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You jolt back into consciousness, dispelling the hazy hallucinations. What the hell was that?! You look down at your fingers, making sure your hands are back to normal. You have all five fingers again, unlike the vision you were just trapped in.
<span class="mu-s">"Say something! Hey!"</span>
"I'm... I'm okay."
You look up at the assembled mob in front of you. Squid, Bella, and both their partners have emerged from the lab. They're standing behind Porcupamon, who's staring down at you while quivering in fear and rage. You slowly turn your head to look down the hall, spotting the shredded remnants of hundreds of bots. Noticeably, the walls have been furiously cleaved by claws and spikes, with countless furrows continuing into the piled-up bodies of servitors. It looks like Porcupamon went berserk. No enemies are left alive— neither bot nor Espimon.
"Did it hurt?" Ryan asks.
"What are you talking about? What-"
It only hits you when you look at the severed wire by your side, the empty syringe still attached. A chill passes through you as you stagger to your feet.
"Did they Pod me?"
Squid nods. She pokes at a bot curiously, while ToyAgumon types on a floating display.
<span class="mu-s"><span class="mu-b">"They suspended you. But Porcupamon broke you out before they could deploy the actual coating."</span></span>
"You're really lucky. I can reverse suspension... But I can't break open a Pod."
"And your buddy went crazy." Bella mumbles, still swaddled in cloth. "Completely mental."
Porcupamon stomps on the head that Squid was investigating, causing her to flinch. The bot's trace data is ground into nothingness, and he kicks another metal skull with a powerful leg. Those are the motions you've gotten used to. Not that floaty, dream-like simulation you just experienced.
<span class="mu-s">"Argh! Just when I thought I could leave you alone..."</span>
"It wasn't like I was doing anything reckless! These things happen. It was the least dangerous option." You reply, your head still reacclimating to lucidity.
<span class="mu-s">"I know, I know... It's just- I'm sick of it! Sick of always being THIS close to winning, before something stupid happens!"</span> He shouts, pinching his fists together for emphasis.
"Just a bit more." You mumble under your breath, tossing the OOPART to him. You feel that spark of resolve reignite, fusing with the sheer contempt you feel for the bots. They almost got you. All of this was almost for nothing. Digimon, you can handle. But these AI instances are the true architects of the shallow life you're all forced to lead. They very nearly ended your journey with their stupid, unfair pods, even though you made the right call.
You kick the same severed head that your partner was abusing, sending it into the pile of junk, before moving down the hall with him close behind. He stands guard over you while the progress bar ticks upwards again. It picks up where it left off, moving into the thirties healthily.
