CHAPTER 2: Combat Coffee
"You do not seem to understand. That Mightyena attempted to kill my associate. I was obligated to terminate the entity. There was absolutely no way around it," a voice droned.
"I know, I know! I just want another one! You think you can do that?"
"My associate's employer will compensate for your loss in a manner that he sees fitting," the voice replied levelly.
"He's just gonna give me money? He's just gonna pay me off? I need another dog. You got one of those?"
"Again, my associate's employer will compensate for your loss in a manner that he sees fitting."
"Am I gonna get another dog?"
"I cannot say."
"Then who the heck's his employer?"
Aden opened his eyes slowly and saw the silhouettes of a man and Beldum backdropped by a blinding light.
"Someone…" he croaked.
Both the man and the Beldum turned their attention to him. The cold of the tile beneath him seeped through his jeans and into his skin. He sprang to his feet, eager to escape, only to find his vision clouded by a sea of black. He shook his head vigorously, willing it to go away. Surprisingly, he did not have a headache.
"Your sustained injuries were minimal," the PAD droned. "A Mightyena clamped its jaws down on your neck before I was able to terminate it. The fabric in your coat saved you from sustaining any bite marks. You received only minor bruising that should be fully healed within four days."
The man sniffled and muttered, "Yeah, yeah, real smart, but not smart enough to get me-"
"Do you want to die?" Aden spat, green eyes burning into the flesh of the man before him.
"No, but you might if I can't get another dog. Does your boss-"
"You were asking who my boss was. Well, let me tell you. It's the Guy," he announced.
"What? You-you mean THE Guy? The one from Centrium?" eyes now widening in something of awe and fear. "Sorry, sorry man."
"And if you even think about touching my bike-"
"No! I'm not touching it. No way. We're good."
Satisfied by the man's response, both Aden and his PAD took leave of him. Upon exiting the building, Aden found himself standing outside of a guard shack that bisected the road leading into a vast, concrete cave: the parking garage.
The two treaded pavement with worn yellow stripes. Here and there, a car or motorcycle sat illuminated by the orange glow of the hanging sodium vapor lamps. However, majority of the floor space went unoccupied.
Making the way to the end of a row, Aden caught sight of his motorcycle: a polished, silver bullet with an oversized front tire. Before getting on, he proceeded to the backside. By his PAD's command, the plating just behind the seat opened, revealing a hidden compartment. He reached in and grabbed the only object in it contained: a tiny, black earpiece. He inserted it.
He then pulled from his coat the metal ball that he had been lugging with him for the majority of the morning. He heaved it up into the compartment with a resounding clunk that made the entire bike vibrate with a shrill note. Satisfied, the compartment slid shut and he mounted the bike. The Beldum docked comfortably in an indentation molded to its body shape, right above the front wheel.
"Shall I configure the HUD now?" the PAD's voice droned from his earpiece.
"Yeah," he reached to his belt, and unclipped his gun.
"Aim your weapon at that post over there."
Aden complied, pointing the hulking barrel at a concrete pillar in the distance.
"Now the light above your head."
He strained against the weight of the weapon and thrust it skyward.
After a second of looking into the blinding light, the Beldum stated, "That should be sufficient."
Aden brought the weapon down to eye-level. Within the lenses of his darkened glasses was a green "x". Whenever he moved the barrel of his gun, the "x" would follow. He re-clipped the gun to his belt and waited for the Beldum to configure the remainder of the items.
In the upper-right corner of his vision flickered a tiny, green digital clock. Its digits read "10:27". In the leftmost corner was a green square with a red dot: a map. Once they reached the open road, the solid block of green would take on more character, becoming a map of the streets.
"HUD configured. Shall I commence the startup sequence?"
"Sure," Aden sighed, knowing well the dull jumble of language that would follow.
"Very well…initiating startup sequence…"
Aden glanced down at the controls of the motorcycle. Instead of two chrome handlebars that jutted out from the steering column, there was a square piece of plastic with rounded corners mounted in their place. In the center was an LCD screen, which now flickered to life with a white light. Attached to each side of the steering console were two handles: the left bearing a tiny, thumb-sized button for the accelerator, and the right bearing the brake.
"Navigation online. Power-steering online. Braking online. Targeting computer online. Now firing the engine and initiating weak antigrav …"
The bike emitted a high-pitched hum, causing Aden's hair to stand on end. Craggy sediments beneath the machine created a soft shower of taps as they dispersed in all directions, as if a windstorm had taken hold of them.
There was a mechanical drone as the bike's back tire folded in. With only one, oversized tire touching the ground, the machine was ready to go. Done was the Beldum's monotony.
Aden took hold of the steering console in both hands, and gunned the throttle with his left thumb.
The bike pulled noiselessly out of its parking spot. It weaved in and out of concrete pillars and parked vehicles. Finally, it reached the entrance. Just as he passed by the guard shack, Aden shot a glance through one of the dingy windows. No one: the irate guard must have left for fear of having a second encounter with an even more irate customer.
He proceeded down the empty streets, empty skyscrapers streaming past on both sides.
"Your current speed is ninety-one kilometers per hour. Would you like me to-"
"No thank you," Aden snapped, surprised by the sudden drawl that his earpiece spouted.
"I just wanted to inform you that you have received one new message. Would you like to hear it now?"
For a moment, he froze up. What could this be about? After a second, he had the answer for himself: his employer. No need to panic.
"Yeah, sure."
"Very well."
The Beldum's monotone was replaced by the same static-laced, male voice that had woken him up: "It's ten right now, we've got the buyers waiting…they're willing to stay as long as they need to, but the Guy would like you to get here soon. Call me and I'll upload the coordinates."
Aden nodded to himself, confirming that his glasses glared a time of 10:32.
"Call him back," he instructed the PAD.
A few moments later, Aden was speaking to the voice.
"So what time should I be there by?"
"Don't know, really. Guy seems pretty laid-back today…shouldn't really care."
"Wait, something changed? Last time we talked, you wanted the package like…now."
"The buyers hadn't shown up at that time. We weren't sure when they wanted the package. But now that they are here, they're pretty lax about it. You can probably take a few extra minutes. Here, I'll give the coordinates to your PAD."
Click!
"I have received the coordinates," the PAD announced, transmission ended. "They seem to correspond to a location outside of the Bowl, on the Vaineo side."
"Is it a warehouse?"
"That is the most likely possibility. Regardless, we are going to have to enter Vaineo. Although both nations' hold on the Fortuna-Vaineo border is weak at best, it would be advantageous for me to lock onto a satellite and scope out the region for the best possible route. Logically, it would be preferable to take an open road rather than running a blockade."
"So there actually are unsecured roads around here?"
"This is what I suspect. I would have to check, though."
"Fine then, check it."
"Very well. It will take some time, though."
"I'll get coffee."
After traveling down the street for a few more minutes, Aden found what he was looking for: a decrepit, boxy, multistory building that looked quite ordinary. The only thing that set it apart from its peers was the fact that a few cars were parked in front of it.
Aden gradually applied his thumb to the brake, allowing the motorcycle to slow down and glide into a spot next to another car. The machine emitted a whining-noise as its white LCD-screen flickered to black, and its back tire folded out from the compartment beneath the bike's underside. Once the wheel touched down, the antigrav was no longer needed.
Aden swung his leg over the seat, hopped off, and threw the kickstand down with his boot.
"This will take approximately seven minutes, forty-two seconds," the voice droned in his ear. "Would you like me to-"
Aden removed the earpiece and shoved it into a pocket. The PAD had its uses, but sometimes, it was a bit too talkative. This was especially true now. Blood tingled on his taste buds while anger boiled within him. Why did he have to get bit by a Mightyena? Though he came out unscathed, it was alarming that he had even allowed it to happen in the first place. He knew that reflexes tended to deteriorate with age, but for Arceus's sake. He was in his twenties. He heard the thing growling behind him. He should have been able to shoot it before it had even left the ground.
He twisted a brass knob with a wavy surface like old glass: no doubt it had seen better days. As usual, he was greeted by a dimmed room, and a nigh-overwhelming scent of smoke that burned and blurred his eyes with tears. For some strange reason, this was welcoming.
Like the few cars outside suggested, a few patrons were already here, scattered throughout a black-carpeted floor polka dotted with hardwood, roundtables. The scratches and scuffs of each table were illuminated by a swarm of multi-colored LEDs that hung over the entire room. The owner had claimed that the choice of lighting was "low-impact", and therefore meant a lower energy bill. Aden, however, could swear that it was an eternal tribute to the holidays once celebrated in his youth.
Instead of busying himself with the tables, Aden walked right up to the front counter, and plopped down onto one of the stools. It wasn't more than a second later when a throaty voice boomed, "You again!" causing Aden to nearly jump out of his skin.
From a door behind the counter emerged a man who was a pile of muscles thrown into a white tank top and lime-green pants that appeared as if they had been cut from burlap. With a clumsy hand, he reached into his pocket, grabbed a handkerchief, and dabbed at his ivory forehead.
"Thought you'd be coming."
"I guess so," Aden mouthed, gazing off into an array of polished glassware piled behind the counter. He saw himself a thousand times over.
"You okay?" the man asked in a hushed tone, stooping his broad shoulders.
"Sure," Aden replied despondently, face emotionless. "Just a rough day, that's all."
"Hm," he nodded wisely, deciding that it may be best not to pursue the topic. "What can I get you?"
"The usual," Aden shot back with a clipped response.
"Alright then."
The usual exchange took place. Aden thrust his hand into his coat pocket, produced an array of coins, and slid them across the counter. In turn, the man slid a cup of the steaming, mud-colored liquid at almost the exact same time.
"Thanks," the man grunted.
He casually placed his elbows on the counter and began to make small talk.
"Came from Centrium, didn't you?" he asked, as Aden swallowed his fist gulp of the scalding liquid.
"Yeah," he choked, feeling the substance burn its way through his insides.
"Thought so. Everyone from there wears a black coat, no offense. You'd think they're all going to funeral or something," he said, flicking a finger at Aden's. "District II, right?"
"How'd you know?" Aden asked, a hint of emotion finally creeping into his voice.
"Two's the largest. Worth a guess," he shrugged.
"Oh."
After Aden had finished his coffee, he did a quick glance about the room. By viewing the small sample size of patrons, he became aware of the fact that he was in fact the only person wearing a black, knee-length coat.
For the first time that week, a thought occurred to Aden: "I am on the edge of Fortuna. I am not in Centrium." Although he had been well aware that this environment was foreign to him, he never considered the implications of being perceived as a foreigner.
Suddenly, he felt more self-conscientious than he had before. Every movement he made was being monitored by someone. If he didn't pay close enough attention, he would make a mistake, and then something would go terribly wrong. He felt grateful when it was time to leave the dark, smoky atmosphere, and reenter the light. He hopped back onto the bike, and reinserted his earpiece.
"I have found a route," the PAD sputtered, "that is not protected."
"Good, let's go."
In the map imbedded at the corner of his glasses, Aden could see a yellow line that bent at ninety degree angles. "Turn left." or "Turn right." were the only two commands the PAD gave for the next five minutes. For all the turns they made, eventually, they found their way to the outskirts of the city on a two-lane road that vanished into the desert at the horizon. Aden punched the accelerator, and felt his skull being pulled backward as a set of digits on the glasses inched upward to 200 kilometers per hour. No one was in sight. Aden directed the bike straight down the dotted line at the center of the road.
"Now entering Vaineo," the PAD chirped.
"This place is dead," Aden shouted in reply into his earpiece.
"I have observed one deceased Pokémon today," the PAD replied. "Also, the population of Emory before the war was approximately one million. Based on data I have managed to gather, I estimate that the population now is now twenty-thousand."
Aden sighed. His attempts at holding a conversation with the PAD always gave him the impression that he was the only sane person left on earth. He wasn't sure why he even bothered.
"Incidentally, we are being followed," the PAD said. "Approximately two kilometers behind us is what seems to be another speed bike. Preliminary data project that it belongs to law enforcement. They must have observed us crossing the border."
"How certain are your data?"
"Eighty-five percent."
Aden bit down on his lip.
"Not certain enough for me-"
A male voice spoke over the communication link, drowning out any reply that the PAD might have had:
"Unidentified vehicle, you have entered Vainean territory. Pull over to the side of the road and wait for further instructions."
"Yep, definitely law enforcement," Aden said. "Take over driving."
"Acknowledged. Autopilot engaged."
Aden released the steering column and reached down to his belt. He unclipped the Punisher-MSMG and raised it with both hands, twisting so he could point it back over his shoulder.
"Target is one-point-seven kilometers off," the PAD announced.
Aden squinted. Down the road, he could make out a tiny speck. As he swiveled the weapon, the "x" darted across his lenses, suggesting a perfectly straight line of fire. At this distance, though, he knew that wouldn't be a good-enough approximation to hit the target. He raised the "x" up into the sky, well above the horizon.
Suddenly, he felt himself falling. The void rushed in and surrounded him. He looked up and a shadow loomed above, bordered by a pair of blue, glowing eyes.
"I will lend my strength to yours," it rasped, "so that one day you may give your strength to mine."
Aden bowed his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Aden. Please respond," the PAD droned.
The fabric of the void receded as if someone had grabbed it and flung it aside. Aden was left with the green "x" still hovering over the horizon.
"I'm here," he said.
He strained the muscles in his arms and pulled down on the trigger. A deafening boom rang out. The weapon lurched and his bones shuddered. He stared off into the distance and allowed his shoulders to fall as he drew in a deep breath. Although he couldn't see the bullet, he could hear a faint whistling sound. He stared at the speck.
"Come on…come on…"
The speck veered to the side, flying off of the road.
"Yes," he breathed.
"I estimate with 99 percent certainty that the target has been struck in the left leg."
With shaky hands, he re-clipped the weapon to his belt.
"You were hallucinating again," the PAD stated matter-of-factly.
"But I got him," Aden said. "He was over a kilometer out, and I hardly had to think about where to shoot. It's not just a hallucination; it produces results."
"Whatever it is, it is not good for you."
"You know, I feel like we've been over this before."
"My apologies. I will stay silent so that you can continue undermining the integrity of your own body."
Aden bit down on his tongue as he calculated his next words.
"I'm aware of what's happening to my body," Aden said. "And I'm okay with it. It needs to be this way until Elena gets better."
"You were making money before you were accosted by the entity," the PAD countered. "And besides that, my calculations show that Elena will likely die before you accrue the required amount of money to pay for her treatments."
Tears welled up in Aden's eyes.
"You're not being helpful."
He tore the earpiece out of his ear and shoved it into his pocket.