A.N. Haha, found this in my files when I was cleaning up my computer today :). Wrote this back in seventh grade, completely plagiarized from H.I.V.E, please don't flame for bad writing ;D.
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V.A.S.T.
[the viridian academy for the sensationally talented]
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CHAPTER ONE-
An Unexpected Situation
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Yellow woke up with a start as the whole world seemed to tip beneath her. She opened her eyes, flinching at the sudden brightness, and was startled to see the surface of the ocean rushing past just a few meters below. It took her just a second to realize she was looking through the side window of some kind of aircraft; a helicopter, judging by the muffled but insistent thumping of the the rotors coming from overhead.
"Where am I?", she whispered to herself, alarmed, staring out at the vast expanse of open sea.
"An excellent question, dearie~." The almost sultry tone startled her and she turned to face a tall brunette who had been sitting, looking almost bored, of a sort, in the seat beside her. "And one I will take measures to have answered shortly." She looked at Yellow with an openly curious expression. "Do you have any information you're hiding from me, blondie-chan?"
There was nothing mildly threatening in the tone, although Yellow stifled a shiver that had somehow creeped up her spine. The girl looked to be considerably taller than herself (which in itself was no accomplishment, as she was only a mere four-foot-five), with long, silky brown hair cascading smoothly down her shoulders and stopping neatly in a few delicate curls at her back. She wore a slightly revealing blue tank top that emphasized her larger-than-average bust, a tiny red miniskirt, and an expensive-looking pair of white sneakers with matching blue socks.
Yellow blushed enviously as she looked down at her own flat chest, boyish orange tunic, oversized black tights, and clunky purple boots that were the last things she remembered putting on.
"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, rubbing her temples nervously. "I-I don't have any idea w-where I am or how I got here. Only a r-ra-rather intense headache."
"Then I guess they did the same thing to you as for me, blondie-chan," her fellow passenger replied exasperatedly, as if disappointed at the rough treatment of the kidnappers and the lack of information Yellow provided. "The migraine will go down in a couple of minutes, so until then you'll have to endure, I guess. Although your memory of whatever happened to you probably won't come back, as like me."
She realized the girl was right. No matter how hard she concentrated, she only had the vaguest recollection of the events leading up to her current situation. She had a fuzzy image of a dark figure standing in a doorway, its silhouette irregular, as if surprised, but after that, nothing.
She turned her attention to a closer inspection of her new surroundings. A clear plastic screen separated her from the two unassuming black-clad pilots in the cockpit. One of the men glanced into the rear compartment and, seeing that Yellow was now awake, made an inaudible comment to his copilot.
She was accustomed to suppressing the effects of her naturally timid nature, but now she found she could not stop the familiar prickling sense of unease that was creeping over her like a second skin. She tried to undo the buckle on the harness that was holding him tightly in his seat, but the device refused to yield. She wasn't going anywhere, at least, anytime soon. Quite where she would go even if she did manage to free herself was an entirely different matter- all that she could see through the windows in all direction was nondescript ocean. It seemed that she had little choice but to sit tight and see whatever tight spot she had landed in now.
Yellow looked ahead through the partition, searching for any sign of a possible destination. At first she saw nothing but the ocean stretching interminably ahead of her, but then she noticed something on the horizon. It looked almost like a volcano rising up out of the ocean, a tall column of black smoke billowing from its severed peak, but at this distance it was difficult to make out any more detail, even with her exceptional eyesight.
"Oh, look, it's land!" cheered the brunette excitedly, like a child in the day before Christmas. She leaned with an interested expression toward the steaming island that was slowly coming into view. "I haven't seen anything but boring ocean for the entire trip! It was like, the worst vacation ever, and the salt smell was horrible. I guess this means we're finally going to land in wherever they kidnapped us to."
Yellow nodded awkwardly- the helicopter was heading straight for the volcanic island and the pilots were now busy themselves flicking switches and adjusting controls in the cockpit as if preparing to land.
"M-maybe we'll get some answers when we land...?" she trailed off anxiously, peering with wide eyes at the ever-growing island ahead.
"Yes," the girl responded, a darker emotion now flickering across her once cheerful facial expression. "I don't like not knowing things, but these people are so going to get it anyway for ruining my outfit. I mean, I just freaking bought it yesterday! And it was expensive, too!"
The helicopter closed the distance to the island quickly and was soon racing above the treetops of the jungle that surrounded the volcanic peak. As they neared the island's center the machine rose in the air, scaling the sides of the apparently active volcano before plunging into the dark clouds of smoke at its summit. Yellow knew at once something was amiss. If they had flown into a true volcanic plume, the helicopter would have been consumed by the cinders in a second- but instead it slowed, dropping into a noisy hover, and began to descend into the boiling clouds.
She felt another twinge of apprehension as the helicopter continued on its blind descent. There had to be somewhere to land down there, her mind reassured herself. The brunette, meanwhile, continued to sit with occasionally fidgeting limbs, staring straight ahead at the smoke with unruffled brown eyes, apparently unconcerned by the nature of their proposed landing site. The hovering machine continued to fall but now a hazy light could be seen from below, illuminating the dark clouds that were beginning to thin visibly. Suddenly they dropped out of the cloud with an uncomfortable jolt and Yellow peered nervously out of her window to gape at the bizarre scene below.
Beneath her was a cavernous floodlit bay, dominated by a central landing pad, with dozens of men milling around it. They all wore garish orange jumpsuits and hard hats and seemed to be busily preparing for the helicopter's imminent arrival.
"Looks like they were expecting us, blondie-chan," the tall girl remarked, tilting her head as she looked fearlessly out the window. "Maybe they'll finally tell us what the hell was going on and why they had to kidnap us. Although, I admit, this is a rather awesome welcome." She sounded as if she were clothes shopping in a mall. Yellow couldn't help but admire her fellow captive's lack of concern.
The helicopter came to a rest on the landing pad with a gentle bump, and the two girls' seat harnesses popped open with a mechanical click. Several of the men in orange jumpsuits now approached the aircraft. She noted large black holsters slung from their hips.
As the guards approached, the other girl turned to face Yellow and said, "My name's Blue, by the way, no surname. What's yours?"
Only slightly fazed by Blue's directness, Yellow replied quietly, "Yellow de Viridian Forest, but... you can call me Yellow."
A guard opened the door on Yellow's side of the helicopter and gestured for her to get out. As Yellow jumped as gracefully as she could down onto the concrete landing pad, she began to appreciate the true scale of the concealed hangar. A dozen sleek, jet-black helicopters, identical to the one that had brought her here, stood arranged around the pad, their matte surfaces seeming to absorb the light from the floodlights that illuminated the bay. Grim-faced guards were positioned at regular intervals around the pad, and she decided it would be best to do what her new hosts instructed to play it safe. Blue too was surveying their new surroundings, with a mild expression of curiosity. If she was surprised at all by the bizarre facility, her face betrayed no hint of it.
"Proceed up the stairs and through the main entrance," the guard ordered in a gruff voice. "You will be given further instructions inside."
Yellow looked in the direction that the guard indicated and saw a broad staircase carved from the cavern rock leading up to an enormous set of heavy steel doors. She walked toward the staircase with Blue trailing behind her, their footsteps echoing in tandem against the spacious rock walls. Yellow wondered briefly what might be hidden behind such an imposing entrance. There was a sudden grinding noise and she looked up to see two huge panels sliding together, closing off the crater entrance to the landing bay, sealing them inside. Floodlights positioned around the roof of the landing bay now provided the only illumination, and she shuddered involuntarily as the panels closed shut with an ominous crunch.
The two girls reached the top of the staircase, the heavy metal doors rumbling open as they approached. They passed through into another cavern: not as large as the crater hangar, but just as impressive. The floor was highly polished black marble and the rock walls of the cavern were lined with enormous slabs of the same gleaming black stone, dotted with sturdy steel doors. The far end of the hall was dominated by an imposing granite sculpture of a scrawny-looking man splitting the globe in half with only his pinky, although he looked as if he had a rather serious migraine. At its base was a plinth, upon which were emblazoned the words TO LIVE IS TO THINK.
In front of the sculpture was a low stage with a central lectern, around which ten or so children stood whispering nervously to one another. Most appeared to be slightly older than Yellow- maybe around Blue's age?-, and she could see that they were just as confused and apprehensive as she was. Guards stood dotted around the perimeter of the room, watching them all carefully. She remained as calm as she could, even with her mind in full-out overdrive, taking the moment to survey the guards more closely. They had the look of hired thugs, yet they appeared strangely disciplined. Every one of them had a large holster on their hip, and she could tell that they would not be afraid to use those weapons if necessary. Or more worryingly, if not necessary.
A door hissed open in the wall off to one side and a tall man, dressed completely in black, strode purposefully across the stage to the central lectern. Everything about this man was imposing, from his immaculate black suit and blood-red cravat to his raven hair with streaks of silver (signs of aging, although the man appeared to be in his mid-forties at the very most) at his temples. He regarded the crowd before him with a look of cool calculation, his handsome features twisted morbidly into a rather arrogant expression.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to your new home." He gestured to the stone walls of the cavern that surrounded them. "Your lives as you once knew them are over," he continued. "You have been selected- the worst, the most cunning, the most mischievous minds from around the world- selected to become part of an institution like no other. You have all exhibited certain unique abilities, abilities that set you apart from the mediocrity of the teeming masses and that mark you out as people whom are destined to be different. Here, in this place, you will be furnished with the knowledge and experience to best exploit your own natural abilities, to hone your craft to a cutting edge."
He paused and slowly surveyed the pale, wide-eyed faces before him. Yellow could only blink and stared, for she didn't trust herself not to turn into a terrified melting mass if otherwise.
"Each of you within you have a rare quality- a gift, if you will- a special talent that is worthless if left untended. Society would have us believe that this is a good thing, something that should be subdued, controlled, destroyed. But not here... no, here we want to see you blossom into all that you can be, to see your innate powers flourish, to make you the very best that you can be."
He stepped out from behind the lectern and walked to the edge of the raised platform. As he loomed over them he seemed to grow taller, and some of those at the front of the group edged backward nervously.
"For today all of you have the unique honor and privilege of becoming the newest students of the world's first and only school of applied talent learning." He spread his arms, gesturing to the stone walls around them. "Welcome to V.A.S.T., the Viridian Academy for the Sensationally Talented."
With that, the enormous black marble panels that had lined the walls of the cavern started to slide down into the floor with a low rumble, revealing yet more caves and corridors leading off into the distance. The adjoining caverns were just as huge as the ones she stood in,and all seemed to be filled with strange, bustling activity of one kind or another. Some were lit by strange lights or shrouded by venting steam, others were filled with greenery, some were lined with mysterious machines or structures, and in one there was even a waterfall visible. A sudden column of flame leapt into the air in one cave and there was the unmistakable sound of cheering. In another, dozens of black-clad figures slid down ropes from the ceiling high above, while below them yet more people, this time dressed in white robes, performed some kind of martial arts exercise with practiced synchronization.
Hundreds of children could be seen making their way to and fro throughout the caves, and while many of them seemed to be dressed like the guards, many of them were dressed in much more bizarre outfits. Yellow noticed distant figures wearing full chemical protection suits, and others in what looked suspiciously like spacesuits. One group even seemed to be wearing bulletproof vests with huge red-and-white bull's-eyes painted on the front.
She bit her bottom lip nervously. This is rather remarkable, she thought to herself, but, just like the journey that had brought her here, it felt like it had been designed to overwhelm and disorient her, to keep her off her guard. Yellow studied the other caverns, quickly memorizing as much as she could of their layout, the connections that ran between them, and the obvious areas of greatest interest. After all, mental strength had always been her forte. While the others in the group seemed to be content with gaping bug-eyed at the displays around them, her mind finally decided to acknowledge that the cool man who had been addressing them was the true center of the impressiveness.
Blue seemed to agree with her in an entirely different manner. The normally composed brunette seemed to have all the blood drained from her face, her countenance one of great... fear? But the expression disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Yellow could only shrug off the unnatural feeling creeping up her spine as her newfound friend drooled over the 'handsome man' and impressive technology, dismissing it as simply the high-pitched grating noise caused by the now-retracting panels.
The very man now smiled at their astonished faces. Then he spoke again and silenced the excitedly talking group. "If I may have your attention,"- a demand, not a request- "my name is Dr. Giovanni, and I am the founder and controller of this facility. While you remain within its walls you will rest safe under my protection, and all I ask of you in return is your unswerving loyalty and obedience. I do not expect to have it, but I always ask nicely the first time." He smiled at them in a way that made it perfectly clear it would be inadvisable to ever have to be asked twice. Yellow shivered nervously.
"I am sure you all have many questions, and with that in mind we shall proceed with your further introduction to V.A.S.T. First you will be escorted to your induction briefing, where there will be a short presentation that will answer at least some of your questions. Immediately following that, you will be given a short tour of some of the most important locations within the facility and an introduction to life at V.A.S.T from one of our school's senior teachers. I'm sure I will see all of you again over the coming days, but until then I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope you enjoy the tour."
As he finished speaking the guards began to usher them all away from the platform toward a doorway set in the main cavern wall. Over the doorway was a sign sporting a stylized image of a head with a light bulb over it, beneath which was the text STUDY ROOM TWO. The room's door slid silently as they approached, inviting them to enter.
Yellow did.
Dr. Giovanni stood watching as the group walked away across the cavern floor and proceeded through the doors. It never failed to amuse him, the way their jaws dropped when they were first faced with the true scale of the facility he had established here. It was his firm belief that one should never underestimate the power of a first impression, and that at this stage it was always better to keep the new intake of students in a state of bewildered confusion. There was less chance of any unruliness that way, something that was a very real risk when dealing with a group of people who had already set about redefining the world standard for misbehavior.
Beside which, there was always one- that was the other purpose of this bit of theater. There was always one of the new students who was unfazed by this, one who was not distracted by such cheap gimmicks- one to watch. And she had been there, the girl with the brown hair and rather revealing clothes, the one he had to keep his eye on. While her fellow students had goggled at this little display of power, talking amongst themselves excitedly, pointing this way or that, the girl had been staring straight at Dr. Giovanni with unreadable brown eyes, not distracted in the slightest by the amazing sights all around. He had studied the girl's chiseled features- there was something familiar about her, but he could not place precisely what it was.
And Giovanni had noticed something else unusual- the short blonde girl next to the brunette recruit had been merely observing the sights around her, as if filing the information away for future use. Yes, she would also be one to watch. So I shall need to keep both eyes open in future, though Giovanni, smiling. This should be an interesting year.
"You can come out now, Sabrina," he said softly.
A figure detached itself from the shadows at the base of the sculpture and stepped forward into the light. Clad entirely in a deep purple, face hidden behind a black scarf with a black screen covering the eyes, the figure moved silently toward him. Giovanni thought the shadows almost seemed to follow the figure as it approached.
"Please remove your mask, Sabrina. You know I hate talking to you when you're wearing it."
Sabrina nodded slightly and pulled the mask off to reveal her pale but beautiful face, perfectly symmetrical but for a small scar that ran over the right eyebrow, almost covered by her long bangs. Her eyes were a cold brown and her dark black hair ran down to her hips in a graceful waterfall.
"As you wish, Master." A slight accent betrayed her origins from Eastern Kanto; she had been trained in telekinesis and psychic clairvoyance by the very best Saffron City, in the prime of the First Great Kanto War, had to offer. "But you have to tell me the secret sometime of how the heck you can detect me so effectively."
"Perhaps one day I shall tell you, my dear, but for now there is something else I wish to discuss with you. I understand that you were responsible for the student recruitment operation this year." Giovanni turned back to the lectern from which he had addressed the new intake. He pressed a button on the control panel mounted there and a panel slid back to reveal a small screen displaying an image of the assembled group a few minutes earlier. He pointed at the figure of the tall brunette. "This student, who is she?"
Sabrina looked down at the screen, and then typed furiously into the Pokebox attached to her hip holster. "Blue Aoi. No surname. Scholarship Student by unanimous vote of the Council. Her retrieval was carried out by the Southern Kanto operations division. Not much of a background; let's see: she's an excellent kleptomaniac, and was responsible for the Cerulean City incident... what? Security Clearance needed to go further? Let's see, the password was something like ****- yes, and- oh. This is interesting. Giovanni, do come and take a look. Turns out she was chosen for the Masked Project, and was partnered with him. She's the one who helped him escape in the end."
Giovanni froze. "What?" Glancing at the Pokebox, he took a look at the girl's profile, which confirmed his suspicions. So this was her, the one that had slipped through his fingers all those years. "Ah, I see." He was impressed. Both incidents Sabrina had mentioned had made headlines in the Weekly Kanto, but they had both remained unsolved cases to the day. The fact that it had been work of a child was quite remarkable and only served to reaffirm Giovanni's already approving impression of the girl.
"I want you to keep a close eye on her, Sabrina. Make sure no harm befalls her at her stay in V.A.S.T. I not only owe her a great debt now, but it also seems that she has... excellent potential." What a very interesting child, Giovanni thought to himself. "And this girl here, who is she?" He pointed to the blonde girl, who, being significantly shorter than the others, stood out clearly.
Sabrina looked down at the screen. "Ah. That is Yellow de Viridian Forest. I conducted her retrieval myself. She is a private student. At first glance, she appears to be a shy and kindly individual, not at all suited for a school like V.A.S.T. However, when in a pressured situation, she managed to injure my arm mildly before the tranquilizer darts finally subdued her. As you know, this is extremely unusual." She grimaced darkly, clearly not liking to report a failed operation, especially one on her own merit, to Giovanni.
"I see." Indeed it was unusual, he thought. Children were usually put forward for selection by their parents or guardians, who, having already expressed an interest in 'alternative' forms of education, would be discreetly informed about the facility and the unique opportunities it offered. Some of the parents were former pupils of V.A.S.T. themselves, and some simply wanted their children to use their skill later in the real world for a successful career. The children would all have been monitored over the course of a year to see if they had the necessary gifts for a future education at V.A.S.T. Secret tests were administered or staged opportunities were set up for them, in order to see how they would respond. Should they, unbeknownst to them, pass these tests, their parents would be informed and, upon transfer of a significant sum of money to a secure Viridian City bank account, they would be enrolled. The parents were under strict instruction that none of the new students should be informed of these future educational arrangements. So for each year, unaware students had to be retrieved discreetly by Giovanni's connections and operatives at the start of each new school year.
"What happened exactly, Sabrina?" he asked, deactivating the screen on the lectern.
"I waited for an opportune moment to shoot the girl when she was walking in a secluded area of the Viridian Forest. However, she sensed me before I had a chance to pull the trigger, and so managed to get a head start in running back to the town in fear. When I finally managed to hit her, it didn't - I believe that the strength of the charge was set incorrectly, because she somehow caused a rather large scratch to form on my right arm and only fell because I knocked her out. In the ambulance, when she awoke, she went berserk and attempted to escape. It took one more shot to subdue her."
Giovanni raised his eyebrows, turning to his assistant. "Meaning it took two shots in total to eventually subdue this girl, a total charge which should knock a child out for at least a few days, and yet already she appears to be recovered? And with that fragile outlook to make the opponent less wary... She almost seems more suitable for the Beta program. Do you know if Lieutenant Surge has reviewed her file?"
"Yes, Master, but the Lieutenant said she scored too high on the mental aptitude tests for enrollment in the program and she should be in the Alpha stream instead. Indeed, her Intelligence examination was one of the highest I have seen in a while. Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
"How is my son doing?"
"He is fine, Master. I believe he will be ready to transfer to V.A.S.T. very shortly afterwards, when the preparations are complete."
"Thank you Sabrina. That is all."
"Yes, Master." And with that she slipped her scarf back on and disappeared into the cavern's shadows.
-END OF CHAPTER ONE-