28) Demon Lord, Digimon Queen
"What is it?", Leomon asked Juri.
"Nothing, just a bit tired".
Juri never complained about anything, so if she said she was tired, then they knew she meant it. Impmon, Jen, Takato, Juri and their partners had been on the move since Koichi and the others were caught up in that data stream. They still had no idea when - or if - they would be back.
"Maybe it is time to take a break", Takato suggested.
If they had not paused, they would not have seen it: "What's that, over there?", Impmon asked.
"Looks like houses", Terriermon replied.
There were dome shaped structures in the distance, off to their left. Their colour matched that of the surrounding sand, their outlines broken up by the bits and pieces of old boiler plate and other fixtures. Whoever lived here was obviously not willing to advertise their presence.
As they approached the village, it was obvious that there was neither rhyme nor reason to the planning. The dome shaped structures were placed where ever their owners happened to build them. The grounds filled with odd bits and pieces of discarded junk, sheet metal, old boiler plate, machine and auto parts, and the odd dust packet.
Some of the structures had been demolished by something, but were neither rebuilt not torn down. As far as they could tell, this settlement or village had been abandoned. Or had it?
"Tire tracks?", Jen asked himself, more than anyone else.
"IS ANYBODY HERE!", Juri called out.
"You sure are... brave, Juri", Takato remarked. He wasn't sure if she was brave or foolish, calling attention to themselves like that.
Guilmon's ears pricked up.
"That sound", Terriermon said.
A few seconds later, the humans heard it too. It was something they had not heard since leaving the Material World, and something they definitely were not expecting to hear here: an engine. A large, powerful street bike turned onto the "lane" where they were standing.
It popped a wheelie.
"It's coming this way!", Takato announced the obvious.
"Dodge it!", Leomon commanded.
It turned around: "It's coming after us!", Takato warned.
"How?", Juri called out. "No one's driving it!", she did not notice its diminutive driver, and neither did anyone else.
"Split up!", Jen commanded.
They broke up, going down different "lanes" between the randomly scattered houses.
"Shit!", Takato called out, "looks like we pulled the short straw! Run Guilmon!".
A glance back: "Faster Takato!", Guilmon called. They were nearing the end of the "lane", as one of those houses was directly in the way. They saw a panel of boiler plate drop. A small. dark figure stepped out. Takato and Guilmon ran in different directions, as Leomon scooped the small figure into his paws and got out of the way.
The motorcycle came on, slammed into, and through, the house. Caught on the front fender was another, larger figure that burst into data. The motorcycle roared off into the desert, the sound of the engine fading into silence.
"What the hell was that?", Guilmon asked.
Boiler plate dropped from doorways. More boiler plate and old hubcaps were removed from windows, all filled with the dark faces of figures looking very much like ginger bread men.
"Lots of weird guys came out", Terriermon noted. They were surrounded by what looked to be fifty or more.
"We didn't have anything to do with it!", Takato called out. Being outsiders, he didn't know if they would hold him responsible for bringing in that bike, or if they might assume its rider was one of their party. He finally thought to check his digivice:
Chuchidarumon
Mutant anthroform digimon
Rookie Level...
One of them with a commanding presence stepped forward, looked Takato and his companions over. He made his decision, communicated with a wordless nod. They had received their approval. This one must be the village chieftain, Takato decided.
He was proved correct as he and his party were invited to the largest home, located in the approximate center of the haphazard village.
Stepping inside, they saw that most of the living space was underground. The inside was "decorated" with all sorts of old junk: obsolete computers, old fashioned analog clocks, an old cabinet radio that looked like it came out of 1930.
The Chuchidarumon were either the Digital World's junk dealers and/or obsessive pack rats.
"We're grateful to you for saving one of our own", the chieftain told them. "Go on, eat as much as you like", he indicated a platter stacked high with what looked like softball sized malted milk balls, more than they could reasonably finish in one sitting. "Or maybe the flavor isn't to your liking?"
"We can eat these?", Jen asked.
"Thanks for the food", Juri said.
Juri picked one up and took the first bite. She gave a "thumbs up" approval, as her mouth was too full.
"It's good!", she announced when she was able.
"Juri", Takato said at this latest display of trying new things, of not being afraid.
It was obvious that whatever this was, it was a Chuchidarumon delicacy, and just about the only luxury they could offer to what few guests came to this village.
Digital World: Unknown Location
Ruki had been walking for days now. Ever since dropping into the Digital World, discovering the fall didn't kill her, she had felt compelled to follow this path. She walked across a wide courtyard of green stones. She couldn't tell how far it extended since the weather had turned foul, with the thickest fog she'd ever seen. She thought of places noted for their fogs: London, Maine, the Scottish Highlands. Was it as bad there?
She felt colder than it really was. This damp gloom brought on a shiver. She looked up into a whiteness whose only details were that of swirling mist.
"IS ANYBODY HERE?!", she called out in frustration.
A dark figure appeared. Was it always there, now revealed by the shifting mist, or did it just appear as if in answer to her call? She couldn't tell...
"Is someone there?", she called out as she ran towards the figure. As she drew closer, details and colour emerged from the mist. It was big, blue and yellow: a foo dog. She saw no signs of motion, and she walked completely around it, examining every detail. She stood before it once again, and looked up at its smiling visage, the smile looking more like a leer.
"Just a statue", she said to herself. She turned to continue on her way.
"Do you want to be the strongest Tamer?", it asked.
This surprised her so, that she backed away, tripped over her own feet, and landed on her butt.
"So you're a digimon after all", she said. "Why did you scare me so?!"
"Do you have the fortitude to Tame multitudes of digimon?"
"I suppose you're a Deva?", she asked.
"A Deva is a servant of God; I serve my Master", an answer that answered nothing.
Chuchidarumon Village
"Round and round and round and round...", Guilmon was playing with one of the Chuchidarumon children. He was twirling them with his hind legs, as he lay on his back.
"Thank you for the meal", Takato was telling the village chieftain, as Juri had collapsed into a hammock. "It was excellent"
"I'm pleased to know you liked it", the chieftain replied.
"Is it OK, to be helping humans like this?", Jen asked.
"I don't see why not?", the chieftain said, "after all, you did help us".
"He's worried you might be punished by the Deva for helping us", Terriermon explicated.
"Deva?", the chieftain asked, "I know nothing of this 'Deva' of which you speak. This place is the grave yard of drifting data, a forgotten village. We bother no one, and no one bothers us..."
"Then what of that Iron Beast?", Leomon objected. "It would seem it bothers you a great deal".
"We can't explain that", the chieftain shook his head sadly. "It just showed up one day, and ever since then, it has rampaged through our village, then goes off into the desert. Some believe it is looking for a rider, but it will find no rider here".
"All those wrecked houses... the Iron Beast did that?", Takato asked.
"Yes", he said. "When the Iron Beast appears in the village, we know there will be a victim".
"That's not right!", Takato declared.
"Then why don't you just beat it?", Terriermon asked.
"Terriermon!"
"So you just let it come, do damage, and hurt your people?", Leomon asked, doing his best to keep the contempt he felt out of his voice. "And you do nothing about it?"
"If you stay here, then more will die", Takato explained. "Then why don't you at least move, get away from here, resettle somewhere safer?"
"Just smash the f'kin' thing!"
"Terriermon!", Jen reprimanded.
"Uhhhhh...", Terriermon responded in exasperation. Jen was going all pacifist on him again.
"This is a place of drifting data", the chieftain explained. "A place of discarded data from which we were born. Our village should be here".
"Then you just can't wait for it to kill all of you... That's not right!", Takato objected.
He felt a tap on the shoulder: "A moment", Jen requested. "Outside".
"What?", he asked.
"Takato, they have their own way of running their village and their lives. I don't think it's our place to interfere. We should leave as soon as Juri's awake, and get on with looking for Koichi and Calumon. Let them solve their own problems in their own way", Jen explained.
"Look at those kids", Takato pointed to where Guilmon was romping with three Chuchidarumon children. "Some day, one - or all - could fall victim to the Iron Beast. Can you honestly tell me you're OK with that?!"
"I agree with Takato", Terriermon said.
Digital World: Unknown Location
Calumon had found his way to a dead forest. He looked up at leafless trees. There was nothing alive left in the forest that had been lush and green not too long ago. Another indication that the Digital World was slowly, but surely, falling apart. He looked up through bare branches at the Material World Sphere.
"Culu?", he asked himself. "Is this what lonely feels like, culu?"
Digital World: Unknown Location
"If you agree to serve my Master, Ruki, you can have the power and the form you desire", the "Foo Dog" told her. "My Master will endow you with his own power to make that happen for you".
"Serving?", she asked. "This is the first I was told about serving", she complained. The Foo Dog just stared back, saying nothing.
"Perhaps I misjudged your character? Are you that worried about giving up your so-called humanity?", he finally broke the silence.
"Judge my character? You don't know the first goddamned thing about me!"
"Don't I?", he asked. He lowered his head, and without warning, projected a light so bright from his eyes that she reflexively put her arms over her own eyes...
Every morning, every night
You watch over me like the sun in the sky...
Ruki heard someone singing, but could see nothing. There was something oddly familiar about the lyrics and the voice...
Her vision cleared, and she saw a little girl sitting on a swing. She was four, five at the most. A man was gently pushing the swing, as she was too young yet to swing on her own.
Every morning, every night
Will you promise me you'll be my guiding light...
She suddenly realized she was looking at her own past. With that realization, she was now the little girl on the swing.
Promise we'll stay for the sunset
And when the moon shines through the darkness...
"That's a beautiful song, Ruki", the man she now recognized as the father she had not seen in years was telling her, as she looked up worshipfully, from the vantage point of a four year old. "Sing some more", he requested.
"Promise me you'll always be there..."
The scene changed.
"Of course divorce is expensive", her father was telling some friends of his she did not recognize, "the finer things in life usually are".
"I know just the thing", one man was saying, "a divorce party to celebrate your new freedom! It'll be just like a reverse bachelor party, only we'll get really hammered this time! You don't have to stay sober".
"Great idea", her father agreed. "Won't matter if I'm hung over tomorrow for the non-wedding day". They laughed.
The scene changed again.
"I don't know how we'll make this month's mortgage either", her father was telling a new wife. "If I don't make the alimony and child support, they could garnish my salary, take the house, the car, everything. That albatross doesn't drop from my neck until she's of age. I wish to hell she'd never been born".
The scene changed once more. This time, in the lavish offices of some major corporation. Seated across the desk was a younger version of her grandmother, before her hair started going gray.
"I hate to see you go, to throw away a successful career. You were on the fast track to a vice presidency. It really is a shame".
"I told you, now that my daughter is divorced, and with a young child, who will take care of her?"
Ruki found herself back before the Foo Dog. She dropped to her knees, and sat back on her heels.
"He... he... never wanted me. I was always a big disappointment... ever since he... knew I wasn't a boy...", she hid her face in her hands and wept "I've never been anything more than a burden... I ruined Gran's life... They'd be better off without me..."
"You can't blame yourself, Ruki, you have been betrayed by every human in your life", the Foo Dog explained. "They aren't your true family and they never were. Ruki, if you join us, then we will be your true family. The power that commands respect and devotion can be yours".
"How...", she asked. "How do I do that?", she looked up as she wiped away the tears with her hands.
"You first must enter into a contract with my Master..."
"Why..."
"Surely you did not think that great power is just given away, did you? If your ambition for great power is true, then it is not asking too much for you to demonstrate that you have that ambition, is it?".
"What kind of contract?", she asked as she stood before the Foo Dog.
"Those corrupt digimon who sold their souls to the Outworlders have desecrated our lands, unwanted and uninvited. They have destroyed seven loyal servants of my Master and didn't even download their data. They threw it away as if it were nothing!"
"You mean... Renamon and the others?"
The answer came with that wordless leering. She recalled some events she'd shared with them. Renamon's materializing in her bedroom. Saving her from Dukugumon. Fighting Allomon. Rescuing Guilmon from that digital anomaly... It was the last gasp of her conscience.
"You want me to defeat them? Is that what this contract is?"
The Foo Dog just kept on smiling.
"Dammit!", she swore to herself, as she clenched her fists at her side.
"For strength! For respect! I'd do anything! I'll make that contract with your master!", she declared.
The Foo Dog leaped high above her: "Worship our God!"
Ruki seemed to be standing on solid ground. She felt the stones beneath her feet go "squishy", then the whole floor seemed to be "dissolving". She was dropping into what looked like a vast vat of red hot, molten metal. She screamed all the way down. As soon as she disappeared beneath its surface, the silhouette of a large black bird appeared in the background.
Chuchidarumon Village
They heard it: the Iron Beast was back. Terriermon and Impmon went to see, as it roared into view. Impmon put the fingers of his left hand to his nose, the middle finger along his nose, as he began to concentrate, eyes scrunched up.
He reached forward with both hands: "SSSSSUMMON...", two thin, concentric rings of fire appeared on the ground before him. He lifted both hands high above his head. "...FLAME!". A bright yellow fireball rose from the ground, and hovered just beyond the reach of his fingers. He swept both hands forward launching the yellow fireball at the Iron Beast. It struck, tipped it over a bit, but otherwise didn't stop it or do any damage.
"Jen!", Terriermon called out.
"Super Evolution Plug-in S: digimodify!"
Terriermon Evolve! ...
... GALGOMON!
He fired at the Iron Beast with his Gatling Arms, watched as the bullets ricocheted, doing less damage than did Impmon.
"Fist of the Beast King!", Leomon struck. He almost upset the berserk motorcycle, but even that attack wouldn't stop it.
"Run! Get away! Now!", Guilmon was urging Chuchidarumon to flee to safety. "Oh shit no!", Guilmon called out, as the Iron Beast was headed straight for the kids with whom he'd been playing. "No you don't!", he said as he ran, then jumped onto the motorcycle. He steered it away from the Chuchidarumon kids.
"Guilmon's awesome!", Galgomon congratulated. He didn't know Guilmon knew how to ride. Takato felt grateful he'd taught Guilmon how to ride his bicycle...
"Something dropped off", Galgomon pointed to a small form on the ground.
"I'll check it out", Leomon offered. By now, Juri had heard, and had come out to see what was going on. She had out her digivice:
Choromon
Machine digimon
In-training
"That's a digimon", she announced about the small figure with a flashing, yellow LED attached to the tip of its tail.
"You're all a bunch of damn fools!", Choromon announced in a high pitched voice. "Though I'm grateful to you for saving me".
"We... saved you?", Leomon asked.
"That motorcycle: it's a terrifying thing", the diminutive In-training was explaining. "Once you get on it, you can't get off until someone replaces you. It takes over your consciousness, your freewill, and makes you do bad things..."
"Uhhhh, guys", Impmon was saying, "I think we have a problem here"
"That's like the tale of the Red Shoes", Juri was explaining. "Once you put on the red shoes, your body moves on its own, and you dance until you die. The shoes won't come off... then the story gets scary".
"Scary?", Galgomon asked.
"It doesn't have a happy ending".
"F'kin' wonderful!"
Guilmon was coming at them, he was growling, eyes glaring at them. The look of malevolence as obvious as it was uncharacteristic.
"Guilmon!", Takato called out, "don't you recognize me? My voice?"
"Wargreymon's Great Shield: digimodify!", Jen scanned the card as soon as he saw the red glow appear at the back of Guilmon's throat.
"Pyro Sphere!", he attacked his Tamer.
Galgomon, carrying the shield, was barely able to prevent Takato's incineration.
"Lead him away from the village!", Impmon urged everyone to follow him.
"I'll get on that bike...", Takato announced.
"You f'kin' nuts?!", Jen announced. "You heard..."
"But I'm not a digimon, so it probably won't affect me the same way..."
"Takato! You can't know that!"
Leomon pulled his Roman sword from its scabbard, and ran straight at Guilmon.
"Leomon! No!", Takato called out. He could only watch, helpless, as Leomon leaped into the sky, sword over his head, as he prepared to slice Guilmon in half.
Leomon brought the flat of the blade down hard on Guilmon's head. The red dino dropped off the Iron Beast, rolled on the ground, but didn't burst into data. Takato ran to him.
"I just knocked him out", Leomon explained as he sheathed his sword. "If Metalkoromon was right, then the curse of the Iron Beast will be broken if its rider loses consciousness..."
"The bike!", Jen called out. The Iron Beast was dropping into a pit filled with molten lava that was opening up right outside the village. They watched as the tail lights sank below the red hot lava.
"Guilmon", Takato was checking on the crimson dinosaur.
"Takato?", he asked, "what happened to me?"
"You don't remember?"
"The last thing I recall, was thinking I had to do something to save the kids. Then I'm lying on the ground here".
"Is it finally gone?", Juri asked.
"It would appear so", Jen answered, "Takato was right to decide to help the Chuchidarumon. Sometimes the Noninterference Directive is not the best policy. They're safe because he cared enough to get involved".
"Takato, you're awesome!", Juri hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Ehhhhh... uhhhhh..."
"Takato", Guilmon asked, "why are you turning as red as me?"
("Shut up, Guilmon")
"Now we can resume...", Takato began to announce.
He was interrupted by an explosion coming from that new lava pit, which had grown rapidly to an unusual extent, creating a wide chasm. A plume of lava was thrown up. They were horrified to see the Iron Beast emerge from it as the lava fell behind.
"That damn thing...", Galgomon started.
"There's someone on board", Juri pointed out...
"And it's stopping", Leomon observed, "does this mean that someone has mastered the Iron Beast instead of being mastered by it?"
"Is that a digimon?", Takato asked as the black leather clad figure took off on the Iron Beast.
"My name is Lilithmon", its rider announced.