-22-
An hour had gone by and the Cipher troopers had quickly packed up and left Gardev without a fuss. Finally, K-1 and Central could walk into town. K-1 glanced back and forth at the townspeople as they walked towards the town square.
"Looks like no one was harmed," said K-1 and he and Central arrived at the town square.
"Very good," said Central happily. They soon came across Warren, Jake, Alexander, Aurora, Anna, Enrique, Fredrick, Sakura, Li, Simon and William. They noticed that an unfamiliar Gardevoir was sitting on the ground near the memorial. Mewtwo had his right hand on the Gardevoir's forehead, trying to read the Gardevoir's mind.
"And who is this?" asked K-1 with curiosity, "Did he come from the hidden city?"
"No," replied Mewtwo, "His name is Cecil and his mind is very tortured. He was one of our greatest enemies, but now he only wishes to help us, to make amends for what he has done."
"What?! This Gardevoir is Cecil?!" shouted Alexander with great anger, "Isn't he the one who tortured my daughter?! Mack told me all about him!" Cecil cowered behind Mewtwo.
"He only wishes to help us now. Even the Guardians of Gardev have forgiven him and trust him," said Mewtwo.
"I…I just want to make up for all the trouble I've caused your family," said Cecil with grief.
"Mack and Aura believe in him; therefore, so should we," said Mewtwo firmly.
"Thank you, Mewtwo," said Cecil as he walked alongside Mewtwo, "I'm going to help the Guardians land the finishing blow to Cipher. I can get to places they can't in the last facility in the Gardev region. We should also be able to rescue your eldest son, sir." At that moment, Mack and Aura teleported into the town square, much to everyone's surprise.
"Did we miss anything?" asked Mack, carrying Aura. Aura's eyes were closed and she smiled blissfully as she laid her head on Mack's chest.
"Hey…" said Aura softly as she opened her eyes and looked around, "Where are the Elite Guards?"
"They went back to the city to try and find anyone who managed to escape," said Simon grimly.
"I hope they find at least one Gardevoir family in the city…" said Mack with a sigh.
"We were just discussing how we should attack Dr. Namwen's facility," interrupted Mewtwo.
"Then we should take this conversation to the lab," said Mack, "Everyone can come." With that, the group followed Mack and aura back to the large, hidden laboratory. As they entered Central's main control room, Central walked the S-100F back into the hidden compartment, sealing the door. Within minutes, she was back in the powerful super computer.
"Online," said Central, "All systems are intact."
"Now, then," said Warren, "We now know where Dr. Namwen's facility is but how are we going to deal with them?"
"The security systems are top of the line, but there are several weaknesses that not even the top Cipher administrators know about," explained Cecil, "Even if I can't use my old access codes, any strike team we send should still be able to explore the facility via the air ducts. There are no sensors of any kind in the ventilation system, not even laser tripwires. The going would be tough, but we could still sneak around in the facility practically undetected."
"Even so, there's still so much we don't know," said Mack as he paced about the room, "What did Dr. Namwen want with Eric? What about those so-called 'Black Darts?' Where on earth did he get them from?" Simon was getting more and more intrigued as he learned more about the facility and as more light was shed on some of Cipher's secret plans.
"Plus," interrupted Simon, "We still have to deal with our friend, Andre." Simon pointed to the Gardevoir as he sat on the floor with his wrists and ankles still bound with twisted metal.
"Indeed," said Alexander, "Perhaps he can tell us more about how that madman turned humans into Pokémon."
"You can't get me to talk!" growled Andre with anger, "And there's nothing you can do that will ever make ME spill the beans!" Aura glanced at Mack and grinned mischievously at him.
"I don't know…" said Aura as she approached Andre, "What do you think, Mack? I say we get Andre into the prettiest, fluffiest wedding dress we can find and have him parade down the streets of Alakaz during rush hour." Andre gulped with fear, not expecting this kind of torture.
"Why stop there?" asked Mack with cruel laughter, "Why not add some bracelets, earrings and a cute tiara to the equation?"
"Hmmmmm!" said Aura with a fiendish smile, "A flowing lace headdress would also look fine on him…" Andre shrieked loudly from sheer terror.
"Okay, okay!" shouted Andre with contempt, "I'll tell you everything I know!"
"You'd better," said Aura, "Or you'll be walking about in white satin, fluffy petticoats, lace and diamond jewelry for the next week."
"We could always upload pictures onto the Internet while we're at it," said Mack with a smirk.
"Okay, listen up!" said Andre, "I'll be honest: Dr. Namwen transformed me and forty-eight other Cipher agents into super-soldiers. We're known as Omegalings: a group of secret squadrons. Dr. Namwen injected each of us with some sort of strange serum, which would transform us into Pokémon. The whole idea was to give humans the powers of Pokémon."
"That's explains more about the nature of Project Omega," said Mack, finally understanding Dr. Namwen's plans.
"That's all I really know about it," said Andre, matter-of-factly, "I wasn't told anything else about Project Omega."
"How about the attack on Gardev, the Gardevoir city and the raid on my lab?" demanded Mack.
"I'll go fetch the dress!" said Aurora with enthusiasm.
"You don't have to tell me twice, sheesh!" said Andre as he shook with fear, "Okay, the job of the Omegalings was to capture all Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts in the hidden city and send them back to base. Apparently, Dr. Namwen wants to turn them into some sort of army. However, he also wants to start some sort of breeding program with the youngest and strongest Gardevoir couples."
"That monster!" shouted Alexander with disgust. Aurora held Alexander close.
"But that's not all," said Andre, "The rest of them will be turned into shadow Pokémon, one family at a time. After that, they will all be Cipher's merciless army. However, that's not all that was planned: the recovery team was sent here to recover XD002 as well as any of some sort of alien technology that they could find here."
"That would explain the theft of my aircraft and the Firefox," grumbled Mack.
"You…you're that alien?" asked Andre with disbelief, "Why you're not an alien at all, just a Gardevoir."
"Technically, I am an alien. I'm from another dimension," said Mack, "Now, tell me more about Cipher's plans."
"You really are from another dimension?" asked Aura.
"I should have told you more about me sooner," said Mack as he held Aura's hands, "You're my mate. I'm not going to keep any secrets from you." Anna glanced at Andre.
"Can I do his makeup?" asked Anna with glee.
"You will do no such thing!" snarled Andre, "Anyway, Dr. Namwen wants to try and reverse-engineer as much of your technologies as possible. As for the occupation forces in Gardev, their job was to find the Guardians of Gardev and use these Black Darts on them. The thick concentration of black energy would be enough to turn them into more XD series Pokémon. I'm glad to say that wasn't the case."
"And why do you say that?" demanded Mack.
"I don't know. I guess I'm scared of what Cipher will do next out of desperation. After all, we got word a few hours ago that the shadow Pokémon factory in the Orre region had been permanently shut down by some kid," explained Andre, "Call me a traitor, but I don't want a part of their plans anymore."
"And that's all you know?" asked Mack.
"I think he'll like the feeling of those soft, fluffy petticoats under his skirt," said Aura sadistically, "Not to mention a lace garter on his thigh. A pretty bride just can't go without that."
"That's all I know!" said Andre, shaking nervously.
"Very, well," said Mack, "Mewtwo, unbind him." Mewtwo nodded his head, focused his power and then carefully removed the smooth, twisted metal from Andre's limbs with telekinesis.
"Are you just going to…let me go?" asked Andre uneasily as he stood up.
"We can't, but perhaps you can prove your loyalty by helping us with our attack. We intend to shut Cipher down for good," said Mack.
"Then I'll do whatever I can, just as long as you change me back!" pleaded Andre, "Wearing this white skirt is really making me nervous."
"But I think it looks cute on you," said Anna with a smirk.
"And that's exactly what I'm afraid of…" said Andre with a frown, "Drawing too much attention from female Gardevoirs…"
"Okay, then," said Mack as he walked away from Andre, "I'll change you back into a human with this is all over."
"Now, you guys weren't actually serious about dressing me up as a bride, were you?" asked Andre nervously.
"I would have had nightmares about it, but yes," said Alexander with a scowl, "Putting a male Gardevoir into female wedding attire is just…wrong!"
"I find it strange that you say that," said Mack as he ran his fingers over the silky, shimmering bodice of his own wedding dress, "There doesn't seem to be much of a difference."
"Then how about you wear MY wedding dress tomorrow then, Mack," said Aura with a grin as she embraced Mack, "Let's have you try on my tiara right now, just to make sure it fits."
"Okay, Aura!" said Mack with nervous laughter, "I get your point!" The group of four Erureidos suddenly entered the room at that moment.
"We got word from Jake that you're going to attack Cipher, right? We want to help. As the Elite Guard it is our duty to protect and preserve the citizens of the Gardevoir city," declared Wallace.
"Did anyone manage to escape?" asked Mack.
"I'm afraid not," answered Wallace with grief, "We looked everywhere in the city and the surrounding mountains: not a single Gardevoir, Kirlia or Ralts escaped from the city. That is why we want to strike back at Cipher as soon as possible!"
"We still need a decent plan, though. The Omegalings will be too much for most of you to deal with. It took everything Aura and I had to repel them," explained Mack.
"Wait!" said Andre, "Dr. Namwen just used some sort of serum to turn me into a Pokémon. Couldn't you use me to find an antidote to change the Omegalings back into humans?"
"I like the way this guy thinks," said Mewtwo.
"Plus, we could use my rifles to make some darts that could pierce cleanly through the energy shielding of the Omegalings. That's one way we could take care of them," explained Andre.
"That should work nicely," said Central, "Using a sample of your blood and enough time should yield a suitable serum, indeed. It should only take me a matter of hours to synthesize the antidote in large quantities."
"Then that's what we'll do," said Mack as he looked around the room, trying to find Simon, "And where did Simon run off to?" Everyone glanced at each other, puzzled at Simon's unexpected disappearance.
"He must have run off when we weren't looking," said Warren, "He pulled the same stunt on me when I was lecturing him about being more careful with his oversized claws in my house. I turned my back on him for a few seconds and Poof! he was gone."
"I'll get to work on that antidote," said Central as the fans in her processing array started spinning at full speed.
"I should be able to modify Andre's rifles," said Mack.
"I'll go fetch those weapons with Andre," said Mewtwo, "Simon left them back in Warren's office."
"We better get some sleep afterwards. We can't really get the job done right without enough sleep," yawned Mack as he took Aura up in his arms, "Feel free to sleep anywhere in the lab that's comfortable." With that, Mack carried Aura into his room and closed the door while everyone else either went to their homes or found a good place to sleep in the giant laboratory. They all hoped to put an end to Cipher's atrocities and rescue the captured Gardevoirs and their families, soon.
-23-
Eric finally awoke. He was disoriented and his vision was very blurry. The area about him seemed to be very familiar.
"What happened to me?" thought Eric as he rubbed his eyes. This felt very foreign to him: it seemed like some of his fingers were not working properly.
"The last thing I remember is getting kidnapped by those Cipher troopers," thought Eric uneasily as his vision started to clear, "Where on earth am I?" As he vision cleared, he noticed that he was in the middle of some sort of large capsule with thick, glass walls with a metal floor and ceiling.
"Oh, no…" thought Eric with fear, "I know this design…" Eric slowly looked down at his body: the green arms, the red fin in his chest and white gown were unmistakable. Eric gazed at his hands then placed them on his head, feeling the thick, soft green hair. Eric screamed with despair.
"That madman…he finally did it! My horrid brother finally did it!" thought Eric with great fear, "His Project Omega was successful after all, but what does he want with me?!" Eric looked towards a nearby doorway: another Gardevoir was standing in the open doorway, staring at him.
"Did you break out?" asked Eric frantically, "Good! Get out of here! Head to Gardev and get the Guardians! Surely you know who they are!" The Gardevoir erupted with a cruel, dry, eerie, raspy laughter.
"You really don't recognize me, do you my friend?" said a familiar, evil voice, "I am your superior brother, Dr. Namwen. Once again, the better sibling has won out."
"What have you done to me?!" demanded Eric with rage, "Change me back, now!" Dr. Namwen laughed maniacally once again.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Dr. Namwen with an evil smile, "After some close studies on the Omegalings, I discovered that they were actually much weaker than the average Pokémon. Only their weapons and armor give them an added edge. It appeared that combining human DNA with Pokémon DNA would indeed result in a transformation and the gaining of a Pokémon's abilities, but the overall strength was sub-par at best. So, instead, I used the same process on you and me and that I used on Cecil to completely change us into Pokémon and not just any Pokémon, but Gardevoirs."
"You must have tricked Cecil," snarled Eric.
"Indeed I did. By now, the Guardians have made short work of him," laughed Dr. Namwen, "And to think that fool thought the Guardians would actually save him! Ha!"
"I doubt the Guardians would kill him," said Eric, "They have more mercy and compassion than all of Cipher combined!"
"Either way, I have completely rebuilt our DNA structures," said Dr. Namwen with twisted happiness, "Now you, Cecil and I are of the Guardian bloodline. Isn't this wonderful, brother? You and I will no longer be plagued by our petty human frailties again. There is no turning back now: we will be some of the most powerful Gardevoirs until the end of our days!"
"And why did you do this to me?" demanded Eric with great anger, "Why did you think it would be a good idea to fuse us with the Guardian's DNA?!"
"Your worthless ethics have made you squeamish, weak and foolish," said Dr. Namwen, "Tell me: have you ever heard the legend of the Black Pendant?" Eric's eyes opened wide.
"You didn't…" stammered Eric, "You couldn't have…!"
"But I have, dear brother," said Dr. Namwen, "The black pendant is in my possession. With its power, I will kill the Guardians. Then you and I can take their pendants and rule all Pokémon and humans alike!"
"The black pendant was rumored to be in a hidden Gardevoir city," said Eric, "That means…"
"The city has fallen," said Dr. Namwen with delight, "The Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts all belong to me now and are happily imprisoned in this facility. After all, we can't conquer the world without a powerful shadow Pokémon army now, can we? They will obey orders no matter what and annihilate anyone who gets on our way. There may even be more of those Gardevoir cities on this planet. I'm sure the head elder will gladly tell me where they are after I've broken him."
"You sure are bloodthirsty," growled Eric, "You may as well kill me now! I'll have no part in your horrible plans!"
"You know I could never really harm you," said Dr. Namwen, "I don't want to rule the world alone. Besides, after you've seen the light, you'll be more than willing to help me every step of the way."
"See the light…?" said Eric with confusion. He shrieked when he finally figured out his demented brother's plan.
"Figured it out already, eh?" chuckled Dr. Namwen, "Isn't the mind of a Gardevoir a wonderful thing? Your intelligence has increased at least ten-fold. All I need to do now is infuse you with the right amount of darkness and your worthless morals and fears will vanish."
"You better not break up the Gardevoir families!" snapped Eric, "That would be terrible, even for you!"
"Of course not," said Dr. Namwen, "They'll become shadow Pokémon one family at a time. Won't it be wonderful: entire families going off to battle together? Meanwhile, I'll have to find a way to get the strongest, youngest Gardevoir couples to breed more soldiers."
"The Guardians won't stand for this and you know it!" shouted Eric at the top of his lungs, "Just wait until they get through with you!"
"That is precisely what I'm expecting," cackled Dr. Namwen, "When they arrive, I'll just use the powers of the black pendant to kill them. That is, if XD002, the Omegalings and the rest of the soldiers don't obliterate them first!"
"What's wrong with you?!" screamed Eric, "You were so kind, so loving a few years ago. What happened to you? My brother, Alvin, would never do anything so…so… utterly evil!"
"You bring up a good point," said Dr. Namwen coldly, "I'll just have to use some black darts on the Guardians instead. Then they won't die, but will become our most powerful soldiers. I'll have to figure out a way to get shadow Pokémon to mate before long…" Dr. Namwen started to leave the room.
"Come back here and let me out!" yelled Eric, pounding on the capsule walls.
"And don't worry about your Alakazams," said Dr. Namwen, "After I'm finished with you, you will be all too eager to have them turned into even more shadow Pokémon." Dr. Namwen left the room, laughing as he closed the thick, metal door behind him. Eric fell on his knees.
"Mack…Aura…" said Eric with despair, "Please hurry…please save my brother…"