Part 11
"Why did ya do it?"
"That is none of your concern at the present time, Surge."
"None of my concern? None of my damn concern! Sabrina, I'm incarcerated, and it's all thanks to you!"
Sabrina stared down at the broken figure of Lt. Surge. He had once been a mighty gym leader, powerful and formidable. Now, however, he was a shadow of his former self, a broken shell of a man with little power, little influence on the world. Everything he had worked for had been crushed thanks to Team Rocket, and the crumbs remaining of all his hopes, dreams, and aspirations had been cremated by Sabrina, the psychic who had handed him directly over to the police.
Was she a good person?
That was completely and utterly irrelevant at a time like this. What mattered was the plan, little more and nothing less. If Surge needed to be in jail for a few days, maybe a few weeks, so that Sabrina could save her own gym, along with the Misty girl, then so be it. Sabrina would go to any length to keep the status quo, to salvage herself and not allow all she had worked for to go to ruin either. Surge glared at her, longing an answer, longing a statement. The psychic could sense that the answer she had to give, that this was all part of a larger plan, would fall short of the explanation the broken gym leader longed to hear, required to hear, NEEDED to hear.
"You'll thank me later," Sabrina replied.
"Just like how I thanked you after you helped me save Watson? Or Elle!" he snapped, his eyes wide and filled with fury, "The murderer is still out there, and you're keeping me in prison?"
"Your visiting time is up, Sabrina," a man behind her said, approaching the long haired vixen, passing by the Pokemon imprisonment center, where Raichu, Rotom, and the legion of Magneton and Electabuzz remained, sealed in an electric proof plastic shell, their powers all but worthless in its protective shell. The Electabuzz could have punched through the plastic, had it not been for the circuitry running throughout the shell that drained the Pokemon of their electricity, forcing it out of their system as they resisted against their sealed up "homes." Sabrina wondered if they were going to execute the Pokemon along with Surge, but somehow she doubted it. The League weren't malicious.
Nathanael Butler was.
"Just promise me this, Sabrina," Surge mumbled, head lowered, hair falling over his broken face, "Find Frollo, and kick his fucking ass for me. Can ya do that?"
Sabrina turned toward Surge for a moment, regarded him briefly, before turning away. A small grin curled up her lips. Of course she was going to kill that Team Rocket threat. Just who the hell did he think she was, anyhow?
#
"Why'd she do it?" Misty mumbled, lowering her head as she glanced at the black haired boy for answers, as though somehow he had read the mind of the psychic girl, the one they took orders from, the one they called their superior, the one who had sent Surge to prison. To her astonishment, Ash looked as though he were about to answer her query, only, as expected, to shrug, unable to answer the question, as entirely expected. Misty should've known he would turn out a blank, empty response yet again.
"Seriously, I'm not sure. She probably has a good reason, I just don't see it," Ash replied, "Maybe it's for his own protection."
"Maybe," Misty replied, "But do you really think Surge is any safer here than in our company?"
As the trio of trainers, Ash, Misty, and Molly, sat on the sofas in the Indigo Plateau Pokemon Center, officers surrounding them, observing them, ensuring they did not leave their spot, the trio had little truly to talk about. After all, the shock of the events that had transpired at the Team Rocket base had occurred perhaps a mere three hours ago, and the shock had yet to truly settle down. They could not even bring themselves to mention finding the dead bodies of countless Rocket thugs, nor could they begin to discuss the bodies of Elle and Watson. Surge's eyes as he stared at their dead bodies was impossible to describe in words. There was a sense of loss, no, a sense of devastation, that was just too profound for mere vowels and consonants. It looked almost as though every sense of value had been ravaged, every sense that things would improve disemboweled. Any sense of hope had been dashed from his heart.
All thanks to a man named Frollo.
But even the sins of a psychic Team Rocket member were wiped from their minds as they considered their own scenario. The image of Butch's vocal cords being ripped from his throat still burned in their eyes, but as bad as that image is, it could not compare to what Misty could imagine happened to Cassidy. She thought she had seen her body turn to ash, but she wasn't sure. Maybe it had been ripped apart. Maybe it hadn't been torn at all, but rather burned alive. Maybe she was still intact in one piece in a lifeless coma on the floor. It were the maybes that got to her, the possibility of something far too grizzly for words. It was a thought that made Misty want to hurl over the ground in disgust, and at the same time cry. Even if they hadn't killed them personally, their blood was still on their hands.
They were just as bad as them.
Misty tucked her knees up to her chest as she contemplated this. She had committed a mortal sin, a damned thing that left her filled with self-hatred and grief. She wondered how a murderer could possibly live with themselves. If Misty had inadvertently caused two people to die, along with Ash and Molly, out of simple self-defense, she couldn't imagine just what sort of guilt racked the mind of someone who killed constantly for the sake of killing. Perhaps they had no guilt, but Misty couldn't imagine a single person not regretting such a horrible, unholy act as manslaughter.
She felt sick with herself.
"It's okay, Misty," Ash said, placing a hand gently on her soft shoulder. She glanced over, her lips tight as her knight in red, black, and blue turned toward her, a grin on his lips. "I'm sure Sabrina has everything handled. I wouldn't worry about Surge. I'm sure he'll be out before the day is—"
"Somehow, I feel you children are being far too naïve."
Misty and the others glanced up at the sound of that deep, fearsome, yet oddly familiar voice. There, standing before them was a man whose long scarlet cape trailed behind him, the wind picking it up and dropping it, like a lion's mane. His fearsome scarlet locks pierced the air, slicing it into ribbons as he progressed forward, approaching the young trio, his eyes staring down at their forms. He was a tall, fearsome figure, and yet both Ash and Misty, even after all these years, recognized him.
Molly, evidently, did not. "Uh, excuse me, but who exactly are you?"
"Molly, this is Lance, the Dragon Tamer! He's the head of the Elite Four around here," Ash stammered, "You're looking at the greatest Pokemon Trainer in both Kanto and Johto."
"The greatest!" Molly stammered, staring wide eyed at this imposing figure, his muscles pulling his dark attire tightly over his chest.
"I wouldn't want to be given such a grandiose title, but yes, I am the strongest at the current moment," Lance replied, smirking, "It would appear that you three were associated with Surge for awhile, is that true?"
"A very brief while," Misty replied, nervously. If she were to tell him everything just now, she wouldn't be surprised if Lance simply threw them into prison along with the current inmate.
Lance grinned, almost understandingly, before glancing at the guards. "Men, come with me. I'm going to take these three to be my guests in my personal chambers. One of you stay behind in case Sabrina returns. Inform her that Lance has taken the trainers to his office for debriefing." Misty felt her heart skip a beat in terror as she followed the Dragon Tamer, Ash and Molly at her sides. The room and its sounds seemed to melt into the background as she followed the dark form as he progressed down the hallways, his cape flapping behind him like a pair of diseased batwings, the enigmatic nature of that cape consuming Misty's mind, wrapping her in its dark fabric and nature.
She was doomed. Lance was going to interrogate them. She couldn't handle interrogation. She was terrible at standing up for herself. How did she expect to endure the no doubt intense set of queries and demands he had to shove into their faces? She was doomed! She looked toward Ash for comfort, but all she saw was just his frowning face, his expression tense, a hint of fear in his eyes, but, for the most part, a look of great focus in his eyes. He wasn't about to back down, nor was he about to surrender.
After several minutes of walking up stairs, down hallways, and into dark corridors, they reached a massive door with Lance's name on it. The Dragon Tamer turned toward his men, a smile on his lips. "That'll be all, gentlemen. I want you to stand outside my door to keep any wandering ears out of our business, if you won't mind. Thank you." Lance took the trio inside his spacious office, his high vaulted ceiling creating an echo for every step they took. It almost looked like a temple, the cold, stoic walls surrounding them filled with statues of previous Elite Four members and champions, staring down at the fearful trio with an almost demonic glance. Misty felt as though the eyes of every statue were on her, her skin sweating under the pressure of trying to appease their greatness.
She wasn't worthy to set foot in this room.
She didn't deserve to suffer Lance's wrath.
She just wanted to be alone right about now.
With Ash.
"You guys look terrified," Lance said, a grin on his lips. He gestured toward a bin filled with biscuits and cookies on his desk. "Help yourself."
Misty was about to reach out for one, nervously, when Ash grabbed it off the surface, shoving them into his mouth with a grin on his lips. The idiot! What if Lance had poisoned them or something? Not like he would, clearly, but what if he did? That would be just stupid! Ash would've walked headlong into a trap. However, seeing as how Ash didn't drop dead after eating them, both Misty and Molly helped themselves to a cookie or fifteen, Molly's eyes wide with terror, still in shock.
Poor girl.
"Now, I want your honest opinion on this matter," Lance said, turning to face the trainers, his gaze icy yet warm at the same time, "And rest assured, I know you aren't going to lie to me. Did Surge destroy his own gym?"
Ash jumped up at this, almost spilling the can of cookies had Misty not nabbed them just in time, taking some for herself in the process. She had to admit, seeing that beautiful boy stand up so abruptly like that, so passionately, sent a rush through her body, a chill that left her smiling to herself for minutes afterwards. He truly was a hero. "He didn't! It was all that jerk Nathanael who did it."
"Nathanael? You mean Nathanael Butler, right?" Lance asked, curiously.
"That's right," Misty replied, her head lowered, "That man's evil. He's pure, unadulterated evil."
"Now, tell me, was there a struggle of some sort which Surge started?" Lance asked, curiously.
"No, not at all—well, maybe—but even so, it was all Nathanael's fault," Ash stammered.
"What about the Rhyperior?" Lance asked, a small grin crawling across his lips, "Surely Surge was responsible for that."
Why was Lance grinning like that? Regardless, Misty rose her head, glaring at Lance with a look that would terrify the darkest of fiends. "It was all Butler. He left his own Pokemon out to drown to support his claim."
"He seemed awfully shaken up by the loss of his Pokemon in court. Do you care to explain why he'd be s visibly hurt by the incident?" Lance asked, questioningly.
"He's just lying. He didn't care at all. He just left his Rhyperior out to die. The bastard," Ash snapped.
"Well, I suppose I believe you. Just out of curiosity, how did you learn all of this?"
"Sabrina told us," Misty replied, honestly.
"So how do you know that Sabrina wasn't lying to you?" Lance asked.
"I trust Sabrina," Ash replied, "We helped her years ago. If it wasn't for us, she'd still be all alone, sad and broken. She wouldn't betray us like that. I just can sense it, ya know?"
Lance regarded the three for quite some time, silently. The vacuum of sound built up around Misty. Her entire body was trembling in anxiety as the Dragon Tamer regarded her, slowly. However, with a slight chuckle, the trainer grinned, revealing they had little to fear. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't be obliged to truly believe you, had Agatha not been forcing you to tell the truth."
"What?" Misty stammered as a figure emerged from thin air, a Gastly circling around her feet. There stood Agatha, the ancient, old Elite Four member, her head lowered, her lips curled into a rather amused grin as she approached the others, chuckling to herself. That old woman had been here the whole time? How in God's name did she remain here invisible without any of them noticing even for a little bit? And, additionally, how did Lance know they weren't lying? Had Agatha hypnotized them upon entering the room with that Gastly? Surely she had a way, and it didn't look like either Lance or Agatha were willing to explain the methods to their magic.
"Woah!" Ash stammered, "How'd ya—well, that's unimportant. How're ya gonna prove what we said, anyway?"
Lance gestured to a group of cameras in the corner of the room, a grin on his lips. "These cameras are sensitive to invisible waves of energy some Pokemon generate. It's important to have a record of all conversations a member of the Elite Four has, and even more important to see if a Pokemon is affecting their response. The camera will show you were forced to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's undeniable evidence that's backed up by a previous account."
"Whaddya mean a previous—?" Ash began, only for a figure to emerge behind Lance in a flash of light. There stood Sabrina, her long tresses of hair dancing in the air behind her as she approached Lance's side. Though her expression was flat, almost emotionless, Misty could sense triumph dancing behind her lifeless eyes. In spite of herself, the water trainer grinned broadly.
"At the present moment, Nathanael Butler is in his room, frantic over the capture of Surge. It is our belief he will try to kill him before he can testify his case tomorrow morning. That is, of course, when we prove to the court that the only evidence against Surge is Butler's own word, and that there is physical, undeniable evidence weighted against him. Thus, Surge will be let free, and Nathanael will be incarcerated."
"Lance also agreed to abolishing the policy against our gyms as well," Sabrina replied, a hint of joy in her words, though it was only a submerged hint and nothing more, "He also offered to rebuild Surge's gym to boot."
"But why did Nathanael do it?" Misty asked.
"Probably his paycheck," Lance replied, "By destroying your gyms, we'd no longer need to send money to fund your business, meaning that the majority of the money that was no longer needed would go straight to him. I suspected him for awhile, but lacked hard evidence. Sabrina, though, sensed my distrust, and felt I'd be an ideal person to recruit into her little plan. Even so, she still didn't tell me why Nathanael would require such money in the first place."
Sabrina grinned, "You see, that's why I have this." Sabrina extended her hand into the air, and, in a flash of light, a hard drive emerged in her hands. She placed it on Lance's table, gently. "This was taken from Team Rocket's base in Celadon. If you check the digital data, you'll find that it shows plans Team Rocket has, with funding for said plans coming directly from Nathanael Butler's own private bank account. He was cocky enough to use his account that received direct money from his League paycheck, and all payments were made out to a children's charity, making him out to look like such a nice guy. You can back-check this on his bank account, and find the data matches up perfectly, right down to the last penny devoted to this morally bankrupt cause."
"But what cause is this?" Lance asked, curiously.
Sabrina was silent for a moment before saying, simply, "Pokemon biochemical warfare."
#
"Could ya please speak less complicated like?" Meowth asked Claude as he stared at the great series of tubes before them, "I mean, I know warfare and Pokemon, but the whole biochemical thing is a bit much to digest, ya know what I mean?"
"How could you not understand such a simple idea?" Jessie snapped.
"I bet yous two don't get it either."
"Well—er—" Jessie mumbled, scratching her jaw agitatedly under the dark, green lights of the laboratory as James shook his head, clearly unwilling to find himself involved in another squabble of some sort.
"It's a legitimate question," Claude replied, his broad arms behind his back as he neared them, his chest spread out so the gigantic scarlet emblem on his chest extended farther, more pronounced than before, "Biochemical warfare is a simple concept. It's the use of chemicals to affect biological components. That's the broadest use of the term. We could develop viruses to literally overwhelm a Pokemon's physical abilities, or perhaps even create chemicals to enhance Pokemon abilities. Our benefactor has been testing special berries developed here on his own Pokemon, to highly successful results."
"You could also use it to create Pokemon from scratch." The trio and Claude turned around at that point to witness the arrival of two figures, Shi and Ka, the two of them standing side by side. Why did that scarlet haired devil have to come over again? Jessie glared at her, eyes narrowed, as Ka returned the same expression, only with a slight grin crawling up her heart shaped face. "So, sounds cool, right? Shame you three could never understand even the most basic components of it. Though, that being said, for a genius such as myself, this sort of thing is so easy to understand. It's really sad how pathetically simple it is."
"A—uh—Ka, this isn't the time or place for this right now," Shi replied, frowning slightly.
"Ah, can't you be quite for a few measly—"
At that second a figure emerged from thin air. There, standing before them, his jacket wavering in the air, was Frollo, his gaze cold, his eyes venomous and foul. "I'm afraid we have some terrible news."
Jessie stared at him, curiously. "Bad news?" Jessie repeated, confused. She would've stared into his hateful eyes, but chills ran up her spine, not the chills she felt when James had accidentally touched her butt earlier, no, but darker chills, fear, genuine terror into staring into those soulless, remorseless pupils. For years, Jessie wondered what it would be like to see the Devil's face. Now she knew.
"It would appear that Lt. Surge has been captured by the Indigo League," he replied, his head lowered, dark sheets of hair falling over his face, "And, thus, come tomorrow, our benefactor Nathanael Butler will lose his place in the League, and accordingly fall."
Claude regarded him for a moment, his eyes wide with terror as he turned around, running his thick, muscular fingers through his hair. He was silent for a moment before he slammed his fist against a table, shattering it into splinters as he turned around, eyes wide with restrained fury. "It doesn't matter anymore. It surely doesn't. We have enough money and development. Now all we need is to mass produce our drugs and cloned Pokemon. Nathanael can lose his position for all I care. He's no longer useful to our plans."
"Sir, need I remind you of the Ultimate Weapon?" Frollo asked, lips curled.
Claude froze in place. Ultimate Weapon? Just what was that? Jessie glanced at Shi and Ka, but evidently they had no clue what the two were talking about either. Claude, however, seemed to completely understand the idea, freezing in spot as he turned around, his eyes wide with horror and shock. "You're right. He still has a purpose to our plan. Frollo, I want you to take these five with you, alright? No doubt Surge will be having a trial in the near future, right?"
"It's tomorrow morning at eight in the morning," Frollo replied.
"Alright, take them all out then. You only have twelve hours left before show time, so make sure everything goes according to plan."
"Yes, Claude."
#
"Listen, Frollo, this was NOT part of the arrangement!"
Frollo glanced up at the frantic monitor before him, a grin on his own lips. Oh, those fearful rich men. Once the floor tumbles out below them, everything about them seemed to decay. Nathanael Butler's confident swagger was now a sweaty, terrified squeal of terror. Even staring at Frollo, a powerful psychic, and five Team Rocket members if you counted that stupid cat, he wasn't confident in the abilities Team Rocket had to defend them.
Nor, honestly, should he.
They were worthless.
Or didn't care.
"I assure you, Nathanael Butler, that we have every intent on obeying your orders to the letter," Frollo replied, "Come morning tomorrow, we'll slaughter Surge. I promise you. I read the mind of Sabrina from a distance. Her mind, after all, is so strong and easy to read. Other thoughts are like white noise to me, but hers? Oh, it's so strong, so potent. Her psychic powers make her stand out from the crowd. She's a fool, though. Such terrible defenses."
"I see, well, as long as you're prepared. It's eight tomorrow, right?" Nathanael stammered, patting his forehead with a moist cloth.
"Yes, I do believe it is," Frollo replied, "And at seven thirty tomorrow morning, we'll kill Surge in his cell, slaughtering him and stopping any sort of possibility of him spoiling your reputation."
"I certainly hope so," Nathanael stammered.
"Listen, sir, I know I don't know you all too well, but let me assure you, it will be done!" Ka stammered, taking a few steps forward, her smile bright as her cheeks filled with scarlet, "I assure you, I'll take care of him for ya! I promise you! You'll keep your job!"
"Ka, be quite!" Shi stammered.
"Ah, shut up! Can't ya see I'm tryin' to speak here?"
"Leave the matter in my more than capable hands, sir," Frollo replied, partially bowing, a grin on his lips, "I'm sure I could be of assistance to you further. Just make sure you pay us enough for the Ultimate Weapon project."
"Of course."
The connection ended some time later, at which Frollo left the chamber, a grin on his lips. How foolish they all were to trust him with such an important mission. Frollo had bigger objectives than simple viruses and bugs! A strong trainer needn't worry about submitting to a pathetic little drug, just as a good trainer didn't need those enhancements. Frollo was mightier than most members of the Pokemon League for a reason, and tomorrow he would make history. He grinned as he visualized his plan. Whether or not Nathanael Butler's reputation survived tomorrow morning was of no consequence to him.
Who'd care about Butler if the Elite Four died?
#
"I hear Butch and Cassidy died, Jessie," James stated softly, glancing at Jessie.
"Where'd ya hear that?" Jessie asked just as softly, surprised to find a pang of shock in her chest. Died? How could those two die? They were her rivals, the people they had to shove out of the spotlight every so often. How did they die? They had known them for years, mostly due to the duo of duos loathing the ever hateful crap out of one another, but even so, the fact that they were dead left her feeling surprisingly empty.
Who was she going to hate now?
Surely James was mistaken.
"Oh, those two were talking about it," James replied, gesturing behind him to reveal shadows. As Jessie and Meowth lowered their voices, the sound of voices grew stronger. Once again, they drew nearer to the source of the sound, only to hear the voices coming into their ears clearly once more.
"—blown up? So that's how they went out? Blown to kingdom come by the generator?" Ka laughed, a smirk on their lips, "They deserved it, I guess." At first, Jessie wanted to strangle that murdering little bitch, only when two thoughts crossed her minds. The first was that it sounded as though Ka was just learning about the death, meaning she didn't cause it. Even if she had a hand in it, which Jessie wasn't sure about, she didn't directly cause it, seeing as how she was learning about the death herself. Maybe Shi had killed them. The second thing that crossed her mind was, despite the laugh and smile, neither Shi or Ka were truly happy. There was a sort of hollowness in the laugh, a cold, shocked tone, that felt less akin to laughter and more akin to the sound a person makes after being told Santa Claus is fake: a sort of empty, desolate sob in the back of your throat.
"Yeah. Those three we brought over did it. They threw the grenades we gave 'em, and upset the Electrodes and Voltorbs. That's what it looks like, anyway. They walked right into the explosion. It was quite a mess from what the security cameras could gather." Shi glanced aside, his eyes on the ground, guilt filling his face. "We're responsible, though. I know we are."
"Whaddya mean we're—" Ka began, eyes wide, only for her form to relax, head slumping down as a melancholy grin curled up her lips. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I mean, they really weren't even our allies, were they? They were the enemy."
"That they were, but do they really deserve to die?" Shi asked, curiously, "Do any of them deserve to die?"
"I don't think so, except maybe Frollo," laughed Ka.
"Without Frollo, we wouldn't be here," Shi replied.
"Whaddya mean?" Ka asked, curiously, "Did he pull strings for us to join or something?"
"Huh? Oh, no, I mean here right now. Yeah, that's right," Shi laughed, clearly lying.
"Heh, you have a terrible poker face. You look so stupid like that, ya know?" Ka began to laugh, a real, genuine laugh, filled with life, only for Shi to start smirking as well. He drew nearer, much to the scarlet haired girl's shock. He extended his arms, and, to Jessie and the others' surprise, pulled the girl into a tight embrace. Ka's eyes widened in shock too. "Hey, whaddya doin'!"
"I'm doing this all for you, Ka," Shi replied, his face tightened, "Don't forget it, okay?"
"Whaddya—?" Ka was, for a few minutes, rigid as a board, staring in horror at Shi's actions, only to slowly relax, frowning slightly. With her pinned arms, she wrapped her forearms around Shi's waist, smiling in spite of herself as scarlet blush filled her heart shaped cheeks. "You idiot."
"Listen, Ka, do you like Frollo?"
"Honestly? He scares the crap out of me."
"Tell me: do you feel occasionally threatened by him?"
Ka was silent for a second, before slowly nodding, a tear in her eyes.
"Don't worry about him, Ka. I'll make sure he never, ever bothers you again.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Very slowly, Jessie, James, and Meowth inched away, staring at the couple in their deep embrace, Jessie's eyes widened in terror. "Those two are completely off their rockers," Meowth whispered, "I mean, I didn't realize it before, but those two really are—"
"They're not crazy," James mumbled, "Just broken."
"Whaddya mean! Didn't ya read between the lines?" Meowth harshly whispered once out of earshot.
"Read between what lines?" Jessie asked, curiously, "That he isn't gonna let Frollo bother her anymore? I give the guy credit. He's not as spineless as I thought."
"No, no, no! That's not it at all! The kid's—she—with the—oh geez! You guys are idiots! Shi's gonna try killing Frollo himself! The guy's gonna get himself killed!"
"When did he say that?" James stammerd.
"Read between the lines," Meowth mumbled.
"You're reading way too into that," Jessie replied.
"Fifty bucks I'm right."
"I don't have that much money to spare. Make it thirty!"
"Deal!"
#
The bastard was going to fall. Nathanael was going to back out before he could pay all the money he owed. Claude threw the empty beaker against the wall, eyes wide with fury. After all this time, after all this work to find himself on this damn project, it was all going to fall apart right before the final week he needed. He needed a few million more, just a little compared to the billions he had received already on funding. It wasn't too hard, was it?
The Ultimate Weapon stood before him in the great beaker preserved for it, it's almighty form startlingly chilling before Claude's eyes. However, that creature held little promise for Claude. The weapon would be Giovanni's new toy, rendering him almighty, yes, but in honesty, Claude felt little attachment to that plaything. He had more important things to develop. In the deepest lab in the facility, he glanced at the closed wall to the left of the numerous keypads and levers, beside the sparkling, dark screens under black light. He tapped a certain sheet of chrome at a certain intensity before the wall literally rose up before him, revealing his deepest treasure.
He ran a hand across the moist surface of the tube. His creation was near completion. All it needed was a will, that's all: for personality and thought to settle in. The nude form before him had physically developed perfectly, perhaps even better, than he could have ever visualized, could have ever imagined in the years this creation was stuck in his consciousness. He bent onto his knees, staring up at the deity before him.
"Soon, my love. Soon…"