AJ Lee lays in bed, idly kicking her legs back and forth in midair. She'd been recovering from a neck injury the past few weeks, keeping her from the Digiworld, despite all of the bad things that are currently happening. Zack Ryder's disappearance had only been the first, and he had been taken while in the real world, no less. Leaves them all understandably a little nervous and watchful, not feeling safe anywhere that they're at, but she had focused on rehab, wanting nothing more than to return to WWE as quickly as possible and win back her divas title. She sighs and rolls over, swatting at the tip of Renamon's tail that's just visible from where she's laying, smirking when the Digimon immediately draws her tail in and holds it away from AJ's teasing fingers.
It's a sleepy Sunday afternoon, the world lost in football and the Golden Globes, neither of which interest either of them so they're perfectly content staying where they're at, AJ alternating between dozing and trying the neck exercises recommended to her while Renamon guards over her, refusing to stay in the Digivice just in case what happened to Zack should repeat itself. AJ must fall into a hard sleep eventually because when she opens her eyes, the room is dark, quiet. Cold. She shivers and rolls over, wondering if Renamon had opened a window for some reason... when she screams and lunges back, hitting the wall and staring on in terror as a skittering grey creature with legs similar to an insect's approaches her, narrowed red eyes locked on her.
Her symbol of sorts is a spider but this is something on a whole different level, the evil coming from this thing enough to leave her speechless and numb in terror. Before her eyes, it seems to absorb something, glowing brightly as it Digivolves into a biped creature with bright pink skin and terrifying red pinchers. "No, no, no," she all but cries, wishing that she had kept in contact with the other Digidestined more- had actually cared... but it's too late for it now as the Digimon lifts her from the bed and sneers down at her. She's looking all over for Renamon but she can't even sense her partner, much less spot her. "No, no, help," she pleads weakly, scrabbling and scratching at the Digimon's hide, but failing to free herself as he grips her tighter and jumps out of the window, which she realizes now is open.
They free fall for awhile before he Digivolves again in midair, because stronger and larger, but her eyes are watering in the mad rush of wind in her face and she can't determine any features of the new beast holding onto her, except that his fingers are brutal and prodding into her midsection so hard that she can barely breathe. She struggles for only a few moments longer before falling limp, the darkness a blessed reprieve to the stressed girl.
-x
"AJ! AJ?" It hadn't gone undetected this time. Luke had been monitoring them from the Digiworld, care and watching, determined not to lose another of them the same way Zack had been, but... They're too late. Dolph curses violently as he slaps a hand against the door frame of AJ's apartment, his week going from bad to worse. First he'd been fired, which leaves his future as a Digidestined in question, and now... now they'd lost another of them. "We took too long," he snaps at Miz.
"It couldn't be helped, we couldn't get across the country without taking a short cut, now could we?" he snaps back, Monodramon trying to sooth him. They had to go to the Digiworld and then use a portal there to arrive in New Jersey, the two of them being the only ones able to take the trip as they'd been the closest to each other thanks to Dolph's stand up dates after his firing. Everyone being scattered between indy dates, or injured, or still missing had made it hard to get enough of them together to form a portal in time.
They're about to leave in disgust and fear of who might be next when Mike hears a soft sound. Stopping, he leans down and peeks under AJ's bed, tilting his head. "Hey, c'mere, little one..." He leans in and scoops something up off of the floor and when Dolph can see what's in his arms fully, it's clearly Renamon's Devolution, a small puff of golden fur and tear-filled blue eyes. Her age eliminating a lot of her cool composure as Renamon, the baby Digimon wails out AJ's name as she buries herself in Mike's chest, Monodramon, Impmon and both men looking awkward. He composes himself quickly, however, rubbing a hand down her soft fur. "Tsk, it's ok," he murmurs. "What's your name, huh?"
"Viximon," she finally stops crying long enough to answer, though she immediately dissolves back into full-body wracking sobs that shake him as well.
"Don't worry, Viximon," Dolph tells her. "We'll find AJ, I promise." This doesn't seem to help her inner turmoil.
-x
AJ stirs, finding herself once more in darkness... and held by something warm, steady. She moans out Renamon's name, struggling to sit up, but arms hold her down and she thrashes harder, catching something soft. The decidedly human gasp that follows makes her stop abruptly, as does the loud "Are you serious, bro!?" that breaks through her fugue.
"Zack?" she hisses, her vision clearing slightly, allowing her to look around at Wade, Zack and Seth in the shadowy gloom, who are all staring at her with varying emotions on their face. "You're all here!"
"Yeah, lucky us," Zack grouses, rubbing where she'd smacked him. "Add another week to my recovery, at least... whenever we get out of this mess."
"Stop your whining, Ryder," Seth tells him, sitting across from AJ. "Well, they officially have half of us now. Fantastic."
They all fall silent, pondering this, when AJ sucks in a deep breath, relieved to see that her neck feels no worse than it did before. "What do we do now?"
The clueless silence that follows is of no comfort to any of them.
