Chapter 8: Justice VS. Affection

Evander sat down. His feet were beginning to hurt from pacing back and forth around the campfire. "I want to ask you about one part of your story. Posi's digivice. You said it was absorbed into your body. My hypothesis is that this is somehow related to your ability to digivolve at will." Evander said. Kappamon wiped her tears. "Yes, I think so too. I find that all I need to do is think about Posi and how much I loved him, and I can digivolve to the next level. All I have to do is concentrate." Kappamon said. "What about this Agent Salvation?" Evander asked. "She appeared to me as I was crying over Posi's corpse. She told me that she would help me get my revenge." Kappamon said. Evander raised an eyebrow. "She?" He said. They were all under the impression that Agent Salvation was male. But, then again, he was using some sort of voice distortion technology.

Jessica walked over to Evander. She leaned in close. "I need to talk to you in private. It's about something I said to Kinandon earlier" Jessica said softly. Evander looked over at his and Jessica's Digimon. "Our favorite ginger mermaid wishes to speak to me in private. I'll be right back. Agumon, Terriermon, Ladybugmon, make sure Kappamon doesn't try anything funny." Evander said. Ladybugmon saluted. "You got it! No funny business will occur on this Ladybug's watch!" Ladybugmon said confidently. Evander and Jessica walked several feet away until they were sure they were out of ear shot. "First, your 'favorite ginger mermaid'? Exactly how many ginger mermaids besides me do you know?" Jessica asked. Evander chuckled. "Well, there's your mom." He said. "Joking aside. Earlier today when Samantha, Betamon, and the rest of us were negotiating with Kinandon, he said he wouldn't consider terms of peace unless we brought 'Jessica' to him to be tried." Jessica explained. Evander nodded. "Right. I think I understand. We need to use that device to make Kappamon look like you again and hand her over." Evander said. Jessica's mouth opened a little and her eyebrows furrowed a bit. She shook her head rapidly. "No. No. You don't understand. We're not handing her over. She'll be killed!" Jessica said. Evander cocked his head back slightly. "Yeah, she probably will be. But what are our alternatives? We hand you over? We hand no one over and Aqualia comes in with a legion of spaceships and Digimon and wages war against Earth?" Evander asked.

"I have no plans on handing myself over in her place, and I won't let a war occur." Jessica said.

"Well, unless we hand over Kappamon looking exactly like you, one of those things is definitely going to happen." Evander said. "Besides, she deserves it. She killed innocent people! She tried to pin it on you! Besides, she's a Digimon! She'll just turn back into a DigiEgg and be reborn!"

"She's been through so much! I want to try to persuade her away from her plan! I don't want her to die!" Jessica objected.

"Oh yeah? Well, guess what? When you kill 4 people, attempt to kill a 5th, and try to drag an unsuspecting planet into a war, you get killed by the king. It's called justice." Evander said, sounding annoyed.

"What do you know about justice?" Jessica asked, sounding equally annoyed.

Evander got out his digivice and rapidly waved it back and forth. "Hello? It's my crest. Remember?" Evander said in a condescending tone.

"Well, let me tell you something Mr. Justice. 'To err is human, to forgive is divine'" Jessica said.

"Divine? Forgive? Oh, I'm sure you know all about divine forgiveness. After all, you're a goddess, right? You're a descendent of Poseidon, right? Well, excuuuuuuse me Princess Anastasia. I had totally forgotten that you got to decide things for us pitiful mortals. I dare not question the wise words of a deity." Evander said, every word out of his mouth seeping with frustration and condescension.

Jessica reached out and slapped him in the face, taking Evander by surprise. She left a big red imprint of her hand on his right cheek. They were both quiet for a second. "Screw you!" Jessica screamed angrily. She turned around and headed back towards the campfire. Samantha and the Digimon were watching them. They saw Jessica slap Evander and yell at him, but they were too far away to hear anything else.

Jessica walked away scowling and clenching her fist. How could he be such an ass? How could he be so cold towards Kappamon, who had been through so much? Yes, she knew that what Kappamon did was horribly wrong. Yes, she knew that if Kinandon executed her, it would be what she deserved. But she felt sorry for the little Digimon. Evander glared at Jessica as she walked back. "Stupid woman. Her compassion will be her undoing one of these days." Evander said. Evander was now frustrated by a quality of Jessica's that he had always admired; her compassion. Throughout their nearly 30 years they knew each other, he always knew her to be quick to forgive and quick to help someone in need. Of course she lost her temper sometimes, but she never held a grudge. Not for more than a few days anyway.

Jessica walked over to her clothes which were lying on the beach floor. She had them off this whole time and was covered only in clam shells and a loin cloth. She put her green pants on, but reached into Evander's bag and pulled out a light greyish blue tank top. "It's a bit humid tonight. This tank top will be more comfortable." She said aloud. She had put an extra pair of clothes in Evander's bag. No one asked Jessica what she and Evander were fighting about. They felt awkward just witnessing the squabble. Gabumon raised his paw and said "Jessica?" "What?" Jessica said, sounding annoyed that Gabumon even spoke to her. "Nothing. Never mind." Gabumon said.

Evander came back over, rubbing the hot hand shaped mark Jessica had left on his face. He looked over to his Digimon. "We'll use the ShapeChange device to turn her into Jessica and hand her over to Kinandon tomorrow. There, she'll be tried for treason. We don't have any viable means of restraining her and we can't afford to let her get away, so each one of us will take shifts watching her. Everyone else will sleep. Understand?" Evander said. They all nodded. Jessica just glared at her husband angrily.

Later that night, Jessica was standing on the shore of the sea. Samantha and Betamon were cuddling. Agumon was sleeping on a leaf with his right arm over his chest snoring. A snot bubble came out of his nose and slightly inflated and slightly deflated as he breathed. Terriermon slept facedown with his big ears covering his eyes. Ladybugmon used Terriermon as a pillow. Leormon was curled up in a ball, sleeping like a house cat. The only one not asleep was Jessica. Gabumon was lying down near Jessica's other Digimon, but he wasn't asleep. He couldn't seem to fall asleep for some reason. He was worried about his partner. Gabumon stood up and started walking over to where Jessica was standing. "You're supposed to be watching Kappamon, not the ocean." He said. Jessica turned around quickly. He had startled her. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you like that." Gabumon apologized. Jessica looked sadly over at Evander who was sleeping soundly.

"What are you upset about?" Gabumon asked. Jessica looked down at the little light blue striped Digimon. She walked over to Kappamon and sat beside her. Gabumon followed. "I would think you'd be happy. We found your doppelganger. Now we can hand her over to the government and you'll not only be a free woman, but war will be averted. This is great, isn't it?" Gabumon said. Jessica just wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat and buried her face in her lap. "Jessica, please. Talk to me." Gabumon prodded. "Kappamon will die tomorrow. I know I shouldn't care. She killed innocent people and she was going to use me for the destruction of my own planet. But after hearing her story, I feel so sorry for her. She's been through a Hell I can't even fathom. I want to find some way to redeem her." Jessica said. Gabumon walked closer and wrapped his arms around his tamer. "You have a heart of gold." He said. "But Evander says if I don't hand Kappamon over, a war will break out." Jessica said. "He's right, you know." Gabumon said. "I know he's right. But he could at least pretend to care about what happens to Kappamon. He could at least be compassionate towards her for the Hell that she's lived through. And…..he didn't have to speak to me like I was stupid." Jessica said. She lifted her head up from her lap, and Gabumon could see that a tear was beginning to form in her eye. Gabumon wiped it away as it got halfway down her cheek. "Don't cry. Evander was probably just frustrated because he loves you and wants what's best for you. He probably just wants you to go back to living a normal Japanese apartment lifestyle." Gabumon counseled. Jessica put her arms around Gabumon and hugged him. "I know, Gabumon, I know." Gabumon then said "And I also feel sorry for Kappamon. I don't know what I'd do if someone ever killed you, Jessica. I'd probably be so angry that I'd dark digivolve into some crazy evil Digimon called…" he paused to think up a name. "Dark-Evil-Bat-Crap-Crazy-Puts-Pinapple-On-Pizza-and-Purposefully-Clogs-Your-Toilet-Killer-Garurumon." Jessica backed away from Gabumon and looked him in the face quizzically. Then she burst out laughing. Then Gabumon started laughing. Kappamon groaned in her sleep. Jessica and Gabumon stopped laughing and smiled at each other, realizing they ought to keep it down to avoid waking the others.

Later, Evander woke up and walked over to Jessica. They both looked at each other in silence. Gabumon looked at Evander, then Jessica, then back to Evander again, wondering why no one was saying anything. Jessica stood up and looked Evander in the eye. They were both silent for a few more seconds. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Evander and Jessica both said in unison. "What? Why are you sorry?" They both said in unison. "I'm the one who was in the wrong." They again said in unison. "Stop! You're sounding like a Jogress Digimon!" Gabumon said, trying to keep his voice down. Evander looked down at Gabumon "Gabumon, your shift is next." He said.

Evander and Jessica walked over and looked out at the ocean. "Evander, I shouldn't have slapped you." Jessica said. "I deserved it. I was being an ass." Evander said. "Yes, you were. But you weren't wrong." Jessica said. They were both staring out at the ocean. "I was just frustrated because I care about you. I love you so much, Jessica. I don't want you to get hurt. I also love my home planet and don't want to see it dragged into a war." Evander said. "I know. Gabumon already told me." She said. Evander raised an eyebrow. "Huh? How'd he know?" He joked. Jessica said "When you called me Anastasia and sarcastically called me a deity was when I lost my temper. I….I just hate being reminded of what I am. I have powers I didn't know about. Deadly powers. If I can really do everything Greek myths said Poseidon can do - and recent events have shown I can - then I could destroy everything. I had a nightmare back in Underwater City about it. I'm deeply conflicted about my abilities. Part of me is glad I have them. I think I could use them to make a positive difference in the world." Jessica explained before pausing, "But I could also destroy everything. I both love and hate what I am."

"I know. I'm sorry." Evander said. He turned and embraced her. He looked at the ring on his finger while he was hugging her. "You know, we've known each other most of our lives. I don't think we've ever NOT been together. We were best friends. Then we went to the Digital World and then we became...more, and we've been 'more' ever since. It's quite miraculous considering our relationship began when we were immature kids." Evander said.

Jessica looked Evander in the eyes. "Yes. This is the first fight we've had in years." She said. "Jessica, why do you feel so strongly about keeping Kappamon from execution? She's your enemy." Evander asked. "I just feel sorry for her. She's been through horrible things. And….I would like for her to be able to start her life over. I can be her new friend. So can Gabumon and the others. She doesn't have to live her life consumed by loneliness and hate." Evander looked down at his shoes as though he was ashamed. "You know, I remarked earlier that my crest was The Crest Of Justice. But I had forgotten that your crest is The Crest Of Affection." He said. Jessica nodded and then turned to look out at the ocean. She folded her arms. "Sometimes those two virtues are in tension with each other, like how we were earlier. Do you show mercy or inflict punishment?" Jessica mused.

The next day, at sunrise, everyone stood on the shore of the beach looking out at the ocean, in the direction of the Aqualian capital city. It was now the 4th day since this whole mess started. Evander walked over to Jessica and Kappamon. Evander looked down at Kappamon. "Kappamon, to save my wife and avert war, 'Jessica' will have to be handed over to the Aqualian government." Evander said. Fear came across Kappamon's face. Evander smiled. "Justice demands I hand you over looking just like her. Although, were I to be a man of affection, I'd spare you. But if I spared you, how would justice be served? And if I hand you over, how am I showing you affection? I stayed up half the night debating this in my head, and I finally came to a solution; if someone takes your punishment on your behalf, you can be freed." Evander said. Everyone looked surprised at what Evander said. "If you help us catch Agent Salvation and hand him over, he can be the 'Jessica' Kinandon wants to punish. He'll be a scapegoat, and it won't be undeserved because he's the one who gave you the idea and the means to carry it out, right?" Evander reasoned. Kappamon was stunned. "Who says I even want mercy? I will get my revenge on Aqualia! I will use the power of Anastasia Poesiden to level this planet! They will pay for making me feel years of consuming loneliness and for hurting Posi!" Kappamon shouted.

"Look, there's nowhere to run. Even if you could fight and digivolve again, we'd just beat you down like last time." Agumon said.

"That's right. This is your ultimatum; scapegoat your master or…" Terriermon said before running his finger across his throat.

Jessica knelt down and looked Kappamon in the eye. "Please. Don't throw your life away like this. If you'll help us turn your master in, I promise that I'll be your friend for the rest of my life." Jessica said. Kappamon glared at her. "You're lying! No one would want to be friends with a murderer like me." Kappamon argued. "I'm not lying! I will be your friend!" Jessica argued. "You're on the government's most wanted list because of me. I impersonated you to incite you to destroy your own planet. You hate me, and rightly so!" Kappamon argued. Jessica stood back up and placed both of her hands on her hips. She was still wearing the bluish grey tank top from last night. "I don't hate you. I don't think I've ever hated anyone. Sure, I've been angry with people. I was angry with Evander last night, and I was angry with you for what you've done, but I don't hate you. I am willing to forgive you and overlook your offenses and welcome you into my circle of friends if you'll just turn your master in. Neither one of us has to die at Kinandon's hands. Please listen to reason!" Jessica pleaded. Kappamon turned and spit on the ground. "Reason? What's reasonable about wanting to be friends with someone who used and abused you?" Kappamon said. Kappamon then turned and looked out at the ocean. "I have no reason to believe you. It's obvious your plot is to get both me AND my Master killed." Kappamon said.

Samantha sighed. "Jessica, I don't think she's going to listen." Suddenly, they heard a deep, distorted, and familiar voice. "I wondered where you were, Kappamon!" It was Agent Salvation. He levitated down onto the ground in front of The DigiDestined and their Digimon. Agent Salvation shook his head. "When you didn't show up to our rendezvous yesterday, I got worried. I see you're with these humanoids. Were you captured, or….did you join them?" Agent Salvation asked. Kappamon began to say "I was cap-" but Jessica cut her off and answered for her. "Yep. She's a turncoat. To spare her own life, we're going to hand YOU over to Kinandon looking like me." She said. Kappamon looked startled "No! No! No! It's not true!" Kappamon said. "Don't be afraid, Kappamon. Your friends will protect you." Jessica told her.

"I can't say who's correct? Kappamon, why would you give up on your desire for revenge so easily? Did Posi really mean so little to you?" Agent Salvation asked.

"He meant everything to me! And I'm not turning against you! This woman is lying! Master, please believe me!" Kappamon said.

"I do believe you. For one thing, I believe in your resolve. For another, there's no way you'd be so dumb as to believe someone you'd tried to frame for treason would ever want to be your friend." Agent Salvation said. Kappamon ran over to Agent Salvation's right side. She was smiling brightly. "Thank you, master! Thank you!" Kappamon said in a happy tone of voice. Agent Salvation grabbed the satchel on her waist and handed it to Kappamon. Kappamon opened the bag and peered down inside. The bag was full of horrible looking devices; multiple whips attached to a single hand covered in a plethora of sharp objects, knives, and several thumb screws inside of it. Agent Salvation used Digi-Worm phones to cause much larger torture devices, most of them recognizable from the middle ages, come through portals. "I do believe you, Kappamon. But I want to eliminate the slightest chance that you're lying to me. So, I want you to use these devices to torture them for the next hour. Make sure Anastasia doesn't die. We need her for our plan to succeed, but you can make her suffer." Agent Salvation said. Kappamon looked horrified. She had killed several people before and reverted Digimon to DigiEggs, but she had never tortured someone before. Evander and the gang looked worried, what horrors awaited them? They knew Kappamon wasn't on their side. Kappamon looked down into the bag and then looked over at Evander and crew before looking back down into the bag. She remembered how nice Jessica was to her by feeding her, not even speaking to her in a harsh tone. She also wondered about Jessica's offer to be her friend and to spare her life by offering her master over to Kinandon in her stead. Was it really all a ploy? She seemed so sincere. But maybe she was just a good actress?

"What's the matter, Kappamon? Aren't you on my side?" Agent Salvation asked. Kappamon looked a little nervous. She looked up at Agent Salvation and said "O-Of course I am! But, isn't torture a little extreme? I mean, they don't seem like horrible people like the Aqualians, and-" Kappamon was cut off. "Did you forget that two of them ARE Aqualians? The rest are just Digimon who, as I recall, were also unkind to you." Kappamon grew ever more uncertain. "Can't I just digivolve and kill them quickly?" Kappamon asked. Agent Salvation looked down at her. "No. It has to be torture. If you have the stomach to hear them scream and see their gore, I'll know your resolve is unbreakable." Agent Salvation said.

Kappamon was still indecisive. "You have 30 seconds to make up your mind." Agent Salvation warned. Ladybugmon flew into Evander's arms. "Evander! I'm scared! I don't want to be tortured! And we can't digivolve because we haven't eaten!" Ladybugmon said. More time passed. Jessica had some sweat running down her face. She was worried. "We could escape with a Digi-Worm phone, but it's in my bag. The only way to get to my bag is to go past Agent Salvation." Jessica thought to herself. Agent Salvation turned to Kappamon. "Time's up...traitor." He said before giving Kappamon a swift kick. Kappamon tumbled a little before landing face down in the sand, groaning in pain. All of a sudden, wings spread out on Agent Salvation's back, two on the top and two on the bottom. They were in the shape of bat wings. The black and purple aura surrounding him started to fade away. As more of the aura faded, they could see a dark green armor on Agent Salvation's legs. Soon, the aura completely faded to reveal an armored humanoid figure, whose armor was a dark green color, and had a midriff area covered in grey armor with small yellow spikes on the outer rim of its exposed tummy. The figure was feminine with long blonde hair, curvy thighs, and yellow metallic batlike wings. A large green scythe the same color as her armor manifested itself in her left hand. "It's too bad. You were so useful to me." The figure now spoke with the voice of a woman rather than a male sounding distortion.

Everyone looked concerned. "Is she a Digimon?" Samantha asked. Agent Salvation looked over to the group. "I am Ophanimon. I am a holy angel Digimon. I will rid this world of all evil." She said, introducing herself. "Ophanimon? That can't be. My friend Flora has an Ophanimon as a Digimon partner. She looks much different than you. Much less….sinister." Evander observed. "That Ophanimon is an inferior form that can't live up to the task of purging the world from evil. I achieved this form by shutting off all emotions, and giving up on love. Mercy will only let evil run rampant. When evil is committed, the evil doer must be destroyed with no hesitation. Seraphimon and Cherubimon disagreed with my philosophy and kicked me out of the Digital World's heavenly realm. They called me Ophanimon Falldown Mode." The Ophanimon answered as her eyes glowed red. Agumon stepped forward "The Three Great Angels? You're THAT Ophanimon? There's no way she'd ever give up on mercy and love" Agumon said.

Ophanimon Falldown Mode turned to Kappamon. Her scythe began burning with flames. She held her scythe up in the air and was about to swing it down. Kappamon was about to be killed! Jessica's body began to glow with that golden aura again. "You won't hurt her!" She said before raising her arm. When she raised her arm, a stream of water burst forth from the ocean behind them and blasted Ophanimon Falldown Mode so hard that she got sent far, far into the jungle. Ophanimon FM crashed through tree after tree after tree before arriving in a village and crashing near a group of people. The people were startled. Ophanimon FM got up.

Back at the beach, Jessica ran to her bag. She grabbed it and took out the Digi-Worm phone. She pushed a button and opened a portal. "Everyone, let's go!" They all ran through, Kappamon included.

When Ophanimon FM made her way back to the beach, she noticed they had escaped. "It doesn't matter." She said before assuming her dark aura form. She contacted Kinandon on her Digi-Worm phone. "Kinandon. I have terrible news. I just saw ambassador Jennifer Anniston of Earth smuggling Jessica Glovion off the planet. Earth is betraying you." She lied.