Chapter Five

George and John.

Lawrence nipped back to his machine, and changed his trousers and underwear, cramming Cyril's bright things into a bag, to be washed. He briefly considered losing them, so Cyril couldn't inflict them upon the world, but decided he didn't have the right. He had a frozen packet of Adele's hangover cure in his freezer, and put it in the bag for Cyril. He decided to take the scenic route, around the island beaches, to give Cyril a chance to find out what was up. If Tobias found out about the Lugia in Cyril's machine, he'd have a pink fit!

As he was walking on the beach, Lawrence stopped, as he heard something. He waited. There it was again. It sounded like a whimper. As he heard it again, he turned his head towards a large arrangement of rocks, on the beach further inland, towards the cliff. He approached, hearing another whimper. He carefully walked around the rocks, to find, curled up behind them and in obvious pain, a Lugia not much longer than two metres in length!

As soon as it noticed his presence, it startled, backing off in fear. As it curled its tail inward, Lawrence saw a recent-looking injury at the base of the Lugia's tail. He crouched, held out his hands to show they were empty of any weapon, and spoke gently to the little Lugia.

"Hey, okay there, what's wrong with your tail, little Guardian?" He hoped that the small Lugia could understand. The Lugia Cyril had in his machine could understand him, but that was an adult, and he got the feeling that this was an infant. Could an infant Lugia understand human speech? He hoped that the tone of his voice would convey his genuine concern. He heard a voice reply in his head.

Don't hurt me! Please! Don't catch me!

I promise I won't hurt you or catch you. Lawrence said, slipping easily into thinkspeak. What happened to your tail?

A man hurt it when he caught me. He put something in my tail, and he's taken my Mum away! The Lugia let out a long, low, mournful note, lifting its head to the sky, two glistening tears dropping from its eyes to the sand. Dad said Mum's agreed to be captive in my place, and if she escapes or we rescue her, the man can find me because of what's in my tail, even if I hide, and he'll capture me, so she can't come back, But I miss her! I want my mum!Several more distressed calls and tears followed the first.

I think I know where your mum is. said Lawrence. Do you want me to take you to her? I promise you won't be hurt or captured.

Please! the little Lugia said, jumping up. Please! it said, nosing him urgently.

Okay, come with me. Do you have a name? Lawrence asked.

Lu. Call me Lu. the young Lugia said.

Call me Laurie. Lawrence replied.

Lu came willingly enough with Lawrence, who hastened his pace. Lawrence was beginning to work out what had happened. Lu had been captured by Cyril's friend. The one he currently had in his machine had taken Lu's place so Lu could go free. The man had made sure she'd not escape, or be rescued, by making sure he could recapture Lu if she did. He'd probably made her promise not to speak of it either, or the same thing would happen. No wonder she was so scared and unhappy! The tracking mechanism must be what caused the injury to his tail.

I happen to know that a very nice Pokémon and people doctor is coming to the island very soon, and I know she could take the transmitter out. That means your Mum could return to you! Lawrence said.

She really would? Oh please, please! Lu said, gazing up at Lawrence imploringly.

As they rounded another rocky outcrop, and moved onto the next beach, they noticed several things. A metal crate, looking slightly rusted, stood on the beach, a ropy-looking helicopter was landed close by, and an equally manky-looking boat was pulled up on the shore. There were two people about thirty metres from the crate. they were crouching, looking at what appeared at first to be a bundle of feathers lying in the sand. The feathers were fire-coloured. Lawrence hastened his step. Had something happened to Moltres? As if in answer, the three birds (still calling in distress) flew past. Ah, not Moltres then.

They could now see that it was definitely bird-shaped, but Lawrence, knowing about the coming ceremony, guessed it was an islander in costume.

"Can I help?" he asked. The two men, one larger than the other straightened up.

"Um-do you know somewhere we could rest up, and she can?" said the smaller of the two.

"And eat?" the other said. "We've been living on Shellders and Cloysters for the last few days, and the ones we've got left are so scared that we haven't got the heart to eat them."

"Come back with me, Cyril can provide both." Lawrence replied. The larger of the two bent to pick up the prone islander, then looked up in panic.

"George!" he said to his companion. "Her breathing's gone funny!"

"Hang on, I'll give her an antidote." the smaller man, George, said. He opened what Lawrence recognised as a doctor's bag, and gave the islander a shot of something. Something strange was going on here, but Lawrence decided to see if he could gain their trust, and gauge whether they were a threat to the island before asking. The bigger man picked up the island girl, whose laboured-sounding breathing did seem to be getting easier. The two cast several curious glances in Lu's direction, but neither asked any questions.

They soon reached Cyril's machine. By this time the island girl was waking up. She was rather disorientated, so once Cyril had brought them up in the lift, Lawrence asked Cyril for a bed to place the girl in. Cyril led the bigger man to where he could put her. He lay her gently on the bed, and said he wanted to stay by her. Cyril nodded.

"Are you John?" he asked. "I'm sure I know you from somewhere."

"Yeah." John replied. "You were our look-out on the bank job. You helped us get some other not-quite-legal supplies that fell off the back of a lorry too. You seem to be doing fairly well for yourself these days."

"Yes." said Cyril. "You must excuse me, but I think Lawrence wants to talk to me."

Lawrence quickly explained to Cyril what he'd worked out. Cyril explained that, despite his best efforts, all his lines of questioning just made the Lugia and Lugia-girl more distressed.

"All I know is that the Lugia-girl understands the purpose of clocks and can read them." he said.

"This is Lu. Lu, this is Cyril." he said.

Can I see my mum? Please? Lu asked Cyril. he had to repeat it, and increase the volume for Cyril, as he'd pointed out, found psychic communication difficult. Cyril pointed Lu towards the Lugia-environment and took him in, unlocking the door for him. Lu darted in, calling Mum? MUM! so loudly that even Cyril could hear it.

LU! came the mother's psychic reply, also bellowed so loud all present heard her.

MUM! cried Lu.

You haven't been recaptured, have you?

No. the nice man outside said you were here and brought me here to see you!

Lawrence, in the meantime, was explaining to Cyril in more detail. As he finished his account of how he'd noticed Lu's injury, George tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. My name's George, by the way. I've had medical training, but I'm not qualified officially as a doctor, I wasn't able to take my final year." A dark shadow passed over his face. "Family problems, but you don't want to know the details. I do, however, have practical experience of surgery, and could quite easily remove the foreign body from the small Lugia's tail for him."

"I guess that would be up to the small Lugia." said Cyril.

"Or his mother." said Lawrence. "He's just a child, Cyril, even you should be able to sense that."

Cyril decided he should check on his Lugia-types. After five minutes in the lair with them, he came out with Lu, Lu's mother (whom Lu was sticking to like glue) and the Lugia-girl. Cyril had one arm around the Lugia-girl, who seemed quite happy about it. Lawrence took one look, and realised it was Rachel, the island girl from the Island guest-house. It was her and her father who had rescued him from Lightning Island. A few days after he left, he'd heard she'd gone missing. Kidnap was suspected.

"Rachel?" he asked. George swung round, saw the Lugia-girl, and smiled, but wiped the smile before any of the others could get suspicious. Rachel didn't seem to notice George. She looked at Lawrence, and whimpered, burying her face in Cyril's chest. Both Lawrence and Cyril (who was carrying Mrs Lugia's egg carefully in his other arm) were surprised at her reaction.

"This is the reaction I got when I asked what was wrong while you were out." Cyril said.

"Let's sit down and cook the sausages." Lawrence said. "we can all relax then. I'll add my link to Cyril's so there's enough."

"Did someone mention food?" said John, who was coming through from the other room with the island girl, who, now her costume head was off, Lawrence could see bore a strong facial resemblance to Rachel. Her hair though, instead of brown like Rachel's and her father's, was red like Mrs Farraday's.

They all sat down, Cyril passing the egg to Mrs Lugia, who put a wing over it, and the other wing over her son. Cyril put on all the sausages, and was surprised when the Lugia-girl reached over and turned the heat down.

"She's right, Cyril, they're meant to be cooked slowly." He turned to the Lugia-girl.

Rachel, it's me, Laurie. You know me. What's the problem? Why won't you speak? For a moment, Lawrence thought she wasn't going to answer, but then she did reply.

The man said that if either I or Mrs Lugia talked, or gave any impression that we could communicate, or told your friend Cyril what had happened, he'd recapture Lu! she said.

That's dreadful! You needn't worry about that, Cyril wouldn't tell him anyway! Anyway, George here has said he'll take the transmitter out of him. Rachel looked at George, and it could have been Lawrence's imagination, but he thought he felt her stiffen beside him. Then she relaxed. George smiled and nodded.

Lawrence then told Cyril what Rachel had told him.

"I wouldn't tell him! That's appalling!" he said to Rachel.

"Perhaps you can show Rachel where your food supplies are, Cyril. She makes a lovely sauce-if you'd like to that is." He addressed this last to Rachel. She looked at him, gave him a brief smile, and nodded.

Cyril took Rachel to his food storage area, and in a short time she was cooking a most delicious-smelling sauce. It proved to be as yummy as it looked, and they all tucked in. All except Lu, who was going to have to be knocked out to have the radio-transmitter removed from his tail. Cyril put one aside in some sauce, and told him he could have it later. Mrs Lugia ate one, but that was all, Everyone else had two, which filled a hole.

Then George found a piece of smooth uncarpeted floor, wiped it with some antiseptic wipes, and got Lu to lie down on it. Lu complied, and George shooed out everybody except John, who would assist him. Then he got John to shoot a couple of darts into Lu to knock him out.

While waiting, Cyril turned to look at Rachel. "Are you human? Hey, don't be scared to tell me, once George has taken out the transmitter, the threat will be gone. If it makes you any easier, I can put a little nametag on you and treat you as though I don't know if he turns up." Rachel nodded, and Mrs Lugia too asked for the same protection, just to be certain. Cyril got some cardboard and wrote out a small nametag for Rachel. "I can't put your real name on, or he'll wonder how i know it and then guess you've told me, so I'll say I've called you Marina for now." he said. He wrote under the name "Property of Cyril." he put it on a piece of velvet ribbon, and tied it loosely around her neck. He made a similar nametag for Mrs Lugia. He kept her nickname of Mrs Lugia, and attached hers around her neck by way of a couple of his brightly-coloured belts joined together. "There!" he said. "You can take them off whenever you feel like it."

He turned to Rachel. "I'd love for you to talk to me, Are you a human?"

"Yes, she is." said Lawrence, just as Rachel herself nodded.

"That's wonderful! I was starting to worry that I was getting romantic inclinations towards a Pokémon!"

At that moment, George came through. He held up the radio transmitter he'd wrapped up in one of Cyril's bright shirts: Cyril's face dropped when he saw the blood on it.

"Okay, it's out." he said. "Lu is resting in the other room. Now, I'd like to suggest a payment for my services."

"Okay." said Cyril. He was a bit doubtful. He knew that John didn't tend to hang around with the most salubrious of people. John had been getting involved with Team Rocket when Cyril met him. Lawrence had given no indication that George expected payment. Then again, from the look on Lawrence's face, it was as big a surprise to Lawrence as it was to Cyril.

George pointed at first Rachel, and then Julie. "I want them! They were mine originally, but they slipped their ropes!"

"Hey! You can't just treat people like that!" Lawrence said. "Rachel has a home! I bet you didn't ask any of your Pokémon people if they wanted to join in this grand plan of yours!"

John had turned up, and suddenly he had his dart gun in his hand. "You know too much!" he snarled, and shot a dart into Lawrence. He looked down in surprise, and then fell to the ground unconscious.