PROLOGUE
Dr Belle found the faller exactly where she expected. He was lying face-down on the canyon's rough ground with his limbs splayed out in all directions, his clothes torn and filthy and the small amount of his face that was visible streaked with dirt and blood. He was completely still. After standing over him for a few more seconds, Belle bent down and cautiously rolled his limp body over. His front made an even more dramatic image; his hair was streaked white from stress, his features lined with effort or pain and the entire left side of his face consumed by a mass of gashes, some of which were still bleeding lazily. Belle checked his pulse and determined that he was still alive - might even keep on being alive some time - before her attention was drawn to his right hand. It was clenched into a tight fist.
Belle gently picked it up and began trying to shift his fingers, to no avail. They seemed to be rigidly locked into position. She attempted to prise open his fist for a second time, then paused, suddenly aware that the faller's remaining eye had flicked open and was watching her. There was a second of utter silence as she saw a tangled mess of emotion rush through the eye; surprise, confusion, terror and finally unrestrained hatred. Quickly but casually, as though this were business as usual, the faller raised his other arm and clamped his hand around Belle's throat.
She gasped and tried to jerk away, but his grip was too strong. She frantically began trying to pull away his fingers, but they were just as rigid as before. The faller looked up at her, his expression of wild fury from a moment ago now replaced with a strange calm. A smirk of satisfaction. Belle let her hands drop away from his grip, thoroughly unable to do anything as it tightened. Then, as calmly as she could manage, she let out a low whistle.
The faller stopped for a moment, giving her a questioning look with his one eye, before going back to strangling her. Belle sighed inwardly as she realised her whistle must not have been audible to its intended recipients and that this was how she was going to go out. Not at the hands of any of the many who wanted her dead for a reason, but at the hands of a half-crazed man at the bottom of a dusty canyon in the middle of the night.
The faller let his teeth show as his grip around her throat tightened even further. They, like the rest of his face, were streaked with blood and several of them were cracked. Despite everything, the idle thought wandered into Belle's head that the faller must be enduring incredible pain to keep on smiling like that. Then again, it was possible that he was just beyond the point where pain mattered at all. Then there was a blinding yellow flash and his grip slackened. Belle straightened up and greedily inhaled the night air, then glared at the Magneton that she had left on watch for witnesses bobbing up and down in the air behind the faller.
'You took your time,' she growled. The Magneton made an apologetic noise and floated back a few paces.
Belle returned her attention to the faller, who was still conscious but completely still. The attack had just paralysed him, so though he couldn't move, his condition wouldn't be worsened. Theoretically. Belle bent over again and easily prised his slackened fingers apart. In his hand was a polished stone that seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight, a strange colour that Belle couldn't recognise. Etched delicately all over its surface were bizarre-looking symbols that never repeated, arranged in no particular pattern but incredibly neat nonetheless. Belle gently tapped it with a finger. It didn't feel like...anything, really. Feeling it was more of an absence of sensation.
Carefully, Belle picked it up and held it in front of her, examining it from different angles, ignoring the meaningless hoarse rasps coming from the paralysed faller. She gave it a quick scan with her instrument and, satisfied with the results, pocketed it and began walking away briskly, whistling again as she went. Two more Magnetons floated up and joined the other one in triangular formation around the faller. The three Pokemon started emitting a low hum that steadily grew louder as the faller rose up into the air helplessly between them. Then they began moving after their Trainer, their floating captive making a few ineffectual grunts of protest.
From a gap in the canyon's rock face high above, two suited figures watched Belle and her companions departing.
AUDIO FILE: REF. 2365D84F (Confiscated from civilian)
Security Clearance: For Sigma Unit operatives only
SCHEDULED FOR PERMANENT DELETION, PENDING CONFIRMATION
Airport Controller (AC): You're not serious. You can't do this.
Sigma A (SA): We can.
Sigma B (SB): We are already proceeding with it.
AC: But you haven't given me any justification for cancelling the investigation, you haven't given any reason to just -
SA: We are not obliged to explain our reasoning to you. You were not an official part of the investigation.
SB: HQ made the decision to suspend the investigation, and so it is suspended.
AC: But why? Can you give me any reason?
SA: HQ determined that we needed to step back and give this case more analysis before continuing as we have been.
AC: Can you be more specific?
SB: Specifics are classified for the general public.
AC: (Exhales heavily)
SA: Rest assured that we have the situation in hand.
AC: (Raises voice) You don't have anything in hand! You don't know where the plane went for half a day! You, you can't account for the gaps' in the memories of all the passengers and crew!
SB: Actually, we have quite a few hypotheses, which require further analysis -
AC: And you can't even figure out who the two missing passengers were! And now it's less than a week later, and you're pulling out before you've achieved anything at all -
SA: Is that a recorder? (Pause) It's turned on. Why are you recording us?
AC: I, I record all our conversations and interviews. Because they might help the investi -
SB: You're not part of the investigation.
AC: (Sounds of a scuffle) Hey, give that back! (Loud thump and AC cries out)
SA: You don't record us.
AC: (Another thump and AC cries out again)
SB: No one records us.
END OF AUDIO FILE
ADDITIONAL AUDIO FILE REF. 7453X9J6 (Recording made by Sigma operative)
Security Clearance: For Sigma Unit operatives only
REQUIRES ANALYSIS: AUDIO APPEARS TO BE HEAVILY CORRUPTED BUT METADATA CONTRADICTS THIS CONCLUSION
d̴̝̱̭̤͓͚̹̳́o̶̧̨̡̜̮̖̱̰̯̣͇̮̊̔͜ͅ ̵̡̨̱͈̤̳̰͇̃̂͛̈́̀̏̽͑͜l̶̻͗̓̐̄e̸̹̣̳̳̹̽͗̆̽̒͝ ̸͙̣̮̹̮̍͂m̵̥̹̋̔͐o̴̪̲̖͚̰̊̍ ̷̡͔̪̜͈̼̘̲̺̯̘̓͒͜͜t̶̢̩̠̺̜̲̪̟̀̀̀̂̍͠ḛ̷̢̬̯͆ ̶̨͈͇̳͔̼͒́̓̇̊̂̊̍̋̂́̉͠ͅḣ̸̢͈̦̻̤̰̜̤͉͖͕̉̌̄̃̀ͅy̴̨̜̮̩̥͌̄̂͌͋̏̅͂̽̓̀̕ ̴̡̭̫̼̫͔̟̀͛̌̋̀́͛͐̂̐͜͜q̶̗̘̻̳̟̓͛̇̒͒ä̶̜̖̥̜̞̼̜͙̻͈̻̅̀̊̂͗͊͗̀͘͠ ̷̺̜̱̦͇̣̖͙͔̱̩͌̅́͐̈́̅̿̐̽̎͜ṗ̷̧̛̹̥̬̾̓̀ͅọ̶͈̖̖́̏̋̈̇̔̓̔̚ ̴̙͂̾̐͊̂̀́̀͂̎͝
d̴̝̱̭̤͓͚̹̳́o̶̧̨̡̜̮̖̱̰̯̣͇̮̊̔͜ͅ ̵̡̨̱͈̤̳̰͇̃̂͛̈́̀̏̽͑͜l̶̻͗̓̐̄e̸̹̣̳̳̹̽͗̆̽̒͝ ̸͙̣̮̹̮̍͂m̵̥̹̋̔͐o̴̪̲̖͚̰̊̍ ̷̡͔̪̜͈̼̘̲̺̯̘̓͒͜͜t̶̢̩̠̺̜̲̪̟̀̀̀̂̍͠ḛ̷̢̬̯͆ ̶̨͈͇̳͔̼͒́̓̇̊̂̊̍̋̂́̉͠ͅḣ̸̢͈̦̻̤̰̜̤͉͖͕̉̌̄̃̀ͅy̴̨̜̮̩̥͌̄̂͌͋̏̅͂̽̓̀̕ ̴̡̭̫̼̫͔̟̀͛̌̋̀́͛͐̂̐͜͜q̶̗̘̻̳̟̓͛̇̒͒ä̶̜̖̥̜̞̼̜͙̻͈̻̅̀̊̂͗͊͗̀͘͠ ̷̺̜̱̦͇̣̖͙͔̱̩͌̅́͐̈́̅̿̐̽̎͜ṗ̷̧̛̹̥̬̾̓̀ͅọ̶͈̖̖́̏̋̈̇̔̓̔̚ ̴̙͂̾̐͊̂̀́̀͂̎͝
d̴̝̱̭̤͓͚̹̳́o̶̧̨̡̜̮̖̱̰̯̣͇̮̊̔͜ͅ ̵̡̨̱͈̤̳̰͇̃̂͛̈́̀̏̽͑͜l̶̻͗̓̐̄e̸̹̣̳̳̹̽͗̆̽̒͝ ̸͙̣̮̹̮̍͂m̵̥̹̋̔͐o̴̪̲̖͚̰̊̍ ̷̡͔̪̜͈̼̘̲̺̯̘̓͒͜͜t̶̢̩̠̺̜̲̪̟̀̀̀̂̍͠ḛ̷̢̬̯͆ ̶̨͈͇̳͔̼͒́̓̇̊̂̊̍̋̂́̉͠ͅḣ̸̢͈̦̻̤̰̜̤͉͖͕̉̌̄̃̀ͅy̴̨̜̮̩̥͌̄̂͌͋̏̅͂̽̓̀̕ ̴̡̭̫̼̫͔̟̀͛̌̋̀́͛͐̂̐͜͜q̶̗̘̻̳̟̓͛̇̒͒ä̶̜̖̥̜̞̼̜͙̻͈̻̅̀̊̂͗͊͗̀͘͠ ̷̺̜̱̦͇̣̖͙͔̱̩͌̅́͐̈́̅̿̐̽̎͜ṗ̷̧̛̹̥̬̾̓̀ͅọ̶͈̖̖́̏̋̈̇̔̓̔̚ ̴̙͂̾̐͊̂̀́̀͂̎͝
d̴̝̱̭̤͓͚̹̳́o̶̧̨̡̜̮̖̱̰̯̣͇̮̊̔͜ͅ ̵̡̨̱͈̤̳̰͇̃̂͛̈́̀̏̽͑͜l̶̻͗̓̐̄e̸̹̣̳̳̹̽͗̆̽̒͝ ̸͙̣̮̹̮̍͂m̵̥̹̋̔͐o̴̪̲̖͚̰̊̍ ̷̡͔̪̜͈̼̘̲̺̯̘̓͒͜͜t̶̢̩̠̺̜̲̪̟̀̀̀̂̍͠ḛ̷̢̬̯͆ ̶̨͈͇̳͔̼͒́̓̇̊̂̊̍̋̂́̉͠ͅḣ̸̢͈̦̻̤̰̜̤͉͖͕̉̌̄̃̀ͅy̴̨̜̮̩̥͌̄̂͌͋̏̅͂̽̓̀̕ ̴̡̭̫̼̫͔̟̀͛̌̋̀́͛͐̂̐͜͜q̶̗̘̻̳̟̓͛̇̒͒ä̶̜̖̥̜̞̼̜͙̻͈̻̅̀̊̂͗͊͗̀͘͠ ̷̺̜̱̦͇̣̖͙͔̱̩͌̅́͐̈́̅̿̐̽̎͜ṗ̷̧̛̹̥̬̾̓̀ͅọ̶͈̖̖́̏̋̈̇̔̓̔̚ ̴̙͂̾̐͊̂̀́̀͂̎͝
d̴̝̱̭̤͓͚̹̳́o̶̧̨̡̜̮̖̱̰̯̣͇̮̊̔͜ͅ ̵̡̨̱͈̤̳̰͇̃̂͛̈́̀̏̽͑͜l̶̻͗̓̐̄e̸̹̣̳̳̹̽͗̆̽̒͝ ̸͙̣̮̹̮̍͂m̵̥̹̋̔͐o̴̪̲̖͚̰̊̍ ̷̡͔̪̜͈̼̘̲̺̯̘̓͒͜͜t̶̢̩̠̺̜̲̪̟̀̀̀̂̍͠ḛ̷̢̬̯͆ ̶̨͈͇̳͔̼͒́̓̇̊̂̊̍̋̂́̉͠ͅḣ̸̢͈̦̻̤̰̜̤͉͖͕̉̌̄̃̀ͅy̴̨̜̮̩̥͌̄̂͌͋̏̅͂̽̓̀̕ ̴̡̭̫̼̫͔̟̀͛̌̋̀́͛͐̂̐͜͜q̶̗̘̻̳̟̓͛̇̒͒ä̶̜̖̥̜̞̼̜͙̻͈̻̅̀̊̂͗͊͗̀͘͠ ̷̺̜̱̦͇̣̖͙͔̱̩͌̅́͐̈́̅̿̐̽̎͜ṗ̷̧̛̹̥̬̾̓̀ͅọ̶͈̖̖́̏̋̈̇̔̓̔̚ ̴̙͂̾̐͊̂̀́̀͂̎͝
d̴̝̱̭̤͓͚̹̳́o̶̧̨̡̜̮̖̱̰̯̣͇̮̊̔͜ͅ ̵̡̨̱͈̤̳̰͇̃̂͛̈́̀̏̽͑͜l̶̻͗̓̐̄e̸̹̣̳̳̹̽͗̆̽̒͝ ̸͙̣̮̹̮̍͂m̵̥̹̋̔͐o̴̪̲̖͚̰̊̍ ̷̡͔̪̜͈̼̘̲̺̯̘̓͒͜͜t̶̢̩̠̺̜̲̪̟̀̀̀̂̍͠ḛ̷̢̬̯͆ ̶̨͈͇̳͔̼͒́̓̇̊̂̊̍̋̂́̉͠ͅḣ̸̢͈̦̻̤̰̜̤͉͖͕̉̌̄̃̀ͅy̴̨̜̮̩̥͌̄̂͌͋̏̅͂̽̓̀̕ ̴̡̭̫̼̫͔̟̀͛̌̋̀́͛͐̂̐͜͜q̶̗̘̻̳̟̓͛̇̒͒ä̶̜̖̥̜̞̼̜͙̻͈̻̅̀̊̂͗͊͗̀͘͠ ̷̺̜̱̦͇̣̖͙͔̱̩͌̅́͐̈́̅̿̐̽̎͜ṗ̷̧̛̹̥̬̾̓̀ͅọ̶͈̖̖́̏̋̈̇̔̓̔̚ ̴̙͂̾̐͊̂̀́̀͂̎͝
END OF AUDIO FILE