WoS Ch5 - The Best-Laid Plans...

The story so far: Five children have willingly come into the Digital World for an unspecified purpose. Right now, this seems to mean to reach the mysterious Forest Terminal in the faraway Land of the Forests. Good thing the Spirits of the Ancient Warriors are helping these kids along the way, giving them the ability to transform into powerful, elemental warriors. Armed with the knowledge on how to handle the second transformation, the group now has a direct shot at their destination: a sentient train that will bring them as close to Forest Terminal as anyone is willing to take them. For that, they just have to make the rendevouz-point in the Wind Factory.

◀ Previous Next ▶

Chapter 5 - The Best-Laid Plans

-Zoe-

Trailmon’s path led through a rocky canyon. I’d tried to read a little in the encyclopedia we’ve acquired… but I kept forgetting how difficult and obtuse its Italian was. Eventually, I handed JP the book with instructions on the Italian words so he could look over the remaining Spirit Warriors.

“So, Kei is Fire, Kouji is Light, Zoe is Wind and Tommy is Ice,” JP summarized to a bored-looking compartment.

Kouji had spread out on the floor and appeared to be sleeping. Kei was writing on her clipboard and looked up expectantly. Tommy had talked a bit with Trailmon Franken who’d given him a selection of colourful blocks; the kid was playing with them in the corner. He seemed to be the only one the long train ride didn’t bother.

Kei blinked owlishly and made an effort to sound interested. “Yeah?” It failed miserably, but JP had this intense look on his face, like earlier when he was proving his... hypothesis.

“I think I’m going to be Metal,” he announced smugly, holding up the book to show us the picture of the Metal Warrior. It was a mostly green humanoid with mirror shields on its arms.

“Why?” I asked. I thought he matched the Warrior of Thunder to a T. Then I realized I only thought that because Beetlemon was the same shade of blue as JP’s jumpsuit...

“I like mechanics and machinery,” he said, a note of uncertainty creeping into his voice. Why did that make him so nervous?

“You’re a nerd? Figures!” Kei said and now I wanted to hit her. For a moment, JP looked crestfallen before he schooled his features.

I wasn’t sure if Kei had noticed her blunder, but she continued hurriedly, “This is great! You said so yourself: Digital World! This is your turf basically! You’re going to be our idea guy!”

JP stared at her as if unsure of how to respond to that.

He didn’t need to come up with a reaction because Franken’s voice sounded through the speaker, “Attention, dear passengers.” Then he chuckled to himself. We were his only passengers. “We’re approaching the Wind Factory!”

This had better be good. As JP had pointed out, I was wind! So what was a ‘wind’ factory supposed to do?

Trailmon passed through a stone arch encasing a surprisingly thick metal door. It had a line of alarm lights on top. They were big on security here.

We were all (except Kouji) standing at the window, looking at the factory grounds. A group of bipedal, mechanical bugs with plug cables on their shoulders were carrying assorted boxes across the paved floor. They moved from a white storage facility into the large factory itself. True to the facility’s name, a strong wind blew out of protruding tubes on the roof.

“I’ll have to pick up cargo to supply the distributors all over the Digital World,” Franken informed us. He was heading along a branch in the train tracks toward the warehouse.

“So what are we supposed to do?” Kei asked.

“Well, I need to be on my way in a bit, but Trailmon Buffalo will arrive in,” there was a pause in which I assumed he was radioing his friend, “in a little under three hours! She’ll deliver more parts to the factory, but afterwards she’ll take you where you need to go.”

“So we’re supposed to wait around for three hours,” Kei clarified.

A rolling shutter gate lifted automatically so that the train could pass through. Once inside the warehouse, a group of green-skinned, mean-looking digimon with wooden clubs approached. They reminded me of ogres with the ragged clothes and their large canine teeth jutting out of their mouths. They didn’t look happy at all, and Franken said nervously, “There seems to be a problem...”

I frowned. Kouji readied his D-Tector, his standard reaction to problems.

“Uhm, I... I forgot... that the factory isn’t open for the public...”

The door opened and I could clearly imagine the next few minutes. Kouji would transform. He would decimate the guards present. More guards would appear. The rest of us would have to digivolve to support him. Chaos everywhere and it would end with us being thrown out of the factory and missing our train to the Forest Terminal.

I needed to stop this now. I stepped in front of Kouji and held up a hand.

Instead of one of the ogres, a pinecone hanging from a thin thread showed up in the doorway. Above its brown body was a light green head with huge eyes that peered inside our compartment. The little digimon spotted us and made a faint ‘tsk’ sound. At least Kouji hadn’t wrecked the place yet.

“Attention! A warning from Minomon! You have entered the closed-off part of the Wind Factory, mino!” the Minomon chirped in a high-pitched voice. “Only staff members are permitted, mino! I must ask you to leave the grounds immediately or we will be forced to remove you!”

“Now what?” Kouji glared at me, as if I had somehow caused this to happen.

We had to spend three hours here and the wind outside the factory was really, really strong... We needed a legitimate reason to be here! Aha!

“Excuse me, Trailmon Franken has told us so much about the factory!” I said, thinking quickly. Minomon was staring at me expectantly so I continued, “We’re very fascinated and would like to see more of your marvellous facility!”

“Let me confer with my colleagues, mino! We will be with you shortly!” With that the pinecone digimon ascended her suspension thread.

“Are you out of your mind?” Kouji said.

At the same time JP said, “This will never work!”

Pfft, I didn’t see them coming up with any ideas. Boys!

Minomon returned with two more of her species as companions. They were smiling at us. “We welcome you to the Wind Factory!”

Haha! I did it again! I smirked at the others. Seriously, what would they do without me?

We said good-bye to Trailmon and followed the Minomon through the nearby door. They introduced the green-skinned guards as Goblimon and the mechanical bugs that did the main work around the factory as Kokuwamon.

The first thing that struck me during the tour was how... clean everything looked. Despite the hundreds of feet that travelled the hallways day after day, there wasn’t a spot on the ground, no dust collecting in corners and no marks on the walls, even with the heavy goods moved through them. The realization that the black-coloured Kokuwamon could fly and mostly hovered through the hallways did nothing to diminish my awe. Speaking of which, we encountered the bug digimon everywhere, carrying various parts of electronics or standing at conveyor belts, swiftly assembling gadgets and machinery. They were quite guarded when Tommy and I attempted to chat with them. Before I could get miffed, one Minomon pointed out their cleaning equipment, and I felt bad for disturbing them during their work. Such supernatural cleanliness required overly dedicated workers!

The heart of the factory was a huge metal room with a thick steel column in the middle. It was here that Minomon proudly showed us that the factory manufactured ancient-looking fans.

We had to stop our tour for JP to use the toilet. Why he didn’t go on the train, like everyone else, was beyond me. (“It’s a living train, okay? Why am I the only one who thinks that’s weird?!”) We crowded around a sparkling clean window in one of the white hallways. It overlooked a part of the production that shaped the rotor blades of the fans. Tommy engaged the Minomon in an avid conversation about their job at the factory, and Kei and I joked about their ‘high-tech’ products. Kouji looked annoyed at the world. The expression looked so perfect; did he practice it in front of a mirror every morning?

After a while, Kei announced that there were still more than two hours left until our next train arrived and I started to worry about JP. What was taking him so long? Kouji began to impatiently tap his foot.

I was about to ask him to go looking for JP when our missing party member returned from his trip to the porcelain sanctuary. I half-expected Kouji to complain to him for wasting our time, but something about JP’s ash-white face stopped him in his tracks.

“Are you alright?” I asked. JP looked sick.

He nervously glanced at the three Minomon who were swinging casually back and forth on their strings, watching him curiously. He gulped. “Uh...sure... let’s continue...!”

“As you wish, mino!” The pinecone digimon turned around to lead the way.

But JP approached Kei and whispered urgently, “We need to get rid of them; I need to tell you something!”

A ball of lead formed in my stomach. What was going on?

Getting rid of the Minomon turned out to be easier said than done. Every time we thought we had them distracted, I noticed one of them still floating around us, always vigilant, always watching.

“Tommy, can you go distract them? We’ll tell you later,” Kei said, frustration swinging in her voice. Somewhere, a Minomon danced around JP’s head, praising the Wind Factory’s stellar work ethic.

Tommy looked at her, lips pressed together. “You promise?”

“Uh... sure...?” She didn’t sound convincing, so I stepped in.

“Sure,” I said more firmly, giving her a poignant stare. I couldn’t decipher the look that she sent me in return, but I got the feeling she was trying to leave Tommy out of the loop on purpose.

In any case, Tommy got his chance when the Minomon brought us to the cafeteria and he moved in to ask them many, many questions about the food the factory offered. Meanwhile, we grouped around a table and JP began explaining.

“This factory is a forced labour camp!” he rushed out, hands flat on the table and an intense look in his eyes. “These Goblimon are nightmares, I saw what they do to the Kokuwamon earlier!”

My face froze in shock. “What?” I whispered.

JP nodded, his voice serious. He doubled down: “It’s true! The Kokuwamon that work here are slaves! They can generate high voltage electricity and that’s why they’re kept here. The factory is just a façade!”

But... but everything looked so normal!

JP explained how his trip to the bathroom had taken a turn to the horrifying. He’d encountered one of the Kokuwamon workers on his way back and she had been brave enough to tell him the truth. Only for a Goblimon patrol to show up. JP had barely had the time to hide!

“I can barely believe that a factory this modern still has slaves...” Kei said, stricken.

“I saw it happening with my own two eyes!” JP said, tugging at cuffs on his jumpsuit.

“What are we going to do about it?” I asked.

That’s when Kouji chose to participate in the conversation. He’d listened attentively to JP’s explanation but otherwise hadn’t offered a glimpse into what he thought.

Now he said, “Nothing.”

I felt my temper rising. “What do you mean?!”

“We can’t afford to do anything,” he clarified, his blue eyes hard. I was too stunned to speak, but Kei got me covered.

“I always knew you were cold,” she started, anger bleeding into her voice, “but how can you be so heartless?!”

“I’m not heartless!” he shot back, not bothering to raise his voice. “I’m being realistic! I know this is sad, but we aren’t civil service. We need to go to the Forest Terminal ASAP.”

“Are you saying we’re supposed to ignore any evil on the way?!” This was quickly developing into another typical Kei-and-Kouji argument. I frowned as they kept going.

“I’m saying that we can’t afford to help, we’re on a time limit.”

“Then we’ll be quick! Come on!”

“Quick to do what?” Now Kouji was scoffing outright. “You haven’t even thought this through. What do you want to do? Blow up the factory? In less than two hours?”

“Kouji is right,” JP said in the sudden silence. I looked at him in surprise. But... but he was the one who brought the misdeeds to our attention! Still, he continued in a subdued tone, “We don’t know anything about this place aside from that tour the Minomon gave us. Who knows how many guards there are, and you aren’t invincible.”

I thought about the transformations failing and how dangerous that could get. Then again, didn’t he say that we wouldn’t lose control anymore?

Keisaki was silent.

In the background, we heard Tommy make a joke and the Minomon giggled.

“You know what...” Kei said slowly. “I see your point.”

If possible, I was even more surprised.

She went on, “We really don’t know anything about the situation besides the obvious, so... let’s find out more!”

“Huh?” I asked.

“Well, I do think we need to get rid of the factory, but I don’t know how. JP?” She fixed JP with a stare. “You said that you met one of the Kokuwamon?”

He nodded, hand curled over his mouth.

“Do you think you could talk to her again, see if she could get you like... uh blueprints of the place? Maybe you can figure out what we need to do to make the factory blow up,” Kei said, sounding surer and surer of her idea.

“You’re forgetting that they could just force the Kokuwamon to rebuild the factory.” Kouji pointed out the flaw in her cunning plan.

She screwed her eyes shut in concentration. “Ah...”

“The Goblimon don’t look particularly smart,” I offered. “If we get rid of the factory executive then they shouldn’t have the capacity to organize any rebuilding.”

“Exactly! ...How do we find out who we need to off?”

“Easy.” I smiled winningly. “We’re going to ask the Minomon a few innocent questions.”

Kouji looked like he started to like this less and less. Kei must have noticed, since she said to him, “And you... uh... you and Tommy... You could talk to the Kokuwamon who’re not working right now.” JP had told us they lived in some sort of barracks behind the factory. “See if you can find out anything else from them... Check their condition... Maybe some of them can help us.”

“I doubt that,” JP said. “They aren’t the bravest sort and...” he trailed off when he noticed the stares.

“Or we could just sit here and do nothing productive for two hours,” Kei finished. She looked at us expectantly.

“I think this is a good idea,” I said because she could use some support. “This is a team effort!”

Kouji huffed. He looked like he really wanted to disagree with us but hated doing nothing even more.

By contrast, JP positively lit up as he allowed himself to hope. He’d seen the Kokuwamon’s suffering firsthand. Then, a look of dismay crossed over his face. “Wait, what am I supposed to do if I run into any Goblimon?”

Kei was already waving at Tommy and the Minomon and whispered, “Tell them you’re the new intern! We’ll meet in the Kokuwamon village in thirty minutes!”

Time to distract some receptionists so the others could sneak off and do some information-gathering!

-Tommy-

The Minomon were a bit strict about their rules, but they’d seemed so nice... Now that Kouji had told him what was really going on, Tommy could see the fearful looks the Kokuwamon sent each other or the strain on their metallic faces. Tommy dragged his feet after the older boy. How could the Minomon be part of something so evil?

“I really hope we can help the Kokuwamon...” he said quietly while they stopped at the gate to the Kokuwamon village.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Kouji said but Kouji always said things like that.

A wire-netting fence surrounded the dozen or so dusty red barracks. Goblimon patrolled on the outside. Kouji opened the gate and let them onto a broken street that looped through the village. Tommy saw tiny Kokuwamon sitting in front of the doorless houses. They couldn’t be older than him, and they looked so hopeless, staring into space with blank eyes.

Kouji jammed his hands into his pockets and Tommy followed his stare. Up ahead, a group of adult Kokuwamon stood at the edge of the road and watched them approach.

Among them was a really, really old Kokuwamon, the metal around its mouth brittle with age and its stun gun-shaped head drooped. As if it carried the weight of the world. The Kokuwamon around him were a lot younger, and the one on his left stepped forwards.

“Welcome strangers.”

“Hello...” Tommy said nervously. Then the words rushed out. “Are you really forced to work in the factory?”

That’s what JP had told Kouji and the others, and the village looked so run-down and shabby, but maybe, maybe that was all just a misunderstanding?

The Kokuwamon exchanged a look and then pointed at a nearby house. “Why don’t you come inside?”

Kouji hesitated and Tommy was so lost, he just copied him. Finally, the older boy said, “Fine,” and moved to the entrance. Tommy hurried to follow him.

Inside, the rooms barely had any furniture and seemed to only protect against the constant wind. A tiny Kokuwamon peered around the corner while they gathered around a table. Its sunken, red eyes were brimming with curiosity. Tommy felt a stab as he imagined being a kid here with no toys, no real place to sleep and no parents since they would all be working in the factory...

He had to convince Kouji to stop this! The factory had to go!

The Kokuwamon to the elder’s left fixed Tommy with sad eyes. “I will tell you our story. It wasn’t so long ago that we Kokuwamon lived happily in our great forest. We are a very peaceful swarm, never seeking trouble with anyone.” Someone sobbed and Tommy flinched. “But one day, the Goblimon attacked. The Wind Factory had been producing less and less electricity, and they brought us here to rectify that. Ever since, they force us to work here under terrible conditions...”

“And running isn’t an option...” Kouji said. “You have children and elderly; they wouldn’t make it...”

Tomoki looked at him with wide eyes, but Kokuwamon nodded. “The guards are too watchful. And even if we could escape, they would just bring us back here... You see, they need us for more than our labour...”

When Kokuwamon were scared, they released a voltage of more than one thousand volts. That number sounded like a lot. The shock was a reflex, and the Goblimon loved torturing the Kokuwamon until electricity flowed. Tomoki had his hands balled into fists. That was so cruel! With the constant drain, most of the Kokuwamon were too weak to fight and sometimes perished under the pressure.

At first, Tommy didn’t know what that meant, but then the tiny Kokuwamon from the doorway shouted, tears running down her face, “I haven’t seen my mommy since she went into the factory, and no one is telling me where she went!”

That was when Tommy understood what was happening.

No! No! They couldn’t do that! They couldn’t take away the parents of little children forever. He didn’t even notice that he’d jumped up from his seat, hands curled at his sides.

Kouji made some sort of strangled noise, and that brought Tommy back to the situation at hand.

He turned to him. “Please Kouji! Let us help them! We can stop this!”

“We... we don’t know if it’s possible,” Kouji said, sounding oddly subdued, a troubled look in his eyes. He blinked and smoothed his features. “We still need to go to the Forest Terminal.”

“Well, I don’t want to go there anymore if it means we’ll let this factory stay!” Tommy shouted angrily.

He should have realized that normally Kouji wouldn’t have cared about that.

But right now, it didn’t strike him as odd when the older boy said, “We need to wait for the others...”

Around them the Kokuwamon were buzzing with new hope. No matter what Kouji said, Tommy vowed he would free them from this terrible place!

- Kouji-

Kouji was sitting on a box, listening to the Kokuwamon’s never-ending sob stories, and feeling increasingly stressed out, when finally Izumi and Keisaki showed up.

The Kokuwamon swarmed around the new arrivals. They traded introductions and then Keisaki had to open her big mouth.

“Did you ask the Kokuwamon if they would fight with us?”

Since their initial meeting, Kouji had often wanted to punch some sense into the headstrong girl, but this was the first time he had felt the desire to follow through. He scowled and gestured to the digimon, “Do they look like they’re in any shape to fight?”

At least she backed off before he could do her bodily harm.

She handed Izumi the book, and the blonde girl started turning pages.

“So, we figured out who’s the director of the factory. Met him and all, a reeeal gentleman,” Keisaki explained, eyes flashing. “He’s this huge, green praying mantis with scythes instead of arms! How did a guy like him get a management position? He’s easily angered too. You should’ve seen him when Zoe asked about the Kokuwamon. It took us forever to get rid of the Minomon afterwards.”

“I found him!” Izumi declared. She held up the heavy book and showed them a picture of... exactly what Keisaki described. Its name was Snimon, and it didn’t have any eyes. But it had wings. That could be troublesome. “So it says here that Snimon are lightning quick and very strong,” Zoe said, stumbling a bit over her words while translating from Italian. “Their chitin shell protects them from attacks. They are also noted for their mean spirit and bad temper. Never guessed that,” she finished, looking back up.

“I’m pretty sure that he’s the one keeping the factory running,” Keisaki added. “He kept telling us that the Kokuwamon are Beast digimon that just love being dominated. That he and his Humanoid Goblimon just have to take care of them. I can’t wait to get rid of him!”

“Good,” a voice said and Junpei, accompanied by two more Kokuwamon, entered the room. “Because we found out the factory’s weak points.” He slipped a hand into one of his jumpsuit’s pockets and produced a folded paper. “These are the blueprints of the place. I got them from one of the Kokuwamon working in the generator room.”

He walked to the table and spread the paper. Kouji stood to look at the detailed layout of the factory.

“The Goblimon handle most of the delicate stuff, but here, here and here, the Kokuwamon have access,” Junpei explained, pointing at various places on the map. “That’s where we need to attack in order to destroy the factory.” He paused. “That is, if we’re actually doing this.”

Kouji could feel the Kokuwamon’s hopeful stares on his back, but he refused to look up from the blueprints.

“We found out how many guards there are,” Izumi said. “There’ll be less of them on the night shift, of course...”

“Is there any way to do this before the Trailmon arrives?” Kouji asked, hating that he felt guilty about wanting to leave. It was more important for them to go to the Forest Terminal. The Digital World itself was in danger and surely, somewhere out there were hundreds of places just like this one. They couldn’t save them all. Not at the rate they were going.

“You know, even if you decided to stay and help, there’s no way we can deal with all that in less than an hour,” Keisaki said pointedly.

“The night shift isn’t as busy,” Junpei repeated, more forcefully.

“Yes!” the Kokuwamon at his side said, looking quite intent. “I’m in the night shift! If you’re fighting for us, I’ll help you, too!” That didn’t change the fact that, like every other Kokuwamon, he looked beat and drained. But his words spread like wildfire and more and more Kokuwamon started to express their support for the upcoming fight. Kouji closed his eyes for a moment. All he could see was the little kid who had lost his mother. Damn it.

“So what’s your plan?” he asked after the general noise had died down and Izumi had the chance to congratulate the Kokuwamon for their initiative.

Keisaki turned back to the map and studied it. “Where were the three things that need to be destroyed again?”

Junpei showed her and added, “Actually, this one right here, close to the heart of the factory, needs to be manually re-programmed. Together with destroying the other two components, it’ll activate a self-destruct mechanism that’ll give us enough time to get out.” Was he really getting all that from the complicated wiring drawn alongside the hallways of the factory? Junpei noticed Kouji’s stare and clarified, “I got a detailed look at the circuit diagram while I was at the generator room.”

“Can you do the re-programming?” Keisaki asked, clearly confused by the technical details.

“Not without someone who knows the system,” Junpei admitted sheepishly. But with the newfound optimism in the Kokuwamon, they quickly found an expert of the factory’s software.

“This is starting to look like a plan!” Keisaki said, getting excited.

Kouji couldn’t really see any sort of plan, just a bunch of vaguely helpful things grouped together.

“We’ll start the operation at dusk!” she said, completely oblivious to his scepticism. She was walking up and down with a faraway look in her eyes, as if she could see all the pieces falling neatly together. “Zoe, I’d like you to go to the front gate and create a disturbance. Goblimon will flock to you, but if things get too hot, you can just fly away. You’d have to tie them up for as long as possible.”

Izumi nodded, eyes set.

“The Kokuwamon will use that as their opening to evacuate the village. Kouji, you and the Kokuwamon that want to help... and Tommy, I guess, you’re going to the two places that need to be destroyed and do some hard-core destroying. JP goes with the rest of the Kokuwamon to do the re-programming stuff.” Keisaki looked at Junpei expectantly.

The older boy paused for a moment, then looked at the Kokuwamon next to him and nodded.

“Good, afterwards you’ll gather up the rest of the night shift and escape with them.”

“And what will you do?” Tomoki asked.

A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes, and she slammed her first into her open hand. “I will go and take out the factory manager!”

There was stunned silence. Then, everyone accepted her plan without question.

Kouji couldn’t believe this. “This is your grand plan?” he asked, a cutting edge in his voice.

Keisaki looked at him, surprised. “Well, what’s wrong with it?”

What was wrong with it? Where should he start? “This isn’t a plan; this is a disaster waiting to happen!” He could see her getting angry, and he had no patience for that. “If that’s the best you can come up with, we’re better off leaving on the Trailmon.” Which was still an option. Buffalo would arrive in a few minutes but unloading her would take a while.

“What’s wrong with my plan? Everyone agrees!” Keisaki said, crossing her arms indignantly.

Since he saw no other way around it, Kouji started, “First, you let Izumi handle the bulk of the attack, and we haven’t really gaged her strength as a fighter yet.”

“That’s not true!” Keisaki interrupted, and he gritted his teeth. He wasn’t done talking! She went on, oblivious, “Kazemon destroyed our wooden targets like nothing!”

Izumi nodded at that, looking incredibly pleased.

“That says nothing about how she’ll be in a real fight!” Kouji wasn’t feeling particularly generous. Now Izumi also looked offended, but he continued, “And then you have yourself as the primary offence. I’m not sure if we’re thinking about the same Anumon here, but your Spirit isn’t exactly the greatest fighter.” He thought back on the two times he’d seen her fight and wasn’t impressed.

“I hit all my targets! Zoe’s the one who missed them most of the time!” she said, outraged, causing a betrayed “Hey!” from Izumi.

She didn’t miss her targets, but she was missing the point. “So what? Didn’t you just hear that Snimon are lightning quick? How good are you with moving targets that have impenetrable armour? Tomoki has a better chance at freezing him than you have at hitting him with your arrows!”

He didn’t like how Tomoki narrowed his eyes in determination. Kouji saw no way to discourage him without going against his own words. Why did he even care if the kid went into a fight against a strong enemy like Snimon?

Keisaki fell into herself after the harsh words. She blinked rapidly and her cheeks started to get a distinct red colour. Ashamed, she looked back at the map and began rethinking her position. If she couldn’t come up with something better, no matter how much it hurt, Kouji would leave with the Trailmon.

- JP-

The sun had set.

The never-dying wind around the Wind Factory howled relentlessly, kicking up clouds of dust. The last Trailmon had just left with the day shift guards, but the lights in the factory were still running. Somewhere in the darkness of the yard, night shift guards and night shift workers were bustling about. Junpei couldn’t see them, but the others evidently could.

“Okay, that was the signal,” said Keisaki. She stood from her crouch behind the big rocks close to the Kokuwamon village. “Everyone ready for the plan?”

Everyone nodded with determination.

“Alright! Then let’s do this!”

The fighters readied their D-Tectors. Hopefully, the line of rocks was enough to block the digivolution light.

Execute Spirit Digivolve to...
...Anumon!
...Kazemon!
...Kumamon!
...Lobomon!

“This better work...” Junpei said more to himself. As his transformed friends dispersed to their positions, he leaned against the rock and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t entirely sure that staying was a good idea. The uncertainty made him feel antsy. Doubt festered in his mind, and he hated that. To reassure himself, he thought back to earlier when he saw what the guards did to their captured Kokuwamon. He’d have nightmares about those screams.

Junpei took a deep breath. Something like that wasn’t allowed to happen!

Not long after, a big explosion sounded from the front gate and Goblimon swarmed past their hiding spot.

“Alright, JP! Let’s go!” Kumamon said.

Their plan called for Tommy to be his escort to the main room, and so they followed a group of Kokuwamon through a side entrance into the factory.

Junpei flinched back when a group of Goblimon assaulted them in a hallway, but Kumamon was on top of the situation. The ice warrior froze them to the wall, then turned away from his newly created modern art project and gave their group a peace sign.

Somewhere inside the factory something exploded. That had to be Lobomon, taking care of one component. He was the most agile of the Spirit Warriors and together with a bunch of Kokuwamon more than capable of mowing down the Goblimon opposition. Any guards that weren’t drawn to the front gate would flock towards him. It gave Junpei and Kumamon a direct way to the heart of the factory. Kouji had rejected three more of Keisaki’s ideas and it wasn’t clear if he was fully on board with this one or if he just really wanted to help the Kokuwamon. The plan...put Lobomon in considerable danger, but as Keisaki had admitted through gritted teeth, if anyone could handle that, it would be the Warrior of Light, their strongest fighter.

Junpei wasn’t too happy about the constant running and was already panting hard, hand pressed to his side. Next to him the Kokuwamon software expert buzzed excitedly, having no trouble keeping up the fast pace.

The Goblimon couldn’t tell the Kokuwamon apart. They hadn’t noticed that one of the dayshift workers took this expert’s place on the night shift. Thanks to their negligence, the attacking team had a shot at activating the self-destruct.

(Meanwhile outside, the Goblimon were tormented by flying menaces. “ Fiery Rain!”Anumon shouted, summoning her cloud of arrows. She knew they weren't in the least bit strong enough to disable the Goblimon but... In their effort to escape they ran straight towards a figure with huge butterfly wings. Kazemon smirked. “ Hurricane Wave!” Rosé-coloured wind blasted the confused Goblimon off their feet. Kazemon immediately got back in the air and used both hands to high five Anumon. This was actually fun! If they stayed away from the ground, they could avoid being surrounded and... Kazemon casually blasted an incoming hail of Goblimon attack fire out of the way while Anumon angrily returned the fire with a volley of arrows... They were great at supporting each other. That had been good thinking! Now come one guys! You can do it!)

When their small group reached the clustered computer chamber next to the heart of the factory, JP started to worry. Everything was going a tad too smoothly. Most of the Kokuwamon buzzed away to disable left-over guards and to start evacuating the night shift, but the security expert hovered to the computer and JP followed suit.

“Alright, nothing will come through this door!” said Kumamon, taking position.

Lobomon had to be close to the second component now. JP wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and stiffly put his hands on the console below a huge window front. Through the glass, he could see the darkened factory heart. While he waited for Kokuwamon to finish connecting to the mainframe, JP couldn’t stop his mind from drawing up scenarios. It all came down to where the factory director appeared. Would he go outside to deal with Anumon and Kazemon? The girls would check if they could overpower him and flee if he was too strong. Or would he attack Lobomon instead like they hoped? Kouji sure had raised a major alarm after the first component went down and if Snimon decided to come to him, his Kokuwamon group would destroy the second component while he engaged the factory manager. With how fast Lobomon was, he might be the only one standing a chance against Snimon.

JP had thought that activating the timer would have more of a fanfare, but once Kokuwamon opened a connection for him, all he had to do was set a single variable to True.

“Alright.” JP let out a low breath. With this preparation, the countdown would start as soon as Lobomon destroyed the second component. Time to help getting the night shift out!

“Uh-oh, Crystal Freeze!”A chill went through the crammed room. There was the clinking of frozen Goblimon falling over and JP turned to the door.

Someone started laughing.

Kumamon stepped back into the room, his blaster raised.

Scythe blades hooked into the doorframe. A cold shower ran down JP’s back as a green praying mantis stepped into the doorway.

How? How did he know they would be here?!

“Your uprising was amusing, but it ends here,” Snimon said in the drawl typical for successful businesspeople that had given up all pretence at a moral compass.

“We’re freeing the Kokuwamon and putting an end to your factory!” Kumamon shouted. “ Blizzard Blaster!”

Snimon raised a scythe arm and deflected the attack.

This was bad! They had taken extra care to be unobtrusive! He shouldn’t be here!

“Well, well, well,” Snimon continued, casually rubbing his blades against the door frame to get rid of leftover ice. “I used to think only the strong would dare to attack my factory. Hah! Instead, I’m bothered by weaklings like you.  Twin Sickles!”

His arms glowed in an evil, purple light.

“Watch out, Kumamon!” Junpei shouted uselessly. Snimon was much faster than the Warrior of Ice, lashing out at him and sending him crashing against one of the consoles.

Think fast, think fast. What could they do? Where was Kouji?

Somewhere in the factory, a second explosion sounded. Now the clock was officially running.

“B-  Blizzard Blaster...” Kumamon said, aiming his gun from the floor. Even though there was little space, Snimon managed to avoid the ice balls, all the while laughing maniacally.

“We won’t let you abuse us any longer! Power Surge !” The remaining Kokuwamon jumped forwards, electricity sparking between the pincers on his head and hands.

Snimon appeared surprised for a moment. “Don’t you know your place?!” He smashed the approaching bug against the window front. “Dreadful Beasts!”

They needed Kouji here, right now! Lobomon was supposed to come here after he finished his other job, so it couldn’t be more than another minute. They just needed to stay strong for a bit longer...! Actually, the timer was at twenty minutes, they needed to get out, soon.

“Quickly!” JP shouted, coming to a decision. Snimon was blocking the door. “Through the window!”

Kokuwamon raised his arm and smashed the glass. “Come!”

“ Crystal Freeze!”Kumamon tried to freeze their enemy in place while Junpei leapt out into the main room. The Kokuwamon caught him and gently lowered him to the ground.

A second later, a screaming Kumamon was thrown after them and a very angry praying mantis followed.

Kouji, where are you?!

(Meanwhile, Lobomon groaned annoyed. He needed to get to the heart of the factory. The factory director wasn't here and he had a feeling, Keisaki’s brilliant plan couldn’t have worked this smoothly. He was almost certain, Tommy somehow managed to draw the short straw and was fighting Snimon now... If only, those stupid Goblimon would stop crowding him! “ Zwillingslaser!” As always, the ogres fell like flies and he cleared the corridor in no time. Only for another wave of them to appear and block his way. Was there no end to them? “Out of my way!”)

“Stay away from me!” Kumamon shrieked, firing his blaster, and barely sidestepping another glowing sickle.

“Give up, Snimon!” Junpei shouted, hoping to distract him. “The factory will blow up in fifteen minutes! You can’t stop that anymore!”

“Are you sure about that?” he said smugly.

Suddenly, Junpei realized that Snimon must have known their entire plan beforehand. Had someone betrayed them...? Ugh! The Minomon spies! They had to have followed Junpei. He was such an idiot!

“You’ll need one of us Kokuwamon to stop the process!” their little helper shouted, pincers raised. “No Kokuwamon shall help you again!”

“Ha! Once I finish your brave defenders, nothing will stop my Goblimon from enslaving you once again!” Snimon said, rising high into the air. “Just try to destroy my factory. You will be rebuilding it! It’s in your best interest to get back into line!”

Such a dirty lie! He wouldn’t say such things if Lobomon was after him!

Arrgh! JP shook his head angrily. He couldn’t wait for Kouji to show up and save the day! Remembering Woodmon, he looked for something to help Kumamon. There was a console close by. Maybe it controlled some of the machinery around here? He ran towards it, desperately trying to ignore the side stitches he got from running around so much.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Snimon said snidely. He sent one glowing, purple afterimage of his scythe after him, “ Shadow Sickle!”

“JP!” Kumamon shouted. He jumped at Snimon, his fist covered in ice. “ Icicle Punch!”

JP threw himself to the floor to avoid the violet wave rushing over his head. It headed straight into the metal pillar in the centre of the room. Electricity surged.

Snimon swatted Kumamon away and said, dismayed, “That’ll be more repairs to come.”

But JP held onto the railing that protected workers from falling into the generator and felt very strange indeed. The Shadow Sickle had pierced the pillar’s metal and energy leaked through. What was that feeling...? So... calm...

Then it hit him in a wave of excitement. JP felt like dancing on the spot. He went for his much-neglected D-Tector and almost dropped it in his haste. Gripping the blue and yellow device tightly, he fixed his eyes on the metal pillar. This feeling could only mean one thing! “Come to me, Spirit!”

“What? No way!” Snimon shouted as parts of the metal cylinder broke away to let the figurine of a blue, horned beetle pass through. “How can you control our power centre?!”

“I’ll show you how,” JP said, smirking. He absorbed the Spirit into his D-Tector. Now, now he could also summon the fractal code!

Execute Spirit Digivolve to... Beetlemon!

Ohhhh! So much... power! He wasn’t Metal, but he wouldn’t have guessed it from the mechanical looks of his new form. He was so tall! His blue and sturdy armour was ready to take any hit for him. Electricity ran through his body like blood through veins and the surge was exhilarating. He felt like he could do anything!

And the first thing would be putting Snimon in his place.

Beetlemon locked onto the praying mantis and lightning sprang into existence around his hands.

“I’ve been waiting forever to do something like this!” He ran towards the enemy and all thoughts of annoying side stitches were forgotten. Beetlemon was in top condition! “ Thunder Fist!”

Of course, Snimon didn’t stand still. He evaded the sparking fist and readied his own attack. No matter. Twin Sickles came flying, but Beetlemon’s metal armour protected him without receiving so much as a scratch. That was sooo awesome!

“ Crystal Freeze!”Kumamon saw his chance and froze Snimon to the ground while the factory manager still grappled with the shock of dealing absolutely no damage.

“Good job,” Beetlemon shouted in acknowledgement, but then said, green eyes hard, “but I’ve got this!”

He spread his delicate wings from under their protective cover and rose into the air. Electricity gathered in his hands clasped in front of his long horn. Snimon was hacking away at the ice keeping him in place, but Beetlemon wouldn’t let him escape.

“You’ve done enough damage; feel the wrath of the thunder god!” He brought both his hands down on Snimon’s head, electricity flowing freely. “ Thor’s Hammer!”

Yes! Yes! He really did it!

“This... this isn’t happening...” Snimon muttered as his body turned black. A ring of fractal code appeared around him.

Oh, as a human, Beetlemon had always wanted to do that. He needed a good speech. Too bad that the one he’d been composing on the train was centred on his Spirit being Metal... He just had to wing it like everyone else! “Soul fallen into darkness, the thunder in my D-Tector shall cleanse you of your sins! Scan!”

Like he’d seen multiple times before, the ring of fractal code broke apart to connect to the D-Tector. It absorbed the data of the defeated fiend until only the DigiEgg remained.

Hm... That had been easier than expected.

Kumamon stared at him appreciatively and said, “Wow, you’re really strong!”

“I know, hehe!” The threat was gone and Beetlemon had ended it! Now he finally allowed himself a little dance. “Yay! Look at me! I finally got my Spirit! And I’m awesome! This was so easy!”

They spun around when they heard a hissy noise from the huge but closed entry gate. Never mind! It was totally fine that everything had been easy; there really was no need for additional trouble!

Beetlemon watched the door warily. A light sword melted its way through the metal.

“Oh, it’s just Kouji. Phew,” Beetlemon said.

Finally, Lobomon cleared a path for himself and entered the room, panting. He spun around and kicked at the Goblimon grabbing his leg. “I said, get off of me! Damn it!”

Then he looked around, his brown eyes wild and concerned. “Where’s Snimon?”

“You’re too late!” Beetlemon said, overflowing with satisfaction. “I already dealt with him. And by the way, you’ve been knocked down from the strongest-Spirit-in-the-group pedestal!”

-Zoe-

We watched the Wind Factory burn from the canyon tops. All around us were grateful and vindicated Kokuwamon that had just reclaimed their life.

Kei was smiling. “This worked perfectly!”

“No,” Kouji said, eyes flashing with anger. “This was a disaster! Tommy almost died!”

“Hey!” Tommy said uncomfortably. “It wasn’t that bad.” From what I had heard, it really wasn’t as bad as Woodmon.

Kei, to her credit, had the decency to look troubled.

“It was a risk, but it was totally worth it because I got my Spirit~” JP sang from the cliff’s edge, swinging his arms. I thought he might be on some sort of Spirit rush because he had this face-splitting grin on ever since he returned from the factory.

“Yes,” Kouji said, annoyance seeping into his voice. I couldn’t blame him. I wished someone would shut JP up. “But what would’ve happened if your Spirit hadn’t been there?”

“No one could have known that most of the day shift Goblimon would stay behind,” Kei tried to reason. “It was a good plan otherwise. At least you agreed to it!”

Not knowing how to attack her argument, Kouji turned around and walked off. One little Kokuwamon followed him to shower him with some more praise.

They were adamant about making us feel embarrassed, but it was good to see them so happy. Just the thought of not having to return to the factory to be exploited and tortured seemed to revitalize them. Most Kokuwamon were now talking about returning to their forest, but not all of them. I thought I had convinced a family or two to go to Breezy Village first and see if they could help the Floramon. After all, if they weren’t taken advantage of, they were very eager workers!

While the Kokuwamon settled on a course of action, our group also gathered to think of our next steps.

We’d waved Trailmon Buffalo off earlier after it became clear that she couldn’t wait until nightfall. That had been our direct route to the Land of Forest... At least she’d told us about a city with a Trailmon hub close by. There was still the train that we’d heard about in Breezy Village. We had a chance to catch it there.

I suppressed a yawn.

There were a few hours of walking ahead of us if we wanted to reach the city in time.

-Meanwhile-

A flickering torch lit up a dark cavern. This was where Grumblemon had agreed to meet his minion. His servant entered through the hole in the ceiling. The warrior listened carefully to her retelling of the recent events in his territory, the Land of Earth.

“Are you sure?” he asked when his minion ended her speech.

“Yes, mino! The Spirit of Thunder has merged with one of the human children, mino!”

Grumblemon started to laugh, a plan already forming, “Haha! It looks like Ophanimon’s opposition is running around saving innocent digimon. Then let’s find them some innocent digimon to save!”

◀ Previous Next ▶