EPISODE 50 - FIGHT THE SILENCE
“
The Hisyaryumon barreled forward, the very air around it seeming to distort as it sharpened its body. Pop dove low, letting the dragon arc high above her and miss her completely, but the wind that buffeted her and Moxie, clutching tight to her back, was enough to nearly knock her off course, and she faltered midair for a couple seconds before taking a sharp right. Hisyaryumon roared in indignation and righted itself, too, aiming itself like an arrow at her.
“
They had been trying to evade this Hisyaryumon for far too long. It was one of the emergents that had popped up on their radar earlier, right before Ezra and Elijah had left to speak to Ordinemon. It wasn’t the first one they had fought - that honor went to a Triceramon they had encountered in a small community garden already ravaged by the time they had arrived. It was, however, the most difficult, because it could fly, and it was fast, and it had allotted Pop no time whatsoever to evolve in order to fight; it had found them before they’d found it, ambushing them and immediately giving chase. They’d had no choice but to flee, not unless they wanted to end up on the wrong end of its claws or teeth.
So they were trying to stall instead, to wear it out enough to grant them an opening or maybe - as they just almost had - send it colliding with one of the already half-destroyed buildings around the city. Anything that could allow Pop to safely land, let Moxie get to safety, and evolve.
None of those things had happened yet.
“Coming in from the left,” Moxie said, tapping Pop’s neck gently, and the eagle dipped her head in a nod. Moxie was doing the best she could to be lookout for her partner, able to actually turn around to see what was behind them, and if she allowed herself a little grace, she’d saved them from taking the full brunt of Hisyaryumon’s attacks more than once.
Not that that really means anything when we’re not able to fight back.
She was keeping an eye on Ordinemon, too, far out in the distance, still hovering over the ocean. They hadn’t been able to go help when Quinn, panicked and sounding on the edge of a breakdown, had called everyone to arms. They’d been too preoccupied with Hisyaryumon. It had been maybe ten minutes since then, and each passing second had done nothing but feed the guilt and fear forming in Moxie’s heart.
They had more pressing matters at hand, but she couldn’t help but feel as if she was partly to blame.
Hisyaryumon was only an ultimate level (funny how ultimate levels were now “only” ultimate levels, when just two weeks ago, that was as far as any of the Digimon had ever evolved), but it was swift and powerful, deceptively difficult to handle, especially with Pop being underleveled.
“Underleveled”. Like this is some sort of video game.
To her credit, Pop was doing decently well. They hadn’t been hit by any of Hisyaryumon’s attacks since it had first appeared and scared the shit out of them, and if they kept this up, it was probably going to careen headfirst into a building eventually. But eventually wasn’t now, and Moxie knew Pop couldn’t keep this up forever, especially since the dragon matched her in speed and exceeded her in agility.
Sooner or later, Pop wouldn’t be able to dodge in time.
It would probably be easier for Pop to do something if Moxie wasn’t with her, but… her injuries from Bombermon had only flared up with all the recent activity, and walking for longer than a couple minutes at most was enough to flood her with pain. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she’d gone blind and deaf on her left side.
(Maybe she had, partially, but she had a job right now, so she didn’t really care about that.)
As such, she’d elected to ride on Pop’s back while they fled, rather than run through the eerily abandoned streets below, where she’d have to keep up with their inhuman speeds as well as try not to collapse from exhaustion and agony. It was better than letting Pop figure this out on her own - better than leaving Moxie open to attacks from any other manic Digimon that may be lurking in the shadows.
Pop had been hesitant at first - of course she had. She’d said Moxie didn’t have to be with her while she fought or fled, didn’t even have to try to keep up with her on foot; they could have found somewhere safe for Moxie to rest and wait while Pop dealt with the nearby emergents. Logically, Moxie knew that that would have been the best option. It was easier to let the Digimon do their work while the humans, fragile and easily killable as they were, remained out of sight and danger.
But it upset her in a way she couldn’t quite explain, the idea of being away from Pop while she threw herself into danger for the humans themselves’ sake. It felt indescribably weird to not be with her partner while she fought. They’d always been together during battles, even if Moxie had had to remain a couple dozen yards away so she wouldn’t get hit; why should that change now?
If we’re going to share pain while Pop’s evolved to mega anyway… why should I even bother hiding?
But Pop wasn’t in her mega stage right now, and none of the pain Moxie was feeling was anybody’s except her own. As Pop swooped low, just a couple meters over the tops of the buildings below, Moxie inhaled sharply and pressed a hand to her temples, trying to will back the migraine she felt steadily approaching. The entire left side of her body ached, and even the painkillers she’d taken earlier (stolen from an abandoned convenience store; Ko had made some sort of joke about it that she hadn’t understood) weren’t doing much to numb it.
When this is over, she told herself, the only thought she could manage at the moment. When Hisyaryumon is gone. I’ll get more. And I’ll sit and rest until the pain goes away. It… it’ll go away eventually.
“
“Hold tight,” Pop said, and Moxie obeyed, digging her hands deeper into Pop’s feathers. They both knew that attack by now; Hisyaryumon was more partial to the one where it launched itself at them, shaped like a dagger, but this one was the more dangerous of the two, and the harder to dodge. As always, the dragon roared loud and surged forth to reach Pop, swimming in a circle around her like a shark. As if in response to its movements, the air in the center of that circle began to whip fiercely, like a tornado summoned by its sheer will.
Pop tucked her wings in for a dive, hindered slightly by the buffeting wind, but she was able to dip below Hisyaryumon and escape the whirlpool relatively unscathed, if a little ruffled. Moxie suppressed a sigh and ran a hand through her hair, fruitlessly trying to smooth it back down.
Hisyaryumon had been acting… weirdly. The recent manic emergents they’d fought - the ones after Ordinemon had appeared - had all been mindless, paying no heed to the partners and gunning straight for Ordinemon as if there was nothing between them and him. They’d only been fighting when the partners tried to stop them from reaching him, and even then, it was only for as long as it took them to get the partners out of their path, as if they were nothing more than an obstacle in the way. Reports from the others had confirmed it; their days of snappy, wisecracking enemies were over, it seemed, replaced by empty husks serving no purpose other than to strengthen Ordinemon.
That was still true now, yes; there was nothing Ordinemon wanted nor needed from these Digimon other than their data. But Triceramon and Hisyaryumon - and, Moxie had a feeling, the emergents the others were dealing with currently - had been more focused on attacking Pop and Moxie than heading to Ordinemon. Triceramon had seemed to be waiting for them, and had dealt considerably less property damage than any other emergent they’d fought before (…other than what it’d done before they’d arrived); as for Hisyaryumon… well, it was still following Pop, even through all the twists and turns she was throwing its way, and it had ambushed them in the first place, akin to Triceramon.
Moxie wasn’t sure if this - dealing with intelligent, sentient Digimon that actively wanted to attack them - was better or worse than the zombie-like ones.
“
Hisyaryumon’s bellow cut off her train of thought, and she jerked upward, but not out of surprise or anything else - it was because Hisyaryumon clipped one of Pop’s wings as it blew past, enough to knock the bird off balance and send her careening through the air. Moxie tightened her grip on Pop’s neck, but it was too late. The damage had already been done. Though Pop narrowly managed to avoid plummeting to the street below, when she righted herself, she did not rise back into the skies as she usually did.
A glance over her shoulder was all Moxie needed to understand, and she swallowed hard to mask the sickening drop she felt in her stomach.
“I have to evolve,” Pop said, stating what Moxie already knew. “This can’t keep going forever. I’ll find somewhere that’ll give us some cover for at least a couple seconds.”
Moxie nodded, unable to muster words in response, and Pop took that as a good enough answer. She refocused her attention ahead of herself, eyes scanning the area around them; moments later, she dipped her head and angled slightly to the left.
It took barely three seconds for Pop to land gracelessly, nudge Moxie off her back and down an alleyway, and go up in a bright white glow, enveloping the world around Moxie. When it faded, she stood tall in her mega form, already aiming a golden arrow at the sky, where Hisyaryumon was fast approaching.
“
Pop wasn’t finished yet, and she was quick to holster her crossbow in exchange for flourishing one of her arms. “
Freyja rushed forward, circling Hisyaryumon as it struggled still to right itself. The tornado formed quicker than usual, consuming the dragon in a raging storm and flurry of lights. Its own roars melded with those of the whirlwind’s, disappearing beneath the raging storm as Freyja circled back to Pop’s arm, where the Valkyrie watched intently as her attack slowly faded.
“
Moxie grit her teeth, still hiding in the alleyway and only barely feeling better when she and Pop regained their breath. Her partner turned a scornful gaze upon the dragon, and she drew her sword, the blade glinting in the fake moonlight of the untouched street lamps around them.
“
One strike was all it took to knock Hisyaryumon down, cracking the road below with its weight. Ice traveled fast across its scales, mirroring the destruction it - no, Pop - had just caused and shining much like the weapon at fault.
With a mighty howl more befitting of a wolf than a reptile, it shoved itself up, shattering the ice covering its body and nearly knocking Moxie off her feet. She clutched tight to the brick wall in front of her, focusing only on Pop as she flicked her blade.
“
“
False knife met true blade, held with two hands against the dragon’s grinding jaws in a desperate attempt to hold it at bay. Pop’s foot slid backwards across the pavement, one inch at a time, and with a shout she wrenched her sword free and slashed out at Hisyaryumon as it barreled past -
But it didn’t matter, because its sheer size was enough to overshadow Pop and pin her to the ground, helpless beneath the dragon’s claws and eyes.
Moxie stepped out of the alleyway.
Hisyaryumon growled, digging its claws deeper into Pop’s flesh, and Moxie cried out, dropping to her knees and clutching her stomach. The pain shot through mercilessly, zigzagging about much like Hisyaryumon itself was so prone to, and she squeezed her eyes and mouth shut in a desperate attempt to contain the feeling.
It’s not real. This isn’t real. I’m not hurt. It’ll go away.
With her eyes closed, she didn’t get to see exactly how Pop wrenched herself free of the dragon’s grasp; she only felt the claws tear across her flesh and then let go completely, leaving her trembling and gasping for breath. She swallowed hard, almost too fiercely to hear Pop give one last cry of “
Moxie still didn’t open her eyes for a good few minutes. She only had the strength left to place her hands on the asphalt below, feeling all the sharp gravel and shallow divots embed themselves into her palms like a hot brand. The earth felt warm, like it was teeming with life, surviving through a heartbeat of its own.
Or maybe she was just running cold, her blood having long since turned to ice like Hisyaryumon’s scales. She didn’t know.
Only when she heard gentle footsteps approach her from behind did she open her eyes, but she kept them trained on the ground in front of her, gray and black and devoid of anything that may have connected it to Moxie. She sniffed, lifting one hand to wipe across her face, scattering pebbles across her lap.
Pop knelt down next to her and spread one wing to cover her, downy-soft feathers brushing gently enough across her skin to not be a deterrent. Most of the pain had faded by now, leaving on its own with time and rest rather than a devolution. Only the faint throbbing of her arm remained severe enough to warrant focus, and even then, that had become background noise too, something she’d already grown accustomed to over just the past eight hours.
“You’re not hurt, are you?” Moxie asked, pushing her voice far past its limit - it was only by sheer luck that she managed to avoid it cracking. “Other than… you know.”
“I’m fine,” said her partner, armor clinking quietly as she readjusted herself. For a few seconds she said nothing, and the two of them simply sat together, their racing minds and hearts slowing back to normal. Then, Pop sighed, and reached a hand over to place on Moxie’s leg, nearly engulfing it in size. “…Are you hurt?”
“No more than usual,” she said, and even managed a weak smile to prove her point. “I think it’s just your pain.”
“Well then,” Pop said, and with a flash of pink light, she shrunk down to her rookie form. Instantly Moxie let loose of a breath she hadn’t wanted to release, and Pop faintly smiled back.
Slowly, Moxie regathered her bearings, testing each limb in turn and making sure she wouldn’t immediately fall back down again. When she was confident she could stand, she scooped Pop into her grasp and pushed herself up… and then immediately dropped her partner when she moved her arm too quickly. She hissed and wrapped the opposite hand around the now-bleeding wound, and Pop, completely uninjured, hopped up to hover in the air beside her.
“…Well, maybe some of it was mine,” Moxie muttered, pulling her hand away to wipe it on her shirt. She bit the inside of her mouth and exhaled slowly, averting her gaze from Pop’s worried eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t need my arm to walk.”
“Walk where,” Pop asked, but the lack of upturn at the end made it clear it wasn’t really a question, so Moxie didn’t bother responding.
Instead, she turned to head back to the alley she’d hid in, the sound of Pop’s flapping wings following her in. With a sigh, she leaned up against the wall and slid down until she was sat on the ground, pulling her knees up against her chest and wrapping her arm around them. She didn’t care when it winced in protest, sending more blood down her skin to drip onto the concrete below, and instead just tipped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
Pop perched beside her, resting her head against Moxie’s legs. She tried to let that soothe her, both inside and out. The entire left side of her body felt numb, like nothing could really touch it properly, as if there was a layer of fabric between it and the rest of the world. She ran one hand along her ribs, faintly enough that she could barely feel it, then pulled her digivice out of her pocket and switched it on.
Colored dots were scattered across the map; a couple were gathered in a small huddle a couple miles away, in some sort of empty lot, it seemed, and there was one in particular alone out at the ocean, but the rest were all over. There were one or two Digimon that were within range enough for Moxie to thumb over and read; a MarineBullmon, which looked to be over near the river that Moxie hadn’t gotten the chance to visit but which Miguel and Flip had become quite familiar with, including right now, and Proganomon, located smack in the middle of downtown and contending with Castor and Bunny. She bit back a sigh and scanned around for anything else, but any other emergents that may be ravaging the city were too far out of range for her digivice to pick up, leaving a couple markers standing all on their lonesome like colorful north stars.
Moxie turned her digivice off, placed it face-down in her lap, and closed her eyes.
She and Pop rested there for a while longer, letting the silence of the city surround them completely. They said nothing; they did not move. All they needed was right here, with each other at their sides. Everything else in the world was irrelevant.
Slowly, Moxie’s soreness dulled, and the blood on her arm and hand dried. Despite this, she made no move to get up; if she moved, it might return, and she wasn’t really in the mood for that right now. Not when she was finally getting to rest properly for the first time in several days. Not when the pain was finally letting up.
…Mostly, at least.
I can still see, she reasoned with herself. I can still hear, sort of. Even if it’s not as well as I used to be able to… even if it still hurts… I’m not completely blind or deaf. I can still do what I need to do.
Eventually. After… a couple more minutes…
It was peaceful, almost, being able to accept her situation like this, where she was shut out from the world with only her partner anchoring her to it. No Digimon to hunt down and fight, no evacuations to assist with, no world-ending angel to face off against.
Just herself and her partner. That was all she needed.
Some time later, Moxie woke up.
She came to slowly, opening her eyes only once she felt ready and taking careful inventory of her body. Her neck felt stiff, a result of the poor position she’d been sleeping in, still nestled against the wall of the alleyway; her arm, on the other hand, gave her barely more than a prickling when she stretched it out, seemingly having recovered for the time being. She didn’t stand up immediately - she didn’t fully trust her legs - and so instead she looked around for Pop, and found her standing guard at the entrance of the alley.
…Maybe not standing guard, really, because her eyelids kept fluttering closed, as if she were fighting off sleep like it was a manic Digimon. When Moxie breathed out quietly, though, they snapped right open, and her head turned to look at her.
She said nothing, simply furrowed her brow slightly, and then she headed to Moxie’s side.
“How long was I out?” Moxie murmured, placing a hand on her head, and Pop pressed against it.
“I don’t know. Maybe an hour. Not that long.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
“A little.” When Moxie frowned, Pop shook her head, placing a wing on her leg and glancing up at her. “I’m alright. I’m not that tired, really. You just… looked like you needed the rest.”
Again, Moxie breathed out, reclining slightly and letting her head bump against the bricks behind her. She had no further response, because there was nothing to say. Nothing to argue.
I just wish I’d slept in a better position.
She pushed herself up carefully, making sure she had her digivice (still in her pocket) and her bearings, then gestured for Pop to hop on her shoulder. The bird tilted her head, and Moxie smiled.
“We can walk for a little bit. The exercise’ll do me good. And you deserve the rest, too.”
Pop, likewise, had nothing to argue, and she relented easily, lifting into the air and alighting as gently as she could. It was lucky that Moxie’s uninjured shoulder was the one Pop usually perched on; there was something claustrophobic about having her dominant arm occupied and unusable, and so she liked it to be as free as possible.
It was also somewhat claustrophobic to have it torn open and covered in blood.
I think it’ll be fine. Hopefully.
They set off toward what Moxie could only pray was their new camp, where that little cluster of dots was situated. At some point, Pop would need to evolve to carry Moxie the rest of the way - it was too far to make it entirely on foot - but a short walk would be nice. Anything to give Moxie some sense of normalcy amidst everything else that was going on.
Anything to distract her from the dark wings blotting out the sky.
She still didn’t know what had happened between Elijah and Ordinemon - what they had spoken about, why the angel had attacked, if Elijah was still alive. Ezra hadn’t been able to explain much when he’d called, for obvious reasons, and Moxie had not spoken to anyone since.
She found it hard to think of Ordinemon as anything other than the terror he was now. The idea that he’d been a partner once, saving the world alongside a group of humans so much like her own, was something she’d struggled to reconcile with ever since they’d discovered the truth of his past. How could anyone, Digimon or human, who had saved the world in the past be so intent on now destroying it?
It made her head hurt when she thought about it too much. So she didn’t.
She focused instead on walking. It had been difficult to keep her balance ever since the Bombermon attack, especially in motion; it felt like something deep within her had been thrown off-kilter, something she didn’t even know the name of and had no hope of correcting. Maybe it was the faint loss of hearing and vision that she still didn’t want to acknowledge; maybe it was the dull pain that constantly throbbed through half her body; maybe it was something mental. Whatever it was, she hated it.
If I hadn’t trusted her so blindly…
So intent on putting one foot in front of the other was she that she didn’t immediately realize that her digivice was beeping. It took Pop nudging her slightly to take her attention away from walking, and then it took a couple more moments for the sound to finally register in her mind. She looked down at her digivice, revealing it to be a ring from a group call initiated by Quinn; she hesitated for two seconds, then accepted.
“Wait, what -” said Alex from his end, echoed likewise by more sounds of confusion and concern from the others, and Moxie frowned, stopping in her tracks. She didn’t have to wait long for an explanation, though, because Quinn was quick to jump in.
“You heard me,” she said, and if Moxie were in any better mental state she’d say that actually she hadn’t. It didn’t matter, because Quinn (supposedly) repeated herself. “Stay away and leave this to us. I don’t - we’re dealing just fine. Don’t come help us. We’ve got everything under control.”
“Hang on, what?” came the familiar voice of Damien, something hidden in his tone by the compression of the digivice’s speaker. “Are you serious? We’re not going to just leave you to take down Ordinemon on your own, we’re a team -”
“Do I make myself clear?” Quinn snapped, and surprisingly, Damien did not retort. That on its own would have been enough to send a chill down Moxie’s spine, but what Quinn was saying was more of an issue. “Deal with the emergents. Take care of Elijah. Make sure none of you die. That’s your job as a team right now. I am none of your concern.”
More protests went up, spearheaded by Alex and Damien and Azure’s voices, but they melded into each other, indistinguishable. She shook her head out, squeezing her digivice tighter as if that would solve everything. Words clamored in the air between her and the speaker, the colors on the screen swirling into a rainbow of worries and arguments, much like they did in Moxie’s mind, flooding her with visuals she couldn’t make heads or tails of -
“I’ve got this under control,” Quinn said again, then hung up and ended the call.
Moxie breathed out and started walking again, heading still toward that blue dot on the map.
For several long minutes, neither she nor Pop said anything. Her head was still buzzing, Quinn’s words echoing painfully throughout, and it was all she could manage to just keep walking.
It might also have been because she didn’t know what to say aloud about it.
What the hell happened with Ordinemon and Elijah…?
She doesn’t really think we’re going to leave her alone, right? There’s no way. We’re a team. We’re going to take him down together. Does she think we’re not strong enough?
Or… is it something else?
“When we get back to the others,” Pop said gently, “we can figure out what to do. We’ll make a plan. We’ll be okay.”
But will Quinn? cried Moxie’s brain. Will Alpha? Will they be okay?
“Yeah,” said Moxie’s mouth, tongue dry and leaden. “We’ll figure it out.”
They’d figure it out together. They didn’t have any other choice.
There were no more calls from Moxie’s digivice, no more cries for help, no more warnings to stay away. It remained quiet and still in her hands, glowing faintly with the light of the map, gray and white lines broken up by the colorful marks of her friends. She panned around to check on the off-screen ones every so often, just to make sure they were still there. Her eyes were drawn to the yellow dot most of all, on the opposite side of town from her, closer to the ocean and the black circle. A few times it inched toward it, then turned and headed away, only to repeat the process a couple minutes later. It seemed he was as conflicted about the situation as Moxie was.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
At least, not right now. Maybe soon, when Moxie got back and he got back and everyone else got back, they could come up with some plan, a course of action, a rescue mission to save Quinn and fight Ordinemon together the way they were supposed to. There’d be no more space between them, no more miles of destruction and emptiness blocking them off from each other. They’d be together again. They’d be as one.
That’s what we’re supposed to be, after all.
A few times, Moxie stumbled, or tripped, or her vision blurred and mind went fuzzy for a couple seconds, and Pop had to help her get back on her feet, whispering gentle words of encouragement and reassurance. Every time it happened it felt like a part of herself was breaking away. This isn’t supposed to be happening is what she told herself after each incident; I’m supposed to be fine and healthy and perfectly capable. I can walk, and see, and hear, and it’s easy. This is supposed to be easy.
She stabbed the thoughts deep into the walls of her head, trying to imprint them on her skull so she couldn’t forget them, so she could trick herself into obeying them. If she believed them hard enough, maybe her body would too.
She didn’t ask Pop to evolve and carry her; she didn’t ask for help, even when the look on Pop’s face made it obvious that she wanted her to. Instead she squared her shoulders and Pop perched on her arm again and she kept walking, eyes trained on her digivice and mind fixed on her feet. Left foot, right foot. One step, another step. Keep walking. Don’t lose focus. I can do this.
It hurts so much.
She simply pushed through it. Once she got to the others, she’d be able to sit and rest, maybe even sleep again if she was lucky. Ren’s mandala would ease the pain. Harmony’s tender hands would bandage her wounds.
It probably meant nothing that even the mere prospect of being able to sit with Harmony made her feel warm inside in a way she hadn’t in ages.
They were only a couple miles away from camp when Moxie’s digivice went off once again.
It was not the ring of a call; it was the ping of an emergent coming into view on the radar, a sound she’d grown used to both hearing and dreading, one she heard even in her dreams. Two weeks ago, she would have been flooded with worry and panic; now, all she felt was defeat and resignation. Similarly, all it took was a glance exchanged with Pop for her partner to hop off her shoulder, evolve to champion, and gather Moxie onto her back so they could set off.
Moxie directed the way, leading them further east than their original trajectory. Tapping on the marker provided no information, just those three ever-frustrating question marks. Whatever this Digimon was was something they had not encountered before.
Maybe it’s a champion level, she tried to reassure herself. Maybe it’ll be like Triceramon. Maybe Pop will be able to corner it and take it out without any struggle.
…Or maybe it’ll be like Hisyaryumon, and it’ll take fifteen minutes and another wave of blood to defeat.
Getting closer proved that it was more likely to be the latter than the former; there was a wake of destruction heading in the same direction as they were, left behind by whatever Digimon they were about to encounter, but it didn’t seem to be from trampling. It looked more as if some massive snake had slithered down the streets, tail whipping about to smash and crumble the buildings around it - but there was clear evidence of massive gunshots, too, scattered throughout the area with wild abandon.
When a roar echoed from up ahead, Moxie stuffed her digivice into her pocket and held tighter to Pop’s feathers as she zoomed forward.
Turning a corner revealed the Digimon to them, and Pop had to flare her wings out to come to a stop before crashing into its side. It didn’t notice them immediately, thank god, which gave Pop enough time to make a hasty landing and shuffle Moxie off her back. As the eagle began to glow, Moxie pulled her digivice back out and aimed it at the massive gray-blue dragon.
“Gigadramon,” the computerized voice told her, just as Pop emerged from the light and brought her hands together to form an energy ball. “Ultimate level cyborg Digimon. As a combat dragon that was armed to the teeth by further remodeling, its existence is the epitome of a fiendish computer virus.”
Well, isn’t that cute, Moxie thought bitterly. The dragon still had not noticed Pop, heading further down the road with its white eyes trained fiercely on the dark figure of Ordinemon in the distance. Its tail, indeed, was lashing recklessly behind it, taking out street signs and abandoned cars and the walls of surrounding buildings, and every so often it would lift one of its gun-arms to fire a blast at something nearby, but it paid no attention to either of the newcomers.
At least, until Pop cried out “
It roared, shaking the street and air around it and nearly knocking Moxie off her feet. Instantly it whipped around to face Pop, snarling and dripping saliva from its jaws. She grit her teeth and bounced on her talons, clenching her fists and preparing to attack again.
Gigadramon lifted one arm, aimed the gun at her, and shouted “
It was unsettling, really, how the emergent Digimon had only been focused on getting to Ordinemon until he became really, truly enraged.
There were no gears whatsoever in Gigadramon’s attack. Instead, from the barrel of the gun emerged a missile-like creature, looking like a cross between a shark and a dog but with none of the appealing aspects of either, grinning with claws outstretched as it shot toward Pop.
When it struck her, it exploded like a bomb, and Moxie was so glad she was safely out of harm’s way, even if the resulting smoke and tremors managed to reach her. She coughed and waved a hand to dispel the clouds of smog, just in time to see Pop leap toward Gigadramon with a foot extended and a cry of “
She struck its metal helmet with a resounding clang and enough force to shove it backwards a good few meters, resulting in another roar. Gigadramon shook itself out, flicking its tattered wings and readying both its arms. Pop landed back on the ground and noticed immediately that it was aiming at her, so she darted forward again, dipping just below where it hovered in the sky to end up behind it. It growled and whirled around, but wasn’t able to readjust its aim in time before Pop formed another mass of energy and launched it in a blast at its face. “
“
When she did not stand up immediately, Gigadramon tilted its head toward Moxie and lifted one arm.
“
The other half of its cry didn’t register to her, because she was more focused on getting the fuck out of there. Despite having just seen that its projectiles were essentially heat-seeking, she couldn’t just stand there and let it get a clean shot. Not after what had happened with Bombermon. Not when the dragon was staring her down like that.
So she turned and booked it down the street, hoping that the missiles would smash into the ground behind her and reach her only with their shockwaves.
Thank god that was what ended up happening.
The force of their impact knocked her to the ground, and she fell flat onto the concrete, managing to shield her face just in time. She gasped for breath as the wind left her body, every bone aching with a dull tremor, and pushed herself up as quickly as she could. She wasn’t safe here - Gigadramon could attack again at any moment -
“
Bless Pop and her slightly-delayed timing; Moxie looked over her shoulder to see the energy sphere thrown directly into Gigadramon’s back, right between its wings, distracting it enough for it to turn and face Pop. It pulled its lips back in a snarl and lunged for her, both arms flexing their claws as it attacked again.
“
The claws clamped down around her body and she yowled, squirming desperately in an attempt to get free, but the grip was unrelenting. Gigadramon snarled and shook her around, then tossed her further down the road, where she collapsed in a heap once more. This time, she was able to push herself up - slowly, but steadily - and make to leap for Gigadramon again.
But Gigadramon, again, was faster, and turned on Moxie before she or Pop could react.
It pointed one gun at her, forcing her to stare down the pitch black barrel, and split its jaws open with a roar of “
The missile didn’t hit her straight-on. Pop managed to get up and jump onto Gigadramon’s back just as it fired, and it flailed around enough that its aim was altered. Still, though, the bullet creature shot toward Moxie, striking the ground just a few feet in front of her and cracking the ground. Chunks and shards of the road flew everywhere, and Moxie flung her arms up to protect her face.
One of those pieces of asphalt flew right into her arm - the uninjured one - and cut into her skin.
Other smaller fragments pelted her body, like pebbles thrown by unamused passersby, but she barely noticed them. All of her focus was on her arm and the gash left by the pavement, already dripping blood and aching as much as the other one had.
She didn’t even have it in her to scream, or cry out, or react in any way, verbal or not. She didn’t move from where she sat, completely out in the open and in Gigadramon’s direct line of sight. She just stared down at her arm, fear coursing through the blood that was slowly coating it and her vision and the ground below.
Ahead, Pop cried something unintelligible, and the world was flooded with white light. When it cleared, she instantly readied her crossbow, aiming at Gigadramon’s eyes. “
The bolt and Freyja struck the center of Gigadramon’s helmet with an explosion of light, and it recoiled, roaring and thrashing about. Freyja looped back around to perch on Pop’s shoulder, and she drew her sword, dragging it along the ground as she approached the dragon slowly.
The scraping of steel against asphalt got its attention, and it ceased its struggles, growling low in its throat and staring her down. Moxie grit her teeth and stood up shakily, stepping gingerly toward the closest (non-destroyed) street lamp and clinging to it for stability. Gigadramon tilted its head slightly, and she froze, ice gripping her heart and wound.
But it was not focused on her. And it wasn’t focused on Pop, even as she drew ever-closer. It seemed unperturbed by it, in fact.
It crouched low to the ground, closed its eyes, and a moment later, was overtaken with a glitchy black aura.
The static engulfed the dragon, swallowing it whole like phantasmal jaws, but that was not the most concerning thing. It was still near the top of the list, but the ear-splitting screech that emitted from, it appeared, that same black glow was a bit more of an issue once it started up. Moxie hissed and hunched her shoulders up to her ears, unwilling to let go of the street lamp or risk straining her still-bleeding arm. Pop, likewise, backed away from the huddled dragon, brandishing her shield.
As the noise and darkness grew in intensity, the Digimon grew in size.
It’s evolving.
The how and why of its evolution brought up a whole slew of questions and worries, but Moxie didn’t have time to examine any of them before the glow and sound disappeared in a blink and the new Digimon shook the air with a bellow.
It had barely formed fully before it was rounding on Pop, aiming its brand new lance-gun right at her and charging it. She spread her wings in a hurry, scattering a couple stray feathers that fizzled away into data, and stared up at the Digimon.
“
Like a flash, she leapt into the sky, vaulting over the projectiles and diving straight toward the dragon’s face. “
She landed deftly beyond it as it roared and shook itself out, injured but undeterred by the attack, and it whipped around to point its spear at her once more.
“
With her less-injured arm, Moxie pulled her digivice out and aimed it at the Digimon, dreading what it was about to tell her.
“Darkdramon. Mega level cyborg Digimon. It seems that on the verge of its evolution, a large quantity of ‘dark matter’ was applied, which causes it to run wild.”
Yep. Goddamnit. What the hell was a mega level doing here? How had a mindless manic Digimon managed to evolve seemingly on a whim? Much less an ultimate Digimon evolving? The amount of strength it required, the sheer willpower that was needed… Natural mega levels were not unheard of, but as far as Moxie knew, the only ones who could evolve to that level on command were the partner Digimon - and, potentially -
Ordinemon.
…That’s what that bastard has been doing.
Alpha had been right all along.
There was no chance to dwell on it - not like she would’ve liked to anyway - because as soon as Pop was out of the way, tossed aside by Darkdramon’s jab, the dragon rounded on Moxie, growling as the eye-like spots on its gun-lance began to glow.
“
Somehow, the panic that shot through her was enough for her to (finally) get to her feet and get the hell out of the way. Twin beams of light shot forth from the eyes, incinerating the ground where she had just been standing, and they followed her slowly but surely as she ran - right toward Pop. Her partner jolted back in surprise as Moxie practically crashed into her, moving to spread her wings and shield her from whatever Darkdramon would do next.
Panting and barely hanging onto sanity, Moxie looked up at Pop, with something wild in her gaze, she knew.
“Let me on.”
“What?” Pop said, even though they could both hear Darkdramon behind them preparing another attack. Even without eyes, Pop frowned, her mouth curling downward in disagreement. “Do you want to get us both killed? That’ll make us both an easier target -”
Realization clicked into place, it seemed, and Pop bit her lip. She glanced up at Darkdramon for a brief moment, then exhaled and nodded, kneeling down to scoop Moxie onto her shoulder. She settled in easily, wrapping one arm around the back of her head and holding tight to her bicep with the other, just as they had when facing Ordinemon.
“This restrains me to only using ranged attacks, you know,” Pop remarked sidelong, but even as she said it, she was readying her crossbow.
Moxie nodded, watching Darkdramon carefully. “Probably best for both of us.”
With a huff of a laugh, Pop let the arrow loose, and Freyja stormed forward to chase it, keening a war cry as they went. “
It screeched in pain and annoyance, shaking its entire body and smashing a couple buildings with the thrash of its tail.
As soon as Freyja had returned to Pop’s other shoulder, Darkdramon took a seething breath in and raised its arm to aim at girl and Valkyrie - but mostly the former. “
It’s focused on me, not Pop. It’s only fighting her because she’s in the way.
So if I’m next to her, then she’ll always be in the way, and she’ll have an easier time fighting back - and protecting me.
As predicted, the energy bullets were aimed at Moxie, and she threw her unoccupied arm up to shield her face, ignoring the painful protests it gave her in response. It wasn’t necessary, though - Pop was quick to move her wings and shield to deflect most of the bullets, with only one or two making it past her defenses. They both winced as they struck, and while Moxie looked down to make sure she didn’t have any new gaping wounds (nope, just a hit where the asphalt had torn her arm open), Pop flung an arm out to usher Freyja forth.
“
Freyja let loose a cry and swooped away as soon as the winds and lights had formed, sending the attack on a straight course toward Darkdramon. It roared and retreated a few steps, but wasn’t deterred yet; quickly it readied its lance as the eyes began to glow once more.
“
“Hold tight,” Pop said, and Moxie did as instructed while her partner loaded her crossbow. “
The arrow struck the space between the eyes, knocking the lance slightly off course and sending the beams of light into the sky like reverse comets. Darkdramon was entirely unamused, and decided the best course of action was to rush toward Pop with a shout of “
For several minutes the fight continued; Darkdramon focused mostly on Moxie, and paid very little attention to Pop save for when she really pissed it off, but the Valkyrie was able to protect Moxie from the worst of the blows. An energy pellet struck her in the legs once or twice, and every time Pop took a hit Moxie felt it just the same, but for the most part she was relatively unscathed. Pop did not relent with her attacks, firing arrow after storm at Darkdramon endlessly and always prepared to counter its own moves.
It seemed almost as if the battle would never end, and Darkdramon would keep them locked in this loop forever - but it was growing tired, Moxie could tell. With a snarl it prepared its gun, aiming this time at Pop after she had flung it aside with a tornado, and opened its mouth wide to cry out.
Pop, whose crossbow had already been loaded, aimed at its face and fired. “
The arrow shot forward, smooth and unerring, straight into Darkdramon’s open maw.
For a second there was nothing; no movement nor sound nor any other reaction from it. It did not let loose its attack. It did not close its mouth.
Until golden energy erupted from its jaws and it slumped to the ground with a defeated roar, pain etching itself into every sound wave.
Pop touched down gently, wings still spread wide. Moxie tightened her grip on her shoulder, watching Darkdramon intently, unwilling to take her eyes off of it.
Is that it?
She - well, Pop - had only fought and defeated one mega level Digimon before. They had not remained for the end of the Belphemon fight; Ordinemon was far above mega level, and they had not defeated him yet. Lucemon was, to this day, the only mega level they’d faced and emerged victorious against.
It had been a Demon Lord, and significantly stronger than this mindless Darkdramon, but…
Pop stepped forward, readying an arrow once more. Darkdramon took shaky, unsteady breaths in; Pop eyed it warily, her fingers tightening around the crossbow.
On her other shoulder, Freyja tilted its head, then let loose a short screech, and Darkdramon surged upward, wings flaring out and teeth glinting and eyes snapping to focus on Moxie -
“
That was all it took to down the dragon for good.
It fell unceremoniously, collapsing into itself as its energy wings fizzled out and all the yellow lights along its body flickered. Without another sound, it began to glitch and distort, then faded into pixels, floating upward toward the darkened sky.
Instantly Pop knelt low, pulling Moxie down into her arms and running a hand along her body. Moxie closed her eyes, letting the adrenaline flow out of her body and instead be replaced by relief.
“Are you alright?” Pop asked, echoed quietly by a chirp from Freyja, and Moxie managed a smile.
“I…” She shook her head gently, touching her temples for a second as if she could feel the forming headache through her skin. “I’ve… felt better.” She didn’t want to say aloud that most of the pain was likely from Pop; still, she knew that some of it was from both her arms, not to mention the ringing in her ear and the dull ache creeping over the left side of her body.
Will I ever be able to feel normal again?
Pop, seemingly satisfied, stood up properly, adjusting her hold on Moxie. “It’s time for some rest. If you navigate, I’ll bring us the rest of the way to camp.”
“You sure you can keep going?” Moxie asked, and Pop smiled.
“I’ll be just fine. Better me than you, mm?”
No arguing with that, I suppose.
So Moxie - with a bit of difficulty, considering her position - retrieved her digivice and once more opened the map. With the correct directions, Pop took to the air, being careful to hold Moxie tight.
It wasn’t that different from when she’d been carried during the most recent Ordinemon fight, when they’d led him to the ocean. He’d fired at Ko, but he’d dodged out of the way, leaving the beams of light to travel unfettered directly toward Pop - who hadn’t been so lucky. She’d taken most of the hit, but the attack had grazed Moxie’s arm, shielding her face, and sliced it right open.
There’d been so much blood that she’d nearly thrown up.
Now, though, the only blood in her vision was drying on her other arm, circling the gunshot and flaking away whenever Moxie touched it. It sickened her to think about it, but whatever Darkdramon’s bullets were made of had been enough to faux-cauterize the injury, resulting in far less blood loss than usual. Thank god, because Moxie didn’t know how much more she could afford to lose.
“Your idea,” Pop said, drawing Moxie’s attention, “was actually quite smart. I knew Darkdramon was focused on you, but my plan would have been to simply repeatedly put myself between you and it. Which likely would not have worked in the long run.”
She looked down at Moxie, still cradled in her arms, and something on what little was visible of her face softened. “Your plan was a risk. I’m still not comfortable with you being in such direct danger. But… it’s a risk I’m glad we took.”
Even despite herself, Moxie smiled.
The rest of their journey was easy; no more emergents cropped up, no more distress calls startled them off course. The pain was slowly easing its way out of Moxie’s body, or at least most of it was. All things considered, she was feeling much better, even with a brand new gaping hole in her arm and the gash in her other arm torn wide open and half her body constantly aching.
All I need is some rest. I’ll be perfectly fine afterward. I’m sure of it.
But as Pop flew, wings flapping gently in the wind, Moxie couldn’t help from feeling an odd sort of guilt.
Empty buildings. Abandoned streets. Signs of ruin wherever she looked, whether minor or major. People should be there. People should be going through their day - night - what time even was it? - normally. They should be able to see the sun. They shouldn’t have to worry about any of what they were no doubt worrying about, wherever they were after having left behind their homes and the city they belonged in.
None of this should be happening.
But it was. And it had to. They had to save the world, after all.
I agreed to this for a reason.
It hurt to see just how much pain and destruction had been brought forth by Ordinemon’s appearance and their struggles against him; damage caused by both the angel and the monsters battling valiantly to end his terror. They were not blameless in this. Displaced civilians, broken homes, a city that would never be the same - how much more would it take? How much longer did they have to fight?
But…
We have to save the world.
The good they would do - the good they were doing - would far outweigh whatever would happen to the world if they just let it be. If they gave up and let Ordinemon do as he pleased, if they decided this wasn’t worth it, that they were doing more harm than good… before long, there would be nothing left. No ground to stand on. Nothing - nobody - to fight for.
We’re the only ones who can do it.
Moxie had always known there was a reason she and Pop had met. She’d always wanted to do something with the cards she’d been dealt. Something that would mean something.
And now she was.
I’m going to keep fighting until I can’t anymore. Until the world is saved and I’ve done my job. I promise.
For Pop, and for Damien, and Bumble, and everyone else. For the real world. For the Digital World.
And… for mom and dad.
I promise.
It wasn’t long before Moxie was able to spot the group down below without the help of her digivice; indeed, they had set up inside an empty lot, piles of dirt and cinder blocks stacked haphazardly in one corner and a huddle of children and monsters placed in another. Pop angled downward, lowering herself to the ground just outside the chain link fence shielding them from the rest of the world.
She placed Moxie down, keeping a hand on her shoulder as she gingerly tested her legs so that she wouldn’t fall over. Once confident she could walk, Moxie gave a nod, and Pop devolved in a flash, ruffling her feathers.
They entered the lot, asphalt and concrete turning to dirt and gravel under their feet. Moxie noticed that Azure and Ko, who were part of the group that had assisted Elijah, were gone - come to think of it, the teal dot on her digivice had been elsewhere, too, likely taking care of emergents. In their place were Ryan and Dare, sitting off to the side and talking quietly as they ate from a bag of some snack. Elijah was there too, of course, leaning against the fence with his eyes closed and hands folded in his lap, and Quinn and Alpha were… well… but everyone else who should be there was accounted for.
Including, now, Moxie and Pop.
Something blue flashed in the corner of her vision, and she turned to see Harmony waving her over with both arms. Ignoring the warm blossom that formed in her chest, Moxie headed over, Pop hopping along behind her.
“Sit down,” were Harmony’s first words to her, and as always, Moxie obliged her. The shorter girl’s eyes trailed over both her arms, something sparkling within, and she turned to grab what Moxie could only assume were her medical supplies, digging into her backpack.
…Her backpack?
“What,” Moxie said, sort of dumbfounded, and Harmony tipped her head but didn’t pull away from the bag. “How did you get that? Wasn’t it left at -”
“Ryan and Dare,” Harmony explained, finally satisfied with what she’d managed to procure. She beckoned Moxie to extend both her arms and immediately set to dabbing at them with alcohol wipes, smiling faintly as Moxie hissed. “They stopped by the motel on their way here and broke in and got our bags. Well, most of them, they weren’t able to carry all ten, but we got the medical supplies and some food and water. Plus -”
Harmony pulled away to rummage in her backpack again, letting Moxie sit with the discomfort of having both her arms stretched outward, before she returned with the small clay figurine of Ren. “Our good luck charm. Don’t let Ren see it, though, I told her that we left it behind. It makes her really embarrassed so I’m just pretending I don’t have it anymore.” She set it down in between the two of them, patting it once on the head, then returned to cleaning Moxie’s injuries.
“I’m sure it’ll bring us favor in the battles to come,” Moxie said, and Harmony giggled, cheeks flushing pink.
“Well, even aside from that, it’s nice to have some supplies. Anna and Bunny should be here soon, too, they went out to look for food. Probably not a great idea to send them out to commit some casual B&E, but whatever, this is the end of the world we’re talking about. That’s a petty crime committed to what we’ve already done and are still yet to do.”
“Please don’t make me think about that.”
While Harmony tended to Moxie - so delicately that Moxie almost allowed herself to think there was something else between them - they exchanged stories of what they’d been up to. Moxie told her of the Triceramon, and Hisyaryumon, and Gigadramon-turned-Darkdramon fights; Harmony joked about it being a very scaly night for her, then shared what had happened with Elijah, at least from what she’d seen. Ezra had said he’d baited Ordinemon into attacking, out of a flurry of complicated emotions, and had only survived because of Ren’s mandala (and the fact that, somehow, Ordinemon had not hit any vital organs). They’d brought him here, the nearest empty space where they could set up a temporary camp while they waited for whatever would happen next. Harmony and Ren had been keeping a watchful eye on him ever since.
He was alive, but gravely wounded.
“And Quinn -?” Moxie asked, dropping her voice low just in case. A feeling akin to hope was building in her heart, about to bloom like a flower of optimism. Perhaps she had said something to the group on the beach, something that would put meaning to the call she’d gathered them all in, a reason why she was out there alone, unwilling to accept their help.
But Harmony shook her head and the flower wilted instantly. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground, fingers bundling in the roll of gauze she held. “She said… they’d stay and fight. That was all she said. Just that… we had to leave, and she and Alpha were going to fight, and that that was an order. And then she ran.”
“That’s delusional,” Moxie said, her own hands curling into fists. “Alpha can’t take Ordinemon on his own. None of the Digimon could. We’re… we’re a team.”
“She’s scared,” Harmony whispered, and Moxie closed her eyes. “Elijah saw it before we did. I… I didn’t even realize until he…” She sniffed and took a deep breath. “I guess… we never really stopped to think how she feels about all this.”
Moxie shook her head. “I’m scared too, that’s why I’m not going to run off to fight Ordinemon alone. I just…” She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the urge to press a hand to her face.
None of it makes any sense.
“…I mean,” Harmony mumbled, “it’s not like we’re going to let them. Right? Once we’re rested and we have a plan… we’re going to go help them, yeah? We can’t just let them…”
“Of course we will,” Pop said, fluffing herself up. She’d been silent for a while, sitting with her eyes closed and taking the time to recover, but now her face was adorned with much the same worry Moxie herself was feeling. “All of us. We’re going to defeat Ordinemon together. We can’t let just one person get all the credit.”
Moxie knew Pop didn’t really think that was the reason they were out there all alone. She was joking, trying to ease the tension that had settled over them. Even if it wasn’t very clever, even if Moxie didn’t find it very funny… at least she was confident that they’d get back out there soon.
Just a little while longer. We’ll all be together again before long.
Harmony sat back, finished with her care of Moxie, and called Ren over; she was standing off to the side in her mega form, staff held tight and mandala glowing softly upon the ground. When she reached the three of them, she dropped to one knee and tapped her staff against the dirt.
“
“You’re still at risk of reopening them if you strain yourself,” Harmony was in the middle of explaining, cutting into Moxie’s amazement. “So just take it easy for a little bit, okay?”
Something struck Moxie. “Is Elijah okay without -”
“He’s fine,” Ren said, dipping her head closer. “He’s been stitched up, however unprofessionally, and he’s not losing any more blood. My mandala was simply to ease his pain, but he insisted that he’s fine without it. I’m testing that claim. Besides.” She looked over her shoulder, at where Elijah still leaned against the fence, his eyes closed in either slumber or contemplation. “If it comes down to it, you can sit next to him and I can assist you both.”
“Well, thank you,” Moxie said, smiling. Ren simply exhaled quietly and looked away; Moxie had a feeling that if her cheeks were visible, they’d be red.
“I heard you talking about Quinn,” she said then, changing the subject quite abruptly - Moxie, Harmony, and Pop all blinked in surprise, and Ren was quick to continue. “We will be returning soon. But only once everyone is finished with their emergents, and we’re certain there won’t be any more, and you all have had the chance to rest. Even if it takes hours or days, we will not face Ordinemon until everyone is ready.”
“We can’t leave Quinn and Alpha on their own out there,” Moxie insisted, clenching her fists again - this time, there was no pain to reprimand her, and so she let her nails dig into her palms. “One Digimon against Ordinemon doesn’t stand a chance. I don’t know what she said to you, but we can’t just -”
“I’m not happy about it either,” Ren cut in. “Perhaps less so than you, considering I’m one of the ones actually fighting. If it were up to me, I would have left hours ago to rejoin them. But I am needed elsewhere -” she nodded down at Moxie, who bit her lip “- and only one extra Digimon against Ordinemon would not make a difference.”
“…I know,” Moxie said, forcing the words out of her mouth like a bitter flavor. “I know. We need to be smart. I just… can’t help but think of what happened to them the first time we were separated from them…”
“Leave them be.”
Moxie frowned, looking over at Elijah to meet his gaze. He raised one brow, his eyes sweeping over her and the other three, before they fluttered shut and he smiled humorlessly. “Making bad decisions comes with the territory. They’ll be fine.”
“They’re going to get themselves killed,” Moxie said. “They can’t handle everything on their own. Doesn’t matter how hard they try, it’s just not possible. Not against that.”
If Elijah was upset at his partner being referred to as a ‘that’, he didn’t show it. Instead, he sighed and pushed his glasses up with a knuckle, hand clutching his digivice. “Someone once told me to never be the leader. The responsibility that comes with it, the guilt of it all… if someone gets hurt, that’s on you. You’ve failed at your job. You’re supposed to protect them. If you can’t do that, then what are you doing?”
“They haven’t failed -” Harmony started, but Elijah shook his head and she closed her mouth.
“Not yet. But if Pallas hurts or, god forbid, kills one of you… the only way he could do that is if you were out there fighting him. Conversely, the only way he can’t kill you… is if you’re not out there at all.” He smiled again. “A difficult situation indeed.”
Ah.
That’s what she’s scared of.
She’s pushing us away to protect us. She doesn’t want us to get hurt, so she’s taking the blow for us.
But… we’ve already been hurt so much. Not even just against Ordinemon. All the Demon Lords and other emergents… and our journey in the Digital World…
Ordinemon’s not any different just because he’s stronger. He can’t do any more than what we’ve already been through.
We all know that we’re putting our lives on the line. That’s the point. To act as the shield between Ordinemon and the rest of the world. The world we’re supposed to save.
And Quinn just wants to save us.
Moxie shook her head, running a hand through her hair. She glanced over at Elijah; he’d leaned back again, staring off into the distance as he fiddled with his broken digivice.
If not for the blood painting the front of his shirt deep red, there wouldn’t seem to be anything wrong with him.
Voices at the other end of the lot stole her attention, and she turned to see Bunny and Anna, having just arrived. Bunny set Anna down and devolved in a burst of light; immediately, the two backpacks she’d been carrying fell to the ground beside her, nearly crushing her beneath, and she jumped backward in panic to avoid them. Anna reached down to scoop her up while Ezra, who’d instantly hurried to greet them, grabbed the bags of food.
“Most of the emergents have been dealt with,” Bunny said, raising her voice to be heard by everyone in the lot as Ezra set to handing out food. “There’s… still a few left, but it looks like everyone out there is handling it. I think they should be back soon.”
“How’s Quinn?” Anna asked, and Moxie looked down at her feet.
Nobody else answered; there wasn’t any news to give. No one had spoken to her in the interim. She had not called them. Anna’s brow creased, but she nodded, clearly having expected the answer (or lack thereof).
“It’s okay,” Harmony said, putting on a smile, but it was shaky. “We’ll rejoin her soon. Once we’re all here.”
Ren nodded and rose to her feet. “All that’s left to do now,” she murmured, sweeping her gaze over everyone gathered, “is wait.”
It was not a silent wait, one spent in uncertainty and anticipation and fear of the future, nor was it an isolated wait, each of them split apart from each other by all of the feelings they shared. Instead, they gathered together, sharing food and stories and laughter and hope. They ate and drank and rested, and Harmony and Ryan and Ren tended to the hurt, soothing their worries and wounds. They called those still out in the field, making sure they were doing okay and reminding them to come back soon; they watched Quinn’s black dot on the map move ever so slightly back and forth, to and fro, and they kept her and Alpha in their thoughts.
It wouldn’t be long before they were reunited.
Ren devolved after a while, needing the break from sustaining her higher form, and to her relief and surprise, Moxie’s pain did not return as strongly. It was still present, lingering in the back of her mind and deep under her skin, but it was no longer a hindrance. She was able to walk around, and move her arms and legs, and though her left eye was still blurry and her left ear was still blocked, it was easy enough to manage around them. Ren promised she would evolve again if Elijah or anyone else needed her mandala, but he and everyone else insisted they would be fine, and that was enough to satisfy her. That, or the granola bars Ezra gave her.
Elijah for the most part stayed out of their gatherings, remaining where he sat against the chain fence. He ate the food they offered him and responded politely whenever they checked in on him, but he kept to himself whenever possible. A few times Moxie caught him staring down at his digivice with a blank expression; once or twice he wiped and pulled at his shirt, as if trying to wash out the blood stain, or maybe something else.
He was weak, for sure; he’d lost so much blood. Only some of it had seeped into his shirt - Moxie didn’t want to think about how much more was scattered across the shoreline somewhere. The light in his eyes, minimal even when they’d first met him, was all but absent now.
The mental toll that all of this must have taken on him…
He looked up and caught her staring, and she turned away.
Shortly after their unconventional dinner, once they felt rested enough, Moxie and Pop left for a walk. Moxie wanted to stretch her legs and get used to moving on her own again; Pop was feeling a little claustrophobic and just wanted some alone time with Moxie where they didn’t have to fight anything. They’d reassured everyone they wouldn’t be gone for long, and that they’d call if they ran into any trouble.
Harmony had held Moxie’s hands and made her promise to come back soon, and Moxie had tried her best to hide just how fast her heart was beating and how quick she was to agree.
Now, she stretched her arms up behind her head and closed her eyes as they turned a corner - and immediately stumbled into someone. She blinked and reeled back, holding her hands up in apology, to see Ryan standing just in front of her with Dare at his heels.
“Uh,” he said, demeanor changing almost instantly - he seemed almost nervous. He and Dare had left a bit ago on a walk of their own, and Moxie hadn’t thought anything of it; was he hiding something?
“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” she said. “Are you okay?” Whether from me bumping into him, or something else…?
He nodded rigidly. “Yes. I’m fine. Just, um. My arm.” He moved his opposite hand to wrap around it, putting on a strained look, as if pretending to be in pain. Down at his feet, Dare shot him a dirty look, but she said nothing, and he didn’t notice.
Moxie tilted her head quizzically, glancing from the injury in question to Ryan’s face, still uneasy. Is he hurt? “You should go talk to Harmony, then…?”
“No,” he said immediately, almost before she’d finished speaking, and she leaned back in surprise somewhat. He forced a smile, and, well, that really tipped her off that something was wrong, because she could count on one hand the times she’d actually seen him smile naturally, and this was not how he smiled. “I am fine. I’ll just, uh… I’ll have Ren…” He trailed off, looking down at the ground for a second, then shook his head and moved past her.
She turned to stare after him. “She can’t help with it,” she called, despite knowing it was probably useless. “She’ll just numb the pain, but if it’s -”
“Ignore him,” Dare muttered, and Moxie looked back down to her. The little dino perked her ears up and rolled her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips. “He’s lying to you. He’s not actually hurt.”
“So then what’s up with him?” Pop asked, frowning. “He got all weird as soon as he saw us. Did we do something?”
Again, Dare rolled her eyes. “No. He’s being dramatic. He’s just feeling weird ‘cause of Harmony stuff.”
…Huh?
“Did she…” Moxie started, then cut herself off, placing a hand on her head. It felt almost like a migraine was coming on, though it might just be confusion and stress battling together. “I’m just… is everything okay between them?”
Dare clicked her tongue and tipped her head to the side. “Technically yes. He just feels a little awkward around her now because of, well, you know.” She raised her eyebrows at Moxie, who stared blankly at her for a second.
Because of what? Did something happen? I thought they were friends, what could possibly…
And then realization struck.
“Wait, no,” Moxie spluttered, holding her hands up, but it was too late; Dare broke into a fit of giggles, tail sweeping up dirt and pebbles from where it lashed across the ground. “It’s not… I mean, nothing’s happened… we’re not…”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Dare said after she’d managed to compose herself. She grinned up at Moxie, who swore she felt her cheeks flush, and she pressed her palms to them to try to hide it. “Don’t worry, you’re fine. And so is he. He just doesn’t want to overstep, you know?”
“There’s nothing to overstep,” Moxie insisted.
“I’m sure,” Dare said again, and Moxie groaned. Dare gave one last snicker, then lifted her arms in a shrug, slowly brushing past Moxie to follow her long-gone partner. “He’s just had a lot on his mind over the past few months. Or maybe only three weeks. After all, we haven’t really been gone for three months, have we? Time isn’t real.”
She winked back over her shoulder at Moxie. “Wish you the best.”
With that, she swept away, the tip of her tail disappearing around the corner and leaving Moxie to stand in the middle of the sidewalk, still dumbfounded.
She looked down at her hands and thought of Harmony.
…Is it really that obvious…?
“Well,” Pop said after a long silence, startling Moxie somewhat. “I guess there’s your answer.”
“That’s not how I wanted anyone to find out,” Moxie grumbled.
“Oh, trust me,” Pop said dryly, her eyelids lowering halfway, “nobody’s just now ‘finding out’. You two are the only ones dumb enough to not already -”
“That’s enough,” Moxie grit out, doing just as Ryan had and forcing a smile onto her face. “We have a walk to take.” She held her arm out and nodded at her partner, who rolled her eyes goodnaturedly and lifted up to land on her shoulder.
They continued on, thankfully avoiding any more interruptions or mishaps as they went. They spoke a little, talking about the past few days and the fights they’d had and what was to come soon, but for the most part they were content in the silence and each other’s company, needing nothing more than the knowledge that they were together.
When they reached a small parking lot, empty save for one or two forgotten cars, they came to a stop in the center and sat down. From here, they could see all the way out to the ocean, however distant it was, barely more than a dark blur on the horizon, just like Ordinemon. It was hard to tell from so far away if he was moving or not, whether he was attacking someone or staying still.
I hope that, if he is fighting, Quinn and Alpha are okay.
There they stayed for a while. Moxie checked the time on her digivice, mostly out of curiosity, and found it was an hour she normally wouldn’t be caught dead to be awake at. It felt different now, though, and not just because she hadn’t had a real sleep schedule at all for the past two or three days. Dare was right; time wasn’t real.
“You know,” Moxie said eventually, rousing Pop from the sleepy daze she’d been in, “it’s weird. From where we are right now, staring out at him… it’s sort of motivating me even more to fight him.”
“That is weird,” Pop murmured, “because you're not the one who’s going to be fighting him.” Moxie giggled, and Pop closed her eyes in contentment. “I get it, though. I feel the same.”
She stood up, tucking her wings in and lifting her head toward Ordinemon. “I think… the distance is putting it into perspective a bit more. When we’re out there in the thick of it, right up against him, he seems… undefeatable. Like we’ll never in a million years manage to take him down. But now that I’m looking at him from far away, it’s like… I don’t know.” She looked down at her claws. “He’s… not really all that different from anything else we’ve ever faced. He’s stronger, yes, very much so, but… he’s not immortal.”
Moxie put her chin in her hands. “You’re sure of that?”
“I’m going to make sure.” Pop clenched a fist, staring fiercely at Moxie. “I’ve said it before, but… I’m not going to give up until we win. No matter how long or how much it takes. We will stop him. We will save the world. All of us.”
Moxie closed her eyes, fingertips curling against her cheeks. Yeah. She’d said that before. And, just like before… she was right.
I never really expected to do something like this. To go on a journey this… long and arduous. I have to save the world. Not just me, but… I’m part of it.
And not just one world. Two worlds.
One that I barely consider myself part of anymore… and the other that doesn’t consider me part of it.
I never thought I’d be back here. I never wanted to. If I hadn’t agreed to any of this, I don’t know if I ever would have.
But…
She looked out at the sky, at the heavy clouds that had not disappeared since Ordinemon’s appearance. It was something she hadn’t really considered until now - something she hadn’t had the time, or will, to consider. Was she happy that she’d joined this journey? That she’d been pulled back into this world, where there was nothing and no one waiting for her? The world that had abandoned her, and in turn been abandoned?
She didn’t know what would happen after all of this was over. Deep in her heart, she knew she couldn’t return to the Digital World, to that house on the plains she loved so dearly. As much as it made her chest ache to admit it, that world was not her home. It never really had been. It was just somewhere to escape to.
I have to stay.
I’ll deal with everything. I’ll do it all on my own, if it’s too much for Damien. But we have to do something about it. We can’t keep running away. Not after all this.
She closed her eyes.
Mom, dad… if you could see me now, I hope you’d be proud of me. I’ve tried to be good. I’ve done it all for you.
I’m going to save the world for you. I promise.
For hours, she and Pop sat in that parking lot. They spoke here and there, noting whenever Ordinemon moved enough to warrant it, checking the radar every so often to see how the others still in the city were faring. Mostly, they just sat in silence, just as they had on the way there, just as they had so many times in the past. It was comfortable, really. There was no need to break that silence; it was enough to just be there with her partner, watching the same sky, preparing for the same future.
Eventually Pop got up to fly around, wanting to scout the area and check on the group back at camp to see how they were doing. Moxie’s digivice revealed that almost everyone was done dealing with their emergents; only a couple markers remained scattered throughout the city. Pop promised to return before long with, hopefully, good news, as well as some food and water. Moxie bid her farewell, watching her take off and disappear into the lightening sky.
She was left alone to stare out at the ocean through that gap in the buildings. Ordinemon had moved where she couldn’t see him fully anymore, only one of his wings, obscured by the city and distance and fog. His feathers were curled just enough to reflect a few rays of light from the morning sun, rising slowly behind Moxie.
It was the first time the sun had been visible since he’d first appeared, just a few days ago. It was strange that it had only been that long. It felt like it’d been years.
But the sun, shining brilliantly and slowly warming the world around her, gave Moxie a little bit of hope.
Things won’t be like this forever.
It wasn’t long before she heard footsteps approaching from behind, and she turned to see Harmony drawing closer, lifting a hand to wave as they locked eyes. She came up next to Moxie and closed her eyes, turning her face toward the ocean.
“Just wanted to check on you,” she said, answering Moxie’s unvoiced question. “…And, okay, maybe I missed you.”
“I haven’t been gone that long,” Moxie said, holding back giggles, and Harmony smiled faintly.
“Maybe not. It doesn’t matter either way. I still missed you.”
A beam of sunlight hit her cheek, lighting up her face, and Moxie melted.
She stood up, taking her place beside Harmony, and the two of them stared out at the ocean together. The light emanating from behind them slid over Ordinemon’s wings and the ocean beneath him, glittering and sparkling in a way Moxie hadn’t seen in days. It had been far too long.
Slowly, bit by bit, things were getting better.
It’s beautiful.
Harmony leaned against Moxie, brushing their arms together. A smile curled her lips, and she glanced up at Moxie, eyes practically glowing.
“Could you hold my hand?”
Moxie didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. She just slipped her fingers into Harmony’s, and Harmony squeezed back, tightening their hold on each other. Neither of them spoke. They barely even looked at each other. They didn’t need to; they just held each other and watched the ocean.
It almost felt like a dream. But it wasn’t: it was real. It was happening. It wasn’t a dream.
For the first time in years, Moxie was glad that it wasn’t.