A/N - Sorry for the slightly late update! Was super busy with family stuff!
Thanks for all reviews, faves and follows! =D
Chapter Thirty Eight
Socket barged through the doors to Proxy Prison, sandwiched between two pidgeot. She wrenched the filter mask from her face and stuffed it into her handbag. A small yelp of protest came from deep within it, and in one fluid motion Tweak leapt from her bag and landed with a jingle on the clean, tiled floor.
"I don't know why you insisted on coming with me," she grumbled.
He smoothed out the stringy fur atop his head and looked up at her with a beaming smile reminiscent of a creepy doll.
"I got curious," he said. "Besides, all my crime dramas got canceled."
She shook her head and followed after the leading pidgeot guard. "Flying here has put my fur on end. A shower won't be enough to get this grime off me. Nothing will be enough."
"You could shave?"
Socket resisted the urge to trample the chingling into mosaic art and instead focused on following her body guards through the winding corridors. It felt like it would never end. But at least, being a government facility, the prison had some level of cleanliness compared to the outside streets. The air was clean, the floors were mopped daily. But everything was grey.
The leading pidgeot paused beside a small, single door and stood aside for Socket.
"This is his office, ma'am," he said.
"Really?" Socket took a deep breath and rapped on the door. "He'd better make this quick."
"Come in!" The voice was irritatingly cheerful.
She shoved the door open, revealing a squat desk displaying a significant lack of organization. A stack of trays stood at one side, oddly empty save for one unopened envelope. Crumbs and sugar littered the paperwork while an empty donut container had found a second job as a pen holder (despite the plastic cup designed specifically for the job lying beneath a mound of newspapers.)
A grumpig sat with his feet on the desk, licking sugar off his paws. He looked up at her and smiled broadly. A smile intended to be warm but instead it lit a fire in her stomach that radiated out of her eyes, melting the smile back off his face.
"So sorry to drag you out here, Mayor Socket." He lifted his feet off the desk and adjusted himself in a bid to appear more professional. "But it's important you see all this first hand."
She waved a paw at his office. "I hope whatever it is can be found in your dump."
"Oh yes," he said with a nervous laugh. "Some of what I want to show you is on the computer."
"Really? And you couldn't just email it to me?"
"Well… it's kind of confidential, and given recent events…" The grumpig's eyes wandered to the pidgeot then drifted down towards Tweak.
Socket followed his gaze to the grinning chingling and tutted. "You're all excused. Allow me to talk to this officer in peace."
The pidgeot guards retreated from the room, the last one holding the door open for Tweak. However, the tiny psychic type didn't budge.
"Tweak?" Socket's voice was laced with ice.
"Nah, I wanna stay," said Tweak. "I'm taking notes."
Socket didn't even want to ask where he pulled his notebook and pen from.
She tutted and looked back up at the grumpig. "He's fine. He won't spill anything because he knows full well if he does he'll be turned into an ornamental wind chime… A silent one."
Tweak chuckled and waved his pen at her.
"You think I'm joking," she said.
"I actually don't," said Tweak. "That's why it's funny."
The grumpig shook his head and waved a paw. "If you trust him, Mayor, then I'll take your word for it."
Socket nodded to the waiting pidgeot and they let the door close silently. She turned back to the grumpig and her expression turned steely.
"So?" she asked. "What is it?"
He cleared his throat and ushered her towards his desk. When she didn't move, he turned the computer monitor towards her, knocking several documents onto the floor.
"As you can see, we've been interviewing Troll." He met her raised eyebrow and inclined his head on one side. "The croagunk? The one you had arrested for hacking?"
"I know you mean the croagunk," she said. "I'm the one who asked you to question him. Get on with it."
"Oh yes, well." He turned back to the computer and scrolled through the masses of text. "He's been pleading 'not guilty' since we got here. We've had an impromptu court case, but results have been less than reliable. So many have accused him of this crime but their reasons were… shaky at best."
"Shaky how?" she asked slowly.
The grumpig stuttered and looked between her and the computer. Tweak bounced up and down, jingling euphorically.
"Oh! I know, I know!" he said. "They're scared of you, Mayor!"
The grumpig paled and fixed one eye on the chingling. The hairs on the back of Socket's neck stood on end, but she clasped her paws before her and forced a smile which only seemed to chill the officer even more.
"Well," she said. "At least we know where their loyalties lie. Do continue."
The officer shifted in his seat and continued scrolling through the text Socket was making every effort not to read.
"Given… that… reasoning," he said, "we decided to run more thorough lie detector examinations. They met the same results as the ones given prior to the court case. Each plea he makes that he didn't hack, and that he doesn't even know how to, were shown to be true."
"So he's either a convincing liar or innocent," said Socket.
"I'd go with convincing liar," said Tweak. "We traced his number right back from the hacked systems."
"Someone could have stolen his phone," said the grumpig. "But it is very positive evidence. However, something else keeps coming up, which is partly why I've asked you to come here, Mayor."
Socket raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"He keeps mentioning a pokemon's name," he said. "Keeps saying he 'should never have trusted Surge'."
Socket's spine stiffened and she fixed the grumpig with a piercing glare. "Surge?"
"I know you've hired her," he said. "That's why I wanted to tell you. Given she's a mercenary and had been working for Tracer, word must have got back to this croagunk. I don't know what he means. Maybe he thinks she's falsely turned him in for revenge or something. I get the impression he either hired her himself, or worked for her. Or both. I dunno but gut feeling says she's got something to do with him being here."
"Have you quizzed him on this?" she asked.
"Yeh, we've tried," said the officer. "But it's hard to ask questions to such a hazy clue, Mayor. He said he's worried she traced hacking back to him. She's apparently a Jack of All Trades, but he doesn't know if she's a hacker or not. Apparently the work she did for him was… well… assassination."
"You're saying she killed someone? I've hired some murderer?"
"Well…" The grumpig reached under his desk and pulled out a fresh box of donuts. "I'm not… entirely-"
"Are you seriously going to eat those in my presence?" Socket hissed.
He froze, paw half inside the box. "I'm sorry, Mayor. When I'm stressed, I eat."
"Well wait! Now… do go on."
He gently closed the lid and sighed. "It's difficult to say, Mayor. The lie detector test for this particular interview tells us he's telling the truth, but covering something up. He wouldn't give the name of the pokemon he had assassinated. All he would tell us was it was a pirate. So, given your current law, not exactly murder given the pirate was turned in and the price was split forty-sixty, with Troll getting the short end of the deal. Apparently he'd had a bit of a dispute with the pirate, but again wouldn't go into details. So it depends if you consider a personal dispute against a pirate murder, or a genuine turn-in of the bounty."
She pursed her lips and tapped her claws along her arm. "That is something we can use against him to get to the bottom of this then… isn't it?"
"Blackmail?" the officer asked.
Tweak looked up at her with a start, almost dropping his pen.
"How much do you trust this Surge, Mayor?" the grumpig asked.
"I trusted her when I hired her," said Socket. "Although she did seem rather on edge. I could put that down to her merely being in my presence, but events have unfolded recently that have aroused my suspicion. There's been a crisis in Binary City where a magnezone and his fleet were attacked by a heat laser, but I wasn't sure if that was Hunter having obtained one, or if it were Surge since I gifted her one for the task of rounding up Wildcard Gamma. I was willing to push it aside until further evidence was obtained, but if Surge really isn't to be trusted… if she actually did hack into government files… who was she working for then? Curiosity? Or has Hunter got her wrapped around his paw?"
"So you think it might have been her?" the grumpig asked. "She's somehow traced the hacking back to Troll to cover her tracks?"
"There's only one way to find out," said Socket. "We have to trick the information out of him if he's not willing to give every teeny tiny detail."
"He might not know the fine details," said the grumpig. "If he's been framed, he's not going to know how, or when, or why. Is he?"
"I say we find out if his plea that he can't actually hack are really true, and leave that as our evidence," said Socket. "Give him a task where the stakes are high. Something that drives the most motive to actually try to successfully hack into a government file. One that it doesn't really matter if he sees."
"Like last year's air cleanliness records?" Tweak suggested.
"Exactly," said Socket. "For Meta City."
"And how do we drive him to do it?" the officer asked. "Reward him if he actually can? A cash reward?"
"No. That's not driving enough," said Socket. "He might merely shrug it off. A criminal can get his money another way, can't he? No. I say we raise the stakes. If he can hack, he gets a reduced prison sentence. Ten years taken off, there and then. And if he fails, he dies."
The grumpig dropped his donut box onto the floor, scattering sugar and sprinkles everywhere. Socket eyed the mess with malevolence and dug her claws into the soft flesh of her arm.
"But what if he actually can't hack?" the officer gasped. "If he's telling the truth, you'll be sending an innocent pokemon to his death!"
"The stakes are a lie," she said. "They're to drive him. And I'll be the one to give him the stakes because I sincerely doubt you could do it with a straight face. He'd see right through you."
He trembled in his seat, the motion making his soft flesh jiggle. "Very well. Then… what are the real stakes?"
"If he's telling the truth, he's excused. Any motive to have that unnamed space pirate assassinated will be written off and he'll be sent free. No ifs or buts. However, if he's lying and he truly is the hacker, he's to be put to death."
The grumpig nodded slowly. "Okay, Mayor. We can arrange this. Let's see, when can we run this test?"
He reached for his desk calendar, but Socket's voice froze him to the spot.
"Now."
"Now?" He snapped his head around to face her. "But Mayor, the room isn't even set up. The test isn't ready-"
"I said now," she said. "I'm done wasting my time here. Get Troll and bring him to the exam room. I'll have Tweak set up the files for hacking." She rounded on the chingling. "Make it difficult. I don't want any false results."
"Aye aye, Ma'am!" Tweak saluted and tossed his note book up to her.
She caught it instinctively and stared down at the illegible scrawl. With a sigh, she stuffed it into her purse and followed the officer and chingling from the room.
...
Several times Macro had almost dialed Surge. Several times he'd become too nervous and backed out. DL and Anchor sat watching in fascination while Matrix looked up from his game whenever Macro so much as twitched.
"I doubt she's going to dial you," said the ribombee. "You really need to get a wiggle on."
Macro let out a flustered sigh and stuffed his computer back into his pouch. "Forget it. I'll do it later. I'm too sore to put up with any of her tricks right now anyway."
"What tricks?" Matrix and Anchor asked in unison.
Macro waved a paw. "Nothing you need concern yourself over."
Anchor and Matrix exchanged glances.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Anchor asked.
"Maybe." Matrix looked back down at his computer. "I was picking up some vibes off her. Maybe I might be able to learn a thing or two."
"Seriously?" Anchor sat bolt upright. "Macro gets a girlfriend and you're picking up flirting vibes?"
Macro jolted in his seat and stared at the granbull slack-jawed. DL looked between each pokemon in turn.
"Oh." Matrix glanced up at Anchor. "Guess we weren't thinking the same thing. I just assumed she was a prankster and it's been a while since I last played a practical joke on one of you. I mean, you were both so easy it kinda got dull."
Macro groaned and ran a paw down his face. "She is not my girlfriend."
"Then what are you so nervous about?" Anchor asked.
"You haven't met her." Macro stood up and paced over to the door, faltered, then turned and walked back to his chair. "Man, I'm getting cabin fever being cooped up in this place. I just wanna get back to my ship."
"That might be able to be arranged." Jumper's voice froze him before he reached his seat.
They all turned to look at the door. The frogadier leant against the frame, a small smile playing at his lips.
"I was worried I'd missed you," he told Macro. "I went to your ward and when I saw you weren't there I assumed you were off somewhere trying to find that disk."
"I'm kinda planning it out," said Macro. "Just waitin' on Matrix to download me a map of every government building in this city."
"And I'm totally not doing that right now," said Matrix.
Macro fired him a glare but Jumper silenced him with a raised paw.
"You have no need for maps," said Jumper. "I actually need to talk to you. All of you. You see…" His eyes drifted to DL then went back to Macro. "I've had some of my officers round up as many bugs as they can find in the orchard. It's like watching the undead. There really is nothing left inside them, is there?"
"Nope," said Macro. "And I'm gonna hazard a guess that unlike DL their personalities aren't stored on disks somewhere."
"I'm inclined to agree with you," said Jumper. "But until we can get into Luma City and find out for certain how to rescue these poor pokemon, there's not much we can do for them. A lot of research will be put into memory removal and installation, but until then, every bug will be collected and confined in cells for the foreseeable future."
"All right, so you've got the bugs sorted. But what of the grass army and the twins?" Macro folded his arms and inclined his head on one side. "Has anyone even found their bodies? Will there be another attack? As far as I'm concerned, you've got your work cut out for you here, Gov."
"He's right." Anchor sipped at a glass of water. "That army put up a fight. If it weren't for Switch I don't think we would have won that battle."
Jumper looked over at the unconscious human and sighed. "Yes, I agree with you there too. That fight could have escalated into an even bigger disaster. Really, Wildcard, I honestly can't thank you enough."
Macro let out a small chuckle. "So. About them maps. You said I have no need for them, so what are you gonna do? Hand them to me as a thanks and let me run riot for a while? 'Cos I'm all up for a bit of fun."
"Not quite." Jumper fixed his eyes on his. "I might have to cut your fun short, Macro."
Macro kept his eyes on the frogadier's paw as he reached into his belt pouch. Macro's first thought was that he was reaching for a gun, but instead Jumper pulled out something tiny and black and held it out in his open paw.
"I know you were all up for searching for it," said Jumper. "But my guards aren't up for playing with you right now. I might as well cut your search short."
Macro's mouth went from a neat, stunned 'o' to a huge grin. He took the tiny disk in his claws and stared at it, half believing that at any moment he was going to wake up and it would just be a dream.
"You're just giving me this?" he asked.
"Yes, but I still don't think it's thanks enough." Jumper shrugged. "It feels more like I'm just doing the right thing. Seeing all those bug pokemon, while your friend DL here is on her way to recovery… who am I to stop her from making that recovery?"
"So you believe me?" Macro looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. "For all you know, I could be filling you with lies to acquire government secrets."
"That thought did cross my mind," said Jumper. "But I've met DL. While you were out, we had a little chat. She's told me everything, and your stories match up. Well… what she can recall, anyway."
Macro smirked and placed the disk in his belt pouch. "I think you're a little gullible, Gov."
"Perhaps. That makes my next offer a rather risky one." Jumper fastened his paws behind his back. "Given all you have done for us, I want to personally offer you sanctuary in Cyan City."
Macro let out a yell and Anchor dropped his glass, spilling water all over his lap. The vaporeon in the bed next to him almost leapt out from beneath the sheets. He fixed wide eyes on the occupants of the room and flopped back down onto his pillow. Anchor folded the sodden sheet over itself in an attempt to stop water spilling onto the floor.
"You serious?" he gasped.
Macro pointed at the frogadier. "You're gonna offer us space pirates sanctuary? In a government run city?"
"I agree it's a huge risk," said Jumper. "But I'm hardly going to turn away pokemon who helped us avoid destruction, am I?"
"And what's Socket going to say?"
"Socket doesn't need to know." Jumper's expression turned steely. "Given what she's done to DL, and what you are doing to help her, who do you think the good guys are in this situation?"
"Pirates ain't good guys," said Macro.
"That's in the eye of the beholder." Jumper fixed DL with a warm smile. "I think this one would be inclined to agree with me."
"So do I." The vaporeon's voice came out weak. "No pirate would have risked being turned in just to save one city. Especially not one they'd planned to invade."
Macro eyes flicked from Floppy back to Jumper. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead he fell back into his seat and looked over at Switch.
Jumper smiled and shrugged. "See? I'm sure many others will agree, too. And don't worry about your friend. My offer extends to him. He can safely recover here if you need to be on your way. I'll contact you when he's ready to be collected."
Macro let out a dry laugh and shook his head. "And you seriously don't think this offer is enough of a thank you…"
"I think you're nuts," said Anchor. "In a good way."
Jumper laughed and turned towards the door. "I'll leave you be. If I don't see you before you leave, have a safe journey. I'll be in touch, and remember. Don't be a stranger."
They watched the frogadier leave the room, then DL turned to Macro, her chocolate eyes sparkling.
"Is it weird that I want to cry?" she asked.
"Yes," said Matrix.
"Ignore him." Macro hugged his arms around himself and looked at the wall. "It's not weird at all."
"I don't think you're the only one." Anchor wiped his eyes on his bed sheet then offered it to the pachirisu. "Here."
A croaking laugh came from Floppy's bed. "You pirates are as soft as butter."
Macro snorted but didn't look back at him. "Then be glad you're not a bread roll."
"Ah, don't take offense." Floppy laughed again. "It's a good thing. Believe me."
...
Annie stared up at the huge pyukumuku ship. It looked a lot bigger than its framework had made it look. It stood proud in the back garden, fully fleshed out with an impact resistant shell and sporting what Trojan had assured her was 'state of the art weaponry'. Of course, she couldn't see it. It was inside the ship, rather than marring the pyukumuku's appearance with bulky, ugly turrets.
Trojan pushed a button in the hull of the ship and an oblong door clattered open, falling towards the ground like a draw bridge. Annie's eyes lit up, and a squeal of delight came from the fish bowl beside her.
"It's so awesome!" Zip cried as he skittered over to the drawbridge. "I can't wait to see inside!"
"Oi!" Trojan called at the goldeen's tail. "Don't you go splashing water everywhere now, you 'ear me?"
"Whoa!" Zip's voice came from the shadows. "It's so cool!"
Web wiped a tea towel over her brow and turned her eyes onto Annie. "Are you seriously going to fly off in that thing?"
"Of course." Annie placed a hand on her hip and grinned. "It's the perfect ship for a rebellion."
"I don't know…" Web wound the towel in her paws. "It looks less like a ship and more like a shipwreck waiting to happen. I fear it'll come down no sooner you get it into the sky. Where's its wings?"
"Pyukumuku don't have wings," said Trojan.
Annie looked at Web and nodded towards Trojan.
"Have you even test flown it yet?" Web asked.
"Nope. That's what we're gonna do now." Trojan turned to clamber into the ship.
"Really?" Web's brow knitted into a frown. "With a child on board?"
"Hey, he climbed on first," said Trojan.
"I want him off that ship," said Web. "I need to know it can actually stay in the air longer than five minutes before I allow him, or Annie, onto that thing."
"No can do," said Trojan. "As soon as this thing is in the air, it's stayin' there. It's not gonna be the easiest thing to land without a good mile to plan, at least."
Web's jaw dropped and she looked away. "I really don't like this."
Waveform strode from the house with a sack slung over his back. He gave Web's shoulder a squeeze then strode past her towards the ship.
"You too?" Web gasped.
"Yup." The decidueye paused by the drawbridge and tossed the sack inside to be swallowed up by the shadows. "I don't plan on staying around here a day longer."
Web's eyes narrowed into slits. "Why is this so important to you?"
Waveform met her look head on and shrugged. "You come with us, you'll find out."
Trojan watched the decidueye climb on board then looked back at Web, her questioning gaze now fixed on him.
"Don't look at me, I don't know either," he said. "I'm just glad there's another sane 'mon on board."
The scrafty mounted the drawbridge and vanished inside the pyukumuku. Annie looked back at Web and smiled.
"Well, it's been lovely," she said. "But I'm gonna have to go head this rebellion now. Put the kettle on, we'll be back by tea time."
"No we won't," said Trojan. "We're headed to Pulse City. It's a three day round trip, provided this thing can actually move faster than a real pyukumuku."
"Oh." Annie scratched her chin and looked up at the night sky. "All right then. Three days. I'll be needing that coffee."
Her heavy feet clattered over the hollow iron sheet that formed the drawbridge door. When she reached the inside, she looked around at the ship and let out a long whistle. The paneled wall had been given a brisk coat of paint, but graffiti still showed through in parts. That, coupled with the low lighting, gave it a somewhat grungy feel. Her entire body tingled with excitement. She gave one last look over her shoulder at the skuntank, still standing staring up at the ship.
"You sure you don't wanna see this?" Annie asked. "Last chance before we fly."
Waveform placed a wing on her shoulder and steered her away from the door.
"Come on," he said. "Web told me she won't step paw in Pulse City. She left that side of her past behind years ago."
"But we're not space pirates," said Annie. "We're rebels."
"They may as well be the same thing," said Web. "Besides. You lot won't survive five minutes in Pulse City. Especially not you, Waveform. You're a bounty hunter, and a famous one at that! They'll have your hide and turn your feathers into ink quills!"
Waveform sighed and opened his beak to speak, but Trojan appeared beside him and pointed a claw at the skuntank.
"Look!" he said. "You gonna come aboard this ship, or just stand there shoutin' at us until we take off? 'Cos if it's the latter, you're gonna wanna take several steps back. This thing uses thrusters to get into the air and I reckon it's gonna make a jackin' mess."
Web shook her head slowly and took three steps back. Annie caught a glare off her as the drawbridge rose, then she was hidden from view as the door clattered into place.
"All righty then." Trojan fell into a leather seat and struck something on the dashboard. "Let's get this party started, shall we?"
Lights flooded the ship and Annie raised a hand to her eyes with a squeal. As she blinked the dazzle spots away, she looked around at the spacious cockpit. It was like viewing it from a new angle. A brighter, yet still grungy, angle.
"I'd find yourselves seats if I were you," said Trojan.
Annie took the one beside the scrafty. Another leather chair. The other seats were rickety. Two plastic foldaway chairs screwed to the tinny floor. Zip found his spot in a heartbeat. Little supports had been fastened to the floor and they clamped over his mechanical feet firmly.
The engine flared to life, its roar filling the small space and shaking the entire ship so much the door rattled.
"Hey!" Web's voice cried over the din. "Hey! Open up, I want in!"
Annie and Trojan exchanged looks and the human rose to her feet. The drawbridge door fell back abruptly, eliciting a squeak from the skuntank. She quickly regained her composure and fixed Annie with a glare.
"Thank you," she said, pushing past Annie. "Quick, close it up before I change my mind again."
Annie shrugged and pulled the door closed, then returned to her seat. Web took the only free chair beside Waveform.
"What made you change your mind?" Trojan asked without looking up.
"Oh, just the thought that all of you might be slaughtered in Pulse City," she said. "You need someone with experience dealing with those sort of pokemon."
"You mean Space Pirates? I've been dealin' with one of those for years."
Trojan pulled the steering stick back and the ship lurched into the air, silencing Web's retort before it could leave her mouth.
Annie was thrust back into her seat, then left it as the ship fell back down again. Her stomach shot into her throat and she let out a loud cheer and threw her arms into the air. Another thrust sent them soaring higher into the sky.
"This is awesome!" she yelled over the engine. "Viva la rebellion!"
Zip cheered as well, waving his tiny fins.
The ship fell down again several feet before the thrusters blasted them back into the sky, higher and higher as the pyukumuku was raised over the rooftops.
Annie's laughter filled the cockpit, drawing a glare from Trojan and a worried glance from Web.
"Anyway." She stopped laughing as fast as she'd started and turned to address Web. "Glad to have you with us, Number Two."
"Number Two?" Web and Trojan asked at the same time, the latter with a snort.
"Yeh," said Annie. "Web's always been my number two."
"Really?" Trojan grumbled. "I thought if Waveform were your Number One, then second in command would be me."
The ship leveled out in the air, slowly rising up towards the clouds. Heavy clouds, black against the deep blue sky.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Annie. "You're my engineering officer."
"Oh." He shrugged. "All right then."
"Then what am I?" Zip asked. "His assistant?"
"Oh no, no." Annie twisted in her seat to face him. "You, little fish, are my Assistant in Rebellioness. I'm hoping I can count on you."
Zip cheered again. "You can count on me for anything!"
Web groaned and ran a paw over her face.
Waveform looked down at her. "Having second thoughts?"
She shook her head and sighed. "No. I actually think I've done the right thing. Someone needs to keep all of you in check."
...
Macro had refused to go back to his room. Instead, he remained sat in his chair while the doctor checked him over. With a nod, the croconaw sat back and jabbed something into his computer screen that the mawile couldn't see.
"You're all clear to go," he said. "Just take it easy for a while. Don't stress your leg too much."
Macro nodded and looked up at Anchor. The granbull sat on the edge of his bed, stretching his stiff limbs. More fur had been burned away than Macro had initially noticed. Bare patches mottled Anchor's chest and right leg, but they didn't look angry.
'Rich city medicine.'
Macro looked over at Switch, still lying unconscious. Was there really nothing they could do to bring him around before he went back to his ship?
Jumper kicked back from the wall and smiled at the space pirate. "I guess if you're ready to leave, then this is goodbye?"
Macro snorted but a smile spread across his lips. "Can't wait to get rid of me, eh Gov?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all," said Jumper, meeting his smile. "I actually hope you'll come back and visit. I'd love to see how young DL is getting along with her memories."
DL smiled and raised a paw to try and cover up the blush that dusted her cheeks.
"Well, if Switch is stayin' here then it's highly likely." Macro rose to his feet, ignoring the helping paw from the croconaw. "All right, crew. Let's beat it back to Wildcard Gamma."
Anchor dropped to his feet, flinching with the impact. A look of concern crossed the doctor's face, but it melted away when Anchor trudged past him to join Macro's side.
Matrix buzzed beside the mawile's head while staring at his computer. "The ship is parked above the hospital. I can get the ladder down to the roof if you want to exit that way?"
"Why?" Jumper inclined his head on one side. "You're not escaping, you're just leaving. You can use the street. No one's going to stop you."
"This is mighty alien, Cap'n," said Anchor quietly.
"Embrace it," said Macro. "Because I highly doubt this will happen again any time soon." A light went on in his mind and he absently pawed at the empty holster on his belt. "What about our weapons? Those things ain't cheap, yanno."
"I have that covered," said Jumper. "You can collect them at reception on your way out. They don't generally allow firearms in the wards."
Macro snorted and shrugged. "Ain't like Pulse City hospital, that's for certain."
Jumper ignored his remark and led them to the door. Macro paused beside it, his eyes drifting back to the unconscious human.
"We'll be back for you, Switch," he said. "I promise you that. We'll get you home. I never leave a job unfinished."
As the door closed, his mind drifted back to Lossy and his stomach tied itself in knots. No. He never left a job unfinished, but it wasn't often he failed at one either.
"Hey, Gov," he said. "Give Lossy our condolences won't you?"
"Of course, Macro," said Jumper.
"And if we hear anything about the twins… well, I've got your number."
Jumper chuckled. "I understand. I'll keep you updated."
A flood of relief spread through Macro's body and he kept pace beside Jumper until they reached the reception. Before Macro could remind the Governor, he retrieved a bag from beside the azumarill, almost collapsing under its weight.
"I think you'll find everything is in here." He dropped it at the space pirate's feet.
Anchor tugged it open and grinned, retrieving his gauntlets as though he'd not seen them in years. Once Macro's guns were back in place he let out a small, satisfied sigh.
"I don't really understand you space pirates," said Jumper. "But I trust you won't say anything of us dodging a weapon ban?"
"Nope," said Macro. "Ran plenty of errands for those dodging the ban. You now know who to call if you need any parts or upgrades. Right?"
Jumper chuckled, giving a shake of his head, and steered them towards the exit. Matrix was on the ball, drawing the neon ladder down above the hospital's doors.
Despite it being the crack of dawn, a small audience had gathered outside, their eyes on the sky as they stared at Wildcard Gamma in fascination. A group of children stood at the front, bouncing up and down as the ladder descended.
When Macro stepped outside, the audience broke into a cheer, and not the kind of cheer one hears when a bounty had been obtained. This one was genuine, happy, grateful cheering.
Macro stiffened and stared dumbfounded at the crowd.
"Okay," he said. "This is surreal. I'm going home."
He grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up a few rungs to allow Anchor and DL to join him. He gave one last look down at Jumper and smirked.
"Thanks for everything, Gov," he said.
"No. Thank you, Macro." Jumper returned his smile and saluted. The gesture almost sent the space pirate falling from the ladder. "See you again soon. I'll keep you updated on Switch's progress."
Macro let out a nervous laugh and turned his eyes onto the hulking wishiwashi. The ladder ascended and Matrix landed gracefully two rungs above him. Within no time flat, they were back on board Wildcard Gamma.
The door closed behind them, but unlike the rest of his crew he didn't look back down at the city. Not because he didn't want to, but because he knew full well if he did he'd want to go back.
With a sigh, he drew the disk from his belt. "Well, I guess we'd better get this installed in you, eh DL?"
DL shifted uneasily and slumped into the cockpit. Before Macro could reach it, Cookie poked his head out of the kitchen door.
"You're back!" His jovial smile fell and he looked at Anchor aghast. "What on earth happened down there?!"
"We'll fill you in later," said Macro. "It's a long story."
"Oh good. We haven't had a night time story in a while." Cookie waved his ladle. "I'll make extra helpings just for that!"
Macro waved the slurpuff off and joined his crew in the cockpit. Anchor leant back in his chair with a sigh.
"Oh, it's like putting on a second skin," he said. "Where too, Cap'n?"
"I dunno yet," said Macro. "I'm thinking Pulse City. Get some fuel, and maybe a burger at Moonlight Lounge."
He handed the disk to Matrix and sank into his seat, kicking his feet up on the dashboard.
Soft, fluffy clouds drifted by, painted orange from the rising sun. It wouldn't be long until Cyan City was far behind them.
"Whoa, Cap'n!" Anchor's cry drew Macro out of his reverie.
He followed the granbull's paw to something in the distance. Something squid-like flew away from them, its long tentacles pulsing back and forth behind it as it swam through the sky. It was nothing like Macro had ever seen.
"Think it's another of Socket's little victims?" Macro asked. "Something else to toy with since we took DL and her human away?"
"I dunno." Anchor scratched his head. "What do you suggest we do?"
Macro nibbled on a claw as he watched the creature drift further away from them. None of them knew what it was, yet none of them had ever seen a human before either. Of course, Switch had been disguised as a talonflame. What if this was another human trapped in the form of some unseen pokemon?
"I say we catch it," said Macro. "I ain't letting Socket have the satisfaction of catching some other innocent creature."
"We don't even know if she wants this thing," said Anchor. "I mean… there's no government fleet pursuing it."
"Catch it anyway." Macro shrugged. "There's every chance it wants to get back home like Switch does. Wherever home is. And what if she is trying to catch it? If we beat her again, then that'll just add to the fun."
"All right." Anchor pushed the steering stick forwards. "Let's catch the jellyfish thing."
Matrix looked up from his computer. One paw held the jack lead, but DL had rose to her feet to join Macro's side.
"It's so beautiful," she said. "Almost translucent. Look how the sun reflects off its body."
"Anything in your data banks about this thing?" Macro asked her.
She shook her head, but her eyes wouldn't leave the creature.
"Are you sure about this?" Matrix asked. "We don't know what that thing even is."
"If this has anything to do with Socket opening time and space," said Macro, "then it's probably a pokemon from another world."
"But what if that world is hostile?"
Macro ignored him, keeping his eyes on the strange pokemon. Wildcard Gamma gradually caught up with it, and the jaws of the ship opened wide to trap the creature. In seconds, the tentacled pokemon was safely in their cargo hold.
"All right." Macro slipped from his seat with DL in tow. "Let's go see if we can talk to it. Find out where it's come from."
Matrix watched him, winding his antenna around in his paw so tightly Macro worried he might pull it off.
"You two ain't goin' alone, Cap'n," said Anchor.
"I wasn't planning on it."
Macro paused by the door and looked back at the ribombee. His wings buzzed as he lifted himself off his seat.
"Matrix, you stay here with DL," said Macro. "I might need you in the cockpit."
Matrix shrugged and landed back in his seat with a plop. "Sure. I don't even wanna know what that thing is. It looks like something from a horror game."
Macro tutted then followed Anchor down the corridor towards the loot room. DL's soft footsteps followed after them and Macro looked back over his shoulder at her.
"I told you to stay with Matrix," he said.
She shook her head and slipped past him, catching up with the granbull. Macro muttered under his breath and plodded behind them until they reached the door. One scan of the mawile's paw opened it and he slipped in ahead of them. Before they could reach the next door, a loud crash came from beyond it and the entire ship shook. Macro's heart lurched into his throat and he flashed the next door open. Had the creature hurt itself? He raced down the stairs towards it. Another crash sent him rolling head over heels down the remaining steps until he landed in a heap at the metal door.
"Cap'n!"
Anchor dived down the stairs after him, but it was DL who appeared at his side first. She placed a warm paw on his shoulder and he looked up, meeting her eyes.
"I'm fine," Macro muttered.
She took his paw and pulled him to his feet. Anchor stared at the door, his paws balled into fists.
"I dunno what to think of this," he said. "Somethin' don't smell right."
Macro took a deep breath and reached for the door panel. "Well, I'm giving this thing the benefit of the doubt. It's probably terrified, and if it understands us then-"
The door slid open, revealing the vast cargo hold. The jellyfish creature swam in circles, but when it spotted them it froze in the air. Its tentacles drooped down beneath it, reminiscent of legs and arms.
Macro folded his arms and cocked his head to one side. "Not seen anythin' like you before."
A tinkly cry came from the creature, and it waved its tentacles in a fluid motion. Had it understood him?
"Are you a pokemon? Or a human?"
DL slipped past him, her eyes locked on the creature.
"Well, whatever you are," said Macro, "Socket can't hurt you here. So-"
A red glow emanated from the creature, reflecting from the walls of the cargo hold. Then like a flash it lurched towards them. Macro whipped DL behind him and span to the side, slamming his paw over the door panel. The door shut just before the creature reached them. It bounced off the metal with an almighty clang, leaving a huge dent protruding from the surface. Anchor's eyes widened and he looked from the damaged door to Macro.
Clang after clang came from within the cargo hold. Macro clutched the pachirisu to his chest and shouted into his ear piece.
"Matrix! It's hostile! Let it out and fire! Fire!"
The noise coming from the cargo hold was unbearable. His heart leapt with every crash and he screwed his eyes shut.
It seemed to go on for an eternity. Then it ended. The silence was almost deafening.
Macro looked up, his breath coming in heavy bursts.
"Did you hit it?" he asked Matrix.
The ribombee's voice resonated in his ear, "Nah. I missed."
"You missed?" Macro hissed.
"Hey, I might be able to use the controls in here, but I'm not a good shot."
"All them video games didn't teach you anything?" Macro sighed. "What's happened to the creature?"
"It got away."
Macro leant his head back against the wall and ran a paw over his face. The darn thing got away… Little claws dug into his chest and he opened his eyes again, meeting DL's frightened chocolate gaze. All his fear melted away to be replaced with a burning battle spirit.
"Where is it going?" he asked Matrix.
"Pulse City."
Macro's heart sank. He exchanged glances with Anchor and the granbull nodded.
"We'll beat it there, Cap'n." He trudged up the stairs, flinching slightly on his burned leg.
Pulse City… Macro groaned and rubbed at his scar. What had he got himself into? He cracked an eye open, fixing it on DL's terrified face. Her little nose twitched and she glanced away from him towards the damaged door.
His blood froze in his veins. Everything suddenly seemed a lot darker.
All this had started when he'd picked up that box. What would have happened if he'd left it? One thing was for certain. He'd be blissfully unaware.
But it was too late now. He was already in too deep.
She shifted again, feeling tiny under his paw. The scent of lavender wafted up from her fur, dusting away that dark cloud and stirring something else entirely deep inside his stomach. He couldn't be doing with this. It frightened him. The wild emotions the pachirisu caused him were a cocktail of confusion.
His muzzle creased and he shoved her aside, marching up the steps towards the cockpit. He only paused to let her out of the loot room so he could make sure it locked behind her.
Once he reached the cockpit, he fell into his seat with a heavy sigh.
"Sorry," said Matrix flatly. "Don't ask me to fire the guns again."
"Don't worry, I won't." Macro turned his head to look at him. "Hurry up and get that disk installed on DL."
"But…" DL stuttered and faltered in the doorway. "But I told you I don't want it."
"You're having it!" he snapped. "The deal was we'd get your memories and in return you'd work for me. So you can stick to our deal and take them, and be flippin' happy about it, all right?! Besides, the sooner you get them all back the sooner you're done."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"Wasn't it clear enough?" He turned away from her and leant back in his seat. "Once all this is over, I want you gone."
Macro could feel Anchor's eyes burning into the side of his head.
"Where's this come from, Cap'n?"
The granbull's voice was quiet, but Macro was fairly certain the entire cockpit heard it. Nevertheless, he didn't answer. He closed his eyes and tucked his paws behind his head.
"Fine." DL's voice wavered. "I'll take my memories and then I'll leave, if that's what you want."
Macro shrugged, but somehow her words stabbed him. It wasn't her fault. None of this was her fault.
He cracked one eye open and caught her reflection in the window as she sat at Matrix's feet. The ribombee plugged the jack in place and Macro let his eyes close again. Why was it so hard to apologize?
"This one looks rather big," said Matrix. "It might take a while."
No… it wasn't fair. She said she didn't want it, so why was he forcing it on her?
Macro licked his lips and ventured a glance back at them. But before he could say anything, DL's entire body stiffened. The antenna behind her ear flashed erratically and her eyes turned lifeless. Then her mouth flapped open and closed at an alarming rate, throwing out a stream of nonsense.
Matrix dropped his computer and buzzed into the air, hovering as he wound an antenna round in his paw. His eyes traced over the pachirisu then he looked back at Macro.
Macro leapt over the back of his seat and dived to catch DL as she fell backwards onto the floor. Anchor rose to his feet, looking at each pokemon in turn.
"What's happening?" Macro barked at Matrix.
Matrix looked from him to DL. "I… I don't know." He swooped from the air to snatch up his computer and his eyes widened. "It's frozen."
Macro stared up at him, his mouth hanging open. DL's incomprehensible babble filled the cockpit, driving his anxiety sky high. He wasn't a computer whizz like Matrix, but there was one thing he knew about computers… if they froze, they needed a reboot.
He grit his teeth together and reached behind DL's head, flicking her switch into the off position. Her body went limp in his arms, but in the silence that followed he could hear his own heart beating. Racing at a mile a minute. He took a deep breath and switched her back on.
But she just lay there. Lifeless.
...
Please R&R! =D