By Destiny's Path
by Yami

Part III

- - - - -

Through a long desolate hallway, the sound of light footsteps hitting the cold metal floor is the only sound to be heard. This is the same hall leading to the same room and the same guard: Giovanni, the ingenious leader of Team Rocket, infamous for revenge. But not this Giovanni, not now. There's too much to trouble him without worrying about reputation or old agendas or even Team Rocket. They don't matter. But he isn't cold, only alone. He has lost so much because of those other actions, mistaking them for being important.

Only they matter, they were the only ones that ever did. Holding a picture in his hand he his flooded with memories from irretrievable years long past. It is a photograph of three people, three memories, three losses. Yes, he has lost them each, in their own way. Two are adults, a married couple; the third a child, their daughter. A family. They're all distant now, from each other and the rest of the world. What I would do to have you back... Strange enough, one of these people is himself from only a few years ago. How long has it been, six, seven years? Is that all? How could everything fall apart so easily right in front of me? He would do anything to have that life back, these same people, his family. But too much has separated them: the woman has long been gone, torn painfully from him. He is disgusted with the way he treated that moment; he hadn't even thought of his wife when he heard of the explosion on New Island - only his creation. The creation that betrayed him, the creation he betrayed before. Destiny is the only one left.

Giovanni could now hear the approaching steps. He quickly and discretely hid the picture in his desk and prepared to face the reality he must now deal with. Destiny crossed the threshold into Giovanni's underground office and stopped in front of his desk. With a kind-hearted voice he spoke to her, "Ah yes, my dear, I hope you have good news for me." Without a word she threw a folder down onto the desk. Her expression said everything. He picked up the folder and flipped through it, stopping every so often to glance at a page or read a side note. When he finished, he quietly set the folder down and sat for a moment in thought.

All the while Destiny was watching him with the same distressed expression. She was surprised and frightened when he looked back up at her. He was no longer the daunting figure others had always seen him to be; he was slumped over his desk with only his elbows holding him up. He was rubbing his hands together as if he were cold. Then, with a look of immense concern in his eyes, he gave Destiny the response she feared would come from her father:

"Evacuate the base."

-

"Stay calm, everyone! This way!"

"We're only evacuating the base! Nothing to worry about! Wait -- Jessie, why are we evacuating the base?"

"It doesn't matter, just get everyone out of here. If the boss wants the base clear, then there's a problem. The sooner they're all gone the sooner we can get out of here too! Move along, people!~ Come on, hurry up!~"

James gave Jessie an unsatisfied look, but continued hurrying Rockets out of the base. Meowth was watching this whole escapade from a distance. After about an hour of watching carefully he noticed neither Destiny nor Giovanni had come out. The numbers coming from the base were dwindling, nearing the end of the line. Only a few would be left inside. He snuck back in and began to search for them. Before long he heard voices; two people were arguing. He kept his back to the wall closest to them and listened:

"I'm not leaving without an explanation! There are projects still in the works and plans are being interrupted! I am of a limited Elite group of Team Rocket! I demand to speak to the boss!!" This girl was annoyingly enraged, but the voice that answer her was commanding and soft-toned. The first was no match for the second.

"All personnel are to leave the base at once. I won't disturb the boss just because you are being incompetant."

"But I--"

"I don't care who you are or what your rank is. You answer to me before you can speak to the boss. I don't know how you handled yourself before I returned, but now you'll get it straight, Domino. I out-rank you by far. You will listen to what I tell you and you will respond to me with respect."

"Hey, who are you to tell me what to do?!"

"I am Rocket One!" Meowth was shocked to hear Destiny say that. She had never been proud when she told her position before, but now she said it with extreme vigilance. "I am the authority, and you will do as I say. Do you understand me?"

"I..." Domino was taken aback by this speech and embarassed that she didn't recognize her commanding officer. "Y... yes..." She was choking on her words. "Yes, ma'am." It was amusing for Meowth to hear Domino, who had always felt she was on a level above every one and every thing, to hear her whimper those words and to watch her cower in front of his friend. He was feeling very pleased and knew that even though she may hate it at times, Destiny was enjoying her power right now.

"Then you are dismissed." With that command, Domino turned quickly around the corner without putting her back to Destiny. With this clumsy motion she bumped into Meowth who had all but forgotten he was supposed to be hiding. "Meowth--?"

"Heh heh... heh, Destiny, I uh..." What should he say? He had no reason to be in here, and after listening to the speech she gave to Domino (who was leaving as fast as she could), he knew he shouldn't have dared come back inside.

But of course, he worried for nothing. Destiny knelt down next to Meowth and spoke concerned words to him: "Meowth, you shouldn't be in here. It's not safe."

"Then why're you an' da boss still in here? If it's so dangerous, you two shoulda been da first one's out!"

"You don't understand..."

"Of course I don't! I don't know why yous two are makin' everybody leave! I don't know what's going on! How d'you expect me to understand?"

This made her feel terrible. She wanted to leave, yes, but to lie to Meowth and tell him everything would be fine hurt more. "You have to go now, Meowth. We'll be all right, I promise. Stay with Jessie and James and you'll be safe."

With a sigh Meowth agreed and Destiny led him outside. He took a few steps towards his awaiting friends and looked back. He didn't see the commanding Rocket One who had lectured Domino or the member of Team Rocket who had helped him and his friends for the past months; he saw a little girl, the one he knew years ago when none of this mattered, when they only had to worry about coming back inside before it got dark. The sadness on her face pierced Meowth's heart, but he didn't turn away until Destiny closed the giant gate and the image was consumed by the base.

- - - - -

High above the clouds, on a mountain peak not very far from the Team Rocket base, Mewtwo sits in waiting, watching closely as humans scramble from the base in all directions. Humans are easily frightened by what they do not understand. They don't want to accept change. But they will, sooner than they would think. As the sun is almost completely hidden by the horizon, all of the lights inside the base shut off, and Mewtwo quickly holds his attention to it. He watches as each corridor is lost in shadow, and faint green lights replace them farther off.

Don't think you're fooling me with your light show. There's no reason to hide. I know you're inside, your daughter too. You wouldn't dare have her out of sight now. She's too precious to you. Huhn..., he smiled slightly. It doesn't matter. It won't anyway. Neither of you can hide. Trapping yourself in this box with all you have left is foolish, desperate, naive.

The sun sets completely and Mewtwo rises. Merely a silhouette surrounded in a blue glow. He then gathers his newfound strength and with a single burst, sets out for the base, the safeguard of his enemy to begin his fevering plan of revenge.

Now it begins...

-

"Everyone's out. The base is shut down, we're the only one's here." Again in the underground room, Giovanni and Destiny wait for an inevitable oncoming. She steps halfway through the room and turns to the outer wall. A keypad is displayed and projects a green light. She passes her bare hand through it and a red switch is activated. An inner set circle of panels on the floor open to reveal a massive wall. It comes up swiftly, hitting the ceiling with a sharp bang. Two-thirds of the large room is now cut off, and the remaining part is now protected with a thick metal wall. "Everything's set."

Giovanni walks to the far wall and pulls out a compartment. It opens into a long table. He activates it and a wide screen opens out of the wall. A radar appears on half of the screen, a jumble of numbers and various reports on the other. He watches each set closely, carefully. Destiny walked over to his side as he did this, wanting only to keep close to her father. "How much longer?" She was afraid to ask this question and it came out in a quivering swallowed voice. She was very much afraid.

"I can't see on the map, but he's close. I can feel him." She trusted Giovanni entirely when he said this. He knew Mewtwo inside and out, he knew the way he thought. Though nothing could prepare either for what Mewtwo has in store; he is not himself, not who or what they expect him to be. "Wait--" At that moment, a small blue dot began to flash on the screen. It was far off, across the valley, but it was approaching with immense speed. The flash beeped as it came closer, slowly turning red as it neared.

"Is it--"

"No. No, it can't be him. He wouldn't let himself be seen; he's trying to throw us off."

"But, that means..."

"... He's closer than we thought.... he's here."

- - - - -