Masters of Oblivion 

VII

The First Trojan Monster

Digidentity:

Knightmon: A well armoured digimon with an indestructible shield and a powerful lance from which it shoots its Lance of the Valiant attack. It is a worthy adversary with both strong combat skills and strong armour to protect it. Its other attack is Dragon Shield.

Sphinxmon: A mystical creature that does not so much focus on battling than cunning and confusing and surprising the enemy. It has the face of a human and the ability to hide its lion body and assume human form, but this is just a guise. Its attacks are Blades of the Desert and Desert’s Mirage.

‘Been stuck in here for three days now,’ he said checking his watch as he spoke, ‘and this is the forth. There’s no day or night, just this constant red light that’s starting to hurt my eyes, no, not starting, continuing! And all the time waiting for that bloody virus to get its work done and send the whole base into hell!’

Haji sat back against the wall in the corridor with a woman sitting across from him. This woman also worked in the control room and was one of the operators, they knew each other through other means though, their children went to the same school and were friends.

‘But none of that matters,’ Haji said throwing down the handkerchief that he used to wipe the sweat from his forehead, ‘all that matters is Luke, my son, and that I can’t get to him.’

‘And I can’t get to Pat.’ She said, her name was Lui and her voice was hoarse.

‘I’m trying to get the other generals to allow you and Patrick out of the base.’ Haji said not looking at her.

‘No don’t, we don’t want any special treatment, it would be better if you didn’t.’

‘I can manage it.’

‘We didn’t sign all those documents when we got these jobs for nothing.’ She said with a little grin.

There came the sound of footsteps coming around the corner and Haji picked himself up and tried to look presentable. Lui stood up and went into the nearest door that led to the control room where she took her seat again.

It was revealed to be one of the other generals when the man came around the corner, General Alistar from the United Nations.

‘Brought you something to eat Haji.’ He said throwing a chocolate bar towards him before stopping before him.

Haji never failed to remark to himself the fact that the man was an American that could speak Japanese.

‘How’s it going, you holding up?’ He asked.

‘As well as is expected from me,’ Haji said in answer, ‘and what have you been doing all this time.’

‘Not being idle if that’s what you mean. I was doing the job the UN placed me here to do, making sure the base is safe. At the moment there are twice the soldiers in the Womb than you originally posted there.’

‘Paranoid are we?’

‘My motto is that in times like these it always pays to be paranoid.’ Alistar said with a nod and a smile. ‘Tell me, have you any idea yet why the Aries program isn’t working?’

‘The most important files aren’t where they’re suppose to be, we don’t know if its as a result of the virus or something else.’ Haji said finding his feet tired of standing.

‘The control files no doubt, the core of this whole operation, a bit sloppy losing those isn’t it?’ He said and Haji didn’t care much for his manner. ‘How far is that pesky virus?’

‘It has almost taken over the First Arcon.’

‘Oh, and by the way I took the liberty of placing a few troops before the Secret Room okay?’

‘Of course.’ Haji said trying to be respectful.

He didn’t need to try much longer for at that moment the alarms went off once more. They rushed into the control room.

‘The virus has totally taken over the First Arcon sir!’ One of the men shouted before the generals had time to ask. ‘It then reconfigured the whole program in a second, then the whole program just disappeared!’

‘Smart virus.’ Alistar commented.

‘Is that why the alarms have gone off?’ Haji demanded.

‘No sir, the same moment the program disappeared the Womb started to work again, but of its own accord…’ As the man spoke the radio Alistar held on his belt made a noise and there was the sound of human voices shouting but nothing definite could be made out. ‘… now there’s a new red dot in the Womb sir.’

‘Security cameras!’ Haji called turning to another man.

‘Got it this time sir!’ The man said and pressed a button.

The main screens before him flashed but when they came on there was nothing but distortion on them, the visualisation of the noise on Alistar’s radio.

‘Motion sensors have it sir, it’s leaving the Womb.’

Both generals ran to this consol to see the 3D blueprint display of the base and the red dot moving from one of the rooms.

‘Sensors also says that the womb is in worse shape and there’s little else moving inside there now.’

Haji stood up straight and watched the dot move quickly through the base. He looked towards Lui and she was looking back at him with wide eyes, he looked away quickly again and started shouting orders.

Alistar was already ordering more troops to intercept.

The morning had already begun and the sun was up. All seemed normal, or at least as normal as it can get in front of a locked down military base where troops were constantly passing and standing around on guard. Here they stood before a large opening that was closed by an equally large concrete door that would slowly pull upwards if opened. There were one or two reporters now standing closer after a weekend of nothing happening. Every now and then a helicopter could be heard passing far overhead as they had been doing all weekend.

The reporter was still talking relaxed when suddenly the background exploded. A great grey cloud burst from the door accompanied by a rain of large pieces. The reporter ducked and the camera shook but it quickly regained its position now zooming in on the explosion. The reporter was talking hastily out of sight.

Lee watched this with wide eyes sitting so close to the TV it was surprising she didn’t see more than pixels of colour. She watched closely without blinking for the seventh time this morning until she once again saw the darker shade in the grey moving this way and that as there came ecstatic firing from the invisible troops. The camera tried to make something definite out but was rather stable. It just caught the black thing disappearing away along a street and then the cameraman and the reporter started to run closer.

‘Come honey, you’ll be late for school.’

‘Coming, any moment!’ Lee said slowly moving away from the TV not wanting to miss a thing.

She held her eyes on the screen for as long as possible running back towards the TV after kissing her grandma goodbye and once again just before leaving by the door. She finally managed to escape from the house and then went running along the street towards school.

‘Hello.’ Felamon said sitting on the hook of a wall with her tail swinging and her paws hanging.

‘I think another Digimon came from the base!’ She shouted very loudly and ran past after hoping on the spot for a second.

‘Don’t get too excited!’ Felamon called after her, then she took a moment to think about the words and jumped off and went off somewhere.

Lee caught the bus that stopped at the corner just in time and a few minutes later Abby was picked up also and with her came Luke. Lee was too ecstatic to take much notice of him at first and just shouted at the two in general.

‘Did you see! Another Digimon I bet! Do you think its good or bad?’

Some of the other kids in the bus glanced at her.

‘Keep it down!’ Abby hushed her and came to sit next to her, Luke sat down on the nearest seat across the isle in the middle. ‘We saw.’

‘It’s exciting!’ Lee cried trying to constrain her emotion.

‘Yes we know, but it might be very bad too.’ Abby said almost quoting exactly what Luke had told her when they had seen the footage. ‘Here, Aka got the Digivices finished.’ She handed Lee her yellow Digivice.

‘It feels odd going to school.’ Abby said after Lee had settled down a little. ‘It feels like we should be doing something else like being with our Digimon. I don’t know, I feel like we’ve left the world that has school in it behind.’

‘Yeah,’ Luke said looking up at her full eyes, ‘after so much has happened it feels like there are more important things.’ He wasn’t just talking about the Digimon.

At that moment both looked up to see Pat standing in the isle nearby as the bus started off again after stopping for him. He looked at Abby and then at Luke and then went to sit two seats ahead of the others. He had wanted to ask them if they had seen what was on TV but he decided against it. He had told himself he wouldn’t react like this, that he would be mature about it, he couldn’t. He had known this would happen before they did and all it needed was a glance to see that it had happened.

‘Aviemon changed!’ Lee was shouting as they got off the bus.

‘Yeah, he sort of… evolved.’ Luke said.

‘Digivolution.’ Lee named it with a nod of her head and a smile.

‘Good name.’ Luke agreed also smiling.

Behind Abby got off the bus and just after her Pat, but Pat stopped her before she could get away.

‘So he’s staying at your house now?’ He asked her.

‘Yeah, my foster mom said that he could stay until the lockdown was over and his dad got back, we didn’t even need to ask her.’ She said the last part with a laugh but it quickly died. ‘Here, you’re Digivice.’ She handed it to him and walked away.

Pat noticed more than the others realised and this he thought as she walked away. He noticed that she was still trying to hide the fact that she and Luke had something going on again and he also noticed, as he had always noticed before, that she called her guardians her foster parents.

Lee sat in her class as she did in most, staring out of the window at the world that was passing her by outside and that she so desperately wanted to join but couldn’t. The other kids were quiet and they stared at their books not even wondering what to do in the day’s heat. A fly was buzzing up high in the class so that everyone could hear it loudly. The teacher was one of the only working right in front sitting at her desk next to chalk sprawled dark green board.

Not that there was much outside to look at, only the school yard and glimpses of the street beyond the school fence made of curved metal rods that spike at the top and are placed with small spaces from each other and a long pole welded on lower and higher. Two large trees grew to either side of Lee’s view. 

She wondered where Felamon was.

She wondered about that new Digimon from the base.

She wondered about all the other bad Digimon.

A person walked into the view of the window with long strides. The person was tall and had golden hair, she was a woman with pale skin. The woman stopped suddenly and turned towards the school building and stared at it. Lee for some reason had the impression the woman was staring right at her…

A few moments earlier Felamon was enjoying a nap in a tree bordering on the fence around the school. Her tail was swinging peacefully and her eyes were closed with her ears moving slightly. Anyone who stood afar or passed by right under the large cat would totally fail to notice the Digimon lying at her ease as her black luxurious coat mingled into the shadows under the leaves.

She was still lying like this when her dreams became disturbing and her paws started to twitch. She sat up with her eyes wide now and looked from side to side as if expecting something she had seen in a dream to be right there before her. There was nothing but the normal sounds of the quiet part of the city they were in. No, the sounds seemed to be subdued somehow, as if whatever had disturbed Felamon’s dreams had quietly bothered every other soul in the city.

She waited on the tree branch until she saw something out of the ordinary. She didn’t have to wait long and she watched as a black cloaked person with a high collar and a tall persona walk to the gate of the school. The person had gone over the street as if there were no cars to worry about and he or she had a head of brightly gleaming golden hair.

Before entering the school the person turned to look at one point and Felamon saw then a white female face. She then started walking again and made for the point she had looked at. Felamon watched patiently.

The woman stopped and turned to look at the building of the school. In that instant Felamon’s fine cat eyes caught sight of Lee looking out of a window spell bound. In that instant she caught sight of a malicious intent that she didn’t need to see by looking at the woman’s eyes.

The woman lifted a hand and a moment later the window before Lee started to vibrate and then shake violently. Lee dived from the window. It shattered suddenly into thousands of flying glass splinters. The wall, too, exploded and the wood was ripped apart.

The children didn’t have time to cry out. Some of them fell like Lee, others were just stunned.

The woman outside laughed and it wasn’t pleasurable, it was evil.

‘Feline Claw!’ Felamon came raging down.

The cutting energy hit the woman. But she burst through it without the hint of delay and she grabbed hold of Felamon. She took the cat’s neck in an iron grip seemingly floating in the air. Then she slammed Felamon down on the ground so that grass and soil spat.

Picking up Felamon again she held her by the neck dangling her. In a split second she let go and kicked so hard that the poor cat went twisting and flying. She hit the ground terribly and rolled a distance.

‘No!’ Lee cried in a tiny voice with tears falling down her cheeks, seeing her friend abuse so had been too much.

She grabbed a chair and flinging her body out of the hole in the wall she went screaming at the evil woman in a fit. With dreadful speed the woman grabbed Lee by the leg and lifted her off the ground. The chair dropped and broke.

‘Running into my arms?’ The woman asked in a low hiss as she tilted her head low to look at Lee. ‘That was so stupid. Do you really thing if a Digimon can’t harm me a puny human like you could. You’re pathetic, totally overcome by emotion. Irrational. Idiotic.’

‘Nocturnal Blaze!’

Something hit the woman from behind and she shook slightly. Then a shadow grabbed hold of Lee in the woman’s moment of surprise and saved her from the evil grip.

‘We felt you coming!’ Cried a voice as the woman turned slowly to face it. ‘And we’ve come to destroy you!’

It was Kai, standing there in his dark ragged clothes with even a darkness under his brow.

Lee was set onto the ground by Shadowmon who stood up straight again and started to slowly move towards the woman.

‘Digimon and humans working together?’ The woman said looking from Shadowmon to Kai. ‘He did not tell me about this. None the less, it’s an alliance of the weak.’

‘And you aren’t a Digimon?’ Kai demanded from her able to keep his aggressive and strong aura. Lee was slightly attracted.

‘No, stupid human, I am not.’ Everyone remained silent waiting for the woman to say more and she seemed to love this suspense. ‘I am an Arcon! I am Atalanta!’

Her hand was thrust at Kai. He dived away as the tree exploded behind him and the great top majority came crashing down.

Shadowmon launched at Atalanta but it was futile just as Felamon’s attack. The wisps and flames of darkness hit Atalanta again but she stepped through them and with a back hand sent Shadowmon flying again.

‘Did you not hear me puny Digimon! I am Atalanta! An Arcone! I am your superior on the battlefield! You can not hope to defeat me whatever your cause is!’

Pat came sliding out of the hall almost falling as his feet hit the grass. He lurched out of his stumble and with a wide smile sprang between the other uniformed kids who were running to see what was going on. Almost everyone had heard a dull noise like a small explosion in their classes and then a few kids looking a bit wasted came ripping all the classroom doors open and shouting there were was a terrorist blowing up the school. Whereas some children had fled many of the boys and the most adventures girls had run to go and see the teachers unable to control anything.

Pat jumped around the corner but his smile dropped like a boulder thrown off a building. At that same moment something as heavy as a boulder landed behind him and spinning around he found Shieldmon standing there.

‘Big Guy!’ Pat Cried.

‘Small Guy!’ Shieldmon said excited.

‘Let’s get him!’

‘Yes!’ Shieldmon said picking Pat up onto his shoulder and started charging.

Kids ran out of the way as the massive bulk of a Digimon stampeded over the school grounds right at the woman standing in the middle of a fight scene.

Atalanta had come to stand over Lee but now she looked up as the unmistakable noise came at her. Lee saw it too and rolled out of the way.

Shieldmon’s great fist slammed down. Atalanta grabbed the fist in one hand and stood poised and struggling against Shieldmon’s weight and power. For a moment both Shieldmon and Pat were surprised. Then the other fist lifted and came down also. Atalanta grabbed this one as well and seemed to struggle no more.

Then, with a great moan, Atalanta pulled at the great Digimon. She threw him off his feet. Through the school wall he smashed and rolled through two more walls before coming to a stop.

Pat sat up stunned where he had fallen on the grass.

Atalanta sprang through the hole Shieldmon made and came down at him again just as he was standing up dazed. She hit him in the face and he stumbled backwards crushing tables under him.

She was hardly half the size of Shieldmon and had to jump into the air to hit him in the face as she did, yet no bruise remained on her hand and Shieldmon’s helmet rang.

She came at him again but this time he recovered quick enough. Yet it was too little. He grabbed her small fist in his huge hand but her leg came up. She spun in the air and Shieldmon flew back again smashing through another wall.

‘Shadowmon!’ Felamon cried landing gracefully but sore next to the other dark Digimon that was standing up. ‘We have no choice but to join forces!’

‘You are right.’ Shadowmon said in a cold voice.

It was the first time Felamon had heard him speak but she had no time to consider it.

Both of them ran through the hole and came down on Atalanta who had just kicked Shieldmon and landed.

‘Feline Claws!’

‘Nocturnal Blaze!’

Atalanta twisted just as light and darkness hit her. A moment later Felamon came flying down and Shadowmon charged after his attack. Atalanta sprang through the smoke made by the combined attacks. She grabbed Shadowmon and threw him against Felamon sending both flying through another wooden wall.

At that moment there was a whistling sound. Atalanta jumped seemingly at nothing and spun. When she landed she was holding a white glowing arrow in one hand behind her back. She smiled and squeezing tightly the arrow snapped in half.

‘Damn.’ Abby said where she was standing next to a crouched Elfmon holding her bow just outside the hole.

‘Aviemon!’ Luke shouted, he was standing there too.

‘Go get him Elfmon!’ Abby cried pointing.

As Elfmon dashed through the hole Aviemon swooped into it. Elfmon had an arrow out in a second. Both attacks fired.

‘Have all the Digimon found weakling counterparts?’ Atalanta asked herself laughing in the joy of a winning battle.

She sprang forward. She dodged past Elfmon’s arrow and dived under Aviemon’s Razor Wings. She came in from below and sent Aviemon right through the sealing with a fist. Elfmon was kicked from the side and plummeted through the already ruined class.

Elfmon slowly stood up and felt the dark green blood running out of her mouth with one hand. She looked at the blood and then at the dark cloaked Atalanta standing there waiting for her. She glanced at all the human comrades standing outside including Kai. She picked up her bow.

Fitting an arrow in an instant she fired with a cry. The wall to her right burst open as Shieldmon came charging through. Felamon leaped into the room and pounced followed by the dark blazing Shadowmon. Aviemon came swooping down from above.

Atalanta dodged the arrow. Then she grabbed hold of the rampaging Shieldmon and thrust him in the way of Felamon’s Feline Claws. She threw him into the cat and leapt spinning. Her foot met Aviemon’s body as a Nocturnal Blaze attack and another Starlight arrow passed under her. She kicked Aviemon right into Shadowmon’s face so that both were flung back. Then, landing, Atalanta looked up at Elfmon and sprang. She and Elfmon went flying deeper into the school with more breaking of walls and school appliances.

The other Digimon recovered and sprang off after them.

The five kids standing outside were stunned for a moment at the amazing display from this Arcon thing. Kai was the first to move and he went running into the school after his comrade. The others followed him quickly, all but Luke who looked up at the building and then ran off over the grounds.

Other children stood in amazement at a distance, some of those who had come to see earlier had already run away.

‘Hey Luke!’ Someone called. ‘Good show man! Get that woman!’

Luke didn’t respond as he ran into the building by a door and started dicing up the steps passing other kids in a rush. He sprang onto the second floor just as wooden splinters burst into his face. He was hit in the stomach and stumbled back holding something there.

‘Are you okay Aviemon?’ He asked seeing the bird in his arms.

‘As well as can be expected after that affair.’

Shieldmon crashed through the wall before them backwards and landed on his back looking up at them.

‘Ow.’ He said.

‘You okay?’ Luke asked.

‘Yeah, just can’t stand up… broken bones… hurts.’ Shieldmon said shortly.

‘Hey Aviemon… do you think you could…?’ Luke said.

‘Yes!’ Aviemon said thinking the same thing.

He hopped out of Luke’s arms but at that moment Atalanta came stepping through the hole she had made and looked at them without a scratch on her.

‘That’s far enough Atalanta, you’ve done too much!’ Luke said.

‘Really? I was planning to kill you actually, but now amuse me, how are you going to try and stop me this time?’

‘By Digivolving!’

As Luke cried the word he thrust his Digivice before him. Atalanta’s eyes grew wide as a bright glow suddenly sprang from Aviemon. Luke was just as surprised for this time something new happened. Streams of lights leaped from the screen of the Digivice and ran into the light Aviemon was creating. The beams started to spin around him as they detached from the Digivice and twisted in and out of the light.

‘Digivolution activated.’ The Digivice said.

When the light suddenly burst away and instead of Aviemon something much large stood in his place.

On the roof of the school things were surprisingly calm considering all the chaos and fighting going on under it.

It didn’t last. That calm was suddenly broken. The roof burst open like a popping balloon. A storm of fire roared from it and in it, it carried Atalanta. She was flung through the air and spun and landed crouched and on one hand. The fire ended. Then a huge bright flame broke from the roof with a bird song. It’s long beautifully coloured tail feathers streamed behind it and its feathers glittered brightly in the sun as if they were living flames.

The great bird, Phoenixmon swerved and then dived down.

Atalanta stood up straight and watched as the flame roared down at her.

Phoenixmon suddenly turned in the air so that his talons seared down first like an eagle coming down to strike.

‘Flying Blaze!’ He called out in his noble voice as he flapped his massive wings once.

Tongues of fire and waves of blazing wind hit the roof and ripped it. Pieces were thrown every which way and that which wasn’t thrown collapsed into the second floor. The fires and cooking air leaped aside from the impact.

But the attack didn’t hit Atalanta, she stood a distance away untouched.

Before Phoenixmon could stop his descent it was too late. Atalanta grabbed the great bird on one leg. With an awesome show of power she leapt into the air and pulled Phoenixmon down. The roof broke under the bird as it hit hard.

It was only a slight stroke. Poenixmon kicked from her grip and flew off with one flap of his wings and waves of heat. To his great surprise Atalanta jumped after him and from her back burst something new. Her dark jacket tore, her eyes set. Two great black wings shot out of her cloak as if they had always been there. Black crow wings.

Atalanta hit Phoenixmon with her great wings soaring. They shot over the roof and for a moment hung in the air. Then Atalanta cast Phoenixmon down slamming him into the ground far bellow.

‘You are no challenge!’ She shouted half in madness and in half joy.

Luke watched from one of the windows to where he had run with a look of disbelief on his face.

‘No.’ He told himself in desperation. ‘She’s not going to beat us!’

Luke sprung from the window and tumbled into some bushes below rolling. He rolled right into a run as Atalanta hovered above and directed her flat palm at Phoenixmon.

Pat and Shieldmon came out of a door just in time to see this scene. Atalanta with her long flapping wings hovered victorious above Phoenixmon. Neither of them had seen the great bird before but they had heard about him and they knew who it was.

In the same moment of observation they saw Luke running for Phoenixmon desperately and they saw the ground and grass around Phoenixmon start to break apart in the beginnings of Atalanta’s attack.

The two, Pat and Shieldmon, looked at each other and in a second they understood each other. Pat took out his Digivice. Both of them sprang away towards the battle. Shieldmon obviously being the faster pushed Pat aside for his own protection. Bruised and wounded as he was he jumped in between of Phoenixmon and Atalanta.

Luke was thrown off his feet as the yellow beam hit Shieldmon. The impact was so bright it was impossible to see anything for sure.

Pat lay on his back his eyes wide and dreading. In that moment, without any words but with the intensity of his thought he exposed his feelings for his comrade.

Luke tried to see what was happening but to his eyes it seemed the spot was only getting brighter, but it was a different sort of light.

Pat felt something strange. Then he looked at his hand and found the Digivice glowing there. He jumped up and went running to Shieldmon.

Atalanta was only more joyful to see this idiotic attempt at self sacrifice. She laughed as the beam still shot from her hand.

There was an explosion of light that none expected, not even Atalanta. Suddenly the beam was cast aside and it hit Atalanta instead as a spinning glowing ball. She was flung back but she stopped in the air again hovering.

There, where Shieldmon had stood trying to protect Phoenixmon against such an evil adversary, something else stood. He was dressed in armour but it was different than Shieldmon’s armour, it was thicker and more grand with red and golden patters. On his chest was a diamond of bright gold and on his kite shaped shield a badge of a dragon with its wings spread wide. Out of his helmet a plume of a red mane fell down to his shoulders and from them a long red cape hung. In his other hand he had a long lance of gold and red stripes.

He placed his metal clad feet far apart as glowing eyes behind a silver helm looked up at Atalanta above.

‘Yes!’ Pat said throwing his arms frantically not sure what else to do really.

The great Digimon that was even larger than Phoenixmon and about three times as big as a normal human turned towards Pat. Luke lay on the ground amazed and smiling.

‘Hello Pat.’ He said in a deep voice.

‘Hi!’ Pat said overcome.

‘Well,’ the Digimon said, ‘the name’s Knightmon now.’

‘Yeah well, I could have guessed that!’ Pat said. ‘Now go kick that bitch’s ass!’

‘Sure thing.’

Knightmon spun towards Atalanta who came to land with her wings spread and slightly inwards.

‘Another one,’ she said plainly, ‘come on, let’s see.’

Knightmon took a step forward and for a moment he was a poised statue of glory with his lance directed at Atalanta. Then he kicked off. He came charging with great leaps for steps and the ground broke under him. His shield flashed in the sun and his lance was tipped with light.

He and Atalanta impacted. His lance missed as she dodged but his shield hit her. He turned flinging his lance at her as she tried to get away. She sprang back just in time but it wasn’t to her fortune.

‘Lance of the Valiant!’ Knightmon cried.

The lance flared brightly with a red light. Then a beam burst from it and hit Atalanta in the stomach. She was thrown through the air like she had thrown so many others. Another school wall broke and another class room was destroyed before she stopped in a ruined bookshelf.

Knightmon came walking towards her.

She stood up as if the beam had never hit her. Knightmon saw then that her skin was glistening as if it were made of metal like his armour. Just like she had grown the wings to combat Phoenixmon she had grown iron hard skin to fight this new opponent.

As she stepped out her wings glinted in the sun and so too did her face and hands.

She cried out as another beam fired from her hand. Knightmon ducked in behind his shield and stood steadfast as the beam hit and burst out every other way. Despite Knightmon’s strength he was still driven back with his feet making trenches in the ground.

‘Flying Blaze!’

Atalanta looked up then had to dive out of the way. The attack of fire from Pheonixmon only hit the ground and vanished the grass.

‘Phoenixmon!’ Knightmon cried. ‘Good to see you well! Let’s attack her together!’

Pheonixmon nodded and wielded in the sky to come down for another attack.

Kai and Shadowmon had already appeared on the battleground a small time earlier and stood in amazement at this new fight of powers. He had never suspected that the Digimon were capable of transforming and with such potential!

Abby ran onto the grounds just behind him with a rather bruised Elfmon following. She took one look at the scene as Atalanta dodged the attacks from both Knightmon and Phoenixmon and another part of the school exploded and then ran towards the fight.

‘Kai!’ She shouted as she ran.

He turned just in time to catch his Digivice and she ran past him. He looked at the screen and saw the words ‘Upgrade Complete’ flashing there. He looked back at the battle and then at Shadowmon standing beside him silently. They said nothing to each other but he pocketed the Digivice, then they ran to go and help.

Inside the school building Lee burst through a door and looked around franticly at another ruined class room. Her eyes went wide and she sprang to the spot where Felamon was lying under some rubble and Lee quickly got the junk off her.

‘Felamon! Are you alright?’ She cried with emotion.

‘Yes.’ Felamon said a little feebly.

‘Did she hurt you much?’

‘No, only my pride, and I’m planning to regain that.’ The cat said and stood up by herself.

At that moment the wall to their side burst and ripped into chaos. The bulk of a form smashed through it and came to land on its back before them. Both stared at it in surprise.

‘Shieldmon?’ Lee asked seeing the knight lie there.

Before he could answer Atalanta sprang onto his shield. He hit at her with his lance but she dodged it. Then she kicked him under the chin and jumped off as he went sliding deeper into the building.

Felamon took no time to do anything more than notice Atalanta’s wings and glittering skin. She leapt at the evil enemy. But, of course, Atalanta was too fast and hit her aside.

This was too much for Lee. She grabbed hold of the nearest hard object and went screaming at Atalanta in rage.

‘So,’ Atalanta said hitting the club out of the girl’s hand and picking her up by one arm, ‘you never learn.’

Felamon slowly stood up and saw Lee being dangled there helplessly, looking into the face of death. The cat could see the fear in her poor child’s eyes but she also saw a stubbornness and courage that inspired her and gave her strength. Something stirred inside her until she realised it was more than just stirring.

Both Lee and Atalanta looked down at Lee’s pocket that had for no reason started shining brightly. Then they looked to the side and saw something else was shining too.

‘Not again!’ Atalanta said almost sighing.

Something great hit her knocking Lee out of her hands. Lee looked up to see gold driving black out of the building.

Outside those that were watching saw Atalanta fall with a great gold beast on her chest. The beast pinned her to the ground growled with a little pleasure.

In the sun the beast’s pelt shimmered with bright gold that hurt the eyes and its eyes were a deep blue, like the depths of a deep ocean. It was like a lion but it wasn’t, it was too huge and had the head of a person. A beautiful female head it was with blonde hair that ran into a thick mane that sat around the neck and made the beast seem even greater. It was the very embodiment of a statue you would find sitting next to the pyramids in Egypt but many times more stunning.

‘How many of you will try this?’ Atalanta said looking up at the Sphinx. ‘No one of you can defeat me! I am Atalanta!’

She held out her hands and the beast watched as her pale fingers changed to black and became long claws.

Atalanta threw the Sphinx off but the great cat landed on her feet with ease. Then the flying, clawed and armoured woman shot at her new opponent. The Sphinx rose up and a cat fight like none other ensued. Their claws clashed and they spun over the already destroyed lawn. Trees were slashed away as they thought and cut at each other so that both were bleeding.

Finally the Sphinx with one great paw hit Atalanta so that she flew and tumbled into the street where watching people ran in panic. The Sphinx was breathing hard.

There was a cry and exclamation of excitement and Lee jumping up and down on the second floor with her hands over her mouth.

‘Sphinxmon right?’ She yelled at her new Digimon.

‘Yes.’ The human face said with a smile.

‘Sphinxmon!’ Luke said running to the great cat as Knightmon emerged next to Lee and jumped out of the building and Phoenixmon landed beside. ‘Your claws can cut Atalanta’s armour! Knightmon and Phoenixmon will keep her busy, you do the rest!’ He became more solemn. ‘We have to do away with her before she does more damage and hurts more people.’

The three Digimon nodded and ran off towards the street.

‘What about us?’ Abby asked.

‘Elfmon, you’re a good sniper, get somewhere high and give them support, she might not see your arrows coming with three other digivolved Digimon attacking her.’

‘Okay Luke.’ Elfmon said and taking her bow off her shoulder she started to spring to the top of a tree in which she disappeared.

‘We don’t take orders.’ Kai said and he and Shadowmon walked past him.

‘I wasn’t going to give you any.’ Luke said imitating Kai’s voice mockingly not caring if he heard him or not.

Kai did hear him but he didn’t respond.

Lee and Pat joined them and the kids ran to the street just in time to see a car roll over others. All the street was standing still but for the battle and the people fleeing in every which way from it. From their vantage point Luke and the others could see right down the street and there they not only saw blue and red lights flicker but also brown and green military cars come to a stop and small soldiers pore out of the sides.

Before anyone could say anything another a car smashed into the others before them as well as well as Knightmon. Atalanta sprang onto the wreckage and dived off again followed by a soaring fire. Phoenixmon grabbed the woman by her shoulders. Her wings flapped and she tried to break lose and would have if Phoenixmon did not let go. Atalanta slammed into a building a distance above the ground and went straight through the brick wall.

When she emerged through the dust her eyes were blazing. She sprang from the hole her wings spread and landed softly. Just as she did Knightmon cried his lance attack and the beam hit so that she was slammed back into the building. She looked up just as Knightmon crushed down on her with his shield and pinned her to the wall. The bricks started to crack and the hole wall started to buckle as the two powers strived. Then, with a supreme effort, Atalanta broke free in a burst of yellow energy that blew the wall apart and threw Knightmon into a few more cars crushing and breaking them.

In her rage she sprang at Knightmon again and landed on him with her claws bared. She slashed at his armour and started to cut through it.

‘Knightmon!’ Phoenixmon called as he landed just a distance away.

Knightmon understood and put his shield between them. Then Phoenixmon let go another Flying Blaze. The fires and winds picked Atalanta up and bore her through the air. This time there was something different in the storm of fire and wind, a glance of shimmering white.

Atalanta hit another wall and the fires blazed around her. Then a Starlight arrow shot into the muscle of her wing and pinned it to the wall, she cried out in pain.

Invisible in the foliage of an untouched tree Elfmon fitted another arrow in a moment and fired again. The arrow hit the other wing and pinned her even further. Before her Sphinxmon leaped into sight and turned gracefully like a cat. She took a moment to look into the black eyes just so that she knew her end was at hand.

‘Blades of the Desert!’ She cried as one great clawed paw came down.

Atalanta screamed as she broke from the arrows ripping her own wings. She drove into the stomach of Sphixmon and threw her onto Knightmon.

A helicopter appeared above and in it a cameraman sat and the lens took everything in that happened below. Atalanta took a moment to look up at the chopper but she didn’t bother herself with it, she turned towards the kids standing in front of a burning and crumbled school. Her dark hair fell behind her as she started running and then sprang. She went over Knightmon and Sphinxmon who grabbed at her and went charging at the children her wings spread like a demon. Shadowmon leaped in the way but he was thrown aside with a backhand.

Lee was already out of the way and Kai dodged underneath to run to Shadowmon, Luke dived out of the way, Abby stood. Pat grabbed her around the waste and pulled her away. But Atalanta was not busy with a blind stupid charge. She kicked into the ground to turn herself and her claws came down at Pat and Abby. Pat spun so that he would be first.

The blow never came. For a moment there was a glint of sun in the lens of the camera above.

Atalanta stumbled backwards and fell down to sit against a tree. Her wings lay limp to either side of her and were torn and useless. Her face was glinting but it had a pained and unbelieving expression.

In her throat an arrow was lodged, in her chest the long gold red lance stuck out. Black blood dripped from it and ran down her neck and body to the floor where it accumulated.

She touched the lance with her claws slowly and weakly but they slid off with that characteristic sound of blades against clean metal and the lance rung.

Elfmon fell from the tree above and came to stand before the woman lying there, dying. From afar the children watched no one sure what to do. Knightmon picked himself up and helped Sphinxmon up and Phoenixmon landed close at hand. Kai helped Shadowmon up and they took a second to look at the scene before slowly disappearing into dark streets.

‘There are more,’ Atalanta said looking at the Elf, ‘I am only the first, you will all still die.’

‘Will you not repent before your death?’ Elfmon asked.

‘Will you not?’ Atalanta asked and a slow smile formed on her face.

Elfmon’s eyes opened wide in realisation but she took another second to fill them with pity before acting.

‘Get away!’ She cried turning to the others and sprang away herself.

Luke started walking towards Atalanta at that moment and the woman turned towards him with an even broader smile and a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

‘No Luke!’

He was drawn to her, he was drawn to the blood too.

Phoenixmon grabbed him by the shoulders with his talons and carried him off. A moment later Atalanta jerked her head back and all her muscles grew stiff as she cried to the sky. Then she exploded. The tree was ripped from its stand and then thrown apart. Cars were flung up and the whole street was wrenched in billowing flames until they died away leaving a crater and destruction.

Luke fell onto the ground and with that banged his fists crying.

‘What is this?’ He shouted at the ground. ‘How much more?’

The others looked at him as he sat up and from his pocket drew the goggles he had got only the day before. He stared at them without saying anything more.

Lee had tears in her eyes and they were streaming down her cheeks with abundance although she could tell no one why if they asked and probably didn’t know herself. Abby’s eyes were full of water but more restrained. Pat sat on the grass looking at Luke without emotion on his face.

Knightmon, Phoenixmon and Sphinxmon glowed white and shrunk back into their original forms and came to stand by their companions. 

‘Luke,’ Aviemon said soflty, ‘It’s time we go, the army is coming and that helicopter is coming around again.’

Luke stood up and all the rest started to move down the street and they were well away before the soldiers and police arrived.

‘You should let me ride you when you become Sphinxmon again.’ Lee said to Felamon sniffing and then burst into tears again for no apparent reason.

‘Okay, I will.’ Felamon said understandingly.