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-Four: Jailbreak
Wednesday 17th November – 4:07p.m.
Near Zhuqiaomon's Prison, Sovereign Level
A low growl rumbled from the throat of one of the prison's DexDorugamon guards as it suddenly stopped its pacing and glared suspiciously at the variously-coloured flares of light shining behind the nearby hills. The vicious creature's growling grew louder and it took a few steps towards the jagged mounds of earth, alerting the ForgeTankmon patrolling the wall above it to the possibility of danger.
"Filthy animals," one of the mechanized Digimon grumbled to its partner as they trundled past the black-furred saurian. "Always jumping at shadows…"
"Yes, and I thought the Mekanorimon's anti-theft systems were over-sensitive. It is fortunate that it does not rain here or they would be going off with every drop of w-"
The android never got to finish its sentence, cutting off with an oddly-metallic gurgle as a sleek, silver missile slammed into its torso and reduced both it and its partner to shards of scrap metal. A series of feral roars tore from the DexDorugamon as a warbling alarm rang out, concealed spotlights flaring into life and illuminating a shadowy figure that rose into the night sky with terrifying grace.
"Desolation Claw!" Cyberdramon roared, sending a glimmering wave of energy tearing towards a knot of DexDorugamon that were stampeding towards him. Two of the beasts were cut to ribbons by the attack, a third losing a leg and being crushed to death under the feet of those following it.
A heartbeat later, the dragon was skimming along mere feet above the ground and was practically on top of the pack of undead monstrosities. He lashed out with repeated roars of "Cyber Nail!" cutting down five more of his foes. As the remaining DexDorugamon – over twenty of them, all told – surged towards him, Cyberdramon leapt back into the sky with a feral chuckle, his pursuers spreading their wings and leaping into the air a second later.
"Atomic Blaster!" Takato and WarGrowlmon called in unison as the cyborg fired twin beams of crimson energy that tore through the air less than a metre behind Cyberdramon's armoured tail, incinerating half a dozen DexDorugamon and batting seven more out of the sky. A dozen more of the feral Digimon were reduced to spare data as they tried in vain to dodge around the energy beams, their high flight speed preventing them from turning anywhere near quickly enough. Cyberdramon let out a triumphant roar as he somersaulted in mid-air and nose-dived straight towards the remaining DexDorugamon – a total of eleven Digimon, including the seven injured ones who had all survived their falls. The dragon twisted again as he neared the ground, trying to land on his feet, but was sent flying backwards several metres by an incredibly strong impact on his chestplate. Suppressing a snarl of pain, he leapt to his feet, dodging to the side quickly as another ForgeTankmon took a pot-shot at him.
The near-deafening screaming of jet engines from behind him promised Cyberdramon that the enemy artillery would not be a problem for much longer. A chilling howl echoed from the hills as MachGaogamon rocketed overhead, his course taking him towards the left-hand side of the outer walls a few metres away from where they joined onto the cliffs surrounding the rear of the complex. A ForgeTankmon let out a panicked cry and began desperately blazing away at the werewolf with its machine gun arms, only to be sent flying off of the back of the wall with a crushed skull as its target slammed into it fists-first. Two more androids swivelled in place and opened fire with their own weapons, only to be torn apart by twin blasts from the canine's howling cannons.
"Panzer Cannon!" a dozen metallic voices droned as one, a wave of deafening gunshots ringing out as MachGaogamon leapt into the air in an attempt to dodge the barrage of shells arcing towards him. He almost succeeded, a single shell slamming into the championship belt slung across his chest and sending him crashing back down to the top of the wall with a cry of pain that was mirrored by his Tamer almost half a mile away. With a victorious battle cry, the tanks began trundling towards the prone werewolf, taking careful aim with their weapons.
"Fist of the Beast King!" a voice roared from behind the tanks and a blazing orange fireball in the shape of a lion's head slammed into the back of one of the silver Digimon. The fireball melted straight through the ForgeTankmon's torso causing it to detonate spectacularly, throwing two of its fellows from the walls. Turning to face the new threat, another tank had its head sliced in two as Leomon leapt down from the cliffs next to the wall, lashing out with his sword as he fell. A volley of machine gun fire tore towards the leonine warrior and he raised his left arm, the heart-shaped pink bubble mounted on his forearm like a knight's shield blocking the storm of bullets with ease. The ForgeTankmon unleashed another hail of fire on the lion as MachGaogamon rose to his feet with a furious roar, grabbed the nearest tank by its head and crushed it in his giant metal fist. The werewolf then proceeded to use the ForgeTankmon's corpse as a makeshift flail to batter its allies into oblivion, only stopping when the body finally realized that it was dead and disintegrated into data. A few seconds later, Leomon pulled his sword free of the last ForgeTankmon's chest and MarineAngemon poked his head out of the lion's mane, sending a stream of healing bubbles floating towards the wounded MachGaogamon.
"Thanks," the werewolf chuckled. "They almost had me there."
"Don't thank me yet," Leomon warned him, pointing behind the canine's back. "There's still a hell of a lot more of them to go."
MachGaogamon turned and let out a sigh of irritation as he saw that the twenty ForgeTankmon still left manning that portion of the wall had formed up into ordered ranks and were advancing towards them menacingly.
"Well, isn't that just bloody marvellous?"
Ashlands – 4:07p.m.
"Come on…come on…" Rika whispered to herself as she stared down at the enormous, ruined Roman-style coliseum that concealed the secret entrance to Zhuqiaomon's base.
"Wow, and I thought I was jumpy…" Rapidmon chuckled quietly before straightening up suddenly. "I can hear gunshots."
"So can I," Taomon agreed. "The battle must have started. Time for us to make our move."
"Finally," her redheaded Tamer muttered as the two Ultimates took off, Henry and Hawkmon riding on Rapidmon's shoulders while Taomon carried the two girls.
They landed on the western side of the massive arena, right in front of a barred iron gate that lay at the mouth of an unlit, rock passage just wide enough for Taomon and Rapidmon to advance side by side. A quick blast from Rapidmon's missile launcher was enough to remove the obstacle and the two Tamed Digimon were soon racing down the passage at breakneck speed.
Hold on Sam, Rika thought and gripped her D-Arc. I'm coming.
"Looks like they're in trouble," Kazu noted with a worried frown as he stared at Leomon, MachGaogamon and MarineAngemon, who were struggling to hold off the ForgeTankmon. The garrison on the second wall had joined their comrades on the first in their bombardment of the three Digimon, and the fairy's shield was barely holding. "Anything you can do, buddy?"
"I believe so," Andromon replied calmly and turned to WarGrowlmon. "Cover me, please."
"Okay!" the enormous cyborg replied cheerfully, immersing himself in his link with Takato as he aimed his chest cannons at the walls. "Atomic Blaster!"
The twin beams of energy soared straight over Andromon's head as he leapt down from his hilltop perch and set off towards the walls at a run. An explosion rocked the first wall as WarGrowlmon's attack struck home, vaporising three ForgeTankmon and throwing five more off of the walls. The fall was nowhere near enough to kill them, however, and the tank Digimon quickly righted themselves, fired boosters concealed on the bottom of their drive units and began slowly ascending into the air to re-join their comrades on top of the walls.
"Oh no you don't," Andromon muttered as his chest plates swung open. "Gatling Attack!"
A pair of silver missiles erupted from the android's concealed launchers in twin bursts of smoke and fire, each one arcing towards the blocky form of a slowly-rising ForgeTankmon. One of the tanks was obliterated in a burst of fire and a deafening explosion, while the other let off a well-aimed salvo of machine gun fire that blew the second missile out of the sky.
"New target acquired," the ForgeTankmon intoned emotionlessly as it landed atop the wall. "Eliminating intruder. Panzer Cannon!"
As the shell arced towards him, Andromon's perception of time slowed almost to a standstill and he heard his Tamer's voice call out in the back of his mind. "Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed activate!"
The android leapt into the air with blinding speed, somersaulting repeatedly as he passed over the cannon shell and rocketed towards a rather surprised ForgeTankmon. With a shout of "Lightning Blade!", he engaged his twin energy blades and lashed out at the tank. His first left blade struck first, amputating the ForgeTankmon's left arm with surgical precision. As he barrel-rolled in mid-air, Andromon brought his right-hand blade around in a forehand slash that clove his foe's head clean in two, detonating a cache of ammunition stored somewhere inside its metal chassis.
A chorus of machine gun fire greeted Andromon as he landed in a fighting crouch, the rounds ricocheting off of his armour with a chorus of metallic clangs. As he felt his Tamer reaching out to him through their bond, the android launched into a series of dizzying stabs and slashes with his energy blades, reducing a trio of ForgeTankmon to piles of debris and slag. A slight breeze tickling across the side of his face warned Andromon of an incoming attack and he bent over backwards, ducking under the swinging arm of a ForgeTankmon, a long, serrated bayonet protruding from beneath each of its machine guns. Before the anthropomorphic tank could attack again, it was struck between the shoulder blades by a burst of sonic energy that sent it flying a dozen metres through the air, tearing a hole straight through the metal torso in the process. With a nod of thanks to MachGaogamon, who proceeded to pummel another ForgeTankmon into dust with unhealthy enthusiasm, Andromon leapt back into the fray, launching blasts of electricity and slicing with his impossibly-sharp energy blades with unerring accuracy.
"This is a tough battle," Leomon growled to his comrades as he yanked his sword free of an armoured, turret-like head. "I don't think I've ever been tested this much by a fight – and this is only the first wall of three!"
"We'd better hope that Rika and Henry can get in and out of there soon," MachGaogamon replied, his words being punctuated by another blast from WarGrowlmon's cannons. "Because I don't know how much longer we can hold out."
"CATURAMON!" a familiar, shrill voice shrieked from behind the dog Deva as he padded along a long, dark corridor at the heart of Zhuqiaomon's prison complex.
"Yes, Lord Commander?" the canine replied, his words dripping with scorn.
"What are you doing in here?" Makuramon asked in the same panicked voice. "We are under attack! You should be out there on the walls, fighting the Abominations!"
"But commander, you didn't order me to go out there…"
"I shouldn't have to!" the monkey exclaimed angrily. "We are being torn apart by those filthy humans and their little pets!"
"No, we are not," Caturamon growled in an irritated tone. "I have just come from the walls. Our defences are perfectly capable of rebuffing our current enemy."
"But the first wall-"
"Is the most weakly-defended of them all, and we have another two walls behind it. They will not make it through," the dog replied in a tone that a human would have used to placate a young, incredibly stupid child. "Whatever your other merits may be, I am far more experienced as a military commander. A good leader always listens to advice from a superior source of knowledge."
"Hmmm…" Makuramon grumbled and stood up a little taller in an attempt to regain some of his lost composure. "Well, if things startlooking dire…"
"Then my presence will make little difference."
"I was going to say that if things start looking dire," the monkey continued, suppressing a growl of irritation. "Then I want you to make sure that our enemies don't get their hands on the prisoners."
"Oh, so how should I do that?" Caturamon asked with a hopeful look.
"Move them if you can. Kill them if you can't."
"So we're going for a 'scorched earth' policy, then?"
"Precisely. Now, I want you to watch over the battle. Send somebody to inform me if things take a turn for the worse."
"Of course, Commander."
Tunnels beneath Ashlands – 4:13p.m.
"It's a dead end," Rapidmon reported as he advanced into the next chamber with his missile launchers raised. "I guess this must be where the secret door is hidden?"
"Yup," Steph confirmed as Taomon gently set her down and she walked over to what looked like a small claw mark on the far wall. "The door is hidden just behind that outcrop of rock to the left. Now, I'm pretty sure the button that Caturamon pressed was right…over…here!" she finished with a triumphant flourish as she reached under a seemingly-ordinary rock and flicked a tiny switch. With the deafening sound of stone grating on stone, the small, rocky outcrop descended into the floor, revealing a passage just wide enough for Rapidmon to squeeze through.
Unfortunately, said passage was currently blocked by a rather surprised looking ForgeTankmon.
"Intruders!" it wailed and quickly took aim at Rapidmon with its head-mounted cannon.
"Talisman Spell!" Taomon shouted in reply, throwing a glowing white spell paper that formed into a small, transparent shield around the ForgeTankmon just as it fired its cannon. The shell detonated less than a metre after it had left the barrel, destroying the shield and sending the tank flying back several metres, its head cannon warped and deformed by the point blank detonation. A quick follow-up attack with a Talisman Star removed what was left of the machine's head and the mangled body soon disintegrated into data.
"Well," Rapidmon began cheerfully. "That went well."
"It's a good thing that shield managed to contain most of the blast, or else that passage could have collapsed!" Henry noted with a small frown. "Nice work."
"Let's keep moving," Taomon suggested as she cracked her knuckles. "Somebody may have heard the battle – if we start moving now, we may be able to catch up with any sentries before they warn the main base."
As it turned out, there had been one more sentry guarding the hidden passage into the prison – an Ogremon who was fast asleep. All it took was two swift slashes from Taomon's Talisman Stars to ensure that the ogre would never wake.
Meanwhile, the first wall had fallen to the rest of the Tamers and their Digimon, and Cyberdramon had finished munching his way through the DexDorugamon, swiftly moving on to a direct assault on the second wall. The ForgeTankmon were surprised by the near-suicidal move, and lost two of their number to a well-aimed Desolation Claw attack before they could respond. As the guns on the third wall joined in and he was faced with an overwhelming volume of fire, Cyberdramon was forced to turn and retreat back behind the safety of the first wall.
"We need a plan," Jeri said firmly as the rest of the Digimon joined the black-armoured dragon behind the enormous stone structure, with the exception of WarGrowlmon, who was still stood with the children on the nearby hills and was providing artillery support.
"There's no way we can even get near them," Ryo replied with a shake of his head. "They've got overlapping fields of fire from every angle, and when you add the third wall's guns into the mix…"
"What if Takato slapped WarGrowlmon with a Power card and kept bombarding them?" Cam suggested hopefully.
"Not a chance – we can't take out enough of them with one shot for that to work, and by the time we'd fired enough shots to have done any real damage, the first wall would have crumbled into dust," Kenta answered miserably.
"I think I have an idea," Takato said as an odd glint entered his eye.
"Oh, no – I know that look! Don't even think about it, Takato…" Cam warned him, but it was too late – the shorter boy had immersed himself in his link with WarGrowlmon and the enormous cyborg had lifted him up onto his shoulder.
"Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed activate! WarGreymon's Brave Shield activate!" the begoggled Tamer called and slashed a pair of cards as his partner's engines cycled up to full speed. A hexagonal shield appeared in the massive saurian's metal claws and he leapt into the air, flying at a speed that should not have been possible for such a large creature. A number of ForgeTankmon switched their aim to the new, rather more visible target as it rocketed towards them, their shells ricocheting off of the Brave Shield and denting its golden surface, but doing nothing to the creature behind it.
"If he doesn't pull up, he's gonna hit the first wall…" Kazu noted, wincing as WarGrowlmon did exactly that, sending a series of cracks through the massive structure. With a roar, WarGrowlmon cast aside his shield and slammed his left fist into the base of the wall, his right fist striking it soon after about twenty feet further along.
Shaking himself free of their bond, Takato slid down his partner's back and took cover between his legs, the saurian's hunched stance providing him with ideal cover from the enemy fire. Adjusting his position so that he was less likely to be hit by a stray shot, he quickly drew another two cards and slashed them through his D-Arc.
"Digi-Modify! Digmon's Drill activate! Strength activate! Boy, I hope this works…"
With a huge roar of effort, WarGrowlmon slammed both of his drill-encased fists into the wall near where it joined the ground, slicing upwards with another roar and tearing a pair of gaping rents in the stone surface. As the drills encasing his claws disintegrated into data, he took hold of the enormous chunk of wall and tore it clear of the ground with yet another roar, hefting it over his head like a massive stone shield. Seeing his plan, his teammates gathered beneath the shielding bulk of the makeshift shield as WarGrowlmon advanced towards the next wall. A deep, throaty chuckle left the cyborg's throat as he reached the base of the second wall and swung the enormous chunk of masonry in an overhead strike like an oversized club, sending a spider's web of cracks across its beige surface. A second and then a third swing widened the cracks to the point where a man could easily fit inside the largest of them, though as he went in for a fourth swing, WarGrowlmon's makeshift weapon finally crumbled in his hands under the unrelenting punishment inflicted upon it by the ForgeTankmon's bombardment. Refusing to be defeated, he immersed himself in his link with his Tamer once again just as the boy slashed a Power card and began charging his chest cannons.
"ATOMIC BLASTER!" they bellowed as one, the twin energy beams slamming into the already-weakened surface and reducing a significant portion of its lower half to dust and rubble. An ear-splitting groan echoed through the area as the upper half of the weakened section sagged and began to tumble towards the Tamed Digimon, only for WarGrowlmon to catch it and throw it straight back over his head, along with the dozen Tankmon currently stood atop it.
With a roar of triumph, the saurian's comrades leapt, climbed, floated on pink bubbles or flew up either side of the ragged breach in the wall, laying into the bewildered defenders before they could resume their deluge of fire. WarGrowlmon, meanwhile, grabbed hold of his Tamer and leapt into the air, unleashing another Atomic Blaster on the enemy forces moving from the far side of the wall to where his allies were before soaring back towards his previous firing position atop the hills with the aid of another Hyper Speed card.
That was…impressive… Caturamon admitted to himself grudgingly as he observed the battle from the tower attached to the main prison building, WarGrowlmon's display of raw strength forcing praise even from the hate-filled mind of the dog Deva. In the wake of the attack, the rest of the Abominations had torn through the second wall's garrison, and were now spread out all along the length of the wall, each Abomination isolated by a knot of ForgeTankmon but still holding their own. It will not be enough, though. The ForgeTankmon on the second wall will slowly wear them down until they are exhausted. Then, when the second wall is all but lost, the third wall's guns shall open fire, obliterating the Abominations. And of course, Makuramon will try to claim the credit for my beautiful defence strategy.
Caturamon's train of thought was interrupted as he spotted the diminutive leader of the Devas running out along the third wall. "What is he doing?" the bulldog asked himself as he saw the monkey run up to the ForgeTankmon command unit and start shouting orders, leaping up and down on the spot like a small child having a tantrum. The silver-armoured tank's next words were cut off by Makuramon, the Deva throwing a fireball at its head and reducing it to molten slag. With a near-feral scream that Caturamon could hear even from his distant vantage point, the monkey pointed down at the second wall, continuing in a slightly more sedate tone that the blue-furred Deva couldn't quite make out as he issued a series of orders. A spark of rage and horror ran through Caturamon as the ForgeTankmon turned their guns on the second wall and opened fire.
"You fool!" he snarled to himself as Makuramon's stupidity made itself apparent. He's opened fire too early! The Abominations haven't been worn down enough by the Genesis Guard – they'll be able to dodge these volleys with ease, and he'll do more damage to our forces than theirs! With the forces on the second wall slain by our own guns, the third wall won't have enough firepower left to hold them off!
With a howl of pure rage – not at the lives of his men being lost, but at the defeat that would inevitably follow Makuramon's foolishness – Caturamon tore down the stairs in the prison tower, heading straight for the cell of the captured humans.
At least his idiocy means that I get to have some fun…
"What is going on?" Antylamon asked a Goblimon as it hurried past her in the direction of the surface.
"We are under attack, honoured one!" the little green creature replied. "We have been ordered to report to the surface and repel the invaders! Orders from Commander Caturamon!"
"Who is attacking us?" the rabbit Deva demanded, attempting to cover up her shock and distress with a stern façade. If the Goblimon are being sent out, that means that the walls are doomed…
"The Abominations!" Caturamon's voice growled from behind her. "Makuramon has managed to make a complete mess of things – they'll be getting through the third wall within minutes."
"So much for maintaining the morale of the troops…" Antylamon muttered as she saw the terrified expression on the face of the Goblimon.
"It matters not. This fortress is doomed," the dog snarled in reply, turning and padding further back into the complex, in the direction of the barracks and the prison cells. "We are leaving – we need to carry word of our glorious commander's failure to the Sovereign."
"Wait, the exit is this way. That just leads-"
"I know, but I have one last order from Makuramon to carry out…"
"What do you think's going on up there?" Suzie asked her friend softly. The sounds of rapidly-moving footsteps, clanking armour and guttural voices had been echoing from nearby corridors for several minutes now, and it was obvious even to the two little girls that something important was happening. "Do you think they're having a party?"
"They'd all sound a lot happier if they were going to a party," Sam noted with a thoughtful frown. "I think I heard one of them say something about a fight…"
"Oooh!" Suzie squealed excitedly. "Do you think somebody's come to wescue us?"
"They might have," Sam replied, her own mood brightening at the prospect of imminent 'wescue'. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it! Rika and Henry and the others must have come to rescue us!"
"How astute," a familiar voice sneered, and the girls turned to see Caturamon push open the door to their cell, Antylamon advancing beside him with a worried expression. "It's such a pity they'll be too late."
"W-what do you mean?" Suzie whimpered in fear.
"I mean that Antylamon and I finally get to do exactly what I've wanted to do ever since you set foot in this prison!" he replied with a booming laugh. "Bao Chui!"
"Bao Fu!"
"I can't believe them!" Leomon growled angrily as he cowered behind the second wall along with his fellow Digimon. "Opening fire on their own troops – how barbaric!"
"It wasn't even that effective," MachGaogamon muttered thoughtfully. "If they had just waited until the ForgeTankmon had worn us down a little more, I doubt we'd have been able to move quick enough to get out of there in one piece."
"You are correct," Andromon agreed. "Taking into account the rate at which we have been expending energy, I calculate a 78% probability that we would have been too exhausted to dodge their barrage."
"And they wouldn't have completely wasted the lives of their comrades," Cyberdramon snarled as he struggled to hold his chest armour together. The black metal was fractured in multiple places and blood seeped from several of the cracks. A white light suddenly washed over the dragon's wounds as his Tamer slashed a Seed of Health card, and he straightened up, rolling his shoulders with a feral grin. "In fact, I think they wasted so many lives that we might be able to make it to the wall without being torn to shreds."
"It is a distinct possibility. Using one of MarineAngemon's shield bubbles, we would have a 71% chance of all of us reaching the walls intact. If we were to split up and attack from two routes at once, having the members of one group enhanced with WarGreymon's Brave Shield modify cards, the number climbs to almost 100%."
"And who said maths was useless…" Leomon chuckled to himself.
"Cam," MachGaogamon replied glumly.
"And Kazu," added Andromon.
"Puhpi…"
Rika barely even dared breathe as a mob of Goblimon tramped past the rather Spartan bedroom that she and her fellow infiltrators had chosen as their hiding place. When the echoes of footsteps had receded into the distance, the six humans and Digimon leapt into action, padding as quickly and quietly (not very, in Rapidmon's case) down the corridor as they could until they reached a large, wooden door that stood slightly ajar.
"This is it," Steph whispered. "Their cell is just through here."
"I hear voices," Rapidmon hissed and pushed the door slowly open to reveal a corridor over a dozen metres long that led into a prison cell that looked like it had been taken from an old Western. Inside the cell were a strange, blue-furred, bulldog-like Digimon and a tall, equally-strange, brown-furred rabbit-like Digimon, both with their backs turned to the group.
I guess those are the rabbit and dog Devas, Rika thought to herself as the dog (she remembered Kenta calling him Caturamon) continued talking.
"It's such a pity that they'll be too late."
"W-what do you mean?" a voice that she recognized as belonging to Suzie whimpered.
"I mean that Antylamon and I finally get to do exactly what I've wanted to do ever since you set foot in this prison! Bao Chui!" the dog roared and leapt forwards, somersaulting in mid-air.
"Bao Fu!" the rabbit added as she leapt forwards, her hands morphing into wickedly-sharp double-headed battleaxes.
"NO!" Rika and Henry screamed in unison as the world ground into slow motion, giving them a perfect view of the events of the next half a second.
With agonizing slowness, the rabbit's right axe-hand came around in a backhand blow that sliced Caturamon in half at the waist, her left axe-hand arcing around to slap the two halves of his massive body to the side, deflecting them away from the back of the cell. The remains of the dog Deva fell to the floor with a wet slap that echoed down the corridor, time reverting to its normal speed as they hit. As she used the momentum from her attack to pivot on the spot, the rabbit Deva spotted the newcomers and instinctively half-raised her axe hands before forcing them to fall to her sides as she realized their identities.
"You would be the Tamers, I presume?" she asked politely as a shell-shocked Sam and Suzie peered hesitantly around her legs. "I am Antylamon, the rabbit Deva."
"R-Rika?" Sam stammered as she caught sight of her sister.
"Sam?" Rika whispered and blinked rapidly to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "SAM!" she yelled joyously as an enormous, genuine smile worked its way onto her face and she ran forwards to embrace her little sister.
"HENWY!" Suzie squealed as she and her elder brother ran towards each other, meeting halfway in a rib-crushing hug. "Oh, Henwy! I was so scared – the Devas were so mean to use! They made us do wots and wots of nasty exercise and they wouldn't wet us sweep for wong enough and they…they…"
"It's okay," the boy said soothingly as she broke down in tears. "You're safe now. They can't hurt you anymore."
Rika and Sam's reunion was much less dramatic, though no less emotional for it. The two sisters pulled each other into a tight hug, a few silent tears of relief escaping the younger girl's eyes as she buried her face in the turquoise cloth of the shoulder of Rika's shirt.
"I knew you'd come," Sam whispered softly, her sister hugging her tighter in response. They stayed like that for over a minute, until the brunette caught sight of something in the doorway of the corridor and her mouth fell open in shock as she untangled herself from her sister's arms. "Steph?"
"Nice to see you too," the blonde-haired girl replied with a gentle smile.
"St-Steph?" Suzie stammered as she too caught sight of the older girl. "But Catuwamon and the monkey said…they said that you were dead!"
"They what?" Henry gasped in horror. "Why would they…how could they be so cruel?"
"It makes sense," Steph said quietly, looking disgusted but not all that surprised by the revelation. "The bastards probably thought it would mess with their heads even more and make them become Tamers to Caturamon and Makuramon quicker. Or they could have done it for fun…"
"Both, probably," Antylamon nodded sadly. "I…I only wish I'd had the courage to do something sooner. My cowardice caused you that much more suffering…"
"No!" Suzie squealed in protest and glared sternly at the rabbit. "You're not a nasty Deva like the west of them! You were nice to us wots of times, and you never said mean things or hurt us wike Catuwamon or Makuwamon! You're our fwiend!"
"I, um…" the Deva stammered, taken aback by the little girl's stubborn verbal defence. "Thank you."
"It is we who should be thanking you," Taomon said with a soft chuckle. "You saved their lives."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for you…" Rapidmon began.
"We have a problem!" Hawkmon hissed from the doorway, where he was keeping watch. "It looks like a bunch of Goblimon and Ogremon have decided to desert – they're heading further into the caves."
"It is likely that they are heading for the hidden passage leading to the arena – I assume that is how you got in?" Antylamon asked.
"Yeah," Rika nodded. "Is there any other way out?"
"There's the main door. Normally it would not be an option, but your friends are doing much better than expected thanks to some…tactical misjudgements by Makuramon. They should be done by the time we get there."
"Then let's get moving," the redhead replied. "The longer we stay in here, the greater the chance that-"
"INTRUDERS!" a high-pitched, manic voice shrieked from outside the door, and the children and Digimon turned to see the familiar form of Makuramon. "Kill the Abominations!"
The sea of retreating Goblimon and Ogremon didn't even miss a single step – they pushed straight past the demented monkey and kept heading for the exit. A squeal of indignant rage left Makuramon's lips as he realized he was being ignored and he turned to face the Tamers by himself.
"So, you've rescued your little friends then?" he sneered as he glared at the terrified forms of Suzie and Sam, who were cowering behind Taomon's legs. "I guess this means that you eliminated Caturamon before he could carry out his mission. Such a shame…"
"Makuramon," Antylamon called softly, stepping forwards while holding her open hands out to the sides to show that she meant him no harm. "Listen to me, brother. The humans are not our enemies."
"Antylamon?" the diminutive Deva spat, as if the name were a horrific insult. "I should have guessed that you would betray us. Your vaunted compassion always was your greatest weakness."
"Makuramon, it doesn't have to be like this," the rabbit continued. "We have all been deceived. Zhuqiaomon has been lying to us for all this time – he is not a god, but merely an ordinary Digimon!"
As the words left Antylamon's mouth, Makuramon burst out into a fit of insane giggles.
"Do not laugh – it is true!"
"I know!" he cackled between laughs as he clutched his ribs. "Oh, you brilliant…wonderful…glorious fool! I have always known! I can't believe any of you were stupid enough to ever believe that insanity!"
"Then why…why did you serve him? Why did you commit all those atrocities, kill all those innocent Digimon?"
"Simple," the monkey shrugged with a manic grin. "Because I enjoyed it. PRIMAL ORB!"
The sudden attack caught Antylamon off guard and the flaming ball of gold slammed into her, throwing her back against the wall. Taomon and Rapidmon had barely taken a single step forwards when a second ball rocketed towards them, expanding suddenly into a translucent golden sheet that covered the end of the corridor, trapping them inside.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Makuramon giggled. "I can't have you interrupting my little moment with Antylamon now, can I?"
"BAO FU!" the rabbit roared, slicing at him with her axe hands.
"Primal Orb!" the monkey cackled in reply as he leapt over the attack, slamming another fiery ball into the back of Antylamon's head and knocking her to the ground. "Now, now, dear sister. You and I both know that I'm just too fast for you."
"Bao Fu!" the taller Deva called again, slashing with her axe-like hands and missing once more. "I am going to make you pay for what you have done! At least the other Devas had some form of excuse, however feeble, for their actions. They were brainwashed, indoctrinated by that monster of a Sovereign into doing his will. But YOU! You knew what you were doing! You maimed, tortured and killed innocent people just for your own amusement! You are everything that is wrong with the Digital World, and I will MAKE YOU PAY!"
"Oh, would you just shut up already? Primal Orb!" Makuramon grumbled and launched a volley of fireballs that slammed into the rabbit's chest, sending her flying through the air and tearing a shriek of pain from her throat.
"NO!" Suzie screamed as the massive Deva's data fizzed and sparked, digital blood leaking from a cluster of ragged wounds on her chest and pooling on the floor around her. Suddenly, a white light flowed from the fallen Digimon's body and she was replaced by a small, rabbit-like Digimon that looked very similar to Terriermon, except that she had three horns instead of one and her fur was brown and pink where Terriermon was white and green.
"Oh dear," Makuramon sighed with a malicious grin. "It looks like my last attack may have been too much for you. How does it feel to be so powerless, so helpless in the face of your own death, Lopmon?"
"Go…to hell…" Lopmon croaked as a glowing ball of fire appeared in her opponent's hand.
"WOPMON!" Suzie wailed as the fireball descended towards the rabbit's head, a ball of white light suddenly appearing in her hands. Lopmon's eyes snapped open, waves of pink light shining out into Makuramon's face, blinding him temporarily and making him hiss in pain.
"What…what is this?" he gasped and leapt back as the little rabbit climbed to her feet, her wounds closing in front of his eyes. Noticing the light shining from Suzie's hands out of the corner of his eye, he glanced over at the girl, his eyes widening in shock when the light resolved itself into a pink-ringed D-Arc. "You…that's not possible!"
"I beg to differ, brother mine," Lopmon chuckled and got to her feet. "Now I know why Zhuqiaomon wanted to harness the power of Tamed Digimon. I can feel the power…so much power, flowing through every fibre of my being. Power that you will never be able to obtain! This power comes from the emotional bond between a Digimon and its Tamer, from the genuine care they feel for each other. This is why you could never force these humans to become Tamers, and why no human would be capable of becoming a Tamer to a heartless murderer like you!"
"You teww him, Wopmon!" Suzie cheered and punched the air, the screen of her D-Arc flashing suddenly white as it came into contact with Makuramon's barrier. With the sound of breaking glass, the barrier shattered into tiny fragments of data that quickly floated away down the long corridors. "Oops…did I do that?"
"My barrier!" the monkey squealed like an angry toddler, wincing in fear as Taomon and Rapidmon began advancing menacingly towards him. "This isn't over, humans! I will make you burn for this humiliation!"
With that, the leader of the Devas bounded away down the stone corridor, heading for the not-so-secret exit in the Arena. As soon as he was out of sight, Lopmon collapsed with a sigh of exhaustion, her newly-minted Tamer rushing to her side in concern.
"Wopmon?"
"I am alright," she reassured the girl, letting out a squeak of surprise as she found herself pulled into a rib-cracking hug.
"Oh, Wopmon you were amazing! You totawwy showed that mean owd monkey!"
"Thank…you…" the rabbit croaked and struggled to escape her Tamer's embrace. "I…can't…breathe…"
"Oh, sowwy…" Suzie giggled and loosened her grip marginally.
"We really had better get moving," Rika suggested as Henry stared at the two partners with undisguised shock. "And close your mouth, Brainiac…"
The blue-haired boy's jaw snapped shut with an audible click and he climbed aboard his partner's shoulder as Taomon summoned a Taijitu disk.
"I feel your pain," Rapidmon chuckled to Lopmon as he took off, leaving the little rabbit with a confused look.
"Lightning Blade!" Andromon called triumphantly as he swung his energy blades, neatly slicing the last of the ForgeTankmon into quarters that quickly disintegrated into data. "Thank science that's over."
"That was…a difficult battle…" Leomon gasped and fell to his knees in exhaustion.
"Pipipuhpi…" MarineAngemon agreed as he launched a series of healing bubbles at his comrades, landing on Leomon's shoulder when he was done and letting out a relieved sigh.
"I hate to break up the victory celebrations," MachGaogamon began and pointed towards the main building of the fortress. "But we're not done yet."
An irritated groan left Leomon's throat as he peered over the rear edge of the enormous third wall, seeing well over a hundred Goblimon and dozens of Ogremon advancing slowly towards them. "They really don't know when to give up…"
"They know we're exhausted. It's only a matter of time until they w-"
MachGaogamon's pessimistic prediction was cut off as a red beam of energy suddenly tore straight up through the roof of the prison complex's main building, a green blur moving at incredible speed following close behind it. The blur launched a volley of rockets that detonated in the midst of the Goblimon formation, killing two dozen of them and throwing their ranks into confusion. While the Rookies were milling about aimlessly, torn between fighting and fleeing, a translucent white dome ascended from the ruins of the prison, flying over them towards the walls.
"It's Rapidmon and Taomon!" WarGrowlmon cheered excitedly as he spotted the white dome looming over the walls, the rabbit following close behind it. "And they've got Sam and Suzie!"
A chorus of cheers erupted from the Tamers gathered around his feet, cheers that only grew louder as the two Ultimates grew closer, the other Digimon following in their wake. The dome touched down noiselessly, Rapidmon landing with a satisfying thud after firing another barrage of rockets at the distant walls to dissuade any pursuers.
"Get on board, quickly!" Taomon said as a doorway opened in the side of the dome. The children complied, their partners de-Digivolving (where appropriate) and joining them as they arrived. Rapidmon was the last to de-Digivolve, letting off one last volley of missiles and rockets that knocked the twin statues of Zhuqiaomon from the top of the third wall's gatehouse before returning to his natural form of Terriermon.
"Heh, sorry, couldn't resist…" he chuckled as he retook his usual seat atop his Tamer's head. Suzie, meanwhile, blinked in surprise and stared at the little Digimon. "Uh, hey Suzie!"
"TEWWIERMON!" she squealed in excitement and grabbed the cream-and-white-furred rabbit before he could escape, hugging him tightly against her chest. "Oh, I knew you were awive! I knew my Pwincess Pwetty Pants would come to save me!"
"Can't…breathe…need…air…" he gasped, earning a sympathetic look from Lopmon.
"I feel your pain…"