"I bet you twenty dollars they at least hook up." Anti said while he and Dark stood outside of their house, waiting for the school bus.
"You do realize that one of them is married, right?" Dark asked, looking down the street. The bus was late.
"Their marriage is more paperwork than love." Anti stated.
"Doesn't Chase still love her?"
"He loves the mother of his children, if she didn't have that, he would have left a long time ago." Anti dug the tip of his foot into the ground.
"How do you know?" Dark started to tap his own foot. They usually called if they were going to be more than a few minutes late.
"He's told me multiple times when he's been drunk. He'll deny it sober, but get a few shots in him and he'll spill his guts out." Anti answered. "Where the fuck is the bus?"
"That's what I was wondering." Dark said.
"I'm calling the school." Anti took out his phone as he spoke. "They better have a good reason or someone's getting fired." He huffed.
"They'll get more than fired." Dark said harshly.
"Hello, yes, this is Mr. Powell, Annalise Powell's father and I was wondering why the bus was running late." Anti said into the phone, his tone making it clear that he wasn't happy. "One moment." Anti turned the phone on speaker. "Could you repeat that?"
"The bus won't be coming to your home today since Isaac Powell picked Annalise up from preschool when the day was over." The man on the phone stated.
"I didn't pick her up." Dark protested.
"I'm sorry, sir. But it was. I-"
"Describe me. Describe what I looked like." Dark interrupted the man.
"I...uh...built, average height, dark skin, blue eyes, brown-"
"What color eyes?" Anti's hand began to shake.
"Blue...like...bright blue. I didn't know you have blue eyes."
"My eyes are dark brown." Dark stated, struggling to keep his composure.
"You gave our daughter to a stranger!?" Anti screamed, not even trying to hold back.
"It looked exactly like Isaac! The voice was even the same!"
"What was Annalise saying as she left?" Dark asked.
"She was upset. She was screaming something about a 'closet man' or something. I just thought she was throwing a tantrum."
"Are you a fucking idiot! How could you-"
"Anti. Hang up." Dark said through gritted teeth.
"But."
"Now." Anti clenched his own teeth before doing so. "Let's get to work." Dark took Anti's hand and the two disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
"Well, hello there. I wasn't-"
"Watch him. I'll be right back." Dark said to Wilford before vanishing.
"What?"
"Someone kidnaped Ann!" Anti suddenly scream, catching the attention of all of the Ipliers.
"What!?" Wilford took Anti by the shoulders. "What do you mean someone kidnapped her!?"
"Someone impersonated Dark and picked her up from preschool." Anti explained. "They just took her!"
"Let's find him and give him what for!" Wilford removed his hands and pulled out a gun.
"We don't know who, what or where they went." Anti said.
"She's a virus like you, right? Can't you just track her down?" Bim asked.
"Like a GPS or something?" Bing suggested.
"I don't know how to do that."
"Wait here." Dark stated as he dropped off the Septiceyes and went away again.
"What's happening?" Dr. Schneeplestein asked.
"That felt weird as fuck." Chase groaned, holding his stomach.
"Teleporting takes some time to get used to." Marvin said, giving Chase a light pat on his back.
"Annie's been glitch-napped!" Wilford announced.
"Don't refer to my daughter as-"
"What do we do?" Chase asked.
"We work." Dark stated after coming back again, holding his laptop. "Half of us is going to the school and scanning the surrounding area. The other half will-" Dark stopped when Bing started to cough.
"Bing, now is not the time to be acting up." Google said harshly.
"S-Sorry, I...I..." Bing bent over as he coughed harder, entire body convulsing.
"Bing..."
"It's-" Bing started to wheeze between coughs. Google's eyes went wide when a drop of black liquid came out of Bing's mouth. Google quickly grabbed Bing and carried the other search engine to the couch. Google gripped the top of Bing's shirt and ripped it open. Everyone watched in stunned silence as Google pressed his thumbs against Bing's bare collar bones. There was a soft beep before a square chunk of flesh lowered like a panel, exposing Bing's insides.
"What's going on?" Dark asked.
"Someone's trying to hack into Bing's core." Google answered, reaching into Bing's chest and pulling his hand out, a small, holographic screen popped up.
"How do you hack a search engine?" Wilford asked. "How do you hack a living thing?"
"I don't know!" Google snapped, pulling out more screens. Bing was shaking now, tears flowing down his face and black oozing out of his mouth. "He's trying to fight it and his body is unable to handle it!" No one thought they would ever see fear in Google's eyes, let alone it being for the sake of someone else, especially for someone like Bing. "Found it!" Google took something out of one of the screens. Bing stopped shaking and leaned forward as he coughed a few more times to clear his throat. The screens folded and went back into the open panel. Bing gasped for air a few times before leaning back against the couch.
"Does this look familiar to you?" Google opened his hand and a pixelated insect flew out and floated in front of Anti.
"Blue ladybug." Dark said.
"The same one Ann's been drawing." Anti added before grabbed the bug, feeling it shatter in his palm.
"and I will go to the preschool and start searching." Dark ordered as he handed Anti the laptop. "Do your thing. Call if anything comes up. Send Google when he's done making sure Bing is okay."
"But Dark-" Anti stopped when Dark held his face with both hands.
"I love you and I love our daughter and I will stop at nothing to kill the man who kidnapped her." Dark gave Anti a kiss before going over to the group of egos he had listed.
"I'm coming with." Chase stated, joining the group.
"You need to stay here with Anti." Dark stated.
"I can help!"
"You can help by staying here!"
"Chase, we'll be fine." Marvin said, making Chase slump his shoulders.
"He won't get hurt." Dark spoke in a softer tone, recognizing the look on Chase's face. "I promise." He added before going away in a cloud of black smoke.
"Let's get working." Anti said, holding up a blue pixel.
"I don't like being hacked." Bing groaned.
"Perhaps if you had taken my advice and installed firewalls, you would not have been in this mess." Google huffed as he examined the inside of Bing, making sure nothing was left behind.
"You care for me." Bing chuckled.
"I do not." Google stated.
"You love me." Bing sang.
"I could easily reach inside of you and pull out your heart-drive, do not tempt me." Google threatened.
"Love you too, bro."
"Don't call me that."
"Does getting hacked always hurt that much?" Bing asked.
"I'll make sure that it will never happen again." Google said. Bing said nothing but had a big smirk on his face. Google simply covered Bing's face with his hand and went back to his inspection.
"What are you doing with that...thing?" Chase asked as Anti sat on the couch and opened the laptop.
"It's a pixel, whoever tried to hack Bing left a part of themselves behind." Anti answered.
"Don't you do that when you glitch?"
"I do."
"Does that mean..." Chase left the question hang in the air.
"I told you I'm not the only one. Annalise is evidence of that." Anti logged on and stiffened when the blue pixel flew into his laptop. Skype opened up on its own and a black screen showed up, saying that the caller was 'V.Rus'.
"H-Hello, Anti." A voice said, the sound clipping a little at first. "I'm sure you're wondering where Annalise is and all I have to tell you is to forget about her. Adopt a different child. Move on."
"Who the fuck are you!?" Anti snapped.
"You can just call me 'closet man', that's what Annalise has been screaming at least." The voice chuckled.
"If you hurt one hair on her head, I swear to God I will use your entrails as decorations!" Anti gripped the screen as he screamed.
"She won't feel pain." The voice laughed again. "I'll give you one more warning. Stop. You really shouldn't have let your husband and friends go out like that. If they find us, we have no control what will happen to them."
"We're not the kind of people to threaten." Anti growled.
"We know what you did to Jolene. That's was cute. Crawling out the t.v. was a great show." There was a clapping sound. "But as soon as we get what we want. You'd be nothing more than a pesky little pixel compared to us. Trust me when I say this. You don't want to mess with us."
"The same could be said to you." Anti said as Chase leaned against him.
"I wonder how Bim would handle hosting a show of his own end? Or how Jackieboy would like to be a superhero who can't save himself? Or how Wilford would snap after learning who his best friend actually is and who he was? Or how Marvin would feel being in a disappearing act he has no control over?" Anti felt Chase's grip on his shoulder tighten. "Or how Dark, your dear little Darky, would collapse into nothing when he learns that he will never see you again?"
"Touch them and you'll fucking die." Anti said through gritted teeth.
"Leave us alone and they'll be fine." The voice stated before shutting Skype down.
"An offspring will cause pain to us all." Host finally spoke as he stood. "An offspring will come into our lives. An offspring will have us all care for them. An offspring will be more powerful than the world can handle. An offspring from a demon and a virus that paired in a most unexpecting way." Host trembled as he spoke.
"Host..."
"Host apologizes to everyone in the room. Host admits to hiding the rest of the prediction from them. Host says that he didn't want to believe that it was true. That it was mistaken. That it was just a mix-up. Host falls to his knees in despair." Host did what he narrated. "Host was getting to caught up in the joy. Host was enjoying the happiness that Annalise brought to everyone. Host was enjoying knowing that everyone he has grown attached to was growing closer because of Annalise. Because of the offspring that he knew would cause pain to us all. Host...Host sobs as begs for forgiveness. Host isn't sure wh-whether he could actually cr-cry due to the lack of eyes, b-but can feel the cries ripping through his throat. Host is sorry. Host is so so sorry."
"Holy fuck, Host has emotions." Chase said without thinking.
"Host pleads with Anti to get the others back to the house and do what the voice said. That it would be the best for Anti to stay here with everyone and just let Annalise go. Annalise will not feel pain." Host tilted his head up to face Anti. "Host says please."
"I can't leave my little girl." Anti stated.
"Host feared that would be Anti's response and slowly rises to his feet." Host grunted a little as he did so. "Host knows where Annalise and the others are."