Once her feet touched the snow, Breccia beheld miles of endless, flat terrain. In the distance, she saw the ocean, the surface a soft plane of glass broken by a lone Milotic and school of Feebas jumping around her. Spheals lounged in clusters while Wingulls glided on the breeze, Occasionally, they would land on the backside of a cranky Dewgong and be rushed off with a chomp.

"Set the control panel near the truck." Caleb tugged a stocking cap over his ears. "The generator should keep things running, I want everyone to stay back here. Lars, grab the control. The subjects tend to be temperamental." The said subjects in question were a group of Piloswine, gigantic mammoths with ivory tusks sharp enough to slice anyone clean through.

"I'm surprised the electric fence kept them in place." Nessa said, twisting a knob on the panel and sending a thumbs up to her brother. "Wouldn't have done a thing if they thought to cross it."

"You sure this is safe?" Breccia was answered by Morice.

"The first tests turned out fine. Riker wanted to send more men but we're stretched thin enough as is."

Caleb approached the Pokemon with Lars at a safe distance behind. From across the tundra, both men were indistinguishable. Caleb's elongated, slender frame stood a few inches taller. Otherwise they appeared the same in their matching lab coats.

"I have a bad feeling about all of this." Morice said. "The ice around here is thin enough."

"Give us an hour and we'll head back." Vanessa, clearly use to her friend's complaints, sat on the tailgate with nary a care to give. "Then you can go to the Float and drown in a keg."

"Don't promise me a good time. I have a full shift after this." Contrary to Nessa's assurance, Morice's disposition was confirmed when an hour passed with little word.

Then another hour passed.

Then another.

The monotony of watching Pokemon run rounds like the gears on an oiled cog was lost on Breccia. She was far to intrigued by the complexities of Lars' invention.

"I have an apartment near headquarters." While her friend was lost in past thoughts, Vanessa was busy organizing living arrangements. "I don't think Caleb will care. He spends most of his time in the lab."

Unknowing, Caleb was in the middle of directing a few of their test subjects to the west side of the fence when an unfriendly Mamoswine snorted. "We have a problem." He detached his walkie from his waist and called to Morice. "Turn the volt to 21. Just a small jolt, I don't want to hurt it." The order was followed. "Anytime Morice..."

"I did." When Morice reached to fiddle with the knobs, he received no reaction. "The damn thing isn't responding." The angered creature snorted once more, going back on its hind legs. "You guys need to get out of there!"

With the machine out of commission, the other Pokemon were no longer under control and grew agitated.

"Caleb!" The last Vanessa saw of her brother was him trying to outrun the stampede. Lars was able to roll under an embankment.

Caleb wasn't as lucky. He disappeared under the Piloswine's feet as the wall of enraged subjects stormed towards the van.

Morice took Nessa's arm in a vain attempt to flea.

Aware they wouldn't make it, Breccia made a split second decision. Grabbing her friend's Pokeball, she pressed the button and sent it flying.

Koffing didn't need instruction and did exactly what Breccia had hoped. Illuminating a faint white light, he blew out a cavern beneath the thin ice. The three of them were cast underground with a landslide of rocks and ice following.