Glitched

15 - Deletion

A/N - Sorry this upload is a day late. I wasn't feeling too good yesterday.

...

Connor's muttering filled the small, dark office as he tapped violently at his pocket computer. N00b and Diode watched from the safety of their projects, occasionally exchanging concerned glances. A whoosh cut through the muttering and the helioptile let out a squeak as he ducked just in time to avoid the pocket computer from colliding with his nose. The spanner he'd been holding clattered to the floor with a deafening clang and N00b tugged his ears down over his head and flinched.

"Foolish moron isn't answering my calls!" Connor shrieked. He rammed both paws onto his desk, making the keyboard bounce along it. "Where has he gone?! Why didn't he tell me?!"

N00b peeked out from beneath his paw and cleared his throat. "No offence, but... maybe it was because he didn't think you'd let him go?"

Connor's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Of course I wouldn't! And don't get me started on you! Going out, rescuing a potential virus victim? You could have brought it back here!"

N00b's shoulders hunched and he let out a low whine. "There was zero risk to you. It doesn't affect humans."

"That's not been proven yet." Despite the lower volume, Connor's voice was thick with exasperation. "You're fortunate that pokemon was clean. And the rest you were gallivanting around with."

Diode dropped his spanner again, drawing Connor's frown towards him. The look on the helioptile's face was less than impressed.

"You know," said N00b, "I think you need to learn to trust others more."

"I trust those who I know don't treat me like vermin."

"You know what the problem is? You met members of the small minority that do."

Connor snorted laughter. "No, I think I've got the small minority that don't sitting here in my office."

N00b sighed and looked away from him while Diode fixated himself on silently tweaking the laser.

"I just think Switch's priority should be on getting us out of here," said Connor. "Not... whatever it is he's doing."

'Whatever it is'? N00b had explained at great length. He sighed and glanced at his pocket computer lying silently on the desk. Connor wasn't the only one who's messages Switch appeared to be ignoring, and it was causing him a great deal of anxiety. 'Whatever it is' happened to be dangerous. The virus, those cracks, both of which were eating away at the entirety of System.

"I personally think what he's doing is more important," said N00b.

"You think there's something more important than getting us humans out of here?!" N00b could almost see the steam coming out of Connor's ears. The pikachu's cheeks sparked dramatically and jolts of electricity danced over the computer monitors. "We're trying to get back into our own world! What's more important to him than that?!"

N00b masked his nerves with a shrug. "Let's face it. You want to get out of here, sure. But you've seen the effects of the virus, and read about those strange cracks that are cropping up everywhere. Seriously, Connor, what would you do if there was no world left to escape from? What do you think would happen to you all then?"

Connor's jaw fell open and he looked from N00b to Diode. The helioptile nodded sullenly and diverted his gaze back to the laser. Connor slipped from his desk and slumped across the office, pausing with one paw on the doorway.

"Then we'd better find a way home quick," he mumbled. "Hadn't we?"

N00b felt his heart sink as he watched the pikachu vanish from the room. One human desperate to get home. His priorities warped. Or were they?