Chapter 5: Whispers and Death
Meowth woke up early the next morning. He allowed himself to come to slowly before opening one eye and got used to the sun streaming in through the broken window. Meowth sat up, stretching before jumping down off of the sofa and heading for the stairs. He could hear someone moving about up there and hoped that Jesse and James had sorted things out now. They had to move quickly if they hoped to run away from Team Rocket. Meowth, even through he had been against the idea last night, could never leave Jesse and James. Those two were the only humans that had ever shown Meowth any compassion and love. Meowth often thought of them as his trainers but more often as partners friends and family. Giovanni did not care about Meowth or any other Pokemon for that matter. He just kept Meowth around because of his ability to talk, had Meowth been a normal Pokemon the Boss would have got rid of him a long time ago. Meowth didn't think that they could possibly hope to escape Team Rocket for good but they needed him. Meowth was always getting them out of trouble. He bounded up the remainder of the stairs and pushed the bedroom door open. The room was still as messy as it was last night. Meowth sighed those two were useless. He found James' backpack on his bed and started to put some clothes into it. Typical humans he thought let Meowth do all da work! "What are you doing?" James made Meowth jump as he came out of the bathroom.
"Good morning to yous too" Meowth snapped. James was no longer wearing his uniform instead he had on a pair of jeans and a black shirt. There was something up with him this morning but Meowth wasn't sure what. "Where's Jesse den?" he asked.
James' eyes grew wide and he stumbled back into the door. "I…I haven't…seen her"
"Great" Meowth muttered "Now are we gonna run away or not? Yous finish packing and I'll look for Jess. I take it yous haven't made up with her either?"
"We're…I'm not going" James stammered. "I'm going to ask the Boss to give me another chance"
"Jim is dat a good idea?"
James shrugged and looked away tears in his eyes. "Hey don't cry on me" Meowth said gently "Jess will forgive yous. And da Boss…well maybe he will have forgotten his threat by now"
"You don't understand" James whispered. "I…I messed up Meowth…and now…"
"We all messed up Jimmy! I should have kept my mouth shut. Dose twerps are just too smart for us."
James nodded and sat down on the bed. "We have to report in today"
Meowth placed a paw on his arm. "I know. But we can't go until Jesse comes back"
James opened his mouth to say something to this but the phone started ringing. Meowth looked at James and sighed again. He was in no state to talk to the Boss. Meowth assumed that it was their employer on the phone. He told James to stay put and hurried back downstairs. Meowth picked up the phone feeling sick. Giovanni would be furious that they had not called in last night.
"Hello?"
"Where have you been? I have been calling all night. I demand an explanation immediately"
This was the Boss all right. "Sorry sir but we've only just got back"
"So I take it the Pokemon count is 0?"
"Well…" Meowth started but Giovanni cut him off.
"That isn't important now. I want you and James to come down the HQ at once"
Giovanni then hung up. Meowth debated whether to wait for Jesse to come back but decided against it. If Giovanni wanted to see her then he would have told Meowth so. The cat went back upstairs and found James sitting on the bed trying to sort out his broken bottle cap collection.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"Da Boss. He wants to see me and yous now."
"I don't feel well. Can't you make an excuse for me?"
"Jim you can't avoid him forever. I'll be with yous" Meowth looked round for James' uniform. It was in a crumbled heap on the floor. He picked it up.
"Yous hafta wear dis or he'll be even madder" Meowth started to say but then he looked at the state of it. The jacket and trousers were caked with mud and the R on the jacket was half torn off. The gloves were soaking wet as was the boots and the black under T-shirt. "What da hell?" Meowth demanded
"I got caught in the rain last night" James said vacantly. "I fell…down…it got messed up"
"I'll say. Dares no time to fix it. You'll just have to go like yous are. Just pray he's in a good mood"
James nodded and followed Meowth from the room. What is with him? The cat wondered. James was acting so weird. There was no way he messed that jacket up by tripping over. And where was Jesse? She should have been back by now. Meowth opened the door and then locked it after James putting the key under the mat so Jesse could get back in. Meowth jumped up onto James' shoulder. James walked very slowly to the HQ and it was two hours before they got there. The HQ was on the other side of the bridge over the waterfall but James refused to cross it. "James we'll be even later!" Meowth shouted. James turned on him and his eyes narrowed "Fine if you want to go over it then go ahead. I'm going the long way!"
The long way was to walk down river and go across the smaller bridge a good 30 minutes away.
"James calm down," Meowth said at last. "We'll go da long way"
It was going the long way that made them even later. When they finally reached the HQ James had paled over and Meowth could feel him trembling. Meowth went to push the door to the shop open but he realised that James was not with him. "Where has he gone now?" Meowth said to himself. James hadn't gone far. He was vomiting into a bush. "Jimmy are yous ill?" Meowth asked. James shook his head "Nerves" he muttered. Finally they walked inside the HQ and Meowth was more than a little nervous by this time. They were well over two hours late now! Giovanni would be furious. Well Meowth supposed they could use the excuse that James was sick. Meowth opened the secret door in the shop and walked through, James behind him before closing it again. "James are yous sure you're ok?" he asked. James nodded and started walking ahead of Meowth. Meowth found himself knocking on Giovanni's office door. "Who is it?"
"James and Meowth sir" Meowth called hesitantly.
"Enter"
James pulled open the door and stepped into the room for the second time in two days, Meowth behind him. Giovanni motioned for them to be seated. Meowth ignored the seat and jumped into James' lap trying to bring the male some comfort. He looked up at his Boss. Normally Giovanni's expression was hard to read but right now it was solemn and almost unhappy. Meowth was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this. "I expect you are wondering why I have called you here" Giovanni started but was interrupted when the door flew open. "Sir" the flustered rocket said. She was holding a clipboard in one hand and was out of breath. "I told you I was having a private meeting" Giovanni shouted, "What is so important that you disturb me from it?"
"It is to do with the meeting sir" she handed the clipboard over to Giovanni. He shoved it back into her hands. "What is it?"
"Well sir…this changes everything"
"I wish to be left alone with these two now get out"
"Yes sir sorry sir" the woman bowed her head respectfully and left the room.
"As I was saying. I have called you here because I have to give you some terrible news. Late last night one of my teams was on their way to find you when they found a body in the river. There is no easy way of saying this but I'm afraid…"
"Jesse" James whispered bolting up from the chair, knocking Meowth onto the floor in the process.
"Yes" Giovanni was a little taken aback by this. Meowth sat up and looked at James and then back at Giovanni. "Is she ok?" he asked softly all ready knowing the answer.
"She is dead" was the grave reply.
Meowth shook his head "Sir she was fine yesterday. We was getting ready to capture dat Pikachu for yous…Jesse was fine" Meowth repeated this until tears blurred his vision and he collapsed onto the floor sobbing softly. "Sorry sir" James said picking Meowth up. "He's just in shock"
Giovanni nodded and stared hard at James for a few minutes. Meowth felt James shaking again and he buried his face into his friend's shirt continuing to cry. James petted him behind the ears as Giovanni watched them.
"I think I should get Meowth back," James said nervously.
"Jessica had fallen from the bridge up by the waterfall" Giovanni ignored what James was saying "My team heard her scream and then later found her body. She had hit her head and got pulled under the waterfall. Her body was carried a good distance down river"
James sobbed slightly but managed to hold in his tears.
"You can have two weeks grievance leave then I expect you back on the Pikachu mission understand?"
"We're not fired sir?" James managed to choke out.
"This has been a heavy loss for all of us. Jessica could have gone far in life if it hadn't been for you two. Maybe her death will inspire you to do well and to live up to who Jessica should have been"
"Yes sir" James replied.
Giovanni turned away so James wouldn't see the sadness in his own eyes. This reminded Giovanni of Miyamoto's death so long ago when he was young and his mother were still in charge. Giovanni had felt Miyamoto's loss deeply. He turned back round when he heard James and Meowth leave. James' reaction had puzzled Giovanni. The boy was very close to Jessica and Giovanni had long since suspected that there was more than just friendship between them. That was why he hadn't tried splitting them up until yesterday when their performance was starting to effect other teams and made Team Rocket a laughing stock. Giovanni wasn't so hard hearted that he didn't remember how being in love felt. Giovanni didn't know what he expected James to do, break down probably but James was scared of his Boss and maybe that fear kept him from showing his feelings. Giovanni sighed and turned back to his computer. James and Meowth would need a replacement for Jessica once the two weeks were up. And he had yet to find out what exactly happened to Jessica. The team that found her was trying to work it out but Giovanni assumed that she had fallen somehow. He picked up the phone. Time to find out what happened.
Those voices were pulling her from sleep, forcing her to come back into the real world. The fall she remembered vividly like a nightmare. But what was she doing here? Jesse did not recognise the voices. She wanted to sit up but a painful throbbing in her back prevented it. The voices then got nearer. "Did you tell him?"
"No he was with them and wouldn't let me get a word in"
"We could have spared them the grief"
"I'll go and tell him now"
"No wait until we know she'll live. There is no point in getting their hopes up"
Jesse wanted to shout at these voices. Why were they talking about her? Who did they want to spare the grief? Jesse wanted answers but she was too tired and her head hurt. Maybe tomorrow….
Giovanni put the phone down and sighed angrily. What was wrong with him? This was simple enough and yet he was having second thoughts. Why should he care about Jesse and James? They were the worst agents he had ever hired and yet he was feeling pity towards them? Maybe it was their loyalty to the team and each other? Well whatever it was it was eating away at the rocket Boss. He couldn't go through with this. Maybe they were his worst team but Giovanni remembered what his mother had done to him. It was the same as what he was doing to them. Well maybe it was different but the outcome would be the same. Giovanni would be no better than Madame Boss if he let this continue. Picking up the phone again he dialled the number. It rang for ten minutes but no one answered. Slamming it down Giovanni rubbed his forehead with one hand. Damn them! Why were they so stupid? He left orders with his secretary for her to call the cabin where Meowth and James were every few minutes. "No" he said softly "I will not be like my mother. I am nothing like her, nothing like her at all"
Meowth woke up early the next morning. He allowed himself to come to slowly before opening one eye and got used to the sun streaming in through the broken window. Meowth sat up, stretching before jumping down off of the sofa and heading for the stairs. He could hear someone moving about up there and hoped that Jesse and James had sorted things out now. They had to move quickly if they hoped to run away from Team Rocket. Meowth, even through he had been against the idea last night, could never leave Jesse and James. Those two were the only humans that had ever shown Meowth any compassion and love. Meowth often thought of them as his trainers but more often as partners friends and family. Giovanni did not care about Meowth or any other Pokemon for that matter. He just kept Meowth around because of his ability to talk, had Meowth been a normal Pokemon the Boss would have got rid of him a long time ago. Meowth didn't think that they could possibly hope to escape Team Rocket for good but they needed him. Meowth was always getting them out of trouble. He bounded up the remainder of the stairs and pushed the bedroom door open. The room was still as messy as it was last night. Meowth sighed those two were useless. He found James' backpack on his bed and started to put some clothes into it. Typical humans he thought let Meowth do all da work! "What are you doing?" James made Meowth jump as he came out of the bathroom.
"Good morning to yous too" Meowth snapped. James was no longer wearing his uniform instead he had on a pair of jeans and a black shirt. There was something up with him this morning but Meowth wasn't sure what. "Where's Jesse den?" he asked.
James' eyes grew wide and he stumbled back into the door. "I…I haven't…seen her"
"Great" Meowth muttered "Now are we gonna run away or not? Yous finish packing and I'll look for Jess. I take it yous haven't made up with her either?"
"We're…I'm not going" James stammered. "I'm going to ask the Boss to give me another chance"
"Jim is dat a good idea?"
James shrugged and looked away tears in his eyes. "Hey don't cry on me" Meowth said gently "Jess will forgive yous. And da Boss…well maybe he will have forgotten his threat by now"
"You don't understand" James whispered. "I…I messed up Meowth…and now…"
"We all messed up Jimmy! I should have kept my mouth shut. Dose twerps are just too smart for us."
James nodded and sat down on the bed. "We have to report in today"
Meowth placed a paw on his arm. "I know. But we can't go until Jesse comes back"
James opened his mouth to say something to this but the phone started ringing. Meowth looked at James and sighed again. He was in no state to talk to the Boss. Meowth assumed that it was their employer on the phone. He told James to stay put and hurried back downstairs. Meowth picked up the phone feeling sick. Giovanni would be furious that they had not called in last night.
"Hello?"
"Where have you been? I have been calling all night. I demand an explanation immediately"
This was the Boss all right. "Sorry sir but we've only just got back"
"So I take it the Pokemon count is 0?"
"Well…" Meowth started but Giovanni cut him off.
"That isn't important now. I want you and James to come down the HQ at once"
Giovanni then hung up. Meowth debated whether to wait for Jesse to come back but decided against it. If Giovanni wanted to see her then he would have told Meowth so. The cat went back upstairs and found James sitting on the bed trying to sort out his broken bottle cap collection.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"Da Boss. He wants to see me and yous now."
"I don't feel well. Can't you make an excuse for me?"
"Jim you can't avoid him forever. I'll be with yous" Meowth looked round for James' uniform. It was in a crumbled heap on the floor. He picked it up.
"Yous hafta wear dis or he'll be even madder" Meowth started to say but then he looked at the state of it. The jacket and trousers were caked with mud and the R on the jacket was half torn off. The gloves were soaking wet as was the boots and the black under T-shirt. "What da hell?" Meowth demanded
"I got caught in the rain last night" James said vacantly. "I fell…down…it got messed up"
"I'll say. Dares no time to fix it. You'll just have to go like yous are. Just pray he's in a good mood"
James nodded and followed Meowth from the room. What is with him? The cat wondered. James was acting so weird. There was no way he messed that jacket up by tripping over. And where was Jesse? She should have been back by now. Meowth opened the door and then locked it after James putting the key under the mat so Jesse could get back in. Meowth jumped up onto James' shoulder. James walked very slowly to the HQ and it was two hours before they got there. The HQ was on the other side of the bridge over the waterfall but James refused to cross it. "James we'll be even later!" Meowth shouted. James turned on him and his eyes narrowed "Fine if you want to go over it then go ahead. I'm going the long way!"
The long way was to walk down river and go across the smaller bridge a good 30 minutes away.
"James calm down," Meowth said at last. "We'll go da long way"
It was going the long way that made them even later. When they finally reached the HQ James had paled over and Meowth could feel him trembling. Meowth went to push the door to the shop open but he realised that James was not with him. "Where has he gone now?" Meowth said to himself. James hadn't gone far. He was vomiting into a bush. "Jimmy are yous ill?" Meowth asked. James shook his head "Nerves" he muttered. Finally they walked inside the HQ and Meowth was more than a little nervous by this time. They were well over two hours late now! Giovanni would be furious. Well Meowth supposed they could use the excuse that James was sick. Meowth opened the secret door in the shop and walked through, James behind him before closing it again. "James are yous sure you're ok?" he asked. James nodded and started walking ahead of Meowth. Meowth found himself knocking on Giovanni's office door. "Who is it?"
"James and Meowth sir" Meowth called hesitantly.
"Enter"
James pulled open the door and stepped into the room for the second time in two days, Meowth behind him. Giovanni motioned for them to be seated. Meowth ignored the seat and jumped into James' lap trying to bring the male some comfort. He looked up at his Boss. Normally Giovanni's expression was hard to read but right now it was solemn and almost unhappy. Meowth was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this. "I expect you are wondering why I have called you here" Giovanni started but was interrupted when the door flew open. "Sir" the flustered rocket said. She was holding a clipboard in one hand and was out of breath. "I told you I was having a private meeting" Giovanni shouted, "What is so important that you disturb me from it?"
"It is to do with the meeting sir" she handed the clipboard over to Giovanni. He shoved it back into her hands. "What is it?"
"Well sir…this changes everything"
"I wish to be left alone with these two now get out"
"Yes sir sorry sir" the woman bowed her head respectfully and left the room.
"As I was saying. I have called you here because I have to give you some terrible news. Late last night one of my teams was on their way to find you when they found a body in the river. There is no easy way of saying this but I'm afraid…"
"Jesse" James whispered bolting up from the chair, knocking Meowth onto the floor in the process.
"Yes" Giovanni was a little taken aback by this. Meowth sat up and looked at James and then back at Giovanni. "Is she ok?" he asked softly all ready knowing the answer.
"She is dead" was the grave reply.
Meowth shook his head "Sir she was fine yesterday. We was getting ready to capture dat Pikachu for yous…Jesse was fine" Meowth repeated this until tears blurred his vision and he collapsed onto the floor sobbing softly. "Sorry sir" James said picking Meowth up. "He's just in shock"
Giovanni nodded and stared hard at James for a few minutes. Meowth felt James shaking again and he buried his face into his friend's shirt continuing to cry. James petted him behind the ears as Giovanni watched them.
"I think I should get Meowth back," James said nervously.
"Jessica had fallen from the bridge up by the waterfall" Giovanni ignored what James was saying "My team heard her scream and then later found her body. She had hit her head and got pulled under the waterfall. Her body was carried a good distance down river"
James sobbed slightly but managed to hold in his tears.
"You can have two weeks grievance leave then I expect you back on the Pikachu mission understand?"
"We're not fired sir?" James managed to choke out.
"This has been a heavy loss for all of us. Jessica could have gone far in life if it hadn't been for you two. Maybe her death will inspire you to do well and to live up to who Jessica should have been"
"Yes sir" James replied.
Giovanni turned away so James wouldn't see the sadness in his own eyes. This reminded Giovanni of Miyamoto's death so long ago when he was young and his mother were still in charge. Giovanni had felt Miyamoto's loss deeply. He turned back round when he heard James and Meowth leave. James' reaction had puzzled Giovanni. The boy was very close to Jessica and Giovanni had long since suspected that there was more than just friendship between them. That was why he hadn't tried splitting them up until yesterday when their performance was starting to effect other teams and made Team Rocket a laughing stock. Giovanni wasn't so hard hearted that he didn't remember how being in love felt. Giovanni didn't know what he expected James to do, break down probably but James was scared of his Boss and maybe that fear kept him from showing his feelings. Giovanni sighed and turned back to his computer. James and Meowth would need a replacement for Jessica once the two weeks were up. And he had yet to find out what exactly happened to Jessica. The team that found her was trying to work it out but Giovanni assumed that she had fallen somehow. He picked up the phone. Time to find out what happened.
Those voices were pulling her from sleep, forcing her to come back into the real world. The fall she remembered vividly like a nightmare. But what was she doing here? Jesse did not recognise the voices. She wanted to sit up but a painful throbbing in her back prevented it. The voices then got nearer. "Did you tell him?"
"No he was with them and wouldn't let me get a word in"
"We could have spared them the grief"
"I'll go and tell him now"
"No wait until we know she'll live. There is no point in getting their hopes up"
Jesse wanted to shout at these voices. Why were they talking about her? Who did they want to spare the grief? Jesse wanted answers but she was too tired and her head hurt. Maybe tomorrow….
Giovanni put the phone down and sighed angrily. What was wrong with him? This was simple enough and yet he was having second thoughts. Why should he care about Jesse and James? They were the worst agents he had ever hired and yet he was feeling pity towards them? Maybe it was their loyalty to the team and each other? Well whatever it was it was eating away at the rocket Boss. He couldn't go through with this. Maybe they were his worst team but Giovanni remembered what his mother had done to him. It was the same as what he was doing to them. Well maybe it was different but the outcome would be the same. Giovanni would be no better than Madame Boss if he let this continue. Picking up the phone again he dialled the number. It rang for ten minutes but no one answered. Slamming it down Giovanni rubbed his forehead with one hand. Damn them! Why were they so stupid? He left orders with his secretary for her to call the cabin where Meowth and James were every few minutes. "No" he said softly "I will not be like my mother. I am nothing like her, nothing like her at all"