Pilot

A figure runs past a patch of trees, breathing heavily. "Tai...chi..." Agumon exhaled, exhausted, falling to the ground wounded...

..

Taichi spun around in a desk chair checking his watch repeatedly waiting on the end of the work day, when he shot up suddenly, his face serious, "Agumon..." he whispered to himself. He looked around, his boss wasn't looking, so he ducked down and took off for the exit.

In his car he hurriedly grabbed his bag from the back, grabbed his tablet out and opened the program. He pointed his digivice at the screen as a light flashed. Taichi disappeared.

..

He showed up in a forest, immediately looking around, he listened and he heard faint coughing. "Agumon!" He took off running.

"Tai..chi..." he knew it, he heard him. He sped up. "Don't...Come..." Tai stopped as the voice told him, he had reached a clearing. He saw his friend.m and ignored the warning, "Agumon, what happened?!"

"Shh...*cough cough* don't...be...loud..." Agumon struggled. His breathing was labored, ragged. "I don't know what's happened. You shouldn't have come."

"What do you mean, what's going on?" Taichi inched closer, he could see a wound on Agumon's side, it was almost like a hole, he could see meat missing. "Oh my god buddy!" He went to lean down.

"No! Don't get close! Something's wrong. It started fast out of no where and before we realized, before we could do anything, warn anyone, we could only run..." he let out a sickening cough, "I couldn't run fast enough Taichi." He coughed roughly again. Taichi tried again to lean in to comfort his friend who resisted. "But she didn't run fast enough first. It came from a friend, he was sick, said someone attacked him. Then he as he got worse he suddenly went rabid and attacked. It just kept happening Taichi!." His eyes welled up with tears as they fell, "Piyomon." He sobbed, he looked down. "I tried, I carried her so far, she never came back, when she woke up finally it wasn't her." He coughed. "Tai, you've got to run. When she woke up she attacked me. I'll do the same thing. I..." he coughed again, gasping for air, feeling like he was drowning, "I can't let that happen to you, please. Just run!" Taichi looked at his friend in horror, distraught over his pain, his loyalty.

"Run...She's...not far...I feel her getting close," he coughed raggedly, "I couldn't run from her forever." He coughed again. "I...love...you...Tai...ch..." he let out a last breath as tears welled up in Taichi's eyes, "no, Agumon, no." He shut his eyes tightly, hoping it would all be gone when he opened them, tears beginning to stream out. He was distraught, but through blurry eyes he suddenly caught a glimpse of something in the distance moving behind Agumon's slumped body. His eyes refocused, and he saw Piyomon.

"Piyomon? What happ-" he stopped as she just started running for him with a crazed look, she growled menacingly he instantly jumped and began to run. Fear and soccer camp memories steamed him back to the gate, zig zagging across a stream through bushes, and up an embankment he began to slow, not hearing anyone behind him he slowed to catch his breath.

'What the fuck, where's Koushiro when you need him?' Taichi thought to himself. He took a few breaths and once he got his bearings again, he started to jog towards the gate to go warn the others.

He took another deep breath and took off towards the gate. He paced himself, and quickly reached the familiar area. He slowed as he got close, and as he walked up to the screen he heard heavy breathing behind him. He swung around, "Agumon! Buddy you had me so worried-" Agumon let out a sickening growl that immediately chilled Taichi to his core.

"Where's Agumon?!" He yelled, looking into it's eyes, black and soulless.

"What have-" he couldn't react before it lunged at him, shocked he stumbled back, it snatched his arm, "Aaarg! Fuck!!" Taichi punched him with his free arm, he let go, he reared back and launched his leg into him, sending the digimon flying, he grabbed his digivice and the screen lit up brightly as he disappeared. Agumon simply ran off in the opposite direction snarling.

..

Taichi sat in his car, he breathing ragged. He grabbed his duffle bag from the passenger seat and wrapped his bloodied arm in a shirt, it throbbed.

He sudden felt woozy, his head was spinning. His breathing was hard, he could feel his lungs as they inflated, deflated, they began to burn.

'Damnit. What is this?'

He pulled out his phone, hands shaking, breaths shallow, he pulled up messages, his eyes faded out and in.

'No I can't, I'm passing out.'

He pushed himself, he opened his eyes wide, soberingly he grabbed the button, "Send a message with location to Joe. Help... send."

The phone chimed the exit note, maybe now he could close his eyes, maybe, just a second...

His forehead forcefully hit the steering wheel, imprinting it with the stitching. His body caving in. Sweating. So hot. So tired. Maybe just sleep a minute... just a minute... he faded out for the last time, he was out cold...

..

"Taichi!" He heard the voice but it was so far away, ow, did he hit me, ow, he did.

"It's hot." Was all he could manage.

"You're on fire, what the hell happened? You're arm needs to be...I think it's turned... it's bad dude, what's going on?! The ambulance is on the way. Stay with me."

"I...Agumon. It was Agumon." Taichi stumbed across his words.

"What? What do you mean? What was Agumon this wound?!! How?" Joe was in shock.

Taichi felt dizzy, his eyes were heavy. Joe popped him again, "no, no, stay with me. Talk to me!"

"I...he called me, he said everyone went crazy, he said Piyomon attacked him." Taichi managed to explain.

"Wait so it was Piyomon who did this?" Joe was confused.

"No." Taichi coughed. "Agumon, Piyomon attacked him, then Agumon..." Taichi took a breath, it was getting harder. "He wasn't Agumon... but it attacked me with his body..." He was breathing heavy. Sirens were wailing, getting closer.

"I... I don't understand..." Joe said confused.

Taichi drew in a deep breath, "I don't either," he had to take another breath to finish, "but, get... Koushiro, tell him shut off the gates..." Taichi let out a breath and laid back, completely out of energy.

The sirens were blaring, the ambulance was pulling up.

"He's here! His arm is bad, tacky breaths, weak pulse, lost blood." Joe told them.

"We've got it from here!" They said, loading him onto the stretcher.

"Please take care of him!" Joe told them, Taichi grabbed Joe's arm.

"Don't let Koushiro go find out!" He coughed and he surrendered to his dizziness finally, eyes closing as he passed out.

Joe watched as the ambulance pulled away and the sirens blared. He pulled out his phone and dialed his friend.

Koushiro answered, "Hello?"

"It's Joe, something's happened with Taichi, we need to talk now, I'm coming over."

"Ok, I'm at home." Koushiro agreed, worried. The line clicked and Joe hurried to Koushiro's.

..

"Alert the emergency department to ready for amputation, prep blood bank." The paramedic said to their partner up front, as he sat back down, he was confused, his patient was gone. He looked to the back and he was squatting at the back. "Sir, your adrenaline is-" Taichi turned and growled, immediately attacking the paramedic.

The ambulance, veered off the road into a tree, blood covered the windshield...

..