Flailing around like a fish out of water, William moved up beside Laura. He elbowed her and said, "Hey, lady, why are we wasting time? We got the people, we got the one who can lead us to our goal, so what are we waiting around for? Let's go find that Mew!" Mewtwo obeyed his order. It was meant as nothing more than an enthusiastic suggestion, but Mewtwo treated it as an order. He said, (Okay then, William my friend! Here we go now! TO THE DEPTHS OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST AS FAST AS LIGHTNING!)
Then he took them on a power dive straight down toward the rainforest so far below. The leading edge of their protective blue bubble began to shine bright red with the heat caused by the speed of their descent. Laura thought Mewtwo looked a tad strained, but his shield never faltered even for a moment. Just a thousand meters above the highest trees, Mewtwo pulled the blue bubble to a screeching halt. The swift stop made Laura and her friends bounce around like rubber balls. Mewtwo said a quick apology and dissolved the shield. Without a pause, they were making a slow, controlled descent down through the thick treetops. Mere seconds later, they all stood close together on the moist, leaf-covered ground. Everyone was rubbernecking, looking at everything they could see, even Mewtwo. Then Laura, in her 'unstoppable arrow in flight to the target' mode, said, "That's enough gawking for today, folks! We have a mission to run and a Mew to find! Let's move out!" She quickly took the lead, Mewtwo right beside her. She turned to him and said, "Okay, Mewtwo, listen up. I want you to do a narrow spectrum scan, radius at two hundred meters. You find even a small trace of anything that seems even remotely like a Mew, you sing out pronto. I want to know the instant you find anything suspicious. Is that absolutely clear to you?" Mewtwo replied, (Yes, it's clear. I'll be starting that scan. Let's get the job started. While I scan, you guys all look and listen for anything.)
A few minutes later, Mewtwo said, (We're in luck! I've got a reading on Mew coming from only fifty meters away.) Spontaneously correct as usual, Laura replied, "I want you to nullify our psychic signatures. We don't want her to know we're here yet." He did. Moving slowly and silently, the group peered through a thick wall of broad, flat leaves. There was a clearing. In that clearing was a small bubbling brook. And, standing atop of a largish flat rock in the middle of the brook, there was a tiny white creature. It looked kind of like a kitten, but it was shaped more like a tiny kangaroo. A long, thin tail stuck up from behind it, waving in the air. It was Mew. She was alternating between slapping the bubbles in the water with her tiny paws and playfully chasing small iridescent flies. Whichever of those two things she did, she made a high, warbling sound that could only be one thing: laughter. Everyone, including Mewtwo, was totally knocked for a loop by her out-and-out cuteness. After a few seconds of slack-jawed gaping at the tiny psychic kitten, Mewtwo slowly looked over at Laura and said coolly, (I'm going to just plain step out and say hello. I'm betting Mew will know me because I know her through my psychic powers and it has to work both ways. When I give the signal, you step out too.) Not giving her any time to reply one way or the other, he stepped out of his hiding spot. Mew spotted him in an instant and lifted up into the air with a weird cheeping sound. Laura and the rest breathed a soft, almost inaudible cry of wonder. Mew made as if she was going to fly away, but she stopped in midair. Instead, she slowly floated a bit closer to Mewtwo. Mewtwo cautiously reached out to touch her with one paw, a paw almost as big as her entire little body, and said, (I knew I'd know you before I met you. I think you dreamed me into life. I knew you'd know me before you met me. I have been waiting all my life.) Mew cautiously floated a bit closer, then bounced on his paw a few times before finally settling down on his bony shoulder. "Mew," she said to him, "Mew, mew, mew, mew." Then she giggled. Mewtwo laughed too. He turned toward Laura and said, (You can come out now. It's okay.) They did. Mew lightly bounced off of Mewtwo's shoulder and just plain hovered in the air. She floated right over to Laura and sniffed her gently. "Mew," she said, "Mew? Mew, mew." Laura thought she understood what Mew was saying to her. She replied, "Oh! You remember me? Yes, I was there at the excavation. You saw me? That explains why I felt like we were being watched! It was you who was watching us back then?" Mew chirped assent. Laura and Mew had become friends just like that. She turned to her three friends and said, "Okay, guys. We finished our mission to find Mew. Let's go home!" She paused, realizing she'd forgotten something, then said to Mew, "Would you like to come with us?" Mew bounced in the air a few times, chirped, did an aerial somersault and landed on Mewtwo's shoulder. She was going with them. Mew giggled and so did Mewtwo. Everyone else joined in, laughing all together, exulting in the presence of the cute, irresistibly cuddly white kitten that had just joined the team. Everyone was chattering away about Mew until Laura said, "Excuse me, everyone…"
In just a few seconds, they were back in the air again. Mew and Mewtwo divided up the job of levitation between them. Mewtwo said, (Okay, Laura. Where to?) She replied, "Heck with timely arrivals! We've got all the time in the world, Mewtwo. Let's go hang out for a while. To the southern coast of Florida, Mewtwo! We deserve a little down time for all we've gone through. A nice beach, some warm sun and a little fun, Mewtwo. It sounds nice, don't it? It's about time I started showing you the nice things about this world. You've only seen the bad things about the world and the people in it. You deserve more. You deserve so much more. And you will get it or I ain't Laura Meisenheimer."
As they soared high overhead, William noticed a strange gathering of clouds far out in the Atlantic. After a moment, he said, "Holy whatever! That's a hurricane! What now what now… Laura! Mewtwo! Mew! Oh, what the heck. Everybody! It looks like we may not have a vacation after all! Take a look down there pronto!" Laura replied, "Right you are, William. We may not have a vacation, but we now have a choice to make. Do we fly on or do we go down into southern Florida to protect the women and the children? Let's have ourselves a little vote on the matter. All who say to just fly on and forget all about this little dilemma, raise their hands right now." No one raised his or her hand. They all wanted to go help and defend against the hurricane. The decision was completely unanimous. George said, "We can protect those people down there, if you're wondering. We have a regular feline Tower of Power and a wily little kitten whose cuteness belies her innate strength. If I'm right about this sort of stuff, all of us humans working together, pooling what precious little telepathic ability we may have in close conjunction with both Mew and Mewtwo's efforts, can beat this lousy thing but good. We can do it and that's all there is to it. We have a big job to do now, right? So let's not waste any more time." Laura said, "Right you are, man. And there's nothing to it but to do it. Let's get going, Mewtwo. Come on, Mew." They swooped downward like hawks. William proudly hummed the Superman theme. George whooped with pure happiness. Hannah sang and wiggled happily. Laura just chatted with Mew and Mewtwo, seeing if she could get more acquainted with the two of them while she got them both acquainted with each other.
The hurricane was predicted to make landfall in Miami. The evacuation was already well underway, so there weren't many people left in the city. Mew, Mewtwo and the four humans swooped down on the beach. They tried, anyway. But the beach was underwater. So they landed on a nearby freeway ramp. George yelled over the howling wind and slashing rain, "Yo! Laura! What do we do now?" Laura shouted back, "What? I can't hear a thing!" William yelled, "Did you just say something?" Hannah screamed, "What?"
Mewtwo took over in an instant, linking their thoughts so they didn't have to try to hear each other over the loud storm. George repeated, "What now?" Laura replied, "We have to gather everyone fast. A small shield is easier to maintain than a large shield. Mew, you'll be in charge of the shield. Mewtwo, you try and dissipate the storm. It shouldn't be an impossible endeavor. You did it back on the island. What's that island called, anyway?" Mewtwo replied, (I call it New Island, because it was where I was going to change the world to something new.) Laura said, "Right. New Island it is. But let's get to the point. You did it before. Not only that, but you handled that hurricane just fine. If you could do it then, you can certainly do it now. You should try, anyway." Mewtwo cut in, (That was because I made it. If I had created this one, I could get rid of it just fine. But this one made itself. I can try to influence the forces at work within it, but I'm not sure if it'll work.) Laura replied, "Give it your best shot. If you can't handle it, we'll need you to help Mew with the shield. But, for now, we need to gather everyone together here and fast." Mewtwo said, (Allow me to handle this job, please. With a little help from Mew…?)
Mewtwo reached out with his power, blanketing Miami in a cloud of his awareness. Everyone who still remained in it fell under his control. There were twenty people in all. Mew helped, getting those he couldn't reach. They guided the people under their control out into the open. Once they were in the open, the two worked together to levitate them to where the shield was. Once they were under the shield, Mew and Mewtwo released them. They ended up staring at Mew and Mewtwo. Laura stepped up and tried to speak to them. But they were too busy talking to each other and gawking to listen. So Mewtwo took a hand in it. He stepped forward and yelled, (LISTEN UP, YOU PEOPLE!) They paid attention to Laura. Mewtwo stepped back and said, (Thank you so much.) Laura said, Mew projecting her words into the crowd's minds, "Here's the reason we brought you here. This area is shielded from both wind and water. Mew, this little kitten here, will be shielding you from the hurricane. Meanwhile, Mewtwo, this big feline fellow over here, will be working to dissipate the storm. So sit down, relax and don't worry. Everything's under control." The crowd sat down. The pavement was wet, but that was it for water.
Mew's shield worked very well. Mewtwo said to Laura, (I'll have to go outside the shield to handle the storm better. Hold down the fort and don't leave the shield for anything, okay? Here I go.) He passed through the shield as if it weren't there at all and stood alone in the face of the storm's full fury. Laura shivered as she watched Mewtwo getting battered by the storm. She felt like throwing up then. He appeared to be in no small amount of pain. She could taste it. She could practically feel it. And yet he went on. How brave! He was pounded by waves, pummeled by rain and lashed by fierce winds. The familiar blue glow enveloped his body as he concentrated his full power on the storm. He was pushing himself to his limit, but the storm resisted his attempts to dissipate it. She wanted to go and encourage him. But she couldn't just leave the shield to go see him.
Minutes passed, Mewtwo tried his best, and still the storm raged on. Laura decided to risk it. She had to tell Mewtwo to return to the shield and take a break. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the shield. An instant later, she was assaulted by rain and wind. Struggling against the wind's awesome power, she walked up to Mewtwo. She laid a hand on his furry shoulder. The blue glow around him died as he quit using his power. He looked at her, shocked to see her outside the shield. She could sense that her leaving the shield worried him to no end. He wanted her to just turn around and go right back in the shield immediately. But she wouldn't do it until she had delivered her message/orders to him. She yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to be heard over the roaring storm, "Mewtwo! Go back in the shield and take a break! You can try again in a few-YIKES!" A monster wave swept over them. Mewtwo threw up a reflexive shield around only himself. The wave hit Laura full force. In a short instant, she was gone. Mewtwo looked around and was shocked to find himself alone. Her cry of shocked fright still resonated loudly in his mind. The water had taken her and that meant she could be… Mewtwo screamed, (Laura! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!) His psychic power responded to his horror. In an instant, he was enveloped in a white glow. A beam of energy stabbed forth from his eyes and lanced into the clouds like a burning knife. It shone for just a short moment. Then the beam died. White fire was visible within the dark clouds, flickering and blazing. Then the hurricane…exploded. Small gray clouds went careening across the sky as a torrential gush of water fell from where the storm had been. In a single explosive instant, the skies had been made clear. Mewtwo didn't care that he had succeeded. He just wondered where Laura was. He saw a small bundle of white floating far out on the placid waves. Calling on his power again, Mewtwo levitated the white bundle over to where he stood. It was Laura, sure enough. She didn't seem to be breathing. Mewtwo touched her and said, (Laura, can you hear me? Are you all right?) There was no reply for a while. Enough time passed for Mewtwo to think she was dead. Then Laura began to cough wildly. Between coughs, she said, "I think I swallowed a carp. Hope it wasn't radioactive." After gaining control over her coughing fit, she sat up and shook herself off. Then she looked out at the waves with an angry expression and said, "I hate water! I hate it!" Mewtwo helped her to stand back up. She looked out to sea again, this time with a frightened expression. She said, "Mewtwo, we have a giant problem." Mewtwo asked, (Problem? What problem?) She lunged to her feet, grabbed his paw and did her level best to drag him back toward the shield. Mew had lowered it, but Laura shouted, "Mew! Put the shield back up! Mewtwo! Help her with it! We're not in the clear just yet! There's a tsunami coming!" That got Mewtwo moving. He shook free of her grip, grabbed her and leapt into the crowd. The shield reappeared, double strength this time. Everyone shook with fright, Laura most of all. Twenty-six pairs of eyes watched the horizon with dread. They knew it was coming. But where was it? The tsunami appeared as an undulating line on the horizon. In a few seconds, it towered over them. Then it crashed down. Everyone screamed, including Mewtwo. He shouted, (The pressure's too much for me! I'm taking us up!) The bubble rocketed up off the submerged ground. They all howled in sheer fright as the big bubble that contained them plowed upward through about fifty feet of murky seawater. Screams of fear changed to cries of wild elation as they exploded out of the water and into the sky. Everyone except Mewtwo's friends cried out. They were flying! They had risen from certain death and now they flew through the air like a flock of birds.
Mewtwo asked Laura, (How did you know about the tsunami? I couldn't see it coming or anything.) Laura replied, "I really don't know how I knew. I just knew. It happened when I was in the water, struggling to reach the surface. I felt this weird sort of…tension in the water. Then it hit me. I felt this sort of itching tickle in my hand, like something inside my skin was scratching to get out. I concentrated on it, as I always do to block out my headaches because I couldn't afford any distractions. After all, I was trying to avoid dying. But when I focused on it, something hidden deep within my mind…opened up. All of a sudden, I saw it, but not with my real eyes. It was more like a movie playing behind my eyes. I knew for sure that it was real, but I don't know how I knew it. I somehow knew it was a vision of something that either was happening or would soon happen. That was when you pulled me out of the water. And that was how I saved us." Mewtwo was kind of shocked. He said, (Laura, it sounds to me like an episode of clairvoyance. On some level, you are developing psychic powers. And your genetic code has been altered.) Laura said, "What? But how can this be? Wait! How could I have been stupid enough to think that there would be no consequences for my accident?" Mewtwo said, (What?)
She said, "There was an accident in the lab just three days before you awakened. Judy dropped a vial of DNA extract from the fossilized bone. That was Mew's unaltered DNA. I was helping her and I cut my hand on a piece of shattered glass so bad that I needed ten stitches. I was quarantined for a day for safety reasons, but nothing remarkable happened, except the cut healed in half a day. I've always healed fast, a product of a hyperactive metabolism, but that was a record. I thought nothing of it, seeing as large wounds heal faster. Just as I thought nothing of the 'accidents' that started to happen all around me. Things would fall, shift, sway, and even tip over… Everybody considered it to be just a coincidence, including myself. A rather wild coincidence, but a coincidence nonetheless."
Laura stared down at her hand for a few seconds. It looked as if she'd had no accident, for her flesh was unmarred, save for a small line. Then she turned back to Mewtwo and continued, "The weirdest thing happened when you were present. You were raging and the lab was rapidly becoming an inferno. I was off to the side somewhere, flipping my lid. Wait a second, do you remember flinging a table at someone?" Mewtwo replied, (Sort of. I didn't quite see the person I flung it at.) Laura said, "That was me. And you were dead on target, too. It would have killed me. It should have. I remember seeing it flying at my face. I cringed, for I knew death was coming. Then the healed cut on my hand throbbed. It felt like something was being released from the wound. Then I heard a crash. The table had hit the wall, five feet to my left. Somehow, it was turned aside. And, just before I saw the tsunami in my mind, the healed cut began to hurt again. Every strange occurrence, the bigger ones at least, seems to be preceded by pain in the scar."
Mewtwo said, (You can access it consciously too. I'm the example. That scar seems to be the focus of your budding power and maybe you can use your new powers through it. Concentrate on it. Focus on it. Put your mind, heart and soul into the concentration.) Laura replied, "Okay. I'll try it." She held her hand out before her, palm up, and stared at the scar. Her eyes drifted closed and her breathing slowed as she seemingly slipped into a trance. Mewtwo hung in the air beside her, for everyone was still floating around. Nothing happened for a while, but Mewtwo could sense some sort of power building. Then a bright white glow spread around her hand. That was all for a few long minutes. Then a winding ribbon of pure light erupted from the scar on her hand. It trailed straight upward, waving side to side lazily. After a few seconds, it wrapped its glowing length around her. Her entire body was enshrouded in white. It looked like she was in a cocoon. Using his psychic powers, Mewtwo could tell what was going on. Laura's mind was concentrated on what she was doing almost completely. She was pure psychic force. Her psychic power was running rampant through her entranced body, changing her form, rearranging her genetic code and unleashing psychic powers undreamed of by anyone on Earth except for the scientists who had been working on Project Mewtwo so long ago.
After what seemed like a very long time, the light faded away, revealing a very changed Laura. In fact, it didn't appear to be Laura at all. It looked a little like a newer, stronger version of Mewtwo crossed with a human. It was Laura, all right, but she wasn't even close to resembling the woman she'd been moments before. She had a long, slim, muscular tail, for one thing. And, instead of normal five-fingered human hands, she had slender, furry, elegant three-fingered paws. Her slim form was much more streamlined. She was also completely and totally naked, but it didn't matter all that much because she was covered all over with short, downy white fur. And she had wings! Vast, white bird wings adorned her furry back. She had ears like a cat, too. They swiveled in different directions in response to sounds. As Mewtwo and the others watched, Laura's tail swished lazily and she opened her eyes. Her eyes were very big and sky blue, just like Mew's eyes, and they sparkled. She said in a happy, chirping voice, "Well, I think I did something major back there. I feel different now, somehow." Mewtwo replied, (You certainly did do something big back there. Take a look at yourself.) She promptly flipped her lid upon seeing her newer, furrier body. Then she said in awe, "Cool! I'm different! I'm like you now! This is certainly a good thing!" She turned from Mew and Mewtwo to her husband, George. Then she used her new wings to flutter over to him. She said sadly, "I'm so, so sorry, George. I'm not the woman you thought I was. Heck, I'm not even the woman I thought I was. You made a vow of eternal love to Laura. You did not make that vow to Mewthree. Because of this new, unexpected change of both body and soul, we can no longer remain together as husband and wife. Please…forgive me for this, George."
She turned away and flew back to Mew and Mewtwo. She said, "I got a new science job after the incident where you destroyed the lab. I still do genetics. And I was given free run of the facility. Basically, I can study and research whatever I want. For months I couldn't decide what to do. Now that you're here…you and Mew…I know what I want to do with my life. There is only one Mewtwo and you're it. There are, at most, just a few Mews in the world. When I finish my life's work, there will be many, many Mews and at least a hundred million Mewtwos. I can see it all now. Cities where humans and psychic felines, such as both of you, can work together without any prejudice or bigotry! Great clouds of tiny Mews, darkening the skies! A whole entire country created for and created by cat people like you…The United Republic of Mewtwo! A large, thriving colony of Mews situated in the heart of the Amazon rainforest! A vast city that contains no humans at all! Human children, Mew children and Mewtwo children going to school together! State sanctioned classes on the control and management of psychic powers!" She noticed that she was shouting in her excitement, so she calmed down. A few minutes later, she said quietly, "A happy world with many Mews and a billion Mewtwos, a world where all of these wondrous creatures may roam around freely. That is my one true dream now."
Mew seemed to smile. So did Mewtwo. She said, "Hey. I know scientists did bad things to you, Mewtwo. And I, however unwillingly, was one of them. But now I feel that, by giving the world a gift of miraculous creatures like you two psychic cats, I can finally atone for my…sins…" She clenched her new paws into fists and screamed to the heavens above, "I should have stopped them earlier! I should have taken a stand!" Crystalline tears welled in her sky blue eyes. An instant later, she roughly wiped the tears from her eyes, as if she were disgusted at her display of emotion. She continued, "I knew it was wrong. That was why I made plans to steal you away from there right after you awakened…and why I sang lullabies to you in that tube. I talked to you, I told you stories, I pretended you could hear me… On some level, I think you responded. Even though you weren't awake, I had the feeling that, somehow, you were glad I came. Do you remember anything from before you awakened? Words, music, anything?" Mewtwo thought about it for a few long seconds, then said, (I dreamed nonstop before I awakened. The dreams changed and shifted around like clouds in the sky. But there was always some element that remained the same through them all, and that was a song. The dreams changed and flowed like water in a river during a colossal rainstorm, but the song was always there. Okay, let me see if I can remember the words. It's so close and yet so very, very far away from me in time and also in my mind…) He tried to remember, but failed. Then he said, (I think the best way to start is with what I remember from the dreams.) Mewthree replied, "Go for it, big cat pal. I think you'll know it when you think of it. I always sang the same song, because it was the only song I could remember all the words to. Sure I tried many others, but I didn't know any of the words that went with them. I called it the Feline Lullaby because it had everything to do with you, and you were a genuine feline. The real, official name of it is 'Crash and Burn' by Savage Garden."
He closed his eyes and relaxed. As he slipped back into his memory, he narrated what he remembered. He said slowly, (Floating… Floating… I see the crystal clear water… The dancing bubbles… And I see you, little kitten creature, dancing so beautifully beneath the waves. Who are you? Why do I feel so connected to you? You dart into a forest of seaweed and are gone in a flash, little kitten creature. If you are no longer here to see, why do I still remain here? I hear the voice next, singing so sweetly of another world… Your song…so beautiful… I can almost hear the words… When you feel all alone…)
He slowly, haltingly sang the words in the tune he vaguely remembered, but another far more beautiful voice slowly eclipsed his psychic words. He listened to the song and was almost lost in a wild wave of pent-up emotions he hardly knew he'd felt so long ago. He remembered the song and the images it had conjured up of an angelic protector… Mewtwo's heart almost broke under the assault of pure beauty and memory as Mewthree sang the song Laura had once used as a lullaby for a sleeping cat in a tank of fluid.
"When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and
You feel like you can't take anymore
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught on a one-way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
Because there's always been heartache and pain
And when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone…"
Mewtwo said, (Oh God…Laura…This is it…) Mewthree replied, "I'm not Laura anymore, silly cat. I'm Mewthree. Changing subjects, where should we drop these folks off?" Mewtwo said, (I have no idea.) They were quiet. Then Mewthree said, "I got it! Washington D.C! Nobody can deny our existence if we drop these folks off on the White House lawn! Follow me!" The two psychic cats did so. Speeding downward and laterally through the sky, they were at their destination, the capital of America, in mere minutes.
The three cats and twenty-three people landed on the White House lawn. It took a few minutes for a largish crowd of government bureaucrats to gather around them. Mewthree decided to be the one to speak because she could do it aloud. She said, "Is the President among you?" An immaculate middle-aged man stepped forward and said, "That would be me." She stepped up to him and he practically freaked out. She smiled gently, serving to calm him ever so slightly. Then she said to him, "Mister President, sir, I am called Mewthree. This big feline fellow here is called Mewtwo. This cute little kitten over there is called Mew. We three are the final result of a bioweapon experiment you may or may not have known of. Ask the military boys about Project Mewtwo. Tell them Wonder Cat sent you. They'll know about it. Believe me, they'll know. The three people on the left were on our team from the start. The twenty people over on the right were just rescued from down in Miami, where a truly huge hurricane had recently made primary landfall. Weather reports will say that the hurricane seems to have winked right out of existence as if it had never been. That is because Mewtwo destroyed it. Now that our mission is done, we will now all head on over to the Pentagon." Mewtwo asked, (Why are we going there?) Mewthree replied, "It's where my lab is." The three of them then took off. Mew and Mewtwo hovered. Mewthree just used her wings. It was a short jaunt to the Pentagon from there. They landed. Mewthree was allowed entry, and she brought them in with her. She used her passwords to enter her laboratory. Once in, she relaxed, folded her wings neatly against her back, turned to face Mew and Mewtwo and said, "I know you won't be all that happy about this. If I'm going to do my job of giving birth to two new races of wondrous creatures, I need a small blood and tissue sample from the both of you." Mew somersaulted onto the nearby table and cheerfully let Mewthree do it. Mewtwo was a little harder to convince to cooperate. He smacked himself hard over the head, let out an exasperated psychic groan and reluctantly let Mewthree take her sample. She said quietly, "Thank you so very, very much for your kind cooperation, you guys. Now I'll start."
As she began her work, she said, "Think of the possibilities. There will be children, Mewtwo. Children! Baby Mews! Baby Mewtwos! You took only a few weeks to grow to full maturity. These kids will be the same. That means your race-our race-will grow and flourish rapidly." Mew and Mewtwo watched her work, doing complicated things and singing happily as she did them. Since it was just cloning and a bit of genetic retooling, it was easier than making Mewtwo. He'd been a complete DNA makeover. This was child's play compared to his creation. The first stage took just a few short days.
Mewthree was making many embryos right and left, both Mews and Mewtwos alike, and cryogenically freezing them for later thawing and gestation. During that time, both Mew and Mewtwo could tell that she was keeping something major from both of them, keeping a secret to herself. But, seeing as she was a psychic creature also, they could not pry the information from her mind. And so it remained a total mystery. But they could tell that whatever it was made her very, very happy. Mewthree was far more cheerful than they had ever seen her before, laughing and singing. Every so often, she would run her paw along the soft fur of her belly and smile. It seemed like she was constantly swishing her tail with pure pride and flexing her big wings. She skipped down the hallways, juggled her equipment with an artistic flair and sang many happy little tunes as she worked on various things. She rejoiced in Mew's presence and in Mewtwo's presence as well. On her off time, she played games with them and showed them around. She regaled the two of them with wacky stories from her younger days and made little jokes.
One day, Mewtwo was sure that he was going insane. He looked at Mewthree and his mother Mew, and sensed another, invisible presence. He saw the two of them, but felt the mind of a third. He confessed his feelings to Mewthree. Mew, as always, was with her. He said, (I think I'm going nuts. I see you two…but my mind feels that there are three here. Four if you count my presence, but I don't usually pay much attention to myself.) She nodded and said, "You sense a third…because there is a third. A child…the first of a new race… Mewtwo, Mew…I'm pregnant." Mewtwo fairly gasped, (Pregnant… How long?) She smiled and replied, "Oh, it's been just about two full weeks. I should be showing the signs of it pretty soon. In just two short weeks this little one will come to be. Do you know why I chose to give birth to this child myself, instead of growing it in a stupid little glass tube like we initially did with you, Mewtwo? It's because I want to make up for what you didn't have, which is a mother and a father. It's what I would have done for you…had I been physically able and genetically compatible. Unlike the mistake I made in allowing you to be born from a stupid tube, this child will have a real family."
Everyone was practically bouncing off the walls in their elated hysteria. The two weeks passed by incredibly quickly, in a haze of nervous joy. Mew, a naturally happy creature, thought she would explode from sheer delight. She would very soon have a grandchild! Mewtwo was so exhilarated that he could barely restrain himself from bursting into song and dance. Mewthree began to show her pregnancy as the time grew closer and closer.
It was late at night and Mewtwo lay in his bed, which had been specially made to suit his needs. As always, Mew lay curled up on a small pillow right next to him. She made a soft purring sound as she breathed. Was she snoring or something? He envied the fact that she was sleeping. He was too wound up to sleep. The time for Mewthree to give birth was drawing ever closer and closer with each second. When would it be? When would it be?
For a split second, barely long enough for him to register it as having existed, a psychic scream of pain knifed through his mind. After his mind recovered, he became aware of the fact that Mew was awake and clinging to his arm, shaking with fright. He took a moment to comfort her, and then they both shot out of the room like furry lightning bolts. And they were right. Mewthree was crouched on the floor, in the middle of giving birth.
Her wings were spread wide, shielding the event from their view. Mew and Mewtwo knew that she definitely didn't want them to get any closer to her, so they just waited nervously. They felt the psychic waves of pain radiating from her, but there was a fierce joy lying beneath it. The pain and the joy increased exponentially with each passing second, and then it exploded in a cascade of relief and immense pride. Then Mew and Mewtwo heard a very small voice mewing furiously. A tiny Mewtwo had just been born.
Mewthree stood up and carried the newborn to the nearby sink, where she soaked a sponge in warm water to wash the baby's fur. Then she took a soft, warm, fuzzy blanket and wrapped it around the little one. By that time, the baby had stopped mewing. Gently cradling the tiny infant in her arms, she slowly walked over to where Mew and Mewtwo stood. She stood before him and showed him the baby. Mewtwo hesitantly reached out to hold the little one. Mewthree said in a proud, solemn voice, "Mewtwo…your son." Mewtwo, now holding the tiny baby, was totally amazed at that. He was a father! He looked at the baby. It looked like a miniature replica of him, right down to the white fur and pale indigo eyes. He was just as tiny as Mew and he was a real cutie. Mewtwo said, (Mewthree…he's beautiful…) She replied, a little tired, "And he's our son. What do you think we should name him? I think we should call him Adam. He is the first son, the firstborn of a whole new race. In due time, when he's a little older, I will give birth to his sister, and I will name her Eve. The first daughter of a new race." Mewtwo said, (Adam the firstborn. It's a good name. It is a very good name for a strong, perfect newborn son. Mew, what do you think about the name? You want to call him Adam or something else?) In reply, Mew flew to the tiny bundle and gave the newborn Mewtwo a hug. Adam made a happy cooing sound. Then he realized that he was hungry. The bundle in Mewtwo's arms began to squirm and mew. Mewthree said, "He's hungry. I'll go prepare a bottle. Kids need milk for their bones to grow strong. And babies need milk most of all." She moved over to the refrigerator and began to fix Adam a bottle. She warmed up the bottle and began to bring it over to Mewtwo, who held Adam. Adam saw her coming and knew that the bottle held food for him. He was very hungry and he wanted food right now. His eyes flared blue and the bottle was enveloped in a bright blue glow. It then jerked up out of Mewthree's paws and floated over to Mewtwo. Mewtwo just grabbed it in midair and offered the rubber nipple to Adam, who latched onto it and began to greedily slurp down the milk. As Adam had his first meal ever, Mewtwo said, (Did you see that? Adam's already manifesting his psychic powers!) Mewthree replied, "That means you have to train him in their use as soon as possible. The minute he's old enough to learn how, promise me you'll teach him how to use them properly. I really do mean it, Mewtwo."
It was their very first night spent together, Mewthree and her newborn son Adam. She had locked the door to her small room, wanting that extra small measure of safety in case anything strange happened. Her instinct was to protect Adam at any and all costs, and she approved of its urging. Besides, she had a strange feeling that something was coming for them both. He was snuggled on her chest, curled up like any ordinary kitten and purring softly in his sleep. She was sleeping also…and dreaming a terrible dream that quickly became a hideous nightmare that she could not escape no matter what she tried to do.
In her dream, she was standing in the laboratory where she and her friends had created Mewtwo. She reached out to grab something and noticed her hand. She had five fingers. She reached up to touch her face. Her human face. She gasped, "I'm…I'm Laura…" A voice distracted her, shouting, "Something's happening! Look!" Someone, she thought it was Judy, said, "He's waking up for the first time, Doctor." She fairly spun around. The instruments were registering off the scale. She looked over and saw the creature floating in the vat of viscous liquid. It was Mewtwo. T.J shouted, "His brainwaves are going off the scale, sir! Hope we don't lose this one too!" She knew she had words that she had to say at that point. She stepped closer to the vat and spoke the words she remembered saying long ago, "Hey in there, big guy. I know you can hear me in there, dude. Don't go all weird on us, okay? You just got born. Don't die on us now. Y'all hold on and don't you dare go giving up on us." Mewtwo opened his eyes. Strangely, she couldn't hear his psychic voice although she knew that he was supposed to be speaking. A few seconds later, the vat shattered, spraying stinky goo everywhere. Mewtwo stood in the ruins of the vat. He took a step forward, out of the ruins of the vat that had held him moments ago…
And collapsed like a ton of bricks. He went into convulsions. It was plain to see that he was in the grips of a grand mal seizure. Laura screamed in horror. Judy, T.J and the others evaporated like smoke right before her shocked eyes, leaving her alone with the dying Mewtwo. Tears poured down her furless cheeks and blinded her as she sobbed uncontrollably. Mewtwo was dying right before her eyes and she could do nothing for him. She wiped the tears from her eyes and saw that Mewtwo's seizure had ceased. He was lying motionless on the ground, amid the splattered stinky goo and the broken glass. He didn't appear to be breathing any longer. Laura's scream of hysterical denial totally deafened her as she fairly flew over and knelt by him. She took his pulse. He didn't have one. An electromagnetic scan revealed no brain activity. He was quite dead. Laura, beginning to cry once again, gently touched his furry, still-wet cheek. Then she hugged his cold, wet body, despite the stinky goo that still drenched him. She sobbed, "Oh God, Mewtwo… I'm so sorry…so sorry…" She felt a familiar presence coalesce behind her and she turned around to face it. It was Mewthree. She gasped, "But…but I'm Mewthree…" Mewthree cradled a baby Mewtwo in her arms. Meeting Laura's gaze, Mewthree asked, "Laura… Mother… Why have you done this to us?" Laura looked away from them right then, unable to reply. A short instant later, she cradled a small, blanketed bundle in her arms. She said softly, "Adam… Oh God, Adam… I'm so sorry… Forgive me… I never meant to…" She pulled the blanket away from Adam's tiny face. Only it wasn't Adam at all it was a skeleton a SKELETON of a Mewtwo but it wasn't dead at all it was still alive as it reached out with its tiny bone paws to touch her shocked face…
Mewthree bolted up in bed, screaming at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Then she began to sob hysterically. Adam was equally hysterical, mewing with a frantic intensity. Mew and Mewtwo heard her scream from their shared room down the hall. They rushed in, practically breaking the door down in their terrified haste, and they didn't find what they had expected, which was an attacker threatening the ones they loved. They only saw a hysterical mother and a terrified child. Mew flew over to Adam and started to comfort him. Mewtwo held Mewthree as she cried and cried. Since she was quite unable to speak while she was crying, she showed him her nightmare with her budding psychic powers. It seemed like a very, very long time before she finally calmed down. When she calmed down, she saw that Adam was still mewing, extremely distressed over how his mother had screamed so. She picked him up and he began to calm down. She said, "It's okay, Adam. It's okay. Really it is. Everything's just fine now. I'm all right, see? Don't worry about me, little guy. I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to be scared anymore. I wasn't hurt or anything. I just had a bad, scary dream. That's all. It was just a dream."
Once more snuggled up against his mother, Adam became calm again. His tiny paws clung to her warm, soft fur and he nuzzled up against her. Mew and Mewtwo, not to mention Mewthree, were very surprised when they heard a tiny, soft voice; "Mommy…" Adam was speaking! Already! Mewthree was right about his accelerated growth! He wasn't even six hours old, and he was already learning how to speak! What a precocious child he was! Mewtwo and Mewthree laughed delightedly and Mew did a cute little happy wiggle in midair as Adam babbled happily, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…" Mewtwo said, (Oh, he is so cute!) Mewthree replied, "He's related to you. How could he not be cute?" Mew just danced in the air, releasing a high, chirping giggle as she did so.
The very next day, Adam had picked up a whole lot more new words seemingly from out of nowhere. Mewthree resumed her work in the lab. He sat on the high lab table right beside her happily reciting all the words he knew, seeking her approval of his knowledge, "Mommy Mew Mewtwo Daddy lab Mewthree bottle baby Adam power blanket fur psychic…" He knew better than to touch his mommy's things. He had a sneaking feeling that whatever his mommy was doing would result in something very nice for all of them. Mewthree took frequent breaks to feed Adam and play some new games. As she worked, she talked to him about things. Adam watched her work with curious attention, wanting to see every single thing she did. In the afternoon, Mewthree took Adam out to the Pentagon's courtyard. As she walked around with him in her arms, she named and described things to him. She said, "This is grass. Tickles, doesn't it? Those are flowers. They smell nice, right? This is a tree. Look how big it is! That's the sky. It's so blue today! This is wind. Tickles your fur, doesn't it? Those are clouds. Look at how fluffy they are! Up there is the sun. Warm, isn't it? That is the ground. This is where grass comes from! This is a puddle with water in it. The water is very cold, isn't it? That slimy, brown stuff is called mud. It's icky, so we don't want to touch it, okay? These are my wings. See how big they are? That means I can fly in the air. Mew flies in the air. Mewtwo can too. Maybe he'll show you. Someday you will be able to fly in the air too. This is my tail. You have one too, see? This is my paw. This is your paw. One, two, three… Three fingers on your paw. Three fingers on my paw. I have two eyes. They're blue like the sky, see? You have eyes too. Yours are purple like Mewtwo's. These are your ears. You hear sounds with them. My ears are like Mew's. Your ears are like Mewtwo's. This is my fur. I have fur all over and so do you. It tickles your face when your rub it, doesn't it? This is my foot. This is your foot. One, two, three… Three toes on your foot. We have the same number of toes as fingers. One, two, three…One, two, three." Adam listened with rapt attention, readily absorbing every word she said to him.
They didn't know that they were being spied on. One of the surveillance cameras in the courtyard had a different audience than any Pentagon technician. It had been tapped into and overridden by none other than the notorious Team Rocket. Giovanni, who had survived Mewtwo's destruction of his headquarters, had harbored a deep grudge against the mutant cat. The discovery of a new, winged Mewtwo cradling a small baby Mewtwo excited him. Judging from their attitude and interaction, they were mother and child. If he kidnapped even one of these two, he could get back at Mewtwo for nearly killing him.
He called on his sinister duo, Jessie and James. They came quickly at his call. James said, "What do you want us to do, boss?" He replied, showing them the video of Mewthree and baby Adam, "I want you to go to the Pentagon and kidnap that baby Mewtwo. Now." Jessie said, "Gee, I don't know about that, boss. That seems a little on the cruel side." He roared, "So? Team Rocket is cruel! Now go!" Jessie and James left the headquarters sullenly. Team Rocket was mean, but kidnapping a baby seemed to be outright sadistic. As they walked, James said, "Jessie, I don't want to do this." Jessie replied, "I know how you feel. I don't want to do this either. But it appears we have no choice in the matter. There's nothing we can do." James said, "But there is something we can do. We can do it with minimal violence, not hurt anyone and take really good care of the baby." Jessie exclaimed, "And we can leave a big trail so they can follow us and rescue the cat kid!"
Adam had all the defining characteristics of a typical four-year-old human child, in Mewthree's perspective. He knew how to talk quite well and he was constantly curious about everything. He was always getting into all sorts of trouble as he ran around, exploring his world. It seemed like Mewthree was always yelling at him, "Don't eat that! Don't touch that! Don't drink that! Don't play with that! Don't you dare go over there! Don't do that! Don't go near that! Don't run around with that! Stay away from that! Don't even breathe on that! Be very quiet while I do this, okay? Go see Mewtwo! Go see Mew!" Instead of an armful, he was a handful. But that didn't mean she loved him any less. She still sang his favorite songs, played his favorite games with him and patiently answered each one of his rapid-fire questions. But one single, simple question he asked her made her heart stop right in its tracks and her blood run as cold as ice at the very least. He pointed upward at the sky and asked very seriously, "Who are they, mommy?"
At that very instant, the glass roof shattered in a glittering cascade of sharp-edged rain. Mewthree shielded Adam from the falling shards with wings wide to shield herself. The sounds of strange voices shouting at her motivated her to slowly look up. A redheaded girl and a dark-haired boy stared down at them from a large hot-air balloon. They both wore white shirts with a red letter R on the front. They were strange, but Mewthree thought the design on their shirts looked very familiar. They shouted together, "Prepare for trouble! Make it double!" Then they recited what had to be a motto with great gusto.
"To protect the world from devastation!
To unite all peoples within our nation!
To denounce the evils of truth and love!
To extend our reach to the stars above!
Jessie!
James!
Team Rocket-blast off at the speed of light!
Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
Jessie sighed sadly, looking away. Then she said, "All right, lady! Hand over the kid or we hurt you bad!" Mewthree yelled back, "No! Never! I will never let you take my son!" James cut in, "Hey. It's not like we're giving you a choice here." They threw two small pellets at her. In an instant, thick black smoke blinded both Mewthree and Adam. They coughed wildly, choking on the vile fumes. Some unknown, unseen force wrenched Adam from her arms. A voice, its source invisible beyond the smoke, said, "I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry." In a wild frenzy of sheer terror, Mewthree's psychic powers became completely active. Not aware that she wasn't using her audible voice any longer, she shrieked wildly: (MEWTWO! MEWTWO! TEAM ROCKET HAS ADAM! HELP! HELP!)
She had to have lost consciousness, because the next thing she was aware of was awakening in Mewtwo's arms. Mew was sitting on his shoulder. But where was Adam? Then she remembered. Mewthree bolted up, yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Adam!" She stood up and cried in a wild frenzy, "They took him! Giovanni-Team Rocket-Kidnapped! Gone!" Mewtwo understood. He let out a psychic scream and discharged vast amounts of psychic energy. Mew began to cry. Mewthree seriously debated suicide with herself, Mewtwo screamed loud curses at the heavens and Mew cried her eyes out. Their lives would never be the same without Adam. They knew he was being taken to the Team Rocket headquarters, but they had no idea where the Team Rocket headquarters was located. If they had known, they would have tried to plot a daring rescue. But since they had no clue whatsoever as to where they would have to go to do that, they didn't.
Jessie and James, hearts heavy with guilt, made their delivery. Adam, held roughly in James's arms, squirmed and mewed. He set the child down on the table. Adam looked around, then sat down and mewed pathetically. Between mews, he wailed, "Mommy! Mommy!" Although no one could see her, Jessie was crying also. James was almost crying. A few seconds later, an idea flashed into both their minds at the exact same instant. After being dismissed from the room, they both went to their rooms and quickly began to prepare for real trouble. A plan was beginning to take shape in their heads. They would free the little one from there in collaboration with his distraught feline parents.
Mewthree, Mew and Mewtwo didn't know what to do next. Mew hadn't really stopped crying, even though Adam had been kidnapped days ago. Mewtwo destroyed anything that got in his way, he was so terribly angry. Mewthree alternated between weeping and throwing fits. Mewtwo and Mewthree, whenever together, plotted their revenge on Team Rocket. But they didn't know what they could possibly do to get their little Adam back.
One day, the doorbell rang. Mewthree answered it and gasped at the people she saw there. It was Jessie and James. She snarled, "You took my precious baby! Now you die!" Jessie called out, "Wait a minute! Your son is okay. Let us in and I'll tell you some more." She stopped, puzzled. Jessie then explained, "We just want you to know that we're sorry for what we did. James and I tend to him. And we've come up with a plan to free him." Mewthree let them in. Looking into their minds, she could see that they weren't lying. Mewtwo and even Mew reacted violently to their presence. Jessie and James would have been killed right on the spot if Mewthree hadn't intervened on their behalf. Given a few moments to restore calm in the room, Mew and Mewtwo were finally ready to hear what Jessie had to say. Jessie took a few moments to gather her wits. She looked to James for encouragement and he nodded. Then she began to speak, "If you think we're here for trouble-" James cut in, "-Then we just have to burst your bubble."
"Instead of causing tribulation
We've undergone a transformation
Though it's beyond our usual range
We're going to do something nice for a change
Jessie!
James!
'Til now Team Rocket's been quite mean
To do something nice would be peachy keen!"
"That's right," James finished. Then he looked over at Jessie. She gulped quietly and then said, "Mewtwo, Mew, I beg you to hear me out. James and I are very sorry for what we did back there all that time ago. Your son will be free from the prison where he now resides. Until that happy time comes at last, I just want you to know this. James and I, with your kind cooperation, are going to bust him out of there as soon as we can. Here's the plan as I see it. I will go tend to the kid because he likes me a whole heck of a lot and I really like him too. At the same time, James will head in the opposite direction and pull any fire alarm he comes across. The fire alarm automatically unlocks any and all doors inside the whole entire building, including the one to where your son is currently held. The minute I hear the fire alarm go off, I'll hoist the kid up on my back and then run away like a frightened little zebra. I'll head on over to the western exit. That's where you three cats will be waiting and hiding. I'll give you the kid and join the other Team Rocket members with no one the wiser. You cats will then fly away from there at top speed. If it becomes absolutely necessary for us to do so, James and I will cover for you as you go."
Mewthree, Mewtwo and Mew hid in a prickly thorn bush just outside of the Team Rocket headquarters, waiting for Jessie to emerge from the western exit. Mewthree said softly, "All we have to do is wait. They'll do their jobs, so we'll do ours. Our job is to wait." Mewtwo replied indignantly, (Wait? WAIT? I'm sitting on thorns and I practically have a pinecone shoved up my nose and you expect me to wait? Giovanni did this and he's my enemy! I just wanna go take my complaint right on in there and stick it to the man!) Mewthree quickly reached over and smacked him hard across the face. He whipped around to face her, eyes shining bright blue with anger. She snarled, "You're gonna stay right here like the rest of us! That's what you're gonna do! If you ever wanna see our Adam again, then just stick to the freaking plan!" Chastened by her angry words, he quickly calmed down and they all began to wait for the fire alarm to sound and for Jessie. Mewtwo said, (I'm frightened, Mewthree. In the confusion, Adam might be…) Mewthree replied, "Jessie knows what she's doing. So does James. Trust in them and just be calm."
Quickly smoothing down the wrinkles in her uniform, Jessie prepared to enter the makeshift nursery that had been set up for the baby Mewtwo. She stepped through the sliding door and walked over to the crib. The little guy had gone into the crib for a nap. Even though he was old enough to no longer need the crib, he still wanted it. He'd reverted to infant behavior because of the trauma of being kidnapped. He now acted just like a baby, so that was how she treated him. She reached into the crib and picked him up. Cradled against her, he yawned and stretched as he woke up. She said in a soft voice, "Hi there, little dude. It's me. It's Jessie. How's it going there? Have a nice nap?" She gently touched his nose. He giggled like a normal human baby and grabbed at her fingers. Over the past few days, her feeling of obligation had grown into genuine attachment to him. She paced the room with him, talking to him as she did so. She said, "I'm waiting for my friend James. Have you met James? Of course you met him. He was with me when we…kidnapped you… But everything's okay now. I'm here for you, so you don't have to worry. Everything, I mean every little thing, is going to be all right. You'll see." The baby Mewtwo curled his tiny tail around her arm in a gesture of genuine affection for her. She gave him a little kiss and tickled him a bit. He wiggled and giggled in her arms.
James sort of tap-danced down the hall; acting like he'd just done something that was really great. That was his ploy to keep any and all suspicions off him. If he acted nuts instead of suspicious, he wouldn't be implicated in the return of the baby Mewtwo to its parents. Singing a queer little song that he was making up, he waltzed toward the fire alarm. He paused by the fire alarm and then quickly whirled in place. Moving far faster than the normal eye could ever hope to see, he yanked the fire alarm as he twirled. The fire alarm sounded and all the world fractured into shards of pure pandemonium. Doing a last little ballerina twirl, he turned and ran out of the building like a flash. As he ran off, he yelled, "Jessie! Jessie! The fire alarm's going off! Get out of the building right now!"
Jessie whispered to the baby she held, "Think it's time to go!" She hoisted him on her back, telling him she was going to give him a ride. Finally she said, "Hang on! We're going to go fast!" Then she bolted. She was glad for her long legs as she bounded down the hall. The little Mewtwo she carried giggled with exhilaration and she joined in as she ran. She was as fast as a cheetah, as agile as a gazelle and no one could catch her, either! She passed many people, but none of them noticed her as she sprinted along at top speed. They were too busy running like frightened zebras to notice what she was carrying. So she went unopposed. The baby Mewtwo she carried on her back giggled as her hair blew backward to tickle his tiny face. The western exit was wide open before her, and there was no opposition in sight. She shouted, "And now…we're outside!" She charged onward, whooping like a complete idiot with the baby Mewtwo imitating her, leaving the neatly cut lawn and entering the forest. Once under the cover of the trees, she doubled back, heading to a place where a certain thorn bush waited for her imminent arrival…
Boldly daring the razor sharp thorns, she quickly went inside the bush. Bending down and shielding the little guy from getting cut, she pushed on to the center of the bush. At the center, three felines awaited them both. A psychic voice asked, (Did it work? Did you get the child?) She replied, "Yep, it worked. And here he is." A small version of Mewtwo cautiously peeked out of her sheltering arms and cried happily, "Mommy! Daddy! Mew!" Mewthree snatched him up and cried, "Adam!" Jessie said, "Adam? You never said he had a name! I've just been calling him 'Little Dude'! I wish you'd told me his name!" Mew and Mewtwo smothered Adam with hugs and kisses. Mewthree walked up to Jessie and said, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for, in returning Adam, you have given back ours." Adam wriggled in Mew and Mewtwo's loving arms, swishing his tail with happiness and looking right at Mewthree. He chirped happily, "Jessie!" She gasped in delighted awe; "Hey! You know my name? Oh, you wondrous little boy cat, you! You're just a cute, furry little miracle with a tail, aren't you? You're an honest miracle!"
He chirped her name over and over, showing that he really liked her a lot. She liked him too. Adam popped out of Mewtwo's arms and jumped to Jessie. She hugged him and said, "You're cute, you know that? And you're one very lucky kitten. You've got a loving family, a nice home and a bright future ahead of you. I may be with Team Rocket, your family's enemy, but I want you to know that I will always be your friend, little dude." She held him as she had so many times before while he had been a prisoner of Team Rocket. It was plain to Mewtwo that she considered herself his protector and caretaker. In a way, she was his guardian angel, a secret ally among their Team Rocket enemies.
A few short little minutes later, Jessie stepped back and then said, "I have to get back to the others or they'll suspect me. And as for you guys, you'd better leave this place now. When the boss finds out, he will go after you big-time. Oh, and you'd better pump up security at the Pentagon. Goodbye now!" Jessie ran out of the thorn bush and was out of all sight in mere seconds. Mewtwo said, (She's got that right, you know. We'd better get going. Let's wait until we're two miles away before flying off.) Mewthree replied, "Oh, yeah. Let's just plain run. Follow me! Mew, you lead the way! Mewtwo, you take the rear! I'll go down the middle with Adam! Okay, then. Let's go!" Mew peeked out of the thorn bush. The way was all clear. They could escape from the area with great ease.
The three cats, their child safe from harm at last, burst from the thorn bush like three furry missiles, running as fast as their legs and psychic powers could possibly take them. Mewthree laughed. Mew laughed. Mewtwo laughed. Adam laughed. Finally, after what had seemed like forever, the feline family was complete. Mew, Mewtwo and Mewthree promised themselves and each other that they would increase security at the Pentagon. They planned a huge party, with wonderful music, good food, fun games and all that. Mew chirped happily. Mewthree sang in a quiet voice. Mewtwo giggled repeatedly. He was at the rear, sprinting along with all of his might. He just barely saw Mewthree and Mew running along far ahead of him. All of a sudden, he tripped and fell. He tried to get up, but discovered that his leg was caught in a snare trap. He said, (What? How? Who? Ah, nuts!) He knew it was a trap set by Team Rocket, and that someone would come see what he or she had caught. He considered calling out to Mewthree and Mew for help, but then he decided not to. Team Rocket could arrive on the scene at any second and he didn't want them to get caught too. So he just kept silent and held still. Fidgeting nervously, in much pain from the snare around his leg, he just plain sat and waited. Stewing in resentful anger, he thought, Well, Giovanni, it looks like we'll meet again.
A junior Team Rocket member found him and brought him in at gunpoint. If he tried to use his power, he would be shot dead in less than an instant. He was brought before Giovanni himself, who recognized him in way less than an instant. With an evil laugh of sheer triumph, he said, "Well, well, well. Looks like I got you after all. You nearly killed me back then, remember? It's only fair that I return the favor to you in spades, 'buddy'. 'Prepare for trouble' doesn't even begin to cover the situation you're in now." He then turned to one of his subordinates and said, "Put him down in General Population. That'll take care of him. Nobody ever escapes from down there." Mewtwo was whacked over the head just hard enough to stun him for a few seconds. In that short time, he was both blindfolded and handcuffed. Then he was led along at gunpoint again. He was taken down three floors, to what had to be a sub-basement level.
Then he took them on a power dive straight down toward the rainforest so far below. The leading edge of their protective blue bubble began to shine bright red with the heat caused by the speed of their descent. Laura thought Mewtwo looked a tad strained, but his shield never faltered even for a moment. Just a thousand meters above the highest trees, Mewtwo pulled the blue bubble to a screeching halt. The swift stop made Laura and her friends bounce around like rubber balls. Mewtwo said a quick apology and dissolved the shield. Without a pause, they were making a slow, controlled descent down through the thick treetops. Mere seconds later, they all stood close together on the moist, leaf-covered ground. Everyone was rubbernecking, looking at everything they could see, even Mewtwo. Then Laura, in her 'unstoppable arrow in flight to the target' mode, said, "That's enough gawking for today, folks! We have a mission to run and a Mew to find! Let's move out!" She quickly took the lead, Mewtwo right beside her. She turned to him and said, "Okay, Mewtwo, listen up. I want you to do a narrow spectrum scan, radius at two hundred meters. You find even a small trace of anything that seems even remotely like a Mew, you sing out pronto. I want to know the instant you find anything suspicious. Is that absolutely clear to you?" Mewtwo replied, (Yes, it's clear. I'll be starting that scan. Let's get the job started. While I scan, you guys all look and listen for anything.)
A few minutes later, Mewtwo said, (We're in luck! I've got a reading on Mew coming from only fifty meters away.) Spontaneously correct as usual, Laura replied, "I want you to nullify our psychic signatures. We don't want her to know we're here yet." He did. Moving slowly and silently, the group peered through a thick wall of broad, flat leaves. There was a clearing. In that clearing was a small bubbling brook. And, standing atop of a largish flat rock in the middle of the brook, there was a tiny white creature. It looked kind of like a kitten, but it was shaped more like a tiny kangaroo. A long, thin tail stuck up from behind it, waving in the air. It was Mew. She was alternating between slapping the bubbles in the water with her tiny paws and playfully chasing small iridescent flies. Whichever of those two things she did, she made a high, warbling sound that could only be one thing: laughter. Everyone, including Mewtwo, was totally knocked for a loop by her out-and-out cuteness. After a few seconds of slack-jawed gaping at the tiny psychic kitten, Mewtwo slowly looked over at Laura and said coolly, (I'm going to just plain step out and say hello. I'm betting Mew will know me because I know her through my psychic powers and it has to work both ways. When I give the signal, you step out too.) Not giving her any time to reply one way or the other, he stepped out of his hiding spot. Mew spotted him in an instant and lifted up into the air with a weird cheeping sound. Laura and the rest breathed a soft, almost inaudible cry of wonder. Mew made as if she was going to fly away, but she stopped in midair. Instead, she slowly floated a bit closer to Mewtwo. Mewtwo cautiously reached out to touch her with one paw, a paw almost as big as her entire little body, and said, (I knew I'd know you before I met you. I think you dreamed me into life. I knew you'd know me before you met me. I have been waiting all my life.) Mew cautiously floated a bit closer, then bounced on his paw a few times before finally settling down on his bony shoulder. "Mew," she said to him, "Mew, mew, mew, mew." Then she giggled. Mewtwo laughed too. He turned toward Laura and said, (You can come out now. It's okay.) They did. Mew lightly bounced off of Mewtwo's shoulder and just plain hovered in the air. She floated right over to Laura and sniffed her gently. "Mew," she said, "Mew? Mew, mew." Laura thought she understood what Mew was saying to her. She replied, "Oh! You remember me? Yes, I was there at the excavation. You saw me? That explains why I felt like we were being watched! It was you who was watching us back then?" Mew chirped assent. Laura and Mew had become friends just like that. She turned to her three friends and said, "Okay, guys. We finished our mission to find Mew. Let's go home!" She paused, realizing she'd forgotten something, then said to Mew, "Would you like to come with us?" Mew bounced in the air a few times, chirped, did an aerial somersault and landed on Mewtwo's shoulder. She was going with them. Mew giggled and so did Mewtwo. Everyone else joined in, laughing all together, exulting in the presence of the cute, irresistibly cuddly white kitten that had just joined the team. Everyone was chattering away about Mew until Laura said, "Excuse me, everyone…"
In just a few seconds, they were back in the air again. Mew and Mewtwo divided up the job of levitation between them. Mewtwo said, (Okay, Laura. Where to?) She replied, "Heck with timely arrivals! We've got all the time in the world, Mewtwo. Let's go hang out for a while. To the southern coast of Florida, Mewtwo! We deserve a little down time for all we've gone through. A nice beach, some warm sun and a little fun, Mewtwo. It sounds nice, don't it? It's about time I started showing you the nice things about this world. You've only seen the bad things about the world and the people in it. You deserve more. You deserve so much more. And you will get it or I ain't Laura Meisenheimer."
As they soared high overhead, William noticed a strange gathering of clouds far out in the Atlantic. After a moment, he said, "Holy whatever! That's a hurricane! What now what now… Laura! Mewtwo! Mew! Oh, what the heck. Everybody! It looks like we may not have a vacation after all! Take a look down there pronto!" Laura replied, "Right you are, William. We may not have a vacation, but we now have a choice to make. Do we fly on or do we go down into southern Florida to protect the women and the children? Let's have ourselves a little vote on the matter. All who say to just fly on and forget all about this little dilemma, raise their hands right now." No one raised his or her hand. They all wanted to go help and defend against the hurricane. The decision was completely unanimous. George said, "We can protect those people down there, if you're wondering. We have a regular feline Tower of Power and a wily little kitten whose cuteness belies her innate strength. If I'm right about this sort of stuff, all of us humans working together, pooling what precious little telepathic ability we may have in close conjunction with both Mew and Mewtwo's efforts, can beat this lousy thing but good. We can do it and that's all there is to it. We have a big job to do now, right? So let's not waste any more time." Laura said, "Right you are, man. And there's nothing to it but to do it. Let's get going, Mewtwo. Come on, Mew." They swooped downward like hawks. William proudly hummed the Superman theme. George whooped with pure happiness. Hannah sang and wiggled happily. Laura just chatted with Mew and Mewtwo, seeing if she could get more acquainted with the two of them while she got them both acquainted with each other.
The hurricane was predicted to make landfall in Miami. The evacuation was already well underway, so there weren't many people left in the city. Mew, Mewtwo and the four humans swooped down on the beach. They tried, anyway. But the beach was underwater. So they landed on a nearby freeway ramp. George yelled over the howling wind and slashing rain, "Yo! Laura! What do we do now?" Laura shouted back, "What? I can't hear a thing!" William yelled, "Did you just say something?" Hannah screamed, "What?"
Mewtwo took over in an instant, linking their thoughts so they didn't have to try to hear each other over the loud storm. George repeated, "What now?" Laura replied, "We have to gather everyone fast. A small shield is easier to maintain than a large shield. Mew, you'll be in charge of the shield. Mewtwo, you try and dissipate the storm. It shouldn't be an impossible endeavor. You did it back on the island. What's that island called, anyway?" Mewtwo replied, (I call it New Island, because it was where I was going to change the world to something new.) Laura said, "Right. New Island it is. But let's get to the point. You did it before. Not only that, but you handled that hurricane just fine. If you could do it then, you can certainly do it now. You should try, anyway." Mewtwo cut in, (That was because I made it. If I had created this one, I could get rid of it just fine. But this one made itself. I can try to influence the forces at work within it, but I'm not sure if it'll work.) Laura replied, "Give it your best shot. If you can't handle it, we'll need you to help Mew with the shield. But, for now, we need to gather everyone together here and fast." Mewtwo said, (Allow me to handle this job, please. With a little help from Mew…?)
Mewtwo reached out with his power, blanketing Miami in a cloud of his awareness. Everyone who still remained in it fell under his control. There were twenty people in all. Mew helped, getting those he couldn't reach. They guided the people under their control out into the open. Once they were in the open, the two worked together to levitate them to where the shield was. Once they were under the shield, Mew and Mewtwo released them. They ended up staring at Mew and Mewtwo. Laura stepped up and tried to speak to them. But they were too busy talking to each other and gawking to listen. So Mewtwo took a hand in it. He stepped forward and yelled, (LISTEN UP, YOU PEOPLE!) They paid attention to Laura. Mewtwo stepped back and said, (Thank you so much.) Laura said, Mew projecting her words into the crowd's minds, "Here's the reason we brought you here. This area is shielded from both wind and water. Mew, this little kitten here, will be shielding you from the hurricane. Meanwhile, Mewtwo, this big feline fellow over here, will be working to dissipate the storm. So sit down, relax and don't worry. Everything's under control." The crowd sat down. The pavement was wet, but that was it for water.
Mew's shield worked very well. Mewtwo said to Laura, (I'll have to go outside the shield to handle the storm better. Hold down the fort and don't leave the shield for anything, okay? Here I go.) He passed through the shield as if it weren't there at all and stood alone in the face of the storm's full fury. Laura shivered as she watched Mewtwo getting battered by the storm. She felt like throwing up then. He appeared to be in no small amount of pain. She could taste it. She could practically feel it. And yet he went on. How brave! He was pounded by waves, pummeled by rain and lashed by fierce winds. The familiar blue glow enveloped his body as he concentrated his full power on the storm. He was pushing himself to his limit, but the storm resisted his attempts to dissipate it. She wanted to go and encourage him. But she couldn't just leave the shield to go see him.
Minutes passed, Mewtwo tried his best, and still the storm raged on. Laura decided to risk it. She had to tell Mewtwo to return to the shield and take a break. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the shield. An instant later, she was assaulted by rain and wind. Struggling against the wind's awesome power, she walked up to Mewtwo. She laid a hand on his furry shoulder. The blue glow around him died as he quit using his power. He looked at her, shocked to see her outside the shield. She could sense that her leaving the shield worried him to no end. He wanted her to just turn around and go right back in the shield immediately. But she wouldn't do it until she had delivered her message/orders to him. She yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to be heard over the roaring storm, "Mewtwo! Go back in the shield and take a break! You can try again in a few-YIKES!" A monster wave swept over them. Mewtwo threw up a reflexive shield around only himself. The wave hit Laura full force. In a short instant, she was gone. Mewtwo looked around and was shocked to find himself alone. Her cry of shocked fright still resonated loudly in his mind. The water had taken her and that meant she could be… Mewtwo screamed, (Laura! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!) His psychic power responded to his horror. In an instant, he was enveloped in a white glow. A beam of energy stabbed forth from his eyes and lanced into the clouds like a burning knife. It shone for just a short moment. Then the beam died. White fire was visible within the dark clouds, flickering and blazing. Then the hurricane…exploded. Small gray clouds went careening across the sky as a torrential gush of water fell from where the storm had been. In a single explosive instant, the skies had been made clear. Mewtwo didn't care that he had succeeded. He just wondered where Laura was. He saw a small bundle of white floating far out on the placid waves. Calling on his power again, Mewtwo levitated the white bundle over to where he stood. It was Laura, sure enough. She didn't seem to be breathing. Mewtwo touched her and said, (Laura, can you hear me? Are you all right?) There was no reply for a while. Enough time passed for Mewtwo to think she was dead. Then Laura began to cough wildly. Between coughs, she said, "I think I swallowed a carp. Hope it wasn't radioactive." After gaining control over her coughing fit, she sat up and shook herself off. Then she looked out at the waves with an angry expression and said, "I hate water! I hate it!" Mewtwo helped her to stand back up. She looked out to sea again, this time with a frightened expression. She said, "Mewtwo, we have a giant problem." Mewtwo asked, (Problem? What problem?) She lunged to her feet, grabbed his paw and did her level best to drag him back toward the shield. Mew had lowered it, but Laura shouted, "Mew! Put the shield back up! Mewtwo! Help her with it! We're not in the clear just yet! There's a tsunami coming!" That got Mewtwo moving. He shook free of her grip, grabbed her and leapt into the crowd. The shield reappeared, double strength this time. Everyone shook with fright, Laura most of all. Twenty-six pairs of eyes watched the horizon with dread. They knew it was coming. But where was it? The tsunami appeared as an undulating line on the horizon. In a few seconds, it towered over them. Then it crashed down. Everyone screamed, including Mewtwo. He shouted, (The pressure's too much for me! I'm taking us up!) The bubble rocketed up off the submerged ground. They all howled in sheer fright as the big bubble that contained them plowed upward through about fifty feet of murky seawater. Screams of fear changed to cries of wild elation as they exploded out of the water and into the sky. Everyone except Mewtwo's friends cried out. They were flying! They had risen from certain death and now they flew through the air like a flock of birds.
Mewtwo asked Laura, (How did you know about the tsunami? I couldn't see it coming or anything.) Laura replied, "I really don't know how I knew. I just knew. It happened when I was in the water, struggling to reach the surface. I felt this weird sort of…tension in the water. Then it hit me. I felt this sort of itching tickle in my hand, like something inside my skin was scratching to get out. I concentrated on it, as I always do to block out my headaches because I couldn't afford any distractions. After all, I was trying to avoid dying. But when I focused on it, something hidden deep within my mind…opened up. All of a sudden, I saw it, but not with my real eyes. It was more like a movie playing behind my eyes. I knew for sure that it was real, but I don't know how I knew it. I somehow knew it was a vision of something that either was happening or would soon happen. That was when you pulled me out of the water. And that was how I saved us." Mewtwo was kind of shocked. He said, (Laura, it sounds to me like an episode of clairvoyance. On some level, you are developing psychic powers. And your genetic code has been altered.) Laura said, "What? But how can this be? Wait! How could I have been stupid enough to think that there would be no consequences for my accident?" Mewtwo said, (What?)
She said, "There was an accident in the lab just three days before you awakened. Judy dropped a vial of DNA extract from the fossilized bone. That was Mew's unaltered DNA. I was helping her and I cut my hand on a piece of shattered glass so bad that I needed ten stitches. I was quarantined for a day for safety reasons, but nothing remarkable happened, except the cut healed in half a day. I've always healed fast, a product of a hyperactive metabolism, but that was a record. I thought nothing of it, seeing as large wounds heal faster. Just as I thought nothing of the 'accidents' that started to happen all around me. Things would fall, shift, sway, and even tip over… Everybody considered it to be just a coincidence, including myself. A rather wild coincidence, but a coincidence nonetheless."
Laura stared down at her hand for a few seconds. It looked as if she'd had no accident, for her flesh was unmarred, save for a small line. Then she turned back to Mewtwo and continued, "The weirdest thing happened when you were present. You were raging and the lab was rapidly becoming an inferno. I was off to the side somewhere, flipping my lid. Wait a second, do you remember flinging a table at someone?" Mewtwo replied, (Sort of. I didn't quite see the person I flung it at.) Laura said, "That was me. And you were dead on target, too. It would have killed me. It should have. I remember seeing it flying at my face. I cringed, for I knew death was coming. Then the healed cut on my hand throbbed. It felt like something was being released from the wound. Then I heard a crash. The table had hit the wall, five feet to my left. Somehow, it was turned aside. And, just before I saw the tsunami in my mind, the healed cut began to hurt again. Every strange occurrence, the bigger ones at least, seems to be preceded by pain in the scar."
Mewtwo said, (You can access it consciously too. I'm the example. That scar seems to be the focus of your budding power and maybe you can use your new powers through it. Concentrate on it. Focus on it. Put your mind, heart and soul into the concentration.) Laura replied, "Okay. I'll try it." She held her hand out before her, palm up, and stared at the scar. Her eyes drifted closed and her breathing slowed as she seemingly slipped into a trance. Mewtwo hung in the air beside her, for everyone was still floating around. Nothing happened for a while, but Mewtwo could sense some sort of power building. Then a bright white glow spread around her hand. That was all for a few long minutes. Then a winding ribbon of pure light erupted from the scar on her hand. It trailed straight upward, waving side to side lazily. After a few seconds, it wrapped its glowing length around her. Her entire body was enshrouded in white. It looked like she was in a cocoon. Using his psychic powers, Mewtwo could tell what was going on. Laura's mind was concentrated on what she was doing almost completely. She was pure psychic force. Her psychic power was running rampant through her entranced body, changing her form, rearranging her genetic code and unleashing psychic powers undreamed of by anyone on Earth except for the scientists who had been working on Project Mewtwo so long ago.
After what seemed like a very long time, the light faded away, revealing a very changed Laura. In fact, it didn't appear to be Laura at all. It looked a little like a newer, stronger version of Mewtwo crossed with a human. It was Laura, all right, but she wasn't even close to resembling the woman she'd been moments before. She had a long, slim, muscular tail, for one thing. And, instead of normal five-fingered human hands, she had slender, furry, elegant three-fingered paws. Her slim form was much more streamlined. She was also completely and totally naked, but it didn't matter all that much because she was covered all over with short, downy white fur. And she had wings! Vast, white bird wings adorned her furry back. She had ears like a cat, too. They swiveled in different directions in response to sounds. As Mewtwo and the others watched, Laura's tail swished lazily and she opened her eyes. Her eyes were very big and sky blue, just like Mew's eyes, and they sparkled. She said in a happy, chirping voice, "Well, I think I did something major back there. I feel different now, somehow." Mewtwo replied, (You certainly did do something big back there. Take a look at yourself.) She promptly flipped her lid upon seeing her newer, furrier body. Then she said in awe, "Cool! I'm different! I'm like you now! This is certainly a good thing!" She turned from Mew and Mewtwo to her husband, George. Then she used her new wings to flutter over to him. She said sadly, "I'm so, so sorry, George. I'm not the woman you thought I was. Heck, I'm not even the woman I thought I was. You made a vow of eternal love to Laura. You did not make that vow to Mewthree. Because of this new, unexpected change of both body and soul, we can no longer remain together as husband and wife. Please…forgive me for this, George."
She turned away and flew back to Mew and Mewtwo. She said, "I got a new science job after the incident where you destroyed the lab. I still do genetics. And I was given free run of the facility. Basically, I can study and research whatever I want. For months I couldn't decide what to do. Now that you're here…you and Mew…I know what I want to do with my life. There is only one Mewtwo and you're it. There are, at most, just a few Mews in the world. When I finish my life's work, there will be many, many Mews and at least a hundred million Mewtwos. I can see it all now. Cities where humans and psychic felines, such as both of you, can work together without any prejudice or bigotry! Great clouds of tiny Mews, darkening the skies! A whole entire country created for and created by cat people like you…The United Republic of Mewtwo! A large, thriving colony of Mews situated in the heart of the Amazon rainforest! A vast city that contains no humans at all! Human children, Mew children and Mewtwo children going to school together! State sanctioned classes on the control and management of psychic powers!" She noticed that she was shouting in her excitement, so she calmed down. A few minutes later, she said quietly, "A happy world with many Mews and a billion Mewtwos, a world where all of these wondrous creatures may roam around freely. That is my one true dream now."
Mew seemed to smile. So did Mewtwo. She said, "Hey. I know scientists did bad things to you, Mewtwo. And I, however unwillingly, was one of them. But now I feel that, by giving the world a gift of miraculous creatures like you two psychic cats, I can finally atone for my…sins…" She clenched her new paws into fists and screamed to the heavens above, "I should have stopped them earlier! I should have taken a stand!" Crystalline tears welled in her sky blue eyes. An instant later, she roughly wiped the tears from her eyes, as if she were disgusted at her display of emotion. She continued, "I knew it was wrong. That was why I made plans to steal you away from there right after you awakened…and why I sang lullabies to you in that tube. I talked to you, I told you stories, I pretended you could hear me… On some level, I think you responded. Even though you weren't awake, I had the feeling that, somehow, you were glad I came. Do you remember anything from before you awakened? Words, music, anything?" Mewtwo thought about it for a few long seconds, then said, (I dreamed nonstop before I awakened. The dreams changed and shifted around like clouds in the sky. But there was always some element that remained the same through them all, and that was a song. The dreams changed and flowed like water in a river during a colossal rainstorm, but the song was always there. Okay, let me see if I can remember the words. It's so close and yet so very, very far away from me in time and also in my mind…) He tried to remember, but failed. Then he said, (I think the best way to start is with what I remember from the dreams.) Mewthree replied, "Go for it, big cat pal. I think you'll know it when you think of it. I always sang the same song, because it was the only song I could remember all the words to. Sure I tried many others, but I didn't know any of the words that went with them. I called it the Feline Lullaby because it had everything to do with you, and you were a genuine feline. The real, official name of it is 'Crash and Burn' by Savage Garden."
He closed his eyes and relaxed. As he slipped back into his memory, he narrated what he remembered. He said slowly, (Floating… Floating… I see the crystal clear water… The dancing bubbles… And I see you, little kitten creature, dancing so beautifully beneath the waves. Who are you? Why do I feel so connected to you? You dart into a forest of seaweed and are gone in a flash, little kitten creature. If you are no longer here to see, why do I still remain here? I hear the voice next, singing so sweetly of another world… Your song…so beautiful… I can almost hear the words… When you feel all alone…)
He slowly, haltingly sang the words in the tune he vaguely remembered, but another far more beautiful voice slowly eclipsed his psychic words. He listened to the song and was almost lost in a wild wave of pent-up emotions he hardly knew he'd felt so long ago. He remembered the song and the images it had conjured up of an angelic protector… Mewtwo's heart almost broke under the assault of pure beauty and memory as Mewthree sang the song Laura had once used as a lullaby for a sleeping cat in a tank of fluid.
"When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and
You feel like you can't take anymore
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught on a one-way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
Because there's always been heartache and pain
And when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone…"
Mewtwo said, (Oh God…Laura…This is it…) Mewthree replied, "I'm not Laura anymore, silly cat. I'm Mewthree. Changing subjects, where should we drop these folks off?" Mewtwo said, (I have no idea.) They were quiet. Then Mewthree said, "I got it! Washington D.C! Nobody can deny our existence if we drop these folks off on the White House lawn! Follow me!" The two psychic cats did so. Speeding downward and laterally through the sky, they were at their destination, the capital of America, in mere minutes.
The three cats and twenty-three people landed on the White House lawn. It took a few minutes for a largish crowd of government bureaucrats to gather around them. Mewthree decided to be the one to speak because she could do it aloud. She said, "Is the President among you?" An immaculate middle-aged man stepped forward and said, "That would be me." She stepped up to him and he practically freaked out. She smiled gently, serving to calm him ever so slightly. Then she said to him, "Mister President, sir, I am called Mewthree. This big feline fellow here is called Mewtwo. This cute little kitten over there is called Mew. We three are the final result of a bioweapon experiment you may or may not have known of. Ask the military boys about Project Mewtwo. Tell them Wonder Cat sent you. They'll know about it. Believe me, they'll know. The three people on the left were on our team from the start. The twenty people over on the right were just rescued from down in Miami, where a truly huge hurricane had recently made primary landfall. Weather reports will say that the hurricane seems to have winked right out of existence as if it had never been. That is because Mewtwo destroyed it. Now that our mission is done, we will now all head on over to the Pentagon." Mewtwo asked, (Why are we going there?) Mewthree replied, "It's where my lab is." The three of them then took off. Mew and Mewtwo hovered. Mewthree just used her wings. It was a short jaunt to the Pentagon from there. They landed. Mewthree was allowed entry, and she brought them in with her. She used her passwords to enter her laboratory. Once in, she relaxed, folded her wings neatly against her back, turned to face Mew and Mewtwo and said, "I know you won't be all that happy about this. If I'm going to do my job of giving birth to two new races of wondrous creatures, I need a small blood and tissue sample from the both of you." Mew somersaulted onto the nearby table and cheerfully let Mewthree do it. Mewtwo was a little harder to convince to cooperate. He smacked himself hard over the head, let out an exasperated psychic groan and reluctantly let Mewthree take her sample. She said quietly, "Thank you so very, very much for your kind cooperation, you guys. Now I'll start."
As she began her work, she said, "Think of the possibilities. There will be children, Mewtwo. Children! Baby Mews! Baby Mewtwos! You took only a few weeks to grow to full maturity. These kids will be the same. That means your race-our race-will grow and flourish rapidly." Mew and Mewtwo watched her work, doing complicated things and singing happily as she did them. Since it was just cloning and a bit of genetic retooling, it was easier than making Mewtwo. He'd been a complete DNA makeover. This was child's play compared to his creation. The first stage took just a few short days.
Mewthree was making many embryos right and left, both Mews and Mewtwos alike, and cryogenically freezing them for later thawing and gestation. During that time, both Mew and Mewtwo could tell that she was keeping something major from both of them, keeping a secret to herself. But, seeing as she was a psychic creature also, they could not pry the information from her mind. And so it remained a total mystery. But they could tell that whatever it was made her very, very happy. Mewthree was far more cheerful than they had ever seen her before, laughing and singing. Every so often, she would run her paw along the soft fur of her belly and smile. It seemed like she was constantly swishing her tail with pure pride and flexing her big wings. She skipped down the hallways, juggled her equipment with an artistic flair and sang many happy little tunes as she worked on various things. She rejoiced in Mew's presence and in Mewtwo's presence as well. On her off time, she played games with them and showed them around. She regaled the two of them with wacky stories from her younger days and made little jokes.
One day, Mewtwo was sure that he was going insane. He looked at Mewthree and his mother Mew, and sensed another, invisible presence. He saw the two of them, but felt the mind of a third. He confessed his feelings to Mewthree. Mew, as always, was with her. He said, (I think I'm going nuts. I see you two…but my mind feels that there are three here. Four if you count my presence, but I don't usually pay much attention to myself.) She nodded and said, "You sense a third…because there is a third. A child…the first of a new race… Mewtwo, Mew…I'm pregnant." Mewtwo fairly gasped, (Pregnant… How long?) She smiled and replied, "Oh, it's been just about two full weeks. I should be showing the signs of it pretty soon. In just two short weeks this little one will come to be. Do you know why I chose to give birth to this child myself, instead of growing it in a stupid little glass tube like we initially did with you, Mewtwo? It's because I want to make up for what you didn't have, which is a mother and a father. It's what I would have done for you…had I been physically able and genetically compatible. Unlike the mistake I made in allowing you to be born from a stupid tube, this child will have a real family."
Everyone was practically bouncing off the walls in their elated hysteria. The two weeks passed by incredibly quickly, in a haze of nervous joy. Mew, a naturally happy creature, thought she would explode from sheer delight. She would very soon have a grandchild! Mewtwo was so exhilarated that he could barely restrain himself from bursting into song and dance. Mewthree began to show her pregnancy as the time grew closer and closer.
It was late at night and Mewtwo lay in his bed, which had been specially made to suit his needs. As always, Mew lay curled up on a small pillow right next to him. She made a soft purring sound as she breathed. Was she snoring or something? He envied the fact that she was sleeping. He was too wound up to sleep. The time for Mewthree to give birth was drawing ever closer and closer with each second. When would it be? When would it be?
For a split second, barely long enough for him to register it as having existed, a psychic scream of pain knifed through his mind. After his mind recovered, he became aware of the fact that Mew was awake and clinging to his arm, shaking with fright. He took a moment to comfort her, and then they both shot out of the room like furry lightning bolts. And they were right. Mewthree was crouched on the floor, in the middle of giving birth.
Her wings were spread wide, shielding the event from their view. Mew and Mewtwo knew that she definitely didn't want them to get any closer to her, so they just waited nervously. They felt the psychic waves of pain radiating from her, but there was a fierce joy lying beneath it. The pain and the joy increased exponentially with each passing second, and then it exploded in a cascade of relief and immense pride. Then Mew and Mewtwo heard a very small voice mewing furiously. A tiny Mewtwo had just been born.
Mewthree stood up and carried the newborn to the nearby sink, where she soaked a sponge in warm water to wash the baby's fur. Then she took a soft, warm, fuzzy blanket and wrapped it around the little one. By that time, the baby had stopped mewing. Gently cradling the tiny infant in her arms, she slowly walked over to where Mew and Mewtwo stood. She stood before him and showed him the baby. Mewtwo hesitantly reached out to hold the little one. Mewthree said in a proud, solemn voice, "Mewtwo…your son." Mewtwo, now holding the tiny baby, was totally amazed at that. He was a father! He looked at the baby. It looked like a miniature replica of him, right down to the white fur and pale indigo eyes. He was just as tiny as Mew and he was a real cutie. Mewtwo said, (Mewthree…he's beautiful…) She replied, a little tired, "And he's our son. What do you think we should name him? I think we should call him Adam. He is the first son, the firstborn of a whole new race. In due time, when he's a little older, I will give birth to his sister, and I will name her Eve. The first daughter of a new race." Mewtwo said, (Adam the firstborn. It's a good name. It is a very good name for a strong, perfect newborn son. Mew, what do you think about the name? You want to call him Adam or something else?) In reply, Mew flew to the tiny bundle and gave the newborn Mewtwo a hug. Adam made a happy cooing sound. Then he realized that he was hungry. The bundle in Mewtwo's arms began to squirm and mew. Mewthree said, "He's hungry. I'll go prepare a bottle. Kids need milk for their bones to grow strong. And babies need milk most of all." She moved over to the refrigerator and began to fix Adam a bottle. She warmed up the bottle and began to bring it over to Mewtwo, who held Adam. Adam saw her coming and knew that the bottle held food for him. He was very hungry and he wanted food right now. His eyes flared blue and the bottle was enveloped in a bright blue glow. It then jerked up out of Mewthree's paws and floated over to Mewtwo. Mewtwo just grabbed it in midair and offered the rubber nipple to Adam, who latched onto it and began to greedily slurp down the milk. As Adam had his first meal ever, Mewtwo said, (Did you see that? Adam's already manifesting his psychic powers!) Mewthree replied, "That means you have to train him in their use as soon as possible. The minute he's old enough to learn how, promise me you'll teach him how to use them properly. I really do mean it, Mewtwo."
It was their very first night spent together, Mewthree and her newborn son Adam. She had locked the door to her small room, wanting that extra small measure of safety in case anything strange happened. Her instinct was to protect Adam at any and all costs, and she approved of its urging. Besides, she had a strange feeling that something was coming for them both. He was snuggled on her chest, curled up like any ordinary kitten and purring softly in his sleep. She was sleeping also…and dreaming a terrible dream that quickly became a hideous nightmare that she could not escape no matter what she tried to do.
In her dream, she was standing in the laboratory where she and her friends had created Mewtwo. She reached out to grab something and noticed her hand. She had five fingers. She reached up to touch her face. Her human face. She gasped, "I'm…I'm Laura…" A voice distracted her, shouting, "Something's happening! Look!" Someone, she thought it was Judy, said, "He's waking up for the first time, Doctor." She fairly spun around. The instruments were registering off the scale. She looked over and saw the creature floating in the vat of viscous liquid. It was Mewtwo. T.J shouted, "His brainwaves are going off the scale, sir! Hope we don't lose this one too!" She knew she had words that she had to say at that point. She stepped closer to the vat and spoke the words she remembered saying long ago, "Hey in there, big guy. I know you can hear me in there, dude. Don't go all weird on us, okay? You just got born. Don't die on us now. Y'all hold on and don't you dare go giving up on us." Mewtwo opened his eyes. Strangely, she couldn't hear his psychic voice although she knew that he was supposed to be speaking. A few seconds later, the vat shattered, spraying stinky goo everywhere. Mewtwo stood in the ruins of the vat. He took a step forward, out of the ruins of the vat that had held him moments ago…
And collapsed like a ton of bricks. He went into convulsions. It was plain to see that he was in the grips of a grand mal seizure. Laura screamed in horror. Judy, T.J and the others evaporated like smoke right before her shocked eyes, leaving her alone with the dying Mewtwo. Tears poured down her furless cheeks and blinded her as she sobbed uncontrollably. Mewtwo was dying right before her eyes and she could do nothing for him. She wiped the tears from her eyes and saw that Mewtwo's seizure had ceased. He was lying motionless on the ground, amid the splattered stinky goo and the broken glass. He didn't appear to be breathing any longer. Laura's scream of hysterical denial totally deafened her as she fairly flew over and knelt by him. She took his pulse. He didn't have one. An electromagnetic scan revealed no brain activity. He was quite dead. Laura, beginning to cry once again, gently touched his furry, still-wet cheek. Then she hugged his cold, wet body, despite the stinky goo that still drenched him. She sobbed, "Oh God, Mewtwo… I'm so sorry…so sorry…" She felt a familiar presence coalesce behind her and she turned around to face it. It was Mewthree. She gasped, "But…but I'm Mewthree…" Mewthree cradled a baby Mewtwo in her arms. Meeting Laura's gaze, Mewthree asked, "Laura… Mother… Why have you done this to us?" Laura looked away from them right then, unable to reply. A short instant later, she cradled a small, blanketed bundle in her arms. She said softly, "Adam… Oh God, Adam… I'm so sorry… Forgive me… I never meant to…" She pulled the blanket away from Adam's tiny face. Only it wasn't Adam at all it was a skeleton a SKELETON of a Mewtwo but it wasn't dead at all it was still alive as it reached out with its tiny bone paws to touch her shocked face…
Mewthree bolted up in bed, screaming at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Then she began to sob hysterically. Adam was equally hysterical, mewing with a frantic intensity. Mew and Mewtwo heard her scream from their shared room down the hall. They rushed in, practically breaking the door down in their terrified haste, and they didn't find what they had expected, which was an attacker threatening the ones they loved. They only saw a hysterical mother and a terrified child. Mew flew over to Adam and started to comfort him. Mewtwo held Mewthree as she cried and cried. Since she was quite unable to speak while she was crying, she showed him her nightmare with her budding psychic powers. It seemed like a very, very long time before she finally calmed down. When she calmed down, she saw that Adam was still mewing, extremely distressed over how his mother had screamed so. She picked him up and he began to calm down. She said, "It's okay, Adam. It's okay. Really it is. Everything's just fine now. I'm all right, see? Don't worry about me, little guy. I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to be scared anymore. I wasn't hurt or anything. I just had a bad, scary dream. That's all. It was just a dream."
Once more snuggled up against his mother, Adam became calm again. His tiny paws clung to her warm, soft fur and he nuzzled up against her. Mew and Mewtwo, not to mention Mewthree, were very surprised when they heard a tiny, soft voice; "Mommy…" Adam was speaking! Already! Mewthree was right about his accelerated growth! He wasn't even six hours old, and he was already learning how to speak! What a precocious child he was! Mewtwo and Mewthree laughed delightedly and Mew did a cute little happy wiggle in midair as Adam babbled happily, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…" Mewtwo said, (Oh, he is so cute!) Mewthree replied, "He's related to you. How could he not be cute?" Mew just danced in the air, releasing a high, chirping giggle as she did so.
The very next day, Adam had picked up a whole lot more new words seemingly from out of nowhere. Mewthree resumed her work in the lab. He sat on the high lab table right beside her happily reciting all the words he knew, seeking her approval of his knowledge, "Mommy Mew Mewtwo Daddy lab Mewthree bottle baby Adam power blanket fur psychic…" He knew better than to touch his mommy's things. He had a sneaking feeling that whatever his mommy was doing would result in something very nice for all of them. Mewthree took frequent breaks to feed Adam and play some new games. As she worked, she talked to him about things. Adam watched her work with curious attention, wanting to see every single thing she did. In the afternoon, Mewthree took Adam out to the Pentagon's courtyard. As she walked around with him in her arms, she named and described things to him. She said, "This is grass. Tickles, doesn't it? Those are flowers. They smell nice, right? This is a tree. Look how big it is! That's the sky. It's so blue today! This is wind. Tickles your fur, doesn't it? Those are clouds. Look at how fluffy they are! Up there is the sun. Warm, isn't it? That is the ground. This is where grass comes from! This is a puddle with water in it. The water is very cold, isn't it? That slimy, brown stuff is called mud. It's icky, so we don't want to touch it, okay? These are my wings. See how big they are? That means I can fly in the air. Mew flies in the air. Mewtwo can too. Maybe he'll show you. Someday you will be able to fly in the air too. This is my tail. You have one too, see? This is my paw. This is your paw. One, two, three… Three fingers on your paw. Three fingers on my paw. I have two eyes. They're blue like the sky, see? You have eyes too. Yours are purple like Mewtwo's. These are your ears. You hear sounds with them. My ears are like Mew's. Your ears are like Mewtwo's. This is my fur. I have fur all over and so do you. It tickles your face when your rub it, doesn't it? This is my foot. This is your foot. One, two, three… Three toes on your foot. We have the same number of toes as fingers. One, two, three…One, two, three." Adam listened with rapt attention, readily absorbing every word she said to him.
They didn't know that they were being spied on. One of the surveillance cameras in the courtyard had a different audience than any Pentagon technician. It had been tapped into and overridden by none other than the notorious Team Rocket. Giovanni, who had survived Mewtwo's destruction of his headquarters, had harbored a deep grudge against the mutant cat. The discovery of a new, winged Mewtwo cradling a small baby Mewtwo excited him. Judging from their attitude and interaction, they were mother and child. If he kidnapped even one of these two, he could get back at Mewtwo for nearly killing him.
He called on his sinister duo, Jessie and James. They came quickly at his call. James said, "What do you want us to do, boss?" He replied, showing them the video of Mewthree and baby Adam, "I want you to go to the Pentagon and kidnap that baby Mewtwo. Now." Jessie said, "Gee, I don't know about that, boss. That seems a little on the cruel side." He roared, "So? Team Rocket is cruel! Now go!" Jessie and James left the headquarters sullenly. Team Rocket was mean, but kidnapping a baby seemed to be outright sadistic. As they walked, James said, "Jessie, I don't want to do this." Jessie replied, "I know how you feel. I don't want to do this either. But it appears we have no choice in the matter. There's nothing we can do." James said, "But there is something we can do. We can do it with minimal violence, not hurt anyone and take really good care of the baby." Jessie exclaimed, "And we can leave a big trail so they can follow us and rescue the cat kid!"
Adam had all the defining characteristics of a typical four-year-old human child, in Mewthree's perspective. He knew how to talk quite well and he was constantly curious about everything. He was always getting into all sorts of trouble as he ran around, exploring his world. It seemed like Mewthree was always yelling at him, "Don't eat that! Don't touch that! Don't drink that! Don't play with that! Don't you dare go over there! Don't do that! Don't go near that! Don't run around with that! Stay away from that! Don't even breathe on that! Be very quiet while I do this, okay? Go see Mewtwo! Go see Mew!" Instead of an armful, he was a handful. But that didn't mean she loved him any less. She still sang his favorite songs, played his favorite games with him and patiently answered each one of his rapid-fire questions. But one single, simple question he asked her made her heart stop right in its tracks and her blood run as cold as ice at the very least. He pointed upward at the sky and asked very seriously, "Who are they, mommy?"
At that very instant, the glass roof shattered in a glittering cascade of sharp-edged rain. Mewthree shielded Adam from the falling shards with wings wide to shield herself. The sounds of strange voices shouting at her motivated her to slowly look up. A redheaded girl and a dark-haired boy stared down at them from a large hot-air balloon. They both wore white shirts with a red letter R on the front. They were strange, but Mewthree thought the design on their shirts looked very familiar. They shouted together, "Prepare for trouble! Make it double!" Then they recited what had to be a motto with great gusto.
"To protect the world from devastation!
To unite all peoples within our nation!
To denounce the evils of truth and love!
To extend our reach to the stars above!
Jessie!
James!
Team Rocket-blast off at the speed of light!
Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
Jessie sighed sadly, looking away. Then she said, "All right, lady! Hand over the kid or we hurt you bad!" Mewthree yelled back, "No! Never! I will never let you take my son!" James cut in, "Hey. It's not like we're giving you a choice here." They threw two small pellets at her. In an instant, thick black smoke blinded both Mewthree and Adam. They coughed wildly, choking on the vile fumes. Some unknown, unseen force wrenched Adam from her arms. A voice, its source invisible beyond the smoke, said, "I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry." In a wild frenzy of sheer terror, Mewthree's psychic powers became completely active. Not aware that she wasn't using her audible voice any longer, she shrieked wildly: (MEWTWO! MEWTWO! TEAM ROCKET HAS ADAM! HELP! HELP!)
She had to have lost consciousness, because the next thing she was aware of was awakening in Mewtwo's arms. Mew was sitting on his shoulder. But where was Adam? Then she remembered. Mewthree bolted up, yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Adam!" She stood up and cried in a wild frenzy, "They took him! Giovanni-Team Rocket-Kidnapped! Gone!" Mewtwo understood. He let out a psychic scream and discharged vast amounts of psychic energy. Mew began to cry. Mewthree seriously debated suicide with herself, Mewtwo screamed loud curses at the heavens and Mew cried her eyes out. Their lives would never be the same without Adam. They knew he was being taken to the Team Rocket headquarters, but they had no idea where the Team Rocket headquarters was located. If they had known, they would have tried to plot a daring rescue. But since they had no clue whatsoever as to where they would have to go to do that, they didn't.
Jessie and James, hearts heavy with guilt, made their delivery. Adam, held roughly in James's arms, squirmed and mewed. He set the child down on the table. Adam looked around, then sat down and mewed pathetically. Between mews, he wailed, "Mommy! Mommy!" Although no one could see her, Jessie was crying also. James was almost crying. A few seconds later, an idea flashed into both their minds at the exact same instant. After being dismissed from the room, they both went to their rooms and quickly began to prepare for real trouble. A plan was beginning to take shape in their heads. They would free the little one from there in collaboration with his distraught feline parents.
Mewthree, Mew and Mewtwo didn't know what to do next. Mew hadn't really stopped crying, even though Adam had been kidnapped days ago. Mewtwo destroyed anything that got in his way, he was so terribly angry. Mewthree alternated between weeping and throwing fits. Mewtwo and Mewthree, whenever together, plotted their revenge on Team Rocket. But they didn't know what they could possibly do to get their little Adam back.
One day, the doorbell rang. Mewthree answered it and gasped at the people she saw there. It was Jessie and James. She snarled, "You took my precious baby! Now you die!" Jessie called out, "Wait a minute! Your son is okay. Let us in and I'll tell you some more." She stopped, puzzled. Jessie then explained, "We just want you to know that we're sorry for what we did. James and I tend to him. And we've come up with a plan to free him." Mewthree let them in. Looking into their minds, she could see that they weren't lying. Mewtwo and even Mew reacted violently to their presence. Jessie and James would have been killed right on the spot if Mewthree hadn't intervened on their behalf. Given a few moments to restore calm in the room, Mew and Mewtwo were finally ready to hear what Jessie had to say. Jessie took a few moments to gather her wits. She looked to James for encouragement and he nodded. Then she began to speak, "If you think we're here for trouble-" James cut in, "-Then we just have to burst your bubble."
"Instead of causing tribulation
We've undergone a transformation
Though it's beyond our usual range
We're going to do something nice for a change
Jessie!
James!
'Til now Team Rocket's been quite mean
To do something nice would be peachy keen!"
"That's right," James finished. Then he looked over at Jessie. She gulped quietly and then said, "Mewtwo, Mew, I beg you to hear me out. James and I are very sorry for what we did back there all that time ago. Your son will be free from the prison where he now resides. Until that happy time comes at last, I just want you to know this. James and I, with your kind cooperation, are going to bust him out of there as soon as we can. Here's the plan as I see it. I will go tend to the kid because he likes me a whole heck of a lot and I really like him too. At the same time, James will head in the opposite direction and pull any fire alarm he comes across. The fire alarm automatically unlocks any and all doors inside the whole entire building, including the one to where your son is currently held. The minute I hear the fire alarm go off, I'll hoist the kid up on my back and then run away like a frightened little zebra. I'll head on over to the western exit. That's where you three cats will be waiting and hiding. I'll give you the kid and join the other Team Rocket members with no one the wiser. You cats will then fly away from there at top speed. If it becomes absolutely necessary for us to do so, James and I will cover for you as you go."
Mewthree, Mewtwo and Mew hid in a prickly thorn bush just outside of the Team Rocket headquarters, waiting for Jessie to emerge from the western exit. Mewthree said softly, "All we have to do is wait. They'll do their jobs, so we'll do ours. Our job is to wait." Mewtwo replied indignantly, (Wait? WAIT? I'm sitting on thorns and I practically have a pinecone shoved up my nose and you expect me to wait? Giovanni did this and he's my enemy! I just wanna go take my complaint right on in there and stick it to the man!) Mewthree quickly reached over and smacked him hard across the face. He whipped around to face her, eyes shining bright blue with anger. She snarled, "You're gonna stay right here like the rest of us! That's what you're gonna do! If you ever wanna see our Adam again, then just stick to the freaking plan!" Chastened by her angry words, he quickly calmed down and they all began to wait for the fire alarm to sound and for Jessie. Mewtwo said, (I'm frightened, Mewthree. In the confusion, Adam might be…) Mewthree replied, "Jessie knows what she's doing. So does James. Trust in them and just be calm."
Quickly smoothing down the wrinkles in her uniform, Jessie prepared to enter the makeshift nursery that had been set up for the baby Mewtwo. She stepped through the sliding door and walked over to the crib. The little guy had gone into the crib for a nap. Even though he was old enough to no longer need the crib, he still wanted it. He'd reverted to infant behavior because of the trauma of being kidnapped. He now acted just like a baby, so that was how she treated him. She reached into the crib and picked him up. Cradled against her, he yawned and stretched as he woke up. She said in a soft voice, "Hi there, little dude. It's me. It's Jessie. How's it going there? Have a nice nap?" She gently touched his nose. He giggled like a normal human baby and grabbed at her fingers. Over the past few days, her feeling of obligation had grown into genuine attachment to him. She paced the room with him, talking to him as she did so. She said, "I'm waiting for my friend James. Have you met James? Of course you met him. He was with me when we…kidnapped you… But everything's okay now. I'm here for you, so you don't have to worry. Everything, I mean every little thing, is going to be all right. You'll see." The baby Mewtwo curled his tiny tail around her arm in a gesture of genuine affection for her. She gave him a little kiss and tickled him a bit. He wiggled and giggled in her arms.
James sort of tap-danced down the hall; acting like he'd just done something that was really great. That was his ploy to keep any and all suspicions off him. If he acted nuts instead of suspicious, he wouldn't be implicated in the return of the baby Mewtwo to its parents. Singing a queer little song that he was making up, he waltzed toward the fire alarm. He paused by the fire alarm and then quickly whirled in place. Moving far faster than the normal eye could ever hope to see, he yanked the fire alarm as he twirled. The fire alarm sounded and all the world fractured into shards of pure pandemonium. Doing a last little ballerina twirl, he turned and ran out of the building like a flash. As he ran off, he yelled, "Jessie! Jessie! The fire alarm's going off! Get out of the building right now!"
Jessie whispered to the baby she held, "Think it's time to go!" She hoisted him on her back, telling him she was going to give him a ride. Finally she said, "Hang on! We're going to go fast!" Then she bolted. She was glad for her long legs as she bounded down the hall. The little Mewtwo she carried giggled with exhilaration and she joined in as she ran. She was as fast as a cheetah, as agile as a gazelle and no one could catch her, either! She passed many people, but none of them noticed her as she sprinted along at top speed. They were too busy running like frightened zebras to notice what she was carrying. So she went unopposed. The baby Mewtwo she carried on her back giggled as her hair blew backward to tickle his tiny face. The western exit was wide open before her, and there was no opposition in sight. She shouted, "And now…we're outside!" She charged onward, whooping like a complete idiot with the baby Mewtwo imitating her, leaving the neatly cut lawn and entering the forest. Once under the cover of the trees, she doubled back, heading to a place where a certain thorn bush waited for her imminent arrival…
Boldly daring the razor sharp thorns, she quickly went inside the bush. Bending down and shielding the little guy from getting cut, she pushed on to the center of the bush. At the center, three felines awaited them both. A psychic voice asked, (Did it work? Did you get the child?) She replied, "Yep, it worked. And here he is." A small version of Mewtwo cautiously peeked out of her sheltering arms and cried happily, "Mommy! Daddy! Mew!" Mewthree snatched him up and cried, "Adam!" Jessie said, "Adam? You never said he had a name! I've just been calling him 'Little Dude'! I wish you'd told me his name!" Mew and Mewtwo smothered Adam with hugs and kisses. Mewthree walked up to Jessie and said, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for, in returning Adam, you have given back ours." Adam wriggled in Mew and Mewtwo's loving arms, swishing his tail with happiness and looking right at Mewthree. He chirped happily, "Jessie!" She gasped in delighted awe; "Hey! You know my name? Oh, you wondrous little boy cat, you! You're just a cute, furry little miracle with a tail, aren't you? You're an honest miracle!"
He chirped her name over and over, showing that he really liked her a lot. She liked him too. Adam popped out of Mewtwo's arms and jumped to Jessie. She hugged him and said, "You're cute, you know that? And you're one very lucky kitten. You've got a loving family, a nice home and a bright future ahead of you. I may be with Team Rocket, your family's enemy, but I want you to know that I will always be your friend, little dude." She held him as she had so many times before while he had been a prisoner of Team Rocket. It was plain to Mewtwo that she considered herself his protector and caretaker. In a way, she was his guardian angel, a secret ally among their Team Rocket enemies.
A few short little minutes later, Jessie stepped back and then said, "I have to get back to the others or they'll suspect me. And as for you guys, you'd better leave this place now. When the boss finds out, he will go after you big-time. Oh, and you'd better pump up security at the Pentagon. Goodbye now!" Jessie ran out of the thorn bush and was out of all sight in mere seconds. Mewtwo said, (She's got that right, you know. We'd better get going. Let's wait until we're two miles away before flying off.) Mewthree replied, "Oh, yeah. Let's just plain run. Follow me! Mew, you lead the way! Mewtwo, you take the rear! I'll go down the middle with Adam! Okay, then. Let's go!" Mew peeked out of the thorn bush. The way was all clear. They could escape from the area with great ease.
The three cats, their child safe from harm at last, burst from the thorn bush like three furry missiles, running as fast as their legs and psychic powers could possibly take them. Mewthree laughed. Mew laughed. Mewtwo laughed. Adam laughed. Finally, after what had seemed like forever, the feline family was complete. Mew, Mewtwo and Mewthree promised themselves and each other that they would increase security at the Pentagon. They planned a huge party, with wonderful music, good food, fun games and all that. Mew chirped happily. Mewthree sang in a quiet voice. Mewtwo giggled repeatedly. He was at the rear, sprinting along with all of his might. He just barely saw Mewthree and Mew running along far ahead of him. All of a sudden, he tripped and fell. He tried to get up, but discovered that his leg was caught in a snare trap. He said, (What? How? Who? Ah, nuts!) He knew it was a trap set by Team Rocket, and that someone would come see what he or she had caught. He considered calling out to Mewthree and Mew for help, but then he decided not to. Team Rocket could arrive on the scene at any second and he didn't want them to get caught too. So he just kept silent and held still. Fidgeting nervously, in much pain from the snare around his leg, he just plain sat and waited. Stewing in resentful anger, he thought, Well, Giovanni, it looks like we'll meet again.
A junior Team Rocket member found him and brought him in at gunpoint. If he tried to use his power, he would be shot dead in less than an instant. He was brought before Giovanni himself, who recognized him in way less than an instant. With an evil laugh of sheer triumph, he said, "Well, well, well. Looks like I got you after all. You nearly killed me back then, remember? It's only fair that I return the favor to you in spades, 'buddy'. 'Prepare for trouble' doesn't even begin to cover the situation you're in now." He then turned to one of his subordinates and said, "Put him down in General Population. That'll take care of him. Nobody ever escapes from down there." Mewtwo was whacked over the head just hard enough to stun him for a few seconds. In that short time, he was both blindfolded and handcuffed. Then he was led along at gunpoint again. He was taken down three floors, to what had to be a sub-basement level.