!" A few moments later, two Veggiemon forced a battered orange dinosaur into the room, and Tai had to struggle not to wince or cry out.

Agumon, buddy, what did they do to you?

"Tai? Please, Tai, you can't do this… Think of Kari back on Earth, waiting to help you. What would she say?"

Tai didn't have to fake the pained expression that appeared on his face. "Kari wouldn't say anything, Agumon, and she won't until we capture her and give her to Lord Myotismon. She has nothing to do with me anymore."

"What? Tai, what are you talking about? Kari-"

"Doesn't care about me anymore! She would rather talk to that stupid blondie." I have to shut him up, or Myotismon is going to catch me in my lie! "However, Sora does care about me, but she has been led from the path destined to us from the time we became Digidestined. She believes that we need to stop Myotismon. It is our duty, as Lord Myotismon's most faithful servants, to show her the errors of her way."

"No! I'll never listen to Myotismon, even if he's speaking through you! Pepper Breath!"

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon stopped the impending attack with a cruel whip of his own, and Agumon fell to his knees. "Courage, take control of your partner and show him the way of darkness!"

Tai knelt next to Agumon and grabbed the back of his neck, trying to make it appear that he was placing a chokehold on his best friend. "Agumon, come on! We have to do this! If you don't, I'm going to get myself a new partner and take you out. Please, I don't want to hurt you."

Agumon finally stopped struggling against Tai's control and let out a nearly imperceptible sob. "Fine, Tai. We'll do this your way…"

Myotismon cackled evilly behind the pair. "Perfect! Now, Agumon, help your partner collect Love. Go."

A few minutes later, Agumon and Tai were riding on the back of an Airdramon, heading towards Net. Agumon was sulking silently, but his bushy haired partner had no idea how to console him. What can I do? If I say anything here, this Airdramon is gonna overhear and report back to Myotismon and blow our cover sky-high! I can't risk it… "Agumon, why are you so angry?"

"I'm not angry, Tai, I'm sad. You aren't the same person I remember. The Tai I know and love would never bow to Myotismon's will, but here we are."

Tai shrugged uneasily, staring at the ocean flying past below them. "Airdramon, I need to work some more on Agumon. Just drop us off at the edge of Net, and we'll travel to the base on foot. Does that sound okay with you?"

Airdramon nodded in response and began dropping altitude as soon as the land mass came into sight. Grabbing Agumon around the waist, Tai hopped off of Airdramon's back as far from the ground as he dared and waved the large Digimon off. "Thanks for the lift!"

"Tai! Let me go!" Agumon struggled feebly against him, but his injuries seemed to be catching up to him. "Let me go…"

"Agumon, listen to me. I didn't cave to the pressure, I'm still Tai. Izzy isn't the only one who can come up with a good plan, and I hatched one of my own. I convinced Myotismon and the Veggiemon that I had changed my mind so I could get to you and try to break out Sora and everyone else who needed us. You were right, I would never bow to Myotismon's will." Tai set his orange friend down gently. "I'm still me."

Agumon stared for a moment before leaping into Tai's arms, knocking him to the ground. "I knew it couldn't be true! Tai, you're really back!"

"Yeah, I am, buddy. I'm back."

"What's the matter?"

"What do you mean, Agumon?"

"You sound so sad… and you got really defensive earlier when I asked you about Kari. Myotismon even looked surprised."

"Kari doesn't care anymore, Agumon. The only part I made up was the bit about TK. She doesn't care because she doesn't remember. Mom and Dad's car was blown up a little over four years ago, causing them to die and her to be knocked across the parking lot. When she woke up she didn't remember anything about her past, and she was adopted by some man and taken away from us. I haven't seen her since, none of us have, and in a couple weeks it'll have been exactly four years since she left me for good."

Agumon shook his head in disbelief. "I'm so sorry…"

"Me too. We're going to get her back, some day. Just you wait…" Tai blinked the tears out of his eyes and shook his head. "Meanwhile, we've gotta get Sora out. Any ideas?"

"Well… You could try standing up."

"Thanks, buddy. Your resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me. Now, please, get off of me!"

Joe sat against the wall of the cell he shared with Sincerity and Knowledge and their partners, staring at the ceiling blankly. I can't even remember their names anymore… I barely remember my own name. It doesn't matter, though, I know this is right.

Myotismon had been pleased to see him so willing to help with the destruction of the Digital World, which had really mystified him; after all, wasn't that his destiny? Why was Myotismon so surprised by his allegiance?

And then there was the matter of Gomamon. That stupid mongrel does nothing but whimper all day long. Seriously, he always talks about this Izzy and Mimi and how we have to help them get out like I actually know people named Izzy or Mimi… He won't listen to anything I say, either. Myotismon wasn't quite as happy about him as he was me. Joe had beaten his Digimon into submission, and Gomamon was now curled up at his side, sniffling occasionally in his sleep. Why did I get stuck with the defective slave, anyhow? Why couldn't he just do as he is told?

Joe looked to his right and saw Sincerity staring at the ceiling, her big brown eyes completely blank. She was absentmindedly twirling a long brown curl around her finger. There was a green Digimon sitting next to her, staring up at Sincerity sadly as she unconsciously rubbed a dark bruise on her green right knee. For some reason Joe felt a twinge of sadness himself, as if some long lost memory was coming up.

Tearing his gaze away from the sight of the girl, Joe looked at Knowledge who, to Joe's surprise, was staring right back at him. His Digimon alone seemed to be willing to obey Myotismon through sheer will, not because Knowledge forced him to. Joe shuddered slightly under the intense gaze of Knowledge, who stood up and walked over to sit next to Joe.

"Joe, you have to listen to me. Myotismon is our enemy, you can't just let him take control of you like this. Look at Mimi, don't you see how dead she looks? You aren't there yet, you can still snap out of it. You noticed it too, Joe, now please, don't give in!"

"Knowledge, who are you talking about? Who is Mimi?" Joe looked at Knowledge over the tops of his glasses. "And what do you mean, Myotismon is our enemy? It is our destiny to serve him."

"Joe! My name is Izzy, not Knowledge, and the girl who you think is named Sincerity is actually called Mimi! You have to remember, Joe, think hard!" Knowledge was staring harder than ever at Joe, as if he was attempting to force the memories back into his mind.

"Izzy… Huh. I don't remember anyone named Izzy, but…" Joe looked at the man sitting next to him and suddenly realized that he was taller than he should have been. Wait, he has red hair and black eyes… Why do I feel like someone a lot shorter than him should be sitting here glaring at me instead of Knowledge?

A plethora of memories came back to Joe as soon as he closed his eyes, mostly in the forms of little movie scenes, some as pictures, some as voices… One video in particular made Joe gasp in realization. He was sitting around a campfire, listening to a boy with spiky red hair rattle on about some plan to get somebody back. The words weren't making much sense, but Joe realized that the boy who was speaking must have been this Izzy who Gomamon and Knowledge kept referring to. When he turned to tell Joe about his part of the plan, the eyes that stared up at him were exactly the same as the ones Knowledge glared with.

Just before Joe could shout out in jubilation, all of the memories and pictures and videos and voices disappeared, only to be replaced by one very loud growling tongue and a menacing face. "Reliability, these memories are not to be trusted. They are not true! You must forget them and remember your true purpose, which is to serve me and help me take over the Digital World."

That's right… I have to help Myotismon. He is my master… A new video scene popped into his mind, an image of a small blond boy falling from a large Digimon into the water. The blond boy couldn't swim, and Joe knew instinctively that he had to help him. He was in the water now, pushing the boy onto a piece of wood, but it was too late; Joe was sinking, sinking down into the water below, and nothing could possibly save him now…

A light burst from a necklace that hung from his neck, and suddenly an even larger Digimon than before plucked him from the water and smiled down at him and the little boy. That's Zudomon! That's Zudomon, Gomamon's Digivolution! But… why did he save me? That's not his job, is it? Why would he save me after I was so mean to him?! I didn't tell him to, and he's my servant, my slave! He

"No!" The video flickered out, and the menacing face was back in front of him. "Reliability, you must not fall for this!" It was far too late; image after image was covering the face. Gomamon was swimming in the river, splashing water at Joe and his friends; Gomamon was summoning his fishy friends to assist them during a battle; Gomamon was laughing hysterically as Joe treaded water beside him, dripping water everywhere and shoving his glasses up his nose; Gomamon, beaten and bruised, was standing protectively in front of Joe and another younger boy, ready to fight to the end even though he was injured and weak; Gomamon was looking up at him in shock as he threw the whip towards him; Gomamon was crying out in pain as Joe struck him once more with the whip; Gomamon was attempting to talk to Joe; Gomamon was sleeping uneasily and crying through his unconsciousness. "Relia-bi-lity…" The voice died out as it screamed one last time, and Joe opened his eyes.

"Izzy!"

"Joe! Thank goodness, you finally snapped out of it!" Izzy was grinning in relief, but he was still whispering. "Quiet down, and only call me Knowledge when the guards are in here."

"Alright…" Joe turned to Gomamon, who was beginning to wake up. "Gomamon, are you alright?"

"No. I'm not going to be alright for as long as you work for Myotismon, Joe. You might as well kill me now, because I am not going to help you destroy the Digital World." Gomamon looked utterly defeated, and even the cuts were beginning to heal, Joe couldn't even bear to look at them. "Go on, do it. Send me back to the non-existent Primary Village."

"Gomamon, I'm not going to kill you, and I'm not working for Myotismon, so stop saying that." Joe smiled at his now confused partner. "Just give me a hug and tell me that you forgive me."

"Joe!" Gomamon threw his battered arms around his partner and sniffled. "Of course I forgive you, buddy! It was Myotismon's fault. Look what he did to your arms!"

"My arms?" Joe looked at the said body parts and his eyes widened; there were lacerations and swellings all over them, and parts of them looked nearly black with bruising. How did I not notice that before? Joe looked over at Mimi and suddenly realized that she was filthy, and both of her eyes and cheeks were bruised and swollen. Even Izzy was beat up: his upper lip was split open, and his left eye was almost completely swollen shut.

"I think Myotismon must have made you forget what he did to you when you caved to his power. I know I didn't remember being captured at all, let alone being beaten and tortured for information. In fact, I didn't remember anything but serving Myotismon until he brought Tentomon in to the room. The expression on his face was exactly the same one that he had all those years ago, when Vademon had taken my curiosity away. He looked utterly defeated, and it brought back all of those memories." Izzy smiled at Tentomon, who was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room, one of his claws wrapped in a strip of cloth from the bottom of Izzy's shirt. "He must have fought harder than I did, because he was really raw-looking when they brought him in."

Joe sighed. "Have you tried to make Mimi see sense yet?"

"No. I started in on you as soon as I got here. Mimi looks a little worse than you, anyhow." Izzy, Gomamon and Joe all looked over at Mimi, who was still twirling her hair around her finger and staring at the ceiling. "She's been doing that since I got in here, and Palmon said she hadn't moved since she got in here. At least you were looking around and were responsive to your name. The only way I can get Mimi to acknowledge me is if I say 'Sincerity.' Even then she doesn't do anything but blink." Izzy shrugged. "It's going to be hard to get her to remember, but we have to do it."

I only hope it's possible. Joe looked at his brunette friend and closed his eyes against his rising headache. Even if we do get her out of her trance, what are we going to do? We're stuck here unless someone finds us.

The interrogation which Tai and Agumon were shown to was filthy and had spatters of what looked like blood on one wall and the floor beneath it, much to Tai's dismay. Sora… This is horrible.

"No! I told you last time, I don't know anything about TK! I haven't seen or heard anything from him since you brought me here!" Sora's shouts pierced through the silence that had been in the air since Tai and Agumon had first caught sight of the prison, and Tai had to grip the edges of the table he was standing by in order to keep himself from running to her aid. "And I don't know anything about Kari either, none of us do, so if that's why you're keeping all of us hostage then you can let us go now!"

Keep your cool, Tai! If you try and help her now, you'll blow everything before you can get her and Matt free!

"Shut up, Love! We aren't the ones who want to speak to you!"

"Well, you can just march right in there and tell Myotismon to stuff it, because I'm not going to join him! He tried that before, and I spat in his face then and I'll do it again!"

The door burst open and three Veggiemon pulled Sora inside, just barely holding her. She was writhing around like mad, kicking and biting anything that came into her reach, and she didn't look ready to quit anytime soon. "She's all yours!" The three Digimon quickly dropped Sora on the cold, stony floor and rushed back outside the room before she could stand up and start fighting them again.

"Cowards!" She stood up and glared at the closed door before turning around and stumbling towards a chair that sat at the table. She didn't see Tai until she was sitting down, but he stared at her and the injuries she had taken. Her arms and legs were covered in small cuts and scrapes, and her face bore dried blood and a fresh laceration on her left eyebrow was dripping fresh blood into her big brown eye. When she finally looked up at him her expression crumpled, and she began sobbing into her hands. "No! Not you too, Tai! This can't be happening, they already had Mimi, and now they got you!"

Keep your mind on the goal, Tai, keep your mind on the goal… "Love. The time has come for you to join Myotismon with the rest of us. Once we get your power we will be complete, and then we will go to Earth and destroy Hope and Light and all of those other pathetic Digidestined before we rule both worlds."

"Tai! How could you say that! Kari is your little sister!" Sora stood up again and stalked around the table until she was so close that Tai could count her eyelashes. "I don't know why Myotismon would send someone as broken as you obviously are to bring me to his side, because I would never join you!" Sora continued to glare up at him as tears began streaking down her cheeks once more. "You sicken me!"

Tai almost lost his cool, and Agumon looked up at him in concern. However, he managed to swallow back the lump that formed in his throat and grin down at her maliciously. "It appears that you shall continue to fight. It appears that I have no other choice than to take you back to Myotismon and let him show you what will happen to your little friend if you don't join him. Look at what happened to my slave while he fought," he continued, gesturing towards Agumon. Sora gasped and took a step back. "If you don't come back with me, I will personally make sure Biyomon is destroyed. Come, Agumon, let us go."

The two friends started towards the exit of the interrogation room, but Sora put her hand on Tai's arm. "No. I'll go with you, and I'll do anything you ask me to, as long as Biyomon won't be hurt. Please."

Well, at least that worked. Tai grinned darkly at her once more, and he pulled her in front of him and held her wrists behind her, pushing her along. "Very well." Agumon opened the door for him, and Tai stopped to speak to the Veggiemon for only a moment. "We are removing Love from your prison for Lord Myotismon. More orders will be delivered in due course."

"Yes, of course." The three Veggiemon bowed low to Tai and Agumon as they passed them, as did every other guard in the small prison. As soon as the three friends made it out of ear and eye shot of the prison, however, Tai stopped and let Sora go. She immediately turned around and backed as far away as she dared.

"What do you want now, Courage? Going to attack me and try to beat me into following you, like you did to poor Agumon here? I hate you!" Tai bowed his head and tried to stop tears from forming in his eyes; even though he knew she didn't mean the words, they still struck home.

"Sora, stop! Tai didn't attack me!" Agumon shook his head. "Now quiet down, or they'll hear you and come out to investigate!"

"What?" Sora looked from Tai to Agumon and back to Tai before the words sunk in. "Tai didn't attack you? And what do you mean, they'll come out here? What's going on?"

Tai smiled, a real smile this time. "I never cracked under the pressure, Sora. I'm still me, I'm just Tai pretending to be on Myotismon's side so I can have Agumon and get you and Matt out."

Sora's mouth formed a little "o" of surprise before she ran to his arms, sobbing once again. "Oh, Tai, I can't believe I thought you were evil! I'm so sorry! I don't hate you!"

"It's alright, Sora, you had to believe me, because otherwise you would still be stuck in there." Tai held her for as long as he dared before letting her go and smiling once more. "We have to go back to Myotismon, though, so you can get Biyomon."

Sora nodded. "I'll pretend that I'm listening to you and that I'll do whatever Myotismon wants."

"Yeah, and he'll probably stick the two of you with Izzy, Joe and Mimi. You and Biyomon, if she isn't hurt too badly, can break the others out and make a run for it."

"But, Tai, how are we supposed to do that? None of us have our Digivices or anything." Sora frowned. "We all stopped carrying them, remember?"

Tai growled and put his head in his hand. "I had forgotten that. Change of plans; you and Biyomon just need to try and snap the others out of their allegiance to Myotismon, alright? I'm going to try with Matt."

"Yeah." Sora hugged Tai once more before pressing her lips to his. If it weren't for the call of an Airdramon from the beach they probably would have been there for much, much longer, kissing each other while Agumon awkwardly looked the other way. "Alright, Tai. Let's go."

Kari was bustling around her apartment, trying to find some dressings for TK's stomach. The others were all sitting on the couch and loveseat in her living room, talking and planning their rescue mission while the Digimon slept around the coffee table. I'm so happy that I finally remember. I know I really shouldn't be happy right now, what with Tai and the others still in the Digital World, but I can't help it. I finally feel whole, for the first time in a really long time.

"Then all we have to do is find their Digivices and we'll get them back. Simple!" Davis stood up and clapped his hands together. "Yolei and Ken, you two go to the apartment Sora and Mimi share and look for their Digivices. Cody, you go to Izzy's and Joe's, and I'll go to Matt's apartment. TK, Kari, you two wait here with the Digimon until we get back. See you soon!" Davis rushed out of the apartment, followed by Cody, Ken, and Yolei.

"Davis hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Kari, having finally found gauze and medical tape, began filling a bowl with warm water. "He's still as eager to fight as ever."

"Yeah. None of us have really changed, except for Tai. His personality did almost a 180." TK smiled sadly as Kari juggled her medical equipment over to the couch and caught the roll of gauze before it fell. "After you left, he would only talk if he absolutely had to and he only ate as much as he needed not to starve. He even quit soccer."

Kari sighed sadly as she soaked a rag in the water. "I feel awful. I can't believe I left him here by himself for all those years. Pull up your shirt."

"It wasn't your fault, Kari. It was Aguadevimon who blew up that car, and it was Aguadevimon who made sure that you never remembered us. It was probably Aguadevimon who made sure you were separated from us in the first place." TK winced as Kari began washing out the large, shallow cut in his abdomen. "That really hurts!"

"Sorry, but it has to get clean. It will hurt a lot worse if it gets infected." Kari rinsed it in the bowl and wrung it out once more. "I changed, too, though that was completely Nobunari's fault. He was such a jerk. The kids at my other schools didn't exactly help, either. The first school I went to was alright, but we left there after like a month. By that time I had dyed my hair, and Nobunari wouldn't buy me any clothes that weren't black, and the other kids used to laugh at me for being gothic a lot, but they were never cruel." Kari shuddered as she finished cleaning out the wound and put the bowl on the coffee table. "My last classmates were the worst. Somehow they found out that I had amnesia, and they thought it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. They would pick on me and shove me over and slam doors and my locker in my face and say that I wouldn't be able to tell on them because I wouldn't remember who they were."

"That's ridiculous." TK winced again as Kari began wrapping the medical tape around him again.

"Yeah, it is, but Nobunari told the schools that I was prone to telling stories, so I couldn't turn them in." Setting down the tape and leaning back to admire her handiwork, Kari smiled brightly. "There, all finished."

"Thanks, Kari." TK let his shirt fall back down and pulled her closer to him, burying his face in her long hair. "I missed you so, so much. I'm so glad I have you back."

"Me too, TK. Me too." The two teenagers quickly fell asleep, Kari's head resting on TK's shoulder while his arms encircled her.

Matt waited nervously in the small room he had been placed in after declaring his allegiance to Myotismon. He knew it had only been a few hours, but he had been hoping that they would bring Gabumon to him as soon as he said he would work on rounding up rogue escapees. Patience, Matt. If they find out that you're faking this, then you're toast!

"Friendship! Your partners have come for you!" A Veggiemon opened the door and bowed him out, and within a few minutes he was blinking in the setting sun. "Good luck, and have fun."

"Of course I'll have fun. I'll be serving my master, and I'll get to crush a few traitors in the process." Matt walked towards three shadows in the distance, and when he finally figured out that Gabumon was standing next to Tai and Agumon his heart sank. Not Tai… How could he have fallen? This is horrible!

"Are you ready, Friendship?" Tai was grinning darkly, and Matt nodded mutely and stalked past him into the forest.

Once they were far enough from the prison that no Veggiemon would notice that he wasn't acting evil anymore, Matt turned back to Tai and glared at him. "You traitors."

Tai, Agumon, and Gabumon stopped and stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Traitor! How could you do this to them, how could you fall?! I thought you were supposed to have courage!"

"Um…" Tai's eyebrows were knit in confusion, and Matt roared with frustration before leaping at him, drawing back a fist and socking him as hard as he could. The two men fell over and began tussling, exchanging more blows than Matt could count. All he knew was that both of them would have several new bruises and that he didn't care, because he was simply to angry at Tai to have any mercy.

"Matt! Stop this, Tai is your friend!"

"Tai! Stop fighting!" Agumon and Gabumon looked on in dismay as their partners continued to roll around in the dirt, fighting tooth and nail.

Tai finally gained the upper hand and pinned Matt against the ground. He drew back a fist and was about to punch Matt once again, but his eyes widened and he let his fist fall, although he still held Matt against the ground. "Matt, you have to listen to me, you have to snap out of this. I don't know how you knew I wasn't on Myotismon's side, but none of us are supposed to be! Please, Matt-"

"Wait! You aren't on Myotismon's side?!" Matt began laughing hysterically, and Tai stood up and stared at him. "This is hilarious!"

"Um… It is?"

Matt sat up and wiped his eyes, still chuckling. "Tai, I only punched you and called you a traitor because I thought you had joined Myotismon. I was just faking being on his side because I heard a Veggiemon talking about his plan for me and Gabumon to round up all of the runaways once I did join. I wasn't going to give in!"

Tai began laughing, as well, although his wasn't quite as happy. "Well, that is a relief. I hope Sora can get Joe, Mimi, and Izzy back to their own minds, and then all we have to do is work out how to get out of here."

Agumon nodded. "Yeah! And in the meantime, we can start gathering all of the runaways and forming an army to help us!"

"Sounds like a great plan to me. Let's go!" Gabumon and Agumon started to move deeper into the woods, but Tai and Matt hung back.

"Look… I'm sorry about hitting you earlier, Tai. I was just so mad that you could have turned your back on all of us, especially since… You know, the plans he has for Light…" I should have realized that he would never do that to her.

"It's good, Matt. I thought the same things about you, so we're even." Tai winked at his friend and helped him up. "Let's go."

Khgirl08: Finally! I got it done! Please review! ;D