Chapter Twenty-One

"A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor."

English Proverb

Delia watched the monitors in the security center switch between cameras. Porygon kept only the most relevant screens up so she could watch Hector's progress as he made his way up to the fourth floor. The room was silent except for the hum of the computers and the occasional snore from Luke and Bentley, who were still fast asleep by the filing cabinets.

So far, everything was going as planned. Hector passed a group of Gold Rockets on the stairs, and no one noticed he didn't belong. Delia looked up at the clock. The person bringing Giovanni's meal would be on their way up any time now.

"Porygon, can you show me the area around the kitchens?" Delia asked.

After a brief pause, a few of the screens changed to display the kitchen and employee cafeteria down on the second level. Delia watched the cameras intently, and after a few minutes, she spotted one Gold Rocket carrying a tray out the back entrance of the kitchen toward the elevators. Delia glanced at the other screens to check Hector's progress. He was just exiting the stairwell onto the fourth floor. He would easily be in position to intercept the Gold Rocket.

Delia leaned back in the chair and tried to relax. Hector could handle this part of the plan. In a little while, they would be out of this awful tower and headed to the submarine before Manieri even realized anything was wrong.

Hector tucked himself into the corner by the elevators. The door in the center slid open, and the Gold Rocket stepped out of the elevator with his tray. With any luck, he wouldn't think to look over his shoulder toward Hector's hiding place. Delia's heart was racing. The suspense from not being able to do anything except watch and wait was the worst part of their mission so far.

Delia held her breath as the Gold Rocket approached the door to the cell block. Just as she had hoped, he never looked back and didn't notice Hector and Gastly creeping closer. The Gold Rocket balanced the tray on one arm to unlock the door and then entered the hallway. Hector grabbed the door before it could close and slipped in behind him. As they approached Giovanni's cell, Gastly made his move.

The Gold Rocket finally realized something was wrong as soon as Gastly enveloped him. He dropped the tray and spun around. He lunged toward Hector in an effort to put up a fight, but it was too late. Within seconds, the Gold Rocket dropped to the floor in a deep sleep.

Delia felt a bit of tension in her muscles ease as Hector dragged the Gold Rocket into a neighboring cell and slammed the door behind him. They might just get away with this. She watched Hector enter Giovanni's cell. The camera inside the cell itself wasn't working properly, but she could make out two people lingering near the door.

Hector would be explaining their plan to Giovanni, so it would take a minute before they were on their way to the security center. Delia expected to see them leaving any moment, but then one figure moved away from the door. It was hard to tell from the distorted image, but they didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. Delia impatiently tapped her fingers on the surface of the desk. Why were they wasting precious time talking when they could be getting out of here?

At last, she saw Hector step out into the corridor. Delia waited for Giovanni to follow, but Hector let the cell door fall closed and headed toward the stairs by himself. Delia got to her feet. Her heart was pounding. Something was wrong.

Delia paced back and forth behind the desk. Hector seemed to take forever to make his way back to the security center. It took every ounce of Delia's willpower to remain calm as she waited. When she heard the locks on the security center's door disengaging, she was already at the stairs waiting for Hector's explanation.

"What happened?" Delia demanded. "Why isn't Giovanni with you?"

"After further consideration, there's been a change in plans," Hector said, making his way down the stairs toward her.

"What do you mean?"

Hector continued past her and approached the bank of computers. Porygon rematerialized outside the machines at the sight of its trainer. Hector recalled the Pokemon to its pokeball before turning back to face Delia. She couldn't help but suspect Hector's reluctance to explain himself was a bad sign.

"Giovanni had concerns about our original plan," Hector said after stalling a few moments longer. "Namely, he believes that if he escapes, Manieri will retaliate by harming the hostages."

"I see." Delia tried her best to sound calm. "What are we supposed to do instead?"

Hector took a deep breath. "Giovanni will create a diversion and keep Manieri's people occupied on a search upstairs. He thinks Manieri will pull most of the guards from the basement level to assist, which might just give us an opportunity to get the hostages out of here."

Hector's tone was light, but his face remained grim. Delia knew he wasn't telling her something.

"All right, we'll rescue the hostages," Delia said. "Then what? How are we supposed to get Giovanni out if he's surrounded by guards on the upper levels?"

She expected Hector to have an answer for her. Instead, all she saw in Hector's eyes was grief. Delia had a sinking feeling this was what Hector didn't want to tell her.

"Giovanni said he would find a way to escape on his own," Hector said after a pause that was much too long.

Delia suddenly felt light-headed as she realized what Giovanni's plan must be. "We can't just leave him behind."

She hoped Hector would tell her she had misunderstood, that it was possible for Giovanni to escape as well as the hostages. Instead, Hector's eyes were downcast. Delia gripped the edge of the desk to steady herself. By leading Manieri's henchmen on a search of the upper levels, Giovanni would almost guarantee he had no hope of making it out. Delia knew him well enough to realize what he must be thinking. Whatever Manieri planned to do to Giovanni was bound to be worse once he defied the Gold Rockets and helped free the hostages. Giovanni was almost certainly not planning on letting Manieri take him alive.

"It's not the plan I would have chosen either, but Giovanni made it clear this is what he wants," Hector told her after a few moments.

"There has to be another way." Delia clenched her fists. "We could call the Team Rocket combat units now. They might cause a big enough distraction to get everyone out, including Giovanni."

Hector shook his head. "There just aren't enough of them. The combat units can help cover our retreat, but they're no match for Manieri's full strength."

Delia hated to admit it, but she knew Hector was right. The combat units simply weren't strong enough. All they could do was follow Giovanni's wishes and try to free as many hostages as possible.

"Looks like it's about time for us to go." Hector interrupted Delia's thoughts.

Delia glanced up at the screens. Giovanni was out of his cell. He paused at the exterior door for a few moments, and then there was a small explosion in the hallway. Giovanni must have set off one of the explosive charges Hector had left him to get his captors' attention. Seconds later, the security center's phone started ringing.

Delia answered on the first ring. "Security."

"Hi, it's Brad in operations again." This time, the voice on the other end of the line sounded tense. "My sensors are showing a disturbance on the fourth floor. Are you seeing anything unusual on your cameras?"

Delia paused only a moment before telling him what Giovanni would want her to say. "I was just about to call you. It looks as though the prisoner has escaped from his cell."

"Where is he now?" Brad sounded like he was on the verge of panicking.

"I can't tell." Delia hoped the lie sounded convincing. "I think he's done something with the cameras. They don't seem to be working. Last I saw, the prisoner was on his way upstairs."

Brad swore and abruptly hung up the phone. No sooner had Delia replaced the receiver on her end, an alarm started to blare.

"All employees, this is a code one emergency." A recorded voice sounded over the intercom. "This is not a drill. All employees, report to your emergency station immediately."

"What's our plan then?" Delia asked as the recording began to repeat itself on a loop.

Hector shrugged. "I guess we head down to the basement."

It wasn't much of a plan, but they didn't have time to come up with anything more elaborate. Delia led the way up the stairs and peeked through the peephole on the security center's door. The hallway outside was empty. The Gold Rockets in the offices must have already left to meet at their emergency stations.

Delia and Hector left the security center behind and hurried down the deserted hallway. They entered the stairwell and immediately had to flatten themselves against the wall as a surge of Gold Rockets rushed up the stairs from the lower levels. No one paid them the least bit of attention.

"So far, so good," Delia whispered to Hector once the crowd had cleared.

They ran down the stairs, passing the way they had originally come, and continued down to the basement level. A few guards were rushing out of the wing housing the prisoners as they approached. No one noticed as Hector and Delia slipped inside before the door closed.

Delia took a quick look around to orient herself with their surroundings. A large desk sitting at the back of the room appeared to serve as the command post for the guards on duty. Behind the desk, a set of shelves were cluttered with pokeballs and a variety of other items the guards had confiscated from Team Rocket's officers. To both the left and right, shadowy corridors extended back toward the cells holding the hostages.

"Let's go, Gastly." Hector pulled out a pokeball and released the ghost Pokemon once again. "I know you're tired, but we need your help one more time. I want you to go up and down these hallways and put anyone wearing a Gold Rocket uniform to sleep."

"Gastly!"

The Pokemon seemed rather excited about his task and swooped down the hallway to the right. As they waited for Gastly to return, Hector approached the desk and rifled through the paperwork that littered the surface. Under a stack of notepads, he uncovered several sets of key rings. He tossed one to Delia and pocketed a second set for himself.

"I imagine someone will be in trouble when Manieri finds out they've been leaving keys lying around." Hector said with a smirk.

Delia tried to return his smile, but she found she couldn't quite manage it, not when Giovanni was in so much danger somewhere on the floors above them. Delia had tried to force her worry aside to focus on the task in front of them, but it was still there, lingering in the back of her mind.

Gastly returned to the command post from the first wing, looking pleased with himself.

"Are they all asleep?" Hector asked.

"Gastly!" The Pokemon bobbed up and down as though he were nodding.

"Good work. Now if you wouldn't mind doing the other side, we can get out of here."

Gastly flew off to finish his mission. Delia nervously twirled the keyring Hector had given her around her finger, trying to figure out the most efficient strategy to get the prisoners out of the basement.

"I think we should split up," Delia said after a few minutes of thinking. "If you release the hostages on the right side, I'll take the ones on the left. We'll be able to get everyone out in half the time that way."

Hector considered the idea for a moment and nodded. "Okay. What should we tell the officers to do? Meet up here so we can all leave together?"

Delia paused, thinking through their options. "I think we should have them head straight upstairs and start toward the north end of the island. Manieri's guards are less likely to notice people escaping from the tower in small groups, and the hostages will be much harder to recapture once they're spread out in the jungle."

"All right," Hector agreed. "Once we have everyone outside, we can signal the combat units to cover our retreat."

Gastly reappeared over the desk.

"Are we all clear?" Hector asked.

"Gastly!" The Pokemon replied excitedly.

"Nice work." Hector recalled Gastly to his pokeball and turned to face Delia. "I suppose we have no time to lose. Good luck."

"You too. I'll see you outside."

Delia jogged down the hallway to the left without looking back. The cells were up ahead, past a few shadowy offices and around the corner. She was about to turn onto the cell block when a door to the right suddenly flew open. Delia skidded to a halt. Gastly must have missed one. She searched the corridor, but there was nowhere to hide. A Gold Rocket stepped out of the office and made direct eye contact with her.

"What are you doing down here?" the man demanded. "Don't you hear the alarm? You're supposed to be at your emergency station."

Delia's mind raced as she tried to think of an excuse.

"That's why I'm here." She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I'm supposed to take your place temporarily. Mr. Manieri needs you up in the control center."

"Mr. Manieri needs me? Why?"

Delia shrugged as though she were exasperated. "How should I know? He asked for you by name though. You'd better hurry. You don't want to keep the boss waiting, do you?"

"N—no, of course not."

The Gold Rocket scurried off, and Delia breathed a sigh of relief. She rushed around the corner and found two Gold Rockets slumped on the floor, unconscious under the effects of Gastly's poison gas. The hostages stood at the bars of their cells, peering out into the corridor to see what was going on.

"We don't have much time," Delia said as she approached the first cell. She raised her voice to make sure the officers further down the hallway could hear the plan. "As soon as I get the door to your cell open, head toward the exit. There's a desk out front with shelves holding your belongings and Pokemon. Grab your things as quickly as you can, and then head outside into the jungle. You'll want to head straight north, and on the far side of the island, you'll find a protected cove. A Team Rocket submarine will be there waiting for us."

She had to try several keys before she found the right one, but the cell door soon sprang open. The officers inside wasted no time hurrying down the hall toward freedom. Within a few minutes, Delia had the next cell open and then another. Most of the cells held four officers each, but the last few only contained two prisoners. Delia unlocked the third to the last cell. The pair of elite officers inside thanked her and rushed off toward the exit. She remembered the next two officers, Cassidy and Butch.

"Sorry, each cell has its own key, so it'll take me a second to find the right one," Delia explained as she fumbled through the keyring, trying each one in the lock. After a minute of searching, the lock finally twisted open. "There you go. Remember, once you get to the tree line, head straight north."

"How kind of you," Cassidy said.

Delia hesitated a moment. Something in Cassidy's tone set her on edge. Was there a hint of sarcasm? Certainly not. There was no time to wonder about it, and Delia turned to the final cell. Domino and Holiday were standing patiently at the bars.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Delia told them as she started trying the keys.

"It's not like we had anything better to do," Domino replied.

This time, Delia got lucky. She only had to try two incorrect keys before the third one fit into the lock. The cell door swung open. Delia turned around, and with a twinge of annoyance, she realized Cassidy and Butch were still in the hallway behind her. They apparently weren't good at following directions.

"All right, let's get out of here," Delia said, concealing her irritation.

Cassidy pulled something from behind her back. "Actually, I think we've come far enough."

It took Delia a solid few seconds to realize she was staring down the barrel of a pistol. Her heart skipped a beat before starting to hammer frantically against her ribcage.

"Cassidy! What are you doing?" Domino demanded.

"It was a nice little scheme you had, getting all the prisoners out so you could launch an attack on the headquarters without repercussions," Cassidy said. Her eyes met Delia's, and she never let the gun waver. "Too bad you won't get away with it."

Delia's mind was reeling. They had been looking in the wrong place for the traitor all along. Delia had assumed one of the officers who had not been captured was feeding information to Manieri. It had never occurred to her the traitor might have faked their own kidnapping to return to their real boss. It was a convenient way to get back to the headquarters without arousing suspicion, and posing as prisoners would have allowed Cassidy and Butch to warn the guards if the hostages attempted to plot against them.

"How could you?" Holiday sounded as horrified as Delia felt.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Come on, don't take this personally. Butch and I just don't want to be on the losing side."

Delia tore her gaze away from the gun long enough to glance at Butch, who seemed to be almost sulking behind Cassidy. She realized he was also armed with a pistol, but unlike his partner, he didn't seem eager to point it at anyone.

"Hand over the keys," Cassidy ordered. "The three of you aren't going anywhere, and it won't be long before everyone else is recaptured too."

Domino lunged past Delia, so quickly she was almost a blur. Unfortunately, Cassidy knew her colleagues well enough to expect the attack. She side-stepped as Domino hurled toward her. Domino stumbled off balance as she missed her target, and Cassidy gave her a rough shove that sent her crashing to the ground. Domino scrambled to her feet and then froze as she realized both Cassidy and Butch had their weapons trained on her.

"I was nice and didn't shoot this once," Cassidy said. "I wouldn't recommend trying anything else stupid because I won't be so generous next time. Now, give me the keys, Mrs. Ketchum."

Delia tensed as the gun pointed back in her direction. Cassidy held her hand out expectantly. Delia hesitated, but there was no point in resisting. Cassidy had the clear advantage. She reluctantly placed the keys in the palm of Cassidy's gloved hand.

"Very good. I'll take your fake ID badge too, please," Cassidy said with feigned politeness.

Delia removed the key card clipped to her belt and tossed it at Cassidy, who fumbled to catch the badge, dropped it, and had to stoop awkwardly to pick it up.

"And I'll need you to hand over whatever that is you're wearing under your shirt." Cassidy glared at Delia as she pocketed the badge.

Delia had really hoped Cassidy wouldn't notice the receiver. The device hanging on the chain around her neck was meant to signal Team Rocket's combat units once all the hostages were clear from the building. Delia thought about refusing, but the gun pointed directly at her chest was enough motivation to pull the receiver out from under her shirt.

Cassidy held out her hand. "Come on, give it here."

Delia paused. She was supposed to wait until everyone was safely in the jungle before she signaled the combat units, but that was no longer a possibility. Delia hit the switch on the side of the receiver.

"What is that?" Cassidy grabbed the chain and tore it off Delia's neck.

Delia winced as the metal links bit into her skin, but she didn't reply. Cassidy returned the switch to its original position, but Delia knew it was too late. Ariana would have the signal.

"What does this do?" Cassidy demanded.

"You'll find out soon enough," Delia said with more bravado than she felt. She clenched her hands into fists so Cassidy wouldn't see them shaking.

Cassidy scowled at Delia for a few long seconds, and then she tossed the receiver to Butch. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. We'll put a stop to whatever it is you're planning. Into the cell, all three of you."

Domino looked like she might try to defy Cassidy's order, but Holiday grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back toward the cell.

"You can't do anyone any good if you're dead," Delia heard Holiday whisper as Domino attempted to wriggle out of her grasp.

Delia followed the other two women into the cell, and Cassidy slammed the heavy door shut behind them. All she could do now was hope the combat unit arrived in time to help Hector and the rest of the officers escape.