A New Hope. A New Beginning

"Martin." He smiled at me. Then he did something I think surprised us both: He hugged me. "Ah James it's good to see you again." For some unknown reason he smiled wider, "So how are you?"

Something wasn't right. Okay James recap. You wake up in a large, expensive room. Don't know where you are, what your wearing, or what happened that you are in this place looking up at a guy you would wish the worst of curses upon. And for another thing you passed out. But why? And why in the hell is smiling that sick sadistic grin?

I must've been wearing a look of shock, dismay, or just plain out horror. Because he sat me up, gave me a cup full of something that I didn't drink (and never will for that matter) and shook his head. "You probably want to know why I'm here? Why you're here? Why your friends are here?" I nod and look into those cold black eyes I'd known way back when...

"Hey Jamie!" Turning I face him: Brown hair, black eyes and a laugh that could shatter glass. That's what makes up Martin Lambino, "You know what you and your rich ass family should do?" I don't answer him a turn towards the limo. He keeps talking and from what I can hear he's following me. "You should all just go and kiss my ass." A roar of laughter from him and his 'companions' is all I hear before I shut my self into the car. But from all the jokes he's been telling all day that's the least of my problems.

I challenged him and his friends to a fight. I got a busted lip and a black eye. My clothes are covered in mud and dried blood. The teachers were gone and all I could do was crawl away and wait until one of them caught me again.

It didn't stop there. For the last half an hour all I've heard are jokes about 'pretty, little ,sissy boy and his rich parents'. Hopkins showing up was nothing short of a blessing. His glance at my clothes tells me more then a sneer of disapproval will make its way to me.

Although I have since left the school the jeers are still in my 6-year-old ears. They won't stop.

I pull my legs to my chest and start to wail over and over and over again the same words. "Stop it, stop it, stop it, stopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopit!!!!!!!!!" Warm tears spilling down my cheeks my parents are shouting at me to calm down, shut up, be quiet and a gentlemen in-front of Jessibelle.

But I don't care and when I tell them I get my cheek slapped. Hard. Whimpering I tell myself the worst is over. That if I stop maybe the taunts will too. The pain I will soon experience won't matter so much if maybe just maybe I stop thinking about it. Stop feeling the pain...Maybe just maybe.

"Yeah maybe I do," Standing up I look down at him. Crouched on his heels he meets my gaze. "But what I do know is that maybe it's better I don't know." His smile fades at he eyes me again. "I know what you are now. A rocket. Nothing more then a piece of street crash." His pale face is masked with hatred that doesn't touch his eyes. His eyes are...Scared. "And just what do you know anyway? From what I hear you got the lowest marks in the history of Pokemon Tech." He spits out each and every syllable with complete and utter disgust.

"And?" Is all I say, "If that's the worst you can come up with then you just are the same as you always have been. Always will be." He takes a step back from me. One thing I will always love about my job is no matter what I always can make a few people shiver with my title. Rocket. It almost makes me smile. But if I do he'll know I'm toying with him. Scaring him is what I want. Not a grown man sitting there, laughing on the floor at me, just like before.

"Things aren't always the way they seem.," I continue ," Times change. I'm no longer afraid of my parents, you, your 'friends'," The sarcasm is unmistakable. He staggers and looks at the floor in disbelief. As if it had something to with all this. Had told him just what he is : A pathetic little weasel who picks on people smaller then him just for the hell of it. "Or might I add a simple little insult that a three year old could think up faster then you could." Sighing I sit down on the bed. "You really should grow up you know. I mean we're not at all the same as we were back then."

To tell you the truth that's more or less a matter of opinion. Back then he was a good 5 inches taller then I. We were about of equal build. But now we're of almost equal height. And from what I can see he isn't in the best of shape. He could easily weigh 30 pounds more then me. And trust me it isn't muscle. "Water weight," I say pointing at his middle, "You need to get out more." I laugh as he pulls the garment similar to mine around him close.

"You should keep your mouth shut you know." He warns although there is an obvious tremor in his voice. Not from anger, fear. He feared and hated rockets for the same reason he hated people who were rich. Because he wasn't one of 'them'. He had tried out but had been turned away. He was told he was too violent and that he harmed other rockets in a way ,he, the Boss, found un-exceptable. He had bribed one of the finer rocket agents into the academy.

Big mistake that girl he bribed ,or at least attempted to, was in fact his niece. She told Giovanni the second the money changed hands. Quite a girl Alison is ; I was there that day. Jess and me had a slight problem with a few of the local cops. Not that we got caught. We just shoot a few of um. Arms and legs mostly so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Or at least shouldn't have been. Cassidy and Butch were with us and said that we did it for no reason. And were well...Just doing things wrong. Which was one of the rules: Ask first shoot later. Or at least think about it I mean come on. While we were explaining the finer points of the car chase she burst in from one of the secret passageways that lead to his office. Alison was (and still is for that matter) a 16-year-old mess of shoulder length brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. A sharp mind, kind heart, and quick temper mad up this young agent. Although she was 'a red' didn't mean that she was with the Reds. She was against them more or less. But that depended on whether or not she knew or not.

I made a mental note to tell her. One day. But not that day and not today. "Uncle! This guy like tried to bribe me to get in. Said something about Antonio, and something else about him knowing," She looked up and seemed to notice me and Jess for the first time. "You, James."

At this point everyone was clueless including Alison. Each of us for reasons all our own.
Giovanni was trying to figure out who the hell would know both Antonio and me. Being he knew the two us weren't on speaking terms at the time.
Jessie wanted to know who the girl was being that she had
1. Never seen her before.
2. Wondered how she got away with barging into the Boss's office and practically yell at him.
I wanted to know who the hell the guy was and why he had bribed Alison, said my name, and Antonio's name all in the same sentence.
Alison wanted to know what the hell we were all doing staring at her like she was insane for running in her screaming about a bribe, a red rocket, and a white rocket.

Jessie was the first to speak. "Okay, I wanna know three things: 1. Who are you? 2. Who is this guy? 3. What does this have to do with James and Antonio?" Alison looking a little ruffled (from running down here I guess) explained all over again and introduced her self to Jessie. Whom she stared quite a conversation with. By the time either of us (The Boss and myself) had been able to get they're attention without getting told off they had been at it for 23 minutes and were starting on how us men are too lazy to even do half of what is expected of them (women).

After that everything went pretty fast. We found Martin picking a fight with both Butch and a damin who I identified as Jason, down in sector 9. A holding cell that doubled as a room for meetings if needed. Took his money but threw him out anyway. He put one hell of a fight in front of the Administration Board though...

"You have been charged with the bribing of an officer of Team Rocket. How do you plea?"
"Not guilty."

The Administration Board consisted of a green rocket named Annabelle Jennifer Marie Leoan, a red rocket named Giovanni (or Gio as he was called by Annabelle) Zeeno Feesha, A white rocket names Jimmy James Johnson, a black rocket named Leo Man Linored Collona Sesone Wantono The twenty-second, and a damin named Marlin Narlin Larlin Sarlin. Each with a more ridiculous name then the last. Which is why they were there: Funny names that made no sense, and made you run out of breath saying them, gave the reader of which a sense that you were more important, dignified, better, and over all superior in every and all ways to the average human being.

They also made want to hunt their parents down and gut them like fishes for giving their off-spring such ridiculous and impossible to pronounce names.

Annabelle started the questioning: "Martin Lambino why are you here?"
"I have no idea."
"What do you mean you have no idea?" She asked confusion covering her soft features, " They were just read to you half a second ago."
"Exactly what I said: I have no idea where I am or why I'm here."
"You'll say 'sir' after the end of every sentence too."
"Damn it Leo shut the fuck up!" Annabelle bellowed at him
"Why would I want to be called 'sir'? I'm a girl!"
"Yeah and I fine one too." He mumbled.
"Stop it both of you! We have a trial to continue here!" Marlin Narlin...::Blah I give up!:: Hey finish my name! ::No:: Why not? ::Because it's long and I don't feel like it.:: You made it up! ::But I'm not going to write it again so =P:: ~.~ Oh cold Ann. So cold. ::Oh shut up and on with the story!::

"Yes we do," Said Annabelle defiantly turning around to face Martin, "So...what were you doing here?"
"Um I-"
"Say 'sir'! He didn't say 'sir'! He didn't say 'sir'! HE DIDN'T SAY-"
"GOD DAMNIT LEO I KNOW HE DIDN'T SAY 'SIR' DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE? DO I???"
"...Well um...no..mam..."
"Then keep your god damn mouth shut okay." A nod. "Okay. Now," She turned back over to Martin (for the second time AH)," AND YOU! Are sentenced to be...um...lemme take this over with the rest of the committee."
"Board Annabelle. We're a board not a committee." Said Jimmy. "We kinda have no choice in being here. Committee's kinda do...I don't." He looked at the walls, windows, and doors, "This room is too small. And it's getting smaller."

They came back an hour later with the decision. Annabelle (as usual) announced it with glee:
"Martin Lambino, you are here by sentenced to a 57 weeks in Team Rocket Jail." She smiled and hopped up and down on the balls of her feet. "I love this job."
"Hey who wants pizza?" Asked Giovanni.
"Me."
"Me."
"Me."
"Me."
"GOD DAMNIT I SAID TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!"
"Hey trial's over I don't have to listen to you," Leo sneered
"Yeah you do! I'm a green rocket you're a black rocket. NAH NAH NAH NAH!"
"Oh damn!"
"You dissed me! You go to Rocket Jail too!"
"You can't do that!" He frowned at her, "Only a board can!" He glanced at the rest of the board who were arguing over what to put on the pizza.
"Okay then. Butch you take Leo's place for a sec kay." He nodded and wandered over, "Now who wants Leo to go to jail?"

"Me."
"Me."
"Me."
"Me."
"Me."
"Aww damn! I hate you, Annabelle."
"I hate ya too hahahahahahahaha," she stuck her tongue at him.

You almost felt bad for the guy. Rocket prison is horrible. I've never been there, but the stories I here. Something about that the guards weren't human at all. His voice brought me back to reality.

"You know what..." He lunged at me but I moved away before he could get me. 'Not the fastest of people now is he?' I ran out the door and locked it behind me. when I turned around I saw something I didn't expect: A hallway made of glass. The entire hall was made completely of glass. The floor, the ceiling, the walls. All of it glass...Or what looked like glass. The doors were made of solid mahogany and lined the hall once every five feet. To be honest....It's one of the more amazing things I've ever seen. "Oh why hello. Welcome to my home." I turned around to see...

To Be continued...

Who is it? Huh huh? What kinda things are the guards in rocket prison? What does all the board, council, people have to do with this? Where is Jessie? Where is Meowth? Where is this story going? Well e-mail me and i might tell ya....Or review and I'll post. Go be good little reviewers now come on. Review and I'll give ya a cookie.::they give her a suspicious look:: I swear I will...::they still give her a look and start to advance moaning 'continue...continue...':: AHHHH *pulls out her bat* DAMN StUPID CREATURE! WELL REVIEW...*looks around* Please...HURRY!!!!!!!!!!! -Annabelle Ravenclaw