Writing Digimon: Dark Conflict [Revisited]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Now, the moment you've all been waiting for: [i]Brand new Dark Conflict![/i]

Admittedly this chapter pretty much just serves as a bridge, but there's some decent histpry explanation in it. More revelations come in Chapter 8 (which I've finished, but won't be up until I've done Chapter 9. I like having one in reserve at all times, heh).

Anyway, here we go ^_^

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[b]Chapter 6: Interloper[/b]

Tokyo, Japan. A country almost ignored by the humans since its near-destruction by the Sentients. Buildings that once stood tall were now half-collapsed, rubble covering once busy streets. Eighteen years ago, this city was overflowing with life, both digimon and human. Now, it was almost deserted. The park, once green with lush vegetation, was now grey and devoid of life, its wide-open spaces cluttered with twisted metal and crumbling stone.

The once proud TV tower was now broken in two, the top half thrown across the bay. Upon passing, the whole city looked completely deserted.

On a desolate beach littered with debris a figure stood, the waves lapping at her feet. She watched the horizon desperately for signs of anything approaching.

Nothing yet.

She held a hand to her chest and continued to stand guard, her orange hair blowing in the cool breeze?

* * *

?What?? Gabumon spluttered, his eyes wide.

Matt held out the D-Terminal to him, his hands shaking. On the screen was the e-mail:

[i]Matt! I?m alive, I?m still here. Help me!

T.K[/i]

Aidan could hardly believe his eyes. ?You mean for all these years he?s been living rough in the Digimon Continent??

MetalArmadillomon scratched his head. ?Can you be sure it?s him??

Matt shook his head. ?I don?t know. But I?m sure as hell not going to pass off the chance to rescue him if it is.? Switching the screen back to the map, he began steering the boat in the direction of the massive supercontinent.

?Hey, wait a second.? Aidan called, placing a hand on Matt?s shoulder. ?We need a plan first. He could be anywhere. That continent?s a huge place to try and search for one person.?

Tempestmon watched then curiously as they deliberated the situation. She couldn?t understand most of what they were saying, but she could tell that this was a problem by the firm expressions on their faces.

?They won?t take kindly to a human running around their territory, that?s for sure.? MetalArmadillomon pointed out. ?They?ll notice the boat, too- we could be dead before we even get to searching for T.K.?

Their expressions dropped. They all looked deep in thought.

?Fly!? Tempestmon exclaimed, pointing at the ceiling.

Aidan and Matt exchanged bemused looks before smiling at her.

?That?s a fantastic idea.? Matt commented, looking around for a solution to their next problem- how he was going to get into the digimon?s territory without being torn apart. As he made his way towards the hold, a suit of human Special Forces? armour in a locker caught his eye?

* * *

The sea was surprisingly calm that early morning. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon to the West, casting a bright orange light over the small rippling waves.

The influence of the Digital World on the land was a stark contrast to the derelict cities now standing in the rest of the world. Tall tropical trees flourished on the digital soil, standing proudly on golden beaches lapped by cobalt blue waves.

It reminded Matt of when he?d arrived at the continent of Server on Whamon?s back almost thirty years ago. He?d been in awe at the sites around him, the lush green forests and blue oceans standing beautifully ahead of them, concealing their destiny within the vast expanse of land. The same feeling of apprehension gripped his stomach as they came in closer to the sand. He could see digimon swimming under the water?s surface. Some were small- simply the digital equivalent of a fish; but he knew there would be other, much larger creatures waiting for something to stray too close by. He thought he saw the beady eyes of a Seadramon staring up at them as they passed, but tried to ignore it.

?How are you doing. Matt?? MetalGarurumon growled as they began their descent.

?I?m doing alright,? he said quietly, rolling his shoulders. The metal armour was heavy enough, but having an extra set of wing-like epaulettes fixed onto his shoulder blades felt like he?d just donned a diving suit. The visor of the helmet had two triangular eye-shapes carved into it to give the illusion that he was some kind of monstrous knight digimon.

?But remember, I?m a digimon now,? he added, making sure the pistol he?d hidden in his chest plate was still there. ?We don?t have to keep the pretence up for long; just until we find T.K.?
Flying alongside them were Aidan and Tempestmon, each holding one of MetalArmadillomon?s front claws.

They gently landed on the sand and looked around. Several hundred feet away were some Koromon washing what looked to be wooden plates in the sea. One looked up, gave them a suspicious glare and carried on cleaning.

?Perhaps we should split up.? Aidan hissed. ?We could already be attracting unwanted attention.?

Matt nodded in agreement and he leapt from MetalGarurumon?s back. The two of them disappeared into the forest, while Tempestmon, Aidan and MetalArmadillomon carried on up the beach.

The steely armadillo scratched his head. Something felt odd about being back here.

He looked inland. Maybe he should have stayed back in the ship. He knew the digimon had been chasing after him ever since the humans first captured him, but he?d never known why. Now he?d returned, what were to happen if he was seen?

?Um? Aid- Solarismon??

?What??

?I?m not sure I should be here?? he whispered. Aidan was just about to ask why when the two Koromon lunged in front of them.

?You found him!? they chorused, staring at MetalArmadillomon wide-eyed.

?The Sentients will be pleased.? One cooed.

?Yes. You must take him to HiAndromon,? The other purred excitedly.

Aidan nodded. ?We know where to go.? He replied authoritatively. Gesturing to Tempestmon, he led the three of them towards a large stone path leading to some high cliffs in the distance.

?But? you won?t really take me to him, will you?? MetalArmadillomon hissed once they were out of earshot of the Koromon.

?Of course we won?t.? Aidan scoffed. ?But we?ll have to make it look genuine if we all want to get out of here alive.?

* * *

Matt?s gaze darted to the screen on the digivice. It had been taped firmly to his gauntlet to look like an extension of the black armour that covered his body. The small red light was drawing closer to their marker.

They?d walked a long way so far. They?d passed near to several Digimon settlements, each unique to the type of digimon living there. They didn?t have the same innocent charm that they once had years ago- the small Koromon village was almost military in its construction, with sharpened wooden stakes pointing out of the ground near its borders to stop intruders from getting too close. It was saddening to see what was such a peaceful race look so hostile.

It had been years since Matt had last set foot on digital land. The last time they had, they lost Joe. The small ship crashed after a confrontation with some Devidramon?

?Who goes there?? a harsh voice rasped. It belonged to an old RedVeggiemon, its red skin paling and wrinkly with age and battle scars.

?Move!? MetalGarurumon growled. ?We want passage through the forest.?

?Out of the question.? It shook its head violently as it spoke, showering the ground in front of it with saliva. ?This is our territory. No-one gets through without offering a tribute to us.?
MetalGarurumon straightened himself and his mouth began to glow. ?Here?s my tribute!? he roared. A blast of ice exploded from his mouth and enveloped the vegetable digimon. When the blast cleared, the digimon had been completely encased in ice.

?That?ll keep him quiet until we?re through the forests.? Matt said quietly, checking the digivice screen again. The dot had moved to a north-west direction now.

As they continued through the tall trees, a beady black eye watched their every move?

* * *

Dead, grey mountains towered over the barren wasteland, their peaks obscured by swirling black clouds. The looming figure surveyed the darkness around him, breathing in the stale, cold air. Giving a rasping sigh of satisfaction, he hovered forwards to a ring of jagged rocks in the centre of the wasteland.

He flew over the edge of the rocks and landed on the warm ground encircled by them. Clouds of a crimson dust rose from the ground with each heavy footstep. He looked up at the monolith in front of him and dropped to one knee.

?I have been summoned.?

A rumble passed through the mountainous rocks around him. He could feel the ground moving slowly up and down like a colossal ribcage.

?Something has disturbed that sanctity of my kingdom.?

?I understand. What is your command??

Another rumble shook the ground, more violently this time.

?Find the tainted ones. Annihilate them.?

He let out a twisted grin. ?Yes, it shall be done.?

* * *

Tempestmon studied their surroundings with great curiosity as they trudged along the stony path, eyed suspiciously by digimon waiting along its edge.

?Try not to look too interested, Tempestmon. We don?t want to draw anyone?s attention.? Aidan whispered. She obediently drew closer to the two of them and paid more attention to where they were going.

MetalArmadillomon chanced a look behind him. ?I think it may be too late for that,? he grimaced as a small group of digimon followed a few yards behind. They watched the metal creature with hungry eyes, but dared not venture any closer for fear of his two companions.

MetalArmadillomon wished he knew why they wanted him so badly. At least then he?d be able to do something about it. As it was, all he could do was sit and watch factions fight over who was going to get him back.

Aidan kept a tight grip on his sword. His ears were constantly pricked, listening for the tiniest sounds of movement around them. If MetalArmadillomon was this precious to them, it might only be a matter of time before something planned an ambush.

?MetalArmadillomon, get onto my back.? He called. Immediately, the steel digimon leapt inbetween his wings and wrapped his arms around the wolf?s neck.

Aidan and Tempestmon leapt into the air and soared away, leaving the trail of following creatures growling in the dust. MetalArmadillomon gave a sigh of relief.

?Where do we go from here??

Aidan scanned the ground below them. In the distance he could see the ruins of a city, destroyed by the invasion of the Digimon. ?We?ll take shelter in those derelict buildings.? He pointed ahead. ?We should be safe there.?

As they drew closer, the true extent of the Digimon?s devastation could be seen. Skyscrapers had been ripped from their foundations and completely demolished- huge parts of them lay across streets, or had been hurled into other buildings in an effort to create as much damage as possible.

Very few buildings were still standing. The wall of one twenty-story office block rocked gently on its crippled base, blackened with soot from fire and explosions. There was no life on the streets. A few tufts of grass sprouted through cracks in the concrete, but nothing else living stood there. A dead silence hung in the air.

Occasionally they caught sight of a dead body, eaten away by scavenging digimon or completely charred beyond recognition. Aidan didn?t want to know which city this used to be.

They landed in front of a tall, square building with half a funnel poking from its roof. Cautiously, they went inside. Tempestmon drew her blades in apprehension.

The dark sky overhead cast the building into even darker shadows. Rubble covered the floors, some of which were still crumbling away, the wrath of the attacks long since passed.

Finding a suitable room on the third floor, they stayed to rest. Tempestmon placed herself on a plaster-covered armchair whose arms had been ripped away, while Aidan leant against the wall by the door. MetalArmadillomon peered over the windowsill at the demolished cityscape outside.

?I?ve never known a world before this?? he whispered, watching a horde of FlyBeemon buzz overhead.

Aidan sighed. ?Sometimes I wonder which was better, this or the world before the war.?

?You can?t mean that, can you?? MetalArmadillomon whirled round in shock. ?Look at this destruction, this devastation- you can?t tell me this is a better existence??

Aidan strode away from the door, his face half-hidden by shadow. ?Think about it- the world?s been leading itself to ruin ever since the humans discovered technology. It was only a matter of time before they did this to themselves anyway.?

?Does that make it right?? MetalArmadillomon yelled. His voice echoed around the room. ?Is all this death justified??

There was a tense pause. The two of them stared at each other, both with a fierce determination.

?No.?

Aidan walked round next to the armchair, Tempestmon watching him very closely. She didn?t seem to understand what they were saying, but she knew it was serious.

?But if you?d been through what I had you?d be thinking exactly the same thing.? He said firmly to MetalArmadillomon.

?What did happen?? he asked quietly.

Aidan stared out of the window. ?It was a long time ago, just after the war had started. I? I can?t even remember how old I was now. Either way, that didn?t seem to matter to Naraku.?

Tempestmon tilted her head upon hearing the commander?s name.

?I know Naraku.? She said suddenly.

The other two jumped. ?Well? yes.? Aidan muttered, digging his claws into his hands. ?He?s the main reason a lot of this was caused, in more ways than one.?

Something moved in the shadows by the door. It went unnoticed by the three digimon inside.

?I lived in a small town in Japan called Tsumago. I wasn?t born there, but my father was offered a job that meant we had to move there. I was more than happy to go at the time, especially as Japan was the epicentre of the Digimon sightings some years beforehand.?

?So? you aren?t a Digimon?? MetalArmadillomon asked softly

?I wasn?t then.? Aidan spat harshly. ?I don?t know what I am now.?

He felt a hand on his shoulder. ?You look Digimon.? Tempestmon soothed. He blinked, then took her hand from his shoulder and walked across to another window.

?I don?t feel like one.? He growled. ?Shortly after we moved, MaloMyotismon was destroyed and everyone in the world gained a Digimon partner. I was so happy? Veedramon was one of the best friends I could have ever had. We just matched each other so well??

His voice trailed off. The other two watched him closely as he wrung his hands and coughed.

?Then, it happened. The war struck in the Digital World and no-one knew. The ties to the Digital World had been severed by something, and by the time they?d re-emerged it was too late. I don?t know what Thanatomon did or even where he came from, but when he hit this planet everything around him died.

?A military official thought this was the Digimon?s plan all along- to gain our trust and then completely wipe us out. The governments of Europe and America, spurned by advice from a military commander named Kamagata Naraku, ordered a mass extermination of all creatures within their borders.?

?Oh god?? MetalArmadillomon shook slightly. A vast, burning emptiness cored him inside.

?Almost needless to say, the Digimon retaliated. They set about destroying each and every human they found within their country, and began to spread their plague of death as far around the world as they could. The humans were easy prey, and before long only half the world?s population was left. Partners turned against each other in vicious battles to the death, and all the while the Digidestined were trying to bring peace between the two sides.?

He laid a hand on the windowsill and gripped it tightly. ?Tai was the first to go. He was assassinated by a human who believed that the digimon should remain back in their own world. Others died trying to protect their partners during either the humans? or the Digimon?s mass genocide, and soon only six were left.?

Tempestmon moved closer. The more he spoke, the more she understood. ?What happened to you?? she asked.

A little alarmed by how much she had managed to pick up, Aidan paused for a second. ?Er? meanwhile, Naraku had decided to recruit an army of elite soldiers to a secret research facility he?d created in order to develop a weapon to destroy the Digimon once and for all. He had been a great fan of martial arts beforehand, and that was how he found me. I won the regional championship for my age group a year beforehand, and he decided I was exactly the right material for his experiments. And the fact that I still had a digimon with me was even better. Saved him a second trip.?

MetalArmadillomon swallowed hard. ?Veedramon? he merged you with Veedramon??

Aidan nodded. ?He tried to purge my memory of all loyalties I had with him, tried to erase all my ties to him, and then somehow grafted my body into his with the aid of the digivice. I was in the lab for six months before I finally woke up again. He named me Solarismon, a tribute to the ?blazing victory? I would bring to the humans.?

?But you?re here now, not there. You were freed.? Tempestmon started to edge closer to him, but he cast her a look that made her freeze.

?Yes, I broke free.? He murmured. ?I don?t know how. All I remember is a voice deep inside my head, telling me that this wasn?t what I was supposed to do, that they were using me. I didn?t know who it was, but I understood what it meant. A swell of energy burst from my body and I shattered their research lab for five years. Matt picked up my unconscious body while salvaging a wreck of a battleship. Gradually, my memories began to return and the result is standing before you now.?

MetalArmadillomon opened his mouth to speak, just as a piece of wall fell away from the doorframe. The three of them readied themselves for battle as a shape emerged from the darkness?

TO BE CONTINUED?

So, what do you think?[/COLOR]

[Kei]

[color=darkblue]Gah! Evil cliffhanger ending...

That was a very nice chapter, Solo. The history you gave for Aidian was highly interesting, as was the history of the war. It all tied in very well together and such.

For some odd reason, though, Aidian's story reminds me of the "Birth of Mewtwo" short. Oo;

Anyways, like I said, great chapter. Can't wait for the next. ^^[/color]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

You changed it! Well, I guess I'm fine with that, but only if you keep the plot twist that happened right before you stopped the first time. I must know what happens!

[Mimmsicle]

[COLOR=firebrick]Oh man, you literally had me hanging on every word from the get-go [i]*breathes*[/i]

[b]*hits head on dictionary* [/b]
No, that didn't help. I still don't know how to describe the goodness of this story ; )

The writing is excellent, it was really easy to follow this time. Clean and fluent.
There we no parts that felt "too much", you kept it basic and to the point, while not losing edge/tension (?) along the way.

I look forward to more [i]*falls off the edge of her seat*[/i]

- Mimmi[/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Please post more, Solo. I just have to find out what happens next.

[Arcadia]

[size=1]Ha, yeah, I agree with Lady Katana. It *does* remind me of Mewtwo a bit. Despite the fact that they're pretty different. >.>

This was fun to read, and I definitely enjoyed learning poor Aidan's dark history. Wonderful explanations, and now I'm exicted to hear about Tempestmon, and what happened with the rest of the digidestined.

You tell a story very, very well. Everything seems to be well thought out and organized, and your descriptions of the ruined city and all the lush trees and whatnot are perfect for the story.

So yes, looking forward to the next chapter to find out what the heck is jumping at them. Maybe it'll be a bunny. o.O;; Just being optimistic.[/size]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I will continue to ask for more of the story to be posted until all of it has been. So please post more.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Please, Solo. finish the story. I just have to know the end, and I'm sure that others want it finished, too.

[Gavin]

[font=Verdana][size=1][b][i][u]Tremainitis:[/u][/i][/b] Condition by where Solo creates excellent stories and allows them to gather great interest with brilliant plots and twists. Solo then lures innocent Otaku's with the promise of even more exciting chapters but upon a ingenious cliff hanger ending he will decide to post no more and leave us all in withdrawl...[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=1][b][u]Current Examples of the Condition:[/u][/b] [/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=1]Digimon: Dark Conflict[/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=1]Otakuboards: Enter the Net[/size][/font]

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[font=Verdana][size=1]J[/size][/font][font=Verdana][size=1]ust kidding Solo, this is an excellent piece of work even for people like myself who haven't watched Digimon in years. Although I would ask that you see a doctor about that nasty strain of Tremainitis...[/size][/font]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I mean it, Solo. I will keep pestering you until this story is finished. I just have to know what happens, especially after your cliffhanger in the origional verson. I'm serious, I will not stop pestering. PMs are next.