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Gato had never experienced anything like this in her young life. She had experienced chaotic melees, battles where entire villages were razed from the damage... But she had never experienced a war. She'd certainly never fought in conflicts that lasted for longer than a couple of days. The war against Arkadimon had just entered its second week.

Gato leapt behind rubble as gunfire and blasts of fire, ice, and lightning struck where she had been standing a moment before. Arkadimon had kept true to his word, and struck hard and struck fast, everywhere at once. He had been busy, more busy than anyone had suspected; as friends and family had suddenly turned on their fellow Digimon, attacking without warning or mercy.

Arkadimon's A-Cores were a constant rain, a barrage of glowing red spheres that sought out the nearest Digimon, plunging inside them, and instantly transforming them into new soldiers for Arkadimon.

Unlike with the Virus, the Defenders were forced to fight lethally from the start. The parasitically controlled forces were showing no mercy, and so the Defenders could not either.

From what Goma had explained, the attacks were happening worldwide, everywhere at once. Civilians were being rounded up, infected with A-Cores, and transformed into another part of Arkadimon, used to slaughter, rape, and capture more. But the worst attacks were in File Island, which seemed to be the focus of Arkadimon's attention.

Gato panted for breath, wincing as a bullet pinged off a brick beside her head. She had been fighting and performing rescue operations for civilians for 37 hours straight, as of her current count. At a certain point, energy drinks, Boost Bananas, and other traditional methods of staying awake and getting energy were just not enough. She had not just been awake for almost two days, but in action almost the entire time. She hated it, but she needed sleep, even if only for a couple of hours.

"On my mark, run. Don't stop until you get to the building at the corner of Pixel Avenue down there. Veemon'll be waiting for you. He'll get you to File HQ, where we've got a safe zone," Gato explained, glancing over her shoulder at the group of civilians that were following her. She had carefully vetted them, looking for any telltale marks of A-Core infection, and was reasonably sure none of them were taken over. It would take a full scan at File HQ to be sure. The civilian Digimon nodded nervously, looking afraid, but still somewhat reassured by her presence. The reputation of the Defenders alone was enough to act as a calming factor.

"Wait for it... Wait for it..." Gato muttered, glancing around the corner as the approaching Arkadimon Hosts laid down a blistering hail of attacks and fire at her cover.

"NOW, AGU!" she shouted, as there was a lull in the action, as the soldiers reloaded, or prepared new attacks.

"AGUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO... GREYMON! NOVA BLAST!!!" a distant voice shouted from a rooftop nearby. There was a blinding flash of light, and suddenly a twenty-foot tall figure was casting a shadow across the street. An enormous blazing fireball fired down upon the attackers, scattering them, and sending up an enormous cloud of billowing black smoke.

"NOW! RUN! RUN RUN!" Gato shouted, urging the civilians ahead of her. Covered by the blinding smoke, and Greymon's artillery fire, the civilians scrambled ahead of Gato. They ran hard, dashing down the street towards the building that Gato indicated.

"Get outta there, Greymon!" Gato called, "We're falling back now!"

"Got it!" a rumbling voice replied, as another blinding flash lit up the buildings around him. His voice was higher-pitched and back to normal when it replied, "I'm moving now!"

Gato scrambled down the street, trying to ignore the bullets whizzing by her as she leapt from cover to cover, cleaving through any hostiles in her way. She hunkered down behind a store countertop, wincing as a squad of Arkadimon hosts peppered her position with attacks.

"Could use a little cover fire!" she called, coughing in the smoke.

"I've g-got you," a soft voice whispered through the comms. Gato's keen ears picked up a whizzing noise, a faint buzz, and several possessed Digimon suddenly exploded into shards of data, looking surprised.

"Nice shot, Biyo. You got three of them in one," Gato said, in earnest praise, peeking over the counter.

"Stay put, and w-watch this next one," Biyo replied. There came a second whizzing noise, followed by several rapid metallic pings. The remaining members of the squad disintegrated into nothing, deleted. Gato's eyes went wide as she saw several marks on surfaces around the room.

"...Did you just ricochet a single sniper bullet three times to kill five targets from two miles away?" she asked in disbelief.

"...You should get out of there, Gato. More are closing in on you!" Biyo said, her voice tinged with a hint of pride.

"Geez, remind me never to piss you off. I'll literally never see it coming," Gato muttered.

"Just get back. We're locking down the base. Core Rains are impending," Biyo replied, sounding more sober.

"Got it. I'm on the move," Gato said, crawling out from her cover. There was no trace of the enemy troops, but a few evaporating shards of data.

Gato hated what was happening. She hated the killing, she hated the dying, she hated watching others get taken over by A-Cores, she hated everything. But she had to admit, the one and only good thing about a Digimon War was that there were no bodies to bury or burn. Only the bloodstains remained.

Gato shook the dark thoughts from her mind. She did not have time to ruminate on what was happening. She had to move. She bounded out of the storefront on all fours, lunging down the street as fast as her paws could carry her.

*****

"GO! GO! GO!" Gato shouted, shoving several civilians forward with as much force as she could without sending them sprawling. She skidded to a halt, wheeled around, and her paws flashed to the bandoleer she wore around her shoulder. Flicking her paws several times rapidly, silver projectiles flew out, striking the pursuing hosts in the chest, head, or both. They shattered apart, dying instantly. Steel knives clattered to the pavement where they had been standing.

Gato's biggest weakness was that she was a close-combat specialist. She had no ranged abilities that could do damage (using Cat's Eye Hypnosis to confuse foes into killing each other or mind controlling them into killing themselves did not count. Furthermore, Arkadimon's hosts seemed mostly immune to her empowered gaze, and it could only stun them momentarily). As such, Gato had trained with ranged weapons to make up for her weakness. Unfortunately, Gato did not have particularly good aim with standard issue pulse-rifles or particle pistols, or any of the Defender's guns. She was proficient enough to use them in a pinch, but in the current situation, she doubted that it would be helpful.

Luckily, during basic combat and weapons training, Gato had found that she had a knack for using knives, both in melee and throwing form. It was not something she used very often; her claws were sharper and more deadly than any knife, and she rarely had a need to have a projectile attack, because she tended to have ranged backup to do it for her. Early on in the Arkadimon War, Gato realized that the Defenders were spread thin, and she was not always going to have that type of backup or cover available. She might have to do it herself. She had raided one of the armories for a set of throwing knives and had been wearing a bandoleer of them in the field ever since.

She frowned, wincing as she looked down at the loops. Only three of them contained knives; she had used them all up in her current sortie. She would have to restock from the armory when she got back.

A Bacomon emerged from the forest to her right. Its red eyes peered malevolently out of the cardboard box that made its head. A pulsing red spot glowed on its chest; as if its heart was visible and throbbing right through its very substance.

"GUM ROLL! Stick around, sister!" it called, tossing a roll of duct tape at her with surprising force and speed, a long strand of it trailing behind in its boxy grip. Gato slashed through the tape with almost contemptuous ease, sneering. She wheeled, kicking the roll into the forest.

"Really, is THIS the best you can come up with, Arkadimon?" she snarled, pouncing at it, "Also, STICK AROUND?! Seriously? Get outta here with that weaksauce trash talk! LIGHTNING CLAW!"

Her claws took on a metallic sheen as she vanished from sight in a white blur. The Bacomon was reduced to shreds of cardboard, which exploded into digital shards before vanishing.

"'...Stick around,' what the hell?" Gato growled to herself, nonplussed. It was not the first time Arkadimon had spoken to her through one of its avatars, and Gato was certain she'd hear more from the abomination before the end. Gato's general response was usually to just kill whoever was talking before they could finish their sentence. She had nothing she wanted to hear from Arkadimon other than his death screams.

"That wasn't nice, sister... CUTTER FIN!!!" a voice sneered. Gato reacted without thinking, springing up into the air, spinning and corkscrewing. She caught a glimpse of what looked like a green and orange buzzsaw digging into the pavement where she had been standing. It resolved into a Betamon, which glared at her.

Gato flicked a knife at it, and scowled as it leapt away, the knife hitting the tarmac and breaking in half from the force of the throw. Two left. Whipping her arm, she sent another one out... not at the Betamon, but into the bushes off to the side. She heard a shriek of pain and caught a glimpse of a Bearmon with the knife sticking out of its heart, before it died.

"How?!" Arkadimon growled through the Betamon.

"Have you SEEN the size of my ears, you idiot? I heard it tromping around out there, even WITH you distracting me," she snapped, leaping into the air again as the Betamon turned into a buzzsaw once more, cutting through the pavement at her. She debated using her last knife on it, but decided against it; it would just bounce off it while it was spinning like that.

"Yes, but did you hear THIS?!" the Betamon shouted as it whizzed by. Gato, sensing something on instincts borne of years of life-or-death combat, looked up and gasped. Her evasion was sloppy, she was still trying to balance after landing from her last leap. She threw herself aside as an impact cratered the ground where she had been standing. A small shockwave buffeted Gato, sending her tumbling and sprawling on the grass at the side of the road. Feline instincts took over and she managed to flip to her feet before she finished rolling.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," Gato groaned, seeing a GrapLeomon rising from a crouch, "An ULTIMATE?! C'mon, Arkadimon, I'm friggin' tired and I wanna get home!"

"All is fair in..." Arkadimon said through the GrapLeomon, its voice a low, bestial growl that sent shivers up Gatomon's spine.

"Oh, SHUT UP," Gato snapped, flicking her wrist contemptuously. Her last knife buried into the head of the Betamon as it tried to sneak up behind her, electric sparks crackling around it as it prepared an attack. It screeched, and she did not bother to look as it died and vanished. She pulled off the empty bandoleer and tossed it aside, as it would just get in the way now.

The GrapLeomon stalked towards her slowly, wringing its armored arms and legs, the turbines on each whirring loudly. Gato weighed her options. Digivolution was still authorized from earlier; she could turn into Angewomon to fight it on an equal footing, or go even higher to Mega to blow it away. The problem is that she was so exhausted that she could probably only hold a Digivolution for a matter of seconds. Even if she defeated it in those few moments, she'd probably pass out when she reverted back to Gatomon, leaving her completely vulnerable... and worse, leaving the civilians' retreat completely undefended.

Which meant fighting it as a Champion, remaining as she was. She took stock of her remaining store of energy. The outlook was bleak, but she thought she might have a chance. It would require timing and finesse, though.

"CAT'S EYE HYPNOSIS!" she shouted, her eyes shimmering gold. She met the GrapLeomon's eyes and it recoiled from the power of her gaze. Gato could not hypnotize it, could not even confuse or enthrall it, but she could knock it off balance for a moment. She kicked off the ground, leaping at it.

"LIGHTNING CLAW! LIGHTNING CLAW! LIGHTNING CLAW!!!" she cried, cuing up three attack protocols in a row; something that was usually not advisable for fear of overloading one's systems. Her first right Lightning Claw struck hard, catching it in the chest armor, denting it and sending sparks flying. The second, delivered with her left paw, tore open the armored plates of its chestguard, exposing the lion Digimon's pectoral muscles. Drawing back both paws, still in midair, she struck out with the third attack, trying to bury her paws into its flesh, to cut clean through it.

The first two struck clean. The third blow never made contact, as the GrapLeomoon brought up its knee and caught Gato in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She crashed to the concrete, rolling a few times before coming to a stop, gasping for air.

"VORTEX KICK!" the GrapLeomon roared, bringing its foot down in an axe kick towards Gato's skull. The spinning grinder on its leg whirred with a sound like a dentist's drill as it sped towards her face. The tiny kitten managed to roll aside at the last second, lashing out at its ankle. Her claws merely sparked off its steel-covered feet harmlessly.

"Dammit," cursed Gato, climbing to her feet. She was a great martial artist, even a spectacular one; but that was against opponents on her level and her size. The GrapLeomon was nearly eight feet tall, weighed almost a dozen times what she did, and was significantly stronger both physically and in terms of special attack power. Even at her best, Gato imagined it would have been a very tough fight, and one she probably would have lost. In her exhausted state, her reactions slowed, her attacks weakened, she doubted that Vegas odd-makers would even bother to take the bet. With those grinders and turbines on its arms and legs, Gato could not even properly block its attacks without taking injury.

"Arkadimon, in case I didn't make it clear before, I hate you and you suck," Gato said conversationally, "And I look forward to killing you in person."

"At this rate, you will not have the chance," the GrapLeomon replied, "TEMPEST FIST OF THE BEAST KING!!!"

Its punch was a mighty one, thrown with the full force of its body. The turbine on its arm whirred, turning the fist into a deadly drill that would blow a hole clean through anything it hit. Gato knew if it made contact, she was dead. She was too off-balance to dodge. She only had one choice.

"CAT'S EYE! LIGHTNING CLAW!" she shouted, firing off two more attacks in quick succession. She caught its gaze again, and its eyes went out of focus, its expression looking dumbfounded. She threw herself forward, lunging as she threw a Lightning Claw, putting as much power into the blow as she could. She had to be pinpoint accurate. If she missed, even by a little, she was dead.

Her claw tore through its fist, its arm, and its shoulder, ripping it clean off. Gato wheeled in midair, screaming triumphantly as she buried her claws into the GrapLeomon's chest, piercing its heart.

"H-How?!" Arkadimon exclaimed, the GrapLeomon coughing blood.

"Eye of the tornado. Weakest point of anything that spins is the exact center. If I'd missed, the centrifugal force woulda flung my arm aside and you'd be standing instead of me," Gato explained, "Lesson's over, school's out, now fuck off and die."

With that, she ripped her hand free, and watched in satisfaction as the GrapLeomon's body shattered and vanished. She paused trying in vain to catch her breath. She was lightheaded and dazed. In her half-drunken state, she mused that she'd become quite a bit more foul-mouthed since Arkadimon had attacked. She made a mental note to watch that around Sala.

She turned and staggered back towards the Defenders Base, trying to catch her breath. Her right arm throbbed as if it were broken, but she still had full movement. Gato guessed it was a side effect of using one too many Lightning Claws in too short a time. She flexed her fingers, wincing as the pain stabbed more harshly. She would see Hawk if her condition did not improve by the time she got back to base.

Gato had to admit to herself; if she had not been so utterly and completely exhausted, she might have actually enjoyed the war. It was rare that she got a chance to cut loose, to fight at the peak of her abilities without having to hold back for fear of hurting someone, and to fight against such wide and varied opponents. She had the heart of a warrior, and battle was what she excelled at more than any other skill.

But then the thought came that the Arkadimon hosts were victims just as much as anyone else; and she was ending their lives when there was a possibility, however faint and distant, that they might be saved. That was enough to take any sense of elation out of her, leaving her twice as tired as she had felt a moment ago.

She grit her teeth, swore to make Arkadimon pay, and ran down the road as fast as she could.

*****

She did not exactly catch up to her civilian charges. She was so delayed by covering their retreat that by the time she saw them again, they were already being escorted by Agu and Vee, and Biyo was circling above them. Over the crest of the next hill, Gato saw the walls of the Defenders Base.

The automated turrets were whirring as they turned, pounding like the loudest drums ever as they fired high-caliber bullets at any target that presented as even potentially hostile. Hidden shock, shrapnel, and explosive traps decimated intruders trying to sneak through the forests. Any target that tried to enter the airspace would find flak cannons and missiles aimed in its direction. There was a constant patrol of security personnel and Defenders on the walls, covering the civilians and targeting anything with an A-Core. There was at least one Defender at maximum Digivolution at all times, ready for combat (at this moment, it was Rena, Digivolved to Sakuyamon). And those were only the defenses that Gato could see at the moment. Gato knew that there were at least a dozen more hidden defenses waiting to be triggered, and probably several more she did not know about.

Gato had to admit, Armadillomon had always bragged about how he'd upgraded the base's security features, but she had never thought they'd live up to the hype if it ever came to it. Since the Pandemic, he'd made a point of upgrading them even further. She made a mental note to apologize to him, but knew that she'd never follow up on it. The base was one of the few truly secure places on the planet. It turned out that outside of being an enormous pervert and a decent security officer that Armadillo really DID know his job.

"Get them inside!" Gato called through her Brand, "I'm about two minutes behind!"

"Pick up the pace, Gato," Vee's voice returned, "We're locking down the base as soon as you get in!"

Gato's right arm screamed in pain as her palm slapped the pavement, her claws digging in before she kicked off for her next lunge forward. It was much faster for her to run on all fours than on her legs, but it took so much more energy. She was panting heavily, her chest heaving. Her heart felt like it was about to beat right out of her chest. But she covered ground at a pace usually reserved for something like a dirt bike, kicking up dust in her wake.

She watched as Agu wheeled around at the main gate, facing towards her. Biyo landed lightly beside him and dropped onto her fluffy stomach. Gato could see her fiddle with something slung around her shoulders, and knew she was setting up her rifle. Vee escorted the civilians inside, and Gato caught a glimpse of the emergency shelter further down the road inside the walls. That was their final destination.

Gato watched as Agu reared back and spat great orange fireballs at approaching Digimon, incinerating them where they stood, helping to cover the main gate while it was open. Her keen ears picked up the distinctive "hiss-crack" of Biyo's rifle, and actually felt the air cavitate near her as the bullets passed by, striking targets behind her. Gato felt not a moment of fear, even as one projectile clipped one of the tassels of her ear; she trusted Biyo completely and entirely, and knew that the bird would never hit her, even by accident. She was too careful a shot for that.

She grit her teeth, feeling every muscle in her body strain as she launched herself forward, streaking past Agu and Biyo a few moments later.

"CLOSE THE FRIGGIN' GATE!!!" she shouted, as Agu and Biyo broke away from their defense to rush inside after her. This time it was Gato who covered their retreat, turning to throw punches and kicks at the red-eyed Arkadimon hosts who scrabbled towards her. Security personnel fired weapons over her shoulders, helping her hold the line until the gate slammed shut with a mighty clang.

Gato waved them off, ordering them to go to safety, while she ran a quick triple-check to ensure the gate was closed properly, that the turrets' ammo feeds were running smoothly, and that the base was ready for a lockdown. Once she was sure everything was working fine, she turned and dashed for the Emergency Shelter herself. She blinked, noting a green-skinned figure standing, ushering the last stragglers through the doors.

"Get inside. Incoming Core Rain!!!" Pal yelled as the blast doors began to close. Gato picked up the pace, bounding on all fours to make it. She slipped through the door just as they slammed shut. A moment later, there came a whistling noise, followed by a rumble and the sound of thousands upon thousands of pieces of glass shattering.

Arkadimon had been unleashing his A-Cores in what the Defenders had dubbed "Core Rains," a relentless assault of glowing spheres falling from the sky to strike any Digimon unfortunate enough to be caught in it. They shattered and vanished on contact with the ground, but coming into contact with even one sphere would allow Arkadimon to take over the Digimon. Thankfully, it seemed the monster could only unleash these assaults periodically, and only in one region of the Digital World at a time.

Gato caught her breath quickly, resting against the blast doors as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. The world was spinning and lights and dark spots were flickering before her eyes. Gato did her best to try to calm her breathing. The last thing she needed was to faint right now.

Pal held a pinch of something under her nose; Gato smelled something herbal and felt slightly refreshed as the world came into focus. She blinked, shaking her head a little, and managed to climb to her feet.

"Thanks," Gato sighed, brushing dust and grime from her fur.

"Not 'zactly smelling salts or anythin', but it should give ya a lil' pep in yer step," Pal said, holding up a little sachet of green and purple leaves, "I know Hawk sneers at aromatherapy and herbalism an' all that, but unlike that fake human crap, my stuff actually works."

"I needed it. I don't feel great, but at least I can stand and walk now," Gato said, patting her on the back as they made their ways through the halls. They were jam packed full of civilians milling about. Defenders and support staff ran from place to place, offering aid, food, and comfort to as many people as they could. Gato frowned and shook her head, wishing she too could do something to help the innocent people who looked at her so desperately.

"How many do we have?" Gato asked.

"...Not enough. We're filled to capacity in the Emergency Bunker, and the base itself is startin' ta get more'n a little cramped. We're usin' the Data Transfer and EDT to send as many civvies away as we can ta safe zones," Pal said, handing her a datapad. Gato frowned and examined it.

"...500,000 evacuated. Out of 1.35 million," Gato sighed, rubbing her nose. The Defenders had been evacuating as many Digimon civilians as they could, both to get them to safety and, though Gato would never admit anything in front of a civilian, the main reason was to deprive Arkadimon of potential troops. Every single civilian unprotected was a potential enemy soldier waiting for an A-Core to trigger them.

Gato had reluctantly sent Sala away with some of the non-combat support staff she trusted early on. The simple fact was that she could not keep the child safe in the current situation. She was not a Defender; she was not even officially a trainee. She was just a little girl with surprising skill, but not enough to keep herself or anyone else safe. It had been BlackGato that had finally managed to get the child to agree to leave, promising that they'd go on a picnic when it was all over. Gato missed the little girl dearly, but knowing she was out of danger for the moment was one thing that she could take small comfort.

"Not good stats, no," agreed Pal, shaking her head so hard that pollen wafted off her petals, "There's no way we get everyone off File Island this way. An' that's just us, ta say nothin' of everywhere ELSE in the world. We're already talkin' about openin' a portal into the human internet, or even into the Real World if we hafta."

"We can't do that. The humans have been friendly to us, but that was centuries ago. Opening a portal and dropping millions of refugees in their lap without warning and decades (in their time) of silence doesn't seem exactly the friendliest move on our part. And opening a portal to the Real World risks letting Arkadimon out. I dunno how much time has passed there, but I doubt they're ready to face this kinda threat. Particularly not receiving our refugees OR facing off against Arkadimon," Gato said, shaking her head.

"What about the original DigiDestined Digimon?" Pal asked.

"...They're probably still alive there, and from their reputation, yeah, they MIGHT be able to handle Arkadimon... but he's OUR problem, not theirs," Gato said, "...And believe me, it kills me, considering I'd LOVE to meet my ancestor."

"No, you're right. But what about the 'net?" Pal asked.

"...Yeah, that's what we're gonna hafta do. Tell Goma to open the portal and start sending the civilians out. Find somewhere we can hide 'em that'll be peaceful until we can retrieve 'em. Maybe a server for a child's video game or something," Gato agreed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes in thought.

"Go get sleep, Gato. I'll wake ya up in two hours," Pal said gently, patting Gato on the back, "...We can hold things without ya for that long."

"...Pal, saying stuff like that is what ensures that I'm not gonna get any sleep at all," Gato said with a rueful grin.

"Oh, come on, it's not like there's not two o' ya now. If we need a kitty for somethin', we'll go to BG," Pal said, leaning in to kiss Gato's cheek, "Now, seriously. Go sleep."

Gato sighed and gave a weary wave as she walked off. She wandered through the shelter hallways, picking her way through the crowds of anxious civilians. She did her best to offer a calming phrase here, a gallows joke there, and held her head high as she walked, trying not to let her exhaustion show. The innocent Digimon here were terrified, and seeing how run down she was would not instill them with any confidence that she or the Defenders could continue to protect them.

Unfortunately, that was looking like the truth. Arkadimon's forces were growing by the day. There were some things that even an organization with incredible resources like the Defenders could not handle. A war was one of these things. While any single Defender was an elite warrior capable of taking on dozens of enemy Digimon at once; the simple fact was that they were trained as peacekeepers, not soldiers. In the entire organization, there were maybe a little over 1000 Defenders worldwide. Admittedly, this number did not take into account the apprentices and trainees who were not qualified, or the support staff who ran the bases, or even local police forces. But even counting them, Gato knew there were only 300 Digimon running the File Island HQ, and it was the single largest Defenders base on the planet. And of those 300, only 27 of them were fully qualified combat-ready Defenders.

It was a simple numbers game. Any Arkadimon host lost their mind and individuality, but gained the combat skills, abilities, and talents of the countless Digimon Arkadimon had consumed. It was only lucky that controlling that many bodies at once seemed to tax Arkadimon's systems, preventing him from using the hosts as anything other than cannon fodder to drown the Defenders in bodies. Gato shuddered to think if he could have individually controlled them with accuracy, allowing them all to perform martial arts or complex fighting strategies.

The problem also was that without Arkadimon's main body, they could not end the war. And the monster, for all the chaos his hosts were causing, remained firmly hidden. It was not surprising. With such an advantage, Arkadimon would have to be a complete idiot to expose its one vulnerability, itself, to danger. Even with its near unimaginable strength and power, remaining hidden from enemy forces was its best strategy. The hosts would do the work of the war, but without Arkadimon itself brought down, the war would not end.

The fact remained: the Defenders were outnumbered, outgunned, outmatched, and to be totally honest, out of their league. Their jobs and training focused on police work and keeping the peace; dealing with crises, not running a war. But they were the only ones who could do the job.

Gato grunted, shaking her head as she tried to force her mind off her worries. Even as tired as she was, if she continued thinking about the problems they faced, she was never going to be able to sleep. Defenders Crisis Training 101: Focus on the problem at hand, and solve it. Only worry about the next 10 seconds.

As Gato opened the hatch to her miniscule bunk, stepped inside, and closed the hatch behind her, she forced herself to focus on the problem at hand, solve it, and only worried about the next ten seconds. Problem at hand: she was so tired that she could barely even blink without an immense effort. Solution: Go to sleep. Action plan for ten seconds: flop facefirst onto her horrifically uncomfortable cot, and pass out.

...At least it was an easy plan to follow. As she let gravity carry her into the cot, her head striking the pillow, her eyes closed. She was already asleep before her body settled.

*****

Gato awoke, and it was pitch back in the tiny room. She sighed softly, her tail swishing. Her exhaustion had caused her internal chronometer to glitch. She had no idea how long she had been asleep for, or even what time it was. It had at least been a few hours, since she felt tired enough to sleep longer, but no longer as unbearably fatigued as before. It wasn't enough to make her feel better, and Gato knew that lack of sleep caused cumulative damage. It was going to take more than just a single night to fix what she was feeling.

It was only after a moment, that Gato realized there was an arm around her waist, and a warm, fuzzy body was pressed up against hers.

"You've been asleep for five hours," her own voice murmured sleepily from behind her. Gato glanced over her shoulder, her superior night vision seeing a pine-green eye peering out through nearly-closed eyelids.

"Pal said she was gonna wake me up in two," Gato grumbled.

"She lied. You're one of our most powerful combat assets, and we need you in as close to top condition as we can get. Two hours was not going to cut it. We agreed to let you sleep through the night, at the very least. Longer, if we could afford it," BlackGato said softly.

"And why are you here?" Gato asked, intertwining her tail with her sister's, their tail-rings chiming together.

"Passed out at my console and broke the console with my forehead. Hawk ordered me on at least seven hours of bedrest, and ordered my guards to taser me unconscious if I refused," BlackGato growled angrily, "...I was in the middle of coordinating a rescue operation, three battle strategies, and trying to crack the code of the A-Cores, to see if there's a way to restore the hosts..."

"All at once?" Gato asked, blinking, reminded again how much smarter her clone was than her.

"...I am skilled at multitasking," BlackGato said, without a hint of pride, as if it was just a simple fact, "...I was prepared to argue my case, but Goma ordered me to go too... and so I did."

"You like him, don't you?" Gato asked, smirking. BlackGato made a huffing noise.

"I... respect him immensely. He has always treated me with nothing but kindness, even when I was... younger... and a psychopath," BlackGato said softly. She fell silent, pulling away from Gato and turning over so that she lay back-to-back with the other feline. Gato sighed, feeling the wave of regret, self-loathing, and anger wash over her sister's psyche through their bond.

"You can't do this to yourself, BG..." Gato murmured softly, turning over to face the back of her clone's head. For a moment, she blinked, caught off-guard at the strange sensation of seeing herself from behind. She wondered whether she might complain to her friends about the shape of her rear end from behind; but she shook her head and focused on the real issue at hand. Exhaustion was still making her a little loopy.

"I can, and I should. Goma's been through my memory files. Do you know how many innocent people I killed, Gato?" BlackGato growled angrily. Gato knew there was no right answer to this. She sighed heavily, knowing BlackGato would take it as a cue to keep talking.

"...Forty-five. Forty-five! I have killed FORTY-FIVE people with my bare hands..." she growled, her shoulders shaking. Gato could sense the tears streaking down BlackGato's cheeks, even if she could not see them. She reached out and gently laid a hand on the black-furred cat's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Okay. Okay..." Gato whispered, "...But you aren't a psychopath, BG. Not any more. You understand what you've done. You've worked tirelessly and endlessly to atone for it. We've had this conversation several times."

"I..." BlackGato took a long shuddering breath, "...I can't do this again. I am going to work hard. We're going to kill Arkadimon or die trying. There's nothing left to talk about."

Gato felt the black-furred girl's emotions hardening, closing off. BlackGato closed the link between them, shielding her thoughts from her sister's mind. Gato winced with the force she did this; it felt a little like someone snapped a mousetrap closed in her head. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Gato took a deep breath to calm herself. Her sister was hurting, and was both withdrawing and lashing out at the same time. Gato felt a bit of amusement at that, as she did quite the same when upset.

"What about after?" she asked softly. The question seemed to jolt BlackGato, and she actually flinched.

"...What do you mean?" she asked, her voice suddenly sounding a lot younger and even a little scared.

"What happens after Arkadimon? What are you going to do?" Gato asked. BlackGato looked over her shoulder, letting Gato see her green eyes, tear tracks in her fur. They were wide with something approaching outright bewilderment.

"...A-After Arkadimon?" she asked, "...I... I don't... I never..."

She fell silent, before taking a deep breath, "...I... I guess I'll stand trial for my crimes and... I'll go to prison for a couple of centuries at least... I don't know, I... didn't study the law extensively, since I was created for the expressed purpose of breaking it."

"A minimum sentence of 284 cycles for 45 counts of second-degree murder, if you were found guilty of all of them," Gato agreed, feeling weirdly smug to have finally found ONE subject where she was smarter than her sister, "But that's if you went to trial and if you were found guilty."

"Which I would be, Gato," BlackGato said flatly, "I'm planning on pleading guilty, and asking for whatever punishment they deem fit."

"Yeah, but you'd have to go to trial for that... and..." Gato hesitated, before sighing slowly, resolving to reveal her closely held secret, "...You won't."

"...I don't understand," BlackGato said, finally turning all the way over to face Gato nose-to-nose.

"I WAS planning on springing this as a surprise later when you were in a better mood and the world wasn't about to collapse, but..." Gato said, "Goma likes you a lot more than you think he does. And so do Agu and Gabu, even though you argue."

"They... and I... have been working with the Defenders lawyers to arrange a deal for you. Goma HATES actually doing law research, but he's been buried flipper-deep in looking up every thing even tangentially related to your particular case he can find. And from what he said, it's pretty much a sure thing that you can't be legally held responsible for your actions under Devidramon... and your actions SINCE Devidramon have shown contrition and a respect for life and the law," Gato explained, "I'm not gonna claim I'm a legal expert either; but our lawyers say that the case is... pretty solid in your favor."

"...Now you don't understand. I WANT to pay for my crimes," BlackGato said firmly, "I HAVE to pay for them."

"And you would. You'd have to plead guilty. But instead of going to jail and sitting alone in a cell for at least 300 cycles... You'd be remanded to the custody of the Defenders for 30 cycles, with credit for time served and credit for services rendered. You saved the damned world, BG. Whether you believe it or not, that counts for something," Gato continued.

"I'm still not understanding... A feeling I am most unused to," BlackGato growled, crossing her arms angrily.

Gato rolled her eyes exaggeratedly as she grunted, "And people think I'M the dumb one. In PLAIN language: Your choice is to sit in a jail cell for centuries... or pay for your crimes by becoming a Defender. A real one, not just an honorary one. Stay here. With me. With Sala. With all of us... and do some good. You'll save more lives in a single week than you took in the four months you were with Devidramon."

BlackGato's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, her green eyes wide with shock. She made a few squeaking noises, but no words came. Gato felt a second moment of smugness at striking her sister speechless.

"You were so mopey and you are so angry at yourself that you've been focused on punishing yourself," Gato said earnestly, "But punishment isn't always justice. Sometimes restitution is far more valuable to society... and to yourself. Don't waste centuries of your life watching the world go on without you... Make a choice to contribute and make the world better."

BlackGato stared at her sister, her mouth still working soundlessly. Gato could feel her emotions in the back of her head, a rapidly boiling thunderstorm as her feelings flashed from one to another. Shock, disbelief, anger, back to disbelief, shrewd consideration, hope, despair, a brief wave of utter confusion, another blinding flash of hope... and finally a cathartic sense of relief; as if the darkness that had consumed BlackGato's life since the day she was born was suddenly pierced by a ray of golden sunlight.

BlackGato threw herself at Gato, burying her face in her older sister's chest. She cried unashamedly, her entire body shaking with the force of her tears. Gato wrapped her arms around BlackGato gently, kissing her forehead, letting her sob and wail, letting her normally repressed emotions find a release that had been building for months. She could feel the feline's tears soaking her fur, but she did not let go. If anything, she hugged BlackGato all the tighter, wetness shining in her own blue eyes. She comforted her sister, letting her work out her feelings for what might have been the first time in her life.

When BlackGato's crying quieted to soft sniffles, Gato ventured a look at her face. BlackGato looked up at her, tears still running down her cheeks, and to Gato's amazement, she smiled. Gato decided immediately that she loved seeing it, and wanted to see her smile more.

"D-Do you think I'd... be a good Defender?" she asked softly, her voice quavering.

"I think you'd be awesome. You'll need to go through basic training and choose a specialization, but we'll fast-track it. You've definitely already got the skills. Just gotta get the discipline and teamwork," Gato said earnestly, "Plus, I cannot TELL you how often the other girls beg me to let them do a Welcoming Committee for you."

"Th-They do?" BlackGato asked, looking inordinately surprised by that fact. Gato nodded, smirking.

"They missed out on a chance to do one for me; I was too young, they joined after me, and... well... given how I joined, no one thought it was a good idea," Gato said, shrugging, "But I think they want to have a chance to get to know you and have some fun. Pal, Biyo, Rena, Flora..."

"I always got the feeling they were... not fond of my existence," BlackGato said warily.

"Maybe at first, but saving everyone from becoming zombies, and helping to keep everyone alive in the field goes a long way," Gato agreed, "And if you kinda... y'know... got out of your shell a little and got to know them..."

BlackGato grunted a little, thinking about what Gato said. She sighed and hugged Gato a little tighter.

"I'll... I'll try," BlackGato said after a minute, "...If we're going to be teammates... then I guess I need to try to have good relationships with them. And maybe a 'Welcoming Committee' might be a good icebreaker."

Gato smiled and gently rubbed her sister's back, whispering, "Besides, maybe we could double team the girls. Given how hard it is to get Rena to cum, I bet you'd be happy for the help."

BlackGato's cheeks turned visibly pink, even through her black fur. But she surprised Gato by replying, "I figured it'd be Pal or Biyo who might be the hardest to deal with... Pal because she'd keep going for extra turns, and Biyo because..."

"...Other Biyo," finished Gato, chuckling, "Oh, Gennai, I'd LOVE to see you and Other Biyo go at it. I don't know who'd end up worse!"

"I think I'd prefer normal Biyo... I... um... I like to cuddle... and she looks really fluffy," BlackGato admitted, rubbing the side of her muzzle. She looked incredibly embarrassed to admit it, adding, "Given a choice, I mean."

Gato had to suppress laughter, reaching down and squeezing her sister's rear end playfully, "...I think everyone prefers normal Biyo. And I like to cuddle too."

For a moment, they were silent again, as BlackGato looked up at her older sister, continuing to blush. She finally spoke, "...You're still squeezing my butt, Gato."

"I am," agreed Gato, a slight smirk on her face, "And I'm feeling a little something against my hip, so I must be doing a good job of it."

BlackGato pulled away and looked down at her groin. Her sheath was swollen, the pink tip of her penis pushing free. Gato grinned as the clone blushed deeper.

"Our discussion of the Welcoming Committee made me a little aroused..." BlackGato said as an excuse, her tail flicking, the silver ring chiming softly.

"Uh-huh," Gato purred softly, reaching down to cup her sister's sheath in her palm, rubbing slowly, "Y'know, we're supposed to be sleeping now..."

"Definitely... but I think we can stay up for a little longer..." agreed BlackGato.

Within moments, they had pressed their bodies together once more, but this time there was a hunger to it. Their lips met again and again, their hips grinding together. The stress and fear and emotions of the past weeks needed a release, and they found it in each other. It only took moments for both girls to find their arousal standing proudly from her hips, pulsing eagerly, fully extended from their sheaths. Gato groaned, rocking against the soft fur of BlackGato's inner thigh, feeling BlackGato's cock pulsing against her stomach.

"Gato, I... I need it," BlackGato panted, looking at her twin, her green eyes smoky with lust and need. Gato frowned, then blinked in surprise as she figured out what her sister meant.

"I... Are you sure?" she asked, and now it was her turn to blush deeply, her entire face turning pink through her white fur. BlackGato nodded slowly.

"Very sure," she agreed softly, pulling away from her. She arched her back, stretching her front paws and clawing gently at the sheets like the feline she was. On all fours, she padded around, turning away from Gato to look over her shoulder.

Gato had a moment of uncanniness as she watched BlackGato's rear sway back and forth in front of her tantalizingly. It was like looking at a photonegative of herself from an angle she rarely ever saw her own body. Her tight rear wiggled, her long tail swishing. Below, her vulva glistened with arousal, her nectar dampening her black fur. Gato could just see the pink edges of her opening through the fluffy fur, and it made her cock twitch eagerly. Ten inches of swollen flesh hung down, sliding in the bed-sheets, pulsing eagerly.

"...You sure... you wanna recieve? I mean, if you want..." Gato stammered, her mouth going dry. She swallowed.

"No, I want you," BlackGato said softly, looking over her shoulder, "Please."

"Okay," agreed Gato, nodding. It was a big moment between them. Up until now, the thought of actually entering BlackGato had been off-limits. They had masturbated, frotted, scissored, had oral sex, and done everything short of actual penis-in-vagina sex. But given the events of the day, somehow that taboo seemed not to matter, as both kittens needed the comfort and pleasure. And given that Vee, Pata, Gazi, and Imp were either asleep or busy doing their duty at the moment, they were all they had.

Gato wasted no time in lining herself up with BlackGato's opening. The ebon feline had little interest in foreplay at the best of times, and these were far from the best of times. Gato could feel her arousal, her need through their empathic bond, like a raging hunger that inflamed her own. It was actually a rather common and slightly annoying side-effect of their bond; when one of them was horny or aroused, the other could feel it, and that triggered their arousal too.

"Okay, here I come..." Gato said, slightly nervously. She tried to shield her emotions from BlackGato, but knew it was no use. Judging from the very amused raised eyebrow that her twin was giving her, BlackGato had already realized she was having a little performance anxiety.

Gato responded to this anxiety the way she had always been taught to do: to go in full tilt without even a hint of hesitation. It was anticipation that led to nervousness; and once in the act itself, it would go away. She plunged her cock deep into BlackGato, each and every one of her rigid ten inches into the other feline.

Gato gasped as she sank into BlackGato, pushing her cock deeper and deeper into the ebon feline's depths. The other feline's walls gripping her were warm, wet, tight, and quivering; and the sensation was... actually quite bizarre. Since gaining a penis, Gato had certainly used it with other girls on a number of occasions, but BlackGato was not just another girl. She was not just Gato's twin sister; she was HER. Outside of her fur and eye color, BlackGato was an exact physical clone of her. They were the same height, the same weight, the same body-shape, their penises were identical down to the pattern of veins, and their tunnels were likewise entirely identical.

Thus, Gato had the strangest sense, as she finally met hip-to-hip with BlackGato... that she had just plunged her penis into herself. She flexed her pelvic muscles, making her cock shift inside BlackGato, and the other feline gave a long, low moan.

"Y-You okay?" Gato asked, huffing for breath.

"Feels... REALLY weird," BlackGato replied after a minute, "...But... I like it... W-Wish we'd done it earlier."

"Me too. Okay, here I go," Gato said, reaching down to grip her sister's hips gently. She began to pull back slowly. As she did, she yelped in shock, gasping in pleasure. BlackGato did much the same, her paws slipping out from under her and dropping her face-first into the mattress. She picked herself up, looking back at Gato.

"What was that?!" BlackGato asked, blinking.

"I dunno, but it felt like..." Gato replied, trailing off. She shook her head. When she had drawn her hips back, she could have SWORN that she felt a stiff, thick, throbbing penis inside her own muff, sliding against her clitoris. Despite knowing she would see nothing, she looked down between her legs.

Shaking her head, she tried again, and yelped as her inner walls quivered around a phallus that was not there, moving inside her.

"Agh!!! What... What the?!" Gato gasped, shivering, her fur standing on end. She moved her hips again, and the phantom sensation of a throbbing, pulsing rod sliding inside her sent pleasure through her body.

"S-Some sort of empathic feedback l-loop!" BlackGato gasped, her gloved paws wrapped around her erection. She shivered, looking down at it, as if it was the first time she was seeing it.

"...Pretend I don't understand what you mean?" Gato asked, trying to hold her body as still as possible, to avoid triggering the bizarre, but extremely pleasurable sensations again. BlackGato rolled her green eyes, sighing.

"We share emotions and dreams, right?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, covering up her little pink nipples. Gato nodded in agreement.

"We've fooled around, but we've never actually... penetrated each other before now. I think we were always a little too weirded out by the idea," BlackGato continued. Gato nodded emphatically at that.

"Okay. Then this is an assumption, because I don't understand our empathic connection any more than you do; but the sensations are so intense, and our bond so powerful right now, that we're feeling what the other person is feeling... as well as our own sensations," BlackGato finished, speaking with exaggerated slowness. Gato narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"I'm not a supergenius like you, but I'm also not an idiot, either, y'know," Gato grumbled. BlackGato gave a hint of a smile, pressing a palm to Gato's cheek gently.

"I know," she purred softly, leaning into kiss her, "And as much as I hate these jokes, I feel compelled to tell you... go fuck yourself. Literally."

Gato rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, but complied with her request. She took a deep breath and began pulling back until only the head of her shaft remained within her sister. An identical, invisible member mimicked her movement inside her at the exact same time, and Gato groaned. She could feel it... her own cock... pulsing and twitching in BlackGato's confines, even as it felt like it was inside her too. It was the strangest sensation, but unbelievably wonderful.

"T-Tight," whimpered BlackGato, gripping her erection with both hands. Gato could imagine what she was feeling: she was clenching and quivering around Gato's fat cock for real; while the imaginary, but oh-so-pleasurable sensations of a tight, wet cleft were surrounding BlackGato's penis.

"Yeah, you are," Gato agreed, huffing. It was surprisingly difficult to move; the phantom sensations were a constant distraction, moving in perfect sync with her, and throwing her off her rhythm. BlackGato did not seem to care much, as she cried out under Gato, bucking her hips up against her.

Gato was fascinated by the change in BlackGato's demeanor. She was smiling. Actually smiling. In the entire time Gato had known BlackGato's current self, her more moody and mature personality, she had never seen her smile the way she was now. She smirked, she occasionally grinned; but often she resembled Rena in her stoicism. But now, even as she moaned in pure pleasure under Gato, she had a wide, bright smile. Gato actually thought that maybe their differences were a little greater than she thought; she thought BlackGato looked more beautiful than she did when she smiled.

Their emotional link resonated with their shared pleasure, but also something more. A darkness had lifted from BlackGato, as cliche as it was, a weight off her shoulders. She was feeling better about the world and more importantly, herself than she'd ever felt.

"Nnnf... AHHH!" BlackGato gasped, throwing her head back as Gato's hips slapped hers again and again. Gato had finally managed to overcome the sensations, to find the rhythm she wanted. Her cock slid smoothly in and out of her sister's muff, BlackGato's juices drenching Gato's pelvic fur. Gato could feel the strange phantom sensations that BlackGato was experiencing; Gato was feeling her own cock plunging into herself.

Gato could only imagine how weird it was for her sister; a real, rock-hard shaft was filling her cleft, grinding against her clitoris repeatedly, while the ghostly sensations of a tight, wet, quivering cunny were surrounding her penis. From the way BlackGato kept looking down at her cock as it bounced up and down, slapping her stomach fur repeatedly, Gato could tell she was double checking to make sure the feelings were only imaginary.

The feedback loop was driving Gato wild. She arched her back, burying herself until her sheath touched BlackGato's fuzzy mound. Her cock convulsed, pressure rushing up her shaft. With a moan and grunt of delight, she felt a rush of precum flood out and into her sister. Her erection twitched violently several times, her body shuddering in delight.

"Ah! I c-can feel your... NNNG!" BlackGato groaned. Whatever she felt, she never said, as she threw her head back. Gato watched as a sticky, syrupy spout of pre spurted from the tip of her sister's cock, splashing messily across BlackGato's face and chest. The pink member contrasted dramatically with her black fur. It convulsed and pulsed angrily, driving forward into the imaginary pussy.

"....It's like the best masturbation toy ever," BlackGato finally managed to say, "An invisible pocket fleshlight or something, but that feels just as real as the real thing."

"...Well, I mean... nnnf... that's... because it kinda is," Gato said, shrugging.

Gato focused more on the task at hand, the sensations both real and transmitted sending pleasure raging through her. She watched as her pink shaft disappeared inside BlackGato's cleft again and again, emerging and glistening with wetness every time she drew back. BlackGato's cock continued to spurt sticky bursts of precum onto her chest and tummy, matting down her fur with the clear fluid. BlackGato did not touch her penis, not wanting to distract herself from the phantom sensations milking her shaft. Her inner walls quivered and clenched around Gato, pulling her in.

But more than the physical, Gato felt closer to BlackGato than she ever had. Their empathic bond was fully open for the first time. Gato or BlackGato had always felt that they had to guard some of their feelings and emotions from each other; and had always tried to either ignore the link or close it off at least partially. Together, they now shared everything, every jolt of delight, every moment of happiness and joy, their comfort at being together.

It was one of the most profound moments of Gato's young life and she treasured it, even as she cried out in pleasure. Her sister echoed her cries, their same voice filling the room.

Gato did not pump her hips particularly fast or hard. She had no reason to. The steady, easy pace she had managed to find was already overwhelming both of them with pleasure; and Gato was not sure she would last more than a couple of pumps if she decided to thrust as fast and hard as she could. She wanted to prolong it, not forever, but for at least a bit; to savor every tiny bit of ecstasy she could give her sister.

That said, she could feel the telltale growing pressure in her loins. Her inner muscles were clamping down on that invisible, imaginary cock, beginning to quiver rhythmically to milk it. Her juices were spilling down her legs, sprinkling liberally out of her. Gato's own precum had drenched BlackGato's inner walls, making their sex loud, sloppy, and wet. Her muscles were tensing enough to ache, threatening to lock up the moment that pleasure exploded.

And then it did. Gato's blue eyes went wide, her mouth opening but no sound emerging. She managed the hint of a squeak, barely an exhale. The incredible, intense burning ache of impending ejaculation rushed up her penis. Her mind exploded into incoherent ecstasy as every nerve in her body began to tingle with delight.

Then her cock lurched, sending the first flood of thick spunk deep into BlackGato's muff. The kitten was not surprised that she overflowed her twin within seconds, thick, milky liquid pouring back out and over her pelvic fur. She did not care. She drove herself into BlackGato again and again, trying to shove each ejaculation as deep as she could.

BlackGato yowled in ecstasy, and not for the first time, Gato was glad that the emergency bunker's quarters were somewhat soundproofed from each other. Her pink shaft gave a violent jerk, and Gato felt a mighty, messy splatter of thick, hot fluid strike her chin. BlackGato's semen glowed like Gato's, but it shimmered a bioluminescent red instead of blue. Gato echoed her sister's cry of pleasure.

It was a bizarre, but unbelievably pleasurable experience; and the only time she had felt anything like it were her half-remembered, hazy, scattershot, and confused memories of her time in the viral hive-mind. She wasn't just feeling her own cock rippling, pulsing, and erupting again and again; it felt like there was a second phantom penis superimposed over her own, doubling every sensation. She felt BlackGato's orgasm as if it were her own, even as her own raged through her. She was sure BlackGato was experiencing the same as she yelped and sobbed in ecstasy.

The two young kittens moaned and panted, their bodies locked in delight as they erupted again and again. BlackGato's spunk coated Gato's front, dripping from her fur in wet, sticky rivers. Gato's cock slipped free of her clone's folds at some point in their uncontrolled thrashing, adding to the mess as blue-glowing spunk mixed with red-glowing fluid. Gato lifted her hips, pressing her erection to BlackGato's, pumping against her. Two fountains of milky fluid fired into the air, striking the stone ceiling above.

Their combined cum began to coat BlackGato, first in messy, haphazard stripes and globules; then in full splatters as more and more accumulated on her fur. In fact, in the nearly complete blackness of the room, it made BlackGato appear as nothing so much as a glow-in-the-dark version of Gato. It was easy to see what spots they had missed as they weren't glowing red or blue, and coated in a pearly glaze. Gato pumped her cock, peeling back her foreskin pain aiming it carefully to try to make sure her sister was coated; even as BlackGato returned fire.

The two sisters slumped back, exhaustion setting in suddenly as their massive climax ended with little warning. They were unable to speak, unable to move for quite some time.

"Why... did we... wait so long?!" BlackGato finally gasped, her chest heaving as she gripped her penis with both hands, milking it as it spat spunk onto her stomach in milky strands.

"P-Probably because you were trying to kill me, then... you were a wanted criminal... then we were just too weirded out by the whole situation..." Gato explained, waving a paw lazily, even as she ground her hips against BlackGato, and another flood of milky fluid spilled onto her tummy in a flow of shimmering blue.

"...True enough," BlackGato agreed, "B-But we need to do this more!"

"Oh, yeah... but... not sure I've got it in me for another round... right now," Gato huffed. BlackGato wrapped her arms around Gato's shoulders, pulling her close. She nuzzled into Gato's chest gently.

"It's okay... We'll... have time in the future, right?" BlackGato asked softly, "...Heh."

"What's funny?" Gato asked, trying to suppress a yawn as she enjoyed her sister's warmth and soft fur against her.

"...Never thought about the future before now," BlackGato murmured. She said nothing more, but the soft rumble of her purring filled the air, even as she began to snore softly. Gato fell asleep to that sound, having not felt so content and happy in a long time.

****** Gato nibbled a ration bar, wishing longingly for her favorite breakfast, a bagel with cream cheese and extra smoked salmon. With the war, there was little chance she would be able to procure that luxury, as all the best food was going to the sheltered civilians. She was left with tasteless ration bars, which provided two days worth of nutrients, but were less than satisfying and left her hungry all day.

The Defenders had let Gato sleep for ten hours, counting her interlude with BlackGato. She had yelled at Goma for letting her sleep so long, but he had stood his ground. She was their most powerful close-combat asset and their fastest ground-scout. It was vital to keep her in some form of fighting fitness, rather than run ragged on the edge of collapse. Gato had cursed, but the deed was done... and now that she was sitting and preparing her mind and body for the bloodshed to come, she had to admit that Goma was right... at least to herself. She'd never admit it to his face.

She felt a lot better. Nowhere near one-hundred percent strength (she estimated she was probably running at about 70%), but significantly better than she had the day before. The damage of sleep deprivation was cumulative; contrary to popular belief, it took more than one good night to undo extended lack of sleep. Gato expected that once it all was said and done, she'd be sleeping for days straight.

BlackGato was back at work in the command center, and slightly disconcertingly to those around her, seemed to be in a good mood. She was drawing no shortage of confused stares as she rapidly manipulated holoscreens and called out data and orders, with a small smile on her muzzle. Gato smiled to herself, looking forward to the next time the two of them had a chance to talk. Hopefully, BlackGato's new attitude towards life would last.

Gato's ears perked up as she heard a commotion. It wasn't panic, but excitement she heard, as yammering civilians and Defenders alike filed into the cafeteria to spread gossip. Gato flagged Flora down as she bustled by.

"What's goin' on?" Gato asked, frowning.

"He's HERE!" Flora squealed excitedly, bouncing up and down on her roots. Gato sighed.

"That narrows it down. WHO is here? Not Arkadimon, obviously!" Gato growled.

"No! LEOMON! He just arrived here! He's near the blast doors talking with--" Flora said. Whoever he was talking with, Gato never heard, because the feline had leapt from her bench and was bounding down the halls as fast as she could on all fours. She leapt over chattering civilians, at times, using their heads as stepping stones to get over the crowds. She ignored their complaints, dashing as fast as she possibly could.

She skidded to a halt at the end of the ramp up to the blast doors. Civilians and staff and Defenders alike had gathered in a large crowd, murmuring. It was easy to see why.

The vast majority of Digimon in the world were Rookies. A small portion of Digimon found a stable level at Champion, like Gato. Even fewer were stable at Ultimate, and out of the world's population, maybe the greater part of a single percent were stable Megas. This meant that the vast majority of the population were only about three feet tall, if that.

So when a musclebound demigod of a lion, with a bare chest, tight pants that left almost nothing to the imagination, and a short sword, who towered almost five further feet over the tallest heads in the crowd walked forward; he drew quite a bit of attention. The fact that he had brilliant piercing blue eyes, and a golden mane of fur that ran down to his back only added to his handsomeness. Even though he appeared to be physically in his mid-thirties, his peak of power, he was actually one of the oldest Digimon still alive; having personally known the DigiDestined himself. He was a literal living legend. This was the founder of the Defenders, and possibly the most famous Digimon on the planet: Leomon.

Gato's memory of him was much more personal than most Digimon. He had been the one to save her as a child from the Piedmon who attacked her village. He had recruited her to the Defenders. He had left her in Agu and Gabu's care, had stopped in frequently to check on her, had sent her birthday presents every year, had constantly kept an eye on her missions and sent encouraging messages when away. He had known her ancestor, Kari Kamiya's Gatomon.

Gato pushed her way through the crowd (a much easier task than one might expect, as she was seven or eight times stronger than most of the people around her) and made her way to the front. Leomon was talking with Goma, who was gesturing emphatically. Leomon held up a mighty, massive paw to silence him, before looking in her direction. Goma saw Gato, nodded to her politely, and ran off back towards the Command Center as fast as his flippers could take him.

Leomon's eyes were unbelievably blue, almost unnaturally deep blue, as he spotted Gato. A warm, affectionate smile blossomed on his face. He walked over towards her, stopping right in front of her, as she trembled from head to toe at the sight of him.

"Hello, Gato. You've grown an inch or two since I last saw you. You look healthy and strong," Leomon rumbled. Gato shivered, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes at the sight of the enormous lion.

...Then she promptly punched him in the kneecap, the highest point on his body that she could reach with her height. Leomon roared in pain and dropped down to his other knee, wincing and rubbing his leg.

"Do you KNOW how much paperwork you've left behind for me to do?!!" Gato growled, stabbing a finger accusingly in his face, "It takes me AT LEAST an hour and a half to finish the most essential stuff ALONE after my shift is supposed to be done every day!!!"

"Little one..." Leomon chided, putting his large paws up defensively. Gato snarled and cracked her knuckles menacingly, her tail swishing back and forth so quickly that her tail ring threatened to fly off.

"Oooh, don't you DARE 'little one' me, Leomon! Once this is over, I'm sittin' you down and you're not leavin' until I get your signature on EVERY last piece of bureaucracy that needs it! And a written, legally notarized promise from you that you'll come back once a month to do this paperwork yourself!!!" Gato yelled, "I haven't had a solid weekend of vacation time to spend with my boyfriends in CYCLES!"

The civilians shared a collective sweatdrop at the sight of the legendary hero of all Digimon cowering before a tiny kitten less than a third of his height and a fraction of his size.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Gato growled, sounding a little less hostile as she took a series of deep breath through her nose.

"Arkadimon is on its way here. To File Island," Leomon said, climbing back to his feet. He adjusted his sword-belt, brushing his mane back regally. Gato rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

"Well, YEAH... He's obsessed with me and BG... er... BlackGato, my cl-" Gato began. Leomon raised a palm.

"I know who she is. I look forward to meeting her. I've read all of your reports, even if you think I don't," Leomon said, his lips quirking in a hint of a smile, "But you misunderstand. His main body is coming here. Right now."

"...It... it is?!" Gato exclaimed, blinking, "What in the Nine Digital Hells is it doing?!"

"I think it's ready to end the war... one way or another," Leomon said, "As such, I've come ahead to rally the troops and prepare the Defenders for the fight."

"We're ready," Gato said, nodding eagerly, "We've BEEN ready."

"You misunderstand, little one, I don't mean the File Island Defenders..." Leomon said, holding up a giant palm. His voice was loud and booming, and he was clearly directing it to everyone for effect.

"I mean ALL of the Defenders. This will be our last stand," Leomon said, "They're already coming through by both Data Transfer and EDT, and by airplane and sea transport. We expect to have every Defender in the entire Digital World here within 24 hours."

"And how long until Arkadimon gets here?" Gato asked, feeling a thrill of horror run up her spine. Long years of experience told her that there was bad news ahead.

"..." Leomon was silent for a moment, deciding whether or not to divulge the information in front of so many civilians, "...It's... He is leading a force of roughly three million Digimon. We assume all of them are hosts. He is travelling by sea, and looks to make landfall on the other side of File Island, and march towards File City."

"You didn't answer my question," Gato said, her fur threatening to stand on end. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself. THREE MILLION Digimon?! There were only 1042 Defenders, not counting support staff and trainees, worldwide. And they had sustained casualties and losses in the fighting, so that number was probably far too optimistic.

"He'll be here within 36 hours," Leomon finally answered. Gato actually was physically staggered by this. She stumbled back a couple of steps, clutching her chest.

"Leomon, that only gives us twelve hours to prepare defenses, to get ready, to arm the others..." Gato said, her blue eyes wide.

"We will be ready, little one," Leomon said reassuringly, "The File Island Military and Police are mobilizing. We will be backed up by the militaries of Cloud and Server continents, the WiFi Archipelago, and as many places that can afford to send aid."

"It won't be enough, Leo," Gato said, the civilians gasping as she dared to address the legendary hero in a more casual manner.

"It will," Leomon disagreed, holding up a finger, "Because he's making the biggest mistake he could make. He's making himself vulnerable, and he's ASKING us to try to take advantage. And we'll be ready to do just that."

Gato was silent. She wished she was as optimistic. All she felt towards the impending battle was dread