👎♋❒&, 👎♋❒&♏❒, ✡♏⧫ 👎♋❒&♏❒ (Sci) [Mission Companion]

Oh, and he just had to do the Terminator turn, too! Fan-freaking-tastic. By now, Isaac had stopped being surprised by the living horror movie he had somehow stumbled into. Each new bit of terror was met with another 'of course' tossed onto his panicked mental rambling. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if Ebemon Digivolved into some sort of Xenomorph and started chasing him across the kernel sphere.

He tried to juke left and right, but sadly there wasn't much room to escape. Ebemon had spread himself very widely across an all-too-cramped space, and there really was no room for Isaac to squeeze past. He was struck by an idea, and used Dark Ascent to take to the skies when Ebemon feinted forward, but his avoid-anything-at-all-costs strategy meant he vastly over-committed to the dodge. The feinting Ebemon was able to snag him easily, snatching him out of the air and leaving him trapped there.

It was time to get desperate.

"And I want to know what makes you tick, too!" he blurted. He had asked many questions, and demonstrated a ton of intellectual curiosity in his time in the kernel sphere. This was a super longshot of a plan, but at this point he was willing to try anything. "And how this place works. I don't just wander to fight. I do it to find out more about the world about me, and this isn't like any world I've seen before. I only didn't mention it before because I didn't even want to dream of comparing my meager talents to your gifts. So please, let me learn from you, before you try to learn from me."

He could only hope this last appeal to Ebemon's ego and brilliance would make its mark.

It seemed like Isaac had reached Ebemon, even if just a bit. A moment's pause could make all the difference, especially as he felt himself regaining the internal fortitude he needed for another warp. Sure, he was currently being examined under the flickering light of Ebemon's wire, but at least he was being examined instead of straight-up impaled. At this point, he was willing to do anything to buy himself that critical few moments of time. He even considered outright asking Ebemon to make him an apprentice, if only so he could continue reporting on the D-Reaper's activities from inside while waiting for the group to arrive. He would surely discover all sorts of disgusting horrors, but he could keep being a mole, and with just a little bit more info maybe Datamon could whip up a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, the miracle never happened. Ebemon had come to a decision, and it wasn't one Isaac liked. He heard Datamon try to scream out a warning about the D-Reaper, but there was barely any time to hear.

Ebemon was a machine. A machine with the processing power of an alien's brain, for starters. A machine with enough experience and sheer might to have ascended to Mega level. His reflexes were far beyond Isaac's level, especially when Isaac was too bound to get proper room for a dodge. The first time he had gotten lucky. The second time, Ebemon hadn't gone for a killshot. But three strikes had come and went, and before Isaac could even see the wire coming he was out. Datamon went silent, and Isaac's world went red.

He considered crying out to Datamon, but what would be the point? Datamon was connected to his brain. If there wasn't even the pleasant sound of radio feedback, he was long gone. That left three possibilities. Tech failure on Datamon's part? Horribly unlikely, he would've said something. A disconnection? If that was the case, trying to reach him wouldn't be worth Isaac's time and energy. But the third and most terrifying possibility was that, instead of Datamon being hooked up to his brain, a being far more sinister took his place.

Isaac decided to think of fluffy, happy bunnies, and push any and all thoughts of secret plans and humanity out of his mind. If these guys wanted to crack his brain, he would make it as hard on them as humanly possible.

His movements were slowed, both from the dull ache spreading through his body and from the intense focus he kept on not telling the D-Reaper anything. As he looked around, he noticed that the kernel sphere had turned from white to hollow. What did this mean? What did any of it mean? "What did you do to me?" he finally groaned, voice somewhat strained and hoarse.

You are now a special part of it.

You are now a special part of it.

✡□◆ ♋❒♏ ■□⬥ ♋ ⬧p♏♍♓♋● p♋❒⧫ □♐ ♓⧫.

The words sat in Isaac's stomach like a lead balloon, leaving him to wonder just what the hell that meant. Was he going to start getting turned into one of those D-Reaper beings? No, it didn't seem to work that way. This wasn't a zombie. Was it impacting his presence of mind? At least for now he seemed to be all there, and he figured magical D-Reaper mind control would at least start making him less hostile to the Reaper. Did it do something to his code? But he was really a human! Would it get in his DNA too, or just his Digimon form? Would he be able to purify the spirits, or was this something deep, dark, and innate? Maybe it was just a metaphorical statement, like "you are now a special part of our great company for selling the most donuts at the bake sale." Then again, metaphors didn't usually cause you to black out and start seeing through previously glassy membranes.

Wait, could he go through the sphere now, if he really wanted to? He decided not to test that theory thanks to the lack of solid ground below him, but it was somewhat comforting knowing escape could very well be in reach.

It was strange seeing the D-Reaper as less of an infinite depth and more of a slowly boring parasite. When he was being delivered by the first Pendulum Foot it looked like a vast sea. Now it looked like a thin puddle, albeit one slowly and inevitably sopping into the ground beneath. An obvious, terrifying infinity had been replaced with a more slow burn infinity, as Isaac realized that there wasn't a stray piece of land here that was left untainted by the Reaper. He could only assume that the red roots stretched out of his eyesight, threatening to consume the entire landscape beyond. This wasn't just a problem for the Sea of Blood, a demon inside one Digimon's consciousness. This was a threat that could potentially go global, and he and the people he loved most were at front row seats.

He felt a burning in his mind, and he was reminded that he wasn't alone in his thoughts. He tried to force his mind to go blank, to not give the Reaper anything to work with, but how was he supposed to do that when he saw figures approaching in the distance? They were just specks, so for now it was easy to dismiss them as Pendulum Feet twirling through the air, but deep in his heart he knew there was only one group which could be approaching.

Keep saying nothing. Don't make a move. Let infinity consume your thoughts, so that there would be no room for anything else. It was a strange concept to meditate on, the idea of the D-Reaper spreading to every corner of the Digital World, but by shackling his mind to the immensity of the D-Reaper's mission he hoped to leave his mind completely blanked otherwise.

It certainly took guts to try and turn infinity against itself.

The burning was overtaking Isaac, spreading through every square inch of his body. His eyes started to water from the sheer pain in his body. His limbs started to grow numb and weak, forcing him to fall on his hands and knees. His head felt like it was splitting open, and only his refusal to give the D-Reaper the satisfaction of his screams helped him hold his tongue. He quivered as he remained prone, forced to witness all of his mental shields crumble beneath the enormity of the D-Reaper. It didn't even take much force, even Isaac's strong determination amounting to an ant challenging the sun. He pushed back against the D-Reaper, and the D-Reaper effortlessly knocked his thoughts away. Soon it had permeated his mind, his body, the very code that made up this form.

And then it found the secrets he refused to tell it.

Isaac turned deathly pale as the D-Reaper's voice echoed through his head. All this time, he had hoped the D-Reaper somehow failed to catch on. He had hoped that the Pendulum Feet's offering was just that, a bit of tribute, and that his own suffering wouldn't have any impact on that of the group around him. He had hoped their secrets would go unspilled, that their presences would be protected, and that perhaps his sacrifice would buy them time as he dove right into Ebemon's world. How foolish was he? He had nearly fried his own brain trying to keep the D-Reaper out, and it had dissected his thoughts without a shred of effort. It let him build himself up, and then when the game got stale it brought Isaac's hopes to a merciless end.

Isaac started to realize just how pointless his attempts at trying even were. The D-Reaper was the hive mind. It was legion. It would have known as soon as he and his friends entered its domain. It would have known he and Elliot were somehow distinct from the rest. It would have already seen everything it needed to know, despite any and all of Isaac's attempts at deception. And yet, it still humored Isaac. Was even Datamon's presence, Isaac's one lifeline, just another one of the D-Reaper's allowances?

Realizing that he had been useless from the start sapped any determination Isaac may have had left.

What was he supposed to do when the D-Reaper began bubbling and churning? Sit by and watch yet another tragic circumstance he couldn't do anything about. His body burned with a cold fury, but he was too weak to stand, let alone muster the energy to bring it to bear. When it took his form, but with the colors inverted, he couldn't even be surprised. Ebemon had warned him of the possibility at least ten times, some implied and some outright stated. The D-Reaper had already killed him today. It was only fitting that it would put his corpse on parade while waiting for his friends to arrive. He had blown his chance to escape. He had blown his chance to worn the others. He had blown any opportunity to be useful. Now he was forced to stare into the eyes of the icon of his sins, a behemoth of his own making.

Isaac tried to stand against it, peeling himself off of the ground and sliding into a fighting stance. However, it was clear that he had no true ability to fight the beast, nor even any will left to stand against it. His stance was all for show, more a last desperate attempt to rejuvenate himself than actual resistance.

The D-Reaper had finally broken Isaac's will.

Emotional? Yep. That had certainly described Isaac until his world was basically shattered. Prone to mistake? Certainly. He had been walking on eggshells this whole time, and each new decision he made lead to him cursing himself for not coming up with a better alternative. Incapable of cooperating? Isaac could only think back to the utter mess that was his "rescue attempt" and sigh in irritation. If they just talked to each other and came up with a proper plan, none of this would have happened. If he wasn't so terrified of losing Elliot and Maia, he would've still been stewing about his irritation from the rest. All three of the Ebemon's judgments rung true, Isaac's stance dropping a little bit with each one. Soon he was left standing slack, staring at the floor as if afraid it would give way from underneath his feet.

The verdict was passed, and while the sentence was unclear it was exactly the answer Isaac feared most. At best, he would be ejected into the Sea of Blood and eaten away. At worst, he would be melted down into biomass. The inquisitor hovered inches before him, demanding what use he still was.

"I-"

For once in his life, Isaac had nothing to say. He may not have been able to talk his way out of every situation, but at least he used to be capable of putting up a fight. The Isaac before today would've been dragged out of the kernel kicking and screaming, ranting at Ebemon all the way. Now? How was Isaac supposed to argue for his own worth when he couldn't even see it? Everything he had tried backfired, only making his friends' situations worse. First the D-Reaper had a captive. Now it had a new weapon. It may have also had plenty more information about the human world. How much did his mere presence ruin? What kind of worth could be argued in favor of there?

At this point he was just a burden. But maybe, just maybe, there was something else he could burden.

"What if you're wrong?" he asked, neck craning up as he refocused his gaze on the Devidramon before him. His voice wasn't his own. It was small, and quiet, and monotone, any fiery defiance ground beneath the weight of the D-Reaper. But at least it was something. "I don't know if you've ever had this chance before. To test the creation against the prototype. Directly, one on one, nothing in the way. What if it turns out, I'm still better? What if I can win?" It was unclear if Isaac was trying to convince Ebemon or if he was trying to hype himself up. Regardless, the luminous cocoon of Digivolution started to envelop Isaac. "You've got nothing to lose. If I win, you just make an even better one. If I lose, I'm out of your hair anyway." Isaac's voice deepened as the cocoon solidified, Impmon's silhouette stretching and expanding into that of a serpentine dragon. The deepness masked the quiver in Isaac's voice wonderfully.

The cocoon didn't shatter, or morph, or do anything cool. It simply faded, leaving Devidramon vulnerable in the middle of the room. He had clearly signed his death warrant. The only question left was how long it would take to be delivered. "What do you think?"