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Chapter 2 - Head Held High

The pair come out of the dark chamber with the poles and into a well lit hallway. The sunlight streaming through the large windows surprises the captured digimon, even if all she can see is the blue sky. Somewhere in the back of her mind she expected this place to be some sort of evil looking castle. Instead it has the appearance of a human hospital that's been repurposed. Keeping pace behind that of her captor the prideful digimon forces herself to stand straight as they walk down the empty hallway, pulling every ounce of anger she can up out of her very being to try and ignore the torture from the lashings, and whatever this monster had done to her a few moments before.

"They'll find me, you'll pay for this," trying to speak casually, almost teasingly, Gatomon continues to stride in trail. "You're done for, you know?"

The human with the leash doesn't even stop walking, lifting her left hand up to show the device she had used before. It appears to be some sort of electronic handheld, constructed to be tough, and with a a few large buttons on the sides and a dial. It fits snugly into Clarissas hand, like some sort of perverse carnival mirror Digivice. Without responding the womans thumb presses down on one of the side buttons and the pain begins again. Electric fury, insane burning. Like every single one of her small muscles is trying to cramp at the same time hits Gatomon all at once.

Body flopping to the floor uncontrollably she writhes in agony. Smashing against it like an animal in its death throes, her vocal chords constrict as she chokes from the sudden flood of pain and the only other noise filling the hallway is the sound of the womans dress shoes against the linoleum floor. Continuing to walk casually, dragging her punished feline along behind her for a few steps by the leash before releasing the button on the device. She never stops dragging Gatomon across the floor, half choking her before the feline digimon can fight her way back up to her feet and try to catch her breath.

"Unlikely, my sweet little kitten. I fear your friends will be too slow, I expect to have you broken in due time. By then it will be far too late. Watch your words with me, sweetling. I will not hesitate to hold the button down for longer next time." the casualness of the words, the almost honeyed pet names, the whole situation in general causing pure hatred to boil up in Gatomon even more, she considers trying to physically attack the woman. Maybe she can knock her over and run, but no. Unless she broke that infernal tool it was doubtful that she could even make it to the end of the hallway.

Accepting the silent response the dark haired woman begins to speak again, "I am taking you to the labor grounds, this is a very important place in your training. It is good for all of our digimon to see each other in different stages of acceptance. Your will being broken will have a strong effect on the most hardy, and you will be rewarded for being a very good girl if you take to your new life with minimal issues. I fear you will be a problem though, certainly you have the attitude for it." Reaching the end of the hall they turn and come to another empty hallway. A few closed doors pass by on one side while large glass windows that start just above Gatomons vision pass on the other.

"Dear little Gatomon, you should know that there are levels of companionship that we have with our digimon charges. It's a trust sort of thing, the more we trust the digimon the more leeway and freedom they are given. Ultimately they earn their way to being a full fledged pet. At that point once they have proven to us whole heartedly that they truly have changed for the better we find them a new forever home." the womans words are warm, exactly like someone would speak to a child, or a particularly smart dog.

"You should count yourself lucky, the truly rebellious are expendable under normal circumstances. You are not. Despite that, there are things that collar can do to you that are worse than death. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but you really should listen to what I tell you to do, and begin to mesh in with the program at hand. We simply can't afford to have you as a corpse, but a mewling broken toy might suffice. Ah, we're here." The pair come up to a pair of glass doors, and at last Gatomon can see the grounds outside.

The large yard outside the doors is full of digimon of various types, most of them are taking hammers to rocks. With barely any time to notice what's happening her paws are unbound, and Clarissa has given her a small hammer. "Go on now, break rocks until I come back for you. You are allowed to talk to others if you like, as long as you continue your task. Understand that open rebellion from most other digimon will cause us to dispose of them. So choose your words carefully if you value their lives."

With the door opened the dazed feline digimon heads out into the yard, looking around for escape, a friendly face, anything besides this borderline insanity.

?.?.:* *.:?.?

After walking out into the yard a short distance Gatomon finds some large rocks, and begins to smack at them with the hammer. It's an entirely pointless endeavor. Her strength too drained from the torture and her mind racing to find an escape. Despite that she continues to bashing away just to buy time to look around and think. The work yard is fairly large, surrounded on all sides by the building, like a sort of large inner courtyard. There are digimon all over the place, many of them doing exactly what she's doing. Some of them are actually capable of breaking the rocks with their hammers, but she just can't see the reason why anyone would try that hard.

Off to one side there are some humans wearing white DMRG hats with casual outfits. One of them is wearing a business mans suit. The group seem to be looking at a handful of digimon that are all doing tricks on an obstacle course. As she watches the small hammer in her hand stops as her eyes stare, the suit wearing man points to an Impmon in the group, calling it over. The selected digimon drops to the ground and grovels towards the human, crawling up to the DMRG goons and waiting for them to motion for it to stand. Unable to hear them from where she's standing, she can feel her stomach twisting nauseously.

The Impmon is quickly eating something from the mans hand, while being petted. Seemingly enjoying the process. Stomach churning, Gatomon turns away from the scene as her hammer falls on the ground where she stands. Finally taking in the digimon around her. Dozens of different kinds. Multiples of some, almost all of them smacking at the rocks. Some of them seem to be trying to talk and work at the same time, but one and all they continue to pound relentlessly on the rocks.

"What even is this?" she questions softly, looking into their faces, some look away, but some don't. Staring back at her with hope in their eyes. A desperate hungry pleading hope. They know who she is, what she's been a part of, and they probably think this is some sort of elaborate plan to help them. The recognition chills her digital soul. They're counting on her to resist. The word from Clarissa a few minutes before fills her ears, disposable. All of them are disposable to these humans. Except Gatomon herself. As she continues to look around she sees some of the people walking with leashed digimon around the outer edge of the yard. Some playing games, fetch, catch, and everything between. Not partners, pets.

Caught in her terrified reverie she never hears her new keeper walk up behind her, the ceaseless sound of hammers on rock dulling the rapport of the woman's shoes on the hard ground. The angry voice being the only warning she has, "I told you that you had to work!" The shout causes Gatomon to twirl on the spot and look up at the human with their eyes locking together for a moment. Click.

Just like before it's like a switch being turned on. Like molten iron being poured over her, her muscles feeling like they're trying to tear themselves apart. Every single moment the pain grows hotter, more violent, more intense. The digimons breath escapes from her lungs as she convulsively falls over, twitching and writhing. Rolling around in misery and getting dust into her mouth. Vainly she tries to claw at the dirt, to escape, to make it end. The nearby digimon never stop their work, hammers bashing against rock, and not a single one moves to help.

By the time it does ends Gatomon can't get back to her feet, her body entirely limp from the experience. Every ounce of energy having been leaked out of her from the days violent thrashings, physical or otherwise. Barely realizing where she is as Clarissa leans down to pick her up by the scruff of her neck. Carried like so much dead weight back to the door and inside. The words the human says to her barely even register, "If you will not do as you are told then you will be placed in solitary confinement. Perhaps this is for the best."