The next chapter is on its way

Author's POV

A young man, wearing an old shirt, stares at one of two monitors in a dimly lit room. He has been there for the past ten hours. He is starting to get nervous as the seconds tick by, and the slowly blinking dot on the monitor remains motionless. The coordinates of the beacon have been noted ten minutes after it first stopped moving. This happened four hours and fifty minutes ago.

The lad mentally begs the blip to move as he reaches for a black and red telephone that has no buttons on it. Finally, the time limit was exceeded and with a sigh the receiver was picked up.

"Talk to me." The voice on the other end demanded.

"Sam hasn't moved for five hours. This happened twenty eight minutes after he last checked in with us. The signal appears to be inside the building he was investigating. I have the location noted. Also, we are unable to make contact. The phone seems to be turned off."

"I told that moron to observe from a distance. Very well then; prepare the morphs and brief the grunts. I want everything to be ready to invade in one week. If Cypher is there we will destroy them. If not then we will take whatever useful stuff we find back to our base."

Dr. Stone's POV (Houndoom morph)

"I've never seen anything like this in my life. It looks exactly like rigor mortis. However, for that to be the case you should be dead. Yet, you can still talk." I explained while trying to move any of the patient's extremities. "Can you feel my hand?"

"Negative." The Porygon morph said.

"How about now?" I asked as I grabbed his tail with both of my hands and tried to bend it like a stick.

"Negative." He responded.

"Let me know when you feel something" I started poking my patient harder in different spots all over his body with no result.

"I feel like you need to try something else." Kevin remarked from a wooden chair that he was leaning back on with his feet on my desk and his tail in his hand.

I quickly fired off a weak shadow ball at the legs of the chair.

"Yipe!" Kevin exclaimed as he lost his balance and hit the floor.

"I felt that." Digit said as Kevin reset the chair and sat back down.

"Here?" I asked as I touched his thigh again.

"Negative, I felt that in my back."

"Over here?"

"Possibly, I am unable to see where you are and I can not detect any pressure there." Digit said.

"That is a phantom pain. Usually, people that lose or can't use their limbs feel those."

"Glad I could help." Kevin muttered.

"What was the last thing you remember feeling?"

"It was something on my head." Digit said

"It sounds like the problem is in your neck. I'll do an MRI and see what's wrong."

"Magnetic Resonance Imaging would, most likely, destroy me." Digit said.

"I see. Then I will just have to do this the old fashioned way and cut you open. Are you alright with that?"

"You are the expert. I will leave it up to you." Digit said.

"I appreciate your vote of confidence."

I know the human body inside and out and on rare occasions I have performed surgery on Pokémon. Some creatures have nasty surprises waiting to be discovered. For example, when making an incision on an electric type Pokémon, make sure to use a scalpel made of glass and not metal. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Once Digit was placed face down on the table with his beak placed in a hole made for that purpose, I slipped into a thin white suit to keep my short black fur from getting into the incision I was about to make. I then administered some anesthetic and began my work.

"Amazing."

"I do not like the sound of that." Digit said.

"There is a chip in your neck that is melted right through the center. This is way beyond my expertise. I am afraid to even scrape off the burnt stuff without causing some kind of damage. I apologize but, other than taking pictures and sewing you back up, there is nothing I can do." I explained. "However, I do know somebody here that might be able to help. The first time I saw him he came in with a bloody nose."

After placing a call to his pager and waiting through a half hour of small talk, there was a knock at the door.

"Hi Steve, it's nice to see you again."

"Only 128 more days until groundhog's day." The Bidoof announced while pulling a small toolbox behind him. "So where is the computer at?"

"He is on the surgery table."

"A Porygon2?" Steve asked. "I don't know of anybody who has actually opened one up to see inside."

"So can you heal him?" Kevin worriedly asked.

"I can fix computers. If your friend is anything like your typical home computer, I'll be able to get him back on line with no problems." Steve boasted as he sat down by the hole I made in the patient's neck.

After studying the exposed circuitry, Steve sighed and massaged his temples."

"Well?" Kevin and the Tauros asked.

"I've seen these high-security, self-destructing chips before. I can't tell you where I've seen them but, I do know how they work. Unfortunately, the first wire does not always connect to the first wire on the other side of the circuit. It will go to say, the fifteenth. Also, not all of the wires cross this gap. The chip is still creating a circuit to keep the system barely functioning, even though it is split in half." Steve explained after briefly examining my patient.

"Why is that?" Kevin asked.

"It prevents the chip from being removed. Do you see these tiny holes on the top of the chip?" Steve asked. Everybody, including myself, responded with a nod of their heads.

"There is a key chip that snaps into these holes so the data can be retrieved by the owner of the computer. If the wrong chip is installed, the data would be immediately lost. This key is always stored in a building other than the one the computer is in. Also, companies that use stuff like this have more than one computer armed with this kind of security. This means that there are many different keys."

"Is there anything you can do?" I asked. The situation is starting to sound hopeless.

"I can clean off the edge of the melted chip to uncross any wires that may have created a connection during the melt down. After that, I don't know what to do. I guess if I eliminate any conflict the crossed circuits are causing, he may be able to reroute the signals himself. Unfortunately, he won't be operating at 100 percent."

"It is better than nothing. Do what you can." Digit said.

We watched the Bidoof work his magic with various non-conductive industrial tools for what seemed like hours. He used tools that have 'not for medical use' engraved on the side. Tools that I wanted rip out of his hands to sterilize. Tools that would make me lose my license if I still had one. I was only able to relax once his equipment was stored back in that tool box of his. Once the debris was sucked out with a tiny vacuum cleaner, Digit's muscles relaxed and were no longer fighting them selves. The Porygon's tail even flopped down to rest against his leg. The final step was to coat the exposed chip halves with something that didn't conduct electricity yet could be left in the body. Fortunately, I had some dielectric silicone skin graphs for ground type Pokémon on hand that I had Steve use instead of the special forklift grease that he had with him.

"How do you feel now, Digit?" I asked of my patient as I skillfully sewed up the incision.

"I feel no different but, instead of a coat rack, I am now a play thing for a child. I still can not move under my own power." Digit said.

"Attention all employees. Be on the lookout for a statue of a Porygon Morph. It was stolen from my office. I will give a reward to the one that returns it to me." Leslie announced over the building's PA system.

"At least you'll be easier to hide from Leslie." Kevin remarked.

"I don't care how much that manipulating bitch is paying. It will be a cold day in hell before I do anything for her again. She went along with Joy's plan and made me scary to children. How can I be a great doctor if my patients are afraid of me?" I growled.

"Well, since this human altercation thing is still pretty new to everybody, I wouldn't worry about type casting for at least three or four generations. It's the humans that will have a problem with us right off the bat. For right now, I wouldn't concern myself with it." Kevin remarked. "So, does anybody have a box or trunk to put Digit in?"

"He might be able to fit in my toolbox." Steve offered.

"You are not leaving those filthy tools in my operating room."

"I clean my tools after every job. They are not filthy." Steve responded.

"Look, in this room, if it's not sterilized, then it's filthy."

"What about using one of your cloth laundry bags for Digit then?" Steve asked.

"He should fit in one easily but, the shape might have some people asking questions." I pondered out loud.

"I doubt anybody will question Bash The Stampede if he is the one carrying the bag." Kevin stated. "Besides, the only ones actually looking for him are the cosplayers and fursuiters that get to live out their fantasies."

"Let us get this over with. I would rather be stuffed inside of a sack of laundry than to be treated as an office decoration." Digit said.

"You won't be in there long unless Leslie shows up." Benny reassured as he carefully fit the disabled morph in a sack, gently slung it over his shoulder and walked out of the medical ward.

Kevin's POV

Later, when we were back in our room, we had a discussion about how we were going to repair Digit. Since computer experts that work with software generally have no social life; the chances of finding one here, that is not loyal to Cypher, would be next to zero. Plan B was to get to a computer and find somebody on the net. However, there is no longer any internet access at this facility.

"The public library has internet access," Linda stated "and since Kevin is the only one here that looks like an almost average wild Pokémon, he will have to go."

"Pokémon are not allowed in public buildings." I explained.

"True but, therapy mon are permitted as long as they have the proper I.D." Lisa remarked as she brushed one of her silky tails.

"What about the ball and leash laws?"

"Sinnoh revised code title 9 chapter 995 states: All Pokémon belonging to an owner must have either a Pokéball or a leash and collar." Digit said from underneath the covers on his bed. "It does not specify that the owner must be in possession of the leash or ball."

"I remember seeing a leash and an official tag in the confiscation room. I'll go get them after I take care of the girls." Lisa explained.

"Girls? Who are these girls and how can I assist them?" Dan asked as I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, their names are Nina, Isis, Nora, Ellie, Tina, Ally, Lois, Emily, and Sarah." Lisa listed. "Is there anyone in particular you would like to get to know?"

"I'd like to meet Lois, I could be her Supermon." Dan grinned. His tail was quivering with excitement.

"Lois is delicate. Will you be gentle?" Lisa asked with a sly grin.

"Oh yes." Dan responded with a little too much excitement.

"Great! Here's a brush. She's the third one from your right." Lisa quickly said as I started laughing at Dan's reaction.

"Wha, what?" Dan asked as his ears laid flat against his head. "You named your tails?"

"They follow me everywhere. Why wouldn't I give them names?"

"I'm not brushing your tails." Dan fumed.

"Aww, are you really going to disappoint the girls? You wouldn't want them to be sad would you?" Lisa pouted. "After all, when the girls are sad, I get mad." Lisa abruptly snarled as a ghostly Will-O-Wisp instantly appeared over each tail.

"I'm still not touching your tails. I'm already cursed. I don't want you adding to it." Dan responded while returning the snarl.

"I understand. Kevin is the only one that isn't afraid of my tails." I sighed as I allowed the flames to die out.

"That's because he has a fox fetish." Dan snapped.

"So can we get those tags now?" I responded by changing the subject. "I want to help Digit."

Once the girls were properly groomed, I was more than happy to help, we set off towards this storage area I learned about. Upon entering this secure room, I was amazed at how much stuff that was packed inside. Everything was stored in here because, while the stuff is not good enough for Cypher; it's still too good for the trashcan. There were backpacks, briefcases, clothing, tents, and just about anything you would find in a Pokémart. I opened a tacky briefcase and found a 16GB USB flash drive, a yellow legal pad, and an antique fountain pen that was missing a separate ink well for it to be useful. Lucky for me I almost always have some ink; I just hope it won't gum up the pen.

"I found it!" Lisa exclaimed while picking up a purple collar. "It looks like you are going to be called 'Barbie' for a while."

"Can't we just make a forgery with my name on it?" I pleaded.

"I can't do that. That's illegal."

"Uh-huh," I said in disbelief, "am I the only one that can see the irony in that? Not to mention that everything in this room has been stolen and we both work for a criminal organization. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to know that some folks here still have morals. However, Digit's well being comes first."

"For Digit then," Lisa agreed as she sighed a small flame.

While Lisa left to prepare my fake ID tags, and discreet Cypher gate passes, I busied myself collecting supplies for my trek to the closest town. I had no idea where anything was in relation to this base. Also, every gadget in here that could tell me was either obsolete, broken, or password protected. I hope Digit or his virtual pet, can either wipe out, or hack into, some of these devices so I can use them.

I picked out a few long T-shirts from the many in the room. A colorful shirt should prove to people, even from a distance, that I'm not wild. Another thing I grabbed was an instant pop up tent that used to open up with just a toss and a tattered sleeping bag that has seen better days. My poor tail will have to sleep outside so I'm not a sticky mess in the morning.

Speaking of tails, I have no idea how to clean mine if it ever gets dirty. I've learned that nothing seems to cut paint when it's wet and water works when the paint is dry but, it takes a very long time and a lot of elbow grease. There is a company that manufactures an artificial, odorless, water based chemical solvent that works somewhat better than water and it's safe to use on skin but, how would a wild Smeargle be able to acquire something that costs money. I bet it's based off of some kind of inedible berry juice or other natural liquid. I've asked Picasso but, he doesn't know either. He says he was born and raised at a pet shop and his parents never showed him how it's done. He also says he wants to spend more time with Tanya.

Once I had everything squared away, I slipped my arm through the one good strap and quickly headed over to my room to hide everything. This way I won't have to worry about somebody recognizing their belongings before I leave.

"How are you feeling, Digit?" I asked the morph that was recently transferred into the center of the empty wire spool that we use as a table.

"I am not feeling anything."

"Do you think you can hack into this flash drive?"

"I am limited to reading only. I can not format anything at the moment." Digit said.

"Would your virtual pet be able to get into this?"

"Yes. However, it is currently in the middle of an emulated game of Desert Demolition. Would you be willing to wait? Projected completion time is two days and four hours."

"The sooner I get this fixed, the sooner I get you fixed." I reasoned.

"Very well, Delete, you are needed." Digit said as his pupil turned into a Pokéball and opened.

"BEEP!" Delete chirped.

After the two spoke to each other in that modem language of theirs, the little Porygon turned to face me. I held the drive out and the virtual pet took it in its mouth.

"I told Delete to just reformat it. Since nobody knows what is on it, the data will not be missed." Digit said.

"Doot-da-doo!" Delete sang alerting us that the job was done.

"That was fast." I remarked as I reached down to take the drive. As soon as my hand was about to grasp the drive, Delete beeped twice and jumped out of my reach.

"Awwww, that's so cute, he wants to play." Tanya giggled as she watched the Porygon's antics.

"Yeah, real funny." I sarcastically agreed while trying to grab the little puke.

Sal Lee May's POV (Dodrio morph)

"Emery Patch?" Lisa asked as she glanced over the information about to be engraved on the collar. "Why do you have that listed as Kevin's trainer?"

"Emery is who we go to when we need something done as legally as possible." I explained while Sal and May, the two birds I share my body with, were eating seeds and drinking from a bowl that were on the right and left side of my desk.

"If you rearrange the letters in his name you get 'Team Cypher'. Of course he will swear that it is purely coincidental and he has no affiliation with us. Anyway, Mr. Patch will pick up Kevin if a problem arises and a trainer is needed. We have sent a Pidgey to deliver Kevin's info should he need it. Mr. and Mrs. Patch will think Kevin is just an abnormally tall Smeargle." I explained while Sal started to preen the feathers on May's head right in front of my face. "Could you two wait until I'm done talking? At least do that behind my head so you're not blocking my view."

Sal squawked a complaint about it being uncomfortable before continuing where I couldn't see them. Although they are out of my sight, I still feel it when a feather gets tugged the wrong way.

"Anyway, he should stick to just saying his species name even if other Pokémon won't be able to understand him. This way he won't draw excessive attention to himself. If possible, he should just pretend to be mute."

"Okay, I'll make sure to tell this to Kevin." Lisa said before asking, "By the way, where did you get that egg from?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask about that." I scowled as Sal and May puffed out their feathers and started to make angry and threatening noises.

"Will you two knock it off?" I shouted. "She is not going to hurt your egg."

"Your egg?" Lisa asked "Does that mean-"

"Yes, we laid that thing." I snapped. "No matter how many times I tell them it's not going to hatch, they still throw a fit whenever somebody mentions the damn thing."

The fox was about to say something but, she was interrupted by the engraving machine signaling that the tags were completed.

"Here are your new tags and you need to fill out this form." My birds looked at the objects that I handed to the morph and couldn't find anything threatening about them. If they could read, they would be pissed to know that I just gave Lisa instructions to tell a certain Buizel chef that she can buy another egg from me. Sal and May will forget about the egg in a week once it's gone. Typical bird brains.

Kevin's POV

"Come on, this isn't fun anymore." I whined to the virtual pet of Digit's that had my flash drive.

"I'm having fun. It's just like those cartoons I used to watch without the falling off of cliffs." Benny laughed. "Try offering bird seed."

"I have some Pokémon food. Give me the card and you can have it." I offered as the Porygon ran off and came back with a sign that had the words: 'Porygon don't eat food' before beeping and running off again.

"Where did that sign come from?" I asked through clenched teeth. I could feel my eye twitch uncontrollably. I have watched enough TV to know the folly of chasing after flightless birds that run really fast.

I was finally able to get the flash drive from Delete by trading him some fancy looking portable game that I grabbed because it looked like fun. I know that life is nothing like cartoons but, I'm not taking any chances. Lisa showed up with my new collar and even offered to put it on me.

I then walked to the cafeteria for some additional supplies. I purchased some bottled water, and some packets of Brock's brand dry Pokémon food with the crudits I have been slowly accumulating. While it's not as good as real food, it doesn't go bad as fast as real food either. I just wish I had some real money.

Finally, with a map in my hand, the building to my back and the sun rising in the East, I took my leave and headed toward the nearest town. I tried to leave Picasso with Tanya but, when I got too far away from the building I collapsed in pain before Picasso suddenly reappeared in my mind.

Next Chapter: Arguing with yourself.