Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Written by BansheeGirl
A/N: Sorry for the slight wait in the updating process, but alas – you've finally got your next dose of MFoLaC (my self-indulgent abbreviation for the ridiculously long title of this fic) ! And, c'mon – if you've read this far into the story, you may as well drop me a review while you're here. I'd really appreciate any comments! Thankyou, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 2!
Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Chapter 15: Leave the Pain
Jessie stamped her booted foot down on the hard snow, extending her knee to finally arrive at the top of a rather large ridge that she and James had been ascending for the past hour. Jessie had insisted that she was more than fit to undertake the three-day trek to Saunders City, but she now found herself almost fainting with the relief that they had finally completed this strenuous climb. She tried to ignore the fact that there were probably numerous other, possibly even steeper climbs like this on the way through the mountains.
Of course Jessie attempted to hide from James the toll that the hike seemed to be having on her already battered body, but she knew that he had seen her several times already that day wincing as she knocked a bruise or wound, or slightly lagging behind as her body forbade her from keeping up with James' own conditioned pace. This was why Jessie was unsurprised when James turned around at the top of this ridge to signal for them to stop.
"We can rest here for a moment," he said, unshouldering his backpack.
"I'm fine," Jessie instinctively replied, though she threw herself down to sit on a nearby rock anyway. She too shrugged off her large hiking pack, savouring this moment of leisure. James, on the other hand, stood looking out over the landscape before them with a hand shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun.
"It looks like the snow build-up from the blizzard has pretty much melted over the past few days. We should make good time. I'd say we'll arrive at our first camping base well before nightfall," James informed, turning around to look down at Jessie.
Jessie met James' eyes for a moment, though did not respond. The pair had in fact hardly spoken to each other since leaving the Lodging House that morning, and it was now already past noon. There was certainly an air of uncomfortable tension between the pair, but every attempt that James made to lighten the atmosphere was coldly rejected by an indifferent Jessie. Sitting here now, Jessie suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief at the situation she had found herself in. How on Earth had she wound up travelling alone, through the middle of nowhere with the one person that she had vowed she never, ever wanted to see again?
As Jessie felt a surge of all-too-familiar anger, she quickly diverted her thoughts to other matters, as she had been doing all morning in order to save herself from becoming upset about the whole James ordeal all over again. Reshouldering her backpack as James motioned for the pair to begin moving again, Jessie began to contemplate the issues that appeared to await her in Saunders City, where she was undoubtedly presumed dead…
The revelation that the helicopter crash was deliberate had been nothing short of a shock to Jessie. She had certainly received a great deal of verbal abuse and hate-mail during her career as CEO of Paramount Corps. of Saunders, but Jessie had never anticipated that someone would ever actually go so far as to make an attack on her life. She dreaded to think what kind of horrible goings-on were occurring at the Paramount Corps. offices, without her to oversee everything. Jessie imagined the media's reaction to her 'death'. The journalists would already be throwing a party at being able to report the tragic demise of one of Saunders City's most prominent business figures – they'd have an absolute field-day when Jessie returned and the whole affair suddenly turned into a brutal, yet failed attempt at murder.
Murder. Jessie's mind drifted back to the afternoon that she had climbed into that helicopter, and silently chided herself. She had known that something was not right when she did not recognise those supposed Paramount Corps. representatives from the tourism division. And yet she had stupidly gotten into the helicopter anyway. Hadn't her experiences with James taught her not to be so trusting? To assume nothing? And yet she had been fooled by the unfamiliar man and woman that day, and it had almost cost Jessie her life. Brendan Middleton and Bella Fanning; Jessie suddenly remembered their names… The names of her attempted murderers. Jessie doubted, however, that they were solely responsible for the murder plan. It appeared that the pilot of the helicopter was in on the deal as well, but she was sure that these people were merely carrying out the handiwork of some higher power. But who?
Jessie pushed a low branch of a pine tree away so as to allow her passage through a small patch of alpine forest that James had begun to lead them through, and sighed. The truth was, Jessie could think of many people who certainly wouldn't mind if she was six feet underground. She felt a sudden pang of desolation for allowing herself to once again find her way into such a position where so many people in society loathed her, but quickly brushed it off and tried to narrow down the field of possible murderer-candidates instead.
Perhaps Terrance Brown was behind the conspiracy? Jessie had, after all, just closed a deal with his father the week before to take over the Brown family business, the Silvertop Mining Company. Terrance had been adamant against the sale of the Mining Company, and the way he had fought against Jessie and her associates, as well as his own father, made him a real possibility. Then there was Ruth Parker. While she definitely didn't appear to be the murderous type of woman, Jessie knew that Ruth Parker would love to see the Paramount Corps. CEO position filled by someone who was a little more people-considerate.
Wrenching all thought from the attempted murder, Jessie suddenly tripped on a small rock protruding from the ground and fell straight down onto her hands and knees in the snow. While she tried her best to stop it, she let out a painful cry as her bruised and wounded limbs hit the ground, or certainly felt the effects of the jolt. Before Jessie could even try to push herself up James was by her side and bending down to pull her upright.
"Don't," Jessie ordered, pushing James away as she steadied herself in a standing position. "I don't need your help," she said, glaring at him as he abidingly stood back.
James looked to Jessie with a frustrated expression. It seemed as though he wanted to say something; perhaps even shout at Jessie. But he did not utter a word, and merely shot Jessie a final cross look before continuing onwards in front of her.
Jessie followed behind him, feelings of infuriation beginning to rise again. She wanted to scream at him for looking at her like that; for trying to make her feel bad. It's his fault, she thought. She kicked down hard at a clump of snow at her feet so fragments flew out at all directions before her like an angry explosion.
This was going to be a very long three days.
James stirred the soup he had put together in a pot that hung over a small fire, occasionally stopping to sample the contents before adding something else and continuing with the stirring spoon. It was just nightfall, and he and Jessie had arrived at a cave that was often used as first camp for the journey to Saunders City from Fieldsville. It was a good size, and well sheltered from the wind and snow outside.
That afternoon the hike had continued with the bare minimum of words exchanged between the pair; the bare minimum consisting of James' navigational directions and Jessie's brief acknowledgement that she had actually heard James speak. Jessie sat across the other side of the cave now, re-dressing her own wounds as Olivia had shown her that morning before they left. James did not even bother offering to help re-dress some of Jessie's more harder-to-reach wounds. He knew even before asking that she would reject the offer completely, probably in the fewest and most abrupt words as possible.
James was beginning to seriously doubt the logic behind his motives for agreeing to take Jessie to Saunders City. Jessie barely allowed him to speak to her, let alone try to convince her to change her plans to demolish Fieldsville. It was only the first day of their trek, and James already envisioned it was to be a very long, silent and uncomfortable journey for both.
He tasted his soup again, finally deciding it was ready to eat. Serving two tin bowls full with the soup, he walked over to Jessie and handed her one with a spoon and some of Mary's homemade bread to accompany the meal. Receiving a barely audible 'thankyou' from her as she accepted the food, James headed back over to the other side of the cave to settle down with his own meal. The cold wind could be heard howling outside the cave, and the sound of the slurping of soup could be heard within it. But still, a proper conversation between Jessie and James was yet to occur on their hike together.
James placed his empty bowl down beside him, and looked over to Jessie. Things couldn't go on like this. Not for a further two entire days. Things needed to be said.
"So…" He began, "How did you get into the Paramount Corps. scene, Jessie?" James asked, knowing fully well that he was not going to get an appropriate answer to that question.
Jessie peered up from the bowl in her hands. "I am not talking to you, James," she said.
"Why not?" James responded, the force in his voice evident.
Jessie slammed her emptied bowl down next to her. "Because I don't have to, that's why!" She cried.
"Yes, you do! That's what people do, they talk to each other! We went through a really rough time Jessie, but-"
"-A rough time? Is that what you're calling it now, huh?" Jessie exclaimed.
James stared at Jessie for a few long moments, while she looked back at him angrily.
"What did you want me to do, Jessie? I was doing my job. You're still blaming me for carrying out a task entrusted to me by the good guys? For helping to put a stop to a criminal organisation that wreaked absolute hell on the Pokémon world for years?"
"A criminal organisation that I was a part of! And I thought you were a part of, too! Before I met you I hated myself for being so… so weak and pathetic that all I was good for was Team Rocket. But then I was partnered with you, and I thought… I thought that you were in exactly the same position as me. But you were somehow different… at first I couldn't put my finger on it, but then I realised. You believed! And you made me believe that we could be more than lowly criminals; you made me believe in all of my dreams. And then…"
Both Jessie and James were up now, standing no more than two metres apart in the centre of the room.
"…And then you made me feel like the biggest fool in the world, James," Jessie continued, her voice shaking slightly with both anger and the hot tears James could see welling in her eyes. "Because you were different. But it wasn't because you 'believed'. No, I understand now that that was a complete load of bullshit. You were different because everything you said was a pack of lies! Everything. It was all just a sham to bide some time before you threw everything back in our faces."
"It wasn't all lies, Jessie!" James cried, "You don't understand… Sure, I had to lie about some things to keep my cover. But my friendship with you, and with Meowth… that was not a lie! How could I have faked all of the great times we had together? I never meant to get tangled up in friendships when I was sent into Team Rocket, but I did. It was no lie Jessie. I never meant to hurt you or Meowth."
"Friendship?" Jessie shrieked, and for the first time tears did start spilling out of her eyes. "How can you call what we had a friendship? How could you have been my friend when I didn't even know you? I didn't know who you were, and I certainly don't know who you are now!"
"Yes you do!" James exclaimed, and stepped forward to take Jessie's hands in his own, "I am the same James that you knew in Team Rocket. I am the same person… I just worked for the other side. That's all."
Jessie glared into James' eyes, only a few inches away from her own. "That's all?" She hissed. "That's it James. I don't blame you for doing your job. I blame you for lying to me throughout our entire so-called 'friendship'. I blame you for betraying me. I blame you for the fact that I found out you were a double-agent from some random Rocket in my holding cell in prison, instead of from you."
She snatched her hands out of James', before turning on her heel and retreating back to her side of the cave. She violently pulled out her sleeping bag from her pack while James remained in the centre of the cave, staring down at the ground and otherwise not knowing quite what to do next.
"Don't speak to me again," Jessie warned as she climbed into her sleeping bag and lay down with her back to James. Her voice was not as forceful as she had probably intended; James concluded that she was attempting to hold back another bout of tears.
Silence fell upon the room again, and James slowly moved to pack up the cooking equipment. Before long he too found himself curled up in his sleeping bag, but somehow James didn't think that he would be getting much sleep this night.
Yikes! Long chapter! But I hopes you likes it… 'cos it took me one helluva long time to write! I'd REALLY love to know what everyone thinks about this chapter… go on, dissect it! Tell me everything – the good, the bad and even the ugly.
Oh, and if anyone can't remember who Terrance Brown is, go back and read Chapter 1 again, and if you can't remember who Ruth Parker is, go back and check out Chapter 5. I just thought it might have been a while since some of my regular readers have seen those names!
Well, hopefully the next chapter won't be as draining for me to write! Should be up soon, either way. So, til next time!
BansheeGirl.