Eternal Camaraderie [Owen/Brad] [MPC42]

Brad the Bearmon had been pretty much waiting all day at the inn for the rain to clear, but, it seemed that it would not be clearing up any time soon. The little Bearmon was dressed in his usual outfit of a red T-shirt which covered his thick, grizzly grey and white fur. He also had his trusty cap on, backwards as usual.

Why he was here? Well, where else would he be? Brad liked it in the timberlands, appreciating the fresh scent of damp leaves and enjoying the cool wind of the hills playing on his fur. That and most of the digimon were friendly, well, as long as he didn't venture too far into the forest.

And so Brad was sitting at the bar, daydreaming about old memories and adventures with friends. He did kind of miss them - the group he had met in Terminus City and then ventured to Luminas. He hadn't seen them for a while. He also kept an eye on the door, hoping that one of them might enter this crowded tavern, but, none he knew did. He looked to see the latest visitor was a rather drenched Gaomon. Brad's eyes lingered on him for a moment as a small familiarity washed over him, but, it turned out this was a false alarm. A pity.

Brad sipped more of his hot chocolate before the Gaomon in question sat down next to him. Brad looked at him again, and he seemed to be dressed like an army officer. Then it hit him.

Before his current incarnation, Brad had been a soldier. A tough, hardy scout to be exact. Whose army it was? Brad didn't remember, but he supposed it was probably some charismatic hero's army. A lot of them came and went, according to his friends Pipmon and Ban anyway. But, in his previous life, he had been rather a lot less pacifist than he was now.

This Gaomon's name was Owen, but that name alone meant little to Brad. But he kind of conducted himself like a soldier too, so, maybe he was the Gaomon Lieutenant that had once been Brad's comrade? Although Owen didn't seem to remember.

"Yeah..." Brad answered Owen. "It was a long time ago though, I've been reconfigured since... and, well, heh, I doubt I'm much of a soldier now" he plucked at his T-shirt.

"Hmm, I see" Owen said. "Yeah, I was reconfigured before too, although..." he hesitated and sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, not right now. Anyway, I've been around a long time I guess. Maybe as a soldier? I'm not sure".

Owen then ordered a drink. A large stein of frothy liquid was presented to him. He took a sip, then looked at Brad again.

"What was your unit?" Owen asked, making conversation. Brad struggled to remember, then it came to him at once.

"6/14th Recon" the Bearmon said. Although the words seemed to tumble out of his mouth without him really thinking about them. It was then Owen's turn to stare. It seemed that unit had meaning as well.

"...that one?" he asked. "The one with Corporal Tailmon and Private Gabumon and Sergeant Falcomon?"

Brad's eyes widened as he heard those words. "Yes! That one!" he said, then realized what it meant. "Lieutenant! It really is you!"

"Heh. I guess it is" Owen admitted, the two embracing as they chuckled. This drew attention from more digimon in the bar, a Veemon and Guilmon looking in their direction.

"Do you know this guy, Brad?" the Veemon asked. Brad nodded at him.

"Yep. Roy, Rex, this is Lieutenant Gaomon" Brad said. "Well, uh, I mean, Owen" he corrected himself. "We used to serve together". Brad then looked back at Owen. "Ah yeah, these boys are Roy and Rex, a couple of nice digimon from El Doradimon".

"Hiya" Owen said to them. They waved back.

"Huh, is that right?" Veemon asked, turning his stool to talk to them easier. "You must have loads of interesting stories".

"Actually... now that you mention it, I think we do" Owen said, standing up, carrying his drink. "Let's sit down in a berth somewhere where it's quieter".

The four digimon then proceeded over to a more quiet part of the tavern. And there, Owen and Brad would begin telling their story.

Earning the Water Star was something Brad had not expected. Heck, he hadn't received anything like this before, and that he had done so was most unexpected. Honestly, he didn't really think he deserved it, it was simply something that any digimon would have done. The battle had been fierce, Owen had called a retreat, Owen was hit, then Brad brought him to safety. Yes there were fireballs, bullets and other various attacks bursting all around them, but, Brad had simply focused on getting his officer back alive.

The Water Star was the fourth highest award in the military. The fifth was the Earth Star, then Water, then Wind, then Fire, and then there was the greatest award of all - the Aether Star. Although awards like that were very rare.

On the whole, the Bearmon was rather proud of what he had done. As a Sergeant, he was no greenhorn to matters on the battlefield. He had gone through his trials by fire, and other digimon seemed to see leadership in him. And to have the Lieutenant of their squad be so grateful to him, well, it was certainly something that if the circumstances were ever the same, Brad would do it again.

But that was yesterday's battle, and a good soldier focused on the fights ahead. The next stage of their campaign in this area was to take an enemy fort, which would open the gateway to the final advance of the campaign. The plan was ambitious and daring, but, it seemed their leaders had confidence in it. First, Recon would advance stealthily, then the Aerial units would bombard it, then, once Recon had infiltrated and spotted the weak points, the elite Shock Troops would storm it and take it over. Brad admired the plan and hoped it would be successful.

And so, two nights after the medal ceremony, he and the rest of 6/14th Recon were standing ready from their starting position. The moons were obscured by clouds, leaving total darkness on the tree-lined ground below. However, most digimon of the 6/14th were beast digimon that could sense their surroundings by hearing and scent, not so much relying on sight. It was under these conditions that they would advance.

"Alright, listen up..." Owen whispered to the platoon. "There's a clear path ahead, but it'll be watched, so we'll have to advance through the undergrowth. That means there's risk that your movements will be seen..." he paused and looked ahead. "It's a bit breezy tonight, so, the wind should hide your sound, but don't be complacent. Either way, the cloud cover's there, so, the only way they'll see you is with searchlights. If you see one, duck down on the ground and do not move, do you understand?"

"Yes sir" Brad and the rest of the squad replied. So then. The plan was simple enough. They'd advance to the fortress and search out its weaknesses, allowing for its capture tomorrow. And when they did that, the battle would be won. It was all very exciting.

Before long, the 6/14th Recon was carefully advancing through the forest toward the high stone structure. Brad thought it looked formidable, at least from what he could make of it. A giant black silhouette lined with lights and fire. Was this truly the last thing they had to conquer before this war was over? He hoped so.

However, just as he was advancing, he saw the glow of a searchlight on the fortress battlements moving toward him. He immediately fell to the ground under a bush for cover. The light seemed to pass over him, but it didn't linger. Was it safe to continue? He hoped so.

Brad continued toward the fortress in the darkness. He could smell other digimon in the area, could hear the rustling, but he assumed they were all on his side. However, the continued silence and seemingly increasing activity was unnerving.

In the end, Brad felt the urge to say the password. He whispered it. "Calydon". If one of his own side heard it, they would reply with "Arcus", but that was not the word Brad heard.

"Freeze!" a voice snapped, and immediately, Brad was staring down the barrel of a Commandramon's gun. Instantly, a searchlight shone on him, lighting him and his surroundings up. Brad counted five enemy digimon, one a Champion level. How... could this happen? Had Brad ventured too far from the others?

"Nice try, Imperial scum" the Commandramon said, stepping forward, removing Brad's weapons. "Aw. We got ourselves a brave little fool..." he saw Brad's Water Star medal and sneered. "Heh. Guess you'll be sorely missed then..."

"Lance corporal, enough" said the Champion level, a Dinohumon. "We'll bring him back alive, do you understand?"

And so that was how it happened. Brad found himself being led back to the fortress, disarmed and captured. How could this happen? The Bearmon was overwhelmed with disbelief at this turn of events.

Brad's time since his capture had been utterly miserable. While the Dinohumon Captain that had captured him had been relatively reasonable, his time with the Goblimon interrogator had been nothing but agony. Brad was tied to a chair, virtually rocking with agony and despair.

"Please..." he whimpered. "No more?"

"Ahh, but you 'ave yet to hear moi's greatest masterpiece" the Goblimon said, tucking the violin under his chin. "Zis is sometheeng I learned from a Dorumon en passant, zee "Suffering of a Thousand Swans!"

And so the Goblimon began to play, his violin screeching with perfectly dreadful music. Brad wailed as his ears throbbed in agony.

"Now zen~" the Goblimon said after a few minutes. "You will tell me ze plans you 'ad for taking zis fortress, non?"

"I'll never tell!" Brad snarled, defiantly.

"Hmm..." the Goblimon said. "You 'ave earned my respect, Sergeant, but... I fear I must show you no mercy".

Just as he was about to begin playing his violin again, the room shook. The Goblimon looked to the dungeon window curiously.

"Ah, it seems your little friends 'ave decided to embark on a rescue mission" he said, smugly. "Heh. Poor fools. General MetalGarurumon will make short work of zem!"

"General... a mega level?!" Brad asked, horrified.

"Indeed, mon ami" Goblimon said, smugly. "We knew zis fortress was zee only thing standing in your way. And we are hardly giving zis place to you are we, non?"

Brad was trembling now. The thought of Lieutenant Gaomon and his comrades being snap frozen and shattered by an enemy MetalGarurumon was just too horrible to bear.

"You could save zem all though, yes?" Goblimon said, gently. "Simply tell me your plan, and, well, maybe a few of your friends' lives will be spared?"

"Go to hell" Brad spat at him.

"Oh dear, not zee answer I was 'oping for" Goblimon sighed, and began to screech another tune from his violin. Brad was almost ready to die at that point, had the door not suddenly exploded.

"What the merde?!" the Goblimon snapped, before his face was connected with Lieutenant Owen's fist. He was smacked across the room and knocked out cold as his head smashed into the wall.

"...Sir?!" Brad gasped. "How did you...?!"

"Bait and switch, Sergeant" Owen said, untying him. "Now then. If you don't mind, I'd like to pay off a debt I owe you..."

"Heh... thank you, sir" Brad said, glad to have his paws free. Owen and the rest of the Recon squad led him into the yard of the fortress, which was currently in utter chaos.

Smoke was thick in the area, and there was a giant hole in the wall. Brad looked around, his comrades in Recon were retreating, but, more digimon were advancing. And he saw their insignia up close - this was a coordinated operation. The elite Shock Troops were now at hand, advancing into the fort to take it over. It was then that he realized what was going on. It was all a ruse. The Armored company had diverted enemy troops, Recon had blasted their way in, then rescued him, and finally the Shock Troops would enter the fortress and take it over, all according to plan.

"Well done, sir" Brad said as they were brought to safety.

"We're just one cog in the machine, Sergeant" Owen replied, but, couldn't stop smiling himself. He could tell that the battle was won. But he would rather be behind friendly lines before making that boastful claim.