Digimon: The Spirit Evolution
Prologue Arc: The DNA Seed
Chapter 9: The Iron Maiden's Trap
The heavy, metallic scent of ozone and jet fuel filled the DATS hangar as the stealth transport, the Cyber-Gale, prepared for immediate departure. Izumi Midoriya stood at the edge of the boarding ramp, her D-Tector pulsing a steady, rhythmic green that seemed to vibrate in sync with the roaring engines. Beside her, Himiko Toga adjusted the collar of her new dark-blue DATS tactical suit, her black device clipped firmly to her belt.
"The I-Island mag-lev transport is currently over the central bay," Principal Nezu's voice crackled over the hangar's intercom. "The Commission has deployed the Iron Maiden Unit—a squadron of high-altitude interceptors led by a data-boosted pilot. They've locked the mag-lev's braking system. If the train reaches the terminal at its current speed, it will be a catastrophic 'Digital Collision.'"
"My father is on that train," Melissa Shield said, her voice tight as she strapped herself into the co-pilot's seat of the Cyber-Gale. "And Mei Hatsume. Mei was supposed to be delivering a prototype 'Logic-Gate' to UA today. If the Commission gets their hands on it—and her—they'll have the key to mapping the entire Digital World."
"Then we don't let them," Izumi said, her emerald hair whipping in the backwash of the engines. She looked back at Eri, who sat small and pale in the back of the transport. "Eri, you stay with the ship. If we bring the wounded back, we'll need your Light."
Eri nodded, clutching her white-and-pink D-Tector. "I'll keep the light burning, Izumi. Please... bring them back."
The Cyber-Gale roared out of the hidden UA tunnel, cloaked in a refractive data-shroud that made it invisible to standard radar. Within minutes, they were screaming over the ocean. Below them, the mag-lev train was a silver needle lancing through the morning mist, pursued by three sleek, black-and-gold interceptors.
"Target sighted," the lead Commission pilot's voice broke into their comms, distorted by a digital filter. "Unauthorized craft, stand down. You are interfering with a 'National Security Recovery' mission. Identify yourselves."
"This is DATS Agent 01," Izumi replied, her voice echoing with the resonance of the wind. "And you're trespassing on a sovereign digital zone. Stand down, or we'll be forced to 'Purify' your flight path."
"Purify this," the pilot spat.
A barrage of "Data-Harpoons"—glowing blue spears of solid code—erupted from the interceptors. They weren't meant to destroy the Cyber-Gale; they were meant to "format" its navigation systems and send it plummeting.
"Melissa, evasive maneuvers!" Izumi shouted.
As the jet rolled, Izumi and Himiko moved to the open jump-bay. The wind at ten thousand feet was a screaming, freezing wall, but to Izumi, it felt like home. She reached out, catching the air as if it were a physical hand.
"EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION!"
"KAZEMON!"
"SISTERMON NOIR!"
In a flash of lavender and black, the two warriors dove from the jet. Kazemon unfurled her butterfly wings, catching the thermal vents of the mag-lev train below. Sistermon Noir clung to Kazemon's back, her twin "Anthony" pistols already glowing with a dark, protective energy.
"I'll handle the drones!" Noir shouted over the roar of the wind. "You get inside and stop that train!"
Kazemon dived, a streak of violet light. She smashed through the reinforced glass of the train's rear observation deck, rolling to her feet in a cabin filled with panicked passengers. In the center of the chaos, a man with graying hair—David Shield—was shielding a girl with pink dreadlocks and grease-stained goggles.
"Mei! Look out!" David yelled as a Data-Harpoon pierced the roof of the car, narrowly missing them.
Mei Hatsume didn't look scared; she looked frustrated. She was clutching a bulky, circular machine that was sparking with yellow electricity. "I almost had the firewall set! This 'Iron Maiden' junk is messing with my babies' frequencies!"
"Mei! Mr. Shield!" Kazemon shouted, her voice melodic and commanding.
Mei's eyes bugged out behind her goggles. "Whoa! High-definition lavender lady? Are you a new support-item prototype?! Your wing-to-body ratio is incredible!"
"I'm a friend," Kazemon said, landing beside them. "We're here to get you out."
Suddenly, the roof of the train car was ripped open by a massive, mechanical claw. A data-boosted soldier in heavy, gold-plated "Iron Maiden" armor dropped into the cabin. His visor glowed with a jagged, purple "X."
"The Girl and the Device," the soldier droned. "Hand them over, or I initiate 'Full-Format' on the entire passenger manifest."
Outside, Sistermon Noir was engaged in a mid-air dogfight with the interceptors, her "Mickey Stitch" beams weaving a net of darkness to entangle their engines. But inside the train, Kazemon was cornered. She couldn't use her "Hurricane Wave" without risking the civilians.
"Mei, the device you're holding," Kazemon whispered. "Can it handle a massive surge of Wind data?"
Mei grinned, a manic, brilliant look in her eyes. "This thing was built for surges, gorgeous! But it needs a 'Seed' to stabilize it!"
"Then take mine!"
Kazemon grabbed Mei's hand, pressing her palm against the yellow core of the prototype. At the same moment, the D-Tector at Mei's waist—a device she had found in a junk pile ten years ago and kept as a "lucky charm"—erupted into a brilliant, golden light.
[CORE RECOGNITION: SPIRIT OF THE FOX]
[SYNC RATIO: 98.7%]
"Wait... my lucky charm is a 'Seed' too?!" Mei laughed, her yellow eyes glowing with digital rings. "Oh, I am going to have SO MUCH FUN with this!"
A massive explosion of golden pixels filled the train car. The Iron Maiden soldier was blown backward as a new silhouette emerged from the light—a yellow-and-white fox-warrior with long, flowing sleeves and a massive, blue-flamed tail.
"KYUBIMON!"
The fourth DigiDestined had awakened. And the Commission's "Iron Maiden" was about to find out that the Wind was no longer alone in the sky.