Glitched

16 - Binary Code

"Terrifying." Retro leant back in her chair, the tip of the pencil resting on her lip.

Those eggs were still on the silent monitor, surrounded by a web of black cracks. A trail of eggs, leading through the jungle, vanishing out of sight beyond a mass of ferns. Each one seemed to be smoking, or giving off a strange white cloud of mist. She zoomed in again and dropped her pencil on the floor. The discussion that had been going on behind her came to an abrupt end as all eyes snapped back to the computer.

It wasn't mist those eggs were giving off.

It was binary code.

...

The path between the ominous cracks zigged and zagged and twisted sharply left and right so much so it looked at first like there was no path there. Pixel's heart was in her throat most of the time as she desperately tried to avoid touching them. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the binary trailing off the rocks and plants seemed to tickle her fur.

Violet reflected off Vector's white fur. He kept his paws to his chest, his eyes flitting left and right as they followed the black cracks looming over them. She wasn't the only one who found it daunting. Even Switch seemed on edge, but he didn't voice it. The cracks gave very little room between them, so he'd had to take on his talonflame form to fit comfortably between them.

Vector exclaimed loudly and came to a sharp stop. Pixel had to put on her breaks and she felt Switch's sharp beak strike against her horn. She glanced back to see him rubbing it with a wing feather.

"Sorry," she said.

He shrugged. "Not your fault." Then he added over her shoulder, "What is it?"

Vector grimaced and balled his paws into fists. "We can't get through. They're too close together here."

"You can't..." Switch clicked his beak in thought. "Maybe... erase more of them?"

Vector's yellow eyes frowned at him over his shoulder. "How long have you been wanting to ask me that?"

"Since I was forced to waddle along with my wings clipped to my sides."

The meowstic tentatively brought a paw up to his nose to scratch it, then closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I don't know if I even did that," he said. "I mean... what if it was just a freak coincidence?"

"What if it wasn't?"

Vector said nothing, but narrowed his eyes.

"I agree with Switch." Pixel drew Vector's leer from Switch onto her. "It seems like too much of a coincidence to actually be one."

"So you want me to risk my life?" Vector snorted. "Voluntarily touch one of those things?"

"I don't see how much difference it makes," said Switch. "We'll probably end up doing so just turning around to retrace our steps!"

Vector trailed his eyes over the web of cracks, muttering incoherently to himself. He shifted uneasily then looked down at his paws. Pixel and Switch stood awkwardly, rooted to the spot, desperate to not so much as twitch and come into contact with those strange cracks. She couldn't work out what Vector was saying to himself, but she wondered if it was a bit of a pep talk. Her heart leapt into her throat when he reached out his left paw to touch the glowing, jagged wall beside him.

The sound of a snapping twig, amplified so much it caused her ears to ring.

A flash.

Another gap had opened up around them, leaving Vector standing amongst it with his jaw hanging open, staring at his paw as though it was the first time he'd even seen it.