Long story short, I'm stuck in lock down for a long time to come and thought it would be fun to come back to a series, and give it a proper ending.
Post Tri - AU.
All oc's belong to their respective owners. If anyone wants to read the other stories, they're on my profile along with the other authors listed.
Trace belongs to Etiger1995. Feel free to leave a review and let me know if you'd like to see where this goes. Hope everyone is staying safe.
"Open up, it's your buddy, Trace!" rang the sing song voice of a tall, muscular Digidestined currently harassing his friend.
"You know you want to come to the anniversary party with your friend Trace" He sung again. Trace had not changed much over the years, he had gotten taller, more mature, but still had a taste in purely dark clothing. He stood out like a sore thumb in contrast of his teammates white front door. His tan skin hid the occasional scar, but his dark hair had thinned, some would say he was almost stylish, almost. He banged his fist against the door again in a steady beat, something he would drive his teammate crazy.
"Do you mind?!" Came a deep, inpatient voice. Trace smiled as the door swung open mid-sentence, and his teammate stood before him. Will had not changed much over the years, Trace now stood a bit taller and more built, but the biggest change was the scar that creeped up the side of Will's neck. His eyes were harder to read, and he spoke less, but he still sighed the same way anytime trouble came along. His eyes darted over Trace's shoulders and quickly scanned the sky.
"Black Wargreymon?" He asked quietly. Digimon were becoming more common knowledge, but the less they were seen the better for now. Trace shook his head and held up his right hand briefly. The sign in their team to say their Digital partner were patrolling elsewhere discreetly. Will blinked slowly, debating if he should voice his concerns over Black Wargreymoin's infamous inability to be subtle. He retreated inside, leaving the door open for Trace.
"You know it's good to remember what happened. Everyone will be there, they're expecting you." Trace shut the door behind him and proceeding to sit at his usual place in the kitchen. He knew Will would not be able to resist playing host as he automatically began to make coffee for his guest.
"I don't feel like it." Will said simply. Trace watched his body language; it was tense and closed together.
"Why not? The others will be there! We haven't gone drinking with Tai and Matt in a long time!" Trace laughed, thinking back to a few memories he was certain they could all do with forgetting. Will shook his head, he had sworn off drinking since those events.
"Sora will be there." Trace said slyly. Will paused and turned to see Trace raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"That's in the past and it's staying that way. She's with Tai now." He said in a matter of fact way that was far too rehearsed for Trace's liking.
"Wait, since when?!" He exclaimed in shock. Will turned back to making coffee.
"After the…collapse. They got close." Will said again, in an almost rehearsed manner. Trace narrowed his eyes. He was aware of everything that transpired, but the efforts of getting his team mate to open up always required some theatrics. The mention of the collapse however was a sign for a more serious tone.
"You should come to the anniversary." Trace said calmly.
"It's a memorial service." Will replied flatly, without missing a beat. His entire body tensed up more, if that was even possible. Will's eyes glanced up to a photo he kept in the kitchen that made his heart ache. A picture taken prior to the collapse. It was a simple picture of their team, along with some of the original Digidestined in a makeshift city in the Digital world. The unthinkable had happened, a sovereign Digimon had been infected and went on a rampage. The Digidestined had done their best to hold back the mad sovereign, but ultimately failed to evacuate the city in time, or to hold back the sovereign long enough. The level of destruction that followed in the battle caused a large loss of life, both human and Digital. It had been a few years, and, in that time, the two men had seemed to swap personalities almost. Trace swore to be more positive and work towards a better outlook, where as Will retreated inwards.
"It's still good to remember." Trace replied bluntly. Before of them could continue the discussion, the sound of vibration on a hard surface echoed in the apartment. Will reached out and grabbed his Digivice, the weight of the cold metal felt unfamiliar in his hand. Trace reached down and unclipped his own from his belt. The two had different models of Digivice, after all they came from different regions and former teams.
"It's Gennai." Trace said flatly. Their Digivices operated differently to most, certain individuals were able to message them for a variety of reasons. In this instance, Gennai was calling in a favour. Will rolled his eyes, even after stating he no longer wanted to work as a Digidestined, Gennai still contacted him far too often. He glanced at Trace, who was scanning the details. Will hadn't told his team, or anyone else about his recent decision.
"Three Digivice signals went missing in an unchartered area. Simple search and rescue. We can leave it to Lucas and the new guy." Trace shrugged and began to put his Digivice back on his belt. Lucas and his team were a new group Trace and Will had been training to eventually take over from them. Will scanned the message again and ran his thumb over the metallic button along the side of his Digivice.
"We'll go." He said suddenly. It would serve as a perfect reason to avoid the memorial. Will clipped his Digivice to his belt and began to move out of his kitchen.
"Perfect! I've got my gear in the car!" Trace announced happily. He hadn't been on a patrol in months and he was itching to explore somewhere new. Will blinked.
"I meant myself and Lightmon could-" Trace cut him off.
"Just get the Digital portal open, and I'll stop asking about the memorial, deal?" Trace held his arms open wide, offering the deal. Will sighed angrily as he turned and started typing commands into his computer. Lightmon walked into the room, his coat darker and more ragged in recent years. Like Will, he had also gained a few scars himself. In appearance, Lightmon was a miscoloured Gabumon with a different coat.
"Is it time to work?" Will nodded in response to the question, and they briefly shared a look. Lightmon had bet Gennai wouldn't let them escape some work duties so easily. Will turned back to the computer, he decided he would wait for Trace and Black Wargreymon after all.
Their gear had always been a little different. Most Digidestined carried food and water, some form of utility tools. Instead Will and Trace always had always carried a few extra pieces of technology for tracking, handcuffs, and a combat knife. They operated on a more underground level than most, only asked to engage in the more tactile, or as Will called, "bat shit insane" missions. Murderous teens, Digital over lords, wannabe Gods and more, they handled the darker side of the Digital world so that other Digidestined could live in the light. Something Will had grown to resent, but he hadn't voiced it yet as his main motivation to leave it behind.
"You good?" Trace asked without turning as the group advanced further into what seemed to be a half made, half glitching out of reality, pristine hospital. Will's eyes surveyed the area.
"Recent battle damage." Will stated simply, eyeing smashed windows and dented metal walls. IT was odd, there wasn't a clear pattern, but something had evidently damaged the area in a sporadic flow.
"Seems to originate from that building." Will gestured towards a building, half sunk into the ground.
"We can get in that way." Trace pointed out what appeared to be multiple smashed windows, leading into the interior of the building. Those windows had clearly been broken after the building was half submerged, the Digital world didn't make those sort of coding errors.
"Missing signals were last reporting just outside this building, makes sense." Will muttered, as the technology of the world grew, so did the Digital world itself. This led to numerous glitches, expansions, and hundreds of unmapped areas rapidly developing in days, sometimes even hours. No one had a full map of the Digital World anymore.
"Reckon it was some explorer trying to make a name?" Trace asked out loud. Will had to agree. With the expansion, came thousands of people trying to make a name, become famous explorers, or online stars. Stupid, and dangerous.
"Without a doubt." It wasn't the first time they had to rescue idiots with a camera, but something felt off in the area. Will kept a hand near the combat knife, feeling the leather grip against the skin of his hand. It had become a nervous habit of his over the years. Trace noticed from the corner of his eye but chose not to say anything. An Azure knight landed quietly besides them, the wolf head on his shoulder guard gleamed in the sun.
"Nothing in the area, nothing in the skies either." Reported Warrior Strikemon, the Mega form of Lightmon. Trace knelt down in the ground besides the broken window they were about to enter, but before he clambered through, he backed up to pick something up in the dirt.
"Way too quiet." Will stated, Warrior Strikemon nodded in agreement as Black Wargreymon laded, and together they watched Trace pull a small, second generation Digivice from the dirt.
"That's not good." Black Wargreymon growled through his helmet.
"It's damaged, it's not emitting anything." Trace spoke quietly, Digivice's were nearly impossible to break, so to damage one was a major problem. Will frowned as Trace pocketed it.
"No sign of anyone, or any Digimon, just a shattered Digivice. You know what that means." Will said bleakly, Trace turned and entered the building, choosing to ignore the fact they were now looking for a deceased Digidestined. When a signal fades completely from a Digivice, the worst is always assumed.
They proceeded to walk through the brightly lit, sterile corridors for what felt like hours. The last signal had been detected almost at the bottom of the building, well underground because of the glitched nature of the terrain. Something was wrong though, and now they both felt it, the pressure in the air was thick, the moisture was gone, but the hair on the back of their necks stood up.
"Feels like the Dark Ocean." Grunted Black Wargreymon. No one said anything, but they were all thinking. Will rounded a corner and lost his footing, as the floor opened into a giant crater of broken rock, hospital beds, an ambulance, and an assortment of glitching data passing through the air. Trace grabbed him just before he tumbled down.
"What the hell?!" Will gasped as he caught his breath.
"So, the whole foundation of the building is glitched out mess of land, awesome." Trace laughed it off but fell silent as he noticed something further down in the depths. He pointed and said nothing more, as Will's eyes found what he pointed out. A flag, the remains of a half assed camp site, a table precariously placed with a laptop, and another Digivice on top, placed carefully next to a camera. In a few moments, the ground descended to investigate, their Digimon partners making light work of it, using speed to their advantage. Black Wargreymon grinned, he loved the thrill of a competition, but Warrior Strikemon had been reluctant to partake in recent operations.
"Come on, you know you want to spar! We have a ton of space down here!" Black Wargreymon tried to convince him, offering jabs and various insults, but none of them provoked the half knight, half wolf Digimon anymore.
"No." Warrior Strikemon replied simply, as their human partners finally joined them in the mess of terrain near the makeshift workstation. They only noticed, upon reaching the workstation, several feet down were two giant gold doors, inscribed with full Digital runes.
"Shit." Will cursed.
"That's a damn D-Prison! There aren't meant to be any outside of the central island!" Trace exclaimed; his heart pounded. D-Prisons were designed to hold the most dangerous Digimon, or Digidestined who couldn't be trusted or deleted. Entities capable of huge destruction and death, but there were only five in the entire Digital world.
"This shouldn't exist. Not here. The region is new." Warrior Strikemon closed his hand around the giant sword on his back, as he realised that doors were not in line. Something had happened to them.
"Alex is supposed to monitor and manage these. Did he hide one out here?" Will asked under his breath. Alex was another of their team, a certain Digidestined who passed, but was resurrected as a Digital being by the Sovereigns. Will joked he was an over glorified assistant, but his abilities were useful.
"Here." Black Wargreymon handed Trace the camera. Evidence was paramount, no matter the situation. Will removed his Digivice to send a message to Gennai.
"No Signal? That's not possible." Will felt his blood run cold, something was wrong here. Something wasn't following the rules of the Digital world, at least not as they knew it. Trace flipped the video viewer so they could both see it. The scene was one they had seen before, some idiot thought they could explore and make a name for themselves, overly produced young adult spoke into the camera rattling off fake facts about the history of the building. Will shook his head, he had seen it too many times.
"The doors are closed in the footage." Trace observed as he fast forwarded through. Will's eyes widened as the footage continued. The laptop nearby had been used to somehow force the doors open and what followed was nothing short of a horror movie. A black digital haze seeped out and latched onto the wannabe star, knocking the camera away. It was a scene they were used too, corrupted data simply deleting anything it attached too like a virus. It explained everything, except for what they saw next.
"That's not possible." Will said quietly, as the original figure appeared on the camera, half cloaked in the broken data as he stared into the camera, almost unsure what to make of it. He spoke, but it came out in a garbled dial up tone.
"It infected him…" Trace trailed off. They had seen something like this once before, during the collapse. An infection that could mutate data, they had been sure they wiped it off the face of the Digital world, yet here it was. Will exhaled roughly, that's why the area felt wrong, it was infected. His eyes darted around, he cursed inwards at failing to notice it, the way the data glitched, the way the building had sunk, everything had pointed to this and he had ignored it.
"Where did it go? We need to get rid of it." Will stepped towards the table to look for any other clues, but before he could react, before he could make a sound, a black solid mass of data struck him in the torso and propelled him away at speed into the side of the forgotten half submerged ambulance. It was sickening sound as he bounced off the metal and landed with a hard crash into the rock, pain exploded across his body and his vision blurred. Will held a hand to his head and it came away wet, and red. Will barely had time to move as Warrior Strikemon's sword lodged itself in the side of the ambulance at high speed. His eyes cleared in time to see the armoured knight, lightning circling his fist coming down onto the digital figure, only to be propelled in the same direction as Will. The last thing Will saw, was the azure armour of his partner hurtling at him.