Hey guys. Here comes the next part of the Search and Rescue arc. Again, the quake was a terrible disaster, and this arc is dedicated to those who lost their lives and/or loved ones. God bless them, and may this never happen again.
What she said, because I can't think of anything better. And the five who have their characters featured in this chapter and the rest of the arc…you'll know who they are if you stop reading this. Cue title!
Chapter 10: An Undertaker and the Missionaries
Yokata Air Force Base
Tokyo, Japan
8:49 a.m. JST
March 12, 2011
Passengers began disembarking from the commercial jet in an orderly fashion, under the careful supervision of the Japan Self Defense Force and the United States Military personnel. A civilian plane landing in the Yokata Air Force Base was highly unusual, but given the circumstances, it was necessary. Most of Japan's airports, including Tokyo's Haneda and Narita, were closed for inspections and repairs owing to the recent earthquake, and any capacity relief was sorely needed. With most transportation down, the passengers would more than likely have to stay the night at the base.
Into this situation stepped Emily Jones. She hadn't been on the plane that just landed; her flight had landed hours ago in Kyoto. However, the last leg to Toky had taken several hours, hampered by track inspections and repairs along the main line. The six-foot tall figure walked through the base, her stormy grey eyes adjusting as a brief bit of cloud cover dissapeared. Red cowboy boots stepped onto the runway pavement, and continued to move forward towards the main base. Though the air was rather nippy, and the wind was blowing hard enough to whip her long blond and brown hair in the wind, she didn't seem to mind that she was only wearing a short black tank top, an unbuttoned red and black checkered shirt, and thigh-length low ride jeans.
"So it begins…" she murmured, adjusting her brown cowboy hat with her right hand. "Didn't think I'd be comin' here before the round-robin. Now where was it we were s'poosed to meet…?" She was so busy looking around, that she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking. Sure enough…
"OOMPH!" Emily walked straight into a person that was several inches shorter than herself. Emily stumbled, and began to fall into the person; the heavy camper's backpack on her shoulders brought them quickly to the ground. "WAH!" Her hat flew off her head, moved slightly in the wind, and landed right in front of the pile. The person on the bottom, a pale boy with brown hair that had been clip cut, opened his eyes, and blinked at the hat.
"Eh?" he wondered. "A cowboy hat? And why do I feel like I have large marshmallows on my back?"
"Aw, you don't like that feelin', mate?" Emily flirted, as she got up off of him. The teen boy suddenly became flustered, and quickly got up off of the ground. "Just pullin' yer leg there, mate."
"It could be a bit less arousing, then," the boy complained, still a bit flustered. He dusted off his outfit – black t-shirt, baggy blue-grey jeans, black shoes with white laces – and then bent down. With one hand he picked up his hat, a black baseball cap, and placed it on his head; with the other, he picked up Emily's hat, and gave it to her. "Here."
"Thanks!" Emily placed the hat on her head, and then adjusted her black fingerless gloves. "I'm Emily Jones, from Alice Springs."
"Australian, huh?" the boy presumed. "My name is Rayo Kethel, but please call me Ray. Are you lost?"
"Er, kind of…" Emily admitted. "I'm looking for the staging area for the rescue operations up north. I know my coach said Yokata Air Base, but I can't remember from where…" Ray raised an eyebrow.
"It's over there, by the main base," he replied. "I'm here for my team, so I can take you there."
"That would be great," Emily agreed. The two began walking towards the station. "So what team are you from?"
"Canada," Ray quickly answered. The two were suddenly caught off guard as a horn blared across the tarmac. They turned just in time, as a military jeep barreled in front of them, missing by about a foot.
"Hey!" Emily yelled. "Watch where you're driving!" The two paused, catching their breath, before continuing on.
The jeep was being driven by one Terra White, who was taking the vehicle on a test drive. It had been one of the items that had come in the relief flight from Tampa, which had arrived within the hour. The Chicago native brought the jeep to a stop, not too far from the rest of Team USA.
"I swear, Terra," sighed Ezekiel. "You're going to be in a hit-and-run one of these days. Where did you get your license, anyway?"
"The naval academy," Terra replied with a serious look.
"Figures." As Ezekiel facepalmed, Colette took a look around.
"So where are the others that are supposed to join us and help?" the brunette wondered.
"If you count the two that nearly ended up on Terra's radiator, I think they're coming in in trickles," Sophia suggested. "Transportation's been a mess in Japan since this earthquake happened."
"Most of their transport relies on trains," TK added on. "Since the overhead wires on the lines might be down, they have to check every mile of track so that there's no risk of a train stalling or getting tangled in down wires."
"I see…" Colette thought. "That could be a problem."
"We have to watch out for that too," Kunani pointed out. "Up near Sendai, there will be all kinds of wires down, and we'll have no idea whether they're still holding a current."
"That's where all of our electric Pokemon come in," Ezekiel reminded her. "Four of us have a Luxray on our team, and the one who doesn't always has a Pikachu out at all times."
("A little current's no problem for me!") Derek said proudly, bringing a paw to his chest. TK chuckled.
"That's my Number Two!" he said proudly.
"Number two?" Ezekiel questioned.
"Jeter…" quietly whispered Asuka. The Texan slapped his forehead.
"Ah, why didn't I realize that?" he grumbled. The others laughed.
A short distance behind them, Lt. Surge watched over his team. Even under the circumstances, they could still garner a laugh from each other. This group was meshing together nicely; they would have a nice run at the Olympics, at the very least.
If only he realized that they were being watched…
The spy sneered, watching from a safe distance, fixing a gaze over each and every member of Team USA. This was just too perfect; no one even suspected him. Although the mole figured that the naval woman probably would have suspicions, she couldn't prove them. The plan was working perfectly.
And there would soon be rewarded for these efforts.
Already the mole could feel the euphoria and glee pounding through veins; it took all of the person's restraint to fight the urge to just leap out and proclaim allegiance to someone other than Surge. The mole would have to be extra careful from now on, especially when one considered the retired lieutenant's legendary rise through the ranks…
For now, though, there was a meeting to attend.
?
The only sound resonating on the beach – or what was a beach - at this time was the sound of the surf lapping at the edge of the sand. Whith what had been going on, the beaches were barren of human activity. Even if there had been someone present, they would've just ignored the piece of driftwood lodged between a few rocks somewhere further out. People don't bother to notice driftwood anyway, unless they were building a sand castle or something of the like.
However, this piece of wood wasn't wood at all. An observer, if one's curiosity got the better of them, would then find that this "wood" was in reality, heavily rusted metal.
It was just as well that no one was present at this particular spot. The only company there at the moment was a flock of Wingull and Pelipper, searching for new material to rebuild their nests with. One of the Wingulls flew close to the strange piece of metal, intending to use it as building material. The Seagull Pokemon merely touched the plate with its feet, when it suddenly stopped. The Pokemon's normally black eyes changed color, becoming a golden color. The Pokemon squawked, and began to fly north, away from the rest of its flock
The Seagull Pokemon wandered through the sky, seemingly uncomfortable in its form. For the next fifteen minutes, it continued north, before landing in the remains of a suburb of Sendai. Buildings were trashed and damaged, and debris were everywhere. A lone power line, downed by the tsunami, sparked lightly, the last remnants of the current that remained in the wires.
The Wingull blinked, its eyes returning to their normal coloring. The Seagull Pokemon looked around, confused at its location. It took off, heading back south, to rejoin its flock.
Slowly, in the spot that the Wingull had landed, a misty shape took form…
Yokota Air Base
8:55 a.m
It wasn't much longer that three other participants arrived. Actually, it was just as Emily and Rayo were arriving at the makeshift base of operations that another relief plane, this time one from the European Union, was being unloaded. From there, the other three arrived.
However, as the first person stepped out, it might have very well been a flight straight from another part of Japan. The teen that stepped out looked Japanese in every sense of the word – spiky, neck-length black hair, sapphire colored eyes, white skin – but spoke with a French accent. In addition, the boy – slightly shorter than TK – carried a book in his hand, and seemed to be rather uncomfortable around so many people. He wore a white sleeveless shirt, a black jacket, and black jeans, along with midnight-blue sneakers that had a silver Pokeball on the outside side of each sneaker. A black backpack was slung over his shoulders, and a pair of spectacles rested on his nose.
The second person, while not from Japan, could have been from a different part of Asia. The girl's Chinese/Indonesian looks, and her somewhat short 5 and a half foot frame, were a bit misleading; she was, actually, part British. Her thick, chest-length chestnut hair framed her face, accentuating her warm hazel eyes. She wore a white polo (which had a big blue X across the middle), knee-length jeans, blue running shoes, and black fingerless gloves. Draped over her shoulder was a black messenger bag with twin horizontal white lines, stuffed to the gills with supplies. Hopefully.
The last person could actually be correctly identified as being from Europe, specifically Spain. Wearing a black shirt that had an orange outline, black khakis with zipperable leggings, and black and orange tennis shoes and jacket, the teen was in between the other two Europeans in terms of height, had black hair in shoulder-length dreads, and friendly brown eyes. He seemed a bit more relaxed than the other two, as he slung his tan bag over a chair.
Almost immediately, a JSDF member, who was seated at the table, stood up. "Good. Everyone's here, so we can begin the rescue process. I'm going to divide you into –"
"Hey, can't we introduce ourselves before we go to work?" This came from the Spanish representative.
"Yeah," added Emily. "We all were briefed that our division would have one person each from Australia, Spain, the UK, Canada, and France, plus all five from the United States, but we don't know who they are."
"It should only take a minute of our time, sir," Terra explained to the man. "We'll make it quick."
"Very well," the man said. "Start from my right." It just so happened that Terra was the person to the right, as the team was spread on either side of the man.
"My name is Terra White, I'm a United States Naval captain from Chicago, Illinois."
"Hello, I'm Ezekiel McDouglas, although I go by Zeek as well. I'm from McKinney, Texas."
"Rayo Kethel, Nova Scotia, Canada."
"Hey mates, I'm Emily Jones from Alice Springs, Australia." Next were the three newcomers, in the order they came out of the plane.
"Seishirou Syuusuke, from Caen, in Lower Normandy, France. Please just call me Zephyer, oui?"
"Hello! My name is Alicia Letterford, from Oxford City, Oxfordshire in England. A pleasure!"
"Buenos tardes, everyone! Sean Johnston from Barcelona. Call me Jemi, though; that's my preference!" Returning to Team USA…
"Asuka Ishihara, San Diego, California. Akatsuki."
"Hi! My name is Colette Marvens, from the proud, resilient New Orleans."
"And that leaves me. My name's TK, for I don't like going by Travis Keppinger. I'm from Wayne, New Jersey, and this is my Number two, Derek."
("Nice to meet you all!") the Electric Mouse Pokemon bowed.
"We probably all knew this already, mate," Emily stated. "At least in Australia, your battle was replayed for a whole day on the news."
"I studied it for a whole week after seeing the highlights," Sean remarked. "Those were some excellent moves you did back then."
"Aw, it was nothing…"
"Congratulations, Mr. International Hero," Colette said, elbowing her teammate in the side. "Don't let it go to your head now." There was a cough. The attention returned to the JDSF member.
"Moving on, we are going to split you ten into teams of two. This buddy system will ensure you all will be safe, owing to the dangers out there in a post-earthquake Japan. Team Alpha will be TK and Alicia. Team Beta will be Ezekiel and Seishirou. Team Gamma will be Asuka and Sean. Team Delta will be Emily and Colette. And Team Theta will be Terra and Rayo. Any questions?"
"Where will be heading?" Ezekiel asked.
"We'll be giving you report files now." The five folders were handed out, and the five teams assembled, taking a look at the information inside. "You will head to these locations immediately following this meeting."
"How will we get to these location?" inquired Emily.
"You all have a Pokemon you can fly on, right?"
Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
The presence wasn't noticed by people, for they were too busy focusing on the efforts to rescue the survivors and recover the dead. Humans have no reason to get distracted in the middle of major operations such as this, unless it has to do with the operation itself. Although, one would think that a strange mist would garner the attention of at least one person…
The misty shape hovered above one of the buildings, stared down at the rubble that it was now. The specter vanished in a wisp of dust, as it flew down into the building, entering through a window blown out by one of the aftershocks.
In the brief flash from one of the flickering ceiling lights, the mist took a human form. A feminine form took hold, with long flowing locks of coppery red hair drifting down to mid-back, and framing her face. Not much else was visible about the figure, except for a pair of bright golden eyes.
She (?) lightly landed on the floor of the building, instantly generating a puddle of water beneath her feet. Small bits of something coppery red, almost like rust, dripped onto the floor. She glanced around and spotted a door that looked like it was partially damaged. It led to an interior room, with no windows. Behind it, the figure could hear voices, speaking in a tongue unknown to her. The figure walked towards the door at a fast pace; as she did, the water seemed to follow her, leaving the floor on which she stood previously as dry as it had been before.
The being placed her head to the door, listening to the voices. Instantly, she recognized the panicked nature of the voices, and her eyes widened immensely. The people on the other side had been in a heated office meeting when the earthquake struck, and were slow to realize what was going on. By the time they did, a metal janitor's cart, not far from the door, had overturned, and struck the door, jamming the lock. The people inside were now trapped, there sole means of escape blocked off by an outside force.
A tear fell from the figure's eye. The situation reminded her so much of the hundreds of poor souls that were trapped so long ago…
Gaining a determination, the figure placed a hand on the lock. The metal lock began to spontaneously oxidize, and instantly turn to rust. A good kick from her barren feet broke it off, and the remnants of the lock fell to the floor. She backed away and hovered off the floor, letting the water and red substance fade away. She became nothing more than a misty shape again, as she floated out a nearby broken window. She listened to the voices of the men and women that were once trapped inside, now running out, chattering excitedly in their language about their savior.
They had no idea that their savior was right outside their office at that very moment.
One of the office workers walked over to the window, but she vanished in that same cloud of dust before he could notice, flying off for a short distance and appearing above a still-standing residential apartment complex. She lightly touched down, taking human form, and watched as the people she helped rescue swarm out onto the roof, where a rescue helicopter would spot them a few minutes later.
Pacific Ocean, 15 miles off the Japanese coastline
9:54 a.m.
Wanda had an expression of what could only be described as total glee across her features. Her eyes were wide with excitement at the sight of what lay beyond the ship's bridge. "That…That was brilliant, John! Who would've thought that the stress built up over the years would have caused such damage? Your plan was brilliant, and the projects only made it all the more sweeter!" she exclaimed.
John, on the other hand, despite having seen his plan carried to fruition, was actually starting to feel a bit sick at all this. The sheer destruction was something he could accept…but the death toll… He wondered if they were even doing the right thing.
Wanda didn't even notice his discomfort; she was too busy gloating over those who had doubted the success of the mission from the very start. It didn't matter, anyway. She had been indoctrinated long ago into the organization, and was now far too along to show remorse. The woman finally turned to one of the men who was in charge of maintaining the helicopter positioned on the aft deck. "Is the helicopter ready? I want to go see the results for myself."
"Yes, ma'am. The helicopter is ready for takeoff," the man replied.
"Good. Prepare a conference call with the boss as soon as I get back." Wanda turned and walked out of the bridge with John following.
However, something kept nagging at him, telling him that this was a bad idea…
He brushed it aside. He could worry later.
Right now they had results to confirm.
Tagaijo, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
11:00 a.m.
The initial rescue operations went underway for the next four hours. Being the first on the ground, each member of Team Japan was reporting in directly with the Japanese government on their progress. The five international teams based out of Yokata were now en route, heading towards the devastation.
Team Alpha, consisting of TK and Alicia, flew by the way of Tertium and an Altaria, which Alicia called Aria.
Team Beta had Ezekiel's Braviary, Yunno, and Seishirou had a Hydreigon, Exacolt, to ferr them.
Team Gamma used Asuka's Pidgeot, Flyer, and Sean's Honchrkow, Nightwing.
Team Delta had Emily riding her Braviary, called War, but Colette was riding not on her own Pokemon. Fetch could carry her for short distances, but to get to the north would be too much for the poor Farfetch'd. TK loaned her a Metagross, who he called Philby, to ride on.
Finally, Team Theta relied on Terra's Pidgeot, Mirrorwing, and Ray's Staraptor, Regal.
They were but one of the many teams to be heading out into the world, seeing what they could do to save but one more life, one at a time, in the search for survivors.
No team cared enough to notice the black painted helicopter as it flashed by overhead, coming to a hover ten feet above a damaged office complex. The roof was still fairly level, but the pilot wasn't taking any chances. He opened the door and a rope was thrown out.
Wanda leapt out first, sliding down the rope and landing on the roof, followed closely by John. The British agent looked up at the helicopter and waved. The rope was drawn back in by a second crew member and the door closed. The pilot dipped the copter's nose and it flew off, leaving them behind.
Wanda turned to face the scene of devastation. A feeling of glee and euphoria pounding through her entire body. "Amazing, isn't it?" she whispered. "And we did all this with just two of our projects."
"Y-yes," John agreed with a nod, although he felt his stomach churn at the mere thought.
"Imagine what several of them would do?" she proposed. "We could overrun the entire world with them, and pretty soon, we will! Soon, the world will know our name, and we shall show those insolent fools just how wrong it was to stomp on us!" To emphasize her point, the operative threw her head back in glee. John looked horrified as he slowly backed away from her.
"Y-Yes. They s…shall," he stammered, taking care to conceal his accent.
"What's wrong, John?" Wanda asked, almost in a mocking tone. "The hard part's over! We set off the earthquake, killed thousands, and proved to the boss how well your project worked! Nothing could stop us now!" The man shivered a bit.
She perked up, realizing that something was terribly wrong here. The woman seemed a bit off in her actions and words, almost like she reveled in this kind of suffering. A disturbing though occurred to her at that point. Was it possible that she didn't have any regards to suffering? If that were the case, then she was in serious trouble.
"Wanda, it's just that being in these ruins…it gives ve the creeps." His german accent slipped in. "Now that ve have assessed the situation, do you think ve should return to the ship?"
"Not yet, John," she said. "We still have a few more areas to survey before we return." John looked away nervously.
"A-All right." Wanda returned her gaze to the area around them.
"This is just what those fools will suffer. They think they have it all, but they don't. They don't have anything that is of value to them! They may believe that they are superior, but they are wrong! They are nothing but insects to be squashed!" She held up a fist and clenched it in front of her face. "And they will die under the hand of our boss! Glory to Allah! Glory to -?-!"
A door on the rooftop creaked. Wanda jumped, and quickly spun to face the offender, a Pokeball ready in hand. However, nobody was there. The operative was staring at an empty space, noticing with suspicion that the rooftop door was ajar.
"V…Vasn't that closed?" John asked softly.
"Yes, yes it was," Wanda murmured. Her eyes narrowed as she walked over and peered into the stairwell from a bit further back. "Someone must be here."
"I doubt it," John remarked. "It seems unlikely that anyone vould have overheard us. The area is a ghost town." Wanda frowned.
"Still, it's the boss's orders, remember?" the Briton hissed. "If you find a possible intruder, detain them, and bring the prisoner back to base." She clenched the Pokeball tighter. "I'm going in. Watch the back."
Wanda crept forward, with John trailing nervously behind her. The German wasn't watching their rear; he was more concerned with what was possibly in front of them. His gut squirmed into even tighter knots, continuing to give him a dreadful feeling. It seemed a little too convenient for the door to just pop open like that, right when they were there. Add in the fact that the two of them were alone, and that the city looked like something out of Left 4 Dead, and this was turning out to be one spooky event.
The door suddenly slammed shut, right before they could enter the staircase…
Without any wind.
"C…can we leave now…?" John whispered.
A soft voice whispered through the air, catching both agents off guard. It was too quiet to understand what it was saying, but it caught the two off guard. Wanda spun on the spot, pivoting on the balls of her feet, and saw what was a human girl, her coverings only her coppery red hair and her hands.
Horror genre set-up, anyone?
"…" The woman was silent. John noticed the flaky water that was by the girl's feet.
"Uh…Wanda?" The German was completely shaken to the core. "I-I think we'd best get out of here…"
"No!" She protested. "This girl heard everything we said! I'm not leaving yet! I told you that!" Her hand flew for a black object beneath her left armpit. "And if you even suggest it otherwise, I won't hesitate!" John's eyes widened in horror as the Briton drew out a pistol and aimed it directly at his chest.
"W-W-Wanda?-! W-What are you doing?-!"
"Forcing you to help me subdue this spy!"
"You dare to threaten your own teammate?" a soft voice whispered in their minds. The woman suddenly floated in front of John, her lower body becoming transparent and misty. They reappeared as she landed in front of John, blocking the path between him and Wanda's gun.
"What's it to you, lady!?" Wanda hissed. "Now stand aside or else!" The ghost shook her head.
"No. I will not leave. I cannot, not while you continue to plot and threaten the world."
"Do you really think some little illusion act is going to stop me?-!" the Brit scoffed. "Hah! I've seen better stunts on Doctor Who!" She tossed her Poke Ball skyward. "Now, come out, Haunt! Show this girl wwhat happens when you mess with me!
The Ball burst open and a purple Pokemon came out, its floating hands eagerly awaiting the chance to grasp the one who was tormenting its master. Haunt grinned as he drifted over to Wanda.
"A Haunter," the girl noted.
"Haunt, you know what to do," Wanda purred, a sneer forming on her face. "Hypnosis!" Haunt's eyes began to glow a sinister blue color, his powers reaching out to the woman. After a few seconds, however, his eyes returned to normal, the Pokemon's face in utter confusion. "What's going on?"
"I am not an illusion," the woman said softly. "I am real. I shall prove it."
She held up a hand and suddenly, the roof began to buckle beneath her feet. Wanda shot a glance down as the entire section she stood on began to buckle, then give way into the offices below. She fell down ten feet, but skillfully flipped and landed on her feet, making any cat proud. Haunt drifted down after her.
The woman phased through the roof and came to a stop, landing on the broken tiled floor. 'Now do you doubt I am real?' A smirk formed on her face.
"As if!" Wanda hissed. "Who are you, anyway?"
"Your worst nightmare," the ghost hissed, her face suddenly becoming serious again.
"Wanda!" John called. He was watching from above, on the remains of the roof. "Are you all right?"
"I can handle this myself!" she snarled. "She's mine!"
"Don't take that chance!" John pleaded. "Did you not see what she did to the freakin' roof?-!"
"A cheap trick! Anyone with a psychic Pokemon can do that!"
"You have done much to threaten the world, and to harm the people of this country when none have done you any wrong!" the ghost accused. "You care nothing for the others around you, and you only wish to see others suffer! Anyone who does such a thing must pay the price! I shall avenge those who have died only for your sick entertainment!"
"So? People die from suffering all the time," Wanda said. She shrugged. "It's natural."
"Not in the way you have said you did," the ghost hissed in a low voice. "As a result, they shall be avenged!" She thrust her hands out to the side. "Now, you shall suffer the consequences of your actions!"
Several broken pipes lay exposed on the ground, broken from the earthquake. They began to buckle and shudder, as deep beneath the building, the boiler came online, sending scalding hot water rocketing up through the shaking and shuddering pipes, right towards the breakage in the top.
Wanda stared in shock, as she instinctively backed away from where the scalding hot water would emerge from. Pretty soon, however, she regained her composure. "Haunt, use Lick!" The Haunter extended its tongue and flew up, running it up the ghost's body. She didn't even flinch as the tongue rolled up her body. Haunt's face changed from an expression of glee to one of horror, and Wada's soon matched.
"It had no effect?-!" she gasped. "What Pokemon are you?-!"
"I am not a Pokemon! And I am not a ghost either! I am your worst nightmare!"
She opened her mouth and let forth a loud scream that sounded more like metal twisting and straining the shaking pipes finally burst, releasing scalding hot water into the area. The metal twisted and warped into snake-like figures, completely coming out of the floor. Wanda couldn't see what became of them; the hot water that erupted from them had quickly cooled, shrouding the room in a thick blanket of steam.
"Where are you?!" she screamed, her eyes straining to pierce the thick steam. "Where?!"
She would never receive her answer.
"Woah!" John moved away from the hole in the roof, as the steam bellowed out from below. Almost a few seconds later, an ungodly scream resonated up from within the depths. Even with its distortion, the German recognized the scream as human. There was only one human in the building.
"Wanda!" John backed up and ran forward, leaping off the roof, falling ten feet to the next floor. His descent didn't earn any awards, but he quickly got up off the ground, just as the steam was beginning to clear. Spotting Wanda's still form on the floor, John ran over to it. Haunt was staring off into the wall, as if it was trapped in some kind of a trance.
The German skidded to a stop and knelt beside her, feeling for a pulse.
There was nothing.
Wanda was dead.
"Vhat…Vhat did this?" he whispered, a mix of shock, awe, and horror in his voice.
"She deserved it." John glanced up. The spirit materialized on the other side of Wanda's still form.
"Vhy?" he asked softly.
"She caused too much suffering… So she deserved vengeance," the woman explained. "So do you…" Fear flooded the man's body as he scooted back on his butt. Eventually, he reached a wall, unable to retreat any further. The man stared in horror as she came closer.
"…under normal circumstances. You, however, seem to have doubts, yes?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Y-Yes…" John murmured. He looked away. "After what the experiment resulted in…I-I'm not sure that I vas fighting for the right cause…"
"If you have doubts, then you have not been tainted by what lurked in her heart." The misty figure held out a delicate hand. "You still have a chance."
John hesitated. She waited as he sat there. Was she expecting him to take her hand?
"I do not harm those who have not been tainted," she said. "I will not harm you."
Hesitantly, John reached out his hand, and gently grasped that of the girl's. She closed her hand, around his own, which was surprisingly very tough,and she pulled, lifting him to his feet.
"A chance at vhat?" he whispered.
"A chance at mercy…"
The last thing John recalled were her hands around, or rather inside, his neck, and a loud snap.
The ghost returned to the rooftop, slightly shaken. A sense of longing and understanding had begun to form within her being. She had just terminated the ones responsible for what was around them…yet why did she feel sad? The spirit clenched her fists, as grief surged forth as a river of tears.
"D…Dammit!" she suddenly cried, pounding her fists on the edge of the roof, causing it to slightly rust. Her tears now were streaking down her cheeks. "Why…Why did another senseless tragedy have to happen?-!" she yelled.
"And why did more have to die for your vengeance?"
The ghost stopped, and slowly turned around. Facing her was a human male, about eighteen to twenty years in age, with a Pikachu on his shoulder, and a rocky flying-type Pokemon behind him. He had been attracted to the building by the cloud of steam that continued to rise from the hole in the building.
"Are you here to avenge them?" the ghost asked, referring to the two bodies below.
"So you did kill those two strangers?" Red confirmed. "I was wondering why they haven't surfaced yet."
"U…urk…"
"I had seen their helicopter move in the opposite direction of the building, and was retracing its steps, when I saw what was going on between you and those two." The Pokemon trainer paused. "What did they do to you that deserved death?" The ghost looked away.
"The…they caused all of this!" she stated. "They caused untold suffering to this country! So they deserved their fate. I will not rest until all those who died have been avenged. It is their fate."
Red raised an eyebrow. "Doing something for vengeance means you do it to satisfy your own anger and hatred, not for those who died. In order to truly do something for someone, you mustn't focus on vengeance against humanity. Even vengeance against those who cause suffering won't bring real satisfaction."
"Then how do you lay to rest the souls of those in torment?" the being proposed. "How do you appease tens, hundreds, even thousands of people, knowing that their cause of death is still living, breathing, and ready to do it again?"
"It's difficult to do so," Red admitted. "But think of this: are the souls of those people happy that you have taken mortal action against the ones who did so against them?"
"Huh?" The spirit was confused.
"'An eye for an eye, and everyone's blind.' Has it ever occurred to you that, as bad as they are, those who kill have families too? That they will weep for that person's death, even though they know he committed the wrong actions? And that they won't thirst for revenge, too?" The girl was silent, unsure of how to answer. "I can tell just by watching you stay silent who you really are. And I can see that you aren't like those you killed, because you aren't a killer. You never were. Everything that happened that day was the fault of a few people. You just decided to add to the total."
"He caused many to die," the woman whispered softly. "He…he deserved it…"
"However, once that was done, did you feel anything?" Red asked. The ghost was silent, as she glanced down at her hands. Despite being a specter, she hadn't reverted her hands into a mist in a while, meaning they were still stained with the blood of one person. Even if they were clean and pure in texture, the weight of two deaths was still bearing on her shoulders.
"I…I don't know…" she whispered.
"Vengeance isn't the way to settle things," Red explained. "It can only cause suffering in yourself. That suffering can spiral into guilt and then depression. Do you really want that? Or do you really want to make a difference?"
"I…I want to make a difference…" she murmured.
Satoshi smiled. "Then focus on that. As to how, you can do so now." The ghost looked up, confused.
"Huh…?"
"You said that the people you killed caused this to happen," Red recalled. "My people and the rest of the world believe this destruction was nothing but a natural phenomenon. You were listening to them, and I wasn't. Tell me what you heard, and, perhaps, you can achieve vengeance a different way. A route that can bring them to the justice they truly deserve…"
?
Japan
In an underground location, a man watched several glowing computer monitors. Each of them had a different news station, which was covering the latest news of the earthquake. FOX, BBC, CCTV, were among the news stations featured on the screens. With the bright screens blocking any view of the man's features from behind, the man seemed to be pleased with what the news pieces were showing.
"So Project PNA was even better than advertised…" he remarked. "All the pieces are falling into place faster than I thought…"
"Perrarr…" a large, tan cat purred from atop his perch on the man's desk. One of the screens suddenly changed to show a woman in a black uniform, standing in the middle of the rubble.
"Report," the man ordered.
"Sir, you might want to see this," she stated. The camera swiveled over towards a wall. Lined up along the bottom were two bodies, one that was heavily scalded, and another whose upper body had been bloodied from the neck down.
The man frowned as he read the nametags that were placed in front of the two bodies. "What happened. Why is Agent 003 and Project PNA's head researcher both dead?"
"Agent 003 seems to have drowned, but there were first-degree burns on her skin. From what we can see, Wanda died because of drowning, but there were also first-degree burns on her skin. I think that she may have been burned by something as she drowned, like hot steam."
"Steam?" The man frowned. While many buildings still had a boiler room, the chances of them working after an earthquake, especially in the area that the two had been in, were slim to none. How could hot water, or any water for that matter, get up to the top of a building in an area that has had its power lines torn apart and its water lines broken and dry? "And the Project Scientist?"
"His wounds are even stranger, sir. It looks like his neck was snapped right at the point where his spinal cord meets his brain, and then was completely severed off! I've never seen a bone cut off so cleanly before!"
"A neck cut cleanly off…it sounds like we have an assassin tailing us…"
"It still doesn't explain what had happened to John," the woman reminded him. The man began pacing the room. "However, we have witnesses that say they saw an Aerodactyl in the area around the time of death. It's possible that Satoshi Tarji could be related to this."
The man stopped his pacing, looking away from the monitor. He placed a hand on his chin. "Red…" He turned around. "Return to base with the bodies so that an autopsy can be performed. Await further instrucictons pending a general meeting of all hands."
"Yes, sir!" the woman saluted. The communications line was shut off, and the steam of depressing news continued once again. The man walked over to a desk, one that was made of wood, and sat down in the swivel chair behind the desk.
"So, Red, do you think that you can get me this time?" the man sneered. "This time, I am one step ahead of you…and shall stay ahead by three more steps. Prepare for your final dance, Pokemon Trainer…"
To Be Continued…
So, not all is as it seems in Japan. What will Team USA and their new allies uncover? Who is the mysterious figure that Red has discovered? And what is the history between Red and the mysterious man? Find out in the future, so Read, Review, and Subscribe! Stay tuned, everyone, for next time!
Ketchum Kid
Things are heating up. Next chapter is all about the rescue of survivors, and an old friend of Asuka's makes an unexpected appearance. On top of that, the gang comes across another person they least expected...
And Terra stumbles onto a mole within the team. Can she take him down and keep him alive for questioning?
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Titanic X, over and out!