“A curfew? Again?”

Courtney rubbed a finger around her temple as she stared ahead. “Fitzgerald’s been off on one again. Ever since that incident a few nights ago.”

Grace clasped her hands in front of her chin. “You mean the one that ended up with three people in hospital, right?”

The girl shrugged. “Yeah, probably. They never found what it was, but of course everyone’s throwing their hands up and going ‘we can’t let this go on’.”

Lonnie took a nonchalant sip from her lemonade bottle, glancing surreptitiously over at Grace, but the other girl merely sighed. “They’ve been saying ‘we can’t let this go on’ for about two years now. Sure would be nice if they would be at all useful about it.”

“Brennan’s been making a fuss about it as well.”

“Well Brennan’s a cock anyway. That’s the kind of thing he does.”

Lonnie leant on the table. “I dunno. Invisible monsters are a very real threat. I saw a werewolf in my garden once.”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “You sure it wasn’t a lost dog?”

“It asked me for directions to the spa.”

“Right...”

Courtney giggled, shaking her head as she doodled in the corner of her science notebook. “Honestly, it’s a wonder you haven’t gotten yourself lost in a remote cave somewhere yet.”

“Excuse me?”

The three girls glanced up, staring in an almost judgemental fashion at Mark as he stood awkwardly over the table. The young man’s expression didn’t change, though he did shuffle back and forth in an almost awkward fashion. Lonnie pointed behind him. “If it’s about the sociology notes, I did remember. They’re in your pigeon hole.”

“I...need to discuss something with you.”

“We’re having an important conversation right now. Can it wait?”

“It’s pretty urgent.” Mark scratched his cheek. “And if I heard right it sounded like you were only talking about werewolves.”

“And your point is?”

Lonnie took another swig from her lemonade as Courtney looked up apologetically. “Sorry about that. You know how she is; it’s gonna have to be pretty darn important if it’s gonna trump werewolves.”

Mark exhaled in an exasperated manner. Without saying a word, he reached into his jacket pocket, withdrew his D-SEND and plonked it in the middle of the table.

PFFFFWWWPPHRFFWTT

Lonnie choked as lemonade sprayed from her nose, going largely over the table and also largely over Grace. The other girl just stared downwards, her face doing an incredible impression of a blank loading screen even as she was doused in fizzy liquid. Courtney was slightly more vocal about the whole thing as she leapt up and squeaked in an infuriated manner.

“Lonnie, for the love of god-“

The redhead wasn’t really paying attention, so engrossed was she in coughing, spluttering and generally being unhelpful. Mark just stood there in front of the chaotic situation, his expression still flat.

“I’m going to assume that this is important enough.”

Grace shot him a look that would have killed a weaker man in a single shot, as Courtney leaned forwards towards Lonnie.

“Are...you alright?”

The redhead pushed herself to her feet, still dripping fizzy liquid from her nose.

“I...need...to...um...I need to pee.”

This was quite enough for Grace, as within the space of about three seconds she had stood up, shoved the mysterious device into Mark’s hand, grabbed both him and Lonnie by the ear and marched them both into the nearest empty classroom, slamming the door behind her. Courtney was left standing at the edge of the table, lemonade dripping down her trousers as she pointed in a bewildered fashion.

“But...the loos are...over there...”

Lonnie and Mark failed to quite comprehend what had happened before they ended up in a pile on the classroom floor. The two glanced at each other, as Lonnie tried to catch her breath.

“You know, this is beginning to become a habit...”

Mark rolled his eyes. “I have no regrets.”

“AHEM.”

The two looked up to see Grace standing in front of them, still dripping from the side of her face. She stabbed the air with a flat palm, and beckoned aggressively.

“One of you had better have a wet-wipe or I am dragging you both through that back window multiple times.”

Mark ruffled in his pocket and held out a plastic packet, which Grace swiped angrily, before setting about cleaning herself up. Lonnie unravelled herself from the floor, before brushing herself down and scowling down at the boy. “What the heck did you do that for?”

The boy folded his arms. “I figured that the device was hidden knowledge enough that only you would know what it was. And you seemed determined to talk about werewolves so I decided to force the conversation. As I said; it’s fairly urgent.”

Lonnie held her palms out. “And you could have...you know...pulled me aside privately?”

“I told you. I’ve given my reasons and I have no regrets.”

“Zzzzpzpzp.” Grace stood in front of them and waved the lemonade-soaked wet-wipe at Lonnie. “You, zip it until you’ve learnt about subtlety like I told you.”

“But-“

“No buts!”

Grace whirled around at Mark, her face twitching. “That was a massively ballsy move and you’d better have a good explanation.”

The boy sat down on the table, cool as ice as he held the D-SEND out for her to look at. “I assume you’re familiar with these?”

The girl held a stern expression. “I assume you know what it’s for.”

“Sort of. It came to me the night before last, right before I was attacked by a giant evil mole and found myself looking after an armour-plated dinosaur. Oh, and before I saw you two buddying up to a big water snake that pushed its way out of a big metal mural.” The boy gave a sarcastic smile. “But...you know, I’m still a little fuzzy on the details, so I thought I’d just check with you.”

Grace puffed her cheeks out. “Ah. So she did see someone then...”

“She?”

“Knuckmon. The big water snake you were talking about. She’s nice really. A bit loud, but wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Mark sighed. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or aren’t you?”

Grace sighed, and gestured at Lonnie. The both of them held their D-SENDs out towards Mark as he examined them closely. He rolled the wheel on his absentmindedly, looking up at Lonnie. “Who else is in on this?”

“Right now, there’s me, my brother, and now Lonnie, for the most part.”

Mark’s expression turned thoughtful. “Nobody else?”

Grace pulled her device back. “There’s a couple of people...but they really don’t do as much nowadays.” She frowned. “I don’t see you around much.”

“You wouldn’t. I think our classes all clash.”

“Your surname’s Carter-Evans, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“You know Kent?”

The boy tensed. “He’s my brother.”

“I see...” Grace placed her hand over her chin, before twisting again. “You’ve found your partner, right? A metal-plated dinosaur or something, wasn’t he?”

“That’s right. He calls himself Chromon.” Mark looked between the two girls. “I...don’t know what the protocol is exactly, but I’m guessing you both have Digimon as well that call themselves your partners?”

There was no answer. Mark sat back, leaning his palms against the table. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

Grace folded her arms, leaning back against the stationery cupboard.

“I do believe you. But I also think this is more than a bit weird.”

“Why’s that?” said Lonnie, tossing her own D-SEND up and down in her palm. “You said yourself we needed more people in the team; isn’t this a good thing?”

“Probably. But think about it; Digimon attacks are getting more aggressive, and then you get a partner last week, and then Mark today. It feels a bit convenient.”

She sighed, watching as the others looked at her expectantly. Eventually her hand went to her bag, rummaging around and pulling out her phone.

“I think I need some advice...”

“Chromon?”

Kai leaned on the countertop, running his hand through his ponytail as he frowned in consideration, “What’s he doing here? And more importantly, what’s he doing proclaiming himself to be Kent’s brother’s partner?”

Grace tapped the table next to her, glancing sideways at Mark, who was listening intently as Lonnie tried (with limited success) to explain all the functions of the D-SEND to him. Grace sighed, and held her phone closer to her ear.

“No good asking me; I’ve only heard it second-hand. Though apparently he was called by the digital world?”

Kai adjusted his glasses as the kettle whistled beside him. “Looks like it’s the same situation as with Lonnie then. You need to introduce me to them both sometime.”

“Sure thing, but two new tamers in the space of three days is a little bit weird. I just thought someone a bit more experienced might have an inkling as to why.”

“’Fraid not. You might want to go find Alasdair; he’s the one sorting out all our tamer discretion stuff.”

“Do you know if he’s around?”

“He went the next town over to visit Aaron today, I think.” Kai swapped hands as he poured a couple of drinks from the kettle. “It might be good for you all, actually. Get the other two to bring their partners and have a proper sit down.”

Grace sighed. “If you say so.” She tilted her head. “I didn’t expect to catch you home. Is Eloise not in?”

Kai glanced up at the kitchen ceiling, where almost on cue there was a mass of banging, the sound of feet attacking plastic and a choice selection of expletives.

“No, she’s in, she’s just got...deadlines.”

“Ah.”

“Pray for me.”

“Well, I’ll see you around then. Provided you survive. Thanks for the help.”

The line went dead, and Kai leant against the counter, staring at the screen in a thoughtful fashion.

“Chromon, huh?”

He caught sight of Ladomon and Colchimon in the doorway and gave them a quizzical look. “You knew him before we did; do you have any clue what he’s doing here?”

The white dragon placed a wing over her mouth. “Well...he was originally supposed to be one of us. Maybe it really is his time to partner with a human.”

“Possibly,” mused Colchimon, “though given just how much he was involved in our own situations before, it does strike me as a bit weird.”

“I guess we’ll see.” Kai folded his arms. “When we first met up, it was because of a crisis in the digital world. It’s been four years since then, and suddenly we’ve got tamers cropping up again.” He raised a concerned eyebrow. “You don’t think something major’s about to happen, do you?”

The dragons glanced at each other. Ladomon shrugged her wings a little closer to her. “What are you two going to do if it does? Things have changed a bit since then.”

Kai smiled. “I’m sure we can make it work. We can survive living together. How hard can another world-ending event be?”

“SHIT.”

Another bang sounded from above, followed by Eloise’s voice penetrating through the ceiling yet again.

“Mother...damn, piece of shit, WORK! PRINT. BEFORE TOMORROW. I beg you...god damn, I’ve spent three nights writing this damn thing for this piss-poor monkey-school after paying nine poxy grand for the privilege of learning how to tighten a frickin’ screw and they don’t even have the goddamn decency tofix their own frickin’ printers...no, no NO DON’T JAM son of a – MOTHERFUCKER, I WILL END YOU.”

Kai closed his eyes, and raised a finger. “One moment please...”

With a mug in one hand and a wrapped confection in the other, he tiptoed up the stairs and stood gingerly outside the closed door. Ladomon and Colchimon peered out from a safe distance behind the banister, concern on their faces. The young man took a breath, and tapped the door.

“Erm...Ellie, sweetie?”

“Go away.”

“I just-“

“I have said before I don’t need your help with any technology and if you try and tell me otherwise your life ends where you stand.”

Kai cleared his throat, and bent down. “There’s coffee and a muffin outside the door when you’ve finished negotiations. Please try not to knock it over.”

“......muffin......”

“Triple chocolate chip. Serotonin and caffeine. Sweet goodness.”

There was a long, sinister pause. Kai backed away, blowing a kiss towards the door. “Love you.”

“...your life is spared today.”

“The Next Train To Arrive At Platform 1 Does Not Stop Here. Please Stand Back From The Edge Of The Platform.”

Mark’s eyes were distant as he watched the freight train chug past in its usual laid-back fashion. He thrust his hands into his pockets and edged back and forth, fidgeting all the while. It was a Sunday afternoon, always a quiet time, and the platform was practically dead. Although given it was a tiny platform anyway that shouldn’t have been a surprise.

That said, with every lone person who wandered across on the other side, he felt a pang of worry. So much so that when he heard Grace’s footsteps behind him, he whirled around far faster than he intended, startling her.

“Oh. It’s you.”

The girl tugged at her collar, and adjusted her hat. “No, that’s alright, give me a heart-attack, why don’t you.”

“Please excuse me.”

The air shuddered behind him, just enough to catch Grace’s eye. She ignored it, and ran her fingers through her hair. “No Lonnie yet?”

“I thought she’d be coming with you.” Mark held his forearm. “I still don’t think this is a good idea...”

“I do know what you mean, but I’ve done this dozens of times before. It’s just a normal train ride; that’s all.”

The boy still didn’t look convinced. Grace flounced a little. “Besides...none of us have a car.”

“Don’t your parents know about what you get up to? Couldn’t you ask them?”

Grace pulled an awkward face. “They...don’t really...like to get involved. With the Digimon stuff, I mean. I can respect that.” The girl peered down at her phone in a restless manner. “Come on, Lonnie, we’ve only got five minutes-“

“Hey guys!”

The girl turned and smiled at their final party member, “Oh, there you-“

She paused, the words catching in her throat with a guttural groan. Behind her, Mark placed his hand over his face. “Dear god...”

Lonnie caught up with them, and bent over, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. “I hope...I’m not too...late...am I?”

She frowned, looking down at the ground, her face flushing a little bit more. “I thought you said we were okay to bring the...you know...the little friends.”

Mark rubbed his eyes. “Lonnie...your rucksack.”

“Uh-huh?”

“It’s goddamn huge.”

The girl shuffled on her feet. “I mean...yeah, but-“

Mark looked behind him, before leaning forwards with a furious whisper, “Tell me you haven’t shoved a living being inside there.”

An indignant muffled moan from Lonnie’s back went some way to answering that question. The girl herself folded her arms, and huffed, “I’m sorry but I couldn’t see a better solution. At least I’ve brought my partner. How would you do it?”

Grace gave Mark an exasperated look over her shoulder. “You didn’t tell her about it, didn’t you...”

“I couldn’t find her. I tried to tell you that before.” He raised a palm. “I kind of thought she might have figured it out; I didn’t expect her to come up with...whatever this is.”

“...This is Lonnie we’re talking about...”

“I can hear you, you know!”

“Platform 3 For The 10:04 Southern Service To Eynsleigh.”

The train currently at the station sprung into life, lights coming on and doors opening along its length. Mark gave a snort, and walked off towards the nearest door without even a backwards glance. Lonnie turned towards Grace, a hurt expression on her face.

“No, actually, this isn’t fair. You said we were bringing our partners. I have been trying really hard to keep Dendromon’s jostling to a minimum-“

Grace raised a tired palm. “No, no, you’re right. It’s my fault. I should have sat you down and told you properly.”

“You both coming?”

Lonnie and Grace turned towards the door where Mark was waiting, and Lonnie gave a small shriek, nearly dropping her massive backpack as she saw Vulpimon standing in the middle of the doorway, next to a small metal-plated ceratopsian, who gave a tentative wave.

Lonnie looked behind her, than down at her feet, then over at the door again. “But...how did...they’re right...there...”

Grace put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, giving a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. I’ll explain once we get moving.”

Lonnie was still flustered, so Grace took her by the hand and gently coaxed her onto the static train, needing to pull her through the doors before they shut over Dendromon’s trapped form.

The second to last carriage, true to form, was all but dead for this service, and Mark had picked out a set of six seats at one end, just opposite the luggage shelf. Lonnie placed her rucksack on the innermost seat opposite the young man, and tentatively sat down next to it, staring straight ahead. Chromon was lying down next to Mark’s feet, looking around with innate curiosity, whereas Vulpimon was sat up between the two, as Grace stroked the back of her neck. The other girl nodded at Lonnie’s backpack. “You’d better let her out. That can’t be comfortable.”

Lonnie started, and quickly undid the clasps at the top. There was a slight pause, and then Dendromon’s head pushed its way out of the top of the flap, glaring blue murder at anybody within eyeshot.

“...I have been attacked by preteens...I have been dropped in a toilet bowl...and now I have been stuffed in a nylon sack...” She hissed, her gills flickering as she turned to Lonnie. “You had better start apologising...”

Lonnie did so, and after a bit of faffing about Dendromon was sat on the seat next to the girl, her arms folded and her stare lethal. Lonnie reached into a pocket, and nudged her partner with a half-packet of biscuits.

“I...er...thought you might be hungry after that journey.”

Dendromon didn’t answer; she merely swiped the tube from Lonnie’s grasp and began munching angrily. The girl gave a sigh of relief, before looking down and seeing the other two Digimon staring up at her.

“So...this is a bit weird.” She looked up at Grace. “Don’t they...um...well...stand out?”

“I used to think so too. Jack and I spent a whole month trying to keep our two out of sight. But they’re Digimon. They have a few tricks even they weren’t fully aware of.” Grace pointed. “Look at Dendromon.”

“Right?”

“Now back at me.”

Lonnie did so. Then she blinked, looking down, then to either side of her. “What...the...where did Vulpimon go?”

“I’m right here.”

Lonnie stifled another yell as the fox appeared next to her armrest, her tail wagging just a little. She wandered back and sat down next to Grace once again.

Lonnie just sat there with her mouth open. Then she grinned. “Do it again.”

The girl looked away, closing her eyes. She looked back, and once again the fox had disappeared. Lonnie looked around for a good minute this time, until there was a flump from next to her and the fox reappeared between her and Dendromon. Vulpimon giggled, and gave Lonnie a quick lick on the nose before returning to her partner again, a slightly smug look on her face.

“You like it? I’ve been working a lot on it.”

Lonnie let out a breath. “That’s...incredible.”

Grace nodded. “We call it shimmering. It’s kind of a survival instinct that most Digimon pick up in this world. You know how barely anyone actually sees all the Digimon around here, despite the weird stuff going on for a couple years now?”

Lonnie nodded. “What, so...camouflage or magic or...”

“Science.”

Mark looked up, his expression still flat as the others looked at him quizzically. He merely shrugged. “Digimon have different body structures to us. They can change their internal clocks to vibrate at slightly different frequencies.”

“And that turns them invisible?”

“Not exactly, but it works a bit like aliasing.”

Lonnie looked blank, causing Mark to sigh. “You know how as a car’s wheel speeds up it seems to stop, then start moving backwards? That kind of thing. Digimon molecules move at a speed which tricks our eyes and makes them difficult to see at a glance. Same with the noises they make. It’s just an optical illusion, but as you can see it’s quite effective.”

The girl nodded slowly, understanding at least a quarter of what the young man had been talking about. She frowned, and gave him a curious look. “How do you know about all of this? You only got your partner after I did.”

Mark tensed a small bit, before forcing himself to relax. “I found out from Trilomon when my brother was still here. He explained a few things about Digimon to me.”

Chromon gave a slightly baleful look up at his partner, who seemed distant. The dinosaur shuffled. “He’s an astute l...learner. I m-managed to pick it up quickly thanks to him.”

Lonnie whistled, turning back to Grace. “That is awesome. We have invisible monsters at our beck and call.”

Grace pulled a face. “Not...exactly invisible. It’s only an illusion; other Digimon are attuned to it and can find them perfectly fine. And other humans as well, if they’re looking hard enough.”

“Oh.”

Vulpimon gave a half-smile. “Look on the bright side; those hunters don’t come out during the day. We just need to be careful with how we move around. We can go outside but it’s easier if we stick to the back roads and follow you from a distance.”

Mark snorted. “Certainly. And we don’t drag our partners around in damned backpacks.”

Lonnie squinted. “Look, you, I got into this before you did and you’ve done nothing but slag me off the whole time. I told you I didn’t know a thing about this. Apparently you were supposed to tell me?”

Mark placed his fist on his cheek. “I’m not going to apologise for your own lack of foresight.”

Lonnie gave a sharp breath, and leant forwards, staring into Mark’s eyes. “I’ve had enough of this. What the actual heck is your problem with me?”

Mark blinked. “Oh, I don’t know, perhaps the fact that this whole situation is a serious issue and you just seem to be treating it like a game.”

“I’m trying to figure things out just as much as you are!”

“Sure, and the things you’re coming up with have the potential to get someone killed!”

“ALRIGHT.”

Grace stood up, standing still for a moment as she gazed into the distance. The other two watched her expectantly, surprised by the outburst. Finally her shoulders slumped, and she held the bridge of her nose.

“I’m glad you’re both on-board and are willing to help, but this whole Digimon tamer thing is a little bit of a rough deal and...well...frankly it would be much easier for everyone if you just sorted any issues you have with each other right now. Together. On your own. Before it ends up with somebody falling off a building or something like that.”

She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, walking down the corridor. “Please take all the time you need.”

Vulpimon gave the other two an apologetic look, before she stood up herself, sneaking down the aisle central aisle before anybody could stop her. Lonnie and Mark were left in the group of seats, staring down the hallway. Eventually Lonnie huffed, placing a hand on her cheek. “I’m blaming you for that.”

“Me?” Mark raised his hands. “I’m being sensible here. I’m trying to learn as much as I can. You’re the one who’s being immature.”

“I am not being-“

“Yes you are! Don’t you understand?” He held a palm out towards her partner, who shrunk back a little, not wanting to get involved, “You’re responsible for Dendromon now. It’s your job to keep her safe and protected and away from trouble. And other people as well.”

Lonnie held her teeth together. “Mark...I know that. I saw a Digimon die the other night. Dendromon herself would have died if I hadn’t gotten her away in time. I’m trying my hardest, but I can’t get everything right on my first try. You have to understand that.”

Mark folded his arms. “The more mistakes you make, the more you’re putting them in danger.”

“Oh, I guess you’re alright then. We didn’t all have a Digimon-owning brother who could teach us all the cheat codes.”

Mark twitched, his fingers clenching over the skin of his arms.

“No...we didn’t...”

The boy fumed in silence for a few seconds, while Lonnie sat there, waiting for a response. When she didn’t get one, she resorted to sulking herself, grabbing her waist and staring angrily out the window. Beside her, Dendromon sighed, and shuffled off the edge of the seat to sit next to Chromon. She leant sideways, whispering behind his frill.

“I’m beginning to have regrets.”

Chromon just kept a straight face as he replied, “You’re only just b-beginning?”

The doors closed with a peaceful hum as Grace leaned back against the wall, the section between the two cars rattling around her. She felt Vulpimon rubbing the back of her legs, and reached down instinctively. The fox looked off to one side, still keeping half an eye out for any unexpected bystanders.

“That was deftly handled.”

“Roughly handled, you mean...”

The fox sat down, licking her lips. “Oh I don’t know...it can’t hurt to pass on the lessons you learnt in the past.”

She became aware of Grace staring down at her, and padded the ground. “Sorry. But you know what I mean.”

Grace held her chin. “I know exactly what you mean. And what both of them mean. I...just really wish it wasn’t up to me.”

She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, before glancing down to where Vulpimon was still waiting expectantly.

“Well?”

“Come on...”

“I know you, Grace. You’ll happily hold onto things that you really don’t need to and not talk to anyone. It’s unhealthy.”

“Right, mum.” Grace sighed. “I look at you, and I still feel twelve years old. And I look at those two and they just...look at me, like I know what I’m doing.” She looked down. “I’m the grown-up now. That scares me.”

“I don’t know; I think you’re doing a really nice job.”

“Yeah, but you would say that-“

HSSS.

The girl jumped, and flung her hands out in front of her, pressing the button to allow Vulpimon to escape back into the car. She flailed, grabbed her hat and turned around just in time to slam right into the young man walking behind her.

“Ow!”

“Crap!”

Grace flapped wildly, her arms finally landing on something solid as she just about managed to steady herself. She breathed out, and looked up, directly into the blinking eyes of the young man she was now clinging onto.

The boy smiled. “Excuse me, but...I’m about to lose my glasses. May I?”

Grace turned bright crimson, and practically leapt back, holding her hands together and bobbing up and down in a quiet frenzy. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

The boy readjusted his glasses without a word, and Grace peered up once again, her cheeks flushing. He was quite an unassuming figure; a few inches shorter than her, with neatly-cut sandy hair and a dash of freckles over his round face. He was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and joggers, and carried an old black satchel over one shoulder.

He noticed her still bobbing, and laughed gently. “Please, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Really.”

Grace realised she’d been holding her position for about a minute, and forced herself upwards, her hair bobbing back and forth. “No, I...mean...I’m sorry...not...oh...darn.” She shrugged, and made a show of batting herself on the head. “I am good at overreacting. You’re not hurt are you?”

“I...I’m fine...”

“Yeah. Yes. I mean. Of course. You said you were...”

Grace stood there for a few seconds, her face spread wide in an awkward non-smile. Eventually she thrust a hand out. Then pulled it back. Then clutched it to her chest. “Nice to meet you. Sorry again for the injuries.”

The boy blinked a couple of times. Eventually Grace could hold her posture no longer and let out a breath. “This is...a terrible first impression, isn’t it.”

“Erm...”

“Can we please just forget about this?”

She turned to hit the door button, when the boy spoke again, “Wait, no, I didn’t mean...I mean...you’re honest. That’s something.”

Grace turned back gingerly, watching as the boy held out his own hand. “Nicholas Rowe.”

“Grace. Grace Gallant.”

The girl swallowed, and gently took the young man’s hand. “So, you live locally, or are you visiting?”

“Little Hampnett. I’m just heading home now.”

“I haven’t seen you around before. Are you up on the north side?”

“Yep. I go to college there. Though I’m gonna be moving fairly soon. I’m gonna be finishing up my A-levels at Southfields.”

“Southfields?” Grace blinked. “Oh nice. That’s where I go.”

“Maybe I’ll see you around there then.”

Grace giggled, running her fingers through her hair. “I’ll try not to fall on you next time.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get preparing.”

The two laughed, only for Grace to stop suddenly. She held her hands to her chest, before looking at her palms, seeing the faintest tremble over them.

Nicholas noticed, and politely enquired, “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”

Grace caught her breath. She looked for something to say, but the words were a giant mush in her head. Finally she managed to find something, and opened her mouth.

HSSSSSSSSS

With a sudden, violent rush of air, the train skidded to a stop. There were the distant sounds of thudding cases and swearing from behind the doors as the few passengers were caught off guard. Grace and Nicholas were very much part of this, as the girl found herself flying forwards into the boy yet again. This time he reacted faster, bracing his stance and holding her upright. However it was only a matter of milliseconds before she stood up in front of him, stiff as a post as her witty repartee went spiralling down into the depths of her brain once again.

“Goddamn...these trains...” Nicholas straightened his glasses, and nodded at the girl in front of him. “You alright?”

Grace didn’t answer. She merely stared into nothingness. There was a sudden crackle, and the tannoy burst into life with the voice of a very nervous-sounding temp employee.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to announce that the 10:04 Southern service to Eynsleigh has been delayed due to...um...due to what looks like a...large, spiky...um...dinosaur sleeping across the tracks.”

There was complete silence. Even the air hung utterly still. There was another crackle, and the voice resumed.

“...We would remind passengers that in the event of an emergency it is usually safest to remain on the train. We a...apologise for any delays this may cause to your journey, and we will keep you informed of any further updates as they unfold. Thank you again for riding the 10:04 Southern service to Eynsleigh.”

Nicholas let out a puff of breath, and turned to Grace in an irritated fashion. “Well that’s a bit of a pain.”

Grace didn’t answer. Her face was frozen in a stretched, pained grimace, as a high-pitched animal whine emanated from her subconscious.

“...Grace...?”

The girl whirled around, all but stabbing the door button, and flinging herself forwards without even looking back. Nicholas stood utterly flummoxed, before walking forwards and pressing the door buttons.

They didn’t open.

Vulpimon, quick-thinking as always, had gauged the situation and blasted a column of ice over the hinges of the doors, with a quick puff of frost over the windows to finish it off neatly. She turned towards Grace, who was sprawled out over the luggage rack, busy hyperventilating.

Vulpimon nudged her reassuringly. “That could have gone worse.”

“Heeebbllebebleb. Bleheblehb. Dinosaur. Boy. Glasses. Dinosaur. Hebleleble.”

“...do you need a minute?”

The girl straightened up, readjusted her hat, and counted to twelve. Well, five, before there was another crackle from the tannoy and another ever-so-calming warning message from a young man who really was not paid enough to deal with a situation like this.

Grace clapped her hands together, staring forwards. “Right. Okay. Dinosaur on the train tracks. That’s fine. That’s absolutely goddamn fine. What do we do? We relax. It’s all fine.”

Vulpimon raised a paw, not entirely sure that it was all fine, but Grace had already marched off down the other end of the carriage towards the other two tamers, being very thankful that the service was almost completely empty.

Lonnie and Mark were handling this just about as well as she could have hoped. That is to say, Mark was having a go at Chromon, who had followed in Vulpimon’s footsteps and blasted a large round shield over the other door, and Lonnie was half-leaning out a top window with Dendromon desperately trying to pull her back in.

“You are going to fall.”

“I’m not, I swear, I just need to see...a little more-“

The girl suddenly jerked, and flailed, kicking wildly. Grace calmly walked over, grabbed both her feet and yanked her back through, where she landed with a thump on the seats.

Mark wandered over, muttering to himself about property damage, with Chromon following sheepishly in his footsteps. Grace placed her hands in front of her face, breathing out.

“I would just like to point out that even on the worst services this doesn’t normally happen.”

Mark folded his arms. “Well what do we do then?” He looked at Lonnie. “Did you manage to see anything?”

The girl scratched her cheek. “Not...much. It’s big and green, and it looks like it’s asleep.”

Chromon tilted his head. “When you say big, how b-big are you talking?”

“I don’t know. Three cars big?”

Chromon patted the ground. “That l-leads me to think it won’t have been here long. Someone would have seen it. So perhaps there’s a newly-opened p-portal around nearby. All we have to do is p-push the dinosaur back through it.”

Mark gave a hoarse laugh. “Oh lovely. That’s all we have to do? Problem solved.”

Grace gave him a pointed look. “Well we have to do something. Smart comments aren’t very helpful.”

“Smart comments offer perspective, Grace. Perspective is always helpful.” The boy folded his arms. “We really need a properly thought out-“

“Where’s the nearest exit?”

The boy looked up, and nearly jumped out of his skin, holding his chest. “Geezus!”

Lonnie stared back, blinking from behind the slightly enlarged holes in her clown mask. She waited expectantly for about ten seconds, before folding her arms. “Nobody appreciates my work.”

Mark thrust a finger out at her, looking directly at Grace. “This? This...this is the kind of shit I’m talking about! Clowns! We do not need frickin’ clowns.”

Lonnie placed her hands on her hips, laughing heartily. “You are very right, good sir. What we need is a hero!”

Before anybody could stop her, she leapt onto the seat, shoved the window open once again and scrabbled upwards, hoisting herself up onto the roof of the train. Mark rushed after her, swearing repeatedly under his breath. “Lonnie get back down here right now!”

“It’s okay! I can see it properly from up here.”

“Lonnie, everyone’s going to see you.”

“Dendromon, come with me!”

“LONNIE!”

Mark fell sideways as Dendromon scrambled at the window, holding onto the clasps as she looked down. “I...really don’t think this is such a good-“

“Hupsy-daisy!”

“HEY!”

The salamander disappeared almost as quickly as the girl hoisted her up, with a large clumping sound from up above betraying their movements. There was a muffled muttering, followed by Lonnie’s voice echoing down into the carriage once again.

“I can see everything alright now! We’ll head down and see what we can do. Bye!”

The footsteps sounded down the length of the carriage, with Grace and Mark’s eyes following them until they disappeared. The two looked at one another, without a word needed to pass between them.

Mark’s eyelids fell heavy. “I quit.”

“Mark...”

“No, I quit. I’m not dealing with this.”

Grace gave a long sigh, and reached into her own bag, pulling out a thin hoodie and a papier-mâché mask. Mark gave her an exasperated look. “Oh come on, not you too...”

“Look-“

Grace raised a hand, before holding it to her face. When she looked up again, her face was deadly serious.

“This is the kind of thing we have to do now. I’m sorry, but it’s our responsibility. The Digimon aren’t going to stop coming just because it’s an inconvenient place. And we have our own lives we need to protect. I know it’s kind of garage tech, but we need to do something.”

Mark watched as she donned her disguise, before sticking his hands in his pockets. “You may have a point. But I’m not climbing out a window.”

“Maybe we can get through the doors in the next carriage?” Grace looked down at Chromon. “You haven’t blocked us in too tightly, have you?”

The dinosaur shuffled awkwardly. “Um...I can d-d-do something about it...”

Mark gave a moan, and walked past, gripping the side of the shield. “Come on, give me a hand then. Let’s all go on a lovely little jaunt together. It’ll be fun.”

Chromon nodded enthusiastically. “Yes...um...I mean...of course.”

He and Mark prised the shield away, and the four tamers disappeared into the next corridor. Vulpimon walked slowly, peering left and right. Mark was a little less cautious, looking around disapprovingly. “I don’t suppose the doors are going to work without the train being on.”

He sniffed, and looked down at his feet, then all over the floor. “It’s all a little misty in here, isn’t it? Has someone hid some dry-ice somewhere?”

He looked down at Chromon, who was looking very nervous all of a sudden, his tail swaying. “This is...digital mist. It follows Digimon when they’ve just appeared from a portal.” He swallowed. “But I don’t know what it’s doing down here when the dinosaur’s at the other end of the train...”

“Guys.”

Grace pointed down at the opposite door, where the trail of mist seemed to be hanging around a small hole in the base of the train wall, about half a metre in diameter. It was rough and bent back, as if it had been wrenched open.

The four of them followed the trail of glistening data on the floor, and stopped just before the other door. Grace leaned forwards and peered through the window, her voice grave.

“You know...somehow...I...don’t think this dinosaur was the only thing that came through...”

She looked down at Vulpimon, who was growling slightly, her ears flickering back and forth.

“Can anyone else hear some really bad singing?”

Mark and Chromon looked at each other, the boy buttoning up his coat all the way up to the collar as he tried to hide his face as best he could. Grace took a deep breath, hooked her hand around the edge of the door, and pulled sideways

They all crouched down, a brutal humming heat suddenly hitting them. The digital mist flowed outwards like flames through an opened door, and the singing got even louder and more off-key than before. She edged into the luggage rack, and stared forwards into the carriage.

Luckily it was about as sparsely populated as the rest of the train, with only a couple of passengers and a guard crouched down between the seats. None of them seemed to be in particularly good shape, as they had their hands clasped over their ears and sweating profusely, and thankfully not paying much heed to the new arrivals. The reason becoming pretty evident as Grace stared further down the aisle.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me...”

With the unmistakeable swagger of drunk frat-boys, three small red dragons marched and swayed up and down the centre of the carriage, their motion taking a very zig-zag motion as they crashed into seats left and right. They weren’t exactly huge, each one only the size of a Jack Russell, and neither did they look particularly threatening. They each had almost dog-like faces, with little horns poking out the ends of their snouts; a pair of feathery wings poking out from their shoulders like feather-dusters, and long bendy body ending an arrow-shaped tail. As dragons go, they were less high-fantasy scourges and more something you would chase out of your house with a mop.

What they were, however, was brazen, cocky, more than a little drunk from the beverages on the food cart, and most importantly, very, very loud.

The central one gave a hiccup, and fluttered into the air a short way, the others hanging from its arms as they all swung through the air, smacking into seats and making a failed attempt to harmonise in accents that were offensively Welsh.

“Brrrrring me my boooooow, of burrrnished gooold, brrrring me my arrrrows ooooof deeee-siiiiiirrrrrrre”

Grace shut her eyes tight, and pulled the drawstring around her hoodie in an attempt to block out the horrendous noise. Looking behind her, she noted that the others were suffering similar ill-effects. Mark was shaking his head in an attempt to refuse the sound entry to his ear canals, Chromon was pawing at the ground, and the girl’s own poor partner was coiled up beside her, covering her snout with both paws and whimpering.

“...please make it stop...”

Grace held her teeth together in an attempt to blank out the sound, and fumbled in her jacket for her D-SEND, holding it out from her vantage point as it scanned the antisocial drakes.

“Gochmon. Rookie level, Virus, special abilities are Scarlet Song and Draigfang.” She grimaced beneath her mask. “Very sure of their own talents and do not take kindly to constructive criticism.”

Vulpimon rolled her eyes. “Of course. Why can’t we ever meet a Digimon who will settle for an afternoon hot chocolate and a talking to?”

“Because then there’d be no fun in life, apparently.”

Grace looked back, and stared at the fox. Vulpimon’s ears twitched. “What?”

“Well someone needs to get rid of them. They’re causing trouble. Or at the very least they’re being disruptive in the quiet carriage.”

As if to hammer the point home, there was a crash, a crunch and a tearing sound as one of the dragons slammed into the luggage shelf above, dislodging the panels, before dragging his claws down the walls and letting off a high croon.

Vulpimon gave a pained look. “I don’t wanna get any closer to them, thank you.”

“They’re only Rookies. Surely you can take them.”

“You do it then. I don’t want to.”

Grace held her palms open. “I have seen you tackle a full-grown Bullmon in the past without a second thought. How is this any worse than that?”

“I have delicate hearing.” Vulpimon stuck her lip out, and peered outwards gently. "Maybe you can at least get them to stop singing.”

“Oh...for the love of...fine...”

Grace glanced back at Mark, and pointed at the door. “Keep that clear. And get ready to step in if I need you.”

The boy raised a hand. “Hang on now; we need a proper plan. Nothing good has ever come from trying to calmly approach three drunk lunatics.”

No sooner had he finished the sentence than he saw Grace dusting herself off, and walking slowly down the aisle in an attempt to calmly approach the three drunk lunatics. They were so out of it that she managed to get within two metres, before the one on the top (currently upside down) finally twigged her presence.

“Oooh, visitors! Look my friends, we have our first trrrue audience, it seems! What beauty!”

He gave an excited little chirrup, and lurched sideways, clinging onto the back of one of the seats. There he puffed out his little red chest and thrust his arm out towards his compatriots.

“Feel trrrruly blessed, young lady, for you have chanced upon the Gochmon Brrrethren, the most...most...hic...beautiful of all the Digital World’s finest prrrreformers!”

Grace chanced a look behind her, noticing that Mark was already at work moving the near-catatonic passengers from the car while the dragons were distracted. She swayed back and forth, trying to look nonchalant. Not the easiest when your vigilante garb consists of a hoodie and an old school art project.

“I get it, really I do, but...have you considered your...beautiful songs would sound much better outside? You know, in the open air?”

“Ack...KOUSTics!”

One of the other drakes shimmied out from beneath a seat, raising its stubby arms to the air. “Echoes. Amplifications.Rrrrrreverberations. The trrrrue texture of a...melody....no... rrrhapsody...given form and shape and hic substance by the opprrrrressive atomsphere.”

“Atmosphere.”

“That as well, young lady.”

Grace tilted sideways, noting the state of the refreshments trolley that was currently lying upside-down behind the three merry reptiles, with a great multitude of empty miniature wine bottles strewn on the carpet around it.

“You...really have had a very good time, haven’t you?”

“You do not understand, finest wench.” The three drakes all landed on the back of a single seat, and nuzzled together like old brothers. “It has been the most blessed of days with nary a single missshap along the way.”

“You’re all pissed.”

“Never. Merely the beverage bubbles exploding in our minds with rrrreckless abandon...and prrroviding much inspirrrration!”

“Please don’t-“

Too late.

“Brrrrrreaaaaad of heeeaaaaven, brrrreeeeead of heeeeaven! Feeeeeed me now and eeeeveeeeerrrrrrrrmoooooooooooooorrrrrrrrreeeeee-HIC”

All three hiccupped at the same time, and fell forwards, slamming their faces into the cushion of the seat. Grace was left standing there for a few painful seconds, considering whether there were any actual long-lasting benefits to diplomacy.

Eventually the rightmost one raised its head, spitting seat fluff from its jaws. Grace scratched the side of her mask. “Are you done yet?”

“The show must go on!”

“Of course. Well...sorry to rain on your parade but there isn’t going to be a show.”

“What...HIC...do you mean? They love us! Every single one...of...them...”

The lead dragon twirled in mid-air, a look of despair crawling over his muzzle.

“But...where have they gone to?”

The doors opened, and Mark stepped in, leaning against the doorframe. “They’re all moving to the end carriage.”

“Nice one. It gives us a bit of space.”

There was a small wail, and Grace turned to look at the lead Gochmon crooning to the ceiling. “I don’t understand...how you could...HIC...be such a big...mean...wench! Our songs are of the gods. They can brrrrrring about peace and...happiness...and peace...and kindness...unlike you...”

The dragon to the left of him nudged him with his wing. “Don’t you forrrget though, we always have an audience.”

“Huh?”

“These tamers themselves, you know. They are cultured. They will apprrrrreciate our...er...our...”

Grace raised two palms. “Thanks, but...no thanks. I’m good.”

“Liar! Deceiver!”

Grace’s shoulders sagged, and she looked round at her own partner, who was peering out from beneath the luggage rack. “They’ve stopped singing. Are you going to help me now or not?”

Vulpimon stepped out, shaking her shoulders as particles of ice glistened on her coat. “Come on, boys, it’s time to go home.”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

The three dragons clung to each other, their wings flapping like fury as they bobbed up and down in mid-air. They rubbed their muzzles together, and raised them up to the ceiling.

“It is a tragic day for the Gochmon Brethren, struck down by the cold, wicked heart of the dry-eyed sorceress.”

“Then we must commemorrrrrate.”

“Rrrrremenisce, indeed.”

The dragons opened their mouths in unison, their scales shimmering with a red glow as tears fell down their cheeks.

“Scarlet Song!”

The air vibrated with song once again. Not an atonal mess of garbled lyrics like before, but this time sorrowful and resonant. Not chaotic, but a pure three-way harmony, underlaid with soft growls and gentle whispers that had rolled over hills and through valleys for millennia.

Oh, and also really fucking painful.

The metal panels rattled in their frames, and several of the windows cracked at the sound of three deeply pained and persistent voices finally coming together as one. Grace caught the worst of it, staggering backwards and falling into a nearby cluster of chairs as she yelled out into the void.

“God...damn...someone!”

“Snow Blast!”

Vulpimon rushed forwards, but her attack was dispersed in the air before it could even reach the dragons, and soon she too was stumbling to the ground, whimpering at the noise that burrowed into her sensitive ears.

“Bolt Blaster!”

A metal projectile cut through the vibrating atmosphere and broke apart the three, sending them spiralling off into the void. Chromon stood next to Vulpimon, still twitching from the sound but able to stand. He looked up at her. “You alright?”

“...you know, frankly I’d prefer to be dealing with the Fire Kingdom again.”

Chromon laughed nervously, “B-b-be careful what you wish for...”

He and the fox stepped forwards, putting themselves in front of Grace as they stared up at the twirling dragons above. The largest spun around and gave a little cuckoo of joy.

“Such beauty! A brrrawl! A rrreckoning! A rrrighteous rrroyal rrrumble worthy of our final moments!” He called to the heavens, spreading his wings as wide as they could go.

“To arms, and to glory, my brrrrethren!”

Dendromon huffed as she scampered on all fours, struggling to keep up with her oh-so-enthusiastic tamer as they ran across the top of the carriages. Lonnie giggled as she ran, her plaits blowing in the wind.

“Woah, I never thought the going train-hopping would feel like this! It’s...a bit more wobbly than I thought it would be.”

Lonnie skidded to a halt about halfway from the last carriage, digging her heels in and straightening up. Dendromon was slightly less dignified about the whole thing; her feet slid wildly on the metallic surface, only stopping when Lonnie thrust her hand out and grasped her by the scruff of the neck. The salamander huffed, and looked down from the end at the living blockade. Lonnie whistled.

“He is a big one, isn’t he...”

Now they were up close, it certainly was; a giant green barrel-shaped lizard with an impolitely large number of metal shards sticking out of its body. It had a large iron spike on the end of its nose, and four on the end of its tail, which swished involuntarily back and forth along the ground as it slept restlessly. Occasionally it rolled over, its shards grazing the rails and letting out sparks.

Lonnie fumbled in her pockets for her D-Nexus, eventually finding it and holding it out in front of her as it scanned the vast creature.

“Stegomon. Champion, Armour grade. Generally defensive, very spiky, a bit dense.”

The girl clutched the device to her chest as she hopped up and down on the roof of the train, her feet clanging on the flimsy metal.

“Dinosaurs are real!”

Dendromon stumbled, and crouched down, holding her palms against the metal. “Er...Lonnie?”

“Yeah? What?”

“The Stegomon’s on the ground. Why are we up here?”

Pause.

“For an optimal vantage point!”

“...Lonnie, how long have you been waiting for the chance to run along the top of a train...”

Another pause.

“...they don’t like you doing it when they’re moving...”

Hrrumph.

The Stegomon shifted again, pawing at the air. Lonnie held the chin of her mask, tilting her head sideways. “I have a feeling he’s not going to move without a lot of hefty persuasion.”

“And where are we supposed to get that?”

Dendromon’s gills flickered, and she felt a shiver down her spine. She glanced sideways to see Lonnie staring at her from behind the clown’s grinning visage.

“What...what are you looking at me like that for?”

The girl didn’t answer. She just gingerly held the D-SEND up. Dendromon’s limbs locked tight, and she flailed wildly.

“Hang on, wait, no, what the hell!”

“You’re a Digimon too, right? I saw Vulpimon before. You can get bigger if I use this, can’t you?”

“No! Well...yes, but...no! I don’t know!”

“Haven’t you ever wanted to try?”

“Of course I have, but...no! I...argh!”

“How hard can it be?”

“I don’t know how to do it!”

“It’s alright. I remember the words.”

Before Dendromon could let out one more word of protest, Lonnie had stepped back, swinging her arms wide and preparing to slam them together.

“Soul Accelerate!”

TO BE CONTINUED...