The private entrance to Stark Industries is a service elevator that requires a keycard Tony gave me weeks ago. I swipe it and the doors slide open with a soft chime. Jessica steps in without a word, Impmon still cradled against her chest. His small body rises and falls with each breath.
Gatomon and BlackGatomon materialize on either side of us. Angewomon and LadyDevimon revert to their Rookie forms and follow, with Cutemon bringing up the rear. The elevator is crowded with this many bodies, but nobody complains.
Jessica stares at the floor numbers ticking upward. Her jaw is set. There's a cut on her cheek that Cutemon didn't get to — not deep, but it's there. Her costume has scorch marks across the chest and one sleeve is torn at the shoulder.
"You don't have to keep carrying him," I say quietly.
She doesn't look at me. "I know."
But she doesn't put him down.
The elevator opens on the sublevel where Tony's main lab is. The hallway is quiet — it's past midnight, and most of the staff went home hours ago. Our footsteps echo off the polished floor as I lead the group toward the lab doors.
They slide open before I can reach for the panel.
Tony Stark stands in the doorway, a tablet in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other. He's wearing a tank top and sweatpants, his hair sticking up at odd angles. Behind him, I can see Peter hunched over a workstation, monitors casting blue light across his face.
Tony's eyes move from me to Jessica to the unconscious Digimon in her arms. He takes a slow bite of his sandwich.
"So," he says, chewing. "Rough night?"
I step into the lab and the Digimon file in behind me. "New Rogue Digimon. Champion level. Calls himself Shaujinmon. He was harvesting negative emotions from civilians in Riverside Park."
Tony swallows. "Harvesting emotions. That's new."
"It gets worse." I glance at Jessica. "He had a partner. Impmon."
Tony's eyebrows rise. He looks at the small purple Digimon in Jessica's arms. "The prankster kid? He went rogue?"
"Not by choice." Jessica's voice is flat. "Shaujinmon threatened me. Impmon was protecting me."
Tony studies her for a moment, then nods slowly. He's good at reading people — better than most give him credit for. He can tell there's more to the story, but he doesn't push.
"You need anything?" he asks. "Medical supplies? A place to crash?"
"We're fine," I say. Then my stomach growls, loud enough that Gatomon snickers. "Actually, food would be great."
Tony pulls out his phone and taps the screen. "Happy's off the clock, but there's a twenty-four-hour place three blocks from here. I'll have them send up enough for an army." He looks at the Digimon. "They do salmon, right?"
"Tuna," Gatomon and BlackGatomon say in unison.
"Tuna it is." Tony pockets his phone. "Give it twenty minutes."
Peter rolls his chair over, his eyes wide behind his glasses. "Is that Impmon? Is he okay?"
"He's sleeping," Jessica says. She's still standing in the doorway, like she's not sure she's allowed to come further in. "Cutemon healed him. He just needs rest."
Peter looks at Cutemon, who gives him a small wave and a "chu\~."
I guide Jessica toward one of the couches against the wall. She sits down carefully, adjusting Impmon so his head rests against her shoulder. Her hands are gentle. Careful. Like she's holding something that might break.
I drop onto the couch beside her. The adrenaline is wearing off and the exhaustion is settling in, heavy and dull.
"How did you find me?" Jessica asks. She's still not looking at me. Her eyes are fixed on Impmon's face.
I pull out my Digivice and show her the screen. "I was tracking Shaujinmon's digital signature. He's been leaving a trail across the city — small spikes of corrupted data wherever he's been harvesting. I followed the signal to Riverside Park and found the aftermath. Traced the energy residue from there."
I pause. The next part is harder to say.
"I didn't expect to find you in the middle of a fight with him. Or with Impmon."
Jessica's shoulders tense. "I couldn't just leave him."
"Jess—"
"If I hadn't gone after them, Impmon would have—" Her voice catches. She stops, breathes. "Shaujinmon was going to make him do things. Bad things. Impmon was only helping him because Shaujinmon threatened to kill me. I couldn't let that happen."
I lean back against the couch and rub my face with both hands. The frustration is there, simmering under the surface, but it's not directed at her. Not really.
"You should have called me," I say.
"I didn't have time."
"You always have time to send a text."
She finally looks at me. Her eyes are red-rimmed but dry. "Would you have gotten there fast enough?"
I open my mouth. Close it. The honest answer is: I don't know. Connect Jump is fast, but it's not instant. If she'd waited for me, Shaujinmon might have finished whatever he was doing. Impmon might have—
I don't finish the thought.
"No," I admit. "Maybe not."
Jessica looks back down at Impmon. "I couldn't risk it."
I sigh. It comes from somewhere deep, carrying the weight of the last hour. I'm not angry at her. That's the thing. I'm scared. Scared of what could have happened. Scared of how close it came.
"Just — next time, call me. Even if you think you don't have time. Send a text. Anything. I'll find a way."
She nods slowly. "Okay."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Tony's phone buzzes. He glances at it and heads toward the elevator. "Food's here. I'll grab it." He pauses at the door and looks back at Jessica. "For what it's worth — you did good tonight. Kid like that, he's lucky to have someone looking out for him."
Jessica blinks. She wasn't expecting that.
Tony disappears into the elevator and the lab goes quiet except for the hum of the servers and the soft sound of Impmon breathing.
Gatomon hops onto the couch on my other side. "You were reckless," she says. It's not a question.
"I know."
"Both of you," she adds, looking at Jessica.
Jessica almost smiles. Almost. "Yeah. I know that too."
BlackGatomon settles on the armrest. "At least you're alive to be scolded."
Cutemon climbs up onto Jessica's lap, next to Impmon. She places a small hand on his forehead, checking. "He's stable, chu\~," she reports. "Just needs sleep."
Jessica's hand finds Cutemon's and squeezes gently. "Thank you. For healing him."
Cutemon's ears perk up. "That's what I do, chu\~!"
I watch them — Jessica holding Impmon, Cutemon curled against her side, the other Digimon arranged around us like a small, strange family. The lab feels warm despite the industrial lighting. Safe.
***
Donate Power Stones to support this novel
Advance chapters in patreon.com/Najicablitz