(a/n: I do not own Pokemon or whatever, or Nintendo Gamecube (although I am in possession of a gamecube and a nintendo 64. So sue me! Sheesh!) And Xifa helped write this story. She is Aera, Megumi, Brock, Cameron, Dennis, Edwin, and Frankie. I am everyone else. So please read and review!)

Iris

By: Xifa and Sefie Lynne Tilmitt

Chapter 6

"So Storm," smiled D'Atri coldly, "It seems you've walked right into our hands. My, my, won't the rest of the team be glad to see you... After you destroyed one of the hideouts, they'll doubtless be.. eager... to deal with you."

"I'm not -going- to the rest of the team. You don't have any power over me anymore--"

"You think? Hmmm.... Just because you've openned up, and your auras gone? No, no, you just don't understand... You've always had a little bit of bad blood in you. didn't you know? It wasn't

-just- what we made you do.... it's your nature. You're just not one of those goody-goodies. You're one of us. Come on. We don't have to battle... Just come with me... Come with me, and I won't hunt down your girlfriend and 'accidentally shove her' over the edge."

            I was in a lose-lose situation. I closed my eyes, searching for any way out of this... But there was no escape. It was my life or Aera's, and I'd rather it be mine. It was all I could do to stop myself from 'accidentally shoving' HIM over the edge... But that would prove me just as evil as he was, wouldn't it? Yes, he deserved to die, but I would never sink to murder. 

"....You have to swear to god that you NEVER mess with her again. And you have to return her Pichu."

"You, Storm," he picked me up by the shirt collar, "Are in no position to negotiate! We'll do what we see fit... You've -always- had the attitude like you had the upper hand, and you usually were on top, but not this time... This time you're trapped, with no where to run. Am I gonna hafta drag you screaming and crying to the lab again? Just like the first time? Or will you make me kill your girl? Which'll it be? Chose now or forever hold your tongue, Storm."

"....Just take me."

            I had never admitted defeat... maybe it was becasue I was so defiant of my past and so rebellious to the world I belonged in. And maybe he was right; maybe I had been using my closed door as an excuse for who i really am all these years... I didn't know, I just didn't know... I felt D'Atri drop me and I fell to the ground. I weakly stood up. Why was I so drained? Maybe I was simply without emotional energy to spare, for I knew what was in store.

"C'mon. I knew you'd come around.... with the right leaverage."

"You're--"

"No, no, don't go through that. No matter what name you call me, it won't change things a bit. Now get you lazy butt going, Storm. And I mean that. Or else."

            Or else Aera would have to pay for what I was. And I had no doubt that if they killed Aera, they would come back for me. So it was better just to submitt myself then to get both of us dead, or in my case, -worse- than dead.

"Coming."

            I followed him, and I felt completely drained of my defiance and rebellious ways; I had never felt this way before. Maybe it was the fact that I knew that soon I would be just what I was so long ago... just another experiment with no emotions, no memories, a puppet to evil and without any way to fight back.

            I had fallen straight into his trap. I closed my eyes. That stung. Well, I guess it didn't matter... I wouldn't remember it when they closed my door again anyway. I wouldn't remember anything. Not even Aera. I hated that. I would rather be dead than forget Aera.

"Where are you all going?" Megumi asked, still distracted on the seventh floor in a battle.  Everybody's pokemon were asleep...and didn't look like they felt like waking up.  "Who...wait... where are you going?  HEY!  When did he join the party?" she frowned.

D'Atri smiled. "Well, Megumi... you got to him to late. With the right... leaverage.... I got him. And he's on his way to being closed up all over again."

"He's using threats, the little liar.... He gave me two options; go with him,  and Aera's scott free, or Aera dies and, well, I go with him anyway."

"really? How did you know?" He smirked to me.

"Because I've lived with team snagem nearly my whole life, and I was a part of their THIEVING, LYING, CONIVING ways."

"Hey, hey, no more smart mouthing." He kicked me, and I scowled but remained silent. Another of my rants might get Aera killed.

"You forgot cheating.  Cheating's a good one too.  So is back-stabbing.  Oh, yeah, that one's good too," Megumi nodded. 

"Megumi," D'Atri shook his head, "Get over yourself."

"Nah, that'd make it all too simple.  Now, do you really mean to tell me you're going back with him?  ...is Aera still up on the top floor?  ...oh that's not funny, I shouldn't even think that!...anyways...er..." she cleared her throat awkwardly and glared at D'Atri.  "Um, last time I checked this was my job..." she frowned at him.  "And I do believe I was doing just fine at it."

It all hit me at once. I was kind of glad D'Atri had a firm grip on my shirt collar, because everything clicked into place.

"YOU LYING BACKSTABBING LOSER! I TRUSTED YOU!"

"I know...and you have no idea how truly sorry I am," she shook her head.  "Really.  When I took this job I figured it'd be simple and worth the extra pay or whatever, but now that I've seen you're more human than they ever said...well, it was getting hard, let's just say that.  Guess I'm glad that little--" she paused politely, "--got to you first."

"To many sticky complications for you, Megumi?"

"Yeah, he's way better looking than you."

"... Like I said, get over yourself. In any case, I'll be off to collect my paycheck now. C'mon, Storm."

"Watch out for Aera, Megumi." I said miserably.

"She was part of my original job anyway," Megumi smiled sadly.  "I just took on your case for kicks.  Finding you both was like killing two birds with one stone.  I'll keep an eye on her."

I sighed. "I was so stupid... Thinking I could trust anyone... But thankyou, anyway. I think you have to much heart for this job."

"You overestimate me," she smiled cheesily.  "We'll see."

D'Atri smirked and dragged me off.

"So. Are you ready to be closed again?" he smirked.

"...You jerk."

"No, not a jerk. Just a closed door. Now shut up."

            Ah. So -he'd- been experimented on too. And judging by how rude he was, it was just lately. As punishment, maybe. Most likely. I closed my eyes. He'd made on heckuva mistake. He was leading, I was following. I was behind him. That gave me a lot of options. I could run. Not that it would do Aera or me any good. I could knock him out. That was always a good idea. Or I could kill him. No. I guess knocking him out would be best.... Now how to go about doing it, I-- D'Atri spun around, punching me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me.

"What must I do knock that rebellious spirit outta you? Hm?"

"You're just as rebellious as I am, deep down. And you -know- it. Maybe that's why you're such a jerk. What are they doing now, giving their cronies psychic powers now?"

"...That's Team Snagem business, and you're a backstabber, so you really don't need to know that, do you?"

            I let him shove me through to door. He forced me through the door that I saw every night in my nightmares.... the door that haunted me. The door to my fate. He pushed me down onto a long, cold, metal table. I struggled for a minute, knowing it was futile. I eventually gave up. I knew exactly what was coming... I just had to wait for it. I saw Aaron looking through the window at me sadly. Thanks, big brother. Aren't you brave. I know I shouldn't have been so bitter, but, well, he shouldn't have been so cowardly.

                        No one is unique, are they? All nameless faceless things of no importance, to afraid to be themselves.  Like a whirlwind sweeping the land, the conformism is just to much to handle. People, well, things that call themselves people all across the world are thinking they simply cannot handle being themselves. Why is that? I wonder to myself... I am not afraid of being myself. Am i insane, are these thoughts normal? Am I genius or crazy? Often the two border why is that? I really don't know anymore. 

            I don't know anything at this point... I do know however that I am different, an experiment... a freak with his heart's door closed. Why did they do that to me? i will never understand why they did this to me....  I also know that my name is Storm, without a last name or a purpose. And I am almost to there where they will kill me inside again... you see they close the door to my heart, and I am doomed to an eternity as cold bitterness itself and without my Aera... how is it that will I not go insane with the pain of the memories or will I even remember? I did not remember Robin why are all the good memories erased?  They are all that even keeps a person sane.

            I look back to the beginning before I will forever forget.... I wormed my way into the team and then blew up their hideout, completely bombed it and stole their prized machine. I was their prized experiment, but this machine was their second most treasured experiment.... and I wanted them to feel the bitterness I felt. It would serve them right seeing as what they did to me. Heheh, I was so full of hate and rebellion I didn't know what to do with myself.

             I stopped at a gas station and the hideout was discovered by the police. I walked up the ramp and there was a jeep with a sack in it. I knew it wasn't good; the sack was squirming. But I didn't want to meddle even though I was by far the strongest trainer around and I could easilly destroy any one else who challenged me. I went to the next city men with the sack were there, and I battled them and got the sack. I decided whoever was in it didn't deserve to get out just yet. After all that was when I was cold and hated everything. But I had a good reason... They artificially closed the door to my heart, and all the things in my head were bad things, dark thoughts and bitterness instilled in me when they made me into that monster.

            But in any case I eventually openned the bag, and it was a beautiful girl that had been kidnapped. I told her I had a no damsel in distress policy. I actually hated her at first... she was always so happy... And she almost immediatly figured out what I was up to and just who i was, that I was an ex-member of the team that kidnapped her Pichu. She felt I was responsible and I had to help her, but she stole my goggles, my only way of hiding my eyes, in which my emotions reflected and my memories stirred.

            I was lost again but I refused to lose my heart in the memories... I knew I would fall to the floor screaming because it was to much to take. So I made her stop looking into my eyes and ran away and then let the memory attack me. It was the memory of the agony that made me want the repreive of death. Death was welcome, and I stuffed my hand in my mouth to stop myself from screaming like a little kid again because I could almost feel it... like a thousand knives peircing my heart and my head, and I screamed inaudibly letting the searing, exruciating pain wash over me.

            Then I felt a cold drip... drip ....drip.... And I looked up there was Aera holding an icecream. She saved me from delving further into my memory... And slowly but surely she won a place in my heart, even though a part of me hated her... and then we met Megumi, and she knew how it felt to have her heart's door closed and we sympathized. For some reason it really made Aera mad, and by then I really had fallen in love with her. Megumi told me to after her, and I did. I found Aera in her secret place behind the waterfall. I apologized and admitted I was in love with her. I even gave her my goggles.

            She openned me up, and everything seemed so right. I met her little brothers, Brock, Camron, Dennis, my favorite, Edwin, and then there was Frankie. And Megumi and Aera went to Mt. Battle and D'Atri caught me. He threatened to kill Aera, so I went with him.  D'Atri dragged me here to the hideout and now once again I am hooked up to thousands of tiny machines....  I  knew that it would all happen soon. I had no hope left, so I miserably closed my eyes, thinking of Aera and drifting to the world of dreams and nightmares.

            I woke up to the bright lights shining in my eyes, and I immediatly closed my eyes again. I saw lime green spots where the lights had hurt my eyes. I wanted to go back to sleep, go back to sleep and never feel the pain again. I scowled, and felt the things attached to my forehead. I panicked. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't move. I was completly powerless, there was nothign I could do... It was coming soon, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Aera... I wished I could have at least got to say goodbye.

            Then it happened. The worst pain I'd ever felt, and I screamed even though no one could hear me. I screamed for what felt like forever, until I couldn't scream anymore. Who was I? What was my purpose? Why was I here? I knew I didn't want to be here, even if I didn't know anything else. I closed my eyes, hoping that if I didn't fight it would be over soon. It lasted forever, this living hell that I was in. And then, all at once, it stopped.  There was only one word in my head, even if it was blank and meaningless, it was comfortingly familliar.

"Aera?" I choked out, struggling to free myself.