Chapter Forty Six

The blaring siren wailed through Wildcard Gamma, slicing through the silence like a machete. Macro scrambled over the controls on the dashboard, first turning off the ship's headlights. But doing that meant they could no longer see the porygon z. Muttering under his breath, he flicked the lights back on and resigned himself to dimming them.

When he looked back up at the robotic army, his heart almost stopped. They'd gathered themselves together, forming a formidable angry wall. All eyes were on the ship. Hundreds of eyes. Their legs rotated back and forth, causing them to rock, but their eyes never left Wildcard Gamma. If Macro didn't know any better, he'd say they were looking right at him.

"What's with the racket?" Anchor's voice startled Macro so much he squeaked. "Sorry, Cap'n."

The granbull fell into his seat and yawned, his jaw popping loudly. Usually it would have made Macro grimace, but right now he had bigger things to worry about.

"We've run into some trouble," he told Anchor. "Got a load of porygon z blocking our path."

"A load of what?" Anchor's mouth was open but it was Matrix who'd spoken.

Macro looked over his shoulder to see the ribombee at his desk, winding his antenna in one paw while the other scrolled over the navigation screen. He didn't even bother to look up at Macro.

"Porygon z," Macro repeated. "At least that's what they look like. We're not all that close."

Anchor leant over the dashboard to squint at the mass of robots. They were a lot closer to the ship now than before Macro set off the alarm. Clearer, almost unmistakable if his memory served. But a second opinion might clear away any doubts he had.

"Certainly look like them from photos I've seen," said Anchor.

Macro rolled his eyes and fell back into his seat with a groan. "Do you think this has anything to do with BackDoor?"

"I dunno. Might just be a new government fleet design." Anchor shrugged. "What do you suggest we do about it?"

"Those co-ordinates are leading us right through it," said Matrix. "We could always dodge them?"

"Do that," said Macro. "They're giving me the creeps."

Anchor mumbled his acknowledgement and steered the ship sharply to the left. Macro watched the porygon z drift out of Wildcard Gamma's field and a grin spread across his face. It was that easy. All they had to do was-

One by one the porygon z shot through the sky, then slowed as they kept pace with the ship's movements. All eyes still on them. Bodies rocking back and forth.

Macro's grin fell into a distressed frown. "You're kidding me?"

Anchor let his paw fall from the steering stick and turned to face his captain. "I can fire at them if you'd like?"

"What if they fire back?" Matrix asked. "There are way more of them than there are of us."

Macro nibbled on a claw as he stared out at the imposing army. Fire... it was such a simple solution, but what if they could attack back?

A white paw appeared on the arm of his chair and he looked down at DL as she stared out of the window. She wasn't wearing her scarf or her belt.

"That's Zero Day," she said.

Macro dropped his paw into his lap. "What?"

"Zero Day," she said. "They're part of the BackDoor network."

He looked from her to the porygon z. So they were part of BackDoor. They weren't government ships. Somehow that made them even more terrifying.

"Do you know what they do exactly?" Macro asked.

DL's eyes went distant as she searched her recently unlocked database. "They're made to search for pockets in time and space. Their main goal is to find a suitable world where Socket can build a new System, but they're not able to open them. That's BackDoor's job."

"And BackDoor is...?" Macro nodded to the fleet.

DL shook her head. "BackDoor is one single entity, but its identity is unknown. They've kept it out of the database." She looked back out at the porygon z and swallowed audibly. "Zero Day is meant to be spread out across System Sky, not grouped together like this. I'm not sure what's going on."

If DL thought their behavior was strange then something was definitely amiss. Macro's mouth turned dry and his claw found its way back to his mouth.

"Can these things attack us?" he asked.

"Yes," said DL. "All androids are equipped with their own self defense mechanisms, except for TimeSkip. TimeSkip had only one job to fulfill, and was made with haste. But BackDoor and Zero Day are all able to attack."

"And what attack does Zero Day use?"

"They're equipped with the facilities to emulate 'tri attack'."

Macro closed his eyes and sank even further into his seat. "We're all gonna die."

"Don't be a martyr, Cap'n!" Anchor rammed his paw into the dashboard, startling Macro out of his rain cloud. "We can get through this, we just need a plan!"

A plan...

Macro sat up straight again, keeping his claw fastened between his teeth. Zero Day was still ahead of them, spread out like a barrier. All eyes locked on Wildcard Gamma. If the ship got any closer, they'd inevitably attack. He needed to work out their range and stay out of it. Hopefully the schooling cannons could reach further than Zero Day's tri attack.

"Attack them," said Macro. "Engage schooling."

"Roger," said Anchor.

The cannons whirred into place, the familiar sound settling Macro's nerves. Bubbles spiralled out ahead of them towards the porygon z. Their heads snapped towards the bubbles, rotating back and forth as they tried to organize themselves. Then they fired. Bubbles exploded several feet from the porgyon z. Every single bubble, picked off by each individual android. When they got within range, they were detonated, the impact blowing the fleet back slightly. But no sooner had they been blown back, they sped back into formation and picked off the next threat. The cannons settled down, and once the last bubble had been dealt with, all lifeless eyes snapped back towards Wildcard Gamma.

Macro silently gnawed on his claw as he stared back at Zero Day, his mind playing back their strategy.

"Well, that was fairly pointless," said Anchor.

"No it wasn't." Macro lowered his paw. "They could only target the bombs that were close enough. I'd say they have a range of about sixteen feet."

Anchor turned his head to look at him. "That's not much different than our range."

"No." Macro returned to his gnawing. "We're gonna have to be sly about this. Try to reel back after we've fired."

"Zero Day aren't all that intelligent," said DL, "but they are equipped with basic battle strategies. I wouldn't underestimate them."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Macro asked her.

DL tapped her claws on his arm rest as her eyes went distant once more. Then she shook her head.

"I have no idea," she said. "You've got more experience with aerial combat than I have."

Macro scratched beneath his goggles and sighed. "My idea is get close enough, fire, then double back. Anyone have any better ideas?"

Mumbles filled the cockpit and the rest of his crew shook their heads.

"So... we're goin' with my idea?" Macro turned back to the window and sighed. "All right. Make sure our shields are up and advance."

Wildcard Gamma slowly drew closer to Zero Day. With each foot covered, the porygon z grew more and more agitated, their limbs flailing and eyes spinning. DL clambered up into Macro's seat and he shuffled aside for her as she settled into place and fastened the seatbelt over them both. It was a good idea. With the imminent barrage of attacks they were about to receive, he was taking no chances.

Zero Day grew larger and more imposing. Macro could see the fine details of their eyes. Tiny pupils contracted into pin pricks in an ocean of yellow and orange rings. Their heads bobbed back and forth, independent from their bodies. Even their limbs weren't attached, spread out around their bodies and held in place by some invisible force.

A small number of them broke away from the group and their eyes flashed, sending out a tri-coloured beam of light.

"Fire!" Macro barked.

The turrets whirred and clanked noisily, and another spiral beam of bubbles fired out at a rapid pace towards Zero Day. Two of the bombs met their attacks, but the remaining beams struck the ship with such force Macro fell sideways into DL.

He mumbled an apology and pushed himself back up, catching her unconsciously smooth out her fur. A distressed look spread across her face and he followed her gaze back to the window.

Zero Day had separated into three groups in a bid to dodge the exploding bubbles. The remaining bombs exploded, catching the stragglers and blowing them back. Several of the porygon z fell from the air, plummeting down towards the ocean.

"Well, we took some of them out," said Anchor.

Macro barely processed his words as he watched the three groups Zero Day had formed zip away from each other. Two of them drifted around either side of the ship, their eyes locked on it, while the third group bobbed backwards through the darkness.

"I think they're taking evasive manoeuvres." Matrix wound his antenna loosely around his paw as he watched the events unfold. "I'd brace ourselves for-"

The ribombee flew from his seat as Wildcard Gamma shook violently. Zero Day launched a barrage of attacks at either side of the ship, chipping away at its precious shield.

"Move it!" Macro roared, diving across the dashboard for the steering stick.

Anchor swatted him away like a flea and the mawile crumpled to the floor.

"Sorry, Cap'n," Anchor said flatly. "But if you take over, we're dead."

Macro rubbed his head, feeling a slight bump from his collision with the floor. Muttering under his breath, he returned to his seat. A look of pity washed over DL's face and she watched him out of the corner of his eye as he tried to slide back under the seat belt.

Anchor steered Wildcard Gamma up and away from Zero Day. Macro was forced back into his seat as the schooling wishiwashi rose higher into the sky, then it turned on a pivot to nose dive back towards Zero Day. Bubbles flew ahead of it, exploding as they struck the third porygon group. More of the deranged androids fell towards the ocean while the group split into two and went off in opposite directions. Something appeared before the ship. Black and uninviting.

Macro's stomach flipped nauseatingly. "Back away, Anchor! That's one of them porthole things!"

Anchor threw himself back into his seat, steering Wildcard Gamma back up and away from the porthole.

"That's not right!" DL gasped. "Zero Day aren't meant to be able to open pockets like that!"

Macro snapped his head around to face her. His mouth opened, but he couldn't find words.

"That's BackDoor's job," said DL, answering his unasked question. "Zero Day are only meant to find them. How have they... when...?"

Vibrations rocked the ship and Zero Day zipped ahead of them on either side, their tri-coloured lasers streaming from their faces reminiscent of a dazzling light display.

Bubbles met lasers. Lasers met bubbles. It was a constant back and forth as Wildcard Gamma struggled to get through the onslaught.

Porygon z after porygon z fell towards the ocean, but the ones they'd taken down were replaced just as quickly as more flew in from the separated groups. Tri-attacks hit the ship's tail, spinning it almost ninety degrees. Bubbles flew around it, not firing out far enough and catching the ship in the blast's aftermath.

Macro grit his teeth together and dragged his claws down his face. "We're gonna have to bail!"

"We're not gonna have to bail!" Anchor roared. "Just calm your mudbrays and let's think of another plan!"

"My 'other plan' is to bail!" Macro snapped. "We're getting our tails whupped!"

Anchor's muzzle creased, revealing one of his canines, but he said nothing. Wildcard Gamma twisted out of the way of one of the porygon's next attacks and found itself receiving another tri-attack right to the nose. Macro flinched back from it, the light dazzling his vision. When he opened his eyes, a fine crack had spread across the glass like a cobweb.

For the first time in many years, Macro actually felt overwhelmed. He wanted to run. Grab the neon ladder and drop towards the ocean. He'd worry about what to do next once he was there.

"I can hear them."

He snapped his head around towards DL. Her chocolate eyes were wide and frantic, almost crazed.

"What?" he gasped. His heart was racing, and he looked between her and Zero Day.

"I can hear them," she said. "So many voices. They're terrified. They want us to leave."

"Terrified?" Anchor snorted and cast her a sideways glance before setting off another stream of explosives. "They're robots!"

"Well they're terrified!" she snapped. "I can hear them, and I can't stand it!"

"What are they saying?" Macro asked.

"It's hard to make out," she explained. "But they're treating you like a computer virus and trying to eradicate you. They keep calling you a threat, and throwing themselves into a panic."

"So basically they're acting like antibodies?"

"In a sense, yes." DL's paw clutched around the seatbelt until her knuckles turned white. "They're trying everything. Everything. How on earth have they discovered how to open pockets?"

Zero Day broke apart once more, leaving only a few to fire at Wildcard Gamma. It looked at first like the ones leaving the group were heading towards the ship's tail, but instead they hovered in the air, their heads spinning crazily.

Several black voids opened above the ship and it trembled as each one emitted its own forcefield. The entire ship shuddered as each porthole tried to suck it into its void.

"They're trying to break us apart!" Anchor barked.

Macro stuttered over his words as he scrambled to get out from his seatbelt. "Get... get us away!"

"I'm trying!"

"Guys?" Matrix's voice was uncharacteristically wobbly. "Something's coming right at us, and it's big."

The ship surged, plummeting towards the ocean. Macro's stomach shot into his throat, left somewhere above them. Then the ship levelled out, outside the pockets' reach. Zero Day hovered above them, their eyes trained on the ship. What Macro could see of them, anyway. They didn't move towards them, or move away. They just sat... watching.

Macro opened his mouth to ask what had just happened, but his words came out in a strangled scream. His eyes were fixed on the windshield as a long shadow appeared outside it. A smile in a face with no eyes. Long, leathery hide billowed around it, trailing over the glass. A slender neck that looked almost skeletal or plant like.

Its mouth opened and a long, wailing scream flew from its throat. Macro's own scream died before it left his mouth. He felt all consciousness leave his body. The last thing he remembered was something warm embracing him, and the sensation of Wildcard Gamma dropping from the sky like a stunned swanna.

...

The police station cafeteria was bustling. Voices filled the room, each one competing to be heard over the rest. Few batted an eyelid at the human limping through, a small tray clasped in his hands. One or two threw a hello or a grin in his direction, but most of them were more occupied with the contents of their plates or worried they might miss out on a joke.

Floppy looked up from his burger and gave Switch a nod. "You're lookin' well."

The vaporeon was sat with Jumper and Heatsink. He eagerly tapped the table beside him with a paw and grinned.

Switch fell onto a stool a bit too low down for his liking. It jarred his body slightly and he released his tray to the table with a clatter in favour of rubbing his ribs.

The frogadier raised an eyebrow. "I think you spoke too soon, Floppy."

"Nah!" the vaporeon shook his head and waved a paw at Switch. "He's fine!"

"I really am fine," said Switch. "Just a little sore still."

"I still think they discharged you too early," said Jumper. "If you'd like, I can get back on at them again?"

"No need." Switch took a huge bite out of his burger. "I'll be flying again before you know it."

Jumper's brows knit together in a frown. "You talk as though injuring yourself is a common occurrence."

"It certainly isn't a common occurrence," said Switch. "But I'm beginning to think it is in this time line. I mean, I've been nearly crushed by two huge pokemon and I've only been here a week!"

"Well." Jumper dabbed at his lips with a napkin. "After lunch, you head back to my apartment and rest. It's no good pushing yourself when your bones are still healing."

"If you say so." Switch sighed and let his hand fall back onto his plate, spilling tamato slices out of his burger. "Man, I just want to get back out there. I wonder what Macro's doing?"

Floppy looked up with a start. "He's still not contacted you?"

"No. I can't believe he just took off without me."

"That's how he treats his 'clients'?" Floppy flashed his canines. "I oughta show him a thing or two."

"That'll be enough, Floppy," said Heatsink. "I believe Macro had Switch's best interests. He's safe here."

"Aye." Floppy sank to the table until his head was between both paws. "Fine, I'll shut up."

"I know you said you didn't want to call him yourself," said Jumper. "But you do have his number. I made sure of that."

"I know," said Switch. "But he could just as easily ring me." He gave Jumper a wink and the frogadier rolled his eyes.

"You're both as stubborn as each other," said Jumper.

"But you all have a good point," said Switch, ignoring his remark. "Once I can fly I'll track him down, give him a firm word, most likely receive one back, and get back to finding a way back home."

"Well." Jumper looked up at him a little sadly. "Until then, you're very welcome to keep helping out around here."

"What little use I am," said Switch. "I can't even use my full potential yet. I'm only fit for pushing paper."

"Pull the other one!" said Floppy. "You still believe the twins are alive somewhere. Most of the force has given them up for dead. If they are alive and you weren't here, we'd not even be bothering looking for them."

"So don't you dare believe you're a dead weight," said Heatsink.

"Besides, someone's got to do the paperwork," said Jumper.

"I just let the shredder do it." Floppy flashed Switch a grin, which he returned with a wink.

"Well." Switch picked up his tray and grimaced as he pushed himself to his feet. "I'd better get on with that rest then, hadn't I?"

"You haven't even finished your dinner," said Jumper.

"Yeh, I don't really know what I was thinking when I asked for nutpea mustard." Switch smiled down at him. "I'll see you when you get home."

"Take care now."

Switch felt the frogadier's eyes on him as he made his way from the cafeteria. He paused to empty the contents of his tray into the compost bin then strolled through the double doors to outside seating. A small path cut its way around into a small park and he took in a deep breath of fresh air. Filterted or not, it was still fresh and carried the fresh scent of leaves and ripe berries.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed the path through the park. A few hatchlings stopped their ball game to throw surprised looks his way, their large eyes impossibly wide in their little faces. Switch gave them a warm smile and a playful wink which seemed to satisfy their curiosity. The ball bounced on the grass and a couple gave chase after it, while the remaining stragglers watched him over their shoulders as they ran after their friends.

Switch chuckled under his breath and continued his way through the park. He knew exactly where he was going. He'd made the trip several times now. Every lunch break he'd had available, every evening, even in the mornings when he'd made a deliberate point of leaving the apartment after Jumper had already gone. A little path shot off through the trees until it met a wild bramble bush. Switch clambered through it, thorns tugging at his cargo trousers. Beyond it was a long rail blocking access to the glass dome.

He leant across the rail and let his weight fall onto his arms, grimacing slightly. He adjusted his weight to be more comfortable and let out a wistful sigh. An ocean of blue spread before him, creating a gradient from the sky to the land below. What he could see of the land was a spray of colour. Deceptively beautiful from so high up, but he knew most of those yellows were nothing more than toxic air.

He looked back up at the sky, dotted with white fluffy clouds. In the distance he could see a ship flying gracefully over them. Its form was that of a fish painted in hues of pink and purple. He couldn't see it in detail, but he was fairly certain it was a bruxish.

So far it was the only ship in sight. Sometimes he didn't see any at all. And he never, ever saw Wildcard Gamma. He pulled his computer out of his pocket and held it between both hands. It was still new, handed to him by Jumper before he left the hospital. His thumb slid over the screen, bringing up his contacts. Only two were listed. Jumper and Macro. He'd been assured Macro had been sent his details, that he would contact him. It crossed Switch's mind several times a day to ring him, find out where he was and if he was coming back. Several times a day he checked the news, made sure Macro was still listed as 'wanted'. At least that way, he was ninety percent certain he was still alive, then went back to warring with himself over ringing at him.

But it gnawed deeply at him that he wouldn't answer. Somehow that felt a lot worse than waiting. Then he'd be worrying. Worrying he wanted nothing to do with him. Worrying he'd actually been killed somehow, and not at the paws of Socket.

Not answering actually frightened him, something he wasn't proud to admit.

Once again, 'no' won the battle. He would just wait. Macro knew where he was, and he knew why he was there. But still... he was more than ready to leave. To find his way home.

He slipped the computer back into his pocket and gazed back out at the vast sky.

"Where are you, Macro?" he asked. "Why haven't you come back for me?"