An Eon of Experiences
Chapter 4: Several Discoveries are Made
Angela's human friend took a few minutes to clean up the mess he'd made on the floor while she got started trying to lift-off once more. Now that she had some amount of grasp upon her psychic abilities, she felt like she could potentially fly. If she could knock over a glass several feet away, how hard could it be to get herself off the ground?
As the time ticked by though, she was reminded that she was, in fact a Pokemon that was fairly weighty. She wasn't as heavy as "Scruffy" or any adult human being, but she certainly wasn't just lifting a glass of water either.
She felt a sense of elation though when she thought she felt lighter and she thought for a moment that she would finally lift off. Of course, her excitement broke her focus and her full weight returned, firmly grounding her.
"I think I'm getting it." She spoke, unable to hold in all of her excitement; even the fatigue and wear from the day couldn't dull her happiness. Her happy tones were obvious to her friend.
"Almost got it? Good. Don't know how many more nights I can keep sneaking in here without getting caught." He chuckled a bit after this comment.
She shot him a curious look, wondering why he was laughing about something like that, but he waved a hand dismissively and shook his head.
"It's nothing... just old memories."
She had no way of really asking more about the subject, so she let it go and refocused on trying to fly.
-0-
It was as the night was nearing the end that Angela finally achieved lift-off and her belly left the floor without any physical assistance. She found the experience not only exhilarating, but it felt somewhat odd as well. She might have best described it as like being lifted by balloon. Weightless. Free on the wind. Indeed, she felt as if a light breeze could propel her in any direction, though being indoors, there was obviously no wind whatsoever.
Her companion's expression was utterly glowing with happiness, and he spoke with a note of pride.
"Perfect. Can you move yourself around now without too much trouble? Move forward, y'know?" he asked, trying to keep his own excitement contained, though just watching Angela hovering was making him antsy with joy.
She couldn't say anything he would understand, so rather than wishing she could explain how much of her focus just hovering occupied, she instead attempted to do what he said and tried to will herself forward through the air.
Unlike the initial effort of hovering, Angela found the act of moving in the air laughably easy. It seemed as natural as walking to her and she drifted silently around the lab, though "Scruffy" quickly hurried over and stopped her when she nearly clipped a computer monitor with her wing.
"Alright. Good to see you're moving about without too much trouble... though you have to watch those wings of yours..." He had a nervous smile and it was pretty clear he had just about had a heart attack from her nearly hitting the computer and making a cacophony of noise. Angela herself felt a little flushed and embarrassed for nearly giving them away.
"Scruffy" looked around briefly, then addressed her again.
"Okay, sorry if you're eager to get out of here, but it's a little late to try making the escape attempt now. So let's get you put back into the tank and I'll get things set-up for the escape tomorrow. Okay?"
Though she was reluctant to go into the tank yet again after finally experiencing true freedom from it, Angela conceded to this and flew back over to the tank. Of course, she was still learning to fly and didn't quite set herself down gently, releasing her hold on herself when she was still in-air.
"Ouch..." She grunted as she landed a little hard, wincing.
Her friend and partner then worked the consoles around the tank and as he had done the last couple of days, he put the containment measures back up, one by one. Angela smiled and gave him a light nod as he silently bade her good night through the glass just before the metal shell closed around her.
-0-
The next day started and Angela did not get a lot of sleep before the shell was lifted again and she was greeted to the usual sight of the various scientists returning to work on studying her.
Despite any drowsiness though, she felt happy and a little excited, awaiting that night when she would finally make her escape with her friend's help. She only needed to endure whatever trials came today.
She was tormented, poked, and prodded more by various instruments in the tank, but she simply tolerated the pain as the scientists performed their tests.
At his usual, predictable time, the leader of the base came in. His mood seemed to have calmed somewhat, though his expression still was quite testy.
Well, I hope all their progress is halted with my escape. Either way though, I'll find a way to bring these plans to an end after I'm out of here.
Almost as soon as the leader had arrived though, something unusual occurred.
One of the scientists called him over and started talking to him. Normally, they would come to him and report their findings from what Angela had observed, so one drawing him over to speak personally stuck out in Angela's mind as unusual. She wished she could hear what they were saying or see them better, however the conversation was several feet from her tank so whatever they were discussing was not audible through the thick glass, and on top of that it was further drowned-out by the droning murmur of the others going about their work. Angela couldn't even attempt to lip-read what either were saying, as both were too far off to the side for her to turn her head and watch. She'd have to break the restraints again, and given how close she was to freedom, she didn't wish to draw unneeded attention.
When the conversation had ended, the leader stepped back over to the containment unit and peered over at one of the consoles.
Angela started to feel nervous. The raven-haired man's expression was more stony now... unreadable.
What did that scientist tell him? Please tell me they aren't catching onto what's been happening...
Then he started issuing orders. She couldn't clearly make out what he was saying, but the way he was gesturing and his flat tone of voice made it clear that he was directing them.
A few of the scientists started typing rapidly on their terminals and on the consoles and Angela could only watch as they operated the machinery.
What are they doing exactly?
All the questions forming in her mind, along with her worried continued to make Angela even more nervous as she watched things proceed.
Then the taste of the air from the air-mask changed.
She blinked as she realized that change and seconds later, she started to feel drowsy.
Oh no... they've... they've found out about whatever Scruffy did about the sedative...
Her anxiety about this revelation was limited, as it was kept down by the sedative now flowing into her system.
What else... have they discovered...? Please... please... let him be safe...
Combined with her natural fatigue and exhaustion, the sedative slowly shut down her mental functions, her world blacking out.
-0-
Angela awoke later to the sound of sirens. How she had slept through a klaxon blaring so loudly was beyond her but she awoke, her mind very bleary and barely aware of what was going on around her.
"C'mon! C'mon! Wake up! Wake up!"
She knew that voice... it was "Scruffy". And he was rather understandably panicked, but he still had a level of forced calm in his tone and he pushed something into Angela's mouth. It was after he did that, that she realized she had something else also in her mouth. Both objects had a dry taste and as she swallowed them, the sedative's effect lessened considerably, waking her up.
With the increase in alertness, came the realization of what was going on.
Klaxons. Alarms.
He had set off an alarm getting her out of her tank!
"C'mon! We're in up the creek without a buizel here! C'mon!" Angela felt "Scuffy" put his hands under her and try to lift her up. Angela shook her head, waking herself up the rest of the way and she tried to focus as she had the previous night. After a moment, she was in the air.
"Alright! C'mon, before they... ahhhh." He had started to turn for the only exit to the room, only for the way to be barred by a group of four guards entering the room, and he backed away instead.
Fear was the first clear feeling in Angela's mind as she saw the situation before her.
We've been caught. And there's no other way out.
Her focus for flight was almost broken by the terror, but she swallowed and managed to keep herself air-borne.
Then the guards started pulling out their pokeballs, clearly intending to subdue Angela and apprehend their traitor.
"Uuuuugh... really should have looked into how to fight..." Scuffy groaned as he backed away nervously.
Fight? I can't fight. Even if I knew how to fight as I am, there's no time to take all of them out. ...Or could I?
Angela braced herself, then tried willing herself into flying at them as fast as she could.
A second later, she felt herself smash into the wall.
It was a hard impact and if she had been human, Angela would've had several broken bones. As it was, she had flown at unexpectedly high-speeds and plowed through all four of the guards, clothes-lining a couple of them with her wings, before she promptly collided with the wall behind them, the other two guards unfortunate enough to be dragged with her getting slammed into the wall as well. Pain was immediate and she felt it all along her face and her side that had made the most impact with the wall.
She was rather surprised when she pulled herself away from the wall and was still conscious, though the same couldn't be said of the two guards she had taken with her. The other two she had clipped with her wings were dazed and on their rears, trying to get their heads together, until Scruffy came up and slugged each of them.
"Not the most graceful move, but it got the job done." He commented a little breathlessly, "Good job, now let's get out of here. Quickly!"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. She had a severe headache that was making her head spin and it was only due to what little control she had that she remained air-borne and followed behind him, bobbing in the air once or twice as her control slipped, though she quickly lifted herself again.
Ow. Ow. Ow... just how fast did I go?
Her partner led her through a series of hallways, dragging her along and at one point a guard rounded a corner just as they were arriving at the corner in-question.
"Hal-OOOF!" The guard started, but was interrupted by Scuffy's fist hitting him squarely in the nose. They then went right over the man and continued onward, leaving him in a heap on the floor.
Well, he's certainly pragmatic... but then again, I suppose I acted that way myself back there, tackling all of them, rather than facing their Pokemon...
After a few minutes of running, they came to a door and Scruffy took a card out of his pocket and swiped it through a reader to the side of the door.
The door stayed close.
"Aaagh!" He swore angrily and started fiddling with the reader frantically.
Angela could only stay by him and wait while he worked on the machine. She could hear the chatter and rapid footsteps of the guards coming up the hallway behind them, which only served to speed up her already-racing heart.
Please hurry... please get this door open.
It took a minute and just as the guards came into sight in the hallway, her partner managed to mess with the wiring and inner workings of the door enough to get it to open.
"Hey! Stop right there!" "They're trying to escape. Stop them!"
The moment Angela saw the door open enough for her to go through it, she propelled herself through the door.
Then she was promptly hit by a blast of electrical energy.
Angela screamed as her body convulsed briefly from the shock, and then she fell the ground and remained there, unable to move as the magenta electricity arced around her.
"This stunner was designed to debilitate and lock-down even the strongest Psychic-types, including Mew." a familiar voice drawled... it was the leader of the base, who had been waiting just outside, "What makes you think you're going to get away from me, dearie?" he spoke coldly to Angela.
"Errgggh... dammit..." Angela's accomplice growled as he was surrounded.
The raven-haired leader stepped past Angela, other guards gathering around her and one pointing the stun-gun at her.
"And you... you just couldn't leave well-enough alone, could you? Had to try and be a hero."
"I don't like seeing others being held captive, I know what it's like... the fact that you experiment upon them only makes it worse. I knew well enough that you weren't going to let her go, so I took matters into my own hands." the man responded to his boss.
"Oh, bravo doctor. Bravo. You saw right through my ploy, did you? A shame you weren't smart enough to just let it be."
Angela shifted and the guards around her tensed up and the one with the gun pressed it closer to her, threatening to shoot her again.
"I'm no doctor, and you know that as well as I do. I'm a researcher, and I came here under the impression that would be helping research Pokemon... not capture and experiment on them like you've been doing."
The leader of the group seemed to be unimpressed by the traitor's bravado, as his next lines were dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh? So would you prefer I call you Mr. Salandar then before I have you silenced?"
"I don't have any plans to be silenced... but just Kendel will do." Angela's friend responded.
Those of you who know my stories and how I like to write probably foresaw this, or at least something similar to it.
