Part Two - Rifts in Time and Space

Chapter Twelve

The sun's rays lit up the sky of Spool City, highlighting the smog a nauseating yellow. The gentle rays warmed Tracer's ears and tail and made him sweat under his trench coat. Widget plodded along beside him, humming a muffled tune beneath his mask. Their journey from Proxy Prison had been somewhat uneventful, only drawing a minor conflict from a group of nidoran and nidorino. A quick blast from his stick had put an end to that no sooner had it started.

He checked the time on his pocket computer, which clouded over with a fine mist. Ten thirty am and a message off Defrag asking what he wanted for breakfast.

Widget came to an abrupt stop and cocked his left ear. Tracer followed his glance to the opposite side of the street. One of the alleyway doors was open and a small pokemon shuffled about behind the trash cans. Or a small group. It was impossible to see. Whatever it was managed to lift an adult skuntank and toss him or her into a skip. A few seconds later, the door slammed shut, leaving the motionless pokemon behind.

"Another one?" Widget asked.

Tracer strolled over to the skip, keeping one ear on the door. The skuntank was well and truly dead and had an awful smell about it - although skuntank often had an awful smell. The massive skunk's tail was no longer curled over his head in typical skuntank fashion but instead lay draping over the edge of the beaten skip. His mouth was wide open, near impossible to close around all the tumours that lined his gums and tongue.

The delphox reached inside and pulled him out, letting his heavy body fall over his shoulders. Widget visibly grimaced as he glanced up into the skunk pokemon's gaping jaws.

"This is getting ridiculous now," he said. "They know this air can kill them so why do they refuse to wear masks?"

"Not all poison types are stubborn, some just can't afford them." Tracer stumbled out of the alley and followed the road towards his office. "Call Central Meta and tell them to send an ambulance."

"Bit late for that." Widget pressed a paw to his ear piece and his optical display flew into place over his right eye.

"We can't just leave him in a trash can though can we?" Tracer sighed and shook his head. "He's still a pokemon, criminal or not."

"Okay, I get - Yo! Is that Central Meta Hospital?" Widget skipped on ahead of him, his long tail bobbing behind. "Yeah, it's Tracer PI's Agency. We've found another body."

Tracer could almost see the frown on the receptionist's face, and not just at Widget's lack of a telephone manner. The eevee's voice became a drone as Tracer looked over at the passing buildings. Small faces peered out at him, mostly stunky and scraggy, all wearing a mix of concern and anger. Bodies turning up like this were becoming more and more frequent and the outskirts' attitude was beginning to reflect it. Very few of the pokemon living in the slums could afford a half-decent funeral.

Widget looked back over his shoulder, his eyes sparkling. "Said they'll be at our office in a few minutes, so we better make it snappy. They said to leave him outside and they'll dispose of him safely."

So that meant incineration. At least he wouldn't be left to fester in some skip. Tracer adjusted the skunktank over his shoulders and followed Widget along the empty road. His office wasn't far. Just another turn and it was on his right, sat beside a club that at the present time was closed. His eyes fell on a slogan painted over the worn door of his office and he let out a groan.

'Shove off shamus'.

He'd have loved to think the most unnerving thing about it was the missing comma.

The skuntank's body slipped to the floor and he situated him against the wall out of the way. He looked up and down the street for any sign of an ambulance or disposal truck then ducked into his office as quickly as he could. Cool air blew over him, pushing the smog back outside, and he closed the door and removed his mask. Widget practically shook his off and sent it flying across the room to strike the filing cabinet.

Defrag looked back at them over her shoulder and her nose creased into a frown.

"I took the privilege of fixing this room's filter," she said. "I don't know about you, but I was getting rather tired of breathing that air."

Tracer fired a glance at the humming mechanical monstrosity above the window and dropped into his seat at his computer.

"Dare I ask how much it cost?" he asked.

The lopunny shrugged. "Nothing. I hit it a few times and it started working."

Widget burst out laughing and struck his desk with his paw. "That's genius! I love it!"

"It's temporary," said Defrag. "We should really look at getting it repaired properly. And maybe install an air lock?"

"It'll cost a pretty credit to get someone from the metropolis to look at it," said Tracer. "As for an air lock, don't you think we get enough hate?"

"Well unlike you two I am neither immune, or too old to care."

Tracer looked at her with a start. "I am not old! I'm forty two!"

"Older than me..."

Widget slumped onto his desk in laughter.

"Besides, Widget is not proven immune to the toxic air," said Tracer. "And until we know for certain, he will continue to wear a mask."

The eevee snorted and leant his nose on his forelegs. "Spoil sport."

Tracer fired up his computer then lit up a cigar, puffing smoke into the air which was sucked up by the noisy air filter.

"Did I see you carrying a skuntank?" Defrag asked.

"Yeh. There's been another death." He flicked ash into his ashtray and brought up the outskirts news site. "We're gonna need to be extra vigilant in case the poison types try to rebel again. It's hard enough to contain that to the outskirts as it is, and it will be even more difficult without Surge's help."

"Surge? Has she left us?"

"For now. Socket snatched her up." He leant back in his seat and stifled a sigh. "I've no idea why."

"Pirate hunting, I assume?" said Defrag. "Hunter's been a menace lately and I guess she wants him caught before the entire of System scrambles for his price tag."

"It'd be a short-lived scramble."

"If it gets much higher, there'll surely be casualties? Pokemon will do anything for a quick credit."

Tracer shrugged and scrolled through the news. A soft shuffle outside drew his attention to the window, and he caught the flashing red and blue lights of a medical truck. No siren. Nothing to draw attention to its presence except those lights, and he was fairly certain they only flashed to let him know they'd been.

Like every other 'meaningless event' inside the outskirts, this would be another death swept under the rug. He wouldn't be surprised if soldiers outside Meta City were increased to keep the ruffians out, and that would swiftly be disguised as crowd control by another major event like a battle tournament or a concert.

He blew out a stream of smoke and turned back to his computer screen. The outskirts news website was an underground site that had very little recognition outside the metropolis. It would take all three of them to control any leak of this news to the major sites, confining it only to the underground. They'd take the entire website down if need be, and it wouldn't be for the first time.

...

Macro leant on the dashboard between Anchor and DL, his brows knit together as he looked at the destinations containing the remaining four memory disks. Scanner City had been ticked off, and was certainly one of the most imposing on the list. No where near as imposing as Meta City, however. That disk was unfortunately held inside Socket's own mansion, and several times he'd mulled over whether or not it was worth just getting it out of the way.

The other areas were Binary City, Cyan City, Botnet City and some place called The Cache. All clean, not a single area toxic. Typical locations for government facilities. Well... one would expect, whatever The Cache was. Add in the fact there were five disks and one had already been retrieved, the list of five remaining locations led him to believe one was a red herring.

"I really can't make up my mind," said Macro.

"I'd suggest Botnet or Binary," said Anchor. "Both are a similar distance from us."

"But Meta is much closer."

"Eh. I don't know about you, but I'd rather save that until last."

"Snap," said Matrix.

"I don't understand why you are doing this," said DL. "Why are these memory disks so important?"

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?" Macro asked.

"Oh I did. It was lovely."

"Then that's why this is important."

DL scratched behind one of her blue ears. "But... what does me enjoying my breakfast have to do with anything? Everyone needs to eat, even living computers."

"Given your roasting of Cookie the other day over only baking sweets," said Macro, "I'd say your drastic change in attitude is evidence enough that these disks actually work."

"Oh... you're correct." She paused and stroked her chin with a claw. "Should I destroy this detrimental data?"

"No!" Anchor and Macro both span to face her.

She took a small step back and clasped her paws together. "Understood. Keeping new files."

"Good grief." Macro rubbed his temples and leant forward on his elbows. "At this rate, she'll end up damaging all our hard work."

"We still have the disk," said Matrix. "If she erases it, then I'll just put it back."

"You can do that?" Macro asked. "You didn't just move the data?"

"I copied it. Takes less time." Matrix wound a paw in his antennae and eyed the pachirisu cautiously. "I guess my laziness paid off, huh?"

Macro licked his lips and looked from the ribombee to DL and then back to his list.

"Well," he said. "I'm not sure if duplicating the data then destroying the disks afterward counts as murder or not... since the original pokemon would have been restored?"

Anchor scratched his mohawk and grunted. "I'm not sure 'bout that either."

"I suppose we can deal with it when the time comes." Macro eyed the city names once more and slammed his paw on the dashboard. "Let's start with Binary City. It's an entertainment district. How hostile can that be?"

"Electric types," said Anchor. "Eh. I guess my gauntlets won't be much use there then, hey?"

"No. We'll only have my ground laser to hand, and that's not great for inner city combat. So let's hope they're not too hostile."

Anchor rolled his eyes in a way that told Macro he knew he'd just fire it off anyway. The mawile huffed and shoved his computer back into his pouch.

"Set co-ordinates for Binary," he told Matrix. "We'll make a start as soon as it gets dark."

"In an entertainment district?" Anchor sniffed. "All right..."

"What? You think we should do it during the daytime?" Macro asked. "The government facility will be teaming with pokemon!"

"And so will the streets at night. And at the moment, if you don't sport the same type that's rampant in those cities, you're gonna get looked at funny. Or worse! And you," he poked Macro in the chest, "have a price on your head."

The mawile shoved his claw aside and frowned. "I know that! But I'd rather deal with civilians than Socket's goons!"

Anchor shrugged and leant back in his seat. "It's your choice. But this is System Ground. I know the reward applies everywhere except Pulse City now, but you've not been safe down there for years. They'll be scrambling just to get at your neck."

Macro snorted and twirled his laser around in his paw. "Let them try."

"Excuse me," said DL. "But this does not sound safe. I suggest you come up with a better solution."

"What? Have them mail the disk to me?"

"If it will make things easier."

Macro mentally smacked his head on the dashboard. "Look. This is the best way to retrieve that disk. So we're going to infiltrate the facility in Binary City at night time when there are less soldiers manning the building!"

"In before Socket raises night time security," said Matrix.

Macro closed his eyes and shrugged. "She wouldn't do that. She'd have to pay out more wages. And she's no idea when or where we're going to strike next."

"All right." Anchor adjusted himself in his seat and tugged the steering stick, turning the ship almost a full one-eighty. "Night time raid on Binary City it is."

Wildcard Gamma chugged through the sky and Macro kicked his feet up on the dashboard, watching the fluffy clouds roll by below them. Far on the horizon, he could make out the edge of one of the tri-cities, but which one it was he couldn't say. He was fairly certain it wasn't Cyan City, since that was well off their radar. That just left Magenta or Luma.

DL shifted beside him and a flicker of blue light drew his attention. The antennae behind her right ear flickered erratically and she fixed a blank stare on the far window.

"Obtaining information from the BackDoor network," she said.

Macro raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"TimeSkip has awakened." She placed a paw on the back of his seat. "Updating."

The pachirisu's grip slackened on his seat as her pupils dilated and he had to grab hold of her wrist to stop her from slumping to the floor. Her antennae flickered blue and a tiny orange light lit up in the center. He looked up at his crew mates who watched the pachirisu with concern and, in Matrix's case, fascination.

"Updating?" Macro gasped.

"Yeh..." said Matrix. "I didn't know she could do that."

"Neither did I! What does that mean?"

"I think," said Anchor as he scratched his head, "that it means we have a direct connection to whatever this BackDoor nonsense is."

"My urge to snoop is tingling," said Matrix.

"We're not snooping!" Macro tugged on her arm, pulling her up so she was leaning on his chair. "Whatever BackDoor is, it's just further evidence that Socket is a psycho."

His heart lurched into his chest and he warred with the urge to just let DL collapse to the floor. Somehow he'd forgotten she was linked to some unheard-of network that solely existed to tear holes in time and space. His knowledge of it still felt like a dream and the eeriness was dragging him back in to that living nightmare.

DL straightened and let her paw relax over the back of his chair. "Update complete. TimeSkip connection installed."

The three space pirates eyed her cautiously and Macro cleared his throat and looked back out of the window. He had no desire to learn what TimeSkip was and he desperately wanted to forget the whole thing had even happened. He placed a paw to his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Cap'n?" Anchor's brow furrowed. "You all right?"

"I'm fine." Macro's voice came out embarrassingly shaky. He cleared his throat and kicked his feet back up onto the dashboard. "Just keep flying."

...

Socket stood beside the sparksurfer raichu scientist, eyeing the green onion-like android curiously. It looked like it was merely sleeping, its large head lolling against its chest. A pair of bug-like wings that looked much too small to carry it sprouted from its back, almost matching the long antennae above a pair of large eyes. Was it a bug, plant or mammal? She couldn't even begin to explain it. All she knew was it was a mere android that bore the same abilities as the extinct pokemon it was meant to represent.

"Are you sure this is what a celebi looked like?" she asked the raichu.

Yobi looked up from his personal computer long enough to give her a reassuring nod. "We scoured several text books and fossil records. I can tell you for certain we're on point."

"It just doesn't look like the colourful character from my childhood picture books," she said.

"Picture books tend to make caricatures of extinct specimens, Madam Mayor. I can assure you this is the closest you're gonna get to an actual representation of a celebi without resurrecting one from a fossil."

"Is that possible?"

"Maybe one day."

He pushed a paw into the touch screen's display of a green button and the small bug-like onion mammal lifted its large head. A pair of glassy black eyes flickered open and fixed emotionlessly on the two pokemon.

"Does it speak?" Socket asked.

"Nah. No vocal chords. It's only way of communication is via code through the network." Yobi brought up a detailed map of System Sky on his computer. "Unlike BackDoor, who has turned out to be rather chatty, this one will merely send co-ordinates to the time pockets it's intended to seek out. Then BackDoor will join it and tear them open."

"I thought celebi could travel through time themselves. Why does it need BackDoor to do its job?"

"Celebi could, allegedly. But we can't emulate that." The look on the raichu's chubby face told her he wanted to add something else that may have resulted in him being tossed telekinetically across the room. "This should work. We'll have a bigger chance of scouring deeper into time pockets with TimeSkip's help."

The gothitelle scratched her nose as she stared down at the odd little android. A time traveler that couldn't time travel. It seemed a little pointless. She let out a sigh and moved her paw to her hip as she shifted her weight onto one foot.

"All right. Wire it up to the network and send it out there," she said. "We'll see exactly what this 'TimeSkip' can do."

The warning note in her voice made the raichu's spine stiffen and he instinctively hopped up onto his tail to hover above the ground. His yellow cheeks turned a deep crimson and he masked his embarrassment behind his computer as he punched in a complicated code Socket couldn't even be bothered to try to understand.

"Give it a few minutes," he said. "I'm just connecting it now."

The blinking antennae behind the celebi's right antennae flickered blue and orange and the android became even more still than it was previously. Socket watched boredly as its large pupils moved forward like a telescope. Then they snapped back and the celebi rose into the air on its tiny wings, buzzing with all the ferocity of a yanmega. It turned and zipped towards the window.

Yobi let out a yelp and beat the android to it, throwing it wide open. The celebi soared past him, making a sharp turn towards the sky. Yobi pressed his back against the wall and slid down it, his chest rising and falling like a pair of bellows.

"Quick thinking," said Socket. "If that thing had smashed my window, I was going to dock your pay."

The raichu met her eyes and a flash of panic lit up behind them. She tucked her paws behind her back and strolled from the room. It was about time for a cup of chesto coffee.