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-Three: Rendezvous

Tuesday 16th November – 9:02p.m.

Ashlands, Sovereign Level

Takato shifted and turned on Growlmon's back as he cast a nervous glance back over his shoulder at the fiery portal he and his companions had just emerged from, half-expecting to see a battalion of Guardromon come marching through after them. He was only mildly reassured when no such army appeared, continuing to look back every minute or so until the portal was out of sight.

"Wow, Goggles, you're even jumpier than Gaomon on caffeine," Rika chuckled quietly from Kyubimon's back as she noticed the boy's discomfort.

"Heh, sorry," Takato replied with a sheepish grin, a small laugh escaping his lips as he recalled the surreal sight of the normally-dignified Gaomon leaping around Henry's bedroom like a crazed hamster. "Cam really shouldn't have introduced him to coffee – I heard he didn't sleep for two days!"

"Maybe I should give some to sleeping beauty over here," the redhead suggested sardonically, a hint of concern creeping into her voice as she glanced down at the still-unconscious form of Hawkmon cradled in her arms.

"Uh, what actually happened to him?" the begoggled Tamer asked with a small frown. "I mean, I haven't exactly had time to ask what with all the running and hiding we've been doing."

"We certainly were busy," Kyubimon agreed. After they had escaped from Gear, the group had spent several hours on the run from Guardromon patrols that had been dotted around at the far end of their escape tunnel. They had been forced to go through the same nerve-wracking ordeal at around six a.m. that morning when a squad of Mekanorimon had stumbled across their campsite inside a small cave. Still exhausted from the previous day's exertions and not wanting to risk a fight, Andromon had hacked the sensors of the lead Mekanorimon and redirected the entire squad to a valley several miles away while he and the others had slipped away covertly.

"Rika? You don't look so good…" Growlmon noted as the girl glanced blinked rapidly and clenched her fists. He was right – she had turned an odd shade of green and looked to be in real danger of throwing up.

"I'm fine," she replied tersely and took a deep breath. "It's just that when we found Hawkmon he…he was in a pretty bad way."

"How bad?" Takato asked hesitantly, not entirely sure whether he wanted to know the answer.

"They…they'd tortured him. He was…"

"He was in worse shape than any living Digimon I have ever seen," Kyubimon said softly, saving her Tamer from having to finish her sentence. "Zhuqiaomon's minions had…desecrated him in ways I never imagined possible. We were barely able to heal him."

"The place was a slaughterhouse," Rika whispered. "There were dozens of other Digimon in there and…there was nothing left of them."

"I…damn…" Takato sighed with a shudder of revulsion. "Rika, I-"

"I'm scared," the redhead interrupted in a barely-audible whisper. "The guys who did this are the same ones who have my little sister. Those bastards have Sam…"

Suddenly, Rika's head snapped up, her eyes blazing with barely-contained fury.

"If Zhuqiaomon or his little slaves have hurt even one hair on her head," she began, her voice practically a feral growl. "I'll make them wish they'd never been born. I'll rip them apart byte by byte until they're nothing but spare data!"

Takato flinched as he felt a wave of irrational fear wash over him. Unlike the last time Rika had spoken words similar to those, he could clearly see that they were not a mask of meaningless bravado intended to cover up her own fears or insecurities. She meant every single word of it.

"You know, that's pretty much exactly what Renamon said after IceDevimon grabbed you in France," Takato noted with a small smile, making a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.

"Great minds think alike," the kitsune chuckled, eliciting a small smile from her Tamer.

Elsewhere in the Sovereign Level – 9:03a.m.

"Good morning sleepy head," Henry said with a small smile as Steph finally woke from her sleep.

"Morning already?" she grumbled reflexively, despite feeling more refreshed than she had since before being kidnapped. "What time is it?"

"A little after nine," the blue-haired boy replied.

"I was asleep for twelve hours?" Steph gasped in surprise. "I haven't slept that long in years! I didn't hold you guys up, did I?"

"Actually, no," Terriermon grinned from atop his Tamer's head. "Cam and MachGaogamon have been out scouting all morning – they only just got back."

"They find anything?"

"Hell yeah," Cam chuckled as he walked over to the trio. "We finally found the stupid statue where we're meant to meet the others. It's about an hour's walk from here, less for Rapidmon or MachGaogamon."

"Great, more walking," the girl sighed with a small smile to show she was joking.

"Actually, you won't have to walk," Gaomon corrected her as he joined the group. "I am perfectly capable of carrying both you and Cam as Gaogamon."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. The additional weight is tiny in comparison to what I have to carry anyway…"

"Hey!" Cam protested indignantly.

"You nearly threw my back out the first time you got on me!"

"That's 'cause I'm solid muscle, mate. Solid muscle!"

"That would explain his lack of a brain…" Terriermon muttered with a grin.

"Hey!"

Zhuqiaomon's Prison – 9:24a.m.

"Caturamon!" a manic, high-pitched voice called out and the bulldog turned with a sigh of irritation.

"What is it, Makuramon?" he growled impatiently as the monkey bounded over to him.

"I bring grave news regarding the fate of our dear brother Vajramon," Makuramon replied, injecting the sentence with more than a hint of sarcasm. "It would appear that the incompetent fool managed to get himself killed by the Abominations! They even took back his human!"

"Oh my," Caturamon gasped with mock surprise and horror. "How terrible! And it was you who sent him out on his little walk – you must feel so, so guilty. If only someone had pointed out what a bad idea it was…"

"Alright, you've made your point," the smaller Deva grumbled in response. "Why don't you just go all-out and start chanting 'told you so, told you so' like some newly-hatched Botamon?"

"Don't tempt me…" the canine chuckled. "So, what else do you want? You'd never come to tell me that if you didn't have something to distract me from gloating."

"You know me so well, dear brother," Makuramon sneered and rolled his eyes. "In his infinite wisdom, the Lord Zhuqiaomon has agreed to an idea I had that may make the remaining children easier to break."

"Oh, I'm intrigued," Caturamon said with a feral grin – a grin that only widened as Makuramon explained his plan.

"W-when do you think Steph is gonna get back?" Suzie asked her cellmate with a small shiver. "Do you think she's okay?"

"I don't know…" Sam replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You don't think they…kiwwed her do you?" the half-Chinese girl whimpered, her eyes welling up with tears at the thought. "I mean, she said that Vajwamon said that-"

"Shh!" Sam hushed her as she heard voices and footsteps echoing from nearby. "Somebody's coming!"

"Such a waste…" a voice that the girls recognized as belonging to Caturamon sighed. "I can't believe the foolish child refused to cooperate."

"It couldn't be helped," Makuramon's voice replied. "These humans are just so stubborn. Vajramon had no choice but to kill the girl – she was obviously a lost cause."

Sam's eyes widened in shock and Suzie let out a small whimper as the Deva's words echoed through the dark halls. Steph…dead?

"I do hope we don't have to resort to such extreme measures with the other two. It's so hard to get hold of new humans," Caturamon growled.

"Well, if they don't break within the next couple of days, the Lord Zhuqiaomon has given us the green light to use some more…extreme methods," Makuramon cackled. "I almost hope they don't break – I want a chance to try out that shiny new torture chamber on the humans!"

"If only Vajramon's little pet was still alive – we could have tested it out on her, seen how much pain a human can take before dying…"

As the footsteps and voices of the two Devas receded into the distance, the girls sat there in silence for several long seconds, before Sam broke down in tears.

"Th-they killed her…" she whispered as her tears cut twin channels through the grime covering her face. "They killed Steph!"

"I d-don't wanna die!" Suzie wailed and curled up into the foetal position. "I don't w-wanna be t-t-tortured!"

As the two little girls huddled together and wept for their "dead" friend, Caturamon and Makuramon fought to suppress their laughter. The Devas were hiding just around a corner a few metres away from the children's cell.

"Oh, this is brilliant!" the monkey giggled. "I wish I could see the look on their faces…"

"As do I," Caturamon chuckled quietly. "If only our Lord would actually let us into the torture chamber…"

"Give it a little time, dear brother. I am sure that the right moment shall come soon."

Ashlands, Sovereign Level – 10:47a.m.

"I see the statue!" Ryo called from atop his partner's back as the dragon flew in small circles high above the rest of the group. "It looks like it's about half an hour's walk away."

"What about the others?" Rika asked as Cyberdramon landed in a small puff of ash a few metres away. "Any sign of them?"

"None," the boy replied. "But I doubt they'd just sit around out in the open if they were there. They'd be visible for miles around."

"Is there anywhere nearby where they could be hiding?" Takato asked with a hopeful look. "Like caves or hills or something?"

"There's some hills a few hundred metres away from the statue," Cyberdramon growled. "They may not have gotten this far into the Sovereign Level, though."

"He's right," Kazu agreed. "They aren't actually meant to get here until tomorrow."

"For that matter, neither are we," Andromon added. "If we hadn't have been forced to flee Gear so quickly, we wouldn't even have reached the Sovereign Level yet."

"If we can get here early, so can they," Kyubimon pointed out. "But if they are not there, we should probably hide up in the hills. We do not want to risk detection by Zhuqiaomon's forces, especially not in the heart of his little empire."

Andromon nodded and was about to reply when Growlmon stopped moving suddenly and started sniffing the ground.

"What is it boy?" Takato asked with a confused, wary look.

"I smell Digimon!" the enormous saurian replied.

"Are they enemies?"

"I don't think so. It smells like…like…"

"Dashing good looks with a hint of pure awesome?" a familiar voice called out from up ahead as Cam and Gaomon stepped out from behind a good-sized rock, the latter rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"How about over-inflated ego with a dash of incompetence?" Cyberdramon suggested. "So, where are the others?"

"Up in the hills behind the statue," Gaomon replied, frowning as he noticed the unconscious form of Hawkmon cradled in Rika's arms. "Who's that?"

"This would be Hawkmon," the redhead replied. "He helped us out in Gear, but got captured and beat up pretty bad by Zhuqiaomon's minions."

"Is he alright?"

"We think so," Kyubimon answered hesitantly. "But we're not entirely sure. We think we managed to heal most of the damage when we rescued him, but he still hasn't woken up."

"Speaking of rescue," Cam began with a massive grin. "We ran into an old friend yesterday – Steph was out on a forced march with one of the Devas, Vajramon."

"Is she okay?" Takato asked with a worried frown.

"Steph is, Vajramon isn't. He's dead and gone, while our good old Goldilocks is waiting with the others. She says she can lead us to Zhuqiaomon's prison and show us where Sam and Suzie are being kept."

"No way!" the begoggled Tamer gasped, matching his friend's grin. "That's awesome!"

"Damn straight," Rika agreed, a small grin forcing its way onto her face. "Is Steph okay? What did she say about Sam and Suzie?"

"Steph was okay – covered in cuts and bruises, but otherwise she was fine," Gaomon replied. "She says that the others had it worse than her, but were still in pretty good shape, all things considered."

A look of indescribable relief washed over Rika's face as the worst of her fears were dispelled. She's okay… she thought as one of her small, rare, genuine smiles found its way onto her face.

The Tamers were reunited less than half an hour later, and spent the next hour recounting all that had happened to them. As Henry finished his account of the rescue of Steph and the girl explained her theories as to Vajramon's motivations, a soft groan echoed through the cavern where they were sitting and the unconscious form of Hawkmon began to stir softly.

"What the…? Where…am I?" the red-and-white bird croaked hoarsely.

"Hawkmon, it's okay," Rika reassured him gently as she rushed to his side. "You're safe. I…me and Taomon managed to heal you up and get you out of Gear."

"I'm…healed?" the avian Digimon gasped in surprise, sitting up suddenly and inspecting himself for signs of injuries. "But I was…how did you…?"

"Magic," Renamon replied with a small chuckle, frowning as he tried to stand. "You should take it easy. You've been unconscious for almost a day and you might not have regained all of your strength."

"Maybe some food would help," Kenta suggested and grabbed a loaf of bread from Cam's backpack. "Here, eat this – it should help replenish some of your energy. Taomon's spell must have taken a lot out of you."

"Thank you," Hawkmon mumbled as he began rapidly tearing chunks out of the loaf with his beak. The bread was gone within seconds and the bird began to look much better. As he brushed the crumbs off of his feathers, Hawkmon finally noticed that he was in unfamiliar company. "Erm, I don't think we've been introduced…"

"Actually, we were, but you were too busy catching some Z's to remember it…" Terriermon chuckled, receiving a swift knuckle-rap to the head from his Tamer.

"Do you mind?" Henry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, we might as well start, then. I'm Henry and this is Terriermon – and before you ask, yes, he is always like this."

"Hey! Just 'cause I'm short doesn't mean I won't kick your butt, Henry!"

"Unfortunately, the size of his ego more than makes up for his short stature," Gaomon muttered.

The Tamers set off again as soon as the introductions were done, Hawkmon accepting the invitation to accompany them. They headed south, away from the miniscule star-like dot in the sky that was the Earth and towards a mountain range that, Steph assured them, contained Zhuqiaomon's prison complex. The mood was light and spirits were high during the journey, the nearness of their goal placing almost everybody in a cheerful, talkative mood.

Hawkmon was the exception.

Sovereign Level – 4:45p.m.

I wonder what's up with him, Steph thought as she gazed at the silent, brooding form of Hawkmon. The little Digimon was sat atop Kyubimon's back and had barely said a word since they had set off almost four hours ago. I bet he's pretty messed up considering what happened to his friends in the resistance. Maybe I should try to talk to him…

An opportunity to talk quickly presented itself as the Tamers came across a gaping chasm that cut straight across the mouth of the canyon they were currently walking through. The chasm was much too wide for Taomon or MarineAngemon to float them across without causing severe exhaustion to both them and their Tamers – a dangerous prospect considering how deep they were into the Sovereign's territory. Most of the group stopped for a quick break while Rapidmon and MachGaogamon flew off with their Tamers to search for somewhere to make a crossing.

"Hey, Hawkmon," Steph called as she staggered over to the red-feathered bird, her legs unsteady from so long riding on Growlmon's back. Hawkmon was sat on his own, several metres away from the rest of the group and he looked up in surprise when he saw the girl moving over to join him. "You okay?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," he replied, turning his gaze to the floor.

"Are you sure?" the blonde-haired girl asked as she sat down beside him. "I mean, with everything that's happened over the last couple of days, I'd be pretty surprised if you were."

"I'm fine, really," the bird insisted unconvincingly. "I'm just still a little tired from…yesterday."

"Look, Hawkmon, if you need to talk-"

"I don't!" he snapped suddenly, sighing and shaking his head a second later. "I'm sorry, I just…I…"

"It's okay," Steph smiled gently in response and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I understand if you don't wanna talk about what happened yet. You should talk to somebody eventually, though."

The girl got to her feet and began to walk away when a hoarse whisper from Hawkmon stopped her in her tracks.

"I killed them."

"Uh, what?" Steph asked with a confused frown as she turned back around to see tears streaming down Hawkmon's cheeks.

"I killed them!" he repeated in a furious whisper. "It was me who recommended BlackGargomon as a contact, me who said he could be trusted. I was the one who got myself captured and tortured. I was the one who…broke."

"Hawkmon, you can't-"

"They're all dead because of me!" he cried bitterly. "Don't you understand? They were my friends! If I'd just been stronger, if I hadn't let BlackGargomon fool me, they'd all still be alive! We were this close to having the strength to liberate the city and I…I…"

"You can't blame yourself for that," the girl said softly. "I mean, everybody makes mistakes. And besides, if you hadn't made BlackGargomon into a contact for the resistance then they probably would have just sent somebody else after he'd failed. Then someone else would have been tricked and you'd have died along with the others."

"Maybe that would have been better…" the bird muttered angrily. "How am I meant to live with myself after what I caused? What reason do I have for living if all I do is screw up and get people killed?"

"I…I don't…"

"Maybe you are yet to discover your true purpose in life," a voice suggested from behind the pair, and they turned to see Renamon stood there with her usual unreadable expression. "Either way, you should not give up and wish for death simply because you made a mistake. The least you can do is honour the memory of your fallen comrades by continuing to live, by continuing to fight. To do any less would be letting Zhuqiaomon and his slaves win."

Hawkmon turned away and nodded slowly, gazing guiltily at the floor. "I…I guess you're right. I'm just a little…"

"It's alright," Renamon replied with a small nod. "You're not the first person here to have an emotional crisis. Just remember that you are not alone."

"Thank you…" the bird mumbled in a slightly embarrassed tone. "I, um…I'll remember that."

"Thanks," Steph said quietly as she and Renamon walked back towards the rest of the group. "I wish I wasn't so bad at talking to people…"

"It is alright," the kitsune replied. "You wanted to help, and that's what counts. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses."

"So what would my strengths be?" the girl asked with a hint of bitterness.

"You are kind, caring, intelligent and selfless," Renamon replied simply.

"Oh, um, thanks," Steph stammered, shifting uncomfortably at the unexpected praise.

"There are many different kinds of strength," the vixen continued. "Leomon once told me that. At the time I didn't understand, but now…"

"Hmmm…" Steph mumbled and looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "So, what are your weaknesses? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"Claustrophobia," Renamon growled with a small shudder. "I loathe being trapped in small spaces. I shall never know how you humans can stand to drive around in those vile 'cars' or get on those despicable 'aeroplanes'."

"I think my dad would agree with you on the second one…" the blonde-haired girl giggled lightly and shook her head.

Cam, Henry and their respective partners returned less than a minute later to report that they had found several points where the chasm narrowed enough for Taomon and MarineAngemon to float them across. The Tamers made for the nearest location, which was less than fifteen minutes away, managing to cross without trouble despite Ryo's worry that it may have been a trap. Unfortunately, by the time the group had crossed the chasm there was only forty minutes left until night-time. Spotting a series of small caves nearby, they opted to stop there and rest for the night.

6:32p.m.

"I can't believe how close we are!" Takato exclaimed excitedly as he gazed up at the muddy red sky. "I mean, we're only a day away from finally rescuing Sam and Suzie from Zhuqiaomon, and then we can all go home!"

"Probably more like two days," Steph corrected him hesitantly. "We probably won't get to the prison until pretty late tomorrow, and it might not be the best idea to launch an attack when we're tired out."

"Whaddya think we have Recharge cards for?" Terriermon asked rhetorically. "We can just slash a couple of them for you unlucky ones who actually have to walk, give you a quick snack, then we hit 'em with everything we got!"

"It would give us the benefit of surprise," Ryo noted with a grin. "Zhuqs will probably be thinking the same thing as Steph and won't expect us to attack after a whole day of walking."

"Um, we're not actually gonna have to fight Zhuqiaomon himself, are we?" Kazu asked nervously. "I mean, I know we're awesome and all that, but he's a Mega-level – and a powerful one to boot!"

"I don't think so," Steph replied. "The prison complex is separate from Zhuqiaomon's tower, and they're a pretty long way apart."

"Wow, humility from Kazu," Rika smirked. "Somewhere on Earth, a pig just sprouted wings…"

"Or Digivolved into Patamon," Kenta joked. "So, what's the plan of action?"

"It'd be pretty pointless making one now when we have no idea what we'll be up against," Henry frowned. "We'll have to make one when we get there and have actually seen the defences."

"Agreed," Rika nodded. "Though from what Steph told us it sounds like there's only one entrance, so I doubt our plan is gonna be any more complex than just rushing in and kicking the living cr-"

"Oh!" the blonde-haired girl suddenly exclaimed. "Um, I just remembered something. There's this arena where they used to drag us to for those stupid 'Bonding Sessions' or whatever they were called. The whole place is open-topped and there's a tunnel connecting it to the rest of the prison."

"How long is this tunnel?" Cyberdramon asked.

"I'm not sure – it took me about half an hour to walk along it when Caturamon dragged me off to meet Vajramon."

"We could probably do that in a third of the time," Renamon noted with a small frown. "Maybe less depending on who went."

"How big is the tunnel?" Guilmon piped up. "If it's too small, I might not be able to get through it as Growlmon or WarGrowlmon and then I wouldn't be able to help you guys very much."

"Uh, he has a point," Steph admitted with a wince. "There's no way WarGrowlmon could get down that thing. The rest of you would probably be okay, but…"

"I wouldn't recommend sending us all down that route anyway – having too many of us piling down some narrow corridors would be just asking for trouble," Ryo added. "Most of us should focus on attacking the main gates while two, maybe three others head through the back door. That way if we take too long to get through the front door, we can act as a distraction while the other team sneaks in and gets Sam and Suzie out of there."

"I'm going with the infiltration team," Rika said firmly.

"So are we," Terriermon added, his Tamer nodding beside him.

"I'm going too," Steph began, continuing before anybody could protest. "You'll need somebody to show you how to get to their cell or you'll get lost in there. And besides, there's a dead end about twenty minutes in. The only way to get further on is through a hidden door that you'd never be able to find on your own."

"Alright," Rika agreed with a nod of thanks to the taller girl. "Is the tunnel guarded?"

"It wasn't when I was there. I guess they thought the secret door would be enough defence."

"More fool them," Leomon chuckled as a hungry glint appeared in his eye. "Looks like the Sovereign's arrogance shall be his undoing once again…"

"So, what do you want me to do?" Hawkmon asked hesitantly.

"Uh, well…" Henry began, trailing off as he looked desperately over at Ryo.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but you're not gonna be much of a match for most of Zhuqiaomon's defenders," the older boy replied with a small grin. "They're pretty much all at Champion Level, so a lot of us are gonna have problems when you take their numbers into account."

"Maybe he could go with us on the infiltration team?" Steph suggested. "I mean, Taomon and Rapidmon are both pretty big and not exactly the stealthiest Digimon around, so it could be useful to have somebody a little more…um…"

"Shorter?" the bird-like Digimon suggested with an approximation of a tired grin.

"Well, I was trying to put it a little more diplomatically, but yeah."

"Hey, being short ain't necessarily a bad thing," Terriermon protested indignantly. "There are advantages to having a more…compact frame."

"Wow, diplomacy from Terriermon," Jeri giggled. "As if the Digital World wasn't weird enough…"

The next day's walk seemed to stretch on forever to the Tamers, their anticipation (or fear) of the coming battle warping their perception of time. Eventually, at around four o'clock in the afternoon, they came within sight of the Sovereign's prison.

Wednesday 17th November – 4:04p.m.

"Damn…" Cam breathed in awe, a hint of fear running through him as he and the rest of the group gazed down at Zhuqiaomon's prison complex.

The complex was closer to a fortress than anything else. Two thirds of the main building's perimeter was surrounded by enormous, impassable mountains, while the remaining area was defended by a set of three, concentric walls that seemed to rise out of the blasted, dusty red ground like natural outcrops of rock. The perfectly-smooth faces and sharp, neat corners quite clearly showed that they had been shaped by skilled hands, however, dispelling any notions that they were anything but expertly-crafted fortifications. The first ring of walls was around twenty feet high with a pair of towering gatehouses, the second about half that tall again with a single gatehouse while the third stood at a full forty feet high, its lone gatehouse topped with flame-wreathed stone effigies of Zhuqiaomon. Razor-sharp outcroppings ringed with battlements protruded from the tops of the walls at twenty-yard intervals, providing ideal firing positions for the fortress's defenders. The main prison building itself was much more underwhelming – a squat, ugly building only a single story high and made of the same red stone as the walls, with a fifty-foot, lighthouse-like tower attached to the rear.

The prison's defenders were even more intimidating than its formidable walls. Several dozen black-furred lizard-like creatures padded around in front of the outermost wall, each about seven feet tall and twice as long. Long, red talons sprouted from their fingers and toes, their rear claws carving huge gouges out of the floor as they walked. The creatures had two leathery wings that seemed to have been stitched together and grafted onto to their bodies as an afterthought. Their faces were covered by blocky metal masks, twin crimson orbs glaring ferally out of the eye sockets. The lizards' arms and thighs were armoured with thick rings of a dull, silvery metal bolted on with large, red rivets, while their lower legs and feet bore thick armour plates held on with enormous silver screws and the same red rivets. More armoured rings encircled their tails, which ended in bundles of long, multi-coloured wires sparking with electricity.

"What the hell are those…things?" Gaomon croaked with a growing sense of revulsion.

"DexDorugamon," Cyberdramon snarled in reply. "They are cybernetically-enhanced Undead Digimon enslaved by Zhuqiaomon to guard his realms."

"What are those things on the walls?" Henry asked as he peered closely at the silver shapes moving along the enormous red structures. "Are they…Tankmon?"

The odd Digimon certainly did look similar to Tankmon. They shared the same basic shape – an armoured lower half with two pairs of caterpillar tracks, a torso rising out of the propulsion unit topped with a snarling, bestial face fused with a tank's main turret, two arms with enormous machine guns where the hands should be. These Digimon were, on closer inspection, quite clearly not Tankmon, however. Their armour was a dull silver instead of green, and where a Tankmon's torso unit was organic, theirs were made up of a mass of silvery cables in a grotesque parody of human musculature.

"They are the ForgeTankmon," Leomon answered him. "They are similar, but are made entirely from robotic components and have no free will. Along with the DexDorugamon, they make up the main part of Zhuqiaomon's elite forces known as the Genesis Guard."

"They don't look so tough," Rika snorted contemptuously as she glanced at her D-Arc. "They're only Champions! Me and Taomon could take them on no problem."

"Don't underestimate them," Ryo warned her. "The Genesis Guard are to normal Champions what the Devas are to normal Ultimates. They're a lot stronger than they look – just one of them could take on a relatively-weak Ultimate."

"Boy, did you guys pick the short straw…" Terriermon giggled from his usual perch, earning himself his usual rebuke from his Tamer.

"We could still swap roles, you know!" Gaogamon grumbled.

"We'd better split up here," Steph said and pointed to a small hill in the distance just to the left of and a little way behind the fortress's formidable defences. "I think the arena is just over there, so we should be able to get there unnoticed if we keep to those hills over there."

"Sounds good. I can't wait to get my hands on those scumbag Devas," Rika agreed with a cold, bloodthirsty smirk. "Keep an eye on everyone while I'm gone, Jeri – try to make sure Gogglehead doesn't do anything too stupid."