Digimon Adventure: Continuing Evolution

18. Judgment

Tai felt like he was in a whirlwind. The world seemed to swim before his eyes like a vessel in a storm-tossed sea, with no anchor to steady it. As he followed the people slowly filing back into the chamber, Tai concentrated on trying to control his unsteady breathing and the tremors of his limbs. His heart pounded wildly in his throat, and there was a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach. Black spots played at the edges of his vision, and Tai was suddenly afraid he might faint before he could get to his seat. Am I having a panic attack? He wondered absently.

At last he made it to the Defense table, which he seized for support. It was just too much to process at once: his true feelings for Menoa were now made plain to him, and he was unable to ignore them any longer. It was so obvious in hindsight: what had started as mere pity and camaraderie as fellow sufferers of the same affliction had gradually morphed over these last months into something more. As incredible as it may seem, Tai knew he had fallen in love with Menoa Bellucci. However, this fact was of no comfort to him but a dreadful horror, now that she may be locked away forever.

This is all wrong. It's all so wrong!

Everything was spiraling further and further out of his control, and there was nothing he could do but watch. His helplessness filled him with crippling terror. For Menoa to go back to jail for an extended sentence was a fate that he could not accept, but the only alternative could cost him his best friend.

I can't bear to lose anyone else, Tai told himself. I just—I just—

From out of the maelstrom of his mind came several visions of the ways this could play out, each scenario worse than the last...

The judges announcing some extreme punishment for Menoa; Matt leaping down from the low balcony on the right and detonating his makeshift flashbang, and already the potential problems began to manifest themselves. What if he lands wrong and rolls an ankle, or even breaks his leg? What if there is a problem with his grenade and it doesn't go off? The rescue plan could be dead in the water before it even properly starts.

But the visions kept coming. In this iteration, the flashbang works as intended and Matt runs to Menoa. But either his assumption about the guards is wrong or the smoke cloud dissipates faster than expected, and the soldiers scattered around the room raise their rifles. Tai screams for them to wait even as they open fire, and Matt and Menoa's bodies jerk and thrash as they are riddled with bullets and a pink mist covers the air.

Tai closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to think about that. However, even if everything were to go exactly as planned and they make their escape, this was still only the beginning of the dangers they would face.

Tai imagined a later time—perhaps that night, one day, or a few weeks, the exact span was unimportant—when they are recaptured. He watched as they stood in front of a firing squad, Menoa crying desperately for mercy, Matt saying nothing but for a private apology in his eyes for failing his mission, and Sora restrained at the sidelines, powerless despite unleashing every ounce of her rage and fury in the attempt to stop her lover's execution, crying in vain for Biyomon to come rescue them, and the air was filled with a thunderous noise as the scene became engulfed in smoke...

A tear fell from his cheek and crashed onto the edge of the table in front of him. Returning to himself, Tai hastily wiped his face as Menoa was brought to the seat next to him, with Cody and Brian Talbot filling the remaining chairs at the Defense table.

"Well, I guess this is it," said Menoa, attempting an air of affability to mask her fear. Then she noticed Tai's tortured expression. "Hey, are you all right, Kamiya? You look as scared as I am. Did you forget who's on trial here?" she laughed.