Chapter Nine

The Revenge of Lovrina.

Rachel recovered herself quickly. "Cyril!" she cried to someone off-screen. Her face was pale, and Tobianna was sure her mother had guessed that it involved her in some way. Rachel turned back to the screen and looked at Lovrina firmly.

"What do you want, Lovrina? Something tells me that this isn't a social call."

"Oh really? I was just oh so wondering how you and your family was getting on. How are your children? It's four you have now, isn't it, although I understand your oldest isn't currently with you?"

"My children are all fine, especially without your presence in our lives." She said. "Now if you don't mind, I have more important things to do than sit and talk to you!" She raised her hand to cut the connection, but that was when Lorvrina reached out and pulled Tobianna into view,

Rachel froze and went even whiter than she had at first. Her eyes widened, and for a moment Tobianna thought her mother was about to faint.

"Tobianna!" she whispered. Lovrina pulled Tobianna in front of her, putting one arm over the front of her left shoulder and holding her right shoulder in her hand, pulling her back against her. Her right hand she used to thread her fingers in Tobianna's hair and comb it through with her hand, mock-tenderly.

"I just so thought you might like to talk to your oldest, as she seems to have turned up here in our employ." She said. She stroked Tobianna's hair again, and looked triumphantly at Rachel.

"Don't-Don't hurt her Lovrina, please!" Rachel begged. Tobianna didn't know what to say, but just looked at her mother, hating Lovrina with every fibre of her body for putting her mother through this.

"Oh, but I found her spying, XD002, she gave us a false name and address. I only found out her true identity from the pokénet. I so have to punish her for that somehow. As I no longer have a human subject for my experiments since you escaped, I thought that she could maybe take your place. Oh, we've refined the process, and Mister Gorigan found out that we poisoned most of the stem cells we gave you, which is presumably why you managed to get back to normal, but we've learned from our mistakes. We won't rush it this time, and we'll make it work." Lovrina turned her head to talk to Tobianna.

"Don't you have anything to say to your mother, dear? After all, you've made no calls to her in the time you've been here or we'd know about it. She must be so wanting to near your news."

"Mum, don't worry about me, I can resist!" Tobianna said. Lovrina just laughed.

"Like mother, like daughter." She said. "I believe you tried resisting, didn't you XD002, and found out how futile that was. If we'd had you for just a bit longer……but never mind. We have a new subject now to try again with." With that, she pushed Tobianna back to Young Ash. "Hold her, I'll be contacting Gorigan right after this call, and she can receive her first batch of stem cells." She said to him. She turned back to see Rachel's reaction, a predatory glint in her eyes and a vicious curve to her smile.

"Lovrina, no, please!" Rachel cried, tears running down her face. "Not my daughter, please! I'll come back to you and I won't run away again, I promise, just don't hurt my daughter, please don't put her through that!"

"Why, XD002, are you offering to come back and take her place?" Lovrina asked. She had to admit that she was tempted, not of course that she planned to actually let Tobianna go. Perhaps she could agree and then go back on it when she had Rachel back in her clutches, or maybe she could let her go with a little transmitter cunningly hidden on her person and then send people out to retrieve her once Rachel was safely under lock and key. That would be revenge at it's sweetest, for she could try it on Tobianna first, let Rachel see her daughter fully Shadowed, and then do it on her as well.

"Yes I am, Lovrina. She is my daughter after all. Let her go and I'll come back and let you do whatever you want to do to me and I won't resist and I won't attempt escape."

"How do I know you're not just saying that, XD002? I seem to remember you assuring me once that you had come of your own accord to be processed, just before you beat me up and threw me in the machine."

"That was different, Lovrina. I won't do anything like that this time if you just let my daughter go. I give you my word."

Lovrina was totally focused on the conversation she was having with Tobianna's mother, which is why she didn't notice that Young Ash was pulling at the tape around Tobianna's wrists, pulling on the end and peeling it off, trying to free her. As Rachel hung her head and promised Lovrina that she would willingly return to her captivity in the Key Lair if Lovrina released Tobianna, Ash managed to take the last of the tape from her wrists, and gestured for her to run towards the door. He had his doubts that Lovrina's office was monitored by security. If they moved fast enough, they could likely be out of the Key Lair and heading into the desert by the time Lovrina raised the alarm.

However, Tobianna had other ideas. She hated Lovrina for putting her mother through that, and was not about to quietly leave without getting her own revenge on Lovrina. As Young Ash beckoned Tobianna to come with him, Tobianna balled up her fist, and lunged for Lovrina.

Lovrina was completely unprepared for the assault, for Tobianna's fist connecting with her eye and sending her reeling back. She reached out, planning both to use Tobianna for support, and to recapture her, but Young Ash knocked her hand aside and gave her a shove so hard she landed on her back on the floor, temporarily winded. Tobianna looked ready to fly at her again, until Rachel screamed at her from the screen "Tobianna! Get OUT of there now!"

Young Ash told her "Your mother's right, Tobianna, let's get out of here before the backup arrives!" Tobianna saw the sense in this, and took Young Ash's hand, and they both ran from the office.

Lovrina managed to scramble to her feet and called an alarm. "If you catch them, bring them to me. I will deal with them both!" she snarled into the intercom. Then she ran out of the office herself to pursue them.