Intertwined Destinies
Jade Potter is a lonely girl from England who just happens to have a dark and secretive past. When she goes to Japan as part of a school assignment, she and seven other children are summoned to a strange world, where not all is as it seems. Just what is the Digital World, and how will everyone get back home again? Will they want to? And who exactly is Jade?
Chapter 4: Burning Rage and the Computer Program
Jade walked quietly at the back of the group for most of the morning. Tai and Agumon led the group at an even pace, and behind them strolled Sora and Biyomon, and Matt and Gabumon. TK and Patamon walked side by side with Mimi and Palmon, and then Izzy and Tentomon, and just in front of Jade were Joe and Gomamon. They were all still pretty tired, so they didn't speak for a good portion of the day. As midday came closer Jade hoped that someone would call for a stop as her feet were getting sore.
Her mind drifted as she walked, and her hands linked behind her back. As focused as she was on her thoughts, she failed to realise that Joe had stopped and knelt in front of her. As a result she bounced backwards to the ground, and blinked in confusion. Joe was beside himself in apology as he helped her to stand. The commotion he was making drew the attention of everyone else, and Jade slid in behind Joe to escape their attention.
"What happened?" Sora asked.
"I stopped walking because I have a rock in my shoe, but I didn't say anything and Jade crashed into me," Joe explained quickly. "It was an accident!"
"We know that," Tai said reassuringly. "Nobody was hurt were they?"
Jade peeked out from behind Joe and shook her head. Tai looked at her seriously, as if to figure out if she was telling the truth, before nodding and encouraging everyone else to walk. They did so, but Joe called out that he still had a rock in his shoe. Jade waited for him patiently, and whilst he quickly removed the rock in his shoe, Jade lifted Gomamon and dropped him on her head. His back feet rested on her bag, and his front paws rested on top of her head. His sigh of relief told Jade that he appreciated being off the ground.
Jade wondered about the characteristics of digimon. Gomamon was clearly water digimon, but did that mean that he was stronger in the water, or that to recover he needed water? He had been walking for a while, but he had spent the night on land. What would happen if they were forced into an environment without water nearby? What damage would Gomamon, and Palmon as a plant digimon, sustain without water and moist soil?
"Hey Jade?" Gomamon asked as Joe finished up with his shoe. "Why don't you talk as much as the others? I've heard you talk more in your sleep than you do when you're awake."
Jade looked up, even though she couldn't see the digimon. She wasn't aware that she spoke in her sleep. No one had pulled her up on that before. In response to Gomamon's question she shrugged her shoulders.
"Jade just doesn't like talking Gomamon," Joe explained, keeping pace with Jade. "She'll talk when she needs to."
Jade nodded to that and put a little bounce into her step. Gomamon laughed and readjusted his grip in her hair, and Joe smiled down at her. It seemed that their little break had reenergised the group as conversations had started near the front. TK and Patamon were laughing as they pretended to be explorers investigating the shrubbery alongside the path they were walking upon.
A little before they stopped for a lunch break, a whirring noise flew overhead, shocking them all. Jade gasped as a cold feeling wrapped around her heart and she staggered briefly. It was a different feeling compared to when they were in battle, this one felt dark and evil. Gomamon shouted in alarm as Jade sunk to her knees, her arms wrapping around herself protectively. Joe dropped to his knees beside her, and as she was close to the ground Gomamon leapt off her shoulders so that he could look at her face that had drained of all colour.
"Jade, what's wrong?" Joe asked. "Tai! We have to stop!"
Tai was instantly by Jade's side, and his arms wrapped around her comfortingly. Jade clung to his front, and now that the noise was fading so was the cold feeling. Eventually she pulled back and looked at Tai, and everyone else who had crowded around her in concern.
"Are you alright now?" Tai asked her. Jade nodded slowly, and hesitantly pressed her hands against her chest. It seemed that everything that was happening was affecting her heart. Joe put his hand on her shoulder.
"Jade, is there something wrong with your heart?"
Jade shrugged. Joe's hand moved to her forehead, and he pressed his lips together. Jade looked up at him in worry, and her lower lip between her teeth.
"What's wrong Joe?" Tai asked. "What's with the face?"
"Nothing, as such," Joe began. "But, the next time your chest hurts Jade, could you tell someone? It could be nothing, but it could also be something serious. I just want to be safe, alright?"
Jade nodded, and with that reassurance from her the conversation returned to the whirring noise.
"What was that earlier?" Tai asked.
"It seems to be some kind of aircraft," Matt suggested
"It looked like a big flying gear," Sora said.
"Admit it, my alien theory is becoming more plausible," Izzy stated.
"Yeah! They hit us with an antigravity ray to make us all crooked," Joe backed up Izzy. Jade blinked up at him in confusion. "Or maybe that sign's just crooked."
TK stepped to the side to get a look at the sign Joe was pointing to. As he moved he stepped on a loose but of soil and fell down into the embankment. Sora called out his name in concern even as Tai lifted him into the air safely.
"That was scary," TK informed them.
"Watch it!" Matt ordered worriedly.
"That could have been a snake, or worse," Tai told the little boy.
TK apologised before turning to Biyomon to ask if there were snakes in the Digital World. Patamon promised to protect him from the unpleasant digimon, and Jade stood up from where she was still sitting on the ground. She didn't want her muscles to freeze up on top of everything else that was happening to her.
"Ok, so now that that's settled let's get going," Sora said.
"Nothing's settled and where would we go?" Matt asked her in reply. "We don't even know where we are!"
"This is silly," Tai added. "I say we keep moving and see if we can find signs of intelligent life here."
Jade forcefully restrained herself from smacking her forehead with her hand. They had just spent a full day walking around with creatures that could walk, talk and think all at the same time. That was more than what Dudley could do. If that wasn't a sign of intelligent life, Jade didn't know what was. Tai should have said that they needed to find other humans, and Biyomon seemed to think so as well.
"Hey, wait a minute," the little pink bird began, running her head against Sora's leg. "Is he saying that digimon aren't intelligent? Is that what he's saying?"
"Not at all," Sora replied, looking uncertain as to how to answer the question. "But I think Tai is right, we need to keep moving in hopes of finding out where we are. We need to stay calm and stick together."
Jade started to move with the others, even as Sora continued to talk. This time, instead of walking at the back of the group, she walked near the front with Tai
"Well thanks a lot for waiting!" Sora called as she noticed that everyone had left her.
"Moving right along folks, keep it moving. Our next stop on our tour will be the Forest of Irrelevant Road Signs," Matt explained, imitating a tour guide. "No pictures please."
Jade giggled silently at the accurate name Matt had come up with. Everywhere around them, attached to trees or just on their own were road signs of every description. There were arrows, construction signs, warning signs, and stops signs no matter where everyone looked. Tai looked down at her with amusement, and his stomach chose that moment to growl with hunger. He blushed even as Jade covered her mouth to hide her smile.
"I think we should stop for lunch," he said to the others. "We'll eat some of the food that Joe has and then we'll continue. I doubt that I'm the only person who's hungry."
A cheer went up, particularly from TK, so the group just sat down in the middle of the path and divided up some more food to eat. Jade savoured the feeling of sitting down, for she knew that unless something happened they would be spending the rest of the day walking. It was best that she rested as much as she could.
"Wait! My shoelace is broken!" Joe called after about half an hour of walking. He was once again at the back of the group to make sure no one fell behind.
"You need new shoes," Mimi told the older boy, before pausing in excitement. "Ooh, new shoes…"
"Look, telephone poles!" Matt said, drawing everyone's attention. "I say we follow them and see where they lead."
"They'll just lead to trouble," Joe said pessimistically. Jade looked in the direction of the telephone poles and sighed. The telephone poles were in the middle of what appeared to be a desert, complete with hot sand and burning sun. She doubted that her feet would be able to withstand the heat for long, but she didn't want to burden the others by forcing them to carry her. Already Mimi had asked Joe several times to carry her, and every time Joe had told her no.
"Look, it's that alien saucer again!" Izzy cried. Everyone followed his line of sight, but Jade didn't need his warning for as soon as the gear was nearby the cold feeling in her heart returned. It wasn't as strong as before, so she didn't tell anyone, but she did hold her chest lightly and grip Tai's hand in hers fearfully.
"And it's headed for a close encounter," Matt added. The black gear collided with a small mountain and a tiny cloud of dust rose into the air. As it crashed, the children's interest in it disappeared and they decided to cross the desert, following the telephone poles. Tai led the way with Agumon, and Izzy brought up the rear with Tentomon. Jade walked just behind Tai, and did her absolute best not to show how much the ground burned her feet.
"It's so hot!" TK complained a few minutes later. "I can feel the heat coming up through my socks!"
"Well TK," Matt began. "Maybe you should put your shoes back on."
TK made a sound of realisation and hopped around a bit as he put his shoes back on his feet. Jade looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. Further behind the group, just in front of Izzy, was Mimi and she was rubbing the skin on her arms.
"This hot desert air is destroying my complexion. How much further is it?"
"Is that all you're worried about Mimi?" Joe asked from just ahead of her. "We'll be lucky if we even survive this hike."
"Hey, does anyone else see that these telephone poles have no connecting wires?" Sora asked. Everyone's eyes scanned the telephone poles near them, and Jade thought back to similar poles by the lake. Their wires have fallen into the water, and these wires were just hanging loosely, not connected to anything.
"She's right," Izzy observed. "I wonder if these actually are telephone poles. Maybe they're some kind of odd alien equivalent."
Jade sighed and returned her attention to the front. She would listen to the conversation but she saw no reason to include herself in it. They were just trying to pass the time so that they didn't have to think about how empty the desert was…and how hot the ground was. Jade's brow furrowed as her mind focused on her burning feet. She shouldn't have thought about it, but now that she had she observed that her feet were burning.
"Hey, does anyone remember those phone booths, and that trolley car?" Mimi asked curiously.
"Yeah," Izzy said slowly. "What about them?"
"Oh nothing," Mimi said cheerfully. "I was just wondering if anyone else remembered!"
"That's it, doomed!" Joe cried suddenly, stopping in where he was. "The heat has baked our brains and we're all going to end up as roasted piglet!"
"Just remain calm Joe," Izzy ordered. "We've only been walking for two minutes."
Jade and Tai turned to look at Joe, as did everyone else in the group. Mimi casually strolled over to the boy and proudly displayed how her watch had broken. The heat from the sun had melted the numbers, and how the small traces of metal in the dirt disrupted the compass needle. Everyone crowded around to watch, though Jade wished they wouldn't stop because that just meant they'd be walking for longer in the desert.
Once everyone's curiosity had been sated the group continued walking. Mimi gave Palmon her hat to prevent more damage from the sun, and Izzy said something scientific about how hot it was. But, about an hour into the walk Jade decided that the heat was too much for her feet and stopped Tai by grabbing his shirt. When he looked down at her in curiosity his eyes widened as he noticed her feet. Blisters and burns covered the sole of her foot, and where her feet had sunk into the sand were red marks.
"Jade," Tai breathed. "Your feet! Why didn't you stop us before?"
Jade shrugged her shoulders and rocked back and forth so that her feet were alternating off and on the ground. Seeing that Tai lifted her onto his back so that her feet were in front of him, and while she sighed now that her feet were off the ground, Tai frowned. Her feet were badly burned, and she hadn't made a sound of displeasure the entire time they had been walking.
"Are you right to carry her Tai?" Sora asked, referring to his ribs. "I could do it for a while if you need me to."
"I'm good," Tai told her. "She doesn't weigh much."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
"I think we should find some shade and water," Joe stated, curious about the byplay but willing to leave it alone. "Jade's feet will need to be soaked in something cold."
"It might be a good idea to turn around and get out of this desert," Matt suggested. "At least back the way we came we know where there is a water supply, and there's shade for us."
"Wait, just a minute," Tai ordered. He was still facing the way that they were going, and with a little juggling was able to pull out his mini telescope. He focused it on a spot in the distance, making affirmative noises the whole while.
"If I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing…it's not a mirage. It's real water."
The thought of water was enough to spur them on that little bit longer. Jade remained as still as possible on Tai's back, conscious of his bruises. She wondered how Matt was feeling after his tangle with Seadramon, and looked back briefly. He appeared no worse for wear, but he could have been pretending for TK's sake.
Her eyes returned to the path ahead, and she blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing everything correctly. The village that Tai had spotted was certainly getting closer, but it was also getting smaller. By the time they arrived in the village it was to discover the houses were only slightly smaller than TK, and the inhabitants were a few hundred Yokomon, the pre-digivolved form of Biyomon.
"Welcome!" the Yokomon chanted when the children arrived. Jade gave a little wave but otherwise made no other movement.
"From so far away, everything looks so big," Tai stated.
"But they're so cute and tiny!" Mimi cried.
"Okay, question," Biyomon stated. "Who knows where we can get a drink?"
"And just what do giant digimon drink?" asked one of the Yokomon. Sora blinked in confusion as the little Yokomon had been looking at her.
"Me?" she asked. "I'm no digimon."
"My friend Sora is what's called a human being," Biyomon explained. "Yes, we know they look funny. In spite of this they are all actually very nice."
"What's a human being?" the Yokomon asked. "If you're not digimon, what are you doing in Digiworld?"
"This is just great!" Joe cried in a panic. "There's no way we are all going to fit into this place!"
"Relax Joe," Tai ordered. "At least the natives are friendly."
"Oh my!" Mimi exclaimed. "I would love to take one home and put it on my bed with all my other stuffed animals!"
"There she goes again," Matt sighed. "Do you think Mimi hears the same things we hear? I'm not sure anymore."
"Maybe she's an alien spy," Izzy suggested.
"TK is tired and hungry!" Patamon said.
"He's not the only one," Joe added. "And we need to soak Jade's feet in some water. I want to see the damage without the sand and dirt in the way."
Tai nodded and walked over to where there was a water fountain nearby. He put Jade down on the edge and she dipped her feet into the water at his urging. The cool water felt amazing on her burning feet, and she closed her eyes in bliss.
"All the water here is piped in from a spring at Miharashi Mountain," one of the Yokomon explained cheerfully. "It's the best water in the world!"
"Forget the world!" Tentomon added. "Mt. Miharashi water is the best in the galaxy!"
"Where's Mt. Miharashi?" TK asked, having followed Tai to the spring. All the Yokomon nearby turned to face the mountain the black gear had ploughed into earlier. TK correctly identified the mountain as a live volcano.
"Yes," the Yokomon said. "But the heat boils away all the germs."
Jade turned from looking at the mountain to looking at her feet. The water around her was getting hotter, and from the mountain was a loud growl. Izzy pointed out that the mountain was about to erupt, and Jade threw herself backwards and out of the water…moments before the water disappeared and was replaced by a column of fire. She whimpered at the heat but nonetheless crawled to her knees to watch like the others were. Tai held onto her shoulders in worry.
"What happened?" Tai asked.
"The water evaporated," said one Yokomon.
"But don't worry," said another. "The lake is always full of water."
"I'm going to check it out," Tai stated. "Stay here Jade."
Jade nodded as he ran off, and then watched as everyone else followed him. She figured it was empty as the children then headed over to what Jade assumed was a well. It soon sprouted flames like the fountain, and Jade knew that it was time to make a move to evacuate. She stood shakily, wincing as she put weight on her injured feet. The other children were staring at the mountain, and when Jade swivelled to look as well she saw that a fiery digimon of some description was running down the mountain.
"Everybody freeze! Stay very still," Sora ordered. Jade turned and looked at her incredulously. Why would she want them to remain still when there was a monster bearing down on them? She darted to the side and hid between the little huts.
"Don't move a muscle," Sora reiterated. Jade ignored her, there was no way she'd be staying still as danger came closer. It would be like standing still as Dudley came barrelling towards her. It would be silly to do that, asking to get beaten up.
BURNING!
"Unfreeze!" Tai ordered. "And run!"
Jade peeked out from behind the huts. Everyone was running in the opposite direction, back towards the lake. Jade sighed, she had been forgotten about again. She glanced down at her feet sadly, before straightening her back and walking after the stampede of children and Yokomon. Behind she could hear the screams from the fiery digimon, and she thought back to what the Yokomon had said earlier.
On top of Mt Miharashi was Meramon, a fiery digimon who protected it and drew strength from the fires below it. He never came down from the mountain usually, and Jade wondered if the flying gear had caused the upset. Looking back over her shoulder she gasped as she noticed just how close Meramon had gotten to her. She could now see him in great detail. He was taller than any person she had ever seen, and his entire body was one giant flame. His eyes glared blue from his fiery face, and his mouth appeared to have been sewn together. Whenever he opened his mouth he looked like he was stretching the stiches.
As Meramon came closer, Jade felt the cold return and steadily become stronger. She sunk to the ground holding her chest, and only just managed to look up when two burning feet stood before her. Cold eyes stared into her, and she stared right back. For what felt like an eternity their eyes remained locked, before a pulse of darkness ripped all strength from Jade and increased the flames on Meramon.
BURNING!
Meramon ran off towards where the children had gone, and the further away he went the better Jade felt. She wondered if the flying gear was inside the digimon, as that would explain the coldness, and staggered to her feet to follow. Meramon was standing at the edge of what used to be the lake, and standing in front of him was Biyomon, who had remained behind to ensure all the Yokomon got away safely.
"Go away Meramon!" Biyomon ordered. "Leave us alone! We're not bothering you!"
Jade gasped as Meramon violently struck the pink bird. She could faintly hear Sora down in the lake calling for her digimon, and wondered if the others were also down in the lake and would be appearing to help. She crept closer, and did her best to push the feeling of darkness away. Her eyes glowed faintly, appearing to twinkle like stars in the night sky, and the coldness retreated. The pain in her feet faded until it didn't bother her anymore, and she felt more confident than she could remember feeling.
Attacks from the other digimon came up from the empty lake, but all that did was cause Meramon to grow larger as he absorbed the power they were sending to him. Meramon screamed out, even as he grew, and Jade focused her energy on his heart.
"Why do I suffer so?!" Meramon screamed. He leapt into the empty lake to get closer to the digimon inside it, and Jade sent her energy down as well. Her heart began to burn, but it was different to how the gear made her feel. This was a kind of warmth that she had felt before when both Agumon and Gabumon had digivolved, and it wasn't the pain that hurt her, it was the emotion. From the bottom of the lake the energy pooled, and Jade knew instantly that there was a digimon there about to digivolve.
"Biyomon digivolve to – Birdramon!"
Jade watched from the sidelines as a giant red bird emerged, pushing Meramon back up the slopes and away from the children and digimon below. Jade finally figured it out, the strength of the emotion in each digimon as they digivolved was what affected her. She was feeling what the digimon were feeling and it was unfamiliar to her, that's why it caused her pain. Protectiveness, worry, affection, fear, and another emotion that Jade couldn't name, were what the digimon experienced before digivolving into a stronger form to protect their partners.
Birdramon fought fire with fire, and Meramon replied by bombarding her with fire balls. A massive fireball attack from Birdramon caused Meramon to shrink in on himself, shrinking in size. It was at this moment that Jade struck. Her energy, which was still focused on his heart, ripped the black gear from his body and forced it to shatter in mid-air. The glow in her eyes faded and Jade felt exceptionally weak all of a sudden. She collapsed on the ground, her arms slightly outstretched from where she tried to catch herself, and waited.
Birdramon de-digivolved into Biyomon, but when she went back into the lake to check on Sora, Meramon stood and walked to Jade. He rolled her onto her back, and while his hands were warm, they didn't burn her as she expected them to. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
"Do you feel better?" she asked softly.
"Thank-you," Meramon replied. "That's twice you've saved me now. Of course, I was still DemiMeramon when you saved me last time. But I promise, I will repay this growing debt to you one day."
Jade blinked curiously, not aware of a previous time she had saved Meramon. She assumed that it had been during her last visit to the Digital World that she couldn't remember clearly. If she was meant to remember, she would, but for now she just nodded and smiled. Meramon helped her to sit up, and then lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the lake. The children below spotted her in Meramon's arms and ran towards them.
"Do they know about you?" Meramon asked as they came closer. He put Jade on the ground and sat down beside her. Jade shook her head. Not even she knew about herself, and it irritated her slightly that digimon knew more about her than she did. Meramon h'mmed in understanding, but said nothing else as the other children arrived.
"Jade! Are you alright?" Tai asked as soon as he was near. It didn't really surprise Jade that he was first out of the lake, as he was a very athletic person, but she was surprised at how worried he appeared to be. His eyes were wide, and his face was very pale despite the run. He pulled her into a hug and Jade felt more than heard him sigh in relief.
"I knocked her aside when I was under the control of the Black Gear," Meramon explained. "I couldn't stop myself. The last thing I remember clearly was being hit by that Black Gear, and then I was following this beacon of light. It was incredibly painful, but I knew this beacon could free me."
The Yokomon, children and other digimon crowded around the much calmer digimon, listening as he explained his experience, and the lake refilled with water now that the burning flames from Mt Miharashi were finally calm again. Water began to flow into the water fountain again, and TK gave a cry of delight as he threw off his shoes and socks and started to soak his feet in water.
Jade closed her eyes, leaning that little bit heavier on Tai, and listened intently. She imagined that the beacon would have been the children and their digimon, for they were the ones who got rid of the Black Gear. But then she thought about the feeling she got when the Black Gear was near, it was cold to her. Could she have been what Meramon was running towards? Was she the beacon that would get rid of the Gear? She snorted silently, yeah right.
Tai looked down at Jade in concern. Once again he and the others had run off without her, not even stopping to think about how she was going to run when she couldn't even walk. It wasn't until he and Sora were herding the Yokomon onto the half buried ship in the middle of the then empty lake that he had thought about who was missing. Sora ran off after Biyomon, and Tai had been torn in following her to get up to the mainland, or staying and making sure the Yokomon were safe. In the end he had stayed as he had spotted Meramon looming above them, but as soon as Birdramon won, he was running. Seeing Jade in Meramon's hold had stopped his heart, but seeing that she was well had calmed him down considerably.
Meramon returned to his mountain a short while later, thanking the children for freeing him from the Black Gear's control, and the Yokomon arranged for dinner to be served. Tai encouraged Jade to open her eyes for a little while longer, but after seeing the bowl of seeds that the Yokomon called food, he reconsidered.
"What is this stuff?" he asked.
"Be polite and just eat it," Mimi ordered him, already delicately eating from her own bowl of seeds. "A gracious guest never insults his hosts' cooking."
"I can't tell if it's even been cooked," Tai told her. Jade looked up from his side, her mouth already full of seeds. It tasted better than what she ate usually, and it was filling her up more than the fruit from earlier had. She wondered if the seeds expanded in the stomach, creating the illusion that you were full. Either way, it felt great after not eating for a while.
"Eat as much as you want," Biyomon told Sora. "There's more than enough for seconds."
"Yeah, well, there's probably a good reason for that," Joe determined.
"You know," Sora began. "That's exactly what I was afraid you were going to say."
"It smells better than broccoli," TK told everyone. "Who knows? It might taste better!"
"Has anyone noticed?" Matt asked. "We talk a lot about food."
Both he and TK started to eat the seeds without complaint, until it was only Joe and Sora who hadn't started.
"Nah, I'm not hungry," Sora decided.
"I'm skipping this one too," Joe agreed. "I just don't like to eat on an empty stomach. Besides, I'm not even sure what that stuff is, but I'm sure I'm allergic to it."
Jade frowned at the two, her own food almost forgotten on her lap. When food was offered it was best to eat it, because you never knew when you would eat next, especially in the Digital World. Tai nudged her shoulder gently, and she continued to eat. As soon as she was done however, she pulled her blanket out of her bag and curled up happily.
"Wait, Jade," Joe said, spotting her making herself comfortable. "Let's look at your feet before you go to sleep."
Jade nodded, sitting up and stretching her feet out in front of her. Joe sat in front of her and lifted one of her feet to take a closer look at it. His lower lip was between his teeth, and he carefully swapped what foot he was holding onto, before staring at Jade seriously. She blinked at him and pulled her blanket tighter around her.
"Your feet are burnt, so I don't want you walking on them for a few days so that they can heal," Joe explained. "We don't have any bandages, but I think you'll be better off if the fresh air can get at the burns. Will you agree to let someone carry you tomorrow?"
Jade frowned. She didn't want anyone to carry her, she wanted to walk on her own. The only person she felt comfortable with was Tai, and he was still bruised from his fight with Shellmon, and Matt was bruised from his tangle with Seadramon. Joe seemed nice enough, but he was already carrying their food, and Mimi was always asking for someone to carry her, she wouldn't want to carry anyone. TK was too small, even though he was almost taller than Jade, and Izzy protectively carried his computer. Sora was an option, but while Jade had been writing to her she just didn't want Sora to carry her.
"I'll carry you Jade," Agumon said, appearing at her side. "You can sit on my shoulders, and we can run ahead of everyone. It'll be fun. Please?"
Jade smiled at the dinosaur before nodding. The digimon had already proved to be strong, and Agumon was a natural leader amongst the digimon. She wondered if she could get Agumon to tell her more about the Digital World, particularly its history. Where did she fit into it?
"Perfect," Joe stated. "Now, get some sleep and we'll head out in the morning. That mountain's not going to get any closer if we just stand around not moving."
Jade nodded before curling up once more under her blanket. She smiled happily when she felt Agumon curl up against her back, and as she fell asleep she was swept away by pleasant dreams of Gennai, baby digimon, and an angel who promised to save her.
The following morning saw another round of seeds from the night before, a quick pack-up job and a happy farewell. Jade was sitting on Agumon's shoulders, her hands resting on his head for balance, and they were leading the group. The weather was hot, and while they had left the telephone poles behind, the ground was still barren and trees were few and far between. Out of all of them, Jade was the only one who had a water bottle, so the water needed to be used sparingly.
"Agumon, what do you know about the Digital World?" Jade asked quietly. They were far enough ahead that the other children couldn't hear them.
"Well, not much," Agumon admitted. "I've spent my whole life with the others on top of Infinity Mountain. I spent all my time waiting for Tai, but I do know a little. The other older and wiser digimon used to speak of an angel who was a physical representation of truth. I don't know what they meant by that though. This angel was loved by all, but then one day an evil digimon attacked the angel and our world was thrown into confusion. The angel was never seen again, though the digimon are waiting for the angel to return to them. They believe that the return of the angel will restabilise the Digital World and create peace between us all."
"Do you believe that?"
"Sometimes," Agumon stated. "But it's been many years since the angel was last seen here. Longer than I've been waiting for Tai, but I know there is a temple on File Island somewhere dedicated to her. The flying digimon visit all the time."
Jade thought about that. An angel? That couldn't have been her. Maybe there were other humans who had been in the Digital World, and that was who Agumon was talking about. She only remembered a room of machines, a glass box of eggs and the garden of Gennai's with the baby digimon. There was also that dream of an angel promising to save her…But then Meramon had known her…it was all so confusing.
"Did the angel have a name?"
"I suppose, but I've only ever heard the angel referred to as the Guardian of Truth, Sovereign, and Protector. If the angel has a name, it has been forgotten."
Jade nodded and turned slightly so she could look at where the others had gotten to. They were further back than before, so Jade suggested that Agumon walk back to them to see what was holding them up. Mimi, TK, Palmon and Gomamon had all collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, and Jade and Agumon returned in time to hear Matt declare that it was break time. Once they were all under a nearby tree, resting in the shade, Izzy pulled out his computer. Jade let him, not knowing much about technology, and sat cross-legged next to Gomamon. She tipped a little of her water onto his head, and giggled when he sighed in relief.
"My skin's so dry," Gomamon moaned. "Is there water nearby? I'm drying up over here."
Jade gently rubbed some of her water into his skin, frowning when she felt how dry the little digimon actually felt. They would need to find a water supply fairly soon. She turned a little to look at Palmon, and the plant digimon appeared to be only just slightly better off than Gomamon. The shade appeared to be helping her recover.
"Still crashed, and the warranty's expired," Izzy sighed sadly. Jade sat on her knees and looked over Izzy's shoulder briefly. His screen was blank, and she supposed that that was what was getting him down. She momentarily wondered why the computer wouldn't work, as they were in the Digital World, but maybe he just needed to find the right compatibility. She vaguely remembered Dudley complaining about how one of his favourite video games wasn't compatible with his computer.
"Hey Izzy!" Tai stated, darting forward and grabbing the computer. "I know how to get it to boot up. You just gotta give it a couple of subtle adjustments!"
"Hey quit it!" Izzy cried in horror. Tai was whacking the computer fairly hard, but Jade figured that he had the right idea. Dudley always hit his computer and it worked fine afterwards. Although, that could have been because Uncle Vernon had bought Dudley a new computer while he was at school. "Are your brain cells malfunctioning?"
"Gosh, you're acting like I'm hurting the dumb thing!" Tai cried as Izzy ripped the computer from him. Jade watched from her comfortable spot on the ground, her head bouncing between the two as if watching a tennis match.
"Too bad your brain isn't as big as your hair," Sora stated, standing behind Izzy and looking at Tai. "Maybe Izzy doesn't want grimy fingerprints and dents all over his computer."
Tai crossed his arms and sighed, his eyes scanning the horizon. Jade waited to see what kind of response Tai would come back with, but was disappointed as Tai had spotted something far more interesting and was running off towards it. Agumon went with him to make sure that he didn't get into any more trouble, and Jade laughed as she heard simultaneous sighs of exasperation from everyone.
"The attention span of a gnat," Joe stated.
"Ah, whatever," Matt told him. Izzy started to work on his computer again, and Jade returned to wetting Gomamon's skin. She wondered what it was Tai had seen, but figured that if it was important he would return for them. They wouldn't leave without him, at least, Jade didn't think they'd leave without him.
"Hey everybody! Get over here quick!" Tai called. Jade looked up from Gomamon curiously. The older children started to run, except for Joe who made sure that the younger children and digimon wouldn't get left behind. He lifted Jade onto his back and followed the cloud of dust made by the others.
"We're coming Tai!" Sora called.
Tai was standing on the edge of a basin, but in the centre of the basin was a giant factory, complete with black smoke, whirring machines, and dull grey. Jade's eyes widened at the sight. Aside from the fights they'd been in, everything in the Digital World had been really pretty and natural. But this was like a blight on the Digital World, something that shouldn't be there, shouldn't belong.
"Looks like some kind of factory," Joe stated.
"Let's hope they can manufacture a way for us to get home," Matt added.
"I wonder what they make in there," Joe continued as the group started to walk down into the basin.
"I don't know," Mimi replied. "But wouldn't it be great if there's a manufacturer's outlet store? They always have killer deals!"
At the bottom of the basin Jade dropped off Joe's back and was immediately seized by Agumon. They walked around the outside of the factory, looking for an entrance. Once they found one they all entered and simply stood still staring around.
"Don't ask me how but there doesn't seem to be anyone here," Matt observed.
"There's got to be someone running the equipment," Sora told him. Matt just shrugged at her.
"I don't know," Izzy stated. "They seem to be doing quite well all by themselves."
"Matt, what are the machines making?" TK asked, standing next to a conveyor belt of some kind.
"You got me," Matt replied. "Maybe parts for robots, or space ships."
"Somebody's got to be moving those belts!" Joe cried. "And people gotta eat! So is there a cafeteria in this place? I could really use a good meal!"
They split into two groups after that, not that Jade could see the reasoning behind it. Tai, Sora, Joe and Jade went off in one direction, while Izzy, Matt, TK and Mimi went the other way. The group Jade was with were looking for the cafeteria, so they went up a few flights of stairs. The other group followed the conveyor belt, curious about what was being made, so they remained on the ground floor. Jade assumed that eventually they'd find their way up, as the factory was too large for everything to be on ground floor.
"Hello!" Tai called out, his voice echoing. "Is anybody here?"
They were walking along a walkway about two floors up from ground level, and looking up Jade knew that there were at least another five floors before the roof. They had just turned down a separate path when Biyomon stopped.
"Wait a minute," she stated. "Don't go any further in this direction."
"What's the matter with this direction?" Joe asked. "It's just as good as any other direction. Isn't it?"
"No, wait," Biyomon continued.
"What is it Biyomon?" Sora asked curiously. Jade tilted her head slightly as she stared at pink digimon.
"I'm not sure, I heard…something."
Jade listened intently, and slowly the sound of machines grinding together reached her ears. A few moments later the others heard it as well.
"Doesn't sound good," Tai agreed. They turned around and walked down another path, though Jade looked back over her shoulder curiously. They weren't alone in the factory, of that she was certain. She and Agumon ended up at the back of the group, but that didn't bother Jade as she was too busy trying to look at everything at the same time. It was as they were passing a side corridor that she tapped Agumon's head to get his attention and pointed into the room everyone else had just passed.
"Hey!" Agumon called, grabbing the others' attention. He pointed into the room and they all doubled back so that they could look. Tai was the first one to comment on what they were looking at.
"What do you suppose happened to him?"
Half inside a machine was an android, but he wasn't moving and Jade wondered if he was still functional after being encased in gears.
"Who knows?" Sora stated. "But let's see if we can help."
"It's just a busted robot," Tai observed as they walked into the room. Jade looked down at the android-robot and frowned in confusion. There was something about him that seemed incredibly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
"It's not a robot," Gomamon told Tai with a strange tone in his voice. "It's Andromon."
"What? This big lug is a digimon?"
"Yes," Agumon explained. "And very much advanced."
"Poor thing," Biyomon added. "I guess he got caught in the gears, and that's how he got mangled."
"Maybe if we work together we could pull him out of there," Sora suggested. Jade slid off Agumon's back so that he could help, and walked to the side.
"My mom doesn't want me moving any heavy objects," Joe explained, backing away slightly from Andromon. "I have bad knees."
"Relax," Sora told him. "We'll do it."
She and Tai reached down to grab Andromon's arms, and the digimon pitched in too. It wasn't going too well so Joe eventually reached down to help. Jade looked towards where Andromon was stuck, there was something other than his feet in there. Tai fell back onto a lever when his hands slipped on Andromon's arm, and suddenly the gears started to move. Jade gasped as the cold she associated with Black Gears rushed over her, but her gasp went unnoticed because at that moment the others had pulled Andromon free. Jade stared wide-eyed at the digimon, wondering what effect the Black Gear would have on him.
She ran quickly to Tai's side, clinging to his arm as she stared down at Andromon. He looked like he was waking up, and the strength of the Black Gear was steadily increasing.
"I think he's coming to," Agumon observed.
"He needs a couple of whacks for a jump start!" Tai decided. He raised his fist to knock Andromon on the head, something that Sora and Joe immediately worked to prevent, but they hadn't factored into account that Agumon was almost exactly like Tai. He hit Andromon in Tai's place.
"I am Andromon," Andromon slowly stated.
"There's this movie," Joe began nervously. "Where a robot came to life and ate everyone."
"He looks friendly enough," Sora observed, bending in close to look at the digimon. "And I'm sure if we're nice to him he'll be nice to us." Jade didn't like how close she was getting so she leapt away from Tai's side and pushed her out of the way moments before Andromon's hand fastened around the nearest foot, which ended up being Jade's. She screamed as she was wrenched upside-down.
"Forget what I said about him being friendly!" Sora ordered from where she had landed on the ground. Andromon stood up and lifted Jade higher. Jade was glad that under her skirt she had short shorts on, otherwise the position she was in could have been extremely embarrassing.
"I shall punish alien intruders," Andromon said in a monotone. Jade struggled in his grasp and used her free foot to kick at Andromon's hand. The digimon attacked Andromon with little effect, except for the fact that Andromon decided holding onto Jade was pointless. He threw her sideways and she landed in Tai's arms.
"Too bad we didn't catch him on a good day!" Joe cried on the other side of the room. He and Gomamon were separated from the others by Andromon's intimidating figure. "Watch out!"
"Maybe this is a good day," Gomamon quipped.
"This is not good!" Joe said, pointing to Andromon.
"Well Tai," Agumon began. "What do we do now?"
Jade pointed to the roof from where she still rested in Tai's arms. Tai agreed with her and Agumon sent out a fireball to sever the cables holding metal rods in place. They fell and covered Andromon, allowing the children to escape. They ran away as fast as they could, and the further they ran the better Jade felt. She did, however, know exactly when Andromon freed himself because the darkness of the Black Gear became stronger the closer he came to them.
As they ran, the lights shut off, sending them all into darkness. Jade shuddered lightly, she hated the dark. Tai stopped running and looked around wildly.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"I break out in hives in the dark," Joe added. A growl came from behind them, and as they turned Jade saw two blue lights shining at them. She knew she was looking into Andromon's eyes and clung even tighter to Tai.
"What was that?" Joe asked.
"I hope it isn't Andromon," Sora replied.
"It might be a good plan to keep moving so we don't have to find out," Tai suggested.
"Well, I'm for that," Joe agreed. They turned to continue on, but they weren't running like Jade expected them to. They were creeping away quietly, which was silly if you asked Jade because if she could see Andromon, chances were that he could see them.
"Can anyone explain why we're tiptoeing instead of running for our lives?" Joe asked softly.
"Intruders sighted," came a rumble from down the corridor. "And Andromon doesn't like intruders. Lightning Blade!"
Jade looked back as she recognised an attack call, and screamed again at the sight of a blue blade of lightning barrelling towards them at high speed. The children darted to the side, once again running instead of walking. Jade fought to run on her own, and Tai allowed her to but kept a firm grip on her hand so that she wouldn't get left behind. Their path led them to another walkway out in the open, but one with nowhere to hide when Andromon appeared behind them with another attack ready to fire at them.
"This-is-not-good-I-don't-like-this-at-all," Joe panted, each breath another word.
"Lightning Blade!"
The children and digimon leapt off the side of the walkway, hanging onto the railing as the attack passed them. Andromon came closer, and Jade fought against the cold feeling, glaring at Andromon. He paused in his walk, focusing on her. She stared right back without flinching.
"Hear me intruders," Andromon continued, eyes not leaving Jade's. "Andromon will exact his vengeance."
Tai leapt from the railing, having seen two different things. The first had been a crane just below him, and the second had been the way Andromon looked at Jade. He didn't like the second thing at all, and if he used the first thing correctly he wouldn't need to think about the second too much. While he worked, Jade focused on pushing more of the darkness back. There was something in Andromon's eyes that flickered for a minute, and a pulse of electricity blossomed from his right leg, the only leg that wasn't completely covered in metal.
"Andromon…Sovereign…must exact…vengeance," Andromon stuttered.
"Oh yeah!" Tai cried. "Just try it you tin can! Well come on!"
"Could you please stop taunting the deranged android?" Joe begged. Tai swung the crane around and the hook dangling from the end caught the back of Andromon's metal body. Andromon was lifted high into the air, and while he hung their the children and digimon got back onto the walkway and continued to run.
"Did you hear what he said?" Agumon asked as they ran.
"I wasn't exactly listening Agumon," Sora replied panting. "I was a bit too busy running for my life."
"I heard!" Biyomon stated. "He was talking about the Sovereign!"
"Sovereign?" Tai and Joe asked simultaneously.
"That's right," Gomamon realised. "But why?"
Jade wondered that too. She was also worried as when Andromon had spoken, it had been to her he was speaking, and it had sounded like he was asking for help. The Black Gear was messing with his ability to function, but when Jade had pushed away the darkness his true mind had fought to the surface to speak. Was she the Sovereign Agumon had spoken about earlier, the angel that had existed before he hatched from his digi-egg? That was almost impossible!
"You can wonder about it later," Sora ordered. "Just keep running. We have to find the others and warn them."
"Yeah, but where are they?" Joe asked. "We didn't exactly set a meeting spot!"
"Leave that to us!" Agumon said. "We digimon can find others faster than you humans. Besides, we always know where the others are. It doesn't work for all digimon, just us, but it's really helpful when we think we're lost."
"Fascinating," Joe said shortly. "Explain it to me when we aren't running for our lives!"
Agumon and the other digimon nodded before picking up the pace slightly. They turned down several corridors and ran up two flights of stairs before coming out onto the roof. Ahead of them were the other children, and Tai waved as he called out to them.
"Hey you guys! Listen up!"
"I don't like the tone of his voice," Matt said, his voice barely reaching them.
"We have got to get out of here now!" Tai continued.
"What do you mean Tai?" Matt asked. Before Tai could answer the floor between them collapsed inwards and Andromon climbed out of the newly formed hole. Jade and the others skidded to a stop, even though Andromon's back was towards them. Jade fought against the darkness even as Andromon's voice carried over to her.
"Capture intruders!" he declared. "Sensors detect hostility. Bring intruders into firing range. Bring missiles to position, and…fire!"
"RUN!" Jade ordered as loudly as she could. The children barely paused to consider her order, despite how shocked they were that she was talking to them. The only one who didn't move was TK. Two missiles bore down on him, and he screamed for his brother. Jade could feel Gabumon digivolving into Garurumon before Matt's digivice had even started to glow, and the now large wolf stepped in to rescue TK. Garurumon swept aside the two missiles, one exploding in mid-air, but the other turned around and began firing at Jade's group. Jade rolled forward out of range even as the others began some kind of dance to escape the burning blasts.
Agumon digivolved into Greymon and used his tail to destroy the missile, and once it was destroyed both digimon turned towards Andromon.
"Who challenges Andromon?" he asked. They leapt at him, but Andromon displayed his greater strength by throwing them over the side of the roof to a landing a little way below. The children ran forward to watch, and Jade winced as she saw how easily Greymon and Garurumon were being defeated. Another set of missiles were fired from Andromon's chest, and they collided with the wall just below where the children were standing. They all lost their balance, but Jade was the only one who fell forwards instead of backwards.
She screamed all the way down and was incredibly surprised when Andromon caught her. He set her on the ground as Greymon and Garurumon bore down on him, and stood protectively in front of her. Jade gasped. Andromon was protecting her. Whatever had happened to him on the walkway had twisted his mind just enough that he still thought everyone else was his enemy, but Jade was to be protected. A pulse of warmth from her heart alerted her to another digivolution that was happening above her, and she looked up to see a flash of light.
"Tentomon digivolve to – Kabuterimon!"
Kabuterimon was an insect digimon the same size as Greymon, but blue instead of orange. He had four wings on his back, four arms and two legs. On his head was a wicked looking helmet with a terribly long horn on his nose, a stinger curving down from his lower back, teeth on three sides of his mouth, forming a triangle, and if Jade hadn't known that he was friendly she would have run screaming from him. As it was she shrunk against the wall as Andromon proved his dominance over the new player.
Whilst the digimon were fighting Jade focused on the Black Gear inside Andromon. She pushed at it with all her strength and his leg rippled with electricity again. Kabuterimon used his Electro Shocker attack which impacted on Andromon's leg. The Black Gear shot out from his leg and Jade glared at it until it exploded. Andromon sunk to the ground, all fight drained out of him. Kabuterimon flew the other children down quickly before de-digivolving into their Rookie forms.
"Are you alright Jade?" Tai asked once he was in front of her. Jade nodded and smiled.
"Andromon caught me," she explained softly, speaking in Japanese. Tai grinned at her, and slung an arm across her shoulders. He directed her to the larger group and they all gathered around so that they could speak to Andromon now that he wasn't trying to kill them. Agumon appeared at Tai's side and grinned at Jade.
"Are you alright Jade?" Sora asked once she was closer.
"Yes," Jade replied. She had decided that she trusted this group. While they had left her alone a few times, they had proven that they cared about her. Because of that she would speak to them. Though not a lot, she could only speak a little Japanese even though she understood most of the sounds by now. Not speaking meant not practicing aloud, but she was sure that her new friends would be able to help her with her pronunciation.
Andromon looked at her as he stood up, obviously studying her. Jade just looked back at him without losing her smile, though she knew Andromon was looking passed it. His gaze roamed over the other children and digimon, before beginning his explanation.
"That black gear reprogramed my system somehow," Andromon explained once everyone was within hearing distance. "I'm normally a non-violent digimon."
"You could have fooled us," Tai stated, but he was smiling so Jade knew that he didn't blame Andromon.
"No kidding," Sora added, before turning to Joe and whispering, "I told you he's a digimon and not an android."
"I never meant to hurt anyone," Andromon continued.
"Don't give it another thought," Matt reassured him. "We all make mistakes. Besides, you saved Jade's life. Who knows what could have happened if she kept falling."
"Why did you save her?" Izzy asked. "I only ask as the last time we encountered a digimon with a Black Gear they were unable to determine friend from foe. How did you?"
"The Black Gear changed a lot in my programming," Andromon began. "But there are parts of my programming that only I may alter. Young Jade reminds me of another I used to know a long time ago. I still have great respect for her, and would never harm her."
"The Sovereign?" Agumon asked excitedly. "You mentioned the Sovereign earlier. Did you know the Sovereign?"
"Yes, I knew her. I was very sad the day the Dark Masters cast her from the Digital World, but I know that one day she will return to us. And I know that it shall be soon."
"How?" Tentomon asked.
"And do you know what this place is for?" Gabumon asked. "Why do you guard it?"
"Who are the Dark Masters?" Agumon asked.
"The dark Masters are evil digimon, that's all I know about them," Andromon continued. "I know the Sovereign will return soon because you are here. I can't answer your questions about this place came to be or what it's for, but I can be of some help. The best way to escape from here is to follow the underground waterway. The labyrinth begins just beyond this point."
"Thanks for your help Andromon," Tai said gratefully. Jade nodded and stepped forward a little to press her hand against his metallic leg. She tried to focus on what she had done earlier, but this time pushed some positive emotion outwards. Her hands warmed up briefly, and Andromon gave a sigh of happiness.
You're home…at last
Jade stepped back from him, still curious, but willing to let it go. So she apparently had a major impact on the Digital World on her previous visit, but why couldn't she remember it? What had the Dark Masters, whoever they were, done to her to make her forget? Why could she feel what the digimon were feeling?
"I hope you find your way home," Andromon stated, allowing the children to pass him. "And no matter what try to remember the big guy who turned out to be not so bad."
"There's one thing you can count on," Tai promised as they moved. "We'll never forget you Andromon."
Jade waved behind her before focusing on the way out in front. The waterway was just a fancy name for sewer, and it would probably be worse walking through the sewers than walking through the desert as the sewers were unhygienic. Tai apparently thought so too because he swung her up onto his back without much warning so that her feet would remain off the ground. They were still burnt, and needed to be kept clean to heal.
At the end of the pipe was a small drop, though Tai took it as more of a step and casually walked through. The others followed easily enough behind him, though Matt lifted TK from the pipe to the ground. Everyone except for Mimi made it through, she just froze at the end of the pipe and stared at the little drop.
"I know I can do this," she murmured to herself, over and over again. "Really I can. Okay, ready, set…"
Once Mimi had jumped and landed on the ground Tai sighed with relief.
"Okay, that only took four minutes! Let's get out of here!"
"Am I the only one who finds strolling leisurely through the sewers just the slightest bit disgusting?" Joe asked.
"Tell me the truth, Izzy," TK started, falling back to talk with the red head. "Was it your computer that made Tentomon turn into a superhero?"
"Prodigious right?" Izzy told him with a smile.
"Could your computer make Patamon turn into a superhero?"
"I suppose that is possible," Izzy murmured, excitement colouring his voice.
"Wow, okay."
Jade looked behind in time to see Izzy pull out his computer, begin typing one handed, and continue walking all at the same time. She wondered what they were talking about, as a digimon needed several things to digivolve, the main two things being energy and determination. A digimon needed to want to digivolve in order to get stronger, and they needed enough energy to do so as well. As she watched, it became obvious that Izzy couldn't create the same situation again as nothing happened. They stopped walking, and Jade tapped Tai's shoulder to inform him of the delay.
Tai wanted to whack the computer to get the program to work, but Jade stopped him from making a fool of himself. She didn't want to end up in the middle of another fight after just escaping the last one unscathed. Tai reluctantly didn't try to rush at the computer as he had earlier.
"Alright, if we're finished playing with Izzy's computer," Tai began. "I think we should get a move on. Let's get out of this sewer."
There was an agreement from everyone, though Sora appeared surprised by Tai's mature decision. Jade grinned at her, and Sora's mouth fell open slightly in realisation. In all the years she had known Tai, she hadn't ever seen or met anyone who could change his mind about something. It was curious, and she silently promised herself that she would closely watch how the two of them interacted.
Something was up.
Tai and Jade were oblivious to Sora's thoughts. They were once again leading the way through the sewers, and Jade was humming softly. Their conversation was quiet, though their positive outlook was contagious. Everyone followed them with a smile.
Next up in Intertwined Destinies:
Chapter 5: Welcome to Toy Town and Going Up?