Hey! Long time no see, everybody. My fault, I know, but I really did try and get this up as soon as I could. Real life does tend to take priority, so here are my excuses for not getting this up sooner, all of which are valid: College, two large projects I had committed to, writing all of this arc, the tail end of which is almost done, some idiot—though I'd prefer to use a stronger word and can't—breaking one of said large projects and me having to repair it, which is not going very well right now, and kittens. Yep, kittens. I just got two little females, a six-month-old and a five-month-old, respectively, and they keep me busy. Especially since I have to introduce them to the other, older cats. Getting some mixed reactions there. But they are so worth it :D

I'm going to be experimenting with line breaks here, since I haven't quite figured out how to make them without using a line of zeros. Just a heads-up if this chapter goes through a period where it disappears and reappears rapidly.

Also, I've had a reader bring this up, so I thought I'd clarify: when I refer to OCs, I mean the ones that have been submitted to me for use in Shifters and Shadows. These are Yuki and Solar, who belong to AFeralFurry, and Silver, Fang, Megan, and Candy, who belong to pokemonfan67. I don't own Pokémon, nor do I own the quote I've used somewhere in this chapter. Bonus point if you can find it, and another if you can tell me where it's from!

In addition, I'd like to thank a friend of mine who read this chapter and gave me advice regarding its content. I will admit, not much has changed, but your input was still extremely helpful. You know who you are.

I'd also like to point out that I am in no way a computer expert. If I have made a mistake regarding the capabilities of said technology, please point that out, but not as a flame. It's an honest mistake.

Anyway, onto plot stuff. To recap the last chapter so you don't get confused with this first paragraph, Kitt got zapped by half a Thunderstone and can hear Poké Speech, Bane sort of lost his voice, everybody's been pulled in for testing to determine what experiments are going to be eventually performed on them, and moral is currently falling because in the middle of discussing possible escape plans, a grunt working at the lab has just brought in an unconscious and battered Jake.

Important note: Keep in mind that Brandon has seen and heard a lot in his seven years held captive and experimented on. He doesn't always say where or when though, considering the subject matter. But remember that in places like this, subjects are considered sub-human, especially those in later stages of testing. So a lot of information can be picked up and passed on by those considered too dumb to understand. Brandon's got a good memory, and he's speaking from both personal experience and from the stories and conversations of others.

Viewer digression is advised, though there are some important plot points here. I'll put a summary up in the next chapter.

One more thing: I do sometimes write to music; the scene where Kitt sings an old Pokémon lullaby was written while listening to "The Impossible Planet" from Doctor Who. I'd recommend finding a good instrumental playlist on Youtube, as well as a box of tissues. You'll know when you'll need them.

Sorry for the long author's note. Now, onto the story!

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He was in his tailed Hybrid form—that was probably how he'd survived so long. With his sensitive hearing, he would've been able to avoid anyone searching for him with plenty of time to hide if necessary. It would have bought him time, time he would have needed since a fine-meshed net had wrapped itself around him at some point, his tail being the only thing that had kept it clear of his legs. What appeared to be a pair of bolas were wrapped around them from the knee down—in the end, this was what had brought Jake down. Still, from the various lines of dried blood crisscrossing his arms and face, not to mention the mottled bruising I could see faintly through his fur and the bright lines of red running down his face and along his hair and into his left ear from a wound at the back of his head, it appeared that, like the ropes that tied his hands behind his back and the silvery ends of the net binding his legs and tail, it might have been overkill. They seemed to have been trying to take all precautions in case Jake could fight back; not that he could use his abilities with any reliability. He might have tried hand-to-hand combat, but he wasn't as skilled at it, and likely would have only used that option as a last resort. Jake must've been taken down from behind as he fled. The theory was supported by the fact that he'd lost one of his shoes somewhere, and his exposed foot was bleeding—from the looks of it, he'd cut at least one of the webs between his toes, which were the main reason he usually wore shoes in his Hybrid forms. There was also blood on his hands, so he'd cut those webs, too…or they'd been cut. But as of now, none of the Hunters had tried to do us any more harm than necessary…

The grunt dumped Jake onto the cot in his cell with little ceremony, stopping only long enough to pull out a large knife and cut Jake's bindings, not caring when he nicked him. He unwrapped the bolas, too—though I suspected that was only to retrieve a weapon belonging to one of the Hunters. Once he had them, he exited the cell, still not saying a word. Not that it mattered, since the whole hall had fallen silent, and remained that way until the trio of enemies was long gone.

It took me a moment to realize I was shivering. Not that that was surprising, since we'd all been shaken by this latest development, but…I reached through the link towards Jake, feeling echoes in my mind as the others did the same. Nothing. He was well and truly unconscious. Which was probably for the better, since he'd feel like crap once he woke up, and that was before he realized where he was. Still, there was nothing that could be done, so…I withdrew from the link, thinking. It'd been, near as we could figure, about a day since being catalogued. That meant…

My heart jolted. That meant that tomorrow could be the beginning of the end.

The thought settled in my stomach like a ball of lead, and it wasn't long before the others picked up on it, other than Jake of course, since he was still blissfully unconscious. It was Brandon who spoke first, voicing my thoughts. "Worried about tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"I don't blame you."

"Brandon…" Silver began timidly. "What…I mean…" she trailed off.

"What should you expect?" Silver nodded. Brandon hummed softly for a moment before sighing. "Well, to be honest, it varies from person to person. At first, I felt fine after they injected me. Then, on and off, I got sick. Like I had the flu. That was about when I got out briefly before recapture. After that, well…I became extremely ill, and I don't remember much of what happened. I'm lucky, I guess, that I survived that, especially since I'm still mostly human."

"Mostly?" Emma's voice had a bit of a squeak to it.

Brandon nodded. "There's a patch of scales running up my back that remains with me in human form. First time the whitecoats saw it, they pulled off each and every one of them. Hurt like the devil, nearly became infected, and grew back within a couple of months. They decided not to mess with it after that."

"But it…it's not spreading, is it?"

"No. Thirty-three scales. They count them every time they pull me for a checkup."

"That's a relief…"

"Still, we've deviated from Silver's question." Yuki pointed out. "What should we expect, come morning, or what passes for morning in this miserable place?"

Again, Brandon hesitated before replying. "Well, they'll stamp the missing info on your tag or cuff." He rolled up one of his sleeves—he was wearing the gray uniform that had been laid out during cataloguing—to show off his own band. I couldn't make out the exact information. "Then it's off for a final checkup before the injection—they've become fond of that method in recent years." I felt a shudder run through the link. Cameron was rubbing at his upper arm, and Wes had paled slightly, his own fingers reaching for a spot between his shoulders. Bane lightly touched the scab on the side of his neck where his chip had been, before is fingers drifted downwards towards a place just above his collarbone. None of them seemed aware of what they were doing, and I saw Brandon's eyes darken as he also let his fingers drift to a place on his back, likely covered by scales. The injection site. "They keep you in an observation pen for a couple days before putting you in a cell block closer to the labs. Where we are now? Holding cells. I get one because I've 'graduated' from the program. You guys…well, you'll be on the inside soon. Hope you make it out."

"And as for the…the changes?" Rui asked quietly.

"As I said, it varies."

"I remember too well what happened to me." Cameron muttered. "Not that I'm going to talk about it. Left me with my life ruined and unreliable Shifts until Mew fixed me. Guess I'm lucky."

"Not that your life getting ruined was completely bad." David pointed out. "I mean, you've got us."

"True. So in a way, I'm better off, but…It still sucked."

Wes snorted. "At least you didn't lose your entire life before and after the fact. I don't remember anything prior to waking up in Snagem's hideout with an Eevee nestled on either side of me and a rather scary man with monstrous eyebrows glaring at me. That's my earliest memory. Now, keep in mind I was only eight or so at the time…and I spent the next several years working for Snagem and trying to control my Shifts. They've settled, but every now and then, I'm forced to Shift." He glanced over at Rui. "It's how Rui figured out what I was, even though I'd done my best to hide it. Still…It worked out, in the end."

"Some part of me remembers." Bane admitted. "Kitt and Brandon can attest to that. At least for me, it was relatively quick. I'm guessing that for you guys, it wasn't."

Cameron flinched. Wes just narrowed his eyes and looked away.

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." Wes said after a few moments. "Different labs, different procedures."

"You know, we should really get back on topic." David remarked. "This is the second time we've deviated, and this information probably will become pretty important."

"Right." Brandon took a moment to scratch at the spot on his back, sliding his hand under his shirt in order to better get at the itch. Doing so lifted the bottom edge slightly, and I thought I saw a hint of something gray underneath. Emma definitely saw it, since she gasped and lifted her brother's shirt a little higher for a better look. "You weren't kidding…" She whispered, poking gently at his back. "Scales… gray and black scales…"

He twisted and gently shooed her away. "I wouldn't lie about something like that, Emms, especially to you. Please leave them alone."

"All right. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. If our situations were reversed, I probably would have done the same." Brandon turned back to the rest of us. "Anyway, I can't predict how you'll be affected. Most of the others who have come through were human. Until they specifically learned to tell the difference between us, catching Shifters was rare. But I've seen all kinds of things happen. People growing fur, scales, feathers, bony growths; people becoming something not human or Pokémon—Hybrids, like Bane, though usually much more Pokémon than human. They didn't typically last long before self-destructing. Same with those who actually survived and ended up fully Pokémon. Most either died or went insane and had to be put down. I've also seen Shifters locked into Pokémon form. They usually got pulled back in for more tests. A few lived through them to die later. By that point, a lot of them were deformed or some weird mix of species. Actually, most of us usually ended up with some deformity or scarring from wounds or illnesses we contracted. Or from trying to take our own lives—one of the reasons, Kitt, they cut your hair."

I stared. "So someone actually tried to…?"

"Yeah. They stopped her, but she died later anyway. Another reason why, though they offer us dogtags, they give us the cuffs. The tags usually get taken away pretty early on. At least, from those who live that long. Most do make it to that point, but not all. I've seen seizures, fevers, inadvertent poisonings with drugs or DNA…the lot of it. Once or twice, either when they actually did create a new Shifter, or there's one struggling with new DNA, I've seen a Shift go awry. Not pleasant."

I shuddered, remembering what had happened when I'd gotten hit by the Firekill dart. What a way to go…

Brandon looked down at the floor. "There was a certain camaraderie among those of us who survived. We did our best to look out for eachother, to support eachother as our own bodies continued to rebel against us. To make sure we weren't caught unawares—that's something we've already been doing, making sure someone's keeping an eye on what's going on in the corridors. We tried to prepare the new subjects…and we mourned when we lost them, even as we celebrated those who joined the list of survivors, if only for a short time. To be the last one left… It weighs on a person. Yet in a way, I feel proud that I've lasted this long."

"You should." Silver murmured. "If what you said is true…" She had a blanket draped around her shoulders, and she pulled it tighter around herself as she continued. "I mean…oh, never mind."

"I understand. For a while, though, there were three of us left. Madison died in her sleep one night from an unknown cause. She was a survivor from a batch just prior to mine. Human originally, Pidgeot DNA added. Didn't really go anywhere, so she was going to be pulled again later. She was a few years older than I was. The other was a kid they'd transferred from somewhere else. He didn't speak or make any attempt to get to know us, so I really don't know who he was or what they did to him. Might've been old enough to go on a journey, might not have been—I'll never know. Long story short, though, is that one night he just disappeared."

Silence. "Disappeared?" David asked cautiously.

"Disappeared. Maybe they shot him with something experimental—there was rumor of Legendary DNA floating around, possibly Celebi's or Darkrai's. Maybe even something…Else. Point is, one night I was woken up by a racket, and the kid's having a fit in his cell, with the whitecoats just starting to swarm. Next thing we all know, he just…vanishes. Never reappeared."

"Creepy." Silver muttered.

"It sounds unusual, to say the least." Yuki added. "And they never figured out what had happened?"

"No. They would've needed at least a body for that." Brandon replied, "And before you ask, I don't think everyone who works here knows what's happening. We're pretty far underground, and the labs are even deeper—and I'm sure this whole area has either hidden entrances or is restricted if you don't have clearance. And if someone does get down here who isn't supposed to be…well, it's into the catalog for them."

"You've seen it happen?" I asked.

"Not exactly. An intern did get down here right around the time I was transferred. She was about my age, meaning that they'd be giving her minor tasks on the 'legit' floors, or have her crunching numbers from down here without telling her exactly what the data was for. But I guess she put two and two together and snuck in somehow. We had a few conversations, and she actually was planning on trying to get me out, but she got found out. Then they discovered she was Shifter. She managed to get away, but they nicked her with something, so I don't know how far she got, or if she survived. Depends on how much DNA she got—they mentioned Absol DNA. If it was only a little, she might have survived; at least, if her Pokémon form didn't mutate too much. "

"What was she originally?" Emma asked.

"Leipard. Her name was Lise."

Emma gasped. "She was with us in the van! Rui, remember? She was the only one of us to get away!"

Rui's eyes were wide. "That would explain her fur. Black with white marks. It affected her pelt, but didn't progress beyond that."

"You're kidding!" Brandon practically yelped. "Lise? Here? In Kalos? Why didn't she skip the country if…? Unless…" He tilted his head. "She was hiding right under their noses the whole time!"

"Then why wasn't a report filed with the police?" Yuki asked. "Surely they'd do something if word got out about human experimentation?"

Brandon shook his head. "These guys are too good at covering their tracks. Besides, such a report would not only endanger Lise's Shifter nature, it would probably paint a target on her back. Unless something happened to draw attention to this place, no one's ever gonna know what happened."

"Like with Cipher." Michael muttered. "Until they grabbed Professor Krane and I started Snagging Shadow Pokémon, no one really believed they had returned. And before that, it took Wes and Rui to prove that they were plotting to take over Orre."

"Which started with my rebelling against Snagem and blowing up their hideout." Wes added. "Of course, no one had realized that Snagem had a base in Echlo Canyon, much less was connected with Cipher. And I had no idea that my actions would lead to that revelation, let alone this mess." He sighed. "Yet it all might have been for nothing. Both the Snag Machines will soon be back in Cipher's hands, and we'll be here, fighting for our lives. In a way, our own DNA has condemned Kalos and Orre, and possibly the rest of the world."

"You can' say that!" Michael cut in. "I'm sure they'll find a way to stop Cipher. My younger sister's almost the age I was when I became a Snagger. Jovi's already been assisting in Purifying Shadow Pokémon, and she's not half bad when it comes to battling. If anything, she'll continue the fight."

"Perhaps. In the meantime, though, we should probably get some sleep. It might be our last chance to rest for a long while. Of course, there still is the chance that something might come up and give us a chance to escape…but at this point, we should brace for the worst."

"Do you want me to keep watch?" Brandon asked.

"Don't bother. They'll wake us up."

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I didn't sleep well, even though the lights were very dim. I kept waking up, escaping from one nightmare only to be plunged into another one when I drifted off again, until it became impossible to separate dreams from reality. Everything was blurred, and I couldn't remember what it was that I had seen…Except for one thing, so vivid that I would've sworn I was awake.

A soft sort of song-chant; I was unable to understand the words at first. Then, gradually, as I was pulled from the latest disorienting series of images, I began to pick out two: 'ashes' and 'dust'.

Jake. He'd woken up some time after we'd all fallen asleep. And aside from him, I was the only one awake—the others were still locked in their own fitful dreams. He was huddled on the floor of his cell, still in Hybrid form, tail curled tightly around him and ears tucked low, rocking back and forth slightly. He was so solemn that I almost didn't recognize him…and when his haunted gaze met mine, what I saw in his eyes… I shivered at the sorrow and the longing I saw there. I felt it cut deep into my soul. In that instant, Jake seemed both much older and much younger than he really was, and both innocent and all-knowing.

Then he looked away. "I have looked into the heart of Time," he whispered, and I felt a sudden chill. I didn't recognize the quote, yet… "And I have seen Eternity in all its aspects; I have seen all that has come before, and all that has been…All that is here, and all that is to come…" He trailed off, closed his eyes, tilted his head back slightly. I saw the tears glittering on his cheeks. "And all that never was…Nor ever will be…"

A black fog began to gather in the corners of my vision as Jake began to rock again, and everything gradually began to fuzz together again. There was the faintest whispering sound, yet it was soon completely hidden by Jake's voice as he returned to his chant, the words echoing faintly gin my ears, growing softer as they followed me down into the darkness.

"From whence I came…now return…I must…Ashes… to ashes…dust...to…dust…"

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I wasn't sure at first what woke me. It wasn't a change in lighting, which was as dim as when I'd fallen asleep, nor was it the metallic taste in my mouth and the slight headache—things I would have rather slept off. Though it suddenly clicked that those were common effects of being drugged…

That snapped me awake. I'd been drugged—not for the first time in recent history, but drugged all the same. I glanced quickly around the hall. The others were out cold, too—we'd all been subjected to some something designed to knock us out. Gas, most likely, since I thought I remembered hearing the hissing as it entered the cells…

Wait a second. Then all that with Jake… I didn't dream that, I thought. It really happened. And that means… I reached for the link, then stopped. It felt strange… like something was missing. My eyes went wide, and I whipped around to stare at Jake's cell. How could I have been so blind?!

Even though I had only glanced at it as I looked around, I should have noticed that it was empty. Just like I should have immediately realized that Jake had been pulled completely from the link. The place in my mind where I usually was aware of his presence was quiet and devoid of any trace of him. And that meant…

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

He'd been chanting that as they'd poured the sleeping gas into the cells. I remembered where he'd first seen the phrase. We'd passed an abandoned cemetery, and it had been inscribed on one of the tombstones, the lettering so faint that it had to be traced to be read. It had been a solemn occasion—even though it had been a couple years since we'd broken him out of that lab and this wasn't the first cemetery we'd seen, it was the first we'd come so close to, and the first time we'd entered one that had been so long ago forgotten. And it was on that hallowed ground that we learned of Jake's ultimate fate, should we have left him behind…

Arceus's Sacred Egg.

Without hesitation I flared the link, pulling on the threads as hard as I could. There were startled exclamations as Cameron, Michael, and Emma came awake with a start; I had to pull again before David responded—he's a ridiculously heavy sleeper. Not that I was paying any attention. I was tugging carefully on the fragile link I shared with Bane, before reaching out to Wes, Rui, Yuki, Silver, and Brandon, which in ordinary circumstances would be extremely rude.

But this…This wasn't ordinary circumstances.

Not that Wes was too happy about being woken up by the telepathic equivalent of a rough shake anyway. He grumbled something under his breath before asking a very irritated "What?"

I couldn't keep the urgency out of my voice. "Jake. They've taken Jake!"

Everyone was silent for a moment—the gas hadn't quite worn off yet. Then Cameron dropped a very potent curse word, and both Emma and David paled a few shades. Michael's jaw dropped. Rui's hands flew up to her mouth, and Wes's eyes widened as what I'd said sank in. No doubt the same conversation from a week and a half ago had suddenly began to replay in his mind, just as it had for the others. Everyone else definitely appeared concerned, but in most cases also a little more than slightly confused.

"I don't get it." Silver said, tilting her head. "Why is that a problem? Because he Shifts differently than the rest of us?"

"Actually, Yuki can Shift in the same way." Emma told her. Silver was silent for a moment "Okay…But that just leaves me even more confused…"

Yuki was quiet a little longer. "He seems to bear a striking resemblance to someone I saw on TV recently. But I cannot remember who…" She frowned. "Does that have anything to do with why they have taken him?"

I nodded. "Partly. Jake's history…It's complicated, to say the least."

"More like something out of a sci-fi movie than anything, really." David added. Cameron glared at him. "What? It's true. I wouldn't have believed it either, but I was there."

"So were Kitt and Emma, while I was locked up right next to him," Cameron countered, and edge to his voice. "And I was the one who helped him work out the truth of his origin, and help him cope as it shattered his world. So don't joke about it, especially now."

"I wasn't joking, though…" David muttered.

"I don't suppose you would mind clarifying?" Bane asked. "I'm having a bit of trouble following, even though I have a feeling I know where this is headed."

"Yeah, this is way too confusing." Silver added. "I'm totally lost." Brandon didn't say anything, but from the troubled look in his gaze, I somehow knew he had figured it out.

I glanced around at my remaining friends. Each of them nodded, giving me full permission to tell this story. I'd have to hurry, though. If I was right—and I knew I was…

"The reason he looks familiar, Yuki…Well, please keep an open mind here. I know it sounds impossible, but it isn't. Sixteen years ago…no, further than that. Eighteen to twenty-four years ago, as few know the exact date, a group of scientists attempted a feat of genetic engineering on a scale unknown to modern science. They created a new species of Pokémon, designed to be the most powerful of all—Mewtwo. A couple years later, another group of scientists gathered to recreate that experiment. But they decided to do something a little tamer. They wouldn't attempt to create an entire new species. At least, not in its true interpretation. Instead, they would create a Hybrid species. And what better DNA than that from the Evolved Forms of the Pokémon who had the most versatile DNA save for Ditto and Mew itself? They chose to combine Jolteon and Vaporeon DNA in the hope of creating a new species. Jake is the result of that."

"It wasn't like they succeeded right away, though." Cameron added. "It took them many failed attempts before they realized that the makeup of their little project was completely unstable. They needed something to bind it to in order to stabilize it—they needed another strand of DNA. Human DNA. But human DNA that can stabilize such a hybrid of species, and the amount it needs to be in, is hard to come by. Eventually they settled for cloning a human—Pokémon Ranger Jack Walker—and implanting their Hybrid DNA strands into the embryo's DNA. And after a carefully monitored incubation period, they ended up with a healthy, Hybrid-species Shifter infant, nearly genetically identical to one of the most well-known Rangers in the world. Also known as Jake, Experiment Number Seven Hundred Forty-Six, and the only living human clone—the only clone or other experiment of theirs to survive past incubation, in fact. Meaning he's also the only one of his species. Not that that mattered to those who created him, since they hadn't planned on ending up with a Shifter. Too much human DNA, I suppose, even though it kept him stable. He was raised in complete isolation—something my friends and I disrupted when we broke out of that place when we were eleven. But it looks like, in the end, it might not have mattered."

"What do you mean by that?" Yuki asked softly.

"It means," I replied quietly, "That now that he's fallen back into the hands of those who no doubt know of his origins and may have had input into the process, they can follow through with their experiment. And like all experiments, there is always an agenda for how long the experiment will run and what to do when it reaches its conclusion. In Jake's case, they gave him sixteen years to live, at which point they would euthanize him. And Jake has reached the end of that allotted time if we don't get out of here. Hopefully it's not already too late."

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It didn't take long for the horror to dawn on Yuki and Silver's faces. Not that that wasn't expected—I mean, none of us linked to Jake had taken the news well, either; that scrap of paper that had somehow fallen into our possession without our knowing had been quickly shredded, and Jake had been in a daze for the rest of the week. I think it was the link that had helped u all get over that news, but at the same time, it added a new air of vulnerability. We'd all been tied together at a level no one else was. What happened if something happened to one of us? Would the link shatter, or would we all be pulled down by it? And if it shattered…what would that do to the survivors?

Even as I wondered, I thought I felt a tremor in the link, crystalline ripples spreading out from the strange emptiness where Jake should have been. And where those rippled met as they echoed and rebounded across the ethereal plane… a chip. The slightest fissure…

I heard the bars of Cameron's cell rattle as he threw himself against them again. "Damn it! We're losing him. We've got to get out of here, now!" Aura flared across his scarred hands, but just as quickly vanished. "Come on, come on! Why isn't this working?!"

"Don't look at me!" Bane yelled back. He'd stood and wrapped his hands around one of the bars in our cell, alternately pushing and pulling on it. "This stuff looks like glass, but won't break! I'd melt it, but I'm still cut off from my flame!"

There was a sudden, resounding crash, and I jumped and immediately turned towards the noise, as did everyone else. Based on the twisted pieces of metal frame scattered around Wes and Rui's cell, it appeared that Rui had Shifted and attempted to use a cot as a battering ram. Judging from Wes's expression as he stared at a piece of metal jutting from the wall a few inches from his head, she'd also nearly decapitated him.

The bars, of course, were undamaged.

Emma let out a frustrated hiss. They've changed the spacing on the bars. I won't be able to get through. Is there any other possible way we could get out?

"There might be," Brandon said slowly. "They usually rig the keypads on doors like these so that if it gets damaged, it either unlocks the door or seals it up so it can't be opened without an override code. Unfortunately, I have no idea which setting these doors are on."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," I said. "We've gotta test it."

Brandon nodded. "Just expect an alarm to go off either way. And keep in mind the consequences if we're caught."

"But how are we going to test it? It's not like we can reach the keypads from inside our cells." Silver chimed in. She was busily examining the base of one of the bars while Yuki, in Hybrid form, seemed to be attempting to weaken the same bar by freezing a narrow band of it midway up its length. It didn't seem to be working, even though the interior of the bar appeared to be clouding over.

"Um…." I cast about, trying to figure out a solution. My eyes landed on David, who appeared in deep telepathic conversation with Michael as they each worked on the bars of their respective cells. "I've got it! We each aim an attack at the keypad for the cell across from our own. Though I imagine they're probably build to withstand most attacks…"

David looked up from the bar he was tapping with a pocketknife. I wondered how the Hunters and scientists had missed it. Maybe he'd pickpocketed it off of one of them? "Probably, but it's worth a shpt. Give me a second, and we can test it."

He tucked the pocketknife away, and was just about to Shift when all of the keypads abruptly glowed blue and imploded. Immediately, my ears registered a faint, high-pitched wail coming from somewhere above us…

And each of our cell's doors promptly sprung open.

Rui padded through the open cell door, took a moment to look around, and grinned. Well, I think that the test was successful. Now why don't we find Jake and get out of here?

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There was a pause. Then, from David, "You realize we don't know which way—?"

"This way." Brandon strode past Rui towards the door at the end of the hall, while the rest of us quickly realized we were still standing in our cells and just as quickly stepped out of them. "I'm pretty sure it leads to whatever elevator they use to get to the lower floors, since they were always taking us through it. I'll admit though," He added quietly, "That I'm assuming it's not too different than the lab I was initially held at. I've not seen much of this place, other than my cell and the rooms they use to examine me. I'm also usually at least blindfolded, since they think it helps keep me stable—and I've already got a black mark on my record for my previous escape."

The hall branches beyond the door, one passage leading to the examination rooms and obstacle course, as we can all attest to. Rui said. The other must lead deeper, but we don't know if it also leads into multiple corridors…

The forked tip of her tail twitched as she thought about it for a moment. Not a problem.

A faint white light seemed to shimmer around Rui for a second, before a half-dozen ghostly Espeon faded into existence, three bounding down the hall and phasing through that door while the others passed through the door the Hunters had brought us through in the first place. Rui's forehead jewel began to glow faintly, but at the same time, she wobbled on her paws and Wes bent down and picked her up before she collapsed.

"Are you all right, Rui?" I asked. "What happened?"

Wes jumped in before she could answer. "Mapping."

"Huh?"

"Mapping. Well, sort of. Basically, Rui's managed to adapt Substitute. Instead of creating one clone realistic enough to fool an opponent she creates several lesser clones and scatters them to scout an area. She's also figured out how to connect to them in such a way that she can track their positions as if watching them from a monitor, or 'see' through their eyes to examine a clone's surroundings. It takes a lot of energy and concentration, though, so I'm going to have to carry her for a while."

"I take it you've done this before?" Cameron asked. He seemed intrigued by the concept.

"Several times, actually. It comes in handy—and it's saved our skins a couple times. And it probably will here, too—Rui can figure out where they're keeping Jake and all our stuff and tell us, therefore making it easier for us to get out of here. And, possibly," The corner of Wes's mouth twitched up in what could be the beginnings of a feral grin, "Get the chance for some payback. I'm sure we'll find plenty of material for do-it-yourself explosives…"

"We need to focus on escape, not blowing things up," Silver cut in, rolling her eyes. "We also need to get going. And how are we supposed to know if we're going the right way if Rui's busy mapping this place and can't tell us?"

"She'll tell me, and I'll tell you." Wes replied. "Our link's pretty strong, so it'll take less energy for her to use it than if she attempted to broadcast the information. And you're right. Time's a-wasting."

Before we could actually convince our brains that yes, Wes had actually said 'time's a-wasting', He'd thrown open the door that led deeper into the lab and had already stepped through, and was looking back at us. "What are you all standing around for? Let's move, people!"

000000000000000

There's something decidedly surreal about breaking out of a lab that engages in human—or, in this case Shifter—experimentation. The alarms wailing, sometimes with accompanying strobing lights that tint your vision in shades of blood red. The labyrinth-like halls, around every corner the possibility of recapture. The pounding of your heart, the rasp of air in your lungs as you run, desperately hoping you'll live to see the rise of tomorrow's sun…

And that was when you were fleeing. We were running deeper into the place. To any sane person who knew what the consequences of failure were, this would appear to be a suicide run.

Did that make us all a little insane? Well, maybe. And maybe, deep inside, each of us did have a bit of a death wish. Then again, we were Shifter. We couldn't afford to be 'sane'. That was for humans. If we were, our species would likely have ended up extinct long ago. Or maybe a new breed would have arisen later—who knew? But either way, that bit of insanity was what kept us alive in situations like this, when you had to act on your instincts, no matter how crazy the solution they offered.

So here we were, running deeper into this place. Part of it was survival—we had to get the cuffs off, after all, especially since they likely contained tracker chips. We also had to get the chips out of any of us who might've carried them, since it was likely Brandon had one and it was possible some of us had older chips, or had been chipped after they knocked us out to grab Jake. With the tech in this place, it was possible we wouldn't know we'd been tagged.

Part of it was that we had to recover what had been taken from us, and that didn't mean just things like my shard necklace and Wes's coat, or Bane's locket, which had been taken from around his neck while we were unconscious. The Snag Machines in the wrong hands would be dangerous weapons. And as the last two known units of their kind, they were exceptionally valuable, since someone could reverse-engineer them to create more. Same with David's Mega Bracelet, which had also been stolen. My Pokédex, too, could be easily misused, as could the Memory Crystal. And our Pokémon…No way could we leave them behind. Some people, focused solely on saving their own skins, might have left their Pokémon behind. But we couldn't. Not just because we were as much a part of their world as that of the rest of the mostly-oblivious mankind, but because they were trusted friends and family. And you don't leave family behind in a place like this.

And Jake… We had to find him, before it was too late. If we didn't find him before the scientists killed him, not only would we likely not even be able to retrieve his body, Cameron, Emma, David, and I might not even make it out ourselves.

We did our best to be quick and silent as we delved deeper into the facility, Rui's ghostly Espeon clones phasing through the walls, floor, and even ceiling around us as they explored the lab and relayed the information back to her. David yelped when one materialized right in front of him, and he leapt over it just in time. It sank back into the floor, apparently dropping into a level below us. Rui's gem flickered rapidly as she tracked the clones, and Wes continued to call out the directions she communicated to him, keeping to the rear of our group to make sure no one fell behind—especially Brandon, who appeared to be beginning to show signs of struggling with his Shift. Cameron was in the lead, Bane just behind him, doing their best to scout ahead while still remaining close enough to fall back if we ran into any hostiles. The rest of us were loosely clumped together, Emma assisting her brother, Yuki and David helping Silver keep calm, and me fading between everyone, not having a specific role, but taking on a little bit of what everyone was doing. I was also searching the link, trying to find Jake within it, trying to keep it from becoming any more damaged. But all I could find was emptiness and the strange resonance that was beginning to destroy it.

One of Rui's clones had found an elevator to the deeper levels, and another had found hallways that led to what appeared to be a very important room, perhaps even the one we were looking for—Rui couldn't be sure, though, since when she had taken control of the clone and tried to send it through the door, it had been unable to pass through. Same with the walls on all sides. She'd turned the clone loose again and relayed the information to Wes, and now we were standing in a semi-circle around that elevator door as Wes and Cameron attempted to hack it. After a moment, Wes pushed Cameron aside, telling him to stick to repairing equipment before managing to get the elevator doors open and holding it until we'd all piled inside. For once, Cameron didn't seem offended, but that may have just been because of the gravity of the situation. Personally, I wondered why David hadn't just lifted a key card off of one of the scientists of Hunters instead of the pocketknife he's grabbed…but then again, he might not have actually picked any pockets. Or the key card might have been in pocket he couldn't' reach.

As Wes once again bypassed the elevator's controls with Rui curled around his shoulders, I shifted in place, wedged between Yuki and Brandon, who had Shifted into his Infernape form to relieve some of the stress fighting the Shift had put on his body. It couldn't have been longer than ten minutes at most since we'd woken up to find Jake missing, and we were going as fast as we could, but I still felt the need to hurry. We've got to move. I don't know how long Jake's got left!

Wes looked back at me, a sparking wire in one hand. "This thing is going as fast as it can, Kitt. If I push its speed any higher, the electronics are going to overheat…Shit!" He dropped the wire, shaking his hand as it zapped him. After a moment, he caught it again and jammed it back into the open control panel. Elevator music began playing, doing nothing to soothe my nerves. "Seriously?" Wes muttered. "That's what that does?" He pulled the wire out, pushing it into a different spot. The lights in the elevator promptly went out. "You've got to be kidding me!"

There's nothing like taking a ride in a crowded, pitch-black elevator in a building full of people who see you as a lab rat. Especially because the pitch-blackness was caused by your only source of light being a Fire-Type who Shifted back to human form. And, as it turns out, is slightly claustrophobic, but not as much as the teenage Growlithe Hybrid pressed into the back corner of the elevator. Sot it was actually somewhat of a relief when the elevator ground to a halt and the doors opened…even though the first thing we saw was a trio of Scientists and a Hunter.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then two of the scientists turned and fled, while the third reached for a Pokéball and the Hunter just ran at us. I Shifted and darted after the two fleeing scientists, tripping one of them and latching onto the ankle of the other before shocking him. He landed hard, the equipment he'd been carrying sent flying, and I untangled my tail from under his foot just in time to have it stepped on by the other fleeing scientist, who'd gotten back to his feet. Needless to say, he really got zapped for that.

The Hunter accomplished nothing whatsoever in his charge. His rush was met head-on by Bane and Brandon and he was slammed back into the wall, his arm snapping when it was caught between the wall and his body. He quickly slumped to the ground nursing the injured limb, Emma menacing him in Charmander form to ensure he stayed put. In a way, it was actually kina funny to see a grown man shrinking away from a Pokémon about a fifth of his size, but when you took into account that Emma'd been imprisoned and was now very PO'd, and Charmander could be pretty nasty when angered…Well, to be honest, I almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost. But not quite.

The third scientist had released something that looked like a large reddish-orange and gray raptorlike bird Pokémon, its wings tipped in the same black as its tail feathers, which were striped in yellow. But what caught my attention was the fact that not only did this new Pokémon have wickedly sharp talons to match the hook of its beak, but that it was insanely fast. David was attempting to drive it back with a Bubblebeam barrage, but so far, he hadn't landed any hits, and both Wes and Cameron were too busy dragging the two scientists I'd stunned back into the elevator, where they'd be out of the way. Silver and Emma were prodding the Hunter in the same direction, and Yuki was gathering up the items the scientists had dropped. I shot off a bolt of lightning in the direction of the large avian Pokémon, but easily avoided the attack. It hadn't yet retaliated, though—just dodged. So why was it even out?

My question was quickly answered when the bird Pokémon took a casual swipe at Emma and Brandon Shifted to Charizard form and blew a steam of fire at it. The flames engulfed it, but dissipated without doing much harm. It spiraled under Brandon's next attack, ramming into David and pushing him back into the wall, and when he stood, I saw feather-shaped burn marks splashed across his side. Tiny embers blazed to life at their edges when David got to his feet. This thing had Flame Body!

Next thing I knew, a potent Fire Blast attack was heading straight for Yuki, who wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Bane threw himself in front of her, hand spread wide to try and catch the attack and buy her time to get away. Such an attempt would normally have been futile, but Bane was more than human, and though the attack pushed him back, its power was greatly reduced as he absorbed its flames, his Flash Fire ability kicking in. The remains of the Fire Blast quickly fell apart, and Bane turned to Yuki, offering her a hand. "You all right?"

"Fine, thanks. You've got Flash Fire?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I lucked out for once."

"We've still got to deal with this thing. Ideas?"

I'd been keeping an eye on eth bird Pokémon as it circled, and I thought I'd come up with something. I think I've got it. Yuki, when it loops around again, aim an Ice Beam at the wing closest to you. David, get across from Yuki and do the same with Bubblebeam. I'm gonna try to hit it from underneath.

Think that'll work? David asked.

Maybe. It's too good at dodging just one attack, so if we all attack at the same time, maybe we can pin it between us. It looks like it's Flying and Fire, so you and I will be Supereffective, and Yuki should be able to do some decent damage, too. How are your burns?

Not as bad as they look, though they still hurt. I'll be fine.

Is there anything you need me to do? Bane asked.

Just make sure no one gets hit by a Fire Blast. You don't have to stand between them and the attack, though—just pull them out of the way.

Understood. Kitt, look out!

Sharp talons dug into my skin; I felt the brush of feathers and wind as the bird Pokémon easily lifted me from the ground. Yuki! David! On my mark!

But Kitt, we could end up hitting you if we miss!

Never mind that! I sent a bolt of electricity slamming into the bird, and its wings faltered for a second. But it kept flying, and didn't let go. It seemed to have been trained to endure a Supereffective attack. But could it handle more than one at a time, and as they struck at its vulnerable points? Time to find out. Now!

I pulsed another round of electricity into my captor's claws, at the same time feeling both the cold air that radiated from Yuki's Ice Beam and the mist generated as David's Bubblebeam slammed into the Pokémon's side. It shrieked in pain, plummeting to the ground, and the impact drove the breath from me as I landed underneath. Thankfully, I didn't hear or feel anything snap. Pulling free of the now-limp talons, I Shifted, then pushed the unconscious raptorlike Pokémon off of me. "Well, that worked. Great job."

"You okay, Kitt?" David asked, having Shifted back as well. Yuki padded up beside him. "Were you injured when that Pokémon fell?"

"I'm fine, guys. Well, other than the punctures in my back, but those'll heal. What about your burns, David?"

He sighed. "They'll sap too much of my strength if I Shift again, since I used up the last of the Burn Heals on Zephyr and therefore can't do anything about them. I'll have to remain human until we get somewhere I can get something to use on them." David winced, then undid the buttons on his shirt and gingery pulled it off. The burns looked worse in human form, red and shiny, stretching from just inside his right shoulder and across his upper arm to his waist, and from the tightness around his eyes, likely continued down the side of his leg for a while. The worst of it, though, seemed to be on his torso. David tied the shirt around his waist so he wouldn't lose it, then turned back to the bird Pokémon we'd defeated. He pulled one wing carefully away from its body, examined the Pokémon for a moment, then tucked the wing back by its side. "Looks like it'll recover soon. Good. Last thing we need to worry about right now is a badly injured Pokémon that we'd probably have to steal just to get it medical treatment. Where's its 'Ball?"

"What is it?" Rui asked. She was curled on the floor where Wes had set her during the fight, tucked in a shadowy corner where it was hard to see her. Her gem flickered feebly as the clones continued their mapping, though I suspected that they were likely beginning to lose energy, since Substitute clones weren't supposed to last very long.

"I think it's called a Talonflame." David replied, still checking the Pokémon over. "Supposedly, they're an Evolved form of Fletchling… Seriously, who's got the Pokéball for this thing? He held out a hand, waiting for one of us to put the Pokéball in it. But wasn't the Pokéball still with…?

"Crap!" While we'd been busy fighting, the third scientist had gotten away. Cameron was about to bolt down the hall in pursuit, when Silver suddenly asked, "Hey, where'd Bane go?"

"I'm right here." Bane said, rounding the corner. He had the missing scientist by one wrist. "I saw her make a break for it and followed. We don't need to be intercepted." He let go of the scientist's wrist and gave her a nudge, and she hurried back towards us, evidentially more frightened of him than the rest of us combined. I saw his ears droop slightly, but he didn't say anything, just shook his head briefly before following.

David stood when he heard the scientist approaching. "I assume you've still got your Pokémon's Pokéball with you?" he asked, and she nodded. "Good. Return him, then."

"Is Talonflame all right?"

"He'll be fine after a long rest. To be honest, he probably hurt us more than we did him." He motioned to his burns. "Still, you've raised him well. It's actually nice to see someone who cares about their Pokémon in a place like—"

"David, shut up." Wes snapped, his voice cold. "Just because she cares for her Pokémon doesn't mean anything. Do you think that if she had any respect for life, she'd be working here? Her coworkers were ready to inject us with chemicals to see what would happen! She might've even been the one holding the needle. Think, will you? She's an enemy!"

"I hate to break it to you, Wes," Michael said hesitantly, "But, um, weren't you in the same boat once?"

Wes spun around, eyes blazing with anger. He opened his mouth, closed it, then looked away. "It was Cipher, not Snagem, that was experimenting on Pokémon." He finally said, his voice quiet and subdued. "Snagem was just the supplier. And don't forget, I was practically brainwashed by Gonzap into my position. Brainwashed and blackmailed. But I managed to get free of them." His voice rose slightly. "I got free, and with Rui's help, I reclaimed and Purified every one of those Shadow Pokémon. I've worked to redeem myself. But no one," He turned back to the scientist, who was by this point looking very frightened. "No one can ever redeem themselves after they've been part of what goes on in places like this. No one can ever wash the blood of the victims off of their hands."

"E-Excuse me," The scientist cut back in. "But I've only been here a few months, and all I've done is work on the various diet regimens that my superiors said the various subjects needed." She looked away, wringing her hands. "I haven't actually…handled any of the equipment, and I've only been to the innermost cell blocks, and a lot of what's in there isn't, well…"

"Human?"

She nodded nervously. "And…well, my boss said that….that 'Morphs aren't…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Well…aren't human, either…"

"Look at us." Cameron's voice almost sounded weary. The scientist cringed. "Look." He repeated, and this time, she met his gaze. He gestured around at the half-circle we had instinctively formed. "We look like you. We can walk among your kind, can be born among your kind, and express the same emotions. We feel fear, sadness, anger, joy, and love, just as you do. What about us is not human? Is it the fact we assume other shapes? We retain our selves, even in our other form. Inside, we're still as human as anyone else."

I saw the scientist's next question in her eyes before she even spoke; Bane saw it, too. Again his ears fell slightly, then flicked back up as he steeled himself. Yet his eyes betrayed him: I could still see the pain and guilt in their fire-bronze depths as he answered that unspoken question. "'I don't look human any more, but on the inside…I still am. It's like that philosopher said: 'A Caterpie may change into a Butterfree, but the heart that beats inside its breast remains the same."

Something passed between them then; an understanding that could not be put into words. The scientist choked back a sob, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Oh, Arceus…"

Bane's head tilted forward, eyes closed, ears folded back. "Now you understand. But even I was lucky, compared to some."

"Go." Wes suddenly said, and we all turned to him, though he ignored us, focusing on the scientist. "Recall your Pokémon and leave. If what you say is true, then you're not in too deep yet. You can still redeem yourself if you hurry. Slip away now, and you may have a chance." Rui padded up to him, and he picked her up, before heading down the hall and deeper into the facility. One by one, the others followed, until it was just Bane, Brandon, and I alongside the scientist.

"He's right, you know." Brandon said quietly. "A friend of mine was once in the same place you are. She made it out. You can, too." He disappeared deeper into the lab, following the others.

Bane remained in place a little longer, lost in thought. I touched him lightly on the arm. Are you all right?

I…I will be, eventually.

]C'mon, let's go.

He nodded, and I followed him as we began our trek to catch up to the others. Though we didn't get too far before the scientist called out, "Wait!"

I glanced back. "Yeah?"

She held out four small objects. No, not objects—Pokéballs. "Your friend mentioned Shadow Pokémon. Here—the ones my colleagues had, and the one I received. He can have them…He can heal them. They shouldn't have to suffer any longer."

After a moment's hesitation, I took them and clipped them to my belt. "Thank you. We'll do our best."

"I…I'll do my best, too." She replied, taking a spool of thick, sturdy wire from her pocket and using it to tie up the other two scientists and the Hunter. "I saw the Glaceon girl take some of the equipment Damian dropped…she's got one of the chipping tools and something for those cuffs of yours. And the boy with the glasses took his key card. You're going to need it, so take care not to lose it."

"Understood." I replied, even as I kicked the Hunter in the back of the head. He'd been knocked out at some point and had been beginning to come around, though I fixed that pretty quickly.

"Good luck."

"You too." With that, Bane and I turned to face the maze of hallways up ahead, and without looking back, dove deeper into the facility.

000000000000000

It didn't take Bane and I long to catch up to the others. One of Rui's Substitute clones darted out of the wall in front of us, paused for a moment, then sprinted down the corridors, making sure to go just slow enough that we could keep it in sight. Bane was initially concerned at first when the clone led us on a path that diverged from the trail that the others had taken—his flame may have been gone but his sense of smell was working just fine now—but I convinced him that there had to be a reason that we'd been sent on an alternate path, and he relaxed again once we finally reached the door to the room that Rui hadn't been able to map at the same time the others arrived from the other direction. Brandon and Cameron looked a little worse for the wear, though: Brandon's shirt was torn and Cameron had a long cut running up his cheek. "What happened?"

"We nearly ran into an ambush." Cameron replied. "Rui's clones are starting to fade, so she'd missed seeing the Hunters until we were practically on top of them. We managed to knock them out, but…" He shrugged. "Well, Yuki managed to freeze them to the wall, but Rui decided it might be best to send you two a different way, so she guided you via the last clone. Brandon caught up to us just before we hit the ambush, otherwise she would have sent him back to meet up with you."

"We appreciate that." Bane said. "By the way, Wes, that scientist had a message for you. Two, actually. The stuff Yuki grabbed will help remove the cuffs and any tracker chips we've been implanted with—" He broke off at Silver's suddenly-pale face. "What?"

"Tracker chips?!"

"Er, yeah." Bane scratched the back of his head. "How do you think they're supposed to find one of us if we get out?"

"But….but that's sick! People don't just…just…"

In response, Bane wordlessly pushed his hair back, exposing the puncture wound on his neck with its thick, domed scab. Silver stared, then made a strangled-sounding noise in the back of her throat.

"…Anyway," Bane finally went on, letting his hair fall back into place. "David also swiped a key card, which should help us get out of here as long as he doesn't lose it. That's the first message."

"And the other?" Wes asked.

I unclipped the Pokéballs from my belt and held them out. "These are yours. Shadow Pokémon. They're being distributed to the employees here."

Wes cursed. "Those Hunters! Rui, can you tell if the Pokémon in those Pokéballs actually are Shadows?"

"There is something different about them. I won't know for sure unless one of them is let out."

I selected one of the Pokéballs at random , expanded it, and tossed it into the air. A monstrous Cradily with a large gray splotch along its side materialized in the hall—and I didn't like the look in its eyes.

"Shadow Pokémon!" Rui yelped, inadvertently unsheathing her claws and sinking them into Wes's arm. Her short fur bristled as the Cradily swung its long neck around and turned its focus to her. "Call it back!"

"Return!" I yelled, and just as the Shadow Pokémon's glare was beginning to head my way it was sucked back into its Pokéball. The 'Ball shook in my hands briefly before falling still.

Wes's expression was grim. "Wait here for a moment." He turned and sprinted back down the hall, disappearing from view.

"I'm not sure we have a moment." Emma muttered, before she glanced over at Cameron and frowned. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"The gray splotch." Cameron said, voice tight. "Remember where we've seen that before? And on an ancient Pokémon, no less…"

"The Tree." I whispered. "When it was dying. The Pokémon that turned to stone…when they were revived, they all had a gray mark somewhere on their bodies…"

"Shit…" David said, eyes wide. "That means the Tree's been attacked!"

"But how…? The Tree's guardians…and that freaky immune system it has…and Mew…shouldn't they have been able to do something?"

"We've got to get back there once we get out of this mess." Cameron said, his hands clenching into fists. I felt anger, fear, and determination through the weakening link. "We have to make sure everyone's all right."

I nodded, as did the others. The Tree was where it had all began, and we were tied to it, and to the Pokémon who lived there. And that meant we had to go back and see if there was anything we could do. We owed Mew that much at the very least, with all she had done for us. And now, with the Tree's inhabitants showing up as Shadow Pokémon…we owed it to them to get them Purified and back home.

Bane's ears pricked; we all tensed as the footsteps he'd heard became audible to us. After a moment, though, he relaxed. "It's just Wes and Rui coming back." He glanced down at the floor, rubbing his throat. I'd have to translate for him next time he chose to speak.

I turned to look down the shadowed hall. Bane was right, of course—it was them, Wes looking somewhat upset. Yuki started to ask what was wrong, but he cut her off.

"I should've seen this coming." He muttered, stalking past us to regard the sealed door. He continued to berate himself even as he ran his hands along it and the wall, searching for the hidden lock. "Some of those Hunters were working for Cipher—so they would obviously need to get their Shadow Pokémon from somewhere. And since they needed a place to store Bane until their contact could get him—" Bane flinched, but Wes didn't seem to notice. "—They'd have to have had set up a location…and that'd be where the Shadow Pokémon could be distributed from. Meaning—" His fingers paused over a spot at eye level on the door's left side, "—That there have to be more Shadow Pokémon somewhere in this place. And despite everything I swore to do, I can't take the time to track them all down!"

Wes struck the door with his fist, wincing slightly at the impact, though it may have been more from the loudness of the sound than the pain in his hand. At the same time, a small panel slid back from the point of impact, revealing an equally tiny scanner. Wes sighed, resting his forehead against the cold steel. "I'm going to have to let some of the Shadows slip through my fingers. Damn."

Rui reached up to tap his cheek with a paw. "You're doing your best, Wes. You can't expect to be perfect. It'd be impossible to Snag every Shadow Pokémon on the first try."

"My best still isn't good enough, Rui. If even one Shadow Pokémon remains unpurified, that's not only one Pokémon that can be used to rediscover whatever methods they use to create Shadow Pokémon, but also one Pokémon that will undoubtedly be use as a weapon and will continue to suffer even if it isn't."

"I know. But right now, we have to focus on ourselves. We have to get ourselves and our Pokémon out of this place, and most importantly—at least for the moment—we have to rescue Jake. Don't forget, he's tied to his friends with a bond much stronger than ours. If something happens to him, they'll all suffer badly."

Wes pushed himself up off the door. "You're right. David, I need that key card." David handed it over, and Wes slid it through the scanner. "Let's hope this guy had the proper clearance levels…"

After several agonizing seconds, the scanner accepted the card. With a slight wheezing of machinery, the door began to slide open, but even before it had gotten very far Cameron was already squeezing past in Riolu form. Emma and I quickly followed, then Rui, Yuki, and Silver, while David and Michael were forced to wait until the gap was wide enough to let them through in human form. Bane ducked in just after them, and Brandon waited until the door was fully open before quickly stepping through—I guess he was worried about what would've happened had he accidentally Shifted to Charizard form. Wes brought up the rear, sliding the key card through another scanner just outside the doorframe in order to close the door behind us. That done, we took a moment to gaze around our new surroundings.

The room we were in was huge—more like a short, fat corridor than a single room. It hummed with at least a dozen different pitches from the banks of computers and monitors that made up one wall, and the huge backup drives that I could see lurking in the background. There were also racks of stranger tools I couldn't identify, and in one spot, a bin full of discarded cuffs, dog tags, and tracker chips. Wes suddenly gave a shout, pointing off to one side, and when I looked in that direction, I saw shelves full of Pokéballs, each one with a label of some kind stuck to it—and some of them were ours. Nearby, I saw a milk crate containing our stolen belongings, except for Wes's coat and the Snag Machines, which were nearby on their own armatures. And just beyond them…

Just beyond them was a huge crystalline glass pillar, stretching from the floor to the ceiling and with a diameter of several feet. It was filled with a thick, golden fluid, casting a pale glow where the light shone through it. And Jake hung suspended within, a too-still half-Pokémon form cradled by liquid amber.

0000000000000000

Jake…!

I didn't think. As soon as I'd recognized him, I was running, both hearing and feeling the others doing the same. I reached the cylinder first, though, throwing my hands out in front of me so I didn't crash face-first into it. The impact of my hands against the glass sent little ripples through the fluid within, stirring Jake's hair as they passed. But it wasn't enough to wake him up.

I slammed my palms against the glass again. "Jake! Jake, wake up!" I knew he probably wouldn't be able to hear me through the glass and the fluid, so I cast my voice along the distorting link. C'mon! You have to wake up!

No good. Not even with the voices of the others. "Come on," I whispered, "Jake…" I couldn't even feel him in the link any more, even this close to him. Through the glass and fluid I could see the distorted images of Emma, David, and Cameron as they circled it, saw the ripples caused by their hands hitting the glass. Felt the rising desperation…

But despite this, despite everything, Jake remained unresponsive. He hung there, limp, for all the world like a simple construct, a life-sized version of a child's doll dressed in a pair of loose white cotton pants. Thin chains drifted in the fluid with him, each connected to manacles that encircled his wrists and one ankle, just taut enough to hold him steady. A narrow band of some kind was wrapped around his other ankle, tiny lights winking on and off, corresponding to the data scrolling across a small bank of monitors off to one side of the cylinder. He had an oxygen mask covering the lower half of his face, and I could see the faint rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, but if it hadn't been for that, I would have thought we were too late. And there was an I.V. line, dark with his blood, that curled up from the back of his hand to follow the oxygen tube and wrist-chains up into the top of the cylinder.

Oh, Jake, what have they done to you?

Come on! Emma shrieked. There was a thump as she rammed the glass shoulder-first, sending rippled through the fluid powerful enough to shift his ears, the tips sliding slightly along his shoulders. Then a series of thumps, as Cameron and David joined in. But Jake still didn't respond.

Maybe we weren't strong enough as humans to wake him up. Despite his burns, David was the first to Shift, attacking the cylinder first with Bubblebeam, then with Drill Peck. Neither attack had any effect, and neither did Emma's Dragon claw. I saw Cameron slam an Aura Sphere into the glass, the attack never leaving his paw and throwing him back when it exploded. He Shifted back to human form and threw himself against the cylinder, but to no avail. Even my Iron Tail attack barely left a scratch on the glass.

Wes was swearing somewhere in the background; I could hear the rapid, frantic tapping of keystrokes. I didn't have the time to wonder what he was up to, though, or what the others were doing—the link told me exactly how much time we had left—and it wasn't a lot. Even Bane attempted to at least damage the cylinder so we could maybe pull Jake out even if he was unconscious, but it was still no good.

Wake up! David shouted through the link. We're here, you idiot!

I didn't haul your butt out of that other lab so you could die in this one! Cameron yelled. Dammit, Jake, open your eyes!

I knew I was crying now, knew somehow that the others were, too. Felt the despair and helplessness and frustration that sought to break free of what little control we still had over it and become a psychic scream. But this…this wasn't like the pain I'd felt when Bane had died, when I'd been crying for a person I was quickly coming to see as a friend, and who had deserved better than what his life had become. It wasn't like the pain I'd felt when I'd learned of the loss of Anakin, who I'd been forced to become so close to in such a short amount of time, who I'd struggled to nurture even though I was in no way capable of truly doing so. This was the pain of the loss of someone who was more a brother to me than a best friend…and more than that was, in a way, a part of me, bound together by the link. If we lost Jake…Emma, David, Cameron, and I would all lose a part of ourselves.

I slammed my hands against the glass again, a wordless cry echoing through the link. "Come on, Jake! Fight! You can't die here, like this! Please, just open your eyes!"

There was a sudden spark in the link, a sharp, bright pulse that suddenly ripped through it. For a few seconds, everything seemed to freeze. The link's broken. I thought. We've lost Jake, and the link has shattered.

Then, so faintly that I nearly missed it, Jake stirred. And, ever-so-slightly, his eyes opened.

00000000000000000000000

They were dull and clouded over at first, slowly sliding shut again for a moment before opening again, wider this time. Then again, as if he were struggling to awaken from a long and deep slumber. Hardly daring to breathe, I whispered his name again, and when Jake blinked again, it seemed that some of the murkiness had faded from his gaze; as if there was a flickering spark of recognition as he drifted, twisting just enough to meet my eyes with his.

I felt a tugging on my mind, and I reached out to it, met it, and yielded to its pull. And suddenly I was pulled away from myself, swept up into a series of half-remembered images and emotions…

A deep, utter sorrow born of yearning, yearning for something that could not be put into words, yet I would never be able to find. The pain of this realization, and the pain of leaving everything I had ever known, and the fear of what lies beyond that final darkness…

Dim, hazy light…muted voices, rising and falling in conversation. The sensation of movement…

A dull ache in my wrists, a series of reflections distorted by a curved, transparent wall…

A soothing warmth and golden light…a comforting weightlessness… A memory long buried—a memory of the time before—assuring me that this was right…lulling me back to that long-forgotten time when I was safe…

And yet…more voices, so familiar, but I could not place them…Ripples brushing my body and my mind…I felt sorrow and fear…I felt despair. Something was wrong, and yet…I felt compelled just to let myself drift, to let go…

But I couldn't. Something in those voices pulled at me. I fought to understand; I should know this…

But that strange inner voice was insistent. There was nothing wrong, everything was right in the world. All I had to do now was to let go…to forget…

Part of me did. But the other part, the part that yearned, kept me from sinking back into that endless sleep. Everything seemed to be lit by a soft amber light…

Four shadows were spread among the golden haze. I didn't know how I knew there were four, nor did I understand why I felt drawn to those four…as if I was tied to them. And yet…I knew their voices.

But it was the call of one voice that I found myself pulled to, even moreso than another voice that was oh-so-strangely familiar. And the voice's owner…

I met the gaze of the nearest shadow, the one whose voice called to me so strongly. A girl my own age, maybe older by a couple of months, yet with the aura of a summer storm. Her face was streaked with tears, tears I did not understand…Her palms were pressed against the glass, and I saw her lips move, a soundless whisper…my name…

No! This was wrong! Wrong! I reached out with my own hand; felt the movement restricted, fought against the bindings, the gold glow of a false womb…!

I snapped back to myself with a gasp, looking into Jake's suddenly-clear gaze, his hand reaching for mine. I was shaken. I'd never felt anything like that, never been pulled out of my own mind and into another's. In all the time I'd been bound to the others, the most that had ever happened was the bleeding over of emotions, dreams, and, sometimes, pain or wisps of memory. I'd only ever gotten echoes almost as strong as those I had just experienced during the emergency link at the Contest…But that was akin to being an observer—for a moment, I'd been Jake…What had just happened? Was it something akin to that link, as we fought to preserve the connection—a last ditch effort to save it? Was it born from Jake's spirit as it struggled to survive? Or was the link getting stronger, and if so, how strong might it become…would we someday be able to look through one another's eyes, like I had just done, or would it consume us completely…?

There was a rush of bubbles inside the tank. Despite a limited range of movement, Jake had managed to pull off the mask covering the lower half of his face, and it spilled tainted oxygen into the fluid as it drifted upwards. Twisting his neck, he grabbed the I.V. line in his teeth, tearing it free and tinted the amber glow with crimson. He brought up his hands to try and tug at the chains binding him, but they were too short to allow him the reach he needed; the fluid slowing his movements as he struggled to slam his tail into the side of his prison. Already weakened and now beginning to run out of breath, he reached for the mask, for even that drug-filled air, but it floated just out of his reach. For a moment, he strained against his tethers, then fell limp, suffocating under the pressure of the fluid within the cylinder. And something changed.

The fluid seemed to recede from around Jake; pushed back by some force that swirled around him, stirring the liquid amber into motion. But it wasn't a force. It was water. Pure, clear water.

It formed a cocoon around him, pushing the fluid back and upwards. Behind me, I heard someone gasp, then realized that it wasn't someone behind me, it was me. But…how else was I to react? This was a display of Elemental power I'd never seen, nor known was possible. And yet…

Yet even if this protective layer was shielding Jake, it was also trapping him in the very same way. Had his genetic makeup been slightly different, he would have been able to recover. He would have been able to use this strange survival mechanism in the way it was intended…If, somewhere in his distant past, in the time before he had come into this world, his creators had given him a Vaporeon's ability to breathe underwater. This final stand in the fight to survive had brought him temporary salvation, yet now it would be his doom unless he was somehow able to bend it to his will…Something he didn't have the ability to do.

The cocoon of water suddenly began to swirl faster, whipping the golden fluid into a sluggish vortex. Chains drifting in the current, Jake hovered in place, head tilted back, ears, hair, and tail swaying slightly, hanging vertically in the pillar. A swift, faint tremor wracked his body, and then his head came up and his eyes once again snapped open, newfound power glowing within. For a second, as the cocoon began to expand around him, Jake seemed to have become a demigod, transcending the barriers between mortal and divine. I heard a low, creaking groan come from the pillar, and Bane pulled me back as cracks rippled across its surface, the glass straining against increasing internal pressure. Then it burst, glittering shards mixing with the wave of thick amber fluid that rushed outwards in all directions, suddenly reminding me, in a twisted way, of birth itself.

Now Jake hung limply in the ruins of that false womb, the tips of his tail dragging on the floor, head bowed in exhaustion, breathing ragged and uneven. Other than a few droplets of water that clung to his skin, beading on a thin slick of the artificial amniotic fluid, there was no sign of the raw power he'd just tapped. Shaking Bane's hand off my shoulder, I ran to him, felt/saw the others do the same. I grabbed the chain holding Jake's wrist, pulled, nearly stumbled back into Cameron as his hands joined mine. Across from us, Emma and David heaved on the other chain holding Jake suspended above the floor. Then the chains broke, and we somehow caught Jake as he fell, the broken iron links rattling.

It was only then, as Cameron and David each ducked under one of Jake's arms to support him, and Emma started working on the third chain that still bound him, that I realized that his hair and fur had been bleached white. Even his skin seemed slightly too pale, making his eyes seem even darker in color, more intense. More…

Something. Something I couldn't recognize, couldn't understand, yet that some part of my deepest subconscious did. Something that I could not put into words, for it had no name.

Are you all right? I asked.

I…I think I will be…

What happened? Emma cut in. What was that?

I'm…not sure. I had no control over it…No idea what… Jake shuddered slightly. C-cold…

"Right." Cameron said, voice firm. "Kitt, Emma, can you see if there's anything around here Jake could possibly wear?"

"I can help with that." Yuki said from behind, and I heard her footsteps recede as she turned and began weaving in and out of the room's contents. Emma nodded, set down the chain, and slipped away as well. I took a reluctant step back, spun slowly in place to survey the room, feeling the slight stickiness of the thin layer of fluid on the floor against my sandals and shuddering when I realized the bottoms and sides of my feet were covered in the stuff. It was absolutely disgusting…

Bane tapped me on the shoulder. "Here. Towels." He held out a pair of fluffy white towels, and I took them, draping one over Jake's head and the other around his shoulders. He attempted to reach up and rub his hair dry, but he'd forgotten that he was still too weak to stand on his own, and the moment he'd taken his arm from around Cameron's shoulders, David started to stagger, causing Jake to hiss when the manacle around his ankle dug into his skin as it ran out of chain.

Exchanging a brief nod, Cameron let Bane take his place, grabbing the towel and scrubbing it vigorously across Jake's head, though he was careful around his ears, softly pulling on them to r=wring the fluid away before gently swabbing the insides. When he'd finished, he wadded the towel up and began wiping the fluid from the back of Jake's neck and shoulders, David soon joining in with the other clean towel, and I decided it was time to give the guys a bit of privacy. Despite the fact that it was necessary in his weakened condition, I knew that Jake was likely highly embarrassed by having to be treated like a day-old Eevee kit, even by two of his closest friends. Besides, I had other things I could do to make myself useful and prepare for the next step of our escape.

I ran into Silver a couple minutes later, as I finished peering into a crate that turned out to be half-full of sterile test-tubes. She was carrying a large cardboard box, and gestured awkwardly at it as she asked, "I found a bunch of pairs of cotton pants, like the ones Jake had on. They seem to be clean, and they're all in different sizes...Creepy." She shivered. "I don't even wanna know why these are here, but what should I do with them?"

I had a few sneaking suspicions, but chose to keep them to myself. "Probably give them to either Michael or Wes and have one of them take them back to where the other guys are. They're trying to help Jake get dry—he isn't exactly at full strength at the moment."

A faint blush crept across Silver's cheeks. "Ah. Um, I guess we go find Michael, then. Any idea where he might be?"

As it turns out, we didn't have to go looking for Michael, because he turned the corner and spotted us first, once again wearing both Snag Machine and Aura Reader. I explained the situation, Silver handed him the box, and he as just about to head back towards the ruined cylinder when I remembered something. "Why'd you hang back?"

He looked puzzled for a moment. "Why'd I…Oh, that." He shifted the box slightly in his grip. "Well, you guys have known Jake longer and have that really strong link…it just didn't quite feel right to go up right away."

"You could have probably helped Cameron and David." I pointed out. "Why didn't you?"

"Well, Bane's probably a lot stronger than I am…and I was worried about Umber." He managed to free one hand long enough to twitch back the edge of his jacket and show me the four Pokéballs clipped in their rightful places along his belt. "Gene, Sloan, and surprisingly enough Star all seemed glad enough to see me…but Umber's still hiding. I think they did something to her, but I don't know what. The Pokéballs are all locked, too—we won't be able to let any of our Pokémon out until we get back to a Pokémon center and have Nurse Joy unlock them. Oh, and I grabbed my Snag Machine so I wouldn't forget it later."

I understood. A link was something to respect, after all, since it bound to individuals at such a deep level, especially one link the one I share with the others. And something like that had just happened…It was kinda like the reunion Emma and Brandon had had earlier—something that it was best not to interrupt. And it was true; Michael wasn't a part of that link, even if he did share a link with us. And I suspected that, deep down, he might've been a little unnerved by all this: By Jake's strange abilities, his history, and what he represented. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he'd been human up until a few months ago, longer than even Cameron had been. Maybe it was because, even after all the time we'd traveled together, he still wasn't wholly used to Jake's talents. It might've even had something to do with this place and Brandon's horror stories and even Bane's presence, which made those stories less of stories and more of a reality he hadn't even known was possible…I didn't know. And there was no way I could fault him for being concerned about his Pokémon, especially considering what little we knew of Sloan's past and whatever background he knew Umber had—He'd only started out with Gene, apparently, but wouldn't say where his Eevee had come from. And to have had Sloan respond to him but not Umber…that was worrying, to say the least.

With a nod, I stepped back to Michael would have more room to pass, then headed in the direction he had just come from, towards the racks where our Pokémon were being stored. It took a few minutes, since they were thoroughly mixed in with the other Pokéballs sitting there, but I was able to pick mine out from the rest. After a moment's thought, I grabbed Jake's, too, and asked if anyone else wanted me to get theirs as well. Most of them said no, that they'd pick them up in a minute, and Jake confirmed with me that I had all of his, before Wes asked if I would collect his and Rui's Pokéballs and bring them over to him—he was still working at a bank of computer monitors and couldn't spare a moment to do it himself.

It took me longer to find their Pokéballs, until Wes sent me an image of each individual Pokéball. Sunstrike and Eclipse's Pokéballs were the easiest to pick out, but I had a lot of trouble trying to find Mia and Jasper's. Iris's Pokéball was separate from the others; I guess they hadn't realized Jake had had it. Though that did make me wonder when the Hunters had taken his other Pokémon…

When I reached them, Wes was still typing away at a keyboard, though not as furiously as before. Rui was standing next to him, human again, holding his coat and Snag Machine, which he was ignoring at the moment, instead focusing on the streams of data scrolling across the multiple windows pulled up on the overhead monitors. Some of the windows showed little folders being transferred to other windows in large groups, and I blinked at the little pixelated images next to each batch. Were those…?

"Porygon?" I asked. Wes glanced over for a moment before returning his gaze to the nearest screen. "Actually, one Porygon, two Porygon2, and one Porygon-Z, but close enough." He typed a few more commands. "Nett loaned them to me a while back. They're trained for this kind of thing; he thought they'd be helpful if we managed to find a Cipher database."

I frowned. "But you only have two Pokéballs. And who's Nett?"

"Nett's part of ONBS now, but when I met him, he was part of the Kid's Grid. They did a lot of info gathering back during the first Shadow Outbreak; still do, apparently. He's sort of their main decrypter, according to Michael, though he probably hasn't lost any of his hacking skills. He's set them up with their own thumb drives, and don't ask me how that works."

"Huh. Wonder what they do in there?"

"Play Minecraft, apparently. Again, I have no clue. I'm no computer expert, though I have picked up a few skills over the years."

A text box appeared in one corner of the screen, the image of the Porygon-Z floating next to it. DOWLOAD COMPLETE. PROCEED WITH DATA WIPE?

Wes hesitated. NO. BURY THE DATA DEEP AND REENCRYPT IT. SEND THE PASSCODE TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES, ALONG WITH A COPY OF SAID DATA:

I didn't know what he did next, but the addresses he typed in manifested onscreen as a series of asterisks. They Porygon-Z seemed to be able to read it just fine though, since after a few minutes a new text box appeared. TRANSFER IS COMPLETE. PROCEED WITH DATA WIPE?

WILL THE HIDDEN DATA BE ERASED?

NO. A COPY WILL BE MADE AND ERASED SO THAT THE DATA APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DELETED. THE REAL DATA WILL BE UNTOUCHED, AND HIDDEN AS PER YOUR SPECIFICATIONS. PROCEED WITH DATA WIPE?

PROCEED.

Again, it was a few minutes before the digital Pokémon replied. DATA WIPE COMPLETE.

THANK YOU. PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR DRIVES.

AS YOU WISH.

The text box and Porygon-Z icon vanished, as did the two Porygon-2 icons and the Porygon icon. Four flash drives plugged into one of the terminals blinked rapidly for a few seconds, before they stopped flashing and Wes pulled them from the computer.

"What was all that about?" I asked.

"The Porygon managed to get past the main encryption, allowing them to make copies of all the files" Wes replied, taking his coat from Rui and pulling it on. He tucked the flash drives into an inner pocket. "Once they'd taken one copy and split it up among themselves, I had them reencrypt the data and hide it deep within the system. Only someone with the proper code will be able to bring it back—and I had Porygon-Z send it to a few trusted people. I also had them make a copy of the data and delete it—it'll appear that we deleted the data. In a way we have, and that's good, since it prevents them from misusing it any further. On the other hand…it'd make it harder for law enforcement to nail these guys. So I took precautions."

"By having the hidden data and the key to retrieve it…right?"

"Right. And now…" Wes broke off, frowning. Another file had appeared onscreen. "Hold on. What's this?"

"What's what?" David asked. I jumped, not having heard him sneak up on me. Behind him was Jake, still being supported by Cameron and Bane. He looked a little better, but there were faint dark smudges under his eyes, and his ears still hung limp. They'd evidentially found a pair of pants that fit relatively well, but didn't seem to have had any luck finding a shirt. The skin on Jake's shoulders and arms looked red, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the fluid he'd been immersed in. If it had somehow leached the color out of his hair…

Evidentially reading my thoughts, David tossed me a scrap of white cloth, and I kicked off my sandals and began trying to clean the fluid from my feet. It wasn't easy, but I managed to get it off, though I was pretty sure my sandals were ruined despite my attempts to dry them. Ah well.

Wes was still staring at the new file. "How'd they miss…? Then again, it's so heavily encrypted…" He pulled the flash drives out of his pocket and plugged them back into the computer. "It'll take a while for the Porygon and I to get through this mess. See what else is in here."

"What about the cuffs? Shouldn't we try and get them off?" Cameron asked.

"I'd forgotten about those. You said David has something that can remove them?"

I nodded, and David turned to me, puzzled for a second. "You mean those tools I grabbed? None of it look like it'd work, but...I guess we can give it a try." He pulled them from his pockets.

One of them I recognized almost immediately as a chip scanner—I let David know that that was what it was, and he stuck it in his pocket—but the other two looked completely unfamiliar. One looked somewhat similar to the scanner, though thicker and splitting into two hooked prongs at the end. The other looked more like a curved computer mouse with a number of microscopic nubs on its underside. It was hard to know which one would unlock our cuffs. Twisting my arm around, I looked at mine from every possible angle, looking for any hints. I couldn't see anything, so I began running my fingertips along its surface…and still failed to find any clues.

I tried hooking a finger under the cuff, but it was impossible-they were just too tight. The rims of the cuff were completely smooth, as well—nothing there. The cuff chafed at my arm, and my frustration mounted as I continued to fail to figure out how to get the stupid thing off. It's no use, I finally decided, we're just going to have to take a wild guess. I just hope that there isn't a penalty for guessing wrong…

I took another look at the two instruments, letting my gaze jump back and forth as I tried to think. After a moment's hesitation, I picked up the one that looked like a computer mouse, though to be honest, I wasn't quite sure why. It didn't exactly look like it had the ability to unlock my cuff…

I dragged the tool across the surface of my cuff, not sure what I was expecting. The curve in it matched the curve of the cuff, and it slid smoothly across it as I turned my arm. Nothing. When I reached the point where I had started, I lifted the device and waited to see if anything happened. When nothing happened, I wondered if maybe this was the wrong tool. But that scientist said that one of these would work…maybe I was doing something wrong?

Could be… I flipped the mouse-like tool around, then pressed it against my cuff again. Something seemed different in the amount of friction this time—I thought it seemed that it was harder to pull the tool across my cuff. Then, suddenly, it stuck.

I tried tugging on it, first one way, then the other. It didn't move, and I looked up to meet the gazes of David, Wes, and Rui. "It…It's stuck." I said uncertainly. "Now what?"

Wes and Rui exchanged a look, while David frowned, fiddling with his glasses. "Maybe…" He stepped forward, then, when I nodded, took my arm in one hand and wrapped the fingers of the other around the tool. He began pushing on it, slowly adding pressure, and for a moment it didn't look like anything was going to happen until it abruptly jerked forward and twisted forty-five degrees to the left with a loud click. A pair of hidden diodes on the underside of the cuff flashed once, and then the cuff split along an invisible seam and sprang open. We all stared at it for a moment, and then I cautiously pulled it off, half expecting some sort of trap to suddenly activate. But it seemed that there wasn't anything like that included, so David closed the cuff back up, then after a brief pause, pulled on the tool until it turned back to its original position, at which point it popped off the cuff on its own. I watched as David turned it over in his hands, absently rubbing at the spot where my cuff had been. It felt good to have it off… David put the tool against his own cuff, moving it quickly into position, and this time when he began to push it past its stick point he twisted it, and it clicked into place even faster. He didn't bother removing the cuff; instead, he pulled the unlocking tool free, and with the other half of the cuff swinging freely from his arm, set to work on unlocking Wes and Rui's. Only then did he stop to carelessly push his off of his arm, ignoring the clatter it made as it landed on the floor, before dashing off to find the others.

Speaking of the others… I reached out, trying to sense how they were doing. The link was weaker now, since it had been damaged, but it was beginning to recover, and if I concentrated a little harder than I normally had to I still could locate everyone fairly well. I found Michael and Cameron sorting through the crates of confiscated items, picking out our own possessions. Emma, Silver, and Yuki were searching further back for anything that might be of use—I could feel brief flashes of triumph every time they found something, like a Potion or Antidote. It wasn't often, and almost always was followed by a flash of disappointment when they realized the bottle was mostly empty or the contents were past their expiration date and therefore had lost most of their effectiveness, but it was still something. No Burn Heals yet, though, according to Emma, but there was still a decent amount of boxes to search through. Then her focus shifted, and I thought that it must have meant David was working on her cuff. Jake was sitting slumped against one of the shelving units near where Cameron and Michael were working, trying to recover his strength. When he felt my mental touch, he sent a tired pulse back to me. At the same time, I felt a jolt of shock from Cameron, and I felt it transfer over to Jake, his mind turning away from me and towards Cameron with a faint flicker of curiosity, and I got the split-second image of Cameron shoving something into his pocket before Jake could see it. I was about to ask Cameron about it, but he sent a warning pulse in response. Not now.

Bane reached out to me before I tried to contact him. As soon as I felt the connection I asked him if he was doing okay, and he replied that he was fine for the moment. He'd picked up on something strange, though—could I come find him and try and help him find the source of the odd noise he could just barely hear? The link we shared still wasn't very strong, so most of his request came through as a sort of semi-vague feeling that wasn't quite mental speech, but I still understood it and was about to reply when I felt the touch of another mind trying to get my attention—Brandon's mind. It felt strange—a bit like Bane's mind, actually, but less so—but what was really weird was that he normally shouldn't have been able to contact me so strongly—whereas I had managed to 'shove' him awake, that was just a pulse, no words attached. But I was receiving a full, worded message from Brandon: I need to talk to you. Maybe he was somehow using his link with Emma as an amplifier? I didn't know, and didn't exactly care at the moment. From his tone, whatever it was that had come up was important.

I found him near the shattered remains of the tank Jake had destroyed, watching beads of gold fluid slide down its interior and drip from the jagged edge of the glass. They mingled with the blood still dripping from the now-limp IV line, which if I looked from the right angle I could see disappearing into the top of the pillar. Bane was there too, eyes closed, ears swiveling as he listened for something. The sound he wanted me to find the source of?

Both of them turned to face me as I approached. I tilted my head slightly to one side, letting that motion convey the question on the tip of my tongue. Why did you need me?

"Something doesn't add up, Kitt." Brandon said, turning away and returning to watching the dripping fluid. He ignored the sticky coating of it on the bottoms of his bare feet, though I noticed Bane kept shuffling in place, no doubt wishing there was something between him and the fluid-covered floor. "You said that if Jake was recaptured, he'd be killed. And he very nearly did meet his end today. So why were they trying to collect his blood?"

"They were what?" I asked, trying to absorb that disturbing bit of information. "Collect Jake's…Are you sure?"

He nodded. "They could have used the IV line to administer whatever drug they were going to use, but in that case, the IV line would have been clear or whatever color the drug was. And Bane's confirmed it—the liquid dripping from the needle is blood. Perhaps they wanted to study his DNA, to see what exactly led to him being…well, him. But in that case, they wouldn't need so much of it. It's part of the reason he's so tired—he's lost a lot of blood. Where is it all going to? Why is it even needed in the first place?"

That…that was true. It didn't make sense, when you thought about it. Not that much about this situation really did, but that most of all. I glanced again at the IV line. There was something sinister about it, knowing what it had been used for, even if we didn't truly know why…

Bane suddenly jerked back, as if he'd been stung. He pivoted on his heel, ears pricked, and I heard his voice in my mind. That sound! Can you hear it?

No. What is it?

I…I don't know. It almost sounds like… like water.

Water?

Yeah…Like that gurgling noise it sometimes makes when bubbles flow through it. Like the pillar was making before you guys woke Jake up. But…we destroyed the pillar, so…

Can you tell where it's coming from?

Bane frowned. It sounds like it's coming—and this is weird—from behind the pillar somewhere. But that can't be right…

It was pretty strange. The tank was freestanding…Maybe the wall nearest to it? But it seemed to be an ordinary cinder-block wall… You've got to stop thinking that. I told myself. It just looks ordinary. There has to be something we're missing…

I stumbled on the end of the chain that had bound Jake's ankle, catching myself on the wall before I smashed face-first into it. To my shock, the sections of the wall I touched sank inwards, and with a grinding sound, the whole wall began to slide back, exposing a little dark alcove. And inside that alcove…

I swallowed, feeling a cold, hollow pit where my insides should have been.

Holy. Freaking. Shit.

I stared, speechless, at the contents of the alcove. Behind me, I heard Brandon swallow harshly. Bane made a soft whimpering noise. After a moment, I managed to regain enough of my composure to send a message to the others, my voice shaking. Um…Guys? Y-you might wanna see this…

I felt apprehension rise up in the link, tinged with fear. They could tell that whatever it was that had been found, it wasn't good. Meanwhile, there was a burst of triumph from Wes…only to suddenly turn into the same horror and disbelief I felt. The others felt it, too—were we running a faint emergency link?—and I felt/heard footsteps closing on my location…With a jolt, I realized that Jake should not see what I had found, reached out—but too late. He'd already stopped in front of the alcove, staring, eyes wide and his face ghostly white. I thought he was going to pass out, but instead he took a step forward before his legs gave out, ending up on his hands and knees, eyes never leaving the alcove.

The alcove, or the small, slender pillar inside it, a tiny shape suspended within an amber light.

00000000000000

"Holy f—" I stopped paying attention as David began swearing in a shaky voice. The small form within the pillar—and Jake's stunned silence—held my attention instead.

The pillar was a quarter of the size his had been, but built into a column of machinery that raised it up to about table-height or so. Now that it was exposed, I could hear the faint hum of machinery accompanying the soft gurgling of the fluid. The curled form within was smaller than the palm of my hand, and it didn't look very much like a human—or Wildkin, for that matter—but at that stage in its embryonic growth, that was probably normal.

Normal?! What the hell about this is NORMAL?! Emma's mental voice practically screeched. I pushed her back out of my head, watching the embryo bob in its artificial womb. We were all doing that—well, other than Wes and Rui. I could feel them still standing at the computer terminal. Yup. Definitely an emergency link…

I tried to shake myself out of the daze that was starting to fog my mind, but it was hard. Getting kidnapped by mad scientists was one thing. Getting kidnapped by mad scientists and freeing one of your best friends from a death chamber was another. Getting kidnapped by mad scientist and freeing one of your best friends from a death chamber only to find them using his blood to stabilize another clone was so completely out there that if I didn't already live in a sci-fi novel I wouldn't have been able to believe what I was seeing. And I still didn't. Not even with the thin tube feeding tiny ruby-red drops into the embryo's tank every few seconds.

Behind me, David was starting to run out of swear words. Brandon was gaping like a Magikarp, his mouth opening and closing but no sounds coming out, skin tinged green. Bane looked like he wanted to bolt but had suddenly found himself frozen to the spot. Someone was retching quietly; I didn't look to see who it was. That would have been rude.

There was writing on a faded label stuck to the upper part of the pillar. It was too smudged to make out, except for a number: 1506. The clone's number? Is this how far they've gotten since Jake? What made them try again?

It…isn't a clone. Not exactly. Rui said faintly. It…It's a she. A female Hybrid.

A WHAT?!Cue the chorus from everyone save Jake, who was still in shock. I don't think Bane even noticed the fact that he'd been able to hear and answer Rui.

Same processes, but a different result. Wes explained, a hint of a growl in his voice. Entry numbers have been blanked, as have the dates, but that file? Progress reports. He began reading.

'Date: Unknown. Time: Unknown. Report: The flaws in 746 that resulted in his renegade behavior have been analyzed and corrected—'

"Flaws?" I muttered. Jake's ear twitched, but other than that, it was if I wasn't there. "And he didn't rebel. We had to literally drag him out of there with us."

Kitt, hush.

'—And as one of the other facilities has also reported an escape—'

Bane cringed. Say no more, please. I've had enough reminders already…

Sorry. Just reading the report. Wes paused for a moment, then continued. 'Further studies are required in regards to the objective. Funding has been granted for a new genesis project and the necessary materials are being acquired.

Date: Unknown. Time—'screw this, I'll just skip it. 'Report: Genetic sequencing for the new Hybrid has begun. Sequencing should be completed by'—crud, another blanked-out date. Must be in case the cops get them. '—Procedures have been revised and reviewed. Equipment is up-to-date. End report.'

'Experiment 747 has terminated. Preparation for Experiment 748 has begun.'

'Experiment 748 has terminated. Preparation for Experiment 789 has begun.'

It went on like that for a while, occasionally varying with comments like, 'Experiment 809 was terminated due to fatal genetic mutation' or 'Experiment 811 is in decline.' By the time the log reached four digits—Wes was skipping over most of the repetitive comments—there were notes such as, 'Experiment 1242 has passed its ninth day of existence,' and 'Experiment 1311 is ready to be transferred into maturation tank' and 'Experiment 1312, like its predecessor, failed to adjust to the tank and has terminated." By Experiment 1379, they had decided that human DNA was needed as a stabilizing factor. By 1400, they realized that they would be repeating the same procedures they had to create Jake. By 1455, they had realized that they might need to look into his DNA and figure out what it was that kept him stable. By 1467, they were decoding samples and coming up with nothing. By 1495, they realized they might need his DNA. By 1506…Well, they had it.

There were other notes in the entries, too. Such as how it was lucky that they had, to quote, "recaptured 746 before 1506 could destabilize further". Seems like something in her DNA was still unstable, despite being a cloned human embryo implanted with Hybrid DNA just like Jake had been. They were hoping that somehow exposure to his DNA via his blood would help—Not sure what they were thinking would happen; did they think 1506's cells would "learn" from Jake's or somehow use his DNA to correct the problem?—though they also noted it was too early to tell if it was actually doing anything, meaning this entry was pretty recent. Probably from just before we broke out, but that was beside the point.

Also among the notes were references to other Hybrid projects. None of them had survived very long, and eventually the funding was diverted into the funding for the experiment series whose latest incarnation we were watching bob in a maturation tank. The three genesis projects had never gotten very far—283 was the number we got when we added the total number of Experiments from those projects—but all had been started at various times in the last five years. According to the logs, the Umbreon-Espeon Hybrid had been the shortest-lived, unstable no matter what due to the Type conflict. Which was odd, since there was proof that the two Types could coexist in one species. However, research into Malamar hadn't yielded a solution, and after the last embryo died the project was abandoned. The Flareon-Jolteon and Leafeon-Jolteon Hybrids had lasted longer, but once again had succumbed to unstable DNA. Now, the only remaining Genesis project that remained was the one currently in front of us.

Most puzzling were the notes referring to someone only identified in the log as "Rust". They weren't frequent, and seemed to detail the writer of the log informing him of their progress on the various experiments. Rust's reaction was usually described as negative, but the strange part was, is he never actually seemed to have said anything back. There were notes that Rust had "turned his back to me", or that "the shock on his face was evident", but nothing that indicated his own remarks. So who was Rust, and what position did he have here? And why didn't he say anything? Maybe he was mute?

Something to think about later. It wasn't like I was ever gonna meet the guy.

There were more important things to worry about, too. I knelt next to Jake and gently nudged him. "Hey." He didn't respond. "Jake?"

He made a sort of mewling noise, and in response I wrapped my arms around him in a sort of sideways hug. He was shaking, the shock and horror and fear taking its toll. I registered David, Cameron, and Emma moving closer and sitting down as well, and for a few moments we did our best to offer the youngest member of our group comfort by just being there.

Jake shuddered, then pushed us away, and we backed off. He looked back at the glowing pillar and its occupant, the back down at his hands. "I…" he whispered. "I just can't…"

"Can't what?" Emma asked softly.

Jake shook his head, tail lashing back and forth in agitation. "I can't…What do I do? I can't stay here…I'll die…" He swiped a hand across his face, nearly cutting himself with his own claws. There was true pain in his eyes when he looked back at us. "But I can't leave her here, either!" He gestured back to the pillar, to Experiment 1506. "She…Don't you see? She's my sister. Maybe not by blood—oh, wait, they're using my DNA to stabilize her, so technically I guess we are related somehow—but we're still family. But I'd have to wait for months before I could leave this place with her. Months I don't have if I stay. And I'd have to stay. Look what nearly happened to me. They won't be so lax with her. They'll keep her under closer guard, probably give her less time than I was supposed to have. I was the perfect subject until I was eleven, right? So they won't risk her turning eleven. And that life…even if it wasn't bad, compared to what I've had these last few years…It was nothing. A false life. She doesn't deserve that. She needs to feel the sunlight on her face, see the stars and moon at night, swim in the rivers, run free…Have friends there for her in her times of need. Experience the joy of raising a Pokémon. Have…" His voice broke. "Have her brother there watching over her. They won't tell her of me if she stays. But she'll know. And she'll wonder what happened to me."

Jake to a deep breath, hands clenched tight around the fabric of his pants. "I don't even know what my own lifespan is. What if she has even less time? She shouldn't have to spend any of it here. I'd rather die under the stars than in a cage, no matter how meticulously disguised as normal. And I lived in such a cage for most of my life, without knowing it. They'll feed her lies about her life, like they did me. And she'll never know the truth…But I can't stay. You guys need me, too. The link…I felt it breaking. We're tied too deep… And if you stay…" He trailed off. "I'm so lost..." He whispered, putting his face in his hands. "What do I do?"

How do you answer something like that? How do you comfort someone torn between such powerful loyalties, whose choice to aid one would destroy the other?

Wes and Rui had rejoined the rest of us at some point, and now it was Rui on the floor hugging Jake, murmuring soothing words into his ear, while Wes looked on, face carefully schooled into an expression of neutrality and hands jammed in the pockets of his coat. His eyes gave him away, though, showing the turmoil within. You could almost see him trying to find a solution to the situation, and failing miserably.

Ultimately, the decision was taken out of our hands. A faint beeping started coming from one of the dusty monitors hooked up to the tank, gradually becoming louder and more urgent. Jake stiffened, looking up in alarm, and Rui got up and rushed to the monitor, Wes and David at her heels. Rui quickly backed off, shaking her head. "I can't make sense of it. I've never been good with stuff like this. "

Wes, meanwhile, was quietly muttering curse words and he read the data flowing across the monitor, graphs and charts I couldn't make heads of tails of, either. David paled, darting around the tank, looking frantically for something but apparently not able to find it. He tripped over a loose cable and went sprawling, but instead of immediately getting up, he mumbled something into the floor instead. Jake froze. "What?"

Both Wes and David turned to look at him, their mirroring expressions for a moment very clearly saying shit. The David dropped his head back to the floor, while an unreadable expression crossed Wes's face before he sighed. "She's dying, Jake."

Something jolted through me—panicfearpaindisbelief—before Jake spoke again, voice cracking. "She…No! No, she can't, she can't be dying—She just can't! She hasn't even been born yet! She can't die!"

"Jake—" Cameron began, but was cut off.

"She can't die! Do something, anything, I don't care what! She has to live, so she can be born and I can get her out of here and she can know the same world you showed me! To feel the wind on her face, to see the sun rise…" He choked, tears running down his face. "Please…please, do something. Help my sister live."

"There's nothing I can do!" Wes snapped, the pain evident in his voice. "Nothing! I'm not a geneticist. I'm a Snagger! My only experience in this sort of situation is as the test subject! I don't know anything about DNA, or chromosomes, or why some alterations result in fatal flaws and some help stabilize Hybrid DNA. I skipped half the shit in that log because it was all technical stuff that none of us would be able to understand, not even David, and he's hoping to become a Pokémon Doctor! Half these procedures probably aren't even known to the regular biologists. So how do you expect me to pull off an effing miracle!?"

"I don't know!" Jake yelled back, unable to keep his voice steady. "I just don't want my little sister to die before she has a chance to live!"

"It's okay, Jake."

The soft voice caught us all off guard, and I spun, seeking its source. Then I froze, eyes wide. Peering out from the shadow of the pillar was a young girl—no more than six—barefoot, in a simple white dress. Jake inhaled sharply. "I know you."

The little girl nodded solemnly, her eyes—the same indigo as his—never leaving him. "Yeah." She stepped out from behind the pillar, and it was my turn to draw in a sharp breath.

She was a Hybrid.

A Volteon Hybrid.

Jakes eyes widened, and he reached out with one hand. The little girl stood silently for a second, her ears held at an angle, her tailtip flicking slightly behind her, then crossed the floor, taking his hand in hers.

Jake let out a cry, pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her thin shoulder. She reached out and hugged him back, then pushed him away. "I'm sorry, Jake. I can't stay."

"What?! Why?!" Tears were welling up in the corners of Jake's eyes, one of which spilled down his cheek to mingle with the stains of tears already shed.

"I…" The little girl hesitated. "Big Brother…I have to go…"

Big Brother?! My gaze jumped to the pillar and its occupant. Then…!

Jake had made the connection, too. "No, wait," he begged. "There has to be something I can do…Please, don't go!"

The spirit shook her head again, a small, tearful smile on her face. "There's nothing, Big Brother. I've been sick for so long…I held on just so I could finally meet you… I'm sorry…"

Small, golden lights began flickering around her body, and the little girl bowed her head as she started to fade. Jake lunged, once again pulling her into a tight hug. She looked startled for a moment, as Jake fiercely whispered. "Don't be. None of this is your fault."

She closed her eyes, her tiny claws tangling in his bleached hair even as he buried his fingers in the golden strands of hers, the tiny lights swirling around them both. "I wish I could stay, Big Brother…"

"It's okay…" Jake said softly. His own eyes shut despite the tears forcing their way past his eyelids. "I forgive you…I understand…"

"I'll miss you…"

"Me too…" Jake whispered. "Me too…"

The lights began to rise faster, the little girl fading with every one that floated away. She tightened her grip for a split second, then loosened it, leaning back so she could see his face one last time. "Goodbye, Big Brother… when you see a sunrise, think of me, okay?"

With a sudden rush of the tiny lights, she was gone.

Jake remained still for a moment, as if still holding the little spirit girl. "Goodbye…" He whispered hoarsely, then, suddenly, his gaze shot upwards, where the last of the lights were slowly flickering out. "No, wait! Come back! Don't go!" He called plaintively, tears of disbelief running down his face, one hand reaching for something it would never find. "Don't go…! Wisteria…Please, don't go…"

His hand dropping back to the floor, Jake threw back his head and screamed, a keening wail of terrible, heart-wrenching sorrow and loss. He cried out until his lungs emptied of air and he choked on his voice, then howled again, unable to express his grief in any other way. His voice rose and fell, cutting me to my core and sending a chill racing up my spine, until it finally dissolved into sobbing, and Jake was hunched over on the floor in front of the pillar, unable to stop the flood of tears running down his cheeks and dripping to the floor in front of him, even as the beeping alarm quieted, the monitor stilled, and the tiny body inside the artificial womb dissolved in a flurry of sparks.