DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon or any video games, books, films, TV shows or pieces of music referenced in this story. Original characters owned by me are stated in my profile.
Chapter Thirty: Infiltration
Monday 15th November – 9:56a.m.
Digital World, Hub Level, Outskirts of Gear
"So much for 'never again'…" Viximon grumbled telepathically as she shifted uncomfortably in her Tamer's arms.
"Hang in there, we should be out of here soon," Rika reassured her, scratching the vixen gently behind the ears.
The two partners (along with an oblivious Ryo) were currently crammed into the oversized backpack being carried by Strikedramon. A mildly-claustrophobic Viximon – who had de-Digivolved to conserve space – was hugged tight against the girl's chest, Rika herself in a position that was (in her eyes at least) even less agreeable. Due to severe space limitations, the only way that all three of them were able to fit into the backpack had been for the girl to sit on Ryo's knee.
"Akiyama…" the redhead growled quietly but menacingly. "That had better be your D-Arc I can feel poking into my back…"
"It is," the boy replied quickly, detaching the offending gadget from his belt and showing it to her as proof.
"Be quiet!" Strikedramon whispered urgently. "We are coming up on the checkpoint at the edge of the city."
"You there!" a pair of Guardromon called out in unison as Strikedramon drew closer to the fortified roadblock they manned. "State your business in the city of Gear!"
"I'm a traveller," the enormous purple dragon growled in reply. "I have come to trade for items needed by some friends of mine."
"A likely story!" the robot to his left sneered and slowly circled round behind him. "You're a Dramon. How do we know you're not a spy for the Dramon Kingdom?"
"I'd sooner die than bow before that pretender to the throne of the Dragon Emperor!" Strikedramon roared, making his interrogator flinch. "Examon is an insult to Dramon everywhere."
"Hmmm…" the other Guardromon mumbled, eyeing the backpack slung over his shoulder. "What's in the bag?"
"Food and other goods for trading."
"Like we haven't heard that before," the first robot scoffed. "Open it."
"I assure you, it is ju-"
"Open it!" he repeated, his arms morphing into a pair of grenade launchers that were immediately levelled at the dragon.
A resigned growl left Strikedramon's throat as he swung the bag off of his shoulder and placed it none-too-gently on the ground. He hastily unzipped the flap on the top of the plain, brown backpack to reveal a large variety of colourful fruits and a number of loaves of bread.
"Hmmm…" the second Guardromon mumbled again, carefully examining the contents of the bag. "Okay, you can go in. Make sure you stay out of trouble, lizard."
"As you command…" the purple dragon growled sarcastically, closing the bag and swinging it over his shoulder as he walked away.
"Be more careful!" Ryo's voice hissed from within the backpack. "You nearly knocked the false top loose when you dropped us."
"I shall have to try harder next time," Strikedramon replied quietly and gave the bag a short, sharp shake. He was rewarded by a painful-sounding 'THUD' and a series of muted curses.
"Since when did the berserker have a sense of humour?" Rika muttered to herself as she rubbed the back of her head, Ryo doing the same beside her.
"Cyberdramon doesn't look so bad now, huh?"
On a side street a few blocks into the city, Takato, Guilmon, Kazu and Andromon were having no easier a time. Guilmon's bulky form and inability to Digivolve meant that he and the two boys had been crammed into Andromon's backpack like sardines. They had arrived at a checkpoint a little way to the south almost half an hour ago, but had been delayed by the irritatingly enthusiastic efforts of the two Guardromon border guards to recruit Andromon into the local police force. Eventually, he managed to convince the pair of walking adverts that yes, he was happy with his current job's health plan and no, he didn't want to be like "the digital Robocop".
Finally, the android thought and let out a small sigh of relief as he saw Strikedramon step into the alley. The dragon padded casually over to the android and leaned back against the wall, ignoring the squeaks of pain from inside his backpack as his passengers were squashed against the hard stone.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were coming," Andromon half-joked with a concerned glance at his companion's bag. "Or that maybe your hunter's instinct isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"You can put it to the test if you like," the purple-skinned lizard growled. "You go hide, I'll track you down and kill you."
"Erm, no thanks…"
"I was joking, metal-head," Strikedramon chuckled darkly. "So, any idea how to find Hawkmon?"
"None, but I suggest we ask for directions."
"Rule number one of Gear," a voice called out softly from above them and the two Digimon looked to see a bird-like silhouette perched on the roof of a building across the alley. "Every shadow hides a pair of ears. Fortunately, my ears happen to be the right ones."
Mountain Level – 10:34a.m.
"It's quiet," Cam muttered and glanced around at the rocky surroundings of the Mountain Level. The group of humans and Digimon had been hiking up the mountains for almost an hour and had made excellent progress, though they were yet to encounter any signs of life. "Too quiet."
"That's probably because Kazu isn't here," Terriermon chuckled. "You're used to him moaning about every little thing."
"Terriermon…"
"Momentai, Henry! It's not like he can hear me all the way from Gear."
"That's not the point and you know it."
"Break it up, ladies," Cam sighed exaggeratedly as they reached a fork in the path. The left-hand path led up the mountain at a ridiculously-steep angle, while the route to the right sloped upwards at a much more reasonable gradient.
"Henry, which way do we go?" Gaogamon asked as the blue-haired boy pulled out his hastily-scribbled instructions.
"Hmmm…according to this, we should go left. The slope should level out a bit after a while."
"Left it is, then," Leomon nodded and set off up the slope, Kenta and Jeri clutching onto his mane and trying not to look down at the long drop to their right. The rest of the group followed after him and were relieved when Henry's prediction was proven true, the rocky path levelling out to a much more comfortable angle after a couple of minutes. They were less pleased, however, when they rounded a bend and saw that the path in front of them narrowed to less than a metre wide, only widening again after about thirty metres.
"Are you sure this is the way we're meant to go?" Kenta asked, casting a nervous glance at the dangerously-thin ledge in front of him and the several-hundred metre drop to the ground below. "I mean, they can't have expected us to get across that safely."
"This is the way that both Ryo and Sage told us to come," Henry replied with a confused frown. "It's meant to be the easiest and safest route to the Sovereign Level."
"I don't know…" Jeri mumbled and tightened her grip on her partner's mane.
"I wouldn't recommend trying to walk on that path," Gaogamon warned them. "It looks to me like a landslide caused a large portion of it to collapse – it is most likely still highly unstable. Sage and Ryo may not have known that this route was now inaccessible."
"Pipipipipipuhpiiii!" Marine Angemon suggested with a small grin.
"That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Kenta moaned and slapped his forehead.
"Pipuhpuhpi?"
"Hey!"
"You want to fill us in?" Terriermon grumbled and scratched his ears. "Not all of us speak gibberish, ya know."
"Terriermon…"
"Heh, he's kinda right, actually," the green-haired boy admitted with a sheepish grin. "I sometimes forget only I can understand him. Anyway, MarineAngemon suggested we float across the gap in one of his bubbles. That way there's no chance of us falling off."
"An excellent idea!" an unfamiliar voice called from above the Tamers in a Californian accent. "A pity you'll never be able to put it into practice."
The children and their Digimon partners looked up to see more than twenty Commandramon emerge from under their camouflage nets on the slopes above them and level their assault rifles. The dragon soldiers were aligned in a semicircle that gave their weapons excellent coverage, allowing them to pick off the Tamers with ease if they tried to run. Stood at the centre of the semicircle was a slightly-taller Commandramon with three white chevrons painted on his shoulder pads, a pump-action shotgun slung over his back. The dragon was wearing a pair of mirrored Aviator sunglasses and had an enormous brown cigar clutched in his teeth. Henry pulled out his D-Arc and tried to surreptitiously scan the Digimon, but froze when it chuckled and pointed at him.
"Very stealthy. Show me what you've got there!" it ordered, breaking out in a feral grin when the boy held up his D-Arc. "Oh, it's just that thing? Go ahead and scan me with it then."
Henry obliged, reading out the stats to his friends as they appeared on the screen of his D-Arc.
Name: SargeCommandramon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Special Attacks:
DCD Bomb
Scatter Shot
Strike Dagger
"Well, now you know who I am, let's get down to business," SargeCommandramon called and folded his arms. "You are trespassing on the lands of Dragon Emperor Examon, wise and benevolent ruler of the Dramon Kingdom. State your business and surrender or we will open fire."
"That is not necessary," Leomon replied, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender as Jeri and Kenta climbed off of his shoulders. "We are just passing through and did not realize that we were trespassing. With your permission, we will be on our way. We will not return."
"Not good enough, furball," the dragon growled and shook his head. "I got procedures to follow. You'll be taken to a nearby military base where you will submit to interrogation and-"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cam interrupted and glared at the blue-scaled sergeant. "If anything you should be helping us out!"
"Oh? And why would I do that?"
"We share a common enemy," Gaogamon replied. "Zhuqiaomon has kidnapped several of our friends – three human children – and we are on a mission to rescue them. We were on our way to his lands when you stopped us."
"Right. I haven't heard anything about the Mad Sovereign kidnapping humans. Why should I believe you?"
"The Dramon Kingdom must have spies in Zhuqiaomon's lands," Jeri called nervously. "Your commanders might know something about it. Can't you at least tell them about this? They might be able to confirm our story."
"And if you let us go, we'll be doing you a favour," Terriermon added. "We're the guys who took out half the Devas!"
"Hmmm…" SargeCommandramon mumbled, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses. "Fine. I'll report this to base and ask for further orders. In the meantime, you will wait here under guard."
"Please hurry," Henry shouted after the dragon as he turned and began to walk away. "We need to get to the Sovereign Level as quick as possible. Any delays put lives at risk."
"I'll keep that in mind," he replied, bellowing at one of his soldiers a second later. "HEY RADAR? GET ON THE HORN TO HQ, NOW!"
Hub Level, City of Gear, Gazimon's Budget Motel – 10:56a.m.
"Here is your room," Hawkmon said as he opened the rather battered imitation-wood door to reveal an equally battered-looking room with two beds of appropriate size for Cyberdramon and Andromon. There were also a couple of chairs, a table and two bedside tables similarly scaled-up to accommodate the large Digimon. "My apologies for the quality of the room, but Gazimon is one of the only people willing to help the followers of Sage. This room should be safe from Zhuqiaomon's spies, but if you are discovered, you can press down on the top-right bedpost of the left-hand bed and an escape tunnel will open."
"It is not a problem," Strikedramon replied as he closed and locked the door behind him, his harsh voice contrasting with Hawkmon's soft, almost shy tones.
"Yes, it will more than suffice for our needs," Andromon agreed as he placed his backpack gently on one of the beds. "You have our thanks."
"It was nothing," the red and white bird replied with a small shrug. "By the way, the message I received said there would be more of you – four more humans and two more Digimon…"
"In here!" Takato's voice called from Andromon's backpack as the boy struggled to climb out. "Guilmon! Get…off…me!"
A high-pitched yelp of pain echoed from the bag as it rolled over onto its side, spilling fruit from the false bottom across the bed. Kazu crawled out a second later, clutching his groin and whimpering in pain.
"Oops, sorry!" Guilmon called cheerfully as he leapt out of the bag and looked around curiously. "Why is everything so big in here?"
"I have a better question," Viximon's voice growled from inside Strikedramon's backpack. "Why don't you unzip this thing and LET US OUT!"
The purple dragon obliged, removing the bag and unzipping it with unnecessary slowness. As soon as the backpack was open, Viximon knocked aside the false bottom and leapt out, re-Digivolving to Renamon in a flash of light and a shower of fruit.
"Finally," she sighed, plucking half a pulped apple from on top of her head.
"Man, it felt like we were stuck in there forever," Ryo moaned as he climbed out of the bag and lowered himself to the floor to stand on shaky legs.
"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it," Strikedramon chuckled, drawing a surprised glare from his Tamer.
"If you weren't three times my size I'd break your legs for that," Rika growled. "And when did you develop a sense of humour?"
"About the same time I bio-emerged in your b-"
"ANYWAY!" Ryo shouted suddenly, cutting off the dragon. "You must be Hawkmon. I'm Ryo, this is Rika and Renamon, and Strikedramon you've already met."
"Hello," the bird greeted them with a small bow. "And these three are…?"
"I'm Takato, this is Kazu and my partner Guilmon," Takato replied with a friendly smile. "So, what's the plan?"
"I think I should head out and find the guy who'll upgrade the D-Comms ASAP," Ryo suggested. "I'll have to go alone, though – he won't trust anyone but me and Strikedramon."
"So what are we supposed to do while you're gone?" Kazu asked, his voice returning to a more normal pitch as the pain in his groin subsided.
"Wait here, I guess, and be ready to act as backup in case things go sour."
"You could always have a game of cards," Strikedramon suggested with a shrug.
"Against Rika? Yeah, right…"
"She doesn't win every time…" Ryo noted with a small grin.
"Against him I do," the redhead replied with a glare. "And that reminds me – you still owe me a rematch."
"Another day, pumpkin," he chuckled and winked at the girl, who clenched her fists and was about to leap across the room and strangle him when he quickly leapt back into the backpack. "Let's go, Strikedramon! Tactical retreat!"
"Humans," the dragon muttered and shook his head. "I'll never understand you…"
Half an hour later, Ryo and Strikedramon stood inside a large, high-ceilinged basement littered with disassembled computers and large mechanical parts. A series of clangs and fizzes could be heard from somewhere within the room, the source of the noise hidden by the maze of junk.
"Datamon?" the boy called hesitantly, the noise suddenly dying out as his voice echoed through the massive room.
"Who wants to know?" a high-pitched voice with a metallic edge asked suspiciously.
"Paranoid as ever, I see," Strikedramon growled with a shake of his head before calling out to the Digimon. "One hides the lies. The truth is in the zero."
"Ryo? Cyberdramon?" the voice gasped in surprise, a large section of the wall of junk sliding into the ground to reveal a path into the middle of the maze. "Come on in! Watch out for the flamethrowers, though. Not entirely sure if I disarmed them correctly…"
Datamon's fears were quickly proven valid as a long tongue of orange flame was belched into the air from somewhere in the middle of the junk field. Ryo and Strikedramon cautiously made their way down the narrow path, emerging into a clearing several metres across occupied by an android Digimon less than two feet tall. The robot had a body shaped like a rounded bullet, a crude face with two glowing yellow camera-eyes and a fanged mouth on the lower half of the bullet. The lower half of Datamon's body was made of a gleaming silver metal, with the upper half being made of reinforced glass, a series of complex computer processors could be seen through the transparent substance. A pair of metal, cable-like arms tipped with four-fingered hands protruded from the sides of his body, four similar-looking legs ending in red claws emerging from the bottom.
"You're looking well," Strikedramon remarked as the android looked up with something approaching a grin on his face. "Last time we saw you, your chassis was half-destroyed."
"I wish I could say the same to you!" Datamon replied with a horrified look. "You're…you're…purple!"
"I found it necessary to de-Digivolve to avoid detection."
"I would have thought hair like that would have made you more noticeable, but I'll take your word for it," the android shrugged and turned to Ryo. "And young master Ryo…you've gotten taller again, haven't you?"
"It tends to happen to us humans," the boy replied with an easy grin. "How's that replacement camera eye I got you holding up?"
"It works better than the old one!" Datamon chuckled as his left eye flashed red and then purple before turning back to yellow. "I can see infrared and ultraviolet with this bad boy…but only out of one eye…"
"That must be pretty confusing."
"It gives me CPU-ache like you wouldn't believe if I use it for too long…anyway, what can I do for you?"
"We've got these communication devices called D-Comms," the Tamer began, handing one of the PDA-style items to the diminutive Digimon. "They're meant to let us talk to people back on Earth, but they don't have enough power to break through the dimensional barrier, and we don't have the technology to upgrade them ourselves."
"Those pesky Laws of Physics, eh? Give it here," he sighed, taking the D-Comm and examining it thoroughly. "Yes, this should be no problem. How many do you need upgrading?"
"We have three of them, but even just upgrading one will do."
"In that case, I'll do all three of them at no cost. It's the least I could do for the pair who gave me back my eyes."
"We appreciate it," Strikedramon growled with a nod to the android. "When will the work be done?"
"Give me five hours, maybe six," Datamon replied, taking the other two D-Comms offered to him by Ryo. "By the time I'm done, these things will be able to break through the barrier and establish a stable channel for replies to be transmitted through."
"Perfect. See you in six hours!" the boy said with his trademark grin, turning to leave the indoor junkyard a second later.
City of Gear, Gazimon's Budget Motel – 11:32a.m.
"And Kazu Shioda wins again!" Kazu declared triumphantly as he laid a HiAndromon card down on top of his Andromon. "Andromon Digivolves to HiAndromon! Your Mistymon is toast."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Takato replied with a grin. "Mistymon Digivolves to Dynasmon."
"Wha…? How…? When…?"
"Hmmm…type advantage, power advantage, defence advantage and all-round kickass advantage," Rika ticked off on her fingers. "Looks like you're in trouble, Kazu."
The overconfident Tamer was quickly defeated by the newly-Digivolved Royal Knight, his HiAndromon quickly being reduced to molten slag by a series of fiery attacks. A triumphant grin broke out on Takato's face as Guilmon danced around excitedly and sung his Tamer's praises.
"That's 2 – 1 to me," the boy noted as he stood up and stretched. "Wow, I'd almost forgotten what winning felt like after getting whooped so many times by Rika and Henry…"
"Heh, I feel for ya buddy. I've lost count of the number of times Rika or Ryo have kicked my butt."
"Don't forget Jeri," the redhead noted with a smirk. "She managed to take you down almost as fast as I did."
"I was going easy on her, that's all!"
"Right, because you just let her get hold of BanchoLeomon that quickly…"
"I think this argument is a lost cause, Kazu," Andromon advised his Tamer with a small sigh.
"Meh," the boy replied with a shrug and eyed the android thoughtfully. "Andromon, I've been wondering…are you gonna, you know…be Andromon for good now?"
"I do not know," he answered honestly. "It is definitely possible. Before I met you, I had been Guardromon for a very long time and was close to Digivolving permanently anyway. We shall just have to see whether or not I de-Digivolve in the next few days."
"Uh, guys? On the topic of Digivolving," Takato began hesitantly. "I, uh…I noticed that Jeri never Digivolves Leomon in a battle. He's got an Ultimate form to Digivolve to – hell, he has a couple of them – so why doesn't she just swipe a blue card?"
"Because he doesn't want to Digivolve," Rika replied. "Leomon likes staying as Leomon and Jeri doesn't want to try and make him Digivolve."
"But wouldn't he be stronger as, say, GrapLeomon?"
"Have you seen Leomon fight?" Kazu asked with a chuckle. "Man, that guy could take on most Ultimate-level Digimon – he was ripping those Okuwamon to shreds back in the Swamp Level. He trains so much he doesn't need to Digivolve to kick ass."
"Heh, you have a point there," the goggle-wearing Tamer conceded with a grin. "Hey, Hawkmon? You sure you don't want to join in?"
"No, thank you," the shy little Digimon replied softly from his perch atop one of the massive beds. "Actually, I'd better be going. I have some things I need to get done before tonight."
"Oh, okay. Thanks again for everything!"
"It was no problem. You're planning to leave tomorrow morning, right? I'll be back tonight at around five to say goodbye and provide you with any supplies I can scrounge."
"Food?" Guilmon asked excitedly, his curiosity peaked, cheering excitedly when the red-and-white bird nodded slowly. "YIPPEE!"
Hawkmon left the motel with a brief nod to its grey-furred owner, who looked like he was half asleep behind his overly-extravagant desk. The bird stepped out of the door and immediately set off towards the east side of the city, dodging nimbly between larger Digimon as they stomped past obliviously. After a twenty-minute walk he reached a rather bland-looking, unassuming shop nestled between two much more imposing buildings. Hawkmon made a beeline for the shop, called "BlackGargomon's Everyday Emporium" according to the faded green-painted sign over the door.
"We're closed!" a gruff voice called as the red-feathered Digimon pushed open the glass door.
"Then life shall open your eyes," Hawkmon replied, a series of angry mutters reaching his ears as BlackGargomon hauled himself through the door.
"Life can bite my furry ass," the black-and-brown rabbit grumbled. "This had better be important, birdbrain. You interrupted my nap."
"I need the supplies listed here by tonight," the smaller Digimon said as he handed BlackGargomon a crumpled piece of paper. "It'll have to be ready by five o'clock at the latest."
"You don't ask much, do you?" the Champion snorted as he read through the list. "Yeah, I can get you this no problem. This for the, ah…new arrivals?"
"Yes."
"Man, it's hard to believe that four Tamers could manage to sneak into the city…so, they staying at Gazimon's motel?"
"You know I can't tell you that. And keep your voice down!" Hawkmon hissed with a suspicious glance around. "You never know who might be listening."
"Actually, I do," BlackGargomon chuckled and clicked his fingers twice.
"What do you-MMMPH!"
Hawkmon was cut off as a pair of rust-coloured metal arms erupted through the floorboards beneath him, one massive hand clamping his beak shut as the other encircled his entire torso, immobilizing him completely. The bird struggled for several seconds before a sudden blast of electricity surged through his body, sending him spiralling into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.
"Objective achieved," the Guardromon intoned as it stuffed the unconscious Digimon into a prison cell-like compartment in its torso. "Your assistance was most valuable, agent BlackGargomon."
"Anytime," the rabbit replied cheerfully. "So, where's my reward?"
"Initiating program: 'REWARD'," the android declared as its eyes flashed red. "Your services are no longer required by the Lord Sovereign."
"Wait, what are you…?"
"His Majesty Zhuqiaomon does not trust traitors," Guardromon sneered as its arms morphed into grenade launchers which were swiftly pointed at BlackGargomon.
Mountain Level – 12:08p.m.
"Grrrr…what's keeping that dumb dragon?" Terriermon pouted on top of his Tamer's head. "We've been waiting over an hour! We should just blast our way out of here and try to get to the Sovereign Level as fast as we can."
"Terriermon! Keep your voice down…" Henry hissed as he covered the rabbit's mouth.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with the little windbag," Gaomon muttered. "They have been keeping us waiting for too long. This smells like a trap to me."
"Yeah," Cam nodded with a wary glance at the Commandramon who still had their guns levelled at the group. "We need to at least have a plan ready in case they turn on us."
"That won't be necessary, kiddo," SargeCommandramon called from the cliffs above them as he suddenly reappeared in the middle of the semicircle of Commandramon. "Lower your weapons, men. His Divine Majesty Examon has granted the outsiders free passage through our lands. We are to show them the hidden paths and escort them to the Infiltrator Gate. That should cut a day or two off your travel time."
"Why are you helping us?" Leomon asked suspiciously.
"Because if you succeed, you'll have taken out the latest of the Mad Sovereign's schemes. If you fail, then there's no cost to us," the dragon shrugged and chewed on his cigar. "Now, get your little pink fairy buddy to float you all up here and we'll get moving."
City of Gear, Gazimon's Budget Motel – 5:35p.m.
"Damn it, what's keeping Akiyama?" Rika grumbled. "How long can it take to get across town and back? I want to get my hands on those stupid D-Comms."
"For that matter, I wonder where Hawkmon is," Takato mumbled with a worried frown. "I could have sworn he said he'd be back by now. I hope he's okay…"
"Ooooh, Takatomon…" Guilmon whined and tugged at the boy's sleeve. "I'm hungry…"
"Something doesn't feel right about this," Renamon muttered and clenched her paws into fists. "Andromon, are your sensors picking up anything?"
"No, nothing. All activity is within normal…" the android began, his mouth snapping shut suddenly as a worried look came over his face. "Wait, I am detecting something. A large number of machine-type Digimon are closing in on the area from all directions."
"Could it be the Guardromon? Have they found us?" Kazu asked as he pulled out his D-Arc.
"It is possible. No, wait – confirmed. They have found us. Several Digimon just entered the motel. They are currently in the reception area."
"Someone should go take a look," Takato mused as Guilmon's pupils narrowed and he let out a feral growl.
"I'll go," Rika volunteered, cutting off her partner's protests with a firm look. "I'm the smallest one here, so it'll be easier for me to hide. Renamon can come with me and we can Kohenkyo out of there if things get too dangerous."
"Be careful, Rika."
"This coming from the guy who goes to middle-of-the-night bio-emergences wearing yellow goggles and a bright blue hoody…"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Gazimon protested as Rika peered cautiously around a doorframe. The grey-furred, rabbit-like Digimon was being restrained by two Guardromon who were holding him a foot off of the ground by his skinny arms. "I've never even seen a human, never mind let one stay in my motel!"
"Incorrect," a third Guardromon snapped. "At 10:55 a.m. today, a Strikedramon and an Andromon checked into this motel. They were carrying backpacks made of cheap brown cloth."
Gazimon began to look panicked at this. "They were just travellers! They didn't have any hu-"
"Those Digimon were Tamed Abominations. Inside each of those backpacks was that Digimon's Tamer, plus another Tamer and their own Abomination."
"I didn't know!" the grey-furred rabbit wailed. "Please, the resistance just told me to give these guys a room – I didn't know they'd be with humans!"
"Irrelevant. You will tell us which room they are staying in."
"Room seven!" he lied. Room seven was on the far side of the motel to the Tamers' room. "They're in room seven, now please don't-"
"This information is appreciated. Your service to the Living God Zhuqiaomon is no longer required," the Guardromon intoned emotionlessly and levelled its grenade launchers.
"Wait, please, I can give you more information! I can tell you the name of my contact with the rebels – it's Haw-"
"Hawkmon has already been apprehended. His interrogation is what led us here. You are of no further use to us."
Gazimon let out a terrified scream that was immediately cut short as a pair of rocket-propelled grenades slammed into his midsection and detonated, tearing him to bloody scraps of data and reducing his ornate reception desk to splinters.
"We need to go now!" Rika hissed as she and her partner phased back into existence in the centre of the room. "Hawkmon was captured and interrogated. They know we're here."
"Looks like it's time to use the escape tunnel," Takato said and climbed onto the left-hand bed.
"Wait, how do we know Hawkmon didn't tell them about that too?" Kazu asked. "There could be a dozen Guardromon waiting for us at the end of that tunnel."
"I cannot detect anything inside the tunnel," Andromon began hesitantly. "However, it is likely that it is shielded against such methods of detection to protect against the sensors of the Guardromon."
"We don't have a choice!" the begoggled Tamer replied and pushed down on the bedpost, a loud click echoing from under the bed as a section of floorboards swung downwards to reveal a long, dark tunnel a little over eight feet high and wide.
"And I can't smell anything," Guilmon added as he sniffed cautiously at the entrance to the tunnel. "I think it's safe, Takatomon."
"We should split up anyway so we can't all be captured at once," Rika suggested. "Renamon and I can get out using Kohenkyo and we can meet up later."
"What about Ryo?" Kazu asked with a worried frown. "If he comes back here, he'll be walking right into a trap."
"We'll find him," Renamon promised.
"We should get out of here," Andromon suggested as he picked up Guilmon and the two boys, depositing them gently into the tunnel before climbing in himself. "They're moving in on our position. I estimate twenty seconds before they breach the door."
"Got it. Good luck," Rika called as the android closed the trapdoor behind him. "Renamon – let's go!"
Mere seconds later, the door to the room was blown to smithereens by a blast from a Guardromon's grenade launchers, revealing a room that was conspicuously empty of all life.
"Room eleven negative," it chanted. "Moving on to room twelve."
"Now that is what I call a successful outing," Ryo chuckled to himself as he typed a brief message into his D-Comm.
Yamaki,
We have managed to upgrade the D-Comms to let us talk to you. We won't be able to make the original rendezvous. Delay the launch of the Ark and wait for our signal.
Ryo
"And…sent!" he said with a triumphant grin.
"Ryo," Strikedramon growled, startling the boy. "Something is going on ahead, but I can't see what. I can see and smell smoke."
"Try and get a better view," he replied with a worried frown, his stomach lurching as the purple dragon leapt into the air and began quickly scaling the side of a several-storey building. "Well, can you see anything?"
"You…you'd better take a look at this," Strikedramon stammered and placed his backpack on the floor.
"What is it?" Ryo asked as the backpack was opened and a shaft of light nearly blinded him. The boy climbed out of the bag and blinked rapidly, his stomach tying itself in a knot as his vision cleared and he saw the source of the smoke.
Where Gazimon's motel had once stood, there was now a pile of smouldering rubble.
"What…how…" the Tamer stammered, his eyes tearing up as the awful sight sunk in. "Oh, gods…Rika…"
"You called?"