Digimon Story: Rainbow Traverse -- Chp 24

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[Hmm... roll Brena Torment]

[rolling: 2,5,6 + 7 - 7 = 13]

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Though the anxiety still lingered, the threat of immanent destruction rang loudest in Alemana's mind, held back by the athlete's force of willpower... and the presence of Kyubimon as she nudged her head under his arm.

("She won't beat us to the punch,") thought the great fox.

"++Follow the holograms++" said Nanomon. A moment later, neon blue arrowheads blinked one by one into existence, forming a trail for the group to follow. "++Hagurumon, to your stations++"

"Y-yes, professor!" said the gearheads.

As the holographic digimon vanished, Keilani frowned. "I don't like this," she said. "But we don't have much of a choice."

Al was brought back to the moment thanks to Kyubi, and he gave a faint smile as he pet the top of her head. (“Yeah.. you’re right. Let’s be heroes!”)

“Follow the holograms.. got it.”

He then gave his sister a reassuring nudge “We’ve got this. We’re the dream team remember?”

"Yeah!" said Gammamon, still holding his bouquet. "Else we all go boom!"

...

Sirens rang out through the halls as the group made their way downwards. Rare was the sight of another digimon, all of them Hagurumon that were either too busy working on repairs, or startled by the sight of newcomers. All of this changed the moment the group entered the engine room. And what a room it was. Bathed in red light, a command deck overlooked a sprawling engine that stretched down a miles-long shaft, surrounded by catwalks that flickered with the sparks of repair teams and damaged electronics.

The command deck was no less chaotic. Everywhere one looked, there were multiple Hagurumon, their cog-appendages twisting and turning inside depressions in computer terminals; or fixing broken pipes with their laser eyes.

One, however, stood in front of a hologram of the engine at the center of the deck. Unlike the others, they glowed orange-yellow, as if from an inner light.

"Engine Room to command!" said the strange Hagurumon. "Repairs are down to forty percent! That last hit tore through substation twelve! Where's that extra mon-power I ordered?!"

Al would try to get its attention “We’re here to help, what needs fixing and how fast do we have to get there?”

Turning, the glowing digimon glanced up and down at the group. "A Kyubimon," she said. "Okay, I can work with this. Any of you familiar with digimon engineering?"

"Not exactly," said the great fox.

Keilani stepped forward. "If it's based off human data," she said. "It should be easy enough to work out with some pointers."

"Appreciate the thought," said Solarmon. "But we ain't got time to talk you through it all. I need mons down near the reactor to help fix what the node can't heal on its own -- and another half-dozen to replace blown shielding mods near the afterburners." She then gestured towards the holographic map, which lay pockmarked with rippling dots to either end of the engine.

"This place is huge," said Kyubimon. "Even as Kahunimon, I don't think I could reach both sides in time."

"You won't have to," said Keilani. "Me and Gammy can take care of one side if you guys handle the other."

"Can BetelGammamon sprint that far?"

"Yeah!" said Gammamon. "Big bro is fast!"

Looking at the map as Solarmon explained the situation, Al would glance up at everyone as he thought their options over. “We could help with the shields if you wanna try to help with the reactor, Sis. You’ve got the bigger brain.”

"My brain's telling me that Kahunimon would be a better choice for the reactor," she said. "Using fire and water to keep the temperature stable would help keep the engine room from melting--"

Suddenly, a burst of light and smoke thundered across the cavernous chamber. Through Kyubimon's eyes, Al saw shrapnel sent flying in every direction, the great fox putting herself between the group and the oncoming slag! Just as fast, however, she and the others saw something drop from the plume of smoke -- a Hagurumon in freefall!

"NO!!" cried Solarmon. That's when Gammamon went charging ahead.

"I got them!" he said, his body starting to glow. "I GOT THEM!!" In that moment, Keilani's digivice radiated outwards. Even in the red hue of the room, the rings the enveloped Gammamon shined a stark... blue? "Gammamon, digivolve to--!" The ceratops leapt over the guard rail, his body corkscrewing just as the 'egg' engulfed him. In a flash, a powerful gust of wind battered everyone present. "--KausGammamon!!"

Kyubimon, using her nine-tails, swatted aside what debris wasn't thrown off course by the wind, the ruined metal clattering to the floor or else burning up in her flames. Through her eyes, Al saw a figure standing atop the rails. A clawed hand held Gammamon's bouquet behind the figure's back, twin tails from a blue bandana fluttering through the air. Maybe the stress was getting to them, but somehow, everyone could hear a Spanish guitar playing in the distance as the figure spun on the ball of their foot, revealing a Hagurumon pressed against the white-striped chest of a new digimon. Indeed, they had a ceratopsian head like Gammamon, as well as a long blue tail tipped in black. Their arms, however, were attached to an amber-yellow membrane, which guided one's eyes to the jetports on either side of its knees.

"Fear not, hoaloha," said the blue ceratops. "For as the wind beckons the wayward youth, so too shall I answer the call to aid."

"Oh goddammit," said Keilani, hands on her head.

“Well okay that makes more sense.” Al said, but before he could say anything else he gave a shocked shout of alarm as the wall exploded. For one terrible moment it looked like they would lose one of the Hagurumon when—

“..RGB Digivolutions?” Al asked.. almost deadpanned. Well it made sense. She had a red one and a green one.. why not blue? “Kyubimon’s still the best, though.”

He totally wasn’t jealous that she had three champion forms.

"Kaus!" said Kei. "Now's NOT a good time! Switch out with Betel!"

Eyes wide, the blue ceratops gawped at his tamer--catching himself from falling backward with a now panicking Hagurumon still in hand.

"Keilani, how can you say such a thing?!" he said, pointing his bouquet at her. "I am far more sophisticated than that hot-headed kamipulu!"

"And flammable!" countered Kei. "You can barely carry me on your back, much less fly!"

The word shiv struck home, sending Kaus forward as Hagurumon flew away just in time to watch the ceratops faceplant the floor.

"Keilani Sonson, my love, how can you be so cruel...!"

"ENOUGH STALLING!!" barked Solarmon. "You guys better get moving or we're all going down with the ship!"

Al was about to laugh at the ridiculousness of what was going on— but when he said that last part he gave Kyubi a look (“You don’t think-“) he was then interpreted by Solarmon

“Right, let’s get to it! C’mon Kyubi, let’s save this bucket of bolts—“

Kyubimon didn't wait for the teen to finish. Biting the back of Al's collar, she threw him onto her back as she summoned the foxwives.

"Hagurus 27 through 34!" said Solarmon. "You're with the fire foxes! 35 and 36, you're with flyboy! Make sure he knows where to go!"

Rising to his feet, KausGammamon composed himself as the gear digimon mobilized. "Watch close, Keilani!" he said, tossing her his bouquet. "I shall both redeem and prove myself worthy of this task!"

Without batting an eye, the astronomer grabbed the flowers and handed them to Solarmon. "Sure thing," she said, walking over to Kaus. "I'll watch and pilot so we don't crash."

Meanwhile, each of the foxwives took to carrying a Hagurumon while three more climbed aboard Kyubimon and Alemana. It was only when he glanced back at his sister that Al saw the handholds jutting out of Kaus' shoulder-blades, the ceratops turning into a crouch as Kei grabbed on.

("Oh yeah,") thought Kyubimon. ("There's definitely something going on there.")

[Roll Athletics with a -5 from difficulty as you take to the skyscraper of an engine]

Al would give a surprised gasp. “Hey what are you doin-oof!” He said as he was flipped over her shoulder onto Kyubi’s back. Grimacing he would then take hold of her ropes. “Okay gearheads, keep all teeth inside the ride at all times!” He told the passengers as he glanced at Kei again “Don’t you dare fucking die Kei-Kei!” he called as he then turned his attention back to the task at hand

(“Am I a hypocrite for being creeped out by her maybe having a thing with Gammy?”)

[rolling: 4,6,5 + 9 - 5 = 19]

"Same to you!"

("Are we sure that's even Gammy?") thought the great fox, ignoring the cries of the Hagurumon as she leaped across the expanse. ("The way he talks about his other Champion form, it's like they're two separate digimon.")

For Kei's team, Kaus had tucked one of the Haguru's between his legs as another hugged Keilani from behind. Even from afar, Team Fox could make out the blue ceratops as he glided, his amber-yellow patagia flashing like message flags in the distance. But there wasn't enough time to watch his sister's piloting. The moment Kyubimon landed atop the engine, the teen buckled, struggling to avoid losing not just his balance, but those of the Hagurumon clinging to him as well.

"Careful!" said one of them. "I don't wanna die!"

"Ignore him!" said the other. "Keep heading straight till you see a dome marked with black and yellow stripes!"

("Al, I'm sending the foxwives ahead,") thought Kyubi. ("Their Hagurumon are giving directions, too, but I'll end up dropping them if I dismiss them by digivolving.") The nine-tails' ears perked. She jumped towards a pylon jutting out of the mega structure--seconds before an explosion erupted from where they would have been.

"Oh no!" said a Hagurumon. "Another pipeline burst!"

"How'd you even know?!" asked the other.

"Good ears and sense of smell," said Kyubimon, leaping between pylons.

"Wait!" said the first. "This section of the engine's covered in pipes! It might be faster, but if there's a cascade effect, it'll end up a minefield!"

"Going around will take too long!" countered the second. "We can't risk the pressure building up and blowing the whole section out!"