9. Payday.
Jessie and James were closing in on Team Rocket Headquarters. They were idly talking, but Pikachu and their Boss were the furthest things from their minds.
"James, you never answered my question."
"What question, Jess." Why do I keep calling her that lately?
"Why did you suggest early retirement?" If it is what I think it is…
"I told you, I don't know." I can't tell her. "It just… came out." She didn't believe him. "Does it matter?" Please say 'yes'.
"Well… yeah."
There is a God!!! "Why?" Oh great, Jimmy. Really subtle.
"I just wanna know." I REALLY wanna know.
"Well… I thought… we could beat the record for being the earliest retirers!" D'oh! He mentally slapped himself on the head and cringed at his own stupidity. Luckily she didn't see.
"I guess twenty-one IS a little early.", she said absently, then paused for thought. "That's not the reason is it?" Don't push it.
"You know what, Jess?" I did it AGAIN!
"Yes?"
There was a pause. "Curiosity killed the cat-type." Dammit! I'll just wait for the blow. "Ouch." he said, as Jessie smacked him. It wasn't an angry reaction, though, it was a cuff on his arm.
They walked on in silence for a while, then she took out Meowth's pokéball (which still held Pikachu) and examined it. After a few seconds she said "I miss Meowth." James never thought he'd hear those words. She lowered her hand carrying the pokéball to her side, and put it away.
"Me too." Very cautiously, he reached out his hand to her and took her palm in his. He squeezed it tightly. She returned the gesture, then they let go and carried on walking, wondering what the hell had just happened, and damning Meowth for causing all this trouble.
They reached Team Rocket Headquarters about five minutes after that, and navigated their way effortlessly through the labyrinthine corridors to Giovanni's Big Office. It was signified by a heavy wooden door at the end of an otherwise bare, dark and very imposing corridor. But Team Rocket agents weren't supposed to feel intimidated, they were supposed to be brave. Nevertheless it put the fear of God into Jessie and James as they approached.
They stood outside the door nervously and Jessie knocked, getting the pokéball ready. She kept scratching the back of her neck, just below her hairline, nervously. A voice seeped menacingly out of the intercom on the wall: "Enter." They looked at each other then opened the door.
In a scene straight out of a James Bond movie, their Boss was sitting in a huge leather chair with his back to them, the only visible part of his body being the hand he was using to stroke a contented Persian on his lap. "Yes?" he asked.
"Go on, James." whispered Jessie, shoving him forwards. He cleared his throat and began addressing the imposing leather chair.
"Sir… we have-"
"Speak up!" interrupted the chair. James trembled and Jessie poked him encouragingly.
"Sir, we have caught that Pikachu you wanted." he finally managed to say, confidently. The chair guffawed and the Persian leapt from its occupier's lap. It glared at the pair of them evilly and then wandered off to sit with its back to them in the corner of the room.
"I highly doubt it."
Jessie did not like being called a liar, even indirectly, so she laid the pokéball on the desk and gestured for her partner to leave.
"If you don't believe us, sir, you're welcome to check for yourself." she said, as forcefully as she could. James still hadn't left and she pushed him towards the door. He was sure he saw her mouth the word 'run', but he couldn't really tell and waited for her. Giovanni finally turned around and took the ball. He didn't open it. Jessie breathed out.
"I believe you." He examined the duo carefully, then realised what it was that was missing. "Where is your Meowth?"
James swallowed nervously. Jessie evidently wanted to leave. Now. This second. But he had to explain himself first, much to her annoyance as she let out an inaudible sigh. "He went off with some Togepi to start a new life for himself…"
"Really?" He seemed remarkably… not angry by this. However, he then calmly added with a wave of his hand: "I will of course dock a third of your pay for this." They had expected as much, but still, their hearts sank. "Here." he tossed a very small bag at Jessie. "Your pay."
"And mine?" added James. "Uh… sir?"
"BOTH of your pays!" said Giovanni. "Now get out!"
They certainly didn't need to be told twice to get out of that eerie place. They immediately figured that the best way to escape as quickly as possible would be to 'borrow' a means of transport, so they grabbed a nearby jeep and drove back as fast as it would move, leaving no evidence that they had been there at all except for a large cloud of dust.