Writing Digimon- Dark Conflict

[Solo Tremaine]

Here's the first chapter of a new fanfic that I wrote in about an hour of spontaneous inspiration. Well, my chapters tend to turn more into epics, but still, any feedback is greatly appreciated. What do you think?

Sorry if I've nicked anyone's title- it sounds familiar but I'm not consciously aware of reading any others called that. Maybe it's just a cliche. Let me know if I've enfringed. Happy reading!

ROUGH SYNOPSIS:
Set 23 years after MaloMyotismon's defeat, this takes place in a reality where things went wrong. While the world was blinded by happiness, a mysterious and powerful digimon named Thanatomon opened the gate to the Chaos dimension. In a post-apocalyptic world, humans and digimon are still waging war against each other. Few digidestined remain, branded traitors by both sides. The story begins in the Sahara desert...

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Chapter 1: The Shattered World
Earth, 2019. Seventeen years after the gateway to the Digital World opened to all in the real world, offering untold new hopes and lives of peace. Things had changed. Back then, everything had seemed so alive- Everyone had a fabled digimon, a partner for life, and it seemed like you could live forever. With digivices in hand, the whole world was united against the evil of MaloMyotismon. Blinded by their own happiness; they never saw it coming?

Deep in the Sahara desert, a digimon was escaping. In the intense heat he felt close to collapsing, but he knew he had to run. The humans would be right behind him at any moment. As he sprinted past dunes, his breath rasping loudly, he heard the sound of sirens in the distance behind him.
?Oh no?? he gasped, sweat dripping down his nose. He chanced a look behind him to see the compound he?d escaped. A trail of dust was rapidly making its way towards him. That could mean only one thing- the tank. A massive armoured containment unit, a tank was a fortress on wheels. Deadly to digimon, armed with deletion cannons and 6-inch armour plating, he knew he didn?t have much of a chance against it. The roar of the engines grew steadily louder as the digimon felt the tank catching up to him. His last hope, he thought, would be to roll. The ground began to shake with the impending arrival of the heavy vehicle. Steadying himself, MetalArmadillomon curled up into a spiked ball and cannoned forwards as fast as he could. The hot sand burnt his scales and scratched his skin like sandpaper. Grimacing through the pain, he kept rolling away from the compound.
?I don?t want to go back? Don?t let them take me?? he pleaded to himself.
Inside the vehicle, the three humans were enjoying the thrill of the hunt. One, sat in the gun turret, followed the digimon in his sights, stroking the trigger.
?This is the last time you escape, worm.? He growled. Suddenly, the digimon stopped. One of its spikes had broken, sending it crashing into a standing stone. It lay, dazed and exhausted on the ground, too weak to continue.

In the compound, the human commander listened intently to the tank?s status. All around him, huge screens showed him the tank?s position on the map. Officers ran frantically around the room, studying each security camera and making sure the site was secure.
?Kill it.? He barked.
?Gotcha now!? the gunner sneered. The targeting computer bleeped insistently at him to fire. Smiling evilly, he jerked back the trigger.
MetalArmadillomon struggled feebly to get to his feet. He felt his insides constrict as he heard the cannons fire. As the two bright blue deletion beams screamed forwards relentlessly, he shut his eyes in fear, hoping they would miss. Suddenly, something thundered into his side and he could feel himself being carried away.
?So this is what it?s like to die?? he thought. Opening his eyes and expecting to see his body disappearing, he instead saw a mass of blue and white fur. He strained his neck back to see the tank far below him, getting smaller and smaller. Someone was saving his life. Hurriedly looking up to see who it was, a huge blue streak shrieked past. MetalArmadillomon?s carrier looped in the air, making him feel sick. He hated flying, he hated heights, but he preferred them to being deleted. He felt dizzy and pushed against the digimon to get some air.
?Hold on.? It said calmly. Suddenly, MetalArmadillomon felt them changing direction. He looked up and saw the tank and the desert floor zooming towards him very fast. He drew back in shock.
?What are you doing?? he spluttered fearfully. ?You?ll never get through that armour!?
?That?s not what I?m trying to do.? The digimon answered back. ?Trust me!? MetalArmadillomon wished he could, but just held on for dear life instead.
Inside the tank, the driver was furious. ?It?s that one again! He totalled one of our units two days ago! We should pull back!?
The gunner snarled at him. ?No way! I?m going to get him for what these things did!? He aimed the two turrets at the fast-approaching digimon and fired madly. The digimon avoided the projectiles effortlessly and drew a massive sword from the scabbard on his back. It began to glow a bright white. The driver swore loudly and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The engine roared loudly, spewing black smoke from its exhausts, and the tank shuddered forwards? but not far enough. The digimon took aim with his sword and sliced through two large generators mounted behind the turrets with extreme precision and ease. They sparked madly for a few seconds, then exploded.
MetalArmadillomon held down his stomach contents and smiled uneasily. ?Impressive.? He said queasily.
The digimon smiled. ?It?s not over yet.?
The shockwave of the explosion caught up with them, rocketing them forwards and upwards. The G-Forces made MetalArmadillomon feel sick. He clenched his eyes shut- he didn?t dare look down, they were so high up. Eventually, they reached the clouds and passed above them. The digimon smiled at him.
?You can open your eyes now. We?re safe.?
?We?re not safe!?
?Yes we are, we?re above the clouds- way out of their range.?
?It?s not that that we?re not safe from, it?s the falling down from up here we?re not safe from.?
The digimon chuckled. ?Open your eyes. It?s beautiful.?
MetalArmadillomon cautiously opened half an eye, and then gazed in amazement at the view spread before him. Miles of white clouds lay below them, and below that was the desert, looking far more enjoyable from up here. Mountains of cloud flew past them like great sentinels in the sky. The sun shone brightly, giving everything a warm glow. A cold wind was blowing strongly; it felt soothing. ?It is beautiful?? he sighed in wonderment. He shook his head. He could finally get a clear view of his saviour. He was like one he?d never seen before. He was a bipedal wolf with blue and white fur. His huge red dragon wings were spread very wide, quivering in the wind currents. Muscular arms with leather belts wrapped around them gripped him tightly, and on his left wrist was a small steel crossbow. Finger-less gloves covered blue-furred hands with gleaming white claws. A red bandanna hug loosely around its neck. Finally, MetalArmadillomon said something. ?Where are we going??
The digimon gestured forwards with his muzzle. ?To a place we call ?The Haven?.?
?You mean we aren?t going to report to HiAndromon??
A look of revulsion flicked across the digimon?s face. ?No. The Digital Continent is full of evil, and HiAndromon?s where most of it comes from.?
MetalArmadillomon was confused. ?But? he?s part of the highest command before??
?I know.? The digimon nodded. ?That?s why we aren?t going there.?
MetalArmadillomon was shocked. ?You rebelled against the Sentients??
?No. The Sentients rebelled against humanity and Digimon. Their sheer power allowed them to overpower the digidestined nine years ago. I hate them.? The digimon said sternly. MetalArmadillomon did agree, but was afraid to say anything. They had spies everywhere.
?So? what is The Haven?? he asked, watching some birds fly underneath them.
?It?s a hidden place where we do our best to keep peace in the area. It?s far enough out of reach of the Sentients, and the humans? boats can?t detect us. A lot of the digimon warriors are there.?
?You mean the digidestined??
The digimon sighed sadly. ?Yes? the ones that are left.?

Back in the compound, the commander sat at his desk, the headphones broadcasting lifeless static to his ears. Anger welled up inside him.
?I?hate?digimon?? he hissed through gritted teeth, the rage making his hands shake. ?I?hate?? He raised his fist and slammed it down on the desk, splitting it in two. ?DIGIMON!? he screamed. He pointed madly at a communications officer sat at a desk and yelled at her.
?Get me through to the command centre at Midway!? The communications officer nodded and madly jabbed at the buttons on her control panel.

In a dark room in the command centre at Midway, in the Pacific Ocean, a phone rang tunelessly. Illuminated only by the dim glow of a computer monitor, the darkness seemed to stretch into infinity. Someone picked up the receiver. The commander wasn?t looking forward to this. He breathed in heavily.
?Master Danaki, I-?
?He?s escaped, hasn?t he?? a voice hissed. The commander froze.
?Sir, if you would let me explain, I can-?
Danaki?s eyes narrowed evilly. ?I don?t care for slack security, commander. See to it that he is returned as soon as possible. The Sentients will be after him soon, and we don?t want them taking him, do we??, he growled.
The commander?s voice was wavering. ?Yes, sir. I?ll?send out a recovery team immediately, sir.?
?Good. Have we established where the Haven is??
?Latest reports indicate it?s off the north-west coast of Africa. ?
?Find it and destroy it. Is that clear? If I hear any more bad news from you, commander, I shall see to it that the monsters tear you apart limb by cursed limb. Do you understand?? Danaki hissed, clenching his fists.
All blood had drained form the commander?s face. He felt sick. He?d never seen the Master, but he?d heard of what happened to insubordinates. ?Yes, sir.? He whimpered quietly, putting down the communicator.
In the dark room, Danaki rubbed his hands together slowly. The digimon?s escape was a minor setback. In the end they would all be destroyed, together with the digidestined, who had damned the human race from the very moment they mat their accursed ?partners?. He felt disgusted at the very notion. They weren?t partners. He considered them worse than parasites. Not fit for a physical existence. That was why they should be exterminated. He hit a button on the keyboard. The screen hummed electronically, then bleeped as a cryogenics tube came up on screen. It was filled with a hazy green liquid, but inside he could see the distinct features of his creature. They would soon learn that the human race is not so easily defeated.
?Fools.? He spat. He jabbed another key and a picture of a massive underground hangar filled the screen. In it was a mass of metal plating and wires. He grinned wickedly at the thought of his final revenge.

MetalArmadillomon opened his eyes blearily. He must have fallen asleep. Down below him, he could see the coast. They were steadily descending on the ocean, to what looked like a small island a mile or so out. As they drew nearer, it started to look more familiar. At one end was a small mountain-like structure, and next to that was a large metal dome.
?Was? he real, then? The stories were true??
?Yeah.? The digimon nodded as they came in to land on the dome. He touched down effortlessly and set him down on the ground. ?Still is real. Kenji Ichijoji?? The digimon continued. He drew his sword again and tapped on the dome three times in quick succession. A young man with fairly long blonde hair opened a circular hatch in the centre of the dome.
?Glad you?re back, Aidan. Get inside quickly- a patrol of digimon?s coming this way.?
Aidan grabbed MetalArmadillomon and shoved him down the hatch. Keeping a watch on the sky above, he climbed in afterwards, slamming the hatch shut behind him. The inside of the ship was dimly lit. Odd bits of seaweed clung to the metal walls, which had begun to rust. More corridors led off from this one, each looking the same. Small hatchways were embedded in the walls- ventilation ducts and maintenance tunnels. Suddenly, they came to a large door. The man and Aidan looked back at MetalArmadillomon, nodded and swung open the doors. He couldn?t believe his eyes. A massive brightly-lit blue metal room greeted him, and all around it were loads of humans and digimon sitting together happily- not a hint of malice in the room. To one side, some younger kids were playing with a few battered toys with their digimon. Occasionally, MetalArmadillomon would see a digivice. He?d try to get a closer look at it, but someone would get in the way. The blonde-haired man was talking to a girl about his own age with short orange hair, whom he?d heard to be called Sora. A Gabumon stood next to him and said something- he couldn?t hear what, but he looked very sincere. All around him the room was buzzing. Some of the older people were just sitting and talking, but still looking genuinely happy. He hadn?t seen emotion like that since he was a baby digimon. He looked around in wonder, and then saw Aidan. He was just leaning against a wall, looking dejected. He noticed a slight look of longing in his eyes as he watched some of the children playing. When the blonde-haired man had finished talking, Aidan walked over to him and asked him a question. The man nodded and disappeared into another large door at the other end of the room.

In the bridge, Yolei and Ken were sat at the controls. In front of them were masses of monitors and scanners, hurriedly joined together by wires and duct tape. Yolei tweaked a bit of the tape and sighed.
?Not exactly state-of-the-art, is it?? she said lazily, flicking the radar screen.
Ken nodded in agreement. ?At least it works. And it?s our only hope at achieving peace.?
Yolei was just about to reply when Matt strode into the room. He stood inbetween them.
?How?s it going, guys??
?We?re good to go!? Yolei said cheerfully. Matt?s face stayed stern.
?Aidan rescued a digimon from the Sahara compound earlier today. If we?re lucky, he?s got at least some clue as to holes in the human security systems.? He said flatly.
?So? do you think we?ll be able to pull it off?? Ken asked apprehensively. Matt?s head lowered.
?That room is full of children. They have no concept of how to battle properly. The only ones here who can deal with this are you two, me, Sora, Joe, Izzy and Aidan. That?s not a heavy strike force??
?How many will we need??
?I don?t know. Since the Digi-World?s been as good as destroyed, we still can?t digivolve. It?d take a lot. Much more than what we have.?
They all looked solemn. Matt looked ahead at the thick plexi-glass window. Fish had begun swarming around the edges, sucking up plankton.
?Take us out, Yolei.?, he ordered, turning to leave.
Ken and Yolei looked at each other with concern. T.K?s absence was obviously still playing on his mind, even after all these years? She slammed the throttle forwards. The entire ship moaned into life, jerking forwards. . Slowly, it rose up out of the ocean and into the sky until it disappeared behind the clouds.

Down in the living quarters, Aidan stood outside his door silently, staring at the name he?d scratched into it when he?d first boarded. He hated his name. He?d hated it for years. It didn?t suit him? not any more. Painful memories filling his mind with sorrow and rage, he raked his claws across the door viciously, leaving deep gouges in it. MetalArmadillomon crept towards the slightly ajar door and looked at it sadly. This was obviously a regular thing- gouge marks were all over it. Gently, he pushed the door open. The room, like most of the rest of the ship, was a dirty red and black metal room with a large daylight bulb strapped to the ceiling. Aidan?s room was covered in scratches and large dents. Aidan took his scabbard off his back and leaned it against the wall. He stared at himself in the mirror. Feeling nervous, MetalArmadillomon coughed quietly to get his attention. Aidan whirled round, making him jump.
?S-sorry to interrupt, Aidan, I was just-?
Aidan sighed. ?Don?t worry, you weren?t interrupting anything.?
?Um? I just wanted you to know that I?m really grateful for you saving me today. I? would have been killed if it weren?t for you.?
Aidan?s grim expression softened slightly. ?No problem. Just don?t make a habit of it.?
?I won?t.? he turned to go, but saw the deep scratches in the door. ?Um? Aidan??
?Hmm?? Aidan grunted, scratching his cheek.
?Why?? Aidan shot him a fiery glance, he knew what he was going ask. MetalArmadillomon gulped and looked at his mirror. ?I mean?where are we going?? Aidan looked slightly relieved.
?Well, we tend to go anywhere that?s out of sight. But once we?ve got enough forces, we hope to restore peace to the worlds.?
?That?s? ambitious.? MetalArmadillomon thought out loud. He clicked his claws on the metal floor. ?Nice, but ambitious. Do you think we can do it??
Aidan shook his head. ?I don?t know.?
MetalArmadillomon didn?t know what to say. Now obviously wasn?t the time to try and start a conversation. ?I?ll see you later, Aidan?? he said quietly.
?Bye?? Aidan whispered.

In the sky, several large serpent-like shapes were following the base. Their eyes glowing red, they quickened their pace, growling with bloody anticipation?

[rokas]

i don't know if we are supposed to reply to these posts.


Idea itself is realy good. makes ya wonder what happens next.
it would be better if more people from digimon forum knew about this.

there's rearly any clouds above sahara. malo myotismon was defeted in 2002(thats whay they call it 02) so the story would happen in 2025.

[Solo Tremaine]

I'm really gald you liked it. I've been waiting for a reply for a while. Thanks for letting me know about the 02 thingy. I've changed it to 2019 anyway. It seems too long a gap, otherwise.

You can get clouds over the sahara- My mum went there on a cloudy day and she has some photos to prove it (so she says- I asked her the exact same question yesterday).
Anyway- back to the story. Chapter 1: Part 2.
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MetalArmadillomon wandered about the ship, investigating various rooms and trying to find a way back to the big room. All of the corridors looked the same. Eventually, he came to a door marked ?Izzy?. Curious, he gently pushed open the door. A blinding light flooded the room; he had to shield his eyes just to squint. It began to dim a little, and he braved a stroll inside. Once his eyes had adjusted to the light, he could hardly believe what he saw. The room was massive, at least twenty feet high. Every inch of the walls was covered in an iridescent blue metal which glowed in the light. In the centre of the room were two cone-like structures, one hanging down from the ceiling, the other reaching up from the floor. Suspended in the centre was the source of the light- a large white crystal. It felt as if it was giving off more than light- MetalArmadillomon could almost feel an energy. Suddenly, he remembered the broken spike on his back. Sighing in disappointment, he walked over to the metal wall and studied his reflection. To look at, he was one of the more attractive digimon. At least, that?s what he thought. A black and grey colouring of Armadillomon, he was quite a lot larger- almost three feet high with his spines up. His tail had three curved blades at the end. Usually he kept them closed to avoid accidents. He was relieved to finally be out of the compound. They kept throwing him into ridiculous experiments and sticking needles into him. Lifting up the plates on his arms, he could see some of the scars. Shuddering at the thought, he laid them back down and looked at himself in the metal. His purple eyes shone brightly in the light of the crystal, and his black metal shell glinted dangerously. He raised his spines to survey the damage to his broken one. Strangely, all of the spikes were there. No broken ones. He strained his neck round the to see if it was just a trick of the light. Still no broken one.
?Strange?? he murmured. From the other side of the room, he heard an angry voice.
?Hey, what are you doing here?
MetalArmadillomon jumped and looked round. ?S-sorry. I was lost.?
A man with long red hair in a wheelchair wheeled up to him. He was wearing a ripped green shirt over an orange T-shirt with faded black stripes. ?I?ve not seen you around here before. You new??
?Yes. I?m MetalArmadillomon.? He held out his claw for the man to shake. He smiled and shook it heartily.
?Koushiro Izumi. Call me Izzy.?
?Hi Izzy. Um?? he looked at the crystal. ?What is that crystal??
Izzy moved some of his hair out of the way of his eyes and cleared his throat. ?We don?t know exactly what it is. We use it as a power source for the ship. It tends to fluctuate a bit, so I?m here to regulate the temperature and do maintenance.?
?Ah.? MetalArmadillomon looked at Izzy?s legs. They were bandaged tightly to the legs of the wheelchair. ?What happened??
?I assume you?re referring to my legs.? Izzy asked. MetalArmadillomon nodded. ?Eight years ago, we were engaged in battle against some of Thanatomon-?
MetalArmadillomon shuddered. Izzy looked puzzled. ?Sorry.?, he explained. ?We don?t tend to say his name??
Izzy nodded. ?We were up against some of his forces in one of our early attempts to overthrow him, and we weren?t doing that badly until ChaosPiedmon turned up. Bent on revenge, he started taking us out one by one, and it didn?t look like anything was going to stop him. He got to me and Tentomon. I knew Tentomon wasn?t going to stand a chance, so I distracted ChaosPiedmon by leading him into a half-destroyed building. I got up to the top floor, and with nowhere left to run, ordered our digimon and human allies to fire at the building. As it was destroyed and the building collapsed, I heard the maniacal digimon screaming. Even though I survived the fall, I?d landed heavily on my back on a broken wall. We haven?t heard of ChaosPiedmon since, but I doubt that would have seen him off, somehow??
MetalArmadillomon wished he hadn?t asked. He didn?t know what to say. All this destruction and pain? caused by his masters. His jaw clenched with anger. Just as he felt he was about to explode with rage, a rather confused-looking Tentomon buzzed into the room.
?Hello there!? he said cheerfully, crashing onto the floor. MetalArmadillomon jumped clear of Tentomon?s crash and picked him up. ?Thanks. Of course, I meant to do that.?
Izzy smiled at Tentomon. ?You okay, pal??
?Sure thing, Izzy. I?ve recalibrified the exhumator, examinicated the transmogrifier and adjusted the green thingy. I think that?s right, anyway.?, he buzzed excitedly. A look of great concentration swept over Izzy?s face for a few seconds, before turning into a confused smile.
?Thanks, Tentomon. Don?t overwork yourself.?
Suddenly, the ship jolted forwards, sending Izzy flying into the wall. He grabbed the radio receiver next to the door and yelled into it. ?What kind of flying do you call that??
Matt picked up the other end, sounding angry. ?We hit something.?
?Must have been some bird?? Izzy murmured gravely. Suddenly, a blur of screams burst through the intercom. Through the frantic shouts, Izzy heard the word ?Gigadramon?.
MetalArmadillomon, spurred by anger for the Digimon Sentients, sprinted out of the room, determined to stop them from destroying the children on the ship?

Ken and Yolei battled with the controls to keep the ship in flight. There were three Gigadramon circling the ship. Every few seconds, one would let off a huge volley of missiles, causing the base to shift out of control.
?These impacts are going to break through the hull if we don?t do something quickly.? Ken growled while wrestling with the controls. A stray missile thundered into the ship just below the front window, rocking the bridge uncontrollably. Matt struggled to keep himself upright.
?Can?t we carry out evasive manoeuvres?? he yelled to Yolei.
?We?re a floating lump of stone- evasive manoeuvres don?t work!? she shrieked back as another missile cracked the glass.
Matt ran his fingers through his hair. Losing the Haven would be a major blow to any efforts to restore peace. But if they died then everything would be lost. What should he do? ?Ken?? he shut his eyes. He didn?t want to give the order. ??Order an evacuation of the Haven. Get everyone to the transport ship in the hangar.?
?What about the Gigadramon?? Ken asked anxiously. His hands were shaking slightly.
?Aidan and I will take care of them.? He boomed. ?Just make sure everyone gets out.?
Ken and Yolei looked at each other. They could see the fear in each other?s eyes. Ken pressed a button on the desk in front of him. ?Evacuate the ship.? His voice wavered slightly. ?Everyone is to proceed to the emergency hangar immediately and get into the transport ship. I repeat? evacuate the Haven.?
Matt sighed and put on his sunglasses. He hated Sora seeing him lose hope. She could see it in his eyes. The ship rumbled slightly as he pressed another button on the panel. ?Aidan, you and Gabumon are to come with me to give the transport ship cover immediately!?
A faint voice hissed through the radio. ?Sure, Matt.?

The Gigadramon laughed menacingly as they launched missile salvos into the defenceless base. Slowly, it began to tilt to one side. One of the Gigadramons drew back its enormous fist and plunged it straight into the side, creating a massive hole. He grinned at the damage he?d caused. The other two watched and laughed evilly as they heard frantic screams and cries from inside. The other two opened their metal claws and prepared to fire off the final round when something stopped them. A streak of white light shot through the first one?s shoulder, causing him to let out a terrible roar. Aidan was brandishing a large steel longbow and threatened them with a second shot. The first Gigadramon grimaced in pain and flew back a few metres. The other two growled at him impatiently.
?Not smart!? hissed the second one, opening his claws. Two missiles screamed from the sockets and flew straight at Aidan. Quickly, he slammed the longbow onto his left wrist and held his arms out in a defensive position. The missiles exploded, leaving a mass of smoke floating in the air. The Gigadramons growled triumphantly. But? as the smoke dissipated, the saw a white sphere in front of them. Suddenly, it disappeared, leaving Aidan hovering there, completely unharmed. The longbow had changed shape into a steel crossbow.
?Idiots.? He scoffed. His Light Shield was put up just in time. Roaring fiercely, the third Gigadramon charged straight at him. Aidan drew his sword and held it in front of him, pointing downwards, bracing himself for the impact. Gigadramon?s hard metal helmet collided with Aidan?s sword, sending him crashing onto the roof of the base.
The Gigadramon snorted indignantly and gestured to the other two to keep attacking the base. They floated round to the back and charged up their cannons, eager to destroy it as soon as possible. A sudden explosion in the side wall distracted them. Smoke drifted from an open hole. Cautiously curious, one of them edged closer to it to see what had caused it. As it moved closer, it could hear metallic noises. Suddenly, a massive burst of missiles zoomed from the smoke and exploded in his face, freezing it completely. Incapacitated, he fell down into the ocean far below. The second Gigadramon aimed his cannons at the hole and fired several missiles into the cavity. Debris exploded outwards and the Gigadramon turned his attention to the dome, content that whatever it was had been vaporised.
Aidan couldn?t move. He?d been temporarily paralysed by the force of the floor hitting his back. Groaning in pain, he tried to open his eyes. He could see the Gigadramon salivating over his opportunity to end his life.
?Not yet?? Aidan choked. The ominous sound of Gigadramon?s cannons charging up pierced his ears, and he prepared himself for the final hit? but something else happened. Instead of a deafening explosion, all he heard was a loud ?pop?. Opening his eyes again, he saw Gigadramon frozen with pain, his cannon split down the middle. MetalArmadillomon flopped out of the end, stunned and covered in soot. He?d jumped into the cannon. Aidan smiled weakly and heard a new sound- the roar of engines.

On the transport ship, Sora was struggling to get everyone to calm down. Many of the children were in hysterics, and even Tentomon walking into the door wouldn?t calm them down. On top of that, the ship was stuck inside- the bay doors wouldn?t open. Struggling to remain calm herself, she handed over the controls to Yolei.
?Someone needs to open the doors, Yolei. I?m going to go.?
Yolei grabbed her arm. ?Sora, that?s insane! You?d fall out and? I don?t want to lose another friend.?, she pleaded. Sora looked at the doors again- they?d changed shape. A huge dent had appeared in them. As she looked again, they imploded and a massive metal claw appeared where there used to be a door.
?It?s okay, Yolei. This bozo?s done it for us!? She jumped into the pilot seat and slammed down the throttle lever. The engines roared into life and it accelerated forwards. Gigadramon peered inside to see what he?d found when Yolei took the gunner?s seat. Screaming in rage, she held down the trigger. A minigun on the roof of the ship burst into life and fired straight into Gigadramon?s evil eye. He reared back, roaring in pain. The remaining Gigadramon jumped and stared at the one holding its eye. It saw the ship shoot out of the hangar.
?Easy prey?? he sneered, discarding his damaged claw. MetalArmadillomon saw what he was going for. Leaving Aidan on the dome, he rolled after Gigadramon.
?Hey, you! Over here!? he yelled. Gigadramon turned round and swatted him with a claw. MetalArmadillomon slammed into the tall mountain structure, leaving a large crater. Gigadramon advanced on the ship, dribbling in anticipation. As he drew closer, he heard something behind him.
?You?ll have to do more than destroy a wall to get rid of me!? MetalGarurumon boomed. ?Ice Wolf Claw!? The attack thundered into Gigadramon?s back and he disappeared, deleted. Matt was riding on his back.
?Great work, pal. Once we?ve picked up Aidan and MetalArmadillomon we?ll catch up with the ship.? He patted his back, impressed. Metalgarurumon whirled round and flew back to the base, which was now falling fairly rapidly towards the ocean. Aidan and MetalArmadillomon were sitting on tope of the dome. Aidan?s right wing was badly hurt- he couldn?t fly. MetalGarurumon landed gingerly on the dome and let them clamber on. As they flew towards the ship, Aidan recounted the battle.
?Wait, what happened to that third Gigadramon?? he asked.
An evil laugh boomed behind them. ?HAHAHAHA! Time to die, vermin!?, the one-eyed Gigadramon roared. Ripping the mountain structure from the top of the base, he swung it at MetalGarurumon. Being laden with passengers, there was nothing he could do to avoid it. Drained of energy, he de-digivolved to Gabumon and all four of them plummeted down into the ocean?
TO BE CONTINUED?

[Solo Tremaine]

BTW, if anyone's still reading this and is interested, could you let me know? I want to continue but without any feedback it's hard. Any comments at all? I know it's a bit long, but if there's anything that strikes you... get a plaster! Seriously, though, any comments are greatly appreciated. Here's the first part of Chapter 2.
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Chapter 2: A New Mission
In a lush, green forest, a boy with thick white hair was taking a leisurely walk. A red bandanna hung loosely around his neck, blowing in the cool gentle breeze. Around his neck he was wearing a sword-shaped pendant, with wolves? heads decorating the hilt. Walking next to him was his digimon- Veedramon, a small blue and white dragon digimon. It was a stunning day. The light shone through the trees and danced on the path, making it look as if it were on fire. The boy smiled at Veedramon and Veedramon smiled back. They came into a clearing where they could see out into an enormous valley. It was stunning- huge fluffy cumulus clouds floated lazily by, and the snow-topped mountains enclosing the valley seemed to glow in the bright sunlight. Veedramon smiled at the boy.
?What do you think?? he asked cheerfully.
?It?s better than I could have ever imagined?? the boy replied, in awe.
A wide grin spread over Veedramon?s face. ?I thought you?d like it.? They looked out over the valley again. Suddenly, the sky began turning a dark red. The clouds darkened and spread over the entire sky, giving everything a blood-red colour. The boy looked worriedly to Veedramon, who looked scared. Suddenly, he began pointing madly at something in the distance.
?What?s that? I don?t like this. I think we?d better leave.?
The boy didn?t see what he was talking about. A flash of light blinded him. He couldn?t breathe. Something had hit his chest. The boy collapsed to his knees. He looked around for Veedramon, but couldn?t see him anywhere.
?Veedramon!? he called, gasping for breath. ?Where are you?? He felt a second thing slam into his chest.
?Don?t leave me!? he screamed, as everything turned black?

Matt slammed his fists down hard on Aidan?s chest. It was like trying to resuscitate a pillow full of cement. But he had to keep trying. Gabumon watched anxiously as he desperately battled to save Aidan?s life. He threw his fists onto his chest again and again, each time feeling for a pulse. Gabumon stepped forwards to put a paw on Matt?s shoulder when Aidan lurched upwards, a horrible gurgling rasp screeching from his mouth. He rolled over onto his front and coughed water up onto the sand. He reared his head back, air wheezing back into his lungs. He threw up a second load of water, which splattered noisily onto the ground. They were on a rocky beach somewhere. Thin grey clouds shrouded the sky. Palm trees swayed in the breeze and the water lapped gently at the sandy beach. Above them was a fairly steep rock face. Gabumon rubbed Aidan?s back to help him.
?Welcome back, Aidan. We thought we?d lost you for a minute there.? He said softly as Aidan threw up a third time. Matt sat wearily down next to him. Aidan coughed and spluttered, painfully ejecting all of the water from his lungs.
?Where?s?Metal?Armadillomon?? he rasped inbetween fits of coughing. Matt pointed over to a group of trees a few metres away. Breathing heavily, Aidan looked over to where Matt pointed. MetalArmadillomon was sitting on his own, looking guilty and forlorn. Aidan tried to pull himself up, but collapsed from weakness.
?Don?t try and move.? Matt stopped him. ?Your wing?s in bad shape.?
Aidan rested on his arms. ?What?happened to the?Haven?? he spluttered.
Matt shook his head. ?Gone.? He punched the sand. ?I can?t believe they found us. Now we?re all scattered again and we?ve lost our base. It took us years to put Ken?s flying fortress back together??
Gabumon?s head drooped. ?Don?t worry, Matt. We found Sora before. I?m sure we can do it again??
Matt looked doubtful. His sunglasses were cracked and he had seaweed in his hair. He stood up and looked around.
?It looks like we may be here a while. I?ll go see if I can find some firewood.? He said flatly. Gabumon rose to help him, but he shook his head. ?You stay here, Gabumon. You need to protect Aidan.?
A look of deep concern shadowed Gabumon?s face. ?Are you sure, matt??
Matt shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a revolver. ?I?ll be fine.? Shaking the water from it, he strode off down the beach.

Hiroshi Danaki cracked his knuckles in frustration. He?d waited too long for news of the digimon?s capture. The commander had failed. Snorting in disgust, he stood up and walked over to one of the walls. A single blue button, unused in years, lay on the wall. He jabbed it hard. The wall opened up to reveal a huge window overlooking a brightly lit laboratory. Danaki squinted through the light- it was the first he?d seen in weeks. Down below was the creature. In a green cryogenics tube it lay dormant, small tubes pumping information to computers with huge monitor screens. It twitched slightly, prompting a computer to bleep loudly. The researchers jumped and gathered around the computer. Danaki reached for a radio receiver next to the window.
?I don?t want it waking up yet. Make sure it stays sedated. Its intelligent mind may be trying to find a way to free itself.?
The scientists immediately ran around the lab, adjusting levers and buttons. Satisfied, Danaki closed the observation window. Darkness filled the room again, and he relaxed slightly.
?Soon? soon I will be able to take my revenge on those despicable digimon.? He hissed to himself. A shrill beep pierced his ears. He threw the receiver to his ear and barked down it. ?What is it??
?Sir, we can confirm that the digidestined?s base has been destroyed. There is no sign of the escaped digimon.?
Danaki smiled evilly. ?Are you sure there?s nothing left??
?The base has sunk underwater. If there are any survivors, they won?t make it out.?
?Good? Thank you for your report.? He slammed the receiver down, grinning madly. Now the digimon had been destroyed, there was nothing left to stop him carrying out his master plan?

Back on the beach, Aidan was sitting next to Gabumon. The wind had picked up slightly and kept catching his wings, pulling him off balance. He thrust his arms out behind him to keep himself upright.
?I don?t mind if you want to follow Matt, Gabumon.?
Gabumon sighed. ?He should be okay. But? he?s not been the same since T.K went missing. He started isolating himself from me. I?d have lost him if Sora wasn?t there.?
?So what do you think you should do? Personally, I?d go after him. I think right now he needs to know he?s not on his own.?
Gabumon looked deep in thought. ?It reminds me of when we were in that cave while having to defeat the Dark Masters.?
?And besides?? Aidan thought for a moment. Gabumon looked quizzically at him. ?His gun won?t work. It?s waterlogged.?
Gabumon stood up and stared down the beach. ?I?m going after him. We?ll be back soon!? He ran off down the beach, his fur coat blowing in the breeze. Aidan looked over to MetalArmadillomon, who was covering his face with his claws. He looked like he needed cheering up. Slowly, he walked towards him and sat down next to him. MetalArmadillomon did nothing. Feeling awkward, Aidan coughed to try and get his attention. Still nothing. He sighed.
?Are you okay??, he asked quietly. MetalArmadillomon removed a claw from his face and scraped the sand with it.
?None of this would have happened if it wasn?t for me. Matt would still be with his friends and you wouldn?t have nearly died.? He spat, angry at himself. Aidan scratched the back of his head.
?Well, that?s true, but it couldn?t be helped. I didn?t want to leave you to die out in that desert. We?re all responsible for our actions, so you could just as easily say it?s my fault for rescuing you.?, he theorised, looking out to sea. MetalArmadillomon shrugged. ?Either way, we?re stuck on this island. Matt and Gabumon have gone off to find some firewood.?
MetalArmadillomon didn?t look any happier. Aidan struggled to think of something reassuring. ?Look? once we?ve figured out where we are, we can get out of here. All we?ve seen so far is the beach.?
?I know where we are.? MetalArmadillomon said solemnly. ?And I wish we weren?t.?
Aidan looked worried. ?Where are we?? he asked urgently.
?Midway Island. An artificial complex created by the humans for research purposes. I?ve been here before. If we?re seen, that?ll be the end.?
Aidan swore under his breath. He hoped Matt and Gabumon were okay. ?Okay, MetalArmadillomon. We have to find the others. Now!? he said firmly. MetalArmadillomon jumped and looked up at Aidan, who was wiping salt scale from his sword. ?I know you?re upset at what happened. I am too. But right now we need to get out of here. Alright? We?ll have time for regrets later.?
The black digimon stood up and raised his spines. ?Alright, Aidan.? He said, his confidence slowly ebbing back. ?Let?s go find them.?

[Devidramon]

Radical! You'd better keep going. Sorry I haven't replied until now, but the whole thing was a quite a bit to read in one sitting. I love the deeper, darker tone of this. And remember, the views counter said 46 last I looked, so people are reading.

[Solo Tremaine]

Thanks, Devi! And to everyone else who's perservering through it. Pyro's been helping me lots with editing it (she's very very knowledgeable when it comes to writing things), so bits'll change. Not enough to warrant reading through again- just the odd word or two, and paragraph spacing. Lots of paragraph spacing. I'll keep you posted. Literally.

[Pyrophobic]

YAY! I get a mention!

Yeah, sorry about those paragraph spacing nit-picks. I just thought some editations in that vein might make it a whole lot more dramatic. It's a really good fic, though, and I'll be reading the second chapter soon. I really think you ought to consider putting it on ff.net - a lot easier to take in and read that way.

I'm knowledgeable about the whole writing thing? I like that compliment! Of course, I've never published, but there are two certificates on the tin cupboard that say otherwise. Do continue, Solo!

[Solo Tremaine]

Seriously, Pyro, you've been a great help. And I'm glad you did the paragraph nit-picky bit. Graphology can make a big difference to the impact of certain sentences. Here's the second half of Chapter 2: Paradise Lost. [EDIT: 14th Nov] Changed title and changed first scene [/EDIT]
P.S. Sorry if I sounded rude earlier when asking for views. I was feeling quite down then. But anyway, I digress...
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The wind turned cold. Matt, his thin shirt flapping about in the breeze, shivered slightly. It moved the trees all around him, giving the feeling that he wasn?t alone. He wouldn?t be surprised if he wasn?t. Using the gun to move a large leaf out of his way, he came to a steep bank. The gun cocked, he crept up it. It was hard work, and he was exhausted already. When he reached the top, he was standing on the edge of a circular valley. Down below was a steep drop down a tall cliff- at the bottom was a large lake, at the centre of which was a tall fountain of water, spewing the clear liquid at least twenty feet up in the air. Matt looked at it curiously. It definitely didn?t seem natural. He leaned over the edge slightly and saw several black shapes- the human?s stealth boats. Floating sinisterly on the water, soldiers were packing large crates into them.

?I wonder what they?re planning?? he thought out loud. Matt shuffled closer to the edge to try and get a better look. Suddenly, a series of mechanical clicks broke the silence. A sentry turret shot out of the ground and pointed at him, whirling it barrels in preparation to fire. Bullets exploded from it wildly- Matt dived down the bank to avoid getting hit. He could hear the bullets thudding into the ground on the other side.
?Damn!? he growled. ?They?ll be out to find me soon. That?s bound to have raised some alarm.? Jumping to his feet, he ran down the bank to find the others. As he came past a small waterfall, he heard a mechanical whirring noise. He hid behind a large moss-covered rock above it. Several quiet, angry voices were barely audible above the waterfall?s loud splashing.
??where he went?? he heard one say
?Either we?ve got to pick up a body or he?s run somewhere into Epsilon quadrant. We?ll find him. It?s not like he?s got anywhere to hide??
Matt waited until they were out of sight, and then swung himself underneath the waterfall. He landed smartly in front of a large metal door. A swipe-card panel was loosely attached to the wall next to it- the moisture had corroded it slightly. He gave it a hard hit with his gun and it burst open, spilling degraded plastic over the floor. He immediately regretted it. The swipe-card mechanism fell off, leaving him with a forest of wires.
?Izzy, what I would do for your knowledge right now??

Elsewhere, Gabumon was searching for Matt. It was hard to see through the thick undergrowth, and the growing winds made the leaves of the trees rustle noisily, blurring sounds together. Getting a little frustrated, he barged through a thick mesh of leaves? and came face to face with two angry-looking human guards dressed in camouflage gear. They yelped in shock and charged at him, holding out two frightening-looking electric prods. Gabumon dived between them and shot backwards with his Blue Blaster attack. They collapsed to the ground, stunned, as he sprinted away. He dashed through the undergrowth, branches scratching his arms and whipping his face. As he passed through a clearing, something grabbed him forcefully by the shoulder. He swiped at it with his claws, causing it to give out a horrific howl of pain. It dropped him and he chanced a glance back at what it was. He?d clawed Aidan?s nose. He held it painfully, eyes watering.
?That hurt.? He growled. ?But at least we found you.?
MetalArmadillomon was smirking. ?Why were you in such a hurry??
Gabumon pulled them down behind the bushes. ?Human guards are out. I think they might have Matt.?, he panted. Aidan and MetalArmadillomon looked at each other with equal looks of concern.
?We?ll have to find a way inside.? Aidan suggested, his nose still stinging.
MetalArmadillomon nodded. ?Follow me.? He curled up into a spiked ball and charged off through the undergrowth. Aidan and Gabumon followed in hot pursuit, Aidan hacking down intervening branches. They pelted through the trees, knocking over two guards and setting off numerous digimon traps as they went. They stopped at a waterfall. Gabumon sniffed the air curiously.
?Matt was here.? He said quickly. A way off behind them, they could hear angry shouts drawing nearer. Aidan looked back and threw up his Light Shield.
?Get into the waterfall.? He said firmly. Obediently, they jumped down through the wall of water and landed in the concrete entrance. A rancid smell of smoking plastic and blood burned their nostrils. The swipe-card mechanism hung, fried, on the wall. The floor was sticky with partly-dried blood. The door stood half-open, bullets half-embedded in its thick frame. Gabumon was frozen in fear. Was it Matt?s blood spilled on the floor? Was he still alive? His claws shook nervously.
MetalArmadillomon swallowed down his stomach and called to Aidan. ?Aidan, get down here!? He grabbed Gabumon, still paralysed with worry, and hurled him underneath the door. Bullets whizzed through the water and pounded into the walls with loud cracks, sending bits of concrete flying everywhere. More soldiers in camouflage gear appeared from behind the trees opposite and fired their guns at where Aidan was standing. As the bullets ricocheted from his shield, he hovered over the waterfall entrance. This would take perfect timing.
The soldiers kept firing relentlessly as more appeared from all directions. Growling, Aidan drew his sword. Over the gunfire, he heard MetalArmadillomon?s concerned cries. He was glad the humans didn?t have his acute hearing, otherwise the digimon would be dead.
He could feel his energy failing him as the shield began to flicker. ?Three??
The bullets kept coming. ?Two??
Two more guards appeared from behind him and opened fire. ?One?? Summoning up his strength, he launched his sword in a spinning flight at a tall tree opposite him. It cut through the trunk with ease and flew right into the next one. The first tree toppled over onto two of the guards. The others stopped firing in surprise. As the sword travelled in an arc, it cut down the trees behind the soldiers. They scattered, frightened for their lives. His sword returned, like a boomerang, into his waiting claw. Immediately, he dived into the waterfall and under the door. MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon were waiting inside, looking deathly concerned. Aidan threw them a quizzical frown. Shakily, Gabumon pointed over to a bloody mass in the corner of the room. Aidan edged over to it slowly and poked it with his sword. It rolled over and groaned- a human soldier. In a state of semi-consciousness, he looked up at Aidan and wailed in fright. Aidan took a deep breath and hit him squarely on the head with the hilt of his sword.
?It?s not Matt. He?ll live.?
MetalArmadillomon was filled with a feeling of disgust. ?How could you do that? He?s a living creature!?
Aidan glared at him sternly. ?I didn?t kill him. He?ll be knocked out for a while. When the other humans find him he?ll be easier to deal with. And besides, do you really want him to be attracting attention to us??
MetalArmadillomon looked away, anger stinging his eyes. Aidan looked around. The room was fairly dark- the light had been shot out. Light beamed in from the corridor opposite them. At the end was a lift. Aidan nodded forwards.
?This way.? Reluctantly, MetalArmadillomon followed him. Gabumon felt terrible. Plunged into the sea, they?d been thrown onto an island where they were being hunted like game. Matt had disappeared. He could be lost, injured, or worse. He shook his head, trying to erase those thoughts from his mind. But what if he never saw him again?
They stepped into the lift, not saying anything to each other. It was a surprisingly large lift for a human base. Obviously for transporting relatively large digimon to the research labs, Aidan thought. He jabbed the ?door close? button and looked won to MetalArmadillomon.
?Can you remember where everything is in this building??
MetalArmadillomon gritted his teeth. He was trying to think of something to say that wouldn?t result in him yelling at Aidan. He didn?t have to hit that soldier. He hated humans, but he hated unnecessary cruelty even more. Aidan kneeled down, his wings almost knocking Gabumon over. ?Look?? he started, rubbing his neck. He didn?t know what to say. He knew he didn?t have to hit the soldier. He hated the ones who hated digimon, and the ones who were too cowardly to step forwards for them, lying to themselves about their friends. He wasn?t Matt. Although he didn?t want to see Matt lying bleeding on the floor, he wanted to know that he was safe, even if he was hurt. He?d rather have seen Matt than a faceless drone of human hatred. But he was hurt? like he was? A slight lump in his throat, he stood back up again and opened the doors. He ran back down the corridor and picked up the man carefully. Behind him, the other soldiers had recovered and were climbing over the trees. He strode into the lift and shut the doors.
MetalArmadillomon looked up at him, relieved and happy that Aidan wasn?t completely cold. ?The hospital and scientific research labs are on sub-floor 5,?
?Thanks.? Aidan jabbed the button and the lift clunked into life. That strange floating feeling flowed over them. He smiled weakly at MetalArmadillomon, who smiled weakly back. Gabumon watched the buttons light up as the lift passed the corresponding floor.
?Which floor do you think Matt?s on?? he asked.
MetalArmadillomon scratched his chin. ?I think? if he?s been captured, he?ll be on sub-floor 7- the prison. Or, he?ll be on sub-floor 11. That?s the armoury.?
Aidan contemplated his scratched nose. ?I could do with some of that.? The man in his arms twitched slightly. Aidan looked at his name tag. ?Jones, Lance?, it read. He had a name. Aidan thought about his own name. It didn?t suit him. It was too noble. Aidan Phoenix. He hated himself sometimes, for having a name that shouldn?t exist any more. He would have thought further into it, but the lift jerked to a stop, disorientating them. He almost dropped Lance. ?No. Not Lance,?, he thought. ?The human.?. It was best to think of things that way, otherwise it was impossible to fight wars. It was easier for humans to do that because they had an almost innate ability to hurt each other effectively.
The doors shuddered open. The lift was on the side of a corridor. Hauling Lance onto his shoulder, he used his sword as a mirror to see what was either side of the door.
No-one. Good. He gestured with his head to the others, who exited the lift quickly. MetalArmadillomon ran ahead and pointed round a corner. Aidan was apprehensive.
?Won?t we get seen?? The corridors were much smaller than the lift. His wings were closed tightly.
MetalArmadillomon shook his head. ?Guards don?t tend to patrol here because it?s a humans-only section. The doors are too small for most digimon they capture to get through. It?s the most secure place for a human to be.? He crawled round the corner, Aidan and Gabumon following closely behind. Desperately trying to avoid contact with nurses, they sneaked into a private cubicle. Aidan lay Lance down on the gurney and unzipped his jacket.
?Come on? you must have one.? He mumbled, routing through the pockets.
The other digimon looked at each other, equally confused. ?What?? they chorused.
?A card thingy. You know, for doors.? He said, pulling out a grenade from a zip pocket and putting it back very quickly. He froze as a hand caked in blood rose from the other side of the gurney. It slipped into a trouser pocket and pulled out an identity card with a metal strip running down the side. Aidan looked at Lance?s face. His eyes were alight with hope.
?Take this? and go. It?s not? it?s not safe? for you.?
Aidan took the card and shook Lance?s hand. ?Thanks, Lance,? he whispered. He gave a sharp tug on the ?Help? cord and they left swiftly. A few seconds later, a nurse entered the room and gasped in shock at the soldier on the bed. She ran off and called for help?

In a dark room, Hiroshi Danaki paced up and down while the experiment down below carried on cautiously. Programming a digimon was a lengthy and risky progress. This was the first time he?d felt truly nervous in his life. This task may be the most important in the history of the survival of the human race. If this was successful, he?d be known as the saviour of the humans? he licked his dry lips. In the science lab below, he could scientists and computer programmers hurriedly sorting code and preparing equipment. The digimon in the tube stayed motionless, the only indication of any life being the monotone ping of the electrocardiogram.
One of the scientists picked up a radio communications device and clicked it on nervously. ?We?re ready to begin, sir,? his voice shook as he spoke.
Danaki nodded in approval. ?Good. Initiate data download on my mark.? He stared at the digimon in the tank in awe. ?Soon,? he thought, ?You will be alive.? The scientists readied two huge cables, each attached to a supercomputer.
?NOW!? he yelled. The two teams of scientists holding the cables launched themselves forwards. The ends of the cables slammed into two huge ports underneath the cryogenics tube. Smaller cables shot inside the tube from the underneath and attached to the creature. It convulsed violently for a few seconds, then settled down. Danaki wiped sweat from his forehead.
?Data transfer five percent complete.? The scientist announced nervously. Danaki sat on his desk and breathed out heavily. All he could do now was wait?

?It?s been three years since I was last year! Sorry I don?t know it like the back of my claw!? MetalArmadillomon hissed at Gabumon, his spines rising in anger.
Gabumon shied back. ?Sorry. I? I just want to find Matt and get out of here as quickly as possible.?
Aidan silenced them with a wave of his claw. He was looking round a corner at two solid-looking doors. Next to them was a key-card mechanism. He looked at Lance?s identity card and then back at MetalArmadillomon.
?Is there a lift through there?? he called back quietly.
MetalArmadillomon crawled under Aidan?s legs (making Aidan feel rather nervous) and studied the door carefully. ?That?s the door to the research facility. There?s lots of lifts down to the prison section there.?
Aidan, doing his best to avoid the metal digimon?s dangerous spines, stepped forwards and held the card above the key-card reader. Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon followed him nervously.
You alright about going in here?? He asked MetalArmadillomon, who didn?t look alright about it at all. He nodded, gulping loudly. Aidan held his breath and slid the card through the slit. The reader beeped loudly and the door slowly glided open. The corridor ahead of them was covered in burns, scratches and strange stains. MetalArmadillomon was shaking slightly as they stepped forwards. Gabumon could feel his body tensing up as he heard strange noises echoing from other rooms. Eerie cries, moans and whirring came from rooms they passed. Aidan put away his sword and held down a small cyan-coloured button on his crossbow. The arc thickened and lengthened into a huge steel longbow. Its smooth surface glinted in the dim light. He didn?t feel safe here. The thick doors behind them glided shut as they crept forwards. Behind them, another door opened silently?

Danaki grew more nervous as the download progressed.
?Combat data download complete. Initiating objective protocol download.,? the scientist announced, watching a computer screen intently. ?No power surges detected.?
A shrill beep made Danaki jump. He looked behind him at the phone on his desk. He ripped the receiver from its stand.
?What is it?? he yelled.
?Sir, we?ve detected three Digimon intruders in the research section. What should we do??
Danaki?s eyes widened in fright. ?Stop them, you idiot! Don?t let them get to Research Chamber Three at all costs!? he screamed, pulling a sword from the wall. He ran his finger along the blade and watched the protocol status slowly move along.
?Not yet? not yet!? he snarled as the digimon began to stir?

In the dim corridors of the research facility, Aidan, MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon were trapped. They reached a maintenance access door and ran through it, slamming it shut behind them. Aidan threw himself against the door as the human guards crashed into it to get at them. He looked to Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon.
?Run now! Go, get out!? he yelled as more humans arrived to break down the door. MetalArmadillomon frantically looked around for an alternative. He wasn?t leaving Aidan. On the wall was a metal box labelled ?Power?. He pulled Gabumon over.
?Get on my back!? he ordered. Gabumon jumped onto MetalArmadillomon, careful to avoid his spines and drew back his fists.
?Time for a distraction!? he shouted, plunging his fists into the box. It sparked wildly, throwing them both back into Aidan.
Suddenly, everything went black.

Danaki watched as the status bar moved up to forty-five percent. ?Not much longer now?? he snarled, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, the status bar disappeared. The lights flickered out and the room was plunged into total darkness.
?No?? he choked, frozen in shock. Below, through the thick glass, he heard confused shouts and screams of terror. He ran up to the window to see what was happening.
?Status report?? he said quietly, his voice shaky with fear. ?Status report?? he said more loudly. Clawing at the glass with his fingers, he yelled at the scientists. More screams. This time, he heard a new voice. A softer, louder voice. It groaned like someone waking up in the morning. A groggy, confused groan.
?NO!? he screamed, pounding at the glass with his fingers. ?DON?T LET HER BREAK FREE! STOP HER!?
In the cryogenics tube, the creature looked at its hand. ?Break free?? she whispered. She clenched her scaly fists in rage. ?Break free!? A huge bony spike shot from the top of her hand and pierced the glass. It slashed its hand around and the container smashed, sending glass all over the floor. The scientists fled in panic, screaming. She looked at the cables attached to her body and ripped them off in frustration. The bony lance retracted into her hand and she looked for an exit. The small amount of cryogenics fluid left in the tube drained slowly from it. She looked back at it quizzically, then tore open a massive hole on the floor and dived through.
Having fallen to his knees, Danaki could only watch as his beloved creation escaped into the lower levels of the facility?
TO BE CONTINUED?

[Pyrophobic]

You know what I suggest as a name for that chapter! "Paradise Lost"!

Phil: Uh, Pyro, that's the name of a Coleridge work...

Pyro: But - but - I LIKE IT!

So I digress. But thanks - now I know my beta-reading helps, I feel a more useful person all around.

Oh, and thanks for reading and editing my works, Solo. Much appreciated!

[Solo Tremaine]

No problem! Glad to be of service.

I like Paradise Lost! That's a good title! Ooh! Do you think Coleridge would mind?

[Pyrophobic]

Probably not, seeing as he's dead. Good bloke, all the same. I like the title "Paradise Lost" too - just sums up that first part of Genesis in two words...

[Solo Tremaine]

Ah. I'd be very scared if he did complain. Anyways, here's the first part of Chapter Three- Dark Designs. It might need a little more work. Also, I edited Chapter Two, Part II. I changed the Matt scene- he's now looking over a lake with a fountain and boats in it.

Thanks again to Pyro for all her continuing support. Much appreciated!
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Chapter 3: Dark Designs
Deep in the blacked-out command centre at Midway, something was roaming the corridors. An experiment broken free, hungry for escape. Hungry for life. She jumped gracefully out of a drainage pipe and into a dark corridor. Growling, she ducked down as two two-legged creatures went past, beams of light emanating from their foreheads. Tempted to follow them out of sheer curiosity, she raced along the corridor, silent as a breeze?

Elsewhere in the base, a human in stealth gear crept down the pitch-black corridors, searching for clues. Maybe it wasn?t so bad they were stranded here after all. He could find the information he?d been searching for. His heavy protective suit weighed him down considerably. Even though he felt safe, he also felt extremely hot and tired.
?How do these guys get used to this?? he said irritably, looking for a place to remove his helmet. Finding a suitably deserted room, he pulled it off and took a long, deep breath. He shook his head, his dark-blonde hair in rat-tails. Sighing, he studied his surroundings. Hundreds of books lined the walls. He whistled in awe, the shrill sound echoing around the dark, musty room. On one wall where a lot of the books had fallen down, he could see the top of a metal door. Cautious, he climbed over the mountain of books, most of which ripped under his weight. He kicked the obscuring books onto the floor and studied the door lock. It was a swipe-card activated door. But, if the power was out? He pulled a large rifle from his back and aimed it at the lock. Bracing himself, he squeezed the trigger. The deafening shot slammed into his ears like a brick, sending him reeling back. The door flew open and crashed against the inner wall. He flicked his shoulder-lamp on and peered inside. The lamp illuminated a small room which seemed to be covered in blueprints and diagrams. He crawled inside, almost tripping over a copy of ?Much Ado about Nothing?. The various bits of parchment had been shoved hurriedly into small shelves, each labelled with their subject. He surveyed them for a while, before coming to one which made him freeze.
?Angel of Death?, it read in ominous black print. Afraid of what he might find, Matt pulled out a piece of parchment and knelt down on the floor.

Hiroshi Danaki paced angrily around the room. The group of elite commanders in front of him stood to attention, anxiously awaiting his orders. Danaki had been known to go completely berserk at times, and had seriously injured soldiers who had failed to do their job. They did their best to keep their eyes forwards, ignoring him passing right in front of then, but occasionally he?d glare up at them, making them jump. His deep red eyes had a penetration that made it feel like he was looking inside your very soul.
He wore a crimson cloak, which flowed behind him like an eerie crimson shadow. His heavy boots hit the floor loudly, sending echoes around the room with each step. A jet-black army uniform with dark grey epaulettes was worn proudly on his body, and metal gauntlets gave him an unnerving sense of strength. Dark brown hair, neatly combed backwards, gave him the air of refinement, but his cold, hateful expression instantly mirrored his heart of ice.
He rubbed his hands hard in frustration. All that hard work? he wasn?t going to let her escape. The world?s future depended on it. His world?s future. He stopped abruptly, glancing over at his sword, left resting against the wall. It had a long, thick, curved blade with a serrated lower edge. The back of the blade was wave-shaped and glinted menacingly in the soldiers? torch light.
He licked his lips. ?Search the lower levels and shoot anything you see. Don?t kill her. If you see the intruders, apprehend them. Anything else, destroy.? He whirled round and pointed at the two soldiers nearest to him. They froze in worry.
?You two,? he hissed fiercely, ?will follow me down to the armoury. Is that understood??
The soldiers saluted in unison and shouted confidently, ?For the glory of the human race!?. Immediately, they ran off to perform their tasks. Danaki picked up his sword and whirled it effortlessly in the air, plunging it into a scabbard on his belt.

Aidan rubbed his back painfully. Having two fairly heavy digimon thrown at you from behind was no joke. He sighed and gazed down at MetalArmadillomon, who looked very apologetic.
?Where did you say the armoury was?? Aidan groaned.
MetalArmadillomon glanced over to the door behind them and clicked his tongue. ?It?s on sub-floor eleven. There?s no power, so the only way down is through the maintenance hatches and walkways.?
?They?re pretty extensive, I?m guessing,? Aidan replied, rubbing his nose.
MetalArmadillomon nodded. ?Some of them lead outside. It?s best just to go straight down. They?re quite small, though. I don?t know if you?d fit.?
?I?m going to have to.? Aidan said apprehensively, wishing he didn?t have wings.
Gabumon appeared from behind a cupboard door, a large torch strapped to his head. ?Hey, guys! I?ve found torches. We?ll be able to see alright now.?
Aidan smiled. ?Good. Thanks, Gabumon. They?ll be useful. But we don?t want to use them in corridors in case we get spotted by patrolling humans.?
MetalArmadillomon shook his head. ?Most of them would be on the surface now, or be near the generators trying to fix the circuits.?
?Why would they be on the surface?? Gabumon asked, beating Aidan to it.
?Er? the military prioritises the destruction of any captive digimon that might escape during a power-down. There are some pretty nasty things down there, so the less-experienced soldiers need to be able to get out of the way of the elite lot. They stay down and try and get the power online, while searching for the digimon.?
?So how did you escape last time?? Aidan asked, spinning his sword on the palm of his hand.
MetalArmadillomon shrugged. ?It was pretty simple, really.? He paused, feeling embarrassed. ?But I don?t like to brag about it.?
Aidan took a torch. ?It?d be useful in case we can get out the same way.?
The steel digimon sighed deeply. ?Okay? I climbed into a pipe.?
?That it?? Aidan asked, staring at him blankly.
MetalArmadillomon frowned. ?No. As you know, humans can?t drink saltwater. There are volcanic springs several hundred miles away and they have a huge transport system set up to get it here without the Sentients knowing. They created huge under-sea rivers for it. Trouble is, for the water to get here, the rivers have to run downhill,? he paused for a second, Aidan half-listening. ?So? they have large turbines pressurising a huge chamber full of it at this end. It shoots up the pipes and into the lake above. I climbed into the pressurised tube, causing a lot of flood damage to the base.?
?Right.? Aidan licked his lips. ?Thanks. That?ll be our escape rout, then.? He disappeared into the access door, wrapping his wings around him. Gabumon, mildly proud of his makeshift headlight, followed him, and MetalArmadillomon closed the door after them, sealing them inside the labyrinth of narrow tunnels?

Matt studied the scroll carefully, trying to take in what was being presented to him. On the old, stained brown paper was a complicated diagram of what happened. Everything, laid out on a simple sheet of paper. It seemed inconceivable. He stroked a finger along an untidy scrawl of a name in a paragraph of writing.
Takeru.
He grabbed another scroll and laid it out. Too much writing to read in one go. He folded them both up and grabbed an ancient water-tight bag from the corner, shoving them inside. Madly, he grabbed anything that sounded important and crammed it into the bag. Half of the room?s contents had cascaded onto the floor with his frantic snatching. A bright blue one caught his eye. The only new piece of paper. Rolling it up tightly, he screwed it into the small space left in the bag and zipped it up.
He chuckled slightly as he slung the bag onto his shoulder. He?d found it. For seventeen years, he?d have given his life for this information. Now, he was holding it. And he wasn?t going to let go. He picked up his helmet and pulled it hard onto his head, a feeling of hope that he hadn?t felt in years slowly lifting his soul. He kicked open the library door and sprinted towards the lift shaft.

The creature glared suspiciously at three beams of light travelling down an adjoining tunnel. She strained her eyes to look closer at them, but a light shone in her direction, causing her to recoil in shock. Hissing in frustration, she crawled further down the shaft.
Aidan stopped, causing MetalArmadillomon to step onto his head. They?d been travelling downwards for what seemed like hours. He nudged him upwards and back onto the ladder.
?Why?d you stop, Aidan?? MetalArmadillomon asked nervously.
Aidan pointed the torch further into the tunnel. He couldn?t see anything. ?I thought I saw something,? he said quietly.
MetalArmadillomon nodded anxiously. ?Yeah? the security systems would be down, so??
Aidan could feel him shaking. ?Hey, you okay?? he asked softly.
MetalArmadillomon gripped the rungs of the ladder for dear life, frozen with fear. ?I want to get out of here!? he cried. ?I hate it in here!? He was shaking, terrified, and wouldn?t move. He could sense the stench of death in the air. Something in the darkness was trying to get him. ?They?re coming for me??Aidan clenched his fist around the ladder, hoping they weren?t attracting any hungry eyes. He handed the torch down to Gabumon, who scanned the shaft for signs of movement.
Aidan laid a hand on MetalArmadillomon?s back and rubbed it gently. ?It?s okay. We?re going to get out of here. It?s just a few more floors, then we?ll be out in the open. Okay??
MetalArmadillomon drew himself closer to the wall. ?I don?t want to go anywhere. I just want to be safe. You don?t know what they do to you?? he kept his eyes tight shut, scared to look into the darkness outside. Visions of the pain flashed through his mind, making him twitch with each tormenting image. Burning red eyes pierced his mind, burrowing into his thoughts. He shook violently, drawing in quick, rapid breaths.
Aidan frantically tried to think of what to do. Hurriedly, he ripped MetalArmadillomon from the wall and nodded to Gabumon to climb onto his back. Clinging to the ladder with his fingers, he looked down to MetalArmadillomon, who was clinging to his scabbard strap like a scared child.
?MetalArmadillomon, I want you to hold on tight, okay? You ready?? he asked urgently. MetalArmadillomon moaned quietly.
?Too late now? Aidan thought to himself as he felt his fingers let go. Air whistled past as they free-fell about sixty feet, Aidan?s wings closed due to the small space. Suddenly, Aidan caught a glimpse of a faded ?11? scrawled on the wall. He slammed his arms into the sides of the shaft and they came to a dead stop in front of a horizontal tunnel. He shoved Gabumon into it and carried MetalArmadillomon forwards, his claws digging into his chest.
They reached a metal hatchway. Gabumon threw it open and jumped out, pulling Aidan free of the hole. MetalArmadillomon felt a cool breeze on his shell and dared to open his eyes. They were free of the tunnels. He sighed in relief, still shaking, and let go of Aidan, falling onto the floor. He lay there for a few seconds on his aching stomach and let his breathing slow down.
Gabumon looked at him worriedly. ?Are you okay?? he asked quietly.
MetalArmadillomon nodded weakly. ?I? sorry?? he managed in between breaths. ?I can?t stand? the darkness in there?? Tears rolled down his cheeks and onto the floor beneath him. ?I?m sorry??
Aidan felt a dull ache throbbing throughout both his arms. He knelt down next to the poor digimon and rubbed his painful wrist. ?It?s okay, we?re safe now,? he whispered softly.
MetalArmadillomon pulled himself up to his feet and rubbed his eyes. He hated himself for panicking. He felt stupid. Determined to crush his fears, he looked up at Aidan.
?Let?s get out of here,? he croaked.
From the darkness behind them, the creature watched them curiously.
?Get out?? she whispered to herself hungrily as the three things in front of her left the room quietly. She stood up, opened the door and silently disappeared down the corridor?

[Solo Tremaine]

Here's the next part of Chapter Three for you. Chapter Four'll be a while, as I've got tons of coursework to do. Enjoy!
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Matt soon realised it had been a bad idea to destroy the lift. There was only one cable left to hold onto now, and he was nearing the end rapidly. He?d started off at sub-floor three, the living station, and was now at sub-floor six. He looked at his digivice and grunted. Gabumon?s signal was coming from sub-floor eleven. Below him, the life shaft descended into darkness. Breathing hard, he pointed his gun down the shaft. Flicking the barrel switch to ?Contact Grenade?, he fired. The explosive dropped straight down into the gloom. He hoped this would work. Seconds seemed like minutes. Suddenly, a faint point of light exploded from the gloom hundreds of feet below and the lift cable shuddered downwards. His plan had worked, perhaps a little too well. He shot past sub-floors seven and eight. Starting to feel the blood rush to his head, he grabbed hold of the cable rising quickly up beside him. He was glad for the thick protective gloves- the friction would have burnt through his hands for sure. Now balancing himself between sub-floors nine and ten, he slowly shinned down to the door of sub-floor eleven?

Soon, they reached a huge window overlooking a vast warehouse of weaponry and armour. Dim emergency lights buzzed near the ceiling, creating tiny pockets where the darkness thinned. Hundreds of pairs of gauntlets and leg armour lined huge racks stretching out into the darkness. Aidan whistled, impressed.
?They stock their entire army from here??
MetalArmadillomon nodded. ?Yeah. The humans do pretty well considering they?ve lost half their planet. They?ve got four massive rooms like this all linked together.?
Aidan pressed his face against the glass to see if there was anything that suited him. As he scanned the shelves, he saw something move in the darkness. He backed away and drew his sword. ?There?s something down there.?
Gabumon strained his eyes. He saw a shadow disappear down an aisle.
Aidan drew back his sword. ?We?re going in. If it?s a digimon maybe we?ll be able to convince it to help us find Matt and get out of here.?
?And if it?s a human?? MetalArmadillomon asked quietly.
Aidan sighed. ?We?ll let him go. But not without taking his gun first.? He slammed his arm forwards, shattering the glass. Sharp shards fell down to the armoury floor like heavy rain. Aidan grabbed the other two and floated down, immediately looking for a good set of armour. He pulled off his old leather gloves and shoved them in his pocket. Unable to see clearly in the dark, he lit up the end of his crossbow. Two leather gauntlets with chrome plating lay in front of him, large silver claws glinting ferociously in the light. He picked one up and stared at it in awe.
?Do humans wear things like this??
MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon were playing around in gas masks. The spiny digimon pulled his from his mouth. ?I don?t know. Maybe if they want to look like digimon they will. But I?ve never seen any like that before.?
Aidan smiled and pulled them on his hands. They were a little tight. Grabbing the metal plate of one, he bent it outwards, forming a more comfortable curve. Smiling with satisfaction, he dragged the other two to the next aisle.

In another section of the armoury, hundreds of breastplates covered the walls. Three long central isles stood in the centre, separating the men?s from the women?s. Crouching in the women?s section, was the creature. Her blue scales quivered slightly as a chilling breeze floated past. She lowered the fin running down her back and held her arms, trying to warm herself up. She looked around her. The room was dark and foreboding, with the tall racks of armour stretching almost up to the ceiling. She snorted loudly, swirling the dust particles around in front of her. The dim emergency light far above her head illuminated a few of them and a look of fascination and pleasure glazed over her face as she blew them playfully around.
It grew boring after a while. She followed their journey all the way to the floor and then stood up again to survey her surroundings. Behind some of the racks, she could see a large round silver protrusion from the wall. Curious, she leapt over to it and tapped it with her finger. The tinny noise echoed around the room. She tapped it again. It didn?t move. Frustrated with boredom, she clenched her fist hard. A bony spine shot from her hand and pierced the shell of the container. She peered inside the tear she?d made. Inside was something vaguely familiar.
A shape, like one she felt she?d seen before. Carefully, she drew both her spines and sliced down the container, letting the heavy metal door crash to the floor loudly.
Inside was a suit of amour, waiting for her to try on. It matched her style- smooth steel gauntlets, decorated with blue and red jewels. A breastplate hung in front of her, a deep red oval of glass just below the neckline. Inside that was the shape. She reached up to the breastplate and gently pulled it from its hook. The shape?s coloured shell looked very pretty. Gazing at it in the dim light, she made the decision.
?Mine,? she said gleefully, pulling on the armour. It fit her snugly and it felt comfortable. Almost natural. She enjoyed the shelter it provided. Knocking her gauntlets together in satisfaction, she disappeared into another room?

Aidan studied the leg armour hung on one of the walls. There was no thigh armour. The only armour he could see was similar to what Tai?s WarGreymon wore, and he didn?t much like the lack of covering. He picked up a set and thought about it carefully.
He?d only ever spoken to Tai once, just before he left on a mission to rescue his sister Kari from human interrogation. That was four years ago. It seemed like an eternity away. They only thing they?d heard from them since was a barely discernible, hurriedly scribbled note saying ?Good Luck?. It was a chilling reminder of the murderous contempt some humans had for their own species. He looked over to MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon, who were duelling each other in oversized helmets. Gabumon launched himself at MetalArmadillomon and they play-fought, laughing. Aidan smiled and looked back to the armour, not wishing to interrupt them.
It seemed strange. Not half an hour before, MetalArmadillomon was almost hysterical with fear, now he was playing happily. Maybe he could learn to have fun again sometime?
A loud crash made him jump. They two fighting digimon had rolled into a shelf, sending heavy armour crashing to the floor. Huge dust clouds billowed up into the air like an explosion, the two digimon coughing on the floor.
Aidan opened a dusty door to a changing room. ?I?m just going to try these on,? he said quietly, shutting the door behind him.
?That was unfair,? Gabumon pouted at the metal digimon who was brushing dust from his shell.
?Why? It was a lunge. Lunges are fair.?
?Yeah, but I didn?t-? Gabumon jumped round at a noise on the other side of the room. MetalArmadillomon?s spines rose up in alarm.
?Who?s there?? he called. There was no answer. Fully extending his spines, he stepped forwards. ?Who?s there?? he repeated, louder. Still no answer, but they heard a slow, ominous click of claws on the steel floor. He looked to Gabumon and they backed away slightly. Aidan emerged from the changing room and saw their position. Immediately, he drew his bow.
?What is it?? he asked, staring into the darkness.
?It?s coming towards us. I don?t know what it is.? MetalArmadillomon whispered, slightly nervous. He knew what kind of digimon the humans captured. He also knew what kind of digimon escaped? Leering into the darkness, looking braver than he felt, he saw a faint reflection of light from Aidan?s arrow.
?It?s armoured.?
?Show yourself!? Aidan yelled.
The creature heard the threat in his voice and threw out her lances. They made a satisfyingly threatening noise as they extended, scraping against the metal of her gauntlets. She was ready to fight.
Aidan saw the two blades extend in the darkness. He drew back the bow string and the arrow flared brightly. The creature stopped. That light was so bright? Suddenly, a piercing pain forced her to the ground. The arrow had shot through her shoulder. She cried out in pain. Aidan looked to the other two and cautiously advanced. The creature hadn?t felt pain before. It was a horrible, disabling sensation. She couldn?t move. The shock kept her kneeling on the ground. The light from the other digimon grew nearer, and she began to feel another sensation as they advanced on her- fear. Trying to back away, she could only watch as the large wolf stood right in front of her.
?She?s a digimon.? His voice was firm, but slightly calming. ?Digimon?? she knew that word. Was she a digimon? She looked at him fearfully as he knelt down next to her and placed a hand near her wound. She shied back slightly, but he didn?t look as if he was going to hurt her.
?Is she alright?? Gabumon asked.
?It?s just a flesh wound. I didn?t mean to hit her.? Aidan studied it carefully. Suddenly, a light burst from the claws of his gauntlets and hovered over the gash. The creature felt a warm sensation in her shoulder and the pain dissipated. They all looked at it in disbelief. Aidan turned his hand over, shaking slightly. The creature lifted herself up and onto her feet, holding a dominating stance over Aidan. He held his hand out forwards for her to shake. She gave him a quizzical look and then looked at his hand. Then, she held her gauntlet up to his face.
?Mine,? she said firmly. A confused smile crept onto Aidan?s face. MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon shrugged in unison. Aidan took her hand and shook it.
?Aidan.?
A name. She had a name. She liked it. ?Tempestmon,? she replied gleefully, smiling.

Danaki grabbed hold of a large lever and pulled hard. It swung backwards jerkily and noisily. A faint whirring noise echoed around the room for a few seconds, then there was a massive click as all of the lights came on at once. There, in front of him, was his second greatest glory. The two guards felt uneasy. Danaki?s stern expression of anger slowly twisted into an evil grin. He stepped forwards and stroked the smooth metal with disturbing relish.
?Get the main power back online now!? he barked, glaring at the guards. They immediately sprinted off and began flicking switches. A massive generator in the corner slowly began clanking into life. The door on the far side of the room, half-open, slid closed.
?Excellent work. Reactivate the automatic defences!? he yelled, climbing on top of the metal frame. The huge device was made to accommodate him alone, and he fit into it perfectly. He hadn?t used it for four years. He felt safer knowing his body was encased in strong metal. He flicked a switch in front of him and the steel exo-suit?s enhanced weaponry closed around his body. A large rocket launcher flipped down onto his shoulder and a vicious blade shot from the suit?s right arm. It still wore traces of blood. His left arm, now encased in a bulky hydraulic ram, whirred pleasingly with each movement. As the suit fully activated, the thick legs thudded ominously onto the floor. The guards jumped slightly. The only part of Danaki visible, his face, wore an expression as twisted as the metal blade he held with pride in his hand. Snarling fiercely, he stepped onto a lift platform and pressed a button. It beeped loudly and started carrying him up to the armoury.
?Time to die, digidestined!?

Aidan was pleased with his choice of breastplate. It was a nice silvery steel with blue cobalt trimmings. Something more accustomed to Samurai that post-apocalyptic marines. Tempestmon had been very interested in watching him untie his bandanna and then tie it back on again over his chest armour, much to the amusement of Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon. Blushing slightly, he?d gone to find a helmet.
?I?m not sure they?d have anything that would fit you, Aidan. After all, there aren?t many?er?? MetalArmadillomon began.
?I?d never have guessed,? Aidan said dryly. A silver panel on the wall caught his eye. Slamming his sword into its edge, he ripped it away. Tempestmon looked curiously at the bare wall left behind it. It seemed to be collapsing outwards. A huge crash and the sound of shearing metal made them all jump. Aidan peered over the edge of the hole he?d created.
?Whoops.?
MetalArmadillomon stood up on his hind legs and looked into the darkness, shivering. ?I hate heights,? he muttered. A drip of water fell onto his nose. Shaking it off, he realised where they were.
?Guys, this is the water recycling pipe. It pumps water all the way up to the surface,? he said excitedly. ?I?ve found our way out!?
As soon as he?d finished speaking, the lights all flashed on. Shielding their eyes from the sudden brightness, they heard a pair of doors opening and metal footsteps click towards them. Behind them, they heard the slow rumblings of the water pump gearing up. Aidan threw up his Light Shield and Tempestmon flicked out her spines defensively. Gabumon clenched his fists. They followed the thing?s shadow round an aisle and were greeted with a friendly smile. Matt stood, relieved, in front of them.
?Matt!? Gabumon was ecstatic. He sprinted up to Matt and hugged him tightly, determined never to let him go again. Behind them, the rumblings of the turbines was replaced with the quiet roar of rushing water, which was getting louder very quickly.
MetalArmadillomon pointed to the hole in the wall. ?We have to go quickly! The security system will be online soon and they?ll be here any minute!? he shouted at them. Tempestmon looked to Aidan, confused.
?Go??
?Yes, go. Get out. Are you coming?? he asked urgently. She nodded firmly and smiled. Aidan couldn?t help but smile back.
Suddenly, a huge part of the floor opened up. From the hole rose a gargantuan exo-suit, powered by Danaki. He laughed evilly at them and fired off a volley of rockets in their direction. Aidan jumped in front of Tempestmon, his Shield just holding up the explosions. Danaki grimaced in horror.
?Tempestmon?? he said quietly. MetalArmadillomon had clambered onto that edge of the hole and was watching the water rising up very quickly. He looked to Aidan urgently.
Danaki shook with rage. ?You leave her alone, you filth!? he yelled at Aidan. He fired another rocket at him. This time, the shield?s energy was depleted. He dropped to his knees. Danaki stared hard at Tempestmon.
?Tempestmon, come here. Stay with me.? He said firmly.
Tempestmon looked at Aidan. The water boomed past them, some of it shooting from the hole and onto the floor. He stood up and looked at her.
?Tempestmon?? he asked as Matt and Gabumon shot up the pipe. MetalArmadillomon looked at him, anxious to leave as soon as possible. Bits of the wall began to collapse. Tempestmon didn?t know what to do. She liked Aidan, but this man was looking at her in such a strange and angry way?
Incensed with rage, Danaki jabbed a button inside his right arm. A small chain-gun rose from the top and exploded bullets at Aidan. Unable to move quickly enough, they would have hit him. Tempestmon threw herself in the way, an electro-magnetic shield sending the bullets off in all directions.
She had made her decision.
Her eyes glowed red. Turning round, lightning sparking form her spines, she launched her attack.
?Lightning Lance!? Two huge bolts of lightning streamed from her spines and hit Danaki. The suit shook uncontrollably and parts of it began to spark and melt. Smoke seeped from gaps in the armour. Screaming in pain, he fell to the ground.
Taking Tempestmon?s hand, Aidan grabbed MetalArmadillomon and jumped into the hole.
The water threw them upwards at a great speed. Seeing light above them, MetalArmadillomon closed his eyes. They shot from a fountain in the centre of a lake and crashed down into the water. Rising to the surface, Aidan was holding MetalArmadillomon, but had lost Tempestmon. Frantically searching, he looked to MetalArmadillomon, who was coughing hard and pointing upwards. Tempestmon was hovering about twenty feet up, pointing over to a boat that was speeding towards them very quickly. Swimming out of the way, Aidan looked in the cabin. Matt waved to him to board as Gabumon threw down a ladder.
Once they were all aboard, Matt steered it into a small tunnel to one side of the lake. It was a strange boat. Made of black metal, it was completely covered except for a door on one side and the viewing window at the front.
Matt nodded behind him. ?Check out the cargo. Armour and weapons. Lots of it. There?s some radar equipment there too. These guys must have been planning something fairly big.?
Aidan nodded, feeling exhausted. He yawned and stretched his arms, jumping upon seeing Tempestmon?s look of intense interest.
?You could be arrested for that, you know,? he said dryly, walking into the cargo room. MetalArmadillomon was staring at a gun, his claws shaking slightly. He knelt down beside him.
?Are you okay?? he asked quietly. MetalArmadillomon nodded.
?I am now. Thanks, Aidan.?
Aidan smiled. As he stood up to leave, the steel digimon turned to face him.
?Aidan??
He looked round. He was staring at him, his eyes filled with hope and confidence. ?I think we can beat them.?
A slight shiver ran up Aidan?s spine. For the first time in almost seventeen years, he was starting to believe it too. With MetalArmadillomon joining them, and now Tempestmon, they had two useful allies. Two friends. Together, they?d managed to escape almost certain death. It was almost like? he had a partner again. He nodded, a mixture of hope and sadness spreading throughout his body.
?I think we can too.? He said quietly, giving the digimon a hopeful smile.
On the other side of the tunnel was the open sea. Not waiting to see if there would be any guards, Matt threw the throttle lever to full speed. The boat?s engines roared into action and it sped off into the ocean?

Deep inside the base, a group of medical soldiers were surveying Danaki?s condition. His skin had been badly burnt and his face twisted beyond recognition.
?I can?t get the suit open. The amount of electricity melted the weak metal catches. It?s been welded shut,? one of the medics said urgently.
?Get the high-power cutting equipment!? the commanding officer yelled.
?No?? came a weak rasp. They all stared at Danaki in disbelief.
?But sir, you?ll die. We have to get you out,? the officer insisted.
?Leave me here!? Danaki hissed, blood dripping from his lips. The officer looked to his subordinate with concern.
?Go!? Danaki choked. Obediently, they left slowly, some of them chancing a glance back at his twisted body. Once they had all left, Danaki jabbed a button on the inside of the suit?s right mechanical arm. From the walls of the armoury, five small wheeled robots emerged, all with engineering and medical tools. As they began working on his melted exo-suit and injecting morphine into his blood, he let himself fall into a deep sleep?
TO BE CONTINUED?
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I would enter this into the fanfic contest, but I've another six or so chapters to go. And at 10 pages per chapter, I'll never get it done in time. And even though there are no length limits, I wouldn't want to make the judges read through all this.

[Gryphon0235]

this an awesome story. cant wait till next part.

[Solo Tremaine]

Glad you like it!

I changed a scene in Part 2 of Chapter 3, where Tempsetmon appears to Aidan, Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon. I think this version's better.

And, just for general interest, I have a pic of Aidan. He would normally be wearing shorts or armour, by the way.

[Solo Tremaine]

Sorry for the double post, but here's another pic- MetalArmadillomon. He's not coloured, but imagine him having purple eyes and being mostly black and dark grey. Enjoy! Chapter 4's progressing... It's called 'The Gateway' right now, although that may well change.

Both pics are courtesy of my sister, who is a very good artist. Tempestmon will arrive sometime after 13th December, if anyone's interested...

[rokas]

Don't quit now. You have done such a good work so far.

Also, there's a special metal of digital world - digizoidium (or something like that), you could use it for armours.

-Merry Christmas

[Devidramon]

Aw, he's adorable. And it goes without saying that Aidan's the height of cool. Your sister's a great artist.

[Mina]

The metal is Chrome Digizoid.
I finally get to see M.Armadillomon. He's soooo cute.
Now for the rest of your story...

[Solo Tremaine]

Whee! Sorry about the poor quality pic of MetalArmadillomon. My sis had only been able to do a pencil sketch which wouldn't have scanned well on my computer, so I traced it and then photocopied it. Trouble is, the pencil I used wasn't sharp enough. So it's more like my sister's drawing slightly ruined by me. Ah well.

Here's the next chapter. Many thanks to Devidramon for being knowledgable. Much appreciated!

Chapter 4: The Gateway
Tokyo, Japan. A country almost ignored by the humans since its near-destruction by the Sentients. Buildings that once stood tall were now half-collapsed, rubble covering once busy streets. Eighteen years ago, this city was overflowing with life, both digimon and human. Now, it was almost deserted. The park, once green with lush vegetation, was now grey and devoid of life. The once proud TV tower was now broken in two, the top half thrown across the bay. Upon passing, the whole city looked completely deserted.
On a desolate beach, Orcamon patrolled his section, watching the sea for signs of human spy forces. They?d tried invading before, and he was determined to protect their home no matter what this time. He dipped his flippers in the small waves lapping at the beach and splashed water over his face. The air was cold and dry- it hurt his skin. Inside large skyscrapers behind him, two large Allomon were standing ready to unleash their fury at any approaching human vessels. Platoons of Tylomon, sympathetic to the efforts of the digidestined, scoured the sea for enemy submarines. Overhead, small swarms of Shadramon and FlyBeemon searched the skies for aerial invasions, along with a large Garudamon. Their security had been stepped up considerably following the loss of two senior ?commanders?- Yamato Ishida and Aidan Phoenix. The other humans had been very upset at their loss. Orcamon hadn?t seen his partner this upset since the last two failed to return from a routine excursion. For all they knew, they were still alive somewhere.
He hoped so. But deep down, he knew it wouldn?t take two years to get back to their island. Mimi and Joe were two of the most reliable digidestined they?d had. Things started to fall apart after they disappeared. It was lucky that they?d found Yolei and Ken in China or they would all have given up hope, and then everything would have been lost.
A militant FlyBeemon appeared next to him and saluted. Orcamon half-saluted back.
?FlyBeemon,? He said in his slightly squeaky voice. ?Anything to report??
FlyBeemon nodded emphatically. ?We?ve spotted a human stealth boat about two miles off the coast. It looks to be heading for the dock,? his voice was a low drone, but it contained a edge of excitement in it.
?Go and tell Izzy. I?ll alert the Tylomon.?
FlyBeemon saluted obediently and buzzed off to their makeshift command centre. Taking a deep breath, Orcamon plunged into the sea?

Gabumon looked ahead at the island they were sailing towards. It had been their real home once. Now almost everything had been devastated by ChaosPiedmon. Once he?d been defeated, it was safe for them to move their main base back there. When he?d invaded, the digidestined were scattered all over the world, caught up in the mass evacuation. Some were still unaccounted for. Gabumon often wondered what had happened to Cody and Davis. Had they managed to escape alright? A lot of the evacuation ships were destroyed or captured by the Sentients.
Matt pulled the throttle down to a slower pace. He knew they would attract attention coming in at a great speed.
?How are we going to let them know it?s us?? Gabumon asked.
?Get out and wave.? Matt said apprehensively, concerned about the island?s defences. The Tylomon could destroy a tanker in seconds. ?We need to let them know as soon as possible. Unless you want to try and tell the Tylomon personally that they?ve made a mistake.?
Aidan stepped forwards and twisted the release handle of the hatch. The door swung open, letting in a cool sea breeze. Just as he was about to stick his head out, the wall next to him exploded in a shower of bullets. Six Mothmon swooped down, firing viciously at the boat. The hatch slammed shut and the bullets crashed into the door, creating a massive dent. Aidan jumped back and looked to Matt, who was turning the boat around.
Tempestmon appeared from the cargo bay, looking worried.
?Noise!? She yelled over the loud reverberations of the bullets bouncing off the shell.
?Too much noise!? Matt yelled, grabbing hold of the radio receiver. He ducked underneath the tinted plexi-glass windscreen as s swarm of FlyBeemon hurled their stings into it. They slammed into the glass, the points nearly poking through.
?Sora, it?s us! Stop the attack!? he shouted into the receiver. A wave of static replied to him.
?Great. They?ve knocked out our communications,? he cursed as another swarm of FlyBeemon flew overhead, sending their stings flying through the windscreen. They bounced from MetalArmadillomon?s shell without even harming him.
?Shall I go out and-?
Something slammed into the hull of the ship, knocking them all over.
?No,? Aidan said, picking himself from the floor, not used to wearing such heavy armour. ?The Tylomon are attacking now.?
Gabumon held onto a strut for support. ?We have to think of something! We?ll be killed if we don?t get them to stop soon.?
?Killed?? Tempestmon asked loudly from behind a pile of boxes.
?Yes, killed!? Aidan shouted back irritably. ?As in dead.?
?Dead?? Tempestmon knew this word. It was a bad word. She didn?t want to be dead. She didn?t want any of them to be dead. She stood up angrily. Why did they want to kill them? They hadn?t done anything. She wasn?t going to let them be dead. She wasn?t going to let anyone kill.
?No dead!? she shouted, her spines shooting out from her gauntlets. Her eyes were glowing red. The other looked at each other fearfully as suddenly, she burst through the hull of the ship.
The Tylomon surrounding the boat froze in shock. Tempestmon roared ferociously as black storm clouds began to swirl around her. Lightning struck the ocean and huge tidal waves appeared on the horizon.
Orcamon watched, astounded, as a huge pillar of water rose up from underneath the human stealth boat, raising it up high over their heads. A high wind appeared from nowhere, forcing him and the Tylomon under the surface of the water.
The pillar of water moved slowly towards the beach and slowly lowered to the level of the sand. Tempestmon roared again at the Mothmon in the sky, firing bolts of lightning at them. As they reached the sand, they could see the waves drawing nearer. Aidan flew outside and grabbed Tempestmon?s shoulders. She swiped at him with one of her spines and he fell back.
?Tempestmon, stop!? he yelled.
Upon hearing her name, her eyes stopped glowing red. Slowly, the storm clouds began to subside and the waves disappeared. The stealth ship slowly lowered to the sand. She looked to Aidan apologetically, who was eyeing her with apprehension.
?It?s okay. We?re safe now,? he said soothingly.
They helped Matt, Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon out of the hole in the roof and sat on the beach, exhausted. Orcamon sped up the beach and his jaw dropped at the sight of them. Instantaneously feeling very guilty, he ran up to Matt apologetically.
?Matt!? he squeaked. ?I?m so sorry. Had we known? I?ll get the others.?
He sprinted off up the beach and down a road.
MetalArmadillomon hugged the ground. ?I?m not leaving you again,? he sighed.

In a dark room inside the human base, several commanders eyed each other nervously. It had been three days since Danaki had last bee seen alive. He was still inside the armoury, being worked on by his strange robots.
One of the commanders, a bulky, dark-haired man with angular features, stood up nervously to address the others. ?Since Master Danaki has been put out of action indefinitely, it is the feeling of the Committee that we should proceed with the Operation.?
?Who have we selected to be the one to approach the task?? one of the generals asked nervously.
?In light of recent events, we feel that Master Danaki, given his current state, will not be fit to carry out the operation. Therefore, it is the decision of the Committee that I, Colonel James Black, will go.?
Several of the generals muttered things to each other. Colonel Black certainly was a high-ranking officer, but they needed someone with brains for this. He was well-known for his strategies in battle, but this was different. This was no battle. This would win the entire war, and their entire future depended on it. One by one, the generals realised that this would be the single most important event in their universe. They wanted to do it. The irritated murmuring suddenly exploded into a cacophony of shouting and yelling as each general tried to prove his superiority over the others. Colonel Black pulled a gun from his pocket and fired it into the ceiling. The shot silenced everyone.
?Generals, please! Master Danaki is-?
?Right here, Colonel Black.? An eerily deep metallic voice boomed from behind him. Danaki lumbered into the room. He was now melded into his exo-suit. Wires protruded from his face and into the metal behind him. What was left of his face was twisted into an evil grin. His eyes, partly synthetic, glowed a faint red. He glared at Black, his eyes full of mechanical hatred. As he stepped into the dim light, the generals could see the full horror of their Master. On his right arm was a huge twisted blade, on his left a whole array of devastating weapons. The grin on his face deepened.
?As you can see, generals, I am perfectly fine. The Operation will be proceeding and I shall be the one heading it.? He said firmly, his voice oozing malice.
Black raised his hand in protest. ?But, sir-?
A deafening boom shook the room. The generals all turned to where Black was standing. He had collapsed to the floor, clutching his hand. Danaki lowered his gun arm and leered at the colonel.
?I will repeat what I said. I shall be heading the operation. We begin in two days.?
The generals stared fearfully at Black, who was shaking violently at sight of the stump of his arm before him?

A cool wind blew on the beach. Aidan, Matt, Gabumon, MetalArmadillomon and Tempestmon were being lead down a deserted road by a wizened Mothmon, her wings torn and battered. Up ahead, they could see movement. An old jeep rumbled up to meet them. Sitting inside it were an anxious-looking Sora and an ecstatic-looking Izzy. Sora leapt out of the car and flung her arms around Matt, sobbing loudly.
?I thought I?d lost you!? she wailed, tears flowing from her cheeks. ?Don?t to that again.?
Matt smiled. ?I won?t.? he paused for a few seconds while Izzy skidded up to them, smiling happily.
?Matt, you dog! You made it!? he laughed, patting his arm. Matt smiled to him and manoeuvred an over-stuffed waterproof bag past Sora. He pulled it from his shoulder and chucked it to Izzy. Sora let herself let Matt go and looked at the bag curiously.
?What?s in there?? she asked, wiping her eyes. Izzy pulled out some rolls of parchment and studied them carefully.
Matt took the rest and carried them over to the jeep, followed by the others. ?I know where T.K is.?

Some hours later, Tempestmon was exploring the digidestined base. It looked much friendlier than where she was before. The floors were covered in a thin, faded carpet, and bright lights lined the walls. As she looked into a large room, she saw children eating with other digimon. They looked happy. Over the other side of the room, a man was cheerfully serving them food. He looked similar to Matt, although a lot older and his hair was shorter and mostly dark brown, with a few strands of silver interrupting the colour. It was a lovely sight, and she basked in their happiness for a few moments before continuing down the corridor. As she strode along, she noticed Aidan walking into another room. Smiling after him, she walked up to the door and peeked through a small crack. The digidestined were all sat around a circular table. There were six of them, along with several digimon, including MetalArmadillomon. She could hear a deep voice which she recognised as being Matt?s.
?I took as many as I could. Is it enough, Izzy??
Izzy looked at the old pieces of paper thoughtfully and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. They showed a massive humanoid digimon with a hunched back and demonic reptilian face reaching for an orb in the sky, a human figure standing below it. On other sheets were diagrams of massive black monoliths, labelled untidily with the letters E N I A C. Izzy picked up another sheet. It looked like a blueprint for a massive cannon.
MetalArmadillomon jumped up onto a chair next to Aidan, who was staring at one of the sheets with a grim expression. It was a study of three digimon and a boy whom he?d never seen before. Photographs of them had been stuck to the paper and scrawled on messily. The first digimon was a knight-like creature with heavy armour, ten wings, a large staff and a sword. The second was a female. She was humanoid, but looked to be wearing a fox helmet. She was holding a large staff. The third digimon was wearing gauntlets exactly like his. It had a leather jacket with a large fluffy collar, and was wearing a bandanna around its left arm. Aidan pulled off his gauntlets and compared them to the digimon?s. They were the same. He laid them gently on the table and looked at the boy. He was standing with a small lizard creature. He has fairly long, spiked hair and was wearing a red bandanna around his neck.
?Must be a fashion,? he said quietly, throwing the sheet back into the pile in the middle of the table.
Ken coughed nervously. ?What do they tell us, Izzy??
Izzy cleared his throat loudly, making Tempestmon jump, knocking the door. Aidan strode over to the door, sighed and gestured to her to come in. She smiled and sat down in his seat. Rolling his eyes, Aidan took another chair. Izzy picked up the sheets and placed them on his lap. He stuck one up on the wall and studied it carefully.
?It says? it?s very difficult to make out. The things written down here are in a complete mess??
The room stayed silent for a few minutes while he read it to himself. He turned back to the group and cleared his throat.
?This sheet gives us some kind of idea of how Thanatomon managed to transplant part of the corrupted Digital World onto Earth. Using the core of the Digital World, a computer called ENIAC. By annexing it into himself he managed to gain ultimate power over the Digital World, and that was how he was able to destroy the Four Guardians and create the Sentients. Then, he opened a gateway to the real world and transported a massive continent onto it, destroying America and half of Europe. We know how most of the rest of humanity was wiped out.? He explained gravely, everyone listening intently.
?So? where does T.K fit into all this?? Sora asked. Matt picked up the blueprint and a few wall scrolls and pinned them to the wall.
?This,? he began, pointing firmly at the blueprint, ?is what the humans plan to use to destroy the Digimon.?
?What is it?? Aidan asked. He couldn?t read, and had to rely on the others explaining things to him.
?It?s a time machine.? Izzy filled in. ?Well, to be more exact, it?s a vortex machine. It uses a huge energy source to create a warp in the fabric of space and time, presumably to enable them to travel back in time and stop Thanatomon from gaining control of ENIAC.?
?Or, to destroy digimon all together.? Aidan thought grimly.
Ken looked doubtful. ?How would that work? Time travel hasn?t been properly discovered yet.?
Izzy pondered this for a moment. ?Well, technically, we?ve already managed to cross dimensions successfully. Time travel is only the next step.?
Matt pulled up another sheet. ?This blueprint?s only a prototype. A later scroll shows plans to use a digimon as the source of the portal- MagnaAngemon. Which means?? Matt sighed, almost with relief. ?that T.K is still alive somewhere. The reports here suggest that he?s somewhere in the massive Digimon continent. It?ll take some searching, but if we can find him, we?ll be able to prevent all this from ever happening and help digimon and humans to live together in peace.?
A feeling of intense excitement filled the room. Everyone exchanged happy looks, except Izzy, whose expression was very grave. One by one, they quietened down.
?Izzy? What?s wrong? Can?t we do it?? Yolei asked, concern shaking her voice.
?No, it?s perfectly possible, and we have enough materials here to do it, but??
?But what?? Sora asked emphatically.
?But it?ll mean that one or more of us will have to leave this world forever. That means that everything they?ve grown up to know here will no longer exist. We still will, but we?ll be completely different people to those they?d have gotten to know. Think about it. Everything will be saved, but the only one who will know will be the one who leaves this behind. They?ll have to spend their whole lives in almost complete isolation from their past friends? it?s a huge sacrifice to make.?
A grim silence filled the room. No-one had expected it to come to this. One of them would have to leave everything behind. No-one seemed right to go. Sora and Matt had each other, and to ask either one of them to leave would be condemning the other to a life of loneliness, as was the same with Yolei and Ken. Izzy wasn?t anywhere near fit to save the world any more, and T.K would have to stay here to allow MagnaAngemon to open the gate. If two people went, there was a higher chance of success, and then at least they wouldn?t be lonely back in 2002.
Aidan broke the silence. ?Is MagnaAngemon?s Gate of Destiny able to transport humans??
Another grim silence. Izzy adjusted his glasses. ?It?d be risky. Even if that attack is altered to become a time portal rather than a dimensional vortex, the chances of a human surviving the journey through would be very small. It?s only really safe for digimon??
Everyone wore a look of near hopelessness on their faces. Aidan looked around. Matt was clutching his hair in frustration, and the others were deep in thought around the table. He knew what he had to do.
His voice made everyone jump. ?I?ll go.?
No-one said anything. In truth, they weren?t sure whether to trust Aidan. They didn?t even know his real name, for one thing. What kind of digimon was he? On the other hand, they had little choice.
?You want to go?? Matt asked.
Aidan nodded. ?I have nothing left to lose.? He clutched at something hanging around his neck, underneath his bandanna. ?Once we?ve found T.K and MagnaAngemon, I?ll go back in time to stop Thanatomon.?
A look of slight doubt fell over Yolei?s face. ?But? you?re just one digimon.?
Aidan winced. ?I? know. But I?m the only one digimon strong enough to go back and still be able to fight at full potential. Any other digimon who has a partner won?t be able to digivolve. Let me go.?
For a few tense moments, Matt and Izzy looked at each other. The rest of the digidestined exchanged grave glances while they considered whether he would be able to save the entire future of all digimon and humans.
After a while, a decision was reached. Matt walked over to Aidan and put a hand on his shoulder.
?Are you sure about this?? he asked softly.
Aidan nodded.
?Then it?s decided. You can go.?
Tempestmon looked worried. She hadn?t seen Aidan look this sad.
Izzy wheeled himself over to Ken and Yolei and showed them the plans for the vortex generator. MetalArmadillomon crawled over to Aidan and gave him an encouraging look.
?Thank you, Aidan.? Sora said softly.
Matt picked up the top half of the armour he?d picked up from the Midway base. ?Come on. We need to find T.K.?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Quite a plot twist.
This is very intresting. I can't wait for the next part.

[Solo Tremaine]

^_^ I'm glad you like it.

This bit in the story's fairly slow, and it's taking a while to write, too. So bear with me (and the plot), things are about to get even more interesting soon.

[Sara]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Solo Tremaine [/i]
[B]I would enter this into the fanfic contest, but I've another six or so chapters to go. And at 10 pages per chapter, I'll never get it done in time. And even though there are no length limits, I wouldn't want to make the judges read through all this. [/B][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1][i]This[/i] judge read it. ;) A little late, but still.

I love it, heh. Would you mind terribly if I put it up on the fiction site?[/SIZE]

[Solo Tremaine]

*hugs Sara*

No, I wouldn't mind at all. ^_^ It's undergoing a few revisions, though, so this probably isn't the latest version. I will sendificate it as soon as possiblificatorily so ;).

[Sara]

[size=1]Spiffy. :)

Whee, I like this. Finding good stories at OB instead of sorting through lots of junk mail, heh.[/size]