Julie
JULIE
Julie awoke slowly. Her head ached where that thug had struck her,
and unfamiliar, disquieting noise assailed her. It took all her self-
control not to sit up and look around. By pretending to still be
unconscious, she might be able to overhear some of the
conversations she could now hear going on around her.
Their first visit to Orré since the "Shadow" incidents of five
years ago, and she had been kidnapped again. She recalled that she
and the children had been attacked by three shady figures. She
remembered urging the children, the twins, now 10, and Lawril, who
was now 8, to take flight-figuratively and literally-as she distracted
the menacing trio with a Blizzard. She had not thought herself to be
in peril, the first thing she had noted with some relief was that none
of them wore a Snag machine. It had been a shock when the biggest
of the lot had fought through the blizzard and stuck her on the head,
hard, and the world had gone black.
Julie had the impression that more than a few minutes had
passed since then, and wondered how they'd kept her under-drugs if
the grogginess and full-head ache she was experiencing was any
indicator. First things first: had the children gotten clean away or had
they been captured after her?
She expanded her awareness and mentally called their names. She
was relieved to receive no response, nor any impression of their
presence If they were out of range, than she was sure they must
have escaped, and told their father what had happened. Now she had
just two questions: why had they taken her and where? She strained
her ears to hear the conversation she could hear going on between
two people nearby.
She could not hear all of the conversation, because of the
mechanical clanking of some machinery that was constantly going,
but the snatches she did catch-containing phrases and words like
"Shadow Pokémon", "purification resistant", "Admin" and "Cipher"
told her everything she needed to know, and confirmed her deepest
fears.
Once again, she was in the clutches of Cipher, who had turned
up, and began creating "Shadow Pokémon"-Pokémon whose hearts
had been artificially closed-five years ago. Julie had herself been a
victim of the process four times, each time being caught in a poké
ball by Cipher associates wearing something known as a "Snag
machine"-a device that could be used to steal Pokémon from their
rightful trainers. Lawrence had had to resort to having one made to
retrieve her, and it had been gathering dust, to her relief, not having
to be used for five years, since the last incident.
Her heart went cold. She thought the Cipher racket had been
smashed back then, by Seth and Yuki, with the help of both Ashes,
Cyril, Lawrence, herself, and Rachel. She thought back. The first
time, she had been ignorant of Cipher and their plans, the following
three, helpless to resist, stuck in a poké ball the whole time.
However, she could feel this was not the case now-she was sprawled
on one side, the surface under her moving. She was on some form of
conveyor belt. She was 53 Articuno, which was why she had been
Shadowed those last four times. They had once Shadowed a human,
the two Ashes first son, but late on and with difficulty. Her hybrid
nature had made Shadowing her easy. However, Julie reflected, she
was also 47 human, with the integrity, intelligence, and
unpredictability that brought. She was no longer helpless. Perhaps
she could use her human ingenuity to her advantage this time.
The movement of the conveyor belt had carried her beyond the two
speakers who she'd gleaned her information from, and now brought
her into the proximity of two more, who she guessed were scientists.
"This one's rather unusual, but special. We're to process her but
monitor the readings. Gorigan said the orders were given by Grand
Master Greevil himself. She's been put into Shadow four times
previously, according to Cipher records from five years ago, so it can
be done. Obviously someone rescued her and purified her those other
times. As this is a new method, we are to monitor the readings and
how she reacts. As this is a new method, there is a risk it won't work,
but the odds are that it will. If so, like XD001, she will never be able
to be purified."
Julie didn't need a university degree to work out that they were
talking about her. If this worked she'd be unpurifiable? This
knowledge made her sit up, wide-eyed. She had to escape NOW!
That, she saw, was going to be a problem. She was in a thickly-
barred cage, which was attached to the rubber of the conveyor belt
she was on. The machine was even now moving her towards a
menacing-looking black hole leading to the depths of some machine.
Looking around frantically, she saw two white-coated figures looking
at her. The two scientists, she assumed, who had spoken earlier.
"She's awake, and just in time." Said one of the scientists. She had
been correct: she recognised his voice. The other scientist simply
nodded in response, and pulled down on a lever. The conveyor belt
gained speed, and Julie could not hold back a screech as the
conveyor plunged her inside the menacing passage into the darkness.
