Chapter Sixty Six

Macro's head was spinning.

He lay on his back, one arm over his eyes, as he ran over everything in his mind. Everything from the beginning. From the moment they found DL all the way to his breakdown in front of Surge. Why? Where had he gone wrong? When he found the pachirisu? Or the moment he trusted Surge to help them? Space pirates weren't meant to trust others outside their own crew, and even then they were meant to keep them at arm's length. He wasn't one to trust so freely. Not usually. But recently...

He grimaced, screwing his eyes shut. All it had brought him was pain. One foot wrong, and everything fell apart. No... where he'd gone wrong was in Binary City. That mission he wished he'd never taken. That one mistake that had Socket panting for his life. He should have just turned himself in, given himself a chance to explain everything. But instead he'd fled like a coward. Not even given anyone an apology. Not even the pichu he'd saved.

"You need to drag yourself out of this hole." The voice made Macro's spine stiffen. "Because it's exactly where she wants you."

He lifted his arm and glanced to his right. Taking up most of his room was a huge white lion, his mane radiating a soft light that seemed to brighten up the dinginess Macro had locked himself in.

"What...? Solgaleo?" Macro pushed himself up onto one arm. "What are you doing here? Who let you in?"

The huge lion merely smiled. A smile that lifted some of the weight off Macro. He pushed himself up and positioned himself against the headboard. He rubbed his eyes to remove the grogginess and soothe the heavy bags beneath them.

"I'm here because you clearly need someone," said Solgaleo. "I can't deny what's happened isn't crushing, Macro, but you really need to look at the bigger picture."

"What? System?" Macro lowered his paw to look at him. "I wanna ask what this world has ever done for me?"

"You live in it." It was a simple answer that made the mawile sigh. "So do your friends. Don't let the pawful of bad pokemon drag you down. There are a lot of pokemon relying on you right now. Even if they don't know it."

"But why me?" Macro whined, leaning his head back against the wall. "I'm in no state for this. I almost got killed!"

"A lot of good pokemon have died in the past by trying to stop the bad ones."

"Yeh? Then what happened to them?"

"They're with me."

Macro looked up with a start, fixing wide violet eyes on Solgaleo's warm blue ones.

"I chose you for a reason," Solgaleo explained. "You're against Socket, you refuse to eat meat, and you want to save DL. To top it all off, you helped Switch. That human is a hero, and one your distant relatives are very close to. You're descended from someone gifted the power to make a difference."

"Yeh, but did he kill hundreds of pokemon in a fire?" Macro growled.

"That was an accident."

"Accident or not, I did it! And look where it's got me!" Macro spread his paws wide. "I have a huge price on my head, and I hurt someone I truly care about. I killed her family!"

"And she knows it was an accident." Solgaleo paused, fixing his calming eyes on Macro's. "You even went out of your way to save that little pichu. In his eyes, you're a hero."

Macro's eyes welled up and he tore them away to wipe at them.

"You are not a bad pokemon," said Solgaleo. "You're one of few space pirates fighting for the greater good, despite what mask you hide behind. I want you to use that good, and put an end to this mess."

"And what will you do?" Macro asked flatly.

"I'll be working through you."

Macro's eye went to the Z-Crystal around his wrist. Was it sparkling? If it was, it was brief. Enough to catch his eye.

"You will never be alone, even if you feel like you are," said Solgaleo. "I'll be right there, like I have been this whole time." He reached out and tapped the Z-Crystal.

Macro chuckled and shook his head. "And only a couple of weeks ago, I was a common criminal."

"Even pirates can become heroes," Solgaleo said with a smile. "Now get out there and make a difference."

"But what about DL?" Macro's voice broke slightly at her name.

"She's safe. But you need to get to her quickly. Not just her, but the pokemon she is with all need their Z-Crystals."

"What?" Macro's jaw dropped. "She... she's found them?"

Solgaleo smiled again. "Funny how things work out, isn't it?"

With that, he slowly faded away. But Macro's room still felt much brighter and warmer from the lion's presence. He kicked his legs over the edge of his bed and clambered off it. All grogginess had faded, and with it the threat of a dull headache. In fact, he felt a lot better than he had in years.

He hopped off his ship and made a beeline for the lake. Anchor and Floppy were engaged in sparring practice while Matrix 'watched' from a nearby bench. The granbull looked up when he spotted Macro and his eyes widened.

"Cap'n!" He grinned. "You're lookin' a lot better."

"Aye," said Macro. "Turned out all I needed was a little pep talk."

Anchor stared at him wordlessly as he tried to process what he'd said.

Macro looked down at the vaporeon. "Aren't you meant to be with the rest of the police force?"

"Yeah." Floppy rolled his eyes. "But Jumper said, given Switch is away, I'm to take his place in sparring practice."

"We have Matrix." Macro waved a paw at the ribombee.

"Matrix has already burned out his use of the Z-Crystal," the ribombee said, not looking up from his computer. "And he doesn't want to be a tiny punching bag."

Macro tutted and shook his head.

Floppy inclined his head on one side and his eye went to Macro's Z-Crystal. "So I guess you're joining us then?"

"Yeh, I am." Macro clenched his fist and looked at each of them. "Now show me how to use this thing. Faster I learn, faster we can stop Socket and get these Ultra Beasts back home."

"That's what I wanna hear!" Anchor grinned widely and held his bracelet over his head. "Now, I've only managed to do this like... twice. But just like Solgaleo said - you hold it over your head just before you perform your attack. But... it ain't as easy as it sounds."

"I don't really get it," said Floppy. "Like I said, I've been appointed 'Official Punching Bag' while work is slow. But those moves look super tough. I'm a little sad I've not seen it in action, yet at the same time a little bitter I can't try it myself."

Anchor laughed. "Ah, don't be like that!"

Macro's heart sank slightly. He looked from the granbull's Z-Crystal to his own. The pink crystal reflected sunlight even from deep within it, contrasting with the fairy type symbol it bore. So it wasn't going to be easy. Well... he'd keep practising until it became easy. System was relying on Wildcard Gamma and their unsuspecting allies. Even if it meant he'd have no sleep for a week, he was going to keep on trying.

"All right, well... I'll give it a shot." He flexed his claws and turned to his friends. "Brace yourself, Floppy. I'm comin' at you."

"What?" Floppy's black eyes shot wide open. "Why me?"

"Because you said you've been told to be our punching bag, now get ready."

Matrix chuckled. "I'm just glad it's not me. Otherwise I'd be wishing I'd gone with Defrag to grab a donut."

"Defrag?" Macro stiffened and looked at Anchor. "Digit's been joining you?"

"She's stuck here and pretty bored, Cap'n," Anchor explained. "She's been sparring with us since Switch isn't available anymore. Kinda as a favour so we'll give her a lift back to System Ground."

"All right." Macro shrugged and turned back to Floppy. "You ready?"

He lifted his paw into the air then leapt towards Floppy, spinning his horn around like a windmill. Floppy braced himself, lowering his head as he ducked to dodge. Macro opened the jaws to grab the vaporeon by the tail, but before he could make contact, his body lit up with a pink glow. Floppy's black eyes reflected a sparkle Macro couldn't see, and his jaw dropped open as the mawile picked up rapid speed. Before the vaporeon could jump out of the way, Macro crashed into him, knocking all the wind out of Floppy's lungs with a sound reminiscent of a hatchling's squeak-toy. Pink and white stars exploded around them, lighting up the lake with a flash like lightning. The pair rolled into the bench in a tangle of fur and tail. Macro pulled himself back and fell onto his bottom, his breath coming in quick bursts. His surprise reflected in Floppy's eyes as the winded vaporeon pulled himself up so he was sitting.

"So..." said Floppy. "That's a Z-Move?"

"Interesting." Matrix wound his antenna as he peered at Macro between Floppy's ears. "Shame I wasn't really watching. I should have taken notes."

Macro's eyes flew to the Z-Crystal. Somehow, it wasn't reflecting the light quite so brightly. Well, it definitely hadn't been 'play rough'.

"And we finally get to see Twinkle Tackle!" Anchor clapped his paws together in an applaud that sounded deafening in the suddenly silent park. "Well done, Cap'n. Put us all to shame!"

No... it wasn't meant to be that easy. If his crew were struggling, then why would he manage it on his first try? Surely it was just a fluke?

"Hey, I'm back." Defrag strolled towards them clutching a sugared donut. She froze mid-bite and looked at the space pirates in turn. "Oh great. What did I miss?"

Something caught Macro's eye and he looked up at the glass dome. A small twinkle beyond the clouds. He chuckled and fell onto his back, pressing a paw over his eyes.

Of course. A little pep talk. 'Make a difference'. Somehow, things didn't feel quite so bleak.

...

Binary City pulsed with music. Dusk was on the horizon, and the streets were already alive with neon lights, swinging back and forth as the band played their music. Well... 'band' was a bit of a stretch. On the stage was a holographic display of the animated band playing to their audience, singing in their synthetic voices. Behind them on a huge screen, each song's music video played out much to the delight of the audience. Pokemon bounced up and down, a huge mish-mash of typings unusual to see throughout System. All brought together by the love of entertainment and the band Neon Blue.

A group of smaller pokemon made up of sentret, skitty and purrloin danced around the more unusual guest. The lanky creature's movements were oddly graceful despite its appearance, and it removed its eyeless head to juggle back and forth in its arms. Every so often it would pause to fire off a volley of fireballs, each time eliciting cheers from the mosh pit. The fire types would add their own pyrotechnics, throwing up flamethrowers from their mouths and paws. Then the electric types would join in with their light display, lighting up the stage.

"Bleh." BackDoor floated above the rabble with his paws tucked behind his head. "Not quite the chaos I was expecting it to cause."

'Then it's a failure?' Distortion's voice rumbled in his head. 'It should be destroyed.'

"That would be pretty fun to watch play out," said BackDoor. "Man, when I saw that thing appear, I wondered where it had got to. I didn't expect it to be clowning around in Binary City, making friends. These things are meant to destroy, right?"

'They're useless lifeforms, just like the rest of the creatures here. Look at them, dancing to a fictitious display. I want to end it.'

BackDoor let out an 'eep!' as his body was dragged like a meteor towards the mosh pit. He froze above it abruptly, drawing a few eyes from the pokemon below. Claws pointed, faces turned, all eager to see the hoopa. Then Distortion left his body in a cloud of mist, his insectoid form slowly solidifying beside him. Distortion opened his red eyes, glowing like embers out of his misty body. His shape spasmed erratically as it struggled to maintain one form - insectoid or dragon.

Screams erupted from the audience as the more timid pokemon tried to scramble away, but those that stayed were either amazed or bracing themselves for a fight. The more intoxicated laughed, thinking it was all part of the show. A few of them even paused to take photos.

Distortion narrowed his eyes. "Foolish creatures. It's almost a waste of my strength to erase you from existence."

He opened his mouth, sending out a pulse of purple energy. It spread over the mosh pit, setting fur, feather and scale ablaze. More screams, more desperate scrambling as those left remaining realised what peril they were in. Distortion's dragon pulse spread across the floor, splitting the concrete as it caught up with the stragglers.

The lanky Ultra Beast leapt from its spot, throwing itself between the dragon pulse and an injured sentret. It removed its colourful head, bouncing it up and down in its paw like a basket ball. The sentret scurried away, casting a nervous glance between the two warring Ultra Beasts.

"So you're fearless?" Distortion asked the creature. "Given you're willing to throw your life away to protect a creature that would no sooner turn its back and run, I'd say that behaviour is foolish."

The creature dropped into a battle stance, juggling its huge head between its paws. The lights flickering inside it turned a vivid red. It aimed it towards Distortion.

The dragon opened his mouth to fire out another dragon pulse. It soared towards the Ultra Beast. The Ultra Beast flicked a paw, sending a shadow ball that exploded against the dragon pulse, cancelling it out. Before Distortion could retaliate, its huge head left its paw with surprising force. It exploded against Distortion's body into sparkles and flames. He threw his head back and roared as his body began to lose its solidity, melding into mist.

BackDoor tutted. "Feisty fellow, isn't he?"

Distortion's eyes glowed from deep within the mist, fixing on BackDoor.

'This world...' His voice came out as an echo in BackDoor's head, 'is not stable enough to hold me!' He retreated back into BackDoor's body, causing the android to jerk uncomfortably. 'It needs distorting. But first... I need to distort you.'

"Who, me?" BackDoor pointed a thumb at his chest.

A 'whoop!' left his throat as his entire body rocketed into the air, barely dodging another shadow ball from the Ultra Beast. At some point, it had regained its head, still pulsing with red light. Although it appeared a lot smaller than its previous one. Was it... growing? Before he could get a decent look, his body twisted so he was looking over Binary City. Distortion fell silent, but he could feel him moving around his wires and components. Creeping like a tiny scolipede... or a seviper.

'Yes...' he hissed. 'Yes, I think I've found it. A worm. Something I can distort.'

The words sent a chill through BackDoor's body. Before he could retaliate, Distortion latched onto something. BackDoor's mind began to spin, and he sprayed out a series of nonsense commands that could have baffled even Zero Day. His body twisted, creaking as the metal re-built itself. Stretching as he increased in size. No... he wasn't organic. His body wasn't designed for such feats. He screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself to explode. Why, oh why, wasn't he built with a self-destruct command?

Then it all stopped.

He opened his eyes again, looking down at his body. Twisted almost beyond recognition. Six arms floated beside him, three at each side. A huge ring-like hole expanded across his torso. He even had legs, and behind him, a tail. He lifted a paw and flexed it, admiring his new claws.

"Hey," he said, his voice no different than before. "They're no longer like mittens."

'This is a much better fit.' If Distortion had heard him, he didn't show it. 'Now... time to erase that Ultra Beast.'

BackDoor found himself launched once more towards the ground. He reached up and grabbed a ring from around his right horn and lobbed it towards the creature. It leapt back, dodging it as it spread open before it. Then it flailed as the porthole tried to drag it in.

'A world without air. Without atmosphere.' Distortion laughed. 'This will be your end!'

The Ultra Beast snapped its head up towards them. Then it kicked off from the ground, diving over the porthole. Another lob of its head. Another explosion. Searing heat spread over BackDoor's body. His scream melded with Distortion's as they were blown back through the city. He hit the floor hard, feeling a crack explode along his back.

When he opened his eyes, it was pitch black. He searched through his mind, finding a substantial chunk of time missing from his memory logs. He rubbed his head with a mitten paw and twisted his neck back and forth. Yes, something had indeed cracked open. Sparks erupted from his back as he drifted into the air, wobbling left and right as he searched the city. Both the Ultra Beast and the porthole had vanished.

"Drat." His voice cracked and distorted, stuttering over the final 't'. "I think-k-k we lost it."

A deep growl echoed in his head and he rolled his eyes back to search for the dragon. But he couldn't see a thing. Not even his red, glowing eyes.

'You are weak,' Distortion hissed. 'I need a stronger host. Find me one.'

...

Trojan kicked the side of the pyukumyuku, creating a deep ring that caused Switch to cover his ears with his wings.

"Piece of junk just wont fly!" the scrafty roared.

"Well it wont if you kick it like that, will it?" Annie placed her hands on her hips and leant towards him. "Would you fly if I kicked you?"

Trojan looked from her booted foot all the way up to her eyes and frowned. "I might. You're pretty big."

Annie cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not sure whether that was an insult or not. Hang on." She looked over her shoulder. "Oi, Web! Was that an insult?"

The skuntank didn't look up from her cooking. "Perhaps. It is Trojan."

Annie turned back to him and pointed a finger at her eye, then at the scrafty. She turned and headed back to Web, who was busying herself beside DL and Zip.

Switch sighed and strolled over to them. The previous night had been pretty quiet, and it was rapidly growing darker. Without any streetlights, they needed to rely on a pair of dusty torches, one of which seemed to enjoy flickering on and off at random intervals. The one that didn't flicker had been fixed to Zip's right leg.

"I don't think we'll be flying tonight," Switch told DL.

The pachirisu looked up at him with a sombre expression and nodded, turning back to her task of vegetable slicing.

"I figured as much," she said. "But argh... we need to leave this mountain soon. We have a job to do."

"Aye, the rebellion!" Annie called from beside a razz bush. She'd sprawled herself out on the floor, oblivious to the prickles. "As much as I like lookin' at these stars, I'm itching to get movin' again."

"Aye, it might not be too long before those space pirates realise we ain't dead," said Trojan. "Sooner we leave this mountain, the better."

Something caught Switch's eye and he turned to his right as Waveform swooped silently down towards them. A quick flick of his wings and he landed with a flourish, dropping something beside Trojan.

"What's this?" the scrafty asked him.

"A few bolts and a stabiliser," said Waveform. "Also salvaged some parts from the drones I shot down. Might fix the engine compatibility."

"What are you? A jack of all trades?"

"I'm just itching to move." Waveform tucked his wings to his side and strutted past them towards Annie, casting Switch a curious glance.

Web looked up at them then glanced around the mountain. "I'm not so much worried about those pirates than I am about Socket. This mountain is off limits, so we're trespassing."

"You're worried about trespassin'? With all we're doin'?" Trojan shook his head and ended his statement with a 'hah!'

Web frowned. "Well, now we know why it's off limits. It's one of few places with natural fruit trees and - lo and behold - a spring!"

Zip wagged his tail. "Yeah! I get clean water!"

"We could technically live here," said Web. "Yet she's keeping it to herself."

"And not living here," said Switch. "Why is that, exactly?"

"I thought that was obvious." Web narrowed her eyes at him. "At the expense of her own enjoyment, nobody learns about it. Instead, she could use it as a secret getaway. I'm guessing the other mayors did just that. She's just a nervous wreck who won't leave her mansion except for serious circumstances."

Switch folded his arms and frowned. "So you have an agoraphobic mayor?"

"You could say that, yes."

As the night grew gradually darker, the smell of Web's cooking surrounded the ship. Trojan worked away at the engine, but as the smell tickled his nose, he clambered out and wiped oil onto a rag.

"About time," he said. "I was gettin' hungry."

"Well, I hope you all enjoy it," said Web. "Thanks to DL and Zip, we've managed to find berries I've never even tasted before."

Trojan froze and held up his paws. "Hang on. It ain't poisonous, is it?"

"Only if you're allergic to figy berries," said Web.

Trojan rubbed his throat then sat down. "Don't think I've ever had them."

The group tucked into their meals, sharing banter and stories, mostly aimed at Switch. He went off on a tangent, talking about the events with the Fracture that Web and Trojan were particularly interested in. Waveform was also hooked, but Annie was more interested in the contents of her bowl. She scraped the remains into her mouth then looked around at her crew. Then she stretched her arms out and yawned.

"Well, I'm gonna continue stargazin'."

She stood up and returned to the razz bush, flopping onto her back on the lumpy ground. A stone jabbed her in the spine and she shifted until she grabbed it, then tossed it into the distance. It collided with something soft. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a feathery form slump down beside her.

She fixed one eye on Waveform, who had removed his quiver to polish his silver arrows.

"So, whaddaya think?" She knocked a thumb towards the nattering group. "Another human?"

Waveform shrugged. "It certainly answers more questions. Particularly about the Fracture and that yes, some humans did indeed stay behind and mix with pokemon."

Annie yawned again and tucked her arms behind her head. "Kinda removes my 'special' status."

"You can be special in the eyes of others without being unique."

"Are those lyrics from a song?"

Waveform fixed an eye on her. "Not one I know of."

"Maybe you should write it?"

He lowered his arrows and looked down at her, a glimmer of amusement in his crimson eyes. She looked away from him to the arrows then nodded at them.

"Why do you use them anyway?" she asked. "I thought decidueye make their own arrows."

"We do." He returned one polished arrow to his quiver then retrieved another. "But I prefer it this way."

"More deadly?"

"More convenient."

"But you didn't take them into Pulse City?"

"That's because they're a bit of a trademark," he explained. "I hunt space pirates, and space pirates know for a fact a silver arrow means Waveform."

"So it's bounty-hunting bling then?"

He froze and looked down at her, cocking an eyebrow. She flipped herself up onto her bottom and fixed him with an emerald gaze.

"Look, I've read alotta books," she said. "And I know pokemon all make their own attacks. Nature is a pretty thing, and you don't need all this glitz and glam." She waved a hand at his armoured beak and silver quiver. "Wherever I look in this crazy, whacked-out world, pokemon have weapons and mechanical body parts. Like that magmortar in Pulse City, and all them 'mons with guns. How can trusting a finite weapon be more convenient than producing your own? Seriously, just... take it off and be a pokemon!"

Waveform's face fell and he narrowed his eyes. "I thought you didn't remember much about Pulse City?"

"I remember that magmortar and the big pussycat."

He tutted and returned to his arrows. "Your memory seems to be very convenient to you."

"It ain't remotely convenient," she said. "And don't change the subject! Decidueye in my books were these amazing owls that fired arrows from their vines. You fit the bill - flying silently, using your vine. But you don't use your own arrows and you keep your beak covered up with some kinda ornament. What's the deal?"

He stopped what he was doing and set the rag aside, not looking at her. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"'Cos I feel I now know you enough to call you out on these shenanigans."

"Shenanigans?" He placed his arrows to one side and swivelled to face her. "Not all pokemon use modifications as a fashion statement, Annie. They're also used for medical reasons. Replacing missing body parts, protecting against disease. You've seen the outskirts and what damage it can do. It slowly kills the pokemon unfortunate enough to live there."

"Well, yeh. I mean Zip can't walk on land. But when he goes back to the water, he won't need them legs!"

"You haven't taken in anything I've said, have you." He shook his head. "Zip might not need them, yet there are some pokemon that do need mechanical legs."

She scratched her chin and looked up at the stars. "Yeh, I guess some do. But!" She pointed at him. "Surely they don't need some fancy beak ornament. Come on, I can barely see your face properly with that on."

He sighed and grabbed an arrow, idly polishing it as she stared at him. She shifted forward until her arm brushed up against his wing, causing his feathers to stand on end.

"Annie, I really think you need to drop this conversation."

"I'll drop it when I see your face."

The decidueye sighed loudly. "Fine."

He tossed the arrows to one side and reached up, grabbing the armour between two of his paw-feathers. There was an audible click and he pulled it away, keeping both eyes on Annie.

Around his beak had been rubbed raw by the metal until his feathers had been brushed away. Bloody in parts. But what it had been hiding turned Annie's throat dry. Around the corners of his beak and nostrils were unsightly lumps, some of which trickled blood from having the armour removed.

"Happy?" he asked.

She stared at him for a bit longer as he replaced the metal sheath. Her mind went back to that dry, brittle feather. It all made so much sense. She balled her hand into a fist so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

"No." The word came out so calmly, yet in her mind she was screaming.

She pushed herself to her feet and turned, walking away into the shadows.

...

The soft hum of Wildcard Gamma's engine soothed Macro into a light slumber. He sat back in his chair, arms tucked behind his head and feet up on the dashboard. Stars swept past them at a steady pace as the ship drifted on in silence, miles over System Sky. It was a peaceful place Macro had enjoyed visiting long before all the chaos had happened.

Soft footsteps dragged him out of his doze and he glanced back over his chair. DL stood in the doorway, winding her paws together as she glanced around at the cockpit. His jaw dropped and he dragged himself from his seat.

"DL?"

Her eyes went to him and immediately all tension left her body. She ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. He felt her nuzzling into his fur as she pushed his scarf aside, her breath tickling his neck. It ignited a tingle in his stomach and he pulled her close, covering her shoulder with soft kisses.

"Oh, I've missed you," he said.

"Me too," she sighed.

She combed her claws through his fur, trailing them up his spine, and she pulled back from him to catch his lips in a kiss. A small groan left his throat as he returned it. Tears stung his eyes and flowed down his cheeks and he couldn't help but pull her closer, stumbling into the back of his seat. He brushed his paw over her ears, her fur warm against his pads, down the back of her head. His claws trailed over the jack socket and his heart began to ache.

He pulled back from her to take a breath, to spill out his feelings to her. He met those chocolate eyes. But they weren't warm. Instead, they were sad. Pained. Reflecting fire that burned behind him. All around him. He panicked, stumbling backwards as his eyes flew around the cockpit. All feeling left his legs. He grabbed the arm of his chair to stop himself from slumping to the floor.

Fire.

It erupted between them like a barrier, spreading across the floor beneath her. He stretched out a paw towards her, to drag her from the inferno, but the floor began to splinter. Debris crumbled away from the cockpit, threatening to take DL with it. But she didn't seem to notice or care. Her body shook as the disaster caught up with her.

"Goodbye." Her voice seemed to echo eerily, as though it hadn't come from her.

"No!" He watched her fall away from him into the abyss below. "No, DL! Don't go! I love you!"

He threw himself forwards into the flames, scattering the sheets off his body.

Dawn.

He blinked a few times, trying to dispel the nightmare from his mind and enter reality.

His bed. No fire. A tangle of sheets sticky with sweat. Just another nightmare. He groaned and ran a paw over his head, then flailed an arm towards his nightstand for his computer. His heart was still racing. Those nightmares... he knew they weren't real, but he needed to know DL was okay. That they were all okay.

He brought up Switch's name with his trembling claw then fired out a disjointed message. He didn't care what time it was, he just wanted to know. Once it was sent, he fell back into his pillow and rubbed a paw over his eyes. The previous day, he'd felt happier. Now his mind was a swirling mess again.

The familiar message tone came from his phone and he picked it up so it was hovering over his face.

'We're all fine, thanks, Macro. Trying to get the ship running again. Things are looking good. We should be at Meta City the day after tomorrow.'

Macro sat up so quickly his computer flew from his paw to the end of the bed. Meta City? So DL wanted the last memory disk? He raked his claws over his face and groaned. No. No, he couldn't let them just walk into Socket's mansion. DL and a human? Didn't Socket want both of them? The more he thought about it, the more Socket's stunt in Botnet City felt like an elaborate scheme.

He kicked himself from his bed and strutted from the room towards the cockpit. His eye immediately went to Matrix who he expected to be up, but his seat was empty. What took him by surprise was the lopunny in his captain's seat. His lip curled into a snarl and he pointed a claw, but she span the seat around and gave him a disarming smile.

"Up already, Captain?" she asked. Then she looked him up and down. "You feeling okay? You look like you lost a wrestling match with a goodra."

"Digit?" he spat. "What are -"

"Good mornin', Cap'n." Anchor slipped into the cockpit beside him and cast him a curious glance. His nose twitched and he recoiled. "Yeech! What, did you take a dive in a swamp?"

Macro flashed a canine. "Bad dream."

"Wow, yeh." Anchor gave him an apologetic nod. "Must've been a bad one because... well... you look bad."

Macro's arms fell limp at his side and he stared at Anchor aghast. He caught a nod from Defrag behind him, along with a smirk.

"You know what..." Macro sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, we need to get to Meta City. I got word from Switch that they're headin' there in a couple of days, and there ain't no way I'm lettin' DL and Switch practically hand themselves over to her!"

Anchor raised an eyebrow and his mouth formed an 'o'.

"I don't know much about this DL," said Defrag. "No one has really taken the time to fill me in. What does Socket want with her exactly?"

"It's a long story," said Anchor. "I wouldn't get involved if I were you. We'll drop you off on the way." He turned back to Macro. "So we're finally doin' it? Goin' into Socket's nest to grab the final disk? Feels like the plot of some terrible video game."

"Meta City, eh?" Matrix buzzed down the corridor, stifling a yawn. "I'll key us in after breakfast. Nice hairdo, by the way."

Macro shrugged off the ribombee and nodded towards Defrag. "Care to explain?"

"She showed up at the crack o'dawn," Anchor replied. "Wasn't gonna turn her away. Lass ain't got nowhere to stay here."

"Exactly," said Defrag. "If you think I'm letting you lot slip away again after you all flew off to Botnet, you've got another thing coming! I can't steer a ship! How else am I supposed to get back home?"

"You shoulda thought about that before you hitched a ride!" Macro snapped.

Defrag's face fell and she tutted. "Really? You would have left me in Spool City to get cut up by those... things?"

Macro felt his heart sink and he sighed. He shook his head and looked away towards the kitchen. "No. Of course not. We'll... get you back home."

He waved her off and marched towards the bathroom, but a warm sensation spread through his right leg. He froze and looked down at his pouch.

"What the...?"

He reached into it and pulled out a lone Z-Crystal. How had that got in there? He eyed it and held it up to the light. Pale blue, with a dark blue snowflake design beyond it. Icium-Z? His mouth turned dry and he licked his lips as he peered back into the cockpit.

Both Anchor and Defrag had tucked into a bag of donuts. Somehow he didn't think Cookie would be too impressed they were vetoing his pancakes.

"Digit?" Macro rasped.

"Defrag," she corrected. She fixed him with a cold stare and licked sugar from her lips. "What do you want?"

"You know ice punch, right?"

"Sure. Why do you ask?"

Macro's heart felt like lead. He held out the Icium-Z. "I think this might be yours."

Defrag's jaw dropped and Anchor let out a loud 'Eh?!'

The granbull looked up at Macro with a start. "When did you work that out?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Macro. "I'm gonna go shower. Prod Matrix until he gets them co-ordinates in for Meta, okay?"

Macro groaned and rubbed at his temples as he strutted towards the wash room. What a morning. First the bad dream, then Defrag receiving a Z-Crystal? Talk about an unexpected ally. Maybe a good, long shower would help him put things into perspective before they took off on what could be the deadliest mission he'd ever encountered. He shuddered as he thought back at those kartana. Compared to Socket's mansion they felt a lot more welcoming.

...

Light footsteps echoed through the cells, flat feet on cold tile. Surge looked up in time to see Jumper standing before her cell. He flashed a paw at the panel and the glass slid open. A small smile tugged at Surge's lips and she chuckled.

"I take it he's gone?" she asked.

"If you're referring to Macro, yes," said the frogadier. "Now he's out of Cyan City, I have no reason to hold you here."

"Socket will be so pleased."

Jumper met Surge's eyes with an exasperated eye roll. He stood aside and gestured for her to get up and leave.

"What?" she asked as she pushed herself to her feet. "No paperwork?"

"No need. I've made all the notes required for my records."

"Don't wanna cheese of the Mayor even more, eh?" Surge shoved past him into the corridor. "I'll be needing my laser back. And my ship."

"Your ship is in dire need of repairs."

Surge's jaw almost hit the floor and she spun to face him. "I beg your pardon? They wrecked it?!"

"Yes. So if you would like to take one of our ships as compensation-"

"Darn straight I shall! And big enough to carry my own! Then I can sell your golden prize for scraps to fund for a replacement!" She placed her paws on her hips and flashed her canines in a growl. "Allowing Macro's cronies to destroy my... that ship was like home!"

Jumper stared back at her, expressionless. Not even a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

"Look," he said. "The offer is there. The damages to your ship are not my concern or fault. If you want one of Cyan City's ships, take it. But I can't guarantee it will hold your tympole."

Surge groaned and rubbed her paws over her face. Several years. She'd had that ship for several years, and it was reduced to scraps in less than a day.

"What I can guarantee, however," Jumper went on, "is that our ships are a lot faster than your little bubble ball."

She parted her claws to look at him. Something sparked in her mind and she chuckled.

"Oh my," she said. "You're willingly offering me an efficient way to track down Wildcard Gamma?"

Jumper sighed and rolled his eyes as the zigzagoon went on.

"I guess you want him turned in after all." She laughed. "Well, I'm not offering you a single credit after all you've put me through."

Jumper's lips turned into a frown. "I'm not offering you a means to hunt Macro. I'm offering you a quick way out of Cyan City. Macro and his crew have a lot of friends here after what they've done for us, and they're desperate to see you leave. The choice is yours. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it," said Surge. "Have your cronies load up what's left of my ship into one and I'll be out of here before you can blink."

She made for the exit, but Jumper hopped past her. Keeping his back to her, he opened the door and let her out into the police station.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't help a criminal pack her bags," he said. "But given I want you out of this city, I don't really have much choice."

She flashed a scowl over her shoulder. "I'm flattered."

"You can do what you want with my ship," he said. "Provided you never, ever come back. I don't want to see your sorry tail in this city again."

Her fur bristled like a brush and a canine poked through her lips. "Oh don't you worry. I have no immediate plans."