Future's Dawn
By Shari
Chapter One: A Death
"Well then, let's get this show on the road. Team Rocket finally gets to protect the world from devastation."
For Jessie, the events of the past week appeared to merge together into a hazy dream that she was only just waking from. If she kept her eyes closed for just a little longer she hoped that somehow it would all work out and that they would be okay. This was a feeling that she clung to, even when a voice cut through the comfort that she had surrounded herself in.
"Jessie? Jessie, wake up."
This future will be realised and then you will all die
The words that Cassidy uttered with such despair were still fresh in her mind and Jessie felt herself trembling at their recollection. James and Meowth were her family… they were all she had. She couldn't lose them, she just couldn't.
"JESSIE!" Meowth's yell and the pain that followed were what finally forced her to open her eyes.
Jessie instantly sprang to her feet, "My beautiful face!" She shouted and clenched her hand into a fist readying herself to take a swing for the cat for daring to scratch her.
"Never mind your face!" Meowth shot back as he dodged the anticipated blow. "We need to get Jimmy to the infirmary."
"It's just a scratch, Jess."
James…
Instantly, Jessie forgot everything else and hurried to her partner's side. James was leaning up against the base of a tree. He was still pale from the blood loss and pain but thankfully his shoulder hadn't started bleeding again. The bullet, however, would need to be removed. He forced a smile when she stepped up beside him and as much as she wanted to embrace him, Jessie was hesitant, as Meowth still didn't know about the two of them.
"It's okay, I found out a while back," the cat said with a grin as though he had guessed Jessie's indecision. "You can't keep anything from Meowth."
"You were spying on us?" Jessie demanded, feeling a flair of temper at this.
"No," Meowth's grin widened, "you two aren't as subtle as you think."
Jessie sighed but refrained from saying anymore on the subject. Hurriedly, she scanned the immediate vicinity and soon realised that they were in Viridian Forest, although thankfully she could see the city through the trees. The roof of the gym was also visible which meant that Megumi had been successful in sending them back.
Unlike last time there had been no earthquake or any destruction of any kind. It was as though Jessie had just gone to sleep and now all this almost seemed as though it were a dream. Almost. Where it not for the blood on James's shirt.
"Right," Jessie said as she wrapped an arm around James's waist to support him. "The hospital isn't that far away. We've wasted enough time already."
"The hospital?" Meowth asked in surprise. "Team Rocket's infirmary can remove a bullet, Jess."
"I know but what if they ask questions? The white squad aren't assigned to missions involving firearms."
"But the hospital might involve the police."
"That's a risk we have to take. If the Order is gathering forces within Team Rocket then we can't trust anyone."
Meowth sighed, knowing that Jessie was right. However, he paused and frowned, as though he had just thought of something else.
"James, did you see Butch or Cassidy when you woke up?"
"No," James shook his head. "I wonder why they're not here."
"Who cares," Jessie dismissed his concern for the other two without a second thought. "We've got to get you to the hospital," she added when she saw the look on his face. Jessie had been given a brief account of their journey to Saffron City together and James had admitted that those two weren't 'as bad' after all. Evidently they'd come to some sort of truce, Jessie thought, but she wasn't going to forget everything that Cassidy did to her in a hurry, and, if Cassidy was going to betray them, then it might be better if something had happened to her on their return.
However, Jessie did not voice these thoughts to her friends. "Meowth, why don't you go back to the HQ and see if you can find them," she relented finally. "A talking Pokémon would only attract more attention at the hospital and we're going to have to come up with a cover story as it is."
It was obvious that Meowth didn't want to leave them but he could see the sense in Jessie's words and left once they reached the city.
Thankfully the hospital wasn't too far away but Jessie also had another reason to be concerned for her partner. James had been quiet since they had escaped the Order in Saffron City and Jessie knew that it had a lot to do with what happened to his parents and Growlie. Although his parents didn't care a lot for him, they were still his parents and Jessie knew of the loss that he felt all too well. It must have been terrible for James to see what Growlie had become and then for him to be gunned down right in front of him. Jessie could well imagine that pain but she just didn't know what to say to make things better. So she remained silent on the matter and acted as normal around him. This appeared to be the best option and James seemed grateful for this.
The hospital was quiet this time of the day, just passed mid-morning, and they only had to wait a few minutes to see someone. A nurse led them to a cubicle and told James to sit down on the bed.
"A doctor will be along in a few moments," she said, her tone was pleasant and Jessie felt a rush of jealousy when the young woman's gaze lingered on James for a moment or two more than was necessary. In reaction to this, Jessie reached over and took his hand in her own. The nurse smiled and left them alone, only pausing to pull the curtain around the cubicle to give them some privacy.
"What are we going to tell them?" James wondered out loud, obviously worried about giving any kind of explanation.
"Just leave that to me," Jessie answered. In truth she wasn't altogether sure either but she cared little for the police or anyone else at that moment. James was her only concern.
"What are we going to do?" James asked quietly, "We're always messing up, Jessie, and we can't mess this up. If we get one thing wrong then everything we've seen… it will all become a reality."
"Don't worry about that right now," Jessie shook her head. "We've got plenty of time to work things out."
"My parents haven't," James replied softly to this.
Before Jessie could comment on this the curtain was pulled back and another woman entered. 'Doctor Johnson' Jessie read on the nametag clipped to her white coat.
"Are you family?" She turned to Jessie and asked. Her tone was curt and had little feeling to it.
"I'm his girlfriend," Jessie answered to this, her tone becoming defensive.
"I see," Dr Johnson held her gaze for a few seconds before turning to James. "We had some trouble finding your medical records on our system. Could you please confirm your full name and address?"
"James Thomas Morgan--" James began hesitantly.
"We're Pokémon trainers," Jessie cut in quickly, "so we have no fixed address at the moment."
It was obvious that Dr Johnson wasn't going to let them get away with only giving her part of the information. This was going to be more difficult than Jessie anticipated.
"Look," she snapped, "James's is hurt so why don't you stop asking all these pointless questions and treat him."
"I need to look at his records and also make sure that your medical insurance checks out."
Medical insurance? Jessie cursed inwardly. Being in Team Rocket meant that they didn't pay any kind of insurance. The Boss usually covered all that but she couldn't give the Viridian Gym's insurance details without Giovanni knowing.
"The policy's in my father's name," James said hurriedly to this and then gave her his parents' details. As soon as he said their names, it became obvious that Dr Johnson had heard of them and immediately her tone changed.
"I'll give this new information to the nurse and will be back in just a minute," she said with a smile.
"James, what are you doing?" Jessie hissed as soon as she'd gone. "Your father will see the claim on the insurance!"
"What else could I do?" James shot back, wincing slightly as he shifted his position on the bed. "We can't claim it on the gym insurance."
"I know," Jessie relented when she saw the pained look on his face. "I'm sorry," she squeezed his hand after uttering her apology.
"Right then," Dr Johnson hurried back into the room at that moment. "That all checks out and I have your notes right here," she indicated the clipboard of papers that she held in her right hand. "Jessie, I'm afraid you'll have to leave whilst I take a look at James's wound."
"There's really no need," James tried to protest but Dr Johnson was adamant of this and stated that there was a waiting room across the hall that was especially for relatives.
Jessie decided that it would be best if she didn't protest at this and left, although she really would have preferred to stay with James.
She quickly found the waiting room that Dr Johnson had mentioned. Very much lost in thought, Jessie didn't pay any attention to the other occupants of the room. However, they noticed her straight away.
"I might have known you'd be around here somewhere!" The pre-teen yelled angrily.
"Oh great," Jessie growled angrily as the twerp moved towards her. "Just my luck to run into you."
"I told you, Misty!" The twerp started shouting to his companion. It struck Jessie as strange that the big twerp wasn't with them but she dismissed this when she realised that the twerp was behaving very differently from normal. He was actually shaking and she could see hints of tears in his eyes as he continued to rave at the red head behind him. "Whenever something bad happens, those three are usually behind it! Where are James and Meowth? They must be hiding around here somewhere, too."
"Ash," Misty reached out and weakly grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, "please stop," this last part came out as almost a whimper.
"No, I'm going to make them and the rest of Team Rocket pay for what they did! Pikachu, thundershock her!"
"Now wait a minute," Jessie reached for the Pokéball containing Arbok. "I'm not sure what you think we've done but this time we're innocent."
"Innocent, yeah right. Pikachu!" the twerp turned to his electric rat but Pikachu was still sitting beside Misty and refused to listen to his trainer's commands.
At this, Jessie felt a chill run through her. In those few seconds she realised that something was terribly wrong. "What happened?" She asked, looking to Misty now rather than Ash.
"It's Tracy," Misty whispered, as she clutched Togepi tightly to her chest. "He's dead."
"And it's your fault!" Ash put in before Jessie even had a chance to process this information. Even after all that she had seen, this shocked her the most. Despite the fact that the twerps were Team Rocket's enemy, she never wished them any real harm; none of them did.
"I…" Jessie struggled to find the words, "I'm sorry for your loss," she offered at last but Ash was too upset and angry to hear her.
In fact his fury appeared to only heighten at her sympathy. However, he said nothing more and fled the room. Pikachu cast a hesitant glance at Misty before running after his trainer.
For a minute that seemed to stretch into a lifetime, Jessie lingered near to the doorway. Part of her wanted to just leave but another part of her wouldn't allow her to leave Misty alone. The younger girl and pulled Togepi closer to her and looked as though she was going to cry again.
Jessie sighed to herself and crossed the room so that she could sit down next to Misty. Even in these circumstances she didn't feel right about this at all but there was no one else and the twerp was obviously little help in his current state.
"What happened?" Jessie found herself asking.
"There was a break-in at Professor Oak's lab. Tracy must have disturbed them. Witnesses saw Team Rocket agents leaving the building shortly afterwards."
"That's impossible," Jessie said immediately. She was not naïve enough to think that these kinds of incidents didn't occur from time to time, but Tracy was just a kid. Not even Team Rocket would go that far.
"Is it?" Misty raised her head and Jessie saw glimmers of Ash's anger reflected in her eyes.
"We don't know anything about that," she said to this at length, feeling the need to defend her team against the unsaid accusations.
"I know," Misty said, to Jessie's surprise, "but Ash doesn't see it that way. He's already talking about revenge."
For the twerp to do such a thing would be foolish, Jessie knew but before she could comment on this further, the door opened again.
This time the big twerp entered and he paused when he saw her. Jessie sighed and stood up, deciding that perhaps it would be better if she left. She could wait out in the main reception.
"What are you doing here?" Brock demanded as he hurried to Misty's side.
"Don't worry I'm leaving," Jessie shot back, feeling her temper spike despite the bereavement that the twerp trio had suffered.
"Wait," Misty called out, her voice sounding a little stronger than before. "You didn't tell us why you're here."
"James is hurt," was all Jessie would say to this.
"I'm sorry," Misty replied softly. "If there's anything--" she began but Jessie cut her off.
"I'm sorry for your loss but tell that little twerp that if he goes after Team Rocket he'll be making a big mistake." With that Jessie left the room.
She found the nurse who had seen them previously in reception and asked her to find out what was going on. The other woman was only gone for a few minutes and when she came back she explained that they were going to remove the bullet and give James a blood transfusion.
"It'll be a while yet before you can see him," she added, "and you look tired. Perhaps you could go home and rest for a few hours?"
"No, thank you," Jessie shook her head. The nurse had obviously been expecting this response and smiled.
"In that case, why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. You look as though you could do with a sit down at least."
Jessie nodded slowly, realising for the first time how hungry she was. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten anything and now that she knew that James going to be okay she found that she could focus on other things. She again thanked the nurse and the woman left her alone.
Before going to the cafeteria Jessie stopped off in the bathroom. She stepped up to the sink and took a glance in the mirror and was stunned at how pale she looked. Her hair had lost its shine and hung almost limply, free from its usual style. She still wore the clothes that Keiko had given her, although they were smeared with dirt in places. She quickly ran her hands through her hair to try and tease out most of the tangles and smoothed down the creases in her blouse.
Finally satisfied that she looked more or less presentable, Jessie continued on her way to the cafeteria. Still she felt unable to fully relax for now that her concern for James had faded a little, she couldn't help but think of all that she had learned whilst being held prisoner by the Order and for the first time in her life, Jessie was at a complete loss as to what to do.
"You took your time," a voice above him stated as Butch opened his eyes. He frowned, his head was starting to pound and it took him a few seconds to recognise that voice.
"Cassidy?" He asked as he sat up. "Where are we?"
"The store room," she answered, "you've been out for a while."
Butch glanced around feeling faint relief that everything seemed in order. All of the supplies were on the shelves and the floor beneath him was firm. "Then we're back?" He dared to ask.
"I guess," Cassidy shrugged. "I haven't been outside yet."
"Where are Jessie and James?" He asked next as he got to his feet. His headache was making itself further known upon this movement and he could barely hold back a grimace of pain.
"I don't know. They're not here," Cassidy answered with another shrug.
He glanced up at the light coming through the window. "Was it light when you woke?
"Yeah. Megumi said she'd have returned us to the exact moment before she transported us to the future previously. I think we've been unconscious for the rest of the night."
"Great," Butch muttered as he began to walk towards the exit. Cassidy hesitated slightly before joining him.
"It doesn't seem real now, does it?" She offered quietly as he opened the door.
"It was real enough," Butch returned darkly. Last night everything had seemed so clear and now… he didn't know what he had expected would happen but events so far had thrown him.
"Where are you going?"
"We need to find Jessie and James."
Cassidy frowned at this, "Why?"
"Because we need to figure out what it is we're going to do."
"I guess."
Cassidy was silent after this and Butch wasn't sure what to make of it at all. He was still very angry with her and her betrayal was not something he would be ready to forgive but like it or not they had to work together.
"Look," Butch stated, his voice hinting at impatience as well as anger. "You may not give a damn about Megumi and all that she gave up in order to warn us, but I do and I'm not going to let her death be in vain."
At this Cassidy almost laughed, her own anger becoming her defence now. "So you want to be the hero? I think you need a reality check, Butch. We're Team Rocket. We're evil remember? We are the last people who should be saving the world."
"Is that what you really think? Perhaps for you it's true. You were born into this life, Cassidy."
"Yeah but you chose it."
"What choice was there?" Butch hissed furiously.
Cassidy rolled her eyes and shook her head at this statement. "There is always a choice. You couldn't make things work in the real world so you opted for the easy way out. Stealing a few Pokémon from witless trainers and receiving a handsome paycheck each month for doing so. You have a life that you can go back to anytime, but I don't have that luxury."
"Is that what this is about? Are you afraid that if the Boss is somehow involved and Team Rocket disbands as a result then you'll lose your precious birthright?"
"Don't be so stupid. I'm trying to stop you getting yourself killed."
"Gee, Cassidy, I didn't know you cared."
"Well perhaps I shouldn't! Fine, you want to play hero? Well go right ahead. You'll get no help from me and if Jessie and James have even half a brain between them they'll come to the same conclusion that I have."
With this, she pushed passed Butch and exited the room. Butch sighed in frustration as the door slammed shut behind her.
He couldn't believe that Cassidy was acting like this. How could she be so heartless after all that they had seen?
We are the last people who should be saving the world
She had also misread his motives completely. It wasn't about becoming a hero. Butch knew that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't turn away from the life that he now led. His 'choice' as Cassidy had put it had been forced. His father had been an alcoholic and his mother had left when he was seven. He had started stealing money in order to keep a roof over their heads. Even Cassidy wasn't aware of his situation and Butch had hidden it from her for he had been ashamed. His father's violence had been the final straw and Butch had joined Team Rocket to escape that life. His father had probably drunk himself to death by now and Butch cared very little for the man in any case. His previous life was not something that Butch could ever return to, despite what Cassidy had said.
Still, Butch knew that he wasn't evil. Not many in Team Rocket truly had their hearts blackened. They joined for reasons similar to his own. True, Butch was a little in the grey area where morals were concerned but what the Wild Fire Order did was evil and Butch couldn't allow this to happen. It wasn't about becoming a hero and, in any case, he doubted that he'd get any recognition should they succeed. Things would not get as far as the virus becoming public knowledge. This experimentation was started by Team Rocket and would be stopped by Team Rocket. It was that simple.
"Butch?" He looked up as the door to the storeroom opened again and, much to his surprise, Meowth entered. The cat Pokémon looked tired and as stressed out as Butch himself was feeling.
"What are you doing here?" Butch asked as Meowth let the door swing shut behind him.
"Jessie asked me to come and find you."
"Jessie did?" Butch frowned at this. Although she had not said much on their journey back to Larchwood, Jessie had made her feelings very clear; that she didn't like or trust Butch or Cassidy.
"Yeah, she's taken James to the hospital. She asked me to find you and Cassidy to let you know."
"The hospital?" Butch repeated, "Is she out of her mind?"
"We have no other choice. The doctors in Team Rocket will be even more suspicious."
Butch knew that this was true but he didn't like it at all. "I guess," he stated finally. "But we need to all get together pretty soon and work out just what we're going to do about this mess."
"Yeah," Meowth nodded. "I just saw Cassidy leaving. I tried to talk to her but she blanked me completely."
Butch sighed at this. He was fed up with protecting his former partner. No matter what his feelings for her were, he was now certain that she didn't care about him or anyone else for that matter. Cassidy was only ever out for herself and that would never change.
"We can't expect any help from Cassidy," he said at length. "She's made her feelings perfectly clear. She's not interested in stopping the Order."
Fine, you want to play hero? Well go right ahead. You'll get no help from me and if Jessie and James have even half a brain between them they'll come to the same conclusion that I have
"Nice of you to finally join us," Professor Nanba stated, barely concealing his annoyance as Cassidy slammed the lab door shut behind her. For a moment her gaze averted to the Pokémon in cages and noted how sick they were.
"Sorry, sir," she grumbled, "I had some paperwork to take care of."
"Whatever," Nanba dismissed her excuses with a wave of the hand. "You'll be pleased to know that your mission was a complete success. I now have all the information I need to perfect my potion. I will be writing up a report for Giovanni by the end of the week and by then I hope to begin experimentation on Pokémon other than Ratatta and Pidgey."
"That's great," Cassidy replied half-heartedly, a chill running through her at his words. Already it was beginning…
"I also have some news that will bring you great relief no doubt."
"And what might that be?"
"I have just got off the phone to one of my contacts at the Viridian hospital. Professor Oak's assistant did not make it through the night."
As much as it horrified her, Cassidy found that she did feel relief at this news. Without any witnesses, no one would ever know of her part in this. However, Tracy had just been a kid… a kid with his whole life in front of him. Gods…
"Cassidy?" Nanba prompted her when he saw the look on her face and Cassidy forced her grimace into a weak smile.
"That's good news, sir."
"It is," Nanba agreed. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going for an early lunch."
Once he had gone, Cassidy retreated back into her office. Her stomach was churning and any moment she thought she was going to be sick. That poor kid… he hadn't deserved to die like that. Gods he was only fourteen…
Cassidy slumped down at her computer and struggled to blink back her tears. Everything was such a mess and if Butch ever found out about any of it…
You couldn't make things work in the real world so you opted for the easy way out
It seemed that every word that she spoke to him was poison and Cassidy just couldn't see how they would ever regain their friendship after all this. Everything was crumbling to dust around her and Cassidy had known at that moment that she was on her own.
Casting a glance at the computer, she hit the logon key and typed in her username and password. She had one of the higher access accounts on the Rocket server system but much to her dismay she found that they were still some files of Nanba's that she did not have permission to view. She had already been through the ones that she could access and none of these held any of the information that she was after. Cassidy was pretty sure that Giovanni would be interested to learn of the Wild Fire Project but she could not make such accusations without any proof.
Cassidy sighed to herself and picked up the phone. Although she had ruled out working with Butch and the others, she knew that she couldn't do this without help.
The voice on the other end of the phone was as chipper as usual, and Cassidy hastily cut through all pleasantries.
"Mondo, I need your help."