Old Ones Return (VI)

They don't Biomerge because Biomerging is for barbarians.

*The surviving Mermaimon grab them to pull them on board, an act which I am sure doesn't in any way give Taiyo flashbacks. Also, one of them is very obviously a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] with a wig & some fruit stuffed into its top. The Captain's position is now taken by Ancient Mermaimon, who is addressing a Ranamon floating around her head. It is mostly Coelamon & Gizamon attending to the repairs, with the odd Otamon or Gekomon.*

AM<For now, nobody is to partake of any of the rations until we're sure we can salvage data from the brine that isn't contaminated by the D-Reaper.>

Mermaimon<Where do you want the Cabin Girls, Ma'am?>

G<Are you talking about us? Because I am not a girl.>

Ts"Also, we don't work for you."

AM<Please take care of this.>

*Ranamon nods & drifts over towards them.*

Ranamon<In order to survive, we will need to act as a crew. You have no nautical experience, so that makes you all Cabin Girls. If you prove yourselves to be capable workers, you can move up to deckhands, then able seamon, boatswain, deck cadets, third mates, second mates, and maybe even as first mates or captains of your own vessels some day, but probably not.>
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*War Greymon opens the window, letting in a wind that starts throwing all of the small furniture to the floor.*

<"When you're ready, just fly out & do whatever you're gonna do. Once the first shot is fired, we won't hold back.">
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Mervamon<Well, that's up to you. I wish to control this Zone, so I'm offering a partnership to depose Bagramon & MaloMyotismon.>

Impmon<Hey, uh, that sounds great & all, Toots, but couldn't we just find some minions to replace them & let the 3 of you's keep beating each other up? Not like we really care who owns this stinkin' joint.>

Mervamon<I suppose you could, but then we would be less able to focus on Kurata. Besides, many Digimon would be lost in the struggles to come. I hear you wish to keep Digimon from fighting, dying, & killing one another.>

T"But aren't these evil Digimon we're talking about?"

D<Why, 'cause they're black?!>

T"What? No! I didn't mean it like that!"

D<Good, 'cause for a second, I thought I was talking to Jupitermon.>

Cameron:<Um, we can't stay here forever you know.>

*Biyomon slaps his arm*

<But while we are we will be the best crew we can be.>
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*Dianamon nods then flies out the door and waves her arms and otherwise tries to attract attention*
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Lyra:<Do you think we could defeat those two?>

Azuma: "Cabin Girls?"

*Ranamon puts a hand on Cameron's shoulder.*

Ranamon<That's the spirit!>

*She then looks over at Azuma.*

Ranamon<It will be your task to assist with cooking & cleaning. We're not really sure which of you are suited to the manual labor required of a deckhand. And no, you can't be called a cabin boy.>
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Mervamon<They'll put up a fight, but I'm sure we can defeat them if we work together.>

T"I feel like you're making fun of us."

Mervamon<I'm sorry. Maybe you'll feel better if you sit on my lap & I rub your shoulders.>

*She withdraws & Mervamon chuckles again.*
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*A series of Thunderbirdmon form a ring around them.*

<What is the matter?>

Dianamon:<We know where this army is really going! Please, we don't want to have to stop you by force but we will to prevent you from destroying the Dark Area.>
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*Lyra looks rather concerned*

<Um, I guess you seem trustworthy enough. What do you guys think?>

Patamon: "I barely have paws."

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Hideki shakes his head.

T"I don't really trust her either."

D<Yeah, I have to admit, she IS second fiddle to Lilithmon.>

Impmon<There ya have it, Toots! We're leavin' & YOU can't do anything to stop us!>

*He points at her, generating a flame on the tip of his finger. She just shrugs & waves.*

Mervamon<Wouldn't dream of it. Okay, see you around.>

Impmon<Wait, what?>

*He extinguishes the fire & scratches his head.*

T"You're not going to try & stop us?"

Mervamon<Why bother? You'll just come crawling back to me whenever Bagramon & MaloMyotismon attack you AGAIN. Assuming that you live through their attacks, obviously.>
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Thunderbirdmon<Unacceptable. Please just return to the blimp & wait until we arrive.>
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Ranamon<Most of us don't have feet, but we make due.>

Ts"...Where are Neptunemon & the Leomon?"

*Ancient Mermaimon does not turn around, & her servants shirk away from the Tamers, avoiding eye contact.*

AM<I don't know about the Leomon, but my husband is not on this ship.>

G<So he's on the other one?>

AM<No. He has matters to attend to in other seas.>

OOC: Fuck subtlety.

Azuma: "He's dead, isn't he?"

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Hideki: "We won't."

*Biyomon punches Azuma in the arm*
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Dianamon:<That is unacceptable. We do not want to hurt you.>
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Lyra:<They sent those guys to attack us?>

Mervamon<The Digimon that you encountered were sent by Malo Myotismon. Bagramon also sent a 2nd force to destroy you, which I bade my own forces to swiftly destroy.>

Impmon<So you say, anyway.>

Mervamon<If you want proof, consider the giant hand that descended from the sky & Digivolved DexDorugreymon to DexDorugoramon. Using his Invisible Snake-Eyes, he can see any location in the Digital World. Using his Savage Cyclone, he can create a dimensional storm anywhere, & attack through it. Finally, using his Astral Snatcher, he can steal a Digimon's soul from its body & place it anywhere he wants--even into another Digimon. And of course, a Digimon that acquires enough data can Digivolve.>

T"We already sort of suspected that MaloMyotismon was after us...if you say that Bagramon recently Digivolved, then he couldn't have sent that Astamon to fight us."

D<But you could have.>

Mervamon<But I didn't. If you can retrieve Phascomon from wherever you punted him off to, I'm sure he'll tell you exactly what he thinks about me. Why, he may even hate me more than he does you!>

T"You may have ordered him to say something like that."

Mervamon<You're awfully paranoid. Are you sure I can't help you relax?>

*She rubs her thigh. Thiera is now pretty much hiding behind Wizardmon. Mervamon stops rubbing her leg & brushes her hair out of her face, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.*

Mervamon<Ho ho ho, that never gets old.>
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AM<That is not your concern.>

Ts"So...where are we going now?"

AM<To retrieve our ancestral lands now that the ghost of Metal Seadramon has been slain.>

*Bastemon chooses now to shake water on everyone, & also scratches behind her ear with her back leg, squatting on the deck like the cat that she is.*

Bastemon<Fantastic, now you can give us back our beach.>

AM<Don't be ridiculous. Of course I do not intend to concede territory to you cats.>

Bastemon<It was ours to begin with!>

AM<And you abandoned it.>

Bastemon<To fight the invaders!>
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<Then don't. Please return to the blimp & wait until we arrive.>

<There is no need to fight, we're on the same side!>

<Inside the blimp, you can rest, heal, eat, & even enjoy leisure time. Wouldn't that be nice?>

Renamon shakes water off herself mostly to spite Bastemon and because she hates water.

Dianamon:<We know you're not really taking us to the ocean.>
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Lyra:<Major betrayal tends to make you paranoid.>
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Biyomon:<I'm sure we can come to an agreement on territory once Kurata has been defeated.>

AM<So you can have our aid with no promise of compensation? No. Unacceptable.>

*Bastemon dives behind a barrel & growls at Renamon.*
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<Would you like to speak with the generals?>
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Merv<Don't worry, you'll be safe in my embrace.>

T"I think we need some time to talk to each other in private."

Merv<Certainly. Devimon, will you take them to a rest chamber>

Devimon<Of course, Mistress.>

*He nods & stands up.*

Biyomon:<You will be compensated but now is not the time nor place to discuss it.>
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Dianamon:<Let be confer with the others.>

*She flies to the blimp*

<Should we meet with the generals?>
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*So they go back*

Not being a sore winner, Renamon takes no further actions.

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Weary of trusting anyone associated with Mervamon, Hideki reluctantly follows.

<"No, damn it, they're not going to back down & we're wasting time!">
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*He leads them down a winding tunnel & it starts to become very, very dark.*

Devimon<...We have arrived.>

*Wizardmon snaps her fingers, generating an aura of fire around her hand & holding her staff in front of Thiera. Her paranoia is all for not, however, because they're just in a dark, circular chamber with a bunch of pillows & blankets.*

Devimon<You may light a few torches if you wish, but please keep it to a minimum--there may be Digimon trying to sleep.>
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AM<I have sacrificed my kingdom, my husband, & most of my crew battling your former commander. Speak to me again about what is or is not an appropriate price for me to accept & I shall have you thrown overboard.>

Bastemon<Do you really think you can beat us in a war?>

AM<Perhaps not, but if our Kingdom should fall, then we can at least take as many of you with us as possible. There is also the effect that shall have on the image of your "United Army." Can you afford either of those things?>

Dianamon:<What would you suggest other than just attacking them?>
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*Lyra and Kotemon sit on pillows*
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Cameron:<Can we please just calm down here?>

Azuma: "We're not here to start a conflict with you. We came to avoid that. The actions of our enemies should not reflect our actions."

<"My suggestion IS that we attack them. You know, they're probably stalling for time until our Biomerge runs out.">
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Devimon<I will leave you to your business. Should you need anything, just call for me.>

*He bows & heads out of the room.*

T"So, here's a thought: Senthose was once a Devimon, but they became separated when he died. Is he the same one?"

D<You really need to stop stereotyping. Why would a former servant of Myotismon join up with a former servant of Lilithmon? MaloMyotismon probably ate him on his way out of Senthose's body.>

T"He would do that, just for a small increase in power?"

D<Myotismon's cruelty is literally the stuff of legends. He's exactly as heartless as Senthose was, only he takes more enjoyment in making others suffer, especially the innocent. He's almost as big of a monster as Kurata, & now that he's Digivolved, he's probably even more evil.>
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OOC: Can you see what I did here?

AM<Glad that's settled, then.>

G<So the beach that we were on used to belong to Bastemon's tribe, but you took control of it after they left, do I have that right?>

AM<After the human armies forced us from our homes, yes.>

G<And are there any tribes living in the ocean?>

AM<There were a few, but they have probably been wiped out. Without our rule, the oceans are mostly populated by isolated schools of Digimon.>

Ts"So why don't you just leave the beach & return to the ocean?"

Bastemon<Why should those Digimon be forced to live under the heel of Ancient Mermaimon just because they don't build cities?!>

AM<I don't have heels, you foolish beastmon. And in any case, why should I sacrifice a single inch of my hard-won territory?>

*This whole time, the creepy fake Mermaimon stares at them as he mops up the deck.*

Dianamon:<Come with me and I'll tell them to stop or we'll attack.>
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Biyomon:<Well, everyone needs a place to live.>

Cameron:<To change the subject, who is that?>

*He points at the fake Mermaimon*

Azuma doesn't even acknowledge Betsumon because this is dumb.

Azuma: "What are you pointing at?"

OOC: I didn't ignore Dark's shit because it was "dumb," I ignored it because it was story-breaking.

*Ancient Mermaimon just kind of lazily glances at the group mopping the deck.*

AM<...They are all named Mermaimon. Because they are all Mermaimon.>

Mermaimon 4<Captain, this data cluster is acting strangely!>

*Ancient Mermaimon looks over to a Mermaimon that's fished a bunch of data clusters out of the sea with a net. One is glowing brightly & struggling as if attempting to get out.*
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OOC: She was supposed to have followed her out, but whatever.

<"Fine. But this time, don't shut the damn window in my face.">
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D<So...we're all just going to stand around here in an awkward silence, then?>

T"That is what it looks like, yes."

Impmon<If she's tellin' the truth about Bagramon & MaloMyotismon, we gotta do somethin' about that. We're supposed to be comrades. We can't be assassinatin' each other left & right, y'know.>

T"But why do they want to kill us so badly?"

Impmon<Dunno. We should prob'ly find that out.>

D<Maybe they're just jerks?>
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*Whamon opens his mouth yet again, & they can finally see land on the horizon. Also, the sun is coming up behind them.*

Mrs. Rakshashi<We're almost there.>

Mr. Psyche<You don't sound very excited about it.>

Mr. Psyche<It's too early to celebrate.>

Mr. Rakshashi<I agree. We don't know if it's safe over there & the kids are still missing.>

*They hear the buzz of the loudspeaker as one of the Hypnos Boats comes up next to them again.*

<We have an update from the Digital World!>

Mrs Kornel:<Well, spit it out already!>
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Lyra:<The both worlds are full of assholes. Super powers don't help god complexes.>
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Cameron:<One of them isn't, look!>

*He points at Betsumon and looks between him and the others*
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*So they go over there*

Azuma: "Let it out and see what happens. Could be a transmission from the Material World."