*~~*Chapter Thirty-Three: Meetings with the Sharpedos: Silver's Viewpoint*~~*
The bright lights burning against my eyelids pulled me out of the haze of sleep once again. I found myself struggling to get out of bed as my body felt as if it were made of stones. A pounding in my head made me wince in pain. To make matters worse, I felt as if I hadn't slept at all. Of all of the terrible mornings I've had, this one was by far the worst.
A shift beside me pulled me awake.
I snapped my attention to my left, expecting to see that traitorous Persian crawling up here. To my horror, I found my apprentice lying beside me with her hair spread all over my pillows. I let out a growl before recalling the events of the past two days. The anger rising in my gut quickly turned to guilt at the realization that I had forced her to sleep here.
"This is going to take some getting used to..." I muttered under my breath as I forced myself out of bed. My knees screamed as I took a shaking stand on the cold marble floors. "And my head is killing me..." Trying to pull myself together, I headed for my dresser to claim a clean suit.
A few hours passed before my apprentice finally managed to wake up. Shock filled her face as she found me sitting on the edge of my bed with my pocketwatch in my hand. Before she could open her mouth with an excuse, I lifted my hand in the air for silence.
"I let you sleep in this time, apprentice." My eyes focused on her wide hazels before I continued. "Today is going to be a day of rest for you as well as myself." I shut my watch and tucked it away. "I have a meeting with the executives this afternoon, meaning training you would be a waste of my patience. Besides all of this, you still need some time to recover."
My apprentice slipped out of bed with a quiet grunt, swaying ever so slightly as she stood up. She eventually gained some stability and gave me a nod of understanding. I gave her a nod in return before slipping to my feet. "Good. First things first, you're going to need something to eat." A quick brush of my jacket to remove the wrinkles and I was back on track. "Then, we are going to head to the Launch Pad and meet with the executives. You are to stay by my side at all times, do you understand?"
My apprentice slowly raised a hand, but I quickly realized her point. "Yes," The words were basically a long sigh of agony. "I understand that the meeting room is a bad pun. Blame the previous leader for his terrible taste in names." Her hand quickly lowered to her side, leaving me to lead the way to the cafeteria.
I would have hoped that the suspicions and the glares would have faded away by now, but once again, I was wrong. Every single step was under the wary eyes of thousands, creating a swirl of anxiety to swallow my apprentice. I on the other hand, simply shot them a harsh scowl and pulled my apprentice along. I wasn't about to waste my time in screaming at them.
Besides, my head hurt too much to yell.
I'm certain that you can imagine the relief I felt when I found the cafeteria nearly void of life at this late morning hour. My apprentice simply looked at the counter with wide eyes before turning to me. I just gave her a wave of dismissal to allow myself time to think over important points for this afternoon's meeting. My apprentice let out a happy squeak before rushing to the counter.
So what's happened this week? I frowned and rubbed a temple to try to ease the throb that followed my thoughts. Oh, that's right. I've been so busy with my apprentice, I haven't even tried to keep up with current affairs. Well, I'll just have to check on the status of our Mt. Moon operation and such instead.
"Mr. Frederick!" My apprentice's voice pulled me out of any thoughts I had left. I looked up to find her standing on her tiptoes and leaning towards the other side of the counter. "Mr. Frederick, we're here!" I slammed a palm into my face and instantly regretted such an impulsive action. With a low groan of annoyance, I headed to my apprentice's side.
Just as I was about to pull her away, Frederick burst out of the doors with a tray of Farfetch'd egg omelets and and Pecha berries in his hand. My apprentice nearly jumped up in excitement, causing the man to laugh at her eagerness.
"Ah, Ms. Belle is here! It's so good to see you again!" A smile took over his features as he pushed the tray on the counter. "Tell me, did you sleep well, hm?"
"Oh, yes I did!" My apprentice's voice was borderline song-like as she reached for her plate. "I slept all through the whole night! I didn't even wake up once!" I simply rolled my eyes as Frederick laughed.
"Ah, that's very good! Very, very good!" His accent only seemed to hinder his good-nature at this point. "Be sure to eat all of your food this morning, little Belle." He lifted his spatula from...somewhere—I wasn't looking at him full-on, only out of the corner of my eyes—and started waving it as if he expected it to have magical powers. "It's important to eat in the mornings before training!"
"Actually, my mentor said I can have the day off!" I jumped in shock and found horror slipping in my veins. I motioned across my throat to silence her, but she simply kept on blabbing. "He said that I need to rest up a bit, and he's got a meeting today anyway, so he said today would be a good day!"
Frederick lifted an eyebrow at my behavior but simply shook it off. "Ah, that was very kind of him. Be sure to thank him for this little break, little one! It is not everyday that the great King of Team Rocket gives such a kind command." I felt my cheeks burn before I shook it off and grabbed the tray off of the counter.
"Yes, a break is a wonderful idea and such." I shot my apprentice a glare as she simply turned to follow the food. "However, as previously stated, I have a meeting this afternoon and I plan to be on time." I took a deep breath before then confidently strutting out of the room. After a few moments—and a few very loud farewells from my apprentice—the sound of footsteps raced to meet me in the hallway. I simply rolled my eyes and let out that breath I had taken only moments before.
This is going to be a bad day, I can feel it.
Every step I took was amplified by the Launch Room as I lead my apprentice inside. The black marble gradually gave way to the magnificent 'R' in the center of the room, proudly crafted after only the brightest of rubies. My apprentice let out an audible gasp in awe as I made my way to the head of the stone slab and sat down.
Four pairs of eyes stiffened into a glare as I looked over my executives. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they were very uneasy about my apprentice's appearance in such a private and influential room. However, one sharp glare from me left them looking at their laps in shame.
"Well then," The sound of my apprentice's boots bounced around the room as she stopped beside my chair with wide eyes. "How is our Mt. Moon operation proceeding, Proton?" The man with teal hair jolted at my voice before jumping to his feet with a sickening grin.
"Sir," He gave me a quick bow before standing straight up, his Ekans grin never leaving his face. "Our Moon Stone supplies has doubled from five-thousand to ten-thousand in a week's time." I narrowed my eyes as he continued, "At this rate, we shall have every single one of those stones extracted by the end of this week."
I gave him a nod and motioned for him to sit down. However, the man ignored my order and instead turned to my apprentice. "Well now!" He gave the poor brunette a devious grin as his eyes scanned her. "Isn't this a lovely surprise!" Anger started to rise in my veins as the man turned towards my apprentice. "It's so wonderful to see you out of the Medical Wing, little mouse! We were all so worried about you."
"Enough, Proton!" My voice snapped into an inhuman bark as the rage boiled over. The man jumped and gave me a look of shock as I started to scowl at him and his terrible behavior. "Take your seat and shut the heck up."
The man seemed to think this over for a moment before narrowing his eyes and giving me a feigned nod of submission. The teal-haired man slowly lowered himself into his seat and gave a glare of defiance over the stone table, making me shoot him a worse glare in return.
A cough from my apprentice snapped me out of this silent showdown.
I quickly turned my attention to my left to find her weakly covering her mouth with her elbow. She then lifted her head from the crevice and muttered an apology before shuddering in the colder air of the Launch Room. A sick feeling similar to the one I had felt in the Medical Wing overtook my systems, leaving me to stand up abruptly.
"I'm sorry, sir." My apprentice took my standing up as a threat and started to back up. "I-I won't interrupt again. You can continue..." Before she could high-tail it out of here, I did something that probably made all of the executives in the room think I was crazy.
I went to the farthest corner of the room, the one that seemed to always evade the light and found the long-abandoned sixth chair of the room. I took a deep breath as I thought this through. Doing such an act would ruin my image with my executives as being cold, emotionless and in control. However, in doing so, I would make my apprentice a bit more comfortable. After everything that's happened so far, I wasn't about to be an utter jerk to her.
My hand seemed to shake as I reached out for the golden back of the chair, my hand nearly slipping on the arch of gold. Pale fingers wrapped around between the studs of emeralds as I lifted the chair and carried it back to the table. The room held its breath as I gently placed the chair behind my apprentice and motioned for her to sit.
The girl gave me a bright smile of thanks before sitting down beside my own chair. I then gave her a push to bring her closer to the harsh stone and returned to my own throne at the head of the slab. Just as I sat down, Arianna jumped to her feet.
"But sir! That chair belonged to Grace!" Frantic worry seemed to overwhelm my executives as my apprentice sat obliviously in her provided seat. "It's always been the chair of the fifth executive! Why, she's simply an apprentice! She doesn't deserve to—"
I cut her off with a harsh glare. "I know who's chair it was, Arianna. Don't question my motives, you pathetic lot! I am the one in charge around here, in case you've forgotten. If I say my apprentice can sit in...her chair," I paused and took a quick look at my apprentice. The lights seemed to reflect vibrant highlights within her hazel eyes, forcing me to look away. "Then she will sit in that chair! The woman's been dead for years now, it makes no difference to her if the chair sits in a corner or is used by an apprentice."
She would prefer it was used then collecting dust. That small voice spoke up as Arianna slumped back in her chair and the other executives remained silent rocks of unforgiving stone. She never would approve of these newer conditions. I pushed my thoughts aside and tried to focus on the affairs of my organization.
"Now, does anyone have something useful to report?" I looked over the older members of Team Rocket as they exchanged glances. Arianna let out a sigh before standing up once again. "This had better not be related to my apprentice."
"Sir," Her polite airs were ripped in two as she spoke through clenched teeth. "The stones we sent to the Sevii Islands were indeed being tracked. Shortly after they arrived, the island was swarmed with police crews." I let out a disappointed sigh and shook my head. "We dodged a deadly bullet with that move, sir." A stone dropped in my stomach as I took a sharp breath.
"Just as I expected." I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back in my chair. "It seems they're still looking for that terrible man. Such a shame they will never find him, isn't it?" My executives exchanged a pained glance before I went on, "However, it seems we will have to be more cautious from now on. I have a bitter feeling that things will only get harder as we go on."
"Of course, sir." Arianna gave me a small nod as Archer and Proton did the same. "Security should be increased until things die down, and all grunts will be required to keep alert on their missions. Things will not go as they had during those times." I nodded in response, motioning for her to sit down. The redhead nodded in return and slowly lowered herself into her seat.
It was only seconds after she sat down that Archer stood up with a tight frown. I just chuckled and shook my head. "What is it, Archer? Do we have yet another recruit?" The other members of the room seemed to stiffen at my jest. "At this rate, we might have to cut their pay to be able to support so many individuals."
"Actually, sir, this is much more serious." At the dark tone of his voice, I found myself standing up. His stormy greys narrowed in thought as I clenched my teeth. "You see, around a day or so before the incident on the track, we seemed to have an unauthoriazed access to the Security Wing." I found my body becoming rigid at these words, my eyes growing wide in panic.
"What are you saying—"
"Sir," He seemed to tower above me as he spoke the words I dreaded to hear. "It seems someone broke into the base and then went through our database."
It was here that I snapped.
"Mew curse it!" I slammed my fist into the table so hard, it felt as if the limb would burst to pieces as if it were made of glass. "Why wasn't anyone guarding it?! Why is it that someone can just waltz in, steal our data and make a getaway?!" I slammed my fist again as I hung my head in frustration, my throat screaming in pain. "Why?!"
"That's just it, sir." Archer's voice was surprisingly calm and steady during this moment, the moment where everything was crashing down. "They sent the data out via a Murkrow carrier." He reached behind his back before suddenly flinging a black bird across the table.
My apprentice let out a horrified gasp as the sharp stench of blood seeped into the air and polluted the small room. A deep crimson smudge covered the grey slab as the bird skid across the table to stop right under my nose. I slowly took my hands away from my hair and placed a hand down on the greasy feathers. After numbly searching the snapped neck of the creature, I found a red ribbon securing a small flash drive to the beast.
A twisted grin flashed on my face as I yanked the drive off of the carcase, snapping the ribbon in two. It weakly fell to the table as my apprentice watched on in horror. I turned the black device over in my hand until I found what I was looking for. Right on the black body of the electronic, for all of the world to see, was a crimson 'E' combined with a matching '4'. I found my shoulders shaking with a laugh as I tightened my grip.
"So, the Elite Four is trying to stick their noses where they don't belong?" A loud laugh escaped me as my apprentice rushed to her feet. "You would think that those fools would learn their lesson from their last tango with us. We have a certain tendency to...step on uncoordinated feet."
A small pressure pressed against my left shoulder, forcing me to look over my shoulder. To my surprise, my apprentice was placing her palm against my shoulder and giving me a look of fear. I took a deep breath and pulled myself out of this fearful state I had stooped into and faced my blue-haired executive.
"So, they've lost their information, and we've lost our security." It was to my quiet surprise the man simply flashed a white, twisted smile. A small flame of curiosity and confusion found a place to ignite inside of me at this strange display of pleasure.
"Actually sir, it seems we somehow gained a new member between the frame of that night and the next morning."
I found myself grinning with triumph as I found that this death blow was not for me, but for my enemies. I low laugh escaped me as I lifted my chin with pride. "Well then, isn't this a lovely surprise? Those fools thought that they could pull off such a sloppy attempt of infiltration on my beloved organization? They are nothing but mangy Rattatas under my heel! I shall deal with this new member immediately!"
"That's wonderful, sir." A sick pleasure slipped into Archer's voice as my apprentice's gentle palm became a tight clench of her fist on my shoulder. "I thought you might feel that way. That's why I invited him to the Grand Chamber to join us, sir."
I pushed myself away from the table and grinned as my apprentice took a step back. "Lovely, Archer. I'll be sure to pay this guest a visit right away." I turned back to my apprentice and gave her a hard stare. This is a great opportunity to prove her loyalty to me. Usually, we have to test that in the field. I guess such a rotten pest is good for something after all.
"Apprentice," The brunette jolted at my voice before giving me a tight salute. "It seems that we have ourselves an intruder." My eyes softened as I felt a light lift of amusement. "I would like you to join me in the Grand Chamber so we can...welcome this sudden guest of ours."
The girl hesitated for a moment before giving me a sharp nod. "Yes sir, I would be honored to accompany you." I smiled at the determination in her eyes before turning to my executives. They stood up with a sharp salute, one hand on their foreheads and their left hand holding their cap—or empty fist—above their heart. I gave them a quick nod before turning to the door.
"Well then, let's not keep him waiting, shall we?"
Author's Note: Looks like this meeting didn't end so well as it did previously, did it? It seems that the plan that we had witnessed earlier has unraveled and fallen to the floor, shattering at the young Champion's feet. Seeing as we're cheering for the villains here, I guess we should start cheering for Silver and Kotone now, shouldn't we? /grin/
This is just a reminder to vote for your favorite series on my profile! The winning series will be the star of my New Year's one-shot and the star of a New Year's artwork for my Deviant Art (and the one-shot's cover). Would you like to see how the devious Team Rocket celebrates New Year's Eve/Day? Or perhaps you are more interested in a kiss between Silver and Kotone? Well, go vote for "The Pains of Being in Charge" to bring your favorite series to victory! Voting ends on December 13th, so you have only a month left. Be sure to get your vote in before the deadline!