[Video // Second Transformation]

[proveyourmetal]

[For all you night owls out there, Vanguard decides that now (just five minutes past midnight in an abandoned house at the edge of HospiTown) is the perfect time to voice his displeasure.:]

As you are all my witness, there is nothing here, there's no such things as ghosts, and if this rickety old house comes crashing down on our heads, it's Bumblebee's fault.

[Bumblebee shines his flashlight back at Vanguard and the D-terminal with an amused smile, Vanguard gives an indignant scoff.]

I'm not scared. I'm annoyed

[Bumblebee laughs silently, patting Vanguard as he moves past. Vanguard murmurs irately and paws his impeccably groomed mane back into place. Ghosts may not exist, but Digimon ghost types certainly exist. Even the small ones are a pain to deal with, dispatched with a good fireball. But the higher level ones? Best to stay away from those altogether.]

Can we just go now?

[Bee sighs. Fine, they can head home, if that's what he wants. Of course, that's when the camera catches a glimpse of something: moonlight pouring in from a window flickers on the wall behind him, like a shadow dashing across the light. Floorboards in the distance give off a terrible groan, wood creaking under something's weight. The orb of light from Bumblebee's flashlight creeps down the long, dark corridor. The beam hardly penetrates the stifling darkness to reveal a room at the end of the hallway, its door half fallen off its hinges.]

[The D-terminal's camera starts to shake from unsteady hands. And as camera focuses, two slivers of light stare back at them. Soft mumbling carries down the hallway as the D-terminal's shaking intensifies.]

[Bumblebee, stricken more with curiosity and wariness than fear, takes a tentative step forward. Bewildered, Vanguard snatches Bumblebee's sleeve]

What're you doing-!?

[As if in response to the noise, the two slivers of eyes disappear into the dark. A voice that is neither Bumblebee's nor Vanguard's hisses vehemently right next to the D-terminal:]

-can't take it from me!

[The inhuman noise that comes from Vanguard is so panicked and high pitched, it's practically comical. His flailing knocks the flashlight from Bee's hand, and the D-Terminal goes sailing with it. Both hit the ground with a clatter.]

[The last thing the feed picks up is the sound of rapid footsteps in the dark. The feed cuts.]

Comments

pfft you're fine

[heartdive]

I'm kinda finding out that nothing really is.

[ maybe you should ask Donald how many dings that gummi ship has gotten over all this time. 8T ]

[proveyourmetal]

Given what I know of your world and who tends to use the darkness, it sounds risky. Why take the chance?

[heartdive]

[ okay. yes, we are going to do this through the window thing. of course Vixie can get up and in without problems. 8T just the kid and the dragon having a little bit of an issue.

but Sora still lowers his voice! ]

Sometimes people make mistakes and there are consequences for that. Other times they don't have any control over what happened to them.

[proveyourmetal]

[Don't get stuck. If the staff come up in the morning to see a dragon and a teenager stuck in a window...

Bee may not know the specific instances that Sora mentions, but he can understand concepts like it. Machine or not, Cybertronians are not immune to making similar mistakes. And he's experienced what it feels like to be out of control.]

Be careful, Sora.

[A few seconds later, a second text comes in, as if something has come up or interrupted.]

Hang on-

[heartdive]

[ thanks for the vote of confidence. anyone looking outside would probably find the sight of a Renamon and a teenager hefting a now Ryudamon through a window. it's taking them both to pull the armored digimon in.

only once safe inside does Sora answer. this time in text because talking isn't going to help them, is it... ]

Something up?

[proveyourmetal]

You already inside?

[heartdive]

Yeah. Please don't tell me I don't have to be.

[proveyourmetal]

You haven't run into anything strange, have you?

[heartdive]

Not yet?

[proveyourmetal]

[A small blip will hit Sora's terminal. It's a room not too far from Sora's position, just a few minutes away actually. It's a small, dusty office whose hinges are nearly rusted in place.]

He says the journal should be there.

But I'm not so sure this is just a milk run. He keeps mentioning to look out for someone or something, and I have a feeling he doesn't mean medical staff.

May be safer just to call it off?

[When he'd started this, it had been with the assumption there wouldn't be any hint of danger.]

[heartdive]

[ you're sending him to weird places, Bee. but that's all right. Ryu is out in front, leading the way. Vixie might be latched onto Sora's hood, though. she's a little nervous about all of this, even if they other two are not. ]

I'm already here though. Kind of seems silly to -

[ aaaaaaand never gonna get a chance to finish that. nope. ]

[proveyourmetal]

[Unfinished text message. Was it a mistake or...?

He doesn't notice he's holding his breath.]

Sora?

[heartdive]

[ video comes on instead. the person on screen isn't Sora. it's Vixie. and does she look a little ashamed? likely! ]

Ummm... We might have gotten separated.

[proveyourmetal]

[Oh no. No, no no. He had sent Sora there with the distinct impression that there wasn't going to be any danger. It was the hospital- plenty of other people in the wings, and the worst scenario of getting caught was to just be escorted out by staff. He was apparently wrong. Very wrong.

He types hastily into the D-terminal.]

What? How? What happened?

Is Sora all right?!

[heartdive]

I felt this thing on my shoulder a-and I just panicked...

[ and she might have screamed and bolted. just saying. she sags just a little. ]

Some digimon I am. Ryu probably is still there with Sora.

[ but just going to curl up right there. ah ha... ]

[proveyourmetal]

It's all right. I can imagine how that feel.

[As the beginning of Vanguard and Bee's video can attest. He hadn't known Vanguard could scream so high-pitched. He didn't know who grabbed who or who started running first and-

Well. First things first. Check on the poor digi.]

You're not hurt, are you?

[heartdive]

Right.

[ she remembers. now feels a little bad for having her own chuckle about it. taking a deep breath, she shakes her head. ]

No, I'm not hurt. Unless you count my pride.

[proveyourmetal]

[He's relieved it wasn't a direct attack at least. But Sora's still out there, separated from his digimon. If he has to, Bee's going to head down to the hospital himself. In fact, he may be walking towards the exit right now, with Vanguard and possibly the Bakemon right behind him.]

I'm heading down there.

You okay enough to search for your partners?

[heartdive]

[ the digimon shakes her head again. no, Bee. stay. it's all right she can do this. look at her go, even standing up with a deep breath. ]

I've got this.

[proveyourmetal]

[He slows to a stop, which seems to sooth the agitated Bakemon.]

You can do this.

Just keep your optics and audials open.

[heartdive]

My what...

[ keep talking. it's gonna help keep her nerves calms. ]

[proveyourmetal]

Right. Human terms.

Keep your eyes and ears open.

Look for signs of where he might've gone. Things out of place or overturned, marks on the floor, open windows or doors.

Trust yourself, and your instincts. You'll be fine.

[heartdive]

Appreciate it.

[ eyes and ears open. sorry Bee, but with every sound, her ears perk and eyes dart around. pursing lips and just... going to keep going. just keep going. maybe she can backtrack where they last left off.

they couldn't have gotten too far, right? ]

[proveyourmetal]

[He gives her some time to search around. He's patient for the most part, anxious as he is to see that Sora is all right.]

Any luck?

[heartdive]

Nothing yet. I thought that -

[ Vixie stops, looking ahead. there are some heavy steps in the hall that she's in... with a scratch noise to top it off. it's clear she's scared. unnerved. but she is going to take this like a digimon. ]

Hold on.

[even though the feed is abruptly cut, it's going to take a few minutes. rightfully so, really.

when it comes back on, there's a different face. ]

Took her long enough to come back, didn't it?

[ there's a whine in the background, definitely Vixie. and a chuckle. Sora. ]