Okay guys, after this chapter I probably won't be able to update this story beyond it's current stopping point. I need to find a new source for the Digimon Anime so I can continue the story. Sorry about that, and I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

{I still don't own Digimon or Star Wars: The Clone Wars!}

Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker! The Dark Power of Duskmon!

Back in the Material World at the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka had just got done speaking with the council about how she obtained a Digivice like the one Barriss has and how Betamon has been chosen as her Digimon partner. I think I'm right when I say that the Jedi Council was in a state of shock over this.

"Hmm, unusual this is. A bond formed between Padawan Tano and Betamon, there has been." Master Yoda said. "But for what reason, I know not."

But before anyone could ponder on this new information, a loud Clonk resounded through the room.

"OW!" yelped Anakin, who was rubbing his forehead which now sported a nasty bruise. "Jumping Geronimo! What the heck was that all about?!"

His answer was a ball of light falling from the air and landing in his prosthetic Droid hand. Ahsoka got a serious case of deja Vu as the orb transformed into a Digivice just like she ones she and Barriss have. But Anakin's was primarily a golden color with fiery red details and buttons.

"What the heck?! How'd this get here?!" Anakin asked.

Just like Ahsoka's, the screen on Anakin's Digivice began to glow as a rainbow portal opened in front of him. But instead of simply flopping out like a dying fish the way Betamon did, this Digimon just stepped through while holding a satchel in its hand.

"Hey, are you that Sky Talker guy?" it asked Anakin in a male voice.

"I am Anakin Skywalker, yes." Anakin replied.

"Awesome! Looks like we're partners, best buddy!" the Digimon exclaimed.

In a rare moment of stunned silence, Anakin punched Obi-Wan to the ground due to a muscle spasm.

"Owww…" groaned Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry, that's a new one. Uh, who are you exactly?" Anakin asked.

"My name's Flamon. I used to be called Meramon, but I degenerated when I was freed from the control of that Black Gear."

Flamon is a Demon Man Digimon whose name and design are derived from the word flame. He has dark brown skin, two blunt horns sticking out of an orange mane on his head, and white markings under his eyes. He also wears a pair of baggy red pants and has a tail made out of fire.

"It is rather strange, but I think I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Every time Barriss and the other children have fought an enemy Digimon, aside from Shellmon and Kuwagamon, a new Digivice is formed and sent to someone that has some sort of connection to Barriss, and a Digimon partner appears soon after that." Luminara said.

Ahsoka thought back on what her friend's teacher and mother figure said and actually did see a connection. She had small flashbacks of the fights involving Seadramon and Meramon. Each time the Digimon was defeated, a new Digivice would be sent to their world. It's strange, and yet it's also completely true!

"Just what else is there to the Digital World that we don't know about?" Ahsoka thought to herself.

Meanwhile in Digi-World…

The crew had left the Yokomon Village some time ago and were now walking through the arid wasteland that seemed to appear after the desert. Barriss had healed the burns on her feet and was walking once again, but BlackGuilmon had still insisted on her taking it easy for awhile.

Although Barriss is a stubborn girl, and doesn't let even an injury keep her down for long. And quite frankly, it was quickly grating on BlackGuilmon's nerves.

"I'm telling you, Barriss, it'd be a wise idea to just take it easy for awhile!" BlackGuilmon said.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't know that. I'm not wise." Barriss said to her Digimon.

"Oh you're not, are you?" BlackGuilmon asked.

"No." Barriss replied.

"If that's true, then how did you always come back alive from every mission you've told us about?" BlackGuilmon asked.

"I know how to fight, that's all. It doesn't take a lot of brains to be a great fighter." Barriss quipped.

She wiped some sweat from her brow and sighed.

"Speaking of which, how's everyone holding up?" Barriss asked.

"Not too good. It feels like we've passed this spot before!" Sora replied.

"You mean we walked all the way across the world?!" Joe asked.

"That just can't be!" Mimi said as she fell to her knees. "I can't walk that far, can I? I'm so tired!"

Gomamon flopped down next to Mimi, doing rather poorly due to having gone so long without water. TK sat down next to Gomamon, faring a little better than the baby seal Digimon, but not by much.

"My feet are hot." TK complained.

"Looks like we're taking a break." Matt stated.

"It's probably for the best. We should stay here and rest for about an hour, then we'll move on." Barriss instructed.

"I guess you're right. There's no reason to hurry." Tai added.

That's when he and Matt saw Izzy taking out his laptop computer.

"Check out Izzy. I think he's trying to contact the Jedi." Matt said jokingly.

"Maybe he's asking them to beam him up." Tai added.

"Not funny, boys." Barriss said.

As Izzy checked his computer, he let out a disappointed sigh at what he's found.

"Still crashed, and the warranty's expired!" Izzy said.

"Hey Izzy, I know how to get it to boot up." Tai said as he snatched Izzy's computer. "You just gotta give it a few subtle adjustments!"

Like the idiot we all know that Tai is, he began to hit the side of the computer in an attempt to get it to work. Naturally, the genius child freaked out and snatched the device away from Tai.

"HEY, QUIT IT! Are your brain cells malfunctioning?!" Izzy demanded.

"Gosh, you're acting like I'm hurting the dumb thing!" Tai said.

"I wish your brain was as big as your hair. Maybe Izzy doesn't want any grimy fingerprints and dents all over his computer." Sora scolded.

Tai just 'humphed' and turned away from Sora, but something else caught his attention.

"Hey look, do you guys see that smoke over there?" Tai asked referring to the smoke that was billowing over the next hill. "I'll check it out."

Without another word, Tai ran off to investigate.

"Hey Tai, wait for me!" Agumon called as he ran after his partner.

"The attention span of a gnat." Joe quipped.

"Well whatever." dismissed Matt.

As Izzy typed away on his computer, he gasped as he saw something appearing on his screen. And for once, it wasn't a pop-up telling him that his computer was crashed.

"We got graphics, we got sound." Izzy said. "Beautiful! Up and running!"

But that's when the boy noticed a blinking battery icon in the lower right corner of his screen.

"But it indicates that the battery needs recharging." Izzy said, wondering why that was. "That's odd…"

Yeah, I mean he wasn't using it for a few days. Shouldn't it still have plenty of charge left? I'm no computer expert myself of course, but it should at least still have a decent amount of charge left.

Meanwhile, Barriss was going through the deck of cards that she arrived in Digi-World with, hoping to learn more about the cards at her disposal. So far she's found several like Armor, Hyperchip, Snimon's Twin Sickle, and even a card known as the Brave Shield. But that's when Barriss pulled out a card that doesn't seem to belong.

"Hey BlackGuilmon, what do you think this card is?" Barriss asked.

BlackGuilmon took a closer look and saw that the card in question was pitch black with a red icon that looked a bit like a pixelated Greymon. And if what she was seeing is true, then the card was also made of metal.

"I don't know, but I don't think you should use that card unless you absolutely have to, Barriss." BlackGuilmon said. "I don't know why, but something about that card doesn't sit right with me."

While still curious about the card's potential, Barriss nodded and slipped it back into her deck before slipping her deck back into the deck holster on her belt.

"Hey everybody, get over here quick!" Tai called frantically.

"We're coming, Tai!" Sora called back.

Everyone rushed up to the hill where Tai and Agumon were standing frozen in place. What they saw when they reached the top astounded and confused them.

"Looks like some kind of factory." Joe said.

"Let's hope they can manufacture a way for us to get home." Matt quipped.

As the children and their Digimon made their way to the factory, Barriss lagged behind a little bit. She was lost in her own thoughts on the matter. Partly due to that black card, and partly because of a familiar feeling she was getting.

"Something tells me that things are going to go horribly wrong here." she mumbled to herself.

"I wonder what they make in there?" Joe pondered.

"I don't know, but wouldn't it be great if there's a manufacturer's outlet store? They always have killer deals!" Mimi replied.

"Can we please not talk about shopping right now?" BlackGuilmon asked.

It was clear that she has had enough of Mimi and her city girl attitude.

But she'd have to put up with it for just a little while longer. As our group of heroes continued to traverse the premises of the factory, they noticed a distinct lack of employees in the place.

"Don't ask me how, but there doesn't seem to be anybody here." Matt said.

"There's gotta be someone operating the equipment!" Sora said in denial.

"I don't know, it appears to be doing quite well all by itself." Izzy interjected.

Tai, Barriss and BlackGuilmon stopped to look at some of the turning cog gears, wondering just how a place this big could be running all by itself like it is. Every droid foundry that Barriss has ever been to, no matter how automated always had at least one organic life form working the machinery.

The camera shifts to a conveyor belt that Matt and TK are standing next to. As the two children watch, an assembly line of robot arms is hard at work putting parts together. But what it is they're building, I do not know.

"Matt, what are the machines making?" TK asked.

"You got me." Matt said truthfully. "Maybe parts for robots or spaceships."

"SOMEBODY'S got to be moving those belts, and people gotta eat! So is there a cafeteria in this place, because we could REALLY use a good meal!" Joe demanded.

That's when Barriss' head grew about ten sizes bigger as her mouth was filled with sharp pointy teeth with big, white angry eyes like in some anime. There was also at least a dozen or so anime tick marks adorning her head.

"CAN YOU CHILDREN STOP THINKING ABOUT YOUR STOMACHS FOR JUST A MINUTE?! I MEAN, FOR FORCE SAKE, FOOD SEEMS TO BE ALL YOU EVER THINK ABOUT!" snapped Barriss.

"Sad thing is, she's not exactly wrong." Tai admitted while shaking like a leaf in fear.

"Easy, Barriss, deep breaths. Everything's gonna be okay." BlackGuilmon said as she rubbed her partner's back in a soothing manner.

After the Mirialan girl had taken a few minutes to calm down, the group decided to split up in order to cover more ground in this factory. While Izzy, Matt, TK and Mimi went one way with their Digimon, Barriss, Tai, Sora and Joe went a different way with their partners by their side.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Tai called.

"Olly olly oxen free!" Barriss called after him.

"Wait a minute! Don't go any further in this direction!" Biyomon said.

The group stopped and looked at the bird Digimon in confusion.

"What's the matter with this direction?" Joe asked. "It's just as good as any other direction, isn't it?"

"No, wait!" Biyomon said.

"What is it, Biyomon?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure, I heard something." Biyomon replied.

Everyone listened carefully as they tried to hear what Biyomon was hearing. They all gasped when they heard a loud crash coming from where they had just came from.

"Doesn't sound good!" Tai said.

Meanwhile with Izzy and Company…

Izzy's portion of the group had just arrived at a door that had a sign on it. The sign reads 'Power Supply', and that got Izzy's attention right away.

"I say we try to go inside and have a look around." Patamon suggested.

Matt opened the door and everyone gasped at what they saw. Izzy and Tentomon rushed in and got a better look, seeing a giant battery hooked up to a generator. So THAT'S what's powering the whole place!

"Prodigious! Now a battery like that could run my computer forever!" Izzy said in amazement. "I wonder if there's a way to access its power?"

Back with Barriss and the Gang…

As our team, which I hereby dub 'Green Team', ran down a corridor in search of the sound, Agumon stopped and pointed down a separate hallway.

"Hey!" Agumon said.

Everyone came back and looked at where Agumon was pointing and saw what looked like a man wearing metal armor lying on the floor on his back. And from the looks of things, he's unconscious.

"What do you suppose happened to him?" Tai asked.

"Who knows, but let's see if we can help." Sora replied.

The team ran up to get a closer look, and Barriss looked a bit confused. The creature seemed to be a cyborg of sorts. Nothing like any of the battle droids she's fought in the past.

"This doesn't look like a battle droid." Barriss said.

"What're ya talking about, Barriss? It's just a busted robot." Tai added.

"It's not a robot, it's Andromon." Gomamon informed.

"What?! This big clunk is a Digimon?!" Tai asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and very much advanced." Agumon replied.

"I can agree to that." BlackGuilmon said.

From a top view camera, we can now see that Andromon is trapped from the waist down in a machine. He must've gotten stuck trying to fix it.

"Poor thing! I guess he got caught in the gears and that's how he got mangled." Biyomon deduced.

"Maybe if we work together we can pull him out of there?" Sora suggested.

"Oh, my mom really doesn't want me moving any heavy objects. I get bad knees." Joe said.

"Relax, I'll treat your knees afterwards. Right now, we have a task to accomplish." Barriss said.

"Right!" nodded Tai.

"Hey!" protested Joe.

Back with Izzy…

Izzy was now standing with his hands on the battery as he tried to find a way inside. The rest of 'Bronze Team', as I like to call them, were standing off to the side as the boy did his thing.

"What are you doing, Izzy?" Matt asked.

"I'm trying to tap into this power source. If I can get this baby to fire up, then we can use my computer to get some help." Izzy explained.

Back with Green Team…

Our team of children and their Digimon were pulling as hard as they could to get Andromon unstuck, but so far they were having very little luck. Barriss already tried using the Force to move Andromon, but it seems like the machines around them are resistant to its energy.

"I think it's moving…" grunted Tai.

The boy yelped as he lost his grip and stumbled back. He ended up bumping into a lever and moving it, causing the gears within the machine to start turning.

"Hey, something's happening! He's coming loose!" Joe exclaimed.

But little did anyone know, a Black Gear had entered into one of Andromon's legs. One that was apparently not covered in armor. Everyone grunted in exertion as they slowly but surely managed to free Andromon. Once he was out, they began to cheer for a job well done.

Andromon began to groan as he slowly started regaining consciousness.

"I think he's slowly coming to!" Agumon said.

"He needs a couple of whacks for a jump start!" Tai said.

The others held Tai back from doing something stupid, but they couldn't stop Agumon from whacking Andromon right on the face.

"I am Andromon…"

The others' eyes shrunk to the size of pin pricks as anime sweat drops appeared on their faces.

From Andromon's point of view, a fuzzy screen begins to clear up as the faces of Sora and Joe come into view. A small red targeter locks onto Sora as Andromon's systems rebooted.

"There's this one movie where a robot came to life and ate everyone…" Joe said nervously.

"That's nothing but pure fiction, Joseph." Barriss assured.

"He looks friendly enough." Sora said. "And I'm sure if we're nice to him he'll be nice to us."

Suddenly, Andromon grabbed Sora and held her up by the ankle as he stood to his full height of a whopping eight and a half feet!

"Forget what I said about him being friendly!" yelped Sora.

"I shall punish alien intruders!" Andromon declared.

"Andromon is one of the most powerful Digimon of all! His body is a tireless machine capable of almost anything!" BlackGuilmon reported.

"Let's give him all we've got!" Tai exclaimed.

And the Digimon agreed with that particular decision. Biyomon immediately flew into action.

"Spiral Twister!" she intoned.

Andromon turned slightly and groaned in pain as Biyomon's attack hit him right in the face. In his momentary loss of focus, Andromon threw Sora to the ground. But lucky for her, Tai and Agumon were there to catch her and break her fall.

But Andromon was far from defeated. He began marching right towards the others with malicious intent.

"Too bad we didn't catch him on a good day! Watch out!" Joe warned.

"Maybe it is a good day?" Gomamon guessed.

"This is NOT good!" Joe denied.

As Andromon closed in on the others, they could only watch in fear as Andromon got closer and closer.

"What do we do now, Tai?" Agumon asked.

Tai noticed something above Andromon and got an idea.

"Agumon, how about trying to blast the roof." Tai suggested.

"BlackGuilmon, help Agumon with that!" Barriss ordered.

The two Digimon nodded in agreement and took aim. Just as Andromon got into position, Agumon shot a Pepper Breath at the roof while BlackGuilmon did the same with her Virus Breath. The result was several cables being burned until they snapped, sending several heavy steel beams piling onto Andromon.

Andromon groaned as he struggled to get up, but it's clear that he's not going anywhere for the time being.

"Boy, he's gonna have one ugly headache." Tai quipped.

"No doubt." Sora agreed.

"Now let's get outta here!" Barriss instructed.

With that, the group ran away from the obviously enraged Digimon. They knew that those steel beams wouldn't hold him for long.

With the Rest of Bronze Team…

At another conveyor belt, Matt, TK and Mimi, along with their Digimon, were watching as the assembly line continued to put these strange parts together. But they couldn't deduce what was being created.

"This place would be a lot more interesting if there was a tour guide to explain it. Oh, maybe with a little plaid outfit and a bullhorn…" Mimi said.

And there she goes again, folks. Off on one of her tangents.

Seriously, why is she such a ditz?!

Meanwhile, Izzy and Tentomon were still at that giant battery trying to find a way in.

"Ah ha! I've located an access panel to the interior operations!" Izzy said in triumph.

He opened the door and peered inside, but he didn't understand what he was seeing.

"Hey, let me see, Izzy!" Tentomon said.

Izzy opened the door completely and the two walked in to see a bunch of strange writing on the inner walls of the battery. It was almost like an extremely complex code of sorts.

"What exactly do you think this is?" Tentomon asked.

"These markings are binary annotations of some sort. A computer program." Izzy explained.

Izzy and Tentomon stood in front of the first wall of the battery's interior and examined the markings a little better. Whatever this formula was, it was not your average code.

"A very complicated program, indeed." Izzy said to himself.

Izzy reached up to touch the wall, but he accidentally ended up erasing a small portion of one of the markings.

The results were a major power outage throughout the factory. Assembly lines coming to a complete halt, and lights going out everywhere.

With Green Team…

The team was still running from Andromon when all of a sudden everything went dark.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Tai asked as they stopped running.

"I break out in hives in the dark." Joe said.

"Ugh, too much information, dude." said a repulsed Barriss.

That's when a familiar growl followed by heavy metal footsteps resonated from behind the group, making them turn around to take a look.

"What was that?" Joe asked fearfully.

A pair of glowing blue eyes appeared behind the children and their former Padawan guardian.

"I hope it isn't Andromon." Sora whimpered.

"It might be a good idea to keep on moving so we don't have to find out." Tai said.

"Well, I'm for that." Joe said in agreement.

"Or we can just stay here frozen 'till the monster gets us!" Tai quipped.

"Let's sneak away." Sora whispered.

Andromon stopped walking and a close up of his eye shows the cornea dilating like a camera lense. And from his point of view, he has once again locked onto his intended targets.

"Can someone explain to me why we're tip toeing instead of running for our lives?" Joe asked.

"Just stay together. He might try to ambush us and suck out our marrow!" Barriss said.

"Intruders sighted! And Andromon doesn't like intruders!"

Andromon raised his right arm above his head as his hand began to spin so fast that it looked like a drill. Energy began to collect within the spinning metal appendage as Andromon readied one of his attacks.

"Lightning Blade!" intoned Andromon.

He flicked his arm and launched a literal flying blade of electrical energy at our team of heroes and heroines. Fortunately they saw it coming in time and ducked to the ground in a separate hallway just as the attack hit the wall.

Meanwhile, Izzy and Tentomon were busy back at the generator. Izzy was trying to figure out what happened while Tentomon was keeping watch.

"That was a smooth move, Izzy. Scratch that theory." Izzy mumbled to himself. "Could I have possibly deleted the wrong program?"

Tentomon turned around and voiced his opinion to his friend and partner.

"I think that is a distinct possibility, Izzy. Why don't you try to UN-delete it?" Tentomon replied.

"Capital idea!" Izzy said as he took out a black dry erase marker. "A stroke of metallic paint right here…"

As Izzy fixed his mistake on the marking, power was immediately restored to the factory.

"Voila!" cheered Izzy.

Back with Matt and the others, they were a little startled when the power suddenly turned back on.

"They didn't pay their power bill. Is that it?" Mimi asked.

"You know, you have no imagination." Matt quipped.

With the power restored, Izzy resumed his work on his computer while Tentomon watched with rapt attention.

"That's rather mysterious." Izzy said.

"And just what is so mysterious about it?" Tentomon asked.

"Well, you see, batteries are driven by an acidic chemical reaction which generates a current. But this one produces its own current independently." Izzy explained.

"What does that mean in plain english for those of us who didn't major in engineering?" Tentomon asked.

"Give me a nano here!" Izzy said.

"I'll even give you three." Tentomon quipped.

Izzy ignored the smart aleck remark and just kept typing away on his trusty laptop.

"If I can decode this particular program, then I can trace its base functions and figure a way out of here." Izzy said.

Back with the rest of the group, they were now screaming their heads off as they continued running from Andromon. And it looks like despite his speed, he's able to easily keep up with the running children.

"Let's get outta here!" screamed Agumon.

"He's getting closer!" panicked Sora.

Barriss turned around and tried shooting a Force Lighting at Andromon to try and buy them all some time, but the attack just bounced off of Andromon's armor. Seeing that her attacks would do no good, she just kept running and prayed to the force that they might be able to outsmart the android.

"Oh! This is! Not! Good! I! Don't! Like! This! All!" Joe panted as he kept running.

"Come on, you guys!" Agumon urged.

"We're hurrying as fast as we can!" BlackGuilmon said.

Andromon aimed with his targeter and locked back onto our heroes as they staged a tactical retreat.

"Lightning Blade…" intoned Andromon as he powered up his attack. "...And FIRE!"

He swung his arm and launched yet another blade of electricity.

Our heroes screamed even louder as the attack closed in, but they were lucky enough to dodge by jumping over the railing and holding on while the attack hit yet another wall after sailing past them.

"Hear me, intruders! Andromon will exact his vengeance!" Andromon dronned.

"Hey, come on," stuttered Tai. "Vengeance?! We're the ones who jump started you, remember?!"

Back with Izzy and Tentomon, Izzy was still hard at work trying to crack that code. A little TOO hard at work, if you ask me.

"I admire the way you keep working while your friends are out having fun." Tentomon said. "Don't you ever feel sort of… left out?"

"Not at all." Izzy replied.

"So you would rather spend your time with puzzles than with people." Tentomon deduced.

"Precisely! What could be more fun than breaking a cryptogram that no one else can figure out?" Izzy asked in return.

"I can think of a lot of things, like relaxing on a nice warm beach, and not worrying about being trapped in a small room with no exit. But that's just me." Tentomon replied.

Does he perhaps have claustrophobia?

"I'm just trying to determine how we all got to this place. And I'd like to learn more about you Digimon, and perhaps prove some of my theories." Izzy explained.

"What are you theorizing about? What's the big mystery?" Tentomon asked. "I am who I am. I'm not hiding anything."

"Really?" Izzy asked.

"I simply can't understand this preoccupation with who you are. Is there some kind of deep dark secret in your origins?" Tentomon asked.

"Uh, well…"

Izzy stared at the floor as an uneasy feeling took a hold of him.

Flashback…

Back in the human world, I'd estimate a year before this whole debacle started, Izzy was listening in on a conversation his parents were having when he should have been in bed asleep. What the boy heard would change his outlook on life forever.

"Don't you think it's time we told Izzy the truth, dear?" Izzy's mom asked her husband.

"No, I'm afraid if we told him now it might be too big of a shock." Izzy's dad replied.

"I know you're trying to do what's best, but I worry that once he finds out he'll be upset that we didn't tell him sooner." Izzy's mom said.

"Well, we just can't think about that now." Izzy's dad stated.

Flashback End…

"Izzy? IZZY!"

"Huh?" Izzy gasped as he was broken from his thoughts. "Uh, what did you say?"

"You were off in another world. Look at the screen!" Tentomon instructed.

Izzy did as Tentomon said and was amazed. The codes that he had entered into his computer were beginning to move and shape themselves on their own.

"It's acting rather strangely." Tentomon said. "Perhaps you should stop focusing on the problem and start searching for a solution. Your friends are in trouble, can't you feel it in your bones?"

Izzy gasped when he saw a glowing green light flashing on the screen of his Digivice.

"And my Digivice has been activated!" Izzy gasped.

Little did he know, he wasn't the only one who's Digivice was in turmoil.

Back with Matt and his group, they'd made a rather odd discovery of their own.

"Boy, that's productive." Matt said. "This thing puts the pieces together, and then it takes them apart."

And he was right. The machines that were previously being built were now being taken apart on the very same assembly line that constructed them. Did they not pass inspection or something like that?

Meanwhile, Tentomon and Izzy were still focused on the strange problem happening with the boy's computer.

"Tentomon to Izzy-mon, are you reading me?" Tentomon quipped.

"This is clearly scientific speculation, but I believe I may have stumbled into something more than just a simple computer game. And I'm about to abandon my alien theory as well!"

Izzy just stared in awe as a set of grid lines formed an island image on Izzy's laptop computer. It was astonishing! It was perplexing! It was scientifically impossible! It was…

What smells like burning bug?

"Oh my, it's getting hot in here! OW! OW! I'm burning up! Do something quickly, I'm being zapped!" yelped Tentomon.

He was practically dancing in place as the joints on his body were glowing with a green light while smoke rose up from the glowing areas. Heck, he's literally sizzling!

"What's going on?! HEY!" Izzy asked, concerned for his friend.

"OOH, OUCH! I can't stand it! Help!" begged Tentomon.

Izzy removed his Digivice from his bag strap and looked at the screen to see it was full of flashing bars.

"Is it short circuiting?" Izzy asked.

But Tentomon was in too much pain to offer any kind of suggestion.

"OOH, EEE, MERCY! EEEYYIIIIKES! I'm dancing like I've never danced before!" Tentomon screamed in pain.

"I'm disconnecting the power!" Izzy declared. "Now I may never find the mystery out. Oh well…"

When Izzy turned off his computer, Tentomon turned back to normal and sighed as the pain and burning finally stopped.

"Oh, I don't like computers…" whined Tentomon.

Izzy took another look at his Digivice, but to his confusion it was turned off as well.

"What happened to my Digivice?" he asked himself?

Back with Barriss and the others, Barriss' Digivice began glowing at the same time that Izzy's had. And this was just when she and BlackGuilmon had gotten back onto the metal platform that made up a bridge.

"Huh? Look, my Digivice!" Barriss exclaimed.

But then she felt a very ancient and dark energy building up very close to her.

"Aaaargh! What's going on?!"

Barriss looked to see BlackGuilmon being swallowed up by a flame made out of pure dark energy. And from the looks of things, she was in great pain.

"BlackGuilmon, what's going on?!" Barriss asked in concern.

"I don't know, but it's making me go numb!" BlackGuilmon replied.

Barriss unhooked her Digivice from her belt and a hologram of BlackGrowlmon appeared on the screen. But it was different from before. It was all fuzzy and seemed to be glitching in certain places.

"BlackGrowlmon data corrupted. Purging from BlackGuilmon to prevent deletion and avoid permanent damage." her Digivice said.

"Oh dear, that's not good!" Barriss said.

She stood up, knowing that it was up to her to protect the others while BlackGuilmon was immobilized. She took up a defensive stance she'd learned from her limited martial arts training and prepared for Andromon's inevitable attack.

"Andromon will exact his vengeance!" Andromon droned.

"Oh yeah, just try it you tin can!" Tai challenged.

He jumped from his perch and into a nearby crane. Andromon closed in on the kids and their Digimon, causing them to whimper out of fear.

"Well, come on!" Tai said.

"Will you PLEASE stop taunting the deranged android?" Joe begged.

Tai payed him no attention as he pulled a lever on the crane, making it turn in Andromon's direction. Andromon yelped in surprise as the hook of the crane imbedded itself in his armored back, while Tai pulled a red lever.

The result was Andromon being hoisted into the air whilst struggling to get free. Tai got back onto the scaffolding as everyone ran for their lives with Barriss carrying BlackGuilmon.

"Ground interrupt! Altitude reading abnormal!" Andromon said.

On the roof of the factory, Matt and the others were currently trying to piece together their findings on the factory. And Mimi was once again complaining.

"Matt, I'm bored! Grey is really my least favorite color and all this deconstruction is so ten minutes ago! Why are we still here?" Mimi asked while whining.

"We're still here because we're trying to figure out what gets built in this factory." Matt replied. "So far, it just seems designed to put things together and then take them apart."

"I really, really hope that they designed it with a door." TK said.

"There's no door." Matt said, prompting a gasp from the others. "It's based on perpetual motion. Nothing ever stops or leaves this place."

Back with Andromon, he's had enough of literally hanging around.

"Lightning Blade!"

He used his attack to cut the cable that was holding him up and landed on his feet, ready to resume the hunt.

"Hey, everybody! You'll never guess what I just discovered!" Izzy said as he and Tentomon made it to the roof.

"Vengeance…!" Andromon droned as he continued on.

"So what's up? Matt asked.

"Well, the computer program that's operating this factory is what's producing the generating power to keep it going." Izzy explained. "Even more incredible, in Digi-World basic data and simple information are a living viable substance! It's alive!"

It was at that point that Tai and the rest of the gang ran onto the roof, panic evident on their faces and in their body language.

"Hey you guys, listen up!" Tai shouted.

"I don't like the tone of his voice." Matt said.

"We have got to get outta here now!" Tai warned.

"What do you mean, Tai?" Matt asked.

His answer was a certain cyborg Digimon bursting up through the roof, making Barriss and the others scream as they stopped in their tracks.

"Capture intruders! Sensors detect hostility!" Andromon droned as he pulled himself up. "Bring intruders into firing range!"

As Andromon locked onto Matt and the others, he prepared an attack that he hasn't used yet.

"Uh, mister whatever-mon, are you talking to us?" Mimi asked.

"Bring missiles to position," said Andromon.

His chest opened up as a pair of orange missiles that had mouths on them popped out of the holes in his chest cavity.

"...And FIRE!"

The missiles opened their wings and used jet propulsion to launch towards the targets. Izzy and the others were smart enough to get out of the way, but poor little TK was frozen with fear. His legs just wouldn't move!

"MATT, HELP!" TK screamed.

"TK!" Matt screamed in return.

"Look out!" Gabumon warned.

As he ran past Matt, the boy's Digivice began to glow again as he began to Digivolve.

"GABUMON DIGIVOLVE TO… GARURUMON!"

"OH NO!" yelped TK.

He covered his eyes and prepared to be blown to bits, but Garurumon used his massive paw to swat them away and make them fly off course. One of them exploded in the air, but the other one managed to right itself and began to fly towards Tai's group.

Tai and Barriss yelped as the missile opened its mouth to reveal a hidden gatling gun that started shooting at them. The kids started backing away from the bullets, but Barriss knew she wouldn't be fast enough to dodge while holding BlackGuilmon. So she did the only thing she could.

She turned around and used herself as a human shield!

The bullets didn't pierce her flesh very deep, but they still caused blood to fly out of her back as she tanked more bullets than any Clone Trooper probably could. It hurt like hell to her, but she didn't care. As long as BlackGuilmon was unharmed. Even if she was currently screaming in pain from the bullets getting stuck in her flesh. BlackGuilmon opened one eye as she saw what Barriss was doing for her.

"Barriss…!" she mumbled weakly.

The corrupted data was still being purged from her system, so she couldn't fight in her condition.

Having had enough, Agumon rushed in to help everyone. That's when Tai's Digivice started to glow.

"AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO… GREYMON!"

Greymon used his tail to swat the remaining missile away and stop the bullets from piercing Barriss' back. The missile spun in the air a few times before it was destroyed.

"Who challenges Andromon?" Andromon demanded to know.

The two Champion level Digimon rushed at Andromon, but the Cyborg Digimon just threw Garurumon into Greymon and forced them to fall to a lower level of the roof.

"BUMBLING WEAKLINGS!" roared Andromon as he jumped after them.

"Get him, Greymon!" Tai cheered.

"Recycle that hunk of tin!" Matt added, cheering for Garurumon.

"You puny ones DARE to challenge ME?" Andromon taunted.

Garurumon growled as he stood back up and glared at Andromon. It was SO on!

"Lightning Blade…"

Andromon began to charge up his attack again as he spun his hand and raised his arm.

"...And FIRE!"

He launched his attack and hit Garurumon in the forehead, making the wolf Digimon wince in pain. But he was far from done.

Greymon tried to counter attack by firing a Nova Blast at Andromon, but the Cyborg Digimon just swatted the blast of fire and dispersed it. Garurumon tried the same with his Howling Blaster, but this time Andromon just kicked it way! Just how strong IS this guy?!

"He's more powerful than either of our Digimon!" Matt cried.

"Maybe because he's all machine. It's almost like he's Digivolved far beyond the other Digimon!" Sora hypothesized.

"Is it possible that we could lose?" Tai asked feeling hopeless.

Greymon charged at Andromon and tried to take a big bite out of him, but Andromon caught his open maw and held him at bay. While he was distracted, Garurumon pounced at Andromon in an attempt to attack him from behind. But this proved to be a futile endeavor as Andromon judo flipped Greymon right onto Garurumon.

All I can say is that they're gonna feel that in the morning.

"He's beaten them both now!" Tai exclaimed.

"It looks like there's no hope!" Matt added.

Tentomon and Izzy momentarily turned their attention away from the fight as Tentomon suggested something to Izzy.

"Try reentering that program that activated your Digivice!"

"What for?" Izzy asked.

"I believe that's the key to my Digivolving." Tentomon theorized.

"Yes…!"

Izzy turned his computer back on and began to get to work.

"It's got to work!" Izzy said as he kept typing. "If I can just recall the exact sequence…"

While this was going on, the pain in BlackGuilmon's body had finally subsided. Worry quickly made its way to her face as she saw the state of her friend's back. It was full of bullets and she was quickly losing blood.

"Barriss, you're hurt!" BlackGuilmon cried.

Barriss had a pained smile on her face.

"Don't worry about me, it's but a flesh wound. It will heal." Barriss said.

She groaned in pain and screwed her eyes shut.

BlackGuilmon's eyes gained an almost primal fire of rage in them as she glared in Andromon's direction. One way or another, Andromon was going to pay! But she couldn't digivolve anymore without the data for her BlackGrowlmon form. If only there was some way to initiate a new Digivolution for her…

Wait! I think maybe there is!

"Barriss, you have to swipe that black card through your Digivice! And hurry up, I think it'll help me Digivolve again!" BlackGuilmon ordered.

Barriss looked like she wanted to argue, but with her friends currently fighting a losing battle what other choice did she have. She grabbed the card from her deck, and began to swipe it through the card slot on her Digivice. Power began to flow through both tamer and Digimon as the card was halfway through the slot.

"DIGI-MODIFY!"

With renewed vigor and determination, Barriss fully swiped the card through her Digivice and called out its name.

"DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!"

Digivolution…!

Just like what happened on that beach in the fight against Shellmon, Barriss' Digivice began to glow as a purplish black cocoon of data began to encase BlackGuilmon. And while this was going on, Izzy had finished typing in the program that activated his Digivice and got better results.

This time, Tentomon's joints were glowing with green energy without hurting him.

"We cracked the program! Yeah!" Izzy cheered.

"TENTOMON DIGIVOLVE TO… KABUTERIMON!"

Kabuterimon is an Insectoid Digimon whose name and design are derived from the Rhinoceros Beetle. Or the Kabutomushi, as they call it in Japan. He has a dark blue carapace with steel grey accents, four arms that each bare four clawed fingers, a stinger, four white insect wings, and a metal helmet with a single horn on his head. His mouth is divided into segments that each bare sharp teeth.

"BLACKGUILMON DIGIVOLVE TO…"

Just like before, BlackGuilmon's skin peeled off to reveal grid lines underneath and she began to change yet again. But this time, the form she took was different. When she finished Digivolving, her cocoon exploded to reveal an entirely new Digimon.

"...DUSKMON!"

Duskmon is a Demon Man Digimon whose name is derived from dusk. However, rather than looking like a man, Duskmon more resembles a full grown woman wearing black armor that is made from bones. She has a total of five skulls that make up key parts of her armor. One acting as a helmet, two for her hands and two for her feet.

She also has several eyes in her armor that act independently of the others. Her face from the nose down is covered in armor, she's about a head taller than Anakin and her long blonde hair flows freely down her black. Sticking out of the skulls that cover her hands are a pair of curvy blades that are the color of blood.

Barriss held up her Digivice and scanned her new Digimon. A hologram appeared that gave much information about this new Digimon.

"Duskmon, BlackGuilmon's new Champion Level form. What a difference from BlackGrowlmon! Her attacks include Blut Strike, Deadly Gaze, Ghost Move, Geist Blade Storm and Lunar Plasma. She is said to be the Legendary Warrior of Darkness and the reincarnation of an ancient Digimon known as Sphinxmon."

Once the Digimon had finished Digivolving, our heroes cheered for them. They might just be able to defeat Andromon! Speaking of…

Greymon and Garurumon were still getting their tails handed to them by Andromon. The cyborg Digimon first rammed into Greymon's chest like a football player, then he brought his fists down on Garurumon's head. That's when Kabuterimon and Duskmon came charging in to the rescue.

Andromon noticed them just in time to dodge Kabuterimon's initial strike, making the insect Digimon hit the ground before flying back up. But Duskmon was still charging at him, her blades drawn and glistening in the afternoon light.

"Blut Strike!" Duskmon intoned.

She went to slash at Andromon with her Blut Destroyer blades, but the Android blocked each one. Looks like his armor is tougher than it looks. The two entered a blade lock with neither Digimon gaining or losing ground, both appearing to be evenly matched.

But Andromon should've remembered that Duskmon was not alone.

Kabuterimon roared as he circled around and charged once again. But Andromon was ready for him. He grabbed Duskmon by her arms and threw her at Kabuterimon, forcing him to catch her and fly back up while Andromon used another attack.

"Bring missiles to position… and FIRE!"

Andromon launched two more missiles at the two Digimon, forcing Kabuterimon to fly even higher while Duskmon rode on his back.

"Boy, doesn't that Andromon ever run out of gas?!" Joe asked.

Izzy began to ponder what Joe had said, and knew for a fact that every machine, no matter how advanced, has a finite energy source.

"That's it…!"

That's when something caught Izzy's eye. Andromon's right leg was sparking with electricity. Izzy and Barriss looked each other in the eye just as she'd finished using the Force to pull the bullets out of her back, and they knew that they both had the same idea.

But since Barriss was too busy healing herself, Izzy was the one to relay the message.

"Cut his power! Demobilize his right leg and we'll interrupt his energy source!"

Izzy and Barriss yelped when Kabuterimon made a sharp turn and destroyed the missiles by swatting them away before charging back into battle. Only this time, he has a plan.

"Electro Shocker!" Kabuterimon intoned.

"Geist Blade Storm!" Duskmon followed.

While Kabuterimon's attack was a concentrated ball of purple electricity, Duskmon had literally launched a storm of energy blades from her swords. The attacks combined and hit their target.

Andromon screamed in pain as the Black Gear was forced out of his body and sent flying straight up into the air.

"He stripped a gear!" Matt said.

"That must've hurt!" Sora added.

Our group of young heroes and heroines watched as the Black Gear came to a slow stop before vaporizing as it was destroyed.

"That's wicked!" Tai said.

Andromon groaned as he fell to his knees and powered down. It appears as though the threat was finally over.

Ten Minutes Later…

After flying everyone down to where Andromon was resting, Kabuterimon and Duskmon de-digivolved back into their prior forms. Barriss had managed to completely heal her back, leaving only a few light scars as proof of the bullet wounds.

"That Black Gear reprogrammed my system somehow. I'm normally a nonviolent Digimon." Andromon explained.

"You could've fooled us!" Tai said.

"No kidding!" Sora added before telling Joe "I told you he's a Digimon and not an Android."

"I never meant to hurt anyone." Andromon said apologetically.

But our group of young warriors just waved it off.

"Don't give it another thought. Hey, we all make mistakes." Matt said.

"I can't answer you questions about how this place came to be or what it's for, but can be of some help. The best way to escape from here is to follow the underground waterway." Andromon said.

He turned slightly and gestured to a large pipe sticking out of the wall.

"The laberynth begins just beyond this point." Andromon said.

"Thanks for your help, Andromon." Tai said.

"I hope you find your way home, and no matter what try to remember the big guy that turned out to be not so bad." Andromon requested.

Barriss smiled at the large metal man.

"That's something we all can promise. We won't ever forget you, Andromon!" Barriss assured.

After they all traversed the pipe, it took about fifteen minutes to get into the sewers. Now everyone was just waiting on Mimi.

"I know I can do this. Really, I can!" Mimi said to herself. "Okay, ready… set…"

And Mimi jumped down to the ground from… a foot high jump. Seriously?

"Okay, that only took about four minutes. Let's get out of here!" Tai quipped.

"Well said, Tai." Barriss said.

"Am I the only one who finds strolling leisurely through the sewers just the slightest bit disgusting?" Joe asked.

"How do you think I feel. I have to do so barefoot. Deal with it!" Barriss replied.

"Tell me the truth, Izzy. Was it your computer that made Tentomon turn into a super hero?" TK asked.

"Prodigious, huh?" Izzy replied.

"Could your computer make Patamon become a super hero?" TK asked.

"I suppose it is possible." Izzy admitted.

"Wow, okay!" TK said excitedly.

Izzy took out his computer and began to type in the same computer program that allowed Tentomon to Digivolve. Only this time, he was met with different results.

"Let's see now." Izzy mumbled.

"What's happening?" TK asked.

Right as Izzy was about to press enter on his keyboard, his computer just shut off by itself.

"That's strange…"

"Hey!" TK whined in disappointment.

Izzy tried repeatedly pressing the enter key on his computer, but it wasn't working. Maybe it's because they've left the factory. Or it could be that the sewer walls are blocking any signals to his computer.

"The program's right… but nothing's happening." Izzy said.

"Just give it a few whacks. That'll do it." Tai suggested.

"Let us try!" Agumon added.

Izzy looked nervously between the two, and got both himself and his computer out of the way just in time for Tai and Agumon to hit each other instead of the computer. Both had anime tears running from their eyes as Tai now sported a welt on his face while Agumon had a bump on his head.

"Sorry guys, but a computer is not a toy." Izzy scolded.

"Now that you boys have holes in your heads, maybe your brains will get enough oxygen." Sora quipped.

Everyone but Tai and Agumon had a good laugh at that joke. But little did they know, their fight with Digimon taken over by black gears is far from over. If anything…

... It's only just begun…

*To Be Continued…*

Hey guys, there's the new chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, and make sure to leave a review and tell me what you think! See you next time!