Chapter 31: Digital World: Dark Evolution II
"What is the status on them?"
"We have begun the extraction. However as we do sadly not possess the compatible power, it might take some more time than expected."
A massive hand was waved through the darkness. "The project is to be completed before the final phase."
Two figures bowed in acknowledgement. "And about the other matter?"
"Get rid of them."
The two shadows retreated without straightening once.
It would be done.
With the new power at their disposal they needn't lift a finger. Needn't sent troops across the world, to anchors. Not when resources were in place and ready for them to take.
Still, his majesty was getting impatient. Things had not been going according to plan and all could be traced back to the pesky flies.
Indeed, a problem needed to be disposed of at the root. Now. With the main phase being put into action soon.
…it was only a matter of finding all the flies…
"What do you have to say for yourself?" A voice demanded viciously and quietly. Yellow eyes were narrowed in an expression that conveyed nothing but disdain and fury. "How can you justify this? Even just to yourself?"
The being did not reply for it wasn't a conversation. There was nothing to talk about. Nothing the shadow could say had not already crossed his mind. Be the words vocalized or only in his head made no difference.
They were true, but everything else was also true.
He had tried already, hadn't he? He had done everything he could, hadn't he?
Yes, he had done even more. If it wasn't for him than the shadow behind him wouldn't even be here. And that was unlucky and not his fault. It was thanks to him that it was only this bad.
"Have you given up?"
There was nothing else he could do. He had been punished this badly for something that he wasn't blamed for. Or at least not blamed for as much as he could…
Still… his Master was a fickle creature.
"Surrendered and bound yourself in the chains of a slave?"
He hadn't. No. He hadn't had a choice. There had been no choice. Either he did or…
No. It hadn't been a choice. None at all but that didn't mean that he didn't rue the day.
He still wished the voice would leave him alone. He knew all that already. It had crippled him already. Why did it have to speak all his fears, his regrets? How did it know them?
What was it? Was it something different than they had thought?
"How many years has it been? Have you ever looked at yourself? Aren't you ashamed? What could possibly keep you here? There is nothing. Not anymore."
There was only one being breathing now. The other was frozen.
"Have you turned into such a coward that you cannot even admit the truth to yourself? Have you become an animal ruled by primal fear? I knew a different you. You were better."
The shadow moved. He felt its yellow eyes gleaming in his direction and he knew even trying to hide his shaking would be futile.
He was alone. The chains at his feet rattled and again, as if often happened lately, something in the depth of his memories stirred.
Tai wiped his brow, glancing at the knocked out four BlackGarurumon and eight BlackGabumon.
The numbers had increased.
Somehow, for some reason, digimon were dark-evolving randomly left and right.
"This way every one! This way! This way! Yaay!" A bunch of Koromon were happily jumping up and down ahead form the caravan of a few hundred baby and in-training digimon that Tai had organized. Though, then again, describing it as a caravan was very generous.
Taichi had directed the in-training types capable of sitting still to form up two parallel lines through the forest. In theory those two lines build up the railing for a baby-and-eggs high way. The theory worked out well.
The ground was even, soft, not dangerous and by announcing it a game Tai had convinced the baby digimon and to roll forwards as the way given by the in-training lines dedicated. Tai and Agumon rolled the eggs along.
It was almost a bit like bowling, but Tai was careful not to have fun.
He was rolling eggs around.
Luckily Agumon and he were no longer alone in their responsibility of the babies. Not long after MetalGraymon had devolved and they had tied the dark digimon up a couple of other in-training digimon had evolved. Normally.
Now there was an Otamamon and a Terriermon happily helping them out; a bit clumsy but very eagerly they were currently feeding crying digimon.
Tai wondered what was going on.
Normal evolutions were not happening just like occasionally like everyday things. Dark evolutions even less so.
And yet within the span of half a day Tai had seen more than a dozen evolutions.
Something was very very wrong here and Tai knew he was in no way able to go and investigate or wander through the digiworld.
Elecmon –who was now a BlackGarurumon knocked out and tied up- was right with one thing; the babies, the young digimon were the future of the world. Or at least a big part of it.
He couldn't leave, not for as long as digimon were still frequently turning evil for no predictable reason at all.
Tai had to stay to protect the babies when –or if- the new caretakers turned evil.
Until then they couldn't risk it.
That was also the reason why Tai was evacuating the village to the cave behind the waterfall.
The cave was easily to oversee, easily to defend. Not the most comfortable or best equipped place for babies, but given the situation it was wise not to be picky.
So Tai and Agumon seemed to become long time babysitters. Hadn't he just come to the conclusion that they were chosen to fight?
The irony was not funny.
Koichi suspected this world had neither day nor night, not even twilight. Everything was stuck at a slow grey.
It had been messing with his sense of time from the first second and now, coupled with the lack of physical needs, Koichi suspected he had lost it completely.
He could have been here for only hours or days. Maybe even weeks or years, though Koichi rather hoped not.
He couldn't judge by the scenery either. Not only had it not been changing for a long time –maybe?-, but it had also been blocking his sight.
Stupidly he had that and boredom -of all things- allowed to get to him and evolved to Lowemon to run faster and after that had not done him any good –even with jumping he could only see grass-, he had devolved and evolved twice until his fractal code was complete and had then evolved to KaiserLeomon to cover more ground, consequently messing with his perception of time even more.
And here Koichi had thought he was a very patient person…
Maybe this whole mess was getting to him? Or the darkness of this world was getting to him?
Now he stood on a cliff; waves were crashing against the shore below him and the stale smell of rotten water sullied the air. Despite the waves there was no wind.
Gray mist hung over the sea, but Kaiserleomon was sure there were shadows moving in it.
He howled out once, a call that simply needed answering, but he was not surprised when nothing came back.
Besides everything it was not in darkness' nature to do so.
Sniffing the air once more, he took off along the shore, his paws hitting against the hard ground.
The most interesting thing on this entire island indeed. But not particularly helpful.
The wood was rotting. In this warm climate, with salt in the air and occasional waves reaching far inland it would have only taken a few years to decay.
Tommy dropped the piece of wood on the beach and surveyed the remains once more. It had probably been a hut some years ago. Not too small, but probably only able to hold a dozen people or so.
And it had been destroyed in a fight. The unnaturally broken planks and a couple dozen toppled trees were all the signs Tommy needed. He had been become a bit of a detective in recent years and the thought made him grin.
Tommy, the bullied kid, making confident deductions from a couple of clues a few years later.
His brother would slide of his chair in disbelieve…
The smile dropped off his face and all amusement drained away.
The sky was as blue as back home. Even the clouds were the same. Tommy could almost think he was under the same sky as his annoying big brother or his too caring parents.
But he wasn't. The sky might look the same, but it was not. It wasn't even the actual counterpart.
Just some random blue sky worlds away from home. Home to which he would never ever return to even if he survived this war.
Tommy blinked.
He had to stop thinking of it as home.
Well. From now on 'home' was his digital world. Full stop. Some pinpointing could be done later.
He checked his D-tector, but there still wasn't a signal. It was the D-terminal he needed most, but the thing wasn't working. He pocketed both devices again; cursing had already been done plenty some half a day ago, half way up a certain mountain.
Anyway, the sun was sinking and in the darkness of night there was nothing Tommy could do. When tomorrow came he could consider either freezing himself a float or building one as staying on this abandoned ghost island did not appear helpful.
He curled up against a tree and waited for sleep to come.
Tommy had almost drifted off to sleep when his D-tector suddenly started beeping. Shooting up, the device was in his hand and he on his feet. The search function had never been particularly used in their time, but only this last day Tommy had pressed the button frequency more often than his entire live before. For once, it actually wasn't in vain.
"Hey!"
Sora and Piyomon had fallen a long way down. A really long way, that had been too small for Piyomon to digivolve and so Sora's poor partner had had to struggle in her usual body to keep her from crashing.
But even then it had been enough to knock the wind out of both of them and when they had come to digimon were leaning over them and poking them with sticks like overcurious children. The careless demeanour had changed as soon as they had woken up though, and they had been threatened and ordered to follow.
Sora had complied, of course; the only ones the Chosen Children avoided and fought were those belonging to the Army and Sora was pretty sure that the digimon marching them through a labyrinth of old corridors were not, in fact, belonging to them.
While she still didn't know what had become of Takuya, but –going from the worst case scenario- she did know that, even though some digimon apparently volunteered and weren't controlled, the digimon she was in the company of were likely not belonging to them.
They were a bit too ineffective in doing their jobs for that.
It was a very entertaining mixture of funny and cute.
Once they had stopped discussing –almost violently- if Sora and Piyomon were to be taken along or killed on the spot, that was.
A couple of PetiMeramon flew ahead, an Agumon followed, then Sora and Piyomon, behind the two of them another Agumon and two lion-like digimon walking on two legs that Sora had never seen before made up the end.
It was, Sora figured, supposed to be something of a prison-march, but their escort was so busy bickering between themselves and only occasionally threatening Sora with a pointy claw or a warm flame that she rather suspected she could just take a right turn and the others would continue walking straight and not miss her until someone wanted to poke her again.
"No mercy, you know!"
"That's right. Mercy isn't right!"
"Nononono. Wrong! Being nice isn't wrong!"
"That's right!"
Ken glared at the controls.
What had he been thinking? Optimistically assuming the self-destruct would still work. Hadn't the fight between him and his friends damaged the fortress so heavily it had crashed? Hadn't his crest been needed to prevent a large scale explosion?
What had he been thinking?
Ken didn't just forget such important facts.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. It had to be this place. The Digimon Kaiser was in every stone of it and it made Ken sick. He wasn't sweating because of heat, he wasn't feeling nauseous because of the drop in temperature from outside to inside.
Picking up Wormmon he headed into another part of the place. The Digimon Kaiser had been many things and prepared was one of them.
Ken had to leave. Now.
The fortress was…it had many uses, some of which were probably still functional, some of which Ken could use, but Ken couldn't stay here long without getting insane.
There were other places he could find what he needed, do what he had to.
He had to remember, though, once this crisis was over to return and destroy it once and for all; the damage as it was, was not decisive enough that it couldn't be rebuilt.
When Ken finally left the fortress behind on a flying vehicle of the Kaiser's it was freezing out it the desert and the stars stood high in the sky.
His D-terminal wasn't working anymore, broken by sand, but in day light Ken thought he had seen a shadow on the horizon, a vague shape.
After hours of flying there was still nothing and just as Ken worried if he had fallen prey to a mirage, a dark shaper rose against the night sky.
Later still, he stood in awe before a pyramid. He had never seen the original in Egypt, but he was pretty sure that the tip usually pointed to the sky and not into the sand.
Only hesitating for a split second, Ken made his way towards it; it had to have an entrance and chances were that he'd find more help inside it than in the open desert. Maybe there was even a TV.
Koji was, by no definition of the word, stupid.
That honourable description he happily pushed onto Takuya.
So he was definitely insulted that his intelligence and abilities were underestimated like this.
Yes, Koji had been aware that Labramon had been allowed to escape. Yes, he had also been aware that it would only take someone a bit smart to figure out that the control on the digimon had not suddenly, out of the blue, failed.
Koji knew for a fact there was at least one person on this ship that was intelligent enough to figure it out. Probably had done so, maybe even predicted the event and subsequently it had been allowed to happen and taken into consideration.
Possibly, that was.
Koji had no idea what stupid thing the boss here was thinking up, allowing him to do as he pleased, but whatever it was left Koji with plenty of options. Even if some of them were granted to him –be it in a sadistic play of power, a perverse glee at seeing him try and fail, or that they just plain couldn't be bothered to do something about it-, giving Koji the freedom to act at all was an immensely stupid thing.
That was assuming said boss was aware of what Koji was doing, that was. Currently he could only make assumptions so he had to take all unknown factors into the equitation and act form there, but Koji was good at math and he had many eyes working form him occasionally.
There was such a thing as exploiting opportunities and spinning things to work in one's favor with only the barest means, after all.
Stll, Koji was insulted that the bone-armed ruler would think this little of him –of them; the people that were needed at all cost.
He was insulted, but Koji was not as vain as to announce his abilities to the world just to get more trouble. Oh no, Koji was operating, ironically enough, from the darkness for now.
He needed Koichi's help, but Koichi wasn't in the back of his mind and Koji had to make do without.
It was difficult. Oh-so-very difficult to make himself focus entirely on two places at once. He had been failing for a long time, but once he had succeeded –only thanks to a certain unfortunate situation- Koji felt like the playing field had started to shift. Subtly.
At least inside the fortress.
Outside was a different story.
And as long as it didn't concern the one room he had most interest in.
His priorities had shifted thanks to the girl getting caught. But the overall goal changed not one bit.
Unfortunately Koji still hadn't found a solution yet, though.
Getting her out was the easy part. It was the things that came after that that were worrisome.
Getting her out had no meaning if she was going to get caught again not a second later or if she had no way of protecting herself. The fallout from that didn't bear considering.
Koji had to find a way of getting her out, getting her partner out –easy- and making sure she was going to stay out.
Unable to grunt in frustration Koij turned his mind to the only other human within reach on this ship. Again.
It was sad to watch him humiliated and broken like that. The man had always struck him of having a strong will. Something like that shouldn't be able to ever disappear completely.
Sora cautiously poked the red sheen, and when it didn't hurt her she followed her escort through it.
Immediately she was assaulted by heat and when she blinked her eyes open, her surroundings turned to life.
Staring in awe and shock Sora stood at the rim of an entire underground city. "Wow" she breathed.
"This way, human," the lion like digimon, Coronamon, ordered gruffly.
Numbly and still in disbelieve Sora and Piyomon followed through streets of one and two storied stone houses, passed digimon happily chatting and plying in the streets, and had to dodge over eager ones flying through the air.
Fires were burning everywhere; in simple torches, bonfires on some roof tops, the digimon themselves; Meramon, BlueMeramon, PetiMeramon, Agumon, digimon she had never seen before. All of whom were throwing her weary glances.
Sora had no idea where she was. She had never even heard of a place like this or, more alarming, of some of the digimon.
Some beings were arguing deeply using the same arguments their escort had employed. About what was 'right', what was 'wrong', what they 'were'.
Her breath grew labored and hot, every inhale sent a new wave of heat through her body and in no time at all she was struggling not to faint. It was sweltering.
Piyomon was tugging at her hand and saying something worriedly, but Sora had to focus on only staying upright.
Only after they had been standing still for a while did Sora notice she wasn't walking anymore. Darkness was dancing in the corners of her eyes, but it was getting better. She focused on her breathing, deep in, deep out.
If she didn't know better she would say she had walked into an oven. But she adapted, and slowly she started hearing things again.
"Excuse me, Avatar-samas!"
Tiredly, she looked at beings Coronamon addressed. They were the people in charge probably; the ones to decide what to do with her and Piyomon. The ones to decide if they had to fight their way out.
She did a double take. Shock kicked her brain back into action.
He was wearing goggles, a cap and casual trousers and a t-shirt, looking much better than Sora had ever imagined him to see after being kidnapped. He was arguing loudly with another digimon, an Asuramon. Sora and Piyomon were only two of a mass of interested looking bystanders.
"- is hypocritical," Takuya was saying, "Look around you! Fire is everywhere. It is here but it also outside. That is what we should look to. How can we claim it as us, when we pathetically build ourselves in? When we hide. Fire does not hide! It burns everything it touches, leaves a trace everywhere, on everything. We are free. Absolute freedom. Why should we care what others say? Why should we fear it? Why should we hide because of it and deny ourselves?" The way he spoke vaguely reminded Sora of something; loud, not only addressing his adversary but also the audience.
The Asuramon was wearing a highly decorated cloak, glittering in the flames. "Such are my words exactly. Fire burns, everything. And we should not let anyone forget it! We are fire. We are strong. And we have been forgotten! How can we have been forgotten when we are fire and free?" The Asuramon's head turned, the face of wrath taking the lead. "We should show them! Make them remember what we are like! And we shall make them regret slaying and disgracing the great Zhuqiaomon! Such is our wrath. Have you forgotten, my brothers and sisters, for how long we have endured the anger, the scorn? Have you forgotten how they are living in ignorance of our great leader's sacrifice? They shall regret it!"
The crowd roared in approval.
A knot formed in Sora's stomach.
"Excuse me! Avatar-samas!" Coronamon sounded and looked annoyed, its pawed hands crossed as it waited until Takuya and Asuramon faced it. "We have found intruders. How do you wish to proceed?"
A muted silence fell, full of anticipation. The knot in Sora's stomach claimed her throat and everything she might have had to say was suffocated by the heavy, almost malicious air.
A multitude of expressions flashed over Takuya's face, one of them calculating as he studied Sora and Piyomon's appearance. A few moments passed before his lips broke into a smile and he hurried over enthusiastically. "My friends," he exclaimed loudly for everyone to hear as he put Sora into a bear hug in an exaggerated show. "What brings you here? What a coincidence!"
He let go of a stiff Sora and swung Piyomon around, seemingly overjoyed. The crowd stepped back, gasps and horrified exclamations overpowering the sizzling flames.
"What is the meaning of this," Asuramon's demanded, rearing closer and looming over Takuya with hands twitching in a threat of violence. "Explain yourself! Have you betrayed us? Thrown away our good faith? Outsiders!"
"Don't be stupid!" Takuya snapped right back. Very deliberate, very in control. A show. "How should I have invited anyone when I have not left this city since I arrived?"
"You are human. That is reason enough!"
Again the crowd murmured in agreement.
Takuya's eyes flashed and he stomped his foot on the ground. Flames sparked from the contact and ran along the tiles. It was no real anger, Sora saw quickly. A show; fake. A reaction created for the masses. What was he doing?
"I am no human. You have determined so yourself, Wrath. And maybe if you would think before you speak you would be spared the humiliation of being publicly declared wrong in something as easily resolved by a simple question. Something that can be heard by anyone and everyone present. Or would you accuse me of mind-controlling my fellow for such a thing?" Again there were gasps, but less horrified and more morbid interested now.
Asuramon seethed, but somehow the favour had shifted to Takuya and the boy knew it, judging by the smirk he carried as he turned to face Sora. "Would you please explain for everyone to hear how it is that you have come to this place?"
Sora cleared her throat. "Of course." She might only have a rough idea what was going on, but she had heard enough to know what Takuya needed her to say. Roughly. It was cooler now somehow, and her mind proved more capable of rational thought. "We were walking through the forest on the surface, intending to reach a nearby river when suddenly the ground gave away and Piyomon and I fell down." Better not mention the herd of Mammothmon that might or might not play a role in that. "By the time we came to, a pair of Coronamon and Agumon had found us. Subsequently we were escorted here."
A simple report with enough left out to be used as needed. That much Sora was capable of as well, having practiced similar evasion years ago when she had still kept her duties a secret and having watched lately how anti-digimon groups manipulated facts to their purposes.
The digimon vs anti-digimon debates back home were very similar to what was going on here. Some kind of political battle. She hoped not much was at stake.
"You see," Takuya announced, spreading his arms and gesturing wildly at Sora and Piyomon. "It was an accident that brought them here. Kill them for that? What kind of digimon would we be if we killed our fellows for that?"
This time the crowd roared in crass disapproval and it took some time for them to calm.
"They are not our fellows!" One Meramon exclaimed.
"They are yours!" A lion digimon with wings on its back added. "Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
Asuramon smirked, throwing a haughty look at Takuya. Sora swallowed nervously, glancing at the younger boy. She didn't want to have to fight, but if they decided to hurt them there was no choice.
Takuya, however, seemed still calm as he waited for the accusations to quiet and after a while they did.
"You just called me a traitor," Takuya began, his voice slightly off. "Why? I tell you why. It is because I called someone my kind who you think isn't. And I ask you in return: why? Why is Piyomon and by extension her partner not one of us? You believe she does not belong to us of the Fire because she is also allied to another power, the ones of the Sky?" He glanced around, head tiled up, eyes brown, but clearly reflecting the fires burning everywhere. A show. And as he spoke clearly, confidently, demanding about the nature of fire, and what it meant for them who were of it, he walked around, freely. His words were elaborate; colorful versions of normal blunt speech, employing rhetorics as he addressed the masses, drawing them in.
This situation and the problem had never been about Sora; Piyomon and her appearance was nothing but a convenient tool the opposite forces, Takuya and Asuramon, to twist to their causes.
In the back of her mind, the rational part, Sora was impressed by the passion he put into the speech, how he pulled his listeners along and how good he was at it. Even Sora found herself almost agreeing with him though she had close to no idea what it was actually about.
The other part of her was bluntly perplexed by what the hell was going on and why Takuya of all people was holding a speech with practices ease.
"You cannot answer me?" Just to be sure Takuya glanced over the assembled digimon, well aware that the look in his eyes discouraged anyone from speaking up that in turn transformed hesitation into support. "Very well. Then I tell you: There is no freedom in it! It is a perverse twist of corruption on our spirit!"
The crowd drew back, some digimon staggering as if they had been hit, all looking varying degrees of horrified.
Takuya ignored them coolly, driving his point a bit more home. As he spoke, he walked around expertly getting closer to the digimon, staring them in the eye. They were blue now. It was convincing, especially for a fire type. What they saw through his eyes was no human; it wasn't even the remains of Agnimon or Vitramon. Their inborn knowledge recognized something older, something their instincts respected. Takuya used that ruthlessly. The end justified the means in this case.
He finished his little tour by standing but an arm's length away from Asuramon. "Is it not better, not freer, not more absolute to be respected and revered for our fire than to be feared? We should know better than anyone what a shallow emotion fear is."
The place had fallen silent but for the crackling to flames; every eye was directed at Takuya and Asuramon. Wraith's face retreated for Blessing to take its place and the triple heads gave a nod of acceptance.
It was Takuya's all out victory. The masses and crowd were his, as was the opposition.
How much he had practiced this in the time he was missing, Sora wondered hesitantly. The skill to talk a crowd into submission didn't come from nothing. Though, considering, there were probably a few she knew who could. Tai, sometimes when he was being mature, Kari, too, Yolei, and, she thought with the faint irritation she always felt, Matt with his fangirls.
But still, having the ability to do so and actually doing so was quite a difference.
Takuya grinned, stepping down from the metaphorical stage, shredding his self-created cloak of authority as he invited her to follow him, leaving the crowd in its musings and contemplating on the points Takuya had just presented them with.
As soon as Sora took a step however, the heat assaulted her again and she stumbled from exhaustion.
"Sora!" Piyomon worried, not letting go of her partners hand even for a second. Her body was too small to carry her, but she had to show Sora she was there.
"Oh, sorry," Takuya said, his eyes narrowing in concentration and a moment later Sora could breathe fine again. "I forgot."
Sora took deep breaths, but this time she didn't have a surprise to shake the slowness in her head away and it took a few minutes to find her words. "How- What did you do?"
"I'm fire," Takuya said, as he lead them through the town. "Heat is a part of it so I can do a bit of manipulation with it."
The girl exhaled. "Thank you."
"No problem," he returned easily, waving to a few digimon who gave him respectful nods as he passed. "It all comes with practice, just like talking."
"How much have you been practicing that? Before just now I would have bet you couldn't hold a speech to save your life."
He frowned in annoyance at the reminder. Unconsciously Sora relaxed some. "Seeing how I have more than one intellect in my head, my mind is working a bit faster than it used to." He shrugged, entering a small house.
The interior was not exactly rich with details and décor, but for a house that belonged to Takuya for a week it was downright elegant. Drawings on the wall were all colourful, furniture was made of stone, but there were a few pillows to make it bearable. There were no doors to close. He gestured her to sit.
"Anyway, I am really glad to see someone down here." He was looking through different pots, occasionally pocking a finger inside, his back to Sora and Piyomon. He had at least twenty of all sizes spread out through the little, one roomed house. "I was going insane with all those fanatics."
"What is going on here exactly?" Sora asked just not slumping, because some things weren't adding up. "This city wasn't on my map and I have never even heard of some of the digimon down here. And the things you were discussing… they sounded a bit…" she trailed off, feeling it hard to put a word it.
Having found what he was looking for, Takuya dumped two plates with some strange pinkish lumps on them in front of her and Piyomon. It stunk and she pulled a face, Takuya gave her a sympathetic look.
What she was supposed to do was clear. She poked it with a finger. It wobbled, but was surprisingly cool. Sora grimaced. "I'm not sure I want to know, but what exactly is this."
The other Chosen Child sat down on a chair opposite of her. "I didn't ask." He took a handful of his own plate and pushed it into his mouth; his expression left Sora under no illusions of the taste. "For obvious reasons. But the sad thing is that if you are a being that needs water down here, then this is what you have to eat. I have been wondering from day one why they couldn't just stuff some water in some jaws and smack a tight lid on top of it to keep it from escaping." He looked at his food distastefully. "Probably has something to do with their stupid, misguided pride." His voice was laden with annoyance and contempt.
"Yes, so what is the deal with that?" Sora repeated, wanting a good distraction for when she finally had to force the eatable mass down. "And how did you get here? And landed in some kind of leader-position?"
TK, Cody and their partners entered the building at top; through the only entrance it possessed.
TK readily believed this to be a temple.
He had never been inside a western one, but this building, ancient, was still imposing. Mandalas, pictures and symbols had once upon a time been carved so lovingly into solid stone that impressions of glory still remained ages later.
Colors were all but faded, fine fissures, erosion and purposeful destruction had made murals unrecognizable. Yet TK felt the clearness in the air, an after breath of single minded purpose.
They stood in a small chamber. One staircase, left, led deeper down into the building, while one on the right went up, probably outside.
"Do you know for whom this temple was, Patamon?" Chances were that Patamon, evolving regularly to a holy digimon, did in fact know instinctively about this place, but so far he hadn't been forthcoming. Instead, far from his usual childish self, the creature sat immobile on TK's hat, gazing around solemn and sad.
"Nu-huh." Patamon sailed down from TK's head, landing softly at the chambers centre. Someone or something had taken great care to erase whatever had been carved there out of existence. Unless TK was much mistaken it had been done with very sharp claws. "But it was really important. Really, really loved."
"I think so, too." Armadimon was behaving just like Patamon, which was even more out of character for him. His snout was constantly pressed to the ground as if he hoped to smell something. When he didn't, he became strangely agitated before trying again. His behaviour had made Cody slightly jumpy. "Missing. Something….someone….is missing." Distraught, the armadillo's eyes were tearing up.
"Armadimon…"Cody knelt down, hugging his partner as TK picked Patamon up, not setting him back up on his head.
TK was insanely curious about this building, but if it comes at the price of messing with the digimon's minds then he wanted to get out of here fast.
No sooner than he finished the thought Armadimon ran away, full speed to the stairs leading into the temple.
"Armadimon!" Cody called after his partner, but the armadillo had already disappeared into the darkness. Without a second to waste Cody picked up his handful of glowing moss and ran after him.
TK was a second behind, stumbling the sometimes broken stairs down and down, passing levels and chambers on the way, witnessing more hints of violence, of tragedy.
It grieved TK to think of all the lives lost for he was certain this holy place would have been fought for till the last. How many bodies had fallen to the very ground he was walking on? How many times had flesh and blood burst into data and left not a trace of existence behind?
Patamon whimpered. TK mumbled an apology and made an effort not to hold him too tightly as he raced deeper and deeper into the earth. The steps were slippery, the walls wet and the darkness lurking was not purely optical; a trace of the evil that had occurred in this place.
TK's breath was laboured when they finally couldn't descend any deeper. The air was cool and damp, water stood up to his ankles. He never noticed any of it.
A chamber, a hall, was deep beneath the temple. Glowing moss was growing only in designated spaces, drawing symbols on all four walls and the ceiling, basking it in an eerie green light, the effect amplified by reflecting of the dark waters.
It was no doubt a sanctuary, the most precious place. Not even destruction had reached here.
In the centre, visible only by the lack of reflective surface, was an altar.
TK stepped closer hesitantly. Armadimon was staring at it, a forlorn and broken expression on his face, tears dripping into the water as he stared at the structure, artfully build in simplicity. Ten feet times ten feet of solid dark brown stone. It had a shallow inwards crenation.
Water had gathered in it, but not enough to hide a fist sized, gleaming pearl from sight.
"What is that?" TK whispered, his voice resounding multiple times.
The smaller boy was carrying his partner, struggling under the weight but clearly unwilling to let go of him. Hesitantly Cody reached out, touching the object, but only after glancing at Patamon and Armadimon once. If this was something not to be touched, then those two would know.
Patamon only had eerily empty eyes for the orb, and Armadimon was snuggling closer to Cody.
TK gave the younger boy a nod and Cody's fingers brushed over flawlessly smooth surface.
It shimmered softly and disappeared. A heartbeat later Cody's D-terminal glowed once.
In TK's arms Patamon relaxed, then started wriggling and complaining he wanted to be on TK's head.
Armadimon was getting better as well and was now interestedly, but simply, looking around, which gave Cody the mobility to dig his D-terminal out of his pocket.
"It says 'Xuanwumon's Ninth'." He frowned confusedly. "Do you know what that is?"
TK shook his head. "Never heard of it. If the description doesn't say more, then it must be something we can find out on our own." The funny thing with items loaded onto their terminals was that they had a description not unlike in games. "Anyway, I think we are done here. I want to get out. Let's go."
"It is all a bit complicated," Takuya began, leaning back in his stone chair. "How much do you know about the Digiworld's history? The long, long ago history?"
Sora blinked in surprise. "Not much. Only that once before us a group of chosen children existed. Is this about them?" She had always been curious about their predecessors, but she had never put any thought to actually finding out about them. Now she wondered if that was a mistake.
Takuya shrugged indifferently, the gesture saying nothing at all. "To make a very long story short, this world once had five digital rulers. A lot of things happened and then only two had been left. Qinglongmon was one of them. Another had been Zhuqiaomon. The Sovereign of the South and 'Supreme Ruler of Fire.'" He rolled his eyes, showing quite clearly what he thought of that particular title. "The two of them ended up having a fight. Very lethal and about something a bit more important than just who rules which parts of the world. And now only Qinglongmon is left."
Meaning the other was dead. Maybe that was one reason why Qinglongmon had almost no presence at all. And didn't it say once that it was weakened and injured?
Takuya interrupted her train of thought as he continued. "As far as I understand in the world above the fight was remembered only very vague and Zhuqiaomon had been turned into a villain over the millennia and all pure fire types, who would have Zhuqiaomon's loyal subjects had it been still alive, paid for it. Being ridiculed and discriminated against. I'm sure you can paint the picture." Takuya shrugged again, seemingly disinterested in his fellow's plight. "So, they didn't like that and after a couple thousand years or so they moved underground, flocking and building their lives around temple of their 'Great One' that had survived time."
"That is here," he added after a moment. "You probably haven't seen it, but there is a temple; so large and looming you kind of miss it and take it as part of the décor. I'm not quite sure how many of these cities exist, but I have been to three before coming here" Sora swallowed hastily, staring at the younger boy. Another three like this? Underground?
"Anyway, down here the digimon have hidden away from the scorn they would –or at a time would have; it has been a long since anyone has been up there- face. Problem only that we fire types have terrible pride and or grudge problems sometimes and leave that to fester for a few millennia and you have a whole culture of fanatic followers with extremist attitudes coupled with some religious believe that their long dead leader, who by the way had never been some god to worship, would want retribution now. So long ago after the fact no one other than Qinglongmon is still alive to remember what actually happened."
He let that sink in, pausing, and Sora absently took a handful of her food, her thoughts racing. Takuya practically just said that a whole country had been hidden from the world, from them, possibly even Gennai, for thousands of years and that the reason for it was human-typed racism. That it had turned the digimon down here into beings who were –to use Real World metaphors- just short of taking up arms and start a civil war. For something that happened too long ago to actually remember it.
If she took what just happened on the plaza into consideration then, then this civilization down here stood more on the brink than she had thought. That, she reasoned, was enough to keep Takuya here for some time. The notion that Takuya would have forgotten about his importance to them, the battles and his friends, the desperate need of help and threat the Fortress posed also to this underground society was inconceivable. The Warrior Children were nothing if not radically practical. Takuya wouldn't spend even an hour down here just for fun. But if his presence was somehow critical, then…
"And where do you come in," she asked, right to the point. Next to her Piyomon was forcing the mud called food down.
Takuya ginned. "Funny story that," he said, rubbing his cheek in remembrance. "I triggered one of their alarm systems and they found me and saved my life when I had been stupid enough to get poisoned by a plant some time before." If they had seriously considered killing Sora without a second thought, she had great doubt he would be saved just like that.
Seeing her look, he elaborated. "They knew I wasn't just human and a pure fire type digimon otherwise I would have been killed, but they still didn't know what to do with me and I was shipped around a bit with the occasional death sentences thrown in till I ended up here, which is the capital by the way, where my fate was to be decided by the leader. Avatar of Fire he is called. It is a great honour and can only be gained by digimon, who are 'exceptionally in tune with the 'Great One's will'. In case you hadn't guessed it is Asuramon, whom you've had the pleasure of meeting." Asuramon indeed had looked like some kind of leader, but Sora had explained his attire and attitude away with him simply being the highest level.
"In the end my being the spiritual successor to AncientGraymon made me another Avatar of Fire." A grimace flittered across his face, but was quickly suppressed and Sora had to fight down a grin. Takuya was most definitely not the type to speak as any religious medium. Religions included lots of not-acting and to put Takuya on a level with that was like saying Kari was evil impersonated.
"That was five and a half days ago and I have been publicly philosophising," he said it with distaste so thick Sora could almost touch it, "against Asuramon's ever since. The digimon here are very secretive and in equal measures protective of their own kind. So I'm really glad it was you who came here and not anymore else," he explained, turning back to his 'political campaign', "Hawkmon is also half fire, but as I see it Yolei is a bit hard to work with and Agumon is a pure fire so there would be no meaning in getting agreement then." Getting them to allow Sora and Piyomon to stay was an important victory.
"And if you wouldn't be doing this, the digimon here would like to start a war?" Sora guessed, feeling spot on.
"Yeah," confirmed Takuya and Sora sighed. "And a lot of digimon down here can evolve at will. You really should explore your digital world a bit more throughout once this is over."
"Yes. The parents might not like it," she said, eyes lost in possible dramas, missing the shadow flicker over Takuya's face, "but I bet the Third Generation would jump at the chance."
"And perhaps look at the moon, too," the goggle head suggested, conversationally. "Our digital world has three moons and all three are populated. But anyway, back to the topic," he became serious again. Sora switched gears as well. "This place has power. Left over from Zhuqiaomon himself. You have seen the red sheen at the end of the tunnels? It exists because in the temple here is one of Zhuqiaomon's Orbs of Power. It creates something like... I call it a protective field. It is the real thing and I think that as long as no digimon leaves that field, they are safe from control. Many, many digimon would be safe down here and digieggs would be well protected and cared for. But you people need to organize that," he cut to the chase. "Spread the word once I win agreement from the Council, though that shouldn't take long." Here he smirked, gleefully remembering his decisive victory today. "Then digimon would come here, be incredibly grateful for help and the fire types down here would realize they are only outsides because they make themselves. And we wouldn't have to worry about fighting a three side war."
"Oh," said Sora, feeling awkwardly guilty. "That is…uh…probably not going to work. While you were here we had trouble, too. You see…"
Ken wasn't surprised the TV wasn't working, but it had been worth a try. And even when it wasn't working it might still be of some use. He was just about to connect it with his cleaned and working D-terminal when he stiffened in alarm.
The corridors and tunnels carried sound extremely well extremely far. So it was not a surprise that the crashing of one of the outer walls carried into the main chamber.
Ken bit his lip, glancing at the TV once before plugging his terminal out as Wormmon scurried around worriedly.
His digivice wasn't reacting and Ken knew the probability of the coming company being friendly was slim to none. For that he had to prepare.
The room he was in only had one entrance so it was a safe bet to assume the being would come from there.
It also meant there was no escape.
On the other hand the room was full of all kinds of technical and mechanical equipment.
How much time did he have? How strong was the opponent? What was its purpose? Did it even know Ken was here? Could he hide from it?
Estimating about seven minutes Ken glanced around, falling back on a much practiced saying; hope for the best, plan for the worst. What the visitor's goal was, Ken couldn't know yet and in the end, if it didn't know Ken to be here, then him not knowing wouldn't make a difference. If it did know, then hiding was going to be meaningless.
Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
"Wormmon, do you think you could…"
Kari had subconsciously been waiting for something to happen and apprehension had built into a heavy weight in her chest, making her restless, her mind overactive and spinning the craziest scenarios; not knowing was a scary thing.
Yet when she was finally attended, she wished desperately back for her state of ignorance.
"My, my," one of her two visitors cooed, a long tongue slithering over violet smirking lips, "look who is finally awake. Such a pleasure, don't you think?" The digimon dropped a clawed hand on the head of its companion, patting. Kari forgot how to breathe.
Phelesmon's grin widened and Gatomon's eyes remained impassive, unseeing.
"Hello to you too, my dear. I take it you recognize my new best friend? I would not be much surprised, seeing how your dear friend used to be one of them as well."
Gatmon didn't even twitch when one sharp finger drew over her cheek, cutting and leaving a red line of blood behind. On instinct Kari struggled against her bindings, but when only resistant answered her, fear made its way into her limps and her struggling increased. She shouted for Gatomon, because she knew and Phelesmon knew too, that standing just a few feet from her was not just any Gatmon.
Yet her partner didn't even twitch at Kari's desperate calls when usually she would be already on a blood path of revenge for whoever dared hurt Kari.
Nothing.
Sagging, she understood and levelled her glare at Phelesmon. Challenge. "What do you want?" Despite her best efforts, her voice cracked. Be it from fear, anger, nerves, or lack of use, she couldn't tell.
The digimon had been watching her, taking sadistic pleasure from her pain, laughing. Now it tempered down on its amusement, grinning wildly, darkly, as it returned the look.
"Nothing, Chosen" it said, goading, victorious. "Everything you could have for me, you have already given." As if to emphasize its point it patted Gatomon again.
Kari swallowed, gathering her courage. "What are you taking about?" She knew that when the teeth flashed white in an even bigger malicious smile that she made a mistake. Goosebumps rose on her skin at the look given to her.
"You want to know? Of course. Then who would I be to deny your last wish?" It knelt down in front of her, drawing a nail down her cheek, mimicking its earlier movement. "Out of all you pesky flies, you were the only one holding an interest for us. That is because our dear host of the light sadly doesn't include the elements despicable holiness. You, on the other hand do." It had her chin in a grip, forcing her head painfully to the side as she glowered at it from the corner of her eye.
It snorted, disgusted and got up. "Personally I don't see how that is possible, but it must be true as we already have results. Do you want to know them?" It asked, rhetorically, lips curling in distaste now that she wasn't visibly suffering. It was almost dismissive now. Kari wished she wasn't so relieved.
"Evolution," it said, sadistic glee sparking in its eyes along with some darker greed, "the light of evolution is ours now. And with it eventually every digimon in this world and all others."
"You are lying," Kari returned without hesitation. She was not stupid enough to believe everything fed to her. "I don't have that kind of power. I can make only my partner evolve."
A smack resounded through the room, stinging tears in her eyes and her lip split. But she didn't take her words back. If she could make Digimon evolve at will, then everything would be so much easier.
"And yet with your cooperation your ruler has already fallen. Qinglongmon is our mightiest servant, currently laying waste to your precious world and sniffing out some pesky flies. Not to mention that digimon are evolving for our service."
It turned, giving her one last nasty smile before leaving her to her thoughts. "Enjoy your guard."
Gatomon stayed.
Kari shivered.
Her thoughts were stumbling and it took some time before she could force them back into order.
She was no expert on physiological warfare, never mind of breaking a mind, so she had no hint as to how to take what her jailor told her. Her mind and heart both didn't want to believe a single thing, but she didn't see any reason to tell her lies that she wouldn't believe. Surely there were more efficient ways to break her spirit; if that was even relevant as there was also the chance that everything she had been told was only said to Phelesmon's sadistic amusement in seeing her agonize over it.
The letter at least she was determined to prevent by schooling her features into blankness even when faced with the yellow eyes of the shell of Gatomon. If she was watched by some other means, which she surely was, she would not give an inch.
Gatomon stared at her, unblinking and monotone. No feeling was itched into her expression and she didn't move a muscle even as the red line on her face released a drop. It splattered to the ground, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent hall.
Her eyes…
Kari could hardly look at her partner without feeling a spark of intense uncharacteristic anger. Gatomon's eyes had always been full of untold messages. Even back when they first met and Gatomon had been at the verge of darkness.
Even back then something had reflected in her eyes and Kari had been able to read her.
Now…
She trembled, her shoulders and arms feeling strangely stiff as she bit her lip to prevent tears from falling.
Gatomon.
"Don't move. Don't say anything."
A double chapter for August. Hope you enjoyed it. :)
Takuya is finally back. He was not captured by the enemy, but he was tied down plenty and stuck doing thinks only he could do but had had actually no real interest or skill for. But duty prevailed and he was forced to debate what the hell fire is. Luckily, the subject was very much the best it could be for him, seeing how he was based of said characteristics. But he still couldn't wait to get the hell rid of talking-duty.
Other than that I have decided to dig a bit around in the digiwolrd's unknown history. As the saying goes, the past always catches up.
As always, I thank you for reading and ask you to leave a review to tell me what you think.
There is also still a poll on my profile.