| Chapter Eighteen: Form Assumption |
| Tim opened his eyes and looked around. He was expecting to be lying face down on the grassy verge opposite the river that had once served as Dracomon�s moat, but not so. He was instead sitting slumped up against the wall in a jail cell. He looked around and found Audrey and Darren lying nearby. The other Digidestined and Digimon were nowhere to be seen. Tim approached Audrey and shook her awake. �Drey, wake up!� Tim shouted. �Drey!� �Huh? Tim?� Audrey muttered, groggily looking up at him. �We�re in jail, wake up!� Tim encouraged. Audrey sat up and looked around, before finally looking back up at Tim. �Where are we?� She asked. �I dunno.� Tim said, looking back at Darren. He crawled towards Darren and shook him roughly on the shoulder. �Darren, get up!� Tim exclaimed. �Aghh, someone get this moose off of me!� Darren screamed, sitting up suddenly. Tim and Audrey laughed. �Darren, you okay?� Tim asked. �Err�yeah, just a bad dream, that�s all�� Darren informed them, before looking around. �Where are we?� �Hey, you�re awake!� A voice called. The three of them turned to see three Bakemon peering at them through the bars of their cell. �Master Cincomon wanted an audience with two of you when you awoke.� �Master Cincomon?� Audrey repeated. �Who�s that?� �Shut up!� One of the Bakemon barked. �Don�t tell me to shut up, asshole!� Audrey shouted back angrily. �Never mind!� The Bakemon that had told her to shut up, presumably the leader of the three, exclaimed. He turned to his two accomplices. �Take the mouthy one and the one that dreams about moose and bring them to Cincomon!� The other two Bakemon nodded and opened the cell, quickly handcuffing Darren and Audrey and leading them out of the cell. |
| Khalid awoke and looked around. He was strapped in some sort of machine, in a well-lit room of a building. The walls were metallic and coloured white. Nearby, in a small cage, was Slipmon. �Slipmon!� Khalid exclaimed, struggling against his binds. �Hey Khalid.� Slipmon said, smiling. �Don�t you just love these interrogation sessions?� �Greetings, Khalid and Slipmon!� A voice called. Both of them looked and through a door at the far end of the room walked in Gennai. �Gennai?� Khalid observed. �Where are we?� Gennai laughed. �It�s amusing how you humans can so easily mistake the physical appearance of something.� �What?� �I�m not Gennai.� �Gennai� said, glowing white and slowly transforming. He eventually became a Digimon that was completely transparent, seeming to be made of pure energy. It also had five heads, each showing a different expression. The left most one looked sad, the one to its right looked confused or puzzled, the one in the centre was expressionless, the face to the right of this one looked happy, and the rightmost head looked angry. �What are you?� Khalid asked in shock at the monster�s appearance. �My name is Cincomon.� It said, a frown developing on its middle face. �I am a Digimon that was developed through years of genetic research. My lack of shape allows me to assume any form.� �Really?� Slipmon said. �Cool.� �What am I doing here, Cincomon?� Khalid asked. �Where are the others?� �Digidestined�� Cincomon said simply. �You all still have so much to understand. It�s a pity you will never be able to learn.� �Why not?� Slipmon asked. Cincomon�s centre head began to chuckle. �Because I will succeed where Dracomon failed. You all are scheduled for execution in half an hour.� �Half an hour?� Khalid exclaimed, leaning forward. �Fuck! Only half an hour?� �Yes.� Cincomon said. �Enjoy your last moments with your Digimon.� With these words, Cincomon turned and walked out of the room. �Slipmon, what are we gonna do?� Khalid asked. �Escaping would be a good idea.� Slipmon noted. �But how?� ��I got it!� Khalid said, excited. �That cage wouldn�t hold Hereticmon, would it?� �Khalid, I can�t Digivolve in here!� Slipmon said. �This cage is too small! I�ll break my back trying to fit in it as Hereticmon!� �Then how will we escape?� Khalid asked. �I don�t think we can right now�� Slipmon replied, looking at the door. Three Bakemon, who approached the two of them, had filled it. �Alright, it�s time to go back to your cell.� One of them said, unlocking Khalid�s shackles and handcuffing him. The other Bakemon did the same to Slipmon. |
| Tim was just about adjusting to being alone after the departure of Audrey and Darren, when the same group of Bakemon brought Khalid to the cell. They opened the cell, released his handcuffs, and closed it. �What have you done with Slipmon?� Khalid screamed at them. �Don�t worry, you�ll see him again, when you�re executed.� The Bakemon informed him, before walking off laughing. �Hey Khalid.� Tim said. �Hey.� Khalid replied. �You hear we�re gonna be executed?� �What! When?� �In half an hour.� �Half an hour!� Tim exclaimed. �What!� �I know!� Khalid said, before sighing and looking around. �We need to find a way out of here.� �But how?� Tim asked. �How can I get out without Shocamon?� �We have to think of a way!� Khalid said. He started to run his fingers along the walls of the cell to try and find a way out. Tim, meanwhile, got hold of the bars of the cell and pulled them, but wasn�t nearly strong enough to pull them apart. He tried again, pulling harder, but once again he failed. Khalid noticed what he was doing. �You can�t pull those apart!� Khalid exclaimed. �I might be able to!� Tim insisted. He held his hands out in front of the bars and concentrated, swallowing hard. He then grabbed them again and pulled them apart as hard as he could, not expecting to affect the bars in the slightest. However, as he twisted his face up and closed his eyes in the effort, he did not notice his crest shining brightly. The energy of the crest surrounded his arms and hands. Throwing his head back and screaming with determination and pain, he managed to bend the two bars apart significantly. Shocked at the movement of the bars under his power, he stopped pulling and opened his eyes. He inspected the bars, shocked at the bend in them. But even more surprising was the fading orange light that was surrounding his arms! He looked up and down his arms, inspecting every inch of them as the last of the light faded. He turned to Khalid. �I did it!� He exclaimed. Khalid stared back at him in shock. �What was that light?� Khalid asked. �The light of my crest?� Tim said. �It gave me enough strength to pull the bars apart.� �Cool, but will we fit through those bars?� Khalid asked. �Only one way to find out.� Tim said, standing, and sliding one of his legs through the warped bars. He then grabbed the bars and slid his entire body through, having to shift his position every now and then to proceed, but eventually getting through to the other side. �Oh, cool!� Khalid exclaimed, also sliding carefully yet quickly through the bars. The two boys looked at each other once he was free. �We have to find our Digimon!� Tim shouted. �Yeah!� Khalid agreed, before the two boys ran off through the corridors, being careful not to be spotted by any of Cincomon�s guards. |
| �I�m telling you, you can head butt it as much as you want, it isn�t going to break it!� Shocamon exclaimed, watching as Slipmon ran at the bars again. The other rookie Digimon hit one of the metal bars and bounced off, sitting on the cold linoleum floor of the cell. �Dammit, what do they make these things out of? Bricks?� Slipmon shouted, rubbing his head. Shocamon chuckled. �We should save our energy.� Shocamon suggested. �Why?� Slipmon challenged, looking up at him. �So that we don�t fall asleep out of exhaustion while we�re being executed?� �No, in case we get the chance to escape!� Shocamon argued. �Yeah, and we�re gonna escape if I knock this bar down!� Slipmon shouted, jumping to his feet and preparing to ram the bar again. �You�re not gonna do anything.� Shocamon informed him. �That thing is made out of chrome digizoid metal. An ultimate level Digimon would have trouble bending it! You think you can do anything?� Slipmon didn�t reply. Instead he roared and ran at the bar again, head extended. Once again, he merely bounced off. Shocamon laughed at his failure, and Slipmon looked up at him and frowned. �At least I�m trying!� He shouted, before standing and walking to the corner of the cell with his arms folded, facing the wall. �Shocamon!� A voice called. �Slipmon!� The two Digimon turned and saw the two boys they had been sent to protect standing outside their cell. �Tim!� Shocamon exclaimed. �Khalid!� Slipmon shouted. �What are you guys doing here?� �We�re here to rescue you.� Tim explained. �Never mind that, just Digivolve, Slipmon!� Khalid screamed, holding up his Digivice. �Slipmon Digivolve to�Hereticmon!� The champion Digimon approached the bars of the cell and grabbed two of them with his hands. With a grunt, he attempted pulling them apart, but failed. Khalid and Tim approached the bars and started helping him, pulling a bar each, but they wouldn�t move. Eventually, all three let go. �Tim, how did you bend this?� Khalid asked. �I dunno.� Tim said. �My crest helped me.� �You bent these bars?� Hereticmon asked. �No way! These things are made of the toughest metal in the Digiworld! An ultimate level Digimon would have trouble with them!� �Hey, I told you that!� Shocamon complained as Hereticmon transformed back to Slipmon. Then an alarm sounded, and the hallway flashed a red colour. �Warning, warning�� The tannoy spoke. �Prisoners have escaped from cell 12B. All personnel search the hallways and guard all exits. If the prisoners are found, they are to be killed. I repeat�� �Oh shit�� Khalid trailed off. �Looks like they found out.� �We better get out of here, this is one of the first places they�ll look for us.� Tim said, before turning to the two Digimon. �Can you guys wait a little longer?� �But where are we gonna go, Tim?� Khalid asked, peering round the corner as some Bakemon ran past, presumably searching for them. �We have to find a way out.� Tim replied. �But where?� �All exits are blocked.� Khalid noted. �That announcement said so.� Tim looked down at the ground in thought. �We need some help to get out.� �We can help you!� Shocamon said. �We just need to get out of here, that�s all�� �Can�t you fit through these bars?� Tim asked. Shocamon nodded. �We can, but they run an electric current between each bar, stopping us from doing it.� Shocamon said. �Why didn�t you say so?� Tim said, taking off his jacket. He held it out between two of the bars, and a hole in the current appeared where his coat insulated the electricity. Shocamon chuckled and ran through the bars. Slipmon did the same, before Tim took his jacket back and slipped it on. �Let�s get out of here!� Shocamon exclaimed. �Wait!� Khalid shouted. �What?� Shocamon asked. �Don�t we need to find the others?� Khalid questioned. �Hmm�� Tim mumbled, looking down thoughtfully. �You�re right, they�re here somewhere. Darren and Audrey were in that cell we escaped from earlier.� �Really?� Khalid asked. �Do you know where they were taken?� �No�� Tim said. �I know! I can check the radar on my Digivice!� Tim took out his Digivice and activated it, going to the radar screen. He saw three blips in the middle, three to the north and two to the northwest. Tim screwed up his face in confusion. �What?� He ejaculated. �What�s wrong, Tim?� Khalid asked. �I�m getting three signals from the two of us.� Tim explained. �Oh! It�s probably because I still have this.� Khalid exclaimed, reaching into a pocket. He pulled out a Digivice tracking device, which belonged to Andrea. �You were supposed to give that back to Andrea!� Tim shouted. �I forgot.� Khalid said simply, shrugging. �Great, what if we can�t find her?� Tim asked. �Don�t worry Tim.� Khalid said, smiling. �We�ll find her. She�s probably with the others.� �It makes sense.� Shocamon offered. �The Digimon that captured us probably wants to save time by executing us all at once. So Khalid�s probably right.� ��Alright.� Tim said. �We�ll go north first and see the three people there.� �Okay, let�s go!� Khalid shouted, before the two boys and their Digimon partners ran off down the corridor. |
| �Khalid, what do you know about the building to the north?� Tim asked, turning back to him. �It�s connected to this building by a walkway that we were led through.� He explained. �I think it�s where Cincomon does all his interrogation.� �Who�s Cincomon?� Tim queried, looking back at the Bakemon guarding the walkway. �He�s this freaky Digimon with five heads, and he�s see through.� Khalid explained. �And he�s interrogating them?� �Yeah.� �How are we supposed to get there if those Bakemon are guarding?� Tim asked. �We can take them out!� Shocamon cried, bounding towards the ghost Digimon, but Tim stopped him. �I don�t want to get noticed, Shocamon!� Tim said. �We have to sneak past, and that�s not the way to do it.� �What is the way to do it, then?� Shocamon asked, looking up at Tim. The young man looked down in thought. �Let�s see, what would Solid Snake do�� Tim asked himself. �Solid who?� Slipmon asked. �I got it!� Tim exclaimed. He looked back at the Bakemon and knocked on the wall near the corner. The two ghost Digimon looked at the area where they heard the knocking and moved closer to the corner to examine it. There they looked around the corner and peered into the distance, not realising when Khalid, Tim, Shocamon and Slipmon crept around a pillar behind them and walked off towards the door they were guarding. �Did you hear something just now?� One Bakemon said. �I thought I did�� the other Bakemon explained. �Now�s our chance!� Tim whispered to his friends, running towards the door. He tried to open it, but to his horror found that it was locked! He turned back to the corner where he heard the Bakemon agreeing that the source of the noise was too much caffeine during their lunch break and discussing how they would help each other cut down on coffee. Khalid and Tim looked at each other with frantic expressions on their faces. �What are we gonna do, Tim?� Khalid asked, looking around. �Okay�� Tim said, walking a few paces back from the door. �On the count of three, we run into the door and knock it down. One�� Slipmon and Shocamon stood beside him, ready to run with him, when Khalid noticed something on the wall. ��Two�� Khalid read the device more carefully. There were two buttons, one red, one green, and the green one was marked �lock override mechanism�. Smiling, Khalid pushed it. ��Three!� Khalid watched calmly as Tim and the two Digimon ran past him, pushing their whole weight into the door, only to find that it swung open easily, causing all three to fall face down on the walkway outside. Khalid laughed. �Guys, you should really read buttons more!� Khalid said. Tim stood and rubbed his forehead. Khalid turned when he heard voices; the Bakemon were returning to their posts! Thinking quickly, he walked through the door and shut it behind him. �Let�s go.� Tim said while wiping himself off, and the quartet began crossing the walkway to the second building. Cincomon�s lair was constructed in the shape of a square, with four main buildings in every corner and a walkway crossing between each building, except those diagonal from each other. Tall hedges surrounded the ground below each walkway, and in the middle of the square was a huge courtyard. �What a nice place.� Shocamon commented, looking down at the courtyard below. �Humph!� Slipmon scoffed. �It may look nice, but that doesn�t mean I wanna stay here for long.� �Yeah.� Shocamon agreed. |
| Meanwhile the two Bakemon had returned to their posts. �How long until our shift is over?� One of them asked. �About twenty minutes.� The other one informed. �You know what I like about guard duty?� �What?� �All we have to do is relax and make sure nobody goes through some door�I mean, it�s so easy.� With these words, the Bakemon leaned back on the door and got the shock of his life when it opened under his weight! He turned to see Tim, Khalid, Shocamon and Slipmon crossing the walkway. �Hey!� The Bakemon cried. �It�s the escapees! They snuck past us!� �What! How?� �Never mind how they did it, we just gotta stop them!� �Alright, I�ll call reinforcements.� �No, don�t.� �What should I do then? Just let them cross?� The other Bakemon looked at him and smiled. �You remember that red button I told you never to press?� �Yeah?� �Press it!� �Yes Sir!� the first Bakemon cried, jumping up and pressing the red button beneath the green button. |
| �Whoa!� Tim cried. �What?� Khalid quizzed. �Look!� Tim shouted, pointing at the ground. The tiles of the floor were sliding away from the under the walkway, leaving nothing underneath! �We gotta turn back!� Tim exclaimed. �We can�t do that�� Khalid informed him, and Tim turned to ask him why, when he saw the tiles disappearing in the other direction. Impassable obstacles surrounded the boys. �Aghh!� Tim screamed. �Where the hell is that annoying brat and her bird Digimon when we need them?� �You mean, Kerri and Eaglemon?� Shocamon asked. �Whatever!� Tim replied, as the last of the tiles underneath them slid away. They fell to the courtyard below, screaming. �Shocamon Digivolve to�Fusemon!� Fusemon landed with a thud and caught Khalid and Tim over his shoulders, putting his hand cannons together to catch Slipmon. �Are you all alright?� Fusemon asked. �Fine thanks, Fusemon.� Tim replied, climbing down. Khalid and Slipmon did the same. �Something tells me we won�t be fine for long�� Slipmon said, looking behind them. The boys turned and saw a six-strong group of robot Digimon walking through a door opposite. They had broad cylindrical bodies with long arms. On their chests were red orbs made of glass and some dials above that, and instead of a head this Digimon had a blue glass orb. �What are they, Slipmon?� Khalid asked. �They�re Mekanorimon!� Slipmon informed him. �They�re champion level robot Digimon, and they�re practically invulnerable, thanks to their hard metal shell! Their twin beam attack could knock you back into last week!� �Target in range�� One of the Mekanorimon said in a robotic voice. �Twin Beam!� The robot Digimon held out its two hands and sparks flew between them. It then fired a beam of red energy from the orb in its chest. This would have hit Tim and Khalid, but Fusemon dove forward and tackled them to the floor. The energy hit a tree, and the tree split into dust. Tim looked up from the floor at where the tree had been. �Is it just me, or was there a tree there a second ago?� he asked. Slipmon crawled out from under Fusemon. �Let me try!� Slipmon declared, glowing white. �Slipmon Digivolve to�Hereticmon!� �Darkness Grenades!� Hereticmon announced, throwing a volley of dark balls of energy at the Mekanorimon. The attack bounced off; it just wasn�t powerful enough. �What?� �Shockcannon!� Fusemon declared, firing two massive balls of electricity at one of the Mekanorimon. The robot Digimon seemed to seize up after the electricity hit him, until eventually it fell backwards. �Hey good job, Fusemon!� Khalid congratulated. �It must be the electricity!� Tim said. �It fries the Mekanorimon�s circuits! Fusemon, fire again!� �I can�t, Tim!� Fusemon objected. �I need to charge my cannons!� �What!� Tim screamed. �Okay�Hereticmon, hold them off while Fusemon charges his cannons!� �That�s easy for you to say!� Hereticmon said, running towards the Mekanorimon. He grabbed one of the Mekanorimon by the arms and swung it around in circles above his head, before finally releasing it into one of the other Mekanorimon. To Hereticmon�s surprise, both of the robot Digimon immediately returned to their feet. �What?� Hereticmon exclaimed, looking shocked. �Twin Beam!� One of the Mekanorimon shouted, firing a beam of red energy at Hereticmon. Hereticmon jumped up and grabbed on to the inside of the walkway, avoiding the attack. �Shockcannon!� Fusemon said, firing two balls of electricity at the Mekanorimon that had attacked Hereticmon. It seized up as the electricity went through it, eventually falling lifelessly to the floor. �Fusemon, can�t you hurry up?� Khalid shouted. �I�m charging as quickly as I can, Khalid!� Fusemon exclaimed. �If I don�t charge for very long, the attack won�t be as powerful!� �What! You can fire it before it�s fully charged?� Tim asked. �Yeah, but it won�t be as powerful�� �Never mind, do it anyway!� Tim said. �Okay! Shockcannon!� Fusemon screamed, firing two small balls of electricity at a Mekanorimon. The electricity ran its course through the body of the Mekanorimon, and for a second the robot Digimon was stunned, but it soon recovered and turned to Fusemon. The champion Digimon looked afraid. �Great, now it�s after me!� Fusemon shouted. �Attack again!� Tim ordered. �Shockcannon!� Fusemon shouted, firing two more small balls of energy at the Mekanorimon. Now, Fusemon had gotten the attention of all the Mekanorimon, and all were approaching him slowly. �Fusemon, what are you doing!� Hereticmon screamed. �You can�t fight them like that!� �Keep going, Fusemon!� Tim exclaimed. �You�ll beat them eventually!� �I�ll beat them eventually?� Fusemon repeated. �They�ll also rust eventually, but you wouldn�t rely on that, would you?� �Twin Beam!� One of the Mekanorimon announced, firing a red beam to Fusemon�s right. It hit a rock, and the rock faded into dust. �Never mind! Attack again!� Tim demanded. �Fine! Shockcannon!� Fusemon declared, firing two average-sized balls of electricity at one of the Mekanorimon. The attack stunned the Mekanorimon for a second, but it recovered, and it continued towards Fusemon. Four accomplices flanked it. �Shockcannon!� Fusemon repeated firing two small orbs of electric energy at the head Mekanorimon, who wasn�t affected much by the blast. Fusemon collapsed to his knees with exhaustion. �No, don�t give up, Fusemon!� Tim insisted. �We have to do this! Huh?� Tim looked down at his chest as he saw a bright orange glow. He smiled and looked up at Fusemon. �Fusemon! Digivolve!� Fusemon stood with a renewed vigour and an orange ball that had the emblem of determination printed on it surrounded him. �Fusemon Digivolve to�� Eventually the orange ball broke, revealing a Digimon that resembled Fusemon, being coloured white with black stripes, but this Digimon was taller and more muscular than Fusemon, its longer shins protected by metal armour. Its head was also slightly smaller than Fusemon�s, and it had longer horns as well as a longer tail that ended in three points. It wore a backpack on its back and two metal cylinders over its hands. ��ElectroFusemon!� Hereticmon fell to the floor and looked up at ElectroFusemon. �Hey, ElectroFusemon!� �Wow�� Tim uttered, looking up at his Digimon. �Hey Tim, like my new form?� ElectroFusemon asked. �My name is ElectroFusemon, the ultimate form of Shocamon, and my Shockcannon is much more powerful and can charge faster than it can in my champion form! I can use my Lightning Swipe to cut foes with my beamsword, which is charged with my power! Pretty cool, huh?� �Beamsword?� Tim asked. ElectroFusemon slid one of the cannons up his arm on an electric rail and grabbed a sword from his shin pad. �Oh.� Tim said. �Show us what you can do, ElectroFusemon!� �New target acquired!� The lead Mekanorimon spoke. �Twin Beam!� �Uh-uh!� ElectroFusemon muttered as the red beam of energy came towards him. �Lightning Swipe!� ElectroFusemon slashed downwards with his beamsword through the energy. It dissipated upon being slashed. �Now for you guys�� ElectroFusemon said, turning to the Mekanorimon. He pointed his left arm�s cannon at one of them. �Shockcannon!� ElectroFusemon fired, sending a ball of electricity towards the Mekanorimon. It was hit by the electricity and was annihilated, splitting into dust. �Wow, you didn�t just deactivate it, you destroyed it!� Tim exclaimed. �Of course, Tim!� ElectroFusemon said. �I�m an ultimate now, it�s too easy! Shockcannon!� ElectroFusemon shot another ball of energy at the next Mekanorimon, splitting it into dust. �Twin Beam!� The next Mekanorimon announced, firing a red beam of energy. ElectroFusemon held up one of his arm cannons and the attack reflected harmlessly off of the metal of the weapon. �Lightning Swipe!� ElectroFusemon cried, running towards the Mekanorimon. ElectroFusemon appeared to do nothing at first, appearing on the other side of the Mekanorimon with his sword out to his right. Then the Mekanorimon split in half and was terminated. �Twin�� The remaining Mekanorimon was about to attack, but Hereticmon grabbed him by the arms. �Let me help you with this one, ElectroFusemon!� Hereticmon said, swinging the Mekanorimon around his head before throwing it up in the air. ElectroFusemon thanked him before flying underneath the Mekanorimon, sheathing his sword and activating both his arm cannons. He charged them up quickly, before taking aim. �Shockcannon!� He shouted as loudly as he could, firing two huge orbs of energy at the Mekanorimon. These hit, and the Mekanorimon exploded into dust, creating a sort of orange firework effect. ElectroFusemon flew down and landed before Tim and Khalid. �That was great, ElectroFusemon!� Tim exclaimed. �You can tell me how brilliant I am later.� ElectroFusemon calmly replied with more than a touch of pride. �We need to look for the others right now.� Tim nodded in agreement and he and Khalid climbed onto ElectroFusemon�s back. Hereticmon de-Digivolved to Slipmon and did the same. ElectroFusemon then carried them to the opposite end of the walkway. There, ElectroFusemon held out his hand and Tim held it. ElectroFusemon glowed white and de-Digivolved into a Digimon that looked similar to Shocamon but was far smaller, and had fewer stripes. �Oh, who are you?� Tim asked. �I�m Okamon, the in-training form of Shocamon!� The small Digimon replied. �Okamon? Shocamon?� Tim asked with a chuckle. �Hey, don�t make fun of me and my forms!� Okamon insisted. �I may be small now, but I can still�� �Guys, stop quarrelling!� Khalid shouted. �We have to find the others!� �Yeah, you�re right.� Tim said, before Okamon jumped into his arms. �Huh?� �I�m exhausted. Carry me.� The small Digimon insisted, waving one of its paws majestically. Tim didn�t like the idea but nevertheless followed Khalid and Slipmon through the corridors of this new part of Cincomon�s lair. |