#migration001

   He squeezed through the bars -- one of them had broken off -- and threw himself out and into what seemed to be a swamp. If his sense of direction was anything worth believing in, he was in...district auburn. Otherwise known as 'mu'. He did a double check on his phone, just to make sure. He was trying to keep himself updated with the goings on of the city ever since this spill over had happened. After all, this only further confirmed his suspicions that had been lingering ever since that computer had given all of the hive a good talking to.    With a lot on his mind and less on his plate than he would like, he wandered around in search of something to eat. There were snakes in swamps, right? He could wrestle an alligator if he wanted...that shouldn't be a problem. But his growing concern for the monsters he held at his side was an issue he didn't think would plague him so intensely. What if he made the mistake of attacking something sentient enough to follow orders? That'd be like killing and eating a dog -- which, admittedly he had done, but at the same time...    He froze in place. The swamp air was tepid and stood still with him. Across the moat in front of him was a bunch of frogs. At least, that was his first assumption. They were mostly blue, but despite that warning, he was curious in them. Frogs were often colored funny when their skin was poisoned, this was a pre-warning if you will. But one of them -- its eyes bright in the dark -- stared back with a much brighter color surrounding it. It's the little aberrations that catch his eye.    Before they could scatter, he had tossed one pokeball and readied another in his hand. Out came a bird black as the night around it, and about as angry anyone who was woken up while they were day dreaming. Though it initially took offense to this uproar --

"Don't let it get away."

   -- It took a hint soon after. The bird pursued the group of hopping frogs before focusing in on the shiniest of them all. It swooped in, attacked, and backed off when its target had been successfully separated from the others. Eren had to keep up despite hating to breathe in the air that stunk like a skunk's bare ass. He ran and ran, and all the while, both the frog and the bird were battling away with each other.    Every so often, the frog would blow bubbles that popped in the air and diverted the crow's flight, but the crow was much more efffective at pecking away at that shiny skin it had. Boy did it like that. After a few more minutes of intense pursuit, the frog had scrambled against the back of a tree, clinging for dear life.    Eren spoke a few words along the lines of "quit it, already" and "stop" but at the same time couldn't help but approach the bruised and hurt amphibian that lay gasping for breath among the wood. He gave it a smile, and tapped it with a pokeball directly. He was being gentle.    It fell to the ground, shook, shook, shook -- and broke open. The thing was useless.    He stared at the frog with wide, open eyes. Before, he thought these things were full proof. He tried another, and got the same result. And another, but this time there was only one shake -- the next, there was none.    With his amazement clear, he gave the frog a confused glance, in it hesitation and confusion over what he was doing, but all the same, he tossed the pokeball at it with burning determination in his chest. Was that anger? He wasn't sure.    Before he knew it, the frog was his, and with it -- what else? He didn't know what to think. But he did know one thing.

   He took his buggy back to the rental station, then took the next train to sector oo1. In the meantime, he thumbed the belt he had made to store all the pokeballs that made up his collection of...pokemon so far. That's what they called these critters, pokemon. Pocket monsters? Something like that. He didn't try to think too hard about the way they were pitted against each other like dogs, fighting against each other. He recalled the chicken fights people held when he was a child and felt ill -- this was the same, but more glamorous.    Assuming that they were unconscious inside the balls, however, he nearly felt jealous. They got better sleep than he did, if that were the case. At the same time, what little he could do for them made for a very guilty conscience. His little pawn had been brutalized the first time he had seen it, and afterwards, each fight had brought it pain that it couldn't bother showing. Eren felt an attachment to the monster. For that reason alone he was heading to the first sector for a hospital, and thereafter searching the lower districts for anything of interest. He had found his old gas mask, from the one time he had felt a hunger for human flesh -- that was a strange phenomena, he remembered -- and wanted to put it to use in alpha.

   As damp as he remembered. As miserable, too. That was just an aside, however. Most things in the city were miserable if you looked at it from the right way. This sub district was just another example, and one of the more well-known ones. He himself was a living model for what happens to you after a good few years here. For the moment, his edge had been replaced by concern for the little critters he had befriended overnight.    There was a noise ringing loudly in the air. It was an extremely curious noise, because it was associated with something you would never see underground. Eren approached it cautiously, but with wonder at the sight. Lit by the burning barrel a few feet away from it, a car horn was weakly flaring up every so often.    However it had gotten down here was a mystery to Eren. At the same time, he could clearly make out why it was ringing, at least. The entire front of the car had been smashed -- there were clear indents at the sides, and it looked like a scene from a movie. The front had nearly been cleaved in two, stopping at the engine block, which itself was still being scratched and beaten down by a furious opponent.    It was...an arm. A floating one. That wasn't the strangest part. In its palm was a glowing red eye. Eren's immediate reaction was to shoot the damn thing for fear of what it might do to him if made aggressive, but saner thoughts prevailed. He tossed the first ball he could grab at it, then gripped it tightly when it returned to his hand.    Out came his aron, a harsh sound announcing its arrival. It spoke from its gut, at the very least. Eren appreciated the noise for its insurance -- that this was a fight to be fought between others. He would merely be observing. That alone was surprisingly effective on him, and he got into a stronger position immediately.

"Do your...worst!" He cheered on his beloved barrel of steel.

   He immediately regret saying that. Or did he?    Aron stiffened up, literally. It curled its head in, and Eren could see the steel surrounding it become tougher. The shiny shimmer it once had became dull in the face of an unrefined new coat of metal, but it was harder all the same. The opponent took this as a sign to attack, and with all the reckless abandon that Eren could admire in himself, threw its body at the the veritable block of steel.    -- It hurt itself.    "Seriously?" Eren was amazed. "D-Do that hardening again! Keep it up, let him break himself!"

   He found himself walking the same track he had many times, though now it was on foot rather than on his torn apart car. There were buggies to rent that would make this trip a lot easier, and now that the option was available, he couldn't help but cave. Literally.    It had been so long since he had lived in this desert wasteland that he wanted to inspect everything new that had appeared here and there. He went above and beyond just inspecting, he was investigating what had caused the change in scenery. For one, there were a helluva lotta man-made (or perhaps, monster-made?) changes here and there. The most noticeable of all was visible from the base of the mountain, where the entrance to the caves lay scorched. He realized he had completely skipped over his old house in favor of exploring the mouth of this cave.    Within he found remnants of what seemed to be basic tools, stone and wood sorta stuff -- but without the wood. It was all stone. There were some chisels, or what seemed like it. But as anyone native to this area would have known, this sector was practically devoid of life. At best, the moss and lichen were more than enough life for this region to bear.    He never did like the feeling caves gave him, but at the same time he could not deny their excitability. More than simply fear, it was terror -- and he enjoyed that in his own way. There was no more familiar a feeling than horror to him, and that was worth relishing in.    Of course, those confused feelings aside -- there was more than enough gears in his head to be aware that he was not alone in this cavern. He would have shouted out for it to come out and face him, but it seemed that he lacked the initiative necessary. It beat him to it.    Face-to-face, he nearly felt like laughing. What a short, stubby little thing it was. Nearly reaching his knees in height, yet physically shaped like an egg with the heaviest side of it towards the ground. But despite all the desire he had to laugh at it, he applauded it for its bravery. Or, as much applause as he could manage -- he immediately reacted like anyone with three tries at this already would have.    He threw out a ball which returned to his hand, and in a flash there appeared a bladed pawn ready to attack.

"Do your best," he said, trying to be encouraging but only sounding derisive.

   His pawn made its move first and launched a fist (claw?) at the green thing's stomach. It failed to connected and the green one butted its head into the other's, leaving both of them rather stupefied for a few moments. Eren turned on a flashlight and aimed it at the ceiling, as to give them both a better view of each other.    Every now and then, Eren would point out openings he could see before either of them could attack. His reactions were much faster than these newbies. He almost felt like getting into the fight himself, sometimes, but held back for the sake of the pawn's pride. He had come to like the thing over the past few hours, it and its loyalty. If you could even call it that.

"Use that new trick you showed me --" He gestured as he shouted. "Yeah, that one!"

   People were trying to sleep. He wasn't one of them, but he could certainly understand it if this noise had woken up a fair few people to their dismay. For their sakes did he clamber to the top of a brick building using the few handholds he could find, only to come face to face with a murder of crows -- just what he had expected.    These were big things -- about up to his thighs in height. But they were birds, and anyone with a basic knowledge of biology would have known that they are hardly tough creatures. Crows more than others might have been able to handle a fight, but what if they were up against what was practically a brick of solid metal?    Eren flicked the ball at the rooftop with little hesitance, whereupon it sprang off the ground like rubber. As if it were air from a balloon that had just popped, the creature inside had burst out in a flash while the ball bounced back into Eren's hand (this confused him but for a moment).

"Uh…" He hesitated for a moment. The enemy struck first, pecking away at the iron nearest the little one's eye. "Attack it -- tackle it, or something! Don't let it get one in on you without giving one back."

   With a plea at his back (though it sounded more like an order), the aron bumped its head into the toes of the crow, which immediately made to fly. Eren wasn't going to take any chances. Having experience in flight himself, he knew the immediate direction the thing would take, and compensated for it in the arc of his throw.    He made sure this ball was empty, and with a snap of his right arm, the ball slammed into the wing of the crow as it tried to escape. Before it even reached the ground, it had shut with a noisy crack and finalized its own fate. Eren whipped it from off the rooftop and held it aloft to the horizon, feeling much more at peace now that it was gone.

"Finally," he sighed with relief. "Now no one needs to deal with that noise anymore. "Hey -- what the hell are you doing on the roof? It's 3 AM!" "Shit."

   Being the one to give orders felt almost thrilling. If it weren't so bland and disinteresting. Maybe he was just getting tired -- but the night was hardly over, and he still had nine more balls to use up. He wasn't sure how many it would take to nab the next one that caught his interest, but before he knew it, he was engaged in combat with one.    Or rather, his minion. He didn't really know what to call it. A basic description search gave him no leads. He just took it all to mean it would function like a soldier -- though maybe hunter was an analogy that worked just as well. He was happy to let it fight its own battles, then take it to a specialized hospital to heal it all up once it was over.    But this fight had just begun. This one, unlike the minion here, was on all fours. If Eren's was a knife standing on its point, then this was a tin can reinforced with steel, on its side. He could have compared it to a barrel. Maybe he should light it on fire? He supposed it might work, but the only way his pawn seemed to know how to attack was to strike and scratch. Basic movements that any fighter would know, but it was all inexperienced.    For every hit he struck, he took one as well. At some point one of them would have to fall, and Eren wasn't confident that his would be the one standing at the end. What then? What would happen after that? Would the little, steely bastard just up and turn away, let him retreat? Screw that.

"C'mon," he groaned incessantly. "You can do better than that."

   It wouldn't even understand him, but it was worth encouraging. In its own way, this was the only support he felt like he could give. He stood with his hands tucked inside his pants and one grasping a tiny ball within his sweaty palm. Why he was getting so worked up over this nothing was beyond him.    Eventually, they were both scratched, and Eren's intuition told him there wasn't much doing after another hit was going to go in. He stepped to the side, getting his pawn out of his line of sight, and with pinpoint accuracy, struck the iron creature with a blow to the side -- with the tossed ball, of course.    It flew into the air just a few inches after bouncing, and with another burst of light, trapped it within. Eren wondered if it was like dreaming, being inside there. He certainly didn't want to find out. The idea of being caught in a cage was horrifying to him still.    But to the creature, it must have been too close to fainting to care about where it rested. After three shakes, the ball clicked with a resounding pop. Eren leaned over and, with a flourish, picked it up from the grimy street. At the same time, he kicked the light post that the thing had been eating before Eren had done battle with it.

   Something had to fill the streets in their absence. Someone had to clean up the mess that that something made. The ritual had become second nature by now. Rest up during his day job, then cleanse the foulness that permeated after dark. Most of the time it was with a partner, but on the odd occasion he worked alone. Those were quiet hunts. He couldn't afford to be loud.    Observing took up more time than acting his plans out, in times like these. There was a gaggle of men in the distance -- nothing more than little dots to his eyes from this range. He watched the group move between alleys and open roads, from warehouses to factories -- eventually, he noticed that it wasn't the distance that made them seem small, but their height.    They were, without a doubt, short. He could have scratched his head at the prospect of such an organized crew being as stumpy as they were, but more than that he felt like slapping himself for not realizing it sooner. And whatever their enemy was, it had to be of a similar build to them. He really had to ask Crow for a monocular sometime or another.    Whatever the case was, he was interested. And there would be nothing to see from afar like this. So he sneaked around, careful not to be spotted -- easier said than done, despite the dark -- and stared wide eyed at the scene. He didn't know what to expect, or to say when he finally made it there.    -- On one hand, it was something you could see anywhere. A loner had been overwhelmed and beaten by an unexpected group. And the attacker had relished in it. Maybe the little fellow had gotten a blow in on one, but everyone else was just too much.    On the other hand, they were all far from human. Looked alien, completely, to Eren. Then again, the city had numbed his sense of disbelief by a factor of ten after all the time he had spent in it. This was far from the strangest thing to see on a night. It was just a surprise. He felt a tinge of pity for the thing as they dragged him off, it was enough to keep him stiff where he stood until they were all gone.    It was a weak sound that struck him conscious. Not a moan, or anything really living -- just the rough clink of metal against the pavement. On the concrete there lay a figure that refused to curl up, despite its pain. At a glance it was one of the mob that had attacked -- maybe this was the one that had taken the first and only hit.    The blades on its body had been cracked at the tips. He assumed that this must have been taken was a sign of weakness by whatever that crew had been, and so this damaged one had been left behind. ...What a farce.    To Eren, it looked broken, but fixable -- so he couldn't help but try. He took a knife to the cracks and broke away the bits of metal -- was this thing born with these? must've been a pain in the ass for the mother -- leaving only a very razor-like, pointed set of blades attached to its torso. If they had originally been curves, these were now spear ends -- or box cutters. Probably just as fragile, if left alone.    Thinking about it for a second, he put two and two together. He had found this ziploc bag full of these strange...balls. It didn't take a genius to understand that the appearance of these alien creatures -- or whatever they were -- were connected to the scientist's gift.    So, while fiddling around with the orbs in his hand, he gently rolled the creature beneath him onto its back -- much to its dismay. The first and only groan he had heard from it was enough to make him drop what he was holding in surprise. He had hardly thought it conscious enough to do even that.    The ball bounced onto the humanoid, and in a flash of light absorbed it into the space within. Eren stifled a violent reaction and instead stepped back. It shook, it shook, it shook -- pop. After giving it some time, there was nothing left but to grab it in his hands. The ball had expanded, but with a little pressure, it sunk back into its small shape.

“Well,” he said to himself, smirking. “That was simple. Simpler than I thought.”

   He played a game of one-handed catch with the ball, tossing it up and down, getting a feel for the weight. At the very least, this could keep him occupied for another few hours.