Frontier 02: Rebirthing – Chapter 21: Atonement
Takuya: Okay, you wake her up.
JP: I'm not waking her up! Make Kouji wake her up!
Kouji: I'm not waking her up!
Kira: C'mon guys, someone's gotta wake her up before the chapter starts.
Kouji and JP: Then you do it!
Kira: Hell no! I don't wanna die!
Kouichi: Guys, the chapter started 30 seconds ago.
Everyone: notices the title
Takuya: Uh…hey there, guys! How's it going?
JP: We're having a little dilemma right now. Shino will explain while we try to get it sorted out.
Shino: Well, you see, Madjack stormed in here earlier looking all frazzled and angry, and when we sent Dai over to see what was wrong, she threatened to rip his skull out of his head and beat him to death with it—
Dai: That doesn't even seem physically possible!
Shino: That's what I said. Anyway, after she made Dai cry, she went to go scream into a pillow, and when we went to check on her a few minutes ago, we found her fast asleep, and we're all afraid to wake her up.
Zoe: We don't even know what the heck was wrong.
Kouichi: It must be pretty bad. She never yells at Dai.
Shino: Poor kid. I think he's been even more traumatized for life.
Dai: I'm thirteen! Why do you guys keep calling me a kid?
Zoe: Dai, you both look and act like a kid, so to us, you're like the baby of the group.
Dai: What about Tommy? He's younger than me.
Zoe: Tommy's been promoted to runner-up baby of the group.
Tommy: Yes!
Dai: …I think I need a cookie.
Hotaru: Sugar free, please.
Zoe: Poor Dai.
Hotaru: I think I'm gonna have a few words with Madjack when she wakes up.
Takuya: Oh god, she's waking up!
JP: Head for the hills!
Everyone: runs away
madjack89: Hm…oh, hi guys. Guess the chapter started while I was asleep. Man, I was so mad earlier. I had the worst first week of school ever. I think I even yelled at Dai. I should go apologize…wait, where is everybody? Guys, you here?!
Everyone: no response
madjack89: Huh…oh well, I'll just answer reviews then.
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Dawn of Glory: Don't worry, the censoring thing won't last, I was just messing with JP! And those head injuries are finally catching up with Kouichi. Thanks for the review!
DigiBleach: I'm glad you liked Duskmon's story, cause I enjoyed writing it! And don't worry, you'll get his hat! Thanks for reviewing!
GoldenDragon326: Yeah, it's weird. In fact, Kouji's the first person Kouichi's punched in the series…ironic. Thanks for reviewing!
Umeplumblossom: I'm glad you like my writing, but get some sleep! (lol) I'll try to write some good angst for you! Thanks for reviewing!
hazeleyedharmony: Yeah, Taru can be funny without even trying to be!
As you can see, school is not being kind to me…
-Like he didn't already?
-I loved writing it, so I'm glad someone liked it!
-What else is new? (Kouji: Oh, shut up, Madjack!)
-Yup! Kind of like Gatomon and Patamon in seasons 1 and 2…only with more rocks!
-Sorry, but I've always kind of liked Duskmon! He was my favorite villain in all of season 4! (I don't censor reviews, but fanfiction might. I don't know.)
-(Kouji: …So do you just hate me, or what?) Aw, I'm sure she just found it amusing that Kouichi of all people punched you in the face! (Kouji: sigh Women…)
-Well, it is coming from JP, after all! If anyone needs censoring, it's him!
-Hm, the twins could use a puppy…and anti-depressants…and I could use a shield to protect myself from Kouji when he finds out what happens in the next chapter arc. (Kouji: Wait, what?) Thanks for reviewing, hazel!
TobiGB: Gee, how nice of you, Itachi! Now sit back, you two, and get ready to read the most epic fight ever! (lol Probably not THAT epic, but still.) Thanks for the cookies and the review!
Digimon122: Eh, I have a thing for emo depression. Not that I'm depressed myself, but depression fascinates me. (I have a sadistic mind…) The girl is not Ilsemon, and you shall find out who she is in chapter 22. Thanks for reviewing!
apapa155: Sorry about those hiccups, Eva! I hate hiccups. Anyway, you and Kokanakluemon may not appear for a little while yet, but rest assured, you will appear! Thanks for reviewing!
shadica: Then I'm weird right along with you, because I never thought of Duskmon as completely evil either! Go Bop It! And it's not irrational to be wary of people on the Internet. For all you know, I could be a psycho-maniac stalker! (By the way, I'm not.) But thanks for reviewing!
Aldamonburst: Aw, poor Night! Thanks for the review, Burst!
beybladeingninjaprincess: Yeah, that was a small snag in Kouichi's plan, but then again, Squishy would probably go past knocking Kouji out. Ha, I should have Kouichi and Squishy have a staring contest sometime! Aw, the twins do look kind of cute knocked out…Taki does too…and even JP a little bit…dang it, they're all cute! (Dragramon: And that's a bad thing?) Go away, Dragra. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Kirae-Remi: Yeah he is, but he's awesome at the same time! Thanks!
fg1fg: Zoe didn't want anyone to walk in on her and thought outside would be the best place for that. Of course Kouichi would save Zoe! He's like her (k)night in shining armor, man! (lol) Yeah, Dusky does kind of dislike Kouichi, so he may have that idea. And, sadly, you will not find out who the god-like girl is until the next chapter. Just be patient a little longer! Thanks for reviewing!
garnettfox: Yeah, probably! Oh yeah, it does say edit, doesn't it? (face palms along with you) Don't kill Taki before I get a chance to in F2R! (Takuya: So you ARE killing me off!) No…of course not…oh look, the end of the review! Thanks for reviewing! (BTW, congrats on being reviewer 200!)
ladyaura: Aw, I'm so flattered when people say I'm a good writer! Who the girl is will be revealed in chapter 22, no worries! Wow, I used to be a huge Kouji fan, too! Not that I don't like him anymore, it's just I like the others a lot, too, so it's not just him! And I don't fangirl over him anymore! Hm, that seems like a pretty cool title. I'll definitely read your story when it comes out! Til then, thanks for reviewing this story! (looks at end of chapter) I might want to hide these weapons for my own safety.
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madjack89: Guys, I'm fine now! And if you can hear me Dai, I'm sorry! Because I yelled at you, you're allotted two sugary donuts today, okay?
Dai: pops out of nowhere and hugs me Apology accepted! I'm just glad you aren't mad at me!
madjack89: Aw, Dai! hugs Dai back
Zoe: Isn't that sweet?
Kouji: Yeah, it's just peachy. Alright, our crisis is over, let's just start the darn chapter.
madjack89: Okie-doke! Enjoy chapter 21!
—
Kouji opened his eyes very slowly. It felt like there was a huge weight sitting on his eyelids, making this a difficult task. Finally, though, Kouji managed to get his eyes to obey and open, revealing a face above him. His vision was blurred, so it was hard to make out exactly who the person was.
"Who…?" Kouji managed to mutter weakly.
"Oh no, he's got amnesia!" Takuya. "Alright, let's start from the beginning. First off, I'm Takuya, and this girl next to me is Kira."
"Hey there, pretty boy," Kira said, waving casually at Kouji.
"Okay, Witchmon or Dragramon or someone get in here! This Digimon thing will be easier to explain with visual aid!" Takuya yelled, turning around.
"Takuya, I don't have amnesia," Kouji said flatly, rolling his eyes.
Takuya turned back around, sighing with relief. "Well, that takes care of that."
Kouji tried to sit up, but went too fast and began to teeter, head spinning. "Easy, Kouji," Shino cautioned, grabbing Kouji's arm before he fell over.
"Listen to the doctor, pretty boy," Kira added, smirking at Shino.
"For the last time, my mother has the Ph.D., not me," Shino said firmly.
"Hey, you probably know more than us," Kira said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Your mom might have taught you first-aid or something."
"Have you ever met my mother?" Shino asked flatly.
"Guys, not that this conversation isn't fascinating, but what's going on?" Kouji said, looking around the cavern he sat in. It was the same cavern that the gang had been given as a bedroom, and was mostly empty, save Takuya, Kira, Shino, and himself. He could see the faint outlines of Witchmon and Dragramon standing outside the opening cloth, probably making sure no one bothered them.
"We were kind of hoping you could tell us that," Takuya said, referring to Kouji's question. "We just found you near the tunnel exit, passed out and bleeding from a head wound."
"And by the way, do you happen to know where the hell Chief is?" Kira asked, holding up Kouichi's blood-stained jacket. "We found this along with you, and we noticed that he was missing."
"Does it have something to do with Duskmon?" Shino added quietly, voicing what the others were tentative to say.
Kouji thought about this for a minute, trying to remember what had happened right before he'd been knocked out. The others leaned forward, anxious to hear what he had to say. Suddenly, Kouji exclaimed, "Kouichi!" eyes wide with panic.
"What about Kouichi?" Takuya asked, quickly losing his patience.
Kouji's memories were all flooding back at once, but one thought stood out in his jumbled mind. "It has everything to do with Duskmon, Shino. Kouichi…he went off to find Duskmon alone. He'll fight him…and he might not win."
—
JagerLowemon leaped through the air, headed straight for Duskmon. Duskmon reacted quickly, hopping to the side as JagerLowemon sailed past him. JagerLowemon (my god, these Beast Spirits have freaking long names!) twisted his body in midair, digging his claws into the ground in order to stay on his feet when he hit earth.
Zoe flinched, JagerLowemon having landed right next to her. She glanced at him just as he glanced at her, concern in his gaze. Then, without a word, he swiped his claw against the tree Zoe was bound against, slicing through her rope and freeing her. Zoe landed on her feet and looked at Duskmon, who still held her D-Tector. JagerLowemon noticed this too and simply said, "Run," before charging at Duskmon again.
"Kouichi!" Zoe cried, ignoring his command entirely. She wouldn't run from this fight unless Kouichi was with her. At the moment, that didn't seem to be a very likely possibility.
Duskmon dodged JagerLowemon once again with ease, but this time JagerLowemon hadn't planned to simply bowl into Duskmon. "Ebony Blast!" JagerLowemon released a large burst of dark energy at Duskmon, turning his head toward his adversary in midair.
Duskmon quickly unsheathed his swords, holding them up in front of him as a shield against the attack. Zoe tensed. She remembered how easy it had always been for Duskmon to simply swat away their attacks as if they were nothing.
That's why it was a bit of a shock when the attack made contact and Duskmon was pushed back a few inches, actually seeming to struggle in deflecting this attack. After several seconds, though, Duskmon managed to swipe at the attack with his sword, causing it to dissipate.
Zoe glanced at JagerLowemon, wondering how his attack had actually managed to hinder Duskmon. She didn't like what she saw. JagerLowemon was crouched a few feet away from Duskmon, glaring maliciously at him. Zoe noticed he had a distinctive dark aura swirling around him. Also, to add to Zoe's concern, he looked completely furious and almost…feral.
This is not good, Zoe thought, shaking in fear despite herself. Kouichi's not thinking. At this rate, he could easily get hurt by Duskmon…or end up hurting himself.
Zoe could tell that Duskmon knew that fact as well as she did, and from the triumphant gleam in his eye, she felt certain that he would use it to his own advantage. Or to the advantage of the person he took orders from.
Duskmon crossed his two swords in front of him, charging at JagerLowemon. Zoe watched with wide, worried eyes as JagerLowemon dodged out of Duskmon's way. Duskmon quickly turned on his heel and charged at JagerLowemon again. JagerLowemon continued to dodge as Duskmon continued his attack, now swinging his swords deftly at JagerLowemon.
"Duskmon's not giving him a chance to attack back," Zoe muttered to herself, biting her lip in frustration. "I should be helping!"
"Zoe!" Zoe's attention returned to the fight when JagerLowemon yelled her name. She noticed that Duskmon had changed course, and instead of rushing at JagerLowemon, he was heading straight for her.
She knew that she should have been running away, but her legs didn't seem to want to move. She was actually frozen with fear. Zoe was so afraid of Duskmon that seeing him charging toward her paralyzed her. And it wasn't because of the monstrous, horrible things he'd done in the past. It was because she'd seen his human side. He actually had feelings, but was still a bloodthirsty killer. It was this that scared Zoe.
JagerLowemon dashed after Duskmon, seeing Zoe's fear filled expression. His eyes blazed as, moments before Duskmon made contact with Zoe, he slammed into Duskmon's side, knocking them both to the ground.
Zoe blinked, brought out of her terrified stupor. Duskmon lay several feet to her left, with JagerLowemon on top of him.
"No!" Zoe cried, realizing the problem this could cause Kouichi. "If you stand on top of him like that, he can slash at your stomach!"
JagerLowemon quickly leaped off of Duskmon, realizing Zoe's point. Then JagerLowemon became engulfed in data and, moments later, Lowemon stood above Duskmon, lance in hand. "This evens the odds a bit, don't you think?"
Duskmon sprung to his feet, swords raised threateningly. "Indeed it does."
Lowemon and Duskmon began to circle each other, weapons held up defensively. "That was a dirty trick you just pulled, going after Zoe like that," Lowemon said quietly, so that Zoe wouldn't hear.
Duskmon's eyes remained narrowed. "You'd do the same if there were someone I cared about here."
"You really think I'm as twisted as you?" Lowemon asked, scoffing.
"Need I remind you that you were me for a time," Duskmon retorted. "I have seen the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. I know you, even more than you know yourself. You don't think you're capable of sinking to my level, but you are. You just haven't been given the opportunity to prove that."
"Shut up!" Lowemon brandished his lance, swinging it at Duskmon's head angrily.
Duskmon easily stopped the attack with one of his blades, holding the other one at Lowemon's throat. "Never make the first move." (Right, Loor?) (Loor: That is correct.) With that, Duskmon pushed Lowemon's lance away with his sword.
Then Duskmon lashed out with his blade, which Lowemon deflected with his lance. Duskmon quickly swung his other blade at Lowemon, who once again deflected the attack.
Zoe watched as Duskmon attacked Lowemon with a volley of slashes, Lowemon defending himself successfully against all of them. But Zoe didn't think he could keep this up forever. Duskmon had gotten Lowemon on the defensive, and there was nothing Zoe could do to help even the odds.
It's just like when Grumblemon stole my Spirit, Zoe thought, feeling disheartened. I was completely helpless then, and I'm completely helpless now. And I might lose Kouichi…
Suddenly, something occurred to Zoe. Duskmon was beginning to drive Lowemon back with his furious attacks, and Lowemon was starting to look a bit weakened. But there was something missing, something that Duskmon had possessed before, something he'd been holding that wasn't there now…
"He dropped my D-Tector!" Zoe realized this just as Duskmon drove Lowemon straight into a tree, still dealing slash after slash with his sword. Lowemon was still deflecting his attacks, but finally, one hit its target.
"Argh!" Lowemon cried, having been sliced on his chest. He quickly brought his attention back to Duskmon as Duskmon continued his assault.
Zoe quickly scanned the clearing, searching for her D-Tector. She didn't see it anywhere in plain view, so she headed for the bushes on the outskirts of the clearing, deciding to search through them until she found her precious device.
Hold on, Kouichi, she thought to herself, trying to put his injured cry out of her mind. The cavalry's coming!
—
"Hang on, Chief. The cavalry's coming!" Kira exclaimed, dodging around another tree as she dashed after Kouji, along with the rest of the gang.
"Kouji, are you sure you know where Kouichi is?" Shino asked, catching up quickly to Kouji (little known fact: Shino's a pretty fast runner).
"Yes," Kouji said simply, charging on through the woods.
Takuya smiled mischievously on Kouji's other side. "Freaky—"
"Shut up," Kouji said, interrupting Takuya.
"Well, it is!" Takuya retorted. "I mean, you just magically know where Kouichi is, when no one else has a clue, then you drag us out here with you to go get him, and you know exactly where you're going, where as the rest of us have no freaking clue where we are! Coincidence? I think not!"
"Okay, Takuya, here's the deal," Kouji said, eye twitching slightly in annoyance from Takuya's rant. "I really don't think me and Kouichi being twins has anything to do with this. It's probably some weird light/darkness thing that's giving us a special connection to each other, okay?"
Takuya stared thoughtfully at Kouji for a moment, pondering what he'd said. Then Takuya muttered, "Freaky telekinetic twin powers FTW."
Kouji glared at Takuya. "I hate you, Takuya."
—
Zoe continued to creep through the outskirts of the clearing, still searching for her D-Tector.
"C'mon, where are you?" she muttered to herself, her search getting more and more frantic by the second. She bit her lip in frustration, trying not to look to her left at the fight that was still taking place in the clearing.
When she'd last looked up, Lowemon had actually managed to unpin himself from the tree he'd been driven against, though not without suffering a view more injuries. Now Lowemon and Duskmon were attacking back and forth across the clearing, matching blow for blow.
She heard a painful grunt, and knew instantly that it was Lowemon. Duskmon didn't show his pain easily. She bit harder on her lip and it started to bleed. Zoe licked at the blood with her tongue. Kouichi hates blood…
Zoe paused in her search, remembering the time, so many months ago, when she had helped Kouichi bandage a cut on Takuya's forehead that had bled a bit profusely. Kouichi had barely been able to stomach looking at the wound, let alone patching it up. Zoe thought it was kind of cute, that little quirk of his.
Her small smile turned back into a frown when she remembered what was happening right next to her. Kouichi had challenged Duskmon to a final, one-on-one showdown, where only one would come out alive.
She quickly continued her frenzied search, fueled by her desire to protect Kouichi. However, one thought still nagged at the back of her mind.
"Why couldn't we just run when we had the chance?" she asked herself. "We could easily have run. Sure, Duskmon had my D-Tector, but I've been without it before. I'd get it back eventually. You know that. You had already saved me. That would be enough for you. So why would you bother fighting Duskmon? It's not worth it."
Zoe just couldn't understand Kouichi's obsession with Duskmon, namely with beating him. It didn't make sense to her, especially how he felt the need to beat Duskmon on his own. Together, with the others, they might have been able to defeat Duskmon, for good this time. But for some reason, Kouichi didn't want that. And she had a hard time believing that it was because he didn't want anyone else to get hurt. That was part of it, but not all of it.
Meanwhile, in the clearing, Lowemon and Duskmon broke apart, breathing hard. Lowemon glared at Duskmon, and Duskmon glared back.
"You know I'm going to kill you, here and now," Lowemon growled softly. "This has gone on long enough. You need to die."
"You're probably right. That would be the righteous thing to do," Duskmon muttered, an odd glint in his eye. "But you're not really thinking about what's righteous, are you? You simply want me dead for your own reasons."
"What do you mean?" Lowemon asked, confusion entering his voice.
"Don't act as if you don't know," Duskmon said. "Every day you feel an overwhelming guilt for what you did when you and I shared the same consciousness. You killed lots of Digimon, collected some data here and there, proved your worth to Cherubimon, and then sulked in silence. And you almost killed your brother."
"Stop," Lowemon said softly, Duskmon's words hurting more than Duskmon's blade.
"You almost killed the others as well," Duskmon continued, ignoring Lowemon. "These facts haunt you, though you try not to dwell on the past. You don't want to be tortured by guilt, and you always try to tell yourself that it wasn't your fault. But it never works. The guilt stays, like a cloud looming over your head, waiting to strike you down with lightning because of your misdeeds. And you think you deserve it."
Lowemon wanted to argue, but everything that Duskmon said struck true. Every day, he felt that guilt welling up inside him, threatening to suffocate him. Being with his friends, Kouji, Zoe, that all helped, but it didn't make the guilt go away.
"And that is why you want to kill me," Duskmon said. "Because I am the proof that you did all those horrible things, you believe that if I were to disappear, by your own hand, that the guilt would finally be put to rest. You would finally be able to forgive yourself. It would be your atonement."
"Atonement…" Lowemon realized that Duskmon was right. He did seek forgiveness for his misdeeds, trying constantly to do good. But it was never enough, because he could never manage to forgive himself, at least not completely. But if he could kill Duskmon…
"It's a shame that you'll never find out if killing me really will bring you happiness," Duskmon said suddenly, backing up a few steps from Lowemon. "I don't like resorting to this, but I suppose it's necessary."
Then Duskmon was engulfed by data and a few moments later, Velgemon rose into the air, circling around the clearing.
Lowemon was only able to stare up at Velgemon as he dove toward the clearing after several circles, headed straight for him. "It's times like these that really make me wish I could fly," Lowemon muttered.
Zoe wished she could fly, too, as Velgemon descended on Lowemon, grabbed him in his talons, and lifted him up in the air. "Kouichi!" she cried, forgetting her search for the moment.
Lowemon paused in his struggling, hearing Zoe's cry below him. "Zoe," he muttered to himself. "I'm sorry. I tried, but…I'm just not strong enough."
Velgemon continued to lift Lowemon until they were high above the clearing. Then, Velgemon rocketed toward the ground, feet first. Zoe realized with horror that Velgemon was going to slam Lowemon into the clearing below. But there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Seconds later, Velgemon hit the earth or, more accurately, Lowemon did. Zoe shielded eyes from the cloud of dust that floated up from the impact. When the dust cleared, Zoe slowly opened her eyes, afraid of what she might see.
In the middle of the clearing, a small crater had formed, courtesy of Velgemon. Kouichi lay in that crater, data showing. At first, Zoe thought he was out cold, until she noticed his arm move slightly. Then his other arm moved as he tried to pick himself up and get back on his feet.
Zoe was about to rush to his aid when she noticed Duskmon standing before Kouichi, sword drawn and glowing with a strange, dark energy.
Zoe looked through some more bushes, tearing through them in a desperate attempt to find her D-Tector.
Duskmon glanced at Zoe, then turned his attention back to Kouichi, who was still struggling to his feet. "Still fighting for atonement, are you?"
"I…" Kouichi attempted to speak, though could only get out a strained whisper. "I don't…want to…make…her cry…"
Duskmon smirked, watching Kouichi finally get to his feet. "Ah, young love," Duskmon muttered. "It never seems to last."
With this statement, Duskmon thrust his sword forward, piercing Kouichi straight through the chest until the other point of the sword stabbed through his back.
Zoe watched, frozen, as Kouichi's eyes widened in shock but strangely, not pain. It was as if he were merely surprised at being stabbed, or that he hadn't quite realized what had happened. Then he slowly looked down, seeing the sword stuck in his chest.
Zoe remained paralyzed as Kouichi's gaze drifted to her. Seeing her, he finally looked as if he were in pain. Zoe watched intently as he tried to form words unsuccessfully.
Duskmon, whose expression remained stony, pulled the sword from Kouichi's body as easily as he'd pierced it through. Without anything to hold him up, Kouichi fell to his knees, eyes growing cloudy and unfocused. Then he fell over completely, landing back in the dirt.
Zoe stared wide-eyed at Kouichi's unmoving form, trying to tell herself that this couldn't be true. But it was. What she'd feared for so long had just happened, right before her eyes.
Duskmon had killed Kouichi.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
—
Kouji stopped so suddenly that the others continued running several feet before they realized they didn't know where they were going.
"Hey, what's the hold up, pretty boy?" Kira asked impatiently.
Kouji didn't answer, eyes growing wide. "Hey Kouji, are you okay?" JP asked, noticing Kouji's pained expression.
Suddenly, Kouji fell to his knees, hugging his chest in what looked like agony. The others quickly crowded around him, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Kouji, tell Doctor Shino what's going on," Takuya said seriously, gesturing at Shino. Shino just nodded, for once not getting annoyed at being called "Doctor Shino."
"Wait," Dai said, getting a sudden idea. "Are you having a heart attack? Darn you, Team Dattebayo's Light Yagami!" (A joke for the youtubers out there.)
"No," Kouji said through heaving breaths. "Kouichi…he's…"
Takuya suddenly tensed, eyes growing wide. "Kouji, is Kouichi…dead?"
Kouji squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight back the pain this statement brought. "I don't know. That's the problem. I don't know where he is anymore. He's just…gone."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Everyone looked up, hearing an anguished scream coming from their right.
"Zee," Kira said simply.
—
madjack89: And that is the end of chapter 21!
Everyone: stunned silence
Kouji: You…you just…
madjack89: Heh…heh heh…heh…heh heh heh…hey Dai, I just got the second live action Death Note movie on DVD! Want to watch it with me?
Dai: Uh…okay.
madjack89: Awesome! Alright, guys, see you in chapter 22! Please don't try to kill me in your reviews or anything, because, for your information, Kouichi's gonna be in the next chapter, so ha!
JP: Yeah, as a dead body!
madjack89: Shut it, JP!