The next day, Dark came back to Brighton just as he said he would with Google at his side.

They all sat across from one another. Iplier and Septic separated. Except for Marvin. He was in the kitchen at the moment.

They were all quiet, everyone as awkward as possible sipping on either coffee or tea. Neither side wanted to start the conversation much to Anti's annoyance.

Finally, like the brat he was, Anti motioned to Google, "You sure you wouldn't rather have oil?"

Jackie snorted in his cup, refraining from laughing out loud and Jameson slapped Anti upside the head.

'Don't be rude!' he signed.

"Oooow" Anti whined.

Google just stared at Anti as if thinking deeply about something. . . . or analyzing.

"Google?" Dark tried to get his attention but Google still just stared at Anti.

Until he finally cracked a small smile, "Amusing. However, I imagine we are here on more serious means"

"Correct" Dark nodded, "The Septics believe we could still use your software to find out what could have happened to Bing"

"Who cares?"

"Shut up" Dark growled, "He was your brother and you liked him. You just refuse to admit it"

"I will refuse it until the day I am shut down permanently"

"Right"

"Anyway" Henrik cleared his throat, "About zhe video"

"I'm coming!" Marvin raced in the room with a tuna sandwich in his hands. He looked exhausted as if he stayed up all night again researching but nobody commented on it.

"Sorry" he apologized, "I was hungry"

Jackie rolled his eyes, "You and your fish"

"Anyway" Dark cut in, getting impatient. Everyone got back to the task at hand.

Anti watched closely as Google clicked a button on one of his 'fingernails' and a computer ejected out of his stomach.

"Gross"

Nobody argued with him on that.

Without a word, Google opened up the computer, "Bing and I share a jointed external hard drive. Whatever he downloads or puts on the cloud, I am also able to access . . . . . or delete"

The others watched as Google pulled up the video and Jackie watched closely.

The video started out with Bing talking to the camera at the park, "Whassup my dudes!? Hahaha! I'm here at California's most awesome kickass hangout with the sick skatin' park~! Watch me do a flip!"

They proceeded to watch Bing sit the phone down on a bench and he tried unsuccessfully multiple times to do a flip on his skateboard.

"This goes on for several minutes." Dark sighed, "Google, would you mind?"

"I enjoy this part the most" he deadpanned.

"Google. . ."

" . . .. fine" Google fast-forwarded the video a good five minutes of Bing falling on his ass until at last playing it at the end.

"Aw man! Almost had it that time!" Bing laughed carelessly and walked back over to the bench to retrieve the phone, "Let's go over to the course and have some fun, dudes! Whoo!"

Then suddenly the video cut off.

"That's it" Dark grunted, "We haven't heard or seen anything of him since. It's been a couple weeks now"

Google nodded, "Whoever is doing this is taking the weaker Iplier egos first"

"Google!" Dark warned him but the android wouldn't hear of it.

"What? It is true. Even Bim has been taken, now but I say good riddance. Now they just need to take away the Jims"

"That's enough" Dark stopped him, getting angry, "One more word, and I'll trade you for Bing if we ever find out who did this"

Google's eyes turned red but he only pouted and stuffed the computer back into his stomach.

"Ugh" Anti felt like he was gonna get sick, "Is that how you eat, too?"

"No. I don't eat"

"Anyway" Jackie broke in, "Alright, so let's head off to the skate park in California. Marv can take us there. James, you stay with Anti and-"

"No" Dark interrupted him, "The glitch is coming, too"

"No, he's not" Chase agreed with Jackie on this, "Whoever this is, is taking egos and I'm not about to let Anti be one of them. He stays here"

"Who do you THINK it could be, Dark?" Jackie tried to get his attention away from the previous conversation.

Dark snarled but answered him, "Hell if I know. I thought I killed Actor a long time ago but the bastard has always been resilient."

"Alright then." Jackie nodded, "From here on out, we'll assume it's Actor unless proven otherwise. Right now, he's our main suspect and-"

"I wanna go!" Anti whined, "Why can't I go?"

"Because we said so" Chase pulled the signature parent card.

"That's not an answer!" he argued.

"Why can't he come?" Dark asked, "His insight could be of use"

"You just vant to see if he actually DID lose his glitching or not" Henrik grunted pointedly.

Dark didn't argue.

"Look, Anti" Jackie addressed him, "Bad shit happens to you when you're out of the house like this. I think it'd be in your best interest if you just stayed with Ja-"

"But what if the man comes HERE next?!" Anti DID have a point.

Dark shrugged, "Could happen. All of the other weaker Iplier egos have been taken. They want to piss me off. Who's to say they won't move on to the weaker Septic egos, too? Leaving him with the mute would just make them both optimal prey"

Chase sighed heavily, knowing he was right. But he didn't like it, "Fine"

"Chase" Jackie still didn't like it, "You're really gonna listen to Dark over me?"

"He has a point, dude and you know it. Besides, wouldn't Anti be safer with all of us? I know for damn sure you won't let him out of your sight"

'He has a point, I guess' Jackie thought to himself but he looked over to Anti who seemed more determined than before, 'I can't tell if he's just being stubborn for the hell of it or if he really wants to make up for what he did'

Either way, Jackie finally relented, "Fine. The brat comes with us. And you, too, James"

'If you think you're leaving me out anyway, you have another thing coming!' Jameson signed with a big smile, 'We'll be fine, Jackie.'

Google tilted his head, "Does the mute not have the ability to turn back time?"

Marvin shook his head, "Only a few minutes. Not enough to do what you're thinking, Google."

"Very well. He's just as useless as the other Ipliers, then"

Dark smacked him upside the head, "That's not how you talk to people who are trying to help! Apologize!"

"I won't"

"Damn browser" Dark scoffed, "I'm taking away your administrator rights when we get back home"

Google fell silent, obviously regretting his words but still didn't apologize.

"Always knew you were a dad. Warfstache was right" Anti snickered, "Those other egos got you wrapped around their fingers!"

Dark glared down at him, "Pot calling the kettle black. Look in a mirror, moron."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" the glitch huffed.

Jameson tapped Anti's shoulder, 'Do you want some cookies from the kitchen before we go?'

Anti lit up and bounced a little on his feet, "Yeah!"

The Septics and Dark looked at each other knowingly but Anti was oblivious to what just happened.

Anti was just as much wrapped around them as Dark was with his egos.

When Jameson came back with the cookies, Marvin prepared to teleport them to California.

Jackie picked Anti up, "You're sure about this, kid?"

Anti didn't look sure but he didn't respond, giving Marvin the opportunity to teleport them without another word.

They appeared unnoticed on the outskirts of the park. It almost looked as if they were all gathered for a family reunion or something.

"The skate park is this way" Dark was going to lead them off but Jackie stopped him.

"We need to go to the bench, first where Bing set the phone down. You know where that is?"

Dark nodded, "I believe it was just a ways down from here on this trail"

They made their way on the small trail together. It was a nice day and a little warm so Anti started to squirm in Jackie's arms.

"I want down"

"I'm not letting you down. Something could happen"

"You're worse than Chase! Let me go before I get a heat stroke!" he fussed and pushed his little hands forcibly against Jackie's face to try and shove himself away.

"Anti, quit it! Stop acting like a-"

"A what? Child? Fuck you!"

Just then a mother and child happened to walk by and Jackie blushed, "Uh . . . ."

But the mother just hurried her child along past them.

Anti stuck his tongue out at Jackie but the hero was losing his temper.

"Do you really want another incident like before to happen with that gang?"

Anti's hyper attitude diminished and he appeared solemn, making Jackie regret what he said, "I mean . . . Anti, I'm sorry"

"Shut up" with a sudden push, Anti was able to pry out of Jackie's arms and on the ground, choosing to move more towards Chase and Jameson instead.

Dark watched the entire scene fold out, curiosity getting the better of him, "What happened with a gang?"

Jackie glared him down, "None of your business."

Dark let it go for now but motioned to a bench, "This is it."

"This bench?" as Dark nodded, Jackie came up to it to examine it, taking in his surroundings. He even sat down on it and looked around.

"What is the point in this?" Google asked, "He's not here"

"The point is to see if I can see if anyone had been watching Bing. Perhaps from a secure location or even from a tree. We need to know if the enemy had any vantage points from here. If they were watching at the time of the video."

Dark nodded, "I see. Do you notice anything?"

The regular children's park was nearby just behind them. Swing sets and a jungle gym. The skate park was just down the trail and back where they had come from was the restrooms. Plus they were on the outskirts of the park here so there were a few restaurants and stores on the other side of the street.

"Yeah . .. a lot. The enemy could have been anywhere. But honestly, you couldn't have been able to tell by the video if anyone was watching him from across the street." Jackie turned around to face the children's park trying to notice or see anything sketchy.

And he did.

Two children by the slide were sort of watching them. Either just curious or something more sinister, he didn't know quite yet. The two kids were whispering to each other, though and one of them suddenly ran off. Jackie didn't see them go off to their parents, though.

"Something's off about those kids . . . ." Jackie noted, "I think they know something"

"What, you think children kidnapped my egos?" Dark snorted.

"No, but I think they might know what happened." Jackie said more clearly, "They might have seen what happened to Bing. You and Google do look similar to him. Perhaps they're curious about you two and why you guys and Bing look so alike"

"Perhaps. But as you said before, I scare children. Are you going to go talk to them?"

"Seriously? The parents will think I'm a pedo! No way!" Jackie laughed, "Chase, you wanna-?"

"What? Why me?" the father didn't like getting picked out, "Without Kallie and Sammy, I'm in the same boat as you!"

"Could he not take Anti over?" Henrik suggested, "That would make it seem more realistic"

"No. Absolutely not" Jackie disagreed.

"You can't be protective of him all the time, Jackie" Marvin pointed out, "Shit happens but he can't stay afraid forever and you know it"

"Easy for you to say." Jackie argued, "You weren't there. You have no idea what the kid's gone through"

"He's not really a kid, Jackie" Marvin stated the truth, "Anti's been alive just as long as any of us. Granted he's a brat, stubborn and a tad crazy but-"

"Anti's already talking to the child over there" Google interrupted.

"WHAT?!"

None of the Septics even realized it. Anti had already walked off after they were arguing over who would go over.

They watched carefully as he walked off to a little girl by herself on the swing set. She was one of the kids that were whispering and their friend had run off. Anti sat on the swing next to her and started to talk.

The others didn't know what they were saying, really but Jackie could pick out a few words here and there and saw the little girl giggle and blush. Obviously Anti was putting his little boy charm to work even if it was a little weird.

Finally, Anti jumped off the swing and walked back over to them.

"What?" Marvin asked, "What'd she say?"

Anti shrugged, "She saw Bing fall a lot back then. But when he turned off his phone and started to walk off, he had stopped for some reason. He looked. . . different. Then she said he started to walk in the opposite direction like he was sleepwalking or something"

"Interesting" Jackie noted, "Good job. We have a lead, then. Still points to Actor, I think, though. What do you think, Dark?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, hero. Good job, glitch" he nodded to him.

Anti just shrugged again.

"What'd you say to her to make her laugh and blush?" Chase was curious.

Anti snorted, "I told her I had to get away from my annoying dads for a bit"

"Right" Jackie rolled his eyes, "Let's just find Bing and the others, already. Did she say anything else?"

Anti pointed to the other end of the street, "She said she saw him go into the electronics store"

Marvin inwardly groaned to himself but didn't say anything. Hopefully there wouldn't be any trouble there.