Episode Five: The Call

Because everyone sucks, but Renamon she Digivolves and goes all Taomon and conjures up a shield to protect those deadweights forever endebting them to her.

The Assaultmon stumbles about trying not to fall the hell over, sparks flying from places. It partially rights itself and charges unsteadily at Lekismon.

The Tsuchidarumon continue stumbling about, one bumping into the other two as they move, advancing on Taomon who can see the one bumping into the other two is missing eyes.

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Azuma: "Something wants us to hurry it up. Whatever that is."

Eve:<I'm guessing it's the same person who summoned you two here.>
---
*Lekismon fires MoonNight Boom to put the Assaultmon to sleep, then starts sending arrows at it. Saberdramon uses Black Saber on it*

<<<"""Thanks.""">>>

A"What's wrong with them?"

E"I don't know, & I officially don't care. Growlmon, walk all over them!"

*Guilmon Digivolves. Dorumon follows suit.*

L<...Um...wait...maybe I can calm them with my lullabies.>

A Tsuchidarumon with warped ears grabs at Taomon who swats at it with her brush then hits another while the blind one stumbles past her, reaching for Growlmon.

Assaultmon stops in its tracks and raises its chain gun towards Saberdramon, sparks flying. It whirs to life and open fires.

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Azuma: "Not that we know who that is beyond a title. And it likely isn't a person. It's probably dwelling in the ocean."

*Growlmon breathes fire over his attacker while Dorugamon fires a metal sphere at Assaultmon & Lalamon starts singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb."*

<Person, thing, you know what I mean.>
---
*Saberdramon counters with Mach Shadow, Lekismon continues to fire arrows*

Tsuchidarumon lets out a pain howl and flails around, punching Growlmon in the mouth.

The other two begin singing. Although it's less singing and more shouting than anything especially coming from the deaf Tsuchidarumon. It's quite abrasive and annoying, both Taiyo and Taomon cover their ears.

Assaultmon resumes its chain gun attack bringing up the second one, firing it at Lekismon.

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The scene gets staticy and begins cutting in and out like an image on a television set and the three find themselves seperated again.

Eve is standing in a laboratory where a few blackboards are positioned on the walls. One has words written in an unfamiliar language as well as the words ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΑΥΤΟΝ, another has an outline of a human with some kind of aura and the Crest of Knowledge while the last one has a diagram of the Digivice. On a table is an old Packard Bell PC and elsewhere throughout the lab are books and papers scattered about.

Strapped to a wall behind her is an unresponsive Gargomon while strapped to a wall in front of her is a pale image of herself, its eyes sunk in and skin drooping as if in the first stages of decomposition, the mark that appeared under her eye on File Island present on the dark image of herself's face. Wires stick out of its arms and torso through its dark clothing.

Dark!Eve: "It looks strange, doesn't it?"

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Azuma and Pegasusmon find themselves outside the lighthouse, no other signs of life in the vacinity. Pegasusmon walks around the lighthouse, his steps silent. No sound is present.

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Hitomi and Nefertimon remain on the beach, Hitomi laying on her side, sand stinging her eyes and the smell of sea water ever present. Nefertimon is casually laying in the sand as if basking in some invisible sun.

Hitomi: "What are you doing? What am I doing?"

Nefertimon: "Relaxing, of course. Forget all this nonsense about priests and darkness and let's just enjoy the beach. If Taiyo were here I'm sure she'd lend you a bathing suit."

Hitomi: "What?"

Nefertimon: "Or maybe not. I can't picture you in something like that. Azuma might be able to, but what does that idiot know?"

*Euryale covers her ears.*

E"Growlmon, hold on! Focus your attacks on the Assaultmon!"

*Though he can barely hear, he does just that.*

*Eve looks taken aback*

<Where am I?>

*She looks dark Eve up and down*

<More importantly who are you and where is Terriermon?>
---
*Lekismon jumps to dodge and resumes firing. Saberdramon attacks again. Meanwhile, everyone covers their ears*

Saberdramon's shit got slapped from sticking around while getting fed a lead salad and begins to fall from the sky.

The guns on Assualtmon's shoulders begin to jerk and shake as they move into position. It resumes firing on Lekismon while it aims the guns on its shoulders at Growlmon and fires and aims its other chain gun at Aroma, the barrels whirring to life.

The flaming Tsuchidarumon stumbles about, approaching Euryale while Taomon grits her teeth as she uncovers her ears and paints a seal in the air, blasting the other two Tsuchidarumon with a blast of white energy. Their singing ceases as they struggle to recover.

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Dark!Eve: "I am you. I am Eve Tantus as she will appear in the future having been consumed by darkness and jealousy."

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Having circled the lighthouse, Pegasusmon heads down a slope towards the beach, eventually it becomes apparent they're not actually going anywhere and no matter how many steps they take they wind up right back at the lighthouse.

Azuma says something, but no words comes out.

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Hitomi: "He-"

Nefertimon: "Or maybe I should be asking you that. Could you picture yourself in something like that? Can you see yourself as desireable in any way?"

Hitomi: "I-"

Nefertimon: "Of course not. You can't see yourself doing much, can you? What have you done before now or even before the Digital World?"

Hitomi: "I-"

Nefertimon: "You existed. If you can call it that."

*Growlmon blows it away with a plasma blast. Lalamon Digivolves & blows the gun off with a SUNSHINE BEAM! Roatha tackles her anyway. Dorugamon I guess attacks its head & shoulders with its cannon ball thing.*

*Saberdramon quickly rights himself, having not been stupid enough to sit there and take shots. Lekismon does what she did in my previous post*
---
<You this is my future?>

*Eve gestures around the laboratory*

Assaultmon's gunarms are knocked off course, the resulting gunfire kicking up a cloud of dust. The flaming Tsuchidarumon evaporates into data the color of it being a sickly green as opposed to a bright yellow.

Assaultmon scans the area trying to find the group, sparks popping out of shorts around its head. Its guns whir to lofe and it open fires, the shots are nowhere near their position.

The deaf and mute Tsuchidarumon stumble around blindly in the dust cloud as the ground begins to shake.

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Dark!Eve: "Yes. At the present it may look unbearable, but..."

It trails off as an irritating buzzing sounds like a swarm of bees rings out and the dark vision arches its back letting out a hoarse yet still pleasure filled moan.

Dark!Eve: "But once your spirit is broken, you will come to accept it. Love it even."

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This place is unreal. A world without color and at anytime without sound. Is it possible it could also rob me of my sense of sight and smell? No, whatever brought us here wants us to smell the ocean.

Azuma gets off of Pegasusmon and tries the door to the lighthouse. Unsurprisingly, it is unlocked, the inside was a winding staircase illuminated by a faint blue-green light. The color of rebirth and renewal.

Despite this light and its signifigance, there was a darkness about this tower. It was a place of trial and tribulation.

And so he climbed.

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Nefertimon: "But your 'existance' wasn't so meaningless. You brought Hope. Or so the prophecy goes. Personally I see no Hope in him. Maybe he convinces himself of such, but the reality is he's quite hopeless. And without Hope, there is no Light. Do you know what's left if there is no Light?"

Hitomi: "Darkness."

Nefertimon: "Exactly. A darkness so black that light could not dare to ever pierce it. Your darkness. The darkness in your heart and the hearts of others."

<My spirit's not about to get broken. By anyone.>
---
*Lekismon and Saberdramon attack again, making sure to not get hit*

*They focus their attacks on Assaultmon's center mass.*

The shaking grows more violent and within the dust cloud they see the data of the other two Tsuchidarumon, a large rock having shot out of the ground, destroying them.

More rocks begin to protrude from the ground, one between the group and the lone Assaultmon that stumbles around in a circle, shorting out and trying to scan the area for its enemies.

Taomon grabs Taiyo and jumps away as a fissure opens up beneath her and continues to expand, threatening to take the others in as the edges break apart.

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Dark!Eve: "You say that now, but you know it to be false. You are not the Child of Courage. You are weak. Fragile."

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As he climbs the stairs the concrete walls and stairs turn to ice and the temperature drops. Along or within the frozen walls with their blue-green glow, Porcupamon follow alongside him.

Porcupamon: "Hope dies last."

Porcupamon: "Dreams die first."

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Hitomi: "Is any of this true?"

Nefertimon: "What do you think? Do you think this is just another dream that when you wake up everything will be okay?"

Hitomi: "I don't know. I don't know what to think of this."

Nefertimon: "You don't know anything."

*They stumble away from it.*

<I'm only physically fragile.>
---
*Everyone moves away as well*

This is all well and good as stalagmites continue protruding from the ground as the fissure expands. Assaultmon catches sight of them and open fires before falling into the fissure.

Taomon lands beside Euryale briefly and carries her off with Taiyo as the ground breaks underneath her.

Up above, a group of four Devidramon circles over them.

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Dark!Eve: "That matters not. It is not your body that will be broken. Nor will it be tortured. At least it won't be the main objective. But it will be your spirit and your soul. It has already begun. You bear the Leviathan's mark."

The mark of the dark rendition's face glows. Eve's face begins to burn as the mark appears on her own.

Dark!Eve: "You are the Green-Eyed Monster. The punishment for your sins will be most severe."

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The Porcupamon fade away, IceDevimon taking their place.

IceDevimon: "You have no business here, interloper. Underneath that fictious light of yours beats the darkest heart of your true self. A monster."

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Hitomi: "I know this isn't real."

Nothing this world shows me is real.

Nefertimon: "Oh, and why's that? Because you say so? Because your previous experiences were only a dream? Can dreams hurt you? Look at your hands."

She looks at her hands with the smeared, dry blood on them.

Hitomi: "This isn't real. I'm on a beach with Azuma and Eve. This is just a dream."

Wake up.

*Eve bends over, covering her crest with her hands*

<The Leviathan?>

It must be the voice I heard in my head.

*Eve rights herself, still covering the mark with her hand*

<What sins have I committed?>
---
*Saberdramon swoops down, grabbing Lekismon, Kylie, and Cameron, then heads over to Euryale and Taiyo to grab them as well*

E"Thank you."

*Sunflowmon scoops up Roatha & Aroma, Aroma burning red.*

R"What was the point of that?"

*All of the Digimon who can take to the sky. Growlmon just dashes away from where the ground is breaking apart.*

The Devidramon swoop in, three close in on Saberdramon taking swipes at him while the fourth breaks off from the group and pursues Sunflowmon, exhaling a gust of wind at her.

On the ground below, Taomon moves the two to her shoulders and reverts to Kyubimon, avoid cracks as they open up in the ground, a pillar of purple fire shooting out from them.

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The dark rendition looks at Eve, exasperated.

Dark!Eve: "For being the Child of Knowledge, you're not too bright. But you're not needed for what you believe are brains. You're not needed in this world at all."

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The scene transitions to the Misty Trees, Wendigomon standing before Azuma.

Wendigomon: "Go back."

What signifigance did this thing have?

Wendigomon: "Go back to the beginning."

Azuma continues on, passing through the Wendigomon, the scene returning back to the spiral staircase.

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Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

Nefertimon: "What do you hope to accomplish? This is reality."

Hitomi: "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

Nefertimon stands, taking an aggressive stance.

Hitomi: "Wake up!"

Hitomi finds herself laying on the beach, teary eyed from the sand stinging them.

Nefertimon: "Hitomi, are you all right?"

Hitomi: "Y-yes. What...what happened?"

Nefertimon: "I don't know. The three of us were here and then they all collapsed."

Sure enough, Pegasusmon & Azuma and Eve & Terriermon are also passed out on the beach.

*Dorugamon attacks Sunflowmon's pursuer with a cannonball, because she can't really turn around & confront it herself at the moment. Growlmon attacks one of the ones attacking Saberdramon with fire.*

*Now THAT pisses Eve off*

<You're. Not. Making. Any. Sense. Except for the part about me not being needed, since I'm not hope or light.>
---
*Saberdramon soars away, trying to avoid the attackers. Lekismon fires a Tear Arrow at one of them*

They pursue Saberdramon, avoiding Lekismon's attacks each exhaling a gust of wind.

The Devidramon hassling Sunflowmon lazily evades the attacks, not as dedicated in its pursuit as the other three. The ground beneath Growlmon begins to crack, smoke coming out of the cracks.

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Dark!Eve lets out a hoarse laugh.

Dark!Eve: "You really are ignorant of the situation, are you? Knowledge is not a trait you should be associated with. Those who bear the mark of Knowledge seek the truth and the answers to their questions. They don't expect those answers to be handed to them."

The dark rendition leans in as far as possible, despite the restraints, a series of sickening snaps and pops sounding as its shoulders dislocate. Its breath is cold and smells of sea water.

Dark!Eve: "Maybe envy isn't your only sin, but sloth as well."

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The climb seems to show no sign of ending as the scene transitions to the beach, everyone seperated into small groups. Azuma sees himself with Hitomi, Eve is further away with Roatha, Cameron and Kylie elsewhere, and Aroma, Euryale, and Taiyo are further out, no one truly acknowledging another except for who they're with, everyone sitting on the ground as it gradually sinks.

Azuma: "It doesn't concern them. We'll deal with it."

Eve's voice sounds distant as she speaks to Roatha who is equally distant, glancing every now and again in Euryale's direction.

Eve: "We have to work as a team."

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Hitomi looks at the four, unsure of what to do about them. She approaches Azuma and holds a hand out to touch him, but retracts as a cold sensation runs up her spine, a whisper in the back of her mind.

Do not disturb those who sleep. They must awaken on their own.