Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Can't make me cry. ❯ Chapter 18 ( Chapter 18 )

Author's Notes:
Bold plus italic within () means a memory.
()()()()()()()()

The shutters rolled upward and exposed small rooms, within each room was a creature of unimagined horror, creatures of wires, flesh and metal supported by lines protruding from the walls of their room.
"WHAT ARE THESE THINGS."

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Ghost in the darkness, soul in the computer.
..................

It was a long walk, but he didn't mind nor cared. He saw the remains of March Hare laying on top of some car, he almost vomited at the sight but some how manage to continue on. It was almost dawn when he came upon the (in)famous battle field of Macmainerbery, the abandoned manor on the edge of town.

One would wonder, he is the Emperor of ice cream; a member of the Tea Party troop, why did he fought -if you could call what he did at the town center "fighting"- so poorly; or why he's searching out his fallen friends through the night without stopping. The answer is simple.

He found the gargomon's fallen body, the sun's orange light had case a soft glow all around him and the Mad Hatter's being and the entire area. He stood there, staring down at now paled fur/skin and the small dark spot around his missing arm; Whindle's knees felt so weak and he knew he was going to vomit. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wonder to the Mad Hatter's side; he remember how they met and how much this Gargomon meant to him in his life.

("What is this?!" Whindle shouted as the uniformed soldiers surrounded him, he had changed into his digital form for the first time against his will. "Please, I'm still human! I won't anyone!")

The Emperor lowered his head, he remember that day.

("You there," a boy in a coat that belongs in a bad rap video with a cat face was standing before him, Whindle was terrified of this person and quite frankly it showed. "How do you like to join a powerful organization? With us on your side no one will push you around any more Whindle."
"How do you know my name?" He eeked out, tears were running down his check and he was shaking so badly.
"Geez," a new voice said, "stop scaring the kid, Chain."
Chain? He thought, he turn to face the new speaker and found a large living stuffed animal with a hot dog in what could pass for hands.
"Listen kid," the Gargomon said, "you don't have a choice in this matter, you'll join and that's that."
"Kill the drama while your at it," Chain said while crossing his arms.
"Melodrama is more like it.")

A tear landed on Mad Hatter's cheek, it stayed there while Whindle placed his hand on to his chest.

"Mad Hatter?" His voice was so small and far away he couldn't believe he was speaking, "buddy? Remember what you said about deus ex machina?"

There was no answer, the Gargomon just laid there staring up into the sky. The blacktailmon gripped his wrist and looked into his eyes, he knew that there would be no "god of the machine" moment here; no happy ending. And he knew that; only thing he can do is cry.

He stood up and wonder over to a small shed behind the collapsed house, he went in quick and found what he needed.

A shovel.

Before he started to dig he looked at his friend one last time, recalling how he was there for him when he need someone.

........................

I couldn't believe what I was looking at! metal infused with what seems to be flesh, and a lot of others thing I will have nightmares for years about. The others were sharing the same emotion as I was; it took us a moment but we manage to control ourselves and face Ashley Bander.

She's the one with the answers after all.

"These beings," Ashley said as she waved a hand towards the windows, "are apart of a great experiment; just like you Robert."

"Me?" I said stunned. I was wondering what does she mean?

"Hey, I'm a digimon gene carrier too!" Joseph interjected, he seemed a little peeved that I was getting all of the focus here. And frankly I'm glade he's upset, take my mind off these things all around us.

"I will explain," Ashley said, "in our time -about a thousand years ago- in a different time and space a being of vast power and anger was defeated; since the energy that was released from the being was so strong it created a warp that sent large amounts of living data, as we call it, to our world.
"The data fused into people all around the world, only a select few had to knowledge of what was happening. Those written a detailed accounts of what happened and secretly handed them down through multiple digimon based organizations."

"That's a lovely story," my mom said, "but what does that have to do with them?" on the last word she pointed towards the creatures behind the glass walls.

"Simple, I suspect ether Dormouse or the Emperor has given you the information about NDI? I'll assume that you know that we've been around for almost 90 years."

"90 years?" Dale said, I could hear his gears crankin' to cook up some theory, "then that would be mean that these twisted experiments to create a super-being have been going on for three quarters of a century! Man, that would explain a lot of weird stuff."

Ashley tilted her head and raised a brow, kind of expecting more but Dale took out a cigarette and shrugged. I kept taking glances at the creatures and at the people all around me, I notice my mother was a bit nervous too.

"These experiments began literarily 100 years ago, when the institute's successor began to create a special alloy created from steel; back then the technology restricted the use of this alloy as a type of armor that render the digimon more powerful, but there were those who could, and still can't, handle the complex nature of the armor," Ashley nudge her head towards the cells. No one spoke, none of us couldn't quite figure out what to make of our situation.

I mean a special alloy that was created for armor that, if not used right, can turn you into something from H.P. Lovecraft. Plus now there were more questions then answers.

"In recent years we've learn of a special gene that exist within a person's genome that allows them to merge fully with the alloy with little risk, this lead to test out a improved armor system." She looked at me, I swore she was trying to drill into my brain and get to my soul with her eyes. "Robert," she said, "your father brought you here and we implanted you with that cannon on your arm."

I was lost, my mind was swimming around and looked down at my arm. He brought me here and NDI just attached this thing to my arm? I wanted to act out and hurt someone, namely Ashley.

There was a loud thunk, turning my head I saw Joseph had punch the glass window on one of the cells. He cause some cracks and startled the creature within the cell, but he didn't seem to notice; he was angered.

"You sick, twisted bastards!" He snapped as he faced Ashley, "all of this knowledge of the human system, all this technology and abilities and you freaks decided to use it to create... Them!" He pointed to the creature in the cell he just punched, the thing seem to not care any more and sat there. "I figure something this sickening would only mean one thing, you want to take over the world."

A chuckle escape Ashley's mouth, I guess Joseph hit the nail on the head. "Okay, so what are you going to do about it?" She mocked, "a vamdemon and a Flamedramon with a cannon implant against the Nihon Development Institute, that's a good joke. You think you can take us down just because you can fight a few dozen twitledumb soldiers and defeat a few pigeons. This entire town is a fart in a hurricane compared to the real power of NDI, you'd be crushed in minutes."

"Thank you for your concern, but we won't need it," Joseph snapped.

"Whatever," Ashley shrugged, "if you want to try just go into the elevator, press the top button and then go where ever you want. I'll inform the HQ that you want a real fight, just don't say I didn't warn you."

We stood there, none of us spoke. Joseph and I stood in front of our parents like leaders of some great army ready for battle, Ashley just stood there with her arms crossed and a smile on her face. Joseph and I signal to move to the elevator, I took rear guard duty to keep an eye on her. I distrusted her enough not to get on the elevator unless the others were safely on the ground floor; you never know if this woman might changed and blew the car up or something like that.

"Aren't you getting on?" My mom asked. I turn my head and nodded to her, I didn't know if they understood or not but the door closed and I heard a ding. It was just her and I now, I activated my cannon arm and she dug out a pair of tiger print gloves with sharp tips on the ends.

We just stood there, only figgiting for a moment for two. She asked me one question though, "why did you stay behind?"

"To protect my friends and my mother, you could have done something to the elevator while we're on it," I said.

"Then why not keep that boy here too? You don't think you can take me on alone, do you?"

I snorted, "in case you have goon squad on whatever floor they're going to Joseph can get them out. I have fate in him." The elevator dinged and I turn my head quick enough to see that there are no signs of carnage, so far so good. "Besides, you're right about the handle you. I don't think there's enough cream at the free clinics of Texas to cure what you got."

Okay, I'll admit that was a lame insult. But it served its purpose and angered Ashley, enough not to notice I wasn't aiming for her but the roof above her. It only took one shot to rain building material on her head, I got into the elevator and hit that close button fast. I knew she's beyond pissed with me now, and an elevator wasn't the wisest place to be right now. I was taking a chance by pressing the top button, and went I heard that ding I was relieved as the door open to reveal everyone waiting for me in what appears to be a lobby. I motion them to move, they try to ask questions but I didn't let them.

Once outside I was shocked to find the Bugidago waiting for us, Dale did a bomb search quick and then gave the okay sign. We piled in and drove out of Macmainerbery like a bat out of hell, along the way I told them I buried Ashley Bander under a lot of concrete.

Problem now was; where do we go from here?

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Next Chapter.

Khannie learns of NDI's archrival, the hard way.

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