Chapter 50:
Cosmonaut
When Tian opened her eyes, she immediately had to close them again to avoid getting sand stuck in them. Everywhere around her, sand blew around violently.
“Everyone take cover!” she shouted, putting a hand over her face. She ran, looking for a rock or a tree to hide behind. She could sense Renamon next to her, invisible, and from the corner of her eye, she could just barely see Rion, Guilmon and Ryou following them.
“Look!” Rion pointed. Tian looked over and saw a cave a few feet away, and they all ran inside to take shelter from the sandstorm.
Tian caught her breath and shook her head, beating the sand out of her hair. She walked over to the cave entrance, looking outside with a frown.
“Well,” she said dryly, “This is inconvenient.”
“What do we do now?” Rion asked. “We can’t go out in this!”
“The good thing is, we have 48 hours before the Dark Seed base appears,” Tian replied, “So even if we have to wait out this sandstorm, we’ll still have time. They could even cancel the rocket launch, so we wouldn’t have to worry about it going off to space with the Dark Seeds tagging along.”
Ryou nodded. “Makes sense.”
“So we wait?” Rion asked gloomily.
“We wait.”
Renamon suddenly appeared and walked over to the entrance to the cave. “Guilmon and I will stand watch,” she said. “You three settle down and get more rest, if you need to.” Guilmon plopped himself down next to Renamon.
Tian sat down against a cave wall, sighed, and closed her eyes. Her expression immediately grew more relaxed.
“You seem pretty confident about our mission,” Ryou said, sitting down next to her.
“Hmm?” Tian opened her eyes.
“I mean, when Akira told me about you, I imagined you to be kind of a worrywart.”
Tian laughed. “You have no idea. A few hours alone, and I’d be a screaming wreck.”
“Uh… huh.”
“I’m serious!” she said. “I can’t help but worry about everyone else when we’re split apart like this. Let’s see…” She put up a couple of fingers. “We have Jun and Mana, about to pull off the craziest of all crazy ideas. Then there’s Yuka and Kei, heading off into the Digital World by themselves against who knows what. And Seita, on his rescue mission. If he comes back empty-handed, I might just wring his neck.” She looked straight at Ryou. “Our own mission is the only thing keeping me from constantly thinking about these things.”
“That sounds rough,” Ryou remarked.
“Yeah…” Tian leaned back and sighed. “But somehow, it’s not quite as bad as it used to be. The anxiety, I mean.” She thought for a moment, then continued. “Jun and Mana… they always have crazy plans, but every time, they come through okay. Kei and Yuka… as long as they’re with Terriermon and Lopmon, they’ll be fine. Akira and Seita…” She smiled a little. “I’ve looked after them my entire life, but they have a pretty good track record keeping each other alive and kicking. I’m sure they’ll pull through.”
She took a deep, calming breath. “It’s refreshing, not having to worry about everyone all the time.”
“It’s a chance for you to focus on yourself a little more,” Ryou said, smiling at her.
Tian looked back at him in surprise, then smiled back. “I guess so.”
Rion, pretending to be asleep, opened an eye and glanced over at them, smiling to himself.
After more than a day, the sandstorm finally ran its course. Tian poked her head out from the cave and was nearly blinded by the early morning sun. Rubbing her eyes, she motioned the others out of the cave.
“How much time do we have?” Rion asked.
“A little over 12 hours,” Tian replied, looking at her D-Coder. “We should be fine.”
They looked out across the desert and saw that the spaceport was less than a mile away, the launch pads visible from across the steppe.
“Let’s get going,” Tian said.
As they neared the main building of the spaceport, they saw other groups of people heading that way. Many of them looked as if they were tourists. A few of them stared at Guilmon and Renamon as they passed by.
“So this is Baikonur Cosmodrome,” Tian murmured, a slight smile on her face. “I’ve always wanted to go to a place like this and watch a rocket launch. Too bad we’re not here for sightseeing!”
“Fortunately, a lot of people are here for sightseeing today,” Ryou observed, “So we can just blend in with the crowd.”
“How would we blend in anywhere with Guilmon and Renamon with us?” Rion asked.
Renamon answered by turning invisible.
Rion made a face. “Okay, cool. But what about Guilmon?”
“What about the holographic emitters that Souichi gave us?” Ryou asked. “You still have yours?”
“Hmm.” Rion dug into his pockets and pulled out a small round device. “Here!” He attached it to Guilmon and pressed a button, rendering him invisible.
“Perfect,” Tian said. “Let’s go inside!”
“Okay, Guilmon,” Rion whispered, “Stay close to me, don’t say a word, and don’t bump into anything!”
The space beside Rion shimmered. “Got it!” Guilmon whispered.
The five of them entered the main building along with a group of tourists, following along until they reached a line of people walking into a metal detector. When it was their turn, Tian went first. She sensed Renamon follow her, and breathed a sigh of relief when the metal detector picked up nothing.
Then Ryou went through the metal detector, followed by Rion. There was a slight shimmer in the air when Guilmon passed through the metal detector, immediately followed by a crackle and a siren as the metal detector went off.
The security guard stared at the metal detector in confusion, as it seemed to have gone off by itself with no one passing through. He shook his head, and motioned Tian, Ryou and Rion to go ahead.
“That was a close one,” Rion said, looking over at the Guilmon-shaped shimmer in the air.
“All right, now that we’re in, let’s go look for the rocket!” Tian said with a determined smile.
Ryou laughed. “You sound like an excited kid. You sure you’re not just looking forward to the rocket launch?”
Tian hit him playfully.
They were interrupted by a shout from across the room. Tian and Ryou looked over and saw several security guards running toward them.
“What’s going on?” Guilmon asked, scratching his head. His now-visible head. “Uh-oh!” He looked around himself, realizing everyone could see him.
“Oh, no…” Rion moaned, “The emitter… the metal detector must’ve broken it!”
The guards caught up to them and one of them said something in lightning-fast Russian, gesturing at Guilmon.
“Um… what do we do now?” Rion whispered.
Guilmon took a few steps toward the guards, causing them to shout and back away. Renamon reappeared and held him back.
“I don’t think you should-” she started.
The security guards shouted again and immediately pulled out guns, pointing them at the group.
“Whoa, whoa, no – don’t shoot!” Ryou stammered, holding his hands up.
“We’re not spies, we’re not here to steal anything!” Tian added frantically, hands raised.
“Say something in Russian, Kuya!” Rion whispered.
“It’s been forever since I took that class!” Ryou whispered back.
“Just try!” Tian whispered fiercely, “Anything to get these guns off of us!”
“Um…” Ryou wracked his brain, then said a couple of stumbling phrases in Russian.
The guards stared at them, then stared at each other.
“Nice one,” Tian said scathingly. “What on Earth did you say to land us in the brig, of all places, Ryou?”
They sat in a small section of a vast underground room, behind large steel bars.
“I thought I said something like ‘we come in peace’!” Ryou shot back, “But now that I think about it, it could have been something about jelly donuts, or something…”
“Donuts!” Guilmon piped up. “I’m hungry!”
“You’re always hungry, Guilmon!” Rion said.
“How do we get out of here?” Tian asked. She pressed a button on her D-Coder. “We have 6 hours before the Dark Seed base shows up, and we have to somehow convince these people to let us look for it!”
Renamon spoke up. “I can try to phase through the bars, then look for a key.”
Tian smiled. “Great! Let’s try that!”
Renamon concentrated, then disappeared. However, she reappeared in the same spot. She shook her head. “There’s an energy barrier keeping me from phasing out. I’m sorry.”
Tian sighed. “It was worth a try.”
“I can try to dig our way out!” Guilmon suggested.
“But the floor’s made of concrete!” Rion answered.
“Aww…” Guilmon’s face fell.
“Hey…” Ryou started, “Aren’t we supposed to be… projections? As in, we’re not actually here, and we’re images or holograms?”
Tian shrugged. “I guess so?”
“Couldn’t we just go straight through the bars?”
“It didn’t work like that the last time I projected somewhere,” Tian answered, “Everything was still solid for me.”
Ryou thought for a moment, then pulled a Code Generator from his pocket. “I’m no programmer, but maybe I can use this for something…” He looked around, seeing that no one was around to watch them. He pressed a couple of buttons on the Code Generator, and there was a sudden flash of light.
When the light faded away, Rion pointed at him. “Look, Kuya!”
Ryou’s body was almost transparent.
“What did you do?” Tian asked incredulously.
“I told it to let me pass through the bars,” Ryou answered. He reached out an arm, and it passed through the bars easily. Then he jumped right through them to the other side. His body returned to normal as soon as his feet hit the ground. “Now, to look for a key…”
The lock was equipped with a card reader, so Ryou looked around for a key card. He eventually found one hidden underneath a stack of papers. “Hope this is it…” He swiped the card through the reader, and the bars slowly slid open. “Excellent!”
“Thanks,” Tian smiled at Ryou.
“So what do we do next?” Rion asked.
“We look for where the rocket launch will be,” Tian answered, “And hope we find the Dark Seed base when it appears.”
“This is a huge complex, though,” Ryou said, “Looking for the right launch pad could take hours!”
“Fortunately, we have time,” Tian said, “We just need to start looking!”
After several hours of searching, sneaking, and hiding behind corners, they finally found the launch pad where the rocket was staged.
“There it is!” Rion pointed at the rocket, which glinted like a needlepoint in the late afternoon sun.
“Let’s go!” Tian said. The five of them ran toward the launch pad, their feet kicking up dirt. They were immediately met by a group of Apocalymon copies.
“Rion!”
“Tian!”
Tian and Rion nodded and pulled out their D-Coders, which began to glow.
“Renamon, warp evolve to… Sakuyamon!”
“Guilmon, warp evolve to… Dukemon!”
“Izuna!”
“Royal Saber!”
The attacks met the copies in midair, shattering them. They were soon replaced by more copies.
“Well, the Apocalymon copies are here, so where’s the Dark Seed base?” Rion asked.
Tian looked around, and when she scanned the rocket itself, she gasped. “Look, there it is!” she said, pointing. A large black polyhedron was perched near the tip of the rocket, as if it were impaled.
“Come on,” Tian said, “Let’s go!”
As the kids moved closer to the rocket, they were followed by more security guards, armed with guns. One of them shouted something in Russian.
“Keep going!” Tian shouted, “They’re not going to shoot the rocket!”
There was a sudden popping noise, followed by the sound of a bullet flying through the air.
“Are you sure about that?” Ryou shouted back.
Tian gulped. “Okay then,” she said shakily, “let’s find somewhere to hide!”
The guards continued to shoot at them as they ran. Two bullets whizzed by Ryou’s face and slammed into Tian’s back and shoulder.
Tian gasped, losing her balance and sinking to the ground. Electrical interference surrounded her body.
“Tian!” Ryou exclaimed, slowing down and helping her up.
“Are you okay?” Rion asked.
“I’m okay,” Tian said slowly, “I’m not hurt…” There was no blood where the bullets had hit her, but there were spots of static in place of wounds.
Meanwhile, the guards caught up to them and surrounded them, grabbing them by the shoulders. A man jogged up to them, dressed in a crisp military uniform. He said several things to them in Russian.
“Please let us go,” Tian said weakly, “We’re trying to help you!”
Ryou quickly tapped some buttons on the Code Generator, and Tian’s words were immediately translated into perfect Russian.
The officer looked at them, then looked at Sakuyamon and Dukemon fighting off the Apocalymon copies. He looked up at the massive black polyhedron staged on the rocket itself, then nodded. He said something to the guards in Russian, and they quickly let Tian, Rion and Ryou go.
“Thank you,” Ryou said.
The officer said something further in Russian, then gave them a salute. Ryou nodded and awkwardly returned the salute, and they continued running toward the rocket.
“Tian,” Ryou said, “Will you be all right?”
Tian nodded. “I’ll be fine. It was just a weird feeling, that’s all. Nothing’s hurt.” She winced as electric shocks streamed through her body.
“You’re not fine!” Rion said worriedly.
With a swing of his spear, Dukemon finished off the last of the Apocalymon copies. Sakuyamon gently lifted Tian and placed her in front of the Dark Seed base, while Ryou and Rion climbed the ladder leading up the rocket.
Tian took a deep breath as she got her bearings, then pointed her D-Coder at the Dark Seed base. A bright beam of light shot out, enveloping the polyhedron in a strong, circular barrier. Tian wobbled a little, with Ryou catching her before she could fall.
“Okay, Dukemon. Sakuyamon.” Rion called out, “Give it all you’ve got!”
“Final Elysion!”
“Izuna!”
The barrier absorbed their attacks and amplified them, causing the Dark Seed base to crack down the middle. The Dark Seeds spilled out and were subsequently ground into data particles. The barrier soon faded away, leaving not a scratch on the rocket.
Sakuyamon and Dukemon hovered downward, carrying the kids back down to earth. The moment they touched the ground, they reverted to Renamon and Guilmon.
“Thank… goodness…” Tian murmured, and immediately passed out.
“Tian!” Renamon exclaimed.
Ryou immediately felt her forehead and took her pulse. “Don’t worry,” he said, “She’s only unconscious.”
“Kuya, let’s go!” Rion called out, “I think they’re counting down for liftoff!”
Ryou gently lifted Tian in his arms and carried her away from the launch pad. As they all hurried away, the kids’ bodies began to fade in and out. Ryou slowed down and gripped Tian tighter, not wanting to drop her.
The last things he saw before blacking out were the blinding light of the rocket’s engines as they ignited, and the afternoon sun reflecting off the rocket itself as it made its way into space.