Chapter 46

When she came to, the first thing Breccia noticed was a sharp, piercing light.

"Her pupils aren't dilated." She heard a male voice and someone pulling down on her lower eye lid. She went to take a breath in and noticed a mask pumping fresh oxygen into her lungs.

"M-Morice." She had the sense knocked out of her, all Breccia could do was call out to a familiar friend.

"It's alright." He answered, letting her rest in his lap as he held the mask to her face. "I'm right here." He chuckled, his voice relieved. "You were out cold when we hit the ground."

Relishing the fresh air, Breccia enjoyed taking a breath in without soot or tar. Reaching her arm out, she panicked when she noticed her Pokemon wasn't near by.

"Where's Nibs!?" She tried to sit up but was held down.

"He's over there, it's fine." The yard was peppered with people, some safe and others burned and injured. There were multiple ambulances and a few firetrucks fighting tirelessly to put out the flames. The mansion was still smoldering with some of the attendees and their Pokemon also helping to put out the fire.

Amid the chaos, Nibs was with the two young women from earlier, soaking in their attention and affection.

"You dragged her out of that burning building all by yourself?" The redhead asked.

Nibs nodded.

The blond hugged him. "You're so brave."

Breccia rolled her eyes. "Attention from the ladies...reminds me of dad." Leaning her head into Morice's shoulder, she felt his thumb stroke over her cheek and took the motion as a means to calm herself.

She was sore all over. Not only from her run in with the crooked cops but from Arlia's beating.

Thank Arceus Riker stopped her.

...Riker...

"Riker!" Breccia glanced behind them. "Where is he?!"

Morice had to, once again, stop her from leaping up. "He jumped out after us...you were my top concern when we hit the ground, I wasn't paying attention."

Scanning the crowed, Breccia felt a fear scratching at her throat when she couldn't find her boss.

After looking for a few minutes, she took notice of Kelly standing alone.

"Have you seen Riker?" She asked Breccia and Morice when she noticed them off on their lonesome. "Stotler and Sanchez tried to go in..." She was biting her thumb nail, nervous. "The Boss is going to string us up if anything happens to him..."

"Kelly!" All three turned when they heard Sanchez call out to them. Supporting Stotler, who was covered in soot and coughing haggardly, they both came out of the building empty handed. "We couldn't find him-"

"You idiots! The Boss is going to skin us alive!" Ready to charge in herself, she was stopped when they saw Arlia stumble from the bushes, a passed out Riker in her arms. Clearly panicked, the Blaziken put him on the ground, frantic when motioning for someone to help. Kelly crouched next to her colleague, trying to shake him awake before noticing that his chest wasn't rising. "...He isn't breathing..." She said it again, sending Sanchez to retrieve an EMT. "He isn't breathing!"

He can't breath...

Breccia heard the words, pounding at the back of her thoughts.

He never could breath...

Dad...

"Somebody help!" Kelly was shoved to the side when Breccia broke free from Morice's hold, crawling to Riker. Though she was still brittle from the smoke and flames, she took in a loud, exasperating gasp before clasping her mouth over Riker's and expelling the air into his lungs.

His chest rose with the forced breath, falling still without answer.

Repeating the action a second time, the same response was given. No movement was seen.

"Damn it..." Breccia cursed, her face tinging a faint blue. "Come on you stupid idiot!" Frustrated she managed one final exhale.

With a sharp gasp, Riker coughed violently, his eyes opening as he greeted the spinning world with desperate breaths. Having been turned on his side, he didn't fight when the EMT's arrived, securing a mask onto his face as well.

"Stupid idiot?" He asked, looking directly at Breccia, who had also collapsed. Taking in the fresh, clean oxygen, he tried to pick himself up on shaking limbs. "That'll be a write up, just so you know."

They were some of the first to the hospital. Breccia figured some strings were pulled because the three of them had a room to themselves while the rest of the masses were all lined up in the lobby.

The doctors and nurses were running about, as if this was the busiest they'd been in ages. You could barely hear yourself think over the thundering cacophony of voices and noise.

"It's ridiculous out there." Morice complained, shutting the commotion from their attention. Breccia was in the process of receiving treatment of her own wounds. At this point, the swelling had set in, both of her eyes were blackened with one of them completely shut. A thick pad of gauze was pushed into her left nostril. She was sore all over from Arlia's manhandling. "How are you feeling?"

Breccia shrugged, shivering and miserable. "Alive."

Morice had already gotten proper help, his own bruises tended and the massive, welted burn on his arm cleaned and bandaged.

Riker had been taken from the room shortly after they arrived, still having difficulty breathing on his own. Breccia couldn't help but feel the fear, concerned his injuries were far worse.

"Here." Morice put his jacket around her shoulders when he noticed the goosebumps running rampant across her arms. Then, as if he could read her mind, he added: "He'll be fine, he just needs a little extra fresh air."

They were alone in the room for half an hour or so before Riker finally came in, looking haggard and exhausted. He had his suit jacket tossed over his shoulder, his white undershirt now a faded gray.

Upon seeing him, Breccia rushed over and embraced him, as if he were the only thing to smolder her anxiousness. His response was to give a quick, two second arm around her shoulder. "Have the others come through yet?"

Morice answered: "Just the nurse."

Kelly and Sanchez arrived soon enough; Laurent and two of his other cop buddies were in tow.

"I suppose this mess is all over the evening news?" Riker asked her directly.

"More or less." Picking up the remote to the near by television, Kelly added: "Two of my men just contacted me, seems there was another incident in your area." Switching to one of many news stations, there was coverage of the attack on Isador. The small port town was in shambles with some of their buildings destroyed and the people struggling to pick up the pieces.

Upon seeing this, Breccia remembered Ethan saying how he often went to the village for supplies. She hoped he was safe.

"What the hell..." Riker murmured under his breath. "I better contact base, make sure this didn't bleed over to Aurora."

"I think-" Kelly opened her mouth to speak further but was silenced.

"I don't care what you think." Riker snapped. "Your ego got us into this mess. I told you Dixon couldn't be trusted but you wouldn't hear it."

"Now wait a minute." Laurent said, one of the few that managed to get out of the catastrophe without a scratch on him. "I don't want to believe he'd be willing to throw his own men to the wolves like that-"

Riker pointed to Breccia. "Take a good look at her. Dixon let those nut jobs in and that's what happened." Angered that Laurent would look against the evidence at hand, he continued: "You said so yourself Dixon was acting strange. He was so desperate to get to us he put everyone in danger, including my men." He turned to the other Executives. "Where's Stotler?"

Kelly practically whispered. "They're working on him...he was having trouble breathing when we arrived."

"If it helps-" Laurent said, bringing the conversation back around. "I believe you...I'm just having a hard time convincing the others. Dixon was with us for years, it's hard to think he'd tarnish that for petty revenge."

"Well he did." Riker said, cooling his blood to something more suitable. If he was going to take charge of the situation, he had to keep a level head. "Any idea where he got off to?"

"I'm afraid he's disappeared. Once the mansion caught fire none of us could find him."

"Did you catch any of the other men responsible?"

"We found them in a pretty beaten state, but yes. We'll question them as soon as we can."

"Be sure you do. I want to know who their leader is and why he's targeting us."

Laurent crossed his arms. "I'm not sure we can go sharing that kind of information."

"Whether you like it or not." Riker's temper started to flare again. He exhaled, sharp and steady, keeping his voice at a level monotone. "We're in this together. If you want to find them, you need us. We won't make any brash actions, we can't afford it." Riker directed his voice to Breccia. "Did you keep that chip, the one you pulled off of Arlia?"

Breccia shook her head. "Afraid not...I'm still trying to figure out how they managed to jump her."

"You and me both." Morice intervened. "But she fought it."

Breccia nodded. "You're right... of all the experiments we did in the Lab, that never happened. When you were talking to her, she fought back." It was only then that Breccia noticed Arlia wasn't around. "With all the research. The cuffs worked for the most part."

"Except for Arlia."

"That might have been the inhalation." Breccia put her head in her hands, giving a frustrated groan. "Maybe..." She was grasping at straws, trying to piece together the odd events. "Maybe...a Pokemon's love for their trainer helps them fight it..."

Not one to be contained for too long, Nibs busted free of his ball after struggling for a good hour. Fluttering down to Breccia's side, he stood next to her bed, offering love by leaning his head into her leg.

Laurent took notice of this and shifted towards the exit. "I see the Boom Bat got bigger." He saw this as his opportunity for a quick escape, talking to Riker. "I'll reach out to you come tomorrow, we'll talk details then."

A nurse poked her head in, grabbing every ones attention. "The misses wanted me to get you." She said to the other Executives. (As Kelly had left the room minutes prior). "There's been some complications..."

Riker and Sanchez were the first out with Breccia and Morice on their tails.

Kelly stood just outside of Stotler's room, not greeting the men when they arrived. She didn't say anything.

"Where's Stotler?" Riker asked.

Another nurse was there with them. "I'm sorry...the doctor did everything he could."

This wasn't a sufficient enough answer. "What do you mean? Where is he?"

The nurse tried to lessen the blow, approaching Riker in as gentle a manner as possible. "The smoke must've been too much on his heart. We tried to find you but.-" She frowned. "I'm sorry, he didn't make it."

The severity of the situation didn't hit Riker at first. The nurse's words replayed for a short time, as if his brain couldn't process.

He didn't make it.

He didn't make it.

"I don't understand-" And for a second, he didn't. He didn't understand that his childhood friend, the man who stood by his side and had trained him, was gone. "I just talked to him..."

"Morice." He heard Breccia's voice, as if it were in a thick vacuum, far away from him yet still so close. He felt sick for a moment, then he felt his legs go out.

Breccia caught him, and Morice had already retrieved a chair.

He didn't make it.

He heard it...like he did that morning he woke up and she was gone.

And he heard Donna say it all over again.

I'm sorry sweetie, she didn't make it.