Title: The Pikachu Project
I don't own any of this other than the plot, sadly.
Author's Notes: I'd just like to thank everyone that has come back and reviewed again. It really is something special to me. I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short, but not to worry, because chapter seven is going to be very long.
...But, really, did you honestly think I was going to let Dr. Craig off that easily?
The Pikachu Project
By: Tear22
Chapter Six: A Fight Not Worth Dying
The happiness Dr. Craig and Eric had felt at being let off was dismissed by the following week. Although Giovanni had forgotten most of the meeting due to being drunk, he did happen, and most unfortunately, remember that Pikachu was missing and whose fault it happened to be.
To make matters worse, Dr. Craig had been having reoccurring dreams of the rodent, and his condition from the time of the Boss' absence had worsened a fairly good deal. He also seemed to have shed at least ten pounds, for he was now consistently having to readjust the cream colored buttons hooked to his stained lab coat.
"That's all you've been eating for days. What's so great about it?" Eric asked, following Dr. Craig back to a table in the cafeteria, and eyeing the yellow gelatin skeptically as it shook unevenly on the plate held in the scientist's hands.
"It's not so bad," he remarked, sitting down at the table and proceeding to stick his dented fork in the gelatin, prodding it in and out sluggishly. "Not to mention, I like the color."
"You've become obsessed with yellow," Eric said, slightly beginning to admire the fact that his garb was usually nothing but black.
As Dr. Craig was just getting ready to defend himself, a Grunt came up to them, towering over the scientist as he took another careful bite of his jello, and said, "The Boss wishes to see you again, sir."
"And you," he said, turning to Eric. The Dan'in paused momentarily, looking as if he were collecting saliva in the back of his mouth in an assumed preparation to spit on the younger boy, but stopped due to a harsh look he received from Dr. Craig. He then continued, "You need to take two Field Agents to the incinerator. They're out back, in a couple of body bags."
"Not now," Eric groaned, allowing for the singed, blonde tips of his hair to flop over the sides of his crossed arms then continued to bury his head deeper so that his pale nose nearly touched the surface of the dirty, cold table. "What were their names?" he groaned, already conducting a small sermon in his head.
"I'm not sure," the Grunt shrugged, once again fighting off the urge to wrap his gloved fingers around the ends of Eric's hair and yank his head, which was now somewhat buried under his followed arms. "Their bodies were nearly unrecognizable, but I think the Boss mentioned their names being… Nathan and Sue. A suicide mission, the Boss told me, but I don't believe it. Nope, I had the unfortunate job of putting those two in their body bags, and I could have sworn I saw a slit mark on the girl's throat. It was murder, I say."
A small lump had formed in the region of Dr. Craig's adam's apple. He swallowed hard; having to catch himself as his fork almost went down his throat too, at having been left to dangle slightly in his mouth as Dr. Craig had listened to this terrible news.
He had seen Nathan and Sue just before they had been sent out on that mission, and although he had noticed a slight tension between the two of them at the time, Dr. Craig had been sure that it would pass like it always did with them. And unless the Grunt was mistaken, Dr. Craig had been horribly wrong.
"I guess I better get going then," Eric said while standing up and snapping the lead scientist out of his reverie. "You better leave now too."
"Yeah," Dr. Craig said, hurriedly standing up as well and leaving his bowl of jello, which was then predictably dumped on Eric's head by the older Grunt, leaving the boy to weakly spit out the contents onto the floor.
Dr. Craig exited the cafeteria quickly, trying to push the thought out of his head that other than Eric, Nathan and Sue had been the only ones to support him while the Boss had been gone. And he had never even bothered to thank them for it.
Dr. Craig had been called in for meetings with Giovanni so often recently that it now seemed simply a part of his routine. As he walked in a relatively fast pace down the corridor towards the Boss' office he disregarded that his hands twitched in nerves, but other than that, he was in a surprisingly calm state. And although the burden of Nathan and Sue was completely in effect, he tried to push down his emotions as he continued down the hallway.
As he reached the door he allowed his gloved fist to flick back and forth in a knocking motion. Dr. Craig heard a person's gruff voice emit from behind the polished, wooden door, permitting his entrance. He opened the door and stepped inside the very dark room, as it always was, but immediately felt two pairs of large hands firmly being pressed on either side of his skinny arms.
"What's going on?" he asked loudly, and in his later opinion quite stupidly, then snapped his head up to unexpectedly face Brian, who had a devilish grin plastered on his face similar to the ones that the Grunts holding his arms had.
"Hello, Will," he said. Brian once again allowed the trademark cigarette in his mouth to slip out. The still lighted cigarette fell and landed on the Boss' Persian, leaving a small patch of its fur a slight charcoal black color as the amber tip burned a bit of its cream coat. It growled deeply in its throat and proceeded to scamper under its trainer's large, crimson chair, which was currently unoccupied.
"I have something here for you," Brian said, digging in his pocket and producing a neatly folded piece of paper. Using his uncut fingernail, he broke the seal, which had a scarlet R embedded on it and was messily stamped to one of the folds on the paper.
He opened the paper with a sharp flick of his hand, a smirk readily staining his features and his eyes dancing wildly. While ignoring Dr. Craig's long, flailing legs as one nearly hit his own, he began to read: "Under the permission and orders of Giovanni Razzo, Dr. William Craig is to be held at the Team Rocket Asylum until the holder feels necessary, with the minimum sentence being two years. The subject will be allowed to pack a small bag of clothing, which he will be permitted to wear on the weekends. He is to report tomorrow for his entrance and will undergo a complete inspection for any weapons he might possess."
You're bluffing," Dr. Craig said simply.
"You think so?" Brian asked slyly, and with an air of triumph held out the document for him read.
Dr. Craig quickly scanned the document, flinching slightly as he noticed it defined him as being "physically unstable and incapable of rational thought." His black eyes then fell upon the bottom corner of the paper, which sported a greasy, smudged thumbprint that very possibly belonged to Giovanni. He looked further and found that at the bottom of the paper was his Boss' signature scratched onto the document. Although Dr. Craig had only seen the signature once before, on the day of his employment, to be exact, there was no mistaking it. But then again, he thought to himself, this could all be a trap. After all, Giovanni was not even present in the room at the time, and maybe Brian had simple forced him somehow to sign the document. That had to be it!
"This is fake. You're nothing but a crazy liar."
"I'd watch who you claim to be crazy," Brian smirked, tilting his head forward slightly so that his Grunt had slid down to meet his dark brown eyes. "Hello, sir."
Almost as if on cue, Giovanni appeared by the doorway, with his hair greased back and mistakenly leaving several small patches to stick out along his head. His appearance, in any case, had improved a great deal since Dr. Craig had last seen him, which had been the night the Boss had been drunk.
"Pack your things, William. You'll be leaving tomorrow."
"What?" Dr. Craig asked unbelievably, studying his Boss for a moment and finding the same smirk staining his features as Brian. He grimaced weakly as the firm grip around his arms tightened further still. They must all be crazy!
"I'm not going to the Asylum! I'm not insane!" Dr. Craig cried hysterically, mentally noting with disdainfulness towards himself that the color of Giovanni's barely visible socks were the identical shade of the tip of Pikachu's tail.
"My sources have told me otherwise," Giovanni said, beckoning his Persian to his side with a flick of his hand.
"But Brian tried to murder me! If anyone should go to the Asylum it's him!" Dr. Craig screamed, his voice cracking as his throat started to become increasingly sore.
A small ruffle of clothing behind him told Dr. Craig that that had clearly made Brian rather uncomfortable.
"Telling false stories will not get you out of this, William," – he heard a sigh of relief from Brian - Giovanni said firmly, then nodded toward the two Grunts holding Dr. Craig and they instantly released him, allowing for the circulation to return to his arms.
"Ask anyone! They'll tell you, he had a gun pointed to my head!"
It looked as if Giovanni was deciding whether to show any pity toward his agent, and his expression seemed to soften slightly but he soon gained all of his composure back. "I will not be persuaded by your lies," Giovanni said, Dr. Craig noting that his tone was almost hesitant. "You will be sent to the Asylum tomorrow. Don't think of trying to escape anytime either, you will be monitored incredibly closely. Also, be thankful that I even gave you a notice," he added as an afterthought. "Most agents are sent without warning."
"Now Brian," Giovanni continued, walking past Dr. Craig to show him that he had been dismissed, "lets talk about that promotion."
Woo. Okay people, let's see some reviews!
I hope everyone liked this chapter, because to be honest, I'm not too fond of it. Tell me what you thought; it'll be nice to hear everyone's opinions. So, let's get those reviews rolling!
Long Live The Boss,
Tear22