*DISCONTINUED*
Sorry, guys. D; I was legit planning on editing this fic and completing it and everything but after reading over the whole thing recently I decided it's not worth the hassle. There's just so many mistakes and punctuation errors and OOCness and gahhh. It's a shambles, basically. Plus I don't have a single shred of inspiration left for the story.
GIGANTIC thanks to the lovely people who left reviews, though. You're all wicked awesome!~
"Hand over the Pokeballs or we'll take them by force!"
A panic-stricken Nurse Joy stood, cornered behind her enclosed reception desk, backed up as close to the wall behind her as possible. "P-please, just- just take the money! But not the Pokemon!" she stuttered, fear-filled eyes fixed on a pair of black clad Team Rocket agents standing before her. The female was as intimidating as they get; painted red lips, long golden-blonde hair sculpted into a crazy style, hour-glass figure and piercing violet eyes. If looks could kill. And the guy; tall, somewhat muscular, wasn't saying a word but wore a snide look on his face. These guys meant business. Nurse Joy could've sworn she'd seen them somewhere before...on a Wanted poster, perhaps? The news?
"We came for the Pokeballs, and we'll leave with the Pokeballs," the golden-haired girl snapped impatiently, making the startled Nurse flinch. "Unless you want us to hurt you then I suggest you tell us where the damn things are!"
Nurse Joy swallowed, heart pounding in her chest. It was just her luck that Team Rocket agents would break in on the one evening she had her night shift. Her fearful eyes drifted to the discreet emergency button just under the desk. A single black button. Pressing it would alert the nearest police station to send a Jenny down without delay. If she could just push it...without the thieves noticing...
"Alright...I...t-the keypad codes to all the rooms are under my desk, just let me get to them," the pink-haired woman said, attempting to sound calm, although her voice remained slightly shaky and the presence of the Team Rocket duo unnerved her horribly. Their sleek black uniforms with the notorious red 'R', their sneering faces, haughty poses, sense of authority. However, Butch and Cassidy fell for her makeshift lie and waited, keeping their impatient eyes on the Nurse, who had slowly raised her hands in submissive surrender and crouched down under the desk. She was now shakily pretending to be fumbling around for what 'they' needed. She hesitated, her finger wavering over the button. She could press it and risk them bringing out weapons or violent Pokemon...or, she could stand back and allow them to wipe the place clean of Pokemon, but certainly avoid getting hurt.
Cassidy shot an impatient glare at the Nurse, piercing violet eyes widening. "Well? Get a move on!"
"S-sorry, I'm just-" Before either Rocket could do a thing about it, Nurse Joy's hand reached up with lightening speed and slammed down hard on the emergency button. Immediately, a piercing high-pitched alarm began to sound persistently, and there was a loud, echoing click as all the exits became secured- no escape.
Cassidy clenched her teeth together and leaned over the desk, yelling over the shrill alarm at Nurse Joy, who was crouched under there, covering her ears to block out the noise and hoping for the best, hoping Officer Jenny would get here in time in case they hurt her or the Pokemon.
"Liar! You'll pay for this! Nobody tricks us!" Cassidy roared.
Just as she was about to lunge herself over the desk and attack the cowering nurse, Butch grasped her firmly by the forearm. "No time for that! We gotta make a break for it!"
Cassidy shot one last furious glance in Nurse Joy's direction, but allowed herself to turn away, fiercely shaking her arm out of her partners grip as they hurried towards the exit, their pace quickening by the second until they were running for it.
Too late.
The moment they were in front of the glass double doors, wailing sirens could be heard near by. Before they knew it, a motorcycle pulled up outside with a squeal of brakes, red and blue lights flashing blindingly.
The duo stumbled back slightly, stricken with sheer panic, although Cassidy forced herself to stay calm and sneer at the officer who burst through the front doors of the Pokemon Centre. Her partner on the other hand, worriedly glanced around for another means of escape- but it was pointless now. They'd been busted.
"Alright, game's over. You're under arrest!" Jenny yelled, standing surefooted in front of the doorway she had since burst through. The alarms ceased almost immediately.
"I wouldn't sound so sure of yourself, lady!" Cassidy retorted hastily. She was far from being intimidated by the police- she was prepared. Slipping a gloved hand into a pocket on the side of her dress, she whipped out a pistol and outstretched her arms as she locked onto her target.
It didn't take a split second for Jenny to draw out a gun of her own and aim it towards the blonde, who was standing a mere few feet away. "Drop your weapon," Jenny commanded, calmly, but firmly enough to show she meant serious business and wasn't going to conform to their games. "Put your hands behind your head."
"Or?" Cassidy prompted in an innocent tone, showing not even the slightest hint of fear. Taunting an officer never got her anywhere, she knew this from experience. Hell, especially an armed one. Talk about playing with fire. But there was nothing like a little reckless risk-taking to end the night.
"Or I will have no choice but to open fire!" Jenny warned.
Butch's brow creased, panic striking once again. He'd sooner have got himself shot down than allow his partner to get hurt. Jenny was far to concentrated on the blonde to notice the green-haired man slip his hand into his pocket. He instantly withdrew his own gun, putting a finger through the trigger guard and making the pistol spin around it cowboy style, before aiming it expertly at Officer Jenny. "Hey, you're outnumbered now. Let us go and you won't get hurt."
"Drop it," Jenny ordered, eyes darting from Cassidy, to Butch, back to Cassidy as she held her gun at the ready. Didn't these felons know what they were getting themselves into? "This is your last chance!"
Butch's eyes drifted to Cassidy, his arms loosening up a little, almost as if he was about to obey. That was, until Cassidy snapped, "You think you scare us? We've got a job to do, and we'll be damned if you're gonna stop us!"
No signs of cooperation there, then. Jenny shook her head, almost pityingly. Almost. A distinctive clink broke the split second of silence as she loaded her gun. Butch hadn't let his guard down completely, however, and caught on as she was about to fire. On a reckless whim, his arm shot up and he pulled the trigger of his gun, letting off not one but two rounds with several piercing bangs.
He didn't miss his target. Jenny's body staggered back and collapsed to the ground after two bullets hit her directly in the chest, there was a clunk as her gun rolled onto the polished floor. Then, silence.
Cassidy blinked. It had all happened in a flash; one second Officer Jenny was ordering her to drop her weapon, next, she'd been blown to the ground with two horribly loud bangs. She stared at the scene before her, heart sinking the moment she was over the stage of shock. Her hand raised to her mouth, lavender eyes drifting to Butch in disbelief. He was staring at the motionless body ahead blankly, although there was fear evident in his eyes as he too, realized what he had just done.
Without a word between them, the duo warily edged a few steps closer to the police officer lying still on the cold ground. At this point, high-tailing it out of there would have been the logical thing to do, and Butch wanted to- as selfish as it was, his eyes were fixed longingly on the doors, not the immobile body of his victim. But still, he followed his partners footsteps as always, hoping she'd soon take lead and tell him what to do.
The front of Jenny's navy-blue uniform was now stained a deep red, spreading by the minute. There were also two visible bloody punctures on her upper chest and the colour had drained from her face.
"...What've you done?" Cassidy finally whispered in horror, her eyes still locked on the woman at her feet. Yes, this was a loathed Officer Jenny, but the frightening thing was the consequences of what Butch had just done. She turned her head to look at her obviously panicked partner, her own eyes wide with shock and a little anger. "You've really done it this time."
Butch's brow creased. He felt sick to his stomach. He could barely muster up the nerve to look at Cassidy as guilt struck his conscience, but he tore his eyes away from Officer Jenny, swallowing. "We oughta get outta here."
"Idiot!" Cassidy hissed. "You killed her! Do you have any idea-"
Suddenly, a choked up cough came from the supposedly dead Officer. Cassidy and Butch both looked down, only to find she was trying to haul herself up, her face contorted in pain as she continued to choke on her own breath. Deep red, almost brown blood dribbled from her slightly agape mouth and down her chin, and as she opened her mouth to cough again it practically flowed out.
"She isn't dead," Butch announced densely as he stared at Jenny. Cassidy clenched her fists at his idiocy. Such an inane statement to make when the woman was clearly on the very brink of croaking it.
"Let's get outta here now before any more cops show up. Please." The teal-haired man glanced at his paler than ever partner, knowing that if they made a quick escape now, he had a chance of getting away with what he'd just done. It was selfish, sure, but what did they care? He gently took her hand in his. "Come on, Cass."
The moment his fingers laced through hers, Cassidy snatched her hand away violently and crossed her arms across her chest, brow furrowed. "Don't touch me."
Before Butch could say another word, more sirens could be heard down the road, fast approaching. The next thing they knew, four Jennies on motorcycles, and a police van pulled up outside the building with a screech of their brakes. The double doors burst open once more, and this time the officers were far too quick for the two agents, who seemed very unwilling to aim their guns at anyone again anyway. It was all over within minutes. The couple were arrested whilst another officer rushed to attend to her injured colleague- who, by this point, wasn't looking too promising.
Cassidy's weak, nervous expression soon transformed back into a scowl as she and her partner were handcuffed and firmly led out of the building, towards the doors of a police van. A fairly generous crowd had formed outside of the city Pokemon Center and were looking at the Team Rocket duo with judgemental eyes. Cassidy hung her head in embarrassment, trying to ignore those stares of disgust and shock. They were all gawping and whispering, shaking their heads and tutting.
"What've they done?"
"Isn't that those two from Team Rocket?"
"Butch and Cassidy..."
"You mean those scumbags aren't already in jail?"
"Is Nurse Joy okay? What'd they do?"
"Someone needs to lock these sick crooks up and throw away the key."
The walk of shame only lasted a few seconds, fortunately, before the pair were forced into the back of a police van. Then, the metal doors were slammed shut, shrouding the back of the van in darkness. Cassidy hesitantly glanced over at Butch through the dark. She knew he was probably feeling as shaken up and scared as she was; but this was his doing. His fault. There was a rumble as the vans engine started, then it set off. Off, to the city jail. The most dismal place imaginable, in the average Rocket's opinion. It wasn't even worth thinking about that hell hole right now.
"Well..." Cassidy eventually grunted after a few minutes of listening to nothing but the drone of the vans engine below. "Here's to a job well done, partner. Couldn't even steal a few Pokeballs from a Pokemon Center without screwing up for us, could you?"
"I'm sorry. I'll take all the responsibility," Butch mumbled feebly. Responsibility. He knew what that meant. It meant facing the wrath of Giovanni when he found out they'd failed him again. It meant picking up the phone, calling him, and begging, again, for him to bail them out of jail. And if the begging was in vain, he'd have to live with the fact that he'd ruined not only his own career and livelihood, but Cassidy's too. Saying he'd take responsibility was one thing, carrying it out, was another.
"You know I was just protecting you, right?"
Cassidy frowned, sensing fear in his voice. In fact, she could've sworn it cracked a little, like he was going to cry. "I can look after myself, you know!" she retorted defensively. How dare he try and make out that this was somehow her fault! That, it was his duty to protect her. "Did I ever ask you to protect me? Ever? No. I may be a couple years younger than you, but you know what? I'm a couple brain cells smarter than you, too. The guns are for intimidation purposes only. You idiot!"
He flinched as she spat the last two words, feeling the edge of her boot kick him hard in the shin. He couldn't see her through the dark, but her tone of voice alone was enough to show she hated him for messing up so bad. "I'm sorry, Cass," he mumbled, in the tone of a scolded child.
"Are you insane? You killed someone! A cop, no less! How the hell do you expect to explain this one to the Boss?"
"I didn't kill her!" Butch hissed, scowling through the darkness at her. His stomach was churning at those three words. They echoed in his mind long after silence consumed the back of the van.
You killed someone!
He swallowed. "She...wasn't dead when we left; people pull through. I didn't kill anyone."
"You keep telling yourself that, hon. The judge is gonna throw the book at you," Cassidy shot back. Underneath it all, she was terrified. Too many worries were swirling around her mind; like a tornado. How could a simple mission have gone so horribly wrong? "I won't be surprised if I'm taken down with you. Thanks to you and your typical tendency to do stupid things without considering the consequences, we're gonna be behind bars 'til death do us part!"
"Just...just quit it, will ya? I know I messed up, but would ya kindly shut that mouth for a while and lemme think?" Butch snapped, followed by an exasperated sigh. He scowled and attempted to crush any thoughts of Officer Jenny to the back of his mind. He was a criminal, a villain, yes- but he felt guilt as much as the next person, and when he did, it nagged away like crazy.
"Shut your own mouth, imbecile," Cassidy retorted with a sneer, giving a short pause before adding, "'Cause all I hear is ribbit ribbit ribbit!"
Butch's scowl deepened, but he didn't respond to this taunt, knowing better than to give her the satisfaction of upsetting him. If he let her get to him, she'd only continue to belittle him to the point of no self worth. That was how it worked. So he stayed quiet. And so did she.
A young police guard whistled irritatingly as he led his two handcuffed Rocket agents down a bleak, narrow corridor of holding cells, twirling a jingly set of keys around his index finger as he did so. Dim, artificial lighting reflected slightly off of the grey-coloured floor, and each wall was lined with metal barred doors like cages. The only audible sound was three pairs of footsteps on the plasticised flooring, and the occasional faint echo of heavy doors being slammed shut. Along with the guards insufferably cheerful whistling.
"You guys should start paying rent or something," he taunted casually when he finally ceased whistling. "You're here often enough. In fact, I was thinking, there should be a permanent sign on one of the cell doors- 'Reserved for Butch and Cassidy'." He smirked as Cassidy grumbled something about him being a smartass and Butch huffed disapprovingly. "What was it this time?"
"None of your business," Cassidy snapped. She gave a final useless attempt at yanking herself out of his grip without the use of her cuffed hands.
"I'm sure if that boss of yours has any common sense he'll leave the pair of you in here for good this time," the guard remarked. "He'd be doing the law a favour. Our jobs would be an awful lot easier without troublemakers like you two roaming the streets."
Cassidy gave a scornful snort, pulling a face at the guards arrogance- though her own arrogance could be ten times as bad at the best of times- as she was about to demonstrate. "Excuse me, Officer Ratbag, we're not 'troublemakers', we're qualified criminals. Class A, thank you very much. You cops think you're so much better than us, don't you? Well, newsflash- you're not. You're all scum, you're not worth my spit," she scoffed indignantly, sticking her nose up and eyeing the guard with disapproval. "And don't you worry, sweetie, we'll be out of this putrid dump by tomorrow morning. Of course Giovanni will bail out his mosttreasured agents."
Butch let his bangs fall forward to curtain his rolling eyes. Treasured? Once upon a time. Cassidy was always kidding herself like that. Refusing to accept the fact that they were no longer put on a pedestal and considered valuable by the Boss. She seemed to continuously delude herself into believing that they were still irreplaceable, skilled. Untouchable.
The guard didn't fall for it either. He laughed and shook his head at her little speech. "Well, whatever you say, blondie. You know, you're notorious in this jail for being a cocky little so-and-so. I don't think there's one cop in this building who hasn't heard of 'Loudmouth Cassidy'. I've got no clue how your infamous silent partner puts up with you...wait, what's his name again?" he babbled on cruelly as he unlocked the door to the cell they had stopped outside and began to remove the handcuffs of each agent, appearing to take great pleasure in taunting the pair.
Butch growled at this cheap shot as his wrists were freed. "I'm right here, jerk."
The guard smirked. "Ah, that's right. You stay silent because of, uh...the voice. I can't say I blame you, I'd keep my mouth shut too if I sounded like I ate a frog for breakfast," he chortled, gesturing them both into the cell smugly.
Cassidy glanced at Butch, frowning when he shrugged it off and didn't defend himself. She felt embarrassed for him, as she tended to, when people mocked him like that about his most defining trait; unless it was her doing the mocking. She could insult Butch, he could insult her, but nobody else could. She crossed her now free arms, narrowing her eyes at the guard with contempt. "You watch your mouth, you piece of shit," she spat, nudging Butch in the side with her elbow in an attempt to get him to take a leaf out of her book and give the guard a piece of his mind. "Butch here could kick your ass in ten seconds flat."
The rude guard didn't reply, however. He simply snorted and waved to them tauntingly with a wiggle of his fingers, before slamming the barred door shut. There was a click with an unnerving air of finality, and then there was silence. Cassidy and Butch both remained standing, their eyes scanning their cramped surroundings miserably.
The cell was, as always, cold and dismal. Colour seemed non-existent in this place. There was a small opening in the upper part of the wall. If it was supposed to be a window; the thick, metal bars depleted that purpose. Their were two bunks for beds; and hanging from a bare wire in the concrete ceiling, a small incandescent light bulb burned hotly.
Cassidy shivered, folding her arms tightly across her chest in an attempt to warm herself, before she perched herself down on the end of the bottom bunk bed. If you could even call it a bed; it was merely merely two cold metal beds sitting upon one another, with a mere inch of mattress covering each one's structure. No pillows, no blankets. Butch remained standing and bit the tip of his thumb, one hand in his pocket and slight frown on his face.
"Butch?"
"Hm?" His response was a delayed mumble, and he didn't look up.
Cassidy stared at him, assuming he was finally starting to realize the seriousness of his actions. That, or he'd let the guard get to him.
"What's the plan?" she questioned, knowing he'd get what she meant by this. The plan; was some alternative method of getting the heck out of jail if Giovanni decided he wasn't going to bail them out. Theyalways had a plan. Every time they got carted off to this hell-hole, they would sit and discuss their options. Either he bailed, or they'd have to come up with some complex escape method. They were kidding themselves, though; escaping was near impossible in a high-security prison like this one. Especially since they were infamous, therefore always under 'special' supervision. Fortunately, they'd neverneeded to use one of their harebrained escape methods.
Butch's eyes trailed over to her, but he stayed in the exact same position, his thumb still clenched between his teeth. He didn't reply. What was he supposed to say? There was no way they were getting out of here this time. Giovanni had clearly stated the last time, that this was their very last chance.
"Well?"
"I dunno."
"But what if the Boss doesn't bail?"
Butch watched the expression in her eyes change from mildly irritated to scared. Desperate, almost. She wanted reassurance. "'Course he'll bail. Don't worry."
"Yeah, right. Don't you remember the last time he got us out of here? What did he say...no more chances. That he can't afford to keep bailing us out like this, and we're pushing our luck," the blonde reminded her partner, feeling sick as she recalled her Boss's stern words. He was going to be so disappointed, so angry. "We're really stuck in here this time. Aren't we?"
Butch sighed and wearily sat beside her on the bottom bunk, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs with his fingers clasped together. He turned his head and flicked his eyes up to meet hers. "I dunno, Cass. We gotta call him and see what he says before we get into a blind panic. He's bailed a billion times before, maybe he'll forget about when he said this was our last chance and..." He trailed off mid-sentence, knowing this was all wishful thinking. Giovanni didn't forget. "...Well, I dunno. Like I said, we need to call him."
Cassidy nodded in agreement. "Yes," she said in a tone that prompted him to continue, staring him down. "So what exactly do you plan to say when you make the call? Lie, or...?"
"Me make the call? I said we," Butch replied, nervously adding, "And I also think it'd be best if you did the talking."
"Hey, why me?" Cassidy demanded indignantly, her brow soon forming a scowl when Butch averted his eyes. Coward. "Look at me!"
He still hung his head, bangs partially hiding his eyes when he rolled them at her again. "Because if you don't, there ain't a chance in hell we're getting outta here."
"Butch! What difference does it make who speaks on the darn phone?" the blonde snapped, the scowl changing from irate to a little concerned. "What matters is what we say to him! An alibi or...some sort of promise or agreement, one that he'll believe! Don't make this even more difficult than it already is! And don't try and shift all the responsibility over to me, 'cause this is undoubtedly your fault this time, pal."
Butch exhaled frustratedly, rubbing his temples in an attempt to keep his cool. "I'm not tryna shift the responsibility, sweetcheeks, I'm trying to-" He stopped mid-sentence when he realized he was partially yelling at at his partner. After a weary sigh, he continued in a calmer tone. "...Look, you've got this way of sweet-talking people into getting what you want. You're good at that. Kinda wish I could be as manipulative as you- it's a skill. Which is why I think you should talk to him. But that doesn't mean you gotta take all the blame. Tell him it was my fault. Hell, he can leave me in here if he so wishes; butyouneed to get out, Cass."
Despite the aloofness of his last statement, the thought of being left in jail for an indefinite amount of time made Butch feel sick to his stomach. He and Cassidy weren't exactly popular with the other inmates- and boy, they were nasty inmates, too. Many a time Butch had gotten caught up in violent confrontation with other males and come out of it with a black eye or a bust nose- or a longer jail sentence. But they didn't pick on Cassidy in that way. No; they were far more perverted and sleazy concerning the ice queen. Leering at her, harassing her, touching her. What made it worse was that sometimes, she acted as if she enjoyed the attention. This sparked a flaming jealousy and anger inside Butch; something that he probably wasn't going to be able to hold back much longer and would end up breaking one of those perverts necks for so much as looking at his partner.
Cassidy had growled stubbornly at Butch's reasoning; although she knew there was plenty truth in what he was saying. She could wheedle her way out of most bad situations by merely batting her eyelashes and speaking in a sugary tone of voice. She could easily switch from callous to angelic when necessary. She could explain mistakes to the Boss in a way that made the seem much, much less worthy of a punishment. Still, she refused to accept all the responsibility. "I know your game, froggo," she said. "You just want me to take all the blame, so that you'll be let off the hook for murdering a cop."
Butch's eyes immediately flicked up to meet hers, and glared straight into them, as if warning her. "I didn't," he hissed.
She didn't reply. If denial was his only sense of reasoning, she couldn't argue. Deep down, she was equally worried about what the consequences of her partners actions would be. She couldn't bear it if he was bound to spend the rest of his life in jail because of one mindless, stupid mistake. They had to get out of here- both of them. She decided not to bring up the nights incidents again; if he was going to pretend it never happened, so was she.
After a moment of contemplative silence, Cassidy ran an aloof hand through her hair, before she edged closer to her partner and hooked one slim arm snugly through his as she leaned against him, staring at him with puppy dog eyes. She could easily use her sweet-talk techniques on him. "Honey, won't you please call the Boss this one time?" she pleaded softly, putting those lash-batting skills into good use. "I'm scared, and you're the man in this relationship, so you should be tough..."
"Oh, please..." Butch grumbled, staring down at the floor. He didn't dare glance at her- those pretty violet eyes always weakened him to the point of giving in.
She pouted now, her bottom lip protruding like a sad toddler. "But...sweetie..." she whined quietly, now resting her head on his shoulder. "I rely on you..." She frowned when he shook his head and chuckled at her dryly, but she didn't give up the act just yet. Tossing her golden pigtails, she brought her face closer to his, ignoring the fact that he was still avoiding eye contact. Perhaps the wide-eyed hypnotic stare she was directing at him was a little too intimidating, but still. "You know, if you'd only quit being so stubborn and call the boss for me- for us... I'd do anything you want in return," she offered temptingly, tracing a gloved hand up his back until it was stroking his neck gently, before leaning in a few more inches to whisper in his ear, "A-n-ything..."
As her warm breath tickled his earlob, Butch flinched, grinning stupidly and jerking away from her before she could tease him any further. He quickly scratched the itch her pointy fingers had caused on the back of his neck. God, he wanted to say yes. So bad. It was rare that she offered to 'do things' for him. Because it had to be a secret. Team Rocket agents were prohibited from being emotionally or sexually involved. This rule was stressed to the point of taboo; work had to be their first priority, always. Love was for the weak, and there was no time for it when working for an evil crime syndicate bent on taking over the world. Giovanni had been known to immediately fire any unlucky agents who disrespected these wishes and got caught on the act. Presumably, this rule wasn't just there due to practical reasons, but something to do with his own bitterness and lack of human emotions. Butch and Cassidy's relationship had developed over the years into little more than an extremely close friendship. Extremely close. With the exceptional make-out session. And sleeping together. And passionate jealousy if either seemed a little too close to the opposite sex. It was complicated, the most love-hate relationship possible. On-and-off. Yet...it seemed right, somehow. They had something special, that was for sure; but their feelings and desires were something they could seldom act upon.
"Nah. Look, I'm sorry, Cass, but I've already told you," Butch decided firmly, no matter how frustrating it was to resist her. He let his eyes meet hers, the slight ounce of remorse visible. "We're not gonna get outta this place unless you, yes you, lil' miss Boss's favourite, stop being obstinate and make that darn call."
The blonde's sulky scowl returned within seconds. She wasn't the only obstinate one around here. She got to her feet, throwing a resentful glare his way. "No. I know exactly what your game is," she insisted indignantly as she climbed up the three-step metal ladder onto the top bunk, giving a scornful huff when she reached the top. "You're jealous. Because yes, I am the Boss's favourite. And you want to get me into trouble and make him hate me so that you'll be his lapdog."
"How many times?" Butch snapped. He was sick of her uncooperative attitude. They were a team, they were supposed to help each other out; and here she was, being a stubborn, self-righteous child as per. "Isaid I'll take the blame! This wasn't all my fault, ya know, but I'm willing to act like it was so that you, if not both of us, can get out of this. I'm in deep water, Cass! Not you!"
"I'm not changing my mind."
Butch shook his head at her angrily, his lips forming a slight snarl. "You know what? Fine. Have it your way," he spat resignedly, swinging his legs up onto the bed, lying down, and rolling onto his side so he was facing the wall. He scowled, eyes scanning the untidy scribbles of graffiti and etched names in front of him. She'd won the dispute and gotten her own way once again. Just like that.
Cassidy waited for him to say something else; but after two minutes, she assumed he was either going to sleep or ignoring her. She sniffed, attempting to preserve the ounce of warmth she had by curling up tight, arms hugging her legs. Perhaps, in the morning, she'd be able to converse with him without sparking an argument.
It seemed this wasn't going to be the peaceful nights rest she so desperately wanted, though. Not in this place. Not with the events of the night flashing back in her mind over and over.
Cassidy awoke early the following morning, dazed and drowsy as she pulled herself upright. She frowned and rubbed at her forehead for a moment, before letting her hand slide down her face. Her eyes blinked and she stared at her dull surroundings. It was never nice, waking up in a prison cell. She was accustomed to awaking in the familiarness of her cosy dorm room back at Team Rocket HQ; it wasn't anything special, unless you compared it to jail. In which case it was as good as a five star luxury suite.
This cell was cold, miserable. A soft, chilly draught seemed to waft from no where, and the only source of morning light was the small window on the upper wall, exposing a mere block of grey sky. It was completely silent too, making the fact that they were cut off from the outside world harder to ignore.
Cassidy stifled a yawn before drowsily getting up and climbing down the shaky ladders from the top bunk, only to perch herself down stiffly on the bed below; where Butch was still out for the count, one hand resting on his chest and the other arm hanging over the side of the bed. Reaching over, Cassidy gave her snoring partner a shake with one arm. "Butch," she murmured, continuing to push him impatiently until he scowled and stirred in his sleep, grunting half-conscious defiances as he batted her arm away.
"Geddoff me," he moaned groggily.
"Wake up, snoozles. Now's not the time for a lie in," Cassidy said irritably. She began to fix her hair, in vain of course, as she lacked her hairbrush and mirror. That was another torturous thing about jail- they made it very difficult for her to keep up her glamourous appearance. God forbid if she had to wear a prison uniform. "We need to finish off last nights discussion, I think. Time we quit arguing like children and actually came to an agreement. I'm not staying in this shit hole, Butch. You hear me, chimney-breath? Wake up now."
"Alright, alright," he grumbled, yawning as he sleepily wiped bleary eyes. He sat partially upright and leaned back on his elbows, his blank, tired stare meeting his partners impatient eyes. "You gonna call the Boss?"
"Don't start another childish dispute, Butch," the blonde snapped, cursing to herself as she found a knot in her left pigtail. "I'd appreciate it if you called him. Thank you."
"Not gonna happen, babe," Butch replied aloofly. He sleepily stretched his arms and then rested them behind his head, sighing tiredly. Cassidy was grouchy in the morning. Always. Especially when waking up in the place she hated the most. It was going to be even harder to reason with her. "Ya know, you could just make life easier for the both of us and do as I say. I'd appreciate it if you called him. Thank you."
"You think you can order me around?"
"No. I think the Boss wouldn't waste his precious time listening to what I've got to say. Besides, I'll just mess up and make things worse. I mess everything else up, I'll mess this up as well."
Cassidy frowned at this, taking her hands away from her hair to cross her arms. "Why...are you so god damn insecure?" she retorted; ignoring the little voice of reprimand in her head that told her, after so many years of cutting taunts, belittling remarks and domineering, she was most likely one of the main reasons behind any of her partners insecurities. "Alright, suppose I let you have your snide little way and I call the boss, what am I supposed to say? Because I just know, the moment he finds out we're in jail, he'll hit the roof and hang up."
"Just...explain what happened, respectfully. He's not gonna be angry at you; it's me who's in trouble- like I already told you," Butch said, softening his words with the smallest smile. "Believe it or not, I'm only being persistent 'cause I don't want you to be stuck in here. I'm positive Giovanni'll listen. If it means he only bails you out, and not me...then so be it. I'll uh, find my own way out."
Cassidy swallowed, her expression softening. He was serious...perhaps it wasn't about her having to take all the responsibility. Perhaps it was time she gave her partner a little credit and took his word for it when he told her it'd be okay. But it was going to be so hard...if...
"Alright. Fine. Since you insist so strongly, it looks like I don't have any option. Just remember...you made me do this."
Cassidy grimaced as she made her way into the jail's call area. It was as bleak as the cells. Off-white painted, bumpy concrete walls, grey epoxy flooring which was almost sticky to walk on, a couple of phones attached to the walls and numerous police guards on watch
Cassidy's heart pounded as she waited in the shortest queue to a phone. She felt physically sick. Her stomach was in knots. There was no telling how Giovanni was going to react to their latest fault. This wasn't even like the other botched missions; no clumsy mistakes or pure bad luck. No, this was serious. Butch had...killed someone. Sure, Jenny hadn't been dead when they left- on the brink of death, perhaps. But to keep denying it and pretending it hadn't happened...it was a temporary solution to a problem that wasn't going to go away. But then, telling Giovanni would make it worse. Maybe. They were agents- thieves. Not assassins. That Officer Jenny had merely been doing her job, just like they were doing.
"Hey, lady. Are you using the phone or what?"
Cassidy snapped out of her panicked thoughts at the sound of a voice, her head jerking up to see a female Police guard glaring at her. At least, it looked like a female, as opposed to a male. It was an ugly obese thing with a scowling face and a mouthful of gum.
"Yeah. Patience, lard-ass," Cassidy scoffed, shaking her head as she picked up the black receiver of the wall phone and began to dial Giovanni's personal number, pushing each number-embellished metal button with shaky fingers, hands clammy under her white leather gloves. She swallowed as the ringing tone sounded, a lump in her throat. It drowned out the slight chatter of the other inmates in the room and rang for what seemed to be minutes. Cassidy had half a mind to slam the phone down and run back to the cell- because right now, at this moment in time, staying in jail seemed far more preferable than explaining the situation as it was to Giovanni.
Seconds before Cassidy was about to give up and put the phone down, there was a click. The ringing had stopped. Then, Giovanni's deep, brisk voice greeted her. If only it hadn't. If only he hadn't answered; then, she could have scuttled back to the cell with an excuse.
"Hello?"
"Boss- Sir, good morning, it's- it's Cassidy," the blonde replied politely. She grimaced and closed her eyes in frustration when she stuttered. He'd sense her nerves.
"Ah. It's good to hear from you, Cassidy. Did the mission go well? I'm assuming everything went to plan," the voice on the other end of the receiver replied. He spoke in such a reasonable tone that Cassidy's confidence perked, just slightly. Not much; but at least he wasn't already in a bad mood. Gods, she was probably about to change that, though...
She swallowed. "Unfortunately, no, Sir."
The pause that followed caused her sudden little burst of confidence to drop, with that sick, nervous feeling taking its place.
"What...do you mean?"
She chewed her bottom lip. The hand that wasn't gripping the receiver was clenched into a fist so as not to uncover its trembling. "B-Butch and I are in jail, Boss," she replied, her voice coming out in a squeak and cracking halfway. She could hear his deep breathing now, angry breathing.
"You...are in jail."
"Yes-"
"Again," he said in a low tone. "You have failed me again. I thought, my orders were precise; do not let me down."
"I'm sor-"
"I do not wish to listen to your futile excuses!" his voice boomed. It was such a sudden, loud outburst that Cassidy jumped, and her eyes darted around anxiously, wondering if other people in the room had heard. She eased closer to the wall, wrapping the phones coil around her finger.
"I-it really wasn't our fault, Sir, but...and, I- I know I say this every time but-"
"What happened?" Giovanni cut in.
She closed her eyes. The question she'd been dreading. Somehow, she'd been hoping he wouldn't ask. God, if only Butch had just sucked it up and came with her...she would have maybe felt the smallest fraction more confident with him by her side. Thinking of Butch reminded her that she could very easily save her own skin by telling the Boss it had, in fact, been all her partners fault. For a split second, she nearly did. She nearly let herself blurt out something awfully selfish. But then she recalled what Butch had said. Believe it or not, I'm only being persistent 'cause I don't want you to be stuck in here. I'm positive Giovanni'll listen. If it means he only bails you out, and not me...then so be it. I'll uh, find my own way out.
...Well, if he was confident he could get out by himself, then maybe...no. She couldn't allow herself to be so self-centered, knowing he would never even consider doing the same to her. It wasn't fair. He'd made a mistake, a terrible one, but they were a team. She couldn't be a snitch; not on her own partner in crime. Her friend. Best friend. No, just for once in her life, she had to be a little selfless.
"It was me, Boss, it was my fault," she blurted out shakily. "We were raiding the Pokemon Center. Then Nurse Joy found us and called the cops, and we could have escaped. Butch said we should high-tail it but I ignored him and started yelling at Nurse Joy. Then it was too late. If it wasn't for me being foolish then we wouldn't be in jail and you wouldn't have to waste money bailing us out- or me, even, because it was my fault. I should have listened to Butch, I..."
She hesitated mid-ramble, listening for his reply. What had she just gotten herself into?
The pause continued for a moment; then she heard a weary sigh. "However much I...appreciate, your honesty, Cassidy, I do not see point in giving you or your partner any more chances. I believe I have been far too lenient. I have plenty better agents; agents who could have pulled of last nights job impeccably. There is simply no room for stragglers in this organization." His reply came out blunt. He didn't even sound angry, just...neutral, as if he really was washing his hands of them this time. "I shall not be bailing you out."
"Please, Boss, don't do this!" the blonde suddenly cried out before she could restrain her despair. Her cheeks flushed bright red, feeling every single pair of eyes in the room staring at her as if she was insane. "Don't hang up, please, I'm begging you," she continued in a hasty, but quieter tone. "One more chance, Sir. I'll do anything. I promise, anything. Please."
"Anything."
"Yes, Boss. Anything you wish. And I swear we'll never let you down again. Please just don't leave us in here," she persisted desperately, heart hammering in her chest. She was holding the receiver so tightly it was a surprise the plastic hadn't cracked within her grip. "Please, Boss."
Cue another long and stomach-churning pause. "...Very well," he eventually said. "I shall send an executive down with the bail. When you arrive back at headquarters, come up to my office without delay." He paused, and then, in a low tone, added, "Alone."