A/N:
Alright, so this is out like way faster than I usually update. This was a very easy chapter to write though, so that's probably why. I can't promise this kind of updating speed in the future, but in the meantime, here's the next chapter. Also, I'd like to thank you all for over 50,000 views to the story now!
Thank you once again to Orthros for proof reading this chapter. It's really a huge help and ensures that the more inferior work does not make it through.
If you like this story, please consider checking out my Explorers of Sky fic, Into Darkness.
"…" - Spoken dialogue
Italics - Michael's thoughts
'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue
/\/\/\ - Lemon Scene
"Redemption is not just about the survival of our soul. It's about the revival of a soul that was once dead."
-Unknown
Ch. 30 - A Way Out
The following morning after breakfast had been delivered, Raptor showed up once again. Once again without her armor, and without the knowledge of anyone else. "I can't help but wonder," he finally asked, "what's got you interested in speaking to me? That day you slit my throat, you were the very picture of rage itself."
"You are the only person on this entire base that actually stood up for my kind. You actually gave a shit about the fact that a lot of us were targeted as well. I thought that Douglas was different, but apparently I was wrong. I wanted to at least speak to you some before Douglas killed you." He knew that that was likely what was in store for him, but hearing didn't exactly reassure him.
"Well I can't understand that mindset that somehow pokémon are inferior to humans. Aside from both being intelligent and sentient, it's the pokémon that make almost everything in our society a possibility. And I think that if this organization somehow has it in mind that the world will be accepting of policies that treat pokémon as lesser beings, then they've got something else in store completely."
"I would hope that they wouldn't pass any discriminatory policies," Raptor said.
"They seek to implement traditional values, correct?" he asked. She nodded. "Well then that means they want to turn the clock back and start creating laws based upon the way things were long ago. And generally that's great - I'd love it if the world wasn't as selfish and immoral as it was - but sometimes laws needed to be changed, and this was one of those times. Pokémon used to live like slaves to humans, and fortunately society shifted away from that sort of mindset. And now we've got a massive, powerful group of people that want to bring that kind of shit back into the modern day."
"I don't think they will be able to do it," Raptor said. "Like you said, people nowadays won't be willing to adjust their views like that."
"That's just it though," Michael countered. "They won't be willing. But when you really get down to it, this organization isn't so fond of giving people a choice, are they? You heard Douglas - he wants to tear apart democracy. And while the main targets are going to be people that aren't exactly positive members of society, there isn't going to be a whole lot of choice involved. What if one day he decides that anyone that resists his ideals should be put to death? Hell, that's exactly what he's doing now."
"So then I just can't win," she muttered. "Either the wrong people get to inherit the world, or pokémon get to be treated like property again…"
"There has to be another way. A way to stop everything that's going on here, while also removing the left from positions of power. I know there is."
"Well then I'm all ears."
"I…I don't really know how, but I refuse to believe that we must settle for two extremist parties. There just has to be another option."
"It doesn't seem like there is. Arceus, why did it have to come to any of this?" she seemed to ask to herself. "It just… it isn't fair…"
"Nothing about this situation is fair. It wasn't fair that Hoenn treated you all the way it did. It wasn't fair that thousands got kidnapped and sold in the trafficking market, and it sure as hell isn't fair that millions are about to be vaporized when he decides to launch a motherfucking nuke into Kanto's capital. And shit, if he's willing to do that there… then what will he do when he steps foot onto Hoenn again?"
"He…" she sighed. "He intends to kill almost everyone in the country…"
"Wait, what? He intends to take out the whole fucking country?!" Michael asked.
"Just about. He puts on that carefree smile… walks around like he's all calm and collected… but deep down, he's become consumed by rage. I think… I may have taken after him with that…"
"I think you're giving yourself too little credit. You actually have a moral compass left in you."
"Oh give me a break," she said. "I doubt there's any redemption for the things that I've done. The things I've helped him do."
"I told you already, that's just not true. The man I told you about yesterday? He led Team Rocket all those years ago. But now… he's taken a completely different path. He was willing to destroy what he had created in order to right his past wrongs."
"Even if I wanted to… there's nothing that I can do. He's already getting things in order. I heard him last night - Johto and Kanto fell for one of his distractions, and he's going to be shipping off the first nuke within the week. And once he gets it into one of his bases on the mainland… it won't be long before he launches it…"
"You know that there is a way. Maybe you could contact somebody…"
"He does not keep almost any communication devices on base for that very reason. There are a few computers here and there, but even those are only for document storage and can't actually make contact with anyone…"
"Well fuck…" Michael said. "Then there really is no way to stop this then…"
"I don't think so… Not without somehow managing to take down this entire base. And that would be a death wish. We're locked in. My kind is just going to have to make the best of it… and hopefully…"
"If that's the case, then they better get used to not being allowed in stores or restaurants again. They better not expect to be let into the universities, or actually any sort of fair treatment ever again. That's what the future holds for your kind if Stone's men are put into power. And the sad thing is that they will be able to sleep completely fine with that."
"I… I have helped contribute to the very fall of my kin then… and there will be no way for us to stop him. No matter how many of us there are, no matter how strong… we cannot stand up against bullets and bombs…" The reality of what they had done had hit her like a brick wall.
"Yep. And I'm sure people like me won't exactly be liked either. Not that we are in Johto, anyways…"
"Why is that?" she asked.
"Didn't you hear Douglas say it the other day?"
"Wait… he was actually right about that?!" Judging from her expression, she clearly didn't believe what she was hearing.
"…Yeah, he was. I love my pokémon. They've always been there for me, and one thing turned into another, and just… yeah…"
"…Wow…" she murmured. "That was unexpected…"
"Oh trust me," he laughed, "I didn't expect it either. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. I just wish that I could see them one last time. But unfortunately, I won't get that opportunity. I just hope that one day we will be reunited after death. But… they are equally as immortal as I am, so that even could be wishful thinking…"
"I'm sorry to hear that," Raptor said. "Really, I am."
"It is what it is. I hate the fuck out of it, but it is outside of my power to do anything about the situation. I'm going to die here… wherever here even is… and the girls will never know what happened to me."
"That's… not entirely true," she sighed. "He does have a plan for you… one way or another…"
"What do you mean?" Michael asked.
"Well, he wanted you to help him recruit within Johto, given your position. But you aren't going to do that. So he figured that he might as well get some sort of use out of you… by making an example of you. He plans to film it, and… he's going to send it to the CIC headquarters." Oh Arceus… they're all going to watch my death…
"Shit… when does he plan to do this?"
"This upcoming Sunday." That gave him three days left… "And he knows that you will likely try something. He's arranged for a large security detail to watch you every step of the way…" Well then there went his plan. There was no way that he would be able to kill Douglas when there were that many people armed and ready around him. He might be able to take a few down with him before getting completely mowed down.
"Then there's nothing I can do but wait for the inevitable," he sighed. "Well, since I'm going to die, I guess there's no harm in telling me where the hell we are…"
"I guess not," she replied. "We're on Chrono Island. This used to be a Team Rocket warehouse years ago. He decided to turn the abandoned buildings into his base of operations for storing nuclear weapons. Why he chose to practically settle down here is beyond me though. My only guess is that maybe it was to avoid detection."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Worked pretty damn well too," Michael said. "They're still looking for him on the mainland. Who would've thought that he would be hiding in such a place? No one in the CIC would've expected him to set up shop in a place where a lot of them used to work. Right under their noses."
"It won't be long before he won't have to hide. Pretty soon he's going to have Unova backing him, too."
"Unova? But they're pretty left-leaning…"
"Politicians and businesses there have been getting sick and tired of liberalism for some time now. Just like Douglas said, people all over the globe are ready for a change. And he is presenting that opportunity far more than anyone could possibly imagine," Raptor said.
"But murdering and selling innocent people is no way to go about making this change," Michael replied. "Not to mention practically enslaving pokémon once again."
"I hate it. I hate all of it. But it's… too late to stop it now. And he wouldn't listen to me anyways… Not anymore…"
"If that's the case, then I don't know what to tell you. Like you said, pokémon are just going to have to get used to being treated like property once again, and people are just going to keep dying."
. . . . .
Two days left. Michael was having trouble sleeping, knowing what was in store for him. Douglas was going to take his knife and cut through Michael's throat. Only this time, he wasn't going to let up like Raptor had, and all of his comrades and the girls would get to see the footage of him as the life seeped out of him.
But it could be worse. At least given the way things currently were, he had someone to talk with before the end. He hardly believed that the same Raptor he had been speaking with was that very same pokémon that almost killed both him and Alex. However, there was a lot more to her than just an intimidating suit of armor. He had actually had come to enjoy her company these past few days. Aside from the fact that it beat being cooped up with no interaction whatsoever, the sceptile was starting to actually seem oddly friendly. He had the feeling that she was someone that simply wasn't meant to be here, and that a group of people like this was no place for someone like her. Then again, she did nearly kill him twice…
He liked the new Raptor that he was coming to know as of recently, and the likely case was that this was the type of person that she actually was. The entire nature of the situation at hand had seemingly changed a lot of formerly good people into something entirely different, and Douglas was no exception. But she was still within the realm of coming back. The only question was did she want to? That question was answered that very day.
Raptor barged into the room, wearing her armor once again and clearly furious. Great, he thought, what's gotten into her now?
"That fucking asshole!" she yelled as she slammed her helmet on the desk, making Michael tense up.
"Uh… I take it you're upset about something?" She looked at him in an unamused manner.
"You could say that! He fucking meant all that! He didn't even give a shit about what I thought!"
"Alright, alright, fill me in on what happened. And please, try to calm down just a little bit. The guards outside might hear you." She nodded, slowly taking a deep breath. Whatever Douglas had said had managed to anger her more than Michael during their last fight, and that was saying something.
"I went to him. I had to ask him… I just had to," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Ask him what?"
"If he would abandon this whole thing. I said that I didn't want to be a part of a movement that would slaughter millions more in the future," she said.
"Okay, and he said?"
"He said he didn't give a damn if I was a part of it or not. It was going to happen with or without me. I asked if this was what he really wanted - he has shown regret for the lives consumed in this process. He doesn't want to do it. But he's forcing himself to over some idea of the 'greater good.' And he doesn't even care that he'll be killed when all of this is said and done. When I asked if he even gave a shit how that would make me feel, he just said I would have to live with it."
"…Wow… That's a way to treat a partner of what, twenty years?"
"Twenty-fucking-seven. He doesn't care… he hasn't in a long time. Not for me. But yet he'll shed tears over the innocent people that he's killed. He has just lost all respect for my kind. And when I told him that, he just… he just fucking walked away." She started to tear up, the venom in her voice being replaced with despair. "It's not fair at all! They turned him into this, and I get to pay the price for it! After all this time, and I'm just a fucking tool for his mission! His mission to eradicate an entire fucking country!"
"No, it's not fair," Michael replied calmly. "Hell, I'd think a little gratitude would be in order after all those years of working together through such a shitstorm. But maybe that's too much to ask for."
"Seems like it," she growled. "Well I've had it with this bullshit. I made the decision last night, but I wanted to be sure. He just gave me all the confirmation I needed. We're going to shut this whole thing down."
"What?"
"We're getting out of here, and we're taking the place down." Michael wanted to be sure that he was understanding this correctly.
"But you even said yourself - this place is inescapable."
"He's put everything we need to destroy this entire place right here."
"Wait… you want to destroy the place too? But you would be killing Douglas…"
"He's already dead. Everything I came to love ceased to exist that day we found him in the hospital. I didn't want to believe it until now, but… he's proven to me that he's not the same person, and he couldn't care less. I hate it… I don't want to do it at all, but I will not allow pokémon all across the world to be treated the same way I just was. Like some kind of a fucking animal. And I will not stand by idly while he massacres millions of people. Not anymore. Now I need you to listen very closely to this plan. I can't stay here too long, or he might come looking for me."
"A…alright…"
"Six in the morning is when most of the base is asleep. If I'm not mistaken, there is only one guard in front of your cell during that time. I'll come around that time and take him out. Once you've put on his uniform, we will head over to the nuclear site, where—."
"Wait a second… holy shit," Michael said in shock. "You can't actually mean—."
"You got any better ideas?" Admittedly, he didn't. He didn't have any ideas; all of this was still taking him by surprise. "He has several. As long as we launch the smallest one and give ourselves enough time to drive down to the edge of the island, we should be fine."
"…So you're telling me that you want to launch one of his nuclear weapons right here on the base?"
"Did I stutter?"
"No… I'm just having trouble processing it all…"
"I can't blame you for that. But this is the only chance to stop everything - to save both my kind and your own."
"…Do you even know how to launch a nuke?" Michael asked.
"No, but I know who does. And he has no life aside from that stupid lab. He even fucking sleeps there. We'll take him to the launch site, make him put in the codes, and kill him. Once that's done, we run over to the vehicle storage unit, grab one, and drive out the front gate. The card he gave me will unlock any door in the facility, including the only entrance. Once we get that vehicle through, we lock it back and shoot it. That should trap them all inside for some time. Then we drive down to the edge of the island, where the abandoned village is. As long as you don't mind getting a little dirty, I'm sure we will be able to hide inside of a sewer or something there when the island gets practically destroyed…" The whole plan sounded insane, but as she had mentioned, he didn't have any better ideas. But aside from that, one other thing was on his mind - something he hated to ask, but needed to do so all the same.
"How do I know this isn't some sort of a setup? Why should I trust you?" She seemed to be slightly hurt upon hearing these words, but she understood his concern nonetheless.
"Because we want the same thing. Regardless of what happened in the past, we both want to prevent what is about to happen. And besides… he's going to kill you anyways. What do you have to lose?" She had a point there. He accepted that he would probably die when he made an attempt at Douglas' life, but now… he had the opportunity to make it out - an opportunity to make it back to the life that he loved. Even on the off chance that she was lying, it was worth a shot. But what about her?
"Alright. But if we get out of here… what will you do?" She remained silent for a moment, thinking it over, before responding with a sigh.
"I guess… I will accept the consequences of what I have done. They will kill me for sure - I helped kill their own. But at least I will be able to die with a clear conscience."
"If we manage to pull this off, I will personally vouch for you. They didn't kill Giovanni for what he did with Team Rocket because he decided to fight off this right here. If you can help actually destroy it all singlehandedly, then I doubt they will sentence you to death."
"Well then whatever happens, I will accept it," she said. "But that is relieving to hear. I don't exactly want to die…"
"Yeah, I can't blame you on that. They will listen to me, given the fact that my country now respects me. When we make it out of here... I want you to join us back at our place."
"Really? But would the others understand?"
"I don't care. I'll make them understand." She nodded, and grabbed her helmet.
"Then I guess this is it… We will be leaving early tomorrow morning. Be ready."
"Will do. Be careful." Raptor prepared to knock on the door again, but then turned around quickly and surprised him by hugging him tightly.
"Thank you... I've done some horrible things… things I can't take back. But I'm going to try to make it right now…"
"I've done bad things too. We all make bad decisions. We can't change the past, but we can change what we do right now. Not to sound belittling… but I'm proud of you." She smiled as she let go, quickly making her way out of the room.
They would have one shot at this. The risk was high, and they both knew that they could very well die in their attempt to escape, but they would make sure to at least drag that bastard down with them.
A/N:
Something that was pointed out to me is that not every reader will exactly know where Chrono Island is. It is a territory of Kanto and a part of the Sevii Islands that you could journey to in Fire Red/Leaf Green. The place that Douglas has set up shop in used to be the Team Rocket facility that you (the player) had to clear out in the post-game.
One chapter left in the first part of the story! Hope you enjoyed reading!
