15) Panic in the Subway
"You get that e-mail off? Make it look like it came from the headmaster of Ruki's school?", he asked Henry.
"Piece o' cake"
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Sir, I... don't understand..."
"Chief Yamaki, I must insist you break off your liaisons with the Makino girl. Some very disturbing rumours have come to my attention..."
"She's been a valuable asset for the protection of the children..."
"Do I need to spell it out for you? Very well, then: are you fucking her?"
"How could you insinuate..."
"I have an e-mail from the headmaster of her school. He denies he ever sent it, but he did confirm that he's seen you with her, right outside her school. Meeting her there was very foolish. I'm not accusing you of any impropriety, but Yamaki, that's not good enough for someone in my position. Even the appearance of impropriety is something that both of us need to avoid.
"And need I remind you of just how precarious your position is? After your failed test of Shaggai, no one was supposed to even suspect its existence, and you totally screwed the pooch there, didn't you?"
"We're fixing it".
"And that's the only reason you still have a position with Hypnos. No one else understands the system as well as you do, and a replacement is going to be extremely difficult to find on any sort of short notice.
"From now on, avoid Makino like the plague. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes, sir, very".
His partnership with Ruki Makino had worked to both their advantages. It kept Wild Ones away from kids who thought to domesticate them, and it also meant fewer Tamers, less chance to lose her special status as one of a tiny elite, less chance that someone could come along, and depose her from being the Digimon Queen.
Now, it was all over. There was no way Yamaki could chance being seen with Makino now, too much risk in sending e-mails, and even cell phones were a good deal less private than most cell phone users believed. He had a good idea who was behind these rumours of sexual impropriety. Unfortunately, that girl was so screwed up that disproving it would be next to impossible.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
It was early in the morning at a station of the Oeda line, the clock on the schedule board flashed 0:44. The subway rent-a-cop was more supporting, than escorting, a very drunk man: "Party a bit too hardy last night?", he asked.
"Juss lee me, life SUX", he slurred with a very furry tongue.
"You can't stay here. I'll call you a cab, get yourself home and sleep it off"
The security guard didn't see it: the "mist" that was coming down the subway tunnel. Two glowing red eyes appeared.
"It's a... snake! It's a giant snake! A GIANT SNAKE!"
"I always thought it was pink elephants", the guard replied. "No matter, a little hair of the dog that bit-cha will make the snakes go away".
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Jenyra, Koichi, Takato, and their partners had gathered at the park. This was a part of a playground where there were these animals that kids could play on and underneath. Takato said he wanted to show them something, but was rather evasive about what, exactly.
"We're the only ones who can fight off these digimon who invade the Material World", Henry said.
"Thanks for that observation, Great Master of the Obvious", Koichi replied. "But he's right, there must be some meaning behind all this. It didn't just happen for no reason. Nothing ever does".
"That's right", Takato agreed, "we're a team!" ("Now Guilmon")
Guilmon stuck his head inside a nearby shelter, and pulled something out. It was a banner with some very horrible drawings of Henry, Takato, Koichi, their partners, and Calumon. Along the bottom: "Digimon Tamers". It was attached to a thin bamboo pole.
"It's our flag", he announced.
"How corny", Terriermon observed.
"I can't believe he actually made that", Jen agreed.
Koichi knew that Takato's desire to draw would always exceed his talent: "I dunnow", he said, "but I kind'a like it".
"Really?", Takato asked.
"Really".
A sudden gust caught the banner, as Guilmon wasn't expecting that, he lost his balance, breaking the pole as he fell.
"Guilmon!", Takato reprimanded.
"I owe you one", Terriermon said.
"They're having fun, culu?", Calumon told himself, as he looked on from the top of a lamp post.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Takato!", his father called out, "you have visitors".
"I wasn't expecting any", he thought to himself. It was a Sunday morning, and this was most unusual. He went to the front door... Nine kids from his class was there: Kenta, Kazu, Juri, Yuki, and some others whose names he didn't recall straight offhand. It was pretty obvious what they wanted, after Juri had run her yap before homeroom, the day after meeting Guilmon; after what they'd seen at the Hypnos building.
"We're goin' out" Takato announced.
"That's fine", his father agreed.
"OK, then, follow me", Takato led the group to Guilmon's shed.
"What you have here is a real, live digimon", Kazu was lecturing, "Guilmon". Kazu had a tendency to do this, act like he was in charge of everything. There were the expected "ohhhhh's" and "awwwwwww's".
They gathered around Guilmon.
"Takato's friends are my friends", Guilmon announced, as he received pets.
"Guilmon will be our secret", Kazu was saying.
"That 'secret' already got out", Takato kept that to himself. Kazu couldn't help being, well, Kazu.
"Look what I found", Kenta called out as he pushed an abandoned grocery cart. "Let's ride Guilmon on it!"
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Ruki had accompanied her grandmother to the theatre to see a play for children her age. This was one thing Ruki was looking forward to: being out with her grandmom, as she much preferred her company to that of her mother, whose only interest was in shopping. A play, with live actors, no delay, no redo's for blown lines or missed marks, not on a screen, was something she didn't get to see very often. It was the thoughtful gesture she long ago gave up expecting from her selfish excuse for a mother.
This particular play was about a man and his anthrocanine partner. She felt a twinge of conscience, contrasting the relationship being enacted on the stage, and her betrayal of her own anthrocanine partner.
She recalled that incident at Icedevimon's icy lair. Renamon broke through the ice, attemped to attack Icedevimon. He dropped her before she could take a shot. How she failed, once again. The offer of partnership with the more powerful Icedevimon, and her agreeing to Tame the fallen angel digimon.
Icedevimon was a better partner anyway, and the one she should have had from the very beginning. She wanted a strong digimon, and there was no doubt that Icedevimon was a strong digimon indeed. He could kick ass the way Renamon never could.
Even better, he wasn't trying to insinuate himself into her life the way Renamon always did. He knew how to mind his own business, and allow her to mind hers. There were no more lectures every time she had an argument, or blew up at her mother when she did something selfish. He wasn't trying to make her change into his image of the ideal partner. She wondered why she put up with Renamon's bullshit – and about a lot more than her endless excuses for not evolving – for as long as she did.
"You people think this is a fairy tale", she thought to herself, "you have no idea".
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"What a fool you are!", Impmon was beginning another one of his rants. "Playing silly child games. You really are a pathetic excuse for a digimon!"
"Huh?", Guilmon asked, as he wondered if this was meant for him.
"Takato, is he a digimon too?", Juri asked.
"Uhhh, yeah, but it's best to ignore him", he advised. Maybe he would cease and desist if he received no attention?
"I think he's one of the bad guys", Kazu said.
"Don't you understand that they're using you like a toy? What's next? Will you let them dress you in diapers, and make you drink milk from a bottle? Is there no limit to the nonsense you'll endure at their hands?!"
"Introducing Guilmon's newest attack: Guilmon Missiles", Kenta announced as he placed wads of tissue paper in Guilmon's nose. One sharp exhale, and the wads went flying farther than Kenta expected. Everyone cheered and congratulated. Apparently, there wasn't.
Kazu was pushing Guilmon on the cart: "Guilmon missiles!", he ordered. He shot the paper wads, hitting Kenta in the back.
"Ahhhhhhh... Yeh got me!", he called out as he enacted his death scene. Everyone was laughing.
"Oy Vey!", Impmon exclaimed. "He's even happy when they stick paper up his nose. That's really dumb. He's a Dumbmon..."
"You...", someone called nearby, startling him.
"Are you jealous of Guilmon?", it was Renamon.
"Don't startle me like that!", he reprimanded. "How could you even ask? That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard you say!"
"Oh, I dunnow: for someone so 'disgusted' (finger quotes) you spend an otherwise pleasant afternoon subjecting yourself to such torture. You can't find a better use for your time? Food for thought", as she leaped to another tree.
"You get back here and explain yourself!", he ranted after her.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
"Rumiko? We should be home directly", Sieko was telling her daughter as she and Ruki waited at the subway platform. "Ruki really enjoyed the play..."
"It was a cute story, you should have come..."
Ruki's digivice alerted: an incursion was in progress. The direction finder was pointing in the same direction as the tracks ran. Whatever it was, it was materializing somewhere in the tunnel.
The characteristic "fog" came rolling down the tunnel, as Ruki pulled on her sunglasses. Her grandmother shielded her eyes from the sudden glare. She began hustling her grandmom towards the stairs leading to the street: "We can't stay here!", she explained, tricking her into believing she was coming too.
Between the thickening "fog", and the increasing glare of the digital field, the subway rent-a-cop didn't notice Ruki.
"C'mon, you need to leave!", he ordered Seiko.
"My granddaughter...", she protested.
He either wasn't paying attention, or he didn't hear, as he forced her to evacuate. The digimon had appeared: that "snake" from earlier that morning was back. Ruki ran an "ident", but was coming up with no data. That meant one thing: newly created digimon. It also meant something else: ally.
"Icedevimon!", she called for her partner. He appeared as quickly as Renamon would have.
The "snake" looked at them and growled.
"Yes, Ruki?"
"If we have any interference, you know what to do".
The "snake" was definitely sizing them up, not attacking.
"We're on your side", she told the snake digimon. By this time, the data had arrived. Santiramon was his name. "We work for the same one you do". After Yamaki explained he could no longer have anything to do with her, she'd found a new ally who would support her endeavor to remain the biggest fish in a pond she was determined to keep small.
Jen and Terriermon were heading from the opposite direction, as they were returning from Jen's latest Kenpo lesson. Terriermon was imitating the moves he'd seen Cho-sensei teaching his partner while pretending to be a plushie.
"Terriermon, a little less enthusiasm, if you please? You're attracting too much attention".
"It's boring. I wish something interesting would come up". He was about to get a lesson in be careful for what you wish...
"A digimon!", Terriermon declared, as soon as they'd exited the subway car. The conductor saw it too, and hit the "panic" button that automatically sounded an alarm, and opened all the doors at once. People began streaming for the nearest exit.
Whatever this thing was, all it did was open its mouth. The whole subway train began "dissolving", in the same manner as a digimon being deleted and breaking apart into raw data. Henry noticed two things at once: there was a young child left behind, and Icedevimon and Ruki were coming at him.
"Ruki! Stop! There's a..."
"Zero Freeze!", Icedevimon attacked.
Terriermon had to dodge that attack, as it would have taken him out. Henry still held the "Wargraymon" card he was intending to use to equip Terriermon with Wargraymon's shield.
Santiramon next barfed up a large spear. It was too late. Between that "spear", which was really an energy attack, and whatever else this thing had launched, the entire subway train simply disappeared. A distraught woman was calling for "Taka-chan".
"Ruki! How could you! Terriermon could have saved... You just murdered a child! DAMN YOU!"
"Chlorine for the gene pool", she laughed, "not my fault if it was too stupid to get off".
"THAT'S IT! Super Evolution Plug-In S: digimodify!"
Terriermon Evolve! ...
... BLACKGALGOMON!
"What the... what kind of evolution is this?!" As he looked on, unbelieving, at what Terriermon had just become. Jenyra had just received his first lesson in Dark Digivolution. "What have I done?"
This galgomon had dark tan, with a hint of orange fur, black mask, and wore black trousers. The ears tipped in orange, not the pale green he was used to seeing Nothing like the Galgomon he knew from the video game, the underground garage, or the fight with Musyamon. Henry ran an ident:
Blackgalgomon
Anthro animal digimon
Champion, Virus
Attack: Gatling Arms
Blackgalgomon swung his twin 0.50s in Ruki's direction. This is what Jen intended to do when he scanned that card: order Galgomon to shoot Ruki. Now, he could only watch in horror, as his desire was about to become reality.
"Icy Shower!", Icedevimon struck first, knocking Blackgalgomon's aim off, sending the bullets whining off the wall behind Ruki.
Ruki had her digivice at the ready: "Super Evolution Plug-in S!"
Icedevimon Evolve! …
… MYOTISMON!
"Night Raid!", Myotismon struck back.
"Gatling Arms!", Blackgalgomon shot at the "bats" that was really an energy attack. He didn't stop them all, though he considerably diluted the power of the attack. He was still knocked off balance.
"Night Raid!", he struck again, this time doing more damage as Blackgalgomon dropped to the floor.
Myotismon rushed in: "Blood Punch!", he struck. Blackgalgomon began to "phase out", his outline going all fuzzy several times. The Light of Evolution surrounded Blackgalgomon, as he devolved back to Terriermon.
"Blood..."
"Forget that!", Santiramon ordered. "He's no threat now! Let's go!"
Myotismon and Ruki climbed on to the snake's back, who took off down the tunnel.
"Terriermon!", Henry called out as he ran to his partner. "Tell me you're alright. Please be alright..."
"Mou... men... tai".
"Terriermon", he said as he hugged the small dog/bunny.
"I don't want to do that any time soon. That one: he really packs a wallop. Give me a moment or two, and I'll be good as new", Terriermon reassured.
Something else was coming down the tunnel: Kyuubimon and Koichi, who rode her like a horse.
"Jen? Glad to see I have some extra help. No idea where Takato got to".
"Get them!", Jen called back. "I'll look for Takato".
"Hyperspeed Plug-in B: digimodify"
"Hang on", Kyuubimon ran much faster, then propelled herself down the tunnel with an enormous blast of foxfire.
"C'mon!", Jen said to Terriermon, as he placed the digimon on his head, and began to run for the most likely place for Takato to be on a Sunday afternoon: the park.
Impmon had seen from the street. He knew what he had to do... He took his own brand of shortcuts back to the park.
"Those kids have made you so GOD DAMNED useless you don't even know there's a digibattle raging right beneath your feet!", he accused as he stood above them, on the branch of a tall tree.
Guilmon hadn't been paying attention, but now he was: "He's right, there are digimon down there".
"Yeah, they're fighting for their lives and you're shooting snot-balls!"
"A real digibattle?", Kazu said, "that's so damn cool! I gotta see this! C'mon, the subway!"
"Wait!", Takato called out. "You can't... this isn't a game, and it is dangerous. You, all of you, need to stay away. I mean it, it's for your own good".
Kazu was a bit disappointed, but understood his point: "It's best if we do like Takato says, and wait for them here. If he says it's too dangerous, then he means it".
"Guilmon!"
"Rock 'n' Roll Breaker!", Guilmon began to dig another tunnel to intercept the subway line running under the park.
"Wait, Takato, before you go, take this card", Kazu offered him one of his best, and rarest, cards.
"Good luck!", Juri called out.
"Do your best!", Yuki encouraged.
"Kick ass!", Kenta added.
"You're welcome!", Impmon sarcastically called out from his perch in a tree overlooking the scene.
"Demon Spirit Fireballs!", Kyuubimon was attacking Myotismon. This time, instead of flinging them off her tails, she transported them all around her intended victim. He leaped clear just as they exploded.
"Demon Spirit Fireballs!", she attacked Santiramon to warn him off. So far, Santiramon was content to let his minions do his fighting for him. He knew the others were no threat to him.
"Night Raid!", Myotismon retaliated against Kyuubimon.
"Foxfire Dragon!"
The two attacks neutralized each other.
"I need a f'kin Blue Card!", Koichi called out. There was nothing more he could do for Kyuubimon, and it was obvious that Kyuubimon and Myotismon were equally matched, but neither a match for Santiramon, and he wasn't on Koichi's side. "I wonder how Jen's making out?"
Santiramon was charging up an energy attack, as the back of his throat began to glow. Before he could launch it, Takato and Guilmon dropped from the ceiling, landed on Santiramon's head, distracting him, and bounced and rolled to the floor.
"'Bout damn time you two showed up", Koichi said, "We got a real problem here!".
"We need your power", Kyuubimon said.
"Not a prob", Guilmon said.
"Super Evolution Plug-in S: digimodify!"
Guilmon Evolve! ...
... GROWLMON!
"Night Raid!", Myotismon attacked Growlmon, knocking him to his knees, threatening to immediately devolve him.
"Kazu, I'm using your card", Takato said: "Power Charger: digimodify!"
An orange glow surrounded Growlmon.
"Exhaust Flame!", he retaliated.
"Foxfire Dragon!"
Myotismon took a direct hit from the combined attacks, and began to devolve.
"If only I had one of those damn Blue Cards!", Koichi said, just as he spotted Calumon, who'd been there for how long he didn't know. He saw the red triangle on his forehead begin to glow...
Kyuubimon Matrix Digivolve ...
... TAOMON!
"Let's get the hell out of here!", Ruki told Icedevimon, as she helped him to his feet.
Santiramon was charging up that attack again.
"Together now", Taomon announced, as she produced the calligraphy brush.
"Bonhitsusen!"
"Exhaust Flame!"
They hit Santiramon almost at once. Santiramon dropped, but he wasn't quite done. Jen and Terriemon were just now arriving. Jen decided to enter the subway from a different station, as he wasn't making very good time running. If there was anything he could do... Now, he was just in time to witness the end of the battle.
Santiramon laughed, though it didn't look like he had anything to laugh about.
"I have failed", he announced, "but you have not won. Prepare yourselves, human-loving digimon, for your destruction is at hand. My brothers, my fellow Deva, will avenge my death".
"Who are the Deva?", Taomon asked.
"Twelve servants sent to demonstrate the power of God. Twelve servants to bring God's wrath upon those who dared to attack our world".
"You mean there are eleven of you freaks still out there?", Terriermon asked.
Santiramon was laughing again, and continued laughing until he burst into data.
"What is a 'Deva'?", Jen asked.
"They're...", Koichi began to explain.
"Later, how about getting the hell out of here?", Takato announced, as he pointed up at the opening Guilmon made.
Up in the park, wide eyes surveyed Growlmon and Taomon with "ohhhh's" and "ahhhhhh's" being all Takato's classmates could say.
"They're all digimon?", Juri's friend, Yuki finally asked.
"Yep", Kazu confirmed.
Too little, and way too late, the sound of approaching sirens was heard.
"Better get the digimon out of sight", Takato said. He got no complaints, as they all ran off into the woods.