Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Bad Kitty ❯ Embarkation ( Chapter 4 )

Ch: 5- Embarkation

When Myotismon had finished instructing SaberNekomon, he dismissed the bats. SaberNekomon would see the window iris shut as the bats surrounding it disappeared inside. He'd spent a great deal of time developing his 'special effects' for maximum impact. It would never do to for the bat window to simply pop in and out of existence.

A Cerberumon entered the gate room from the stairs behind Myotismon. The demon dog was in charge of security in Escher Castle, and reported directly to Myotismon himself. "My lord, do you think she'll actually do it?"

"She's a cat, what do you expect?" Myotismon said. "But she'll get to it when she's ready. That's part of the plan."

Knowing better than to inquire further, Cerberumon simply nodded.

"Do you have something to report?"

"Ah, no, just curious," Cerberumon said, walking deeper into the gate room. "So this is the doorway between worlds." He looked over the huge gate, and the gargoyles lined on either side of it, looking ready to leap from their perches and pounce on whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing beneath them. Which, of course, they were, if Mikemon commanded.

"Yes," Myotismon said. "Once this world is ours, it is from here that we will spread our rule to other worlds. Starting with those humans. I have a score to settle with them."

Reflexively, he started to warn Cerberumon against getting any ideas, but he noted that Cerberumon hadn't asked how the gate worked, or even cast a glance toward the card activator. That was what Myotismon liked best about Cerberumon: he didn't get ideas. He dutifully did as he was told, nothing more, nothing less. He never angled for more power or privelege, never kissed up or tried to one-up the other minions. He didn't even annoy Myotismon the way Mikemon did. He simply did his job. And he had yet to commit a single screw-up, even a small one. Naturally, Myotismon kept a closer eye on him than anyone else in his employ. Someone like that was too good to be true, and had to be up to something.

"If you like the gate room so much, you can keep an eye on those fools." Myotismon gestured to the Soulmon milling about the Gate room. Soulmon were essentially Bakemon who wore black dunce caps with a red trim. The difference was in power. They wouldn't be defeated by chanting or slaughtered en masse by Rookies. Unfortunately, they weren't much brighter than Bakemon were. But they didn't need to be.

Myotismon took up the keycards for the gate, turned them over, and lay them in place. It would be a while longer until the gate would open, though. The Ancient One's temple was in a dimension that was not always accessible. It came into synch with one of the gate's target dimensions only once every few years, and only stayed for a few minutes. At the right moment, he'd add the Ancient One's device to the cards.

That made the timing of his plan crucial, and he wasn't even slightly comfortable with making it rely on SaberNekomon. But he'd had no other choice. He had needed to present the Ancient One with a warrior who was capable of handling the Digidestined, but wouldn't kill them immediately. All of Myotismon's power belonged to the Ancient One, including the power that he had placed in Miko. He couldn't afford to have SaberNekomon succeed and the Ancient One pat her on the back for a job well done and take that power back. To be sure, it wouldn't hurt if she got rid of a few Digidestined while she was at it, but Myotismon would be happy if he could just keep her out there a while longer.

It was no coincidence that he had chosen Miko, though any cat, or any animal at all, in fact, would have done nicely. Miko would not kill her former owners, ensuring at least two Digidestined would survive to unwittingly play their part in the last leg of his plan.

Even given what was at stake, Myotismon felt the same enjoyment he'd had in the old days when executing one of his plans. He would spring the trap without Mr. Grand Holy High Ancient Superiorness ever suspecting that something was amiss until alas, it was too late. Yes, this is definitely my kind of game.

*****

"Here we go again," Tai said. "We're the news' top story twice in one day."

The entire team was gathered around the Kamiyas' living room, a tight fit in the apartment. Tai and Kari had made their mother place her hand over her heart and swear before all that was holy that she would not field test any of her recipes on their friends, may a Snimon slice her seventeen ways if she broke her word. Mrs. Kamiya had laughed, but she'd agreed, and kept her word so far. Tai and Kari were still sure to keep a close eye on her.

"Where'd all those cats come from, anyway?" Mimi asked.

"I'm more interested in where they went," Sora said. "Nobody could find a trace of them later."

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt," Patamon said sympathetically as he watched SaberNekomon slice her way through Garudamon's wing and dig into her back.

Biyomon winced at the sight and the memory that came with it. Do they have to show parts like that over and over in slow-mo? "Wasn't fun, that's for sure." She examined her wing, the cut from SaberNekomon's savage attack still visible. Whenever she flew, she could feel the lacerated skin stretching, and it felt like a dull knife was being ripped through it. Sora, being Sora, had noticed her favoring the wing and insisted on carrying her around until it completely healed. Biyomon hated imposing on her like that.

And, since her wings doubled as hands, the injury also represented the loss of an arm as well. Curling it to use her finger-feathers was unbearable, far worse than trying to fly, which kept the wing straighter. As Garudamon, her hands and wings were separate so the wound had been barely an annoyance while she was on the ground. She and Zudomon had taken a few minutes to patch up the pet supply store as best they could, and the torn wing hadn't been much trouble. Then, after she'd gone back down to Biyomon, when she had reached to swat Gomamon on the back of the head for one of his usual corny jokes, it was suddenly as if her hand/wing was on fire.

Biyomon looked over at Gomamon. He'd had it much easier. He hadn't exactly gotten away without a scratch, but at least he was still able to use both 'hands' and his mobility was unimpaired. Lucky seal. Not that she actually wished that he'd have been hurt more severely, but still, it wasn't fair. I guess misery loves company.

"The cats and SaberNekomon aren't the issue," Gomamon said. "Biyomon and I went a couple of rounds with that psycho chick and trust me, that's no villainous mastermind."

"We've theorized that someone we fought before sent her, perhaps as a preemptive strike," Izzy said. "But who's left?"

"The leaders may be gone, but most of their minions were still out there," Joe said. "Any one of them might be thinking they know how to succeed where their ex-boss failed."

"At least we know she's not invincible," Biyomon said. "Zudomon got a good shot in with his hammer. He actually managed to hurt her. You guys should have seen it."

Gomamon blushed, something he found himself doing a lot of lately. "Oh, it was nothing."

"Nothing? You heard them, they've hardly been able to make a dent in her until now." She turned back to the others, and started rambling. "She's coming right for us, but Zudomon's right outside, he turns around, and..." she used her good wing to pantomime throwing a hammer. "Wham! He says, 'what's the matter, you'll attack defenseless humans...'"

" 'Defenseless humans?' " Joe repeated. He'd forgotten about that part. He grinned, with the grin he usually got before unleashing one of his dreaded tickle attacks on Gomamon. The seal Digimon cringed, knowing his eventual fate.

"Biyomon, please..." Gomamon said. He was bright red now, and the bird Digimon was beaming. I swear, she just likes seeing me stew. Hey, maybe that was a good sign? Or was it? He filed those thoughts away for later.

"Anyway," Biyomon said, "She's not indestructible."

"No one is," Gatomon commented.

"I say we just book the next flight to the Digital World and find out whose harebrained scheme we've managed to get sucked into this time," Matt said. "There's nothing for us here but cats with bad attitudes."

"Right," Tai said. "But for right now, I say you should all go back home and gather some supplies. I don't want this to be like our first trip to Digiworld, with no food, no water..."

"No toilet paper," Joe added. Everyone made disgusted faces at the unpleasant memories, and TK and Kari exclaimed "Yuck!" and "Eew!" respectively.

"Yeah, that was fun," Izzy said. "It is fortunate that for once we have time to prepare."

"Don't jinx us," Sora warned. "Just for that, the gate'll probably open right now and right on top of us."

"You're both jinxing us," Mimi said. "Besides, you know these gates take longer than Christmas Eve checkout lines. I'm more worried about us being able to get around the Digital World on our walkers by the time one opens."

*****

Myotismon stood in the doorway of Escher Castle's mini-museum and its enigmatic artifacts. All were rare, many the only ones of their kind. Some were the last remainder of dead civilizations. Many only Myotismon himself would be able to identify, being so ancient that all memory of those who had used the items had been lost, or from lands so far away that no one on Server knew of them.

He held in his hands a mask of the recently-extinct Kotemon. When Myotismon's armies had attempted conquest, they'd received the nasty surprise that the Kotemon had learned to control their evolution, capable of becoming Ultimate at will. Soldiers prepared to terrify Rookies had been slaughtered by Kyukimon blades. After Myotismon's spies failed to learn how they'd done it, Myotismon had sent in the Cannondramon. Ultimates with blades were no match for Megas with cannons, and the Kotemon/Kyukimon were no more. Myotismon had kept the mask as a trophy.

He also owned the helmet of one of the long-gone Chamelemon, the fur coat of one of the seldom-seen Psychemon, and, just to keep people guessing as to what it was for, the none-too-rare shell of a KaratsukiNumemon. If a KaratsukiNumemon lost its shell, a new one grew in a few days, and the mountainous SCSI Island was up to its neck in the extremely unremarkable creatures. Naturally, that made the one Myotismon had the ultimate curiosity, and theories on its origin and purpose abounded, each more outlandish than the last. Was it a weapon disguised as a shell, something so dangerous even Myotismon dared not use it? Did it once belong to some nigh-invincible Mega who happened to have a similar shell? Was it the key to Myotismon's power? The idea that it was just a shell and he kept it around to mess with their heads was the least popular of all the theories.

Front and center, though, dominating the room, was an empty pedestal. That space was reserved for the artifact that connected him to the Ancient One's prison. It would soon have its place in his museum, silently speaking of the one who had attempted to control Myotismon, only to learn in his final moments that it was Myotismon who was truly in control. Myotismon was always in control. Come, Ancient One! Come, so I can bury you!

However, this time, he'd actually found a use for one of his treasures, a cheap wristwatch he'd obtained in the human world. Knowing how humans reckoned time, and having learned their schedule from his time in the human world, it would be fairly easy to predict a time at which all of the Digi-Delinquents were likely to be at home, ready to run to the rescue in the name of truth, justice, and the digital way. And that time was now. He formed a bat window. "Cerberumon!" he called. "My lord?"

"Can we open a Digital Gate yet?"

"I'd have to check the equipment, but I think we've got the power."

"Take the power from whatever you must. Tell the Tinmon to allow Digiports from Terminal GS-185 and open Digital Gates in sectors L-25, C-18, P-56, and J-93. Set the terminal to rotate between the Gates to those locations."

"Yes, my lord. But if I may ask..."

"The Digidestined are onto us by now, and will be coming to investigate at any time. We shall decide where they land. I have surprises waiting for them at each of those location. They'll not cause us too much trouble." Myotismon laughed. This was too, too delicious. Myotismon closed Cerberumon's window and formed a new one. "Oh, SaberNekomon," he sang.

*****

"Okay, Biyomon, ready when you are." Sora gathered her things, and took one last look at the TV screen. The battle had ended, and Zudomon was waving directly into the camera with a big walrus smile on his face as Garudamon rolled her eyes. Sora got a laugh out of that. "Okay, guys. See you soon."

Then, to Biyomon's annoyance, the broadcast switched back to Garudamon and SaberNekomon's aerial fight. Biyomon grimaced at it, and yet forgot her torn wing as she tried to fly to Sora's shoulder and got a nasty surprise. She had decided to fly anyway, but Sora had seen the pain on her face and picked her up before she could protest. Oh, well. Maybe I should just enjoy the special treatment for now, Biyomon thought. She waved goodbye to the others with her good wing, and the ones who weren't still watching the battle waved back. "Later, guys. And Gomamon, remember us little people when your screen career takes off."

"You can run my fan club," Gomamon laughed. "Bye, Biyomon," he added. There was something about the way he said it, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Biyomon waved to Gomamon once more with her good wing, and turned around, beginning to talk to Sora about something having to do with her hat. Gomamon watched her go, muttering to himself. Come on, give me a break!

"We'd better get you home too," Matt said to TK. "It's getting late, and you know Mom."

"And I'm going to hurry home and start gathering supplies," Mimi said. "I've got to make sure I have enough makeup, and I'd better change. I mean, imagine getting stuck in the Digital World with these gloves and these jeans? I would just die if Machinedramon or Devimon saw me like this!"

"Mimi!" everyone chorused.

"Just kidding!" But secretly, she was excited to get back and change into her new designer camping outfit. She could just imagine all the boys staring with awe and the girls staring in envy. Mimi's patented shopping-trip smile spread across her face.

"Kidding, eh?" Palmon said, knowing her all too well.

"Hey, you can take the mall rat out of the mall, but you can't take the rat from... I mean you can't take the mall out of... you know what I mean. See you 'round."

She had taken exactly three steps towards the door when Izzy said, "Wait! We've got one!"

"Figures," Mimi said. "I think someone up there's laughing at us."

"Where is it?" Palmon said.

"In an office building not far from here," Izzy said. "I suggest we go there immediately. There's no way to predict how long it will remain open or when another will appear."

"Nah, that'd be too easy," Joe said, standing. "Looks like it's back to business as usual."

"Sounds like fun," Tai said genuinely. "Let's move out."

*****

In short order, eight kids and eight Digimon stood in front of the building in question. Izzy had pinpointed which computer the gate was on, and the plan was to break in and get to the room two doors to the right of the elevator on the sixth floor as fast as possible. It would be simple enough. But first, they had to get through the front door.

"This place is locked up tight," Tai was saying. "You'd think somebody'd still be working here at night. We'd better just blast it open, that gate's not going to stay up forever."

"This one's on me," Agumon said. "Pepper..."

"No, that'll set off the fire alarms." Mimi said. "Watch this." She pulled a hairpin from her purse, and had the door open within ten seconds.

"How'd you do that?" Matt said, disbelieving.

"A magician never reveals her secrets." Mimi grinned, enjoying the latest of those moments where she showed herself to be far more capable than she generally let on. Mimi walked inside, and the others began to follow.

"Hmm," Izzy said. "It is probable that our entry will activate some sort of silent alarm. It is imperative that we do this quickly, because if the authorities were to..."

"Then come on already!" Tai said, shoving him in. The door clicked shut behind them.

The building was gloomy, and it wasn't long into their walk before the Digidestined found themselves in near-total darkness. They could see Exit signs and the small white light far in the distance representing the elevator button, but around them, there was nothing but pitch blackness.

There was something about a building like this that became ominous in the dark, worse than the most sinister alleyway, the creepiest old house. Though Tai knew in his mind that there was nothing to fear, that it was still the same normal building it might be in the day, there was still the feeling that some dire creature was two feet away from him in the darkness, silently walking alongside him and waiting to sink its dagger claws through his body and tear him apart from the inside out, gutting him like a fish before he had the chance to scream in agony.

That's enough, he ordered his imagination. It's just. A. Freakin'. Office. You're the leader, you have the Crest of Courage, you're not supposed to be afraid of the dark, now quit being a stupid baby and... Something furry brushed against his leg, ever so gently. "YAAAAHH!" he yelped, causing the others to similarly gasp and shout.

"Sorry," Gatomon said sheepishly. Tai glared at where he thought Gatomon was, while the others glared at where they thought Tai was.

"Where's a light switch?" Matt whispered.

"I don't think we should," Tai whispered back. "The less we touch in here, the better."

"Hey, Kari, can you do that glowing thing?" TK whispered. "We could use you as a flashlight!"

"TK," Matt groaned. "And why are we whispering, it's not like anyone's here."

"Sorry," Kari began in a whisper, then laughed. "Sorry, I tried to use the light already. I guess there'd have to be darkness for the light to fight against, like Machinedramon or something. Izzy?"

"Theoretically, your..."

"For all we know, Machinedramon and a hundred evil Digimon are hanging around here," Gatomon said. "We sure wouldn't be able to hear them. Could we keep it down?"

Suddenly, the lights in the hallway came on, and then, one by one, the lights in each office. "Machinedramon's not around," an all-too-familiar female voice said over what sounded like a PA system. "But will I do?"

"Oh, great," Tai muttered. "Umm... split up!" Tai said. "Maybe half takes the central stairway, half takes the one at the end of the hall."

"And we shouldn't use the elevators, they might have been sabotaged." Matt added.

Everyone whose digivolutions were small enough for indoors quickly went into them. Unfortunately, that wasn't many. The team rounded out at MetalGarurumon, Angemon, Angewomon, and Lillymon.

"Yes, this ought to be interesting," Tai grumbled.

A scratching noise was heard in the ceiling above them, and Angemon, Angewomon, and Lillymon took aim for the source of the sound.

"Wait!" MetalGarurumon said. "She likes to play with her opponents. Let's be careful this time. We should stand back to back so she can't sneak up on us."

They did so. And they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"I didn't think she was big on patience," Agumon said. "She's got to come out sooner or later."

"No, she doesn't," Izzy said. "If she is able to delay us long enough, the gate will close. It is imperative that we keep moving."

"We'll find her and keep her busy," MetalGarurumon said. "We'll catch up after you've had enough time to get through."

"Sounds like a plan," Tai said. "Let's go."

Tai, Agumon, Kari, Matt, and TK ran to the stairway, trying to ignore the skittering sounds from above them. Tai reached for the doorknob.

"Wait, are we going to just open it?" Matt said. "For all we know she's right behind it."

Tai sighed. Here we go again. He knew the others saw him as always rushing into things, but he figured if it had to be done anyway, there was no point in whining about it. "We've got to go through anyway, and scaring yourself just makes something that should be quick and easy take forever. I'd rather get this over with."

"Haven't you learned anything, Tai? You've got to think things through, not just..."

"What's to think about? It's a door. We've got to go through it." Tai turned his back on Matt and walked through the door. "See, nothing. Come on."

The others, though not sharing his enthusiasm or optimism, followed him through anyway. They kept quiet, listening out for SaberNekomon or any surprises she might have brought with her. Slowly, they began to ascend the stairs.

Once they were halfway up, they heard a rumbling coming from high above.

"What's that?" Kari wondered.

Like a wave, cats roared around the stairway and pounced on the quintet, sending them tumbling back down again. Tai and Kari were instantly submerged under a sea of fur.

"Ta-aaiiieeeee!" Agumon shrilled as the cats tackled him and began biting into him. Matt and TK didn't manage to get to their feet before they were brought down as well, hundreds of sharp teeth and claws tearing into them. They fought to pull the cats off, but for each one dislodged, two more took hold. Cats were now filling up the area behind them, sealing off any possible exit. Agumon tried his Pepper Breath, but the cats seemed to anticipate him, and like a school of fish, never failed to part to allow the fireballs to strike empty concrete, and their assault was unabated.

Kari flailed about, trying to get out from under the cats, but as with the others, any she dislodged were soon replaced by more. And yet, she felt that something was wrong, something beyond the obvious wrongness of berserk felines acting as an army. Unfortunately, her captors weren't giving her much time to think.

"Ga-mmmph!" she tried to call for Gatomon, but the moment she tried to speak, one of the was halfway in her mouth, silencing her. She could hardly even breathe.

"I'm going to... aah!" came Agumon's pained voice. "I'm going... to..." The cats weren't going to let him give a warning. The pain of the creatures tearing at him was such that he could barely think straight, much less warn the others of what he was about to do. He flared brightly with the light of digivolution. Here goes nothing.

The small yellow lizard began to grow. The cats began to fall away when he was barely twice his original size, and once the immediate danger was gone he tried to slow the digivolving process. "Run! Everyone get out of here, now!"

The cats were beginning to think better of hanging around, and began to disengage, disappearing into the lower level. Agumon/Greymon tried to position himself so as not to tear the stairwell apart as his transformation continued, though he knew it was inevitable. The Digidestined backed out of the stairwell and onto the floor.

*****

"What's going on in there?" Angewomon wondered, casting a glance towards the door at the end of the hall. The Digidestined had gone in scant seconds before the sounds began. "Sounds like... like something's going on in there. I don't like it."

"We have to assume they can handle it. If it was SaberNekomon, they'd call for us." MetalGarurumon answered.

"What if her plan is to distract us? Keep the ones who can digivolve running around in circles so she can get the others without having to work for it?" Angewomon contested. "I'm going to go check it out." She flew towards the doors.

"Wait for us!" Angemon shouted after her. "We can't get separated! She could be planning to take us one by one."

Angewomon continued to glide towards the end of the hall. When there were fifteen yards to go, she heard a crunching sound above her. She barely managed to look up before a foot landed on her back and slammed her to the ground.

"Or maybe my plan is to kick your butts six ways to Sunday," SaberNekomon said triumphantly as she stomped on Angewomon once more for good measure. "Starting with her. Say, what's 'six ways to Sunday' mean, anyway?"

"Heaven's Charm!"

"Not this time, Goldilocks." SaberNekomon jeered, flipping back out of its way. "You won last time, but I'm not letting you take anything else from me ever again!"

"I didn't take anything from you!" And last time sure didn't feel like victory. Angewomon lunged at SaberNekomon, not giving her the chance to try anything. This battle would feel like victory. Because I'm going to strangle that little... She tackled SaberNekomon low, bringing her to the ground with an "Oof!" Determined not to give her time to recover, she began rapid-fire punching her foe. "What..." (Pow!) "...do you..." (Pow!) "...want with me?" (Pow!)

SaberNekomon grunted with each hit, but the mask of rage that her face became when faced with Gatomon in any form never wavered. "I want you to die screaming..." she brought her legs under Angewomon and kicked her off of her. Angewomon flapped her wings to right herself and land on her feet. SaberNekomon leapt at her. Angewomon flung her foot out to catch SaberNekomon in the solar plexus, but SaberNekomon twisted aside and slipped past her, landing behind her.

The instant Angewomon and SaberNekomon were separated by a few feet, MetalGarurumon launched an Ice Wolf Claw at SaberNekomon. SaberNekomon quickly grabbed Angewomon, swinging her in front of the frigid stream of energy and freezing her instantly. "I'll deal with you once your pals are out of the way. That way I get to take my time killing you." She let the ice sculpture of Angewomon fall, and leapt back into the ceiling (tearing another hole as she went) as Lillymon and Angemon quickly caught Angewomon to keep her from shattering. MetalGarurumon followed SaberNekomon into the ceiling, but looking around, he saw no one. "Guys, I don't see her."

From the direction Tai's group had gone came the sounds of creaking and crashing, and the fivesome ran back into the hall. "Greymon, can you stop it?" Tai said.

"I can't!" Greymon shouted back. "You'll have to take the main stairwell!"

As MetalGarurumon was momentarily distracted by the happenings outside, SaberNekomon tackled him from behind, bringing the wolf Digimon down through the ceiling and onto the floor, giggling all the way. "Gotcha! And you Megas are supposed to be so all-powerful. Chrome Digizoid soup cans, anyone?"

"Hand of Fate!"

"Flower Cannon!"

SaberNekomon backflipped and let the blasts pass under her. "Tigris Wave!" She flung her attack while still upside down. It would hit Angemon and Lillymon at knee level were they dumb enough to remain on the ground. Which, of course, they wouldn't. So she flung a Tigris Wave higher in the air, the better to let them blunder into it while avoiding the first. Her foes turned sideways in midair, letting it go above them and join the other Tigris Wave in exploding at the end of the hall. "You have been doing this a while. This might not be so dull after all."

MetalGarurumon fired an energy beam from his eyes, trying to get his foe into the deadly center of his field of vision, but she ducked and flipped and whirled and always managed to stay just an inch away from it. The crosshairs superimposed over his vision were always on the verge of locking onto her but never exactly doing so. Her movements fit no pattern for his targeting systems to follow. Finally, SaberNekomon leapt back to the ceiling. "Not bad, Fido! Now..." suddenly her voice was behind him, "Roll over!" A heavy kick struck him in the side, causing him to leave an indentation in the wall next to him. SaberNekomon grinned and looked ready to gloat. "I'll bet you..."

Angemon and Lillymon seized her moment of hesitation. A ball of green energy and a beam of brilliant white struck SaberNekomon in the back of the head. "Ugh!" she grunted, and spun around, shouting "Hey-y!" in annoyance as she performed the hand signal she'd seen one of the human drivers use, and flung a Tigris Wave their way.

MetalGarurumon pounced on her from the side, causing SaberNekomon to land painfully on her back. Or at least, he hoped it was painful. He pinned her arms to the floor with his paws. Now, which attack to use to incapacitate her but leave her able to talk?

SaberNekomon laughed innocently as she pushed against the Cyborg Digimon's front paws, slowly but surely raising them off of her. One final shove freed her arms. "Not on the first date!" She sat up quickly, gave MetalGarurumon a quick kiss on the snout, and then rammed her fist into his jaw as hard as she knew how. MetalGarurumon landed on his back, and SaberNekomon noted with disgust that her hand was bleeding. If I have to wash this outfit again...

She prepared to hit MetalGarurumon with her strongest Tigris Wave, but a soft but strong arm caught her own. Lillymon was smiling brightly and pointing a cannon in her face. A cannon that sure didn't look as big a few minutes ago. Lillymon hit her with two blasts, both point-blank to the face. SaberNekomon saw stars as she felt herself slam into a wall, and she heard Angemon say "Hand of Fate!" She instinctively moved aside and felt the heat from the beam's narrow miss. Her vision was slowly clearing.I can still smell them, though. She took a swing in the direction of the sweet floral scent, and was rewarded with an "Oof!" The smell of feathers was off to the side, and the sound of movement told the tale of where her next victim was. "Tigris Wave!" she called triumphantly as she swung an energy arc in his direction. Her vision was finally clear enough for her to make out Angemon ducking. The arc caught a wing, and Angemon grunted in pain but didn't let it stop him. He, Lillymon, and MetalGarurumon prepared to bring on the attack. SaberNekomon wished she could keep playing, wished she could take the challenge of dodging their attacks and beating them. It would have been quite a game. But she had to deal with the group ascending the stairs.

"Just sit tight, or make some pathetic attempt to flee for your lives, or something like that," SaberNekomon said disinterestedly. "I'll be back in a sec after I've dealt with your buddies." SaberNekomon hopped back into the hole she'd made in the ceiling. Lillymon, the closest, followed, but didn't see her inside.

"This is going to be one of those missions," Lillymon said to herself.

"Guys, we've got a situation," Tai said.

"What happened to you, Matt?" MetalGarurumon said. Matt had fared by far the worst of the three. While Tai and Kari had but a few scratches, Matt looked like he'd been whipped with barbed wire.

"SaberNekomon's little friends showed up. I. HATE. Cats. And how come the cats didn't do this to you two?" he said to Tai and Kari.

"How the heck should I know?" Tai snapped. "Look, we've got to figure something out. Agumon had to digivolve to get us away from the cats, and he's broken through the wall."

"He did what?" Lillymon said.

"It was that or get stuck between floors in a steel staircase in mid-digivolve, who knows what would have happened? Anyway, we've got a big orange T-Rex on the streets below."

"It's not like people don't already know about us," Matt said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"That's a novel. Soldiers already tried to swipe Zudomon's hammer, and this company... whose building is this, anyway?... would probably try to make us pay for the however many thousand dollars worth of damage this fight is costing. The people who think Digimon are a threat might blame us for the damage done now and back during Myotismon's occupation of Tokyo and come gunning for us, someone might try to exploit us, the list goes on. After two years, things were finally going back to normal, and now this new Digimon shows up and whenever something gets wrecked, guess who's close at hand? Us. There's only a thousand and one things that can go wrong. As far as I'm concerned, the less the public knows about what we do, the better."

"There's nothing to be done about it," Matt said. "Right now, we've got to worry about the others. When SaberNekomon finds them, they'll have a lot more to worry about than security."

"Where's Angewomon?" Kari wondered.

MetalGarurumon nodded in Angewomon's direction. "I'm sorry, Kari. SaberNekomon held her in front of my ice attack. It'll probably take some time for us to break through..."

Suddenly, spiderweb cracks began to crisscross the ice. "HRRRAAAAAAH!" Angewomon screamed as she shattered it. Everyone jumped. "Where is she?" she roared, wrenching her feet out of the last of the ice and kicking the larger blocks away. Her face was red, and beneath her helmet, a vein in her forehad was pulsing. "I'll kill her, by Baihumon's mane I swear I'll kill that b..." she realized Kari was standing nearby, "...uh, bonehead." she quickly amended, blushing. Lillymon and MetalGarurumon tried not to laugh.

"What?" Angemon said, not comprehending.

"We'll tell you when you're older," Lillymon promised. "For now, let's go find the others."

*****

"This is too easy."

"You worry too much, Joe." Gomamon, naturally. "If SaberNekomon wants to build up the drama by letting us get really close before attacking, that's her problem."

"It's not much farther, just three more floors to go," Izzy said. "Remember, SaberNekomon's out of her element. She's at her best with a lot of room The others should be able to hold her back long enough for us to get through."

"And if not?" Joe said.

"Um, we'll... uh..."

"Oh, boy," Joe sighed, throwing his hands in the air. "Just wonderful. You know, just as I was starting to think I might actually live to see my eighteenth birthday..."

"I should put you out of your misery first, just to shut you up." SaberNekomon's voice said. The stairwell had an echo, making the voice's source difficult to discern.

"Let's move it!" Sora shouted.

"Suuure, you're going to outrun me. Why didn't I think of that?"

The Digidestined bolted up the stairs as fast as they could.

"You know, since none of you can digivolve up here, it's hardly worth the trouble. Where's the sport? It's not right that the end of the famed Digidestined should be so... boring. No one but us is even going to see it." She seemed to be talking more to herself than them. "The stupid gate could have opened six hours ago when we'd've had a real audience, but noooo!"

"You're out of your mind, lady!" Gomamon shouted at her voice.

"Gomamon!" Joe whispered.

The Digidestined approached the sixth floor, and didn't plan on wasting any time getting off the stairs. Just ten more feet, five...

"I guess now's as good a time as any," SaberNekomon said boredly. "Here we go." The floor exploded near the top of the stairway, and SaberNekomon leapt up through the hole and landed in a sitting position on the guardrail with her legs crossed. She ran her tongue over her sharp teeth. "So, who wants to play with the kitty?"

*****

Before the Digidestined could stop, SaberNekomon hopped from the guardrail to the stairs in front of Sora, who was in the lead, and picked her up.

"Hey, let me go-oooh!"

SaberNekomon tossed her into Joe and Izzy, sending them to the floor and causing the others to trip over them. They wound up in a painful heap at the bottom of the stairs, except for Tentomon and Biyomon.

"Go past her!" Joe shouted to them. "Get to the gate! Go through with Tai and the others!"

"We're not leaving you guys," Biyomon said.

"Do it!" Sora yelled. "Rookies won't hurt her, but you might..."

"Get past me?" SaberNekomon laughed. "Yeah, right. And maybe little Patamon will grow up to be an ax murderer."

"Spiral Twister!"

"Super Shocker!"

SaberNekomon rolled her eyes as the attacks, as usual, bounced off of her. "Come on. If it didn't work the last zillion times, it probably won't work this time, right? Why'd you even come here, you could've just stayed home and watched cartoons or something." Man, that was lame. I'm even running out of taunts. Why didn't I just get them when they were outside? Why?!

The Digidestined before her were alternating between giving each other "what do we do now?" looks and looking at her as if trying to assess the best time to bravely and stupidly dart forward. Tentomon and Biyomon, being closer to SaberNekomon than the others, were the only ones to actually take it upon themselves to do so. Well, if they're in that much of a hurry to die... SaberNekomon hopped past Tentomon and Biyomon, and with a quick slap of her tail, sent Tentomon slamming to the floor. As she placed her foot on his back, she caught Biyomon by the talon and held her upside down. "Ooh, I've always wanted to try one of these," she said, licking her lips. "So, who wants to go first?"

"You get your hands off her!" Sora shouted. She, Joe, and Gomamon ran towards SaberNekomon before the more logical-minded members of the team could grab them. SaberNekomon waited for them to get close enough, and then poked Sora with one finger to send her toppling back into Joe and Gomamon. Finally, with disgust, she tossed Biyomon and kicked Tentomon back to the others and raised her claws. The Digidestined tried to retreat back down the stairs, but from where she was standing, it would take them some time to get out of harm's way. Time she wasn't going to give them. She'd had enough of this waiting, always advancing and then pulling back. "I suppose I should say it's been fun or that you've been worthy opponents or some such, but the fact is, you guys totally suck. Adios, lame-os. Tigris..."

Suddenly there came the sound of explosions and tearing concrete. Before she realized what it was, MetalGarurumon burst through a wall and plowed into her claws-first, sending her through the banister and down on her back across the stairs. "Run!" the wolf Digimon shouted to the others on the stairs.

"Oh, no you don't, Muttley," SaberNekomon growled. "Exit, stage right." SaberNekomon teleported, and her vision switched to an aerial view of MetalGarurumon, his claws coming down on sparkles of yellow energy. SaberNekomon dropped towards him, but dog-boy was learning her ways; instead of being easy prey, he jumped aside. Not bad, she admitted, but thinking one move ahead won't be enough. SaberNekomon's claws pierced the floor next to him, so instead of pouncing on him, she made do with picking him up by the tail and flinging him back up to the top of the stairs. "Good boy!" she cooed. "Now..." She leapt up after him and landed at his feet, picking him up by the throat with one hand. She aimed the other at his neck, her claws glowing as she let the Tigris Wave energy flow into them. "Play dead."

SaberNekomon drove her hand forward, but just as her fingers were about to pierce MetalGarurumon's throat, Angewomon slammed into her like a linebacker, knocking her to the side. SaberNekomon's claws pierced the wall, leaving burn marks.

"You and I aren't done yet," said that hated voice, that malicious, evil bitch who would never let her have what she wanted, not even for one moment. This was her victory, her hunt, her game, hers! and Gatomon wouldn't even let her have that! Why wouldn't she just go away? Well, I'll make her go away!

"Die," SaberNekomon said in an eerily calm voice. She grabbed Angewomon's arm in a vise-like grip and backflipped over the banister, pushing Angewomon headfirst to the floor fifteen or so feet below. Angewomon twisted free and rushed SaberNekomon, taking her through a wall and into some poor soul's office, knocking over a file cabinet and a microwave. SaberNekomon grabbed Angewomon, tossing her over someone's desk and knocking off the computer monitor. "Just die!" she screamed.

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon called, firing an arrow that SaberNekomon dodged by a hairbreadth.

"Tigris Wave!" SaberNekomon shouted, launching an arc of energy. It powered through the desk, and both halves flew aside to reveal that Angewomon was no longer on the other side of it. Ooh, candy! SaberNekomon made a note to come back for the stash of junkfood in the desk. And the paperclips, she loved playing with paperclips...

She saw Angewomon charging from the side and she blocked with her arm. The angel had enough momentum to lift SaberNekomon off the ground anyway and slam her through another wall and into the hallway. Angewomon laughed her evil little laugh, looked around her, and reached off to the side to pick up the microwave.

"A microwave?" SaberNekomon sneered. "Throwing appliances isn't all noble and good-guy-ish. You might lose your 'holier-than-thou' license."

Angewomon flung the microwave SaberNekomon's way, and SaberNekomon slashed it to shreds with one swipe of her claws. But Angewomon was no longer standing in the hole.

"Where are you?" SaberNekomon demanded. "You chicken! If you're so superior, come out and fight!"

"I never said I was superior to anyone," Angewomon's voice said. "I don't know what I did to you or why you want me dead so badly."

SaberNekomon looked around for her, grumbling at having the tables turned on her. You just didn't steal someone else's trick like that! Unless you were Gatomon, who had to steal everything. "Tigris Wave!" The energy slashes ripped another wall open, but Angewomon wasn't there.

"If it's me you want, you name the time and place, and I'll be there. But I won't let you keep up this rampage, and you're crazy even for you if you think I'm letting you kill a bunch of kids. Who put you up to this?"

"You wouldn't last ten seconds without your pals helping you! Where are you?!" She flung more energy slashes around her, making a shambles of the hallway and at least two more offices, but not revealing her foe.

"Now!" Angewomon shouted. MetalGarurumon crashed through and into the hallway, Angewomon at his side. A hole was blasted in the floor and Lillymon and Angemon arose into the hall.

"Flower Cannon!" "Hand of Fate!" "Giga Missile!" "Celestial Arrow!"

"Uh-oh." SaberNekomon tried to leap clear of the attacks, but was close enough that when they exploded beneath her, the blast put her through the ceiling. She slammed against the concrete separating the ceiling of the fifth floor from the bottom of the sixth, and crashed back to the ground. Her head was ringing, every bone in her body felt like she'd been run through a paper shredder, and worst of all, her outfit was ruined. She wanted to pay them back so badly, but in these close quarters, it wasn't happening without the element of surprise. It was time to exercise the better part of valor. "You guys are so scratching posts when I get back." She made a quick teleport, but only to one of the less-damaged offices nearby, where she could still watch them. Of course, being the dimbulbs they were, they'd probably assumed that she was gone for now.

First things first: I'm not going after anybody looking like this. She could feel her body beginning to heal itself already, and she directed some of that energy towards her wardrobe. It was as much a part of her program as the apparently organic parts, so it, too, would heal given time and TLC. Cool. This Digimon stuff has its advantages. A few minutes later, she'd at least look decent.

She watched her foes converse. Angewomon was wondering for the zillionth time why SaberNekomon hated her so. As if she didn't know, that... that... Words failed her. But now wasn't the time for talk, but for action. Though she'd have wait for a more advantageous time to do in Angewomon and her cronies, the wimpazoids she'd been ridiculing earlier had to be scurrying around somewhere like the dumb little rodents they were. They weren't of much entertainment value anymore, so... say buh-bye, dudes.

*****

"You think she's gone?" Angemon said.

"For now," Angewomon answered. "But she'll be back."

"What do you think she wants with you?" Lillymon asked.

"I've got no idea. She could be right, for all I know. Sovereigns know my rap sheet's longer than my arm. But we'll figure it out later. It's time to hit the gate. Somebody better go pick up Agumon, though."

"I'll get him," Angemon said. "Back in a minute." He flew off to retrieve the dinosaur Digimon.

*****

Ooh, I can pick those two off without half trying! No, not yet. Keep the others from the gate first, deal with bat-pig and dino-boy later.

SaberNekomon teleported to the floor above, and hopped up into the ceiling. By now, the Digi-Dweeboids had found their way to the computer in question. She listened out for their voices, not too hard considering how loud humans could be. "Game, set, and match," she said to herself. Slowly, she crawled towards them until they were directly beneath her. She covered her nose and mouth to keep herself from giggling with the glee she felt. First, she'd drop down onto the computer, putting an end to the gate. Then she'd put an end to its would-be users, hunting them down just like teensy little mice. Tom, Sylvester, Katnip, you don't got it. This is how it's done!

And, as ever-worsening luck would have it, a bat portal appeared, hovering in front of her.

"Come to watch me finish the job?"

Don't kill them. Not yet.

"What?" SaberNekomon whispered. "Why?!"

Because I command it, Myotismon not-answered.

"Look, they're right under me. You want 'em dead, I can do it in ten seconds. What's the deal?"

It must be done, but here isn't the place, now isn't the time.

"All right, all right. Have it your way, bat-boy. In which case, I'm off to rid the world of a certain stupid cat. See ya." SaberNekomon turned to leave.

Not yet. Let them enter the gate, then pursue the last.

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do? I'm going to finish this right now."

I gave you your power, and if you will not use it as I see fit, I will simply give it to someone who will, while you go back to being the neglected housepet whose universe extends only as far as the end of the block the Kamiyas live on, Miko.

SaberNekomon growled. "You... you..." she seethed. Who was he to tell her how to play the game? This was her hunt, the Digidestined were her mice, Gatomon had stolen her Kari. She called the shots, not some stupid shadow who wouldn't even bother to step out of his... whatever it was... and lift a finger against the Digidestined. And those stupid bats of his. Why should I take orders from someone who hangs out with rodents?

But if he could give her the power, he probably could take it back. And she'd never get rid of Gatomon, never again have humans look at her the way they did now, never again live in the world she'd experienced that day. "All right, I'll wait. But if they get away..."

Myotismon was already walking away into the darknes as his window irised shut.

"Hmph!" SaberNekomon huffed, pouting with her hands on her hips. It wasn't fair! She decided to listen to the Digidestineds' conversation for now. Maybe they'd reveal something that might give her a bigger edge next time around.

"Any sign of the Kitties of Doom?" Tai was asking. It seemed that the ones from downstairs had rejoined the rest of their team. It wasn't fair! All sixteen of them, within ten feet of her!

"No," Joe muttered. "I don't think I'll ever look at cats the same way again. I don't see how you've lived with one this long."

Gatomon cleared her throat loudly.

"Let's just get out of here before SaberNekomon finishes licking her wounds," Gomamon said. "With all of us here in one room, we'd make easy prey."

You got that right, SaberNekomon thought.

"I've almost got the program set up," Izzy said. "Just a few more sec... ah, here."

"See you on the other side," Matt said. "We'd better get this over with and get back quickly. Who's going to be watching over the real world while we'll be gone?"

*****

Two boys, one tall, brown-haired, and wearing a strange gauntlet on his arm, the other younger, with lavender eyes and dark hair that looked almost blue, sat on a couch watching the monster movie marathon as they ate imo-youkan, a pastry made from jellied sweet potatoes.

"Honestly, boys, you'll make yourself sick," the younger boy's mother said. "This is your third tray of pastries."

"What'd you say, Mom?" the younger boy said as he shoved another pastry into his mouth.

The older boy flashed his patented winning smile. "It's just 'cause your desserts are so good. Nobody makes 'em like you do."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said.

"No, really. You'd drive even the Imochou store out of business in a week."

"Oh, go on." The middle-aged woman said with a wave of her hand. She walked away with a smile, and went to prepare more imo-youkan.

The older boy chuckled to himself. The winning smile had never failed him, and its undefeated record remained intact.

Onscreen, Godzilla and King Kong were battling it out. The dinosaur scorched the ape with his breath, and a rather displeased Kong began to strike back... but both combatants vanished, along with the battlefield. The scene switched to a pretty anchorwoman. The boys groaned at the interruption.

"This is Kaori Sato with a Fuji TV news special report," the anchor said. The camera panned over scenes of anarchy. People ran in fear as armies of cats chased them. The felines were coming out of homes, out of car windows, out of storm drains, dropping from trees.

"As you can see, cats everywhere are turning on their human masters and rampaging through the city. What has prompted the feline revolt remains a mystery at this hour, but I'm here with top scientist Hirokazu Shiota, and he has a theory. Dr. Shiota?"

The scene switched to a wild-haired man with an ear-to-ear grin that seemed to be a permanent part of his face. He was leaning back in his chair with his feet up on a desk. "Call me Kazu, everybody does."

As Kazu gave a convoluted explanation involving the positioning of the planets, the current sunspot level, and the chemical composition of Meow Mix, the two boys quickly turned to each other. "Uh, I've gotta go," they said together.

*****

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more," Tai said. "Let's do it." The Digidestined vanished into the Digital Gate. Unbeknownst to them, SaberNekomon dropped down from the ceiling, dissappearing into it after them.

-----

Voice of Davis: Our heroes better look sharp with SaberNekomon on their tails. And something tells me the Digital World hasn't gotten any safer since last time. They'd better look sharp on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

_____
AN: To anyone who didn't get that bit about the two kids on the couch, they're supposed to be Ken and Ryo. In a Japanese Digimon game whose name I forgot (Tag Tamers, maybe?) Ryo and Ken were close friends, and they witnessed the Diaboromon incident from Ken's computer (which conflicts with Ryo's cameo in the movie, in which he watched the Diaboromon battle from somewhere by a mountain range, {him in the foreground, guy playing golf in the background. Ryo's wearing the striped shirt he wore in the games and for most of the D-Reaper arc.} hence the endless "Are the Ryo games in continuity or not?" argument.) They won't be showing up again in this story, they're just the cameo du jour.