Pairing(s): Cynthia&Dawn (girlpowershipping)
Disclaimer: Pokemon is published and owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri. I own nothing but the computer this story was typed up on and the account that posts it.
"They're shutting us down," an aging woman stated.
"What?"
"There hasn't been enough results with the experimentations. In order for our project to continue Professor Rowan wants to see results before the end of the week." The sixty year old woman leaned her head into her hands as she explained. She was hunched over in her chair with her elbows resting on the desktop. Her expression couldn't be seen, but the desperation in her voice spoke depths of how she felt.
Cynthia Celestic couldn't believe the words coming out of her grandmother's mouth. This project was all her grandmother cared about. It was the only thing the old woman believed in anymore. Years and years were spent upon this project all for the sake of furthering and strengthening mankind. All those birthdays missed, all those wasted all-nighters that had taken their toll on Carolina Celestic were wasted because her boss wanted results? Even to Cynthia it seemed so unfair. A ten year project cast aside without a blink of an eye.
"How close are you to completing it?" Cynthia knew well enough to avoid saying things like "Don't worry about it" or "It'll be okay". Those were words of the foolish who clung to words of hope rather than face the truth that things could end badly. "You still have the rest of the week, surely you can finish it by then."
"Don't be ridiculous," her eldest relative and former guardian grumbled.
Cynthia's mind couldn't wrap around this situation. All her life, this wrinkled old woman in front of her had been as stubborn as an ox. She never said die. She could remember a time in her life when a carjacker had approached their car back when she was twelve. Rather than let the car go, she argued with the knife wielding man until she had disoriented him enough to hit him with the open door and mace him. Cynthia chuckled at the memory of the newspaper's head lines, "Not So Defenseless Old Woman Apprehends Carjacker." The woman was bullheaded as she was brilliant making her a threatening woman to the unexpecting. For the longest time Cynthia had been afraid to even raise her voice to her own grandmother for fear of not knowing how the graying blonde woman would react. It had made high school easy for Carolina but harder for Cynthia.
But that wasn't to say, Cynthia had any reason to hate or dislike the woman. After her parents' deaths it had been Carolina Celestic to take her and her sister in without a second thought. She had gave them all the opportunity and room necessary to grow strong and independent but kept them close enough to allow them to develop an understanding and appreciation of family. The old woman could possibly have been a better parent to them than both of their late parents together. The eldest heiress' parents had not been the most nurturing. They had spent most of their time away leaving Carolina to look after their children while they worked across seas. Perhaps that was the reason it had been so easy to move on when her parents were taken in the plane crash. She had barely known them in the first place, and she was already accustom to her grandmother's methods. In a sick way, it was as if the scientist had always been her caretaker rather than her own parents. Mr. and Mrs. Celestic hadn't been horrible parents, they had just never been there in the first place. When they were gone, it became apparent that there wasn't much to miss in the first place. For her little sister's sake, however, Cynthia hadn't let that information be known. She just gave a shoulder to cry on for her baby sister as she mourned their loss.
That was why the nineteen year old high school graduate was infuriated to hear her grandmother just give up like this.
The tall blonde girl banged her hands against the desk, startling her grandmother.
"How care you speak like this?" she demanded to know. "Never before have you surrendered so easily! Why now all of a sudden?"
The old woman shook her chin length grayish-blonde locks.
"You don't understand, Cynthia. There isn't enough time left."
"Are you saying you and your team couldn't finish the formula and make it test ready by the end of the week?" Cynthia egged on, knowing what would happen if she provoked her grandmother.
Carolina turned her nose up at the young blonde. "Of course I could. I could have the formula ready by nightfall tonight. The problem lies in the lack of time to safely test it, let alone get the essential test subjects to test it on."
"You have a test subject."
Carolina rolled her eyes. "Oh, where is this willing test subject?" she scoffed.
Cynthia's lips pulled into a tight smile as her one seen gray eye stared challengingly down at the woman.
"Right in front of you."
Carolina's eyes widened. She understood immediately what was being suggested. Cynthia was offering herself as the test subject. It was insane. Impossible and stupid, too. Cynthia most likely knew that too from the look her grandmother gave her. How could the girl even suggest such a thing?
"I want to help you," Cynthia started. She stood up at her full height, crossing her arms over her chest. Her expression was a soft and warm one now as opposed to the daring look it held minutes ago. "You took care of me and Chelse. You took care of and loved us, no matter how much of your time this project took away from us. It's only natural that I repay you for all that. It's not that I want to do this. It's that I need to, I have too help you or my mind won't rest right."
Carolina smiled at those words. She leaned back in her chair to get a better look at the blonde in front of her. Cynthia was no doubt a beautiful young woman. A nineteen year old goddess, one could say. Her features were sharp and strong, the signature of the child of a doctor. She was definitely tall though her feminine curves worked out enough so she didn't look like a beanpole. Her silvery gray eyes pierced through to the very heart as she gazed upon you. But most notable of course, was that blonde hair of hers. Those long golden locks that flowed down just past her buttocks -- the ends of which curled ever so gently. The strands of hair that hung over her left eye gave her a dangerousness and mysteriousness to mix with those divine attributes. These weren't the most beautiful thing about the girl. It was her heart that was the true beauty. Yes, such an appearance was vastly attractive yet the warmth, compassion, and determination of her heart overshadowed even that.
Carolina closed her eyes, her smile ever present.
"No."
Short and sweet. No need for explanation. Just the statement of decline before they moved on to the reason that brought her granddaughter to see her at her office. Those were Carolina's thoughts.
"I'm going do it. If it helps I will do it." Carolina looked up at Cynthia, shocked that she would still continue to persist. Why would she be so willing to risk getting killed for such a foolish reason? Carolina considered setting the girl right until…
"Such a brave young girl," a deep male voice observed from behind them.
Cynthia turned around to see a tall man standing at the doorway. The man had to be in this late thirties. He was dressed in a black business suit and tie. A bland appearance with the most unusual hair: spiked neon blue. The body of a strict man with the hair of a teenage punk, Cynthia scoffed. He seemed to be lacking eyebrow hair over the thick muscle above his eyes. His pale blue eyes slowly shifted between the Celestic women as he walked deeper into the room. Despite the smile upon his lips Cynthia noticed there was no emotion in his eyes. A warm smile for the sake of appearing normal despite the lack of emotion on the inside. Cynthia seemed to recall that as an trait of a sociopath.
She masked her own emotion as the man stopped next to her. She gave no trust to this man. She couldn't feel as if he deserved any. And he knew she felt this way, she was certain of that as their eyes met. Pale blue eyes sending a chilling wave against the burning heat of the gray ones that glared back. The stare lasted mere seconds but felt like hours.
The man glanced down at Carolina.
"Doctor Carolina Celestic, I assume," he addressed her. "Let me cut to the chase. I am not one who appreciates unneeded banter when business needs to be done. I am here to provide you with a proposal: Continue your research for this week, having it ready and tested by Friday by any means necessary and I will pay you fifteen million dollars at this moment."
He lifted the briefcase in his hand, placing it on the counter. With a click, he opened it in front of the old woman. It was full of an uncountable amount of money stacks, presumably 15 million by his words. Both women's eyes widened as they look on at the money. Cynthia felt her throat dry at seeing that much money. It had to be fake, she deduced. She had never seen that much money at one time. Maybe even at multiple times.
The man stared at the eldest woman.
"What do you say? Rather generous terms wouldn't you say?" He moved the briefcase closer to her, either as a sign of good faith or belief that she wouldn't refuse his offer. "You will be paid much more, naturally, once this project is done."
Carolina regained her composure. She gave the man a stern stare, one Cynthia instantly recognized happily. She didn't trust him, nor did she seem to want anything to do with him. "Who are you, sir? You waltz in here with no formal greeting and demand me such a thing?" Her voice was icy. Cynthia knew she was smiling now.
The man's expression never changed.
"My name is Cyrus and I am the CEO behind Galactic Corp."
Cynthia recognized the name of the company. It was some secretive business that had expanded over a large scale. They sold everything from tires to children's toys. What they 'really' did was still a mystery to most of the citizens outside of the business. Perhaps even to those who worked there.
'Great,' Cynthia thought, watching him like a hawk. 'More reason not to trust this guy.'
"And what exactly do you think you are trying to pay me to do?"
The man's stare darkened as he answered, "I'm paying you to continue you work on making a drug to enhance the human body. I know for a fact that you are working on a formula that will strength, speed, endurance, and healing capabilities the body using the DNA of certain select animals. I want that formula completed."
Cynthia rolled her eyes. It sounded like some B-movie cliché. Just where did this man get his information. It couldn't possibly-
"How do you know that?" Her grandmother's voice was dark and hostile. She stood up from her chair and stared up at Cyrus. "It's all been kept top secret! How could you possibly know all that!?"
Cynthia was shocked at hearing this. Not only was it frightening to know that this man knew all of that, but it was worse that she didn't even know all this. Her grandmother had been working on some sort of 'super soldier' recipe using the DNA of animals? This was the first she had heard that. All she had ever been told was it was something to help heal people. Her grandmother had never been honest with her about the whole thing. Was this why she refused to allow Cynthia to be the test subject? Because it would make her into some sort of weapon?
"I told him, Dr. Celestic. Me, Charon," another male voice stated from behind. A short middle aged man with a receding hair line and round red glasses walked towards them. Cynthia knew him as that arrogant doctor who worked under her grandmother. His mouth twisted into a crude smile as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "I, being of the genius I am, knew it would take some convincing you to continue for the better good. I figured money would appease you enough to continue."
"You figured wrong," Carolina snapped. "As usual."
Charon continued to talk without acknowledging her disapproval. "This should be quite enough reason to begin testing again. We have the money to pay for any expenses and a willing test subject to try it out on."
His eyes drifted to Cynthia as he spoke.
"Don't you dare speak of Cynthia like that!" Carolina's hands slammed against the desk, causing Cynthia and Charon to shake at the outburst and actions that followed. Cyrus, however, never even batted an eye. "I refuse! I won't let my granddaughter become a part of this! I won't risk her life for any amount of money! Now leave this building, immediately!" She glared up at both men. "Both of you!"
Cyrus closed his eyes. "Then will you risk her life if her life is already in danger?" Before the words could sink in, the man snapped his fingers.
The office door was knocked down by a sudden force. Four men and a woman, all dressed in the same grey and black one piece suit with the same bluish-green bowel-cuts, came erupting into the office. A two of the men charged Cynthia, knocking her down. Cynthia's head hit the ground when she fell. The slightly dazed blonde felt two gun barrels press against her head. She looked up to see the two men pointing their guns at her head. Her eye darted over to her grandmother who was being held down against the desk at gunpoint by the one woman. The other two men had their guns pointed at either Cynthia or Carolina, watching both of them for any unnecessary movements.
Charon let out a sigh of disdain. "Did this need come to violence so quickly? Surely minds such as ours could have came to an understanding."
The balding man didn't sound as if he was upset that the two women had been attacked, but more so annoyed that his apparent boss had chosen to move on to intimidation rather than let Charon try and talk them into helping. As if Cyrus had not believed Charon capable enough to handle the task.
Cyrus stood unyielding. He was still focused on the task at hand. All others were background noise to him as he walked toward the desk. He stared down at Carolina as he stopped directly in front of her.
"If you breath any word other than yes, we will kill her," his voice was now cold, much like his eyes. "I will tell you one time and one time only: You will finishi that formula or the girl will die."
The men cocked their guns at that point, as if on cue to emphasize their leader's declaration.
Carolina's eyes found their way to her granddaughter's. There was fear there, with sadness and shame. She had never meant for her to be in danger. Never. This was why she absolutely refused to allow Cynthia to get involved in the first place. She wouldn't have the girl be hurt. Not while she is alive. She looked away from her granddaughter, her eyes closed to hold back the tears. Ashamed of her decision.
"Yes, I'll help you." Her voice cracked at the beginning. The tears began to fall freely. "But don't use Cynthia, use me instead. Please, let her go! She has nothing to do with this! Please!"
Cyrus's eyes burned chillingly at the old woman, watching her every movement.
"No."
He turned his back on her. He made his march towards the fallen door with Charon at his heels. Hate burned inside of Cynthia as she watched them leave. She struggled against her captures. She was going to kill that man for what he was putting her grandmother through. Cyrus head turned as he stepped through the threshold. He peered down at her, then to her captures before looking away all together.
The last sound Cynthia heard was her grandmother scream out at what the man had said. She felt tears building in her own eyes. The last feeling she felt was the hard thunk of a gun barrel collided with the back of her skull. All else was silent and black after that as she was thrown into unconsciousness.
Carolina was forced up to her feet by her female capture. She was jerked by the arm towards the door. She let out another scream of fear as she looked down at her granddaughter now bleeding from the head. She moved to run to her side but found an elbow hitting her cheek, throwing her to the ground. The hostage taking bowel-cuts jerked the two women up to their feet before dragging them out the door after their leader.
End of Chapter Notes:
First off, this is sort of just the beginning. The next chapter will deal with Cynthia's transformation.
Dawn will appear very shortly, but I'm not going to rush into Cynthia and Dawn as a couple in this one. I want you to feel them as a growing couple. Not rush into it, and hope you can grab along and hold on until the end.
Also, to clear up any misconnection: Officially, Cynthia's last name and her sister's full name aren't known. But since a story that is bound to be a long one will require a such information, I gave them a surname. Celestic, as in the name of the town Cynthia and her family are from. Chelse is a sort of nickname Cynthia gave her little sister which is the shortened form of Chelsea. I gave her the name Chelsea since the Cynthia and Carolina (which is the show's name for Cynthia's grandmother) both begin with a "C" and end with an "A" so I wanted to give the little sister a name that fit that trend.