The blade crashed through the glass tube, sending shards of metal flying in all directions. The computer screen disappeared and sirens started wailing around the room. Red beacons flashed urgently as the creature fell to the floor.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” Naraku shrieked. He ran to the side of the room and drew a massive blade from the wall. Just as he raised it to break the window in front of him, a noise stopped him.
The creature opened its eyes. Aidan was standing over it, holding his sword towards the floor. It crawled backwards and jumped to its feet, glaring at him. Its purple eyes darted around the room, searching for an exit.
“Wait.” Aidan called. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
Boom!
The humans had broken through the metal door. The colossal noise made them all jump. Immediately, two blades shot from the top of the creature’s hands, glinting dangerously in the light of the beacons. They could hear the soldiers’ boots clattering on the metal flooring and the click of the ammunition clips being loaded into their assault rifles.
Aidan grabbed the creature’s arm and pulled it towards the exit on the other side of the room. Alarmed, it swung one of its blades round at his waist. He let go just in time; he felt the blade slicing through his fur.
Up above them, Naraku snapped out of his trance and smashed the window, just as the armoured troops arrived at the doorway.
“Restrain them!” he screamed.
Immediately they leapt onto the four digimon. Aidan hurled one into the wall behind him, where he saw the scientists fleeing through a smaller doorway at the back of the room. Another two grabbed his arms and tried to pull him towards the floor.
Suddenly, a vicious roar cut through the noise of the capture- the creature, enraged by being jumped upon, flew into the air. It plunged one of its blades through a human’s chest and threw his lifeless body to the floor.
“NO!” Naraku yelled. “Stop!”
Nearing the generator, the human flipped up his visor and wiped his blonde hair from his eyes. The hum of the nearby turbines reverberated through the floor. He ripped a grenade from the pocket on his flak jacket, ready to catapult it into the heart of the humans’ power source.
MetalArmadillomon spun free from three of his oppressors and charged towards Gabumon. He slammed into one of the soldiers, catapulting him into a computer desk.
The creature reared back its head and pushed the tips of its blades together. They began to spark. A massive bolt of white lightning shrieked from the ends, hitting the crowd of soldiers. A horrifying mass of screams filled the room.
Gabumon froze.
“No...”
Matt kicked open the door to the generator room and hurled in all the grenades he was carrying. He stopped at the last one, his hands shaking.
“This’ll teach you for butchering Tai!”
He tore the pin from the grenade, threw it in and hurtled away. The explosion rocked the corridors, knocking him to the floor and sending debris crashing all around him. The lights flashed out.
The walls of the research lab shook violently. Bits of the wall exploded inwards, knocking into those inside. Distracted, the creature ceased its torturous attack and disappeared through the door, into the pitch-black corridors of the base.
“Wait!” Naraku shouted after it.
A rumble from above him stopped him in his tracks. A piece of the ceiling crashed into his back, flinging him forwards. He plummeted through the open window and hit the floor with a sickening thud.
Aidan, leaping over the fallen humans, grabbed MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon and carried them into the corridor. As they sprinted away, the rumbling began to die down and the building around them shook less violently.
“What was that thing?” MetalArmadillomon spluttered, steadying himself.
“She’s just like me...” Aidan said quietly.
Gabumon looked around. There was no one nearby. “Where do you think it went?”
“I don’t know...” Aidan sheathed his sword and unclipped his bow from his wrist. The arc extended to its full size and a glowing string appeared, stretching from one tip to the other. “But I want to find her.”
“What?” the other two chorused. “Why?”
Aidan started down the corridor to their left. “There’s a chance she could be changed.”
Gabumon shook his head. “But we still need to find Matt!” he cried. “What if he was in that explosion?”
Aidan knelt down in front of him. “You’d know if he was dead. You’ve shared the link through the Crest’s power for so many years now. Give yourself some credit.”
“Well...” Gabumon began, his hopes lifting. “He wasn’t in that group of humans back there. He must be elsewhere on this floor.”
* * *
“What happened, soldier?”
Matt felt a hand on his shoulder pull him upright. He shook his head and looked at the debris around him. Behind him were four soldiers.
“I-er... one of the digimon got into the generator and blew up the power supply. I’m guessing it blew itself up as well.” He stammered, thinking on his feet.
“Damn kamikaze monsters...” the soldier cursed. He patted Matt heartily on the back. “We’ll get ‘em, though. Don’t you worry. You fit to fight?”
Matt picked up his rifle from the floor and gave the best salute he could manage. He had to get out of here. The soldier flipped his visor open and gave him a smile.
“Good work. I’ll set you to work on hunting down those digimon with these two.” He said, gesturing to two of the soldiers.
Matt saluted again and followed his two companions into the darkness.
“So, where are we headed?” he asked, closing his visor.
One pointed the rifle barrel in the direction of the light of his shoulder lamp. “They were last seen near to the research labs. Since the power’s out and most of the guys have been injured, we’re some of the only troops left.
As they passed the lab where the creature had escaped from, they saw the carnage it had caused. Bodies covered the floor. The injured were lying still, barely alive. Matt shone his shoulder lamp over them to see if any were able to help. In the shadows to one side, he saw movement.
“Someone’s alive!”
The three of them ran over and picked up the man. He stumbled forwards.
“Commander Kamagata!”
Naraku clenched his metal fists. This was the second time the digimon had almost destroyed his body. Through the light of the torch, Matt could see that most of the man’s body was covered in metal plating, with wires and pistons showing through. Real flesh remained on his face, but was undersewn with wires and tubes piping bodily fluid to the rest of his body. His eyes, although still real, carried with them a cold, almost mechanic feel to them. He was barely human.
“Get me to the munitions room.” Naraku hissed.
* * *
