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.