I left the silent crane behind and moved toward the sounds of a struggle that had just ended. The warehouse opened up into a wider loading bay.
Black Widow stood in the center of the cleared space, a stark figure of efficiency. And in her arms, held with a surprising lack of strain, was Jessica.
Her costume was dirty, her pink hair matted with sweat and grime. Her eyes were closed, her face slack and utterly empty of the fierce, awkward girl I knew. She wasn't Jewel. She wasn't Jessica. She was just… gone.
My breath hitched. Impmon landed on my shoulder, his usual bravado gone.
"Is she…?" I couldn't finish.
Black Widow's voice was flat, clinical. "Unconscious. Her system is fighting the residual command structures. The withdrawal is violent."
"What about Killgrave?" The name tasted like ash.
"The spider-ox Digimon," she said, her eyes scanning the shadows of the high rafters. "It descended, created a toxic cloud barrier. By the time it cleared, he was gone. I had to prioritize securing the asset."
He got away. He used his monster as a smoke bomb and ran.
A cold, hard knot settled in my chest, tightening with every beat. "He won't escape."
The words came out quiet. Absolute. The anger wasn't hot anymore. It was a frozen river, cutting deep.
I looked from Jessica's lifeless face to Black Widow. "Take her. Get her to safety, to a SHIELD med-bay, somewhere he can't reach. Patch her up."
I turned, my gaze going to the shattered loading dock door where the purple haze still lingered. Gatomon and BlackGatomon fell into step beside me, their expressions grimly determined. Impmon cracked his knuckles.
"I'm going after him," I said, my voice barely above a whisper yet carrying across the bay. "And I'm going to make sure he pays. Double."
Black Widow gave a single, sharp nod. She cradled Jessica, a ghost in white and blue, and melted into the warehouse shadows.
My Digivice was already out, its screen painting a faint, pulsing trail of corrupted data. The psychic residue from the Shadowstone. It led straight through the shattered door and into the industrial night.
We didn't run. We moved. Gatomon and BlackGatomon were silent blurs of white and black at my sides. Impmon was a purple smudge on the rusted fire escape above.
We found them two blocks over. Peter was crouched on a dumpster, massaging his temples. Gwen and Renamon were helping the last few dazed civilians sit down against a wall.
Peter saw me first, his mask's eyes widening. He dropped down. "Ethan! What happened? Is Jessica—?"
"She's safe," I cut in. The words were tight. "Black Widow has her. She's out of the fight."
The relief that washed over them was visible. Gwen's shoulders slumped. Peter let out a breath he'd been holding.
"Thank god," Gwen whispered.
"Don't thank anyone yet," I said, my eyes on the data trail snaking down the alley. "Killgrave's running. He's got a head start, and he's got Gyuukimon. We don't let him reach another crowd. We don't let him set up another stage."
I held up my Digivice. The purple smear on the map pulsed like a sick heartbeat, leading toward the river. "He left a trail. We follow it. Now."
No more arguments. No more plans. Just the hunt.
Peter shot a web, pulling himself up to a rooftop vantage point. "I've got high ground. I'll keep eyes on."
Gwen nodded at Renamon. "We're right behind you."
We moved as one unit. Peter swinging silently above. Gwen and Renamon flanking me on the ground, their footsteps light. My Digimon fanned out ahead, following the scent of corrupted will.
The trail didn't lead to the streets. It dipped into a storm drain access, vanishing into the city's dark, wet underbelly.
Gatomon's nose twitched. "He went underground."
"Of course he did," BlackGatomon muttered. "Rats always do."
I looked at the dark opening, then back at my friends. Their faces were set, determined in the weak light.
"Last chance to turn back," I said, but it wasn't really an offer.
Peter landed beside us. "Not a chance."
Gwen just adjusted her web-shooters. "Let's go get him."
We dropped into the darkness, following the purple pulse into the tunnels.
The tunnel smelled like damp concrete and sewage, but underneath that was something else. A sharp, chemical scent that made my skin crawl. The pheromones.
The purple trail on my Digivice ended here, in a wider junction where the pipes converged. A single, weak work light hung from a rusted bracket, casting a sickly yellow glow over the scene.
Killgrave stood in the center, his back to us. He was smoothing his jacket, his movements tight with fury. Gyuukimon crouched beside him, its spider legs folded, the bells on its horns silent.
"A glitch," Killgrave muttered, his voice echoing in the damp space. "A temporary anomaly. The system is flawless. I am flawless. That child… that interfering brat with his electrical toys… he introduced a variable. An external variable. The Widow exploited a pattern. But the pattern is mine to rewrite."
He was talking to himself. Ranting. The arrogance was so thick it was almost a physical presence.
I turned to Peter and Gwen. They were watching, tense.
"Remember," I whispered, my voice low. "His control isn't magic. It's biology. Pheromones. They have to get into your system."
Peter pulled a simple filtration mask from his belt and secured it over his mouth and nose. Gwen did the same with one from her pocket. They weren't fancy, just enough to filter the air.
I didn't need one. My partially digital body had its own filters. The System had noted that.
Gatomon and BlackGatomon didn't need masks either. Digimon physiology was different.
Impmon just grinned. "Let's mess up his perfect system."
We moved.
Gatomon and BlackGatomon were the first strike. They burst from the shadows, Lightning Paw and a dark-energy claw aimed at Gyuukimon's leg joints.
The ox-spider hybrid hissed, its bells jangling as it reared up, surprised.
Killgrave spun around. His eyes went wide, then narrowed with pure, venomous anger. "You."
"We're here to collect," I said, stepping into the light. My Digi-Gloves already humming with stored charge.
"Gyuukimon!" Killgrave barked, his voice sharp with command. "Defend me! Eliminate them!"
The Digimon lunged, its massive form suddenly a blur of silent, predatory motion. It wasn't just a monster. It was a perfectly controlled weapon.
The real fight started.
***
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