Chapter 7: 'Family' Reunion
The corridor wasn't how he remembered it to be. Run down, musty, filthy... it looked like a completely different place to him now. His footsteps echoing on the cracked marble floor as he approached the very room he once had a fateful 'conversation' with someone in. Opening the door, the hinges rusty with age and lack of use, he gazed around at the once spotless, white room. Approaching, what appeared to be, a sliding panel he rubbed his hand along the gap between the shattered glass and the filthy moving wall, sighing exasperatedly.
It had been such a long time since that day.
And it made him angry.
"So... normally I'd use a Pokéball to store something, but I've got none to spare." I said to myself as I patted my assault vest and beltline, trying to see what I had with me.
Haxorus sidled up to me and nudged her special Pokéball with a smile, but I shook my head and explained I couldn't use it; it's already assigned to her and I sure as hell didn't have the equipment to recalibrate the thing. Shit's like Fort Knox to hack.
As I put my helmet on, the mouthpiece encrusted with the blood from the day before, I turned to face Haxorus to find her blushing and turning away. What with me being too far into 'survival' mode to notice fully, I adjusted the seal on it and set up the HUD only to find it utterly ruined.
"Fucking piece of shit..." I cussed, smacking the side of the headgear, before switching it back off and standing up. "Looks like we're running on our own initiative out here, till we get evac'd. I guess all I can say is 'stay sharp' and 'stay safe'."
Haxorus whined to herself, before heading towards Lacunosa's pass gate, flicking her cloak around her as she went.
I chuckled to myself as I watched her cape catch on her tail, as it bobbed around, showing her backside.
"I'm a lucky man, ha ha!" I laughed, cocking my rifle's chamber and jogging after her.
"Sir?"
"...yes?"
"We've found the crash site of the plane... it looks like there were some survivors."
There was a short grunt to the statement, before being followed up.
"Are you sure you never made a mistake? You remember what ended up happening last time mistakes were made."
There was a brief pause.
"...Yes sir... but... that was y—"
The man was interrupted by a fist slamming onto an old wooden desk, startling him.
"I fucking KNOW it was my fault, you idiot! I do NOT need the likes of you to point out my errors, you hear me?"
"Yes sir. Sorry sir."
"Ugh... just... just tell me what you wanted and get out of my sight."
"Well... you see, there were survivors from the crash. We're one-hundred percent sure they were on that plane and, well... they weren't amongst the bodies that were left."
"Did you check thoroughly?"
"Yes sir; triple-checked."
"They've always been a slippery little shit. Even in my old age... I was sure I'd get where I wanted to be by now."
"Sir?"
There was no reply for a long while... or it could have been a few seconds; the tension that lingered in the air seemed to affect the flow of time before a sentence was uttered once more.
"Send squads out to find look for them. Check the nearest towns and structure. Use brute force to...entice civilians to give you information if need be; just bring that fucker to me. Alive."
The man nodded and went to leave, before one last thing was mentioned;
"And make sure the men go out as the local militia... we don't need the whole region knowing who or what we are."
The man scurried back out without another word.
"Hold—hold up dammit! I'm injured remember; I don't want to spew blood again!" I wheezed, slinging the weapon over my back.
God my lungs needed air all of a sudden.
Haxorus turned around and giggled at me; playfully nudging my shoulder before walking away again, batting her eyes at me as she did so.
"That girl is trying to tease me at the wrong time..." I thought, removing my helmet before stepping through the electric doors that led to the reception area in the pass gate.
If you can imagine a doctor's waiting room, it kinda resembled something like that; sterile, white and boring. There was even a reception... just no receptionist. I could guess as to why that was, however. As I passed through, I glanced at the electronic billboard on the wall to my right; complete static.
"Hold up Hax; let me just check something behind the desk. These guys get near-instant info on what's going on in Unova." I said, arching over the receptionists desk and rummaging through the pile of papers on the mahogany.
Haxorus stood beside me and tipped her head quizzically; unsure of what I meant.
"Damn; there's bugger all here. Looks like we're gonna ha—"
I was interrupted by, what sounded like, shouts from outside. My heart rate instantly rose, and I silently slipped against the plasterboard, next to the glass doors, beckoning Haxorus to do the same.
Using my helmets amplifier I listened intently to the voices that were outside... nothing clear, no; the tech wasn't that advance, but I was more focused on the intonation in their voice over anything else. If I could get that, I could determine whether we were safe or not.
As the voices got louder I unsheathed my knife, unsatisfied with the quality of the helmets playback quality.
"Looks like I'm doing this old-school style." I thought, remembering back to the day I 'visited' Josh's house those years ago.
I eyed the serrated edge and blood channel of my blade; finely sharpened and made from a steel – titanium compound. It was a little weighty, but it didn't really cross my mind when I stabbed someone. It was getting it back that concerned me.
As I heard the electric doors 'whirr' open, I held my breath, ignoring the pain my lungs gave me, and listened to my heartbeat. It was fast as anything. As I watched two men casually strut into the pass gate, I looked at their weapons. Shitty, rusty little carbines, with a small, familiar decal on, that had been given next to no care. As for the men themselves, they wore tatty civilian clothes and facemasks to cover their faces with.
"It's the fucking militia..." I sighed, mentally.
Loosening my shoulders, I leapt at one of the men, knocking him to the ground, before punching the other in the face and stamping on his head, smashing his glasses. As the other tried to get up, I pushed him back onto the ground, gesturing for Haxorus to 'deal with him' before slitting the throat of the one with broken shades, cutting as deep as I could to ensure his death; blood spattering the clean, white tiling on the wall. His body spasmed for a moment, before lying still in his own fluids. As graphic as that sounds, I won't even mention what happened to the other guy.
"Righty-oh, we'd better leave." I said as I wiped the blood onto the dead man's jumper, and jogged towards the Town.
Lacunosa itself was a nice enough looking place; neatly set buildings, neatly trimmed plants outside them, neatly kept paths and roads... the whole place was neat and tidy. It was quite surreal really. As we crept around the area, the buildings looked untouched; not a single one appeared to be affected by the events raging around Unova. The day was just getting to its peak, so I expected the inhabitants to be out and about, but... there was no one... it was a ghost town.
Sneaking over to an open window, Haxorus close behind me, I glanced through the glass pane and scanned the room; a kitchen devoid of anyone, but riddled with daily items. By that, I mean items like breakfast bowls around the worktop and pans with stuff in, on the hob.
After doing the same check on a few other houses, I concluded that the place had absolutely fuck all left here; just empty houses that look like they were abandoned pretty damn quickly.
"Hmm... where'd everybody go then?" I asked myself, rhetorically.
Considering taking advantage of the situation, I shifted round to the front door of the nearest house and pulled down on the handle... the door opening with great ease...
Instinctively slipping the rifle off my back, whispering for Haxorus to stay back, I crept into the family home; my steps resonating uncomfortably loudly off of the wooden floor. Keeping my eyes open for any signs of movement, I searched the living room, dining area and kitchen to no avail. Swiftly making my way to the stairwell, I beckoned for Haxorus to come inside and keep watch from the front window as I checked the upstairs. As my footsteps dulled against the soft carpet; my boots leaving slight brown marks on the fabric, I checked all open rooms; some of which had drawers strewn across the floor, what was in them now scattered around the area.
One door, however, was shut; making me feel the need to check it last for safety reasons. As I leant against the wall, I saw the telltale silhouette of my dragon coming up the stairs in front of me. Sighing to myself, I looked at the carpet beneath the door; blood. Thinking deeply about entering the room, I thought about whether someone was taking refuge inside; after all, it WAS the only door that was shut in the house. Slowly opening the door would only lead to me getting, either, shot or grappled whereas kicking the door in would shock them long enough for me to take them down if I needed to, but could result in being attacked by innocent people.
Taking a step back from the door, pulling the charging pin back on my rifle, I shook my shoulders and forced my foot against the door as hard as I could; the wood ripping off the hinges, and slamming onto the floor. Quickly following up, I ran into the room, keeping my head down, and scanned the area before someone shouted loudly.
"We've got a breach; take 'em down boys!"
As I watched a figure spring from around one of the room's corners, I heard a roar from behind me before a large form dived at the person, knocking them to the ground.
"CEASE FIRE; CEASE FIRE!" the man shouted above Haxorus' roaring,
Looking at the man, i saw that he was wearing a patterned outfit... a uniform. Covered in shades of grey, digital, DPM's, and a helmet which a large, dark visor.
"...Curtis? That you?" I asked, staggering against the doorframe.
"Heh, looks like you just got dumped, Colonel; Haxy's found a new man!" the soldier laughed, holding his hands out.
Looking at the other men in the room, I saw they were all wearing the same uniform; the rest of my squad.
Chuckling to myself, my laughter gradually picking up volume, I stood up properly again and nudged the growling reptile hovering over my marksman.
"Don't get too comfortable like that, bro; she gets rough!" I said, still laughed, whilst grabbing one of his hands; trying to haul him to his feet.
"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Curtis saluted, prior to me nodding gently, "It's not like I'd want dragon slit, anyhow." He laughed, slapping me on the shoulder; Haxorus mumbling to herself as she traipsed back out the room, flicking her cape around her legs as she did so.
It was good to know they were alright... I just wish that Aggro could be here to do the same... speaking of which.
"Curtis... guys... does anyone have Aggro's Pokémon? They weren't at the crash site."
One of the men held up a black belt with six little red and white spheres on it. God it was a relief to see them.
"So, sir... what happened? How'd you get from the crash? We all thought you were dead."
"Heh; well I woke up yesterday, in the evening, only to find a wild Druddigon in the area... but I won't go into detail on it. Let's just say it looked like an alpha male and was pretty hungry."
Curtis cocked his head at me, before he jumped at the sound of a loud 'grunt' from behind me.
"Your 'gee-eff' sounds like she's getting frustrated Colonel; we should probably get moving." Curtis said, gesturing going downstairs.
Nodding in agreement, I shook hands with the rest of my squad as they passed me and went out the door; Haxorus growling at Curtis as he passed her... I don't think she likes him anymore.
Removing my helmet, placing it under my arm as I left the room being careful of the blood on the floor, I glanced at Haxorus; her eyes tracking me as I walked past. Just as I was about to descend the stairs, Haxorus reached out and grabbed onto my upper arm; stopping me in my tracks. Standing perfectly still for a moment, I could hear her breathing heavily behind me. Stepping back towards her, I turned around and looked into her eyes; wide and unblinking as they stared back just as intensely as my own. Taking a few deep breathes, she let go of my arm and gently leaned in towards me, the lids of her eyes gradually closing as she bumped her nose against mine. Dipping my head slightly, accepting the gesture, I kissed her, softly, on the top lip; inciting a tender growl from her. Using my free hand to caress her neck, I nudged her back against the wall as she placed her claws around my waist, pushing her mouth against mine, as she continued to growl in anticipation.
Chuckling to myself, I dropped my helmet without thinking, and pressed my palm against her hip, as I continued to rub her neck and kiss her; the dragon getting increasingly pent-up at the situation, pressing her slender tongue against mine as her saliva began to—
Suddenly there was a loud noise from outside; the force of which nearly knocked me off balance. Haxorus, obviously startled, nearly stabbed me with her axe blades as she turned to the direction the blast came from.
"Jesus fuck; what the fuck was that?" I shouted; grabbing my helmet and sprinting down the steps, to outside, "Curtis! What the fuck was-"
As I was cut off mid-sentence, I could see a giant plume of smoke billowing out from a line of trees in the distance, just beyond the tree-line outside of Lacunosa.
Looking towards my squad, I could see they were motionless... just watching the plumes evaporate into the sky.
Slapping Curtis on the arm, snapping him out of his trance, I told him to go in the house and grab what supplies he could. The other two would stay outside and take point whilst I helped him. After a minute or so, we'd returned with our assault vests full of dried food, as well as various energy bars, before leaving the area as fast as we could; the thick black smoke now covering the sky. Arceus knows what caused it, but I didn't feel like hanging around to find out.
"Sir, this is Echo One on site, over."
"Roger that Echo One, go ahead."
"A small group of ground troops have been spotted leaving Lacunosa Town, Sir; one of which appears to have a member of the local Pokémon species following them, over"
There was a break in the talking for moment; just static, before a voice sounded.
"This... Pokémon... what does it look like? Can you describe it?"
"Err... roughly the soldier's height; big tail, things that look like flat axe heads on its face... I can't quite make out the colour; looks like it's wearing something. Should I pursue, Sir?"
There was a quiet chuckle before a reply was given.
"No, no..."
Silence befell the conversation again.
"...Sir?"
"Contact the forces we have in Castelia City... tell them they've got a special guest arriving. Tell them they should be there by nightfall and will most likely be looking for somewhere to stay. They'll know what to do."
"Roger, Sir."
As the squad and I trekked along the Unovian routes, passing through the famous 'Opelucid City', which is where all the dragon 'masters' visit upon some sort of special tournament or something, but due to the recent... troubles, let's say; the place was just as about as bustling as Lacunosa was. I couldn't help but wonder where everyone had actually disappeared to.
The streets of the Dragon City were deserted; the odd piece of litter blowing around wildly, as we took our time, and stuck to the edges of the surrounding trees. As we came to the entrance gate, Willow ran up and tapped me on the shoulder before shoving a GPS under my nose. Taking the time to look at the equipment, he pointed to the path we were supposed to be taking to get to Castelia City... through the Iccirus moors, through Mistralton City, past Driftveil, etc, etc.
"That's gonna take way too long; an evac won't even bother coming out if we're here that long."
"No shit, Colonel."
Looking thoughtful for a moment, I pointed to the centre of the map; the 'Entralink', as it's called.
"What about across here? It'll cut out a fuck-ton of travelling time and make it a lot easier to get to Castelia... the desert'll still prove a problem though."
"That place? It's sacred ground to a bunch o' natives; best not to disturb it or they'll get their Pokémon ta rip ya apart. Druddigons an' all that."
I stared intently at Willow for a moment before dropping my head in dismay. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I leant down to his level and pointed at Haxorus before leaning back and stating that he was also the owner of a fucking Hydreigon. The rest of the squad just laughed, as our tech guy grunted and snatched the GPS back before trudging off into the forest.
Good thing me and Haxorus woke up early and met with the squad; we could at least get to Castelia City during the early evening, at best. Then we could find a place in the city to set up and get some sleep before making our way back to Route 1... why was everywhere so empty all of a sudden?
